#Stan being friends with the axolotl is everything to me

[shortie-stack]

I've seen a lot of posts comparing Bill and Ford (and for good reason, they are very much parallels and foils to each other) but I haven't seen as much exploring how Bill and Stan mirror each other. Where Bill saw Ford as a tool and maybe even sympathized with him because of their shared experiences (outcast by their peers for traits beyond their control, hungry for knowledge and prestige, isolated from friends and family), Bill sees Stan as the embodiment of everything Bill hates about himself. on the website, entering "Stanley" and clicking enter a bunch of times opens up pages from Bill's perspective about how stan defeated him. Bill maintains that Stan didn't actually beat him, that it was Ford's plan, that Stan just got lucky, but we know from the show that that simply isn't true-- it was Stan's plan and it was Stan that defeated him. It's interesting to note that bill is okay with giving Ford the credit for his demise, but Stan? unacceptable. we'll come back to that though.

To Bill, Stan is simultaneously everything he hates about himself and everything he wants to be. When listing all of Stan's faults, Bill calls him a "side character, a resume-inflating, cheap trick loving, past denying overgrown child protected by failure only by a forcefield of denial and shamelessness". who else do we know who ticks all of those boxes? Bill himself is a side character for much of gravity falls in the real world, but in the context of the show this statement shows his fear of not actually being anything special. sure he was powerful in his home dimension, but we see time and time again that there are other beings in other dimensions that are just as, if not more powerful (the axolotl, for instance). Bill takes credit for liberating his dimension when he really didn't, he "honors" his deals through loopholes and turns if phrase, and he shouldn't be throwing stones in a glass house, seeing as he's the one having a temper tantrum. Bill is also deeply disconnected from his past, if him telling us the story of the demise of his home dimension is anything to go by, and only digs himself in a deeper hole through putting on this cheerful, confident, powerful persona. Stan does the same thing, especially as Mr. Mystery. but the thing about Stan is that he grows and changes as the show goes on, while Bill's mindset is perpetual. They both were cut off from their family because of something they did (Stan messing with Ford's project, Bill by destroying his entire dimension), but Stan allows a new family to get close to him and chooses to make sacrifices to make his niece and nephew (and even his employees to some extent) happy. Bill on the other hand, surrounds himself with henchmaniacs, yes-men who just want to party and will follow him as long as he shows them a good time. Every depiction of Bill is a window for him to look through, and with so many in the mystery shack, it's certain that he sees Stanley, the embodiment of everything Bill hates about himself, getting what Bill thinks he could never have. and Bill hates it because it means that if Stan can grow and change and make peace with his past mistakes, it also means that Bill can too. But that would require Bill to actually be vulnerable and endure the pain that confronting your past (many, many) mistakes brings. He would have to acknowledge and accept that his home is gone because of him, that countless lives have been ruined because of him, and that the reason he has never been able to maintain close relationships is solely his fault. But he won't. And as a result, he will always end up alone, a king of ashes.

I think Bill thought of Ford as a way to fill his emptiness because of their similarities, and possibly also because he saw Ford as a form of redemption. Ford was brilliant and good and just like Bill and Bill saw that and may have thought, if he likes me there's no way I'm a monster. in a way, Bill saw Ford as the only one worthy of killing him because if it was Ford it was just a forgone conclusion: Ford hasn't made Bill's mistakes so he is automatically "better" than Bill and Stan, so obviously he could kill Bill. but to have it be Stan means that someone who has messed up in a manner similar to Bill has the capacity to be better. and that shakes Bill to the core.

[misteria247]

'This is getting ridiculous.'

Pacifica thought as she ground her teeth together in an effort not to completely snap at the party responsible. There sitting on her couch was none other than Bill Cipher. Who was supposed to be dead, but apparently he'd been sent to therapy. And now had been officially released, and the unlucky party chosen to watch him?

None other than Pacifica herself.

It made her furious. And the worst part? She couldn't do anything about it. Because Axolotl, who's apparently freaking god, told her that he had nowhere to go and the Pines residence was out of the question. Which was completely understandable given everything he did to them. Something, something, she was the one person least influenced by Bill, so it made her a good candidate for the job. Honestly, the blonde teen had tuned out to keep from blowing up. Why did it always have to be her? Why could the world of the weird leave her out of it?? Could she not know peace? Apparently not. So here she was, a week later, debating on whether or not she should smother him with a pillow to shut him up. She didn't dare bring this up to her boyfriend Dipper or best friend Mabel. Knowing that they'd completely lose it if they found out not that she'd blame them. And her pseudo dad Fiddleford was out of the question, giving how the memory of Bill still tormented him.

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME LLAMA???"

Bill's voice, loud and grating broke her from her thoughts. Paz forced herself to mentally count to ten, not wanting to go to prison for murder.

"No, I'm not. In fact I think this is ridiculous and I personally don't care."

The blonde snipped back, hearing the triangle growl in response to her answer.

"You better watch yourself cause I'll-"

The dream demon began to threaten only to be cut off immediately.

"You'll what Cipher? Last I checked, you've been put on a leash power wise and you're under my roof having to follow my rules. Unless you want to go back with Axolotl then that's more than fine by me."

Pacifica said, her words sharp and cutting. Not that she cared. Bill and his tantrums were not her priority. Said triangle went quiet, his eye glaring at her in a menacing way. The large scar on his body fizzling with his obvious rage and displeasure at being reminded of his predicament. Of just how powerless he really was.

'He's lucky that I'm not quite as willing to wreck his shit. If he was with Gruncle Ford and Gruncle Stan he would be biting the dust by now.'

She thought fuming at the world. It was then she heard the sound of her mug shattering on the floor. Whipping around she finally looked at Bill, to see him still glaring but now smug at the mess he'd made on her floor. Her mug ruined cause he'd shoved it off the coffee table in a petty way to get back at her.

"Oops."

Bill said, his voice dripping with false innocence. Paz felt her eye twitch.

This was going to be a horrid experience.

[thicctails]

Gravity Falls is finally popping off again, so naturally my obsession with it has been dragged out from deep within me and thrust to the front of my mind, so here's a collection of various au ideas i have.

Explanations below! Contains Book of Bill Spoilers!!

A different form, a different time: Due to a widescale time and space fuck up, both Bill Cipher and the Axolotl get reincarnated (temporarily?) as humans. Specifically as older teens/very young adults. Hot topic wannabe and pink gumball son of a bitch must learn to navigate the hell that is mortality and human puberty as they set out on a road trip to try and reach the only place they can think of to find answers: Gravity Falls.

Obligatory dragon au: exactly what it says on the tin.

Time Stuck... with a twist: Something goes horribly wrong with the Time tape, resulting in Mabel, Dipper, and a 12 year old Billy Cipher being sent to the 80's. Trapped in the past/future, depending on who you ask, the preteens end up on the run with a mullet-wearing grifter with a familiar face, and must learn to work together to set things right. However, having two Bills' will make things much harder than usual, especially since one absolutely adores his star-marked humans and their weird Larger Human, while the other wants nothing more than to watch them burn.

Monster Falls but they're both Unitaurs: Mabel and Dipper are twins, let them be the same monster you cowards.

Under the Falls: This is one of my older ones! Its a strange little mer! au, where a younger Stan and Ford must take in their niblings after a monster hunter slaughters the rest of their family. Baby mers cant disguise themselves, so they must stay in the nearby lake. Luckily, their cat-eyed deer friend is more than happy to keep them company, and take them on Non-Grunkle-Approved adventures.

I Grow Maddened (From Grief): In the Book of Bill, we learn that Mabel and Dipper don't make it to 13 in pretty much every other timeline. Now, Bill 100% could be bullshitting, but i like to think thats its at least partially true: Dippers and Mabels don't tend to last in the Multiverse. But what about their Grunkles? Surely there are quite a few timelines where one set of twins is left to mourn the other.

This au follows a Ford that lost his Dipper and Mabel to a dangerous creature that escaped confinement while he was distracted by his work. It managed to also near fatally wound Stanley and nearly take one of Ford's eyes before he managed to kill it, leaving him with two dead family members and his twin on the brink. Consumed by guilt and refusal to live in a world without his beloved niblings, Ford set Stanley up on cryogenic life support and managed to lie his way into more time by convincing the twin's parents that both of them would be more successful under his tutelage.

Once everything was in place, he threw himself back into the multiverse (this time with a way back) and began hopping through other timelines, looking for the perfect replacements for his missing family. Man spirals hard, eventually deciding that the twins, when he gets them back, would not be leaving his and Stanley's sides again, because his twin is also not leaving. After all, their parents clearly dont value them like they should, and Ford knows that it will be easy to remove any memory of the twins all together.

Euclid + Scalene live (and get better children): Somehow spared from the genocide of their entire dimension, the deeply wounded Cipher parents eventually find themselves inexplicably drawn to a little backwater planet. The two find themselves becoming attached to a pair of twins that seem blessed by the Axolotl itself, and although their last child had caused violence on a previously unseen scale, both Euclidians find that they want to try again. The Ciphers become mostly unseen guardians to the little Pines, content to simply watch over them and bring them sweet dreams while they struggle to hold themselves together.

Then Bill shows up, and everything goes to shit.

[zionanelequaso]

I’ve already decided I’m yapping. batman x bill cipher lore BEAM!!!!

warnings: yaoi, gravity falls spoilers, angst, yaoi, yaoi, did i mention yaoi, tbob spoilers(???)

okay. so. all the shit in gravity falls IS canon, but after stan punched bill into oblivion, bill met the axolotl and they made a deal. if bill somehow redeemed himself to the point of at least only being a little prankster, the axolotl would send him back to earth. so, the axolotl sent him to the theraprism, where 1 second in our world is 100 years there (this comes in handy for me). I still haven’t decided how many seconds in our world he was in there.

eventually he managed to redeem himself to the point of just being a mischievous being. so, the axolotl decided to send him somewhere that wasn’t gravity falls so he could have time to choose if he wanted to say sorry or not (keep this in mind). also bill got his powers back because the axolotl was feeling nice. bill got sent to gotham, and was just floating around before he met Batman. Immediately, he was quite enamored! having long moved on from ford (somehow.), he decided to start watching batman like a hawk. and follow him everywhere. and I mean everywhere. from the start, he knew Batman was bruce, yes, but he didn’t let him know that until the second time they crossed paths. yes, the second. so then, when batman was like “wait what” he went “ok so now you know I know who you are I’m gonna follow you like everywhere mk??” and for some reason, bruce (i switch between calling him either batman or bruce it just depends on how I feel okay) could find himself taking a slight “liking” to bill as well.

spoiler alert, they do get freaky on multiple occasions I’m just not writing about that stuff because I’m a minrorooririijhehjdjshdjia. leave that to your imagination FREAKS!!! (the only reason I’ve even included this fact is because I’m hypersexual!!! I won’t talk about them actually being freaks I’ll just include suggestive stuff leave me alone!!! [sorry I feel the need to apologize and explain myself a lot ok])

okay so there are multiple different ways this can go, but I mostly include 2 (with an occasional secret 3rd and 4th option)

option 1 which is actually the secret third option: since I haven’t watched or read anything with genuinely serious robins + I love love love silly robin with all my heart and soul, there’s this one, where robin (based off of Lego robin) has to just watch bill go BAZINGA over batman and be very confused.

option 2 which is actually the secret 4th option: everything basically stays the same, except ford somehow also got sent to gotham by the axolotl (with intent of having bill and ford meet up or something to see how bill reacts.) depending on how you’d feel, they can either meet pre-batman and get their yaoi back, or stanford can meet joker, have yaoi with that guy, meet bill and go “fuck off,” or they can just never meet and at some point stanford gets super close to redeeming joker. this part is a big joke my friend from school made that I expanded on but I think it’s super funny

option 3: everything stays the same, it’s just bill, batman, and the rogues.

option 4: bill comes in contact with the Justice league and somehow becomes a part of them. not explicitly, but yk he’s just there. this is probably my favorite

so, however this goes, there will always be a thing where bill gets sent back to gravity falls WITH batman (and others, depending on which interpretation you’re talking about [UNLESS you’re talking about the thing where stanford and bill DO cross paths]), and dipper gets the whole fam out, stanford tells batman everything, and bill just LOSES IT.

everything he’s worked for, just gone down the drain.

so, he can either become evil again and have to get ANOTHER redemption arc (but this time without the axolotl), or he can have a breakdown on the spot and beg for forgiveness.

if you choose the first option, he will get forgiven by his peers, but the pines family will still be wary. also, he’ll get the fuck out of gravity falls as soon as he can

if you choose the second option, bruce can either forgive him or not forgive him, which then evolves into either the 1st option or even more of a breakdown until either the 1st option or batman forgives him. that make sense??

and that’s basically it! here’s some stuff about bill

1. he actually did care about stanford or something in the past, he just felt like he had to purposefully hurt him so it wouldn’t have to be on accident (like his family)

2. he finally learned how to not feel the need to push people away!! yay!!!

