#lee is a sap dot txt

[inktheblot]

📓 👀

Like I'm sure many of us have, I've thought about several potential "next summer in GF" scenes, mostly focusing on relationships that didn't get too much time in the series proper (Mabel and the girls inviting Pacifica to one of their sleepovers for the first time, Ford going on a fishing trip with Fidds and Tate, Soos and Melody's anniversary, The Epic Stan And Wendy Heist We Were Robbed Of: Pun Intended...)

The most fully formed idea I had was for a whole "episode" with a Ford & Mabel A-Plot and a Stan & Dipper B-Plot.

Maybe Soos and Melody are away for the weekend, and then Stan drags Dipper along on some legally dubious errand, which leaves Ford and Mabel to fend for themselves in the Shack. Mabel decides to seize the opportunity to have some rare one-on-one time with her second Grunkle and invites him to bake something with her -- some part of her figures intuitively (correctly) that Ford would want to interact with her (a) she's a more social creature than himself, and might not be content to simply work on a project by herself in silence as long as he would; b) he does also want to get to know her better one-on-one; and c) children require active supervision and attention, oops) but wouldn't know what to say to initiate and wouldn't be thrilled about just Small-Talking It Out. Having an activity to do together breaks that ice and also gives the old nerd a challenge/chance to show off ("I can't say I've made triple-decker banana nut gummy worm muffins before, but on a fundamental level, baking is just edible chemistry -- how hard could it be?").

On both sides of the story we have mostly humorous hijinks, with an underlying layer of "I'm not really sure how to address you on an emotional level right now, even though you're someone who's deeply important to me, so I'm going to rush headlong into your shenanigans, which I do thoroughly enjoy, maybe even more than I expected, and hope that that's enough to convey my feelings", up until the first "commercial break". In "Act II" the Anomaly Of The Week appears, summoned by the specific formula of Mabel and Ford's now-smoking kitchen concoction. Ford is kicking himself -- how could he have let such crucial information slip his mind, he's getting sloppy, he's let himself relax too much, he's weak, he can't even talk to his great-niece, let alone protect her... Despite Mabel's protests, he throws himself headfirst into the fight.

Meanwhile, Stan and Dipper have successfully made their getaway with their sad clown pop-art prints or what have you, laughing and wheezing for breath as they pull over the Stanleymobile in a safe spot in the woods. They're joking and teasing and play-punching each other when all of a sudden, Stan trails off and his gaze turns confused and unfocused. For a minute, Dipper thinks he's being pranked, but soon it becomes clear that his Grunkle is in fact having a memory lapse. Ford had warned the family, in quiet, cautious tones, that it was a possibility; that Stanley had been lucky to survive at all, let alone without any sort of side effects; that he'd already seen it happen a time or two, but they hadn't been severe, and it hadn't taken long to put him to rights, so don't panic. But Dipper hadn't imagined he'd have to handle such a thing by himself, not to mention miles from the ideally easy fix of the Stan O' War II's ship's log or Mabel's scrapbook. So at first, panic is exactly what he does, until it's clear that it's Not Helping (at which point it becomes, uh, more of a Panic On The Inside).

So that parallel thread comes to a head in the form of these unexpected catastrophes being the catalyst for those emotional conversations that hadn't been able to come to the surface yet. Though Ford rushes in to fight off the creature, believing he's singlehandedly responsible for protecting Mabel and the Shack, Mabel easily tames it herself in a creative, compassionate manner ("You're not you when you're hungry!™️"). Ford then has the perfect opportunity to express his admiration for Mabel's social skills as well as the other brilliantly unorthodox solutions for unruly cryptids she'd added to his Journal. Remembering rare monsters' feeding habits was one thing, but even worse, how could he have forgotten that his great-niece was more than capable -- after all, it was she who had punched a unicorn in the face and won! So Mabel gets the bonding she was craving with an unexpected side of affirmation and encouragement, and in turn Ford is reminded that the self-sacrificial shame he bears is unwarranted, that each of the Pines and friends have their own strengths and they have the most success (in monster hunts or otherwise) when they trust each other and work as a team. They return to their baking adventure with the knowledge that they have more to talk about, and more in common, than it may appear on the surface.

And Dipper, when the easy solutions aren't available, and trying to "tough it out" doesn't work, and there's no feasible way he can drive or drag Stan back to the Shack himself, gives in to his emotions, the despair of the moment plus everything else he hasn't known quite when or how to say. All his love and appreciation for his Grunkle, in those words, and the fact that the most valuable thing he taught him wasn't how to throw a proper punch or how to talk back to bullies or how to distract someone running a yard sale but to always put his family first, no matter what you might look like or what you might lose. And that, of course, is the ticket: Stan slowly comes back to life, and rather than brushing off the sentiment or replying with a choke-hold as he might have a year ago, he can fully return it. "Love ya too, kid."

Close on all four, sitting in front of the TV, with some new bizarre artwork on the walls, chowing down on some only mildly exploded dessert-for-dinner. All is well. ❤️