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Stanford Pines; a case study on the Aro-ace spectrum, Monsterfucking, and their Intersection

Part II/III: Ford and Bill; and the Aroace-spectrum

Screenshot of Ford and Bill shaking over the portal schematics in the dreamscape, alteres to have the aroace flag through the portal

Continuing from the last section, which focused on Ford’s potential sexual/romantic relationships to parse out the presence or lack of sexual/romantic attraction, let's talk about the elephant in the room; Bill and Ford’s relationship. Out of all the relationships we've seen Ford have, the one that’s most intimate (that's not brotherly affection) and that we know about most would be with Bill. We get a vague understanding of Ford and Bill’s relationship in the show, which is elaborated on a bit more in J3, and then is pretty clearly mapped out in TBOB, as the book is centered on their relationship. I’ll go over what we were given in the show and then J3, before digging into the meat of the matter with TBOB, and which will all be followed by a section specifically looking at their relationship, and the aroace-spectrum. I’m not going to do a really in-depth analysis of Billford simply because that's a subject for another large analysis post if I did go into every detail, and this is long enough already; not to mention I also find a lot self-explanatory. This part sets up the discussion for part 3, and will by the end conclude the discussion for the overarching relationship portion, started in Part I.

I will also give a warning here that, as we are talking about Bill, this section contains prolonged discussions of BDSM dynamics as relates to the abusive relationship between Bill and Ford, and I want to make clear that BDSM is not abuse, and that BDSM culture does not condone abuse.

Part I/ Part III/Masterpost/AO3

Gravity Falls; the Show

Within the show, it's obvious that Ford and Bill previously used to be close, and their relationship meant a great deal emotionally to Ford; this is explicitly shown in the Last Mabelcorn episode, in which it’s clear Ford had some sort of relationship with Bill, including calling Bill a friend, as well as his Muse and worshiping him. They are implied to spend quite a bit of time together, enjoying each other’s company, playing chess, solving equations and bantering, suggesting a basis of strong platonic affection and attraction between the two. Ford even trusts Bill enough to end up making a deal that allows him to possess Ford, something insanely intimate! And when he shakes Bill's hand, he tells him to ‘call him a friend’. There is strong platonic affection, but it’s also clear Ford was really obsessive over Bill, generally decorating his house with his iconography and most obviously making a shrine to him that contains prisms, statues and tapestries. This is not to mention the pages and pages of Bill drawings taped up behind the tapestries that cover the walls; there’s so many of them. This clearly goes beyond a typical platonic friendship. In fact, Ford’s obsessiveness with Bill’s iconography smacks of a preteen who has a crush on a celebrity, and plasters their posters all over their walls, if even (to put it lightly) a bit more intense; ie, the obsessiveness that comes along with sexual or romantic attraction. This dynamic is similarly seen with Dipper’s obsessive crush on Wendy (especially the box underneath his bed of photos of her…), and even Mabel’s crushes of the week, except expressed by a man in his mid-late twenties and ratcheted up a notch with how long standing it is. This obsessiveness, as Bill comes to Ford as essentially a god, definitely comes off as worship; but Bill isn’t a distant god. As we’ve mentioned, their relationship is also more intimate and platonic; Ford’s attitude towards Bill doesn’t exactly fit the typical idea of worship. As well, the phrase, ‘from now until the end of time’, that Ford utters within the context of a contract about seemingly their partnership, is one that has strong romantic connotations; something liable to be heard at a wedding, when the wedding contract is signed. Now, this strong emotional intimacy, mixed with the obsession that suggests sexual/romantic attraction, and the power imbalance within Ford’s worship, is strongly reminiscent of a Dom/sub (D/s) dynamic within a relationship; ie, where both partners in the relationship take pleasure in the power imbalance. This reading of sexual/romantic attraction and the D/s dynamic is further emphasized by Ford willingly surrendering his body to Bill’s unrestrained use; ie, submissive literally submitting themselves to Dominant (on the surface, but I'm not gonna peel away into the semantics). Not to mention that Bill works predicated on contracts; ie, consensual (not quite since it’s Bill) agreements, something that is also found within the overarching BDSM culture. That said, I want to note that this is not to say their relationship is a good representation of the dynamic, because it is abuse; BDSM culture does not support abuse. The abuse and the lack of actual consensual agreement–as Bill lies by omission, and continues post-betrayal to possess Ford after consent is rescinded–makes it ultimately quite different from a practicing D/s relationship. But that does not erase that they do have elements of D/s dynamics! Now, although this relationship is clearly important to Ford, it isn't ever particularly defined during this time they are working together; it remains a nebulous thing that carries the tension of god/worshipper mixed with very close friendship, all topped off with strong underlying sexual subtext.

Show screenshots; Gold bill effigy with Ford's Bill tapestries and the pages on pages of Bill drawings plastered on the wall behind them; Ford possessed by Bill in the middle of his Bill shrine, Bill and Ford playing chess together, Bill and Ford shaking hands, in agreement over the portal, from when Ford says 'call me a friend'.

