The One Who Watches

Tibby/Tibbs | 25 yo | She/Her

[nowimjustastranger]

Hello and welcome! I got back into the Gravity Falls fandom and so I created a blog to unleash the sheer amount of feelings that I have about this show!

Profile picture was drawn by @tearosepedall

My Ao3

AU Masterlist

Poll Fic List

Miscellaneous Fic List

AU Fanart

And, if anyone wants to throw some money at me or join the Whiskers Tier for early access and exclusive content, here's my Ko-fi!

On indefinite hiatus starting March.

[artsymeeshee]

[tinfoil-jones]

Ford Games aka Happy Birthday @maridrawss!

[Commission by @canadianno-gravityfalls]

[In order of appearance: Avel Ford / ABW!Ford by Mari. Loser Ford by @rayyanishere1. Reverse Portal Ford by @urdadsceilingfan. Jerk Ford by Me. Watchdog by @nowimjustastranger. Anti Ford is by Alex Hirsch and the wider fandom, but this specific interpretation is mine. Megalomanic Ford by @orxinus]

My goodness, an Epic the Musical reference! Specifically, the song God Games from The Wisdom Saga.

This gift idea was born from this post.

No text version and explanations below the cut.

Player: Avel Ford (From Everything Everywhere All At Once AU), Mari's take on A Better World) is Athena in this particular song, but the idea was he's supposed to be Odysseus. And instead of trying to go home, he's trying to redeem himself for unintentionally triggering his brother to commit suicide as seen in the prequel, and then later trying to steal Canon Stan from Canon Ford (He goes through a whole Mr. Steal-Your-Stan phase), which caused dimensional instability and his Fiddleford going missing in the multiverse.

Level 1: Loser Ford (from the Loser Ford AU) as Apollo. Loser Ford is one of the few variants here who didn't lose his Stan and they were never separated as teens, so it's only natural he would be the stand-in for a God known for being a twin, meaning he embodies the Didymaeus epithet, which is an aspect meant to refer to Apollo’s close bond with his sister Artemis.

Apollo was also one of easiest gods to convince in the song, and unlike most of his alts, Loser Ford is actually nice.

Level 2: Reverse Portal Ford (from urdadsceilingfan's Reverse Portal AU) as Hephaestus. As far are lore parallels go, Hephaestus is known as a smithing/artisan/craftsman God. RP!Ford in his AU runs a museum called Anomaly Oddity's. It differs from the canon Mystery Shack because instead of making up monsters out of taxidermy and glue, RP!Ford handcrafts realistic replicas of real supernatural creatures in Gravity Falls.

Hephaestus was also one of the easiest gods to be convinced. In his case, however, it's because RP!Ford would be a hypocrite not to extend the possibility/chance of redemption to Avel Ford, because his Stan was portaled and RP!Ford did not know if he was dead or alive.

There’s also Haphestas’ line “He sacrificed his own cohort.” a closer insight to his own hypocrisy because he chose keeping their dimension safe and stable over the possibility of rescuing his brother, something he did not correct for thirty years. 

Level 3: Jerk Ford (from the Jerk Ford AU) as Aphrodite. Which may seem like a controversial choice, but hear me out. Jerk Ford, much like Loser Ford, was never separated from his twin brother until he was portaled, but unlike his kinder counterpart, he is not nice about it. Jerk Ford does have standards and typically does not use 'dead twin' as ammunition against a Pines variant, he would also be quick to point out that Avel Ford was not the only one affected by Stan's death.

“Claims to love his mother, but let her die of a broken heart.”

Aphrodite is widely considered a Goddess of Love, and there's more than one type of love. Greeks have different words for different types of love, and Jerk Ford embodies Storge, or familial love. Jerk Ford is family oriented, and even though Stan is the most important person to him, his goal in the multiverse was returning home to his FAMILY. His greatest fear was dying out there, and none of them ever knowing what happened to him. What Jerk Ford is against Avel Ford is that, presumably, Caryn died not knowing the truth behind Stan's death and Avel Ford’s own involvement in it.

