Hey, Writers!

a writing competition i was going to participate in again this year has announced that they now allow AI generated content to be submitted

their reasoning being that "we couldn't ban it even if we wanted to, every writer already uses it anyway"

"Every writer"?

come on

COPS ARE NOT OUR FRIENDS.

Honestly the most revolutionary thing about Gravity Falls to me is its commitment to sincerity.

I’ve been listening to Alex’s podcast where he goes into the details of each episode with different storyboard artists and writers who worked on the show, and it just baffles me how… cared for the story is. Right now in media there’s been an uptick in satire, and shows making fun of themselves for existing, or taking the piss at their own content to “win” fans to their side. It’s like whimsy is gone from so many pieces of media. But Gravity Falls just doesn’t… do that. It completely embraces itself. Weirdness and all. And so does the team behind it. I’m not used to something I care about being so cared about by everyone surrounding it.

Here’s this cartoon, written and illustrated by an entire team of people saying, “no, we’re serious. we mean this. we made this on purpose and we made it important.”

Throughout the podcast, Alex discusses little ins and outs of each character, offering so much deep internal struggles and enriching the story even farther. And listening to him unpack it with the utmost sincerity just warms my heart. Each character is so dynamic because they were cared for by people who imbued them with sincerity.

That’s exactly why we get quotes like “Shame is powerful, but it grows in the dark,” as Ford realizes the trauma he’s hidden for so long is being embraced by his family, diminishing it’s weight on him through their immediate support.

It’s why we get Alex describing Stanley with quotes like; “I always in my gut thought of him as somebody with a huge well of sadness, a loss of human connection. And that need to please? That need to get laughs from the crowd, and putting on a big show? He’s trying to get from them the affection he never got from his family, and that he lost with his brother.”

Or detailing how Mabel might be a goof… but half the time she’s doing a bit, because she’s really more mature than her brother and doesn’t want him to grow up too fast. She’s trying to help ground him and bring lightheartedness into his life. Because she knows otherwise, he’ll become too self isolated.

And those two mini character studies he dropped so casually in these podcast episodes just… color the show. It’s why the show survived so well even after ten years. It’s gruff-old Stan always calling his niece “Pumpkin” and “Honey”. It’s the family always holding hands without it behind laced with a joke, and falling asleep on one another in the car. It’s Alex explaining that people toyed with other endings, other plot lines, other twists, but it was always going to end with Stan and Ford mending the family tie they severed thirty years ago. Because that was their story. Messes and family and care.

Ten years ago, watching it for the first time as it came out, I felt all that. But now, as an adult, knowing that all the other adults who made it felt the exact same way? :,) What a special story we all got to grow up with, and get to continue being apart of.

This is the unused journal page that I found the most interesting and finally I was able to figure out what it says.

“Mabel could not think of a single doll that the old woman didn’t own. A sad sigh came from behind us as our host entered the room carrying a tea set. She told us that Mabel was correct - she had a complete collection of every doll in the entire world. What would an avid collector do without anything to collect? My sister suggested that there would be new dolls in the future. The woman said there would be nothing new until fall: what was she to do until then?

As my sister stammered, I turned towards the Gideon doll. It was just as creepy as the real thing. Mabel admitted she had no solution but would help in any way she could. The old woman cooed, “I know you will my dear!”, just then I noticed the Gideon doll shaking and sweating. It was as creepy as the real thing because it was the real thing!

I ran across the room and knocked the tea cup from Mabel’s lips. The old woman knew I was onto her. She lunged at me and pinned me to the ground underneath her. She poured tea from the tea pot onto my face while trying to force my mouth open. Mabel watched us, totally confused.

Just then the Gideon doll fell from the shelf and hit the ground. One of it’s button eyes fell of revealing a the human eye of Gideon Gleeful underneath. He was struggling to break free of some sort of spell. I knocked the tea pot from the old woman’s hands and Mabel knocked her out with an oversized sock monkey.

Mabel put the sock monkey under the old woman’s head like a pillow and we both carried Gideon out of the parlor of terror. We left him in a basket on the Gleeful’s front porch. I’m sure the spell will wear off, though I think Mrs Gleeful would like her boy better if he stayed immobile.

One more note. We went to the police and dragged Sheriff Blubbs and Deputy Durland to the site of the creepy old Victorian. We found an empty lot instead. Then I realised we were one street over from Parpan place, we walked over found the house and had the old lady arrested. “

Photos from my adventures :D

Hate it when people make fun of fanfiction.

Like, do you not partake in your particular interests through talking and other forms of media? I’m doing the same fucking thing except I’m writing. This thing that I do brings me joy in a world with so little and you have the gall to call me weird? Bug off and grow up.

now that I’m done with my musical, I will be going on more adventures and posting more photos of them! Stay ominous!

well 🧍‍♀️ as a reminder this blog is NOT a safe space for trump supporters but it IS a safe place for women, queers, trans ppl, people of color, undocumented people, and any marginalized group.