Junseo stared at it. It wouldn’t leave xir alone. It had been following xir for the last hour or so and xie was starting to get worried. What did that demon want?!
Just as xie was about to muster up the courage to confront the demon, Yeon Woo excitedly smacked xir on xier back. “Goddess that test was a doozy! What did you get on number seven?”
Junseo started, looking sharply at Yeon Woo, who shrugged and gave his trademark crooked grin. When xie looked back at where the demon had been, it was gone.
“Whatcha looking at Junseo?”
“Just…nothing,” Junseo shook xier head sadly and met Yeon Woo’s eyes. “Hey Yeon Woo, what do you know about the Sight?”
Yeon Woo lit up like a sign in the red-light district after 7. “What do I know about the Sight? What don’t I know about the Sight?! What all do you need to know? Logistics? Statistics? The science and magic behind it all? Variations??”
Junseo interrupted Yeon Woo before he could continue rambling. “Breathe Yeon Woo! I forget that you’re a demonology nut…”
“I prefer the term ‘enthusiast’!” Yeon Woo smirked and Junseo smiled back. He always knew how to make xir laugh.
“Well I have a few specific questions but it looks like Choi-ssem is coming in, so why don’t we continue this talk later?” Junseo gestured to the door, where their mathematics teacher was walking in to teach the class.
“Text you later?”
“Yeah. Text you later.” Junseo winked and flashed a peace sign.
Yeon Woo rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Antiquated loony.”
“Obsessed oddball.”
“Love you too.”
“Same.”
As Choi-ssem got the class’s attention and began to teach, droning on and on about complicated formulas to solve even more complex problems, Junseo looked back to where xie had seen the demon. It was more habit than anything, as xie had been used to glancing back from time to time. Xier blood ran cold, however, when xie locked eyes with the same demon from before.
Goddess please give me strength. I think this demon wants to eat me.
Tag: stan
Y’all TAU fuckers really love your glitter, dontcha.
–
When one thinks of glitter in relation to the Pines family, the person who immediately comes to mind is the eccentric but lovable warrior mom, Mabel.
One does not, generally, think of the wheelchair-bound sarcastic but lovable old man who took the Pines twins and their family in as his own, but after the events of one memorable June, it would take a few years to shake the association of him with glitter from their minds.
Mabel was always creative, but every few weeks she tended to have moods that the rest of the family learned to dread: sudden bouts of increased inspiration, and her canvas was everything. During one, she repainted the kitchen a rather garish shade of blue and did her best at sponging in clouds–Stan had Dipper reverse the action for his emergency supply of junk food a few days later. During another, each triplet had gotten a unique makeover. “Unique makeover” being roughly translated to “I look like someone straight out of the Capitol in the Hunger Games, plus multiludes of glitter make-up and worse hair.” Acacia went with it, but both Hank and Willow refused to be seen outside for days even after Dipper helped them clean up.
When the Pines woke up Sunday morning the first week of June, a feeling of dread hung over each member. Tired as they were, no one recognized the feeling until Miss Imagination herself pranced into the kitchen bearing armfuls of glitter, ribbon, and other crafty materials.
The entire family, halfway through breakfast, merely stared for a moment as a shit-eating grin spread across Mabel’s face. Then she started forward, Dipper yelled “Scatter!” and everyone lunged for one doorway or another.
The triplets and the resident demon got away relatively safely, some pelted with the one container of glitter that had been open, but Stanley was having trouble maneuvering his wheelchair through the doorway without help. This happened often due to his aversion to asking for assistance. Unfortunately, today was probably the worst day to have troubles.
“Grunkle Stan…” Mabel approached him slowly, an all-too-sweet sing-song tone to her voice. She brandished her glitter threateningly. The evil glint in her eye showed she knew exactly how much her family hated her moods, and that she didn’t care one tiny bit.
Dipper and his niblings determinedly avoided the kitchen for as long as possible, ignoring Stanley’s pleas for mercy. When Mabel finally emerged into the living room, it was with a wicked grin plastered to her face along with multicolor glitter. A few ribbons were draped around her shoulders, and her wild brown hair was even more so. The triplets dreaded to see what Grunkle Stan would look like if she looked this messy.
“Who wants to see my latest masterpiece?” Mabel asked, flinging herself onto the couch beside her brother. Acacia and Willow looked at each other nervously while Dipper picked at his claws. Hank tried to appear busy by picking up the nearest book, but he quickly put it down–it was one Dipper had obtained in a deal that Henry hadn’t gotten around to finding a place for yet. Mabel frowned indignantly before grabbing Dipper’s wrist. “Come on!”
