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koimethehorizon · 8 months

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Fionna and Cake theory: Simon the Artist

Nothing like a good old creative panic attack.

Fionna and Cake good. Haven’t been excited about a show like this in a long time, though it being a part of Adventure Time does help quite a bit. I was holding on to some cautious optimism for the show when it was announced as yet another big IP series covering the multiverse (still waiting to groan at THAT scene where Prismo has to explain to us about there being infinite universes), but as usual, Adventure Time’s crew continues to surprise me with its creativity, humor, and thematic resonance.

The most striking part about Fionna and Cake so far is just how deliberately the show wants us to differentiate it from the original Adventure Time.

We’re getting shots where Simon pops an artery from his arm, a theme song that explicitly talks about suicidal ideation, discussions of rent and financial problems, and curses no longer disguised with AT’s usual dialogue. Adventure Time has always had violence, thematic density, and juvenile rating pushers, but they were always reserved at small points. Meanwhile, these are factors that are just casually shown and discussed in Fionna and Cake every 3 minutes or so. This is not an all-ages miniseries, it’s for young adults. (hint: this will be relevant later)

Let’s get right into it. This is much less a speculative lore theory and more on what thematic direction the story may be going.

Before we do, let’s get this out of the way first. This theory assumes that the current Fionna and Cake world is all a part of Simon’s head and not merely a separate multiverse, which… I’m certain is fact for the following reasons.

The immediately obvious piece is that Fionna and Cake was always the Ice King’s fanfiction. Now if you’re versed in AT’s continuity you’re probably going to be asking about the red light in Fionna and Cake + Fionna and… I’ve no answer for it unfortunately. It’ll probably be relevant later in the series and possibly age this post like milk but for now, we’re not here to focus on the how, but the why.

Second is that the intro and the ending of Ep 2 literally show Fionna’s world spilling right out of Simon’s head like an animated world out of a frozen brain. If that isn’t clear enough-

Didn't realize this until writing, but these glasses are just plastic made to look like Betty's

There’s no other explanation for this other than that this world is artificial or influenced by Simon in some sense. Fionna even specifies that the statue went under renovation 12 years ago, but nobody seems to know who it is. Considering how Finn looks in the episode, it’s likely that it’s been that long since Betty’s sacrifice in the finale.

With that out of the way, here it goes.

The reason Fionna and Cake exist in the first place is because the creators found Natasha Allegri’s genderswap designs charming and wanted an in-universe reason to use them the Ice King wanted to create trashy, wish fulfillment through art. It was a phase.

Definitely changed that image for publishing.

Simon can argue if they’re good or bad but it’s undeniably his art. It’s not just a portfolio he left behind in a closet, it’s an experience that was shared with a larger audience.

And even if wasn’t liked at first, the citizens of Ooo seemed to have come around to it. And some of them love it!

Whether Simon likes it or not, he has a fan base that is so endeared to the story he made all those years ago that they demand he makes more. Why let a good story, loved by many, go to rest when you still have some life and creativity left in you?

Can't move on in more ways than one.

Except, the problem is that Simon isn’t Ice King anymore. He’s aged out of it.

His real passion is history, he's an adult who who finds passion in the mundane and antiques from the past. And frankly, there isn’t much room for wish-fulfillment and fantasy anymore. Simon has responsibilities. He has a job and a daughter in a world that is moving faster than he can process.

And where Ice King wrote about looking for love, Simon has already had it.

And lost it. His mind isn’t focused on the rosiness of finding new love, it’s grieving the one he already thought was the one.

Wasn't he supposed to be good with kids?

Despite his new life experiences, all his peers seem to want from him is to make more of what they’re familiar with.

A story made from wants and wishes that he doesn’t even have anymore.

A story that was literally made by someone else at a different time. It’s a fiction he cannot connect to anymore, art that he’s embarrassed by. Yet also jealous of. Because at one point, the body Simon used to be in understood what exactly was missing from his life and could express that easily.

Seeing it again is like experiencing a retrospection of a cringey loser you don’t want to imagine having ever been. It’s not you anymore, and you don’t want to be reminded of that.

Because despite him having a new creative passion, no one seems to care about that. All they want is Fionna and Cake. And what is more lonely than other people misunderstanding what you’re trying to express?

If I failed to make it clear somehow, my theory is that: Simon’s relationship with Fionna and Cake is a metaphor for creators growing out of their art. And this new Fionna and Cake world is still comfort art born out of Simon’s current desires and perceptions.

The snippet subtitles this “child holding a phone”. I guess I’m wrong. Essay over.

Episode 1 and 2 both have direct parallels with each other. They’re both about a protagonist who are feeling displaced from their world, living a phase of losing a significant other, leaving a thankless job, wearing a mask of stability in front of the people they care for, seeking a guru at the heart of the forest, and concluding that they no longer belong in their current world.

But more importantly, Fionna and Cake (the characters, the world, and the show) are no longer for an all-ages crowd. Fionna and Cake now feature young adults, curses, gore, alcohol, partial nudity, financial issues, morning routines, mid-life crisis, and overt suicidal ideation. These are the feelings that Simon relates to and possibly desires to express through art. Thus, his story and our new miniseries have warped that way.

Am I overthinking this? No. How dare you assume that.

Is equating the unconscious writings of his dementia-ridden self to Simon as his younger self seem a bit odd? ….Kinda. Again, it’s not the how but the why that matters in this case. I'm NOT crazy, I have proof that there is some acknowledgment of this directly in the show.

