A Gift And A Piece Made For My Friend @mirrorworldangel Based On Their Mama!Stan's Lore! Specifically

Had an extremely random thought about Filbrick Pines that escalated way too quickly and i wanted to share. Also this is extremely scrambled writing so i apologize if i sound confusing

TW: canonical and implied child abuse

Ever since his first appearance in Dreamscapers, it’s clear that even after everything he endured from the man, Stan extremely respects him (even when he sounds uncomfortable when Ford compares him to their father at the “you look like dad”). Considering they were children in 1950, gender roles dictated that the men were “the owners of the house”, “the breadwinners” aka the main order and assertiveness of the house. Seeing that Ford was more “favoured” over his intelligence, no wonder Stan constantly tried to reach his father’s approval (Stan seems to have a very close bond with his mother, but that was what women were “expected" to do with their children, and both of them clearly suffered from the want of trying to fit in society’s standards in the year - especially with their father’s and peers pressure).

x

If we only watch the show we only get some snippets of their parents and how they act, but we still think that the decision of him disowning Stan and kicking him out was excessive (especially considering he was just 17 and didn’t even finish highschool). But if we read Lost Legends and “thisisnotawebsite.com” we get a broader vision of their childhood and-

x x

Look at this shit.

He always seemed to have a dislike towards Stan ever since he was born, calling him “Extra-Stan”, “screwup”, “riding in his brother’s coattail” and making him take the blame without even hearing out first (which in this case, is true, but still). Considering it was only in 1958 that ultrasounds managed to visualize better the pregnancy and the thought of “one more mouth to feed” (which is actually ironic, considering that in the 50s, middle class families could - surprisingly - afford a lot of things and that was when the inflation was minimal and workers wages were rising). But if we look at it at a religious point, twins can be seen as a form of good or bad luck; or in some cases, embody the dualistic nature between good and evil.

Which when you compare it to the main teachings of Judaism (from what i researched, please tell me if it's wrong and I'll immediately edit/delete this part) is that: 

“Judaism values children and childhood as perhaps the most pure form of being created in God's image” and “Parents who hit their younger children risk injuring them both physically and emotionally, and injuring a child is forbidden by Jewish law. Doing so also constitutes an offense against common decency” – x

“Parents teach their children by setting a worthy example of commitment to family, community, and to the sacred tradition of Judaism for them to follow in their own lives.” - x

Ofc there might’ve been some elements that might have made him “raise his hand” or “be tougher to his children” (which is a really bad excuse from abusive parents). The thing is that, when Stan and Ford give him back his golden watch, when Ford gets an opportunity to go to West Coast Tech, when Stan starts defending himself; he genuinely looks fond of them, impressed and even slightly “happy” for them in his own way. Which just makes this situation even worse. It’s common in dysfunctional homes for a parent to verbally/physically hurt their children then claim to love them; either as a form of gaslighting, control or the fact that they genuinely think that they’re helping you (it isn't. It really isn’t. Cut these people off immediately when you can). The worst thing is that you can have “good moments” with your abuser, which might make you think that it isn’t “that serious”. Especially in the age of the 1900s and in-between, the amount of legal issues and cases that were easily dismissed because of the conservative upbringing only helped these types of behaviour and abuse to not be taken as seriously as it should - especially when it came from the so-called “community man”.

However, that brings up the question of his past. Considering he was in his forties in 1960s (according to the wiki) he was probably born between 1920s and 1930s (and holy shit the cases of child neglect because it wasn’t seen as a “real concern”, and when they started making law for this they were usually ignored or not able to reach them. And the rise of feminism too!). He would’ve been born right after WW1, it would explain why he’s so obsessed with money (postwar America suffered from the loss of money and resources) and why he acts the way he does (generational trauma or the “children copy their parents” thing).

AND THAT FINALLY BRINGS ME TO THE MAIN QUESTION OF WHAT SPIRALLED ALL OF THIS. 

Did Filbrick treat Stan that way because he reminds him of himself??

Think about it. Unfortunately, I didn't find the study that said it, but some parents tend to favour other children or the “better twin” in this case, because their/the other child reminds them too much of themselves and their worst parts. Some relatives even want you to repeat their actions just so you can suffer the same life as them - steaming from jealousy and envy at your “freedom”. Imagine little Stanley, with chubby freckled cheeks, reaching his father’s midtigh, who is so curious and adventurous about the world, who loved drawing and reading comics, showing off his tooth gap when he smiled. Imagine that as Filbrick - before whatever happened to him, or the way he was raised, or he’s just the fucking bastard that he is.

Imagine him being a twin, too. Holy shit, either as a younger or older brother. Either being compared to his older brother who was the same as Ford, or getting distant from his sibling because of their different treatment, or his parents doing what he did to Stan to their siblings and thinking that this was “normal”. It brings so many questions to his character. With this in mind, it would make sense why he’s so “”””hard and tough””” on Stan (not that Ford escaped the abuse, maybe not physical, but definitely the pressure of trying to keep their father calm or doing well for the family; and perhaps the slightest hint of being responsible for his brother at a young age as he was the most “mature” out of them). It brings such another layer to their relationship.