3. he would get married to bruce. this is canon I’m bill’s 3rd eyelash

I wonder how alex hirsch would feel if he knew that someone out there shipped bill cipher x batman. that someone is me.

also jfc that was a lot more than I was expecting but it was super fun to write!!

[thelastspeecher]

I’d like a little scene of smoll Ford having a nightmare and mustering the courage to go up to Angie and Stan’s room for comfort^^

Happy early birthday ;)

Thank you :)

I also got this request from an Anonymous, who specified they would like it during the time when Stan doesn't know the kid he's taking care of is actually his twin, not his twin's son. So I went with that for this, so that it fulfills both requests in one. Hope you like it!

———————————————————————————————————–

              Ford sat bolt upright, heart racing, covered in a cold sweat.  He quickly grabbed one of his many stuffed animals at hand, a plush axolotl given to him by Angie.  Squeezing the stuffed animal close to his chest, he tried to steady his breathing.

              It’s okay.  Everything’s okay.  Ground yourself in the now.  Though he was able to calm his pounding heart, the anxiety didn’t fade.  Dammit.  Come on.  I don’t want to do it.  Ford closed his eyes, but immediately opened them again, unnerved by the loss of the soft glow of his nightlight.

              “No,” he whined out loud.  He hung his head with a sigh.

              Time for the nuclear option.  Still clinging to his stuffed animal, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and slid off.  His bedroom door was ajar, and he pushed it open the rest of the way as he exited.  Thankfully, Stan and Angie had installed a nightlight in the hallway, not just his bedroom.  They claimed that it was in case Ford needed to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, but given how many times they made it clear he could visit them if he had a nightmare, he felt it wasn’t the only reason.  Damned nightmares.  I can’t even remember what they’re about when I wake up!  Why is something I don’t remember keeping me from falling asleep?!  But that had been the case ever since he was reduced to a child.  Hopefully, seeking comfort from his twin would be less humiliating than from his former foster parents, Wyatt and Madeline.

              Ford knew the way to Stan and Angie’s bedroom, but even if he didn’t, he would have found it immediately.  Stan’s snoring could probably be heard two houses over.

              Honestly, it’s a miracle he found a spouse who can sleep through it.  Ford tentatively pushed open the bedroom door.  Angie’s side of the bed faced the door.  She was sleeping facedown, her limbs akimbo.  Ford was reminded of his college roommate, Fiddleford McGucket, who slept in the same manner.  It wasn’t the first time Angie reminded him of his old friend.  But Fiddleford talked about his family a lot.  None of his relatives have a name as normal as “Angie”.

              Ford walked around to Stan’s side of the bed.  Stan was sleeping on his back, possibly the cause of his snoring, and sprawled, but less than Angie.  Ford nervously tugged on Stan’s arm dangling over the side of the bed.  The snoring stopped immediately.

              “Whuzza…oh.”  Stan turned onto his side.  “Ford?”

              “Yes,” Ford squeaked.

              “What’s going on?” Stan asked.

              “I, um, I had- I had a-” Ford stammered.  To his frustration, he didn’t feel any less embarrassed asking for comfort from Stan.  Thankfully, Stan caught on.

              “Did you have a nightmare?” Stan asked softly.  Ford nodded, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.  “Do you want to snuggle with me and Angie?”

              It’s “Angie and I”, Stanley.  You’re a teacher, you should have better grammar.  Ford immediately felt bad.  Don’t be ornery towards someone you’re asking for help.

              “Yes,” Ford mumbled.

              “No problem,” Stan said.  “You’re in luck, actually.  Half the time, Angie takes all the blankets.  The other half of the time, she throws ‘em all off.  Tonight’s a night she’s not being a blanket hog.”  Ford made a noncommittal noise.  “Wanna hand getting up?”

              “Yes, please.”

              “You got it.”  Stan reached down, picked Ford up, and set him on the bed, between himself and Angie.  “Go ahead and crawl under the covers, sport.”  Ford obediently pulled the blanket over him.  Stan turned to face him.  “…Wanna talk about it?”

              “About what?”

              “Your nightmare,” Stan said.  “If you don’t wanna talk about it, that’s fine.  But I figured I’d ask.”  Ford looked at his stuffed animal, avoiding eye contact with Stan.

              “I don’t remember it,” he said quietly.  Stan was silent for a moment.

              “Do you really not remember or are you saying that to avoid talking about it?” he asked pointedly.

              “I don’t remember!” Ford said, louder than he meant to.  He winced.

              “Don’t worry, you’re not gonna wake up Angie,” Stan said, immediately picking up on what Ford was worried about.  “She sleeps through everything.  She falls off the bed at least once a week and doesn’t realize until her alarm goes off and she wakes up on the floor.”

              “Oh.  Good.”

              “I believe you that you don’t remember your nightmare,” Stan continued.  “But I wanted to make sure you weren’t saying that just to keep me from getting upset.  Like I said, it’s fine if you don’t wanna talk about it.  I’m not gonna try to pull it outta you.  Even kids have boundaries that need to be respected.”

              “Did you learn that phrase from An- Aunt Angie?” Ford muttered.

              Dammit, I almost forgot to tack “Aunt” in front of Angie’s name.  This façade is difficult to keep up during the day, let alone in the middle of the night.  Stan chuckled.

              “You’re just like your dad, you know that?”  He ruffled Ford’s hair.  “All right, if you don’t wanna talk about stuff, let’s focus on getting to sleep.  We’ve got school in the morning.”  Ford nodded silently.  He rolled over, facing away from Stan.  To his surprise, he felt Stan’s hand on his back, making gentle circular motions.  “Remember, kid.  You’re safe here.”

              “Yeah.”  Ford closed his eyes, already feeling better.  “I know.”

[daydreamlovesgravityfalls]

I would like to know more about Julia and the girl with dyed hair :)

Of course! You're the first person to ask me anything on here about my AU and OC's, thank you!

OKAY, SO... Julia's lore ((summary))

Julia was a demon created by Bill cipher to be a henchmaniac but she wasn't quote "good enough" so he abandoned her in the nightmare realm. She was a pink triangle with a little bow on the top of her (basically just a hot pink version of Bill himself, because she was created in his image specifically). She has all of the same powers as Bill but not even close to as extreme. When the Weirdmageddon portal opened up and any creature from the nightmare realm was free to go, she slipped out through the portal. Bill has completely forgotten about her. But the reason he didn't originally just kill her off is because he thought her suffering was amusing. She's immortal, meaning she can't actually die, which is another reason why she hates being a demon. She never asked to be created but was anyways and was abandoned for something she couldn't control.

Eclipse's lore ((summary)):

The girl with the dyed hair is Eclipse, Eclipse Lilac May. She's a normal human. She had abusive parents, so she was put into custody of her grandma when she was 3. Her grandma, Miss Dixie, lives in Gravity Falls and used to be a demon hunter in the 60's (so around 11 when she started training). Eclipse is 17, almost 18. She's a daily babysitter for anyone in town. When the Weirdmageddon apocalypse happened in 2012, She came across Julia, who broke in while exploring the human realm for the first time. Eventually, Julia and Eclipse became partners after the apocalypse, as Eclipse had an immediate crush on Julia, and Julia could read minds.

Anyways, this toddler au takes place in "next summer", 2013. Bill is currently living in the mystery shack with Stan, Ford, Soos, soos's grandma, Melody, Mabel and Dipper (who are both signed into the gravity falls highschool now) ||packed shack, I know...||. The axolotl is punishing him for everything he's done. Destroyed his own dimension with all his friends and family, Tricked and killed multiple people, tried to take over the world and possibly the universe, ECT, ECT...

[callipraxia]

Debating who should get the #5 slot proved surprisingly difficult…but here we go.

1. Infinitesimal Variations: What would have happened if Stan hadn’t escaped from federal custody when he did during “Not What He Seems”? Answer: Ford and Soos go try to rescue him, Agent Powers interviews a witness and realizes he’s missing an important piece of the puzzle, and Dipper, Mabel, and Tate McGucket learn many things that disturb them. It then mostly goes downhill for everyone from there. 15 chapters, proceeding sequels of 21 chapters and 26 chapters.

This was the first real, deliberately plotted out, novel I ever wrote. It’s the first part of a trilogy, and Part III is probably better in a lot of ways - I had almost two years of working on the overall project under my belt, and a much clearer vision of what I was trying to do, than I did while writing Part I - but…Part I was the first, and the one that showed me I really could start something and finish it, and I made some friends in the comments sections, and it will always have a strong claim on my affections for that. The original twelve chapters (I recently revised and expanded it to clear up some points that were confusing) were also 61,000-odd words written in less than two months, the most intense writing experience I think I have ever had in my life. So yeah, go read it and its sequels! Unless you already have…in which case, re-read ‘em! lol.

2. The Earth Never Tires. Dipper comes home after a long time away, and Ford and Mabel talk about death and the afterlife. Two chapters.

This one could have just as easily been number 3; I just bumped it up one because it seemed to sort of slip under the radar when it was released, and I was rather proud of it, and so I shall jump on this socially sanctioned occasion to plug it.

3. The Player of Games. While Ford is in a coma in Dimension 52, he meets a gratingly cheerful salamander god which shows him visions of the best of all possible futures. Ford isn’t very happy about what he sees. Meanwhile, said salamander (the Axolotl), along with talking to Ford, juggles different timelines, relations with other higher powers, and its ongoing issues with its family. 5 chapters.

This one is a lot of things. I’m proud of it because it’s probably my most ambitious experiment in form and mythology-building; I also find the writing quite effective when I reread, so it may be one of my best pieces overall, along with being the first and arguably last, to date, time I really dealt with Ax in any detail. However, it’s also quite possibly the darkest and most disturbing thing I ever wrote, so…proceed with some caution, especially with chapters two and four.

4. Everything’s Fine - Pass That Wine? Nathan and Jennifer Pines have always been proud of their daughter Mabel’s creativity…but as her first summer away from home goes on, they gradually grow more and more concerned about all the stories of “science fiction weirdness” she is surely making up and not really living through. Where is she getting these ideas? Why isn’t she telling them what’s really happening? Why is Dipper playing along so much? Luckily, though, wine is an ever-helpful friend in times of trouble…at least until Nathan’s uncle Stan crashes a boat into their rhododendrons. One-shot.

