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

Part III/III: Monsterfucking, the Aroace spectrum and Ford (and Bill)

J3 pages on WHAT IS THE UNIFIED THEORY OF WIERDNESS, changed to say WHAT IS THE UNIFIED THEORY OF FORD'S SEXUALITY, tongue in cheek, with the aroace flag colouring the big question mark in the middle.

Now, you say, what does monsterfucking have to do with asexuality? Well, first of all, before we begin, I'd like to note that both asexuality and aromanticism are spectrums, and there are immensely varied experiences within these labels. Now, that said, one experience I've seen that is decently frequent within the aro-ace community, is the prevalence of monsterfuckers. I myself am one, and have had conversations with other aroaces who consider themselves monsterfuckers. In digging into these topics, I’ll break down the impetus behind monsterfucking fantasies, queer and especially aroace enthusiasm of monsterfucking, and how all of this correlates to Ford’s aroace spectrum subtext, especially through the lens of his relationship with Bill.

As in the previous section, I will also give a warning here that, as we continue to talk 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. Additionally, as we are talking about monsterfucking, this section contains prolonged discussions of rape fantasies.

Part I / Part II/Masterpost/AO3

Dissecting the Monsterfucking Fantasy (and Queer Enthusiasm)

Before I go on, I also need to acknowledge that monsterfucking itself is a large spectrum, with many people getting different things out of it depending on their fantasy and the monster they engage with. As a result I’ll likely not touch on every and all aspects of monsterfucking, but some prevalent ones, as there are some overarching themes. That said, let’s first dig into what monsters represent in media. Monsters within media represent something that is something inhuman, something other. Now, in an overarching sense, while they are characterized as inhuman, as we humans are the ones writing this narrative, they actually are a reflection of a human; afterall, to define what is inhuman is to define what is human. As a result, the monster represents a warped human, or a very human fear. This is because a monster while being other is also characterized by a perceived or legitimate threat, a danger. And this danger comes through their otherness from what is defined as human, which can span various senses (physiological, behavioural, etc). Just because something is different doesn’t always mean they are a monster; for example, if interspecies mingling in sci-fi is normalized (ie, they aren’t characterized as a threat), you wouldn’t call the non-humans monsters. But if it is not normalized, if they are characterized as a threat, then one would be more likely to term them as a monster or monstrous. Now functionally within a story, the Other is dangerous to the characters, and often also something that is dangerous to the status quo to society. It is also not uncommon that this monster is a consequence of some sort of ‘sinful’ action or inaction on the part of the characters, that has then come to life to threaten their lives (and society). As a result, the defeat of the monster causes the characters to return to safety–often after a form of ‘repentance’ or atonement of the ‘sinful’ characters, if that is part of it–which represents a return to ‘good order’ in society.

This underpinning of what a monster is makes it no surprise that queer folk love them, as we are ourselves othered. Not to mention we are often treated as if we are something monstrous, something unholy which should be hidden/corrected/removed, and construed as something dangerous in a violent way, such the narratives of gay/trans people as rapists or the way villains, usually physically violent, are given queer subtext (to just name two). And in a way, yes, we are something that is dangerous to society, but not in the way they construed; instead we are something that threatens the set gender binary status and the strict and oppressive social systems built around them within the western world… which threatens those who profit off these systems, and those who have bought into the propaganda for these systems. In seeing ourselves reflected in these monsters who are vilified (the villains themselves sometimes for no reason other than being different), the potential delight of seeing the status quo that harms us threatened, as well as the way queerness is used as shorthand for villains which may give them a queer subtext making them relatable, we grow to care about them, and even become attracted to them. Queer enthusiasm of monsters often revolves around finding representation and relatability of our lived experiences or fantasies through monsters.

Now this jump from relatable/empathetic to sexual or romantic attraction is a separate thing, although is certainly strongly bolstered by the relatability; the impetus for attraction as a result is multifaceted. One of these facets is that, as with most sexual fantasies, if not all, the fantasies implicitly correlate to the desirability and lovability of oneself, either directly with a self insert or enjoyed through the characters in the story (although one must note most of this is an unconscious attraction to these tropes). As many well spoken posts on Tumblr (such as these) have talked about, most rape or incest fantasies aren't really about that; instead it's partially about someone loving you so desperately or finding you so sexually attractive that they will transcend typical boundaries and expectations set within society to be with you no matter what (in the safe environment of a fantasy). It's similar when you talk about something that is positioned to be inherently dangerous and uncaring; monsters are not supposed to care about you, nor are supposed to be gentle. And yet all monsterfucking stories are of the monster in some fashion caring about the protagonist, whether just being sexually attracted to them or full on being in a caring relationship. It's about how the monster can't help but care about the protagonist so much that it changes their (perceived) nature, of the monstrous becoming somewhat humanized; even if only around their love interest. And I mean, as a human being we all desire connection, and close connection with others; meaning so much to another being that they change their nature because of you is an incredible act to show the depth of how much you mean to that being.

This really doesn't even necessarily need to revolve around sex, but is very frequently displayed through it. This is partly due to ostracization/shaming revolving around sexuality and sexual desire, in which the repressed desires would be expressed sexually, ie, through sexual fantasies. Part of it is also predicated on western societies strong emphasis that romantic/sexual relationships are the highest form of love, in which we are finally ‘completed’ (the concept of soulmates) and only ‘truly’ loved when we are within a romantic/sexual relationship--which ignores platonic, alterous and familial love as equally valuable. As a result, to not be seen as sexually or romantically desirable is to be a failure, and to be fundamentally unlovable. Now, people who do not perform gender binaries according to the western culture properly–such as the way one’s body looks, how one dresses and one's mannerisms–are by nature considered less desirable and lovable by society. All these issues many, many people experience, but is an issue felt keenly by queers–due to queerness revolving around sexual desire or the lack of it, and gender presentation–which is exemplified through queerphobia. Now, all that said, people who have been deemed by society as less or not at all desirable sexually, and those who are ostracized, especially because of one's own sexuality, as a result are going to find solace in stories and fantasies like monsterfucker fantasies that emphasize one’s sexual desirability and general lovability. That is, stories that ultimately reflect the possibility (and the truth) that we, against all we’ve been told, are sexually attractive to someone, and above all, are fundamentally lovable.

Regarding sexual ostracization, people on the aro-ace spectrum have a unique experience. This is due to the fact that sexual attraction is something that is familiar to heterosexuals; as a result, gay, or bi/pan folks are easier to understand and accept, especially as they can be rolled into the expected culture of amatonormativity, ie, needing a partner to function (not to mention the bustling markets for all things sex/partnership related) and can fit the nuclear family picture, if a bit atypically. Asexual and aromantic people, on the other hand, don't experience those kinds of attraction and are much less inclined to fit into that mold society demands of us. To not be interested in having a relationship means there is something wrong with you. That's not to say being gay or bi you aren't ostracized, but by being allosexual, you still understand the impetus behind these relationships. As well, romantic and sexual relationships contribute to a huge part of Western socializing, as it's a frequent topic that is brought up to facilitate closer connections. Seriously, the amount of times I've been part of a new group of people, and people are bonding by making comments and jokes about how this and that person is hot, or about their sexual preferences? It's really common, and if you don't have anything to contribute, makes you feel disconnected to the group (and the group also notices it, as they don't have that same level of bonding with you, as you're not involved in the subject, but rather just standing there, twiddling your thumbs). Being generally disinterested, and not understanding the drive for sex and relationships then is more ostracizing. As a result, if you are trying to make a character that's distinctly ostracized, it's no surprise that they end up being not just generally queer-coded, but also aroace-coded; and not even consciously! And this means that the previously socially discussed narratives of one being wrong, unlovable, and broken, especially regarding one’s sexuality, resonate strongly with aro/ace folks, who would then be more likely to seek out monsterfucker fantasies–if they are to engage in sexual fantasies–that refute these messages.

Now, although the monster loving the human is an amazing feat that displays the person’s desirability/lovability and which humanizes the monster, that is just one side of the coin. Relatability here again comes into play, as the opposite side of the coin is that there is an element of the monstrous within the human themselves; that is, they are often othered and denied humanity (i.e. acceptance, love, autonomy) due to various traits. The monster's love for their human either is neutral to, or even is predicated on what makes them rejected by other humans, which they normally feel shame and guilt about. It's a love that doesn't require a transformation of the love interest to something ‘civilized’, or require one to hide one's imperfections; instead, it’s a love that couldn't care less about one’s otherness, or even celebrates the otherness of the love interest. Not only are you so desirable you change the nature of the monster, but you are desirable as you are, including the parts that are monstrous, and the monster may even be especially attracted to those parts of you. This love for/despite the monstrosity within the love interest allows one an absolvement of guilt around one’s monstrosity/otherness, freeing one to instead become neutral to, or even embrace/celebrate their otherness. This can also be taken a step further; in which certain fantasies–or fics–are from the monster’s POV; this itself is an explicit embracement of one’s otherness, and can be also used to absolve one’s guilt by construing it as a natural part of oneself that cannot be helped (and can also be a power fantasy, through the threat, and power dynamics the monster inherently has).

Folded into this absolvement of shame and relatability around one’s otherness is the concept of conventional attraction. We’ve briefly touched on this, but to reiterate, what is considered typically sexually desirable is a very thin definition rooted in white supremacy, ableism, misogyny, and fatphobia (to name just a few). To exist outside of these lines (and really, shades of acceptability), you become undesirable sexually and also unlovable. Monsterfucking can directly contradict this idea of conventional attraction, as the monster itself is generally not the epitome of what’s perceived as sexually attractive by the majority (although some are), and can be entirely in the realm where it is not at all considered sexually attractive; in these cases, it then releases the human love interest from these conventional attraction standards. While the human is released from conventional attraction expectations from their partner (the monster), what also occurs is that the human, by loving the monster and embracing the ‘monstrous’, can discard as well the internalized standards, proving them unnecessary, and that ‘monsters’ are worthy of being loved. This release from conventional attraction (by partners and internally) is something that’s even seen within the queer community, who are othered; as many of us fail to meet the conventionally attractive standards, many queer communities actually find what cishet folks find unattractive attractive, and even celebrate who and what is considered unattractive, such can be seen with the enjoyment of bears and butches.

There’s also an interesting intersection here with asexuality, monsterfucking, and conventional attraction. As asexuals tend to lack sexual attraction to real-life humans around us, the attraction we do feel is less bound to what is considered conventionally attractive to humans, as our attraction is less physically, and also less real-life based; this very easily veers in what’s not considered conventionally attractive, ie, into monsterfucking territory. After all, it is as easy/hard to imagine sexual or romantic attraction to humans as it is to monsters for aroace folk... as a result there is no specific form that we are bound to. In fact, some ace folks even prefer the theoretical–including monsters–to humans, as we’ll get into later. With this fluidity of form, asexuals can more directly engage in fantasies in which the underlying impetus–such as lovability and desirability through monsterfucking–is the most rich. Afterall, if you look at asexual kinksters, it isn’t necessarily predicated on sexual attraction to your partner(s) during kink, but attraction to the dynamic. And I think it’s this disregard of conventional attraction that may be the crux of the reason why there’s so many aroace monsterfuckers out there, especially those who are interested in characters who are by and far not at all considered conventionally attractive.