(And Filbrick to a lesser degree but aint nobody give af about him)

Jerk Ford is one of the tougher nuts to crack; however, when Avel Ford gets vulnerable and pleads, Jerk Ford seems to be reconsidering, and then-

Level 4: Watchdog (from the Somebody to Call My Own AU) as Ares. Watchdog is an eerily close fit to Ares for a lot of reasons, the most obvious being that his most identifiable feature is his helmet. Ares is one of the Gods of War, closely aligning to Watchdog’s violent tendencies and aggression.

While Avel Ford fills the role of Odysseus and Athena because he’s advocating for himself, we’re going to look at his parallels with Athena. Athena, like Ares, is a God of War. And for that reason, they are often rivals who butt heads. Likewise, Watchdog and Avel Ford are a lot more alike than Watchdog would ever care to admit to. Namely, Watchdog’s Stan also committed suicide. Albeit, Watchdog wasn’t directly involved like Avel Ford, and it happened much sooner in his life, but the similarity remains; they both lost their twin brother to suicide, and that loss has haunted them ever since.

The thing you need to understand about Watchdog Ford is that if it weren’t for the fact that he dresses the part of a school shooter, he would absolutely belong in a classroom because he is a massive projector:

Watchdog’s anger and violence towards Avel Ford isn’t just in ‘justice’ for Avel Ford’s late brother, but also Watchdog’s own self-loathing. Calling him a sick coward, and later “Pathetic and weak” is a reflection of Watchdog’s self-image; no matter how strong he is, no matter how many Stan’s he saves, his own will forever be beyond his reach.

Naturally, he is the hardest one to convince.

However, Jerk Ford and Watchdog concede together; them being stand-ins for Aphrodite and Ares, who have their challenges grouped together, is a meta joke about Watchdog and Jerk Ford often being associated with each other and mentioned as a pair. So, Avel Ford would definitely make the retort “And tell your lover that a broken heart can mend.”

They are good friends who love each other, but they are not lovers; them being shipped together is a running joke made at their expense.

Level 5: Anti Ford (from the Anti Dimension, great uncle of Anti Mabel) is, much like Avel Ford, technically canon. While this is my interpretation of Anti Ford based on his vague description as a part time DJ and internet influencer, there’s no definitive version of him either so he’s a blank canvas.

He represents Hera because since he is technically canon, he’s one of the ‘strongest’ contenders here. Also, Hera’s verse is very disco inspired.That, and one of her associated animals being the peacock, fits right in with Anti Ford peacocking for internet clout.

While not the hardest to convince (that goes to Watchdog) he isn’t easy to break either, and Avel Ford has to pull something underhanded like how Athena pointed out Zeus’ cheating:

“Give me one good reason why you should prevail.”

“I hate J.K Rowling.”

“... You’re released.”

Final Boss: Megalomaniac Ford (From Euclydia Rises) as Zeus. So, MM!Ford is one of those god-level variants, either at the power level of canon Bill Cipher or close to it.

“Divine intervention, is that what you seek?”

His profile states he has the biggest ego in the multiverse and thinks he’s the best variant of Ford. And that’s why he’s the stand-in for the God-King of Olympus.

Given that he’s a cosmic war criminal, what would his beef with Avel Ford be?

“You dare to defy me?! To make me feel shame?!”

Well, honestly I think he just didn’t like being challenged, especially since he would have been so sure Avel Ford wouldn’t have been able to successfully plead his case to the others.

MM!Ford, like Avel Ford, has a dead Stan. However, his did not kill himself; because (I think, I could be wrong) MM!Ford killed him by proxy when he destroyed their dimension.

So you have Avel Ford just like:

[nowimjustastranger]

Listed in rough chronological order

I See You

Unfortunately, he wasn’t paying close attention to his surroundings, so it came as a shock when his boot hit something. Ford’s leg jerked on instinct, sending whatever it was up into the air.

