#and the only one NOT to make a deal with Bill

[huginsmemory]

@the-gay-prometheus THANK YOU YES! It'd been a while since I read TBOB, but with the details you really see that even though there are instances before even the sticky note, Bill doesn't do much direct physical harm to Ford, even if it ultimately ramps up to very verbal/situational abuse with only a dash of physical abuse... Even though Bill usually will happily go for physical abuse. And I mean, also looking at Bill scratching at the door thing... Bill is also desperate. There IS a timeline for how long they can stay in the nightmare realm and I think there is something terrifying on Bill's end of having that escape suddenly be shut off to him... (But that also doesn't detract from the horror of what Ford is experiencing).

Also, I think some of the 'niceties' Bill goes for could also be construed as 'carrot and stick routine', especially after the rooftop incident, with the fire and the chess set, but the thing is that it DOES come out of Bill's care for Ford and not just him wanting Ford to boot up the portal (it's a look at what we had; we can have this again, I want this again too. But it's only possible if you co-operate). And I think it comes out of the fact this is such a incredible well done depiction of an abusive relationship because just as there are often good times in abusive relationships that have people coming back to them, the person who is abusive most of the time does have a form of deep care for or love the other person, but it's a selfish love that is twisted by that person's own desires and needs which overrules their partners own autonomy (perhaps a better word is deeply attached... one can argue the definitions here. Also this is NOT me excusing those folks. Get the fuck out of there. It's just that relationships and caring for people can be more twisted than what people like to assume on the surface). And you see that with them. Bill cares about Ford, but he's also extremely selfish and not only that but self-destructive; this triangles got a whole SWATH of issues, and he can't for the life of him be honest about anything, especially regarding losing face. He lies and lies and lies (which I've chewed on over here lol). The only time we really see him be honest is with Ford about his dimension when he calls himself indirectly a monster (cough, self destructive tendencies from guilt)... And I think what's compelling is that he HAS been somewhat truthful with Ford before, because he does care about and relates to Ford. And it's possible if they did talk he would have been possibly honest again with Ford, about the nightmare dimension falling apart. But it doesn't happen because Ford refuses, which makes perfect sense narratively. And I really can't see it going any other way, without them not both being the characters that they are.

And I think WHY I really like the both of them as you've said is the tragedy of it. That Bill actually CARES but he's too fucked up over things to be able to really care properly. On top of the fact that they're both very similar characters and have found refuge and love with each other, even if it's codependent as fuck. And it all falls apart, even if there was real care and love in it, before it turned (exponentially) toxic. Good tragedy is when things COULD have turned out okay but the characters (will always) fail to make the right decisions, will always fuck it up. And you see that, cause you wonder what would happen if Bill was honest about the nightmare dimension, and to some degree if Ford would have actually spoken to Bill (and if Bill was honest in that conversation). But that's not them. Besides they've also got a fuck ton of other issues they'd have to deal with on top of that...

Really can't get over the CAN WE TALK? stickynotes. And I mean I think part of it really kinda clicked when I've seen some fanart about it. We really see in TBOB that Ford after beginning to hear voices slipping through the cracks and questions Bill, to learn what Bill really intended, ENTIRELY shuts down his communication with Bill. And you see Bill when he gets questioned in that moment responds with a heavily implied dialogue along the lines of "haha, yeah I tricked you, I'm here to overtake your dimension". But Bill still expects Ford to respond to him in some way, and it's very clear that Bill is shocked when Ford REFUSES to talk to him. And what's interesting is Bill doesn't just IMMEDIATELY begin with threats; he actually leaves stickynotes first, before Bill realizes he's FUCKED UP big time and gets really nasty. There's something pleading with the CAN WE TALK? sticky note. There's a point where Bill does realize he's not getting what he expected, that he's missing Ford, and that he's willing to possibly even smooth some things over, explain things better (maybe even the part that the nightmare dimension is unraveling perhaps) or persuade Ford into Bill's plans. But Ford refuses, and it's already too late for Bill because just like with Stan, Ford feels betrayed and when Ford feels betrayed he'll mercilessly cut the person out of his life. Ford deeply, deeply holds hurt and betrayal and as a result he has zero desire to speak with Bill again (and also uhhh big red flag to take over the world, so also. Yeah).