Now, another part of this acceptance and absolvement includes a more specific type of absolvement of guilt, which is the release of guilt from sexual desire. While this part of monsterfucking isn’t necessarily included, it can underpin it. This absolvement of sexual desire comes from the inherent power imbalance within monsterfucking; that is, due to the danger of the monster, you cannot say no to the monster’s sexual advances, excusing and absolving you of your own sexual desires. This type of fantasy absolving one of their own sexual guilt is common to those who are sexually repressed due to existing in a society that deems their sexual desire as wrong, or impure. This narrative of sexuality as impure is extremely common in Christian culture, especially for those who are AFAB, or those who experience queer sexual attraction; meanwhile, generally, AMAB people are expected to express sexual desire, although they certainly are not excluded from ‘sexual desire is wrong’ messaging. It should also be noted that asexuality and sexual repression/guilt can co-exist, as asexuals can still have a libido, even if they generally lack sexual attraction. Overall, those who experience sexual repression strongly are naturally more likely to engage in the guilt-absolving fantasies of rape/dubious consent, including monsterfucking, as a ‘safe’ way to enjoy sexual fantasies. This guilt around sexual desire and sexual repression can also be engaged with physically through kink, as fantasy and kink are strongly interrelated. This can then be literally played out by partners in rape play, or with the D/s dynamic with the sexually repressed as a sub who ‘submits wholly’ to the Dom, figuratively then holding ‘no power’ in the (agreed upon) sexual activity, so they are resolved of guilt in the face of the Dom’s ‘own desire’, even though the sub’s desire the situation themselves, in the exact same way the monsterfucking fantasy works. This is not to say all subs are subs due to sexual repression, nor that all people with sexual repression are subs, but it can be part of the impetus.

Now, swinging the other way, although monsterfucking can lend itself to the release of guilt from sexual desire through submission, it can also be a fantasy of empowerment. This ties into the humanization of the monster, and the danger that is inherent in the power dynamics of a monster. The monster is, by nature, more powerful than the love interest, and often actively dangerous to humans; and yet many monsterfucker fantasies will have this monster not just loving, but actively submitting to the love interest who normally wouldn’t hold power over the monster. In this case the D/s dynamic that is involved in the monsterfucking fantasy tilts the other way, with the human love interest as the Dom, instead of the monster. Instead of the guilt around sexual desire being released, here there’s an emphasis on the desirability and lovability of the human with the submission of something so much more powerful. At the same time, it also functions as a power fantasy, by having something so dangerous and powerful be at your very whim. Now, the impetus of these power fantasies often comes from a desire to have autonomy; the less autonomy one has, the more likely one is to be drawn to these fantasies in which one does have power, and thus, autonomy. And often in monsterfucking fantasies, this can be immense power and autonomy. In this manner, this facet of the monsterfucking fantasy is empowering; furthermore, it is empowering because of one’s desirability/lovability, something which the fantasizer socially may be denied to be, or have been denied in the past.

This leads us to another impetus behind monsterfucking; the more clearly sexual part of monsterfucking. Monsterfucking can vary a lot depending on the fantasy, but as with all sexual fantasies involving kink, all are informed by not-necessarily sexual impetus (ie, the meta dug into above), but ultimately involve sexual pleasure. With the power imbalance inherent to monsterfucking fantasies, it naturally lends itself to the aforementioned D/s dynamic, but there are many many other kinks that can be easily enjoyed through tweaking monsterfucking fantasies, such as sadomasochism and blood or breath play. Now those mentioned are more kinks based on dynamics, but a good portion of monsterfucking also fits physical differences, which taps into the excitement of the forbidden, as can be seen with different sexual organs, or just different body make ups; ie, tentacles, ovipositors, knotting, etc (something a little different then the ol’ dick and pussy). Overall, the draw for monsterfucking is the combination of sexual pleasure from the kinks you desire within the label, and the underlying messages such as acceptance of otherness and lovability, and absolvement of sexual guilt. It’s a way to doubly feel good, both emotionally and sexually, and what's not to love about that?

Another important thing here to dive into is that monsters are not real. All these monster situations occur within one's own head. Unfortunately for many, you cannot fuck a werewolf, since they don't exist. And that itself is part of the draw! Much like in the other fantasies mentioned, most people don't actually want to practise incest, rape etc. Ultimately, they are about a safe space to explore, express and enjoy one’s sexuality, circumventing real-life impacts of normally dangerous acts (as can be done through kink, if safe, sane and consensual). This emphasis on intangibility actually touches on a sub-label within asexuality, which is Aegosexuality. Aegosexuals are folks who ‘experience a disconnect between themselves and the subject of arousal. They may feel sexual attraction, but have no desire to participate in sexual activities with another person, often preferring to fantasize or admire rather than participate.’ This disconnect between oneself and the subject of arousal is exactly what occurs within a monsterfucking context; the monsterfucker is aroused by the monster, but as the monster never exists, they will always be disconnected from the monster, and never able to fuck them. Now, I'm not arguing that people who are monsterfuckers are all aegosexuals, as I know plenty of them are bi or gay, and not on the ace spectrum whatsoever. But that does mean that aegosexuals are uniquely positioned to find monsterfucking attractive, as it readily fits the disconnect between arousal and fantasy, especially as asexuals are less likely to comply with the ideas of conventional attraction.

Overall, monsterfucking is something that is attractive for people who experience sexual ostracization and repression, something that queer people often deeply relate to. Asexuals, as a part of the queer community, are uniquely positioned to enjoy monsterfucking due to the enjoyment of sexual fantasy rather then real-life sexual acts, their disconnect from ideas of conventional sexual attractiveness, and the particular way asexuals (and aromantics) can experience sexual ostracization and rhetoric around being desireable or lovable. Regarding the impetus of monsterfucking, this can be very loosely broken down roughly into these six tenets, that usually can be found within the fantasy;

General relatability to the monster via ostracization

Affirmation of being sexually attractive and generally lovable through the love of something that shouldn’t love

Traits causing ostracization/shame and guilt are accepted by or even are attractive to the monster, causing a release from conventional expectations, including conventional attractiveness/attraction

Power dynamics of the monster, which leads to:

Absolvement of sexual guilt/shame from sexual ostracization (human as the one who submits) or;

Empowerment and strong emphasis of desirability/lovability (human as the one in control)

Sexual pleasure, especially of something different/forbidden

Monsterfucking by nature being a fantasy, and a safe expression of sexual desire

With that ironed out, let’s dig into how this relates to Ford, his asexuality, and his relationship with Bill.

Ford, Bill and the Impetuses of Monsterfucking

We will now discuss the above tenets, and how they apply to Ford, in an argument of Ford as an aroace monsterfucker, often touching on Ford's relationship with Bill to provide examples.

General relatability to the monster via ostracization

Now, one of the first main impetuses of monsterfucking is relatability through ostracization, and ostracization is something that Ford as a character is constantly defined by; physically, intellectually, socially and sexually, especially with the strong aro-ace subtext. As a result, it’s clear that Ford would find monsters relatable through his ostracization, something he openly acknowledges in his statement of ‘being attracted to the strange’, and feeling at home in Gravity Falls. This can also be seen with Bill as the monster; part of his relationship with Bill includes Ford feeling comfortable with Bill and Bill’s peculiarities, more so than other human relationships.

J3 Author page, on Ford's strangeness and finding home in the strangeness of Gravity Falls which can lend itself to his grand theory, and a screenshot of the Ford and Bill playing chess together

Release from conventional expectations, and acceptance of the strange

Ford’s ostracization from others makes him deeply lonely when Stan leaves his life. To alleviate this deep loneliness, he spends most of his life chasing scientific renown through his work as a way to prove to the world–and himself–that he’s worthy enough to be accepted, to be loved. Ford’s work being on the strange, and attempting to become accepted through his work, functions as a way to prove that the strange is worth something… just like how Ford is trying to prove that he, something strange himself, is worth something (in essence, an attempt to change conventional social dynamics). Now, this desire Ford displays, of wanting to be loved, and loved despite or even for one’s otherness (or, ‘monstrosity’) is a desire that is met within monsterfucking, and can be clearly seen within Ford and Bill’s relationship! Part of it is certainly fulfilled in a deliberate manner; Bill uses Ford’s loneliness and insecurity to manipulate him, by deliberately praising Ford as unique and special, in part implied to be because of Ford’s own otherness. This can also be seen in Weirdmageddon, in Bill’s comment on Ford fitting right in with the henchmaniacs; afterall, part of Bill’s whole shindig is a celebration of the strange, (and a fuck you to normalcy); which presumes that during the early days Bill would have been openly accepting, if not downright enthused about Ford’s hands as well. Additionally, Bill also shows acceptance for, and even eggs on some of Ford’s more negative traits which people may find off-putting, such as his superiority complex, and desire for revenge (visible in the rudolph comment, and when he talks about what he’ll do after the portal is finished; such as specifically talking about rubbing it into the west coast tech recruiter’s face). Although some of it is deliberately used to manipulate Ford, some of it is genuine, and in short, Bill provides Ford the worth he was looking for with his work; proves to him that the strange, and Ford himself, is lovable, releasing him from his insecurity and shame around who he is when they are together.

J3 My Muse page in which he says Bill 'amazingly chose me to be a receptable for divine and otherwordly insight'; the J3 page in which Ford talks about his dreams of returning to the east coast as a scientific hero, and rubbing it into the dean of West Coast Tech; TBOB missing journal page that includes Ford saying that he should have burned his tormentor's workshop to the ground insteac of forgiven them.

Another part of this discarding of conventional attraction through acceptance of the monstrous is more implicit. That is, Bill is a sentient alien triangle with a tophat and bowtie; thus, Bill’s grasp of human expectations is shaky, and as a result, there is an implicit release from conventional social expectations between the two, before we even get to the enthusiastic acceptance. Now, part of this release from conventional expectations includes a release from conventional sexual attractiveness; and as I’ve delved into in the previous section, this discarding of conventional sexual attractiveness is something that queer, and especially aro-ace folks are inclined towards. And so it is no surprise, that Ford as someone who strongly subtextually implied to be aro-ace, is of all things, suggested to be alterously/romantically, and likely also sexually, attracted to a sentient triangle: something that very clearly generally is considered outside of the realm of what is sexually attractive! This aroace subtext and Bill’s lack of conventional attractiveness can be seen within the GF fandom dynamics itself; it’s the reason why Human!Bill designs and fanfiction abound, and are more common than triangle Bill. You'd even assume that there WOULD be a canon human Bill design with how rampant it is, yet canonically Bill only ever remains a geometric shape of some sort, nor does he show any desire to become anything other than what he is. This all boils down to people's desire for a conventionally attractive form to ship whatever character they want to ship him with. It’s also why I'd wager people are also less tolerant of Billford as a ship, because people look at a man and a triangle, and go first of all that's ridiculous, how can you ship that (ie, underlying I couldn't be attracted to a fucking triangle), and second of all, that's fucking toxic--and, because they aren’t attracted to Bill, they don’t waive the toxicity like in many ships I've seen (small rant here). This proves that canon Bill’s lack of conventional sexual attractiveness does prevent a majority of people from engaging with sexual material about him in canon form. In comparison, a lot of folks who staunchly enjoy canon form Bill that I’ve chatted with are on the aro/ace spectrum; that’s not to say all triangle bill fuckers are on the aro/ace spectrum, but gee that’s a funny coincidence. Overall, this difficulty in being attracted to what's considered sexually unattractive or completely neutral–as most of the fandom at large finds–is more easily a non-issue if one is on the aro/ace spectrum; something that can explain Ford’s sexual/romantic attraction to Bill and continues to reinforce Ford’s aroace subtext.

