I Hope You Guys Are Ready For Some Art.

I hope you guys are ready for some art.

'Cause I'm ready to share some! Get ready for the behind-the-scenes look at Mabel's refurbished mindscape under the cut~

When I decided to rewrite the Pines' mental worlds, I knew both had a lot of potential I'd probably missed out on. I still don't feel like I got all of Mabel's awesome wackiness in, but it's a lot closer to what I wanted to the first time around. While a lot of the key elements-- bright colors, yarn, and so on-- stuck around, they got used and presented a little differently.

For starters, here's the first establishing shot I ever did for her mind:

Pretty fun right? But it felt like it was missing something, and hence the rewrite. I tackled it a lot like I had for Norman's world in that I spent a lot of time imagining how it might actually play if this were a real level in Psychonauts. So it was back to the drawing board for a lot of stuff:

I wish I could actually draw how M.C. Escher it gets inside the castle, but that's the basic layout I used, though a couple things changed between here and the actual story.

I discovered that to properly describe it, I had to draw Mabel's dream room, so there's that.

After all this planning, I was able to do a refined 'establishing shot' to reflect the changes:

A L L  H A I L  T H E-- ahem, wrong fandom. There's clearly danger now, as Mabel's glittery castle stands opposed to the stormcloud that threatens to overtake it. Luckily, by the end of her 'level', she has a solution for that.

Lovely Bernadine the hairdryer dragon~

That's all I really have for Mabel; her brother is up next!

I got a request for drawing all the kids as psychonauts (still deciding exactly how to do that atm) but that made me remember that I'd done this a while ago! I forget why I wanted to do it at the time, but I decided to do some headcanoning for the colors of their psychic powers/levitation orbs/auras-- whatever you want to think of them as. Raz is obviously the only canon one, but yeah, it was just something fun. ^^

As promised (though a little sooner than I planned, but I'm bored), here's the behind-the-scenes look at Dipper's mindscape!

Dipper's mind probably went through the most iterations. Even though I have a good grasp on how he thinks, it was tricky deciding exactly how his thoughts should manifest. Initially it was a topsy-turvy library, but I couldn't figure out how to write that, and so as some of you may recall I went with a creepy ancient forest. Hence, here's the 'establishing shot' for that idea:

It's one of my favorite atmospheres, but it just wasn't working; I'd tried to try a slower pace but it just ended up dragging instead, prompting the rewrite in the first place. Once again, I was torn between the library and forest ideas-- only to realize I should just combine them! Problem solved. With that figured out, things went a lot more smoothly.

I couldn't just not include a couple references to Bill, though in reading one is not nearly as clear as the other. Having a map really helped me keep track of the challenges and environments Raz encounters, and I'm glad the little creature (which I call an Anxiety) that started out as a doodle ended up being pretty important, but we'll come back to that. ;3

After everything was written up and figured out, I was able to do this 'establishing shot', which I think is a pretty vast improvement over the first one:

(I discovered a new brush that did a lot of the textures in here; I wasn't aiming for perfection, just the basic idea, so it worked well).

Dipper's mind is the only one that features a real 'boss battle', starring this guy:

It ended up being a lot more fun to write, and hopefully more fun for you guys to read, and hopefully this art is neat too! Next time will probably focus a lot more on the kids, so stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

After a very, very long time with no ideas, I finally thought of something to use the last prompt I had been given. Silverwingstorm gave me "GRAPPLING HOOK!", so, enjoy!

 ---

          Mabel giggled, bouncing on one of the giant mushrooms’ caps as her brother rolled his eyes and returned to consulting the Journal. He walked past Wybie, who was examining another through his customized welding mask and poking it with a stick, and Norman, who was helping Neil recover from an allergenic fit after he’d run to hug one of the enormous fungi’s stalks. Lili and Coraline were a little further away, playing out a very Alice-in-Wonderland-inspired tea party on top of one particularly wide cap. The glade they’d discovered certainly looked the whimsical part; aside from the huge fungi everywhere, there were wildflowers in spades, and the trees had an odd, ancient twisted look to them. Everything looked vibrant, alive—almost otherworldly.

            “Hey guys, check it out!” Raz called from deeper in the grove, and the others hurried over to where the psychic stood on one of the mushrooms. “Come on up, you can see it better from here.”

            With a little telekinesis, they followed suit, and saw what had him so intrigued—a small grassy clearing encircled by mushrooms. Dipper flipped through the book and laughed triumphantly, then held the page out for all to see.

            “This is exactly what the Journal described! We found it—the giant fairy ring!”

            “Fairy ring? How come I don’t see any of the little guys flying around? I’d expect there to be a whole bunch, like a bazillion,” Mabel frowned, and the others nodded.

            “Um, well, they are magical creatures. Not like they have to follow any rules or anything,” her brother offered, but she blew a raspberry at him.

            “Boo! Maybe we need to walk inside it. That works, right?”