Ford surged forward to chase it, his heart in his throat because whatever he had accidentally launched had made a noise of surprise, bracing his boot onto the broad back of a Dovel and using the leverage to launch himself over the sea of bodies. His gloved hands closed around a small form and tucked it to his chest before he twisted so his back took the brunt of the impact.

Thankfully, there was no structural damage. Sturdy wall.

[nowimjustastranger]

An AU offshoot where the Dr Pine is a sentient puppet in the multiverse who has the uncanny ability to collect feral, overpowered children.

AU was created by @aroace-get-out-of-my-face

Lore

Fic List

Art

[thoughtless-in-space]

HELLO MULTIVERSE OC AND AU HAVERS I HAVE A PROPOSITION FOR YOU 🔫🔫🔫

I’ve been wanting to engage with the multiverse at large but I wasn’t sure how to start to interact with it, but then I remembered the multiverse is full of bounty hunters and I have one of those. SO >:33

This is my son, Mirrorwalker Ford / The Bloodhound. I will write about him fighting your guy; HOW WHAT AND WHY?:

YOU:

- send me an Ask at this blog with ‘Bloodhound Mark’ at the top so I know it’s for this!!

- Include your guy!! Nominate any Gravity Falls OC or AU variant of yours!! Don’t nominate anyone else’s because I don’t wanna attack someone’s character who doesn’t defo want it lol

- Tell me a bit about them! (As much or little as you want! It helps me if they’re connected to canon in some way)

- If it’s a Ford, tell me about how important their relationship to Bill, Stan and Fiddleford are / whether they have them!! You can express this in words, or as a % from 0-100 for how important they are to their lives or whatever!

- the above points apply about AU Stans or Fidds or Bills about specifically Ford also!

- The Bloodhound has a weird thing about ratios

- Let me know any notable features you think would be important! (Like whether they’re allied with any other multiverse guys, any special abilities, their personalities/attitudes and who they’re allied with (E.g. team Bill? Team Oracle? Team… neither?!))

I WILL:

- Respond as much and as enthusiastically to as many of the asks as I get !!!

- Tell you how much the bounty would have to be for Mirrorwalker Ford to agree to go after your guy!!

- Tell you how likely (as a percentage) The Bloodhound is to take the bounty!

- HOW he would go about killing your guy! What method? (Not too graphic, but if you want me to skip this part, make it less intense or angsty or anything, just let me know in your Ask!)

- How likely I think he would be to actually succeed!!!

You can absolutely feel free to respond to any of my takes and let me know if you think they’re accurate or add anything of your own!! This is me wanting to engage with the multiverse a lil and talk to people ^^ it’s all in good fun

Stop on by today!! Don’t be shy :3

SORRY IF THATS A LOT OF EXPLANATION I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR BC IF I ADD RULES TO THE SOCIAL INTERACTION ITS HOPEFULLY LESS SCARY <3333!!!!

[canadianno-gravityfalls]

Rolling Thunder

CW: Possible flashing, eyestrain, or fast-moving images. Minor bug imagery

Dr. Pine belongs to @aroace-get-out-of-my-face, Watchdog belongs to @nowimjustastranger, Anti and Jerk Ford belongs to @tinfoil-jones

Eua lotj cngz eua ykgxin lux.

[artistredfox]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @nowimjustastranger !!!!!! Some watchdogs!! For you!!

I hope you and your twin have had a good birthday, with lots of tasty treats and fun!!

[nowimjustastranger]

Ahhhhhhhh! The boy! The precious (murderous) boy!!! Thanks so much Red! It's beautiful!

[tinfoil-jones]

Somebody to Call My Own: Self-Love

Watchdog Ford isn't exactly known for kindness towards his alternate selves. Most times it's justified, sometimes it's a projection of his own self loathing. He is quite literally beating himself up or killing himself.

But that's only one aspect from Dimension 419"3's Ford Pines. Just like Canon Ford and the rest of the Fords scattered to the multiverse, he is an individual with many faces, and holds various relationships close.

It's ironic, really, that someone who struggles with hating himself finds some of his closest friendships with other versions of himself

[Art by @canadianno-gravityfalls]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIBBY!!!

