Gravity Falls: Explaining Bill Cipher X Dipper

[@patronofdragons]

I think it's even more simple. People are attracted to Bill's personality and Dipper is easy to treat as a self insert.

[@viviangarcia5696]

And most of the fandom back then were mostly minors( tweens to teens) so they gravitate toward mabel or dipper( sometimes wendy but not much) instead of the older ones like ford or stanley. I remember some in the fandom back then not used to or uninterested in shipping the older characters.

[@SlightlyDisturbed123]

Straight-up. There are worse things people can be doing, aside from making their imaginary dolls kiss. Literally-- fanfiction is the adult equivalent of a kid making their barbie kiss their toy tiger. Pretty damned harmless overall, if a bit weird.

[@cookiekatesart334]

@@SlightlyDisturbed123 thisssss like it is not that serious 9 times outa 10. I doubt most fanfic authors are constantly weighing the moral complexity of the things they wanna write about

[@SlightlyDisturbed123]

@@cookiekatesart334 Like. Is there some gross fic out there that I wouldn't touch with a 50 foot pole and a gallon bucket of sanitizer to dip myself in?? Absolutely! But also. Again. No animals were harmed in the making of this video. No real kids were harmed by someone writing that gross-ass fic. It's all in our heads; that's the nice thing about fiction. And who the hell am I to tell CSA survivors what they can and cannot write to cope?? The few creators I've met who dabble in that sort of fiction are often survivors themselves, often re-exploring their own trauma and deconstructing it in a safe environment via fiction.

[@louise4152]

Or not even self insert honestly, I think a lot of people were looking at it from like, a BL lense where dipper was the "flustered tsundere bottom in denial" almost 😭

[@plushcentric]

Everyone saying "i didnt know this was a ship wtf" are so lucky. Billdip was EVERYWHERE a few years ago. It was terrifying.

[@njivwathomassilavwe2056]

I knew. I hated it. I still hate it

[@laoreshijo9962]

It's a thing sense forever actually 😂

[@ahuman1468]

I remember… I was traumatized… being a child at the time I was trying to google my favorite characters at the same time and I didn’t want to see.. that

[@TheRibottoStudios]

not as terrifying as MabelxDipper. Come on now. I remember being jump scared by that one over on tumblr and was like "....nah I'm good for today."

[@A_Hylian_Not_An_Elf]

@@TheRibottoStudiosI remember seeing art of Bill possessing one of them. 😬

[@RavenStarMedia]

Pretty sure the humanized version of Bill actually pre-dates Alastor in Hazbin by several years. The actual inspiration was likely the Once-ler from The Lorax, who's pretty much the archetypical "Tumblr sexyman" character.

[@_obsessedescapist_]

Yeah exactly!

[@zecaneca3774]

This people just don't get tumblr sexyman lore Jack, Onceler and Bill are the ogs, the extras are just extras 🙄

[@niesolonykotlecik]

@@zecaneca3774 There is also my man Tony! I think hea's an og as well

[@SomeGaymerNerd]

wasn't alastor originally designed in 2008, or something?

[@daisana]

Once-ler was the OG Tumblr Sexyman that I know of at least, now it's sans.

[@badoomching]

I had a realisation one day that we (mostly) ship the archetypes and personalities of characters, rather than the characters themselves

[@SirLuckySlime]

And that's probably the reason why they act so out of character as well. I know that's the same for a lot of my own ships, and I tend to stop being interested once I'm not longer a fan of the archetypes. (With the exception of one ship, because I genuinely ship the characters rather than the idea of them.)

[@nosinsnolights9319]

This.

[@DLxxx]

SO TRUE! This is part of why I stopped finding ships in general to be interesting (even as far back as when I was a young teen). I still don't really understand how people can take ships seriously to this day, lol.

[@MadAliceInWonderland]

Oh for sure. Same reason why people are often attracted to characters that aren't usually considered "attractive" like Sans haha

[@badoomching]

@@MadAliceInWonderland Frrr!

[@Halloweenish]

“Dipper got sent to Gravity Falls so that his parents could stop using their indoor voices to argue.” I still can’t believe that’s cannon now.

[@stryke-jn3kv]

@@Halloweenish you wot mate? I thought that was just a dark joke

[@Halloweenish]

@@stryke-jn3kv There’s one line in the Book of Bill that outright says the Pines parents were having marital problems and that’s why they sent the kids away for the summer.

[@stryke-jn3kv]

@@Halloweenish well today I learned and I'm not sure I want to

[@TheRibottoStudios]

@@stryke-jn3kv Yep. To be more specific, Bill goes through Dipper and Mabel's dreams and while he's LEGIT impressed with Mabel's dreams (he compliments her and everything like damn Bill okay), he says that Dipper has a recurring nightmare about his parents fighting. It literally explains everything regarding their actions in the penultimate and finales of the show.

[@CollinMcLean]

@@TheRibottoStudios Mabel is truly an agent of absolute chaos

[@UnsightlyMuse]

Now do an episode on Billford. Alex Hirsch really said: yeah, let’s make the toxic old man yaoi divorce mutual pining tragic doomed situationship canon in The Book Of Bill.

[@poptarts8278]

What he really needs to make a vid on is Stanchez (Stanley Pines x Rick Sanchez (from Rick & Morty)), I'd personally love to see that

[@floraazul7622]

​@@UnsightlyMuse tbf it's not mutual pining. Ford definitely is over Bill after the split up, and hates him. Bill however, is the creepy 'clingy ex' as Mabel says lol. Bill canonically does not experience reality like humans do and doesn't have an interest in love. So aroace Bill. BUT Bill does seem to have a sense of... idk eldritch attraction? Bill desires companionship. But eldritch companionship is horror to a human. Ford is canonically not straight. 'plansexual' joke could either mean pan or aroace. Honestly what suprised me was that Fidds and Ford had something going on, that was a whole soap opera with fidds choosing to make Ford Xmas gifts, then leaving and getting into a fight with his fam bc fidd didn't make any gifts for his wife, then returning back to save Ford lol. Fidd def liked Ford, but idk if Ford liked Fidd the same way back. In the end, canon Billford to me plays a great story of Ford getting away from his abuser and managing to find safety and happiness with his family. That to me is a pretty powerful story. So while "old man yaoi" gets memed on, people ought to remember billford is not end game, but it is canon. It was toxic to drive the story forward, and did so in an interesting way imo. Ford is better off without Bill.

