#gravity falls better world au

[anonymous-chicken-was-taken]

There is a man named Stanford Pines.

Just about anyone in the scientific community knows his name, and most know his face. It would be hard not to. It's plastered on magazines, on websites, on informational guides about the Institute of Oddology. Stanford Pines is synonymous with the word odd, peculiar, strange; it takes very little digging to find that.

Yet, when it comes to actually meeting the man? No matter who you ask, the answer is almost always no, they have not met him. Everyone knows of him, but nobody knows him. They see his face, they hear his name, they read his papers, they know his arguments. A lucky few even converse with him through email, or letters, or phone conversations. However, meeting him face to face seems to be an occurrence even rarer than the beasts he writes essays about.

Sometimes, he makes a public appearance. Sometimes, someone will see him walking about in some small, secluded space. His co-founder follows him like a shadow, never long taking his eyes away, full as they are of both care and peculiar caution.

Even more unheard of, sometimes, Stanford Pines will do something that interacts with the public. Once every few years, he will appear for an interview, or a photo, or something else to please the magazines that fill up his inbox. McGucket will be with him, every single time, and afterwards there will be whispers on the very internet he created from the people he'd spoken to. By all accounts, Stanford Pines is a very subdued, polite gentleman. Someone who is very intelligent and awkward, and attached to his co-founder at the hip. A man who is followed at all times by an army of personal security and NDAs. "For safety," McGucket will say as Pines' face goes dark. No one ever explains who's being kept safe, or from what.

To the students at the Institute of Oddology, it's even stranger. Nowhere does it say that seeing or meeting the core founder is guaranteed -- in fact, in comparison to other institutes, it's hardly even advertised that he's there -- but it's still surprising. If Stanford Pines is seen at all, it's almost always from behind a screen. Some students graduate without ever having seen him in-person. He does not attend events. He does not greet families. He does not make speeches unless he's being projected on a screen, a stark contrast to McGucket and his exaggerated mannerisms as his very real and present form hovers nearby. He holds no office on the entire campus. It is not unheard of to see him taking a walk with his co-founder, but it's rare enough to be shocking.

Rumors fly. Some are silly, absent things that would seem implausible to anyone who hasn't spent time in Gravity Falls. He's a vampire. He's a robot made by McGucket. He's a whole eldritch entity. Some rumors are more serious, whispered when his reclusive nature rings suspicious among the masses. None of them change the facts.

Perhaps it would make more sense if his co-founder was similar. However, Fiddleford McGucket is the polar opposite of Stanford Pines. He responds to interviewers asking about his computers. He makes speeches. He wanders around campus, stopping to chat with anyone who cares to listen. He's amiable and approachable as long as you can get past his rather extreme eccentricities, with an open-door policy and only one question he won't answer. If anyone builds up the guts to ask about Stanford Pines, and why he's so gosh darn reclusive, his only response is a sad, painful smile and a change of subject. In general, however, if one were to ask a given student of the institute where they could find Fiddleford McGucket, the chances are would be they'd be able to relay the information. However, like so much having to do with Stanford Pines, there is always a but.

At least three days a week, Fiddleford McGucket disappears for hours at a time. In theory, this would not be unusual. There's a section of the campus, slightly separate from the rest, dedicated to research. It takes much clearance to get to this area, for it is full of many very dangerous things. Some of the newer students fall under the misconseption that this is where he goes off to. However, there is a secretary at the entrance to this section of the campus, and when McGucket disappears, no amount of asking will get them to respond that he lies within. There is no summary of what he's there for, and there is no estimate of when he'll be back in his office. He is not there. For those hours, it's like he's vanished off the face of the planet.

There is another building seperated from the rest, barely visible through the trees. Tucked far behind the research area of the campus and heavily guarded at all times. No amount of clearance, or ID, or begging, will get anyone in. This place, most know, is where McGucket goes. No one can be certain, but there's a conviction there that this is the truth. It's the same way people know that this is where Stanford Pines resides. In those hours, McGucket disappears to the same nowhere at all that his co-founder lives.

No one tries to get there. Not anymore. There would be no point.

In order to do so, one would have to get into the research zone of campus. Already, this requires more clearance than most students could imagine. From there, one would have to go through a building only staff can open, at the very back of the campus, where only the most dangerous of research is kept. A security officer stands ever-vigilant at a back door leading to a winding pathway, intersected halfway through by a pair of guard stations. Past them lies a towering locked gate, centered in the midst of a towering electric fence. There is no guard station at the gate itself, though guards patrol the perimeter, even though the underbrush is too thick to walk through. There is no visible way to unlock the gate, but if one managed to get through regardless, they would find that the obstacles were still not over. The acre the fences encircle is thick with security, only some of which is human. It's impossible not to get caught, but if somehow, someone did, they would find themselves face to face with the sloped roof and charming wooden exterior so vaguely visible from the more well-trodden paths.