            “The book explicitly states that’s a bad idea,” Dipper retorted, holding his sister back. “Actually, it says it’s dangerous.”

            “Since when could we not handle a little danger?” Coraline scoffed, ruffling Dipper’s hair. “Isn’t this exactly what we prepared for anyway?” She waved her trusty pruner under his nose to drive her point, and he sighed.

            “Yeah, yeah…. Alright. Count of three?”

            “That’s more like it,” she grinned. “Okay. One.”

            “Two,” Lili counted.

            “Three!” Raz finished, and together they leapt off the mushroom cap, their feet thudding on grassy earth.

            “Uh… guys?” Norman asked warily, looking at his surroundings fearfully, and the group tightened as they looked around.

            The grass beneath their feet looked the same, as did the mushrooms around them, but if the glade they’d been in was whimsical, this was downright bizarre. The trees were larger, dark limbs and bark tracing lopsided spirals, their jagged leaves an eerie shade of violet. The grass beyond the circle grew long and deepened into teal, the wildflowers unnaturally bright and almost ethereal. Delicate orbs of light blinked in and out of existence like fireflies; the sky was a deep plum flecked with stars and swirled with luminous green clouds. Even they—eyes, skin, clothing-- had taken on a more vibrant look; it was safe to say they were no longer in Gravity Falls. Or anywhere else on Earth.

            “Oh boy,” Dipper uttered, summing up everyone’s thoughts pretty well.

            “If I didn’t know better…” Raz began, glancing at his girlfriend.

            “I’d say we were in a mental world,” she finished, taking his hand.

            “But we know that’s impossible,” Coraline added, scanning the strange forest and clutching the pruner. “Okay mister Librarian, what’s in here? How do we get out?”

            “Uh… it really doesn’t say,” Dipper groaned, snapping the book shut and tucking it back into his vest dejectedly. “Hey, maybe we can find some fairies now, and ask them.”

            “S-sure… ‘cause that always works in the movies,” Wybie griped, withdrawing his tongs from his coat and clicking them.

            “Psh, you guys! We haven’t even been here five minutes and you’re acting like everything’s out to kill us! That one fairy me and Dipper saw seemed awesome! Then Soos smashed her… but whatevs! We can totally find more and become bfffs—best fairy friends forever!” Mabel cheerily piped up, then began walking to the edge of the circle.

            “Wait, Mabel!” Dipper cried, hurrying to catch up and grabbing her by the shoulder. “We seriously don’t know what’s out there! The Journal said it was dangerous, remember?!”

            “The Journal says a lot of stuff’s dangerous!” Mabel retorted. “Besides, as long as we all stick together we should be good, right? So let’s go already!”

            “Mabel’s got a point. We can do a little exploring, and I bet we just have to jump into the circle again to get back,” Lili reasoned, and the others nodded.

            “Okay, but not too long. This place gives me the creeps,” Dipper conceded, folding his arms and falling in with the rest of the group as they walked by, following Mabel’s lead.

            A silvery moon slowly rose overhead, its pale light pouring through the canopy, glistening off crystalline dew caught in spiders’ webs and dappling the teal grass. A light breeze would occasionally kick up, and musical birdsong, like nothing they’d ever heard, would sometimes break the still as well. No one else heard it, but Norman and Coraline exchanged looks when tiny peals of laughter echoed through the flowers, as if something was playing with them. It all seemed too much like a dream.

            “Ugh,” Mabel finally grunted when they reached a small clearing, plopping down on the soft turf. “This is totally a fairy’s natural habitat, so how come we haven’t seen any?”

            “Maybe this is their day off,” Raz wondered, and Lili shook her head.

            “Maybe you’re a big dork,” she teased, then turned to examine their surroundings. “Maybe… they need an offering. We brought snacks, right?”

            “Uh-huh,” Norman replied, slinging his backpack down.

            “What kind of food do you think fairies like, anyway?” Neil wondered, and his friend shrugged.

            “Who knows? Not like zombies, who definitely only eat one thing.”

            “Any self-respecting fairy eats a steady diet of sugar, duh” Mabel stated, quite sure of herself, and Norman quickly stepped aside as she dug into his bag to pull out a huge package of gummy koalas. She tore it open and pulled a heaping handful out and held it over her head. “Hey fairies! We brought you some delicious treats! We just wanna hang out and play with you guys a bit, doesn’t that sound like fun?”

            “Yeah! C’mon out!” Coraline joined in, grabbing her own fistful of gummies and holding it up eagerly, and everyone else followed suit until Norman was left holding the empty bag. He shrugged, perfectly fine watching the others anyway. They looked pretty silly, calling after fairies and waving handfuls of candy around. Then, under their voices, he heard tinkling laughter and what seemed like a singsong-y murmuring. And then a high-pitched squeal drowned it all out.

