#past billford anyways

[year2000electronics]

ford & funcle bill's dd&md session

[artofrolsch]

She's fine, she's just fine, you're fine, we're ALL FINE

Kind of a redraw of this frame from the book! Just wanted to play with some glitch effects yk

[lesbiansandco]

My opinions on The Great Gatsby characters compared to Bill and especially young Ford

Gatsby and Bill are copies of each other, no doubt about it. A lot of people, myself included, have put Ford into the role of Daisy. However, Daisy and Ford are only alike in the sense that they are the object of Gatsby's/Bill's devotion. I think Ford is really a lot more like Nick.

Bill and Gatsby both build magnificent lives for themselves out of dirt and pine after lovers they will never get back (The comparison between Gatsby and Bill deserves its own long post, but this is mainly about Ford). Gatsby pines after Daisy, and Bill pines after Ford, but that's the only thing Daisy and Ford have in common, is their role in the story. And even then, Ford plays parts of Nick's role as well.

Perhaps most obviously, Nick and Ford are both writers. Nick narrates the fateful summer he knew Gatsby, and Ford writes the Journals, narrating his life and experiences in both Gravity Falls and the multiverse.

Nick claims to be one of the few honest person he's ever known, but his writing is littered with bias towards people he admires, namely Gatsby. He admires Gatsby in a way that causes Nick to write long and poetically about him, leaving less room for other characters that are arguably just as important (notably, leaving out many details about his supposed relationship with Jordan). There is also reasonable evidence that Nick's writing about Gatsby has queer undertones.

Who mirrors this? Ford. Pre-betrayal, he writes about Bill much more favorably than his good friend Fiddleford or his brother Stanley. Ford clearly admires Bill, calling him his "Muse," and Ford even takes it a step further from admiration and worships Bill like a god. Fiddleford and Stanley are definitely important characters to the story - Fiddleford leaves his wife and son to help Ford with the portal, and Ford hasn't seen Stanley in years while Stanley wishes to reconnect - yet Ford chooses to focus on Bill's impact in his life in his writing. Very similarly to Nick, there is reasonable evidence of queer undertones in Ford's writing about Bill.

Nick (and the rest of New York) sees Gatsby as a mysterious entity, with a surely fascinating past that has to be guessed at and puzzled together. Ford also sees Bill as a mysterious entity, an anomaly that has come to inspire him in his work. Ford can't help but be curious about his muse and the divine insight Bill gives him.

Nick is drawn in by the mystery that is Gatsby himself, and Gatsby feeds him fantastic lies on their car ride up to New York for lunch with Wolfshiem. Bill lies to Ford about being a "Muse" and makes extravagant claims to earn Ford's trust and build up his ego.

Nick only learned the truth about Gatsby after everything came crashing down the day they all decided to go into the city. Ford only started to learn the truth about Bill when Bill's true plans for the portal were revealed.

I think there's more than sufficient evidence that Ford is the character that represents Nick in every aspect except for his one parallel to Daisy. And there really is only one parallel between them; they both have a crazy, devoted, blinded-by-desire ex-lover who can't seem to let it go. In every other way, they are different.

Daisy is careless and overly emotional; she romanticizes the past and can't help but worry about the future. She only wants what she thinks is the best for those she cares about (one good example being her daughter. She wants her daughter to be foolish and happy in a world where Daisy is a pessimist after everything she's seen and done). Meanwhile, Ford takes time to plan things out and is generally very stoic. He doesn't like to think about the past and would rather manifest a glorious future for himself. And while he cares about who he loves deep down, on the surface he can come across as cold and uncaring - towards his assistant who suffered a lot of trauma during the time it took to build the portal, to his brother who he only reached out to for a favor and not to reconnect after many years - which makes him seem very selfish (which he can be).

Daisy is trapped in a romantic relationship with a her husband, and while she still has some feelings for Gatsby, she doesn't wish to be in a relationship or run away with him. On the other hand, Ford isn't tried down to any romantic relationship, and he doesn't seem to have any feelings for Bill post-betrayal.

That's all. I know this got long, but with all of this comparison, it makes sense to me to view Ford as a very Nick-like character rather than Daisy. And of course, Bill is the magnificent Gatsby.

[trianglesimpfordpines]

welp, i wrote another fic.

this is basically "Ford's Self-Destructive Work Ethic: The Fic (Portal Years Edition)" and does involve some degree of violence and Heavy Content TM (more specific content warnings in the tags)

[stephreynaart]

i'm so sad you ship billford.... im not gonna lecture you i just. sighs. i love your art so much this is really upsetting. :(((

We gonna have this conversation again?

At this point go take it up with Alex, cause it’s pretty much canon.

BOOK OF BILL SPOILERS BELOW

It’s REALLY hard to ignore all the language surrounding Bill’s relationship with Ford and how he pursues him, he follows the dating advice he gives in the book to a T

- Leaving dead rats/mice for Ford

- Ford is the only “partner” that Bill is openly vulnerable with and gives him some insight to his past and his experience (also referring to him as a partner)

- The “Love Cage” advice he gives, where he said go trap your date and sing them a song. And if you remember, Bill traps Ford in the Fearamid and sings to him “We’ll Meet Again”, which was a song written for WWII soldiers who were away from their lovers

“I’m Your Puppet” by James & Bobby Purify that Ford gets in his head, a love song, that also places Ford in his role in the relationship.

THE FLIRTING “you can call me anything but late to dinner”, “I think I’m starting to like you” and saying the same thing then saying “jinx”. GET A ROOM

Both got jealous when the other thinks they’re with someone else. Ford thinking Bill’s “inspiring another scientist” when he doesn’t see Bill for a few weeks, and Bill calling Fiddleford a “third wheel”.

Then when they break it off, Bill goes on a sad drunken rampage. Which you don’t do for someone who you don’t at least care about, especially not someone who’s just a friend

Bill gives Ford 3 days to turn the portal on and asks himself “What was I, a saint? And why did I do it- some misplaced sentimentality”

Even Mabel basically said Bill has a thing for Ford “you’re like a super needy ex” “go crush on someone else’s uncle”

They were definitely more than friends, from what I see it was mostly one-sided on Bill’s part.