The triplets hesitantly followed as their uncle was forcibly dragged towards the dining room where Stanley sat in shame. They heard a sharp “Oh dear,” before they finally stepped through the doorway, and each let out their own cry of surprise.
Grunkle Stan sat in all his glittery glory, face buried in his hands. His wheelchair was bedazzled generously, ribbons draped across every available spot and decorating the spokes on the wheels. Glitter adorned the fabric of the wheelchair and clung to the handles and armrests. Stan himself had recieved a manicure of a lovely array of colors that didn’t necessrily go together, and his customary bowtie was replaced with a loud yellow ribbon tied into a bow. Mabel had fashioned him a sash of red and dark blue ribbon that proclaimed “MR. MYSTERY” in foam stick-on letters that were sprinkled with glitter. His suit jacket (which he often wore with just briefs accompanying it) was given a fine coating of yellow and pink glitter. What really stuck out to everyone who had just entered the room, however, was also probably the most mortifying aspect for Stanley.
His thinning gray hair had been pulled into pigtails tied with red ribbon, purple glitter sprinkled on his scalp. It was made funnier by the sheer lack of hair he had, so that it was ridiculously small clumps that were tied off. Stanley groaned in misery while Mabel simply beamed.
Needless to say, the incident would remain fresh in the Pines’ minds for months to come.
Prompt: We all know that Dipper has the tendency to hack up hairballs. Give us a list of some of the weirder things that have come out of his stomach.
Seven Things Dipper
Puked Up Like A Demon KittyProduced
From the Ether:1. Red Hair
“Yeah, that will be two thousand dollars.”
Stan pulled away the phone from his ear as the voice on the
other end squawked loudly in protest. He let the rube go on for a minute then
barked in the phone, “Shut up and let me get a word in! Sheesh.”A dark mutter on the other side, and Stan shook his head
pityingly.
“I know it’s expensive, but can you think of anyone else on
the market that’s selling not only a bezoar, but a bezoar from a genuine demon?
Think of the possibilities!”A pause.
“Well, yes, it may be no different than a regular bezoar,”
Stan admitted, rolling his eyes. “But even if it’s not… well. A smart man like
you, I’m sure can think of ways to perhaps upsell this.”More muttering and Stan grinned. Got him.
Belying the look on his face, Stan’s voice turned sorrowful.
“Okay, okay, I see that you don’t believe the testimonials my other customers
have given you, my own quality assurances. For you, I’ll do fifteen hundred.”Another squawk and Stan scowled. It was a good thing Dipper
kept being weird and puking the damn things up.“Okay, fine, twelve hundred but I go no lower… you’ll take
it? Good! I’ll be up tomorrow in Bend and we can finish the deal there.”A few more niceties and Stan hung up the phone over a
thousand dollars richer.He looked up.
Mabel was standing in the doorway, tapping her foot and
folding her arms.“Sweetie I can explain-“
Mabel suddenly smiled. This did not assuage Stan’s fears by
any means at all. In fact, he felt his heart stutter.Mabel walked over and suddenly gave him a big hug.
“Oh Grunkle Stan you big softie!”
“Um, what?”
“Providing for the kids’ college funds like that! I mean I
know they’re babies right now but it’s so important to start young-“Stan choked.
“What? Kid I love you but you’ve got to be ki-“
He looked into Mabel’s eyes.
Sighed.
She kissed his cheek.
“If you want to sell Dipper’s weird demon puke without me
knowing, you really should consider the internet.”2. Rhinestones
Dipper coughed, and a shower of rhinestones landed on Mabel’s
sweater, perfectly bedazzling it.His sister was not as impressed or happy as he hoped.
“Dipper!”
“What? You bedazzled your face once!”
His twin threw aside the math homework she had been working
on and stomped her foot in protest.“That’s not what I’m upset about!”
Dipper frowned. He was only being a sensitive and thoughtful
brother who wanted to do something nice for his sister.Mabel pinched her nose, a gesture she had picked up since
they had moved in with Grunkle Stan.“I’ve been looking for these for a week now. I was going to
use them for Mom’s birthday present?” At Dipper’s blank look, she sighed and
said, “You know, I told you! I’m going to do their wedding picture but five
feet tall and with sparkles and sequins and-“She pointed her finger at him.
“Rhinestones.”
“Just get some more then.”
She looked at him witheringly. “Stan had to drive me all the
way to Bend to get those Dipper. It cost me a few hours working at the Shack.”He didn’t get the problem. “Just make a deal with me then! I
can blip you there no problem, no, wait… These rhinestones, on your desk, only
a few drops of blood or that Snickers you got in your desk-““You’re still missing the point!”
