#bro just wants a good fight he’s always stuck in that cave all day

[mfdragon]

Hey, y’all remember that time the Autobots huddled up to plan cause they were getting their entire asses beat and Blitzwing just fuckin stood there posin’?

Honestly one of my favourite moments in the show; top three at least! Only Blitzwing would be like “yo FUCK Megatron, I wanna see how hard these bitches can HIT ME!!!”

[toukenramblings]

Child Saniwa: Azuki Nagamitsu, Ichigo Hitofuri, Horikawa Kunihiro

Ah shit y’all, back at it again with the memes. Thank you for requestin, love~!

Azuki Nagamitsu

“I am pleased to meet you, my name is Azuki Nagamitsu...”

“....”

Azuki takes one goddamn look at this baby saniwa and is immediately claiming it as his child. Yes he’ll fight the entire citadel to stake his claim, he’s signing the adoption papers right now. No you cannot stop him. He can and will hold all of these children. He has big enough and strong enough arms.

“Pray tell, little one, do you like sweet things?”

“!!!”

Oh Azuki is a bit of an enabler. He does cook and bake a lot so expect him to sneak a lot of sweets and stuff to the lil kid. He already does it with the little ones around the citadel but even more so if he has a close relationship with the child saniwa. Yes he will ensure that they eat healthy and go to bed on time and maybe he’ll bribe them with sweets to finish their chores on time and all but hey, he does care for them a lot!

Azuki always calls them adorable, cute, and so on and so forth. He adores kids and maybe he has a photo album of adorable pictures of the lil saniwa and the rest of the kids around the citadel just napping together and sleeping together and holding hands and being cute, no he’s not crying.

HIs favorite thing to do with the kid is to go shopping with them! Holding their hand as they walk through whatever aisles they are looking at. Yes maybe he’ll sneak some of their favorite treats into the shopping cart, and maybe he’ll have to curb the child’s habit of snacking on everything but he caves in the end. He’s weak to their puppy eyes. Please help him, he might not be strong enough.

Is that one parent at a recital or something of their child’s with a video camera, crying, and screaming: “YOU’RE DOING AMAZING SWEETIE”

Azuki isn’t much of a fighter, it doesn’t mean he won’t fucking throw down with the government though. Watch him invite them over for a spot of tea and if they even make a damn negative comment about his master he’ll probably drop some poison in there. No he won’t he’ll just hug the kid closer to him and be that one meme of protecting Kevin Hart.

Azuki is already giving out head pats to all of the kids in the citadel, but to the Saniwa he’s rather physically affectionate. If they want a hug, they can get one. If they wanna hold hands? Hell yeah! Forehead kisses? Damn right he will. Loves giving them head pats and calling them a good kid the most.

Yes he will read them a bedtime story and of course it’s always ones filled with good morals and life lessons!

Azuki is also damn good with sewing. He will make little scarves, and patch up the clothing for the saniwa and even make some clothing for them! He loves it when they are warm and comfy in whatever clothing they like!

Yes Azuki spoils them rotten but he knows his limits. He is the typical overly proud dad who is happy whenever his kid is happy!

Ichigo Hitofuri

"I am Ichigo Hitofuri, the only tachi crafted by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu-”

“....”

“....”

The minute Ichi-nii sees this lil kid is his master, he is already bending down to their level and asking where the fuck are their parents. He’s a bit shocked to see someone so young to be his master but he won’t mind. He does have a LOT of little brothers after all! He can take care of them, adding another lil sibling into the bunch won’t hurt anyone!

Adoption papers? Signed? Awataguchi? Accepting of their new sibling. Government? uNFORTUNATELY STILL ALIVE. He knows what it’s like to have trauma and some of his lil bros do have quite a bit of it. Honebami, Yagen to name a few, and pushing such a duty on to such a young person like this...Ichigo won’t lie and say that he isn’t angry at the government for doing this. They don’t deserve this, why can’t they live their life out as a normal kid????

Oh Ichigo has experience in taking care of children and his brothers will also pitch in to make sure that the Saniwa is loved for and taken cared of! They have an army of tantous, two wakizashis, and a tachi at their beck and call now. No one is going to hurt them ever again.

Like Azuki, Ichigo adores children and this little saniwa is no different. Yes he’s rather stern at times and he doesn’t like raising his voice at them but he does need to be a guiding hand at times. He would never hurt them, and he just wants the best for them. He may get angry at them and scold them but he is doing it gently.

Yes the little saniwa is going to get roped into AWT48. Ichigo will personally help them sing and dance as well! If they have stage fright, no worries! He’s happy to still perform for them none the less.

Cuddles. Oh man this little saniwa is never going to be without physical affection. From Ichigo’s cuddles and head pats to the rest of the Toushirous just loving on the kid and random hugs outta nowhere, this kid is going to be so loved. 

Ichigo can kinda cook? Not as good as like Kasen or Azuki or anything but he’ll at least make something edible. Probably some instant stuff from a box, more like it. He can decorate it super good though!

If the kid has nightmares, Ichigo is the first to wake up and comfort them. His bros have nightmares a lot and he’s a light sleeper anyway, so he can relate to that - and is always there for them!

Bedtime stories with morals and lessons? Of course! Duh! It’s a group storytime! All day every day!

Ichigo is the big brother everyone wants. The caring big bro who will take a bullet for you, and will probably have some choice words for the government. He cares for you as a parent would, and is just always there!

Horikawa Kunihiro

“Excuse me, has-”

“....”

“....Ah, a second child to take care of.”

Horikawa already has a child on his hands kane-san and he’s already pretty motherly so adopting a kid like this isn’t too out of his range. He’s a lot gentler with them than he is with Kane-san, but no less strict.

No he cannot trust Kane-san around this child. ONe time he left them alone and the kid was stuck in a tree and Kane-san had a broken leg trying to save the damn kid. He will only let them interact under his or another sword’s supervision. Can and will fight Kane-san just to protect this kid.

As Horikawa is good at cleaning, he always tends to the kid’s room and helps them wake up on time. He will most likely be the hawk mum, watching over them with every change he can get to ensure that they are doing their work on time.

He won’t spoil them as much as Ichigo or Azuki would, but he would praise them and reward them in his own way! Mostly with praise and a head pat and a forehead kiss if they’ve been extra good! Yes he’ll cook for them and give them treats but nothing super duper big.

The minute the saniwa calls him Hori-nii or something he will cry. Hell he’ll take being called mom. He doesn’t mind! He’s just happy that he can be there for them!

Oh dude Horikawa will spoil them not with food but with lil things! A flower from the forest, a lil trinket from the store as he passed by, so on and so forth! He knows his limits though.

Yes Horikawa will not hesitate to storm the government building and demand to see whoever the fuck is in charge. He wants to know who the fuck was responsible for this. This is a literal CHILD, where are their PARENTS. Who aLLOWED THIS? Horikawa is now this child’s mom.

He’s like that mom that panics whenever the kid goes missing for like one second. There’s a lot of dangerous things the kid could get into (see the tree incident) and if they get hurt, expect Horikawa to be at their side quicker than Hasebe. Hell he can beat Hasebe in speed and in over-protectiveness, dO NOT TEST THIS YOUNG MAN.

Is also that one mom that is at the kid’s recital, crying joyous tears of pride as they perform. Always has a camera on him to capture such a beautiful moment.

Yes Horikawa is the mom friend and he will not hesitate to become the mom to this saniwa. He will ensure that they go to bed on time and keep them healthy. Will wake them up on time and just be that one parent who is always a presence in their life, knowing when to back away but keeping in touch. Like having ya mum as ya best friend!!!

[five-rivers]

The "Young Yagi Toshinori|All Might on ao3 covers everything from him being a toddler to just pre-organ-loss so just-got-ofa-teen Toshi is smol enough. (Altho elementary-school-age Toshi ruining some villain's day would be hilarious and awesome) The into mind plot sounds awesome and I'm looking forward to it. Blackwhip -Vigilante- Underground Hero Yagi (and Izu) sounds like a ride!

Sir, you have inspired me.  Have some elementary school Toshinori.

.

Shimura Nana was having A Day.  

First, she’d woken up with her bones aching, a side effect of all the microfractures she’d given herself while getting used to One for All.  Second, she’d discovered she was out of painkillers.  Third, the convenience store she usually frequented for such matters had been collateral in a villain fight earlier that week, so she’d had to jog to the nearest grocery store (her license level didn’t cover quirk use for personal matters).  Fourth, the grocery store didn’t sell her usual brand, so now she was stuck deciding between the grocery store’s generics, of unknown quality, and a slightly more expensive brand she knew would mostly work but tended to make her drowsy.  The more expensive and effective brands were a little out of the price range of a person like her.  

A person like her being a recently licensed aboveground sidekick who was trying to stay out of the direct spotlight due to the century-plus-year-old supervillain who was currently stalking her due to the origin of one of her two powers.

Yeah, okay.  So, there weren’t any other people like her.  It was a figure of speech.  Who could blame her?

The universe, apparently.  

One wall of the grocery store caved in, the force of the blast whipping the scarf off from around Nana’s neck and all thoughts of painkillers from Nana’s mind.  One for All pulsed in her fists as she turned to face the threat.  

(As always, she wondered, was this it?  Had he found her?  Was she about to die like Six?)

The threat was underwhelming.  The villain standing in the hole was skinny, stressed, and clearly new at the ‘escape’ part of the gig, despite the bulging bag of cash under his left arm.  Where had he come from, anyway?  The nearest bank was...  Ugh.  Nana couldn’t be bothered to remember the exact distance.  It didn’t matter, anyway.  

What mattered was taking the guy down before he got the bright idea to start doing whatever he did to the wall to people.  For example, the shoppers who were still standing right next to him.  

Was the demolished wall not enough of a hint for these people?

Whatever, they were civilians.  Even heroes and policemen froze sometimes.  

It would be best to avoid a flashy (and damaging) fight in this scenario, especially given that Nana wasn’t wearing her costume, but a random sweater and some old jeans.  She began to maneuver around to the villain’s flank, positioning herself in such a way that there were no civilians behind her.  She prepared to strike.  

And then, because the universe really had it out for her today, a second villain walked through the hole, this one carrying a crying girl in an elementary school uniform.  He also was wearing a truly atrocious pair of shorts.  They were some unholy combination between Hawaiian print, stripes, and polka-dots.  And the were short.  And tight.  

The kidnapping only barely beat out those shorts as the worst crime the man was currently committing.  

“No one get any ideas, or I’ll kill this brat!” yelled the villain.  Their quirk looked like it turned their hands into spikes.  Simple, not terribly threatening, but more than enough to kill the kid.  

Oh, and now there was another kid, a blonde, peeking around the edge of the hole, glaring at the spike villain.  

Okay, from now on, Nana was going to assume that no one had any self preservation, ever.  

“I don’t know about this, bro,” said the other villain, shaking.  

“Shut up!  Hey, you!” he shouted at a cashier.  “Where’s Kimiko?”

“She, uh, break room,” said the shaking teen.  

The villain snorted.  “Come on, she’s got that teleport quirk.”  He kicked the back of the other villain’s leg.  He stumbled forward.  

A number of things happened in quick succession.  

First, the blonde kid ran at the spike villain, hitting the backs of his legs.  

Second, Nana darted forward, intent on taking out the villains before they could kill the suicidal blonde.

Third, there was a lot of blood.  

When Nana said a lot, she meant a lot.  As in, a worryingly large amount.  As in, anyone who lost that much blood needed a trip to the hospital pronto, and that was if they were an adult.  

The wall-blasting villain had evidently realized this, was screaming, and, thankfully, not paying enough attention to anything else to notice Nana coming up alongside him and knocking him across the jaw.  

She didn’t have her capture gear with her.  She’d have to hope he’d stay out.  

Then the spike villain just.  Collapsed.  

Which is when she realized he was the one bleeding, rather than either of the kids.  In fact, the blonde kid, who was utterly covered in blood, was helping to extract the girl from the villain’s rapidly weakening grasp.  Which meant that Nana should probably do something.  

Yeah, something.  

First, make sure the villain wasn’t going to get back up and attack everyone.  Oh, jeez.  That was a giant chunk out of the guy’s leg, right underneath those awful, awful shorts.  

Yeah, he wasn’t going to be moving for a good second.  She turned to the kids.  

“Are either of you two hurt?” she asked.  

“No, ma’am!” said the boy, beaming.  Underneath the blood, his teeth gleamed whiter than a toothpaste spokesman’s.  The girl shook her head.  

“Cool, cool,” said Nana, giving them a grin.  “Did you bite him?” she pointed at the villain, winced, and started to take off her sweater.  The guy needed a tourniquet.

“Yes!” said the boy.  “He’s-- Is he okay?”  The smile dropped a little, and he started wringing his hands.  

Oh, gosh, he was precious.  

“Yeah,” said Nana, brightly, trying to staunch the flow of blood.  She could hear sirens in the distance.  “He’s fine!  People just get a bit dizzy when they, uh, lose this much blood.  Why don’t you two go over there, and make sure the police have been called?  And an ambulance?”

“Yes, Ms. Hero!” said the boy, saluting again.  He practically dragged the girl off, over to the cash registers.  

Cute.  

The villain did make it into the ambulance.  So.  Anyway.  Time to make sure the trauma wasn’t catching up to the sunshine boy.  How old was he, anyway?  Five?  Ten?  Had to be younger than eleven with that uniform, right?

(Simply speaking, Nana was not good at estimating ages.)

She slunk over to listen as the police officer questioned him.  

“I just want to make sure you know, Yagi-kun,” said the police officer, who was gently dabbing the child’s blood-covered face with a cloth, “you aren’t in trouble, but we need to know if you used your quirk on that man?”

That was something Nana was curious about, too.  After all, the kid had just about bit through the guy’s femoral artery.  That took talent.  Or a really weird brand of luck.  

“Oh, no, sir!  I don’t have a quirk!”

The officer stared.  “You ran at a villain holding a hostage without a quirk?”

“Emi was crying!  I had to help!”

Okay.  Nana liked this tiny feral child.  

The officer sighed.  “Can you tell me your parents’ names?  And phone numbers?”

“I don’t have parents, sir!  I can give you the number of my foster home, though.”  The last sentence was said with significantly less energy than all the ones before, and the boy looked down at the ground, kicking at it lightly.

Heck.  If Nana didn’t have All for One after her, she’d adopt right then and there.  

But she did.  

And her bones still hurt.  

Also, she was covered in blood.

Well, quirkless or not, she had no doubt that kid would go far.  Maybe she’d see him again, someday.

[spaceskam]

for @alexmanesappreciation weekend. technically falls under day 1 despite it being day 2 but what can you do. Heavily inspired by You & I from Bare: A Pop Opera, so high school au!

Alex was minding his own damn business, getting his books out of his locker when town arms snaked around his torso and hot breath hit his ear.

"Hey, stranger," Michael Guerin whispered, nipping at his skin as he pressed his hands into his lower stomach. Alex gulped softly and tried to fight his grin. A quick look around the hall proved they were alone–which made sense. Michael had a reputation. "What's a man gotta do to get you alone? Toys? A puppy?" He paused and pressed his hips hard into Alex's back, making his want for him known. "How about a lollipop?"

Alex laughed, squirming in grasp at the gross analogy. He managed to turn around and Michael's half-lidded eyes were fully on him, unphased and not checking the halls for others. Alex's felt a rush of adrenaline.

"No thanks. Stranger danger," he retorted. Michael's eyes flickered around his face, leaning even closer so their foreheads met and Alex was pinned between his body and the lockers.

"So a kiss is out of the question?" Michael breathed. Again, he didn't check for bystanders. Alex was giddy.

"Well, when you say it like that..."

He leaned in, barely getting to enjoy his lips for a millisecond before footsteps sounded and Michael spun, his back hitting the locker beside Alex's. Alex sighed and saw a couple other students entering the hallway they were in before turning back into his locker. He should've known that was too good to be true.

"So, where were you last night? I waited up," Alex said, soft enough no one could really hear as he went back to looking through his locker.

"Couldn't get away early enough," he said.

Alex frowned. There were things that came with being apart of a religious private school, one of them was usually having ridiculously strict parents. Michael, however, got the worst of them all whenever one of the big shots in the town's church decided to loudly announce how good they were by fostering a teen boy with "problems". So far, the only problem Alex had found in Michael Guerin was that he was starved of affection and could be reduced to a useless pile of boy with the right amount of heavy petting.

"Oh," Alex said, trying not to make him feel guilty.

"We're forever damned to loneliness, aren't we?" Michael sighed, playing up the dramatics but Alex's saw how much he really felt that. Still, he didn't want to call him out, so he smiled.

"I stayed awake as long as I could. Got about 2 hours of sleep," Alex told him. Michael's eyes scanned the freshly empty halls again before giving him a fond smile.

"Impressive," he said, slowly sliding closer again. He was so close, but not close enough. "What'd you say we skip? Go find somewhere... Catch up on sleep?"

"Oh?" Alex hummed, intrigued and showing it. Michael smiled that pretty little smile of his, lips pressing to his cheek.

"Should I bring that lollipop I mentioned?"

Alex huffed a laugh, but turned to meet his lips.

"I think you should."

And then the bell rang and the halls filled with people.

Again, Michael pulled away and Alex prepared to be upset. He didn’t like the person he was whenever he was being the perfect, all-star football player that his foster parents wanted. He liked the sweet dork he got when they were alone. But, God forbid...

“Manes, you got my homework?” Kyle Valenti said as he sidled up beside Michael. They were bros. How gross was that?

“Uh, fuck off, Valenti, mine takes precedence,” Michael told him, elbowing him. Alex didn’t entertain them as they started to play fight in the halls, pulling out two copies of the Calc homework. Technically, Michael had done all the work and Alex was just the face of the business. They split the profits.

“$15,” Alex said blandly, accepting as they both paid up. It was a always a show for Michael. He had to wonder if that’s all they’d ever be. A secret layer beneath this one.

“Thanks,” Kyle said before clapping Michael on the shoulder, “See you at practice. Better bring your A game, man, Imma kick your ass this time.”

“We’re on the same team, you dumbass,” Michael said, shoving him away. Alex rolled his eyes and closed the door of his locker, turning to head to class. 

“See you later, Guerin.”

“Wait, Alex.”

Alex, putty in his hands as always, allowed his arm to be grabbed and pulled him back so they could talk. The hall was still busy though, so the contact only lasted a minute, but Alex still waited for him to speak.

“You know I have to--”

Again, as if specially designed to ruin everything, Maria DeLuca walked and gave Michael a sweet smile. She was pretty and nice and Alex knew they’d look good together. That only seemed to make it harder when Michael gave her his full focus, giving her that flirtatious smile that made Alex feel sick when it wasn’t for him.

“Hey, Michael,” she said, “I’ve been looking for you.”

Alex had to roll his eyes in irritation, clutching his books as he wondered how easy it would be to slip out of earshot. Probably easily.

“Oh, yeah?” Michael said, “What for?”

“I was wondering, if you had a date for prom yet?” she asked, still giving that pretty smile, “I tried to text you, but you didn’t answer. Did you lose my number?”

To keep from projectile vomiting at the strange dance that was heteronormative flirting, Alex turned to leave.

“I, uh, look, I’ll get back to you, okay? I need to talk to Manes here about an essay he needs to write for me,” Michael said.

“Oh, okay.”

Alex tried to walk faster as Michael followed, but, as soon as they reached a hall full of people who weren’t paying attention, Michael grabbed his arm and pulled him into an empty classroom. He shut the door behind them, giving Alex that borderline scared look that he always gave when he knew he fucked up. Alex still hadn’t quite decided if he used it to knowingly manipulate him or not because it was always painstakingly effective in making him cave.

“What?” Alex asked softly, “Don’t look at me like that. Have fun with your fuckboy ways, I’m not trying to dictate what you do.”

“Alex,” he said, forcing a little laugh as he shook his head, “It’s just a fucking game I gotta play.”

“And like I said, not gonna dictate what you do,” Alex said coldly. Michael moved closer.

“C’mon, you know it’s not real. I just have to appease the parents,” Michael said softly, reaching for Alex’s hand. He reluctantly let him take it. “You’re the the one I want and you know it. Yeah, we have to be discrete and shit, but you know why. Look at me. You know why.”

“Just... how am I supposed to trust you? Every girl in this school would literally fight to the death to get your attention. You could have whatever you wanted,” Alex pointed out. Michael grinned and gravitated closer. 

“Then it’s a good thing I want you,” he said, pulling his hand to his lips, “You’re the only one that makes me lose my fucking mind. Why would I let go of that when I have it? My eyes are only on you.”

Alex looked away, trying not to show just how easy it was to fold under his sweet words and his impossibly good looks. Michael came closer, slowly backing him against the teachers desk. Alex fidgeted slightly as he pressed his hips in closer and went from politely kissing his palm to pressing Alex’s fingertips against his lips. Alex tested him and pushed his thumb into his mouth. Michael welcomed it which made it that much harder to remember why he was upset.

“Need help there?” Michael asked quietly, eyes gesturing down to where their hips met. Alex let out a slightly exasperated breath.

“You’re so fucking cute and it’s really hard to be mad at you when you do shit like this,” Alex admitted. Michael smiled all proud and made a show of taking Alex’s forefinger and middle finger into his mouth, hollowing out his cheeks. He gulped and fidgeted some more. “You think you can help me out?”

Michael pulled away from his fingers with an exaggerated pop. “I gotta get to class or I would.”

Alex nodded but he didn’t like it.

“Hey, don’t worry,” Michael said, his hand laying against his cheek, “I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, I’m not leaving you.”

“Not even for Kyle?” Alex asked teasingly. Michael grinned and shrugged.

“Well, maybe--”

“Shut up,” Alex laughed, shoving his shoulder gently. Michael just laughed and leaned in for another kiss. But they couldn’t do that for long. They had class and this room would be filling with students soon. “I’ll see you soon?”

“I’ll come pick you up,” Michael promised, “We’ll drive out to the desert, lay under the stars, see how what happens.”

“Sounds good.”

“I know,” Michael said, giving him one last kiss, “Miss me.”

He quickly fled the room and Alex sighed, fixing his thought process so he’d actually be useful once he got to class.

And he would miss him. That’s all he did.

[amphii-writes]

Haikyuu boys as songs on my spotify playlists P. 5, (Other characters + girls)

Warning, songs contain talk about: violence, sex and drugs.

Yuji Terushima: Pussy Talk by City Girls (feat. Doja Cat)

You know damn well that Terushima-san is a fuckboy, not saying that's immediately horrible i'm just stating facts. He might look like he gets bitches but he's for sure a virgin. He likes any song that gives  him confidence, so when he hears pussy talk he goes all out, i mean this grown ass man dances.

Suguru Daisho: Molly by Mindless Self Indulgence

Was this one self indulgent? Yeah. Daisho-san gives me punk vibes and like,,, awooga. He for sure likes songs that get him pumped up before games and Molly is exactly the song to do that. Even with his breakup from Mika he seems to be insanely persistent and probably is one of those guys who unironically says “I still see her shadows in my room.” which pains me a bit to think about.

Kiyoomi Sakusa: Devil Town by Cavetown

Sakusa-san gives me a “divorced parents” vibe, and as someone who has divorced parents I will defend this on a hill and die for it. The song itself isn’t overwhelming, so I think he likes it because it's almost a calm pain to him. And, with my head cannon that he has divorced parents, it fits even better.

Shinsuke Kita: Saturn Suv by Fredo Disco

Sweet farmer boy needs sweet sonG- wow I haven’t expressed my love for Kita-san ever on this website and that thought physically pains me tbh. He’s so sweet, so that's why I picked this bittersweet bop for him. It’s chill and almost controlling like he is, but not a bad controlling, more of a “guys-please-my-mom-is-home” controlling. 10/10 would recommend this song.

Aran Ojiro: Washing Machine Heart by Mitsuki

You might be wondering why I picked such a song for Mr. Man himself, but hear me out: He likes sad songs. Just like I've mentioned with many other soft boys before, he enjoys listening to sad songs even when he's not sad which I respect because,,, same here dude.

ON that note, I chose the washing machine heart because of how adult it sounded. Not in the sexual sense, but just in the “grown-up heartbreak” sense.

Atsumu Miya: Asshole by Hooligan Chase

This physically pained me to find on my playlist and so I deleted it immediately after finding it. ‘Tsumu-san gives me massive cishet man energy and that isn’t exactly good to think about. He reminds me of a frat boy named Jake who’s favorite thing is to fuck the holes in the wall that he punched. Doesn’t mean I hate Atsumu-san though! Actually, I find him and his brother very relatable and enjoy how they fight because me and my siblings did that kinda thing.

Osamu Miya: Lotta True Crime by Penelope Scott

Anyways, ‘Samu-san here gives me the energy that he binges true crime shows often with the team, ‘Tsumu probably calls Osamu a serial killer and gross and well,,, everything else you can fill in. The song itself is bitter and sarcastic, just like he can be and personally I find it super catchy (well, I enjoy all of Penelope's songs) and sad. The image of Osamu-san listening to true crime podcasts while getting stoned in his later years brings tears of joy to my face.

Rintaro Suna: As The World Caves In by Matt Maltese

A sad song for a boy who for sure has at least some sort of mental illness (I say that as someone who has mental illnesses). I believe that Suna-san has depression due to how burnt out he constantly is. As someone who again loves sad songs, I feel like he would just constantly have one on in his headphones. Give this man some therapy and a break.

Korai Hoshiumi: Verbatim by Mother Mother

Lil man really whipped out the energy when we first met him- he low-key scared me because I saw him and thought that he’d be quiet and sweet but oh boy was I wrong. I was also a little stuck on a song for him so I had to consult the Hoshiumi kinnies and they came up with Verbatim, which is on my playlist. Thank you, Hoshiumi kinnies, thank you. If you are a Hoshiumi kinnie, you are iconic and i appreciate you!

Takanobu Aone: Mr. Loverman by Ricky Montgomery

Wow anyways this song makes my aone kinnie go brr. Like completely brr. Aone-san gives me a soft indie, hot cup of tea, sweaters, knitting, and baking vibes. You may see him as a scary giant but I see him as a very big polar bear who needs a hug! He probably relates to the song because of how everyone views him as the Iron Wall and not a person, just the longing to feel loved and appreciated by someone is the main reason he’d relate so much. I would also bake brownies with Aone-san any day.

Kenji Futakuchi: Hayloft by Mother Mother

Our edgy king here for sure is a bastard. He’s cocky, funny, and sly with his rude comments causing me to think of an intense song for him. Hayloft is also an absolute banger of a song, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he had it be Date Tech’s theme song for the time being. I think that he’d also go to mother mother concerts and just be so confused, like if he went to an american mother mother concert he’d be looking at everyone there and just “woah” you also can’t tell me he wouldn’t want an alt S.O.

Kanji Koganegawa: Pretty Rave Girl by S3RL

Wow, me and Koganegawa-san here seem to have the exact same taste in music! When I hear pretty rave girls I go ape. I mean I shake my hands in front of my face because of the happy simulation! It’s such a cute song and the crunch is sooo perfect. I can see Koganegawa being into hyperpop and hardcore music like sewerslvt and SugarCrash! Like tendou-san and lev-san. He for sure sings the song when he gets up in the morning and blasts it in his car! The cute wholesome love song makes his heart go brr, and mine does too!

Ittetsu Takaeda: Breezeblocks by Alt-J

Man would listen to this and go full English teacher like the nerd he is, but then again I don't blame him because I honestly do too! This song was an old hyper-fixation of mine and so when I think of Takaeda, I think of Breezeblocks. All the literary devices and how the song itself is formed to create the perfect horrifying story of murder and cleaning up the crime scene all while talking about their lover is bone-chilling and I think Takaeda-san understands how messed up the song is but just really enjoys the cover that the love aspect almost is. Like when I first listened to Breezeblocks I thought it was a song about a lover leaving the singer, not the singer killing someone(possibly his lover) and covering it up all while thinking about his S.O. dark but great song, 10/10 childhood would be ruined again.

Keishin Ukai: Scotty Doesn’t Know by Lustra

Ah yes, Ukai here is punk and we all know it; and as someone who sees Ukai and gets many mixed feelings, I say we talk about highschool ukai. He mentioned that he didn’t get good grades when he was younger. Keishin-san reminds me of someone who got high instead of doing schoolwork, which like same but bro c’mon you gotta balance the zoot. Keishin-san also reminds me of a crust punk in the sense of how he acts: he’s super cool and if you're wrong he isn’t afraid to tell you you're wrong. He also gives me the vibes that he’d call out TERF’s on the streets and save girls from being harassed/assaulted. An absolute king if I say so myself.

Saeko Tanaka: Girls In Bikinis by Poppy

Ah yes, a bicon in her full beauty! Saeko for sure would be one hell of a partier and she for sure has had some drunken kisses with cute girls. And, we have to remember she is a tanaka, ryunosuke is literally her brother. Of course, simp runs in their veins, and god, what I would do for her to just give me a thumbs up or any positive affirmation. Oh and she for sure kicks TERF’s in the shins with Ukai-san. Someone get her a monster and a crown because she’s the queen :)

Akiteru Tsukishima: Boys Will Be Bugs by Cavetown

As Akiteru-san here has struggled with self esteem before and not wanting to let people down, I saw BWBB and instantly understood why it stands out to me so much when I think about him. The song itself is about giving into harmful stereotypes because that's how the world and people see you. Boys are often seen as people who aren’t allowed to have feelings due to toxic masculinity and I think that the reason he lied to his brother could’ve been influenced by that.

Kiyoko Shimizu: Sweet Hibiscus Tea by Penelope Scott

Sweet hibiscus tea is one hell of a song for people who don’t feel like enough, and that's exactly how Kiyoko-san feels. I can see her for sure feeling like an outsider to her own life. So many people look up to her and she doesn’t know why, her low self-esteem is something that I've come to understand after watching Haikyuu. Give her some tanaka and she’ll be fine.

Hitoka Yachi: Oblivion by Grimes

Our favorite ball of anxiety for sure is scared about walking home, she has a great reason to be anyways! What’s scarier than being kidnapped? Nothing tbh, shits horrifying (I say as someone who was indeed almost kidnapped). Yachi always thinks that the worst will happen and prepares for it, but then again I can’t blame her.

[championfrita]

Creepiest Locations in Pokémon

So, I don't really do Top 10 lists or stuff like that but I recently recieved Black 2 from a friend and reached one of the creepy game locations (you know what I'm talking about).

Suffice to say, I thought I'd talk a little about the creepiest locations in Pokemon.

Without further ado, let us begin!

Strange House - Unova Region

Yeah yeah, playing Black 2 so OF COURSE I'd put this on the list, right? Well that's not why. I put this on the list because it, for me, is the CREEPIEST location in Pokemon. Having not played White 2 in a while (because I lost it heh heh ^^') I had mostly forgotten it until now. I find Strange House to be the creepiest location in Pokemon not just because of the way it looks. The entire thing is Hellagar creepy. Not only does it have some of the eeriest music ever, but the furniture moves on it's own. AND YOU CAN HEAR IT MOVING. Straight up paranormal crap guys (and I'd know, I have paranormal investigative training and I'm a sensitive). When I first encountered this place I was super tentative about walking around inside. I jumped three feet when the first Pokemon Battle activated, no joke. Not to mention the backstory. A little girl put in an eternal nightmare by Darkrai who never wakes up and dies in her sleep? Yeah, no thanks. *horrified shuddering* Let's move on, shall we?

Old Chateau - Sinnoh Region

Yeah, you guys kinda expected this one huh? I put this on the list because it also has some seriously creepy music. Sure, Strange House is creepy, but mostly on the inside. Old Chateau is creepy ALL AROUND. Even the dilapidated exterior just screams "Yeah btw I have demons locked up in here, that a problem bro?" HELLGAR YES, IT IS! But that isn't even the creepiest part. The Chateau is straight up haunted. Ghosts of residents and even a butler can be found wandering around inside. Encountering them is for the most part a random event, except for the little girl, who you simply encounter by entering rooms on the second floor in order. Still not the creepiest part. In one of said rooms is a painting...who's EYES MOVE WITH YOU SO IT IS ALWAYS WATCHING. Plus in the kitchen possessed tableware flies at you if you stay too long. Even better? Find all the ghosts and a secret door under the stairs opens up to take you to the basement. Lovely. And guess who's down there? The creepy as Shuppet Gengar who's been using that painting I mentioned earlier to stalk you. I was so afraid of this place that I wouldn't enter it for like 2 years after the games came out. One look and I was like "Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Did I say NOPE?!"

Lavender Tower - Kanto Region

This is obviously a classic from my childhood. Lavender Tower was the original creepfest of Pokemon, and while it may not actually be all that scary anymore, going in there without a Silph Scope was terrifying as a kid. Literally everything was a ghost, not just the ACTUAL ghost of Marowak that haunted the place. Even your Pokemon were too scared to fight in this place. Not to mention the crazy as Shuppet Channelers walking around the joint. Yeesh. Get a life guys.

Caves - All Regions

I know, I know. You're all thinking, Seriously?! You're afraid of CAVES?! Well hold on. Have you ever walked one without Flash, back in the old days when the screen was just black? It's not so much the dark that's terrifying. It's the idea of never escaping that cave. Of being lost in there forever because you can't bear to lose those Pokemon you've spent months lovingly raising. Without Flash, your options were: Try and stumble around in the dark hoping to get lucky and find a way out, or restart your game and do things from the beginning because you done messed up my friend. Horrible. Not to mention you had no idea what might be down there.

Kaminko's House - Orre Region

I don't care what you say, when the screen suddenly goes black and white and some deranged lunatic comes flying out of a creepy mansion surrounded by dead trees roving like a madman to challenge you to a battle, it's creepy. It may not be super scary, but still creepy. Especially when you enter the building and discover that it's home to basically a mad scientist. For a while I thought the player character, Michael, was gonna almost get murdered. Super weird stuff in there I tell you.

Scary House - Kalos Region

Not actually that scary. The way this location becomes pretty creepy is by watching the XY anime episode that goes with it. It reveals the house to basically be a house of horrors for Ash and friends. The old man they find there says it's all for the sake of saying hello the Ghost Pokemon Way. Entertaining his guests with a good scare as it were, except that at the end of the episode both he AND THE HOUSE DISAPPEAR. Then they reappear for Team Rocket. A DISAPPEARING HOUSE?! How is that NOT creepy?

Chargestone Cave - Unova Region

It's dark, weird stones float around, and it has creepy music. Yeah, no thanks. That being said, I absolutely LOVE Chargestone Cave. It is one of my favorite locations in Pokemon, but it's still creepy. You can practically FEEL the supercharged air through the game screen, which sets off all your instincts to flee, and you never know when a Pokemon is gonna suddenly attack you. It just has an all around creepy feeling to it.

Pokemon Mansion - Kanto Region

Oh look, and abandoned mansion. Let's go look inside! Creepy music and statues with switches and eyes that light up? Great! Oh boy, a book! Let's read it. Oh it's a journal…with the creation of a superstrong clone of Mew in it…Oh yeah, btw you're just casually walking around in a place where Mewtwo SLAUGHTERED ALL OF IT'S CREATORS. LOVELY! No big deal, just an abandoned house of DEATH. And you better have an Escape Rope with you if you plan to jump off that broken floor, cuz if you don't you'll be stuck there…FOREVER. Place is super creepy. And thanks to the one and only Braxton Burks and his musical reboot called Kanto Symphony, it just got creepier. Woo!

Route 217 - Sinnoh Region

Yup. I'm just gonna paste this snippet from Bulbapedia:

“If the player re-enters the house near the Ice Rock after the Spell Tag is obtained, the woman that gives it has disappeared. When obtaining the Spell Tag, her speech is: "...A person...? ...A rare sight... ...Thank you for visiting... ...A gift..." The nature of the item, in conjunction with Ace Trainer Olivia's comments of hauntings in the area, implies that the woman was a ghost, specifically a Yuki-onna.”

A Yuki-onna is a Japanese ghost woman who froze to death and roams snowcovered mountains waiting to kill people. It's a wonder the player survived. O.O

N's Room - Unova Region

I LOVE N. Love, love, LOVE him, but his room is creepier than a Mega Banette in a dark alley. N obviously has some serious mental issues, and it's this implication of dereanged mental health, combined with equally deranged music, that makes this place so darn creepy. The whole CASTLE is creepy, but this room takes the cake for creepiest room in the whole building.

