#First Stanley then Fiddleford and then Bill. Then Fiddleford again. Then he had no one for 30 years

[inkyrainstorms]

I can’t believe I’ve never seen anyone mention that Fords college counselor told him multiple times, point blank, to ‘seek therapy’ OH MY GOSH. This man 😭😭 his issues have issues and keep ignoring the help that the people around him try to give him bc he believes he needs to do stuff on his own. The foreshadowing is wild. Stanley, the college counselor, and Fiddleford, all of them trying to reach this man and tell him it’s okay to ask for help.

I hope he and Stanley both got the therapy they needed post-Weirdmaggedon. Or at least talked through their issues like function (semi functional) people

[stanngeddon]

fate swap AU i came up with and is making me sob A LOT

(more under the cut!!)

a few weeks before the incident with stan and ford in actual canon (while fiddleford was still there) stanley was invited by ford to be another test subject for the portal test. he was at first reluctant because he had to be part of something he didn't understand whatsoever, but ended up driving to ford's lab anyhow so he could just see ford again. dummy was still wrapped to his wrist, and like fiddleford in gf canon, he was pulled in for a short moment, with ford yanking him out and fiddleford watching. after being told what he already knows (that he doesn't understand, he's not smart, etc.) by a manipulated twin brother he was yelled at to leave, but came across the memory gun and the blueprints in the process of exiting the lab. maybe a little peace of mind wouldn't be so bad. just a little peace of mind

stan would steal the memory gun, run away from the lab, and disappear. until he's found as an old, tired, unrecognizable amnesiac many years later

by this time, and though he never saw what stan saw in there, fiddleford knew the portal was dangerous. he travelled to hide ford's journals away from him when he wasn't watching until he was caught in the portal room taking the first journal to hide it. lots of shoving, arguing, lever flicking and yelling about ford's twin brother later, fiddleford broke and told ford "he was the one with a sickness". one last hefty push from ford had fidds slowly lift into the air and get sucked into the portal before ford's eyes. fidds would brew over his concern and anger towards ford in the 30 years it took to get back

ford has no friends no brother and no money. he had to succumb to turning his now cold empty lab into a tourist trap full of fake science to keep a roof over his head and the portal, still worried fidds was out there. bill grew tired, bored, mad over the years as it looked like to him ford was "throwing away" his life for a quick buck. there wasn't even fun in possessing him anymore, there was nothing in it for him. so bill would leave, settle with more deals, but let ford live to know that he had no worth to him or anyone anymore. ford can still see that demon in his nightmares, and visions of stan and fidds suffering manifested by him

[citricacidprince]

could you draw the courtroom scene with relativity falls? (mabels bubble)

Gladly!!! I’ve already brought up some Stan Weirdmageddon Bubble stuff here, but the equivalent of the Mabel Trial for Stan makes me wanna blow up I just adore it!!

Okay, so first things first, here’s Captain Stan’s design, my precious baby boy <3

Figured it’d be fun to mix some aspects of Grunkle Stan’s Mr. Mystery outfit with a pirate twist, just for fun!

As for the ‘trial’, its more of a argument between two boys who just WONT talk about their issues

Fiddleford, Boyish Dan, and Anjelita are also there, but Stan isn’t mad at them. In fact, he doesn’t even care that they’re breaking the rules by being there, he’s only mad at Ford. He’s mad that Ford was just going to leave him behind and send Stan back to New Jersey by himself while he stayed and studied with their Grunkle Dipper. Leaving Stan all by himself at home. Alone to deal with their father. Alone with no friends. Alone to be the family disappointment.

But no matter how mad he gets at Ford, Stan can’t ever say that he’s hates him, and Stan would give him a million chances to fix things. So, instead of immediately throwing Ford off the deck of his ship, he gives him an ultimatum. A very easy solution to all of this.

All Ford has to do is say that he’s sorry, and Stan would let him go. He won’t leave the bubble because he actually really likes it in there, but he’ll let Ford go.

This.. doesn’t end very well

Stan, absolutely heartbroken, decides to make his brother walk the plank. If he’s dead to Ford, well then Ford is dead to him as well.

However, right before his crew could push Ford into the water, something happened.

You see, when Stan unknowingly gave the rift to Bill he only had one wish. That he’d never be alone again. So when he first appeared in his bubble it was actually completely dark and empty, except for a small light glowing in his hands. It was a little version of Ford. He smiled and laughed just like he did when they were a bit younger, and he said everything Stan wanted to hear.

Very quickly Stan realized he could manipulate the bubble and create anything that he wanted, just like he could back in the Mindscape. So he created what he knew. Glass Shard Beach, New Jerseys. It was full of never ending boardwalks, houses and attractions with silly names, and that beach he loved so much. It didn’t take long after that to realize it was still quite lonely, even with Lil’ Ford (a name he lovingly gave the small version of his brother). However, he didn’t want the town to be full of faceless nobodies or people he actually knew, that’d be weird.

Then he had the genius idea to just fill the town with himself! After all, he never had to worry about himself betraying him or leaving him behind!

Soon the town was overrun with imperfect duplicates of himself and he couldn’t have been any happier.

However, the duplicates were so much like him that it soon made a new problem arise. They started asking about Ford. Like, ‘Where is he?’ ‘Can you make one?’ ‘I miss having him around.’

Stan did have Lil’ Ford hidden under his pirate hat, but he didn’t want to tell the other Stans that he was there. He didn’t know exactly why he kept Lil’ Ford hidden away. Probably a mixture of bitterness and anger still aimed at his real twin brother and a selfishness to keep Lil’ Ford to himself. So he just declared that Fords were banned altogether and left it at that.

This was a problem when right as Stanford was about to pushed off the plank, Lil’ Ford came out from under the Captain’s hat and told Stan to stop all of this.

The two bicker for a moment and some Stans ask who that is, causing Lil’ Ford to happily state that he’s Stanley’s brother, that the two are going to sail the world together, and that he loves Stan very dearly.

This doesn’t go over well with literally any of the Stan on board and it especially doesn’t go over well with Ford

The Stans pull a mutiny and try to kill Stan because they don’t think he should be Captain anymore and one of them should run the town instead.

Hard cut to Boyish Dan, Anjelita, Fiddleford, Ford, and Stan having a high speed boat chase with other Stans and popping the bubble while escaping. (I like to think Stan popped the bubble at the last second with the help of Shanklin <3 )

Stan is NOT happy about having to leave his Weirdmageddon bubble.

“You should have left me in there. I was HAPPY there.”

“Who cares if you were happy, you were living a lie! A sad delusion! You should be happy we pulled you out of there!”

Boyish Dan has it cut in before the two start fighting right then and there

Stan eventually calms down enough to decide that he’s going to save their Grunkle Dipper from Bill, but there is a thick tension between Stan and Ford that last until the huge blow out fight at the Cipher Wheel

A fight that started because Stan wanted Ford to finally say it.

‘I’m Sorry.’

[huginsmemory]

On ad astra per aspera ✨

Can we talk about the repeated use of ad astra per aspera? Cause uhhhh it shows up twice, once on the website and once in the Book of Bill, and OH BOY this has connotations, both for Bill and Ford's relation in the literal and figurative meaning on the word, and for Bill's own history:

(extra addition added 16/09/2024! 🌝 )

First, in the website (if I recall correctly) if the phrase ad astra per aspera is inputted into the computer, you get the two pages on Bill's 'funeral':

And within, in the pages, at the very end before signing there names is the phrase itself (highlighted in red) .

Secondly, a joke version of it is seen in the Book Of Bill, specifically on the night where Bill and Ford fucked 'one thing led to another':

In this one, it's clearly a joke off of aspirin used for his hangover, used again to close the entry.

Now the phrase ad astra per aspera itself means 'through suffering to the stars', which also has... wider connotations then just these two piece alone, which I'll unpack later. But first, the interesting choice of connection of these two pieces;

Both times the phrases occur, they occur closing the entry; a bit too much of a coincidence to me (and in this fandom there is no such thing as a coincidence). Considering that the 'one thing led to another' night is a night that was important to their relationship as it hints at the intimacy they had with each other, it showing up again in Ford's 'funeral' entry about Bill feels very much like an allusion to that night. Especially considering in the funeral entry Ford is very open about how much he cared about Bill, with how he at one point "considered him the centre of his life". The entry from Ford reads as someone who is moving on, and part of this is acknowledgement of the grief and sadness for the more positive part of the abusive relationship that he lost. As a result, having him acknowledge the intimacy of their relationship, it makes sense for him to tongue in cheek allude back to his first writing down of the phrase, where they were quite clearly implied to fuck be intimate.

While it alludes to their Bill and Ford's intimacy, the literal and metaphorical meaning of the phrase also rings true here; through suffering to the stars. If we talk literally, then through Ford's relationship with Bill, something that ultimately was full of suffering, he built the portal, and ended up wandering the myriad worlds out there in space; one may say out there among the stars. He literally was out there wandering the stars as a result of suffering.

Now metaphorically, the phrase means through suffering/adversity one gains beautiful/worthwhile things. Considering this entry is Ford moving on from Bill, this is very apt; again, their relationship caused Ford immense suffering, and as he is now letting that relationship and suffering go, he's instead prioritizing creating healthy relationships with Stanley, the other twins and Fiddleford (the something beautiful and worthwhile part!). In fact, the entry on Bill's funeral is half on him strengthening his relationship with Mabel, the shooting star, another layer of wordplay; case in point about the healthy relationships. He's weathered through his abusive relationship, to discover and create a loving family.

It doesn't quite end there however; although that's fairly it for specifically Ford and Bill's relationship, we also haven't talked about what the stars mean to Bill himself. Which, well; it's very clearly implied that Bill accidentally killed everyone in his dimension in an attempt to show his parents (and other people in his dimension) the stars. And on top of that, to quote; "I looked up and saw the stars. And I was ready to become one of them". Which he then in a way, becomes, considering the page in journal 3 on constellations, in which Ford remarks that one of his favourite constellations is the constellation 'William' (obviously Bill). It's a bittersweet immortalization of himself after everything that occurs around trying to see the stars for Bill.

