#tbob discussion
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juiceboxgoat · 3 months ago
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okay yall i don’t even have the book of bill and I was much too young for the first cipherhunt —yet the discourse is getting to me (and this could be a total reach) but I MAY have found something to consider:
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Okay so we pretty much know that this is in reference to Shawn Mullin’s song “Lullabye,” so out of curiosity I checked out the song and didn’t really find much in it that stuck out to me. Then I decided to look at the album as a whole and I noticed something…interesting
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See that song there in green? TWIN rocks? Oregon?? Hmmmmmm
Anyway I gave the song a listen and…..that’s where I’m at now. Like I said I’m no decoder and I am definitely missing out on some of the lore…but cmon…CMON. Could this be a lead? This just feels SO Gravity Falls coded and I know I’m reading into things but THATS THE POINT RIGHT??
Anyway would love to know if anyone else looked into this. Maybe there’s discourse on Reddit or Discord but idk. I know some of yall out here reading TGG in full so anyone wanna take a crack at analyzing this album with me?? Anyway that’s my addition to this discussion (for now…maybe I’ll be buying The Book soon)
Much love to my fellow gravity falls fans 💛💛💛
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abyssalzones · 3 months ago
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hi. so i read the book of bill
and, uh, I really liked it. whoops!
I promised I would write something more in-depth about my feelings on it after my liveblog, and I was unsure whether that would be more "review" or "analysis", and then it kind of turned into both.
and I am actually putting it in the main tags this time- because I would really, really appreciate if people took the time to read and possibly reblog this one. It's a little wordy (as is my standard) but it ended up feeling... important, beyond the scope of my usual analysis. Hope you guys enjoy.
(as is expected, warnings for this one include very in-depth discussions of abuse and manipulation tactics, as well as self-harm. Please be cautious.)
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professional-court-jester · 2 months ago
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i haven’t seen anyone talking about this but in the book of bill, bill left an 8-track of eurythmics’ sweet dreams along with that vhs of him going on a crazy night spree in ford’s body, but that song came out in may 1983 and the absolute latest possible date that ford could’ve gone into the portal seems to be mostly agreed by the fandom to be january 1983
this leaves us no other option as theorists but to conclude that bill cipher got a preview track sent to him specifically by the hit band eurythmics months before its public release
also it’s really funny to consider that he was tormenting ford with a brand new top 40s hit. it’s like if these events took place 40 years later and he used a sabrina carpenter song as the soundtrack of his evil
2024 au ford opens his tiktok drafts to see what bill did in his body and the sound bill chose for the horrific montage is von dutch by charli xcx
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blastlight · 4 months ago
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i compleeeeeetely forgot about Ship Discourse existing in general, so finding people upset about billford took me completely by surprise lmao
(happy old men* divorce canonization everyone!)
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procrastinatingattorney · 7 days ago
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ok someone commenting 'battler' on that unreliable narrators post is super funny to me
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victory-cookies · 3 months ago
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the fact that my friend is gonna move back to uni before we’re able to get her to fords real intro in gf is so sad for me. I’m fixated on him so hard rn and she can tell but I can’t fucking tell her anything bc I want her to go into that blind, but there’s no way we’ll get that far before she leaves
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ashyslashyy · 3 months ago
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for clarity on the last two. if you saw fanart or discussion about tbob and were like "hey i should watch that show" pick option 3. if you werent really paying attention and just happened to pick up gf in the last month or so pick option 4
please reblog!! i know a ton of gf fans follow me but im curious about this
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mychapel-004 · 28 days ago
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I think the most interesting and under-explored part of gf canon is the formation of the blind eye and I'm tired of pretending it isn't: a long post
Because hear me out here, if we really take a look at the timing of the only concrete source we have (mcgucket's video diaries), it doesn't... line up at all?
The clear implication here is that he started making the diaries after the first portal incident on January 18th 1983, so this would be our "day one"
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"For the past year I have been working as an assistant for a visiting researcher... But something went wrong. I decided to quit the project, but I lie awake each night, haunted by the thoughts of what I've done... Test subject one: Fiddleford."
But this makes no sense. We know from J3 that the memory gun was actually invented after a series of traumatic events with Ford, months before he left the project. Further, the timeline the video diaries set up of the blind eye show that he began to deteriorate and founded the blind eye on day 22, which would be February 9th, but in J3 the blind eye is already a full blown cult by then.
In addition, where is he in this video? we know from TBOB that he isn't on good terms with his wife after Christmas of 1982 and he likely didn't leave GF after the portal incident, but he was living with Ford up until this so where is this room? If he had somewhere else to stay, why only stay there now?
Now, realistically the answer here is that the lore was changed and slightly retconned between the writing of this episode and the publishing of the book (which alex discusses in some of the commentary for this episode when discussing fidd's character), but I think a more interesting theory to solve this contradiction can be found in the source material.
If we play this all completely straight, there are two options here, both involving Fiddleford lying in his diaries. this isn't entirely new to the series, unreliable narration is a big theme, especially in Journal 3 and TBOB. the only real explanations are that:
A) Fiddleford was lying about this being the first time he used the gun, meaning this video diary takes place after the portal incident.
