Fooly Falls is a Crossover fanfic between Gravity Falls and FLCL by Lightyearpig (the creator of the Marvel Gems Universe and Gravity Soul) on Fanfiction, DeviantArt and Tumblr.
It all began when Dipper & Mabel Pines went out into the forest in search of a powerful wizard's tomb when Dipper was beat over the head by a Rickenbacker bass held by Haruko Haruhara, who then starts living at the Mystery Shack and befriending their Grunkle Stan. But when Dipper finds robots growing out of a horn sprouted on his head, his summer gets even stranger than usual.
A sequel based off of FLCL Progressive titled "Ride on Shooting Star" that features the main characters' children can be found here. A Christmas Episode, titled Fooly Falls: A FLCL Christmas in Gravity Falls, can be found here. A prequel based on FLCL Alternative and FLCL Grunge featuring characters from Rick and Morty can be found here. A Crisis Crossover featuring more FLCL characters serving as the Grand Finale and an epilogue adapting FLCL Shoegaze have also been announced.
Fooly Falls contains examples of the following tropes:
- Actor Allusion: Mabel mentions how Haruko sounds similar to Pacifica's mother, which causes her to drop down on the ground.
- Adaptation Deviation: A few elements from FLCL have been changed to fit in with the Gravity Falls universe.
- For example, Stan and Haruko's relationship is much less sexual than hers with Naota's dad.
- The Department of Interstellar Immigration is a branch of the US Government.
- The hospital scene from FLCL's first episode is turned into a nightmare sequence at the beginning to chapter 2 that apparently still happened in real life.
- The amount of characters playing the Only Sane Man is upgraded from just Kitsurubami to Dipper, Ford, Wendy and Agent Powers.
- Firestarter is changed from a video game influencing Mamimi's Pyromaniac tendencies to a magic spell used by Diamond Brandy. Although both of them are still used to burn things down.
- Ford takes Takkun home to research him instead of being a Replacement Goldfish like what Mamimi used him for.
- Adapted Out: The first chapter is the only one with no Monster of the Week, thus the enemy robot from the equivalent first episode of FLCL is taken out and Canti's debut is saved for the second chapter.
- Art Shift: The manga scenes from chapters 1 & 6 are kept and the latter's aftermath is changed to reference the fact that it's a fanfiction.
- But Now I Must Go: Haruko leaves Gravity Falls at the end to chase Atomsk and offers Dipper and Mabel to come with her. She decides not to since the Pines twins are still just kids, though she leaves behind a Vespa for them in case they change their minds.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Again, par the course for FLCL.
- Haruko literally mentions the readers when confronting Dipper about his bandage.
- During the beginning of chapter 2, Haruko removing Toby Determined's ugly birthmark is described as "revealing so much Body Horror that this story would be re-rated as M."
- When Wendy asks who Haruko is introducing herself to, Dipper just says that they shouldn't think about it.
- In the aftermath of the manga scene in chapter 6, Stan acknowledges they're in a fanfiction, even namedropping Studio Gainax.
- Comic Trio: Haruko serves as The Leader for two of these with both generations of Pines twins. Mabel and Stan are the dingbats, while Dipper and Ford are the complainers.
- Crossover Power Acquisition: Dipper discovers that he has an N.O. channel in his head that Haruko uses to find Atomsk. Eventually, he gains the Pirate King's powers himself.
- Deal with the Devil: Dipper suggests Haruko is working for Bill Cipher before thinking that if they did team up, she would try to betray him.
- It turns out that Diamond Brandy got his powers from making a deal with Bill after an incident where he failed to stop Atomsk from attacking the Pole People.
- Ford is forced to make a deal with Diamond Brandy that in exchange for handing over the Eyes of Heaven mask, his family and Earth would be spared. Brandy accepts the offer but later goes back on his word when he learns there's not many planets left to destroy.
- The Dragon: Diamond Brandy receives one in chapter 6 in the form of his Living Weapon Armageddon.
- Expy: A few.
- Dipper and Mabel are both this to Naota, though the former more than the latter. Mabel also shows some shades of Manimi.
- Meanwhile Stan and Ford are this to Naota's father and grandpa, although Stan is leagues less perverted and Ford is an Only Sane Man.
- Fanservice with a Smile: Stan and Haruko visit a parody of Hooters called Booby's where a former associate of Stan also happens to be. Haruko evens dresses up in the restaurant's waitress uniform.
- Fastball Special: Stan and Ford perform one, complete with the former mentioning Colossus and Wolverine.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Bill Cipher is revealed to be this on the Gravity Falls side of things, having granted Diamond Brandy Firestarter after making a deal with him.
- Kid with the Leash: Ford is an older version of this when he takes Takkun in, even scolding him like someone would their dog.
- Lampshade Hanging: Ford does this a lot, such as questioning the above Art Shift and the meaning of "fooly cooly."
- The Mafia: Stan once had connections to the Molehill Gang before eventually ratting them out and as punishment, they were forced to clean up after someone would drop the soap.
- Mythology Gag: Armageddon first encounters the twins & Haruko while smoking a cigarette with "Never knows best" on it just like Mamimi's.
- Similar to the FLCL manga, Haruko leaves behind another Vespa for Dipper & Mabel to take in case they change their minds.
- Odd Friendship: Stan and Haruko, even dedicating most of the third chapter to them going on a revenge trip together and teaming up against the Monster of the Week. Until chapter six, where he turns on Haruko when learning about Atomsk from Ford.
- Papa Wolf: Stan becomes this twice towards the twins, the first time when Mabel is taken over by the Monster of the Week, and the next when he learns about Dipper's part in Haruko's plans to the point where he breaks off their partnership.
- Photo Doodle Recognition: Dipper realizes Diamond Brandy's connections to Bill through finding the latter's image on the back of Firestarter.
- Portmanteau Couple Name: In-Universe, Mabel comes up with one for Dipper & Haruko, which is HaruDip.
- Running Gag:
- Characters wondering which of The Beatles played a Rickenbacker when they would talk about Haruko's.
- Amarao's Big Ol' Eyebrows.
- Second Episode Introduction: Canti doesn't appear until the second chapter, which is named after him.
- Shout-Out: Many are added in addition to FLCL's own.
- For example, the Big Bad Diamond Brandy is one giant love letter to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, more specifically to Dio Brando (an ancient evil reawakened after hundreds of years with the power to stop time who aims to become a Physical God) and Kars (said ancient evil imprisoned in stone and seeking a Mask of Power.)
- There apparently lived an ancient race of beings in the future land of Gravity Falls known as the Pole People, an obvious allusion to the Pillar Men.
- The aforementioned Mask of Power is called the Eyes of Heaven mask.
- At some point, Stan starts wearing a checkerboard top-hat similar to William Zeppeli's. He even attempts to make a Heroic Sacrifice or as the story describes "withdraw coolly into the afterlife."
- Two of Diamond Brandy's attacks are named Golden Wind and Steel Ball Run.
- Mabel wears a sweater that has a skull-and-crossbones wearing a straw hat on it.
- When Dipper wakes up Ford from his sleep at the end of chapter 1, he mutters "R...rhino, rhino feeder."
- When Ford hears about Dipper's nightmare about Haruko at the beginning of chapter 2, he mentions having a similar dream featuring an raging alcoholic and his grandson.
- Stan refers to Canti as Cambot when he tells him to pack up some illegal sugar for a transporter named Scott. He also calls Mabel a prickly muffin.
- Mabel sews a red and blue sweater with a spider on it.
- Scott's boss Jackson is described in chapter 3 as an Asian man clad in a white suit.
- Dipper and Ford shout "OH SUGAR HONEY ICE TEA!"
- Ford claims he originally found the Eyes of Heaven mask in the Pookajee temple.
- The entire Brawler Beasts game Dipper and Mabel play.
- Big Tiny is a short man with a white hat and a purple suit, similar to Big Daddy. His bodyguards Fettuccine & Alfredo have a tie & flat-top and a bad haircut respectively. Meanwhile another of his minions is named Napier and wears an orange zoot suit with green stripes. The four of them are all part of the Molehill Gang.
- When Stan has a Freak Out over Big Tiny showing up, Haruko says "I thought you were made of sterner stuff!"
- When Stan & Haruko escape Booby's to save Mabel from the Monster of the Week, Big Tiny declares "They'll be back. Soon we'll see."