Abandoned Site - Alola Region

Not exactly THE scariest location, this newest of creep fests lies in the context of it and the idea of being there in person. I know I'd find it super eerie, especially at night and when Accerola mentions she thinks you're crazy because the room you found Mimikyu in doesn't exist. Gave me some chills, let me tell you. Observant players will notice Mimikyu in the background of this scene, shuffling away behind the chainlink fence.

Pokémon School - Alola Region

While normally cheery and upbeat, if the player does a sidequest in UltraSun and UltraMoon this innocent place of learning turns into the stuff of nightmares. A creepy little girl and her Drifloon want you to look into some rumors...and appear only at night. The music makes for utterly terrifying atmosphere that will give you chills, especially if you find your own school creepy at night. While the occurences turn out to be completely harmless or normal things they make for some heartpounding suspense, and the little girl and Drifloon mysteriously disappear after you finish investigating. Creepy. It is strangely satisfying if you time it right like me and end up completing the quest at in game dawn though.

And that's about it. What locations do YOU think are creepy? Let me know in the comments!

[thirteen-beaxhes]

So yah you made my soulmate cry about your not Tyrus Endgame fic so like if you could make an alternate tyrus endgame chapter that would be great and i wont fite you with bacon

hello hello my dude sskskskssk iM SORRY I DIDNT WANNA HURT ANYONE but i actually had panned out an alternate ending for ‘Our Last Words’ but ultimately scrapped it for the original so i pulled out those notes.

SO this is set after Chapter 7 of ‘Our Last Words’. To recap: the chapter ends with them finally confessing and kissing dramatically in the rain, but Cyrus confessed his fear of losing TJ if he is his soulmate, but TJ reassures him it’ll be okay. But he’s still scared. 

LINKS IN REBLOG 

~~~~~~

With or Without You - U2

Cyrus wished, at that moment, that he had never met TJ.

He wasn’t even sure what the argument had started about, but now they were fully yelling in each other’s faces, hurling insult after insult at each other. Cyrus knew he didn’t mean any of what he was saying, but his mind was stuck in a storm and there was no getting out.

“You can be so infuriating sometimes, Cyrus,” TJ yelled, wildly running his fingers through his hair.

“Oh really? How come?” Cyrus hissed, glaring at TJ.

“Are you serious? All past year, I’ve been so patient, and understanding, never asking why you would just up and leave in between dates or hanging out, trying to not let it upset me. But you never said why, you just kept doing it. And it sucked. But what sucked more is you never said a word. You always just left.”

“I’m sorry, okay? It’s just, I,” Cyrus stammered, unable to find the words. How was he supposed to tell TJ about his nervousness about soulmates and the numbers and letters printed on his shoulder, without sounding paranoid?

TJ just turned away from Cyrus, pinching the bridge of his nose, leaning against the kitchen counter in his house. He took a deep breath but kept his head down.

“I’m gonna go,” Cyrus mumbled, grabbing his phone from the table. TJ scoffed.

“Are you serious right now? You’re literally doing the same thing again!”

“I just have to go,” Cyrus started, his tone pleading.

“Why, Cyrus? Why can’t you just tell me?”

“I can’t! Okay? I can’t tell you!” Cyrus yelled, the tears filling up in his eyes, as he moved to the door. He grabbed his coat and left TJ’s house, the cold air of winter hitting him in the face as soon as he walked out. All he heard was TJ’s sigh as he shut the door behind him.

As he walked away from the house, Cyrus let the tears fall. This had been their worst fight yet. They didn’t fight very often, only irrelevant arguments every now and then. But this one seemed different. And despite how much it hurt, Cyrus knew that it was warranted in some sense. He had been so caught up in his fear of TJ being his soulmate that he had not considered how TJ would be feeling with him leaving abruptly almost every time they hung out.

Were they still together? Cyrus asked himself as he made his way to the Spoon. He really hoped they were, and that this was just another obstacle they would get over. But for some reason, he felt unsure. And that just left a weird feeling in his gut. He shook his head slightly as he pushed open the door of the Spoon, just wanting to settle down with some baby taters and a milkshake.

“Oh, Cyrus! Hey,” a voice said from behind him, and Cyrus turned to see Walker sitting in a booth, waving him over. Cyrus rubbed his nose, which was quite red, and smiled back, heading over to him.

“Hey Walker,” Cyrus said, sliding into the seat opposite to him. Walker furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Cyrus in concern.

“Are you okay, bro? You look hassled.”

Cyrus just waved him off, sniffing. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just, cold and stuff.”

Walker didn’t look convinced, but nodded his head anyway, as the waitress set down their food. They spent the next half an hour just talking about nothing in particular, Cyrus starting to feel a bit better about things. He hadn’t really spoken much to Walker before, what with all the drama involving him, Andi, Jonah and Buffy. It was a big mess that Cyrus wanted no part of. But, as he kept talking to him, Cyrus realised that they actually got on pretty well. If things were different, they could have been really good friends.

All the while they were at the Spoon, Cyrus itched to check his phone, desperate to see if TJ had texted him, said anything. At various points, he caved and checked, but the notifications were blank. He tapped his fingers against the table repeatedly, his underlying nervousness growing. Walker wasn’t blind, he picked up on his actions soon enough, and finally, he grabbed Cyrus’ hand, forcing him to stop tapping.

“Are you sure everything is okay, Cyrus?” Walker asked, looking Cyrus in the eye. Cyrus forced himself to look back at Walker, taking a deep breath.

“TJ and I got into a huge fight before this,” Cyrus said with a sigh, looking at the empty baby tater basket before him. “And I don’t know if we will still be okay.”

Walker shook his head. “You don’t need to worry about that. Your friendship is strong enough to last anything.”

Cyrus gave a short, emotionless laugh. “Friendship, maybe. But a relationship is different, I guess.”

Walker looked confused at first, but then realisation flooded his face, as he leaned back in his seat. “Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you guys were-”

“It’s okay,” Cyrus interrupted, holding up his hand. “I know what you meant.”

Walker nodded. “I’m sure you guys will be okay.”

Cyrus sighed, taking the opportunity to check his phone again. Still nothing.

There was an awkward silence between them until Walker snapped his fingers. “Oh! I wanted to tell you. There’s an art exhibition tomorrow, and one of my paintings is gonna be there as one of the featured artist works.”

“Whoa, Walker, that’s amazing. I’m so happy for you,” Cyrus said, smiling as he bumped fists with him.

“Thanks, man. Anyway, I’d love it if you could come by and see it.”

“Really?” Cyrus asked.

“Yeah,” Walker shrugged. “I still haven’t told Andi or anyone, so you’re the first person I’ve told.”

Cyrus smiled, taking the flyer which Walker had passed over to him. “I’ll try my best to make it.”

“Cool,” Walker replied, smiling warmly. “Tomorrow?”

Cyrus bumped fists with him again as he slid out of the booth seat. “Tomorrow.”

*

Cyrus walked home, the temporary happiness from hanging out with Walker wearing out. He appreciated Walker trying to make him feel better, and it had worked for a bit. But after he left, he looked back at his blank phone screen, the worry setting in. Logic dictated that he should call TJ and talk this out. But when had his logical side ever won against the side holding irrational fear?

Cyrus walked back to his room, throwing his coat on his bed. When he did so, he caught a fleeting glimpse at his watch.

6:17 pm.

Cyrus sighed, heading over to the bathroom. He knew there was no real reason for him to check, he hadn’t been around TJ at the time on his shoulder, but old habits die hard. He pulled down the collar of his shirt, his gaze sliding over, but he did a double take and gasped.

Grey.

What? How? Who could it have been? Only people he had spoken to were TJ and…

Oh.

As if he was stuck in slow motion, Cyrus picked up his phone and shakily clicked on Walker’s contact, typing out a ‘hi’. Holding his breath, he pressed ‘Send’.

This message could not be delivered.

Cyrus gasped, dropping his phone onto the bed, covering his mouth in shock. He hastily typed out many more messages, checking if it wasn’t just a fluke.

This message could not be delivered.

This message could not be delivered.

This message could not be delivered.

Cyrus felt tears prick his eyes, but they weren’t of sadness. Of course, he felt a dull pang of pain, knowing he would never get to talk to Walker again. He really had a great time with him that day, but in the end, they just didn’t know each other well enough. He would miss a friend, though.

But…

TJ wasn’t his soulmate.

That realisation hit Cyrus like a ton of bricks. In the best way possible. TJ wasn’t his soulmate. He wouldn’t lose him. He didn’t need to be scared anymore. He didn’t need to be scared.

“TJ,” Cyrus whispered, as he left his coat and bolted out of his room, down the stairs, out of the doors, into the streets as the sky began to grow darker. Under the darkening sky, Cyrus ran. He ran a record distance for him, all the way trying to call TJ, but receiving no answer.

He reached TJ’s house, but he didn’t knock. Instead, he went to the side of the house, and climbed up to TJ’s window, from where he could see the light on, and a figure walking around the room. He had only climbed up to TJ’s window once, and it had almost ended in a trip to the emergency room. But desperate times called for desperate measures. Cyrus made his way up the drain pipe, very nearly falling off at least 5 times. But eventually, he made it up, rapping his knuckles on TJ’s window, catching his breath after the unbelievable amount of exercise he had done.

He saw TJ pace about his room, his eyes visibly red. At Cyrus’ knocking, he turned around abruptly, his jaw dropping to the floor as he walked up to the window to open it.

“Cyrus, what are you,” TJ started but was cut off by Cyrus pulling him in for a kiss, wrapping his arms around his neck, pulling TJ as close as he could. TJ was knocked back in shock, but soon enough wrapped his hands around Cyrus’ waist, melting into his touch. Cyrus pulled away, but grabbed TJ’s face, kissing it all over, whispering, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” over and over.

“Hey hey,” TJ said, moving Cyrus back so he could look him in the eye. “It’s okay, Cy. It’s okay.”

“I’m so sorry for hurting you TJ,” Cyrus mumbled, his face red, a stray tear falling down his cheek. “I was so scared of possibly losing you, that I just forgot everything else. And I didn’t realise how I was hurting your feelings.”

“Cyrus,” TJ whispered, pushing Cyrus’ hair back, trying to hold the tears back himself. “It’s okay. I’m sorry too. I said some awful things too. But I told you, you won’t lose me.”

“I know that now,” Cyrus said, looking at TJ with a bright smile of relief.

It took TJ a minute to understand what Cyrus meant, but soon he realised. And he grabbed Cyrus and hugged him tight, spinning him around his room, kissing his cheek, his forehead, his lips. He had never felt more relief in his life.

“We must be the first losers to be so happy that we aren’t soulmates,” Cyrus laughed, bumping his nose with TJ’s.

“So, are we okay?” TJ asked nervously, looking at Cyrus.

Cyrus just smiled, and pulled TJ in for a kiss, nodding his head.

“Yeah, we are. Of course we are.”

They stayed like that, hugging and kissing, high on a different level of happiness. After a while, TJ turned over to Cyrus.

“I don’t care what the universe says,” he whispered, holding Cyrus’ hand. “But you are the best person for me, Cyrus Goodman.”

Cyrus smiled, kissing the tip of TJ’s nose. “And you’re the best person for me, TJ Kippen.”

~~~~~~~

Hope that was okay lol

Send me prompts cuz im uninspired and I’ll do them in a few days!

[honeybee-babe]

Sharing Is Caring (Except When You’re Sick) Chapter 9 (Sick!Luther and Sick!Klaus)

Chapter 9 of the fic I co-wrote with @hargreevesstyles and can still be read on her page!

BADA BING BADA BOOM

~

The next time Klaus opened his eyes, there was light coming in through his window, and the littlest Hargreeves was hovering over him like some sort of demented guardian angel.

“Jesus, Five!” he pushed himself up on his elbows and crossed his arms over his chest. “I thought you were my sleep paralysis demon, just standing there looking all… dementor-y.”

“You literally see ghosts all the time, get a grip.”

“What time is it?”

“Noon-thirty. Open up.” Five stuck the thermometer that had apparently been in his pocket in Klaus’ mouth.

“99.9,” Five read. “We’re on the decline. That still didn’t stop Five from pulling the hand sanitizer out of his pocket and dousing his hands in it. “How’re you feeling?” Klaus shrugged.

“Just peachy, lil bro.” He ruffled Five’s hair and grinned at him; Five raised both brows at him and said nothing. “Ugh, I dunno, Five, I just fucking woke up. Not as shitty, I guess? Still kinda shivery but mostly I-hih’nxtshu! my throat is still sore and I’m a little…hih’eshieww-n’kt! a little sneezy.”

Five had backed away slightly. “Gesundheit. Are you hungry?” When Klaus nodded, he copied the gesture, looking at him like a doctor who had just ticked something off a list. “Good. I think lunch is almost ready.”

Five poofed away, and Klaus trudged down the staircase. He stopped at the bottom when he heard Diego’s voice.

“Fine. If you insist on helping, can you pass me the… are you gonna-”

“Heh-NGXTchew!”

“Put that down. Now!”

“Hh’GXTchu! Sorry.”

Klaus walked quietly to the kitchen and stood in the doorway, watching Diego and Luther fight over a big salad bowl. Diego won, or maybe Luther let him win. He took it to the sink to wash it.

“Diego, come on, I covered my mouth-”

“I don’t care. I want you out of this kitchen. You’ll just get everyone else sick.”

“I’m not sick even anymore!”

“You just sneezed. Twice.”

“I always sneeze twice, dumbass.”

“Oh, my bad.” Diego sneered. “Do you always do everything in your power to get your family sick, too?”

Klaus could swear he saw Diego tense up as if he was expecting to be hit but couldn’t show his fear.

Luther clenched his jaw. “You’ve been nothing but an absolute shitheel to me this whole time.”

“Oh, you’ll get over it, you’re a big boy.”

“I want you to say you’re sorry.” Luther’s voice was quiet, yet threatening. Diego rolled his eyes.

“Or what, you’ll sneeze on me?” Luther glared daggers down at him. In response, Diego put on a play-sad face, pouting like a child; Klaus bit down on his lip to keep from laughing. “I’m so sowwy, Lulu. I was a big meanie to you.”

Luther finally caved, punching the countertop he was leaning on. The whole thing shook; his strength was definitely coming back. Klaus flinched and nearly gave himself away. Diego did, too, but he played it off pretty well.

“That’s not what I meant, asshole.”

“Oh, I’m the asshole?” Diego shook his head with a little sneer. “I’m not the one who couldn’t keep my monkey flu to myself.”

Klaus could tell that was the final straw for Luther, by the way he clenched his fists at his sides. With a shitty little grin, he crept over to lean on another wall, watching his brothers intently.

Luther raised his fist in the air as if in warning, and Diego’s hand as finding its way towards the dishrack, towards the compartment for knives.

Then there was a flash of blue in between them. The knife in Diego’s hand was thrown into the sink, and Luther’s fist had a scrawny one on top of it.

“Let go, Five,” Luther threatened.

“No. You two need to stop. Put your hand down.” Luther grunted but obliged. “You two are incorrigible – especially you,” he pointed his finger at Diego. “You know Luther’s probably still worn out from being sick, and you still knowingly would fight him?” Diego held a threatening finger against Five’s chest.

“I don’t wanna hear anything from you, not after what you did to me yesterday.”

“Hihh’Ixghtshiew!” Klaus finally let out the sneeze he’d been holding back that whole time. When he looked up from his elbows, three pairs of eyes were on him. “Hi, guys.” He grinned. “Carry on, you two! Five, why don’t you make some popcorn?”

Diego grabbed a tissue box off the counter and chucked it at Klaus. He ordered, “Blow your damn nose. Luther, just go upstairs until you’re completely better, okay? Please?”

Klaus blew his nose heavily. He sighed in satisfaction as he was actually able to clear a little of his congestion. Unfortunately, this was the part of the cold where Klaus’ nose was beginning to become unblocked but this meant it wouldn’t stop leaking. He sat at the counter while Diego worked on lunch, blowing his nose what felt like every other minute, and keeping a tissue pressed underneath his nose in between.

“You don’t sound too good,” Diego noted. Klaus shrugged. “You need more medicine?”

Klaus shook his head. “Nah, I should be able to shake this thing on my own now. Hh-ingxht! Di-hieehhh-Diego hhandmeanothertissuehihh!” Diego was busy tossing the salad and couldn’t get to the tissues in time. ��Heehhetshieh-h’esshuh!!”

“You good, bud?” Diego asked as Klaus kept his hands pressed up to his face. “Need a tissue?”

Klaus nodded. Diego grabbed a couple from the box and handed them to Klaus, who kept one hand firmly over his nose and mouth and slowly used the tissues to mop up the mess.

“These are messy now,” Klaus laughed. He sniffled. “I’m gonna need more tissues. Yeah, I know. No, really I think it’s okay. I haven’t been sneezing that much! Yes compared to yesterday! You weren’t even here half the damn time! Where even were you?”

It still threw Diego off whenever Klaus started talking to Ben in the middle of a conversation. Klaus really did look crazy, especially right now. His bedhead was a mess and his eyes and nose were running heavily. The bags under his eyes were as prominent as ever, indicative of another night of restless sleep. The talking to someone who didn’t seem to be there was just the cherry on top.

“Diego? Diego!”

“Huh? What, Klaus?”

Klaus sniffled, “I asked if you could get me a glass of water.” Diego obliged and Klaus gulped down the water like he hadn’t had it in days.

Then he held out the glass for more. Diego refilled it for him twice.

“You sure you don’t need some of that throat spray?” Diego asked, shutting the water off. He’d left it on the whole time after he first rinsed the salad.

Klaus finally set his glass down and shook his head. “No, I’m good. Besides, that shit doesn’t work anyway.” He rested his head in his arms on the counter, shooting Diego a hopeful look. “Can I help?” He wasn’t feeling as exhausted at the moment. In fact, he was pretty antsy. And bored.

Diego put the newly-rinsed salad down on the counter in front of Klaus. “Did you not hear what I just told Luther?”

Klaus shrugged. “I thought you were just mad at him.”

With an eye-roll, Diego set the salad bowl in front of Klaus. “You can bring this to the table. And then I want you to sit and wait, okay? Besides, I’m pretty much done.”

Klaus did as he was told, and Diego set lunch at the places designated on the table: four caprese sandwiches and bowls for salad were located on the placemats where the other siblings would sit.

Klaus watched as Five, Vanya, and Luther took their seats and started eating their sandwiches. Allison was out, and Eudora had left for work at 7am.

Klaus looked down at his empty placemat and furrowed his brows. “What about me?” he whined. “I’m starving.”

Then the microwave beeped. Klaus hadn’t even known it was on. He frowned when Diego pulled out a steaming hot bowl of reheated soup and place it down in front of him.

“What the hell, Diego? I want a sandwich!” Klaus immediately grabbed at his throat; yelling was not the best thing for him right now.

“No dairy until your throat feels better. Eat your soup,” Five commanded through his final mouthful of sandwich. He’d wolfed down his food in the time it took Vanya to eat a quarter of hers and Luther to pick his food into tiny little pieces, which he was just starting to eat.

“But I’m hungry!” Klaus whined. “I haven’t eaten solid food ihh.. In-xgtsh-ishyuueh! Huhhr’tDEzhiuuh – days!”

“Bless you.” Vanya put a gentle hand on Klaus’ shoulder. “Five is right. And we’ve got to finish this soup off somehow.”

Klaus huffed. “That’s all I’m good for?” he rasped. Nonetheless, he ate his soup. It helped with his throat a bit, and he realized pretty soon that he couldn’t taste anything anyway, which shut him up about it.

The rest of lunch went off without a hitch. The soup helped relieve even more of the congestion, causing his nose to run. Or, maybe Vanya was helping him again, she was smiling at him a lot anyway. Klaus didn’t care, though. He was pleased to blow through three napkins regardless.

Luther was doing much better, he was able to talk without any pain now. Which meant everyone had to sit through his tangents about his “very important” research on moon rocks. Diego looked about ready to explode. And Klaus was ready to fall asleep into his soup bowl.

Or, maybe Klaus was just a lot sleepier than he’d been twenty minutes ago. Nonetheless, he allowed Diego to help him to the couch.

“Thanks, D,” he mumbled into the pillows. “I’m just gonna take a little cat nap, okay?”

[kadtherine]

in this essay, i’ll prove that my brother is actually kid danger-

 for @xanderdewitt

au for broken armed and Dangerous, basically a piper finds out henry is kid danger. kinda. you’ll see.

(not proofread.)

.

Piper likes to think that she’s smarter than people give her credit. Smart enough to know that her brother isn’t as stupid and clueless as he pretends to be. Smart enough to know that her brother isn’t stupid enough to slip on his poop and break his arm while doing so. Piper prides herself in being an observant, perceptive person – she already knows that her observation skills and cunning mind will shape her into one great lawyer, one day. And as she watches Jasper carefully drag Henry’s from her podium, she notices the two boys’ relief as they retreat to a dark corner, away from microphones and prying eyes.

Her gaze snaps to Charlotte, the latter standing next to the two weirdos from that flinging company, and notices the other girl’s irritation as she glares at the two older men. Piper notices the familiarity between the three and the way they seem to cower under Charlotte’s glare before quickly making an hasty exit. Piper notices Henry blowing a large breath, letting his head fall back as he goes to stand next to Charlotte. She notices Charlotte’s widening her eyes at him, her arms crossed around the chest. Her entire posture screams I told you so and she doesn’t have to speak up for the message to come across. Jasper waggles his eyebrows at her while Henry lets out a sigh and nods, massaging his shoulder with a small grimace. Piper can’t find herself able to tear her eyes from her brother.

Her eyes feel dry and she feels panic build up in her chest, because the longer she stares, the more it becomes real. Pieces of puzzle fit in her mind and though she likes to think that she’s smarter than people give her credit for, she can’t help but kick herself for her own stupidity and obliviousness. Even though Piper prides herself for being observant, she can’t help but feel angry at missing the obvious reality. She feels a burst of anger, her fists clenching on their own accords. She blinks, looking up so the tears building up in her eyes don’t roll down her cheeks. Piper clears her throat and plasters a smile on her face, laughing and signing along the few remaining children in the halls.

Piper keeps quiet and makes sure not cross path with Henry or either of her brother’s friends. She keeps quiet in the backseat of Jasper’s car, shoving earbuds in so she doesn’t have to contribute to any conversation. For a second, Piper thinks about lowering the volume, just to see if they’d talk about it. She doesn’t. Instead, she leans back and kicks the back of Henry’s seat, stopping when he moves forward with an irritated sigh only to sink back in with a poorly concealed wince. She keeps quiet and pretends not to see the looks Charlotte and Jasper send her, barely waiting for the car in front of their house before she unbuckles herself.

Piper keeps quiet when she’s left alone with Henry. Unsurprisingly, their parents aren’t here and the note stuck on the kitchen counter informs them that they won’t be back until later, leaving Henry in charge. For once, he doesn’t protest about him having to work and Piper thinks that it’s got as much to do with his broken arm than the dark circles under his eyes. It’s a Friday, so he doesn’t bother her with homework and instead asks if she’s okay with pizza for dinner.  Piper responds with a simple thumbs-up, not looking up from her phone as she falls in the couch.

Piper keeps quiet until pizzas have been consumed and both of them are on slouching on the couch, playing Super Mario Bros. She doesn’t get as much pleasure in watching Henry struggle with his own controller as she thought she would. She barely have to try to win and for some reason, it makes her so angry. Clenching her jaw, she focuses her attention on Henry instead of the screen.

  “Hey Hen,” Piper starts, her tone nonchalant. He hums, shooting her a look from the corner of his eyes, “how did you really break your arm?”

 Henry gives a light scoff, rolling his shoulder at the mere mention. “I already told you, I told the entire school. Don’t really want to relive the humiliation if that’s alright with you.”

 “Do you expect me to actually believe that excuse?” Piper retorts, cocking an eyebrow at him.

 “What do you want me to say, Piper?” Henry sighs, sinking deeper into the couch. She notices that his eyes stay focused on the screen, his hand clenched around the controller. “That I’m actually Kid Danger? Come on, we’ve been through this already.”

 She pauses the game, ignoring Henry’s aggravated groan. “Why would you go through the effort of hiding your broken arm with a sweater that clearly isn’t yours. Also, where did you get your fake arm?”

 “I don’t know, Walmart?” Henry says, throwing his controller on the coffee table, “why does it matter?”

 It matters because Piper doesn’t like to be taken for an idiot. It matters because her brother has been lying to her for years, using lame excuses after lame excuses, and she had fallen for it every time. It matter because Piper’s pretty much convinced that Charlotte and Jasper know about it. Charlotte, she can’t understand but Jasper? Jasper can’t keep a secret to save his life and would cave at the lightest pressure. It matters because she can perfectly imagine them laughing at her whenever she’d believe them. It matters because, despite everything, Henry is one of the few people that she trusts and relies on.

Piper doesn’t say anything and stares at Henry, the latter obviously avoiding her gaze as he lightly drums his fingers against his cast. She lets out an unamused snort.

  “You have a tell, y’know?” That seems to get his attention. Piper nods when he turns to look at her, his brow furrowed. “You always wave your hands when you lie, like you’re trying to distract us into buying your lousy excuses,” she says, giving jazz hands, “You’ve also got this little wrinkle between your eyes and scrunch up your nose. Y’know, as if you didn’t believe your own lies.”

 This time, Henry is the one staring, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he grits his teeth together. Piper doesn’t feel any satisfaction at his lack of protesting. Then again, she hadn’t felt much since this morning. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she crosses her legs and shrugs.

 “You don’t have to tell me. I get why you never told me in the first place, I mean,” she breathes out a self-deprecating chuckle, shaking her head. “I’m not the most trust-worthy person, that’s a fact. And I didn’t give you much reasons to trust me, but,” Piper shrugs again, trying to ignore the prickling behind her eyes, “I always thought that the person who’d give me the benefit of the doubt would be my own brother.”

 Piper sniffs and god, can she be more pathetic? Pinching the bridge of her nose, she bends her head, shaking her hair until it covers her face. She rubs her face on her shoulder, her fingers twisting with the pendant of her anklet. She doesn’t look up when Henry clears his throat, the sudden movement to her right startles Piper enough for her to glance from the corner of her eyes. Henry pushes himself up with his good arm, cradling his right one to his chest as he sits up. She looks away when he knocks his knee into hers.

 “Let’s talk hypotheticals,” he says and Piper bites the inside of her cheek to swallow the sarcastic ‘woah, big word for you to use!’ “What if I, hypothetically, was Kid Danger?”

 Piper can’t help but snort at that. “Hypothetically.”

 “Want to add airquotes while you’re at it?” Henry retorts, his tone dry. She looks up and sees the amused smile tugging at his lips. Piper shrugs, leaning back into the couch, and he takes it as his  cue to keep talking. “I would’ve taken an oath, right? Y’know, sort of a contract that didn’t allow me to reveal my identity to anyone, not even my sister.”

 For some reason, Piper plays along and asks, “In that hypothetical scenario, do you break that contract and tell both of your best friends you’re Kid Danger?”

 “In that hypothetical scenario, one of my best friends finds out on her own, while the other,” he grimaces, cocking his head to the side, “finds out on accident. Anyway,” Henry racks a hand through his hair, crossing a leg over the other, “it’s fun, right? Being Captain Man’s sidekick, there are worse after-school jobs. You get to have those cool superpowers, a suit and fans and-”

  Piper frowns when he pauses, a faraway look in his eyes, his brow furrowed in thought. Piper gives a light cough and Henry startles, blinking at her before he clears his throat again and plasters a smile on his face.

  “You also get to fight these villains, some more ridiculous than others. Dangerous, nonetheless,” he emphasizes that particular point with an arched eyebrow and pointed look, “that sometimes, somehow manages to get through to you. To those people who you care about, like random example, Dr Maniac breaking into your house because your sister happens to be the President of the Man-Fans.”

 Piper returns the look. “Are we still talking hypothetically?”

 “Duh,” Henry rolls his eyes, “what I’m trying to say is that if I was Kid Danger and I was hiding my identity from you, I didn’t do it because I don’t trust you. I did it to protect you.”

 I don’t need protection, Piper thinks, slightly irritated,  and she’s about to voice her thought only to find herself speechless when met with Henry’s gaze. His eyes are wide and earnest and Piper’s mad at herself for not being able to be mad anymore. She doesn’t think Henry knows the effect this simple look has. Or maybe he does, and is desperate for her to trust her. Piper finds herself comparing Henry and Kid Danger for the umpteenth time that day, and she understands why people would trust him. Why Swellview would rely on him to the save the day and look after the city, no matter what. After all, Piper had relied on Henry long before he had become Kid Danger. She has no reason to stop now.

 “That makes sense,” Piper mutters to herself, “y’know, hypothetically speaking. I’d understand why you wouldn’t say anything.”

 “Yeah,” Henry chuckles, “hypothetically speaking.”

 They keep quiet for a moment - and for the first time since the entire ordeal, the silence is peaceful. Henry’s smile doesn’t seem fake and his tense shoulders are relaxed, as if a weight had been lifted off them. The moment stretches and though Piper will admit that she loves her brother – on special occasions and in a private, secured environment – they’re slowly sliding into a hug, mushy territory. Maybe they’re already there. But Piper has a reputation to protect.

 “What doesn’t make sense, though,” Piper says, grabbing the controller from her lab and unpausing the game, “is you losing so bad. Like, it’s pathetic. I almost feel sorry for you, bro.”

 Henry scoffs and leans forward, trying to catch up with her. “I’ve got a broken arm, dude!”

 Piper rolls her eyes and mimics in a mocking voice, “I’ve got a broken arm, dude. Urgh, laaaame.”

 Henry, being the eldest child, responds in a very mature manner and tries to kick the controller out of her hands. They spent the next half-hour playing, the silence filled with Piper maniacal laughter and Henry’s aggravated groans. Piper notices Henry dozing off of times during their fourth round before his head jerks back up, wide eyes opened. She also notices the way he winces and rubs his arm each time. So, being the good sister that she is, Piper fakes a yawn and stretches her arms over her head, announcing that she’s going to turn in for the night. Henry gives her a dismissive wave, stretching on the couch when she gets up to load the dishwasher and put the pizza boxes away.

Henry has his eyes closed when she walks back into the living room to turn off the tv. Piper knows he’s not sleeping, but that doesn’t stop her from draping a colt over him. He hums and uses his good arm to pillow his head. Piper rolls her eyes and grabs the armchair’s pillow, throwing over his face. She smirks when he groans, skipping to the stairs.

 Piper stops on the staircase landing, turning around to see Henry scrolling through his phone. “Hey Hen,” she calls. Henry hums and hisses himself up with his elbow. “Thanks.”

 He frowns and cocks his head to the side, “For what? Losing badly at Super Mario Bros?”

 She huffs out a small laugh at that and shakes her head. Thanks for looking after the city. For looking after me. For trusting me. “You know why,” Piper says.

 Before disappearing out of sight, Piper catches notice the small, giddy smile at the corner of his mouth and reminds herself to be especially annoying in the morning.

[xanthicantag]

alright bro im gonna do all the ask so. U Know You're Doin Em Too

Hot read more since there’s so maaaaaany

1. if you were to have Hanahaki disease, what flowers would you cough up?

I feel like this is entirely based on who i’m feeling the one sided love for? (I googled  Hanahaki disease and i’m all about that shit no doubt there)  But like, maybe daffodils? 

2. if someone were to catch Hanahaki disease for you, what flowers would they cough up?

Uh Roses motherfucker, you’re welcome

3. if you were any historic trope, what would you be? (i.e., the knight, the town baker, the witch of the forest, etd.)

Ok so like on the one hand I love lances, so fucking much, so I’m like big into Knights for that and like protecting people (and/or a beautiful prince cause like, you know), but I also really love the idea of just being like, a traveling fighter of some kind, leading a troupe of loveable idiots or being in a troupe as a loveable idiot.  I want to be Iron Bull is what I’m trying to say I guess????? or like, Krem? who knows

4. tell us about your ideal battle outfit.

Ok so I’m torn again.  Cause protection and ease of movement are super important, so like a breastplate and some kind of back protection, maybe a shield?  or maybe a sick gauntlet arm like Ike from Fire Emblem cause he knows what’s up, and then some minor leg armor to keep the front of my thighs and calves safe and like a shield since those fuck am I right??  On the other hand: If you look like a Thot, the enemy is distracted and an easy target.  I’m talking chainmail crop top, plate armor booty shorts, stupid looking heel shoes(?) for maximum thot energy, and of course a whip, either that i use or just have for the thot energy.

5. what would you be a god/goddess of and what would people sacrifice to you?

I think like, a minor deity that helps people make small to mediumish choices (i.e. talk the left or right path, call or don’t call this person), and then like, a cute little charm that people just kinda crush or burn before asking about the choice feels good, feels organic.

6. name five iconic quotes that make you feel things.

Now, I don’t know a lot of quote to be honest, but here’s some paraphrased stuff:

“Now that larping exists dnd is like, not the least cool thing to do”- Travis McElroy

“Yeah I have a pickle allergy, what about it *Pickle eating sounds*” -Me, often

“I fucked your dad” -Me during a quiplash game?  And often yeah I’ll admit this

I don’t remember what’s said, but the scene in the Count of Monte Cristo where he just shows off all his sick skills to be like “Yeah I’ll murder the fuck out of your homeboy if he tries to step up to me”.

“All Magicians are inherently inclined to kill” -That unraveled about Megaman robots who get sentience

7. scythe, battle axe, broad sword, spear or trident?

Ok so like, Scythe for formal occasions/when I want to just look good cause I think their a sexy as hell weapon, at me if you want to be I know I’m right.  Battle Axes are cool and like, really useful during a siege since you can easily bust stuff down with it and it lets you cut spears in half so you look dope as hell, like, Hector of Ostia if you’re out there, yes you’re correct.   Broad Swords are like, just in general really good, you can use it in a duel, a battle, a coronation, magic rituals if you’re really feeling fancy, the list is just endless, a real classic all purpose weapon.  Spears are for fucking losers, fuck you if you use a spear sword fight me like a fucking real fighter or get out of here none of this reach bullshit.  Tridents are like spears but just, inherently sexier?  You know?  Like 1 point is stupid and boring, but 3?  that’s some good shit.  But really fuck all these weapons whips are lances are where it’s at yes feel free to at me again.

8. what combination of natural scents would you use as perfume?

Now this i have like, actually no idea for, but like, just tons of flowers.  I just take like a fistful of flowers and rub them on my face.  

9. ancient scrolls or leather-bound books?

Oh you know I’m about that leather-bound book life!  Fuck A scroll, that is just a piece of paper that is going to tear and be illegible in like 5 years.  A nice bound book though?  *Chefs kiss*

10. describe yourself as if you were a storm.

A summer rain.  It comes in quickly and is gone by the turn of the hour.  A brief respite during the dry season, and gone before it can become a disaster. 

11. what type of flower (other than a rose) would you offer someone you were trying to court?

First of all op, get the fuck off my back Roses or nothing.  Secondly a big sunflower.

12. honey in milk or cinnamon in tea?

Um, neither??????????????????

13. cabin in the woods, apartment in the city or mansion in the suburbs?

Honestly an apartment in the city would be nice but like, living in the woods is the prime chance to be a local mystery.

14. curtains of beads or lace?

Probably lace?  Do beads block light?

15. vocal or instrumental music?

I am a big fan of instrumental

16. describe your ideal fantasy outfit

Step one, big cape, it doesn’t touch the ground while on my shoulders but goes about mid calf.  Step two, leather armor, it’s light and easy to move in, and provides good protection.  Step three, Mask, nothing like flashy, just a plain black mask, preferably a full mask if i’ve got some magic to see with not my eyes, other wise like a typical masquerade mask

17. of all the fantasy races to ever exist, which one would you be?

Fuck.  This is so hard.  I want to be, so many.  No you know what, fuck it.  I wanna be a Dragonborn Tiefling hybrid, I’m talking cool horns, I’m talking sweet tail, you already know I can spit literal fire out of my face.  Fucking try and get at me I dare you.

18. hard candy, fruit preserves or spice cake?

I love hard candy to just suck on, but my teeth do not.

19. show us an a picture of your ideal crown.

if you don’t think this crown fucks, get out of my face

20. tying your hair up using ribbon, yay or nay?

