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prettyinpwn-blog · 1 year

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Ford Pines: A Masterclass in Writing a Good Flawed Character

(Title disclaimer: his brother Stan is also fantastically written and deserves as much praise, but we’ll be focusing on Ford in this post).

It’s no secret that Ford is my favorite character in Gravity Falls. The reason why boils down to this: he is a perfect example of a character that is A. flawed, and B. goes through a character arc that addresses both his core want and need, and it successfully punishes him for seeking that want and rewards him for pursuing his need.

His flaws perfectly match his character want and backstory, and despite the fact that he does make mistakes, you understand exactly why Ford makes them. Not only that, you actually might root for him even though he’s not a flawless hero, because you understand the good intentions/character virtues and backstory driving his actions.

Lastly, his flaws are justified, but not excused by the writing, and he works to make up for them, which in my opinion is the key to creating a hero that is also realistic.

For those of you who read the above two paragraphs and are asking, “Wha...? Core want? Need? What do you mean?”, here’s a quick summary:

When I took writing classes in college (and over years of writing in general and drooling over writing advice podcasts and blogs), I found that the best method for me, personally, when it comes to crafting characters is to focus on two major things:

1. Their want.

2. Their need. On the surface, these look like the same things, but in character writing, they can be vastly different. For example, say that you have a character that greatly desires fame and recognition. They want these things.

But what’s the real reason behind it? Is it because they had a parent that was famous and want to live up to their example? Is it because they want to be adored by people? Is it because they were told they’d never amount to anything by someone and want to prove them wrong?

This real reason behind it all is the core need. Yes, they want fame and recognition, but they need it because, say, they have low self-esteem and need copious amounts of outside validation to boost it.

Tied to this need is usually a backstory reason (sometimes called their wound). Say your hypothetical character was bullied a lot as a child. Or abused by a parent. Etc. Whatever the wound was, it caused a big, painful hole in their heart that they try to fill and fix with their want.

So they go on a journey. The want is often the external journey. The need is often the core journey / character arc. Our example character seeks fame and recognition on an external journey, but deep inside, they realize they need something else, which is to understand that their past trauma/wound doesn’t define them, and fame and recognition will not be the balm they expect it will be. Often, they realize they had what they needed all along. They grow past their flaws associated with their seeking this want through understanding and instead pursuing the need.

Alright, Writing 101 lecture aside, Ford is a perfect example of a character that has all of the above. He has a want, a need, flaws related to pursuing his want, a backstory that justifies it but doesn’t forgive it completely, and a character arc that makes him realize he had that need all along, and he acknowledges his flaws and tries to grow past them. Let’s begin with some analysis to prove my point:

Ford’s Backstory: Protecting/Providing for Family > Everything Else

Ford was born in Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey, to a Jewish family in what is jokingly referred to as the “lead paint district”. His father owned a pawn shop, and his mother was a phone psychic in an era where not many women worked. Their social class is never strictly pointed out, but through context clues we can tell that they were not rich by any means.

Their small house was an addition atop their family shop and had mismatched furniture and peeling wallpaper; enough to keep a roof over their heads, but not enough to upkeep things for aesthetic/fashionable decor reasons. That, combined with a family conflict later that surrounds money that could have - as their father put it - “been their ticket outta this dump”, tells us quite plainly that Ford grew up poor, likely lower to lower middle class.

(I want to preface this next part about Filbrick, Ford’s father, with a note that yes, I personally consider what he did to Stan in A Tale of Two Stans abusive, but I will explain why he threw Stan out, or at least how he justified it from his perspective. Filbrick isn’t perfect, and no well-written character is. What he did makes total sense for his character, even if we as an audience don’t view it in a positive light.)

Ford’s father was a very strict, unemotional man. He provided for his family and worked hard, but he likely was the sort to have never told his children that he loved them verbally. Action > words to Filbrick, and everything he took issue with, were things he perceived as threats to his family. In the comic Lost Legends, released after the show ended, we see Filbrick take issue with Ford’s twin brother, Stan, who he accuses of stealing a gold chain from his pawn shop (and it turns out, Stan actually did, though purely for good reasons).