Affirmation of being sexually attractive and generally lovable through the love of something that shouldn’t love

Continuing on, monsterfucking as a fantasy emphasizes one’s lovability through the love of something that is dangerous, or something that isn’t really supposed to love… and this monstrous criteria is also met by Bill! Even before the betrayal is evident, Bill comes to Ford as a powerful being; essentially a god, full of knowledge and power. There is an imbalanced power dynamic there, that provides an inherent danger (and one, ironically, beyond what Ford yet knows). Regarding the monster that’s ‘not supposed to love’, it’s less (at face value for Ford during this time) ‘not supposed to love’ but the uniqueness of being ‘special enough to be chosen’, to spend time intimately with Bill; he’s Ford’s Muse. To have something so powerful as Bill being attracted to him, especially outwardly seemingly about his intellect, assuages Ford’s desire and deep insecurity around having worth–and particularly since his worth is deeply tied to his intellect. Something that he has been so desperately trying to prove, to second-handedly prove his lovability as we’ve previously delved into above. But as their relationship goes beyond intellectual attraction, tumbling into something deeply intimate, as a result their relationship reassures Ford for more than his worth as an intellectual (ie, the love and worth he can garner as a tool). Instead, beneath it all, Bill’s attraction to Ford again shows that in whole, he is someone worth loving. Which fulfills this monstersfucker tenet!

Power dynamics: Empowerment and desirability/lovability

Furthermore, as with the draw of monsterfucking, not only does the danger and power of Bill emphasize the lovability/desirability of Ford himself, but it comes with this power fantasy of a sharing of Bill’s power and an immunity to the danger within Bill. Regarding the sharing of Bill’s power, he explicitly is said to be there to inspire, and help Ford; thus literally sharing his power through his knowledge. Not to mention, Ford being special to Bill also suggests that if Ford is as important to Bill as he seems, then Bill would, when shit really hits the fan, intervene and protect him in some way. Something evidenced, as pointed out to me by curiouscat, by the way Ford is so angry when Bill fails to rescue him from Krampus. Bill’s supposed to be there for Ford, to protect him, because Ford’s special to Bill, so why is he letting him get into a potentially lethal situation? It calls into question how special Ford really is to Bill, a break in the semi-facade of care before the big betrayal; Ford is deeply shaken, afraid and angry about the situation, and what it implies.

TBOB missing journal pages: Krampus page in which Ford notes that his muse is not there, the next image is their next meeting and agrument after the Krampus incident.

Now, regarding Ford’s idealistic idea of being immune to the danger of Bill, it can all be neatly exemplified in lines from the handshake deal regarding possession: “to put your hand in fire and not get burned… this is a feeling like no other”. There is an inherent danger of putting your hand into fire, the same way there’s an inherent danger in interacting with Bill (not to mention the inherent danger of possession itself…), yet the consequences of doing so are not felt. It’s a direct example of how special Ford is; he’s able to do dangerous things but can avoid the consequences, like no one else can–and it’s because he’s that important to Bill, he’s ‘safe’ with and through Bill. And it’s also clear this danger that never arrives is a feeling that excites Ford. This dynamic, and the quote itself, as Valcha pointed out to me, is the perfect example of kink; in doing something that normally would have consequences or hurt you in a substantial way, but doesn’t, and it excites you (sexually). Afterall, the difference between abuse and kink, is that the person isn’t truly being harmed–they may be hurt, certainly, but not harmed–by enacting a fantasy/situation in a safe, sane and consensual setting. This (at first glance) is what is occurring here, with the fire that doesn’t burn; Ford is finding what is essentially a kink dynamic exciting (although maybe not necessarily sexually). But this excitement of a kink dynamic suggests that Ford would presumably then enjoy kink; a dynamic that already is displayed with and underlies Bill and his relationship, such as with their D/s dynamics! But unbeknownst to him, their relationship–unlike what Ford thinks at the beginning–is not safe, sane or consensual. Bill–the monster–isn’t as tame as Ford thinks he is, and there is a terrible irony because Bill, like in monsterfucking fantasies, does love Ford, even if he lied about his interest in Ford in the beginning. Ford does end up impacting, changing, Bill, but it doesn’t change Bill being abusive within the relationship. Even the handshake from the quote here, of the fire that doesn’t scald, isn’t truly without consequence; when Ford wakes after being possessed, his eye is bleeding. In that manner their relationship could be construed as a failed monsterfucker genre story; the monster is changed, but not enough. Overall, the monsterfucker criteria of ‘something that is not supposed to love falling in love’ is met, fulfilling Ford’s desire to be loved, and affirming that he is lovable and attractive, pre-betrayal… and also post-betrayal, although whether Ford is aware of it post-betrayal is unclear.

J3 pages on Ford agreeing to possession from Bill; includes in the first sentence the quote "when my hand was engulfed in the blue flames I felt a physical chill. It fascinated me." And the quote “To put your hand in fire and not get burned… this is a feeling like no other”, which is followed by Ford experiencing pain in his eye after possession.

Power dynamics: Absolvement of sexual guilt/shame

Now, with the discussion of kink within their relationship, it is a good segway into discussing more deeply the D/s dynamics of their relationship, and how this also relates to monsterfucking. Monsterfucking by nature tends to carry a D/s dynamic due to the power imbalance between the human/monster, and it is no different with Bill and Ford’s relationship. Now, although the monster tends to be physically or generally more powerful than the human (a latent power dynamic), that doesn’t mean that the active power within the dynamic always, as mentioned previously, lies with the monster. However, overarchingly their relationship by and far tends to follow the power dynamics that place Bill in the position of power, i.e. as the Dom. This dynamic is seen not just through the latent power dynamics, but active relationship dynamics, such as seen with the way Ford of his own accord, leans into the power imbalance, worshipping and obsessing over Bill and letting him possess him, which we never see Bill demand. Ford a year into knowing Bill allows him to rewire his optic nerve to see what he dubs ‘Fordtramarine’; Ford also comments that “He sped up my mind when it’s sluggish, and calmed it down when I’m anxious”. Both instances display a willing, and incredibly vulnerable submission to Bill; they both include tampering with Ford’s mental state! The second instance here with the quote, as Valcha pointed out, also is D/s coded, as D/s sessions can be used for both to alleviate stress and provide emotional release. Bill obviously enjoys the power over Ford as he does nothing to discourage Ford (and is shown to enjoy power in general), and Ford also clearly derives some sort of pleasure in his worship of Bill, otherwise he would not be acting like this. Case in point with the ‘My Muse’ nickname which Ford calls Bill by, which reinforces that power imbalance; a pupil and a master. One thing I also want to note, is that although their relationship displays some D/s dynamics, it does not, as previously mentioned, actually function like an actual D/s relationship as it is abuse, nor does it describe their relationship in whole.

GF screenshot of Ford's Bill shrine, and of Bill possessing Ford in The Last Mabelcorn, and cut storyboard that shows the Bill shrine; TBOB missing J3 page, mentioning Bill affecting his mental state, and allowing him to see Fordtramarine.

Now, one of the sexual fantasies often found within monsterfucking, especially in which the human is the sub, such as noted above, is the use of the power imbalance as an avenue to absolve sexual guilt, through rape or dubcon fantasy (ie, excusing one’s own sexual desires as solely the monster’s). Is this something that we see within Ford and Bill’s relationship? It’s difficult to say, as their relationship doesn’t seem to be necessarily sexual in nature, and we’re discussing fantasies which we aren’t privy to. Even if it is not necessarily visible, would it be possible that Ford experiences sexual guilt or repression that is not displayed, and is that then absolved through his relationship with Bill? First of all, with Ford’s ostracization, if he does experience sexual/romantic attraction then he may feel guilty about the attraction. This simply can be because he’s been socialized to believe that he’s ‘monstrous’, so he doesn't deserve to have or be in a romantic/sexual relationship (and be loved), thus causing repression. Additionally, most of Ford’s implied or explicitly romantic/sexual interests are inhuman. This itself may create sexual repression or guilt from being attracted to monsters, something you are not supposed to be attracted to, and possibly even not at all finding humans attractive if the Cathy situation is comphet: just another thing that ostracizes Ford from others. Both of these could possibly make Ford lean further into power imbalances present within the monsterfucking context; ie, being more submissive to the monster to be able to absolve his own sexual attraction to them, out of his guilt.

Secondly, Ford’s relationship with Bill himself is something, post-betrayal, that Ford feels extreme amounts of guilt and repression about. In this manner, Ford does experience immense guilt and repression; and considering the undertones of sexual attraction, it also suggests part of that guilt and repression could include sexual-based guilt and repression. Even pre-betrayal, these are fertile grounds for guilt; afterall, Bill during this time came to Ford as a god of knowledge and logic, not exactly something you are supposed to end up sexually attracted to. This sort of ‘lowly’ attraction is not expected, and would be extra scandalous to Ford as a touted man of science who clearly values the intellect and the mind’s control over the body (ie, Ford being calm about the UFO’s security system). As a result, sexual attraction to Bill could certainly cause a lot of repression, as is implied in the likelihood that karaoke night is their first (and possibly only) romantic/sexual interaction; thus, Ford had repressed and not been forward about the romantic/sexual attraction he feels towards Bill previously. Now, in conjecture, brewing sexual repression means that Ford’s feelings towards Bill could very well be incorporated into Ford fantasizing about Bill–his ever so powerful and knowledgeable muse, who he would never deny–requesting or even forcing Ford into sexual acts as a way to absolve Ford’s own sexual desire for Bill, in the same way that occurs in rape/dubcon monsterfucker fantasies. What’s interesting is you also see Ford literally lean into the power imbalance–his eagerness in possession as displayed in the The Last Mabelcorn, him calling Bill his Muse, creating a shrine to Bill unrequested–which all could be taken as Ford almost supplicating himself in front of Bill, to use him in whatever way he wants (nudge nudge wink wink). In all, a suggestion to Bill to perhaps take the initiative on Ford’s latent feelings, which he is too ashamed of to voice. Even regarding the possession, Ford himself didn’t propose it, but instead it was something Bill proposed; something that was eagerly accepted without any second thought, and which clearly becomes a common occurrence–even to the point he’s literally letting Bill possess him while meditating in the same room with Fiddleford. All which suggests a release of sexual guilt around expressing his desire to Bill, by submitting to Bill.

TBOB Karoake night missing journal page, and Ford being possessed by Bill while Fiddleford was in the room.