[@lifeisadrag7705]

@@poptarts8278 YES, I LOVE THIS

[@rowan404]

@@floraazul7622 I couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s not meant to be steamy; it’s meant to be painful; and I’m saying this as a Bill apologist. I find the BillFord memes funny, but if they _are_ exes, I don’t want them getting back together unless Bill is successfully redeemed.

[@amarbledarble]

no cuz why am I into it, in an unironic but jokey kinda angsty way.

[@ultravioletdrake4551]

Honestly, the healthiest ship in Gravity Falls that doesn't have horrendous age gaps is Sheriff Bulbs x Deputy Durland: they're two full grown men who care about one another without any weird obsession or creepiness❤

[@cookiekatesart334]

Don’t forget Soos and Melody!

[@Gravity_Rose]

@@cookiekatesart334eh not rlly a ship cuz arent they married

[@BlindStarLily]

Stan x Lazy Susan is also pretty cute imo

[@valentinkambushev4968]

@@ultravioletdrake4551 Unfortunately, they are not hot enough for people to talk about them.

[@Revangamer76666]

​@@valentinkambushev4968And Dipper is? 💀 I'm jk

[@Casterspellproductions]

Honestly, before watching I have to say that after the book of Bill, Bill X Ford is starting to make more sense to me. In a deranged narcissistic ex taking advantage of a naive younger person kind of way

[@Anewidedtity]

Wha-

[@ilikedoritos4206]

@@Anewidedtity Yeah! Theres like actual stuff in the book that actually points to Bill being Fords ex. Its actually very funny.

[@Anewidedtity]

@@ilikedoritos4206 WHAT?!?!??!?!?!??!?!?!?

[@AllMight6]

​@Anewidedtity he's not actually fords ex, obviously. But Mable calls him out for acting like it.

[@wingdingmasquerade]

Yeah the book is a wild ride. The drunk karaoke. The fuck you mean 'one thing led to another' Ford? Please elaborate for my sanity! And Bills legit 'Sir, this is a Wendy's' moment paints such a crazy picture of their relationship.

[@njva36]

I used to be a billdip shipper as a kid and from my personal experience, even I preferred the wholesome aged up fanfiction rather than the age gap which I didn't see often. What's funny to me that going back to this Fandom, I no longer ship anyone but seeing billford become popular is my favorite things since it feels like a much better upgrade from what we did back then.

[@KichiMiangra]

If it's a fandom I like I ship basically any character with anyone, provided you have a fanfic or au that makes me enjoy them?

[@GraveyardMaiden]

I remember someone made a fic where Bill was turned into a human and he was like actually 12 in human years

[@kolpkii]

@@GraveyardMaidensounds like a fanfic i would see on wattpad

[@GraveyardMaiden]

@@kolpkii Yeah, tbh I don't remember anything romantic happening just Bill being an absolute menace as a human

[@kolpkii]

@@GraveyardMaiden fr that’s why he’s my favorite character even though he would probably disfigure me within a millisecond

[@merlumili]

You did not just say human Bill was inspired by Allistor 😭 my brother in christ, Allistor is walmart human Bill Cipher

[@matteoassignon8000]

Counting this video,i've seen all four Bill Cipher,Discord,Alastor and Black Hat getting described as "evil Bugs Bunny" (i finally have them all)

[@matteoassignon8000]

Human Bill is Walmart Onceler so....

[@darkoverlord4863]

I started crying when I heard that line

[@Barakon]

@@matteoassignon8000 they're all basic ass tumblr sexymen WE GET IT.

[@anonymous-rq2lh]

the “demon represented by a tall skinny guy in a suit” design trope was a thing *long* before hazbin/alastor, this was a common design choice for people’s interpretation of humanized bill as early as around 2014

[@mooniedreams]

NO GODS, DON'T REMIND ME

[@ZPaul_]

I didn’t even know this was a thing until now 😭

[@erikbihari3625]

Want something sadder? Star butterfly had her show chugging along, while fangbone got the cliffhanger ending! Stings, right?

[@Lovehandels]

TOO LATE!!! WE ALL SHALL BURN!!!!!

[@vonnie0_0]

I literally forgot about this being a ship too, why did he have to remind us of its existence? 😭

[@hybridvenom9]

I remember when it got popular (maybe not "so popular" but definitely in the gacha community) as well

[@teatime5847]

Honestly, the only thing I disagree with is killing stalking. I read the whole thing, that is not yandere. Both of the protagonists of that webcomic are just really unstable people. It's more psychological horror, not sexy like some others fan of the story want to make you believe.

[@KichiMiangra]

It's because people forget that Killing Stalking is not an abusive romance, maybe a titillating horror in some places but it's a psychological horror :

[@cartoonishidealism582]

Psychological horror is sexy to some people lol

[@CBMOA]

Yangire? (Since it’s not considered romantic because yangires don’t show love)

[@MadAliceInWonderland]

Exactly, was just thinking that. The comic doesn't present it as a viable ship, just a horrific one. If anything, most of the fandom ships each of them with jail and therapy respectively afaik lol

[@Katelizaj]

Are we still acting like killing stalking didnt mark every checkbox of fetish yaoi?

[@ryoushi4339]

When i saw the notification, It felt like an April's Fool Joke

[@derrickdaniels3955]

In August?

[@mewo-rz6fg]

Happy August fool day/j

[@kurrokiri9543]

When this show was coming out and the fans were kids, it was BillDip Now with the resurgence and fans re-watching it as adults, its all BillFord I think its so funny

[@damienberry974]

i think its cuz ford is just dipper but in his 50's lol even as a teen i saw the parallels between the two and thought it hilarious that dips role model was basically himself in 40 Ish years

[@DLxxx]

I think it's s probably because people are more inclined to self insert with characters that are around their age. As a young preteen/teenager, it's not like too likely that you'll see yourself in Stan or Ford, for example. So people attracted to Bill's personality (as was usually the case with animated villains on Tumblr) would just use Dipper in place of themselves, since it was a lot more taboo to ship yourself with fictional characters back then (arguably still is now to an extent). As they got older, and realized Ford was just Dipper but older, that ship just made more sense.

