#OLD MAN MYSTERY TRIO!!!!!!!!

[noodles-and-tea]

whaddya think of the mystery trio?

I LOVE!!!!!

[tinfoil-jones]

Tate Pines AU 

(aka Tater McGucket is an oops baby Fiddlestan kid)

Note: LONG POST. This is me hyper fixating on a brain worm because the Gravity Falls Fandom roared back to life. This is probably misspelled in a lot of areas, and not the clearest or most concise post because this is me rambling at 2 in the morning. Also the characters are maybe OOC. Also, this is written without accents because I'm not from the Midwest or southern United States.

In this AU/Scenario, Stan is a transgender man, and 'encountered' Fiddleford during his vagabond years. It was a heavily drunk/high one-night-stand, so they never properly met or even knew each others names. This happens after Ford graduating Backupsmore University, and for this scenario to work let’s say that Fiddleford went to BMU for his undergraduate program, but then went to the local university in Palo Alto for his graduate studies.

Years later, just like in the OG show Fiddleford is Stanford's research partner in Gravity Falls, and married to Emma-May Dixon; but they don't have any children together at this time, and they got together *after* his encounter with Stan. So this isn't an affair baby scenario.

Tatum "Tate" Pines is 5 years old, living on the road with his dad, currently staying in a motel but they're about to move into a real apartment for the first time ever because Tate needs to start school soon. Stan is still a drifter and a con man, but he recently came upon a large sum of money because Tate accurately guessed the lottery number for the state they were currently in.

Stan still receives a postcard from Gravity Falls that says "Please Come", and is allegedly sent from his estranged Twin who he hasn't seen in almost 12 years. But this is roughly a few months before it would have happened in-canon.

Given Stan's disownment, no one knows that he even has a son, not even Ma Pines. Not like he'd want them to know. Having his own son and loving him unconditionally made him realize that his own dad Filbrick was a monster, who he didn't need to prove himself to. But he still wants to reconcile with Ford, so he decides to go just like in canon.

This post card, however, wasn't sent by Ford. It was sent by Fiddleford, who was watching Ford spiral in real time and hoped that if anyone could convince Ford that he was acting crazy and unstable, it was his twin brother.

While Stanford doesn't greet Stanley with a crossbow like in the original because this is before the portal test with Fiddleford, he's definitely shocked to not just see Stanley there, but Stanley with a tiny gap-toothed child in tow.

Stan doesn't know that Ford wasn't expecting them, and excitedly introduces Ford to his nephew.

Ford: Stanley, are you sure this child is yours? Stan: ...Ford, did you forget we're not identical twins?  Ford: ...Oh! Oh my, Stanley... Stan: *thinking* 'I don't know if I'm touched that you don't see me as anything other than a man... or insulted that you forgot something so fundamental about me'

Flabbergasted, Ford lets them both in; Fiddleford is welding something downstairs so he doesn't see or hear any of this. Ford plants Tate on the couch in front of the TV and practically drags Stan to the kitchen to talk to him privately; he's too surprised by Stan having a child to question why they were there in the first place.

Ford: Is there a... another parent..? Stan: ...It's just me and Tate. Always has been. Ford: How did...? Stan: I didn't plan a pregnancy... but I had no money for T-shots for months on end, and without the T, everything down stairs went to factory default.  Ford: Do you know who it is? The father- I mean, the other father? Stan: Not exactly, some southern guy, don't think I ever got his name. Ford: What happened? Stan: Funny you should ask. (FLASHBACK) Fiddleford, high out of his mind: -and that's how I won a golden fiddle. Stan, drunk out of his mind: That's crazy, dude. *grabs him aggressively by the shirt collar to pull him close* Now shut up and fuck me until I can't walk. Fiddleford, horny out of his mind: Hoo-whee, well don't you diddly-darn mind if'n I do. (END) Ford: Stanley? Stan: Hmm? Ford: Are you okay? You just said 'its funny that you ask', and then stared off into space for 10 seconds. Stan: Let's just say I never touched tequila ever again.

Eventually, Fiddleford does come upstairs when he notices Ford didn't come back downstairs, and see's the brothers in the kitchen just as Ford asks Stan why he even came here.

Fiddleford admits it was him who sent the postcard, that someone needed to 'talk some sense' into Ford, and then introduces himself to Stan.

While Stan isn't perplexed by Fiddleford because he was too drunk to remember a face- Fiddleford, who has very good memory, immediately knows he met Stan somewhere, he just can't quite place where, when, or why.

Ford does show Stan the portal, saying it's his life's work and he'll need to test it soon, and casually asks Stan if he wants to stay and help. Before Fiddleford can protest that's a bad idea and Ford should just stop, Stan agrees because he wants to reconnect (and also keep a roof over Tate's head, what were the chances they'd win another lottery?), it did hurt his feelings that Stanford hadn't reached out out to him after all, but maybe they could work on that.

While Ford hasn't exactly forgiven Stanley for the science fair incident, he can't just let his brother, a single father be homeless with a five-year-old (Stan had to drop the lease with their intended apartment to come to Gravity Falls). And... well, Ford gets attached to Tate quite early:

Tate: ... *staring at him* Ford: Can I help you with something, Tatum? Tate: Uncle, is your name "Stanford"?  Ford: Yes, but if you prefer you can call me Uncle Ford. Tate: Oh. Okay. It's funny, Stanford is my middle name. *later* Stan: Kiddo, why has your uncle been sobbing in his room for the past thirty minutes? Tate: *shrugs*

Not realizing the gravity (hehe) of the situation, Stan gets settled in the house and helps Ford and Fiddleford where he can (usually just moving heavy objects or punching paranormal creatures, or forcing Ford to shower). He does notice that Ford seems a bit... unhinged, and weirdly obsessed with some new geometry based religion, but people change after college right?

He does get unnerved by Fords weird episodes where his personality seems to shift and he goes into town to act like an absolute menace. Stan can't help but think that isn't Ford; its been years since he saw him but damnit he knew his brother and whatever entity possessed him just to slap a cops belly, *that* was not Ford. But Ford always brushed him off when he tried to bring it up, and one time 'Ford' even coldly reminded Stan that he could remove Stanley and his son from the home at any time if he wasn't going to be useful.

