#I was lazy about drawing crowds haha

[theorahsart]

Incorruptible pt 13

I don't know if very-short Robespierre was squished inside a stagecoach with taller deputies as he travelled to Versailles, but I wanted to draw that anyway.

Likewise, I don't know if Camille complained loudly in the procession crowd about bishops, but that's what I wanted to draw lol

[slightlyhopefulromantic]

Hey!! I really loved your drawing of Nicky but I did want to point out a choice you made with his design. In lace code (which to be fair isn't in practice as much as it used to be) Red ladder laced laces mean you're a neo-nazi or have shed blood for the skinhead movement. I know it wasn't intentional since lace code is not well known outside punk subcultures (and honestly red is a very good color on him) but I did want to mention it since they are still a symbol associated with that group! Again, I absolutely love your art and design of him and you're a really talented artist.

Oh I know about lace code! I’m not quite punk myself but I’m very alternative and I have a lot of punk friends. He’s just not wearing boots/Docs so lace code doesn’t apply, LOL. He’s wearing sneakers instead ^-^ They are high tops though, so I understand the mistake!

They’re also not meant to be ladder laced, I just got lazy/it was too crowded with line art, so that’s my bad. You can see in the sketch below that there was originally the crisscross underneath but I left just the top layer in the final. I’ll keep an eye out next time to make sure they’re more obviously at an angle!

And thanks for the compliments, you’re very sweet haha :D

[notgonnashutup]

Karaoke. Sang toxic ppl said I sounded good lol I couldn't hear but i believe. Danced, saw cute girl I chatted to. Also saw cute valley girl chat with my friends n sing nice. Saw some old friend. Pic with a werewolf lol, did arts and crafts at bar which was so nice oddly reminded me of being little at diners drawing with sister, played miss Pac man and street fighter won with Chun li once then lost lmao, played pinball. Smoked for first time and figures lol it just relaxed slightly and made me sleepy, so much secondhand for years maybe I'm resistant. Talked to some ppl and introduced myself, they came up and said hi to me what's ur name and I got rhe vibe those guys maybe liked me or wanted to befriend so I must've seemed nice and friendly and chill and open so that's nice, girl we met as friend said I seemed fun to party with and nice and cool clothes even tho I was being cute like lazy kpop but not dressy like I Can Be so it felt nice, she said I looked like blondie. Just felt nice I can go to a bar and be relaxed and myself and open and friendly and connect to people and the place and crowd. A long way from the night I went there once anxious as exposure therapy lmao just to force myself to talk to ppl. The bar also reminds me of the bronze lmao. I danced too, sat and chilled with friends and drew. While I was sitting with friends a cute guy walked by in maybe a white shirt and tan overcoat, almost looked dressy but it could've been just idk business casual but good fitting or just bright colored. He had short black hair like idk 3-4 inches long in that typical handsome guy haircut and I stared at him and watched as he walked lol and right before he went up stairs he looked my way and smiled like maybe he'd noticed me openly staring. And idk if he saw me but that's maybe the least I cared if I looked at someone cute bravely lol. When he looked back at me smiling I actually met his eyes and kept looking back maybe smiling back I hope haha. But usually I used to look away terrified and feeling intense when cute ppl would look back. With him I actually looked though, then he went up the stairs. I wonder if he was looking at me or someone else, my ego and flattery would like to think he looked at Me and smiled tho. I wonder if I'll run into him again.

Also lots of nice ppl there today. Ppl I could be friends with, pretty warm people. Also I'm so bi lmao I usually don't think of girls much but within a couple hours I saw more cute girls than I see Online. Maybe its cause my taste is different then current influencer online hot but I was drowning in seeing lots of hot girls I was contemplating walking over and saying my shot to lol like "hey I'm mejo what's your name, wanna hang out sometime" ToT. Even the valley girl, even tho I don't usually like that, cause damn she was cute and her smile was cute. And the bar was filled with queer vibes so I felt like hey maybe the cute men wearing makeup with long hair I had a shot with if I maybe went and complimented, maybe since the lesbian couple came up and asked if they recognized me lol then it'd be okay for me to to flirt with somebody. I didn't go flirt tho. A little scared and it's not like I needed to. I was slightly standoffish with men who came up tho, despite my openness, just cause I didn't wanna be hit on. I guess maybe I'm still scared to deal with it. But I know i want to open up and jump in

Me and friend did tarot reading prior. It was all about myself and my brain and selves I guess. Insightful. I'm thinking maybe I need to comfort myself more and be supportive and gentle and forgiving and cuddle myself more Normally. Maybe the panic attack me is the self lashing out at not getting those things so much it hits a boiling point of needing to lash out desperate to finally get treated right. It's a part of me lashing out, as if I'm not getting enough of those self kindness things. Likewise I'm wondering if my nightmares I should try being kind to the murderer, or forgiving myself in the dream for not catching them, or letting myself in my dreams stop doing the jobs/anxious tasks I'm doing. Maybe my brain is showing my selves ignoring each other, instead of taking care of and embracing helping each other. Maybe that's why they're happening. Mm

[marinetteplztakeabreak]

I need to share soft sign language buddies ninogami headcanon because they’re taking over my brain always:

(This got so long, so youre welcome if youre also starved for ninogami content)

Nino’s mom is Deaf , so he grew up signing as much as speaking. When he was younger he always signed as he talked.

It turned out he’s also Hard of Hearing, so sign language is way easier for him to understand most of the time.

However, though he’s great at making friends, he’s very awkward when it comes to talking about himself. So never comes up in conversation.

It’s not a self-deprication issue. It’s just a “thinking of things to say is hard and I’d rather have someone else do the talking” thing. He’d rather talk about anyone except himself.

Additionally! He’s great at helping other people, but he’s terrible at asking for help. He does not EVER want to be like “hey i cant understand what you’re saying, my ears dont work great,” its his worst nightmare

And it doesnt help that there have been a few cases of people being rude about it when he doesnt hear them after they repeat themselves. And possibly worse, there have been even more cases of people giving over-the-top apologies instead of just,, telling him what they said. So it’s not worth the trouble in his mind

with his few close friends who still dont know, it feels like its too late and it’d be awkward to bring it up, so he just… doesnt. He’s procrastinating on telling them he cant hear them

He stopped signing as much as he talked in middle school because strangers would always be like “woah thats so cool, how do you know sign language” and he’d just panic because he was an awkward tween, and he didnt know if he was comfortable telling them he was HoH, but ALSO just saying his mom was Deaf and not mentioning himself felt like directly lying by hiding information, so he just took the “lazy” way out and signed less in public.

Sometimes fighting the anxiety was not worth it so he just let it win in that case.

Nino is so nice and energetic and loves people, but he is way more introverted and anxious than his friends think.

But when they start to get closer, Kagami who is ever-observant, notices him signing a little bit, (not ever to her, not ever on purpose, but he’d sometimes sign a word he needed to remember while speaking or sign along to emphasize something)

and she luckily for his anxiety, she doesnt know how to have a normal conversation either.

Her (platonic as well as romantic) love language is studying and research, and Nino seems very cool and she likes him, even if she is awful at holding a conversation with him or doing anything to show it.

She thinks he’s so cool and such an amazing talented kind friend. She has so much love for him that she doesnt know what to do with it. So she channels that energy into learning to sign through the internet and whatever tools she can find

And then after a while of this, she’s like “oh no, he’s gonna think that’s so creepy, I cant tell him I know sign language or he’ll be so uncomfortable”

So, like a whole idiot, she hides that she’s learning sign language from anyone. Because OBVIOUSLY if word got back to Nino, he’d assume it was because of him and that she was a weirdo he shouldn’t be friends with

But also Kagami accidentally falls in love with sign language because she has undiagnosed autism. She always assumed that communicating was just going to be impossible no matter what, but as she gets proficient in sign language she’s like,,, oh,,, OH,, this is very nice

Even just signing while she talks makes it so much easier to keep words and sentances straight, but she only does it when she’s alone with her mother, who is literally blind and would never know.

They become closer friends in late high school, and by that time a lot of Nino’s anxiety has worn off and he’s become completely comfortable letting teachers know when he needs to hear somthing, and middle school feels like a distant dream

At some point, Nino invites Kagami to his house a few times, and he signs with his mom. Nino is like “I can interpret for you,” and Kagami is like “wow thanks, I’m so lucky, because I obviously do not know any sign language, why would I have learned it, and also for the record it is brand new information to me that you can sign,” and Nino is like “cool? Its not a secret but im glad i told you if you somehow didnt already know,” and Kagami is like, “yep :)”

But then eventually as they become really close, they are texting one night, (Kagami can still barely get out of her house, so they need to communicate remotely. And both of then HATE phone calls bc its so hard to understand whats happening, but neither of them have admitted this to anyone)

Nino admits that he likes using sign language better than talking, and he wishes he could use it with his friends, but he’d feel so guilty asking them to learn an entire language just to make him slightly more comfortable. He can talk and hear OKAY so he shouldnt put the pressure on them.

and Kagami is like “you could always ask, worst case scenerio they say no, and i dont think thats an unreasonable demand” and nino is like “it is though,” and kagami’s like “ok so haha funny story, please dont hate me” and nino is like, “…what.” And kagami confesses everything and nino is like “why… why would i hate you for that?” And Kagami is like “oh wait youre right im stupid,”

And then Nino’s also like “hey if YOURE more comfortable signing too, then why dont YOU ask your friends to sign for you. Do you see what i mean? It’s hard to ask-” and kagami is like, “as your friend i will prove it is not.”

So then Kagami ends up confronting Adrien and Marinette the next day and is like “Hi. This is a sign language dictionary. Learn from it.” And they’re both like “what?” And she’s like “oh wait sorry. Backing up. I’m autistic. I decided like three years ago. Forgot to tell you. And I need you to learn to sign a little bit so you can understand if i sign something at you. If you want, of course. Please :D.” And theyre like “ok sure yeah i can do that.”

(Theyve already learned and accepted that shes extremely direct in asking for things)

So then she texts nino and is like “i did it. Youre welcome.”

But anyway both of them are uncomfortable in crowds and parties: Nino cant hear anyone and Kagami tends to get sensory overload, so they start signing mostly in those situations, and then it starts to sink in that they’re allowed to sign whenever and that the other really IS also comfortable with it.

(Both of them are much more willing to make sacrifices for others than to try something new and intimidating for themself, so this is the perfect situation to trick them into getting out of their comfort zone, ironically by trying to be more comfortable in the long run)

so they will just sit together and hang out and have long conversations while just chilling somewhere in a park or at cafes or whatever. Both of them become chattier than they’ve ever been because talking and understanding is so much easier, and its addicting

And their close friends all become proficient enough in sign language to have simple conversations.

But also Nino and Kagami start sitting together automatically even in group hangouts, and they start hanging out more with just the two of them, and soon neither of them feel bad about asking to hang out in quieter places, because they can justify it knowing that it will also help the other one, and together that makes both of them also more comfortable asking for little accomodations from other friends, if only to prove to the other that they can do it too.

And Kagami has the lesser-known autism side effect where she makes WAY TOO MUCH eye contact. She’s aware of it but that doesnt make it go away. Normally she feels so awkward about it, and overthinks her gaze because she doesnt want to scare people away. But when signing, you literally HAVE to be watching the other person constantly, so she has an excuse to just be herself, and its so relieving

(and also its kind of fun to look at Nino anyway because he can get so animated and his smile is really nice and oh no she is in love a little bit)

And Nino always struggles because he emotionally ALWAYS needs to be the nice polite one. His anxiety sometimes gets the better of him and he’s constantly worried about sending the wrong signals to his friends and coming off as rude somehow. But with Kagami, he can literally just ask?? And she will tell him her honest opinion without making it weird. And its so comfy and so good and he really loves hearing her unfiltered opinions on so many things because she sees the world in such a unique way and she gets so passionate about such little things and then oh no, he is fallen for her before he can realize it

And they also learn that they’re both artists, they both love to just observe the world because even if they;re awkward, people are actually pretty great most of the time, and its fun to observe them and try to capture the world, and they just sit together and sketch, or they watch each other sketch, and the thing is, both of them draw ONLY FOR THEMSELVES, its not a ‘skill,’ and they don;t want it to be, its just private art for relaxation. Somehow, though, its okay if they share their art with each other. They can just sit in comfortable silence for hours while one of them sketches something and the other watches patiently

And they start to get more comfortable with one of their heads resting on the other’s shoulder as they watch them doodle, and sitting so close their legs press together, and soon enough their hands start brushing against each other’s as they walk next to each other and then all of a sudden they’re casually holding hands whenever they’re not signing because it’s nice

They try to share headphones so Nino can share some of his favorite songs and his compositions with Kagami. But try as she might, Kagami can not handle the sensory of only having one earbud in. Nino knows her tells by that point, and he’s not about to let her suffer for a stupid reason, but she REALLY does want to hear his music. They somehow end up with Kagami putting a pair of headphones around her neck and turning up the volume a little bit so she can hear, while Nino rests his head on her shoulder so he can hear just enough to know where she is in the song

And then he has to sit up and scootch away just enough to see her hands so they can talk about it, and they both pretend not to notice how nice it was to snuggle as they sign. Its fine, though, because now they get the excuse to just look at each other again and sign overdramatically with exaggerated facial expressions, and no one else around can overhear their conversation, and Nino likes to go a little over the top when signing onomatopoeia and acting out particular parts of the song rhythm that he likes, and Kagami laughs, and they both mentally save the image of each other in this moment the same way that they look at reference images for artwork, memorizing the lines of each movement and the things that make each smile unique,

and Nino also shows up at every single one of her fencing tournaments, and he sits as close as he can and signs encouraging messages to her from the crowd whenever she’s not actively competing, (that her blind mom can never catch, which is somewhat of a bonus to Kagami, because every element of their friendship that her mother cant interact with makes this more personal and special and HERS). Every little sign she sends back at him, even a simple thank you, always feels so good and rebellious and free because shes supposed to be focusing on fencing but shes deciding to care more about friendship. And even if she’s expected to leave immediately afterword, she’ll find every excuse possible to find him and give him a hug, which he’ll always accept even though she jokingly warns him shes sweaty and gross

And eventually they are special best friends and it brings them instant joy to see each other and theyre able to interact for no reason other than that they want to and like each other

(And then they kiss)

[qingxinpetals]

request content: “Ooh im glad i found another genshin writing blogs :D may i request headcanons for Childe with sleepy s/o? Like very easy to fall asleep (mprobably accidentally) heheh. Childe is late on a date? Off she goes to dream land. Oh and if you dont mind... Please keep me anonymous.. Thank you(s) xD”

haha I promised myself not to simp for this sketchy man but…. hes too attractive so I forgive him

Ofc no problem at all sorry it took me awhile because I was asleep (I have been awake for far too long) anyways…..headcanon :3

𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞 𝐗 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐲! 𝐒/𝐎

When I mean you fall asleep alot, you actually fall asleep alot. You tend to find yourself subconsciously going into slumbers. You could literally almost sleep anywhere whether it be in the middle of having a meal, in the middle of a shower, while reading a book and even in the middle of completely commissions (except for those that require fighting or you will definitely die).

No one is sure whether this is a condition that makes you sleep more often, a weird habit of yours or just simply because you are lazy, not even you know the reason behind this; you just feel tired most of the time. Although there will be days where you would feel more energetic than usual, you will still end up finding yourself falling asleep in the oddest of places.

You are just a cute big ol’ sleepyhead

Although Childe is usually very outgoing and flirty, he is a gentleman and is extremely courteous when handling with your situation. Being with him in a relationship is probably one of the most comforting situations someone can ever be placed in since he is very tolerant and he handled your sleeping situation very well. Even so, you would try your absolute best to stay awake during your dates as you genuinely want to be with him and spend time with him (though you will still somehow fall asleep near the end of the dates).

Honestly it’s an advantage and disadvantage at the same time as sometimes he would be scared that when you accidentally fall asleep, you might just fall and injuried yourself (especially when you fall asleep standing up). Other times he just thinks you are cute.

When he finds you in your accidental naps, he softly gazes at your sleeping figure before removing his scarf to put over your your shoulders then wrapping his arms around you, cuddling up to you, warmly embracing you to protect you from the cold(as long as the location is rather discreet and you fell asleep sitting down or laying down).

If you were found to be dozing off in odd places (like in the middle of a meal in a restaurant, leaning against a pillar in the middle of nowhere or in crowded areas), carefully he put you onto his back and positions your arms to sturdily wrap around him so that you can comfortably sleep on him for the time being as he proceeds to find a more comfortable place for you to sleep in whether it be booking a hotel, going back to yours or his place, finding a bench or vice versa.

Often times when you wake up from your naps, you will find him peacefully sleeping next to you. You couldn’t really blame him as he watched over you from your sleep for such a long time. Since you do not wake to wake him up by moving too much, you would start admiring his features: his fluffy ginger hair, his delicate and long lashes and his gloved slender hands that rested on you.

How did you even manage find such a beautiful man like this? (Why is Childe not real T-T)

Occasionally when he wouldn’t fall asleep before you wake up, you would wake up to a pair of blue eyes softly watching over you. His fingers gently drawing circles on your back before his hands travels to your cheek, caressing it.

“How was the nap, my princess?”

“It was good.”

“Still sleepy?”

“A little bit.”

Chatters were filled throughout the tiny cafe located in the corner of Liyue Harbour. It was a pretty interesting cafe filled with antiques. You were sitting alone in the corner, isolating yourself from everyone else in the room. There wasn’t much going on— just the pretty ordinary stuffs. People chatting, baristas brewing coffee, the waiters and waitresses rapidly walking around here and there taking customers’ orders, serving dishes and cleaning the tables.

Nothing much is going on.

Except he is not here

which was pretty unusual for him to be this late knowing that you would fall asleep rather easily.

It’s been about 20 minutes after the designated time and you were not entirely sure what was going on however you were determined to stay awake until he had reached the rendezvous.

Forcefully chugging down the third shot of espresso, letting its bitterness linger in your mouth, you patiently waited for the young Fatui Harbinger member to arrive. You weren’t really worried about him being late as nothing pretty serious could happen to him as he is one of the strongest person you know and he could protect himself easily so you just assumed that he was just caught up with work.

You were more worried that you might ruin the date by falling asleep.

You both couldn’t really spend much time together to go on dates as he was pretty busy with work most of the time and he couldn’t ditch it either as the Fatui isn’t known for their nice ways. You were rather understanding about his situation so you would just wait until he was unoccupied enough to go on a date with you.

Since this was such a rare opportunity to go out with him, you couldn’t let it go to waste so you insisted on indulging huge amounts of caffeine, hoping that they might prevent you from dozing off.

As much as you wished it helped, it didn’t.

You waited longer.

Longer

and longer.

An overwhelming wave of tiredness washed over you and no matter how many more sips of espresso you took in, it wasn’t going away. Your colouful vision were soon replaced with darkness. Slowly and eventually, you drifted off to sleep.

The bell hanging on the front door chimed as a young man frantically enter the store as if he was worried that someone might get mad. Eyes scanning for a familiar figure, he found you in a corner of the cafe, quietly resting with your head on your arms cushioning your cheeks from the hard wooden surface.

A gentle smile crept on his face as he noticed the stack of coffee cups on the table, knowing that you had tried your best to stay awake.

Walking towards the sleeping figure, his hands ever so softly caressed your cheeks before carrying you on his back, making your hands sturdily wrapped around him before walking out of the cafe.

He found a small inn around the area and rented a room.

While carrying you, he made sure his movements were careful and quiet so that he does not wakes you up.

He placed your delicate sleeping figure on the bed and pull the blanket to cover you up. He then gets inside the blanket and proceeds cuddled up to you, arms protectively clinged around your body.

“Sweets dreams, princess.”

Childe gave you a peck on your forehead before heading off to sleep with you in his arms.

*laughs* I think I am more in love with him now and this is so fluffy I KENNOT _:(´ཀ`」 ∠):

yes I managed to retrieve this back and I am honestly so freakin relieved rn (at least I posted something like I’ve promised T-T)

My first headcanon and sorry if it was overly detailed because ahem…. I like them detailed soo… yep.

Hope ya’ll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it

[sparkles-and-trash]

My fav 3 versions/interpretations of South Park characters thing!

I’m so sorry this took much longer than anticipated, I was gonna do it Friday but then I had a panic attack for the first time in forever because my CFS have been real bad lately and I was in such bad shape my BFF had to come and smack me back to life, and Sunday was suddenly full on breakdown day, a bad BPD episode and yeah, it was rough, but today I’m doing better and I realize nobody really cares about my personal issues lol but I just have a need to excuse myself here and I realize that’s kinda dumb but here we are ANYWAYS I hope these are okay, and that these are in no way the RIGHT interpretations, just my personal favorites! 

Kyle:

suggested by the wonderful  @otherluces <3

#1 

I’m not gonna lie, I love nerdy, preppy Kyle. Sweater-vests, collard shirts, doesn’t realize how attractive he is Kyle, oblivious to people having crushes on him Kyle, set on Harvard to become a lawyer and fight for justice and argue for a living, yanno? 

#2 

I also really like the more dorky and nerdy Kyle, where he has really niché interests that he gets totally invested in and talks about 24/7, loves reading and studying, but not just to get good results, but because he genuinly enjoys it.

#3

The last version I can think of with him, is the tall, lanky and kinda hard to read Kyle. He keeps a lot of his feelings to himself, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have them. He plays basketball, he’s good at it too, and while he does well in school and everyone expects him to go into law, he has some totally different dream he keeps to himself for now. He kinda perks up a bit when in smaller crowds, esp with his cloest friends, but he still carries a lot of secrets that some time needs to come out.

Tweek:

suggested by my new fren  @soft-craig-and-tweek ^^

I like Tweek in so many ways these were hard to pick, but I’mma try to narrow it down a bit and not go totally off haha

#1

I actually quite enjoy the jagged, tired Tweek, the one who with help from friends and family manage to get off the meth his parents feed him secretly, but who still struggle with withdrawal, dark bags under his eyes, kinda pale and with sharp features, but he’s still a sweet and kind boy, a boy who wants to make the right choices and change the world to a better place, but who still has a darkness he carries, and the fact that he never gives up that fight is what makes him so special 

#2

and okay I have to be honest, I do love myself some sunshine boy Tweek. This Tweek still has issues, he is maybe even more anxious than the last one, but he’s also just as vibrant and energetic as he is anxious! He is an artist, he paints with bright colors, he composes beautiful, hopeful melodies, he feels everything so much,  and he is a contagious and exciting person to be around. Cannot dress for the life of him. So much mis-match and odd outfits, but it kinda works? 

#3

The last one I’m gonna mention for this wonderful boy, is the more alternative Tweek. He writes obscure poetry, he watches too many conspiracy theory videos on youtube, he draws the monsters in his mind, and he writes the scariest, most hauntingly beautiful stories on the internet, and people online love him. He has no idea how to deal with being popular in that sense, because irl he is the type to not belong to a certain friend group, but he does go along well with most people on a surface level. Dark circles, shaky hands, crooked and cute smiles, baggy t-shirts and ripped jeans. When he first opens up to someone, he really, really does, and he will always support and be there for you. If you deserve it, that is. 