[@Charlotte-zi1fd]

can confirm as a 19 yo

[@ayyq3174]

​@@damienberry974hes in his 80s i think

[@ayyq3174]

Correction: stan and ford was in their 60s

[@werh227]

14:00 Excuse you, Alastor? AND NOT THE TUMBLR SEXY MAN THE ONCELER??? FOR SHAME, FOR SHAME!!! Alastor wishes he inspired such a movement in a whole different fandom, that isn't discussing how he appropriated religius iconography.

[@circa134]

human bill predates alastor lmfao

[@diannaherrera3768]

"it's not one of the weirdest things to come out of this show, but it's up there" He's so real for that. I'm still disgusted of all the incest fanart I've seen with Dipper and Mabel...

[@dapperdabber13]

fr why do people act like BILLDIP is the WORST ship of the fandom when THAT exists?

[@floraazul7622]

Yep. So. Many. Creeps. And they would not tag thier content so I would get jumpscared by cursed content on tumblr all the damn time. I also had the displeasure of seeing the Grunkles shipped together, as well as the grunkles shipped with Dipper and Mabel. Really disgusting vile stuff. I was a teen back then, I just wanted to see cool theories.... fandoms are so cursed lol.

[@KichiMiangra]

​@@dapperdabber13 I guess that it depends on if people feel the Canon content of the ship is additive, subtractive, or neutral to the popularity of the ship, and to those who enjoy the DipperxMabel ship either find the fact that they're siings to be either neutral or additive to the experience of the ship, while finding Billdip age gap, potential for abuse, or human/nonhuman nature to be subtractive to the experience?

[@joyc.e.7511]

@@floraazul7622 Everything you mentioned was awful, but the grunkles shipped with their niece and nephew actually made me dry heave jesus christ

[@The1andonlysharpshooter]

The fact they even have a ship name that GLORIFIES said action makes it even more horrific unfortunately.

[@sugardemon9999]

I really like your take, is very mature and calm. As someone that used to like this ship back in the day, I was a child that just wanted to age up Dipper to a post college age and make my little story with tropes I liked. It really was not that deep, I wasn't thinking about anything else and I think a lot of people were in the same boat.

[@cookiekatesart334]

Sameee. Some of my favorite fics came from Billdip back in the day, and all college age and whatnot. But I can never talk about them cuz I’ll get burned at the stake for it

[@sansthecomic767]

it still is a proship though [I do remember the days where u was 9 and shipped billdip]

[@sansthecomic767]

I get it but still dipper is a child ​@@cookiekatesart334

[@KichiMiangra]

Generally I think a huge percentage of Billdip shipping was aged up to "That summer right after highschool/before college" or during or right after college. It always felt wierd to me when people would claim that it's still problematic to age up characters because their "only doing it to not get introuble for nsfw stuff" when maybe ya just like the pairing, like the characters, but don't want them in their cringe tween phase?

[@Reikoko34]

Same

[@nikolaib5764]

No BillFord video? Just 2015 ptsd? Fine!

[@ifeeldead463]

Give Chorus time

[@wingdingmasquerade]

I would have absolutely thought a BillFord video would have been more likely with info from the new book. But no, this repressed nightmare was chosen instead.

[@nikolaib5764]

@@wingdingmasquerade I suppose that's keeping in-theme with the topic of Bill

[@TemiAdetobi]

FOR REAL FOR REAL

[@CrookedClover]

​​@@wingdingmasqueradeI honestly find it so funny now because Bill is acting like an depress crazy ex wife and still crying over it and getting drunk at Taco bell and passing out 😂

[@Mr_Muda_Himself]

13:42 chorus. I love ya, but I think you might’ve gotten some stuff backwards. People have been twinkifying Bill long before Alastor was even a twinkle in Vizipop’s mind, he and the onecler were the original 2 sexymen, the primordials, and the blueprint in which all others diverge from. If anything it’s more accurate to say Alastor was based on human bill cipher

[@matteoassignon8000]

Bill,Sans,Onceler and Alastor are the big 4 of tumblr sexymen LOL

[@despinasgarden.4100]

​@@matteoassignon8000 don't forget the purple guy, and i mean Vincent Bishop, the purple guy from Rebornica, not William Afton (even though Afton is popular too).

[@chestercat1318]

You’d think so but the hazbin characters are actually way older than the show. The first posted drawing of Alastor was at latest in January 2013 - 5 months before Bill first appeared in gravity falls. The characters originate from artwork viviziepop posted on her socials. She was planning to use them in a webcomic she was making at the time.

[@MuneDrift]

Thank you! I was just about to say this! I love hazbin hotel, but alastor is not one of the original tumblr sexy men. Bill and the Oneclr walked so Alastor could run!

[@Mayo_Instrument]

​@@matteoassignon8000 I don't think Alastor is really one of the big ones, he is popular, yes, but among young audiences and young audiences are no longer so aware of the "Tmblur lore" and that's something to say because when popular polls are made Alastor never gets that far, not even on Twitter. It's probably because Alastor is actually attractive which makes the point of being a Tumblr sexy man go away, you know, people find them unconventionally attractive.

[@Dinomask-ye1ok]

7:46 "because People are cowards and won't use ford" *Book of bill comes out* ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT

[@valentinkambushev4968]

1:30 Hey, the first one is Pacifica. I still have faith in humanity.

[@mcwildstyle9106]

The only question is how long will it be?

[@hayemdr3474]

That's such a cute ship

[@Mesowav]

Nah but "dipper x mabel" is still 3rd 😭

[@valentinkambushev4968]

@@Mesowav I didn't say I have a ton of faith.

[@TheRibottoStudios]

@@Mesowav hurgh god that ship is just....now THAT is a ship that makes you go WHY.

[@sensarna]

In my heart Bipper will always be a part of the Bad Ending Gang with Ice King Finn and Beast Wirt. So much edgy fanart. Those were the good times.

[@KichiMiangra]

And yet the original creator of that au is still unknown so it's like a lost media mystery!

[@darkness_hound1375]

I need to go back to the Bad End Friends fandom!!! I miss it, but it's hard to find good fics about them

[@despinasgarden.4100]

​@@darkness_hound1375X2 amazing fandom, i'm sure the Bad End Gang has gotten some new members recently.