And this isn't necessarily even just about sexual guilt and repression, but beyond! By being a sub, the pressure of making choices, and by extension, expressing desire, is alleviated. Ford is a character that is generally deeply repressed, so to express desire for something such as emotional connection is likely difficult--something that can be waived within a D/s dynamic. For Ford, this can be clearly illuminated in letting Bill possess him; he allows Bill to look after him, to continue his work, and Bill’s also the one to choose when the two interact. He's the one to facilitate the connection Ford desires, and one that Ford does eventually feel comfortable enough to actively call on Bill through meditation/submission.

Now, this sexual repression and guilt would become enormous when Bill’s betrayal is revealed; as is previously mentioned, their relationship is something that Ford originally hides from the others out of embarrassment and shame, and this shame is reiterated in the quip about what Ford dreams about. Something to note is that just because someone is abusive, doesn’t mean the love (or attraction) you have for them disappears. And it’s fairly clear Ford still somewhat ‘loves’ Bill, causing the shame, repression and guilt he carries for most of his life. This is evident in the way Ford chooses to actively endanger himself to murder Bill, likely in an attempt to atone for the care he feels for Bill and does so for half his lived life, displaying the depth of emotion (as delved into in Post Two, section Gravity Falls). This is also evident in how he recognizes how important Bill was, and how much Bill still means to him, in the Bill funeral pages, where he says “His “funeral” gave me a bittersweet sense of closure. How strange it is to look back on it all now. I once considered him the centre of my life, the sun in my galaxy…”. The funeral being bittersweet implies that Ford feels conflicting emotions around Bill’s death; he’s not just happy and relieved he’s gone. The bitter part of the emotions is implied to come from the love Ford had for Bill, for the care he did and still does feel after all the time, for the positive parts and memories of their relationship–the being that at one point was so important to him, that he was the sun in his galaxy–which causes him grief and sadness. It’s a grief over what they used to have, over Bill, and over how everything ended up happening. Also, this care Ford still has for Bill is paralleled by the way Stan means the world to Ford, yet after a betrayal, Ford aggressively rejects him, but contextually still is shown to care about him; something that is continually referenced to and then proven by the way the show ends positively for their relationship. In the exact same way, Bill meant the world to Ford, and after a betrayal was aggressively rejected… and much like Stan, it’s suggested that Ford still cares for Bill, although there is no reconciliation, as with Stan. Thus, this parallel strengthens that subtext.

TINAWDC journal pages on Bill's funeral, including the qoute “His “funeral” gave me a bittersweet sense of closure. How strange it is to look back on it all now. I once considered him the centre of my life, the sun in my galaxy, when all along he was a black hole sucking everything bright into his bottomless ego.”

The repression and denial of this care is also evident in the way Ford describes his relationship with Bill in the beginning of TBOB with the quote “perhaps you just are attracted to things that hurt you” about making a deal with Bill. It’s a self-deprecating phrase that suggests the relationship didn’t have any genuine connection (which is false); a comment that masks/absolves him from the genuine feelings he had towards Bill by construing it to be solely based on masochism. And these feelings are masked and repressed because Ford feels guilt and shame about it. Overall, Bill post-betrayal is clearly a subject of immense guilt, shame and possibly sexual repression. In conjecture, this immense guilt and repression could interact with Ford’s sexual fantasies of Bill–if he were to have any–in a way that would produce dubcon/rape fantasies; thus allowing Ford to alleviate his repression and guilt, in the same way monsterfucking fantasies alleviate repression and guilt. This type of fantasy also aligns with the way Ford previously enjoyed submitting to Bill, which functioned to alleviate repression, guilt and choice. While that is just conjecture, there’s another fantasy that’s fueled by the same repression and guilt that we know for sure about; Ford’s vow for revenge, which simply put is a control fantasy (even if he doesn’t construe it as so). By vowing and seeking revenge, Ford is so-to-speak re-writing the narrative of their relationship, and changing the power dynamics; instead of previously being the tricked fool–a fool that enjoyed his submission to Bill–Ford is building up to have power over Bill, to kill him.

TBOB page in which Ford says "Or perhpas you just are attracted to things that hurt you", followed by "As a recovering Cipherholic myself...", regarding listening to Bill and making a deal with him. The second image showcases Ford's vow of revenge.

Overall, Ford’s relationship with Bill strongly leans into the absolvement of repression and guilt (generally, and also likely sexually); especially as Ford is strongly repressed due to the way he is othered, and his own possibly ‘inappropriate’ feelings for Bill. This absolvement is most clear in Ford’s perspective pre-betrayal, and is strengthened by Ford’s eagerness in reinforcing their power differences, especially as seen through his possession. Post betrayal, nothing concrete can be said regarding the absolvement of guilt, but the strength of repression and guilt Ford has regarding Bill does provide fertile conditions for dubcon/rape fantasies to be used to facilitate that absolvement.

Sexual pleasure of something different/forbidden

To continue the speculation, it would be remiss to not talk about the sexual pleasure and excitement of something different/forbidden of monsterfucking, and how Ford fits into this. As the above speculation, we run into similar issues regarding anything concrete; yet, the only somewhat-relationships Ford has been in were all with monsters, and there is strong subtext for sexual attraction towards Bill; thus suggesting that Ford finds monsters, and even perhaps preferably monsters, sexually attractive. This is of course, only bolstered by Ford calling himself “attracted to the strange”, which in a sexual context, suggests monsterfucking. Additionally, we know that Ford is driven by curiosity and that something new, especially something that is strange and different, is intellectually attractive to him. As a result, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to imagine that this intellectual attraction/curiosity can also cross over to sexual attraction–especially considering his history of potential love interests. Altogether, that’s to say even though Ford likely experiences limited sexual attraction, it also fits his character to be sexually attracted to and excited by the strange and the monstrous, something that is pretty much demonstrated with his relationship with Bill.

Monsterfucking: fantasy, and a safe expression of sexual desire

Now, regarding monsterfucking as a safe outlet of sexual desire due to being a fantasy, this does break down a bit in Gravity Falls, as monsters are real. That said, Bill himself is very much intangible and only exists in the mindscape. Ford even says in his first entry on Bill that he's unsure if Bill is just a figment of his imagination; ie, a fantasy. This disconnection–although not a true disconnect since Bill is real, just not physical–is similar to monsterfucking, which is not tangible. The question of aegosexualty–defined as attracted to something that you are disconnected from–can come here into play. However, since the other three instances of possible sexual attraction are (presumably) in physical bodies, it’s unlikely that Ford does fit this label, if those were actual instances of sexual/romantic attraction. Nonetheless, it still displays that Ford never seems to have an issue of Bill not having a physical form; not to mention, it's during this period that he’s obsessive. So overall, this disconnect from the subject of attraction, and the subsequent lack of emphasis on the physical form for Ford, further provides an aro-ace subtext of Ford’s character, and also somewhat resembles the intangible tenet of monsterfucking.

Three pages from J3 (some missing, and in TBOB) in which Ford questions if Bill is real; includes quotes such as "Is this being a spirit, an alien, a dream or merely part of my overactive imagination?", "Are you... real?" and "But then Bill disappears for weeks, months at a time, and I am left to wonder. Has it all been in my head?"

Conclusion

Overall, Ford is very strongly subtextually implied to be on the aro-ace spectrum as expressed by his continual disinterest in forming romantic or sexual relationships and his outright bewilderment on why a romantic/sexual relationship would be desirable. Supporting this, the only instance of a canonical romantic/sexual relationship is given in a throwaway line about a siren, and the other instances of possible romantic/sexual attraction are a highschool crush that functions solely to ostracize him and fits compulsive heteronormativity, some vague implications around Jheselbraum, and the messy, undefined relationship Ford has with Bill that resembles an undiscussed committed queer-platonic relationship. These relationships imply he may experience alterous attraction, and/or feel limited sexual or romantic attraction. As all the implied romantic/sexual relationships he has are with non-humans, Ford is also canonically a monsterfucker, which strongly supports him being on the aro/ace spectrum. This is due to the disregard of conventional sexual attraction and physicality, and the particular way aroaces are emphasized as inhuman and other by western society as sexual/romantic love is considered the highest form of love. In conclusion, the subtext screams that Ford is on the aroace spectrum and that he's a monsterfucker, bitch!

#valcha's musings #valcha's meta

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ignes-siderei · 15 days ago

Text

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.

#valcha's musings #valcha's meta

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ignes-siderei · 15 days ago

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Finally this behemoth is out!

https://www.tumblr.com/huginsmemory/789382004101840896/stanford-pines-a-case-study-on-the-aro-ace?source=share

@huginsmemory , @curiouscatastrophe it was cool to work with you!

#valcha's memes #aroace ford #asexual stanford pines #aromantic stanford pines #monsterfucker stanford pines #we did iiiiiit!!!

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ignes-siderei · 15 days ago

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

Part I/III: Ford, the Aroace spectrum, and Relationships

Ford over the aroace flag.

I've previously somewhat explored Ford as a case for aroaceness with another post on Ford's dreams; but that was less of an argument of his ace-ness and instead a tangential discussion of his queer/ace-ness as a vehicle for guilt. At the encouragement and the result of very long in-depth conversations with @ignes-siderei (Valcha), who also beta’d, I ended up writing this; something that perhaps without them would not have come to pass, and certainly not with the amount of detail and depth of understanding. I also owe an equal amount of thanks to @curiouscatastrophe for our discussions, for also beta’ing this behemoth, and for putting me into clause jail (where I belong). Without the both of you this really wouldn't be what it is. In culmination: I offer you, dear reader, a very lengthy meta-analysis (split in three parts) on how the subtext surrounding Stanford Pines heavily implies that he is on the aro-ace spectrum and a (canonical) monsterfucker, as an aroace monsterfucker myself.

Part II/ Part III/Masterpost/AO3

Ford’s sexuality will first be explored through what we know of Ford’s relationships over his life in a chronological manner, and how this provides aroace subtext to Ford. This is part one. Part one will not contain discussion on Ford and Bill’s relationship, which is instead given in Part Two, which will conclude the exploration of Ford’s relationships. Part Three is where we will dig into the intersection of monsterfucking and the aroace-spectrum, and how their intersection strengthens Ford’s aroaceness. You don't necessarily need to read the others to read only one, but certain statements will be backed up by previous analysis, and they are meant to be read in order and together.

I'd also like to go on the record and say I rather doubt that Ford was written with the intent of him being on the aro-ace spectrum, as within the show there are very few canonical queer representations, Alex Hirsch himself is cishet, and asexuality and aromanticism is more obscure and unlikely to be known of by people who aren't aroace or queer themselves. As well, what I’ll discuss is certainly a more nuanced understanding of the aro-ace spectrum, which I doubt that many people other than those on the aro-ace spectrum would not necessarily immediately grasp, let alone choose to portray. That’s not to say by the time of The Book of Bill (TBOB), over ten years after the show’s airing, that Alex likely hasn’t heard of aroace Ford headcanons; I imagine he has. Nevertheless, I doubt that a specific label, such as aroaceness, particularly informed his writing of Ford in TBOB, and instead what was written simply reflected what made sense narratively from what was already implied. Thus, Ford is instead heavily and unintentionally aro-ace coded through subtext.