B) Fiddleford was lying about leaving the project, and was filming these diaries while still working with Ford.
Now, either of them is plausible, but ultimately Fiddleford is a scientist. He has dedicated his life to engineering, and it seems to be his lifelong passion considering it's one of the only character traits that he continues to practice after losing his mind. Would a man who is this talented, this dedicated, really lie about testing results in a video diary he chose to make?
If he had used the gun before, any kind of result he is trying to observe would be ruined. It would be a pointless venture, since we know for a fact that by the time he leaves the project he has used the gun on himself, Ford and other civillians multiple times. It's a complete failure of the scientific method, and I don't think it makes sense for the character we know, the man who quadruple checks his own calculations just to be sure they're right.
However, the other explanation feels like something he might do. We know he invents the gun after the Gremloblin incident likely sometime in August, and seems to use it immediately as evidenced by J3, on both himself and Ford. We know from the audio commentary that for Fidd, the memory gun is very much an addiction, it's something that he uses to curb his anxiety and appear like a better partner, to try and keep himself together until the project is over. But ultimately, he's known something is wrong with the project for a long time, and Ford mentions his tendency towards self destructive anxiety when Fidd rips out his own hair after Ford reveals the tip of the weirdness iceberg to him.
All this to say, I think it's far more realistic for Fiddleford to lie about leaving the project rather than his results. He knows that something is wrong, that he should leave and be with his family, and on the other side of that we know that Bill is using this anxiety to whisper into Ford's ear that Fidd is unreliable and will leave. He's been through a severely traumatic event with the Gremloblin, trapped for days in his worst nightmares, to the point where he is prepared to cause himself potential brain damage to un-see it.
But despite all of it, he doesn't leave. He is determined to stay, maybe out of loyalty, maybe out of fear for Ford's safety, maybe he needs the money from the project for his family. He has a wife and son who need him and we know that he feels guilt for his treatment towards them, he even cites them as his sole reason for backing out of using the gun immediately before he does it anyway, and uses it on Ford to cover his mistakes up. Fiddleford is a man who is wracked by anxiety and shame and is such a bad way by this point that he is absolutely willing to self-destruct and lie to just get through this project.
I think he absolutely would start documenting his use of the memory gun, even if that meant lying that he had followed his instincts and left the project when he should have done. After all, he says himself that he wants to use this gun on a wider scale as a therapy tool, assuming the gun doesn't turn his brain to mush, surely the tapes of his initial testing will need to be peer-reviewed? He's presenting the reality he wishes was true, the one where he is brave and stands on his principles and doesn't fall into step beside Ford on his path to destruction.
So, where does this leave the timeline?
Finding exact dates is difficult, mostly because the only concrete numbers in J3 are few and far between, but we do have the dates of the tapes to go off as follows. This isn't concrete but it's a fun way to recontextualise the events of J3:
Day 1:
First usage of the gun, followed by it being used on Ford
Sometime after the Gremloblin incident, Fidd's arm is either healed or on the mend from the incident as his cast is gone, so likely towards the end of August.
Note on the cast: It could also be gone as a result of him removing it too early, he doesn't seem to take a lot of time to recover from the incident before he gets back to work in fear of disappointing Ford.
The room he is in is likely his bedroom in the Shack, or whatever location he initially uses to form the blind eye, maybe a room in the museum? The "probability of failure" graph in the back is the same one that he shows Ford the night before the Portal test, albeit a bigger version, meaning he has likely been tracking the output results for a while.
Day 5:
Still exhibiting postive results, no deterioration yet.
Day 22:
First signs of mental deterioration
First mention of the blind eye, Fidd draws the symbol onto a notebook but it is already scribbled in the background over a diagram of the portal. The blind eye symbol is first mentioned in J3, when Fidd hands it to the carny who becomes the eventual leader of the cult, so this diary likely takes place after he has begun using it on other people.
Official formation of the blind eye as a group to help people forget traumatic memories.
His room in the shack is in a state of disarray, his plants are dead and there are handprints in oil or ink on the walls. Notably, he seems to be connecting the idea of a single eye and the portal despite not being aware of Bill at this point, which I'll touch upon later.
The carnival is likely in September according to the timeline by @fordtato
Day 74:
Slight physical deterioration, more physical anxiety
It seems that Fidd has been regularly using the memory gun at this point, to erase even minorly distressing images from his head, and his anxiety has taken a nosedive. Likely explanation is that this diary is after the bunker, where he had another severely traumatic experience (kidnapped by a shapeshifter and reduced to mute from anxiety) and seemed to become obsessed with doomsday planning. During the bunker arc he also used the gun on multiple workmen and Ford once again.
Likely takes place in October/November
His room is a complete mess by now, with the walls covered in papers and "Help Me" scrawled on the walls.
At this point in J3, Ford has made his deal with Bill and is allowing him to possess his body whenever he pleases. Bill has also sucessfully driven a divide between the other two by making Ford doubt that Fidd will be able to make it to the end of the project, and Ford describes his frustration with him.
According to Ford, Fidd is just as agitated and nervous before the portal test as he was during the Gremloblin attack, and obsessively checks and rechecks his calculations, causing Ford to worry for his resolve.