- The climax of chapter 3 pretty much turns Stan into Kamina, complete with declaring "Who the hell do you think I am?!", calling Ford his aniki note and telling Ford to "believe in the Stan who believes in you."
- As stated above, Wolverine and Colossus are mentioned when Stan & Ford do a Fastball Special.
- Stan & Soos discuss anime at the beginning of chapter 4 before it turns into talking about a parody of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Stan even imitates Gendo Ikari's famous Finger-Tenting pose and later on Misato Katsuragi's Beergasm.
- One of the scientists examining Diamond Brandy's statue mentions losing his fiancee, his mother dying, his father getting deported and buying a new car.
- Arcadia Bay is mentioned.
- Stinger and Loggken debating on whether they should turn Ford's flesh into a quiche or stew.
- Apparently, Agent Powers' first name is Ronald.
- The Bland-Name Product version of Lupin III is called The Wolf after the name Lupin himself was given in the Streamline dub of Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, which here is called the Palace of Shamballa.
- Instead of Putting on the Reich, Stan dresses up as the Heavy Weapons Guy.
- The secondary prize for Stan & Dipper's gunfight is a box of Mrs. Pell's Fishsticks, which Ford eats.
- Speaking of Ford, he mentions a cyborg policewoman with an organic brain that looked a bit like Scarlett Johansson.
- The final two chapters are titled Don't Lose Your Way and The Bizarre Climax (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Rage Against the Machine)
- Mabel tries to engage in a Seinfeldian Conversation with Dipper over what kind of superpowers they would have. She wants the powers of a frog to become a Cute Monster Girl while guessing Dipper would have "something nerdy like telepathy or laser vision." She then changes the subject to whether one should jump in a pool of gold if given the chance to, and only then Dipper speaks saying that it's a great many pieces of hard matter that form a hard floor-like surface.
- Stan goes on a spiel of references when he asks Ford about what they can do about the fog, mentioning explosive lemons, air powers, the power to turn anyone to jade statues and radioactive spiders. Ford settles him down saying he's going to give him whiplash, and then Stan gives an Aside Glance. No points for guessing the Actor Allusion.
- Following the above example, Stan decides to drink out of a flask and holds up a finger as he does so.
- The guy at the noodle place the twins and Haruko go to is clearly depressed beyond recognition, saying that he's wasted his life at only 19 years old.
- Armageddon's humanoid form is a young man with snow white hair, three red eyes, a large spider tattoo on his chest and a snake's tail in place of legs.
- Stan compliments Kitsurubami's anti-tank rifle by saying "Bitches love cannons!"
- Two Girls and a Guy / Two Guys and a Girl: Haruko forms this with Dipper & Mabel and Stan & Ford respectively.
- Wham Episode: Chapter 3 reveals that Diamond Brandy got his powers from a Deal with the Devil, namely Bill Cipher.
- What If?: What if Haruko Haruhara met Dipper and Mabel Pines instead of Naota Nandaba?
- Actor Allusion: Word of God refers to Barbara Goodson as his ideal voice for Tyrone Pines and as such, his first line is from Goodson's most famous role.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Haruko has it even worse in this story than in its predecessor or any other FLCL material. Her home planet was a dystopia that stifles free thinking before it was destroyed, she was stuck with Abusive Parents & a Mean Boss, and two of her closest friends would soon turn on her.
- Adaptation Distillation: The author's notes states that it's mainly based on FLCL Progressive with elements of Alternative and a few rewrites added in.
- Adaptation Origin Connection: Who was Haruko friends with long before she met the Pines family? Rick Sanchez, Birdperson and Squanchy.
- Adaptational Sexuality: There was never any indication of Pacifica's canon sexuality outside of some Ship Tease with Dipper. Here however, she's married to the boy-crazy Mabel.
- Adorably Precocious Child: Imelda acts as the Mystery Shack's financial advisor, a babysitter for her younger sister and a Cloud Cuckoolanders Minder to her siblings at only seven years old.
- Animal Motifs: During the dream sequence at the beginning of chapter 2, Gwen imagines herself and Wendy as cats, Tyrone, Dipper, and Mabel as dogs, Stan as a gorilla, Ford as an armadillo, Pacifica as a horse, Arnold as a mouse, Soos as a bear, Melody and Abby as kangaroos, Ian as an elephant, Leia as a mongoose, Juan and Jorge as capybaras, Imelda as a mole, Haruko as a chameleon, and Jinyu as a mosquito.
- Big "OMG!" / Big "WHAT?!": Dipper, Mabel, and Stan's reactions to Haruko's return at the end of chapter 1. Ford on the other hand just stutters in shock before fainting.
- Birth-Death Juxtaposition: Melody gives birth to Stan Jr. following Stan's funeral.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Of the main trio, Arnold is the blonde, Gwen is the brunette, and Tyrone is the redhead.
- Book Ends: Stan is buried at the site formerly occupied by Diamond Brandy's tomb where Dipper & Mabel first met Haruko.
- But Now I Must Go: Just like last time, Haruko leaves Gravity Falls at the end after Stan's funeral. This time however, she and Jinyu depart together as the Vespa Twins to stop Medical Mechanica while continuing to chase Atomsk.
- Cheerful Child: Much like how his aunt Mabel was the Genki Girl to Dipper's Only Sane Man, Tyrone is this to Gwen's Emotionless Girl.
- Childish Older Sibling: Imelda has to play the Straight Man to her four older siblings, Ian, Leia, Juan, and Jorgé.
- Cigarette of Anxiety: Smoking helps Dipper de-stress, which is why the number of cigarettes in his mouth increases with each chapter.
- Cool Big Sis: Leia is this to the younger kids, particularly Tyrone.
- Comic Trio: The trio of Juan, Jorge, and Arnold. Juan is The Leader, Jorge is The Fool, and Arnold is the neurotic Only Sane Man who is powerless to stop the two from hazing him into becoming a man, at least until he Grew a Spine and calls them out in chapter 4.
- Crossover Power Acquisition: Just like in the last story, a member of the Pines family gains Atomsk's powers. In this case, Stan gains them during his final fight with Haruko, who also gains them, in chapter 6.
- Dead Guy Junior:
- Soos decides to name his newborn son Stan Jr. at the end of chapter 6 in memory of Stan.
- Tyrone is shown with a plush pig named after Mabel's pet pig Waddles.
- Distant Finale: After the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue, the story closes on an older Abby & Stan Jr. Ramirez visiting Stan and Ford's graves on Stan Jr.'s birthday, followed by a shot of a red star over the ruins of Medical Mechanica.
- Doomed Hometown: Haruko first met Atomsk when he destroyed her home planet of Wasprus.
- Expy: Just like in the previous story, multiple characters serve as this to the cast of FLCL Progressive.
- Gwen is this to Hidomi.
- Tyrone and Arnold share the role of being one to Ide.
- Juan and Jorge are this to Goro and Marco.
- In addition, Gwen and Tyrone's characterizations were eventually revealed on the author's DeviantArt to be references to the "Gravity Rises" AU, with Gwen as that AU's version of Mabel and Tyrone as Dipper.
- Face Death with Dignity: Stan knew he was going to die soon and when he does at the end of Chapter 6, he goes off peacefully. His last words are individual farewells to Dipper, Mabel, Ford, Soos & Wendy, Gwen & Tyrone, Arnold, Jinyu, and finally Haruko before passing on surrounded by his mourning family and friends.Stan: Just cut it out Dipper. This was inevitable, but I didn't think I would go so soon.
- Family of Choice: Haruko decides to take Dipper's lesson of how you can't force someone to love you to heart by naming Jinyu her sister after Stan's death and Atomsk's departure. She even calls the two of them the Vespa Twins, as a tribute to the Pines twins.
- Fan-Created Offspring: Ride on a Shooting Star is about the fan-created children of Dipper and Wendy, Mabel and Pacifica, and Soos and Melody.
- Chapter 2 introduces Candy's son Ezra.
- The final two chapters introduces Sammy Determined, strongly implied to be the son of Toby Determined and Shandra Jimenez.
- Foreshadowing: The opening dream sequence of chapter 2 is a big one towards certain events of later chapters like Haruko absorbing Jinyu, her fight with Stan, and Stan's death.
- Freudian Trio: According to Word of God on his DeviantArt, Gwen is Superego, Tyrone is Id, and Arnold is Ego.