And it's interesting because it's a slower ramp up until Bill is desperate and threatens, uses violence, because that's what he's always used when it comes down to it, and an ultimatum is given. It wasn't just threats out of the gate; Bill DID try to speak to Ford (btw this is not me being like Ford should have spoken to Bill and it would be magically healthy, cause no matter how you slice it it's just a toxic mess tbh). Threats out of the gate would have been faster; there's over three weeks in the timeline, before Ford goes through the portal (althought we don't get too much context around exactly when everything occurs). That's a lot of time! But Bill didn't threaten Ford immediately. And I think part of that reason is because Bill expected Ford to speak to him, expected their relationship or at least their project to mean enough to Ford that Ford would speak to him and then continue their work, once his anger cooled off. And I think also part of it is because Bill cared about Ford, not that he'd admit it in the moment; but he'd rather Ford willingly be alongside him, then have to force him through threats to do the work on the portal. You see that, even after Ford spends 30 years trying to kill him and nearly even does, when he offers him during wierdmageddon to be a henchmaniac. Bill cares about Ford, wants Ford beside him. But then Ford continues to refuse to engage with him at all, and Bill realizes he's lost Ford, and progressively gets more desperate and angrier as he's still refused, and falls into the violence he usually uses, to get Ford to cooperate.

Anyhow it's one of those things that you wonder what would've happened if they DID speak, but that would ultimately be defying a big part of who Ford is... So in a way it's a juicy juicy tidbit to chew on, the implications beyond the writing on the sticky note.

[mary34blog]

Out of all the AveMuji girlies I was always most invested in wtf Umiri's deal was out of them cause like... I had legit no idea what direction they end up taking with her.

With the others you could make a pretty decent guess about where it goes: Like Mutsumi DID surprise was unexpected to be sure, (mostly because I didn't think they would actually put that in a Bandori season) but even with her I had a decent image of her character trajectory. (Some of which I ended up guessing correctly.) And lord knows the entire creative team likes to hype the hell out of the incoming Uika Twist so I knew going in that whatever happens with her it's gonna be A Doozy in some way.

And then. There is this fuck ass bassist right here. She's in thirty gods damned bands. Thirty. What. Even if most of them barely active or dies quickly mfer that's still a lotta work. She's calm and proffesional. She's a snarky jester who likes to annoy Taki. She's making Higurashi faces in the OP for some reason. She looks like a terrified mouse in one shot of the same OP. While everyone and their grandma was busy watching Uika Misumi with baited breath I was obsessing over this funky little idiot. Sasaki Rico told us there was a bomb under the table but I only cared about why the guy stage right to the table is Like That.

And then. AND THEN. This episode is like: Umiri Yahata is like that because she's still upset about her first band she was in (that judging by their appearance in the flashback was founded in elementary school/early middle school at best) ditched her on the day of their performance. Also she goes on retail therapy after her last girlband ex refuses to text her back and dumps her tragic backstory on her ex coworker. She also leaves the bill to said coworker btw. And know is trying to get the band together while using their former rhythm guitarist's alter for her own ends all the while being framed like a sinister supervillain, right after we spent half an episode establishing her as the ultimate failgirl. Which somehow makes her look an even bigger failgirl/complimentary /affectionate. Also she sustains herself on a diet of protein supplements and vending machine drinks.

And. I. Love. Every. Second. of this fuckery. So so much. Umiri Yahata you are the woman of all time, I hope you get worse/affectionate

[sunburstsandmoonshadows]

Oh, I've seen it around! And I do!