I’ve had my hair long enough for that like once, and I don’t really like tying my hair up tbh

21. an evening in the forest with elves, a night in the caves with vampires or a morning in the garden with fae?

Um.  Bold of you to say I’m not hitting up all these parties???  Like def vampires first since the elven party is advertised to go for like 5 hours, but we all know it goes on for like 4 months and I can’t party that long as a mortal you know.  And like you hit the fae up last since you literally are gonna be stuck there the rest of your life after one (1) round of truth or dare

22. tell us, in detail, about a curse a witch would put on you.

Like, in all honesty the biggest thing a witch could do to me via curse would just be to make my right arm like full unusable.  Not gone or broken.  Just like, it’s slow, I can’t always get it to fully hold onto something so it drops everything, there’s always a small feeling of discomfort, not pain just a minor annoyance, in the knuckles of the hand.

23. talking with sylphs or singing with nymphs?

I get kicked out of the nymph singing area after four seconds of

24. mint, rosemary, basil or sage?

I fucking go wild for the smell of basil don’t even try me

25. favorite childhood story? (doesn’t have to be a fairy tale)

I remembered Inkheart recently and like, I honestly really liked that book

26. tell us about an experience you’ve had that seemed unreal or supernatural. (doesn’t have to be scary)

Sophomore year of college, I realized that all the people around me were people I actually enjoyed spending time with, and it just felt so weird to be there after all the just nonsense that had happened up till then

27. would you rather have poison or healing ointment in your traveling pack?

healing duh?  You think I’d ever remember i have the poison one? nope not me!

28. tell us three sayings that you live by.

Try and be a little nicer, unless they really don’t deserve it.  Walk away sometimes.  Eat food and don’t think about it.

29. vials or mason jars?

Oh get me those vials baby!

30. describe your ideal masquerade ball outfit (mask included).

OH HELL YES.  Get me that suit, it’s a sweet dark red with rose colored vest underneath, the jacket and pants have flower vines on them that 100% connect to a big ass rose on the back of the jacket.  The mask is more or less this guy:

31. splashing around in a river with mermaids or flying through the sky with harpies?

I can literally swim any day so let’s fly

32. what would you end up in the dungeon for?

Ok i didn’t understand this one at first so I’m keeping my initial reply below and the real one is: You know I beat some like high ranking knight or minor noble in a duel to humiliate them and no i didn’t think it through so here i am lol.

3 things: A talking magic weapon (Probably a sword but i’m down for other options).  A certain someone is going in and I’m not letting him go in without someone to keep him safe.  There’s dragon eggs that work like the Eragon dragon eggs and I am already waist deep in dead enemies getting one of those babies.

33. if you were a fairy, what color would your wings be?

Take a wild fucking guess

34. if you could have any magical item, what would it be?

God this is so hard, but I think a magic flower that when you pluck one if its petals you can undo a recent event, up to like ten minutes or so.

35. what song would the bards sing about you when you passed by?

I’ll say the Death of Me by Meg Myers

36. would you rather be a pirate or a king/queen?

God that’s hard,  Like yeah pirates are cool but i’d love to be royalty and just get to do good shit for the people and also not have scurvy.

37. would you spend more time in the field of flowers, the tavern, the docks or the marketplace?

Hmmm, I think the Tavern as like the number 1, and then a tie for docks and field, and the marketplace in last since i hate crowded areas i need to buy things in

38. would you have a painting of yourself?

Only if I ever ride a dragon and then have a painting to immortalize the moment, and only if the dragon helps me paint it

39. what skill are you famous for?

I mean, people know I sword fight, fight fight, and program, so like, those?  and I guess my sick dnd skills

40. if you could live any fairy tale, which one would you?

Fuck if I can think of one!

41. stained glass windows or fairy lights?

Ok Stained glass windows literally slap so like, you already know

[jbuffyangel]

Fight Back: Arrow 7x01 Review (Inmate 4587)

WOW.  Arrow’s Season 7 premiere came out swinging! This took me way longer to write than my typical season premiere because there is so much to unpack. “Inmate 4587” is in my top 3 of Arrow premieres. Not too shabby for seven seasons in. Way to bring your A game, Arrow.

Let’s dig in…

Olicity

And we’re running! 

Arrow opens with a green hooded figure racing through the forest like we’ve seen in so many seasons prior.  However, it’s not Oliver who is running. It’s William. He’s wearing his father’s green hoodie; the one Oliver wore when he was happily jogging through suburban paradise during his blissful life with Felicity.

 This subtle call back to Ivy Town reminds us of heaven as we enter Oliver’s hell.

William stumbles and we immediately know something is off. He’s running through the forests of Lian Yu – a very intact Lian Yu. If William was truly on the island things should be looking a bit more charred. It’s clear this is a nightmare.

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

There’s something full circle about William wearing the green hoodie. Arrow began as a story about father and son. William’s introduction maintains that familial relationship, but now Oliver is the father. His mission began from Robert Queen’s guilt and now Oliver is transferring his own guilt onto his son, albeit in his mind. William is cloaked in a piece of Oliver and trapped in his father’s purgatory. Felicity and William may not truly be on Lian Yu, but they are stuck in their own version of purgatory. They are stuck there because of Oliver’s actions.  

Felicity is running close behind William. Diaz is hunting them. 

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Felicity screams Oliver’s name helplessly and Diaz moves menacingly towards them. Felicity tells William to run before Diaz shoots her in the chest.

Source:  andjustforthismoment

She collapses to the ground and gasps a final breath. Lian Yu is where everyone Oliver loves dies. The island always finds him. Diaz killed Felicity, but it’s Oliver’s fault.

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Then, Oliver wakes. This is a new reoccurring nightmare. Nightmares are one of the many ways PTSD manifests in Oliver. 

We’ve seen many times before when he’s experiencing a lack of control, facing death or an impossible obstacle, or grappling with his guilt. Oliver is dealing with all of the above in Slabside prison.

We quickly see what life is like on this island. 

Source: candicesalvatore

Nightmare, workout, shower, food, stare at the picture of his family, mark the day, sleep and repeat. Repetition can be its own kind of hell. Every day is the same until you start needing that repetition. Until you become “institutionalized” as Red put it in Shawshank Redemption. 

Source: @seeing-red-arrow​

Oliver places the photo of Felicity and William on top of his copy of “Count of Monte Cristo” because they are his way out. Physically he may be trapped, but there’s more than one way to find freedom.

Oliver’s coping mechanism is to keep his head down while avoiding any human contact of any kind. It’s kind of working until he runs into Stan. 

Source:  smoakmonster

Good old Stan who stans Oliver Queen. Same buddy (I see you Arrow writers.) Oliver has a fanboy of his very own now. This is very inconvenient to Oliver because he’s not interested in protecting Stan from the vile criminals in Slabside. Oliver isn’t interested in doing anything other than survive. He is a country unto himself. Survival makes Oliver an isolationist.

Brick (Season 3), Turner (Bronze Tiger, Season 5) and Sampson (Amell’s pro wrestler buddy, Season 5) attack Oliver. The fight scenes are BRUTAL. Arrow has reclaimed the dark, savage, gritty, rapid and realistic tone to their fight scenes again. We are also back to Oliver Queen taking on ten guys by himself. Season 1 was highly problematic, but this is one element I am glad the show has returned to.

Oliver plants a shank on Turner and he’s thrown into the hole. I don’t actually know if that’s where he went. I just really wanted to say “thrown into the hole.” My expertise on prison lingo comes from Shawshank Redemption, Netflix documentaries and a lot of Dateline. I also know how to run heroin in and out of New York City thanks to Power.

The fight puts Oliver on Brick’s and the guards’ radar more than he already is. So much for low profile. 

Diggle comes for a visit just in time to give Oliver a little pep talk. Oliver looks completely defeated walking towards the phone. It’s a humbling and humiliating experience to be shackled, told where to sit, who to talk to and for how long. These men are a long way from their homey Arrow cave and a bottle of vodka.

Oliver’s voice breaks just a little when asks about William and Felicity. It hurts to even say their names. 

Thankfully, the nightmare hasn’t come true… yet. They are safe and Diggle has upped their surveillance to 24 hours after his last visit with Oliver. The 24 hour surveillance was probably Oliver’s request after suffering through the 90th rerun of his nightmare. Oliver is desperately trying to think of every angle and tactic to keep his family safe. He’s trying to maintain control even though he has none.

When John remarks on Oliver’s appearance (seriously he looks like crap and it’s not just because of the dead animal on his face), Oliver responds, “I’ve looked worse.”

Pain is relative to Oliver Queen. Slabside is nothing to Lian Yu… yet. He’s not stopping birds from picking at his father’s body. Oliver hasn’t been tortured for hours with a sword. 

There’s no arrow through his shoulder. 

He hasn’t chosen who lives and who dies.

Oliver’s life is a series of bad to worse moments. It’s why Felicity and William are so precious to him. 

They are his lone happy story among all the misery.

Oliver compares and contrasts Slabslide with all his bad days, orders it accordingly, and determines he’s had much worse days – much much worse. His family is safe, which is all that matters. That is hope for Oliver, which was sadly lacking on Lian Yu. Bruises and cuts heal - the pain doesn’t come close to the pain Oliver truly fears the most.

Diggle supports the “Keep your head down” plan, but he worries about the emotional toll it’s going to take. Oliver has made himself quiet, submissive and small, but he’s not any of those things. He has to suppress who he is to survive. How long can Oliver ignore who he is before he loses himself all together? Oliver Queen has always done what he’s had to do to survive, but what does survival truly look like inside of Slabside?

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Oliver returns from his visit with Diggle to find Brick and Sampson in his cell. Brick creepily caresses Felicity’s photo and Oliver is ready to kill him right there. DO NOT TOUCH THE WIFE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.  

Brick gives the standard join-us-or-we’ll- kill-your-family villain pitch. When this doesn’t motivate Oliver they attack Stan.  Unfortunately, Oliver refuses to protect Stan and walks away as Brick and Sampson beat the crap out of him.

Source:  saebrfan

THIS was the moment Stephen Amell was convinced fans’ would be furious with Oliver over. Eh. Not so much. Do what you gotta do home skillet. 

Listen, I thought Oliver was going to kill Stan. 

This was waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than my worst case scenario. It’s also wildly apparent my dark is a lot darker than Arrow and I’m considering a therapist.  

The guards drag Stan back to his cell (awww he’s neighbors with Oliver) after he’s stitched up and he looks like Frankenstein’s bride. Oliver explains all the reasons he couldn’t get involved. They are all understandable reasons, but very “me” focused reasons which isn’t very Oliver Queen. We can argue Oliver doesn’t know Stan, owes him nothing, and the priority is getting back to his family.  This is all true.

However, Oliver didn’t know 98% of the people he saved as the Green Arrow. He wasn’t a hero because he wanted a reward or thanks. Oliver was a hero because it was the right thing to do. He sacrifices himself for the greater good. Oliver Queen is selfless. It’s what makes him a hero.

Unfortunately, Stan the fanboy is presented with a disappointing version of the Green Arrow. He explains how he’s wrongfully accused. (Oooh! Dateline on Arrow? I’m so down.) There’s no justice in Slabside or Star City. Stan was hopeful he’d see the Green Arrow fight for justice, but all he sees is a coward.

Jeez Stan. Snap a man’s balls off why don’t ya?  You’re alive bro - be glad the writers didn’t go with our other theory.

After Stan calls Oliver a coward the lights switch off.  Okay we get it, show. No need to beat us over the head with the symbolism. Oliver is suppressing who he truly is, which means he’s suppressing his light. A man can only live in darkness for so long before he’s consumed by it.

Gee I wonder who can harness his light again.

It’s tricky to separate your main couple for long periods of time on a television show.  The central love story can be easily lost if you don’t keep the characters connected even when they are physically or emotionally separated. Arrow is always at its best when Felicity and Oliver are united as a team. The show flounders when this couple is separated for long periods of time or not allowed to emotionally connect.

“Inmate 4587” plays it smart. Oliver and Felicity may be separated by walls, but they’ve never been more connected. They are both on an island. Felicity is struggling to adjust to her new environment as well. Her name is Erin. She’s living in Hope Springs and is the cutest pink haired barista to ever live.

Source:  whenikisssedyou

The nice guy customer hitting on Felicity and asking her on a date is to remind us how disconnected Felicity is to this life. She looks like a happy, single woman on the surface, but deep down she is lonely, missing her husband and everything that matters to her. 

Source:  andjustforthismoment

Unfortunately, Felicity can’t say she’s married. She can’t wear her wedding ring and talk about how much she misses her husband. Felicity can’t explain why she knows computers so well. She can’t even say her real name. She’s tried to make herself small, quiet and forgettable, but Felicity is not any of those things.

However, when Felicity suppresses her light it only fights to burn brighter. Felicity is the same person serving coffee as she is hacking A.R.G.U.S. satellites. Felicity approaches her life in Hope Springs with the same humor she brings to everything.

Source: whenikisssedyou

The young man asks her out because she is beautiful, smart, warm and funny. People can see Felicity’s goodness no matter how hard she tries to hide it. Also, she’s serving coffee and not living in prison so it is little easier to be a slightly more cheerful.

I love Felicity’s reaction to being asked out. “Still got it!” Something happens when you get married, start raising children, and picking up snot rags. You stop thinking of yourself as desirable.  Felicity has spent so much time making sure she’s hidden she’s forgotten what it feels like to be seen. It’s a warm and friendly reminder to Felicity that she’s anything but invisible.

Source:  whenikisssedyou

Felicity returns home to a dark apartment and William is there to greet her. Felicity holds the key chain Oliver gave her in one hand and her son in the other.

It’s a tangible connection to everything she’s lost and everything she still has. Felicity is desperately trying to hold on to the pieces of her life, but it’s not the same. She’s not the same and Felicity knows it in her bones. Felicity is doing what she needs to do to survive, but what does survival truly look like on this island?

Both Oliver and Felicity are struggling with the same questions.  Each is living in a repetitious purgatory. They sleep restlessly in an empty bed, aching for each other.

They wake to the same photo. A reminder of what was lost and what they still have.

They both step into the shower. They shake off the nightmares and loneliness, wash away yesterday, and fortify their will to face another day.

There’s a sense of foreboding. Someone is coming.

They fight for survival.

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

As vicious as Oliver’s shower fight is, it is Felicity’s fight with Diaz that stresses me out. 

Source:  smoaktechs

My worst fear is being alone in my home, with my child, and unable to defend us. It hit a little too close to home watching one of my beloved fictional characters go through it. I was terrified for Felicity and it is one of the few times Diaz felt menacing.

Source:  smoaktechs

But nobody fucks with her cub. Felicity goes full Mama Bear on Diaz and it is spectacular. 

Source:  feilcityqueen

She takes advantage of Diaz’s need to monologue (Of course he monologues. All arrogant pricks monologue) and gets William out. Felicity didn’t hesitate to put her body between William and danger. That’s love. That’s being a mother.  It makes me emotional even thinking of it now and Imma need a tissue. Just a second.

Okay I’m good. Just when we thought there was nothing better than Oliver fighting naked in a shower they give us Felicity kicking Diaz's ass. Can we take a moment to appreciate how little Felicity Smoak, all of 5’ 5” and less than 100 pounds, beat the crap out of the big bad, super ninja Dragon with a coffee pot and a poker? AMAAAAAAAZING. 

Sure, he flips her into a table like a rag doll, but that’s like being impressed if Goliath beat David. Diaz doesn’t get points for putting a woman HALF HIS SIZE through a table.

BY THE WAY WHERE’S THE 24 HOUR SURVEILLANCE DIGGLE?

Felicity’s fight ends with the impending doom of a bullet and Oliver’s fight ends with one of the prisoners confirming Felicity is dead.

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Oliver: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Me: Pfft. Not in this life. *eats a cookie*

Oliver paces in his cell like a caged animal.. The guards refuse to allow him a phone call or to call themselves. This is when the walls close in. This is when we understand how uncontrolled and helpless Oliver feels. He has all the skills and strength to stop Diaz, but instead it sits bottled up and useless. Oliver defines himself by his ability to protect those he loves. It’s how Oliver loves. Now it’s taken from him. He can do absolutely nothing. He is powerless.

Oliver is back on Lian Yu again. The birds are picking at his father’s bones. The arrow is in his shoulder. He’s being tortured by Billy Wintergreen. Yao Fei is dead. Shado is shot in front of him. Sara is swept away. This is all of Oliver’s bad days rolled into one and times a million. The reason why Oliver can order his pain so nonchalantly is because he already knows what his worst pain is.

This. This is his worst nightmare, only he isn’t dreaming. Oliver isn’t in purgatory anymore. This is hell and it will never end.

Oliver waits for Diggle to walk in and confirm his family is dead. Instead of Diggle walking through the doors, it’s Felicity 

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

– just like she has time and time again.

It is like watching Oliver be reborn. He was dead inside. All hope vanished from his eyes. The will to live was gone. Then that beautiful, but battered vision of pink and flannel flies through the door and Oliver remembers how to breathe again. He comes back to life.

If there is ever a time Oliver wants to punch through that glass this is it. I think he shows an incredible amount of self restraint. 

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

If it were up to me Oliver, I would have bust out of there Faith style.

Oliver whispers, “You’re okay”  just like he’s done so many times before, in his soft and gentle voice reserved just for her. Oliver says it to reassure himself almost as much to reassure Felicity. He needs to hear she’s okay; to know it’s true.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Of course, Felicity is horrified by Oliver’s appearance, but the cuts and bruises have all but disappeared in his mind.  All that matters is his family is safe.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

This is what I love about married Olicity – we aren’t beating around the bush anymore. 

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Remember when we had to wait a whole season for these types of goodies? 

Oliver and Felicity know better now. Life is short. Everything they hold dear can be gone in an instant. They don’t want to waste time.  They need to say what matters, so the other knows. So it gives them something to hold onto.

Oliver apologizes for not being there to protect Felicity. He can’t even look her in the eye he’s so ashamed. It’s heart breaking watching Oliver blame himself for things out of his control. Felicity rightly points out that there’s no way Oliver could have been there because he’s in prison. But guilt is how Oliver maintains his sense of control when the world spins madly on.

Oliver went to prison to keep Felicity and William safe, but Diaz was supposed to be off the board. He is powerless to stop everything he tried to keep his family safe from. There’s anger in Felicity’s voice when she says “I know.” There’s a thousand arguments wrapped up in that “I know.” There are a million reasons Oliver’s plan was stupid in that “I know.” There’s a billion ways Oliver stole Felicity’s agency in that “I know.”  Felicity won’t read Oliver the riot act while he’s fighting for his life in prison, but that “I know” means its coming, big boy.

Oliver immediately starts telling Felicity what to do again. He wants her to get new identities and go back into witness protection.  This is how it works between them. Oliver does as he wants and Felicity reacts.

In fact, Felicity’s character is often a series of reaction. Oliver breaks up with her and Felicity reacts. Oliver lies to Felicity and she reacts. Felicity is shot and reacts. Damien launches nukes and Felicity reacts. Her boyfriend is killed and Felicity reacts. Felicity seldom, if ever, gets to move her story via her own agency. It’s rare she makes the decision and the other characters have to react to her.

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Not this time. 

This time Felicity is acting. This time Felicity is making the decisions. This time Oliver doesn’t get a say. This time Oliver has to react. It’s a powerful reclamation of her agency.

Felicity was not able to protect William from Diaz and they would be dead if ARGUS hadn’t shown up. 

Source: whoeveryoulovethemost

She feels powerless, but she felt powerless long before Diaz showed up in her apartment. She’s remained hidden, but to do so is suppressing one of the most important parts of her. Felicity needs to fight back. It is who she is. She can’t watch helplessly as everything she loves is taken from her. Felicity refuses remain hiding in a cave waiting to die. 

She’s never been that person and she sure as hell isn’t starting now. 

Source: whoeveryoulovethemost

And if Oliver doesn’t like it (he doesn’t) well that’s just tough cookies.

Oliver isn’t going down without a fight though. 

Source: whoeveryoulovethemost

Of course Oliver understands her helplessness because he shares it. However, Oliver’s way to deal with it is to keep his head down. They narrowly avoided Oliver’s worst nightmare coming true, but now Felicity is tempting fate. Oliver’s mind is racing with all the ways this could go wrong.  He begs and pleads with Felicity to go back into witness protection, but she holds firm.

Source: whoeveryoulovethemost

Something happens when Oliver and Felicity place their hands through the window. 

They may be separated by walls and glass, but they are connected in their suffering. They are connected in the way they deal with that suffering.  They are connected by vows.

Oliver seems to realize this when his palm reaches for hers. 

Source: oliverxfelicity

He begs for more time, but he is locked in a world where everything is controlled by someone else. 

Once again he’s being torn away from the woman he loves. 

Felicity is crumbling and she reaches for Oliver through the glass again. 

Oliver acquiesces. He does so to calm her, so they don’t part on bad terms. Oliver also has no choice, but to agree. He’s not making the decisions for Felicity anymore. It’s her turn to decide. Oliver understands that now.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Felicity returns to William waiting for her at ARGUS and explains she is sending him to a boarding school. William immediately thinks Felicity is abandoning him, which is a natural first reaction. She reassures William this is not forever and once Diaz is off the board she will come for him. This is an incredibly smart decision on Felicity’s part. She can’t do what she needs to do if she’s constantly worrying about William’s safety. Diaz won’t have anyone to hold over Felicity if there’s no one to find.

Source:  @felicitysmoakgifs​

She gives William the hozen and right about now is when I start to cry. THEA GAVE FELICITY THE HOZEN. QUEEN SISTERS FOREVER. 

Obviously, the hozen means reconnection, but Felicity is totally tracking that sucker.

Felicity puts on a brave face and reassures William it will all be over soon. The truth is, Felicity doesn’t know how this will turn out. She’s putting it all on the line to stop Diaz, but for the first time in a long time Felicity feels like herself. Felicity won’t go gentle into that good night. She will rage against the dying of the light.

“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Felicity’s actions do trigger a reaction in Oliver. She wasn’t trying to harness Oliver’s light in their jailhouse chat. She was harnessing her own light. Felicity is determined to be who she is even if it costs her everything. Seeing Felicity fight like this inspires Oliver to do the same. Oliver realizes he can only control himself.  

He wipes the chalkboard clean. He’s done keeping his head down. Oliver is done counting. He’s done living a slow and quiet death. Oliver Queen needs to fight back because that’s who he is.

As much as I love dark Oliver, I am glad Arrow isn’t rewinding him back to Season 1 status on this island. Oliver shut down over the five month hiatus, but that’s done now. It’s clear he will fight to retain the light he’s worked so hard to find over the last six years. It’s incredibly important for Oliver to learn he can hold on to who he is even when he’s cut off from everyone he loves. It’s a crucial step in his superhero evolution. Oliver is already light years ahead of where I thought we’d be starting from.

 Source:  seeing-red-arrow

There’s a glimmer in Oliver’s eye and the hint of a small smile as he stares at the photo of his beloved wife and son. He enters the prison yard holding his copy of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” but he’s not going to read it. 

Oliver uses the book to beat the ever loving crap out Brick. 

He ignores the guard’s warning and beats a prisoner, the man who told him Felicity was dead, with a 100 pound weight. 

Source:  dctvgifs

The Green Arrow is officially in Slabside.

Oliver kneels, puts his hands behind his back, breathes deep and looks at the sky.  He feels like himself for the first time since entering prison.  He may not have escaped (yet), but there are many ways to find freedom. Felicity and William paved the way out. Oliver will not go gentle into that good night. He will rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Diggle, the Newbies and Mystery Green Arrow

The weakest part of the episode BY FAR is all the stuff with Rene, Dinah and Curtis. As per usual, Curtis operates as default Felicity. He’s taken a job as the head of R&D at A.R.G.U.S. and for love of Zeus please let him stay there. 

There is absolutely no reason for this man to remain on Team Arrow. Ship him off to wherever Lyla goes when she’s not on the show. Then bring Lyla back more - a lot more. Prayer circle time.

Rene is working at a boxing outreach center and I am really trying to care, but I don’t. 

One of the kids argues he won’t be able to defend himself in the Glades with a couple boxing lessons. Oh yeah? TELL THAT TO L*UREL L*NCE BOXER EXTRAORDINAIRE. Wait. She’s dead. Never mind. Kid is right. Hehehe. I jest.

Rene is all about helping this mysterious new Green Arrow whereas Dinah, as the new police chief, is intent on catching him. If Rene is so hard pressed to play vigilante and go to prison then why didn’t he just do that in the first place? Then Oliver wouldn’t need to save your ass and leave everyone one he loves behind, Rene!!!!

Dinah believes not being a vigilante is honoring Oliver’s sacrifice, which okay... I guess? 

I don’t know. She’s trying to restore the citizen’s belief in the police force again. If the police ever arrest someone on this show without a vigilante’s help then I’ll eat my hat. This feels like trying to make Dinah into Season 1 Quentin Lance or Season 2 LL. Her hard line on vigilantes doesn’t make a ton of sense though since, ya know, SHE WAS ONE.

Diggle isn’t big on masking up either because he doesn’t want any of the blame to fall back on Oliver’s shoulders - i.e. it screws up any potential for Oliver’s early release. This feels like a far better reason to stay off the streets than anything Dinah or Rene came up with. Points to Diggle.

The whole Dinah versus Rene thing felt very forced given how “Ra Ra Team Newbies” they both were last season. Also, I don’t care if they are getting along. I don’t care if they are fighting. I don’t care if they go have smoothies every night, play Fortnight and braid Dinah’s hair. Whatever.

The Mystery Green Arrow, let’s call he or she MGA for short, is interesting because he/she allows Arrow to bring back old school Oliver without actually bringing back old school Oliver. We keep Oliver’s character growth and get nifty stunts like this:

Source:  saebrfan

At first, my money was on Roy. There was a lot of unnecessary parkour. Seems like a no brainer. Reveals like this on Arrow are seldom surprising, so I am prepping for the most obvious choice.

Source:  olivergifs

However, I did notice there was a decidedly pink hue among all the green light. Pink is the American color for girl, so MGA may be female. I don’t think she’s Katherine McNamara’s character though. Maya is described as Buffy The Superhero Slayer. If you want to slay vigilantes you don’t like them. So, it’s a bit of a head scratcher if Maya is running around as a vigilante.

Perhaps MGA is the mysterious yet unnamed character played by Shea Shoomka. Maybe she is Robert Queen’s daughter and Oliver’s half sister. Who knows at this point. Watching for clues will be fun.

Flash Forwards

Real time reactions of me watching Arrow 7x01:

None of the above! It’s flash forward Roy and grown up William. IT’S FREAKING AMAZING.

I am so here for flash forwards. 

Source: supercanaries

I looooooove this type of storytelling particularly on This Is Us. If you’ve read any of the interviews with Beth she’s a big This Is Us fan as well. Now, before everyone starts flipping their skillet over Oliver being dead, there’s nothing William said to Roy that directly points to his father being dead. He spoke in both past and present.

Beth said there will be other present day characters showing up in the flash forwards. I am so here for aged up Felicity. 

Since Stephen is signed for Season 8 and he’s the star of the freaking show, I feel confident he’ll show up in the flash forwards. 

This is twenty years into the future (2040), so Oliver is probably at home and drinking a scotch with Felicity. Maybe William’s younger brother or sister is home from college. I don’t know, but I’m not worried about it. 

The bigger question is – what the hell happened to Roy? He’s gone Season 1 Hiatus Oliver on us. Why didn’t he recognize William? How long has he been on Lian Yu? Where the heck is Thea?

You can bet Felicity’s comment about always being able to find William if he has the hozen will be important in the flash forward.

Not a lot of information on William other than he’s cute (family trait) and incredibly rich (also a family trait). We all know Oliver won’t be bringing home the big bucks any time soon, so Felicity’s company is a smashing success. Seriously - $200,000 for a boat ride y’all. They are loaded. 

He also has a bit of the Oliver Queen sarcastic wit and, according to Beth, is very smart. LOVE IT.

I know some are bothered by the reappearance of the island. Yes, Lian Yu was “blown up” in Season 5, but that doesn’t mean it disappeared. In present day it is uninhabitable, but have you ever seen a forest twenty years after a fire? It looks like nothing happened. So all the regrowth on the island is perfectly natural. Adrian Chase didn’t nuke it.

I also know some were bothered the grave sites were still in tact, but I’m fine with it. First, it’s Arrow. They play fast and loose with accuracy at times. BS is a DA. If you want to cry foul she’s the bigger fish to fry. 

Source: @oliverdant

Second, I always thought the graves were a few feet from the shoreline. Oliver didn’t drag his father’s body ten miles into the forest to bury him when he stepped off that raft. He didn’t have the energy.

Third, it’s entirely possible the graves were not near bomb sites or weren’t impacted by the bombs. Would Adrian Chase leave Robert Queen’s grave undisturbed? I mean… I don’t know. What’s he gonna do? Kill Robert more? Worst case, the bombs destroyed the wooden headstones and, at some point in the future, someone (probably Oliver) returns to replace their memorials. Does it really matter? No. Just roll with it.

This opens up a ton of story telling possibilities and Beth promised the flash forwards would remain on the show for as long as it’s on air. So, we get to see all of the characters we love (or most of them) twenty years into the future. That’s nifty. It’s absolutely something Arrow can tie up and bring full circle when the show goes off the air.

Is anyone else dying to see the Olicity baby all grown up in the flash forward? I AM. Beth also said there would be no time travel, so I am not expecting flash forward characters to show up in present day. If Katherine McNamara is playing Olicity’s daughter, like some have theorized, then I believe we’ll only see her in the flash forwards. See how quickly I made this about babies? Yes, I have a one track mind.

Stray Thoughts

If we are going to get this many Oliver work out and shower scenes then I’ll survive the prison storyline. Source: arrowdaily

Yes, I spent nearly a page discussing green hoodies. You know you love me.

Popular music on Arrow is rare. I really love using “Madness” by Ruelle for the opening montage.

We don’t know much about Diggle other than he’s working for ARGUS, so let’s dig deeper in future episodes Arrow. Pun intended. You owe us some decent Diggle time.

As a woman who’s on the later side of the 35-40 age bracket let’s settle down with the aging make up. Roy is 50. He’s not 80.

Pink hair Felicity looks like Lady Lovely Locks and Jem had a baby together. It’s everything I didn’t know I needed.

I love that Felicity calls William “Will.” STEP MOTHER NICKNAMES FOREVER.

Arrow keeps faking killing Felicity because they’d rather walk into hell than do it for real. How many times has Arrow pretended to kill Moira, Laurel, Quentin, Tommy? ZERO. Every time Felicity’s death is a ruse it lessens the emotional impact and shock if it happens for real. It’s no different than killing Oliver in 3x09. Arrow has already filmed Oliver’s perfect death scene, which makes it highly unlikely death is his ending.

Honestly, if that coffee customer took one look at Oliver’s picture he’d know better than to ask for a date.

LL hit the streets as BC after a couple boxing lessons. BS hits a couple law books and is DA. You’re right LL fandom. Totally same character.

Is anyone else unnerved watching all these characters fight crime legally?

Diggle thinks it's a smart play to keep his head down. Felicity wants to fight back. Oliver always listens to the wifey. See? He’s starting to understand how marriage works. There’s hope!

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[anneimaginesundertale]

Hello again, may I request the swap fell bros being put in a get-along sweater (two arguing people being forced to spend time together until they stop bickering and/or compliment each other or hug it out) by one of their s/o or maybe a mutual friend? Who caves and compliments the other first? Or do they opt to hug it out instead? Thank you for your time! :)

The funny thing was, you’d never expected the brothers to fight like this. They were always so in sync, so in tune with each other. Yes, Sans grumbled about Papyrus being lazy and sloppy, and yes, Papyrus did all he could to annoy his brother, but in the end, they were always a team. Except, apparently, today.

“I SWEAR BY ALL THAT IS HOLY, IF YOU DO NOT CLEAN UP THOSE DISHES, I AM GOING TO TAKE THEM AND SHOVE THEM UP YOUR ASS!” Sans screamed.

“I don’t have an ass,” Papyrus drawled, not moving from his spot on the couch.

“THAT IS BESIDE THE POINT! CLEAN UP YOUR MESS RIGHT NOW, YOU PIECE OF TRASH!”

Papyrus ignored him. Sans flung a bone attack at him. Papyrus dodged and flicked one back. Sans leapt aside. The attack smashed a vase on the bookshelf. Sans sent another attack whizzing through the air. It almost hit you. You decided it was time to step in.

“Enough!” you shouted, startling both skeletons. “Both of you, come with me, right now!” You grabbed each of them by an arm and dragged them to the guest room. You began rummaging through a drawer. “I didn’t want to have to break this out,” you said, “but you leave me no choice. Aha!” You pulled out an enormous sweater that Asgore had leant you. Before either of the skeletons could protest, you yanked it over both their heads.

“What the hell is this?” Sans screamed.

“A get-along sweater,” you said smugly. “You two are stuck together until you can each say something nice about your brother and you apologize for attacking each other.” You sat down on the guest bed to watch.

Of course, it didn’t work right away. Papyrus slumped to the floor, possibly resigned to his fate but probably also because it pulled his brother down with him and made Sans screech in protest. He tried to destroy the sweater. He tried to rip it, tear a hole in it, slash it with sharpened bones and even with his teeth at one point. Asgore had knitted it too well, though. It wasn’t going to release its prisoners. You watched Sans get more and more irritated. He kept looking at the clock radio on the bedside table.

“You late for something, bro?” Papyrus asked.

“Yes, you numbskull!” He didn’t even seem to notice the pun. “In case you didn’t remember, my significant other is finally coming to see our humble abode. I have been building up to this for months. They’ll be here at six o’clock and I’m stuck in this abomination with you!”

Papyrus managed to wiggle an arm up to smack his forehead. “I did forget about that,” he said. “Sorry, bro. I would’ve cleaned if I’d remembered. You shoulda said something.”

“I assumed you would remember,” Sans huffed. “How could you forget the most important night of our lives?”

“Our lives?”

“Yes! Assuming this goes well, you will be meeting your future in-law. It is very important, and you’ve spent the whole day like a nincompoop and gotten us stuck in this contraption.”

“I said I was sorry,” Papyrus said. “Y/N said if we both apologize, we can take the sweater off. Do you wanna...” He trailed off hopelessly.

Sans flicked his eye lights on and off in what you’d come to know as a skeletal eye roll. “Oh,” he said. “Of course. I apologize for attacking you, brother. I was frustrated.”

“I’m sorry too,” Papyrus said. “I was being an ass just for the hell of it.”

“Now say something nice to each other,” you prompted, smirking on the bed.

Sans grumbled something under his breath.

“What?” You cupped a hand to your ear.

“He said I’ve got good taste in human buddies,” Papyrus said. “And you’re gonna have a great time with your date tonight, bro. I’ll help clean the dishes and all that and then Y/N and I can make ourselves scarce for ya.”

“You’ll do no such thing! I want you to meet my beloved. It’s part of this step. Besides, if they don’t like my brother, then I’ll have to end things with them. You need to be there, and so does your human.” Sans turned to you. “If you would get us out of this now, human? There’s not much time left!”

You hopped off the bed and pulled the sweater off them. Sans hurried out of the room. Papyrus stayed for a moment. “My human, huh?” he mused, half to himself. “Never thought you were my human. Do you mind?”

You beamed at him. “I don’t mind at all,” you said. “Now let’s go do those dishes.”

—

This one was hard, because I don’t actually think these two fight all that much. The Underfell bros would fight all the time, but these two mostly get along. It was fun coming up with a reason for them to get shoved into the sweater. Thanks for the fun prompt! Here’s hoping Tumblr doesn’t eat this one...

[jason-todd-deserved-better]

High School Crush - Dick Grayson x Reader Headcanon

Summary: Dick develops a crush on you after verbally slaying a moron during lunch.

A/N: Oh wow two posts in a week, that’s new! Plus an imagine that's not centered around Jason, another first! Anyway, I got this idea last night and I couldn’t stop so here have this thing that nobody asked for XD. Send in some request amigos, I’m in desperate need and I don’t bite, I swear! Love you all and I hope you all enjoy!

Warnings: Cursing, and blood (Not much of it but just in case.)

~Okay so you guys hung out with many of the same people, but you never really talked to each other much, you were both popular in your own different ways.

