#mabel and dipper's birthday is soon

[bandana-enthusiast]

guess who just finished rewatching gravity falls?? i will never recover :))

[mozquito]

WE R SO BACK

[friedbabyteeth]

Happy birthday to Dipper and Mabel!!!

These are the designs from my Gravity Swapped, where Mabel finds the journal instead of Dipper :o

Fanfic coming soon 😋

[hispieceofcake]

Stanford didn't love Stanley as much Stanley he loved him

I've been thinking about this for a while and analyzing it while I endured the two seasons of Gravity Falls and I came to this conclusion. That Ford didn't love Stan as much as Stan loved him, like, Ford would sacrifice Stan for the world but Stan would sacrifice the world for Ford. And how do I prove this argument? It's simple.

Stanley protected Stanford from childhood of the bullies, has always been by his side through the best and worst moments, like when a girl threw juice at him during the dance and then Stanley threw juice at himself too so Ford wouldn't feel bad or humiliated, felt extremely bad when he heard that Ford was leaving and going to college and leaving alone. Then he was kicked out of the house due to the accident at Ford's project, who even after seeing his brother's situation also abandoned him.

I'm not saying Ford didn't have the right to be upset with Stan, but damn, seeing your twin brother who always protected you and stood by your side the whole time get kicked out of the house so badly and doing nothing sounds very selfish to me.

And then years in the future, while Stan was committing his spree of deception and fraud on the law, Ford was making one of the biggest mistakes of his life, which was to trust Bill Cipher and let him have control of his mind and body. Which, as we know, ended very badly, to the point where he had to call Stanley to help him.

And then Stan hoped that he could again seeing his twin brother and being able to have him by his side again ended up having all his expectations shattered when he saw that his brother just wanted him to go as far away as possible with one of his diaries. Triggering a fight in which Stan ended up injured with a strangely shaped burn mark on his shoulder, and pushing his brother into the portal and then running towards him begging for him to come back.

And then for thirty years he devoted himself to bringing Stanford back, he committed robberies (not that he didn't do them before), he broke the law (again not that he didn't do them before), deceived the people he loved most (Dipper and Mabel), stopped taking care of himself, and dedicated years and years just for his brother. Then when he succeeds in bringing Ford back, he is met with a punch in the face and no thanks.

I understand that Ford was worried that the world could be destroyed and all, but man, was it so hard to apologize for the punch and thank his brother afterwards?

And even so, Ford only thanked Stan because he was forced to and even then it was sarcasm, and then Stan sacrificed himself for him and for everyone in Gravity Falls by switching places with Ford and have his mind invaded by Bill Cipher to defeat him soon after.

And again coming back to that phrase but a little different, "Ford would sacrifice Stan for the world but Stan would sacrifice himself for Ford."

Now one thing that made me a little indignant with Ford when I read Bill's book, on the page where Ford said about his birthday, he didn't talk about Stan at all, he didn't remember his own twin brother who had a birthday that same day, the person who cared most about him in the world was forgotten by him and only called when Ford was out of options and needed someone trustworthy to disappear along with his diary.

I've seen several pieces of art and text that say that Ford is the brain and Stan is the heart, and I honestly agree, Ford is intelligent, planning and accurate while Stan is emotional, careless and affectionate (in his own grumpy way but he is), it even reminds me of a song called "Choice" by an artist called Jack Stauber. (just a silly curiosity)

But getting back to the subject, I know Ford had his reasons, and I know he loves Stanley and values him very much and cares and loves his family, but I wanted to highlight a little how much Stan tried for him, and in fact, it was a lot. Both Stan twins have been through some tough times leading to trauma for both of them and I was extremely happy when I watched the last episode and saw that now both of them are together fulfilling their long-awaited dream together and making up for lost time from years and years without each other.

Please don't take this post as an attack on the character, Stanford is my favorite character along with Stan, I love them both, but loving a character means knowing his good and bad points. If you have a different thought please share it, but without being offensive.

Oh yeah, forgive me for being absent, I've been a bit out of sorts, but every now and then I'll show up to bring you something.

Well, thanks for reading, bunny kisses 🐰💋

[earako]

Saw de-aged Stan stuff and wanna join the Ford realizing Stan was a baby when he was kicked out bandwagon

-/-

Their niblings had just celebrated their seventeenth birthday a week ago and Ford couldn't help but think about just how young his niblings are.

Babies...the both of them. It didn't matter if they would be old enough to start college soon, Mabel and Dipper were still children and the thought of either of them on the streets, cold, hungry, and alone filled Ford with a rage so intense he genuinely scared himself.

How anyone could look at a 17 year old child and think that they could survive just fine on their own without a home, friends, family, or a high school diploma truly baffled Ford.

Seventeen...it was right there in the name. Teen. A child. Not an adult.

Seventeen year olds still needed guidance and correction. They still needed to be taught what 'better' meant because how could they know better if they had no reference for what exactly 'better' looked like.

A seventeen year old kicked out on the street nowadays would result in steep consquences for the offending party. There would be an investigation, law enforcement, organizations that didn't really exist back when Ford and Stan were kids would get involved.

Stan...

Stan was seventeen when he was kicked out. Ford used to convince himself that Stan had left willingly. He was too old now to delude himself with that lie.

Stan, little seventeen year old Stanley, was forced out of his home.

Ford tried to imagine Dipper and Mabel out on the streets. He tried to imagine them with Stan's scars, he tried to imagine their niblings scared, paranoid, ravenous hunger making their little teenage frames shake-

"It was wrong."

"Ford?"

"What Filbrick did," Ford growled, turning to face his brother. "What our father did was beyond inappropriate-" Ford gestured to where Mabel and Dipper were passed out on the lawn, napping in the noon day sun.

They wanted to spend one more summer in Gravity falls before heading off to their final year of high school.

They were so young.

Stan was so young.

"You were Mabel and Dipper's age," Ford continued, "It was wrong." To Ford's dismay his brother just shrugged.

"Yeah, well. Different time and all that." Ford pratically bristled at Stan's nonchalant response.

"If what happened to you happened to the twins you'd be furious-hell, I would be furious!"

"Keep it down, pointdexter, you'll wake the kids!" Stan hissed, his eyes darting over to their still asleep niblings. Ford clamped his mouth shut, slowly exhaling, and closed his eyes.

He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder.

Stan.

"Look, I appreciate you going all big brother mode but honestly, what could you have done?"

"I could have stood up to Pa."

"After you thought I had betrayed you?" Ford was silent.

Stan...Stan had a point. Ford was angry and hurting and not thinking about the reprecussions of his fathers actions or of closing the curtains on Stan.

He could have done something though!

...Right?

"Ford, we were the same age. You were a kid too when that happened. We were kids raised with being angry and terrified of our dad as something normal. We couldn't do better then because no one ever showed us what better looked like."

'Like the twins,' went unsaid but Ford already knew thats where Stan's train of thought was headed.

Ironically, their great niece and nephew had to be the ones to show them what an actual loving family looked like.

(No offense to Ma, Ford adored his mother, but she was also a woman of her time...and a compulsive liar...hm...maybe he should take up Shermie on that offer for a therapist recommendation...)

"...I just...seeing now just how young you were..."

"Again, we were the same age, Ford." Ford huffed.

"I still say it was wrong. What Filbrick did."

"I know," Stan said, reaching up to squeeze Ford's shoulder. "Give yourself some slack too, bro. Both of us were young and hurting. But now we're old and making things better." Ford sighed and lightly tapped his fist against Stan's chest.

"And people called you the dumb one?" Stan rolled his eyes and groaned.

"You killed the moment. Good job."

"I try."

[sleeby-bo-beebie]

Ok SO! Reading the journal pages in TBOB I wanted to line them up with journal 3, and they line up SUPER well! (I mean, why wouldn’t they!)

Some lineups/ things I noticed while looking at them together:

‘My Assistant’ page Fidd’s photos of loved ones keeping him grounded- the picture of he and Ford in his desk!!

Journal starts on June 18, next dated page is August 3rd. He mentions the hide behind but doesn’t chronicle it until well into July. This furthers the thinking I’ve had that Ford doesn’t always write chronologically, or rather has different things in different journals (he just doesn’t always write in actual page order I think)- esp considering that he puts portal info in 1 & 2.

‘Cipher Speaks lines up with being written before “My Muse” as he names Bill directly, but ‘My Muse’ being written after as a re-do, hence the note to self to keep secret, and burn the page. This is in spring/ summer of 1981

Next, my muse and me, which is brings us to 1982, as “it has been a year since I met my muse” this page puts context to the next 40ish pages of J3, which chronically various cryptids. While the ghost pages are at toward the end, we can assume that perhaps he had the coordinates when writing but did the chronicle-ing after. Here’s where it gets confusing- the next page in TBOB is June 15, which helps because after August, we get July 18th in J3. So, we can conclude that August is August of 1981, and there’s a year skip to July of 1982. My Muse and Me is placed before the august 3rd page, but not too close to My Muse.

The Birthday page of TBOB is of 1982, and happens sometime probably after the ghost pages? Definitely before “My Muse has Spoken” (I think bill def settled in on ford being his portal guy after their night out)

Then Fidds joins. They go on their trips, the bunker, etc! We hit “An Encounter” and we get “we have nearly completed the portal and will soon be ready to test” This lines up with “A voice from the past” , as Ford is adjusting the TV for F’s first portal test.

The next dates page is Jan 17, testing day. So, of course, the Winter Break section happens before this. I think it goes before the page on them being super tired (the one directly after ‘an encounter’) so my guess is, an encounter, a voice from the past, then the page across from an encounter, then winter break, then the page about being tired, if that makes sense? (It’s the positioning of the blueprint style pages that say “the time has come to test” that put them after)

This also lines up for me with his convo with bill about his homeworld, and then mentioning bill being distant on ‘a winter break’

We get ‘snowed in’, and I think the disappearing child footprints are definitely a reference to Dipper and Mabel time traveling!

Some chronological pages next!

I think ‘My muse returns’ happens right after the final winter page, my reasoning being that Bill plants the idea that Fidds isn’t fully invested, and this lines up with Ford being “worried about his resolve” on the blueprint page. “Despite his concerns”

The childhood photo pages next, with “perhaps my muse was right that F is getting too close” (bill was def jealous of their holiday)

“Dream, or Warning?” Daytime of Jan 17, “F has invited me to dinner at Greasy’s tonight to toast to tomorrow’s test”

Jan 17th page happens next, an hour after their dinner, including the “it was just as my muse had warned me” Bill has succeeded in convincing ford to isolate himself from Fidds.

The J3 “No!!! curse the world” page and TBOB’s “I was wrong about everything” seem similar at first, but I think “No!!!” Was first- it details what happened in the portal test, and has very fresh anger to it.

