Hey Stan, can you tell us stories about your brother Sherman being a total square?
Stan and Ford: At the same time. You mean Square-mie?
Both of them laugh, not in a harsh way, but the kind of lighthearted chuckles that usually come from one sibling teasing another. It's obvious they love their older brother, but... like most siblings, they'll always jump on a chance to make fun of one another.
Stan: Oh, he always hated that nickname! Look, Anon, lemme first introduce ya to the official scale of Pines fun-ness. At the top, there's me, for obvious reasons. Second best is Mabel, also for obvious reasons. And... He pauses, putting his hand to his chin. Damn, I gotta say, I think Ford's next-
Ford: I am as much of an adventurer as I am a scientist.
Stan: Yeah, definitely Ford, despite his dorkiness and obsession with... He gestures at Ford's honors and trophies for grades and intelligence related successes from childhood. That garbage. Good grades and other crap. And then-
Ford: Definitely our nephew, Dipper and Mabel's father. Works in IT, very smart, has a little bit more of Mabel's fun-loving nature. But far less adventurous than you or I. You and I could never live a boring suburban life like he does.
Stan: Grinning. Then, near the very bottom, you've got Dipper. No offense to the kid, but he's Ford's smarts but minus Ford's rebel streak. Walkin' wet blanket at times, always askin' how many laws we're breakin' while we're out havin' fun... although me and Ford are teachin' 'im to grow past it, as much as his parents will let us corrupt 'im. But he at least likes to have fun, I'll give 'im that. So that leaves us at-
Ford: Way at the very bottom of the Pines fun-ness scale, you have... Square-mie. He coughs. Shermie, sorry.
Both men howl with snorts and laughter again, barely able to explain why.
Stan: Wiping a tear from his eye, wheezing a bit. Okay, okay, Anon, picture this: take Dipper and his dad's wet blanket crap and crank it up to 1000. This guy? Our brother? Good ol' Saint Sherm? Guy's never even had a parking ticket his entire life! He won't even jaywalk! He never goes even one mile per hour above the speed limit! He's like the human equivalent of white bread. Of unflavored oatmeal. Got average grades, got a boring old suburban house with a literal white picket fence, had an average job-
Ford: Shudders. I have no idea how he worked as an IRS accountant for decades.
Stan: Ugh, don't remind me. He's always barkin' at me. "Stan, you pay your taxes yet this year?" this. "Stan, you need to contribute to your civic duty.", that. Cripes, ol' Sherm is like the anti-Pines. A Pines is supposed to laugh in the face of rules and authority. This guy huffs whatever authority's smokin' like he's part of a cult. Even when we were kids, he'd always do chores even when he wasn't asked. Kept his room clean as a whistle. Barked at me to do my homework and foiled our pranks when he could. Pure goody two shoes, so much he'd make an angel blush. I think all of our Ma's rebellion genes went to us, and Pa's strictness went to Sherm.
Ford: Yes, so after I returned and we explained to him what had happened, he...
Both men fall into a snicker fest again, unsure who will stop laughing first long enough to tell the story.
Stan: Holy mackerel, he... he... Snort. Picture Dipper at, like, seventy years old, but with an even bigger stick up his ass and even less muscles somehow. Gets told this long, convoluted as hell tale about me fakin' my death and pretendin' to be Ford for three decades, Ford gettin' lost in sci-fi sideburn land for just as long, the world almost ending with Sherm's grandkids along for the ride... just mind bendin' stuff... and the first words outta his mouth... and for reference, this guy never swears, and he never has thrown a punch at anyone... he's so square he's a cube! But he just says...
He wheezes, so Ford has to finish the story.
Ford: Snort. He raises his voice a bit, likely to mimic Shermie's. "I just knew I shoulda kicked your asses more when we were kids."
The two howl and cackle with laughter, leaning on each other for support.
Stan: And then he just... walked away, out his door, down the street to the gas station, bought beer for the - and I'm not kidding - the first time in his life, and sat back down in his old man chair and faced us as we just stood there, gobsmacked, while he cracked one open and drank it with an expression like a man betrayed. And he said-
Ford: "You two knuckleheads are lucky I'm even older than you, 'cause if I wasn't, I'd plant my loafer up your ass! You're gonna sit down, shut up, and let me drink this crap while I process whatever the f*ck I just heard and how many goddamn taxes you owe. And then maybe I'll think about huggin' your sorry asses."
More laughing.
Stan: I'm not sure if he was more mad about the taxes, or the fact that I'd faked my death all those years ago, or... the world ending part where Dipper and Mabes coulda been hurt... or maybe because we drove him to drink and swear and threaten someone for the first time in his whole goddamn life, all in the same day, he... Chuckles. He never really said. All I know is, is I don't think I've ever had my jaw that close to the floor in my life.
Ford: Honestly, I think we just kind of... broke him. Even still, I think he blew our minds more than we blew his.
Stan: He laughs a bit more, then shakes his head. Pfft, can you imagine Sherm kickin' our asses, anyway? He'd probably gently nudge one of our shins and give up. He's too nice for anything worse. That's the thing with our brother: he may be boring as sin, but... he's a good guy.
Ford: He always protected us from bullies when we were kids. Carried us home whenever we sprained an ankle or broke a bone.
Stan: And bought us ice cream whenever we asked, and fixed our bikes, and patched us up, scared the "monsters" outta our closet, and taught us most of what we know. Kind of like a second Dad, honestly, and one a lot less grumpy. A bit more somber. And he helped our parents out in their old age when we weren't around, until the... well, you know. 'Til the end.
Ford: His smile fades, then he sighs, expression a bit bittersweet. And he did actually hug us.
Stan: He scratches the back of his head, a bit embarrassed, but smiling fondly. For three hours straight.
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I enjoy poking inside Vitani's brain. They are such a mess I don't even want to begin putting things back into place, let them do the heavy lifting.
For example, the Weave scene plays so wonderfully into their insecurities. I picture it going roughly as this:
Like, yeah, I don't care much about this guy, but I'm a people pleaser and he seems worried. Oh, who's that lady over there? Seems personal, maybe I'll just go back and...
And before they know it, they walk over and start up a conversation.
So they learn that the haughty wizard is actually very passionate about magic, and can be really nice and patient. And a considerate teacher, unlike the tutors they had back in Baldur’s Gate. Gale shows them the Weave as he perceives it and allows them to connect the way they see fit, through their own experiences.
And it takes just a drop of that kindness to make them euphoric and foolish enough to imagine things that are absolutely asinine. Hand holding. On a walk. With Gale. Gods, why doesn’t the ground just open up and swallow them whole to save them from the embarrassment?
And honestly, I don’t know who made whom more of a stuttering mess here, but Gale certainly finished it more gracefully. At least he pretended everything was okay.
And because they are a sucker for punishment they had to bring it all up the next day and...
...wait, there are things to come???
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