And for my fellow Stancest enjoyers (i did not forget any of you!), i feel like him having a twin would make the situation so, so much worse. Him seeing his sons being as close as he was to his siblings on their childhood, him trying to slowly separate them, constantly dismissive of Stan because of how similar they are, only listening to Ford when it was worth it or necessary because he also reminds him of his other half, hating any kind of affection between them because “they’re men” and “what would people think” (the same words someone once said to him), how they need to be more independent, reminiscing and resenting every single moment he spent with his twin or outright blocking him from his family and/or memory, imagine if his twin was kicked out of their house because of their relationship? Or what if it was him that got disowned from their family? Him taking all the brunt of their family’s abuse and how “it’s for your own good”. The amount of scenarios this could cause and bring, if anything, he would’ve been so much harsher to them. Not only would they suffer their father’s wrath, they would suffer social prejudice and be a permanent stain to their family. (I apologize for the few scenarios, or else this would get too long.)

The more i think about this man the more I disliked him, if he had or not a bad childhood, he is an adult. Yes, you can sympathize with his (extremely hypothetical past that i created) childhood - especially with the time he was born, it was shit dude - but your actions after are yours and yours alone. It doesn’t excuse how you act in the present. You don’t get to be an asshole or let your past define you (of course, healing isn’t an easy path and not everyone is able to do therapy, but i think you’ll get what i’m trying to say here). Much less with your own children, you might have been a child once, but so were they; and they’ll live with the same pain you suffered and that you now inflicted on them. THAT is your fault and your responsibility alone.

And that’s what makes Stan and Ford growth on the series so satisfying to watch, the both of them clearly care for the kids and for each other, and now that they’re on the Stan’o’War there’s going to be so much learning from each other, getting close again, there’s going to be healing. They chose to do good by the people around them, and that’s so nice to see them letting go of their insecurities and the internalized hurt caused from their past.

KAKDODLELKIDOD THANK YOU SO MUCH ANGEL!! so sorry for the radio silence these days was spending time with family but aaaaa!! I have telepathically physically received your kisses and I wish I could directly kiss you on the forehead for these beautiful commentaries and drawings!!

First of all, thank you so much for the appreciation of his older design :) as you said, this man is "haggard". Man has a mission and he won't stop until he completes it (which would be like, forever, considering this is the multiverse) but god he's so tired, physically and emotionally. He doesn't feel bad about killing his "father" or other shitty Fords over and over again if it means his mother and his other selves would be safe. But... to continuously commit murder, processing your grief in a... morbid way, even if for a good cause but losing his humanity in the process, and killing a man that you're a carbon copy to?? The suicidal ideations and "if I ignore it it won't be a problem" are going wild in this one. Because he didn't have the time to process this trauma, feelings or even to rest. Jfc in his and Ford's possession drawing the man looked like he was completely numb, just going on automatic (wouldn't surprise me if he hadn't even actually dealt with his mother's death and his feelings towards it or anything that came after it). Cleo and Mama deserve a raise, they were carrying this guy or else he would've fallen dead atp jesus christ.

I got completely inspire by your answer of the Axolotl themselves "gifting" him his happy ending. So I wanted to do a spin of how I thought it would go! Aster finally having a chance to rest and to stay with his mother in the process.

Aster being much more taller than Ford and Stan (even as an old man) was too funny to pass. Imagine seeing your boy who fit at the crook of your arm just grow into a mountain?? Even in the height difference, Aster even slightly bends down when it comes to Stan, showing the respect and admiration he has for him. For the Fords? He uses that to threatening and strength advantage, he too has traveled the multiverse and isn't afraid of Ford in the slightest (man's probably seen everything at this point). That's such a horror point on his character.

And I'm so glad you noticed the contrast of colours between them! Stan being more brighter to simbolize his age and mindset before his drifter days and Aster being duller and darker in comparison to show what he went through. Aaaaa Stan literally turning into the sun when he remembered his boy because of the pure happiness he felt! I can't imagine how afraid he was for Aster for "leaving him alone", he didn't even had a chance to talk with him for the last time. Even if Aster looks so tired and old and nothing like the last time when they saw eachother, that's his son, his baby (which must've hurt too when he found out his boy went through almost the same things he did when Stan was homeless while on the multiverse). Aster finally called by his actual name after decades and reunited with his mother. They make me sick /j

I absolutely adore Forneus!! Her reunion with both of her kits was so cute and satisfying and it reminded me so much of them! Both of them feeling so empty before reuniting, Stan because he felt as if something was missing, Aster slowly forgetting his actual mother. Both of their brightness returning and infecting each other (I'm so glad you noticed his skin getting more colorful!!) and even if they decide to change their paths they can do it knowing that the other is there and that they're safe. But damn I don't even want to see how Aster's going to deal with his trauma, imagine being on "fight and survive mode, eat or be eaten mindset" for god knows how many years and one day you just- don't have to worry about it anymore. It's jarring and weird. I NEED TO WRITE ABOUT HIM

And on a complete side note!! Please listen to "Here Before" by Vashti Bunyan, it's literally their song I'm not even joking.

