#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.

[abyssalzones]

put me to work

[voice crack] hey guys I remembered how to draw

[apradonite]

a realization across dimensions

[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.

[ukegenius]

i think about the better world/parallel dimension so much, man, like what happened to stanley after he left with that journal ? is he just off on a boat running away again still homeless ? did stan and Ford have a small reconciliation, did stan come back after leaving with that journal? WHAT ABOUT EMMA MAY AND TATE ?? DID FIDDS STILL ABANDON THEM, did fiddleford not have the memory gun, or did he not have a chance to really use it when Parallel Ford went to reconnect with fiddleford ?

im pretty sure the parallel world is just supposed to show how our ford thinks its all amazing and "better" because he got what he think he wanted in the end ( recognition , fame , someone who changed the scientific world ) but in reality the parallel world is kinda sad to me guys idk 😭 in that world ford never got to reunite with his brother. ( from what we know ) granted, the apocalypse never happened, and Ford didn't have to wipe stans memories, but they didn't even get to reunite like they did in our version of Gravity Falls. Did Tate ever come down to gravity falls to meet his father ? did Emma May and Tate move to Oregon to be with Fidds? did they still divorce because Emma, your husband MIGHT just be queer. I have so much going on in my brain over this au it makes me crazy

[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)

[mr-cactis]

tired

[localcanadiancreature62]

Fiddle diddles. Fiddtober Day 9-13 cuz i keep forgetting omggg. Explanations: I really wanted to do a lotta mustaches for the 9th day lol,the 10th day one is for the A Better World au cuz the prompt was "a better world" so i used the au where Parallel Fidds exists in,11th day was "What if.." and so i turned it into "What if Bill possessed Fidds?",12th day was too much coffee and so i made poor Fiddles experience tripping balls with him having like twelve times the usual amount of energy he has due to being on both a weed AND coffee high,and 13th day is Society of the Blind Eye so have cult Fiddles :].

[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

[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

[themurphyzone]

Better World AU Excerpt

I've been eating up stuff from the Better World AU, cause Journal 3 completely leaves Stan's fate open to interpretation and it bothers me so much that I needed to write something myself. I've seen works where he survives long enough to hold Dipper and Mabel when they're born and others where he doesn't make it.

[brightdrawings]

The Spirit in Red - Chapter 2 - Single Twin Party

While Dipper explored the beach, Mabel was busy keeping their birthday party alive. (Also on ao3!)

Mabel Pines wouldn’t call herself someone who kept track of things; that was always Dipper’s department. Whenever they’d go anywhere he’d have his checklists ready to make sure they’d packed everything, Mabel would act as the voice of reason and point out anything that he’d missed, like snacks for the day they went to the park, or extra paper for when they had that big revision session at the library for their tests. While Dipper’s skills were analysing and piecing together the bigger picture, Mabel’s talents lied more so with the finer details.

So it wasn’t odd for her to notice the sudden lack of her twin’s laughter among the party goers on the beach. In fact, she suspected that the party was suddenly Dipper-less when Carl Spencerton had that smirk on his face as he started to prowl. She knew that smirk, it was the smirk he wore whenever he was in a naughty mood. It was the face he’d pull when he was going to try and knock Dipper’s cap off when passing him by. 

The sight of that twisted expression that failed at passing at a smile instantly kicked her ‘big sister’ instincts into action. Her eyes quickly scanned the beach, trying her best to locate the dark green capped boy. Mabel’s eyes instantly latched onto anything of a similar dark green tone, first was Steven Carmichael's swim shorts, the second was Jessica Turnpike’s rash shirt, the third was some seaweed down by the rocks. 

As her eyes drew away from the seaweed, Mabel found herself looking at a set of single footprints that led off towards the cliff. Subtly dancing her way over, Mabel was able to get a closer look at the foot prints. But that wasn’t necessary, one glance at how the footprints had a smaller set of animal tracks told her that these were Dipper’s thongs prints. “The animal foot prints will make anyone following me think I’m just a dog or something and not lose interest.” he had stated when he had picked the pair of thongs. “And mine have smiley faces on them so that when I walk on the beach it’ll be left smiling!” was her reply.

Mabel’s eyes trailed the footprints, they led down the beach; but she couldn’t follow them for long. She could follow the footprints and find out why Dipper had left the party, especially when they were starting to give out snacks. But then again, what kind of party host would she be if she didn’t stick around to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves? Not to mention the fact that her mother was currently bringing out a plate of snacks that Mabel had made. Happy with the knowledge that her brother was safe from Spencerton’s antics; Mabel skipped along to grab one of her patented Mabel brand sugar biscuits “now with more sugar!”

* * * * *

The sun was starting to set and most of the party goers were getting tired. Snack plates were empty, the games had been played and the streamers that were tied to the palm trees were beginning to fall. All this was starting to signal to Mabel that the party was ready to conclude. Despite wanting to give her guests a great send off, Mabel found herself stalling for as much time as possible. Dipper still wasn’t back, and she needed him to be here to make sure this party ended perfectly. The ‘pin the tail on the donkey’ board was in tatters and everyone was too weak in the knees for another dance off. Her options were running out as was her time, Mabel desperately looked around her. There had to be something that could buy Dipper time to get back. With a grin of delight, Mabel caught sight of the digital camera Dipper had been gifted. An idea was brewing in her mind.