Nichole: 

also suggested by  @soft-craig-and-tweek <3 

#1

I love nerdy Nichole who isn’t afraid to show it! Maybe she’s a streamer or youtube gamer even, I can def see her writing fanfiction, and being hella good at it too! Makes quite a name for herself online, and hangs out with the boys a lot irl, has game nights with the boys from Board Girls (even Cartman sometimes), is funny in a sarcastic way, but never mean. 

#2

Popular girl Nichole is also a favorite for me, but not in the “classical” sense. I imagine her to be a sporty, maybe on both the basket and volleyball team, captain for the basket one, she’s a born leader, she’s kind and fair, but can also be strict, and people always trust her to be honest and true.  

#3

Artsy Nichole!! I imagine her in bright yellow dresses and with her hair flowing and free, with flowers in her hair, freckles on her face, a big, genuine smile, a loud laughter that is so contagious, she loves spending time with Jimmy because they have a very similar humor, and she’s a theater kid, she sings like an angel and can act, oh boy can she act, she can make anyone laugh or cry in just a blink of an eye, she’s just a human sun-ray and I love her a lot 

Butters: 

suggested by @kinguidamundo, thank you so much!! 

#1

I love edgy Butters soooo much??? Like, he’s still a kind and bright boy, but he can also stand up for himself a lot more, he likes fashion a lot, he gets tattoos and piercings, he explores tons of ways to express himself, he’s a yes-dude, he goes out on dates a lot, but isn’t ready for a “real” relationship yet, but he enjoys meeting people and testing out himself around different types of people! Also he is a bi icon change my mind jk u can’t 

#2

I have a weak spot for the kind of soft and timid looking Butters too, who wears pastel colors and have big, innocent eyes, he is genuine and kind, but he carries something darker inside, something he isn’t sure how to deal with, something that scares him, but in reality it’s just normal feelings, anger, resentment and fear, but he’s lived his life ignoring them so much they catch him off guard at times. He learns to live with them slowly, and he does so with lots of help and patience from friends and loved ones. 

#3

Okay, last one, totally self-indulging here, but yeah, happy sunflower boy is also a big favorite. He is more confident than the previous version, but in a gullible way if that makes any sense? He believes the best in people, and if he is proven wrong, he’s willing to try to help them become better people, if they want to or not! This is honestly the version I love most with Stan, Butters being the ray of sunshine in Stan’s life and Stan being the realism to keep Butters grounded and them both supporting each other so much? Fuck yeah that’s the good stuff. 

Clyde:

suggested by @horrorpumpkin, ty sm friend! <3 

#1

Himbo Clyde!!! Jock dude who genuinely loves sports, he’s a team player, and while he might not be super intellectual, he is very socially smart, he is kind and empathic, he is funny and likable, he always tries his best to make everyone feel included, and while he loves chicks a lot, and is a sexual dude, he does it with nothing but respect and admiration for the ladies! 

#2

Bisexual disaster Clydeeee <3 obv being bi isn’t a personality trait, but he is very open about it, he wants to be confident and good at flirting, but goddamn is he a MESS! He’s also a huge supporter of every single relationship his friends is in, he loves love, in all shapes and forms, he is emotional and kind and awkward in an endearing way. 

#3

Can’t leave out crybaby Clyde, can we now? He’s a bit of an awkward bean as well, but he owns it a bit more. He is kinda like a puppy, a cute, excitable and emotional puppy who loves his friends, video games and lazy movie nights, kinda chubby, he loves baking and does it a lot with Tweek, he is also a huge nerd for Harry Potter and totally geek out over it with Kyle and Nichole sdhlksgdhl

Kenny: 

suggested by anon! 

#1

First up I guess I should put my high school AU Kenny. I know it’s controversial, but I imagine this Kenny to be more on the quiet side, but not really in a shy way. He’s just a bit of an observer who doesn’t speak unless he really sees fit, and while he still has his crude humor and is kinda rumored to be sleeping around a lot, he actually struggle with intimacy issues. He never imagined them to include sexual stuff, but turns out they do, and balancing being sexually open and curious and having these issues ain’t easy on the boy, let me tell you that. 

#2

This one is kinda heavily inspired by Luces, but I love him as kind and loyal, but also a bit more chatty and charming, but not for his own gain. He wants others to feel good about themselves, in social settings, his friends, during sexy times, he is selfless and good, but he is also living for the moment, he is a likable and wonderful guy, but he does still only REALLY open up emotionally to people he really trusts. Not traditionally attractive, but interesting looking in a way. Lots of freckles, bit of buck teeth with a big gap between his front teeth, messy kinda curly hair, long straight nose. Always wears baggy hoodies and worn out jeans, shrugs and gives that lopsided smile when people ask him about anything personal.

#3

Mysterious Kennyyyy. You think you know him, everyone does, but in reality, very few have seen the real him. He likes people, and he likes to help them, he’s always down to listen to people’s problems and help them, he wants to inspire kids like himself to never give up and think there’s only one path for them, because he knows there is not. Volunteers at the animal shelter with Stan, works part time at Tweek Bro’s and is good buddies with Tweek. Had a early sexual debut, slept around a bit and got his heart broken unexpectedly when he was a Freshman, so there are some walls there now, but he ain’t usually one to turn down someone who’s up for it and whom with he has good chemistry either. 

[make-an-undertale-blog-why-not]

different versions of sans.

here’s a list of what they say about you if you want (not 100% accurate):

smol - you and me think the same pal. unless you draw “smol” as a low-effort way to portray him in some sort of reddit x 4chan-style joke where sans shits on the floor and calls papyrus a slur. but as long as you’re not like that then you’re probably good. your main source of undertale content can vary, though it likely could be from your own thoughts on the game. what kind of person you are varies a lot here and i couldnt tell ya anyway because i draw sans like this.

classic ol sans - you don’t want to go off-model by much. you care about source material and likely try not to put too many “stretchy” headcanons in any media you make. this basically means you take what the game gives you, even if it’s like, unused stuff or posts toby fox made on twitter. nothing too outlandish. you might make a lot of theories based on only what you see in the game, and fact-check other theories in your head, but still learn new things from them and apply them to your own understanding of the world. your main source of content probably comes from the game itself and others’ let’s plays. what kind of person you are varies a lot here and i couldnt tell ya anyway because i draw sans like this sometimes.

fanon v1 - you take creative liberties and change small things (color the eyes blue, add dots, fluffen up the hood and slippers). you like fluffy content and probably follow a few undertale au blogs. you like the edgy side of sans and tend to focus more on that maybe. chances are, you tie sans’s eye thing to his emotions for some reason. you color the hood white because that’s what everyone else does so at this point it’s weird seeing the hood with any other color. you’re cool and good probably. your source of content is very very very likely from other creators’ comics and art. probably also undertale vine compilations. you’re most likely an alright person.

fanon v2 - you focus on the “haha funny skeleton man” side of things rather than the “strongest enemy and doesnt think anything he does matters” side of things. you leave his shirt off to express his laziness, because that’s how you interpreted his sprite, or because you saw that one page of concept art and decided that was the canon look. you give sans sneakers and a blue hood because that’s what he has on the steam card. you see sans as a comedian who tells jokes so bad they’re good, drinks ketchup all day, and annoys his brother. your content might come from joke comics and what you see in the game. but it gets a little hard to see where content comes from at this point. you’re probably cool. you probably either relate to sans more than fanon v1 or are just, like, less emotional i guess. like, yknow what i mean probably.

uncle sans - i probably love you. chances are, you follow the guy who made the dunkle sans comic and were inspired by that type of sans. either that or you came to the conclusion the same way that guy did. i have no idea where your undertale content comes from, but you like to imagine sans as a guardian-type figure for the human. you probably think sans gives great hugs. you’re probably either a big ol softie or you want sans to be your dad.

realistic - you either received a commission, played undertale once or twice, saw the popularity of the character, or were attracted to the design and decided to make this guy look more realistic. what i’m saying is that it’s unlikely that you are a knowledgeable fan of undertale like some of these other people. not saying it’s impossible, just unlikely. if you show sans with both the white pupil AND the flashing eye, you either like it like that or haven’t done your research. assuming you are a fan of the game and have made other content for it in the past, i guess this is just.. how your art looks. which is cool and good, i love me some realistic cartoons. i dont know what kind of person you are, all i know is that you intimidate me. i’m scared of you. you have a power not many people possess.

sexy tall sans - (stick to the end if none of what i’m saying applies to you) fuck you. i hate you. burn in hell. you probably ship fontcest or you ship sans with the human. let the man be short and chubby. but DON’T put some sort of stupid magic blue slime as his fat. do not. no. none of that shit. and stop giving sans a tongue. he doesnt even fucking open his mouth, you can’t make out with him. he’s not a sexy guy. he’s the least sexy guy in the whole game. don’t like, actively change his design to be sexier. why dont you go after a character who’s already sexy, like heats flamesman? it’s as a very wise guy once said, “sans the skeleton is not real. you’ll never be his wife.” chances are, you’re a bad person. you may seem nice and friendly, but your morals... filthy... your main source of undertale content comes from porn. if you happen to be a good person with good morals and you still lust after sans like this, just.. keep it to yourself, and don’t hang out in the wrong crowd, okay?

[thewriterwithnoplan]

A Diamonds Court (Part 1)

Summary: Y/N L/N is just like Steven Universe. A girl who’s mother gave up her form to create her - a half gem abomination. There’s a small difference between her and Steven though. She and her ragtag team of miscellaneous gems are quite accustom to hurtling through space. Pairing: Steven Universe x Gem!Reader  Word Count: 1654 Warnings: None

First Person

My name is Y/N L/N, and right now my ship is inbound for home-world. Why you may ask? Because at o' eight hundred this morning the diamonds sent out a galactic message. Pink is alive. So before the clock had made its next chime the ship was hurtling for home. Myself and the group of gems I'd befriended sat expectantly inside said ship.

"Where are we Pearl?" I turned to the gem in question with a smile. She was my oldest friend, having served my mother long before she gave up her form to give birth to me.

"Unnervingly close." She shifted her hands in the central control, looking over with unblinking eyes. "We'll be there within the hour."

Sighing I stood from my seat in the captain's pit. On a ship hurtling through space, there's not exactly much one can do besides wait and think. The expressions on the gems faces showed their thoughts clearly enough; everyone was on edge about the impending visit. If I was being honest I wasn't completely sure this was a good idea either. A group of off colours and outlaws going toward home-world? Yeah, not my brightest idea. But there was no turning away from it now. So instead of stewing in my thoughts, I shuffled over to the other gems.

"Anyone want to spar?" I grinned at them. "Tourmaline?"

The fusion snorted and slumped in her chair, "Funny Y/N, let's pick on Paraiba Tourmaline because she's not a warrior. The Peridot and the Sapphire, fusion. Oh haha."

"Oh don't be like that Paraiba!" With a small huff, I turned to Black Opal. "Come on Opal!"

"Reading." She murmured without looking up from her book. Her gem was just visible from above the thick volume.

"Moonstone?" The woman - who's gem sat snuggly over her eyes - opened a hand, a glimmering eye rolled on her palm. "Fine, Rose and I will spar then."

"Oh, you wish." She shook her head, curls bouncing wildly. "In case you haven't noticed, unlike you, my weapon doesn't have a pointy edge."

"Someone dance with me then!" That had Opal placing down her book, Moonstone raised her hand to blink in confusion.

"Y/N we're going to home-world to attend a ball." Rose gave an amused smirk. "Just be patient."

I threw my hands up in exasperation, "A diamond ball! It'll be all, Oh my diamond it's wonderful to be in your presence! Wow so radiant!"

Tourmaline choked out a laugh and stumbled to her feet. Moonstone again rolled her eye but stood, followed by Opal who slammed her book closed with an audible thud. Rose sprung up and out of her seat, floating elegantly down to the ground. I gave a broad toothy smile, joining them on the dance floor.

(Play song)

"Familiar," I sang. "Why is this so familiar? Familiar, like something I used to know. Familiar, staring up at the ceiling. Familiar, I swear that I know this feeling."

We began to spin softly and sway. Tourmaline giving a content smile and hugging herself.

"Familiar, why is this so familiar? Familiar, like something I used to do."

They echoed sweetly, "Used to do."

The ship gave a soft whirling as it clicked into autopilot, Pearl standing to join in. Lights shimmered in various colours as they caught in the different gems. It was indeed oddly familiar.

"I bet she drove them crazy all the time," I hummed. Why was it familiar?

"Crazy all the time," they harmonised.

I surveyed them in thought, "They love her but they're leaving her behind. With more important places they should be. Than hanging out with someone just like me!"

My mother. "Familiar! That's why it's so familiar." We did share the same gem.

"That's why it's so familiar." Pearl warbled.

"Familiar," My mother had given up her form to give birth to me. "Like someone, I used to be!"

Had she danced with the gems before? "Used to be."

"Familiar." It must have been a long, long time ago. Before she'd met my father on earth. Maybe when she lived on home-world? When she and the diamonds had been close. "And once we're all together face to face. I'll show them all the error of their ways!"

"And stop their spread of terror across space!" The gems chorused.

(End Song)

***

"Ready Y/N?" Opal asked, tugging the sleeve of my dress into place. The others had already entered the ballroom. Tourmaline had - much to her displeasure - unfused, entering as peridot and sapphire. Rose had to shapeshift into a simple Quartz to pass under the diamonds' radar. Moonstone had strategically styled her hair to cover the fact her gem was so unfortunately placed.

"Just stay calm," Pearl advised. She would enter with Opal and I. "Your mother was nervous too, you know."

"I doubt it," I toyed with the ends of my hair. "I've heard the stories about her. She was the perfect diplomat. I'm the disgrace half breed warrior."

"Perfect diplomat?" Pearl cracked a smile and gave an un-pearl-like chuckle. She ran a brush carefully through my hair. "Your mother met Tourmaline and encouraged her, she adored Moonstone and saved Rose from the fate of her kind. She didn't shun gems like Opal and I, off colour."

"But you're not off colour." I frowned. "Just a black pearl and a black opal."

"That is why you are like your mother," Opal laid her hand over my chest. "You are like her right here."

"And here," Pearl flattened her hand against my back, just below my gem.

Then they retracted their hands and left the ship with a promise to meet me at the ball. I examined myself in the mirror, a ball gown of darkest black clung to my shoulders, falling down to cover my feet. The dress had a low back, displaying the gem tucked snuggly between my shoulder blades.

I just had to go in there and have a good time.

***

Third Person

Steven sat uncomfortably on his pink throne. Pearl sent him a brief thumbs-up as he continued to greet the many guests. It was completely and utterly, boring. He was regretting the ball already, but if white diamond did indeed show... He could survive a boring party. If only so the corrupt gems might stand a chance.

"Everyone behold!" Yellow Pearl crowed, catching the rooms attention. "The daunting beauty and elegance that is... Yellow Diamond!"

Yellow entered flourishing her arms and sending out a spray of yellow stars across the room. Steven sat up straighter in anticipation. This was it, it had to go perfectly from now on. Yellow diamond took her time walking down the aisle. Surveying the crowd which stood at attention. Their hands crossed in the diamond salute.

"Not a bad turn out pink." Yellow nodded her head in appreciation.

Steven closed his eyes as if he could hide his excitement and nerves with the simple action. He none the less smiled, "I appreciate your attendance, Yellow."

"Ahem," Blue Pearl murmured emotionlessly. "Everyone, prepare yourselves emotionally for the overpowering elegance that is Blue diamond.

"You're doing great," Blue whispered. Steven said his thanks and Blue took the third diamond throne.

"To those in attendance of the era three ball, White Diamond..." White Pearl held that sickening smile. "Has more important things to attend to. Therefore-"

"For the first time in gem history," A black pearl interrupted white, drawing a gasp from the crowd. Nobody attacked, instead they waited with bated breath as the Pearl continued, "A new charming and stylish diamond is here to grace you with her presence."

Another gem stepped to the Pearl's side and smiled as she said, "May we present to you, Black Diamond!"

A gasp rippled across the crowd, Steven himself making a confused noise. He looked to Pearl but her gaze was stuck on the door. He turned his gaze back as the aquamarine gems pulled back the giant curtains. And... the woman was human-sized. No, not a woman but a girl. His age in fact and human, if only in part. If she hadn't been facing away - so that her gem was visible - he might he mistake her for just a simple girl.

The diamonds had gone rigid, even as the room erupted into excited whispers. The girl - Black diamond - began a lazy pace down the carpet toward the thrones. Once she was at the base of Steven's own throne she stopped completely.

Then in a voice, loud enough for everyone to hear she announced, "My name is Y/N L/N, I'm the half-human daughter of Black Diamond. I'm here to introduce my court. This is Black Pearl."

Steven leant forward curiously. He'd never seen a black gem, well, one that wasn't corrupt. By the Pearl's side appeared another black gem, who Y/N pointed to and announced, "This is my good friend Black Opal."

The room stayed silent though, even the whispers had died down as if Y/n's talking had sucked their voices away. Steven wouldn't be surprised if it actually had. From the crowd emerged a glimmering white-blue gem, "Meet Moonstone."

Steven nearly fell out of his seat. The gem was defective. And now that he looked closer Black Opal was off-colour, a rainbow of colours swirling in the black. What sort of diamond court was this? All it was missing was- "And this is Sapphire and Peridot but they prefer Tourmaline."

The two gems advanced and then fused. A defective, an off-colour and a fusion. Then finally she turned to point at Steven, "And finally, this my fellow gems is the last of Pink Diamonds Gems, may I present; Rose Quartz!"

Steven really did fall out of his chair then. And barely caught himself to float down toward the Black Diamond court. Pearl was right behind him, taking two steps at a time.

[jokerhappylover]

Getting ready and escaping from the cops

Joker getting ready, leaving the apartment and escaping from the cops. His point of view.

Tonight is the night.

I'll be on Murray's Franklin show.

Like I said to Gary, this is crazy. Isn't it? For my whole life it was like nobody ever saw me, but now I'm going to be on TV. Not only on TV, but with the man that to me was a father that I never had. And today I have a chance, this one more chance to make people laugh with my jokes, the chance to meet Murray and talk to him. It's like a dream, or too good to be true. When they called me inviting me to be part of the show I wasn't even sure if it was real, but it is, I know it is. And as usual, this involves people make fun of me... Murray did... But forget it, tonight is the night.

I've already practiced my act, it's the most important moment of my life and I need to make a good impression. And it's not only about my act, I also want to look good. I wanna wear nice clothes, to fit in... I decided to be on the show dressed as a clown, but not as Carnival, a different look.

I did something I had never done before. I dyed my hair. I bought green hair dye and had a blast dying my hair, I was just enjoying myself for once, doing something new, dancing... I love how it looks, I already feel confident.

Then, the make up! I took my brushes and face paint and started applying it. It doesn't take so long to finish it, I'm already used to it, sometimes I'd feel lazy, and sometimes painting a fake smile on my face and having to put on a happy face to work while being sad would make me feel worse, it was like wearing a mask... Once I was at Haha's applying my Carnival make up and tried to force my smile, it hurt and I felt a tear running on my face.... But this time I was excited, I was really enjoying it and I was listening to That's Life. I first apply the white paint and after it I draw the red and blue part.

While I was still applying the white part and listing to 'That's Life' I heard a noise which interrupted me and the music, someone was in front of my door. I thought it could be the cops, but it wasn't them. But I don't really wanna talk about it right now, Randall is in the past now.

Anyway, after him and Gary came over, I kept doing the make up. My face was totally white, I already looked a little different, but it was time for the blue and red drawings. This time I wouldn't wear a clown nose, I would paint my nose red, and I drew the smile, eyebrows and blue parts different now, I really liked how it turned out, it looks like the Carnival make up, but still, it looks different, it feels different.

Now the clothes, the final part. I chose a green shirt, yellow vest and a red suit. First I put on the pants and shirt then the vest, and then finally the jacket, the jacket completes the look. Then I looked in the mirror, it looks so different, I look so different. I even felt like another person, or maybe it's a feeling that I had never had before... You know, for my whole life I've been shy, my experiences with bullies made me insecure of myself, but wearing this outfit and make up made me feel something I had never felt before, it gave me a big confidence and I even felt some kind of adrenaline.

I would just get ready and leave the apartment, but I couldn't stop looking at me in the mirror, dancing and making some face expressions and enjoying what I was feeling, listening to music. Then later I left the apartment, after taking a look at all the rooms and touching things for the last time. I've lived all my life there and I have so many bad memories... But it's over now.

I wrote a text on my journal, finishing it with "on Murray Franklin Tonight. Please watch!". Then I took the journal and the gun, I couldn't forget them. But also, I took Randall's wallet with some money inside it and my magic flowers and left the apartment. Then there I was walking down the hallway, heading to Sophie's apartment. I layed the walled on the ground in front of her door, I wrote her name on it. Then I took the magic flowers of my pocket and left it there. That's for you, Sofi.

I stepped into the elevator and left the apartment. Then I had to go down those staircases... Oh, the staircase. I've been going down that staircase for as long as I can remember... Going up the stairs after work was even harder, I had no energy and they would feel endless. But this time was different. I started going down the staircase doing some simple moves, I was feeling really good and music came to my head, a Rock n' Roll song that I heard on the radio. I got excited and then I was doing big movies, even kicking the air! Today is my day, tonight is the night! I didn't even focus on going down the staircase, I just wanted to feel the fun, and the feeling of finally being free. Free of everything.

But then, I heard someone yelling my name. THE COPS! No! Not now!! Why do they have do show up now? I start running, I had to escape! They are investigating the subway killings crime for weeks and I talked to them, made a story up, but they were still looking for me, but I never picked up the phone or was home. And they will NOT catch me today!

I was running trying to escape, good thing I'm fast but they were still seeing me, knowing where I was going. I even got hit by a car! It hurt but I had no time to waste, I got up and kept running to the subway station. There were so many clowns there, I started all this! Then I started to slow down when I was mixing in with the crowd of clowns, but the cops were still after me, and they managed to get in the elevated train. They were asking people to take the masks of, still looking for me, but there were so many people, I was escaping haha. Not today cops!

I took a guy's clown mask, he got angry and was going to punch me but he ended up punching another person. A fight started, I put on the clown mask. The cops were getting closer to the fight, closer to me, but I wasn't really worried about getting caught, I was going to escape from them, we were already at the another station and the train was already stopping, the cops were in the middle of the fight, unable to come to where I was. One of them ended up killing a guy, by mistake I think, then everyone was fighting with them, all those people against only two cops, poor them! All of them left the train, still fighting, the violence spilled out onto the platform. The cops were on the ground, the protestors were crazy! I laughed and took the mask of and danced. Bye bye cops! Then I left the station, feeling really confident, on my way to the show.

