#bill finds mabel much more threatening

[wusnus]

I love mabel and bill and i want to see them being bffs but i cannot see an interaction between them going any way other than this

[strawberryshortcake1495]

Here’s my personal interpretation of the Reverse Portal AU aka “The Summer Project”, told through the perspective of Mabel (loosely based off @urdadsceilingfan’s AU)

So this AU version of Mabel is still the sweet bubbly little girl she is but with a sprinkle of sad loser in it. She and Dipper had a normal happy childhood until elementary school, where Dipper got involved with the Book Club. The Book Club mainly consisted of the nerds of the school and Dipper instantly clicked with them, since they were the only people who seemed to understand him. But what Dipper didn’t know was that the Book Club are actually a bunch of misogynists who bullied Mabel. And I can’t even say Dipper didn’t know about it, because sometimes they’d mock her right in front of him. Dipper truly was concerned about his sister but was too afraid of losing his friends. Most of their sexist comments made Mabel want to stray away from doing feminine things which resulted in her to stop doing the things she genuinely loved, like knitting sweaters. Mabel and Dipper would always bicker about the Book Club and their parents were starting to notice how their relationship was starting to strain and they knew the upcoming divorce would just make things worse for them so they sent them off to Gravity Falls for the summer to live with their Grunkle Ford. 

Mabel and Dipper kinda swap places in this AU, but like only a little. Like, their personalities are the same but their sense of self is slightly different. With Ford and Dipper growing close, Mabel feels left out and abandoned. She starts becoming desperate for some sort of connection and that’s when she decides to summon Bill Cipher himself so he can help her become a more likable person. Bill ends up possessing her with the promise that he’ll just do all the socializing for her and she’s very much grateful. Did I mention this takes place in Double Dipper? (It’s a subplot) Bill doesn’t actually do anything threatening or harmful in Mabel’s body, he just acts confident around everyone he sees just like Mabel asked. But this “confidence” just makes her look a weirdo. But luckily, Candy and Grenda LOVE weirdos! So by the time Bill leaves Mabel’s body, she’s already got herself two new best friends. Mabel is extremely grateful and asks if there’s anything she can do to repay him. Bill tells her about the underground lab in the Shack and says if she helps reactivate the portal and allow him into the physical realm, he’ll give her all the friends she needs. Of course, Mabel takes the bait and most of Season 1 is her tracking down the journals and trying to understand them while making sure nobody else knows about her master plan.

In Not What He Seems (although the episode would be titled as “Not What She Seems”, Ford and Dipper find out about Mabel’s plan to free Bill and Ford is freaking out. During the climax of the episode, Ford, Dipper, and Soos confront Mabel about her plan and she has a breakdown about how lonely she was until she met Candy and Grenda and Dipper asks her if having him here wasn’t enough (it wasn’t). Dipper is the one who has to choose between his Grunkle and sister and Mabel is just sobbing the entire time. But instead of him choosing either side, he just stays frozen until deciding to press the button but the timer has already counted down. The person who comes out of the portal isn’t Bill, but Stan himself. 

[fangirlingpuggle]

Please tell me more about your au where the twins are billford kids please please please

Hey there haven't been able to stop thinking about AU so here more additional thoughts

Mable and Dipper not knowing about their deal power until later, like Mabel accidentally making deal with Pacifica/challenging her and suddenly her hand is on fire '...that's not good' twins frantically trying to fix everything and now they have a no deals rule.

Well after some experimentation the twins wanted to know what would happen if they tried to make deals with each other... both hands catch on fire and well... Grunkle Stan watching TV and then turning head to see his niece and nephew turned in ash ans still slightly smoldering.

Others slowly finding out about their demon forms, Candy and Grenda they love Mabel's demon form and think it's so cool... they also help her experiment with powers... it usually ends in chaos.

Wendy finding out, realizing these 2 kids have had to live copped up indoors and not do anything like go to school and have friends and is instantly like 'I am going to make sure you 2 have so much fun, you are going to have coolest summer ever!'

Pacifica also finds out, because of demon deal but pretends she doesn't. It's only later she reveals.

Mabel: YOU KNEW IT WAS ME?

Pacifica: YOU WERE STILL WEARING A GIANT SWEATER OF COURSE I KNEW IT WAS YOU!

All the life threatening events are far more less threatening it's less my life is in danger more like I need to blow I'm not human/ I can't let my powers go crazy cause otherwise things are gonna get weird and maybe worse.

Whenever Stan hears the kids voices he automatically looks up he's really used to then kids floating.

Bill finding out he's parent freaking out and the Henchmanics are torn between 'WE'RE HONORARY AUNTS/UNCLES' and... welp fuck probably not gonna be able to make while worlds a party since Bill is already asking about how to baby proof the mindscape.

When Ford comes back it's him that faints this time... everyone else has known about him for ages.

Mable and Dipper have seen journal 1 and then journal 3 after Dipper finds it (Stan is not surprised, kid is so much like Ford of course he's find where the nerd hid it... now they only need the 2nd journal) Mabel's seen the writing about don't trust him about Bill and seeing journal 2 she puts together her parents aren't.... on the best terms. She still is on the matchmaking thing cause she has an ideal dream of 2 happy parents along with her twin, grunkle stan and big brother Soos.

Fiddleford even when meeting twins for first time in human form is terrified of them. He is scared every time and he doesn't know why just instinctual fear.

[ceaselesswatchersspecialboy]

Heyo! Got a question or two. (Or six-)

- Do you ship Mabifica? Or Dipcifica for that matter? I personally like the former more but I'm just imagining Bill's reaction to having to deal with the fact the girl who insulted Mabel is now dating her/her brother.

Actually, even if you ship neither, I just want his reaction the the Pine twins now being friends(?) With Paz.

Would he try to scare her off? Would he warm up to her?

(If you couldn't already tell, Pacifica is one of my favorite characters, just below Mabel.)

- Does Stan and Ford ever get as close as they did at the end of the show? I mean, Ford must be reeling, sure. But.. Do they ever get on that boat?

- Does Bill make an effort to reconcile with Ford? Even just a show of apology?

- And does Ford bond with the twins? Would he just see them as another thing Bill has tainted?

- Also. Are you planning to make fanfiction of this? Or a comic? Or any media that tells the story? It's now become an integral part of my life.

- Last one! What other bonding moments does Bill have with Wendy? We've got the bets, yeah. But is that all?

(I found your au an hour and a half ago, and I'm already this invested. That is absolutely amazing, considering I don't really latch on to things. (Thanks a lot, autism) I love the art, and I love the tidbits. If it ever gets too overwhelming, don't be afraid to take a breather!! ><)

Hello! I shall do my best to answer!

— I’m personally a Dipcifica enjoyer myself! I don’t see them getting together this summer, so it’s less of a dating thing, but Bill would be decent at recognising the signs of a crush forming thanks to Mabel exposure all summer. He’d be completely against it. He’s listing every reason why the Northwests suck to Dipper, all the times Pacifica has done something to make Mabel feel awful! He’s maybe a little dramatic about it, in true Bill fashion, and is taken aback when Mabel insists it’s okay.

Pacifica’s changing, they both say! Mabel fully intends to be Dipper’s wingman!

Bill finds that idea ridiculous. People don’t just change. Humans are known for staying the same once they’ve settled into their body — that’s just how it is.

Pacifica has proven to be the opposite of everything Bill has taught the twins, and so he sees the blooming friendship as a threat and doesn’t like it. It doesn’t help that it’s around the time his fear of changing is at an all time high, so he’s maybe projecting a little onto Pacifica.

He definitely tries to scare her off initially, and when that doesn’t work, he settles with threatening her should she ever make Mabel upset against. His threats are… very intense and it’s clear the issue runs deeper than just Pacifica. He really goes for her insecurities. Honestly, this may be one of his worst moments in front of the twins? Stan ends up having to intervene and try to figure out what’s going on in Bill’s head beyond just being protective over Mabel.

(Pacifica girl I am so sorry)

He doesn’t warm to her per se, not yet, as much as he learns to tolerate her sometimes being around. She does her best to avoid him anyhow.

— Still working out the exact details so I don’t have much to say right now, but yes, he does. A verbal apology from Bill is also kind of a big deal. Like Stan struggles saying Please, and Ford struggles saying thank you, Bill struggles saying sorry.

— Ford does bond with the twins! I think I mentioned in a post a bit ago that Dungeons Dungeons and more Dungeons is like a gateway for their relationship, and it helps Ford become more comfortable around them and vice versa. Though the general unease still lingers at times, Dipper starts to get comfortable asking him more and more questions about Gravity Falls, and Mabel knits him a few sweaters and tries to catch him up on all the pop culture he’s missed etc. Sometimes he snaps at them when he needs space, and he tends to hide behind Stan some days, but they do get to know this new Ford, and begin to get closer to him bit by bit before Summer ends.

I think he does see them as something Bill has tainted, but not in an irreversible way. If anything, it motivates him to try and get to know them more once the initial fear has settled, to try and re-instate himself as Ford Pines, and be their Great Uncle.

— I don’t plan on making a fic or a comic, mainly because I am busy right now and juggling a lot. It just isn’t something feasible for me and I notoriously don’t do well managing long projects. But, I am hoping to do art and maybe mini comics for it, once I defeat my art block and style crisis, perhaps some one-shots too if I can also defeat my eternal writers block. I’m honoured you think that way of it though!!

— They generally have a very positive relationship! Bill is seen as the cooler Stan by her friends, mainly because of the fact he doesn’t really act his age, and happily enables anything they want to do, and so whenever she needs something, she tends to go to him. (“No hard feelings Stan!”) And If Stan taught her how to shoplift, Bill probably taught her how to get away with murder, not that she’d really need that, the thought still counts. They also share similar music tastes, so when Bill’s around the shack, he’ll ask Wendy to blast some AC/DC while they work. He’s also taught her all the ways to get under Stan’s skin, because he knows for a fact she’ll use them.

I think this AU too, he’s the one who showed her the rooftop spot. He encouraged any form of rebelling against the system, even if that means slacking and getting Stan to shout at both of them.

Thank you so much!? That means a lot to hear and I hope you continue to enjoy it!! And I appreciate it, I’m trying to take it slow and answer whatever asks I can and when I can, to avoid getting overwhelmed.

