#she thinks shes more of a marcy and i’m pb | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jakesuit0 · 4 months

Text

What Was Missing Review

Finn is revealed to regularly have alone time with the wad of Princess Bubblegum’s hair she gave him in “To Cut a Woman’s Hair”. It’s essentially a PG version of a guy still holding on to their ex’s underwear for personal use. The allegory is pushed forward with Finn checking to make sure he is alone. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t exactly shocking behavior for a thirteen year old boy, but it’s the first big sign that Finn’s crush is getting unhealthy after “Too Young”. It’s time to move on! Unlike “Wizard Battle”, I like the incorporation of Finn’s feelings, despite the arc feeling like there’s nowhere to go after “Too Young”. It’s not the main conflict in the episode, and serves to build to a climax in the season finale.

The Door Lord steals Finn’s gum, Jake’s blanket, and BMO’s controller. It’s hilarious that he only speaks in loud mumbles. He’s supposed to be related to Key-per from “The Enchiridion!”. The Door Lord steals a toy from a candy person and Finn reassures him “I’ll get your kid back, toy!”. The episode wasn’t originally written this way. Adam Muto misspoke when he was pitching the episode and they thought it was funny to keep it like that. Door Lord steals something from Bubblegum and attempts to steal Marceline’s bass axe. With Maja being in possession of Hambo, it makes sense for her bass axe to be her most important item. Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, and BMO have to team up to solve the riddle of the door. It’s great getting to see this group of characters together for the first time. It’s the entire main cast minus Ice King, and they get so few opportunities to all be together before Stakes. Their group dynamic is so fun too. The episode is set in Red Rock Pass, which is a really pretty setting to choose for a (mostly) bottle episode.

Marceline chastises Bubblegum for not executing the door lords, as they kept breaking out of jail. I’m not sure if PB is really above just killing them, considering all the fucked up stuff she’s done in the past. But, killing might be a bridge too far for her. I know she committed robot genocide, but I argue she didn’t see them as sentient beings. Jake decides to pretend to be the jerk in the band. Since Jake doesn’t have a grand emotional arc, this is a funny role to put him in. Marceline starts singing “Just Your Problem”:

-“I’m gonna drink the red from your pretty pink face”. This pretty much gives the game away about PB and Marcy not being platonic. She’s singing about kissing and biting PB.

-PB calls it “distasteful”, causing Marceline to accuse her of just not liking her. This ties into PB not liking Marceline’s behavior when she got more and more consumed with her princess duties. Marceline became well aware of this by their first mission to the Glass Kingdom (“Oh c’mon, you love it.”).

-“Sorry I don’t treat you like a goddess. Is that what you want me to do?” She’s calling out PB’s god complex. Marceline assumes Bonnie thinks she’s better than her, like how she sings “you’re self-obsessed and all the rest” in Distant Lands.

-“Sorry I don’t treat you like you’re perfect, like all your little loyal subjects do. Sorry I’m not made of sugar. Am I not sweet enough for you?”. Marceline thinks Bubblegum demands absolute loyalty from everyone as she does with her citizens. She thinks PB would prefer Marceline to be a dum dum juiced moron that never questions her. We don’t know if Marceline is aware of the dum dum juice, but I like to think that she’s partially referring to that. It also relates to Marcy viewing PB as a dictator as she sings in “Woke Up”. She thinks PB wants her to turn down her edginess and be sweeter, like when she wasn’t taking the situation in the Glass Kingdom seriously, something I’m sure wasn’t an isolated incident.

-I’ll lump together “Is that why you always avoid me?” with the later line “I forgot what landed me on your blacklist.” Some people question why Marceline wonders this considering her singing “Woke Up” is the obvious answer. I think she’s partially referring to PB’s actions before their breakup. Bubblegum grew more distant as her responsibilities grew, something that confused and hurt Marceline. PB talks about this in “Varmints”. She’s also referring to PB being cold to Marceline for centuries after their breakup. Even when they were around each other in “Power Animal” and “Video Makers”, we don’t see them talking. Bubblegum was very dismissive of Marcy in “Go With Me”. This is partially Marceline’s fault, as she can be really rude and mean to Bonnie, as seen in this episode.

-“I shouldn’t have to justify what I do.” Marceline doubles down on acting the way she thinks people perceive her. If people think she’s a monster, it's less painful for her to embrace it. This is something she picked up on from thinking she scared her mother away.

-“I shouldn’t have to be the one who makes up with you so why do I want to…” Marceline thinks that since PB is the one who pushed her away, PB is the one who should take the initiative of making things right. There is some truth to this, but as we see in “Obsidian”, they are both more at fault than Marcy is willing to admit. The faces on the door glow brighter and Marceline gets closer to the truth. The truth is she wants to at least be friends with Princess Bubblegum again. That’s the real reason she joined the group here. Reconnecting to PB is something we’ll see her try to do in episodes like “Sky Witch”, “Princess Day”, and “Varmints”.

The song itself slaps. “Just Your Problem” is super popular, so much so that tons of non-fans know the song. A big reason being that it’s probably the most relatable Adventure Time song ever. A lot of people have friends and lovers that drifted away from them or became downright cold to them due to their differences. Rebecca Sugar even based the song off of her experience with a roommate. Princess Bubblegum’s face during this is also pretty telling. She was definitely having flashbacks to the last time Marceline humiliated her with a song. PB’s face turns to shock when Marceline is on the verge of revealing she wants to make up with her. I don’t blame Bonnie for not realizing this. Marceline’s general nastiness towards her, and of course what she said about her while singing “Woke Up”, would give PB the opposite impression.

Finn doesn’t fully grasp the tension between PB and Marcy, but is able to diffuse the awkwardness and get everyone (besides Jake) to have fun together. I also like how sweet Marceline is to BMO, gently calling him “baby”. I like PB’s quirky attempt at a science based song, which is more fitting for her than singing her heart out like Marceline and Finn. Her song fails and Marceline uses it to antagonize PB. She fixates on Bonnie’s failures as she feels insecure in her presence. The words “monster trash” are definitely echoing in her mind here. Marceline is still really nasty to PB. A lot of it feels like unwarranted bullying without the context of future episodes, but even with the context, it still feels that way to an extent. Spitting on PB is pretty inexcusable and Bubblegum is totally right to walk away after it. Their conflict boils down to Princess Bubblegum’s ego and Marceline’s insecurity clashing. I also like the detail of Shelby slithering back into Jake’s smashed viola.

As a final effort, Finn sings “My Best Friends in the World” after realizing the key to the door is the truth:

-“Am I a joke…?” Finn worries that Marceline doesn’t respect Finn, and perhaps only hangs around him because she enjoys messing with him. This is an understandable fear with episodes like “Henchman”. It’s still fundamentally untrue, squashed by the end of “Henchman” and in “Heat Signature”. There is no denying, however, that she loves trolling Finn. She likes messing with everyone, Finn’s young mind just makes him an easier target.

-“...your knight…?” This could be taken to mean Finn wonders if PB only keeps him around, and entertains his advancements, just to use his service to the kingdom. It’s true that Bubblegum employs Finn a lot, and isn’t above manipulating him for her benefit (“The Other Tarts”, “Too Old”, “James”), but she still genuinely enjoys his company whether they are working or just hanging out. He might also just be referring to this positively, as her knight in shining armor.

-“Do you look down on me because I’m younger?” All of Finn’s closest companions are older than him, and it makes sense that this weighs on him. Even Jake, who is often close to Finn’s level and acts as a best friend, also often acts as his parental guardian. This line applies most of all to Bubblegum, given how recent “Too Young” is. The events of that episode are still raw for Finn, and PB’s behavior to him after her age was restored came across as condescending and dismissive.

-“I just wanted us together and to play as a band. Last night was the most fun I’ve ever had.” Finn loves getting to finally hang out with everyone he loves together and feeling like part of a family.

-“Even liked it when the two of you would get mad at each other.” Finn prefers honesty between friends, and appreciates seeing their more vulnerable side as they are usually more closed off from their true emotions in front of him.

-“You are my best friends in the world. And that’s right, I’m talking about the two of you girls. And you Jake.” With his parents dead, the three of them are by far his closest companions. He’s even grown very close to Marceline in recent times. It’s kinda mean to exclude BMO, who’s right there, but BMO becomes more of a part of Finn’s family over time than he is here.

-“I’ll forget that I lost a piece of your hair. I’ll remember the pasta that we shared over there”. Very sweet line about how the wad of hair doesn’t really matter, the time he spends with PB and getting to be her friend is what’s meaningful to him. I like how the pasta has a double meaning. He obviously just shared pasta with her, but he also had a pasta dinner with Bubblegum when she gave him the hair.

Finn’s song is my favorite moment of the series so far, and one of the best scenes ever in the series. I thought “Just Your Problem” was Adventure Time’s best song up to now but it’s then immediately topped. I love everyone participating in the song, especially Marceline singing along with Finn for parts of it. Finn’s song causing even PB and Marcy to harmonize together is great symbolism for Finn helping to bring them back together. Even Jake finally breaks character, he’s too caught up in the moment! Rebecca Sugar drew on her feelings of being a young newcomer when she joined the Adventure Time staff to write this song. Worrying about how your friends see you and if they respect you is another very ubiquitous concern.

The group realizes that the Door Lord showed them that the real treasure is friendship. It’s very cheesy but the contents of the episode does enough to justify it. It’s cool how well the episode ties two themes into this episode: friendship and honesty. The quick cut from the Door Lord happily seeing they got the message to him being bruised and tied up is hilarious. They get their items back, including the famous rock shirt. It’s not at all PB’s style, going to show how much its pure sentimentality means to Bubblegum. The reveal that PB kept the shirt comes as a shock to Marceline. She realizes that Bonnie doesn’t see her as just her problem. Marceline blushing and PB revealing she wears the shirt all the time as pajamas are heavy hints to their romantic pairing. Their interactions in this episode are very queer-coded, even though they aren’t hitting us over the head with it like they do in season 7 onwards. The episode itself gives enough to figure out the broad strokes of Marceline and Bubblegum having a past and a falling out without giving the details, and it’ll be a long time until they are willing to explore it more at all. It’s revealed that Marceline only joined to hang out with them. Beyond reinforcing the theme of friendship, Marceline and PB now know that the other is interested in reforming a connection again, even if Marceline will have to be the one that ends up instigating it.

“What Was Missing” is a fan favorite for good reason. The two musical numbers are the biggest draw and they are incredible. Rebecca Sugar using her own personal experiences to write them makes them feel so raw and personal. It’s some of the most direct the series ever is about Marceline and especially Finn’s thoughts and feelings, with them explicitly singing them. It’s refreshing to get some clear cut insight as the show is usually much more guarded. I wouldn’t want the series to always be this direct, but it's nice to have moments like these every once in a while to help provide insight into their other appearances. The episode is essentially a precursor for Steven Universe. You could slot in Steven for Finn, Pearl for Bubblegum, and Amethyst for Marceline quite easily. I also really like PB in this one! Despite “What Was Missing” having not one, but two characters that are in love with Princess Bubblegum, she gets to shine. It’s definitely more Marceline-heavy, but I like PB standing up for herself, getting to see her side of the conflict, and the return of her quirks with her scientific song. PB and Marceline also have pretty great outfits here, and it’s definitely their most iconic looks besides their default outfits.

Rebecca Sugar has since stated that she wrote PB and Marcy as exes in this episode. She felt their interaction in “Go With Me” read that way. The episode does a great job extrapolating from that brief interaction. According to Rebecca Sugar, she pitched this idea to Adam Muto, who she boarded the episode with, and he approved. They ran this by Pen who also liked it. Cartoon Network forbade the crew from being explicit with it. They still did a good job making it as clear as they could with the restrictions and the fandom picked up on it. Rebecca Sugar wanted to include LGBTQ representation and felt that exploring it through the lens of two exes with a past was the best path to getting it in. Despite it only being subtextual, it was a big deal for 2011.