Even beyond Ford’s early years with Bill in which they are willingly in a partnership, Ford's choice after going through the portal to hunt down and kill Bill, is one that carries an underlying strong platonic and romantic/sexual subtext. This is because Ford’s priority, after learning the truth about Bill and going through the portal, switches from his previous scientific curiosity to murdering Bill (and beneath both, a bid for being worthy to love…). And this mission lasts for thirty fucking years! This is literally half his lifespan by the time he comes out of the portal back into Gravity Falls (and what will be about a third of his life, if what Bill says about him dying at 92 of a heart attack is true). Thus, even after their partnership ends, a priority for a third of Ford’s life revolves around Bill; notably, this is a choice he willingly made. Certainly, the situation is horrible, but Ford could’ve at least tried to walk away, live his own life, move on from Bill… but he doesn't. On top of that, Ford choosing to chase after Bill actively tanks his possibility at semi-peacefully investigating the multiverse, like you may assume he would with his usual scientific curiosity. Instead, Ford willfully decides to murder Bill, spending thirty years to get to that point, and getting his own wanted poster because of stealing parts for his kill-bill destabilizer. For Ford to so doggedly follow this self-chosen mission, and for so long, it displays the strength and longevity of the emotions behind the resolve to murder Bill; it’s by and far not a mission that was based solely on pure, cold logic, or strong morals, even if that’s the way Ford would perhaps like to construe it. It’s so clearly a personal vendetta, a culmination of anger, hurt, betrayal that all stemmed from the genuine intimacy, love, and obsession (which could be construed as sexual attraction) that Ford felt for Bill in their relationship-a relationship that made him actually feel like he was worth something, a connection he’s craved since Stan left. Certainly a part of his choice is made from Ford’s pride and guilt over being duped, and a way to atone for that, but by and far it’s all so clearly tied to these underlying, base emotions of genuine intimacy, love and previous obsession that he’s reacting to. These emotions are just repackaged outwardly–his previous obsession simply flipped from worship to murder–but it’s still an obsession. And to have those secondary emotions still remain after all that time? After half Ford’s life? These underlying base emotions must still be beneath that, much like Ford’s care for Stan is still there, even years upon years later, even though he likes to deny that. Thus, not only does Ford’s strength of emotions around Bill post-betrayal provides context to the depth of intimacy their relationship used to have, the platonic and underlying romantic/sexual subtext, but also continues post-betrayal to characterize their relationship with that subtext.

J3 page of Ford's own wanted poster, and mentioning that he is wanted for stealing supplies for the Quantum Destabilizer

I also want to acknowledge that it's not just Ford’s obsession that gives their relationship a queer, or sexual coding, but also Bill himself, and how he acts with Ford; this is as Bill strongly fits the stereotype of a gay villain. Now, the gay villain stereotype boils down to historical media portraying explicit or implicit queer coding--perceived as something immoral--as media literacy shorthand for a character to immediately be read as a villain. Over time, this has caused queer coding to become synonymous with stereotypical villain coding, and the distinctness of the queer coding within the villain coding has been lost to those using it in the last few decades; as a result, many authors, never intending queercoding, have nonetheless subtextually implied queerness while employing stereotypical villain coding. This queer coding in masculine characters includes such things as the character being well dressed (or overly well dressed), having a higher pitched voice, being flamboyant and dramatic, and the male villain being overly friendly and touchy with the male protagonist–even going so far as to flirt with the protagonist. And Bill fits this! He’s well dressed (ie, bow tie and hat, called a snazzy dresser by Ford in J3, and Mabel says he wore the reverend suit better than Dipper could), he has a high pitched voice, he’s flamboyant and dramatic, and with Ford, he's what we’d consider overly friendly; hell, in the dream, he puts his arm around Ford and then does the same nose flick Grenda uses on her soon to be boyfriend.

Bill being overly physically affectionate and touchy with Ford in his dreamscape when Ford returns from the portal.

Not to mention Bill’s seeming interest in keeping Ford around once Weirdmageddon starts, with asking him again to join him, literally turning him into a gold statue to carry around (trophy husband…), and serenading Ford via piano in a swanky penthouse suite while drinking something out of a martini glass. A whole, unneeded show for Ford. Plus, the song is about wives/girlfriends promising their husbands/boyfriends that they’ll come back from war to them; a context which can be applied to Bill and Ford–especially based on the romantic/sexual subtext of their early relationship–in which after all the years apart, they have been finally reunited (to more or less joy depending on who you ask). Cumulatively, Bill’s strong queer subtext, the two of them being alone in the penthouse suite (a space intimately for Bill), and Bill serenading Ford, are all things that point to someone attempting to woo someone else because of romantic/sexual attraction. Not to mention, since there is already sexual/romantic subtext, what naturally comes to mind with the collar and chains Bill gives Ford during this scene is their use in a sexual/kink context; ie, BDSM. Bondage can be used within D/s dynamics, a dynamic we’ve already seen their relationship be characterized with, back when Ford was younger and worshipping Bill. This power imbalance again is present here (although now clearly abusive) and is visually emphasized by the chains and collar. Adding strength to this argument, in a cut TBOB page, Bondage and D/s dynamics (and sadomasochism as well) are referenced by the ‘The Fun Zone’--ie, a BDSM dungeon, or a torture chamber depending on your reading–in Bill’s theoretical body, suggesting this is something that Bill enjoys (enough to have a specific room in his body). Overall, whether intended or not by those working on the show, Bill's interactions with Ford, especially so in the penthouse suite scene, culminate in a very strong subtextual reading that Bill’s intentions towards Ford are sexual/romantic. This, on top of Ford's previous obsessive worship and closeness with Bill, provides very strong subtext that their romantic/sexual attraction was reciprocal, which implies a desire for, and possibility of, a romantic/sexual relationship.

Screenshots: Bill with a margarita, and Ford in a chain around his neck; Bill picking up the gold Ford on the statue of stone people; the cut TBOB page of Bill's theoretical body, including 'The Fun Zone', screenshot of Bill serenading Ford.