@nowimjustastranger

[Explanations and unobstructed image under the cut]

The first panel is Watchdog Ford and Jerk Ford, who's one of his more controversial counterparts. One thing they have in common is just how much disdain the Fordverse at large holds for them.

Jerk Ford does not share Watchdog's self-loathing trait, at least not internally. He's always believed his own hype, more self actualized than you'd expect from a man who gets banned from every dimension he steps foot in.

While their relationship is often joked about as borderline parasitic toxic, they truly do care for each other. Despite Jerk's constant bitching about Watchdog being an emo, he's one of the few people who never saw Watchdog as his persona.

In the upper right corner, two Common Blue Violets cradle the corner and represent Jerk Ford.

Fun fact: Jerk Ford refuses to call him 'Watchdog' to his face, only using the name when talking about him to others. Jerk calls him 'Watch', or an insulting nickname about his edginess.

The second panel snaps a selfie of Anti Ford and Watchdog, much to Watchdog's reluctant amusement. Another controversial version of Stanford Pines, Anti Ford is disliked for two reasons,

He's from the Anti Dimension

And he's Cringe.

The Anti Dimension exists to be the equal and opposite to what is 'prime' (which is the canon Gravity Falls / Dimension 46'\). Meaning all people from this dimension are meant to be the opposition of all of their alts. For this reason, Anti-Versions feel inherently 'wrong' to all of their alts, making trust and positive relationships difficult.

Given how Watchdog feels about most of his alts, he's more at ease with someone as far removed from the "mold" of Stanford Pines as possible. Because of Watchdog's reputation as 'The Ford Punisher', Anti Ford, a top contender for being The Worst Ford, was terrified of him in the beginning.

Anti Ford and Watchdog have learned to appreciate one another for their differences instead of letting reputations cloud their opinions.

Bordering them, Sunflowers that represent Watchdog himself bloom, and pressed into the wall behind them, Twinflowers, a nod at Anti Ford.

Fun Fact: Anti Ford uses different hashtags on his streams to identify when friends are there with him. The tag designated for Watchdog is #DawgofWar

The third panel shows Watchdog with Dr Pine from @aroace-get-out-of-my-face's AU, Multiverse Time with Dr Pine. Dr Pine is yet another Ford variant that doesn't fit the mold of the man. And Dr Pine is a puppet!

Where Watchdog shuts most people out, Dr Pine is openly gentle and supportive, owed to his experience working a children's show.

Watchdog's relationship is much more familial in comparison to the other two represented in this comic. Dr Pine fills in a surprisingly paternal role for Watchdog.

Watchdog hated his father, who was emotionally abusive to him and physically abusive to his twin. Watchdog even killed him years ago once he found evidence of the abuse.

But Dr Pine doesn't see an angry, violent sociopath, he sees someone hurt deep down, but whose love for his late brother is strong enough to power a need to save as many versions of him as possible from similar fates.

Watchdog doesnt see Dr Pine as just a walking stuffed animal. Watchdog sees a person who's been through the (sometimes literal) wringer and still chooses kindness.

Someone worth looking up to, even though he's only three feet tall.

Growing across the left corner are White Magnolias for Dr Pine.

Fun Fact: Watchdog is not the same age as Canon Ford. He's ten years older, just like Anti Ford. Dr Pine - along with Jerk Ford and most of the Fordverse - is a whole decade younger.

Throughout the piece Copper (Canadianno) makes several references to twins. From the twin moons, the flowers coming in sets of two, and the Gemini constellation, Twins are a supportive theme, and not just for the Stan Twins; Tibby is also a twin.

Watchdog's helmet is another repeated theme. Watchdog keeps it close, tucked under his arm or within reach. Despite it's presence in all three scenes, Watchdog doesn't wear it.

Because with with, he is comfortable being himself, who he is, Stanford Pines, the man under the helmet.

[nowimjustastranger]

I am shedding TEARS you bastards (affectionate). Aohgdbdbf ndbdnb will repost again when I can think. And I can see.