            Mabel was stiff as a rod, frozen with glee as tiny glimmering humanoid no taller than a hand flit around her on glowing orange butterfly wings. It landed gracefully on her finger and took one of the proffered gummies, seemed to examine it warily, then took a bite, squeaking happily at the flavor. Suddenly the air was full of the things as they emerged from the brush and trees, all eager to try what these humans had brought them, and soon everyone was laughing and playing with them. The fae especially enjoyed messing with Norman’s hair once they discovered its unique properties, and everyone received flower crowns whether they wanted one or not.

            Then all at once, the fairies fled. Some sought shelter in Wybie’s coat, but he was too ticklish for them and didn’t stay. The kids exchanged looks, and slowly drew together as the forest began to seem threatening again. A twig snapped somewhere beyond a massive trunk, and Coraline brandished her pruner.

            “Who goes there?!”

            “Why Coraline…”

            The blue-haired girl froze, eyes wide.

            “Is that any way to greet your dear… old… mother?”

            A spindly form emerged from the trees, all metal and ragged black dress. Silken black hair framed the cracked porcelain face that had haunted far too many dreams, the jagged smile that leered at them all wolfishly. Needles clicked as she clasped her hands—no, she was still missing her right one, just like she was still missing her eyes—clasped the stump in her left in what might have been an endearing gesture.

            “Don’t you remember me? We had such good times together,” the Other Mother cooed in all her awful glory, smiling because she knew. Of course Coraline remembered. She remembered so well, the pruner had dropped from her quivering hands.

            “Jonesy…” Wybie whimpered, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her back. “What’s sh-she doing here?”

            “Coraline dear, I thought you didn’t like little motormouth,” the Other Mother sneered, folding her arms reproachfully. “Oh, I’m sorry—cat got your tongue?”

            “Shut up! I killed you!” Coraline snapped, forcing Wybie to hold her back. “Leave me the hell alone!”

            “Silly, silly girl… you see, after everything you did to me, I was forced to go home…”

            “Th-this place is your home?” Dipper asked nervously, and the Other Mother tilted her head.

            “Hm… you’re new, aren’t you? I’m glad Coraline’s made so many new friends… though I’m sure I could make her better ones.”

            “No, you couldn’t,” Coraline fumed, but the spidery monster ignored her.

            “Yes, this is home sweet home, I suppose. But I was always a free spirit, wanted my own little place, a family…”

            “A meal,” Coraline growled, and this time the Other Mother snapped her head around.

            “You watch your tone, young lady.”

            “You’re not my mother! You’re not anyone’s mother! Raz, Lili, shoot ‘er! Someone!” Coraline shouted, grabbing the pruner off the ground and whipping it at the monster but missing terribly. She retreated into the heart of the group with angry tears in her eyes while Mabel offered a consoling hug and the psychics leapt to the forefront.

            “How rude,” the Other Mother snarled, and before the two could react she lashed them both across the face.

            “Lili!” Raz cried, ignoring his own wounds, but the tough girl brushed him off.

            “Oh, you wanna go?!” she shouted, and the monster seemed taken aback. “I’ll show you to mess with a Psychonaut!”

            The air around the Other Mother wavered, and she looked around in confusion before her dress spontaneously combusted. Shrieking, she scrambled to put it out, swatting at it with all six limbs while Lili smirked.

            “Let’s get out of here,” Dipper suggested, and the others nodded. They fled the clearing at full speed, heading back the way they’d come and hoping Lili’s efforts had been enough to keep the Other Mother at bay… at least enough to give them a good lead.

 ---

            “I told you it was a left at that tree back there,” Raz panted as the group ground to a halt in front of a huge cluster of luminous crystals, and Dipper pounded a fist to the side of his head.

            “Augh, I knew it! Do you think we can backtrack? Do we have time?”

            There was the sound of a crash nearby, and they collectively flinched.

            “I’m gonna say no,” Wybie put, and they all scanned the forest frantically.

            “I never knew fairies could be bad,” Mabel bemoaned quietly, and her brother patted her shoulder.

            “I never would have thought she counted as a fairy,” Coraline sighed, then squared her shoulders. “Okay, I beat her before, I… we can beat her again, and this time she doesn’t have my parents or the way out to use as a bargaining chip.”

            “So this might be her home, but we have the advantage, right?” Raz asked, and she nodded.

            “Yup. She loves games, so here’s what I’m thinking…” she started, laying out her plan. The others drew close and listened carefully; it wouldn’t be complicated, but nothing could be when a monster was closing in on you with every second. When she finished, they scattered—not too widely just in case something went wrong, but far enough apart they wouldn’t give each other’s locations away. Crouching in bushes, crevices in the crystals, and winding roots, they hid silently and listened as the snickering sound of metal on metal approached, clicking against the ground before stopping just in front of a crystalline pillar.

            “Hmm, now where could they all have gone?” the Other Mother wondered aloud in a mocking tone, tapping a finger to her chin. “Hide and seek, Coraline? Not very original. Let’s see…”

            Coraline held her breath, listening to the monster feel her way around the crystal columns, much too close to where she’d hidden. The best she could do was curl tighter in the little space she’d found in the crystals and cover her ears to drown out that dreadful sighing, clicking sound until finally, it left to search elsewhere. But she didn’t dare move or even breathe a sigh of relief; the Other Mother was blind, not deaf.