During this time, Stan and Fiddleford get to know each other, they get along quite well actually; Fiddleford is fond of little Tatum, who along with Stan enjoys listening to him play the banjo. One could say, given Fords obsession with his current passion project and prioritizing work over his relationships, that Stan and Fiddleford become close. 

Fiddleford picks up, however... that little Tate is a genius. Although he's a quiet kid, he has an advanced vocabulary for his age. He's able to read and write at what must be a 2nd or 3rd grade level despite not even starting kindergarten yet, and... one time Fiddleford left an 8x8 cubiks cube unattended, and came back no more than five minutes later to see that Tate had already solved it. And Stan had told him that Tate has actively predicted lottery numbers before.

He brings it up with Stan, who admits that he already knows Tate is a genius, but he also knows what academic pressure and high expectations can do to someone (referring to Ford), and he just wants Tate to live life by his own terms, not let other people dictate that for him based on his IQ.

Fiddleford... also see's resemblances between himself and Tate. Sure, Tate has browner hair like Stan, but the wavier texture is just like his own. And while Stanley does have a prominent nose, it's not as prominent as Tates, which is much more similar to Fiddlefords. 

Fiddleford begins to ask Stan about his past, specifically bringing up that he believes they may have met before.

Fiddleford: Say, Stan, did we meet before you moved here? You're so familiar to me. Stan: I wonder where you could have possibly seen my face before? *glances at the lab* Fiddleford: No. I feel like we've met before - you ever been to Palo Alto? Stan: That city in Cali? Yeah. I'd say about six years ago. I was just passing by, resupplying, and selling weed to college students. Fiddleford: You were a weed dealer? Stan: Among other things, yeah. California's *the* place to go to for weed. I don't do it anymore. Fiddleford: Did you... ever visit the university there? Stan: A couple times. Hated going there because it reminded me of... well, I think you know. Why? Fiddleford: I did my graduate studies there, maybe I met you there? Stan: You think so? I only saw buyers, did you buy weed from me? Fiddleford: No... I had a dealer, but it wasn't you. Stan: Other than that, I did get invited to a frat party once. Think they were called "SigEp" or something. Fiddleford: That's 'Sigma Phi Epsilon'. That was the fraternity I belonged to. Did I see you at that party? Stan: Probably - oh man that party was crazy. I made so many bad decisions that night. Fiddleford: Stanley... how old did you say your son was? Stan: Five, why? Fiddleford: ... Fiddleford: Stanley... *reaches out* Stan: *jerks back, before pointing away* Hey look over there, a distraction! Fiddleford: What- *looks away* Stan: *jumps out the window and makes a run for it*

Stan does not entertain any further discussions with Fiddleford about his past, and goes out of his way to keep Tate with him and away from Fiddleford. Given his criminal past, he's afraid that if Fiddleford is correct, he could make legal actions to take Tate away from him.

Fiddleford eventually goes to Ford about his suspicions.

Fiddleford: Stanford I'm going to tell you something, and I need you to promise you'll stay calm. Stanford: *doesn't look up from microscope* Are you going to tell me you suspect you're Tatum's father because you slept with my brother around the time he would have been concieved? Fiddleford: ... Stanford: Because you are. Fiddleford: What in tar- Stanford: *tosses a file folder towards Fiddleford* I have all of our DNA on file - Fiddleford: You do???? Stanford: Of course I do! I store the DNA profile of everyone who's entered my residence, just in case there's a shifter afoot. Comparing yours and Stanley's DNA to Tatum's, there is only a 0.001% chance that he isn't your biological child. Fiddleford: ... *speechless* Stanford: Congratulations, according to science you're a father.

Fiddleford does eventually manage to talk to Stan about it, and clear the air between them. Stan is apprehensive because Fiddleford is married, but he's at least relieved that Tate happened before Fiddleford was in a relationship with Emma-May. Stan allows Fiddleford to spend more time with Tate (supervised), but they agree Tate doesn't need to know just yet what Fiddleford is to him.

Fiddleford also holds back on telling his wife about Tate, he'd prefer to tell her face-to-face.

But then the portal test happens and Fiddleford gets a glimpse of the horrors beyond the portal, which traumatizes him just like in the original. This doesn't convince him to leave, because Ford is becoming dangerous and Fiddleford is worried about what would happen if Stan and Tate were left alone with him. He invents the memory gun, but holds up on using it on himself.

The relationship Ford has with both Stan and Fiddleford  becomes more explosive. Stan and Fiddleford are both telling Ford that he's messing with forces beyond his control.

To get Fiddleford off of his back about the portals, Ford instead lashes out at him about something else.

Stanford: Fiddleford... you know you're my best friend right? Fiddleford: ...Of course. Stanford: Stanley and I don't have a good relationship... we haven't in a long time. *puts a hand on his shoulder* But don't you dare hurt my brother, or nephew. I don't care how strained things are between Stanley and myself, or how close you and I are... He's my brother, and I'll always protect him, even if it's from you. Fiddleford: Do you think I would try to steal Tatum, Stanford?! *Pushes him away* Also, if you're going to threaten me, you could at least not be such a hypocrite. Stanford: How dare- Fiddleford: You say you care about Stanley? That you'd protect him? He's been homeless for over a decade! You SAW him get kicked out of home when he was still a minor! He escaped three different prisons, had extremely shady black-market top-surgery, chewed his way out of the trunk of a car, and gave birth by himself in an alleyway! He had walking pneumonia for nearly a year straight and almost died from it because he had to choose between himself and Tate over who needed treatment more!  But you didn't know any of that, did you? Because you don't talk to him or try to reach out. You still avoid him. You still treat him like he's your enemy. You're still resentful about that damn science project.  You don't know him or what he went through. You didn't even want him here, I called him up here so maybe somebody could set you straight!  Working with this portal, messing with these forces beyond comprehension and control- the only threat to Stan and our son is you! Ford: Get the hell out of my lab- and stay the hell away from my twin.