Journal 3

Now, in Journal 3, we are provided with a few more details on their relationship. With the timeline, we come to know that they knew each other for a good four-ish years, that only in the last year and a bit did they begin the portal as partners, and that in the last few months (possibly even only one or two), Ford granted Bill access to his own body. We also witness Ford’s giddiness over being contacted by Bill. Ford also calls Bill seductive on the pages about him; an interesting word to use considering the already sexual undertones of their relationship, as ‘seduce’ has very strong sexual implications.

J3 page on Bill, cropped, with the words seduce you underlined in read.

It's also in Journal 3 that you have the Author Page; and in this page, Ford says that “To put it simply, I am strange. I was born strange, I am attracted to the strange, and the strange has always been attracted to me.” Again, an interesting choice of words; these pages are all about Ford’s otherness, including the code that reads out about Cathy freaking out about Ford's hands. It's fairly clear that because of that otherness Ford doesn't feel accepted within society; and the phrase implies that Ford as a result is drawn, out of platonic attraction, intellectual curiosity and above all, relatability, to other weird and strange beings. Being within a community where otherness is normal, Ford feels like he’s no longer othered, or wrong, but instead welcomed. Now, this can read strongly as a queer experience, as queer folk can come from any background which means they are often not already born within a community centered around what makes them othered from mainstream society (comparative to other minorities). As a result they have to find queer community themselves later in life, and many queers growing up find their friend group often also includes other queers; ie, many queers are naturally platonically attracted to other queers!

Now, this queer reading of the phrase can be further implied due to the word used; attraction!!! Ford's attraction to the strange may not just be of intellectual interest or platonic attraction, but also beyond, to sexual or romantic interest which many queer identities deal with, and which that word is often used to refer to. Although to be honest, this correlation to sexual or romantic attraction being deliberate I find unlikely, but nevertheless there are implications. Taking this quote in a sexual/romantic context, since it’s about Gravity Falls and its strange creatures, the subtext would point to sexual attraction to the strange; ie Monsterfucking. This is something that correlates to three out of four of Ford’s potential love interests!

This is not to mention Ford saying that (almost like Gravity Falls itself) he finds that the strange is attracted to him, not just that he is attracted to it. If we talk about the strange being attracted to Ford, what immediately pops to mind is Ford's relationship with Bill, who is very clearly inhuman and thus strange. After all, their relationship contains a lot of different attractions; very strong platonic attraction/affection and intimacy, intellectual attraction with their discussions and scientific work (Bill ‘coming to Ford because he found someone worthy to inspire’), as well as the strong undertones of sexual/romantic attraction. And, all of these are things that both the characters experience! In this, Bill clearly takes the place of the ‘strange’ that is attracted to Ford, especially as Ford also displays attraction to the ‘strange’ that is Bill. Interestingly, Bill also directly calls Ford out on this desire, and his feeling of acceptance within the weird, during Weirdmageddon, when he invites Ford to join his henchmaniacs, in part because of his oddity; on the surface, something Ford would supposedly enjoy, considering the way he talks about feeling at home with the strange.

Beyond Bill, there are only a few other ‘strange attracted to him’ instances, which don’t fit as well, in a platonic, sexual/romantic and ‘magnetic’ manner. Afterall, there’s certainly the siren (inhuman), and perhaps Jheselbraum (an alien), who Ford is implied to possibly experience reciprocal sexual/romantic attraction with, on top of platonic. Fiddleford also can fit the ‘strange’ through his ostracization in college and his queerness, and he experiences reciprocal platonic affection/attraction with Ford, and non-reciprocal romantic/sexual attraction for Ford (found here). However, he is not inhuman, markedly making him less strange. Other romantic/sexual attractions could also be the gnomes, in trying to capture Ford to give to their queen, although it’s doubtful if that would be romantic/sexual attraction or more aesthetic attraction. As Ford implies the attraction is ongoing, are there any instances in Ford’s early life? Not really; one could suggest the Jersey devil, but it’s something he seeks, rather than something that finds him. Interestingly, for Ford claiming to have the strange attracted to him, there’s only a handful of strange beings who actually are attracted to him, so we don’t really see Ford within the narrative specifically act as a magnet for weird things; instead he tends to seek them out himself. Even with Bill, Ford first read out Bill’s incantation.

Overall, the comment of being attracted to the strange, and the strange attracted to him continues to strengthen Ford’s queerness within the context of finding community with those alike to himself, something seen as most of his platonic attraction or curiosity revolves around those othered (including Stan!). Additionally, within the context of Gravity Falls and sexual attraction that the word ‘attracted’ tends to imply, it reflects and strengthens Ford’s monsterfucking subtext, as demonstrated in his and Bill’s reciprocal attraction.

J3 Author pages, all an emphasis on Ford being strange, and includes the quote “To put it simply, I am strange. I was born strange, I am attracted to the strange, and the strange has always been attracted to me.”

Lost Legends: the Siren Page

Before we get to TBOB, I did want to dig into the Lost Legends siren page that I discussed briefly in Part One, in the early Gravity Falls section. As I mentioned in that section, in all likelihood, it was simply an unintentional placement of a well-known page (the Bill page) in the journal page visible when Dipper, who is reading the journal, exclaims about Ford dating a siren; especially as it fits Dipper’s hero-worship of Ford. Even if it is likely not intentional, it does still suggest that possibly the siren wasn’t an actual siren; but instead an allusion to Bill.

