charlastan | STICKS AND BONES INBOX

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STICKS AND BONES INBOX

"Hi! You've reached Stan Pines' computer phone box thing or whatever. Leave me a message and maybe if I care enough about what you've got to say I'll actually get back to you. I probably don't, but hey! Test your luck! (Followed by obnoxious laughter until the BEEP)"

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[It's been a pretty eventful day! Magic items were reaking havoc on the Grove. Some people who had been lost in the forest came back (some didn't), and Dipper's uncles just turned up out of the blue. It was probably only a matter of time before the rest of the Pines converged, but ...]

[Well. Dipper didn't want to get his hopes up just to be let down in the off chance the universe wanted to screw him over. It wouldn't have been that unexpected, considering. But no, both of them are here now, almost like a late birthday gift from that very universe.]

[He'll fucking take it. Once they've more or less settled for the night, Dipper found some adjacent rooms close to his and then ran off to the cafe to grab some snacks. He knocks on Stan's door, more as a warning than anything, pushing it open just a tad-]

Grunkle Stan?

[He'd just enter, but he'd rather die than walk in on his uncle naked by accident, thanks.]

Edited 2024-09-09 04:44 (UTC)

[A wise decision, really. No one wants to see that.

Thankfully, he's not naked. When Dipper first peeks in he'll see Stan with his back to the door, looking over something near his dresser. It's hard to get a good view of what he's doing exactly, and it's only a moment before he hears Dipper and turns around. His hand brushes by one of his pockets on the way, but it seems he's not holding anything anymore.

He hasn't exactly done a bunch of decorating, but he's still tossed his pirate hat on a bed post and placed the Mabel Tea Pot on the stovetop. Sure, they know it's not actually Mabel now, but Stan has always secretly been a crusty, half-burnt, sentimental marshmallow at heart. Of course it was put on display immediately.]

Hey Dipper. What's all this? Room service?

[Stan will gladly take free food any day of the week, especially if it's snacks. He waves Dipper in!]

[Dipper only catches that because he knows Stan well enough to know he might have been doing some slight of hand. He doesn’t say anything though. Its fine, probably Stan was lifting some tangerines or something.]

These? Nah, thought I’d bring the crusty old man I know some crusty old cookies.

[They are not crusty, they in fact look really damn good.]

Are, um. Are you settling in okay?

[He does like to shoplift the occasional tangerine, so it's a pretty fair assumption. He doesn't offer any kind of explanation for it though and assumes Dipper just didn't see.]

Ha! Being old and crusty has its perks now and then.

[He takes one and doesn't hesitate to take a bite of it, giving Dipper a thumbs-up before he even finishes it.]

Not bad, kid! And uh, yeah, yeah, I'm alright. The whole new world thing gets weirdly old after you do it a couple times? And there wasn't a blood apocalypse and we didn't wash up naked on the beach so, y'know. Solid six outta ten landing!

[Something seems to hit him on the second bite of the cookie though, and he slows to a pause.]

...Wait. Wait a minute. Is this weird with the cookie people around?

[He raises an eyebrow at the cookie in his hand (that he again, has already bitten into) as though he half expects it to start talking and maybe screaming. It better not.]

[Dipper will be a little nosy looking around but otherwise he’ll lean against something while they talk.]

[The mention of cookies makes him snort, but then he uh. Rubs the back of his neck.]

No, no, it isn’t. Trust me I had to have this conversation with one of them after accidentally offering cookies and then asking in a panic if it was cannibalism. Apparently edible cookies and sentient cookies are super different and they don’t think it’s weird.

[The more you know!! He shrugs.]

I still don’t bring them cookies though, because I weird about it. Which cookies did you meet?

[That's good enough for Stan, and he polishes off his cookie without worrying about it any more than that.]

The creepy time one with the top hat. Short lady, heard you shouldn't run with scissors and decided to fly on a pair instead? That one. No idea what flavor time is supposed to be though.

[But now you've got him going so here's everyone he's met as of now, he's counting on his fingers.]

Plus there was the Star Person I cut in line, the guy that called me a vampire racist because I mentioned the garlic thing, and some guy that wanted to drink hot strawberry syrup for some reason. They weren't cookies though; they were just weirdos.

