#aceo writes things

[aceofstars16]

Here we go! I finished the cover the same day I finished the rough draft of the fic, and now I edited the next chapter and posted it!

You can read the whole thing on AO3!

But I will also include the next chapter under the cut here in case you don't want to use AO3 (though I don't have the energy to find the previous chapters on here, there are links to the tumblr posts on AO3 though!)

Chapter 8 - Old Food and Old Friends

Tensions rise as Ford realizes he may need help in fixing the time machine.

Darkness. It was everywhere, sticking to everything. Ford could feel it, clinging to him, trying to suffocate him, to pull him under. And it was succeeding. Laughter echoed around him, laughter that he had heard for weeks on end, mocking him for his stupidity.

“Just leave me alone for one minute!” He screamed, knowing it wouldn’t do anything, but unable to face the suffocating darkness anymore.

“Fine. I can make it on my own! I don't need you! I don't need anyone!”

The darkness vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by the light of a lamp, sitting on a desk that Ford hadn’t seen in ages. Tires screeched outside of the closed curtains. Curtains he had closed only a few moments ago, or at least – that’s what his mind told him. In reality, it had been years ago, but dreams had a way of making everything seem real again.

Glancing down at the pamphlet in his hands, Ford let out a sigh, desperately wanting to throw it in the corner of the room for all the good it did him. That dream was gone, ruined by a brother who couldn’t let go of a childish fantasy that hadn’t been a possibility for ages.

Ruining lives, that’s what Stan did.

The thought came out of nowhere. It was almost in line with his own feelings, his own thoughts and emotions. But something about it wasn’t quite right.

Stan only cares about his own dreams; he never wanted you to succeed.

Anger rushed through Ford at the thought, but he couldn’t figure out if he was mad at himself for thinking it, or at Stan or…at something else. That unsettling feeling. He knew it, but his brain seemed to be failing him, as if something was stopping him from identifying it.

You can’t trust Stan. You can’t trust anyone.

Fiddleford leaving, townsfolk starring at him. Something about their eyes sent a chill down his spine.

You are the only one you can rely on, everyone else will fail you.

Right…that’s what he had learned. If he ever wanted to succeed, he could only trust himself. He had to do it himself, had to fix it. No matter how hard it was, not matter how lonely…

That’s right. Besides, you don’t need anyone. You are strong enough on your own.

“You are going to change the world one day.”

Pa was looking at him. It was the last time Ford had ever seen him, at some celebration that must not have been very important because every inch of the background was blurry.

“I…”

“You’ll make me proud. You’ll be someone. You’ll change the world.”

A shiver ran down Ford’s back. He didn’t know why, but something felt…wrong.

Then it was gone and Pa nodded and walked away.

One blink, and he was back in reality, staring at the ceiling of his cabin in Gravity Falls. He was shivering, and his head was throbbing, he didn’t feel sick, just…off.

Coffee, that’s what he needed. Caffeine always helped clear his head. Did he have any coffee left? Only one way to find out.

Sit up, swing his legs over the edge of the bed. That’s what he told himself to do, but his limbs didn’t respond, not because of exhaustion, but because something was keeping him there.

Panic overcame him and he started pulling, trying to yank his hands free. His muddled brain was still half in the dream, still feeling like something was there, just out of sight.

Bill.

The thought washed over him and his brain slowly recalled the last time he had been conscious, and the agreement he had come to with Stan. Tie him up. Right. But now he was stuck, and despite rationalizing that he must not have done anything since he was still tied up, the anxiety that had sparked a moment ago grew at the inability to move.

Turning his head as much as he could, another flash of anxiety hit him when he didn’t see Stan anywhere?

“Stanley?”

No response.

Oh gosh, what if Bill had taken over…what if…

“Stanley?!?”

“Huh, what?”

A second later, Stan was stumbling to his feet, looking around quickly, as if ready for a fight.

“Were…were you sleeping???” Ford stared at Stan with his uncovered eye, his worry being replaced by annoyance. After everything Ford had said, Stan had slept?

“Uh, just closed my eyes for a bit that’s all,” Stand said, his shoulders relaxing a little as he looked at Ford, but he almost immediately looked away again.

“You were supposed to be keeping an eye out on things!” Ford couldn’t help the outburst. He had trusted Stan and what did he go and do? Sleep.

“I was! And nothing happened, okay?”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do. You haven’t moved an inch.” Anger flashed in Stan’s eyes for a moment, but almost immediately fizzled out. “Now if you don’t mind me, I’m going to go check on the kids even though nothing happened to them because you didn’t move.”

“Wait.”

“What? I told you-”

“I’m still tied up…” Ford said, trying to move his hand as if to prove that he was stuck and needed some help if he wanted to do anything.

“Oh…right.”

It only took a few minutes - minutes of complete silence aside from Stan mumbling under his breath as he struggled with one of the knots - but soon, Ford was able to move freely again.

Rubbing his wrists, which were slightly scuffed up from the ropes, he let out a breath, knowing he should thank Stan, but when he looked up, his brother had already left. Okay then…guess no thank you was needed. Or Stan just really didn’t want to be around Ford.

The back of Ford’s neck prickled as his dream came back to him. It was Bill, that was the only explanation. He was messing with him. But glancing at the ropes, he felt doubt creeping into his mind. Stan had come, he had tied Ford up, but he also didn’t seem to grasp the severity of the situation. Of Bill and his plans. Not that Ford had been able to explain too much but deep down, he couldn’t help but wonder…could he really trust his brother?

------

Stan shut the door, not fazed by the loud banging it created. Who cared if Ford got mad? Stan hadn’t done anything wrong; nothing had happened. But the words that his brother – or really the creature controlling him – had spoken rang in his mind. Why had Ford sent him the post card?

Shaking his head, Stan pushed the thought away. Considering Ford’s reaction upon waking, he didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk to Stan. And Stan wasn’t in the mood to talk to him either. He’d rather talk to his other family members. Which, to be honest, he was still trying to wrap his head around, but it did make some sense seeing as Mabel had been so keen to stay with him and trust him so quickly.

As he walked into the living room, he saw the kids. They were talking quietly and Stan ignored the memories that popped into his mind of him and Ford as kids. They had shared everything with each other back then, back when they trusted each other. But not anymore. Those kids were long gone.

“Stan!”

Mabel grinned at him and Stan couldn’t hold back a smile. “Hey, kiddo.” He glanced at Dipper - the brother that she had tried so hard to find again - and ignored the pang of hurt that came with knowing Ford had never searched for him like Mabel had for her brother.

“How’s Ford?” Dipper asked.

“I’m fine.”

Stan opened his mouth, only to be cut off when his brother walked into the room. Despite not wanting to, Stan found himself glancing at him, but Ford didn’t return the gaze, he just walked to the table where they had left the time machine, plopping down some tools before fiddling around with it. He still looked tired, but at least he wasn’t a second away from collapsing anymore.

Letting out a breath, Stan caught sight of Mabel looking at him questioningly, but he just smiled. “How’d you sleep, kiddo?”

Mabel glanced at Dipper, who was watching Ford cautiously. “Good.”

“Glad to have your brother back, huh?”

“Yeah…how are you and Ford-” She started, but Stan cut her off before she could finish her question.

“Hey, you know what, I’m kind of hungry. Want to help me rummage up some food?” Stan grinned and started heading out of the room.

A moment later, Mabel was next to him, grabbing his hand to lead him despite him knowing where the kitchen was - though he supposed she didn't know he had been there last night. “It’s this way, but there isn’t much food. Me and Dipper could only find some crackers last night.”

“I’m sure we can find something.” Stan said, hoping it was true. At this point, he was starving - the handful of crackers he ate last night had barely been a snack, let alone a filling meal. And while sleep had helped a little with his exhaustion, he knew food would help even more.

They rummaged around in the kitchen for a while, but Mabel was right, there wasn’t any food left, at least not anything edible. Why didn’t Ford have any food? Sure, he definitely wasn’t in his right mind, but it was still concerning.

“Ew.” Mabel made a face as she sniffed a pack of cheese in the fridge.

Stan chuckled, more to cover over his unease than out of amusement. “Yeah…I’m thinking a trip to the store is in order.”

“What about the snow?”

Frowning, Stan walked to the window. Snow was covering most of the sill, but he could see outside. “I think it’s calmed down some. It should be safe enough to drive.”

“Maybe we can all go to the store! A family outing!”

This time, the laugh that escaped Stan’s mouth was genuine. Mabel sure had a way of bringing excitement and joy to any situation, even one as…confusing as theirs. And Stan was grateful for it. “Yeah, maybe so.”

------

Dipper was vaguely aware of Mabel and Stan leaving the room, but he didn’t follow. Sure, Ford said he was fine and he did seem a little more coherent than before but after the encounter with Bill…

Shaking his head, Dipper focused on what Ford was doing. He was using some small tools to try to fit the time machine back together. If anyone could fix it, the author could…well, at least if he was at the top of his game.

“Ford?”

For a moment, Dipper thought he hadn’t heard him, but then Ford sighed, though he didn’t look away from his project. “Yes?”

“You look uh…”

Ford glanced at him for a second, and Dipper suddenly felt embarrassed, but he was curious about what had happened last night.

“It looks like you slept, but you told me that when you did, Bill would…”

Waving with his hand, Ford focused back on the measuring tape. “He didn’t. Stan tied me up, so Bill didn’t do anything.” For a moment, Ford’s eyes narrowed and he muttered under his breath, but Dipper still heard it. “At least I don’t think he did.”

“Wh-what do you mean?” Dipper scooted slightly away from Ford and unfortunately Ford looked up right as he did. For a split second, Dipper saw guilt cross his face, but then it vanished.

“Apparently Stan fell asleep at some point too.” Ford’s gaze hardened as he returned focus on his work before muttering to himself again. “But I suppose if something had happened, I wouldn’t have still been tied up when I awoke.”

Dipper frowned. Ford and Stan’s relationship seemed…strained, to say the least. And sure, Stan from the future wasn’t always the most trustworthy guy, but…he didn’t seem too bad. And this 80s Stan seemed fine too. So why was Ford so cold towards him? Sure, he had been brash with Dipper at first but Stan was his brother, not only that but his twin.

“Ford?”

Ford didn’t look up from his work. “I need to focus, if I want to fix this.” His voice had an edge to it, which immediately set off Dipper’s anxiety.

 “Oh…right…” Dipper fiddled with his hands, not wanting to anger Ford further. But after a few moments, curiosity got the better of him. “Are you mad at Stan?”

Closing his eyes for a moment, Ford took a deep breath, then opened them again before continuing his work. Despite expecting it, Dipper was still disappointed. He had so many questions about what had happened to create the future he knew, but if he didn’t know anything about the past, he wouldn’t be able to answer them.

“Yes.”

Dipper sat up straight at the word. Ford still wasn’t looking at him, but the frustration on his face was evident.

“Why?”

“It’s a long story.” Ford muttered.

“But he’s here. Wait, why is he here?” Dipper was hit with the realization that he didn’t know how Stan had even known how to get to Gravity Falls. Unless he lived here too, but from Ford’s interactions with him, that seemed unlikely.

“Because I asked him to come… Gah!”

Dipper jumped as Ford threw his screwdriver on the table. “Wh-”

“This blasted thing doesn’t make sense. If I had some blueprints, I might be able to figure it out. But this machinery is too complex even for me.” Ford glared at the time machine.

Dread grew in the pit of Dipper’s stomach. “You…you can’t fix it?”

For a moment, Ford was quiet, his brow furrowed in thought. Then he straightened up, only to deflate again. “I…don’t think I can…but…I might know someone who…could help.”

“Really?” For a moment, Dipper was confused, then he remembered the journal and he straightened up. “Wait, your assistant? He’s good with machines, right?”

Ford glanced at him and sighed. “Yes, I just…have to find him.”

“You don’t know where he is?” The hope that had grown in Dipper’s chest deflated.

“I…have a few ideas...I just hope he’ll actually talk to me this time.”

------

“Absolutely not.” Ford frowned at Mabel and Stan, who had just asked about going into town together to get food.

Mabel felt disappointment worming its way into her chest, but she pushed it back. “Why not? It’ll be fun!”

Ford stared at her for a moment, as if she was some kind of puzzle. “It’s too dangerous. I’m not going to leave the por-my house without supervision.”

“What, you don’t have a lock?” Stan grumbled.

The glare that Ford shot at Stan was painful to look at, despite it not even being directed at her. “I’m not leaving my work for anyth-one to mess with.”

“You mean the big thing in the basement?” Mabel asked, which she regretted as Ford shot her a suspicious look.

“How do you-?”

“Dipper told me.”

Ford glanced at Dipper who looked at him sheepishly. Sighing, Ford shook his head. “Like I said, I don’t want to leave the house unsupervised.”

“Okay, fine, then I can just go with the kids and-” Stan started but Ford quickly held up his hand.

“Unfortunately, I need to go into town myself.”

“Why? Don’t trust us to get the right food?” Stan countered.

For a moment, Ford just glared at Stan, and Mabel hated how icy his look was.

“No, I have to find someone if we want a chance at fixing the time machine and I’m the only one who knows him. And where to find him.” 

Stan made a dismissive sound, but before he could say anything, Mabel piped in, not wanting Stan to get even more annoyed. “How about we split up!”

Everyone turned to look at her and Mabel gave her biggest grin. “Me and Dipper can go with Ford and Stan can stay to watch things.”

Mabel tried her best not to be disappointed when she saw the deep frown that grew on Ford’s face.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, I should just go into town myself and-”

“Oh yeah, it’s not like you’re seriously sleep deprived or anything,” Stan muttered.

“Well, if you-”

“Hold up!” Dipper raised his voice, and Mabel had a feeling that he wasn’t a huge fan of the brothers arguing either. “Why can’t me and Mabel go with Ford while Stan stays here to watch the house?”

A grin grew on Mabel’s face and she gave Dipper a thumbs up at his support of her plan. As much as she hated the idea of leaving Stan, she couldn’t help but feel excited to have some quality time with Dipper and maybe figure out what was going on between Stan and Ford.

“I suppose it could work but...I’m still not a fan of it…” Ford glanced at Stan for a moment, and unfortunately Stan saw it.

“What, you don’t think I can sit in a house?” Stan deadpanned.

Clutching his hands behind his back, Ford’s gaze flickered away from Stan. “No, it’s not that it’s just…there are things that you don’t understand, and if anything went wrong…”

“You don’t trust me.” It was an accusation, but Mabel didn’t miss the hurt that crossed Stan’s face.

“I didn’t…look we’re wasting time. I’ll just go into town.” Ford glanced at Mabel. “You can come if you’d like, but Dipper has more experience with supernatural occurrences so he should stay here in case anything…happens.”

Stan opened his mouth, probably about to argue some point, but Mabel quickly jumped in. “Sounds good to me!” In reality, she would rather Dipper go with her or she stay with Stan, but she was tired of the arguing and it wasn’t the worst solution.

“Are you sure, Mabel?” Stan asked, glancing at his brother with uncertainty.  

Dipper was looking at her in concern too, but she just grinned and looked at Ford. “Yup! It’ll be fun!”

For a moment, Ford just stared at her, then sighed. “Alright then, we should get going.” He held out his hand towards Stan.

For a moment, Stan looked confused, then understanding crossed his face and he sighed, reluctantly pulling out his keys. “You better not crash her Ford; I know your luck with cars. And with that eyepatch you’re bound to be even worse.”

Grabbing the keys, Ford let out a huff. “I still know how to drive, Stanley. And I can still see. Come along, Mabel.”

Mabel gave her brother and grunkle a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him. We’ll be back soon!” Then she headed after the author. Sure, she didn’t really know him, and he did seem a little…cold, but it would totally be fine! It was just an opportunity to get to know Ford. And maybe, just maybe, she could get him to tell her what was going on between him and Stan so she could help fix it.

#trapped in the past #timtrapped au #timestuck au #gravity falls #gravity falls au #gravity falls fanfiction #stanford pines #stanley pines #mabel pines #dipper pines #stan pines #ford pines #pines family #aceo writes things #(was that a tag i used? i do not remember it's been so long...) #aceo draws things

[astrolocherry]

Birthday Moon-Neptune aspects - Trying to Run Away from home with a Mermaids Tail 

Moon conjunct Neptune, Moon sextile Neptune, Moon square Neptune, Moon trine Neptune, Moon opposite Neptune 

There is a transition space between the security of binding in the mother’s consciousness and independent functioning that the child uses fantasy, imagination, and creative play with the archetypal realm as a function to ease the psychic discomfort of detachment. This is the place that people with Moon-Neptune aspects remain part of until the end of life. Though she grows out of being immersed and into carrying it with her everywhere she goes. It’s a treasure box that opens to reveal the heavenly muses, colour palettes and symbols, cinematic visions, and unwritten symphonies. And she may have had access to this early in life, it’s possible that adults recognised her art, writing, or creative gift as a special talent. Though these paintbrushes are dipped in emotion and the ink is already tear soaked, much of this inspiration is a product of deep sensitivity. Other people’s feelings are contagious, and once she is taken by the lunar tides of her own emotion, she is swept into the wide open Neptune ocean and soaked by the tears of humanity. It means that finding this treasure box can be agonising and harrowing, and she is forced under the water to feel and sense every drop. And it’s all so it means something. The recovery is in the artistry, the elevating highs of inspiration pouring out like a cotton candy moon of creative activity. These creative trance-like states can be like embracing the whole universe, a collaboration with angels that replenishes the whole spirit. She finds therapy the creative process, and she heals her audience, onlooker, reader, or listener. She returns them to that blissful transition state where she spends much of her time, the one they vaguely know but cannot remember. 

Even the individuals with Moon-Neptune aspects that do not exhibit these artistic qualities still have a way of healing and redeeming by transporting others to that twilight zone. There is a rich imagination and fantasy life that weaves so intricately into reality that she doesn’t have to try or believe it into existence. It seems to illuminate her natural expression, interactive style, and storytelling beneath an enchanted spotlight. One that makes you wonder if such fantastical things could ever be possible, and maybe believe it for long enough to make it true. 

Cherry art: Strange Moon - by Nico Niemi from ACEO

#moon-neptune aspects #moon aspects #neptune aspects #moon conjunct neptune #aspects #moon opposite neptune #moon square neptune #moon sextile neptune #moon trine neptune

[seananmcguire]

OK, so, because I work at fuckall in the morning (because 3rd shift) and because brain does THINGS at that time, I thought of you. Specifically, I thought of you in a way that could be really nifty in a "halp the artist wannabe" sort of way. If you're willing. My thought is that if you would allow me to use the first sentence of your works - and only the first sentence - in art, it could be fun. Like illuminate the first letter, write out the rest of the sentence, and make ACEO (1/2)

“(2/2) cards out of the resulting pieces. With the information about your books/stories/whatever on the backs so that people can find you and so that you get due credit, of course. Maybe even getting limited runs printed and maybe take them to MegaCon if that happens next year. Would that be ok?“

This would have been so much more okay if you’d treated it as a matter of fair use transformative work and not involved me.  Here is an article on quoting works without permission:

https://stevelaube.com/how-much-can-i-quote-from-another-source-without-permission/

Basically, because you asked me, I would have to involve a lawyer, my agent, and the contracts department for every single publisher of every single work in order to say “yes.”  And failure to go that could put me in violation of my contracts, and could require me to pay reparations if one of my publishers decided your project had somehow hurt sales.

In some cases, it’s better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.  Fan works usually hit that line.  For reasons of legality, and being too exhausted to get sued right now, I have to say I’m sorry, but no, and in the future, if you want to ask a creator something like this, contact them privately, through their website contact form, not in public, over Tumblr.

[awitchybee]

Time to go. Leaving Tumblr soon(Farewell giveaway?)

For many reasons, it’s time for me to leave Tumblr. I will do a giveaway beforehand.

Firstly, it wastes my time nowadays; when I started here I used to help people with their practice and such, nowadays I simply talk to friends and reblog posts as I go along. Sometimes I don’t even look at the screen properly, just reblog things and later I realise I may have reblogged something I either disagree with or don’t like that much! After seeing how a couple of my friends are wasting their life away becoming consumed by... things(I will not describe details) and with that becoming detached from life and their friends and family, I decided I didn’t want to be that person. And I already waste my life quite a bit. Nowadays that’s another thing that Tumblr has become; despite the few friendships I’ve made the website itself is a waste of time for me.