So I find it very interesting that for Ford, a phrase about suffering and stars is something he ends up correlating to his relationship with Bill, considering that to Bill, to get to the stars is something he deeply suffered for as a result. It's also important to note that Bill's suffering was something that occurred out of love, and ultimately an attempt to be understood and create a deeper relationship with his parents where they could trust him. And then for Ford, all this while later, to look up to the stars (to see them) and to see the Bill constellation and go 'oh that's one of my favourites' is fulfillment. Because Ford during that time trusted and cared deeply for Bill, fulfilling that relationship of trust, love and understanding(at least surface level, considering the way they banter together), that Bill had yearned for when he was younger and killed his plane.

So all in all(tldr): ad aspera per astra, (through suffering the stars), is quite the fun phrase to unpack in regards to Bill and Ford's relationship, considering the deliberate reference to the phrase on the entry about the night 'where one thing led to another' and Bill's funeral entry. The phrase is a combination of references; tongue in cheek allusion to the intimacy, but also references to the literal (space fugitive) and figurative (abusive relationship, to loving family again pipeline) hardships Ford endured as a result of the relationship. There is also irony in the way that Ford seems to correlate this phrase about suffering and stars with Bill and his relationship, considering that out of an effort to be understood and share the stars with his parents, Bill accidentally killed his whole dimension; later he also made a constellation of himself. As well, as Ford says that one of his favourite constellations is a constellation that's clearly Bill in Journal 3, it alludes to that Bill's wish to show his parents the stars and be recognized is fulfilled by Ford (pre-portal incident that is).

EDIT: extra details added on the constellation piece as of Aug 14 2024 (less than 24 hours after og posting, because I'm deranged). Big thanks to @bowl-o-nudel for the nudge :)

Edit (16/09/2024): I've had a few people say that the saying has appeared in Journal 3 multiple times, and having reread journal 3, to my delight it is indeed correct! And oh the CONTEXT they give. The two instances are those seem below; the first appearance in the title page of Journal 3, and second time is a page from when the twins graduate.

As well as all the parallels of how the phrase is applied for both Bill and Ford, as @zoizyboigy suggested, it seems to be a phrase that Ford takes as his own motto. It seems to be a highly personal motto to him; after all, they all are written around important turning moments in Ford's life; graduating, the journals which where to be his ticket to fame, fucking a triangle finding acceptance and intimacy with Bill , and lastly, moving on in his life from Bill and his destructive obsession with recognition. 

And it makes sense WHY this motto is one that is highly personal to Ford; the first time it is seen chronologically is when he's graduating, chosen when he believes he's going to be accepted into the university. It's a motto he chose because he was excited, because he thought he was already through his suffering and arriving to the stars of his fancy university, where validation and acceptance would abound; only that doesn't happen, and the suffering part within the motto is the only thing that's accurate, especially as that's when he rejects Stan. It's a motto chosen in celebration, that becomes a reminder of the failure to become someone who is accepted and important (and his prioritization of validation over relationships); it's now something he holds that reminds him of the validation he believes he deserves and he obsessively chases. 

And that's why you see it in the journal pages, because these journals are going to change his life, he's going to become finally a person of importance and be accepted with the information he's compiled in the journals. And in the same way, you see it after Bill (and interdimensional being of ancient knowledge) and him are intimate; he's become someone of importance to Bill, he's been accepted by Bill, even attractive to Bill (romance Ford seems to have terrible luck in).

And that's why you see it at the end of Ford's farewell to Bill; it's another turning point, it's Ford letting his obsession with world validation go which characterized it's meaning from the beginning, Ford letting go of his relationship with Bill, which it also came to mean, and instead celebrates his acceptance within his family and the strengthening of those bonds, and of prioritizing healthy, loving relationships.

Ps, if you enjoyed this meta post, I've also made another one, on exceptionalism!

[lkfarrout]

Why Stan Had to Get His Memory Back

For many of the episodes of Gravity Falls, there is a pattern where the physical supernatural beast or conflict being dealt with matches directly to some internal conflict that the character has. 

Examples:

In Double Dipper, Dipper wants to dance with Wendy but is getting in his own way with his overthinking and his list. This is shown physically by clones of himself turning on him.

In Carpet Diem, both twins are struggling to see from the other’s perspective and be more courteous with how they share a living space. They are physically forced to switch bodies to learn more about the other’s experiences. 

In Scary-oke, Dipper struggles to trust Stan and feels that Stan’s goal to protect him from the supernatural is unfair and unnecessary. Dipper then summons a bunch of zombies to prove a point. Him and Mabel must then rely heavily on Stan’s help to escape the zombies, and team up with him to finally defeat them.

Most character development in the more stand-alone episodes follows this format, but it’s harder to catch with the series-spanning character arcs like Stanley’s.

But before we get into that, one more less-obvious example:

Fiddleford’s internal conflict while working with Ford is that he had many traumatizing experiences that were causing him to suffer. But instead of having time and loving people around him to help him work through it, he had Ford continuously pushing him to work harder and finish the portal. This required him to suppress his feelings and pretend that those bad experiences did not exist. 

This is physically manifest by his creation of the memory gun. Which, in my opinion, does not completely erase memories in the way that Fiddleford intended and believed that it did. Instead, it only suppresses them. The memory gun takes whatever is written on it out of the person’s conscious mind and pushes it deep into their subconscious mind. Fiddleford still suffered the effects of his trauma - the fear, the paranoia - he only forgot the cause. And it drove him to insanity.

But when Dipper and Mabel help him remember, and when Ford finally apologizes for all that he did, Fiddleford is able to bring those feelings back to the surface and begin to work through them while surrounded by people that care about him. Ford explains in the journal that all of this helped Fiddleford begin to slowly return to his old self again. 

So, knowing that the memory gun only suppresses memories, let’s finally talk about Stanley:

When Bill first entered Stan’s mind while he was sleeping, he was inside of Stan’s subconscious mind, which contained all of his old memories and feelings and experiences. But when Bill enters Stan’s mind when he’s awake, he’s in his conscious mind - what Stan was currently thinking about at that moment. Which was, essentially, himself and Bill. His focus was entirely on himself defeating Bill. If, in order to be a hero, Stan’s conscious sense of self had to physically be erased along with Bill, what internal conflict of Stan’s does this represent?

Stan’s whole life he felt like a screw-up. Like a bad guy that would never be worth anything. That’s who he felt Stanley Pines was. So, in order to be a hero for his family, he felt that everything he used to be had to go away. He had to repress all of his past mistakes and screw-ups in order for his family to see him as a hero. He could not be both a hero and Stanley Pines because Stanley Pines was not a hero. 

Once Bill is gone, Stanley is a hero, but he isn’t Stanley Pines anymore. Until Mabel and the rest of the family start to talk about how wonderful he used to be. How the old Stanley wasn’t a screw up. How everything that he used to be was wonderful and good and they loved him for it - all of it. Once Stan accepted that he could be both a hero and be himself and be all of his past and be loved for it and not have to suppress it - it all came back. It came back because he realized he’s loved and accepted by others and he could finally accept himself. 

That’s why Stan had to get his memory back.

[smiley-mcdoggington]

Sorry can't stop thinking abt Stan being Fidds' semi-lobotomized housewife because. Having the power to erase guilt and shame and regret is Not Good but also. Getting into the habit of memory-wiping someone else? Especially a partner????

The first few times it was just about the portal incident, Stan simply couldn't function with those memories - even though all the memories left were foggy as if they were from lifetimes ago, and he still couldn't say a word. They were innocent, justifiable, even Ford relented that it was better than Stan being terrified of him and his house for reasons Ford knew but would not divulge. Stan had started spacing out for hours at a time, but Fidds thought that might be from the portal.

Fidds assumed they would be taking the portal apart after then, but Ford hesitated. He had seen what it did to Stanley but he still hesitated. So Fidds stormed out, determined to never work with him again. That day he went home and he told Stan that his brother couldn't be reasoned with. Stan said he wanted to go talk to Ford himself - the wipes were starting to hold better, by then, he was almost who he was (with a few more gray hairs). But the conversation went bad, terribly, Ford had been awake for 3 days by then and sitting on the couch next to his brother just calmed him down so much he fell asleep on Stan's shoulder.

Fidds got a call from Ford later that Bill had done something with his sleeping body, and Stan had locked himself in a closet and Ford could see the blood on the handle but Stan wouldn't open the door.

Fiddleford erased that interaction from Stan's memory, too - said he got the bump on his head and the scratches on his arms from a bar fight. Stan didn't believe him, but he learned that questions only brought him migraines. It didn't take as many memory wipes to stick, that time, because by then Ford wasn't seen at all. Fiddleford bought a book on Hanukkah and celebrated it with Stanley in their new shared apartment. Stanley called his Ma and she said he sounded sick but Stanley laughed it off.

Then Stanley woke up from a nightmare - he'd spent a good deal of time on the streets before he had reconciled with Stanford in their early 20s, and every peek Fidds got into that life made his stomach twist. All those memories ever did was burden Stan, and it was just so easy for Fiddleford to hold Stanley's cheek with one hand and the memory gun with the other, erasing the pieces that hurt Stan - selling himself at seventeen, almost freezing in the back of his car, those six months in that prison, the attempts by both criminals and police to kill him. Without them, Stanley was never paranoid, or burdened. He was happier. Fidds had made him happier.

So why stop? Fidds had already made a group for others dedicated to caring for those burdened by the disturbing creatures of gravity falls. Stan was so much happier when he wasnt worried people would short-change him or turn on him - cutting away the last strings tying him down was almost Fidds' duty. Something Fiddleford said scared him? Wiped clean, Stanley didn't have to know about the society of the blind eye. He didn't like what his Ma told him the last time he called? He doesn't remember what she said to him. He misses his brother? He doesn't have to remember Ford. Sure, Stanley had been a lot more submissive lately - almost vacant - but surely that was just because he knew what Fidds did was always for his best interest and he trusted him so implicitly.

