Relationship Tag Dump

[ marceline x bubblegum // pink in my cheeks ]

[ marceline and elise // the eclipse doesn't last forever ]

[ marceline and hunson // not just your little girl ]

[ abadeer sisters // all each other got in this messed up world ]

[ marceline and simon // is it just you and me in the wreckage of the world ]

[ marceline and finn // you're my best friend in the world ]

[ marsha and elise // when she loved me ]

[ marsha and hunson // take care caretaker ]

[ marsha and jason // we were meant to be one ]

Sentimental Affection: Hambo, the Shirt, and Objects of Psychic Resonance

Adventure Time and the mundane, aka Daddy, why did you eat my fries?

Ever a show to be full of hidden symbolism and so much more under the surface than its 11-minute runtime would allow, Adventure Time uses seemingly mundane objects like a teddy bear or a T-shirt to convey the monumental importance of character dynamics. This doesn’t only apply to objects but actual parts of one’s self, like Finn’s arm and the interwoven significance of his many swords. And then, there’s Marceline.

Like with many of the show’s more complex aspects, this is especially prevalent in Marceline’s story. How do you stress the sheer volume of having lived for a thousand years? How do you signify the lack of letting go of the past, lack of maturity? You give a girl a teddy bear and have her hold on to it for as long as she can. And it’s not just Hambo that adds unexpected depth to Marceline’s character and her relationship with others. There’s the infamous rock shirt, which we’ll get to, and then there’s the French fries eaten by Hunson Abadeer.

As iconic as the Fry Song has become and as synonymous with the complex Abadeer father-daughter relationship as it is, it seems silly, at first glance, that Marceline would be so upset over that simple transgression. But Adventure Time has a special talent for making the mundane whimsical and significant, so through the context of the full song, through little glimpses here and there, we understand the symbolism of the fries. It’s Hunson’s disregard for Marceline’s feelings, his carelessness, his lack of understanding, that really matters.

Just a teddy in the wreckage of the world

So what about Hambo? Hambo is, for a while, everything to Marceline. Hambo is the one representation of her relationship with Simon that she has left. It’s a remnant from the wreckage of the world, a plushie given to a scared little girl by an equally scared old man. It’s the one thing Simon leaves behind when he abandons Marcy, for her own good, and summons Hunson to take care of her instead. But Hunson eats those fries and so Marceline takes the family axe instead and keeps it as safe as she keeps Hambo.

Hambo stays with Marceline long after she turns into a vampire, ever a symbol of the tragic childhood she lost and yet is stuck in. It’s not a coincidence that she’s implied to tolerate much of Ash’s jerkish behaviour but draws the line when he sells Hambo for a new wand. That’s the only thing of Simon, the real Simon that she has left and it matters more than a boyfriend who doesn’t care about that. Disregard for Hambo is disregard for her. So Marceline keeps moving all across Ooo, both to escape from this new, twisted version of Simon and to find the one thing that proves he wasn’t always like this.

You kept the shirt I gave you?

Let’s take a break from Hambo for a moment. Let’s picture a time long before Finn washed up on the shores of Ooo, before the Candy Kingdom grew into what it is today. Marceline and Bonnibel are friends, maybe more - details depend on whatever nuggets “Obsidian” gives us. For a while, it works, and Marceline gives Bonnie a rock T-shirt. That shirt is so quintessentially Marcy that it becomes a symbol of their relationship when it’s with PB. The two drift apart, though, as Bonnie becomes known as Princess Bubblegum to everyone else and Marceline leaves before she can be left behind. The shirt becomes a sort of inverse of Hambo: a token of love that’s - as Marceline initially thinks - never cared for. Bitter as she might be over this, Marcy leaves it all behind as she left Hunson with the fries. She never really got to grow beyond being that young girl who was left Hambo in the snow.

Except, Finn does come along, eventually, and he brings Bonnie and Marcy together again. It’s intense and Marceline lashes out because, well, sorry she’s such an inconvenience. But in truth, it’s Marceline who tags along to defeat the Door Lord despite having no stakes in the mater, and it’s PB who wants to get her precious possession back. Her treasure is, of course, Marceline’s shirt. The one she always has worn, just in the comfort of her own room or under something else. Not out in the open, one might say, but constantly nonetheless, even long after Marceline was gone from her life. A reminder of what they had as much as Hambo is a reminder of who Simon was to Marcy.