And then going onto that same topic of friends, I’ve found that keeping up online friendships is simply too much for me. I get messaged by friends almost 24/7 and the constant pressure to respond is, again, taking up the time that I should be spending on self-reflection and getting myself together. I am even going to go through my Facebook and e-mail and simply have to cut ties with the majority of my online friends because online friendships take too much energy out of me.

And when you are wasting your time on a blogging platform without doing anything productive or helpful anymore... it becomes a chore. I have so much to live for; my pets, my music, my writing, and well, my life. I won’t be that person who wastes their life away on one thing. I cannot let myself become that person. It’s only healthy.

I have plans for my life and I realised that if I want to make them happen I have to do them now. I want to learn my Dutch, do a course or two, get a better job, finish my dog trainer’s certificate, make my music, move to the Netherlands, live my life... you get the point.

Another reason is my change in spiritual circumstance. My path has become much more personal to me over time. I first started Kemetic/pagan blogging in 2011 after realising that people post about this stuff. It was fun then, sharing my experiences with others, but now, it’s too deep for me and I don’t feel the need to talk about it. My path is my own; no one needs to know what kind of chocolate I gave to Anubis today after all!

There has been a bit of a change in my own practice as well. While witchcraft will always be something dear to me and I will always practice it in some form or another, I did realise that I don’t actively need it in my life. It’s helpful and all, yes, but in the end, most things I do I do for my own benefit, and I can tell this much... no witchcraft can break the “curse” that is my life and mental health. But that’s okay :) I can start afresh and demolish that curse by embracing it and using it to my advantage. Yes, I am a witch, but I cannot depend on this as much as I do. My bond with the Kemetic Netjeru is also stronger than ever but in the end, it is my bond with Them, and it is between myself and Them. I love Them and while a lot of my life revolves around Them, not everyone has to know... I think that’s the joy of it for me. :)

With that, I will no longer be doing Tarot readings. If I don’t need them in my life, I know that I don’t need to give them. (Also, they’re not selling as well either which is both a relief and a curse because I’m poor but also they take up a lot of energy.)

Art Commissions? They are still open, but I have now a new style of my own which is related to the Art Nouveau style which I will be drawing only in. If you are interested in seeing more of my art and/or commissioning me, simply message me for my Instagram or e-mail and we can discuss further through those.

So what’s the deal with that giveaway? Firstly, this won’t happen for another week or so, because I have to get it all together. But I will likely be giving away my (used, but good condition) Tarot decks and some witchy things or things this community might be appreciative of. Also, if you buy something from my Amazon wishlist you will be automatically added to another smaller giveaway where you can win a free A4 painting by me of anything of your choice + 3 ACEO size originals. Simply let me know you did it :)

To those of you who were looking forward to another Secret Santa this year; I am so sorry, but I will not be able to do it if I won’t be here. But if anybody else wants to take over that idea, start your own! Be creative :)

If you do want to stay in contact with me, I suggest messaging me very soon and I might give you my e-mail or instagram account(or Facebook, if we are particularly close).

I probably missed a lot of things. I will revisit this and if I need to post more info, I will. But for now, tl;dr - I am leaving Tumblr. A farewell giveaway will be up soon.

I hope you are all having a marvelous day.

[hitodama89]

I’m feeling really anxious because Communicating With People TM is hard, so I want to get my mind out of it by rambling about something random I’ve been reminiscing lately: huge art realizations. Like those heureka-moments when you learn something that becomes really vital for you as soon as you hear about it! Maybe it’s just because I tend to be oblivious even to some very simple things, but I’ve had quite a bunch of these moments throughout the years.

These are going to be in order from oldest to newest.

First things first. I was still a little kid, way before I was old enough to go to school, when I saw a pretty picture of a mermaid sitting on a stone in some magazine. I wanted to try drawing the same thing myself and started, as a child’s logic suggested, by drawing the ocean. The rock was already fairly difficult to draw when the whole paper was colored blue, and the mermaid on top of the rock was just a colorful mess. I was pretty upset and didn’t understand what went wrong until either my mother or grandmother explained that I should’ve drawn everything in reverse order: the mermaid first, then the rock, then the ocean. That really blew my mind. =‘D

Sketching is magic. When this one happened I was already in school, maybe in 3rd grade or so. I had a friend who confessed me that she had spied how the best artist of our class drew. (She was really good and always placed first in every art competition of the school.) My friend told me about this weird technique she had seen her use: she drew the lines hairy instead of smooth! We, too, tried that out and Io and behold: we had learned how to sketch.

Inked line art makes everything look professional. I was still in elementary school, but in a different one with different people than previously. Once again in my class was an amazing artist who I admired a lot and tbh who I tried to mimic a bit. For a long while I had no idea what exactly she did to make her comic art look like it was printed and perfect (to my eyes at least) and I went through a lot of trial and error when I finally decided it was because of how the line art looked like. I tried pressing hard with normal pencil, tried to use black crayon and finally even tried this horribly thick and messy marker that bled through everything and smudged like there was no tomorrow. The last one, no matter how inconvenient, produced a look that was already somewhat close, so I continued to try out different markers until I finally got my hands on an actual piece of gold: a thin writing marker with permanent ink. I felt enlightened once again! Here’s a piece from the time when I was still testing all sort of markers: https://imgur.com/b4Bxv10

Circles really are useful. Pretty soon after that, maybe a year or two, I just suddenly one day decided that I want to start drawing cartoon dogs - and that I indeed did for darn many years afterwards. But at the beginning I didn’t really know how to draw dogs, and because I wasn’t nearly good enough artist yet that I would’ve understood anything by studying live models, I used another technique I had heard of instead: the famous circles. One circle for head, one for chest and one for butt. It’s actually pretty cute how clearly you can still see the circles in the first finished canines & circles art piece: https://imgur.com/kDtIO7h 

If digital art is hell, drawing tablet is your Jesus. At some point I started occasionally using computer in art making, and that process in itself was full of amusing mistakes and huge discoveries. I’m not telling detailed stories of them all just because I think most people go through the same things: omg layers, wow brushes, wtf layer masks and so on. But the thing that changed things a lot for me was, of course, drawing tablet. At first I was even somewhat hesitant of using it as I had actually became pretty okay at coloring stuff with mouse and didn’t feel like starting the learning process all over again, but for a reason or another I didn’t completely give up on it. First I used it just for coloring, then occasionally even in making line art on a hand-drawn sketch. Finally, when I was feeling exceptionally lazy and had a big art meme waiting to be drawn, I said fuck it and just jumped to the deep end of the pool by making everything from start to finish with the tablet. I don’t think I’ve had to sketch anything separately ever since.

The first thing I colored digitally: https://imgur.com/2OFi75s

The first thing I drew with tablet: https://imgur.com/H6TinbC

The meme drawn from scratch with tablet: https://imgur.com/uFVG0on

The magic involving quality pens and white color. Even though after that I’ve drawn the vast majority of my art with computer simply because it’s so easily accessible, I hadn’t abandoned traditional art completely. What had always bothered me though was how it was darn impossible to scan a work colored with pens in a way that the scan would show all of the light shades of the actual work. That’s why I became interested in making my color pencil pieces to have as smooth, vibrant surface as possible; if the paper was full of color, even my shitty scanner couldn’t miss it. Eventually I learned two things, one of them being that the quality of your pens matters a lot in this one. You just can’t squeeze pigment out of pens that don’t have any! But the more interesting one was that you can smoothen the surface and blend the colors by coloring over everything with either white or transparent pen. (Or oil - a technique I haven’t yet explored much.) The difference the white layer makes can be seen pretty clearly in these two aceos from the same era:

Without the white pen: https://imgur.com/xh3c2In

With the white pen: https://imgur.com/KypkUqT

And, for now, that’s pretty much it! Ahh, my nerves have indeed calmed down a lot, so I guess this pondering was worth writing.

#rambling

[frogsandfries]

It's very tempting to say

When I get home, I'm going to finish writing this pattern before I contemplate sleeping, and then get as far as possible before all I want is to die.

I'm either going to eat whatever everyone else is eating, or I'll reheat that pizza. Maybe I'll reheat the pizza anyway, since I can use the toaster oven at home, and pack some leftovers for myself, if there's anything.

It's gonna take like twelve years to get home, but at least my perception of time is straightened back out. Ugh..... but I'm exhausted and it's going to feel like forever anyway.

Maybe now that it's basically winter, it's time to.......hmmmm, I don't want to damage my nice headphones, but maybe some earbuds. I could at least listen to podcasts or something. I've already got so many expensive plans: Load up on flesh tone embroidery thread, get a heated vest that I could potentially wear at work; I have to pay that bill at the college. I could put the money aside for that while I try to set aside van money. I think if I have a couple envelopes to put the money into and I actually use them, it'll be more clear how I'm doing to reach each goal.

In other news, I think I've tipped into "obsessed with my own material" territory. Or maybe, now that I'm actually making a concerted effort to move forward on the project, I want to reach as many people as I can with all the different ways I actually want to work on this project. I mean, I'm already making the lineworks, I can reach coloring page enthusiasts and ATC/ACEO enthusiasts with that. I'm already writing, and I love podcasts. I love long narratives--the only thing that would've made the Bright Sessions better would have been if the episodes were longer, and it had gone many, many more seasons. Wolf359 would be better if the episodes were longer. I could release it in half hour or so chunks.

Then for cross-stitch, I need to write the patterns anyway; I'd make a pittance selling my original stitcheries. But even if I sell like, twenty patterns for a dollar or a hundred patterns for five bucks, or whatever, I still probably make better money per book sold than embroidery sold. That's another thing that wasn't being done for anyone but myself, but if you share it, you reach another audience that you wouldn't have. You can reach zine people and people who collect cross-stitch books and patterns.

Then we get to the final bit, a book containing just the final stitcheries. Look at all those different audiences besides just this audience, that I could reach by offering the whole creative process, rather than just the end goal. Oh, not to mention other kind of bonus content that I had in mind--livestreaming stitching or pattern making.

Imagine if I did decide to release my writing as a podcast. Imagine if I released some frames or some of my tarot cards as enamel pins.

Last night, high out of my mind, it occurred to me that the color palette of the Fool was, ironically, a cool color palette. And it occurred to me that I should probably counter that by making the, I think the magician is next? I know it's Anton's card, the color palette should be warm.

But if I go that way, I think I'll run out of color palettes before I get through my tarot cards.....

[felren13]

Art is the one thing that seems to be unaffected by how sick, weak ... or out of it I may be. This really puzzles me. I love it, but everything else is drastically effected by how I feel or how with it I am at that moment. It's truly a gift I am grateful for but also puzzled about. Like my writing at this moment... I'm sure someone is amazed at how I am able to string such poor sentences together. Well, I feel poorly... been sleeping most of the past week and had to hire a chimp to help me write this. Leave me alone! Not you- the chimp! #art #aceo #writing #artistprocess #drawing #abstractartist #abstractart #ballpointpenart #drawings #drawingart #drawingdaily #drawingpen #artwork #artprocess #urbanart #contemporaryart #wallart #artistsoninstagram #artdaily #coffee #coffeeart #coffeeshops #coffeeshop #coffeelove #coffeelife #drawinghabits

#writing #drawings #drawinghabits #drawingpen #coffeeshop #artistprocess #artistsoninstagram #contemporaryart #ballpointpenart #art #coffeelove #aceo #drawingdaily #abstractart #coffee #wallart #artwork #coffeelife #coffeeshops #coffeeart #abstractartist #artprocess #urbanart #drawing #drawingart #artdaily

[aceofstars16]

Well, I made a poll asking if I should post this now...and then I just go and post it without waiting to see what people voted haha xD

This was inspired by @athenoot (not letting me actually tag but I linked her blog!) and her super fun AU idea mashing up Drifting Stars and Relativity Falls!

I don't know if this works for @forduary but it does have portal Ford so *shrugs*

Summary: Mabel loves dimension hopping, but she is starting to miss having a home. And more than anything, she misses Dipper and Stan. However, she may end up seeing them sooner than expected…though they aren't exactly the same Dipper and Stan that she knows.

The street was packed, creatures of all sorts bustling to and fro. Even after months of being in other dimensions, Mabel was still overwhelmed by all of the different aliens. Her eyes couldn’t stop moving, even as Ford pulled her along, trying to make his way through the crowd.

They had arrived in this dimension a few days ago. Unfortunately, they had first been spat out in a rainforest with absolutely no civilization around. But after climbing a particularly tall tree, they had seen a town of sorts in the distance. Which is where they were now, hoping to find some food and maybe even shelter, that is, if Ford deemed this dimension safe enough to stay in for a little while.

 At first, the constant travel had been fun for Mabel. Getting to explore a new world every few days was exhilarating. But she was surprised to find that more recently, she missed a place she could call home. Though, more than anything, she missed Dipper and Stan. Of course, she loved Ford too. He had been looking out for her ever since she had been pulled into the portal, and she couldn’t imagine her life without him now. But still…she wished she could be with Ford and the rest of her family.

Something bumped Mabel particularly hard and she was shaken from her thoughts as she lost her footing. Her hand was yanked out of Ford’s and she fell to the ground.

Panic gripped her and she quickly stood up and tried catching sight of Ford, but the constant movement of aliens made standing still impossible. She thought she heard someone calling her name, but it was hard to hear over the crowd.

“Grunkle Ford!” Yelling at the top of her lungs, Mabel, tried pushing her way through the crowd, in what she thought was the direction Ford had been walking. But no matter how hard she tried, she was too small, and she couldn’t make any headway against the crowd.

Spotting an alleyway through the sea of legs, Mabel spun, jumped, rolled, and crawled until she made it to the backstreet. It wasn’t empty, but it was slightly less crowded. Spotting a box that was sealed shut, she made her way to it and managed to climb on top. But as she looked out over the sea of creatures, she couldn’t spot her grunkle. Ford was nowhere to be seen. Panic overwhelmed her as she realized that she was alone, lost in an unfamiliar dimension with absolutely no clue as to what to do next. It was her worst nightmare.

------

Ford was frantic. He couldn’t believe he’d lost Mabel. He should’ve been holding onto her tighter. No, he should’ve just carried her. What had he been thinking? In a crowd this big, that was the most logical option, and yet he hadn’t thought of it before entering the market and now she was gone.

“Mabel!” He called out again. He thought he had heard her call out a moment ago, but this time there was no response.

Darned this busy city. Reasonably, a city this remote in a rainforest shouldn’t be this crowded. Though perhaps it being the only city for miles was the reason for all of the foot traffic. Either way, he really should’ve scoped out the layout first before walking in. That’s what he normally would’ve done. But Mabel hadn’t had food in over a day. So, her hunger along with the possibility of letting her sleep in a semi normal structure for the first time in…weeks? Had caused him to act rashly. He had only wanted to make sure she had what she needed, and maybe help her mental state. Over the past few weeks, Ford had occasionally caught her looking downcast – though she quickly smiled when she noticed him looking – and this had seemed like a good opportunity to help her feel better.

“So much for that…” Ford muttered under his breath as he continued searching for Mabel. He had just spotted a possible vantage point he could use when something grabbed his jacket and pulled it back.

“Geez, slow down Grunkle D-”

As Ford looked down at the source of the voice, it cut off. His own legs stalled as he saw the boy who was holding his jacket. It couldn’t be…

For a second, Ford was transported to another lifetime. So long ago it felt like a dream. Hot summers on Glass Shard Beach, playing in the water, exploring the sand dunes, fixing up the Stan O War.

He was looking at his brother from thirty years ago.

------

Crap, wrong old guy. Stan thought to himself as he stared up at the man who’s coat he’d grabbed. Now that he had a closer look, he could tell that said coat wasn’t quite the same as Dipper’s, and of course, the man wasn’t his grunkle (okay, technically Dipper wasn’t actually his great uncle either, but it made it easier to call him that, okay?). However, there was something oddly familiar about this guy…

Some other creature bumped into him, threatening to pull him along in the crowd once again, like it had earlier. But then a hand grabbed his arm, and the old guy was dragging him through the crowd.

“Hey, what gives? I’m not-” Stan grabbed at the guy’s hand, trying to get him to let go, only to stop when he really looked at the hand. Wait, six fingers…it couldn’t be…could it?

Looking up, Stan tried to get a better look at the guy’s face. Something had seemed familiar about it when he’d first seen him, but now he was facing away as he pulled Stan along. But six fingers… Suddenly, the bright sunlight disappeared as he was pulled into a small alleyway. There were still a few beings milling about, but not has many as in the main square. Then the man spun around to look at him.

“What are you doing here?”

 Stan took a step back at the sharpness of the man’s voice. A tinge of fear grew in his chest. It wasn’t Dad, he knew that, but there was something so familiar about the words, the man’s stance, the look on his face - he couldn’t shake it. However, the ashamed expression when the old guy saw Stan shrink back wasn’t something Dad would’ve done.

“I-I don’t know. I was just here with my, well I call him my grunkle because-”

“Wait, wait, what? Your grunkle? Who?” Confusion crossed the guy’s face. “What’s his name?”

The man held up his hands and Stan found himself looking at them. He knew in this dimension, six fingers might not be an abnormal thing. But this guy was human, and he looked kind of like Dad…

“Are you my brother?” Stan blurted out before he could stop himself. It was hard to think about Ford looking old - that was just weird - but if he was old, well…Stan could see him looking kind of like this guy…

For a moment, the old man just stared at him, then signed and shook his head. “No, I’m not…well…kind of. I’m Stanford, but not your Stanford.”

“You mean there’s more than one of you? Are there more than one of me? Woah, we could build an army! Though I don’t know how much use an old guy would be but I’m sure you could do something. Oh, eww, am I old somewhere then? How-”

“Hold up. Just…one question at a time.” Old Ford had held out his hand again, as if wanting Stan to stop. He looked a little frustrated, but at the same time, there was the smallest bit of an amused smile on his face.

“There are…many different dimensions, and versions of you and me. I…haven’t met your older version,” a small shadow crossed his face, “but I’ve heard about him. However. That’s not important. What I need to know, is how you got here, and who are you looking for?”

Stan let out a huff. He thought Ford would be as excited as him about all of this but…then again, this was an old Ford and well…maybe he’d been in other dimensions a while and didn’t think it was cool anymore? Sometimes Dipper had seemed less thrilled about things than Stan thought were awesome. Or maybe it was just an old person thing? Gosh, Stan hoped he wasn’t a boring old guy in any dimension.

After a moment, he realized Ford was still looking at him questioningly and Stan realized that he’d have to tell this old version of his brother what had happened. He didn’t really want to, but he had a feeling Ford wouldn’t answer any of his questions unless Stan answered him first.

“Well…I kind of accidently got sucked into this big glowing circle thing that my Grantie Mabel really didn’t want me to shut off, then I met my Grunkle Dipper and we kind of…ran around jumping in all these portal things till we got here. And I swear I’d only been glancing at this cool gun shop, but somehow let go of his hand and then…I thought he was you.” Stan was a little surprised at how quickly the words came. Ever since he’d arrived in other dimensions, Dipper had told him to be careful about saying too much to the wrong people but…this was Ford. Sure, he was old but…it was still Ford. He could still tell him anything.

For a moment, Ford just stared at him, shock lining his face. Then he shook his head and took a breath. “Right…okay…We need to find your Dipper, and I need to…”

“What, you lose someone too?” Stan meant it as a joke, but his smile fell when he saw the concern on Ford’s face.

“Come on, it looks like the crowds are dying down some.” Ford held out his hand and without hesitation, Stan took it.

“I can help you find whoever you lost first.  I’m sure Dipper is fine.”

Ford looked down at him, a disbelieving frown on his face. “I…we’ll see who we find first…”

Putting on his best show of confidence – which was easy seeing as he was used to doing it for Ford – Stan nodded. “I bet we’ll find them both in the next ten minutes!”

------

How could I lose him?!? The thought kept running through Dipper’s head. After months with Stan, he had grown accustom to the boy’s affinity for trouble, which included checking things out that he probably shouldn’t have. So he should’ve been extra diligent in a place as crowded as this, but while keeping an eye out for danger, he must have let go of Stan’s hand and now the boy was lost to a sea of creatures. Guilt and fear clawed at Dipper’s chest. After decades of being alone, he had come to enjoy Stan’s company, plus, he was family.

Taking a deep breath, Dipper tried to still his anxiety, though it was easier said then done. It had already been far too long since Stan had disappeared, and Dipper still couldn’t think of a way to find him aside from waiting for the crowds to die down. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the only option he could see. He really needed to find a better way to keep track of his, for a better word, nephew (he was never the best at remembering all of the names for distant relatives and Stan called him Great Uncle so it worked).

