Hey guys, Astro here! I wasn't originally gonna post this, but I just couldn't get the ideas out of my head.
Full credit to the AU and concept goes to its creator Finnrakh Tybay, and I would highly recommend you check out their amazing artwork, like seriously it's gorgeous.
I'm mainly drawn to this by seeing a whole bunch of the pictures (honestly too many to count) and starting connecting them. So if you see me referencing any of the artwork, it's to help you better envision the scene. Also, to make this sound more realistic to the time period, there's gonna be lots of 1920's slang scattered around. Anyway, I've rambled enough, so I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1: New Home
After countless hours, a train speeding towards Oregon finally arrived with only a few minutes until the final stop. But amongst the normal commuters, there were three new arrivals. In the front passenger car, a pair of siblings slouch in their seats. The sister, fast asleep from the long ride, snuggled up next to her pet pig, and the brother wide awake, reading like he always does. The sister was wearing a long maroon dress and a black bucket hat. The brother was wearing a baby blue dress shirt with a beige sweater vest over it with pants to match.
Dipper POV
My name is Dipper Pines. I'm currently 17, and so is my twin sister Mabel. As of today, June 3rd, 1927, we no longer live in California. Our new home is in Oregon, in a place called Gravity Falls. We were a relatively normal family, until our parents were found dead. Yeah, I know, it was out of nowhere. They were found flat in some alleyway, full of bullets. No leads, no suspects, nothing. After about a week, the cops gave up. Apparently, the next person in line to be our guardian was our Great Uncle Stan. Naturally, we've never met the guy, but that doesn't really matter in this kind of situation. So we had to pack up our bags and pet pig. Wether we like it or not, we'll have to make the most of it. What a start to our summer vacation.
The train finally reaches its last stop in Gravity Falls. As all other passengers take their leave, Dipper tries to wake his sister.
"Mabel..." He shook her shoulder gently "Mabel!"
"Huh?! Whoosa, what?" She jumped up
"We're here."
"Ugh, finally. It only took us until forever o'clock." Mabel joked.
Dipper let out a chuckle as he helped grab their luggage. As they stepped out of the train, the two got a good look around the town where they'd be staying. It seemed rustic, and looks exactly like a ghost town, apart from its many residents.
"So where exactly is our Grunkle supposed to be?" Mabel asked.
"Our what?" Dipper questioned the word she just made up.
"Our Grunkle. Great-Uncle. Put em together, and bam! Grunkle! Pretty sweet, huh?"
"Yeah...sure. Definitely the cat's pajamas." He said, slightly sincerely.
The pig leaning on Mabel's leg squeals in excitement. "See? Waddles likes it!" She exclaimed.
Dipper then pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. "Anyway, this letter he sent us says to meet him at the 'Mystery Shack'. Wherever that is."
"Maybe we could ask someone." Mabel suggested as they started walking around. Almost immediately after, a car heavily brakes in front of them. They were so focused on their conversation, the twins didn't even notice they were in the middle of the road. Suddenly an older man sticks his head out the back seat window. "Move out of the way, peasants!" He yells.
"Peasants?! We're normal people, ya know?" Mabel argued.
An older woman pops her head out of the other window. "Ew, they're actually talking back." She retorts.
"Why I oughta-" Mabel begins to storm over, planning on doing something she probably wouldn't regret.
Dipper grabbed her arm "Let it go, Mabel. We got somewhere to be."
"Fine." She growled.
The older man spoke to the driver, "Smithers, please drive around the riffraff. They are simply envious that they are on the nut." And so, they drive off. As they do, the twins catch glimpse of a blonde girl around their age sitting in the back as well, not paying any mind to them, or her parents for that matter.
"Glad to see the locals love us already." Dipper sarcastically replied.
"Who were those guys anyway?" Mabel wondered.
"That was the Northwest family." A sly, feminine voice answered her question.
The twins looked behind them to see a fiery redhead wearing a black lace dress, probably in her early 20s. She continued "Preston and Pricilla, and their daughter Pacifica. They're a bunch of classist assholes, who like to make everyone feel lower than dirt. In short, they suck."
"Good to know." Dipper replies.
"Name's Wendy. Wendy Corduroy." She introduced as she held out her hand. Mabel shook her hand first, "I'm Mabel, and this is my twin brother, Dipper." Dipper then shook Wendy's hand. Mabel then petted her pig, "And this is Waddles."
"Cute pig. You guys new around here? Just movin' in?" Wendy asked.
"Actually yeah, how'd you know?" Dipper wondered. Wendy pointed to the luggage, embarrassing Dipper a bit. "Oh, right. We're looking for the Mystery Shack. You wouldn't happen to know it?"
"Know it?" Wendy laughed. "I work there. C'mon, let's ankle. I'll be your personal escort." Dipper and Mabel grabbed their bags and followed Wendy, with Waddles trotting behind. Lucky for them, it was only a few minutes away. Although, seeing Wendy interact with the locals made the twins feel even more like outcasts.
Suddenly, Wendy grabs Dipper and Mabel and hides behind the side of a store.
Alarmed, Dipper questions, "Whoa, what gives-"
Wendy shushes him. "Don't make a sound."
They look around the corner to see a blond man sporting all black as well as an eyepatch and top hat. All black except for a bright yellow blazer. Waddles, not understanding the situation, stays where he is until the man stops in his tracks. He stares at Waddles for a second and cracks a smile. The man leans down and speaks with a crisp and charismatic voice while petting, "Awww what a cute little piggie. If I didn't have plans, I'd use your eyes as wax for a candlelit dinner of your insides. Oh! And I'm sure your skin would make great toilet paper." Mabel opened her eyes with horror. Why was he so specific?
"Oh well. Run along now back to your filth or wherever you're from." He said his farewell to the innocent pig.
As soon as he is out of sight, Wendy calms down. "Sorry about that." She apologizes "He knows this town like the back of his hand, and he'd spot you two as fresh meat from a mile away."
"Okay, but who is he?" Dipper asked.
"And why is he psychotic?!" Mabel added.
"Duh! That's Bill Cipher." The twins looked dumbfounded. "You've never heard of Cipher? One of the most notorious mob bosses in the country?" Wendy inquired, shocked. Dipper and Mabel shook their heads. "Ay ay ay. You two have a lot to learn about how things work around here. We got a saying in the Falls: If you go poking around, you'll be put six feet down." They continued to walk.
"Wait, if he's so notorious and everyone knows, why doesn't he just get arrested?" Mabel asked.
"Same reason every other gang or crook doesn't get copped in this town: no proof. And even if a stool pigeon says anything, by the time the cops get there, it's a clean sneak. No witnesses, no leads, nothing. The cat's crafty. Not to mention he's way off the track." Wendy explains.
Finally, they reach the Mystery Shack, and across from it is another store with an odd name: "The Gleeful Emporium". As Wendy opens the door, they are greeted by a tiny bell jingling on the door. She yells to the back, "Stan, ya got visitors!"
A grumpy old man comes up front, "For the last time, we're closing up, so-" he stops abruptly when he sees who he's talking to. "Oh. It's Thursday already. Wow...you kids have grown." He looks down at Waddles. "And...you have a pig?"
"You've met us?" Dipper raised an eyebrow, ignoring his question.
"Eh, once when you were born but that was a long time ago." He pointed to the staircase at the side. "Your rooms are upstairs. Come back down when you're all settled."
"Thanks Grunkle Stan!" Mabel cheered.
Stan had the same confused look Dipper had earlier. "What? Did you say 'Grunkle'?"
"Yeah! Great-uncle! Grunkle! It'll catch on." She explained as they walked up the steps.
Dipper took the room across from the top of the staircase, and Mabel and Waddles took the room to the left. Dipper throws his luggage on the bed, leaving the door wide open while letting out a huge groan.
Dipper POV
Great. Just great. I gotta get used to a whole new town, goofy locals, and a fuckin' psycho crime lord just walking down the street. To top it off, an uncle who barely knows me. This new life is the worst.
"You don't look too cheery." A voice spoke to him.
Dipper looks up and sees a broad yet chubby 30-something man wearing a flat cap, like he was muscular but let himself go. He introduced himself, "You can call me Soos. I work here too, and I thought I'd come up and check how you're settling in."
"Dipper." The twin replied. "And yes, I'm not too cheery because this whole place is insane. I've only been here less than an hour and I already hate it. Plus, it's not like I have choice."
Soos consoled, "Yeah I heard your parents got clipped, sorry. But this is your new home, and we've all got a role to play. And yours is to just do the best you can for yourself and your sister." Heading down the stairs, he finishes, "Don't worry mac, you ain't all alone in this." Dipper cracks a smile, glad he's made a new friend already, even though that friend was almost twice his age.
After unpacking for almost an hour, the twins come back downstairs as instructed. Dipper and Mabel use this time to take a closer look around this store. It's full of weird knick knacks and souvenirs: a statue of a hairy figure wearing underwear, with the label showing the name "Sas-crotch", or a tray of "Genuine Golden Nuggets" which really looked like rocks painted yellow. The whole place seemed to be such a scam, a tourist trap. They come to see Stan, Soos, and Wendy hovering around near the front desk like they were in a meeting. Noticing them, Stan greets, "You kids are just in time, I was just telling them the new order of things."
"New order?" Dipper asked.
"Yup. You two will be working here from now on."
Dipper and Mabel simultaneously groaned and objected the whole idea.
"Hey, hey! Don't be doing that now!" Stan rebuffed. "With two new workers, we'll be bringing in much more centuries."
"Centuries, really?" Dipper said in disbelief. "This place looks like a kids arts and crafts convention. You're tellin' me that all this fake stuff sells enough to pay your bills?"
Stan chuckled a bit sinisterly. "Not all of it."
That answer shut him up real quick. Apparently everything wasn't as it seemed here.
"I'll let you in on little secret to you two. The secret to my financial success." Stan explained. Both Dipper and Mabel's ears perked up. "This whole store is just a front, a facade. The truth is...I'm running my own drum in the basement."
Dipper gasped, "You're running a speakeasy?! That's illegal!"
"Eh, the law and I haven't been 'buddy buddy' for over 30 years." Stan laughed. Gaining a more serious tone, "You ain't a stool pigeon, are ya? 'Cause I don't care if you're family, if you take me down, I'll take you with me."
Dipper and Mabel looked at each other for a second. "Alright I'm in, let's do it!" Mabel says first.
Dipper takes a second to think. After contemplating all possible options, he agrees, "Sure, whatever."
"Perfect!" Stan exclaims with a sly grin. "Now on to your jobs. Hmmm...Mabel, how good are you at singing?"
"Well, I don't mean to brag, but I won my Little Miss Pipes pageant in grade school. Three times." She answered.
"Good enough for me. You'd make a fine canary with Wendy."
Wendy interlocked her arm with Mabel's, "I'll teach you everything you need to know."
"And Dipper...you'll be the bartender. Stick with me, and you'll be mixing hooch better than anyone in this town."
Dipper simply rolled his eyes as Stan concluded, "And here's the best part: you two start tonight."
"Fantastic." Dipper moaned.
Mabel tried to cheer him up, "Oh come on big brother! This could be good for us! A little bit of law breaking never hurt anyone."
"There are literally millions of cases of how it hurt people." Dipper retorted.
"Alright, alright! Everyone get ready to close up." Stan announced. "We've got lots of patrons comin' in a few hours and a new set of hands ain't gonna slow us down." He then looked at Dipper and Mabel's attire with a bit of disgust. "Also it's time you guys switched up your clothes."
After closing up as instructed, everyone went down to the basement to set everything up for the customers. It was surprisingly big compared to the store above. It could seat about 150 people, including the bar and booths. There was a stage with a red and purple accent, with a piano to the right. And the exit led to an alleyway where people could come and go as they pleased without being detected.
Soon after sunset, it was packed just like Stan said. Soos stood near the door as a bouncer to make sure those who came in had a special card. Dipper was sporting a white dress shirt with black buttons, suspenders, bow tie, and a fedora. He was already at the bar serving the few drinks Stan taught him. Dipper refused to call himself a pro, but he was definitely learning quickly. Mabel, sporting a dark purple lace dress, was singing a duet on stage with Wendy, regardless of Mabel being a bit nervous. After a few hours, a man had one too many drinks and started flirting with them in the middle of their song to the point where he was a nuisance to those who were listening.
Soos walked up to him grabbing the man's shoulder, "Ok mac, you've had enough for tonight. I think it's time you breezed off."
"I'll leave only if one...or both of those pretty dames comes with me!" The drunk slurred his words angrily. He then tried to go for a punch, but Soos grabs his hand and pins it behind his back, like it was second nature. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go mac." Soos said dragging him out. It's at this point, many patrons decide to call it a night and leave. And so it was time for the workers to close up the speakeasy.
As he cleaning up tables, Dipper says, "Soos, what was that back there with that guy? I know he was drunk but how'd you take him down so fast?"
Soos chuckled, "Lots of training, mac."
"Training? What do you mean?"
"Well about 10 years ago, I was a boxer. Pretty damn good too. When I was up for my 3rd championship match, I wanted to win but my opponent was kicking the shit out of me. But it wasn't until the end of the second round that I find out he was screwing my girl, and baiting me with it. At that point I lost it, and showed no mercy. I just kept punching until there was more blood than skin on his face. I actually thought I killed him, but he was nearly put in a coma. I technically won, but I realized what I was capable of, and I hated it. So I quit, and promised myself never to punch again. When I couldn't find work, Pines hired me 'cause all he needed was someone with muscle and good with tools. And I've been here ever since."
Dipper was awestruck that such a nice looking guy was capable of such damage. When they were fully closed, Dipper and Mabel went upstairs to say goodnight to Wendy and Soos. He turns around to see Stan counting up his profits for the day, "Woah, we made a lot more than usual today thanks to our new set of hands. Probably would've made more of it wasn't for that drunk, but eh, what can ya do?" He takes out a wad of cash and splits in half for the twins. "Here's your cut."
Mabel takes her cut and rushes up the stairs to bed. "Thanks Grunkle Stan!" She yells while leaving, waddles by her side. As Dipper starts to follow her, he is stopped by a few words from his Grunkle.
"You kids did good today. I'm impressed." Stan said in a low voice.
"What was that?"
Not realizing completely what he said, "Uh..I said, take out the trash, it smells like shit."
"Ok, got it." Dipper chuckled to himself, knowing full well what Stan said.
Dipper drags the garbage over his shoulder into the alleyway where the entrance to the speakeasy is. As he throws it into the dumpster, he overhears arguing. Covering behind the dumpster, he sees two men in suits with lanterns, one a bit chubby and one unnaturally skinny.
"Ugh! I can't believe Gleeful is making us find this stupid thing again. It's been almost three weeks now!" One man said.
"You know he'll be on our asses until we find something." The other one replied.
Dipper had no idea why, but he felt as if he had to follow them. Soon he was trailing them into the nearby forest, hiding behind trees and watching his step. The two men continued, "What exactly is the plan here? Have us walk around until we see some patch of dirt where it's buried or something?"
"I don't know, but we gotta keep patrolling otherwise we're gonna end up like Gatsby."
"Ah, poor bastard. That's what we get for working for a teenager."
After almost 30 minutes, Dipper still had no idea what they were talking about. But curious, he persisted, probably not being able to sleep if he didn't. Almost immediately after he finished that thought, the skinny one said, "Screw this, let's just blow this off and say we didn't find anything."
"Fine by me."
Seeing them finally leave, Dipper was a bit upset that he didn't find anything. Still hiding behind a tree, he leaned on it in defeat, only to find it felt weird. It definitely wasn't wood, more like metal. He felt around until there was a wedge, like an opening to a door. Sure enough, a tiny proved the tree to be hollowed out, nothing except for a small device with little buttons and switches. Dipper started to fiddle around with the buttons until heard something opening up behind him. Turning around, it was a trapdoor, leaving Dipper more nervous than ever. Walking up to it, he thought of all possible findings in there. It could be a corpse, weapons, or even a dangerous creature.
But when he looks down where the small trapdoor leads, it is actually the last thing he thought he would find. It was some sort of journal. It had an insignia of a six fingered hand with a number 3 in the center. Not wanting to be caught by whoever could be strolling by, Dipper grabbed the journal, closed the trapdoor, and rushed through the moonlight back to the Mystery Shack.
And there you have it, Dipper has officially found Journal 3! And don't worry about the other villains in the story, they're coming soon! Hope you guys like this story and stick around for the next chapter!