But this 'Mystery Trio'-esque era of their lives has a Bad End:

After Ford gets sucked into the portal the same way as he did in the original, Stanley decides to take over his identity; Fiddleford helps him with everything up until Stan fakes his own death.

As Tate's biological (other) father, and Stan having recently altered Tate's birth certificate to add Fiddleford, the boy is given to Fiddleford right away following Stan's 'death' and not put into foster care or an orphanage. This window of time is also when Fiddleford establishes the Society of The Blind Eye, but he chooses a leader after he founds it rather than leading it himself.

When Stan makes it clear he's going to dedicate himself to fixing the portal and bringing Ford back, Fiddleford makes a drastic decision. 

Knowing what the portal obsession did to Stanford, Fiddleford doesn't want Tate to be around if- no, when, the same thing happens to Stan. 

He uses the memory gun on Stan to make him forget about their son entirely. He does the same thing to Tate to make him forget about Stanley, legally changes his name to Tater McGucket, and takes him back to California with him.

He makes this decision because in this scenario he never used the memory gun on himself, so the memory of what's on the other side of the portal still haunts him, making him more desperate and callous, especially with a child involved.

It breaks his heart that he did this, but he doesn't want Tate to be dragged into Pines drama. He takes the boy home and tells his wife that he was conceived before they were together (looking at Tate's age, he was born at least a year before they started dating), and uses the news clipping about Stan's death to explain how he got custody without any trouble, and Emma-May adopts Tate. Tates memory gaps are excused by his young age, and the trauma of losing a parent at such a young age, so Fiddleford and Emma-May decide not to tell him about Stanley.

Stan forgets about both Tate and Fiddleford, but he has this deep sense of loss and betrayal that he can't place. He figures over the years that maybe it's just some of his feelings about Ford having gone through the portal...

Decades later, and after a divorce, Fiddleford moves back to Gravity Falls, bringing Tate with him so Tate can start his Bait and Tackle Shop somewhere quiet. Fiddleford is there to check up on the Society of the Blind Eye, and also to check on Stanley because he feels guilty about what he did. Although he knows that this is Stanley pretending to be Stanford, he says nothing to anybody about it, it's the least he could do.

When Stan see's Fiddleford again - he doesn't know why, because he's 'never met the guy', but just looking at his face pisses him off. And every time Stan see's Fiddleford from then on, whether its across the street or at the shops or what have you, he is openly hostile towards him even if he can't adequately explain why he feels this way about Fiddleford. Also strangely attracted to him, particularly his banjo playing, but its overshadowed by his hostility.

Stan meets Tate shortly after the Tate and Backles Bait and Tackle shop is opened... and he doesn't know why, but this young man he's never met makes him feel sad. But also... Relieved? Elated? Proud?? He comes by often, sometimes not even buying (or stealing) anything, he just chats with Tate (and Backle to a lesser degree).

Tate himself feels strangely fond of this frequent flier customer. Like he's met a dear old friend. He is awfully confused why Stan will sometimes call him 'Tatum', seemingly without noticing, and why he never feels like correcting him. 

Fiddleford knows why, because he never erased his own memory, and he feels so guilty. But it's been 30 years, he can't say anything without ruining his relationship with Tate (which became strained after the divorce, which in this timeline happened maybe around Tate's late teen/early adult years). 

One way that this whole thing can be revealed is when Dipper and Mabel deal with The Blind Eye society, they find two memory tubes, one labelled "Tatum S. Pines" and another labeled "Stan Pines" take it with them because it has their last name, and Grunkle Stans name, on them.

They play the one labeled Stan Pines at first, and realize it's Tates early childhood memories of Stan.

When they play the one labeled "Tatum S. Pines" they see it's all of Grunkle Stans memories of Tate, leading up to his confrontation with Fiddleford.

(MEMORY) Stan, backing up: Wait, what is that thing? Fiddleford, what are you doing with that?! Fiddleford, pointing the memory gun at him: I'm sorry Stan, I truly am. But I can't let you drag our son into this... I do care for you, and I wish things could have been different. But you're just like him!  **BLAST** (END OF MEMORY)

This horrifies them, and they have a real moral conundrum of if they tell Stan and Tate, or if they keep it to themselves to keep the peace. 

They deserve to know... but it'd be so painful. And this would take place before "The Tale of Two Stans" so they don't even know what Fiddleford was talking about to justify stealing Tate, or who 'him' is.

Eventually, it's Wendy and Soos who confront McGucket and tell him that he better be honest with Stan and Tate, or they're going to do it for him. That he's a selfish coward who ripped someone's young child from their arms.

Or, an alternative scenario; Fiddleford never stored those memories in the first place, or at least didn't store them with the Society of the Blind Eye, and it's Ford who brings this all up to Stan. Ford was already through the portal when Fiddleford decided that parental abduction was totally okay if there was amnesia involved.

Ford: Are these Tatum's children? *motioning to Dipper and Mabel*. Stan: They're Shermie's grandkids, and - who? Ford: ...Tatum? Tatum Stanford Pines? Your son. Stan: ...I don't- I don't have a son. *tears gathers in the corner of his eyes, but he either doesn't notice, or chooses to not react* And if I did, I wouldn't give him your name as a middle. Ford: Yes you do, and yes you did. You introduced us right before the portal incident. I even DNA-sequenced him to confirm that his other father was Fiddleford. Stan: WHAT? And- who?? Ford: Here, look *pulls up his DNA files from ones of his secret safes in the lab and shows it to Stanley, which not only has the DNA results but also pictures of Stanley, Fiddleford, and Tate from the time* Honestly Stanley, how could you forget a child you car-.

Ford realizes something is wrong when it's clear that Stanley is distressed, but also confused, like having a son is legitimately a surprise to him. He's so shocked he has to lie down for a bit. His eyes keep leaking tears but he doesn't know why 'Fords cruel and oddly elaborate joke' is making him so upset, because 'clearly it's not true'.

When Ford hears Fiddleford lives in Gravity Falls, he seeks him out and demands answers.

At first, Fiddleford tries to play it off like maybe Ford was remembering things wrong - but with enough pressure, and a ray gun pointed at his chest, Fiddleford finally comes clean. About what he did. Why he did it.