~Dick was (what you assumed) was the typical dumb jock ever since you met him

~You got transferred into Gotham Academy before your Junior year after your parents decided to move up north for work reasons.

~You were one of those quiet people who others just seemed to be compelled to tell you their problems, and you really didn’t mind.

~In your head it was your small way to make the world a better place, not as impressive as Batman but hey you were at least doing something.

~You were a kind soul who people really did care for there.

~A couple of your close friends even came up with the protect (Y/N) squad.

~This consists of Barbara and Artemis, because you were way too nice for your own good according to the both of them.

~They just haven’t seen you get pissed off, you weren’t one to let anyone push you over.

~Like seriously people better run if you get mad or at least cover their ears (maybe even pull out their phones) because someone will be roasted.

~You may only know some basics on fighting (It’s Gotham, its kind of a necessity.) but your words can take a huge bite out of a person’s ego.

~Never had you been in need to use this power of yours but some person just didn’t get the message.

~On that fateful Friday, you were on your own at lunch(Barb was out sick, and Artemis left early to go visit her boyfriend in Central City.) and were doing homework that was due the next class.

~You were basically just minding your own business, when all of a sudden some guy sits ultra close to you and wraps an arm around your shoulder

~You automatically try to pull away, not in any mood to deal with that.

~When a second later he starts saying some stuff that really shouldn’t be said anywhere near food, you go off on his ass.

~Some insults included were;

~”Carpet-Cleaner”

~”Shitstick”

~and your favorite “micro-penis”

~The whole time a certain someone was watching with complete and utter surprise.

~Barbara may have texted him to keep an eye on you to make sure you were okay.

~Dick was about to step in when the guy was wringing his hand around your shoulder but he was on the other side of the cafeteria.

~By the time he got close enough you were already tearing this guy a whole new one and with the dude running with his tail between his legs.

~He was shook.

~Like Barb why does she need to be looked out for? She’s got a firm handle on things.

~Either way he didn’t expect that to come out of you, not that he minded, seriously might have found it kinda hot.

~Again surprised that he was thinking this, he never really talked to you, but he heard a lot about you from both Barb and Artemis.

~The bell for the next class rings and it turns out that you both were in the same class, which happened to be Chemistry.

~Hilariously, you guys were doing a lab today and the teacher decided to assign partners.

~Even more funny was the fact that the both of you were now lab partners.

~Dick didn’t know what to say or do.

~You were still clearly pissed.

~So he just wings it, “Hey I saw what happened in the cafeteria and you absolutely tore that dude apart, good job.”

~Not one of his smoothest starters but it did get you to crack a small smile.

~He decided that he really liked your smile.

~And the way your eyes crinkle at the edges when you do.

~Uh oh, he was getting deep.

~You guys finished the experiment early, so you guys just talked the rest of the time.

~When you guys started talking about your shared friends that’s when the spark really gets back into your being.

~And you find out more about him, like how he’s best friends with Artemis’ boyfriend.

~You had met him a couple times and he seemed ultra hyper but seemed really nice.

~He laughed at the “ultra hyper” thing, said that it was an inside joke.

~You just shrugged it off.

~The whole class period was spent with you guys just talking and getting to know each other better.

~It went by pretty fast and by the time the bell rung it was like you guys had known each other forever.

~When Monday rolls around both Artemis and Barb were so surprised that the two of you started talking like you’ve known each other your whole lives.

~Like how much could we have missed in just one day??

~The birth of a friendship is what they missed.

~Many months pass, summer is about to begin and you guys become attached to the hip.

~Seriously, you guys just hang out almost every other day, and everyone seems to think the two of you are dating.

~Including his family (basically just Alfred, and Bruce at the time.) and your own parents.

~Or at least that you both have the biggest crush on each other.

~Even yours and Dick’s friends are just about ready to scream, because how dense cAn YoU gUyS bE????

~Literally Wally was at the point of “borrowing” Dick’s phone and texting you to please go out with him

~Only problem was that he told Artemis.

~While Dick was in the cave.

~No one can keep a secret from the best detective on the team.

~Speaking of said team, you had absolutely no clue that all your close friends were freaking fighting crime as vigilantes.

~The only thing that always rubbed you the wrong way was that they’d never hang out at night, or they were out of town for weeks at a time, with all of them gone at the same time.

~Just seemed very odd, but you let it go, even though it seriously kinda hurt you, that the friends that you considered really close, didn’t want you around.

~You just gave everyone their space and held it all in.

~It caused a rift between you and everyone.

~You didn’t call as much and time with you became very scarce

~Dick was the first to notice the change and was seriously worried about it.

~Told Artemis, Barbara, and even Wally.

~Artemis and Barb automatically called you more and even made plans to go to the mall with you later that week.

~Wally was trying to get Dick to ask you out on a date

~You were happy to have your friends back, so you never told them what you were really feeling/thinking.

~A week passes, it’s a pitch black night outside and you were home alone while your parents were out on a date night.

~You were just scrolling through your phone when you hear frantic knocking on your window.

~Like a cat, you almost jumped a foot off the bed.

~Also the fact that THE FREAKING ROBIN was out bleeding outside your window, with his shoulder all scratched up.

~Shaking like a leaf you got him in, not sure what to do, you just asked what he needed.

~”(Y/N/N) can you get me a towel, please?”

~Nearly had a heart attack when he said your nickname.

~Only Dick ever calls you that most of the time.

~After getting the towel and helping disinfect the scratches, there was awkward staring.

~Your face could have been made out of steel that moment.

~”Look I need you to tell me how you know me.”

~He just sighs and rubs his face with his uninjured arm.

~After a really long pause, he looks up at you.

~”I’ll show you, but you have to swear not to tell a living soul.” And with that pulls off his mask.

~You felt your brain explode that very instant, and for second you were silent but,

~”DICK, YOU’RE ROBIN”

~Internally screaming turned into outward screaming.

~Things that were said were;

~”HOW IN THE ACTUAL HECK.”

~”WAIT, THAT’S WHY YOU ARE ALWAYS GONE!”

~”BUT WHAT ABOUT ARTEMIS AND BARBARA?”

~ArE tHeY sUpEr HeRoS tOo????”

~And most importantly after getting forced to sit on your bed by Dick (and a lot more quietly) “Oh my god, my crush is Robin.”

~Your eyes almost pop out of your head when you realize what you just said.

~So do Dicks, but instead of him trying to melt into the bed, now you are.

~His heart was going crazy, and he felt like he just heard the best news of his life

~You were now trying not to break down because the silence was deafening and you definitely thought that he wouldn’t feel the same way.

~You weren’t expecting his finger under your chin and him pulling your face to look at his.

~You sure as hell wasn’t expecting him to bring his lips to yours, in a short but sweet kiss.

~This lead to a heavy make-out session, with you two at the end smiling and laughing like idiots.

~Let’s just say that now you both knew that you liked each other, and a new chapter in your relationship just started.

~After Dick left (he said that he would call to you later tomorrow, so you guys could go out.) you automatically called Barb, screamed in her ear about the new relationship status/why the hell didn’t you tell me you were Batgirl?! You then called Artemis with both similar screaming and subject matter.

~Both were shook, but also happy for you/that they didn’t have to hide what they did anymore.

~While you called the girls, Dick called Wally.

~”Bro finally!!!!!!” He was super happy for his best friend.

~Either way, you guys were sure as hell now stuck with each other and neither of you minded.

[minijenn]

Universe Falls, Chapter 50, Part 2

HAHAHAHAHAHAH HERE WE GO KIDS ITS TIME FOR THE BIG ONE. ANd I really mean that seeing as how this chapter is like 33,000 words long. Seriously what the hell am I even doing with my life anymore??? Still this one turned out HELLA good in my opinion, so I really hope you enjoy it! And without any reason to keep stalling, here it is! :D 

Previous: http://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/171705709469/universe-falls-chapter-50-part-1

Chapter 50, Part 2: A Tale of Two Stans

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The summer sun beamed down upon the murky ocean water, making it shimmer almost as it lapped onto the somewhat dirty shore. For any other beach, a pristine day like this would have seen countless beachgoers and tourists, but Glass Shard Beach didn’t often attract too many of those. What it did attract, however, was a pair of brothers, twins, around the age of 11 or 12, who lived in the sleepy nearby town. Whenever they could spare a few hours, the boys gladly rushed down to their favorite haunt, knowing that more often than not, they’d have the entire beach to themselves to simply run around and explore. A pastime that they were both gladly taking part in.

“Hey! Wait up!” the older of the twins called after his brother, trailing behind him a bit as they ran across the sandy shore.

“Heh, yeah, you should keep up,” the other twin retorted with a sly smirk, still taking a large lead.

“I-I can keep up!” the slower of the brothers called a bit breathlessly, though he stopped alongside his twin as they reached something neither of them had seen before: a small, closed-off cave. “Whoa!”

“Neato!” the younger twin exclaimed, aptly excited by such a find.

“A mysterious, boarded cave!” the older twin grinned, just as intrigued as his brother. “It might be filled with lost prehistoric life forms! Or Mesoamerican gold!”

“Or a dead body!”

“Why would you want to find a dead body?”

The younger twin shrugged, matching his twin’s rather bemused smile. “You gotta admit it’d be kinda cool.”

“…Yeah, I guess it would be.”

“So, ladies first,” the younger twin’s grin widened as he pushed his brother forward a bit. The older of the two laughed at this, giving his brother a playful punch on the arm, one that was quickly returned as the pair moved up to the cave itself. As it turned out, the entrance was boarded up quite securely to keep any trespassers out, hence why the older twin’s attempt at pulling them away only resulted in him falling backwards into the sand, much to his brother’s amusement.

“Ha! Good thing you’ve got your smarts, poindexter. I’ve got the other thing. What’s it called? Oh right! Punching!” And he proceeded to do just that, launching his fist through the boards and breaking a sizable opening through the wood, despite the pieces of the board stuck in his hand as a result. “Cool, splinters!”

“Whoa…” the older twin remarked, shining his flashlight into the darkened cavern. “It’s so creepy in here!”

“Hey, don’t worry, bro,” the younger twin slung an arm around his brother’s shoulder as they stepped into the cave. “Wherever we go, we go together. By the way, don’t forget to leave our names so they know who owns the place.”

They both did just that, inscribing their names on the stone wall near the entrance of the cave before they ran off to continue exploring, proudly cheering their last name in unison as they left a subtle, written declaration of their close-knit bond behind:

Stanley and Stanford Pines

Present Day

In the immediate aftermath of the complete and utter upheaval of reality as a result of the portal, the Mystery Shack was still settling back into place, though it was by far much worse for wear. The basement had by far suffered from the worst of it, the machine in complete shambles as everyone gradually picked themselves up and looked to who had just joined them from the other side of the portal, none other than the nearly-mythical author of the journals himself. Still, no one was quite sure how to react to his unexcepted arrival, save for Stan as he warmly stepped forward to greet his long-lost twin.

“Finally!” he exclaimed with a smile so huge and so happy that it nearly brought him to joyful tears. And really, he wouldn’t have been too surprised if they actually fell as he opened his arms up wide to embrace his brother, not noticing the infuriated glare he was receiving from his own twin as he rushed towards him. “After all these long years of waiting, you’re actually here! Brother!”

Before Stan could even come close to hugging the author, however, he suddenly lashed out, swinging a hard and heavy fist that connected with the conman’s cheek and knocked him back brutally, much to the admitted surprise of everyone watching. “Ow!” Stan hissed in pain before looking back to his brother with confused frustration. “What the heck was that for?!”

“This was an insanely risky move, restarting the portal!” the author exclaimed in gruff fury. “What in the world were you thinking?! Didn’t you read my warnings?!”

“Warnings, schmarnings,” Stan scoffed, still rubbing his sore cheek. “How’s about maybe a thank you for saving you from what appears to be, I dunno, some kind of sci-fi sideburn dimension?”

“Thank you?” the author asked incredulously. “You really think I’m gonna thank you after what you did thirty years ago?!”

“What I did?!” Stan retorted just as harshly, his hands clenching into threatening fists as he prepared to act on his own growing anger. “Why, you ungrateful-!” The conman didn’t finish as he launched himself at his brother, fists at the ready to strike though the author quickly and easily evaded his attack. He swiftly restrained the incensed conman, pinning his arms behind his back before slamming him to the ground, but even still, Stan showed no signs of giving up against his clearly much stronger brother. “D-don’t expect me to go easy on you just because you’re family!” he shouted, shoving the author off of him before scrambling to stand once more. The author also rose, ready to fight himself, though before the brothers could throw any more punches at each other, their blows were suddenly blocked off by a sturdy gauntlet on each side.

“Enough!” Garnet exclaimed as both punches simultaneously hit her protected palms. Stan simply backed off at this, sending a harsh glare past the Gem leader and to his brother instead. The author, on the other hand, seemed to abandon his fury as he looked to Garnet herself, his eyes wide with both surprise and recognition as he stared at her in clear amazement.

“G-Garnet?” he asked, catching a look of apt bewilderment from the Gem leader before he happened to notice her teammates standing nearby. “Pearl! Amethyst! I-I can’t believe it! You three look exactly the same as you did 30 years ago!” he exclaimed with a baffled, but still elated smile. “Then again, I suppose that’s not that surprising seeing as how Gems don’t age, but to see such partial immortality in action is downright incredible!”

Despite the author’s apparent excitement, none of the Gems shared in on it as they looked to each other in complete, dumbfounded confusion. Sure enough, Stan had confirmed that this man was indeed the author, but that didn’t mean they had much of a recollection about him given their apparent missing memories on anything remotely pertaining to him. All the same, out of anyone who could have been the elusive author, they had to admit that none of them, not even Garnet, had been expecting him to be Stan’s unknown brother, which of course, was yet another secret the conman had been hiding from them for all these years.

“Uh… do we… know you?” Pearl asked somewhat uncomfortably. After all, this was the man who had written copious notes about all three of them in his journals, despite them apparently not knowing him personally. Though based on how he addressed them, clearly he felt as though he was somehow quite familiar with all of them.

The author took pause at this, his smile fading into surprise as he looked between the trio of confused Gems. “Wha—o-of course you do! It’s me: Ford! We used to work together, remember?”

Once again, the Gems didn’t really know what to say to this claim as they looked to the author, or rather, to Ford in sincere uncertainty. “Uh… well we don’t know about all that,” Amethyst spoke up, still trying to avert eye contact with her teammates in light of everything that had just happened. “But I do know that if you really are author dude, then we’ve got like a ton of questions for you.”

“Namely, how in the world did you amass so much information about us in those journals of yours without our consent?” Pearl asked, narrowing her eyes as she looked to the author rather distrustfully.

“Without your con—what?” Ford asked, now just as confused as the Gems seemed to be. “I always had permission to document the Crystal Gems from all three of you, and from Rose! How do you not remember everything we-”

“Forget it, sixer,” Stan cut in, arms crossed as he rolled his eyes at his brother’s apparent distress over this news. “Those three don’t remember a thing about you. In fact they haven’t for about the past… oh, I dunno, 22 or so years now?”

“B-but why not?” the author pressed, sending his brother a brief glare before looking back to the Gems with much more concern.

“Heck if I know,” the conman shrugged. “The only thing Rose told me was that somebody went and jacked all their memories about you and about all of this,” he nodded back towards the ruined portal. “She never bothered to bring up how or why in any of it. Just like her to be as shady and vague as possible, if ya ask me.”

“W-wait,” Pearl interjected, aghast at such news. “Rose really did know what happened to our memories?! T-then why did she never tell us about any of this?!”

“Well, why don’t you just ask her for yourself?” Ford suggested. “In fact, if there’s anyone who can clear all of this up, then I’m sure its Rose. Where is she? Up at the temple?

The Gems once again fell silent at this, their expressions switching from confusion to despair upon the author’s assumption that the pink Gem was still around. At this juncture, the kids, who had only just been watching everything unfurl in silent shock, finally broke out of it enough to exchange a tentative glance, none of them really even knowing how to react to everything that was going on in front of them. But upon hearing Ford question about his mother’s whereabouts, Steven found that he could no longer really stand back in the shadows and keep the truth silent, especially given how distraught both the author and the Gems seemed to be.

“Um, actually…” Steven began somewhat apprehensively as he stepped forward. “She’s… not around anymore…”

Ford froze at this, looking over to the young Gem with wide eyes of shock upon hearing such a thing. “…What?” he asked, his voice strangely soft and shaken.

“He’s right,” Garnet spoke up, letting out a sad sigh as she adjusted her shades. “Several years ago, Rose Quartz sacrificed her physical form to bring her son, Steven, into the world.”

“Her… son?” the author asked, even more bewildered by this news as he looked back to the young Gem incredulously. “But… Gems can’t… how did she… I… I don’t believe it…”

“Um… well, i-its true,” Steven said with awkward, yet polite smile as he pulled his shirt up a bit to show the Gem on his navel, something that seemed to perplex Ford even more. As a result, the young Gem couldn’t help but feel somewhat guilty, though for what reason he wasn’t entirely sure. Still, he did his best to make an effort to try to set the clearly upset author to ease. “By the way, i-it’s… really nice to meet you, Mr. Author, sir.”

Ford hardly seemed to pay this warm greeting much mind as he placed a hand against his temple, still clearly reeling from this revelation. “I… I never thought that she’d… She… she can’t be gone…” he muttered shaking his head morosely. “I didn’t even get to tell her that I’m sorry for-” The author abruptly cut himself off at this, glancing up to notice the several pairs of eyes watching him, particularly the Gems themselves, none of whom still knew what to really make of him. Which was why he was quick to regain his composure, taking in a tight breath and discreetly wiping his nearly damp eyes dry before he quickly changed took the subject off of the now-deceased pink Gem. “Hm, w-well, it’s… unfortunate that Rose is… no longer with us,” he began with a steadying sigh of apparent acceptance as he spared another glance at the young Gem, this time offering him a slight smile of greeting. “But all the same, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well—er… um… what did you say your name was again?”

“Steven,” the young Gem reiterated with an amicable, patient grin.

“Right, Steven,” Ford nodded, his smile growing a bit, until he happened to notice the other pair of kids in the room, both of them looking to him in lingering amazement. As he did, his dejected manner quickly turned back into an aggravated one as he glanced back over at his brother. “Stan, you didn’t tell me there were so many children down here. And… some sort of large, hairless gopher?” he frowned, glancing over at Soos.

“Heh, I get that a lot,” the handyman chuckled, hardly offended.

“They’re your family, poindexter,” Stan remarked, nodding towards his, as well as Ford’s, nibblings. “Shermie’s grandkids. The colorful one’s Mabel and the sweaty one’s Dipper. You can figure out the rest.”

This news finally seemed to be enough to lift the author’s spirits completely as he looked towards the twins with a soft, but warm smile. “I-I have a niece and nephew?” he inquired, his manner quite cordial as he stepped forward to meet them properly. Excited by the opportunity to make his acquaintance, Mabel rushed forward first, eagerly shaking Ford’s extended hand. “Greetings… Mabel, was it?” he began, working off what Stan had told him as his niece brightly nodded. “Do kids still say greetings? I haven’t been in this dimension in a really long time…”

“Whoa, a six fingered handshake?” Mabel said, clearly impressed as she counted off his fingers to find that, sure enough, there were indeed six on each hand. “It’s a full finger friendlier than normal!”

“Heh, I like this kid!” Ford chuckled, amused. “She’s weird.”

“I… I can’t believe it…” Dipper finally spoke up in a stark whisper at first. For the longest time, he had been so lost in shock, from the portal opening, to Ford stepping out of it, to the confusion between him and the Gems, that he had still been trying to piece it all together and make sense of it. But in the midst of doing so, he had nearly forgotten one very vital thing: that one of the biggest mysteries of the summer by far had just been solved in the most unexpected of ways. “Y-you’re the author of the journals!”

“Oh, you’ve read my journals?” Ford asked, still smiling as he turned to his nephew and pulled the one he had claimed earlier out of his cloak pocket.

“I haven’t just read them, I’ve lived them!” Dipper exclaimed, beside himself with elation as he began to pace around frenetically. “I’ve been waiting for so long to meet you! I-I don’t even know what to say, I have so many questions! I-” He abruptly cut himself off, so overwhelmed by his excitement that he had nearly gotten to the point where he wasn’t able to even physically handle it as he weakly doubled over. “Ohhhh, I think I’m gonna throw up,” he groaned, prompting both Mabel and Steven to rush to his aid as he briefly gagged before trying his best to calm down. “Ugh, o-ok! False alarm! J-just gotta ride it out!”

“Listen, there will be time for questions and proper introductions later,” Ford advised before turning back to his brother. “But first, tell me, Stan: are there any security breaches? Does anyone else know about this portal?”

“No, just us,” Stan assured, arms crossed. “…Also maybe the entire U.S. government.”

“The what!?” Ford gasped, completely appalled to hear such alarming news. And sure enough, this fact still rang true, for the security feed in the other room showed that the swarm of agents had already returned to the shack and were flooding inside under Powers’ command.

“Fan out!” the head agent demanded. “We’re not going anywhere until we find Stan Pines, the Crystal Gems, and those kids!”

“Geez, those guys are still looking for us?!” Amethyst asked with an aggravated huff. “You’d think they’d give it a rest already!”

“Ok, it’s alright,” Ford said with an even sigh as he stepped back towards the portal’s remains. “We’ve got a while before they find this room. In the meantime, we just need to lay low and think of a plan.”

“Yes, and maybe while we’re at it we can try and figure all of this out…” Pearl noted, her expression still filled with dread and doubt at the thought that Rose had been keeping their lost memories hidden from them for so long.

“Speaking of figuring things out…” Mabel said leadingly as she looked towards both Stan and Ford. “Looks like we’re all gonna be stuck down here for a while. So… who wants to tell us their entire mysterious backstory?”

“Yes, I have some questions about all this myself, Stanley,” Ford remarked amidst taking down a few notes in the journal he had on hand. However, what he failed to notice was how confused everyone else was upon hearing him call the conman by such a name.

“Stanley?” Dipper questioned, looking to his uncle in apt wonder.

“But… your name is Stanford…” Mabel clarified with a frown, though Ford was quickly caught off guard upon hearing this as he turned to face his brother sharply.

“Wait, you took my name?!” he asked angrily. “What have you been doing all these years, you knucklehead?!”

“Wait, hold on!” Amethyst cut in, looking to the conman in upset surprise, her former feelings of betrayal towards him all quickly rushing back. “Are you serious?! First there’s all those fake IDs and stuff, then this portal thing, and now you aren’t even who I thought you were?! What the heck, Stan?! Just how many other things have you told me and everyone else over the years that just weren’t true!?”

Stan couldn’t help but flinch upon hearing the purple Gem’s incredibly harsh tone, but his guilt only grew upon catching the distrustful, sour glares from most of the others, including his own nibblings. “Yeah, Grunkle Stan, no more lies!” Dipper asserted firmly. “You owe us some answers. What’s the deal with this portal? Why did you keep this a secret?”

“And what exactly made you think it was anywhere near remotely safe to operate a device that could have potentially destroyed the entire universe as we know it?!” Pearl asked just as hotly, still clearly infuriated over that dire aspect of all of this.

“And what happened between you and your brother?” Mabel asked, mainly just wanting to know why there seemed to be so much bitterness and hostility between her two grunkles.

“I hope all this aligns exactly with my fanfic, Stan,” Soos said staunchly. “If not, I’ll be very disappointed. My headcanons are at stake!”

“Ok, ok,” Stan conceded, knowing that if there was any time for finally coming clean about everything, it would be now, in the aftermath of everything tearing itself apart. “I know a lot’s happened and I have a lot of explaining to do.”

“That’s an understatement.” Garnet remarked rather dryly.

“…And it’d be a lot easier if I was able to do that explaining without any sass,” the conman deadpanned before continuing. “So, here goes nothing. It all started… a lifetime ago…”

1960s

Glass Shard Beach was a small New Jersey town, not known for much save for its rather mediocre salt water toffee. Still, despite its murky ocean, litter-ridden beach, and smog-filled city, this humble setting was home to young Stanford and Stanley Pines, nearly identical twin brothers both around the age of 12. The boys lived above the family business, Pines Pawns, located in the heart of the less than glamorous Lead Paint district, with their parents, who were both natives of Glass Shard themselves. Their father, Filbrick Pines, was, by all accounts, a strict, staunch, stoic, unsympathetic man, one had very little warmth and kindness to offer to anyone, his customers and his family alike. Ma Pines was a bit gentler than her husband, though only really when it came to her sons; her own customers, who solicited her supposed clairvoyance as an over-the-phone psychic, often called her out for overpricing and lying, claims that she had a smooth enough tongue to often easily refute.

As for the brothers themselves, they really couldn’t have been more different. Stanford was not just the older of the two, but also, for lack of a better word, the stranger, in more ways than one. His most notable oddity was by far his six fingers on each hand, a very rare birth defect that was initially visible to just about everyone he met. However, what most were quick to learn about Ford right after that was that he was smart; more than smart really, he was brilliant, with an incredibly high IQ from even a very early age. While he excelled at really every subject academically, Ford found his interest namely in the oddities of the world, in the fantastic or supernatural anomalies he read about in books or saw in movies. He was fascinated in anything peculiar or unknown, and even more fascinated in trying to solve the mysteries behind such strangeness with a passion and zeal far beyond his years. Stanley, on the other hand, wasn’t much interested in mysteries or anomalies, his academic preformance was just barely average on a good day, and he only had a total of ten fingers as opposed to twelve. But even so, Stan carried other, less obvious talents, from his well-gained street smarts to his surprising haggling abilities, which served his father well in the pawn shop downstairs. Generally though, Stan was a bit more of a rambunctious troublemaker, often called out for being a slacker and a goofball, though he hardly cared about his often sour reputation. As far as he was concerned, he only needed one person by his side, and that was his brother.

And for the most part, that’s exactly how things were.

Throughout their shared childhood, Stan and Ford were inseparable, to the point that they were more than brothers, really; they were the very best of friends. No matter what the occasion, they always had each other’s backs, through thick and thin, always ready to stand up for one another or even just encourage one another when they needed it most. Their brotherly bond was practically unbreakable, something that was clear to see from just how much time they spent together. Nearly, every day, the boys set out to the beach, both of them always eager and ready for whatever adventure they came across, for they knew that whatever they faced, no matter how big or how small, they’d face it together.

On this particular day, the brothers had happened across an entirely new adventure, one that had taken them to a previously undiscovered cave on the far end of the beach. After punching through the boards blocking it off, Stan and Ford ventured inside, armed with only a flashlight as they explored the damp, darkened cavern, until they happened across something that, to the two young boys, was absolutely incredible.

“Whoa!” Ford exclaimed as he shined his flashlight over at the rather battered and time-weathered boat they had managed to find. “A shipwrecked sailboat, possibly haunted by pirate ghosts!”

“This is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen!” Stan proclaimed, equally as amazed. “And I once saw a dead rat floatin’ in a bucket!”

“Ew!” Ford chuckled, giving his brother a playful shove. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Huh, you know what this thing needs?” Stan asked, giving the downed sailboat a scrutinizing glance. Ford also looked to it just as thoughtfully, before both brothers ended up reaching the exact same conclusion.

“Flags!”

And so they acted on that idea, using their own shirts as makeshift flags for the ruined vessel as they began to pull it out onto the beach itself, proudly chanting “kings of New Jersey” all the while. It took some doing, but eventually the brothers managed to push the boat onto the shore so they could have better light to work on it by, but their plan was clear: they were going to fix it up to the best of their abilities and set sail to wherever their hearts’ desired. It was an ambitious dream, perhaps even a bit of an outlandish, childish one, but even so, the brothers were intent on making it happen, no matter what.

And so the boys worked late into the afternoon on their new pet project, scrounging up any stray materials they could find across the beach to help them patch the beaten boat back together. They hardly even noticed the hours passing by or the rather impressive sunburns they were both getting in the summer heat as they worked and laughed together, inspired by the adventures they’d someday have on the open sea when their vessel was at last completed.

“You almost done over there, poindexter?” Stan asked, falling flat onto the sand out of exhaustion after he finished haphazardly fixing one of the boat’s many lower holes.

“Give me just a second and… done!” Ford grinned as he pulled his paintbrush away from the side of the boat, looking proudly to the vessel’s new moniker. “I dub thee: the Stan O’ War!” Before the brothers had a chance to celebrate this casual christening, however, their fun was abruptly cut off by a sudden pebble tossed to hit the back of Ford’s head. “Ow! What the heck?” he exclaimed, disgruntledly rubbing the now sore spot as both him and Stan turned to see who had thrown it. Neither of them were really surprised to see that it was the notorious local bully, Crampelter and his two cronies, standing atop the nearby hill looking over the beach as he smirked down at the two younger boys smugly.

“Well, well, if it ain’t the loser twins,” he mocked confidently. “Nice boat. Ya get it at the dump. Ha!” He laughed, exchanging a triumphant high five with his equally snide friends.

“You would know, Crampelter!” Stan growled hotly as he stood, shaking his fist at the bully. “Get lost!”

“Pfft, like you scare me, runt,” Crampelter deadpanned. “Listen, dorks, and listen good. You’re a six-fingered freak,” he began, pointing at Ford, who could only glance down in embarrassment as he tried to conceal his hands. “And you’re just a dumber, sweatier version of him,” he called Stan out next, though instead of being flustered, his harsh glare for the bully only intensified. “And you’re lucky you have each other, cause neither of you will ever make any friends!” Crampelter let out another goading chuckle as him and his friends departed, further calling the twins dorks and losers all the while. All the same, Stan ran after them a few steps, refusing to let such cruel teasing slide without getting the last word in.

“Yeah, that’s right! You better run, you jerks!” he shouted threateningly, though he put his anger on hold upon glancing back at his brother. In light of everything Crampelter had just said, the most Ford could really do was look down at one of his hands in clear shame over something he had no way of changing or fixing whatsoever. “Hey, don’t let those idiots get to you,” Stan hurried to comfort his brother, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. “If it makes ya feel any better, I heard that Crampelter still sucks his thumb, so if that’s true, then you’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Yes, I do…” Ford sighed rather morosely, forcing his sights away from his extra fingers. “He was right… I really am a freak… I just wonder if there’s anywhere in the world where weirdos like me fit in…”

Stan’s already sympathetic frown deepened upon hearing this, knowing that Ford being bullied for his six-fingered hands was no uncommon occurrence. Still, even though this kind of teasing happened rather frequently, Stan always hated seeing his brother so down and upset as a result of it, which was how he had gotten so good at lifting him up and comforting him from it over the years. “Aw, chin up, buddy,” he assured with a warm smile as he helped Ford up to stand alongside him. “Look out there,” Stan nodded towards the sea stretching out wide and seemingly endless before them. “What do you see?”

“Um… the ocean?” Ford ventured, not sure about where his brother was going with this.

“Well, duh, the ocean,” Stan rolled his eyes. “But you know what else is out there? The future. One of these days, you and me are gonna sail away from this dumb old town. We’ll hunt for treasure, get all the girls, and be an unstoppable team of adventurers!”

“Y-you really mean it?” Ford asked with a small, but growing smile.

“You know I do!” Stan boldly proclaimed. “It’ll be us forever, just like its supposed to be! High-six?” He offered his hand out to his brother, who gladly met it in their own special version of a high five.

“High-six,” Ford laughed, clearly feeling much better from the usual kind support from his brother. Still, the boys both took one more glance out over the open ocean before they went back to their boat, their shared resolve to set sail upon it together someday ringing as a clear, hopeful promise in both their hearts. A promise that, for as far off as it might be, seemed completely within reach for them both.

And it was a promise they continued to hold onto, even as the years went by.

Stan and Ford sticking together remained a constant throughout their middle school endeavors, their close companionship as apparent to everyone who encountered them just as much as their academic differences were. Ford consistently remained at the top of their class, with grades so high they baffled even most teachers, though despite several offers to skip a grade, or even two, he never did. For if he had, that would have left Ford without Stan and Stan without Ford, an outcome that neither of the brothers really ever wanted to see happen. After all, the boys were both picked on by both bullies and teachers alike so frequently, singled out for a variety of reasons: Ford’s six fingers, Stan’s rebellious attitude, or even the simple fact that they were always by each others’ sides, no matter what came their way. Still, the boys hardly minded their lack of friends aside from each other, even as they entered their high school years, for as long as they had each other, they knew they could make it through just about anything. From failed attempts at romance, to surviving arduous school work, to even just continuing work on the Stan O’ War, which was progressing more and more by the day, Stan and Ford always had each others’ backs. Through good times and bad, through successes and setbacks, the brothers knew above anything else, that they could always lean on each other to get through it all. And all the while, they continued dreaming of the future, of the day when their ship could finally set sail off into the unknown, but shining horizon, where opportunity and adventure awaited them both.

Until one fatefully day during the boys’ senior year of high school, when an unexpected wrench was thrown into the close-knit bond they had always known.

It had started out like any other day, with the twins sitting in study hall as usual. And as usual, Ford was hard at work on his studies, fervently reading and taking notes while Stan casually sat beside him, hardly engaged in any sort of academics as he instead reclined back in his seat and munched on his favorite snack of toffee peanuts. He was about to lean over to his brother and make a sardonic remark regarding his current boredom, but before he could, the PA blared with an announcement neither of the brothers had been expecting: “Pines twins to the principle’s office. Pines twins to the principle’s office.”

“Aw, great, what is it this time?” Stan remarked dryly, already pushing himself out of his seat. Ford followed him a bit apprehensively, expecting them to be called on account of something that his brother had gotten himself into some kind of unknown trouble. Though when they arrived at the office, they were quick to learn that this was apparently not the case.

“Not you,” the secretary stopped the brothers just shy of reaching the principles door, motioning for Stan to remain outside and Ford to go on in. “Him.”

The twins exchanged a rather confused glance at this, both of them knowing well that rare was the occasion that Ford ever did something wrong enough to actually get him in trouble. Still, Stan gave him a reassuring shrug as he took a seat outside the office, prompting Ford to head in on his own. Of course, he was even more surprised to find both of his parents sitting in front of the principle’s desk, their expressions all unreadable and expectant as they turned to face him. Ford took in something of an anxious breath as he took the empty seat in between his parents, folding his hands tightly in his lap as they all waited to hear what the principle had to say.

“Now, Mr. Pines, I’d like to speak to you very frankly, if I may,” the principle began, his manner still just vague enough to make Ford worry about what they had all been called here for.

“Very frankly is the only way I speak,” Filbrick remarked as coldly as ever.

“When it comes right down to it, you have two sons here,” the principle said matter-of-factly. “One of them is incredibly gifted, the other one is standing outside of this room and his name is Stanley.”

Ford couldn’t help but frown upon hearing this, more than used to hearing others hail Stan as the lesser of the two of them by now, though that hardly meant he approved of it. But before he could say anything to correct the principle’s rather disrespectful claims, his mother cut in instead. “What are you saying?” she asked, appropriately confused.

“I’m saying your son, Stanford, is a genius!” the principle proclaimed with a wide grin. “All his teachers are goin’ bananas over his science fair experiment! Ya ever heard of West Coast Tech?” he asked, handing Ford a pamphlet to the aforementioned school. “Best college in the country. Their graduates turn science fiction into science fact! The admissions team is visiting tomorrow to check out Stanford’s experiment! Your son may be a future millionaire, Mr. Pines.”

Upon hearing this, Filbrick’s usually staunch, stoic expression lifted into what almost looked like a genuinely pleased, proud smile. “I’m impressed,” he noted, something that only amazed Ford even more than the news that he was even being considered for a college as prestigious as West Coast Tech. In all honesty, he had never really considered college much before, largely since he had always assumed that his future would entail him and Stan finishing their boat and traveling the world with it. But now, that first dream seemed to be replaced with a new one, much more exciting one, one where he could really put his excessively high intelligence into practice, where he could apply his already innate scientific knowledge, where he could possibly even figure out a way to change the world for the better. And even beyond that, perhaps West Coast Tech could be a place where he could learn to fit in, somewhere where his IQ would be appreciated instead of picked on, somewhere where he could finally belong.

By all accounts, it was far too good of an opportunity to pass up. And yet… it wasn’t all as simple as it initially seemed as he was quickly reminded of the reality of it all.