“What’s the point?”
“Don’t mess with my
stuff-““I can replace it though!”
“That’s not…I…” Mabel let out a long scream of frustration
that grated on his sensitive ears.“I think you need to calm down Mabel.”
That turned out to be the wrong thing to say.
(Stan eventually had to come upstairs to break up their
fight, which was kind of hard when he couldn’t see or hear one of them, but he
did it anyway.)3. Teeth (bovine)
“Can I use these to make a necklace?”
Dipper looked from the deer teeth, which still, god damnit still brought up bad memories, to his
grand-nephew.“Um, sure?” He paused. “Didn’t really think you were one for
jewelry Nito.”Nito calmly scooped the still wet and covered in goo teeth
into a plastic shopping bag he had gotten from the bag bag on the wall.“Oh I’m not, but I got an assignment due in Sculpture class
next week, and I can make something really pretentious and over the top with
these.”Dipper grinned. It did his heart good to see Nito conning
his way through art school.4. The TV Remote
Despite the massive amount of books and reading that went on
in the Shack, the arts and crafts, the home repair, there was still seven
people and only one TV in the house.Frequently, there were conflicts.
“Uncle Dipper! Mom said it was my turn for the TV!”
Dipper laid a gloved hand on his chest, and contrived to
look mortally wounded.“Pole Star, who is the adult here?”
“You-“
He grinned, exposing both rows of fangs.
“Good. And as such, I get dibs on the TV.”
Acacia folded her arms and frowned at him
“Nuh-uh. Mom said-“ She screwed her face up remembering for
a second and went on. “If you’re going to act thirteen like the kids then you
get treated like you’re thirteen.”Damn. He hoped that she had forgotten that.
Acacia held out a hand for the clicker. “Gimme.”
In response, Dipper opened his mouth wider than should be
humanly possible and threw the clicker up in the air. A long snakelike tongue
shot out, wrapped around it, and pulled it down into his stomach. He clicked
his mouth closed and looked at Acacia pleased as punch.In response Acacia looked at him calculatingly for a second,
then punched his stomach.“Ac̷a͞c͝ia ̸what̷-“
He looked at the TV. The channel had changed.
Oh no–
She punched his stomach again and the channel changed once
more.“Polaris!”
Another punch and it landed on the channel that Acacia
wanted. She patted his stomach with a smug grin, then snuggled up to him on the
couch, satisfied with her victory.(A few hours later Henry noticed that the clicker was oddly
sticky. He decided he was happier not knowing.)5. An empty carton of
ice creamHenry shook his head at Dipper.
“Seriously?”
“What?”
Henry rolled his eyes as he tossed the carton in the trash.
“Next time don’t blame the kids.”
6. The Mirror of Samkarahra
“Guys, guys!”
Hank and Acacia looked up as Willow burst into the room,
wheezing from running up the stairs.“You need your inhaler Will?” Acacia asked.
Willow scowled.
“No, I’m fine Cacia,” Willow grit
out with as much scorn as a seven year old could muster.Hank saw Acacia open her mouth to respond and before his
sisters could start fighting blurted out “Whacha got Willow?”“Willow brightened and the atmosphere became immediately less
fraught.“Uncle Dipper’s sleeping on the couch and then he
coughed and look what came out!”She brandished an old looking hand mirror, the glass a deep
blue-black and the backing and handle a tarnished gold. There were weird
designs carved into both the back and on the handle, but the triplets didn’t
notice. As one they chorused “Deep Aqua Mirror!”A month or two ago, when all three of them were sick with
the flu, Mommy had bundled all of them up into her and Daddy’s bed and together
the four of them had watched through two seasons of one of Mommy’s favorite
cartoons, Sailor Moon. Since then they had seen every episode, from both
versions of the show- Hank and Willow preferred Crystal while Acacia liked the
original better.Sailor Moon was their new favorite game to play and they
spent hours running around being the scouts and saving the day. Hank, his
sisters had imperiously decided, was obviously Sailor Moon, something he had no
problem with. Acacia was usually Sailor Jupiter and Willow Sailor Neptune which
brought them back to-“We probably shouldn’t play with it,” Hank muttered and the
three of them were quiet for a minute. They were well aware of who and what
Uncle Dipper was. Just as they knew in their bones that Uncle Dipper loved them
more than life itself, they also knew that Uncle Dipper could be dangerous and
they had to be careful around him. And the neat stuff he bought into the house
with him.However wiser, warier, and worldlier the triplets were over
people their age they were still only seven.“I think it’ll be fine!” Acacia said and they started to
play.A few minutes later, as Willow raised the mirror to attack,
Hank noticed something.“That’s not my face in the Aqua Mirror,” he said quietly. He
looked at Acacia. “I though you said it’d be okay?”Acacia turned to Willow who shrugged, still holding the
mirror.“It doesn’t have colors so it’s not like that sword Grunkle
Stan brought home with a person inside.”Hank had continued to study the face in the mirror.