This episode stirred up quite the firestorm. It’s possibly not a coincidence that it would take almost two years for PB and Marcy to interact again. The Fredator associated Youtube channel Mathematical! posted recaps after the airing of Adventure Time episodes. After the airing of “What Was Missing”, their recap speculated on the possible romantic pairing between Princess Bubblegum and Marceline, interlaced with overtly romantic drawings of Marceline and Bubblegum from character designer and storyboard revisionist Natasha Allegri. As a result, Fredator fired Mathematical! producer Dan Rickmers, deleted the video, and cancelled the Youtube series. Times were different then, but that’s no excuse for such an overreaction. Fred Seibert offered the following explanation:

“Well, I completely screwed up. There’s been chatter on the internet recently about our latest Adventure Time “Mathematical!” video recap that we created, posted, and removed here at Federator. I figure it’s time to clear up the matter. In trying to get the show’s audience involved we got wrapped up by both fan conjecture and spicy fanart and went a little too far. Neither Cartoon Network nor the Adventure Time crew had anything to do with putting up or taking down our latest re-cap. The episode ”What was Missing” remains a terrific short and will be shown again and again just like any other Adventure Time episode. I let us goof in a staggering way and I’m deeply sorry it’s become such a distraction for so many people.” It’s a really weak reasoning as Mathematical! had always been a fan oriented show and that’s what the entire fandom was talking about. Still, I’d expect this from an executive. What was unexpected were Adam Muto’s comments:

“If it was just a fan video there would be no problem at all. The problem was that it was made by a production company actively involved with the show. The video took something that was a possible subtext and declared it, in effect, text and made it seem like the production was actively seeking out input on plot development. That's all there is to it.” Considering Sugar said that Adam Muto agreed with that interpretation, it would have been for the best if he just stayed out of the situation. That’s what Pen Ward did ("It’s hard to comment on that, because there were so many extreme positions taken on it all over the Internet, and it happened so quickly. I don’t really want to comment on it because of that, because there were so many extreme sides taken. It was a big hullaballoo.")

Now that we know Bubbline was in fact the crew’s intention, and it’s since been explicitly canonized, the situation is just even dumber. Dan Rickmer is definitely owed an apology. But what’s really important is the series no longer having to keep their relationship a big secret.

Grade: A+

#adventuretime #adventure time #what was missing #finn and jake #jake the dog #finn the human #princess bubblegum #marceline #bubbline #rebecca sugar

70 notes · View notes

99redragons · 7 months

Text

Part of the Madness Ch.2 - Relic

There's some consequences to running around dimension-hopping with a wound.

Gen, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD, Altered Mental State, Hospitals, Injury

Read on AO3 Ch.1

His dreams were of Betty. He kept trying to find her, speak to her, but his mouth became full of snow and his feet were blocks of ice. “No, Betty, stay!” He tried to say. He heard the whispers of ice and snow, the secrets he’d known while insane, pulsing through his brain “NO ICE!” He shouted, while burning alive. He called for Marceline, apologizing, crying for his little girl to forgive him, fighting off oozers that never ended and his own brain slipping away from him. He felt crazy, his mouth dry, his arm burning, his head splitting in pain. He saw shadows where there were none, visions crowding him, the air thick with them. He whispered his own name to himself in the depths of his fever, for fear he would forget. Afraid he would forget her.

Eventually, the dreams faded.

He next woke up on a bed, not the couch, and the scent of candy in the air told him where he was.

“Dude.” The familiar tone of Finn’s voice sounded from next to him. Everything was fuzzy, and swirly, and he thinks he might throw up-

“You already did, dude. Marceline, he’s awake!” He called behind him, and Ice King smiled, wait, no, something was wrong with that, Ice King was gone, right?

“My little Marcy?” He croaked faintly, and his head hurt, his arm hurt, and he struggled to stop from fighting as suddenly Princess Bubblegum was there beside him, and he slurred, “Princess… a beautiful princess, by my bedside? Heh heh heh…”

“Dude, he’s really out of it, wow.”

“He has a very high fever, Finn, go get Marcy, I’m going to make sure he stays in bed this time- Simon! Stop wriggling, you’re going to open the wound again!” She chastised him, and he just kept laughing, and laughing, through the pain.

“Simon! Bonnie, is he okay- woah.” Marcy burst through the door, halting at the laughter, then hastily coming to help hold him still while PB slipped a sling over his head.

“There, now he shouldn’t move and damage his stitches- he’ll be okay, Marcy.”

She stopped, frowning at the look on Marceline’s face, and had he done that? Oh, no-

“I’m sorry Marcy, I didn’t mean to make you sad, Marcy, I’ll be good- no more crown-“ he stopped as she started tearing up, her face crumpling in that way he was so uncomfortably familiar with. “Woah, woah, what’d I say?”

She stopped, and scrubbed her face, PB coming up on that side of the bed to hold the hand that wasn’t holding Simon’s. It was nice, her cold hand in his. He felt very hot, and wasn’t that funny? Him, too hot! He tried and failed to keep down more giggles, eyes traveling around the room and seeing nothing clearly.

“You didn’t say anything, Simon, it’s okay.” She managed, and let PB guide her to sitting at the chair set beside him. “You have a fever, but it’s okay, PB and Doctor Ice Cream are here, you’re going to be okay. The infection isn’t that bad, Bonnie said.”

PB nodded. “I had to redo your stitches—did you do them yourself!?—But the fever’s not too dangerous. Now, if you two don’t mind, can I ask you some questions, Simon?” She brought up a clipboard.

“Sure, darling,” he murmured.

“Your full name?” He almost didn’t notice Marcy intake breath suddenly, she tried to hide it.

“Simon. Simon Petrikov,” he answered, and saw them both relax fractionally.

“Good. Do you know where you are?”

“The Candy Kingdom?” They relaxed more.

“Good. And who am I?”

“Princess Bubblegum.”

“How old are you?”

He snickered. “One thousand fifty-eight.”

The two women let out a barely audible sigh.

“I’m all jacked-up, huh?” He said, voice loopy.

Marceline managed a smile, her tears gone, “Heckin jacked, man,”

“How are you feeling? Besides jacked,” PB continued professionally. “Any pain?”

Simon nodded, the movement making his head bloom in pain- he tried harder to stay still after that. “My arm hurts, and my head, and I feel super duper loopy! Heh heh…” he trailed off in little chuckles again, unable to control his filter.

“Some of that is the pain meds we gave you. You’ve been down with a high fever for two days.” PB explained.

“Days!?” He exclaimed, sitting up more before he thought better of it and doubling over, “Fionna- I need to check- where’s my phone?” He blathered, realizing he was just in a simple gown under the sheet.

Finn, wandering back in. heard him and frowned. “Fionna… from your fanfiction?” He ventured awkwardly.

Simon felt shame and desperation twist in his gut “I know how it sounds, but they’re real now- they always were, and now they’re authorized!” He begged for him to believe him.

“Authorized?” Finn asked, confused.

“It’s true, LSP confirmed it,” PB said. “Simon, lay back down. Your phone is here with your things.”

“Wait, hold up, what did LSP tell you?” Finn held a hand up, mild suspicion in his gaze.

“That a new hero with a singing cat showed up and trashed the market in the woods,” PB explained. “It was the talk of Ooo, you know how LSP is. The kid who helped them said they were the Fionna and Cake, and very insistent about it. Then everyone saw them vanish.”

“Not the first time we’ve had alternate universe adventures, I’ll believe it,” Finn shrugged, and it was that simple with him.

“He told me everything, Finn, I believe him too. They’re real.” Marcy added.

“Girl me is real!” Finn tightened his fists, eyes glittering in excitement. “I bet she’s awesome!”

Simon chuckled at Finn’s excitement. “That she is,” he murmured. He gratefully took his phone with his one hand not in a sling, hand still shaky. “My glasses- where-“ PB handed him those too, but they didn’t help that much, and looking at the tiny screen made his head hurt. Everything was all swimmy.

“Let me,” Marcy offered.

“Okay,” he gave in, handing her the phone. “Call her.”

She did, and soon a voice came over the phone. “Simon, are you okay? It’s been days!”

“I’m fine, Fionna,” he rasped.

“Woah, you sound rough, are you su-“

“He is not fine!” Marcy burst out. “He has an infected wound that he left untreated for days, and he’s in the hospital now!”

“Geez, Simon! ...Who is that?”

“That’s Marcy, my ward.” He answered.

“Girl Marshall!! I bet she’s super pretty!!” She blasted through the little speaker.

“She is,” he answered simply, while Marcy blushed a little. PB held her hand over her mouth, amused.

“Fionna?” Finn ventured.

“Woah, how many people are there? Yep, it’s Fionna!”

“And Cake!!” Could be heard faintly. Finn rubbed his chest where his Jake tattoo was briefly.

“I’m Finn, nice to meet you,” he said, a bit in wonder.

“Oh! Boy version of me! Awesome!!” She shouted.

“Are you alright over there, Fionna? How is everyone?” Simon cut in.

“Everyone’s getting there, all in all, the damage could have been worse, a lot worse. We’re all working together on clearing rubble away and the injured are getting treated. Me and Cake mostly hanging with Marshall and Gary and Hunter. And Ellis P is here too, I guess. Everyone’s fine. Everything is okay, thanks to you, Simon.” She said warmly.

He let out a huge sigh of relief he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Fionna and Fionna-world was alright, still. “I’m glad.” He croaked.

“Now Simon, you get some rest, mister! I’ve gotta go, but nice meeting everyone! I’ll text you with my new phone, Simon! Bye!” She called, and hung up. Marcy returned him the phone and he lay back finally.

“She’s right, he needs to rest. Everyone else out!” PB called, ushering Finn out of the room, letting Marcy stay.

They sat in the quiet of the hospital room for a monment, then Marcy said, “You were really weird with a fever,” half amused half somber.

“I bet I was,” he murmured, and spotted the glass of water on the table beside them.

“Here, let me help you, Marcy offered.

She gently moved the glass to where he could take hold of it, head propped up on pillows for him to drink.

“Reminds me of the time I was sick and you got me chicken soup. Do… do you remember that?” She asked, the most Marceline would ever hesitate.

“Of course I do,” he said, an echo of a hundred times he’d said it before, heavy on his throat, but warm, and reassuring.

She smiled back, full-teeth, a smile he’d only ever seen after he became him again for the first time due to Bella Noche. A smile not shy about her teeth. Actually happy. He really liked that smile.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said, instead of you worried me, what the heck, Simon, you left an open wound untreated for days, Simon!

He appreciates what he can get. “I’m okay,” he says, a bit petulant. He didn’t like a big fuss being made over him.

“I- it suppose this wasn’t on purpose, so it’s fine,” she says after a long moment. “But what the hell.” Oh, there it was. She was still chill, at least.

“It’s okay, Marcy, I’m old, this stuff happens,” he said, as if that had anything to do with it.

“It can’t, Simon, not anymore.” She was serious. Uh oh.

“Uh oh.” He croaked.

“You will take care of yourself—I don’t care what Finn does.” She was nearly shaking with the effort to not hiss. “You’re human, Simon.”

“I know.” He said, and it was only a little bitter.

“You can’t be reckless anymore, I thought we’d been through this. Not after—“

“Not after I became not Ice King,” he said, and surprised himself he’d said it aloud.

“Y-yeah.” She said, taken aback. “I don’t run your life, and Ooo is just dangerous, I get it, but man.” She sighed with her eyes closing for a moment, tucking a stray lock of hair back.

“I know, Marcy.” He said again evenly.

“And I know you were running around from the Scarab and rarely resting, but dude!”