“Goodbye pictures!” she cried out. Grinning even wider at the shared confused look worn across the beach. “C’mon! Let’s take a picture to remember today by!” 

That somehow got everyone excited again. Getting in silly poses and making equally silly faces as Mabel ran around snapping pictures with a giddy smile. With so many people at the party, it was guaranteed that Dipper would be back from wherever before everyone had to leave. In fact, he’d probably make it for the finale photo with everyone at once! 

However, as time crept on; and the limited memory on the camera began to fill. Mabel realised that she couldn’t stall forever. With an accepting sigh, Mabel called all the attendees together, friend or otherwise, for one last photo in front of the setting sun. As they huddled together, Mabel set the camera onto one of the snack tables and ran over to the group, sliding into a photogenic pose at the last minute.  Putting on the biggest smile she could muster, As the camera’s flash went off.

Getting up Mabel, thanked everyone for attending and wished them a great evening. As She was about to see the last guest off, who just happened to be Carl Spencerton, she heard an audible puff. Turn her head with a speed that should have broken her neck, Mabel saw her brother lying face first in the sand. His arms flailing wildly trying to pick himself up.

“Ha! Way to stack it nerd!” Carl Spencerton jeered as he left to his parent’s car. Leaving Mabel to help her brother.

She made her way over to Dipper, who had managed to lift his head from the sand. Without missing a beat, he jumped up and grabbed his sister by the arms.

“M-m-mMabel! Skeleton! Ship! Book! Lightning! AHHHHHH!” Dipper screamed as he shook his sister.

“Woah woah woah,” Mabel said, breaking out of her brother’s hold and grabbing his shoulder with one hand. The sudden contact distracted him long enough for Mabel to poke his nose. “Boop!”

“Ah!” Dipper cried in shock 

“My turn!” Mabel said cheerfully before she grabbed Dipper by his shoulders, “WHERE THE HECK WERE YOU? YOU MISSED THE DANCE PARTY!”

“I was tak-” Dipper tried to cut in as his sister shook him. 

“And then I had to take pictures with our new camera and you missed out on that and now I don’t have any scrapbook pictures of you on our 12th birthday! That’s one of the most important ones!” she interjected, “How are we going to remember our 12th birthday?”

“This!” Dipper cried, pulling himself free of Mabel’s hold. He pushed the journal into Mabel’s face. 

“A dirty old book?” Mabel asked. Her face twisted with confusion. “How’s that going to help?”

“The ship I found this on. We could go check it out. there was a ghost I swear!” Dipper waved his arms wildly. 

Mabel looked around. There was still light. Plus Dipper seemed really distressed. Like more so when his favourite space show was cancelled before the season finale. 

“I guess we could check it out.” Mabel said. Just in time for Dipper to grab a hold of her hand and rush her down the beach.

Pdeho Slqhv brxqj dqg fkhhuixo, Pdnh khu furvv dqg idfh dq hduixo, Dozdbv wklqnlqj rq khu ihhw, Zloo wklv fkdqjh ohdg wr khu ghihdw

[revelingrexan]

Expose your fictional crushes

sharing 9 fictional crushes . . .

Top row: White Hat (Villainous, fan character*) - Black Hat (Villainous) - Vision (Marvel, cinematic universe)

Middle row: i don't want to say it Carlisle Cullen (Twilight) - Nico Robin (One Piece) - Saitama (One-Punch Man)

Bottom row: FRIEND'S OC WHEEEEEEZE. my friend knows. my friend very knows - Stanford Pines (Gravity Falls) - Roronoa Zolo (the green-haired idiot. One Piece)

Honorary number 10 (and who hilariously and YAY FOR HIM gets an extra large image since he's on his own): MUMEN RIDER / LICENSELESS RIDER FROM ONE-PUNCH MAN. AAAAAWWWWW YEEEAAAHHH

so my type is apparently mostly: cinnamon rolls/goody two shoes, trash bag edgelords, and idiots. (and Robin's smart and hot how can someone NOT have a crush on her)

. . . I HATE THIS POST (i'm very amused) THANK YOU FOR THE TAG @fangirl-saya

(THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A PERSON IS HALF FACEBLIND. A LOT OF ANIMATED CHARACTERS / CHARACTERS WHO ARE ONLY TEXT [i.e. friend's OC, and Carlisle in my heart] )

___

*WHITE HAT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH POKEMON THAT'S JUST ONE OF MY OWN DRAWINGS/EDITS THAT I STILL NEED TO SUBMIT. I JUST PERMANENTLY HAVE VILLAINOUS AND POKEMON GO BRAINROT

[localcanadiancreature62]

AUGHHHHH. Because he thinks he caused everything that happened. He thinks that by letting Bill live and with him fucking up with his own Fidds so bad,he doesn't deserve to be helped. He would gladly die out there if Stan didn't turn on the portal. Fuck

do you ever think about how ford probably could've gone home, but he didn't think he deserved to