It’s a bit tough to place the next pages, but I think the pages before TBOB’s “The war in my mind” happen before the page of all the codes, where he writes “he is taking advantage while I sleep” in “the war in my mind” he is already worried about burning the journals, which is a concern presented previously on “hiding places” him getting kicked out the library pairs well with his lack of sleeping and freak out in the diner.

I do think the zom-bills page happens after the incident at the diner, as he is surprised that Bill calls him Sixer, but then doesn’t mention it when he calls him that again on the zom-bills page.

Everything “a war in my mind” and after takes place after the codes page, but before the “Trust No One” page. Bill definitely wrote the ‘blank’ blacklight page about being summoned while he was possessing Ford.

On the diner page, he mentions there being only one person left to trust, giving fodder for bill to prank him by trying to call Stanley. He’s given the 72 hours. He finishes that entry realizing he can’t contact Fidds, and makes his pro/con list. He writes his final journal entry, saying “all that there is left to do is wait for S”

And that concludes my hopefully sense-making idea of what pages go where!! If you have both books, I definitely recommend looking at them together!

I’d love to hear any thoughts on this! It was really fun to go through the pages. It got a little tricky at the end, but it’s definitely likely that Ford wasn’t writing in page order anyways, being paranoid and sleep deprived.

I’m so glad we got these pages, as they really beef up the lead up to the end of Ford’s first section of journal 3! And of course, give us lots more about Ford and Bill’s relationship and how they talked to eachother. The notion of bill being able to still enter ford’s mind after Ford learned the truth was always so compelling, and I’m so glad we got to see how that actually played out!

[pichiru]

The Sun Also Smiles - Chapter 3

Chapters - [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Summary - With Mabel and Dipper's 16th birthday party on the horizon, Grunkle Stan takes to online dating to find a date for the party. Things start to get real weird real fast.