“Guys, I think it’s me. As a grown up.”
Immediately all three of them clamored around the mirror.
Indeed, there was a grown up version of Hank, eating ice cream with a shorter
woman who was wearing the most awesome cherries and skulls dress ever. Behind
them a pretty lady with a blue Mohawk was scowling.Willow shoved Hank a bit so she could get a better view and
suddenly-“It’s me!” As they watched a grown up Willow was busy
putting books on the shelf at the Library downstairs.Acacia practically pushed her siblings out of the way to get
a turn and screamed gleefully as her older self appeared, covered in paint and
chewing on the end of a paintbrush.Willow put the mirror down and the three of them looked at
each other in awe. They had a new game to play.They took turns passing the mirror to each other, looking on
in awe as their older selves played with their own kids, drove, ate ice cream in
the morning, and so on.But then things got darker. Willow, wreathed in flames,
screaming in rage. Hank, limping, a cane in his hand and an attacker behind
him. Acacia, a mad, terrible grin on her face, covered in blood and missing an
eye.It was scary and Hank was beginning to cry and Willow’s
hands were shaking, and yet they couldn’t stop passing the mirror around,
completely trapped.As Acacia passed the mirror again, she saw blood on her hand
and that’s when she screamed. Uncle Dipper suddenly burst into reality in their
room. He quickly plucked the mirror from Acacia, chucking it in his top hat
before grabbing all three of them and frantically looking them over. He licked
Acacia’s hand until the cuts that had come from the mirror disappeared, and
touched his forehead to Willow’s, doing something that the other two couldn’t
see but knew it had to do with colors. In a few minutes they would be in
trouble, they knew, but for now everything was right in their world again.(He really needed to start putting artifacts in his hat
instead of his stomach.)7. Small Plastic
DinosaursHe hadn’t thought much about Mabel offering him two gallons
of Mabel Juice in exchange for a few hours of physicality, only chugged the
juice in one go, and then burping loud enough to shake the Shack to its
rafters.Now however, looking at the plastic dinosaurs in his hand he
had spent the past hour coughing up, he wondered how exactly Mabel survived
drinking her own concoction daily.
TAU prompt: in those first years After Transcendence, Alcor wasn’t the biggest baddest demon around, was he? Maybe there was a time he bit off more than he could chew and only barely escaped from another demon. He goes to the Shack to lick his wounds and his family gets to patch him up. Oh! And another prompt: Henry meeting Ford. I really think those two would bond over books.
He laid on the old triangle rug that had once lain in the gift shop but now rested in the kitchen and struggled to hold on to his humanoid form. His form had shifted, going smaller and younger to the age he was when the world ended, when he had di-changed, but it hadn’t really helped. He hadn’t needed to breathe for almost two decades but still he heaved for breath. Likewise the facsimile of a heart that he usually imagined for himself beat fast enough to burst out of his chest, when it was there. Golden blood leaked from a thousand cuts, pooling onto the carpet and the wood and beginning to eat away at the floor. Parts of him-an arm, a good chunk out of his left side, half of his head-was simply…gone. The air where they should have been constantly glitched.
A glitch and his missing parts were being reassembled with living tiny black bricks with bat wings edged in gold that faded into the air.
Glitch and instead of an eerie nothingness there was glistening blood and bone exposed to the air, muscle and skin torn and tattered.
Glitch and there was….eyes. Eyes and wings and things that would break a human mind just to see it (see him,) glimpses of his true form (or of his form to come.)
Upstairs, Dipper could sense his sister, sense one-two-three little stars sleeping in their cribs under the watchful eyes of their mother. He clung to those links to his heart and soul, the bonds that tethered him to this plane, fed into his power and ability to influence this realm. He concentrated on them so he wouldn’t have to think about his colossal fuck up instead.
Yesterday Dipper had sensed one of the Old Ones rising up from his resting place within the Mariana Trench and heading due northwest towards the coast of Oregon. Honestly, it was no skin off of Dipper’s nose if old Fnarfy (he had taken a page from Mabel’s book and gave him a mocking nickname) ate a few dozen people off the beach before going back into the depths.
