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Reverse Falls (also known as Reverse Pines or Reverse Gravity Falls) is a Fan Verse of the popular cartoon Gravity Falls. It originated on the multimedia blogging platform Tumblr in 2012, but has since spread to other online communities such as Pixiv and Archive of Our Own.

Reverse Falls follows the formula of a traditional Mirror Universe, in which the personality traits of all the main characters are flipped. Most notably, Dipper and Mabel Gleeful are Half-Identical Twin psychics who run the Tent of Telepathy, using their magical abilities to terrorize the town, conduct evil research, and hold magic shows. They also succeed in enslaving meek dream demon Will Cipher to do their bidding. Meanwhile, Pacifica Southeast, a young hippie, and Gideon Pines, an outsider, form the intrepid mystery duo. Some creators go one step further, depicting Wendy and Robbie switching personalities, Stan as an evil magician, and so on.

As a Fan Verse, anyone in the community can contribute their own stories to the AU. Aside from the vague mirror aspect of the characters, the story and setting of the universe is wholly open to interpretation.


This AU in general provides examples of:

  • Abhorrent Admirer: As per the role swap elements which pop up in this AU, Mabel is often depicted as having an unreciprocated crush on Gideon Pines or Pacifica Southeast.
  • Abusive Parents:
    • Reverse Gideon's parents in some versions. His dad often beats him, while his mom is neglectful.
    • The Reverse twin's parents are often this as part of their backstory.
  • Adaptational Attractiveness: The twins are often drawn older and with Hotter and Sexier designs, like you wouldn't believe.
  • Adaptational Badass: In most of their portrayals, Dipper and Mabel have genuine psychic powers, sometimes without even needing their amulets, and know how to use magic, making them stronger than their canon counterparts.
  • Adaptational Heroism:
    • Pacifica and Gideon are the protagonists here.
    • Robbie generally takes Wendy's role in the story and is almost always portrayed as the Nice Guy.
    • The Northwest family tend to be a lot nicer than they are in canon.
    • Likewise, Pacifica's Girl Posse are much nicer.
  • Adaptational Villainy:
    • Dipper and Mabel, although the extent of their villainy varies depending on the author. In general, they are shown to be a bigger threat than canon!Gideon.
    • Wendy is also a frequent target of this. She is often portrayed with canon!Robbie's personality, or more violent than him.
    • When not portrayed as the twins' Unwitting Pawns or Extreme Doormats, Stanley and/or Stanford are targets of this, either as the twins' manager(s) and accomplice(s) or even as The Man Behind the Man or the true Big Bad(s).
  • Adaptational Wimp: Will Cipher, an alternate version of Bill Cipher who is light blue, is bossed around by the twins, and is generally a crybaby. Except from the few stories in which he's faking it to trick the twins.
  • Age Lift: It is popular in Fan Work to age up the twins to teenagers, due to some of the more disturbing aspects which get involved in Dark Fic territories and their often Hotter and Sexier designs.
  • Alpha Bitch: Mabel in some interpretations, with Candy and Grenda as henchgirls who form her Girl Posse.
  • Amulet of Concentrated Awesome: The matching mystic amulets owned by Mabel and Dipper. Either they are the source of their powers, or they enhance innate psychic powers already possessed by the twins.
  • Animesque: Being Fan Art, most depictions of Reverse Falls lean toward this style, rather than the super-deformed art of the original cartoon.
  • April Fools' Day: A meta example in the well-made visual novel trailer by Mike Inel. You can watch it here.
  • Badass Cape: Dipper wears a long, flowing cape to enhance his magician image during their stage shows. Fanon says Mabel likes to tease him about it.
  • Badass in a Nice Suit: Dipper and Ford are often depicted wearing nice suits.
  • Beware the Silly Ones: Some scenarios have this universe’s version of Weirdmageddon happening when Will finally snaps from the abuse inflicted by the twins, and decides to use his dream demon powers to their full extent. Also counts as Beware the Nice Ones.
  • Big Bad: Most of the time it ends up being Dipper and Mabel. However, some takes have one twin being dominant over the other, or else both are merely pawns of either Stan, Ford, or even Canon!Bill in the case of a crossover with the Main Universe.