Btw this is an unused panel inspired by one of Moomin's ep. Scrapped it bc I wanted the emotional part to come later (honestly the reaction is valid I would've crashed out too if my parent just forgot about me)

AND O M G??? MAMA EVANGELINE DESIGN??? THR FACT THAT SHE CAN CHANGE FORMS DEPENDING ON THE UNIVERSE SHE'S ON AND PERSON SHE'S POSSESSING???? SIGN ME UP NOW!! I need to draw her immediately she's so beautiful (and the transformers universe omg imagine her as a kaiju SKIDLFLDOO) I adore how you made her hair so flowy

The scene from ponyo!! Her hair being a constellation and sea at the same time! Them being together in the afterlife i am not well /pos. Also the Variant Stan subplot???? Now that's a mystery I'm curious about!

And the morse code translations (thank you so much for them I was wanting to fight them), I am not well omg I am not well. "Forgive me my love", "kill me" and "make it stop" I FELT SO BAD (but also not bc brother what were you expecting???) The possibility that Ford isn't even dead and still possessed by Bill bc Aster just threw them both in the black forest, so he's probably still suffering there, alive and possessed and wallowing in eternal guilt. Holy shit dude.

AAAAAA BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING WORK AS ALWAYS ANGEL! Thank you so much for the attention my friend :) I hope you're doing well and have a great 2025!! 🩵🩵

Saw @mirrorworldangel answer about Aster's happy ending and I got inspired. I hope you like this gift and HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

Also I completely apologize if Aster's colour pallette is wrong (⁠´⁠;⁠︵⁠;⁠`⁠) (for some reason I wanted to see him in blue???) I drew him older than he's supposed to be (and also looking like an exact copy like Ford, this dude was made to suffer) to show how long he's been travelling and also the hardships he endured (hence the duller colours). And while drawing this I had- so many thoughts (and I listened to Adrienne Lenker doing this and it was not a good idea it was not a good idea-)

The axolotl allowing Stan to rest by letting him "relive" in the moment where he was most happiest. The problem is that, both Aster and Stan have both "forgotten" eachother (Aster by seeing so many Stans and slowly forgetting his mother's characteristics after Stan died; Stan because of the amnesia). So when they both see eachother they're more like "you look familiar" and "doubting the axolotl for a moment" until they both recognise eachother (Aster finally being called by his first name by his own Stan, by his own mother. Both finally reunited). Ngl I got inspired by Moomin Mama and Forneus (cotl) for Stan's dialogue.

And Aster finally being allowed to rest and to be with his mother (I was actually gonna draw a panel of him being reverted back to a kid, a gift from the Axolotl so he and his mother could have more moments!) Him introducing Cleo and Mama (whom I DEFINITELY want to see and have to explore more) to his mother and Shanklin, Stan being held back from almost marching down to the Black Forest to beat the shit out of Cipher and Ford, Darlan dealing with the fact that he doesn't have to be on "fight or flight" mode anymore, Stan absolutely showering his behemoth of a son with kisses and hugs and getting to know more of him and his friends. Just - them ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

I tried to show more of Aster's quiet but still emotional side (but only when he allows himself to be), so he's really feeling it when he finally recognises his mom. The guy is a highly trained assassin.

Which also leds me to this point: some of the Stan's that interacted with Aster saw him as quiet, completely different, but still their baby (even with the scars and so so tired look that seems to be engraved in his face, which just made them more worried for their own kids bc what happened??).

And then there's the Ford's.

You know that Mandela catalogue audio?? "If you see someone that looks identical to you, run away and hide??" It's literally their relationship. Imagine you're a (shitty) Ford, and when you look to the corner of your lab, there's this... Figure. Just standing there, looking back at you. It's you, but... It's not you. It's older, covered in scars, bigger and wider than you. And it's staring back at you without a single ounce of emotion. The only thing that you can assimilate closer to it is pure apathy. You don't know who or what it is, but you can feel that it doesn't like you, and it wants you dead.

It's literally them:

ASJSIDJ I'M SO SORRY FOR THE RAMBLING I JUST REALLY LIKE HIS LORE AND I'M SO EXCITED FOR ANYTHING THAT YOU MAKE (⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠｀⁠)⁠｡⁠*ﾟ+

ALSO

These bastards are still kicking my ass, BUT I'LL MAKE IT (I say, almost ripping my hair off when the other codes decipher just led to gibberish) ᕦ⁠(⁠ò⁠_⁠ó⁠ˇ⁠)⁠ᕤ

But on a serious note, I truly appreciate your attention my friend :) it's truly a pleasure seeing you and hearing your ideas, I excitedly await anything that you're putting your work on, take your time on It 🩵🩵

ANGEL I JUST READ "THE TALE OF TWO DARLANS" AND I CAME HERE A S A P (btw this will have SPOILERS bc I read it on my main and I'm too scared to comment there bc I don't have a side account there༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ)

Not gonna lie, when I first saw the title I thought "huh, what a coincidence", and then I saw the author and brother the whiplash that I received I have so many thoughts about your writing!!!!