#joker #joker2019 #joaquinphoenixjoker #arthurfleck #jokerscenes #jokerscene #jokerfandom #fandom #clowns

[stevethehairington]

45 from that kiss prompt thing with Gallavich would be amazing

hii! first of all thank you so much or sending this in, i appreciate it SO much!! the second i saw which prompt 45 was omg i opened a doc and the words started spilling out, that was a GREAT one to pick! 

i may have gotten a little carried away writing it, so it’s a lot longer than i expected it to be at first haha. but hey that just means more gallavich for you to read! :)

i have posted it to ao3, though, which you can find the link to here. otherwise, here is is under the keep reading! happy reading!

It’s late when they get back. It’s late, and the house is dark, which means everyone must be asleep. But his slumbering siblings are the last thing on Ian’s mind as he and Mickey stumble into the quiet house, connected at the mouth.

The door goes flying open, banging into the wall hard enough to make the preexisting doorknob sized crater even larger, and Ian pushes Mickey across the threshold, sticking his foot out behind him to kick the door closed. He walks Mickey backwards, sure enough in the knowledge that Mickey knows the layout of his house well enough that he doesn’t need to bother giving navigation his full attention— not that either of them would even if they did need to. Ian’s too lost in the warmth of Mickey’s mouth and the slide of his tongue against his own to worry about anything else.

Despite knowing their way around the house, there’s still no way for them to anticipate the whereabouts of the constantly moving stuff in the house, and Mickey nearly trips backwards over a stray boot lying in the middle of the hall.

Ian’s hands are already around Mickey’s waist, luckily, and his grip only tightens, effectively pulling Mickey closer and keeping him upright.

It’s not enough to keep Mickey’s own arms from flying up to loop around Ian’s neck to steady himself, though. But once Mickey’s regained his balance, Ian feels a rush of satisfaction when Mickey keeps them there, and even lets one hand drift up into Ian’s hair, cradling the back of his head as he kisses him deeper.

Undeterred by the near trip up, Mickey sidesteps the boot and Ian kicks it aside. They don’t make it very far before Mickey’s bumping into the wall, letting out a gruff noise as his shoulder connects with an unused coat hook. To correct for it, he ends up crowding forward into Ian’s space, forcing him back into the door.

Ian hits the door with a dull thud, but then Mickey plasters himself up against Ian’s front and cradles his jaw between his hands as he kisses him within an inch of his life— at least that’s what it feels like to Ian. And, god, does he love that. The way Mickey kisses him. It may have taken a while for Mickey to warm up to even the idea of kissing Ian, but once he had and once he’d taken that leap, he’d been all in. Every kiss with Mickey simultaneously feels like the very first one and the last one they may ever share.

They kiss against the front door for a little while, lazy and content. But Ian gets impatient, and he surges forward again, desperate to move this to somewhere they can get horizontal— though it isn’t as though he’s opposed to fucking Mickey against the door if it really comes down to it.

But when he moves to shove Mickey through the second door leading to the family room, Mickey’s back connects roughly with the closed door, and the knob jams into his lower back, hard.

Mickey yelps into Ian’s mouth, interrupting the kiss, and clenches his jaw against the onslaught of pain, momentarily forgetting his mouth’s current activities, which means he ends up biting down onto Ian’s lip rather painfully.

Ian hisses as the pain starts to bloom, and he jumps back, hand immediately flying up to his mouth.

Across from him Mickey spins around to glare at the doorknob and twists his arm behind him to rub at his back.

Ian makes a noise as he gingerly touches his lip. Even in the dark he can see his finger comes away stained with a little bit of blood as he pulls it back.

His noise draws Mickey’s attention again, and he turns back to Ian, disgruntled annoyance melting from his face to make way for concern. The skin between his eyebrows bunches up again as he steps into Ian’s space and goes to address the wound. “Shit,” Mickey hisses, reaching for Ian’s face. “Fuckin’ doorknob. Are you okay?”

Ian swats at his hand, the tiniest flare of irritation lighting up his nerves. He’s fine. His lip stings, but just like it had been earlier at the dugouts, Ian’s feeling something, and even if that something is pain, Ian still wants it. Relishes it, even. Instead of giving Mickey a proper answer, he knocks Mickey’s hand from his face again and tugs him back into a kiss, chasing those feelings.

Mickey doesn’t complain or protest, just curls his arms around Ian’s waist and settles his palms low on his back, just above his ass.

Ian keeps one hand fisted into the front of Mickey’s shirt, but slips the other around him, blindly feeling for the doorknob so he can open it and they can make it through this time.

They spill into the family room, Ian sucking Mickey’s bottom lip into his mouth as he pushes Mickey further into the room. He nips at Mickey’s lip a few times, drawing out a soft noise from the back of Mickey’s throat that goes straight to his dick and spurs Ian on even more.

Mickey tries to take control by sliding his fingers into the belt loops of Ian’s jeans as he shuffles backwards, pulling them towards the stairs. He’s clearly just as desperate as Ian is to get on with it, but unlike Ian he seems more inclined to find a bed rather than settle for the closest piece of furniture. They lurch towards the foot of the stairs, and Mickey spins them so that if they were to start climbing, Ian would have to do it backwards— the bastard.

Ian’s shoulder clips the bannister, and he grunts into Mickey’s mouth. It doesn’t hurt much, but the dull ache of the impact is enough to clear his mind for the briefest of moments.

“Not upstairs,” he pants into Mickey’s mouth, and he has more to say, has an explanation to give, but Mickey hasn’t stopped kissing him, and Ian gets lost in it until Mickey mumbles an urgent c’mon against his lips and tries to back Ian up again.

Ian presses a hand flat against Mickey’s chest, and Mickey breaks the kiss momentarily to give Ian a confused, impatient look.

“We can’t go in my room,” Ian tells him, and Mickey just blinks at him with blown pupils and shiny lips, and Ian almost forgets why they can’t go up to his room and drags him there anyways. But then he remembers his brothers— the children— he shares a room with, and he shakes his head. “Full house,” he reminds Mickey, tapping a finger against his chest, and the meaning dawns on Mickey, who groans and lets his forehead fall against Ian’s shoulder.

“We ever goin’ to fuck on a bed?” Mickey asks gruffly, a hint of irritation lacing his words.

Ian laughs airily, and buries his face in Mickey’s hair before tipping his head back to meet Mickey’s eyes. And for a second, everything else fades away. Ian’s siblings upstairs, Mickey’s dad and his wife and his kid at home, the last few months, all the ups and downs they’ve been through, it all just disappears from his memory, and it’s just him and Mickey laughing and smiling and kissing away the time.

“Next time,” Ian promises, breaking the moment. He ducks down to steal a quick kiss, and Mickey’s lips chase his as he pulls away. It makes Ian grin. “Couch looks pretty good to me right now, though,” he adds, punctuating it by giving Mickey’s ass a squeeze through his jeans.

Mickey’s not expecting it, and he jumps a little in Ian’s arms, cursing at him under his breath, but there’s a tiny grin quirking at his lips, and he grabs Ian’s hand to tug him through the dark house towards the sofa a few feet away.

Ian clings to Mickey’s back, dropping Mickey’s hand so he can slide his arms around his waist and tease him by toying with the front of his jeans. He latches onto Mickey’s neck too, as best as he can from behind him, anyways.

Mickey seems to be enjoying it, huffing out little laughs that go breathy towards the end when Ian really gets into it. It’s distracting as hell, though, and Mickey’s legs fail him more often than not, bringing him to a stop several times before they make it to the couch so he can melt back into Ian’s body and revel in the touch of his hands and the press of his lips.

He sends an elbow into Ian’s ribs, light enough not to hurt but hard enough that he’ll get the message to quit it, at least for now, so they can get to the couch and he can get the fuck on him for real.

They finally round the corner of the couch, and Ian’s about to manhandle Mickey around so they’re facing each other and he can kiss him as they collapse into the cushions (and maybe so he can fuck Mickey face to face, too— Mickey’s in a good enough mood that Ian doesn’t think he’d stop them to turn himself around if Ian were to try to fuck him like this), but before he can, Mickey comes to an abrupt stop.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Mickey hisses, the tiniest hint of a whine to his voice as he glares down at Frank’s sprawled out, unmoving form clearly passed out across the sofa.

“Fuckin’ Frank,” Ian groans and drops his forehead against Mickey’s back. Of fucking course Frank would find a way to cockblock him without even meaning to. “He doesn’t even fucking live here,” he grumbles.

Mickey gives the bottom of the couch an experimental kick, but Frank doesn’t even stir. He huffs out and kicks the couch again, this time in frustration.

And it is frustrating, but Ian is determined not to let this— not to let Frank— ruin his evening. It had been such a good one— the best one in a while, really— and there’s no way he’s not going to end it by fucking his boyfriend good and hard, just the way they both deserve.

“C’mon,” Ian says, grabbing Mickey’s hand again. He brings his face close to Mickey’s. “M’still gonna fuck you,” he promises, voice low enough to make Mickey forget all about the deadbeat alcoholic passed out on what would’ve been their ‘bed’ for the evening. “Kitchen table’s the next flat surface I can think of,” he whispers into Mickey’s ear, and he grins at the shudder he can feel go through Mickey’s body. Feeling a little daring, Ian darts his tongue out to lick the shell of Mickey’s ear, then bites down on his lobe. It’s a bold move, one that has just as high a chance of earning him a punch as it does not. But he doesn’t give Mickey the chance to make that decision. Ian spins him around in his arms and crushes his mouth to Mickey’s, and by then Mickey’s far too occupied to protest.

They knock into the coffee table as they distractedly try to shimmy out of the tight space between the table and the couch, and a few of Debbie’s or maybe Fiona’s magazines slip off the surface and flop to the ground, the pages fanning out and bending back. Neither Ian nor Mickey can be assed to care.

Mickey bumps into the end of the couch, and he nearly steps on one of Liam’s toys lying in their path, but thankfully his foot lands a few inches away from it, and they make it into the kitchen unscathed.

Once in the kitchen, Ian walks Mickey back until he runs into the counter. He presses him against the ledge and crowds into his space, licking at the seam of Mickey’s mouth until he parts his lips for Ian.

Mickey’s hands grip at his waist, then push under his shirt and settle against his bare skin.

Desperate to get those hands all over him, Ian breaks the kiss long enough to rear back so he can yank his shirt over his head. He lets it fall to a heap somewhere on the floor behind him, then reattaches himself to Mickey’s mouth, licking into it with a renewed fervor.

As soon as he’s back in Mickey’s space, Mickey’s hands find his waist again. This time instead of just settling there, his hands glide up Ian’s back, smoothing over the muscles Ian knows Mickey loves to grab onto when he fucks him good— the few times they have fucked face to face he hadn’t been able to let go. His hands are warm against Ian’s skin and they leave a trail of electricity in their wake.

And suddenly Ian’s itching to get his own hands all over Mickey’s bare skin. He tugs at the bottom of Mickey’s shirt, pulling it from where it’s tucked into the waistband of his jeans all properlike for their date. Ian can’t help but smile a little dopily at the effort Mickey put into it, like he knew how much it would mean to Ian if he did. (And to himself, too, he’s not fooling anyone.)

Mickey gets the hint pretty quick, nipping at Ian’s bottom lip before abandoning his mouth to focus on getting rid of his shirt. “The fuck you smilin’ about?” He asks, but Ian can hear Mickey’s own smile in his voice and he just laughs a little.

“Get your fucking shirt off,” Ian replies, clawing at the offending fabric still covering Mickey’s upper half.

“Bossy fuck,” Mickey mutters, but it’s clear he’s wants it gone just as bad when he stops messing with the buttons and starts to pull his shirt up his body as quickly as he can instead.

His arm gets caught in the sleeve in his haste, and rather than take his time to untangle himself, Mickey huffs and tries to shake his arm free. It doesn’t help that Ian’s still pulling at the material, probably hindering him much more than he is actually helping any, but he’s too damn eager to get Mickey naked to act rationally.

“Fucking god damn fancy ass shirt,” Mickey grumbles, followed by a string of curses that makes Ian snort in amusement.

But his amusement doesn’t last too long. In the next second, Mickey finally manages to get his arm free, but the release is so sharp that his arm flails back and his elbow goes slamming into the empty metal pot that was sitting on the stove beside them.

The pot knocks onto its side with a clatter, sending the lid skidding across the stove to crash into the coffee maker, then rolls none too quietly right over the edge of the counter where it falls to the floor with a loud, echoing crash.

Mickey grabs for Ian instinctively, clutching at his arms tight enough that his nails are bound to leave little half moon indents in his skin.

“Oh fuck!”

“Shit!” Ian hisses out, eyes going wide as he watches the scene in horror.

The pot keeps rolling across the floor until it hits the side of the laundry machine and finally comes to a stop. The room goes quiet.

They stand there, frozen in the kitchen, the throbbing in their pants momentarily forgotten as they both strain their ears for any sign that the noise woke anyone up.

After a few seconds and nothing, not even a peep from Frank (which for the briefest of moments makes Ian wonder if he’s dead rather than just passed out on the couch), the tension in their shoulder relaxes.

Ian tears his eyes from where he was squinting towards the stairs to look at Mickey, and when their eyes meet, they both burst into quiet, relieved laughter. Ian quickly muffles himself in Mickey’s neck, and Mickey presses his face into Ian’s hair in response.

“Fuck, I thought for sure that would wake someone up,” Ian says, giggling like a child that’s had too much sugar. He can’t help it though, it makes him fucking giddy that no one seemed to have heard them. They’re being fucking loud.

“Those shitheads can sleep through anything, fuck,” Mickey says, almost in awe. “Must be fuckin’ nice.”

It’s a loaded statement, but now is really not the time to unpack all that, so rather than let himself get too caught up in it, Ian presses his lips to Mickey’s neck where he’s still hiding his face. He leaves a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses down to Mickey’s collarbone, nipping gently at the skin before laving over it with his tongue. “Guess they can sleep through anything,” he agrees. “Means I can make you scream my name when I fuck you right here in the kitchen,” Ian says, low and dirty.

“Fuck you, I ain’t a screamer,” Mickey snaps, but Ian can see the way his words are affecting him. He can feel it too, where Mickey’s pressing up against his thigh.

“Bet I can make you one,” Ian taunts, biting down on his lip. He lifts his head from Mickey’s neck, a wicked smirk unfurling across his face.“I bet—”

He’s cut off by Mickey growling low in his throat and crushing his lips back to Ian’s in a searing kiss that has Ian gasping into it before matching his enthusiasm.

And Mickey doesn’t waste a second either. They’ve barely even started back up before Mickey’s hands are at Ian’s pants, popping open the button and tearing the zipper down. He shoves Ian’s jeans down just enough that he can slide his hand into his boxers and wrap strong fingers around his dick.

Ian whimpers into Mickey’s mouth and pushes his hips instinctively back against Mickey’s hand. Then he scrambles to get his own hand down the back of Mickey’s jeans, too, and he cups a good handful of it, pulling a short little moan from Mickey that he immediately tries to stifle. It makes Ian pretty damn smug.

He’s about to see if he can pull any more unexpected sounds from Mickey by trailing a finger teasingly over his crack when light suddenly floods the kitchen.

“Fucking shit! What the fuck!”

Mickey’s hand is gone from his pants in an instant, and Ian stumbles back as Mickey shoves him away, panting hard and eyes wild with panic.

Ian’s heart rabbits in his chest and he yanks his jeans back up as he whirls around.

“I’ve got a fuckin bat!” Fiona shouts, and she sure fucking does.

She stands just beneath the doorframe, her foot inches away from that stupid fucking pot that, apparently, did wake someone up. Her hair is sticking up from the pillow, and her eyes are wide, but she doesn’t look fully alert quite yet, traces of sleep still around the edges. The Gallagher’s trusty thug bashing baseball bat is hoisted over her shoulder, like she’s ready to swing.

“It’s just us!” Ian screeches, stepping in front of Mickey and holding his hands out to placate his sister.

“Christ, Ian,” Fiona breathes, letting the bat fall to her side. She places her other hand over her chest and blows out a long breath. “Fuck you doin’ coming in so late like that?” She asks, and it’s then that she notices Mickey where he’s still standing behind Ian. He’s steadfastly avoiding meeting her eyes, and Ian knows it’s mostly from embarrassment over getting caught about to fuck and not because he got caught about to fuck Ian.

Fiona’s eyes flit between the pair of them, and Ian knows they must be a sight to see. He’s sure his hair is all over the place from when Mickey had his hands buried in it, and his jeans are still undone and hastily dragged back up so they cover enough of what needs to be covered. Neither one of them has a shirt on, and they’re both breathing like they’d just run a fucking marathon. Ian spares a quick glance back at Mickey, and even though he looks slightly more put together than Ian, it still isn’t hard to tell what he’s just been doing. Not with the way his lips are redder than usual and still shining from being in Ian’s mouth just seconds ago.

“We had a date,” Ian tells Fiona proudly, and he drops his shoulder back to knock into Mickey’s. He looks back at him, and smiles when he sees that Mickey has finally lifted his eyes from the floor.

Mickey manages to smile back, just the tiniest lift of the corners of his lips, but Ian catches it and it makes him feel warm all over. Then Mickey meets Fiona’s eyes and gives a short nod, confirming Ian’s answer, and that makes Ian’s fucking heart sing. A few months ago Mickey never would have admitted to being on a date— hell, he couldn’t even admit that they were boyfriends, which they so obviously were. He probably never would have even agreed to going out on a date either, but that’s besides the point. He’s come a long fucking way, and Ian couldn’t be more proud.

Fiona softens and a happy, albeit tired smile graces her face. “A date, huh?” She repeats, sticking her hand on her hip. She lifts the baseball bat and uses it to gesture around the kitchen. “You continuin’ that date here or somethin’?” And the knowing look she gives the two of them is enough to have them both blushing.

“Fuck off,” Mickey mutters gruffly, dropping his eyes back to the floor.

Ian gives her a bashful look and the tiniest shrug of his shoulders. “Uh, no?” He tries, but it’s not convincing at all, not that it even needs to be at this point. They’ve already been caught with their hands down their pants— literally.

Fiona laughs and then sighs. “Just remember we gotta eat breakfast in this kitchen in the morning,” she warns, pointing the baseball bat at them again. “Leave it cleaner than you found it,” she calls, already halfway out of the room on her way back to the stairs. She’s barely gone before they hear a quiet, “how the fuck did he get in here?” which means Fiona must have found Frank. But then the soft thuds of feet on the stairs can be heard, and Fiona really is gone.

It takes a few seconds before Ian or Mickey move, both still shook up from the interruption.

Mickey breaks first, blowing a breath out through his teeth and rubbing his hands down his face. “Jesus christ,” he mumbles.

Ian thinks that might have killed the mood with Mickey, and he prepares himself to accept that his sister just totally cockblocked him even if it was unintentional.

But then Mickey starts to laugh, and his hands fall back to his side. He gives Ian a bewildered look, like he kind of can’t believe that just happened— that Fiona said what she said— and Ian just shrugs. He knows she’s been in the exact same position before, so she’s not really in the place to judge or get on Ian’s case about it.

“It kinda sounds like she just fuckin’ gave us her blessing or something to fuck in the kitchen,” Mickey says, shaking his head. “What the fuck.”

“That’s ‘cause she kind of fucking did,” Ian points out, inching back into Mickey’s space. He meets Mickey’s eyes and tilts his head to the side. “You still up for it?” He asks, a grin tugging at his lips.

“You’re still revving to go even after your sister just walked in on us?” Mickey asks, astounded.

Ian waggles his eyebrows and shrugs. “Always revving to go when I’m around you,” he answers, and Mickey snorts and shoves Ian a little.

“Cheesy fucker,” he says, but it comes out fond, and he’s cracking a smile. “Well, fuck, alright then,” Mickey adds after a second, laughing a little. “What the fuck you doing over there? Get the fuck on me, man.”

And, fuck, Ian doesn’t need to be told twice.

[szopenhauer]

Are you the type of person who gets straight to the point?: I try my best to explain things but ppl still don’t understand the obvious

What was the last thing you said in complete caps?: not sure what was last

Do you enjoy playing board games?: some

Did you wear anything new today?: pineapple shirt my mom bought for me recently

Do you ever eavesdrop on people’s conversations?: hard not to when they’re so loud

Are you good at playing Hide and Go Seek?: I was because I’m tiny XD

Who or what made you smile last?: my thoughts 

What was the last song you had on repeat?: Daisy by Ashnikko :x

Do you often have that song on repeat?: no that was one time only lol  I hardly ever have a son on repeat, that happened like 5 times in my entire life, usually after breakup

Silly string or confetti?: fun but too messy and waste of money so none

How long is your favorite song?: about 3.50

What was the highlight of your day today?: it’s complicated

Do you tap your foot when you listen to music?: I tap but mostly due to anxiety ^^”

Would you rather use tape or glue?: tape 

Homemade or store bought cards?: store bought 

Do you listen to any hip hop?: nah

How about some lyrics?: I'm tired of weakness Tired of my feet of clay I'm tired of days to come I'm tired of yesterday And all the worn out things that I ever said Now it's much too late The words stay in my head (...) I'm tired of Facebook Tired of my failing health I'm tired of everyone And that includes myself Well being alone now It doesn't bother me But not knowing if you are That's been hell you see 

Have you ever had a fascination with stickers? slightly

Have you ever seen A Walk To Remember? yeah Did you ever watch Captain Planet? I did Do you think that Uggs are ugly? I love them Have you ever watched That ‘70’s show? meh Do you get along with your sibling’s friends? we don’t know each other Do you have a fashion icon? sorta, not really Do you think that iCarly is annoying? possibly

Have you ever had a really bad haircut? sadly

What are your favorite type of calendars? pocket?  Could you spend hours on pinterest? just a couple of minutes  Have you ever had to wear a school uniform? I liked that Who were your best friends in high school? K.K. E.E. E.W. Ż.B.

