#gf discussion

[sporesgalaxy]

I dislike Mabel as a character in gravity falls because they wasted her potential and flattened her into a joke character with the personality trait of "liking romance". I feel like she could've been so fun but they just didn't pay enough attention to her :(

I wanna put a pin in this because I feel it's been too long since I saw the show for me to speak authoritatively on this.

I've seen this criticism a few times and while I've never felt that way about her myself, I also never really found the words or reasoning to defend my stance. It's always been on my list of things I'd keep an eye peeled about when I do get around to rewatching it.

I don't want to discuss it further right now but I'd like to in the future, because I think looking at Gravity Falls through a feminist critical lens yeilds interesting discussion.

Mostly because it's obvious that the writing team made a serious effort to be progressively feminist, and I feel a lot can be learned by noting what they aimed to do and where/why it may have fallen short.

[eosrealis]

All these headcanons and theories are great and all, but here’s the real question: At what point during Ford’s stay in Gravity Falls was he contacted by the government to make the mind control tie? Was it towards the beginning, when he was known to be researching “weirdness” but probably still had the respect of his peers and the legitimacy of a proper grant? Or was it post meeting Bill, when “weird” was only one of many descriptors Ford’s fellow scientists would use to describe him?

[eosrealis]

Each episode of Wierdmageddon actually has a unique opening. Escape from Reality is a shortened theme, and Take Back the Falls has identical audio to the first, but puts the Pines back where Bill’s monsters were previously replacing them (while keeping the Bill related clips). The opening never plays exactly the same way twice for these last three episodes. 

I just really like that little fact, since it kind of fits the very chaotic nature of Weirdmageddon in the first place.

[eosrealis]

daily reminder that, being as powerful as he is, pretty much the only reason Bill lost was because he couldn’t take anything or anyone seriously.

I mean, when Ford first confronted him, he literally said that there was no way Ford could stop him- “but it would be fun to watch you try. Cute, even!” 

Which implies that Bill could have done something to actually stop Ford’s attempts back then. That’s probably why Ford was able to install the metal plate to begin with, and only suffered a descent into paranoia/mental instability (Bill deciding to screw around with Ford instead of possessing him before the plate went in and starting the portal on his own, since it was already almost done by then). Bill could have cut 30 years off of Wierdmageddon, and would have actually succeeded since I don’t picture that Ford being half as good at resisting torture as current Ford (even our Ford would have succumbed eventually if we’re being real, and there was no one coming to save pre-portal Ford) 

But, I don’t think Bill particularly cared about that 30 year portal business? He didn’t want Dipper and Mabel to screw it up, but the years probably mean nothing to him- someone who’s lived for at least 1 trillion years already. And you see that attitude in Sock Opera. Bill probably could have tracked it down as soon as he was in Dipper’s body (he has all of Dipper’s knowledge at his disposal, and he kicks the mind out instead of looking for the journal through it) but he let the opera thing play out because turning Mabel against Dipper seemed far more fun than simply stealing it. Bill only gets serious when he’s already lost (Mabel resolving to give her opera up for Dipper, Dipper showing Soos and Mabel how to fight Bill off in the mindscape, everything after the shack-tron in Weirdmageddon)

I just really love how Bill never seemed to be trying super hard, because he’s literally thus ancient unfathomable being that’s so far ahead of mere humans that he can’t even conceive ever being bested (until it’s much too late)

[eosrealis]

what about a ‘one of us’ au but where Ford is vocally and unambiguously only agreeing so he can protect Stan and the twins from the rest of the apocalypse crew. And the thing is, since Bill got his reign, and if Ford is busy keeping his family safe then that’s less time for him to try double crossing Bill, he honestly doesn’t care. In fact, he’s amused at the obvious internal conflict of “I’m protecting them by betraying them” so he’s willing to give Ford enough demon powers to keep his family safe, and also enough to slowly degrade Ford’s humanity because that sounds pretty entertaining too. 

Also, with Ford wanting to keep them safe, the Pines now have to get past Ford as well as Bill in order to save the world (when the world is ending, keeping people from danger isn’t much different from imprisoning them). Also, Dipper and Mabel especially don’t appreciate that this protection hasn’t extended to their parents, a thing that Ford is initially guilty about but quickly stops caring as he stops clinging to humanity