In between this diary and the next are the stolen pages from J3 that are in TBOB, which give us slight insight into Fiddleford during this time but not much. We see that he tries multiple times to reach out to him the only way that Fidd knows how, through invention and creation, with the snowglobe and the six-fingered gloves. Ford, however, treats them carelessly as a result of his increased attention to his muse. At the same time, he tries to visit home but is kicked out by Emma-May after he forgets to get her a Christmas gift. This is played as an example of his connection with Ford, him remembering two gifts for the man and none for his wife, but if he really is suffering from his use of the gun at this time, the forgetfulness makes even more sense and his argument with his family means he doesn't have a support system outside of Ford who is paying all of his attention to the project. After this, Fiddleford is more reclusive than ever as he spends early January compiling a thesis for Ford to publish
Day 189
Physical deterioration is in full effect and he can't hide the result of his addiction any more, even just to keep up appearances.
His arm is broken, likely due to the car accident he mentions accidentally causing, but its the same arm he broke during the Gremloblin attack and could be a result of him taking his cast off too early for it to have healed right in the first place which could explain why he wears it for so long.
Significant mental decline as he has started exhibiting signs of brain damage or swelling (decreased vocabulary, forgetfulness, loss of motor functions) however, he is seemingly lucid enough to question if the memory gun is causing negative side effects.
There are actually bottles visible in the back of the room, possbly referencing the addiction metaphor being used here
This would take place after the portal test, likely late January. Ford is at the height of his paranoia, Fiddleford has left the shack and taken every trace of his research with him except his college picture with Ford, and the blind eye is a fully established and seemingly self-governing cult.
Day 273
At this point, Fidd has relocated to a motel and is seemingly completely mentally gone, ripping out his hair and developing his hunched posture. This likely takes place after the blind eye takes his memories, or he continues erasing them himself. It's possible that the blind eye continues visiting him and taking his memories even after he is ejected as a member, or at least until they forget who he is after using the gun on themselves too many times.
It appears to be snowing outside? Which doesn't line up with either the canon timeline or this timeline, so potentially the days on the video diaries could be incorrect assuming he isn't filming them every day, or has lost so much of his mind by this point that he isn't labelling them right and has lost track of time
The final two entries are a similar story, serving only to show us the end of his decline and him eventually becoming fully homeless, retreating to the junkyard he lives in for the next 28 years (jesus, he really deserved that mansion).
Ultimately though, this timeline asks a lot of interesting character questions.
Why did Ford not realise how bad Fiddleford's decline was becoming? Maybe a mix of circumstances, he was falling deeper into his worship of Bill at the time, to the extent that he was regularly being possessed and judging by the lack of journal entries at the time, very pre-occupied. We also know that Fidd used the gun on him at least twice in canon, and possibly used it more than we know in order to convince Ford he was okay.
If Fiddleford was erasing parts of Ford's memory, did Bill know? Personally, I feel that Bill was aware but knew that ultimately it would serve him. Fiddleford, without ever encountering Bill at this point, created the blind eye symbol which is eerily close to Bill's symbolism, how would he know that when we know Ford is possessive of his muse and doesn't share anything with Fidd about it? How does Ford have visions of Fidd in a red cloak without ever knowing that the cult and Fidd are directly connected? My thoughts are that Bill, who we know has erased Ford's memory himself before when he stole the journal pages we see in TBOB, was using most of this as fodder to drive a divide between the two, mentally creating associations in both of their minds so they stop trusting the other. Chess but with troubled gay men.
All in all I think Fiddleford's decline is such an interesting way to approach a theme of addiction, particularly a high-functioning addiction. If this really is how things played out, we know that throughout his use of the gun and even 30 years later when he is considered a write-off, the one thing he maintains is his engineering prowess and his smarts. It makes sense that even when actively using the gun and hiding it from Ford he would be able to keep up in terms of building the portal, especially when we know he secretly hired workers. It's also a great example of someone drawing others into their addiction, even if it was unintentional and he didn't believe they would be hurt in the long run.
I feel like sometimes there's a lil bit of a push to see Fidd as a naive or morally good character even through his mistakes and to demonise Ford in response, but ultimately both of them are very morally grey and have their own vices that they develop and grow from.
Anyway, interested in this idea?
Well, good news if you are or my condolences if you hate it and want me dead, this is also an au I'm working on and writing at the moment! My fic link is below, the introduction is up right now and the next chapter will be coming out tomorrow with updates every few days now I've finally gotten this post out. The tag for this fic is 'Geiger counter au', hopefully I'll be able to get out some other headcanons I have for this idea because it's been floating around in my head since J3 came out.
Thank you for reading!
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renmorris · 1 month ago
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There needs to be an incest shipper-free space to talk about the similarities between Bill and Stan and what that means for Billford, because I feel this is a discussion that canon is already having that fandom is too nervous to acknowledge.
That’s a shame because it’s very realistic and is in my opinion crucial to understanding the components at play in his relationship with Bill.
So let’s talk about it!