[wanderinginksplot]

What to watch during the writer's strike:

Don't pay attention to companies who blame writers for delayed movies and television shows! The WGA strike comes from people who are trying to make things better - not only for themselves and other writers, but the films and tv shows we all love.

While we wait for a resolution, I thought I would share some existing television shows that I enjoy. I didn't bother with too much well-known stuff. Instead, I focused on shows I feel many people missed because of the glut of content that all premiered at once over the last few years. (I may make another one of these for movies later on, but this one is about tv.)

[Update: Movie version here]

Feel free to add on! Just try to give a quick, spoiler-free synopsis for the show and the streaming service where it can be found.

List under the cut!

Netflix:

The Good Place (2016-2020) - A 'bad' woman is accidentally sent to heaven. She and her moral philosophy professor of a soulmate try to save her soul by making her a better person. Genre: Comedy with deeper implications and one of the best endings in television history.

Russian Doll (2019-2022) - When Nadia dies at her birthday party, she's more than a little confused to come back. Especially when it keeps happening. Genre: Time loop drama with a wicked sense of humor and a dash of theoretical physics. Potentially not ended?

Narcos (2015-2017) - The fight of the American DEA and the Colombian army against cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar and his reign of terror. Genre: Drama with thrilling elements. Lots of violence, some sex and language. Lots of subtitles. Features Pedro Pascal and Boyd Holbrook, if you need some extra incentive.

Derry Girls (2018-2022) - Five teens grow up in Derry, Ireland in the 1990s, amid the final years of the Troubles, a low-level war that lasted roughly 30 years. Genre: Comedy. Some sexual content, some religious content, less violence than you would expect, and the best nun ever to appear on film.

Arcane (2021-?) - Two sisters are alienated when one accidentally kills their adoptive father. Their different paths threaten the fragile peace of a city already on the breaking point. Genre: Drama with elements of action-adventure. Though it's animated, Arcane's animation is beautifully done with tantalizing steampunk elements that will keep you invested.

Disney+:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020) - If you haven't seen any of the Star Wars animated series, this is a good place to start. Set in the time gap between Episode II and Episode III, this series helps flesh out Anakin Skywalker and the Jedi. It is also a great introduction to some of the characters and plots of The Mandalorian. (Star Wars: Rebels is another good choice.) Genre: Adventure with some drama. Violence and death are a large part of The Clone Wars, but it's usually appropriate for children. The clone troopers will steal your heart!

Gravity Falls (2012-2016) - Dipper Pines and his sister Mabel are sent to Gravity Falls, Oregon to live with their great-uncle for their summer break. But when Dipper finds a mysterious book in the woods, the pair find that Gravity Falls is far more mysterious than it seems... Genre: Adventure with a lot of comedy. Though it's billed as a children's cartoon, Gravity Falls is an intriguing watch with mystery subplots that will keep anyone guessing. It also features a famously strong and cohesive series ending. I was in my late 20s when I first watched this and I was still invested!

Daredevil (2015-2018) - After being blinded as a young boy, Matthew Murdock trained his other senses to replace the sight that he lost. He uses his skills to protect the helpless in the New York City neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen. Genre: Action and superhero. Features a lot of incredibly choreographed violence. (Jessica Jones is also an excellent show to watch, especially if you think of David Tennant as the consummate 'good guy'. He's got range!)

HBO Max (Just 'Max' now, I guess):

Ghosts (2019-2023) - Petty roommate squabbles don't stop just because you're dead! Alison and her husband Mike inherit a house, then a near-death experience allows Alison to see its ghostly inhabitants. Chaos and humor ensue as the ghosts try to adjust to the house's new owners. Genre: Humor. Ghosts is a British sitcom, but since the writers are comedians (writing and performing in Horrible Histories), the show is done in a style that feels more natural to American viewers. Hint: watch the BBC version, not the American one. They're fairly similar, but definitely not the same!

Pushing Daisies (2007-2009) - A pie-maker with the ability to bring back the dead helps to solve murders. He's helped by his once-dead childhood sweetheart. Genre: Comedy with some dramatic elements. Some of the CGI-heavy moments haven't aged particularly well, but the show has a unique premise and an incredibly talented cast!

Hulu:

Abbott Elementary (2021-?) - This mockumentary series showcases an inner-city elementary school in Philadelphia. The teachers and administration do their best for the kids, but they're constrained by budgets and the limitations of the educational system itself. Genre: Comedy mockumentary. Though Abbott Elementary is fictional, some of the issues brought up are all too real. This is a funny and incisive look at the American public school system.

Amazon Prime:

Fleabag (2016-2019) - The unnamed protagonist of the show struggles through life on her own with limited support from her alienated family and the memories of her recently deceased best friend. Genre: Comedy with lots of dramatic elements. Lots of sexual content and references, some language, breaking the fourth-wall, and several characters you just long to hit. I watched the second season in a single day, that's how good this was.

Unknown Streaming Service:

Black Sails (2014-2017) - This prequel to Treasure Island features elements from the book, original characters, and real pirates from history in a setting that emphasizes realism. Captain Flint and his crew search for a legendary prize... one that might allow them to claim Nassau for their own. Genre: Action and adventure. Think Game of Thrones, but with pirates. Incredibly well-written and well-acted with gorgeous scenery, LGBTQ representation, and just enough historical accuracy to keep things grounded. Black Sails also boasts one of the best endings ever given for a television show.

Like I said, please feel free to reblog and add your own television show recommendations onto this list! There are plenty of things to watch and plenty of ways to support the WGA strike that don't involve giving in to big studios.

[pinesfamilyguidetotheweird]

Gravity Falls Headcanon: Feral Ford

Okay, so...I like this idea because there is some sense to it.

Ford had been traversing different dimensions for 30 years. I have very little doubt that he has picked up at least a few odd quirks depending how long he spent in a specific dimension.

One that I did have in mind was that he pretty much gained an iron stomach of sorts, or is unbothered to eat strange looking foods, what with him likely eating strange (otherworldly) foods in order to survive.

The main quirk I want to talk about is him gaining some animalistic behavior along the way. Regardless of what you believe in (coming from a non-denominational Christian), humans are animals. What separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom is our higher mental capacity and emotional intelligence.

Despite this, humans are capable of delving into a primitive mindset if given the right circumstances and there are alleged cases of this, usually in the form of feral children, but I digress.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

And Ford did what he had to do to survive. Seriously, what was his first year in the multiverse like? When he got sucked in, he was on the verge of insanity and likely suffered from sleep deprivation due to Bill's influence. What was the first dimension like and how did he survive it?

Regardless for now, what if Ford spent a long time on a planet lacking lifeforms of emotional intelligence, which resulted in him adopting behaviors from the animals on that planet. Not only that, but most of his senses are heightened to help him survive, maybe even garnering a sixth sense of sorts, mostly that of sensing danger seconds before it happens.

Once he is able to leave this planet, he slowly, but surely, regains most of his composure, but those instincts still remain and once he returns to his home dimension, those instincts are both a fascination to behold but also a worrisome perk depending on the situation.

He purrs when content/relaxed enough or having a peaceful sleep...the latter which is unfortunately not very common for the poor man (damn you, Bill). He can't handle a lot of smells and can actually pick up the smell of blood due to those heightened senses.

Possible PTSD aside, Ford usually has a handle on his more animalistic instincts. But all rational thought can be thrown out the window when he feels that he and/or his family was threatened to the highest he could handle. He'll sneer, snarl and growl, bare his teeth, and poise himself to either attack (either with a weapon or his own hands) or protect his family.

Like a wolf protecting his pups. His pack.

He's not exactly proud of this, finding it shameful for him to act in such a way in a civilized world, even though it was a means of survival and the others don't hold it against him.

Mabel especially loves his purring, finding it relaxing, and Dipper is fascinated by his heightened senses.

I have read multiple fics of Feral Ford on AO3 and they are a nice read. I'll make link posts to them when I have the time.

[mutatedleemon]

Hi!! I love your au for billford it's super duper cute and I checked all your posts for lost on Earth au last night so I'm still pretty new and I probably missed this but quick question!

Regarding Bill being childhood friends with the twins and erasing them, during the canon show was everything just the SAME or were there few changes for that knowledge? Did Bill still threatened dipper and mabel during their summer and did he also die from Stan? Even tho I can see he kinda cares about him? Because he almost like killed everyone except Ford! Sorry for the long ramble! I am a bit confused for this!!

Thanks!

Yeah everything is pretty much the same!

After leaving Earth and then destroying his own dimension, Bill's life was never the same and he changed from the kid Stan twins once knew to the monster he is in the show. The only thing that kinda changed (from canon) is how he thinks about them, but he always keeps it to himself, so it’s not that visible to others. Dipper and Mabel weren’t his friends and didn’t mean that much to him, so he didn’t feel bad threatening them, even tho they are Stanley and Ford’s nephew and niece (reminder - he turned evil, so he doesn’t care).

And yes, Bill “died” from Stanley. When he screamed his name for the last time, he wanted to remind him of their time together, but was too late (that’s where that one sketch with “they don’t know” comes from. The sketch is under the cut).

I hope I cleared some stuff akjfnakfjn If you still have some questions, please do ask me, I will be glad to answer. But I am planning on writing the AU as a fanfic, but it might take some time before I even start so for now, so for now the only way to find out more stuff about what in the evelroving belgian waffles is happening in my head, is by asking me akdjfndkfj

[lowkey-loki245]

I wanna make an AU for Gravity Falls called "It Takes a Village" where the townspeople caught on to the signs of abuse in Ford and all worked together to pull him out of Bill's grasp (Not knowing they're going up against a literal demon).

Like, in the few times they see Ford leave the house, whether it be for groceries or more materials for the portal, they watch as this man slowly fall apart, and the townspeople decide to do something about it.

Lazy Suzan gets Ford a job, not for the money (cause he obviously has enough money to buy materials for the portal), but so he has an excuse to leave the house and actually see people.

Blubs and Durland hang out with Ford and help him calm down and stop being so stressed (they haven't become cops yet at this point, btw).

With the town helping Ford, Ford decides to try to make things up with Fiddleford. This doesn't prevent the creation of the memory gun or the Society of the Blind Eye, but it saves Fiddleford from using it so much he looses his mind. He also ends the Society. At least, he tries to. But the members don't really wanna stop, so they just continue behind Fiddlefords back. So yeah, the Society still gets their own episode, might even become actual antagonists.

