I never said the past was off limit. This is why they aren’t playable because they won’t technically be seen. It doesn’t mean they didn’t exist or aren’t to be used for information.
A lantern's soft glow danced across the simple wooden table which was currently acting in lieu of a desk since the chaotic mess dashed across its surface required more space than the usual desk could accomplish. The most noticeable item while appearing rather plain was obviously handled with great care as it sitting in the cleanest area, everything else hazardly brushed aside to make room for the book resting open to blank pages. It easily captured the eye, drawing attention while seemingly tempting one to give into curiosity to check and see if it held any secrets beyond what was in sight. Darkness suddenly consumed the area, a mysterious shadow casting against the dimly lit walls, eerily shifting with each flickering movement from the flame even though the figure had not. The sound of footsteps starting to pace echoed loudly in the silence of the room, the shadow moving to follow the same pattern as the figure within.
Gentle mumbles joined in with the symphony of steps, soon being followed by the aggressive clicking of a pen which pointed to the sign that the occupant was clearly focused and trying to work through a problem. It continued on this way for several more minutes before the noises stopped, as if finally struck by inspiration. The steps strode forward with confidence, the table chair scraping against the wooden floor in protest at the harsh treatment of being yanked back so the person could sit. The scratching of ink on paper took over as the lone person wrote in a fever. It would be many hours before they resurfaced from their work, the call to document all their findings and memories of the past gripping them in its hold.
This journal is to document the oddities of the geographical location known as Gravity Falls, Oregon.
Inside will contain some of the collective knowledge that was once lost from the previous journals but with some minor variations and removed pages to counter any mistakes from the past. Knowledge can be dangerous if placed in the wrong hands and taking the temptation out of the equation was the best agreed upon solution when recreating this very journal and the other ones that are in production.
That aside, I am not the first to explore the mystery that is this strange town and I doubt I will be the last since this place has always been full of secrets that lie in shadows. There is always a new discovery to be made, a new item of power to grasp for, and new information to be learned about creatures I long thought were thoroughly investigated to the point where no more further studying required. It’s hard to believe how long it has been since the day I first found the previous journal #3 and the chaos of that same Summer which led to many more filled with paranormal mysteries. I still fear that someday everything will go crumbling into madness once again but with each passing year of silence, it has slowly become just a memory of the past. I can only hope that the warnings added into this journal will help to assist should the need ever arise. To the finder of this journal, I implore you to be careful who you trust and to use the knowledge I have gathered wisely and at your own discretion.
This place is a vast expanse of wonder that will bring never ending opportunities for those that have an affection for the bizarre and unnatural but not all creatures are friendly. Not everything is what it seems. The past will be hidden and with some hope, it won’t be necessary to uncover it. Take care, dear reader, and let your own journey begin….
She lay awake, staring at the attic ceiling while listening to the atmosphere that was the early morning woods. The shuffling noise downstairs cued her in that her father had returned home safe and sound, currently preparing for bed and some well deserved rest after such a long shift. It wasn’t the first time she had woken at an ungodly hour, the sun barely starting to rise and peak through the window above. If she were to tilt her head to glance out of it, she would find a hue of lavender, slowly fading into the twinkling night that had yet to refuse to dissipate. She waited a few more minutes, making sure that the shack returned to silence before pushing herself out of bed, quietly trading in her pajamas for some jean shorts and a mint green t-shirt.
Carefully, she worked to avoid squeaky boards as she made her way down the first flight of stairs so she could brush her teeth and hair. It was nerve wracking that she might accidentally wake one of the other occupants as she didn’t want to be rude but also because she would likely be rejected in her request to venture out alone. Once finished, she moved down to the bottom floor until she successfully reached her destination, the kitchen. Snagging a pen, she quickly scribbled down a note for her brother and dad though more so for the former than the latter.
She looked it over with a smile and a quick nod before pulling the brightly colored sticky note from the rest of the stack and sticking it on the fridge door. She easily snuck out the back door and was greeted by the morning air. Amelia took a deep breath, taking a moment in the sight of the sunrise and enjoying the rustling of the forest as the creatures of the night set themselves to rest and the creatures of the dawn started their day by foraging. She took a seat on the outside couch which graced their porch and that had pretty much seen better days while she pulled on her boots, lacing them up. After the task was completed, she walked into the forest without a single ounce of fear and finally feeling in her element. It should have spooked her but she felt more at home there than most places. It could be because her brother and her wandered around it so often looking for anomalies or the strange but who really knows.