[NOT THAT HE DRANK STRAWBERRY SYRUP FIRST OR ANYTHING............]

Edited (red isn't a teen anymore shh) 2024-09-10 02:21 (UTC)

[Oh. Lol. Dipper looks like he is trying not to laugh. Of course the cookie that found Stan first was TK.]

Timekeeper, yep. She's uh. She's pretty cool but like, also definitely nuts from being basically some kind of cookie time god. I like her, we talked about how crazy Trench was and she barely batted an eye.

[...He'll bring up the internship thing some other time, though.]

Let's see, star person has to be Loop. Vampire racist could be a few people, If it was aggressive, then Flamebringer, if it was like Grunkle Ford was lecturing you, then Gnosis. Not sure about the last guy.

[That could literally be anyone. Everyone here is a freak.]

If you meet Pure Vanilla Cookie, he's like- a Sheep Minotaur with a staff- he's teaching me magic right now, but he's let me crash at his house a bunch. Their whole household's good people.

Ha! A nutty cookie, that's a good one. Anyway, she was a weird one.

[Is it, Stan? Is it a good one? He doesn't elaborate beyond that for now, but if she gives him any reason not to trust her, Dipper's going to hear all about it.]

Vampire racist guy definitely sounded like Ford though, gave me a whole lecture on it and everything. And yeah, that was Loop! I'd say they're a real firecracker but there's probably a better space-themed thing I could go with. I dunno, I'll workshop it.

[Stan admittedly does make a face at someone being simultaneously a cookie and a sheep minotaur and being magical all at once, but once the surprise wears off he's over it. Stan's part squid anyway and can Pure Vanilla really be any weirder than the Time Cookie? Probably not.]

At least Vanilla's a real cookie flavor. And he put a roof over your head, so...I guess he's probably alright.

[Maybe he should keep doing bits about cookies and the various people he's met, but instead Stan takes a seat on the edge of his bed - mostly for lack of chairs.]

Sounds like you've met just about everybody around here, huh? Dug in your heels, made some friends...

[This is true and Dipper expects this which means it will get awkward when he tells his family about how he's being recruited for the Cookie Time Police. Later...]

Gnosis. [The guys Ford Vibes are through the roof, honestly.] He has a sweet bug collection.

[Said like that wasn't the single most nerdiest thing he's ever said.]

He's genuinely so nice that I am actually worried about him.

[Something bad is going to happen to him because of how nice he is and then Dipper will commit war crimes.]

I- uh, well. It's a small town. Like, waaaay smaller than Deerington, or Gravity Falls, even. It'd be hard not to know anybody after a while, anyways. But ...yeah, I guess.

[He shrugs a little, trying not to look embarrassed.]

I've been managing okay.

[That's the biggest lie he's ever told.]

Edited 2024-09-11 03:51 (UTC)

[Stan raises an eyebrow at Dipper, completely aware that this boy is full of shit.]

Yeah? You've been holding up okay all on your own? With none of us here? Alone?

[He looks very, very skeptical. But then, he lets out a sigh and concedes a little.]

Well for what it's worth, it doesn't seem like you've been doing too bad surviving for the most part. Except for, y'know--

[He gestures at his own head where Dipper's feathers are starting to grow in. They both know what that is.]

But even with that...you're managing, and that's really something at your age.

[Yeah, it feels really stupid the moment he says it, but he's kind of had this mantra of "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine-" this entire time just to cope with this place. He's had to make himself over or he'd just lose his mind. He'd probably have succumbed to beasthood ages ago.]

[The people around here being so welcoming and helpful did a lot to help him, but Dipper knows he's walking a very fine line between keeping that front in check and collapsing into pieces at any given moment. Having Stan kind of call him out does a lot to hit it home that he's just not going to be able to do that with him around. Not anymore.]

[He exhales, and comes to sit down on the bed next to him. He kind of just stares at his knees.]

It sucks, Grunkle Stan. I feel like I've been flying by the seat of my pants for months, like I can't relax. Everyone here has been so nice but what if I slip up? What if they run me out? What if they figure out I'm just some scared little kid who can't take care of anything-

[He reaches up to pull his hat off, some of the feathers flutter away with the motion. He runs his hands through his hair almost to try and pull them out.]