If one were to make it behind the reinforced door and yet one more pair of security guards, they would find nothing of note at all. In fact, were the windows not so thick, and the place not full of rooms with no place in a residence, and the path not so elaborate, and the whole area not so heavily reeking of isolation and uncanniness, one could almost mistake it for a normal home.

Inside, one would find Stanford Pines. Shorter than his head-and-shoulders shot makes him seem, and with a tangible air of melancholy about him that no projection could ever communicate.

Above all, Stanford Pines would appear incredibly alone, with only security, a McGucket Computer, and shelves upon shelves of books for company. If this someone who somehow managed to sneak in got lucky, they would arrive in this not-quite-a-home while McGucket had disappeared to there. They would find the two of them in deep conversation, and Stanford Pines would appear happier and more animated than most any living soul had seen him in decades, content in the company of his one connection; his shadow. Even when they had serious conversations, about the most serious topics in the world, something about him would be just that bit more lively. The visit would end, every time, with McGucket asking the same question. Every time, Pines would shake his head sadly as he responded; would the answer have been different, they both know that McGucket would have been informed long before he arrived.

Upon his co-founder's departure, one would be able to see Stanford Pines either sigh and sink right back into his melancholy, or the energy persist for another handful of hours. One would wonder why he was so reclusive, if he seemed so much brighter when he was among friends. One -- the impressive, unstoppable individual who managed to get into such a heavily monitored area -- would more than likely leave confused.

They wouldn't realize, unless they stayed within the bounds of the not-quite-home until it was far too late, what the hoards of security was designed for. Wouldn't realize that just as much as much as they are meant to keep someone out, they are also meant to keep someone in.

[nellandvoid]

to celebrate the pines twins birthdays, i’m gonna make them miserable!!!!!

jkjk i just want to show a wip of my better world au designs for mabel and dipper, a (r o u g h) sketch that just so happens to be (semi) done on their birthday!! (it’s still the 31st. shut up/j)

lore dump under cut cause man am i gonna yap

the main thing i wanna do with these two is keep their fundamentals while still realistically changing their external personalities based on how they were raised (especially since their great-uncle ford is head of the institute of oddology and an estimed scholar in cryptozoology)

design-wise, i wanted to show how mabel's a bit more insecure while dipper's the opposite, so her sweaters don't all have designs on them, her hair is pulled back, and she has shorts and tennis shoes instead of a skirt and flats - dipper, on the other hand, doesn't have a hat since he doesn't care if people see his birthmark, and he has the space tee and button up combo that he was wearing in the valentines flashback in weirdmageddon pt 2 since he wouldn't be as self-conscious about showing off his interests

personality-wise, dipper has probably changed the least: still socially awkward, still has an undiagnosed anxiety disorder (same), still considers mabel his best (and only) friend - the main difference, though, is that growing up he wasn't bullied as much for being interested in the strange and unusual. kids are still cruel, of course, but he always had his great-uncle's reputation to look up to whenever someone made fun of his birthmark or obsession with ghosts. and now, getting to finally spend a summer with his idol, he's more than ready to finally be accepted for all his weirdness. he can finally be loud, be weird, be himself, and not get those looks people in piedmont give him when they think he's not looking. the few times he's met great-uncle ford growing up, the few times he slipped up and said something weird, his great-uncle never gave him the look like everyone else did. he'd just smile, always softly, always distantly, and always tell him to never change.

on the other hand, mabel is much more reserved and self-conscious, especially when she arrives in gravity falls - weirdness has always led to genius in her family, so when she let her mind drift away her parents would always drag her back down to earth, telling her she's just as capable as her great-uncle and brother, why doesn't she just take homework, take school, take life seriously like they do? and so she tries to, and tries, and eventually she learns about the look: the one people give her when she tells them about the time she swallowed a whole bag of gummy worms without chewing, or about the sweater she knit last week that's scratch and sniff, or about anything not serious. she hates the look, and starts to do anything she can to avoid it. especially when she does something silly in front of her great-uncle ford. the look he gives always hurts more, like something she did reminded him of a nightmare or a bad memory. and she didn't want to hurt him.

