Also, It's Really Strangely Comforting To See Two Characters Who Seem To Be Near 60 Just... Living A

Also, it's really strangely comforting to see two characters who seem to be near 60 just... Living a full life? It's not too late for them to start over, mend a broken relationship, set a new course in life, and just generally live and have fun doing so. A lot of media seems to have this bad habit of implying your life is pretty much over at 30. After that everything is set in stone, you've chosen a route and there's nothing you can do to alter it (and God forbid you haven't chosen by then), and you've pretty much been demoted to a static side character in your own life.

Seriously, I had a friend who once seemed to go through a genuine mid life crisis at 19 because she was convinced that after she'd reach 20 it'd all be downhill from there. Like, we had to sit with her as she broke down crying at recess because she was so scared of having to be 'old'.

Life doesn't end at 30. Your path is never set in stone. And I think we need more examples of that in media.

It’s just really funny to me–especially as someone who came into this fandom years after the show ended–that there was this unconscious assumption in the GF fanbase that Dipper was the Hero.

Between Sock Opera and NWHS especially, it seems like, the theories and speculation and fics all tended to revolve around Dipper. Bill was his nemesis. He was the center of this big overarching plot, whatever it was. And then…turned out that not only was that not how the story was going, that was never the story. 

The second half of season two completely recontextualized the Big Overarching Plot as revolving around Stan and Ford–Bill was and always had been Ford’s nemesis, Stan and Ford were at the center of everything involving Bill and the Journals and the gravity anomalies, and in the end Stan was 100% the Hero. Dipper and Mabel were crucial to giving the story a happy ending, but…it wasn’t their story, primarily. They walked into Act 3 with the rest of us.

And honestly, that’s really cool. For one thing, it’s super impressive how well NWHS and AToTS managed to reframe the entire narrative. Beautiful writing work. For another, I just…really love that people assumed Dipper was the Protagonist being set up to Vanquish The Evil, because in a kid’s cartoon it’s the main kids’ job to defeat the villain, right? And Dipper was wrapped up in all this mystery/plot/Bill stuff? And then the story basically picked him up and moved him to the side a little like “no. The grownups are going to deal with being Bill’s nemeses and having to sacrifice themselves to defeat evil. These are THEIR roles.” And it’s so thoroughly against the audience expectations–but once you have watched it, it also feels like the only way things ever could have gone.

Only managed to do two suggestions today because apparently I was expected to socialize too??? Bs. At least I have some suggestions left over for next time I'm stranded without my computer.

Ford and Dipper doing something science-y, and the Pines fam falling into the bottomless pit.

Heading out to grandma and grandpa and away from my drawing tablet. You guys know the drill, any pen and paper sketch suggestions?

I have fallen into the angst rabbit hole and I can not get out. Send help.

*Me being a fan of Dipcifica*

I feel like if Dipper and Pacifica do daye she's gonna use Dipper trying to exorcise her ghost dad as like either to get him to do something she doesn't wanna do or as a family joke.

Haha, oof. He’s never going to live that down, huh?

Posing practice ft. Ford ptsd.

I love the art you’ve been doing of Ford struggling though his ptsd and Stan doing what he can to help. It’s....relatable. And the facial expression you give them are so good.

Ahhh, thank you so much! 💜

Yeah I'd imagine that while Stan has a lot of experience dealing with traumatic memories, he doesn't have much experience being comforted when dealing with those memories. He can relate to what Ford is going through but feels lost as to how to make it better.

Doesn't mean he won't try though. Even if all he can do sometimes is quietly exist nearby in case he's needed.