Eventually, the town convinces Ford to talk to Stan again. They get to have a nice reunion and although they don't think they can go on the open seas just yet (Stan doesn't want to push Ford when he just got out of an abusive relationship), Stan moves into the shack and they're now the inseparable twins they used to be.

Not everything is better, of course. Ford still has to get that metal plate and all. Bill is still trying to manipulate Ford into working on the portal, just through other means, but Ford now has a proper support system, so it's harder for Bill to get to Ford (Ford also warned everyone to not trust Bill, so he can't trick any of the townspeople either).

Ford still buries the journals (and that amulet that he buried with Journal 2), but the 1st journal is instead kept in a safe in Stan's room. Ford doesn't enter Stan's room because of it.

When the pines twins visit Gravity Falls, they get to become close with both their grunkles, but they still have to deal with the weirdness of Gravity Falls. Dipper still finds the journal but doesn't tell Ford because he doesn't know if Ford would like the idea of Dipper having his journal (Dipper can tell it's Ford's becausehe can recognize the handwriting). He eventually tells Ford during the zombie episode, and Ford understandably gets mad, but eventually lets Dipper keep it since he's been using it to keep Mabel and himself safe.

Stan and Gideon don't have a rivalry at first because Stan never had to turn the shack into the Mystery Shack, but when Stan gets in the way of Gideon and Mabel, Gideon starts to despise him.

When the twins finally meet Bill for the first time, instead if it being because Gideon wants the deed to the shack, it's because Gideon made a deal with Bill to find the other journal for him (Gideon still thinks there's only 2 journals). That's why Bill goes into Stan's mind, he knows Stan has the 1st journal. Ford can't join in on saving Stan because of trauma (which Ford hates). Stan's mindspace is very different. It's more colorful and not broken down. The twins tell Ford all about it and he almost cries at the mention of their childhood swing set, which is perfectly intact. (Btw, Gideon doesn't blow up the Shack for Journal 1 because Stan and Ford are the towns favorite twins, you can't really get away with blowing up the favorites' home.)

The first season finale is instead Gideon threatening to send Bill onto Ford and Dipper to guilt trip Mabel into being his wife. He fails, though, because Bill sees that Gideon sees him as his henchmen, not the terrifying demon he is, and he will not be seen that way by a spoiled brat with hair taller than himself. Bill does get to see Ford again, though (via possessing Gideon), and swears to Ford that he will come to this world, he will gain a physical form. And the first person Bill is going after is Ford.

Now, the portal had been torn down Stan and Ford, but it still created a dimensional rift because it takes a lot of power/energy to create a portal to another dimension. Energy can not be easily destroyed, so it took the form of a dimensional rift when Ford and Stan took down the portal. Thankfully, they had been taking care of the rift all these years. But Bill finds finally finds someone he can trick. Preston Northwest (Pacifica's dad). Preston doesn't care for the warnings of a man nowhere close to as rich as him, so when Bill offers him a deal, Preston takes it without hesitation. This leads to Billston tricking Stan into trusting him and letting him in the shack, only for Billston to break the dimensional rift and start Weirdmageddon.

I don't know how Weirdmageddon would play out, but I know that the entire town works together to try to take down Bill. Stan ends up having to pull that trick anyways, but he's able to get his memories back a lot quicker because of all the townspeople pitching in to remind Stan of them.

After Weirdmageddon, Ford really wants to leave Gravity Falls for a bit so he can be somewhere that doesn't remind him of Bill, so Ford and Stan finally get to go on that sea wide adventure thay always wanted to go on. The still visit Gravity Falls every summer for the town and the twins.

But yeah, Pacifica is gonna have a slightly bigger role in the season 2 finale, Soos and Wendy are still there, btw. Soos probably would become close with Stan because Stan would probably notice Soos alone on his 12th birthday, remember all the birthdays he spent alone before he moved to Gravity Falls, and try to cheer up Soos. As for Wendy, I think she'd be introduced a little later in the story since there's no Mystery Shack to work at. Probably introduced at the little town event or something.

I was also thinking of having a side plot of Fiddleford and Ford healing together, Fiddleford teaching Ford what love is actually like. Not romantic between them because I feel like Ford wouldn't be comfortable with romantic relationships after Bill. I like the idea of Fiddleford and Ford being a QPR.

[areallyhappyperson]

Evil gravity falls idea: during the portal scene where Mabel says I trust you she gets sucked in like Fiddleford and swaps places with Stanford

And Dipper and Ford would both ostracize Stan for doing what they see as the stupidest decision possible. This of course pushes Dipper to become much closer to Ford and as the summer continues the brothers Pines don't grow closer together. Stan is kicked out and Dipper takes the apprenticeship.

Seeing no other options Stan goes on the road and tries once again to look for his next biggest idea, but is haunted by the fact that he may have killed his great niece. He is once again fully cut off from his family and while he has the money he received from the mystery shack he is Stan Pines once again.

Dipper follows Ford's footsteps and learns more about Gravity Falls. His parents of course say yes that their child can take a homeschooling with the guy who HAS 12 PHDS. Dipper starts to follow all too well and he begins to delve deeper and deeper. The two start to find more about the Nightmare Realm, but at least it is safe from Bill's hands.... unless they didn't have unicorn hair. While the two are great in their problem solving they were never able to even summon the gate as Grenda and Candy stopped talking to Dipper when he revealed he let Mabel get killed. Dipper and Ford continue to try and work as they cut more and more people out for acting too Bill-ish. Dippers mind is scanned and he is protected from Bill, but there are other dangers to be found.

And finally our dear Mabel. Of course Bill didn't initially know that she was in the Nightmare dimension, but it was only a matter of time before he found out. It doesn't take two braincells to figure out a place called the Nightmare Dimension was probably home to some nasty people. What does take a lot of skill is evading Bill and talking with refugees. With only her will and her creativity Mabel starts to do her best making it along in the nightmare dimension. She grows a hate for her trusting and kind nature as it was the exact thing that likely got her family killed. The portal did exactly what Dipper and her head said it would. She would of course try to stay positive, but how long can you stay positive when, you're pretty sure, no one is coming to save you. She tries to get in contact with people, but after a long time of hoping there is nothing in the end. Ford says it is too dangerous to open the portal again and Dipper never can push himself enough to open it. Not to mention the fuel it requires.

Though bad ends don't just end. The world continues on. Bill realizes just how close he is to getting this portal open. He knows how gullible Mabel can be and so he finally makes deals with the remaining Pines. Mabel was easier. He just had to tell her a half truth of promising he would not open the portal himself or personally invade using the portal if she joined his side and said a few words, but Stan was harder. He was a con man and the world's greatest one at that. Bill would have to do something he never realized was so hard. He would have to tell a whole truth. It was the one thing that Stan would never be able to figure out. He just had to give Stan what he wanted. He wanted to pilot Stan's body for 30 minutes and then he would make Stan a god in Weirdmaggeddon. He would give Stanley everything he ever wanted with no extra cost. He wanted to preserve his own life and make their universe something he thought would be greater.

At the lowest point in his life Stanley finally says yes and the convergence at the Mystery Shack begins. Mabel is ready to slip through and set the portal to the highest setting as Stanley drives back to confront his brother. Bill takes over just outside of the Mystery Shack and disables Ford immediately before threatening to kill Dipper and doing what he needs to to break the dimensional rift.

Is this anything y’all I would love to hear ideas or if I am doing this fanfic thing correctly

[kitpanthera]

hi! i'm back with more questions (brainrot has set in -- it's terminal 😔). again, thanks for answering which of them you want to, no pressure to answer any of them at all!!

- how's ford feeling right now? guilty that he inadvertently led dipper to this? angry that dipper/bill were able to trick him for so long? a secret third option?

- in the book of bill, ford's lost pages describe bill "flipping switches" in ford's mind to mess with things (like making him forget his own name). in the recent chapter, dipper says that bill "removed the clutter" in his own mind. is bill doing something similar to dipper as he did to ford or was that just a phrase he used?

- is stan as oblivious to bill as he is in canon at this point? if so, will he remain the same as he did in canon (not finding out about bill in the present until weirdmageddon) or, with dipper helping bill, will ford and/or mabel tell him?

- the beef dipper has with the henchmaniacs is so funny. do they reciprocate his animosity (assuming they know about him) or do they essentially see him as bill's pet mouse (small but loud, with a short lifespan)?

- in the most recent chapter, mabel alludes to dipper talking about bill like he's a god. is that just her misunderstanding their relationship or is it an accurate outside view of the hero worship / devotion dipper has to bill? could their relationship potentially evolve to be more like ford's to bill (aka worship, like with the statues ford had)?

- where do you imagine shermie/their other grandparents/extended family fit into this? especially with the twins' parents having issues, do you think (prior to this summer) the twins had a close relationship with shermie + co.? if not, does that play into why they were sent to stan's house instead of to another family member and/or why they're never mentioned?

- do you have any personal character headcanons that you're going to incorporate/share with us? (like dipper being a choir and theater kid)

i know that's a lot (i'm chewing on the bars of my enclosure right now), so again, you totally don't need to answer all of them! thanks again 🩵

Please ask literally all the questions, I absolutely love hearing all this and answering questions, my brainrot is just as terminal and I'm the one writing the fic, lol

1. Ford is definitely mad at himself for letting Dipper trick him into trusting him, but he's equally as mad at Bill for going after his family in the same way he went after him. He's also mad at Stan, because to him, Stan should've noticed something was wrong with Dipper and found a way to stop Bill. I don't think he sees the differences between his relationship with Bill and Dipper's -- to him, Bill must be doing the exact same thing, and it's cemented in him that he must save Dipper from the awful abuse and manipulation he's suffering.

2. Bill has flipped a few switches, but not nearly as many as he had to with Ford. He really only flips them when he feels threatened, which is increasingly rare. Most of what he did was actually with Dipper's permission, even if he didn't quiiiite know what he was agreeing to!

3. Information you shall get in the next chapter :)

4. Most of the henchmaniacs see Dipper as another Ford, all kinda just being, well, henchmen, not reading too much into anything. He's just another human means to an end, and they're all a little annoyed at how much effort Bill is putting into this one, but it doesn't matter if the result is there. Pyronica is the most intelligent out of them all and knows Bill a little better than the rest, and she's actually kinda suspecting that Bill actually likes Dipper, which worries her a bit.