Ford is still angry at Stan for getting him trapped in the Nightmare Realm Multiverse for 30 years; and then stealing his name, identity, and house, but that's still his twin brother. And what Fiddleford did was to him was horrendous, especially after Stanford had already warned him years ago to not to hurt Stan or Tate. This was a crime against the whole Pines family. 

So Ford beats him up. No, he doesn't kill or maim him, but he beats the living dog shit out of him until Fiddleford promises the glass tubes of Stan and Tate's memories in exchange for mercy.

Mabel, Dipper (and Soos/Wendy) are clearly confused (because they wouldn't have seen the memories in the "The Hall of the Forgotten"). Although, this whole revelation does bring Dipper closer to Stan, because Dipper had no idea he wasn't the only transgender person in the family.

Ford shows these memories to Stan first, who is going through all kinds of emotions especially after getting Ford back and their bitter reunion. This allows Ford and Stan to somewhat reconcile early; just like how Ford lost 30 years of his life to the portal, Stanley lost 30 years with his own son because of his conviction to fix it.

Ford also has to physically stop Stan from hunting down and murdering Fiddleford (who Stan only knew as McGucket up to this point) with his bare hands. Reminding him that it's more important that he reaches out to Tate.

But Stan is conflicted. He wants to be Tate's dad again but... Tate is in his mid-thirties, he doesn't need him like he did when he was 5. And Tate already has two loving parents, both of which don't have an extensive criminal record, and who provided him with a stable home, which Stan never did because they were homeless the whole time.

Does he really want to uproot Tate's life and/or peace of mind with a revelation this big?  

This goes all the way to Weirdmageddon, where everyone gathers in the Mystery Shack for security; faced with a possible end of the world, Stan takes Tate to the side, dragging Fiddleford with them, and tells him the truth. Fiddleford confirms it all, ashamed and apologetic. Finally, they give Tate his memory tube, which he watches.

For a moment Stan and Fiddleford have a moment of solidarity; Stan can see that Fiddleford really did want to spare Tate from whatever unknown-at-the-time fate had befallen Stanford because of the portal.

Fiddleford finally faces his past mistakes, and apologizes for what he did. That what he did was wrong, and he can never make it up to them, but if they survive this maybe he could try to make things right.

This is their last family moment between the three of them pre memory-wipe.

The mind wipe thing still happens. Gravity Falls is saved. Mabel and Dipper manage to jog Stan's memory but there's no way to make him remember Tate - the glass memory tubes have already been used, and Stan didn't keep any photos from his homeless era because he couldn't afford it most of the time, and when he could he always managed to get kicked out of whatever state they were in before the photos were done developing.

Once again, Ford comes in clutch. Throughout his last journal, just like how he made entries about Fiddleford, he also made entries about Stan and Tate, including detailed sketches. How Tate liked to get into high places, exasperating Stanley who was afraid of heights. How Stan would take him to the woods to follow the creeks because Tate was intrigued by waterways. How Tate said so few words but Stan always seemed to know exactly what he wanted or needed at any given time. How Tate only liked eating the green M&M's but Stan was fine with it because he got to eat the rest. 

Now while Stan's heartwarming memories of his son come back, so does his desire to break Fiddlefords neck. 

Fiddleford still buys the Northwest Mansion and converts it to "McGucket's Hootenanny Hut", but because the Pines families are the heroes of Gravity Falls, they (Ford) manage to convince the local government to put Fiddleford on house arrest for an indeterminate amount of time as punishment for 30-something years of parental abduction and alienation (also the whole starting a Cult thing). Fiddleford accepts this, and Tate still lives with him.

Post memory-wipe Stan still reconciles with both of them, and his relationship with Fiddleford is... weird, but not entirely bad. It's like they're dating, but with a lot of emotional distance. Like, Stan still tells Ford he wants to murder him... but also tells him to never, ever, check their texting history. 

Stan still goes to sail the world with Ford on the Stan O'War II. They do invite Tate, who declines because "He'd rather just live the simple life in Gravity Falls, and not get involved in whatever supernatural gobbledygook his dad and uncle are sure to get into".

And Stan is so proud of him... because just like he said thirty years, there's nothing he wanted more for Tate than to live his life by his own terms. He video chat's with him as often as he does with Dipper and Mabel. 

Tate ends up keeping McGucket as his last name, but he changes his first and middle back to what it was originally.

And that's the end of this tale, thanks for sticking with me. Here's a passage where Ford teases Stan while they're on their sea adventure;

Ford: It was so sweet of you to give your son my name. Stan: Poindexter, I swear to Moses. Ford: Even after a decade apart. Admit it, you missed me so much. Stan: *rolls his eyes* Of course I did. Stan: Stan: But the real reason that's his middle name is because he was conceived at Stanford University. Ford: I- Ford: I really didn't want to know or think about that.

The End... Go home.

[d00rkn0b]

dude ☹️

self portrait as a bonus

[hubbabubbagumpop]

Look out world, these men are out to have some fun!

[rystiel]

stanley develops homophobia (he fears having to hear them while in such cramped living quarters)

[twtangel-arts]

Hypocrisy at the finest 😼

[starzwave]

Hey um—would you all like a reverse falls fic where the reader is Stan's bitter ex and who's also the author of the journals....?

Willford is canon in the fic—or would you all like to have Ford as a mutual pinning thing with the reader going on?

OR—NO READER, just these ships: Willford, Fiddleauthor, Fiddlestan?????

(I'm rotting in my room rn thinking about it.)

[attemptedartist]

decided to draw the guys bc i was bored on a roadtrip

[qpjianghu]

Mysterious Lotus Casebook / The Kingkiller Chronicle

[leosagi-real]

animatic I did a bit ago! + some light fiddlestan

[misc-muses]

"Think real careful about what you say next." fiddleford hissed, banjo held in his hands like a weapon.

Aggressive starters //

"Hey, let's not do somethin' we regret..." Stan is backing away slowly from his friend, "look, I didn't mean to break the strings, I just thought, y'know, I'd try an' play it! I-I can get you new ones!"