Ford and Stan grow up in an abusive household, are minorities, are poor, are isolated from other children and develop a codependent relationship. This is very textbook we all know this, the show addresses this dynamic openly though only Stan says it out loud.
They separate.
Ford is taking to it better than Stan but still lacks the niche in his life that Stan played. Fiddleford is not really a substitute for that, he’s his own person. He (later) has a family of his own.
Bill fits the shape that Stan left behind, he’s boisterous, he enflames his ego, he encourages him, he makes him feel accepted and cared for. They’re the same personality down to the nicknames. And my god TBOB, really stresses the nicknames. Sixer is only used by Bill and Stan once in the entire show. The book is asking you to notice this.
Ford isn’t only naïve and vulnerable without Stan, he’s lonely. There’s a hole in his life that he pretends isn’t there because he has to make himself hate his brother.
Bill can fit into that place and Ford can love him for it and tell himself that no one has ever understood him like this. What they have has to be fate.
As Bill manipulates him the unfair caricature of Stan that lives in his head becomes even more warped, a thoughtless and childish burden. He seems like something that could never be compared to Bill, this force in his life that only works to lift him up.
It’s all very realistic. Seeking to replace a familial relationship with a romantic one isn’t unheard of. We all know this, usually it’s in a cruel joke about young women who look for men who remind them of their fathers. Here it’s a component of a story that’s asking you to take it seriously as tragedy.
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ckret2 · 3 months ago
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Its funny that the Book of Bill implies that the Henchmaniacs abandoned him, when really how exactly are they meant to do anything? For all they know they were having fun tormenting people, then they all suddenly got sucked back into the Nightmare Realm and Bill didn't come with them. They probably just think hes dead and even if they COULD look for him, unless the Theraprism is a widely known facility, how would they figure out hes there?
There's a lot of possibilities.
Maybe the Theraprism is VERY well-known and it hit the news that Bill Cipher had been committed. Why assume a maximum-security psychiatric hospital that takes in the worst tyrants in the multiverse should be secret or obscure?
Maybe Bill's allowed infrequent, supervised contact with the outside (emphasis being "infrequent" and "supervised," unlike what he did with TBOB), he tried to call them, and they went "oh yikes, bye."
Maybe, in the same way that Bill already had a method to contact the living from the afterlife planned out by creating TBOB, he also had an emergency method to contact the Henchmaniacs from the afterlife planned out, and they ghosted him.
Maybe they had TBOB in their hands. Ford said he was planning to toss the book into one of the mini interdimensional rifts; maybe he chucked it through into the Nightmare Realm, the Henchmaniacs picked it up, they went "ugh screw Bill" and tossed it out, and it fell through another rift to end up in the reader's hands.
Maybe the Axolotl told Bill he'd be telling the Oracle and that she'd probably tell the Henchmaniacs.
Maybe rather than the very simple "Bill agreed to the Axolotl's terms and the Ax took Bill to Theraprism" process we saw in the book, there was some kind of protracted trial to determine whether Bill should just be allowed to die or if his mental illness qualified him for the Theraprism; and some Henchmaniacs were called in as character witnesses to go "oh yeah that guy's fuckin nuts stick him in a straitjacket."
Maybe before he died he discussed his back-up plans to save himself in case he should ever die and he left them some kind of "okay in the event of my death try XYZ to bring me back" list, and either they never did it, or they tried to do it and it failed and Bill just doesn't know this.
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cucumber-icepop · 3 months ago
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Website spoilers under the cut! Every password I could think to try, being updated as I go
If you input the password "Cipher" it takes you to the Wikipedia page for Triangles, and if you put in "Bill" it takes you to a Youtube video of a Sesame Street song about triangles!
"Billcipher" takes you to the Wikipedia page for the eye of providence
"Ford" takes you to a page written by scientists(?) discussing his hands.
"Euclydia" brings up the text "DIMENSION NOT FOUND" :(
"Alex" takes you to the Google search page for flannel. Cool
"Pines" brings up the text "A GOOD FAMILY TREE"
"Stan" brings up an Ebay page for brass knuckles. (This happens with "Stanley" too!)
"Blanchin" brings up a Youtube video on how to "blanch" vegtables.
"Dipper" brings up a slip of paper written by Bill telling him that he needs to stare directly into the sun to crack some of the codes in the book.
"Mabel" puts star stickers all over the webpage!
"McGucket" brings up the Cotton Eye Joe song on Youtube.
"Soos" brings up a few pages written by Soos about what it's like being the new Mr. Mystery. There's pudding on the page
"Pinata" (a code suggested in Soos' letter) pulls up a video of a Bill pinata being beaten, Alex is voicing him in the video. Get him!!!!
"Baby" pulls up a Bill ultrasound????????????
"Blindeye" pulls up an image WITH CODES!!!!!!!! LET'S GOOOOO
"Prism" doesn't work, but corrupts the prism on the screen.
"Gideon" pulls up audio of Gideon singing.
"Pacifica" brings up a letter written by Pacifica (and Mabel!!)
"Season 1" brings up text about "Season -1" of "Antigravity Falls"
"Season 2" brings up "Season 1", and "Season 3" brings up "Season 2". There is no easter bunny there is no tooth fairy
"Divorce" brings up the O'Sadley's logo (the beer Bill drinks) and a zip file???????? The zip file is just the png of the logo
"Wendy" pulls up a page where Wendy tricks the viewer.