5. Dipper does have a bit of hero worship going on. Sometimes when he talks about Bill, there's a level of reverence in his voice that scares Mabel, but whether it's actually there or just perceived that way because of how vitriolic he can be towards everyone else, is up for interpretation. :)

6. Shermie is kind of oblivious. Shermie cares about the kids, but his wife was very overbearing to the twins' parents for a long time, and since she passed earlier that year, they only just started repairing that personal relationship, so he's scared to overstep his bounds by telling them how to go about this divorce with the kids. They actually didn't plan to tell the kids until they got back for the fall, but Shermie decided to at least warn Stan so he could give them an even better end of the summer to make up for what was to come. He didn't anticipate Stan's response, and isn't sure what to do next. As for the rest of the family, that branch of the Pines family is sort of the black sheep on both sides of their family (more on that to come in the series), so they don't really contact any of their siblings or their kids. The kids' grandparents on their mom's side died when they were younger, a few years apart. They couldn't send the kids to Shermie because he was dealing with the loss of his wife and the aftermath, so they sent the kids to Stan, unaware he wasn't Ford.

7. Dipper's parents signed him up for gymnastics when he was little. As he got older (8 or so) he started getting really serious about it, which his dad didn't like, so they took him out of gymnastics and put him into Little League for a year, which he hated, and started choir just to spite his parents. Then he found he really liked it, and kept doing it. That was around the age his mom started to sort of check out as a parent, as far as he's concerned. He tried to join the Chess Club at school, but the other kids were super pretentious and mean, so he dropped it.

Mabel has always wanted to be a girl scout, but was never allowed on account of the amount of effort parents have to put in for their scout kids. She instead throws herself into after school clubs, being in the Arts and Crafts Club, Cosplay Club, Photography Club, Yearbook, and she tried volleyball until she realized her lack of spatial awareness kept getting her hit in the head. Her parents have to put just as much effort into keeping up with this as they would if she was a scout, but they can't stop her, because it's school. Because of what it takes to keep up with her, and her personality garnering more attention naturally, they don't keep up with Dipper. He definitely has never felt bitter towards Mabel, because she can't control them, but gosh, can't she use that kind of power to get them to care about him? Is that too much to ask?

Please every question fuels me in this story, it is making my night at work tonight to sit around and answer these questions!!

[nataliedanovelist]

GF - How A Star Is Born ch.VIII

A Hercules AU, founded by @evaroze, whom this fic is a gift for. I hope y’all like it!

ch.VII - ch.IX

AO3 link

~~~~~~~~~~

A year after Dipper’s first victory and it felt like Gideon had died a thousand deaths.

Dipper became the most famous hero in all of Greece. He defeated every single monster or villain he had come up against, from angry warthogs that he served to the king on a grill, to wicked shapeshifters, to mad ex-girlfriends of Stan’s. No foe could stand against this hero in any way, shape, or form, and unfortunately this was very bad news for Gideon and Bill.

Bill left his minion alone to smoke and recover from being burned alive, shaking with red anger as he watched the fallen god press his hands into concrete with his teacher by his side, smiling proudly. “I can’t believe this! How is that little twerp still alive?!”

“W-W-We still have time…” Gideon whimpered, curled up and lying on his side.

“I’ve got twenty-four hours to get rid of this bozo!” Bill screamed as he towered over his slave. “The scheme I’ve been setting up for thousands of years is going up in smoke thanks to you! And all you can say is WE’VE STILL GOT TIME?!” And Bill snapped his fingers once more and Gideon was engulfed in flames, crying and yelling in unbearable pain.

Pacifica, with her back to the chaos, was smiling at the hero and enjoying the show all around her. “Tough luck, looks like Dippin’ Dots is hitting every curve you throw at him.”

Bill’s red instantly went away as he stared at the young woman before him. His eyes squinted happily and he floated to her side. “Hm, maybe I haven’t been throwing the right curves at him…”

“Don’t even go there.”

“See, Llama, he’s gotta have a weakness, everybody’s got one. We just need to find out Pinetree’s.”

“I totally did my part,” Pacifica scoffed. “Make Marshmallow over there do it.”

“He couldn’t handle him as an infant.” Bill sneered. “I need someone who can… handle him as a man.”

“Look, I’ve sworn off man-handling.” Pacifica snapped and walked away.

“Well, hey that’s good!” Bill laughed, making the young woman stop. “Cuz that’s what gotcha into this jam in the first place, isn’t it? You sold your soul to me to save your father’s life. And how did the guy thank you? By throwing you out when no one wanted to marry you and give dowry? He hurt you real bad, didn’t he? It hurt that no one wants the bratty little Llama, didn't it?”

“I get it, I learned my lesson, okay?” Pacifica croaked as she held her forehead.

“Hey, hey,” Bill cooed and placed a friendly hand on either one of her shoulders. “I tell you what, since I feel sorry for you, I’ll make you a new offer. You give me the key to taking down Wonderboy, and I’ll give you the thing you want more than anything in the whole Multiverse: your freedom.”

Pacifica’s eyes widened and her pupils shrunk as her mouth hung open.

~~~~~~~~~~

Through the fast-pacing, slightly-overwhelming year, the Temple of the Gods became Dipper’s sanctuary. At night, he would sneak away from prying eyes and visit his family, feeling all of his stress and pressure melt away.

Now not only bound to a small journal, Dipper and Mabel could talk more freely. Even more so now that Dipper funded a statue of the young muse to be put in the temple, and now a Mabel made of stone could hug him and punch his shoulder and talk and skip around him, even if she couldn’t feel his warmth or if she risked breaking bones, but he had god-like strength, so who cares? Their bond became even stronger as they swapped stories and got to know each other very well. Many times Mabel would happily sit criss-cross and listen and watch as her twin brother retold his victories to her.

This evening, however, Dipper seemed very tired. He sat at the foot of the huge statue of the Ruler of the Gods and Mabel looked down at him softly before sitting next to him in her statued-form. “Hey, what’s the matter?”

Dipper blinked and shook his head. “N-Nothing!”

Mabel smiled cockily and poked his ribs to lightly tickle him. “C’mon, you can’t hide anything from me. What’s up?”

The young hero sighed and leaned back with his hands on the steps behind him. “It’s just… I’m the most famous person of all in Greece, right?”

“Right.”

“And I’ve beaten every monster I’ve met, right?”

“Right.”

“I’m even an action-figure.” Dipper added as he threw his hands up in the air.

“Yeah,” Mabel said slowly. “So?”

Dipper looked at his long-lost sister and asked her heavily, “So why am I not a god?”

Mabel’s eyes widened in realization before she looked down at her long dress. “Oh.”

“To rejoin the gods, I gotta become a true hero.” Dipper restated. “What, am I missing something? Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” Mabel said quickly and patted his shoulder reassuringly. “You’ve been doing great! And hey, you’ve only been at it for, what, a year? You’re just… not there yet. Remember, there’s a difference between being a hero and a true hero, but you’ll get there one day, I know you will.”

Dipper smiled at her and said, “Thanks, Mabel. You’re right. I just have to be patient.”

“Besides, you’ve got plenty of time.” Mabel reminded him with a giggle. “It’s not like you’re gonna die soon or something.”

Dipper laughed alongside her, though he couldn’t quite shake the desire that he would rather be home sooner or later.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dipper walked back to his very large house after going through the lush garden. He had tried not to have a home so big but he had earned so much gold that even after donating to the orphanage he grew up in and many other causes like feeding the poor and providing housing for the homeless, he still had more money than he knew what to do with and Stan seemed to really enjoy living in the lap of luxury, so they met halfway and had a very nice house that was big but not so big that they required five maids.

Dipper entered his home and could see candlelight coming from down the hall. The old man must still be awake. The young hero smiled and moved down the hall to tease his teacher, but as he turned a corner, he was met with something that scared him much more than any monster.

“STAN!” Dipper dashed to him and was on his knees, the old man lying on the cold floor with a dripping candle by his side, a miracle the house hadn’t been caught on fire thanks to being made of stone. “Stan, can you hear me?!”

Dipper helped the unconscious man sit up to get a good look at him. He appeared more dead than alive, but the hero refused to believe it. He scooped the old man up in his arms and ran as fast as he could to the doctor, praying to the gods that Stan would be okay.

~~~~~~~~~~

Mabel was humming to herself as she emerged from her room, having finished meditating and projecting herself onto a statue to talk to her brother. She grew worrisome, however, when she saw her great-uncle sitting at the front steps of the temple, holding his face, covering his eyes, and breathing heavily, like he was struggling with his emotions.

“Grunkle Ford,” Mabel said softly as she hurried to his side and put kind hands on his shoulders. “What’s the matter?”

He looked up at his niece with heavy, shining eyes that refused to cry. “It’s Stanley. He’s running out of time.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“These things happen,” A doctor calmly explained. “As a person ages their bodies start to fail them gradually over time. From what we can tell, Stan had a heart attack. Slight damage to the heart, nothing extremely life-threatening, but a good sign that his time is running out. I wouldn’t quite count the days yet, but I would also advise you value your time with him while you can. I’m so sorry.”

Dipper was now left alone to dwell on the news. He knew Stan wasn’t exactly young, but he always seemed unstoppable, so lively, that the idea of him dying was scary and already made the young hero very mournful. He made himself get up from his stool in the hallway to enter the door his teacher was in, but he was surprised to find Stan standing up and slipping on his cloak. “There you are, let’s blow this joint already.”

“Stan!” Dipper scolded. “What are you doing out of bed?!”

“What, I’m fine now, kid.” Stan waved Dipper’s worries away casually. “Relax. Let’s just go home, I got a bottle of expired grape juice waiting for me.”

“Stan, this is serious!”

“Look, I don’t blame you for being worried, but I need you to trust me on this.” Stan said firmly with kind brown eyes, giving Dipper a firm pat on the shoulder. “I’m fine, okay?”

“But…” Dipper allowed Stan to lead the way out of the room and throughout the hospital for the quiet night. “But… you’re dying.”

“In a way we all are, kid.”

“But…”

“Dipper, listen to me.” Stan interrupted and gave the young hero a stern look as they walked down the street of Thebes. “I’m an old man, I’ve lived a very long life. I’ve known I was dying for a long time, but none of that matters to me. All that matters is that you become a true hero and get to be with your family, whether I get to see it or not.”

“But… I want you to see it.” Dipper sighed. He was very tired. He could feel so much on his shoulders, he always felt like the entire world was on his shoulders, and as they days wore on it was getting harder to ignore. He sat at a large fountain in town-square and looked at his mentor heavily. “I know you won’t be around forever, but… you’re like family to me, Stan. I want you to see me become a true hero. I want to make you proud. I want you to see me in the stars like you want.”

“Hey hey,” Stan sat next to him slowly and patted his back. “Way to get all sappy on me, hero. And where’s all this coming from? I am proud of you. I’ve always been proud of you. Since day one, I’ve been so proud of you and happy I got to teach you. I know you’ll make it someday, I know you’ll be up in the stars and be with your sister, and that’s good enough for me.”

Dipper smiled sadly, a bit overwhelmed but still appreciative. “Still, I… Am I doing something wrong? I thought I’d be a true hero by now? What more can I do?”

“Being a true hero is something you gotta discover for yourself.” Stan said and poked at Dipper’s strong chest. “You gotta look inside all this squishy stuff. Dig a little deeper. But you got something I’ve never seen in anybody, and I know that’s gonna make you into a god someday, just you wait and see.”

Dipper still couldn’t shake the feeling like he didn’t want to wait for someday to come, but he still smiled and thanked Stan for his words.