            Lili watched the wicked fae creep by with a souring look on her face from her spot in some bushes, and wondered if she could set her on fire again. With the others nearby though, there was a risk of the Other Mother stumbling into them in her efforts to put the fire out, doing more harm than good, so she nixed that idea. What else could she do then? There were all these plants around…

            The Other Mother felt something ensnare her legs just as she made to take a step and toppled forward, landing hard. Rolling awkwardly, she sliced at the tiny vines that were now retreating back to the undergrowth, a growl rising in her throat as her strikes only met dirt. Lili silently congratulated the vines on a job well done, and with the Other Mother vulnerable, she picked her up and flung her into a nearby crystal spire, stunning the spindly fae for a moment. This gave them a chance to break for it, heading for the tree Dipper had taken a wrong turn at.

            It was a huge relief when they could see the clearing with the fairy ring peeking through the trees ahead. The sight spurred them on to go just that bit faster, but a terrible rush through the branches above and the dark jagged form that dropped in their path interrupted their progress. Raz barely managed to throw up a shield as the Other Mother reared and brought her forelegs down on him. Neil made to tackle her, but Lili grabbed him mid-leap before he could be sliced to ribbons and set him down, giving him a questioning look. He made to reply, then tackled her instead as the Other Mother struck at them again, and Raz punched her away so the two could get back on their feet.

            “Brats! More trouble than you’re worth!” the beldam rasped as she swiped haphazardly at the scattered group, and managed to catch Wybie by his coat. Digging into the thick fabric, she lifted him up and laughed, an ugly dry sound. He struggled valiantly, even prodding her in the face with his tongs, but she knocked them away with her other arm. “Found you… now for the rest.”

            “Wybie, shields up!” Mabel suddenly cried, and Dipper looked over to see the grappling hook in her hands and aimed at the Other Mother’s head. Wybie saw too, and flipped his welding mask down, while the fae looked around, listening in confusion.

"GRAPPLING HOOK!"

            The pop of pressurized air gave Mabel’s location away, but the beldam could never have pinpointed the hook’s trajectory as it shot by, clanged off Wybie’s mask, and draped over the Other Mother’s shoulder before Mabel set it to retract. The tines hooked around her face and neck, and she screeched at the steel met her pale skin. Dropping Wybie, she clawed at the hook desperately, and Dipper leapt in to help his sister hold on as the line bucked and snapped. They were quickly joined by the others, and with a little psychic power, the group managed to begin dragging the monster back, all the while enduring her insults and ear-splitting screams as the metal tines chafed her skin. Slowly they pulled her until she was back-to-back with a tree, then Raz and Lili exchanged looks and waved the others off. Exerting their best control, the two wrapped the cord around the tree until the Other Mother could barely move and tied it securely. Despite the shrieks in the background, they all high-fived one another, and Coraline got squeezed in a big group hug.

            “Okay, okay dorks, let’s get outta here. I’ve had enough of this place, and Needles needs to think about what she’s done,” she said with a truly grateful smile, jabbing a finger back at her nemesis, and the others nodded eagerly. They trudged back to the fairy ring, clambered onto one of the caps, and counted to three again before jumping off. At first, it seemed like it hadn’t worked—it was dark, and the clearing was lit by moonlight. But everything was duller, and the little flickering lights that danced around them were actual fireflies.

            “We made it!” Mabel cheered, then frowned. “But I lost my grappling hook…”

            “Hey, I lost my pruners, and Wybie lost his tongs. At least your thing actually beat her,” Coraline offered, patting the other girl’s shoulder, and she responded with a grin.

            “Hey, that’s right! Mabel saves the day!”

            “With a little help,” Raz pointed out, and she lightly patted his helmet.

            “You tell yourself that,” she teased, and they all laughed.

            “I bet Stan has another grappling hook laying around somewhere. I’m not sure why he even had that one in the first place though…” Dipper said, rubbing his chin, and his sister shrugged.

            “Eh, whatever. It was nice while it lasted. Who knows, maybe I’ll get some other super cool thingy to replace it!”

            “O-or… I could always build you one,” Wybie offered, and Mabel’s eyes widened.

            “You would do that for me?”

            “Um, well, sure… not like you didn’t save my life back there or anything.”

            Mabel squealed and wrapped him in a hug, which he endured awkwardly but not ungratefully. The group of friends were happy to leave the clearing behind, both minds and bodies exhausted from the fight. They walked quietly, leaving each other to their thoughts—well, except for maybe Raz and Lili, who seemed to chat telepathically as much as they did aloud. Coraline hung toward the back of the group, arms folded around herself. She sighed softly, mind buzzing; she’d never wanted to see that hideous face, hear that awful voice again, and knew there was a good chance she’d have nightmares tonight if she managed to sleep at all.