Word Count - 3,251

Pairing(s) - Stan Pines x OC

Genre(s): Romance, Comedy, Mystery

~~~~~~~~

Solana said:

Good morning, Stanley Pines 🖤

Stanley 🖤🖤🖤 said:

Mornin toots

Solana said:

Did you sleep well?

Stanley 🖤🖤🖤 said:

Like a damn rock. What about you?

Solana said:

I slept wonderfully. Had a hot date with a nice and shy old guy and my favorite tv show last night

Stanley 🖤🖤🖤 said:

Oh yeah? Hope he was handsome

Solana said:

He is. Sexy even.

Stanley 🖤🖤🖤 said:

Damn. You think I’m sexy? Wish I could give you a compliment too but I have no idea what you look like, toots

Solana said:

Soon, soon. Very soon. I promise. I wanna make sure that you’re not gonna up and run away the moment you see me.

Stanley 🖤🖤🖤 said:

Why would I book it?

Solana said:

Iunno. It happens all the time.

Stanley 🖤🖤🖤 said:

Even for me, that’s rude as hell. I’m sorry

Solana said:

Why are YOU sorry? You didn’t do it. I appreciate the kindness though.

Stanley 🖤🖤🖤 said:

Lemme meet you at your job some time?

Solana said:

Maybe. Let me get through the day today and I’ll give you an answer to that. I’m in a rush right now. Boss is on my ass about being present and punctual.

Stanley 🖤🖤🖤 said:

Yeah I gotcha. I’ll be waiting for that answer, babe

Solana said:

🖤🖤🖤

“Grunkle Stan, are you ready yet?” Mabel called from up the stairs.

“Did you sleep in your chair again? That’s not good for your back, you know,” Dipper said with playful disappointment in his voice.

Stan smiled to himself at the kids looking out for him despite the fact that he was a grown man and could take care of himself. It was just nice to know that people other than Ford cared for once.

He dropped the leg rest on the recliner then pulled himself to the edge of the seat. With a large and very much audible grunt, Stan pushed himself onto his feet. He knew Dipper was right but sometimes forcing himself to lay in an empty bed was tough. A loud crack was heard when he stretched out his back, immediately creating relief.

“Yeah, yeah, kids. I got it,” he yelled up at them, knowing they were standing at the top of the stairs listening to his morning routine.

“Lemme take a shower and snag breakfast on the way there,” Stan offered as he continued to stretch and crack bones in his rickety old body.

“No chance Grunkle Stan! It’s almost noon and I’ve been waiting alllllll morning for you to wake up and take me and Dipper-“

“I told you, it’s Maze now. Short for Mason,” Dipper murmured to Mabel, hitting her arm. Not hard though.

Mabel rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner. “I’ve been waiting alllllll morning for you to wake up and take me and MAZE to that massive art store that just opened up recently.”

“Maze?” Stan asked under his breath to himself in confusion. “I’m sorry, kid. I stayed up a little later than usual to watch the rerun of The Duchess Approves. I’ll make it up to ya. I promise.”

Mabel peeked down the stairs to see Stan standing at the bottom, looking as if he was deep in thought. “Okay. As long as you keep that promise.”

“I’m a man of my word! I’ve never made a promise I couldn’t keep. Ask Sixer.” Stan yawned as he stretched one last time to get the residual tiredness out of his body.

“Shower then store!” Mabel said with a nodding huff.

“You got it, kid,” Stan chuckled. He turned the tv off and tossed the remote back into the recliner. He trudged up the stairs and past the kids at the top, immediately making his way into the bathroom. He shut the door quickly and sighed heavily.

Why was Solana being so avoidant about being seen? Was she actually a catfish or even a modicum of who she said she is? It was hard to tell through just a screen or a phone call. Stan was used to being scammed and the scammer but this one…this one felt like the worst kind of scam and that’s saying a lot considering he was actually a criminal.

He shook his head to try and shake the feeling off. Today was about Mabel and starting up her weird earring business. This wouldn’t even be a thing he’d consider if she wasn’t looking to be a business owner like her good old Grunkle Stan. It lit up the darkest corners of his heart to know that fact.

As he went through the motions of taking a shower and getting dressed, Mabel was sitting with Dipper in the living room. She was sitting in the seat of the recliner and Dipper on the arm with his leg up. They were barely watching some old cowboy flick that had a lot of staring and not a lot of action. It could almost be classified as media's longest staring contest if one to be honest.

Dipper had on a black denim vest with distress on the sleeves, (what he thought was) an obscure band t-shirt, ripped jeans, and combat boots. Even though it was the beginning of summer, he chose fashion over comfort. He even started donning "guy-liner" which everyone knew was just eyeliner he tried to masculinize. Mabel did it for him every morning without complaint because she wanted her brother to look pretty.

Mabel however barely changed her fashion sense in the years since they were last in the mystery shack. Except she upgraded to overall dresses over her sweaters instead of regular skirts and wore high top converse instead of regular black flats. Sometimes she would steal Dipper's band t-shirts if they had a weird enough logo.

"Dip-" Mabel started before she got a death glare from her brother. "Maaazzzeeeeeee," she said in a drawn out way to try and get the name on her tongue. "Maze, did you hear any of what Grunkle Stan was saying on the phone last night?"

"No, I was _actually_ sleeping."

"Hey! I was too excited to sleep because we're starting up my business soon! And going material shopping today. I had to make sure I had everything written down and designed so the art store people could help me," she explained before puffing out her cheeks at the end.

"ANYWAY!" she continued. "He was talking to a mystery woman and watching The Duchess Approves. It had a crazy plot twist at the end. I won't spoil it for you though," she rambled.

"Mabel, you're getting off track again," Maze said as he flicked the shoelaces on his combat boots.

"Oh! Right! Well anyway, I think he asked her on a date," she whispered to him.

"A date? Grunkle Stan? Yeah okay. Funny joke Mabel," Maze said as he rolled his eyes. "Grunkle Stan doesn't have it in him to even talk to a woman let alone ask her on a date."

"I dunnoooooo! He got pretty far on courting Lazy Susan before things went downhill. I just think they thought they were better as friends. But this woman...She's different. I think he really likes her."

"How could you know that from one conversation on the phone?" Maze asked.

"I can tell by the tone of his voice when he was talking to her. Grunkle Stan never talks to anyone like that. Not even us! And you know he loves us to death."

"He'd never admit it though," Maze added.

"Of course not. But we will always know his truth," Mabel sighed gently as she sat back into the chair.

"Kids? Ya ready to hit the road?" Stan's voice suddenly called from up the stairs.

Mabel and Maze sat up straight when they heard his voice. They looked at each other, scared that he might have heard their conversation. They gulped in unison.

"Y-Yeah! I got everything in my bag and Di...Maze is ready too!" Mabel called back with a nervous laugh, grabbing her tote bag and standing up straight.

"Nice," Maze said sarcastically with no real bite to it. But he's glad she said something because he knows they would have both been sitting there in stunned silence until Stan came down to see if they were even still alive.

"Shhhhhh!" Mabel covered his face with one of her hands. Maze didn't move in the slightest. He was used to Mabel doing that at this point.

They could hear footsteps descending down the first half of the steps then onto the landing. Stan was standing there in his mystery shack suit with his red fez, a sleek gold chain with his stylish, totally for show, cane in his right hand. Which meant...he was ready to haggle the art store workers at any cost. He only wore that suit when he wanted to scam during daylight hours.

"Grunkle Stan, you better be nice! I know what that suit means," Mabel warned, putting her hands on her hips and puffing her cheeks out.

"Hey, don't ya want the best materials at half the cost? Which means ya can get even more!" Stan retorted with his signature, boastful grin plastered on his face.

Mabel sighed loudly while leaning her head back. "Yeessssss," groaned playfully.

"Exactly. Let's get going." Stan looked at Maze and gave him a thumbs up. "I had a goth phase too, kid. Just want you to know that," he said as he finished coming down the stairs. He patted both of their heads with heavy hands and smiled even more. Nothing made him happier in this moment than seeing his niece and nephew continue growing into their own person. He just wanted them to be happy and he'd do anything to make that happen.

"Grunkle Staaannnnnn," Maze groaned, shaking his head from under Stan's hand and fixing his hair.

"Sorry, kid. Takes a lot of hair gel to get it like that, eh?" Stan chuckled as he walked towards the door. "Keepin it in mind for the next time."

Maze smiled at his uncle's apology. Stan was the last person he expected to understand him right now. How could Stanley Pines of all people understand what it felt like to be an outcast? It always seemed like he knew just what to do to fit in and Ford was the outcast.

"Maze?" Mabel called from the door. She was looking at him with concern at the way he spaced out suddenly. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah! Sorry. I was just thinking about what kind of earrings I could make for myself when you get everything. Twin discount, you know," He said coolly.

Mabel grinned, clutching the strap of her tote. Her family's support meant the world to her. "It'll probably be something emmoooooo," she teased. "Shotgun!" she yelled suddenly before darting towards Stan's car.

"NOT FAIR! You got a head start!" Maze said as he ran out of the house past Stan to try and beat Mabel to the car.

Stan laughed to himself as he closed the front door and locked the door. He strolled over to the car as the twins argued over who was going to sit where in the car. "The lady of the hour should sit in the front." Mabel stuck her tongue out at Maze. "Then...Maze can sit in the front when we come home." Maze stuck his tongue out at Mabel in retaliation. Stan unlocked the car and hopped in. Right after, the twins piled into the spots in the car.

"Buckle those seatbelts up," Stan reminded as he turned the radio on a low volume so there wasn't any awkward silence.

"Grunkle Stan, you literally never put your seatbelt on," Mabel laughed as she put hers on.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm an adult. I could take a car crash to the head right now and be fiiine," Stan said smoothly but in a way that would definitely be conveyed as a joke. He admired her for calling him out on his shit. He needed to be setting a better example for them since they were much more sentient and impressionable than the last time he saw them. He popped it on, adjusted his rearview mirror and drove off towards town.

Stan and Mabel were singing along to a random pop song that they both were surprised that each other knew. Once they realized that they were karaoke buddies, they sang their hearts out to the song while Maze sat in the backseat, marveling at their ability to not care so much. Once the song was over with and they calmed down, Stan adjusted his rearview mirror so he could have a direct eye line with Maze.

"So uh, Maze. Ya wanna talk about the name change?" Stan asked as he turned down the radio so he could hear him if he decided to respond.

"Oh, uh..." Maze's cheeks flushed shyly as he sunk down into the seat. "I felt like Dipper was too little kiddish and Mason wasn't cool enough. It feels like an old man name. So I came up with Maze," he explained, feeling his ears heat up from embarrassment. "It's like a cooler and more edgy version of Mason, you know?"

Stan smiled to himself. He was proud of his nephew for taking steps to trying to find himself in this crucial stage of his development. "Yeah? It sounds badass," he admitted with a grin. "The ladies'll go crazy over Maze."

"You think so?" He asked, his cheeks fully flushed now. He had a smile on his face that was so relieved that Stan was extremely supportive without a second thought to it.

"Hell yeah! Better than borin old Stan," Stan said with a nod, smiling even more now.

"Well someone seems to like that, 'boring old Stan'," Mabel chimed in bravely with a devious grin while she wiggled her eyebrows knowingly.

The car swerved slightly after she said that. Stan was shocked that she knew _anything_. His own cheeks started turning red in response.

"Got no clue what you're on about, kid," he deflected quickly.

"Oh yeeeaaaahhhhhh? Who's Solana then?" Mabel asked, putting her head in her hands with her elbows on the arm rest between her and her uncle.

"B-Bill collector!" He stammered before turning the radio up loud enough to where he couldn't hear her if she tried to speak again.

Mabel giggled and turned to face forward in her seat again. She knew he was lying of course and it was hilarious watching him trying to explain his way out of it.

After what felt like an agonizing amount of time to Stan later, they pulled into a parking spot at the new art shop he promised he'd take Mabel to. He turned the car off then immediately pulled the keys out.

"Ready to get the ball rollin, kid?" Stan asked Mabel.

"I'm ready like Freddy!" Mabel said excitedly, practically vibrating in her seat at this point.

"Go on in. I'll meet you kids in there. Make sure you look all helpless so they'll feel bad for some kids and give even more of a discount," Stan reminded, looking between the both of them. The twins nodded and rushed out of the car to run into the store.

Stan took his phone out of his pocket to see if Solana had texted him. She didn't. He figured it was because she was at work so he figured he'd hear from her later on in the day after her shift. Or maybe on her lunch break? He hoped lunch was the option.

Wait what? Stop. Full stop. Why was he acting like this about a woman he barely knew?

Get it together, Stanley, he thought to himself, shaking his head and rubbing his face in disbelief. His eyes trailed over to his reflection in the rearview mirror. He almost didn't recognize himself.