Maybe Ford did feel something, it was definitely a relationship that made him feel good, more in tune with his brain and body, and gave him a big boost of confidence. He went to Bill for comfort when he was stressed and vented to him about stuff. Bill made Ford happy…while it was good anyway.

Was this a healthy relationship? FUCK NO!

Bill was mentally and physically abusive, manipulative, and possessive (LITERALLY). He spiked Ford’s drink after Ford said no to having one and got him fucked up. Bill took Ford’s body on a joyride and did horrible things to Ford that we see in the pictures and thing we DONT see in the video. All to make him comply and get the portal running. Calling Ford his PROPERTY.

But it’s a good story of overcoming an abusive relationship, which is great representation tbh, Ford is happier and has his family to love him now.

Normally Alex is great at leaving things up to interpretation, but I can’t ignore the intentional and not at all subtle way he depicted Bill and Ford’s relationship. There’s even seeds of it in the interview with Hana and TGFF

Go take it up with Hirsch, cause I’m just using what he gave me

[wolfythesilly]

this is what happens when im bored

this is what happens when i like fiddauthor and one-sided billford on bills side (cause of the book of bill) i make things like this (im gonna put my drawn version and original image)

anyways isnt this beautiful 😻 (FIDDLEFORD LOOKD SO GOOFY IM CRYING)

its almost 12 am im sleep deprived ive drawn so much fiddauthor art in the past few hours im going insane

[f-imaginings]

If you've just discovered Billford from the Book of Bill you'll enjoy:

Knowing Me Knowing You on ao3!

If you're looking for fanfic to read that hits on the key dynamics from the Book of Bill, (despite the bulk of the fic existing before the books release) look no further! In the interest of tooting my own horn, to celebrate the new chapter I'd like to recommend a fic inspired by ABBA BABBA's musical back catalogue!

If you read the book of bill and wanted to see more of:

toxic old man yaoi billford

pre-betrayal worshipful billford (plus canon typical gravity falls anomaly research and hijinks)

post betrayal angsty possession billford (with bonus BORD!)

interdimensional cat and mouse portal billford (catch me if you can!)

Stanford getting it on with a triangle (and a human bill pre-betrayal) in many weird and wonderful ways

complex relationship dynamics between Ford, Fiddleford and Bill

Institute of Oddology toxic fidd/author/bill side story

Heist after heist with the henchmaniacs

Ford's portal adventures!

Terrible jokes that will make you laugh anyway!

A power dynamic that levels the playing field (Ford in control) and then decimates the field altogether!

Ford fell first, Bill fell harder!

Fleshed out backstories for the wider cast in Gravity Falls and a story that respects everyone's agency!

A Billford fic that takes a break from the toxic ship to spend a chapter with Stanley pug smuggling in New Mexico

Morally ambiguous Jheselbraum with past connections to Bill

Lottocron 9 and the infinity sided dice (including Ford's trip to the M dimension! Hate that place!!!)

Then you might enjoy this fic! It's just updated, with more chapters on the way, so if you're ready for a journey into mystery, mayhem and mischief, strap yourself in!

*author's disclaimer - Book of Bill DID align exactly with my fanfic and I was not disappointed!

[dejabooooo]

Ok I’m doing it. Idk if anyone will read this but here’s a compilation of all the stancest crumbs from bill’s book along with a stancest endgame theory:

I say theory because I can’t think of a better word atm. I know this is obviously not the intention of the text. I am merely taking the information we were given and twisting it to fit my sick agenda. It’s what bill would have wanted (Well maybe not quite like this but lol fuck him anyway).

So! Obviously billford was the star of the show here, but as I learned a little bit more about the codes I didn’t just learn what they say. I learned that all the stancest ship fuel is contained within them, and even tho it’s not much in comparison, what we did get is pretty profound!

There was a brand new code alphabet introduced in this book that we’ve never seen before. This cute little bros code that Stan and Ford invented when they were kids. Besides this image, this code is used only three times in the entire book.

The first (and insanely subtle) instance is on this page where ford concludes that Stan is the only person he can turn to after bill drives him to his breaking point:

It’s very small and hard to make out. On the window amid the equations.

It says: “miss you”

Pertaining the contents of this page, my first thought was that this is probably meant to be interpreted as a message directed at Fiddleford. But that wouldn’t really make sense given how it’s presented. This wasn’t written in after the fact. It couldn’t be directed at Fiddleford, they’re standing together arm in arm. It’s a code only Ford and Stan know, and this pic wasn’t taken long after they separated. This message must be about Stanley.

Ford uses the code on the next page, the last lost journal page where he’s talking about reaching out to Stan. It translates to: “have I been too harsh all along?”

This is so gut wrenching to me because he’s never written in this code literally anywhere else in the entire journal. And he says this vulnerable little line about Stanley in this code he probably hasn’t used in years but still remembers, in this code that only Stan would be able to understand besides himself.

The last usage is by Stan. Because the rest of the family is watching him write this, to the rest of them it just looks like he’s censoring his cussing for the kids’ sakes. But to ford, stan’s slyly writing him a little message that only he can see…

And what does it say?

“Love ya bro”

Ford’s arc in this book is realizing he should put his attention and concern in the ones that love him rather than fueling his obsessive hatred toward the one who hurt him. He comes to understand that he’ll be happier if he’s open about his past and rely on his family whose affection isn’t conditional like bill’s was. He moves past his shame, and comes out of the paranoid isolation that bill had encouraged him into.

And of course he receives this comfort from his whole family. But I think it’s very interesting how bill is framed as this toxic ex, Fiddleford is framed as the one he should have put his trust in during that pivotal time in 80s where ford ultimately blew his chance, and then there’s Stan.

Stan is hardly brought up at all but his presence lingers in more than few of Ford’s vulnerable journal entries. Stan is the one who put Bill in his place. Stan is the one who made Ford realize where his priorities should be. Stan is the one who’s accepted him all along and is the one remaining by his side in the end.

Bill even blames Stan for stealing ford from him like a jealous ex who can’t stand the fact that ford has moved on with someone else. (This is directed at the reader but it mirrors his frustration with the stans when they worked together to defeat him)

In conclusion: incest somehow ended up being the healthiest partnership option all along. Who knew?