            “Hey,” Raz spoke up, suddenly beside her, and she blinked in surprise.

            “What?”

            “Uh, I couldn’t help but overhear…” he trailed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, Lili and I can give you some tips to help with nightmares. I’d offer to actually sort them out for you, but that’s technically not allowed and I’d get in big trouble for it.”

            “Nah, I understand, Mr. G-man. But… thanks. I might just take you up on the tips,” Coraline said softly, smiling. Raz returned the smile, then trotted off to catch up with his girlfriend as the lights of the Mystery Shack finally poked through the dense woods. Coraline looked over her group of friends and smiled gratefully; somehow facing the beldam again hadn’t been nearly as bad with them by her side.

Alright! I finished the one request I got! It's in a continuity separate from my other fics, but it should in fact work with the episode that came out a few weeks ago, so! That was kinda fun. Requests are still open, so if you like what you read feel free to shoot me more ideas. :3

So, the request was:

annabeththeunicorn answered: I’d like to see Norman loes control of his powers and start destroying things and how the others deal with that.

And here it is. Annabeth, I hope you enjoy~

               “Watch—watch your right!” Dipper called, and his sister narrowly dodged the creature’s claws as it swung at her. She darted around it to where he was hiding behind half of a huge rotted-out tree and they clung to each other for a moment, panting. Dipper turned to peer through a chink in the old log to try plotting an escape route; he never would have expected to run across another gremloblin while ghost hunting, but then again the forest was always full of weird stuff. He hoped the others were okay; the blue of Coraline’s hair poked through some bushes, and he knew Wybie was with her. Neil and Norman were stuck opposite of the twins with the angry beast stamping the fern glade flat between them, and a cliff behind them meant there was no escape that way. Normally a rampaging creature wouldn’t be such a problem for the group, but their main firepower had been called away on official Psychonauts business and left about a day ago, and now they had to figure a way out of this themselves.

               “This is bonkers,” Mabel sighed, as if reading her brother’s mind. “If we had a mirror this would be easy.”

               “Yeah, or even Wybie’s net gun—shh!” Dipper said, shoving his sister down and ducking himself. The gremloblin’s ears twitched, and it turned to stare in their direction, growling deeply.

               “What does he even want? It’s not like we meant to knock that boulder onto his head,” Mabel continued more quietly, and her brother rolled his eyes.

               “We can’t worry about it now. If we could create some kind of diversion to get it to go the other way… no Mabel, you can’t be the diversion! We all have to get away. Augh, why is this so hard?”

               “We hear ya,” Coraline huffed, suddenly beside them, and Wybie crept up behind her. “We tried coming up with our own plan, but the best we could come up with was maybe throw something over Ugly’s eyes and run. Question is, what?”

               “Better than anything I was thinking,” Dipper said with a shrug. “Mabel… no chance you could weave a blanket out of leaves or something…?”

               “Nope. I’ve tried…” she answered, frowning, and Dipper kicked the ground.

               “M-maybe we could throw something in his eyes instead. Kind of a dirty trick, but it works in movies… and I’d rather not find out what my worst nightmare is,” Wybie suggested, and the others nodded.

               “I’ve read about it. Usually it’s sand or something, but dirt should work too,” Dipper said, scooping up a handful of soil, but Coraline grabbed his wrist.

               “Okay, sounds great, but let’s make sure the person doing the throwing can actually aim, okay?”

               “What? You think I can’t? I can guarantee you that—“

               “After half an hour of calculations, yeah, you could do it! But we wanna get out of here right now.”

               They froze as a roar shook the forest, and watched as the gremloblin uprooted a small tree and hurled it into the underbrush where Coraline and Wybie had been hiding, and they exchanged fearful glances. The monster was getting impatient and angry its quarry hadn’t revealed itself yet, and they knew they didn’t have much time. It listened for a bit, then began sniffing around, and they watched anxiously as it drew nearer and nearer to where Neil and Norman were hiding. With less cover on that side of the glade, they had nowhere else to go.

               “Hey monster!” Dipper shouted, leaping over the edge of the rotted log and waving his arms. “When was the last time you flossed?”

               Coraline smacked her forehead into her hand, then leapt to join him, though at a slightly different location. “Yeah! I’ve seen slugs prettier than you!”

               The gremloblin bellowed and grabbed another tree, roots cracking sharply as it was pulled from the ground. The two tormentors ducked back down and ran, waving at the others to do the same, and they all regrouped behind another large tree as the old stump was shattered by the gremloblin’s attack. They still weren’t much closer to the rest of their friends, but at least they’d diverted the creature’s attention and could sort of see Neil crouched among tangled roots.

               Dipper watched the gremloblin pick through their former shelter’s remains, then everyone flinched as it howled in rage and whirled to scan the surrounding forest, sniffing the air and working its way over once more. Thinking fast, Coraline picked up a hefty branch laying at her feet and threw it with all her might, flinging it across the clearing to land loudly in the ferns opposite of them. The gremloblin spun to look, ears perked and livid red eyes wide and almost hopeful.