Then Fidds came home from his meeting and saw Ford in his livingroom. Ford slammed him into a wall, demanding to know what he was doing to Stan. Fidds said he wasn't doing anything but helping him. Ford said he'd been here for two hours and Stan. Hadn't. Moved. Fidds said he was just having one of his spacing-spells and he would be fine - he was right there. Ford said Stan had soiled himself an hour ago and didn't notice. Fidds said he did that sometimes - probably from the trauma of the portal. Ford started throwing punches, so Fidds made him forget he had a brother.

[dreamy-pill]

In My Brother’s Shadow AU

Anyone had this idea yet?

Stanley Pines is so used to hiding, he ends up personifying and replacing his twin brother’s shadow. Now, he’s either gone-gone or cursed. Stanford doesn’t realize his shadow is his brother until he tries sending out that postcard.

This is heavily inspired from Peter Pan. Can you guess who’s Wendy? For reference, Bill plays the role of Captain Hook.

- Unspecified origins, Stanley is transported halfway across the globe and ends up in Gravity Falls with his brother.

- Obviously, Stanford is so busy with getting his house being built he doesn’t realize his shadow is sentient until he’s apparently confronted with it. It’s the surprise of his life!

- At first he thinks his shadow is an anomaly. Stanford doesn’t begrudge the shadow for occupying in his impression. In fact, he becomes fascinated with it and its’ ambiguous nature. He ends up trying to ask his shadow a bunch of questions.

- Unfortunately, Stanley has to defer from Stanford’s inquiries because he cannot speak. The lack of back and forth communication makes Stanford somewhat falter. So, Stanley resorts to charades or shadow puppetry to answer Ford’s questions. He’s really good at shadow puppets.

- Stanley doesn’t tell Stanford he’s really Stanley.

- For awhile, it was just the two of them. They’d go out in the woods to document research on strange happenings. Stanford would refer to his shadow just by looking where the light hits the trees or the ground. For some reason, his shadow finds great joy in climbing trees.

- Even under the dim light of the kitchen, Ford is never really eating alone when he can see his shadow splayed out on the fridge or counters. It’s funny to think that Stanley will just be goofing off, all silent, while Ford is communicating for him.

- Maybe they make a game of it. Ford will fill the air with a narrative, Stanley will use his “shadow powers” to make interesting and detailed visuals of silhouettes to pop up on the walls.

- Maybe, in all the silence, Stanford yearned for some actual conversation. Stanley thinks his brother’s been alone by himself for too long, even with him as just his shadow. So, Stanford’s shadow (Stanley) is what inevitably convinces Ford to contact Fiddleford again.

Do you know that one scene from Nim’s Island? The scene where the author Alex Rider is about to back away from leaving the house but is pushed out by her imaginary character? I just thought of something similar happening to Ford when he’s somehow convinced by his shadow to call Fiddleford. You’ll have this whole tug-o-war scene between Stanford and his shadow, pulling on the phone chord, both being too stubborn to let it go.

- Fiddleford thinks Ford’s gone off the deep end when he sees him laughing along with his shadow.

- Mystery Trio (semi) established!

- Fiddleford attempts making an awkward one-sided conversations with Stanford’s shadow. Then over time, he becomes used to talking to the shadow, simply because of how exaggerated the shadow will change its shape to relay responses for him. It does get a good laugh out of Fiddleford each time. He considers the shadow a jokester, which is so unlike serious Stanford. That might offend him, but the trio do get a good laugh over it together.

- That little comparison could be the little hint that makes Ford slowly connect the dots, up until the postcard.

- Imagine seeing Stanley waving his arms frantically in the air on the cave walls momentarily before Ford sweeps his gaze to the painting on the wall of Bill, thus ignoring Stanley’s cry for his attention.

- Stanford still reads the inscription on the wall, leading to the winding road that causes Ford to focus more on Bill and drift further away from his shadow.

- Bill is delighted that Stanley is being pushed away.

- Bill gives Stanford the final hint about his shadow’s real identity.

- Stanford crushes the postcard in his hands. He whirls around and stares down at his shadow (maybe Ford gave his shadow a nickname?). The red light from the control room casts a sinister and eerie feeling in the atmosphere. Stanford confronts his shadow about his suspicions.

You know how Peter Pan’s shadow had to be sewn back to him from his feet? What if, instead of Stanford being pushed through the portal, Stanley is ripped away from Stanford. In the actual sense, like Ford loses his shadow and Stanley becomes lost after losing his one connection to who he used to be. Like, Stanley becomes lost in a dark void, endlessly shapeshifting in hopes of finding an impression similar to his original.

- Years later, Ford still has no shadow. He realizes too late that his brother is not who he used to be anymore. Stanley becomes a distressed mass of a conglomeration of forms of all the figures he tried fitting into over the years.

[justcallmeremus]

The current Ford hate on TT is insane to me.

“He didn’t care about Stan!”

I’m sorry what? This is the same Ford that, in the ripped out pages from the journal in Book Of Bill, stated “Stanley could have made her laugh” when he was referring to the waitress and him having a poor interaction. Meaning he had fond thoughts of his brother even during a time when he wasn’t talking to him.

Another direct quote is referring to the telephone booth scene

“‘HEY BROTHER, IT’S SIXER. I’M GOING TO TAKE A SWIM IN THE FROZEN LAKE TOMORROW, AND I MIGHT NOT COME BACK, SO IF YOU DON’T HEAR FROM ME, I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IT’S BECAUSE I NEVER LOVED YOU. BUH-BYEEEEE’

My heart was in my throat until I heard the dial tone…”

Ford was in a state of anxiety from the idea of the last thing Stan potentially ever hearing from him was that he [Ford] never loved him [Stan]. That shows he cares for his brother I do not care what you say. Even in a spat such as theirs Ford showed in small ways that he did care for Stan.

“Oh but during the portal scene(s) he was mean to Stan!!!”

“If Stan was sucked into the portal we know Ford wouldn’t have helped”

In the first scene where Stan and Ford are at the portal arguing Ford is in an extreme state of paranoia due to the lack of sleep and stress Bill has put on his body.

The second one Ford has just returned from what we can only imagine as a traumatic experience, fighting for his life in another dimension, oh right yes the dimension that very portal leads to and that Ford was trying to make sure couldn’t link the two worlds.

If they had swapped places and Ford didn’t know the extent of what was on the other side, because remember Fiddleford was the only one who had seen the other side before this moment, I bet Ford would’ve done anything to get Stan back, and then when Stan returned, if he knew that the portal linked the two dimensions at this point, Stan would probably be upset too! Wondering why his smart brother would risk total destruction on this town just to get him back!

“He didn’t thank Stan for everything he did to get Ford back!!!”

Yes, of course he should be grateful that his brother brought him home but also if Stan managed to get the portal running then Ford knows that Stan read his journals and also knows those dangers and once again he’s disregarded the consequences of his actions in Ford’s eyes.

“Erm why didn’t he use his grant money to help the fam…kinda selfish!!!”

Do you not know how grant money works? You can’t just use it for whatever you want! You have to use it in relation to your studies! He built himself a lab with his grant money to do research, like he’s supposed to. If he hadn’t used it as intended guess what! He’d have to pay it back!!! Out of pocket!

“Making Dipper his apprentice was kinda weird like what about school…”

There’s schools in Gravity Falls??? Like did you forget there were other people his age going to school in the area?? Also, Dipper expressed interest in the things Ford spent his life studying.

Dipper read the journal like it was his whole world and Ford basically had found someone to relay and teach all the things he learned to, which would allow Dipper to learn far more than he could anywhere else, especially if this is a field of study Dipper would like to pursue!!

I’d like to add that Stan also never apologized for ruining Ford’s project, even if it was an accident generally you apologize for things you do accidentally if it impacted someone you love so greatly. Instead he said how they could just travel instead of Ford going off to school, completely disregarding how that made his brother feel.

If there was an apology. If there was an explanation. Ford most likely would have forgiven Stan much sooner.

“I just don’t like Ford”

And that’s fine! You’re allowed to not like a character! No one is forcing you to like him, but when you’re saying you don’t like him and these are your defenses? Your argument and reasonings fall flat.

I love both Stan and Ford deeply and do not view one as better over the other, but the way the fandom holds Ford way more accountable than Stan is insane to me. The way Stan can repeatedly put people in danger and/or do things without thinking about the consequences is a valid thing to critique just like any of Ford’s actions.

Oookay long rant over.

TLDR; Stop blaming Ford for everything, picking and choosing what parts of canon about him you use for arguments, hold Stan more accountable.

[tsukiusagi180]

stan x reader x Ford ??

You had met Stanford at university, he was quite an intriguing student you must admit. I guess what made him intriguing to you was his hands, yes he had 12 fingers instead of 10 but you couldn't help but find it cute.

Then you started to get closer to him, it all started with Fiddleford, he had understood what was happening after all Stanford was in the science branch and you? Well you were quite literary so to constantly come across him it wasn't a coincidence.

Luckily for you Stanford finally made the first move, he came to see you one afternoon while you were on campus relaxing

Hi, uh, I noticed that we often meet, but uh, it seems to me that we're not in the same class?"

Seeing him talk to you surprised you, you didn't think he would, honestly he didn't think so either

"Hi, I also noticed that we often meet but no, we don't have a common class"

“Oh uh okay thank you, I won’t bother you anymore”

"Wait! Don't you want to sit down, can we talk?"

You asked the question so insecurely that a blush appeared on his cheeks.

“With pleasure, but can I ask what your name is?”

“My name is (Y/n) (L/n) but call me (N/n)”

“Enchanted Stanford Pines (N/n)” “

Nice Stanford”

“Ford”

“Ford?”