“We didn’t really have time in the Winter King dimension, and most of the other time we were running or fighting,” he said, not defensively.

“Yeah! But dude!” Her head fell in her hands. She’d floated up so she was looking down at him now, and she forced out a huge sigh.

“I wasn’t trying to hide it, Marcy, it just slipped my attention, really.” It wouldn’t’ve mattered if I’d put the Crown on, anyways, he thought guiltily.

“Simon. Simon this is important, please. You can do this,” she encouraged, because she wasn’t all mad, really she wasn’t mad at all, just frustrated with her weird, weird dad. He knew the look from every time he could recall through fuzzy, vision-filled memories. Barely a face, but he’d know it was hers, and it would be frowning, angry, sad. He hated making her frown.

“Okay,” he agreed with her, like he always did, though he didn’t always follow through with promises, they were both painfully aware. “What do you want me to say, Marcy?” He asked quietly, and he sounded so damn tired, showing his age for the rare occasion. He wasn’t even that old, damnit. He was trying, though.

“Just—I need you—Simon, you can’t regard yourself as disposable. Please.“

That was a tall order. Even the vague emotions and impressions he’d had while Ice King he’d always felt forgettable, the last thought, unlikeable. He just wanted someone to tell him what in hell he was supposed to do now. Instead he said,

“Aw, you don’ need me anymore, Marcy.”

She sniffed suddenly, hard, and he realized he’d mucked up. “Oh no. Marcy, I’m sorry, I just, you’ve outgrown me, the whole world has. I’m a relic of the past.” He murmured, “It’s how things are,” he added.

“I’m not a relic, and neither are you!” She insisted, hands fisting by her sides. “You’re more my dad than my real dad ever is, Simon, you know that. I do need you.”

He didn’t know how to respond, guilt and affection warring in his gut.

“Not just me either, man. Finn really needs your friendship after Jake… and Fionna-world needed you, you can’t think—“

“I understand, Marcy,” and he thinks he is starting to, truly.

She watched his expression carefully, searching his eyes, and seemed to find what she was looking for or gave up, because she collapsed back into the chair with a sigh and then let out a chuckle, “If you get it then don’t be such a dink donk, old man,” she said with deep affection. He smiled back.

They both chuckled for a while.

“Oh shoot, I almost forgot,” Marcy shot up.

“What?” He rasped.

“Uh, well, how is your head, Simon?”

“Achy. Achy all over, really, but my heads the worst.” He answered honestly.

“Bonnie asked me to see if we can get a cool cloth on your head, for the fever. They tried to give you an ice pack while you were out, but…”

He winced “I think I remember that it didn’t go well, did it?”

“No,” she confirmed, a similar expression on her face. “If I brought you a cool wet cloth, do you think you could…?”

He was already nodding, “Please,”

She nodded back, went and came back with one. “Ready?” She asked. He nodded, and she gently placed it on his forehead. He resisted letting out a hiss at the frigid-feeling water. He took a few deep breaths, and eventually relaxed into it—it did help with the pain. “Thank you, darling,” he murmured.

She smiled at him, and after saying if he needed anything he should call, she floated away to leave him to rest, and no doubt to check in with her girlfriend.

He sighed heavily into the pillows, and eventually, fitfully slept.

#simon petrikov #simon petrikov fanfic #fionna and cake #fionna and cake fanfic #angst #hurt/comfort #99redragons art #my writing #potm

20 notes · View notes

pennamesmith · 8 months

Text

Oops I accidentally etc etc. Sequel to this and this.

Transversal

A corner of the lab crackled.

Entrapta glanced up from the deadly laser she was welding together. Some of the older equipment across the room hummed to life, and a glowing portal opened in the air. A young man and a not at all young man tumbled out of it. Entrapta brightened when she recognized them.

“Oh! Hello, extra-dimensional friends! It’s been a while.”

Finn leapt to his feet while Simon remained face down on the floor, groaning.

“Yeah, we haven’t seen you since Marcy’s house party!” Finn said. “Actually, is that sword lady still around? We’re here on adventure biz.”

Entrapta pulled her welding mask up. “No, Adora’s in space right now. Doing space stuff,” she added, with only a hint of envy. “I can still help you out, though! I’m something of an adventurer myself.”

Finn considered this seriously, stroking the short beginnings of a beard. Beside him, Simon staggered to his feet, suit rumpled and glasses askew.

“Are we there yet?” Simon asked, dazed.

“Simon and I are doing human bonding, and we need a good dungeon,” Finn explained. “PB said you’ve got, like, a whole castle fulla traps n’ shit. I’m old enough to say that now, by the way. ‘Shit.’ Would it be chill if we go exploring in your house?”

“Oh sure!” Entrapta waved them on with her hair. “Just be careful. The security bots are still set to ‘purée.’ Ha ha ha!”

“Finn, is this really necessary? We’ve done this sort of thing before,” Simon moaned.

“And we’ll do it again!”

“Right, but I was just thinking…”

“Thinking about how awesome our adventure is gonna be? Way ahead of ya, buddy.” Finn started pulling a variety of dangerous weapons from his backpack. “I got all kinds of epic loot! What sorta build you want?”

A shadow appeared above them. Both humans turned to look up.

“Hello,” Hordak said, looming into the light. “It is tolerable to see you again.”

He cast a look at Simon, who was wobbling under the weight of Finn’s various swords. “I could not help but overhear your conversation just now.” His ear twitched. “I would like to make a suggestion for your enrichment activity.”

Finn shrugged. “Shoot, bro.”

“Treacherous and overstimulating as the castle labyrinth may be, you might also be interested in the mines of Dryl. Many ancient artifacts have been uncovered there.”

Simon perked up. “Ancient artifacts?”

“More than you could fathom. And more as yet undiscovered.”

Simon looked pleadingly at Finn, his eyes huge.

Finn nodded in manly sympathy. “A collection quest it is!” He pulled a pick and shovel from his arsenal and brandished them above his head as he charged out of the lab. “Excavation time!”

A moment later he reappeared in the doorway. “Um. Actually, I’m gonna need you guys to show me the way.”

While Entrapta giddily gathered her maps and revved an enormous drill, Simon looked back toward the towering alien. There was a deep sadness in his eyes.

“I have not forgotten what you told me,” Hordak said in answer to the unasked question. “I believe we share some… narrative similarities. I, too, have caused harm I now regret. And I have not always been in control of myself.”

Simon sighed. “You ever feel like everything’s changed, but you’re just a different version of who you used to be?”

“Frequently,” Hordak said. He snorted.

Simon hesitated. “How do you keep going?”

“Friendship and hobbies, mainly.” Hordak looked at Entrapta and the lab they shared. “It’s a good life, if you don’t weaken.”

Simon picked up another shovel. “Okay,” he said.

“Let’s get going, then.”

#simon petrikov #finn mertens #entrapta #hordak #spop #adventure time #fan fiction #smith stuff #I watched fionna and cake and this was inevitable really

14 notes · View notes

diamond-vic · 1 year

Text

Ok. Hear me out. Amphibia Odd Squad au. As in the PBS kids show. I’m not the only one who watched that right

IT’S SILLY BUT

the idea of Sasha being the stand in for Odd Todd, Anne (or O’Anne??? I guess??) being the stand in for Olive, and she and Sasha being ex-partners like in the show. Her new partner (and the stand in for Otto) just joining the squad being O’Sprig. O’Marcy being the scientist and Oscar stand in. O’Polly being the Orchid equivalent character. O’Ivy and O’Maddie as any number of the ridiculous child squad. Is there an explanation for the Amphibians being amphibians?? Sure, and there could be any number of them!! You can just come up with some ridiculous explanation for why and it works!!

I find the idea of the Toad Tower incident in the show just..being Sasha going a little crazy and deciding to turn against her oddness-solving society and CAUSE oddness instead really funny. You can work in the whole trio drama in there somehow still and say Sasha, O’Anne and O’Marcy were friends before Sasha’s rebellion, and still had their unhealthy dynamic. Maybe in this world the major conflict’s root cause has something to do with O’Marcy being told she will be removed from the squad by her parents?? And like in the show she does something she hopes will solve this only to create more chaos inadvertently. O’Sprig hearing these whispers about O’Anne’s old partner and being super curious about it but he can’t ever get too much information about it, and then when he finally sees Sasha for the first time he’s all ‘this is the person everyone won’t speak of???’

I don’t really know I’m not taking this too seriously.. I just think a version of Marcy making a bunch of -inators and a version of Sasha creating pienados and a version of Anne just being accustomed to complete nonsense on the daily is really really funny. Plus it lends itself to the frog children being present as well which is a lot of fun. I like to bounce this idea around in my brain

(Also, for anyone who didn’t watch/ doesn’t know about Odd Squad.. they ‘are an organization run by kids that investigates anything strange, weird, and especially odd. Their job is to put things right again’ (intro music plays)

Also, all their names start with O. That is why I slapped an O in front of every character’s name, except Sasha, because in the show Todd never had an O at the beginning of his name. She gets to be special. The O in front of the names makes them look really strange but also it’s just really funny in how terrible and awkward it is )

I hope by typing this out it will leave my head if someone stumbles on this I am sorry

#amphibia #odd squad #anne boonchuy #anne amphibia #marcy wu #marcy amphibia #sasha waybright #sasha amphibia #sprig amphibia #i am aware this is the most random idea in existence #odd squad just re-emerged from my consciousness and latched onto my frog show #if you’re seeing this. i am so sorry

52 notes · View notes

thatone-highlighter · 2 years

Note

as much fun as the 4K word CAWM post is I’m moving this to the ask box since I don’t have as much to say.

I would totally recommend looking through bmos room and the stuff in there ! There is just sooo many references in there it’s so cool, (and there is so much to pick through in the 1000+ theme song/intro)

Oh yeah 100%, BMO makes me sad in a way, how they r basically destined to outlive most of their friends (except for the few immortal bunch like Marceline n PB)

Heheheheeh I’m am gonna procrastinate on SO much stuff while infodumping about fern to you >:3

Oh yeah the Gumbald arc is definitely one of the ones that got most affected by it getting cut short, oh yeah the adventure time finale is pretty well received, even with some of the pacing issues n stuff, DEFINITELY WAY BETTER ECIVED THAN THE SU FINALE HO,Y SHIT, yeah I feel like people can be way to harsh on su, it’s definitely not perfect but god,

Lmao fanon lumpygrab is obviously a mixed bag like with literally every ship but it’s not really a ship i go seeking content for ? So when I do get it’s from accounts I already follow and stuff,. idk where I was going w this, you probably get what I mean, hopefully,

Tragic characters are my everything, just,, god I just don’t get people who don’t enjoy any angst at all. Like cmon I love my blorbos and wish for them to be happy but I also want to throw them into a fire and vivisection them and just make them go through so much shit.

Yeah yeah, the Finn losing his arm in golb thing is just intresting to think about, although is definitely not something I would have wanted in the show .

adventure time music grrrrrrrrrrrr

(Also I wrote this while listening to still alive from portal 1 on repeat. why did I tell you this ? Why not tbh)

I cant belige you could abandon the giant cawm post like this- /j

Okay so i actually just started having a look at the intro and bmo’s room so im just gonna say a bunch of stuff i noticed

I think its pretty cool that Shermy and Beth live in Marceline’s old house and then Finn and Jake also lived in Marceline’s old house too it seems poetic in some kinda way. I wonder how many other iterations of them shes leant her house to over the thousands of years, because thinking about that first introductory episode shes in, from memory if almost feels like shes done that before. So.

Why does BMO have a guillotine on the damn roof of their house . Is going around decapitating ppl a thing they just Regularly do or- . We got statue of KoO, the crowns, IKs drum but it looks kinda busted, lady rainicorns translator thing(?), bmo’s skateboard from that one episode, that soda girl, james baxters balls, the hat from the lady armour, oh the broken clock! , lsp’s number plate, amo just. Open on the table like its normal, one of those books looks like ones of the ones IK was reading on how to get bitches or smthn, is that lsp’s star??!??!, jake’s viola, a portrait of banana man?