Filbrick gets upset with Stan because he’s protecting his family. He’s protecting his son from making the wrong decisions in life, because he wants what’s best for Stan. While it may hurt Stan to feel so picked on by his father compared to Ford, Ford explains why in this way:

(Also, can we talk about the symbolism in Stan looking at his reflection here? Throughout the series, we learn that Stan looking at his reflection = him thinking about his brother. Stan looking at his reflection while wondering if his father hates him? Translation: “Why does Pa love you and not me, Ford?” and/or “Why doesn’t my reflection match Ford, would my Pa love me if it did?” /cue heartbreak).

Anyways, it turns out, Filbrick was right. Not just about Stan - who later nearly ends the whole universe trying to get Ford back home - but also about Ford. Ford also takes shortcuts later on in life, namely with Bill, and they become his biggest regrets. But we’ll get to those later. All in all, both Filbrick, Stan, and Ford do things for benevolent reasons - usually for their family - but their flaws often come into play in the manner they try to achieve that.

Filbrick throwing Stan out is a great example. Stan’s breaking of Ford’s project was the breaking of Ford’s future as a millionaire, which would have lifted the Pines family out of poverty. Filbrick should have understood that his children are not tickets to wealth, talked it out with Stan and Ford to get Stan’s side of the story and helped them patch their relationship wound, and tried his best to help Ford find a different college to go to, but... instead, he throws out Stan, and tells him that until he makes millions, he’s not welcome back in the family. Ouch.

Like I said, I’m not justifying what Filbrick did in any way. That was straight up abusive. But Filbrick is a character where family security/stability > everything else, and so when Stan threatens that security/stability, it crosses the line for Filbrick. To him, Stan hurt him, their mother/wife, and his own twin brother, and Filbrick punished him for it.

But the irony is, is that in throwing Stan out, he was threatening the security/stability of his family, because Stan was his own son. Greek tragedy right there, folks. Often the things we do to avoid something, make us cause that thing to happen anyways, at least in stories. Sometimes it’s throwing your son out because there was a prophecy that he’d kill you and marry your wife/his mother, and later finding out he only could have done that if you’d thrown him out, so... oops? Other times, it’s trying to protect your family by throwing your son out, and yikes, you just hurt your family by throwing your son out, not just that son, but the happiness of both of your twin sons for decades to come.

Yes, I just compared Gravity Falls to Oedipus Rex minus the weird mother-son parts, deal with it.

Another factor is how they were treated as children. Ford was obviously the golden child. Stan was not.

I mean, literally, a golden child:

Heh, I see what you did there, writing team...

Anyways, a golden child is often described as, “held responsible for the family's success. Parents appreciate and adore them and, in a way, reinforces them to become better in whatever they are doing. A golden child is an example for others to follow. Even the siblings of the golden child are compared with them to create continuous pressure on their performance; to ensure that they shouldn't fail or fall short in their good behavior and accomplishments."

And also, “Their main purpose in life is to satisfy their parents' needs and procure success, name, and fame for their family from outsiders. Parents consider [them] an asset to the family and always make them appear superior in front of others.” (Source).

Often, you can tell a golden child by:

-An overwhelming need to please / a people pleaser. Notice how when his principal tells him about West Coast Tech, Ford only gets especially excited when he hears about how it might make him a millionaire, and when his father says he’s impressed. Once again, to Ford: providing/protecting for family and approval from his father > everything else.

-Required to grow up faster or contribute to the household at a younger age than siblings. “Your brother was gonna be our ticket outta this dump!”.

-Super high achieving, especially with grades.

-Fear of failure. His rejection from West Coast Tech he considered a massive failure, even though A. it wasn’t his fault, and B. he did just fine at the university he went to instead.

-Attachment to those that praise them / low self-esteem / a need for excessive validation from relationships AKA the exact flaw that Bill took advantage of to manipulate Ford.

-Sensitive to criticism. In Journal 3, when the Tarot reader tells him his flaws, and Fiddleford asks him to maybe reconsider finishing the portal, Ford gets angry. Whenever people make fun of his hands, he hides them.