He's up against the door, reaching slowly for the handle. And then he fucking books it.

[brightdrawings]

Sticky Solution

my first writing commission for @hubbabubbagumpop featuring everyone's favourite ship Fiddstan!

Fiddleford's work with Stanford has gotten him into trouble with his boyfriend Stanely. Now Stan is rightfully upset. Can Fidds find a way to make it up to his boyfriend?

(Also on ao3!)

---

Fiddleford gave a sigh. He knew that today would be difficult, but that didn’t prepare him for dealing with it. Before him, sitting on the opposite side of the kitchen was a very obviously pouting Stanley Pines. A plate stacked high with pancakes stood in front of him, syrup lovingly poured on top, and despite that he still made sure to turn away from Fiddleford every time the southerner tried to make eye contact with him. 

Fiddleford flipped another pancake and hummed to himself. Stanley always was a tough nut to crack. Even getting the stubborn man to confess to having feelings for him felt like trying to wrestle a pig while covered in grease. The man was all flirtatious to hell and back, not even being cornered had him confess. It took the combined effort of Stan's twin brother, Stanford, along with Fiddleford to get Stan to finally confess his feelings for Fiddleford. 

When Fiddleford had come to Gravity Falls to help Stanford Pines with his research on [redacted] he hadn’t expected to fall in love with his employer’s brother. This added a spanner to his schedule. Normally Fiddleford wouldn’t have minded losing most of his free time to work on the project. That was before he would find himself leaving Stanley’s warm bed in the early hours of the morning for the cold basement of the shack. Odd working hours would normally not be an issue, however, when one is at a restaurant with his boyfriend, you don’t normally want to be dragged out for some lycan-moth research.

It was one thing after another, and Fiddelford could see it on Stanley’s face. Their first dates were full of racked nerves, awkward banter and playful teasing. Now Stanley could hardly muster the effort to suggest leaving the house, lest he have to drive home on his own again. It weighed heavily on Fiddleford’s chest knowing that his choice of his work over his love had lowered his Stanley’s cheeky grin to a sour frown.

Fiddleford tightened his grip on the frying pan before flipping the last cake into a plate next to the stove. He put away his apron and joined Stanley at the table. The other man was still giving him the cold shoulder, but this didn’t discourage Fiddleford. He knew that wounds this deep would take time to heal, and having been raised on a farm, Fiddleford knew a thing or two about being patient.  

“Are you enjoyin’ breakfast Stanley?” Fiddleford asked.

“Is fine.” Stanley said bluntly. He didn’t look up from his food. 

Taking the hint Fiddleford finished eating in silence. He finished his breakfast and left the room. He wondered how he could get his boyfriend to speak with him again. It wasn’t until he confronted him in the living room about his behavior that he got a chance to properly speak with Stan.

“Stanley, I've been trying to make it up to you all week.” Fiddleford said, throwing his arms down. “I know you’re pissed but you could at least talk to me.”

“You’re damn right I’m pissed Fidds. Three months. Three months we’d been saving up, planning, fuck we even got those stupid suits for that restaurant.”  Stanley threw up his arms. “And then you just fucking left me. For what? Some stupid fairies?”

“I…” Fiddleford stared at the floor.

“And this ain’t the first time Fidds.” Stanley continued, his voice growing louder with each word. 

 “You’ve been running to Ford all the time. When we’re in town, when we’re having lunch.” His eyes began to well up with tears. 

There was a moment of quiet as Stanley tried to catch his breath.

“Do you know how shitty it is to wake up alone in bed every day for a month?” Stanley let out a pathetic sniffle.

Fiddleford felt weak in the knees. His cheeks were burning and there were hot tears starting to form under his eyes. How could he have been so blind. 

“I didn’t know. I’m so sorry Stanley.” Fiddleford said quietly.

“Yeah? And?” Stanley stared him down. “Just cause you’re sorry don’t mean you won’t go back to work. You’ve been saying sorry every time but that doesn’t change anything, does it?”

Fiddleford gulped. “Can I have a second chance? Please.” he raised his gaze to meet Stan’s. “I’ll make it up to you, I swear.” 

“Fine, sure.” Stan sighed. “‘S not like things can get worse.”

****

Fiddleford paced around a clearing not too far from the shack. With the awkward tension between both twins, he needed the time alone to gather his thoughts. Plus the fresh air was something he was sorely missing. At least that was the plan, however as he was walking out the door, he was cornered by Stanford who handed him the shape-shifting alien they had found a few months back and had taken in as a pet.

“Shifty needs some fresh air.” Stanford said quickly before disappearing into the basement.

Fiddleford sighed and carried the slimey sprog in the baby harness that the three of them had bought for it. On his way out the door Fiddleford grabbed a newspaper for Shifty to read and scurried to the nearest clearing in the woods.

“Okay, so Stanley needs something big to cheer him up.” Fiddleford said, tapping his chin. 

Shifty made a squelching noise. Its harness was taken off and left on a rock so it could move but couldn’t escape. Beside it was the newspaper. It would flick over a page every so often, making baby-like giggles at the bright colours it saw.

“Right, and I can't just do that overnight.” Fiddleford gesticulated as he spoke. “Can’t grow a tree in a day, but I have to try.”

“Bekh.”

“Ugh, you’re right. Even if I give him a date to end all dates that won’t mean anything if Ford comes running. And that’s not considering future endeavors.” Fiddleford sighed. He walked over and took a seat on the rock next to Shifty.

“Coo-Woo!” Shifty cheered. It had turned a page of the newspaper.

“What are you even saying.” Fiddleford shook his head. 

“Coo-Woo!” Shifty repeated. They stuck their tiny arms in the air.

Fiddleford picked up the shape shifter and took a look at the page it was staring at. It had a picture of several clowns with sharp teeth and brightly coloured blasters chasing after some people. On the other page was an advert for some promotional decaffeinated coffee. “Killer Clowns from Outer space?” He read.

“Cloon…” Shifty tried repeating after Fiddleford. 

“Well, he does enjoy clowns. If that recent home invasion arrest is anything to go by.” Fiddleford said under his breath. “Plus this looks schlocky as anything. But how do I deal with Stanford?”