“You can just call me Ford”

“Very good Ford”

And that was how your love story began, you were both very happy, a perfect dynamic, then when you finished your studies you both went to live in Gravity Falls, for a time it was really happiness until at a certain time.

“Hey Sixer.”

"Bill! I told you to leave me alone"

“Oh but you are my muse, I won’t leave you alone”

“Our agreement no longer holds, I’ve put lead in my head, you can’t go in there anymore!”

“Fine, but what would you say if I decided to play with someone new, like oh hey why not (Y/n)?”

At this precise moment Stanford was frozen, he couldn't allow Bill to let you hurt yourself, you had nothing to do with all of this.

“Leave her out of this Bill, she has nothing to do with it”

“Oh oh it looks like I touched a nerve, know south you won't be able to protect her forever”

Without saying another word as Bill disappeared, Stanford was left speechless. He had to protect you at all costs, that's when he had the idea to ask his brother to come, Stanley, he could take the newspapers with him and prevent Bill from hurting you any more than he had planned.

A few days later you heard the doorbell ring, when you opened it you saw Ford, that's what you thought at first sight before he arrived pulling his double into the house.

"Stanley! Aren't you being followed?" "

What? Sorry? It's been years you haven't given me any news and suddenly you bring me here for no reason, you attack me and don't introduce me?"

You moved closer to them by putting your hand on Ford's shoulder just to reassure him, you remembered now it was your lover's twins. He had already spoken to you about it but very vaguely, you knew it was a sensitive subject so seeing him here was more or less impressive.

“Sorry, Stanley this is (Y/n) my partner, (Y/n) this is Stanley my twins”

“Nice to meet you (Y/n)”

“The pleasure is all mine”

You really thought it, Stan was someone who cared about doing well, at least he tried, you started to like him as friends of course you were madly in love with Ford, then one day when he came home from winter from work you saw Stan in the kitchen crying. You felt that something was wrong but you didn't want to believe it, you tried to convince yourself that it wasn't Ford.

"Hey Stan, is something wrong?"

“I- (Y/n) I’m terribly sorry but Ford and I had a big argument and and.”

A sob escaped his mouth as he started crying again, wanting to reassure him you took her in your arms rubbing her back hoping to make her feel better

“Shh, it’s not serious whatever happened we can figure it out together.”

“Ford has crossed the gate”

You froze.

Damn.

Ford went through the gate.

You may not have been a scientist but you knew what this portal represented, it had gone to another dimension and God only knows if it will ever come back Your eyes started to water and your vision became blurry, then you punched Stan. It happened on its own, you knew it wasn't intentional and he blamed himself but holy shit the man you loved was in another universe?

“Forgive me, I’m really sorry, I uh, I’m going to repair the portal, I swear, I’m going to do everything to bring him back.”

“It’s in my best interest, Stanley.”

He started working on the portal, you obviously helped him as best you could, at the beginning the cohabitation was going extremely badly due to the fact that you were angry with him and then after a while you ended up less TO DO. While Stan started to secretly jealous Ford for having you, you were so fucked up, you were beautiful smart funny and so many things in his eyes that you were just perfect Over the years you too began to fall in love with Stanley, you knew that he was not Stanford and that he never would be but you loved him for who he was, when the twins they were very surprised to see that their grunkle had a wife.

Everything was going extremely well, until Ford came back.He stood there in front of you, in front of you, the one who was supposed to be his girlfriend, the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He hit Stan because it was dangerous then he looked at you

“(Y/N), did you stay?”

“Of course yes, with Stan we did everything to bring you back”

He grimaced at the thought, you had spent 30 years with his flirty twin brother?

“I’m so happy to be back, I love you”

You looked down and so did Stan, then he understood, you heard surprised voices behind you, it was the twins who also understood very quickly

“(Y/n) you were dating Grunkle Stan!”

Mabel shouted almost as if it were obvious

“So, now you’re dating my brother.”

"I, Ford listen to me I'm terribly sorry I waited for you for years believe me but"

“No need to justify yourself (Y/n), I suspected that after 30 years you would have started your life again, I just didn’t think it would be with my brother.”

He decided to leave with the twins, remembering seeing you in a parallel dimension.

He remembers remembering very well. He traveled through dimensions and universes, then he fell into a universe where you both lived in Gravity falls, he saw you happy full of joy with himself, you were both in the garden enjoying summer to relax. It was this vision that allowed him to survive all these years, a better future for both of you.

Which does not exist in this universe..

[skeletboi]

InTRIdimensional AU part 27!

First /// Previous /// Next

----------

Stan smiled in response. “I'd like ta know you.” he said, scooting closer. “What's your name?”

“Axolotl above, you're kidding, right? My name's Cam. And you're Stanley, I'm guessing, considering the five fingers.” Cam said with a put-upon sigh.

Stan blanched for a second, but quickly composed himself and smiled again, opening his mouth to speak. Cam started talking before he could.

“Your brother push you in the portal and you're trying to get back, or did he side with the Euclidian?” They asked, tilting their head in mock curiosity.

“Side with-” Stan started, but got distracted when the door to the bar opened.

“Oh.” Cam said, finally cracking a smile as they watched Fiddleford and Ford enter the bar. “I've only seen this once before. That's actually interesting. Y'all really fucked up, huh?”

Stan glanced back at Cam and frowned. “Wait, what is that supposed to mean!?”

Cam smiled as Fiddleford and Ford came up behind Stan.

“Stanley, did you really find the only other person with a mullet in this bar?” Ford asked tiredly.

“Hey-” Stan started.

“Yes he did.” Cam said, cutting Stan off as they narrowed their eyes at Ford. “How'd you fuck up so bad that all three of you ended up here?”

“How did I- what? Do I know you?!” Ford asked, a mix of incredulousness and fear in his voice as he studied Cam's face.

“Nah. But I've had the misfortune of meeting a few different versions of you. I'm assuming, by the whole gang being here, that you didn't side with whatever Euclidian you had. Hope you killed him, or you're really fucked.” Cam responded nonchalantly as they sipped at their drink.

“Different versions of me?!” Ford asked, his eyes lighting up in excitement. “How curious! But, no, we didn't have the chance to kill him yet. I'm still reeling about how he betrayed me.”

“Damn, fresh out the womb, huh? Portal-womb, I mean. That sounds gross. Forget I said that.” Cam replied with a grimace.

“There are others of us?” Fiddleford asked, nervously tapping his foot as he glanced around the bar. “How do ya know them, then? And whadaya mean ‘misfortune’ of meeting a few versions?”

“A lot of the versions of Ford that I've met have been the type to side with the Euclydian. We run in the same circles, you could say. Though, there are some less psychopathic versions I've run into.” Cam replied, then smiled at Fiddleford. “I've met a version or two of you, as well, and Stanley. I'm usually a fan of you, Fidds. You're clever.”

Fiddleford frowned, not happy with that vague answer, and Cam laughed.

“Look, a bit of free advice- and I don't give that often, so count yourselves lucky or some shit- stay away from other versions of yourselves! Especially the Stanford that wears the blue visor glasses, and the Fiddleford and Stanford with the blue snake-like Euclydian that try to sell you bath bombs. They are all bad news.” Cam explained.

“But wouldn't talking to them help us get further in our goal of defeating Bill?” Ford asked.

“They'll kill you before you get the chance. Well, the blue visor guy will, the other's will probably ignore you if you ignore them. The other version of all three of you might be helpful, but they were about as lost as y’all are now last time I saw them.” Cam said thoughtfully.

“That ain't helpful, and what in tarnation is a bathbomb?” Fiddleford asked.

“It's like for baths… You know- nevermind. Just stay away from them. If you end up in a dimension with other versions of yourself, don't touch them. It’ll destroy both of you and the universe they're in. That's all the free advice you get. So don’t die out there. Or do. Fuck if I care.” Cam said, turning away and sitting on a bar stool.

“Wait- wait. You obviously know some shit, and you're just going to leave us to the wolves here?!” Stan asked.

“Don't take it too hard. I like the versions I've met of you, too Stanley- but I got shit to do, people to kill, etcetera. Figure it out for yourself. I'm not the one who made a deal with a demon.” Cam said, not bothering to look away from their nearly-empty drink.

“Didja jus’ say people ta kill?!” Fiddleford asked, sounding nervous all over again.

Cam just huffed out a laugh in response and downed the rest of their drink.

“Do you know how to kill Bill?!” Ford asked.

“A way for you to kill Bill? I don't know. I could probably kill him, he's like, a lesser god or whatever. You'd need some type of dimension disrupter? Or get him to go in your head and then die? I don't even know if that would work. Probably not.” Cam mumbled, half to themselves as they frowned down at their now empty drink.

“A lesser god?” Fiddleford asked at the same time Ford said “Dimensional Disrupter?”

“Yeah sure those things.” Cam said, waving down the bartender and asking for another drink in a language Fiddleford and Ford didn't understand.

Stan took the dimensional translator out of his pocket and gave it a cursory glance before sighing and sitting down on one of the bar stools next to Cam.

Cam glanced over at him and gave a half smile.

“Or, take a page from Stan and my book and just drink about it!” Cam said, glancing over their shoulder at Fidds and Ford as they lifted their newly filled drink.

Fidds and Ford glanced at each other with matching frowns.

“That don’ sound like a good plan.” Fiddleford said.

“Agreed.” Ford added.

“Did building an interdimensional portal for malevolent god-like trigonometry sound like a good plan? I don't think you're one to talk.” Cam said.

Stan laughed and fist bumped Cam.

“That's…” Ford started, then sighed, “Fair enough. Maybe one drink.” He finished, taking a seat on the other side of Cam.

Fiddleford sighed and sat next to him.

Stan took out the translator and used it to order a drink for Ford and Fiddleford.

“Translator. Good start.” Cam said.

“Not much of a start without knowing where these next rifts lead.” Ford mumbled.

“Here. I know where this one goes.” Cam said, taking a knife out of a a belt on their side and slicing the air in front of them.

Ford looked on in interested wonder as a small rift opened in front of them.