So, getting back to the character writing lesson I explained above, how does this lead to Ford’s core want and need? Alright, friends, let’s summarize Ford with a few sentences:

“I want to find where I am accepted/loved and I want to protect those I care about, but what I need is to realize I had that acceptance all along, and often times the things I did to protect those I care about, I actually instead hurt them. This stems from a wound from my childhood where I was a golden child placed under high pressure to succeed, and simultaneously was outcast for my six fingers.”

And as I said, Ford had his need all along. Stan always accepts him from Day 1. Fiddleford McGucket also accepts him in the events of Journal 3. When these relationships break for Ford, is when an event happens that threatens his core want: to be accepted. But on a superficial level, when he’s rejected or criticized, an especially sensitive matter for Ford, someone who has been outcast for his hands and treated as a perfect golden child his entire life.

He has acceptance from both these characters, but the moment he gets rejected from West Coast Tech, and the moment Fiddleford criticizes his portal project... we see Ford at his worst. Both Stan and Fiddleford accepted Ford despite his flaws, but when reminded he wasn’t perfect... all hell breaks loose internally for his character. He says nothing to defend Stan when he gets kicked out, and he gets upset at Fiddleford and risks his health and the universe to finish the portal project. Because for Ford, not being perfect means he is failing to be that golden child.

Cue Ford’s Dark Night of the Soul, or the biggest mistake he makes and he tells Dipper later on was his biggest regret: trusting Bill Cipher. Someone who told him he was perfect, fed his ego and insecurity like cheese in a mouse trap, then snapped the lever when Ford realized he was being used and lied to. When Ford realized that his fears were true: he was not perfect, and in trying to attain perfection, his flaws were only made that much clearer.

He had made a giant mistake trying to attain the one thing he had all along, but feared he never would get, so traded real acceptance that acknowledged his flaws for false acceptance that told him he was the perfect golden child he’d been trained to be.

This is why Ford is a well-written character. He has flaws and suffers for them until he makes up for his mistakes. They are understandable flaws, but like in real life, just because it’s understandable why we act poorly at times - be it because of trauma or upbringing - it doesn’t mean we’re justified in continuing to hurt others or ourselves because of those flaws. We must acknowledge them, grow past them, and do our best to do better in the future, as well as apologize to those we hurt along the way.

This is also what separates Ford from his father. His father - as far as was shown in canon - never tried to make up for his mistakes. Ford does. This is why Ford is a hero and Filbrick is not, despite Filbrick thinking from his POV that he had good intentions for what he did. Additionally, Ford is also an example of breaking generational trauma because of this.

How it Plays Out

So Ford is deeply flawed, realizes those flaws almost got himself and the universe destroyed, and what’s the first thing he does? Whine? Complain? No, this vengeful, nerdy BAMF goes on a thirty year redemption arc to stop Bill, knowing that he could spend the time getting home, but instead choosing to use that time to redeem himself at the expense of his own life and freedom.

See? That’s the thing. While Ford is flawed at times for acting out what his father taught him to be, he also has virtues we can root for him for based on these same teachings.

He’s protective of his family at the expense of himself:

He’s protective of the universe at the expense of himself:

He doesn’t hide from his mistakes, he tries to confront them head on:

He often isolates himself to be a lone hero shielding against danger AKA “Dipper, you shouldn’t be down here because my work is far too dangerous for a living soul to spend even one second down here!”, whereas... like, Ford, you’re a living, human soul, too. Doesn’t your safety and the chance to receive familial love you’ve missed out on for three decades matter? Think about how long he must have ached to see his family and home again? And his first inclination isn’t to bask in that love and warmth, it’s to act as Cerberus guarding the gates of the underworld, all alone. Because to Ford, that’s his purpose: to protect and prop up his world like Atlas, all alone:

“You risked the universe for worthless old me? Why would you do that, Stanley?” AKA “I’m the sacrificial golden child meant to prop up our family and further mankind through science, why didn’t you let me sacrifice myself and bear this burden all alone, you idiot?” *CUE RIGHT HOOK*

“Oh, there are children down here? Let me put away my thirty-years-festering gripe with my brother for a second to protect their comfort and stable environment with maturity because I am an adult. Also, let me kneel to their eye level and praise them for their weirdness.”:

“Oh, my brother is cheating off of me in class?” *Smiles.*:

