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gobblewanker · 1 year

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The Mystery and The Isosceles

Ch 14: He's Gone; We're Safe

Also on AO3

Ford was a man of many talents, in his years away from everything he’d mastered languages, weapons, codebreaking, and a plethora of other skills. But if there was one thing he still wasn’t good at, it was processing emotions. That was natural. The only feelings he’d needed for thirty years were hate and vengeance. Anything else was a distraction from the goal but now…

But now Bill was dead.

Ford groaned quietly as he lifted a hand to drag across his face. His muscles ached from the earlier overexertion. The deck had been mostly cleared of the remnants of battle by now; Ford sat leaned against the main mast where the sail once again hung properly. There was no sour smell of sulphur and black powder to accost his senses, just seaspray and wind. There was hardly a speck of blood left on the scrubbed decks. There was almost nothing to tell of the ordeal that had taken place, but it had happened. It was real.

Bill was dead.

Somehow, Ford had no idea how to feel about that.

Well, of course he knew what he should be feeling—relief, satisfaction, maybe even repulsion at the sheer graphic nature of it all—and there were definitely shades of that. But mostly he just felt upset. It was supposed to be him who finally put the demon down. It was supposed to be his vengeance for himself and everyone like him. For everyone who'd been taken and tortured and killed. It was his revenge. It was his duty to all those who came before. And he'd failed.

He'd been preparing to face Bill for decades. He'd known that eventually he would. It was inevitable. Every action he’d taken was in pursuit of that. And yet, once it had finally come down to it, he'd been unprepared. He hadn’t raised a finger to defend himself, much less attack. He'd been scared and pathetic, and everyone knew. Stan had rescued him. Stan had ended Bill. And he’d-

Well, he’d been utterly useless. Not only that, he’d gotten so completely lost to the memories as to lash out at Stan. Stan didn’t deserve that, he was a shortsighted idiot, but he didn’t deserve his own brother hurting him. And if Ford couldn’t even interact with another grown man without hurting him because of some irrational flashback, how the hell was he supposed to take care of Dipper and Mabel? He wanted the children off the ship. He wanted them safe and happy, living honest lives back on land. But if he couldn’t be sure they’d be safe with him, then what was he supposed to do with them? They weren’t safe on the ship and they wouldn’t be safe with him. What was he supposed to do?

Above all else, Ford felt angry. Angry at Bill for destroying him so completely. Angry at Stan for robbing him of revenge. Angry and disgusted with himself for being such a pathetic fucking mess. He was angry. Angry and sick and ashamed.

He couldn't even trust himself. Bill had destroyed him. Broken him into pieces that Ford—despite his best efforts—couldn't fit back together properly. All the pieces had come back wrong leaving him askew. He felt wrong, he felt disgusted. It was as if some horrible parasite was squirming around inside of his soul. His skin crawled, he swore he could still feel Bill looking at him. But Bill was dead. Bill was gone.

Bill was gone, so why didn’t it feel like it?

Ford pushed himself up and whistled for his bird. The seagull clumsily glided from the rigging to flump down on Ford's outstretched hand. Why he still insisted on getting so high up when he could hardly fly Ford didn’t know, but far be it from him to admonish. Just so long as the bird came when called.

“Thank you, Stan.” Ford muttered absently. “I might… I might require some support.”

The bird tilted his head questioningly, before his eyes narrowed in understanding and he nodded resolutely. Scratching the arm of Ford’s jacket he clambered up onto his shoulder with clumsy flipper-feet.

Ford headed back inside the darkened ship, taking a lantern off the wall to light his way down the cramped creaking stairs. He passed the children on their way back towards their cabin, but couldn’t bring himself to speak to them. Both looked at him warily. Of course they would. Of course they’d be wary, of course they wouldn’t want him anywhere near them. Of course they’d be scared. They’d read his journal, they'd seen him break.

Quickening his pace until he arrived at the lower decks almost out of breath, Ford paused at the bottom of the stairs. It was dark, no natural light could reach so far below decks, his lantern cast long looming shadows that watched him from all sides. The walls were close and the smell of death hung in the air. The bird on his shoulder cooed nervously and buried his face in his hair making noises uncomfortably similar to a distressed child. Still, he showed no signs of leaving. Ford was infinitely grateful for that as he walked further into the room feeling his stomach sink.

The cramped space had been hastily converted into a medical office. There were crates of bandages and medicines, a desk with tools, a table hastily refashioned for operations, and above it all hung an oil lamp that Ford wasted little time in lighting. He placed his lantern down on the bloodied table as if moving through a haze, never taking his eyes off of the far corner.

He wasn’t sure who’d bothered to throw a sheet over the body. Fiddleford, probably. Maybe out of some obligate ‘respect for the dead’ that was in no way earned but still given. Maybe because the man just couldn’t stomach looking at Bill either.

Every step closer made Ford feel more and more viscerally unwell.

It was like a dark cloud hung over the remains. All the malice and cruelty that had practically radiated from Bill when he was alive still clung to the sheet-covered body, and Ford swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. He tried to swallow the primal terror of being alone in a room with Bill. Bill couldn’t do anything to him this time, he furiously reminded himself as he got down on shaky knees. Bill couldn’t touch him, Bill couldn’t see him, Bill couldn’t do anything, he repeated like a mantra to steady his hand as he reached for the fabric.

Soon as he touched the body, however, his hand recoiled and he flinched back with a hiss. The bird squawked anxiously, hopping off his shoulder and hiding himself behind Ford. Ford swore quietly. He should be better than this. He should be able to face Bill again—but he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to pull the sheet back and look at that awful inhuman face ever again.

But he had to. Had to prove to himself that it was true.

Moving quickly to not give himself another chance to hesitate, Ford grabbed the corner and yanked the fabric down. He immediately gagged.