- Genre Savvy: The Pines family are now more aware of Haruko's selfish and manipulative behavior and work to prevent their children from repeating their past mistakes. However, Haruko still manages to keep pulling one over them.
- Ghost Reunion Ending: Stan revisits his family as a ghost and loves taking advantage of it.
- Go into the Light: When Jinyu interrogates Arnold after saving them from the Medical Mechanica robot in Chapter 1, he says "Is that you Great-Grandpa Auldman? I can see a light." before Tyrone begs him to not go towards it.
- Gratuitous Foreign Language: Ezra peppers his words with Korean twice in the story, the first instance being "Neo salanghaneun babo" note and "aesaekki." note
- Grumpy Old Man: Stan has become this even more with age, and seeing Haruko again isn't helping.
- Groin Attack: Dipper suffers this in his fight with Haruko at the climax of Chapter 2 through a rocket launcher fired at his nuts.
- Heel Realization: After failing to capture Atomsk again & later attending Stan's funeral, Haruko has a slight change of heart thanks to the Pines and takes a break from her chase to stop Medical Mechanica alongside Jinyu.
- Hidden Depths: Tarot Turner uncovers these for the children when he reads their palms. Only Gwen, Tyrone & Arnold's are described in the story while the rest are in the author's notes.
- Ian can be impatient and Hot-Blooded.
- Leia possesses self doubt over what she wants to do with her life.
- Juan & Jorge don't think they are worthy of their ideals of manliness.
- And finally, Imelda simply wants to be a normal girl.
- Abby is the odd one out for not having any, due to being a toddler.
- Kid Hero All Grown-Up: Dipper and Mabel are now in their thirties after the Time Skip with children of their own.
- Killed Offscreen: According to Word of God, Waddles passed away of old age during the Time Skip and is now immortalized in Tyrone's stuffed pig made by Mabel, aptly named Waddles II.
- Killer Finale: The final chapter ends with Grunkle Stan dying as a result of the super soldier serum he drank to fight Haruko with, at least until he comes back as a ghost.
- Last of His Kind: Haruko is revealed to be the only known survivor of her destroyed home planet, thanks to hitching a ride with Rick Sanchez and joining his band.
- Like Brother and Sister: Arnold is just as much Gwen and Tyrone's cousin as he is like a brother to them due to how the three grew up together in Gravity Falls.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Both Dipper and Mabel would become the parents of children who aren't very much like them. Dipper's daughter Gwen is a quiet and emotionally distant girl who secretly dreads the future, and his son Tyrone is an incredibly bubbly and energetic Keet. Meanwhile, Mabel's adopted son Arnold is an anxious and insecure young man who is prone to panicking.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Melody claims she is completely unaware of the events of Fooly Falls when Jinyu first appears.
- Massively Numbered Siblings: Soos and Melody have six kids to love each day of the week, and they give birth to a seventh at the end of the story.
- Musical Episode: Chapter 2 has three songs featured, Step in Time at the Mystery Shack, My Way by two men at the Bloated Dragon and Haruko's rap from FLCL Alternative soon after.
- Mythology Gag: The inscription on Ford's tombstone is taken from his final message from Gravity Falls: Journal 3.
- Soos having seven children alludes to a line from one of the Mabel's Guide to Life shorts. Similarly, Stan Jr's name comes from a line in "Not What He Seems".
- Joseph's nickname Jorgé comes from Pacifica calling Soos Jorgé in "Double Dipper".
- My Beloved Smother: Pacifica is this towards Arnold, which contributes to his Nervous Wreck tendencies and is discussed in Chapter 6. According to Word of God, this is Pacifica's attempt at Breaking the Cycle of Bad Parenting.
- Newspaper Backstory: Stanford kept a copy of the Gravity Falls Gossiper dating back to August 2012 that he reads to describe the events of Fooly Falls to Gwen.
- Never My Fault: After Arnold is turned into a balloon in chapter 5, Stan blames it on Ford for bringing Gwen to the Gravity Falls pool where she would suck Arnold into her forehead. Ford isn't amused by this, accusing Stan of starting the whole conflict by harboring his grudge against Haruko for twenty years.
- Noodle Incident: At some point, Tyrone stole a horse head from the son of Big Tiny, who is strongly implied to be an Enfant Terrible if Dipper saying how he went on a rampage is anything to go by.
- When Stan gets to speak with Haruko again after twenty years, he mentions him & Ford eating dead birds as a comparison to her lust for Atomsk.
- Jorge once insulted the local yakuza gang of Little Asia and was punished by being crushed between their stomachs.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Dipper compares Haruko's lust for Atomsk to his Precocious Crush on Wendy when he was younger, which he tries using as a way to teach Haruko about how she can't force people to love her.
- Only Sane Man: Adorably Precocious Child Imelda when compared to the older Ramirez siblings. Ditto for Arnold whenever he's paired up with Juan and Jorge.
- Panicky Expectant Father: Soos becomes one when Melody gives birth to their seventh child, complete with drinking way too much coffee meant for other expecting fathers.
- Papa Wolf: Dipper, Stan, and Ford try their best to protect the kids from Haruko's schemes. Stan's protectiveness only keeps making things worse, however.
- Pass the Popcorn:
- When the other kids line up behind Gwen for Haruko's experiment, Tyrone munches on some popcorn.
- Ian and Leia watch the final battle between the Atomsk-empowered Stan and Haruko from atop Haruko's birdcage with popcorn and binoculars.
- Platonic Life-Partners: Like Stan and Haruko before them, Ford and Jinyu become this.
- The Power of Rock: In order to try and break up Stan and Haruko's fight so they can help save Gravity Falls, the Pines family and friends play "Ride on Shooting Star". It works and Atomsk's effect on the pair wears off.
- Present Absence: Jinyu is absent from the end of Chapter 4 to the end of Chapter 6 due to being absorbed by Haruko, but her absence serves as a motivator for Stan's feud with Haruko and instigates the culmination of multiple arcs, namely Gwen, Arnold, and Dipper & Mabel's, at the climax of the story.
- Relationship Upgrade: During the twenty years since the events of Fooly Falls, Dipper married Wendy and they had Gwen and Tyrone. Likewise, Mabel married Pacifica and they adopted Arnold, while Soos and Melody eventually got married and had their six (later seven) children together.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Tyrone is the excitable Cheerful Child red oni to Gwen's moody Emotionless Girl blue oni, much like Mabel and Dipper before them.
- Shipper on Deck: When Haruko learns that Dipper & Wendy are now Happily Married, she claims to be happy for the two while saying that she thought Pacifica was a better fit.
- Shout-Out: Just like the original story.
- Tyrone's first line is "Aah! After ten hours of sleep, you are free! It's time to conquer breakfast!"
- Ian gets his first name from Gravity Falls art director Ian Worrel.
- When Haruko, disguised as a visiting researcher, asks who wants to be experimented on next, Tyrone raises Arnold's arm and says "He volunteers as tribute!"
- Imelda takes her Silly Walk from Marvin the Martian.
- When Melody suggests Gwen, Tyrone & Arnold becoming babysitters for their eventual seventh child, Tyrone suggests giving them a name like Darkside or Steppenwolf. She also says they couldn't hire a nanny because Soos and the other kids didn't like how their choices weren't practically perfect in every way.
- Before he and Gwen are attacked by the Monster of the Week, Tyrone says "I am wood. Stupid." in his sleep.
- Dipper's preferred brand of cigarettes are Oxton. Also doubles as a reference to The Flintstones, which was once sponsored by Winston's Cigarettes.
- During a flashback to the twins as eighteen year olds, Dipper sees Haruko finding Atomsk in the sky and initially believes it to be an Aurora Borealis. Mabel responds with "Aurora Borealis in this part of the country at this time of year?"
- Tyrone likens Jinyu's weaponizing of her guitar (and by extension, Haruko's) to Quick Draw McGraw.
- The opening of Chapter 2 borrows from both the animated segments of Mary Poppins, its sequel and Space Jam. There's even a reference to "Michael's Secret Stuff" in the dream sequence.
- One of the penguin commentators says "It was not the atomic explosion that took his life, 'twas beauty that killed the beast." in regards to the corpse of Stan as a gorilla. Haruko also turns into Godzilla prior.