“My brother gets called the dumb one who will never amount to anything?” *Frowns and looks guilty.*:

“There is a mere suggestion that Stan and I should hug and I’m the one who looks back to see if Stan will go for it?”:

“Stan, you broke my trust and chance to provide for our family years ago, but I’m now giving you another chance to earn my trust again by asking you to do the most important thing I’ve ever asked anyone to do while I stay by this portal and likely get turned into a demon snack and/or get mentally tortured here alone.”:

“Hey bro, I know you just broke my trust a second time by threatening to burn this book, and I just burned you, but I trust you still to save me and/or at least still take the book far away so that Bill is stopped even though it might sacrifice me.”

“I am shameless in my love of nerdy things, and don’t tease my nephew for them, either. I make him feel accepted and like he belongs, because I know what it feels like to be outcast.”

“I invent things for my family as soon as they need something, and go above and beyond what is necessary for it.”

“I was a big old dumby dumb and trusted Bill, and you were, too, Dipper, but we can still defeat Bill. Also here, Dipper, I got you a soda.”

“Mabel, you did that family protection thing that has been my core drive and/or wound my entire life, I will entirely ignore the wealth you just heaped in front of me and appreciate only the unicorn hair that will protect said family, you’re a good person.”

“I am the world’s nerdiest, most badass old man.” Okay, this doesn’t really stem from a flaw, but it needs to be said...

“Dipper, wouldn’t you also like to use your smarts to improve humanity selflessly and have the reason you’re an outcast become your strength, too?” also the way he dorkily poses in front of this like Ford you ain’t Alexander the Great or Luke Skywalker calm down you chicken nugget

“Fiddleford, I’m the reason you live in a dump and married a raccoon. I was a stubborn, self-centered, insecure owl shit and I am sorry.”

But all these good things go out the window when Ford’s central flaw comes screaming back:

“Hey Stan, I am the golden child, you must be perfect like me, I am very smart, you are not, and you are not like me, you know that one thing our father always faulted you for and you spent decades trying to make up for even though you shouldn’t have had to, because grammar, Stanley.”

But then his redemption comes in this single, heartbreaking shot (’scuse the pun):

“Stanley, I know all our life that father wanted you to be like me and not yourself. How fitting that my character arc redemption comes when you are dressed like me and I have to erase you, Stanley Pines, and I can’t even look as I take away who you are because who you are has value, even if you’re not me like father said.” AKA “I want you to be Stanley and not just my reflection.”.

And:

“I had somewhere I belonged. Somewhere where I was accepted and not outcast. Somewhere where someone appreciates me but doesn’t put pressure on me to be perfect or because they just want something from me. Someone who wanted us to sail around the world finding the supernatural and having fun because he promised it to me all those years ago, right after I complained that I just wanted somewhere where I fit in. Stan was where I fit in, and after decades of pushing him away, I realized that. I had my need - acceptance and protecting my family and familial love - all along. And because I often hurt Stan Greek tragedy style in my quest to find those things, I now will make it up to him as a thanks for being the one who never used or outcast me, no matter what.”

TL;DR: Ford wanted love and acceptance, but he needed to learn to stop rejecting that love and acceptance that people like Stan gave him from the get go. Also, daddy issues, I guess.

In Conclusion

So, is Ford an egotistical, insecure assbrain sometimes? Yes. Does he treat people like garbage at times? Yes. Does he treat himself like a tool to be used and is he self-sacrificial to a fault at times? Yes. Does he let himself get used like a tool for the sake of praise and ego-feeding? Yes.

Is Bill Cipher tricking him like that a metaphor for how his father treated him because “Ford I will praise you as long as you are useful to me” type sentiments? You decide.

But we understand why he does what he does because of his backstory. We know why he has these flaws: his upbringing.

What elevates his writing even more, though, is A. the writers were not afraid to show these flaws in all their grisly light, B. even though they justify his flaws, they never excuse them. Ford suffers for the above qualities. Those he cares about suffer for them, too. And there’s no easy path for him to fix them.

Like people in real life, it takes him decades to identify and solve these flaws from childhood issues and apologize to those he hurt. But he does it because he is a good person. A flawed, but good person at heart, who will do everything he can to make up for his mistakes and protect his family. Just like Stan.

