I WOULDA DRAWN ANOTHER PAGE BUT I HAVE NO MORE SOURCE MATERIAL
(I swear I'm not trying to pressure anyone, that's just genuine panic)
from @coniferouspines's AMAZING fanfic This Is A Gift It Comes With A Price fic on Ao3 (specifically Chapter 18)
Hope you like the comic!
Everything shown is platonic and if anyone says otherwise, they're blocked on sight no mercy
edit: yes ford is reading War and Peace. The book was unspecified so I just wrote down the first one that came to my head. And it was War and Peace. I have committed no crime, and I shall apologize to no one.
He accidentally shot Stan with the crossbow, killing him.
Preserved his body in a freezer he made. Tried to FrankenStan him, failed.
With Stan dead, Ford weighed with the guilt of being the killer, and still paranoid and crazy from Bill, he cracks
Decides to revive his brother again, but differently, and kill himself.
Cuts off his 6th fingers, grows his hair out into a mullet, copies all the scars and tattoos, gains some weight, gets contact lenses, and starts going by Stanley.
Begins living life as Stanley, tries figuring out all of what Stan had been up to to be more authentic.
Meets Stanley’s enemies. They can’t tell the difference. Except Rico, he sees the scar on his hand, there’s something different in his eyes. (He wears gloves now to hide the scar.)
Kills Stanley’s enemies. It doesn’t matter what a dead man saw.
He blames Bill for what happened to Stanley, but he’s also desperate. He has nothing left. He doesn’t belong anywhere anymore. And Bill has been so nice to Stan recently. He said he knew where Stan could belong and escape.
Weirdmegadon happens. He has the rest of his family bubbled inside his cabin, unable to leave.
Stan enters the multiverse.
Most can’t tell he isn’t really a Stanley, but the few who can shouldn’t say anything…
He is really docile with every Stan he meets, and enjoys spending time with them. (He has considered kidnapping a Stan for himself, but decided not to. It wouldn’t be HIS Stan. It wouldn’t be the one he murdered. He doesn’t deserve another Stan anyways.)
Has mood swings when it comes to other Fords. Both likes seeing Fords that still have Stanley’s and treat them well (a happy ending he will never have) and resents them (a happy ending he will never have.) Is violent towards Fords that have hurt their Stan or who he believes doesn’t treat them right.
Steals more of Stan’s mannerisms and speech patterns from interacting with Stans, has a journal dedicated to notes on it.
He has considered doing things with parts and DNA from his Stan to feel even closer, but hasn’t since it would mean damaging and desecrating the body.
Is thinking about asking Fords that managed to FrankenStan their Stans for tips, but doesn’t like it would mean revealing himself not to be a Stan. (There’s already so much blood on his hands-)
Doesn’t know what he’d do if he managed to bring his Stan back. He’s not even really Ford anymore.
Identity Crisis Ford: The AU.
Ford stealing Stanley’s name and life in this AU hehehehe
He preserved his 6th fingers in a jar on a shelf above real Stanley’s freezer.
That’s all for now. I don’t know if I’ll write more for this or make any art for it, but it’s a fun little idea I wanted to get down. Still not completely sure on the AU name, but I think it’s pretty good.
So…. Dark Ford Stanson au? That is his nephew and no one can convince him otherwise 🙃
Oho? :)
Hmm. Hmm. I do like a good Dark Ford, and I've been seeing him around on my dash lately.
Hmm. Hmmm.
I'm thinking... It starts out the same. Fords in Gravity Falls, he's working, he gets a call about the son of his now missing brother who's in need of looking after while the investigation is ongoing (and possibly forever).
Ford flies down, picks 'Stanson' up, takes Stan's car and drives them back to his house. Its a rough first meeting, and a rough trip due to Stanson's continued attempts to run away, thwarted by the fact that Stanson refuses to leave without his 'dads' car (Stan needs that thing to survive, especially now that he's so small). They finally get to Fords house, Stanson is shown his (temporary Ford says, with a tight smile) room, and Ford locks Stan's car keys away somewhere he knows Stanson wont be able to find them.
Time goes on, they start bonding (or so Ford feels). Its, again, a rough start, Stanson refuses point blank calling him uncle, doesn't respect him at all, won't listen to his rules, is determined to be stubborn about every little thing, and is overall a menace to Ford and his work.
Just like Stan used to be.
But, like I said, they start "bonding" (or so Ford feels). Stan's not gonna be able to hold out forever, and its draining pushing back about every little thing. Plus, he likes his brother, and while he refuses to admit to being himself and thus Ford treats him like a kid and not his brother, its still more interaction then they've had in years.