  • Bloodier and Gorier: Not always, but a rather common take on the Gravity Falls timeline in Reverse Pines fan fiction is to have it a lot more graphic when it comes to violence.
  • Brother–Sister Team: Dipper and Mabel, of course, doubling as Siblings in Crime. Gideon and Pacifica are usually either friends or cousins.
  • Chubby Chaser: As Gideon tends to still be chunky in this universe, Mabel's pursuit of him can have shades of this from time to time.
  • Cigar Chomper: Mabel is occasionally portrayed as one, smoking a huge blue cigar with magical powers.
  • Circus of Fear: The Tent of Telepathy as run by the Gleeful twins, under the direction of Stan.
  • The Comically Serious: Dipper in some interpretations. In fan art, he is usually wearing a stoic expression to contrast with Mabel's Psychotic Smirk.
  • Composite Character: In a sense. Gideon and Pacifica were completely unaffiliated in the original show, while Reverse!Dipper and Mabel are working together due to being siblings. Thus, they tend to fill the role of both characters in the Reverse versions of their respective episodes, and their personalities are sometimes a cross between Canon!Gideon's and Pacifica's. Stan and Ford, if they have a significant role in the story, will often be composite characters of the Gleefuls and the Northwests as well.
  • Creepy Twins: Guess who.
  • Crossover: As an Alternate Universe, some writers have the Pines twins coming into the Reverse Universe. Funnily enough considering their usual portrayal, the Gleeful twins are sometimes shown as being the Big Brother Mentor and Cool Big Sis to their younger selves.
  • Cute and Psycho: Mabel, sometimes.
  • Darker and Edgier: Even when the stories don't follow the Bloodier and Gorier route, this fanverse is generally darker than the show.
  • Deal with the Devil: Inverted. The story of how Will Cipher became a servant of the twins. He tried to make a pact with them, but ended up being tricked into servitude himself.
  • Demonic Possession: Will still has this ability, although due to his cowardly crybaby tendencies the bluff is revealed very quickly.
  • Depending on the Author: Despite what this page might imply, the exact nature of the universe varies wildly from person to person. There are some general common features: mostly the general designs of the characters, the Darker and Edgier approach, and the Mirror Universe and Swapped Roles aspects, though even these are not clear cut. Details will change a lot depending of the author's headcanons. The twins' "evilness" varies wildly: sometimes they are redeemable antagonists, with personalities close to canon!Gideon or canon!Pacifica, and sometimes they are irredeemable monsters and Serial Killers. Sometimes Stan and Ford are more like Bud Gleeful and sometimes they’re the true Big Bad. Sometimes Will is a victim or messing with the twins. Sometimes Pacifica is a hippie or like canon!Mabel. Sometimes the story will be Darker and Edgier, sometimes it is Bloodier and Gorier, and sometimes it is close to the canon series' tone.
  • Distinguishing Mark: Reverse!Dipper makes no attempt to hide his birthmark. He even combs his hair in a part to make it visible to everyone.
  • Enemy Mine: The most frequent take on Weirdmageddon is that Will’s sheer power forces the Gleeful twins into a partnership with the mystery duo. Can either be Teeth-Clenched Teamwork or the culmination of gradual Took a Level in Kindness.
  • Evil Sorcerer: Ford. Some describe him as being the original human who tamed Will.
  • Evil Uncle: Stan and Ford in some versions.
  • Extreme Doormat: Will, very much so. In some interpretations, he's just faking it.
  • Eyepatch of Power:
    • Subverted with Will. He wears an eyepatch in his Pretty Boy human form, but is usually utterly helpless.
    • Played straight with Stan, who is sometimes depicted as The Man Behind the Man.
  • Fan Verse: Set in an alternate dimension which incorporates both Mirror Universe and Swapped Roles aspects.
  • Faux Affably Evil: The twins, during their magic shows.
  • Freudian Excuse: Fanon sometimes describes the dramatic personality shift of the twins as being a result of Abusive Parents or Parental Abandonment.
  • Goldfish Poop Gang: The twins, in some more light-hearted interpretations.
  • Good Parents: Pacifica’s parents are typically far nicer and loving here than their canon selves.
  • Granola Girl: Some interpretations of Reverse Pacifica have her as a hippie girl.
  • Hippie Parents: Some interpretations of Reverse Pacifica's parents.