               It was at this moment Neil decided to run, chunky legs carrying him as fast as they could, but not as quietly. The gremloblin whirled on him, and with another roar it leapt, missing the boy by inches as he bowled into the others. It landed face-first, thudding hard into the forest floor and showering the disorganized group with decomposing pine needles. Apparently winded, the creature struggled to move, and they took the chance to run to new cover—a thick bed of ferns dotted by large boulders.

               “Okay, everyone here?” Coraline asked when they’d settled, brushing hair out of her eyes as she looked over the group.

               “Norman’s still over there,” Neil answered, a note of panic in his voice. “I thought he would run with me, but then he didn’t but I couldn’t stop myself.”

               “It’s okay Neil, we can figure this out,” Dipper reassured him. “Norman’s smart anyway, maybe he knew he wouldn’t have made it in time. Look, he’s sneaking around now.”

               They watched as the medium darted from one tree to the next, heading away from the monster who was still recovering from its wild attack. They silently cheered him on; if anyone was known for being quiet it was him. He got as far as he could, but eventually reached a point where the trees were too thin even for someone like him to hide behind, and there was nothing for it but to dart across the ruined glen.

               With a thud, the gremloblin landed in front of him, casting the small boy in its shadow. The group gasped; all they could see was the beast’s hairy back and Norman’s feet stumbling over debris as he tried to backpedal out of the way. Coraline cast about for more things to throw, but there were only small twigs and leaves around here, nothing good and solid. Judging by how the creature had lunged forward though, it was probably already too late.

               “Hey guys… what do you think Norman’s worst nightmare would be, anyway?” Dipper wondered, and Coraline grimaced at his morbid curiosity.

               “Probably something with zombies… right?” Wybie replied, then an inhuman yelp interrupted their thoughts.

               The gremloblin was backing away and nursing a hand, a strange sort of whimper rising in its throat. A breeze kicked up, barely noticeable, but it forced Coraline to brush strands of hair out of her eyes again, then cover them as a hot yellow flash burst in the clearing with the sound of thunder. The gremloblin was blasted into a tree behind them and knocked unconscious, its mold-green skin and hair singed and smoking. They watched it wake up and scramble backwards and off into the forest howling piteously before turning to see what had sent it running in fear for its life.

               “Oh boy,” Dipper uttered, and he could feel Mabel cling to his vest.

               Norman stood rigid, his fists clenched as electricity flickered around him, casting the glade in sharp shadows. He wore a hurt expression—wrath and sadness combined in a way they’d never seen before. The lingering yellow glow of the gremloblin’s spell coupled with the eerie light of his own power flashed from his eyes, and they were left wondering if he was even aware of what was going on. They had thought the gremloblin was the worst of their problems, but really it’d only been the beginning.

               “Uh… Neil?” Coraline asked, nudging him in the side with her elbow, “Please tell me you know what’s going on.”

               “Um,” he replied hesitantly, gaze still fixed on his best friend, “well, sort of, but not exactly.”

               “What does that even mean?!” Coraline cried, throwing her hands up. “What is this, some sort of freak-out or medium thing?”

               “I dunno! I mean I guess it’s sorta like what he said Aggie did, only he wasn’t sentenced to death just now or anything,” Neil responded, his words pouring out so fast it was hard to follow over the snapping electricity.

               “W-wait, you mean the witch? You guys weren’t exaggerating?” Wybie asked, and Neil shook his head rapidly.

               “So we just gotta talk to him right?” Mabel asked, and her brother nodded.

               “Seems like it, I mean, that’s how he got Aggie to calm down, and since… well, since I don’t think he’s dead it’s not like we can’t talk to him so… worth a shot.”

               Neil thought for a moment, then stood tall, a determined look on his face. “I know what I must do.”

               “Uh… okay man, just be careful. I don’t think that’s normal lightning coming off him, but I don’t think it’s gonna feel too much better if you get hit, okay?” Dipper warned, and Neil gave him a look.

               “We’re best friends. He’s not gonna hurt me,” he said firmly, then edged his way around the rock, straightened up once more, and did his best to approach the medium as if nothing was wrong. Dipper was surprised at how close he got, but it was like Norman wasn’t really seeing anything; thinking back to the journal’s entry on gremloblins he remembered how victims of the nightmare gaze could remain trapped in their visions for days, unaware of the real world, and figured that’s what’d happened. But once Neil started talking, things changed.

               “Hey Norman? You okay?” he started nervously, and flinched as his friend’s burning eyes met his, but he stood his ground. “I think you need to calm down, like maybe watch a movie or something.”

               “I told you to leave me alone,” the medium hissed, and Neil took a step back.

               “Uh… no you didn’t?”

               “Of course you wouldn’t listen. No one ever listens to the freak.”