1) Stan and Ford being cute to eachother absolutely warmed my heart, take all my money

2) Ford having a shotgun under Darlan's crib (which is expected of him lmao, and also how he's protective of his baby and his love AAAAAA)

3) Aster, just-- Aster in general holy shit. Absolute mamas boy (and with reason, the poor guy). His design?? His powers?? His name meaning?? Can completely comprehend the man's hatred and want for vengeance, you go king (but even I felt bad for our Ford lmao. And also, him watching Ford in the hospital???? The attention to detail)

4) Cleopatra, absolute queen, we stan, I'm so curious about her!! Where did she come from?? How did Aster met her???

5) just one word: MAMA (I don't even know who you are - and I desperately want to!!!! - but I love you. Protective of Stan pines????? Me too queen, me too)

6) Also, are Aster's six green eyes a reference to the "Never Human Au" or is it just based on his appearance of Ford (individually, both are amazing details/references)

7) also the reference to A Tale of Two Stans??? You were absolutely COOKING with this one. The wait was definitely worth it!!! I'm so curious about what more do you have about them or if you will write about them, whatever you want to do I will inhale the shit out of it

Amazing and beautiful work as always Angel :) so excited to see what else you have planned (but also take your time if you need!!!) 🩵🩵

I'm glad that you got your gift and it got me giggling with excitement when I see the notifications! I understand that you can't comment at AO3 if you don't have a second account, but I don't mind about it.

So let me help you answer some questions:

1) I want some more Stan and Ford fluffy as parents, so at times like this I gotta do things by myself hahaha! 🤣

2) Ford already being an overprotective parent, of course he's gonna have a weapon hidden in every corner of the house that he can quickly get access to during dangerous moments. Dude got literally 5 legal guns and maybe 20 more illegally.

3) Aster is the very first OC child that I've been thinking off for a while before I met both of you and @muchmallows . This man works at a local bookstore/library has a favourite black Stenton cowboy hat when going out to town, which annoys Ford a lot. Due to inbreeding, however, he has a weak heart condition.

As stated in the story, Aster was born sometime after the portal incident and was solely raised by Stan with the help of Abuela with Soos as his adopted sibling. As soon as he graduated high school, he joined the military and became part of the Special Forces during the Afghanistan war for several years until his injury in the right eye put him in honourable discharge.

He is very efficient in any weaponry, but he prefers knives over guns. Less noisier when taking down enemies. So during their custody escape, Aster went on a war crime massacre spree hacking off soldier after soldier giving Stan enough time to get the twins and opened the portal to bring Ford home.

But it was not all rainbows. His parents were constantly fighting and Ford constantly threatening to kick Stan out, until Stan ended up suffering a heart attack and fell into a coma. He became hostile towards Ford after that without any mercy but only act civil just for the sake of the kids.

When Weirdmageddon broke out, he was visiting Stan at the hospital, where he died from a broken heart. It was at the moment he made contact with Mama and with her help, she is able to get past the barrier and ends Weirdmageddon by sending both Ford and Bill into the Dark Forest, since the ritual is considered null when Stan died.

After Weirdmageddon is over, he passes over the Mystery Shack ownership to Soos and leaves Gravity Falls after the funeral and the twins went back home, advising them to never part from one another like what his parents did.

He spends the rest of his life travelling the multiverse as a mercenary, hunting down Fords that hurt their Stans. Consider him as the Deathstroke of this au.

4) Cleopatra the six-eyed Devon Rex is his beloved pet companion that he raised since it was a kitten. He found her while he was at the town getting groceries. According to the Kitten Distribution rule, once a kitten sticks to you, they own you. Plus, she's a useful mascot to the business and the family's darling sweetheart pet (except Ford).

So the AU Ford would really have a Vietnam flashback when he sees Darlan bring home a six-eyed kitten and is very torn about it, but in the end he became the parent that spoils the pet rotten just like Stan did with Waddles.

5) And Mama - the elusive being that Aster made a contract with. Most of her contractors refer to her as Mama, but that's not her real name. If asked, she reveals her middle name is Evangeline and that's it.

Originally from a world that has now been absorbed into the Void, she is one of the many beings that reside in the lightless realm and the ruler of the Dark Forest (for clearer understanding see the Dark Forest theory), a territory of brambles, briar thorns, snow and beasts that evolved itself to survive against each other.

She is know to stalk her targets that she pities and favours due to the target's unfavourable circumstances, no matter the age, befriending them and caring for all of their needs and loving them unconditionally, whispering promises of happiness and love before she whisks them away, mostly resulting in the target's death. She desires not for power, domination; but love and family.

Unlike Bill who needs a portal to enter another dimension, she can travel easily through the shadows, though she requires a partial sacrifice (a drop of blood is enough) to officially cemented her presence physically.