“But what about our little free spirit, Stanley?” Ma asked with genuine concern for her other son’s future. Concern that Ford felt as well as he remembered that he wasn’t all alone in this, or anything else really. After all, the promise him and Stan had made as kids still rang true: where they went, they went together. But how could they hope to do that now, when only one of them had this chance to excel while the other one wouldn’t be receiving any such offer?

“That clown?” the principle scoffed apathetically. “At this rate, he’ll be lucky to graduate high school. Look, there’s a saltwater taffy store on the dock, and somebody’s gotta get paid to scrub the barnacles off of it. Truth is, Stanford’s goin’ places, while Stanley’s not. But hey, look on the bright side; at least you’ll have one son here in New Jersey forever.”

Unbeknownst to anyone inside the office, Stan had happened to overhear just about all of this from eavesdropping on the other side of the door. And suffice to say that a vast majority of it proved to be quite the blow to not just his self-confidence, but his hopes for the future as well. As he sank down to sit against the door, he put his head in his hands, fear filling him over the possibility that Ford might actually act upon this opportunity, that he might actually jump at the chance to leave him behind and move on to bigger and better things. True, Ford had never voiced the desire to really leave Glass Shard Beach outside of their plans to set sail on the Stan O’ War someday, but still, it was a fear that Stan just couldn’t shake, no matter how implausible it might be. In fact, it was a worry he had always secretly harbored, the idea that Ford might someday want something more than what they had planned, that they might end up parting ways, that their dynamic duo would suddenly somehow fall apart. That without him, he’d be left friendless, stagnant, and alone.

Still, Stan couldn’t know for sure what Ford really intended on doing until later that evening, when the brothers finally found a peaceful moment alone on the swing set at the beach. As their parents had proudly celebrated the opportunity that had dropped into Ford’s lap after the meeting with the principle, Stan had mostly hung back from it all in apprehensive silence, something that he fretfully found his brother not even paying any mind as he instead spoke with clear excitement over everything West Coast Tech had to offer. Excitement that already gave Stan a pretty good idea about what his brother wanted to do, as much as it pained him to think about.

All the same, he forced out a small, sardonic laugh as they sat together on the swings, the crisp warmth of the spring evening making things seem lighter than they really felt. “Ha, joke’s on them if they think you wanna go to some stuffy college on the other side of the country,” Stan remarked, the slightest hint of bitterness in his tone. “Once we get the Stan O’ War finished, it’s gonna be beaches, babes, and treasure hunting for us until we’re a pair of crusty old men, right?”

Ford hesitated upon hearing this, looking up from the pamphlet in his hands to his brother with a small, almost bittersweet smile. “Look, Stan, I can’t pass up a chance like this,” he began, deciding to be perfectly honest, though he could tell Stan wasn’t a fan of the idea based on his worried manner alone. “This school has cutting edge programs and multi-dimensional paradigm theory.”

“Beep-boop, I am a nerd robot,” Stan mocked, pulling off a robot pose to buffer his increasing aggravation with his brother. “That’s you, that’s what you sound like right now.”

Despite this teasing, Ford let out a brief chuckle, more than used to Stan’s playful joking by now. “Well, if the college board isn’t impressed with my experiment tomorrow, then… ok, I’ll do the treasure hunting thing with you.”

“…And if they are?”

“Well, then, I guess you better come visit me on the other side of the country, you knucklehead,” Ford grinned warmly, giving his brother a light punch on the shoulder before standing up to head home. All the same, Stan lingered on the swings for a bit after that, refusing to share the same hopeful manner as his brother, for he saw no hope in any of this. The only thing he really could see was something unthinkable: a future where Ford was accepted into that college, where he gladly left and stayed, likely settling roots there and creating a successful life for himself as a result of his scientific accomplishments. And on the opposite end, there Stan would be, without much of a chance to make any name for himself, much less any kind of sustainable income, stuck in Glass Shard Beach forever, stuck in lonely obscurity forever, stuck without his brother forever.

His grip on the sides of the swing tightened as he glanced over at the Stan O’ War, still sitting in its constant spot in the sand just a few feet away. For most of his youth, he had such ambitious dreams of the two of them jumping onto that boat the moment it was seaworthy, sailing wherever the wind took them and standing by each other throughout it all. Stan had always thought that Ford had shared those dreams, that they wanted the same thing: to stay together, no matter where they were. But now, that clearly wasn’t the case; they wanted different things, they had different dreams, and in the end, they were going to go their separate ways, no matter how much Stan wanted to keep them together.

And it infuriated him.

In fact, it enraged him so much that he couldn’t think of going home for the night just to hear his parents laud praise upon Ford for the successful future that awaited him. He couldn’t think of facing his brother, who had every plan of leaving him behind without so much as a second thought. He couldn’t think of going really anywhere else but school, where he knew all of these sudden troubles had first began. The gym was strangely unlocked for the night, as well as devoid of any security that the school was too cheap to hire, which allowed Stan easy access inside, where all of the science fair experiments were already set up for the following day. He had no real intentions in mind as he paced down the rows of tables hotly, bitterly snacking on his bag of toffee peanuts and seething to himself as he tried in vain to figure out how in the world Ford could even entertain the thought of breaking up their perfect, life-long team. But then, as he approached his brother’s experiment, a very impressive perpetual motion machine Ford had configured and built all on his own as a show of his vast scientific capabilities, Stan quickly realized exactly how he could. Because it was always all so easy for Ford while it had always been a struggle for Stan. Because success had really always been dangling right in front of Ford’s face, and only now had he actually realized he could take it, but only to Stan’s detriment. Because clearly, Ford really was the better of the two, while Stan was anything but.

“Ugh! This is all your fault, you dumb machine!” he growled, pouring all of his mounting frustration into the experiment before him, the very thing that would certainly prove to be Ford’s ticket into West Coast Tech the following day. And as that frustration reached his height, Stan lashed out, slamming his fist down onto the table it was sitting on, only for the machine to react almost immediately to the blow. A small piece of metal on its side came clattering off, a slight plume of smoke rising up from its internal mechanisms as a result, showing that clearly, something was wrong with it. “Oh no!” Stan gasped, dropping his snack and instantly regretting his mistake as he frantically looked over the damaged machine. “W-what did I do?! I-I didn’t mean to-” He cut his initial panic off with a steadying gasp as he looked to the machine again, not having any idea about what to do to fix it other than simply reattaching the piece that had fallen off. “T-There,” he sighed, noting that the machine looked like it was running as it should be. “Alright, good as new. Probably.” Unsure of what else to do, Stan hurriedly put a nearby tarp over the experiment and promptly left, hoping that Ford wouldn’t notice. And really, how could he? After all, it was fixed, there was nothing to worry about. Except there was.

For the next day, Ford arrived to the gym just on time, well-dressed, ready and eager to meet with West Coast Tech’s admission board. He took in a deep, steadying breath as the stoic group approached, knowing that his entire future depended on this one, integral moment; still, he strangely wasn’t all too worried. He was certain that his perpetual motion machine would be more than enough to impress the board and grant him the highly coveted scholarship that would finally set him down a path far greater than any he had ever imagined before.

“Alright, kid,” the head advisee said, his tone rather cold as he looked to Ford, initially unimpressed. “Show us what you got.”

“O-ok,” Ford nodded, putting on the most confident smile he could muster. “Well, what if I told you that the future of technology was beneath this sheet?” His smile widened a bit as he removed the tarp from his experiment, only for the board members’ expressions to remain as apathetic as before.

“I’d say we wasted a car trip,” the head advisee remarked, glancing between Ford and his experiment in staunch disapproval.

“What?!” Ford flinched, quickly looking back towards his machine only to find that it was completely still, with not so much as even a spark of energy coursing through it whatsoever. “T-that’s impossible! It was stable yesterday! A-a fuse must have blown or something!”

“Kid, a perpetual motion machine has one job: to not stop,” the head advisee said, swiftly crossing Ford’s name off their candidate list. “I don’t think you’re West Coast material.”

Ford gasped at this, initially dumbfounded in disbelief as the board members walked off, taking his one chance for any real excellence with them. “N-no! Wait!” he pleaded desperately as he began to hurry after them. “Just give me another chance! I worked so hard! Please, I-” He stopped short as he happened to step on something lying on the gym floor: an empty bag of toffee peanuts. And while at first Ford hadn’t the faintest idea about how his machine might have suddenly malfunctioned at the very worst of times, as he picked that bag up, he had no doubts about what, or rather who had ruined everything for him in one fell swoop.

Despite his lingering worries concerning Ford and his experiment, Stan had mostly managed to push such worries out of his mind by that night. True, he was still dreading the inevitable revelation that Ford was accepted and that come next fall, he’d be gone, but even if that did happen, there was still some time. Perhaps a few months would be all he’d need to convince his brother to change his mind, a few months to finish the Stan O’ War and set out upon it, a few months for everything to return to the way it was supposed to be.

The only problem with such wishful thinking was that it was just that: wishful thinking.

For as Stan reclined on the living room couch casually paddle balling away while watching TV, he failed to hear Ford fiercely enter the house until his brother came to stand between him and the television, clearly seething with rage. “Hey, what’s the word, Sixer?” Stan asked with a smile of greeting, one that quickly faded into confusion upon seeing just how apparently furious his brother was.

“Care to explain what this was doing next to my broken project?!” Ford growled as he held the bag of toffee peanuts up, instantly telling Stan everything he needed to know about what had happened.

“Uh…. O-ok…” Stan began quite awkwardly as he stood, unsure of how to really explain it all in a way that wouldn’t set Ford off even more. “So, I might have… a-accidentally been horsing around, and-”

“This was no accident, Stan,” Ford snapped bitterly. “You did this! You did this because you couldn’t handle me going to college on my own and leaving you here all by yourself! And now because of you, any chances I had for getting into West Coast Tech are completely destroyed, just like my project!”

“Look, it was a mistake!” Stan countered earnestly. “I didn’t mean to bust your thing up, I-I promise!”

“Do you honestly expect me to believe you!?” Ford argued sharply, his hands in tight fists at his sides. “Ever since I got this offer yesterday, you’ve done nothing but complain about it and try to talk me out of it! Honestly, I should have expected you to try and sabotage me like this just to keep me tied down to you!”

“Whoa, hold on, what?!” Stan shot back, narrowing his eyes at his brother. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Up until yesterday, you seemed totally fine with being ‘tied down to me’, but when the first offer for something ‘better’ drops into your lap, you jump on it without a second thought! What, did you just forget that the two of us have spent our entire damn lives together or something?!”

“Well of course I haven’t! But be reasonable, Stanley! We’re almost adults, for crying out loud! Its time for both of us to move on and live our own lives! We can’t stay attached to each other at the hip forever!”

“Easy for you to say! You’re the one who’s actually going places! If they had let you into that fancy nerd school, then I would have been stuck here in boring, deadass New Jersey for rest of my life all by myself! But hey,” Stan let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair as he attempted to calm down. “If you think about it, m-maybe there’s a silver lining to all this, huh? Treasure hunting?”

Ford was silent for a moment upon hearing this, his expression awash in disbelief as he stared at his brother in shock over such a callous request before exploding in absolute anger. “Are you kidding me?! Why would I ever want to do anything with the person who sabotaged by entire future?!” At this, Ford found he could no longer contain his frustration as he acted upon it physically, shoving Stan hard back into the couch. Or rather, right into their father as he happened to enter the room, far from pleased over everything he’d just overheard.

“You did what, you knucklehead?!” Filbrick hissed, griping his son by the front of his shirt as he glared at him relentlessly.

“Stanley?” Ma asked tiredly as she entered the room, her young grandson bundled up and crying in her arms. “What’s goin’ on in here?”

“I’ll tell ya what’s goin’ on in here,” Filbrick remarked hotly, his threatening scowl enough to frighten Stan to the core. “Your little ‘free spirit’ here just ruined Stanford’s chances into getting’ into that fancy college! Ain’t that right?” he snapped over at Ford, who’s tune had quickly changed from anger into sudden fear over just how infuriated his father seemed to be.

“I-I… uh, w-well…” he stammered, looking between Filbrick, and Stan, who was silently, desperately pleading with him to disprove it. Something that, in light of just how much his brother had cost him, Ford found he simply couldn’t do.

“Ah, forget it,” Filbrick scoffed over his other son’s apprehensive silence. “I already heard the whole damn thing. Which means its time to do what I should’ve done a long time ago…”

“W-wait!” Stan begged as his father roughly dragged him downstairs. Ford gasped at this, unsure of what their father really intended on doing, which was why he promptly followed a safe distance behind them to see for himself. “No! I-I can’t explain! It was a mistake!”

“The only mistake around here is you!” Filbrick yelled as he tossed Stan outside onto the curb hard. “Your brother was gonna be our ticket out of this dump! All you ever do is lie and cheat and ride off your brother’s coattails. Well this time you cost our family potential millions! And until you make us a fortune, you ain’t welcome in this household!”

With this, Filbrick threw a full duffle bag at his now disowned son, showing not the slightest bit of empathy or pity as he prepared to slam the door on him. However, right before he could, Ford, acting on impulse alone, happened to intervene. “W-wait!” he exclaimed, stepped up behind his father. “D-Dad, you… you can’t… S-Stan wasn’t… he didn’t mean to-”

“Oh what? All the sudden you wanna defend him?” Filbrick scowled as he stood over his other son rather imposingly. “If ya feel so ‘sorry’ for him, then why don’t you just pack up and join him on the street seeing as how neither of you are ever gonna amount anything now that-”

“Filbrick!” Ma swiftly interupted as she stood at the end of the stairs, tears in her eyes despite her severe expression over her husband’s harsh actions. At this, Filbrick finally seemed to quell his rage, though just a bit as he turned to slam the door behind him, not sparing a word to either Stan or Ford as he solidified his decision.

“Wait, no!” Stan cried one last time as he scrambled to pick himself up off the ground. “Ford, tell him he’s being crazy!” He looked to his brother pleadingly, only to receive a look of both shame and betrayal all at once. Ford hung back, clearly terrified to rock the boat with their father again, lest he be kicked out just as Stan was, something that he understood well, but couldn’t take all the same. “F-Ford?” he tried once again as Ford slowly turned away from him, his shoulders hunched with regret as he refused to look his brother in the eye, even one last time. “D-don’t leave me hangin’… High six?” he offered his hand with a weak smile, one that was never returned as Filbrick finally slammed the door on him, shutting him out of his home, out of his family, just like that.

And for a moment, the most Stan could really even do in light of this was simply stand there, nearly on the verge of tears as he realized he had just lost everything in one fell swoop. Yet that wasn’t even the worst part of it all. The worst part, was that, despite his first meager attempt to stop this, in the end, Ford had still chosen everything else over him. Which meant that now, he really was all alone, just as he had feared.

“F-fine,” Stan began, forcing his grief out in place of anger as he gripped the bag his father had apparently packed for him in anticipation of kicking him out. Yet another sign of just how little he clearly meant to his own family, he assumed. “I can make it on my own! I don’t need you! I don’t need anyone!” he shouted back at the closed off house, hoping that his father and especially Ford could hear him. “I’ll make millions and you’ll rue the day you ever turned your back on me!” Without sparing any of them another word, Stan abruptly turn and got into his car, speeding away from his former home as fast as he could. All the same, before he turned off the block for good, he couldn’t help but spare one final, remorseful glance at everything he was leaving behind, knowing that despite his father’s refusal to listen to reason, despite his brother’s hesitance to stand up and defend him, despite all of the guilt he could just as easily place on everyone else, he only had himself to blame.

Which meant that the only one he could depend on to fix it all was himself.

And so, after a sleepless night spent in his car, Stan set out to do exactly that. With no real plan for sustaining himself in mind, he decided to go with the best thing he could think of: treasure hunting. Of course, the Stan O’ War was still a ways off from completion, and without Ford’s help, Stan doubted that it would ever really be seaworthy. So instead, he decided to begin his search for wealth right on Glass Shard Beach itself. Armed with only a metal detector, he began combing the shore, hoping that somewhere buried deep beneath it would be the treasure that would prove to his entire family that he was so much more than screw up they thought him to be. Unfortunately, despite his thorough efforts, the most the shore really had to offer were discarded cans and other such assorted litter, things that certainly weren’t going to get him anywhere close to rich any time soon.

What did have a chance at getting him rich was something Stan hadn’t really considered before, but was instantly inspired to do upon spotting a well-placed billboard near the beach: becoming a traveling salesman. With no home or family to tie him down any longer, Stan found that he was easily able to throw himself into the on-the-go entrepreneur lifestyle as he began his very first lone business venture: Stan Co. Enterprises. He worked out of his car, going door to door at first and selling home and personal products from vacuums to coat hangers to everything in between, all made out of the cheapest materials he could possibly amass so he could make the biggest profit possible in return. After he had made a decent amount of money, Stan began advertising his wares on late-night infomercial spots, which he was glad to see boosted his sales even more. However, what the young salesman hadn’t been anticipating was that his customers wouldn’t be satisfied with the rather poor quality of his wares. One item in particular, the Sham Total, caught the ire of its users, as, instead of removing stains like it was promoted to do, its cheap dye only served to make them much, much worse. Stan quickly learned about his customer’s frustration firsthand as they swarmed his market stand on the boardwalk as an angry mob, complete with riotous demands for refunds and pitchforks in hand. Fortunately for Stan, he had sold them said pitchforks, and they were all just about as faulty and defective as any other product he offered, which allowed him to make a clean getaway, without returning any of their money to them whatsoever.

Of course, such fraud and essential theft was highly illegal in the state of New Jersey, but Stan only narrowly avoided jailtime for it in exchange for never entered the state again. The young salesman hardly even cared as he left his home state for the last time, officially banned from it as he ventured into Pennsylvania, wisely changing his name so that he could keep his still-fledgling business intact. Still, Stan, or as he now referred to himself, Steve Pinington, had hardly learned his lesson when it came to selling defective products, for despite his Rip-Off brand bandages being advertised to not give users rashes, they did exactly that. After just a few short weeks, Stan was effectively driven out of Pennsylvania and onto the next state, changing his name yet again in the process.

And so things continued in a similar process for the next several years. After realizing that his attempts at playing entrepreneur weren’t working to make him much of a profit, Stan decided to try his hand at various other get rich quick schemes. From betting on horse races, to trying his hand at the lottery, to money laundering scams, to even getting involved with mobs and cartels, he tried just about everything he could think of to make his way in the world. Of course, getting a regular job would have been much easier, but he was quick to find that most places had no interest in hiring a high school dropout with a rapidly growing criminal history to his name, or rather names. It had been quite some time since he had gone by Stanley Pines, and in its place were several other conjured IDs thought up throughout his travels: Stetson Pinefied, Hal Forrester, Andrew “8-Ball” Alcatraz, and those were just a few of the false identities he fabricated, identities that allowed him to travel across the country, and in a few cases even outside of it, as he pleased. True, it wasn’t always easy; living out of his car was far from glamorous, money for food, or for anything else really, wasn’t often guaranteed, and he had made more than a few enemies in his misadventures, from law enforcement officers to thugs and gangsters. But even despite all of the struggles, he was his still own man, finally cut loose from being just “Ford’s brother” as he had been known throughout his entire youth. And while acting on his own and having to fight all his own battles carried plenty of problems of its own, Stan kind of preferred it like that.

After all, with no one in the world left to rely on, not even his own twin brother, that meant that the only one he could rely on was himself.

Present Day

Seeing that the kids in particular were rather overwhelmed by the lengthy story he was detailing for them, Stan decided to take a brief break, though only really to counter the sullen scowl Ford was sending his way. Even the Gems were just as quick to notice the tension between the two brothers, but neither of them really said anything on it seeing as how they were still very eager to learn what their apparent part in all of this was. Yet even so, they had been paying attention thus far, something that, out of all three of them, Pearl was the one to prove as she spoke up, giving the conman something of a critical frown.

“So I suppose all that time ‘on the run’ explains those fake IDs of yours we found?” she asked somewhat caustically.

“Oh, gee, I dunno, Pearl,” Stan deadpanned, clearly in no mood to contend with both her and Ford at the same time. “Maybe all those IDs belong to some other guy who got kicked out of his family and had to run around all over the country for over ten years just to get by.”

Pearl simply let out a disgruntled scoff upon hearing this, one that Ford lightly echoed as he shook his head in obvious disapproval of his brother’s sarcasm. Still, Stan hardly paid either of them any mind as he happened to glance over at Amethyst, who remained in sullen silence as she glared away from him, arms crossed and expression sour. He was half tempted to address her, to apologize from everything he had harbored from one of his closest friends for long, but before he could get the chance, Steven interjected.

“Wow…” he said with a sympathetic frown for Stan and Ford after pondering all they had just heard. “What happened between you guys… it’s… it’s really sad…”

“It sure is!” Mabel quipped just as fretfully before trying her best to perk up a bit. “I know exactly what you two little broken teacups need: to hug it out!” She grinned brightly, looking between the brothers as they stood a good distance away from each other, their backs turned and their expressions petulant as the refused to do anything of the sort. “Hug it out!” Mabel tried again, this time a bit less insistently as her smile started to falter. “H-hug train’s coming in the station! Hugapalooza! Two thousand!”

“Uh… m-maybe you guys just need a good example?” Steven offered a bit less excitably. “It’s easy, all you have to do is open your arms out wide and-” The young Gem finished by pulling both Mabel and Dipper into a sudden hug, one that the former gladly welcomed, despite her surprised blush, though the latter was by far less enthusiastic about.

“Ugh, you guys, come on,” Dipper scowled as he pulled himself away from the pair, averting their confused glances rather bitterly. “Knock it off. Now isn’t the time to be messing around, ok?”

“Aw, but come on, bro-bro, we were just-” Mabel found herself abruptly cut off by the hand her brother put up, making it quite clear that had no interesting in addressing either her or Steven at the moment. And they both had a heavy hunch about what the exact reason for such staunch avoidance really was, as much as it worried them both.  

Instead, Dipper turned his attention over to Ford since he was by far more curious about whatever the author’s intriguing, unknown past might have entailed than Stan’s history of lying and deceit. “So wait, what about you?” he asked curiously. “Did you end up going to your dreams school?”

Ford let out a rather frustrated sigh at this, paired with an irritated glare that was clearly intended for Stan in light of what had transpired between them years ago. “Not exactly…”

Early 1970s

Backupsmore University was far from being anything close to a prestigious college, placed in a small town only a few hours outside of Glass Shard Beach, with a subpar enrollment number and mediocre programs and facilities. However, given that his chances for getting into any ivy league school like West Coast Tech had been all but ruined, Ford had found that he really had no other choices when it came to his higher education. Backupsmore, while quite underwhelming, had at least offered him a decent academic scholarship, one that he begrudgingly took in the hopes that he could at least advance his future somehow. Besides, anything that got him out of Glass Shard Beach and out from his under father’s almost oppressively strict thumb, Ford considered to be a plus.

Still, that didn’t mean he was exactly excited about venturing off into his college career on his own. For the entire summer after Stan had been kicked out, Ford often found himself lost in a sea of unanswerable “what ifs”. What if he had been accepted into West Coast Tech? What if Stan hadn’t been kicked out? What if things between the two of them hadn’t been completely torn apart over one simple instance neither one of them could have ever really predicted?

Or more than that, what if he had the courage and the nerve to stand up to his father, to walk right out that door and join his brother in an uncertain, but still united future?

Truthfully, he’d never know. Because on that family-shattering night, Ford had made his choice, just as Stan had made his choice to take away his chances for a securely successful future out of spite. And his choice to walk alone and forge his own path to success was one he was determined to stand by, no matter what.

But all the same, forging that path was far from easy work. Ford threw himself into his studies from day one of his freshman year, relentlessly pouring over any book that came his way and acing every single exam he took. He quickly gained a reputation on campus as “the six-fingered genius”, as well as a plethora of other goading nicknames, though Ford paid none of them any mind. He had long since given up on the endeavor of a social life in favor of his academic pursuits, in which he was making great strides. It wasn’t always smooth sailing; Backupsmore didn’t often know how to handle a student as high preforming as Ford, but even so he managed to advance through his undergraduate program three years ahead of schedule, an outstanding record for anyone at the college by far. His graduate studies were every bit as successful, with tireless, sleepless days and nights spent working on his master’s thesis, one that was impressive enough to gain recognition and adulation on a national scale. By the time Ford finished his studies with multiple PhDs under his belt, the university awarded him with what was by far the highest honor he could have hoped for: a substantial grant for $100,000, intended to fund any research endeavor of his choice.

To Ford, it was like a dream come true. So much work, so much time, and so much effort, and through it all he had cultivated the means to finally go out and explore literally anything his heart desired. Excitement practically overwhelmed him in the weeks following graduation as he tried to figure out exactly what scientific pursuit he wanted to follow with this hefty grant. In all honesty, there were so many options available to him, from aerodynamic physics, to theoretical astronomy, to advanced robotics, and literally everything in between. And yet, as the fresh graduate pondered over his abundant choices, his mind often wandered back to his own six-fingered hands every time he so much as glanced down at them. Throughout his childhood and teen years, even a good portion of his college experience, his polydactylism had often been a stimulus of sour ridicule towards him from his peers. And yet… for as odd and sometimes off putting as he often say his apparent defect, Ford couldn’t deny that there was an element of unique strangeness to it, to the point that it could certainly be classified as an anomaly of sorts. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he was far from the only anomaly out there; certainly, the world was filled with incredibly strange things, the likes of which no one had ever seen before, just waiting to be discovered and studied and reported on by someone intrepid enough to seize such a challenge. And fortunately for Ford, he was more than intrepid and dedicated enough to take on such a bold, untapped field, all on his own.

With his mission in mind, all that was really left was for Ford to pick a base of operations for his research. Ideally, it would be somewhere where reports of oddities and bizarre sightings were common, highly concentrated even, so that his research could be contained to one set geographical place. And, after some intensive investigations, Ford eventually managed to pinpoint a place that had exactly that, a small Oregonian town, one that rarely even made an appearance on most maps at all, yet by all accounts, seemed to be home to countless unknown anomalies never seen or heard of before:

Gravity Falls.

And so, that’s exactly where he went. With his grant check in his pocket and purpose in his heart, Ford set out on the long, cross-country drive to Oregon, ready to begin his search for the unknown. Upon his initial arrival, Gravity Falls didn’t seem that notable; just a little lumberjack town, nestled within a cozy little valley of deep pine forests and populated by what appeared to be average, unassuming people. However, as the young researcher drove in closer to the town, he happened to notice one particular facet about it that made him pull his car to a stop and stare in apt amazement.

From an initial glance, it appeared to be some sort of statue, rising high above the town from the tall cliff face it was carved into. The statue was carved into the shape of a woman, massive and stately, with several arms with palms held up towards the sky, and a mask of two stoic, yet steadfast faces. Needless to say that Ford was completely awestruck upon seeing such a monument, and already, his curiosity was peaked for whatever secrets it, as well as the rest of this seemingly normal town might hold.

In fact, his interest about this statue was so peaked that he ended up purchasing a plot of land in the forest just down the hill from it to build his new home, or rather, his base of operations on. His grant money would be more than enough to cover the construction costs, leaving Ford to begin his initial investigations. Of course, he didn’t have to look very far for any strangeness, for not but a day after he had arrived, a massive, wooden hand emerged from the depths of the forest and swept his car away entirely. While normally, he would have been distraught or even outraged at the loss of his main method of transportation, Ford couldn’t have been any more excited by this sign that truly, something bizarre, maybe even supernatural lurked within this odd little town.

In fact, as the days passed on into weeks, Ford only began to spot even more oddities betwixt the forests of Gravity Falls, to the point that it was quickly becoming clear that he wouldn’t be able to keep the reports of his findings restrained to the small notebook he had brought along with him. And so, in order to properly document the fascinating strangeness he happened across every day, the young researcher decided it would be best to chronicle it all within a series of journals-

Present Day

“AHHHH!”

Ford cut his ongoing narration off at this absolutely elated squeal, one that had, much to everyone’s surprise, had come from Dipper. “The journals!” he exclaimed, heavily excited over the mere mention of the long-unknown origin of the trio of books. His enthusiasm quickly quelled into embarrassment however, upon noticing that the others were all looking to him rather awkwardly, all of them apparently caught off guard by his interruption, including the author himself.

“Oh, uh… s-sorry,” Dipper quickly apologized, suppressing a flustered blush as he averted eye contact with the others. “I-I, um, just got… kinda excited there… a-about the journals… k-keep… keep talking.”

Another beat of tentative silence passed in light of this, but it soon came to an end as Ford continued right where he had left off. “So as I was saying, I began to keep a journal-”

“AHHHHH!” Dipper inadvertently interupted Ford once again, unable to contain his excitement over the books even a second time, though he forced himself to be calm as Garnet patiently shushed him so Ford could go on.

“Just going to ignore that,” the author said staunchly as he dove right back into telling his compelling tale.

1970s

With his journals serving as the idea way to document all of the countless anomalies he came across, Ford finally began to investigate the unique oddities of Gravity Falls in depth, and he was far from disappointed with what he saw. From floating eyeballs, to cursed doors, to even the surprisingly large population of gnomes dwelling deep within the woods, the unexpectedly incredible little town had so much strangeness to offer, both supernatural and otherwise. And yet, for all of the anomalies he found on his frequent forays deep into the forest, there was still one mystery that baffled the young researcher as the weeks of his time there passed into months. A mystery that was only a short walk right up the hill from his very own home.

And after months of being preoccupied by smaller, more cursory explorations, Ford decided that perhaps it was finally time to look into that massive, almost ethereal statue for himself. He started his investigation by asking around town about it, but none of the rumors he heard seemed to bear much weight, including whispers of women who changed their shape and could pull weapons out of stones on their bodies. So in light of having so little to go off of, Ford decided on one crisp autumn day that if he wanted answers to this curiosity hanging almost literally right over his head, he’d just have to find them for himself.

While the young researcher wasn’t exactly sure what he had been expecting to find, what he ended up encountering during that trudge up the hill towards the statue gave him quite a scare. For as he was writing down some cursory notes in his journal on his way up to the statue, Ford suddenly found himself pushed abruptly to the ground by a creature that was quite unlike any he had encountered in Gravity Falls thus far. It was a large, lumbering monster, with multiple limbs and a semi-gelatinous form, though what was quite interesting about it was the fact that it possessed what appeared to be some kind of sparkling stone in place of where its face should have been. For a moment, the most Ford could do was stare at this creature in both amazement and fear as it stood over him, growling ferally, but as quickly as it had pinned him down, it reared up on its hind legs, ready to crash down hard. And yet, before it could, something bright, fast, and pink rammed into its side, abruptly shoving it off the frightened young researcher. As disoriented as he was, Ford only had a moment to pick himself up into a sitting position and readjust his askew glasses before looking over to his saviors, who only managed to baffle him even more.

A group of four women had descended seemingly out of nowhere, each of them bearing some form of deadly combat weapon as they fought the gelatinous creature head on. The smallest of the bunch, short and almost childlike in statue and oddly predominantly purple in coloration, lashed a spiked whip out at the beast, wrangling it down securely. This gave her supposed teammate, a lithe, limber woman with porcelain white skin and a smooth stone of the same color on her forehead, a chance to swoop in with a courageous battle cry, a spear in hand as she skewered the monster down to the ground. From there, another one of the group, a taller woman with a cubical black afro and heavily-fortified battle gauntlets, delivered a powerful right hook to the creature, further incapacitating it to allow the last member of this apparent team to finish the job. By her presence alone, it was easy to tell that she was the leader, tall yet oddly genteel in her appearance, from her elegant white gown to her mass of pink, perfect ringlet curls as she stepped forward almost solemnly, an impressive claymore of a blade in one hand and a shimmering shield over her other. And then, as she stood right before the writhing creature, she lashed out, her sword cleanly hitting its mark; with a simple twist of the blade, the monster’s form completely dissipated, leaving only its bizarre stone behind. The pink-haired woman placed her hand over it, somehow forming a small, shimmering bubble around it before making it disappear into thin air before she turned to address her teammates.

“Excellent work, Gems!” she congratulated warmly, the other three clearly soaking up her adulation as their weapons seemed to vanish in bursts of sparkles. “It hardly took us any time at all to beat that one! Like I always say, its easier when we work together.”

“It certainly is…” the pale woman grinned proudly, intertwining her hand with her leaders, much to the smallest member’s playful annoyance.

“Aw, c’mon, Pearl, if you wanna have your ‘special time’ with Rose, then get a room,” she remarked, teasingly sticking her tongue out, much to the pale woman’s embarrassment. Still, the other two let out amused chuckles at this, though the second tallest one stopped short upon spotting Ford, who was still stuck on his spot as he started at them in immense awe and curiosity to learn more about these mysterious warrior women.

“Rose,” the taller Gem nudged her leader’s free arm, nodding in the young researcher’s direction. At this, the pink haired woman glanced over her shoulder, surprised at first, though her admittedly lovely expression soon broke out into a wide, cordial grin.

“Oh! Hello, there!” she greeted brightly as she turned to face him fully, revealing the bright pink gemstone where her exposed naval would have been. All the same, she headed over to him, her teammates following close behind as she extended a hand out to help him up. “I hadn’t noticed that monster was attacking a human! Looks like we got here just in time. Are you alright?”

For a moment, Ford couldn’t seem to find any words to say to the impressive woman before him, largely since he was so awestruck by whatever she apparently was. Of course, she had set the distinction herself that she wasn’t human, despite her very human-like appearance, which only made him wonder about her and her friends all the more as he took her hand somewhat apprehensively. “Uh, I-I… um… n-no—I-I mean, y-yes! Yes, I am,” he nodded as he rose to stand somewhat unsteadily, surprised by just how small he felt compared to the very tall woman before him.

“Pfft, doesn’t look alright,” the small, purple girl remarked with a sly sneer as she elbowed her paler teammate. “Pretty sure this one’s broken, don’t ya think, Pearl?”

“Oh please, Amethyst,” the pale woman scoffed, crossing her arms as she stole a somewhat disdainful glance at the young researcher. “Humans can’t break, isn’t that right, Rose?”

“Well, they can,” the pink haired woman chuckled. “But I don’t think this one is, are you?”

“Um… I don’t… believe so…” Ford replied, rather confused by such an odd question. In all honesty, he wasn’t entirely sure how to properly carry himself in front of such odd, yet ethereal women, but all the same, they seemed friendly enough. Which was a relief given some of the more dangerous creatures lurking in the woods around Gravity Falls.

“Could’ve fooled us,” the second tallest Gem remarked, her tone staunch and stoic.

“So, you got a name, not-broken human?” the purple girl asked quite casually, rocking back and forth on her feet.

“Oh, I-I… it’s Stanford. Stanford Pines,” he said as solidly as he could, extending a hand out for them to shake. The women were apparently not accustomed to this standard greeting practice, but the small one let out a surprised gasp as she suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled it down a bit, much to Ford’s alarm.

“Whoa! You guys, check this out!” she exclaimed, her expression awash in amazement. “This human’s got an extra finger!”

Upon being called out for this, Ford was quick to pull his hand away, his cheeks lighting up in a flustered red as he tried his best to conceal his hands, though the pink haired woman extended hers out to him, a small, eager smile on her face all the while. “Can I see?” she asked, her tone curious, warm even. Warm enough to, for whatever reason, convince Ford to hold his hand out for her to get a better look. “Oh, wow! It’s true!” she gasped, her smile widening as she looked back up to Ford, clearly impressed. “How remarkable! I’ve never seen a human with six fingers before! This really is something special, don’t you agree, Gems?”

The smaller and the taller women both nodded with intrigued smiles, though the paler one lingered close to their leader, giving Ford a critical, almost suspicious glance until she met the pink haired woman’s bright smile, making her harsh manner fizzle somewhat. “Mm… I suppose it’s… somewhat interesting,” she remarked dryly. “For a human that is…”

While Ford was somewhat confused by her strangely cold attitude, he couldn’t deny how caught off guard he was by the other three women. Specifically by the fact that they seemed rather amazed by his polydactylism rather than put off by it, which of course, only made him want to know more about these so called “Gems”. “Um… forgive me if this sounds a bit rude,” Ford began, his stone till somewhat uncertain. “But… what exactly are the four of you?”