Aka, that time I did a funny! This has the best read-to-kudos ratio of anything I’ve written. I wasn’t even aiming for a comedy piece when I started writing it, and was very nervous about “what if I think something is funny and literally nobody agrees?” Now if I could just remember how to write straight-up humor, rather than just sometimes weaving it in with tragedy and brain-bending….

5. The Long Lie: Four Scenes in Three Decades. Stan refuses to give up on the idea that he can someday reunite his family, and that then, everything will go back to the way it was when he was a kid. As a result, he lies to his parents until they die…to his other brother until he dies…and finally, right up until the day when a wax statue forces him to confront the possibility of failure. One-shot.

This was my second fic, and an attempt to make up events that would allow the success of the twin switch to make sense (since my sole contact with the fandom before I started writing involved reading the GF TVTropes pages, I was completely unaware of all the different theories of Shermie). In the process, I conducted my first sort of attempt to play with the short story form, and also - between faking indifference to his mother’s feelings about his own death, dealing with his idiot kid brother getting some girl pregnant in high school, and then dealing with Filbrick dying in a tragic automobile accident that leaves Caryn severely disabled - put Stan through the absolute wringer in less than 6000 words. I also think there’s some of my better writing here even if one never remotely considered the possibility of Young Shermie (after joining the fandom and learning about the theories, I am, for the record, officially a Shermie agnostic. Call him into existence with the Infinity Die for all I care, as long as you explore the consequences enough to hurt me along the way)

And honorable mention: Be All Our Sins Remembered, my very first GF fanfic and the closest thing I have yet come to pure fluff. One-shot about Ford showing Stan the ruins of the Portal after Stan expresses curiosity about the weird scar on his shoulder that looks like a crop circle.

Well, that was fun! Other writers…hm. @the-orion-scribe, @car9723-t, @zephrunsimperium…I need to figure out how many of my mutuals are definitely also writers, as opposed to strictly artists (though I’d argue comics count as both) or canon enthusiasts.

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤

As much as I dislike chain letters, I do enjoy trying to hock my fics to an unsuspecting audience.

1. The Wrong Stan-an AU where during Weirdmageddon, Bill captures Stan instead of Ford

2. Return Backwards to the Past Again 4-time travel AU where homeless Stan meets two strange young people who say they want to hire him for transportation to a little town in Oregon

3. Island of the Lost-another AU (there’s a recurring pattern here) where instead of taking the car after getting kicked out, Stan takes the boat

4. Two Worlds, One Family-Crossover AU(!)-a recently divorced Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz accidentally brings a recently kicked out Stan Pines forward in time, and the end result has the potential to work out surprisingly well for both of them

5. One Rainy Night-the beginning of my most ambitious AU ever, where a flip of a coin and a conversation with an old woman make all the difference in the world in changing the Pines twins’ future

@elishevart @guardianoflightanddarkness @darylstorey @orangeoctopi7 @ramblesanddragons

[freeamoebas]

Bill Cipher was awake, as usual, at 3AM.

He absolutely refused to sleep, the idea of entering the plane of consciousness he used to dominate humiliated and (even if he’d never admit it) terrified him. Occasionally, he’d doze off for a couple hours at most, but that was once every couple days. Plus, those precious couple hours of sleep were usually disturbed by nightmares regarding the axolotl, the second dimension, or worse.

Bill was wrapped up in a fluffy blanket Mabel had provided, rereading Flatland by Edwin Abbott. The story was strikingly similar to how the second dimension actually was, with all the rules about shapes, sides, women, etc. The book reminded him of Liam, his irregular brother, and how he read so many illegal books about the third dimension. Odd that a dimension like this would have books about something as dull as the second dimension.

Bill realized it was probably because humans craved the idea of suffering. Or at least the idea of apocalyptic eras. Funnily enough, they didn’t seem to get too big of a kick out of his Weirdmageddon.

The demon’s body froze up when he heard creaks from the staircase. His heart raced, worried it was Sixer coming back to scold him after their little… argument, which resulted in Bill gouging his own eye out after a complete nervous meltdown. Now he had to wear this dumb piece of gauze to cover the wound up.

He found himself pulling the blankets closer around him, as if it were a shield of some sort. He relaxed when it was just Mabel, going to the kitchen to get some water. “Hi Bill,” she said, her voice thick with sleep. “Shouldn’t you be-” She was cut off by a yawn. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“Can’t.” Bill held the book close to his chest and warily eyed the girl.

“Why not?”

“Oh, I dunno, Shooting Star, maybe because sleeping wastes ONE THIRD OF YOUR PUNY EXISTENCE, WHICH ISN’T SAYING MUCH CONSIDERING YOU MEAT SACKS LIVE, WHAT, EIGHT OR NINE DECADES BEFORE KICKING THE BUCKET?” Bill’s shrill voice came out louder than anticipated. He hoped the Stan twins wouldn’t wake, he was way too tired to deal with them at that very moment. Mabel simply blinked at the string of words that tumbled out of the demon’s mouth.

“...Does Mr. Grumpypants need someone to stay up with him?”

Bill huffed at that, but made no move to stop her as the teen sat next to him on the couch. She peered over at the book he had still clutched against his chest.

“Yanno, I always see you reading that book. I tried reading it once! It was really boring,” Mabel said, bluntly. She paused for dramatic effect, but noticed the odd, almost irritated look on Bill’s face, and quickly continued. “Why do you keep reading that book over ‘n over again, anyways? I could show you better ones, if you want!”

Bill’s odd expression melted away into something tired and… sad? No way, Bill Cipher’s only emotions were irritating, angry and crazy laughing. Those were totally emotions, at least in Mabel’s mind.

“It makes me feel��� nostalgic, I guess,” Bill finally murmured.

“Oh.” Mabel didn’t really know what else to say. How does a dumb confusing book make someone nostalgic? Maybe Bill’s mother- if he even had one- used to read it to him when he was little. That would make a lot of sense, actually. Weirdo.

They sat in silence for a few more moments before Mabel turned to him. “Want me to show you me and Dip Dop’s cool hiding place?” Her mouth stretched into a mischievous grin. She knew Bill had the tendency to hide in odd little spaces. She’d found him in closets, under tables, but usually he’d bundle himself up and hide under the blankets the Pines provided for him. “Blanket town” Mabel had affectionately nicknamed his most common hiding spot.

Bill glared suspiciously at Mabel, clearly not trusting her judgement of what she considered cool. Finally, he shrugged and got up, still keeping the fluffy blanket wrapped around his shoulders. “I literally have NOTHING better to do,” the demon sighed, and followed his ally to a not so trustworthy looking ladder.

The climb to the top was… rigorous, to say the least. Bill nearly fell off the ladder several times, not knowing completely how to put one foot above the other, and occasionally forgetting he had to hold onto the railing. When they finally managed to climb out of the chimney, they sat on the floor of the little flat above the gift shop.

Bill was panting as if he had run a marathon and Mabel was beaming, congratulating him on how well he did.

“Yeah yeah, you don’t gotta BABY ME, yanno.” Bill waved her off with his gloved hand, doing his best to sound irritated. He’d never admit it, but he actually liked Mabel’s pity praises. It definitely beat Sixer’s life lessons about how everything bad that has happened to the Pines family during the past 45 years was Bill’s fault.

Mabel giggled at Bill’s dull attempt at sounding mad and turned her attention up at the starry sky. One thing she adored about Gravity Falls was that there was no more city haze to cover her view of the stars. She could look up, and boom. Thousands upon millions of pretty twinkly dots in the sky, waiting to be stared at.

Mabel turned to Bill. “Do you have any alien friends?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Bill frowned at her, not entirely sure what Shooting Star was implying.

“Sure, kid.”

Mabel gestured for Bill to continue. “C’monnn, didn’t you liberate like… a bazillion dimensions? Tell me about a good one.”

Bill shrugged. “Shooting Star, you gotta remember that what I consider good and what you consider good are LITERAL POLAR OPPOSITES.”

“Okay,” Mabel said slowly. “Tell me about a good dimension… In my standards.”

Bill gave Mabel an exasperated look. He was way too tired to try to remember some puny dimension he had liberated eons ago, especially with his memory failing and all, but at the same time he was way too tired to deal with Shooting Star haggling for a happy story.

“FIIINE,” Bill snapped. He then rested his chin in his hand, trying to think of the best story that would shut Shooting Star up. A small grin appeared on his face and he finger gunned in her direction.

“Did Fordsy ever tell you about GOOD OLE’ DIMENSION 1610?”

And then he continued with an elaborate story about a world where the world hunger issue was solved, the majority of countries allianced with each other under a common socialist society, Bernie Sanders became president, superheroes were real, and much much more. He most of all emphasized how he had influenced the majority of these fortunate series of events, since he wanted at least one good dimension to come out of the countless dimensions he had ruled in the past.

Mabel listened the entire time with round, amazed eyes. Everytime Bill would add a new detail, she would always dramatically react, encouraging Bill to continue.

The story went on for a couple hours at least, Bill staying animated as ever the entire time. When he was finished, the sky was beginning to lighten.

The demon crossed his arms, grinning. One thing that definitely puts him in a good mood was talking about himself.

“So?”

“So…” Mabel’s gaze darkened, giving Bill an extremely serious look, making him worry he said something wrong. “That was… SO FREAKING COOL! And imagine having a superhero boyfriend… Spider-Man… if you’re out there… Why couldn’t you have done that instead of ruining our town?” The girl excitedly rambled.

After a good five minutes of talking, Mabel began to settle down, realizing just how late- or early- it was, and how little sleep she had gotten. She was going to need a lot of Mabel juice today if her and Dipper were going adventuring.

Bill laughed as Shooting Star analyzed his story, with that classic unhinged laugh that always gave her chills no matter how often she heard it. She was a little too tired at the moment to care about just how creepy Bill’s laugh was.

“I just so happen to know a g-” Bill was cut off when Mabel rested her head on his shoulder. His entire body stiffened.

For a split second Bill was tempted to shove the girl straight off the roof, but knew better. Ford would blast his head off without a moment of hesitation. So instead, the demon forced himself to relax and take a few breaths.

He hated being touched, but he realized the only times he’s ever been touched in this new body was when someone was punching him in the nose or yanking his collar so hard he choked. Mabel’s head against his shoulder was… comforting, in a way.

Mabel felt Bill stiffen. She braced herself to have his shoulder yanked away with a snarky comment following. It never came, though, and she let out a small breath of relief.

Mabel talks to Bill the most out of everyone in the Pines family, since she was the most sympathetic. Although, she was very aware to keep a distance, not wanting to be manipulated as Ford had been. Nonetheless, she was glad their friendship had reached a peak from annoying ex-demon living with her family to someone who tells her stories until she falls asleep.

“You know… you’re not that bad of a dude,” Mabel mumbled before her eyelids drooped and she dozed off.

Bill blinked at that final comment, totally taken by surprise. He hadn’t heard someone say that about him in… years. The demon’s heart swelled just a tiny bit, although he wasn’t quite sure what this emotion was called. In the future, he will discover this emotion is called friendship, something the All Seeing Eye hasn’t truly experienced in eons.

[binnie-binnie-bambam]

I have been so curious on your tags you have for groups...... can you please tell me a few because I am genuinely curious what you have for them. They are great and hilarious. Like baby nunu boulder I can think about at 3 am and laugh over it

Lmao, yeah I have a weird brain 😂 and I’d love to tell you! Idk what groups you’re into so I’ll just go through them all haha Some have stories, some are just obvious. But I’ll just give the rundown since I talk a lot anyway 😂

UPDATE: I have to put a keep reading thingy because, oh my god I wrote so much. I’m terrible.

Astro

MJ: Happy Virus

That’s a given I think since it’s something he’s known by but he really does make me extraordinarily happy so it fits.