"Ya got this. You are the man. Ya'll get Mabel the best deals in the history of Gravity Falls on art supplies. Keep it together around them. Don't let them see you crack," he said to his reflection in the mirror, trying to hype himself up like usual. He always did this before every Mystery Shack tour back when he still ran it. He left that up to Soos long ago. It'd been a while. He was rusty but he hoped he still had the charm.

Before he could get inside his own head any more than what he already was, Stan got out of the car. He made sure to grab his cane just in case he had to play up the old man card. As he locked the doors, he was already walking into the store.

The doors slid open and he was hit with the crispest wall of air conditioning he'd ever felt since he moved to this, not so, sleepy town. They weren't kidding when they said this was the biggest art store this town has ever seen. It seemed locally owned. By who, he didn't know. Nor did he care. He was about to scam the fuck out of them.

There was a loud clatter heard in a nearby aisle.

"Fuck!" the voice said in a defeated tone.

Stan grew curious if the kids had anything to do with that. He went to inspect almost immediately. Once he reached the aisle where the commotion was, there was a woman bent over in a short skirt. If she didn't have her striped tights on, her ass definitely would have been showing. It was nice and round plus her thighs were the perfect size to match. When he caught himself staring, Stan screeched to a grinding halt in his tracks when he remembered that he was still very much interested in Solana.

"Excuse me, toots. Ya need a hand?" he found himself asking without even thinking a millisecond about it. He cussed himself out internally for treating this woman the way he did initially and wanted to right the wrong. Even though she had no idea.

"Ah, no. I got it," she said as she stood up straight and turned around to see Stan. She froze in her tracks when their eyes met. She stood there, statuesque.

Stan couldn't help but look over her in the few seconds he had to respond. She had a light yellow color to her hair and it was almost reminiscent of Betty Boop with all the little curls she had covering her head and part of her face. It was short too. Above her shoulders. Her skin was dewy and brown. Her eyes were a deep and chocolatey brown. Her lips. Her shirt had one of those little heart shaped keyholes. It showed every bit of her cleavage.

He snapped himself back to reality first, still finding her seemingly frozen in time.

"Hello?" Stan asked, waving a hand in her face. "Anybody home up there?"

"Hi, Stanley," she said in a very familiar voice with a smile and a tiny wave of her fingers.

Stan froze in his spot as well. His throat immediately started feeling like it was closing up and his heart started racing.

"S-Solana?" he asked in quiet shock. His entire demeanor changed almost instantly. He was looking everywhere but her, feeling the anxiety of seeing her set in quickly. This was something he hadn't accounted for. At least not today.

"Tsk, tsk, Stanley," Solana said as she did the two finger wiping motion at him. "Eye fucking me already?" she laughed. "How ungentlemanlike of you."

[indecisive-dizzy]

Alright the Gravity Falls brain rot is kicking in (aka I watched a 4hr video overanalyzing ATOTS <3 iykyk)

So have a loosely thought out concept of a hypothetical Welcome Home x Gravity Falls au with my "Hear me out!"s This is a long one, you've been warned <3

Wally - Dipper

Sally - Mabel

Julie - Stanley

Frank - Stanford

Eddie - Soos

Barnaby - Wendy

Poppy - Abuelita

Howdy - Gideon

Home - Bill???

Ok hear me out! (under the cut) Please ignore typos <3

Very quick clarification! For this au everyone is at least in their teens and I'm gonna add their ages as I elaborate. Ok? Ok!

Gonna Start with Poppy and Eddie. In this hypothetical au Poppy is Not Eddie's grandmother. Originally I thought of assigning Poppy the role of Lazy Susan but I wanted her to have a closer connection to the rest of the cast. And Abuelita fit the role well enough for me! She's just a sweet homebody who wants to knit and bake in peace. Eddie tells her all about work and Wally and Sally visit. <3

So Poppy and Eddie live together as Roommates/Family. Poppy took Eddie in as a teen (16ish) when she was in her early 20s (22-23?) He views her as a big sister. And she views him as a little brother. Anxiety siblings <3 (yes I hc Eddie has anxiety) Eddie started working for the shack soon after being taken under Poppy's wing. He's a tad forgetful and clumsy but is a very reliable handy man and a good friend! He's got a big heart and worries about Julie sometimes.

Currently, as in the time the au takes place, Eddie is 24 and Poppy is 30-31.

Julie and Frank would in fact make a Fantastic Mabel and Dipper. Tbh I think I've seen the comparison before. Which is exactly why I'm not doing it! They're not twins here but they are childhood friends and very close in age, Frank being slightly older. Currently, Julie is 57(?) and Frank is 58(?). (Ages aren't confirmed, all I know is I want them to be A Bit younger than the Stans. Currently this would put them in their late 20s at the time of the portal incident)

I feel like people sometimes forget that Frank is not against resorting to violence lol. Which is great for post portal Ford (and maybe Paranoia era Ford. bbg was not afraid to use that crossbow.) And Julie is a girl bossing business woman! She's scamming people selling breen to the tourists! Whatever that is! Tbh Big inspo for this decision is Relativity Falls, like I said these two make for great mystery twins.

So! Wally (15) as a teenage Dipper! It's just Wally but his curiosity is bumped to 100. Still the same lil guy but he's got a hyperfixation on the supernatural and cryptids. Maybe he hasn't quite figured out his style yet, maybe he's a bit more awkward, I dunno.

He kinda didn't want to spend his summer here but ends up enjoying himself as he makes friends and gets to over indulge his curiosity.

Sally (15) is Wally's adopted sister! By sheer coincidence they have the same birthday but Sally always points out that she's older because she was "born at sunrise!" She's very adventurous and is often the one leading their escapades. I imagine she meets this aus equivalent of Candy and Grenda at the local theater. Very much wants to be her own person, separating herself from the Adopted Twins thing. Not in a bad way! She loves Wally very much but wants people to see her as Sally! Not just "Wally's Sister."

Barnaby (22) is very laid back and so is Wendy. Yeah I don't actually have a lot to say? Um. He does the bare minimum work but is a good friend to Julie. He's real observant and can tell she's not always as bubbly as she seems But she's also his boss so he doesn't pry. Instead just offering a distraction or a rare bit of advice..

Oh! There's a parallel with him and Wally and Wendy and Dipper. Except Wally just wants to be friends with Barnaby but doesn't quite know how to communicate that. Maybe he just kinda follows him around the shack hoping to figure out what to say?

Thinking their relationship is literally the recent quote from Clown's Q&A: "Barnaby meeting Wally felt like business as usual, and Wally meeting Barnaby felt like meeting the whole world." yeah that's it. Sums it up Perfectly <3 Wally thinks Barnaby is really cool and friendly. And he wants a friend who treats him like he's mature. Like he's 15, not 5. And Barnaby does that right out the gate. Calls him kid but obviously doesn't treat him like a small child.

Ahem. Capitalism. Howdy's (21) a filthy capitalist and wants the shack for Profit. I don't think he'd resort to literal breaking and entering to get the deed? Can't make Profit from jail if he gets caught. But he's definitely trying to buy the property off of Julie. Maybe we stray further from Gravity Falls canon and say he gets an early redemption bc I'm a sucker for this goof. It would be sometime after taking the shack (and losing it.) Oh but he does summon the Evil. Can't break the law if the law doesn't account for Interdimensional Demons!

On that note, Yes Howdy could be Stanley. But again. That's the easy way out! Also in my brain that would make,, idk Barnaby? Ford. And I couldn't do that.

Ok final (wh) character. Home. So I'm on the side of Home Isn't Evil/The Antagonist. He's just a guy (house)! A sassy fella! But someone's gotta be the Eldritch Horror and Unfortunately, Home,,, well he's a lil quirky!

But idk How to incorporate Home. They speak in onomatopoeias! They're a house! Is Home now a Vague 2D House Shaped Demon? Do the have Limbs? Wear a top hat? Do they talk now? Home speaking words feels cursed. But I genuinely don't what else to do? Maybe we suspend our disbelief and they still talk through banging shutters. Everyone just understands them bc Cartoon logic pffff maybe they have subtitles projected into your brain that only you can see idk lol.

So obviously there's Way more GF characters than there are WH characters. insert characters [(y/n)] aren't my thing for aus so that's a no go for me personally. I imagine the town is filled with characters we've heard of outside the neighbors (Ma Beagle of course lives in town.) Maybe some of Howdy's family is here who knows. And the rest would be randos or ocs I guess! Tho I don't believe Julie's siblings are in town.

Anywho this is all hypothetical and I made it up and retyped things as I went along. I wanted to ramble some nonsense so I did! If you read it, Awesome! You sure did that!

[artisiumstudios]

PART TWO

Okay I realized today reading through my last post that I made a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes but now that I have slept for 9 hours I should be good to go! Okay so first of all I do want to state that the mystery shack will be a thing here even if it wasn’t exactly Fords idea. And a lot of things that happened in the oh timeline do still happen in this au but with a twist, for example Wendy and soos still end up working at the mystery shack MUSEUM but apart from being workers soos is also fords apprentice and Wendy is kinda like a student to ford (aka she likes to learn about all the crazy shit he did).

The other thing is ford did tell people he studied the paranormal and anomalies but didn’t say anything about the portal. Now as for the journals because dipper does still find the journals, after ford disassembles the portal he hides his journals once again but not before ripping out and hiding the blue ones prints and most of the pages that either had anything to do with him or Stan out and the most of the ones he had with bill. He hides the pages separately throughout his house and the forest because he can’t bring himself to destroy them.

Oh and other stuff ford found in the car was the box that had Stan’s fake ids, another pair of bras knuckles, a map with states he was no longer allowed in, another small notebook with names and money he owed them, a first aid kit, weed (you cannot tell me Stanley pines was not a stoner during the hippie area like come on), and a picture of ma and Shermie with the date June 15 with the words “ HAPPY 27th BIRTHDAY STAN WE MISS YOU!” Alright now let me get back to the time line.

So 2 years go by and the mystery shack museum is now a thing, a small one but it’s a thing. It’s less of a tourist trap and more of a museum where he captures small harmless (or well mostly harmless) creatures of gravity falls and provides activities to for people to hang out or interact with them. It starts off well and eventually he is able to produce merchandise. Occasionally he does have to provide “handmade” creatures (ideas taken from Stan’s notebook. The mystery shack continues to grows and by the late 90’s he’s able to pay off his mortgage and pay the school his grant back, and he slowly expands the shack to fit more anomalies. But still he can’t stop the nagging feeling that giving the portal up was a mistake, that stan is still alive.

THE TWINS ARE BORN! Ford being Ford he still didn’t contact his family much. He was trying to do so more especially after his dad’s death, his ma had lost so much already. When he got the call he immediately left to the hospital and once he got there much like og Stan he couldn’t let them go. He knew he had to protect them, that he couldn’t have them make the same mistakes that cost him his brother, the same mistakes that tore them apart forever.

Around the next five years this is where ford find soos after his birthday and where they begin to connect. Soos doesn’t really open up but ford gets that whatever upset the child involves his birthday. So he offers him a free entrance to the museum and soos accepts, this is kinda where I’m figuring out the details but soos love for building things reminds ford of his old lab partner that he decides to take him in as an apprentice. Now the twins are around 8-9 when ford gets called up to see if he can take the kids for the summer! (No this is not where the major story takes place) He says dipper and Mabel have been wanting to visit and they also were hoping to have them learn a thing or two. Ford agrees and almost every summer after that ford has been in charge of the twins for every summer.

During these summers ford starts to wonder if maybe he gave up on his twin too soon. He sees how the kids act with each other and he feels the guilt rip him from the inside out. He begins his research once again, even if he still feels like the odds are against him. Now the twins are 13 (this is where it takes place) (oh btw Wendy gets hired when the twins are 11 and she’s taken a liking to learning about the forest creatures, even if she doesn’t want to admit that she’s finding learning fun, and occasionally she’ll join ford on field to study these creatures) Summer this year feels a little more sad, their parents have been arguing a lot more this year and Dipper fears for the worst. He doesn’t want a divorce, and he especially doesn’t want to get separated from his twin sister.

But this is also an exciting summer since Grunkle Ford said this would be the year they can start going into the forest by themselves! Now you can guess how dipper found the journal. Now I’m not going to spoil much now but that’s it for fords part!

Now for Stanley!