This happened almost two weeks ago...I can't get it to go away. Mabel's not here.

[It's always hard to let that mantra go, and Stan doesn't always do a great job at it himself, but they both know what corruption can do and like it or not, Stan's the adult here. He has to look out for him, and this is just part of it now. It was part of it in Deerington, in Trench, and now here.

He can't help it though - a snicker sneaks out of him when some of Dipper's worries creep up. He doesn't laugh at the top of his lungs or anything, but he does snort despite his best efforts not to.]

Why would they run you out? Literally everyone I've met here who knows you can't shut up about what a great kid you are! Y'know what's gonna happen if they find that out about you? They'll look out for you, 'cause they like you. Seriously, you're doing fine for yourself.

[Dipper's always a lot harder on himself than anyone else is going to be. Stan's know this about him since they were back in Gravity Falls. He twiddles his thumbs awkwardly]

But, y'know...I mean, you know I don't get all of it, but I get some of it. Sure, I never wound up in other dimensions or whatever, but...it's rough out there. Being away from your whole family.

[When you're a teenager, with no where else to go. Of course Dipper's flying by the seat of his pants! That's how you survive!

He watches carefully as Dipper removes his hat, but bats Dipper's hand away so he can take a better look instead, in case there's anything he could do about it himself. It feels a little like assessing the damage after a kid gets gum stuck in their hair.]

So what happened two weeks ago? It'd work better with your sister, but we can still prolly figure something out here eventually.

[Oh. Wait. People have said that? About him? Dipper suddenly feels like crawling under the bed and not coming out, that is so embarrassing. He had no idea he was actually making some kind of good impression- like, he has friends and stuff but-]

[Dipper really is hard on himself, almost to a destructive degree sometimes, and being alone here really exacerbated that with these self-inflicted imaginary consequences for what he has always known to be his biggest weakness: sociability.]

[He lets Stan look his hair over while he chews on some of his words. He has wondered to himself if maybe Stan felt like this when he was at it alone. He kind of has a massive appreciation for it now, more than before. ]

I don't know how you did it for so long.

[He sighs and ...knows Stan is right. Not talking about it is going to keep making it worse and the fact that he hasn't really talked about it much is probably why its still here.]

I strained my powers doing some stuff I've never ...really done before. Or at least, have never done on command. It was a pretty dangerous ordeal and a lot of stuff happened. It's kind of a long story.

[But Stan is asking so he should just spill.]

One of the guardians that looks after this place, he's the gargoyle perched on the church roof, was looking for something he'd lost a long time ago and so we went as a group to give him some help. Here- it might be easier to just kind of show you.

[And then Dipper just does the thing that comes naturally, and pulls them both into the dreamscape. Since Stan has actually practiced this power of his with him, the transition is pretty smooth. They'll find themselves out in the forest with the rain pouring down around them. They won't actually be getting wet since this is just something from Dipper's memory, but it will feel like they're there.]

[There's a knot in Stan's throat. He worries at a stubborn feather that seems a little loose in Dipper's hair, but there's only one thing he can really say to that.]

Didn't really have a choice.

[He doesn't elaborate, but he doesn't need to. Dipper didn't have a choice either, after all.

Dipper talks and gets some of it out, and Stan finally takes his hands away. The scenery around them changes and while it does get a brief eyebrow raise from Stan, he lets it go since this doesn't seem to be straining Dipper any more than it usually does.]

Sure, why not? We'll go on a little mindscape field trip.

[He stands up and brushes himself off, getting up from wherever the memory put his bed and squinting for any sign of where the memory begins.]

So, what'd the guy lose anyway? A bet?

[Hopefully Dipper didn't think he was safe from Uncle Jokes just because they're in the mindscape. He's never safe from Uncle jokes.]

[While he probably shouldn't be using his powers willy-nilly right now, he knows for better or worse, this one in particular doesn't tend to strain him very much. It won't add much more to the corruption ...hopefully.]

Like old times, right?

[He manages a grin at that as he waits for Stan to get up and follow him.]

Man, I wish. He lost swords which would be super helpful in him killing stuff that threatens the grove. He was gonna do it all alone but someone found out and you know how that kind of thing goes.