But then his mind began to wonder if Fnarfy would stop at just the beach. What if he decided to see what was up the Colombia River? What if he decided to step fully onto the land and start a rampage southbound? What if he got to Gravity Falls and ate the kids and Mabel and Henry and Stan and-
It was at that point that he had had the brilliant idea to go and nip this problem in the bud. And okay, in retrospect, he was probably being a little bit cocky. Sure he was a demon now, with limitless power and access to the physical realm that no other demon had. He also, Dipper now realized as he lay bleeding and battered on the floor, had a lot (read, millennia) of growing into his power to do. A scrawny thirty year old former mortal against Fnar’fl’fgan, Devourer of the Light…..Dipper flattered himself a bit that he got a few good hits in, and to be fair, Fnarfy was headed back towards his hidey hole, but still-
Dipper sighed as he regained enough strength to manifest his missing body parts, though he still didn’t feel up to getting off the floor or closing his multiple wounds. At least no one was at home to see his embarrassment.
Stan walked in from the library and promptly tripped over Dipper. Dipper curled up into a ball, moaning, because for once pain was not fun.
His grunkle looked down at him and adjusted his glasses.
“Damn kid. Didn’t think you could get the shit kicked out of you anymore. “
“͜M̰̱n̮͢ǹ̼͈͈f̟͓̪̝.̣̯͚̰
“A big pillow get the best of you noodle-arms?” Stan laughed at his own wit, stepped over Dipper, and started to make his way up the stairs. “I’ll get your sister for you kiddo.”
Dipper managed to summon the will power needed to throw his arm over his eyes.
Mabel would get the reason for this out of him in two minutes flat and when she heard about his overconfidence…..
Dipper couldn’t spare the energy but he still couldn’t help but let out a big groan.
He was so in for it now.
TAU prompt: “killed him? wait, what, literally?”
this one got.. uh… dark
“Ugh,” Mabel
groaned, flopping back on her bed. “Calc is the worst.”
She pushed her graphing calculator off the bed and it clattered on
the attic floor. Eleventh grade math had gotten really hard really
fast, and Mabel hated it. She wondered what she’d have to give Dipper
to make her understand it perfectly. “Blarg!”“You
okay in here sweetie?” Stan asked, poking his head in.“Yeah,
just homework stuff,” Mabel complained. “I’m so bored. I hope
Dippin’ Dots gets back soon.”“Summoning?”
Stan asked, sympathy coating his voice. Mabel sat up and nodded. “I’m
sure he’ll be back soon. Want something to eat, kiddo?”“Nah,
but could you bring me the jug of Mable Juice.” Mabel asked,
looking back down at her notes. Stan made a face, but went downstairs
to grab Mabel her Nightmare Tonic. Mabel started to hum some old
Sev’ral Timez song to herself. After a minute there was a soft pop
on the other side of the room,
and Mabel smiled, looking up from her work. “Finally! Hey Dip- Whoa
what happened?”“Hm,”
Dipper breathed, looking around the room, but not really seeming to
see any–thing. Mabel scrambled up from her bed, pushing down the
fear bubbling in her chest. Dipper was covered in blood head to toe.
Mabel reached out a hand to him, and he barred his teeth. A cat-like
hiss escaped his mouth, and Mabel pulled her hand back. Dipper
blinked hard. “Mabel? What’s wrong, you look-”“Dipper,
holy shit,” Mabel cried, flinging her arms around him. Dipper
looked down at her, only to notice his own hands. Mabel pulled away,
holding dipper by the shoulders. Panic flitted through her voice.
“What happened, are you okay?”“I,um,”
Dipper looked down at himself. Blood dripped from his shoes, and
splashed on the wooden floor. “I’m not entirely sure. I mean, yes,
I’m okay, just… Confused.” Mabel looked down at herself and
exclaimed.“Are
you corporeal?” She shrieked, her breath coming in shallow gasps.
Her front had been stained with blood. She held out her shaking
hands, and tried to catch her breath. “Okay, sorry, kind of
freaking out.”“It’s
okay,” Dipper replied “I would be too.”“Mabel,
what’s going on up here?” Stan yelled, brass knuckles at the ready.
He looked between Mabel and Dipper and lowered his hands. “What the
hell did I miss in the last two minutes.”“I
think I killed him,” Dipper said after a second, looking down at
his hands.“Who?”