JinJin: Smiley Jinwoo

I love his full name and I almost always use an idols full name in any situation. I mean “JinJin” is adorable obviously, but “Jinwoo” makes me real soft. And he’s a smiley puppy and I can think about his smile anytime and it will automatically make me feel a million times better.

Eunwoo: Prince Dongmin

Again with the full/real name. And “prince” because not only is he very princely in appearance, he also has, in my opinion, some of the most important qualities a prince should have. I’m all about appreciating him for more than just his face!

Moonbin: Binnie Bug

So I have this thing where I only call specific people “bug”. Like it’s not a nickname I use lightly, it’s special to me for a reason that I’m not even able to describe. Binnie just happens to be one of those specific people. And my favorite name to call him is “Binnie” because it sounds cuddly and cute and I call him “Bin” or “Moonbin” when he’s being rude 😂

Rocky: Dancing Minhyuk

Real name again 👍 and he’s extraordinary at dancing. Nothing exciting about this tag, honestly. It doesn’t mean I love him any less!!! I would protect him with my life.

Sanha: Bbu Bbu Sanha

Sanha is captain of Astro’s boat. 👌 And he’s beyond adorable when he says “bbu bbu” so every time I tag it it makes me giggle and smile because I think about how cute he is and how much I wanna pinch his cheeks urghhhhhh I love him.

Got7

Mark: Quiet Sparkle

Mark can sometimes be super quiet and reserved and I really like that side of him. I mean I love his weird loud side too but something about quiet Mark is oddly soothing to me. And to me, he literally sparkles at any given moment.

Jaebeom: Jaememe

I genuinely think it’s impossible for him to avoid being a living, breathing, walking meme and I love it so much.

Jinyoung: Heavenly Jinyoung

Another pretty generic one. He’s just straight up heavenly. In all the way omg (he’s such a great bias wrecker 😩 aghhhh save me from himmmm).

Jackson: Wang Puppy

A given. A typical nickname of his but I just think it’s so cute and accurate. I like to think he’s mainly cute and adorable considering I qualify him as my best friend and most people want to avoid falling in love with their best friend, but I will admit that he messes with my head sometimes and thus, the tag is far from accurate in those cases…

Youngjae: Happy Sunshine

The light of my life (well one of them. MJ and Yeonjun and Youngjae are all one giant sunshine of my life). And happy is my favorite look on him. Excuse me while my heart flutters because I love him so much.

Bambam: Damn Bambam

I actually say this multiple times a day. And more than just for when he’s doing something ridiculously attractive. Sometimes it’s “damn Bambam, why are you so cute and dumb?” other times it’s “damn, Bambam is the best meme.” just to name a few 😂

Yugyeom: Brownie

I know this is also a common nickname for him, although I think people spell it Browny, but for some weird reason, when I first got into Got7, I don’t remember exactly what Yugyeom did, but it made me think of a cosmic brownie, ya know the little debbie snacks, and that’s what was in my brain when I thought up a tag for him 😂

TXT

Yeonjun: Baby Sunshine

He’s the baby out of my three sunshines, the other two as previously stated being MJ and Youngjae. He seriously makes me giddy with happiness and, like I said before, he lights up my life and makes it better.

Soobin: Cucumber Watermelon

I read somewhere when they first debuted that he has a nickname of “cucumber” because he’s tall and I thought it was cute and went with it. The “watermelon” part is because one of my favorite outfits he’s ever worn reminded me of a watermelon. I shall include a photo to illustrate my point, but also because he’s adorable.

Tadaaaaa!!!

Beomgyu: Fluffy Sparkle

Because he’s fluffy and cuddly and cute and squishy and I just wanna squeeze him. Plus fluffy hair on him is my favorite. And he’s another natural born sparkler. Idk how he and Mark do it!

Taehyun: Doe Eyes

They were the first thing I noticed about him. They always look so gentle. Even if he’s bursting with happiness and laughing away, his eyes are still so sweetly soft. I love them.

Hueningkai: Dollbaby

I took one look at this boys face and thought he was an absolute doll. That perfect porcelain skin and those defined petite features, he’s just beautiful and a lot of the time he doesn’t even look real to me.

Monsta X

Shownu: Baby Nunu Boulder

I too laugh at this on a regular basis lmao. He seriously has such a baby face though. Like it’s so cute and his eyes when he laughs I just *squeals into a pillow* “Nunu” because it’s a nickname of his and “boulder” because he’s, well, very large 😂

Wonho: Sin Axolotl

I explained this recently but I’ll just say it again since I’m on a roll lmao. He’s, a lot of the time, sinful to look at. But he’s also basically the cutest living being. And if he was an animal, I know everyone says bunny which I totally agree with, but in my brain, he’s an axolotl. I made a post about it a while back with photos side by side and, quite frankly, I cried a little about how cute I find the comparison to be. Maybe I’ll look for it, and cry again, and repost it.

Minhyuk: Soft Angel Face

I don’t mean this in a negative way so I’m not really sure how to word this without it sounding that way, but 95% of the time, I’m not wildly attracted to Minnie. It’s not that I don’t find him attractive at all, it’s just he’s more often than not extraordinarily adorable and pretty to me. There’s still that 5% of the time where he messes with my head but for the most part, he’s very soft and sweet and angelic looking to me.

Kihyun: Hamster Clam

This is one of my personal favorites 😂 This is the one I think about at 3 AM and laugh about. He’s compared to a hamster all the time and I love it so much and think it’s so accurate. But the clam part *starts laughing again* There’s this moment in some interview of MX’s, I have no idea what it was since I’ve never seen the full thing, just this clip that’s permanently ingrained in my mind, but Kihyun says something about like clam chowder or something and than Changkyun takes the mic and says “You look like a clam. Sorry.” It makes me laugh randomly and that’s why I chose it. Every Monbebe knows about that clip I’m sure. I’m still relatively new here so I don’t know everything and feel like I have to explain what I do know lmao

Hyungwon: Anime Prince

He’s so princely to me. Like he just looks regal. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a complete dork, but he looks very princely in my opinion. And to me, and probably other people, he looks like he just stepped out of an anime at any given moment of any given day. As an anime and manga lover, it makes me feel some type o’ way.

Jooheon: Joobee

Obviously known as JooHoney, I wanted to go off the beaten path and this is what my brain came up with. It’s not very creative, I’m aware of that. But I think it sounds really adorable and it fits him and I’d probably call him that if I knew him irl too.

Changkyun: Crisis Causing Boy

Curse this boy, I swear. He messes with me sooooo much. One minute he’s squishy and so so cute and I just wanna cuddle with him. The next minute he’s *string of curse words*. A demon. A demon, I tell you. He has caused me to have more crises than I can count so that’s why his tag is what it is.

As for tags for members of other groups I don’t stan yet, I only have one because I couldn’t pass up the opportunity when it presented itself in my brain. Also, I consider Ateez to be one of the groups I stan but I don’t have tags for them other than their names yet. Anyway, the one I have a tag for.

Woozi: Oojigoojigoo

I both hate myself for this and am impressed that I’m crazy enough to think of this. I just had to find out that his name is pronounced “oo-ji” and not phonetically. My exact thoughts when I discovered this are as follows: *gasp* “Ooji.” *has epiphany* *another gasp* “A baby.” *fawns over his cuteness* “Ooji - gooji - goo!” *is ashamed* “I’m a disgrace. I am the scum of the earth. I’m a genius!”

So yeah, I wrote a fucking novel I’m sorry 😂 You probably didn’t want all of this information. But now everyone knows my secrets…..? Are they secrets? Not really. Anyway, I’m sorry this is the longest post ever but I hope you at least find something of this entertaining or cute or any positive emotion really. And thank you so much for asking. I love exposing my horrible mind and terrible sense of humor to the world.

No seriously thank you. I’ve got questions about my tags before so I’m glad people are at least somewhat interested in them and what they mean/where they came from. I might update this is I think of more tags for the groups I get into in the future. This was fun. For fucks sake, I need to shut up, I’m so sorry.

[digikate813]

Fanfiction Writer Appreciation Recs

I’ve seen a bunch of people doing these, and i really wanted to too. I may be late to the party here, but I hope I can point you towards some cool stuff to check out. Most of what I read in the fanfiction circle is Gravity Falls, so this post is mostly just multi chapter fics from the Gravity Falls fandom! I might do one for one-shots, and I’m sorry if I forget any major ones, but this is what immediately comes to mind that I highly recommend.

Stanswap by @orangeoctopi7

Reverse Portal AU at it’s best! The Reverse Portal AU was popular for a while (almost on par with Blind Faith) and a lot of people tried to grab onto the idea, but after all this time, it just seems to have left a lot of incomplete works in it’s wake. That is not the case here. It’s still going, but it shows no sign of stopping until it tells it’s entire story. And this story has been insanely detailed and well executed. Retelling almost the entire series as if Ford was the one taking care of the kids, and the dilemmas he faces with the fact that Stan is stuck on the other side of the portal. Not to mention most of the jokes are on point with something you’d hear in Gravity Falls. The author is someone I am proud to call my friend, and that all started when this fic was recommended to me.

30 Seconds Later by @invisibletinkerer

A pretty recent one that i really hope gets more attention. I’ve seen people do fanart and stuff of Ford being the same age as when he got sucked into the portal, while his home dimension and Stan aged, but I didn’t really see much potential for a full story in that idea. That changes with this fic, which again is still ongoing, but updates fairly regularly. The interactions between the Grunkle Stan we know and love and a Ford who is still fresh from his sleep deprived paranoia days, and still susceptible to Bill’s possession brings so much engaging conflict that i cannot get enough of!

My Demons by @kazriku

An oldie but a goodie. This one is basically a Mystery Trio story that focuses mostly on Stan and Ford, and the first chapter was written before A Tale of Two Stans came out. Adjustments were made after that episode came out, but this fic is very much telling it’s own story on how the Stans became so distant, and the incident that lead to Ford being trapped on the other side of the portal. Filled with mysterious suspense and some entertaining brotherly bonding, even if it hasn’t updated in a while, if we’re talking about fanfics I appreciate, there was no way i couldn’t include this one. It was the first major GF Fanfic I read from the person who would become my first mutual, and chances are this fic lead to me reading all the ones you see here!

By the skin of your teeth by @apathetic-revenant

I didn’t realize just how popular this one was until today, but it deserves it. It’s so good! When Stan gets into his argument with Ford after Ford calls him for the first time in 10 years, he realizes that something's wrong with Ford. He’s very sick and his house is a wreck. There is so much tension and angst in this one as Stan puts the pieces together about what’s been going on with his brother, and Ford continuing to fight what seems like a losing battle. There’s a happy ending, but it takes quite a bit to get there, and it is glorious!

And Then There Were Three by @kalajorn

I’m just going to say it. This is one of my favorite Mystery Trio stories. Ever! With an author who I think really is under the radar in the community. Mystery Trio is probably my favorite AU for Gravity Falls, but depending on who you ask, it either got stronger or weaker once A Tale of Two Stans came out. For me, it only got stronger, and this fic is an excellent example of why. I adore the scenario presented here of how Stan and Ford eventually reunite. How there is some spark of their connection as brothers still there, but there are still forces interfering with that, and using the material from canon to build some great tension. Updates take some time, but i promise you it’s worth it. This story only gets more engaging with each chapter and i’m hoping it’ll stay that way.