“Stafford!” The shape shifter cheered, wiggling in Fiddleford’s hand. 

“You know, you might be onto something.” Fiddleford looked at the shapeshifter, an idea forming in his mind.

 Xxx

Stanley held his armrest in the car with a white knuckle grip. It wasn’t unusual for others to drive cars. In fact many would argue that that was in fact a normal part of real life. However, there was a difference between other people driving in different cars, and someone else driving his car. But Fiddleford had promised him that this was important, and despite their argument, Stan couldn’t say no to his boyfriend.

He was so distracted by Fiddleford driving that he hadn’t noticed where they were driving to. It wasn’t until they had parked and walked past the sign listing the films playing at the cinema that he pieced it together. 

“Killer Clowns?” Stan smirked. “How’d you know I wanted to see that?”

“I’ll never tell.” Fiddleford winked.

“Well you probably drank some science juice from Ford’s lab and read my mind.” Stan dug his hands into his pockets while fiddleford paid for their tickets. “Speaking of the nerd, you said you found a way to stop him from cutting our dates short. Wanna spill the beans on that? Or is that also part of your magician act?”

“We’ll see by the time we get back.” Fiddleford promised. “Now lets see how many snacks we can pocket without having to pay.”

“God I love you.” Stan said, following Fiddleford with a spring in his step.

Meanwhile, back in the shack. Stanford was laying deep asleep at his desk. His usual coffee mug had been spiked with decaf. However, the reason he truly would not be able to move was the shapeshifter, sleeping on his lap like a cat. Weighing him down with the weight of a thousand suns.

[tinfoil-jones]

Tate Pines AU One-Shot: Goodnight

Context: Total AU, Extra Info Post

Rating: Teen/General

Summary: Stanford has been lost to the portals, and Fiddleford can only see Stanley following a similar path. He can't let him drag Tate down with them.

Fiddleford wasn't surprised when Stanford Pines ended up getting swallowed up by his own "greatest achievement", even if it was due to a scrap with his brother. It was a tale as old as time; a brilliant mind punished by it's own hubris because it was too preoccupied with asking if something could be done, and not at all if it should be done. 

He wasn't surprised either when Stanford's twin brother, Stanley Pines, was wracked with horrible guilt over it. He'd been the one to, even if accidentally, push Ford into the portal before it broke down because of a physical altercation following an argument between the brothers.

While a man of emotion, Stan was equally a man of action; his first step was to secure the house now that Ford was unavailable. He'd wasted no time pretending to be his twin, as they were nearly identical, and turning the house into a tourist trap of sorts so he could pay the bills.

Stan's next step was faking his own death.

But it wasn't as simple as crashing and burning down his own car - there was the issue of the custody of his son, Tatum Pines. If Stan died, his son would end up in an orphanage or the foster care system. Or worse, with Stan's parents. There was a possibility that Tate could end up with Stan's older brother Shermie, but Shermie already had a son of his own, and Stan wasn't going to let anyone take his son away from him.

With his experience and skill with forgeries, Stan changed Tate's birth certificate; there was only one copy, because Tate was born in a dark alley and not in a hospital. Originally, Tate's only parent was listed as Stan, and the 'father' part was left blank. Stan had Fiddleford sign the previously blank entry, and even though all of this was done illegally and dishonestly, it wasn't a lie.  Little Tate didn't know yet that Fiddleford was his other father, but he'd learn soon enough. 

Sooner than Stan would have liked. Much sooner.

The 'funeral' of Stanley Romanov Pines was only attended by his mother and an IRS agent. Fiddleford made sure that in the obituary and in the funeral service, Tate wasn't mentioned at all. He didn't need this to have any more complications. 

If Stanley had only planned on taking over Stanfords life after faking his own death, Fiddleford wouldn't need to do what he was about to do. But Stan made it clear to Fiddleford early on that he was determined to fix the portal and bring Ford back. No amount of Fiddleford trying to convince him that it was too dangerous, or Ford had probably died, or Ford would never have done the same thing for him, could deter Stan from this mission of his.

One thing Fiddleford found endearing about the Pines Twins was how different they were for each other. Stan sought connections, where Ford sought isolation. Ford thought with his mind, and Stan thought with his heart. Stanford could be swayed by a con artist, while Stanley was one himself. 

What Fiddleford hadn't counted for was how similar they could be. Ford had obsessed over this portal for the past year, and his enigmatic 'muse', it destroyed his health, sanity, and relationships, but he hadn't let up in the slightest. Even when he finally realized this was out of his control, he refused to destroy his research journals and instead hid two of them, and left Stanley with the first.

Stanley had seen the tail end of Ford's downward spiral, he saw Fiddleford suffer after having briefly glimpsed the horror beyond the portal during the test run; and still he stubbornly insisted that he would rescue his brother. His loyalty (guilt ridden or not) was admirable.

They were both far too stubborn for their own good.

And Fiddleford wasn't going to allow for even the possibility of his son being hurt by the tunnel-vision ambitions of a Pines twin. This portal was dangerous - Gravity Falls, and its weirdness, was dangerous. 

While Stan had been working through the paperwork and showmanship needed to pick up the pieces of his brother's life and start a new one under his name, Fiddleford focused on his own side project.

Shortly after having gone through the portal and witnessing its horrors, Fiddleford strongly considered leaving Stanford and the project. The only thing that kept him there was the thought of leaving Stan and Tate alone with an increasingly unhinged Ford. One idea he entertained to cope with his trauma was a memory gun - a device that could pin-point specific memories and erase them in one blast. At first, he was just going to use it on himself after this was all over… but it never ended. Stanford was gone, but it wasn’t over, not by a long shot.

Instead, he focused on the weirdness of Gravity Falls - perhaps if he could curb the public's beliefs and perceptions of the rampant paranormal activity, he could prevent something like this from spreading or happening again. He founded a society, a secret cabal of people who would take it upon themselves to find people who had encountered the paranormal, and erase their memories of it with the memory gun. Keeping the population ignorant and compliant. He appointed a leader, who dubbed this group the Blind Eye Society. 