“Wow, do you have another one of those?” He asked excitedly, reaching his hand out towards the rift.

“Fuck no.” Cam said, swiping the blade back up and closing the rift. “Humans can't go through these rifts anyway, you'll disintegrate. They're my… personal rifts.”

“Are you not human?” Stan asked.

Cam sheathed the knife and lifted a hand, a small flower bloomed in their palm.

“Fascinating.” Ford said with an excited smile. “What are you?”

“That's a rude question.” Cam responded, flicking their fingers out, causing the flower to burn to ash in their palm.

“What… species are you?” Ford tried.

“No.” Cam responded.

“Not even a hint?” Ford said, his excited smile turning to a frown.

“Check my wanted posters. There's probably a hint there.” Cam replied, then downed the rest of their drink and stood.

“Wanted posters?” Stan asked, his eyes lighting up at the prospect in a eerily similar way to his twin's expression from just minutes before.

Cam just laughed as they set some alien coins on the bar, then walked towards the door.

“Good luck out there.” They said, taking the knife from their belt and separating it in two.

They turned, swiped both blades across the air, and walked through the rift the blades created.

Stan, Ford, and Fidds watched until the glow of the rift faded, then turned back to their drinks.

“What in god's name jus’ happened?” Fiddleford asked after a moment.

“I'm not sure.” Stan said, glancing towards the bartender, who was distracted by another patron at the end of the bar. “But we can't pay for these drinks without weird space money. So I hope they left a good tip.” He took the money Cam left and pocketed it.

“That don’ seem smart. That Cam person looked like they could kill us all in a second. Prolly not a good enemy to make.” Fiddleford said nervously.

“It's a big universe. Hopefully we never run into them again.” Ford said with a shrug. “Better the enemy you know, or something.”

“I can practic'ly hear my gam rollin’ in her grave.” Fiddleford said, burying his face in his hands.

“What did they say to the bartender, anyway, Stan? Right before you also sat down and ordered a drink?” Ford asked.

“They said ‘I'm going to need another to deal with this lot. Ax save them, they'll be here awhile.’ Whatever the fuck that means.” Stan said, taking out the translator again and putting it on his wrist. “Looks like I'll be needing this more, so might as well wear it.”

“I don't get why you weren't wearing it before.” Ford mumbled.

“There wasn't a lot of different language going on in farm land.” Stan said. “Didn't want to risk losing it in one of those boxes or some shit.”

“Makes sense ta me.” Fiddleford said, downing the rest of his drink with an ease that peaked Stan’s interest. “We should take ‘nother one of those rifts out there. I gotta find the supplies ta make more a those watches.”

“Agreed.” Ford said, leaving his drink mostly full as he stood.

Stan nodded, downed the rest of his own drink, and left one of the multiple coins he had taken on the bar. Ford watched him, but didn't comment. They would need some type of money, and wasting it here wasn't a great option.

They all got up and high tailed it out of the bar before the bartender got the chance to see how much they left.

-----------

Bye, Cam, it was fun!

Don't @ me, I love them. They're so sassy. I might actually bring them back for a minute later on, but for now they just get this cute little cameo.

Anyways, the other au's mentioned here are as follows:

@aeli-tan-art 's Overlords AU

@squatch-and-stretch 's Mystery Trio Through the Multiverse AU

And

@orxinus 's MM!Ford from... an AU I unfortunately forgot the name of.

If you haven't already, go check them out! I love them.

The next part with be Cam's wanted poster because I do what I want- then there will be more of these three being ridiculous!

Edit: Cam's wanted poster here.

Thanks for reading!

[tinfoil-jones]

Gravity Falls: For Your Own Good, Ch. 16

Summary: A few years after moving to Gravity Falls and having his lab built, Stanford Pines happens upon his estranged twin brother, Stanley. He mentally prepared himself to be suffocated by his brothers neediness all over again - what he wasn't prepared for was Stanley walking right past him like he didn't even notice him.

Rating: M for language, violence, and adult implications

Preface: Dialogue only, but some actions will be annotated for clarity. Cross-Posted on AO3 Here.

When Bill and Ford are in the dreamscape together, their dialogue is written normally. But if Bill and Ford are communicating in Fords head without the mindscape, Bills dialogue is in "italics", and Fords dialogue is in 'apostrophes and italics'.

First - Prev - Next

CH.16

“Stan?”

“What’s up, stretch?”

“To my understanding, you’re familiar with a… sizable number of illicit substances?”

“Why, you looking for a plug?”

“A… plug?”

“Ya know, a guy who can hook you up with stuff.”

“...Stan, I’m not looking for a drug dealer.”

“Good, because all of the ones I know hate my guts.”

“Are you familiar with a substance called Ketamine?”

“Special K? Haven’t used it, but I’ve heard of it. I heard it kinda does what magic mushrooms do, but without all the visions.”

“It’s a dissociative non-opioid, anesthetic, and analgesic.”

“So it’s like heroine, but it isn’t heroine?”

“Ain’t exactly like that, but you can think about it that way.”

“What about it?”

“I’ve reached out to a colleague in psychology about your case - don’t worry none, I didn’t use names or details - she told me about a hypnotherapy that’s assisted by ketamine.”

“Hypnosis? Like, mind control?”

“That’s a popular misconception - hypnotherapy has been called hypnotic suggestion, but the goal is to bring the patient in question into a greater state of focus with less peripheral awareness, so they may relax and turn their attention inward. Are you following me, Stan?”

“It… blocks out background noise?”

“In a way, yes, just with thoughts. I don’t believe your memories are gone, they’re just buried under a lot of mental clutter and distractions.”

“And ketamine helps with that?”

“It’s a dissociative drug, it’s meant to help with trauma by approaching it without connecting to it. Would you be interested in something like that?”

“I thought you said you weren’t an actual therapist, where would you even get-.”

“I’m not going to be conducting the session, it’s going to be that colleague I just mentioned.”

“... I dunno F, I don’t have the greatest history with shrinks.”

“You’ve seen therapists before?”

“Seen is…a word.”

“What happened?”

“Do the words ‘padded room’, ‘cozy jacket’, and ‘solitary confinement’ mean anything to you?”

“... Institutions don’t do sol-.”

“That’s what they want you to think. Anyways, half of the therapists I ever had quit because of me.”

“What about the other half?”

“Ended up in the same looney bin.”

“That can’t be true.”

“Your friend turned crazy as soon as we met.”

“Stanford is not crazy.”

“Can you say that with a straight face?”

“He’s eccentric.”

“Wait, he's gay? I thought he wasn’t anything.”

“That isn’t what eccentric means. And- back to topic, please. What if myself or Stanford were there with you and we didn’t leave you alone with the therapist? Would you agree then?”

“...Alright, if you really think it’ll help.”

“Excellent! Thank you, Stan; we’ll get you right as rain before you know it.”

“...Did we really need to talk about this in the afterglow?”

“Yeah we did.”

(...)

“You guys are on your own, I’m not getting in that thing.”

“Stanley, it is just a boat.”

“So was the Titanic, and it disappeared forever.”

“There have been talks about another expedition to find it.”

“Fiddleford, please. Stanley, this isn’t the ocean, this is a mere lake. Scuttlebutt Island is only accessible by boat.”

“I told you I’d help you on your monster hunting bullshit, but you didn’t mention we’d have to get on the water to do it.”

“Come on, at least get closer than the tree line.”

“No!”

“You are being ridiculous right now. You have faced drug lords, Mothman, loan sharks, and the actual Jersey Devil, and this is where you draw the-.”

“I wouldn’t make you do something if you didn’t want to, PhD.”

“...Fine. Stay here and watch over our campsite at least. If we’re not back by tonight-.”

“Yeah, yeah start arranging your funerals, got it.”

(...)

“What are your theories so far on this cryptid, Stanford?”

“Based on descriptions I’ve gathered from local reports, and limited sonar exploration, I believe the description most closely matches a marine reptile that disappeared in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event; a plesiosaur. Or, at the very least, a distant descendant.”

“Sounds less like cryptozoology and more like paleontology. Maybe we should call it something else.”

“Such as?”

“How about Oddopoddo?”

“No.”

“Scuttlebdis?”

“A mouthful, really.”

“The Gobblewonker.”

“We’ll workshop it.”

“Well kettle my corn, it looks like we’re close to the shore; sure are a lot of big muskrats here.”

“Fiddleford, we both know those are beavers and not nutria.”

“Wait- Stanford, stop. Is that big rock formation over there… moving?”

(...)

“Heya Fordsy! You’re invoking Think Fast?”

“Think Fast?”

“You know, when you meditate into the Dreamscape so you can think faster than the time around you. What you’re doing right now.”

“You’ve never called it that before, my muse.”

“I know but for exposition purposes I need to call it something. Whattaya need to Think Fast for?”

“The cryptid we’ve termed “The Gobblewonker” chased us on our boat and trapped us in the islands cove. In an attempt to catch us, the creature slammed itself into the cave wall and triggered a rock slide. We’re trapped in a cavern and it is filling up with water, and the entrance was the only exit we knew of. Fiddleford is also unconscious, and cannot assist me.”

“Ooh, how dangerous. So, what are you going to do about it?”

“I need to be out-of-body while my perception is sped up so I can check for more exits without worrying about water or gravity. 

“Out-of-body experience coming right up, IQ!”

(...)

‘Man, those guys have been gone for a while. They shoulda been back at least an hour ago.’

‘Whatever, PhD’s the monster hunter here, whatever trouble they get into he can probably handle it.’

‘...’

‘And even if he couldn’t, it’s not my problem. I’m only staying with him so I have a bed to sleep in and a roof over my head. It’s not like I actually care.’

‘He did kidnap me and stick me in his basement after all. And sure his friend is hot and gives great benefits, but it's not like he tried to free me even when he knew it was wrong.’

‘...’

‘So what if they might be in danger?'

'It doesn't bother me.’  

‘It doesn't bother me.’

‘It bothers me!’