Would you rather sleep on the top bunk or bottom bunk? bottom Have you ever had a secret admirer that left you notes? I got a note in elementary, it’s a mystery to this day, I thought that it’s a response from M.N. after I left him one myself but it seemed to be a prank done by girls who’ve been bullying me so I threw that piece of paper angrily at him like it was his fault - I still kinda remember what was written on it, they called me a flower and left a tiny drawing - later, forgot how, I found that note again and I believe I might still have it stored somewhere  What was your favorite thing to do at sleepovers when you were younger? as a kid I had 1 sleepover (same school in which the note situation happened) my friend P.W. had puppies and I was allowed to stay for the night in her house Do you currently live in the city you grew up in? mhm What’s one way in which you’re behind the times? ex. getting a job  What’s one way in which you’re still a child? ex. collecting stuffed animals, lots What’s one way in which you’re old? ex. health issues Do you feel old or young? Or do you feel both at different times? both at different times What would be the best surprise you could receive right now? money? Do you usually forgive when someone hurts your or try to get revenge? neither, I hold grudge and don’t trust the person again, at least for a long time  Were there any subjects in school that were really easy for you? in primary most of them were, in middle school: polish, biology, chemistry and math and in high: russian, english, PE and physics (but I probably shouldn’t count it as we had it for a few months) Did you ever skip a grade or get held back a grade? - What time of day were you born? half past midnight, my mother asked me why I’m so lazy as for someone who was born on Saturday and I responded with - I was sleeping in and was late for Friday What is the best hairstyle you’ve ever had? can’t choose Do you think you look better with dyed hair or natural hair? I’m used to my color but I wouldn’t mind dyed hair Do you ever listen to Celtic music? me and John had a phase on that back in the day, I wish I remind the titles... Have you ever wanted to be a model, actress, singer, or dancer? actress When you look at your baby pictures, do you recognize yourself? pfft Has your hair color changed since you were a toddler? got darker, less red  Do you wear matching socks? always but recently I thought about changing that fact Do you have a seashell collection? Do you have a rock collection? small Flamingos or pineapples? both Cacti or seashells? same but it’s harder to take care of cacti than shells haha Maple tree or palm tree? palm, ppl say maple looks like weed - I don’t think this way but that’s annoying, still I’d prefer maple trees irl!  Dreamcatcher or wind chimes? wind chimes but not every kind Have you ever taken a picture at the perfect moment? <3

Are you a pyromaniac? Bu is :P Are you a kleptomaniac? wtf Do you like to wear belts? it’s uncomfy and not good for my belly Would you ever get dreadlocks? I could but I won’t Do you listen to Eminem? no way

Does your sibling have a significant other? my sister is married 

When and why is the last time you cried (or at least, shed tears)? yesterday?

Have you ever cried at a real wedding? not that I been to many but no

What do your flipflops look like? don’t own any

Are there any gadgets of yours that need charging right now? my cellphone is charging

Which awards show would you wanna go to the most (e.g Oscars, Grammys etc.)? I wanna go to MET gala, nothing else

Any idea what time you’ll be going to bed tonight? late

Does your significant other like the same colour as you do? she hates my fav colors besides black 

Have you ever purchased anything online? obvi

Name all your friends whose name starts with the 4th letter of your first name. ...

Have you ever ridden an elephant? I’d like to (and camel and an ostrich and a horse)

Are you the candle lighting type? am not

Coffee in the morning, yay or nay? nay

Anal sex, yay or nay? hell no

Blue lipstick, yay or nay? okay, whatever

Is this question lame: “Have you had sex?” yep

Have you ever dated someone with really crooked teeth? mine are crooked

Would you rather vacation on the beach, or in the mountains? beach What embarrassing music do you listen to? too embarassed to write down? What’s your biggest talent? talented? me? r u kidding?

If you were a candy bar, what would you be? Milky Way? Would you rather ride in a hot air balloon or hang-glide? air balloon What’s one word you want people to use to describe you? truth is most important, everything else is less 

Did you often read for fun when you were a kid? tons of books

Are you more of a visual learner or an auditory learner? I learn best with my hands (kinesthetic) but visual is probably easier than auditory to me 

Do you have any dietary restrictions? ugh...

Do you prefer Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, or something else? I get lost no matter what

How old does someone have to be for you to see them as an adult? about my age or older

Do you ever ‘manspread’ when you sit down? sorry but I don’t sit like a lady - I sit like a lesbian unless there’s no space for that

When was the last time you were in a crowded place, and where was it? bus this day

Have you ever turned down a job offer? had to

What was the last medical appointment you scheduled? scheduled plenty at once

Have you ever had a dream in which you died? I die often, it’s a common element in my dreams, I’m fine with it by now

Have you ever fallen asleep on public transport?  oh well... majority of those times I was able to but once it was an accident and I missed my stop while going to school

Can you touch your toes without bending your knees? almost Have you seen all the Hunger Games films? yasss Why did you last go see a doctor? control visit about my IBS, GERD, food intolerances... Are you more logical or creative? depends

What do you currently hear? parents talking, music - iamamiwhoami; shadowshow 

Did you get enough sleep last night? I slept a little over 3 hours and I feel tired  Are the streetlights on? it’s not dark yet When you wear a hoodie, do you pull the sleeves over your hands? when it’s warm for that or they bother me in what I’m doing Are you in any advanced classes at school? w moim profilu miałam rozszerzone historię i WOK (wiedza o kulturze) Did you have a good day today? it wasn’t the worst (compared) and hope it won’t turn into complete shit 

[purplesurveys]

601

Who was the last person to hold your hand? Gabie and my dad are the only ones who can hold my hand. I feel uncomfortable when others do it, even if in a platonic sense. What was the last thing you paid for? I needed a quick lunch to get me by before my exam, so I had instant noodles and kwek-kwek. Has anyone ever told you that you were their best friend? Yes. What's your favorite thing you own? I like my phone because I can use it for almost everything. Can you recite all the lyrics to your favorite song? I don’t have an all-time favorite song but I do memorize the lyrics to a lot of songs that I like.

Who made you laugh the hardest today? I didn’t really laugh today other than towards Gab sending me a meme. Would you sing in front of a large crowd? No. Have you ever jumped out of a moving car? No but I’ve thought about it, lol. Do you prefer chocolate ice cream? I’d have it if it was the only flavor around, but it’s not really my first choice. Can you speak any other languages? Filed under: questions on *almost* every survey. Yes, I learned Filipino before mastering English. Have you ever heard of the band The Cliques? Yes, keywords here being heard of. I haven’t heard any of their material. How many hours of sleep did you get last night? I had a crucial exam this morning that I only got to study for yesterday, so I really had to go all out. I only had five hours of sleep last night. Have you done your homework yet? I’m done with all my homework because I just finished my last requirement (a final exam) for this semester :) Time to be depressed this Christmas and disappear in my survey hole for the next two weeks. Did you get hurt today? Yes, my toothache has struck once again and it’s hurting like a bitch tonight. Thankfully this survey is distracting me from how painful it actually is being right now. What's a song no one would think you'd like, but you actually love? I’m not sure about ‘no one would think you’d like’ because I don’t pay attention to what people think of my music taste lmao but I’m surprised I ended up liking everything i wanted by Billie Eilish, considering her whispering annoys me most days. Have you ever snuck out? No. My mom always goes up and down the house and occasionally checks up my room, so she’d know if I left without permission. How old were you when you got your first boyfriend/girlfriend? 16. Are you talking to anyone? If so, who? I sent a text to Gab just now but we’re not in the middle of a conversation; I was just checking in on her. Have you ever been to Florida? Nope. What is the closest thing to you that's green? Fake plant decors on our dining table. When was the last time you wore a hat? A month ago when I decided to wear a cap to school. Are you broke right now? Far from it, thankfully hahaha. I’ve gathered a lot of savings for Christmas gifts but that’s gonna disappear next week when I finally go shopping. Has anyone given you a piggyback ride today? No. I’m not one to jump on someone’s back for a ride either. When was the last time you felt absolutely happy? Maybe last Monday when I paid my girlfriend a visit. She had a rough weekend and was not talking to absolutely anybody, myself and her family included. I felt happy to improve her mood just by simply showing up. When was the last time you felt upset? Yesterday, I got unbelievably pissed at myself because I stayed at home thinking I didn’t have to go to school (because I was done with almost all requirements) – I HAD A REPORT SLATED FOR YESTERDAY that I completely forgot about. I have never missed a single goddamn report in my whole time in college until then. Thankfully it’s a very chill class and it’s a group report, so my groupmates covered for me; but I definitely made sure I PM’d them individually and apologized profusely. How did you react when your first pet died? I wasn’t too attached to my first goldfish, so I was sad about it when he died but I wasn’t too distraught either. Have you ever drawn anime? No. If you had to give up everything for someone, would you? Probably not. What do you hear right now? I’m listening to a lo-fi playlist on Spotify. Do you feel alone right now? Nope. I just feel SHITTY because of this TOOTHACHE Have you ever told someone that you loved that you hated them? Never. Hate is a strong word. I don’t want to inflict something temporary onto someone important to me, because I’ll regret it immediately after and for the rest of my life. What are you looking forward to? This toothache going away, and for the rest of my Christmas break. I’ve never been more happy about a semester ending – this last one shook up my mental health so bad lmfao. When does your school let out for summer break? It’s either the third or the last week of May. Have you ever played Bingo? Yes. I remember one of my grand-aunts hosting A LOT of bingo parties at her place, and my 8 year old self would join her and her amigas not knowing it was already a form of gambling. I just joined because it won me some money haha. Can you use a pogo stick? No. I’ve always wanted to try it, but I’ve never even seen a real-life one. When's the next time you'll see the person that you like? I have no clue. Saturday seems slim cos we both have our respective Christmas parties, so I may just opt to see her next week when we go gift shopping. Do you currently want something? If so, what? If the theme for this survey still isn’t reiterated enough, it’s for this toothache to go away. Have you ever skinny dipped? No. Not really the sort of thing I’d do. What are you looking forward to most this summer? Graduating and getting whatever graduation gift I get, if any. And finally coming out to my parents. Can you draw well? Nope. Do you like bathing/showering? Only if it gets very hot/humid or when I feel dirty. Otherwise I get lazy. How do you feel about today? it was uneventful. I just went to school this morning to take my final exam for two hours, drove back home, slept all afternoon, and now I’m taking this survey. Maybe I’ll watch Friends after. What would you change about yourself? My confidence, and my lack thereof. What was the last thing you had to drink? Chocolate con nueces from our local bakery.

Who's closest to you, where you are? My sister and her boyfriend are chilling in the living room where he’s playing the PS4. Have you ever stolen something from a department store? No. Have you ever jumped off your roof? No, but [trigger warning: suicide] I’ve looked down at the ground from our rooftop thinking if I’d survive the jump. When was the last time you wanted to scream? Earlier this morning dealing with stupid drivers. Are you honest? I try to be. When was the last time you cried? If I remember it correctly, Friday or Saturday evening. I missed Nacho so I decided to talk to him. Can you play the violin? Haha, no and the few times I tried it I was atrocious. It’s a beautiful instrument. Have you ever considered entering a race? No. I don’t have the stamina and endurance for it. Are you listening to music right now? Yep. What's the nicest thing someone said to you today? My classmate said she was happy she met me in our class. Who said it? Gia, from my Contemporary Philippines class. If someone asked you to get them a soda right now, would you? If it was Gab, then yes I’d drive all the way there to get her a can of soda because I miss her hahahaha. I probably wouldn’t do it for anyone else. Have you ever broken a bone? I have not. Do you have a middle name? Yes. When was the last time you went on vacation? August. Do you truly love anyone? I truly love a lot of people.

[prism-rush]

Prism Rush Main Story Episode 7 Chapter 3

Your Dreams and Mine #3

First Previous Chapter

Translator’s notes: Minato calls Kakeru “Juuouin” in this one and I can’t remember another time when that has happened. Yeah he usually calls the other Edel Rose boys by their last names, but Kakeru has always been the special one that he calls by his first name... Kazuo! I think there are two interpretations: Either he calls him Juuouin during certain serious discussions. OR... the person who wrote the past few chapters isn’t someone who pays enough attention to how Minato refers to other characters ahaha. I think the latter is more likely actually since there have been several slip-ups lately. But to be fair there were even similar slip ups in the original Pride the Hero script and I’m not exactly innocent myself. (Sometimes I have to insert names into dialogue when there aren’t any in the Japanese, and then two days later I’ll realize I used the wrong one like...shit hahah.) Sorry, anyway...

Hiro: Kazuki! How many rice cakes do you want?

Kazuki: Hm... I think today I’ll go for five!

Hiro: FIVE?! You’ve really got to watch your carbs!

Keeping in shape is an important part of being a prism star, you know. You’ll take three.

Kazuki: Hey, come on now....

Hiro: Here you go! Hiro Hayami’s special New Year’s soup is complete!

Kazuki: Wow! It looks delicious! I’m diggin’ in... Hm?

Hiro: Something seems kinda... off... doesn’t it?

Kazuki: It seems really thin... like it’s missing something... Did you forget the soup stock?

Hiro: Soup stock?? You need to put... stock in it?

Kazuki: You didn’t put any soup stock in it? Well that’s why it tastes like nothing! Aah.... I miss Kouji’s  special New Year soup.....

Hiro: Well, excuse me! I’ve never made it before.... And besides, your rolled omelettes weren’t even rolled!

Kazuki: But it tastes the same either way, doesn’t it?

Hiro: I guess we’re both failures at New Year’s cooking....

Kazuki: Kouji’s New Year meal was so luxurious... But well, as long as the two of us still get to spend time together, it still feels like a New Year holiday.

Hiro: You’re right. We won’t have time like this again for a while....

Kazuki: Yeah.... This is probably our last day off before the Prism King Cup.

Hiro: From now on, you and I are going to be rivals Kazuki.

Kazuki. Yep. So let’s just enjoy this last day as friends.

Hiro: Yeah!

(Later)

Leo: Ahhh... I bought so many nice things... Yu-kun, thanks for carrying everything for me!

Yu: So... heavy. I think my arms are gonna fall off.

Leo: Aahhh I’m sorry! I’ll help y--

Yu: Oh no you don’t! Whenever I let you carry things, everyone gives me the stink eye because it looks like I’m making a girl carry stuff....

Leo: Tha... that’s awful! I’m obviously a boy!

Yu: But anyway, why did you need to buy so much cloth?

Leo: Well, I wanted it to keep it a secret... but I guess I can tell you.

I’ve decided... I want to make outfits for the Prism King Cup!

Yu: Outfits for the Prism King Cup.... But we won’t even know who’s gonna be able to compete in it until right before it happens!

Leo: Exactly. That’s why I need to make outfits for everyone!

Yu: What?! Why would go so far....

Leo: Because you are all my important friends... I want to do everything I can for you guys! I know all about what colors you guys look best in, who looks better casual, who looks better formal. Everything!

Yu: Leo....

Leo: Making the best possible clothing for everyone to look their best is exactly what I can do to best contribute to Edel Rose....! Even if I don’t get to be in the Prism King Cup, I still want to do my best for everyone!

Yu: Leo... you’re always saying you wish you could be more manly. But your will is so strong, and that’s where your strength lies.

I think you’re a pretty cool dude.

Leo: ....! Thank you so much!

(Kakeru’s room)

Minato: Coming in!

Kakeru: Hey hey, Minatocchi! You can’t just barge in unannounced!

Minato: Sorry, sorry. I didn’t have a free hand to knock. You’ve been holed up in here for a long time so I brought you a snack.

Kakeru: Well, that was nice of you. Ooh, rice balls with salty seaweed!

Minato: It’s hard to get in here so I’ll just leave them here. Oops! Sorry, I knocked over a book...

Kakeru: Sorry, I just kinda piled them up wherever....

Minato: “Secrets of Marketing”, ”Show Business That Draws a Crowd” ... Could it be you’re studying for the Prism King Cup?

Kakeru: Not really.. Uh.. Well... Yeah.... It’s not such a big deal....

Minato: Well I think that’s great...

Kakeru; Huh?

Minato: You’re working hard behind the scenes, building knowledge, and preparing to fight with intellect. You’re going toe-to-toe at an adult level, but nothing is stopping you... With your brain fighting for us we’ll surely succeed.

Kakeru; I...

Minato: Meanwhile, all I can do to help is just make rice balls...

Kakeru; That’s not true!!

Minato: Huh?

Kakeru: It may be true that I have some things that you don’t. But!

Minatocchi, you have this warmth and broad-mindedness that I just don’t have... You’re always just so kind to everyone, and... I don’t think it’s that all that easy.

Minato: Juuouin....

Kakeru: In fact, I think it’s because we both have qualities the other is lacking that we are going to be able to accomplish big things. Right?

Minato: ...Yeah, you’re right.

Kakeru: ....Or something like that!! Just messing around haha!

Minato: ...Thank you. I think I got what you meant.

(Outside)

Yukinojo: Taiga, I have a favor to ask...

Taiga: Huh? Tachibana-senpai, what is it?

Yukinojo: Could you take me to Alexander Yamato?

Taiga: Wha....?! Why....?!

Yukinojo: I think I would like to train with him before the Prism King Cup.

Taiga: That’s crazy....!

Yukinojo: Crazy...? What do you mean?  The Prism King Cup is the tournament to determine the top prism star.  

I think you have to be willing to take some crazy risks on your life in order to reach that peak.

Taiga: ...Got it. I may have some idea where to find him.

(On the street)

Taiga: I think he should be around here somewhere... But I guess even he takes a break from practice on New Year’s....

Yukinojo: It seems that way. It’s too bad we couldn’t run into him. Brr... All of a sudden the wind just got quite strong..

Taiga: You’re right. It wasn’t like just this a moment ago... AAHH!!!

Yukinojo: Taiga, what’s wrong?

Taiga: Look closer... over there... He’s so fast you can barely see him but... Alexander is over there doing a head spin at mach speed rotation!

Yukinojo: Wha.. WHAT?!

Alexander: HAHAHAH! So you finally noticed, huh?

Taiga: So you were creating all that strong wind...!

Yukinojo: By spinning too fast to be seen by the naked eye..!

Alexander: I’m not letting the title of ”King” go to some lazy losers who sit around gobbling down rice cakes on New Year’s!

Yukinojo: Alexander! I would like to challenge you again...!

Alexander: Don’t be silly! I would be a waste of my time! HUAAAAAH!

Taiga: Woah!! A tornado?!

Yukinojo: It’s a hurricane! Taiga, take cover!

Taiga: .... It died down...? Alexander is....?!

Yukinojo: He’s gone...

Taiga: How did he...

Yukinojo: ...I guess maybe I underestimated him a little.

Taiga: Yeah. The Prism King Cup is going to be something ridiculous....!

Yukinojo: We have to be fully prepared.

Taiga: I’m gonna crush him, you’ll see...!

(By the river)

Shin: This was where I first met Louis... and learned about prism shows.

And now...!

Next Chapter.

[xxdecipheringgravityfallsxx]

I: Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why? --- V: Which character do you relate to most? From any story?

I stopped liking a fandom not because of tumblr per say, but just some certain toxic fans deterred me from a fandom. That's all I'm gonna say. Not gonna say the fandom either, it just hurts too much to think about.

-

-

-

Also I actually relate to Stan, Ford, Mabel, Dipper, Bill and way off the fandom chart but: Fluttershy and Raphael. Ruby, Peridot, Lapis and Amethyst.

The most believe it or not.

Stan because:

1. My family life used to be very toxic and unhealthy.

2. Parents used to be disappointed in me almost all the time.

3. Didn't have the best relationships with my brothers.

4. Has been threatened with being kicked out more times than I can count.

5. Used to lie a lot to my parents to avoid punishment.

6. Used to shirk off my daily expectations and made up a plethora of excuses on why I didn't do them. Some excuses were because I was lazy. Yet the majority of them were not even excuses, but legitimate reasons as to why I didn't get things done. Like my mental illness making me exhausted and such. Though my parents don't really understand how these issues work and tell me not to use my mental illness as an excuse. Not knowing that it's not so much as an excuse but it's a valid reason for not following through with something even though I intended to do so but I just didn't have the physical or mental energy to bring myself to do so.

7. Loyal to a fault and would do anything for my family. No matter how they treated me, I'd still walk through hell and back for them.

-

1. I wear glasses, and I'm a total dork when it comes to my special interests.

2. I LOVE and am FASCINATED by the super natural.

3. I'm socially awkward and struggle being social. I often struggle with being a good friend to others. Not because I'm like mean spirited or anything like that. But because I don't really know what to say or do or how to act around my friends. Best examples of me struggling socially: Sometimes I get carried away in something and hog the conversation. Sometimes I can't tell if someone is genuinely upset with me or if I'm in the process of upsetting them. Sometimes I ghost people, not in the intention of cutting ties with them or anything, but because I get burned out too easily and need a break from social interactions. I just can't seem to keep a stable conversation with someone that doesn't end up with me going off on an overly excited tangent where I info dump way too much, and so on and so forth. The joys of being autistic... haha...

4. I am paranoid far too much for my own good. I imagine the worst possible scenario and it just downspirals from there. I don't eat well and don't sleep well. I look over my shoulder, feeling like someone or something is watching me.

5. I love jellybeans. And when I say I love jellybeans--- I MEAN I LOVE JELLYBEANS. They're just so yummy, and I love seeing what kind of shapes I get. Weird shaped jellybeans are my favorite kind of jellybeans.

6. I'm self-concious about things I can't really change about myself.

-

1. I'm eccentric and can be very hyperactive at times.

2. I'm an artist at heart and love to draw. I often sit down and draw for hours at a time, just about anything really.

3. I love to sing and dance! I feel so free and so at peace when I do so. The only difference between Mabel and I is that I don't like singing and dancing in front of a crowd and do it when I'm alone.

4. I have a cheerful air about me when around my friends. Always trying to raise their spirits up and make them feel special and make them feel great about themselves.

5. I was very sheltered as a child. So doing adult stuff really makes me anxious. It's hard for me to put myself out there and not feel somewhat terrified while doing the adult stuff that I need to do. Like going to job interviews, going out with friends and ordering something at a restaurant, shopping for myself by myself and that sort of thing.

6. I have abandonment issues and fear that my friends or family will leave me all alone constantly. Sometimes that makes me sorta clingy and I often don't realize it. I need to be told outright when I become too needy or otherwise I don't realize it.

7. I consume an unhealthy quantity of sugar on on a daily basis. Pretty sure I'm pre-diabetic at this point.

-

1. I sneeze like a kitten

2. I love ghost hunting shows and would be apart of one if I wasn't a total weenie.

3. I'm into conspiracy theories and find them interesting.

4. I'm no good with girls at all. If I like a girl I'm much like Dipper is.... except I don't have a list or anything like that. I'm just obnoxious and joke around and laugh nervously. Then I get tongue tied and can't really talk and ugh it's embarrassing!

5. I'm clumsy and accident prone and will often walk into walls, trip, and fall off things and what have you.

6. I lie awake at night due to anxiety.

7. My hygienic habits aren't the best.

8. I don't do well under pressure, and I scream a lot at the littlest of things.

9. I'm physically very weak and smol.

-

1. I'm sooooo overly shy when when it comes to new situations and people.

2. I'm skittish and jumpy, loud noises except for thunder, frighten me to the high heavens.

3. I love animals sooooo much and if it were feasible, I'd adopt ALL the animals in the world. Alas it is nigh an impossible dream.

4. I'm very sensitive, I can't handle confrontation, or having someone raise their voice at me. When someone is cross with me it makes my anxiety shoot up; and it makes me more prone to tears and I just wanna curl up in a ball and hide forever under my blanket.

5. I love a nice warm cup of tea, relaxing safely in my home, letting my worries fade away. All while reading a good book or while listening to some soothing music, or even watching one of my favorite TV programs.

