"Part of me is the Hang Man, and part of me is the victim." (OPEN!!)

[mviw]

Who: Ford Pines (mviw) his owl and YOU!
Where: Various (Mystery Shack, the Library, & Elsewhere)
When: Gravity Falls Event through Upcoming Memory Event
Rating: PG-13 for potential swearing.
Summary: Ford adjusts to Wonderland by trying to be a shut-in, but his family and new friends have other plans. Also, he has an owl and a driving sense of curiosity.
The Story: Pick a prompt or start your own!

A. "Let's end the charade. This game is over." (CLOSED to Stan) Gravity Falls Event: At night (Backdated)

[Ford always prefers privacy over socialization, so this event is shaping up to be one headache after another. During daylight hours, Ford avoids the tours being given by his brother and instead he spends most of his time in the forest. Illusion though it is, it's a familiar one. At night, unable to sleep as usual, he opens his window to let his owl fly freely while he creeps through the 'house' looking for the basement levels and his journals.

The basement is what he looks for first behind the vending machine... And to his disappointment and frustration, it isn't there.]

Damn.

[It's a hushed utterance followed by a pang of fear. He doesn't like feeling trapped. Of course Wonderland wouldn't provide the portal or its equipment, but... it was worth a try.

Ford hears a sudden noise; probably someone sneaking through the house after hours. Not wanting to explain why he's in his brother's gift shop in the middle of the night, Ford slips behind the cashier counter to wait them out.]

B. "There's a room full of people in your head." (OPEN) Gravity Falls Event: Shack/Forest (Backdated)

[Ford can be found in the house kitchen hoarding orange juice or exiting a room with a mysteriously carved door.

Otherwise, he will be out in the forest assisting both creatures and mansion residents to minimize destruction of his-- well, it's not really his home, but it's close enough. He may be an old science man but he has a laser gun and he knows space karate.]

C. "I don't even know who's at the wheel." (OPEN) Library (Current)

[Ford is spending less time in his room and more time in the library, as of late. Rather than check out books and take them to actual privacy, he's been enjoying the massive volume of information right at his disposal and all that comes with it; the smell of binding and paper, the hushed atmosphere, the sense of awe he's never lost when he knows he can always learn more.

At the chosen table he's set up stacks of books in various piles. The largest pile by far is on birds of prey--specifically owls. In the middle of it all are sheets of paper with doodles of who some might recognize to be his family, but mostly of his owl who he accidentally summoned from the closet several weeks prior. Included in the drawings are scenes from the mansion and Wonderland itself as well.

Not only is he a nerd, but he seems to be quite the artist.]

D. "You've gotta follow the voice you wanna follow." (OPEN) Write your own starter.

Comments

[goodwoofjames]

[There is a short delay before the next response, but eventually the owl returns, perhaps a little worse for wear. The letter itself is neatly folded, but the handwriting inside is less neat than in the first.]

Dear Sir or Madame Author,

We have decided to write separate responses so as to save you the trouble of answering all our questions at once. To be truthful, I myself have more than a few already, but I will attempt to keep this missive brief.

In sum, I am intrigued by how you sign under the title "The Author." While I have nothing against authors in general, I do have one particular author I would quite like to speak to. I would not be surprised if this place brought this author here simply because I have this interest in them.

So, my first question is this: What is it that you have authored?

In relation to this question, I also ask: Are you a wi man or woman?

I hope this letter finds you in continued good health, and apologize about stupefying Lee slightly. (He can fly quite fast and we were so curious about the letter. He should be fully fine in an hour or so!)

Best wishes,
Mr. Padfoot

it's ok sirius ur forgiven

[mviw]

[It's a day or two before another letter comes by owl.]

Dear Mr. PadFoot,

First: Stunning (?) my owl was not necessary. Great horned owls are naturally fast and silent in their flight. He appears to be fine though, so I'll accept your apology.

Second: I am the author of extensive scientific research on all things mainstream science on Earth in my world considers to be "unusual"-- magic, the paranormal, etc. As I will relate to your friend/associate, these occurrences seem to be linked to my dimension as it overlaps another.

Third: I am a man.

You may know my nephew, niece, or twin brother.

Sincerely,
The Author

[goodwoofjames]

[Sirius tries not to freak out this time, and successfully lures the owl with some treats rather than, you know. Mild violence.]

Hello again, friend,

My sincerest apologies. Truth be told, my upbringing was of the sort where creatures in servant roles were regularly treated poorly, and I am still attempting to shake this habit. I have also been told I am a bit impulsive.

If I am guessing at your identity correctly, you have been to prison at least once? I was not aware you were a twin like your niece and nephew. Or perhaps you are the other twin, and we have yet to have met.

Let's make a game of it! I'll give you a clue as to my own identity: I've been eating my own homework for years.

Sincerely in return,
Mr. Padfoot

[mviw]

[It is, next time, a full week before anything is returned.]

Apologies for my late response. I was returned home. Gone for a week, or so I'm told.

I have in fact been to prison but you are definitely thinking of my twin brother.

And for the riddle(?): I haven't seen any talking dogs here yet. I assume you're human or at least an organism that consumes paper for sustenance and you are from the British Isles.

Please let me know if that's off base.

Sincerely,
The Author

[goodwoofjames]

Hello again dear friend,

I think I have firmly located you within the forest, then! You would think this place had enough doubles with the mirrors, but apparently it needed some more.

You're on the right track with the British human bit. I wonder if the stars will align such that you'll figure me out?

Yours,
Mr. Padfoot

[mviw]

["Within the forest" gets a laugh.]

Greetings again!

You are correct. [A little pine tree symbol is drawn here. And that bit with the stars... He wonders if it's on purpose? What constellations are canine-related? Is that due to Mr. Padfoot's nature or profession? Even a name? Time to go fishing.]

I've seen a lot of constellations in my time. Canis Major, Canis Minor, and Canes Venatici are above Earth if I remember correctly. You should see the stars in other worlds... but I digress! There is nothing like the familiarity of the astronomy on Earth.

[Drawn in are the constellations that Ford mentioned. A famous astrophysicist was one of his childhood heroes.]

Sirius, Procyon, Chara, Asterion.

Sincerely,
The Author

[goodwoofjames]

[The only part of divination he was ever interested in was the star charts, so it's easy enough to replicate the constellation containing his namesake at the top of the letter.]

Dearest friend,

Narrowing it down, are we? We might not be from the same version of Earth. The stars I know might be totally different.

[And so, he draws a bunch of random dots. Time to make some shapes, friend!]

Want to take a guess, yet?

Your friend,
Mr. Padfoot

[mviw]

[Enclosed is, surprisingly, an exact copy of Sirius' random dots with a dog drawn within the connected lines (whether Sirius meant for that or not), rendered and shaded. He is a really good artist.]

What am I guessing?

Your friend also,
The Author

[goodwoofjames]

[Damn. Okay. This guy's smart. And really good at drawing.]

A couple things, actually.

Have you ever heard of animagi? Or transfiguration?

-Mr. Padfoot

[He wonders if The Author is avoiding asking around about this. He'd likely find out there's a person named Sirius here almost immediately if he did.]

[mviw]

Animagi, no; transfiguration, yes!

Please tell me you can turn yourself into a dog.

[Ford is so excited, he forgets to sign the letter.]

[goodwoofjames]

[The next letter arrives swiftly, and is nothing but a big, black pawprint.]