               “B-but I never said that,” Neil replied, his confidence failing faster than he’d expected. But then, he’d never expected Norman to be so venomous. Struggling, he tried to remember how his friend had said he’d told Aggie, how he’d spoken to her. “Uh, don’t you remember us, you know, being friends? And hanging out and stuff?”

               “You just wanted me to talk to your dead dog! You never wanted to be friends for real,” Norman replied, electricity flaring. The breeze blew harder, and a green mist was beginning to swirl at his feet.

               “Dipper… I’m starting to guess at what Norman’s nightmare was,” Coraline said quietly, and he turned to her. “Neil might need backup soon. Who’s with me?”

               The group raised their hands, and Coraline wished their troubled pal could see this. She only knew the basics of her family friend’s history, but it was enough to know he needed the support right now. Nodding to her friends, she surveyed the scene, looking for a good opportunity to step in. Neil seemed to be blanking on more to say, so now was good.

               “Norman, listen up!” she yelled, striding out until she was just behind Neil and planted a hand on his shoulder as she faced the medium. “Whatever’s going through your head right now, it’s not true! You’re quiet and kind of a nerd, but we know you’re not a liar, and you’re definitely not a freak!”

               “You’re just saying that! You only played with Courtney when we visited, why should I think you like me now?”

               “Ah, cripes… look, I’m sorry about that! I just always wanted a big sister, okay?” Coraline shot back, trying not to lose her cool. “What matters is right now! And right now, I’m worried about my little brother.”

               “Which you still don’t have,” came the bitter reply, and something about his expression made Coraline realize it hurt him as much to say this stuff as it did to be on the receiving end.

               “This is so messed up,” she muttered under her breath, and Neil nodded sadly.

               “This definitely seems more like Raz’s area of expertise,” he sighed, and Coraline tightened her grip on his shoulder.

               “Yeah, well guess who’s not here. We have to solve this ourselves.”

               A rustling behind them announced the twins and Wybie joining them; faced with more people, Norman backed away, arms held to his chest defensively and the lightning that danced around him flaring, but his friends held their ground, knowing they couldn’t back away. If they did, it might make him think they were abandoning him.

               “So you’re all here to make fun of me again?”

               “Norman, we never made fun of you! That was a vision, a lie! You’ve gotta give it some time, it should eventually wear off,” Dipper explained, stepping to the front. “At least I hope so,” he added in a much quieter voice. The journal hadn’t really been clear on how to cure someone of a gremloblin attack.

               “No, j-just—just leave me alone!” Norman pleaded, backing up further.

               “We’re not going anywhere,” Neil asserted, confidence bolstered now that the others had his back.

               “I said go away!”

               The fog that had been swirling lazily at the medium’s feet snapped into a thick tendril and whipped across the group, knocking them into the undergrowth. Coraline was the first up, and scanned the group; thankfully no one seemed hurt, but they had to find a way to end this quick. Noting Dipper was sitting up, she tapped his shoulder.

               “Okay ideas guy, time to think of something. This is only getting worse the more we talk to him, and I think maybe we actually should leave him alone… at least for a bit.”

               “Who knew Norman was so good at being mean, right?” Dipper sighed, “but that’s all the gremloblin’s fault. Maybe if we found out what exactly Norman saw, we can find a way to counteract it.”

               “I think it’s pretty obvious he saw us making fun of him or something, though I don’t know how that turned him into a human Tesla Coil,” Coraline huffed.

               “Me neither, but it’s gotta be related right? He didn’t do anything until after the gremloblin got to him. And if his ancestor did this when she was threatened with death…” Dipper trailed, hand at his chin as he pondered.

               “Whatever he saw… was as bad as that?” Wybie piped up, and Coraline realized he’d been next to her listening the whole time.

               “I guess so,” she answered softly, glancing back at their friend, who seemed to be staring into space again, lost in whatever nightmare world plagued him. “Maybe Dip’s onto something here. We just have to say something strong enough to break the spell.”

               “Or maybe a kiss, that always works in fairy tales!” Mabel piped up, and everyone looked at her with expressions that ranged from simply skeptical to disgust. She looked around at them and rolled her eyes. “Geez, I never said one of you guys had to do it.”

               “Mabel, do you want to get electrocuted?!” Dipper protested, and the others nodded.

               “Brother, please! Has anyone else noticed that so far, he hasn’t actually tried to hit us with anything besides the fog? And that didn’t even really hurt.”

               Dipper sat openmouthed, blinking. “Mabel, you’re right!”

               “Duh, I always am?”

               “It’s gotta mean that he doesn’t want to hurt us one way or another.”

               “I told you he wouldn’t,” Neil grinned. “So what do we do? Keep talking to him?”

               “So far, that hasn’t worked,” Wybie pointed out.

               “Yeah, but it’s kinda all we got, and like Dipper said it might be the only way to snap him out of this. We just have to find the right thing… something the nightmare won’t twist,” Coraline trailed, wracking her brain and wishing she knew him better.

