Airbender Stan who sucks at airbending cus he's afraid of heights is actually so funny. I imagine Ford inventing an air balloon ship (guy yearns for space travel) thinking he could get Stan to fly them as high as possible but Stan can barely manage to get them off the ground for a few feet before giving up and telling Ford boats are superior let's never hop on an aircraft again! Then years later Stan masters the subcategory gravitybending(don't know if it exists but I say it does now) to compensate for his inability. Cus why be afraid of heights when there's no risk of falling? It's like swimming without water, and he likes swimming. Problem solved. Not to mention Stan moves better in zero gravity as seen in his escape scene in Not What He Seems.
Stan being an airbender is also perfect for being the caretaker of two firebender twins. If they start lighting things on fire he's the on-call fire extinguisher. But if it went like canon and Stan had to assume Ford's identity so he can't reveal he's actually a bender, he would just bullshit the kids about how the spirits in Gravity Falls doesn't like fire and hide his bending gestures as him sneezing or scratching or stretching. Post reveal Dipper can't really criticize Stan for hiding his bending ability when he was doing the same thing cus of his inferiority issues. Mabel takes it upon herself to be a guru for her helpless family(she found a totally accurate book about it).
Thank you, I also agree its very funny to give air bending to the guy who doesn't like his feet leaving the ground.
I'm also very much of the idea of Ford being horrendously jealous on some level that Stan can bend but he can't, and as a child he went about ways to 'even the playing field' so to speak, as well as ways to utilize Stan's bending to the fullest. And its fine when they're kids and its small things like cool pin wheels and super paper air planes, but then as they get older and its increasingly complex ways to create sustained flight Stan starts faltering.
And angst says Stan gained a fear of heights through one of these inventions going haywire, but I think its tragic in its own way if it had nothing to do with Ford at all. Or if it was even anything noteworthy. Stan's an air bender in an Earth and Fire household, in a neighborhood that's also primarily earth and fire, so he's entirely self taught. And most air benders would learn while they're young to trust the air to catch them (to catch themselves) but Stan doesn't have anyone, so all it takes is a few bullies shoving him and smacking his face on the concrete to create a foundation of 'Falling = Pain' that slowly grows and morphs into a fear of heights and an inability to trust his own bending.
Take that and being raised with lofty expectations in a household that doesn't promote open thinking and letting go of earthly possessions, is heavily raised with earth bending philosophy, earth bending bending, and you've got the worlds worst air bender on your hands.
But he's not going to tell anyone he's scared of heights. He's the only air bender in Glass Shard Beach, saying he's afraid of heights is a social death sentence.
Anyway as years go by Stan neglects practicing, Ford starts to resent the fact that his brother is a bender but doesn't use his gifts to excel, they have a fight, etc.
So here's where I started going digging through ATLA lore to examine sub categories of bending. Now while gravity bending isn't a thing (which makes its own kind of sense, as I don't even know where to begin to take apart gravity and fit it into an element) there is straight up flying for air benders. Its incredibly rare, the thing of myths, and the exact kind of thing Stan would figure out how to do and never think its a big deal because 'Well air benders fly. this is a thing everyone knows. This is basically air bending 101, nothing impressive.'
(Also I became very charmed with the idea of air benders not being able to fly not because they aren't letting go of all earthly attachments and goals and such (or whatever the reasoning stated in the wiki/dud who flew) but a lack of envisioning themselves carrying their own weight. Something something them understanding physics too much is the issue. Idk how to put it into words at this time, and thus shall end here)
Stan still can't do any basic air bending, but he can float around and no longer trips because he's floating around all the time. Still afraid of heights, but he can bob around and does start to feel more confident about some of his air bending techniques.