[aroace-get-out-of-my-face]

Hey E. Asking for no reason but are Count and Birch about the same height. Or is one slightly taller than the other

The thing is, all the puppets are short.

Moreover, Birch is condemned to being the shortest in every lineup. Hes shorter than the count by 🤏 much

[artsymeeshee]

Thinking about the boys going through the anniversary effect

In case no one is familiar, it’s basically when you get very uncomfortable emotional symptoms (mainly sadness) after going through something traumatic on a specific date every year. In this case, I think Stan gets extra sad (and clingy) after the accident with Ford getting pushed in the portal and Ford gets extra sad (and very clingy and protective) with having to erase Stan’s mind.

[aroace-get-out-of-my-face]

Squishing your local vampire is very good for your mental health. Also theirs probably, I dunno.

My continued streak of CountBirch on every national holiday continues, I work tirelessly to keep my presidential campaign promise and that is why you should elect me. Trust me, I’ll make Miss Piggy my Chief of Staff it’ll be great

[andva-ri]

What keeps you up at night?

[ from old blog ]

[nowimjustastranger]

Ford W/106 sounds a little dangerous ngl, I think STCMO!Ford should keep a close eye on him, not because he could neglect Stan anytime soon, but because the possibility of him developting separation anxiety/obsession is not that far off.

He spent his entire life with a part of him MISSING, and that missing part was handed to him on a silver platter basically, he can finally be a functional human being without any sense of wrongness and bond with his twin and best friend.

He already has a piss poor sense of morals anyway, some control issues here and there are not below him, right?

The thing is, the only reason Ford has control is because Stanley allows it. Ford would never take any authority over Stanley that wasn’t freely given. If Stanley were to tell him to back off, he would without hesitation or complaint. It’s what sets him apart from most Fords I think. He doesn’t crave control, he craves connection. The change ultimately stems from him being only half of a whole during the developmental stage of his life.

Where canon Ford fought to control his future/destiny, this Ford spent his time looking for that missing piece that would make him complete again.

“Stanley, dear?” Ford called, gently pressing his hand to his brother’s lower back as he sidled up beside him. Stanley didn’t even twitch at the touch –though Ford didn’t know if he didn’t react because he recognized Ford or because of his conditioning– he simply turned his head to blankly stare at him. “Have you picked a few snacks for our movie tonight?”

“Too many choices.” Stanley murmured, the numbness melting off his face as he frowned at the colorful packaging that crowded the shelves up and down the aisle on both sides. And Ford will admit, such a large variety did look daunting. Well, it was a good thing that Stanley had a big brother who was more than happy to help.

“Do you want sweet or savory?” Ford asked, content with observing Stanley as he mulled it over. He had filled out some now that Ford made sure all of Stanley’s nutritional needs were met, feeding him three square meals a day as well as encouraging him to splurge a bit during special occasions such as this.

It had only been a month since Stanley was placed in Ford’s care and he’d already made so much progress. Ford couldn’t be more proud of him.

“Is both okay?” Stanley hummed after a moment of silence, and Ford perked up because it was the first time his brother had asked to have both of the options that’d been presented to him. Today yet another milestone was reached and Ford couldn’t wait to log it down into the journal that he had handcrafted specifically for matters concerning Stanley.

“Of course!” Ford assured with an eager nod, using the hand that had made a home on Stanley’s back to steer him toward the candy. “Let’s start with sweet.”

“Sure.” Stanley said with a shrug, his dull eyes taking in the many products displayed. He didn’t seem all that interested in any particular thing, his gaze never lingering. It was a shame since Ford was quite eager to learn more about Stanley, soaking up every detail like a man starved. At first, he had been wary of his own gluttonous disposition, but he was able to accept it after some self-reflection.

It wasn’t as if he wanted to consume Stanley, after all. He just wanted to gorge himself on anything and everything to do with his brother. However, if Ford had discovered the desire to feast on Stanley until there was nothing left while he was rummaging around in his own head, he would’ve simply removed the threat to Stanley’s wellbeing. Simple as that.