If we define a siren as a concept from its Greek origin, it's a being who manipulates their victim with a promise of an illusion of what their victim wants most… only for the interaction to end poorly for the victim when the siren then gets what it desires which is negative for the said victim (sailor lunch). Which... Well. Doesn't that premise sound familiar? Bill, an inhuman being, manipulates Ford with an illusion (of academic renown and recognition) so he can get what he desires which is negative (taking over Earth). On the J3 pages pictured here about Bill, Ford explicitly warns: “This nightmare in disguise will seduce you with never-ending flattery until he gets what he wants--and what he wants is the destruction of this reality!” Not to mention the already strong romantic/sexual subtext between the two, suggesting the possibility of romantic/sexual relationship. Furthermore, as mentioned in a panel, Alex already had the idea of making TBOB during the time of publishing J3 and LL. Since the crux of TBOB explores the abusive relationship between Bill and Ford, which is strongly sexually/romantically coded, I would be very surprised if he didn’t already have an inkling about the topic back then, when writing LL. Thus, it would certainly be possible to allude to Bill through the siren. Honestly, I think it’s unlikely… nevertheless, we’ll never entirely know.

LL panel showing Dipper exclaiming that Ford used to date a siren, with the journal open to the Bill page; these two Bill pages are the next two images, and include Ford calling Bill seductive.

The Book of Bill and TINAWDC

Now, TBOB’s (and related thisisnotawebsitedotcom material) main narrative is of Bill and Ford’s relationship, revealing and reiterating how deeply the two of them mattered to each other. It makes it very clear that Ford didn't contact Bill out of purely scientific interest and his research not progressing, as Ford tells it within the show, but more rather because Ford was deeply lonely; and that Bill reciprocated the depth of these feelings! They were both very lonely individuals and became extremely important to each other as they found solace in their similar experiences and matching weirdnesses together. Something that Alex even says himself: “they made each other feel important which made them important to each other…”. Something that these two very emotionally fragile characters desired greatly, is to feel important, to be accepted; and they found that within each other. This is evidenced in the thisisnotawebsitedotcom (TINAWDC) pages on Bill’s funeral, in which Ford says “I once considered him the centre of my life, the sun in my galaxy…”. As a result, both of them were deeply impacted when the relationship fractured; overall reiterating and underscoring the emotional intimacy of their relationship that was previously suggested during the show and J3.

TINAWDC pages: on Bill's funeral, which includes the quote “I once considered him the centre of my life, the sun in my galaxy…”.

Now, TBOB also very clearly showcases their relationship as an abusive, committed and exclusive relationship of some sort. In proof of their relationship resembling a committed and exclusive relationship, we have an argument between both Ford and Bill accusing each other of ‘cheating’, in which they are jealous about the time the other is spending away from each other, and not on the portal… typically, these accusations are solely for a committed and exclusive relationship. Not to mention Bill’s reaction to Ford suddenly cutting off contact; the O’Sadley’s incident, where Bill gets so drunk he forgets his mom’s dead and ends up in, essentially, the intergalactic drunk tank. This incident is referred to when inputting the words divorce or break up (and rock bottom) to TINAWDC, as it returns the O’Sadley’s label, the place Bill got drunk at. One could construe it as the gag trope of something non-romantic shown to have romantic cliche’s applied, but considering the weight the narrative gives their relationship, and the way it delves into serious matters such as abuse, this does not read as a joke. As a result, it’s a pretty clear allusion to a committed, exclusive relationship between Bill and Ford.

TBOB missing journal page after Christmas in which they get angry at each other, for spending time with others (or accused to) instead of each other and the portal, and the TBOB page on Losing Sixer, wich includes Bill at O'Sadley's, which is the logo that pops up when divorce or break up is search on TINADWC

Not only does this just imply it was an exclusive committed relationship, it also very strongly implies a romantic relationship, with break up/divorce only happening in a committed sexual/romantic relationship. This is reiterated beyond this comment, with many different instances throughout TBOB and TINAWDC; Ford calling himself a cipherholic (addicted to your ex?) and being ‘attracted to things that hurt you’ (one of the very few times Ford acknowledges attraction!!! And it's about Bill. Which btw I break down here), Ford’s birthday presents, the karaoke night and getting drunk with the infamous ‘we’re gonna…’ text. Not to mention tonnes of other very strong implications such the joke ‘my ex wife still misses me but her aim is getting better’ (nice correlation there…), the ‘can we talk’ sticky note (typical text from a partner when there's Issues™), Ford’s shame around his relationship with Bill (common for abusive romantic relationships), the dream quip about Ford having nightmares about what he's attracted to (implied to be Bill). Even the Bill funeral pages, calling Bill “centre of my life, the sun in my galaxy”, strongly suggests the priority of a committed, and often romantic relationship, and the list goes on. Not to mention the loss of bodily autonomy from possession and how that related to abusive sexual/romantic relationships, and that's not even touching on Bill’s response to some of the romantic relationship questions in the romantic advice section of TBOB, such as gifting dead rats, or his talk about the love cage (ie, the penthouse scene), which are literally things he did for Ford. As a result, it is unequivocally clear that Ford and Bill were deeply intertwined emotionally and were very important to each other in their lives, in a way that very strongly resembles a romantic relationship. Subtext basically screams they used to be in a romantic/sexual relationship; yet, they are never canonically confirmed to be in a romantic or sexual relationship so the exact nature of the relationship remains nebulous.