BONUS CODE THAT CAN BE MISCONSTRUED IN A MORALLY REPREHENSIBLE WAY:

At the bottom of the first lost journal page where he’s talking about his loneliness and yearning for human connection, he mentions Stan in a code again. After embarrassing himself in front of the waitress he says: “Stanley could have made her laugh” 💔

[ryemiffie]

Okay my thoughts on the knowledge that the Gravity Falls universe and Rick and Morty universe are connected:

Rick worked with Standford for a while but they eventually parted ways, Rick goes back to his life and projects while the Billford breakup is going down. Eventually, like a couple years after parting with Ford, Rick meets Stanley, but doesn't totally realise that Stanley and Stanford are two different guys, so Rick is just like, "Oh hey it's stan!" And Stanley is confused thinking maybe he knows this guy from a past con?? Anyway, long story short, they hook up!

And then years later Rick gets in contact with Ford for help with some wacky multiverse adventure, so they meet up and at some point during this adventure Rick casually mentions when they hooked up (still thinking Stanley and Stanford were the same person) and Ford just has a moment of, "holy fuck, what did Bill do??!"

So Stanley continues his life thinking nothing more about that weird one night stand he had, Rick goes on thinking he slept with Ford, and Ford spents the rest of his life thinking Bill slept with Rick while possessing Ford.

[ninja-go-to-therapy]

Math, Kind Of

ao3

Summary: Stan is subjected to hearing about his brother’s past relationship with the local demon. He would very much like some brain bleach.

yeah this is just 300 words of crack. Past Billford, suicide jokes, and talking about sex.

329 words

“You fucked. The triangle.” Stan said, feeling absolutely insane for such a sentence to come out of his mouth in such a serious manner.

Ford’s jaw dropped open, before he resorted to indignant sputtering. “It wasn’t like that!” He finally argued.

Stan was pretty sure he was tripping out of his mind right now. Honestly, he wished he was. It would have made whatever… this was, much easier to handle.

“Then what was it like?” He asked, waving his hand around for emphasis. “You slept with a bitchy little geometry problem!”

“It was 30 years ago!”

“He doesn’t even have a dick! How does that even wo—? Actually, I think I’d rather die than find out.”

Ford crossed his arms, looking away. “It was mostly in the mindscape,” he grumbled.

“I told you not to tell me!” Stan groaned, pressing his fingers over his eyes, hoping if he pressed hard enough he could erase this entire conversation from his mind.

“You would’ve thought it was weird otherwise!”

“Ford. I think it’s weird anyways. I think it’s fucking insane.”

“He seemed nice!”

“That’s what you say about the goddamn grocery store clerk, not the demon you’re sleeping with!”

“30! Years! Ago!” Ford shouted. “You know what?” He asked, “this is homophobia. This is you being homophobic.”

“I’m going to kill myself.”

“That can’t be your solution to everything, you know!”

“Watch me!”

“Stop being dramatic,” Ford said, “you’ll live.”

“I would have preferred to live without knowing that you got dicked down by a geometry problem!”

“How do you know I wasn’t on top—”

“What about geometry?” Dipper asked, appearing in the doorway alongside Mabel.

Both of them froze in their places.

“When did you get back, kids?” Ford asked tightly.

“Just now,” Mabel chirped brightly. “I’m starving!”

Stan sighed. “Let’s get you some lunch,” he said. As the younger set of twins walked further into the kitchen, he shot Ford a look. “Let’s never talk about this again.”

“…agreed.”

[sarcki]

So I made a playlist for red strings and starlights

Here is some of the songs that go with Bill and why 💛

Tongues & teeth by the crane wives: bill knows he’s a bad person but he no longer wants to manipulate and hurt ford because he genuinely loves him, but he knows all those trauma response’s won’t go away in one night. 

Killer in the mirror by set it off: bill literally accidentally killed his entire dimension. “Feel the fear and swallow back the tears, let weakness disappear, there’s nobody but me here, the killer in the mirror” enough said 

Awoken by GLAZE, woodentoaster: bill recognising his past mistakes and deciding to be a better person (only for ford really but it’s a start)

The world revolving lyrics version by man on the Internet: “everyone knows the best place to hide is insanity” …. Do I have to explain? 

Mozart by bludnymph: he just likes this song

Phantom by natewantstobbattle: bill at ford before he decides to have his better coping mechanisms arc

Vibrant eyes By CG5: “I’m not the one to trust, when I’ve lost everything that I’ve touched” I mean it literally opens with this, like come on! 

Problems by mother mother: he loves Ford and it’s disgusting 🙄 

Anyway there’s more songs, but I’m sure you’re already bored. the playlist is “red strings and starlights- my billford au” on Spotify if anyone wants to go listen

[videogamelover99]

[Gravity Falls] Waking Days Ch. 1: Waddles

Summary: Bill Cipher is reborn, but not in the way he would have wanted. Stuck as a mortal and relying on those who brought his downfall, he realizes that maybe he didn't lie as hard as he should have. [AO3 Link] Characters: Bill Cipher, Mabel Pines, Dipper Pines, Stanford Pines, Stanley Pines, Jheselbraum the Unswerving, The Axolotl Pairings: None (past BillFord) Rating: T

A/N: Welcome to my self-indulgent, Bill Cipher-centric character exploration that is this fic! First off, thank you all so much for voicing your support over this story. There's so much planned that I want to share.

The format for this story will have an episodic feel. I originally planned these chapters to be 7k-8k words long, with one "episode" per chapter, but dividing them into smaller chunks might be the way to go.

ALSO! I'm currently looking for a beta reader! Preferably someone with a few published fics, but I'm really open to anyone who can read finalized versions of chapters and give me some notes. Send me an ask if you're interested!

Thank you for going on this journey with me. Enjoy!

---

Deep in the redwood forests of central Oregon lay a small little town called Gravity Falls. With a population of a few thousand, low on tourism, and high on mosquito bites, the town was hard to find on any of the maps, and some might have claimed that the town hadn’t even existed. 

Fewer still knew of the oddities that made the town their home, passerbys had nothing to say outside of an “eerie feeling” and a glimpse of tiny men in pointed caps in the corner of their vision. 

But the town was real, and the oddities were more real still. 

