Edward_or_Ford - "Fistbump" replies

[Guest Killgore]

I was wondering what got you into writing gravity falls fanfiction

[Edward_or_Ford]

I was wondering what got you into writing gravity falls fanfiction

It's all right on my AFF Bio page. Link here: http://members.adult-fanfiction.org/profile.php?no=1296961245

E-o-F

[Edward_or_Ford]

Despite almost no activity from me, people keep finding my stories! Here's a new review for Fistbump 2:

D4rK 2015-10-18 id # 3000070984
I am....extremely impressed. For a while I've been looking for a REAL Pinecest story that embellishes everything that will go through the taboo, the suffering, the secrets and the hurt. This is what I found! The writing is superb, the characters act like they should and it feels realistic and so believable. You got me hooked, I hope you really move forward with a sequel!

D4rK

Wow, thank you. Realism is what I'm going for, and I'm glad it came across for you.

I've been asked elsewhere (on Tumblr) why I couldn't have told this story when the twins were older: why do they have to be so young (only 14 years old)? Some are understandably squicked by this story there, since there are younger readers. I get the objection.

But right from the beginning, this is the story I wanted to tell. This is pretty much the most painful young love story possible. I knew that their complete inexperience and emotional immaturity would make dealing with their situation that much harder. Dipper breaking into tears often? Mabel's inability to control her emotions? Dipper not able to see any solution other than completely breaking things off with Mabel? These aren't actions of older teens or young adults: these are children, thrust into an impossibly terrible situation of discovering intense feelings for one another and knowing that it is incredibly dangerous to act on their feelings.

I will finish this story eventually, but the next chapter will be awhile, I'm certain. Sorry.

E-o-F

Edited October 18, 2015 by Edward_or_Ford

[DemJoBoys]

Hello Edward... or Ford, or whatever you like to be called. I came here only to inflate your ego a bit more by telling you how good you are at writing.

I downloaded fistbump like a week ago (and by that i meant that i copy-pasted it on word, saved it and then turned it into a epub with the help of "calibre ebook reader" so i could read it on my tablet). It was so engaging that i didn't realized that a couple of hours passed after i started readind.

However i did the same with Fistbump Harder before realizing it was incomplete. I got to half of chapter 3 before coming to know that. I dont think i'll continue until you complete the fic. Not because i have doubts about its quality, on the contrary, you are very good with emotions, and thats why i dont whant to spend two hours reading to realize that i will have to wait three months before the next sour shot, and who knows how many more for the other two. The problem of being engaged with fanfics Is like they say, life is something that happens to everybody.

Well, i will be keeping tabs on this thread to see when the fic is done. But i will not read it until then. If i do i fear that i will have to track you down and hit you with a shoe until you finish.

Edited November 13, 2015 by DemJoBoys

[Edward_or_Ford]

Hello Edward... or Ford, or whatever you like to be called. I came here only to inflate your ego a bit more by telling you how good you are at writing.

I downloaded fistbump like a week ago (and by that i meant that i copy-pasted it on word, saved it and then turned it into a epub with the help of "calibre ebook reader" so i could read it on my tablet). It was so engaging that i didn't realized that a couple of hours passed after i started readind.

However i did the same with Fistbump Harder before realizing it was incomplete. I got to half of chapter 3 before coming to know that. I dont think i'll continue until you complete the fic. Not because i have doubts about its quality, on the contrary, you are very good with emotions, and thats why i dont whant to spend two hours reading to realize that i will have to wait three months before the next sour shot, and who knows how many more for the other two. The problem of being engaged with fanfics Is like they say, life is something that happens to everybody.

Well, i will be keeping tabs on this thread to see when the fic is done. But i will not read it until then. If i do i fear that i will have to track you down and hit you with a shoe until you finish.

Ego inflation is rarely a bad thing. And mine seems to have a leak these days, so getting a pump every now and then feels really good. Thanks. :-)

Calibre is a great program. I use it myself. Don't have a lot of time for reading these days, mind you, but that's another story.

Yeah, it would be great if there weren't a lot of long-form fanfics that just never get completed. The best example in the Pinecest universe is Hide n' Seek over on Tumblr. 90000+ words, and no sign that it will ever be completed. At least it got left off at a good spot.