The motion kicked up more of the horrible stench into the room. Burnt hair and the sharp smell of alcohol hit him like a wave. The former was new, but the latter he’d had more than his share of. The face was charred, but still horribly recognizable. The cheeks were pulled back as if in a wild grin, the formerly blue eye was shrivelled into its socket and the skin around it was cracked and flaked like paint. The gold prosthetic eye stared up at him with terrifying familiarity, and while it was mostly intact, the uttermost layers had just begun melting off. The drops of gold were frozen on his cheek like tears, burned and fused into the skin. His gold teeth were melted and solidified together in a rigid grimach. A few drops had escaped past what remained of his lips.

Ford shuddered, his breathing picking up as he fought down the memory of Bill drooling through grinning teeth as he cut deep slits into his skin and clawed at his face.

Moses, even confronting the dead body felt impossibly daunting. What was wrong with him? He was stronger than this. He should be, he had to be. Ford forced himself to pull the sheet down further. His fingers struggled to grasp the flimsy fabric, his hand shook and he pressed the other over his nose and mouth to keep from retching. The smell was so overpowering it was like he could taste charred skin in the back of his throat. The chest and arms were burned worse than the face had been, likely as the thick layers of clothing had given the flames more to feed off of. But Ford could still make out a few scars and bruises. He felt as if there should be more of them.

He didn’t want to see more. He didn’t want to see any of it, but he needed to prove to himself it really was Bill. He had to prove to himself that the monster really was gone. Steeling himself, Ford let go of the sheet. It was enough. It was more than enough.

The stairs leading down into the cramped space creaked and Ford startled. He stayed seated on the floor next to the body though, frozen to the spot. Half out of being too shaken to move, and half out of his rational mind reminding him that—at least for the moment—he wasn’t in enemy territory. The light of a lantern came bobbing down the stairs.

“Now whatinne-” Fiddleford corrected his glasses as he set his feet on the bottom of the stairs. “Stanferd? Whatcha- Oh.”

Ford looked between Fiddleford and Bill’s body, swallowing hard.

“I… I was just-...”

Fiddleford regarded him carefully from where he stood, before placing his lantern next to Ford’s on the table and approaching. His steps were almost as hesitant as Ford’s earlier had been. Ford looked back towards Bill.

“I’m sorry, this was idiotic of me, I know. I just had to make sure that-... that…”

“Yes well, ah… I understand ya know. ‘S hard to believe, ain’t it?”

“Yes.”

Fiddleford stepped close enough to put a reassuring hand on Ford’s shoulder before moving away again to start looking through the cabinets and crates.

“What are you looking for?” Ford asked numbly, still not looking up. He wasn’t looking at the body anymore either though. Not really. He was more or less just staring at nothing.

“Bandages, poultices, that sorta thing. Ah was trying to take a look at yer brother’s injuries but the man’s stubborn as a mule.” Fiddleford complained, but there was some fondness in his voice. “Still, do us good to get a proper ship’s surgeon ah reckon.”

“Ah. I see.” Ford chewed his lip, feeling something like guilt nagging at him. “Is he doing okay? Stan.”

“Wish I could reassure ya, but medicine ain’t my strong suit. Still, I’ve got a few home-remedies from back at the farm, and nothing seems to keep that man down fer long. Ain’t the first time I’ve had ta patch him up.”

Ford nodded. Maybe he should go check on Stan too. Directly or indirectly, Ford was the reason he’d gotten hurt after all. He was about to do just that, when something caught his attention and Ford felt the blood go cold in his veins.

“Wait-” Ford gasped. Fiddleford was at his side in seconds.

“Stanferd? Stanferd what’s wrong?”

Ford ignored his friend’s concerned tone. His focus was back at Bill’s awful burned body, his hands were hovering over his chest, but he refused to touch him. Instead he just searched frantically with his eyes.

“He-” Ford remembered thirty years ago with mounting dread. He was one of very few people who’d spent significant time close to Bill—far longer and far closer than he’d wanted to—and gotten out of it alive. He knew what Bill looked like. He knew what Bill was supposed to look like, and there had definitely been something off, hadn’t there? “He has a scar. A deep one, across his throat. I didn’t notice when we were fighting, it’s under his shirt, it- I can’t find it-”

“Ford, calm down.” Fiddleford sent a fleeting glance at Bill’s body then very pointedly pulled the sheet back over it. Ford reached over to pull it back off, but Fiddleford caught his hands and held them gently but firmly between his own. “Ford- Stanferd, look at me! Look at me, please.”

Ford fought back control over his breathing. If he wanted to, he could pull his hand’s loose, but he allowed Fiddleford to keep hold. It was grounding, familiar, and Fiddleford had never flinched away from his six-fingered hands like most people. He still didn’t. He’d taken his hands unflinchingly.

“Ford, ya hear me?”

Ford nodded.

“Good. Now, you listen to me.” He spoke kindly, but with authority. Ford had the sneaking suspicion it was the same voice he would have used with Tate when they were younger. Had Tate survived Bill’s attack? How many people hadn’t- “Ford, no, yer getting caught up in yer own head again, stop that. Just breathe. Just listen to me, alright?”

Ford took a deep breath before nodding again.

“It’s okay. We’re alright, yer alright.”

“But the scar-”

“Don’t think like that, that’s what he wants you to do. The scar probably ain’t visible under all them there burns. He’s in a bad way, you saw that. We both did. The man’s barely recognizable.”

“I recognize him. I spent way more time with him than-”

“Ford, look at me.”

Reluctantly, Ford did. Fiddleford’s eyes were kind and set in determination.

“You went through hell an’ back Stanferd. None of us are denying that, you were there, you saw ‘im. But look at us both. We’re old, he might not’ve looked it, but so was he. Years change people. Scars fade.”

“They don’t disappear.”

“No. They don’t. But they fade, and he was burnt. There probably ain’t much to be found anymore. ‘S the trauma speaking. You have every right to be traumatised after what you went through, but it’s still yer head bein mean to ya. Don’t let it be.”

“I’m not traumatised.” Ford hissed between clenched teeth. Maybe Fiddleford was right, maybe the scar just wasn’t visible. He collected himself and folded his hands back in his lap.