A Little Bit Lost by @impishnature

Impish is really a beacon of life for the GF fandom. Regularly producing high quality content of all kinds. I could have put any number of her stories on here. If you miss Gravity Falls, and you want to reminisce about it over a weekend, scroll through her AO3. You’ll find a lot to enjoy. But one of my personal favorites is this compilation of fics surrounding the Feral Ford AU. An AU that vanished as quickly as it arrived. I was even going to write something small on it, but i just never got to it. Anyway, these stories of a paranoid, almost animalistic Ford from what trauma he faced on the other side of the portal is just so powerful. Every idea has a new obstacle. Sometimes it’s comforting. Sometimes it’s heartbreaking. But there’s always something to grab your attention and not let go. I come back to these a lot, and they are always a great read.

I’d also recommend her Mystery Trio fic Phobos, but that one hasn’t updated for a while. But I still really like it so here ya go!

Maybe it’s Not Too Late by @rum-and-shattered-dreams

Why was this one so hard to find? It’s awesome! One of the reasons I’ve dived so deeply into Gravity Falls fanfiction more then any other fandom I’ve been in, is because even after the official shows credits rolled, it still left us with so much potential for what other adventures were out there. And this is one of the best examples of that. It’s a great, insanely engaging post series adventure involving pretty much the entire main cast and the return of the Shapeshifter, with Fiddleford and Ford as the main focus. Yes, it is partly a Ship Fic, which I’m not crazy about, but I don’t really find it distracting. There is so much in this story, and the shipping is just another element of it. And FiddAuthor is one of the ships I tolerate more, so I don’t really mind that much. The rest is just too dang good!!

Better Kept Secret by BadonKaDank

Another one that nearly alluded my radar until a friend mentioned it to me back when it had just completed, and I’m glad they did because this story is AMAZING! Having someone from one of the boys’ past come back for revenge is another premise that was circulating for a while that I freaking adored!! There were a few good pieces of writing out there on this (and even a comic currently going on), but this fic is at the top of the chart for me. Filled with drama, action, intense and suspenseful moments, it’s one that really stuck with me that i can’t believe I almost missed. 

Goodnight Stanley by Kitsunesocks

I haven’t seen many people mention this one, and while it may not be the most angst filled story involving the Stan Bros, it’s still a great one. Without giving too much away, while Stan and Ford are getting ready to head back to Gravity Falls, they discover that Bill might not be entirely gone, and that he may be plotting a way to come back right under their noses. Despite how common it is, this is a premise I’ve never been crazy about. I think @thesnadger Axolotl is the only story like this to engage me past the first chapter. Except this one. This is a great adventure of a story. The pacing is excellent and the characters are on point. Some of the most accurate I think I’ve seen in a Gravity Falls fic. I especially appreciate how proactive Dipper and Mabel are in this story. A lot of fics like this tend to push them to the side to make room for the Stans. But this story makes good use of everyone involved. It’s not the most emotionally driven story out there, but it’s one of the most well put together stories I’ve seen in a GF fic.

Blind Faith by @pinesinthewoods

Oh my God! This one! I originally wasn’t going to include this one because I know the author is no longer active in the fandom, but again, appreciation post. And this story deserves to be appreciated no matter what. You all know this AU, where Stan and Ford both wind up on the other side of the portal, and have to face the horrors on the other side together. Blind Faith was already fairly popular at this point, but this story propelled it to something else. Something stronger. Something with depth. Leaving you with chills as you finish every chapter. Aside from My Demons, this is probably the first fanfic I was checking for updates on, daily. This brought many new ideas to the AU that you still see in the occasional new content today, and that is something truly special. This is from yet another author who I am proud to call a friend, and it’s weird to think that back then, I was just a fan of something a lot of other people were. I’m sure most of you have read this one, but if you haven’t, go read it! It’s one of the best out there.

Stanley McGucket by @thelastspeecher

This is the sort of fic I don’t normally care for. Tons of original characters and a lot of shipping. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just not for me. But the premise was just too intriguing to resist. The idea of Stan being offered a job from Fiddleford’s parents and basically becoming an honorary member of the McGucket family is a really endearing premise. And when certain characters reunite or put the pieces together about who they are to each other, it really gets the ball rolling. You’re just waiting to see how everything will turn out, and it’s a pretty great ride. I followed this story and it’s expansions for a while. Then it branched into multiple AUs on it’s own and it just got way too confusing to keep up with the tag. But the main story is still a enjoyable ride from a type of fic that usually doesn’t grab me. But it had an interesting idea that pulled me in, and followed through on it. Welcome to the McGucket Family Tree Stanley

Amnesia by @ducksalive

Okay, yeah. This one isn’t technically a Gravity Falls fic. But I’m really into Ducktales right now and i was running out of Gravity Falls stories. So yeah, I’ve started diving into Ducktales fan fiction. Even wrote one of my own which you should definitely check out. Please? There’s not much out there that’s grabbed me as much as these other stories yet (if anybody knows any good Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera/Gizmoduck stuff out there, let me know), but something about this one had my attention. 

I’m one of those people who is immediately intrigued by amnesia stories but the reason most people aren’t is because of how often they can go wrong. So far, that’s not the case here. In this story, Donald is the one with amnesia, and Glomgold finds him and convinces him that he’s his uncle, and that Scrooge is the enemy. From there it’s a race to try and help rescue Donald from a trap he doesn’t even know he’s in. While Donald constantly suffers for it. If you’re the type of person who likes family angst (which chances are you do if you’re a fan of any of the above fics) then you’ll get a kick out of this. Every time you think the family is going to get Donald back, Glomgold manages to snatch him away. And realizing just how far he’s willing to go to keep Scrooge’s nephew on his side is just shocking. This is another story that’s still ongoing, so there’s no telling how this will conclude yet, but at the moment, I am very emotionally invested in this one.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten way more into fanfiction then I ever would have imagined. I never looked twice at it before, but now I’ve been a spectator to many creative stories, the authors of some of my favorites have become some of my closest friends, and I’ve even written a couple myself. I may be late to the actual day, but I hope this shows my appreciation for all the fanfic writers above and a few dozen I’m probably forgetting at the moment. 

[a-mad-scientist-approaches]

A Glimpse of the Other Side

Alrighty, starting off Diptember with a huge angst fest. LET’S DO IT. Meant for Week 1: Dreams.

I’ve included this as the next chapter of this fic, but it also works pretty well as a one-shot, so here you go! Takes place in the Adrift AU, where Mabel went through the portal instead of Ford coming out, and it focuses - I mean, really focuses - on Dipper and Stan and the aftermath they face. 

AO3

Gritty grey dirt spilled and shifted underfoot, flecks flicking up into the air easily against a backdrop of an equally grey sky and spiralling away into the slipstream of the two running figures. Their boots thudded into the ground, sliding, unable to get a good grip on the soft silt. They tore across it anyway, into the distance, heading for an impossibly far horizon.

A great line of green fire split the scene.

It streaked perpendicular to their path across the grey field, the larger of the two figures raising an arm to cover his head as it shot past him like a bullet train, the eyes of the girl at his side wincing shut at the brightness in front of her, and it went on, the ground coming up to meet it before it could hit its far away target. A spray of dirt was launched a hundred feet into the air. The sound reached the figures not long after, a shriek of a whistle, deafening, the girl clapping her hands over her ears to block it out.

And another bolt came afterwards. It hit behind them in an explosion of black-flecked sand. Another screamed over their heads, from the opposite direction, a retaliation, the blazing trade-offs continuing up and down the field.

Mabel-!

She was getting tired, she was running out of breath, fighting to keep her legs moving against the uncooperative surface. Her eyes periodically widened with terror, reflecting green light, then clenched shut again as a giant jagged beam passed close, instinctively turning her head away.

Keep going you have to keep going!

Her foot caught in a particularly soft drift and sank into it. She stumbled and pitched forwards.

OH, NOW THAT DOESN’T LOOK GOOD!

A hand reached out and grabbed the back of her coat, six fingers fisting into the material and yanking her up again.

HAHA! GOOD OL’ SIXER TO THE RESCUE!

Please help her please help her please get out of there PLEASE!

The crossfire continued to rain sideways around them.

IT’S NOT LOOKING GOOD, KID! I WOULDN’T GET YOUR HOPES UP.

Another shower of ashen grains, the closest explosion yet, more or less a wall of dirt rising up out of the ground and dumping over them in a flood, catching in their eyes, their mouths, their hair, their skin, working its way into the smallest gap in their clothes. His sister’s hand came wildly through it, managing to latch onto his uncle’s by sheer luck, grasping it as tight as she could.

THERE’S NO WAY IT COULD GET WORSE, RIGHT?

The dusty particles cleared for the most part, hovering in the air, ready to breathe in. The lights and lasers ceased for a moment. The ground started to tremble, causing minute avalanches in the miniature sand dunes. The vibration was everywhere.

WRONG!

A sudden suction seemed to overtake the ground under them, the dead soil collapsing downwards like water through a drain in sections everywhere over the battle zone. His family’s shouts couldn’t be heard over a massive mechanical grating, whirring, whining permeating across the entire field, under the entire field.

MovemovemoveMabelmove!

She did, in unison with the uncle he’d never met, but it was far too late. An enormous machine broke the surface, spinning points rising up, uprooting the ground far more than the lasers ever could have. Mabel and Stanford were surrounded by a fortress of clanking grey towers, contorting with great thunks into the largest weapon he’d ever seen and no matter how secure a hold his uncle might have of his sister there was no way they could get away from whatever this was. They were caught in its inner workings, metal spreading in blocks, moving around them in chunks, closing and encroaching all around them, blocking out what little light there was section by section until there’d be none left and they’d be trapped in the darkness forever or crushed or burnt up in whatever the machine was designed to do –

“MABEL!”

Dipper snapped into consciousness already sitting up, breathing hard, sweating and on the verge of tears, the dream refusing to go away, every detail still present in his mind in horrifyingly high definition. Bill’s laughs continuing to echo loudly around in his head until he was fully awake. The monochrome colours washed away. The room was clear and silent and . . . empty.

He was awfully alone in the attic.

Sobs escaped him as he shakily pulled himself out of his bed and over to the other vacant one. He clutched at the sheets and pillows and cold stuffed animals that hadn’t been played with in about a month, wishing, wishing so hard his heart ached that his sister was in their place. It was dark, and the burning in his eyes made it hard to see, so he could almost pretend that she was still there . . .

. . . but she wasn’t.

Dipper buried his face in the sheets, slumping to his knees. He’d learned by now that he couldn’t keep it in. He had to let it out, or it would rip him to pieces and explode out of him at the worst times, these thoughts. These thoughts about how he didn’t know where Mabel was, how no one did, how she could be hurt, or worse, how anything could have happened, how he might never see her again, how the dreams Bill kept sending him could be true, how they might even be watered down versions of the truth: what if something much worse was happening? What if Stanford was dead after all? What if Mabel was alone?

It almost left him paralysed.

Gradually, the rest of the world filtered back into his perception. The feel of the sheets under his face, the softness of whatever animal he’d gripped. The snuffles and grunts of Waddles nearby. The wind blowing through the rafters, the woods, the night air. His own cries settling down into something more manageable.

But not completely.

He was wide awake, and determined to stay that way until it was unavoidable. Unfortunately, he’d been desperately – almost non-stop – pouring over blueprints for the portal with Stan and McGucket for the past few days/weeks, and even the insistent panic hovering over him wasn’t enough to drown his exhaustion.

Why couldn’t he just get a grip?

He gritted his teeth but the urge to move to do something to not be useless was overwhelming him again.

He needed to know that his family – or what was left of it – was still okay.

Wiping his eyes on the blanket, Dipper stumbled to his feet and made his way resignedly to the door, tracing a path that had become a habit about two weeks ago, around the time when the last of his residual anger had drained away, leaving him feeling little more than scared.

He walked quietly down the steps to Stan’s room, avoiding the creaking floorboards. When he blearily reached out to put a hand on the doorhandle, he realised he was still holding Mabel’s toy.