As he pushed his way to a slightly less busy part of the market, Dipper searched for a good vantage point he could wait at, while still keeping an eye out for Stan. That’s when he heard it.

Crying.

His feet stumbled to a stop and he quickly looked around, searching for its source. A bright splash of pink caught his eye – a bit out of place in the browns and tans of the city. Carefully making his way toward the figure, he tried pushing aside the feeling in his gut that something was familiar about the girl. Because, as he got closer, he could tell it was a girl, with short curly hair, and a bright pink sweater…

It’s not Mabel. He told himself, as he realized that’s who he was thinking of. Mabel was dimensions away and, well, she was as old as him now.

Crouching down, Dipper put on his best smile, despite his worry for Stan. “Hey, you okay there?”

The girl quickly looked up, her tear-filled eyes widening as she saw him.

Dipper found himself freezing as well. Because it was Mabel. Or, how she had looked as a kid. Sure, her hair was shorter and she looked more tired than she normally would’ve but…it was her.

He eyes flicked up to his hair then back down to his face. “D-Dipper?”

“I…yes, or no, it’s well…” Dipper frowned, he knew that the girl he was looking at wasn’t his sister. He’d been in enough dimensions to know that there were multiple versions of himself and his sister out there. And unless time travel was involved – which didn’t seem likely – this was simply another Mabel from another world. However…it still looked like her and…it still was a Mabel. He couldn’t push away the weight of responsibility to take care of her and make sure she got back where she needed to be.

“You’re from another dimension I guess…” Mabel’s quiet voice shook Dipper from his thoughts.

“Yeah…I…you know about those, huh?” Dipper remembered a day when he had been so excited about there being other dimensions, and other versions of himself. In a way it was still a nice thought, that maybe one version of himself hadn’t messed up…hadn’t ended up here. But it still didn’t change his situation, and after about a hundred different dimensions, survival was more important than excitement over new worlds.

“Yeah, Grunkle Ford told me about it once. He said he’d found a dimension where everyone was a baby once, he didn’t sound like he liked it but I think it would be fun…” Mabel gave Dipper a smile, though it wasn’t as bright as her normal smile. Or at least, like the one he remembered as a kid.

Then Mabel’s words registered and Dipper narrowed his eyes. “Wait, Ford? That…that’s Stan’s brother…” he muttered to himself.

Mabel perked up at that. “Stan? He’s here too?!?”

Dipper’s face fell as he remembered his predicament. “He…was…I…I lost track of him.”

“Oh…maybe I can help you find him! He can’t be too hard to find!”

A small smile grew on Dipper’s face at her optimism. Typical Mabel. “Well, he’s pretty small, about your size, but maybe with two-”

“WAIT STAN IS LITTLE?!?”

Dipper winced at the volume of her voice, but thankfully the creatures around didn’t pay much attention. “Yes, he’s about…” Dipper realized he didn’t actually know how old Stan was. “Maybe ten, or twelve? I’m not sure…”

“Oh my gosh, we have to find him! I gotta meet little Stan!” The brightness on Mabel’s face was a welcome change from the heaviness he had seen on it only a few moments ago. All traced of tears were gone.

A small laugh escaped Dipper and he nodded. “Well, alright then, let’s see if we can find him.” Holding out his hand, Dipper felt a small stab of sadness as Mabel immediately grabbed it. Just like when they were little…Shaking his head, he forced himself to focus. This wasn’t his dimension’s Mabel…but it was nice to see her again, even if it was only for a little while.

#gravity falls #gravity fall au #forduary #forduary 2024 #drifting stars au #relativity falls #relativity stars au #ford pines #mabel pines #dipper pines #stan pines #stanford pines #stanley pines #gravity falls fanfiction #aceo writes things

[aceofstars16]

Oh look, another Gravity Falls fic! I started this one a while ago but finally got around to finishing and editing it! Title is from the song "It's Alright" by Mother Mother

And hey it actually kind of fits Week 4 of @forduary cause it is older Ford *jazz hands*

You can read on AO3 but I will put the fic under the cut here as well!

Summary: Weirdmageddon is over, everything should be fine, right? But Mabel and Ford find themselves confronted with feelings they'd rather forget, and find comfort from each other. (Aka, Mabel has nightmares and Ford is there to comfort her because we love fluff and Mabel and Ford bonding)

It was late. Ford wasn’t exactly sure what time it was, but the kids had gone to bed hours ago, and he had sent Stan off to get some sleep, what? An hour, two hours ago? Something like that. His body was drained and he knew he should sleep. But he knew what awaited him if he did. Sure, Bill was gone, but nightmares would still come, he knew it. Especially after all that had happened. Even in the waking hours, he couldn’t get rid of the image of him pointing the memory gun at Stan, no matter how hard he wished it would leave him. After all, despite Stan remembering more and more, there were still holes in his memory. Which is why Ford was still up, rifling through boxes he had long forgotten about, looking for anything that might help his brother fill in those holes.

Pulling out another photobook, Ford started flipping through it. He had already put a few aside to show Stan when he woke up, but this one was mostly pictures from college. He put it in the useless pile – though he supposed he might share it with Fiddleford at some point. Ford wasn’t sure if it was irony or a sign of his poor life choices that two of his closest friends had lost their memories because of his decisions.

With a sigh, Ford picked up a frame from the box, only to freeze when he heard a floorboard creak.

Quickly looking up, he was expecting to see Stan – it hadn’t been uncommon the last day or so to find his brother up and about at any hour of the day or night. However, this time, it wasn’t his brother who was up. Instead, he saw his great niece walking past the doorway.

“Mabel?” Setting down the frame, Ford stood up, trying his best to ignore how hard the movement was. Maybe he should try to get some sleep…

Mabel had already walked past the room, but a second later, her head poked into the doorway. “Oh, Grunkle Ford! I…didn’t know you were up.” She fiddled with her nightgown, her eyes flickering to and fro much faster than normal.

“I was just looking through some old boxes.” Ford gestured to the box he had been perusing. “What are you doing up at this hour?”

Mabel glanced at the box, then the floor, then at Ford, then at the wall, before looking at the ground once again. “I uh…” She swallowed, then said in a quiet voice, “…nightmare…”

Sadness pierced Ford’s heart. He was used to nightmares, and in a sense, he knew it was his fault that he had so many. But Mabel? She was far too young and innocent to be dealing with such troubles. He took a step forward, but stopped. He didn’t want to make anything worse. “Would you like to talk about it?”

Looking at him, Mabel opened her mouth, then closed it and bit her lip before shaking her head, which only made Ford more worried about her.

Glancing at the box by the couch, Ford decided a different tactic might be helpful – one that he used quite often with himself – distraction. “Would you like to help me look through my old things?”

Mabel perked up at that. “Really?”

Ford nodded and gave her his best smile before motioning her to come closer. “Of course. There is a lot to look through and I could use the help.”

A smile slowly grew on Mabel’s face and she made her way to the box and picked up an old framed certificate – his diploma. For a moment, she just looked at it, then she spoke. “Wow, the seventies! You really are old!”

A chuckle escaped Ford before he could stop it. He reached down and took the frame from her, shaking his head as he placed it in the useless pile. “I suppose I am getting a little old.” He reached down and picked up another photo album then sat down, patting the space beside him.

Mabel grinned and plopped herself down next to him, leaning her head against his arm as he opened the book, only to straighten up.

“Oh my gosh is that you and Stan as teenagers?!?” Her smile was contagious.

“It is…” Ford said quietly, trying not to think too much about the lump that grew in his throat as he was faced with the memories the pictures brought to the surface. Hopefully that was a good sign that they would help Stan remember. Even if they only served to remind him of all the things he wished he could change.

 “Ooo who is that?” Mabel pointed to another picture.

And so, the night continued, Mabel asking questions and Ford telling her stories of when he was younger. Ford was in the middle of talking about one of his favorite classes at a summer camp when he glanced down and realized that Mabel was fast asleep, using his arm as a pillow.

A soft smile grew on his face, and he carefully set the book they had been looking through to the side. He knew he should simply take Mabel back to her bed and continue his work. There was still so much left to go through. But then, in her sleep, Mabel curled up closer to him. He supposed he could rest his eyes. Just for a few hours…

------

The sky split open, turning the world red. Laughter filled the air.

“Thanks Shooting Star!”

Bill’s voice echoed around Mabel.

“I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Bill’s voice sound behind her. Spinning around, Mabel shrunk back as the demon grew bigger and bigger. Screams surrounded her, growing louder and louder until she couldn’t hear herself think anymore. Chaos reigned. Then suddenly the noise died and she only heard one voice.

“Who you talkin' to?”

She was looking at Stan again, confused, lost, not knowing who he was, or who she was. He turned and looked at her, then a chorus of her family’s voices spoke all together.

“It’s all your fault.”

“I didn’t mean to!” Mabel cried out, tears growing in her eyes.

“Your fault, your fault, your fault!”

The voices grew louder and louder, no matter how hard she pleaded, tried to apologize, they wouldn’t stop. She was drowning in guilt, it was pressing down on her chest, heavier and heavier until she couldn’t breathe.

Gasping, Mabel started awake. The voices were gone. The only sounds were Dipper’s quiet breathing and the occasional bug hitting the window in the attic. But her heart was still racing, and the guilt from her dream was still pressing down on her. Waking up hadn’t freed her from the reality of her actions.

She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t haunted by Weirdmageddon, and all of the events of the last week. And she hadn’t even lived in the apocalyptic world that long, not compared to the townsfolk or Dipper - there were times when she had heard him muttering in his sleep. And then yesterday she had once again stood face to face with her mistakes, when she had found herself lost with thousands of versions of herself.

Holding out her hand, Mabel saw her entire arm shaking. She felt cold despite the humidity of the attic. Swallowing hard, she looked at Dipper. For a split second, she considered waking him. She knew he wouldn’t mind, not that much at least, but…he didn’t know the whole truth. About how Weirdmageddon had really started.

Forcing herself to move, Mabel got out of bed and shakily made her way to the door, then down the stairs. She didn’t quite know where she was going. Maybe to find Stan… he always make her feel better. Or…Mabel didn’t realize where her feet were taking her until she was standing in the doorway to the secret room her and Dipper had fought over what seemed like ages ago.

It was Ford’s room now. Though there still wasn’t a bed in it, just a couch where Ford was conked out…had he really been sleeping on the couch for weeks? How had she never realized that until now? Just another reason she was selfish. The guilt in her chest grew.

“Mabel?”

Ford’s voice made her jump. She thought he'd been asleep. But he was sitting up now, one hand resting on his hip and the other straightening his glasses.

The guilt monster pressed down on her more. Ford needed sleep. Only a few days ago, he had been staying up till all ends of the night. He was finally resting and she had ruined it. Swallowing, she opened her mouth, trying to make herself apologize and tell him she was just going to get a drink, but the words wouldn’t come.

“Nightmare?” He asked quietly, concern lining his voice.

Hugging herself, Mabel tried blinking back the tears that were growing in her eyes, she shook her head. Her performance must not have been very convincing however, because Ford patted the couch next to him.

“Come here.” It was a gentle invitation, and despite knowing she didn’t deserve it, Mabel couldn’t stop herself. She rushed forward and sat down on the couch, curling up in on herself as she did.

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder and pulled her into a small side hug.

“It’s alright…it…everything is okay now.” Ford spoke quietly as his hand moved up and down in a comforting motion.

However, they had the opposite effect on Mabel. Tears blurred her vision as the guilt and regret pressed in on her.

“No it’s not!” A sob shook her body and she curled in on herself even more.

For a moment, there was no response, then Ford spoke again, his voice heavy with remorse. “I’m so sorry, Mabel…”

She froze at the unexpected words and slowly looked up at him. He was staring at the ground, his face downcast. “Wh…what?”

He turned to look at her. “Weirdmageddon…everything that happened. It…it’s all my fault. I let Bill into our universe, I couldn’t stop him before…” He shook his head. “I’m sorry my mistakes hurt you…”

Each word weighed down on her more and more. “Grunkle Ford it’s not…it’s not your fault it…” her throat tightened and she closed her eyes tight, resulting in a tear rolling down her cheek. “…it’s mine…”

Even with her eyes closed, Mabel could feel Ford straighten up. “Mabel, it is not your-”

“Yes it is!” Mabel opened her eyes and looked right at Ford, not even trying to stop her crying. “I-I gave B-Bill the rift! I…if it wasn’t for me W-Weirdmageddon never would’ve happened! Stan wouldn’t have-” Her voice broke as sobs overtook her whole body, guilt pulling her down, down…

Arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a warm embrace.

“It’s not your fault, Mabel.” Ford’s voice was soft and kind, not the angry disbelief she had been expecting every time she had thought about telling anyone what had happened.

“Bill is a master manipulator…he’d do anything, say anything to get what he wants…wanted.”

Hiding her face in his sweater, Mabel was tempted to just let it go at that. Bill was awful…But… “I know…but I…I still didn’t want summer to end. I…I was scared and selfish and…I want to be better but what if I mess up again?!? What if I keep being selfish?” Anti-Mabel’s words echoed around in her head as Mabel curled in on herself.

Ford’s arms tightened around her and after a moment, he sighed and spoke softly.

“I know how you feel.”

Mabel froze. “You…you do?”

“I do.” Ford said, regret lining his voice. “When I was younger, I was so focused on what I wanted, that I hurt the person that meant the most to me. And then I ignored all of the warnings I saw about Bill because I wanted to make a name for myself…Even now…I…I was so…caught up in my frustration and desire to make things right that I didn’t even…think about how my distrust could backfire…I didn’t want to admit my mistakes and…by the time I did…it was too late…and Stanley paid the price for my pride.”

Looking up, Mabel saw Ford staring at the wall, tears pooling in his eyes.

He seemed to sense her gaze and turned attention to her, but not before quickly wiping his eyes and clearing this throat. Then he gave her a gentle smile.

“You’re a better person than I am, Mabel. I…the fact that you want to change now, at your age, shows more maturity than I’ve had for most of my life.”

Mabel saw the sadness lingering under his smile, and she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. “You’re not a bad person, Grunkle Ford.”

Ford was silent for a moment, then he sighed. “I…I’m glad you think that, Mabel.”

Sitting back a little, Mabel met his gaze. “I don’t think so. I know so! Maybe…maybe we both have some things to work on but you aren’t a bad person. You are just the right amount of nerdy for Dipper, and you’ve done everything to get Stan’s memory back and you’ve sat with me and helped me feel better after I’ve had a nightmares. I wouldn’t want any other person to have come out of the portal.”

The smallest laugh escaped Ford. "I…okay, Mabel…I…thank you.”

Mabel smiled at him. “I can remind you any time you need it!”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Any time?”

“Cell phones!”

“Oh, right…I’m not the best at using them but…”

“Stan can help! At least…” Mabel hummed in thought. “Well, he can kind of use one, and you can learn!”

Ford laughed lightly and smiled. “I’ll do my best.”

“Promise?” Mabel held out her pinkie. For a moment, Ford just stared at it, then he interlocked his pinkie with hers.

“Promise.”

#gravity falls #gravity falls fanfiction #forduary #forduary 2024 #ford pines #mabel pines #stanford pines #mabel and ford bonding #sweater twins #stan pines #dipper pines #stanley pines #(they are mentioned in it at least xD) #aceo writes things

[aceofstars16]

Next chapter here we gooo!

This one took longer to write than I would've liked but I was working on other things too and it is almost 4,000 words so...xD

I'm not sure how long it will take to write the next one and if there will be one or two more chapters after this one, but we shall see!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Summary: While looking for their lost family members, the Pines find out more about this dimension - and the creatures that inhabit it.

Mabel couldn’t stop looking at Dipper. Sure, she managed to tear her eyes away from time to time to look for little Stan, but she always came back to Dipper. It was weird seeing him so old. But it was still him. She knew someone might say that it wasn’t really the Dipper she knew, but he was so close to being him. And after not seeing her Dipper for months, well, it was exactly what she needed.

An elderly alien rushed past her, giving Mabel and Dipper a wary look before disappearing into a building. A lot of aliens had seemed to be running into their homes, and while it was a little strange, Mabel was grateful for it as the streets were becoming much clearer. Hopefully it would make it easier to find Stan and maybe Ford too, if they were lucky.

Dipper’s hand tightened on hers and he sped up a little. Apparently, the alien’s behavior was concerning him too.

“So…” Mabel ventured, breaking into a trot to keep up with the older version of her brother. She had tried to taper down her desire to ask questions, but she couldn’t handle keeping quiet any longer.

Looking down at her for a second, Dipper raised his eyebrows. “So?”

“How did you end up here? I mean…Ford told me how he did but…” Mabel’s legs tripped over each other as a thought crossed her mind, and Dipper quickly slowed down to let her catch her footing.

“You okay?” He asked, looking at her then around the square, his body tense.

“Yeah…I…I just remembered what Ford said happened to him…did…did I push you into a portal?” Mabel didn’t really want to ask, the thought was too horrible to consider, but she had to know. Was there a possibility for her and Dipper to ever grow apart like Stan and Ford?

Dipper sighed, still looking around, not meeting her gaze. “I don’t like the look of these streets…” he muttered. “We should probably-” he glanced at Mabel and paused. It was as if he could feel the anxiety that was clawing its way into her chest. Or maybe he could just see it on her face.

Squeezing her hand tight, he gave her a strained smile. “No. You didn’t push me into the portal. It’s…a long story, but I think we should find some shelter firs-”

A loud shrieking interrupted him.

Mabel turned to look in the direction of the sound and froze as she saw the source.

“Run!” Dipper yelled and pulled on her arm, but she couldn’t move. The creature had its eyes locked on her and her body refused to respond. The world around her seemed to fade away, in the back of her mind, she knew she should run, but she could only focus on the beast. Something about the dragon-like creature seemed innocent and pleading. It needed help. If she could just touch it…

Then something grabbed her and lifted her up. She fought the arms, needing to get away, to get to the creature. It needed help. She clawed and bit and struggled until she finally broke away from the arms around her. Then she bolted towards the helpless animal.

 “Mabel NO!” A distant voice sounded, but Mabel didn’t know who it was. All she knew was that she needed to do this. It was the right thing to do.

Running as fast as she could, Mabel raced towards the dragon, she was almost there... Then something yanked her arm back. She screamed and fought against it, reaching her arms towards the creature.

Its sharp teeth grinned, it knew she wanted to help. It jumped forward, attacking the arms that were holding her back. She heard a yell but it barely registered, all she knew was that she was free. Rushing forwards, she held her arms out towards the creature. Then she heard a strange pinging sound followed by the beast’s roar.

The world shifted. The bright colors faded and the desperate need to get to the dragon vanished in an instant.

Instead of the poor, hurt animal she had been seeing, she was now looking at a horrifying creature. It towered above her, its spiky scales dripped with something black and sticky, and in its teeth…a shudder ran through her.

Stumbling backward, Mabel quickly glanced back to see Dipper holding a gun, aiming at the beast. His sleeve was torn and blood was dripping from it, but he didn’t seem to notice. His glaze flickered to her and relief crossed his face.

“Get out of here! I’ll try to keep it distracted.”

Mabel didn’t need any more urging, she bolted forward, but she only took two steps before something tripped her leg. She fell face first into the ground, her head ringing with the impact.

“Mabel!”

Dipper’s voice echoed around her and she tried to get to her feet. Then pain exploded in her leg and she was pulled further away from her brother. There was pinging, but the creature was determined to keep Mabel in its grasp. Panic surged through her chest, but as she tried to pull away, the pain in her leg increased. She was trapped.

------

So much for ten minutes. The thought crossed Stan’s mind as he walked next to Ford. It was still kind of weird seeing his brother so old, and sometimes he found himself thinking it was Dipper for a second. But then he’d see the six fingers or Ford’s face and he was quickly reminded who he was actually with.

Stan had tried to ask questions, he had so many swirling through his mind, but Ford had ignored him or told him short answers that didn’t really provide any clarity. So, he’d stopped trying. However, that wasn’t the only reason he’d kept silent for the past few minutes. If he was honest with himself, he was scared. Every time Ford looked at him or talked to him, Stan couldn’t shake the feeling that old Ford didn’t like him. Which was ridiculous! How could Ford not like him? They were brothers! Sure, they sometimes argued and they had their differences, but they always had each other’s backs. But Stan couldn’t push aside the feeling that Ford wasn’t exactly thrilled to have Stan around, and that created a well of fear inside him. Did Ford grow up to hate him? Or think he was just annoying? Was there any way that they would grow apart and not want to be around each other anymore?