In the outskirts of that town, down a dilapidated forest path, in a clearing sat The Mystery Shack, an old scientist’s lab turned tourist attraction. It was in this house, on a stiff, plushy couch, framed by the light of a seemingly empty water tank, that Bill Cipher, the monster with one eye, harbinger of chaos and trillion-year-old mind demon awoke, in a body that was not his and whose irritating human instincts he deeply resented. 

“Gah!”

“Screee!”

"Ow!"

Instincts like rapid breathing, sweatiness, and overall shakiness usually meant one of these dozen organs wasn’t working properly. Unfortunately, after waking up for the dozenth time in this manner, Bill had to admit that the organs weren’t the problem. 

Not that he could remember what the problem was. Whatever dream or nightmare had caused this current inconvenient bout of terror, whatever remnants of it were blank, fuzzy static on a rotting television screen. 

It was more annoying than anything. 

Bill started his nightly routine of picking himself off the floor. The blanket he had was tangled around his legs, which were somehow still on the sofa. After a moment or two of clumsily getting the appendages to move, Bill managed to heave himself upright.

Bill rubbed his eyes, he had two now. So weird. 

"Oik!"

Mabel's pig sat on the rug next to his head, staring blankly.

"What're you looking at, huh?"

"Oik!"

"None of your business."

"Oik oik!"

"No, what do I look like, a snack machine?"

"O-oik!"

"Ha! So's your mother!"

Waddles chose that moment to get up and trot away, done with the conversation. Well, good, Bill was done with him, too.

He stole a glance at the water tank. Still empty. Figures old Frilly wouldn't be there when Bill had a bone to pick with him. Maybe he should put some mercury in the water. As a surprise.

What was the point of stuffing him in this body, anyway? Did the ol’ salamander really think it would do anything? Was it to scare him? To torture him? To tell him how awful and evil he was and all those other meaningless statements that Bill had found hilarious in his time? 

Crimes against the second dimension? It was a crime that the place had existed the way it did. A rotten, broken building called for a demolition. He’d just had the detonator. 

Why would you do this?

Ugh, not again.

I-I wish I was dead! I wish I wouldn’t have to see what a monster you’ve-

Bill pulled himself up onto the couch and raised the blanket over his head. As if that could block out the incessant voice that only showed up at the worst of times. 

He would not sleep again.

—

Dipper walked into the kitchen and came face to face with his Great Uncle Stan trying to rinse a semi-cooked egg out of his hair under the kitchen sink. 

“Wow, Grunkle Stan, are you okay?”

“Huh?!” Stan turned around, anger barely concealing his twitch of embarrassment. “Oh, it’s just you. Gimmie a hand, kid.”

“What happened?” Dipper asked, angling the faucet to better rinse out Stan’s scalp. He’s done worse things for his Grunkle. Barely. 

“That triangle freak happened, that’s what. When I get my hands on him I’m gonna-” 

Ah, Dipper should’ve guessed. Bill had developed a bad habit of pranking Grunkle Stan wherever he felt like it and then conveniently disappearing in the aftermath. There was that incident with the freezer a few days ago. And the stick of butter last Sunday. Not to mention the spider incident. Ugh. 

It had only been a few weeks since Bill had become the Mystery Shack’s unwilling resident, but even in that short time, he had managed to establish himself as Stan’s worst nightmare. Dipper had a feeling it wasn’t the pranks that got to Stan as much as it was that the demon had managed to one-up him in the trick department so many times. 

“Look, just- gimmie word if you see the little devil. We’re gonna have a talk.” Stan clenched his fist in emphasis.

—

Mabel came out of the elevator and was confronted by her Grunkle Ford in a futuristic super suit, pointing a sci-fi gun in her direction.

“Mabel!” He quickly lowered it. “I’m so sorry! It’s the reflexes.”

“What’s that?” Not at all fazed by the near-death experience, she pointed at the gun in question. It didn’t look like the one that shot lasers, and it didn’t look like the one that was basically a giant magnet, so it must’ve been new.

“Oh, this? I was just testing this when you walked in.” Ford trained the gun on an apple sitting on his desk. “Would you like to see how it works? It’s quite fascinating.”

She saw the familiar hazard sign on the side. “Ooh, does it fire radiation, like in that one movie with the green guy? Dipper and I have got to sit you down for one of our movie nights! Culture has come a long way since you fell through that portal.” She added sagely.

Grunkle Ford winced. “Maybe later.”

She hesitated for only a moment, looking down at her shoes. “It’s because of Bill, isn’t it?” she said quietly. 

“That’s not something you should worry about.”

“I don’t want you to not spend time with us just because he’s there,” she insisted. “We can tell him to beat it if you need us to.”

“It’s not a discussion I should be having with you. It’s just…never mind. Would you still like to see how this works?” He lifted the gun.

“Sure!” She could brag to Dipper about it later.

Ford once again pointed the gun at the apple and fired. A bright blue flash lit up the room, and a small blue box formed around the apple, trapping it inside. Mabel walked up to it and poked it lightly. The box fizzed but stayed where it was. “Cool! A box gun.”

“My newest invention,” Ford said, picking up the box. “A weapon that locks its target in a perpetual state of quantum uncertainty. I call it ‘Schrodinger’s Pistol’.”

“Wow. So the apple is like, dead and alive in there.”

“I’m surprised you know it.”

“We got taught it in school once. It was about cats! I didn’t think it would be dead cats, though.” 

“I see. However, a more accurate description would be that the apple both does and does not exist in this box. To affirm one or the other, we would need to remove the box and check, but until then it would remain in flux.”

“So if we open this box, can I eat it?”

“Well, I suppose if you time it right…” Grunkle Ford hit a switch on the gun and pointed it again. A little meter on the side went up and down up and down up and- he fired. The box disintegrated, leaving behind the apple, the same as it was before. “There we go. Perfectly safe to eat. Probably not full of radiation.”

As Mabel chomped down on the apple, Ford tucked the gun into his belt. “So what did you come to me for?”

“Oh, yeah,” Mabel tried to chew. Bits of apple few in different directions. “Have you seen Waddles? He likes to wander down here sometimes. I’m sending an audition for our school band, and I need a backup dancer. The makeup takes a long time.”

“I’m afraid I haven’t seen him. Why do you need Waddles for you to do your makeup?” 

“Not my makeup, silly. His!”

At that, Ford looked slightly concerned. 