That’s the wonder of “What Was Missing”. It lampshades the potential cheesiness of the message, that being “the real treasure is friendship”, but it is genuine in how it portrays that message beyond what would be expected of a kids’ cartoon. Finn keeps a piece of Bubblegum’s hair, but PB is right there to hang out with whenever they want to. Bonnie keeps Marcy’s shirt because she thinks it’s as close as she’ll get to be around her again, but Marceline tagged along just for the joy of being around them. What these two examples have in common is that both Finn and PB want something more from the relationship with the actual person, something they think is unattainable, so they hold on to the objects instead of reaching out.

I’ll get your kid back, toy

So what about Hambo and Marceline reaching out to Simon? When the Ice King inevitably finds her, again, Marceline is rightfully frustrated and just about ready to pack up and move again. But she’s grown these past few years since Finn entered her life and helped her face her past demons. It breaks her heart but she starts accepting Simon back into her life. They hang out and she insists on calling him Simon, because she never stopped viewing him that way. She knows who he used to be, even if he doesn’t, and she clings onto the representation of that hope, Hambo.

Marceline is already in a much better place by the time “Sky Witch” rolls around than she was at the start of the series. She kind of has Hunson, Simon and Bonnie in her life again. It’s all a bit complicated and unresolved - ”Stakes” isn’t for another two seasons - but she’s on her way. That doesn’t mean she’s gonna let the opportunity to get Hambo back pass by, so she asks for Bonnie’s help. It’s a bit awkward but she spent all this time being angry and feeling like she wasn’t good enough when PB cared enough to at least keep the shirt, so maybe that’s as much hope as Hambo is for Simon. And that’s exactly what “Sky Witch” proves, as Bonnie’s level-headedness helps Marcy navigate Maja’s treacherous turf and gets her Hambo back.

There's only one Hambo

There’s a misconception, a common and understandable one, but a misconception nonetheless when it comes to the shirt and Hambo. When Maja says that Hambo’s psychic resonance is nothing compared to the shirt’s, it’s easy to see the implication being that the shirt is that much more important. Therefore, Marceline is that much more important to PB than Simon is to Marcy. This isn’t entirely inaccurate but I also think that what’s important here is not to put these two objects and therefore the two relationships on the same scale. It implies that we’re comparing the familial type of love between Simon and Marcy to the romantic love between Bonnie and Marcy and that’s just a false and pointless comparison. Instead, the significance once again comes through trademark Adventure Time subtlety.

“What Was Missing” was mainly the Bubbline dynamic from Marcy’s perspective: her hurt, her anger over not knowing why it all ended. The twist with the shirt at the end only hints at PB’s side of things and “Sky Witch” takes it home. From the little moments at the beginning of the episode to the revelation that PB gave up the shirt for Hambo, it’s a full package. It’s in everything, including the scene where Peebs dismisses Hambo’s importance. It’s just a doll, totally replaceable, an insinuation which insults Marcy deeply. Bonnie doesn’t necessarily get why Hambo is so important but, in a way, PB does understand. She understands, because Hambo is to Marceline what the shirt is for her: hope.

When PB gives up the shirt, she gives up the only piece of Marceline she’s had for all these centuries. It wasn’t replaceable, just like Hambo wasn’t, but by giving it up she gives Marceline her most treasured possession, her hope. And you know what else? By giving up this remnant of the past, Bonnie gets Marceline back. “Sky Witch”, then, is the beginning of their new dynamic, as the lesson from the Door Lord finally sinks in. And by equating, in a way, Hambo and the shirt, after we’ve already seen in “I Remember You” and “Simon & Marcy” how monumental that relationship is, this makes Bonnie’s devotion to Marcy clear as day.

Magic, madness, sadness, and all the rest

Hambo becomes something even bigger in “Betty”. The reason why Maja wanted Hambo and then the shirt in the first place is because Adventure Time acknowledges within the logic of its own universe how important the love poured into these objects is. She uses the magic of the shirt and Simon uses the magic of Hambo. Marceline, reluctantly, lets go of Hambo because she just got Simon back, just as PB let go of the shirt and got Marcy back. Nothing is ever that straightforward in the land of Ooo, though, so Hambo brings Betty back but it can’t save Simon. Now Marceline got a taste of the old Simon, had hope, and it lives on in the person they sacrificed Hambo for: Betty.