Stan questioned, leaning in the doorway.“Killed
him?” Mabel asked, a sharp note still in her voice. “Wait, what
literally.”“Well,
I mean a murder would
account for all the blood currently staining my attic.” Stan
deadpanned.“The
summoner, I’m pretty sure I-” Dipper started. He coughed hard,
choking on something. He spit something out. A molar clattered on the
ground. Everyone in the attic stopped and stared as it skittered
across the floor. There was a moment of heavy silence as this new
information sunk in. “Okay, scratch that. I’m definitely sure I
killed him.”“I’m
gonna puke,” Mabel said, racing out of the room. Dipper curled in
on himself, hovering in a ball.“Hey,
kid, it’s… It’s gonna be okay,” Stan stammered, placing a
comforting hand on his nephew’s back.“No,
it
wͤ͠o̕ņ̉͋tͮ!̶̿́̐͆̆
“ Dipper sobbed. “I killed somebody, and…” He trailed off,
poking his face out again.“What,”
Stan asked. “What is it?”“I
liked it.” Dipper whispered, tears streaming down his face.
Do Stan and Dipper ever have con offs? And, would Mabel officiate? (Jokes on them, she cons them both!)
They absolutely do, especially when the kids are still in their teens! From Stan’s point of view its a good way to teach Dipper and make sure the kid is learning.
(And yes, Mabel absolutely does con them both on the reg)
First time Dipper went into full demon-mode in front of Stan/Ford? Henry? The triplets?
Stan settled onto the ratty and vaguely moldy couch, doing his best to ignore both the clouds of pollen and dust that arose as he sat and the skittering of possums underneath. Above him the sky roiled, stars occasionally appearing before disappearing behind the thick clouds of the worse magic storm he had seen since the Transcendence had happened. Mabel had fussed at him about going outside but he also knew she hated the smell of his cigars. And besides it’d only be a few minutes….
He looked down to light his cigar, fumbling in the dark to get the end to catch.
When he looked up again, a demon stood in front of him.
Without taking his eyes off the being, Stan reached his free arm out to the rickety card table Mabel had left out earlier and grabbed his glass of bourbon from it. The demon watched impassively as Stan took a drink, and then a deep pull from his cigar.
Stan exhaled, blowing a thick cloud of acrid smoke in the air, and said “How long you going to keep staring kid?”
The demon said nothing, a figure of black and gold tracing. There was no evidence of clothing, no facial features or accessories. Only a black so deep and dark it hurt Stan’s eyes to glimpse for too long, the only detail a brick like tracing of burning gold.
The same gold that burned from the two pits in the demon’s face, the pits that were firmly locked on the heartbeat thudding from Stan’s throat. A slit appeared, grew wider and opened up until it became a mouth. For the first time Stan saw the demon’s teeth, a front row of fangs backed by a second, longer, more serrated set that had torn though the roof of the demon’s mouth.
An impossibly long and thin tongue flopped out, the end split in two like a snake. It kissed the air, licked the golden pits before snapping back into the mouth.
“H̺̮̦͟u̺̰̩n̷̼̹͕̣̮̫̣g̯̲͔͓r̖̥̩͇̹y͚̯͙̞,” the demon finally said.
Stan blew another puff of smoke and pointed with his cigar behind him into the Shack.
“There’s still a pot of beans on the stove from dinner…”
“͖͓́N̢̰̺̻̪͇ o͕̖̳͜!͇̠”
The force of the demon’s words blew the fez off Stan’s head and sent it down the crack of no return that existed between the sofa and the wall of the Shack. Power beat on the air, emanating from the demon, raising the hair on Stan’s arms and neck and making his heart begin to beat irregularly. “Nǫ̵t͘… ͘͟H̷͠͠u͏̴n͟g̸̢r̡͡y͏ ͜for͠ ́th̕͢a̢͏̴t.”
His cigar went out but rather than relight it Stan tucked it in his breast pocket for later. He still had a mostly full glass of bourbon after all.
“Just went shopping. There’s stuff on the shelves.” He almost said “go nuts” but caught himself in time.
The ozone that Stan had been smelling all evening was gone, the immense waves of magic that had been invisibly buffeting the Shack now sucked up and flowing instead into the demon. Even as he swayed under the onslaught, his hands lit up with blue fire, the blue that could burn bone and glass.
“Let’s… Want… Want ̵t҉o̵ ma̴k̷e ̛a ́déal?” the demon rasped. His eyes were still locked on Stan’s throat, and Stan had a pretty good idea what the demon was really hungry for.
Another sip of bourbon. “You know, your sister is still unpacking upstairs. Mabel could use your help setting up you two’s room.”
At Mabel’s name the demon froze completely still, the shock apparent even to Stan.