I'll not bore you with why my writing capacity is down these days: you don't need the downer, and I don't need any platitudes. But needless to say I've got shit going on. It kind of messes with the creative juices. It's a good thing I'm not getting paid to write, because I wouldn't be earning much these days. Still, Chapter 10 *is* progressing bit by bit. And I've got portions of the remaining chapters already down, so who knows? I could hit a magical day of productivity and solitude that could result in everything getting done quickly. I just don't know. I'm so inexperienced at this, your guess is as good as mine.

Being on the business end of a well-meaning beatdown with a shoe may actually be good for me, for a number of reasons. Your offer may be accepted at some point in the future. ;-)

(And BTW, "Fistbump Harder" is the most awesome name ever: I wish I *had* called it that! I may have to use that in the future. Thanks!)

E-o-F

[DemJoBoys]

Well crap, i read the whole thang because i'm weak.




Where i stand on "Fistbump Harder"?




I'm unfazed by the course of events, It may be because i'm a soulless ginger on the inside, or just because of my experience with forbidden relationships, serious injuries and substance abuse, and a current battle with depression holly crap, my two decades of life were fracking crazy, but i'm really not surprised with the angst currently in motion. I'm surprised with its realism, because, well i'm not talking from second hand experiences, but i'm not going to gauche my eyes out to stop the sadness from leaking. I still want it to have a happy ending tho.

That being said, i'm invested. I wonder what the Stans would say if they found out that the pines are medicating their kids. If this story weren't so "craaaaawwwlinnnnnnng iiiiiiiinnnn mmmmmyyyyyy skiiiiinn", Stanley would probably say something in the lines of "You cant just give drugs to children and hope everything in their lives gets better, you're going to destroy them... they'll do that by themselves in a couple of years when they think is cool and hip" and Ford would look back and say "So it is not okay to give drugs to children anymore, how much things change" and quickly hide his bag from view. I dunno, i find that train of thought amusing.

I may just get my shoe and...

wait

Reading this thread i see that you mentionated that Fistbump Harder its based on the five states of grief. We already went through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, so the next step is acceptance... So they are just going to accept that they cannot be together?... My offer of beating you with a shoe may just have become a lot more visceral. And thats something to fear, i'm a latino, we turned trowing "chanclas" into something of an art form. So please, correct me if my assumptions are wrong, but is the smut on the las part going to be something like "this is our last night together lets make it last"? I thought we already went there on Fistbump

You said the ending was going to open possibilities for other stories on this continuity, so how are you going to write the rest, about what will be "Fistbump With A Vengance", "Another Day to Fistbump" and "Live free or Fistbump". Will Fistbump With A Vengance be about Mabel (because its always Mabel) getting a boyfriend and Dipper getting jealous and accidentally falling into his sister's vagina and so they reconect? If it is, come on man you're better than that! Thats every third pinecest story ever. Sorry, sorry, i should not tell you what to do, its your story, sorry.


Anyways. To talk about the present, In its current unfinished state, i would put it in the same shelf i have "A Weekend Ruse" by pineneedleshurt, but in right the other side, not because its bad. But because 'ruse is that great fic that i re-read every time i need to relax, or every time i need to shut my brain down and just enjoy something. I quite enjoy Fistbump Harder, but as it is now, i will just read it once, because of its lack of resolution. Maybe on 2018 when its done i'll re-read it every once in a while, if its ending lives up to expectations. It still great tho.

Know something that bothers me? Its not about your story, but kinda sorta about how everybody percives dipper. The kid bested a manotaur, shot down a spaceship (while being on it) and is currently on the process of defeating the freaking apocalipse, at 12. So why in the seven hell everybody thinks of him as a wimp? He is like Jonathan Joestar, the dorkiest badass that ever lived.

Again, i'm keeping tabs on this, and you should keep up the good work.

Edited November 21, 2015 by DemJoBoys

[Edward_or_Ford]

Well crap, i read the whole thang because i'm weak.

Where i stand on "Fistbump Harder"?