Betty’s hope is misguided, though. With her time jump to modern day Ooo, a journey of denial and desperation begins that leads her and the whole land down a road of magic and madness. Betty’s shenanigans is its own separate post, really, and all the themes of acceptance, denial and change they represent. What I find fascinating in this context is how, again, in true AT style, the butterfly effect did its magic and the mundane lead into the whimsical and grandiose.

Right there where you left it, lying upside down

Simon gave a little Marcy her teddy doll and Ash carelessly passed it on. Marceline gave Bubblegum a rock shirt, something so quintessentially her that it was the one thing Peebs held onto even after all those years. The shirt was a symbol of their lingering connection and its sacrifice meant the start of a new chapter. The significance of the shirt was enough to get Hambo back, which in turn was powerful enough for Simon to get Betty back. And, eventually, by moving almost literal heaven and hell, Betty brings Simon back. Everything stays, but it still changes.

The shirt is not Marceline. Hambo is not Simon. Objects are not people, nor can we only be with people if we let go of those objects. That isn’t the message the show is going for. And these objects are only catalysts for character arc and dynamics in most cases, anyway. Marceline doesn’t grow up by letting Hambo go, she succeeds in leaving the past behind in “Stakes”. And, if the “Obsidian” trailer is any indication, even that doesn’t mean she’s done with all her demons.

What the intertwined stories of Hambo and the shirt tell us is that complex, emotional stories can be told through simple objects. A teddy doll can signify a thousand years of pain and yet provide hope, while a rock T-shirt can pack some good old-fashioned queer yearning into it. Hambo and the shirt aren’t even monumental parts of Marceline’s, Simon’s and Bubblegum’s stories, even if Adventure Time finds clever ways to use them in the plot. They are just two simple things that represent so much in terms of character development and some of the show’s central dynamics, and that’s damn good storytelling.

SO I am a really big Adventure Time fan and I made a decision for all the people in my life who wanted to watch the show but didn’t want to watch unnecessary episodes: to create a watch guide.

Surprisingly whenever I talked about it, a lot of people were interested. 

So, below the cut, my Adventure Time watch guide:

*Not a lot of episodes could, in my opinion, be cut. My reasons for not cutting an episode could be because it has a character that comes back later in the series, a certain character needed more screen time, or as simple a reason as I personally feel like it shouldn’t be cut. However, some episodes that I think just enhance the series or are particularly memorable, but aren’t necessary, are labelled as “not necessary but fun/cute”