There are four other things to also note before we begin; one, that this is also me exploring aroaceness through my understanding of aroaceness, which is itself a broad spectrum, and some may disagree with my understanding. Two, this is not me trying to attack other readings of Ford’s sexuality, but wanting to dig into his readings of aroaceness and why I find them compelling through the subtext over other readings, especially as I’ve frequently seen aroace erasure within fandoms. Three, I do have my own preferences and ships I enjoy (ie, Billford) which I find do correlate with many of the themes discussed; while I’ve tried not to let this bias my analysis, I am by and far not impartial (indeed, no one ever is). And four, I am only human; as a result, there may be further evidence that I failed to address due to simply missing a relevant tidbit, or because I, well, I forgor.

Ford, the Aro-ace spectrum, and Relationships

Let us lay some more ground work; asexuality is defined as experiencing little to no sexual attraction, and aromanticism is defined as experiencing little to no romantic attraction. This doesn't mean asexuals lack a libido, or aroace spectrum folks are never in relationships; case in point of my own enjoyment of explicit media, and that I have multiple aroace friends who have been in and are still in relationships (and happily so). As well, asexuality and aromanticism exists in a spectrum of more or less attraction, and contains a variety of sub-labels within. When I use the words aro-ace, I will generally use it to refer to someone on that spectrum more closely aligned to completely lacking in romantic or sexual attraction, although not necessarily entirely. With that established, as attraction tends to revolve around sexual/romantic relationships, their presence or the lack of them can provide valuable coding. As a result, I’ll be exploring the evidence of romantic/sexual attraction Ford displays or fails to display, including mentions of Ford's actual romantic/sexual relationships, and attempts to pursue romantic/sexual relationships as a way to discuss aroaceness.

Youth (and Heterosexuality)

Within his youth, we see two possible instances of sexual/romantic attraction, and that is to young women. One instance occurs in A Tale of Two Stans, where Ford at a dance goes to talk to an unnamed girl, who tosses juice on him, and the other is in Journal 3 (J3), in which a cipher is deciphered to 'LITTLE CATHY WHAT A DREAM, HELD HER HAND AND MADE HER SCREAM'. Cathy is referred to again when Ford recounts a nightmare given to him by the dream hipster while being ostracized by his highschool classmates; he writes: “As usual, Cathy Crenshaw was there”. However, it is mentioned in the DVD commentaries that actually the J3 quip about holding hands is the same as the juice scene; something that doesn’t quite align because Ford doesn't actually hold the girl’s hand in the scene, nor does the girl scream. Nevertheless, we know the writers intended the girl to be Cathy Crenshaw, which drops Ford’s potential cishet human interest, and romantic/sexual interest within his youth, to a single person. Now, the first two examples given are both flimsy depictions of attempts to flirt, as most of the subtext implying sexual attraction comes from the fact that the person Ford is interacting with is the opposite sex. Trying to speak to someone at a dance is not necessarily flirting; certainly can be, considering it’s a dance, and she’s the opposite sex, (cough, heteronormativity) but doesn’t need to be. Not to mention, I initially interpreted the ‘held her hand’ comment entirely without any intention of romantic/sexual attraction, with Cathy as an elementary school classmate. This is due to the affix ‘little’, that hand-holding is something children do more broadly, and that screaming is a very strong and generally immature reaction; it’s only the later comment about Cathy in highschool that suggests it actually may have a loose romantic/sexual attraction context. As it’s shown that Stan & Ford still live in the same home, and thus went through the grade school in what would be essentially the same cohort, it’s actually possible that it could have also happened in elementary school. The third does suggest stronger evidence that Ford is attracted romantically/sexually to Cathy, as he himself specifically notes she was there; this showing that he cares about what she thinks about him more than the rest of his highschool classmates, which could be construed as a result of romantic/sexual attraction, as people tend to be hyper-aware of their crushes. However, it doesn’t necessarily read in a romantic/sexual light, as there is nothing beyond the noticing itself that suggests a romantic/sexual context. Certainly, there is emphasis that the emotions behind the noticing are strong with the as usual tacked onto the quip, which suggests this sort of experience, dream or otherwise, has occurred before, even multiple times, because of how much that impacts him. This could be again construed as romantic/sexual in context, but not necessarily. Another thing that may also provide a sexual/romantic attraction subtext is that he writes the sentence, then strikes it through, meaning he's embarrassed to admit that sentiment, in the same way one is embarrassed to admit about one’s crush. Each on their own are fairly weak–especially as they mainly rely on heteronormativity to suggest romantic/sexual attraction–but together as two, and implied to be three, separate instances she’s referred to, it does add some strength to Ford experiencing sexual/romantic attraction for Cathy. At the very least, by a conventional heteronormative standard the sexual/romantic subtext is there, and is certainly what the writers were intending.

But, that’s a conventional heteronormative standard, and there are a few things to note that strongly undermines this (incomplete) reading. And this is mostly because, in all three scenes discussed, although on the surface seem to be about Ford’s sexual/romantic attraction, aren’t actually about his sexual/romantic attraction to Cathy; instead, Cathy is pretty much solely used to emphasize Ford’s ostracization. In fact, I’d argue that Cathy has nothing to do with Cathy as a character and everything to do with an object that can demonstrate and emphasize Ford’s ostracization. And this is because we know nothing about Cathy, beyond her name (given in J3), and more importantly, that every time we see her, she’s ostracizing Ford, or we see Ford being ostracized. Two of the three times, it is specifically about Ford’s hands, his most obvious strangeness. This can be seen when Cathy literally screams when Ford holds her hand, and in the quote that leads up to the as usual strike out text:

"I was back in school, and everyone was staring at my hand. They all kept chanting, "Six-Fingered Freak! Six-Fingered Freak!" The more they chanted, the larger my hand grew. As usual, Cathy was there.”

This dream continues on past this small paragraph to have Ford’s hands ultimately crush Stan to death. The nightmare isn’t about Cathy, it isn’t focused on him failing to woo her, as it would be if the dream was about Ford being romantically/sexually attracted to her; instead, it’s about Ford’s ostracization, it’s about him being a freak, a monster (and something that will ultimately hurt those he cares about because of that). Yes, she’s acknowledged in the page on the dream, and that can come with connotations, but she’s also basically a footnote, as the dream takes up an entire page. Not to mention, we know sometime in the past she’s screamed when Ford’s held her hand–and also dumped a drink on him for even attempting to speak to her–and such a strong negative reaction is going to stay with you, and of course then that person, regardless if sexual/romantic attraction is experienced, is likely going to be in your nightmare about being ostracized. Her being there in the dream is because she exemplifies another failure of Ford to be normal. Even if he tries, with hand holding, or speaking to her in the dance, she’s a reminder of him being a freak, a failure in a romantic/sexual context as he is in all others–whether or not Ford actually experienced romantic/sexual attraction to her. Not to mention, western society places sexual/romantic love as the ultimate form of love; and to not have a partner, to not be attractive, is to be unlovable. Ford’s abject failure of an attempt to even have a partner, if we do assume these as attempts to flirt, drives home Ford’s insecurity around being unlovable. Of course then, the only person you ever tried to approach, who actually loathed you, would be in your dreams of being ostracized. This strength of emotion then is certainly enough to warrant a note in his journal, with an as usual in front of it; and also the embarrassment and wounded pride that could give it a strikethrough after writing.

Cathy being a character that solely exists to show Ford as a failure of normalcy for sexual/romantic attraction also comes with queer subtext, because tension, and ‘failure’ around sexual/romantic attraction can stem from queerness. Afterall, Ford possibly attempting to flirt with Cathy, also doesn’t necessarily mean Ford is sexually/romantically attracted to Cathy. She’s the only female love interest we know about, and from Ford’s youth; something that could very well fit compulsive heterosexuality (comphet). That is, in which social pressures on who you are supposed to be interested in often cause an attempt to fit in and so to pursue 'the right gender' even if there is no interest, especially during youth. As Cathy exists solely to further ostracize Ford, it’s clear Ford’s attempts to flirt isn’t about sexual attraction to Cathy, but because he’s trying to be normal, exactly the same as comphet. This lends itself then to asexual or homosexual reading of Ford’s sexuality; as in his youth we aren’t given a close male friend, beyond his brother, it lends itself best to an asexual interpretation. Not to mention, Ford’s youth occurs back in the 1960’s where queerphobia is rampant; as a result, it is no surprise that he would possibly internalize it, and that any feelings toward the opposite sex could be construed as sexual/romantic attraction. He could have instead had strong platonic attraction for her and wanted to be her friend; and, since it’s fairly clear that he only hangs out with Stan, it would be then foreign to him to really desire to create relationships beyond their relationship, and misconstrued them as sexual/romantic attraction because that’s what he’s supposed to feel, right? Or he could, simply like many asexual people I know, somewhat choose at random who they are ‘interested in’ to fulfill social expectations. Overall, because Cathy only exists to continue to ostracize Ford through his failure to meet sexual norms, and never is about his actual sexuality, evidence for actual romantic/sexual attraction to Cathy is flimsy at best. This emphasis on Ford’s failure to meet sexual norms through Cathy instead provides a compelling case for comphet, with underlying subtext that suggests the possibility of asexuality (prevalently), or homosexuality.

Screenshot of 'Cathy' dumping juice on Ford; pages on Ford, the cipher above the shrunken head translates to 'little cathy what a dream held her hand and made her scream' ; page describing Ford's nightmare from the Dream Hipster

This asexual reading is strengthened because Ford’s single female love interest is notably surrounded by a disinterest in sexual/romantic relationships in general; this can be seen in comparing Ford to Stan, who is reiterated to be interested in women. In just their youth, Stan's the one who mentions hot babes when they bring up sailing, is the one who is implied to have bought and hung up the scantily clad ladies calendar on their boat, and also in Lost Legends (LL) peeps in the carnival peep box. And these interactions aren't pointedly serving some other narrative, like all of Ford’s are with Cathy (who is a single person), but are more of an organic part of Stan's character with multiple and separate expressions of attraction; even if he's not given a love interest in his youth, like Ford is semi-retroactively in J3! And it's not just Stan; even Dipper and Mabel who are twelve express sexual/romantic interests within the show, and also multiple (notably, all heterosexual). This sexual interest in comparison for Ford is lacking, beyond his interest in Cathy, which reeks of comphet. Instead, Ford generally is emphasized to find interest in 'intellectual' activities during his youth, something that provides strong aro-ace subtext!

I do want to take a step from canon and into the ‘word of God' for a second, and note that the DVD commentaries do provide a bit more romantic/sexual commentary for Ford. For instance, they talk about a scrapped character, Carla McCorkle who Stan and Ford would have fought over since they both liked her, or the commentary from Alex playing Stan, in talking about how Ford came to him to learn how to talk to girls, and tells the story about the infamous (rubik's cube-esque) kissing bot that Ford made in highschool. These commentaries do indicate that they did intend to input more heteronormative romance within the series for Ford–as can be seen in the J3 quips about Cathy, strengthening the single scene in the show–and that they very much viewed Ford as a cishet, as implied in all the Cathy scenes. This provides us a contextual understanding of some of the intentions behind Ford's characterization… but nevertheless, as these intentions and commentaries aren’t canon, they don't sway what we do see in the subtext in canon.

Back-ups-more: mostly bug-free and relationship-free dorms!