After being pushed into the portal he blacked out for a second. He woke up to find himself surrounded by creatures! He panicked clutching (his pearls) the journal, and sneaking it into his jacket. This is his first encounter with bill. Bill at first seems friendly, kind, offering Stan some food and water. Stan didn’t trust it. His gut told him to run and after being on the streets for 10 years he knew not to trust food and water handed to you by someone you just met. Bill shows ford around explaining his dimensions and that those little black holes are worm holes that lead to different dimensions. He tells him his brother was working on a portal that would created would do something similar, that he made a deal with ford. He would help him create a portal so that his name would go down in history and give him the opportunity to explore other universes and in exchange he could go into fords dimension and explore the stars there. But ford backed out last minute and betrayed bill. Stan obviously didn’t trust that especially after seeing the state ford was in.

However he knew guys like bill. Unless you want to die just let him keep going and hear him out. Bill tried to make a deal with him, charming him saying that maybe he would listen to Stanley, that if Stanley let him control his body for a bit he could convince ford to open the portal once again and afterwards bill would give Stan what he always wanted: a million dollars, the opportunity to get his family back. But there were so many flaws with that deal. Bill never said how long he would take over his body, he kept using vague language when he said get his family back. For all he knew his family could be given to him in coffins. And he during that little montage bill showed him of ford he saw fords eyes, well more like his pupils. Bill was what ford was looking for when he checked his eyes. Yeah no he’s not trusting him .

But how could he escape if he was practically surrounded. He acted as if he was thinking looking subtly around. A worm hole! But he needed to get closer, cause a distraction, but how???

ANYWAYS PART THREE LATER CAUSE I GOT CLASS OKAY BYEEE

[incomingalbatross]

Gravity Falls, the first year after canon:

Kids start school basically as soon as they get home. Wendy and Co. go back into high school. Dipper starts boxing lessons at a local gym.

Stan and Ford get the Stan O' War II operational around the end of September, making a detour to sail south and see the kids before heading to the Arctic. Meet the Pines parents! (I really wanted them there for Thanksgiving, but I couldn't justify delaying their voyage by a whole three months. And end of September situates their sailing right after Yom Kippur, which from my limited understanding seems nicely symbolic.)

The kids + parents spend Thanksgiving with their dad's side of the family. May involve a belated realization that no one told Grandpa Shermie he has two brothers again. Oops? Situation is rectified.

Through the Magic of Christmas and a fortuitous run-in with Santa, Stan and Ford unexpectedly get to go home for Christmas! They even get to visit Piedmont and (with the kids) Gravity Falls before they zip back to their boat. Lots of reunions. This is also when Soos and Melody announce they've just gotten engaged. :)

Spring is less eventful in terms of California-Oregon-Arctic traffic.

The second school lets out, the younger twins are racing the older ones to Oregon. It's a photo finish probably. Everyone crowds into the Shack, which is fuller with Soos and Abuelita there, but it's also full of secret rooms and a floorplan that makes no sense, so it's fine.

Stan and Ford's birthday is on June 15!! It is a Very Big Deal. Dipper and Mabel go all out on the party planning, though they keep it mostly confined to the Shack crew.

Somewhere in here (maybe at the start? maybe in the middle?) Dipper and Mabel's parents come up for a couple weeks of vacation. It's a little disorienting for everyone, but they learn to love the town and Mabel and Dipper love getting to share it with them.

Soos and Melody get married on July 13 - Melody is making a Statement with that choice of date, which Soos understands and is overjoyed by. Half the town is at the wedding and all of it is at the reception (even though anyone not on the limited guest list has to pay admission. Stan is weeping with pride).

McGucket uses his new wealth to throw a ludicrously wild and extravagant shindig for the town on the date of the traditional Northwest party.

Despite the reach of NMAT, everyone feels unsettled on the anniversary of Weirdmageddon. People end up congregating in the town square in the evening. Wendy and her gang start a bonfire, people start bringing out food, and suddenly people are singing apocalypse folk songs? Trading stories? It's a whole thing in the end, but it helps people make something fun out of their memories.

The summer ends on a better note for the whole town, though, with a blow-out party to celebrate Mabel and Dipper's fourteenth birthday. This year their parents come up to give them company on the trip home, so they get to be there for the party too!

[film-noir-nosferatu]

∆ MORE UNDER CUT... [INCOMING DATA ENTRY]... RECIEVE? [Y/ N] ∆

>>> [Y] SELECTED.

... "MYSTERY TWINS" - 6.6.2020, late teenage Dipper and Mabel, back in the little forested, bizarre, alluring, Gravity Falls. Ford and Stan are doing very, very well. They are aging well, and very happy. They made up for their lost time... it's like they were never apart, finally. The twins, both sets, are thriving. Mabel has a thriving Etsy business, and Dipper has applied for 6 colleges, got accepted into four, and sought out by two. He has his own Journals in development. They both moved out as soon as they could, and share their own space in Gravity Falls, downtown, not far from their grunkles newly built shack at the waterfront. They go sailing all together. Soos is still the same, and Stan couldn't be prouder. The shack is still standing, and it's like they never left. Wendy is getting hitched in the fall, she never saw that in her future. Dipper was guaranteed to be her best man. Pacifica has been dating Dipper for a couple years, now. It's getting serious... both of them feel that, but neither of them have said it, yet. Bill is still out there, waiting for--

THERES NO BILL. EVERYTHING IS JUST PEACHY! AND REMEMBER KIDS, WE'LL MEET AGAIN, RIGHT WHEN THINGS SEEM THE BEST THEY'VE EVER BEEN, I'LL BE THERE. YOU CAN BET YOUR *EYE* ON IT. SEE YOU REAAAAL SOON!!! GET COMFORTABLE.

∆ -- A-anyway, w-what was I saying? Ah, things are all swell, after all. After all these years, it's still us against the worlds.

For Alex. An incredible, beautiful mind. A cool guy. And a handsome man. I was always in love with Dipper, lol. Happy slighly late 25th birthday post, to Mason "Dipper" Pines, and Mabel Pines! (August 31st, 1999) I'm three days off, September 3rd, 3 AM... and a triangle has three sides.

∆ https://thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com/ ∆

To see this post and my Instagram art account, click the three triangles: ∆ ∆ ∆

<<< See Art Masterlist? Click here >>>

[twincaptains]

Obsequium: Part I: Chapter Four

TITLE: Obsequium Part I: Chapter Four: Mabel's September PAIRINGS: Dipford (Ford x Dipper), Bipford, (Bipper x Ford), Pinecest (Dipper x Mabel), Stancest, (Stan x Ford), and possibly others. Gotta see where this thing takes me. SUMMARY: Mabel e-mails some friends and .... frenemies? Between her erotic RP with Grenda and her terse exchange with Pacifica, our girl is working through some things. Included are helpful (and traumatic) illustrations. They appear in the body of the text. NOTES: There is a LOT more lycan sex than I initially anticipated. Warnings under the cut!

CHAPTER WARNINGS: Graphic werewolf sex, graphic werewolf death (gore), sibling incest OVERALL WARNINGS: Incest, sibling incest, minor, coercive control, mind control, caregiver neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, dubious consent (dubcon), body horror, suicidal ideation, food restriction, sleep deprivation, self-harm, drug abuse, being drugged, lost time, and I’m going to specifically going to warn for “Ford being cruel to Stanley”, because it made me upset when I wrote it so I want to warn for it. If I forgot anything, please let me know and I will fix it IMMEDIATELY. I will add more if anything else comes up. 

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To: dipper@mysteryshack.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-02-2016 08:22:16 Subject: Just saw you off.

Just got you all packed up in the car and watched you drive away. I hate this. I hate this so much. You hate it, too. I know it. Why can't you just say that?

Speaking of things you won't say, you're not fooling me. I know, Dip. It's okay. It would be okay if you just told me, but you won't. Are you really that afraid that I'll hate you? After everything we went through? Give me more credit than that!!!

Give me more of everything...

XoXo Mabel

-

To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf From: dipper@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-02-2016 08:22:56 Subject: Re: Just saw you off.

I'm sorry, but I'm unable to answer your e-mail at the moment! I am temporarily losing access to this account so I can better concentrate on my studies. I hope to have everything in order and be back at it by the end of 2014!

-Dip

***THIS IS AN AUTO-RESPONSE. USER HAS BEEN UNAVAILABLE FOR 1,076 DAYS***

-

To: straightblanchin@gotmail.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-05-16, 22:45:16 PST Subject: Re: I saw Mr. Pines!!!

Really glad you were able to get out to see him! The place he's living isn't as bad as he likes to say it is, he just misses Gravity Falls. I go down there whenever I get the chance, but as soon as I start school my free time disappears. I suppose I could go down there on holidays, but that's the only time I ever get to spend with Dipper. He should be coming up to Washington for Thanksgiving, but he was supposed to come LAST year and he changed his mind.

Do you still call Grunkle Stan? Dipper says he needs more phone calls. I know the cell service there is really whack, but you guys still have a landline, right?

Speaking of Dipper!!! I got to spend the last week of August with Dipper for our birthday, as usual. He seems a bit stressed out, I don't think Grunkle Ford is giving him enough breaks. There's also something he's keeping from me, and in typical Dipper fashion he's doing an extremely bad job of it. I think he's trying to tell me without telling me, but I can't let that slide. He has to just ... say it. I tried to get it out of him all week, but I didn't get anywhere. Maybe I can make some more progress when I see him at Thanksgiving.

I've already gotten a letter from him! He says he's going to try and keep up this year, but ... he never does. He always tries, though, and that's something, right?

Let me know if you plan on visiting Grunkle Stan again anytime soon. Maybe I can try and meet you both!

XoXo Mabel

-

To: : lumberjaneinthecity@gotmail.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-07-2016 22:16:34 PST Subject: Re: New addy!

Hey, Wendy! Glad to hear you're settling in at your new place up in Portland. I don't think I could handle living with that many roommates, guess having all those brothers finally came in handy?

Just curious, do you ever plan on going back to Gravity Falls to visit?

XoXo Mabel

-

To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf From: lumberjaneinthecity@gotmail.co.gf Date: 09-08-2016 07:49:06 PST Subject: Re: New addy!

Nah!

-W

-

To: boycrazyyyyyyyyyy@gotmail.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-08-2016 21:10:43 PST Subject: Re: Princess Grenade and the Lusty Werewolf ((OOC: Sorry for my late reply, been distracted with Dipper and school. Can you send me an updated copy of the Master Doc? The one I have is really out of date; Princess Grenade is missing a bunch of the abilities I know her to have. Plus the List of Lovers is like, half as long as it should be lmaoooo.))

"YOU THINK YOU CAN HANDLE ME???" roared the werewolf, who's name was actually Steve, "I CAN'T HANDLE ME!!!"

The air filled with the sound of tearing fabric as he tore his pants from his bulging, werewolf legs. They were mostly off already, the transformation had seen to that,  but he knew that he needn't preserve his modesty in front of this royal beauty: her reputation preceded her. Every werewolf in the land knew that one day they may be confronted by the power of her erotic charms and have no choice but to act. And act Steve did, letting his bare body glisten in the moonlight for her and her alone.

"BEHOLD, PRINCESS! A MEMBER THE LIKES OF WHICH YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN!!!"

-

To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf From: boycrazyyyyyyyyyy@gotmail.co.gf Date: 09-09-0:1:32:36 Subject: Re: Princess Grenade and the Lusty Werewolf

((OOC: NO WORRIES!!! I know you've been busy!!!! It was just a CRAPPY place to break the scene, I've been waiting almost TWO WEEKS for this horned up lycan take off his threadbare pants!!! UNF!! Master Doc attached!!))

Princess Grenade drooled, staring disrespectfully at his massive werewolf cock.

File Attachment: PRINCESSGRENADESEXCAPADESAGAMASTERDOC.rtf

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To: boycrazyyyyyyyyyy@gotmail.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-12-2016 21:10:43 PST Subject: Re: Princess Grenade and the Lusty Werewolf

((OOC: Thanks!! Are you still updating the GroogleDoc? Candy says she'll try and draw some art of this scene when we're done. You know she doens't like to work off stuff we haven't finished. She wants the whoooooole enchilada. Says it makes us better writers for it, and I think she's right, you know?))

Massive it was, looming over the Princess like a throbbing baseball bat of love, twitching with desire as he breathed heavily, "THEY USED TO CALL ME STEVE!!!" he growled, taking a threatening step towards Grenade, "BUT I ATE EVERYONE THAT CALLED ME STEVE!!!! AM I STILL STEVE????"

Even in peak arousal; the torment of his stolen humanity was evident. Poor Steve. Will no-one reach out and touch Steve?

-

To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf From: boycrazyyyyyyyyyy@gotmail.co.gf Date: 09-13-2016 03:11:23 PST Subject: Re: Princess Grenade and the Lusty Werewolf

((OOC: TOTALLY!! God, I just feel so bad for Steve, you know? Don't worry, Steve. You can cry it all out after you thrash me with your hog!!!))

 "Steve, STEVE!" Princess Grenade bellowed, holding up her hands, "You really need to CHILL! Of COURSE you're still Steve." She reached out and took his hand-paw in hers, "Deep down inside, you will always be Steve."

Princess Grenade took a deep breath and powered up her level seventeen void throat. //This one's gonna be a DOOZY!!//