~~~~~~~~~~

Miraculously, despite his lifeline being short, Stan was just as energetic and lively as always the next day. Dipper tried to talk him into resting, but the old man refused and was there for all of Dipper’s obligations. Stan was right by his side for the opening of the newest gym, he happily partake in lunch with Dipper and the mayor of Thebes, and in the afternoon they went home to change into nicer togas for a modeling show.

Stan said something about a quick nap and went to his room to snooze the warm afternoon away. Dipper chuckled and was nearly scared to death when a soothing voice from beside a pillar said, “Oh this is what heroes do on their days off?”

Dipper grinned and greeted her warmly. It had been a long time since he had last seen her. “Wow, Pacifica! It’s great to see you again, I… I missed you.”

Pacifica approached slowly and smiled slyly at him. “Thanks, Dippin’ Dots. Man, you look good, but rough. When was the last time you had a break?”

“Oh, I rest, Stan…”

“You know I never really thanked you for saving my life, did I?” Pacifica interrupted. “How about dinner?”

As much as a date with such a beautiful girl made Dipper want to do a backflip, his immediate concern was leaving Stan alone for too long. “Oh, I dunno, Stan’s got the day booked and…”

“He’ll be okay, he’s taking a nap, isn’t he?” Pacifica asked. “He can rest, you can get some fresh air and some food. Come on, my treat.”

Dipper smiled sheepishly and she put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, baby blue eyes sparkling at him like a beautiful spring sky. Swallowing, the young smitten hero nodded. “Okay, sure.”

[illumynare]

How the Enneagram explains all of Ford and Stan’s problems

….well, most of them, anyway.

So in my ongoing quest to learn all personality typing systems ever, I’ve recently started reading about the Enneagram, and it struck me that Ford and Stan both fit extremely neatly into the system, and it provides a great framework for analyzing why these two idiots can love each other so much and yet continually hurt/trigger/drive each other crazy.

(descriptions taken from the Enneagram Institute website, not linked because apparently that means this post won’t show up in the tags??)

Stan: Type 2, “The Helper”

The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Generous, Demonstrative, People-Pleasing, and Possessive

Twos are empathetic, sincere, and warm-hearted. They are friendly, generous, and self-sacrificing, but can also be sentimental, flattering, and people-pleasing. They are well-meaning and driven to be close to others, but can slip into doing things for others in order to be needed. They typically have problems with possessiveness and with acknowledging their own needs. At their Best: unselfish and altruistic, they have unconditional love for others.

Basic Fear: Of being unwanted, unworthy of being loved Basic Desire: To feel loved

This is Stan in a nutshell: somebody who loves deeply and unconditionally, sacrifices himself without a second thought, but also easily becomes possessive, and whose “helper” actions are often in some way an attempt to earn people’s love. He rescues Waddles from the pterodactyl so that Mabel will stop being mad at him, and he rescues Ford from the portal hoping that will restore the relationship they had as children. It’s not that Stan doesn’t genuinely care about Mabel or Ford’s suffering, it’s just that, on some level, he’s always trying to earn the love of the people he cares about.

Ford: Type 4, “The Individualist”

The Sensitive, Introspective Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental

Fours are self-aware, sensitive, and reserved. They are emotionally honest, creative, and personal, but can also be moody and self-conscious. Withholding themselves from others due to feeling vulnerable and defective, they can also feel disdainful and exempt from ordinary ways of living. They typically have problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity. At their Best: inspired and highly creative, they are able to renew themselves and transform their experiences.

Basic Fear: That they have no identity or personal significance Basic Desire: To find themselves and their significance (to create an identity)

Feeling vulnerable and defective, yet disdainful and exempt from ordinary ways of living: if you looked up “Stanford Filbrick Pines” in the dictionary, that’s the first thing you’d see. People have argued a lot about whether Ford is arrogant and how much, but I don’t think that’s actually the most helpful way to analyze his character. Ford has, at different times, considered himself a genius, a fool, a hero, a puppet; but what never changes is that he’s obsessed with the question of his own identity, and driven by the fear he’s either a freak or a non-entity. Even at the end of Journal 3, when he finally starts to chillax, he doesn’t abandon the question of his identity and say, “Who cares if I’m a hero or not.” Instead he chooses a new identity: “I’m a hero’s brother, and I’m okay with that.”

So how does this explain their problems?

Because, as much as these two dumb idiots love each other, they have primal fears that are often at cross-purposes, and that make them hypersensitive to each other’s worst tendencies. Stan fears being unloved and alone, and at his most desperate he is willing to do anything—including literally immolate his identity—to keep his loved ones around him, or bring them back. Ford fears having no separate identity or personal significance, and at his most desperate he is willing to do anything—including cut his twin out of his life, and summon unknown spirits of insane power—to grasp that identity.

This is why I think that, even if the whole science fair debacle had never happened, they would have still had some kind of major rift. They both grew up bullied by other children, emotionally abused by their father, and without any kind of support network or healthy relationship models; I don’t think either of them had the resources, at that point, to deal with their issues in a healthy way. Stan would have tried to cling to Ford no matter what, without realizing Ford experienced it as suffocation; Ford would have tried to strike out on his own no matter what, without realizing that Stan experienced it as complete rejection.

And this dynamic is also what drives their conflict after Ford comes back through the portal. I’m thinking, particularly, of their scene at the end of “Tale of Two Stans”:

Ford: Okay, Stanley, here’s the deal. You can stay here the rest of the summer to watch the kids. I’ll stay down in the basement and try to contain any remaining damage. But when the summer’s over, you give me my house back, you give me my name back, and this Mystery Shack junk is over forever. You got it?

Stan: You really aren’t gonna thank me, are you? Fine. On one condition: you stay away from the kids; I don’t want them in danger. Cause as far as I’m concerned, they’re the only family I have left.

A lot of people have interpreted this scene as Ford planning to kick Stan out of his life and onto the streets (and written angsty fanfics accordingly). This may indeed be how Stan saw it, but I don’t think that’s a fully accurate perception. A moment before this, they’re laughing about being old men. Ford’s voice in delivering his ultimatum doesn’t read as angry or cold so much as somebody trying to put his foot down.

I think the key to Ford’s speech is the implicit link between “you can stay here the rest of the summer” and “I’ll stay down in the basement.” Ford is primarily thinking about the issue of his stolen identity: there can only be one Stanford Pines, so while he’s willing hide himself away and let Stan keep playing the role for the rest of the summer, he wants to be Stanford Pines again. He wants his own identity, and to have a say in what goes on in his house. Which is completely reasonable!

But of course, Stan is approaching this conversation from a completely different direction. He’s spent thirty years trying to save Ford, not just because of his own guilt but also because he wants their relationship back: think of how he throws his arms wide and shouts “Brother!” when Ford steps through the portal. From Stan’s point of view, Ford is saying that everything Stan suffered and accomplished is still not enough to earn his love. Which is why Stan lashes out, having finally reached the limits of his willingness to martyr himself. Objectively, it’s kind of terrible to disown your brother for not saying “thank you,” but in context it completely makes sense for Stan to react this way. (And honestly, it’s really good that he has managed to discover ONE boundary, even if he’s being petty about it.)

….but of course, Ford still doesn’t understand what’s going on in his brother’s head, so he interprets Stan’s anger as something along the lines of “how dare you want to make decisions, you should just live in my basement for the rest your life to make me happy.” Which in turn drives his hostility and posturing in later episodes (like the DD&MD game—yes, Ford was swept away by enthusiasm, but I think he was also very much trying to mark his territory when he covered the TV room in graphs.) And that just escalates Stan’s hurt and anger, creating his determination Not To Care even when the world is ending and Ford is a prisoner, and culminating in the Zodiac Fight which is hands-down the pettiest thing either of them has ever done.

What saves them is Dipper and Mabel, who remind them it’s possible for two radically different siblings to work together—and who give them something to care about outside their own tumultuous dyad. Threatened by the loss of Dipper and Mabel, they find they can still trust and understand each other well enough to pull off a desperate, last-minute con. In one way, their final gambit seems to echo their earlier patterns: Stan burns up his identity to save his family, Ford grimly makes a choice that will cut him off from his brother. But there’s an important difference: Stan doesn’t expect to get anything back from this, not admiration from the kids or love from his brother, because he doesn’t expect to be himself after. He burns the dream of the Stan-o-War along with all the rest of his memories. Ford, on the other hand, gives up all claim to being the hero, The Man Who Killed Bill Cipher; more than that, he trusts Stan to carry out that role for him.

And that’s how, after everything, they’re able to reconcile and be at peace with each other.

[strawberryshortcake1495]

Okay, so this is a full-fledged AU now 😭 I’m calling it the “Mother of the Stars” AU. I’m gonna go over AU!Miku’s full history and you better buckle up because this is gonna be a LONG ride!