Stan bumped into a leg and realized that Ford had stopped walking. Looking around, he tried to see if there was a reason for this. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary aside from the emptying streets. He’d noticed that a while ago and despite it being strange, it also made it easier to move and harder to get lost so he counted it as a win.

“Do you see the person you’re looking for?” Stan asked. He didn’t see any other humans, but maybe Ford’s friend wasn’t human – he hadn’t gotten his brother to fill him in on who he’d lost.

Ford quickly looked down at Stan, a shadow crossing his face before shaking his head. “No…but I don’t like the look of the locals…something isn’t right.”

As if on cue, an aforementioned alien rushed past them and into a building, slamming the door. The sound of it locking from the inside could be heard even from the middle of the street.

Okay, yeah, that was ominous…but… “Hey, it makes it easier to find people…like the person you are looking for...if they are a person…”

Letting out a huff, Ford glanced at Stan again, indecision on his face. Then he shook his head. “I suppose it doesn’t really matter if you know or not.” He said quietly. “I’m looking for Mabel.”

Stan opened his mouth, ready to ask a billion questions, but Ford held up his hand.

“Not the Mabel you know. She’s younger, about your age. My guess is in your universe, her and Dipper take the place of me and you, and vice versa.”

“Obviously.” Stan said sarcastically, teasing his brother coming too naturally to stop. But then the words really sunk in. “Wait…little Mabel??? What is she like as a kid?!? Gosh, I bet she’s the coolest! I mean, she’s cool as an old person, but like, kid Mabel?!? She has to be the most fun ever!”

A quiet laugh escaped Ford, and Stan was surprised to see a soft smile on his face. “That she is…” Then his face clouded and he shook his head. “We need to keep moving. It might be best to find an inn or-”

A horrible screeching sound echoed through the deserted streets, cutting Ford off.

Ford’s hand tightened around Stan’s and he started pulling him to one of the buildings. Stan offered no resistance. Sure, there were some pretty cool creatures around, but unfortunately he’d learned that some of them only cared about one thing – food.

 Ford pulled at one, door, then another, but they were locked. Apparently, the locals had a reason for deserting the streets.

Then something else echoed through the streets, not the creature’s screeching. No, it was yelling. Human yelling. And one word was plain as day.

Mabel.

Ford froze, his body stiffening. Then, without a word, he bolted toward the sound. His grip on Stan’s hand had lessened, resulting in Stan’s hand slipping out of his. In all honestly, Stan knew most people wouldn’t have followed. But he wasn’t most people. It might be some young Mabel that he didn’t know, and maybe it was a crazy creature that he had no way of fighting. But there was no way he was letting Ford go by himself. His family was in danger and he wasn’t just gonna sit aside and do nothing. So, he bolted after his old brother, letting adrenaline rush through him as they raced towards the sound of a fight.

------

Dipper was back at the portal, watching Mabel slowly being pulled towards it, knowing he would do anything to stop her from facing that fate. But now he was looking at a younger version of his sister – who wasn’t his Mabel but who he still would do anything to protect – as the dragonesque creature pulled her by the leg.

Glancing around desperately, Dipper pulled out another one of his guns. He had found, lost, and made many on his journeys, but he hadn’t been expecting a fight, so most of them were in their dormant travel modes. His hand found one ready to use and he quickly aimed and fired.

The bullet flew at the dragon, but it didn’t even blink as it hit the gooey hide. Instead, it glanced at Dipper and he swore he could see amusement in its eyes, as if he was just a source of amusement for it.

Panic welled up in Dipper’s chest. He had to figure out something. All he was doing was prolonging the pain Mabel was in. He knew from experience how awful it was to have something bite a limb and not let go.

“Let her go you foul beast!”

Dipper didn’t have time to see the source of the voice before a freezing cold ray hit the creature on the side of its head, creating a shockwave of cold. It roared in pain, releasing Mabel from its grip.

Without a second thought, Dipper rushed forward and grabbed Mabel. As he scooped her up, he did his best to ignore the pain in his arm – Mabel was more important right now – and stumbled away from the creature. Only then could he get a look at who had fired the ice blast.

Dressed in all black, the first striking thing was that he was human. Dipper hadn’t stumbled upon many humans aside from alternate earth dimensions, so seeing one was rare. The second was that he was older, and next to him…

“Stan!”

Stan looked at him and waved, then was yanked out of the way by the black clad man as the creature lunged forward.

“Grunkle Ford!” Mabel cried out from Dipper’s arms, confirming what Dipper had already guessed, the man was her Ford. What were the odds of Stan finding the older version of his brother and Dipper finding the younger version of his sister? Maybe it was just destiny, or luck, Dipper didn’t really have time to decide as the dragon roared again, glaring angrily at Ford.

“Get Mabel and Stanley out of here!” Ford yelled as he shot another ice blast at the creature.

“What? I can help!” Stan shouted.

“We can’t leave him!” Mabel cried, gripping Dipper a little tighter.

“Get them out of there!” Ford yelled as he rolled out of the way of the beast’s tail.

Everything inside of Dipper screamed to help Ford. Maybe he didn’t know him, but Mabel and Stan did, and they cared about him. But at the same time, Mabel was hurt and he knew that it was only a matter of time before someone else got hurt. Forcing down the guilt in his gut, he rushed towards Stan, grabbing his hand with his injured arm and pulling him along, gritting his teeth at the resulting pain.

“Hey! Grunkle Dipper, stop! I can help!” Stan struggled against him but Dipper held firm as he continued to run.

“We have to get Mabel somewhere safe first.” Dipper said, pulling Stan along and hoping that his strength would hold out enough to get the kids to safety.

“I’m okay…r-really.” Mabel spoke, and Dipper saw her looking worriedly behind them at Ford’s slowly shrinking form. But despite her words, her skin looked pale and she was shaking in his arms.

As he ran, Dipper kept an eye out for a suitable hiding place. Every door seemed to be closed tight, and he guessed that most aliens locked their doors at night for obvious reasons. Then he caught sight of a door that was slightly ajar. Rushing forward, he pushed it open and stumbled in. But as the door banged against the wall, Dipper realized that his hand was empty. Stan’s arm was no longer in its grasp, and the boy was nowhere to be seen.

------

I can’t keep this up. The thought crossed Ford’s mind as he rolled away from the creature’s mouth once again. He had tried shooting it in the face again, but it had learned from last time and was getting better at anticipating his attacks. He was still able to hit it occasionally, but his hits weren’t slowing it down as much as before, and his movements were getting sloppier as his exhaustion grew. But he had to keep it distracted, had to make sure that it wouldn’t go after Mabel again. He could still see the fear on her face when he had first arrived on the scene. That alone gave him the energy to keep up his attacks, even while his body screamed at him to stop.

Jumping back as the beast once again tried to trip him with its tail, Ford raised the gun and fired. It was hardly a perfect shot, and it only grazed its sticky scales. The creature’s eyes glinted and it lunged towards him once again. Only years of trained reflexes saved him as he barely managed to spin to the side and avoid the dragon’s sharp teeth.

Ford’s lungs burned at he ran towards a canopy one of the shop keepers had set up and slid under it. He knew he couldn’t hide for long, the creature would find him quickly, and he couldn’t risk it following Dipper and the kids, but he needed a few seconds to catch his breath.

Pressing his back against the wall, Ford forced himself to take deep breaths, no matter how much his lungs burned and screamed at him to breath as quickly as possible. However, that didn’t stop the beast from finding him. Through a hole in the awning, Ford could see it locking eyes with him before letting out a roar.

Hefting his gun, Ford prepared himself to run.  

“Hey, stupid dragon, over here!”

An achingly familiar voice echoed through the streets and Ford quickly searched for the source. Sure enough, Stan was standing in the middle of the square, fists raised as if he could actually fight the thing with his hands.

“Stanley! GET OUT OF HERE!” Ford yelled. He couldn’t believe the kid…okay, well, it did seem like something that Stan would do, but he was supposed to be safe with Mabel, not facing off against a dragon.

The creature, who had been focused on Stan, looked back at Ford, as if trying to decide who to go after. It only took a second before it charged at Ford once again, seeming to think that he posed more of a threat. Which was an accurate assessment.

Bolting forward, Ford ran away from Stan, hoping the younger version of his brother would take a hint and get out of there. But as he turned to aim his gun, he saw Stan running towards the beast, yelling at the top of his lungs as he threw a rock at it.

The rock knocked harmlessly against the dragon’s head. For a split second, it turned to look at Stan and, in that instant, Ford saw his chance. With the creature distracted, its face was an easy target. In one fluid movement, Ford leveled his gun, took aim, and fired right at its eye.

The roar that erupted from the beast echoed throughout the streets, making Ford’s ears ring as he bolted forward, taking advantage of the dragon’s distressed state to fire off a few more shots, effectively freezing most of its face.

“That’s right you gross, stupid-” Ford reached Stan and slapped his hand over his mouth before he could say anymore.

“It can still hear!” He snapped, keeping his voice low.

Stan pouted but didn’t say any more. Satisfied that he would keep quiet, Ford removed his hand from his mouth and instead grabbed Stan’s arm, pulling him along as he raced into an alleyway. He knew the creature wouldn’t be blinded by ice forever, they had to move quickly if they wanted to get away without it following them.  

“That was awesome!”

Ford winced at Stan’s voice and shot him a look, but at least he had waited until they’d made it to a different street to speak, and he kept his voice quieter.  

“No, it was dangerous,” Ford snapped in a low voice. “I told you to go with Dipper.”

Stan let out a huff even as they continued to run. “Oh, come on, Sixer. You’re just mad I saved you!”

An icy chill ran through Ford at the nickname. He hadn’t heard it in a long time, and last time he had…Shaking his head, he focused on the situation at hand. “No, I’m mad that you didn’t listen. You could’ve been killed.”

“So could’ve you!”

“You could have too.”

“What?”

“Gramm-”

“There!” Stan shouted out, louder than Ford would’ve liked, cutting off his correction to Stanley’s poor grammar.

Stan pulled on Ford’s hand, pointed towards a building, and despite his frustration with his little brother, Ford gritted his teeth and followed.

As they reached a side door, Stan rushed forward.

“Stanley, wait!” Ford hissed, but Stan had already rushed forward and flung the door open.

“Stop right there!” A voice cried out.

Ford immediately pulled up his gun, ready to fire, only to find himself looking at another gun aiming at him.

“Don’t shoot!”

Ford’s hand dropped a fraction at the familiar voice. Relief washed over him as he saw Mabel sitting behind the man with the gun, who he now realized was the older version of Dipper.

“Stan…” Dipper let out a breath of relief as he noticed Stan standing next to Ford.

A roar echoed through the streets.

“Inside, now.” Ford quickly ushered Stan into the building and followed behind him before grabbing a barrel of provisions and pushing them in front of the door. It wouldn’t stop the dragon, but it would at least make sure nothing else could get in.

Once the door was secure, Ford turned to take stock of the situation. There was a small lantern of sorts lighting up the room. It must have been a supply room, as there were barrels of different foods lining the walls, but thankfully no one else seemed to be occupying the space.

Letting out a breath, Ford immediately looked at Mabel. She looked tired, and paler than usual, but thankfully her leg seemed to already have been tended to.

Walking forward, he crouched down, opening his mouth to speak, but two small arms were flung around his neck before anything could come out.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Mabel said quietly, her arms tightening around him.

A lump formed in Ford’s throat and he carefully wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back, taking comfort from the fact that she was here and she was okay.

“I helped!”

Stan’s voice sounded from behind him and Ford felt his annoyance at his brother’s recklessness return. But then Mabel leaned back from her hug and a grin grew on her face as she saw Stan, who was standing next to Dipper.

“Well now I know you’re Stan!”

A grin grew on Stan’s face. “And you’re Mabel, the coolest Grantie ever!”

“Uh…” Mabel paused at that, seemingly unsure how to respond. “Thanks?”

“So, do I like fight a bunch of stuff when I’m old too?” Stan didn’t seem worried about Mabel’s uncertainty, and despite the frustration that still tried to cling to Ford, he was grateful that Mabel seemed to be acting like herself.

“Oh, yes! You punched a dinosaur in the face to get Waddles back for me, and you fought off a bunch of zombies to protect me and Dipper, it was so-” A shadow passed over Mabel’s face as she seemed to remember that the Stan and Dipper in the room with them weren’t the ones who had experienced those events with her.

A mix of sadness and anger pricked at Ford’s heart and he quickly cleared his throat. “We will have time for stories later. Mabel, you should rest.”

Mabel glanced at her leg, then at Stan and Dipper. “Only if Dipper rests too.”

Ford glance at the older version of his great nephew and noticed the bandage around his arm for the first time, along with the uncertainty on his face.

“I can keep watch.” Ford said, knowing that if Dipper was anything like him, he wouldn’t be able to rest unless he knew it was safe.

Dipper opened his mouth, then looked at Mabel and sighed. “Okay, I’ll rest some. But only if you or Stan wakes me up to take over after a few hours.” He looked at Ford for a moment, as if studying him. “You look like you could use some sleep too.”

“I assure you I’m-” Ford started, but Mabel poked him and he saw her looking worriedly at him. Leave it to her to worry about him when she was the one with the hurt leg.

“You did run a lot.” Stan said pointedly, though Ford was surprised to see worry on his face as well.

Glancing at Dipper, and seeing a similar concern on his face, he realized he was outvoted three to one.

“Alright, deal.”

#gravity falls #gravity falls fanfiction #gravity falls au #drifting stars au #relativity falls #relativity stars au #ford pines #stan pines #mabel pines #dipper pines #stanford pines #stanley pines #aceo writes things #relativity stars

[aceofstars16]

The next chapter is up!

Mabel and Ford venture out of the shack, Dipper and Stan stay behind. All the while, the younger twins try to uncover what happened between their grunkles.

You can read it on AO3 here or below the cut!

Chapter 9 – Past Mistakes

Mabel hadn’t seen Gravity Falls in the winter – but even if she had, she wasn’t sure if she would’ve recognized it now. Snow covered the roads and stores, and a few flakes were still falling, obscuring her view even more.

Glancing over at Ford, Mabel tried to figure out how to bring up Stan, seeing as Ford didn’t really seem very…coherent. He had swerved a few times while driving into town, and despite the sleep he had gotten, he still had dark circles under his eyes.

“Here, we can grab a few essentials before I go and find…” he trailed off and shook his head.

“Oooo, who are we-OH MY GOSH!” Mabel stared at the convenience store they had parked at. Despite the snow and the fact that it was actually open, she knew the store.

Ford winced at her voice and quickly looked around. “What?!”

“I’ve been here before! Well, kind of. It was abandoned and haunted then…or in the future? Huh…it’s the past for me but also the future, that’s so weird!”

For a moment, Ford just stared at her – which seemed to be his main response to anything she did – then shook his head. “Yes, well…come on. I don’t want to be out any longer than I have to.”

“Okay!” Mabel threw open the door and hopped out of the car, trying to ignore the freezing wind as it blew through her sweater. Ford followed and they both headed into the small store.

As soon as they got inside, Mabel beelined for the candy section. Sure, they needed some real food but there wasn’t any harm in getting some sweets too, right?

“I don’t think this is the kind of food we need.”

Mabel glanced up at Ford, who had followed her to the candy section. “Aww, come on. A little candy never hurt anyone.” Mabel gave him a big smile and for a moment he once again just stared at her. Then he let out a sigh.

“You can get one.”

“Yes!” Mabel pumped her fist, then started searching the isle. A familiar label caught her eye and she took a few steps away from it. Smile Dip. Never again. However, there were a lot of other candies that she had never seen before. Sure, she had caught sight of a few when her and Stan had stopped at gas stations on the way here, but she hadn’t asked for any because of their lack of funds. But now…

With her mind on candy, Mabel didn’t know how much time had passed. It took her ages to narrow it down to Ultra Butter Candy Caramel Blasts and Chocolate Glitter Bombs. Holding up both packages, she narrowed her eyes. Which one would she have a harder time finding in the future?

“Only one, remember.”

Mabel glanced up. Ford was standing there with a few essentials in his hands – bread, milk, some canned goods - all the boring food. Letting out a breath, Mabel settled on the glitter bombs.

Walking up to the register, Mabel could’ve sworn she’d seen the owners of the store before, but she wasn’t quite sure. After all, most of her memories of the haunted store were in Smile Dip land.

“Hello ther-” The lady at the register – Ma – froze when she saw Ford. “Are you okay there, mister?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” Ford quickly put his items – including Mabel’s candy - on the counter.

“Are you sure, cause you look-”

“My uncle stayed up too late last night watching his favorite movies!” Mabel piped in before Ford could respond.

“Oh, I see. A good movie then?” Ma looked at Ford who just pushed the groceries towards her.

“Yes, fine. Now can we please check out?”

“Oh, uh, sure thing.” Ma started scanning items, but kept glancing at Ford. “Say, aren’t you that science guy who lives in the woods?”

Ford narrowed his eyes and Mabel quickly jumped in again. “Yeah! He loves his science!”

Ma looked at her and Mabel gave her a big smile, which seemed to satisfy her as she continued ringing up the items. Out of the corner of her eye, Mabel saw Ford frowning at her, but she ignored it.

“That’ll be $6.18.” Ma’s voice broke the tension in the air.

As she put the groceries in a bag, Ford pulled out some crumpled-up bills from his coat pocket. For a moment, Mabel wondered if he had enough, but thankfully he seemed to find what he needed as he placed a few bills and change on the table.

“Have a good day!”

“We will!” Mabel waved, but Ford just grabbed the bag and walked to the door. Quickly rushing after him, Mabel shivered as the cold air hit her again, but soon she was back in the car.

“So, where to now?” Mabel asked, hoping Ford would tell her who he was trying to find, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he just pulled out of the parking lot and headed further into Gravity Falls.

As they drove through on center of town, Mabel hummed to herself – a Sev’ral Timez song that had a way of getting stuck in her head. Finally, she decided to try again.

“Grunkle Ford?”

The car swerved a little and Ford glanced at her in confusion. “W-what?”

“Why are you and Stan so…tensey?”

Ford’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “That’s not a word.”

Mabel shrugged. “Okay, but why?”

“You can’t just add a ‘y’ to the end of a word.”

“I mean, why are you and Stan-”

“It’s none of your business!” Ford snapped, and Mabel found herself shrinking into her seat. She hadn’t expected an outburst, and if she was honest, it was a little intimidating.

Silence filled the car as they drove on which gave Mabel enough time to gather her thoughts and try one more time. “I’m sorry…I guess I just...wanted to know. Cause you are twins and, twins are supposed to be super close. I couldn’t imagine not being close with Dipper...”

For a moment, Mabel thought Ford wouldn’t answer, he just stared at the road. But then he broke the silence. “Sometimes things happen and people grow apart. That’s all.”

“That’s sad…” Biting her lip, Mabel couldn’t help but remember the times when her and Dipper had arguments. They had always managed to work them out. She couldn’t imagine anything that would make them grow apart like Stan and Ford.

Ford sighed but didn’t respond.

Mabel took that as permission to keep talking. “But Stan came to help you now, right? So maybe…you two could be close again?”

“I doubt it…” Ford said, keeping his eyes on the road. Then he spoke again, so quietly that Mabel could barely hear. “But maybe he’ll prove himself trustworthy this time…”

A grin broke out on Mabel’s face. Sure, it wasn’t the most optimistic answer, but it was something. “I’m sure he will!”

Ford glanced at her for a moment, and a shadow of doubt crossed his face before he looked at the road again. “We’ll see I suppose.”

At that moment, he pulled into a driveway and stopped the car, effectively cutting off any more discussion about him and Stan. “We’re here.”

Looking up, Mabel saw a small condo in front of them. “Your friend lives here?”

Once again, there was a moment of silence before Ford’s response. “Yes. Now stay here.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and headed out into the cold.

Mabel watched him walk through the snow. She knew she should wait, but that was easier said than done. Through the flurries, she could make out Ford knocking on the door and her curiosity was too strong.

Opening the car door, she quickly hurried after him.

“It’s not for me. I just need your help with-”

The guy at the door tried to shut it, but Ford put his foot in the doorway to stop it from closing.

“I ain’t helping you anymore, Stanford. Now leave me alone.”

As he spoke, Mabel couldn’t help but feel like there was something familiar about the voice, but she couldn’t place it. However, it was clear that there was tension between Ford and this guy.

“It’s not for me, Fiddleford, it’s for-”

“Hi there!”

Both men turned and looked at Mabel, who grinned.