Today, he needed that memory gun, and had taken it. He wouldn’t need it for long, though.

He felt terrible.

He didn’t want to do it.

But he needed to.

He hadn’t been in Tates life until recently- Sam hell, he didn’t know about Tate until recently. But that was still his son, and he owed it to him to prioritize what was best for him over his own feelings. Over Stanley’s feelings.

Tate was playing some puzzle games upstairs, but that would only distract him for so long - the boy was far too smart, he would solve those puzzles quickly and get bored. Stan had just gotten done with this last tour for the day, and has just flipped the sign on the door from ‘open’ to ‘closed’, and was sliding his coat off onto the nearby rack. His back was turned to Fiddleford, who approached him slowly, and as unassuming as possible.

“Stan?” Fiddleford began, heart pounding. Could he really do this? What he was doing was so morally reprehensible.  He could never come back from this. 

He's just a man.

“What’s up?” Stan replied casually, back still turned. 

“You really love Tate, don’t you?” He asked, while typing ‘Tatum S. Pines’ and ‘Fiddleford H. McGucket’ onto the memory gun screen.

Stan didn’t hesitate “More than anything.” And Fiddleford believed him, but that wasn't going to stop him, it would only make this more painful.

“And you want what's best for him?” Fiddleford raised the weapon, aiming it directly at the remaining Pines twin “Even at a personal cost?”

“Why are you-” Stan turned around and froze; even with his poor, uncorrected vision he could clearly see the engineer pointing something that looked far too much like a gun directly at him, and it was glowing a brighter and brighter blue by the second. Stan backed up until his back hit the wall, his hands held up in front of his chest. 

His lack of an exaggerated response told Fiddleford this couldn’t have been the first time a gun had been pointed at him. “Wait, what is that thing? Fiddleford, what are you doing with that?!” He demanded, his authoritative tone wavering slightly in confusion.

Fiddleford swallowed his emotions down, reminding himself that he needed to be firm. This was the right thing to do. “I'm sorry Stan, I truly am.” He apologized genuinely, and took one step closer. He could clearly see the look of betrayal in Stan’s eyes as they reflected the bright blue glow of the memory gun, but steeled himself in spite of the self-disgust he already felt. “But I can't let you drag our son into this... I do care for you, and I wish things could have been different. But you're just like him!”

He doesn’t let Stan respond, he isn’t fully sure that Stan registered everything Fiddleford just told him. He just pulls the trigger quickly before he can stop himself from doing so.

Fiddleford expects a scream of some kind, but no. As Stanley's head is wreathed in bright blue light, his jaw drops and he gasps, his eyes flickering through every emotion in the spectrum as every last memory of his son is erased from his mind, before they glaze over, and finally close.

Stan collapses onto the floor, unconscious. 

---

“Tate?” 

The five-year-old boy looked up at Fiddleford, and for once the engineer was glad that Stan allowed the boy to grow out his hair enough to cover his eyes. If he looked into the hopeful, innocent eyes of this child right now, he might just vomit.

“Fiddlesticks?” Tate responded with the silly nickname Fiddleford never had the heart to correct. He smiled down at the boy and knelt down with his arms out. The youngest Pines recognized the gesture, and walked over so Fiddleford could pick him up and carry him - he was quite independent, but Stan still carried him around a lot, and over the few months they’d been there, he’d learn to allow Fiddleford and to a much lesser extent his uncle Ford, to pick him up and carry him as well.

“Listen Tater-tot,” Fiddleford said, keeping his voice as steady as possible as he carried him downstairs “Your dad is really tired- he fell asleep early today.” He explained.

“But he promised me a bedtime story.” Tate pouted, crossing his arms, and Fiddleford couldn’t directly respond to that. Stan didn’t own a lot of physical child books, so most stories he told him were either a summary of old classic fairy tales told from memory, some allegory from the Torah, or a downplayed and childfriendly-ish retelling of a time he escaped the cops, the cartel, or a crazy ex (or some combination of the three).

“He’s just really tired, but he still wants you with him okay?” Fiddleford explained, feeling his chest clench up as he walked them both over to the sofa in the livingroom - Stan was in a seated position, still in his work clothes minus his hat and jacket, and completely unconscious.

“Daddy?” Tate inquired innocently, making grabby hands towards his father. Fiddleford forced himself to swallow down more bile.

He really was such a sweet kid, even with his rough upbringing. Emma-May would love him. They both wanted children so bad, but Emma-May had issues conceiving; adoption had already been brought up, but it had been put on the shelf for the time being. Not for much longer.

Fiddleford placed Tate in Stans lap, and he immediately curled up under the crook of his much larger arm. It was a common position; Tate usually slept with Stan because there hadn’t been a bed in the car that they’d lived out of. And Stan took Tate with him almost everywhere, he almost never put him down; he believed that Tate was safest in his arms, and acted accordingly.

This would be the last time Stan would hold his son in his arms, and the revelation made tears gather in the corner of Fiddlefords eyes.

“W-Why don’t you tell your dad goodnight, Tate?” Fiddleford suggested shakilly, he could almost see the boy blink in confusion behind his bangs.

“But he’s sleeping.”

“He’ll hear you… Just tell him goodnight, and that you love him, just like he tells you every night.” Just like he never would again.

Tate rested his head against Stans chest and hugged him best his thin little arms would let him. Fiddleford typed ‘Stanley Pines’ and ‘Stanford Pines’ onto the memory guns command screen.

“Night-night.” The little boy told his unconscious father, gripping his shirt slightly. The tears in Fiddlefords eyes grew heavy enough to fall, leaving a wet trail on his cheeks.

“Close your eyes, Tatum.” Fiddleford told him, and hoped he actually listened. He silently pulls the memory gun out from his lab coat, and approaches the pair as quietly as he can.

Tate must’ve closed his eyes as he was told because he doesn’t react to the gun, not even when it starts to charge up with blue light. As far as Tate’s concerned, he has nothing to fear; he’s safest in Stan’s arms.

He’s just a boy.

“I love you dad.” 

Fiddleford pulls the trigger, erasing that sentiment in an instant.

THE END... Go home.