There is a specific version of Relativity Falls that lives in my head, lol.

Instead of the Stan 'o War their joint dream is to become a director and a movie star respectively, and instead of a big blowout fight in senior year, Dipper and Mabel are separated because of their parents divorcing and then each taking a twin Parent Trap-style. (Because honestly if Mabel got kicked out like Stan you can't tell me Dipper wouldn't be running out of the house to join her then and there no matter what the catalyst was; he's protective of her in a way the Ford wasn't with Stan, not to mention the difference between a girl being stuck on the streets compared to a boy…)

Mabel eventually runs away from home to both achieve her starlet dream (goes… not so well, leading a checkered life that isn't as harrowing as Stan's but is still wild as hell) and to meet back up with Dipper. Unfortunately the info her mother gave her on Dipper's whereabouts/contact info is either out of date or just flat-out wrong. So they remain out of contact for a while until Dipper sees her on the tv and he haggles her into coming to live with him in Gravity Falls. Mystery twins shenanigans ensue!

One big thing about my concept for a Relativity Falls au is I think it would be really fun to reverse the forefont weirdness. There's a lot of magic in Gravity Falls but Ford is more of a sci-fi hero/mad scientist with a smidge of wizard. So in turn I think Dipper should be a wizard/alchemist with a smidge of mad scientist. Stan and Mabel similarly go from cryptid-focused con-man to witchy con-woman.

Taking it further, I think it'd be fun to either make the portal a magical one instead, or to straight-up not have Bill be the big bad because let's be honest here, the grown-up version of Dipper "world's most suspicious 12 year old" Pines would have one conversation with Bill and go "GOD you suck. Absolutely no deal, you Mr. Monopoly wannabe." and instead Dipper accidentally gets thrown out of his dimension by messing with… idk, this version of Gravity Falls' fae population or something. And that's how Mabel keeps the house--his real first name got stolen in the process so all they can tell is that it's a deed in the name of someone with an M. So, Mabel, they guess.

And then Mabel spends 30 years not only figuring out how to bring him back but waiting for like, the right astrological alignments to even bring him back.

[heideez]

Apropos Book of Bill and 'being attracted to what hurts you'. The show shows Ford only drinking when it comes to Bill in the present. His flask is implied to contain hard liquor. That karaoke scene in the book where Bill persuaded him to drink something alcoholic, when Ford had apparently never gotten drunk before, not even in college, makes that feel very differently.

And the implication is that Ford doesn't really remember what happened after karaoke.

If he doesn't remember that at first - it was 30 years ago, and it was a positive memory from when he still believed that Bill was his friend, when he did so many horrible things later that overshadowed all of the good - this could slam into his emotions once he does remember because of the book. That memory has now a ton of new context. Including Bill's ultimatum pre-portal, where he made Ford forget Caryn's face and his own name for a moment while asleep.

Stan, suddenly remembering the flask Ford shared with him in the Fearamid before they tricked Bill and used the memory gun on him: Fuck.

this is SUCH a great point thank you so much for this ask!!

i think about ford’s relationship (and stan’s probable history) with alcohol/substance use a LOT. it’s an intentional detail from the start—in carpet diem, the first time we’re in ford’s room, we see decanters and glasses clearly used for alcohol. the flask during weirdmageddon too, like you mention.

it’s clear that his problem with alcohol can be directly linked to bill—but i wonder if caryn also used it as a coping mechanism to deal with her own marital/relationship abuse, and it’s something he sees as a potential solution for that reason (and explains why he may have avoided it pre-bill).

the new context/ remembrance of the karaoke moment would be difficult for both ford and stan. ford because it’s one of his most vulnerable moments in the entire canon—he’s expressly taken advantage of/manipulated into doing smth he didn’t want to do. bill knows ford’s mind—he’s intentionally offering this as an unhealthy coping mechanism. bc he is an abuser.

the familiarity of this dynamic would bring stan back to his time in the road, with men who would drink like fish or do drugs and get violent—how he turned to those same substances to escape that violence. it would kill him to know his brother’s gone through something similar, been effected that way. ford should be the one in control—not spiraling and drinking to cope. so when he pulls that shit out in the fear-amid, stanley knows all bets are off, and it’s time to step up.