‘IT BOTHERS ME A LOT!’

(...)

“Fiddleford! Fiddleford, wake up!”

“Ow… my achin’ noggin-. Wha happened?”

“You saw the cryptid and fainted.”

“Where are we? Why’re we all wet?”

“We are trapped in a cavern that the Gobblewonker chased us into. There’s only one exit left - there’s a tunnel through and up this ridge, but it tapers off from loose rocks from a rockslide. You might be thin and flexible enough to squeeze through the hole that remains.”

“What about you?”

“On the other side I’d need you to manually move enough of these rocks so I can slide through as well. We can’t waste any time - the cavern is filling up with water faster than the exit could drain it.”

“Okay, I’ll get through slicker than owl sh-.”

“Fiddleford, this is no time for Southernisms.’

“Right, right. Yeeow, that’s smarts- I got most of both shoulders through Stanford but I’m gonna need a boost.”

“Alright, I‘ll push you on your count of three.”

“Gotcha. One, two, thre-! SWEET BABY JESUS-!”

“Are you okay?”

“I-. I think I w-wrenched out my damn shoulder…”

“Can you relocate it?”

“L-lemme try- HRK! No, not by myself. I’ll try to clear out the rubble with my good arm.”

“Alright but please, with the best of your ability, be quick.”

“Just keep talking to me, friend, I need to know that you’re still breathing back there.”

“It is not getting easier.”

“I’m moving, I’m moving. Just stay with me. We can do this.”

“I’m running out of headspace…”

“Come on- just a few more more rocks to go, I- Stanford? Stanford!”

“Sixer, I’m going to put your body in hibernation, it’s the only way you can preserve oxygen. It’s not cold enough for you to go into that state naturally.”

‘How much time does that buy me, Cipher?’

“About five more lines.”

‘Lines of what?’

“You’re about to find out.”

*water suddenly starts rushing out much faster, and a hand grabs Ford by the collar, dragging him out of the tunnel forcefully*

“-ay? Can you hear me, Stanford?”

“S… Stanley..?”

“Oh good, you came to on your own. I wasn’t gonna ‘kiss of life’ you.”

“Lord have mercy, you gave us a real fright there! You’re still shaking like a leaf on a tree, though.”

“Can you stand, Doc?”

“Y-yes, yes of course. Just- just help me up, please.”

“Yeah yeah, I gotcha.”

“It’s a good thing you came when you did, Stan, I wasn’t getting those rocks cleared fast enough.”

“What’s up with your arm, specs?”

“I dislocated my shoulder going through the tunnel.”

“Need help putting that back? It’s happened to me a couple times.”

“Actually, I think I’d rather- Stan?! Stan no-!”

POP

“There you go, good as new.”

“Ow…”

“Stanley?”

“What’s up?”

“Why’d you come here?”

“You guys were taking too long, figured something was up.”

“But… we are on an island, how did you get here?”

“Details ain’t important.”

“You’re also soaking wet.”

“Can it, PhD. I said details ain’t important.”

To be continued…

[onethousandwords]

Christian Elements in Gravity Falls, Part Two

See the first part here

I think we've covered most of the self-sacrificial theme I wanted to cover that occur in Gravity Falls, and I touched briefly on forgiveness. But I want to touch on it again particularly when it comes to Ford Pines.

This character, largely due to his pride (and while there are definitely a whole host of complicated reasons Ford has such issues relating to his father and Bill's manipulations - it can't be argued that this is a major issue for him), burns his bridges. He does it first and repeatedly with Stanley (though, Stan has his own issues, too - I'll acknowledge that - this is not a debate about which sibling is "better" - both of them have their good qualities and their flaws and needed forgiveness at some point), and then with Fiddleford (who is arguably a sweeter character but still flawed himself).

He's really at a point in his life where any forgiveness given to him would be unearned because of the actions he's taken in his life. He refused to talk to Stanley for over ten years over a broken science project, his fight with his brother due to prioritizing his work over his family leads to Stanley being branded (and though he expresses remorse over this - later circumstances lead him unable to make amends), the first thing he does when his brother brings him back is punch him in the face, he threatens to uproot Stan's entire life, he risks the entire world because he has to get in the last word.

And yet, when he reaches out to Stan, Stan forgives him (in all except one instance which also put the world at risk).

Let's go to Fiddleford. We get more insight about this character in Journal 3. We learn, for instance, that he crosses himself while stepping over graves, chastises Ford for saying "what the devil" and would likely disapprove of "black magic." This, and the fact he comes from Tennessee which is in the Bible Belt, would suggest he is Christian (the crossing himself part would suggest Catholicism). We learn that he's very giving and self-sacrificial.

You see this in particular with his relationship with Ford - he sets aside his own personal projects and his business to help Ford with his project, he puts up with traumatizing event after traumatizing event to help him, he works for three days without breaks to help Ford organize his research. He does this with other people as well - in Journal 3, you see him helping the carnival by fixing gears on the ferris wheel and listening to a fearful Ivan Wexler and while he definitely chose the wrong person to help, he also helped Gideon with his Gideon-bot. The lantern bit I mentioned in the first part of this also bears mentioning again.

Fiddleford is a helpful person - exactly the kind of person you'd expect to help a stranger broken down on the side of the road. Hebrews 13:16 - "Do not forget to do good and share with others for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

It sounds like Fiddleford really took that to heart. However, it seems he might have forgotten the part about how he is being sent as "sheep among wolves. So, be as cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves." - Matthew 10:16

It also seems in the midst of his fears and trauma, he didn't turn to his faith for help - instead, he turned to his memory-erasing gun (which has at times been seen as a metaphor for substance abuse) and destroyed much of his life. Ford had a hand in Fiddleford's decline (though, Fiddleford is also ultimately responsible for his own choices).

And yet, when Ford comes to him recognizing the wrong he's done Fiddleford (Ford took Fiddleford's self-sacrifices for granted, continually exposed him to dangerous situations, refused to listen to his warnings, refused his help), he is forgiven.

This unearned forgiveness and love that Stan and Fiddleford display to Ford are barely even a fraction of the unearned forgiveness and love Jesus Christ shows us when we come to him to ask for forgiveness of our sins and believe in his death on the cross and his resurrection and trust in Him to save us from damnation and death.

A couple of more minor things that I thought were interesting in Gravity Falls and pertain to Fiddleford's character. One thing I thought was interesting was how, as Old Man McGucket, he seems to have taken comfort and refuge in a church (broken down as it is). While it's possible he's forgotten a lot of things, maybe there's still a part of him that trusts God and remembers Him.

The next thing, at the end of the show, Fiddleford gets to move into a mansion which is sort of the show's way of making up for the trouble it put him through as well as rewarding him for his part in helping take down the main villain, Bill Cipher.

For some reason, it reminded me of a specific Bible verse:

John 14:2-3 - "In my Father's house, there are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself. That where I am, there you may be also."

So, I thought it was fitting that Fiddleford moved into a mansion at the end.

Though, I will add just as a matter of personal preference, I enjoy the translations of the Bible where rooms is used instead of mansions. Because it puts me in mind of this grand, beautiful house with many rooms, and many people including myself who have our own room, and there's this concept of "family togetherness."

Alex Hirsch put through a concept of people being "honorary members of the Pines family" which is good and sweet and kind. But how much better and sweeter and kinder is it to be a member of God's family? A loving, good, and merciful God who is waiting with open arms to accept anyone who comes to Him.

[avans-j]

With the resurgence of gravity falls I finally watched it for the first time, and something that struck me and that I’ve been thinking about a lot, is how Ford is just so…… normal?? When he comes back through the portal??? 😭 he acts like he was only gone for a moment, like he went on vacation or something.

Like I understand that it’s a kids show and they didn’t have time to delve into this much, but I like to think about what Ford would have realistically been like upon his return. I mean, the guy was stuck in another dimension for 30 years… there’s no way he didn’t go a little crazy during that time.

I mean first of all, Fiddleford only caught a glimpse of what was on the other side, and it drove him to insanity. Ford actually went all the way through!! And was stuck there!! For 30 years!! Granted he knew about Bill and who’s to say Bill didn’t show or tell him about other worlds during their time working together, so Ford was probably more accustomed to weird and paranormal things than Fidds, but also we have no idea what happened on the other side during those 30 years. And where did he end up? I think it’s safe to assume the first place Ford landed was the nightmare realm, where he would have seen horrifying creatures beyond comprehension. That must have been a little traumatizing, even to a scientist right?

Then you also have to consider what was going through Ford’s head in the moment right after getting sucked through the portal. He probably had to quickly come to terms with the realization that he was never going home. At that time, the only people that knew about the portal were him, Fidds, and Stan. He was stuck on the other side unable to do anything. Fidds was actively going insane and probably never wanted to see the portal again. And Stanley? We know that Stan had enough care and determination to never stop trying to fix the portal, but to Ford his brother was a clutz and not the sharpest tool in the shed, plus they had just had a massive argument. Ford most likely had no hope that Stan could ever fix the portal, or even want to for that matter. He must have felt overwhelming dread, knowing that in a matter of seconds he had lost his entire world, his entire life, and would never go back home again.

So what was he doing on the other side for 30 years? In my mind there are two options. He either immediately went into survival mode, and spent the rest of his life exploring other dimensions and trying not to die. OR he started looking for a way home, either through a new route or trying to build another portal. Clearly that didn’t work because he was stuck there for 30 years. But imagine him trying hopelessly, over and over again, to find a way home. Constantly thinking about the life he lost, getting more and more discouraged every time an attempt didn’t work. After 10-15 years of that you would start to lose it a little.

And then, can we talk about how he returned home?? From what we saw of the portal and other machines under the shack, it was scanning each dimension until it found the one where Ford was located, then upon reactivating it opened a portal there. And Ford immediately came through, which says to me that it must have opened directly in front of or next to him. Can you imagine the confusion, after 30 years of either straight survival mode or trying desperately to get home, one random day a vaguely familiar portal just happens to open next to you?? You step through and just like that, you’re home? That abrupt change must have messed with Ford’s head. He probably wouldn’t think that it was real for a long time. He wouldn’t have recognized his brother, he wouldn’t have believed that he was actually home. It would take a long time to readjust.