Adventure time watch guide: The necessary episodes Season 1: 1.) slumber party panic, episode 1  2.) trouble in lumpy space 3.) prisoners of love 4.) tree trunks 5.) enchiridion 6.) the jiggler 7.) Ricardio 8.) business time (not necessary) 9.) my two favorite people 10.) boom boom mountain 11.) wizard school (not necessary but fun) 12.) Evicted 13.) city of thieves 14.) the witch’s garden 15.) what is life 16.) fear of the ocean 17.) when wedding bells thaw, ice wedding (not necessary) 18.) dungeon 19.) duke of nuts 20.) magic man, freak city 21.) Donny 22.) henchman aka marceline pt 2 23.) bmo cuteness, rainy day dream (not necessary) 24.)what have you done (not necessary) 25.) BILLY THE HERO 26.) gut grinder Season 2: 1.) it came from the nightosphere 2.)horse eyes 3.)nice king (not necessary) 4.) blood under the skin 5.)storytelling (not necessary) 6.)snail love (not necessary) 7.) power animal 8.)crystals have power 9.)royal tart toter (not necessary but fun) 10.) beautiful hair 11.) chamber of frozen blades 12.) her parents 13.) the pods 14.) a silent king 15.) the real you 16.) guardians of sunshine (not necessary) (different animation style episode) 17.) death in bloom 18.) Susan strong 19.) mystery train (not necessary) 20.) go with me 21.) belly of the beast, party bears 22.) ancient psychic tandem war elephant 23.) video makers (not necessary) 24.) mortal folly, the lich king 25.) mortal recoil 26.) heat signature (not necessary) Season 3: 1.) conquest of cuteness 2.) ghost gladiators (not necessary but fun) 3.) memory of a memory 4.) hitman 5.) baby pb, lemongrab 6.) the monster aka lumpy space princess (not necessary) 7.) still (not necessary) 8.) wizard battle 9.) fionna and cake pt 1 (not necessary but fun) 10.) what was missing 11.) Apple thief, the pig 12.) murder mystery dinner party 13.) zombies, again (not necessary) 14.) beautopia, return of Susan strong 15.) no one can hear you, THE DEER EPISODE 16.) jake vs memow 17.) snow golem and fire puppy 18.) cosmic owl croak dream 19.) holly jolly secrets 20.) holly jolly secrets pt 2 21.)marceline’s closet (not necessary) 22.) paper Pete (not necessary) 23.) another way, clown nurses (not necessary) 24.) ghost princess’ story 25.) dad’s dungeon 26.) incendium, intro of flame princess Season 4: 1.) hot to the touch, more flame princess 2.) five short graybles 3.) stuck in spiders web (not necessary) 4.) dream of love 5.) return to the nightosphere 6.) return to the nightosphere pt 2 7.) in your footsteps 8.) hug wolf (not necessary) 9.) princess monster wife (not necessary) 10.) goliad 11.) beyond this earthly realm, (not necessary) 12.) gotcha 13.) card wars 14.) princess cookies 15.) son of Mars 16.) burning low 17.) bmo noire 18.) king worm 19.) lady and peebles 20.) you made me 21.) who would win (not necessary) 22.) ignition point 23.) the hard easy, mega frog, (not necessary) 24.)reign of gunthers 25.) I REMEMBER YOU 26.) The Lich Season 5: 1.) Finn the human 2.) jake the dog 3.) five more short graybles 4.) up a tree (not necessary but fun) 5.) All the little people (not necessary) 6.) jake the dad 7.) davey (not necessary) 8.) mystery dungeon (not necessary) 9.) all your fault 10.) little dude (not necessary) 11.) bad little boy (Fionna and cake pt 2) (not necessary but fun) 12.) vault of bones 13.) the great bird man 14.) Simon and Marcy 15.) a glitch is a glitch (not necessary but fun) (different animation style episode) 16.) Puhoy <3 17.) BMO Lost 18.) princess potluck 19.) James Baxter 20.) shhh! (Not necessary) 21.) the suitor 22.) party’s over (not necessary) 23.) one last job (jake jr’s episode?) 24.) another more five short graybles 25.) candy streets 26.) wizards only, fools 27.) jake suit 28.) be more 29.) sky witch 30.) frost and fire 31.) too old 32.) earth and water 33.) time sandwich (not necessary but fun) 34.) THE VAULT 35.) love games 36.) dungeon train 37.) box prince 38.) red starved 39.) we fixed a truck (not necessary) 40.) play date 41.) the pit 42.) James 43.) root beer guy 44.) Apple wedding 45.) blade of grass 46.) rattleballs 47.) the red throne 48.) Betty 49.) bad timing (not necessary) 50.) lemon hope part 1 51.) lemonhope part 2 52.) Billy’s bucket list Season 6: 1.) wake up 2.) escape from the citadel 3.) James 2 4.) the tower 5.) sad face (not necessary) 6.) breezy 7.) food chain (not necessary but fun) (different animation style episode) 8.) furniture and meat 9.) the prince who wanted everything (fionna and cake pt 3) (not necessary but fun) 10.) something big 11.) little brother (not necessary) 12.) ocarina (Kim Kil Whan’s episode) 13.) crabapples (not necessary but fun) 14.) princess day 15.) nemesis 16.) Joshua and Margaret 17.) ghost fly (not necessary) 18.) everything’s jake (not necessary) 19.) is that you 20.) jake the brick (not necessary but fun) 21.) dentist 22.) the cooler 23.) the pajama war 24.) evergreen 25.) astral plane 26.) gold stars 27.) the visitor 28.) the mountain 29.) dark purple 30.) diary (tv’s episode) 31.) walnuts and rain (not necessary but fun) 32.) friends forever (not necessary) 33.) jermaine 34.) chips and ice cream (not necessary) 35.) graybles 1000+ 36.) hoots 37.) water park prank (not necessary) (different animation style episode) 38.) you forgot your floaties 39.) be sweet 40.) orgalorg 41.) on the lam 42.) hot digging dam 43.) the comet Season 7: 1.) Bonnie and Neddy 2.) varmints 3.) cherry cream soda 4.) mama said 5.) football 6.) STAKES, part 1 7.) STAKES, part 2 8.) STAKES, part 3 9.) STAKES, part 4 10.) STAKES, part 5 11.) STAKES, part 6 12.) STAKES, part 7 13.) STAKES, part 8 14.) The more you moe 15.) summer showers (viola’s episode) 16.) angel face 17.) president porpoise is missing (not necessary) 18.) blank eyed girl (not necessary but fun) 19.) bad jubies (not necessary) (different animation style episode) 20.) kings ransom 21.) scamps (not necessary) 22.) crossover 23.) the hall of egress 24.) flute spell 25.)the thin yellow line (not necessary but fun) Season 8: 1.) broke his crown 2.) don’t look (not necessary but fun) 3.) beyond the grotto (not necessary but fun) (different animation style episode) 4.) lady rainicorn of the crystal dimension 5.) I am a sword 6.) bun bun 7.) normal man 8.) elemental 9.) five short tables (fionna and cake pt 4) (not necessary but fun) 10.) the music hole 11.) daddy-daughter card wars (Charlie’s episode) 12.) pre boot 13.) reboot 14.) two swords 15.) do no harm 16.) wheels (bronwyn’s episode) 17.) high strangeness 18.) horse and ball 19.) jelly beans have power 20.) Islands pt 1 21.) Islands pt 2 22.) Islands pt 3 23.) Islands pt 4 24.) Islands pt 5 25.) Islands pt 6 26.) Islands pt 7 27.) Islands pt 8 Season 9: 1.) orb 2.) elements pt 1 3.) elements pt 2 4.) elements pt 3 5.) elements pt 4 6.) elements pt 5 7.) elements pt 6 8.) elements pt 7 9.) elements pt 8 10.) abstract 11.) ketchup (different animation style episode) 12.) fionna and cake and fionna (not necessary but fun) (fionna and cake pt 5) 13.) whispers 14.) three buckets Season 10: 1.) the Wild hunt 2.) always bmo closing 3.) son of rap bear 4.) bonnibel bubblegum 5.) seventeen 6.) ring of fire 7.) Marcy and hunson 8.) the first investigation 9.) blenanas (for some reason this episode is separate on Hulu?) (not necessary) 10.) jake the starchild (out of order on Hulu, this one comes before temple of Mars) 11.) temple of Mars (out of order on Hulu, watch this one after jake the starchild) 12.) gumbaldia 13.) Come along with me Adventure Time: Distant Lands- 1.) BMO 2.) Obsidian 3.) Together Again (not yet released) 4.) Wizard City (not yet released)