[pctcrparker]

Irene was a fascinating woman. Cristina had always thought her boss to be rather fascinating, but that was more in a judgmental outside viewpoint sort of way. To meet her in person like this, it was different. The grandeur that she possessed was more grand than Cristina had anticipated, but in a more endearing way. Which the thought alone surprised her. She was a lot. And working this close with her was going to be a lot. Luckily for the two of them, Cristina was not only good at her job, but she also loved this job. So she would do whatever it took to make sure that this company did their job to the best of their ability. Beyond so, even. That included dealing with her out of touch boss who, out of nowhere, decided to finally be a part of a company she owned. Arching an eyebrow when Irene asked her if she had made a joke, Cristina chuckled lowly and glanced away. “It’s known to happen from time to time. Get a couple of martinis in me and I might do some stand up,” she said, watching as Irene paid for the bill without even acknowledging the cost. Must be nice to have that sort of money, Cristina thought. When the waiter returned with Irene’s card, Cristina stood up to get ready to leave, following Irene’s lead basically. “Uh, yeah. The office that I had previously showed you before we left. That’ll be yours. It does have an extension because it had been previously known, so me and the rest of the staff know it. I’ll make sure to have it written down for you in case you need to give it out. I’ll make sure our receptionist has all the details ready for you,” she explained as they began to walk out of the restaurant. “Any questions you have, you can ask any one of us. Most of us have been working there since the beginning, so we all know the company well.”

Irene’s head was swimming with all the things she could do for the fundraising now that there wasn’t a budget. Okay, there was a budget, but the budget was higher and at Cristina’s discretion. Now all she needed to do was convince Cristina to allow more extravagant things into the fundraiser. When she talked about where to host it, Irene tapped her chin and thought about it for a moment. “I have some ideas, but I’ll have to make some calls. They’re usually booked well over a year in advance but all I have to do is bribe the right people and the venue is ours,” she said nonchalantly. Irene then grinned and leaned forward. “Did you just joke? Did I just make you joke?” she asked, her eyes dancing with amusement. She then waved at the waiter, indicating that she wanted the bill and handing him her card without even getting the bill. “Now, shall we head to the office?” she asked, pulling out her phone and letting the driver know that they were about to leave. “We have lots to do and I want to decorate my office.” Irene clapped her hands excitedly at the thought of her office. “I’ve never head an office before,” she admitted, getting up from her seat and exiting the restaurant. “Oh, do I have my own phone line? Does everyone know what my phone line or extension is? What if they need to reach me? I need work to do.” It felt… rather nice being needed again. Ever since her ex-husband’s company blew up, Irene was no longer needed. Even childcare was mostly taken over by nannies.

[noodles-and-tea]

Little Stan getting manipulated by Bill has excellent angst potential but consider.

Stanley just, keeps tricking Bill. Because Bill would definitely massively underestimate Stanley and how far he’ll go to protect Ford (like in the actual show). We also know Stanley has the street smarts between the twins and could absolutely tell Bill is full of it.

And because Bill would absolutely loose his mind if he kept getting foiled by a snot nosed eight year old that isn’t even supposed to be here

I like to think that he doesn’t even try that hard he just does not even care about bill

[robinson-graves]

[sits up suddenly from my coffin] anybody fuck with my super danganronpa 2 x guy who didnt like musicals au

[dashamanych]

Hey i am glad yall remember that Will, Wood and the Tapeworms show! Thank you for sharing your memories 🥴📺📼 I remember more about it now....

Ill keep researching just in case ill find something more about this cartoon!