He stared at it, then shrugged, putting the smiling pink axolotl under his arm. I guess I could use a friend now. Even if they aren’t human. Or able to speak. Or even alive. He sighed, and squeezed it.

Usually, Stan would be snoring. Tonight, he wasn’t. As Dipper pushed open the door, sharp, quick grunts reached his ears. The curtains on the window were open, and by the twilight Dipper could see his uncle tossing uncomfortably, a deep frown on his face, the sheets twisted around him and his fingers clenching arrhythmically into fists. He was having a nightmare.

“Grunkle Stan?” Dipper said loudly, immediately coming into the room.

Stan eyes instantly shot open and one hand suddenly had a sturdy grip on the baseball bat he kept beside his bed and it was raised and ready to attack in a split second.

“Whoa! It’s just me!” Dipper exclaimed, holding up his hands and almost dropping the axolotl while he was at it. He recovered it just in time, though.

“Dipper?!” came Stan’s incredulous, hoarser-than-usual voice. His eyes went wide, and the bat fell from his grasp. “What’re you thinking?”

“Wh- I – I thought you were in trouble,” 

Stan went quiet at the simpleness of the answer, staring at him strangely. Now that Dipper thought about it, it was obvious what Stan had been referring to – there were concealed weapons all over this room, and his uncle had been extremely on edge lately. Add in a nightmare, and, well . . .

The baseball bat rolled to a stop by the foot of the bed.

“I’m sor-”

“You okay, kid?” Stan said at the same time, looking closely at him.

Everything he could respond with seemed to whoosh out of Dipper. Was he okay. Wasn’t that a thing to ask. It was such an enormous, overbearing question that he couldn’t even muster up the energy for a quick, instinctive lie right then and there.

Into the silence, Stan swung his legs out of bed and felt the nightstand for his glasses. He put them on, still intent on Dipper. It occurred to the boy that it might not be dark enough for him to get away with seeming like he was okay. It was a bright night, and if he could see Stan, then at this range Stan could definitely see Dipper’s most likely red, teary eyes and harrowed appearance. He should back out now. He should go back to his and Mabe- go back to the attic. This was most certainly not what someone looked like after a summer of being toughened up: of being slowly taught how to fight back, how to take a hit and dish one out right after. This was what someone at the exact opposite end of the spectrum looked like. Stan didn’t have time for that sort of thing, and Dipper wanted as little as possible to do with it too.

But he didn’t go. Maybe he was so tired that everything seemed awfully simplistic now, but he took a few more steps into the room because Stan had felt the need to reach in defence for a baseball bat a second ago. And Dipper didn’t like that something – or someone, he thought darkly – could make his uncle feel like that.

How was he supposed to help, though? He could barely help himself, he was failing at helping Mabel, at helping Great Uncle Stanford . . .

“I just-” His voice caught and he had to start again. “I don’t- do you ever think that we’re not making any difference?”

Stan looked shocked, but regardless was almost all the way through his reply before he stopped himself.

“Every damn day-”

He put a hand up to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. As the eye contact was finally broken, Dipper came back to himself a little bit. His own words registered with him, and then so did Stan’s words, and he looked up at the ceiling and tried not to start hyperventilating and/or crying again.

“Is everything . . . I mean, did you need something, Dipper?”

Dipper kept staring upwards for a moment, and then wiped his nose and brought his gaze down to rest on his uncle’s hand on the mattress’s edge.

“Was it Bill?” he asked, and his voice was somewhat steady, like he was actually ready for the answer.

He could hear the grimace in Stan’s voice when he replied. “Yeah it was Bill, again. And before you ask, no, I did not make a deal with the one-eyed evil dream demon who’s been haunting us with the worst nightmares ever,”

“What do you mean ‘again’?” Dipper said, ignoring the sarcasm and jerking his head up to look Stan in the eye once more. “How long has he been visiting you for?” His breathing was starting to quicken. “What’s he been saying? Has he offered you anything? You know we can’t trust him, right? We can’t listen to anything he says, we can’t fall into his traps, he’s not going to help us get Mabel and Great Uncle Stanford back, he’s not going to do anything but make things worse, Stan please don’t make a deal, please you’ve gotta listen to me he’ll kill us if we give him the chance-!”

“Hey, didn’t I just say that I hadn’t made a deal with him?” Stan’s voice was alarmed as he knelt in front of Dipper and grabbed his shoulders to keep him upright. He hadn’t even realised he’d needed to be steadied. That lack of balance, of rightness, just seemed to be yet another thing that was missing from the world, that might never return (shutupshutupshutup).

“I mean, I know I’m not above doing some shady things,” Stan was saying, “but that guy doesn’t even try to hold up his end of the bargain. Not even a little bit. Even I can tell that that’s a bad investment,”

Bill Cipher: a bad investment. Well, that was just about the greatest summary of him that Dipper had ever heard. He laughed. It was mirthless, and more of a choke, and he was still reeling from the revelation that Stan had been having dreams too, but something inside him that had been corkscrewing out of control stilled. He made himself take slower breaths, his heartrate responding in kind, and let the grounding feel of the hands on his shoulders draw him back to the dark room.

“There we go,” said Stan, giving his right arm a squeeze as he finished talking about . . . something. Pugs and smuggling came to mind. The words had helped, that’s all Dipper knew.

The blank, oppressive urge to sink to the floor and start sobbing returned.

Oh. Hello misery, my old friend.

Stan was sitting him down on the edge of the bed. He felt the mattress sag a moment later, his uncle taking a seat beside him.

“I uh . . . I think he’s probably been coming at me for just as long as he’s been coming at you. Don’t worry about it, okay?”

It took Dipper a moment to remember the first question that had spilled from his mouth. He nodded at the floor, acknowledging the answer. It didn’t really help anything. He shouldn’t have bothered asking.

Something about it stuck out, though.

“Wait. How do you know he’s been visiting me?”

A shift of weight and the vaguest of shadows on the floor told Dipper that Stan was rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Well, you’re-” he sighed again – “you’re not exactly quiet, kid,”

In other words, he’d been shouting in his sleep.

“So I’ve, y’know, done what I can,”

In other words . . . Stan had come and calmed him down before now? He didn’t remember that. He must have still been asleep, or close to. He wished he hadn’t been.

“Guess I haven’t really helped much, huh?” Stan muttered.

In other words, Dipper knew the feeling. But he also knew that that wasn’t true.

“You helped me just then,” he volunteered quietly. Stan didn’t respond.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been helping you,” Dipper continued in a cracked voice, still addressing the floor, and Stan turned to him, startled.

“What? Dipper, that’s not your job-”

“I’m sorry I’ve been so useless. I’m sorry I can’t do more. I’m sorry I tried to stop you from opening the portal the first time, and I’m sorry I ruined thirty years of your work and I’m sorry-” The list went on and on and Dipper hadn’t even realised just how much there was for him to be sorry about until the unstoppable litany of stifled distress started pouring out of him. Eventually he wasn’t even apologising to Stan, he was apologising to Mabel, and to his parents, and to himself, and to Stanford, and there was so so much to be sorry about and he just needed Stan to know that he was.

But Stan wasn’t having any of it.

“Whoa whoa whoa, Dipper. None of that is your fault, you hear me?” He said fiercely, putting one arm around Dipper’s shoulders in a way that would have been protective, if everything that Dipper needed protecting from hadn’t been inside his head. His other hand gently but firmly turned Dipper’s face away from the floor, making sure he was looking at Stan for what he said next and oh, great, now he was full-on crying on top of everything else.

“It’s not your fault. It’s mi- it just happened, okay Dipper? Yeah, it was the worst, most awful possible thing that could have happened, but it wasn’t your fault. It was just a stupid, cruddy thing that happened. And we gotta keep going until we fix it again. Ah, jeez,” Stan momentarily removed his hand to grab the box of tissues on the bedside table, handing them to Dipper, who grabbed a handful and used the excuse to hide his face again. Stan pulled him against his side.

“It just happened,” he impressed on him again. “And no one blames you for any of it, least of all me. And if anyone does, then that’s your cue to punch ‘em a good one, and then you come and get me so I can as well. And then Wendy’ll probably want a go, and maybe Soos could give them one of his glares while we’re taking turns at it.”

Dipper snorted wetly, using the last tissue and dropping them all over the floor. Stan seemed encouraged at this response, and went on, “And I don’t think there’s anyone who’d be stupid enough to get in between them and Mabel when she gets back,”

The sobs returned full force. “But what if she doesn’t?” he practically wailed into Stan’s shirt. He felt the arm around his shoulders tighten. It was something he’d been thinking about over and over, and since Stan had been doing this for thirty years longer than Dipper had, he was sure it plagued his mind as well. But neither of them had so far dared to say it out loud. “What if they aren’t there when we open the portal again? What if they’re really gone?”

Wordlessly, Stan rested his chin on top of his head. He didn’t seem to know what to say.

When he did speak, it wasn’t any of the blind reassurance with zero meaning behind it that Dipper had expected.

“You can’t think like that, Dipper.” He murmured. “I know how easy it is, believe me, I know, and I know that you can’t always avoid it. But those thoughts . . . they get really close to convincing you that you should just give up altogether. And that is not an option.” Stan pulled back, handing Dipper a few more tissues as he looked at him again. “Besides, I’ve seen you and your sister pull off some amazing things this summer, things that shouldn’t have been possible. So, I think if anyone can do this, it’s you two,”

The tissues were crumpled and allowed to fall to the floor. Dipper drew a shuddering breath.

“That’s it.” Stan encouraged. “I mean, it’s not as if the only things to have happened since then have been bad, kiddo,”

“It’s not?” Dipper said bluntly. That was honestly news to him.

The smidgeon of confidence that had accompanied Stan’s statement evaporated. Put on the spot, he cast around the room for inspiration: Dipper saw him look at the partially open door, where he’d found his uncle in the clutches of a nightmare, at the bedside table, where the photo of him and Mabel had been moved from the basement, at the floor, littered with his tissues, and then at Dipper himself.

Surprisingly, inspiration was found.

“Yeah, it’s not.” Stan removed his arm from around Dipper and reached down to the toy he was still holding in one hand. He ruffled the axolotl’s frills. “You found this little guy, didn’t you?”

Dipper gave a watery half-smile that lasted maybe half a second. “‘S’on Mabel’s bed,”

“And, uh-” Stan looked around again, but ended up turning back to the fluffy toy. “Well . . . he’s not covered in snot or something, so that’s a bonus.” He grinned as Dipper huffed out another shaky laugh.

“So, the only good thing to have happened recently is me finding this snotless axolotl?”

“Uh, no, definitely not.” Stan faltered again, and recovered with, “Y’know, it’s time for you to start pulling your weight kid, I’ve already come up with two things. You’re falling behind, yeesh,”

“Alright, alright.” The room was examined for a third time. Stan was right, it was pretty devoid of obviously positive things. Grasping at straws, he thought about what had happened before he’d fallen asleep.

“Soos finished fixing the control room,” he offered, wiping his nose again.

Stan nodded speculatively. “Did a good job on it, too. Don’t think I’ve ever seen it so tuned up,”

“And – and McGucket’s already got all the support structures set up,” Dipper said, warming to the topic.

“Rebuilding the thing the first time would’ve been so much easier if he was around to help,” Stan said with just the barest hint of bitterness. “Y’know how many first-aid kits I went through just from the support structures cutting me up?”

Dipper shook his head.