Without any fanfare, the busty princess swallowed Werewolf Steve's twitching cock whole, her void throat working overtime to stimulate the needy beast. He yowled. He growled. He made noises that defy description, releasing them into the night as the best throat game in the seven kingdoms worked to free him from his madness.

-

To: boycrazyyyyyyyyyy@gotmail.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-15-2016  20:30:02 PST Subject: Re: Princess Grenade and the Lusty Werewolf

((OOC: Level seventeen??? Nice. Nice. Also, Grenda, if you reply to another one of these at 3 am on a school night I won't reply again for a week. We promised we wouldn't let this get away from us like it did last year.))

Steve was no match for the princess; folding into his desires immediately. They had been building so long, long before this encounter had ever happened. He spent his days, even as a normal human being, daydreaming about finally being able to lay his hands on Princess Grenade. To cover her in kisses so tender they bordered on savagery, to short-circuit her over-anxious brain to stop her from thinking too much, to force a physical connection that it would be impossible for her to ignore. As decadent as Grenade's throat void was, he needed something more out of her: ecstasy.

He forcefully pulled Princess Grenade away from him, lifting her by the shoulders. "I CAN'T WAIT ANYMORE!!!! I'M COMING TO TAKE IT!!!!"

Taking the princess' enthusiastic whooping as a go-ahead, he threw her to the ground and pinned her with his meaty wolfman body. He paused a moment to rest his snout in the crook of her neck, savoring the way the scent of the dirt under them mixed with her sweat. Not distracted for long, he ripped away her clothes with his claws, careful not to graze her flesh.

There it was. The naked body that had consumed his dreams. A gift and a curse, a nightly visitation by the most perfect thing he had ever seen ... yet was always so painfully out of reach. In his dreams he let that beautiful body consume him, and he consumed it right back, aching and striving to make the face of its owner twist in pleasure so intense it made them forget why they shouldn't be doing this. And, like clockwork, just when it felt like he was finally going to experience the ultimate climax, it was ripped away from him as he joined the waking world. Left to lay there panting in bed, listening to the worst morning DJ in the world make unfuny jokes about subjects that are none of his business. A nightmare more terrifying and tortuous than turning into a monster once every twenty-eight days: unrequited longing.

But it was okay ... this wasn't a dream, and his nightmare was about to end.

Steve descended on Princess Grenade with wolfen fury, satiating himself using her body as the means. Not that her needs were being ignored, quite the opposite in fact, getting her off was getting HIM off, and quickly. He thrust into her with wild abandon, moaning something that might have been her name, but it also might have been a plea for mercy. Before he knew it, his body was being wracked by an orgasm so powerful that it undid his transformation -- but not before he ejaculated dubious ropes of his essence deep into Grenade's womb.

Steve the human, who really wasn't all that handsome actually, panted on top of the princess as he struggled to find his breath. Now that he'd been freed of his curse, at least for the time being, he was sane enough to remember his true mission: Kill Princess Grenade.

He smirked, even though his original plan had been derailed and ruined a good portion of his life, he was still going to look like the smartest person in the world even though it was completely by accident. He was just better than everyone else that way, including the princess who he had just used for his own joy and now was ready to discard like trash just because of a nebulous order from an even more nebulous being that promiesd him nebulous rewards. He reared up, eyes blazing, violence in his heart.

"Aha!" he crowed, triumphant. "I have outsmarted thee, Princess, and I--"

Steve's voice melted into an unsettling squelch as several crossbow bolts pierced his skull, erupting with his useless brain on the other side. His steaming gray matter covered the forest floor, his pathetic body slumping to the dirt as his tainted blood drained from the open wounds in his head. His eyes stared skyward, milky and full of terror, perhaps he realized just before the life left his body that he had truly messed with the wrong princess. Grenade had friends, powerful ones.

"Princess, it is I, the Lady Maybelle." the high-level holy knight stepped from the shadows, her armor gleaming in the moonlight. "I came to find you because I need to talk to you about something.... important. I saw that you were having a bit of fun with a werewolf, so I was just gonna hang around until you finished. But... That man meant to kill you, so I killed him first."

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To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf From: boycrazyyyyyyyyyy@gotmail.co.gf Date: 09-17-2016 23:15:26 PST Subject: Re: Princess Grenade and the Lusty Werewolf

((OOC: HOLY SHIT!!!!!! That's a LOT!!! Lemme address some things. 1) I was not "up until" 3am, I happened to wake up to go to the bathroom and saw that you had replied. I got excited and dashed out my reply, I promise I won't do that again in the future. 2)This is literally the hottest thing you have written to date and I hope you're proud of yourself. 3)Unrelated, are you still seeing that therapist your dad set you up with? Just wondering how that's going. 4)I think this reply can count as the endcap on the scene. I'll compile this and send it to Candy so she can put that Bacom Wamboo tablet to WORK!!! 5)If you wanna go ahead and start a new e-mail thread, cool!! Or if you want me to do it just let me know, either way!!))

"HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!" Princess Grenade screamed, wiping dumb man viscera off of her face as she sat up, naked and satisfied. "Wow! Good thing you always have my back, Lady Maybelle! Sounds like you need ME to have yours! What's up??"

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To: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-19-2016 19:16:01 PST Subject: Hey...

Hey, Pacifica

It's Mabel Pines.

Just wondering how you're doing lately, and I'd like to remind you that you owe me a favor.

XoXo Mabel - To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf             From: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf Date: 09-19-2016 19:58:21 PST Subject: Re: Hey...

Wow. Really?

-PNW

Sent from my Fruitphone

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To: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-19-2016 20:05:14 PST Subject: Re: Hey...

Yes, really!!

XoXo Mabel

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To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf             From: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf Date: 09-19-2016 20:14:38 PST Subject: Re: Hey...

I'm fine, thanks. A year from now I'll be settling in at the Ivy Junket school of my choice, and if I manage to get all A's daddy said he'll let me choose a species to knock off the critically endangered list. I'm thinking bonobos, I hate their noses.

What do YOU want from me? Other than my money and attention?

-PNW

Sent from my Fruitphone

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To: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-19-2016 20:19:32 PST Subject: Re: Hey...

Bonobos! Sounds ... great!

Have you seen my brother at all lately? If not, can you try and get a look at him?

XoXo Mabel

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To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf             From: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf Date: 09-19-2016 20:26:38 PST Subject: Re: Hey

No.

Why?

-PNW

Sent from my Fruitphone

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To: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-19-2016 20:30:31 PST Subject: Re: Hey...

I just ... want you to check for anything weird!!

XoXo Mabel

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To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf             From: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf Date: 09-19-2016 20:38:21 PST Subject: Re: Hey

A 17-year-old boy cloistered away in the woods with an eccentric old man that never leaves the house? Nothing weird there. Sounds perfectly normal, actually, especially for you Pines freaks.

You're going to have to be more specific.

-PNW

Sent from my Fruitphone

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To: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-19-2016 20:43:59 PST Subject: Re: Hey...

I really can't be more specific at the moment. He writes to me, but some of the things he's been putting in his letters lately have me pretty worried. I just want to get some eyes on him to make sure he's okay. If you manage to run into him in town, could you try and snap a picture and send it to me? Also: Have you heard any weird whispering from the woods? Seen anything unusual? I mean, unusual for Gravity Falls.

XoXo Mabel

- To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf             From: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf Date: 09-19-2016 20:50:19 PST Subject: Re: Hey I can TRY and get a picture of him??? We don't exactly make a habit of crossing paths, but sometimes I see him out driving. IF I manage to see him I will ATTEMPT to take a picture, but I'm not going out of my way to get it done.

No, no whispers or anything. At least not that I've noticed. I don't tend to make a habit of going near the woods. Don't like the scene, you know? The town seems a bit dour lately, if that counts for anything. Just an icky sort of ... yuck, that's all over the place. Really harshing the homecoming vibes this year. BTW, can you please tell Grenda that if she submits 'Lycan Lovers' as her idea for prom theme one more time that I'm going to have her drawn and quartered? She won't take my calls, for some reason.

-PNW

Sent from my Fruitphone.

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To: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-19-2016 20:52:31 PST Subject: Re: Hey...

Thank you!!!!

And yeah. I'll tell her.

XoXo Mabel

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To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf From: gigglewiggle@gotmail.co.gf Date: 09-21-2016 16:48:54 PST Subject: questionnnnnn ♡⸜(˃ ᵕ ˂ )

what color is the werewolf steven's fur??? you never say in the text. i want to make him green, if it is up to me. (๑>؂•̀๑)

btw btw

this one was SO good. you and grenda are so talented. (๑>◡<๑)

-can

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To: gigglewiggle@gotmail.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-21-2016 22:01:28 Subject: Re: questionnnnnn ♡⸜(˃ ᵕ ˂ )

Omg I think green would be amazing, actually. Go with that!

Thanks for the compliment, I've been putting a lot into my writing lately. It's pretty much the only outlet I have, lol.

BTW, have you seen Dipper around town at all?

XoXo Mabel

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To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf From: gigglewiggle@gotmail.co.gf Date: 09-22-2016 16:30:21 PST Subject: Re: questionnnnnn ♡⸜(˃ ᵕ ˂ )

green it is!!! hehehehehehe

i did not see him recently, no. i did see him over the summer. i made a sketch of what that looked like. (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

-can

File Attachment: dippernopiku.png

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To: gigglewiggle@gotmail.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-23-2016 17:22:08 PST Subject: Re: questionnnnnn ♡⸜(˃ ᵕ ˂ )

I've seen him since the summer, so this isn't really helpful. It's also unhelpful for other reasons.

Can.

Can?

IS THAT AN ORE NO PIKU SCREENCAP REDRAW???

XoXo Mabel

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To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf From: gigglewiggle@gotmail.co.gf Date: 09-24-2016 16:10:13 PST Subject: Re: questionnnnnn ♡⸜(˃ ᵕ ˂ )

ohohohohohohoho miss mabel (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶), i don't know what you mean? (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ

how do you know what that is?  Don’t you try and goody proctor me! (¬`‸´¬)

-can

File Attachment: dippernopiku-lines.png

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To: gigglewiggle@gotmail.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-24-2016 22:51:08 PST Subject: Re: questionnnnnn ♡⸜(˃ ᵕ ˂ )

Firstly, never mind. Secondly, I'm begging you not to send me the colored version if you do it. Thirdly, how's that werewolf coming along?

...Also, if you see Dipper in town, try and get a close look at him? I'm not sure he's okay. I'm getting worried about him.

XoXo Mabel

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To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf From: gigglewiggle@gotmail.co.gf Date: 09-25-2016 18:52:49 PST Subject: Re: questionnnnnn ♡⸜(˃ ᵕ ˂ )

will do! i will be looking for him harder than usual. ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

and here is the latest version of the illustration. ( > 〰 < )♡

-can

File Attachment: werewolfstevenandprincessgrenade.png

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To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf             From: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf Date: 09-27-2016 17:01:13 PST Subject: As you asked...

So, I was trying to take some selfies for Gramsta by the 24-7-365, when guess who I spotted in the parking lot?

Sorry for the filter; I wanted to get the picture as quickly as possible and did NOT want to be like ... obvious about it. I tried to send it in the parking lot but I couldn't get it to go through, so I did it as soon as I got to my home wi-fi.

IMO he's looking a little stressed out. I remember him looking that way most of the time? But it's particularly noticeable; like he's having a reeeeally bad day. The bags under his eyes say he's not sleeping great, either.

That means he's fine, right?

-PNW

Sent from my Fruitphone File Attachment: 09-27-2016-161011.png

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To: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-27-2016 17:45:20 PST Subject: Re: As you asked...

I don't really think so. Thank you for doing this for me.

XoXo Mabel

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To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf             From: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf Date: 09-27-2016 18:10:38 PST Subject: Re: As you asked...