[As they make it to the edge of the forest, Stan and Dipper will see the group surrounding Zahliya, the five-foot gargoyle as he explains their mission. Dipper doesn't spend a lot of time in this spot, just long enough to establish that the eight of them were going to go and they were going to head through the forest where it could be dangerous so everyone needed to stick close. Stan mind find interesting the bits where Dipper both proclaim "When have I ever left anything well enough alone." but also the part where Dipper shows Zahliya a drawing and when asked about it, explains that one of his uncles must have drawn it in the past.]

[The memory will shift once they all head into the forest, and Dipper lets the scene change again, to a clearing. Its sunny out, they're in front of a temple, and there are screams emanating from it.]

When we went in, something kind of weird happened and we got broken up into two groups and dropped in what felt like a Trench-style traumatic memory trial. You know the kind, where we have to figure out whats going on with a weird scenario or it won't let us go.

[Just like old times. Stan can't help grinning at that, and he ruffles Dipper's hair out of habit when he catches up.

He's quiet, but he's watching. A fond sort of pride stirs when Dipper speaks up, because he's never left a damn thing alone in his life, but his attention zeroes in on the discussion about the drawing. If they're close enough to see, he'll even try to take a peek at it - but if not, he'll want to see it later.

At first he thinks they'll follow the memory into the forest, but then the world shifts and tilts, and Stan groans when he gets the explanation.]

Ugh, I hate the traumatic memory trials! [He huffs and crosses his arms.] We've been through enough already without magical crud dragging up every little thing!

[Good to know that they'll have to keep dealing with that! Great! He loves that for all of them!]

...Hm. Doesn't seem like you guys got tossed in one of your memories at least?

[Or at least, none of this looks familiar at a glance. He could be wrong, but he kind of hopes he's right and doesn't have to navigate whether that's something he forgot or something he wasn't there for.]

Right? It's really unfair this keeps happening to us! Jeez, leave a little for the imagination.

[It's nice to complain like this with Stan. He really missed it. Despite the kind of awful thing they're about to see here in a second, Dipper's spirits are up a bit from where they were before.]

[In front of the temple, half the group appears. Dipper, Mamika, who Stan met earlier, Luca, and Siffrin. As the screaming echos from the temple, their Gargoyle friend comes out ready to bolt into the woods. They immediately get into a confrontation with him.]

Nah, It was one of Zahliya's. [He gestures to the gargoyle.] We find out later that someone was actively tampering with his memories and with us getting dropped in them like this, it managed to knock something loose.

Where we are is ...the temple that used to keep the angry forest jerk sealed up. This is right after he's been set free. The ...screaming from the inside is from the caravan of merchant adventurers that wanted what they thought was treasure but...

[He frowns as the screaming dies off, but then he looks at Stan kind of pointedly. Have you caught on, why Dipper might have been worried about all this yet, Stan??? Meanwhile, on the outside the confrontation with Zahliya has heated up. Memory Dipper is being actively threatened by the gargoyle while blood is running from his right eye and his nose, there's an intense stalemate while ...Siffrin straight up tries to steal the swords of Zahliya right there. This turns into a chaotic fight.]

Edited 2024-09-14 05:19 (UTC)

[Tampering with memories...Stan frowns at the scene, but quietly files that away as "a thing that can happen here". It's not a problem right now - or at least, right now outside of the mindscape - but it could be later and he can't say he's thrilled.

He's also not thrilled that Mamika is there! But, you know. Whatever happened, she still turned up to turn him into a puddle over stickers on his first day, so. She's probably okay.

That merchant adventurers bit is pretty pointed though, and Stan bristles. He gets the implication immediately, but that doesn't mean he's emotionally prepared to talk it out in the middle of all this.]

Pfft. Those could be anybody's merchant adventurer Grunkles in there!

[It's probably not him! He assumes! But now the thought is in his head and he sure doesn't like it.

The fight gets pretty wild after that. A guy Stan can only describe as an unusually tall gnome makes a play for the sword immediately, and it all sorta goes to hell in a handbasket from there. He did manage to heal Dipper first though, he doesn't miss that bit. Unfortunately the "let's talk it out" folks and the "let's fight a gargoyle for his swords" folks weren't on the same page.