“Does chocolate sound good?” Ford asked and Stanley made a face, a hand raising to absentmindedly rub his jaw, and Ford made a mental note of the strange reaction to such a harmless question about an equally harmless candy. Although, if it was trauma-related, Stanley would’ve had a much stronger and more distressing response. But he just looked a little uncomfortable, as if reminded of something mildly unpleasant.

“No.” Stanley grunted, drawing Ford out of his thoughts so quickly that he briefly wondered if one could experience mental whiplash.

“Caramel?” Ford suggested, recovering from the jarring shift from his own musings back to the task at hand in record time. This was very important after all. Not only was this movie night their first official family bonding activity, but it was also yet another opportunity to learn Stanley’s preferences so he wasn’t burdened with similar situations in the future.

“I could go for some caramel, yeah.” Stanley agreed, which came as a relief because it gave Ford something to work with. Each day, he got several steps closer to understanding Stanley. He wanted to know his brother on a deeper and more profound level than anyone else ever would, wanted to crack open Stanley’s defenses and see the very core of his being.

He wanted everything that his brother was willing to give.

“Fantastic! Let’s see here… there are chews and hard candies.” Ford dutifully relayed, scrutinizing the options as he tried to guess what Stanley might pick. With his dislike of chocolate evident, it was unlikely that he’d want to bother with an arguably more difficult treat like caramel chews. Even the softest ones were a nightmare to eat, sticky and uncooperative.

“Hard candies, please.” Stanley murmured and Ford nodded, pleased that his educated guess had been correct.

“What about gummies?” Ford asked as he obediently selected a bag of hard candies from the rack and deposited it into the basket. He wanted to see just how much independence and autonomy he could draw out of Stanley before he inevitably began to defer to Ford again, which was hardly a bad thing so long as Ford got enough data to ensure that he was caring for his brother properly.

“Nothin’ sour.” Stanley said with a shrug and Ford turned back to the shelves, scrutinizing the selection with his brother’s restriction in mind. His gaze briefly paused on two bags in particular during his search for acceptable options, a foreign but wholly welcome sense of giddiness overtaking him.

“You like the ocean, right?” Ford prompted, looking at Stanley with a smile that was likely closer to unhinged than excited. Stan blinked, obviously caught off guard by the seemingly random question. But Ford needed to nail down Stanley’s likes and dislikes so he could ensure his brother lived in comfort. Care that was anything less than exceptional would not be tolerated.

“Uh-huh.” Stanley hummed with a slow, hesitant nod.

“Let’s get you some gummy sharks and swedish fish then.” Ford declared, reaching for the respective gummies. He passed them to Stanley with anticipation, hoping that his brother would approve of his choices.

“Okay.” Stanley said agreeably, humoring Ford by lazily examining the sweets, doe eyes skimming the various advertisements on the package and the ingredients. Finally, he added both bags to the basket that Ford held, and Ford released the breath that he’d been holding while waiting for a verdict.

“Chips or popcorn?” Ford asked next, turning his attention to the savory side of the aisle. Stanley followed his lead, as always, hollow gaze considering his options.

“Popcorn.” Stanley mumbled, looking a little lost as he stared at the extensive range of flavors and sizes that the store offered. Fortunately, Ford knew just the thing that would help his brother.

“We’ll get a variety and see which flavors you like.” Ford relayed, already reaching for the shelf in order to gather three different flavors that Stanley might enjoy. Two savory and one sweet.

“Caramel popcorn?” Stanley read aloud as Ford tucked the bag into the rapidly filling basket, appearing intrigued by Ford’s carefully selected snacks. Stanley showing interest in anything was a positive sign because he was more akin to a blank slate, a state that he often reverted to after days of progress. Ford had yet to find the trigger, but he had a few theories.

“Yes, I suspect you’ll like it.” Ford hummed, stepping closer to Stanley so their shoulders brushed, warmth steadily creeping outward from the point of contact. Ford used to hate others touching him, shying away or outright introducing the offending party to his fist. But ever since Stanley came into his life, he began to crave physical contact.