Yes Fords buying him kid things, but he's listening to Stan about what kinds of things he buys (eventually (after getting advice from Fiddleford). Yes Ford tries to limit his TV time, but also Ford is terrible at judging what's appropriate for children and is easy to trick. Yes Ford is in charge of food, but he also asks Stan what he wants and will buy him extra things not on his list if Stan makes sad enough faces. Yes Ford will lecture Stan about following laws and such when he catches him pick pocketing, but he also doesn't stop Stan from doing it and eventually will start to reminiscent about his own childhood with Stan fondly (Which is weird from Stan's perspective, since he is both Stan, the brother Ford is reminiscing about, and also Stan, the same brother he overhears Ford muttering angrily about over the phone and then to Fiddleford in person about)
And Fords stern about some things, like listening to him when they're doing something dangerous, curfews, messing with his research, certain house rules like not going places without telling Ford first, but they make sense as an adult looking after a kid (mostly), and one that's known to try and run to boot. Its different, its not what Stan wants, but its something.
(Stan wants more than Something)
(Stan stays up late staring at the ceiling, thinking about how Ford is a better dad then their own ever was.
Would he have been a better one then Stan? If Stanson really was Stan's son and not a panic lie, would Stan have taken such good care of his kid?
He doesn't know)
And its Summer. No school for months, nothing to do but hike around the woods, hang out around town, and spend time together.
But not forever.
Stan refuses to go to school with a bunch of brats. He's got to come clean, either before the new year starts, or before Ford makes good on his threat to 'Track your father down and give him a stern talking to'.
On Fords end...
Hmm.
So I initially set this as a no Bill au, just for simplicity sake. There's already angst going on with Ford being heartbroken about not having a real nephew and thinking his brother was dead, adding Bill would just add another angle of angst, and another blow to Ford personally.
But I don't see Ford growing 'Dark' without an outside influence. Yes he does talk a lot about getting revenge on those who have done him wrong and is one PG rating away from being a super villain, but he's fundamentally a Hero. He's gonna put the greater good above his own well being, and while he does get angry with Stan, he wouldn't become possessive of him to the extremes on his own. That's just not the kind of person he is at his core.
There are au's out there that explore the idea of Ford being like that without Bill for one reason or other (can't think of any off the top of my head, but I know they're out there), but I personally like to approach au's with the thought of 'what would lead the characters as we know them from canon into acting out of character to extremes'.
So I'm gonna stick Bill in here. Will there be a weirdmaggedon in some fashion? Hmm maybe! Maybe not. All that matters at this point is that Fords been in contact with Bill for some time, and this version of Bill has been actively manipulating Ford into the kind of person who would be cool with the end of the world. With mixed success.
Anyway back to the whole Stanson thing.
Bill doesn't want this kid here, not just because he's a distraction, but because Bill knows Stanson is Stanley. He can read minds, he knows this.
But he's also got nothing but time, and there's nothing funnier than watching Stan getting treated by a kid then his own twin brother and stressing over his big secret.
(Well, there are funnier things, but this is really funny right now)
So Bill just can't help Ford find his brother 0( SO sad, but its outside Bill's control, and hey! Why doesn't Ford take the time to relax and spend time with his twin brothers spawn? Really show the kid what a responsible adult is like!
Stanley is his twin after all. Identical one to boot. Doesn't that make Stanson, in a way, Fords kid too?
Well no says Ford, but the ideas there, and the more he begins to enjoy spending time with his nephew and taking care of him, he can't help be smug about how much of a better caretaker he is then Stan. This is made worse by Bill pointing out how Stanson reacts to simple things such as meals everyday, the ability to shower everyday, and Stanson's obvious awe at having his own room in such nice condition (Stan's kid face is bad at poker).
Then Bill keeps going on about how Ford needs to be more assertive, that Fords the adult, Stanson's the kid, and that means Fords in charge. Anything to push Ford to act more like an authority figure to Stanson and create a power difference between them. Reinforce the idea that Stanson is a child in Fords care, and that means he has to listen to Ford.
This is also made worse by Fiddleford, who will point out similar things, and also sit Ford down and explain how he thinks Stanson wasn't living his best life in Stans care. The best Stan could do for sure Fiddleford hurriedly adds, based on how much Stanson talks up his dad as 'a super cool adventure guy who travels around and gets all the babes for sure', but not the life a child should have. He also unintentionally helps create a wedge between Ford and Stansons by supporting Bill's advice to be more assertive, create a schedule, and enforce rules/boundaries.
So Ford takes in this information, that Stanson was not doing the best he could be, that Stan's best was not enough, that he's doing a better job, that Stanson looks happy and healthier after just a month with Ford (that Stan is most likely dead-), that Fords the adult, and thus In Charge-
And he decides that, even if Stan were to reappear, Fords not going to let his brother take his own son. Fords gonna fight to keep Stanson, at least until Stan can prove himself an adequate caretaker for the kid Fords grown so fond of. Ford loves Stanson. Loves this young boy that has brought so much light and life to his life (that reminds him so much of his childhood, of Stan, before time had grown Stan into a careless criminal).
Its been like, a month at this point.
But as the summer goes on Bill gets tired of playing pretend, is ready to move onto The Portal, and Stan himself is starting to drop big hints that he's maybe not the person Ford thought he was (Stan does not want to say who he is out loud. Its embarrassing), Ford realizes that something maybe isn't quite right with his nephew. That maybe he never had a nephew to begin with.