  • Hotter and Sexier: The twins are frequent targets of Adaptational Attractiveness. Especially Mabel, who's often shown wearing a magician assistant leotard.
  • It Runs in the Family: Often, Stan is a greedy ringmaster who ropes the twins into a money-making scheme once he sees their affinity for the amulets. Ford is a brilliant evil magician with a connection to Will.
  • Lonely Rich Kid: Pacifica in some interpretations, with Gideon and her Girl Posse as her only friends.
  • The Man Behind the Man: Varies depending on interpretation. It could be one twin (manipulating the other), Stan, Ford, or even Canon!Bill in crossovers.
  • Manipulative Bastard: In some interpretations, Will is actually pretending to be an Extreme Doormat to manipulate the twins.
  • A Match Made in Stockholm: In some fics, Will ends up developing sympathy for the twins. Either the twins will use this to abuse him more, or they will lapse into Lima Syndrome as well.
  • Mind over Matter: The twins have telekinetic powers thanks to their amulets.
  • Mirror Universe: The basic premise of the AU - the Pines twins are villainous and the villains are heroic, with some variations Depending on the Author.
  • New-Age Retro Hippie: Pacifica and her parents are often portrayed as these. Sometimes her Girl Posse too.
  • Occult Blue Eyes: Mabel and Dipper have these. It is assumed to be a side effect of their psychic powers, and have either occurred as a permanent change, or their eyes turn from brown to electric blue when they use the amulet.
  • Only Friend: Pacifica and Gideon are usually this to each other. Sometimes Pacifica also has her Girl Posse as well.
  • Our Demons Are Different: Will is weak-willed, completely under the bidding of the twins, and friendly towards Gideon and Pacifica, or anyone else who is nice to him.
  • Parental Abandonment: Few, if any fics about the Gleeful twins mention their lives before coming to Gravity Falls. Few of what fics talk about them have positive things to say.
  • Perpetual Smiler: Mabel usually is this, to contrast with Dipper being The Stoic.
  • Playing with Fire: The amulets grant the twins the ability to summon blue flames from their hands.
  • Power Glows: The amulets, and the twins’ eyes when using them.
  • Prone to Tears: Will, due to the abuse he suffered by the twins.
  • Proper Tights with a Skirt: Mabel, when she isn't in her leotard.
  • Psychotic Smirk: Mabel usually has one of these. Same for Dipper.
  • Role Swap AU: The fanverse is basically this (in combination with a Mirror Universe). Every version has Dipper and Mabel swapped with Gideon and Pacifica at the very least, but many versions switch the roles of other characters as well (such as Robbie with Wendy or Soos).
  • Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: In some interpretations where the Southwests are still rich and descendants of the founders, they're this and Pacifica's parents use their money to help the town in anyway they can.
  • Sigil Spam: Mabel wears the star symbol of the Tent on a neckband on her collar. Dipper, whose amulet is on his collar, usually has the symbol on the back of his cape. Triangles feature prominently as well.
  • Slasher Smile: Mabel, if it’s not a Psychotic Smirk. Dipper sometimes lapses into this as well.
  • Spell Book: The twins are commonly depicted owning Journal 2.
  • Spontaneous Weapon Creation: Fanon has Mabel as being able to summon blue throwing knives using her amulet.
  • Stage Magician: Dipper and Mabel when running the Tent of Telepathy.
  • Technicolor Eyes: Will’s human form is sometimes drawn with blue sclera, which appear in whomever he is possessing as well.
  • Theme Tune: The twins are frequently associated with "Dollhouse" by Melanie Martinez.
  • Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: The twins.
  • Tsundere: Pacifica, in regards to her romantic feelings towards Dipper.
  • Underestimating Badassery: Will still retains all the power of a dream demon, he just doesn’t like to use them unless he’s given no other option.
  • Villainous Crush:
  • Villain Decay: Happens to the twins in some fics, as a result of running into the mystery duo again and again.
  • Villainous Incest: Some fans find this outcome to be more natural between the twins in this universe than in the actual show. At the very least, tending to being older removes some of the issue with the ship the regular universe has.
  • Waistcoat of Style: Dipper’s preferred outfit.

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