The Gleeful Twins (also known as the Reverse Pines Twins) are the reverse counterparts of the Pines twins. The twins are Dipper Gleeful and Mabel Gleeful. Will Cipher is all-powerful, but the twins claim to be more powerful than him (somehow).
Appearances[]
They have the same appearances as their canon counterparts, but the Gleeful twins make sure to take care of their looks. They are usually dressed in black-and-blue suits of some type. Both of the twins always wear their magic amulets, with Dipper's being in the form of a bolo tie, and Mabel's being in the form of a headband. Unlike the canon show, the amulets that they use are still intact, as they have yet to be destroyed in order to drain the twins of their powers in a fanwork. The Gleeful twins are sometimes depicted as older children/teenagers, as they are given more attractive designs, with Mabel having visible breasts in some anime-styled drawings. When they are drawn in the canon art style, they tend to be a bit taller than their canon counterparts, and this is empathized by their legs being longer than they should be, as well as Dipper being drawn with a visible neck (which is not shown in his canon version's design).
Personalities[]
The Gleeful twins' personalities are rather different compared to their canon counterparts. Sometimes they don't get along, and they fight. They typically portrayed as being more villainous than the canon version of Gideon, as the twins are willing to commit evil deeds and usually won't show any remorse. In some stories with a darker context, they are fond of murder and the pain of their victims, and will usually torture them. Their villainy varies to certain degrees in different depictions of the Reverse Falls AU; sometimes they are redeemable antagonists (with personalities similar to the canon counterparts of Pacifica and Gideon), while they can also be depicted as irredeemable monsters and serial killers/necromancers/full-blown villains.
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Credit to HenryLazy on DeviantArt.
To the public, they appear as sweet and polite young kids, but in reality, they are juvenile delinquents with no moral compass (in most fanworks). They're willing to do anything to accomplish their goals. Their goal is to be the most powerful people ever, aiming to collect all three journals (they currently own Journal 2) and practice all the magic in them. The only known people they are kind to are each other. The twins are different in personality, but they are best friends and partners-in-crime. Together, they make the perfect duo in destruction.
Relationships[]
Will Cipher[]
- Main article: Dipper Gleeful#Relationships
- Main article: Mabel Gleeful#Relationships
In most fanworks, the Gleeful twins captured the all-powerful dream demon known as Will Cipher and made him their servant. They manage to shackle him (although he was a nervous wreck, even before he was chained up), and keep him as their slave. Sometimes, the twins lock him in a cage instead. They intended to make a deal with Cipher to dispose of Gideon Pines (and sometimes Pacifica Southeast), due to their "new kid problem", but Will was unsuccessful in completing his half of the bargain; the twins disapproved of Will Cipher's failure, and enslaved the demon god as a result. Whatever Will wanted them to do for him as their part of the deal is largely unknown.
If the Gleeful twins are depicted as full-blown villains, they use the magical properties of their amulets to torment Will; they chain him to walls, pull on his body, and stab him with daggers and other sharp objects (many torture methods that they use on Will Cipher are far more graphic, when he is in a humanized design). Due to the twins doing such unnecessarily-cruel things to an omnipotent being with infinite power, it makes Will seem weak in comparison. They underestimate the demon a lot, and tend to make fun of him. Some lighthearted fanfictions would outright ignore this exaggerated subplot in the Reverse Falls AU. Fortunately, this interpretation of the Gleeful twins' relationship with Will can be counteracted, by alternatively portraying Will with a personality akin to that of Bill Cipher. In these portrayals, he is a manipulator who deceives the twins into thinking he's an innocent victim worthy of torture. The twins fall for it, unbeknownst to Cipher's true colors. He is sometimes headcanoned as the true Big Bad of the Reverse Falls AU, because of this.
In some stories, Will develops sympathy for the Gleeful twins, but depending on the headcanon one chooses to follow, they will either use this to their advantage to abuse him more, or they could alternatively start to bond with him and actually care for him (this is illogical, since you can't really make someone a slave, only to lapse into Lima Syndrome, afterwards). In more lighthearted fanworks where Will Cipher is not restrained or tormented (but he is still a servant in some fics), he is generally depicted assisting the Gleeful twins in preparation for their performances at the Tent of Telepathy, acting as their butler, or simply cleaning around their home (which is preferred for fans who are disgusted by or simply uncomfortable with the sight of two human children abusing/enslaving/torturing a literal demon god who's far more powerful than them, despite the duo claiming otherwise, since it doesn't even make sense). Will is easily stressed out when cleaning the place for the Gleeful twins, but they're satisfied, as long as his work is done. They would sometimes instruct him to do chores and other housework for them (such as saying "Will, clean my room.") in a demanding way, which implies that they can be stubborn and impatient at times towards him, but it kind of makes sense, considering the fact that they're just kids who can be difficult.
When they're not interpreted as manipulative and sadistic antagonists, the twins' personal views on Will vary depending on the author. Dipper would be disappointed in Will's supposed inability to defend himself, while his cowardly conduct confuses the former at best and angers him at worst, and his presumed lack of empathy would make it harder to Will to gain his trust (implying that he is skeptical of him, similar to how his canon counterpart is suspicious of Bill's motives). Mabel is deeply concerned with Will Cipher's delusional and sorrowful behavior, as she is genuinely desperate to try and understand him (implying that she might feel somewhat bad for him and would want to help him, similar to how her canon counterpart is tenderhearted and likes to help others).
Trivia[]
- In some fanfictions, the drastic personality shift that the twins go through is either interpreted as a result of them being abused by their parents or suffering from parental abandonment.
- The Gleeful twins are depicted living in a mansion in some versions, similar to Pacifica Northwest and her family.