- Tyrone asks if he could use a horse head to scare Gwen into waking up, but Dipper rejects the idea. Wendy would ask the same thing later when she finds Dipper unconscious in the bathroom.
- Juan, Jorge and Arnold discuss fasting until you're dead.
- Upon arriving in Little Asia, Juan, Jorge & Tyrone celebrate by shouting "BANZAI!" and tilting to one side.
- The two men singing My Way are named Curtis & Greg, after Curtis "Takahata101" Arnott and Greg Baldwin (aka The Other Darrin for Mako as the voice of Uncle Iroh and Aku) who had sung their own covers before.
- Jorge had a run-in with the sumo yakuza of Little Asia, who are revealed to be a group of white, black & Asian men with blue, black & red mawashis.
- Gwen and Tyrone order some iced teas at the Bloated Dragon club, and Tyrone adds that he'll have his tea in a dirty glass.
- The fortune-telling biker Tarot Turner's real name is Timothy.
- Mabel suggests that Haruko & Jinyu resolve their differences by going to Tahiti, following up by saying that it's a magical place.
- After the above-mentioned Groin Attack from Haruko in a bunny suit saying "DAICON THIRTY-THREE!", Dipper says this.
- One character that appears in a scene is pretty much an Expy of Shinji Ikari if comparing being forced to work a food truck that has nothing to sell note to his father blackmailing him into piloting a giant robot powered by his mother's soul while surrounded by multiple attractive women he can't decide on is anything to go by.
- Tyrone mispronounces enzyme as "anemonemome".
- Juan and Jorge make up various slang words during chapter 3, one of them being "jalapena." They also namedrop Patrick Stewart and Tony Hawk at points. But then the two reference the Red Wedding and decide to drop it.
- Juan calls the group consisting of himself, Jorge, Arnold & Tyrone a brotherhood of man.
- A crab is shown with a gold coin in its claw.
- Tyrone, Leia, Juan and Jorge sing "A Pirate's Life for Me".
- Juan is swallowed by a Yoshi Expy and spat out as an egg, which apparently made him realize what it's like to be reincarnated, what flavor the universe is & how bad the apples of the Garden of Eden taste and he stays behind to contemplate the origin of the platypus.
- Ezra comes into ownership of a snarky mutant raccoon named Bawuu who complains about everyone being stupid.
- The more cheerful Gwen greets everyone with "How do you do fellow kids?" in chapter 4.
- When Eyepatch examines Aiko's fists, he states that under his training she can eat lightning and crap thunder.
- A Wile E. Coyote style trap is set for Gwen, which is a statue of Petra the Pterodactyl.
- Imelda screams "JANE, STOP THIS CRAZY THING!"
- Stan's solution to the Medical Mechanica factory tipping over? Nigurendayo!
- Heinzenberg is basically J. Jonah Jameson, to the point where even Haruko calls him a "real J. Jonah."
- When Raharu first meets Rick Sanchez and company, Birdperson assures her that he's not a man in a suit who'll teach her the alphabet.
- Rick coins Haruko's name through thinking of various Alliterative Names like Peter Parker, Reed Richards, Billy Batson and Fred Flintstone.
- The various chicaneries that Haruko and the Flesh Curtains get into are running around Mainframe, performing for an entire audience of Gems, activating a Buster Call and defacing Scrooge McDuck's money bin.
- After viewing Haruko's backstory, Dipper basically goes through the same one bad day as The Joker, even copying his laugh. He also screams "YOU ARE TEARING ME APART LISA!"
- Eye Patch says hakuna matata.
- Gideon's bodyguards are basically Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega. Jules is even shown eating a burger.
- Tyrone & Wendy watch a bad B-movie directed by Joel Nelson and featuring Michelle Hodgson in a Stripperiffic costume.
- During his bout of insanity, Dipper acts out a Willy-Nilly's Coffee ad where Tyrone's Waddles II plush is about to get stabbed by a stuffed Petra the Pterodactyl doll for not liking the product.
- When Arnold is forced to fight Haruko, he starts telling himself that he's the boss before quoting The Pillows' "I Think I Can".
- Ford regales a story from his days at Backupsmore University where the students celebrated winning a cross-country event by performing a riot that tore apart school property, including flipping over the pool. He and Fiddleford meanwhile went out for Italian.
- Tonkichi declares that Medical Mechanica may smooth out their brains, but they'll never smooth out their freedom.
- Older Man McGucket claims that the Medical Machine puppy reminds him of Canti, whom he calls a spindly johnny.
- When Atomsk arrives, Soos is the first to notice red skies and asks if the multiverse is doomed.
- Stan cries out "Time to swat some wasps, SUPER STAN STYLE!" after taking Ford's Super Serum.
- Soos calls Aiko's flower pot Planty the Potted Plant.
- Wendy claims she got the idea to move to Portland through reading a book by Dr. Lipschitz.
- Older Man McGucket calls Haruko Pinkie Pie while they're inside Atomsk.
- The entire Muffin Man exchange between Ford and Leia when the latter tries to translate for Canti.
- Stan screams "I'M DYING YOU IDIOT!" while he's dying. His last words are also borrowed from Logan.
- Also on Stan's death, he claimed that he expected more mahogany desks in the afterlife.
- According to the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue, Juan, Jorge & Aiko would cohost a show called "Manly Eye for the Wimpy Guy".
- She Is Not My Girlfriend: Candy's son Ezra repeatedly denies any advances Leia makes towards him. However by the end, they decide to be Just Friends but it's implied Ezra may be a Tsundere.
- Which is indeed confirmed in "Ex-Partners in Crime" when he and Leia become targeted by Tonkichi. Leia even claims she saw it coming.
- Smoking Is Cool: Dipper is a smoker in this story, having started so he could cope with becoming a father, though in chapter 4, it's implied he has an addiction of sorts. He finally kicks the habit in the final chapter.
- Running Gag: Bird dick.
- Take That!:
- Donald Trump is indirectly mentioned in chapter 2 but unlike many other jokes about him, that was the only one found throughout the story.
- Stan begins to contemplate on if people actually wanted a sequel to Fooly Falls, which is also a reference to the Broken Base regarding the existence of Progressive & Alternative.
- According to the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue, people would rather see their childhoods rehashed than Ian & Leia's own movie.
- Time Skip: Fooly Falls 2 takes place twenty years after the first story and Gravity Falls.
- Those Two Guys: Juan and Jorge.
- True Companions: Gwen, Tyrone, Arnold and the Ramirez siblings are all thick as thieves. Dipper even uses the term to describe the former three growing up together and it's implied to be the case for their relationship with the Ramirezes as well.
- Two Guys and a Girl: Gwen, Tyrone, and Arnold.
- We Used to Be Friends: Stan's relationship with Haruko. And it gets even worse in chapter 4.
- Wham Episode: The ending of Chapter 2 gives us a rather unexpected revelation: At some point in time, Haruko crossed paths with Rick Sanchez and the two of them were Platonic Life-Partners much like her and Stan were.
- The opening of chapter 3 follows up on this by having Gwen's dream sequence put her in Haruko's shoes at the destruction of her planet thanks to the Cromulons, where Rick, Birdperson & Squanchy also happen to be.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Fooly Falls 2 ends on one talking about the futures of its main characters.
- Gwen started taking guitar lessons and became an indie musician.
- Tyrone grew up to become an abstract artist.
- Arnold would inherit Northwest Mudflaps and later the journals.
- Ian & Leia become movie directors best known for their Cult Classic "Phoenix and the Shooting Stars." Ezra, now married to Leia, would often provide assistance.
- As stated above, Juan & Jorge created a Queer Eye parody where they, Aiko and a group of life coaches inspired better self-confidence.
- Imelda continues to work at the Mystery Shack while also working a lifeguard job.
- A-Cup Angst: Leia is implied to be insecure about her chest size when she exposes Ezra as a fan of Keijo!!!!!!!!, and Ian comments on how Mio Kusakai looks just like Leia, albeit more well-endowed.
- Actor Allusion: Jinyu can speak surprisingly good Italian. Her voice actress also happens to be Italian.
- Badass Santa: Not just any Santa, a Santa Claus who happens to be a parody of Hulk Hogan!
- Bar Brawl: Ezra's accidental bigotry towards Santa's elves causes him, Haruko, Jinyu, Leia, and Juan & Jorge to engage in one. The next time we see them, they've already lost.
- Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: Uno reveals that Dr. Seuss, along with other classic writers of children's literature, were secretly members of a covert group of demon hunters using their books as a cover for their real occupations. He also namedrops Lewis Carroll, Maurice Sendak, Ursula K. Le Guin, and J. K. Rowling as members.
- Bolivian Army Ending: The story ends with the Pines family and their friends getting together for Christmas dinner only to have it interrupted by rogue tree demons.
- The Cameo: At the end of the story, we get the return of Aiko, Masurao, Eye Patch, Tsukata Kanda, and even Commander Amarao & Lieutenant Kitsurubami visiting the Mystery Shack to celebrate with the Pines family. Aiko is the only one to get lines. We also see the ghosts of Waddles and Soos's grandma when everyone gathers for Christmas dinner.
- Characterization Marches On: Due to how long it's been since Ride on Shooting Star has occured, the characters have developed since then accordingly.
- With Gwen no longer an Emotionless Girl, she has formed a Freudian Trio with Tyrone and Arnold with her as The Spock to Tyrone's The McCoy and Arnold's The Kirk.
- Haruko and Jinyu have become much closer since leaving Gravity Falls thanks to the Pines' Positive Friend Influence, almost acting like sisters to the point where Haruko calls Jinyu her Onee-sama. Jinyu has also settled into the role of Team Mom to the kids.
- Stan Junior is characterized as The Baby of the Bunch due to having more screentime, as well as becoming a Morality Pet for Krampus.
- Ezra is less of a tsundere towards Leia, as the two have been dating for five months since Ezra admitted his feelings for her. In addition, "Neo salanghaneun babo" has become Ezra's Character Catchphrase and Insult of Endearment towards his girlfriend.
- Chekhov's Gun: Parodied with Ezra's fruitcake, which the story takes a moment to point out that it will be important soon. Indeed, the fruitcake comes into play when distracting Max.
- Christmas Episode: Well, duh!
- Cold Opening: The story opens with a narrator voiced by Jim Broadbent preparing to read to the viewers, only to be assaulted by Haruko and set on fire before Haruko takes over narrating. The narrator appears again at the end, still on fire.
- Designer Babies: Ezra reveals in the bar fight that his mother Candy has been altering his genetics since birth to be an "improvement of human being". At his current age, Ezra's strength, speed, and agility have been augmented to superhuman levels, making Juan and Jorge compare him to Captain America.
- Expy: Word of God compares Haruko and Jinyu's newfound sisterhood to Stan and Ford, Eda and Lilith Clawthorne, Katara and Sokka, Donald and Della Duck, Ryuko Matoi and Satsuki Kiryuin, Dante and Vergil, Celestia and Luna, Kamina and Simon, and Ben and Gwen Tennyson.
- Family of Choice: Due to most of Haruko's known family having died along with her home planet, she declares that the Pines might as well be her new family. While everyone is happy to hear it, Stan declares that this makes their prior interactions weird in retrospect.
- Foreshadowing: The numerous references to How the Grinch Stole Christmas! are all building up to the reveal that an Eldritch Abomination version of the Grinch himself is the villain of the special.
- Gilligan Cut: When Santa decides to use Jinyu's Bel Air as a makeshift sleigh with some of the gang volunteering to stand in for his reindeer.Haruko: I volunteer as Rudolph! Now we just need to find the rest. [everyone turns to look at Dipper]Dipper: Why is everyone looking at me like that?[one page break later]Dipper: [now hooked up to the car like a reindeer] This is utterly humiliating.
- Hellhound: The Grinch's guard dog Max is described as looking like Cerberus with a horn on each of his three heads.
- Hero of Another Story: Ford is introduced telling Stan Junior stories about his adventures in the multiverse. He mentions meeting Makima and Davros in particular. Later, Ford tells a story of when he teamed up with the Scooby Gang to kill a vampire he had become Star-Crossed Lovers with, much to Rupert Giles's shock.
- Hidden Depths: Krampus is annoyed that people mostly know him as a monster when he is far more layered than that, saying that he likes craft brewing, trashy reality shows, old film noirs, Zumba, and reading anime fanfiction. Likewise, Jinyu says she's developed interests in coffee, yoga, opera singing, jewelry making, archaeology, and basketball.
- In addition, Jinyu confirms she's been suffering from a subdued Identity Breakdown after being absorbed by Haruko in the fourth chapter of Ride on Shooting Star, where she's been contemplating not having an identity of her own outside of being Haruko's Literal Split Personality and fears one day having to merge with her again.
- Hoax Hogan: Santa Claus is turned into one, complete with emulating some of Hulk's signature catchphrases. This may be a reference to the film Santa with Muscles, which also features Hogan dressing up as Santa.
- Honorary Aunt: After she and Jinyu declare themselves to be members of the Pines family, Haruko dubs herself the resident Cool Aunt to Gwen, Tyrone, and Arnold.
- Hypothetical Fight Debate: Juan and Jorge argue over who would win in a fight between Jesus and Frosty the Snowman. Jorge thinks Frosty would win since he's practically immortal as long as he doesn't melt, while Juan thinks Jesus could win by turning Frosty into wine.
- The Krampus: Krampus serves as one of the main characters of this story, having been accused of framing Santa Claus of war crimes and has recruited the Pines family and their friends to help him clear their names.
- Late-Arrival Spoiler: Grunkle Stan is depicted as a ghost who continues living with the Pines after his death at the end of Ride on Shooting Star.
- Like Brother and Sister: Following up on the end of Ride on Shooting Star, Haruko and Jinyu have comfortably settled into acting like sisters to each other. This bit of narration from the ending really sells it.It was funny, Jinyu thought. When she first came into being fifteen years ago after another failed attempt of Haruko's to catch Atomsk, the two of them were naturally opposed to each other regarding their feelings towards the Pirate King. Haruko selfishly wanted Atomsk's power for herself, while Jinyu believed that Atomsk should be free to roam the universe. But thanks to the positive influence of the Pines family and their Gravity Falls friends, the two women were practically sisters now. And Jinyu wouldn't trade it for the world.
- Mistaken for Racist: Ezra angers the elves by calling them dwarves, which the bartender says is their equivalent to calling a little person a dwarf.
- Mythology Gag: When Dipper discovers the Krampus at the front door, he calls for Ford believing that the Grim Reaper has come for him, to which Ford replies by telling him to wait until he dies of a heart attack when he's ninety-two years old.
- Gwen dons a pair of Purely Aesthetic Glasses at one point much like Eri Ninamori.
- Arnold mentions perhaps getting Wendy's cousin to call in a favor as an alternative way to get a Christmas tree.
- Noodle Incident: The Pines have had repeated run-ins with a race of tree demons every time they go out to find a Christmas tree.
- Haruko and Jinyu got in trouble with Italian police for defacing the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
- Haruko got into a fight with Bobobo Bo Bobobo, The Mask, and Deadpool that resulted in the destruction of Staten Island.
- Stan was at Pirates World in Florida during the filming of Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny where he got into a drunken fistfight with Jay Clark.
- Dipper and Mabel's grandfather was presumed deceased after he got run over by a reindeer when they visited him for Thanksgiving. It was really awkward.
- A female elf was in a relationship with Schmebulock until 1982 when he broke her heart.
- Queer Establishing Moment: The "A Mid-Spring Prom Night's Dream" segment of The Stinger implies that Gwen may be LGBT+ with how enamored she is with Jinyu wearing a suit when taking her to the school dance after being turned down by her crush. Tyrone suggests that Gwen might either be bisexual or a lesbian, to which Jinyu replies that they'll see how things turn out.
- Race Against the Clock: Santa is set to executed at the stroke of midnight on Christmas morning.
- Saving Christmas: Of the "Santa's In The Slammer" variety. The premise is that Santa is going to be executed for crimes against humanity that the Krampus has allegedly framed him for, and Dipper & Mabel and friends venture to the North Pole to solve the mystery.
- Seinfeldian Conversation: Tyrone reveals that he doesn't like Hinata Hyuga in the exact same fashion as Peter Griffin saying he did not care for The Godfather, which prompts a similar discussion.Juan: How can you even say that? She's a beautiful cinnamon roll! She's too pure for this world!Tyrone: And that's exactly why I don't care for her! People only like her because she's a cute, shy girl with huge honkers. Now Sakura, there's someone with actual personality beyond just looking good, yet everyone hates her because she's mean to Naruto! Newsflash: everyone was mean to Naruto! Is she always singled out because of her gender?!Juan: What makes you think this has anything to do with gender?Tyrone: It's called Double Standards!
