#the shapeshifter

I was thinking about Portal Fantasy (my beloved) when I realized just how many times Dipper had been replaced/impersonated/imitated by someone who wasn’t him. I played around with this idea for a while, and eventually thought that Mabel would make a “guide” of sorts in the journal. (I just wanted to draw them all together)

From left to right we have

Dipper

Bipper

Alcor (bodyswapped with Dipper)

Mabel (bodyswapped with Dipper)

Quattro (Dipper clone #4)

Tracey (Dipper clone #3)

Shifty the Shapeshifter (technically he didn’t impersonate dipper, but I wanted to add him bc he still took Dipper’s form for a few seconds)

“Dripper” Pines (from The Book of Bill)

I considered adding Dippy Fresh, but decided against it (I couldn’t make the canvas any bigger)

I love all my versions of him 💕 (except Dippy Fresh)

Version without the “title” and that looks more like a journal entry below:

Transcript:

Watchdog, letting Dr. Pine sit on the crook of his elbow: I brought a friend

Dr. Pine: Hello!

The Archivist, holding up Dr. Pine: Well you are the cutest variant I've ever seen.

Dr. Pine: You should let yourself be emotionally vulnerable, and be who you are around the people you love ❤️.

The Archivist who is also Shifty: ...

Anti Ford and StCMO Lee: *holding The Archivist back from tearing Dr. Pine apart like a chew toy*

[ Watchdog Ford and Lee by @nowimjustastranger

Dr. Pine by @aroace-get-out-of-my-face

The Archivist (and the art) by @tearosepedall

I just read those pages. Fiddleford immediately wanted to freeze him, but Ford wrote, “I've grown attached to the creature.” He wasn't like OH ☝️ I must TORTURE this thing POST HASTE! He found a weird creature while digging and hand fed it some beans. The shapeshifter didn't show signs of being dangerous (besides "watch your fingers")

Ford named him Shifty and did experiments, which involved seeing what forms he could take by showing him a book of animals, and he upgraded his kennel when he grew. Ford considered him a pet, but noted that Fiddleford being raised as a farmhand made him unsentimental toward what he saw as “livestock.”

I just remembered that the chapter "Murder on the Owl Express" was originally supposed to be far from a film shoot. There was a real killer.

THE SHAPESHIFTER

I've always wondered, "How did this creature get on the train in the original script?"

So I thought about it and decided to try to redesign it AND make a fun concept for AU

There are already many references to scientific activities on the train, soooo

Is Shapeshifter an escaped experiment that went wrong and started a fun game of catch-up? HELL YEAH

Also, Tricks is banned in this AU. She's experienced with all kinds of analog horror shit-