If this followed canon where he's still faking being Ford, the kids don't learn he's an air bender until after Ford gets back. Full stop Stan is the sole reason the house didn't burn down, but only behind the scenes. Their parents sent them his way because Ford learned fire bending techniques as Caryns sort of 'oh my poor non bender baby whose jealous of his bending brother whose learning earth bending styled air bending. Here's some fire bending training even if you're not a bender. As a treat' pity.
Unfortunately Stan knows very little fire bending, due to Filbrick going 'I'll send my bender son to Earth Bending School' despite the fact that Stan's an air bender.
Actually gonna retcon my own au. Filbrick is now an earth bender, to add some Flavor to his and Stan's relationship. Filbrick is so disappointed his only bending son is an air bender of all things and does make this Stan's problem. By teaching him Earth bending and crushing any attempt on Stan's part to learn air bending from air benders or their philosophies.
Back to thirty years, its one of those things where in hindsight its incredibly obvious that Stan was an air bender, but he never uses any techniques and uses exclusively a weird mix of primarily Earth bending techniques with fire ones sprinkled in. The kids are incredibly shocked to learn this, and slightly hurt, but all is forgiven in the end because Fords here to teach them real fire bending techniques and Stan was hiding to better save his brother.
Thats All I got for now. Haven't really thought about how Plot would be different to expand past that.
Ooohh, would the family learn Stan can truly fly with his air bending in this AU's version of The Stanchurian Candidate episode? Mabel and Dipper are in danger of falling to their deaths, Stan is climbing to rescue them except this time they fall before he gets to the top. So he throws himself off whatever he was climbing to fly over and catch them, then flies them all to safety.
It would be a toss-up if Dipper knows for sure what Stan did is impressive or if he isnt certain, especially when Stan insists it's the basics of air bending. Ford would know for sure, especially if he was there to see it in person, but there's no way he could convince Stan (at this point in their relationship) that his air bending is impressive. Stan would think Ford is overly impressed because he's a non-bender.
Or could go the slightly sadder route where Dipper is CERTAIN that was legitimate flying and tries to tell Ford, but Ford brushes him off because HE'S "certain" Stan isnt capable of that and Dipper must be mistaken. And either Dipper would set out to prove it to Ford (harrassing Stan, roping Mabel into trying to trap him into flying again) or Ford only learns post-reconciliation in this AU's version of their sea grunkle era. Then he's shocked and Dipper gets to say "I told you so!" and they all have to fight an uphill battle convincing Stan that it isn't "just the basics" of air bending. 😂
In this case Stan, being the only air bender they really know (since most air benders are monks/not in Gravity Falls) they'd take his word that flying is a normal thing every air bender can do. The kids sees this amazing feat of air bending and everyone just lets it slide by because Stan himself doesn't think its a big deal. Yeah yeah he flew. He's an air bender. They all fly.
Which, as far as everyone else is aware, is true. Air benders fly. Everyone knows this.
Doesn't mean Dipper doesn't go running to tell Ford, just that (in his mind) he's got this cool story about how Stan saves him that Grunkle Ford is rolling his eyes about.
Actually funny idea (in a sad way): Dipper runs off to tell Ford this story later about how Stan flew up and saved them, and sees Ford roll his eyes about it. He thinks because Fords still angry with Stan at the time, and is slightly upset on Stan's behalf but brushes it off. Its actually because Ford interpreted Dippers "Grunkle Stan flew threw the air and saved us!" as "Stanley used the traditional air bending methods of flight (staff gliding, burst of air for propulsion) and grabbed us out of the air!"
No big deal. Stan's an air bender, all air benders know how to do (assisted) flight.
And then post reconciliation Ford stares as Stan very nonchalantly flies up so he can grab something from a high shelf and realizes very quickly he and the children have been having two different conversations in regards to Stan's flying. Any attempt at trying to convince Stan that him flying is something incredible is met with 'It's just flying Sixer. Everyone knows air benders fly.' Ford introduces Stan to other air benders to try and prove it and Stan always without fails goes 'wow these guys can't even fly? They're worse benders then I am.'