I'm unfazed by the course of events, It may be because i'm a soulless ginger on the inside, or just because of my experience with forbidden relationships, serious injuries and substance abuse, and a current battle with depression holly crap, my two decades of life were fracking crazy, but i'm really not surprised with the angst currently in motion. I'm surprised with its realism, because, well i'm not talking from second hand experiences, but i'm not going to gauche my eyes out to stop the sadness from leaking. I still want it to have a happy ending tho.

That being said, i'm invested. I wonder what the Stans would say if they found out that the pines are medicating their kids. If this story weren't so "craaaaawwwlinnnnnnng iiiiiiiinnnn mmmmmyyyyyy skiiiiinn", Stanley would probably say something in the lines of "You cant just give drugs to children and hope everything in their lives gets better, you're going to destroy them... they'll do that by themselves in a couple of years when they think is cool and hip" and Ford would look back and say "So it is not okay to give drugs to children anymore, how much things change" and quickly hide his bag from view. I dunno, i find that train of thought amusing.

I may just get my shoe and...

wait

Reading this thread i see that you mentionated that Fistbump Harder its based on the five states of grief. We already went through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, so the next step is acceptance... So they are just going to accept that they cannot be together?... My offer of beating you with a shoe may just have become a lot more visceral. And thats something to fear, i'm a latino, we turned trowing "chanclas" into something of an art form. So please, correct me if my assumptions are wrong, but is the smut on the las part going to be something like "this is our last night together lets make it last"? I thought we already went there on Fistbump

You said the ending was going to open possibilities for other stories on this continuity, so how are you going to write the rest, about what will be "Fistbump With A Vengance", "Another Day to Fistbump" and "Live free or Fistbump". Will Fistbump With A Vengance be about Mabel (because its always Mabel) getting a boyfriend and Dipper getting jealous and accidentally falling into his sister's vagina and so they reconect? If it is, come on man you're better than that! Thats every third pinecest story ever. Sorry, sorry, i should not tell you what to do, its your story, sorry.

Anyways. To talk about the present, In its current unfinished state, i would put it in the same shelf i have "A Weekend Ruse" by pineneedleshurt, but in right the other side, not because its bad. But because 'ruse is that great fic that i re-read every time i need to relax, or every time i need to shut my brain down and just enjoy something. I quite enjoy Fistbump Harder, but as it is now, i will just read it once, because of its lack of resolution. Maybe on 2018 when its done i'll re-read it every once in a while, if its ending lives up to expectations. It still great tho.

Know something that bothers me? Its not about your story, but kinda sorta about how everybody perdices dipper. The kid bested a manotaur, shot down a spaceship (while being on it) and is currently on the process of defeating the freaking apocalipse, at 12. So why in the seven hell everybody thinks of him as a wimp? He is like Jonathan Joestar, the dorkiest badass that ever lived.

Again, i'm keeping tabs on this, and you should keep up the good work.

The good news, fine sir, is that I've actually done a bunch of work on Chapter 10 in the last few days, and was only here this morning to post about that very fact. So to find that you've gone ahead and caught up gives me that much more motivation. If I were a betting man, I'd say that odds are this thing (all twelve chapters and the epilogue) *should* be posted by Christmastime.

(Unless life happens even harder than it already has been. If so, then c'est la vie.)

You raise some very astute points. How the story is going to end is actually one of my prouder creative achievements. I don't want to spoil the ending, but I *can* say that I believe that I will not have to fear a "chanclas" attack from you after the story is done.

I agree with your opinion about Dipper. We've seen him do some very brave and heroic things. But in my story he is caught in an impossible position. This is not the same as risking his life for his sister's safety, which he has done multiple times and he would do again without a moment's hesitation. This is about *them* together, and he knows that if they are not careful, he would be powerless to prevent the destruction of that which he wants to protect most (his new relationship with Mabel). In such a scenario, his parents must seem like a force far more threatening than any monster, demon, or machine he's ever faced. He's not a wimp by any stretch, but he is pragmatic. He knows he has to walk away from a battle that he would lose, and which would harm Mabel in the process.

(And you're right, your synopsis of "Fistbump With a Vengeance" (HA!) would be a lazy way to go, and you need not worry: that is *not* where I'm planning to go with this.)