TBOB pages: Bill's Love Cage Flirtation advice technique, and the missing journal 3 pages which include: Ford calling himself a Cipherholic and attracted to things the hurt him, the CAN WE TALK sticky note,

Regarding a sexual diagnosis for their relationship, the closest thing recorded that implies anything particularly sexual is karaoke night, with the implication of something going to happen… what exactly it is is unclear, but the page is oozing sexual/romantic subtext, and is highly evocative of someone leading up to confessing about a sexual act, or a future sexual act. This can easily be seen by lifting quotes directly from the page; “one thing led to another thing”--what did it lead to beyond Ford getting drunk and singing karaoke with Bill? Since it sounds like this might not just be the end all be all…, the way it’s framed as almost a confession–“I shouldn’t be writing this down”, and “look it’s just me and my journal here”--like a teenage girl confessing about her crush, or something she did with her crush, to her diary, that trails off to the gushing about Bill–“he’s really got it all figured out”--again like a teenage girl about her crush in her diary. And oh boy, then we get the call back to what Bill directly says earlier in TBOB is a flirting technique–“also the rats where his idea?”--in which Ford literally says “he gets it now”. Like what do you get about that, Ford? It simply could be that Ford’s referring to that it’s Bill's birthday gift for him, but he’s already informed Ford of that, the day before. So why are you mentioning it again? Unless perhaps, you realized something else is part of it… and since Bill literally lists it as a flirting technique earlier in TBOB, it implies then that Ford by reiterating that, means he understands Bill’s flirting with him. And it's directly after this comment that he says “I’m gonna. We’re gonna”. And what is it you’re going to do, immediately after learning someone you’re romantically/sexually attracted to is also attracted to you? Likely going to act on those feelings. It’s easy enough to fill in the sentence to I’m gonna have sex with Bill, we’re gonna have sex, or something similar. Sure, beyond the immediate sexual implication one gets from the phrase, it could be semi-believably be construed as they're going to open the portal together, but NONE of the surrounding context is about the portal, or about Ford’s higher aspirations. It’s about Bill, it’s about their relationship, it’s about the intimacy, about the sexual subtext in their relationship. So why would it be something else that doesn’t fit the context? And why didn’t Ford finish those sentences? He’s definitely still drunk at this point, so maybe that’s why, but also if something sexual did happen, Ford would be hesitant to directly write it down, and he’d prefer to nebulously reference it… like he does here. And after the “I’m gonna. We’re gonna.” is “What a time”. Is Ford just referring to the party in general, or something else that also occurred, especially considering what is directly after. Was the sex good, Ford? This sexual subtext is also especially strong because Ford is inebriated at this point, and drunken sexual acts are known to happen when inhibitions are loosened; which they clearly are in Ford’s ramblings and enjoyment of things he probably normally would scoff at, like karaoke, and the simple fact he’s not working for once.

I do want to note that the tense shift around “I’m gonna. We’re gonna” is in fact different then the rest of the sentences; looking forward, rather than something that has already occurred, especially as Ford on the page at the end already mentions his hangover, and that it’s morning; this is being made retroactively. With that, it suggests that maybe something sexual hasn’t yet occurred, but will… or that something already occurred, and something sexual will continue to occur. In this future aspect, it could perhaps more fit the non-sexual portal reading, but as previously mentioned, doesn’t really fit contextually. Of course, part of it may also be that Ford’s drunk; he misspells words, even his own name, and uses incorrect grammar for once (Ford, infamously ‘Grammar, Stanley’ Pines)... so also putting a lot of stock in it is debatable. Overall, considering their previously established emotional intimacy and very strong romantic/sexual coding, it provides a very strong subtext that what occurred would be considered romantic or sexual in nature, and/or intention going forward for something romantic/sexual in nature.

Interestingly, this suggests that a romantic or sexual act hasn’t occurred before due to Ford’s inhibitions. This is also reiterated by the way Ford semi-records it in his journal as generally you record something when it’s new and yet undocumented. This implies that if the act occurred, it is indeed romantic or sexual in nature, their relationship prior to this is not one in which definitive sexual or romantic acts were common or occurred at all… and something which Ford likely would not request due to perhaps a repressed sexuality or romantic interest, simply being unaware of the feelings, and/or prioritization of his work. Now, do we know if this promised romantic or sexual gesture occurs or is repeated after? It is strongly implied that Ford doesn't really remember most of the night, since he got so drunk; as well, there are no more comments on the night, nor visible forthcoming changes in their relationship, which suggests that their relationship may have continued on as previously, before the interaction… which would be deeply emotionally intertwined, but not sexual or romantic in nature. Although one could certainly mention that just because it isn’t written down doesn’t mean it wasn’t happening (afterall, absence of data is not proof of absence of fact); but considering Ford’s workaholism, and what’s previously mentioned, I’m unsure that would be the case. Overall, this codes Bill and Ford’s relationship as deeply intimate, with reciprocal but generally unacted sexual/romantic attraction, with a possibility of a one night drunken sexual interaction, and intention to perhaps continue or begin sexual/romantic interactions.

TBOB page of Bill's romantic advice page which suggests leaving dead mice as a valentine; missing journal pages, of Ford's birthday page with the rats left for him by Bill spelling out his name and the infamous karoake night page.

So then, what is their relationship? Although they matter a great deal to each other, are both possessive of each other, and have very strong sexual subtext, it's pretty clear they never sat down like adults and discussed how exactly they would define their relationship, as both are allergic to actually talking about their feelings. They certainly didn't name it, and honestly, Alex himself didn't pigeonhole their relationship into one box or another either. Something very important to the reading of the relationship is that in a panel, Alex has mentioned that he literally based Ford and Bill’s relationship on abusive break-ups of romantic/sexual relationship stories he read online (link here). In light of this information, the reading of Bill and Ford’s abusive relationship as romantic/sexual in nature is not at all a surprise. Instead, it's really quite a given. But what's also important to note is that he wasn't trying to write a romantic/sexual relationship, but instead the unique relationship between Bill and Ford; a fictional relationship between a demon and a human which if it was in real life, could be construed as something similar to an abusive romantic/sexual relationship. This means Alex didn't write it with the intention of Bill and Ford sharing what would be considered a typical romantic/sexual relationship, but instead a relationship that is similar to one; which matches what we see in canon!