6. Doing something new makes me so dang nervous. I need to work up a lot of courage before I try something new. Except for food, I'm normally a glutton in that department.

-

1. I have anger issues, though you probably wouldn't even expect I do considering how calm and collective I carry myself on the Internet. I am actually prone to anger quite easily, but more towards inanimate objects like if my computer isn't working, or if I stub my toe, or drop something on myself or whatever.

2. I love mint chip ice cream it's my favorite.

3. I HATE BUGS. I HATE THEM. I HATE THEM. HATE THEM.

4. I can be reckless sometimes, and very stubborn, a big old hothead.

5. I get flustered easily and often mask it with grumpiness.

6. I'm actually a big old softie under the gruff exterior I sometimes put on as as mask to deal with my own insecurities.

-

1. Smol and grumpy

2. Gets flustered super easily around someone I like.

3. Acts all tough but is literally a sweet cinnamon roll.

4. Is very dumb and has no idea what's going on half the time.

-

1. Scampers up the steps on all fours.

2. Does the nye he hehe laugh.

3. I seek validation from my equals, needing approval up the wall.

4. I hiss like a cat sometimes.

5. I obsess over shows and analyze the ever living daylights out of them.

-

1. I'm Bipolar.

2. I tend to run away from my issues rather than try and face up to them.

3. I can't handle stress.

4. I love the water a lot. I'd swim every day if it were possible.

-

1. Eats questionable food combinations.

2. Actually loves to party and let loose.

3. I like to consider myself pretty funny.

4. Has self esteem issues and hates a lot of things about myself.

-

1. I like to torment people, but through my art and my stories. DESTROY ALL THE FEELS!!! MUAHAHA!

2. Sporadic and random. Loves the weird and abnormal.

3. Can be very mischievous.

4. Likes to mess with my friends, but in a hilarious way that is fun for both parties.

5. Laughs at humans in fail compilations when when they do stupid shit and get hurt. PAIN IS HILARIOUS!

6. Enjoys nonsene and being as random as possible.

-

Anyways there are the characters I relate to the most. Thank you for asking. I'm basically these characters combined.

[r3nton]

ALL of them questions

BITCH what the Fuck!!who’s your celebrity crush? mary elizabeth winstead, drew barrymore, cillian murphy, duff mckagan, freddie foxare you single or taken? haha guess :)rant. just do it hhhhh there’s a lot of shit but the lowdown is my gps a bitch and i love my friends a lotdo you think its ok to separate the artist from the art? depending on the art, yeshow many accounts do you have? too manyhow many pairs of shoes do you have? um a few but i wear like 2 of themhow many accounts do you follow? like it’s in the 6000s i thinkfavorite brand of clothing? i like to mostly shop from charity stores. otherwise romwe or boohoo. i dream of shopping at dollskillname a dog uhhhhh… brianwhat unusual talent do you have? i can watch grave of the fireflies without cryingwhat’s the most interesting schools gossip you’ve ever heard? um idk i dont wanna say like any Serious gossip so one time it was rumoured that my maths teacher and english teacher (both married to other people) were going to elopeever prank called a store? nope, is it recommended?what’s your coffee order? quite often I actually get the fruit ice drinks. otherwise it’ll be chai tea / english breakfast (with soya) or an iced coffee if im dieting hahawhat’s a question do you constantly get asked? why r u vegan, what food do you eat, is it hard being vegan, etc if it’s a stranger and they spot me eating. otherwise i probably get asked specifically abt movies or musicif you had to get a tattoo right now, what would you get and where? “man is least himself” from the oscar wilde quote that goes “man is least himself when he talks in his own person, give him a mask and he’ll tell you the truth” & id get it just above my elbow on my arm with the first two words above the second two wordsgoogle the top song from the year you were born (uk charts) who let the dogs out IMMMrant about your favorite musician duff mckagan fucking overcame fucking everything. hes a badass bass player & uhhh dm me if u want his tragic life story n how he inspires me what’s your favorite teacher you’ve ever had? she was called mrs miller and she taught history and she let me draw in felt tips in my workbook. also mr dalton taught me english and when we had classes where we were meant to read he let me write this shit ass book i wrote in 3 notebooks & also he marked my 6 page stories when he only asked us to write 1 page he was a mc legenddescribe your blog in 3-5 words pink bisexual hornywhat’s a conspiracy you believe in? i dont believe in any i dont think so i’m just gonna say marilyn manson got a rib removedif you could see any concert tonight what would you choose? nirvana if i could time travel, morrissey if notif you could break one of your bad habits which would you choose? id probs stop being so lazy & do more exercise & like work out and shitcan you dance? sing? kind of what’s something you can’t stop buying? movies and clothes hahacrowds or small groups? either a massive crowd or like max 2 friends is idealhow long before a trip do you pack? like the day before, panickingwhat celebrity would you rate a PERFECT 10? freddie foxwhat quote or inspirational setting do you think is bs? if u can dream it u can do it. or the ones abt how happiness is a choice if you had to dye your hair an unnatural color right now, what would you choose? pink, like darkish pastelyou can change one thing about your life right now. what are you changing? uhhh i can see my friends who live in other countries as often as i like.how old do you get mistaken for? like 16 phahahawhat do you think about a lot? my weight, my friends, moviesdo you like your hogwarts house or do you wish you were a different one? im slytherin and that’s awesome, obviouslywhat does home mean to you? my sisterwhat do you think you’d be arrested for? bein an annoyin lil bitchhave you ever been called down to the principals office? yeah, in primary school more than oncepost a picture of the outfit you would choose if you could have any outfit you wanted i cant post a picture but ive added a gif of it at the bottom (jennifer’s pink outfit in jennifer’s body)describe your aesthetic uhh depressed and pinkanswer with one of your ‘school memes’ (inside jokes you have with your class/grade) with no explanation fish

[minijenn]

Universe Falls Chapter 53

Oy, finally I get around to posting this chapter on here. I feel like this one sucked my life essence away from me, but oh well it still has some really good moments to it so I digress. Either way, hope ya enjoy this massive nerd fest, filled with references to things I don’t understand as well as jokes making fun of all of us for reading/writing UF. Have fun!

Previous: http://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/173944483439/universe-falls-chapter-51

Chapter 53: Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons

QVTA IEV NNE TLAIL, FHBXLL NNE WHZVX, GHXBR YHETX DSEFY BX MHMVR KYDE VYJAKW BCG WIIY ELY TAFX IA FAJH LYH XBNX T MWEE EMCP SHR HTL NWJ BFKFY

Though several days had passed since the portal’s opening had effectively raised the Mystery Shack and damaged it’s interior and exterior immensely, the tourist trap was still closed for repairs that were at last nearing their completion. Even so, its continued closure gave the Pines family a good enough excuse to take a day off and spend it however they pleased, which meant that it was being used for some proper rest and relaxation. Things that were more than welcome after the upheaval and drama of the past few days alone.

So Stan, Mabel, and Dipper had taken to hanging around the otherwise unoccupied gift shop, knowing that no business would be coming through it. While Dipper intently read journal 2 and Stan broadly leafed through the newspaper, Mabel lay sprawled on the floor, an empty bag of cheesy snacks by her side and the orange dust of their remains smeared across her face.

“I just ate an entire bag of Cheese Boodles without using my hands!” she announced with a wide, contented grin. “Lazy Tuesday, you are delivering in a big way! Almost makes me forget about all that crazy drama with the portal, and the Gems memories, and Sardonyx, and-” Mabel stopped short as she briefly glanced over at Dipper, who peered over the top of the journal to give her a staunch look of disapproval for even bringing such tension-ridden matters at all. Fortunately enough though, Stan didn’t bother to comment on any of them, despite the look of concern that briefly flashed across his face before he spoke up.

“Heh, yeah,” the conman reclined back in his seat with a casual enough smile. “Its nice to finally have a day where nothing interesting happens whatsoever.”

Of course, no sooner had Stan said this than the vending machine door leading to the portal room in the basement suddenly burst open. Ford boldly stepped out of it amidst the smoke pouring out around him, his manner fierce and resilient as he tried to subdue the small, strange, octopus like creature entangled around his wrist.

“Get down!” the author ordered above the startled gasps of his family members, especially as the creature launched itself off his arm. “Don’t let it taste human flesh!”

The kids were quick to comply, narrowly dodging the bizarre creature as it scurried around the gift shop frantically, angrily hissing all the while. “W-what is it?” Dipper asked as he climbed onto a chair, both alarmed and curious by such a strange sight.

“Can we keep it?” Mabel asked with a genuinely fascinated grin.

“Kill it! Kill it!” Stan shouted, swatting the monster with his newspaper as it skittered past him.

Ford paid none of them much mind as he deftly pursued the creature, electricity sparking from the futuristic gauntlet on his right hand as he finally managed to corner the beast. “Patience… and…” the author muttered, his movements slow and calculated as he made his approach on the still-growling monster. When it finally seemed like the monster was about to make a move, however, Ford countered it first, pouncing at the beast and easily shocking it into submission using his gauntlet. “Gotcha!” he proclaimed with a triumphant grin as he held the monster’s limp, tentacled form up for the others to see. “Haha! Now that I’m back in this dimension, I’ll have to thank Garnet for inspiring the design of the design of my electro-gauntlet. It works even better than I expected it to!”

“Great, now get that thing outta here,” Stan remarked with an impatient scowl as Ford passed him. “It smells like if death could barf.”

“Wait! Great Uncle Ford!” Dipper hurried up to the author with an eager smile, still holding onto journal 2. “Do you need any help with that? I’ve read all about these creatures in your journal and I think I know how to-”

“No!” Ford quickly interupted, his manner firm but fair as he addressed his nephew. “I’m sorry, Dipper, but the weird, dark road I travel, I’m afraid you cannot follow.” A beat of stark, rather ominous silence followed this, though the author was quick to break it a moment later with an upbeat smile as he retreated back into the basement. “Well, call me for dinner!”

“Oh, maybe next time then?” Dipper offered, though his smile quickly faltered as the vending machine closed up once more, Ford disappearing behind it. “O-or not. Or never…”

“Aw, Dipper, don’t take it so hard,” Mabel attempted to comfort her brother by placing a hand on his shoulder, only for Stan to callously interject.

“No, do take it hard!” the conman snapped coldly. “Take it hard and serious. My brother is a dangerous know-it-all, and the stuff he’s messing with is even worse. I’ve been pretty lenient about letting you kids hang around the Gems all summer, but Ford is where I draw the line. Do yourself a favor and stay away from him, ya hear me?”

“But Grunkle Stan,” Dipper protested intently, not about to let himself be deterred from asking Ford his abundance of accumulating questions any longer. “All summer long I’ve wanted to know who the author of the journals was. Now the guy lives in our basement and I can’t even talk to him. How is that fair?”

“Life’s not fair, kid,” Stan remarked, rolling his eyes. “Don’t worry about what’s in the basement. I’d say you saw more than enough of it the other day… A-anyway, you belong up here with me and Mabel.”

“Yeah! Besides, this Friday is the epic made-for-TV movie crossover event of the century,” Mabel smiled brightly as she held up the TV guide ad for said crossover. “Dogcopter Meets Ducktective! Steven’s coming over to watch it with us, we’re all gonna wear our official Dogcopter propeller hats, its gonna be great! It’ll be all the mystery and adventure you’ll need this week!”

“You bet it will be!” Stan remarked, just as eager for the special as his niece was. “For years we’ve been wanting to see that duck and that dog cross paths and now our dreams are finally about to come true! It better live up to our expectations or else I’ll… I, uh… huh. What do kids nowadays do when they wanna complain about something?”

“Usually they just do it online and make long whiny posts about how things didn’t turn out the way they wanted to and why the writers are wrong for not doing things their way,” Mabel noted with a shrug.

“Really? Geez, how pathetic.”

As Stan and Mabel continued commiserating over their excitement about the upcoming crossover, Dipper had all but checked out of the conversation entirely in favor of turning his attention back towards the vending machine. Unknown, but intriguing light sparked through the cracks behind it, no doubt part of whatever mysterious invention or project Ford was likely working on down in the basement below. Whatever was going on on the other side of that door, Dipper couldn’t help but want to be a part of it, or at the very least finally get the chance to finally ask Ford the questions he had been asking all summer. To finally be on the same level with someone who understood just how important and vital it was to ask those questions in the first place. To finally have the opportunity to get perspective on the elusive and exciting mysteries of Gravity Falls from someone who had spent years studying them firsthand and was enthralled by their bizarre uniqueness as much as he was.

And yet… as it stood, he couldn’t. Because just as he had been all summer, the author of the journals, or rather, his very own great uncle, was still so close but so far out of his reach.

Whenever Mabel wrote a letter home to her and Dipper’s parents, she made sure to spare no expense when it came to the finer details of their fantastical, often rather harrowing summer escapades in Gravity Falls. Of course, given Mabel’s infamously active imagination and how bizarre and flowery her accounts of such misadventures usually were, their parents never showed any signs of taking too much stock in believing her stories in their responses. Even so, that didn’t stop her from writing about them all the same, and in her latest letter to them, she had much to tell indeed.

“Dear Mom and Dad,” Mabel began, dictating the letter aloud as she sat on the living room floor to write it out. “We’ve been in Gravity Falls for the few months and so much has happened! Just the other day, gravity reversed itself, almost destroying the whole universe and wrecking the whole town!”

At that moment, Mabel happened to glance up at the TV, which was playing a fitting report on the damage the portal’s opening had caused throughout Gravity Falls as a whole. “Well, they say it was just an earthquake,” Lazy Susan said as she stood outside of Greasy’s Diner as a crane was attempting to set it back into its normal position. “But you know what I think? I think I’m gonna have to start serving pineapple upside-right cake! Haha, am I right? …Am I right?”

As the crane ended up clumsily dropping the diner, the shot cut to Mayor Dewey giving a speech downtown. “Good people of Gravity Falls!” the mayor addressed the crowd before him somewhat anxiously. “I-I know that throughout this summer, our fair town here has been plagued by a serious of, er… uh, mishaps. Like this recent mysterious earthquake… or that giant hand-shaped spaceship coming a few weeks ago… or that giant robot ordeal a few weeks before that… or the lake being stolen a few weeks before that… or that scary red eyeball appearing in the sky a few weeks before that…” Dewey paused, a concerned frown crossing his features as a beat of awkward silence passed through the crowd in light of this derailment off topic. “Wait, what was I talking about again?”

As the news report continued, Mabel turned her attention back to her letter, eager to detail the most recent happenings to her parents. “But the coolest part of the summer was when Grunkle Stan’s twin brother came out of this portal-thingy. Now we have two grunkles for the price of one! And they are adorable together!” Upon finishing her letter, Mabel drew a sketch of both Stan and Ford, their expressions surly and grumpy though they were still peacefully holding hands all the same.

“Hi, Mabel!” Steven greeted with a smile as he entered the shack a moment later. “What are you up to?”

“Hiya, Steven! I was just finishing up a letter to my parents about all the stuff that’s been going on around here,” Mabel explained, holding said letter up. “Though at this rate, with so many huge things going on lately, I think its gonna be longer than I anticipated…”

“Yeah, things have been… pretty intense lately…” Steven noted, his smile dissipating as he rubbed his arm and looked to the side. “Garnet and Pearl still haven’t talked to each other after the whole… ya know, Sardonyx thing, and I’m pretty sure none of the Gems are still really over getting their memories back… I just hope that everything will sort itself out and things can finally get back to normal again soon…”

“I’m sure they will,” Mabel reassured with a bright smile, one that was soon accompanied by a newfound rush of warmth in her cheeks as she glanced down at the young Gem’s hand, which happened to be right within her reach as he stood not too far away from her. Really, it would have been so very easy to reach out and take it in an act of solace and comfort given his downcast manner. And perhaps she would have worked up the nerve to do so too… if her brother hadn’t ended up rushing in right before she could get the chance.

“Mabel! Steven!” Dipper exclaimed as he entered the room, carrying a rather large box. “You’ll never guess what I found at the store today!”

“It looks like… a box,” Steven ventured, his small smile returning.

“Dogs!” Mabel exclaimed, forcing herself to perk up. “Dogs with hats!”

“No,” Dipper shook his head, opening the box up only to reveal another, much more decorated box inside of it, which he held up for the pair to see. “It’s my favorite fantasy-talking, level-counting, statistics and graph-paper involving game of all time: Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons! Do you guys wanna play it with me?”

“Well… I do like unicorns,” Mabel noted as she looked over the game’s intricate fantastical box art. “And that hot elf looks promising.”

“Yeah, it looks like it’s a lot of fun, like Sugar Country, or Hint!” Steven chimed in. “How do you play?”

“The rules are super simple,” Dipper assured as he opened the game’s surprisingly large instruction booklet. “First you roll a 38-sided die to determine the level of each player’s statistical analysis poweroid. These orbs relate directly to the amount of quadrants your team as dominion over, which is inverse to the anti-quadrants in your quadrant satchel.”

A beat of stilted silence passed in the aftermath of this rather daunting explanation as Steven and Mabel exchanged an equally bewildered look, neither of them needing to communicate to each other that they had next to no idea what Dipper was talking about. “Uh… w-well that… that sounds, uh…” Steven’s uncertain stumbling soon devolved into exactly what he really felt. “…I’ll be honest, I have no idea what any of that meant…”

“Ok, ok, so after we do all that confusing stuff,” Mabel interjected with a wave of her hand. “Then so we get to ride unicorns?”

“Yes!” Dipper nodded, much to his sister’s excitement, which dissipated almost immediately after he continued. “And… no. First, we make a graph.”

“Ugh, this is like Homework the Game…” Mabel groaned, any interest she might have had in the game completely gone upon hearing this.

“Oh come on, you guys, its not that bad,” Dipper retorted. “Just try it for a round or two. You never know, you might have fun.”

“Ew, how can you even mention fun in the same sentence as all that gross math you gotta do just to play the dang game?” Mabel asked, sticking her tongue out in disdain.

“Well, I’d try it, Dipper, but I think it’s just a little too… complicated for me,” Steven said with sincerity. “And by complicated I mean I’d probably get a headache just trying to figure out how to set the game up…”

“I think most normal people would, Steven,” Mabel remarked, crossing her arms.

Dipper let out a small huff of aggravation at this slight, but even so, he persisted in trying to convince them. “W-well once you get going, its easy,” he assured, even if that wasn’t exactly the truth. After all, Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons was notorious for taking an extensive amount of time and dedication to learn how to play properly, but as far as Dipper was concerned, neither Steven nor Mabel needed to know that. “Besides, I need at least two people to play, so could one of you just-”

“Oh, would you look at that!” Mabel exclaimed with faux surprise as Soos happened to enter the room, giving her leeway to flee to the other side of the den. “Two people!”

“Well wait, with Steven standing here, doesn’t that technically make three?” Soos asked, unaware of the previously unfolding conversation. “Or are we using some kind of new counting system here that I don’t know about.”

“Uh, no…” Dipper frowned, slightly confused before getting back to the matter at hand. “But anyway, Soos, is there any way you’d be up for a little game of D, D, and More D?”

“Aw, sorry, Dipper,” the handyman said, truthfully apologetic. “But I don’t really go for that pen and paper kind of stuff. I’m more of an FCLORPer.”

“…A what?”

“FCLORP,” Soos reiterated with a proud grin. “Foam and Cardboard Legitimate Outdoor Role Play. It is where a passionate brethren of craftsman bring their dreams to magical reality!”

“Oh, I think I’ve heard of that,” Steven spoke up, intrigued. “Isn’t that where everyone dresses up in cardboard costumes and fights each other with foam swords? Now that sounds like fun!”

“It totally is, dude,” Soos readily agreed. “You should see us when we break the plastic ball pit balls out. That’s when things really get intense!”

“Uh… well, thanks anyway, Soos,” Dipper said, still rather disappointed that he had no one to play with. Or so it seemed, until Stan walked in.

“Say,” the conman began with an already goading smirk as he noticed the game box his nephew was holding. “Is that the game that’s mostly math and writing and isn’t anything like the picture on the box?”

“Yes, it is!” Dipper said with newfound excitement. “You wanna play it with me, Grunkle Stan?”

“Ha, as if!” Stan laughed rather mockingly as he grabbed the rule book. “Look, kid, I prefer to do my dice rolling in Vegas. Besides, only a game designed by nerds would have ‘charisma’ as a fantasy power. Heh, and check this out,” he turned to a random page in the rule book and began reading out loud callously. “When facing yon adversaries, shield thyself under an elfin buttress.”

“Ha!” Mabel chuckled, thoroughly amused. “Say it again!”

“Buttress!” Stan repeated before both him and Mabel broke down into a round of teasing laughter over the game’s rather self-indulgent manner.

“Hey!” Dipper protested petulantly, taking the rule book back amidst his somewhat flustered embarrassment.

“Aw, come on, you guys,” Steven interjected, clearly sympathetic for Dipper, though he still didn’t really get the jist of the game himself. “Just because this game isn’t really for us, doesn’t mean you have to be so mean about it.”

“Yeah, what Steven said,” Dipper staunchly and crossly agreed. “Heck, maybe you guys just aren’t smart enough to understand it.”

“Uh… actually I think that kinda undermined what I was just trying to say…” Steven noted, though both him and Dipper were overpowered by more bemused laughter from Stan and Mabel.

“Heh, sorry, dude,” Soos remarked to Dipper, somewhat caught up in the round of levity himself. “But it is kind of nerdy. Well, I’m off to lay siege to a goblin fortress.” At this, the handyman girded himself with a sloppily made cardboard helmet and sword before boldly running off to begin his FCLORPing quest. “To my grandma’s backyard!”

Since Dipper had been unable to find any human opponents to play Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons with, he decided to resort to the next best thing he could think of. Which was how he ended up setting the game board up outside the shack facing off in a less than exciting round of the game against Gompers the goat.

“Oh nice! You rolled a 17!” Dipper said with something of a forced grin after he himself rolled the die for the goat, who only let out a dull bleat in response. “Aaaand… this is sad. Maybe I should just go back to obsessing over Wendy again…”

Dipper let out something of a defeated sigh as he leaned back away from the board, unable to keep himself from feeling just the slightest bit lonely. True, he had reconciled with Mabel and Steven following the portal incident and they were all once again on even ground with each other, as they should have been. And yet, for whatever reason, he still felt somewhat distanced from the pair, almost as if remnants of that unsavory tension were lingering behind even still. Their unanimous rejection of his invitation to play Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons with him did make sense; after all, Dipper knew just how complicated the game must come across to the outsider looking in. And yet, the fact that neither of them really seemed very interested in learning how to play it, even if for nothing more than his sake, spoke volumes to him about exactly how much support they were willing to give him. It was abundant in times of tribulation, when they all found that they needed to lean on each other to remain standing strong; but in the smaller, quieter moments, that solidarity was, disappointingly enough, nowhere to be found.