Also that Is meant to be sweet pea right? The giant walking around?

The idea of characters who live forever is so sad to me. Im glad that bmo Isnt the only one because if they were it wiuld just be awful, Bonnie and Marcy have eachother but i hope they go visit bmo from time to time it would be really sad if they ended up all alone :(

I am taking this as a chance to go Insane over SU because somehow all this being insane over AT has made me want to do that. I could kinda i guess see how people could be unsatisfied with the ending of SU, i didnt have many expectations to be let down by by the finale but i also watched it when i was like 12 so. But even if you had issues with it once you found out that they got ruched into a finale and Why they got rushed into a finale you would think you’d cut the writers a but more slack but people Dont. And even outside of DD and CYM most of the issues people have with the show aren’t even that big a deal, “oh the art-style is inconsistent” okay? And? They let the storyboarders have a bit of creative freedom “oh the characters are off model a lot” okay?? As long as you can tell who they’re meant to be and as long as character a is taller than character b who cares??? “Oh the writing is really badly paced with a bunch of filler episodes everywhere all the time” 1. Thats not what filler means and 2. Its written like that because of the stupid fucking steven bomb format that it got aired in. Its a kids show thats just trying to tell a story about this kid with a magic gem in his belly that gives him super powers calm down okay tje first episode is about him thinking his powers come from eating ice cream(i mean this in the most affectionate way possible). No one is saying the show is perfect nothing is perfect if you personally dont like it just say you dont like it you dont have to try and come up with reasons why you dont and you especially dont have to insult and be mean people who do like it for no reason. Man

I get what u mean with the lumpy grab thing. Like most the stuff you see for it are from creators who make other content you already like so chances are when they make that content youll like it too even if you’re not overly fond of the ship itself. Brain to brain communication

TRAGIC CHARACTERS MY BELOVED. Weve been over this so many times but theyre so !!

Holy shit still alive!! I love that song i used to listen to it a bunch before id ever even played portal properly its such a vibin song i put it on whole i was writing this out <3 thank u for reminding me of its existence

#man we got all the good shit in one oost we got AT we got SU we got Portal all we need is minecraft and we set #i got. So into that SU rant for No Reason. i just rlly like it and the pol who critique it have such bad criticisms #wait fuck is this a theme i have #SU🤝ID things duck likes that ppl criticise for no reason and think liking them is cringe #well thats todays realisation down #i have a fucking encyclopaedic knowledge of SU or some shit someone will mention a scene in passing and i could tell you Exactly #when and where that scene is from its SO funny every time it comes up #Tree Man Posts #asks #and so the adventure time live blog continues

4 notes · View notes

spinobsessed · 5 months

Text

I’m reading a bubbline fanfic and god I love their characterizations. Marceline is Marceline but I’m more focused on PBs character, she’s so self aware in a scientific way I just love it. She said that she didn’t think her and Marcy would be together forever since they’d naturally grow apart but then find eachother again, and that she thinks it’s logical for her species to maybe not reproduce that much (havent gotten to the episode explaining how she was made) since overpopulation could become a problem; those are both such intelligent takes and I just adore that, she’s truthful about her opinions even though they aren’t fairytales but they’re still positive and make total sense!!

#special interest #adventure time #princess bubblegum

1 note · View note

finallysummer8 · 4 years

Text

just some. just some bi girls

14 notes · View notes

sometipsygnostalgic · 3 years

Photo

This is the post I was working on that I accidentally sent privately before I’d finished it, LOL. Thanks @imorahtarm107 for sending it back after what must have been a confusing request.

CONT: Rebecca Sugar has spoken before about how much they dislike the statement by press that Bubbline only became “canon” in the finale, because Sugar and Muto were working on that pairing all the way back in s3, those characters have been canonically queer the whole time. It’s not some novelty thing that was canonized at the very end just because everyone else was doing it, or that the characters were only queer and dating if they got to kiss on the mouth!

So yeah, I was a bit salty abouta few things. I mostly thought that season 10 had been underwhelming compared to the spectacular seasons 7 to 9. Honestly, I still stand by that opinion because those seasons were really good.

I felt that there were some other things missing from s10, but some of those got followed up either in the finale or in Obsidian, albeit less in depth than I’d have liked (primarily the fallout to Elements on the side of the Elementals themselves - I thought this was only appropriate considering what happened in Jellybeans Have Power. Are they not terrified of themselves? What are the long term consequences of that takeover, if any? It seems much bigger than the stuff with the Lich that barely anyone knew about.)

HOW MY THOUGHTS HAVE CHANGED

Well, honestly? Just hearing more from the crew about the problems they faced on CN, not just the AT crew but also Rebecca Sugar with SU, it clears SO much up.

Kent Osborne said to Ghostshrimp in a podcast that, even though they knew the show was ending, the team had no idea how many episodes they had left! Unlike the earlier seasons where CN just made block orders of 52 eps, it seems like from s6 onwards, things were far less stable. CN no longer ordered consistent season lengths. I’m not sure if they instead ordered blocks of eps, or if they gave the crew a flexible budget to work from, like Legend of Korra had.

From my observations and theories, the reason seasons 7 to 9 have so many miniseries is possibly because Adam Muto was using those as a way to appeal to what CN wanted out of Adventure Time, and therefore, to prolong the lifespan of the show. It worked really well as both standalone miniseries and as episodes of the show. Olivia Olsen commented that there were many times they thought they were on the last season but it turned out they weren’t. Adam Muto pitched the first eps of Distant Lands originally as miniseries to “extend” season 10. He was probably hoping he would be successful!

Unfortunately, this time he was not successful, and Kent Osborne said that the crew were taken off guard by Come Along With Me being their last ep. When they started work on it, they thought it was a special in the middle of what could be a longer season. Kent even believed they would’ve had another 26 eps left. Adam had to beg for an extra couple of months so they could figure out how they could turn what would have been a gumbald special (whatever that would have entailed) into a finale for the entire show!

Watching Come Along With Me with the knowledge that the crew were taken so off guard changes entirely what I think of it, because what originally seemed like lazy rush jobs - Simon turning back but not having any time as himself, the ep havingt so much going on, the conflict between Bonnie and Gumbald being a bit empty - now feels like the best possible outcome!! How on earth did they make Come Along With Me as good as it was?? They gave so many characters good moments, they had the whole thematic resolution to the land of Ooo and the themes of the world going in circles but nothing staying the exact same, they paid respects to Finn’s growth, and had the outro as the finale song while showing life goes on!

Now that I’ve had so long to process exactly what happened in the ep, I greatly appreciate so many scenes that I previously overlooked or dismissed. The intro sections by Steve and Tom are brilliant at building up tension, which is part of why the second section feels so jarring. However, the dream sequence is so funny, with interesting imagery that it’s still nice to pick apart. Jake gets to be a good brother, Finn gets to battle Fern, and you have that chilling swapperoo epiphany with Gumbald and PB. The scene where they’re all on the beach is so cathartic.

Then the second half of the special is just intense start to finish - everyone working together at the culmination of their character arcs, to take down GOLB! Until the power of a little robot’s song turns out to be the best tool of holding it back, and Betty performs the ultimate sacrifice for her mistakes with a smile on her face. So good. The ending scenes with Finn and the treehouse, Shermy and Beth, the music hole, those are a thematic conclusion to the show.

So, yeah, it did a great job. To an extent it’s better enjoyed if you pick it apart than if you watch it all at once, since it’s unfortunately not as hard-hitting as a lot of the single 11-minute eps of Adventure Time, including the previous season finale Three Buckets. However it absolutely does its job.

As for Bubbline, well... Adam was trying to get the show extended, and if anyone looks at the twitter comment I currently have as my pinned post, then you’ll understand that there’s no way PB and Marcy could have kissed or made their relationship undeniably explicit unless it was the very end of the show :/

Adam said himself that he didn’t see it as much his fight to battle the decisions of execs as Rebecca did. And while that hurts, it makes sense - he was the owner of someone else’s show that is a smorgas board of a large number of people’s ideas, whereas Rebecca was the owner of their own show and felt that if they weren’t able to express themself in their own show, Sugar was willing to completely take down SU. And that actually happened - Steven Universe got cancelled immediately!!! Adam was not prepared to do that with AT, especally when CN were already talking about cancelling it.

The good news is he didn’t give up on having PB and Marcy’s relationship be at least fairly clear, especially s7 onwards. I don’t know what happened behind the scenes, but it’s likely a number of the crew members taken on at that time found it important to press for Bubbline, and Adam decidedly agreed. If someone other than him had taken over as showrunner, or even if Pen stayed in charge (he supported it but didn’t want to be wrapped in controversy), I wonder if they’d have never interacted after What Was Missing :/

So yeah, with that in mind, as annoying as Marcy and Hunson still is, I can forgive the crew for doing a finale kiss. Rather, I can really thank Hanna K for pressing for one - she knows how important it was to at least confirm what people had expected, without a retroactive tumblr post ala Korrasami.

#adventure time #atimers #bubbline #come along with me

178 notes · View notes

gunterfan1992 · 3 years

Text

Interview with Fan Artist loycos!

(Art by loycos)

So a few months ago, I was absent-mindedly scrolling on Tumblr (or was it Twitter?) when I came across something: an Adventure Time fan comic by an artist named loycos. As a person embedded in fan spaces, I find fanart like this all the time, but this time, there was something special about the art I was seeing. It was so... show-accurate!

I don’t mean that necessarily in regard to the art style (although it does feel right at home in the Land of Ooo, while still being its own thing with its own flourishes), but rather in relation to the characterization; the way loycos wrote the characters was spot on. She nailed PB and Marceline’s dynamic as former lovers who deep-down miss one another. She nailed Finn’s naive heroism and his one-sided crush on PB. She nailed Jake’s goofball energy. It was perfect.

In the past, I’ve only interviewed people affiliated with the show’s production, but I thought I’d mix things up a bit and reach out to some fan artists that I think are fantastic. As such, I’m delighted to share with you an interview I had with loycos, who answered my questions about her art, her history with Adventure Time, and where her work is headed!

What is your 'artistic origin' story?

[It’s] kind of a corny answer, but I've been drawing since I remember myself. My earliest drawing memories are drawing Clifford (the big red dog) fanart when I was around 5 y/o. I was always more of a "fangirl" artist, [and] I would draw characters from my favorite franchises to illustrate my headcanons and daydream scenarios I'd put them in. That hadn't changed one bit since. I had since gone on to study animation and illustration in official institutions which forced me to design characters and worlds of my own, but when I draw for myself it's always back to fanart (or studies). I don't have any OCs.

Are there particular artists or styles that you were inspired by and/or like to emulate or allude to?

I'd joke that my artstyle is just a mesh of all the franchises I've drawn fanart for over the years, but honestly, is it even a joke? I think you can easily recognize I had a Disney Phase like every other teenager (I didn't have an anime phase though! I know, I'm an anomaly) and [Steven Universe] definitely left it's fat mark on my style too. Out of [Steven Universe]'s storyboarding crew (which I followed very closely over the years) I especially love Raven Molisee and Jeff Liu for their wacky expressions and proportions, and of course Rebecca Sugar for their fluid and carefree lines. When it comes to art in general, I tend to prefer stylized, colorful and brushy styles over realistic or gothic ones, So people like Hue Teo and Patri Balanovsky pop to my mind (and my artstation feed, seriously look them up).

How do you approach your projects; what is your general art process?