Ford, Bill and Aro-aceness

Now, Bill and Ford’s relationship is similar to but distinct from a typical romantic/sexual relationship, as it lacks an emphasis on the sexual or romantic aspect; this resembles to me, as an aro-ace person, an undiscussed committed and exclusive queer-platonic relationship (QPR). A QPR is defined as ‘a non-romantic, intimate partnership characterized by deep emotional commitment and connection, often involving shared living, responsibilities, and chosen family dynamics’. This matches Bill and Ford’s relationship especially around deep emotional commitments and connections to each other, and that the sexual/romantic part of their relationship isn't definitive or emphasized. One could also weakly argue the portal as a shared responsibility, although it is more of a ‘work’ responsibility; it is to be noted that as their relationship remains undiscussed some aspects are going to not be as strongly present (especially considering Bill doesn’t… exist materially). Another type of attraction beyond platonic, romantic or sexual is pertinent to discuss here, especially regarding QPR’s: alterous attraction. Alterous attraction can be defined as ‘an attraction and desire for an emotional closeness with a person that exists in-between romantic and platonic feelings’. People with alterous attraction often end up in QPR’s, as they are a physical manifestation of the emotional closeness that people who experience alterous attraction desire. As Bill and Ford’s relationship is reminiscent of a QPR, it’s possible that their feelings towards one another may be more accurately described as alterous attraction, rather than necessarily romantic, sexual or strictly platonic attraction. I also want to note that any labels for relationships or sexualities are guidelines, and are chosen by people as they feel it fits them; everyone's relationships will look differently regarding a QPR. These relationships and people's attraction will vary between, and on, platonic, romantic and sexual continuums, depending on those involved. Nor does a QPR have to be a relationship between two people who solely experience alterous attraction. As a result, the implication of Ford having potentially some sexual or romantic attraction to, or enacting some sexual/romantic acts with Bill doesn't negate him being on the aro/ace spectrum, experiencing alterous attraction, or functionally having an undiscussed (situationship) QPR with Bill.

With that said, I also want to shift the focus on Ford’s relationship with Bill, and into more specifically Ford’s attraction to Bill, as there are some juicy, and important, tidbits here to examine regarding aro/aceness and attraction. A notable example here is the quip from Bill on Ford’s dreams. The quip reads “Sixer dreams about a pop quiz that asks him “what are you attracted to?”. Usually writes “I’m attracted to logic and preparation””. Now I've already written a good deal on this, but still, to recap;

TBOB page on different common dreams for each character, cropped to Ford's, which says “Sixer dreams about a pop quiz that asks him “what are you attracted to?”. Usually writes “I’m attracted to logic and preparation.” Not sure what to call that! Plansexual?”

First of all, it would be very unlikely that a het man would have what is clearly a recurring stress dream about being quizzed about his sexuality (for why would he be bothered by it?) and secondly, what Ford writes down is notably not physical characteristics. This means that Ford isn’t heterosexual if he’s that bothered by his sexuality, and the simple fact Ford doesn't write down something physical, again suggests Ford doesn't experience sexual attraction (or experiences very limited attraction)... suggesting that he isn’t allosexual, and is on the asexual spectrum. Not that someone who experiences physical attraction wouldn't put that down, but it's also something that an ace person in this situation would put down. As this quip is mentioned in TBOB, in which the narrative really focuses on Bill and Ford’s relationship, it doesn't feel like a throwaway line but one that strongly fits the themes of the book, as it’s related to Ford’s attraction, and by proxy, romantic/sexual relationships… such as his relationship with Bill. This is reiterated in that the descriptors that Ford writes down fit Bill–“logic and preparation”, as Bill presents himself as basically a god of knowledge, who does have plans--and by the fact that the dream seems to be a stress dream. The dream being stressful, and revolving around attraction fits if Ford potentially struggles with his sexuality due to being queer in general or specifically ace, but especially fits if he is sexually/romantically/alterously attracted to Bill. This is because as we’ve seen previously, their closeness--Ford’s attraction, in whichever form it took--is something he feels a lot of shame and guilt over.

As well, another page that suggests Ford struggles with his own sexuality (or lack thereof) is the second page on Bill, which shows a diagram of a human head, with Bill hopping into it; notably, the head is separated out into sections, like a phrenology map. In the labels, it includes Morals, Reflectives, and The Ladies. Now, is this supposed to represent Ford’s head? Or say, a ‘general person’s’ head? Either way, in sectioning out the brain Ford feels the need to label The Ladies, implying that it's a big part of people's and/or his thought processes. Also, since it's labelled The Ladies, it notably orients the head to be read as male (within the heteronormative context), and so implies that perhaps it is supposed to be Ford's head, (or Western society's idea of Man as the Normative Person could also apply here as explanation). Nevertheless, what's interesting is that in the blacklight version, under blacklight, these words are written over with new words: Ego, Deceit, Pride… and Lies over The Ladies. And with Lies being directly over The Ladies, if it is indeed supposed to be Ford’s head, it implies that Ford’s lying about his interest in the ladies, as he’s drawn on the page. A reading that fits his character considering his priority has never been women or romantic/sexual relationships. This also brings up the question of why did Ford write it then, if it was a lie? A fitting explanation would be because Ford was worried about the perception of his own sexuality due to it not fitting society's expectation; that is, that sexual/romantic relationships are supposed to take up a large part of people’s thoughts. Now, was this the intention of Alex and the artists working on the page? Honestly, I don't know, and the words are only somewhat loosely related to the words they are written on top of, and it would also really come down to whoever was working on the page. Not to mention, you have other implications pushing the agenda of Ford/Jheselbraum, which contradicts the implication that Ford’s not into ladies… Overall though, the subtext of Ford lying about his interest in ladies and struggling with his sexuality (generally, and also possibly due to repressed attraction to Bill) remains plausible, something that aligns with his continued subtext of being on the aro-ace spectrum.