“Okay.” Fiddleford sighed. “Okay, I… Okay. I’m going to get back to making my rounds checking on the injured crew, then but-... Look, ‘s not yer fault. Okay? Even if you are traumatised. I’d be. I am. I think we all are.” Fiddleford got back up, collecting the medical supplies as well as the torch and heading back towards the stairs. He turned before leaving though, looking back at Ford one last time. “But it’s over now. Alright? He can’t hurt us.”

Ford nodded silently, somehow finding that hard to believe.

Despite the gnawing anxiety, Ford eventually made his way to the cabin Stan had shown him earlier. But sleep was anything but restful.

Ford awoke alone in his cabin to a voice calling his name from outside the window. It was familiar, but so raspy and echoey that he couldn’t possibly place it. The only problem was that there shouldn’t be anything outside, except for endless stretches of water in all directions.

Merfolk, maybe?

Cautiously, Ford pushed himself up from his warm bed and approached the window. It was cold, why was his cabin cold? They were in the tropics, weren’t they? Subtropics, maybe, but it should still be plenty warm. He kept the blanket around him as he shivered, he could see his own breath form billowy clouds. Outside his window there was an endless pitch black sea. Just like he knew there’d be. The sky was dark above, no stars, but a large yellow full moon glanced at him knowingly. The voice reached his ears again: ‘Ford’. The wispy rasp floated up from—

From the water.

Ford looked down, leaning far out the window. He almost fell as his heart jumped into his throat and the lingering cold gripped his lungs. Bill. Bill’s badly burned body floated face up in the dark waters, staring at him. The gold eye and his sharp, sharp, grin were all that was visible: All that wasn’t burnt beyond recognition. Bill's sharp voice kept whispering his name over and over as he stood frozen.

Suddenly hands grabbed him from behind and dragged him back inside the cabin. Ford’s yelp of alarm turned into a choking gasp as he came face to face with Bill. Intact, this time, and smiling viciously. Ford pushed against him furiously, his hands were no longer wrinkled and covered in age spots, the hair that fell into his eyes as he frantically shook his head was brown. The blanket around his shoulders wasn’t there anymore; replaced by a garish golden yellow jacket that smelled like death. Bill released him with a sharp barking laugh and Ford fell backwards onto the floor of the cabin. Bill’s cabin—Bill’s cabin aboard The Isosceles. The floor was covered in blood, his head spun, his clothes were torn and everything hurt.

“No, no no no!” Ford screamed. His voice came out smoother—younger—but cracked and broken and breathlessly terrified. “No! This isn’t real! This- this was over! This was over thirty years ago!”

“Aww, really?” Bill cooed through his sharp joyful grin. “But I missed you! Didn’t you miss me? Admit it! You missed me.”

Bill’s back was turned to the eye-shaped stained glass window. The same window through which the image of a port on fire would forever be burned into Ford’s mind. Bill approached him, steps light and expression amused. Ford didn’t think, he got onto his feet and ran. He threw open the door of the cabin and bolted outside. He could smell smoke, he could see burning outside the window. He didn’t want to see it—not again, never again.

The hallway darkened in front of him. The walls closed in. Smoke filled his lungs as he coughed and hacked. There was blood on his tongue. There was blood everywhere. Bill materialised out of the darkness in front of him and Ford wasn’t quick enough to stop before crashing against his chest. Bill didn’t budge. He caught Ford’s hands and pulled him close. He didn’t look formidable, Ford should be able to pull loose, but he couldn’t. Bill held his wrists tightly, his nails digging into the skin.

“Let me go! Please- let me go! Not again-!”

Bill laughed at him, it was sharp and cruel. The smoke swirled. Ford heard the crackling of fire just seconds before it broke through the ship’s walls and engulfed them. Bill’s face burned and sizzled. His hands turned skeletal, but didn’t let go. Ford felt the fire lick at his own body, and it hurt. It was like a swarm of tiny creatures eating at him. He smelled burning hair and alcohol.

“I’m coming for you. I’m coming for you. I’m coming for you-” Bill mocked in a sing-song voice through the flames.

Ford shot up in bed, a scream on his lips.

The seagull on his bedpost shot up with a startled squawk. Ford threw the cover off himself and pushed as far against the headboard as he could, taking several quick gulping breaths. The cabin was warm, and the heat made Ford choke on his next gasp for air. He scrambled out of bed and ran for the door. Fresh air, he needed fresh air. The bird made to follow him, but Ford slammed the door and ignored the loud worried squawking.

Ford practically ran up and out on deck. He paused, stumbling slightly as his head spun and ears rang from the sudden burst of adrenaline and activity. Then he made a beeline for the taffrail and leaned over it, hugging himself as he shook. His eyes were squeezed shut, he startled when he realised that, opening them and scanning the water's surface. But no, there was nothing there. Bill was dead, Bill was lying covered by a sheet in the depths of the ship. He was gone. Ford was safe.

He repeated the words to himself like a mantra—‘Bill is dead, you are safe’—until the shaking finally subsided and Ford began to be able to breathe normally again.

Fuck, that nightmare had felt real. It had felt so much more real than any dream should. He’d heard Bill’s voice, he’d smelled the smoke, he’d felt the fire burning him. He swore he’d really felt it. It was so much worse than any nightmare he’d ever had. So much more real and cohesive than something made from his own exhausted mind should ever be. What the hell was that? Was he losing it?

A demonstrative cough shook Ford out of his defensive huddle against the railing. He turned sharply to look, and came face to face with Stan sat on the stairs leading up to the wheel. Stan was slouched, sitting halfway up and looking at Ford with a conflicted expression.

“How long have you been there?” Ford demanded. He tried for an angry tone, but his voice cracked halfway through. His heart was still hammering inside his chest.

“‘Bout half an hour? Couldn’t get comfy enough to sleep.” Stan shrugged.

Ford noticed the bandages under his sleep-shirt and turquoise striped trousers. The one at his shoulder caught his attention specifically, and Ford shrunk in on himself.

“Ah.”

“Nightmares?” Stan asked evenly.

Ford rolled his eyes, drawing a hand over his face in exasperation. He should probably be ashamed to have been seen so worked up. But after the battle against The Isosceles, he could hardly sink lower now could he?