It really depends on the type of project I'm doing, though, my [Adventure Time] comics were all pretty similar in their conception: I write down all of my ideas in my notes so I won't forget them. Then I either roughly sketch out the entire comic as fast as I can, or I write a script (if the concept is specifically very dialog heavy) and then sketch it roughly. Then I do the lineart and color, nothing too complicated. The one thing I think is worth noting in my long comic process is that I draw all of my panels on the same document- that way it's easier for me to make sure the characters stay on model and that my panel layout remains fresh. So basically, the way you read the comics on tumblr, as a long scroll, is the format I work on.

How did you come to find Adventure Time? What made you join the fandom?

Adventure Time is one of those shows you just know about, so I don't remember how I first found out about the show. However, I do remember when I started shipping Bubbline—after the episode “Broke His Crown” aired. I somehow ended up in their Tumblr tag and was blown away by the (by 2016's standards) blatant representation. Despite my obsession with them at the time, I never actually watched any episode that didn't feature the girls' relationship. I only started fully watching the show recently. But I did consume a lot of fan content, which I think helped me shape my own headcanons and such. After my initial interest in 2016 I put Bubbline back on the back burner and kept on my [Steven Universe] ramage, until last year's “Obsidian,” which brought me back fully on board the Bubbline decks around 2 weeks before it aired, so I was in maximum hype mode when I watched the special. It did not disappoint [and it] really reminded me of why I loved these characters and their relationship to begin with. I started drawing my own art for the ship shortly after, when I felt like the hype around the special died down and there wasn't much to keep me sustained anymore. I make what I want to see ;)

As for joining the fandom, I don't know if I can be considered a member, seeing how inactive I am most of the time and my very limited list of [Adventure Time] mutuals. I am extremely flattered that my stuff caught ATimers attention in a positive way.

You've done some amazing Bubblegum and Marceline stuff. What draws you to their dynamic?

I'm gay.

OK, seriously now. I have a soft spot for extremely feminine, dainty characters that are very reserved, so PB immediately marked herself as an obvious fav, and the road to shipping her with Marceline (who is such an obvious candidate and a multilayered, fascinating character herself) was a short one. I know calling PB dainty is far from a true statement, but that's what she appeared like on the surface and that's what caught my attention. Another thing is that I love relationships between immortal beings, I think it always adds another layer of complexity to any relationship, especially a romantic one. The whole "getting older without appearing like you've aged" and "watching everyone you love die around you while you stay the same" can surely make 2 beings bond, right? It always felt like PB and Marcy get each other in a way no one else can, they are very different on the surface but share fundamental internal similarities. Oh, and the fact that they're EXES? The romantic tension and the longing? The familiarity and banter they had in every scene they shared?This hit the jackpot on literally every relationship trope that I love. I'd much rather watch a "getting back together" than a "falling in love for the first time" story.

All of this and the fact that they [are] gay. It's really that simple sometimes.

In broad strokes, what is next for you as an artist and/or as a fan?

I have a few [Adventure Time] comics ideas\scripts on the back burner and one that is in the making. I think I'll dabble into some Nintendo fanart cause I've been playing a lot of Smash Bros and [Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild] lately.

I’m so excited to see what comes next! Either way, a huge thanks to loycos for chattin’ with me! If you’d like to check out more of her art, visit her Tumblr and her Twitter page!

#adventure time #atimers #adventuretime #bubbline #princess bubblegum #marceline #marceline the vampire queen #pb #marcy #loycos #fanart #fan art #interview #fandom

328 notes · View notes

j4gm · 3 years

Text

Obsidian lore thread!

Sharing this thread of lore, episode connections, and Easter eggs from Adventure Time: Distant Lands: Obsidian, originally written for my Twitter.

SPOILERS AHEAD, WATCH OBSIDIAN ON HBO MAX IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY

Keep reading for the full thread!

1) We've seen bombs scattered around the Land of Ooo before, but this is the first time we've seen the word "fission", confirming that they are nukes. Although we have seen the radiation roundel plenty of times so it's pretty obvious.

2) The "magic lightning" that created the Glass Kingdom could itself have been one of the nukes. Alternatively, it could have been the catalyst comet, although Finn has no connection to this place so that's probably not the case.

3) The subtitles for the first four minutes video suggested that Glassboy was saying "crap" here. However, the HBO Max subtitles confirm he is actually saying "crack".

4) All of Marceline's classic furniture is present, but Bubblegum's influence is very visible; a doily on the couch, a flask underneath, new barstools from the Candy Kingdom, and the pink lamp in the bedroom, just to name a few examples.

5) Lady Rainicorn slippers. That is all.

6) Chocoberry on the cover of a magazine. Looks like she's been dipped in white chocolate for this shoot.

7) This is the first time we've seen Choose Goose since he appeared as "Achoos Goose" in the Elements miniseries. Last time we saw his normal form was all the way back in season five's "Blade of Grass", nearly seven years ago. Is it weird that Choose Goose was the first thing in the episode to make me cry?

8) It appears that Princess Bubblegum has not rebuilt the Gumball Guardians since they were destroyed in the battle against GOLB.

9) There are lots of familiar candy people in and around the tavern, from a variety of seasons, including Kenneth, Dirt Beer Guy, Cherry Cream Soda, a Banana Guard 500, Lollipop Girl, and Smudge.

10) Simon is of course singing "Remember You". He is also using the omnichord that was used in that episode. Interestingly, this suggests he might remember some of his experiences as the Ice King.

11) This isn't the first time Dirt Beer Guy's tavern has hosted an open mic night. He also held one in "Son of Rap Bear", and even used the same banner, although it's looking a little tattered and worn out now.

12) Simon doesn't look any older than he did in the finale. This might mean that Betty's wish made him immortal, or it simply might not have been long enough for him to visibly age.

13) This is the oversized shirt given to Marceline by her father in the episode "Marcy & Hunson". It's looking a little faded these days.

14) Bubblegum's outfit is of a similar style to the one in "The Vault", but it's not the same. The fact she's not wearing her amulet might suggest this flashback takes place after "The Vault", but nothing is known for certain.

15) There are gravestones outside Marceline's house, but these actually aren’t new. They previously appeared in “Go With Me”. So don’t worry, these don’t belong to Jake or anything like that.

16) Simon's coping mechanism would be funny if it wasn't so sad. It's going to be a long time before he fully recovers. On a lighter note, the magnets on the fridge say "M PB" which is pretty cute.

17) This is our first time seeing the outside of Elise's van. We previously saw the interior in "Everything Stays". Also, we learned from the credits and subtitles that her name is Elise!

18) Previously, it wasn't known whether or not Elise survived the Mushroom War. Turns out she did... but not for long. It's also now unclear whether the flashback from "Everything Stays" happened before or after the war.

19) A nice little timeline detail: Marceline travelling with her mother for a while explains the awkward two year gap between the Mushroom War and the events of "Simon & Marcy".

20) Here's a comparison of the parts of Marceline's song that got corrupted into the current version. The Glass People got really obsessed with the idea of the song being about coconuts for some reason.

21) PB yelling "Scree!" to summon the Morrow is a callback all the way to the season two episode "Death in Bloom", which is when the Morrow made their debut.

22) Disease is added to the long list of things that helped wipe out humanity. I wonder if this disease is related to the one that Hugo and his crew gave to the grays in the BMO special. I also wonder if Marceline is immune thanks to her demon half.

23) The mutant puppy was able to say the word "wassup". Perhaps this is a halfway stage to the talking animals that now populate the Land of Ooo.

24) Turns out Marceline discovered her demon powers before she defeated the Fool. This is the first appearance of these kinds of soulless husks since "It Came From the Nightosphere" in season two.

25) This is the first new candy power we've seen Princess Bubblegum use since she learned how to create mints and soda in "Jelly Beans Have Power".

26) Marceline not caring about the glass people is very in line with her personality in the early seasons, such as when she was happy to let her father suck souls as long as she got her bass back.

27) No Easter egg here, just an extremely good image.

28) Here's the screenshot leaked by Adam Muto last month. Like the gas station in "Bonnibel Bubblegum", the graffiti here tells an interesting story. Seems like the Land of Ooo had a bit of a Mad Max phase while the humans were still around.

29) This is (as far as I know) only the second time an Adventure Time character has ever been shown bleeding. The first was the heart monster in "The Enchiridion", but that was a lot less realistic.

30) The fact that humans survived long enough to construct a whole Fallout-style bunker confirms that the near-extinction of humanity wasn't a quick process. It makes you wonder whether any other groups made it, besides the Islanders.

31) Apart from this being one of the darkest scenes in the entire show, I like the background detail of bank notes being used as toilet paper.

32) Marceline grew up blaming herself for her mother leaving, and says she is like her dad. It sounds like Elise has told Marceline a bit about Hunson Abadeer, and is scared and angry at him.

33) This actually isn't the first time Marceline's bass has been broken. She also snapped the handle during her fight with the Vampire King. However, it's never been completely shattered like this.

34) This might be a reference to the Hall of Egress. That's the only other time we've heard Bubblegum use that word.

35) Confirmation that Princess Bubblegum doesn't have bones. I guess that counts as lore?

36) The gag of the Banana Guards slipping over each other was also done in "The Thin Yellow Line" and probably some other episodes I'm forgetting.

37) Jake’s granddaughter Bronwyn is certainly an unexpected appearance. I wonder what affiliation she has with the main cast now?

38) And of course... FINN! I would estimate he's aged about five to ten years since the finale, but it's hard to tell with Adventure Time's style. He looks younger than he did in Puhoy's alternate future.

39) Lots of people have been theorising that the tattoo implies that something unfortunate has happened to Jake. Perhaps we'll get to know more about that in Together Again. Let's not dwell on it for now.

40) A canon origin story for the shirt, plus a Bubbline first meeting! This overrides the P.B. & Marcy comic, and re-contextualises a whole bunch of the old Bubbline episodes!

That’s all for now! Let me know if you can think of anything I missed!

#adventure time #obsidian #bubbline #lorepost

458 notes · View notes

jakesuit0 · 7 months

Text

Go With Me Review

“Go With Me” manages to give more insight into multiple different character dynamics in the span of 11 minutes. Finn and Bubblegum, Jake and Marceline, Finn and Marceline, and Marcy and PB have series defining moments for their relationships, with even some super insightful Finn and Jake interaction sprinkled in. Not even the 90-minute Stakes miniseries manages to accomplish that.

Despite Finn’s puppy love for Princess Bubblegum, Finn does not understand romance nor is ready for it. Despite this, Jake pushes Finn to bring a date to couple’s movie night. Jake and Marceline encourage Finn to pursue someone who is too old for him, albeit for different reasons. Jake has a naive view of romance, and has no frame of reference for how to help a (barely) teen human boy deal with his feelings. He views Finn as someone capable of having true romantic feelings, which Finn clearly isn’t yet. Finn immediately shoots down PB’s description of the night as “romantic”. PB declines for whistling practice. I don’t think this was just an excuse to turn down Finn. Bubblegum finds Finn's crush on her cute and harmless in the first two seasons. I think she’d be willing to humor him by attending, not yet knowing the effect that kind of behavior has on Finn. Jake gives more terrible advice, pushing Finn to keep pursuing PB.

Marcy’s introduction into this episode is great, with the slow split screen reveal of her presence. It’s also the first of many times we see her hiding inside the Treehouse. Jake reveals that he has gotten over his fear of vampires. While Marceline can still easily spook him, it's nice that Jake has finally come around to Marcy like Finn did in “Henchman”. I love how Finn and Jake both get separate mini-arcs throughout a few episodes before they each accept Marceline as a friend. Marceline not being able to go out in the sun (before they got lazy and just started photoshopping sunscreen bottles into title cards) is already enough of a barrier to work her into plots, we don’t need Jake’s fear as another one. They had a funny workaround in “It Came From the Nightosphere”, but I’m glad they retired it. I love how they still address this development. Most shows would have just given up on the running gag without an explanation to make writing episodes easier.