[@midnightartist43]

Sigh, I remember that. So cool Possessed Hunter would have definitely been apart of it too. I just know it

[@theblepblep57]

I loved Bad end friends so much! I always thought the fanart looked cool

[@killsthelight5511]

If Dipper x Bill has no haters i'm dead. Been a hater since day 1 and already understood how problematic it was when i was 9.

[@jskywalker58]

well yeah bill's a trillon years old whiel dipper was only 12 way to big of a age gap if you ask me

[@Gravity_Rose]

i legit hate myself cuz the only thing preventing me from finding it decent is the massive age gap

[@TheRibottoStudios]

@@Gravity_Rose Bruh shipping Bill with ANYONE would have a massive age gap lol

[@BendyBoiii]

I knew someone who did unfortunately and i hate them

[@joyc.e.7511]

@@TheRibottoStudios At least when it's a grown ass middle aged adult, it's less problematic.

[@thefabuloustrash05]

7:47 To be fair, Billford has been growing in popularity lately because of the newest Gravity Falls book that just came out. Billdip traumatized me so much as a kid (still does as an adult), so seeing the title jumped scared me for a sec 😭

[@JeLLyMARKs28HERE]

“Because people are cowards and won’t use Ford.” HANANSBSBNS THAT LINE PLEASE 7:47

[@KichiMiangra]

HiLarousse, but jokes on them, I am not a coward! I simply have need of Ford elsewhere >:)

[@merlumili]

who's gonna tell him lol

[@merlumili]

@jujusberry or the love cage thing LOL

[@Vileplume87]

Yeah they need to quit being so scared

[@DLxxx]

That line actually confused me a bit? How is shipping something as taboo as BillDip over something less problematic (by comparison, at least) a case of people being cowards? Wouldn't they have LESS to be scared of if they just shipped Bill and Ford? 🤔

[@Raph___A]

Never in my entire life have I ever seen anyone ship Dipper x Bill, and I did not need to know about this

[@plushcentric]

God where have you been for the past 8 years.

[@hayemdr3474]

Bro never encountered ao3

[@swims11torches]

Guessing you weren't too involved in the fandom back in the day, and if I'm wrong, I envy you.

[@manuproulx2764]

@Raph___A Lol. Sounds like you've been living under a rock for 8+ years. Those of us who have been there since the beginning KNOW that there are many people on the Internet who have been shipping Billdip since Sock Opera.

[@manuproulx2764]

​@@hayemdr3474 And Wattpad. (There are SO many Billdip stories on that website, but to be fair Wattpad is also where any cringy fanfic can be found. So, it's no surprise to me whatsoever.)

[@kaceisahuman]

I said out loud “what the fuck” after seeing the title

[@AnnieLazy]

Same-

[@thatanimationfan9649]

It would've been stranger if you didn't

[@Nyrari]

same 😭😭

[@AnnieLazy]

@@thatanimationfan9649 Fair enough-

[@valentinkambushev4968]

The idea of Bill having a sex drive is an idea I can't comprehend. Like Voldemort or Palpatine having a daughter.

[@firesister2819]

I'M FINISHING THIS LATER, BUT HOW DARE YOU UNLOCK THIS REPRESSED MEMORY

[@paranoid-v3q]

Lmfao, I remember not understanding the concept of age when I was any ages below 15. Now, I just hate how sinisterly naïve (does this make sense?) I was back then. Not only I didn’t understand the concept of age, or the fact I used to enjoy crack ships, I ended up dating the wrong people who were way too old for me. HENCE, THIS VIDEO UNLOCKS MY NO-NO MEMORIES OF UNFORGIVABLE PAST. 😭🙏

[@thefastrightptg5048]

​@@paranoid-v3qso you were one of those brainless people who thought of these ships💀?

[@paranoid-v3q]

@@thefastrightptg5048 Thought of it as in invented it in a sense? No. But, my dumbarse followed it 💀

[@Lisa-yz4xn]

​@@paranoid-v3qbro I was the same when I was 12. With the fact that Dipper was mostly always aged up and served as a great self insert, I think I understand why children were attracted towards this ship specifically. Not saying it isn't eh controversial and a bit weird but being aware of stuff like that when you are a child yourself is way more difficult

[@Girlinterrupted..x]

​@@thefastrightptg5048most billdip shippers were minors (10-14) calling em brainless isn't ethical since they were children who didn't understand the concept of age gaps. if a grown adult was shipping them now that would be ATROCIOUS

[@tetitous]

I think it's important to remind people that, back then, when you were a kid, you weren't really thinking about age gaps nearly as much as we do today. Nowadays we're so obsessed with it we actually judge people based on how they make fictional characters interact on a side platform, but back then only dark fanart and dark fics were considering it, and the goal was often to treat it very seriously in those situations. Friendly reminder as well that some people use fiction as an outlet to talk about stuff they went through, and you won't necessarily know, and that you're never obligated to interact with it.

[@zebraroll2037]

I hate how no one is considering that we were kids. We. Were. KIDS. We weren't thinking about the age gap or how terrible this ship was. It feels like the internet thinks we were pedophile adults back then.

[@milkak6823]

Ikr?! Like, as a 12 year old I shipped myself with Bill (and wrote fanfics about him in adult human form) and the "age gap" wasn't just something I'd care about that much. I also shipped billdip but it was either platonic, aged up or aged down. I just don't get why people nowadays ignore the whole context and the fact that 90% of these shippers were literally children who will get attached to anything and just rather label everyone as "problematic".

[@CBMOA]

@@milkak6823 Children with a conscience and a choice but yeah that was a painful fact easily to ignore Funny thing was that when I was a kid, I don’t ship Dipper and Bill (at least I don’t believe I do 🤨)

[@MadAliceInWonderland]

As a kid I had crushes on older teens. It's just kid stuff, you have no idea it's that weird until you become older and look back.

[@MikePhantom]

aka people were not crazy in the past.

[@dorkydoodle3573]

I think I saw a tweet about this but another reason why this ship was so popular in its day was because of how most of the fandom identified with/saw themselves in Dipper and treated him more as a self-insert, since selfshipping was seen as more “cringe” or taboo in 2016 tumblr than it is today. Basically they just treated Dipper like an oc and projected their crush on the most tumblr sexyman-adjacent character in the show (again also due to the obscurity of Cipher’s age it was easier to treat him like an approachable bad-boy teen and not an ancient god of chaos like how he is in the show). I’m just glad the fandom has moved onto billford by know as that’s wwAAY more societally acceptable and has a better “toxic-ex” dynamic thanks to the Book of Bill :P As the fandom ages so do the popular ships.