"Robbie" brings up a chatlog between him and Thompson, they summon Bill
"Reality" brings up the text "IS AN ILLUSION"
"Universe" brings up the text "HOLOGRAM"
"Rat" brings up text saying "THURBURTS' NUMBER?"
"Weird" brings up A VIDEO OF WEIRD AL?????
"Gravityfalls" brings up text saying "NEVER HEARD OF IT"
"Waddles" brings up a website called "Pig Placement Network". It's a pig adoption website!
"Death" brings up text saying "LIFE'S GOTH COUSIN"
"Life" brings up text saying "LIFE: 72% COMPLETE. NOW LOADING: DEATH"
"Axolotl" brings up text reading "YOU ASK ALOTL QUESTIONS"
"Fuck" brings up a picture reading: NOT S&P APPROVED! WASH YOUR MOUTH OUT WITH SOAP" and a picture of soap lmaooooo. This also happens if you type in "Shit"
"Thebookofbill" pulls up text reading "HIDE IT UNDER SHIRT DURING PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE" ??????
"Mason" (I can't believe it took me this long to try that) brings up a page written by Dipper where he writes some anagrams. Ford has written something about a Cryptogram Codex on the bottom of the page.
"Cryptogram Codex" causes another zip file to be instantly downloaded. It contains different fonts for some of the codes used in TBoB!
"Theraprism" brings up this image
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Very cool
"Love" brings up an image of Bill's stupid romance novel
"Journal3" pulls up text reading "THE JOURNAL FOR ME"
"Journal2" pulls up text reading "THE JOURNAL FOR YOU"
"Journal1" brings up text reading "THE JOURNAL OF FUN". Journal is looking less and less like a word to me
"Sorry" brings up the full picture of Ford and McGucket in college. What if I cried
"God" pulls up a video of a Bill statue in an aquarium with an Axolotl
"Lies" brings up a long page written by Bill, where he talks about lying and reality. It ends with a short video of flickering text reading "LIE UNTIL YOU AREN'T LYING ANYMORE".
"Scalene" and "Euclid" both bring up text saying "LIFE FORM NOT FOUND" I'm in shambles
I'm going to end the post here, I've been doing this for an hour, and the people running the main codes Google doc already have most of the results down. Aohurz av hufvul dov ylhkz aopz, zahf dlpyk, huk kypur dhaly!
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Yea from what I can tell of like. A lot of the fan reaction towards the book of Bill (haven't gotten my copy yet but I've read through pages posted for discussion) is like. Insane in regards to a lot of people claiming it makes Ford more understandable and likeable if only for the fact that it showcases the physical and psychological torment Bill put him through that were heavily implied throughout the series itself and Journal 3. And then heel turn to go "Wowww they're soooo divorced though haha #oldmanyaoi" and unironically ship them. Which is like. Hello. Guys.
see this drives me particularly insane because like at the risk of sounding a bit mean i think youd have to be dense to not be able to infer how bill treats him in tbob from everything that goes down in journal 3. like i was caught off guard by the bluntness of some of bills dialogue but nothing that happened was particularly surprising to me. the fact that some people apparently need an excruciatingly detailed account of the psychological torment he was put through before being able to ‘understand’ him is making me want to bite something in half
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pierogi-potwater · 3 months ago
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A rambling defence of the pines twins
(Part 1)
I’ve been thinking about them all day. I basically want to psychoanalyse them all a bit and attempt to explain why I think, they think the way they do.
Though this is a defence of the characters, they are not perfect people! I’m not trying to say they have done no wrong or haven’t hurt people because they have. I just like saying why I think they did what they did. All their choices make sense from their perspective and I’m just saying why I don’t think they are ‘terrible selfish people’.
Some of this might be stealing insights from other people…sorry y’all have great thoughts and I’ll mention any instance where a thought isn’t fully original because I miss some really obvious stuff and I couldn’t have made these conclusions without this great community!!! Please, please, please provide your own thoughts I love having discussions with people! Like if I missed anything or you disagree with anything please say!
Spoilers for the show, the book of Bill, lost legends and journal 3 but I won’t be showing an screenshots. I should also mention, all quotes are from memory and I haven’t fully read TBOB or Journal 3 so apologies if I get any info wrong!
This is my first text post so apologies for any incoherence or poor formatting/grammar.
So! Starting with…
Stanley Pines
Stan! This guy: I love him! (Quick edit! I was hesitant to call Stan and Ford co dependant because that’s a medicalised term and they were kids/ teens but ig Bill already pointed that out! And calling out Fords PTSD? Dang…)
Going straight in, Stan and Ford were lonely kids, they only really had each other growing up so that ended up with them becoming somewhat reliant on each other. They’re a dynamic duo and as kids their dynamic isn’t something I’d call unhealthy (yet). They have a good complementarity of brains and punches; they are shown to stick up for, and support, one another. When Stan is accused of stealing his father’s watch: Ford goes out of his way to disprove the accusation, with his brother by his side. Even when presented with evidence for Stan stealing the watch, Ford gives his brother the benefit of the doubt and hears out his brother’s explanation that it was an accident and he intended to give the watch back as a Father’s Day gift but was scared of his father’s reaction to the broken case. He was just trying to do a nice thing and it backfired to make him look worse than he intended.