“Stanford, who is-?”

“It’s a long story, but I need your help to get her and her brother home.” Ford glanced at Mabel, then back at his friend.

For a moment, Fiddleford just stared at Mabel. Then he glanced at Ford again. “What have you got yourself into this time?”

“I’ll explain as we drive. Please. I don’t…have the time to-” Ford shook his head and let out a breath. “Please.”

Fiddleford looked at Mabel again – who smiled at him – and sighed. “Fine, I’ll come. For the girl.”

-------

Dipper watched through the window as Mabel and Ford left. He couldn’t shake the tightness in his gut. He had only just gotten Mabel back; he didn’t like seeing her leave again so soon. And despite wanting to trust Ford, he knew that the author wasn’t entirely in his right mind. 

“They’ll be fine.”

Turning, Dipper saw Stan looking at the door, a small frown on his face, but when he looked at Dipper, he smiled.

“Ha…yeah…” Looking back out the window, Dipper sighed.

“So…uh…how did you end up here, kiddo?”

Dipper looked at Stan again. “It uh…it’s a long story…” He realized that staring out the window wouldn’t actually help the time go faster, so he reluctantly made his way to the couch and sat down.

“Well, we got time.” Stan sat down on a chair and waved his hand. “So?”

Letting out a breath, Dipper looked at the ground. “It’s kind of stupid…I wanted a perfect day with this girl…”

“Ah, a crush, eh?”

Laughing a little, Dipper found himself relaxing, despite the awkwardness the question brought up. Unlike Ford, Stan was familiar…and despite being years younger, he still seemed like Stan. “Yeah…I uh…found the time machine from this time traveler. Kind of tricked him into setting it down for a bit.”

“A trick, eh? Sounds like something I’d do.” Stan grinned and Dipper couldn’t help but smile back. Yeah, this was still Stan.

“I set everything up perfectly, so I’d have the perfect date. And it worked but…” Dipper sighed and glanced at the window. “I needed Mabel, and when she helped me, she lost this pig that she got really attached to. And then we…got into a fight with the time machine and…”

“Then you ended up here?”

When Dipper glanced at Stan, he was surprised to see that his uncle was looking at the wall, as if lost in his own thoughts.

“Yeah…I ended up in the snow. I recognized the woods, but the shack looked…different and…then I met Ford…”

“He any different in the future?” Stan was still focused on the wall.

“Umm…well…I’m not…sure.” Dipper was still aware that he shouldn’t talk too freely about the future, but at the same time, he was confused. And talking about things usually helped him reason them out.

Stan quickly looked at Dipper. “What do you mean?”

“Ummm…I…I’ve never met him before…in the future. It’s…confusing. I don’t really know why.”

“But you and Mabel…know me?” The confusion on Stan’s face reflected Dipper’s own feelings.

“Yeah, we…we came to Gravity Falls to stay with you…but…you go by Stanford in the future.” As soon as he said it, doubt overwhelmed Dipper. “Uh…maybe I shouldn’t have…”

Stan shook his head. “Look, kid, I don’t know what is up with your future but…I’m sure there’s an explanation…right?”

As he spoke, Dipper started connecting dots, his brain going into overdrive. “Stan?”

“Hmm?”

“You wouldn’t…ever…hurt your brother, right?”

“What!? No, of course not! We might not be…talking much but I’d never do anything to Stanford!”

The passion in Stan’s words convinced Dipper and he quickly backtracked. “Right, yeah, sorry I just…I’m thinking out loud…”

Stan blew out a breath. “That…it’s fine…”

It was quiet for a few moments and Dipper found himself pulling out the journal and his pen, clicking it as he tried to figure out what in the world had happened in the past to result in the future he knew.

“Hey, kid?”

Dipper looked up from his most recent journal entry. “Uh, yeah?”

“Do you know why Ford is all…” Stan rolled his hand around, searching for the right word, but he couldn’t seem to find it.

“Um…y-yeah…or at least, a little.”

Stan sat up straight. “Really? What’s going on?”

Tapping his pen on the journal, Dipper tried to decide if it was a good idea to tell Stan. But then again, maybe Stan could help Ford. “He’s…there is this anomaly.” Dipper flipped in the journal till he found the page on Bill, then held it up for Stan to see.

Stan quirked an eyebrow. “A triangle? Really?”

“His name is Bill and he…Ford met him a while ago and…made a deal. Bill wants to bring his dimension here, or…something like that…and he’s trying to use Ford to help him get here.” Dipper found himself fiddling with his pen as he spoke. Just mentioning Bill set him on edge.

“Does…does Bill talk through Ford?”

Dipper quickly looked up. Stan was frowning at the floor. “How…how did you know?”

“I uh…when Ford was sleeping, he…talked to me.” Stan’s frown deepened.

“What did Bill say?”

“I…eh, just stuff…” Stan sighed and looked at the window. “Kid, do you know why my brother wanted me to come here?”

An uneasiness settled over Dipper at Stan’s redirection. Was he avoiding something? What had Bill said?

“Kid?” Stan was looking at him again, and the uncertainty in his face caused Dipper to look away.

“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me. He just told me a little about Bill after…” Dipper swallowed, not really wanting to think about that encounter again.

“After what?” There was an edge to Stan’s voice.

“Bill just…tried to get to the portal and I guess I kind of stopped him…?” Dipper rubbed his hand along the bruises that had started forming after his fight with Bill.

“You stopped him?” Stan asked, the shock evident in his voice.

“Heh…yeah, I guess?”

Stan let out a small chuckle. “You’ve got more guts than I thought, kid.”

Dipper tried for a smile, but it fell. There was still so much that he didn’t know, and despite wanting to trust Stan and Ford, he still felt like they weren’t telling him everything. But maybe Stan would tell him a little more.

“Stan?”

“Yeah, kiddo?”

“…why are you and Ford…upset with each other?”

Stan looked away and sighed. “It’s…a long story…”

“We have time.” Dipper said, using the same words Stan had used on him not long ago.

Shaking his head, Stan leaned back on his chair. “It all started ten years ago…”

----

“So, you’re from the future?”

“Yup! It was kind of an accident but…”

Ford was only vaguely aware of Mabel and Fiddleford talking. He’d told Fiddleford about his predicament, but now he was too distracted to partake in the conversation. After all, he had other problems besides getting the kids home. So he didn’t interrupt as Mabel spoke of the future. At this point, knowing facts about the future seemed trivial, and Fiddleford didn’t seem too concerned about it. That was a little odd but maybe he was too fascinated by it to think about the possible repercussions.

Blinking his eyes hard, Ford tried to ignore the throbbing in his head. It hadn’t been horrible when he’d left but now it was giving him more trouble than he’d like to admit. Plus, it was adding to his exhaustion. It was as if the few hours of sleep he had gotten vanished and he was going off of nothing again.

The car hit a patch of ice and slid. For a moment, Ford lost control of the car, but thankfully he got it under control again. However, the action effectively killed the conversation in the car.

“Maybe I should drive.” The wariness of Fiddleford’s voice was vastly different than the intrigue and curiosity he had used with Mabel.

“I’m fine.” Ford gritted his teeth. They were almost back at the cabin anyway; he could hold out for another minute or two.

Silence filled the car until Ford pulled in front of his house. Then Mabel started talking and Fiddleford engaged in conversation with her again. Ford tried not to let it get to him. He couldn’t entirely blame Fiddleford’s distrust of him after all, even if it did make him feel slightly unwelcome. Instead, he just grabbed the groceries and followed the two inside.

“-look familiar.”

As he walked in, Ford heard Dipper’s voice. He glanced up and saw the boy looking quizzically at Fiddleford, who seemed just as curious as Dipper.

“Best leave it alone.” Despite his growing lack of care at the security of the timeline, Ford found himself not wanting them to waste any more time. The sooner the kids could get home, the sooner he could figure out what to do about his own situation. Plus, he didn’t think Fiddleford would be overly fond of the kid’s future version of himself.

Everyone looked up at Ford and he swallowed in discomfort. “Fiddleford, the device is on the table there.”

For a moment, Fiddleford looked disappointed, but then he sighed and nodded. “Right, right, of course.”

As soon as his friend made his way to the table, Ford headed towards to kitchen. He didn’t necessarily want to waste time with groceries or food, but he also needed a break to compose himself.

Of course he couldn’t get even that. Walking into the kitchen and setting down the bags of groceries, Ford heard footsteps and looked up. Stan was watching him, but despite how close they had once been, Ford found he couldn’t read his brother’s mood now. So he ignored him as he put the perishable goods in the fridge.

“You didn’t crash my car.”

Ford froze - his hand on the milk - and glanced up at Stan. “Of course I didn’t!” The pain in his head and the growing exhaustion of his body resulted in his voice coming out sharper than he intended.

“Sheesh, relax…” Stan frowned and grabbed some of the food to put in a cabinet. There was silence for a moment then he spoke again. “Did everything go okay?”

“Yes, fine.”

“Are you sure, cause-?”

“I’m fine, Stanley!” Ford snapped. He didn’t have the energy to deal with his brother’s worry right now.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, then Stan’s face hardened. “Fine.”

He stormed out of the room before Ford could respond.

Letting out a sigh, Ford put up the rest of the food. Mabel’s comments about Stan kept coming back to him. As much as Ford wanted to believe Stan wouldn’t let him down, his brother’s current attitude towards him wasn’t exactly encouraging. Trying to shake the unease in his chest, Ford made his way back to the living room.

Upon walking in, Ford found the kids watching Fiddleford examine the time machine. His old friend was muttering to himself, clearly fascinated by the machine. Dipper was questioning him, as if trying to decide how he knew the inventor.

Despite not having the energy or desire to interact with anyone, Ford forced himself to walk up to the group. “Can you fix it?”

Fiddleford looked at him, a shadow passing over his face before he returned his gaze to the time machine. “I think so. But I don’t know if all of the parts are here…”

“I tried to grab them all…” Mabel said, worry crossing her face.

“It’s okay, Mabel, I’m sure we can figure something out.” Dipper gave his sister a reassuring smile and Ford shoved aside any resentment he felt at seeing the two siblings getting along.

“The parts are pretty advanced…” As he spoke, Fiddleford glanced at Ford.

 It was questioning and Ford knew he was thinking about Crash Site Omega. Another trip, more time. Ford didn’t have the time or patience to plan a trip to the crash site. Plus, it was freezing. He might not even be able to find the entrance in this weather.

Shaking his head, Ford found himself grasping at vague ideas, trying to figure out a plan. “It’s too cold.” He muttered to Fiddleford, though the kids glanced at him in confusion.

“Then what…?”

“I’ll figure something out.” Ford snapped.

“Maybe you should get some sleep-” Fiddleford started, but Ford quickly interrupted.

“I’m fine!”

When his friend shrunk back, Ford felt a small stab of guilt. “I just…give me a few hours to figure something out…”

“I suppose I could help-”

Ford shook his head. “No, just do what you can with the machine. I…I need to think…”

Making his way to his room, Ford could feel their eyes watching him, but he ignored it. Voices in his head, strange looks, feeling out of place. By now, he was getting pretty good at ignoring all sorts of things.

As he walked into his room, Ford froze as he heard a snore. Glancing at his bed, he saw Stan asleep on it. Annoyance grew in his chest, but it deflated as quickly as it had come. He wasn’t going to be sleeping again any time soon, and he might need Stan later. One of them might as well be rested.

Sitting down at his desk, Ford pulled out his journal and started trying to work out what to do, writing his thoughts out as he did so.

I don’t care to even think about the future any more, it is not as if I can unlearn the knowledge I have-

Ford’s hand froze in midair as he glanced at the sentence. Unlearn. Forget. Fiddleford said that he had destroyed his memory gun. But…what if he hadn’t? It could come in useful. Maybe…

Jumping up, Ford knocked his chair over. Stan mumbled in his sleep but didn’t wake up. Glancing at his brother, Ford knew what he had to do. If he could. If Stan would cooperate. If Fiddleford hadn’t destroyed the gun. If he was right about Bill. It was desperate and…it was permanent but…what other choice did he have? 

#gravity falls #gravity falls au #timestuck au #timetrapped au #stanford pines #stanley pines #mabel pines #dipper pines #stan pines #ford pines #gravity falls fanfiction #aceo writes things

[aceofstars16]

A fic I started writing a *while* ago and finally finished! I was going to try to draw something to go with it, but it's already been sitting for weeks or even months so...I'm just gonna share it now xD

Mabel is creating another sweater masterpiece, but then someone unexpected asks for her assistance.

Mabel was in the zone. Her fingers moved quickly, the clacking of her knitting needles filled the air. This was going to be a GREAT sweater. One of her best! Well, all of them were the best, but still!

She was vaguely aware of Dipper telling her he was going out with Soos and Stan to do…something, she didn’t quite catch what it was. But that was fine, this sweater would take up at least another hour, probably more. And if they weren’t back by then, well, she could start on another one. Or have a dance part with Waddles. Or about a million other things.

The TV was on as Mabel worked. She was half watching, half working, just how she liked it. Which is probably why didn’t notice Dipper leaving. Or just about anything else going on in the shack. That is, until someone coughed. Well, she might not have noticed that either, but it was kind of loud. Almost like they had already coughed once.

Looking up, a grin broke out on Mabel’s face as she saw Ford standing in the doorway.

“Grunkle Ford!” Mabel held up her sweater. “What do you think?”

Ford glanced at the sweater, taking it in for a moment, then a hesitant smile grew on his face. “It’s uh, it’s very colorful.”

“Right?” She held up the yarn she was using. “I have been wanting to use these colors for ages and I finally got around to it, and it looks awesome!”

Ford nodded, but didn’t say anything else, almost as if he was at a loss for words.

Then Mabel had a spark of genius. “Oh my gosh! I can make you a sweater! I’ve tried making some for Dipper but he never wears them. I think ‘cause of his sweating problem. And I’ve offered to make one for Stan too. He says he doesn’t need one, but I’ll wear him down soon, I know it. But! You already wear sweaters!”

For a moment, Ford just stared at her, then he shook his head. “Oh, ah. No, that’s fine. I don’t need a new sweater.”

Mabel’s shoulders drooped and the sweater she had been holding up fell in her lap. All the of ideas she had been coming up with in the last few seconds came screeching to a halt.

“Oh, but uh, I do actually have a favor to ask. And it does involve sweaters.” Ford pulled his hands out from behind his back and showed her the black turtleneck he had been wearing when he’d first come out of the portal, along with the red one she’d seen him wear for the past few days. It was only now that she realized he was wearing a white button up instead of his normal sweater, though his coat was pulled tightly around his neck. “These have a few holes in them. I…can patch them myself, but-”

“I can help!” Mabel sat up straight, her smile returning to her face. “I can do it right now if you want!”

Ford held up a hand. “Oh, no, that’s fine. Just when you have time. I’ll leave them here.” He placed the sweaters on the edge of the couch.

Mabel couldn’t stop herself from picking up one of them. “I can do it now, really, you could even stay and-”

“No, no. Really. It’s fine. There are some things I need to attend to.” Ford gave her an awkward smile which she tried to return despite her disappointment. She really wanted to get to know Ford better.

“I’ll leave you to your current project.” Ford raised a hand in farewell, then turned and left without another word.

Mabel frowned at the empty hallway where her grunkle had been. Then she glanced at the sweater in her lap. “Sorry rainbow sweater, but I have another project I gotta work on first.” Placing aside her colorful top, Mabel picked up the black turtleneck and frowned. It was so dark, and as she examined it, she saw a bunch of holes in it. The red one was better, but still way too holey.

Carefully placing all of the sweaters on the couch, she raced upstairs. Ford might’ve said he only needed a patch job, and he’s said there was no rush. but Mabel knew she couldn’t pass up this opportunity. This was her chance to make something for her new grunkle – even if it was just adding something to his current clothes – and she was not going to wait to get started.

------

Ford frowned as he stared at the rift, moving within its containment unit. He was still at a loss as to how to get rid of it, if he even could. It was just another reminder of his mistakes, and now, thanks to Stan, he was back to square one with stopping Bill too.

The sound of the elevator opening sent a wave of panic through Ford and he quickly closed the door to the cabinet he had been keeping the rift in. He’d told Dipper, yes, but he didn’t want to risk anyone else knowing about it.

“Grunkle Ford!”

Spinning around, Ford was met with the sight of Mabel grinning, her hands behind her back. He was more than a little surprised to see her, it had only been an hour or so since he’d gone upstairs to give her his sweaters.

“So, I know you said there wasn’t a rush, but I really wanted to work on your sweaters right away…” Mabel pulled her hands from behind her back to show him the sweaters. “But I really wanted to do them now!”

For a moment, Ford stared at her. She had worked fast! He wasn’t very knowledgeable about knitting, but he had always assumed it took a while to make something. Then again, he’d only asked for a patch job, so maybe that didn’t take as long.

Reaching forward, he picked up the top sweater – his red one – which, upon further inspection, he could see was now free of holes. “Thank you, Mabel, I appreciate-” He trailed off as he caught sight of his black turtleneck. Because it was no longer fully black. There were grey and white polka dots scattered over the whole thing and on the front was a stitched six fingered hand.

“You like it?” Mabel grinned, holding up the sweater. “There were a lot more holes, and I didn’t have much black left. And I thought ‘hey, everyone loves polka dots!’ and since you have a fix fingered hand on your journal, I figured that would be a fun touch too!”

For a moment, Ford just stood there processing the information. He’d only asked for a patch job, he really didn’t need anything extra, and he would’ve gladly waited for her to get more yarn that would match. But then he met her gaze and saw the pure excitement and enthusiasm shining in her eyes. He couldn’t help but remember her creativity when playing DD & More D, and the fact that she had channeled that into one of his sweaters and was so excited about it…He found a small smile growing on his face as well.

“Thank you, Mabel. I love it.”

“Really?!?” Mabel beamed, holding it out to him.

He accepted it and placed it above the red sweater that he had draped on his arm.

“Are you gonna try it on?”

Ford couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Alright, I’ll try it on.” He handed her the red sweater before carefully pulling the black one over his head. He glanced down at it and smiled. It wasn’t his style at all - even after thirty years in other dimensions, he still found himself trying not to draw attention to his extra fingers - but for some reason, he didn’t mind seeing it displayed on a sweater.

“It looks perfect! Now we really are sweater twins!”

“I suppose we are.” Ford smiled fondly at her enthusiasm. It really was contagious.

“Oh! I forgot! I need to let Waddles out for a bit, he’s been cooped up for hours and I can’t let him out without supervision!” Mabel quickly handed the red sweater to Ford and raced towards the elevator, but not before giving Ford one last grin. “I’m glad you love your sweaters Grunkle Ford!”

Ford watched as the elevator doors closed. Then he glanced down at the sweater before looking up at the dismantled portal and the cabinet with the rift in it. His work tended to be quite messy. With a frown, he carefully removed the black sweater and replaced it with the red. It was a special gift and he didn’t want to accidentally ruin it. No, he decided that it would be saved for very special occasions. After all, this was the first gift he’d received in a long time, especially from family. And for that, it deserved to be treated as the treasure that it was.

#gravity falls #gravity falls fanfiction #ford pines #mabel pines #stanford pines #mabel and ford bonding #sweater twins #aceo writes things

[aceofstars16]

Chapter 12 is out!

Stan and the kids continue their mission to fix the consequences of Ford's plan.

You can read the entire thing on AO3 or only this chapter below

Chapter 12 – …But Not Forgotten

Emptiness. It surrounded Ford in a vacuum. There was nothing but the void. But if he focused, he could sense something just out of reach. He could almost hear voices speaking to him. Voices he should recognize or remember, but as soon as he tried to focus on them, they faded away. A feeling of understanding and belonging seemed just out of reach. Nothing made sense. He was lost.

Then a voice broke through the darkness, one that didn’t fade away.

“Ford?”

It echoed around the darkness. There was something familiar about it. As if it was a voice he might actually know.

“Wake up, Sixer.”

The darkness faded and he was pulled out from the depths of sleep.

Blinking, Ford squinted his eyes. His right eye was stinging a little, but not as much as it had been…downstairs? Yes, that’s where he’d been before coming up here. At least he could be certain of one thing.

And the pain. That was another thing he knew was certain. His body ached, and exhaustion tugged on his limbs even as he lifted his arm up to rub a hand over his eyes – which unfortunately didn’t help his injured eye like he’d hoped.

“Oh, good…you…you’re up.”

Looking over, Ford caught sight of Stan. At the recollection name, he felt a rush of relief. His brain was still capable of remembering things. Even if…everything before the basement was a gaping hole in his mind.