[themurphyzone]

Separate Worlds Ch 3 Snippet

Separate Worlds Ch 3 was a longer chapter than I expected. Right now it's sitting at 11K+ words and will probably be about 13-14K when it's done. There was just a lot of exposition, worldbuilding, and supporting characters to include in this one.

But I am approaching the end, hopefully it will come out sometime in the next week or two!

[abyssalzones]

put me to work

[voice crack] hey guys I remembered how to draw

[mother-ofthe-universedraws]

They call it the Better World because Stanford Pines got everything he ever wanted

It came at a cost

But he could fix it; he had to. He had no other choice.

Cloning a dead man was difficult.

He kept having to make them younger and younger for them to have even a chance of survival.

But that was ok. He could make up a story. Maybe his brother got into an accident he couldn’t remember. Maybe the only way to save him was to keep him in some form of suspended animation. It was ok. They might not be twins anymore, but that didn’t matter; they’d always be brothers.

The second Stanley didn’t need to know the truth

Besides, Ford was his brother. He hung on to his every word. He’d never guess his twin would lie to him.

—

Basically this is my headcannon for what happened to Stan in The Better World; the original Stanley didn’t make it to far after being sent away with Ford’s journal. By the time anyone thought to look for him, it was too late.

Consumed by grief, Ford creates a second version of his brother. After multiple failed trials, he eventually discovers he can only grow a clone up to a certain age. Ford eventually settles for this child version of his brother.

The clone hatches at 12 years old, and contains all of his memories up to that age. It’s still his brother. And maybe this time, Stanford can spare this new version of his twin the pain he experienced in his “first life”

—

Special thanks to @presidentstalkeyes for helping me come up with the concept, @stephreynaart for teaching me how to do the lighting, and a shoutout to @tinfoil-jones who’s been making fics that include my Better World concept within them!

Feel free to ask me questions about Stan ii or my Better World concept!

[beetlbi]

Gravity falls httyd au, is that anything? Transcript under the cut, more thoughts in the tags

Texts says “red” “very protective of Stan, messes with him a lot” “doing much better than in canon bc he isn’t alone + has someone to take care of”

[apradonite]

a realization across dimensions

[taco-with-butter]

My version Better World Fiddleford and Stanford! this is their expedition clothing

ok guys i have so many thoughts about this

I think I'll do some more sketches with this AU (Can we call it an AU if it's technically canon and it's just a different interpretation?)

some information about my version! Sorry for any mistakes, English is my second language

For people who don't know what a Better World is:

[queer-here-and-in-fear]

au where both twins go through the portal in not what he seems. and ford finds them and helps them out of the nightmare realm.. but he cant keep them. so he goes to the safest dimension he cant think of: a better world.

alternate fiddleford and later alternate ford agree to watch them until ford can get them home. anyway, shenanigans Ensue.

including but not limited too:

grunkle stan, wendy, and soos raising every form of HELL known to man to get the twins back. maybe even getting mcgucket involved.. shermie learning stan Lost his Grandbabies.

og ford occasionally visiting over the months like a weird absent father. feeling so Strange but parental abt these kids.. maybe even taking them on Adventures. those end badly ofc.

the twins being so Weird and Sad abt fiddleford for reasons he doesnt get

alternate ford and dipper bonding over getting over their weird fucked up bill possession trauma.

ALTERNATE FIDDLEFORD GETS MABEL A PIG. WHO SHE NAMES STOMPS.

the kids marvelling over this weird but better (?) gravity falls with alternate versions of all the main cast influenced by fords work. such as:

thief wendy who was forced to steal after her dad lost the ability to lumber because ford made gf protected land.

gleefuls who are northwest level rich after gravity falls became more suburban.

northwests who payed ford to get rid of the ghosts AGES ago and therefore pacificas even worse

amateur cryptid hunters candy and grenda who come by the research center often. their ford and fiddles honorary nieces.

(YES i am going to be weird and sad abt how Definitely Gentrified gravity falls would be in this au)

and ofc: the twins trying their darndest to reconnect the brothers.

[babyblankyerror]

A fic on Ford from a better world (where he managed to go dream school / Stan took the journal) and he has the kids come for summer.

Mabel and Dipper make Ford miss his brother more than ever but that guys doesn't even call, so why should he? His thoughts on his brother slowly bleed onto the youngest twins which threatens for them to fall apart (idk how cuz they're so close so maybe there's some more family problems there like different opinions of parents divorce or something..)

Thankfully, the youngest twins end up finding a ghost that follows their grunkle around which might just be the key to a guilt trip, realisation and fixing bonds.