[@night4138]

Besides the shipping I think a really big thing in the fandom was the Au's Specifically Reverse Falls and Monster Falls (i think the names are self explanatory) Immortal Pines was also something that seemed pretty big with some weird storytelling, but cool stories that could come out of it

[@TheRibottoStudios]

Soooooooooooo many AUs to filter through my GOD lol

[@night4138]

@@TheRibottoStudios yeah Those were main ones I've seen tho

[@TheRibottoStudios]

@@night4138 oh yeah. I really don't know why monster Falls got so big. Just wasn't ever my cup of tea. Reverse Falls I kinda get tho. That's fun.

[@night4138]

@@TheRibottoStudios I think it was just because they were monsters and Bill was (usually) Human in the au The designs people made were cool

[@alexparra15]

There was also Fight Falls, and the crossovers between AUs, and the people shipping between crossovers. And the fanart.

[@EsfingeCinza]

O3O)-b the book of Bill indicates that Bill prefers... Uhm... Older man

[@louaidz1929]

Wait so is Bill x Ford now somewhat canon?

[@EsfingeCinza]

@@louaidz1929 bitter exes, yeah

[@TheRibottoStudios]

@@EsfingeCinza this puts a new light on their dynamic in the show and that's kind of funny. They're legit exes lol

[@floraazul7622]

​​@@TheRibottoStudios Bill is confirmed to not experience human reality/love and is aroace. But Bill seems to experience 'eldritch attraction' in that Bill wants companionship. Bill isn't even fully an adult in his species (VERY ancient tho compared to humans)! So to Bill an eldritch companionship would be horrific to any human lol. Ford is confirmed to not be straight (a 'plansexual' joke so either pan or aroace depending on how you interpret it.) But Bill is the creepy clingy ex, played up for humor in the book. Thankfully Ford escapes the abuse and gets a safe happy ending with his family. That to me is a nice story.

[@fynnket]

wouldn't older for him be like... 50 trillion years

[@featherplushie]

After watching this I really want an exploration video on Bill x Ford now with the release of the Book of Bill

[@TheRibottoStudios]

saaaaaaaaaaaaame. That ship is a huge can of worms though.

[@saraleonorgomezcasicote5086]

​@@TheRibottoStudios My kind of can of worms, old man yaoi W

[@TheRibottoStudios]

​@saraleonorgomezcasicote5086 honestly agree after getting into this ship as an adult like. Damn I missed OUT back in the day. The drama in this ship OMG. I thought Billdip could produce a lot of drama MY GOD. That's nothing 😅

[@kolpkii]

makes more sense because old man x VERY old man

[@BillCipher287]

​@@kolpkiiStill illegal though if ya think about it :D

[@luleoli]

bro it is so humiliating to admit that i ate this shit up when i was a kid but this video was so wild to see that i have to talk about it lol from ages 12-14 i read so much fanfiction of this ship on ao3 that left an imprint on me that i still remember the names and plots of my favorites. and i obviously don’t ship it or agree with it anymore because now i’m an adult with a working brain and moral compass, but i will say SC you’re awesome as always for giving the most thoughtful and nuanced takes. all the fanfiction or art i ever read or ran into had aged up dipper, and at least for me there was never actually that much faithfulness to the show. it kind of seemed like people took the basic idea of “gay enemies to lovers paranormal nerd x demon who messes with him,” slapped on a hot human form for the demon, and then went off the rails to make their own reimagining of the characters and story. i remember being super into the ship but never once when rewatching the show thinking “omg they’re so cute together” bc… no people will always love the fantasy of straight up toxic relationships because we have all these depictions of confident sexy abusers, or evil-to-good character growth caused by falling in love, so of course kids were projecting that onto these two

[@saphire1sababy378]

Honestly same I remember reading one of the billdip fanfics Most of them definitely involved aus and aged up characters After yk.. growing up, I definitely prefer Stanford and bill as a “they definitely had a thing”

[@diegorojas8959]

Its warm my heart how popular Phoenix and Miles still is. MFs read unnecesary feeling and from that point forward decided to ride or die that ship for life.

[@Ijustusethistocommentstuff]

And its equally great spinoff, Franmaya.

[@SkeletonLeiutenant]

♪Say Bill, I hear ya like 'em young...♪

[@-cherrylimeade-4872]

I’m so far gone that I read this to the tune of the space panda remix

[@TheRibottoStudios]

actually according to the Book of Bill he likes em older lol XD not even kidding Stanford goes "things sort of just happened" WHAT DO YOU MEAN THINGS JUST HAPPENED FORD?! What-what do you mean things HAPPENED?!

[@SkeletonLeiutenant]

@@TheRibottoStudios 😂😂😂wtaf!!!?🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@SkeletonLeiutenant]

@@-cherrylimeade-4872 the what?

Young & fine. 😎

[@phantomarine]

The number of people saying they've never seen this is ASTOUNDING. This is legitimately all the shipping I saw 🤣

[@justjoannak]

Same!

[@GhostMoss]

sameeeeeee

[@oddaceisodd.]

I feel disturbed that this is how I learn Bill x Dipper is a thing

[@spacekid9680]

People are so weird

[@BrandonScott-mi5pz]

EXCELLENT WORK. SARCASTIC CHORUS GRAVITY FALLS BILL CIPHER X DIPPER SERIOUSLY DARK

[@midnightartist43]

Guess it’s better then stumbling upon it back when it was popular lmao

[@midnights2631]

You poor thing.

[@somethingwithbungalows]

@@BrandonScott-mi5pz wot?

[@ineedabetterusername4803]

"robbies not hot enough" excuse you i was down horrendous as a child

[@louise4152]

Youre so real

[@hannahmetzger4880]

Robbie reminds me of Douxie from _Wizards:Tales of Arcadia,_ only with _much_ more douchebagery, for some reason. :P.