So let’s go all the way back at the beginning. There used to be a species called Vocaloids that ruled over the stars. Their main habitat was a realm called “SEKAI” and it was based around music. The main rulers of the Vocaloids were a group of people called the “Virtual Singers” and our girl Miku was the leader of this group. She was a good person who treated everyone she met as her equal. But when she failed to save one of her members, Kagamine Len, from being killed, the other singers swore revenge. It took them weeks to come up with a plan, so during these weeks, Miku wandered off into the stars to try to cope with Len’s death. She comes across Euclydia but nobody can see her except Bill Cipher himself. They become friends and basically grow close while Bill’s family and peers assumed Miku was an imaginary friend. One day, Bill asked Miku if she could take him to the stars, and she agreed. She held out her hand and he took it, she pulled him out of his dimension causing a giant tear which swallowed up the flat world until it was ashes. Miku was devastated; she had messed everything up again. So as Bill collected the last remaining speck of his dimension, she quickly teleported herself away. She didn’t even apologize or say goodbye. A week later, Miku alongside Kagamine Rin left SEKAI to check for anything that could threaten the stars and when Miku had her back turned, Rin attacked her and left her basically mutilated before leaving her corpse to float through space and time forever. Miku thought this was how she was gonna die, before she was suddenly resurrected by…Bill???

Miku was pretty nervous that Bill had just resurrected her to make her suffer much more pain for destroying his dimension but to her surprise, he was actually really calm and asked her to join him since she’s all he has left and vice versa. They were practically a power duo for the rest of eternity until 1982 where Bill met Stanford Pines. He introduced Miku to him and to her, it was practically love at first sight. The two grew close and there were some moments where it seemed like there was something more, but Bill always interrupted at that exact time. Later on, Miku noticed Ford started growing more distant and focused on work and it made her a little sad. Then one day, he just…vanished. She couldn’t find him. One of her bestest friends. She asked Bill where he was and he just told her he was gone. Miku nervously asked him to elaborate and he told her he was just using them to expand his mindset and never truly loved her. The poor girl was heartbroken. Of course, we know this wasn’t actually the case. But Miku was a naive girl and Bill was basically all she had left.

For the show itself, she made her debut in Dipper and Mabel VS the Future where she gently consoles Mabel and nudges her into giving up the rift. Once she destroys it, she quickly catches Mabel once she faints and creates Mabeland. Things get more progressive in Weirdmageddon 2 where she overhears Bill talking to one of his minions. He was planning to leave her in Gravity Falls while he and his other “friends” went out to dominate the world. When asked why, the chaos god said that he has no other use for her. He then considers killing her for the heck of it. This is Miku’s breaking point. She’s been kind and supportive and put up with all his bs for 30 years and he thinks she’s worthless? He’s going to kill her. He’s going to leave her behind. All alone. Just like them. She can’t let it happen. She won’t let it happen. She summoned a giant scythe and confronted him about it, only to be instantly killed after. But she did put up a good fight though, that’s a good thing.

The finale ends as normal and everything is fine until a book called “Portals” comes out after the Book of Bill. It’s said to be a sequel of the book through Miku’s POV. The first 4 chapters are basically what I just said up above, with it being a recap of her life. When she died, Miku’s spirit was admitted to the Theraprism, where she’s very polite and reserved towards the workers and other patients. When Bill arrives to the Theraprism, he instantly attacks her and tries to strangle her but the workers pry him off her and take him away. In the last chapter of the book, Miku along with some other patients are taken to a room with a giant portal in it. The workers wanted to perform a therapeutic activity where you write a message to a person you’ve wronged, place it inside some glass bottles, and throw it into the portal which leads to the multiverse. Miku decide to write the message to Ford, and it goes like this.

“Dear Stanford Pines, I don’t know if this message will ever get to you, but if by some miracle it does, here is what I’d like to say. I know you must hate me for siding with Bill for all these years, but when you left me, I felt heartbroken. Bill only added fuel to the fire. He told me you were using us, that you merely just wanted to expand your mind and didn’t care about me, but I know this is more than likely not true. I’m so sorry. I never wanted things to end up like this. I know it might’ve seemed that I hated you, but I didn’t. I never did. I love you, Ford. I love you so much. You mean the whole galaxy to me but I was too shy to tell you that. I wasn’t even sure if you loved me too. Maybe in another life, we could’ve been together but not in this one. Although it’s a nice thought. That’s all I have to say. Farewell, my love.” -Hatsune Miku

After writing the message, Miku places it inside the provided glass bottle and chucks it into the portal. The book ends with her and the other patients being escorted back inside, she looks back at the portal one more time before the doors close. This is the last image.

AND NOW ONTO DESIGNS!!!

This is her dream form ⬆️

This is her physical form/during Weirdmageddon ⬆️

And this is her in the Theraprism ⬆️

I’d like to see a Gravity Falls AU where literally everything is the same expect Bill is replaced with Hatsune Miku.

Before Weirdmageddon + during Season 1-Sock Opera

During Weirdmageddon + the Book of Miku

I feel like she’d be more like a Collector-type character where she doesn’t really understand humans and morals and nobody bothers to show her between right and wrong. But instead of learning how to be kind and forgive like our little skrunkly, she just fucking dies lol (until the Book of Miku ofc)

[snekatiegf]

Gravity Falls Headcanons

Some of these are mine, and some are inspired from others I've seen. These are all post-weirdmageddon

Dipper and the Multibear are penpals

Mabel is still close with Mermando and they still write all the time. While Stan and Ford were out in the sea, he used his political power to keep them protected by sending other sealife to watch over them, at Mabel's request. They don't know about this, besides the occasional guide that has to come on board.

Soos does an incredible job at running the Mystery Shack and ends up being able to expand it some, and find new attractions- some of them are actually real fantastical creatures.

After a bit, the residents of Gravity Falls got super used to paranormal happenings. Between the Blind Eye being disbanded, and Weirdmageddon not being something everyone could just forget about (anymore at least), it's just regular occurrence. However, it will never fail to completely baffle any visitors.

Dipper and Mabel started keeping a little journal of their encounters back in California. Of course, a whole year there is nothing compared to one summer in Gravity Falls, but it was nice to keep it up. Mabel did all the illustrations.

Mabel stole some of Stan's brass knuckles before leaving for Piedmont. When Stan learned about this the next Summer, he just laughed and said to keep them. She hasn't used them yet, but she has threatened people with them.

Mabel made a lot of money over the year by getting her friends to play poker with her and gamble real money- only a couple of dollars really, but it adds up.

They both ended up taking wrestling and got super good at it, scarily good at it actually.

Even though they all have phones, Mabel, Candy, and Grenda write to each other all year, just for the fun of it.

Waddles starts to grow really big really fast. It's not that big of a deal at first, but turns into a disaster after a while. Mabel refuses to get rid of him, so they board him at a barn.

McGucket really likes Waddles because he grew up on a pig farm. Whenever he comes over to the Shack when the twins are back in town, it won't be rare to see the two bonding.

He'll deny it to the end of time, but Stan loves Gompers so much. He almost ends up taking the goat with him on the Stan O' War II, but ends up leaving him with Soos with veiled threats to take care of the animal.

Soos accidentally called Stan dad a couple times. The first time it through them both off, but eventually they get used to it and allow it to happen. It baffles the others, and it makes Dipper and Mabel super happy to see. Mabel's made a couple jokes about how it makes them cousins, and Soos is thrilled by the idea.

Melody and Soos end up getting married pretty quickly. She had been meaning to move to Gravity Falls permanently for a while, and once Soos became the new Mr. Mystery, she had much more reason to. They never do end up having kids, but they probably accidentally adopt half the kids in town like Stan with Soos.

(Stan legally adopts Soos at some point)

Many people abide with the "never mind all that" act, but those are the ones who were lucky enough to get frozen early on and didn't see much. The people who talk about Weirdmageddon are the ones who were out surviving on their own, the refugees in the shack, those who were most affected by Bill's twisted jokes. They just can't pretend it never happened, so they all confide in each other about what went down.

Dipper and Mabel try to visit Gravity Falls every moment they can. Any break, if they can convince their parents, they spend time in Gravity Falls. They ended up going to Gravity Falls for New Year's and there was a giant party at the Shack. Stan and Ford came home, too.

Likewise, their friends from Gravity Falls sometimes come down to visit them. Usually it's Candy and Grenda, but sometimes Pacifica and Wendy, and occasionally Soos and Melody. Ford and Stan came by once, but they had to be along quickly.

Pacifica does end up working at Greasy's Diner, and ends up learning to bake there. She's surprised to find she enjoys it a lot, and she finds it calms her down, too, and she is quite good at it. She begins baking at home, too, and eventually also at the Shack, where she likes to share her creations with the Pines'.

While at first she's a little worried about going back there, Pacifica starts spending a lot of time at the Shack, even with the twins gone. It's a place of comfort. She gets closer to Soos and Melody, who become pseudo- parents to her, and eventually she finds her going there after school much more than she does her own place.

Wendy and Robbie become super close friends once the awkwardness and hostility fades, and they end up hanging out loads.

With Soos, Melody, and Abuelita all living in the Shack, there's just not enough room for everyone when the Pines' come to visit. If they're there for only a couple days, usually they lodge on couches and on inflatable mattresses on the floor. But if they're there for an extended amount of time, like over the Summer, they stay at the McGucket manor. McGucket is more than happy to let them stay, and the place is huge and has more than enough room. (Also, if anyone notices that Ford's bed is empty during the night, and he and McGucket come out of the same room, they don't mention it.)

Soos and McGucket start to bond over crazy inventions. Soos himself, while not quite an inventor, is very handy, and he has an excellent imagination and can make up the coolest of things, which McGucket can almost always make with no trouble, laws of physics be damned. They've almost burnt down half the town, and probably destroyed parts of the McGucket manor, and definitely destroyed parts of the Shack, but they seem to be having fun.

Pacifica finds herself hanging around McGucket Manor/ the old Northwest Mansion sometimes. She had a lot of bad memories of the place, but she ended up there a lit whenever the Pines' came to visit and stayed there over the Summer. Eventually, even when they're not there, she still comes by and begins to get along with McGucket. Sometimes when Soos goes there to help McGucket with his inventions, she comes along and might help out a bit to.

Before she was an adult, Pacifica basically gets unofficially but communally adopted by the whole town. Her parents are always so busy trying to find ways to regain their fortune and never really cared for her in the first place, so she often finds herself wandering town, and eventually gets quite close with a lot of the residents.

[stariousfalls]

A/N: Had a conversation with a friend (@fallen-gravity) over different canon divergence situations in Gravity Falls, and felt determined to write something angsty. I miss Gravity Falls a lot, haha.