Thanks again, and I hope you see an update fairly soon.

E-o-F

Edited November 20, 2015 by Edward_or_Ford

[Edward_or_Ford]

I forgot to add my comments to this portion of DemJoBoys post:

I'm unfazed by the course of events, It may be because i'm a soulless ginger on the inside, or just because of my experience with forbidden relationships, serious injuries and substance abuse, and a current battle with depression holly crap, my two decades of life were fracking crazy, but i'm really not surprised with the angst currently in motion. I'm surprised with its realism, because, well i'm not talking from second hand experiences, but i'm not going to gauche my eyes out to stop the sadness from leaking. I still want it to have a happy ending tho.

Can I say that I'm flattered by your opinion of my story, because honestly I have *no* experience with any of this kind of angst in real life. (My issues are familial, largely revolving around my relationship with my wife, and challenges with our daughter.)

So if this story rings authentic to someone who actually has been through similar trauma, then that is high praise indeed! Thank you very much!

E-o-F

[Edward_or_Ford]

I received this email, and with permission, I'm reposting it here:

I recently read your story (both of them) on the fanfic website and thought I'd drop you a line and say how much I enjoyed them.

To be completely honest, for the past month I was having a hard time in life. I had just recently started a new career and it all kind of hit me that I wasn't entirely sure what I was passionate about.

The story you have written, encouraged me to pick up writing again after 10 years and I've been staying up till the early hours of the morning writing because I've been enjoying it so much.

I may be just a random person, but I wanted you to know that you have had a positive impact on my life.

So thank you.

On a final note, Fistbump 2 is absolutely sad as all hell. In a good way I mean. Just the situation right now is bloody heartbreaking and makes me want to slap the characters upside the head. Fantastic work for making a story with such strong character development. Looking forward to seeing the finished work and I'm crossing my fingers for a happy end.

All the best.

Nyaaarrrgh

How flattering is that? To have someone write me and tell me that I, of all people, have inspired them to take the leap and try their hand at writing. Holy crap! This is about the nicest thing anyone could say to a rookie fanfic writer like myself.

Thank you very much! I appreciate it more than you know.

E-o-F

Edited November 27, 2015 by Edward_or_Ford

[Edward_or_Ford]

Well they said it would never happen, but now it has ... I've posted another chapter to this story! WOOT!

E-o-F

Edited February 20, 2016 by Edward_or_Ford

[Edward_or_Ford]

Got a review of Chapter 10

ForgetMeNaught 2016-03-07 id # 3000071318

Hah, that was tense. Why you making us all so high-strung, Mr. Ford? Do you plan to hurt us some more? Why would you do that?! Isn't it bad enough that we live in a world with Clannad?!

Sorry it took so long to drop by and read. Haven't forgotten.

No apology needed. *I'm* sorry it took so long to deliver the chapter.

The good news: the next chapter is the make-or-break moment. Either they will figure out if they can be together or not, or it will be decided for them. But that moment is coming.

The bad news: Well ... uhm ... so far I've written about 200 words of Chapter 11, plus some small sections of text that I've collected from inspirations over the last several months. The truth is Chapter 10 only got done because I had an entire day to myself to finally finish it off, and those days are few and far between. I don't know when the next one will be. A while, anyways. Sorry, but it'll be done when it's done.

E-o-F

[GeorgeGlass]

Here's the more detailed review I promised:

At long last, I have gotten around to reading this story, and I must say, its popularity is well deserved. Having written a lot of incest-themed stories myself, I know how difficult it is to construct a believable scenario in which mutual attraction between siblings becomes more than just unspoken longing. You deserve a lot of credit, not only for not taking the easy way out (ie, not using the cheap tricks that I often resort to, like inhibition-suppressing drugs or magic, or enabling the twins to know each other's desires in some quasi-magical way), but also for making the twins’ inner struggles seem so true to life. In addition, I thought the pace at which the plot develops was just right--their revelation comes late enough to be believable but soon enough that there's a good chunk of time for them to reap the rewards.