Now, beyond Ford’s youth and into college, we don't get a lot of information. In an offhand note in J3, it's noted that Ford got into DD&MD during college, which was considered a ‘girlfriend repellent’, going off the stereotype of geeky/nerdy guys being socially awkward and bad at talking to women. This suggests that Ford had no female partners during college. Ford is also noted to have something like 12 phd's, and within the narrative as he talks about the college, he talks with pride about working really hard; suggesting not that much time for much else, such as a romantic relationship (something notably unusual for a young adult). Squarely, his focus is on learning and knowledge, driven both by curiosity but also a deep need to be accepted, which he seeks out through academic achievement (as explored here). Nevertheless, this complete deprioritization of romance and sexual relations, especially while being a young adult, is very aro-ace coded!

J3 Page on the infinity sided die, and Ford's love of DDMD, including it being called 'Girlfriend repellent'

Now, of course it is to be noted that during college, Ford meets Fiddleford (F). Their relationship begins when Ford barges into Fiddleford’s room to defend his theory after it was laughed at, causing Fiddleford to choose to stay at college. They are implied to remain steadfast and close friends during those years, and even play DD&MD together, the one thing Ford seems to do beyond study. Their bonding is most definitely beyond just admiration of the other’s technical prowess; it also stems from the way they are outcasts. After all, they are both from a poor family, likely the first of their families in post secondary education, and are from different cultural backgrounds than those likely at college, with Ford being Jewish and Fiddleford being from a farming family in Tennessee. This closeness corroborates Alex’s commentary on them, where he has mentioned that their friendship is based on his own close friendships, which have made existing through difficult times much easier, although he also has acknowledged that others have seen it in a more romantic light. (timestamp ~45:00) Regarding a romantic reading in college, since they clearly relate to and are close to each other, there is some weak romantic/sexual subtext. However, it is not particularly strong, as we don't have a lot of information on the topic to go on, beyond it being close and platonic.

TINAWSDC photo of Ford and Fiddleford in their college years with their arms around each other and raised in glee

YOU ARE NOW ARRIVING IN GRAVITY FALLS

After college is when Ford turns to Gravity Falls. If he had something with Fiddleford, it's not enough of something that they'd stay together. During this time, it is fairly clear with Ford's loner status living out in the woods that he's not well acquainted with many people in town. In fact, as is noted by the time Ford contacts Bill–around 4-5 years into his stay in GF–he's desperately lonely. Further emphasizing Ford’s loneliness and general recluse status is that in J3, when Fiddleford visits he refers to it as breaking 'years of self imposed solitude'.

TBOB page with Ford confessing his loneliness, and a J3 page mentioning his self-imposed solitude breaking when Fiddleford comes

However, during this period, in Lost Legends we have the one panel where Dipper is reading from a journal and mentions that it says that Ford dated a siren. The gender of the siren is unclear from his statement, and this is the only time we explicitly are informed of Ford having a romantic relationship within canon. So what does it say about his sexuality? Let's dig in on the confusion around this comment before we get to that. It's unclear from the frame that it's J3, but the page Dipper is reading from when he makes this comment is the page on Bill Cipher, from J3. There are no pages in J3 that contain information that Ford dated a siren, and what's interesting is that I'm fairly sure newly drawn journal pages are used in LL; so why is it not a new page on sirens, rather than Bill? How the siren comment fits Bill I’ll dig more into in Part Two, but in all honesty it likely was meant to be a literal siren. The simple reason for why it’s the Bill page is that whoever was doing the art for the page just went for the first page that popped into their head, rather than having to draw a new page, and one of the most famous pages is the Bill page. Secondly, the context also fits the siren being a separate being to Bill, as Dipper is the one who exclaims the fact. As Dipper is someone who idolizes Ford, the ‘fact’ that Ford dated a siren reinforces how cool Ford is. This is because, in the typical contemporary understanding of a siren, they are basically mermaids who can sing and are irresistibly sexy; ie, are staunchly within the typical male sexual fantasy, and would come with the sexual 'clout' of something attractive finding you attractive. This reading, although sex or gender of the siren is never specified, would generally then be implied to meet the usual assumed heterosexuality. In fact, this siren comment may even refer to one of the cut-scenes from the show, of Ford during his early years in Gravity Falls, where he meets a playful female mermaid (indistinguishable from a siren). Another reason, perhaps more simpler, is that Dipper would likely recognize if the page were so blatantly about Bill and would be shocked. As a result of these two factors, the siren is likely a genuine siren, and not actually Bill.

LL panel that has dipper mentioning that Ford used to date a siren on the J3 page with Bill; Cut storyboard panels of a mermaid that Ford meets

Now, what does this quip say about Ford's sexuality? Not much, honestly, as we lack any data to infer from, such as any details on the nature of their relationship–how serious the relationship was, who instigated it, how long it was or how it ended–not to mention, aroace people also date. Nevertheless, it does suggest that if Ford was in a relationship he may occasionally experience romantic or sexual attraction. I've also seen very charming takes of it being an ace romantic relationship, with the siren specifically interested in Ford due to his asexuality, ie, not reacting to their song.

One thing it does display is that Ford has no issue dating non-human entities; ie, Monsterfucking! (the actual fucking debatable). Now, the only explicitly canon romantic relationship we are informed of on Ford is a relationship with a non-human, and up until this point chronologically he's been fairly disinterested in romance. In some ways, this continues to other Ford from typical humans due to the siren being inhuman and the suggestion that Ford is perhaps attracted to the inhuman (and we’ll get to that…). Although, this ‘othering’ is certainly lessened by sirens being generally considered conventionally attractive. Now, leaving that behind, we get to the portal and Fiddleford part 2.

Constructing a transuniversal poly-dimensional metavortex

Now, although Fiddleford certainly was interested romantically/sexually in Ford (more on that here), that doesn't mean Ford was interested in Fiddleford (a note: lots of people love fiddauthor. This is not me disavowing it, but wanting to dig into the readings of aromanticism and asexuality). Ford expresses excitement about seeing Fiddleford, picks up gifts for him, and makes sure to tidy himself up; this is not necessarily even a ‘romantic’ gesture, as this is something I myself would do for a friend if I was in Ford’s shoes. It’s undeniable that Fiddleford means a lot to him, and that they're close. However, although Ford mentions multiple times how nice it is to have a friend by his side, pretty quickly Ford complains about F, such as him lagging on the hike, his tobacco chewing habits and ham-boning, and places rules banjo playing; things F enjoys deeply. Not to mention, as you continue to read Ford clearly prioritizes the portal and his own curiosity before F's safety multiple times. This is exemplified with Ford stopping to record the gremloblin and ignoring F’s clearly nervous and reasonable requests against doing so. This goes terribly, as F gets physically and mentally harmed by the gremloblin, ultimately causing him to create the memory gun to cope with the trauma. Notably, in the moment when F, who was carrying the portal parts, is harmed by the gremloblin, Ford in J3 writes about his worry about the portal parts before he mentions F's safety. Later, when F falls into the portal, even his response to F going through the portal is one of horror that quickly turns to excitement, before it turns to anger when Fiddleford leaves because he’s terrified; Ford’s anger meanwhile is caused by (well, on the surface) Fiddleford turning away from ‘the opportunity Ford gave him.’ Even their ‘break’ from work by visiting the fair, that Ford does in hopes it’ll be good for Fiddleford, Ford is on the lookout for more anomalies… again F isn’t prioritized, it’s Ford’s own interest, that just happens to maybe also help F. This doesn't erase that Ford does care about F (re: him teaching F calming techniques, being happy to see him), but his prioritization very much isn’t Fiddleford; the priority is his own curiosity, the work on the portal (and arguably Bill who he’s been making the portal with since the beginning) and becoming accepted through scientific fame. The only times we do see Ford deprioritize his work is only on two occasions; on karaoke night, and after he nearly gets eaten by Krampus and Fiddleford saves him.

Now, generally people who are attracted to others are very keen to please them, and would be more worried about their safety. Hell, it's just a good friend thing to be more worried about their safety, and Ford is really not cutting it. Even the way Ford refers to Fiddleford as an assistant, not a partner, shows that Ford deprioritizes Fiddleford; he’s very much not considered on equal footing on the project. Interestingly there is only one moment in which Ford calls Fiddleford his partner; and that's when he tells the family about Fiddleford going through the portal, in the Tale of Two Stans… and notably, when Ford tells this story he's yet to be open about his past with Bill (who is suggested to really be considered as his partner). Overall, although Ford is shown to be close to F by trusting and caring about him, it doesn't necessarily read as a sexual or romantic relationship–let alone a considerate friendship–as F is blatantly not prioritized. Certainly, if they were in a sexual/romantic relationship, it would be an equally inconsiderate one from Ford, but it’s unlikely, as why would he be in a sexual/romantic relationship with F, as he doesn’t seem to be interested, as displayed by his priorities? As a result, Alex’s comment of F being a close friend that makes tedious experiences bearable or enjoyable, fits the subtext on Ford's feelings on the matter well.

J3 Gremloblin pages that shows Ford's disregard of Fiddleford's safety, the carnival page with red highlighting over Ford mentioning the carnival as an opportunity for more discoveries, and the page on Fiddleford, titled "My Assistant" with notes on annoying quirks.

Also, what's interesting is that Fiddleford's presence, as a married man, is something used within J3 to contrast the way Ford is, again, other. This is mostly around his priorities, but also even by the nature of the way the two characters react to GF weirdness; Ford is delighted, and talks about feeling at home there with the weirdness in the author page. On the other hand, Fiddleford is very clearly rattled by GF’s weirdness, to the point he routinely uses the memory gun to alleviate his anxiety and exist in GF. Because of being othered himself, Ford feels at home in the other, while Fiddleford, is at this time (on-the-surface) a normative married man with a child (there are interesting implications about repressed otherness and internalized homophobia here, too).

Regarding contrasting their priorities, when Fiddleford comes, he places a photo on his desk of his wife and kid, to remember them by and to inspire him. Ford goes, ah yes, of course, this functions exactly the same as my framed photo of Nikola Tesla on my desk; implying his photo is used to inspire him to achieve great scientific breakthroughs like Nikola Tesla did. Fiddleford’s overall priority here is clearly supposed to be his family, as exemplified with the photo of them on his desk, compared to Ford’s own priority, which is scientific achievement and acceptance… two very different things. This photo of a male scientist on Ford’s desk certainly provides a weak gay subtext; however, its function here is more to emphasize Ford’s othering via his prioritization of science, compared to F’s prioritization of family. As a result, again it’s not really about sexuality, but instead Ford’s otherness (which a gay reading would supplement the same otherness, even if it doesn’t match to the prioritization of science). Overall, the absence of explicit sexuality within the ideal of ‘scientific achievement’ that the photograph exemplifies further supports the aroace subtext.

J3 page on Ford mentioning the desk photos

This comparison of priorities repeats itself when Fiddleford talks about his goals after the portal is done, which is to return to California (implied to his family), become an independent inventor to make things that can help people, and have enough money to buy a nice house (presumably again for his family), unlike how he grew up. Ford, in comparison, says he dreams of becoming a famous scientist and returning home with money and fame–to be welcomed. Fiddleford’s priorities are (in talk) to have a steady income to provide for his family and to help others; the typical, expected dream of a man, and a kind man to boot. Ford's dreams, in comparison, are scientific achievement, fame, and ultimately acceptance; not at all connected to having a family, ie, not the highly desirable white picket fence ending.