@welcome-to-chao-hub​ said: Which of your muses deserves better?

Asks for Multimuses | Accepting

//Depends on what you mean by “deserves better”. As you probably already know, both this blog and @of-honor-and-theives​ (which follows this blog’s canon) are canon-divergent and heavily headcanon-based. A lot of the Sonic muses I rp as were satAM/Archie Sonic characters and I think we all know how...weird the early Archie Comics were. In terms of the canon portrayal, I’d have to say that Julie, Dulcy, Saffron, Sally, and even Geoffrey all deserved to be portrayed better and while Sally was able to be portrayed much better later on, I had to take some creative liberties in terms of Julie, Dulcy, Saffron and Geoffrey (especially Saffron).

//Below the cut, I’ll explain who deserves better in terms of ic portrayal. Just a warning that there are dark themes ahead.

//As for who deserves better in terms of ic portrayal, I’d have to go with Marshalia Abadeer, my Adventure Time OC over at @thesecretsister​. While all of the character I play have had rough pasts (i.e. Marsha was bullied in Knothole, Bunnie was half-roboticized, Sally and Elias lost their father when he was banished into the Special Zone, Lillian over at @chicagohxart​ tried to kill herself twice, etc.), it’s still nothing compared to Marshalia’s story. Marshalia lost her mother and was separated from her older sister, Marceline, when she was 2. She has a scar that goes over her left eye that she gained that day, temperately blinding her in said eye. She doesn’t consciously remember this day (or her mother in general) as Marshalia’s (and Marceline’s) father, Hunson Abadeer, used a memory spell to wipe the memory clean. From that day, Hunson would become overprotective of her, which leads to a great deal of Marshalia’s frustrations. In addition, with Marceline missing, Marshalia had come to assume that she was to become Hunson’s heir. So, despite being so very young, began to teach herself. She read books, watched documentaries that made her almost unfazable by horror movies, she even began to practice magic after practically begging Hunson to teach her. And while she became very knowledgeable, the demons of her father’s dimension would whisper to themselves about her.