“Oh! I’m sorry!” the pink haired woman laughed. “I were so fascinated by you that I didn’t even think to introduce us! Well, this is Amethyst,” she nodded down to the purple girl, who smirked wryly as she waved up to the young researcher. “That’s Garnet,” she placed a hand on the taller Gem’s shoulder as she greeted him with a casual nod. “And this is Pearl,” she smiled to the pale woman clinging tightly to her, still refusing to so much as even smile at Ford for some unknown reason. “And I’m Rose Quartz,” she finished sweetly, though her expression took on a bit of resolve as she motioned to the entire group. “And we’re the Crystal Gems!”

“Crystal… Gems?” Ford asked with a confused frown, taking another glance down at the gemstone on Rose’s stomach. “As in… gemstones?”

“In a sense…” Rose nodded, prompting Garnet to hold up her gem-bearing palms and for Amethyst to pull her top down a bit, revealing the gem on her chest. Pearl huffed impatiently as she pointed to the stone on her own head, allowing Ford to see that all four of these Gems were exactly that: Gems.

“Incredible…” Ford mused in apt amazement as he pulled out his journal and hurriedly began taking down notes. “Sentient humanoid gemstones! And the four of you fight monsters like that on the regular?”

“Yes,” Garnet nodded, quite sparse with her words.

“We just so happen to be the protectors of this town, the ones responsible for keeping it, as well as this entire planet, safe from harm,” Pearl remarked somewhat snidely, casting a brief, unfavorable glance down at Ford’s journal as he eagerly continued writing. “By the way… w-whatever you said your name was, you got to ask us a question, so now its our turn. What exactly is that?” she nodded to the journal as the young researcher happened to glance up from it.

“Oh, this?” he smiled, somewhat oblivious to the white Gem’s dry tune as he held the book up for the Gems to see. “It’s a journal that I’ve been using to take notes of all of the supernatural oddities I’ve come across in this town.”

“Uh… why do that?” Amethyst asked, rather confused as Ford handed the journal off to Rose so she could get a better look at it. “You could just go outside and look at all the weird stuff around here; that’s way easier than writin’ it all down.”

“Well, that’s because I’m a scientific researcher,” Ford proclaimed rather proudly. “I came here a few months ago and set up shop just down the hill,” he nodded to his house, which was still in sight at the bottom of the hill. “In order to study whatever strange, bizarre, or downright confounding anomalies Gravity Falls has to offer before one day sharing my findings with the world!”

“Hm… so that’s where that unsightly little building came from…” Pearl muttered, still somewhat cross.

“Anomalies?” Rose questioned with a soft, but enthusiastic gasp. “You’re here to figure out what makes this town so unique too? We’ve been looking into the exact same thing for over 100 years now!”

“Rose, are you sure we should-” Pearl attempted to intervene, though she was quickly cut off.

“Really?” Ford asked, very intrigued to hear that someone else shared his immense curiosity when it came to the odd facets of the town.  

“Of course!” the pink Gem smiled warmly. “Come with us to our temple, its right up the hill. We’d be more than happy to tell you, or rather show you everything we’ve learned so far!”

“Rose-” Pearl tried once more, appalled that her liege would make such an offer out of the blue.

“O-oh, well I’d be honored to!” Ford complied excitedly, gladly following after Rose as she began to lead the way up to the massive statue.

“B-but Rose!” the white Gem protested once more, though her frustration fell on deaf ears as Rose and Ford had already launched into conversation about the mysteries of Gravity Falls. Pearl let out a disgruntled sigh, far from happy about having yet another human around, especially since that was a problem she hadn’t really had to worry about much during their tenure in Gravity Falls. Of course, Amethyst only managed to rub salt in the wound as she skipped past her teammate, letting out a teasing laugh as she did.

“Aw, Pearl, I dunno what you’re so upset about,” she smirked as she flipped over to walk on her hands. “Looks like we got another huge nerd around here, so you and Science Man should get along great!”

“Amethyst…” Pearl grumbled bitterly as the purple Gem ran off, though as Garnet passed by her she paused to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” she said, adjusting her shades. “This one isn’t going to end like you think it will.”

Pearl’s angry expression lightened into a look of both surprise and confusion upon hearing this, but Garnet didn’t bother elaborating as she continued on ahead. “G-Garnet, wait!” the white Gem exclaimed, running after her teammate, anxious and hopeful all at once. “What does that mean? Garnet!”

Even from their initial meeting, it was easy for anyone to see that Rose and Ford had hit it off. They spent several hours sitting up near the entrance to the Gems’ obviously mystical temple, exchanging stories of the anomalies they had each encountered during their time in Gravity Falls thus far. While Pearl wasn’t initially interested in joining in on the conversation, Amethyst and Garnet did, interjecting with their own observations occasionally, all of which Ford made mental notes on to investigate further. The young researcher was so invested in this riveting discussion with these fascinating women that he found it hard to pull himself away and back down to his house, but eventually he did, though he left with the assurance that he could continue this exchange of information with the Gems tomorrow. A meeting that he gladly showed up to the following day. And the day after that. And the day after that.

In fact, nearly every day onward, Ford and the Gems encountered each other in some way shape or form, be it formal meetings or chance encounters as they explored the supernatural oddities of Gravity Falls on their own. In light of how many times they ran into each other, Ford and Rose eventually reached a conclusion: the five of them would be much more effective working together in their pursuit of knowledge than they were apart. And so, they decided to form something of a partnership, one in which they set out as a collective force, thoroughly searching the wilds of Gravity Falls for anything interesting they might find.

Researching alongside the Gems, Ford found himself learning more than he ever had about the supernatural than he had when he had worked alone. Rose knew the valley well, and she seemed to be on generally good terms with most of the strange creatures that lived therein, who were all naturally trusting of her kind, gentle nature. The in she provided him with greatly aided the young researcher, allowing him to investigate these anomalies up close and personal, granting him with so much new information that his initial journal all too quickly filled, prompting him to resort to a second one and eventually, even a third.

Of course, the longer he studied alongside Rose and the Gems, the more variety Ford saw in the oddities Gravity Falls seemed to innately possess. From unicorns to ghosts to even the egg to a bizarre, shapeshifting creature they had found, the supernatural was abundant in the backwoods town. Practically every new discovery left Ford and Rose both besides themselves with excitement, their zeal for learning more about the world around them completely parallel and passionate.

And through that zeal and passion, a deep, genuine friendship had formed through their initial partnership, one that both of them valued highly. An undeniable bond of trust came to exist between the pink Gem and the young researcher, to the point that any time they were in each other’s company, they were essentially as content as they could be.

Though it took a bit longer for the other Gems to warm up to Ford as Rose so quickly had, in time, they did as well. Amethyst was eager and curious, particularly when it came to what she had dubbed as “human things”, to the point that every time she stepped foot in Ford’s house, he often spent most of his time explaining to her what things like a radio or a refrigerator were. In something of a bittersweet way, her rouge, careless attitude sometimes reminded him a bit too much of Stan… but every time such thoughts of his distanced brother came to mind, Ford was quick to push them away.

Garnet was a bit of an interesting case, often silent and stoic and firm in words and action. For the first few months, Ford found it rather hard to strike up a conversation with her, that is until he learned of her unique ability in foresight, what she commonly referred to as future vision. From then on, the young researcher often found himself coming to Garnet for statistics and probability, things that she was rather adept at; such scientific inquiries soon led to the occasional offhand joke or complimentary remark between the two, forming a casual camaraderie as time went on.

Of course, it took the longest amount of time for Ford to form an actual working relationship with Pearl, who continued to show her initial unexplained bitterness towards him for even up to a year after they met. The white Gem refused to explain her reasoning for it and the young researcher never really thought to ask, even despite Rose patiently encouraging that they try to work together and get along. However, if there was one thing both Ford and Pearl could agree on, it was their love of science. While there were plenty of times where they’d argue over equations and theory, on the rare occasion when they’d agree on something, they’d do so with a surprising amount of forbearing and understanding. And as time went on, that understanding only seemed to grow as they continued sharing their mutual affinity for physics, astronomy, cryptozoology and more, to the point that something of a loose, compliant colleagueship began to form, one that, in time, eventually became a full-fledged friendship.

With such trust and companionship existing between Ford and the Gems, it didn’t take long for Rose to begin opening up on their end of things. For much like all of the other strange facets of Gravity Falls, the Crystal Gems were something of an anomaly in and of themselves, and the more Ford learned of their origins and their abilities, the more amazed he was. By far, the most incredible thing about them was the fact that they were actually essentially extraterrestrials, with origins going back to a mysterious planet called Homeworld, a place that none of them spoke too fondly of. The young researcher quickly discovered the reasoning behind this disdain upon learning the largely unknown history of the ancient war the Crystal Gems had fought against their home planet for the safety and freedom of the Earth, a battle long fought and hard won, but won nonetheless. Of course, history wasn’t all the Gems told Ford about; their biology was quite amazing, with regenerative properties and internal sustainability that set them quite apart from humans. Rose eagerly introduced the young researcher to a plethora of Gem-related concepts, from their shapeshifting abilities, to their weapon summoning, to their unique capacity to combine their forms in a process referred to as fusion, so even the various magical pocket dimensions contained within their illustrious temple. By and large, Ford found these discoveries to be some of the most fascinating ones he’d made during his time in Gravity Falls, and he readily documented everything he could concerning the Crystal Gems across all three of his journals.

Overall, Ford found the Gems’ help to be invaluable to his research, and their companionship to be more than he could have ever asked for. Amongst Garnet’s confidence, Amethyst’s playfulness, Pearl’s zeal, and Rose’s kindness, the young researcher realized he was in a place and position that made him happier than he could really ever recall being. After a whole life of what felt like unsteadiness and uncertainty, he had finally dug his roots among company that openly and warmly accepted him for who he was. Within the incredible strangeness of Gravity Falls and between the friendship of the equally amazing Crystal Gems, Ford knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was exactly where he belonged.

And yet… something was still missing.

Nearly six years and come and gone in a bright rush of new discoveries and exciting experiences since Ford had first arrived in Gravity Falls, but even despite his immense contentment there, several questions still hung at the back of his mind almost continually. Namely, why was Gravity Falls such a hotspot for the strange and the supernatural in the first place? Why did such oddities all seem to congregate to this one geographic place in particular? Where did these anomalies even originate from? And beyond all of that, were the answers to such questions even possible to find at all?

The more Ford pondered these wonderings on his own, the more frustrated he became by his own lack of any concrete answers for them. And so, one day he decided to take them to the Crystal Gems, hoping that, with their lengthy presence in the town, they’d have some useful insight on the matter.

“Why is Gravity Falls so strange…?” Rose repeated Ford’s initial question as she paced around his living room, the researcher and the other Gems all standing by expectantly. “That’s… a very good question…”

“A… question that you have some leads on, perhaps?” Ford ventured with a hopeful smile.

Rose took pause at this, taking a moment to exchange something of a stiff glance with her teammates before responding somewhat sheepishly. “Er… not exactly…”

“We’ve been trying to figure that out for decades now,” Pearl added, crossing her arms. “But it seems like no matter how hard we look, we never get any closer to finding any actual reasons as to why Gravity Falls is so bizarre compared to any other place on Earth. It’s been… aggravating, to say the least.”

“You don’t think there’s something you all might have… missed in your investigations, do you?” the researcher pressed, driven to get answers, as always.

“Nah, we’ve looked just about everywhere,” Amethyst remarked as she dropped down from the rafters, one of her favorite places to nap. “We’re just as stumped as you are, Science Man.”

“Perhaps this is something we’re not meant to know,” Garnet remarked, leaning against the nearby doorframe.

“B-but there has to be a reason!” Ford exclaimed fervently, pulling out his recently completed second journal and flipping through its pages. “All of this strangeness can’t just come from nothing!”

“Well wherever it does come from, we haven’t the faintest idea,” Pearl said, shaking her head empathetically. “Sorry, Stanford.”

“I can’t believe this…” Ford huffed, frustrated more with himself than he was with any of the Gems. After all, it was hardly their fault that this mysterious seemed so elusive. “Six years and three journals worth of research and I’m still no closer to finding answers than when I started! How is it so hard to figure out? How are all of these anomalies connected? And why here, of all places?!”

“It’s nothing to feel bad about, Stanford,” Rose interjected, placing a steadying hand on her partner’s shoulder as she offered him a small, reassuring smile. “After all, we’ve already discovered so many incredible, wonderful things here, and that’s something we should be proud of. Something that you should be proud of. And who knows? I’m sure if we keep looking, then one day we’ll find those answers you’re looking for. Together.”

Ford let out something of a disappointed sigh at this, but he found he was unable to remain upset for too long upon meeting the pink Gem’s warm, comforting smile. One that he only halfheartedly returned as he readjusted his lab coat with a hint of renewed resolve. “Hm, yes, well,” the researcher nodded staunchly. “In the meantime, I think what I need is to clear my head for a bit. A short walk in the woods might do me some good…”

“Oh, would you like us to go with you?” Rose asked with a willing smile.

“Normally I would,” Ford partially returned her grin as he escorted the Gems out. “But I think I’ll be fine on my own. And of course, if I manage to happen upon anything new out there, then you’ll be the first to know.”

Rose beamed at this, nodded in warm acceptance as the other Gems began the trek back up to the temple. Before she joined them, however, she stopped short, turning to Ford one more time as her expression turned a bit more sincere. “I meant what I said, Stanford,” she said, firmly, yet kindly. “I know you have what it takes to figure this out. It may seem impossible now, but I’ve seen humans overcome impossible odds before. And if there’s anyone who’s capable of doing just that, it’s you.”

Ford finally smiled fully at this, his spirits lifted by the pink Gem’s clear confidence in him, as often was the case. While still worried about his chances in solving Gravity Falls’ greatest secrets, at the very least, he could trust that he’d have her help in every step of the way. Which was why he fully meant what he said as he turned to head off into the woods before him, where one of his most life-changing discoveries yet was about to be found. “Thank you, Rose.”

The Gems were rather confused by Ford calling them down to his house for a very early meeting the next day, but immediately upon arriving, they could tell he was beside himself with excitement as he rushed about, preparing everything necessary before he began. And when he did, he started off with an elated announcement that he had, through what he only described as “divine intervention”, at last come across a lead as to how they might uncover the truth behind Gravity Falls’ strange properties. The Gems listened intently as the researcher presented his theory that the anomalies the town was so highly populated with came not from Gravity Falls itself, or even from their own dimension itself; but rather, they came from some other plane of existence, a dimension of weirdness that had somehow torn into Gravity Falls and leaked its strange anomalies into the town itself. Ford purposed that the only way to truly understand the connection between these two dimensions was to access this strangeness at its source: by constructing a machine, a portal namely, that could serve as a gateway to this world of weirdness that it all seemed to come from. And fortunately, the researcher had happened to come up with blueprints for such a machine, apparently all on his own.

Upon hearing all this, the Gems were somewhat skeptical to say the least. The vast majority of the explanation went over Amethyst’s head, while Pearl wondered if such a massive endeavor would even be feasible at all. Garnet admitted that her future vision gave her no clear answers as to what might happen if they went through with this project, and even Rose seemed somewhat hesitant, voicing her concern over what might happen if the Earth tried to connect itself to some distant, unknown world, much like what Homeworld had tried to do to it centuries ago. Ford was quick to placate her worries, however, by assuring her that this was vastly different from the now-defunct galaxy warp she had shown him on multiple occasions. And with this assurance and the trust Rose placed in it, she soon readily jumped on board, the other Gems following suit as they agreed to assist Ford with this project in any way they could, all in the hopes that they’d finally uncover the truth they had so long been searching for.

Of course, even in the midst of planning, the intrepid group was quick to realize just how arduous of a task this was going to be. They would require rare, fortified materials, ones that were not commonly purchased, and even they were, they’d be more than Ford could reasonably buy with what was left of his grant money. And while the Gems presented a suitable solution to that problem, there was still the issue of engineering. Pearl was rather well versed in the subject, but not necessarily to the extent that the portal would require, and Ford found himself falling short in the field himself, even despite his extensive studies in other sciences. Fortunately though, the researcher knew exactly who to recruit for the task: a former classmate and close friend he had made during his time at Backupsmore, Fiddleford McGucket.

Despite his obvious rural southern upbringing, Fiddleford was, by all accounts, completely brilliant when it came to engineering and mechanics. After graduation, Ford had remained in touch with him, and had learned that he had moved to California with his longtime sweetheart, settling down in Palo Alto to raise a young son in a nice home. Of course, Ford questioned his friend’s apparent dream of starting a portal personal computer company, believing that such an invention would certainly never catch on and that Fiddleford was largely wasting his impressive talents. But all the same, he was delighted to hear the mechanic’s solid agreement to journey up to Gravity Falls for a time to assist in the portal’s construction, ready to lend his skills to the effort wherever needed.

However, what Ford hadn’t made Fiddleford aware of prior to his arrival in Gravity Falls, was that they wouldn’t be alone in working on the project. The mechanic was somewhat caught off guard by the Gems at first, who welcomed him warmly as soon as they heard he was a friend of Ford’s. But as overwhelmed as he initially was, Fiddleford soon enough formed a loose camaraderie with the four of them, nothing as close as what Ford had with them, but still it was a mutually working relationship nonetheless. The researcher noticed that he worked well with Pearl in particular, the two of them passionate for their engineering craft as they collaborated on fixing up the final touches on the blueprints for the portal. And, once they had gathered the necessary supplies and everything was checked and double checked and even triple checked, the construction for the machine finally commenced.

They had decided to build it right underneath Ford’s house, in a deep, almost cavernous basement lab the Gems helped him dig out even prior to Fiddleford’s arrival, in preparation for this project. It was a spacious place, one that gave them more than enough seclusion to work on the portal unfettered by any external forces. The Gems’ physical strength was a massive asset in the physical labor of the construction, to the point that they even sometimes utilized fusions to get the bigger jobs done. Many a sleepless night was spent putting it together, the blueprints serving as their guide for what they were optimistic, almost certain even, would be their key to a world unknown. A world that certainly must have been filled with endless discoveries and possibilities just waiting to be found.

But in reality, it would be the key to a world that was anything but that.

After almost a year of tireless work and seemingly endless preparations, the portal was finally complete and functional. Of course, before anyone even thought of venturing through it to see what lay beyond its wall of radiantly glowing energy, it would need to be tested extensively to ensure everything was in safe, working order. And, despite some whispers of worries and concerns going in, the collective group met in the portal room one night, prepared to do just that.

They had wisely decided to send a dummy into the portal first, one that was tethered to their reality by a rope in the event that they could pull it back over as needed. The Gems hung close by as the portal roared to life, the mock representations of their gemstones glowing upon it as proof of their hand in its creation. At the same time, Ford and Fiddleford approached the safety line before the machine, a dummy held between them as they prepared to toss it in. There was an admirable amount of tension hanging within the room, tension that had been accumulating amongst the group for quite some time as a result of a number of current, alarming events. The one who was by far the most vocal about his anxieties concerning the project was Fiddleford, to the point that his ongoing pessimism and doubts had partially passed onto the Gems as well. Ford couldn’t help but be somewhat frustrated with their lack of resolve, including Rose’s as she had pulled him aside only a few hours prior and asked him if he was entirely certain he wanted to go through with this, a look of obvious dread on her expression clear. Of course, the researcher had quickly pushed her worries aside, assuring her that everything would go exactly according to plan and he meant it. He had come to far to back down now, when the answers he had searched so long for where finally within his reach. He wasn’t about to give up the chance to achieve greatness beyond his wildest dreams just because of a few unfounded fears and superstitions. He was a scientist; and after tonight, he’d be a great one.

And so, without any further deliberations, Ford and Fiddleford let the dummy go, the portal’s artificial gravity field pulling it forward towards its central glow. However, what none of them had anticipated was that the rope tying the dummy down would accidentally end up wrapping itself around Fiddleford’s leg just as the dummy glided towards it. The mechanic let out a fearful cry as he lurched forward as well, one that startled Ford and the Gems as they rushed to try and rescue the now airborne Fiddleford.

“Wait!” Ford exclaimed to the Gems as he tightly gripped the rope, noticing that they were all running forward towards the portal to try and save Fiddleford, who was now partially within the portal itself. “Stay back, its too dangerous!”

“For you, maybe!” Pearl retorted hotly, knowing that they couldn’t just leave the mechanic to his doom.

“But not for us!” Rose finished boldly, instructing her other teammates with a nod. Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst rushed to grab the remainder of the rope behind Ford, all four of them giving it a mighty pull.

“W-we got you, buddy!” Ford shouted to Fiddleford, whose limbs were flailing wildly as his head remained on the other side of the portal. Fortunately, with the Gems’ help, he was able to swiftly yank the mechanic out of the machine and back into their dimension. As he began to fall back to the ground, Rose readily jumped to catch him, securely doing so before landing near the others and gently putting Fiddleford down. Ford and the other Gems were quick to group around him, though Rose held up a hand to stop them, her eyes already wet with healing tears in case they were needed.

“Give him some space,” she advised calmly, nodding down to the clearly shell-shocked mechanic sprawled across her lap. His eyes were huge, his pupils absolutely dilated as he seemed to stare up at nothing at all amidst his frantic, hurried breathing, near-constant trembling, and frantic, full-body twitching. While initially quite concerned for his friend’s wellbeing, Ford quickly got to the point that he was unable to contain his curiosity about what lay on the other side of the portal as he inched forward a bit, leaning down next to Fiddleford as he took his hand tightly.

“What is it? Is it working?” he pressed anxiously, ignoring the mechanic’s ongoing panic attack. “What did you see in there?!”

Fiddleford flinched at this, his twitching growing wildly out of control as he finally spoke. However, as he did, his words were a jumbled mess of nonsense that none of them could even hope to decipher: “VOTMZRIG IVSKRX OORY!”

“Fiddleford?” Ford asked, his worry returning as he exchanged a confused glance with Rose. However, before of them could try and figure out what was going on, Fiddleford suddenly sat up, his manner stark, almost robotic even as he continued staring forward, his eyes huge as he muttered something that left them all in absolute bewilderment.

“When gravity falls and earth becomes sky, fear the beast with just one eye…”

“Beast with one eye…?” Rose repeated, her brow furrowing in worried confusion upon hearing this.

“Fiddleford, get ahold of yourself,” Ford urged, placing a steadying hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You’re not making any sense.”

Fiddleford finally seemed to snap back to his senses at this, though he was hardly at ease as he jerked his shoulder out of Ford’s grip and sent the researcher a bitter glare filled with nothing less than absolute resentment. “This machine is dangerous,” he said coldly, shuddering as he glanced back towards the portal. “You’re playin’ with fire here, Stanford. This thing could bring about the end of the world! Destroy it before it destroys us all!”

“D-destroy the world?!” Rose exclaimed, quite alarmed by this as the other Gems let out startled gasps of their own.

“W-wha—I can’t destroy this!” Ford countered intently, knowing that Fiddleford had to be mistaken somehow. “It’s my life’s work, the key to answering everything!”

“I know what I saw in there!” Fiddleford shouted back as he stood, his hands in tight fists at his sides. “It was a nightmare, plain n’ simple! I fear we’ve unleashed a grave danger on the world. One that I’d just as soon forget. I quit! And I’d urge you ladies to do the same.”

And with that, the mechanic promptly turned and left, sparing not a single word to his former friend as he went to put as much distance between himself and this failure of a project as possible. For a moment, the most Ford could do was sit there, completely baffled by Fiddleford’s staunch departure, anger and betrayal building up within him until he happened to glance over and make eye contact with the Gems. All four of them were looking to him in apt shock, the slightest hints of suspicion and wariness filling their expressions as a beat of tense silence lingered before Rose finally spoke up.

“S-Stanford…” she began apprehensively, the portal casting looming shadows over her as she stood. “What did he mean when he said this machine could destroy the world?”

“R-Rose, I…. I don’t…” Ford trailed off, his manner somewhat shaken himself as he looked back to the portal. “F-Fiddleford didn’t know what he was talking about. After all, you know how anxious he can be.”

“That didn’t sound like mere anxiety,” Garnet remarked, her tone rather cold. “That sounded like fear.”

“What is on the other side of that portal, Ford?” Rose asked, not harshly, but very seriously all the same. “What did Fiddleford see in there that made him react like… like that?”

“I… it… i-it’s exactly what I said it would be!” Ford protested as he also stood, growing frustrated with Rose’s apparent doubt. “It’s the dimension where all of the anomalies here in Gravity Falls comes from!”

“But how do you know that for sure?” Pearl asked, raising an incredulous eyebrow. “What did you really have us build down here, Stanford? A portal to another dimension? Or something far more sinister?”

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me!?” Ford huffed angrily. “The five of us have been working together for years now! How could you possibly think I’d ever even entertain the thought of building something that’s a detriment to mankind!? This portal is to provide humanity with answers, not senselessly destroy it!”

“Stanford…” Rose bowed her head somewhat, to the point that the shadows practically concealed her eyes altogether. “Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and I have been protecting humanity for centuries. I started an entire war just to protect it from our own kind. Nothing matters more to me than keeping this planet and everything on it safe. I want to believe that what we built together can benefit humanity just as much as you do… but if its true, if this machine really does have the potential to destroy this planet… then we have no choice. You have to destroy it, just as Fiddleford said.”

“B-but… but I…” Ford took in a sharp break, his hands curling into tight fists as he took in everything the pink Gem had just said to him. He could scarcely believe that Rose, of all people, was standing before him, telling him to abandon his quest for the truth for the sake of nothing more than tawdry safety. Which was why he needed to make her see reason, even where Fiddleford hadn’t. “N-no. He was wrong. This portal isn’t dangerous! It’s a tool to gain knowledge, not a weapon of mass destruction, I know it!”

“Are you sure, Ford?” the pink Gem asked as her teammates gathered close to her, unanimously looking to the researcher with growing distrust. “Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that this machine can be used for good? That it won’t cause the kind of destruction and devastation that could potentially wipe everything on this planet out? If you can honestly stand there and tell me that, then I’ll believe you.”

Ford was prepared to do just that, though as he did, he couldn’t help but hesitate as he looked past Rose and to the portal instead. And as he did, he was unable to deny the small burst of worry growing inside of him that perhaps Fiddleford had been right, that the portal’s purpose wasn’t as pure or altruistic as he had been led to believe. It was a preposterous thought, for sure, but even so, his obviously uncertain silence told Rose everything she needed to know.

“…Right…” she sighed sadly, glancing down morosely to avoid eye contact with the researcher. Her voice was soft, almost pained even as she shook her head before finally looking to Ford, grief-filled tears welling up in her eyes as the other Gems pressed even closer to her. “Then we’re done here.”

“W-what?” Ford asked, caught off guard.

“I said, we’re done,” Rose’s tone was a bit firmer now, as was her expression. “We’re not going to lend our help to something that could very well end up destroying this planet, a planet we fought so hard for and lost so much to protect. So that leaves us no choice but to cut our ties from this… a-and… and from you…”

The most Ford could do upon hearing this was shake his head, sudden grief overwhelming him as he realized exactly what he was losing here. Not only were the Gems leaving, but they were taking their help, their knowledge, their friendship with them. Friendship that he had come to value so highly and would be completely lost without. “R-Rose, no… y-you…”

“Let’s go, Gems,” Rose said simply, nodding for her teammates to leave. They did so, each of them sending Ford a rather unsavory, disdainful look as they did, all three of them quite upset with him for the kind of damage his machine stood to cause and how they had been dragged into helping create such a disaster in the first place. The pink Gem was the last to leave, though she did happen to linger near the door to the lab for a moment, letting out a dejected sigh as she briefly glanced back to the distraught researcher behind her. “I’m sorry, Stanford, but… this is just how it has to be. But… I do hope that all of this doesn’t turn out as badly as I think it might… And perhaps if it doesn’t… then we can start things fresh and new. But until then… this is goodbye…”

Without another word, the pink Gem departed, leaving Ford completely alone with his machine and nothing else. He couldn’t even think of anything to say to try and stop Rose as she left, torn amidst his palpable despair and his growing anger. And, soon enough, that anger at the thought of being abandoned by those closest to him, those who refused to share the same glorious vision as he did, those who only wanted to hold him back, just like everyone else in his life, completely took over. “F-Fine!” Ford shouted hotly, even though Rose had already left. “I’ll do it without you! I don’t need you, or the other Gems, or Fiddleford! I don’t need anyone!”

Almost as soon as the researcher had made this fierce proclamation, however, Ford’s intense manner quickly snapped the moment he heard a soft, almost indiscernible whisper come from seemingly nowhere. “W-what?�� he asked, glancing around for anyone else only to find that he was the only one in the lofty room. “W-who’s there? Who said that?” Of course, he received no answer, the whispers only multiplying and growing in intensity, though he couldn’t make out a single word of what they were saying. And yet… by their tones, in a strange way, it almost seemed as though they were… mocking him. Laughing over a victory he had no clue about. Alarmed, Ford stumbled back into the far wall of the room, a hand placed against his head as he tried his best to quiet these almost deafening whispers, though to no avail.

In fact, if anything, the whispers only seemed to intensify in the following weeks, and they were far from the only thing the researcher had to deal with. His nightmares were abundant, his thoughts plagued by doubt, guilt, and terror of an unseen evil. He couldn’t so much as even look at the portal without recalling Fiddleford’s panic-stricken words or Rose’s intent, firm warnings. Warnings that he feared he had failed to listen to and now it was far too late. For as time continued slipping by, so too did Ford’s own sanity begin to slip, leaving way for intensive paranoia and practically soul-crushing dread. With the Gems and Fiddleford no longer around to keep him anchored and active, the researcher fell into a deep seclusion, desperately pouring over his notes all hours of the day and night to try and find a solution to the problem he had caused. He had abandoned the thought of sleep entirely, knowing that he couldn’t risk wasting even a single second, lest he leave himself vulnerable to the forces of darkness lurking all around him. The notes in the remaining pages of his third journal became frantic, sloppily written and completely telling of the deep fear of the man writing every single word of desperate warning and unending regret. By all accounts, he felt trapped, lost in a sea of anxiety, remorse, terror, and confusion that he was powerless to escape from. And yet, in the din of his growing mania, Ford did manage to reach one clear conclusion: that in light of the clear and proven danger that it could bring about, the portal could no longer remain operational. Even despite all of the time and work and effort that had gone into it, none of that mattered for the sake of protecting the world, just as Rose had said. Which was why Ford readily dedicated himself to undoing his grave mistake, his pride and passion all but forgotten in place of an overwhelming desire to set things right.

The researcher knew that the first and most essential step to doing so would be to separate his journals; the trio of books held not just the portal’s blueprints, but also instructions on how to get it running. Kept together, they could easily fall into the wrong hands and ensure global destruction. And so Ford hid his second journal away on his own accord, out near the local elementary school, where he assumed no child would ever be clever enough to find it and dig it up. For his first and third, journals, however, the researcher wanted to be completely unaware of their whereabouts, knowing that it would be impossible for someone to amass their locations from him if he was ever put in such a forced position. Ford knew that his research should be left in the hands of two individuals he trusted above all else; though giving his rapidly increasing paranoia, such trust was hard to find. However, he did manage to eventually come up with the only two people he could turn to amidst all this upheaval, two people that he could only hope with every fiber of his being would not fail him now.

Winters in Gravity Falls were known for being absolutely brutal and this one was no exception. The brisk, frigid, snow-filled air left Ford in quite a shock as he ventured out into it, making the relatively short trek up the hill towards the Crystal Temple. It was a voyage he had made more times than he could even count, but something about this trip up there felt so incredibly different than any other he had made before. Perhaps it was the unbearable wintry chill, perhaps it was journal 3 tucked securely into his coat, or perhaps it was his own growing dread and fear, but Ford could feel a sense of finality with every step that he took up to the temple. Even as he came to stand before its sparkling gate, he found his hand hesitating to knock upon it, knowing that doing so would, in many ways, be an admittance of defeat. The confession that he hadn’t been able to solve this problem on his own, that he needed outside help, that he had to trust someone as opposed to trusting no one. And yet, for as much as he hated that vulnerable, constricting feeling, Ford knew he had no other choice. So he knocked.

As he had hoped, Rose’s specific door slid open smoothly, the pink Gem standing in the frame of the gate as she looked down to the researcher, clearly perplexed by his unexpected visit. Ever since the disastrous portal incident, the two of them had only seen each other a handful of times, chance encounters ranging from rather awkward to tension-filled. In each of them, Rose had noticed how Ford’s mental state was steadily falling apart at the seams, and despite her cutting her ties with him before, she had made the selfless offer to try and help him, an offer that had always been bitterly rejected. In light of everything that had happened even the researcher’s once strong trust in the pink Gem had eroded away as he blamed her for not knowing of the true dangers that lurked within the town she had called home for much longer than he had. Dangers that, had he been warned of in a more timely manner, would have perhaps been foiled and evaded altogether.

Still, it was too late to change the past now, something that Ford knew all too well as he stood before Rose, who was still admittedly quite confused even as she addressed him. “Stanford…” she said, her voice soft and sad. “W-what… what are you doing here?”

Ford took in a deep breath to steady himself, deciding to get right to the point as he pulled journal 3 out of his coat. “I need your help,” he said, presenting the book to the pink Gem. “There’s not much time left and I have to get rid of this in a secure way before its too late. I’ve already hidden the second one a-and I have someone coming to take the first one away. And so… I was hoping that you would take the third one…”

“Why?” Rose asked, her expression unreadable as she looked between the researcher and his journal.

“Keeping them together is far too much of a risk,” Ford said rather matter-of-factly. “If someone were to find the portal’s blueprints contained within them, then the entire universe could-”

“I know why we need to separate the journals, Ford,” the pink Gem interjected. “What I meant was why do you want me to take one of them?”

Because I trust you was what Ford wanted to say, but of course, his pride wouldn’t let him. So instead, he went with the easier option. “Because you have the resources to properly protect it, o-of course.”

“…Right…” Rose sighed, her already saddened expression growing even moreso as she took the journal out of Ford’s hands. “In that case… I… I’ll find someplace for it… A place where it will be safe from… f-from him… and from anyone else who might want it for the wrong reasons…”

The researcher only nodded at this, far too burdened by so many thoughts at once to think of much else to even say to the pink Gem at this point. But that didn’t mean she didn’t have anything to say to him. “Stanford, I…” she hesitated, pulling the third journal close to her before she continued on a different tangent entirely. “I-if you don’t mind telling me, what are you planning on doing next?”

Ford sighed, shaking his head in slight shame as he turned away from her. “After the first journal is safely taken care of, I’ll be making a trip to the caves where I first happened upon the knowledge of… of you know who… Hopefully something there will be able to give me an idea of how to vanquish him from our world, once and for all.”

“T-then let me go with you,” Rose insisted, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure that together, we can-”

“No,” the researcher remarked coldly as he pulled away. “This is my mistake. I need to be the one to fix it.”

“But you don’t have to do that on your own!” the pink Gem urged earnestly. “I can help you, Stanford, I want to help you! You’re forgetting that I care about keeping this world safe just as much as you do, especially from someone as dangerous and demented as him. But I can’t do that unless you let me in again, please. We used to be such close partners. Such close friends… I’ve lost so many humans I’ve cared so much about in the past… I don’t want to lose you too…”

“Rose…” Ford began, finally glancing back to look at her and meeting her pained expression with one of his own. As much as he wanted to take up her offer for solidarity and support, he knew that he couldn’t. Largely because he knew her kindness and caring were things that he just didn’t deserve anymore. “I… I have to go it alone. I just… i-it’s the only way…”

The pink Gem moved to protest this decision, but for whatever reason, she held herself back, instead opting to glance down morosely, tears nearly welling up in her eyes but still not falling. “Well then… at least… be careful out there…” Ford nodded once again to this, making no promises, for he wasn’t sure exactly what he was about to face, though he resolved himself to be ready for it nonetheless, no matter what might happen. However, before he could depart, Rose stopped him one last time, a few of her pressing tears finally falling as her long pink curls were gently tossed by the winter winds rather solemnly. “Stanford…” she began despondently, her tone and expression creating a tight, almost unbearable pit inside of his heart as he listened to her fretful farewell. “…I’m sorry… for everything…”

The researcher’s shoulders hitched upon hearing this, and it took everything in him to not turn around at face the pink Gem and return her sad, sincere words in full. But once again, what little logic he felt like he had left overruled his emotions, to the point that he simply left her in silence, knowing that nothing he could say could ever hope to undo all that had gone wrong between them. Still, as lost and hopeless as he continually felt, a part of him hoped that someday he’d have the the chance to truly make things right with her once and for all, a chance to show her just how much he appreciated her, a chance to fix what had been broken.