Immediately after this exchange about their dreams, Fiddleford also directly asks Ford about settling down, finding someone and starting a family, clearly bemused by Ford’s disinclination of the white-picket fence dream compared to F’s own; at this, Ford laughs and says "romance was far more baffling to me than the greatest mysteries of the universe." Which. Yeah. Fuck man, as someone who’s aroace, you can underscore that for me. That's something I've always felt in my life; a confusion around why people put immense stock in romance, when one could say, be looking at interesting critters or writing very long meta analyses... (Cough). Confusion about the concept of romantic, or even sexual relationships (and the underlying motives of them, of romantic or sexual attraction) is very aroace coded. One could argue that Ford finds romance bewildering because he feels ostracized from everyone and never had any women interested in him and repressed all sexual/romantic feelings; or in a gay reading of his character, he's deeply repressed his sexual/romantic feelings due to homophobia. This can certainly stand as an argument, but it's much more complicated than the simple answer of Ford being on the aro-ace spectrum and not understanding sexual or romantic attraction because he doesn’t experience it. And if you look at the way it's phrased, it’s very specific; being bewildered by romance, ie, the motives behind romance and why people would want to engage in romantic/sexual relationships, is a very different thing than if Ford said, "oh, that life's not for me". This other phrase would imply that perhaps he does experience sexual/romantic attraction but due to homophobia or repression, it isn't his first priority. But this isn’t implied! Instead it's pretty heavily implied Ford doesn't understand the motives, ie, the attraction, that is the impetus behind most relationships. And on top of that, Ford, ever curious and knowledge seeking, doesn’t even have an interest in understanding or figuring out romance or attraction! He’s just disinterested, overall providing a very strong aro-ace subtext.

J3 pages on Fiddleford and Ford's conversation, including their dreams and Ford exclaiming that romance is baffling

Now, at this time there's obviously Bill, but we’ll unpack that in part two.

Through the Looking Glass Portal

Let us now step into the multiverse, after Ford gets punted through the portal. It’s only in J3 we really get bits and pieces of what Ford was up to during those thirty lost years. Now; do we know if he was knocking boots with any aliens during this period? The answer is that there's no explicit evidence of any romantic or sexual relationships, but there are some implications. During this time, once again, his prioritization is clearly not romance or sex, but instead to create a device to wipe Bill from existence.

Now, the main person would be Jheselbraum the Unswerving. Ford is clearly shown to have fond memories of her as she saves him from danger, they can relate to each other as they were both previously lackeys to Bill, and they partied together once. Not to mention, she directly is involved in his mission; she puts the metal plate in his head, provides him with more information on Bill, and tells him that he has “the face of the man who was destined to destroy Bill”. Timewise, it sounds like they knew each other for only about a week and maybe a few days; Ford was unconscious when he was saved, and it’s implied pretty soon after he woke up, he has his operation, which takes a week to heal from, and it’s at the end of this week they party, and Ford wakes in a different dimension. Although that’s plenty of time for a friendship to bloom, for someone who has rarely shown sexual/romantic attraction, that’s honestly a pretty short amount of time to form a romantic/sexual relationship… so what proof is there for a sexual/romantic relationship?

The implication of a sexual/romantic relationship between the two is quipped at loosely with a message about Jheselbraum’s number in J3 blacklight; through soothsquito bites which say “GIBE THE ORACLE YOUR FRONE NUMBER.” Although the soothsquitos are supposed to provide warnings (or advice in this case) and Jheselbraum would be able to warn and/or help Ford which most of the comment seems to imply, it also carries the connotations of giving one’s number out of sexual/romantic interest. What's interesting is that it's not Ford himself starting the inquiry for the number; as a result, it’s not Ford actively seeking this implied romantic/sexual relationship, but rather a nebulous force (the writers) suggesting attraction for him… something that, as it doesn’t come from Ford himself, doesn’t hold much weight.

Blacklight J3 edition with the soothquitos sayings, including "GIBE THE ORACLE YOUR FRONE NUMBER"

The implication of a relationship is also reiterated by one of the thought lines on the mind-encoding computer when it’s put on Ford in The Last Mabelcorn, which notes “I MISS DIMENSION 52” which is the dimension Jheselbraum is from. Of course one could suggest he does actually miss the dimension; how many universes was Ford able to stay in peacefully, without worry of being hunted down, or avoid running afoul of the world’s bizarre or shifting conditions, like he seems to be able to do here with Jheselbraum? But this mostly of course suggests he misses dimension 52 specifically due to that he misses Jheselbraum; suggesting she was emotionally important to him. Now, is it in a platonic, or romantic/sexual manner? With the previous suggestion of giving a phone number with the sexual/romantic subtext, and her being, well, the opposite sex to Ford, and a relatable ally makes it pretty clear the writer’s intentions here are trying to suggest a romantic/sexual relationship. But then, why doesn't he just think “I miss Jheselbraum”, instead of Dimension 52? Well, that’s really due to the fact that she was only ever added as a character after the show… we don’t even get a glimpse or suggestion about her character in the show, and as a result I wouldn’t be surprised if she was conceived after the show ended, for J3. Honestly, I really don't find these implications surprising; a cool, powerful, ex-Bill henchman alien that Ford can relate to, who is female and humanoid? That’s the exact thing that fits a heterosexual expectation for Ford, and the amatonormative expectation of each character requiring a partner (although GF overarchingly refutes amatonormativity). As previously mentioned, Ford doesn't really display romantic/sexual interest like the other characters do, and the closest relationships he has are all male (Fiddleford, Bill) or his family. This subtext makes him much more visibly queer, I'd argue, to a cishet audience (vs those well versed in say, comphet, looking at Wendy, who strongly reads to those who are queer as lesbian). It makes sense then that for Ford, a female companion would then be retconned, much like more information on Cathy in J3, to dispel such queer readings and to strengthen and provide a typical heterosexual subtext. After all, the dimension 52 line in the show appeared before it ever was attributed to Jheselbraum in J3. Not to mention, Jheselbraum is humanoid in appearance, within the general realm of conventional attraction; tame, compared to most of the alien designs we see! If it were a male alien, or a non-humanoid alien, would the same implicit connotations be made? Almost certainly not. Overall, these two instances don’t particularly make a strong subtext for Ford to have experienced sexual/romantic attraction, or have had a sexual/romantic relationship with Jheselbraum.

Now, there’s another thing here that does provide strong subtext for a potential sexual/romantic relationship; and that is that Jheselbraum parallels Bill, who is strongly suggested to have had something with Ford. Jheselbraum, much like Bill was to Ford, is a semi-mysterious benefactor, helping him towards his goal, who tells Ford he’s special, he’s important, as he has “the face of the man who was destined to destroy Bill”. This is so exciting for Ford that he gets them partying; Ford, ‘DD&MD girlfriend repellent 12 PhDs’ Pines, who is reluctant to drink and generally is adverse to partying. Not to mention, within TBOB there is the advent of karaoke night, in which Bill and Ford party together, and it’s that night it’s suggested they possibly engage in sexual activity (as we’ll get into in part 2). Thus, these parallels provide a much stronger suggestion of possible romantic/sexual attraction, and even possible sexual activity. However, Ford knows Jheselbraum for a much shorter period of time then he does Bill, as it’s implied to be only about a week or so, not particularly a lot of time to form a relationship. Thus if something did occur, it would likely be on the party night (again, as possibly occurred with Bill), as inhibitions are lowered. Even if it was beyond essentially a drunken one-night stand and began earlier in the week, in the end it's clear Ford’s priority is not the relationship, nor is it Jheselbraum’s. Afterall, after the party, Ford wakes up in another dimension, and continues forging his path forward to complete his weapon and destroy Bill, like Jheselbraum said he would. Presumably, he never sees her again, as he never mentions visiting her again, or anything more about her.

The two Jheselbraum pages, and the 'I MISS DIMENSION 52' screen shot from The Last Mabelcorn

Regarding other implications, there's also a theoretical example Ford uses to demonstrate how the do-over dimension works, focused around cleaning your place before your girlfriend arrives. Since this theoretical situation revolves around a girlfriend, there is some subtext suggesting a possible relationship; is it actually theoretical, or did this experience actually happen to Ford, which is why he uses it? Its validity beyond just an example is not clear, and only remains speculation. Personally, I'd say the actual girlfriend is unlikely; Ford’s highest priority during this time is destroying Bill, he has never really previously shown interest in dating or settling down (so why now?), he has boxes of stuff that he needs to unpack after moving into the apartment (unlike someone who is on the run the way he seems to be), and the scenarios given are a bit over the top, as the new girlfriend immediately proposes in the example that the place is very clean.

Do over dimension J3 page, with a theoretical example of how time works which includes a girlfriend.

Beyond these, Ford also writes that he has partied a few times throughout his travels, notably getting tattoos which he regrets. Are there other sexual encounters during these times, when Ford’s inhibitions are lowered? It's unclear. But generally regarding romantic/sexual relationships, context would suggest against anything serious, beyond perhaps one night stands, although Ford doesn't really strike me as someone to engage in such activity beyond with those he is already close with (and seems to need to be inebriated to boot), especially considering the strength of his aro/ace subtext. This unlikeliness regarding further unmentioned romantic/sexual relationships is also partially due to the fact that Ford tends to also be keen to write about his experiences, and treats the journals as less of a scientific record but, well… a journal. So if there really were other important relationships to Ford, one could presume he would incorporate it into the journal, which there isn’t beyond what we’ve already touched on; although this focus on important (and assumably positive) relationships fails to address negative potential relationships, or sexual/romantic attraction at large, which isn’t always expressed in the terms of an actual relationship. These other instances Ford would be less likely to actually pen down, due to them being embarrassing (especially since you see him rip out the pages on Bill) or deemed inconsequential. Nevertheless, it still affirms that it’s unlikely there are other unknown serious and positive relationships. Additionally, Ford during most of this time was an interdimensional criminal… not a life that would make sense to have, or even easy to start, a serious romantic/sexual relationship. That’s not to say that’s ever really stopped people, but it's an extra layer that makes a romance/sexual relationship difficult, on top of Ford’s general disinterest and deprioritization in the first place.

So, did Ford have a romantic/sexual relationship during his travels? It's fairly well suggested, but never canon, that he may have had one with Jheselbraum, or more accurately, may have been sexually/romantically attracted to her (although details remain lacking). Beyond that, I’d say it's unlikely that he had any other sexual/romantic relationships, and it is very clear that any Ford had during this time would not be very serious (even with Jheselbraum), as Ford’s priority was always killing Bill.