A couple of pieces of (hopefully constructive) criticism: There are points in the story--mostly in chapter 1--where it seems like too much is explained, rather than being shown through action or dialogue. I know there's a lot of backstory to tell, because an entire year has gone by between the end of the canonical story and the beginning of this one, but I would have liked it if some of that info could have been integrated with the present-time story. Also, there are a few mechanical problems, mainly missing or extra words and a few odd constructions. That said, being a professional editor, I am extremely picky about writing quality, so the mere fact that I read this story from beginning to end means that I think highly of your writing skills.

What impresses me most, though, is the way that you used those skills to build a story that is emotionally involving: funny, suspenseful, erotic, and in the end, borderline heartbreaking. I teared up at the paragraph in the last chapter where they think of “a secret way to say ‘I love you,’” because—as you no doubt intended—that was when the full meaning of the title suddenly hit me, and realizing it myself before you explained it made the moment powerfully affecting.

Thanks for writing and sharing this. I look forward to reading the sequel.

[Edward_or_Ford]

Here's the more detailed review I promised:

At long last, I have gotten around to reading this story, and I must say, its popularity is well deserved. Having written a lot of incest-themed stories myself, I know how difficult it is to construct a believable scenario in which mutual attraction between siblings becomes more than just unspoken longing. You deserve a lot of credit, not only for not taking the easy way out (ie, not using the cheap tricks that I often resort to, like inhibition-suppressing drugs or magic, or enabling the twins to know each other's desires in some quasi-magical way), but also for making the twins’ inner struggles seem so true to life. In addition, I thought the pace at which the plot develops was just right--their revelation comes late enough to be believable but soon enough that there's a good chunk of time for them to reap the rewards.

A couple of pieces of (hopefully constructive) criticism: There are points in the story--mostly in chapter 1--where it seems like too much is explained, rather than being shown through action or dialogue. I know there's a lot of backstory to tell, because an entire year has gone by between the end of the canonical story and the beginning of this one, but I would have liked it if some of that info could have been integrated with the present-time story. Also, there are a few mechanical problems, mainly missing or extra words and a few odd constructions. That said, being a professional editor, I am extremely picky about writing quality, so the mere fact that I read this story from beginning to end means that I think highly of your writing skills.

What impresses me most, though, is the way that you used those skills to build a story that is emotionally involving: funny, suspenseful, erotic, and in the end, borderline heartbreaking. I teared up at the paragraph in the last chapter where they think of “a secret way to say ‘I love you,’” because—as you no doubt intended—that was when the full meaning of the title suddenly hit me, and realizing it myself before you explained it made the moment powerfully affecting.

Thanks for writing and sharing this. I look forward to reading the sequel.

Thank you for the supportive review, George. Coming from you, this really means a lot.

Your feedback on what can be improved on is appreciated and entirely valid. I've re-read this a couple of times, and I've noticed some things that are clumsy and make me cringe a bit as I read it back, without the investment I had at the time. I hope you forgive the shortcomings on the failings of a very, very inexperienced author: as I've mentioned before, I've *never* wanted to write anything in my life before, and it's been a quarter century since I've been forced to do creative writing of any kind.

I'm happy you liked the revelation of the fistbump in the final chapter. It was one of the first things I thought of when I was imagining the plot of the story, and I knew I wanted the story to end that way, on a sad note.

As far as the sequel goes, I'm sure you've already read in the post above yours in this thread that I'm no longer able to write with anything remotely close to speed. There are two chapters left to go, and they won't be very soon. I understand if you want to wait until it's done before you dive into it.

Again, thank you for the feedback. I notice you've posted another chapter of "Comfort and Joy", so I'll check into that shortly!

E-o-F

[GeorgeGlass]

I'm happy you liked the revelation of the fistbump in the final chapter. It was one of the first things I thought of when I was imagining the plot of the story, and I knew I wanted the story to end that way, on a sad note.

I think a lot of us come up with story plots that way: We decide how it will start and how it will end, and then we just fill in the map from Point A to Point B.

