#oh and when stan succeeds in activating the gateway ford doesn't recognize him until he sees the scar on the bear's back

[themurphyzone]

Gravity Falls AU Concept: Grunkle Bear AU

I was thinking about how the other name for the little dipper constellation is the ursa minor, so I thought it would be cute if Dipper and Mabel were bear cubs being raised by Stan (who is literally a grumpy bear).

And somehow this concept turned into the plot of Brother Bear.

Backstory

Stan started out as a human and he has the same backstory of his fallout with Ford, getting kicked out, and being homeless for ten years before finally arriving at Gravity Falls upon receiving a postcard from Ford.

Then it diverges from canon when Ford leads Stan into a clearing in the deepest part of the forest, explaining that he's been studying the spirit realm which exists parallel to their own world since he came, and he shows Stan a gateway carved from ancient runes and stones that could could potentially connect their worlds. Except that it turned out to be too dangerous, and now Ford wants Stan to take his translated notes and diagrams and hide them somewhere far away.

Stan becomes angry and things escalate into a physical brawl. Ford accidentally knocks Stan against a set of magic runes which burns his back and gives him his distinct scar. Then Stan accidentally shoves Ford into the portal, banishing him into the spirit realm.

As Stan shouts at the gateway for Ford to come back, the clearing suddenly starts to glow. The brothers had spilt each other's blood, violating the clearing's sanctity, and Stan is transformed into a bear as punishment.

The gateway and runes are in ruins, and Stan is alone, though he vows to get Ford back from the spirit realm no matter the cost.

Interim

Many years later, Stan has adapted to life as a bear. He's stayed in the forest gathering any stones or magical items to try and bring Ford home, but to no avail. His fur is graying from age, and he has a bare patch on his shoulder where his healed scar is.

He doesn't particularly care about going back to being a human beyond worrying about Ford not recognizing him, and he entertains himself by scaring tourists and vandalizing their cars for food and valuables. He also likes to stroll into the convenience store and takes whatever he wants, because nobody who values their life wants to mess with a large, hungry bear.

The Oregon Wildlife Department has a wanted poster and a huge reward for his capture, but no hunter has ever come close. In fact, Stan once broke into the department and claimed the reward for himself, then scratched 'SUCKER' onto the warden's desk to rub it in.

He lives in a cave and has a giant horde of stuff he collected over the years.

So yes, he's still a menace to society.

Meeting Dipper and Mabel

They're a pair of orphaned bear cubs who stumbled across a mysterious cave while Stan was out trying to rebuild the gateway. Mabel immediately starts playing with everything she finds, while Dipper is more cautious but can't resist poking around too. He picks up on a strange scent, then realizes there's a bunch of gray fur everywhere.

Dipper says they need to leave immediately. Something already lives here and it could potentially eat them if they stick around any longer. Mabel protests that's it warm in here and cold outside, and there was so much shiny treasure to try on.

"What part of 'we're gonna be eaten' do you not understand?" Dipper asks, just as a shadow falls across him. "We have to leave, right now!"

Mabel stops playing and gasps, and Dipper turns around, his fur standing on end as he looks up at the biggest bear he's ever seen in his life.

"You kids ain't going anywhere. It's not every day I get a two for one breakfast deal," the bear says, blocking the cubs' escape.

....

And that's how Stan accidentally adopted two bear cubs.