“Whatever gave it away?”

“You ran up to deck in the middle of the night like the devil himself was on your tail. ‘Sides, you’re all jittery. You used to get all jittery when you woke up from nightmares as a kid.”

Ford didn’t answer. He looked back over the water again, running a hand through his hair. Stan fell equally silent, and for several moments both brothers seemed content to just let the air hang between them. Out of nowhere, Stan held a bottle out towards Ford who raised an eyebrow in return.

“Ya look like you need it.”

“Is that the stuff you lit Bill on fire with?”

Stan blinked, apparently caught off guard. He turned the bottle in his hand and looked at the label.

“Ah, shit. Is that ‘in bad taste’ now too?”

Ford snatched the bottle out of his hands and took a swig. It was warm in his gullet, and that made him flinch. But he took another mouthful anyway and sat down one step below Stan. It was easier that way. Neither of them had to look at the other.

“I’m sorry about your shoulder.” Ford said. “Does it hurt?”

“Eh, Fidds is pretty decent with first aid. I’ve had way worse.”

“I’m sorry for that too.”

“Not your fault, Pa was the asshole.” Stan nudged Ford with a foot and reached his hand down. Ford passed the bottle back. “Right now I’m honestly more worried about you. Ford… What happened to you out there? You used to be… Well, not like this.”

“It’s complicated. Last time we saw each other we were—what—seventeen? Things change. I’m not exactly happy with the way you turned out either.”

“Why not?”

Ford’s breath caught again, and when he continued his voice was rougher.

“Really? You really don’t understand why I’m so upset at what you’ve done to yourself?”

“Okay, yeah, Bill was a pirate captain and what he did to you was absolute fucking bullshit. I’ve done none of the things he did except steal from rich assholes who had it coming.”

“We’re practically strangers. How am I supposed to know that’s the truth?”

“You…” Stan shifted uncomfortably. “You could start by actually talking to me, you know. Like I’m not some-... Some stranger. Or a threat.”

But that was the problem, wasn’t it? Ford didn’t know. They hadn’t seen each other in decades. He didn’t think Stan had done anything nearly as bad as Bill—okay, that one he was actually pretty certain of—but there was no way to know.

“About what?”

Stan paused for a long while. Then he sighed, suddenly sounding every single one of his almost sixty years.

“Look, I know Bill hurt you, but… Hell, can we talk about that? I mean, yeah I’d already fucked up before that but that was where things really went down the drain didn’t they? If Bill hadn’t taken you, neither of us would be where we are right now. And for whatever little my word is apparently worth to you, I swear I hate him just as much as you do. You weren’t the only one he hurt, and I would never be like him.”

The nightmare rose unbidden to Ford’s mind again and he cringed in on himself. He opened his hand demonstratively and a few seconds later Stan passed the bottle back to him.

“Bill… Bill ruined my life.”

“I know.”

“I went with him because if I hadn’t he would have killed everyone I cared about. I tried to save my friends, but all I did was make him angry enough to come for my home instead. It was my fault. If I hadn’t tried to trick him, Gravity Falls would have never been targeted.”

He remembered it so clearly. Most of what Bill had done to him was a muddled blur—partially because he didn’t want to remember and partially because he’d been so weak and tired that it all got fuzzy—but that first night he remembered. He remembered hands in his hair and a hissing voice in his ear, he remembered shackles on his wrists, he remembered fire dancing outside the window and screaming voices carried on the wind.

“Okay.” Stan answered and his voice sounded exasperated. “You do realise that’s bullshit, don’t you? Hell, Sixer, you're smarter than this. Bill destroyed Gravity Fall, not you. You wanted to save lives, he wanted to end them.”

“Perhaps. But it was still my shortsightedness that made him attack.” Ford sighed. Of course Stan refused to see the truth. Of course he refused to accept that Ford carried part of the blame. He’d always been loyal to a fault. It was reassuring in a way, to see that part of Stan remained. He was still himself in that regard. But he was still frustratingly wrong. “And then you decided the best way to ‘help’ was to turn my home into a safe haven for the exact same kind of people who had destroyed it.”

“I did what I had to do.” Stan’s voice instantly became defensive. “But that doesn’t matter, we’re not talking about me, we’re talking about you.”

“Why?” Ford snapped back angrily. “Why is it always about me?”

“Always about you? Oh yeah, because nobody ever mentions my mistakes! Moses, Ford, did we even grow up in the same port!?”

“Fine!” Ford snapped back, throwing his hands up. “Fine, it doesn’t matter!”

And there was that same familiar old stubbornness. Apparently, Stan had never lost it either.

“Bill did-” Ford began, but his voice caught in his throat. “Bill- when I was trapped with him aboard his ship Bill-... He… I…”

Bill’s hands holding him down, cutting, burning, beating—trapped, can’t escape, can’t run—

‘I’ll let you die’

‘I get to do whatever I want’

‘Our little secret.’

Ford fell silent again. Where was he even going with this? What was even the point of this, why should he be opening up when Stan was stubbornly refusing?

“It’s okay, you don't have to say anything.” Stan spoke again, quietly and uncharacteristically gently. His gruff voice was impossibly gentle. “I… I kinda know.”

Ford’s head shot up.

“What?”

“Bill.” Stan spat the name. “He talked about it. All the fucking time, liked how furious it made me. Bastard thought it was funny.”

Ford swallowed hard. Suddenly everything felt very far away. The wooden steps under him, the sky above, the sound of the waves crashing against the hull of the ship… None of them felt real. Nothing felt real except the realisation.

Bill told. Of course he did. Why, of all things, did he feel betrayed? Betrayal required there to have been trust at some point. Of course Bill told. Anything to make it hurt more.

Stan knew. Stan knew so much more than Ford had ever wanted anyone to. Stan had spoken to Bill, Stan had read his journal, Stan had seen him cornered by Bill on deck. Stan knew. Stan knew about every weak, pathetic moment in Ford's life and none of it had been Ford's to tell. None of it had been up to him to share. All of it had been laid bare without his permission. The familiar sickly shame pooled in his chest.