But in the show Ford is just so normal, picking right back up where they left off and punching Stan. I feel like realistically, he would have been terrified, paranoid that it was a trick, not trusting anyone. He would have been quick to lash out for a long time, impossible to calm down, and he would definitely have some screws loose. Anyways I just like the idea of insane Ford.

Thanks for listening to my Ted Talk :]

[littleoneamanda]

GF: Stanford Pines

Well, probably one of the fastest drawings I have been drawing xD

The original art style is pretty easy to work with, but I think I will keep doing it in mine after Fidds. Unless you want to see me draw more in the original style. Let me know! :D

Now to my thoughts on the book of bill and Stanford as a character. (SPOILERS)

The missing Journal Pages in this book are probably the ones that I found the most interesting and disturbing. We learn more about Ford as a person and what kind of friendship he had with Bill.

I just wanna say this, I really don't see how so many people saw them as "lovers" which I (imo) found very problematic and disturbing.

I think it is pretty clear Bill only uses Ford for his own gain. His property. Ford was the perfect human for his plans.

Take everything Bill says in the book with a whole spoon of salt.

"Even his lies are lies"

-Code from TBOB

"The ego of a king. The insecurity of a circus freak. And totally isolated from anyone who might steer him clear of my plans "

-Bill, TBOB

Ford has very low self esteem, isolates himself, bad at social interactions and even had a shotgun pointed at him. He describes himself "six fingerd freak".

So when a god like figure shows up in a dream one day, tells you how great you are, you will change the world, ect, You would buy it. Especially when others around you have made you feel like an outcast through your whole life (except for Stanley and Fidds).

Bill is basically love bombing Ford. Making Ford feel very special and reminding him of the project that will change everything.

Now there is a difference between self esteem and self confidence. (I'm adding the links if you wanna know more :) ) Ford absolutely have a strong self confidence. He believes strongly in his research. He belives he CAN achive and complete his research. This is also something Bill takes advantage of. He knows Ford is desperate. This is where is self confidence turns a little bit more to narcissism (again caused by Bill by manipulation). Bill does everything to make sure Ford continues the work.

As soon Ford realizes the betrayal, Bill shows his true colors.

He takes over Fords body multiple times. Takes his body on top of the roof in the middle of the winter, taped a rattlesnake into his journal, recorded a video of him being in Fords body "Puppet Hour with Bill" and will cut to something more disturbing scene. Left a lot of polaroids of him humiliating and torture his body in different ways.

Scaring Ford with one scene where he pretended to call Stan that he was gonna kill himself. This part of the book was probably the one that made me actually shiver. Think about it, You see video and pictures of yourself doing all of this, knowing that this is not you doing all of these things. And having no memory of it at. Too scared to fall asleep because you have no idea were your body is going to be next. That would make any person as paranoid Ford was at the end.

Fidds and Ford.

There is a lot of things that I wanna talk about when it comes to these two, but I will save most of it to the Fidds drawing.

Fidleford is Fords only true friend during this time. He is very supportive but also honest with Ford.

Ford haven't had any other friends during his early life. Stanley was his only friend, and the one who protected him until that one mistake that separates them. When Fiddleford comes in to the picture, (a person who also seemed to have problems making friends) he's probably the first person who doesn't even notice at first that Ford has six fingers. I really wish here we had some more backstory of their college years to know what their friendship looked like, but it seems they were very close.

"I am overcome with emotion. The sight of my old classmate upon my doorstep this morning filled my heart with such joy and gratitude."

-Stanford, Journal 3

Ford was obviously very happy to not be alone anymore in his home. To have his best friend (who also left his family behind) to work with him on this massive project. Now comes the question, what does Ford see Fidds as? I think Fidds shows some kind of feelings towards Ford escpecially when it comes to giving presents (Not only in TBOB but also in Journal 3). I think Ford does deeply care about Fidds, but his mind at this point is so focused on the project (and Bill making sure he is) that he pushes away a lot of feelings. Probably a lot of feelings that are necessary to have as well.

Something I do notice tho is when Bill isn't present, Ford becomes more like himself. Decorating the portal to make make Fidds happy after the failed family reunion (which I don't think he normally would have done if Bill was present during the holidays).

After Bill torture and threatening Ford in the nightmare, the only man he could think of in that moment who could help him was Fiddleford. When he went through Fidds notes for any hints of where he was now, he finds the 5 failed knitted 6-fingered gloves and the ripped photo of them. I can't imagine what that must have felt...

The closest person he had in his life at that point, who has tried to warn him. Tried to give Ford another option for success in his research instead of the portal. The regret of not listening to his warnings.

When they reunited after Weirdmaggedon, seeing how Fiddleford lived now and what the aftermath of the portal incident did to him, must have been a punch in the gut.

"...but when I saw that he was living at the dump, it became clear how deeply I had hurt this man that I had once held so dear."

-Stanford Journal 3

So...Is Ford a jerk? The question and discussions that I've seen so many times here xD

Honestly, this man is complicated. Especially when it comes to understand his thoughts and feelings. However, Stanford is a type person that I personally have encountered irl. Sometimes too smart for his own good, sometimes not understanding how others may feel about certain things/topics and a person who constantly try to prove to themself and to others. A man lost in his own insecurities and very isolated. He his the main character in his life. Now that doesn't exscuse his negative actions at all. But more like a explanation to what might had led to the certain events.

Alright, this took way longer to write than actually make the drawing xD But did wanna share somethings that has been on my mind. When trying to search for analyses of the characters, it has been difficult to find one that is a middle ground. It's either: Stanford is a jerk and doesn't deserve anything good or Here is why everyone is wrong type of stuff. I'm not here to tell how we should think about certain characters. This is just how I look at all of this. The only problem I have with all of this is the thing between Ford and Bill. Maybe it's just me, but I really don't see any type of romance there. I know a lot of people went off on the "one thing led to another" part. I do not know what to say to that honestly. That page was super hard for my eyes to read for some reason lol. And i know, Yes, I did a video of Fidds being cucked by a triangle. I don't mind some of the jokes around it...I mean i did myself xD

I think the reason Bill is a bit obsessed over Ford is because after so many attempts with making deals with other humans to help Bill build a portal, this one was sooo close to success and ALMOST succeeded. He had all the tools and the right human to make it, but failed. He must feel so bitter.

Anyway, that's it for now! Next is Fiddleford :D

[realmsalot]

Oh, How Forgetful Of You

Summary

After Stanley Pines falls through the portal, saving his brother in the process, Stanford has to make the hard choice of leaving him behind, reconnecting with his ex-assistant, and dismantling the portal. But after attending the equally fake and pitiful funeral held for his twin, Ford gets consumed by guilt and starts to remake his decision. Only for it to be unknowingly taken from him.

There's a hole in his mind where his brother should be...

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Or my take on a Reverse Portal AU! Specifically about why it takes Ford thirty years to get Stan back. Enjoy

Ao3 link

prev ch -- next ch

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Chapter 2 A1Z26

Chapter Summary

Soon after the corpseless coffin went into the ground, there's a conversation in a car parked in front of the mysterious cabin in the woods...

Or Fidds convinces Ford to grieve for his brother.

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Stanford had contacted Fiddleford not long after Stanley went through the portal. 

He needed help to finish Project Mentem, a way to encrypt his mind – to get rid of Bill– and he was desperate. It was getting harder and harder to keep his eyes open even knowing that as soon as he closed them, Bill would come out and destroy his potential chance of escape. He needed Project Mentem to be finished so he could encrypt his mind and get out of his self-inflicted hell. He didn't know how much longer he could wait. So he crawled back to his ex-assistant, who (unfortunately) knows how to make machines that affect the mind best.

Ford was prepared to beg, having just lost a brother, and reached a breaking point that even his pride couldn't overcome. But to his surprise, Fiddleford readily agreed. That was the second time that week that someone he thought wouldn't want to see his face again helped him.

Project Mentem was done in record time, and Stanford's mind was finally safe. 

(At least he thinks so. Bill hasn’t possessed him since he had encrypted his mind, but could he be lulling him into a false sense of security? Making him think he is safe only to take anything he has left away when he least expects it. "We should make the trip to the unicorns, and get some of their hair, just to be safe,” Ford said to Fiddleford one night.)

Ford had expected whatever friendship or kindness or something that Fiddleford somehow still had left for him to end after that. For Fiddleford to then turn around and never speak to him again. He had betrayed him after all and that’s what he would do. ‘That’s what you did with Stanley,’ His mind reminds him.

But for some unknown reason instead, Fiddleford stayed.

“Only if you agree to destroy that- that monster in your basement,” Fiddleford said. Wide awake from the first true night's sleep he had in so long and vengeful at that accursed machine he had made, Stanford readily agreed. (Whether because of Bill’s betrayal or Stanley’s death, he does not know. He just wants that thing gone.)

And now, a few weeks of recovering from what Bill had done to his body, planning on dismantling the portal, and a conflagrant fake death later they were here. Fiddleford is pulling his car in front of Ford’s cabin after his brother’s fake funeral.

The inside of the car was quiet during the ride, Ford did not want to talk, and Fiddleford was seemingly unable to find any words to say considering Ford had caught him opening his mouth to say something only to close it a few times. Now in front of his cabin, neither of them is making any sort of movement that suggests leaving the car, and it's just as quiet. And Ford's thoughts are getting too loud.

He had killed his brother.

‘I need to get back to work,’ he determines. Stanford starts to unbuckle himself when Fiddleford finds his voice. 