J3 page on Bill, including the phrenology-esque diagram, that shows THE LADIES as a section. Next image is the blacklight version; covering the words THE LADIES is instead the word LIES.

Conclusion

In total, what does all of this mean for Ford’s sexuality? Relationship wise, over most of his life, he's shown little interest in sexual/romantic relationships as they are never prioritized. The only deep emotional relationship that is romantically/sexually coded (that we know of) is his relationship with Bill, and the only time it’s implied they do anything possibly romantic/sexual is on karaoke night, when Ford is inebriated. For possible experiences of romantic/sexual attraction, we have four: one known semi-relationship with Bill, a possible relationship with Jheselbraum, a relationship with a siren that we have zero data on, and a highschool crush that is used to ostracize Ford and reeks of comphet. These scant, and mostly vague examples of sexual attraction, matched to the constant priority of scientific curiosity, not to mention expressed confusion on romantic/sexual relationships, strongly suggests that Ford is likely on the aro/ace spectrum. Within these exemplified relationships, it suggests that Ford perhaps experiences alterous attraction as his relationship with Bill so closely resembles an undiscussed QPR, as sexual and romantic acts are not emphasized. These relationships can also suggest that Ford experiences some limited romantic attraction, and with the karaoke night, that he also possibly experiences limited sexual attraction (although one does not need to experience sexual attraction to engage in or enjoy sex, nor be romantically attracted to be in a romantic relationship). Since there are very few relationships, it suggests that if Ford does experience romantic or sexual attraction, that it’s possible he only experiences it under very specific circumstances. This brings to mind demi-sexuality/demi-romanticism, in which you only experience sexual/romantic attraction after forming a strong emotional bond with another person; which would be a possible explanation for Ford’s seeming sexual/romantic attraction to Bill, or even Jheselbraum. Regarding the possibility of it all being repression, which is the writer's intent: it is a more convoluted answer to a problem that can be more simply answered with the fact that aroace people exist. Beyond cementing Ford as on the aro-ace spectrum, it also canonically shows that Ford is a monsterfucker as all three of his implied or canon relationships are inhuman. This canonical monsterfuckery, weirdly enough for some folks to grasp at first, for me is actually an argument for Ford being on the aro/ace spectrum… and can be found analyzed in Part III.

#cmon guys... aroace billford analysis... psspsspss #gravity falls #stanford pines #billford #bill cipher #gravity falls meta #aroace ford

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curiouscatastrophe · 1 day ago

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idk how to word this properly but wrt the fanfic thing you reblogged earlier. Why do fanfic writers have such different expectations than any other content hosting platform?

Like lets take youtube as a point of comparison, Engagement like comments and likes largely exists to boost the works place in algorithm, thats why youtubers put in calls to action and other engament bait. Few with decent reach even read the comments and the audience shouldnt try to develop any weird parasocial relationship with the youtuber. Fanfic authors ask for likes (kudos, because the websites gotta use nonstandard language for some reason) and comments despite them not having any impact on an algorithm, and seem to want the audience to try and develop a relationship with the author based on tumblr posts like that one.

Why the radical difference in behaviour away from the norm? And honestly with all the (usually) metaphorical blood spilled online about parasociality why are authors really surprised that the audience tries to keep their distance as is best practice with any other content producer?

okay I am going to answer this as kindly and as calmly as I can and try to assume that you are asking this in good faith. because my friend, the fact that you feel the need to ask is, to me, The Problem.

[this is, for the record, in response to this post]

fanfiction writers are not *posting content.* (I also have reservations about engaging with the term "content producer" or "content creator" but let's put that aside for now, I'll circle back to it.) you say "they seem to want the audience to try and develop a relationship with the author" as though it is strange, off-putting, and incomprehensible to you, when in fact that is the point of writing fanfiction. it is a way of participating in fandom. it is a way of building community and exchanging ideas and becoming closer with people.

if authors wanted to solely ~generate content~ that would get them attention (?? to what end, the dynamic you have described seems to equate algorithmic supremacy as winning for winning's sake, as though all anyone wants to do is BUILD an audience without ENGAGING with them, which I cannot fathom but let's pretend for a moment that is, in fact, true) then like. if that were the case why on earth would they choose a medium in which they categorically cannot succeed and profit, because it isn't their IP?

you are equating two things that are not at all the same thing. to the degree that parasocial relationships are to be avoided, and "that person is not trying to be your friend they are trying to entertain you, please respect their boundaries" is a real dynamic -- which it is!! -- like. you have to understand that the reason that is true for the people of whom it is true is because it is their JOB. they are storytellers by profession, and they are either through direct payment, or sponsorship, or advertising, or through some other means, profiting off of your attention. i don't say this to be dismissive, many wonderful artists and actors and comedians and any number of a thousand things that i enjoy very much go this route but they do so as a *career choice.* and so when you violate the public/private boundary with them, you are presuming to know a Person rather than their Worksona. the people who work at Dropout or who stream their actual play tabletop games or who broadcast on TikTok or YouTube are inviting me to feel like i know them to the degree to which that helps them succeed in their medium and at their craft, but there MUST be a mutual understanding that that's a feeling, not a fact.