Hours passed by in what seemed like meer moments, the sun beating down and shining filtered light through the leaves of the forest trees. A gentle breeze made the hot weather a little more bearable and provided a soft rustling that was pleasant to the ear as it joined the other noises of nature as if creating music just for her. She found herself at peace, feeling delightfully happy at the mornings events despite having her muscles ache in a slightly unpleasantly way at the abuse of walking for hours. She was working to maneuver her little stroll back out of the forest and head to Greasy’s Diner where she had promised to meet with her brother, Jack. Sure, it would have been faster to just turn around and head home so they could drive there together in one of the golf carts or waited until someone else could take them but honestly, she liked this time to herself now and then. It was better than sitting and waiting in the living room for him to emerge and on the plus side this was a great way to get out of any chores for the gift shop that could so easily be handled later or by one of the other part timers but that wasn’t something she was going to ever admit.
Either way, she knew it was about time to make her exit and head for some food if the sun's position meant anything at all. It was as if her stomach heard that very thought as it growled a bit as if reminding her of its protest at having to wait. Amelia’s shoulders shook at her silent chuckle and with that she picked up her pace, popping out of the tree line. She blinked softly, raising an arm to block the sun and see where she had ended up this time. It took a moment of looking to realize that it was near the local bus stop. She let her arm down, her eyes now adjusted to the full light and reached to pull her phone out of her pocket to read the time but sadly was only greeted by a blank screen, the device dead as a doornail. A small pout reached her lips at the discovery but there was no use crying over spilled milk and so she shoved the phone back in her pocket.
Amelia had planned to make her way across the road when she noticed the rumbling of the bus engine as it rolled up and even if she didn’t, the distinct squeak of the breaks would have given it away. She decided to wait till the bus passed before heading across, not wanting to get in the way but also because the driver wasn’t really rainbows and sunshine. Honestly, she wouldn’t put it past him to forget to not run someone over and thus she found herself waiting for the passengers to disembark.
I finally arrived at Gravity Falls. Or, well, we're about to pull up to the town anyways. It was a long ride; Had to take a few pit stops along the way, but it wasn't bad. Aside from the food, and the driver, and the other passengers, and essentially everything about the trip that wasn't Moe and I arriving here. It'll be good to stretch my legs, then find some lodging in town so I'll have a home for the time I'm here. There weren't any like, pamphlets that I could find. And my phone keeps bugging out, too... So I have no idea where I'm going to be sleeping, actually. But I'm sure there's some place to stay in this town.
It's pretty here: I can't smell the air from within the bus, but I assume the air is fresh compared to the smells of sweat and sadness inside this bus. I can't wait to get out of here; I mean, the cashews were literally made of plastic: Plastic! That's pure evil, who has 'display snacks' like that? Villains, that's who. Only villains do something that utterly awful. This busline company should be sued into oblivion and left in debt from having to buy cashews for all the poor suckers they tortured with fake food on their bus trips.
Moe keeps poking out my pocket, looking out at the trees. She seems happy; Excited to be here, for sure. Usually she'd have an attitude of some sort, but for the moment, she seemed satisfied with our destination: Wonder if this trip was worth it... Place seems quiet; I see the occasional critter in the woods as I drive past, but that's it. I'll investigate further before leaving, but at the moment I do not see anything of terrible interest. Don't take this log as me giving up easy; I'm just uncertain about this place! This is my first time away from home, after all.
... Well, it looks like I'm pulling up to the stop. Is anyone else getting off? I dunno. I have stuff I have to get done; Are they the same? I wonder how many of them are coming here for reasons like mine? Or even stopping here at all. If it's anything like back home, then perhaps they'd all laugh at me. Best to just take care of the necessities before I begin my investigation.
-L
The bus came to a halt in front of what seemed to be nothing more than a regular bus stop; Motor of the machine humming as it stayed in place, the doors slowly opening so disembarks could begin. One boy had already jumped out of his seat, with two bags in tow; One in each hand, stumbling a bit as they were quite heavy, filled with supplies for his stay. It wasn't at all clear what was inside them, but one of them did have some papers sticking out; He brought plenty of writing materials so he could keep track of his entire trip! He'd document anything interesting, and keep it for future use / or just a fond memory. He was going to enjoy this trip one way or another!
"Well, it has been 'fun'.'' The driver spoke, as Ludwig approached the front of the bus to exit. Ludwig stared at the driver for a moment, face slightly scrunched as he was still upset about the fake food. "You know, I'm surprised you don't have more complaints considering the cashews." Ludwig voiced his complaint and was met by the driver's head slowly turning. His glare turned quite nasty, seeming to be wanting to resume the drive sooner rather than later. "Giddoff my bus."
"I was just leaving-- ACK!