In order to make Peebles jealous, Finn and Marcy pretend to have a great banter session outside Bubblegum’s window. This leads to our first ever interaction between Princess Bubblegum and Marceline, the second most iconic character duo in the series, and one of the most famous character dynamics in cartoon history. While it takes 103 episodes for Marceline to interact with Ice King, and 170 for Lumpy Space Princess, Marcy gets to interact with a member of the main cast that isn’t Finn and Jake in season two! Even without the context from future episodes, this scene gives a lot of clues to their relationship. There is clear tension between them. It is obvious they have a history, with Marceline calling PB by her first name, something we haven’t even seen Finn do up to this point. It’s satisfying seeing how well this scene works with information provided a decade later in “Obsidian”. Marceline likes to tease PB, and Bubblegum puts up a tough exterior to act like she doesn’t care about Marcy, like she did while Marcy first sang “Woke Up” in the Glass Kingdom. It’s obvious they’ve had multiple interactions similar to this over the hundreds of years since their break up. Finn’s newfound friendship with Marceline would only force these kinds of interactions to become more frequent. This is probably the most drastic example of an episode being impacted by a later installment in the series. And oh yeah, Princess Bubblegum’s first name is Bonnibel! I love how well her first name flows with Bubblegum. It’s nice having a shorter and easier name for her than “Princess Bubblegum” that isn’t just “PB”. I love getting pieces of character biography like names and ages dropped so casually.

Marceline just wants to get back at her ex as well as have fun messing with her impressionable friend like usual. Marceline literally says her reason for wanting to help is that “it'll be funny”. Of course Marcy knows that wrestling and wolves would do nothing but upset PB. She plays these pranks at the expense of Finn, but Marceline knows to not take Finn’s crush seriously in the first place. Her “advice” is as bad as Jake’s but she isn’t stupid like Jake.

In the process of getting wolves for Marceline’s next plan, we see how much more compatible Finn is with Marcy than PB. They’re both fun, wild animals. Bubblegum reacts appropriately to Finn putting wolves in her room. It's sad seeing her ban Finn from the kingdom. She understands she is dealing with a child and that Finn has a good heart, so she keeps the door open for when Finn starts behaving better. She knows that Finn will come around and it feels more like a parent or teacher disciplining a misbehaving child. I’m sure Bubblegum realized that this was all Marcy’s doing soon enough anyway. On the other hand, the Finn Marceline pairing is a much more fun and refreshing dynamic when compared to PB and Finn. This is purposefully highlighted and something Finn comes to realize. After his latest failure, Marcy tells Finn to forget about Bonnie. I get the feeling that another motivation for Marceline was to sabotage Finn so he wouldn’t keep dealing with the heartache she knows comes with PB.

All of this sets up a fake out that the series would turn to start pushing Finn and Marceline as a romantic pairing. Finn goes to ask Marcy out to the movies instead. Someone getting this close to Marceline makes her uncomfortable. Her reaction is to try to scare Finn away, a tactic she internalized from when she thought she scared her mother away and reinforced in the downfall of her relationship with Princess Bubblegum. Marceline misinterprets Finn’s invitation as a romantic gesture. Marceline and Jake egging Finn on throughout the episode caused this. He is only barely 13, he isn’t ready for that! I like Jake rightfully feeling embarrassed for his actions. Marcy realizes Finn’s intentions and happily goes with Finn as friends. She still can’t give up messing with Finn, with the great “no tongue” comment that went right over his head. I’m very happy the series didn’t go for a Finn, PB, Marceline love triangle. It’s nice for Finn to have a female friend without any baggage. The episode teased Finnceline for the only time in the series, and then immediately shot it down forever. Well, forget about “Bad Little Boy”. I’ll discuss that episode’s implications when we get to it.

Finn and Marceline ditch movie night when confronted with the onslaught of make outs. They are truly perfect friends. The episode ends on wolves tearing apart the screen after a couple proclaims that nothing will ever tear them apart. There is a joke in Spongebob that is identical to this, with Plankton instead of the wolves. There is absolutely no way that it’s a coincidence.

“Go With Me” is the third and sadly last Finn and Marceline duo episode. While I think “It Came From the Nightosphere” is the overall better episode, I think this is the best showcase of their relationship in the series. It's great seeing these character dynamics be explored in a more sitcom-y episode.

Grade: A

#adventure time #finn #jake #finn and jake #jake the dog #finn the human #go with me #marceline #princess bubblegum #bubbline #finnceline

39 notes · View notes

99redragons · 7 months

Text

Part of the Madness Ch.3 - Grounding

Dr. Minerva Campbell pays a visit.

Gen, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, PSTD, hospitals, injury, dissociation, referenced self-harm

Read on AO3 Ch.1 Ch.2

Simon spent a few days more in the hospital, at Princess Bubblegum’s insistence. Marceline was on her side, so he was outvoted. Finn had quickly gone off to his next adventure, with the promise of coming back to visit.

They were long days, and longer nights, his mind going fuzzy a distinctly uncomfortable experience as he recovered from the fever, but everyone was so unbelievably patient with him, and he couldn’t help it frustrating him, all that attention and effort for just Simon. He often insisted he was fine, as the pain in his arm faded, as the pain in his head didn’t.

He continued to babble odd things, occasionally in a way that scared himself, he hated feeling out of control. He hated having cold compresses on his head, he hated being stuck in bed. Hated being overheated, the sensation icky and uncomfortable somewhere deep down.

It was embarrassing, to be honest. Even though the crown kept him alive and well mostly, He’d spent years in the apocalypse surviving before he’d fully lost it. To make such a mistake like proper wound care, it was as sobering as it was foolish. He was a grown man and he’d made a mistake even young Finn wouldn’t. He wasn’t that old now that he needed to be watched over!

Marcy picked up on his frustration well, and brought her bass to jam out a couple times, much to the annoyance of the nurses. Simon thought it impossible that other patients could be bothered by his Marcy’s lovely playing. He read some, too, when his headache wasn’t so bad and his vision cleared.

By the third day he’d had enough.

Finn returned for a visit that morning.

“How ya doing, Simon? I brought you a weird book I found, it's about some ancient society dark magic biz or something, I thought it’d be your jam.”

“No dark magic for the patient!” PB squawked, smacking the book out of his hands. “Aww,” Finn deflated, coming to sit by his side, “Sorry man.”

“It’s alright, Finn,” he said, amused, “I’ll look at it once I’m out later.”

“Oh, you get released today? Sweet!”

PB sharply inhaled, “...Yes, I suppose you can go today, if your temperature is normal,” she relented, though she clearly wasn't happy about Simon making that decision.

She came over to him with a thermometer, having finished re-wrapping his arm. The wound was clean now, closed, and the redness was way down, almost to his normal skin tone. He was relieved, because it meant he’d be out soon. He accepted the thermometer begrudgingly, fidgeting with it in his mouth.

“How’s your back, by the way, Finn?”

“All good, PB!” He gave a thumbs-up.

“Good. Do try to keep it clean, please.” She sighed, “Do see Doctor Ice Cream or Nurse Poundcake if you have any problems, both of you,” she said sternly.

Simon didn’t know how he felt being lumped in with Finn on this front.

Bad, he decided.

After a little bit PB checked his results on the thermometer. “Normal,” she said with a little sigh, “You can go later this afternoon, after your appointment with Dr. Minerva.”

Oh. He’d nearly forgotten.

“Yo, my mom is helping you? That’s great!” Finn said, and Simon winced.

PB’s eyes softened in apology, as Simon said, “Yeah.”

Finn luckily left it at that, or he was just so used to his mom helping everyone he didn’t think much of it.

“Oh Simonnn, you have another visitor!” Marceline’s voice echoed from the hallway, and Gunther–or Ice Thing, they called him–came waddling in holding a penguin. He came over and deposited it right into Simon’s lap, who hugged it immediately. Penguins were the one thing he couldn’t dislike just because it reminded him of Ice King. They were just too cute. The penguin seemed immediately happy to cuddle into his arms.

Everyone ‘aww’ed and he pouted, though he would deny it.

“Thank you,” Simon said anyway, a bit quiet and grumpy.

They all chatted for awhile, even Peppermint Butler coming down for a bit to see him (or maybe he’d heard about the dark magic book) It was time before he knew it.

“Alright, alright, visiting hours are over, now, everyone out!” PB helpfully clapped her hands to usher everyone out again. Gunther left the penguin—he could pick him up later, he said.

“Bye, Simon!” Finn and Marcy called on their way out, Marceline poking him in the ribs—they were teasing and laughing about something or other.

PB checked his fluids bag, made sure he had everything he needed (“I’m fine, I’m fine, really,”) and then left him on his own to await his robot therapist.

She knocked on the open doorframe before coming in. “Hello Simon,” she said evenly. She looked as spotless as always, eerily perfect. He tried not to think about it too hard.

“Hello,” he croaked, and tugged the penguin a little closer.

“I see you have a little friend, there. He really seems to like you,” she said, taking a seat in the chair by his bedside.

“Mm-hmm,” he nodded.

“Do you like penguins?”

He nodded, then added “I like birds in general,” a bit hastily.

She nodded with a little smile. “How are you feeling, Simon? Recovering well?” She flipped open her notebook.

“Yes, my fever’s finally gone, and my arm’s closed properly, it doesn’t hurt much anymore.” He idly played with one of the penguin’s flippers.

“How’s the hospital stay been for you? Comfortable?”

He sighed. “It's been… a lot. I hate being cooped up here, being fussed over. But I kind of deserve it for not taking care of myself properly.”

“You often feel that way?”

“What way?” He asked, fidgeting.

“Like you deserve some kind of punishment.”

He looked at her, and he couldn’t find pity in her gaze. It helped.

He scoffed a little- then caught himself. “...Well, yeah, I mean the Ice King tormented princesses for, ugh, years and years and did a ton of other awful things?” He said. Wasn’t it obvious?

“You believe you’re responsible for everything the Ice King did, ultimately?”

“I-well–“ he didn’t know how to answer completely. He pet the penguin absent-mindedly. “N-no, I guess not, I mean, I wasn’t in control, well, at all—“ his breath picked up a bit just thinking about it.

“But you still feel like you deserve punishment for things you couldn’t control?”

“I–'' he stopped. He thought, and the way this was going left him confused. Logically he knew that the Ice King was almost completely divorced from him as Simon, but he still felt like he deserved all the… the sadness. “The Ice King was—he was misguided, and irrational, and insane—“ he tightened his hold on the penguin and it wenked at him in complaint. “-Sorry,” he said to it quietly, loosening his grip again. He sighed. “-But It was still my body, in a way, my immutable essence was still there, I remember feeling—“ snow laughter crying ice lonely he gasped, cutting off and unable to continue, staring down at his knees. His head throbbed.

After it was clear he was dissociating, Minerva cut in, “It’s okay, Simon, you’re here with me, remember? Can you focus on where you are right now?” she guided him, patiently.

He did, taking a second to feel the penguin on his lap, the warmth of it breathing, his own breathing. He offered her a firm nod.

He was over this, should be over this by now.

“It’s okay if you want to not answer, or need to change topics at any time,” she said warmly, her eyes crinkling kindly. He nodded, after a moment, though he felt like that would be a bit pointless.

The point was to talk, right?

“You deserve good things, Simon.” Minerva assured him, and Simon sniffed.

He wasn’t crying from this, was he? No, no, he just- he was a bit caught off guard is all.

He didn’t respond. He couldn’t tell her that no, he didn’t. He’d scared away Betty. He’d let her sacrifice herself for him. He’d abandoned Marcy. He’d used someone (admittedly, evil) as a spell battery. That wasn’t even counting things Ice King did.

Sensing his upset, Minerva glanced back down at the penguin. “What’s its name?” she asked gently.