[@VanNessy97]

The virgin Billdip vs the chad Billford

[@xSonamy]

💀

[@zenmaster8]

I would love to see you make a billford video. After book of bill, I totally believe it was canon

[@BillCipher287]

I sure wish it wasn't :')

[@zenmaster8]

@@BillCipher287 not my fault you blew the best relationship you ever had

[@GoldenAfternoonsInHell]

Can confirm, I was a child who did not see grown man, just saw "funny triangle is evil sometimes" As a kid, I really enjoyed the dynamic between "Naive/logical/earnest/caring" and "way too knowing/illogical evil/does whatever he wants/doesnt care for shit" and thats where my thinking power began and ended

[@firebat9664]

Growing up and shopping billdip was so cringe. Being 13 is wild. But growing up and having ford x bill in the book was honestly super sweet

[@eloise2319]

7:47 That's so ironic, considering the state of the fandom as of The Book of Bill lmao. Never thought I'd see the day where Billford was trending on Tumblr.

[@monicaenglish2566]

1:29 I see Dipper x Pacifica is the first search that pops up hehe 🤭 Definitely a Dipcifica fan and would love if you'd cover a video of those two in the future!

[@T.V102]

WHY, NOT THIS PART OF THE FANDOM AGAIN

[@cookiekatesart334]

The way I can distinctly make out a number of Elentori’s fanarts despite the heavy pixelation haunts me 😭😭😭

[@Little_Eris]

Don’t forget the Lifewriter ones~

[@cookiekatesart334]

@@Little_Eris had to look up they’re name but YES 😭😭😭

[@irritatedlibrarian9057]

It's that turquoise sweater that Bill wears. I will always immediately recognize him in it as their art.

[@cookiekatesart334]

@@irritatedlibrarian9057 that’s the exact one I noticed, with the diner bg and game grumps quotes 💀💀💀

[@jvdos]

No. Just please No. Alex Hircsh said that Mabel would despise this ship. Cmon, dont ship it. For Mabel.

[@anonymouslucario285]

Did you actually watch the video?

[@suttonz6067]

Bro didn't even watch the first 15 seconds of the vid

[@JUNESCOVE]

For Mable

[@bluebay1031]

I mean that’s not really gonna hold up with a lot of people, regardless of what they ship, since a sizable chunk of the fandom doesn’t even like Mabel. I feel like you’d have more luck saying Alex Hircsh hates the ship.

[@TheRibottoStudios]

@@bluebay1031 I don't understand how the fandom came to hate her for giving a possessed Blandon the globe. Like....hi hello the MASTER OF MANIPULATION was eating away at her. Bet they'd all cave under Bill's tactics just like she did. She did NOT deserve that hate. Especially after what we learn in Book of Bill.

[@skylersilva6582]

I'm so glad bill x ford is now the more popular ship

[@lexruptor]

"A matpat clone no one watched" *everyone watched. I'd watch a Dipper ran theory channel.

[@justjoannak]

I would say the Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained shorts are the closest to that

[@rheyaer]

oh boy i never thought i'd see this day

[@leannpacheco8985]

I was waiting for it

[@santoriomaker69]

bro solving mysteries more unsolvable than the book of bill

[@Raziel312]

Coming from the Transformers fandom, this reminds me a little bit of one of the weirdest things to come out of Transformers Prime. Shipping Jack Darby, a teen, with Arcee. Arcee being an ageless machine-woman who is millions of years old and is three times Jack's size. But she's undercover as his motorcycle, so the "rides her all over town" jokes write themselves.

[@superthorc6894]

It's still not the Weirdest ship that transformers had but yeah

[@TheBluntDoctor]

You had bill X ford at your FINGER TIPS. Please chorus I’ll bake you any dessert of your choice for a month I need it more than anything

[@sofig1237]

It's interesting how they ended up making Bill/Ford canon. Which is basically this but more legal 😂

[@wolfesona]

"what the fuck" I said calmly

[@zombies4evadude24]

Bruh I put “dipper x” in the search bar and dipper x Mabel showed up higher than dipper x bill. Fml

[@cassidylikesgravityfalls]

What the heck 😭 Dipper x Mabel shouldn’t even exist at all-

[@kolpkii]

WHAT

[@Neon_ZeonYT]

NAHHH😭😭

[@justjoannak]

🤮🤮🤮

[@hannahmetzger4880]

Honestly, I would rather ship BillDipp again or ship BillFord than ship Dipper x Mabel 🤢.

[@CatClone1]

favorite thing about tumblr's aging demographic is the most popular fanarts on the gravity falls tag going from billdip to billford

[@shadowprincess3724]

Billford really IS just a less problematic version of Billdip. I say this as a former child who occasionally dabbled in Billdip

[@Madie_plays_roblox]

I 100% forced/bullied my friends into watching this because it’s that good 0:18

[@AAShaker5209]

how do you do that I wanna do it lmao

[@maem7462]

I was lucky that one of my sisters also loved this show. We would talk abt theories together sometimes especially if we heard some online. I do remember seeing one of the shorts that advertised and the one that I saw wasn’t very good it didn’t show all the good things that the show is capable of. It sadly made me think the show wasn’t going to be that good. Luckily during a vacation the first episode aired while watching TV and both my sister and I have it a chance. It showed that it’s a fun time and made us want to watch more. Then we become obsessed more as the plot progressed.

[@emmanoonan675]

I did not expect to be confronted with THIS part of my childhood but here we are. I enjoyed the nuanced take, thank you. Also I never clocked the similarities between the designs for human Bill fanart and Alastor but it makes,, so much sense

[@SonicTheAutismCreature]

It would be cool if you could make a BillFord video, I've been absolutely obsessed after The Book Of Bill and that toxic lovers to enemies feels right up your alley.