Ludwig found himself punted out of the bus, flipping forward with his bags hitting the ground before him, followed by him landing on top of them: Only to spring off of his own luggage and plant face-first into the pavement. Picking himself up off the ground, he was quick to dust himself off; An itch in his hair telling him where his companion had gone. "I'm alright, Moe." He assured the squirrel, glancing up as she glared back at the bus, irritated and blowing raspberries to spite the driver.
"We can be upset later, we've got to go." He urged, reaching up and giving his loyal pet a quick scratch before picking up his bags. Maybe it was the pain from impacting with the ground but Ludwig felt like he had bigger problems than the bus and some cashews at this point. Now, where was a motel around here? This bus stop didn't have pamphlets around, either: He had no idea how people were supposed to tour with no idea of what was around. He decided to cope with this by declaring this his first mystery. Nothing better to do than to look around, and maybe find a local to converse with.
This was far from his first attempt at gathering information, and what he was trying to figure out now was much simpler than anything that he was usually asking around about. Unless there wasn't actually a place he could stay here, in which he'd feel pretty stuck. That was just him being a worry-wart though, as that outcome made no sense! He put a smile on his face, and truly began his search.
Glancing about, he managed to catch view of someone: A blonde girl, green shirt. Seemed good enough to him; If she wasn't a local, at least she had gotten here before him. She'd have to have more knowledge of the area than he did by default. That's just pure logistics, right? Maybe her phone was working at least, so she could pull up a map. That reminded him, he needed to check if that fall cracked his phone... Things for later.
He hushed his squirrel companion, who hid itself inside his floofy hair before he spoke up to get the blonde girl’s attention.
"'Scuse me, miss?"
Amelia Price & Ludwig Blanchard
Collaboration | Bus Stop/Greasy’s Diner
A gentle voice snagged her attention and had her turning to the source which revealed a guy around her age with a floofy mop of chocolate brown hair and dark eyes. She tucked some hair behind her ear nervously as she took a quick glance around, slightly hoping by some chance there was another person she had missed in the area but it seemed he was indeed talking to her. Amelia felt herself give an awkward soft smile, trying to figure out how to tell the guy in front of her that she couldn’t answer. She had dumbly left her notebook at home, her phone was dead, and Greasy’s usually had most of her orders on lock or it was easy for her to point so in a normal day those other problems wouldn’t be an issue. She had not been prepared for an obvious tourist, if the baggage was anything to go by, needing help from her.
It would be a long shot if he actually ended up knowing sign language and while she had a pen with her, no paper kind of made it a problem. ’I wonder if he has any paper on him but how am I supposed to ask? I don’t want to sound rude.’, she thought to herself nervously and tried not to bite her lip. She tilted her head a bit in question and moved one of her hands on top of the other like she was writing, trying to find a simple way to explain or ask if he had something to write on. It probably just looked ridiculous but if she started signing it might look just as strange. This was her own fault though for not thinking about all the possibilities this morning could bring before sneaking out of the house. She might have even forgotten to bring a pen if it wasn’t for the message she left on the fridge which would have been even more problematic.
The boy wasn't particularly good at charades, to be honest. His head tilted to the side, staring at what she was doing with a slight amount of confusion, but it was something he could definitely put together. Her palm was paper, and her finger was like a pen, right? Did she need something to write with? Her silence kept him focused and he had to wonder what was going on. Was she a mime? Did she take a vow of silence? That is absolutely not what is going on. He thought to himself, bags ending up on the ground as he felt he'd be here for a minute, especially if she needed something in return. "You, um... Need something to write on? Or with?" He questioned, wanting to help if he could.
Amelia was relieved that her gesture had made enough sense to decipher or at least partially. It was a valid question as it could be either of the items needed but luckily this was an easier question to answer compared to the last. A bright grin lit onto her features as she fished into her pocket and produced with a dramatic flare an ordinary pen as if it was something marvelous to behold before giving it a click. She blamed the Mystery Shack gig for her animated expressions but at least it helped to get points across without a need for words or sign language if the person didn’t know how and in the situation without paper just like this moment. Her smile toned down a bit before giving a weak thumbs up, asking in her own way if he understood her.
"Oh, yeah! Just a second, I've got something." Ludwig was quick to flip one of his cases flat on the ground to pop it open, rummaging through a few things, such as a book called "Garbage Gophers And You", a spare set of glasses that he thankfully didn't need yet, and a small blanket for Moe before pulling out one of his spare notepads. He slammed his luggage shut again, before standing and offering it to the girl without hesitation. "Here ya go! You can just keep it, by the way. I have plenty of them crammed in my bags." He stated kindly, offering a nervous smile that was wide enough to put his tooth gap into view. He figured he should have left her an extra pen as well, but he was already holding it out, so that would've felt awkward to retract his hand. If she needed one, he had plenty in his jacket pockets! It'd be fine, right?