As lost in pensive thought as he was, Dipper didn’t even notice that Gompers had gotten ahold of his 38-sided die until the goat attempted to munch down on it, much to his sudden alarm. “Hey! Give that back!” Dipper ordered, attempting to retrieve the die only for Gompers to maintain his surprisingly firm hold on it. “C’mon, Gompers, let go!” With another heavy pull back, the goat finally released the die, only for it to go flinging back past Dipper and roll under the nearby porch instead. “Ugh, seriously?” Dipper muttered to himself in exasperation as he crawled over to retrieve it. However, right after he had slipped under the porch and began reaching around for the die, the loose soil near the base of the house unexpectedly shifted, crumbling apart right underneath him. Before he could even think to catch himself, Dipper suddenly found himself falling through the newly created opening, passing through several beams and cobwebs before roughly hitting the basement floor. While somewhat shaken, fortunately he didn’t seem to be injured as he began to slowly pick himself up and finally reclaim the elusive 32-sided die, which just so happened to be sitting right next to the now-contained monster Ford had defeated in the gift shop earlier. Even so, Dipper made sure to take care in reaching for the die, lest he aggravate the dangerous creature, only to be abruptly halted right before he could reach it.

“Dipper! Stop!”

“G-Great Uncle Ford!” Dipper exclaimed, startled as he spun around to face the author, who looked far from pleased to see his nephew down in his off-limits lab.

“What did I say about coming down here?” Ford admonished, hands on his hips. “My work is far too dangerous for a single living soul to spend even one second—Wait! Is that a 38-sided die from Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons?”

“Uh, yeah…” Dipper frowned, somewhat bewildered as he reclaimed the die and held it up for the author to see. “You know that game?”

Ford briefly smirked at this, his manner turning bold as he began to recite the game’s iconic tagline. “With pen and paper, shield and sword-”

“Our quest shall be our just reward!” Dipper joined in just as excitably before joining his uncle in a bout of bemused laughter.

“This is my favorite game in the whole multiverse!” Ford exclaimed, still grinning brightly. “I can’t believe they still make it!”

“They do! And I’ve been looking all day for someone to play it with me,” Dipper said, though his enthusiasm briefly turned to hesitation out of fear of pressing his luck with the author like he had a few days ago. “But uh, i-if you’re too busy to, I totally understand. In fact, I should probably just-”

“Dipper, my boy,” Ford interjected, placing a hand on his nephew’s shoulder before he could depart. “Do you know what this means? We must stop everything I’ve been working on at once… and play!”

Upon hearing this, Dipper couldn’t hold back a small gasp of excited surprise, knowing that the last person he had expected to gain as a welcome opponent for Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons was the author of the journals himself. However, before the pair could get to playing, the octopus creature suddenly broke free from its containment unit, launching itself at Ford and latching onto his face. The author upheld his chipper smile though as he simply tore the creature off is face, which had received a rather alarming series of burns from the monster’s somewhat toxic touch. “That’s… going to leave a mark.”

Seeing as how Steven was just as big of a fan of both Ducktective and Dogcopter as Mabel and Stan were, he eagerly joined them in preparing for the long-awaited crossover between the two properties the following day. All three of them wanted to make sure that they had the ultimate viewing experience; after all, it wasn’t every day that two such incredibly loved characters and universes came together in such a unique and exciting way.

“Ok, so it looks like we’ve got everything we need to watch the Ducktective/Dogcopter crossover tomorrow,” Mabel said as her and Steven looked over the massive mountain of snacks they had accumulate. “I even made mouth-ramps so we can pour food into our mouths without taking our eyes off the screen!” She showed one of the mouth ramps she had created off, a cardboard box filled to the brim with food with a small ramp stuck onto the side, before readily demonstrating how it worked, which was surprisingly well.

“I brought my Ducktective and Dogcopter collectable figurines down here with me so they can be part of this historic event!” Steven proclaimed as he held the figures up. “Ironically enough, I already had these two sitting next to each other on my shelf, so in a way its kinda like I almost predicted them meeting up for real like this!”

“And I used some spare taxidermied parts to mash the two of them up together the flying mystery solver: Dogtectuckcopter!” Stan proclaimed, holding the rather nightmarish amalgamation of fake duck and fake dog he had created up.

“Whoa! Its like a fusion…” Steven mused in amazement.

“Only a super messed up one!” Mabel laughed, amused. “Dipper would love that!”

“Heh, yeah, where is the little squirt anyway?” Stan asked, briefly glancing around for his apparently missing nephew. “I haven’t seen him all afternoon.”

Completely unbeknownst to the group upstairs, Dipper was merely in the basement below them with Ford, just as he had been ever since he had accidentally fallen down there. Since both of them were very well acquainted with the intricate rules of Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons, they had wasted no time in setting the game up and getting their campaign started. And as was usually the case with the fast-paced high fantasy game, it didn’t take very long for said campaign to build up to the epic (albeit imaginary) intensity it was known for.

“Alright,” Ford began, deftly passing the 38-sided die between his fingers as he laid out the ongoing scenario for his nephew. “You’ve entered the chamber. Princess Unattainabelle beckons you. But wait! It’s a trap! An illusion cast by Probabilitor the Annoying.”

“You know his weakness, right?” Dipper asked with a knowing smirk before they both proclaimed said weakness in unison.

“Prime statistical anomalies over 37 but not exceeding 51!” The pair exclaimed in unison as Dipper rolled the die, fortunately landing on exactly that.

“Aha! Yes!” he cheered brightly as he progressed along in the game past Probabilitor. “Take that, you cardboard wizard!”

“Hm. The old boy looks quite a bit different than he did back in my day,” Ford noted with a nostalgic smile as he looked over the wizard’s in-game artwork.

“Yeah, they change the art every few years,” Dipper said. “Thankfully you missed the period when the creators of the game tried to make it ‘cooler’ by painting everything neon and making the characters rap spells instead of just saying them. It must have been dark times, those 90s.”

“Yeesh,” Ford remarked with a bemused grin as he rolled his eyes. “Sounds like a good time to be stuck between dimensions.”

Upon hearing this, Dipper took pause, his focus on the ongoing game waning somewhat in favor of something he hadn’t really thought much about since him and Ford had begun playing. Something that was admittedly a good deal more important than scouring fake dungeons and defeating fictional wizards. “Great Uncle Ford,” he began evenly enough, hoping that would help him finally answers this time. “I’ve been meaning to ask you… Where were you before you came out of that machine? And… what have you been doing down here these past few days? Are you working on something behind that curtain?” he nodded towards the curtain covering the window that led to the portal’s cavernous chamber, which was now intentionally kept out of sight for whatever reason.

A bout of uneasy hesitation crossed the author’s expression at such pertinent inquiries, and upon that alone, Dipper’s hopes for getting any concrete answers abruptly sank. Of course, they only ended up sinking even further when Ford all but confirmed he had no intentions of giving any. “Dipper, its best if you and the family stay away from that subject…” he replied, casting a brief, somewhat worried glance behind him. “Honestly, I’m not sure any of you could handle the real answer.”

For a moment, Dipper wanted to argue that he could handle it. That, based on everything he had been through during the past several months alone, he could understand and comprehend whatever was lying in wait beyond that curtain. That he wasn’t just the naive, innocent kid that Ford no doubt took him for upon a first glance. But in the end, he knew that arguing the opposite would likely prove exactly that, which was why he decided to pursue an entirely different tangent instead. “Well… what about the Gems?” he asked, glancing aside. “You guys did used to work together way back when, right? Does that mean you’re gonna let them in on, um… everything?”

Once again, Ford hesitated, his manner clearly remorseful and conflicted even as he answered, despite his relative discomfort with the topic in general. “Under normal circumstances, I… might have, but my current relationship with the Gems is somewhat… uneasy, so to speak,” he explained as eloquently as he could. “It’ll take some time before things between all of us will even remotely resemble how they used to be, especially since Rose is… no longer around. In a way, I suppose that the falling out between us all was my fault…” The author paused, his expression sad as he let out a small sigh before shaking his head to clear it. “B-but even if everything was smooth sailing between myself and the Gems, to my understanding, now really wouldn’t be the best time to bother them with external affairs. I hear they’ve been having plenty of problems all their own lately…”

“Oh yeah…” Dipper agreed with a concerned frown. “Things have been pretty tense between the Gems ever since they got their memories back, but Pearl lying to Garnet so they could fuse into Sardonyx really didn’t help anything.”

“So that’s what happened,” Ford mused thoughtfully. “To be perfectly honest, I can’t really blame Pearl for going to such… extensive lengths. I can only imagine how losing Rose might have effected her in particular.”

“From the way she always talks about Rose, it seems like the two of them were pretty close,” Dipper noted.

“They were very close,” the author smirked somewhat nostalgically at this. “It’s part of the reason why Pearl didn’t really care for me too much for me when Rose and I first became research partners. That is, until…” Ford trailed off as he glanced down at the gameboard still sitting between them, a small, brief chuckle escaping him before he diverted away from it. “Well, never mind. I’ll save that story for another time. Certainly things between the Gems will work themselves out in the end.”

Though it seemed as though Ford intended on getting back to the game, Dipper didn’t exactly want to leave it at that, especially as he happened to remember something, or rather someone, that he had regrettably not thought too much about since before the portal opened. And now, given that he was sitting right across from the wise author of the journals himself, he figured now was a good a time as any to finally, hopefully, get some help with it. “Uh… speaking of things working out…” he began rather tentatively. “Great Uncle Ford, you’ve studied a lot of Gem stuff, right?”

“But of course,” Ford said with a somewhat proud grin. “The mysteries of Gemkind were always a highlight of my research. In fact, if I had had the time, I would have started a fourth journal completely dedicated to Gem-related topics. And… depending on how things turn out, I might still run with that idea in the future perhaps… hm…”

“Um, yeah, s-so… did you ever figure out a way to, uh… split a really unhealthy, really dangerous fusion up?” Dipper asked anxiously, trying his best to mask how desperate he really was for a ‘yes’ to this longtime question.

Yet a ‘yes’ wasn’t what Ford gave him, at least not right away as he instead looked to his nephew with slight concern. “Why do you ask?”

“W-well….” Dipper began, unsure of how to really explain this story in a way that wouldn’t remind him of how painful it really was. But upon realizing that was nigh impossible, he decided to just get on with it anyway, knowing that if Ford really did hold a solution, then that pain would be more than worth it in the end. “Near the beginning of the summer, Steven, Mabel, and I met this Gem named Lapis Lazuli. We helped her out and then she went away for a while, but when she came back, me and her hung out a lot and… w-well I guess you could say we became pretty close friends. But then… these two Gems from Homeworld showed up: Peridot and Jasper. They tried to take Steven and the Gems back with them, but we ended up stopping them and crashing their ship near the lake, and it seemed like everything was going to be ok, until…” Dipper trailed, off hesitating as he stared at the ground in front of him as he realized that, even though weeks had passed since that fateful, awful dawn on the lake’s shores, the reality of what had happened there still hadn’t gotten any easier to swallow. “U-until Jasper… forced Lapis to fuse with her so she could take all of us out. So they fused into this huge, powerful monster of a fusion named Malachite, b-but before they could attack us, Lapis took control and dragged them both into the lake, a-and… and she’s been stuck down there ever since. She’s keeping herself trapped down there and fighting Jasper pretty much every second of every day just to keep us safe… to keep me safe…”

Though Ford had been silent for the sake of intently listening to his nephew’s solemn tale up until this point, upon noticing the tears just starting to well up in Dipper’s eyes, he found he could keep quiet no longer. “Dipper…” he began gently, only to be quickly interupted.

“It’s all my fault…” Dipper muttered, the guilt in his tone palpable as he wiped his eyes dry. “And the worst part of it is, I have no idea how to save her, but I have to. I owe it to her, and e-even besides that, she doesn’t deserve to be trapped again. And that’s why… I-I was hoping maybe you could maybe help me with that?” he asked, looking to Ford with almost pleading sincerity. “The Gems have been too busy with trying to track Peridot down to do anything about this, b-but if you know how to split a fusion like Malachite up, then we could finally free Lapis!”

Ford’s expression was already full of both sympathy and remorse before he even said anything. And when he speak up on the matter as his nephew eagerly awaited his response, he decided to be completely honest; after all, there was really no point in being anything else on a subject as sensitive as this. “Dipper, I… I’m sorry,” the author began evenly, yet sincerely. “Most of my research concerning Gem fusions tended to focus more on how they were formed and functioned rather than how they fell apart. So… suffice to say my knowledge on the topic is rather… limited, at best.”

“O-oh…” Dipper was unable to hold back a disappointed sigh upon hearing this, knowing that, as usual, he was right back to square one when it came to freeing Lapis from her watery prison. “Ok, I understand… thanks anywa-”

“However,” Ford interjected with a small smile of reassurance. “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be willing to figure the solution to such a complicated problem out. After all, I’d like to think that working through the impossible is something I have a certain knack for.”

“So… you’ll help?” Dipper asked, a sense of rising hope filling him.

“Yes,” the author confirmed, his smile widening. “It might not be an easy task, but I promise, I’ll do anything I can to help you rescue her.”

“Oh my gosh! Thank you so much, Great Uncle Ford!” Dipper caught Ford quite off guard with an unexpected hug, one that the author awkwardly returned as he realized just how important this matter apparently was to his nephew. Which was why, for whatever reason, he felt a strong obligation to keep the promise he had just made, no matter how difficult doing so might prove to be. “Oh! Uh, s-sorry!” Dipper exclaimed, clearly flustered as he broke away from the hug.

“Don’t be,” Ford assured with a small laugh. Even so, the author paused for a beat, knowing that while they couldn’t exactly do much to save Lapis at that very moment, there was perhaps something he could do to help raise his nephew’s no doubt still lowered spirits, even if it would be a rather small attempt at best. “You know… while I can’t tell you much about where I’ve been the past 30 years, I can show you something I brought back with me.” The author’s grin turned wry as he reached into a small pouch tied to his belt and fished out a tiny, unassuming black box, which he opened to reveal something quite incredible. Upon a first glance, it seemed to be a many-sided die, the same kind that was often used in Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons, yet this one was quite different in many ways. Firstly, its crystalline surface emitted a faint, almost magical glow, but even more fascinating was the fact that the various cryptic symbols on its many sides seemed to be in a state of continual flux, constantly shifting and changing on their own accord to the point that the same symbol rarely ever appeared twice. “An infinity-sided die,” Ford proclaimed, quite proud of such a rare interdimensional find.

“Whoa…” Dipper gasped, his eyes wide with amazement as he looked to the special game piece. “That’s so cool! And… impossible!”

“These things are outlawed in 9,000 dimensions,” Ford explained, clearly just as excited as his nephew was. “You wanna know why? Look at those symbols. Infinite sides means infinite outcomes. If I rolled it, anything could happen. Our faces could melt into jelly, the world could turn into an egg, or… you could just roll an 8. Who knows? That’s why I have to keep it in this protective cheap plastic case. Now, let’s get back to the game! You’ve got Probabilitor on the ropes, though his power level ranks far above yours. You’d need to be accompanied by a level 19 paladin at least in order to get past him.”

“Ugh, of course,” Dipper groaned in exasperation. “If only we had one more player. That would make this so easy!”

“Hm…. Another player, you say?” the author mused, glancing down to the game board, or more particularly, an image of a knight in the background of its artwork. He had considered this idea earlier, when Dipper had first invited him to play Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons with him, in fact, but the author had put the thought aside for obvious reasons. Though now, after giving it a little more thought and with the opportunity that had just presented itself, perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. “I think I know just the Gem…”

Pearl let out a small, sad sigh as she sat on the living room couch, her hands folded neatly in her lap as she stared down at them solemnly. Only about a day had passed since Garnet had discovered her deception, and as far as the white Gem knew, nothing had changed concerning her leader’s disposition concerning the situation. Or rather, concerning the massive, rather inexcusable mistake she herself had committed against her. A mistake that, despite Pearl’s best efforts, she had been completely unable to distract herself from. Not that she thought she really deserved to have a break from the memory of her wrongdoing anyway; as far as she was concerned, she deserved to carry the oppressive weight of this guilt around with her. After all, it was only fair after she had absolutely betrayed the trust of someone she respected and cared for as much as Garnet.

And so, in light of the unsteady relations between the team and a lack of any pressing missions, Pearl expected that her day would be rather uneventful as a whole. What she hadn’t been expecting, however, was for both Dipper and Ford to suddenly show up at the temple quite out of nowhere.

“Uh, hey, Pearl,” Dipper greeted somewhat tentatively as he entered the temple first.

“Oh, hello, Dipper!” Pearl replied with a warm smile that quickly fell as Ford followed in after him. “And… Stanford… What a surprise…”

“G-greetings, Pearl,” Ford offered a somewhat awkward smile and wave, one that Pearl met rather coldly, as he had honestly been expecting she would. “I simply came by to—I mean, we came by to see if you wanted to… o-or rather, if you had the time to join us in… I mean-”

“We wanted to see if you were up to playing a game with us,” Dipper interjected, getting the point across much more concisely than Ford could in his apparent discomfort in interacting with the white Gem in light of recent events.

“A game?” Pearl tilted her head in confusion as she looked between the pair skeptically. “… What kind of game?”

Ford was quick to properly collect himself at this, a small grin crossing his features as he took a small step forward and presented Pearl with a 38-sided die. “You wouldn’t by chance happen to remember Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons, would you?”

Pearl was unable to contain a gasp of surprise at this, a brief smile of excitement coming along with it, though she was quick to press it away. “I-I… I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she claimed, crossing her arms as she sharply glanced away. “I’ve never even heard of… what was it again? Dungeons—something? W-well, whatever it is, I’m sure its completely ludicrous and not at all engaging or immersive or anything of the like.”

“Oh, but don’t you remember, Pearl?” Ford asked, raising an eyebrow. “30 years ago, you and used to spend many a night embroiled in epic rounds of slaying ogres and challenging each other with labyrinthine dungeons and quadratic equations. I always used to think it was a treasured pastime between the two of us. You know, after you stopped thinking I was competing against you for Rose.”

Upon hearing this lightly teasing jab, Pearl let out an appalled scoff, her cheeks lighting up in a blue blush as she glared away hotly. Dipper on the other hand, was quite surprised to hear this news. “You guys used to play D, D, and More D together?” he asked curiously.

“N-no!” Pearl exclaimed, though at the very same time, Ford offered his own enthusiastic response.

“All the time!” the author assured brightly.

“W-well, I certainly don’t remember anything of the sort!” the white Gem protested crossly.

“Perhaps you just haven’t managed to recall those memories yet?” Ford theorized thoughtfully.

“Yeah! Maybe playing the game will end up jogging your memory of it!” Dipper suggested, offering the white Gem a hopeful smile.

“I… don’t think so, Dipper,” Pearl denied gently enough, not wanting to upset her pupil, though it seemed as though she didn’t have the same consideration for the author. “After all, I have much more… important matters to attend to… You can see yourselves out.” And with that, the white Gem abruptly turned on her heel to head towards the temple gate, her arms still folded as she resisted the urge to turn back around, even as Dipper and Ford continued conversing.

“Aw man… how am I gonna get past Probabilitor now?” Dipper asked, clearly disappointed by Pearl’s rejection.

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” Ford reassured, placing a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “Still, it really is a shame… Pearl is one of the best players I’ve ever met. After only a few hours of me explaining the game to her, she had already managed to catch up to me in almost all of her categories. And don’t even get me started on her incredible strategic abilities! One time, we were cornered against four ice dragons with essentially no magic left between either of us, and she managed to beat them back and get us out of that dungeon in only seven rolls! It was spectacular!”

“If I recall correctly…” Pearl suddenly interjected, glancing over her shoulder with a hint of a wry expression on her face. “It was five ice dragons in six rolls… Though of course,” the white Gem turned fully, finally cracking a bit of a sardonic smile. “I could be wrong. After all, my memory might still be a little hazy…”

“Well, regardless of the specifics, your tactics still were always very impressive back in the day,” Ford professed with a fond, genuine smile.

“But of course they were,” the white Gem shrugged, smirking. “After all, I learned such tactics in the uproarious intensity of an actual battlefield thousands of years ago. Applying those strategies to theoretical monsters and warlocks really isn’t that different when you think about it.”

At this, neither Pearl nor Ford could hold back a shared warm laugh, one that seemed to spark up the playful camaraderie they used to share in the past, one that they now both fully seemed to remember. And upon seeing things starting to repair themselves between the pair, Dipper felt inspired enough to present his initial offer to the white Gem yet again. “So… does this mean you’ll play with us?” he asked, hopeful.

Pearl took pause, hesitating briefly as she remembered that she deserved no such distraction from the mistake she had made against Garnet. Which meant that she didn’t deserve to enjoy herself in a pastime that she now remembered she really did enjoy quite a bit. And yet… upon meeting her young pupil’s expectant glance, she found that it was just about impossible for her to say no. “Oh, alright,” she chuckled softly. “I suppose I can join you two for a little while… “

“Pearl, I think we all know that a ‘little’ while is rarely ever little when it comes to Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons,” Ford remarked rather coyly.

The white Gem let out a genuine laugh at this, rather happy to follow after Dipper and Ford as they lead the way down to the Mystery Shack for what was bound to be an intense afternoon of dungeon spelunking and equation solving. “I can’t argue with you there.”

Sure enough, a little while had turned into an all-day campaign as Dipper, Ford, and Pearl hypothetically set out on their grandiose, mathematical quest. True to the author’s recounting, the white Gem was surprisingly skilled at the game, her recollection of its intricate rules returning to her memory practically the moment she sat down to play it. And with that recollection came a renewed enthusiasm for the playful pastime her and Ford used to share, one that showed itself in every roll of the die and move across the board she made. Seeing as how both Ford and Dipper already had plenty of enthusiasm towards the game themselves even before Pearl had joined them, this made for an air of genuine excitement as they all congregated in the basement lab to carve out their intrepid victory.

“Excellent work, Dipper! You finally managed to defeat that troublesome fire golem!” Pearl proclaimed with a congratulatory grin.

“Yeah,” Dipper said with a slightly exasperated sigh. “Now if only I could have stopped those woodland imps from stealing all my healing potions…”

“Heh, speaking of imps,” Ford remarked, sending Pearl a wry, reminiscent smirk. “That reminds me of the time Amethyst snuck down here and attempted to steal just about every morsel of food I had in the house.”

“Oh, that was a mess,” Pearl chuckled heartily upon hearing the familiar tale. “I remember there was a trail of food leading all the way between here and the temple! No wonder that horrific moth man creature attacked us that night when we were trying to clean it up!”

“A moth man?” Dipper asked, quite intrigued. “Like the one in the journal?”

“The very one,” Ford nodded in confirmation. “It was so dark that we barely even saw him coming until he jumped at me out of nowhere to try and get my lantern.”

“Oh, you should have seen it, Dipper!” Pearl laughed openly. “The bold, brazen ‘author of the journals’, cowered in fear against a tree, crying for mercy against a cloud of moths, of all things. It was hilarious!”