A chance that, unbeknownst to him, he would never get to have.

New Mexico, 1982

In all the ways Stan had expected his life to go, this wasn’t exactly anything close to what he had been hoping for. The past several years had been a rough, wild string of scams, arrests, escapes, and almost countless near-death experiences. All of his plans to make a fortune for himself had failed completely, sometimes in quite disastrous ways, to the point that Stan had eventually given up on them entirely simply for the sake of surviving. Whatever necessities he had he usually acquired by stealing them, giving him experience enough that he had practically mastered the craft of thievery, among several other illegal acts. Of course, it didn’t help that he had more than his fair share of dangerous foes and rivals who wanted to do him in as a result of him either fooling them, robbing them, or giving them the slip. Still, with so many hungry for his demise and so few willing to help him out or take him in, Stan found himself quickly running out of options as well as out of hope that things would really ever get better. After all, he had been on his own in a constant state of “in betweens” for an entire decade now and despite all of his tireless efforts to make something of himself, it seemed like he never made any hint of progress a life that wasn’t completely in shambles. There had been the occasional moment where he wondered whether or not all of his struggling to simply get by was even worth it, if there really was ever a chance, no matter how slim that he could one day rise up from the rock bottom he seemed so deeply rooted in. And while some small voice inside his head often told him to give up on it all in those moments, another part of him, one that sounded suspiciously like a certain twin brother of his, urged him to keep on going, to hold onto his long-lasting stubborn nature and fight his way through the trials life threw at him, no matter how hard it might be.

And so he did.

Though really, Stan wasn’t sure exactly how much longer he could hold out as he sat alone in the cramped, filthy, bug-infested motel room he had somehow scrounged up enough money to afford for the night. Anything was better than sleeping in his car after all, and it also made him a little less vulnerable to all of the thugs who wanted his head. Still, that didn’t mean he was able to suppress a frightened flinch as a sudden knock sounded on the door of the room, a knock that prompted him to quickly grab his baseball bat before he even thought of going to answer it.

“J-just give me a few more days, Rico!” Stan shouted, knowing that the aforementioned cartel boss was his most recent and most dangerous foe at the moment. “I’ll pay your goons back, I swear!”

Fortunately, on the other side of the door wasn’t any murderous mafia member or belligerent brute, but rather only a mailman, who stopped by just long enough to slip a postcard through the door slot before going on his way. Of course, Stan was rather surprised by this as well, especially since he couldn’t recall the last time he had gotten any mail from anyone, especially such an odd looking postcard from some place he had never heard of called Gravity Falls. But as he turned it over, he was quickly met with a message that shocked him more than almost anything he had seen in his travels thus far:

“PLEASE COME!” – FORD

Needless to say that upon seeing such an urgent plea from his brother of all people, Stan was completely floored. Ford hadn’t tried to get in contact with him even once since he had been kicked out by their father years ago, yet all of the sudden, he was reaching out to him, seemingly out of nowhere with such a terse, mysterious request to make such a long journey out to see him? Stan could scarcely believe it and even beyond that disbelief he could hardly be happy about it. After all, Ford had just as much of the blame for the disaster his life had become as anyone else, maybe even moreso given that he could have at the very least stuck with him as opposed to leaving him lost and alone for his own selfish purposes. A years’ old anger burned within Stan’s gut as he thought about his brother’s callous betrayal, and it was almost enough to get him to crumble up the postcard and throw it in the trash without a second thought. And yet… he couldn’t deny that he was also curious. Ford must have requested him to come for a reason, one that he hadn’t the faintest clue about but wanted to know nonetheless. And as much as he knew he shouldn’t even give his brother the time of day after what he had done a decade ago, Stan ultimately knew that he couldn’t stay away.

And so with nowhere else to really go, Stan figured he might as well at least go check things out on Ford’s end. After all, what was the worst that could happen?

The drive from New Mexico to Oregon was a long, boring one, but Stan made reasonably good time, only taking stops to siphon gas from other cars at the occasional fuel station or raid an unattended check-out counter for snacks. And soon enough, he reached the backwoods town of Gravity Falls, which was completely buried by snow, much to Stan’s immense aggravation as he made it there with only a light, soiled jacket to keep him warm. All the same, the cold didn’t bother him as much as his growing dread did as he approached Ford’s door, knowing well that this meeting could be the second chance between them that he had always secretly hoped for. Either that, or it would serve to tear them apart even more than time and distance alone already had.

“Alright, Stan,” he said to himself, trying to instill as much confidence as he could as his hand hung over the door, ready to knock. “You haven’t seen your brother in over ten years. But its ok. He’s family. He won’t bite.”

With this final self-assurance, Stan knocked on the door, only for it to partially swing open seconds later, revealing a crossbow-wielding Ford behind it. “Who is it?!” he demanded sharply, his exhaustion-marred face awash in paranoia and anxiety as he aimed his weapon directly at his startled brother. “Have you come to steal my eyes?!”

Stan hesitated before saying anything as he leaned away from the tip of the arrow being pointed at him, knowing that for all of the possible greetings he had been expecting from Ford, this had not been one of them. “Well, nice to know I can always come to you for a warm welcome,” he remarked, not really knowing how else to start but with dry sarcasm as he raised an eyebrow at his brother.

“Stanley,” Ford sighed in slight relief as he lowed his crossbow a bit, though he still kept a firm grip on it nonetheless. “Did anyone follow you? Anyone at all?”

“Yeesh, no,” Stan scoffed, rolling his eyes. “By the way, hello to you too, pal—whoa!”

Quite unexpectedly, Ford pulled him inside the house, slamming the door shut behind them and locking it tight before pulling a flashlight out and shining it directly in his brother’s eyes. “Ah! Hey!” Stan protested, pushing Ford away from him as he blinked the painful light out. “What’s the big idea here, poindexter?!”

“S-sorry, I just had to make sure you weren’t…” Ford trailed off, a brief look of fear flashing over his features before he quickly shook it out of his head. “Uh… i-it’s nothing. Come in, come in,” he motioned to the next room, swiftly walking into it as Stan followed, quite confused about his brother’s apparently frantic manner.

“Uh, you gonna explain what’s going on here?” he asked with something of a worried frown. “You’re acting like Mom after her tenth cup of coffee.”

“Listen,” Ford spun around intently, gripping a burgundy book with a golden six fingered hand on its cover tightly. “There isn’t much time. I’ve made huge mistakes and I don’t know who I can trust anymore. What I’ve done could end up putting the entire universe at jeopardy and for all I know it might be too late to stop even that.”

Stan paused upon hearing this, his concern turning into surprise as he looked at his distraught brother with wide eyes. While he had no real clue about what Ford was talking about, he still acted against his better judgement and placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping that he could offer him some kind of much-needed emotional support. “Hey, uh, easy there. Let’s talk this through, ok?”

Ford shook his head bitterly, almost smiling sardonically though not quite. “I’m afraid this isn’t something that can simply be ‘talked through’, Stanley… Instead… I have something to show you. Something that you won’t believe.”

“Look, I’ve been around the world, ok?” Stan remarked dryly. “I’ve seen more crazy shit in my time than you probably have sitting here in this comfy cabin of yours. Whatever it is, I’ll understand.”

“There is nothing about this I understand,” Stan said stiffly as him and Ford stood in the shadow of the massive machine in the basement. By all accounts it looked like something out of a bizarre sci-fi dream, with its incredible metallic structure and the arrangement of various gemstones fixated to its edges. Fortunately though, despite Stan’s absolute bewilderment by it, Ford was quick to explain.

“It’s a trans-universal gateway,” he began, sending the portal something of a bitter glare in light of all it had helped take from him. “A punched hole through a weak spot in our dimension. I created it to unlock the mysteries of the universe, but it could just as easily be harnessed for terrible destruction. That’s why I shut it down and hid my journals, which explained how to operate it. There’s only one journal left, and you are the only person I can trust to take it, Stanley.” With this, the researcher handed his first and final journal off to his brother, his expression deeply sincere, pleading almost as he continued. “I have something to ask of you. Remember our plans to sail around the world on a boat?” Stan couldn’t help but smile, hope filling his expression and his heart for the first time in years at the mention of the mention of his long-lost childhood dream. A dream that Ford was all too quick to shoot right to the ground once more. “Take this book, get on a boat, and sail as far away as you can!” he demanded urgently. “To the edge of the Earth! Bury it where no one can find it!”

For a moment, Stan was completely dumbfounded, especially as Ford turned away and stepped towards the portal without sparing him another word. But after his initial shock wore of, absolute rage replaced it instead, because how dare Ford tell him to come all the way up here just to take some dumb book and hide it far away, how dare Ford hardly even consider the possibility that they could use this chance meeting to reconcile again after all these years, how dare Ford get his hopes up for them being actual brothers again, only to dash them all so openly and so completely. “T-That’s it?” Stan spat harshly, glaring at his brother in absolute disbelief. “You finally wanna see me after ten years and its to tell me to get as far away from you as possible?!”

“Stanley, you don’t understand what I’m up against,” Ford rationalized frenetically. “What I’ve been through!”

“No, you don’t understand what I’ve been through!” Stan countered fiercely. “I’ve been to prison in three different countries! I once had to chew my way out of the trunk of a car! You think you’ve got problems?! I’ve got a mullet, Stanford! Meanwhile, where have you been? Livin’ it up in your fancy house in the woods and selfishly hoarding your college money because you only care about your damn self.”

“I’m selfish?” Ford scoffed, completely appalled at such an accusation. “I’m selfish, Stanley?! How can you say that after you cost me my dream school!? I’m giving you a chance to do the first worthwhile thing in your entire life and you won’t even listen!”

“Well, you listen to this: you want me to get rid of this dumb book so badly? Fine,” Stan growled, pulling a lighter out of his pocket and striking it as he held the flame right underneath journal 1. “I’ll get rid of it right now!”

“No!” Ford gasped, launching forward in an attempt to grab the book out of Stan’s hands before it could catch fire. “You don’t understand!”

“You said you wanted me to have it, so I’ll do whatever the hell I want with it!” Stan contested, yanking the journal back from him, even as Ford continued to struggle desperately for it.

“My research!” Ford cried just as the fire started to hit the journal. Unable to bear the sight of everything he had worked so hard for go up in flames, he did the only thing he could think of. In a fit of building panic that finally rushed to the surface at that moment, Ford pounced at Stan, who easily tripped his much less physically adept brother up before taking the journal and running back towards the nearby lab with Ford in hot pursuit. “Stanley! Give it back!”

“You want it back?!” Stan snapped as Ford roughly shoved him against the portal’s control panel. “You’re gonna have to try harder than that!” Of course, what neither of them noticed as they continued their heated physical struggle was that, in their carelessness, they had slammed against several of the key buttons that activated the portal, and in the midst of their furious fighting, they hardly even noticed as it began to roar to life in the other room. “You left me behind, you jerk!” Stan shouted as he pulled his hardest against the journal. “It was supposed to be us forever! But then you went and ruined my life!”

“You ruined your own life!” Ford shot back, acting on impulse alone as he kicked Stan squarely in the chest. It was enough to get his hands off the journal for sure, but it also inadvertently ended up knocking Stan right into the portal’s operating console. Or rather, the glowing, red hot symbol emblazoned on its side.

Stan let out a sharp howl of agony as his back slammed into the mark, which burned him instantly upon contact and branded itself heavily upon his skin. The pain felt so intense that it was practically white hot as Stan collapsed to the ground, anguished tears pricking in his eyes though he refused to let them fall amidst his continued outrage. All the same, Ford could only watch in newfound shock as his brother writhed in pain on the ground before him, knowing that he was completely responsible for this horrific accident. “Stanley!” he cried fearfully, unsure of what to even to do help him. “Oh my gosh! I-I’m so sorry! Are you alri-”

Ford was abruptly cut off by a sudden left hook as Stan jumped upward, still reeling in pain from the burn on his back, though he hardly let that stop him now. After all, he had been holding back years of frustration and fury towards his brother; as far as he was concerned, there was no better time to let it all out than right there and right now. “Some brother you turned out to be!” Stan growled bitterly as Ford stumbled backwards, tripping over the portal switch, though he was quick to catch himself, ignoring its ever-intensifying glow. “You care more about your dumb old mysteries than your family? Well then you can have them!” With this outraged proclamation, Stan shoved the journal into Ford’s arms hard, not noticing as he pushed him over the line on the ground before the portal. And sure enough, as soon as the researcher was over it, the portal’s gravitational pull began dragging him up in the air towards it, much to the shared alarm of both brothers. “W-whoa! Hey, what’s goin’ on?!” Stan exclaimed as he ran forward a bit, especially as Ford let out a terrified cry of distress as he drew ever closer towards the portal’s all-encompassing light.

“S-Stanley!” he shouted, desperately struggling to tether himself back down to the ground and away from the portal, for he now knew exactly where it led. And, considering everything, it was no place that he ever wanted to go to. “Stanley, help me!”

“W-what do I do?!” Stan exclaimed, anxiously looking around for any way to stop this amidst his practically paralyzing shock.

“D-Do something!” Ford begged, flailing wildly in the air as his lab coat began to be sucked into the portal behind him, the rest of him quickly going right along with it. Which meant that, even if there was something Stan could do, it would be far too late. “Stanely!” he cried, knowing he had only seconds left as he threw the journal as far away from him as he could. “Please! Tell Rose Quartz I’m sor-”

The researcher never got to finish this final plea. For in a blinding flash of light, the portal swallowed him completely, whisking him away to whatever nightmares awaited on the other side. The force of this explosion of energy was enough to knock Stan back towards the other and of the room, the journal flying somewhere behind him. And when the light faded and everything had settled, he was able to gather his bearings only enough to notice two things: the portal was shutting itself off upon this great explosion of power.

And his brother was gone.

“S-Stanford?” Stan asked quietly, his entire body trembling from the lingering pain on his back as he slowly picked himself up. Indeed, the only thing of Ford that remained in the room where his glasses, which must have fallen off and landed near the portal in all of the chaos. But all the same, the realization of what had just happened was enough to shake Stan out of his initial shell-shock and right into frantic, distraught action. “Stanford! Come back! I-I didn’t mean it!” The last of the energy was fading from the portal as Stan reached it switch, and even despite yanking it as hard as he could, the machine remained devoid of any newfound activity. “I just got him back! I can’t lose him again!” he cried desperately, doing everything he could to try to get some kind of reaction from the portal, some kind of hope that Ford was still somehow within his reach. “Augh! Come on! Stanford!”

Stan froze as he heard only his own voice echo through the portal’s empty center, which Ford was now completely lost to. And at that moment, the reality of it all came crashing down at him all at once; his brother was gone, and all because of his own frustration and foolishness. For in the thoughtless heat of the moment, he had pushed Ford over that line and into that portal, launching him into whatever unknown, distant dimension it likely led to. Honestly, for all Stan knew, Ford’s life could have ended the moment he passed through the now-defunct machine, a thought that certainly terrified him, but an actual possibility nonetheless.

There was simply no way to know where or how his brother was, which was why the most Stan could really think to do was retrieve journal 1 from the floor and frantically flip through its pages, hoping that it provided some kind of answer. However, he was quick to find that its information was fractured and incomplete, the tail end of the book only referencing that its chronicles were continued in some unknown second journal. A rush of despair filled Stan as he realized he had no idea what to do about any of this, especially with only the scattered bits and pieces of instructions he had at his disposal. Yet he didn’t have much of a chance to think about what he could possibly do before the elevator in the lab suddenly burst open, a large, pink-haired woman rushing out of it and running into the portal room with wide eyes of alarm.

“Stanford!” she cried, clearly distraught as she came to stand before the portal, not even noticing Stan’s presence as he hung back towards the other end of the room, watching the woman in surprised confusion. “N-no… H-he… he didn’t… H-he said he was only going to… I didn’t think…  How could he just… leave like this?”

“Uh…?” The woman gasped as she overheard Stan behind her, spinning around swiftly to face him. He flinched under the tearful, wide-eyed intensity of her gaze, though the way she spoke his brother’s name, so softly and so painfully, was what rattled him more than anything else.

“S-Stanford?” she asked, her movements slow and uncertain as she approached him. “What… w-why do you look so… How did you…?” she paused, bewilderment washing over her expression before stark realization and deep suspicion filled it instead. “Wait… you’re not… w-who… who are you? And why do you look so much like… like him?”

Stan didn’t answer right away, mostly since this woman’s sudden appearance and confusing line of questioning had caught completely off guard amidst his still ongoing shock from what had just happened with the portal. Nonetheless, he answered her rather stiffly and awkwardly all the same. “Who, you mean Ford? Uh, that’s cause I’m his twin brother: Stanley.”

“T-twin… brother?” she asked, apparently baffled by even the idea alone. “Stanford never… he didn’t say anything about having a brother…”

“Ugh, why does that not surprise me?” Stan huffed, a bit of his former bitterness towards Ford returning upon hearing this. “And who exactly are you supposed to be, pinky? You can’t be his girlfriend; there’s no chance in hell a nerd like him would ever be able to land a looker like you, so what, are you like his secretary or therapist or something?”

“Wha—no,” the woman shook her head, still clearly confused. “I’m Rose Quartz, leader of the Crystal Gems. My teammates and I are… o-or rather… we were close friends and research partners with Stanford… But now…” She trailed off as she looked back at the portal before turning back to Stan intently. “Please, tell me what happened here. Did Ford really just… walk into that awful machine willingly?! Even though he knows exactly what and who is waiting on the other side of it?!”

“Uh, he didn’t just walk into it,” Stan remarked, scratching the back of his neck guiltily. “I sort of—I-I mean, he kinda… fell into it… on accident?”

Fortunately, Rose seemed to buy this lie, though all the same, her lovely expression marred with grief and misery it fully hit her that Ford was seemingly lost forever. Tears, ones that were lightly sparkling with what looked like some kind of magic, flowed down her cheeks as she let out a broken, despondent sob. She shook her head sadly as she took a step towards the deactivated portal, looking towards the copy of the gemstone resting over her own navel that was positioned near its base. “T-this is all my fault…” she muttered morosely. “If only I had shown up sooner… I-if only we hadn’t built this… disaster in the first place, then maybe he’d still be here… But I wasn’t and we did… and now… he’s gone…”

“Uh… look,” Stan said, unable to keep himself from empathizing with the mournful pink Gem as he shared much of her heartbreak himself at the moment, though he didn’t let his show as clearly. “I… I don’t know what things were like between you and my brother, but, uh… don’t worry. I’m gonna do everything I can to open this thing back up and get him outta there, not matter how hard it is or how long it might take.”

Rose jolted at this, her tears practically freezing as she looked back to Stan in apt alarm. “W-what?”

“Um… I said I’m gonna figure out a way to get this machine working and bring Ford back,” Stan repeated, rather surprised by her suddenly intense manner. “He left one of his creepy journals here with me, so I guess all I gotta do is find the other ones and then they’ll tell me how to open that portal thing again and he’ll be as good as saved. R-right?”

The pink Gem’s expression was severe as she turned to face him fully, her sadness fading away into authority as she stood, towering over him almost menacingly. “No,” she said, her gentle tone strangely rigid and harsh. “This portal is never going to be opened again. Not my you, or by me, or by anybody else.”

“W-well what about Ford?!” Stan snapped in sudden anger and disbelief. “We can’t just leave him on the other side of that thing! I thought you said you were his friend, why wouldn’t you wanna help him?!”

“I do want to help him!” Rose retorted earnestly. “More than anything else! But we can’t. This machine is a huge risk to this entire planet! Starting it up again could result in the end of this world, of all worlds! For centuries, I’ve taken up the responsibility to protect the Earth and everything on it and that comes first. Above everything… or everyone else.”

“But that’s my brother in there!” Stan exclaimed hotly. “He may be a stubborn know-it-all who left me behind years ago, but he’s still my family! And I’m not about to walk out on him like he walked out on me; I’m stayin’ right here and doing everything I can to get that portal up and running again. I don’t care how risky it might be or what it might cost, I’m saving my brother! Whether you or anyone else likes it or not!”

Rose took in a deep, evening breath at this, her manner cold but not hostile as she stared down at Stan intently, firmly asserting her position as intently as she could. “I can’t—I won’t let you do this. If there was any other way to save Stanford then I would take it in an instant. But as it stands, this portal must remain shut down, it not destroyed entirely. And I’m prepared to do whatever I must to keep it from causing any more harm than it already has.”

“S-so what?” Stan shout back defiantly. “You’re gonna try and stop me, pinky? Is that how this is gonna be?! What makes you think you’ll even be able to keep me from blowing that damn portal wide open, huh?”

“Because,” Rose said staunchly, calmly even. “I know where the third journal is. It’s hidden somewhere safe and secure, a place only I know about. And without it, you’ll never be able to get this portal running again.”

Stan took pause at this, his jaw dropping in surprise at such a pertinent revelation. Of course, his shock only lasted for a moment before it exploded into desperate fury once again. “Y-you have to give me that book!” he shouted almost pleadingly. “It’s the only way I’ll ever be able to save him, please, just-”

“No,” the pink Gem harshly cut him off. “He asked me to keep that journal from falling into the wrong hands, and that’s exactly what I intend on doing. It’s the least I can do for him after… all this…”

“B-but I need it! You don’t understand, I-”

“No, you don’t understand!” Rose interupted intensely. “I’ve given up so much to keep this planet safe; I refuse to let it meet its end as long as I’m around to stop it. This portal is far too dangerous to even exist. It was a mistake to build it. We should have never tried to tamper with forces we didn’t understand, but we did. And while its too late to take that back now, its not too late to keep those forces at bay. Even if that means… even if that means we’ll never see Stanford again…”

By now, Stan’s fists were clenched so tightly at his sides that they were shaking. Still, he kept his violent urges held back against the pink Gem, though he was more than fine with letting his outraged words fly freely. “Fine! If you won’t help me, then I’ll figure out a way to do it without those other two stupid journals! You can try to stop me all you want, pinky, but I’m not giving up until Ford is back here safe and sound, even if it takes the rest of my life! And no one, especially not you, is gonna keep me from bringing my brother back home!”

Rose sighed, clearly exasperated, though for whatever reason, she didn’t react in anger as she simply walked past Stan, intending on leaving. “There really is no changing your mind, is there?” she asked, glancing back over her shoulder at him. “Well, that’s alright. Go ahead and do whatever you feel like you need to. But you should know that I’m going to do whatever I have to do to keep that journal away from you, to keep you from reopening this portal, and to keep this planet safe. And… I’m sure that if Stanford was still here… he’d do the exact same thing.”

Without another word, the pink Gem left, her resolve every bit as clear as Stan’s as he remained standing before the portal, journal 1 still held tightly in his grasp and guilt still weighing heavy on his heart.

Guilt that would linger over him like a constant shadow for the next thirty years.

The next several weeks went by in a dreary, exhausting blur. Stan spent every waking moment down in that basement lab, pouring over every tiny piece of information journal 1 had to offer on the portal as he tried everything he could to get it up and running again. Unfortunately, even with the notes that he had, his knowledge on any of the technology or science behind the machine was next to none, making things all the more difficult. His nights were sleepless, lost to worries and anxiety and remorse and so many other emotions it was hard to keep track of them all. The one upside to all of this was that he hadn’t heard from that pesky Rose Quartz woman since their first encounter, though the thought of her alone was enough to practically enrage him. To think that she had the very information that he needed to reactive the portal and get Ford back, but she refused to relinquish it out of some nonsensical altruistic duty of hers! Certainly, Stan reasoned, that in light of her staunch refusal to so much as even offer a hint of advice in the matter, Rose must not have cared about Ford as much as she claimed to. Then again, Stan hardly felt like he was much better on that front, seeing as how the only reason why Ford was now gone was entirely because of him.

Still, Stan knew that he couldn’t give up, no matter how impossible his odds were proving to be. Because giving up meant never seeing his brother again, and despite all of the mistakes they had made and the bad blood between them, that was one thought he simply couldn’t bear.

Yet even despite his resolve, as the weeks went by, Stan grew weary. Winter was finally starting to ease up somewhat, but that didn’t mean Ford’s house was any less drab and lonely. With most of his time spent working on the portal, Stan didn’t really get much of a chance to clean the hectically cluttered place up, though it wasn’t like he hadn’t lived in squalor before. Rather, what bothered him was that the already rather sparse supply of food in his brother’s cabinets was starting to run dangerously low. Which meant that Stan really had no other choice: he’d have to make a trip into the nearby town for supplies.

Journal 1 had already made mention of the Crystal Gems’ temple base just up the hill from Ford’s house, so Stan made sure to steer clear of it as he made his way downtown. Gravity Falls was apparently a rather small community, and he knew well that rumors traveled fast in small towns, much as they had in Glass Shard Beach, which meant that he’d have to keep a low profile, lest anyone become suspicious. While he didn’t really have a criminal record in Oregon yet, the last thing he wanted was to be reported to any police and hauled away, leaving the portal forever shut down and Ford forever trapped inside it. No one really seemed to pay him much mind, however, as he arrived at a small convenience store to grab a loaf of bread, the most he believed he could reasonably afford on what little money he had to his name.

“Just the bread then, stranger?” the elderly woman at the counter smiled warmly to him as he put it down. “That’ll be 99 cents.”

Stan simply nodded, reaching into his pocket to find only to find a packet of sugar, a paper clip, and a single peso. Nowhere near enough to buy anything really, much to his disappointment.

“Hey, that’s no stranger!” Stan flinched upon hearing a middle-aged woman behind him speak up. “That must be the mysterious science guy who lives in the woods!”

“You mean the one who’s always hangin’ out with those four magical women?” a widely smiling young teenager asked. “He almost never comes around here!”

By now, a curious crowd had started to gather around Stan, who simply tried his best to conceal himself by pulling his hood tighter. Clearly, these people were mistaking him for Ford, an idea he really didn’t want going around, considering the circumstances. “Uh, n-no, no, you’ve got the wrong guy,” he shook his head, trying his best to drive the attention away from him, though still the bystanders persisted.

“I’ve heard some strange stories about that old shack!” another teenager, and a quite awkward one at that, quipped.

“Yeah! Mysterious lights and spooky experiments,” the store’s young employee regaled, much to the rest of the crowd’s interest.

“They say it is full of magic and mystery!” a short-statured woman whose hair was in a large bun remarked brightly.

“Uh, i-it’s really not-” Stan protested, growing more and more nervous by the second.

“Gosh, I’d pay anything to see what kind of shenanigans you get up to in there,” the clerk’s husband said, putting an arm around his wife.

“Oh, me too!” the red-haired woman from before exclaimed. “Do you give any tours?”

“No, really, I-” Stan stopped short, glancing down at the severe lack of money in his hand as a newfound idea came to him. It was a risky one, given what lay buried just underneath the house, but he had find a way to be able to afford the essentials somehow. Which meant that at this point, he really didn’t have too many other options. “Um… y-yes! I do give tours! Ten, n-no, fifteen bucks a person!”

While he hadn’t expected too many takers to agree to such a high price, Stan was reasonably surprised when all of the townsfolk in the store eagerly cheered and presented their cash to him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen so much money, much less money that was intended for him. Money that he’d be more than happy to take if it meant keeping both himself and his mission to rescue his brother alive.

“Sir!” the first woman spoke up with an excited smile. “What did you say your name was again, you man of mystery?”

“Oh, uh, Stan…ford,” he said, somewhat uncertain at first as he quickly convinced him that he had done this before. He had taken up plenty of false names in the past, and while this particular one belonged to his brother, he knew just how much trouble it could keep him out of. So he took it. “Stanford Pines.”

With their money already in hand, Stan lead the eager crowd of townsfolk over to Ford’s house, escorting them into the foyer, which was packed with his brother’s impressive collection of scattered tech and various notes. Certainly if there was anything that would impress this excitable group, it would be found here. “Step right up, folks, to, uh… a world of, um… enchantment or whatever,” Stan said, somewhat uncertain about how to present any of this. Still, he grabbed the first thing he saw, which was some small, strange readio-like device, the functions and purpose of which he had no idea. “Behold, uh, the… nerdy science box.”

The red-haired woman leaned forward a bit to get a better look at the device, only for a sudden spark to burst out of it and strike it squarely in her eyes, making it go lazy before shutting entirely. “Augh! My eye!” she cried, reeling back in pain as the other townsfolk gasped in surprise.

“Oh! Uh, I-I can assure you that’s in no way permanent!” Stan quickly promised, though he had no real way of knowing that himself.

“I paid fifteen dollars for this?!” the woman scoffed, sending him an angry glare as the rest of the crowd began to mumble their disapproval amongst themselves.

“Uhh…” Stan glanced around, desperate to salvage this in any way he could, especially as he heard the first whispers of refunds among the group. Refunds that he couldn’t really afford to give, all things considered. Fortunately though, quick thinking was what he did best. “Y-you’re lucky you weren’t part of the last tour group…” he began, somewhat unsteadily as he grabbed the nearby scientific skeleton and dressed it up in a tropical shirt and shades. “They never made it out alive! …R-right?”

A beat of awkward silence passed at this, but fortunately it was soon broken by the slow-starting laughter of his audience. As it steadily grew into genuine amusement, Stan couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of relief as he realized that this could work. This could be just the of break in his almost constant string of bad luck he needed.

So he ran with it. It took a roughly a week for him to figure everything out, but with a little time and a little elbow grease, he began his latest, most promising business venture yet. After tying up the house, setting up ample flashy signage all around it, and using what he had on hand to create as many bizarre attractions as he could, Stan formally opened what he had decided to call the Murder Hut (though its name would eventually be changed to the Mystery Shack upon the suggestion of a certain purple Gem). The tourist trap did exactly as it advertised, luring people in from all over town and even beyond it to see the oddities put on display. Fortunately for Stan, Gravity Falls already had something of a reputation of being a strange little town, so the folklore basically wrote itself, allowing him to profit off of it even more. And profit he did. In just a matter of months, he had accumulated more money that he had to his name his entire life, money that he put to good use by paying Ford’s bills and keeping things up and running so he could continue on in his still quite tireless mission to rescue him.

If he was perfectly honest with himself, Stan found the tourist trap business to be by far the easiest thing he had ever tried his hand at; it played well to his ability to lie and scam and fool the masses into believing anything he said. After all, it was all part of the fun, so there was really no harm in it. Truly, this was a fresh start, one that came about from the very worst of circumstances, but proved to work out well enough in the end. Still, he made sure to cover his tracks well, formally burying any remnants of his harrowing former life in the remains of a faked car crash, his fake IDs and former crimes tucked away in a hidden box inside his newly created office. In fact, as time went on and his profits and his business grew, there were points where it felt like the mistakes of his tattered, poverty-stricken past didn’t even exist at all.

Still, not all was completely well. After all, Rose Quartz still resided up at the temple just a few minutes up the hill from the shack, and every single time her and Stan happened to encounter each other, tension and conflict usually ensued. Their disagreement over the portal situation was something neither of them could compromise on, to the point that their bitterness towards each other, as well as their harden resolves remained firmly in place for years. They were never able to reconcile over it, even as Stan ended up hiring a young musician who was infatuated with Rose, the other Crystal Gems somehow lost their memories of the entire ordeal, even as Stan ended up developing a close friendship with the small purple one, even as Rose herself gave up her form to bring a half-human child into the world. The contention between them always remained, just about up until the very end of the pink Gem’s existence. And really, considering all of the toil and frustration he had endured over the years as a result of having to do it all on his own, Stan couldn’t really say he held any regret over their rigid relationship. Perhaps, in different circumstances, maybe they could have been on good terms, just Rose apparently had been with Ford, a sentiment that the pink Gem had expressed to Stan herself just a few days before her end, but when it was all said and done, mere sentiments were nowhere close to enough.

Still, even despite Rose’s opposition, Stan remained hard at work on the portal for the next 30 years, to the point that he had developed a fairly steady routine. By day, he’d operate the Mystery Shack, conning tourists and raking in profits without hitch. But at night, he’d make the trip down to the basement, pouring over Ford’s old notes, teaching himself advanced scientific concepts, and working tirelessly towards one single essential goal:

Bringing his brother home.

Present Day

“I couldn’t risk letting anyone learning the truth and sabotaging my mission,” Stan said as he finally concluded his long tale. “So I lied to everyone: the town, my family, you three,” he nodded over to the Gems, who looked less than pleased with everything he had just heard. Even so, the conman decided to deal with them later as he instead addressed his nibblings. “Your parents, even you kids. I gotta admit it’s… been rough, working on this thing all these years all by myself. But in the end, I guess it all finally came together.”

“Came together?” Ford scoffed in appalment. “You could have destroyed our entire reality with this machine! How in the world can you actually stand there and be proud of that fact, Stanley?!”

“Well I would be proud if you would just thank me for finally coming through for you after all these years,” Stan retorted, crossing his arms. “But I guess that’s not good enough for you, is it, Ford? Should’ve expected that, seeing as how nothing ever is!”

The author was more than ready to shoot just as bitter of a retort right back at his brother, but before he could, Steven suddenly interjected. “Whoa, hey, wait!” the young gem implored fretfully. “You guys are brothers! A-and you’ve been apart for so long! You shouldn’t fight; instead you should be happy finally see each other again!”

“Yeah, that’s right!” Mabel added just as fervently. “Like I said earlier, you two gotta hug it out!”

“Pfft, yeah right,” Stan rolled his eyes with a cold scowl.

“Absolutely not,” Ford added, turning his nose up at his brother.

“…Well… at least they agree on something?” Steven shrugged, exchanging a concerned look with Mabel. At the same time, the young Gem happened to glance past her over at Dipper, who had said nothing since Stan had finished his story. Instead, he sat, his gaze fixed on the ground and his expression tight with what almost looked like conflict mingled with frustration, as if he didn’t know what to really make of everything he had just heard. And of course, in light of it all, his apparently bitter silence was more than enough to make Steven worry. “Um… Dipper? Are… are you ok?”

Dipper flinched at this, briefly glancing up at both the young Gem as well as his sister who looked to him with equal concern. Concern that, considering where he currently stood with both of them in light of what had happened in the moments preceding the portal’s activation, he really didn’t want. “Uh, yeah, I’m fine,” he quickly brushed the matter aside, still not saying much to either of them as he turned his attention to Stan in slight shame. “Um… Grunkle Stan? I, uh… I’m… sorry I didn’t believe you…”

“That’s ok, kid,” Stan nodded with a small smile of acceptance. “I probably wouldn’t have believed me either.”

“Alright, so now we know about everything that apparently happened,” Pearl interjected with an exasperated sigh. “But that still doesn’t explain we don’t remember any part of it that involved us! Right?”

“Right,” Garnet said as Amethyst simply nodded absently. “Our memories are still missing and we still need to get to the bottom of what happened to them.”

“So its time for one of you to start explaining things on that front,” Pearl said, glaring between Stan and Ford. “Particularly you, Stan, seeing as how you seemed to have apparently known something about this all these years!”

“And you didn’t bother to even tell us…” Amethyst muttered despondently, still averting the conman’s gaze as she scowled at the floor. “Just like everything else, I guess…”

Stan hesitated, frowning sympathetically to the purple Gem before he addressed her teammate’s concerns. “What, you think I have something to do with what happened to your memories? Please,” he scoffed. “I wouldn’t know the first thing about who or what jacked them, and I definitely don’t know why. But if you had wanted to talk to someone who might have known about all that, then you should have asked Rose before she up and left you three on your own.”

The Gems couldn’t hold back a collective gasp upon hearing this, all three of them silent for a moment as they exchange an appalled, yet slightly nervous glance. Steven shared in their stark concern, looking to them with wide eyes as he noticed just how doubtful they all seemed to be. Doubt that perhaps wasn’t reserved for what the conman had just said, but rather for what their beloved leader might have hidden from them for so very long.

Still, the Gems had no time to even question this line of logic before the lab monitor blared out once more with a proclamation from Agent Powers from above that quickly startled the entire group below. “I heard talking! It’s coming from downstairs!”

“Oh no! Its too late!” Stan exclaimed in apt alarm. “Those agents are coming for us!”

“Aw man, I was so spellbound by your dramatic tale I forgot all about those dudes!” Soos lamented.

“W-what do we do?” Mabel asked anxiously.