She gave a quick nod, gently taking the notepad that was being offered to her. She flipped open the cover, quickly working to write down a message so that she could explain the situation and ask what he needed help with.
The boy's eyes read the note quickly, and he slightly deflated due to what was said. Mute? Oh, man. Ludwig couldn't imagine what that was like. The mime thought from earlier kind of pinged him with guilt now, though she'd never know about it. He wanted to approach this as kindly as possible now, trying to watch his ground as to not upset her at all. If he hadn't already done something. "Oh, it wasn't awkward at all, no worries! I'm sorry I didn't realize it, Amelia." He attempted to calm any concerns, which were mostly his own, before continuing. "I'm Ludwig! It's a pleasure to meet you! I approached you because I just arrived for the summer, but my phone service is out and there weren't really any guides on the bus. Do you happen to know where a motel, or something is?" His question was followed by a nearly beastly growl from his stomach, causing him to wince. "Maybe uh, food too? I am starving after that bus ride."
She waved her arms soft while shaking her head as he tried to apologize about not realizing. It wasn’t like she was gonna blame him when he had no way of knowing. Instead, she just smiled brightly and thought about shaking his hand in greeting but decided it was better not to do so for the time being and started to scrawl a message to reply to Ludwig’s question. She only paused for a moment when his stomach growled in the same complaining manner hers had earlier which was followed by another question she would happily answer along with the one she was currently working to reply to.
As he read the message, he found himself satisfied with the idea presented. If the Inn was so far away, then it wouldn't hurt to just get a bite to eat first, especially if he could get a ride after. Man, this was turning into a fortunate encounter he hadn't been expecting. He figured she'd just send him on his way, but instead he felt like he was sorta making a friend already! If he was going to be here for the summer, making a friend or two seemed like a necessity. "You know, the diner sounds like a great first stop anyways. So why not? I'll join you." He felt good about this; A good meal, a new friend (or two? Maybe her brother was a nice guy.) And perhaps a better connection with the local area through them. He bet they had all sorts of answers for questions he had, but he didn't want to be overbearing. Maybe he'd ask something over breakfast? That sounded better than spewing his need for information now; Not to mention polite. He didn't want to make any bad first impressions.
She waited patiently for him to gather his things, making sure he was ready for the little journey before leading the way. It luckily wasn’t too far from the bus stop since it needed to be in a prime location for future customers. Amelia pointed across the road, letting him know the direction they would be heading before she took the first step to embark on their small journey to the diner. She led the charge as Ludwig followed behind, keeping at a leisurely pace so he could glance around and take in the view of the town as they walked by. They continued to travel down the single dirt path along the road, Amelia stopping every now and then to not get ahead or to check that she hadn’t lost her companion.
Fortunately, the trek didn’t take them very long and within a good twenty to thirty minutes they were on the diner steps. She opened the door confidently, the little bell of it ringing to announce their presence but instead of having a seat right away, she took a glance around. It didn’t look like her brother had made it yet but nothing she could do about that. If they were lucky, he would be there soon but at least while quickly scanning over the diner she noticed a few faces she recognized in the group of people she didn’t which she could possibly introduce Ludwig at a later time. For now, the main focus was food and the delicious smells in the air were all the more tempting. If she wasn’t careful, her stomach might just eat itself if she waited much longer so with that thought in mind, she plopped into her usual booth. She patted the tabletop across from her, letting Ludwig know to have a seat.
Bags beside the booth, the boy slid into his seat. His hands rested on the table in front of him as he looked over the homely little diner, and the folks inside it. A few curious faces were around, though Ludwig wasn't exactly about to start rushing up to folks. One, because he was hungry. Two, because that'd require a tad too much socializing for his liking. He already had a second person coming, right? Amelia's brother. He'd talk to them first, then maybe branch out later. Or perhaps Amelia knew some of the folks in here, and that'd lead to a bit of a pileup in the diner. She seemed like the sort to have a lot of friends; She'd been kind enough to him this far to make him feel that way, anyways.
He figured all there was to do now was wait until the waitress arrived, or make small talk until her brother got there. Regardless, he was feeling pretty good about his first day in Gravity Falls so far. He hoped as the summer went on, things would only get bĕ̴̛̻̼̍̇͐̒̊̎̊̚͝tte̷͚̫̜̯͙̱̣̯̾̏͐͋̏͋͜ͅr.
1. Thank you so much for your explanation of the backstory and items with within it! I love the idea and appreciate the details you have provided.
2. Thank you for being accommodating with my request. Feel free to take your time on the description. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
3. Thanks for clearing up the mishap on this one :3
This all being said, Jay is accepted! Get him over to the Character Tab whenever you are ready and have a wonderful day!