As for the ending itself, I did find it sad, but I also saw a glimmer of hope in it. Dipper and Mabel may not be able to express their feelings for each other in the way they want to, but they don't deny them, either. (IMO, the worst possible ending would be something from the old "I have to protect you by making you hate me" trope, in which, say, Dipper tries to make Mabel fall out of love with him by saying or doing something incredibly hurtful to her. I'm really glad you didn't go that route.) Of course, knowing that there is a sequel story softened the blow a bit, too.

As far as the sequel goes, I'm sure you've already read in the post above yours in this thread that I'm no longer able to write with anything remotely close to speed. There are two chapters left to go, and they won't be very soon. I understand if you want to wait until it's done before you dive into it.

Ah, so you write at about the same pace that I do. No worries.

Edited March 21, 2016 by GeorgeGlass

[Edward_or_Ford]

Brief little review left a couple of weeks ago...

From ANON on June 19, 2016

i thought this was a simple love story between a brother and sister like the first fistbump. but then it turned into a lifetime drama! what the hell?

Well, I *did* try to warn you at the very start that this would be a much different story. Plus I used the word "angst" about five times in the content warnings, so I thought that might also have been a bit of a clue :-)

Whatever. Sorry you don't like where I took the story, but it is what it is. Better luck next time.

E-o-F

[Edward_or_Ford]

A couple of lovely reviews for both of the Fistbump stories:

From ANON on July 06, 2016

Fistbump was at a disadvantage in appealing to me from the very start: if each fic were a meal, underage and incestual content would be the parts I'd eat around. However, what I really like is believable story-telling with genuine expressions from the characters therein. And Fistbump has all that in spades. In fact, it accomplishes something particularly special by managing to use its taboo material to support and enhance the story. Instead of being in service of titulation or shock value, Fistbump not only justifies the inclusion of that content but would be a lesser story without it. It's glorious and very impressive.

As though that weren't enough, this story is well-written and riddled with sincerity. It does a good job capturing the feel of the canonical material so that it actually reads like something from the GF setting (as opposed to being a story with characters who happen to be named "Dipper" and "Mabel"). These are all qualities that are hard to find in amateur writing, let alone in explicit fanfics, which makes me all the happier I stumbled across this story. Edward_or_Ford, you've written something great here and I thank you for making it.

From ANON on July 06, 2016

I gushed in a previous review about Fistbump, and pretty much all the accolades there apply for Fistbump 2. However, where Fb1 is bittersweet, Fb2 is outright bitter, with precious little sweetness to spare. That's a bold choice to make because sweet is easy. Sweet is popular. A lot of people are going to be turned off by all the pathos and drama herein, and I wouldn't blame them for preferring the initial story over the sequel. However, I feel like the author has been up to the task of realizing their ambition. I applaud them for both the guts to attempt the hard road and the skill to pull it off.

Fb2 beats down its protagonists, figuratively and (especially startling) literally. And since the characters are so compelling, we the readers feel it too. Maybe I don't read enough sadfic, but whatever the reason, I wasn't expecting this level of harsh (though fully justified) reality and it hit me by surprise. Often that sort of impact is attempted clumsily, with implausible behavior or inexplicable bad luck. Fb2 sidesteps those pitfalls neatly. To extend the metaphor from my previous review, contrived or staged content would get the meal sent back entirely, and there's not an ounce of that here. Bravo, EoF.

This fic isn't over so it has yet to be seen if the author can stick the landing or not, but I'm optimistic. Regardless, this is a worthy successor to an excellent story and I very much look forward to its continuation and eventual resolution.

On an unrelated note, I first encountered Fb1 over in Archive Of Our Own and it was only by luck that I found Fb2 at all. Is there any reason why this story isn't posted over on AO3 alongside its prequel?

Not sure how to adequately respond to such praise, but thank you!

And I am holding off until the fic is complete before I post at AO3. I've made the patrons of two web sites wait for me to finish this: I don't need to inflict my tardiness on one more. :-P

E-o-F

[Edward_or_Ford]

Fistbump 2 gets another review in the archives:

From GeorgeGlass on July 16, 2016

Okay, I'm going to try to avoid spoilers here:

First off, I love Dipper and Mabel's dialogue, both internal and external. It sounds very in-character.