“Ginter,” He answered, not sure how he knew that so surely. It didn’t really bother him that much, strangely. He wouldn’t let it.

“Cute,” She cooed at it for a second, then sat back up and smiled slightly at Simon. “Simon, do you want to continue?”

“Mm. Yes,” He nodded, forcing himself to take a few deep breaths and lean back against the pillows.

“Good,” she said, seeing him take steps to calm himself. “Does having the penguin help ground you?” she asked, luckily not on the last topic of deserving, or not deserving.

“Yes,” he rasped, petting it idly.

“What else do you do to help ground you?” She asked.

He hesitated. “Um, taking deep breaths?” he offered.

She nodded. “What else?”

“Music,” he said more confidently. “Especially playing with Marcy.”

“That’s good.”

“I used to– uhm,” he started. He took another breath in, a bit shakily. “I used to dress up as Ice King and play with ice in the freezer,” he admitted, though he was pretty sure it wasn’t a huge secret. He was a huge mess after being uncursed.

“Ice can be a good grounding technique, as long as it’s not overdone,” Minerva told him. “It gives our nerves a bit of a reset from panicking,” she explained.

He gulped. Right. As long as you don’t overdo it. Which he definitely wouldn’t. Right. Guilt twisted as he let that subject pass.

“Can you tell me more about dressing up as Ice King?” she asked, scribbling something down.

“Like why I did it?” he croaked.

“If you like,” she answered, patiently.

“Well it was to cope–I didn’t… I wasn’t doing so hot, those early days. It was sort of a mystery even to me, at first, but I just felt like… it was easier, in a way?” he tried, awkwardly looking away.

She nodded, like she understood, but she didn’t–not really—

“I–Imagine you're having this dream, right?” he started rushing to explain, “And it’s a really vivid, intense dream, almost like sleep paralysis, but it's still all donked-up like dreams are, you know, things only ever feel like the present, a-and over a long, long time you have a hard time remembering anything else, unless it’s really consistent, or really makes an impression. Eventually you subconsciously know certain parts of the dream, locations, p-people, but it’s still just… happening to you and you can’t figure out why. You eventually, after forever, after subconsciously actually being sort-of alright with the dream world, able to navigate it, you’re awake. Everything’s overwhelming. And you've got these phantom sensations, thoughts, f-feelings, but they were from a dream. E-Except it wasn’t all a dream, for me. You ever woken up from a dream like that? For a second, you have to remember you aren’t a wolf or have the ability to fly or can read minds?”

“I have, I understand,” Minerva scribbled something down. He wondered about that.

“I was aware of what I was doing, of course, but looking like him, the ice, it just made it less… jarring. I could breathe easier with something familiar, even if it was the same thing that reminded me of what happened all over again.” She glanced at the penguin meaningfully.

“It felt like the dream still?”

He nodded. “Eventually I did stop, after it felt, just, gross to associate myself with anything like him, though it also stopped bothering me quite so… much. Everything except the ice, which… still scares me.” He hugged the penguin, the notable exception.

“Associations were hard? What would you feel when that happened?”

“Scared, I guess. Panic, sometimes. I’d hear voices still, sometimes, think I heard whispering and freak myself out over it. Get…flashes, I guess, of the way the ice magic felt. But it was fine.” he suppressed a wince as his head twinged.

“And the ice, it was grounding at first, but then it scared you?”

“…I eventually realized how little cold I could take and stopped.” he croaked, empty.

“Did it ever hurt you, using ice to ground yourself?”

Simon was silent for a minute before he sighed out, closing his eyes, “...Yes.”

“Did you ever hurt yourself in other ways?” she continued, carefully neutral.

He shook his head. “No,” he added, to be more assertive about it. “Well. Sometimes I’d pull my hair, especially when it started coming in white, that scared the hell out of me, silly as it was. I’m just getting old, of course.”

“When was the last time you did that?”

“Using ice to ground myself or hurting myself doing it?” he asked.

“Hurting yourself. On purpose.”

“...A few years ago, I guess, but I don’t like ice anymore. It just... reminds me.”

“Understandable. I’m glad you were able to stop, Simon. That takes real strength.”

“Oh,” he croaked, he didn’t know what to do with this compliment, uhhh—

“It’s good, really!” She assured, and he fidgeted with his hands, the penguin wriggling a bit on his knees.

“Is it okay if I ask about your wound, Simon?” Gentle, always gentle.

“Sure,” he murmured. “What about it?”

“Do you think leaving it untreated was self-harm?” she asked, and immediately he understood what she meant.

He hadn’t thought about it that way. His conversations with Marcy replayed– was it? Had he been neglecting himself on purpose? His mission to see GOLBetty–that was too, wasn’t it. Damnit.

“Not consciously, no,” He settled on. “But I definitely, I–I think after deciding I was going to put on the crown again, nothing else mattered. I didn’t matter.”

Minerva nodded, pleased with his reasoning. “You matter, Simon.”

“Right.” he agreed, hesitantly. He felt frustration mounting. “Can I ask you something?” he said suddenly. “A bit personal?”

“I suppose, if it would help,” she assented.

“Do you still feel like the same person? After becoming…like you are now.” he rasped.

“Yes, and no. I know that I’m not the same, exactly, but I still feel like me. It’s enough for me.” She answered, luckily going along with it. He nodded. “Do you not feel like you, Simon?”

“...Sometimes. Things go… distant, sometimes, and it scares me a bit, when it happens. I’m not a stranger to dissociation, it was a big problem for me after being uncursed, of course. I mean the Ice King was like ninety percent dissociation. But every time it happens…”

“Dissociation can be uncomfortable, and scary, yes. But it’s also a natural way our brain protects itself.”

“I know,” he croaked, “And I’ve long learned not to panic when it sets in, but…” he trailed off, struggling to say what he wanted.

“It’s normal to feel very different after a trauma. People change, moment to moment.”

“Right.” he said, but still, her words comforted him. “I guess I asked, because… I guess I was so focused on what happened with Ice King and Betty I never… I never considered being me, again. I’ve been someone else for so long… how do you come back from that? Ever?” his voice broke.

She let him calm himself again for a moment, before speaking carefully, “You will learn how to be yourself with time. It’s another long process of learning that everyone's doing.” She smiled a little.

…How does he even human anymore? He nearly wasted everything Betty did for him… did he deserve to be himself, he thought? To be good?

“You deserve happiness, Simon,” she said, reading his freakin’ dome again. Of course she’d say that… of course she would…

Well, if he deserved to live, he might as well be happy too, huh? Get the most out of the years he has left.

He said as much and she smiled, and nodded, and said, “That’s a good first step towards more positive thinking.”

He managed a smile back, that time.

After their session was over, Marcy came back in and hugged him without a word. Gunther waddled in, and the penguin was slowly roused from its nap, grumpily.

“Thank you, Gunther,” Simon said, helping him take the bird back. Gunther chuckled and left out the window, a cackle building in the distance.

“Still impressed you guys get along so well.” Marcy said, watching him go.

Simon shrugged. “We’re just…familiar to each other, I guess.”

Marcy turned and gave him a grin. “Makes sense. The penguins adore you more than they ever liked IK, I think.”

Simon felt himself flush a little with embarrassment, crossing his arms in a pout.

Marceline laughed at his embarrassment. “Chill, Simon. It’s cute, man,” she said, like that made it better.

She continued to tease him all the while he was released from the hospital, and even the way back to her place. He made a big show of being grumpy about it, but something deep in his chest relaxed.

“I’m proud of you, Simon,” Marcy said, after hugging him again. He felt something else in him uncurl. He smiled back at her.

His head still hurt all the while.

#fionna and cake #fionna and cake fanfic #simon petrikov #angst #hurt/comfort #99redragons art #my writing #potm

9 notes · View notes

zerogender-onlyswag · 3 years

Text

Ok so I just finished Adventure Time (finally) and Come Along With Me might be one of the most satisfying series finales ever????

It doesn’t screw fans over in anyway like shows seem to be obsessed with doing, and it stays true to the Adventure Time brand of weirdness while giving satisfying conclusions to every major character’s major arcs. Finn, who spent the beginning of the series as a violent preteen, then a moody younger teen, is now 17 and prefers peace to violence and successfully resolves a potential war and his own internal fears and traumas (shared with Fern). Simon becomes Simon again, but Ice King doesn’t die, bc Gunter becomes Ice King. The Bubbleline kiss and relationship resolution is so good? It’s just so casual. Marcy confesses to worrying PB is gonna get hurt. And Bubblegum genuinely apologizes for the shitty things she’s done to her “family”. (I still think the shit she gets is absurd...she’s never done anything entirely selfishly, she’s just got some moral grayness that makes her tactics questionable). And the framing of it being a story BMO is telling an untold amount of time in the future is pretty cool, especially since Beth seems to be a descendant of Jake. It’s well written and leaves room for more stories without feeling incomplete.

It’s just...it’s so well done, and I’ve RARELY seen a series finale that didn’t leave me feeling uncomfortable in some way. The Good Place is the only other show I can think of where I genuinely enjoyed the series finale without feeling like something was missing or fans got unnecessarily screwed over.

I fell out of really caring a lot about Adventure Time a few years ago but I’m glad I took the time to finish it up.

#adventure time #come along with me #htown speaks

205 notes · View notes

ladyyatexel · 4 years

Text

Something that’s really getting me about the She-Ra finale is that, for what feels like the first time in my media life, the heterosexual couples were left with the ambiguity the queer ones usually get. They had no full on kisses, they had declarations that people are saying, ‘I thought it felt platonic’ about, and some were kind of not mutually even explicitly expressed.

It just feels like one of the first times we didn’t have to write essays featuring an extensive list of the times they held hands or did everything that is coded romantically had they been a hetero couple. In Star Trek: DS9, where we all spent hours raging that the sweet goodbye exchange of chocolates and cute smiles would be instantly read as romantic if it had been the male/female Riker and Troi duo the show so often trotted out in its prior incarnation, TNG. We don’t have to ask the actors if they ‘played it gay’ or ‘thought there was something more’ or even be terrified or embarrassed to do so.

She-Ra’s last season we got one woman saying, “My wife,” when referring to the partner people were still managing to read as her girlfriend at best, roommate at weirdest. We got ‘I love you,’ and ‘I love you, too’ and a world saving center stage unambiguous Kiss from the main characters after enduring trauma after trauma.

Have I ever watched a queer romantic relationship become canon?? I don’t think like this. I watched Adventure Time, and was I psyched about Marceline and Bubblegum? Yes! But the story hadn’t been about them and a long term complicated relationship, even though they had had that both by word of god decree and the few little snips we got as unaddressed background. We got Marcie and PB by on the fumes of ‘this would be read as a hint if they were two different sexes’ and whoops this kiss is here annnnnnnnnd now it’s from the back and you can’t see the whole thing and we are cutting back to the world ending disaster. They did the same getting by on fumes with Korra and Asami in Legend of Korra. Was I astonished Korra got to have Asami in the end and not Mako? Yeah, because I had never been given that. But I also wasn’t even sure I was given it because it was given as, ‘we can’t give you this directly, we haven’t even been allowed to focus on it or build it up as falling in love, but you can have it be in literally the same shape as the hetero wedding that fades out before it, that’s the best we got’.

I’m so used to us all being ‘already established background’ or ‘developed on the fumes and desperate clinging hopes in the background only to rear a head like Nessie at the 11th hour before vanishing again’ and not several seasons showing obvious connection, obvious distress at being separated and each other’s bad decisions, obvious re connections and longings, jokes and clear joy being together when the worldwide war and abusive parental figure isn’t creeping in all around them.

