Heartwarming / Gravity Falls: Journal 3

• Ford taking Fiddleford to a carnival for some down time after the latter's traumatizing encounter with the Gremloblin.
• Despite his growing arrogance, Ford's excitement about Gravity Fall's weirdness, creating the Portal and being acclaimed is pretty sweet to see.
• The fact that Blendin Blandin went out his way to write a secret message for Dipper and Mabel to show that he was alright in the 1800s.
• The entry after "Double Dipper" mentions that Dipper got to dance with Wendy after all.
• Mabel's entry following her Jerkass Realization after "Sock Opera:"
  I feel like a real jerk after all this. I totally ignored Dipper's warnings, I took his journal without asking, and worst of all, I was so obsessed with my play I didn't even notice Dipper was possessed! And I of all people should know- I possessed Dipper's body once, too (Hope I never see that swap carpet again.) Dipper, whenever you read this, I want you to know I'm sorry. And for the next week, IOU ice cream sandwiches, on me. Love- Mabel.
• Soos revealing that .GIFfany and Rumble McSkirmish have gotten into a relationship together, and that they're oddly perfect for each other given how crazy and violent they both are.
• Absolutely everything Soos writes about Melody is absolutely adorable, especially when he mentions that he really thinks he might marry her one day.
• After his return, Ford is initially unhappy with Dipper writing in the journal. But after the events of "Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons," he reads his writings fully. His reaction to finding a kindred spirit in his great-nephew is very sweet, and it both solidifies his bond with Dipper and sets him on the road to his Character Development.
• Ford becoming the king of a finger worshipping dimension is hilarious but also touching when you consider how much of an outcast he was for having six fingers.
• After Dipper reveals his first name to Ford and asks him not to tell anyone because he finds it embarrassing, Ford assures Dipper that his secret is safe with him, and that he thinks "Mason" is a great name.
• After Weirdmageddon, it turns out that it took a week to get Stan's full memory back. Dipper reveals that it was Ford who worked the hardest to help him recover and recalls how he found Ford and Stan sleeping next to each other on the couch while they were watching home movies from their childhood.
• Ford's description of Stan after Weirdmageddon, especially when contrasted with his previous anger and resentment just about every time he wrote about him. He calls Stan the most selfless man he's met in any dimension, and expresses relief that he's recovering his "wonderfully twisted mind." Awwwwwww.
  • He also admits that Stan is the hero here, and that he's... "a hero's brother. And I'm okay with that." Double awwwwww.
• Fiddleford completely forgiving Stanford for what happened to their friendship.
• A smaller example, but still quite sweet. Dipper's mother says that his birthmark (which gets him bullied by other kids and is a source of so much embarrassment that he hides it) means he's destined for greatness.
  • Similarly, Ford's own family claimed that Ford's extra fingers meant he was special. Especially considering that Ford and Stan's parents were...not the best.
• Early on, Ford recounts how his brother defended him from other students when he brought a shrunken head to show-and-tell. And considering this entry was written at a time when Stan and Ford were... not on speaking terms, it's oddly sweet.
• Ford's reaction to finding out about Dipper and Mabel is also sweet, seeing it in his eyes.
• At the beginning of his final entry, Ford writes his pride in Dipper, after Dipper voiced his fear that Ford would be upset with not receiving the restored Journals sooner;
  My grandnephew's fears are unfounded. All I feel toward him is love and pride. He is a wiser man at (twelve is crossed out) thirteen than I was at thirty. He has a incredible future ahead of him—on in which he will hopefully avoid repeating my terrible errors.
• Ford's final words in the Journal are the sum total of what he's learned from his experiences and the rest of the Pines' family;
  Stay curious, stay weird, stay kind, and don't let anyone ever tell you you aren't smart or brave or worthy enough. If you have come on these adventures with us, then you are an honorary member of the Pines family, and your adventure starts today.
  And if anyone gets in your way- well, we have an entire section on Curses. Have at it.
  For the last time, until we meet in some distant world, this is Stanford Pines, signing off.
• Stan's acclaim of the Journal in the back with other real life praise is Played for Laughs, but it's also sweet that he admires the work of his brother and grandnephew.

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