Perfectly written character. 100%. Fantastic job, GF team.

#gravity falls #stanford pines #gravity falls analysis

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prettyinpwn-blog · 1 year

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In Defence of Escape from Reality

Reddit version

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bill exploited Mabel's deep-seated insecurities and crafted the fantasy in such a way so that Mabel would remain trapped in her fantasy forever. Indeed, the prison is pretty diabolical and insane like Bill himself, and Bill even said it would take “a will of titanium” to break out. I admit, Mabel's biggest personality deficiencies are her lack of will and self-awareness. When Mabel woke up in the bubble, she would have still been in the same mindset she had at the end of Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future – that her brother was leaving her forever. What Mabel wanted more than anything in the world at that moment was for her brother to be there and comfort her, just as he always has been up to this point. So, that's what Mabeland tried to give her – Dippy Fresh, the fandom’s most hated character. But he turned out to be a twisted fun-house-mirror reflection that's more like a male version of Mabel herself than it is like the real Dipper. I’m sure that Mabel knew this was not her real brother, but it's the closest she was going to get to him during that time of deep emotional vulnerability.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Drops microphone and leaves

#fantastic defense of wmg2 #also of mabel #all of the Pines family are equally at fault for Weirdmageddon #and also equally responsible for its end/fixing #mabel and ford both get way too much hate sometimes (or at least have during different phases of the fandom)

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prettyinpwn-blog · 1 year

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I’m still working on that huge GF theory post I mentioned a few days back, but... damn, there’s so much evidence and analysis my document is like 40+ pages long. Oof, I hope I’m organizing all of this in a way that’ll make sense.

I still feel like I’m nuts for even considering the conclusion the theory posits, but

A. There is so much evidence/very odd coincidences that I haven’t seen mentioned before that it would be a shame for me not to point them out. Like, my hypothesis might be wrong, but at the very least by me pointing these out, maybe someone else will form a more coherent conclusion than mine?

B. Nothing is a mistake or coincidence in this show. Hirsch and crew taught us all that years ago. For example, the Shack’s Totem pole? That thing spoiled the Stan twin twist from the very first episode you see it in. I explain more in my theory because it’s a small part of it, but basically the top Totem on the pole? That ain’t the Thunderbird. That’s Kolus, his little brother.

Wanna guess what Kolus does? He impersonates his older brother, Thunderbird. And take one guess what Totem being is in the basement in Ford’s lab: Thunderbird. Yup. So that’s what I mean in that even minor background details in this show can be very revealing.

Anyways, I’m thinking of calling it The Long Con Theory, for a hint as to what it’s about. Also, Stan is getting somehow even more badass the more I look into this, so that’s cool.

#gravity falls #stanford pines #stanley pines

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prettyinpwn-blog · 1 year

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His Majesty’s subjects have spoken!

Henceforth, by royal decree, the official Forduary themes shall be:

Week One: Family (children/kids, Ford and Mabel bonding and/or doing something childish together)

Week Two: Anomalies (creatures, ghost, monster, paranormal, sea monsters, strange, weirdness)

Week Three: Insomnia (sleep deprivation)

Week Four: Switching Identities/Ford and Stan switching identities bites them in the ass

Terms and conditions apply:

We will begin reblogging your creations on February 1st and will continue until 11:59 pm eastern time on March 19th.

Don’t worry about the week by week timeline if it doesn’t work for you. We’ll still reblog all submissions until March 19th.

Art, fanfiction, videos, audio, whatever you’d like to create will be accepted.

Make as much or as little as you’d like! If you have twelve ideas for week one or one idea just for week three, then go for it!

As usual, the themes/prompts are suggestions to help inspire. All Ford content that you wish to tag us in will be reblogged.

Please avoid excessive violence, gore, and NSFW content

Ships are permitted to sail here but steer clear of incest, abuse, and adult/minor ships.

For the sake of avoiding turmoil that has popped up in the past in the fandom, we won’t be reblogging Billford content but feel free to post it on your own.

Sketch by @fexalted Line art and color by @rum-and-shattered-dreams

See you on February 1st! Until then, head on over to @stanuary and show some Stan love!