I wanted that for Pearl or Peridot in Steven Universe, I wanted ‘now here is the story of me falling in love with someone, complete with my obvious crush on them and our progression through those feelings, from start to finish.’ We got close, and that’s in no way ragging on Steven Universe because I love it and it brings me such joy, it was just still that the safest way to go is ‘pre-established relationship’, and not ‘watch these two have complicated feelings that finally get to be an explosive kiss for several seasons’. I”m sure there are essays being drafted as I type this about toxic and problematic left and right, I’m just choosing instead to marvel at a thing that brought me great joy and more feelings about people like me look like in media than I had expected, even with how gay it had been up until this point, which was Pretty Gay.

It’s all the stuff we write in fanfiction, and I mean that in the positive way. not the pseudo insulting derogatory way it’s often trotted out as. What do people make in fanfic? Long stories with lots of emotions and connections and elaborate, ‘here is how these two idiots fall in love’ scenarios. How wild to see it in a show. And be there and important.

So yeah, that kiss hit me like a meteor and a mass extinction event.

(Please don’t yell at me or throw a disc horse, I just want to have some head boggling emotions about a show I really love!)

#she ra spoilers #catradora #she ra season 5 #she ra netflix #she ra dreamworks

1K notes · View notes

maladjusted-nerd · 3 years

Text

Starsky and Hutch’s Girlfriends (and Their Hair Color)

[PBS announcer voice] This post is brought to you by the time I was reading The Ollie Report for Bounty Hunter and came across the memorable line: “Again, Starsky is drawn to the dark-haired girl, Hutch to the blonde. Exogamists they are not.”

These are the two ladies in question, respectively:

I thought of this quote a lot as I continued watching the show, because it was quite often relevant. But then I got to Starsky’s Lady, and suddenly Hutch’s date wasn’t a blonde! I began to wonder about the quote, and the truth of the sentiment behind it (which is by no means specific to that one blog). Did Hutch really tend to go for the blondes, and Starsky for the dark-haired women?

So like any sane person, I decided to spend a billion hours of my life making a long-ass photo-heavy meta post that hopefully someone will care about. If anyone actually finds this information interesting or useful I will be happy, buuut I guess if nothing else it gives us an excuse to look at a bunch of pretty ladies.

How did I decided who’s here: I started with the list of women from the Canon Compendium’s Girlfriends and Dates page, added anyone whom I felt the boys made a “concerted effort” to flirt with, and then threw out a few people I didn’t think belonged. I tried my hardest to be objective, but making this list was by no means an exact science and several times it really just boiled down to “do I personally believe she should be on here” so like people will have different opinions on that and it’s fine! Spice of life or whatever.

As for the actual contents of the list: I will state each woman’s name and the episode she’s in. (If she doesn’t have a name she’s listed as Jane Doe. This is a cop show, after all.) I will state her hair color-- for Reasons and also My Sanity the only options are “blonde” or “darkhaired” (not blonde), but hair color is fucking weird and sometimes it was a guess so feel free to think otherwise. I will also state the reason that she’s here, aka the nature of her relationship with Hutch or Starsky (or both)-- so spoiler warning for pretty much everything, I guess.

Also fair warning that sometimes I was too lazy to get a good picture, or it was just actually impossible (newsflash: discos have bad lighting). Rip to any women I may have made look bad, you’re all beautiful queens and I love you.

Pre-Show

Vanessa (Hutchinson Murder One)- Darkhaired. Hutch’s late ex-wife and all-around terrible person.

Laura Kanen (Deckwatch)- Blonde. Hutch’s ex-girlfriend.

Helen Davidson (Lady Blue)- Blonde. Starsky’s late ex-girlfriend.

Kathy Marshall (Fatal Charm)- Darkhaired. A stewardess friend of theirs; it’s never said she’s an ex BUT she kisses Hutch square on the mouth in greeting and is Starsky’s date for dinner/disco. And she dances with both of them. Good enough for me!

Season 1

Hutch

Jeannie Walton (The Fix)- Blonde. His girlfriend at the start of the episode but not by the end! (Rip king)

Molly (Pariah)- Darkhaired. Stewardess friend/one-night stand? Something like that. Also his date at the end.

Jane Doe (Deadly Imposter)- Blonde. His date at the party.

Abigail Crabtree (Deadly Imposter to Vendetta)- Blonde. The only girlfriend we see in several episodes!! (The only girlfriend that lasts several episodes, whoops.)

Starsky

Jane Doe (Pariah)- Blonde. His date at the end.

Jane Doe (Deadly Imposter)- Darkhaired. His date at the party.

Amy (The Hostages)- Darkhaired. She works at a café that he’s going to for a second time, to let her know he’s ~available.

Sharman Crane (Running)- Darkhaired. They had a semester of woodshop together in junior high and then they kind of fall in love while he’s helping her dry out.

Season 2

Hutch

Abby (Deadly Imposter to Vendetta)- Still blonde. Miraculously still his girlfriend. (Until she isn’t.)

Gillian Ingram (Gillian)- Blonde. His now-late girlfriend who fucking deserved better.

Jane Doe (Gillian)- Blonde. Lady at the bowling alley that Starsky discreetly tries to set him up with.

Christine (Starsky’s Lady)- Darkhaired. His date of the episode.

Starsky

Vicky (The Las Vegas Strangler)- Darkhaired. They don’t really get a chance to go on an official date but they kiss a bunch and he’s really sweet on her and it’s cute.

Andrea (Vendetta)- Darkhaired. His picnic date.

Nancy Rogers (Gillian)- Darkhaired. His bowling date.

Terry Roberts (Starsky’s Lady)- Darkhaired. His now-late girlfriend who, like Gillian, also fucking deserved better.

Laura Stevens (The Velvet Jungle)- Blonde. They’re on a date at the end, but it should also be noted they meet when she accidentally knocks him into a dumpster. You know, like the start of any good romance.

Sharon Freemont (Starsky and Hutch Are Guilty)- Blonde. His evil lawyer girlfriend. (Not that he knows she’s evil.)

Both

Jane and Bobette (The Vampire)- Jane is the blonde on the right, Bobette is the darker blonde on the left. Starsky and Hutch mix up their names so it’s hard to tell which girl they actually like better, and also they’re twins so like does it even really matter?

Officer Sally Hagen (The Specialist)- Darkhaired. Starsky kisses up her arm in her first scene (someone please file a workplace harassment suit against him), and then at the end he and Hutch keep wrapping their arms around her waist. But she does get to flip both of them over her shoulder, so it kinda evens out.

Season 3

Hutch

Dianna Harmon (Fatal Charm)- Darkhaired. His possessive, violent nurse girlfriend. (You can really pick ‘em, Hutchinson.)

Dr. Judith Kaufman (The Plague)- Darkhaired. He tries so hard, but twas not meant to be.

Molly Bristol (The Collector)- Darkhaired. His girlfriend du jour.

Anna Akhanatova (A Body Worth Guarding)- Blonde. He’s technically her bodyguard and then they spend like two whole days making out. Good for them.

Mary (Class in Crime)- Blonde. His fishing date.

Starsky

Jane Doe (Murder on Playboy Island)- Darkhaired. Undercover agent he flirts with at the bar.

Rosey Malone (I Love You Rosey Malone)- Blonde. The entire plot revolves around him falling in love with her and it really doesn’t end well.

Jane Doe (The Collector)- Darkhaired. His date at their late-night deli party. (Bonus Starsky in the picture, hi Starsky!)

Sharon Carstairs (The Heavyweight)- Blonde. Their canoodling on his couch gets interrupted by Important Case Matters, and she winds up getting re-engaged to her ex-fiancé (ex-ex-fiancé?). Rip to a king.

Rachel (Class in Crime)- Darkhaired. His fishing date.

Caitlin (Class in Crime)- Her hair almost has a red tint but it’s otherwise undefinable. Car saleslady/one-night stand.

K.C. McBride (Quadromania)- Blonde. They have a nice taxi date (although he’s been sleep deprived all episode, poor boy, and falls asleep).

Both

Christine Phelps (The Heroes)- Blonde. She makes them lose all their braincells, it’s painful to witness. This episode hopes you will forget the actress was Gillian last season.

Julie McDermott (The Action)- Blonde. Starsky wins the kerfuffle for her but Hutch definitely makes a good go of it.

Lisa Kendricks (Foxy Lady)- Blonde. They drool and fight over her for half an episode like they did with Christine and it’s embarrassing.

Season 4

Hutch

Paula (Photo Finish)- Darkhaired. He’s like her date at the party, and also the end.

Kate Larrabee (Cover Girl)- Darkhaired. An old friend of his. It starts out just as a comfort thing but they quickly become very friendly.

Marlene (Starsky’s Brother)- Darkhaired. Starsky steals her from Nicky as a Big Brother Power Move but Hutch winds up with her at the bar.

Marianne Owens (Ballad for a Blue Lady)- Darkhaired. I don’t really know what’s going on here but there’s Something (and there’s a lot of parallels with Rosey Malone, so).

Starsky

Sergeant Lizzie Thorpe (Discomania)- Blonde. Technically Hutch talks with her more, but Starsky does most of the flirting.

Jane Doe (Discomania)- Darkhaired. He spends literally five minutes dancing with her. Is it relevant to the case? No. Does he care? Also no.

Emily Harrison (Blindfold)- Darkhaired. He accidentally blinds her during a case so he starts hanging out with her out of guilt but I feel like he also kinda falls in love; they kiss at one point anyway.

Marcie Fletcher (Photo Finish)- Blonde. His photographer girlfriend.

Officer Dee O’Reilly (Strange Justice)- Blonde. His meter maid girlfriend. They have a date at the end!

Jane Doe (Dandruff)- Darkhaired. He’s making out with her at the beginning.

Detective Joan Meredith (Black and Blue)- Darkhaired. It’s Heavily implied they slept together. (Side note love u Meredith!)

Melinda Rogers (The Groupie)- Blonde. He has a date with her at the end. (Yeah she slept with Hutch, but he was undercover and proceeds to lowkey rebuff her in the tag, so I’m not counting it.)

Katie (Starsky’s Brother)- Blonde. His date at the nightclub.

Both

Allison May/Laura Anderson (Targets Without a Badge parts 2 & 3)- Darkhaired. They both try to court her before Starsky realizes she’s his childhood friend (although they do make another go of it in the tag).

Kira (Starsky vs Hutch)- Blonde. Starsky’s girlfriend, although she says she’s also in love with Hutch so then they sleep together which Starsky is NOT thrilled about and it’s a very ugly mess.

Totals:

Hutch:

Pre-show: 3 (1 blonde, 2 dark) Season 1: 4 (3 blonde, 1 dark) Season 2: 6 (4 blonde, 2 dark) Season 3: 8 (5 blonde, 3 dark) Season 4: 6 (1 blonde, 5 dark) Overall: 26 (13 blonde, 13 dark)

(If the math looks weird, it’s cause Abigail counts for both seasons she’s in but only once overall.)

Starsky:

Pre-show: 2 (1 blonde, 1 dark) Season 1: 4 (1 blonde, 3 dark) Season 2: 8 (3 blonde, 5 dark) Season 3: 10 (6 blonde, 3 dark, 1 ??) Season 4: 11 (6 blonde, 5 dark) Overall: 35 (17 blonde, 17 dark, 1 ??)

(Thirty-five?? Calm the fuck down, Starsky.)

In conclusion:

“Exogamists, they are not” might have been true back at the end of season 1 when it was said, but it’s certainly not true by season 4/the end of the series. Hutch now seems to favor dark-haired women, and Starsky’s about half and half, although they both wind up with an equal split overall.

Do with that information what you will; I’m outta here.

#starsky and hutch #long post #adventures in meta #everyone say thank you canon compendium!#alternate titles: 'Fuck Me' and 'The Meta Post That Kicked My Ass'#dear god that was a lot #why can't i do productive things with my time....#anyway i'm taking a week's vacation now #major respect to people who do huge meta things cause this was exhausting #bless you all

37 notes · View notes