This leads me to how Stan was perceived as a kid, as a troublemaker. His father, being a typical man in the 60’s didn’t really outwardly express any affection towards the boys. All mention of care is normally an assumption or through actions. Of course healthy family dynamics don’t require constant praise and verbal declarations of love. Stan’s dad showed his care for his kid through enrolling him in boxing classes. That being said, the boys clearly didn’t have a good dynamic with their dad. Stan is assumed to be a naughty child and isn’t shown any benefit of the doubt. It isn’t indicated that he’ll ever be seen as anything but a trouble maker. So of course he doesn’t try to be anything else. He cheats off his brother academically and his whole future plan is reliant upon his bother. His future plan, I should also add, doesn’t include trouble making. He hopes to be seen as an adventurer and in this, is still rejecting the deterministic fate of being a huckster and fraud. He thinks needs his brother for this identity though. He is constantly compared to his brother in a degrading manner and isn’t encouraged to find his own niche as it is assumed that he will automatically choose criminality. His brother on the other hand is a genius that can do basically anything he wants in the future. He has a large choice of things he’d be smart enough to do and chose to specialise in science. Stanley has cemented his future success as needing his brother, but his brother so clearly doesn’t need him. And so in an accident while letting out his frustration, slams the table the perpetual motion machine is on and breaks it. The same embarrassment and shame stopping him from confessing to the broken watch case: once again stops him from telling Ford about the broken machine. Telling him about the broken machine could have allowed him to fix it and thus get into that dream school but he couldn’t bring himself to. Either because he’d be accused of doing it purposefully to sabotage his brother or because a shameful part of him wanted to sabotage his brother so he could in some way prove his brother needed him too. To secure a safe future for himself with the only person that has unconditionally loved and trusted him.
Of course that’s not what happened. It’s been pointed out that Stan’s current obsession with money and swindling people is because of his dad disowning him saying ‘only come back once you’ve made millions.’ and so, he hoards money. But, I’d also add the fact that peoples perception of him already being cunning and a fraud definitely added to this. His only other role model aside from his brother was probably his parents ( famously con people). Their dad only viewed the two of them as pawns out of their current financial position [as people have pointed out before]. His mother cared about him though which is sweet (and there’s a high chance that she probably didn’t have much say in Stanley being disowned). Stan still subconsciously wanted to make his parents proud and be accepted again. Another part of the current money hoarding is probably scarcity related. Stan had to live in his car and has been in debt to what I can only assume is the mafia: he likely doesn’t want that same outcome for his niece and nephew. This also might be why he considers arts and crafting his own money to be a fun bonding exercise with the kids. Stan’s dad only seeing his kids as cash cows likely plays into that as well (but it’s very clearly shown that the kids mean more than just money to him but generational habits are hard to shake).
The portal fight. Gosh, what a way to lose your twin brother… Of course after around 10 years of no contact with Ford he’d be both delighted and apprehensive seeing him again. The shame and guilt of what the machine breaking cost Ford; mixed with the hope that this meeting means that’s an event in the past; they are about to reconcile. When met with his paranoid brother pointing a crossbow at him immediately as he opens the door. The suspicion that he inadvertently caused this paranoia (much like being disowned caused Stan’s poverty) lingers. Not a great start. The brother he so hoped called for a reconciliation, and more time together, immediately tells him to go as far away from him as he can: using the same childhood dream he so desperately wanted all this time as a reference for the isolation process. The exact opposite of the dream, the reason he accidentally ruined Fords future with the fear of them being separated . The guilt once again rising. Of course Stan is upset and so tries to burn the journal so he can appease Ford as quickly as possible and try and reform a connection with him. There is no way Stan could have ever known what any of the context around why Ford wanted the journal intact but far away. He had no way of knowing what any of the equipment would or could do. So the fight begins as a confused Stanley wants to spend time with his brother but has no meaningful way to express that. A hurt Stanley that wants his brother to understand him but doesn’t have the emotional intelligence to say that. Ford accidentally brands him with a plate burning through his jacket ( image how hot it must have been for it to burn through his jacket and permanently scar him in those seconds he was pushed against it). When he accidentally activates the portal by pushing Ford into it: he freezes. How could he possibly know what to do to save him? And with the pain in his shoulder also clouding his vision.
It was pointed out to me that the carpet diem room was the same room Stanley stayed in while he worked on trying to save his brother. Ford’s bedroom. ( DEVASTATING HOW HE SECRETLY POCKETS FORD’S GLASSES AND THE ROOM WAS BOARDED UP UNTOUCHED, THE CALENDAR DATE BEING THE ONE THEY FOUGHT ON AUGHHHH). Similarly pointed out that Stan’s affinity to the statue of him was because it reminded him of his brother and the funeral touched him so much because for 30 years he’s been working on this portal to save his brother not knowing if the guy was even alive or not. Grieving the possibility of his twin brother and only friend being dead. (This killed me man :( no pun intended).