               “Neil, you’re his best friend—maybe you should try again,” Dipper suggested, Neil looked hesitant for a moment, but nodded. Brushing off forest debris, he stood and faced Norman again.

               “Um… hi,” he started again while the rest watched anxiously. “Still here for ya buddy. Um… what’s got you so worked up, anyway?” He looked back and Dipper gave him a thumbs up.

               “You seriously don’t know?” Norman replied sharply. “You left me! All of you did! You hate me behind my back and think I’m a freak. You only wanted to know me for your own reasons, and I was dumb enough to trust you! Just go… I always knew I was better off alone… this is exactly why…”

               There was a slap, and all at once the lightning fizzled out. Mabel seized the medium by his shirt and stared him in the eye with the most determined look Dipper had ever seen—and he prided himself on his will.

               “Norman, don’t you dare! Sure, maybe Neil wanted you to talk to his dog, and maybe Dipper wants to investigate your powers like the dork he is, but never think for a moment that’s all we want you for! You—” she poked him hard in the chest “are one of the coolest people I know because you don’t let junk get you down, not this easy! You’re not dumb, you’re not a freak, and sure as heck you’re not better off alone! You hear me man?! I don’t do fake friendships, got it?!” she cried, shaking him before pulling him into a crushing hug. The other watched in stunned silence; leave it to Mabel to slap an enraged medium and then give him a pep-talk to try bringing him to his senses.

               “Mabel… can’t br… can’t breathe!” he gasped, struggling weakly, and she finally let him go. He dropped to his knees, then flopped to his side, and everyone hurried to check on him. He seemed unconscious, but when Neil poked him he waved his friend off with a groan.

               “So… everything okay there junior?” Coraline asked, bending closer, and Norman rolled onto his back and slowly sat up.

               “Besides a cracked rib thanks to Mabel’s death hug… I think so,” he managed to smile, only to be caught in a two-for one embrace between the girl in question and his best friend. They let him go finally, then helped him to his feet.

               “So… do you know what happened?” Dipper asked tentatively.

               “Um… it’s kinda foggy,” Norman answered, but spoke too soon; in an instant he remembered the nightmare, the strange and dizzying mix of reality and hallucination, his words and those of his friends as they struggled to get through to him, the rush of supernatural power. Unprepared for the mental onslaught, he fell to his knees again and found he couldn’t fight the tears welling in his eyes. What had he done?

               “Dude! What’s wrong now?” Coraline exclaimed, and he quickly wiped his face with a sleeve.

               “Sorry, it’s just… I could have seriously hurt you guys! And I said… I said really horrible things. You should be mad at me, or afraid… I wouldn’t blame you if you were,” he explained, fiddling with his sleeves, eyes downcast.

               “No way,” Neil spoke, folding his arms. “I didn’t fight a bunch of zombies just to leave you because some monster hypnotized you. Besides, Aggie was like, a gazillion times worse, right? And you didn’t give up on her.”

               “Yeah man, scary medium powers or not we’re still cool,” Dipper added, but Norman seemed to deflate.

               “So… you do think I’m scary…”

               “Well…” Dipper trailed, caught between being honest and not hurting his friend any more than he already did. “To be honest… yeah. You were throwing out lightning everywhere, and we didn’t know what to do. It was pretty scary…”

               “But we couldn’t just leave you,” Coraline finished, and Dipper nodded.

               “We figured that would’ve been worse than staying,” Wybie said, rubbing the back of his neck, and Norman nodded softly.

               “Knowing what was going through my head… yeah. It would’ve been… a ton worse.” He curled up, trying not to think about it, and jumped when a hand rifled through his hair.

               “Scary or not, I have to admit you looked pretty badass,” Coraline said, smiling down at him. “Not everyone gets to say they have sweet ghost powers you know.”

               “Uh… that’s one way of looking at it,” Norman replied, looking up at his friends.

               “Besides, if you hang out with a knitting whiz, a mystery hunter, a Michigan water witch who destroyed a kid-eating demon, and not to brag but a mechanical genius—plus no less than two psychics and still think you’re a freak? There’s kiiinda something wrong there,” Wybie pointed out with a grin, and helped the medium to stand again.

               “Thanks guys… for not giving up on me.”

               “Hey, don’t worry about it. Us ‘Mystery Kids’ gotta stick together,” Coraline said.

               “Yep!” Mabel simply said, and her brother nodded before looking at the rest of the group.

               “Well, I don’t know about you guys but I for one have had enough adventure for today. Who’s up for heading back to the Shack and doing absolutely nothing else the rest of the day?”

               There was a unanimous vote of ‘aye’, and not wanting to linger in the demolished clearing any longer, they trudged back home, eager to leave their misfortunes behind. At this point, nothing sounded better than a lazy afternoon in front of the TV with some sodas and junk food. After all, who knew when their next adventure would strike? Anymore, they’d take the downtime they got, and after today… they’d need it.

So this happened in the fic I just posted and I needed to draw it because CUTE.