(Or: Dipper and Mabel almost fall apart like Stan and Ford until they find the Ghost of Stan. Ford faces the truth, feels guilty and fixes his ways like some scrooge)

[anonymous-chicken-was-taken]

Hi! I found you from your better world fics on ao3 and i have one question has been rattling around my brain

Why can't ford go outside?

Is it because he just doesn't want to? Or is there anything else? Please answer im so curious! Been loving the concept of the better world dimension and i love your rendition of it!

First of all weh thank you!! I'm absolutely loving writing it so so much and it means so much to me that you came all the way over to my tumblr to ask about it. As for the actual question! The main thing with this Better World I've concocted is that Bill Cipher is very much Still There and very much Still A Problem. We see all this security, and Fiddleford is always getting his eyes checked, and always checking Ford's eyes, because Bill is ever-present in this au in a way he isn't in the base universe. The actual reason I've worked out for this is a key difference in the wording of the deal Bill made with Better World Ford vs. OG Ford regarding possession. OG Ford's Bill deal was that Bill would be able to possess him when he was sleeping. Better World Ford's deal was that Bill would be able to possess him when he was tired. This is a really minor difference, but it has catastrophic consequences, and that's where most all the differences in Better World stem from. It's also why it's such a big deal for Ford to be out and about. Because what defines tired, really? How tired does Ford have to be before fending off Bill's possession becomes impossible? Or what happens if he's not as tired as he could be, but he slips up? Even for him, the line is pretty blurred. For the safety of himself and others, he stays hidden away in the would-be Mystery Shack. The little, mysterious, heavily-guarded cabin on the far, far edge of the institute.

[nellandvoid]

and if i said i was working on my version of the better world au,,,,,,,,, with a main plot thread in 2012,,,,,,,, what then

[artisiumstudios]

I have an AU called A Better World For Stan that I am writing, and like, I decided to symbolize that the characters are kind of the "inversion" of how they are in canon by inverting the color that represents them in their clothes like, Caryn dress Cyan, Filbrick dress Blue, Older Brother Shermie dress Vermilion, Teen Ford dress Blue. What do you think?

To anon, my apologies that it took this long to respond (Also I was going to respond to the first one but I accidently deleted the first part on my phone, THANKFULLY I also had it pulled up on my computer so I could just take a picture (dont ask why its not a SS) But anyways

Edit: nope I’m just dumb and didn’t realize I posted the other, not deleted but anyways🤦🏻‍♀️

I LOVE THE IDEA!

Also I think this is one of the few AU's where ive heard shermie being described as indifferent/aloof brother! A lot of people (including myself) usually write him as either being the baby or even having him be someone who was drafted into the war, or just simply trying to escape his abusive household and start his own family. But I like the idea that perhaps his fathers influence had a bigger impact on him that caused him to feel indifferent to his siblings.

now with that said-

A MODERN AU? Does this mean he is currently living somewhere in present time (or around the time dipper and mabel are from? If so, does this mean he'll have to get accustomed to modern technology? (meaning he has access to the internet and oh look he has daddy issues not a surprise-)

Is Ford still really into anomalies? Will he assume Stan is some kind of anomaly or will he believe that he's from an AU? How will their parents react to Ford bringing in Stan?

I can just imagine Stan's freaking out because if these versions of his parents are any similar to his, Filbrick will not be amused and he doesn't think he can handle being kicked out again.

"Ford are you su-"

The bell of the pawn shop rings as they step inside. Sitting in front of the register is Filbrick, newspaper covering his face.

"Ya back?" He asl, his voice still stoic as always, setting Stan's nervousness through the roof.

"Yup! And look who I brought!" Ford announces excitedly as he grasps Stan's hand preventing him from leaving anywhere.

The newspaper is dropped onto the table as Filbrick stares at Stan, his eyebrows slightly raised in surprise, "Well, that's something new." he stands up, the stair squeaking against the old wood making Stanley flinch. His hands shakes as his father makes his way over, his signature sunglasses helping hide any emotion.

"Uh- I" Stanley stammers looking for an opening or anything to-

"What's your name champ?" Filbrick asks. The nickname causing Stanley's brain to short-circuit. It endearing, so unlike his father. Its tone isn't filled with venom but rather patience, its not demeaning, meant to bring out insecurities or hurt. It's a nickname he's heard other dad's call their son; one he's always hoped to hear.

"It-it's Stanley, sir." e cringes at the stuttering.

"Stanley? HA!" now Stan's really surprised. Laughter, his father is laughing and not in disbelief but a full hearted laugh filled with joy, "How peculiar, me and my wife-"

"My wife and I-" Ford interrupts and now Stan truly is shocked because no one interrupts Pa without getting backhanded but here is Ford standing proudly and almost smugly as Pa just huffs playfully.