The nephew he's spent so much time and energy on. The nephew he's worked so hard to take care of. The nephew that moved Ford into asking for help from his friend. The nephew that wasn't doing well at first, that was dirty and grimy and hungry and twitchy and has since stopped being most of these things after Ford brought him home. The nephew that brightened up his day, that reminds him of his brother without being his brother. The nephew he loves so, so much.
Ford loves his brother true, but Stan comes with Unknowns and History. Stan comes with the possibility of fighting, and conflict. Stan broke his project. Stan didn't call for years and years and years. Stan never said sorry. Stan doesn't care like Ford cares. Stan grew up and changed into someone Ford didn't recognize. Stan ruined Fords life (or tried to).
Stan comes with a childhood of baggage. Some of it good, some of it not. All of it painful to think about.
Stanson does not. Stanson reminds him of Stan, but is not Stan. Stanson looks like Stan, looks like Ford, but isn't either. Stanson says the same jokes, does the same tricks, has the same mischievous glint in his eyes, but he also has new ones, and his mischief, while not never destructive, is child sized.
(Side note, in both au's Dark Ford and not, Stan at one point does break something of Fords, and Ford does tell him coldly how he's just like his father. He feels awful for both later, and refuses to think about why)
Stanson is easier for Ford to love as much as Stan while being separate from Stan.
Stanson is also someone Ford can control. He's a child, children (unfortunately) have less rights then adults. Ford can set rules, and Stan has to follow them, or else Ford will create consequences. Stanson can't leave, because he can't take care of himself, and people will return him to Ford if he tries.
Stanson has not once admitted to being Stan, and so long as he doesn't, he isn't. Doesn't matter what Bill says or what Stanson implies. Stanson's acted like a child all summer after all, surely Stanley wouldn't behave in such a manner?
Starts to slip these kinds of things into his conversations with 'Stanson.' About how Stanson's lucky Ford was called, because otherwise he'd be all alone on the streets or bounced from home to home. How, while he's so very sure Stan will appear any day, a part of Ford will be sad to see him, because it means Stanson will have to leave. How Stanson will lose his warm bedroom, his constant meals, their fun bonding trips. How healthy Stanson's looking. How, as the summer drags on, Stanson can look at this like a new start. A new beginning.
Doesn't Stanson like living with Ford? Isn't he having fun? Isn't it nice to be a kid and not have to worry about anything?
Whew.
Got a bit rambly there. Sorry.
Anywho, I'm thinking... long term I'm not sure if this would be a weirdmaggedon route. I could see it going either way really. Regardless, Stan's still got the short end of the stick, because either his brother becomes bff's with a demon and ends the world crazy 'I'm sure we'll find your dad any day now Stanson :)' style, or after narrowly avoiding the end of the world, Stan is still stuck being his brothers nephew and nothing he does or says will get Ford to see reason.
Also, Stan's cursed, so he's straight up not aging. Until he learns whatever lesson or finds a way to break it, he's stuck being pint sized.
Which is to say, this particular Dark Ford manifests his darker tendencies by deciding to interpret Stanson's 'Hey I'm your brother and I don't want to go to school' hints as 'I should home school my nephew :)'
If this is a no weirdmaggedon route, then Stan's basically trapped in the middle of the woods with his overbearing brother who refuses to hear that Stan isn't his nephew. Trying to run away never works, because everyone in town knows he's 'That strange science man's' nephew, and none of Stan's lies about Ford being an unfit caretaker work, both because Ford isn't being an unfit caretaker, and 'Stanson' has a record as a repeat runaway. Trying to make it through the woods leads to almost getting eaten/kidnapped/annoyed by the various denizens there.
Anytime Stan does make it past either, Ford quickly shows up anyway. Because he's got magic spells and isn't about to lose his young, vulnerable nephew to bad habits he picked up from his father.
The months drag by, summer changes to fall, and 'School' starts. Stan gets forced to sit in Fords office while his brother rambles on trying to 'teach' him. He's locked inside more often than not as punishment for not doing any of the work, and its so mind numbingly awful. He's trapped playing pretend nephew, trying to get through Fords head that he's Stan leads to him getting locked in his room and lost privileges.
Fords having a great time though. He loves his nephew. He loves teaching him everything he can think of. It frustrating how he keeps insisting he's his own dad, but with enough time he's sure Stanson will stop :) It's clearly trauma of some kind :)
If it is a weirdmaggedon route, then the above is still sorta happening, but now Stan's trapped in a demon palace trying not to set off his clearly insane brother. Ford won't hear a word of Stanson not being Stanson. He will lock Stanson into his room for weeks if he even breaths an implication about being Stan. Because he's not Stan. He's Stanson. Stan's dead and buried, and bringing him up all the time is upsetting. Best to let it lie and move on with their lives. Its what Stan would have wanted.
Hm. I feel like I said a lot here without really saying anything.
Hmmm. Hmm hm hm.
Alas thats all I have to say on the matter for now.
I love dark (?) ford au’s so much because imagining portal!stan meeting them while traveling thru dimensions is funny asf finding out other dimensions of his brother is crazy, like imagine him seeing frankenstan’s AU’s or Ilentari on ao3 AU where ford literally 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 his own brother to keep him from leaving.