“We have a plan!”

The girl – Maple? No, Mabel - was grinning at him and gripping a few books in her arms.

“Ummm…for what?” Ford forced himself to sit up, despite his body’s protests. What had happened to make him so tired? Or maybe not remembering was the reason he was exhausted. He had no clue.

“To help you remember!” The girl kept grinning and Ford found himself looking at Stan again. Something in him felt like he could trust the man who called himself his brother. But even so…he couldn’t help but remember the conversation he’d overheard before coming up here to sleep. So he had to ask.

“Were you really the one who…destroyed my mind?”

Stan’s face dropped and he looked at the floor. “I…”

“You asked him to. To get rid of Bill.”

The boy - Dipper? – spoke this time and he held up a book. In it there was a drawing of a triangle with writing scribbled around it.

“Bill?” Ford leaned forward, trying to see the picture better.

“Yeah, he…well he’s a jerk. But he’s gone now. We think.” Dipper glanced at the book and flipped to the cover, showing it to Ford. “Do…do you recognize this journal?”

Ford blinked, looking at the six fingered hand on the cover. “I…no…should I?”

Dipper, Stan, and Mabel all looked at each other. A flash of concern flickering between them. There was silence for a moment, then Stan looked at Ford.

“Look at your hand.”

“My hand?” Even as he spoke, Ford lifted up his hand. “What am I…oh…” Six fingers. Just like on the journal.

“You wrote this book.” Stan said, grabbing the book from Dipper and offered it to Ford. “And a few others too.”

Ford hesitantly accepted the journal and flipped through it. The pictures detailed all sorts of…strange looking things. But… “I don’t recognize any of this…”

“What about these!” Mabel pushed a different book into his lap and jumped up on the bed next to him before opening it up.

There was a picture at a beach in a small town with two boys throwing sand at each other. A few others showed the kids at a boardwalk with some performers and two adults that Ford could only assume were the boys’ parents.

“I…I don’t…”

“This is us…when we were kids.” Stan pointed to one of the pictures of the boys and Ford looked at it a little closer.

“They look…the same…” Ford glanced at Stan, who looked away but nodded.

“Yeah, we…we’re twins. Though,” he held up his hand and looked at Ford again, the ghost of a smile on his face. “I didn’t get the extra finger.”

For a moment, Ford just stared at Stan. He should've known that they were twins, but…he realized with a jolt that he didn’t remember what he looked like. He hadn't looked in a mirror since he had…forgotten.

“Oooo, this looks fun!” Mabel pointed at a picture of the twins on a ferris wheel at the pier.

Stan laughed quietly. “Yeah, we ate way too much candy and popcorn. Then we went on the roller coaster and-”

“Got sick?” Ford asked, which resulted in everyone looking at him.

“D-do you remember it?” Stan asked.

“I…no. I just…assumed…” Feeling self-conscious about the disappointment on Stan's face, he looked away. “I…sorry I just…” He looked at the book. “It’s like looking at pictures of total strangers.”

“No…it-it’s okay.” Stan’s voice cracked and Ford looked up at him. The brokenness in his eyes only made Ford’s guilt grow, but Stan gave him an unconvincing smile. “It…it was a long shot anyway.”

Ford looked at the book again. But the pictures didn’t fill in the emptiness of his mind. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, his stomach growled.

“Oh…right. You…you haven’t eaten in…Well, we made some food a while ago. I’ll go get some for you.” Stan said, getting up and leaving the room before Ford could respond.

Mabel and Dipper looked at each other and Mabel ran out after Stan.

“I…I really am sorry that I can’t…remember anything…” Ford said quietly.

“It’s…it’s not your fault.” Dipper said quietly. “Maybe…I can tell you about some of the stuff I wrote about instead?”

“You wrote in the journal too?” Ford had gotten the impression that the journal was his. And something about sharing it didn’t feel like something he’d do very willingly.

“Uh, yeah, just a little. It’s not as good as your entries but…Hey, I can tell you about why me and Mabel are here?” Dipper looked uncertainly at Ford.

Ford wasn’t sure how interesting that story would be, but if it would help the kid feel better… “I’d love to hear it.”

Dipper smiled and pulled out the book. “So, there was this time traveler…”

-----

Ducking out of the room, Mabel heard Stan’s footsteps and quickly followed her grunkle. But when she found him, he wasn’t in the kitchen, he was slumped on the floor, his back against the wall. He looked completely defeated. Trying to swallow down her own disappointment, Mabel walked up to him.

“Grunkle Stan?”

Stan didn’t look up. He kept staring at the floor, his gaze unfocused. Okay, so it was up to her to help him again. And despite the lack of progress, she still believed that there was hope.

“I know it doesn’t look great but-”

“Hey, you wanna help me get the soup?” Stan interrupted her, then stood up without waiting for an answer.

 A wave of sadness washed over her, but Mabel quickly pushed it aside and put on her best grin. “Oh…uh, yeah!”

A small smile tried to grow on the side of Stan’s mouth. It wasn’t a full smile, but Mabel counted it as a win. But then his gaze darkened and he sighed, turning away from her and heading towards the kitchen.

Okay, so this was going to be harder than she thought… Following Stan into the kitchen, she saw him grab the leftover soup from the fridge. They'd put it there after they'd decided to look for memorabilia in the attic. He poured some out into a bowl before putting it in the microwave.

As he worked, Mabel tried to think of a plan. Stan couldn’t give up, she wouldn’t let him. But they clearly needed a new strategy. “So…”

Stan closed his eyes and shook his head. “Kid, I…I appreciate the…support but I…I don’t wanna talk about it right now, okay?”

“Oh…” Mabel couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Even so, she tried to give her best smile when Stan glanced at her. “That’s okay! Maybe food will help Ford remember.”

Stan laughed quietly, but it was a laugh without any humor behind it. “Yeah…maybe so…”

The microwave beeped and Stan pulled out the bowl and looked at Mabel. “You think you could take this to him?”

“Uh…yeah but…don’t you want to?”

“I…I need to check on a few things. Ford…well I promised I’d make sure that portal thing got dismantled and I need to find Fiddleford to ask about getting you kids home.” Stan held out the bowl to Mabel but she couldn’t make herself accept it as his words sunk in.

“We can wait! We don’t need to get home right away!” Despite this time being so different than the one she knew; Mabel couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Stan all alone.

“I…” Stan shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, kid, but…you really gotta get home. You’ve already been gone for so long and-”

“Nope! I’m not leaving until Ford remembers and I see you really smile again!” Sure, it was a big promise, but Mabel meant every word of it.

Stan looked at her for a moment, uncertainty clouding his gaze. But then he met her gaze and she smiled determinedly. “I…okay, fine. But I do still need to check on Fiddleford, so-”

Mabel grabbed the bowl and saluted. “I’m on it.”

A small smile grew on his face and he ruffled her hair. “Thanks, kiddo. I’ll check in after I see what’s going on with that portal.”

-----

“…so we came back to the cabin to warm up. Though it was a lot colder than it is now. I think Stan must’ve turned up the heat.” Dipper tried his best to detail the events of the past few days. But he knew he wasn’t the best storyteller. Sure, he knew how to get all of the facts right, but there was a certain flare that was just, hard to capture verbally. On paper was a different story though, he liked to think he was a little more adept at writing.

“Is that when Stan showed up?” Ford asked. So far, he hadn’t remembered anything, though he had asked a few questions. And he did seem interested to hear that Mabel and Dipper were from the future. It wasn’t exactly encouraging on the memory front, but Dipper felt like he had to keep trying. Mabel had been so certain that Ford could remember, and even if he had his doubts, he’d keep trying. For her.

“No, he didn’t show up till a little while later. We...ate some, and…” Dipper flipped through the journal, looking at the entries he’d written while being stuck in the past. He froze when he got to the entry he’d written about Bill trying to start the portal.

“Is that me?” Ford asked, pointing to the rough drawing Dipper had done of Ford being controlled by Bill.

“Uh…kind of…You remember Bill?”

“No, but I remember you saying something about him before. The…the triangle, right?” Ford was still looking at the drawing and Dipper had a hard time not flipping the page.

“Yeah, he…kind of…was able to control your body. And he tried to get to the basement to use the portal down there and-”

“Portal?”

Dipper glanced at Ford to see curiosity flickering in his eyes. He had been curious before, but there was a different excitement to it this time.

“It’s dangerous. Or…that’s what you told me…before…” Dipper flipped the page, not wanting to look at his drawing any more.

“Really? Hmm...that’s disappointing.” Ford frowned. “Do you know why?”

“Bill wanted to use it to bring his dimension here or…take over this dimension? Something like that.” Dipper flipped to some of his later entries.

“Ah…I see…so why did he…I mean…He controlled me?”

“Yeah…I…I think you made some sort of deal with him. Actually…” Dipper pulled out Journal 1. “You wrote a little about him here, when you first met him.”

Ford looked at the entry, slowly reading it. Dipper knew it didn’t have every detail, but it was better than nothing.

“Bill sounds…good in this.” Ford frowned.

“Oh…yeah I think he uh…he’s good at tricking people.” Dipper said, pulling out Journal 3 again. “You wrote a little about him here too. You started writing about how he…tricked you.”

Ford glanced at Journal 3, then back at Journal 1, his brow furrowed in concentration. He started muttering to himself but Dipper couldn’t make out what he was saying.

“Uh…Ford?” Dipper glanced at the journal then back at Ford, who still seemed focused on the writing. But after a moment, he looked up at Dipper.

“It’s…strange…I don’t remember it but…” He frowned. “It feels familiar somehow.”

“Really?” Dipper knew it wasn’t much, but maybe it meant something. Though, what exactly, he wasn’t sure. “You told me earlier that your assistant, Fiddleford, left because he found out Bill’s true intentions. And then you realized that Bill was using you and…then you sent a postcard to Stan asking for help and-”

“Postcard…” Ford mumbled. “I…I asked him to come…to hide this.” He held up Journal 1, his brow furrowed. Then he straightened up. “And he showed up with Mabel.”

Dipper stared wide eyed at Ford. “Did…did you just…remember all of that?”

Ford opened his mouth then closed it. “I…I don’t know it…everything still seems so…empty but…Stan did show up with Mabel…right?”

“Yes! He did! And I didn’t tell you that yet!”

“You remembered!” The door flung open before Ford could say any more.

Mabel stood there with a bowl in one hand and a package of candy in the other, a grin lighting up her face. “I knew it! I knew you could remember!”

“I suppose maybe I just put two and two together…” Ford said quietly, doubt etched on his face.

“Nope! You remembered!” Mabel said, grinning at Dipper, who smiled back. He couldn’t help but wonder if Ford really had just put the pieces together, but it was better progress than they’d had all day. And Dipper hadn’t told Ford why he’d asked Stan to come…

“I have to go tell Stan!” Mabel plopped the soup and chocolate glitter bombs on the bedside table and rushed out of the room.

“Wait!” Ford called out, but it was too late.

Dipper looked at the door, then at Ford, running a hand along the back of his head. “Nothing can stop Mabel when she’s excited.”

Letting out a breath, Ford looked at the bowl, then back at the journals. “I just…don’t know if…”

“Well, we can keep reading and see if you remember more?”

Ford winced but a moment later he shook his head and looked at Dipper. “I…suppose we could try?”

Dipper held up Journal 3. “Okay, so…after Mabel and Stan got here…”

-----

The elevator doors rolled open to reveal the room that Stan wished he could forget. In another time, he might’ve thought the basement was cool, but now it was only a bleak reminder of all he’d lost.

A dinging sound rang out from the cavern beyond and Stan quickly made his way to the larger room – wanting to put the observation room behind him as fast possible. He spotted Fiddleford right away. It seemed the inventor had come down here while Stan and the kids had been rummaging around the house for scrapbooks and the like. He was pulling apart the portal, and though there were several metal sheets scattered about, the frame was still mostly intact.

“Need some help?”

Fiddleford froze and looked up at Stan. Uncertainty crossed his face but then he looked at the portal and sighed. “I suppose so.”

Walking closer to him, Stan looked around, not really sure where to start.

“You can hold this while I disconnect the circuitry.” Fiddleford pointed to a metal panel that was hanging by cables.

It looked heavy, but Stan barely thought about it as he walked over and supported the panel while Fiddleford scrambled up a ladder and started carefully disconnecting the wires.

Silence filled the air, only broken by the occasional muttering of Fiddleford. Thankfully, the strain of supporting the panel kept Stan distracted.

“Alright, you can let it go.”

Releasing his hold on the panel, Stan quickly stepped back. The metal shook the ground as it fell, vibrating the dirt around it. “Sheesh, what kind of metal is that?” Despite only holding it for a minute or two, Stan’s arms ached.

“Yer brother called it Fordidium, but…he just named it. It’s not like anything we make in this world.” Fiddleford seemed uncomfortable mentioning Ford, but not about the properties of the metal. Stan, on the other hand, felt his skin crawl.

“Uh…what do you mean, in this world?”

Looking at him, Fiddleford sighed as he climbed the ladder again and started working on some more circuitry. “We got it from an alien crash site.” He paused, seeming lost for a moment. “From what I recall, it wasn’t worth the trip.”

Stan stared at Fiddleford. First inter-dimensional portals and now alien crash sites. What was next, the Loch Ness Monster? “Right…”

“Here, you can help me pull this piece off. It’s a big ‘un.”

The next few minutes were filled with work, taking apart panels and piling up the metal scraps to be used for who knew what. But despite the strenuous activity, Stan felt his mind still stuck on his current predicament. They stopped for a break and he couldn't hold back the question that had been running around in his mind.

“Why did you make it?”

“Huh?” Fiddleford glanced up from some wires he was untangling.

“That…stupid gun.”

There was silence for a moment. “Some things are better forgotten.”

Stan frowned. Despite his annoyance with the gun, he couldn’t help but think that Fiddleford had a point. There were certainly some things he wished he could forget. But still…the stupid invention had resulted in losing Ford. “Yeah okay…fine…but like…What if later, you wanted to remember?”

Fiddleford frowned and his hands dropped from the tangle of wires. “I…actually made a way for the memory to be recovered.”

“You did? How? Can we use it to bring Ford’s memories back?”

The hope that was growing in Stan’s chest deflated when Fiddleford looked away, his face crestfallen. “I can’t. The gun is broken and…even if it wasn’t, it was never designed to save an entire lifetime of memories.”

Quickly looking away, Stan tried not to let his emotions overwhelm him. He'd already known it was a lost cause. Why did he keep looking for a way out? Because it was Ford. He couldn’t imagine a life without him. Even when they had been apart, Ford had still been Ford. But now…

Fiddleford sighed, but Stan couldn’t look at him. He didn’t exactly want to be emotionally vulnerable with a stranger. Heck, he didn’t like being emotionally vulnerable with anyone.

“I’m sorry Stanley but…Ford is-”

“GRUNKLE STAN!” His words were cut off as Mabel came running into the cavern, a grin lighting up her face.

“Mabel, kiddo I thought you were-”

“Ford remembered!”

Stan froze, looking at the grin on Mabel’s face. The hope in his chest fluttered, but he tried to taper it down. He couldn’t keep being disappointed.

“It’s not possible...” Fiddleford was looking thoughtfully at his wires again.

Stan tried not to focus on the inventor’s words and instead looked at Mabel. “What…what did he remember?”

“He remembered when we showed up!” Mabel grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the elevator. “Come on! We can help him remember more!”

Despite his hesitancy to hope, Mabel’s enthusiasm was contagious, so Stan let himself be dragged along. Fiddleford, on the other hand, stayed put, but Stan caught a glimpse of him looking at Mabel with veiled curiosity.  

“I just knew he would remember! He’s not gone!” Mabel grinned at him and Stan did his best to smile back.

The ride up the elevator was filled with Mabel’s excited ramblings, but Stan couldn’t make himself focus on what she was saying. Dread was slowly growing in his chest. It kept building until they reached Ford’s room and Stan found himself stumbling to a stop. He couldn’t get his hopes up. Not again. They’d been squashed too many times. If Ford didn’t remember this time, if it was a false alarm…He had to be realistic. He couldn’t-

A hand squeezed his and he looked down to see Mabel smiling at him. “He’s remembering. I know it. You can trust me.”

Her optimism was so strong, it almost felt like it was radiating off of her. He was scared but…Mabel was so positive. And after everything they had been through, he knew she wouldn’t hurt him. In fact, she was the only reason they were here now, trying to get Ford’s memory back. Swallowing hard, Stan took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He squeezed her hand and nodded. “Alright kiddo. I trust you.”

Then he opened the door.

The conversation on the other side died as the hinges creaked. Not much had changed since Stan had last been here, aside from the empty bowl and candy on the bedside table. Ford was still on the bed. Dipper was sitting next to him holding a journal. Both looked up at Stan, even as Mabel walked in after him. But Ford quickly looked away.

“What else have you remembered?” Mabel asked Ford, a grin on her face.

Ford glanced at her, then back at the journal. “I’m not…”

“Nothing else yet…” Dipper said hesitantly.

I knew it. The thought came quickly, and Stan didn’t have the strength to fight it. Mabel was optimistic, and as much as he wanted to believe her…deep down, he knew he had to face reality.

“That’s okay!” Mabel said, squeezing Stan’s hand, then grinning at him before grabbing the box of candy off of the bedside table. “I bet candy will help!”

The barest hint of a smile played on Stan’s mouth. She was such an optimistic kid. Once upon a time, he might’ve thought like her. But he had been through enough life to know better by now.

“Here!” Mabel had opened the candy and dropped a glittering ball into Ford’s hand.

He stared at it, then looked up at Mabel. His gaze shifted to Stan before returning to the candy.

“Go on.” Mabel grinned, then poured out a glittering chocolate ball for herself and popped it into her mouth.

“Is this…edible?” Ford asked, frowning at the glitter that had fallen off of the ball onto his hand.

“It came from a store so…I think so?” Dipper said, looking suspiciously at the candy that Mabel handed him, then shrugging and tossing it into his mouth.

Mabel handed one to Stan too, apparently not wanting to leave anyone out.

Ford glanced at Stan who shrugged and popped it into his mouth. A second later, Ford followed suit.

“So…” Mabel asked, grinning at Ford.

“Uh…it’s…fine…” Ford said, giving her a strained smile. “Though I would’ve preferred jelly beans.”

Stan stood straighter at Ford’s comment. “Jelly beans?” He knew that they were Ford’s favorite candy. It was possible that something in the journal mentioned them or that Ford’s taste buds somehow reminded him that he liked them but…could it be a memory?

Ford frowned. “Yeah. Especially the blue ones. There were always different, most likely to be…” he trailed off, his eyes widening.

For a moment, everyone glanced around the room, then back at Ford. Stan couldn’t stop himself from stepping forward. “You always liked the misshapen ones.”

Looking up, Ford met his gaze. Unlike the last time, when his gaze had been blank, there was a spark of something in his eyes. Almost like…recognition. “That’s right…I would always save the misshapen ones…And you thought it was stupid because candy was for eating not collecting.”

“I knew it! The power of candy!” Mabel shouted, pumping her fist in the air.

Stan glanced at her and a weak laugh of relief escaped him.

“I guess it’s a good thing I let you get some then.” Ford said, glancing at the package of Glitter Bombs.

“OH MY GOSH! You remember going to the store?!?” Mabel jumped onto the bed, bouncing up and down.

Ford furrowed his brow but nodded. “I…I think so…it’s fuzzy but…”

“You remembered.” Stan said quietly, the reality of it all slowly seeping in. He looked at Ford, who met his gaze. They were silent for a moment. The spark in Ford’s eyes seemed to grow and then a very small smile grew on his mouth. A real smile. One that Stan hadn’t seen in over ten years.

“I did.”

#gravity falls #gravity falls au #gravity falls fanfiction #stanford pines #stanley pines #mabel pines #dipper pines #stan pines #ford pines #aceo writes things #i am so tired guys i did not sleep well last night send help #my body is tired but it doesn't fall asleep and i'm ughhhh

[aceofstars16]

Next chapter is up! It's the climax...hehehe

Ford takes a drastic measure to stop Bill…

You can read on AO3 or below the cut

Chapter 10 - Desperate

“This was no accident, Stan; you did this!

“And until you make us a fortune, you're not welcome in this household!”

“Stanford? Don't leave me hangin'. High six?”

Stan looked up at the window, looking desperately at his brother. Then the curtains closed and he was alone. For a moment, the word seemed to grow dark. Then he yelled up at the window.