“You’re gettin’ stuff too, yeah?” Stanley haltingly asked, looking troubled as his gaze flicked to the crammed basket before darting back up to Ford’s face. Stanley looked like he was expecting something and, based on what little that he’d been able to piece together about where Stanley had come from and what his life was like, Ford doubted that he was waiting for anything good to happen.

“Yes, I’ll have some jelly beans and chips.” Ford assured, making sure his tone was soft and warm since he didn’t want Stanley to get the wrong idea. If Ford ever had the displeasure of meeting that helmeted bastard again, he would be cordial for the sole purpose of asking if the people who had hurt Stanley suffered a horrible death. And the answer better be a resounding yes.

“Which uh… jelly bean flavor is your favorite?” Stanley asked so quietly that Ford would have missed it if he hadn’t been giving Stanley his full attention. Ford’s brother was making an effort to get to know him, and the knowledge had warmth blooming in his chest. He could hardly contain his excitement and adoration, but at least he managed to at least refrain from throwing himself at his brother for a hug. The huge smile he could do nothing about, nor did he particularly want to.

“Toasted marshmallow.” Ford divulged with a huge grin, which was quick to drop into a scowl when a shopper turned into the aisle that they occupied. He vaguely recognized them as Tyler Cutebiker, who he’d often seen at the diner. The lanky man stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted Ford, face rapidly blanching of color.

“Could I… try one when we get home?” Stanley asked in a whisper, as if he was afraid of Tyler overhearing him. Ford grit his teeth because there was no reason for Stanley to be so self-conscious, he could say or do whatever he wanted and Ford would keep him safe. Surely he had to know that Ford wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him ever again?

“Of course you can!” Ford blurted loudly, making Stanley’s eyes nervously dart to Tyler, prompting Ford to gently curl his fingers around Stanley’s elbow in order to guide him further behind the barrier that Ford’s body created between his brother and Tyler. Ford cleared his throat and tried again, his voice at a more acceptable volume. “I’d like nothing more than to share my favorite sweet treat with you.”

“What chips are ya gettin’?” Stanley grunted, the stiff line of his shoulders easing as Tyler turned on his heel and beat a hasty retreat in the opposite direction, toward the register at the front of the establishment. Ford’s reputation as the local madman worked to his advantage when it came to forcing people to keep their distance. And he couldn’t be more grateful that, as a result of their wariness of Ford, Stanley’s personal space wasn’t being encroached upon by strangers.

“Kettle cooked.” Ford answered immediately and without hesitation, his declaration followed by Ford reaching for the aforementioned chips and adding a bag of dill pickle flavored kettle chips to his nearly overflowing basket of snacks. Ford smiled at Stanley encouragingly when he noticed the man eyeing the pringles, his keen gaze cataloging everything as Stanley slowly reached out to grab a can of cheddar flavored chips.

“Could we get these too?” Stanley asked with a humbling amount of vulnerability that made Ford’s chest feel tight, he simply nodded because he didn’t trust his traitorous body not to give away his inner turmoil if he tried to verbalize that of course it was more than okay for Stanley to have whatever he desired. Ford had lived quite frugally since graduating highschool, pinching pennies where he could through college.

Ford had no idea where the urge to stash every cent stemmed from, but he’d never been able to shake the feeling that the money that he was putting away in a separate savings account wasn’t meant for himself, but for someone else. And the realization that he was a twin at one point –a twin that somehow forgot his original brother– made a significant amount of puzzle pieces smoothly slot into place, painting a grim picture.

He tried not to think about it, lest he spiral further into madness.

“Put it in the basket.” Ford heard himself say from far away, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. Stanley seemed strangely nervous as he gingerly deposited the can of chips into the basket, staring at Ford searchingly the whole time. When Stanley withdrew his hand and nothing of the violent sort happened, he released the breath that he’d been holding. Ford swallowed thickly, his voice weak when he spoke. “Anything else?”