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prettyinpwn-blog · 1 year

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Gravity Falls + Overwatch Headcanons

Not sure if anyone else in the Gravity Falls fandom plays Overwatch, but I was sitting here wondering what/how each GF character would play. I know for 99.99% certain Ford would at least play Sigma, but I was curious about the other characters. So far I’ve thought...

Ford:

Mainly plays Tank and Support; mains Sigma (because deep voiced astrophysicist in his 60s who causes gravity anomalies? yes), but will also play Winston, Ana for Support, and maybe a little Widow for DPS. Despite Ford using a pistol most of the time, he feels like someone who’d be a sniper type to me. Fantastic tactically as a Tank, likely makes callouts when Dipper isn’t. As Support or DPS, you never see him coming, very sneaky.

Protective in an indirect way; someone will be going after a teammate and - especially if it’s Dipper, Mabel, or Stan getting threatened - he just instantly wipes them when they least expect it, especially when playing Widow. Plays as a way to wind down after all the science. Plans potential plays in his spare time with complex diagrams of OW maps and runs games like experiments to test his strategy hypotheses. When someone not on his team rages at him or someone in his group over mic, he spends as much time as he can calmly schooling the shit out of them, but will admit fault if he did make a mistake.

Stan:

Like Ford, but leans Tank+DPS rather than Tank+Support. Reinhardt (protective old man), Roadhog (because every time he hooks and insta-kills someone he can scream LEFT HOOK!), Doomfist for punches and additional left hooks, Cassidy because cowboys and cigars, and Soldier: 76 for those jaded, grizzled older man vibes. If he had to play Support, he’d probably play Brig for the brawl fun. Protective as hell. Does not care about being sneaky like Ford, he’ll jump right into the fray and cause mayhem.

Doesn’t make callouts but always is watchful over teammates, especially Mabel, Dipper, and Ford. A bit reckless - often Reinhardt charges and sacrifices himself off the map to protect someone. Hard as hell to kill otherwise. When playing Soldier: 76, will often drop healing packs specifically for Mabel and Dipper (”Here ya go, pumpkin/kiddo.”). If anyone outside of his team rages at him/a group member over mic, he tells Mabel and Dipper to cover their ears and lets loose.

Mabel:

Easily will play any role, probably tries every character, but likes Junker Queen, Zarya (pink hair!), Reinhardt, Mei, and Lucio for either badass/tough lady characters or more upbeat characters. Probably tanks the most. May play Widow on occasion for grappling hook reasons. Often yells “I AM THE GOD OF DESTRUCTION!” whenever she pulls off a good play/ult, especially with Reinhardt. Loves booping people off the map with Lucio. Loves to collect skins and always wears the most colorful ones. If she loses a match, she always stays positive and thinks, “Oh well, my skin was better, so I won the fashion match!”.

Not as reckless as her Grunkle Stan, but sometimes will do certain plays because they sounded fun to try rather than it making logical sense. Scary as hell to play against when she’s Rein (all fear the Rein known as RainbowSparklz31). Her and Dipper coordinate a lot and always play better together. If someone rages at her on mic, she just compliments them until they explode into salt. “OMG TANK DIFF YOU LOST US THE MATCH!” and she’s just like, “Oh, you played really well! I loved your skin! Wanna be friends?” until they ragequit and she just giggles.

Dipper:

This one’s harder... but I think Dipper would actually lean Support the most, maybe a little DPS. I think he’d try to focus on being equally good at all of them for adaptability, but may lean Zenyatta, Baptiste, and Mercy (people make fun of him for playing the stereotypical “girl gamer character”, but Dipper doesn’t care because he enjoys the positioning/ability usage skill Mercy requires, plus likely is the one calling out stuff tactically). For DPS, for some reason I see Reaper, Symmetra, and Tracer. If he has to play Tank, he probably plays Winston like Ford or Orisa.

Enjoys coordinating all of his skins, highlight intros, and emotes. Works with Ford on strategy plans for the rest of the team, and is fantastic at callouts and leading the team (better than Ford even, because as smart as Ford is, Dipper’s been playing video games his whole life). Goes out of his way to help Mabel the most, but also helps Stan and Ford out a lot too, of course. When people rage at him on mic he’s the only member of the Pines family that gets a little offended/hurt, but Stan will step in and swear at someone for him.