“So, I know this mornin’ you wanted to keep on workin' after the uh ceremony…” He pauses, taps his fingers on the steering wheel, and glances at Ford trying to see any change on his face. Ford grimaces. Yes, he wanted to continue working on dismantling the portal after the funeral. He remembers that this morning he had thought of Stanley’s funeral as an inconvenient pause in their progress of taking down the world-destroying machine. Stanley’s funeral, his own brother’s funeral, was an inconvenience! Even though it was he who had killed him. Stanford had killed his twin brother– 

“But,” Fiddleford says, cutting through Ford’s thoughts, “if you need time to mourn we could put it on hold for now.”

“We don’t have time for a break,” Ford says automatically because it's true. They need to dispose of the portal as soon as possible. It doesn’t matter that the house and his brain are now safe from Bill. It doesn’t matter that all three journals are now hidden away from Bill’s reach. “The portal is too dangerous to keep up. It could destroy the world!” He says more forcibly. His logical mind trying to keep down images of Stanley going through the portal that start popping up unwelcome. 

“I know that,” Fiddleford states. “Holy Mother Mary above, don't I know that, Stanford. But I also know that with the way it is right now there ain’t a snowball's chance in Hell that that there thing is gonna be activating anytime soon. Even if someone got your journals.” 

Fiddleford is right and Ford knows it.

When the horrid machine turned itself off after devouring his twin he was left a crumpled heap on the floor staring at the beast, but that didn’t last long. Adrenaline, which was from a mix of what was left over from their fight and what he got from almost being eaten himself, coursed through his veins, he called his twin’s name, and he went for the lever. But just as he is about to flip it, he finally processes what he sees left of the doomsday device he made. A damaged wreck with no hope of reactivating. He calms his mind and starts to think logically about this. He came to this conclusion.

Stanley Pines always had a knack for breaking everything he left behind, and for once Stanford Pines is grateful for it. 

Fiddleford leans over and puts a hand on Stanford’s shoulder. He meets his eyes. “Stanford, I know you hate to admit it but you're hurtin’ right now. You need time to heal from this.” 

He pushes McGucket's hand away. “I already had time. Stanley has been gone for–,” he doesn’t know how long, “And before that, he hasn’t been in my life for a decade! His death doesn’t change anything!” It doesn't, doesn't it? He unlocks the passenger door. Ford can just keep on living– working like he’s always done for the last ten years. He leaves the car. 

He needs to work, not take a break. Working on his academics is what got him through the first time Stan left. Why wouldn’t working on the portal get him through now?

Southern not-quite-cussing follows him out. “Stanford Pines! I know you! I know that since the accident you haven't been letting yourself think about it much,” Fiddleford yells behind him. Ford stops and turns around.

“What is there to even think about,” Ford yells back. “Stan is gone! He’s been gone for ten years and has been such a non-entity in my life that I didn’t even feel the need to tell you that he existed until he had already left again!” Stanley is getting into his car and yelling about not needing anyone. Stanley is falling through the portal and trying to say something to Ford but is consumed before he can finish a sentence. “Stanley is gone again and that’s it!”

“And that’s it? Stanford.” Fiddleford has caught up to him and he puts one hand on Ford’s elbow. The other hovers next to his face for a second before falling onto his shoulder. They’re both outside Ford’s cabin just two yards from the porch steps. Since the morning the fresh snow that had dusted Gravity Falls has turned into an ugly, muddy slush and the wind now feels too cold for Ford’s suit. “Your brother is gone and this time you can’t change that. You can’t send him a postcard or give him a phone call or nothin’. He’s in a place where you can’t reach him anymore. You can’t reach out to him or take back anything you might regret saying to him. You need to process that. So please Stanford, take a break and mourn.”

“Your brother is gone and this time you can’t change that,” Ford’s mind echoes. ‘But that’s not true, is it? You could get him back,’ a small but dangerous part of himself replies. He shuts that part down quickly. There’s no logical sense to hope that Stanley is anything more than dead behind the portal. If anything he should hope that Stan really is dead considering how Fiddleford reacted to his peak through the portal.

He takes a steading breath and removes McGucket’s hands from his person. “Fine. I’ll take a single day–” Fiddleford gives him a look “–a single week off to mourn for my brother. But not a day more.”

“I suppose I’ll take it,” Fiddleford sighs and then gives Ford a small patient smile.

Just what kind of friend was he? Not telling Fiddleford that he had doomed his twin to the same fate he almost doomed him to.

Ford looks away from his friend. “I need to double-check my taxes. That IRS agent was giving me odd looks and I don't want any of Stanley’s trouble with them on me.”

“Yeah, you should do that. I tried talking to him at the funeral and even when I pointed out yer six fingers he seemed unconvinced,” Fiddleford says, taking a step back. Ford hadn't realized how close they were. “Now, I er have a book club meeting I uh have’ta get to, but just remember I’m here for ya.”

Ford frowns slightly at the mention of the so-called book club. It’s something that Fiddleford had apparently started going to after sometime after the first portal incident. He doubts it’s an actual book club because when Fiddford first mentioned it while Ford was still recovering from the lingering injuries from Bill, Ford’s interest in it was quickly shut down with excuses as to why he wouldn’t like it. His current theory is that it’s a cover-up for something, but he doesn’t know what it could be a cover-up for. Fiddleford is not one for big secrets after all. 

And yet. 

“I really do mean it, Ford,” Fiddleford says, making eye contact. “I’m here for ya.”

He is hiding something.

Ford wants to find out. He wants to ask or follow his friend and know what he could possibly be hiding from him. But Ford feels a deep tiredness in his bones and knows that if he does any of that, it could potentially start a fight, and he doesn’t want to fight with his only friend. So Ford smiles, and if there was a mirror behind the engineer he would see that it is a similar smile that his twin would give to him after he asked him if he was alright, and says, “Thank you, Fidds.”

14 15 14 15 25 15 21 4 15 14 20 21 14 4 5 18 19 20 1 14 4 23 8 1 20 9 22 5 2 5 5 14 20 8 18 15 21 7 8

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A/N:

Hey, remember how I said this chapter was done in the last chapter? Apparently, that was a lie. I kept going back and working on this while writing chapter 3. Wanna know another lie? Remember how I said I would post this chapter when the third one is done? Well chapter 3 isn't done. But I feel that we need a little escapism right now so I'm posting it. Chapter 3 is actually longer than I expected, but that makes sense considering how much happens in it. (I'm like halfwayish???? there.)

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the completely necessary chapter of someone telling Ford to take a goddam break because I doubt he would do so otherwise. I need you guys to know that in between Stan going in the portal in early February until Stan's funeral in like mid-to-late March Ford had been doing his damnest to keep his mind occupied, okay? Even when he was recovering from Bill. He's gonna need next chapter's break to really get consumed by the guilt. But yeah, see you next chapter.

[twistedtimeline]

Twisted Timeline AU

This Alternate Universe starts off the same as canon. Ford and Fiddleford became friends in college. The former calls the latter to come work with him on the portal. The memory gun is built and Fiddleford uses it on himself a bit. Fiddleford does get pulled into the portal when they test it. The poor engineer is deeply disturbed by what he saw in the portal. They end up having that fall out and Fiddleford leaves Ford to his devices. Of course Stan comes to see his brother. The fight goes like canon until Stanley pushes Ford. Fiddleford had come back and saw what was going to happen. Adrenaline filled, he managed to push Ford out of the way into safety while getting himself sucked into the portal a second time. Yet this time he went through completely. The portal was destroyed when this happened. This further causes a rift between Ford and Stan. Stan felt guilty and tried everything to make up for it. It doesn't do anything to fix the rift though Ford can't handle being alone this time. The cabin is gradually turned into the mystery shack that we know. Since Stanley faked his death, they share an identity. The guilt Ford felt because Fiddleford saved him from the portal began to eat away at him. The regret that he never listened to his friend and lab partner. He copes with this by becoming obsessed with anomalies. He of course doesn't attempt to bring back Fiddleford as he feared causing the end of the world according to his old lab partner. Ford wants to know everything. He accidentally started a cult that also becomes obsessed with knowledge and anomalies. The society of the all seeing eye. Ford's sanity and mind deteriorates. He and Stanley are both called Old Man Pines by the time thirty years has gone by. They are used to Stan and Ford by then. Assuming Stan is Old Man Pines good days and Ford is his bad days. They brush Ford off as a crazy old coot with conspiracy theories. Going into Fiddlefords side of things. The poor guy was also hunted down by Bill. The dream demon hated him so he wanted Fiddleford to likely torment him to his heart's content. The poor guy survives by stealing scraps of technology and making versions of the shame bot, gobblewonker and the pterodactyl for self defense against Bill and the henchmaniacs. He survived all that time in different dimensions, shockingly getting through it all without major injuries. Bill still bothered Ford in his dreams. Leaving notes to encourage him to work on the portal but it doesn't work as he doesn't have leverage. Until thirty years later. When Mabel and Dipper come and begin to mess with them. Ford protects them from Bill. What causes Ford to build the portal? Fiddleford got caught by Angie. Bill's friend. She's not a dream demon nor was she evil. Fiddleford was the first human she had seen. She shows Bill the human she found. Unfortunately for the dream demon, Angie had become fond of Fiddleford and treats him like a living doll. Dressing him up and feeding him. Taking care of him. Unfortunately Bill now had the leverage he needed against Ford. He tells Ford that his friend was now in danger if he didn't fix the portal. Poor guy was a bargaining chip. Out of guilt, Ford agrees. When he does finally gets out operational again, Fiddleford is sent into the portal with two unexpected passengers though only one makes it through. Bill tried to get through by holding onto Fiddlefords arm. The force caused the poor engineer to lose a limb in such a painful manner. Though this also meant that a little piece of each other was left in the other. Fiddleford makes it through the portal in pain and in need of medical help. They hadn't noticed the strange cloud that followed after Fiddleford. Fiddleford is angry, not because of what happened all those years ago but because Ford opened the portal now. Almost letting Bill escape into their reality. This raises more questions for the young pine twins.

Headcanons I used were made by my friend and Angie is her OC as well not mine @melodythebunny

These are drawn by her as well.