[dawnwinds]

• the soldier : arwen

• the poet : dawn

• the king : lancelot

yes there is a reason arwen is the soldier and not lancelot. bc the soldier (based on that one quiz) matches arwen’s personality while the king matches lancelot’s!

and ofc our lovely bard dawn is a poet thru and thru <3

[yujateaandpi]

Gravity Falls Thirty More Years AU and Art Masterlist

Here's all the pages of the comic in order plus some of the other GF stuff I've made. I'll keep updating this list to make it easy on y'all.

Edit: I have a new tagging system! All asks will be tagged #thirtymoreyearsau without spaces, and all comics and fic updates will be tagged #thirty more years au with spaces. If you want the whole story together, then you can filter using this tag on my account! Filtered link here.

If you like the comic and would like to support it, here’s my tip jar!

Thirty More Years AU Comic:

Page 1

Pages 2 and 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

Page 7

Pages 8 and 9

Page 10

Pages 11 and 12

Pages 13 and 14

Prequel Multiverse Mini Comic

Epistolary Prequel Companion/ Dipper's Diary Entries:

"Dear Mabel, I Miss You"

Answers to Common Questions:

What is the Thirty Years AU?

A Gravity Falls fan story and comic about what would happen if Mabel and Ford both fall into a leftover multiverse rift at the end of summer. They experience a week of silly adventures but return to a world where 30 years have passed and Dipper + co have aged without them. Told as both a comic and a companion fic.

2. How old are the characters?

Answer

3. When does the story take place relative to the show?

Answer

4. Where's Bill?

Answer

5. Where else can I read the comic? Will you distribute it on a site?

Releasing it on my Instagram (but Tumblr gets the pages earlier cause y'all are special). As for releasing it on a site, answer here.

6. How many pages/ how long will the comic approximately be?

Subject to change, but here's my answer for now.

7. How often will you post/ when will you post again?

Here's my answer for now, but if there's delays between posts please don't spam me with questions on when I'll post again. The updates will come when they come and I'm trying to keep this flexible.

8. Is this Drifting Stars AU/ Other Similar AU?

Answer

9. Someone's reposting on TikTok/ Other social media! Are you okay with this?

No, and please report them if you can. Answer here.

11. Will you tag me/ make a tag list?

Answer

12. Why haven't you answered my question?

Answer

13. What art program/ brushes do you use?

Answer

Other Fanart

Twin Glare^2

Kitten Sweater

Pines Pines Pines

Happy Birthday Twins

Gravity Falls The Odyssey AU

Sona Shenanigans

Fiddleford to the rescue

mystery trio eizouken

twins in time mini comic

F-fiddlestan…🥺

Stan Pines Mini Character Analysis Essays

Apparently I do this a lot, so collecting them in one place:

Poll thots

Rough and tumble little Stanley

Stan Appreciation

that magic 8 ball man…

off topic Billford thots

off topic Fiddleford thots

off topic Fiddlestan thots

[dumbbitchgalore]

tf141 hanging out together and finding out that old man!Price has a girlfriend 💫

The crowded pub bustles with the commontion of drunkards of varying degrees. Some slightly tipsy while others have decided to forgo their pants in the name of the King.

And then there's a group of men occupying a table at the corner of the pub. Simon with his balaclava on, Kyle with a cigarette between his fingers savouring the arcid flavour and Johnny ogling some girls on the other side of the pub.

All that was left was John, who makes his way to the table with four pints of beer. He sits down at the table with a grunt as he passes each on of the boys a glass. They all start chatting and catching up about everything's thats happened after Price's retirement.

Johnny begins to bitch and whine about the new captain saying how uptight he was critising everything the squad does that John would've probably turned a blind eye to.

John chuckles slightly, listening to them all talk about what's is going on with the taskforce. Despite the smile on his face, there is a bitter resentment inside of him, gnawing at him.

Useless, useless, useless

He takes a swig of his drink hoping that it'll calm his worries down. And lo and behold he receives a call from you, his baby. He smiles to himself and picks up the phone.

"Hey birdie, doing okay by yourself at home?" He asks softly.

That one sentence caught the attention of the other boys as they give each other quizzical looks. Who the hell could their former captain be talking to?

His mother, maybe his sisters? Nah, he wouldn't call any other birdie.

They listen to John's gravelly voice and breathy laughs as he talks to the mystery person on the phone.

What felt like hours to the boys and a few fleeting seconds for John, he hangs up and faces the group. He raises an eyebrow when he sees their faces contorted into expressions of confusion and curiosity.

"What?" John asks slightly defensively

"Who's the birdie, Captain?" Johnny asks with a tooth grin.

John shakes his head, "my girlfriend." he says in a matter-of-fact tone.

Their jaws drop to the floor. Shocked would be an understatement as to what they were feeling and thinking right now.

"You sure it's not schizophrenia, sir?" Kyle asks.

John huffs in annoyance. What the hell? Couldn't they just accept that John finally had someone in his life. A perfect little doll who patiently waits for him at home.

They all start to laugh obnoxiously, barking and howling as if they were witnessing a circus show. And John's irritation grew tenfold and he huffs a sigh of annoyance.

"Oi captain, why don't you show us a picture of your birdie and then maybe we'll believe ya. Or well just keep thinking that the sarin gas is still in your system." Simon says, followed by a cackle.

John rolls his eyes and opens his photo gallery and shows the trio a photo of you and him. The picture is of the two of you in bed, with you resting your head on his shoulder with a smile on your face as John is still fast asleep. Evidence of the previous night's lustful tendancies still apparent on both of them.

This time their jaws drop for certain as the tangible evidence is placed in front of them. You're beautiful, and that fucked-out, post orgasm face is something else. This isn't fair. How did Price get blessed with a beauty such as yourself.

Soap scowls and scoffs looking away and crossing his arms in annoyance. While Kyle gushes about how lucky Price his to hide his jealously rearing its ugly head. And simon simply stares at the photo with a discerning expression on his face.

John smiply smiles, his ego fuelled and his pride sky high.

"Well boys, I gotta get back to my doll. Maybe next time I'll bring her along." He exits the pub, leaving the boys all confused and jealous.