“I… Want…” The demon’s voice faltered. Stan looked at his watch. Thirty more seconds. He looked back up in the demon’s eyes.
“She’d like that, Dipper.”
The clouds disappeared from the sky as quickly as they had come in that morning, the storm and spell broken. Color and features began to flood across the black surface, revealing the figure of his nephew. His eyes were last to return to normal, one last flash of terrible, unending hunger before Dipper was in control again.
“Grunkle Stan I’m so sorry-I, I didn’t mean-I’ll just go now-”
Stan waved a hand at him. “No, stay, it’s okay, I promise.”
Dipper, who had begun to fade away, returned fully to Stan’s sight. “Really?”
Stan snorted. “Please. I’ve been in much scarier situations than that. Trust me.”
Dipper stared at him for a second.
“What, do I got something on my shirt? You’d let me know right?”
“You’re… You’re not lying,” Dipper replied, a note of awe in his voice.
“Course I’m not. Now get your ass inside, I’m getting cold out here.”
Stan stood up to go inside. As he opened the door, he turned to look and saw Dipper standing forlornly in the lawn.
“What’s the hold up?”
“Stan! I lost control! I could have killed you. I-” He looked down to the ground, and he looked so impossibly young to Stan. “I could have done worse to you.”
Stan sighed. “Yes you could have but you didn’t.” Dipper still didn’t move so Stan went on.
“Look kid when I said you two could move in I meant it. This is your-” he struggled to talk through the pesky lump in his throat. “This is your home now, thick or thin, good or bad. You’re family, and family sticks together.”
(It didn’t, not really, not with his parents and not with the twin’s parents, but Stan would be goddamned if he proved that false for the kids.)
Dipper smiled. It was the first time Stan had seen Dipper smile since they arrived two days ago. “Thanks Grunkle Stan.” He floated past Stan into the house and up the stairs. As Stan closed the door he could hear Mabel’s excited yelp and a flurry of words from her.
Stan smiled.
Then he went to the kitchen, drained his glass of bourbon, poured another glass, and drained that one as well.
Fuck that had been close.
6/19
They didn’t do cards on Father’s Day. Never wished Stan a “Happy
Father’s Day” or got him presents. Mark was the kids’ father after all, not
him. And it wasn’t like… what the kids had with his nephew was nothing like
what living with his dad was like.Mark, for better or worse, still loved them.
(Had he even ever heard Dad tell Ma that he loved her even?
Stan’s memory was shit but he really, really
doubted that that had ever occurred.)But.
—-
What Stan Did Not
Tell His Nephew:-“If you’re going to throw them away like trash then I’ll
take them in.”-“Fuck off.”
-“You’re the dad, you don’t get to pussy out and not deal with this-“
-“Fuck off.”
-“Did you learn nothing from your mom, from your uncle and
your grandpa and me, come the fuck on
Mark.”-“Did I tell you to go fuck yourself? No. Okay, go fuck
yourself.”-“I’m sorry.”
What Stan Did Tell
His Nephew:-“So can you throw some cash my way if I’m taking the brats
in? Food costs money, yanno?”—
He hoped the guy, gal, or otherwise Mabel brought home could
cook because she sure as shit couldn’t.Mabel bought edible glitter- from where, he had no idea,
because he knew Dipper wasn’t giving it to her through a deal and the store
didn’t sell it- and used handfuls in every meal she made. Same went for the
sprinkles that you put on top of cupcakes and ice cream. Mabel loved to mix
weird things together, like steak and chocolate syrup, just to see what would
happen. There would be weeks where Mabel got hooked on a certain taste, and
would just make the same thing over and over and over again.Stan, if he was being honest, couldn’t cook worth a damn
either, but at least his food was dependable damnit. And when it wasn’t, there
was always Greasy’s.Yet the June after the kids came to live with him, he came
down from his room one Sunday to find a big bowl of mashed potatoes, a turkey,
some weird green things that were probably
Brussel sprouts, and two faces looking at him worriedly.Dinner was okay, he had better.
That dinner was one of the best meals of his life.
—
The first Father’s Day after Stan left (was kicked out) (left) was spent getting drunk and
throwing the bottles at the brick wall of a gas station in the middle of
nowhere Tennessee until the manager had finally had enough and chased him away
waving a shot gun.The twenty fourth Father’s Day after Filbrick threw him away
was a call and an emotionless voice letting Stanford know that his Ma had
passed away, asking if he could spare some of his smarty pants genius money for
the funeral.The fourth Father’s Day after Stan was kicked out (left) was
spent with a guy he met in the Castro, quickly moving from the alley to the
Stanmobile and ending in the rowhouse Tandy shared with five or six other guys.