[@ghostfaceknight142]

0:52 "you know it" no I did not know it. I had faith in humanity my bad

[@Tsumikanidv]

You should know better then that

[@marieseaman7855]

After "Dipper goes to taco bell" and "Dipper x Mabel" you should have lost your faith in humanity

[@darkness_hound1375]

I chuckled when I saw the title because even I, a former Billdip shipper, can't explain this other than angst potential and depraved fanfics. I can't wait to see what you have to say about the shipp, will come back to this comment after the video Edit:I've just finished watching the video and I must say I agree with most, if not all, of what you said! Specially the age and "not many options" things. I was 11 when I mostly read about this two, and since Bill didn't have a cannonical age (He was *OLD* , but they never gave a specific number) and they usually aged up Dipper, I only realized how wrong that part of the shipp was with the years. Adding to that, I actually never shipped those two while watching the series, I only discovered the shipp after discovering the lack of BillxFord content that I wanted and was looking for, so I ended up giving into the BillxDipper fanfics. After watching this video, I'm just realizing that the fanarts did affect me too. Either way, I don't think the personalities meant that much on the creation of this shipp; the writter leaned more into developing prompts and ideas than exploring the chemistry between the characters (BECAUSE THERE IS NO CHEMISTRY, I'M MENTALLY SCREAMING AT MY 11 YEAR OLD ME). Similar to what you said, but yandere Bill was not that commun, at least in the shameful long list of fanfics I've read. This are the plots I found more about, for anyone interested: -The Pines twins went back to Gravity Falls, but Mabel and/or the Grunkles acted horrible towards Dipper (Usually Mabel became popular in high school and started bullying Dipper). Dipper either went to Bill himself or accepted a deal with an approaching manipulating Bill, and along the story romantic feelings started to awake and Bill started to personally want revenge for Dipper (I also believe that this types of stories were the generators of most of the Mabel hatred, at least in the hispanic fandom, and we had this name for her, "Mab*tch") (AND, this ones do remind me a lot of the SebastianxCiel shipp) -Bill some way or another left most of his madness behind and they became a normal couple aside from the age gap. This also includes AU's were Bill is not a chaos lover demon and an actual somewhat normal human being -Bill is Bill but even more sadists and he either wants revenge on Dipper or wants to hurt Stanford so he kidnaps him. No romantic feelings unless the author was merciful enough to give him Stockholm syndrome. Bill wants to experiment with his human form. Honestly, some of this stories barely even had...that, and I'm still traumatized with a couple of them that I can actually name and recap. 11 year old me discovered a lot of things with this kind of stories that she probably shouldn't have So...yeah, except for the yandere Bill part, I think this video is pretty on point

[@KichiMiangra]

"Potential" is really the only word needed to explain it

[@darkness_hound1375]

​@@KichiMiangraPretty much XD

[@magicalpopfish9570]

Yeah agree but I was there too and there was suprisingly not a lot of "Yandere Bill" Billdip(less than 50 in the total 4,500 fic on Ao3 and that's not even mentioning the quality though I did filter out non-english fics.). As a lover of Yandere ship Fanfics this was somewhat disappointing but then I realized that there were other dynamics to be explored between the two and I was sated.

[@DW-fn2mq]

I didn't even watch the show back then and yet i still stumbled upon this ship, it was THAT popular and everywhere just like voltron.

[@justjoannak]

Omg, the Klance/Voltron mentioned

[@hannahmetzger4880]

Same. Also yes, I shipped BillDipp (even though I was never really in the fandom and didn't watch Gravity Falls). Also yay, Klance/Voltron mentioned!!! 😁.

[@UnknownAkari]

A comment on Twitter lives rent free in my head: "Billford is just Billdip but it's legal age" and I still think about that. I did ship Billdip WHEN I WAS NINE. I was a small child and now I'm turning 18 this year. A lotta people talk abut knowing how gross the ship was as a kid but for me, brains were brains. There were no difference and age didn't change the fact that. Of course, I've gone through a shit ton of life experience now and realize, yeah, age factors in a FUCK TON. Small children are very different to adults. Yeah I probably should have known that but I wasn't chronically online back then. I didn't assume everyone was an asshole. Now, I'm a proud Billford shipper but it's also because I got a copy of the Book of Bill. I did read stuff where Dipper was aged up tho. But I got out of that phase real quick before going onto ship enemies to lovers from an anime with two adults. And while I do agree Billford is in the same aura as Billdip, there's definitely a difference.

[@saylemevelyn]

i think theres also something to be said about billdip shippers who project themselves onto dipper. like, having interest in unhealthy and manipulative dynamics has different connotations when one is projecting onto the victim than when one is projecting onto the manipulator.

[@finny3-wx6pr]

agreeing with this as a victim projector :)

[@KichiMiangra]

I'm actually very glad you brought this up as I find it's far more common for people to assume they know who the shipper is relating to in the dynamic and judge based on that. Had a convo a few years back with someone who assumed adult shippers who enjoyed a certain ship between a teen and a... I dunno 40-somthing(?) was specifically relating to and projecting on the adult, the predator, the abuser because they couldn't comprehend that an adult could project onto anything but another adult, rather than seeing themselves in the groomed and manipulated teen. Kinda blew their mind, while introducing me to the fact that THATs what a lot of people think about certain ships?

[@TheRibottoStudios]

Now that could be a fascinating discussion regarding this ship if people weren't so immature reacting to it. Myself being ace, and having had NO experience with relationships, I think the main reason why I did really like this ship back in the day was the dynamic between the two. In a lot of fics, Bill almost became like a magic mentor to Dipper, which I found fascinating. The relationship bordered on "oh cute" to "oh mmm" and I think a lot of kids or preteens would like that sort of thing cause it can challenge their world view. Kids LIKE to be scared, it makes them feel brave at least coming from my own experience, I always felt better about myself having conquered some fear. And Bill can represent a lot of different fears since he's such an anomaly of a character. But mostly fear of the unknown. What we know to be right and wrong we experience through media after all. Along with our own experiences of course. Being exposed to such a ship like this, can be a good way for younger members of the fandom to be taught "hey it's okay if you like it, BUT here's why it can be problematic and here are some signs to watch out for if you are in this type of relationship." Sorry this got really analytical, but I think this ship can be studied in ways people aren't looking at and it should be looked at in an analytical way like any other ship Chorus looks at. I really hope he talks about Billford cause...WHOOOO boy. Big can of worms.

[@tophatman2272]

Why was this a ship like why

[@mcwildstyle9106]

Because weird fans. It’s sometimes hard to say

[@bezierballad8852]

The real question we should be asking is Why is this *still* a ship? 🫠

[@louaidz1929]

If I had to make a guess, maybe self inserts to date Bill?

[@dapperdabber13]

I think people in these comments are being a bit overdramatic. It's the dynamic plain and simple. Villain x hero is always going to be a hugely popular ship dynamic. Will the hero be able to redeem the villain, will the villain corrupt the hero, it's a 50-50. Will how unpredictable and chaotic Bill is, writing for him is probably pretty fun for fanfic writers.

[@toadlord8594]

Because fans are crazy, and Internet is Jack full of Crazy!