"Ford-" Stan began carefully when Ford didn't answer. He stood up to move closer, but lost his balance and tripped over his own feet. Ford reacted fast despite his mind being a mess, rising to catch his twin and steady him before Stan could break his neck falling down the stairs.

It was first when they were face to face that Ford noticed how pale Stan was.

“Stan!” Ford exclaimed angrily, shaking his brother’s shoulders. “Why aren’t you resting indoors? you look terrible.”

“Oh, give it a break, Six. I’m fine.” Stan pushed Ford’s hands off, swaying on his feet as he did so.

“Bullshit.” Stan’s face was pale in the moonlight. When Ford had caught him he could feel the heat of a fever through his clothes. There were dark rings under his eyes and sweat on his brow. “Seriously? You expect me to speak honestly about the worst experience of my life when you won’t even acknowledge you look dead on your feet!”

“I’m fine.” Stan growled. “I’ve had worse. Besides, the rest of the crew needs me to stay strong.”

Ford wavered on his feet, hands clenched into fists at his side. Hypocrite. Stupid, stubborn, hypocrite.

“Fine!” Ford hissed back, turning a heel and marching back into the ship. “Fine. Don’t come crying when you collapse from exhaustion.”

“Why do you even care!” Stan yelled at his back. “Why do you even care if you can’t stand being around me anymore?”

“Maybe I shouldn't!” Ford slammed the door shut behind him. He staggered and fell against the wall as soon as he was out of sight.

Bill was gone. Bill was gone. Everything was supposed to be okay now, so why was his head still so messed up?

#gravity falls #pirate au #my fics #the Ford deals with ptsd chapter #and bill is an ass who keeps haunting him

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random-dragons-interest-hoarde · 1 year

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Fun fact! I write a tad! chapter five out now for dreamers are out of fashion! The Alcor virus make's his appearence with Louis regretting waking up that morning. @transcendence-au

#trancendence au #gravity falls #Louis ackbash #Mephy mirthful #ren lavander #writing for me and me alone and you have to deal with it.#also give me attention ig #i can be both.

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duskiefloof · 8 months

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I was thinking of an au where the gravity falls cast takes the place of the characters in warrior cats. I have been listening to a song that reminded me of the confrontation between fireheart/star and bluestar in a "dangerous path." In this au, I was thinking that Ford is Bluestar and Mabel is Fireheart. It could also work the other way around with stan as Bluestar and dipper as Fireheart. I wanted to have the opposites be with the stan twins in this au because I think it would fit better. In this au mabels warrior name is Maplesong and Fords name is Owlsight/star. I didn't decide the roles of the other cast yet, but I will eventually. Maybe also, in this au bill takes the place of tigerclaw. Bills name is this au is Dreamflame.

Pines family warriors' names (so far):

Stanford-Owlsight/star.

Mabel-Maplesong.

Stanley-Vulturesight. (Deceased)

Dippers- Pineheart.

Other characters:

Bill-Dreamflame.

#gravity falls #stanford pines #mabel pines #warrior cats #au #warrior cats au #cat au #i feel bad for ford in this au man imagine losing everything just to become leader in your clan-#i feel for mabel to-#imagine haveing to deal with keeping the clan safe #shes deputy it must be stressful especially when your leader is having a psychotic break.#Stanley pines #dipper pines #bill cipher

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obsessedwithtodoroki · 1 year

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Realized I never posted this on here, it’s years old by now but if anyone is interested here’s one of my old Gravity Falls BillDip fic

Summery:

To save his friends and family, Dipper made a deal with Bill Cipher. He could have him if he left his friends, family, and the rest of his dimension alone. Bill agrees, but not for the reason you might think. Bill's noticed something amiss with the teen, and takes a gamble to find out what it is, and he ends up getting lucky.

Dipper holds something dear to the Cipher and he wants it, but during the process of trying to receive it he begins to feel something that he hadn't felt in centuries. Guilt? Regret? Second thoughts? Or maybe love?

Trigger Warning!

Also I do not condone of any actions in my story, this is all but a dark and kinda messed up story, so do not think that any negative actions in this are okay.

#gravity falls #billdip #bill cipher #dipper pines #bill x dipper #deals #my life for theirs #writing #fanfiction #fanfic #au #ao3 link #ship #dark #it’s messed up #read the ao3 tags #henchmaniacs #human bill cipher

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weirdmamagnet · 2 years

Photo

I love redrawing screencaps.

and a shitpost:

#bill cipher #dipper pines #mabel pines #gravity falls #disney #waddles #&#^#au #alternate universe #grim adventures of dipper and mabel au #why did waddles make a deal with bill? we dont know...#NGDFJGDN in all seriousness i remember spitballing an idea where waddles somehow knew the weirdness equation #thinks intensely on that episode where waddles became really smart #but given this au spans across season 1 & 2 and this would be at the very beginning #it wouldnt make sense for bill to know abt that yet since he DOESNT know abt it in weirdmageddon #idk i just also think its funny if we dont know why the pig made a deal with a triangle. dw abt it

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freakingpeepseverywhere · 1 year

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thinkin bout Sarah and Bill again

#gravity falls #gravity falls au #gravity falls lore au #the lore au #gravitys a lie #gravitys a lie au #For context: Sarah is Sharb but a regular human. and autism #Bill is her friend (a human who made a deal with him on impulse because she thought he was lonely in his purgatory pyramid)#pyratory?#and also he was not lonely he is very very much totally fine haha what are you talking about

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creantzy · 7 months

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Lose sight of yourself

My favs love terrorizing children 😍👍

(Characters:

Nikolai Gogol from "Bungou Stray Dogs" and

Bill Cipher from "Gravity Falls"

- Summary for those who may not know GF: Bill is a cunning dream demon that makes deals with people and is able to possess someone's body if they agree to it and shake his hand. And of course he loves to toy with people psychologically-)

The background in the first few slides is a visualization of the inside of Nikolai's mind

I got this idea when I thought about Mykola's idea of freedom vs Bill Cipher's, and how they basically have what the other wants xD Canon Nikolai wants to be free from his emotions, his humanity, while Bill Cipher wants to be free from the mindscape and be able to access our world, in other words: physical freedom.