—

“There! That should do it.”

Jeselbraum the Unswerving, now in the brand-new human form Ford was still getting used to, backed away from the rift, and watched as the clock-like device buried itself in the bark of the tree the rift had originated from. Lines of metal filaments shot out from the device, embedding themselves in the tree and the ground beneath it. They glowed faintly. The clock chimed.

She gestured for Ford to back away, and he did so, staring at the device in wonder.

String-like tendrils hot out from the filaments, weaving together like a transparent tapestry until they formed a bubble around the clock. As more and more strings shot out, the bubble grew until it contained the tree in its entirety, including the tear in reality that had been causing Ford so many sleepless nights. The strings vanished, and the bubble settled, rippling a little in the wind.

“It’s a time bubble,” Ford said, a hint of wonder escaping him. “But it’s…artificially made?”

“Yes.”

“And it was made by that friend you mentioned?”

“No. He had suggested it as the best course of action,” Jess’s smile turned a little bit smug. “But it was made by me.”

“Ah,” Ford turned back to the time bubble. The tree and everything surrounding it had frozen, time moving at a microscopic degree not perceptible by the human eye. “What a simple solution, delaying the decay as much as possible. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of it.”

“It won’t hold forever,” Jeselbraum’s smile faded. “And it’s only a matter of time before more cracks start forming on this side of the dimensional break. Bill Cipher’s realm cannot be contained, and sooner or later it will implode on itself. He knew that very well, which is why he was so desperate to get out.”

“But if crossing into our dimension would only bring the decay along with him, what was the point?”

She shrugged. “Hindsight is 20/20.”

Ford couldn’t help but laugh. But soon the anxiety returned. “I need to ask you something.”

“Hm?”

“Do you think it’s possible for something to pass through that rift? Into our dimension?”

Jeselbraum pondered the question for a moment. “I suppose it is. And if such a thing happens it will only widen the crack. Think of it like a piece of fabric: if you have one with a tear in it, when you wear the garment that tear can only grow. The only way to repair it is to find the right thread, which…”

“Is currently impossible.”

“Yes.” Jeselbraum scowled. “And if the rip in this dimension continues, it will not just be your dimension at stake.”

—

Bill peered past his distorted reflection into the tank. The Axolotl peered up at him, its beady little eyes blinking once, twice. 

It looked just like an ordinary axolotl, but Bill knew better.

“Laugh it up, Frilly,” he muttered. “I know what you’re trying to do, and it’s not gonna work.”

And what do you think I am trying to do?

“You know what!”

Clarification would be helpful.

Chiding. It was chiding him. Like he was a child.

“You’re the one who should be-!”

“Uh, who are you talking to?”

Bill turned around. Dipper was growing up at him, one arm clutching that blue book he always carried. His own little journal. I knew the kid was obsessed but this is embarrassing.

“Someone your limited human mind wouldn’t even comprehend the existence of.”

“So…yourself? Didn’t pin you as that kind of crazy.” Dipper leaned to the side to look behind Bill. Of course, it was useless, because Dipper saw nothing but an empty tank filled with rocks and fake seaweed. The Axolotl only showed itself to those he wanted to, and right now, what he wanted to do was torment Bill.

“Kid, I’m every kind of crazy.”

“Lucky us.”

“Yeup. So, figure it out yet?”

Dipper frowned. “That code. You weren’t just messing with me, were you?”

“Maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t. Who knows!”

“You do.”

“Ha! Got me there.”

Dipper scrutinized him for a moment. Bill just grinned. Finally, the boy stomped his foot in frustration. “Ugh, I hate you!” Bill laughed.

“Hey guys,” Mabel walked in, in a brand new sweater that sported a small white goose holding a knife, covered in pink glitter. She held a chocolate bar in her hand. “I heard evil laughter. Nothing’s on fire, right? Have you guys seen Waddles?”

“Nothing’s on fire. And no, I haven’t,” said Dipper, “Bill?”

“Sure I did.”

The two twins waited for him to elaborate.

“He’s a pig. Pink, round, the works.”

“I meant today!” Mabel cried. “Have you seen him today?”

Bill flopped onto the couch and searched for the TV remote. “Nope!”

His view of the screen was quickly taken up by Mabel, her hands on her hips. “I’ve got a word with you, mister.” 

Bill made a face. “I told you, I haven’t seen your codependent pig. Ain’t transparent, Shooting Star, get out of the way.”

Mabel did not get out of the way. Instead, she became more in the way, stomping her way closer. “Grunkle Stan looked pretty egged up today. Literally.”

Bill grinned at that. He was pretty proud of that trick in particular. “Oh yeah? Sounds like a case of bad luck. Maybe it’s raining eggs, like that one time in 1376! Ask the gnomes. Or the flesh-eating termites that live in your walls.”

Dipper gave the walls a wary look. Gullible.

“We know it was you,” said Mabel. “Grunkle Stan was pretty angry.” She snatched the remote away from Bill, triumphant in the face of his protest. “You need to say sorry.”

It took a bit for Bill to process what she was saying. Then he laughed. Longer than usual. “Good one, Shooting Star!” He wiped a fake tear from his eye. 

“I’m serious,” said Mabel, “if you’re gonna keep living with us-”

“Here’s something I’m letting you in on, kid. A great big secret you’re now privy to. Ready? I don’t apologize. That’s not what I do. What I do is cause unimaginable torment and unending nightmares to the people I don’t like. You know, fun times all around! Saying ‘my bad!’ kinda defeats the point, doesn’t it?”

Mabel stomped her foot. “I want you to say sorry!”

“And I want that remote,” Bill shrugged. “Hey! I know, let’s make a deal. You give me the remote and I tell you where your little pig went.”

Mabel blinked. “You will?”

“Sure! Just shake my hand-”

“Do not shake his hand,” said Dipper. 

“Fine,” Bill held his hand out. “Your end first, Star.”

Mabel eyed him with suspicion, but after a beat of silence handed him the remote.

“Well?” Demanded Mabel.

“He went out,” said Bill.

“Out where?”

“Out,” Bill pointed at the door.

“Oh no,” Mabel’s face fell “You let him go outside?!”