The look on Ford’s face as he turned away from him standing in the street, the
final glare of light off his father’s glasses as he turned his back on Stan…. it
didn’t seem as important, not with Tandy’s lips on his, on other parts of him.It wasn’t enough, it would never be enough, but for tonight
it was.—
Stan looked in the rearview mirror at the two girls sitting
in his backseat.Due to an incident involving Dipper, four cows, half the
football team, and an ill-advised quiche, prom had to be rescheduled until the
next time the Gravity Falls Community Center was free, which was the third Sunday
in June.In the mirror, Pacifica, dressed in a ballgown that took up
most of the backseat, looked down to see Mabel’s hand carelessly on hers. Even
with his shit eyesight, Stan knew that she was blushing.In the mirror, Mabel, in a dress of her own making that included
a pretty rock she found in the creek last week and beaded portraits of Dipper
and their friends, beaming like the sun as he drove them towards Senior
Prom.When he pulled up, there was a photobooth outside taking
advantage of the summer light. The marquee read “Daddy and Me!” Weird hokey
shit which seriously didn’t even make since because the majority of the people
here were with boyfriends or girlfriends or fri-“Come on Stan!”
Stan started. He hadn’t even noticed the girls getting out
of the car. (Getting old, Stan, getting slow)“Uh, pretty sure you told me this wasn’t going to cost any
money kid.”Mabel laughed.
“No silly! I want my picture with you!”
Stan froze. What to say, come on come on what to say-
He said nothing.
He got out of the car, and was thankful he still had his
suit on from the day as Mabel dragged him over to the photo booth, Pacifica
trailing along amusedly.—
Times Mark and Anna
Called Per Week:-Twice, always without fail on Wednesdays and Sundays
Average Time the
Calls Lasted:-five to seven minutes
(not that Stan was keeping track or anything. He appreciated
their effort.Really
He did.)
—-
Dipper was the same boy he always knew, a smart aleck know-it-all
with noodle arms who never bathed and was painfully dorky at times.Dipper was a boy, still a boy no matter how much he and his
sister argued that they were big and bad teenagers now, and he was a demon.
Dipper was so young and he had done things that made even Stan want to hurl and
liked them.Dipper and the random deer and cow carcasses that showed up
on their front lawn during lean months when the Shack wasn’t bringing in any
money.Dipper and a random slap on the back that would dispel the
nagging cough or back pain Stan was having that day.A demon covered in blood and darkness scrambling on his lap
in a way that Dipper would have never done Before and Stan said nothing, only
wrapped his arms around his bo- his nephew.(A gold piece and a tooth left under his pillow one June
morning.)—
But.
But parents who only saw them four times a year.
But three beautiful redheaded miracles (and he knew, Stan
knew he was being sappy as fuck, but he was too old to care any more) and the
day they looked at him as one and said “Grandpa!”But in giving two lost kids a home getting one himself.
But the third Sunday in June.
Halloween Horrors
Every Halloween costume ends up with a ‘sexy’ version.
Henry was in extra high spirits for this Halloween, and thoroughly enjoying himself with all the preparations that came with being a Pines.
Before coming to Gravity Falls, Halloween was something he could only watch other kids talk about at school and wish while knowing better than to ever bring it up. Halloweens with his parents were an opportunity for them to show everyone how much more righteous they were than the licentious, sinful crowds that celebrated, and he spent his Halloweens before his escape listening to his parents read religious denunciations of the holiday while his body throbbed from the latest beating, for anything from looking too closely at costumes to his dad finding candy in his backpack that a kind classmate had passed him.
But now, with a wife who was so into the holiday that she celebrated it twice a year, a grunkle who was even more into scaring kids, three teenagers who had taken a page from their mother’s book when it came to dressing up in costumes and feeling shame about doing so, and a demon brother who was going to be able to come to the all evening, all town Halloween party and be corporal the whole time, what wasn’t to enjoy?
Sure, he’d been hesitant the first few years, but, well…Mabel’s enthusiasm was contagious, and she was loving every second of this.
HC: One of Ford’s biggest achievements post-Transcendence was the release of that thing that powered the portal. Why? It’s a method of producing ungodly levels of energy/electricity, and also eliminates nuclear waste and seemingly, radiation. Every government in the world would be trying like crazy to get their hands on the blueprints; it solves two problems at once!
Ford turns a lot of the money he makes out of this around into creating and maintaining the Library with Stan. It’s a pretty good system overall.
backup 