however.

a fanfiction writer is not an influencer, not a professional, and is not looking to garner "success." there is no share of audience we are trying to gain for gain's sake, because we are not competition with one another, because there is nothing to win other than the pleasure of each other's company. we are doing this for no other reason than the love of the game; because we have things we want desperately to say about these worlds, these characters, these dynamics, and because we *want more than anything to know we are not alone in our thoughts and feelings.* fanfiction is a bid for interaction, engagement, attention, and consideration. it is not meant to be consumed and then moved on from because we are NOT paid for our work, nor do we want to be. the reward we seek is "attention," but attention as in CONVERSATION, not attention as in clicks. we are not IN this for profit, or for number-go-up. there is no such thing: legally there cannot be. we are in this because we want to be seen and known.

like. please understand. i am now married to someone i met because of mutual comments on fanfiction. our close friend and roommate, with whom i have cohabitated for over a decade now, is someone I met because of mutual comments on fanfiction and livejournal posts. that is my household. beyond my household, the vast majority of my closest personal friends are people with whom I built relationships in this way.

you ask why fanfiction writers want THIS and not "the norm," but the idea of everything being built to cater to an algorithm to continue to build clout, as though the only method of reaching people is Distant Overlord Creator and Passive Receptive Audience being "the norm" is EXTREMELY NEW. this is not how it has always been!! please think of the writers of zines in a pre-internet fandom, using paper and glue and xerox to try and meet like-minded people in a world that was designed for you to only ever meet people in person, by happenstance, in your own hometown. imagine the writers of the early internet, building webrings from scratch to CREATE a community to find each other, despite distance. imagine livejournal groups, forums, and -- yes, indeed, of course -- comment threads IN STORIES -- as places where people go to *converse.* in the past, we had an entire Type Of Guy that everyone knew about, the BNF ("Big Name Fan") whose existence had to be described via meme because it was SO DIFFERENT THAN THE NORM. treating fellow fans like celebrities or people too cool for the regular kids to know was an OUTLIER, and one commonly understood to lead to toxicity.

in the past, I have likened writing fanfiction to echolocation. i am not screaming because I like hearing the sound of my own voice, though i can and do find my voice beautiful. i am screaming so that the vibrations can bounce back to me and show me the world. the purpose is in the feedback. otherwise it is just noise.

does this make any sense? can you see, when i describe it that way, why an ask like yours makes me feel despair, because it makes us all sound so horribly separate from one another?

perhaps I will try another metaphor:

a professional chef who runs a restaurant will not have her feelings hurt if you never fight your way into the kitchen to personally tell her how much you enjoyed the meal. that would, indeed, violate a boundary. professional kitchens are a place of work, and you have already showed her you enjoyed the meal by paying for it, or by perhaps spreading your enjoyment by word of mouth to your friends so they, too, can have good meals. you show your appreciation by continuing to come back. if a bunch of people sitting around randomly happen to have a conversation about how much they love the food, it wouldn't hurt that chef's feelings to not be included in the conversation. however: EVEN IN THIS INSTANCE, it is ADVISABLE AND APPROPRIATE to leave a good review! you might post about how much you like this restaurant on Yelp, and it would probably make the chef feel great to see those positive comments. but the chef doesn't NEED them, because the chef is, again, *also being paid to cook.* that's why she started the restaurant, to be paid to cook!

i am not being paid to cook.

i am at home in my own kitchen, making things for a community potluck where i hope everyone will bring something we can all enjoy together. some people at the potluck are better bakers, some better cooks; some can't cook at all but are great at logistics and make sure there's enough napkins for everyone; some people come just to enjoy the food, because that's what the party is for. and if I, as this enthusiast chef who made something from my heart for this reason alone, learned after the fact that a bunch of people got together in the parking lot to rave about my dish but no one of them had ever bothered to tell me while I sat alone at my table all night, occasionally seeing people come by to pick up a plate but never saying anything to me -- of course that would bother me, because I am not otherwise profiting off the labor I put in. this is not a bid to be paid, because if someone WERE to say "hey, great cake!! here's five bucks for a slice" i would say no, friend, that is not the point and give them the money back. i'm not trying to Get Mine. I am in it to see the look on your face. I'm in it so you can tell me what about it moved you, so that I can say back what moved me to make it in the first place. so we can TALK about it.

because what happened in the first place is this: one time I had a cake whose sweetness, richness, flavor, intensity, and composition moved me so much that I *taught myself to bake.* so I could see how much vanilla and sugar was too much, so I could learn how to make things rise instead of fall flat, so I could even better appreciate the original cake by seeing for myself the effort and talent and inspiration that goes into making one even half as good.

learning to do so is a satisfying accomplishment in and of itself, yes.

but I also did it because at the end of the day we should EAT the cake. and it's a lonely thing, to eat alone when a meal was always designed and intended to be shared.

so, to answer your last question: i'm not surprised, i'm just sad. because somehow two things that were never meant to be seen as the same have been labeled "content," and thus identical. and it diminishes both the things that ARE intended to be paid for AND the things that are not, because it removes any sense of intimacy or meaning from the work.

i hope you know i'm not mad at you for asking. but i'm frustrated we've come to live in a world where the question needs to be asked, because the answers are no longer intuitively obvious because we're so siloed.

#real and true and beautiful #writing #fandom

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