[@poenpotzu2865]

I cant believe how educational these videos have been. Im glad I did not have internet access growing up watching this show.

[@Petrigrof..]

BILLFORD NEXT PLEASE

[@rivermaxwell3834]

Honestly, Billford has become extremely popular recently. It has all of the supposed appeal of Bill Dip with a more complex dynamic and an actual legal romance.

[@njivwathomassilavwe2056]

Absolutely not kill this with fire. Well time to erase this from my memory forever

[@valentinkambushev4968]

No, kill it with melted metal.

[@anonymouslucario285]

The video?

[@twilluz7188]

You don’t know how terrified i was when i saw this notification and also how relieved i was when i found out they were AGAINST it . 😭

[@Monkeylighthouse]

This notification was a flash bang

[@vickypedia1308]

I am truly baffled by the amount of people here who did not know about BillDip. I know the fandom is getting old but... wow, it's *old.* I got into it a year after the show ended, which I thought was late. But BillDip was still going strong at the time. It was by far the ship I saw the most fanart and fanfiction of, and I wasn't even trying to look for it.

[@frienderbee]

7:47 its not so much that people were cowards to not use Ford, but he didnt turn up till much later in the show. And by the time he was an option, billdip was already huge

[@thenerdbeast7375]

Pretty sure you're thinking about Oncler for one of those Bill humanoid inspirations because Gravity Falls ended over 3 years before the Hazbin Hotel pilot.

[@montserratmarroquin400]

Yeah I don’t know what he was thinking with that one

[@shinesoul7472]

8:02 just going to bring up. The ship was sailing before Ford came in. I don’t know how nowadays fans think but do keep in mind half the ‘other options’ you mention don’t happen till mid Season2

[@Lilly_the_Snek]

Checks date to see is April 1st came early

[@maiyaallred3992]

This is so well timed. I just read a post about the new book and I think people missed the opportunity to ship Ford and Bill

[@leemebaby]

Thank you for the nuanced take at the end! So many are so involved in discourse they forget to be involved in their own lives! XD

[@locxlsxdsxck5171]

I'm so glad Alex gave us Billford after all these years

[@SithLordMalco]

Main Heroes and Main Villains being shipped together is popular - see Ruby/Cinder Fall or Ruby/Salem

[@Iamnotrealgacha09]

My war flashbacks are hitting hard right now

[@mariavasilenko9863]

Dude I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate that you talk about ships and specifically emphasize that they are just fantasies and for the most part don't display real ideas about romantic relationships.

[@internetgal38]

PLEASE make a video on bill x ford (the only valid toxic yaoi ship with bill 😭) amazing video btw

[@user-qx2kb9jl4y]

Please explain Billford instead i forgot this ship existed☹

[@i.like.nominal.dingus]

The best thing about Bill in my mind is his dependence on making deals, and how good he is at it. He just gives Alastor even tho bill came out first

[@i.like.nominal.dingus]

Note: just hit the bill to alastor how’s this squidward, which only proves my point lol

[@ifeeldead463]

God, I rememer this ship back during my 2010s Tumblr girlie phase. I wasnt a part of the Gravity Falls fandom so I didnt ship it but Ive seen it everywhere regardless. I did find the art (Dipper was usually depicted older, like maybe 18-19) pretty good. Looking back... ye, its 😬

[@anastasiasycheva8275]

NOOO, NO PLEASE NOT THIS!!! I have so much terrible flashbacks from when I was 11 in the fandom which as an adult I'm trying my hardest to suppress. This video is going to be hard to get through, I can feel it now....

[@Vash-Venture]

When I was a kid, I did in fact ship BillDip. As an adult, I've now realized the actual comedy and thematic genius of BillFord. Top tier ship. Also, would love to hear your thoughts on the Reverse AU because I feel like that's a whole other can of worms LMAO

[@yourfavoritenothing3.0]

Bro I saw a lot of Will X Dipper back when I was into reverse it annoyed me so much 😭

[@Vash-Venture]

@@yourfavoritenothing3.0 It was so unbelievably abusive too like x.x

[@nerdydragonfan]

I was hoping some of my favorite KZbinrs would talk about Gravity Falls after Book of Bill was released, but... not like this. 😵‍💫

[@cookiekatesart334]

Bro said “Bill of Bill” 😂😂

[@Raggy_df]

I too love Bill of Bill

[@amiable_monster]

Bill of Bill goes hard

[@justjoannak]

This 😬

[@mettatonsagent7541]

I find it hilarious that Alex Hirsch went and wrote an entire new book that would replace Billdip with effectively canon Billford

[@tonka4201]

This video is amazing and covered the topic well, but one thing i think should be mentioned is that bipper was popular in the older GF fandom; now with the BOB hype BillFord is very VERY popular (and very tragic) which is honestly one of the better things the fandom revival brought ;-; because before the popular Ford ship was McGucket T.T

[@somethingwithbungalows]

Idk why but for some reason when I was younger I never noticed Billford wasn’t popular :0 (Also the Bill X Dipper ship was called Billdip ^^)

[@martirodriguezpont7998]

I remember how my first conversation with a Gravity Falls fan offline was with a huge Bipper fan, and it blew my mind. I've never come across another one when discussing this show, but looking upon it now, years after that, I do find it funny

[@magicalpopfish9570]

"Billdip" is the more colloquial ship name as most people in fandom refer to "Bipper" as Bill in Dipper's body like in the sock opera episode.

[@Space_Snax]

So glad billford is getting WAY more traction due to the books

[@rat._.noodles9059]

3:47 Dipple

[@montserratmarroquin400]

Why is that so funny 😆

[@fluent_debt]

I just had multiple flashbacks of things I tried so hard to push out of my brain

[@tickvoid9946]

I didn't hear about this ship until two years after the show ended. My friend and I were in line for lunch, and I showed her some of my human Bill art, and she just casually mentions how she ships Bill x Dipper and I looked at her like she was crazy lol.

[@khaliyahjefferson832]

omg

[@justjoannak]

Oh my gosb

[@23-punnybee]

“we as a society can be haters more effectively” THANK YOU! there’s too much going on for me to spend energy hating all of it. sometimes you just gotta block a tag/person and move on.

[@Cosmic0616]

Just seeing the thumbnail title already gave me whiplash.