“Fine, I don’t need you, I don’t need anyone!”

“So why should you help him now?”

The thought entered Stan’s mind, unbidden, but he couldn’t entirely reason away. Ford had pushed him away. He had left him to his own devices. And now he had called him here because he needed help. When Ford hadn’t helped him in his desperation. When he was just a kid…

“Would he do the same for you now?”

Once again, the thought felt disconnected to the scene, but it was something Stan had wondered. Had Ford changed? Had he realized he'd made a mistake in pushing Stan away? Or had he changed so much that none of the brother he remembered remained?

“Stanley?”

The voice echoed around the dream, then everything started to fade away. In a blink, the memory was gone and Stan was looking up at the ceiling. A hand shook his shoulder and he batted it away.

“I’m up, I’m up.” Truthfully, sleep still clung to him. The thoughts in his dream were still ringing in his head, planting seeds of doubt in his mind. Which only grew as he sat up and saw Ford looking at him, a frown etched on his face. The eyepatch he had been wearing was nowhere to be seen.

“Good, I...I need your help with something.” Ford looked at the ground as he spoke. There was an edge to his voice that made Stan uneasy.

“You want me to tie you up again so you can sleep?” It was the logical assumption. Ford still looked exhausted, and sleep could only be good for him. Even if it meant having another frustrating conversation with the stupid triangle guy.

“What?” Ford glanced at him and shook his head. “No, it’s…something else.”

“What is it?” Stan could practically hear Bill mocking him, telling him that Ford only wanted him to come to his house to send him away again. Was he finally going to learn the truth?

“I…” Ford let out a breath, still not looking at Stan. “Come on. I…I need to show you something first.”

So much for answers. Trying to push aside the disappointment, Stan stood up, shaking the remnants of drowsiness from his body. “Uh…lead the way I guess.”

Ford nodded and stood up, not even looking at Stan. Then he headed out of the room and lead Stan to a bookcase, with an elevator behind it.

“Woah…this is fancy…” Stan muttered. It was hard not to be a little jealous that Ford had a nice house with an elevator when he only had his car.

Ford hit a button in the elevator and it descended, the silence only broken by the rumbling of the mechanics. And as the seconds ticked by, Stan could feel a weight growing in his chest. The door opened and he was immediately met with a room full of a bunch of machines that he didn’t understand. It looked like a nerd’s paradise. So it made perfect sense for Ford.

“Hope you don’t expect me to work any of this stuff.” Stan placed a hand on one of the machines.

“Don’t touch-!” Ford snapped, and Stan quickly removed his hand, feeling a spark of annoyance as his brother’s aggravation. Why bring him here if he was worried about Stan messing something up?

“I…” Ford shook his head. “Sorry. I just…I need you to understand that this is dangerous.”

The heaviness in Stan’s chest grew. “Is this what the kids were talking about?”

Ford looked at Stan in confusion, then it cleared and he sighed. “Yes, it’s…one of my biggest mistakes.”

Stan swallowed down any resentment at knowing that Ford leaving him behind wasn’t his biggest mistake. However, the thought was quickly chased away as Ford pulled a switch, resulting in a cavern outside of the room lighting up.

“Woah…what’s…?”

“It's a trans-universal gateway, a punched hole through a weak spot in our dimension. It connects to…Bill’s domain.” Ford huffed. “I suppose I should tell you about Bill.”

“The weird triangle that wants to take over the universe?”

“What? How did you-?”

“Dipper told me while you were gone. Granted, it sounds like something out of a TV show or something, but…” Stan paused, not sure if he wanted to admit that he'd talked with Bill while Ford had been asleep.

“He’s real.” Ford said, glancing at the portal. “And I need your help to get rid of him.”

“Me? What do you want me to do? Punch you really hard or something?” Stan couldn’t imagine how he was supposed to stop something that lived in Ford’s mind.

Ford let out a strained laugh. “No…not…not exactly.”

There was silence for a moment.

“Stan…” Ford looked at him, maintaining eye contact for the first time since he had woken Stan up. “I need you to promise me that you will do what I ask of you. No matter what.”

The words hung in the air. Stan found himself frozen in place. There was something in Ford’s gaze that made him hesitate. He couldn’t pinpoint it at first. Then it hit him. Ford was scared. No, not scared. He was terrified.

“What…what are you wanting me to do?” Stan could barely get the words out. He had never seen Ford look so…shaken.

Ford’s gaze flicked away. “I…I need your word first, Stanley.”

“Ford, what’s going on? What are you thinking? Please, talk to me!” Anxiety was growing in Stan’s body with each second. He didn’t know what Ford was thinking, but everything in him was screaming that it wasn’t good.

Ford swallowed hard. “I…I have to get rid of Bill, Stan. But I can’t do it without you.” He glanced up, looking at Stan again. The terror was evident in every line of his face – he wasn’t trying to hide it any more. But there was something else lying underneath it. Desperation.

 “Please, Stanley. Promise me.”

Every bit of Stan’s common sense screamed at him to decline. There was something bad going down. This was not right. But the absolute desperation on Ford’s face stopped him from telling his brother that he was crazy and he’d never agree to do something until he knew what it was. Because Ford needed him. So, despite his better judgement, Stan found himself nodding.

“Alright…fine…I…” He swallowed and met Ford’s gaze. “I promise.”

Ford’s shoulder’s relaxed and he drooped in relief. “Thank you, Stanley…”

Stan tried his best to smile at his brother. “Yeah, so uh…what’s the plan?”

Swallowing, Ford dug into his coat and pulled out a gun of sorts. He fiddled with it for a bit, seeming to input something into it. “I need you to…take this and…” His fingers froze for a moment, panic crossing his face. Then he shook his head. “I need you to shoot me with it.”

“WHAT?!?” Stan stared at his brother in shock. “I’m not going to shoot you, Stanford!”

“It’s not a normal gun, Stanley. It’s…it’s just something that will get Bill out of my head. That’s all.” As he spoke, Ford held out the gun for Stan to see more clearly.

Trying to taper his dread, Stan looked at the gun. It definitely didn’t look like a regular gun, but still… “It won’t hurt you?”

Ford looked away for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before looking back at Stan. “No, it won’t hurt me.”

Stan found the words less than reassuring. But he trusted his brother. He had to. It would be okay.

“There is one more thing.”

The dread returned full force. “What?”

“To make sure that Bill is fully in my head, so he can’t survive, I need to let him take over my body.” Ford frowned. “And unfortunately, he knows what I’m thinking, so he will try to convince you not to do it. He will say anything, Stanley. But you can’t listen to him.” The desperation was back, creeping into Ford’s voice and covering his face as he spoke. “Do you understand?”

Despite the unease that had been haunting Stan since he came down here, he felt a resolve overwhelming him. This thing had been hurting his brother. And now he could get rid of it. “I understand.”

Ford nodded. “Good. Now…let me show you how this works…”

-----

Dipper woke with a start. Wind was battering against the windows, and as he sat up, a branch hit the house, resulting in a loud BANG. Which explained why he’d woken up.

Rubbing his eyes, Dipper looked around. It was fairly dark in the room, but there was a small lamp on, showing Fiddleford conked out on the table with the time machine. He vaguely remembered sitting down with Mabel and talking about Stan and Ford. She hadn’t seemed to learn much about what had happened between them, but Stan had told Dipper everything. Or at least, everything from his perspective. Mabel, of course, had been crushed, and Dipper himself couldn’t shake the uneasiness at how such a little mistake could tear twins apart.

Before they had had fallen asleep, they had promised not to let anything like that happen between them. Though there was one thing that Dipper found himself worrying about.

“We have to help them make up!”

“But, Mabel, we don’t know how that would affect the future!”

“But they need each other, Dipper!”

“I…I don’t know, Mabel. Maybe we should sleep on it.”

The hurt on Mabel’s face still haunted Dipper as he glanced at her. She was still fast asleep. It’s not that he didn’t want to help Stan and Ford, but he also didn’t want to do something that would destroy the timeline. For all he knew, if they did something drastic then they might cease to exist.

Sighing, Dipper slowly got up, careful not to move Mabel. He needed some water to help him clear his head. But as he walked by Ford’s room, he noticed that the door was open. And poking his head in, he saw that no one was inside. Where were Stan and Ford?

All thoughts of water forgotten, Dipper quickly made his way around the house, looking for the brothers. But they weren’t anywhere to be found. Which only left…the basement.

Memories of his last time down there played in his mind. He didn’t really want to go down there by himself again, even if Stan was down there too. Swallowing hard, Dipper made his way back to Mabel and gently shook her.

“Mabel. Hey, wake up.”

“No more Smile Dip.” Mabel muttered in her sleep and Dipper shook her again. This time she jolted awake.

“Huh? What? Dipper? What time is it?”

“I…I’m not sure. But I can’t find Stan or Ford. I think they might be…in the basement.” Dipper said, glancing in the direction of the bookshelf.

“Why would they be there?” Mabel muttered, sitting up.

“I don’t know but…with everything going on I…I think we should check it out.”

Mabel frowned. “Do you think Bill is doing something?”

“I don’t know…”

“Don’t mention that name.”

Dipper and Mabel both looked quickly towards the table.

Fiddleford was blinking hard, but frowning at them.

“You know about Bill?” Dipper couldn’t help but ask.

Not meeting his gaze, Fiddleford nodded. “A little. I don’t remember much but…” He shook his head. “Never mind. Bill can’t be trusted.”

“We know that.” Mabel said.

“Which is why I want to go down to the basement to make sure everything is…okay.” Dipper said, trying to ignore the goosebumps growing on his arms.

“I’m not going down there again it’s…” Fiddleford trailed off. “Wait a second. How long have I been asleep?”

Dipper shrugged as did Mabel. “I don’t know, you were still awake when we fell asleep.”

“I remember working…and then…Ford brought me some coco…I never could stay awake after drinking a cup…” Fiddleford sat up straight, then grabbed for the bag that he had brought with him and dug around in it. “No, no, no! Where is it?”

“Where’s what?” Dipper and Mabel asked at the same time.

“My memory gun, it’s…it’s gone!”

“Your what?!?” Dipper blurted out.

A shadow grew over Fiddleford’s face. “I don’t know what’s going on but…” He let out a huff. “We have to find Stan and Ford.”

-----

“So, it shoots light or something?”

Ford could hear the uncertainty in Stan’s voice, but he did his best to ignore it. Stan had already agreed to his request, all he had to do was make sure that it went according to plan.

“Not light exactly, it’s complicated. But it does look like light.”

“Right…” Stan said, and Ford could feel his eyes on him. Ford knew that Stan wasn’t a huge fan of this plan. After all, despite what had happened ten years ago, Ford knew he wouldn’t want to wipe Stan’s mind. Not that Stan knew what the gun would do but…Ford knew that if he told him, he wouldn’t do it. And Bill needed to be stopped. This was the only way.

“Right. And there are a few things I…need to make sure you do after Bill is gone.” Despite his exhaustion, Ford found himself pacing. After all. that would aid him in letting Bill take over.

“Woah woah, what do you mean? You can just make sure they get done, right?”

Ford made the mistake of looking at his brother. He caught the concern in his gaze and quickly looked away., blinking a few times to try to ease the discomfort in his eye. “Yes, well…I will probably need to rest afterwards. And these things should be done as soon as possible.” It wasn’t a full lie. Ford would need sleep afterwards. It just…wasn’t the full truth either.

“Ford…” Stan’s hand rested on his back and Ford skittered to a stop at the familiar gesture. “Is there something I should know?”

For a moment, Ford considered telling Stan the truth. But he couldn’t. Swallowing he shook his head. “No…I mean, yes. After everything is done, I need you to make sure that the portal gets dismantled. Fiddleford should be able to help with that. And he can use parts from the portal to fix the time machine as well.”

“Okay…I can do that I guess…” Stan glanced at the portal and Ford followed his gaze before quickly looking away.

“Good. Make sure the kids get back and…” Sighing, Ford pulled his journal out of his coat. “I need you to hide this somewhere too.”

“What? Hide it? Why?”

“It…it has too much dangerous information in it. No one should ever find it. I’ve already hidden the other two.” Ford held the book out and Stan hesitantly accepted it, frowning.

“Doesn’t Dipper have one of them?”

Ford let out a breath. “Well, yes, but…that’s in the future. I…maybe Fiddleford should check my hiding place and make sure it can’t be accessed….” He muttered to himself, his thoughts going faster than his mind could keep up with. Shaking his head, he brushed aside his mutterings. “But someone needs all of the journals to understand the portal anyway, so it…it should be fine.”

“You sure?” Stan was looking at Ford again, doubt clouding his gaze.

Quickly looking away, Ford nodded. “Yes. I…I think that’s everything. I’m…I’m going to meditate. Bill used to use me that way. And if not…”

“You’re tired enough you’ll probably fall asleep anyway?”

Ford quickly looked at Stan as he said exactly what he was thinking.

“You look dead on your feet, Sixer. It’s not that hard to put together.”

“Oh…right…” Ford sighed, then gestured to the journal in Stan’s hand. “You can put that away. Focus on the gun right now. And remember-”

“The creep is gonna try to convince me not to shoot you. I got it, Ford.”

For a moment, Ford looked at Stan. Not for the first time, anxiety grew in his chest. He didn’t want to lose his memory. He didn’t want to forget everything. Panic started growing in his chest. Then a hand rested on his shoulder and their eyes met.

“It’ll be okay, Stanford. I promised, remember?”

There was nothing in Stan’s voice that left any room for doubt. Ford could trust his brother. For a moment, he opened his mouth, wanting to tell Stan what would really happen. And how scared he was. Then Stan grinned and patted his shoulder.

“Now, you go on and meditate or whatever.” He held up the memory gun. “I’ll get rid of that jerk.”

Ford’s gaze grew blurry and it took him a moment to realize that his eyes were watering. No, not watering – tearing up. He quickly looked away and nodded. “Right.”

Then he sat down and crossed his legs. Looking up, he saw Stan giving him a thumbs up. That was the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes.

-----

Stan watched as Ford sat there. He had never meditated before so he didn’t really know what to expect. After a few minutes he started tapping his foot.

“Stan, I can’t focus when you do that.”

Letting out a breath, Stan stilled his foot. “Right. Sorry.” It wasn’t his fault that his anxiety was building. After all, he didn’t know exactly what to expect, and just the thought of pointing a gun – even one without bullets – at Ford just felt wrong.

Time ticked on again. Stan tried to hold his tongue, but patience was never his strong suit. “How long does this normally take?”

A frustrated sigh escaped Ford. “Stanley, please this…this is hard enough as it is.”

Trying his best to swallow down his anxiety, Stan tapped his fingers on the gun. It wasn’t as loud as his foot, and Ford didn’t comment about it, so he figured it wasn’t too loud. As he did so, he glanced at the gun, his gaze resting on the screen at the end of it.

Wait. Why did it say…Stanford Pines? Wasn’t it supposed to get rid of Bill?

“You know, he doesn’t really trust you.”

Stan jumped at the voice, immediately pointing the gun at Ford. Because despite the voice being his brother, he knew that it wasn’t really him. His finger found the trigger, and he started to pull it.

“He didn’t tell you what that thing would actually do to him.” Ford looked up at him and smiled knowingly, which effectively stopped Stan’s finger.

“He told me it would get rid of you.” Swallowing, Stan started pulling on the trigger again.

“Ah, yes. But he didn’t tell you that it would get rid of him too.” Ford held up his hand and studied it. “Would be a shame for you to destroy your brother, wouldn’t it?”

The words made Stan’s skin crawl, and his finger stilled again. Then he shook his head, remembering that Ford had told him Bill would do this. He’d try anything to keep Stan from shooting him. “I know your game, triangle. You can’t fool me.”

Ford tapped his chin thoughtfully then grinned in a way that mad Stan’s skin crawl. “I’m not trying to fool you. I know what your brother didn’t tell you. He’s so desperate to get rid of me, that he asked his own brother to destroy his mind.”

 “I…he wouldn’t…”

“Wouldn’t he?” Ford grinned. “Why else do you think his name is on that gun?”

Against his will, Stan found his hand lowering. He knew this had to be a game, just Bill trying to get into his mind too. But…Ford hadn’t exactly explained how this gun worked…

“That’s right...” Ford slowly stood up. “You are only a tool for him. He doesn’t actually care about YOU!”

At the last word, Ford lunged for the gun. Stan tightened his grip on it too late. It went clattering to the ground, a slight chinking sound filling the air as it did so. Stan lunged for it but Ford slammed him into the ground sending the gun skittering further away.

Kicking hard, Stan tried his best to shove Ford off of him.

“Oof, you are a fighter, huh?” Ford growled, then bolted forward.

Stan quickly swung out his leg, tripping his brother. Lunging forward, he reached for the gun. Something grabbed his leg and he kicked without thinking and thrust his arm forward, grabbing the gun.

“Give me that!” Ford screamed and in that split second, instinct took over.

Stan rolled over and fired.

Light erupted from the gun, hitting Ford right in the head. The scream that escaped his brother chilled Stan to the bone, but he couldn’t force his finger to leave the trigger.

The whirring of the gun grew louder and higher pitched. Then the bulb shattered, cutting off the light. Stan quickly threw the gun to the side, grimacing as a few pieces of glass cut his hand.

For a moment, Stan just sat there, catching his breath as adrenaline continued to pulse through his body.

A groan shook him from his shock and he looked at Ford.

His brother was kneeling on the ground, holding his head. Panic overwhelmed Stan and he quickly scooted forward. “Ford, are…are you…?”

Ford slowly looked up, his hands falling from his head as he did so. He narrowed his eyes in confusion as he looked at Stan. “Wha-?”

Stan sagged with relief. Deep down he knew that Ford was himself again. Bill wasn’t in control. “Oh thank goodness.” Stan couldn’t stop himself from reaching forward and pulling Ford into a hug.

Ford didn’t return the hug, and Stan realized maybe he needed a little space after having Bill in his mind. Leaning back, he let out a breath and smiled reassuringly. “You’re okay. I thought that stupid triangle might actually be telling the truth.”

 “T-triangle? Wh-what?” Ford muttered, looking around in confusion.

“Don’t worry about him. He…I think he’s gone now. Come on.” Stan stood up and held out his hand, finding a real smile growing on his face. It was over. He had helped Ford, and Bill was gone.

“I…okay…but…” Ford looked at Stan’s hand then up at him, confusion etched on his face. “Who are you?”

#trapped in the past #gravity falls au #gravity falls #stanford pines #stanley pines #dipper pines #mabel pines #ford pines #stan pines #fiddleford mcgucket #timetrapped au #timestuck au #gravity falls fanfiction #aceo writes things

[aceofstars16]

Chapter 11 is up!

Stan and the kids have to figure out how to cope with the consequences of Ford's plan.

Read the whole thing on AO3 or read the next chapter below!

Chapter 11 – Gone…

The world tilted. Ford was just joking, right? Granted, his brother wasn’t very good at jokes, but this had to be a joke. 

“Ha…n-nice one, Ford.” Stan forced the words out of his mouth, trying to believe what he was saying. That his brother was just messing with him. He aimed a light, playful punch at Ford.

Instead of laughing and rolling his eyes, Ford flinched and shuffled away from Stan, fear shining in his eyes as he looked at him with wide eyes. “I…I don’t know what…who are you?”

“Ford it-it’s me, it’s Stan. Y-your brother.” Panic washed over Stan. This couldn’t be happening; Bill couldn’t be right. “You know me. Stop…stop scaring me!”

Ford looked at Stan doubtfully. “I…I don’t know…” He shook his head and looked around. “What…what is this place?”

Stan’s chest grew tight. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. Ford…didn’t know him. He didn’t know what was going on or… “You remember your name, right?”

Looking back at Stan, Ford stared at him blankly. “You…said…Ford?”

Trying to take a deep breath, Stan was relieved to find that he could breathe, but it didn’t help him feel any better. “Stanford, that…that’s your name. And I…I’m Stanley, your brother.”

“Brother…” Ford mumbled, uncertainty still etched on his face.

“Y-yeah I-”

The ding of the elevator interrupted him. Spinning around, Stan saw the doors slide open to reveal Mabel, Dipper, and Fiddleford.

For a moment, they all just stared at each other. Then Fiddleford stepped forward, only to freeze as he saw the shattered remains of the memory gun. Rushing over to it he picked it up and looked at Stan frantically.

“What-what did you do to my memory gun?!?”

