Even before she was really aware of herself or her surroundings, Mabel Pines had always felt a strong sense of wrongness. There was an emptiness always beside her as she grew up, an only child. It was strange and abnormal to her, and yet she had no idea why that was. As a baby, she would cry and fuss whenever the feeling became especially strong, and even as she grew up through toddler years and started into childhood, she would find herself unhappy in between her times of smiles and crafts and color.

Once, when she was no older than six, she asked her parents if she ever had a sibling - perhaps one that was now in Heaven. Both had chuckled at her childish question and gently told her that, no, she did not have a sibling, and she never had one either. The answer filled her with a worse sense of just wrong. Wrong, wrong, all wrong. She wanted to insist that they were wrong, and that she did have a sibling, but at such a young age, she did not question it further.

The wrong was so pervasive in her mind that, at eight, she decided to do something about it. She was artistically inclined, after all. She could make true anything she wanted to, should she set her mind to it. And so, that was when the name first came up, coupled with a very detailed drawing and explanation: Dipper. Mabel's imaginary friend. But this was no ordinary imaginary friend, she had insisted. He wasn't imaginary at all, she said, and he was her twin brother. Her parents worried, but eventually decided to 'let a child be a child' and allowed her time to work through the phase.

They didn't count on it lasting for almost four years. "Dipper" went everywhere with Mabel Pines. She set a place for him at the dinner table, and buckled him into seat next to her in the car, and even tracked his height on the frame of the door, right beside her own. When her parents refused to give her imaginary twin a bed of his own, Mabel took it upon herself to give hers up as many nights as she could get away with it. Most of the time, "Dipper" ended up with a sleeping bag and a stuffed animal for a pillow, but one way or another Mabel always ended up "with Dipper" sometime in the night.

Of course Mabel was teased for having an imaginary friend late in elementary and starting into middle school. The other children said imaginary friends were for babies, but Mabel was seemingly unaffected by their accusations. She took every insult with a smile or a giggle and returned it with a compliment that confused and flustered her peers. Only once did she ever snap at a classmate at recess for insulting her "little bro," and no one ever bothered her about it again.

Then, all of a sudden, she was twelve, and school was out, and mom and dad decided she should visit her great uncle in Oregon. Needless to say, she was surprised, but she didn't complain too terribly much. It sounded like an adventure! So, she packed her bags in a single evening and prepared herself for the trip from Piedmont, California, to Gravity Falls, Oregon. On the bus ride there, she talked excitedly with "Dipper" for a while, ignoring the looks from the driver far up front. The trip was long and tiring, and she switched buses twice, but it was worth it in the end to see the gigantic pine trees stretching up to the sky.

She set her bags down at the edge of the parking lot to her great uncle's home and took a deep breath. She let the air out in a happy, rushed sigh, grinning and surveying her surroundings. It wasn't what she expected, but it wasn't a bad feeling she got from the place. She really liked it, actually.

Gravity Falls was the first thing she could remember that felt right. Really, really right.

Now Mabel Pines was drunk on the feeling and determined to find what else could feel the same way.


Yes, I know I should be working on other things, but I've spent the past week and a half watching Gravity Falls. I'm four years late to the band wagon, but I'm totally enthralled, I tell you. Firstly, I'd like to let you guys know that I do indeed still exist, and with a new moniker, no less! I've been busy with college classes and getting some things off my to-watch/to-read lists, and I'm also avoiding some sort of mental breakdown(?), so that's been fun! I also finally got involved in my community theater, so memorizing my lines for the play will take time up.

To my current followers and those to come: check out my side blog for writing, scribesandscribbles . tumblr . com (obviously without spaces - what is with 's thing about links?), for updates, and feel free to send me a message, especially if I don't say something at least once a week. I'm trying to keep that up to date to keep you guys informed rather than leaving everyone in the dark. Please direct all questions about other works to that, thank you.

As for this, I'm marking it as complete, but I do have future ideas for it. I don't know if I'll get to it or not, but I'm really hoping I do. I may just pick one thing (likely this, just because it's my most current idea) and try to finish it. Get something done. I don't have that sense of fulfillment yet for having accomplished a large, finished task. It's been three years since I started writing fanfiction - it's time I finished something already, I say.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Cookies for those who actually read my note here. See you guys at the next update!