“I-in my defense, that ‘cloud of moths’ just so happened to be in the shape of a man, and a very intimidating one at that!” Ford protested, clearly flustered.

“Ah yes, so intimidating that it only took one toss of Rose’s shield to completely dispel it and save you, yet again,” the white Gem remarked, her tone still coy and playful. “Then again, I suppose it wasn’t entirely your fault, Stanford. After all, you were rather danger prone back in those days.”

“Well, if I was, then I suppose I was able to consider myself lucky to have such reliable friends like you, Rose, and the others,” Ford remarked with a warm, genuine smile, one that seemed to carry an underlying layer of unspoken remorse to it as well.

Pearl seemed to mirror this, her own expression somewhat sad and hesitant before shifting into a soft, nostalgic smile, a smile that she didn’t try to chase away this time. “Friends… right…” she muttered, glancing away briefly before quickly perking up and returning her attention back to the game once more. “Now, where were we? Ah yes! Chasing down those pesky imps…”

At this sudden change of gears, Dipper and Ford exchanged a brief glance of confusion, but even so, they were quick to follow Pearl’s lead and get their heads back into the game. After all, from where they stood now, they were bound to have an entire untold adventure ahead of them.

While Mabel knew from over 12 years of firsthand experience that Dipper usually kept rather late hours, most of the time that fact didn’t upset her own normal sleeping routine too much. However, this particular night was an exception to that, as she was finding it just about impossible to fall asleep with her brother intently plotting out his ongoing Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons strategy only a few feet away from her.

“Ok, so if I had a dragon here…” Dipper muttered to himself as he sketched out his plans amidst several pieces of graph paper. “Oh, and then a plus the fire mode over here-”

“Dipper, are you ever going to sleep?” Mabel asked as she rolled over in bed to face him, finally exasperated to the point that she couldn’t keep silent on it any longer. “You’ve been saying dork words for hours…”

“Sorry, Mabel, but I’ve got to finish this dungeon,” Dipper countered, not even bothering to glance up as he continued working. “It’s gonna totally stump Pearl and Great Uncle Ford tomorrow, I can’t wait to see the look on their faces!”

Mabel took pause upon hearing this, her already present frown deepening as she sat up. “You’ve, uh… been spending a lot of time with old Fordsy lately, huh?” she asked, her tone innocently curious enough. She didn’t see much of a reason to mention Pearl in her question, namely because she knew that Dipper already spent a good deal of time with the white Gem through his sword lessons, which meant that this was nothing really new. His recently developed comradery with Ford, on the other hand was. And for whatever reason, Mabel wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it.

“You have no idea,” Dipper said with an enthusiastic smile. “I knew the author must have been cool, but he’s better than I imagined! And… he doesn’t make fun of me like you and Grunkle Stan do.”

“Ha! Give him time!” Mabel teased, though she instantly wished she hadn’t upon seeing her brother’s expression sour at this remark. “Nah, you got me,” she faked playfulness, though once more Dipper offered her no response. Her own brief smile faded as she lay back down, letting out a small, worried sigh while staring up at the ceiling. True, the painful gap between them torn asunder by the portal had been mostly repaired, but that didn’t mean there weren’t still holes left behind all the same. Holes that she was only now starting to notice and had essentially no idea how to fix. “You got me…”

The Mystery Shack was abuzz with excitement the following day, all in anticipation of the long-awaited, massively hyped-up Ducktective/Dogcopter crossover that was set to air that evening. Steven had already arrived about an hour ago, and in that span of time, him and Mabel had gone through just about every theory and wish they had for the special, both of them more than eager to finally get a chance to see it. It was easy to say that they had sufficiently prepared themselves emotionally and mentally for this grand crossover by the time Grenda arrived to view it with them.

“Thanks for coming over to watch the crossover with us tonight, Grenda,” Mabel smiled as her and Steven greeted the larger girl at the door.

“Of course!” Grenda exclaimed in her usual boisterous way as she held up her Ducktective and Dogcopter flags. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for these two characters to meet my entire life!”

“Same here,” Steven nodded in agreement. “Or, ya know, at least ever since they announced the crossover last month.”

“Hey hey, look at you!” Mabel smirked as she noticed Stan coming downstairs, wearing his finest suit and tie. “Someone’s all dressed up.”

“It’s a big night,” Stan remarked as he adjusted his tie. “I never thought I’d live to see the day where a dog with a propeller on its back meets a duck who solves murder mysteries for a living. It really is a wonderful time to be alive.”

No sooner had the conman finished speaking than the alarm on Steven’s phone suddenly went off, eliciting an excited gasp from everyone. “It’s time!” the young Gem announced happily.

“Viewing positions, everyone!” Mabel ordered, pointing to the living room as they all began making a mad dash towards it. However, the entire group stopped short just as they passed into its threshold, surprise and disappointment hitting all of them as they caught sight of the graph paper and extensive notes regarding Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons strewn about all over the room. And, sitting in the very center of the den, Dipper, Ford, and Pearl were all completely engrossed in their ongoing game, all three of them clearly having a fun time as they were all but oblivious to the group that had just walked in on them.

“Ah! Graph paper! Kill it!” Grenda shouted, furiously stomping on the nearest piece of it.

“Uh… what’s going on in here?” Steven asked, much more calmly. “And wait, Pearl? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you know…” Pearl began, sending her young ward a casual smile. “Just completely decimating these two in a duel for the mystical forbidden treasure of old.”

“Not for long, you won’t,” Dipper challenged brazenly as he rolled the die, though Mabel interupted before the game could go any further.

“Uh, Dipper? Could you guys maybe move this to another room?” she asked, only thinly veiling her annoyance.

“No dice!” Ford said. “We ran out of room in the basement and we’re going for a world record. Now… dice!” And with that, the author rolled, landing exactly the number he had been hoping for to advance. “Ha! 32, yes! 7,000 points damage!”

“Oh man! You got me!” Dipper laughed, accepting this setback gracefully.

“Hm… lucky roll…” Pearl mused, offering Ford a coy grin of defeat.

“Ugh, why? Why with this?” Stan groaned, not bothering to hide his aggravation with the trio as he sent Ford and Pearl an irritated glare in particular. “You two wanna break some records? You’ve already broken two for world’s nerdiest old man and world’s nerdiest… rock person?”

“Ugh… why am I not surprised that you don’t understand, Stan?” Pearl crossed her arms. “Amethyst used to crack her sarcastic little remarks about myself and Ford back in the day when we used to play this game together, just like you are now. You and her really are two of a kind.”

“Yeah, I can’t say I really blame her,” Stan retorted just as dryly, though he did briefly glance away at the remembrance of how much things had soured between him and Amethyst recently. “It’s not like you two don’t have it coming.”

“Hey, at least we’re not all keyed up to watch some kid’s show,” Ford countered, meeting his brother’s unimpressed expression evenly.

“Hey! I’ll have you know that this Ductective/Dogcopter crossover is gonna be legendary!” Stan snapped defensively. “People will be talking about how hilarious and tragic it is for decades! Or at least for like, a week or something.”

“I don’t get a lot of either of them, but I like animals in human situations,” Grenda pointed out.

“Plus, the music is really good,” Steven added. “And don’t even get me started on those crazy plot twists in both shows! They have so much in common, its like they were made to be together!”

“A-and its starting soon!” Mabel urged fretfully. “Grunkle Stan, do something!”

Stan complied, letting out an exasperated huff as he reached to remove the graph paper covering the television, only for Ford to intercept him by suddenly grabbing his wrist to stop him. “Move that and pay the price,” the author warned, his tone surprisingly grave. Startled, Stan took pause for a moment, only to instantly regain his previously sardonic attitude.

“Oh what? Fifty magical elf dollars?” the conman deadpanned, rolling his eyes.

“Don’t mock our fantastical monetary system!” Ford snapped fiercely.

“Honestly, Stan, you’re just being childish about this whole thing!” Pearl said just as sharply.

“Yeah, I’m the one being childish, not you guys and your game about knights and fairy princesses and unicorns,” the conman remarked coldly. “And you know what? I’ll mock it all I want; it’s my TV room.”

“It’s my house!” the author argued, clearly angry by this point. However, he did make something of an attempt to calm down by letting out an evening sigh as he relinquished his brother’s hand and instead pulled his bag of many-sided die out instead. “Listen, Stanley, did it ever occur to you that if you joined us, you might have fun?”

“What?” Stan scoffed, clearly caught off guard by this offer. Despite his brief surprise regarding it however, he was quick to reject it, refusing to let his brother have his way, which, as far as he was concerned, always seemed to be the case. “Now you listen to me!” the conman began, snatching the bag right out of the author’s hand. The bag that, as both Ford and Dipper knew, contained something potentially very dangerous inside. “As long as I live I will never-”

“G-Grunkle Stan!” Dipper attempted to warn, though by this point Stan was far too incensed to really listen.

“Ever-”

“Stanley! Don’t!” Ford gasped in alarm as he saw the conman raise the bag up high.

“Play your smartypants nerd game!” Stan finished his harsh proclamation by throwing the bag down onto the ground hard. Unfortunately, out of it rolled a plastic black box, and out of that rolled a glowing die with ever-changing sides.

The infinity-sided die.

For a single, anxious moment, the die was still in motion as it rolled across the carpeted floor, but once it finally came to a stop, it did so on a symbol that had only just appeared: the outline of a powerful wizard. And, just as Ford had said would happen, the die’s power instantly brought its outcome to life. In a flash of blinding light, four mystical figures materialized right out of the box art of Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons, brought to life and to reality in front of the shocked group who could do nothing more than watch as this impossibility unfolded right before their eyes. The assemblage of characters consisted of a massive golden griffon, a lumbering, bulky ogre, a attractive, bow-wielding elf, and finally, a cackling, bearded magician, clearly the leader of the crew as he spoke up first.

“Mortals of dimension 514÷Y! Kneel before me and-” the wizard interupted himself to roll his own die to see what threat he should dole out. “Snivel! I am Probabilitor! The greatest wizard in all of mathology! Give or take an error of 0.4.”

“Eh? Is this… normal?” Stan asked, aptly confused.

“Probabilitor?” Pearl also questioned, bewildered in a different way. “As in the one from the game? How is this even possible? Stanford, what did that die of yours do?!”

“That’s a… long story that there may or may not be time to explain all the details of later,” Ford said, his manner stiff and defensive as he kept a hand tucked away inside his trench coat. Just in case.

“Uh, are you here to send us on the quest of a lifetime because we’re the smartest players you’ve ever met?” Dipper asked the intruding wizard, hoping that his intentions weren’t as sinister as his sudden appearance came across.

“You are the smartest players I’ve ever met!” Probabilitor acknowledged with a sinister grin. “That’s why I’m going to eat your brains to gain your intelligence! Its what I do.”

“It’s his thing,” the wizard’s ogre companion added pointedly.

As everyone reacted to this news with alarmed surprise, Probabilitor took advantage of the moment as he ordered his mythical cohorts into action. “By the power of math, seize them!”

“Your math is no match for me gun, you idiot!” Ford retorted, finally pulling out the powerful laser gun he kept tucked away inside his coat. The author readily took aim, paying no mind to Pearl as she summoned her spear beside him or Dipper as he discreetly slipped away to retrieve something, fortunately without the wizard taking notice.

“Math ray!” Probabilitor shouted, a burst of mathematical power shooting out from his staff. The blast was more than enough to knock the gun clean out of Ford’s hands, leaving him essentially defenseless and opening things up for Pearl to take charge.

“Looks like I have to come to your rescue yet again, Stanford,” the white Gem remarked confidently as she rushed forward. She swung her spear widely, aiming for Probabilitor, though before her strike could land, Pearl suddenly found herself heavily pushed to the ground and pinned there by the griffon and its large, sharp talons. Her spear fell out of her hand and disappeared in its usual burst of sparkles, and with her arms as restrained as they were, summoning another one was nigh impossible.

“You were saying?” Ford remarked much more harshly than he had intended to, though given the circumstances, such stress was reasonable enough.

However, before either the author, the white Gem, or anyone else for that matter could try to thwart Probabilitor’s intentions, Dipper suddenly dashed forward seemingly out of nowhere, the Ancient Sea Blade tight in his grip. Ford in particular was rather startled to see his young nephew not only wielding such a weapon, but to see him running headfirst into obvious danger with a fearless battle cry. Unfortunately, much like Pearl, Dipper’s valiant attempt to cut the hostile wizard was ultimately put to a swift end as Probabilitor lashed out, a burst of his mysterious, dangerous magic spiraling right towards the sword-wielding boy.

“Dipper!” Mabel cried fearfully, though luckily, her brother reacted accordingly. At just the right moment, Dipper twisted his sword in front of him, pulling off a rather risky block that only worked to partially protect him. The Ancient Sea Blade took the brunt of the hit as Dipper was knocked back, and in practically an instant, the wizard’s magic destroyed the elegant sword, causing it to explode in an array of sparkles and mathematical symbols until nothing was left of it at all.

“Enough of this!” Probabilitor exclaimed hotly, pointing his staff in a commanding gesture as the griffon spread its wings and quickly worked to gather Pearl, Ford, and Dipper in hits talons. “I’m not here to play games!” With this, the wizard sent another blast of magic out, this one towards the nearest wall of the shack, which he easily blew a massive hole into. With an insane cackle, Probabilitor flew out through the hole, his band of companions following right behind with their captive trio in tow. “Now to the forest, for the ultimate game!”

“Oh no! Dipper! Pearl! Mr. Ford!” Steven cried worriedly as he rushed up to the hole along with Mabel as they both watched in dismay as they all disappeared into the forest, out of sight and out of reach.

“So…” Grenda spoke up after a beat of worried silence. “The room’s free now. Who wants to watch Ducktective and Dogcopter?” Another moment passed, this one much more awkward as Steven and Mabel looked to her in appalled disbelief at such a callous suggestion. “Nobody? Oh well! More couch for Grenda!”

“Oh, this is really bad,” Mabel said, both her tone and expression very fretful. “That crazy wizard is gonna eat Dipper and Ford’s brains! And… Pearl’s? I think? Isn’t that technically her gem?”

“W-we have to save them!” Steven interjected with a much more pertinent concern.

“Eh, maybe let ‘em get a couple of bites in Ford’s brain first,” Stan remarked, leaning against the side of the hole casually. “Even things out smart-wise.”

“Grunkle Stan!” Mabel scolded, nowhere near as accepting of this alarming kidnapping as he seemed to be.

“Alright, alright,” the conman quickly folded upon meeting his niece’s troubled manner. “I guess if we have no other choice, we’ll go on a… ugh, epic wizard quest.”

“Yay!” the trio of kids exclaimed in unified excitement, all more than ready for such a harrowing adventure if it meant saving their family and friends.

“Now before we hit the road, everyone grab a weapon,” Stan said, still far from enthused from having to go on this journey. After all, he wasn’t particularly excited about having to rescue Ford again, only to no doubt be denied proper thanks once more.

Everyone easily found whatever they had on hand to use as a weapon in their quest. Steven already had one on hand in his shield, as did Stan as he pulled out the baseball bat he kept tucked away in the porch couch’s cushions. On impulse, Mabel grabbed a rake, though Grenda was by far the most heavily equipped as she hoisted a recliner up, more than ready to use it as a weapon if needed.

“We’re coming for you, Dipper!” Mabel boldly proclaimed as everyone prepared to set off on their daring, magical rescue mission. “And Grunkle Ford! And Pearl! And possibly that hot elf, if he’s got anything to do with this.”

“Let’s go!” Steven exclaimed, leading the way as they all rushed headlong into the forest, unsure of what they’d encounter on their journey, but ready to face it all the same.

Probabilitor and his companions had wasted no time at all in setting up a camp deep in the magical forests of Gravity Falls. While the elf and the griffon stood guard in the event of any unwanted intruders, the wizard took the time to taunt his three captives, all of whom were attempting to struggle out of the rather tight bonds that kept them restrained to the large tree in the middle of the clearing.

“With each brain I eat, I shall increase my enchantelligence!” Probabilitor chortled as he used a magical tape measurer to get a count on Ford, Dipper, and Pearl’s heads.

“If my hands were free, I’d break every part of your face!” the author threatened fiercely.

“Not if I get to it first!” Pearl added just as sharply as she sent the wizard a cold glare.

“Squabble all you want,” Probabilitor chuckled darkly. “Either way, the time has come! Hot elf! Ready the brain-cooking pot!”

The elf let out an exasperated sigh, flipping his hood off to reveal his luminous silver hair. “Yes, Probabilitor,” he groaned, rolling his eyes as he took aim at the nearby caldron and ignited it with a flaming arrow.

“Haha! According to my calculations, your brains shall be a delicious part of my balanced wizard breakfast,” the wizard concluded to his captives with a triumphant smirk. “Or lunch. Or dinner. Or whatever mealtime it currently is.”

“Hmph, then clearly it seems that you’ve miscalculated,” Pearl retorted, turning her nose up haughtily. “Even if your ridiculous plan succeeded, you’d only have two brains to snack on anyway since I’m a Gem. Which means, I don’t have a brain.” A beat of curious silence passed at this as both Ford and Dipper sent Pearl questioning looks before she realized what she had just said. “Wait… I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Oh believe me, I’m well aware of your relative brainlessness,” Probabilitor remarked with a knowing grin.

“Again, not what I meant!”

“Which is why I plan on grinding up that pretty little gemstone of yours into the perfect seasoning for brains à la carte!” the wizard finished before breaking down into yet another round of wild laughter.

“Well that’s… dark,” Dipper noted exchanging a concerned look with Pearl.

“You know, I’d almost rather be back at the temple, moping about how upset Garnet is with me…” the white Gem groaned, slumping against the ropes restraining her to the tree. That is, until she remembered just how unbearably tense things actually were between her and the Gem leader in light of what she had done. “Then again… maybe not…”

Though the mystical forest was quite dense, Mabel, Steven, Stan, and Grenda didn’t have a particularly hard time finding their way through it, mostly since they were easily able to follow the trail of griffon feathers that had unintentionally been left behind. So far, the group hadn’t encountered any obstacles or threats along the way, but even so, they were all still on high alert in the event that they did, their makeshift weapons at the ready to defend themselves from any dangers Probabilitor might put in their path.

“We must be getting close,” Stan noted, flinching as he slapped a past on his back. “These fairy bites are getting more frequent.”

“H-hey! Look! Listen!” the now squished fairy cried in pain as she lay crushed against the conman’s shoulder in a pile of glitter.

“I hope we’re not too late,” Steven said fretfully. “I’m not really sure how I’d be able to go back to the temple and explain to Garnet and Amethyst that Pearl got eaten by a crazy board game wizard. A lot of bad things have been happening lately, but I have a feeling that would probably take the cake…”

“Halt!” The group came to an abrupt stop as the massive, threatening ogre suddenly emerged from the nearby greenery, stomping down in front of them and barring the path ahead. “Yon interlopers are trespassing on the ancient forest of Probabilitor the wizard! If ye wish to pass, first, ye must complete seven unworldly quests, each more difficult than the-”

“NO!” Grenda suddenly shouted, brutally hitting the unsuspecting ogre with her heavy chair. The monster fell to the ground with a mighty thud, easily defeated and apparently unconscious, though based on his lack of breathing, he could have possibly been worse off than that.

“Is he… dead?” Mabel asked, poking the downed ogre with her rake.

“He’s magic, sweetie, I’m sure he’s fine,” Stan assured casually enough before turning to Grenda with a serious whisper. “There are no cops in the forest, we take this to our graves.”

Grenda nodded in agreement with this resolve, but even so, Steven and Mabel pressed onward, still clearly worried about their primary mission. “Well… I guess that’s one way to clear a path,” the young Gem noted as they passed by the supposedly unconscious ogre. “Maybe not the best way, but still, a way.”

It was clear from the increasing frequency of Probabilitor’s manic chuckles that his preparations for cooking his captives’ brains were nearly complete. Unfortunately though, despite their skill in Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons, Dipper, Ford, and Pearl had yet to think of a way out of their very real plight, one that could very well cost them all their lives if they didn’t escape from it soon.

“W-what do we do? What do we do?!” Dipper asked in a sharp, panicked whisper, hating how relatively defenseless all three of them were in this situation.

“Stop thinking, Dipper!” Ford retorted, trying to be as calm as possible, something that Pearl also tried to maintain, despite her own dread in this tight spot. “The more wrinkly your brain gets, the more he’ll want to eat it!”

“And now, a little math problem,” Probabilitor said as he stepped up to his trio of captives, a hungry grin claiming his face. “When I subtract your brains from your skulls,” he began, tapping both Dipper and Ford’s heads with his staff. “Add salt,” he lightly poked Pearl’s gemstone at this, causing the white Gem to cringe from the unexpected vibration. “And divide your families, what’s the remainder?”

“Your butt!”

“What?” the wizard asked, startled as he turned to face this unexpected voice. “My butt isn’t part of this particular equation!”

“And neither are we!” Mabel boldly proclaimed as her, Steven, Stan, and Grenda suddenly jumped out of the bushes, all of them still wielding their makeshift weapons brazenly.

“But here we are!” Steven chimed in before waving to the trio tied to the tree. “Hi, Dipper! Hi, Pearl! Hi, Mr. Ford!”

“Well, at least someone came to rescue us…” Pearl noted, though her tone alone conveyed her uncertainty about the group’s effectiveness in actually saving them.

“Drat! How did you get past my one guard?!” Probabilitor scowled, gripping his staff tightly. “Very well… There is one way you can save your family. You must defeat me in Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons: Real Life Edition!”

With a wild cackle, the wizard raised his staff, magic pouring out of it as a large, ornate game board, one that floated just a few feet off the ground just as Probabilitor himself had begun to.

“What? Oh come on!” Stan groaned, knowing that him trying to avoid having to play the complicated, rather boring game was what started this mess in the first place.

“I choose my characters…” Probabilitor continued, snapping his fingers to create three miniaturized, identical ogres on the game board. “Vs… yours!” Upon another burst of mathematical magic, the wizard pointed to his trio of captives, all of whom disappeared from their spot against the tree as he did. They reappeared an instant later, shrunken down themselves as they stood upon Probabilitor’s outstretched palm, unanimously startled by this unexpected shift. However, their size hadn’t been the only thing to change; each of them was now clad in the archaic attire befitting Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons characters, with Dipper and Ford both dressed in earthy adventuring clothes while Pearl had received something of a sparse knight’s armor.

“Ah! My ears! They’re so pointy!” Ford exclaimed, flicking his now elfish ears.

“T-there better be something protective under this tunic,” Dipper remarked before briefly turning around to check. “Oh no, there isn’t!”

“I don’t know what you two are complaining about,” Pearl smirked as she looked over the crimson cape her armor came equipped with. “I could get used to this…”

“Aw, you guys look so adorable!” Steven gasped with delight upon seeing the tiny trio.