- Sexy Santa Dress: Haruko wears one for a majority of the special.
- Significant Wardrobe Shift: Gwen now wears a pine tree cap like the one Dipper wore when he was twelve, signifying that she had moved on from her old hat and its association with the person she once was.
- Shout-Out: As always.
- During the cold open, the rhyming narrator discusses many classic Christmas stories like the night that changed a miser's life forever, a man who has given everything for his friends being shown a world where he was never born, a jolly elf leaving the North Pole in search of his father, and a mall Santa who believes he's the real deal.
- The coded message is a parody of "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" when decoded.
- One of the Christmas trees that Gwen, Tyrone and Arnold discover is practically the same tree found by Charlie Brown in A Charlie Brown Christmas. It even wilts down when Tyrone puts a red ornament on it, causing him to say "Good grief." while Arnold declares that they've killed it.
- Ford entertains Stan Junior by telling him stories of his adventures, like facing off against the Control Devil and Davros and the Daleks.
- When told to be a little more gentle when removing the splinters on Dipper's arm, Pacifica complains "Dammit Dipper, I'm a psychologist, not a doctor!"
- Tyrone amuses Gwen by building a snowman and making it say "Happy birthday!" in Frosty the Snowman's voice.
- After getting a Crash-Into Hello from Haruko, Gwen yells out "Kurosaki-kun!", much like another anime character voiced by Stephanie Sheh.
- Haruko declares herself to be the kids' Cool Aunt by doing a silly dance and making laser gun sounds. Tyrone proclaims "She really is Cool Aunt Haruko."
- While talking about her and Jinyu's adventures together, Haruko mentions how they got in trouble for trying to make the Leaning Tower of Pisa lean to the other side while showing mugshots of a stoic Jinyu and Haruko striking a pose.
- When the Vespa Twins took a trip to New York, Haruko mentions how she got into a fight with a man who fought her with his nose hairs instead of mutant turtles, Ghostbusters, spider-men, gargoyles, or funny penguin spies. In addition, the fight also involved a green-faced man with a bright yellow zoot suit and a man dressed in a red and black costume armed to the teeth with guns and swords.
- When the Krampus turns on the radio to show everyone the news of Santa's arrest, he flickers through channels dedicated to progressive, alternative, grunge, shoegaze, and Christmas music before tuning into a report by TJ and The Wombat.
- This line of Chekhov's Gun personified when Ezra visits the Mystery Shack with a fruitcake to deliver."Now, pay close attention to that fruitcake, readers. Make sure you study it closely and remember it carefully. It might be important later.[later, when Ezra uses the fruitcake to distract the guard dog]
- And then immediately afterwards:Dipper: Okay team, assemble!Mabel: We've been here for the past hour or so.Dipper: Well them, assemble better!
- When the team asks how they should save Santa, a few unorthodox ideas come up. Jinyu suggests kidnapping Tim Allen and force him to become Santa to use as a decoy. Haruko pulls out a magic snowglobe she got from a red monster puppet they can use to wish Santa out of prison. Stan declares they should go to Florida to get help from Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and the Ice Cream Bunny. Finally, Mabel proposes that they get Jack Skellington to help them. Dipper and the Krampus agree that those are the stupidest things they've ever heard.
- According to Dipper, Grandpa Shermy was believed dead after he got run over by a reindeer.
- On the way to the North Pole, Juan and Jorge have a Hypothetical Fight Debate over who would win a crazy fantasy fistfight between Jesus Christ and Frosty the Snowman.
- The two National Guard members protecting Santa's workshop are named Mike and Ted.
- All of Santa's elves have names with the letter O at the end, like Info, Helpo, Junko, and Gordo.
- When Mrs. Claus, also known as Jessica makes her debut, she declares herself to be seventeen years old. Stan lampshades this by saying this would've been funnier in Japanese.
- Gwen puts on a pair of Purely Aesthetic Glasses for no other reason than to look smart, much like the Tenth Doctor.
- When getting into a barfight with Santa's elves, Jinyu says she hopes it won't turn out like New York. Haruko replies with "You and I remember New York very differently."
- Leia calls Tendo the bartender elf Malone-o.
- Tyrone finds his name on Santa's nice list between Tommy Pickles and Toby Tenma.
- The incident that ruined Santa and Krampus's relationship was when Krampus visited the Engel family to punish them for their loss of Christmas spirit.
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is depicted as a surly, cigar-chomping Grumpy Bear who never quite forgave Santa for taking advantage of his red nose and not protecting him from bullies. However, he is still a caring husband towards his wife Clarice.
- Ian interrogates a Good Guy doll that quickly tries to kill him.
- After being defeated and tied up by the elves, Haruko says this, doubling as an Actor Allusion to another notable role by Kari Wahlgren.
- Before his group get tossed out into the cold by the elves, Juan takes a moment to yell "EZRA CHIU IS AN IMBECILE!"
- Uno, the first of Santa's elves, introduces himself in the exact same fashion as Quint, right down to telling the story of a Christmas incident in Nazi Germany in a similar fashion to Quint's U.S.S Indianapolis story. In addition, Uno says that Quint actually saved his life that time.
- This scene where Uno reveals where the Big Bad lives.Uno: That is right, this creature resides in the SOOOOOOUTH POOOOOOLE!Mabel: The South Pole? Sounds fun!Uno: Prepare to be surprised.
- During the journey to the South Pole on Santa's yacht, a drunken Krampus tells the story of his brief fling with Jingle Belle. In response, Stan tells the story of his six-hour marriage to Marilyn, while Ford reveals that he teamed up with the Scooby Gang only to fall in love with a vampire they were supposed to kill.
- As the Twelve Days gets closer to the South Pole, the kids sit down to discuss their favorite kinds of anime. Tyrone loves shonen anime and wants to be best friends with Goku. Gwen is more into psychological anime like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, Serial Experiments Lain, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Arnold likes Iyashikei anime like Komi Can't Communicate and Kimi ni Todoke. Ian and Leia love mecha anime, particularly Super Robot series like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Juan and Jorge like sitting down to riff on isekai anime. Imelda has been getting Abby into Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. And finally, Ezra says he likes sports and science fiction anime while hiding the fact that he's a Keijo!!!!!!!! fan with a crush on Mio Kusakai, who Leia believes to look like her.
- When talking about how she's been trying to set herself apart from Haruko, Jinyu says that she's gotten into coffee, yoga, opera singing, jewelry making, archaeology, and basketball, most of them being references to roles by Allegra Clark.
- The South Pole is inhabited by an abominable snowman, reindeer with rabies, mutated elks, and killer misfit toys. Gwen is chased by a rampaging spotted elephant while Tyrone nearly has his soul taken by a Creepy Doll resembling Dolly for Sue.
- The radio comes into play at the South Pole when Juan tunes into a station to play "All I Want For Christmas Is You".
- When the Grinch is first revealed, he asks if the heroes are here to save Christmas.Dipper: That sounds like a pretty fair assessment.Ford: More or less, I guess.Mabel: That sounds awesome, let's do that!Stan: I'm open to the concept.
- Ian wonders why the Grinch doesn't sound like Boris Karloff, Jim Carrey, or Benedict Cumberbatch, to which the Grinch responds by revealing that they're all adaptations of him.
- When Uno is thought to be dead, Krampus mourns him by saying "It should've been me, not him. IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME! IT'S NOT FAIR!"
- Uno reveals that he survived his Disney Death by yelling "I'm not dead, you idiots!"
- As the gang is about to be killed by the Grinch, Tyrone reveals one more secret he must share with them. He does not care for Hinata Hyuga.
- The song playing during Santa's Big Damn Heroes moment is a Christmas-themed parody of Hulk Hogan's entrance theme "Real American". It is then followed up by this.Santa: That's right, brother, everything will be alright! Why? Because I am here! And let me tell ya something, brother! Whatcha gonna do when Santa Claus decks the halls all over you?!
- Juan taunts Max by calling him Pongo and Bluey.