“I don’t think there’s room for more…” Stanley murmured, his brows creasing a bit as he scrutinized the basket’s contents. Ford made a noise of disagreement that had Stanley’s gaze snapping to his face, his expression smoothing out into a blank slate that made Ford want to plunge a pair of scissors through his own hand. He hadn’t meant to come off as upset just because of a harmless observation, but clearly Stanley was used to disapproval leading to nothing pleasant.

“Nonsense, it just needs a little rearranging.” Ford smoothly countered, making a point of kneeling at Stanley's feet, trying to look as unthreatening as possible by hunching his shoulders and keeping his head lowered, splitting his focus between Stanley and his self-appointed task of rearranging the basket. Fortunately, Ford’s approach worked, the tension broke as Stanley crouched beside him.

“Well I’m set if you are, Marbles.” Stanley drawled, his arms lazily draped on his knees. And when Ford braved a subtle peek at his face, it was still impassive, but his doe eyes were warm as he watched Ford work to fit everything snugly. Ford finished in record time, tilting his head toward Stanley like a flower searching for sunlight, the knot of anxiety in his gut loosening when Stanley graced him with a small quirk of his mouth.

“Let's go home then, shall we?” Ford mused as he straightened to his full height, holding the basket in one hand and offering the other to Stanley. His brother considered the extended appendage for a moment that seemed to drag on for an eternity before finally reaching up to accept it, Ford pulling Stanley up before loosening his grip. However, Stanley merely took the opportunity to lace their fingers together, causing Ford’s pulse to skyrocket.

“Sounds good, Ford.” Stanley hummed and Ford felt like he might pass out from sheer elation, his mind replaying the way that his name sounded in his brother’s low rasp on a loop. He wanted Stanley to say it again and again, but that was greedy and he would never push Stanley to do so. Still, the gaping maw inside Ford shrunk just a little bit more as yet another wrong in the world was righted, Ford’s mismatched eyes burning threateningly as he briefly tightened his grip in a gentle squeeze.

And together, they made their way to the checkout, Ford soaking up the warmth of Stanley’s palm pressed against his own.

[artsymeeshee]

had a need to draw something cute so why not some Ford & Mabel bonding

[nowimjustastranger]

What if there's a Stan who tries to make a time wish that would erase not only him, but all Stans in every universe from existence, including Watchdog's own Stan because he truly believes all Fords would be better off without their Stans?

Would it be a very delicate situation where Watchdog has to talk Stanley out of it, or more a forceful confrontation? Would Time Baby or someone who works for him like Blendin Blandin intervene and notify Watchdog (since he likely wouldn't get a notif himself)?

What if as a solution Watchdog came to a compromise and convinced this Stan to erase all Stans temporarily (except for himself and Watchdog's Stan so the two keep their memories), maybe for a day or so, so he can show Stanley how worse off each Stanford is without him. And Watchdog can convince him from there not to win himself another time wish and make an irreversible decision.

Of course if Stan decided to get another time wish Watchdog would sweep the floor with him in Globnar anyway. He was never going to let Stanley erase all Stans from the start.

This Stan is obviously acting out because of his own deep rooted pain and trauma but I'm very curious how a situation as dire as this would be handled, considering it could undo Watchdog's entire mission and erase all his memories of Stanley if successful.

Watchdog always tries the talking approach first if he can help it, but if he's just not getting through to the Stan, then he will escalate to extreme measures such as the use of force or his own memory gun (which he uses very sparingly).

If Watchdog can talk the Stan into agree to temporarily erasing all Stans from the multiverse and then show the Stan the utter devastation that it would cause, the way it would tip the balance and cause more harm than good, then he would definitely go that route too.

(And he knows just the Fords to show him too)

You said it best, really.

[nowimjustastranger]

Gotta ask, since you were tagged on that post I made about watchdog Ford and I saw a watchdog Ford on your list are you the one that coined it? I am trying to figure out the origin of that au. With all the fics I go through and the variants I am getting so confused on who did what

Watchdog Ford is my creation, yes! I go by Tibby/Tibs/any other variation, but this is my GF account and handle!