Homecoming, and beyond

When Ford returns to Gravity Falls, he still doesn't show an interest in romance; his priority instead is still foiling Bill, and family bonding. After the series finishes, such as in some of the Lost Legends stories, Ford is back again to studying the anomalies in Gravity Falls, and globally with Stan, when Stan-o’-war II gets up and running. Again, he is not prioritizing or even seemingly interested in romance; he’s instead focused on scientific curiosity like he always has been, but he’s also prioritizing spending time with his family. It’s clear he deeply values his familial relationships, and notably over any sort of romance! The prioritization of familial or platonic relationships over romantic/sexual relationships, or holding them on equal standing, is itself aroace-coded; that's not to say other sexualities can't hold equal prioritization, but they generally don't tend towards it as naturally. Another thing that strengthens his aro-ace subtext!

What's also important to note is his lack of prioritization occurs on a backdrop of people noticing that he’s attractive! His attractiveness is noted by Pacifica, and he is canonically called a silver fox by 'everyone', which he notes to look up because he’s confused about it. Being considered attractive when he returns suggests that he should be able to get a partner easily if he desires to; something that if he has not been in a relationship previously due to being ‘unattractive’ while younger, he can certainly now do so. But he doesn’t, nor does he seem interested at all in such a relationship! Also, Ford’s bewilderment of romance extends to flirting, such as the silver fox comments, and which is very strongly reiterated with the non-canonical event of JK Simmons reading tiktok comments of people horny for Ford, and Ford being very confused and initially taking them as compliments to his scientific prowess, and then being horrified when he realizes it’s not. Note that it’s science again being prioritized here! Now, Ford's confusion over flirting terms could be chalked up to not being on earth for 30 years, but more than that it fits to his character’s overall disinterest and expressed confusion about sexual/romantic attraction; sure, romantic/sexual relationships and flirting occurs to other people, but not to himself. This confusion about sexual/romantic attraction, and their advances, likely come from Ford not experiencing sexual/romantic attraction, again providing more strength to Ford’s aro-ace subtext. What's also interesting about Ford's confusion over his attractiveness, is that when we look at the (derogatory) comments about Ford not having partners, it's not directly coming from Ford, but rather other characters. Case in point with that it’s Bill who adds the comment about Ford trying to hold hands with Cathy and who mocks Ford’s lack of a girlfriend in TBOB, meanwhile Ford’s college friends are the one to comment that DD&MD is girlfriend repellent. It’s clear that Ford's lack of romantic/sexual relationships doesn’t bother him in his adulthood, and nor does he seek to change this; and as a result, it makes sense that he would be confused about comments on his attractiveness, because that's not something he pays attention to, cares about, or even understands!

TBOB page photo calling out Ford and Dipper for not having girlfriends; Pacifica seeing Ford in LL and saying "Hey, why is stan suddenly hot now?", J3 blacklight page with the last of the new dimension checklist translated to the "figure out what a 'silver fox' is and why everyone keeps calling me one"

Now, another post-show example of Ford’s continued disinterest in sex or romance is the previously mentioned sea grunkles ballad; in this, there are matching verses showing things from their travels that they are excited about. For Stan, it’s flirting with mermaids, and for Ford’s enthused verse, he attempts to teach whales math! Exactly like when they were young, Stan compared to Ford expresses sexual attraction and it feels like it comes from Stan, it's a part of his character. After all, it's something you see throughout the show; you have the fully clad ladies magazine gag, him having a crush on Lazy Susan and going on a date, him teaching Dipper how to pick up girls, the joke when he entered the diner and asks for just ladies his age to cheer his name… the list goes on, the reiteration building a context of romantic and/or sexual attraction. And Ford doesn’t. Certainly, part of it is that Ford is introduced later in the show, but, again, what are the priorities of the characters? Why and why not? Once again, Ford’s is deliberately not about sex or romantic interest, continuing to reiterate the aroace subtext.

LL page of the two verses showing Ford attempting to teach a whale math and Stan trying to flirt with mermaids

I'd also like to note here that Ford’s priority being scientific curiosity over relationships isn't actually an uncommon trope! Ford squarely falls within the trope of a “mad scientist”, which is predicated on a character whose priority is scientific curiosity over human connection (generally misconstrued as driven by ‘intellect’ over emotions, which ignores the emotions that drive scientific curiosity). As a result of these characters' prioritization of scientific curiosity, they tend to lack strong morals (especially if it would hinder their pursuit of knowledge), and are rarely displayed to be particularly social, having few, if any friends, let alone a romantic relationship, as they come secondary to their scientific pursuits. Now, mad scientists’ disregard of morals and typical ‘human’ relationships ranges on the scale of completely cold emotionally in a monstrous way (Lovecraft’s Herbert West - Reanimator, who ends up killing people in pursuit of scientific curiosity) to those who are benign and eccentric, but also tend to cause issues from their disregard of morals/laws (Doc from Back to the Future). This trope is itself choc-a-bloc with underlying queer subtext, some more gay depending on the author's intent (ie, Victor Frankenstein, his emasculation), but many subtextually read especially as asexual, from the scientist character’s lack of prioritization, and often blatant disinterest in romance. And Ford fits this trope! In some ways yes, he does subvert it with his desire for connection, but it’s a desire that is humanizing and reflects everyone's need for connection and love; nor is his desire a particularly aggressively social desire for human connection, and never romantically oriented, as it’s shown he’s quite fulfilled with very few close relationships, complemented with his scientific exploration. Now, Ford matching this mad scientist trope is not actually a surprise, as Alex has discussed that since the very beginning of his conception, Ford was conceived as a ‘mad scientist’ character. So Ford’s deprioritization of romance through this trope, providing aroace subtext, has always been a part of Ford’s character.

One of the first conception art for Ford, called "Cousin Tim"; standing in front of a table full of scientific gadgets.

Continuing on Alex's commentary on Ford’s character design, is this quote from an interview with HanaHyperfixates and ThatGFFan (bolding added);

“Ford was very much us building backwards. The same way you know a black hole is there by the light warped around it, it’s like, you know the damage someone’s family has done to them by all of their weird tics and behaviors. So who is the character who would result in Stan being this hurt and needy and mad and also longing?

And so we came up with this guy who kinda seemed too perfect. And is distant. He’s aloof, and distant, and he’s too perfect. And it’s like, “oh! I think he’s also aloof and distant from himself.”

I think he is, uh, deeply deeply hiding from his real feelings about things, because at some point early on, he decided that he could run from hurt by achievement and by creation, and has dug that hole so deep that he has no relationships. He doesn’t have friendships, he doesn’t have romantic relationships, he is someone trapped in a tower of his own mind and estranged.”

Ford since the beginning is supposed to be a character that's estranged from himself, from his desires and also from other people. Alex even mentions in the behind-the-scenes commentary on Dipper and Mabel vs. The Future that “he believes that attachments are actually weaknesses” (found here). So it is not at all surprising that Ford has few friends, or few relationships, since this estrangement, both internal and social, has always been a huge part of Ford’s character design. It's clear in the show that Ford is characterized by this deep loneliness as a result of this willful estrangement, ie, repression of his desires, in the way Ford continued to think about Stan over all the years they were away, carrying in his pocket a photo of Stan but still refuses to contact him, and in the way he falls so thoroughly for Bill. So the question then really comes down to, is Ford’s aroace coding that I've dug into then really just repression? As mentioned previously, Ford was originally intended to be written as a heterosexual character, as shown by the commentaries and the canon implied love interests (most which were only added post-show). This original heteronormativity–or Alex’s later acknowledgement of homosexual interpretations of the text–mixed with Alex’s emphasis as Ford being in whole estranged from himself and disavowing relationships, would mean that he was intended to be romantically/sexually repressed. Alex even talks about this repression in the same interview (bolding added again);

“Stan shows that he has romantic interests, Mabel shows that she has romantic interests, Dipper shows that he has romantic interests, Ford shows none of that. He has sublimated himself romantically so, so deeply.

I think, for people on all sides of the gender and sexuality equation, the idea of, “I can’t- I’m not sure what this part of myself is, so I’m going to fixate on something I can understand.” ”

And sure, Ford’s behaviour can certainly match deep repression, which was certainly more of the intent of the writers and of Alex (and an intent that became more broad as Alex has acknowledged the homosexual readings of the text). But, I’d personally argue the subtext doesn't necessarily match this explanation. This is partially due to the plethora of aro-ace subtext we’ve dug into, that repression is more convoluted of an answer than aroaceness (as noted in Constructing a transuniversal poly-dimensional metavortex), and most of all, because we do see Ford begin to unlearn his repression by the end of the show! And as Ford is unlearning his repression what's to be noted is that he still is uninterested in romance. Certainly, it would take time to unlearn his repression and acknowledge what he does desire, but the writers don’t show-and thus don't feel the need to show–that Ford’s grown beyond his repression specifically through a sexual/romantic relationship lens. It's not something that's important enough to his character to show in the time that’s given within the show; thus, he remains confused around attraction, and compared to earlier in his life, doesn’t even display what could be construed as sexual/romantic attraction. Also, although Ford is generally repressive of his desire for companionship, he does at times express the desire; he acknowledges his enjoyment of it, and at separate times, acknowledges his loneliness as a result of lack of companionship! He recognizes this when Fiddleford comes to visit, he talks at length in his journal about Bill, and he journals about being lonely; he’s not entirely repressive of these emotions! But we don't get in J3 Ford yearning for a ‘textbook’ sexual or romantic relationship. All to say… is he then actually sexually/romantically repressed? This continual lack of engaging in sexual/romantic relationships, and the lack of romantic/sexual attraction displayed–which he instead expresses confusion about–throughout Ford’s life, seems to indicate that he’s not actually overarchingly sexually/romantically repressed, but instead strongly indicates he’s on the aroace-spectrum.

Conclusion

Now that's essentially all I have for the chronological piece regarding Ford’s relationships. To recap for sexual/romantic attraction: we have Cathy from Ford’s highschool whose purpose is to emphasize Ford’s ostracization and who reeks of comphet, we've got the only canonical sexual/romantic relationship with a siren in one throwaway line from LL, and Jheselbraum which is implied, but also lacks details… anything else (non-Bill related) is only ever vaguely implied, even though it’s clear some characters find him attractive. Of the characters Ford has implied sexual/romantic relationship or attraction with that we discussed within this section, all are pretty much added in–or in the case of Cathy, elaborated on–in later publications, and not within the show. Notably, Ford himself doesn’t really express any romantic or sexual interest, literally calls romance baffling, and throughout his life it’s clear that generally his priority is his scientific curiosity and acceptance, or murdering Bill. This continued lack of prioritization of sexual/romantic relationships provides a very strong subtext for Ford being on the aro-ace spectrum. Repression could be a potential reason for this lack of displayed romantic/sexual attraction instead of Ford being on the aro-ace spectrum, but the way Ford even post-show is disinterested in romance, and as it’s a more convoluted answer compared to asexuality and aromanticism it is a less compelling argument. Afterall, even if the repression was intended by the creators, what’s intended is not always what is expressed. Out of everything said in this analysis, one thing is clear; the only relationship he’s confirmed to have had is non-human, and the majority of the people Ford is potentially attracted to, are also non-human; canonically making Ford a Monsterfucker. Now, this monsterfucking is further reiterated with the one intimate relationship we are given much more information on, which is with Bill. This relationship is discussed in Part II, and the intersection of monsterfucking and aroaceness can be found in Part III.

#we finally did it #it's out in the wild #oh my god #valcha's musings #valcha's meta

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