McGucket:

Torbjörn onetrick. Torbjörn on attack, Torbjörn on defense. Torbjörn everywhere, all the time. Maybe Junkrat or Bastion if he’s forced to switch. People will rage at him to switch off Torb and he just adds them to his next “make a weapon of mass destruction and unleash it for revenge” list. Cackles whenever he ults. Rambles off hillbilly curses when he dies. Always on mic and doesn’t care if he makes too much noise. Plays his banjo on mic between matches. The banjo music intensifies if it’s just after a lost match.

Soos:

You know this sweetheart is a Support main, with some Tank. Loves Kiriko for the anime vibes, Lucio because DJ r-r-r-right, and Mercy because reasons. Unfortunately, as passionate as he is about the game, he’s not always the best. He’ll go to res someone as Mercy, like “Dood, I got you! Hold o-” and then gets sniped almost every time. But Soos means so well and is such a positive, supportive teammate no one cares that he is a little lower skilled. He’s the team cheerleader and everyone else plays worse when he’s not there. For Tank, he’d probably play Wrecking Ball (hamster teeth man) and D.Va (Korean anime girl). If he had to play DPS, he’d play Genji or Hanzo because also anime reasons.

Wendy:

Tank and DPS, mostly Junker Queen (axes man), Sombra, and Sojourn. Goes for the showy/badass type kills, is insanely good at DPS, but also wrecks with JQ. Doesn’t take the game too seriously but will step in to play if the Pines+ team needs another player if someone has to step out for a week. Will play Brig or Moira if she has to play Support. Great role flexer and person to fill in for any role the Pines+ team needs filled.

Pacifica:

She canonically is an ace WoW and/or Overwatch player:

Probably the best member of the Pines+ team. Kicks ass, is at a higher rank (probably GM) but will play with the Pines+ team down on their rank because they’re more fun to play with. I can see her playing DPS mostly. Plays Ashe because rich girl with a robot butler, Echo, and Widow. Is a perfectionist because of her upbringing, so gets upset with herself if she fails or loses a match. Practices Widow with Ford in custom game headshot matches, and she often gives him pointers because she’s the better Widow. Also often works with Dipper as a Widow/Ashe/Echo+Mercy duo, Dipper damage boosting her while she shreds people. Refuses to play Support or Tank, and no one minds because she’s so good at DPS that it’s asking to lose if she were to play a different role.

Bill Cipher:

A chance to possess and control a digital fleshbag? Sign him up! Obviously not on the Pines+ team, but manipulates the matchmaking to oppose them and troll them on occasion. He especially likes to hard focus on Ford and Dipper (cue his Genji harassing Dipper’s Mercy). Is good at every character because he KNOWS LOTS OF THINGS, but likes Ana, Torb, Genji, Bastion, and Reinhardt simply because they’re one-eyed (or nearly/look that way) characters. Screams about needing healing 24/7. Uses mic to tell other players un-fun facts about their life that he shouldn’t know (”You’re sassing me? You’re the one who’s gonna die at the age of 45 while sobbing on the toilet!”). Will emote at the worst times. T-bags players incessantly, even those on his own team to mock them for dying. Mei ice wall blocks team members in spawn. You don’t want him on your team, nor do you want to play against him.

Gideon:

Tank one-trick because he can finally feel tall. Rammatra for rage, Wrecking Ball to smash and knock people around. May play Reaper, but isn’t very good at him, and rage switches to Bastion to shred players when things aren’t going his way. If he’s forced to play Support, that left click ain’t getting used, because it’s DPS Moira all the way. He doesn’t need to heal, the DPS and Tanks just need to get out of his way or be useful meat shields. Incoherently screams on mic when mad, which is 99% of the time. Threatens to send prison gang buddies after players who insult him.

#gravity falls #overwatch #stanley pines #stanford pines #dipper pines #mabel pines #bill cipher #Fiddleford McGucket #soos #pacifica northwest #wendy corduroy #gideon gleeful #both Fiddleford and Bill's sections got a good chuckle out of me to write

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