[video] another year older... sort of

[powerofmabel]

[Mabel is sitting at her desk, surrounded by birthday hats and party decorations, beaming like someone with a secret.]

Hey! Guess what, it's Mabel. And do you know what time it is?

[She lifts up a colorful (and sparkly) banner which reads MABEL AND DIPPER'S SUPER SWEET SIXTEEN.] Ta-daaaaa! And I know what you're thinking- those two? Sixteen? That's balderdash! But that's Wonderland for you. Being stuck at thirteen is crazy, but we're gonna make the most of it or my name isn't Mabel Middle Name Stolen By The Core Pines.

And I have a few sur~priiii~ses~ in store, so you should totally stop by... And tell Dipper how much... older he looks. Huh? Huh?

[There's a sound in the background like Dipper scoffing loudly.] Ignore him. He's being a butthead, and I'm not letting him upset my funky party flow.

Anyway! Be at the beach on August 31st if you wanna be part of the birthday blowout!

Comments

[jamminshield]

[There's an excited squee over the video feed.]

Oh my gosh, a sweet sixteen!! I'm so happy for you guys! You can count on me being there! With bells on!!

[powerofmabel]

Those better be literal bells! Don't make promises like that if you're gonna commit. [finger guns!]

[jamminshield]

[He strokes his chin thoughtfully.]

You know, that actually sounds like fun. So... you better bell-lieve I will! [finger guns right back! And then he laughs.] This is gonna be so much fun!

[powerofmabel]

You're gonna have the chime of your life, my friend.

[jamminshield]

Good one, Mabel! It has a nice ring to it! [He snorts.]

Your birthday may be coming, but your jokes will never get old!

[powerofmabel]

Nope! I'm gonna be this hilarious forever, and you should keep that in mind when the 31st rolls around. Just in case turning sixteen turns out to be a bigger change than expected.

[so cryptic...]

[jamminshield]

[Steven laughs, not really paying mind to the cryptic nature of the statement.]

Don't worry, I'm sure you'll give me plenty of reminders of how funny you are! I'm sure it'll be lots of fun. Whatever changes might be coming your way, I know you can handle them!

[bibliocorn]

It must be hard, being stuck at a younger age than you already are. I'm sure you'll have a good time all the same.

[He has NO IDEA what's about to happen. And, because he has to ask: ]

Was your middle name really stolen by the Core?

[powerofmabel]

We always do. [heh heh heh.]

Huh? Oh yeah, that was a thing. One time, me, Dipper, and an actual angel named Castiel went to investigate and we lost our parents' names which are... also our middle names.

And then the Queen of Hearts mocked us for it, 'cause she's the worst. And somehow that wasn't nearly as intense of a day as the day we returned Alice's eyes.

[bibliocorn]

Right...right, the eye thing.

[LET'S NOT TALK ABOUT THE EYE THING. ]

Wow, so the core really can take any sort of memory from you. Interesting. Do you remember what your parents look like? Or is it just their names?

[powerofmabel]

Just their names, but I mean... we call them Mom and Dad anyway, so as far as things to lose, it's not that bad. Heh.

[She's trying to be reassuring here.]

[bibliocorn]

Oh. So it doesn't take them away entirely. I guess that makes sense, it is more focused on words than the memories surrounding them.

[Does he sound disappointed? He kind of sounds disappointed. ]

Um- but it's good you still remember them!

[powerofmabel]

....Why do you sound like that's a bad thing?

[That's weird, Sunburst. You're making it weird.]

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[charlastan]

You two better be ready for your gift from me. I got you guys something so good you won't be able to...stand it!

[It's said like it's some kind of wordplay that only he understands, naturally.]

[powerofmabel]

[awkward Mabel laughter.]

... I have no idea what the joke is supposed to be, but I love that you're enthusiastic about it.

[charlastan]

Eh, I knew you wouldn't understand, but I couldn't help myself!

[Just like he couldn't help himself again, a second time.]

You kids'll get a kick out of it, I promise.

[powerofmabel]

You'll get a kick out of what I got for Dipper, too. It's gonna be great!

[charlastan]

Oh yeah? That's a pretty tall order. What'd you get him?

[He knows she won't give it away. He was just on a roll with the puns.]

[powerofmabel]

It's a literal tall order. [She steeples her fingers and giggles in a way that isn't entirely pleasant.]

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[truefriendship]

You know, I've never really performed magic on a human.

[So clearly it's a good time to start getting worried, right? Be aware of side effects?

Nah.]

This should be fascinating.

[powerofmabel]

We've totally been vessels for a lot of weird magic stuff since we went to Gravity Falls. If anyone is gonna be good at this, it's us.

[She has 100% faith.]

[truefriendship]

Really? What sort of "weird magic stuff" is in Gravity Falls? You said there are unicorns, right?

[Rude, jerk unicorns.]

[powerofmabel]

Unicorns, beefy cow men, evil triangles, ghosts... [She keeps ticking off on her fingers.] Gnomes, dinosaurs, maybe aliens? Um. [She's still got some fingers left!] Cursed board games, tiny psychic kids who don't take no for answer, possessed wax figures...

[And now she's out of fingers.] There's a lot.

[truefriendship]

And they can all perform magic?

[Cause look, a lot of those don't sound weird to her. Maybe because she doesn't entirely know what they are.]

[powerofmabel]

Everything but the cow guys, dinosaurs, and maybe the aliens... I'm not sure about the gnomes. Probably not them either, though.