Bill is literally not human, not bound to biology, and probably has the kind of "free will" Nikolai desires, while Nikolai on the other hand has the physical freedom Bill wants- even more so than other humans thanks to his ability.

But in this one-part-comic Mykola starts out believing that it's merely his body that is the trap, until Bill Cipher makes him realise that it's not how it works. Young Nikolai in this AU viewed the concepts of "body" and "mind" as separate units where one (the mind/ soul) represents his own self and the other (the body with all its sensations and emotions) is a "prison" that his self is trapped in. However, in reality BOTH components are part of his real self, equally, and one cannot exist without the other. Losing one of them would mean to lose oneself entirely.

And well- that's what Nikolai decides to try, ultimately ending up with his canon goal:

"You're fighting against God in order to lose sight of yourself."

I hope this makes sense, I am very deep in a BSD and Gravity Falls brainrot and whenever I fixate on two things at the same time this is what happens😭

(Btw, Bill possessing Nikolai is not him achieving his ultimate goal, it's merely a step. A vessel is still just a vessel, and not physical freedom in the way he wants it.

How exactly Nikolai's body could be useful to Bill's plans is up to interpretation since it's not the focus of this mini comic xD)

Caesar, 3

A1Z26

Bill's symbol substitution

#bungou stray dogs #bungo stray dogs #bsd anime #bsd #bsd nikolai gogol #nikolai gogol #mykola hohol #bill cipher #gravity falls #crossover

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bet-on-me-13 · 10 months

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Stranded Danny AU

Danny gets pulled into a faraway Dimension by a Villain one day, just after the events of Phantom Planet. He is barely 15.

He has no way to get back, but he does manage to unlock the power to make Portals. Unfortunately, none of the dimensions he ends up in are his own, and none have enough Ectoplasm to open portals for very long. It takes up to a week to scrounge up enough Ecto to open a single Portal into the next dimension over.

And none of these worlds have Technology strong enough to take him home either. The few times he did find some tech that could potentially get him home, it never worked or it was destroyed before he could finish it.

He spends well over 30 years of his own Personal Timeline trying to get back to his home dimension, constantly gathering scraps of Ectoplasm and Tech until the day he eventually collected enough to build a safe way home.

But time does not pass the same across dimensions.

What to him was a 30 year long Journey, was actually just 10 for his home Dimension.

And they had to move on without him.

Sam became a Business Woman who used her money to fund Nature Preservation Organizations. She hired Pamela Isley and helped her through her powers when she became Poison Ivy (still a Villain, but secretly working for Sam)

Tucker got a high ranking job at Star Labs, and helped Cyborg come to terms with his new life when he became a cyborg. He even helped upgrade his tech a few times.

Jazz became a successful Psychiatrist, and now works under Daina Lance as one of the Justice League's top Therapists, specifically their Child Psychologist for young Heroes

Ellie took his place as a Hero and became the new protector of Amity after he dissappear. After the Justice League was formed, she joined them and became one of their best members, always working and nor really taking many breaks.

They always wondered what happened to Danny, and spent many years trying to figure out what happened to him, but never succeeded. They finally began to assume that he was fully dead after a few years of searching. They had enough time to come to terms with it.

...

So one night, while a 22 yr old Ellie is resting on one of her rare days off, she gets called in by the League about a possible Dimensional Breach near her Home Town. JLD was deployed to investigate, and she was asked to tag along since she was the Resident Hero of the area.

But she refuses, thinking it's just some random ghost trying to enter the Living Realm illegally after she began regulating the Portal. JLD would be able to handle it on their own, let her sleep on her day off!

Meanwhile, JLD has located the spot where the Dimensional Breach is about to appear. They surround the Area, and prepare to interrogate whoever is about to appear, or deal with them if need be.

Space begins to tear apart as the fabric of Reality breaks apart at the seams. And from that wound in existence, an Adult Danny steps out. He is 44 years old, and looks like a less buff version of Dan without the mustache (basically imagine Danny as Ford Pines from Gravity Falls)

The JLD can sense that he is strong, but not too much so. It feels like he is powerful, but like that power has been starved for a while.

"Who are you?" Asks Wonderwoman, ready to jump into battle if needed. "What are your intentions in this World?"

Danny ignores them. He is staring into the Night Sky, eyes wide. The Constellations he hadn't seen in 30 years were there. The stars were in the right locations. He takes a deep breath, tasting the amount of Ectoplasm in thr Air. This is it. He's home. He's finally home.

"Finally" He says breathlessly. A slightly manic Grin on his face.

"What the hell does that mean?" Demands Constantine. The grin had unsettled him, and he began preparing a few spells just to be sure.

Danny ignored him again, this time deciding to close his eyes and finally eat his fill of Ectoplasm for the first time in 30 years. He was ravenous, this was the first decent Meal of Ectoplasm he had been able to have in 30 years. He was giddy, he was so happy to finally be home.

However the Heroes didn't know what was happening. All they knew was that some guy had ripped a hole in reality, said "finally" with a crazy grin on his face, and started emitting a dangerous amount of Death Energy for no apparent reason.

Constantine reacts on impulse, trying to cast a Banishing Spell on this guy.

Danny, feeling the spell begin to pull him away from his home after he had just found it again after Thirty. Fucking. Years. Does something that he would consider reasonable.

He quickly dashes over to Constantine and slams him through a tree.

This sparks a fight between Danny and the JLD. And at first he is having some serious trouble, but as he continues to feed on Ectoplasm and recover his strength, he becomes progressively more Powerful. It comes to the point where the JLD can't keep up anymore, and call in Backup.

Ellie was enjoying her night off, but the desperate Call from JLD about a powerful Entity at the edge of Amity finally got her going.

She rushes over and slams into Danny just as he is about to attack Constantine again. Neither of them recognize eachother, since they have changed since they were kids (Danny moreso) and continue to Duke it out.