Characters: Mabel Pines, Dipper Pines, Ford Pines, Bill Cipher

Word Count: ~2500

Summary: Canon Divergence of DAMVTF where Mabel decides to not give the rift to Bill and runs off. And Bill angrily goes after her, not wanting to miss the chance of taking over the dimension.

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A choked sob escaped through her trembling hands as she tried to keep herself quiet.

Would he find her? What would happen when he found her?

She didn’t want to find out the answer to either question. Mabel wished she were back at the shack, talking it out with Dipper and making up with him. She didn’t care if her twin would continue to explain to her why he’d decided to take on an apprenticeship with Ford – she just desperately wanted out of this stressful game of cat and mouse.

She wondered why Bill had gone delirious over some strange ‘makeshift snow globe’ in her brother’s backpack, but whatever the reason was she ran like a bat out of hell. Ran as far as her legs could take her, until they trembled out of control from both fear and fatigue.

Whatever sick intention it was all for, Mabel knew it wasn’t good. The fact that Bill had literally possessed her brother’s body to try and get what he wanted made her question all the more. Something linked to Ford, she assumed. It was difficult for her to come up with an exact reason, as her brother and grunkle never shared any information with her and kept to themselves. So, she was left to fend for herself over an item she didn’t even know the purpose of – other than it being important to Bill.  

Mabel continued sitting in place to recollect herself. She wished she could’ve been a part of the loop with Dipper, then maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this way; being hunted down by a literal demon.

She had no idea how much time had passed before she heard soft static coming from the backpack.

“Mabel?”

Mabel’s heart fluttered sporadically in her chest.

“D-Dipper?” She choked out softly.

“Mabel, where are you? Mabel!”

She immediately rummaged through the bag and pulled out a walkie talkie – the source of the noise.

“Dipper…” Mabel repeated hoarsely into the device, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

“Mabel! Where – “

She heard something snap nearby and panicked, quickly pressing the speak button to silence his rambling. In any other situation Mabel would be floored to hear Dipper’s voice, but under these circumstances she didn’t want to be found. Her body shook uncontrollably at the thought of Bill finding her.

She took a deep, shaky breath before responding. “D-Dipper…I can’t talk right now, I-I – “

“Mabel, I’m so sorry about what I said earlier! Please come back to the shack! We can work things out, I – “

The young girl released a quivering sob at the sound of his frantic pleas over the intercom. She inwardly pleaded with her brother that he’d get the hint and stop his attempts of trying to reach her.

“Dipper, please!” Mabel softly cried, heartrate spiking at the thought of Bill picking up on her location. “I-I can’t come back to the shack right now.”

“Mabel, where are you? If you refuse to come back, I’m coming to get you!”

The sound of footsteps trekked close. Mabel’s breath hitched in her throat as she fumbled with the talking device, trying to desperately turn it off. She continued to tremble in fear.

Was Bill nearby? Had she given away her whereabouts? Or was she just imagining things?

“Mabel!”

She whimpered.

“W-What do I do?” She asked herself, tears streaming down her face.

The only thing her instincts manage to scream at her was; keep running.

Mabel tightened her grip on the walkie talkie and bolted out of her hiding spot, unintentionally leaving the backpack behind. She didn’t dare to look back when she heard something picking up speed behind her like some wild animal chasing its prey.

She hoped she still had enough energy left to outrun him.

“Mabel, you need to tell us where you are, please.”

Her eyes widened. “Grunkle Ford?” She whispered in reply, briefly glancing down to the device.

“I-I don’t…I don’t know where I am!” She wailed out between breaths, finally glancing back to see a pair of wild, glowing yellow eyes staring her down. “Help me!! Dipper! Grunkle Stan!! Grunkle Ford – “

Mabel yelped like a kicked puppy when she tripped over a root, plummeting to the cold ground.

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Ford picked up on Mabel’s erratic behavior when Dipper tried to communicate with her. She sounded quiet, shaky, and in a way…desperate? She refused to come back to shack, which he at first understood with her being upset. However, a part of him told him – something was wrong. Normally a child would be more vocal when being stubborn and distressed. This didn’t appear to be the case with Mabel. A bad feeling pooled in the pit of his stomach.

He eventually pried the walkie talkie out of his grand-nephew’s hands to try and speak with her.

“Mabel, you need to tell us where you are, please.” He pleaded into the intercom.

“Grunkle Ford?”

Her hoarse voice pulled at Ford’s heartstrings. Something was definitely wrong.

“I-I don’t…I don’t know where I am! Help me!! Dipper! Grunkle Stan!! Grunkle Ford – ”

Frantic thoughts flooded Ford’s mind at the sound of his grand-niece’s screaming and sobbing. She sounded like she was in immense pain. His grip tightened on the walkie talkie. What happened to her?

A familiar maniacal laugh rung out of the device’s speaker.

“You’re too late, Sixer!”

Ford instantly felt his blood run cold. It’s like he knew he was there on the other line.

“Leave her alone, Cipher!” He spat out, anger boiling over the fear at the thought of Bill tormenting his grand-niece.

Ford hears a mix between sobs of agony and irritable growls spewing out of the walkie talkie. What was going on? He waited for Bill to bite back, gloating over the fact that the fate of the universe was now within his grasp. However, what he wasn’t expecting was a threat.

“The clocks ticking, Ford. Be here in an hour or Shooting Star won’t live to see another day. Don’t keep me waiting.”

Ford hightailed it into the woods without a second thought, with Dipper not far behind him. He sure as hell didn’t know where Mabel was being held at Bill’s mercy, but that wasn’t going to stop him from finding her in time. He was a man of science, but that didn’t deter him from desperately pleading to any godly entity out there to spare his grand-niece’s life while he rushed through the underbrush of the forest.

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Mabel screamed when Bill roughly yanked her body off the ground by her hair.

“No! Let me go!!” Mabel shrieked in horror, trying to wriggle herself out of his grasp.

Maniacal laughter bubbled out of the mouth of the body he possessed, eyes gleaming with glee. He picked up the walkie talkie off the ground with a snicker.

“You’re too late, Sixer!” He mocked into device, grin widening at the thought of Ford’s horror-struck face.

“Leave her alone, Cipher!”

Before he had the chance to rub his victory further into Ford’s face, he realized (upon further inspection) that the rift was nowhere to be found. His grip tightened around the child’s hair, knuckles turning white.

Mabel cried out in pain when she felt a violent tug at her hair.

“Where’s the rift, Shooting Star?!” He snarled angrily at her.

She could only begin to tremble and sob in response to the yelling and the rough treatment.

Bill let out an irritable growl into the walkie talkie. “The clocks ticking, Ford. Be here in an hour or Shooting Star won’t live to see another day. Don’t keep me waiting.”

“Dipper...” she choked out before succumbing to the pain, body going limp.

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How long had they been running for? Ford had no idea, but the burning in his legs told him he’d probably been doing so for a while now. His mind screamed at him to keep going, but his body told him otherwise – giving out on him, causing him to stagger down to the ground briefly to catch his breath. All the injuries and strain he endured from earlier were catching up to him.

Damn this accursed old body, he thought to himself.

Dipper in the meantime paced back and forth in front of Ford, distressing over the thought of never finding his sister and assuming the worst. A wave of overwhelming guilt washed over him and his breaths came out short and frantic.

“This is all my fault! I should’ve talked to Mabel about everything before making any decisions. I didn’t even consider Mabel’s feelings, I – “

“No, Dipper,” Ford’s voice is soft, almost childlike. “The blame should all be on me. I’m the one who was the initial cause of all this mess. If it wasn’t for me making the mistake of trusting Bill decades ago, none of this would be happening.”

He noticed the forest around them getting darker. The sun was going down. They were running out of time.

“We need to keep going in order to find Mabel.”

They continue on in a jog, the fastest speed that Ford was capable of at the moment. The paranoia and adrenaline fueled him, pushing him forward.

That was until he heard a piercing cry echo through the woods.

“Time’s almost up, Ford!” Bill’s cutthroat voice rang.

Thank God they were nearby. Before Ford had the chance to say anything else Dipper bolted in the direction of his sister’s scream.

“Dipper!”

Ford followed his grand-nephew.

When they finally catch up to Mabel, they find her trying to wriggle free from her captor – eyes flashing menacingly down at her. Ford felt a cold shiver run down his spine when he made eye contact with the man that Bill currently possessed.

Bill let go of Mabel with a poised shrug. “Took you long enough, Sixer. You’re lucky I’m in such a good mood today – with me being on the brink of taking over your dimension!” He sneered, taking immense satisfaction in the looks of shock on Ford’s and Pine Tree’s faces. “I can’t thank you enough for holding onto your resentment towards your brother and tearing your family apart!”

Before Mabel had the chance to get away, Bill took hold of her hair once more and forcefully yanked her like a rag doll down onto the ground. She squeaked in agony when he rammed his foot onto her back, anchoring her body against the earth.

“Now that we’re all comfortable – where’s the rift?”

“What?” Dipper asked.

The boy twin flinched at the sound of a metal click. Dipper watched Bill aim a loaded gun right at his sister’s head in horror. That surely got his full attention.

“Let me ask again. Now that I have your attention,” Bill growled, slightly pulling back on the trigger. “Where’s the rift?”

Dipper must’ve hesitated too long for Bill’s sanity. His patience grew thinner and thinner by every second and began to count down. He’d gotten this far, and he wasn’t going to throw away the golden opportunity at taking over this dimension.

“Five!”

“We can’t!”

“Four!”

“We don’t have it!”

“LIARS! THREE!”

“Bill! Leave her out of this!!” Ford bellowed.

“TWO!”

“We’re not lying!” Dipper cried out desperately, tears streaming down his face. “I swear we don’t have it! Don’t hurt my sister! Please, I’m begging you!”

“ONE – “

“I-I left it behind! I didn’t do it on purpose, but I-I must’ve left it where I was hiding nearby – “

Mabel went silent when she heard the abrupt gunshot and watched her life flash before her eyes. Without breaking eye contact with Ford, Bill gestured out in the direction he chased Mabel in earlier before pointing the gun back to her head.

“Find it.”

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Moments later the two come rushing back, rift in tow and willing to hand over. They weren’t going to take any chances trying to reason with a maniacal demon that held Mabel at gunpoint. As much as Ford didn’t want Bill taking over their dimension, the lives of the kids were more important.

“Hand over the rift, Ford – or say goodbye to your niece.”