It wasn't any trouble, really.

What do you think is wrong with him?

-PNW

Sent from my Fruitphone

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To: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-27-2016 18:17:22 PST Subject: Re: As you asked...

I don't know.

XoXo Mabel

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To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf             From: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf Date: 09-27-2016 18:25:38 PST Subject: Re: As you asked...

Are you like, gonna try and find out?

-PNW

Sent from my Fruitphone

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To: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-27-2016 18:28:22 PST Subject: Re: As you asked...

I don't know!

XoXo Mabel

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To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf             From: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf Date: 09-27-2016 18:36:03 PST Subject: Re: As you asked...

Well, if you figure anything out, maybe let me know. Or don't, do whatever you want.

-PNW

Sent from my Fruitphone -

To: 2rich2furious@northwest.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-27-2016 18:38:49 PST Subject: Re: As you asked...

I will.

XoXo Mabel

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To: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf From: boycrazyyyyyyyyyy@gotmail.co.gf Date: 09-28-2016 22:55:31 PST Subject: What's Up With Lady Maybelle

((OOC: Candy sent me the updated art and MAN!!! She really knows how to capture the moment. You hadn't sent a new start post so I'm taking initiative. Princess Grenade doesn't want to leave her most treasured friend hanging!!!!))

Princess Grenade walked arm and arm with the Lady Maybelle through the woods. When they were together, nothing could harm them. Their friendship was stronger than any bond, could endure any test, and was the safest place for any and all secrets. The envy of everyone in the land, the equal of none.

"So what's up, Lady Maybelle?" Grenade asked, "You seem really upset. Is everything alright? Obviously not, so, tell me what's not right! Let's make it right!"

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To: boycrazyyyyyyyyyy@gotmail.co.gf From: mabel@mysteryshack.co.gf Date: 09-30-2016  02:13:21 PST Subject: Re: What's Up With Lady Maybelle ((OOC: I had almost forgotten, thank you for sending this starter!!))

Lady Maybelle was quiet for a long time, focusing on the sound that her and the princess' footsteps made on the leaves of the forest floor. There was so much to say, where did she even begin?

"It's really complicated." she finally breathed, "...But it concerns Sir Ursa. I don't see him very much since he opted to stay and train with that shady wizard, and the letters he's been sending me lately have been keeping me up at night. The thing is, there's nothing overtly ... wrong ... with the letters, they're just ... not right. He's not right, and I don't know what to do. I'm worried that something terrible is happening to him, and I'm powerless to stop it."

- TBC in Obsequium Part II!!

[minijenn]

Sorry

To think it was finally over.

Weirdmageddon was stopped. 

Homeworld was forced to retreat back to the vastness of space.

And now, it won’t be long until Dipper and Mabel will leave Gravity Falls now that the summer was close to being over. Before that, Dipper had one important matter to settle. 

The boy went down to the hidden bunker underneath the tourist trap of a shack that he’s called home these past months. According to Stan, Ford was packing a lot of research material up, it looked as if he’s planning for an important trip. 

A trip that would require help like an apprentice…..which was what he wanted to talk to his great uncle about. 

“Uh, hey, Great Uncle Ford?”

Ford ceased his reading, noticing his young nephew’s presence. “Ah, Dipper! Is something wrong? I assumed you and Mabel were preparing for your party.”

Dipper chuckled. “Trust me, Mabe’s done enough preparing to let me take a break. It’s just, I-I needed to talk to you about something.” He rubbed his arm nervously. “See, I know that I said that I was willing to stay here and become your apprentice….but during the whole near end of the world and a breakthrough with my sister….I-I’ve decided that I’m going back home to Piedmont…..” He revealed.

He’s been meaning to tell his idol about him reconsidering the apprenticeship offer, he only waited until now because of fear of the disappointment that he imagined would show on Ford’s features. 

“Listen, I-I know it’s the chance of a lifetime a-and it’s not as if I don’t think it’d be an honor anymore, it’s just-! Well, me and Mabel separating is kinda what caused the whole apocalypse in the first place, so why ruin a good thing, am I right? Plus, now that I think about it, it’d be a bit of a hassle explaining it all to my parents which is a whole other can of worms, trust me. I’d get it if you’re disappointed, but I-I just can’t abandon her! I’m-I’m sorry-!”

“Dipper!” Ford stopped his nephew’s rantings, kneeling down and grabbing his shoulders. “It’s okay. I’m not mad.”

“Y-You’re not? Wait, is this a test?”

Ford somberly smiled.

It’s no surprise the lad was stumped.

After all, the six-fingered paranormal lover was so gung-ho about the apprenticeship. 

So adamant to convince him to abandon his entire life in California. 

“My boy, you’re not the only one who’s made an epiphany in the wake of Weirdmageddon.” The author gently explained. “For so long, I’ve lived under the belief that the only one I could ever truly trust was myself. I was so focused on the failings and mistakes of others, I neglected to see my own. I thought all it took was just me and me alone to fix everything. Instead, it took you, your sister, young Steven, the gems, and even the rest of the town. My own arrogance paled in the power you all displayed against Bill and the Homeworld forces…..so if anything, I should apologize for trying to force my own beliefs onto you. Honestly, I should also work on a proper apology to Mabel. I didn’t even consider her feelings.”

“I-I-This did not go at all how I expected.”

Laughing, Ford ruffled his hair. “Run on, now, soon-to-be birthday boy. And if you’re willing to listen to the words of this old coot, enjoy your life.”

Smiling, Dipper went off to the elevator. 

Ford sighed, then noticed the picture of the twins that Stan placed during the kids’ stay. 

“Trying to break up a team like that.” Ford shook his head. “Maybe it’s about time I rebuilt an old one….” He took out a photo of him and Stan as children with the old Stan-o-War.

---

Oooh good job with this! I could easily see this happening following UF Weirdmageddon ^_^

[fictionkinfessions]

( Please post 8/31 if you can )

Happy birthday kiddos !! Ya didn't hear this from me but,, Sixer n' I miss you tons. Come back soon, y'hear me?

Love you, Dipper, Mabel

— Grunkle Stan

( Stanley Pines )

x

[the-orion-scribe]

In Defence of Escape from Reality

Reddit version

Not long ago, there was a discussion thread on the r/GravityFalls subreddit on which is the “worst episode” of Gravity Falls. Now, to put my two cents on this question, personally, I have no strong hatred for any of the episodes, including Roadside Attraction – the fandom’s most riled episode like how Fly is very lowly-regarded in Breaking Bad. For me, Roadside Attraction lowers the stakes and brings us outside of Gravity Falls for a while before what is to come. My favourite part of that episode is Dipper trying to be more confident of himself, even if I agree perhaps the flirting subplot is rather unnecessary. Still, it's a nice break from all the rather momentous episodes, and improves the relationship between Stan and Dipper.

I would actually argue that the preceding episode The Last Mabelcorn is actually the episode that’s out of place, given it was intended to be a space for a low-stakes Wendy-centric story the writers never managed to crack. But that would be another discussion for another time.

I’m deeply amused, nevertheless, when Escape from Reality is mentioned as the worst. Now, before my rewatch, I only had a ‘meh’ impression of that episode. But after rewatching the episode to verify those claims, I now have a newfound appreciation for the episode. In fact, I will personally rate it above its preceding episode – Weirdmageddon 1: Xpcveaoqfoxso.

There are some ‘problems’ the critic of the episode has highlighted, notably how the episode “cuts entirely the rythm [sic] and the tension and rythm [sic] of the entire finale” and shows “the lack of character of development of Mabel Pines” who is “NEVER held accountable for anything she did during Weirdmaggedon”. To check through these claims, I decided to rewatch the Weirdmageddon arc – from Dipper and Mabel vs the Future to the finale, before forming my own conclusion. And I say, the rewatches gave me deeper insights which I think plenty of us overlooked.

Let’s start with Dipper and Mabel vs the Future. I must watch from here, otherwise, the rest of it wouldn’t make much sense given Gravity Falls is a continuity-based cartoon.

It's a fantastic penultimate episode from start to end (I call it penultimate before WMG). Goofy at the start like many of the Gravity Falls episodes, and we explore both the siblings’ arcs. One with Dipper and Ford to find the adhesive to seal the rift in the UFO, and Mabel trying to prepare for their 13th birthday party at the end of the summer.

Mabel's subplot really hits the feels. I still recall how it hits me when a holiday is ending. And while the episode starts off with optimism, Mabel soon realises the harsh realities of growing up. And she also realises her summer friends (Grenda and Candy) won't be with her to celebrate their birthday and see them off. This gradually crushes and peels off the positive ideal Mabel holds, and thus she realises that the future after the summer is not what she wishes to face.

Stan comes in, and offers encouragement that Dipper would be by her side. And that scene, likely overlooked by many, hits hard too, especially when he said “not everyone can say that”, referring to his falling out with his twin Ford (and even Stan realising he would be out of the Shack soon, even if he hasn’t said that aloud). And then when she heard Dipper's willingness to take Ford's apprenticeship, that one hope she held was gone and broke the straw on the camel’s back.

So why am I reviewing all of these? We need this context to understand what happens after. There are claims, especially from Mabel’s critics, that Mabel knew about the nature of the rift and just willingly handed it over. However, from the episode, Mabel only has a vague idea that whatever Dipper and Ford plan to do is to “save the world or whatever”. And Ford keeps the rift when Mabel comes in to check on her brother. So she's unlikely to link that to whatever Ford and Dipper were planning to do to save the world. In fact, neither told her about the rift, even in the previous episodes. Ford even stated in Journal 3 that it’s something he must keep a secret.

At the end of the episode, Mabel is in her most vulnerable emotional state – the world is falling apart around her, especially the prospect she has to face the hard future alone. And she fears that history will repeat itself, her deep-seated fear, established since A Tale of Two Stans, that she and Dipper would grow apart quickly and become hostile like the Stans. The twins have been each other’s source of strength, and they still have more time to mature and grow together. It is unimaginable for her, just at the age of 12, to be separated from her twin for a long time.

And the Bill-possessed Blendin arrives. I also note critics saying she should have known better and not trusted him given “he tried to kill her and her brother not long ago”. Let me reiterate that, since the end of Blendin’s Game, the twins and Blendin are on better terms, given the twins decide to exercise mercy on him and let him go. Anyway, even then, she does not know that it’s Bill Cipher she’s talking to, and in that extremely vulnerable emotional state, she’s in no position to think anywhere close to rationally. Blendin offers her a tantalising offer that seems to address her problems.

We need to relook this scene from Mabel’s perspective. Bill only shows her in a holograph the object Mabel has to pass over to him and dismisses its significance as “a little gizmo (that) he (Ford) won't even know it's missing." So in short, no, she doesn't know what she’s handing over and what she’s in for. Bill is exploiting her emotional weaknesses to get the rift. Swayed by Bill’s persuasion, Mabel thinks the rift is some ‘small gadget’ that will somehow grant her ‘a little more summer’, not a permanent loop without end. And she also thought he was Blendin, someone whom she thinks she could trust, and with the goggles, it’s hard to tell Blendin was being possessed.

The last we know about Mabel is that she got knocked out when it all started. So that brings me on to Escape from Reality.

But let me also do a quick review of WMG1. It’s not bad, though rather slow. It sets the stakes well, but takes some substantial time just for Dipper to figure out what he must do. But it’s indeed distressing for him, who just lost his mentor and the three journals and he is unable to figure out what he should do. A major plus for this episode, nevertheless, is Wendy being more involved and being his guide (wendip fans rejoice) and we also get to see Gideon’s transformation for the better to turn against Bill.

Escape from Reality is wonderful. In fact, this episode is an important turning point – a friend even commented this is “the emotional and thematic climax of the series”. I agree it might be a little jarring in tone, since we were “shoved” into a “sugarcoat land”. But I welcome variety, and actually if you realise, Mabeland is a juxtaposition of the dark and surrealistic nature of Bill's world with Mabel’s worldview. It’s not as clear compared to the previous episode, but you still get peeks of Bill’s touches of what seemed to be an ideal fantasy world. Mabeland’s lack of rules sounds exactly like Bill's "join me" sales pitch to Ford in the subsequent episode. As he claimed: "I'LL REMAKE A FUN WORLD, A BETTER WORLD! NO MORE RESTRICTIONS, NO MORE LAWS!"