- Santa yells "On Haruko, on Canti, on Dipper and Gwen! On Stanley, on Stanford! On Tyrone and Ian! To the top of the mountain and back to Gravity Falls! Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!" before using Jinyu's car to make his deliveries. Later, the Krampus is given the chance to say "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"
- Tyrone declares that a girl at school with a crush on the cute teenage boy version of Jack Frost is going to be so jealous that he got to sit on the real Santa's lap and help pull his sleigh.
- Leia says "Yippie-kay-yay." after kissing Ezra goodnight once everyone is brought back to Gravity Falls.
- Fitting with his desire to become friends with Goku, Tyrone gets his own Power Pole for Christmas from Jinyu.
- As her Christmas present to Haruko, Jinyu gives her Atomsk by Cordwainer Smith. Haruko is not amused with the pun, since she was expecting to be given the Pirate King, and violently attacks Jinyu for disappointing her.
- Ian receives Christopher Nolan and Greta Gerwig for Christmas as his mentors in filmmaking. When it's implied that they were actually kidnapped by Santa's elves, Soos remarks that the last time this happened was with Kevin Bacon.
- At the end of the film when everyone gets together at the Mystery Shack for Christmas dinner, the tree demons return for revenge on the Pines, causing Mabel to shout "FOR TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL!
- The final lines of the special.Stan Junior: God bwess us evewyone.Stan: Shut that door!
- The Stinger released on Christmas Day gives quite a few.
- "Cheer Up": When a succubus disguised as a Cruel Cheerleader orders her brainwashed minions to attack Leia and the Vespa Twins, Haruko quips "those Bring It On movies were never anything like this."
- The Prom Plot segment is titled "A Mid-Spring Prom Night's Dream".
- "Nightmare on Gopher Road": Dipper, Wendy, Gwen, Tyrone, Mabel, Pacifica, Tyrone, Stan, and Ford dress as Goku, Chi-Chi, Gohan, Goten, Vegeta, Bulma, Trunks, Hercule Satan, and Master Roshi for Summerween. Meanwhile, Haruko and Jinyu dress as Dante and Vergil, Leia and Ezra dress as Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable, Ian as Ben Tennyson, and Juan, Jorge, Imelda, Abby & Aiko dressed as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and April O'Neil.
- "The Ghost Grunkle of Sengoku": As a result of time travel, Sengoku period Japan has been turned into Son Goku period Japan, complete with Oda Nobunaga firing a Kamehameha at Mōri Motonari, who retaliates with a Galick Gun before Nobunaga goes Super Saiyan.
- "Le Stan au Haut Château": As a result of the gang trying to Set Right What Once Went Wrong, the timeline has been altered so that Switzerland got involved in World War II and defeated the Allies and the Axis before taking over the world, among many other alterations.
- "The Harlem Globetrotters and the Obscene Large Bean!": The Harlem Globetrotters appear to help solve a mystery in what is clearly a reference to their guest appearances on The New Scooby-Doo Movies, causing Jinyu to remark that this will turn into an old Scooby-Doo episode and all they need now is a cowardly dog. Gwen then looks at Arnold.
- "Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons: Honor Among Geeks": Probabilitor the Annoying attempts to enact his revenge on the Pines family by ordering Haruko and Jinyu to hand over the Sapphire Lute of the Phoenix, or else he will eat Gwen, Tyrone, and Arnold's brains. Haruko simply responds with "Give me head."
- "Good Morning, Mister Pines": Dipper's attempts at becoming a high school science teacher are interrupted by Haruko deciding to play Miss Frizzle and taking his students on a tour of the human body instead of being his teaching assistant.
- "Mystery Shack Babies": As a result of Ian installing a toilet that is actually a Fountain of Youth, everyone gets turned into children and babies.
- "Sailor Vespa and The Masked Mosquito!": Haruko and Jinyu become superheroes, with Haruko turning into Sailor Moon while Jinyu dresses up as Kamen Rider, even though Haruko wanted them both to be Sailor Guardians with Jinyu as Sailor Jupiter. Canti later shows up dressed as Robin.
- "The Little Greenhouse of Horrors": Juan buys a strange plant for his and Aiko's anniversary that quickly turns into an Expy of Audrey II.
- "The Only Murders in the Mystery Shack": Ford, Ezra, and Imelda take on the roles of Charles Haden-Savage, Oliver Putnam, and Mabel Mora to solve a murder mystery in the Mystery Shack.
- "Don't Be Averse, Reverse": The Pines family meet their Reverse Falls counterparts. Reverse Dipper is an Insufferable Genius who is casually abusive towards his Emo Teen daughter Gwen, Mabel is a Mrs. Robinson, and Will Cipher is a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing who possesses Haruko and reveals he is actually Bill Cipher's long lost brother.
- Sleep Cute: Haruko and Jinyu sleep over at the Pines-Corduroy house for the night after returning home from saving Christmas at the end. Haruko steals Gwen's bed and asks Jinyu to sleep with her and they end up spooning, while Gwen sleeps with Tyrone in his bed.
- Take That!: J.K Rowling was a member of the secret society of demon hunters at some point, but Uno implies she was expelled for her political views.
- The Tape Knew You Would Say That: As the group ventures into the Grinch's lair, they're greeted with urgent messages on the cave walls telling them to turn back, which quickly grow more snarky the further they go. Tyrone calls whoever wrote them a big jerk, only to discover another one saying "I HEARD THAT!"
- Wealthy Yacht Owner: Santa spends the other eleven months of the year traveling the world in either his private jet called, the Red Nose, or his yacht, the Twelve Days. Both of them are fueled by pure Christmas joy and they're how Santa observes who's been naughty or nice. The Pines use the Twelve Days to sail to the South Pole.
- Weird Trade Union: Gwen pretends to be a member of the Union of Servants to Holiday Figures 1225 to try and get information out of the elf at the front desk.
- What, Exactly, Is His Job?: This story confirms that Dipper is a freelance paranormal investigator and Pacifica is a child psychologist.
- When Trees Attack: Gwen, Tyrone, and Arnold anger a race of tree demons while trying to look for a Christmas tree, which apparently happens every Christmas season.
- "You!" Exclamation: When Santa makes his Dynamic Entry against the Grinch.The Grinch: You!Krampus: You!Santa: Me!
- Zerg Rush: Gwen, Tyrone, and Arnold get chased to the Mystery Shack by an army of tree demons, and only Dipper and Wendy are able to ward them off for the time being. However, a few rogue tree demons show up in the end to attack the family's Christmas dinner.
- Santa's elves overwhelm Haruko's group in the bar and prepare to toss them all out into the cold.
Tendo: That's the thing about us elves. They know no fear or pain. Their biggest asset is strength in numbers.
- Adaptational Sympathy: Continuing from the reveal of her Dark and Troubled Past in Ride on Shooting Star, Haruko is depicted in a more sympathetic light with a combination of an abusive father, a dead mother, a Crapsack World she called home, and that she Hates Being Alone. However, due to this being a prequel to Fooly Falls, she will eventually betray Rick for Atomsk.
- Alliterative Name: Reagan and Rihanna Raharu. Haruha was the Odd Name Out until she adopted Haruko Haruhara as her new name thanks to Rick.
- Band Episode: The entire story focuses on Rick's years as a member of the Flesh Curtains alongside Birdperson and Squanchy, later joined by Haruko.
- Broad Strokes: The crossover aspects of the story are subject to this. For example, the ReBoot sequence takes place during the flashback scenes of "Daemon Rising", but with Rick and the gang inserted up until Bob arrives. Meanwhile, the The Owl House sequence is set during Eda's teenage years as a Hexside student, seemingly taking place after the episode "Them's The Breaks, Kid" given the presence of Raine.
- The Constant: Atomsk is confirmed to be a multiversal singularity, implying that the Atomsk seen in Fooly Falls and Ride on Shooting Star is the exact same Atomsk from the original FLCL series and its followups.
- Crapsack World: Haruko's home planet of Wasprus was stated to have once been pretty nice to live in until Medical Mechanica took it over and forced its citizens to work for them.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: Haruko's mother Rihanna is only mentioned to have been killed by her drunken husband prior to the events of the story, yet what we do know about her is that she was a loving parent who encouraged Haruha's creativity and a freedom fighter against Medical Mechanica's tyranny.
- Earth-Shattering Kaboom: The Cromulons prepare to destroy Wasprus this way before Atomsk appears and does it for them.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: Haruha's hair was once a dull brown before coming into contact with Atomsk dyed it into Haruko's signature Cheery Pink color.