Second, all of the drama associated with the twins’ secret relationship seems plausible. It's easy enough for miscommunications and misunderstandings to happen in a conventional relationship. Add the need for secrecy, the guilt, ignorance about sex, and everything else that would necessarily complicate a romantic and sexual relationship between fourteen-year-old siblings, and problems are going to arise early and often. And I like that you make this point clearly without beating the reader over the head with it.

Third, great fanfic is often about taking familiar characters in completely new directions--which you have definitely done. I can’t say more without spoiling; maybe I’ll talk more about that in your review thread in the forum.

Fourth and finally, I’m really glad (having just finished reading chapter 10) that the story isn’t over yet!

Thanks for reviewing, George. My apologies for not having finished this yet. Gotta get this done before the end of summer, for sure. It's now been well over a year since I started this fic.

I think the biggest flattery you made is for my dialogue, which I've always felt insecure about (particularly Mabel's). If it felt authentic, then I guess I'm doing something right.

And yes, that discomfort and fear surrounding everything about their relationship is what I wanted to convey. Getting that feeling across was the primary thing I wanted to accomplish with this story.

E-o-F

Edited July 19, 2016 by Edward_or_Ford

[Edward_or_Ford]

People keep finding this fic, even though I haven't added a new chapter in many months! Here's another review for Unspeakable:

From ANON on July 22, 2016

I really hope you are still continuing this story ! This is the greatest gravity falls story I've ever read. Everyone is very in character and acts exactly as you would expect the characters to act. The plot is so interesting and it totally pulls at my heart strings! You are a very talented writer and I can't wait to read more. Keep up the amazing work.

*blush* Thank you Anon. That's very very kind of you to say, although I might also suggest that you have missed out on quite a lot of Gravity Falls fanfics here and elsewhere if you think this is that good.

And yes, I *will* be continuing this story. I just finished another fic ("Unexpected") that took my time, and I have another project that I have to finish with a friend. But it will get done eventually. I know exactly what needs to happen, I just have to write it. Keep checking back, or if you want to shoot me a PM I can let you know.

E-o-F

[Edward_or_Ford]

Just a note to say that for anyone waiting on me to finish “Fistbump 2”, I still haven’t abandoned it. Although I’m currently in a long period of not writing anything (for reasons of little time and lots of stress), the story still stirs regularly in my head. I fully intend to finish it. Stay with me!

E-o-F

[Edward_or_Ford]

Another nice review for Fistbump 2:

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From ANON - Anonymous on January 26, 2017

This is not only one of the best GF fanfics I've ever read, but one of the best fanfics fullstop. It was very well written, in both the sense that it was enjoyable or at least engaging to read, but it was, rather unusually, not littered with errors (that often distracts me from reading fan fictions).

I originally intended to read this as a standard erotic fan fiction, but I was engaged in the story for all ten chapters.

Well done on this story, and I hope you don't pull an Alex Hirsch and just stop now that it's getting to be the best of its kind.

Damn. Thank you for that, that was very nice! 

It is now only a few weeks away from it being a full year since I uploaded Chapter 10. I’m really sorry that I’m not getting this done. I have actually written a few hundred more words on Chapter 11 in the last several days, but I’m not at all happy with what’s coming out. I’m still struggling with my writing. One of my online friends suggested that next time I have time to sit down to this, I should try skipping to Chapter 12 and see if that unblocks the logjam in my brain. I’m planning on giving that a try. Wish me luck.

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[Edward_or_Ford]

HOLY SHIT I FINALLY FINISHED FISTBUMP 2!

If there’s anyone still following the story, go ahead and check out the archive. Chapter 11 is up, and the rest will follow in the days to come.

E-o-F

[GeorgeGlass]

Welcome back! Looking forward to reading the rest of this story.

When I reviewed the earlier portions (more than a year ago now), I think I might have promised to make some additional comments in the review thread. There were basically two things that I wanted to say at the time but somehow didn’t get around to saying until now [SPOILERS ahead]:

1. This story is really dark – maybe even a little too dark. Dipper getting beaten up by strangers struck me as a little too much salt in the wound when piled on top of everything else he suffers.
2. That said, I found some of it very relatable. Dipper’s opiate addiction comes to mind. After I had surgery, I took Vicodin for a while, and after I stopped, I found myself missing it. Not because it got me high (which it didn’t), but because it just made everything a little more pleasant. And I could very easily imagine how someone in unpleasant circumstances could get hooked on it.