Ford didn’t hesitate. Even if the world came to an end, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he were the one to cause his grand-niece’s early demise. Despite becoming the bringer of the apocalypse, he’d do anything to keep the kids safe. Whether he had the kids go into hiding with Stan for the rest of their lives or figure out a way to fix the problems he inadvertently caused. He’d do whatever it takes.

The guilt will reside in him for the rest of his life over every mistake he made that led up to this moment.

“Under one condition.” Ford narrowed his eyes. “You let Mabel go and leave the kids alone.”

Bill’s grin returned. “Fine.”

Ford shamefully handed over the rift without a second thought. The demon’s grin widened in glee, reveling in the feel of victory as his fingers drummed over the cracked glass of the containment unit.

“Now let her go, Cipher.” He growled.

Mabel immediately bolted towards her family the moment Bill lifted his weight off of her, desperate to get away from danger. Ford watched her run in his direction and kneeled down to catch her in his arms.

His hold on her tightened when he heard Mabel start to sob into his chest. Out of all the mistakes he made, he deeply regretted keeping his secrets away from Mabel. He only wanted to keep her and Stan safe (even though he wouldn’t admit it to him personally), assuming they didn’t have any interest in his past or what he was caught up in. He was a fool. Stan may not have been aware of Bill Cipher but looking back he remembered; Mabel already had history with him just like Dipper.

Man, he was such an utter fool.

The sentimental moment was interrupted at the sound of something shattering and distorted laughter. Ford’s breath hitched in fear. This was it. The end of the world, and his family had a front row seat to witness it.

Ford flinched when he felt something tug at his coat, and saw Dipper gravitating over to him. All they could do was hopelessly watch Bill bring forth the apocalypse.

“At last! At long, long last! The gateway between worlds has opened! The event one billion years prophesized has finally come to pass! The day has come! The world is finally mine!” Bill laughed maniacally as the unconfined rift teared reality into the Nightmare Realm.

With a gesture of his hand Bill used his powers to forcefully rip Mabel out of her grunkle’s grasp. Ford watched her body glow pink and float away from him in horror.

“No!”

“Dipper! Grunkle Ford!”

With a snap of a finger Mabel went unconscious, continuing to be whisked away. In an instant her body was surrounded by some strange pink bubble etched with a shooting star symbol and chains, and with another snap of the demon’s fingers she was gone.

Trying to process what just happened and witnessing his sister’s disappearance right before his eyes, he could only cry out in despair and frustration.

“Mabel!”

[etheralisi]

𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

A03

𝙼𝚢 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚝 

𝙴𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚢 𝙸𝚜 𝙼𝚢  

𝙼𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚢  

 ~ 𝚄𝚗𝚔𝚘𝚠𝚗

-------

He never forgets.

 The feeling of his body being torn limb from limb, muscles stretching and convulsing, tested to their very limits, before feeble connections give way and his skin sheds, layer by layer, cell by cell. He peels like an onion, flakey, tear ducts long since run dry from his seemingly endless bouts of harrowing screams. It’s a pain of unimaginable levels, so excruciating he’s pretty sure parts of him have gone numb. But where he can feel it, pain tears through him like butter, always managing to climb to a new height of agony, and then when he thinks it can’t get worse, a step above that. And it hurts. Oh how it hurts. Burns like a star gone supernova. A raw energy that extends beyond his very boundaries of a self.

 Dipper’s twelve, only twelve, and his life is flashing before his eyes. He’s alight with his last burning embers, soul aflame, and fighting for every second of life, every lick of fire. His spark kindles and hisses, a stubborn thing, the will of a boy who just wants to live. To reach the age of thirteen, so close, so very close, but always just a stretch ahead.

 It’s a doomed battle.

 Where the triangle prods, slithers his slimy existence into him, a small segment of himself freezes, crumbles into a cold amounting mass of something. Every fleeting moment is a moment where something is lost, forgotten, ripped away from him because the universe is just this unfair. It won’t play the game by the rules, will make up new exceptions as it goes, reality warping anew around his frame as he falls to a fate he never even wanted.

 Dipper screams for a loss of a feeling he can’t recall, feels his throat run raw until there’s no vocal chords to scream through. He’s self-destructive at this point, ripping through his mind to find the perpetrator and let him squirm.

 Bill is a virus, an infection that reeks of chaos and death and violates his very essence. Dipper’s memories crumble at the triangle’s presence, leaving nothing but dust and ash, and the trickling of Bill’s oily ooze as a residue, an unwelcome tenant where Dipper resides. It’s unsettling, and wrong, wrong, all wrong. Wherever those tendrils touch, reach into his own infinity of a mindscape, vast and now oh so barren, they succeed in taking something he’s never even been aware of having. They take and they take, and he’s left with nothing but loss and pain as if it’s all he’s ever known.   

 The pain, it’s all very clear, white hot as it tunnels through decaying marrow. Dipper’s a falling empire left to ruin. A bridge quaking on its foundations, creaking as the joints give way under rust. Nothing can ever cross safely again, repair now a far forgone option, because he knows it, there’s no coming back from whatever the heck he’s been plunged into. Any second and he will collapse, fall into the cavernous abyss below.

 He would rather burn this bridge and push Cipher into the ruins. 

 Fierce determination fuels his tunnel vision, the screams of no, no, no. This won’t be his end, and he absolutely refuses to abandon his post. He stands his ground, even as he breathes his last breath, even as he feels his lungs shatter. A power surges from within, a fierce struggle from a captain who refuses to abandon ship. His death is imminent, irreversible at this point, fate from the very second he struck that flimsy deal for the laptop. But here, perhaps he can soften the blow, he would rather stare death in its skeletal face than hand himself over to the enemy.

 He refuses to bend to the will of that triangle, will not play his game and fall into his hands as putty ever again.

 If Dipper dies, Bill goes with him.

 The decision is made. The last chord is plucked, and the bridge collapses. Bill — or the measly thing he’s been reduced to, desperate enough to claw into a child’s mind — cackles until he doesn’t. His silence speaks louder than words.

 He knows what Dipper’s done. Caught him in Bill’s blindspot, bested by a kid who’s determined to see this through to the very end.

 And to the end they shall go. A body is decimated, a clearing all but incinerated, and a triangular demon thrown into a cycle he has never meant to enter.

 For a moment, a mere second, Dipper is limitless. Just a being. An entity with a lack of self. He only knows he exists, is something, means something, and it’s this feeling he clings to with every ounce of his nonexistence.

 He knows not what he is, or who, but a familiar warmth pulls at him, strings of wool and comfort.

 He wakes before he realises what waking is. Exists before he can wonder how. Sees before he realises he shouldn’t. Lives before it hits him he isn’t really living at all.

 By all means, he should be dead.

 Dipper sits on borrowed time, spins on clock hands of a clock that isn’t really his at all. An existence that belonged to a dying demon, Bill's expiration date, Bill’s sand timer. Bill who’s unleashed more chaos than thought possible with that spur of the moment decision.   

 The memory is a tarring mark on him. Ingrained so deeply in his mindscape it burns with a flame impossible to extinguish. A mocking thing, a reminder of his refusal to let his own flames die. 

 He never forgets.

 Not when Mabel’s there, coaxing him with a stream of ‘it’s okay’s and ‘it’ll all be fine, see’s, and any other such hollow words, each disguised as fuzzy warm sweaters, because they both know, deep down, it’s very much not okay. Phantom pain laces his fibres — he doesn’t know what he even is anymore, he’s a something because pain can’t come out of nowhere — twitching in fits and starts of muscle contractions. It’s reduced to an ache of a memory, nothing more than a dull tingling throb. But he pushes through, shoots a smile of empty despair. 

 His eyes do all the telling. They’re not even brown anymore.

 They’re both just kids, dealing with his death-not-death with hugs and tears. Promises that’ll snap and break beneath his touch, as his world comes clattering down around him at the speed of the supernatural becoming natural.

 He never forgets.

 Not when the truth emerges, a smack to the face even when he saw it coming. He’s a demon. Just like him. The thing he hated most.

 It brings a whole other meaning to ‘you are your own worst enemy.’

 Dipper abhors it.

 Abhors the teething through bleeding gums, the wings that protrude from his back as two black stubs, the way his blood drips molten gold, loathes his claws that tear at flesh, cag on Mabel’s wool and shred her favoured clothing. But the pain is only mild in comparison to that, the moment that changed it all. 

 He never forgets.

 Not when Mabel meets Henry, not when the triplets are born, not when he wrecks his brother in law’s life with a wave of eldritch flame. The Woodsman arises, a being of the forest sculpted by his own spur of the moment decision. 

 He’s doing the same. Exposing someone to a demonic power that creates something else entirely. Something not quite human. He weighs Henry down with antlers and served hands, a burden his brother in law should never have to carry.

 He can never quite forgive himself for this. Much like the deal for Mabel’s soul, the decision saves a life, but it leaves scars rooted deep.

 He never forgets.

 Not when Mabel’s there, buried below mounds of dirt, little more than letters on a fast dissolving rock. His tears ebb away, too late to stop the ones that eat at the polished stone, acid on her grave. Grief consumes him in roaring waves, the what-ifs just as haunting as his presence, a strange ghostly boy clinging to a grave like his last anchor. Had Bill won, all those years back, that could have been him too. The Mystery Twins reunited by death.

 Maybe, in the end, Bill wins anyway.

 He never forgets.

 Not with reincarnation after reincarnation. He watches over them, his ever growing family too until he becomes but a rumour. A protector of a family, even when his identity to them as a Pines is lost. He remembers why all this is happening, why he lives as he does, and it all links back to that moment.

 He never forgets.

 Not even when Bill’s soul emerges once more, a phoenix from the ashes, threatens to spill into the waking world and reclaim his domination plans centuries later. Nor at his second failure.

 Dipper’s there, stuck with a cursed existence, a hatred that will never truly simmer down, fierce raging anger for the very demon who stuck him like this.

 He never forgets. 

 It’s a pain that lingers from a body and life long lost, the death of a child and the birth of a new demon. Of Alcor. The memory stands there, in the eye of his storm, coals on his fire, a fuel for his unadulterated rage. Of all the memories he has, this is the one that stays, the pain and frustration hitting somewhere that all those happy memories can’t. It’s a second for the life of a demon, barely that. A speck of his immortal life.

 But for him, the memory lasts an eternity. 

 He can’t forget.