I agree with Bill that he has created “the most diabolical trap” he's ever created. It’s a gilded cage, designed to fulfil Mabel’s wants and desires. As it is a prison, the ultimate purpose of everything in Mabeland is to prevent Mabel from leaving by keeping her trapped inside what is essentially a waking dream. Really, Mabeland was just a massive, literalized Sweater Town. Bill believes the bubble to be inescapable because he knows that he would not be able to escape it, and because these “mortal meatsacks” are so inferior, there's no way they could be capable of something he isn't.

Let me also address some pieces of criticism, that Mabel “admits she knows she is in a fake world, she sees what's going on in Gravity Falls multiple times but doesn't even react or show concern”, and instead, she throws all of Dipper's unconditional love and support for her back in his face by not just creating Dippy Fresh, but also sending him to a trial where he will get kicked out into the apocalypse if he doesn't convince her to come out by giving up the apprenticeship. She shows absolutely no remorse over anything she did and very less admits it, and acts as if she had nothing to do with it.”

First off, there's nothing in the episode that shows Mabel is fully aware of what's happening outside. Remember, I said Mabel was knocked out when it all started. She said to Dipper: “But then I woke up in a place that gives me exactly what I wanted: an endless summer where we'll never have to grow up!” And it seems, as Dipper suspected, that Mabel was entranced and hypnotised by all the magic, almost completely caught up in the delusion. She’s not at all aware of what’s happening outside, and Dipper hasn’t so far told Mabel what’s going on.

Bill exploited Mabel's deep-seated insecurities and crafted the fantasy in such a way so that Mabel would remain trapped in her fantasy forever. Indeed, the prison is pretty diabolical and insane like Bill himself, and Bill even said it would take “a will of titanium” to break out. The depiction of Mabeland really expresses the depth of Mabel's almost pathological fear and denial, showing a very underlooked side of Mabel that really paints a terrifying picture of how broken deep down she was. It's easy to brush off the surface of the world as Mabel's selfish denial for growing up and wanting to keep things as they are, but it also can be looked at someone who is wanting to be seen and fit in, in a world that is continuing to no longer care for her way of life.

I admit Mabel's biggest personality deficiencies are her lack of will and self-awareness. When Mabel woke up in the bubble, she would have still been in the same mindset she had at the end of Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future – that her brother was leaving her forever. Mabel's mental state in that episode and leading up to it really paints that picture; a child who's losing grip and control of the reality she was so accustomed to, and without anyone there willing to take the time to stop and listen and help guide her, finally snapped.

Mabeland was her last attempt to maintain the reality she was so used to, to try and let go of the impending reality of truth. An unhealthy way of dealing with it, but the product of the mental state Mabel had fallen into. What Mabel wanted more than anything in the world at that moment was for her brother to be there and comfort her, just as he always has been up to this point. So, that's what Mabeland tried to give her – Dippy Fresh, the fandom’s most hated character. But he turned out to be a twisted fun-house-mirror reflection that's more like a male version of Mabel herself than it is like the real Dipper. I’m sure that Mabel knew this was not her real brother, but it's the closest she was going to get to him during that time of deep emotional vulnerability.

There's also two top Mabel-moments here. Actually three. I think this is actually one of the greatest episodes centering on Mabel. First, Mabel, in her good nature, actually offered to share the fantasy with Dipper and the rest when they first arrived, when she’s not yet aware of the darker side of her world. Second, when Dipper is about to be banished for mentioning the real world, Mabel doesn't want to throw him out right away and is willing to listen to what her brother has to say through the trial.

Dipper: Are you really gonna let them banish me?!

Mabel: No! Of course not; that’s my brother, guys! There’s gotta be another way.

So no, sending him to a trial is not for him to be kicked out into the apocalypse, but offers Dipper a chance to plead his case.

Sure, the court is rigged. But remember this whole thing is crafted by Bill, and Mabel holds an illusion she has control over their world. Mabeland tries to throw out Dipper’s case, but Dipper then shows her there's a better way to get through it than denial, and that's with help from people who care about her. While Mabel raised two past examples of them being bullied, Dipper also shows how the two stayed together thick and thin throughout their childhood. These memories showed that they both work together to better themselves, which, again, furthers the fact that they are co-dependent. “It's how we've gotten through our whole lives.”

The courtroom scene played out extremely well, incorporating a ton of symbolism in regards to the duo's respective individual thoughts. It's touching to see Dipper reminisce about the past with Mabel only to convince her that the future may not be as grim as she perceives it – a precedent laid out by most of the Mabel-centric episodes that forward this very scene. Dipper, her own brother, has always been the only person who could ground Mabel in reality and pull her out of Mabeland, for better or worse. Mabel, on the other hand, knows how to get her brother to take himself less seriously and chill out a little bit by acting intentionally dumb and goofy. The “yin and yang” Wendy mused to Dipper back in WMG1.

Seeing Dipper's love for his sister brings her back from the abyss is really heartwarming. Their sibling bond wins over, and Mabel accepts to return to reality out of her own will. If Mabel is that selfish as what some haters claim, she would have rejected leaving no matter what Dipper tells her. Mabel isn’t a rational thinker, and Dipper must be the one to lay out his case that convinces her. Dipper is the only one who can get through her and understand and address her insecurities. I find it unrealistic and out of character to expect Mabel to just snap out of it herself. I know Mabel is flawed. But the most important thing is, she still chose to go back to the real world with Dipper.

I like to think that what in the end made Mabel wanna face reality was not Dipper saying he'd go back home with her, but hearing him say he understood her fear; admitting he too was scared of growing up. Perhaps hearing her own brother admit that was what she needed to hear; that she was not alone in her fear and that Dipper understood it too.

I'm not sure if it's an intended parallel, but the bond between twins (later Stan and Ford) is what eventually leads to Bill's demise. Like how the cementation of the twins’ bond (sincere sibling hug) eventually ended the fantasy. (In fact, tbh I’m going crazy over this part – it’s a neat development from ‘awkward sibling hug’ from the first episode).

“Aw, man, I never noticed how bright this place is, ugh! Have I actually been listening to the same song for an entire week?”

It was when the spell breaks that Mabel fully snaps out of her trance and has further clarity of what’s going on. As the whole thing unravels as a nightmare, Mabel actually helps them out by summoning giant Waddles and they break out.

And after they emerge into the real world, it is Mabel's first proper look into what's actually happening, and horror sets in.

It’s also of note that as they emerge from the bubble, Mabel says to Dipper that she wouldn’t “get into her brother’s way” if he chooses to take Ford’s apprenticeship. Nevertheless, Dipper decides to stick with his sister when he recognises the cost if he were to take it up.

Actually, Dipper was already hesitant about the offer at the start in the UFO. After that, given the adrenaline of rescuing his Grunkle and overcoming another obstacle (facing without fear), to him it seemed like a rational decision that he can step up to be Ford's assistant, albeit shortsighted. He was riding the high of rescuing Ford and didn't think about how this would hurt Mabel, Grunkle Stan and his parents. And when Mabel ran away and he joined Ford, Dipper also had second thoughts about the decision and started to think with his heart.

I don’t think it’s realistic at all that Dipper should really take up the apprenticeship since he realises the serious implications if he takes it up. The turning point for Dipper's character arc is the realisation that he needs his sister in his life, too. The fact that he attained Ford's approval and consequently the right to be his apprentice himself is undeniable, though in terms of being a human being, that's where he needs her. I personally believe that Dipper would have fully changed his mind right then and there even if things were to go as planned.

Even at this point, I don't know why anyone expects Mabel to take responsibility for causing WMG there and then. I think her being imprisoned in her own bubble is already a sufficient consequence of what she has done. Plus, neither Dipper nor Ford has not blamed Mabel at all since he thought the rift might just accidentally broke. Neither witness what Mabel has done, or even aware what Mabel actually did. As far as they knew the rift must have broken accidentally “The rift must have cracked inside her backpack.”

At this point, it's not a time to play the blame game, as their main focus is to take down Bill. I would think perhaps beyond WMG, and when the Pines discussed what happened, would only Mabel be able to piece together what has actually happened. Mabel’s recognition of what she has done would only be clear after the series.

I decided to wrap this review off with my view on WMG3 and I say… This hits really quite hard. Even for an hour-long, it goes through a roller-coaster of emotions. Excitement, anticipation, dread, sadness and also nostalgia at the end.

Despite their best efforts, the Pines' lives were again on a thread, and Stan's sacrifice really packed a punch. I was also relooking to note the swap between Stan and Ford. What's also rather emotional is Stan and Ford discussing how their siblinghood had deteriorated, and how and why their grandnephews are still able to work together. From all of these riveting experiences of the summer, they've both grown tremendously, so much so as we, the audience, to have absolute certainty that they'll not turn out like the older duo. I note Mabel still plays her role in her story, rallying and encouraging the people to stand up to Bill, and also her grappling hook skills to help the groups navigate the Fearamid.

I still support the decision for Stan to recover enough to be able to send off the kids at the end of the summer. The goodbyes at the end are really deeply emotional. The finale really wraps up the show in a tiny neat bow, ending many of the characters' arcs in the most satisfying way. Of course, it’s not exactly the end, since the twins still have a lot of growing up to do, but the story ended on a very high and promising note.

This is my entire review of the entire WMG arc from Dipper and Mabel vs the Future to the finale. It’s something that I’ve put off for a long time even though I know the episodes are fantastic. And I’m glad actually that post calls me to review this rather underrated episode.

I conclude that much criticism of Escape from Reality is rather baseless, overblown and overexaggerated and stems from the person’s own biasedness toward Mabel. Thanks to them, Escape from Reality has now become one of my favourite episodes of the show (I’m sorry, but Tourist Trapped and Weirdmageddon 3 still take the top spots). I can understand some of the animosity especially if you think the episode doesn’t fit the general tone of the arc. But when the episode is viewed as a whole now I think it plays great – and really is the culmination of Dipper and Mabel's siblinghood. The priority is settling the twins’ problems before the real shit goes down in WMG3. Also all the callbacks, big and little, are great.

If you haven’t rewatched the entire WMG arc, I suggest doing it and judging for yourselves. I understand everyone has their own preferences and opinion when it comes to characters in media, but hate or harm towards a fictional character, or anyone else, is never acceptable. It is important to remember that fictional characters are not real people and should not be the subject of hate or harassment.

Drops microphone and leaves

[smittenbyvillains]

New Year Starting Soon (drabble short)

warnings: none

You were not one for the summer to end. You constantly dreaded it. Especially since you and your younger siblings were leaving gravity falls in a few days. It was a nightmare to go back there to parents who always argued and now are separated. They didn't know that you and Dipper and Mabel actually knew it all this time. Lately you been close with your grunkles. Mostly Stan. Everything was burning down like it was, but it was just a sad feeling. You and Wendy and your new friends promised you to keep in touch and you would. You wished you could stay here. You were tempted to stay but you didn't want to leave your siblings.

"Hey what's on your mind?" Stan asked as everyone was setting up for the twin's birthday party before they left. You were never good at hiding your feelings. It was always a struggle.

"I don't want to leave here." You answered as your shoulders slumped. "I don't have to leave my siblings while they have to go back there." You said and Stan nodded as he listened.

"Honestly Kid, they would be fine with you, and you have video messages or whatever they are calling it. You are happy right in Gravity Falls?" Stan asked. You nodded.

"Yeah, I am Grunkle Stan." You smiled. "Talk to them and explain how you feel. You are always valid with feelings. Everyone is Kiddo and we would love to have you stick around. You got a really nerd Grunkle and then obviously the fun one." Stan said and you smiled more.

You listened to that advice and talked to your siblings who were sad but understand. You decided to stay and happily moved into the shack even after your Grunkles decided to travel the world and Soos loved it. You waited every year to see your siblings and every time you gave them the biggest hugs and talked in person. You video chatted and messaged them all the time.