In any case, I’ll be checking out the new chapters soon.

[Edward_or_Ford]

On 7/29/2017 at 0:38 PM, GeorgeGlass said:

Welcome back! Looking forward to reading the rest of this story.

When I reviewed the earlier portions (more than a year ago now), I think I might have promised to make some additional comments in the review thread. There were basically two things that I wanted to say at the time but somehow didn’t get around to saying until now [SPOILERS ahead]:

1. This story is really dark – maybe even a little too dark. Dipper getting beaten up by strangers struck me as a little too much salt in the wound when piled on top of everything else he suffers.
2. That said, I found some of it very relatable. Dipper’s opiate addiction comes to mind. After I had surgery, I took Vicodin for a while, and after I stopped, I found myself missing it. Not because it got me high (which it didn’t), but because it just made everything a little more pleasant. And I could very easily imagine how someone in unpleasant circumstances could get hooked on it.

In any case, I’ll be checking out the new chapters soon.

Yes, it was a conscious choice that I made all the way back in April of 2015 that I wanted to make this fic dark and intense. True, I didn’t really know much about writing at that time, and next to nothing about fan service to an established fandom, so perhaps I went too far.

But there actually was a good justification for something extreme to happen to Dipper at that point in the story: I wanted the parents to know that *something* had happened between the twins, but for there to be a logical reason for them to not press the kids for details. A traumatic event such as a major injury serviced this nicely. 

I have never had an issue with substance abuse and addiction, but I did enough research to hope that what I was writing was relatable. I’m glad some of it found its way through.

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[Edward_or_Ford]

My delayed reply to a new review of Fistbump 2 ...

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From GeorgeGlass on September 14, 2017
 

Nice to see this opus completed! SPOILERS ahead for the last 4 chapters:

I thought the last few chapters were well paced: one last big conflict followed by some solid reconciliation and moving forward. Dipper's religious awakening surprised me, but then, he's seen enough supernatural stuff that the idea of God and Jesus probably seems pretty believable by comparison.

There were some lovely Mabelisms: “I love you, you goober,” and her long note with that one last X near the end were my favorites. And Grunkle Stan's behavior seemed plausible, including his grudging acceptance of Dipper and Mabel's new relationship.

Now, as to the endings: Honestly, the official ending was more of a surprise to me than the alternative ending. That is, the canon ending was more upbeat than I expected, given how dark the bulk of the story is. And I was glad for that.

The alternative ending was more in line with what I was expecting. You may have kept the story free of supernatural elements, but you did note at one point that all of the strangeness in Gravity Falls ended with Weirdmageddon, and given that Bill Cipher was the architect of Weirdmageddon, I was already a little bit primed for his reappearance when it came. Also, in the canon story, I was iffy on Dipper's certainty that he and Mabel won't be found out, whereas his deal with Bill seems a much more solid explanation.

That said, I can see why you chose the lighter ending over the darker one. The alternative ending has that big first-person passage that doesn't fit with the third-person perspective used in the rest of the story. Also, given that you're planning to continue this tale, the canon ending opens up a lot more possible directions than the alternative ending does.

In any case, thanks for another big hunk of epic drama!

Thanks, George.

The Epilogue ending was my original plan for how to end this fic over two years ago when I planned it out. I was completely new to writing at the time, and I think I was overly cruel in my attitude towards anyone who would read it. To have the sequel to the story end with an even harder kick to the pills then the original story did seemed like a good idea at the time, but as time went on, I softened. I think this is a good compromise to make.

Plus, as you indicate, there was the issue of continuing the story. I think there are probably many interesting directions that the “faustian bargain” conclusion could go. Only problem is that I’m terrible at imagining supernatural and fantasy angles, and for the life of me I couldn’t come up with anything to follow the Epilogue that wasn’t really trite and derivative. I do realism better, I think. So having the twins go home with the happy ending actually happen works better for me.

As always, thank you for the detailed review. 

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