- Expy: Aside from Marty McFly and Doc Brown and Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Emperor Palpatine, Rick and Haruko's relationship is also said to be similar to Charlie Morningstar & Alastor, Luz Noceda & Eda Clawthorne, Terra & Master Xehanort, Optimus Prime & Megatron, Sasha Waybright & Grime, Jinx & Silco, Dio Brando & Enrico Pucci, The Joker & Harley Quinn, and Tomura Shigaraki & All For One.
- Face Death with Dignity: Grok takes being Killed Off for Real in stride, shrugging and saying "Ah well, it was fun while it lasted." before dying from a gunshot wound.
- Foil: Haruko and Repre S. Entative are touted as similar to each other by Word of God. Both of them desire the power of Atomsk, but Haruko was a dreamer who started from nothing while Repre wants more power than he already has.
- This extends further into their relationships with their mentors. Rick and Haruko have a loving father-daughter/mentor-student relationship even though it's frequently stated how much of a bad role model Rick is to Haruko. By contrast, Repre S. Entative is an Overlord Jr. cloned to be The Dragon and is implied to be a "Well Done, Son" Guy towards Demido Kuriya.
- Foregone Conclusion: No matter what happens in this story, Haruko will eventually have a Face–Heel Turn and betray Rick and friends for Atomsk, and her crusade will eventually lead her to meeting Dipper and Mabel.
- Foreshadowing: Demido Kuriya's painting is a reference to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which the painting in that film foreshadowed the coming of Darkseid, implying a possible connection between Medical Mechanica and Apokolips.
- Giver of Lame Names: As Haruko lampshades, Demido Kuriya gave the representative director of Medical Mechanica the name Repre S. Entative.
- Hates Being Alone: As stated by Haruko in chapter 2, one of her fears, if not her biggest, is being alone, which makes her eventual pursuit of Atomsk and later meeting the Pines family a lot more sad in hindsight. Not helped by the fact that she had an abusive alcoholic father, a dead mother, and almost no friends on her Crapsack World home planet.
- The Heavy: Repre S. Entative serves as the main antagonist for Haruko and the Flesh Curtains, but he also takes orders from the Greater-Scope Villain Demido Kuriya, who is more focused on the business side of Medical Mechanica.
- Like a Son to Me: Despite his abuse of her, Heinzenberg offers to take Haruha in after her father's death since he claims to be the only family she has left. Haruha objects and launches into a "The Reason You Suck" Speech about Wasprus's sorry state. She would later find a proper father figure who cares about her wellbeing in Rick, though it's often debated that he could be a bad influence on her.
- Mean Boss: Haruha's boss Heinzenberg, who threatens Haruha into stopping her music before he decides to try and kill her.
- The Multiverse: Given that this is a crossover with Rick and Morty, this was inevitable.
- Once More, with Clarity: The first chapter expands on the reveal of Haruko's backstory in Ride on Shooting Star, delving more into her home life before meeting Rick and becoming the infamous Vespa Woman.
- Origins Episode: For Haruko Haruhara.
- Original Generation: With the exception of Haruko and the Flesh Curtains, almost all of the characters are created for the story.
- Our Clones Are Different: Repre S. Entative is confirmed in chapter 2 to be a clone of the Lord Superior Officer, created specifically to be his right hand man.
- Parental Substitute: Rick slowly but surely becomes one to Haruko after the deaths of her parents, which becomes a point of concern given Rick's character.
- Perky Female Minion: Haruko is outright stated to be this to Rick in chapter 2.
- Protagonist Journey to Villain: The author intends for Rick and Haruko to be their spin on Haruko's Mysterious Past, showing her growth from an energetic dreamer to the Manic Pixie Dream Girl who would menace Gravity Falls thanks to a combination of her crush on Atomsk and Rick being the Anti-Role Model.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Haruha snaps at the people of her home planet in the first chapter's climax, with the speech in question sounding very similar to her one from FLCL Grunge.Haruha: YOU ALL ARE SO ANNOYINGLY STERILE; I'M LITERALLY SCREAMING RIGHT NOW! If there were a Guinness Record for fascism, you would hold it! So go on with your Big Brother Is Watching bullcrap and your egotistical indoctrination; it just proves you're one of the lunatic cringe! This part doesn't make sense when we translate it, so just forget it! Do you know what this is like? When you're watching something subtitled because dubs suck? And the only people who laugh are the native speakers!
- Shout-Out: What do you expect by now?
- Haruha's Only Friend is a fellow worker at Medical Mechanica named Grok, who is very clearly an Expy of Korg, who also has a New Zealand accent and plans a revolution by handing out pamphlets with little success.
- While being sent to fix some Medical Machines, Haruha sings "Strangers in the Night" to herself.
- After Haruha is fired for the destruction of the Medical Mechanica factory, Heinzenberg orders everyone to take the day off because of the damages done.Heinzenberg: (starts laughing uproariously in response) You serious? The only one who will pay here is Raharu once her old man finds out what happened here.
- When Haruha reveals to her father that she got fired, she claims she went all Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on some pipes.
- When Haruha says goodbye to her old home as she prepares to save Wasprus from the Cromulons.
- Just like in Ride on Shooting Star, when Rick comes up with the idea for Haruko's new name, he says it should be alliterative like Peter Parker, Reed Richards, Billy Batson and Fred Flintstone.
- Repre S. Entative's mask gives him a slight resemblance to Spandam.
- When disclosing the future of Haruko and Rick's relationship, Word of God describes them as going from Marty McFly and Doc Brown to eventually clashing with each other a la Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith. Rick is also described as a poor role model for Haruko in the same way Emperor Palpatine was a negative influence on Anakin.
- The second chapter is titled “Be Excellent to Each Other”.
- Starting from chapter 2, the Flesh Curtains now travel between dimensions in the Rick-stery Machine.
- The second chapter begins in Mainframe, where the Flesh Curtains are set to play a show in honor of Welman Matrix before the Twin City is destroyed by the emergence of Gigabyte, as depicted in “Daemon Rising”.
- The Big Bad Demido Kuriya is introduced having a conversation with Davros, who has placed an order for some Medical Machines to resemble the Daleks, much to Demido’s annoyance.
- Demido Kuriya shows Repre S. Entative a painting of demons descending from the sky to combat an army of angels, much like a similar painting owned by Lex Luthor.
- Haruko’s first proper gig as a Flesh Curtain takes her to the Boiling Isles during the teenage years of Eda Clawthorne. She’s also shown performing “Last Dinosaur” by The Pillows with Birdperson.
- Haruko calls Grometheus the Fear Bringer a mediocre prequel to a sci-fi classic.
- Two Gromflomites are named Enyababageil Hugh and Ginememinasaurus Ryan.
- Haruko is described as loving Atomsk against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.
- Rick’s Rousing Speech to Haruko after she defeats the Dreaded Darkness Mecha is lifted straight from a similar speech by Long John Silver to Jim Hawkins.
- After Principal Faust bans the Flesh Curtains from setting foot in Hexside after the Medical Mechanica attack, Rick and Haruko respond with this.
Rick: Tell him to go eat shit, Haruko.Haruko: Tell him yourself.- The second chapter ends with the Flesh Curtains, now joined by Eda and Raine, singing "Stick It to the Man".
- The Alleged House: The apartment that Haruha once resided in with her father is mentioned to be in very poor condition before it eventually falls apart, symbolizing Haruha cutting ties with her old life.
- Toxic Friend Influence: According to Word of God, Haruko's Protagonist Journey to Villain is started by a combination of her growing obsession with Atomsk and having Rick as a role model.
- The Ghost: Grok mentions a childhood friend of Haruha named Taro whom she had feelings for before he was Killed Offscreen for wanting to participate in Grok's revolution. The only things we know about him was that he was socially awkward yet very intelligent, traits that Haruha found attractive and make him seem an awful lot like Dipper Pines.
- Title Drop: The first chapter is titled "Show Me What You Got", and it features the Cromulons, who naturally shout "SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!"
- Truly Single Parent: Repre S. Entative is the cloned son of Demido Kuriya, the leader of Medical Mechanica.
- You Are Not Alone: Rick comforts a grieving Dot and Enzo Matrix after the death of their father by telling them about his daughter Beth and how they shouldn't go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge that will ruin their lives like he did.