“Hey, he’s a free pig, he can do what he wants! Although…” Bill trailed off. “Gotta hand it to ya, kid, you sure know how to keep your pets on a tight leash if you know what I mean. Word of advice, if you’re gonna force your minion to do all your bidding, don’t let him run around all willy-nilly on the off times. Makes them start questioning things.”

“I don’t force him to do anything,” Mabel snapped, suddenly defensive.

“Sure, yeah. Bet he loves being shoved into a princess outfit and paraded out on the street. Or forced to lie on his back for hours as you make a macaroni replica of him. Or made to learn the polka. Don’t need the animal rights brigade showing up at your doorstep!”

“But he loves doing that stuff…” Mabel’s voice took on a strange, thick quality. Suddenly, Bill the conversation a lot less funny than how it started. The dream he had that night had taken the joy out of pretty much everything.

Maybe he’d make her go away. “You sure about that?” He looked pointedly at the door. Mabel seemed to get the message, heading toward it.

“Waddles! Waadles!” Mabel raised the chocolate bar again, a waver in her voice. “I’ve got your favorite snack!” She ran out the door. 

Dipper kicked Bill in the shin. 

“Ow! Hey!”

“Don’t say stuff like that to Mabel!” said Dipper. “She’s gonna take you seriously!” The boy ran after his sister. “Mabel! Mabel, come back!”

Bill flipped to the reality TV channel. Nothing like watching dumb idiots getting at each other’s throats to make him take his mind off…this entire day. 

Where was that pig, anyway?

—

Stan settled the new welcome signs next to the porch and checked his shoes for traps before putting them on. No laces not tied together? Check. No superglue on the soles? Check. 

It wasn’t like he asked for this.

I did, damn it. I knew it was a terrible idea to keep him here. 

They could’ve…well, not killed him. Dumped him in the nearest asylum maybe. One with tight security. Hey, got another one of those psychopathic crazies, no need to thank us, don’t ask questions, just take him!

Stan picked up the poster boards with gaudy Mystery Shark advertisements and slammed the door harder than necessary. Of course, no one listened to him, the guy with any common sense.

It was late afternoon when he was down to his last poster, tired from all the walking. Dipper had, for once, offered to do this for him, but Stan had already given up the Shack to Soos, and this was…nostalgic, in a way. He looked down at the sign, tracing the old, hand-painted groves he’d hastily carved out the first few years he’d gotten this place. Years of hard work had paid off, after all. 

Stan shook himself from the memory, remembered that Ford was here, the portal was dismantled, and the Stan of War 2 existed, and felt ridiculous at how emotional this sign made him all of a sudden. Well, time to leave these feelings in the woods, where they belonged!

He raised his hammer when he heard it, the tell-tale growl of some kind of animal. 

His grip on the hammer tightened. The sign and the nail dropped, forgotten. 

“Darn coyotes, scram, you hear me!”

The growl did not falter. It got louder as if the thing that made it was getting closer. 

It was a strange growl. Instead of a continuous roar, it was like multiple shorter sounds, layered on top of each other in a disjoined, continuous harmony. These sounds felt familiar. 

Stan did what any sensible man would do in this situation, and hightailed out of there. 

He didn’t get very far, tripping over a large tree root and falling face-first into a large pile of wet leaves.

“Oh, come on!”

He tried to stand up, but his shoe was stuck, wedged between two of the roots. He tried to rip his foot out of the shoe, but not dice. It was like his foot was stuck to the sole. 

Like someone had glued it in.

“Are you kidding me? That little-!”

The bush next to him shivered, the growl was louder, and he could finally make out what it was. It was…

OInK.

oinkOinkOINKoiNKoinKoinkOINKoinK!

“Aaaagh!”

The forest was silent once more. 

—

“Mabel, what are you doing?”

“Shh.”

Mabel sprinkled some more chocolate in the corner of the back porch. Dipper watched, as in front of his very eyes, a small group of ants emerged from the crack in the floor and carried one of the pieces away.

“Mabel, that’s not gonna help! You’re just attracting more bugs.”

Mabel made a frustrated noise and crumpled up the remaining bar, stuffing it in her pocket. “But he loves chocolate, Dipper! Waddles can’t live without chocolate! Why isn’t he coming back? Do you think something happened to him? Do you think…do you think I’m the one who made him leave?”

“Hey, come on,” Dipper put an arm around his sister. “Don’t listen to Bill. About anything. But especially this. You’re a great owner, and Waddles loves you. We’ll find him!”

Mabel sniffed and wiped her eyes with a chocolate-stained hand. “Promise?”

“Of course, Dum Dum.” 

Mabel looked out into the moonlit trees beyond their house, the dark forest surrounding the Shack seemed quiet, today. “Grunkle Stan’s been out for a while, too. Do you think maybe he found Waddles?”

They listened as the wind settled between the trees, rustling the leaves and bending the tall redwoods at their tops.

And another noise. It sounded like a growl.

“Did you hear that?” Mabel asked.

“Yeah,” Dipper looked out into the treeline. “Could be a coyote. Or a mountain lion.”

The growl was louder. Whatever it was, it was coming closer.

“Waddles is out there!” Mabel bolted toward the trees, only for Dipper to grab her by the elbow.

“Mabel, hold on! We don’t know what it is!”

“What if it has Waddles?”

“Waddles is a smart pig, a coyote wouldn’t get him.” Dipper let go of her sleeve once he was sure she wouldn’t run away. 

The growl came again, and the hair on Dipper’s arms stood on end. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a wild animal. That growl just sounded wrong. “M-Maybe we should get inside.”

The brush underneath the tree line shook menacingly.

“Like, now.”

Together, they bolted inside and locked the doors. 

“But what about the Grunkles?” Mabel asked.

“They have the key,” Dipper assured her. “And survival skills, they’ll be-”

The growl was closer, whatever it was, it was prowling outside.

“We should turn off all the lights,” Dipper said. “Maybe then it’ll leave.”

The twins ran through all the first-floor rooms, turning off each light. It was following them, the growl carrying from the front porch to the kitchen and through the corridor into the living room, where they came face-to-face with their previous enemy, watching TV while hanging upside down from the couch.

Dipper shut off the light and pulled the plug on the TV.

“Hey!”

Dipper tossed the plug aside. “Did you not hear the monster outside?”

“The only monster you’re gonna worry about is the one who’ll rearrange your liver if you don’t plug that thing back- Wait. You hear that?”