“Finally Gem-up and kick their butts is what we do,” Amethyst growled, a glare still dominating her expression as she pulled her whip out.

“We can’t,” Garnet asserted authoritatively. “Remember Amethyst, they’re after us too.”

“Wait a second… remember… that’s it! I think I know a way we might be able to defeat those agents!” Dipper exclaimed with a gasp of realization, reaching into his bookbag and pulling out the memory gun they had all taken from the museum after shutting the Society of the Blind Eye down. It had been a precaution that the Gems had suggested, though they wanted really no parts in handling the device themselves so Dipper had volunteered to do so instead. And it turned out this was a wise move, seeing as how it could certainly be put to good use for getting the agents off their tail now.

“Of course!” Ford grinned as Dipper handed the memory gun over to him and smiling every bit as brightly, clearly glad for the author’s excited adulation. “I don’t know how you managed to get ahold of one of these, but this is perfect! If I can just amplify the signal to a radio headset frequency…” Ford trailed off, doing just that as he connected the device to the radio tower he knew was above ground and working quickly since he knew well that the agents were on the approach. “Alright, that should do it. Now, everyone, plug your ears and get down!”

“That won’t be necessary,” Garnet interjected quickly before looking to the young Gem beside her. “Steven, you know what to do.”

“Right,” he nodded, throwing his arms out wide as a large pink bubble surrounded the entire group. Upon seeing this, Ford paused, his jaw dropping in apt surprise at the sight of the all-too familiar sphere, though the amazement and curiosity on his expression only seemed to grow as he glanced back down to the young Gem who had created it. Curiosity that was not lost on Stan as he noticed his brother’s marveling expression, one that he instantly understood and instantly disapproved of.

There was no time to address it however, as the blast from the memory gun charged up, unbeknownst to the agents still congregated outside the shack. “Sir, look! There’s a hidden door behind the vending machine!” Trigger exclaimed as he ran out of the house to meet Powers.

“Excellent,” the agent grinned in satisfaction at the near end of this lengthy game of cat and mouse. “Get me Washington on line 1! I’ve been practicing sounds of excitement for this very occasion. Hey, do you hear that?” he asked in reference to the steadily growing whirling sound, one that quickly grew to deafening levels as a heavy flash of energy poured out of the antenna hidden within the shack’s totem pole. The group in the basement was completely protected from its memory-wiping effects thanks to Steven’s bubble, but the agents above ground weren’t so lucky, as their sudden disorientation quickly proved.

“What? Where am I?” Powers asked as he placed a hand against his now throbbing head. “Why am I standing in front of some goofy, fun knick-knack house?”

“Stand down, gentlemen!” Ford ordered as he came to stand on the porch before the agents, acting on the impromptu plan they had all quickly devised in the basement. “I’ve been sent with the latest intel from Washington,” he took out the papers Mabel had handed him right before walking out, filled with zany colorful pictures she had drawn. Still, even despite their random silliness, Ford kept a completely straight, authoritative manner as he continued. “According to this very real report, the power surges in Gravity Falls were actually due to radiation from an unreported meteor shower. As for the claims of ‘aliens’ in the town, the images you apparently have on file were traced back to some young local prankster, making them completely and utterly invalid. A total embarrassment for your whole department. Luckily, I’m here to take this mess off your hands, but I’ll need all of your… floppy disks and 8-tracks… right?”

“Uh, everything about this case is contained on this drive,” Powers said, presenting said flash drive, which Ford quickly took.

“Well, what are you waiting for, a kiss on the cheek?” Ford asked quite harshly. “Get out of here before I have your butts court-martialed!”

“Uh, y-yes, sir!” Powers exclaimed, saluting as he quickly turned to his fellow agents. “False alarm, everyone!”

The rest of the squadron swiftly followed this demand, packing up into their cars and helicopters and leaving the property once and for all. As soon as they were gone, Ford disposed of the flash drive by handing it off to Gompers, who readily took it in his mouth and chewed away before running off. With the coast clear, everyone hidden inside the shack was quick to emerge, the kids rushing forward first, all three of them in equal excitement over the impressive act the author had just put on.

“Great Uncle Stanford, that was amazing!” Mabel exclaimed with a wide smile.

“Yeah! You nearly had me believing all that stuff you were saying, and I know the truth!” Steven said just as brightly.

“Let’s not go crazy,” Stan spoke up dryly. “It was serviceable.”

Ford ignored his brother’s sardonic remark, instead taking in the kids’ praise somewhat bashfully as he let out a small chuckle. “Thank you, kids, but please, call me Ford.”

“Sure, thanks, G-Great Uncle Ford!” Dipper interjected, both anxiously and excitedly, still quite starstruck by the author himself as he pulled out a pen and notepad. “So, uh… Would you mind if I asked you a couple million questions about Gravity Falls?”

“Um, w-well, I… uh…” Ford trailed off, his smile fading as he glanced up towards the Gems, none of who were looking to him rather fondly. Luckily, before he really needed to say anything, Stan stepped in.

“Alright, kids, its been a long day,” the conman said, already starting to usher them away. “Me and my brother have a lot to talk about. Why don’t you hit the hay, huh?”

“B-but, it’s the author!” Dipper protested, rapidly clicking his pen. “I’ve been waiting so long to ask questions about-”

“I said hit the hay!” Stan snapped, pushing both of the twins into the house, much to Dipper’s disappointment in particular.

“The same goes for you, Steven,” Pearl said to the young Gem, gently motioning up to the temple. “A… a lot’s happened today and… um…”

“You need your rest,” Garnet finished, though it was clear her tone wasn’t as steady as it usually was. “In fact, we all do.” She placed firm hands on both of her teammates’ shoulders at this, leaving them with the implication that their night would involve much less rest and more intensive discussion on exactly what was unraveling here.

Steven wanted to say something to both his guardians and the author at this juncture, but he didn’t exactly know what. So instead, he let out a small, sad sigh, following their instructions as he began the trek back up to the temple. The Gems began to follow him, but before they could get to far, Ford hurried after them.

“Wait!” he exclaimed, pausing briefly as they turned to face him, their expressions still as distrustful and uncertain as they had been the moment he stepped out of the portal. Something that honestly didn’t surprise the author that much, given their lack of knowledge of their former friendship, though in a strange way, it still hurt him nonetheless. “Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, I-I…” he hesitated once more before dropping his voice down into a whisper only they could hear. “Is it true? Is she really gone?”

Pearl let out a sharp sigh at this, her glare deepening as she looked away from Ford fiercely. Amethyst still didn’t have much to say at all, which was why Garnet was the one to answer with only a solemn nod. A nod that, in a way, served to confirm what he had desperately not wanted to believe. “W-well then… I suppose the apology I had intended for her all these years will just have to pass along to all of you…” he continued with a remorseful frown. “I truly am sorry for everything that happened between us all those years ago. I made such a momentous mistake and I dragged you three and Rose into it right along with me. B-but… I intend to make up for the wrongs of the past in the present. I know you might not have much reason to trust me now, but I promise that I’ll do whatever it takes to help you three recover your lost memories. It’s the least I can do after… well, you know…”

The Gems were still silent upon hearing this, Amethyst hardly even paying much attention as she instead set her petulant sights on Stan in the distance, who only returned her thinly-veiled glare with a look of silent apologies that were nowhere near sufficient enough. Pearl briefly glanced up at Ford before wrapping her arms around herself tighter, closing her eyes as she refused to offer him so much as even a word. Which once again, left Garnet to be the team’s anchor, even if her manner was anything but strong and steadfast as it usually was when she let out her simple, yet sincere response. “Thank you,” she said, and with that, the Gems turned and began heading for the temple, leaving Ford with age-old regrets that only seemed to weigh all the heavier on him as he watched them go.

Of course, Stan was reminded of quite a few of his own regrets as Ford turned to him, tension filling both of their expressions as they knew they had much to sort out now. Aside from them, the only one still present was Soos, though he was quick to excuse himself in favor of leaving the incoming awkwardness behind. “Uh… I’ll just… let myself out…” the handyman said, though as he ran off, he was quick to excitedly dial is coworker up in order to fill her in. “Wendy, I’ve got something amazing to tell you. Clear the next fourteen hours!”

The Gems had sealed themselves away inside the temple ever since they got back, something that Steven honestly didn’t question that much as he got himself ready for bed. Still, the young Gem’s thoughts were far from quiet as he went about his normal routine, something that felt so strange in light of just how much had changed over the past several hours alone. However, it all came to a grinding halt the moment he happened to stop short and take a glance up at the picture of his mother hanging from the wall above the door.

From Stan and Ford’s respective recollections alone, Steven had managed to learn so much about Rose that he had never really known before. Of course, both of the brothers had told vastly different accounts based on their interactions with the pink Gem, one of them clearly viewing her very highly while the other one only held disdain towards her. And based on these two incredibly conflicting viewpoints, Steven was left not really knowing what to think at all.

On one hand, Rose and the other Crystal Gems had saved the earth from Homeworld. They protected humanity and still strove to do so. They curiously explored the mysteries of Gravity Falls alongside Ford, hoping to find tangible answers that could enlighten mankind. And yet… they had also unwittingly built an effective doomsday device, one that threatened the universe’s safety on more than one occasion. Even after learning about the machine’s true nature, based on what he had heard, it seemed to Steven like Rose didn’t really make any real efforts to try and fix this major mistake she was partially responsible for. The most she had ever really done was keep journal 3 away from Stan, but even that was a very touchy issue. For in doing so, she had effectively barred the conman from the information he needed to save his brother, which was, to the young Gem, a noble, selfless pursuit by all accounts, even despite the relative risks. A pursuit that Rose had fiercely, adamantly tried to stop up until her very end.

But then there was the implication that had left even the Gems reeling, that Rose might have known something about her teammates’ missing memories, that she might have even had something to do with their removal in the first place. It was something that Steven really didn’t want to believe, even despite the long-awaited answers it could possibly point towards if it was true. Because in all honesty, it just didn’t make sense. If Rose had cared about her fellow Gems and supported them as much as Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl always claimed, then why would she keep this part of the past hidden away from them? Why would she have left them in the dark for so long? Why would she have left them behind without even the faintest clue that a piece of each of their memories was missing, leaving them lost, confused, even fractured?

Steven shook his head, his brow furrowing in frustrated confusion as he headed to bed, finally looking away from the peaceful portrait of his mother. His mother, who always seemed to be at the center of so many mysteries that she had now become a mystery herself.

“Ugh, look at us,” Stan remarked as him and Ford stood side by-side in front of the downstairs mirror. The author had traded out his worn, ragged portal gear for more simpler attire: his favorite old tan lab coat over a red sweater and black pants. Yet even despite this shift in clothes, that didn’t mean the brothers didn’t look any less similar, even despite all of the years that had gone by. “When did we become old men?”

“You look like Dad,” Ford remarked with a bit of a wry smirk.

“Ugh, don’t say that,” the conman rolled his eyes, a hint of bemused disgust in his tone as both him and his brother broke out into a small bout of almost bittersweet laughter. Laughter that was, of course, all too quickly replaced with rigid formality once again.

“Ok, Stanley, here’s the deal,” Ford began with a small, somewhat tired sigh. “You can stay here for the rest of the summer to watch the kids. I’ll stay down in the basement and try to contain any remaining damage from the portal. But when the summer’s over, you give me my house back, you give me my name back, and this Mystery Shack junk is over forever. You got it?”

“You really aren’t gonna thank me, are you?” Stan asked, quite taken aback by all these rather harsh demands. Ford simply glanced downward, not even showing a hint of breaking his stoic, cold resolve on the matter, much to Stan’s frustration. “Fine,” he begrudgingly agreed, knowing that he didn’t really have much of a choice. “But on one condition: you stay away from the kids. They’ve already gotten in way over their heads getting involved with all this Gem stuff, and I don’t want them in any more danger. Because as far as I’m concerned, they’re the only family I have left.”

Stan made his point quite clear as he turned and began to head upstairs at this, though he did briefly stop short to glance back at his brother again. “Oh, and one more thing,” he said, his tone still firm and unyielding. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how you looked at Steven down in the basement earlier. Just so you know, Sixer, he’s not Rose. He never has been and he never will be, and he doesn’t need you poking and prying at him trying to figure out how that works. He already gets enough of that from the Gems. So don’t be trying to always compare him to her like they do. Because whether you like it or not, Steven’s way better than Rose ever was.”

Ford said nothing in response to this, his glare sharpening just the slightest bit, though Stan didn’t see it for too long as he turned and continued on his way. In fact, neither of them made much of an effort to say anything else at all, for really, what could be said? So much had changed over the past thirty years, but for as much as had shifted, so much of it had also stayed the same, especially between the two brothers. Even despite the years of separation and doubt, they were still back the same place they had been when their close knit bond had fallen apart on that miserable night when they were teenagers. They were still so far away from the camaraderie and companionship they had always found in each other when they were simple, innocent children, cheerfully running across a sunny shore that now only existed in the bittersweet past.

A past that held no place in the now-tarnished present and the uncertain, unsteady future.

“Did you hear what they said?” Mabel asked Dipper as she stood near the attic door, trying her best to overhear what their uncles had been discussing. “I think Grunkle Ford said they’re gonna buy us puppies made of ice cream. Might be wishful thinking though…”

“Uh huh,” Dipper absently replied as he continued working on patching the pieces of the torn photos of himself and Lapis up, a project he had undertaken for the past several weeks and seemed quite deadest on now for some reason. “That’s nice.”

Mabel frowned at this, stepped away from the door as she noticed her brother’s refusal to so much as even glance up at her in his irritated manner. “Uh… w-well, aren’t you excited? I mean, you’ve always wanted to meet the author, and um, bam! Come to find out he’s our grunkle so… that’s pretty cool, i-isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is,” Dipper said, letting out something of a small sigh of annoyance as he continued taping picture scraps together. “It’s… really cool…”

“Um… Dipper?” Mabel began without really thinking, wanting to ask him exactly what seemed to be bothering him. Though given that she already had a pretty strong hunch as to what the problem was here, her nerves held her back as she went off on a different tangent entirely. “You… you don’t think we’ll turn out like Stan and Ford… d-do you?”

Dipper finally glanced up at this, stilling his progress on the pictures as he looked to his sister in slight confusion. “W-what do you mean?”

Mabel let out a worried sigh as she flopped down onto her bed, not hiding her growing concern this time. “I mean… they used to be best friends, but then they got all stupid. C-can… can you promise me you won’t get stupid?”

Dipper hesitated, something that alone made Mabel’s heart sink, though the flash of what almost looked like appalled anger at her question that ran across his expression did so even more. Still, whatever he might have wanted to say, he kept it to himself, instead simply looking down as he began putting the picture scraps away for the night and answered her in an unresolved mutter. “S-sure… Whatever you say…”

Mabel took in a deep breath at this, guilt filling her slowly as she kept her gaze towards him, even as he reached to turn the light out. “Uh… w-well, I’m… glad to hear that…” she said with a weak, fake smile. “Good night, bro-bro.”

“Yeah…” Dipper sighed as he lay down and purposefully turned away from her, the dejection in his tone clear. “Good night…”

Mabel sighed herself as she set her sights on the ceiling above, restlessness overtaking her amidst her ever-growing Fear. Fear that things were so incredibly possibly different now that it was almost impossible describe everything that had just changed. That tension and anxiety would wash over the tide of togetherness and fun they had known all summer. That the past would soon repeat itself in the present, no matter how much they tried to avoid it.

And that perhaps it had already begun to do just that.

[arwenkenobi48]

The Feral Opress Headcanon Masterpost

Now updated and expanded!

Canon Star Wars Timeline:

Feral was the youngest son of Mother Talzin. He was born almost two months premature and had a twin who died at birth. Feral himself almost died because he was very weak. Talzin rejected him because of this. However, the Nightsister Kycina believed there was hope for him and raised him in secret. Once he was strong enough, she delivered him to the Nightbrothers, directly to Savage Opress.

Feral was very quiet and shy as a child, preferring to stay Savage’s side. He would cry at the slightest thing, resulting in his peers calling him a crybaby. Savage would defend him every time.

There are a large number of blue moth-like insects that live on Dathomir, in the caves surrounding the Nightbrothers’ village. Feral watched them when they come out at night. They often settle on his nose and/or horns.

Feral was a late bloomer when he reached adolescence. He even still had four of his milk teeth. As a result, his markings developed later than other Nightbrothers and it made him very self conscious and physically uncomfortable. Poor little babby </3

Feral, like most Nightbrothers, was illiterate until he became a tribal leader, alongside Savage. Even now he can barely count past 23.

Feral was born on a leap year. Technically, although he should be 20, he’s only 5 years old. <3

AU: A Galaxy Far Far Away

Feral is never choked by Savage. Instead, he tags along with Obi-Wan and Anakin, is taken to Coruscant and starts a new life as a Republic officer. He becomes friends with Ahsoka and gets along very well with the Clone troopers. He and Rex also happen to fall in love, as well. <3

Feral has a crush on a fellow Nightbrother, Lash, but doesn’t meet him again until the latter becomes a bounty hunter and finds work on Kamino training Clone cadets.

On one occasion, Feral is captured by Separatist spies, frozen in carbonite and transported to the remote system of Tau Cheti. The planet of Tau Prime - located on the edge of Wild Space - is home to a race of hostile bird-like aliens who have a deep hatred for Zabraks.

Feral barely makes it out of there alive. Lash teams up with Rex, Ahsoka and Anakin to rescue him and they succeed! :D

After finding Savage again, Feral stows away on board the ship that takes them to Lotho Minor. He and Savage have a tearful reunion.

When he finds Maul, Feral is horrified, to say the least. He’s even more shaken up when he realises his home world is in ruins. After Maul is healed, Feral is further frightened by his lust for revenge.

After Obi-Wan is captured, poor Feral finds himself torn between his loyalty to his brothers and the Republic. In the lightsaber fight between Jedi and Sith, Feral loses his right hand to Maul’s lightsaber. He would have lost more if he hadn’t escaped with Obi-Wan and Ventress.

Feral later receives a prosthetic hand, but the poor bab is still very upset. He can’t stop thinking about Savage and Maul. During this difficult time, he meets Yoda and discovers that he is Force sensitive like his brothers. Although he is too old to begin Jedi training, Feral gets an idea of what it’s like from Ahsoka.

After having a vision of Savage’s death on Mandalore, Feral travels to the war-torn planet, much against the will of everyone else. There, he tries to persuade Savage to join him and the Republic. However, he is shot by a Death Watch Commando. The shot doesn’t kill him, but he loses consciousness and Savage, grief-stricken, believes he is dead.

Taken back to the Republic by Obi-Wan, Feral remains comatose for a few weeks. When he regains consciousness, he is heartbroken to learn that Savage is dead. He constantly blames himself for not being able to save his brother. Try as they might, neither Rex nor Ahsoka can console him. </3

When Ahsoka travels to Mandalore to fight Maul after leaving the Jedi Order, Feral goes with her and Rex. There, he and Maul fight once again. Maul ignores Feral’s pleas to join him. Feral bravely states that he has no hatred for Maul and forgives him, hoping that they may meet again someday.

Sure enough, Maul and Feral do meet again by the time of the Rebellion. After Maul’s redemption, he joins Feral in Phoenix Squadron. In that same Rebel cell, Feral reunites with Rex, Ahsoka and Lash, who has become an A-Wing pilot.

Feral survives the Battle of Scarif, the Battle of Yavin, the Battle of Hoth AND the battle of Endor! :D He and Rex are overjoyed that the Empire has fallen and they both live peaceful lives.

Feral, Maul and Rex all pass away on the same day. About twelve years before the events of The Force Awakens, all three of them die peacefully in their sleep. (sry if this is too sad)

AU: Legend of the Night Watcher

Feral and Savage both live relatively normal lives on Coruscant, running a small delivery service.

However, Feral dresses up as a vigilante every night and goes to fight crime in the Coruscant underworld, earning himself the alias of the Night Watcher.

Nobody else knows the Night Watcher’s true identity except for Savage and Maul, who is the ruler of Mandalore. Maul is openly proud of Feral, whereas Savage is very protective and wants Feral to be safe, despite his risky job.

Feral is notably more confident and sassy in this AU, but he’s still the cinnamon roll we all know and love. <3

He and Rex are married as well :D

AU: At Home With The Zabrak Brothers

Feral lives a normal suburban life with his brothers and spends his days playing the guitar in the streets, singing Ed Sheeran songs and the like. He hopes to become a professional musician someday. <3

He is obsessed with Luke Skywalker and watches the Original Trilogy on an almost daily basis. He even has the Jedi’s name tattooed onto his abs in Korean script. XD

Feral vapes frequently, mostly just to annoy Maul when he’s reading so he can blow a huge cloud of steam into his face. :D

His relationship with Mother Talzin is shaky, to say the least. She barely even knows his name half the time.

Feral has a red panda plushie named Luke Skywalker, which he sleeps with every single night <3 In addition to his, he still uses a pacifier and Savage reads and/or sings to him at bedtime.

Feral loves Disney movies and listening to trap music. He always sings in the car when he and his bros are travelling somewhere. Savage now has A Whole New World stuck in his head for eternity XD

Feral has two exotic shorthair cats named Nightwish and Starset, after his favourite bands. Yep, Feral listens to some pretty hardcore music XD Those cats are spoiled rotten and Feral pampers them and pets them so much that he’s basically turned them into bratty sentient pillows that follow him around demanding treats 24/7.

Feral is addicted to junk food. When Savage bought a giant box of cookies, Feral snuck into the kitchen in the middle of the night and ate them one by one for about three months solid before he was busted.

He once mistook wasabi for guacamole, which eventually led to him and his brothers being thrown out of Itsu.

In this AU, Feral is basically a big kid. He eats messy, is super innocent and loves playing and having a good time.

AU: YouTuber Life

In this AU, Feral and his bros are youtubers, of course :3

Feral has his own solo channel, called Forever Feral. It’s basically a little like dangmattsmith. Video topics include mini-vlogs, reactions, life hack experiments and LEGO Star Wars gameplay. Feral has his plushie with him in every single video :D

A number of Feral’s videos contain little skits in which he plays three different characters: Luke Skywalker, (the plushie), Inspector Whitby, his Sherlock-esque British alter-ego and Tariq, a blue dragon that speaks in verse and lives in an Arabian magic lamp.

Feral also has a channel that he shares with his brothers, just called The Zabrak Brothers, which has vlogs, Battlefront 2 gameplay and sketch comedies.

Feral has a habit of making cute commentaries on everything and has become famous for his catchphrase: “Sheesh-kebabs!” which he says whenever something dramatic happens.

AU: Nightbrothers: Ghosts of Dathomir

This AU is basically an alternate ending for the Son of Dathomir comics, tied in to A Galaxy Far Far Away in some aspects, as Feral and the other Nightbrothers are all relatively safe there (well Feral is anyways) until the Shadow Collective and Separatists bring the war back to their world. Instead of being exterminated, however, the Nightbrothers simply escape and try to find their own place in the Galaxy.

During the age of the Empire, Feral returns with his brethren to Dathomir, only to find the entire place populated with Nightsister Ghosts. After Brother Viscus resurrects Savage via an eerie blood-theme ritual, Feral explains what’s been happening to his brother as best he can, but the poor bab is pretty much traumatised by all the spooky stuff happening around him. Nonetheless, he joins his fellow Nightbrothers as they basically become the Star Wars equivalent of Ghostbusters and seek to purge Dathomir of the Ghosts and leave the past behind. 

Feral is rather skittish and meek in this AU, but has something of a boastful streak despite that. He’ll claim to be hard to scare, then cling to Savage screaming “Mommy!” Not ideal when you’re a ghost hunter XD

Misc/General Headcanons

Feral is gay and asexual. He’s been questioning his sexual orientation since he reached puberty and it’s taken him some time to come to terms with it, but he’s happy with it <3

Feral is also a demiboy and only feels vaguely connected to the male gender. He’s pretty much always known what he was feeling, but couldn’t find the words to describe it until recent years. Sometimes he worries that he ends up supporting the ‘flamboyant gay’ stereotype, but Savage and/or his S.O. reminds him that he’s perfect just the way he is <3

Feral will always be a kid at heart. He might have brief moments of cynicism but overall he has a very innocent and optimistic outlook on life.

Feral is on the autism spectrum (possibly Aspergers, but nobody’s really sure). He also has a bit of social anxiety, but the stronger his connection to someone, the easier communication is :)

Canon fact about Feral that few people know: 

He was only 20 when a certain event happened... </3

So yeah, this is it, finally completed! Yay! :D Hope everyone enjoys this! <3 May the Force be with you, always :)

[nighttimepixels]

these frames from the video, anon? thank you so much ;v; yeah they’re my favorite too OTL|||

as for how/why they match my hcs... oof. oh gods. how do i go into this. hmmm... well, perhaps my writing will demonstrate what i mean a little better? so... here’s a little thing below exploring a bit of those feelings (and hopefully showing a bit of what i mean).

“SO HOW’D YOU GET INTO MAKING NICE CREAM ANYWAYS, NICECREAMPANTS?”

“Little buddy, boy do I wish you wouldn’t call me that.”

Blue grinned at the cat bundled up against the cold leaning against his cart. He handed over the gold pieces for his treat, an indulgence he liked to Sneak when he knew his brother was napping too deeply at his station to give him grief - and puns, always with the puns - for his slight sugar addiction. Stretch didn’t have a bone to stand on with his honey habits, but that didn’t pose much of a dilemma for his conscience, apparently.

The cartkeeper passed him a Nice Cream with a roll of his eyes, but there was a smile hidden at the edges of his grumbling mouth that Blue caught even still. 

“ALRIGHT THEN, PANTS, HOW ABOUT THAT-”

“Why the stone would that make any more sense- I- everyone wears pants-”

“WELL IF YOU WANT TO GET TECHNICAL ABOUT IT, MUFFET ACTUALLY WEARS DRESSES, AND THERE ARE SEVERAL BUNNIES THAT STICK TO CUTE SHIRTS-”

“Stars, fine, fine - just - stick stick with Kat, okay?” the cartkeeper stuck his hands out in defeat, looking exhausted and flustered at once.

“... CAT,” Blue said slowly.

He couldn’t help the grin spreading wider on his face.

“Kat,” was the short, emphatic reply.

Blue snickered, but had the heart to quiet it quickly and simply flash Kat another winning smile. He was met with another eye roll, though as always Blue caught the body language hidden behind his conversational companion’s bristly exterior - the monster was good-natured at heart, just... a kid who was angry at what he saw as his lot in life.

“SO, HOW YOU GOT INTO THIS BUSINESS...?” Blue prompted, gesturing vaguely with his wrapped ice cream at Kat’s cart.

Kat sighed. “I mean, I wanted to get into show business, little buddy, I won’t lie. Or, really, the music business. But uh, that doesn’t pay for itself, and with my... employer only working in ‘affordable unpaid internships’ right now, I had to do something to make ends meet.” Kat was talking with his paws now, gesturing expressively as Blue leaned against his cart and nodded with an empathetic wince, encouraging him to continue. “Muffet wouldn’t hire me - something about being surrounded by too much fur as it was-” Blue nodded again, this time having to work at fighting down a shudder, given his present company- “So I figured, why not do my own thing? It’s not much, and to be honest, little buddy, you’re one of my only regular customers, but at least it’s something.”

Blue whistled low, his expression still empathetically understanding. “I’M SORRY TO HEAR THAT THINGS ARE SO COMPLICATED FOR YOU, KAT,” he said, offering a smile as only he could as he spoke. Kat shrugged, but he looked a little lighter for his talking. Blue began to unwrap his Nice Cream, still talking. “BUT YOU KNOW? ANYONE LIKE YOU WHO COULD HAVE THE KIND OF INSIGHT TO MAKE SOMETHING LIKE NICE CREAMS TO MAKE ENDS MEET WHILE PURSUING THEIR DREAMS... I THINK IT’LL WORK OUT FOR YOU, I REALLY DO. I BELIEVE IN YOU.”

Kat’s eyes were darting side to side, a flush on his face and looking decidedly as though he were looking for microphones, or for someone to jump out and tell him it was all a prank.

Blue chuckled as he slid the wrapper off his ice cream, catching Kat’s eye again. “I MEAN IT, KAT. THIS ISN’T ONE OF MY - INCREDIBLY EXCELLENT - JAPES. OH, BUT I DO HAVE TO ASK - WHAT GAVE YOU THE IDEA TO HAVE THE NICE MESSAGES INSIDE?”

Still flushing, Kat crossed his arms and looked to the side, looking pleased but frustrated. “I mean, sometimes it’s just nice to have that little boost, y’know? I mean, I know you wouldn’t understand, but not all of us can have your confidence.”

Blue froze. His voice stuck in his chest, no longer quite sure how to speak. His gaze, already on the wrapper, read the message.

You’re not alone! Keep going, buddy.

Kat continued speaking, oblivious to Blue’s sudden quiet.

“I mean, you’ve got all kinds of friends, you believe in yourself, yaddayadda... it’s gotta be nice, right? But since we can’t all have that... I figured it might be nice to get that when you’re treating yourself, or something.”

“YES, OF COURSE. EVERYONE DESERVES THAT KIND OF COMPANIONSHIP,” Blue said, his voice finding strength somehow.

Kat nodded. “Yeah, so, uh, that’s what’s up with all that. Anyways, thanks I guess, for always stopping by,” he muttered, his tone betraying the genuine appreciation buried beneath his blase tone.

Blue grinned at him, his eyes shut as a laugh escaped him. “OF COURSE! YOU TRULY HAVE THE NICEST TREATS AROUND, KAT!”

He strolled off with a triumphant laugh, crossing the bridge in a quick stride as Kat groaned something about ‘being as bad as his brother’ behind him.

As soon as he rounded the corner of the path, officially out of sight, Blue’s hands crept up to his arms, crossing over his chest, clutching slightly at the sturdy bone of his upper arm.

‘You’ve got all kinds of friends.’

His boots barely scuffed the compacted snow path as he made his way through his puzzles, barely sparing a glance for the convoluted steps and switches he triggered to pass by.

‘Not all of us can have your confidence.’

He slid along the stretch of icy cliff-surround path lined with trees that came up next, retreating further and further away from Snowdin. At the last second he reached a hand up, snagging a thick branch overhead, swinging easily into the line of trees and finding his footing along the thick branches.

‘You wouldn’t understand.’

A few lithe climbing steps later and his boot met the hidden wooden planking he had laid high above the heads of any passerby, obscured behind the thick line of trees. Barely dusted with snow thanks to the thick branches still above - even this high in the trees - he quickly made his way along the winding path, voices echoing in his head. Whispers covered with too-bright smiles at his passing or drunken slurring from people without remaining filters or environment awareness.

Quick glances at his bright smile, diminutive but well-intended pats on the shoulder when he lended a hand, grumbles at his Hope, quick excuses made to leave when he walked up to join a conversation.

He reached the end of his walkway, emerging on a small platform tucked just safe of prying eyes in the treeline, but hanging with the trees at the edge of a cliff into the darker, colder limits of this part of the Underground. In the distance, snow clouds gathered, their magic coalescing right on time, catching the ever-present dim-lit winter glow of Snowdin’s cave. 

He’s so sweet, but he just wouldn’t get it, y’know? His brother handles all the dirty work in the background, I bet - how else could a guy be so sheltered and positive all the time? Catch a human? Please... Even if we do get another one down here, no way he’d really do it. If he’s not hiding something, then he’s just unrelatable, y’know? I don’t even want to be around him for that long, stars. He doesn’t know how to read a room, does he? Not the brightest crystal in the cave, really.  He’s too loud. He’s too innocent. He’s too different.

Blue’s legs folded up underneath him and he fell onto the decking, biting back the choked sound that threatened to pull out of his chest. His soul ached, stars did it ache, but he wouldn’t let himself fall apart. He couldn’t afford to. Not today. Not again. Not ever.

He let his legs dangle over the edge of the deck. His hands gripped the edge of the deck as he leaned forward, blinking away the magic that was prickling painfully at the corners of his eyesockets.

The cave fell to near darkness so far below the higher level of the cave he and Snowdin laid at, but the glint of a distant warm fire from some of the more reclusive residents of the lower levels of the cave twinkled against the encroaching dark.

"hey, bro.”

Blue’s eyesockets tugged at the edge, and his downturned mouth tugged upwards.

“HEY, PAPY.”

Stretch stood next to Blue after barely a moment. Another moment or two passed, and then Stretch plopped down next to him. One leg bent upwards as he rested his foot at the edge of the deck, the other joined Blue in dangling over the edge. The smell of pine and cloves drifted soft on the air, borne on wisps of smoke.

“how was the Nice Cream?”

“... DUNNO WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT.”

“you dropped half of it at the edge of one of your puzzles.”

“... WELL, HECK,” Blue groaned softly. He didn’t mean to waste it. He didn’t even remember eating half of it, though, if he was honest with himself.

They were quiet for another minute. The snow-laden clouds fluffed out and darkened at the opposite end of the cavern, slowly growing closer.

“... ER, SORRY, I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN YOU ONE, BUT I FIGURED YOU WERE ASLEEP,” Blue ventured.

“i was,” Stretch replied. Blue tilted his head to shoot him a disapproving look. Stretch simply winked at him, a lazy grin on his face, a dog treat hanging from his mouth. Stretch took the moment to blow a puff of smoke at Blue’s forehead.

Blue rolled his eyelights, but his mouth picked up into a soft grin despite it. “YOU KNOW, THE DOG GUARD ACTUALLY THINKS THOSE ARE DOG TREATS.”

Stretch chuckled. “funny what power a name has. i dunno where they think i’d be getting boxes of dog treats down here, rather than just making some medicinal herb stuff.” He laughed harder then, a single short sound that made Blue’s browbone pick up in question. Stretch shook his head, one hand going to half-heartedly cover his mouth. “didya see GD the other day? he was so proud for ‘catching’ that snowman that he demanded extra treats. ended up taking a nap in the middle of a snow poff for half the day, and LD’s still ticked about slipping in the frozen puddle of drool he left.”

Blue couldn’t help the snort that escaped him - it quickly turned into outright laughter, though he had the good graces to feel bad about it - still, he shoved lightly at Stretch as he dissolved into laughter at the mental image. Stretch grinned wider, snickering.

“YOU’RE THE WORST,” Blue groaned, still grinning.

“hey, i checked up on him to make sure he didn’t get snow in his nose. you ever smell morning breath on a dog? i oughta be made a saint.”

Blue just shook his head, his hands moving to rest on the deck just behind him so he could lean back. Another moment passed, and then his grin grew mischievously.

Stretch caught it right away, his own grin growing. “... oh man. lay it on me, bro.”

Blue’s eyelights met his brother’s as he spoke slowly. “SO, LD’S TICKED, HUH? MIGHT NEED TO GET HIM TO THE CAPITAL TO SEE A VET ABOUT THAT.”

A beat passed.

“bro. oh my stars. bro. bro.” Stretch clutched his chest. “bro i’m so proud, holy shit-”

Blue shoved lightly at Stretch again, laughing at his reaction as Stretch pretended to swoon. “C’MON WE BOTH KNOW THAT I’M THE TRUE MASTER OF JOKES-”

“hey, hey, no need to get ugly, don’t go tryin’ to steal my throne-”

“YOU NEED FINESSE!”

“i’d say we both need fine ass-”

A tiny blue bone bounced off of Stretch’s forehead at incredible speed. Stretch’s hand clapped to his forehead to rub at the spot as he glared at his brother, the expression marred by the smug grin on his face.

Blue got to his feet and stretched before turning with his hands on his hips to look at his brother. “ALRIGHT YOU LAZYBONES, C’MON. I STILL NEED TO RESET MY PUZZLES - AND SOMETHING TELLS ME THAT YOU DO TOO.”

“bro, you wound me with your completely accurate assumptions.”

Stretch was on his feet in the moment Blue glanced to the clouds getting close.

“YES, YES, MY POWERS OF OBSERVATION ARE SECOND TO NONE,” Blue said, waving a hand and smiling. He glanced back at his brother before starting the walk back towards the normal route through the forest. Stretch followed him, his sneakers scuffing lazily along the walkway.

“... OH, AND PAPY?”

“yeah, bro?”

“THANKS.”

A moment passed as they walked in quiet.

“i’ve got your back, Blue.”

Blue smiled. “I’VE GOT YOURS, TOO.”