Stan learned the complicated science behind the portal despite science never being his strong suit. He worked on it for 30 years not knowing if Ford was even alive. He was willing to potentially risk the safety of gravity falls ( and the universe it was implied) to save his brother. The first thing he gets is a punch to the face as his arms are excitedly outstretched for a hug. He gets called a knucklehead (the thing his father called him after disowning him). Stan asked for a thank you.
The argument about Stan not wanting Ford and the kids spending time together for fear of their safety is pretty self explanatory in the show. The fandom has recognised that Mabel was lying about what she heard to protect Dippers notions of the author he has looked up to all summer. I didn’t think of this at first which is on me. She’s not a dumb character she just likes having fun and is a 12 year old. She gets too much hate ( ANYWAY sorry I know this isn’t about her but it was a nice character moment for her).
In weirdmageddon Stan refuses to hold Ford’s hand. While it -at first- seemed like a purely petty and idiotic thing to do, like then wasn’t the time, I can see why he did that. For Stan, the ‘thank you’ wasn’t just an acknowledgment of the work putting into saving Ford . He needed to prove he wasn’t the heartless con man people always saw him as. (Like he says in the show) .It was a promise that they weren’t going to immediately be separated again. An absolution of the guilt held for the perpetual motion machine breaking and the fight that sent Ford into the portal. In that moment he needed that ‘thank you’ because he needed to know that after the armageddon he wouldn’t be alone again. He needed reassurance that Ford wouldn’t just evict him from the house he made and the stable job he had with no brother to show for it as soon as this calamity was over. A promise that his brother still loved him.
Ford corrects his grammar after the forced thank you: proving all his fears to be correct.
He later sacrifices everything he knows to save Gravity falls, the last coherent thought he has being that of Dipper and Mabel.
Once regaining his memories, he calls the kids ‘ knuckleheads’ affectionately. A phrase used repeatedly to belittle him as an idiot he uses as a send off to the kids he loves so dearly to jokingly show how much he loves them.
Best of all, Stan and Ford finally do get to go on that adventure with the stan’o war. He gets the relationship he dreamed of with him and his brother, the genuine acknowledgment of how hard he’s worked and the genuine ‘thank you he needed.’
I love Stanley Pines!!!!!
Ok so some extra little notes unrelated to analysis :
I was going to make a single post about both the Stan twins here but I didn’t expect how much I’d actually write about Stan here! So a post each it is I assume.
A little reminder I don’t think Ford is a bad person. I’ll get into it in the next post but yeah one perspective at a time!
I somewhat wish the whole erasing his entire memory held more weight. It would have been a lot more impactful seeing it take a bit longer for his memories to come back if at all and give more meaning to his sacrifice. That being said it is a kids show and a finale ep is already heart wrenching. It also seems to be established the gun doesn’t fully erase anything so. Ehhh?
I love his interactions with the kids. Like he clearly leans towards Mabel because of how similar they are but it’s clear he loves Dipper with all his heart also just in a different way to Mabel as he hopes it better caters to him as a kid. He’s a super sweet guy but his rough exterior might make him a bit hard to like at first.
The bro code is so cute. I loved seeing Stan’s little ‘ love ya bro’ in his note to Ford. Screaming crying.
If you made it this far OMG THANK YOU!!!! I’m so normal I prommy. Feel free to DM me if you enjoy listening to more incoherent ramblings!! But yeah seriously I love making new friends so! Yeah! Thanks :^]
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yan-randomfandom · 3 months ago
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MASTERLIST I
Part 1: 8/17/2024 — ...
Click on Keep Reading to see the list of everything I've done under their respective media!
STATUS: FIXED!
—👁️🩷
Extra Deets for Me: Account made during FOPANW/TBOB era. Secret Alliance → GIFfany themes → I Love Amy.
Unless stated otherwise, the Reader is Gender Neutral (GN).
DICTIONARY:
Y - Yandere
P - Platonic (friendly/familial obsession)
H - Headcanons
SS - Short Story
D - Drabble
C - Crumbs (aka draft, discussion)
F - Female
NOTE: Feel free to list down your fandoms in the comments! Anything that you would want to see yandere content with! Just so I can browse and maybe write for!!
ANOTHER NOTE: Please tell me if a link isn't working..... sniff
Gravity Falls
Y!Stanley Pines x Reader H. [1st post on everything]
Wendy Corduroy x Reader SS.
Y!Stanford Pines x Doctor!Reader SS.
1: P!Y!Stanford Pines & Teen!Reader SS.
2: P!Y!Pines Family x Teen!Reader SS.
Y!Stanford Gleeful x Reader SS. AU-Reverse Falls
Thief!Stanley Pines x Reader D.
Bill Cipher x F!Reader [Don't click. Not worth it]
Y!Stanford Pines x Reader SS.
Theraprism!Bill Cipher & GOLB!Reader SS.
Sailor!Stanley Pines x Reader D.
Y!Stanford Pines x Godling!Reader SS.
Kid!Stanley Pines & Kid!Reader SS.