Ellie is trying to banter with him, but Danny is really angry at this point. So he resorts to his final attack, his Ghostly Wail.

He levels a good chuck of the Forest, and in the end he is standing over Ellie as his anger fades. He says "Sorry" and he starts taking a look around him to see if there is anybody else.

Ellie is on the ground, shaken because she recognized that power.

She gets up, and asks "Danny?"

Danny finally gets a good look at her and says, and says "Ellie?"

Meanwhile JLD still has ringing in their ears and thinks that Ellie just called Danny "Daddy"

(Which makes sense because of the new age difference)

#Dp x dc #Dpxdc #Danny phantom #Dc #Dcu #ellie phantom #Danielle Phantom #Planes walker Danny #Danny is stranded on the other side of the Multiverse #He can't open a Portal to the Infinite Realms #Danny has not had a decent amount of Ectoplasm in 20 years #Aged up Characters #Angst #Justice League Dark #The Justice League #Dimension Travel #Danny traverses the multitude like Ford Pines

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inquirewithbillcipher · 5 months

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Did you ever lose a bet? If so, which?

Obviously.

-Bill

#bill cipher #bill cipher ask #bill cipher gravity falls #gf bill cipher #gravity falls ask #gravity falls bill #ask #ask blog #gravity falls fandom #human bill design #human bill cipher #Billy bow tie #making deals #dream demon #all seeing eye #gravity falls au #gravity falls

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silantryoo · 1 year

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LOOKALIKE ; jang wonyoung

non-idol! jang wonyoung x non-idol! reader

SYNOPSIS ; wonyoung hated herself for letting y/n go, almost as much as she hated her annoyingly smug girlfriend (who everyone hates except for y/n). she knows it's probably too late, but that's not gonna stop her from trying to get her back.

TAGS ; non-idol x non-idol! reader, university au, college au, wlw, angst, fluff, idol au, exs to friends to lovers, slow burn, crack, smau

WARNINGS ; strong language, drama, toxic relationship, emotional manipulation and abuse, slut shaming, overworking, toxic school life, mild violence, suggestive jokes, suicide jokes, mentions of sexual acts

FEATURING ; ive, aespa, kim minju, jo yuri, choi yena, mentions of itzy, nmixx and various other idols

STATUS ; ONGOING!

UPDATE TIMES ; whenever i can

MAIN PLAYLIST!!

profiles. SUMA. WYS-THERAPISTS. 01S-AND-THEIR-BABIES. HAIKYUU-IRL.

chapters.

01. SHE WANTS A HAPPY COOKIE FAMILY

02. i MISJ HER SMM

03. BRO THAT'S GAEUL??

04. does she look like this

05. wonyoung?

06. what? x3

07. bc i love you

08. let me be delulu

09. unlike you

10. on my way!

bonus: all too well

11. REI DELETE

12. sum naruto shit

13. keep smiling.

14. men from itaewon

15. IS IT ME???

16. pls [REDACTED] me

17. yh ok wtvr.

18. pissy pants

bonus: she was better

19. A HICKEY?

20. PARTY???

21. Y/N. GO.

22. eat a dick

23. ill give you a whore

bonus: mansion parties

bonus: jimin's l/n y/n.

bonus: wish you were sober

24. where r u?

25. HUUUUH?

26. in secret.

bonus: peace.

27. you're a minjeong

28. KILL NAOI REI.

29. adopt a friend!

30. virgin

bonus: gravity

31. WHAT IS THAT?

32. love birds

33. ill txt u ltr

34. more than me?

35. this.

36. sexy number

bonus: why.

37. my crescent roll

38. baby pls.

39. hyewon

40. youre so cute

41. TAKE UR MEDS?

42. flowers

43. idc

bonus: minjeong-unnie

44. i need you

45. jiyn

46. huh :D?

47. 2kim

48. anything for you

bonus: gaeul's ahn yujin.

49. choke

bonus: yonsei

50. mj

bonus: minjeong's deal

51. what

bonus: exile.

52. tell me

53. ru fr?

bonus: you owe me

54. i do

55. yizhuo

56. JIWON SAID NO

bonus: it all falls down

57. the (ye)jimin effect

bonus: the last great american dynasty, pt 1.

58. the owva

bonus: the last great american dynasty, pt 2.

59. who tf

60. to me

bonus: goodbye, my danish sweetheart

61. malding

more to come...

XTRA: jimin's roster, yujin's kim gaeul, yu jimin's playlist, jang wonyoung's playlist

taglist (CLOSED)!!

@serenitygrace24 @moontealemonpie @writingficsblog @kittyeij @cutieseo @limbforalimb @ahnneyong @yumtooki @lcv3lies @sserajeans @jiwoneiric @babycubchae @trsrina @xyxlyn @misumiausworld @slowlyturninggay291 @awkwardtoafault @captivq @ddeonutz @noiacha @sserabey @d7dream @slowlyturninggay291 @lvwr @perfectsunlight @juhyunsthirdwife @uzumakioden @txtbrainrot @rosiehrs @yunjinhart @skisk1 @bzeus28 @deeznutzryu @jisooftme @danistolemyheart @li0ilthecxnt @eggomi @ddoxhan @zhivaxo @sweet-dhrafts @livelaughloveyujin @luveuly @marimo-anura @yunnybunnyy @ivy-aurora @wonyoluvr

#jang wonyoung x reader #ive x reader #iz*one x reader #izone x reader #aespa x reader #kpop x reader #idol x reader #silantryo

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nonsensology · 10 months

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So I've had these Grunkle Stan crackships on my mind for almost a year now. Could be interpreted as platonic, but I think there's great and fascinating potential if interpreted fully romantic. Full musings and explanations below (Warning: very disjointed and random).

Uncle Chan from Jackie Chan Adventures

Maybe Ford and Stan stumble across the Chans on one of their globe-trotting adventures. Both groups fight off the same supernatural threat and surprise each other with their ease and familiarity with the weird and fantastical.