Rewatch the bar scene and apply this reading of the episode to what Simon says there:

“Your old stuff, Fionna and Cake, honest to glob my man, is an inspiration to me.”

“My old stuff, I don’t really want to talk about my old stuff…”

“Why not? You should be proud! You wrote an entire extended universe in a fugue state if you think about it.”

"Simon cringes"

If you have ever shared art with a group of people in the past, you’ve had this conversation.

Not likely, not possibly, no perhapses. You HAVE.

And Fionna and Cake being an epilogue to a massive award-winning, near-decade-spanning, cultural sensation 5 years after it ended, might result in its creators feeling very retrospective about what audiences want from them now.

And how difficult it’s going to be to tell new experiences and tones from what’s come before. Also, come on. “Extended Universe?” That doesn’t sound like Fionna and Cake. That sounds a lot like something else.

Again, seems bad with this kid.

One of the more profound shots in the main trailer for the show features the inconspicuously Finn-like kid crouching at her Fionna and Cake book in Simon’s trash. I believe this character is going to have a major role in two ways. Convincing Simon to be proud of what he’s accomplished and/or embracing that Simon wants to move away from his original work in order to create something new, or perhaps more likely, reinvent Fionna and Cake into what Simon relates to now.

We’ll just have to see what Simon thinks of his new Fionna next week.

PS. Talking as a fan now, WHAT IS UP WITH THE 1000+ TREEHOUSE IN THE INTRO?!!! ARE WE REVISITING THIS TIMELINE AGAIN?

SOMEONE TELL ME NOW!!!

#television #adventure time #fionna and cake #simon petrikov #fionna campbell #animation #speculation #theories #fan theory #character analysis #discussion #adventure time spoilers #fionna and cake spoilers

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charleskenny · 3 years

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Quick notes: Evangelion, Jellystone!, Luca, and Adventure Time

A few thoughts on the final Evangelion film, the new Jellystone! series on HBO, Pixar’s Luca, and the Fionna and Cake spinoff of Adventure Time

Neon Genesis Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time

The final film in the rebuild tetralogy was released via Amazon Prime last week so it was with eager anticipation that I sat down to watch it. Only to be interrupted 57 seconds in by a phone call that lasted a long time (Irish people like to talk!) Trying again the following night met with more success. Initial thoughts were entirely skeptical but were gradually replaced by appreciation as the film wore on. The ending is about as good as is to be expected given the series’ long, complicated history and it will be interesting to watch it a second time.

One thing I will say is that the relatively speedy release via Amazon is welcome for two reasons: they went above and beyond to meet fans’ needs in terms of rapid release but also local language dubs/subs and; the general nature of Amazon means casual fans such as yours truly don’t need to fork out to pay for yet another OTT service aimed at a niche audience.

Jellystone!

There is not much I can add to Yowp’s excellent post and their opinion is correct. Characters don’t necessarily need to be updated for contemporary audiences. I noticed this by way of my nephew who is all about shows such as Paw Patrol and Dragons Rescue Raiders. Both shows combine a fair amount of action with a lot of exposition and explanation. Yet when sat down in front of original Postman Pat episodes, he was entranced! For those unfamiliar, the original series’ of Postman Pat are straightforward stories but without much in the way of exposition; viewers receive few hints at what is happening and they must figure it out for themselves.

I mention this because Postman Pat as a character has undergone a more radical change throughout his career than Elvis and similarly, is almost unrecognisable from his original appearances. Yet his original incarnation has just as much appeal to young viewers today (in my opinion) and it seems silly to ‘update’ him.

Jellystone! falls into a similar predicament and I can’t help but wonder if the show will be merely another blip on the radar; destined to disappear into the ether as quickly as it appeared.

Luca, Disney and queerbaiting in animation

This article is a bit old but I wanted to comment on it because there seems to be a trend of viewers and fans demanding clear and defined aspects in shows and films when there is even the hint of ambiguity. This is especially so when one feels affronted in their beliefs. Art relies on interpretation and it is actually a valuable thing when two different people can read the same piece of art in different ways. It also helps when both people know they interpret things differently; it adds to the understanding of others.

With regards to Luca, it is very important to keep in mind that Disney is an enormous corporation who exist solely to make money and anything, anything they put or allow in their films is with the anticipation that it will pay dividends. The sudden mushrooming of LGBTQ+ characters in animation is not merely due to greater social acceptance. That is merely the catalyst allowing such characters to become profitable. If a film or show is being marketed with an emphasis on the inclusion of a queer character, you can be certain it’s as part of the plan to attract viewers and not based on the merits of the character themselves.

There is a lot more to the topic and it is intertwined with much bigger themes and issues with representation and inclusion in animation. Hopefully I can get around to discussing them. In the meantime, enjoy the ambiguity of Luca.

Fionna and Cake

Hot of the presses just the other day, HBO Max will broadcast a ten episode Adventure Time series based on Fionna and Cat. By the sounds of things, this is another salvo in an attempt to turn Adventure Time into a franchise universe. There is, of course, plenty of room for one, but do we really need it?

Adventure Time is a great TV show and it’s setting served it well. Is it destined to become yet another franchise that exists to envelop fans with its cozy familiarity? One of the great things about Adventure Time is that it burst onto the scene and was unlike shows that came before it. Turning it into a universe franchise would be a disservice to fans insofar that they will be disincentivized to seek out new things.

#animation NeonGenesisEvangelion Jellystone AdventureTime

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