The three of them went quiet. The growl came, closer than ever, behind the door to the front porch.

“If we keep very quiet,” Dipper muttered, “It won’t know we’re here.”

“Great plan, kid, file that under-”

“Bill! Shut up!” Dipper whispered harshly.

There was a noise behind the back door. It sounded like-

SNIFF, SNIFF. 

For a moment, there was only silence.

“Huh,” Dipper said, “maybe it left.”

SCREEEE!

“Aaaaah!”

Dipper and Mabel grabbed onto each other as something slammed against the door, old hinges creaking under the pressure. 

Dipper and Mabel scrambled behind the couch next to Bill. “Can’t you do something?!”

“Oh, yeah, lemme just turn your little problem into a nice party hat and- oh wait, I can’t! Gee, I wonder if it’s because someone killed me and made me lose my powers!”

The monster slammed harder into the door. DIpper flinched and grabbed Mabel’s hand.

“So what’s the plan?” Mabel asked.

“I, uh,” Dipper’s voice got stuck in his throat as the unknown creature let out a distorted, hungry roar.

“Set it on fire,” said Bill.

“We’re not doing that,” Dipper said. 

“Fine, you got any venomous snakes lying around?” 

“We’re definitely not doing…whatever that is.”

The growl faded into an eerie silence. 

“Do you think it’s gone?” Mabel whispered.

Dipper strained to hear anything outside of the house. Nothing but the wind and the trees creaking outside.

Carefully, Dipper climbed from behind the couch, Mabel following suit. He walked over to the door and pressed his ear on its surface. He then peaked through the blinds. The porch was empty, and so was the surrounding clearing.

“Haha, it’s gone!” Dipper breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Whadaya think it was?” Mabel asked.

“No idea. Some mutated wild animal? A creature we haven’t seen yet?”

“I’m surprised you didn’t run after it,” Mabel joked.

“Didn’t need to!” Dipper grinned. “The security system, remember? Soos updated it recently, it covers even more ground now. Whatever it is, it was caught on tape, we just have to play it back.”

“Then let's do it!”

The office didn’t look that different than it had a year ago. The room was filled with Stan’s old knickknacks, but there was a Soos touch to things in the corners, evidence of the new Mr. Mystery’s influence. The gaming system in the corner, for one, and the little anime figurines on the desk. There was a photo of Melody on the wall, standing on a Portland beach and smiling at the camera. Another photo was of Soos, Dipper, and Wendy in front of that jacked-up go-cart Soos made for his web show. 

“Okay, here we go,” Dipper found the remote and wound back the tape playing on the monitor. “Huh, that’s…weird.” 

Dipper went frame by frame through the tape. Just a few seconds after Mabel and Dipper locked the door, a strange distortion came over the TV, making the porch appear fuzzy and pixelated. Like the tape itself was corrupted.

The fuzzy spot in the tape moved off-screen, seemingly circling the Shack, before coming back around and lingering on the porch.

“It’s censored!” Mabel said. “Like-”

“Looks like your little Mystery Monster’s got a knack for practical illusions!”

The twins both jumped and Bill’s sudden, grating voice. He was standing near the door, staring at the monitor with a curiosity Dipper didn’t like.

“What do you want?” Mabel snapped. Dipper was surprised by how harsh it sounded. Out of all the Pines, Mabel by far had the most patience with Bill. A worrying amount of patience. 

Bill seemed surprised too, but only for a moment. He shrugged, pointing a thumb back a the entrance. “Unfortunately, your WEIRD HUMAN FLESH is also stupidly tasty. And now I’m stuck as one of you! Getting eaten by your guest of the week would just be embarrassing.”

“Do you know what it is?” Dipper asked.

Bill came closer and squinted at the screen. “Fella’s got a knack for bending light, something only 51 species on your planet are capable of.” Bill tried counting on his fingers, then gave up. “Could be a badger.”

“Badgers are capable of bending light?” 

“You’ve never met enough badgers!”

“Well, it doesn’t matter, it’s gone now,” Dipper sighed, “I should’ve gotten a glimpse while I had the chance.”

“Eager to be badger food?”

“It’s not a badger!”

“Guys,” Mabel said, “I think Dipper’s getting his wish.”

Something was creaking out in the hall.

“It’s just the floor, the wood is old,” Dipper said.

“Yeah, and bendy.”

“Yeah, and…” Dipper trailed off to see what his sister was pointing at. There, on the floor, two of the planks bent up, as if something underneath was trying to get out. That strange growl came, quieter and more distinct. It almost sounded like-

A nail from one of the planks came away and bounced off the wall. 

“It can burrow,” Dipper whispered in awe.

“Less gawking more running, Bro-bro!” Mabel yanked him by the hand and they ran out of the office, Bill not far behind. 

Dipper found his footing. “Gift shop! If we get into the basement, maybe-”

The planks came away, and wood splinters rained on the three of them. Dipper turned to see what this new monster they’d encountered was, and froze in his tracks.

Mabel beat him to it. “Waddles?!”

[jollywasnthere]

First of all, sorry for not being very active lately I have completely forgot about social media these past weeks

Second of all I might get some backlash from this post but I'm honestly tired of pretending that comshippers are that big of a deal.

Like those rage baits on TikTok, Twitter and ETC? Yeah I get it they're an actual threat. But the people who actually have a complicated reason to ship a certain problematic, abusive or illegal ship most of the times are absolutely not romanizing or supporting the dynamic itself.

Before we get further in this post, a reminder of what a comshipper is: "A ComShipper is someone who enjoys more complicated or complex ships. These can include "dead dove" content, morally gray, problematic, socially unacceptable, abusive, or toxic dynamics. Comshippers do not endorse these things in the real world, but enjoy them in fiction."

I don't consider myself as comshipper myself but I ship my own handful of problematic or abusive ships and oh my God. it just makes my blood boil of how people twisted the idea of complex ships to a complete illegal taboo. People think that all ships have to be all cutesy and unproblematic and go mad when a ship challenges the moral barriers. I think it's also related to how media literacy became a literal rarity in the mainstream today and how the majority of the internet perceives everything purely on black and white.

A popular example of this, now that Gravity Falls is back, is Billford and how social media has completely twisted their relationship.