Suddenly though there's vines and laughter, but more importantly there's Dipper taking control of the situation and trying to trick their way out of the situation. Stan's grinning wide.]

The vines are you too, right? I think? You're really selling it out there!

[He shoves Dipper's shoulder - he's so proud! Look at this kid!]

[Stan picks up on what Dipper implies, even though he can tell Stan's trying to deflect. That's fine, that's really all he wanted to do here. Ever since Heimr told him about the caravan there had been a sinking feeling in his gut that his family could have been involved.]

[As the fight plays out, Dipper watches just as intently. Seeing it play back like this means he's looking for spots where he could have done better- acted faster. If he had thought maybe to make a line for the temple first maybe-]

[Stan shoves him, and he snaps out of it. He ...honestly was not expecting to be praised, so he flusters a bit. Stan praise is particularly hard won sometimes.]

Yeah, yeah, that was all me. It was a huge gamble because i'd never tried to pull off the hallucinations on command before, but it actually worked.

[He grins.]

I just thought, alright, what would Grunkle Stan do? And did the opposite.

[He's joking, and it's clear he's joking from the shit-eating grin he's giving his uncle, but after a moment or two, he sobers up.]

[Memory Dipper is making his plea to Zahliya about how his family might have gone to stop the caravan, so there's a chance they're in there. After some convincing Zahliya finally concedes and they head towards the temple. Real Dipper heads towards the steps but he pauses.]

What's inside isn't pretty, I know we've seen worse than this from Deerington, but I just ...wanted to warn you.

[Stan knows he's kidding and laughs along with him, even as he makes a face and pretends to be offended. It's really obvious that Dipper's learned a thing or two from him, so they don't have to have a sincere moment over it - he knows, Dipper knows. They can move on. Besides, Stan's kind of invested now and wants to see how the whole gambit shakes out.

...and it shakes out pretty well! But the real Dipper isn't celebrating, and seems more cautious.]

Dipper, don't worry about me. Whatever's in there, I've definitely seen worse.

[They've had some moments across Deerington and Trench that make him wonder what Dipper could be able to show him, if he thinks it might actually rattle him. The important part though is that they clearly rattled Dipper, so Stan keeps close behind him as they enter.]

[He had a feeling he might say that, but he didn’t want them to go in without having some kind of heads up.]

[They cross the threshold and try as Dipper might, that memory of the scent still hits him, and probably Stan, too.]

[The carnage of the caravan stuck with him, and so it’s vividly laid out before them. Bodies strung about and torn apart with the cruelty of a vengeful god. While their party reacts in various ways with Mamika pointedly staying outside, Memory Dipper moves with a purpose, and begins to check every single corpse as if looking for something. He doesn’t stop until he’s done and then goes to help the others with the two remaining “alive.”]

It was weird, because I think this was the first time I’ve smelled blood since Trench. I dunno why that jumped out at me so much, looking back on it.

[His voice is a lot softer now as he watches it play out.]

Edited 2024-09-18 02:00 (UTC)

[It's definitely horrific, there's no doubt about that.

The scent hits him hard, but after Dipper explains he isn't surprised. Of course it hit him hard - because it hit Dipper hard and this is his memory. He glances around at the bodies, and up to the ceiling at the once that's on display up there. Dipper's words pull him back to the moment though and he steels himself with a breath.]

Probably, you know...because it's an overwhelming blood smell from a bunch of corpses?

[Stan shrugs. Blunt, but true!]

We all got used to it 'cause it was everywhere, but I'm pretty sure it's more normal for it to feel like this.

[For it to feel horrific and disgusting and overwhelming in large quantities, that is. He's tripping over his words a little, but he's trying to emphasize that there's nothing wrong with having it rattle him this way, but the best he can do is place a hand on Dipper's shoulder.

There's some debate over what to do about the two that are still alive - barely. Someone Stan doesn't recognize tries to do something to the bodies with fire, and that catches his attention even though everyone else is sure it's a bad plan. And yeah, it probably is given how much fire hurts people who can feel it, but Stan's never even made the connection it could help with wound care before.