She is rarely found in human history and myths because she is very much likes her privacy, but can be hinted through lullabies and urban legends.

If Bill Cipher is both a god and a demon, therefore she is both a goddess and an angel; his polar opposite. If fire is his element, then water is hers.

The rose mark tattoo on Darlan's neck is the sign of her claim over him, it acts as a conduit for him to utilise her powers but at the same time restrains him with a briar collar to keep him in line from acting irrationally.

6) Aster's six eyes scene is inspired from the many fanarts of Bill possessing Ford. I extensively checked which eye represents Bill during this moment and most artists depict Bill's eye is on the right.

The loss of right eye is also symbolic to Aster, signaling of his sacrifice to sate his revenge against Ford and that he has nothing else to lose when the only person that matters to him is dead.

So if you do a half-and-half image of the possessed Ford and Stan/Aster, Bill represents the right side while Mama represents the left.

7) I always struggled with thinking for the perfect titles to my stories, that title was a last minute because I want to upload it immediately 😅

I really want to see how Aster interacts with the other AUs of Stan and Ford with their kids (no doubt Aster would be nice to them, except Ford, he will have problems with any Fords). Doesn't matter if it's art or fanfic, I'll always deliver!

And thank you as always, Ilumi and Mallows for all of your inspiration. I'll try to divide my time wisely when I work on my art projects! If you need to ask more about them, you know what to do!

2Fords based on "The Kiss", inspired by some fanfics I've read and by my friends @mirrorworldangel @muchmallows amazing works

been reading some abo fics lately and i’ve been inspired by both my friends @mirrorworldangel and @muchmallows AUs for agegap Stancest (and i know i said i need to expand my horizons but y’all gonna have to suffer with me through this for a while more i’m so sorry)

Both of the teens surprising their parents by their classifications, Stan being an omega and Ford being an alpha. Both getting the brunt of their father’s expectations in the worst way possible, Ford being expected to act like the “man of the house” and “to man up”, Stan being belittled by his looks and his classification entirely - making him try harder to prove himself. Them having to survive school, these kids are suffering basically.

So Stan, who forced himself to get accustomed to people faking having interest in him and making jeers at him or how he doesn’t look like an omega, doesn’t even bat an eye when his physics teacher starts getting closer to him. He does feel annoyed sometimes at the lingering touches, the gifts that his teacher gets him (which started as a joke from him asking them, he definitely would try to do things to recompense the man cause he felt bad), when the man offers to tutor him, but he doesn’t mind as much when he scents him (for some reason, Crampelter doesn’t even breath in his direction when that happens).

Imagine his surprise when he’s ranting to Ford about this and he exasperatedly points out Forrester is GENUINELY courting him, not as a joke but serious. Kid is pissed and flustered at the man cuz he thinks he’s doing it as some kind of charity work or he wants to fuck him - and because he likes the thought of being bonded to the man… but just a little. Stan has Forrester doing the fucking olympics to prove that he DOES wants to bond with him, mark him and even have pups with him if he allows (Stan gets so baffled at that he only stares at the man,  stuttering and cheeks red at the serious confession). He’s still scrutinizing and hesitant at that, but he’s more… mellow towards it now (especially when they actually start to get to know each other, man’s a silver fox even Stan has to admit that).

Ford on the other hand is suffering at his brother’s crush (“i have him wrapped around my finger Sixer” when he’s giggling and kicking his legs while talking to the man on the phone) and his father’s never ending speeches. When he’s leaving school alone bc Stan decided to stay behind, he takes an aimless walk to the beach, walking so much he reaches the local port. There, he sets his eyes on what’s probably the coolest and most beautiful person he’s ever seen. An elderly omega with crinkled eyes and a soft smile at him, he can’t help but feel drawn to him, practically visiting him every day after school. 

Ford doesn’t even realize when he starts courting Pinington, it all just seems so natural to him that it’s only when he’s staring wide eyed at the ceiling that he realizes “omg i want to bond with him”. Stan makes so much fun of him when he finds out but he’s definitely supporting him and giving him tips (Ford refuses to use his pickup lines ever again because the last time he did Pinington laughed so hard he popped a joint). Plus, the man probably sees him as a kid, merely entertaining the idea until he actually realizes he’s serious about it. He tried to slowly become distant from Ford, a terrible mistake because this kid is STUBBORN he wants that old man.

Their parents notice their good moods and scents immediately, Stan smelling more of earthy tones, gunpowder and beeswax; Ford smelling like seasalt water, burnt toffee and citrusy beer. Caryn is over the moon that her babies may have found their mates, Filbrick… is getting there (he hopes Stan marries so he can finally leave the house, he expects Ford not to be distracted with his little fling). The kids at their school are equally surprised. Crampelter makes fun that Ford is with a dried up omega (which has Ford ”””accidentally””” spilling sulphuric acid in his direction) and Stan being nothing but a fat hole (which has him beaten up out of school grounds, Stan might’ve yelled back at him but Forrester didn’t take it lightly).

