🩵💛DOKA💛🩷

What I feel is really interesting about the twin sets' dynamics is that Ford-Dipper and Stan-Mabel share more interests, but Ford-Mabel and Stan-Dipper share more flaws. Stan and Dipper have low self-worth and insecurity, Ford and Mabel have a tendency for self-absorption and forgetting their hard-learned lessons. It makes me wonder if Stan and Ford truly bonded to their 'favorite' twin because they shared interests, or because they filled the dynamic they were missing from their twin.

I think there’s a lot of truth behind this.

Stan and Mabel share more interests. As a child, Stan didn’t really have anyone who shared most of his interests with him because, as he tells us himself, his brother was his only friend, so Mabel fills the void that Stanford never filled there.

However there are aspects of Stan and Mabel’s personalities that do not exactly align, like Mabel’s self-confidence and consequential self-absorption at times. Mabel likes to be the center of attention, the star of the show, and that is much more along the lines of Stanford’s character than Stanley’s.

And I think you’re right in saying it’s the similarities between Mabel and Stanford, along with Stanley and Mabel’s shared interests, that pulls Grunkle Stan closer to Mabel than Dipper. I think Grunkle Stan sees Mabel as the twin friend he never had because they share interests, and she’s enough like Stanford for Stanley view her similarly to the way he viewed young Stanford. This gif set shows this well.

Stanley treats Mabel like Stanford

which is very similar to the way Dipper treats Mabel.

Meaning Stanley and Dipper treat their twin siblings the same. They consider their siblings’ happiness and well-being as more important than their own, and they are very protective of them.

Now, Stan and Dipper don’t share many interests, making it hard for them to find some common ground (although they do share a great sense of snark and dry humor). Interests-wise, Dipper reminds Stan too much of Stanford, and I think that creates instant tension between them.

In addition to that though, enough of Stan and Dipper’s personality aspects align to make it hard for them to sometimes even stand one another haha Stan and Dipper are incredibly stubborn and determined individuals. When they butt heads about something, neither one of them is backing down and that quickly builds into a world of frustration for both of them.

They’re also really insecure, and this is actually something they’re able to sympathize about together that is difficult for them to sympathize about with their more genuinely confident twins, Stanford and Mabel.

Stanford and Mabel don’t share any interests (from what we know at least; Ford hasn’t tried to bond with her at all because she probably reminds him too much of Stanley), but they both seem to like weird stuff that most people would be creeped out over, and they share self-confidence. 

Mabel’s solution for Dipper when Dipper has a problem is to listen to her because she “does everything right all the time!” Mabel likes to ignore what Dipper wants in favor of what she thinks is the best course of action for him. She does what she thinks is for his own good

a lot like Stanford does tbh.

Mabel does the same thing to Grunkle Stan too, and I think that just further proves how Stanley probably sees that part of Stanford in Mabel.

Stanford and Mabel do not understand that their assumptions are incorrect and that their solutions are not desired.

And this could very well be why Stanford’s manipulative dynamic works with Dipper and not Mabel. Aside from the obvious lack of hero-worship, Mabel likes to think her way is always the best, and she would quickly butt heads with Ford about that. She wouldn’t be dependent on him because Mabel is independent. In simple terms, she wouldn’t put up with Stanford’s shit, and likewise he wouldn’t put up with hers because he also likes to think his way is always the best.

Dipper has more of Stanley’s uncertainty and dependence. Despite how much Ford likes to believe he and Dipper are exactly alike, its possible he recognizes that part of Stanley in Dipper, and therefore the sheer loyalty he’ll have from this kid if he earns his trust and affection, a loyalty that closely mirrors Stanley’s own.

“Will you follow me?”

“To the ends of the Earth.”

So in this sense, Dipper is the twin friend Ford never had because he and Dipper share interests, and Dipper is enough like Stanley in personality to all around fill the void Stanley could never fill in Stanford when they were kids.

And ya know, if this is true for the Stan twins to the Pines twins, then the reverse could also be the case. Not that the Pines twins have any voids to fill, but Dipper might feel a level of comfort with Ford because Ford reminds Dipper of Mabel in some ways. And Mabel might feel more comfortable with Stan because Stan reminds her of Dipper in some ways.