Old Man McGucket x Reader SS.
Stanley Pines x Rich!Reader SS.
Y!Stanford Pines x Borrower!Reader SS.
Y!Robot!Grunkle x Researcher!Reader SS.
.GIFfany x Game dev!Reader SS.
The Fairly Oddparents: (A New Wish)
1: Semi-Y!Peri x Human!Reader SS.
2: Peri x Human!Reader SS.
3: Y!Peri x Human!Reader SS.
Dating Headcanons: Peri x Reader H.
Y!Dale Dimmadome x Reader SS.
[OG] Y!Cupid x Human!Reader SS.
P!Y!Dev Dimmadome & Reader SS. & H.
P!Y!Dev Dimmadome & Dale Dimmadome C.
Y!Irep x Human!Reader H. & SS.
Peri & Godkid!Reader SS.
Tinkerbell
Y!Nyx x Reader H.
Cars
Finn McMissile x Singer!Reader SS.
Minecraft Story Mode
Arcane
Y!Ekko x Reader H.
1: Y!Jesse!Romeo x Architect!Reader SS.
2: Y!Romeo x Reader SS.
Y!Aiden x Pro!Reader SS.
Honoring Stanley for being my first muse 🫡
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eagleeyethree · 2 months ago
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haven't had a chance to read tbob but i was revisiting j3 and had a thought on the "are the journal pages real" discussion. in j3 ford mentions that he's waking up to unfamiliar writing and there's pages in the journal written entirely by bill.
so, what if the pages were real (in the journal) and also fake (written by bill)
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fragilefirstchance · 26 days ago
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It's Either Tourist Traps or Drugs
Gen, family-centric, rated T or M depending on installment
Do you like longfics? Gen fics? Reflective, OC-centric examinations of family dynamics? Maybe you'd like my fic!
Hi! I am not generally speaking active on Tumblr, but I just completed Part 5 of a fanfiction that is almost 150k words and which shows no signs of slowing down soon. I figured I'd show it to class. :)
Fragile First Chance and its follow-ups is a story about a nineteen-year-old boy whose legal name is Joss William [redacted] Pines but if you call him anything except Will you might end up in a fistfight. It's also a story about how the Pineses are basically good people with a lot of baggage.
Major themes are tagged and optional content warnings for individual chapters are included in drop-down tabs in the notes. For the most part, heavier themes are not gratuitous.
Below the cut you'll find a rough outline of each section. If you don't want spoilers, though, just head on over.
This story was well under way before The Book of Bill came out. It isn't perfectly TBoB compliant, but the themes and plot aren't really something that makes that an issue.
Part 1: Fragile First Chance
Dipper and Mabel Pines were sent to Gravity Falls at the beginning of summer for, from their perspective, no reason. In reality, it was because they were being sheltered from some very old family drama.
Will is May's son from her first marriage and Fil's son by adoption. He's nineteen years old, just getting out of his second incarceration, and a recovering addict. They planned to put him up for a few months, and after that Fil's weird black-sheep uncle agreed to give him a shot in Oregon.
Ford, of course, knew nothing about this. He's not happy about it.
Part 2: Learning to Breathe
Will and Ford are slowly acclimating to each other like two feral cats. They don't really have anything in common except insomnia and a mutual desperate quest not to get in too many fights.
Will doesn't like Gravity Falls. It's lonely, there's nothing to do, and it's full of weird bullshit he doesn't want to deal with. He's coping, though - Soos is pretty cool, the local teens are entertaining, and he ends up getting a long really well with the local bait shop guy and his dad.
Part 3: When Family Matters
Will has started to figure out how Ford works and make an effort to be nice to him. He also tentatively almost likes the guy. (cue Stan audibly sighing in relief off-screen.)
Also: Dipper and Mabel have figured out that their long-lost brother has reappeared, and there are certain family traditions about how you deal with long-lost brothers.
Part 4: Lancing the Wound
Ford and Will are both under a phenomenal amount of stress for a wide variety of reasons. By this point in the story, words like "panic attack" and "therapy" are coming up more often. They have more in common than they ever realized, although for two people with severe abuse-related PTSD, that's not necessarily a good thing.
The McGuckets are around to help. The Twins are too, although whether that's a good thing is open to debate.
Part 5: Nature versus Nurture
In the wake of Part 4, Stanford Pines is coming to realize that his mental health is a much more serious problem than he had previously realized. He struggles to come to terms with this and decide what to do next. This segment of the story is primarily about self-reflection and realizing that you need to change. We also get some serious discussions about the mental health industry (and how it tied into the gay scene in the 70s) by people who are personally invested in it.
Part 6: Definition of a Real Pines
This story arc just started and concerns Ford navigating his life as he tries to re-integrate with his family and society while working through a very difficult mental health situation.
We'll get to meet more of the Pines family. Shermie lives in Florida with his sister-in-law. (Note for those curious about the timeline incongruities: Shermie's age is- wait, look over there! *smokebomb, jumps out the window*)
Bonus: Erastus Kankerson's Toxic Ex
This is a stand-alone one-shot about Erastus Kankerson, an old friend of Fiddleford McGucket who dated him for a while after the divorce.
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