[overlordbill]

"Wow! You're easy to please!" Stan pauses a moment "I don't remember giving you my name, are you one of them psychics like that brat Gideon?"

"My point is we should push you down a hill and let you get hit by oncoming traffic." Dipper tucks the book under his arm, glaring at Bill as he speaks. Stanley glances over at Dipper and mouths the words "what the fuck"

"Yeesh, what crawled up your arse and died today?" Stanley picks fun at him, eliciting a giggle from Mabel. Dipper's ears redden as he tips his hat down to cover his eyes. "Nothing!! I- he's clearly evil! He's probably trying to steal the shack again or! Destroy the journals!"

Stanley rolls his eyes. "Here we go again! Kid, those journals are a hoax! They're just good for marketing!" He walks away from Bill so he can pick up Mabel and carry her away from the door. "Up we go, pumpkin!"

"Oh, that's a good story" Stanley grins rubbing his hands together "I can already see the customers lining up! Psychic Alien comes to the mystery shack for a limited time only!"

"Wait!!! You're an alien!? I thought they would be more green and less pointy," Mabel asks, hanging off of Stan's shoulder.

"Why can't you just tell me?" Dipper complains frustrated. "Wait- this is another trick, isn't it? I'm not making any more deals with you!" Dipper has taken to chewing on a pen as he follows Stan into the shack.

HIYA, BILL. GOT A RANDOM THOUGHT I THOUGHT WOULD BE FUNNY. WANNA LET ME PESTER THOSE PESKY PINES FAMILY YA’VE GOT LEFTOVER HERE? I’LL PINKIE PROMISE NOT TO KILL THEM. (-(

"HEY, PAL! SURE YA CAN! I'M NOT DOING MUCH WITH THEM ANYWAY! IF YA TELL EM TOO MUCH, I'LL HAVE TO MESS WITH THEIR MEMORIES THOUGH"

[lesbiansanemi]

Currently trying not to vomit over the fact that I essentially just lost almost a thousand dollars brb

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

Another day of getting paid to eat fries and read my little gay books

[eccentriccryptid]

.

[coridallasmultipass]

I am once again begging online shop payment processing companies to allow me to enter a separate name for shipping and separate name for billing!!

It's the same address, I'm just trans and have not legally changed my personal name, but I still prefer to receive mail as my preferred name! Like it's literally my professional name, I do business as my preferred name.

Annoying as fuck, and I don't want to chance my bank rejecting the payment (though I'm sure someone at my bank has put a note to allow it on my account by now, since I've contacted them a couple times before when I realized too late that the billing section didn't let me input another "address/name" section, and they said the payment was fine in those cases.)

Anyway, legal name changes should be free and non-advertised for everyone. Tbh, you should get a free name change every time you file your taxes on time as an incentive for good citizen behaviour. Once I am elected pres-

[cinemacrypt]

So so so fucking angry tonight

[cementcornfield]

Which duo do you think have the stronger bond or will age better, Josh & Diggs or Joe & Ja’Marr?

(I know it’s a hard question) 😅

Hahahahaha it's a tough one but I love it.

A dear mutual put it best a few days ago when she said that the state of Allen & Diggs' relationship is directly correlated to how well the football is going. And I completely agree. To me they're a very fun duo in that watching them is like watching a train wreck, or when they're doing well, fireworks. Explosions either way though.

Joe'Marr though is the duo i'm most heavily invested in at the moment (the moment being the last year of my life almost). They have their own brand of insanity and while it's less overt than Diggs and Allen, it's very much there and fascinating to me. The little glimpses we get of what they actually mean to each other hidden behind Ja'Marr's constantly changing stories and Joe's rare openness. All of the history they have with each other at this point. The constant gestures of the game ball, the jersey, the pinky promise. The way they just know each other, better than anyone else on the team (how they both always emphasize they don't need words with each other). Ugh it hurts my heart truly and I cannot wait to see them together again in a few weeks!!!