And when the end of the year arrives, Stan’s practically vibrating at the thought of moving away with Forrester, constantly running a hand over the bite mark in his neck after his father begrudgingly approved their marriage (Forrester definitely threatened him, Stan made his life hell when he showed the slightest hint of refusal). Ford’s delighted to go to college, but the thought of leaving his beloved gives him mixed thoughts. Ford spent the few days before he had to go to college with Pinington, scenting and nuzzling the omega constantly, promising him that once he finishes he’ll come back for him. Cue to Ford almost bringing Pinington and Stan to the ground after tackling them in a hug in his graduation, Forrester just watching near with a fond smile <3 <3

Not only did I make more Mama!Stan... I also bought Aster's!Stan into the mix!! Best of both things.

But on a serious note, imagine the intensity of these two meeting, the moment. Holy shit, imagine seeing yourself, the things that you could've been or could've become depending on your choices. The fact that these two are actually really similar too, the basically had the same fate if you stop to think about it, the only difference is how they both dealt with their Ford's and the fact that one of them had... Aster.

Imagine looking at this younger version of you, despite everything he suffered, he found his happy ending. He's completely at peace and he has his son with him, something that you've longed in some nights but couldn't handle the thought of making them go through the things you've suffered. He's what you could've been in a very distant future, it's you but it's not you. Imagine feeling the things you tried so hard to ignore and feeling you thought were gone overdue just slam into you like this. The small bit of envy but also empathy towards this version of you.

Imagine seeing this version of you, taller and proud, he looks like you in the past, but he looks comfortable in his skin, proud of himself than when you were in that time. Despite his hidden exhaustion, he has found peace too in his own way. The tattoo in his chest, the same one as your son, you wonder what he goes through for a moment, if he's happy. In a moment, you wish you've could've been him, then your son wouldn't exist and he wouldn't have to suffer because of you - and you recoil at that thought.

Imagine their talks, the complete empathy towards the other, so alike but so different. Mama!Stan almost willing himself to ask about this Stan's child, his interests, his dimension. Aster's!Stan seeing more than what meets the eye, his job and if he's still good at cards. Both of them finding some twisted peace at their fates, accepting tha things didn't worked out the way they've should, but now they can make their own stories and choices. Both of them telling the other it's not their fault, wanting to believe the other but not bringing themselves to fully trusting that. But... it's okay, they have eternity for that.

I feel like they wouldn't exactly friends, but they're not foes; they're equals, they respect and understand each other, that's all they need.

AAAAAA so sorry for my ramblings Angel!! I just really wanted to see these two interact and wonder about their characters!! Also I made this piece base on that one scene from Uptown Girls because I really thought it fit them. Happy Chinese new year my friend! Take care and have fun! 🩵🩵

@mirrorworldangel

Oh my god

I don't even know what to say omg

My friend, once again you have blessed me with your presence because this is absolutely beautiful. This was the first thing I saw the moment I woke up and I had to take 2 laps around my house of how excited I was seeing this, and then ANOTHER ONE WHEN I REALISED THERE WAS A DOC!!!! YOU HAD ME SQUEALING AND SCREAMING FROM HOW EXCITED I WAS READING THIS!!!

Beautifully written your creativity never ceases to impress me omg!!! Thank you so much for the support, and also take care of yourself too!! I'll be waiting for you with the uttermost patience :D!!

Omg their designs, Pinington looking so tired, Forrestor shock, I can't believe you turned my silly rambling into this amazing plot/story. I AM SENDING MENTAL KISSES DIRECTLY ON YOUR FOREHEAD!!! THIS IS AMAZING!!!!! Bill being a parasitic baby??? That's some "Rosemary Baby" shit omg, the Ciphertologists fucking Stan's life and their revenge on them, Pinington walking into the sea, Mama being awesome in the general, THE FUCKING EVERYWHERE AND EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE QUOTE I AM CRYING----

In the most affectionate way possible I am mentally doing this to you, words can't describe how much I adore this piece!!! AND ALSO TAKE YOUR TIME, PLEASE DON'T RUSH!! Once again thank you so much for your support my friend :D I'll to be waiting for you in the same way you had done for me!!

Some time ago, my dearest friend @iluminated-goat shared some of her ficlets of her 2!Stans and 2!Fords au (recently they added another one and it's so cute!!! ❤️). And as usual, they inspired me to draw and write my version of Forrester and Pinington, so here it is!

To clarify things, they're NOT from the same universe. Each of them has their own backstory before coming to this world (and spoiler alert! it ain't pretty). Their back stories can be read right here since it might be too lengthy to write it down here.

In my opinion, this au is the happy ending they deserved after the hells they previously went through.

I still got other aus and fics that I am working on whole at the same time juggling my work life, so as always it might take awhile. I am working on some ideas about Mama and it involves with our peggy Stan! Hope you like it Ilumi!

Hi mirror, I'm Bimbo/autumnoflies on X, is there a way to get your direct message over here? you siad it was urgent

Hi, this is really mirrorworldangel. Let me tell you something really important.