...But then again, everyone's talking about how the gnome guy can use healing magic, and Dipper's learning healing magic, so maybe it's not something he'll ever need to do.

The fire guy leaves shortly after, leaving Dipper and the gnome alone with the withering bodies.]

[Don't say that, Stan, who knows when you might be in a rough position to cauterize someone wounds. Dipper decided to seriously pick up healing after this entire mess, where Siffrin's abilities just weren't enough. You never know!]

[Regardless of where they might be standing, this conversation plays out loud and clear. Another tell that it's something Dipper has hung onto out of all of this. Dipper proposes they do something "kinder" for them after a tense silence. Siffrin reacts ...probably like any sane person might.]

[The conversation will tell Stan quite a lot. One, that Dipper says he's sixteen in two weeks, so that's a fun tidbit he might not have put together yet, but more importantly, Dipper tries to impress upon Siffrin that he's capable of handling the deed, and that he shouldn't worry because of how fucked up he already is.]

[Siffrin calls this out like a proper adult and when Dipper kind of realizes his own words, it hits him like a truck. They stale mate with the ultimatum Sif offers, but then Dipper ultimately decides to make the choice. He gets up and walks out. The scene here pauses for a few reasons. Mostly, because Memory Dipper going outside means he doesn't know what happens next beyond what he can assume. He never watched Siffrin do the deed, but also it seems like.]

[Like maybe Dipper isn't quite ready to move on yet. He's staring forward with his fists tightly clenched and he is trying so hard to hold back tears that he's shaking.]

[The memory halts without anywhere else to go, and Dipper is shaking under his hand. Stan wonders if Dipper really meant for him to see this part, but he's...well, glad isn't the right word. He's glad someone stopped Dipper from being a part of this and made him go outside where he couldn't see what was happening. He's glad someone took care of his family in his absence.

He's not glad about the rest, but it's painful and necessary. Dipper's given him a good look at a baseline for how he's been recently, probably by accident, and it will help him fix the corruption issues - even if he can't do it as fast as Mabel could.

He opens his mouth and shuts it, trying to find words. He should drag Dipper off, physically pull him away from all this, but...things are stopped right now. Maybe they need to stay stopped, for a moment. The least he can do though, is turn Dipper a little so he's looking at him and not the graphic scene frozen in front of them.]

...So, uh. Did I ever tell you what happened when I saw Cynthia, back in the dream?

[He didn't, actually. He can confidently say he didn't. He never brought up his choices, never asked the kids what theirs were. Sometimes it came up and he'd chime in with what he'd done when their choices matched up, but there were two he never spoke about - Cynthia and Sodder. He did the thing he always does where he talks just enough about something that no one realizes there are pieces he isn't sharing until the moment is long gone.

Fortunately, it isn't a long story. Stan takes a deep breath, rips the band aid off, and lets the truth linger in the air--]

--I didn't do it. I couldn't do it.

[That little warning about going inside definitely had more than one meaning, though he kind of knew it would be hard for him to dissuade Stan from wanting to know more. He'd agreed to this anyway, when he decided to open up about his corruption, and ignoring it when he's already showing signs would be more than just irresponsible, anyway.]

[So rationally, this is what should happen, it just hurts and Dipper wants to swallow it all down until it goes away, but he can't.]

[Seeing it the second time somehow makes it hit harder and that might be why he's threatening to fall apart. There's so much eating at him that he didn't even realize. He's afraid of becoming desensitized to horror, he's afraid he'll turn into someone he can't recognize, he's afraid of not keeping his shit together will make people look down on him, he's afraid of being left behind, he's afraid of disappointing Stan, and he's-]

[Stan suddenly has them face-to-face and that admission takes the air out of his lungs all over again.]

[It's true ...he never did find out what Stan did. He knew that Ford had done it, but somehow...]

...I did.

[He escapes him, barely. His voice making it clear he's still trying to hold it back.]

And I think about her every time I close my eyes- Grunkle Stan, I don't want to do this again.

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STICKS AND BONES INBOX

[Early September]

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Cw: death, gore, dismemberment etc

Cw: death, gore, dismemberment etc

Cw: death, gore, dismemberment etc

Cw: death, gore, dismemberment etc

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