Stan stared at the man, his mind trying to wrap around what he was saying. “Wait…memory gun? You…you made it?” At Fiddleford’s nod, Stan jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain in his hand as he grabbed the inventor’s jacket. “So you know how to undo it right?”

“Wh-undo?”

“Grunkle Stan, what…what happened?”

Looking over at Mabel, Stan felt his grip loosening on Fiddleford’s jacket, but he didn’t let go entirely. “I…” The reality of what he had done dawned on him again and he quickly looked back at the man in his grasp. “You can undo it, right?

“Undo wha-?”

“Umm, excuse me, but uh…Stan? Who are these people?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to rest on Ford, who was looking at them in confusion.

Fiddleford quickly pulled himself out of Stan’s lose grip. “You used it on him? Why? What were you thinking?!? And what-?” He glanced at the gun in his hand and his face paled. “You…you didn’t…”

“You have a way to fix it, rig-?”

“You destroyed his brain!” Fiddleford stared at Stan in shock. “I…you can’t…there’s no way to get back that much information! Even if the gun wasn’t broken!”

Taking a step back, Stan looked at the kids. Mabel was twisting the sleeves of her sweater as she glanced at him. Dipper was looking between him and Ford, shock and betrayal lining his face.

“You said you wouldn’t…”

For a moment, Stan didn’t know what the kid was talking about. Then the conversation from a few hours ago came to mind. “Kid, I…I didn’t…”

“What? He just did it to himself? You said you’d never hurt him!”

Air grew thin as Stan tried to catch his breath. Dipper and Fiddleford’s hard yet shocked looks, and the complete and utter confusion of Ford and Mabel’s faces. “I didn’t-” Stan’s voice died as he realized that any excuse he could make was a lie. He had done it. He’d destroyed his brother’s mind.

Glancing at Ford, Stan stumbled backwards at the blank expression on his brother’s face. Ford, who had always been the smart one, who always knew what to do. His best friend…

Gasping for air, Stan shoved Fiddleford aside and bolted to the elevator, grabbing the door and slamming it shut. He could hear the screams of the kids, but he had already hit the button.

As the elevator started moving, Stan leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath, but his chest only grew tighter and tighter. Finally, the tension broke and a sob escaped him. Just one, then another. Tears built up in his eyes and the sobs came harder and harder until every breath was a sob. He could barely see as the door opened.

Stumbling into the house, Stan felt like the world was collapsing in around him. Through sobs and blurred vision, he forced himself to move, to get out of there.

Throwing the outside door open, he was met with bitter cold. The shock took his breath away, but he kept moving. He had no idea where he was going or what he was doing. What he should do.  Because he couldn’t outrun what he did. There was no going back. It was just like that stupid science fair. Only this time Ford was gone. And there was no way to get him back.

One foot in front of the other. That’s all Stan could tell himself to do. Until his knee buckled. Collapsing in the snow, Stan didn’t even try to stop the fall. His arms barely stopped himself from plummeting face first into the icy ground. As he tried to catch his breath, Stan’s body shook as tears pooled in his eyes and fell onto the snow. Cold seeped into his clothes. With each sob, his body shook harder and harder until every inch of him was shivering. But he didn’t care. He had only just gotten his brother back. He had thought maybe, just maybe they could’ve figured things out. Maybe they could’ve been friends again. But now he was gone.

And it was all Stan’s fault. 

-----

“I can’t believe him!” Dipper kicked the elevator doors, wishing they would open faster. But they were stuck waiting for Stan to go wherever he was going before they could do anything.

“Dipper…I don’t think Stan-” Mabel started and Dipper quickly looked at her.

“Then how do you explain all of this? Mabel, Stan has been lying to us since we first came here! And now this? We don’t know what he’s up to!”

Mabel bit her lip and glanced at the elevator then at Ford. “I…I don’t…Dipper, Stan can’t be a bad guy. I know him! He wouldn’t hurt his family!”

“I thought so too, but clearly we were wrong.” The words tasted bitter on Dipper’s tongue, but what else could he say? The evidence was right in front of them.

“Could someone please explain what’s going on?”

Dipper quickly looked at Ford, who had his brows furrowed in confusion. A deep unease grew in Dipper’s chest. In the little time that Dipper had known him – both in this past and in the journal – Ford had always known more than him. He understood things, he was smart, brilliant, even when he was paranoid. But now…

“Your brother used this on you.” Fiddleford said holding up the memory gun while glancing at Ford, emotions flickering so fast across his face that Dipper couldn’t tell what he was feeling.

“To…erase…my mind?” Ford frowned at the gun.

“It appears so…” Fiddleford said.

“But-agh!” Ford winced and gripped his head.

For a moment, Dipper froze, remembering Bill. If he could use Ford before…he could definitely use him now…right?

Fiddleford seemed frozen as well, but Mabel took a step forward. “Are you okay, Grunkle Ford?”

Despite her obvious concern for Ford, her voice had a hollow ring to it.

“I…yes, just a headache…and I’m tired…” Ford shook his head and blinked at Mabel. “Grunkle?”

“Oh yeah you’re-”

The sliding of the elevator door interrupted Mabel and Dipper quickly spoke up before she could continue.  “We’ll explain in the elevator. It’s…uh…”

“Complicated.” Fiddleford finished the sentence for him and Dipper nodded.

“Right…” Ford glanced at the elevator. “Perhaps I could have a nap first. I…I don’t think…I can...deal with complicated right now.”

Dread grew in Dipper’s gut at the mention of Ford sleeping, but saying anything would only confuse his great uncle even more. “Yeah, uh…sure!”

“Naps are good.” Mabel said, her voice still empty of its usual brightness.

Ford struggled to his feet, wincing. Despite his concern about Bill, Dipper quickly stepped forward and offered him a hand.

 “Ah…thank you…uh…”

“Dipper.”

“Right…” Ford frowned, as if trying to wrap his head around that being a name.

“And I’m Mabel, and that’s-”

“Fiddleford.” The inventor said, still looking at Ford in uncertainty.

“Huh…you could go by Ford too…” Ford mumbled as Dipper lead him into the elevator.

The ride up was quiet. Dipper was tempted to ask Ford if he could remember anything about what Stan had done. But the author was swaying on his feet, so he refrained.

As the door opened, Mabel slipped out first. “I’m going to find Stan.”

“What? Mabel, wait!” Dipper tried to grab her hand, but he was too slow and she bolted further into the house.

Torn between her and Ford, Dipper tried to tell himself that Stan wouldn’t hurt Mabel. He had no reason to be upset with her. Meanwhile, Bill wouldn’t hesitate to hurt someone. Even still, he couldn’t get rid of the anxiety gnawing at him as he led Ford to his room. The one reassuring thing was that Fiddleford followed him. At least he wouldn’t be alone if Bill showed up. Even if he didn’t really know the inventor, it was better than being by himself.

But as Ford collapsed on the bed and fell asleep, the only sound was that of his quiet breathing. Minutes ticked by and nothing changed.

Dipper glanced at Fiddleford. “I…I should find Mabel but I don’t know if…”

“I’ll keep an eye on him.” Fiddleford said, glancing at Dipper and giving a strained smile which Dipper tried to return.

With one last look at Ford, Dipper took a deep breath and headed into the hallway, hoping beyond hope that Mabel was okay.

-----

Mabel heard Dipper call out for her, but she ignored it. Just like she ignored the unease in her gut. She just knew Stan wasn’t bad, he was Stan. He had helped her when she was all alone, even though he didn’t know they were related. And sure, he wasn’t always the most law-abiding citizen, but he wouldn’t have hurt Ford on purpose.

It only took her a few minutes to surmise that he wasn’t inside. Unless he was in the attic, but from what Dipper had told her, there were only empty boxes up there. Plus, it was close to Stan - or really Ford’s - room, and she didn’t want Dipper to try to reason with her. At least, not until she’d heard Stan’s side of the story.

Which only left outside. In the snow. But Mabel didn’t even hesitate when she reached the door and flung it open. Stan was worth being cold for.

It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the brightness outside. Snow was falling again, though not as heavy as it had when she’d first arrived. Which made spotting Stan much easier than she’d anticipated. Though the fact that he was sitting in the snow in the middle of the yard helped too.

Stepping out from under the porch, Mabel quickly made her way to her grunkle, hugging her arms around her since her sweater didn’t do much to block the wind.

However, a moment later, she froze. Over the wind she could hear it. Crying. She had never heard Stan truly cry before. He always ran out of the room. But now…he wasn’t just crying. He was sobbing. So hard that it hurt Mabel’s heart to hear it.

Taking the last few steps through the snow, Mabel rested her hand on Stan’s shoulder. He immediately straightened and looked over at her.

“Kid w-what are y-you doing out h-here?” His voice wavered, though if it was from the cold or the crying, she couldn’t quite tell.

“I wanted to find you.”

He stared at her for a moment then let out a shaky sigh, his body hiccuping as he did so. “Y-you should go b-back i-in. It-it’s cold out.”

“I’m not leaving.” Mabel said determinedly, crossing her arms. He was silent, so she figured she might as well ask. “What…what happened in the basement?”

Stan slumped, curling in on himself, but he didn’t answer.

“Grunkle Stan?”

“I…” He shook his head. “What d-does it l-look l-like? I…I destroye-” His voice broke and he looked away, his shoulders shaking as a quiet sob broke through the wind.

Dread pooled in Mabel’s stomach, but she brushed it aside. That wasn’t the whole story, she knew it. “Why?”

Stan’s arms tightened around his body and he took a shaky breath. “H-He…F-Ford a-asked me t-too…”

“He did?!?” Mabel couldn’t stop herself from blurting out. If Ford had asked Stan to, then that meant she was right. Stan wasn’t bad, he was only helping his brother. But… “Why?”

Sighing, Stan swallowed hard then dropped his shoulders. “H-he…he s-said it was t-the only w-way to g-get rid of B-Bill…”

“Did it?” Mabel looked wide eyed at her uncle. She didn’t know much about Bill, but from what Dipper had told her, he was bad news. So, if he was gone…

With a halfhearted shrug, Stan shook his head. “I-I don’t know…m-maybe but…” He trailed off. When he spoke again, it was barely a whisper. “F-Ford is g-gone and-” His voice cracked again as another sob escaped him.

 It was too much for Mabel. Without hesitation, she flung her arms around Stan and hugged him.

“It’ll be okay, Grunkle Stan.”

“H-How? M-my brother is…h-he doesn’t r-remember-”

A sob cut off his words and Mabel hugged him even tighter. She wished she could just chase away all of his sadness and make him feel okay again, make everything okay. But she couldn’t. And she knew from firsthand experience how scary and terrifying it was to lose your twin. Maybe it wasn’t quite the same, but being separated from Dipper for a few days had been one of the worst experiences of her life. And Stan had helped her through it. So now, it was her turn to help him.

“I bet we can make him remember!” Mabel put all of the conviction she could muster into her voice and it seemed to do the job because Stan looked up at her.

“K-Kid I-I appreciate the c-confidence but…y-you heard F-Fiddleford…t-the memories they…they’re gone…” His head fell down in defeat.

Pulling her hands away from the hug, Mabel gently grabbed his head between her hands and lifted it up so he had to look at her.

“Grunkle Stan, Ford is your brother! Your twin! I know how close me and Dipper are, and maybe you haven’t seen Ford in a while but if anyone can help him remember it’s you!” As she spoke, Mabel felt her confidence growing. Memories weren’t gone forever, no matter what some stupid gun might do.

The smallest smile grew on Stan’s face, but it fell after a moment. “I-I don’t know kiddo…”

Mabel quickly shook her head. “Well, you might not know, but I do! Ford’s memories aren’t gone. We just have to help him remember!”

Stan looked at her, uncertainty etched on his face.

“You can’t give up on him, Grunkle Stan. We have to at least try, right?” Mabel gave him an encouraging nod, and the despair on his face lessened.

“I…” Stan closed his eyes for a moment then sighed and opened them again. “I...a-alright kiddo..I…I don’t k-know if it’ll work b-but…I…I guess I…I could t-try…”

“That’s the spirit!” Mabel grinned at him, then flung her arms around him and hugged him again. “And I’ll help you!”

Stan slowly returned the hug, gentle at first, but then he squeezed her tight which made her grin even more. “Thanks, kiddo…”

Mabel would’ve been fine with staying like that for ages – even if it was freezing – but after a few moments, a door slammed shut and she pulled back to glance at the shack.

Dipper was looking around frantically, and when he saw her, he drooped with relief, only to frown when he saw Stan. “Mabel, what are you doing out here?”

As he spoke, Dipper made his way towards them, despite being even less equipped to deal with the snow that she was. “I found Stan! And he told me what happened!”

Dipper looked skeptically at Stan. “What did you say?” He asked, his voice taking on a suspicious tone.

Mabel opened her mouth, but Stan beat her to it. “I-I’ll tell you a-all of it k-kid. B-but we better g-get you two i-inside first.”

“That sounds like a great idea to me!” Mabel said, grabbing Stan’s freezing hand and pulling on it. “We can cook some of the food me and Grunkle Ford got and fill Dipper in on the plan.”

“Wait, plan?” Dipper asked.

Mabel grinned at him. “Yup! We’re gonna get Ford’s memories back!”

-----

“I don’t know, Mabel…”

Stan heard the doubt in Dipper’s voice and tried not to think about how he shared the same concern. As much as he hoped Mabel was right, he still couldn’t help but feel like he wasn’t that lucky. It would be fitting for his life if Ford was gone for good…but still…he had to try. After all, he was the reason Ford was like this. And besides, Stan wasn’t one to give up without a fight. Even if this wasn’t the kind of fight he could use his fists for.

A sizzling distracted him from the kid’s conversation and he quickly stirred the pot of soup that they had put on the stove. The warmth from the gas flame felt amazing, but his hand was also burning in the way it only did when it had been completely frozen and was slowly being warmed up. Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly a foreign feeling for him.

“I think this stuff is just about ready.” Turning to glance at the kids, Stan was relieved to see a hesitant smile on Dipper’s face. After telling him what Ford had said, the kid had relaxed a little, though neither of them knew if Bill was truly gone. All Stan knew was that Mabel had run to check in on Ford and he had been fast asleep.

“Great! I’m starving!” Mabel said, pulling out a few mismatched and hopefully clean bowls and spoons.

They divvied up the food – and left some for Ford and Fiddleford if they wanted any later – then dug in.

Mabel had only taken a few bites before she spoke again. “So! Remembering memories…do you think if you just told Ford your memories, then he’d remember?”

The few bites of soup that Stan had eaten grew heavy in his stomach. He hadn’t exactly been around Ford for the past ten years. And some of the memories before that weren’t exactly…pleasant. But…when they were kids… “I don’t know…I guess I could try.”

Dipper hummed in thought. “I really don’t know how helpful words are. I mean, it could work…” He swirled his spoon around a bit, lost in thought but after a moment he spoke again. “I know pictures always help me remember things better.”

“Like my scrapbook!” Mabel grinned tapping her head. “I knew making scrapbooks was a good idea!”

“I don’t exactly have any pictures…” Stan said, knowing that the only one he has was of him and Ford when they were boxing.

“You don’t have any scrapbooks?” Mabel looked disappointed, and Stan couldn’t blame her. Sure, maybe Ma had some, but she was states away and he wasn’t exactly allowed in Jersey anymore…

Shaking his head, Stan opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by Dipper.

“Wait! There are a bunch of boxes in the attic. Do you think…there might be some pictures up there?”

 “Honestly? I have no clue.” Stan looked at his bowl, not really wanting to voice his doubt that his brother would’ve keep any memorabilia from their childhood.

“We could look!” Mabel said. “And I’m sure we could find some other things. We could also ask Fiddleford if he has any pictures or memories. And we can look around the house too!”

“Yeah, that might-” Dipper sat up straight. “The journal! It’s missing pages but it has some drawings. It might be able to help!” He pulled out his copy of Ford’s third journal.

Both kids turned and grinned at Stan, who did his best to smile back. He still couldn’t completely squash the fear that this would all be for naught. After all, he didn’t exactly have a good track record of fixing his mistakes but at the same time he knew that he couldn’t give up. This was for Ford. And despite everything, Stan couldn’t give up on him. Especially not when Mabel and Dipper were so confident. Who knew, maybe they would change his luck for the better?

Doing his best to squash down the doubt in his chest, Stan pulled out the journal Ford had given him. Dipper’s eyes widened and Stan felt a small smile growing on his face. He handed the book to Dipper and nodded.  

 “Let’s see what we can rummage up in this nerd shack.”

#gravity falls #gravity falls fanfiction #stan pines #ford pines #stanford pines #stanley pines #mabel pines #dipper pines #trapped in the past #timestuck au #timetrapped au #aceo writes things

[aceofstars16]

The Epilogue is up! After over a month (or five years, if you are counting the first seven chapters lol), this story is finally finished!

Thanks to everyone who read, reblogged, and liked it!

The whole story can be read on AO3 or you can read the epilogue below:

Epilogue

June 20th

This had officially been the longest day of my life. I already wrote about what happened in the past (Man I was really freaking out about time paradoxes, huh? Good thing there is such thing as a Time Wish!) but I thought I should fill you in on what happened after me and Mabel got back for the second time.

First, much to my surprise, the Mystery Fair was still going on! But it was different than the one Stan had put on before our time travel adventure. The biggest difference was that there were way more scientific booths around. You could actually learn things! But not all of it was different. Stan still had his dunk tank, and it was still rigged. Aside from that, most of the activities seemed a little safer (maybe the safety signs were actually real…but knowing Stan, they could still very well be fakes). I was pretty sure that the science and safety were Ford’s doings, and that was confirmed when we found our grunkles on the grounds.

What a reunion! They were so thrilled to see us that Stan practically tackled us in a hug.  What had only been a few minutes for us was thirty years for them! But true to their word, they had plenty to tell us, with more promised after we get some sleep (as if I’ll be able to sleep! Okay, Globnar did kind of wear me out, but my brain is still going a mile a minute.)  However, the pictures in the hallways of the two of them on a boat make me think a lot of their stories are going to involve sailing.

But the-

Okay, Mabel keeps begging me to let her write some. So I’ll pass it on to her for a minute.

Hi!  Mabel here! Dipper forget to mention the best thing! Or, one of the best. Seeing Grunkle Stan and Ford again (and getting the tightest hug ever from Stan) still makes me grin. BUT the other best thing happened when we first made it back to the fair. True to Dipper’s word, we started looking for Waddles. Now, with how different everything was, I wasn’t sure where to look for the pigs. And I was starting to wonder if they even had pigs at this fair. But then I saw him! Waddles was in a pen, just like before! And I won him again fair and square. Now I have my pig and both of my grunkles! It’s the best day ever! Thanks Dipper!

Okay, Dipper here again. Yes, Mabel got Waddles again, and I’m okay with it, even if it meant giving up my day with Wendy. Oh, right, I need to fill you in on Wendy in this new future! She’s still around, in fact, she still works for Stan! (And kind of Ford too. He told me that she’s helped him and Stan investigate anomalies a few times!) Ford said something about not having enough money to buy a boat. So Stan had the idea to turn the house into a tourist trap (count on Stan to have the same idea no matter what changes in the past). Of course, Ford wasn’t a huge fan. But they needed the money and Ford realized it would be a good way to educate the public about anomalies.

And so, the “new” Mystery Shack was born! It’s definitely more educational than before – which Mabel says is boring – but Stan still creates his fake attractions. There is even a game to play where you have to figure out what is real and what is fake. It’s a lot harder than it looks!

Soos is also working at the Shack as a handyman. Something about Fiddleford (who Ford told me was actually Old Man McGucket! Though he looks way different than he did before) focusing on his family and his own inventions and Ford not having time to fix the little annoyances around the house. Plus, I think Ford can tell how much Stan enjoys Soos’ company, even if he’d never admit it!

I still can’t help but wonder what had happened in the past to result in Stan running the original shack. But when I mentioned it to Ford, he simply stated that some mysteries are better left unsolved. And, seeing how happy everyone is…it’s hard to disagree.

So, I know who the author is. It’s a little strange, realizing that the biggest mystery of the summer is already over. But I have a feeling there are still plenty more adventures to be had this summer, all of which I will document here. I can’t wait to get started!

Signing off for now (because Stan just poked his head in to tell us to “Get to bed you knuckleheads, or I won’t tell you about the kraken I fought with my bare hands.”),

Dipper Pines

#trapped in the past #gravity falls #gravity falls au #gravity falls fanfiction #timestuck au #timetrapped au #stanford pines #stanley pines #mabel pines #dipper pines #ford pines #stan pines #aceo writes things