“I know, right?” Mabel agreed just as brightly. “Makes me wish I had me camera on me to get a pic of how cute you guys are in your little fantasy outfits!”

“Ok, seriously, you guys, now is not the time!” Dipper scolded, sending a petulant look up at them.

“I’m with the kid, can’t we just arm wrestle or something?” Stan asked, far from enthused.

“Come on, this game is a lot of fun!” Probabilitor urged. “I even had my mom pack me a lunch,” he continued, pulling some apple slices out of his paper bag lunch. “Ew, apple slices? I’ll eat you last.”

“Ugh, just make with the rules already, ugly,” the conman rolled his eyes as him, Mabel, and Steven took a seat on the other side of the game board.

“The game is a battle royale,” the wizard began to explain. “We help out characters by casting spells determined by rolls of the dice. If you win, I’ll go back to my own dimension.”

“Hooray!” Steven and Mabel chimed in unison, hoping for such a peaceful outcome.

“But if I win, I eat their brains/gem!” Probabilitor grinned as he let Dipper, Ford, and Pearl down into the game board itself.

“Well,” Pearl remarked, crossing her arms. “That certainly seems like a risky gamble that only an absolute fool would-”

“Deal!” Stan exclaimed daringly.

“Oh boy…” Dipper sighed as Ford and Pearl shook their heads, all three of them quite concerned about their fate in what would no doubt be a dangerous game.

“Then let the game… BEGIN!” Probabilitor proclaimed, raising his hand before bringing it down and letting his dice roll out of it. The wizard landed a 13, giving him the perfect opportunity to dole out his first move. “Attack!” he ordered his trio of ogres as large, spiked clubs appeared in each of their hands. The creatures rushed towards Dipper, Ford, and Pearl, more than happy to swing their weapons at the group as they narrowly managed to dodge the heavy strikes.

“Oh come on!” Pearl exclaimed in severe annoyance as she tried to summon her spear, only for nothing to emerge from her Gem as a result of Probabilitor’s spell. “As if this entire thing couldn’t get any more aggravating!”

“Oh no!” Steven exclaimed worriedly as he watched this chaos unfold across the game board. “We have to help them!”

“W-what do we do? What are our moves?” Stan asked just as frantically.

“There are no moves!” Dipper shouted up to them as he barely managed to jump out of the way of one of the ogre’s bats. “You make them up!”

“What? Really?” the conman asked, surprised.

“But wait, isn’t this game super complicated?” Mabel asked, just as confused.

“No!” Pearl informed as though it was obvious. “Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons is actually quite simple once you get the hang of it!”

“That’s what I tried to tell you!” Ford added just as intently. “This game involves math, yes, but also risk, enthusiasm, and imagination!”

“Risk?” Stan asked as a smile slowly started to spread across his face.

“Enthusiasm?!” Steven asked, already quite pumped up.

“Imagination?” Mabel finished with a cheerful gasp. “Grunkle Stan, make something up! It’s just like lying!”

“Uh, then I cast, um… shield of… shielding?” Stan ventured, rolling the die and miraculously getting a 14. It was just enough to counter Probabilitor’s roll, and as such, a large, magical shield materialized in front of Dipper, Pearl, and Ford. The ogres’ clubs bounced cleanly off its sturdy surface as the trio crowded behind it, fully protected from any and all harm. “Ha! We’re doing it!” the conman exclaimed in triumph.

That triumph was short lived, however, as Probabilitor quickly made his next roll to cancel Stan’s out. “Shield of shielding reversal spell!” he shouted, and just like that, the magical shield disappeared into thin air, leaving the trio defenseless yet again. They scattered as one of the ogres brought his club down, but fortunately, Steven wasn’t about to leave them unprotected for long.

“I cast, uh… Crazy Fast Lightning Roller Skates!” the young Gem exclaimed, coming up with something off the top of his head as he rolled. Almost as soon as he did, Dipper, Pearl, and Ford all received their own pairs of electrically charged skates, ones that instantly propelled them forward at lighting-fast speeds. The skates were more than enough to get them past the slow, lumbering ogres and their bulky weapons, giving them ample space to prepare themselves to go on the offence as opposed to defense.

“Hot Flamey Sword!” Mabel proclaimed as sharp, fiery swords materialized in the trio’s hands. “Super Hot Flamey Sword!” she added a moment later, and each of the blades extended and the flames surrounding them grew even hotter and brighter.

As the swords solidified themselves, the trio skidded to a stop, their electrified skates still at the ready to send them zooming forward once more. The ogres charged towards them, their expressions fierce as they raised their clubs once again, ready to attack. Only this time, their assault would not go encountered.

“Dipper, stay behind me and Pearl!” Ford ordered his nephew, concerned for his safety amidst this massive beasts. “We’ll handle-” The author was cut off by Dipper’s own battle cry as he swiftly skated forward, flames bursting from his blade as he lashed out in a bold, fast move as he zoomed past one of the ogres. His attack struck true as the creature let out a sharp cry, disappearing into a puff of smoke mere seconds after the flaming sword sliced through it.

“Excellent form, Dipper!” Pearl exclaimed to her pupil brightly. “I can see you’ve been practicing!”

“Thanks!” Dipper called back as he prepared to take on one of the othe ogres. “I have!”

“H-how… where did he learn how to fight like that?” Ford asked, rather amazed at his nephew’s impressive skill with a blade.

“Where do you think?” Pearl asked with a proud smile. “I taught him everything he knows. Now, come on. Dipper can certainly handle himself against those brutes, but it just wouldn’t be fair to let him have all the fun, now would it?”

The author didn’t get much of a chance to respond as the white Gem hurried on ahead, jumping into the fray alongside her pupil. Ford wasn’t far behind and Steven, Mabel, and Stan cheered them on as they worked together to take out the remaining two ogres in record time, much to Probabilitor’s fury.

“No! Drat you! You’ll never outrun my-” the wizard paused as he rolled the dice, grinning wickedly as he made his next move. “Ogre-nado!” With this spell, a massive, spiraling tornado struck up, disembodied ogre heads flying around it as it chased after the trio and blew their swords away. “Ha! It is what it sounds like!” Probabilitor guffawed, watching with twisted delight as the trio ran from the monstrous storm.

“I cast: CENTAURTAUR!” Mabel shouted out of the blue, tossing the dice down onto the board to conjure up a rather nightmarish creature: a centaur with another horse for its head.

“G-goodness! That’s… alarming…” Pearl remarked, rather put off by such a bizarre amalgamation.

“Mabel, I am so confused and so proud right now,” Stan said, sending his niece a bewildered, but warm smile.

“Come on!” Dipper shouted to Pearl and Ford as they all ran for the centaurtaur. Though it was a bit awkward getting onto its double backs, they managed to get a good hold onto the creature long enough for it to carry them away from the approaching ogre-nado as Stan, Mabel, and Steven cheered them on all the while. As the centaurtaur passed into a smaller chamber on the board, both it and the ogre-nado abruptly fell apart, leaving Dipper, Ford, and Pearl safe once more. Or so they thought.

No sooner had the trio picked themselves up off the ground than they suddenly found themselves all pinned to the wall once more, this time by a large, grotesque winged creature with several limbs, tentacles, and two intensely fanged mouths. “Haha, yes!” Probabilitor laughed over his latest move. “I was saving the worst for last!”

“The Impossibeast!” Ford exclaimed in apt surprise. “Hey, I thought they banned this character!”

“Think again!” the wizard grinned deviously. “I’m playing the controversial 1991-1992 edition!”

“W-well this is ok!” Steven reassured as he prepared to roll the dice again. “We’ll just come up with some new weapons and-”

“It’s not that simple,” Pearl interjected fretfully, struggling to break free from the Impossibeast’s iron grip. “From what I remember, this monster is the most powerful creature in the entire game!”

“He can only be defeated by rolling a perfect 38,” Ford added, his tone just as grave. “But the odds of that are-”

“Hey, long odds are what you want when you’re a world class gambler,” Stan cut in with a sly smirk as he took the dice and shook them in his hands. “Alright, Stan, you can do this… Papa needs a new pair of… twins!” Wirth this, the conman tossed the die onto the board, the others taking in a collective deep breath as they hoped that luck would be with him, as the entire game depended on this one singular roll. In an instant that seemed like ages, the die struck the board, rolling across it before finally, fortunately landing on that sought after 38.

“NO!” Probabilitor cried, dumbfounded by disbelief over this effective turn of the tide.

“Ha! Sorry, nerd wizard!” Stan laughed in triumph as Dipper, Pearl, and Ford all let out a shared sigh of relief. “But all your smarts are no match for dumb luck!”

“We cast DEATH MUFFINS!” Mabel and Steven proclaimed in excitable unison, knowing that this move would certainly be for the win. At this, glimmering muffins with an explosive edge to them appeared in each of the trios’ free hands. They didn’t even have to think twice about what to do with them as they simultaneously launched them into the Impossibeast’s wide-open maw, watching with anticipation as the creature swallowed all three of them whole. The effect was almost immediate, for mere seconds later, the death muffins exploded, taking the Impossibeast out along with them in a blinding flash of light.

“Yes!” Stan, Mabel, and Steven cheered in elated unison at this hard-earned win as the game concluded. In a flash, the board disappeared and in its place, Dipper, Ford, and Pearl all reappeared, restored to their normal sizes and clothing with only non-explosive death muffins remaining. An air of celebration rang throughout the group, especially as Steven and Mabel both caught Dipper off guard in a sudden, but welcome hug, glad to have finally rescued him as well as Pearl and Ford.

“The game is, like, over,” the hot elf remarked, shutting the rule book amidst Grenda hugging him tightly, as she had been doing for most of the game. “Excelci-whatever.”

“No!” Probabilitor cried in defeat as him and his companions began to dematerialize. “I’m returning to my own realm! I’m turning into pure math! What are the ooooooooddds?!” The wizard’s final cry hung on the air as he disappeared into equations and grids until nothing remained of him or his wicked intent at all.

“Hmph, serves him right,” Pearl remarked with a satisfied smirk as Steven caught her legs in a sudden embrace, which she gladly returned. “Wanting to crush my gem is one thing, but wanting to use it as a mere seasoning? That was simply absurd.”

“Grunkle Stan, that was amazing!” Dipper exclaimed with a wide smile. “How’d you know you would win?”

“Heh, a gambler never reveals his secrets,” then conman winked as he retrieved the 38 sided die, which he had happened to stick a bit of gum to the side of in order to ensure his perfect 38 roll.

“Man, that really was fun for ages 8 to 80!” Mabel noted with a grin. “Or a million. Or however old you guys are.”

“Yeah, I wish we had tried actually playing the game earlier,” Steven agreed. “I didn’t know what we were missing out on! Electric skates and centaurtaurs and death muffins… What more could anyone want?!”

“Indeed…” Pearl chuckled, though her smile faded somewhat as she turned to Ford. “Er, um… Stanford? I, uh… well I just wanted to say… thank you. Things have been rather… difficult for me lately, but… your offer to pick up our old past time again gave me a much-needed distraction and a reminder of how much fun we used to have together back in the day. I have to admit… I missed this.”

“As did I,” Ford returned her warm grin with complete sincerity. “By the way… I’ve heard about… what happened between you and Garnet. And if there’s anything I can do to help, anything at all, then please, don’t hesitate to ask.”

The white Gem sighed somewhat sadly at this, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked down briefly. “I’m not sure if there’s anything anyone can do but… I appreciate the thought.”

“Uh, hey, Pearl?” Dipper cut in after this exchange, somewhat hesitant as he averted his teacher’s gaze. “I’m, uh… sorry about the Ancient Sea Blade. I know I promised I’d be carefully with it, but I guess I was kinda reckless back at the shack, and I did what you always tell me not to do in a fight and I acted too quickly and… well, you saw what happened to it…”

“Oh, Dipper,” Pearl laughed once more, her tone gentle and reassuring as she placed a hand on her young pupil’s shoulder. “I’m not angry about the Ancient Sea Blade. I’m just that you’re safe. And that you managed to fend off those ogres as skillfully as you did.”

“Well, I learned from the best,” Dipper shrugged, glad that the white Gem didn’t take the loss of her sword harshly whatsoever.

“You certainly did,” Pearl smiled proudly. “Though of course, this means we’ll have to outfit you with a new sword at some point, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, right?”

Dipper happily nodded in agreement with this, though unbeknownst to him or Pearl, Ford was already busy at work pondering on what the white Gem had just said. “A new sword…” the author muttered to himself, an idea striking him as he thought of what would be an excellent way to show his nephew his genuine appreciation.

“Y’know…” Stan began somewhat sheepishly as he garnished his nephew’s attention next. “I’m sorry to you too, kiddo, for making fun of your game. Sure, it might be too nerdy for me, but its just the right amount of nerdy for you and my brother. And Pearl, I guess, but we all already knew she was a huge nerd.”

“Oh wow, thank you, Stan,” Pearl deadpanned, though all the same, she had a smile on her face.

“Anyway,” the conman continued after sending the white Gem a brief cursory look. “If you wanna hang out with Ford sometimes, I won’t get in your way.”

“Actually, after all that, I think I could use a little mindless fun,” Dipper remarked with a small laugh, more than ready to rest after such a harrowing adventure.

“Guys! We can still watch the second showing of the Dogcopter/Ducktective crossover!” Grenda interjected boisterously. “It’s not too late! Now let’s GO!”

Sure enough, everyone made it back to the Mystery Shack just in time to catch the start of the crossover’s second airing. Steven, Mabel, Grenda, Dipper, Stan, and Soos all crowded into the den, disregarding the hole still present in the wall as they watched Ducktective and Dogcopter get into a heated argument as the third act of the special began.

“Oh no! Dogcopter and Ducktective shouldn’t fight!” Steven cried fretfully as he watched the animals’ subtitled quarrel. “They were getting along so well, what happened?!”

“The usual late in the game misunderstanding,” Soos shook his head disapprovingly. “Ya see it all the time in just about everything these days.”

“Ugh, I can’t believe they’d do something so cliché and predictable!” Mabel huffed, unwittingly spilling her snacks all over Stan’s lap. “We waited so long for this?!”

“What a rip off!” Grenda exclaimed, far from pleased.

“Seriously, what kinda two-bit hack wrote this junk?” Stan asked, though even despite the collective anger in the room, they all still watched the rest of the special intently, all of them secretly curious to see where it might lead.

Later that evening, after the thoughts of insane mathematical wizards and zany animal crossovers had been put to rest, Dipper ended up finding himself down in the basement lab once more as per Ford’s request. While everyone else had been watching the crossover, the author had apparently been collaborating with Pearl on something, but whatever it was seemed to be a surprise that Ford didn’t reveal, at least not immediately. Instead, he greeted his nephew warmly and presented him with the infinity sided die once more before sealing it tight in its case and locking it away in one of the many compartments of the basement’s large glass cabinet.

“Well, this ought to be safe and sound now,” Ford concluded with a satisfied grin. “It’ll be here if you ever need it.”

“Really?” Dipper asked with a frown. “Even after it got us into that huge mess earlier?”

“Eh, we both got carried away,” the author remarked with a hint of warmth in his tone. “I guess we’d both gone a while without a friend.”

Dipper couldn’t help but smile upon hearing this, feeling genuinely grateful for the solidarity and camaraderie that had been unexpectedly given to him by none other than the author of the journals himself. In light of the apparent hints of distance he had been feeling between himself and Mabel and Steven as of late, he appreciated the chance to be in the company of someone who not only shared similar interests to him, but truly respected him for his intelligence and verve. And in the end, not only had he gotten what he had wanted in finding a place for himself under the author’s wizened wing, but he had managed to form a solid, comfortable bond with his newfound great uncle. A bond that he had no intentions of every trying to break any time soon.

“Speaking of which…” Ford continued after a beat of silence, a small, sly smile spreading across his face. “I must say I was quite impressed with your surprising ability with a blade that you demonstrated earlier.”

“Oh, w-well, its nothing,” Dipper remarked somewhat bashfully, not really liking to play up those aforementioned abilities too frequently. “I’m still sort of a beginner after all…”

“Well, from what Pearl told me, you’ve progressed marvelously,” the author said, now holding something he had retrieved from his desk behind his back. “Which is why I asked her to help me put a little… something together for you. And the result of our craftsmanship is something I think you just might like.” Ford could no longer contain his full smile as he held out what he had been hiding for his nephew to finally see. Even upon a first glance, Dipper let out a surprised gasp at the sight of the beautiful falchion sword laid across the author’s outstretched hands, its blade covered by a simple sheath as its hilt presented a comfortable-looking grip and a curvaceous, well-designed guard. Ford noticed his nephew’s hesitance in taking such an exquisite gift, which was why he let out a small chuckle before nodding him on ahead. “Go on, my boy, take it. It is yours after all.”

Dipper mostly let go of his hesitance at this, finally taking the sword and carefully unsheathing it to find that its sharp, metallic blade contained hints of intricate technology to it, with bright lines of circuitry running across it in neat, organized lines. “Whoa…” he mused, his eyes wide with amazement as he looked over it. “It’s… amazing…”

“It certainly is, and in more than just looks too,” Ford remarked proudly, his hands behind his back. “Do you see that small dial on the pommel?” He pointed to said dial, which was divided between four vibrant colors: red, blue, yellow, and green, with the first of those being the one it was apparently set on. “Press down on it and see what happens.”

Curious, Dipper did so, only to gasp in alarm as the circuitry on the sword suddenly lit up, the blade igniting itself in bright, hot flames. “W-whoa!” he exclaimed, holding the fiery sword far out from him. “I-is this supposed to be happening?!”

“Yes, it works exactly as intended!” Ford chimed as he reached to turn the knob to the next setting. As soon as he did, the fire quelled itself, the blade glowing blue as its heat was replaced with a bitterly cold aura of misty frost. “You could say that I was a bit inspired by our rather… fantastical adventure earlier today when designing this. Those ‘flamey swords’ Mabel came up with in particular helped me envision the direction I wanted to go in with this invention. As did Steven’s ‘electric skates’.” With another turn of the dial, the sword burst into bright yellow sparks, lightning cackling from it, but fortunately never leaving the immediate surface of the blade itself. Ford turned the dial one last time, shifting the sword’s color to green as a powerful gust of wind, almost akin to a controlled tornado, struck up around the blade before it ultimately dissipated into nothing as the author pressed the pommel again, shutting the sword down. “It was quite an interesting project to take on in such a short notice, but I think I did a rather exemplary job, if I do say so myself,” Ford continued brightly. “The modifications were entirely of my design, but I do have Pearl to thank for giving me the base sword, as well as thinking up a name for it: the Sword of Seasons. Fitting, isn’t it?���

“The Sword of Seasons…” Dipper repeated with a smile as he looked to his new blade with immense satisfaction before properly sheathing it. “Yes, it is. And thank you so much, Great Uncle Ford. This thing is seriously so cool!”

“Yes, well, I’m glad I could equip you with a new one after what happened today,” Ford said, still beaming. “And of course, I’m sure you’ll use it wisely, so it was more than worth the trouble.” A beat of warmth passed between the pair, one that the author felt was far too short lived as he took the smallest glance at the curtain-covered window behind him. Behind which were secrets that he knew he finally had to come clean about, at least to someone. “Dipper… can I tell you something?” he ventured, his manner turning serious, almost grave even.

“Y-yeah, of course,” Dipper nodded, noting the author’s sudden shift in behavior, his own shifting right along with it.

“You asked me what I was working on earlier. Well…” Ford began, hesitating for a moment before finally pulling back the curtain to reveal the portal on the other side of it. Or rather, what little now remained of it. “I dismantled the portal. To be honest, I should have done this from the very moment Rose told me to years ago… An interdimensional gateway is too dangerous for the world it feeds into. That’s why I was mad at Stan for using it. He saved me, but as I feared, the instability of the machine created this:” The author pulled out a small, spherical glass globe, its appearance fortified but rather unassuming. What was contained within the globe, however, was much more fascinating: a formless, shapeless cloud of what almost looked to be the radiant depths of space itself, swirling within its petite containment unit without any sort of rhyme or reason. It was in a state of constant change, its glow casting light throughout the dimly lit basement as it seemed to pulsate with an unknown power. A power that felt both intriguing and catastrophic all at once. “Its an interdimensional rift,” Ford explained, keeping his voice low as he held onto the base of the glob tightly. “I’ve contained it for now, but its incredibly dangerous, which means it must remain safe and secure and most of all, secret. Dipper, I don’t want you to tell anyone about this. Not Stan, not the Gems, not even your sister. Understand?”

For a moment, the most Dipper could do was remain silent in light of the incredibly heavy weight Ford had just unexpectedly put upon his shoulders. Sure enough, the author had let him in on an incredibly guarded secret, one that could, as far as he knew, put the town, maybe even the entire world at risk if not well kept. But to keep such a secret from those he trusted most, to hide something so monumental and so important from his family, his friends, his sister? If he was perfectly honest with himself, Dipper wasn’t sure if he could withstand that kind of pressure to uphold such a vow of untold silence. And yet… he knew that he would ultimately have to. The amount of genuine trust and reliance Ford was placing in him, to tell him and no one else, not even his old research partners, the Gems, about this rift could not be betrayed. In fact, Dipper refused to let himself betray that trust out of sheer conviction alone. It wasn’t a matter of trying to prove to the author that he could handle this; it was a matter of protecting this incredible important, incredibly fragile object before him. And as far as he knew, the only way he could really protect it, was to remain silent about it, just as Ford had said.

“I—uh, o-of course,” Dipper nodded a moment later, putting as much resolve into his tone as he could as he met the author’s expectant gaze squarely.

Ford nodded in acceptance at this, letting out a small sigh of relief as he pulled the rift a bit closer to him. “Thank you,” he said with genuine gratitude. “In my time, I’ve made many powerful enemies, but I trust you with this secret. Now, get to bed. I have much research to do. And as I said before, take care with that new sword of yours!”

“I will,” Dipper promised just as sincerely, gripping the Sword of Seasons tight to his chest as he turned to head back upstairs, as if it alone could protect the immense secret he had just sworn to keep. “Goodnight, Great Uncle Ford.”

“Goodnight, Dipper,” Ford called back with a warm smile, one that disappeared as soon as his nephew left the room. The author let out a tired sigh, looking down to the rift in his hands once again, its relative weightlessness seemingly making it feel all the more heavy in a way. He knew he ran a risk telling just about anyone at all about this dimensional tear that could just as easily rip its way through existence itself, but he firmly did believe that Dipper would keep this secret well. Just as he readily believed Rose could have if she were still around today, though Ford figured he’d just have to make to with whom he had.

So, the author put the rift away, tucking it safely back in its hidden place in the compartment at his desk, hoping to get some peace of mind with it put out of his sight. But even so, the rift continued radiating its hauntingly beautiful glow, its ever-shifting clusters of stars carrying the fate of existence itself upon them. An existence that could just as easily come to a violent, destructive end if it ever fell into the wrong hands…

Next: