[That clicks something into place as soon as Dipper says it.]
Oh, right! I forgot that was him! Heh. Small grove, I guess.
[But that's not the point, because the point is that Dipper is hearing things in his head.]
You're darn right he snitched! If he didn't were you ever even gonna tell us you had an extra voice running around in your head?! You know more than anyone how dangerous that can be!
[He's not yelling, not as much as he could be anyway. He just can't help being frustrated. He is so goddamn sick of dealing with demons.]
So, what happened? Am I still talking to you in there? Do I have to do Ford's eye trick?
[Anyway, he hunches his shoulders being so suddenly called out. He knows this looks bad! He knows he probably should have said something! But he just-]
[Couldn't handle it on your own, huh? What a surpriiiiise!]
[Dipper takes a deep breath, trying to steel his voice. Stan is riled up, but it's not so bad that it's trying to stick to him. He's still in control.]
Yes, it's me! It's not like that, okay? I- look.
[He rubs his face for a moment, when he looks up again, he looks ...stressed and a little miserable.]
It's just another scar, that's all. Something I got when I tried to pull Pure Vanilla out of his head.
[Stan still can't say he was thrilled about that whole quest, but he already ragged on Dipper for that when he got his most recent scar.
...Well. Second most recent, he supposes.]
Kid, I've had plenty of scars. They dont usually talk to you.
[Granted they've been through a lot of magical bullshit, but he's still pretty sure that's true more often than not.]
Look, if it's not another possession thing then what is it? A scar on your face is one thing, but we can't just let something hang out in your brain forever!
[There's a thought boiling though, and Stan can't help but blurt it out.]
You seriously weren't gonna tell us about it, were you? We were just gonna find out by accident, or after it was too late to help or something.
[No, he isn't going to let that go. Stan of all people coming after him for keeping a secret? He is not letting that slide this time. That miserable look turns somewhat resentful, but that expression doesn't stay on Stan, it slides to something just past him.]
[Oh, now it's getting good. Are you gonna let that slide, Pine Tree? He's being a pretty big hypocrite. It really does run in the family, Hahahaha!]
Shut up.
[Ooooh, are you gonna make me? Make me!! Hahaha! MAKE ME!]
[The unfortunate thing about looking past Stan is that it looks a lot like looking at Stan. And Stan actually looks taken aback, for once.
Dipper actually yelled at him. He actually screamed at him to shut up! ]
...No! I'm not gonna shut up! Not when you've got demons or voices or whatever the hell in your head and you kept it yourself like we haven't dealt with this kind of thing over and over and OVER already! You should've told us about it so we could've helped get it out of you sooner!
[And that's when Dipper realizes he just. Screamed out loud to the thing in his head instead of internally, and Stan thinks he yelled at him. He looks both mortified and distraught.]
No, I didn't mean-
[Stan must think he's completely insane. The voice is laughing, like laughing hard and it's all that's ringing in his ears right now. He just has to deal with it until it stops, and for a minute Dipper looks like he has a huge migraine, holding his head and trying to breathe.]
[Stan was honestly expecting more yelling, so to see Dipper curl in on himself and go quiet feels...wrong. Despite everything he just said, boiling it down to a quiet apology is more alarming than being yelled at.
For a moment Stan watches Dipper, waiting through the panic with him. His anger isn't gone necessarily, but the focus has shifted away from Dipper.]
...What'd it say? It said something, right?
[He doesn't apologize or address Dipper's apology, but he does his best to simply move on. Address the actual problem instead of what he assumed the problem was.]
That all it does, Grunkle Stan, it just doesn't shut up.
[Why would I do a thing like that when I can watch you fall apart piece by piece until the Beast consumes you.]
It's always there at the corner of my eye, and it talks and talks and talks. I haven't- I haven't been able to think straight in weeks because it's just always there.
[Dipper looks up from his hands and looks ...truly tired. He spent so long trying to keep this under wraps for reasons he's not even sure of anymore. Was it the voice doing that, too? Fueling his paranoia and his sense of self? He doesn't know anymore.]
[Stan thinks with a hand to his chin, in a gesture that makes him look like Ford for just a second. Then he gets up and puts himself directly in front of Dipper.]
I'm gonna try something. It worked when Ozpin was riding around in Ford's head so, y'know. Worth a shot.
[Corner of his eye though...after just another second of contemplation, he snaps his fingers and makes a single flame dance on the top of his finger.]
Follow this with just your eyes, alright?
[He starts in the middle of Dipper's vision, and then moves it slowly over to Dipper's left. Then, he leans in and and talks, but...not to Dipper. It's the closest he can get to looking this thing in the eye.]
Listen here, you little shit. I know you can hear me in there. I'm gonna need you to shut your goddamn mouth! I'm trying to have a talk with my great nephew and nobody invited you. So either you butt the fuck out or I'm gonna personally make sure you regret messing with my family every single second you're still stuck in there.
[Then he leans back and puts out the flame, signaling to Dipper that he's all done, and he looks at him expectantly. Well? Did it do anything?]
[That makes him blink, looking up at Stan as he comes over to him. The voice is still there, laughing, muttering to him, but he's doing his best to zone it out, to try and focus on Stan's words.]
[It helps at least, to give him something to focus on in an almost meditative way. Even with Stan's yelling his shoulders drop and he can concentrate.]
[The voice, however, which exists as an almost phantom at his side, comes to look Stan in the eye, thought it can't be seen. It listens to his words with a bemused expression, then leans in close so only Dipper can really hear what it says.]
[It whispers something, then disappears with a laugh echoing in its wake. Dipper snaps out of it as the flame extinguishes, but he looks awfully pale.
[Stan sighs, shoulders heavy. Since he can't hear or see the thing, he can only go off of Dipper's expression, and he doesn't look great. He's so pale, even after Stan tried his best thought.]
No dice, huh? What'd it say?
[He's going to keep asking until Dipper tells him. The kid will have to cave eventually, right?
[Stan sits back down on the bed, but there's a energy that wasn't there before. He's catching on that Dipper doesn't want to share, and he's absolutely not going to let it go.]
So. What did it say?
[Do you want him to keep asking, Dipper? Because he will! He'll keep asking! He can be just as stubborn!]
[The one thing that can wear down his stubbornness is a look like that from the kid he's basically been raising for a few years now. That doesn't mean he lets it go exactly, but his shoulders fall in defeat.]
I don't wanna make you say it. But I want you to tell me so I can actually help you. It could be telling you anything!
[It could be threatening to throw Dipper out the nearest window. It could be threatening to kill Dipper, or him, or Ford. Or all of them! It could whisper lies to him about everyone, tell him that he can't trust anyone. It could make him hurt someone. It could hurt him from the inside out. It could burn the kid's friendships to the ground, just for fun. It could be telling Dipper that he'll stick his arms in drawers again or go for the forks and knives. It could use Dipper's hands to bring a blade up to his last good eye--
There's a sharp spike of worry in him that seems to come from almost nowhere, but Stan keeps his face as neutral as he possibly can.]
...Look. Can you at least tell me why you don't wanna tell me? I mean. Dealing with it on your own doesn't look like it's going great.
[He feels that spike of anxiety, and though Stan is holding himself as neutral as possible, Dipper can still see through it, which also makes his shoulders fall in a mirrored sort of defeat.]
[He takes a deep breath.]
It is telling me pretty much anything. I don't want to repeat it, because it's not ...something you want to hear, okay? It's fucked up. It wants to drag me into corruption so I'm trying not to let it get to me.
[But it's hard, sometimes it really hits a nerve or two.]
It's ...if I had to guess, it's a manifestation of my worst fears, so it knows exactly how to get under my skin if I let it. It's just a ghost, though. It hasn't tried to take control of me, it just ...floats around me like a tool, while making the worst commentary possible on every little thing I do.
[A manifestation of his fears, huh. Dipper obviously doesn't want to tell him, and he gets that part honestly. If he had some ghost mocking him about his fears, he'd probably be yelling at it in public too.]
Alright, so...it's not a possession kinda thing. Good! Good place to start!
[The implication is there, even if Stan isn't saying it - of course that was his first assumption when someone told him Dipper was hearing things. They've dealt with enough of that crap that he's pretty sure that's a fair one.]
There's gotta be some way to get it to stop...what, haunting you? Is that what we're calling it? You can't just let it talk crap about you forever, 'cause it's obviously getting you down. And you still could've told us before.
[He huffs, knowing Dipper will be quick to twist it back on him, so before he can--]
--If not me, then at least Ford. Y'know, since he's got all the experience. He'd probably have done an exorcism or something before I even heard about it.
[A lightbulb seems to click on for him and he scratches under his chin.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Oh, right! I forgot that was him! Heh. Small grove, I guess.
[But that's not the point, because the point is that Dipper is hearing things in his head.]
You're darn right he snitched! If he didn't were you ever even gonna tell us you had an extra voice running around in your head?! You know more than anyone how dangerous that can be!
[He's not yelling, not as much as he could be anyway. He just can't help being frustrated. He is so goddamn sick of dealing with demons.]
So, what happened? Am I still talking to you in there? Do I have to do Ford's eye trick?
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[Anyway, he hunches his shoulders being so suddenly called out. He knows this looks bad! He knows he probably should have said something! But he just-]
[Couldn't handle it on your own, huh? What a surpriiiiise!]
[Dipper takes a deep breath, trying to steel his voice. Stan is riled up, but it's not so bad that it's trying to stick to him. He's still in control.]
Yes, it's me! It's not like that, okay? I- look.
[He rubs his face for a moment, when he looks up again, he looks ...stressed and a little miserable.]
It's just another scar, that's all. Something I got when I tried to pull Pure Vanilla out of his head.
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...Well. Second most recent, he supposes.]
Kid, I've had plenty of scars. They dont usually talk to you.
[Granted they've been through a lot of magical bullshit, but he's still pretty sure that's true more often than not.]
Look, if it's not another possession thing then what is it? A scar on your face is one thing, but we can't just let something hang out in your brain forever!
[There's a thought boiling though, and Stan can't help but blurt it out.]
You seriously weren't gonna tell us about it, were you? We were just gonna find out by accident, or after it was too late to help or something.
1/2
[No, he isn't going to let that go. Stan of all people coming after him for keeping a secret? He is not letting that slide this time. That miserable look turns somewhat resentful, but that expression doesn't stay on Stan, it slides to something just past him.]
[Oh, now it's getting good. Are you gonna let that slide, Pine Tree? He's being a pretty big hypocrite. It really does run in the family, Hahahaha!]
Shut up.
[Ooooh, are you gonna make me? Make me!! Hahaha! MAKE ME!]
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[The unfortunate thing about looking past Stan is that it looks a lot like looking at Stan. And Stan actually looks taken aback, for once.
Dipper actually yelled at him. He actually screamed at him to shut up! ]
...No! I'm not gonna shut up! Not when you've got demons or voices or whatever the hell in your head and you kept it yourself like we haven't dealt with this kind of thing over and over and OVER already! You should've told us about it so we could've helped get it out of you sooner!
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No, I didn't mean-
[Stan must think he's completely insane. The voice is laughing, like laughing hard and it's all that's ringing in his ears right now. He just has to deal with it until it stops, and for a minute Dipper looks like he has a huge migraine, holding his head and trying to breathe.]
[...]
You're right. I'm sorry.
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For a moment Stan watches Dipper, waiting through the panic with him. His anger isn't gone necessarily, but the focus has shifted away from Dipper.]
...What'd it say? It said something, right?
[He doesn't apologize or address Dipper's apology, but he does his best to simply move on. Address the actual problem instead of what he assumed the problem was.]
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[Why would I do a thing like that when I can watch you fall apart piece by piece until the Beast consumes you.]
It's always there at the corner of my eye, and it talks and talks and talks. I haven't- I haven't been able to think straight in weeks because it's just always there.
[Dipper looks up from his hands and looks ...truly tired. He spent so long trying to keep this under wraps for reasons he's not even sure of anymore. Was it the voice doing that, too? Fueling his paranoia and his sense of self? He doesn't know anymore.]
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I'm gonna try something. It worked when Ozpin was riding around in Ford's head so, y'know. Worth a shot.
[Corner of his eye though...after just another second of contemplation, he snaps his fingers and makes a single flame dance on the top of his finger.]
Follow this with just your eyes, alright?
[He starts in the middle of Dipper's vision, and then moves it slowly over to Dipper's left. Then, he leans in and and talks, but...not to Dipper. It's the closest he can get to looking this thing in the eye.]
Listen here, you little shit. I know you can hear me in there. I'm gonna need you to shut your goddamn mouth! I'm trying to have a talk with my great nephew and nobody invited you. So either you butt the fuck out or I'm gonna personally make sure you regret messing with my family every single second you're still stuck in there.
[Then he leans back and puts out the flame, signaling to Dipper that he's all done, and he looks at him expectantly. Well? Did it do anything?]
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[It helps at least, to give him something to focus on in an almost meditative way. Even with Stan's yelling his shoulders drop and he can concentrate.]
[The voice, however, which exists as an almost phantom at his side, comes to look Stan in the eye, thought it can't be seen. It listens to his words with a bemused expression, then leans in close so only Dipper can really hear what it says.]
[It whispers something, then disappears with a laugh echoing in its wake. Dipper snaps out of it as the flame extinguishes, but he looks awfully pale.
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No dice, huh? What'd it say?
[He's going to keep asking until Dipper tells him. The kid will have to cave eventually, right?
...Right?]
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[He takes a deep breath, like a really good one, and leans back in his chair.]
It's gone, for now. It'll be back, but it ...it left.
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[Stan sits back down on the bed, but there's a energy that wasn't there before. He's catching on that Dipper doesn't want to share, and he's absolutely not going to let it go.]
So. What did it say?
[Do you want him to keep asking, Dipper? Because he will! He'll keep asking! He can be just as stubborn!]
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[That is a particularly pleading expression from Dipper. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.]
cw: eye injury mention
I don't wanna make you say it. But I want you to tell me so I can actually help you. It could be telling you anything!
[
It could be threatening to throw Dipper out the nearest window. It could be threatening to kill Dipper, or him, or Ford. Or all of them! It could whisper lies to him about everyone, tell him that he can't trust anyone. It could make him hurt someone. It could hurt him from the inside out. It could burn the kid's friendships to the ground, just for fun. It could be telling Dipper that he'll stick his arms in drawers again or go for the forks and knives. It could use Dipper's hands to bring a blade up to his last good eye--There's a sharp spike of worry in him that seems to come from almost nowhere, but Stan keeps his face as neutral as he possibly can.]
...Look. Can you at least tell me why you don't wanna tell me? I mean. Dealing with it on your own doesn't look like it's going great.
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[He takes a deep breath.]
It is telling me pretty much anything. I don't want to repeat it, because it's not ...something you want to hear, okay? It's fucked up. It wants to drag me into corruption so I'm trying not to let it get to me.
[But it's hard, sometimes it really hits a nerve or two.]
It's ...if I had to guess, it's a manifestation of my worst fears, so it knows exactly how to get under my skin if I let it. It's just a ghost, though. It hasn't tried to take control of me, it just ...floats around me like a tool, while making the worst commentary possible on every little thing I do.
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Alright, so...it's not a possession kinda thing. Good! Good place to start!
[The implication is there, even if Stan isn't saying it - of course that was his first assumption when someone told him Dipper was hearing things. They've dealt with enough of that crap that he's pretty sure that's a fair one.]
There's gotta be some way to get it to stop...what, haunting you? Is that what we're calling it? You can't just let it talk crap about you forever, 'cause it's obviously getting you down. And you still could've told us before.
[He huffs, knowing Dipper will be quick to twist it back on him, so before he can--]
--If not me, then at least Ford. Y'know, since he's got all the experience. He'd probably have done an exorcism or something before I even heard about it.
[A lightbulb seems to click on for him and he scratches under his chin.]
...Huh. Maybe that's not a bad idea.