“Five. Five entire first-aid kits,” Stan said over Dipper’s disbelieving laugh. “Mostly from the tools, actually. Speaking of, have you seen Wendy use that hammer? Boy, and I thought she was good with an axe,”

“Yeah, she’s been amazing!” Dipper agreed enthusiastically. “The way she scaled the wreckage and got all those pulley systems set up? And she carried that huge piece of machinery like it was nothing! She looks really good in tank top,” he added wistfully, and this time it was Stan who laughed.

“And those girls, Candy and Grenda: you remember how they distracted that builder while we stole his forklift?”

“And that time Soos rigged up a way for Waddles to bring snacks down to the basement?”

One by one, the memories filtered in, shining against a backdrop of grief. Dipper could remember the exasperation on his uncle’s face as he argued with McGucket about the built-in racoon den, feel the lead and ink staining his fingers when he’d finished helping with hastily written assembly instructions.

“See? Not all bad,” Stan said during a lull in the exchange. “We’re getting there,”

It only took a few moments of reflective silence for all the pain to come back and hit Dipper, like it had been lying in wait for another opening. His tentative smile wobbled and faded. They’d been using the memories to distract themselves from the real issue, after all.

“We’ve got all the Journals this time,” Stan reminded him (or maybe himself), seeing the change. “And we’ve got help, too. Not to mention that both me and McGucket have already built this thing once before.”

“So how much longer?” Dipper whispered.

“At this rate? Not long, kid. Maybe another month.”

He didn’t know if he could do this for another month. Heck, he’d just had a meltdown, and they weren’t even halfway done.

“. . . you remember all that stuff you tried to teach me over the summer? About fighting back?” Dipper managed. He didn’t even wait for Stan to affirm it before continuing. “M’Sorry I couldn’t keep it up for longer,”

“Dipper . . .” sighed Stan. Dipper went back to staring at the floor. “For one thing, we just had a whole shebang about how you’ve got nothing to be sorry about, and that includes this.” He prodded Dipper in the chest with a finger, making him look back up.

“And for another,” Stan went on, “I don’t know what you’re talking about with this ‘couldn’t keep it up’ business. Far as I can see, you’ve never stopped,”

“That’s not true,” Dipper said, shaking his head.

“Oh yes, it is,” insisted Stan. “This is what fighting back looks like, buddy.” His voice softened as he tilted his head at the mounds of tissues on the floor, the childish toy in Dipper’s lap, the swelling around his eyes. “You’re not giving up, are you?”

Dipper shook his head immediately.

“Then you’re still fighting back.” Stan said simply. “There’s no middle ground with this. And hey, so what if you needed some help beating this one back? That’s what you’ve got me for: hitting all the things that wanna hit you.” He nudged Dipper gently, but there was nothing joking in the gesture. “No one ever said you had to do it alone, and believe me, you don’t want to. In fact, I’m not gonna let you. Ever. You’re stuck with me, you got that? You’re never gonna get rid of me. In fact, I’ll still be hanging around when you’re eighty, beating off the weak, elderly, pensioner bullies in your retirement home with a stick,”

His throat was closing up so much that it was hard to make any sound, let alone the laugh for which Stan kept speaking to him until it had croaked its way out, but Dipper still managed it. He had to shut his eyes tightly and bury his head in his hands for a while to try and keep the sheer, roiling surge of various emotions in him contained, but Stan kept rubbing his back and didn’t seem to care when it spilled out for the umpteenth time that night.

More tissues, more tossing.

“I’ve thought – thought of another good thing,” Dipper said, straightening up again. “You. I’m glad you’re still with me,”

Stan made an involuntary little noise and spent some time facing the bedroom door and adjusting his glasses, fingers frequently ducking underneath the lenses.

“Sap,” he muttered after a while. Dipper wordlessly shuffled closer on the bed and wrapped his arms around his uncle’s torso as far as they would go.

“What is this, a hug?”

Dipper nodded into his shirt.

“Good,” Stan mumbled, holding him back just as tightly.

“There’s one more thing I want you to know,” Stan said. “Sheesh, hope I’m not gonna turn into one of those wise old mentor types that haveta go off and be hermits - wait, that’s not it.” Dipper felt him shake his head. “Don’t listen to that part. Listen to this, ‘cause if you’re anything like me – and I know you are – you’ve definitely been thinking it.” He paused, making sure Dipper was really paying attention. He was. He could feel himself tensing up in preparation for whatever was coming.

Addressing him seriously, one hand on his shoulder pulling him back to look him in the face, Stan said, “Don’t you ever wish that you’d been the one to fall through the portal instead – as if you deserve to be here any less than she does, okay? No matter how much I want your sister back, I would never trade you out for her, understand? I would never take that deal,”

All the strength went out of Dipper in one fell swoop, like some great emotional vacuum in the sky had suddenly been aimed directly at him, sapping all his remaining energy, and he slipped forwards against the hand holding him upright, forehead thumping again into his uncle’s shirt and a by-now familiar embrace encircled him and soothing words washed over him and he – he couldn’t even speak with how many things were tumbling through his mind that he wanted to say – denials about how he hadn’t thought that, cries about how he had, insistences that he was fine, assurances that Stan didn’t need to feel that way either. It was all stammered out in a jumble of half-sentences and disjointed words that were all patiently taken in and smoothed over like the rhythm of Stan’s hand through his hair.

Eventually, he woke up again, even though he couldn’t remember falling asleep. Gravity was shifting slightly, which was probably why he’d stirred. A pillow met his head, and the softness of a duvet was pulled up over his shoulder. There was a pause, and then a cuddly, frilly thing was placed carefully near his face. Even in his dreamlike state, Dipper knew it was important, so he tucked it in closer. Before the passive nothingness took him in again, he felt the mattress dip, something substantially heavier than he was sinking into it in front of him. He felt insulated, sheltered, the harbour of safeness only growing around him as a large, warm hand settled on his shoulder.

He couldn’t imagine the dreams reaching him here.

But they did.

But they were different.

The room was small, dark, and warm. A few figures shuffled around inside. Two were in quiet, serious conversation, but the most negativity that could be gleaned from it was due to some worry, which was being assuaged. The discussion drew to a close, and one of the figures left, warm light shining briefly through the crack in the doorway. The other bent over the cot in the corner, lowering a shape into it and then sitting on the edge after pulling up the sheets. Methodically, a coat was hung up on a post, and a small pair of boots placed at the foot of the bed.

Mabel?

The third shape shifted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. He went to say something, but the person – the conscious person – by the bed cut him off curtly. He left soon after, the atmosphere relaxing slightly as he did, even though there was no reason for it to be tense in the first place. Nothing bad was going to happen tonight.

His sister’s hand rested on top of the sheets, and the thumb of a larger, six-fingered one traced over her knuckles. Ever so slowly, the movements stilled, the breaths in the room evening out moment by moment. The upright figure’s head drooped.

Mabel? Dipper asked again.

With a start, the man woke up again, looking around the room. Seeing nothing, he sighed and rubbed his eyes, standing. He made his way to the door and reluctantly left, sending a last glance back at his niece. A presence that Dipper hadn’t been aware of until it moved followed.

Mabel was sleeping, but something was holding her like that, so she wouldn’t be able to hear anything he said. He didn’t know how he knew that, but it didn’t worry him. This didn’t feel like one of Bill’s tricks, where there was too much information firing at him from all angles, harsh sensory inputs assaulting him at all times, nothing but terror filling him up. This was real, processable, and for now, safe.

He wanted more than anything to talk to his sister, to hug her again. And he could, but she wouldn’t remember it. More than that though, he needed to let her know that he was coming for her, that they were still fighting to get her – and Stanford – back. That it would be okay.

He curled up next to her on the cot. A lump in his side kept him from getting comfortable, and drawing it out, he found a smiling pink axolotl, its frills waving friendlily, its tail swaying. He placed it between them, watching as it nuzzled his finger and rested its head on Mabel’s arm.

Not long now, he promised her.

[liinos]

seventeen!! 🥰

my first bias

i think i've been a jihoonator from day one but i was Close to being a seungkwan stan

my current bias(es)

no bc this is so hard... jihoon obviously, seokmin, jeonghan, dino... but i love all of them so they all live in my head at least part time 😭

my album and/or era ranking (or favorite of each)

ranking them is so hard but i've gotta give it to my queen al1... best album AND era imo... face the sun is also one of my faves album wise and ymmd2 era and album wise or both Peak + ymmd1 era wise hehe controversially i actually think i'd put an ode as my least favorite album HOWEVER it ties with al1 for best era bc the styling was everything to me

how i got into them

i don't fully remember but i *think* i had a recommended video of them on a variety show and they performed no f.u.n. on it and i was like OH??? this is so good... and this was right as the al1 teasers were happening so i saw those a lot on the dash and i loveddddd them so i decided to get more into them

which member would be my best friend

seokmin is my bestie what do you mean "would be" 🤨

something i associate with them (or with a bias/any member)

talent 💅🏻 i'm jk i associate jihoon with axolotls bc of his :] face and as a whole I associate them with the Very specific L.A. sunlight they had in the dwc video bc it's ingrained in my brain 😭 just yeah like... sunlight in general?? tbh?? idk if that makes sense but to me it does and that's what counts

send me a group and i'll tell you...

[picnokinesis]

GF fandom meme

Tagged by @archervale​ woot woot!!

Answer the questions and tag 10 followers/mutuals!

When did you get into Gravity Falls? wELL once upon a time a certain @archervale​ got obsessed with GF and kept making awesome art and bugging me to watch the show. Eventually I caved in Christmas 2016 with the promise of a multiverse fugitive character and a stargate-like thing + awesome characters. And so I binge-watched the show in the one free week I had whilst Archie screamed with me over Skype. It was....intense xD

What got you hooked on it? Hmm, I’m not sure, because I thought it was pretty neat from the beginning. Possibly the first genuine-threat-to-character we get in The Hand That Rocks The Mabel when Gideon was actually attacking Dipper with his telekinesis and then they almost plummeted to their deaths...xD BUT the bit when I was actually ‘obsessed’ was probably after NWHS when I was genuinely crying because GEEZ THAT EPISODE

Do you write, make art, or create content for the fandom or just enjoy being a part of it but haven’t made anything yet? I’ve done some fanart! And I started a fic that Archie was gonna illustrate but I’m awful and never finish any piece of writing hahaha. It’s not too bad though! I like the idea, so maybe one day it’ll get finished

Who’s your favourite character? sTAAANFORD PINES because did I mention he’s a multiverse fugitive who is possibly ace/aro and loves codes and cryptids? 

Most underrated character on the show? Hmmm idk? Possibly Wendy, she’s the coolest and I don’t see much of her around, but that’s possibly because I’m rather solidly in the Stan Twins part of the fandom and not really any other part?? (I say this because I have an irl friend who also likes GF, and we compared which fics we’d read and....there was no overlap at all because I just read Sea Grunks and Portal Ford and he mainly read Mystery Twins adventure and Wendip ahahah xD So maybe I’m just missing all the Wendy content)

What’s your favourite episode? Probably NWHS, but I also absolutely adore Scary-Oke. Oh, and DD&MD too! Because it’s the first time we see Ford as a character just being himself, as opposed to explaining his past and dealing with pesky government agents etc.

What’s your least favourite episode? Umm...idk? I guess maybe the first two episodes, not because I don’t like them in themselves, I’m just not overly fond of the first episodes of ANY tv show, because everything has to be established and...I’m impatient? xD I’m just a sucker for established character dynamics and you don’t get that until about episode 3 or 4 in tv shows. But the storylines in those two episodes are fine.

What do you hope to see in the graphic novel? More multiverse stuff and sea grunks!! And codes! And AXOLOTLS! Seriously, just give me a book of codes, axolotls and theoretical multiverse rambling and I’ll be happy. 