"My wife and I, were actually considering that name for a long time. Twins run in our family so we thought that if this one had one we would have named them Stanley and Stanford."

Ford leans over, his hand covering his mouth as he whispers, "They are not the most creative when it comes to names."

"Hey!" Pa roared, "I heard that twerp!"

"Tell me I'm wrong."

And he's not wrong but this is because why is this Pa so loving and caring and- oh. He's crying. Before he knows it he's enveloped in a bone crushing hug being asked if he's okay, the tremors worsen because this is all he's ever hoped for and he doesn't remember the last time his father ever hugged him. He's crying and everything is so wrong and he feels guilty but it also feels right.

Anyways-

I thought about how Ford would find Stanley and what better way than to be on the beach exploring when he finds him and offers to bring him home to clean him up. And Stan who's still dazed agrees without thinking only to realize that his parents must be hope and all of this to happen because holy shit what is going on?!

Also I love color symbolism! Especially because blue can signify calmness, serenity, trust, and stability-- something Stan's OG Filbrick isn't-- but can also represent sadness or depression (maybe this FIlrbick is more opened about his emotions and is much more encouraging of the kids to speak about their feelings and maybe even encourages them to actually seek professional help if they need to. Also I'm a sucker for Audhd Stan so perhaps he can even get a proper diagnosis?)

Cyan is often shown to represent serenity and mental clarity, maybe this means Caryn is more present in her children's life and perhaps is an actual psychic (or if you have the headcanon that she might be one, perhaps in this AU her powers are more present! And perhaps that's why FIlbrick, Ford, or Caryn aren't shocked with Stan appearing.)

But overall I love this idea and I hope you post more about it! And please tag me so I can see it!

(side note because I must know, does OGFord ever find out what happened to Stan? Does he tell their parents? Will they even believe him or do they just decide to believe that he's dead? Do they hold a funeral? What if OGFord still summon bill but instead of being to find out why weirdness travels to GF, it's to find his brother! What if he still falls through the portal? Does he doom his world and is left to travel the multi-verse, or does he still have a home to come back to? Does he eventually find Stan and tries to convince him to return? Does Stan even want to return? So many questions but anyways-)

[abyssalzones]

If you have the same hyperfixation for too long they put money on your head and baby I'm frontlining America's most wanted

bonus parallel fidds sprites

[mother-ofthe-universedraws]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SAY THAT STANLEY 2.0 KEEPS HIS LONG HAIR

MAKE HIM LOOK LIKE A MOP IM BEGGING YOU

@babyblankyerror

Unfortunately one of the first things Ford does is cut Stan’s hair when he’s too groggy to make any real protest. The prospect of growing out his hair doesn’t become much of an issue until Stan II is a bit older.

Ford suspected that Stan liked his hair long cause he had a mullet, but he wants to keep his new brother’s hair shorter so he doesn’t look like Stan did when he died for practical reasons

He’s not very good at it

Bonus ;

Luckily Stan gets a better haircut courtesy of Fiddleford

[earako]

Gah!

Okay, apologies in advance for the feels but I refuse to be the only one subject to my brains shenanigans-

Thinking of the "better world au" from journal three and I'm imaging what if somee weird magic stuff basically turned Stan into a guard against Bill entering their dimension

Like, I'm thinking maybe Stan pulled a Betty Grof and when he stumbled across wish magic, he wished for the power to keep his family safe, only instead of merging with a chaos entity Stan becomes a statue or he's transformed into something that makes it impossoble to accrss the journal he's holding.

And maybe an expedition group digs up magicified Stan and call in Ford for an inspection cause they don't know what they're looking at "but it's neat that it looks almost exactly like you, huh Dr.Pines?"

At first Ford tries to laugh it off as a coincidence but then they run some tests.

They find out their artifact is alive.

They find out its binding magic,meant to keep something hidden.

They fins Journal three and Ford can't ignore it anymore-this was Stanley, his twin, his little brother he sent away all those years ago, eternally stuck as nothing more than a magic safe for Stanfords mistake.

Cue a whoolleee lot of guilt, but also, for maximum angst, if they manage to undo it, Stan swinging between being angry at Ford but also secretly believing keeping the journal hidden was the one thing he did right and now its back with Ford and underneath Stan's prickly, passive aggressiveness is a concerningly low sense of self-esteem.

So in short: Stan twins gotta wrestle with hating themselves, lingering anger at each other, but also trying to be the bigger person (and failing miserably)