I feel Uncle is kind of a weird in-between of Ford and Stan. He is knowledgeable but not a nerd like Ford, is generally cranky but doesn't get into trouble like Stan does, although he does have a level of disregard towards authority if it gets in the way of his goals. He's quick to do research instead of impulsively charging into a situation.

I think Uncle's dynamic with Stan would be hilarious. They would argue a lot on how to deal with a threat, but once they agree to work together, they could kick ass. Once he gets past his initial annoyance, Stan would probably enjoy Uncle's quips, even more so when he realizes that Uncle does not say them to be funny, he's just naturally snarky.

Uncle is never shown having any romantic interest or relationships, so I kind of headcanon him as ace, but I think it would be really interesting to see what kind of queerplatonic relationship he and Stan could form.

Jade and Mabel would probably hit it off immediately, and while Jade isn't as studious as Dipper, she also has an enthusiasm for the supernatural so she'd probably get along decently with him. She'd also probably think Stan and Ford are super cool, especially considering their lax attitude toward giving children weapons. Though they do still take the kids' safety very seriously.

Jackie is doubtful of Stan, much like he was with Viper, but seeing Stan look out for the kids would probably endear him a little. Ford might also help ease his worries, and maybe they both could have fun discussion about archeology.

I think Tohru and Soos could get along decently, though Tohru would find Soos' eccentric musings odd at first.

Additionally, Uncle's shop is in San Francisco, practically next door to Dipper and Mabel in Piedmont. The kids would easily visit each other every weekend.

Bruno Madrigal from Encanto

Stan has been to prison in Colombia, so I don't think he'd willingly travel there for fun, and Encanto Valley seems relatively closed off from the rest of the world, so I imagine their meeting is accidental, maybe a result of the Stans getting caught in a storm or something. They stay for a while in the valley while repeating their boat.

Stan might initially be outraged at the idea of the Madrigals not charging anyone for the use of their gifts, but perhaps lightens up when he sees how close-knit the community is. He'd still come up with ways they could show off their powers Mystery Shack style, probably butting heads with Alma in the process, lol. He might encourage Bruno to adapt a more showman-like approach to his seer abilities to make it more presentable and less intimidating.

Bruno and Stan connecting over their shared feelings of isolation from family is definitely what drew me to these two together in the first place. If they ever got serious about their relationship, I can imagine the biggest hurdle would be deciding if they should continue a long-distance relationship, since neither is keen on asking the other to be separated from their family.

Yuuko Ichihara from xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle

Major spoiler alerts for both series. It's been many years since I've read them, and Tsubasa had so many plot twists that even CLAMP (the writers) admitted they were confused by the end result. I also might be misremembering some details, so bear with me. Factoring in the plotlines for both series and Gravity Falls would make for an incredible AU fanfic that I unfortunately am not qualified to write.

Due to Yuuko's shop being in Tokyo, a whole ocean away from Oregon, I like to imagine some timey-wimey space mumbo jumbo allowing Yuuko and Stan to meet in the dream realm. Maybe at some point, Yuuko's shop would obtain a door connecting it to the Mystery Shack.

Stan and Yuuko both have a mischievous side, though Yuuko is generally more reserved. They could start out as drinking buddies, though I imagine Stan would probably favor a light beer, while Yuuko loves sake.

They also both use aliases (it is never revealed what Yuuko's real name is), but Yuuko would likely be upfront about it. As their relationship progresses, Stan would probably feel comfortable telling Yuuko his real first name, even after she tells him the supernatural dangers of giving your real name.

While Stan scams his customers, he generally sells harmless entertainment and trinkets, whereas Yuuko grants wishes and operates strictly on an equivalent exchange basis. To quote the wiki, "All of Yuuko's customers must pay a price in order to grant their wishes, which can be no more or no less than the one demanded, or else harm will come to one's way. She is not one to tell the customer the most direct way to solve their problems because in the end, it can only be solved with that person's own realization and resolution to change themselves... Her abilities are not unlimited and may almost seem like a curse as it appears that she is unable to do anything for anyone or grant any gift (other than feelings) without it becoming a binding transaction."

When Stan finds out just how powerful Yuuko is, I think he might react with a mixture of hesitation and awe, especially when she reveals she knows about his past, and Ford being lost in the multiverse. I am on the fence on whether Yuuko would use her powers to bring Ford home sooner, or let Stan continue working on the portal because he's already close to completing it and this would be significant in defeating Bill.

I found that the main villain of Tsubasa, Fei Wang Reed, surprisingly parallels Stan. Both endanger reality to bring back someone who is lost, but while Stan does it out of love and devotion to his family, Fei Wang Reed only did it in an arrogant plan to prove himself a powerful sorcerer. And in Fei's case, the person is already dead. CLAMP's universe establishes that the dead cannot be brought back to life, and Fei's wish to do so would cause the universe to be destroyed. I wonder if Bill would factor Fei as part of his plans.

Stan also surprisingly shares a lot in common with Fai D Fluorite. Both use their twin's name (Fai's real name is Yuui), and for much of the series Fai's tragic backstory regarding his twin is unknown, and he hides his trauma under a laid back exterior. I think Stan would empathize a lot with Fai, after he finds out his backstory.

Kimihiro Watanuki is revealed to have been created to fill a void left by Syaoran after the latter wished to turn back time. I remember Watanuki's character arc involved realizing that people cared about him. "Don't disappear", "Continue existing". Stan would probably take Watanuki under his wing, much like he did with Soos. Watanuki might find life with the Pines family far more chaotic than he's used to, but slowly warm up.

Yuuko is revealed to have died a long time ago and has basically been in magical stasis due to Clow Reed's unintentional wish. When time finally moves forward again, Yuuko eventually passes on. She doesn't return in the canon series, but Watanuki is stated to have also suspended his time to wait for her return. In this AU, maybe she reincarnates in the past and reunites with Stan and the Pines in the present day.

#gravity falls #grunkle stan #stanley pines #stan pines #uncle chan #jackie chan adventures #bruno madrigal #encanto #yuuko ichihara #xxxholic #tsubasa reservoir chronicle

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