Favourite fan content? Fisherman’s Knot by @scribefindegil​ is  the first fic I got into, so I have an awful lot of feelings about that (especially Chapter 16 fUDGE. CHAPTER SIXTEEN). There's also Drastic Measures by @embulalia​ which is really excellent and I love that a lot, especially how Ford is written and just aUGH MY HEART. And neelh (not sure of their tumblr?), who has some INCREDIBLE fics like Measurably Away which just BREAKS ME and is beautifully written/structured, and then Hold Me Fast and Fear Me Not which is just a really really awesome au But my favourite fic writer in the GF fandom is definitely @marypsue because FUDGE her stuff is so good. A Shock to the System is probably my favourite thing in this fandom, but I also adore her X-Men AU and the EXCELLENT Grauntie Ford au (just...GEEZ, I did not know I needed that au but AHHHHH. Delilah just kills me each time and honestly I was listening to that song for weeks after and ugghhh my emotions) Art wise - @archervale and @a-million-chromatic-dreams are literally the coolest (plus Jen writes AWESOME fic too!). And of course I love @kiki-kit's lyric comics, which are ASTOUNDING

I’m not gonna tag because it’s suuuuuuper late and idk how many people this has gone around now?? But feel free to do this if you want! Consider yourself tagged!

[crossroadsdimension]

Return

Man, what’s with all these one/two-word titles? Eh, it fits anyway.

So, this is a part of the “Brain Trauma AU” that @radioactivedelorean, @witete, @a-million-chromatic-dreams and others came up with a while back -- and one that I joined earlier this week to flood with fluff. Considering that I’ve been focusing on Ford’s recovery from being stuck in his own body as it shuts down around him, I think you can all guess what it is that this particular title means. :)

You can find all the other stuff we’ve written here!

The town of Gravity Falls was buzzing with excitement as people stood in the town square.

Fiddleford, who had come dancing down from the mansion an hour ago, wove through the crowd, offering confirmation from what he’d heard and letting people see the little card with the frilly lizard that he’d received as proof of it.

“I cannot believe Mabel got to go to another dimension and didn’t take us with her!” Candy scowled, then shook her head as the scowl softened. “But family is more important, and I understand that.”

Pacifica huffed and tossed her hair back with a hand. “I’m wondering about this giant alien woman everyone’s been talking about. Only McGucket’s seen her, and he’s shorter than the rest of us. I really doubt that anyone’d be able to carry Dr. Pines around, anyway.”

“I COULD CARRY HIM!”

Multiple heads turned. “Shhhh!”

Grenda ducked her head. “Sorry.”

“That’s just because you’re abnormally strong,” Pacifica responded with a shrug. “I doubt that any alien would be able to stand up against you in a test of strength.”

“Indeed!” Candy adjusted her glasses. “And--”

The air suddenly rippled in front of the crowd, causing all conversation to cut off suddenly as a rip in space appeared in front of them.

Bodacious T -- formerly known as Toby Determined -- started to bring up a bat covered in nails, but Fiddleford pushed it down and gave the reporter a look that caused him to stumble back.

“It’s okay. I know it looks dangerous, but this one doesn’t go anywhere bad,” Fiddleford said seriously. He paused. “At least, that’s what I think.”

The hole of space ripped a little, and then Dipper and Mabel stepped through, hand in hand, with bright grins on their faces.

“Dipper! Mabel!” Wendy started waving a hand wildly in order to get their attention.

“Wendy!” Dipper waved back as Stan came out of the portal behind them. “Long time no see!”

“Mr. Pines!” Soos’ voice wavered.

“Hey, hey, don’t you dare start crying on me.” Stan gave Soos a pointed look, and the man-child sniffled and rubbed at his nose. His expression softened. “It’s good ta see you too, Soos.”

“Where’s Dr. Pines?” Candy asked.

“He’s comin’, just give ‘em a second.”

The portal rippled again, and Jhessie stepped through, a rather disgruntled Ford in her arms.

“--can walk, Jhessie,” Ford was saying. “Put me d-down!”

Stan snickered, and Ford shot him an annoyed look as Jhessie carefully lowered Ford to the ground. As Ford’s sandaled feet settled on the ground, he leaned against a cane made of dark purple wood that shimmered, as though made of pure glitter. The grip at the top of it appeared to be made of silver, carved in the form of a little lizard-creature with frills on the sides of its head.

“I simply wanted to make sure that you had passed through my portal safely.” Jhessie patted Ford on the head kindly, making his disgruntled expression soften a little.

“...okay, I take back what I was saying before,” Pacifica said. “That is a really tall alien.”

“Ford!” Fiddleford scrambled out of the crowd and grabbed his friend in a hug. “Yer walkin’!”

Ford’s frown melted instantly into a grin as Stan burst out laughing.

“He’s been walkin’ fer a good two days now!” Stan said. “Took ‘im a bit, though.”

“Well, I’m just glad that yer able ta move around again.” Fiddleford smiled brightly.

“As am I,” Ford agreed.

“Cool cane, Stan Number Two.” Wendy slipped out of the crowd. “Did Mabel have a hand in making that?”

“Yup!” Mabel bounded over to the redhead. “Jhessie let me dunk it in glitter! Isn’t it awesome?”

“For sure!” Wendy held out a hand, which Mabel promptly high-fived.

“What’s with the little lizard thing?” Pacifica asked.

“I-it’s an axolotl,” Ford corrected.

“The Axolotl is an important deity in the multiverse,” Jhessie explained. “My temple is dedicated to him.”

“What, you mean the place where you took them?” Pacifica pointed at Ford and the other Pines.

“That is quite so. The technology I have available to me in my dimension was able to do far more to assist Ford rather than maintain the state he was in. I have done everything I can, and although he is capable of moving about on his own, he will not be without his scars.” Jhessie put a hand on Ford’s shoulder. “I would stay and answer more questions, but I am afraid that I must take my leave of you.”

“You mean you can’t stay a day?” Mabel asked, disappointed. “But -- but you have to meet everyone in Gravity Falls!”

“While that is true, I’m afraid I have other versions of your great-uncle to assist in recovery, so they may continue traveling and eventually find their own ways back to their dimensions.” Jhessie looked at Mabel kindly, then turned her attention to the townsfolk. “I will now take my leave of you.”

With a slight bow of her head and a small smile, Jhessie turned and stepped back through the portal, which winked out of existence.

There was only a short pause before the Pines were peppered with questions on all sides from the people of Gravity Falls.

“COOL IT!”

Mabel’s yell caused the questions to trickle to a halt.

“Thanks, pumpkin.” Stan ruffled her hair before looking at the townsfolk. “I know you guys are worried, but ya mind givin’ us a bit ta get settled back in the Shack an’ arrange fer a ride back ta Piedmont fer the kids? We’ve, uh..we’ve got a lot ta think about.”

“Don’t you mean get back to your boat, Mr. Pines?” Soos spoke up.

“Nah, Soos. Unfortunately, those days are behind us, short as they were.” Stan clapped a hand on Ford’s shoulder, being careful not to throw him off balance. “We can probably find other things ta do around here.”

Ford nodded, but his eyes had a bit of a melancholy expression in them now.

“What do you mean?” Wendy frowned. “That was your dream, wasn’t it?”

“Well, yeah, it was. With how Ford’s legs are he’d never adjust ta the sea too well, so we just figured we’d stay on land where it’s easier.” Stan frowned. “Sides, Jhessie shot down the idea pretty fast.”

“Sh-she’s j-just c-concerned for our w-w-wellbeing.” Ford made a slight face as his words stumbled over each other.

“Yeah, but we don’t need a second mom.”

“If you’re not gonna go out to sea, then what are ya gonna do?” Fiddleford asked.

“Hang around town.” Stan shrugged. “Ford’s got a couple things he can do yet.”

“P-papers to write,” Ford explained. “Sc-scientific dis-s-scoveries to record.”

“Ya ain’t doin’ more field work, though.”

Ford shook his head sadly at Fiddleford’s questioning stare. “Th-those days are behin-nd me.”

“Then you’re going to need help, old man. Right?”

Ford looked up as Pacifica folded her arms across her chest.

“Pacifica!” Gideon hissed from somewhere in the crowd. “Ya don’ talk to the Author that way!”

“Shut up, I can do what I want,” Pacifica called back. “Look, Dr. Pines, if you want to keep doing research on stuff here, you’re gonna need help. Candy and Grenda have already been running around bugging the gnomes and doing who knows what else -- they’ve probably managed to find some stuff that you haven’t.”

Ford’s eyes narrowed.

“Pacifica….” Candy adjusted her glasses nervously. “I really doubt that we have found things that Dr. Pines has not discovered yet.”

“I bet he hasn’t studied a Hawktopus before!” Grenda grinned widely.

Ford reeled back with a spluttering noise. Stan burst out laughing.

“He labeled that thing ‘too stupid to study’ in his journals, so you got him there!” Stan laughed as Ford shot him a sour look.

“YES!” Grenda threw a fist in the air. “We can fill you in on all its awesomeness!”

“I highly doubt it’s that ‘awesome,’” Ford muttered, scowling.

“You shall have to wait and see,” Candy said with a knowing wink. “We will come by when you are settled in.” She turned and walked out of the plaza, Grenda following after her.

“We’ll bring you the one that I’m keeping in my house!” Grenda called back.

Ford spluttered again.

“Guess I’ll see you around. Or something.” Pacifica shrugged and followed after them.

Ford stared after them with an incredulous expression as Stan burst out laughing.

“Those kids are a hoot,” Stan said as he recovered himself. “You’re gonna like ‘em, Poindexter; I guarantee it.”

Ford looked at him with a lidded stare that suggested he might think otherwise.

Stan chuckled and patted Ford on the shoulder. “Come on; let’s get back to the Shack and get things settled in. I’m gonna have to drive down to where I’ve got the boat to get our stuff, obviously, but I think I left a few things here to make do for a couple days.”

“We could call Mom and Dad and get them to bring the stuff up,” Dipper suggested. “I mean, they are gonna want to pick us up.”

“And they’re gonna wanna see you, too!” Mabel chirped. “So we could do that, right?”

Stan tapped his chin in thought. “Well, I don’t see why not. Would save money on two bus tickets. We’ll call ‘em when we get back to the Shack.”

“They’re gonna be so happy to know that Grunkle Ford’s okay!”

Ford smiled at Mabel’s exclamation as she started to dance down the street towards the Mystery Shack.

“We’ve got a car nearby if you guys need--”

“We’ll be fine walking, Soos.” Stan waved off Soos’ suggestion. “Ford’s been stuck in bed long enough.”

Ford smiled a little at Stan’s statement.

“We’ll come by the Shack and make sure you boys are settling in later.” Susan smiled at the two of them and winked her lazy eye. “Wink!”

Stan spluttered a little as the townsfolk scattered back to their homes. Gideon and his father remained there for a moment, but a look from Dipper and a raised eyebrow from Stan caused them to bolt.

“That kid’s got a few more things ta learn before he’s gettin’ anywhere near yer research,” Stan muttered.

Ford grunted in agreement. He turned and started moving down the street, cane clacking against the ground with every slight-unsteady step. Stan followed along next to him, Dipper staying ahead. Mabel was already a pink, sweater-y blob in the distance.

“It’s definitely gonna be different from here on out, huh?”

Ford gave a short hum and nodded in response to Stan’s question. The grip on the axolotl-handle of his cane tightened a little. “M-my research is g-g-going to be dif-f-ferent.”

“Yeah, since ya can’t be out there yourself.” Stan nodded. “Some of the time, anyway. Those kids’ll be a big help, though, I can guarantee that.” He gained a sly look. “So, what was it about that ‘Hawktopus’ that made it too stupid to study?”

Ford groaned.