Bill has continuously tortured and manipulated Stanford, making him do things that he didn't actually want to do and exposing him to images no human should ever see. It is supposed to be abusive, it is supposed to be problematic and not cute at all. The whole dynamic is about how Bill manipulated and used Ford for his own good. But just because it's mainstream now people began oversimplifying it to "Bill hurt ex Ford bad!! ;'((" and completely brushing off what makes the ship actually interesting. Billford checks all the boxes to be a comship but people just ignore it because it's famous, and in my opinion, it just proves my point that complex ships are way more interesting.

It's okay to be a little problematic sometimes, it doesn't automatically turn you into a bad person. It makes me sad to see that fandom spaces have been completely taken over by people who do not get it at all. It's like when you have a little club with your friends but now suddenly everyone wants to join and now it's just a twisted mess of something that used to be great.

When you actually give it some thought you realize that some of those dynamics are actually interesting even if not necessarily "good" and that not everything has to be completely clear from negative aspects.

Complex ships aren't that much of a threat as long as they're not invading your safe space and affecting real people, you shouldn't go after them with pitchforks.

Anyway thanks for reading my little rant over here! Btw I'm not a comshipper nor do I post about it, I'm just a little mad that people are ignoring the complexity of some dynamics.

[sixersigned]

lil wishlist cause i see everybody throwing their own on the dash (which i am grabby at them all):

I am always offering baby ford. Like give me time travel shenanigans, or if your muse was around in his era, have them meet! ALSO JUST MORE GLASS SHARD BEACH THREADS.

TIMESTUCK AUS. Give younger ford his future niblings, or i can hand you a baby ford in the far future not knowing all the fucked up things his future self is going to do!

Accepting reverse falls stuff, always. :3 Lemme' yeet my grumpy old warlock at your muse! Man locks himself up in his study all day so you gotta drag him out... or convince him ur important.

mind electric mind electric mind--

MYSTERY TRIO, MYSTERY TRIO. I need Stan and Fidds content; just the whole premise of Stan being there pre-portal really throws in some interesting (and painful) dynamics!

also the... it could've been different au. like ford actually LISTENS to F or something like that one dimension. (and stan is there. :/ we need stan there)

what if the axolotl stayed.

i have a weakness for fiddauthor and billford. this is not new to me. I crave angst for those platonic or not.

honestly... who is going to talk to ford about the triangle in the room. i NEED someone to talk to ford abt the triangle in the room. leading up to b/ob he dealt with all that shit himself.

I NEED MABEL AND FORD BONDING... ALWAYS

au where everything is the same but ford was there since tourist trapped, like weirdly meshed with nwhs. I JUST THINK FORD NEEDED MORE SCREENTIME, HERES A WHOLE AU

2012 baby with the high school and university aus. where they at

ford dealing with his hubris & coming to terms with his hurtful actions in the past. my man is smart but hes so. stupid

literally any crossover verses, especially dbd bc that is constantly in the back of mind (i couldnt escape that franchise if i tried LMAO).

the blackout club is a solo multiplayer game where the adults are under a supernatural hivemind & the kids have to save the town before they reach hosting age and conform to the evil masters. yes im putting forth indie obscure game propaganda anyway tbc aus where are they

me claiming to care abt ford plenty but i think he should have his family used against him as a treat. never forget he would've let weirdmageddon go global for those kids :')

au where stan never remembered there u can kill me now

uhhh tba i'll add more when i remember them

[sleepsentry]

personally i’m not a huge fan of billford, but i don’t get the hate it gets by some people, like… you’re having fun with your ships, so maybe let others have fun with theirs? hello?? i’m into fiddauthor, my friends are into billford, we live in love and peace, it’s so easy to mind your own business. anyway, your art is awesome and deserves lots of love

It was never the difference of opinion that bothered me, it was people being assholes about it.

I've gotten a lot of asks along the lines of "I don't like it but the way you do it is cool" wich is very flattering but unfortunately comes across as a backhanded compliment when taken within the broader fandom attitudes that have only recently changed.

Like "I don't usually like trash, but this is a guilty pleasure"

I'm not saying that's what you're saying, but thats how past comments have read in a space where people have been so annoying and unkind.

I'm glad to be reminded there are people like you who can just chill and enjoy it without needing to moralise and highhorse about it. ^^

And I appreciate that the people who left those comments in the past where simply being nice and it was my bad experiences muddying things.

Most of my buddies online ship both and its all cool.

Unfortunately I can't see cute fanart of the pair together without getting a sinking feeling in my gut that the artist has probably blocked me.

Usually that feeling is correct.

That they are correct and I am unwelcome.

You're right people gotta chill. T v T

[tommyssupercoolblog]

Fiddauthor is WAY more my speed in terms of dynamics but the fact that one of the most popular ships right now is between a guy and the guy who lives in his brain and possess his body sometimes and also they can only(? At first? Obviously bill has a body later but for awhile) flirt and talk to each other and have sex and go on dates ALSO inside his head is so wonderful to me??? It drives me crazy a little???

Like of course billford is toxic as fuck and not like wholesome-poggers "good" representation, and it's also NOT a plurality thing- Bill has his own body too and we even see it in the show, he's just magic and shit. But still. Seeing art of two characters interacting with each other and having a relationship in one body makes me feel... weirdly seen, even though my relationship with Seán is actually happy and positive and uplifting instead of this wacky ass abusive circus show with a literal demon. I guess it's like how before gay relationships were legal to depict in fiction without them being bad, a lot of LGBT authors would write queer stories but then have the characters die or turn out to be demons to get past censors, and so these pulp novels became one of the only ways to see depictions of people sort of like you. I'm not a darkship or angst enjoyer so I can't genuinely get into it, but I CAN appreciate the fuck out of the way everyone's making art and fic for it.

Everyone is drawing people being gay inside the same body and I'm just like woaawow,,,,,, 🥺🥺🥺

Anyways I know I don't reblog billford nearly as much but I want you to know that whenever I see it on my feed or even think about the concept of it being a trending ship I feel some sort of positive, community clicking feeling idk how to describe. Thank you for drawing gay people who are seperate people but also in one body. Thank you for writing about gay people who talk to each other or do relationship things through telepathy or thoughts or meditation or dreams. Thank you