Last week, my X account was hacked, and my finances were swindled away. Whoever's communicating with you right now in X/Twitter isn't me. I can't even access it at all.

My advice, warn everyone else and report it. Whoever it is that is now in that account's hands is not mine. The only way you can truly communicate with me is right here. Be careful, and protect everyone else from that fucker that stole my account!

Hi Mallows and Ilumi, here are the triplets reference down below!

Clarence

a fireman in Gravity Falls not because he dreamt of it, but because Dipper's accidental stories are too hilarious

he becomes Eliott's go-to guy for body horror accuracy

the most responsible among the three

is the only one of the triplets that is able to tame the arguing siblings with a knock on their heads

has a PhD degree in medicine, very useful in patching up his family members injuries

McClinton

a chemist poison researcher turned florist

still likes cataloguing flowers and plants as a hobby

has a Masters certificate in chemistry

had once interned as a gardener in the Poison Garden of Northumberland, UK

don't put him in cooking duty, he'll either burn it or will send someone to the hospital for food poisoning

can be the most romantic man in anybody's presence, Eliott likes to tease calling him 'Mr All Rizz But no Ring'

doesn't know that he is the actual character muse for most of Elliott's romance references

Eliott

you know those people that were very unhinged as a kid that turned up to be the most normal looking person as the adult, yeah that's Eliott

the Junji Ito of Gravity Falls, well known as a comic book artist for his mythological body horror art and weirdly enough, shoujo comedy magical girl stories

got a mathematics degree at first, but find that life boring and enrolls university again just to pursue arts

had an incident with a Book of Bill, but with the help of Esme Morgen and an alternate Darlan, he is free from Bill's possession

Also to add in context, they all hated the colours yellow and triangles due to personal reasons and experiences in their careers, so here's their context:

For Clarence, the colour and shape reminds him of the many fires he had to put out and the sharp edges of broken glasses and bones that he had to patch up. He also accidentally stepped on a small triangular broken glass as a kid and did not like that experience

To McClinton, he hates those two like how you hate an ex by calling them a bitch from hell. Yellow because it's one of the many common colours to indicate a poisonous plant, that includes pink, purple and white. And he curses whenever he gets hurt, so with prickly triangular thorns, he made Northumberland ring with his swearing once a day.

For Eliott, an arts lecturer failed his individual assignment because 'he didn't feel the soul within the art'. Mind you, he used literal trigonometry calculations to support this project. Turns out the lecturer was wrong, but his grade simply raised to a B-. Yellow is the hardest colour to use in art, so the artist inside him feels irked when the colour highlights it's flaws despite how beautiful it actually is. After his Book of Bill incident, that hatred intensified and he bonds with Ford about that hatred.

GOOD GOOGLY MOOGLY THE RESEARCH????? The depth??? You literally breathe life into these characters Angel!!!! Omg Eliot doing magical girl comics and McClinton bein his inspo for main leads??? COME ONN NOW 🙏🏻🔥🔥🔥 AND CLARENCE BEIN HIS INSPO FOR BODY HORROR??? Ahh I’m in love~ also adore that they hate yellow and triangles totally independent from the reasons their parents do 😂😂😂 please never stop feeding me these absolute delicious lore

I just read the thread and @mirrorworldangel MARK ME DOWN AS SCARED AND ABSOLUTELY EXCITED FOR WHAT YOU'RE PLANNING!!! also the "we Stan an insensitive king" absolutely took me out lmao. Parallel!Ford being jealous of Ford omggg this person absolutely cooked with this one I'm so excited to what's going to stab and twist the knife this time!!!

What do you think was Stan's fate in the Better World Timeline?

Ooh, very interesting question! Thanks for the ask and sorry in advance for the enormous answer you’re about to get, hahah ❤️

So, to begin answering that (I promise I will eventually!), I have to first point out that what always caught my attention in Ford’s Better World description in the journal is that not once he meets his parallel self. On that hangs my entire analysis.

Instead, he gives us a reason why they didn’t meet: parallel!Fiddleford explains that he had been leading a portal expedition to a certain dimension, but one of the security officers ran into his parallel self and as soon as they touched hands, the entire dimension started to warp and fizz with static. Fiddleford and his team barely escaped alive!

But that’s the thing: as soon as they touched hands, only! Not as soon as they saw each other, or as soon as they were in the same room together, or as soon as they talked to each other, like you sometimes see in fanfic! No, it very much required actual skin-to-skin contact. You would think that Professor Stanford Pines, celebrated star of the scientific community, founder of the International Institute of Oddology, and our Ford, 12 PhDs (or a few less PhDs at the time) would have enough sense and self-control to... just not try and touch each other? Or, for security reasons, stand at least a few meters away from each other? If they feared an accidental touch so much, they could have talked through a glass panel or some kind of physical divide. I do believe every Ford must be a deeply curious individual, and you’re telling me that parallel!Ford, known genius, wasn’t capable of creating a way to enable himself to interview his parallel selves safely? Wouldn’t you be very curious to meet your parallel self? I think it’s more likely than not that other versions of Ford would end up pushed through the portal, so our Ford might not even have been the first Ford to visit that dimension.

But instead Fiddleford goes so far as to detain our Ford and hold him captive without even attempting to explain things first! A bit overkill, no? You could say, “but Bunny, Fiddleford just didn’t want impulsive, reckless Ford to go and run to his parallel self upon seeing him for the first time!” But herein, my friend, lies the crux of the matter: even after Fiddleford explains things to our Ford, even after our Ford understands he couldn’t touch his parallel self... He still doesn’t meet or talk to parallel!Ford. Wasn’t he trusted enough/allowed to do so, even then?

My Doylist explanation (that considers what led the author to choose a certain path) to that is: the writers just didn’t want the two Fords to meet and wanted to leave it ambiguous. It’s really not that deep 😭

My favorite Watsonian explanation (in-universe headcanon) to that is: Fiddleford didn’t want them to meet 😏

Now, would Fiddleford ever lie to Ford? Yes. In fact, he already did, in our original timeline! Ford asked him to destroy the memory gun, Fiddleford apparently agreed. “He was crestfallen by my advice, but after some discussion he came to see the wisdom in it. He said that he didn’t want to risk forgetting his wife and son. I ordered him to destroy the gun, and he did.” (“Ordered”... Oh, Ford, never change...) Reality: Fiddleford hadn’t destroyed it at all, and in fact used it on Ford to erase his memories without Ford’s consent or knowledge.

So even though I don’t think this was, necessarily, either Alex’s or Rob Renzetti’s intentions, I like to think parallel!Fiddleford was bullshitting our Ford a bit. To which extent, I don’t know. The thing about the parallel selves touching and causing a dimension to end might very well be true (in fact, according to Alex’s Word of God, it is! he has said on Twitter that parallel selves really can’t meet in their home dimensions, but can meet in the in-between spaces!) BUT because of the reasons I explained above, it’s my headcanon that it wasn’t the main reason why Fiddleford didn’t want the two Fords meeting.

I just love, love the vibes of A Better World. I love how utterly smitten with that world our Ford is. He describes himself as “drawn” towards the Institute “like a moth to a flame,” and mentions his desire to “revel in [his] parallel self’s success.” He’s utterly smitten it with it despite never once meeting his parallel self. He imagines his parallel self as the happiest man on Earth despite never once meeting his parallel self. He leaves that dimension sighing wistfully despite never once meeting his parallel self. I love how parallel!Ford is just... shrouded in this very ambiguous mystery. It all sounds a little bit ominous to me. Is he happy? Is he satisfied? Does he like what he accomplished?

Our Ford, of course, imagines that he is. Our Ford doesn’t even wonder about parallel!Stan, because that’s who Stanford Pines is: self-centered as all hell, hahah. His brother doesn’t even cross his mind, since he’s too busy being dazzled by his apparent great success and the fulfillment of his dreams! I think he subconsciously assumed parallel!Stan must have been fine.

What do I think happened to parallel!Stan? Oh, well, he’s very much dead 🪦💐 And parallel!Ford, the man Ford believes to be so lucky, is actually miserable. Fiddleford was merely protecting our Ford from the truth.

If you want to get a bit darker, just look at this excerpt from the Not What He Seems script:

Meanwhile, in the Lost Legends comics, Ford is saying shit like this:

We stan an insensitive king who is utterly and blissfully oblivious to his brother’s dangerously low self-esteem and borderline suicidal thoughts ❤️

Before TBoB, I might have been reluctant to think something so dark could happen in GF, since it still is, after all, a cartoon for kids, and Stan’s a main character! But then TBoB went and revealed to us that Dipper and Mabel died horrible deaths in all the other timelines! 😭 And while I do take that with a grain of salt because it was revealed to us by Bill Cipher and Bill is not trustworthy but a professional liar, just the fact Alex acknowledged and played with the possibility of the two protagonists dying horribly is already pretty telling in and of itself...

I think that once parallel!Ford called Stan after a decade, unwittingly gave him hope, and then ripped it out from his hands... Yeah. We know how Ford is important to Stan. Reconciliation with Ford might very well have been what was pushing Stan forward. Stan can be very, very stubborn — working on a portal for 30 years — when Ford is involved. But having no Ford at all...

Parallel!Ford might have planned to call Stan back, but by then it was probably too late. So yeah. I like to imagine that parallel!Ford would be, ironically, so, so jealous of our Ford’s happy ending with Stan.

Actually, as I type this, the funniest idea occurred to me. The real reason Fiddleford didn’t allow the two Fords to meet is that parallel!Ford, upon listening our Ford praise his accomplishments and shit-talk Stan (“I can’t believe Stanley listen to you! He’s so stubborn, so selfish, he never listens!”) would disregard all reason, all training, and all self-control just for the precious chance to punch himself in the face. Dimension ending catastrophe? A minor detail.