//The one thing Marshalia lacked was a chaotic evil nature. She liked cute things, animals, especially ponies and unicorns, and her favorite color was pink. It were these interests that earned her weird looks and there were times, Marshalia recalls, that even Hunson gave her a weird look. As much as she tried, she could never seem to escape her father’s looming shadow.

//The older Marshalia gets, the more frustrated she gets. Frustrated over being treated like a baby. Frustrated over being second best. Her frustration, jealousy, and resentment leads her to pushing everyone away, including both Marceline and Hunson, who did genuinely care about her. Her jealousy warps her mind until finally, she goes on the attack.

//As the Nightmare Princess, she attacks Hunson and engages him into a magic duel. Just as it seems as Hunson is going to win, Nightmare Princess launches one final attack, using Marshalia’s soul as it’s power source. Hunson destroyed the attack quickly, but at the same time, destroyed Marshalia’s soul. After seeing what he had done, he turned to the only thing he knew that could fix this: magic. Through the power of dark magic and demon sacrifices, Hunson made a new soul for Marshalia and brought her back. She woke up a few hours later and it didn’t take long for her to figure out what had happened.

//Too scared to face Hunson after that, she ran away. She left a note on her bed, telling Hunson not to come and find her, but Hunson sent out several imp servants to find her and bring her back. But Marshalia refuses to go back.

//Being on the run in the Land of Ooo isn’t easy, and after a few years of running, Marshalia learned how to hide. And it had worked for over 900 years. She lives in a small cottage in the middle of a deep and thick forest, with her only frequent company being a corpse she animated. And while she has managed to make a living selling potions and hexes, she still lives in constant fear of being found out and brought back to her father.

//At first glance, Marshalia appears to be someone who just hates everything. She can be mean-spirited, short-tempered, and dour. But she’s acts this way to shield herself from being hurt anymore than she already has. In reality, she is still that shy, sweet and curious little girl she once was, but is too scared to show others who she really is. On top of this, Marshalia is also very socially awkward, having been mostly sheltered as a child mixed in with the fact that she has Autism and has a hard time knowing how to talk to others and has a hard time expressing her own feelings in a healthy way. Add on the fact that Marshalia has powers that are tied heavily to her emotions, then you’ve got a socially awkward, emotional mess of a person.

//She tends to think about Hunson a lot, too. Even though she left him a goodbye note, she never properly said goodbye or even apologized, even though she wants to. She feels like she is a huge disappointment to him and just an embarrassment to the Abadeer family name. Deep down, Marshalia still kinda looks up to Hunson and Marceline but at the same time, she very much jealous of both of them. Their success always makes Marshalia feel insecure about herself and being compared to them just makes Marshalia’s blood boil.

//So yeah, Marshalia has issues.

Okay, so shout-outs to the anon (or maybe multiple anons) who told me to read Marcy’s Super Secret Scrapbook. I freaking loved it! I’m also glad I read it at this point and didn’t wait until after the whole series. It makes such a good companion piece to the Stakes mini-series.

The Enchiridion was...not quite as exciting, but still had a couple of neat tidbits. Simon’s notes are nice. The Wizard section was fairly interesting. Some nice lore and world-building. I kind of wish the Bestiarum Vocabulum section had a bit more to it. And I must admit I was slightly disappointed that the Enchiridion did not, in fact, explicitly state that you should not strike a foe who’s raised their bottom to the sky. The Scrapbook is so in line with the mini-series; it would’ve been nice if the Enchiridion could’ve incorporated that as a little nod. They cover their bases with the explanation that there are multiple editions and even strongly imply that Finn’s was an earlier edition, but it still would’ve been neat.

A far more glaring omission is the Empress. Hierophant and the Vampire King are both mentioned in the Scrapbook, but the Empress isn’t. She knew both Marceline and Simon. Marcy had her power of invisibility so she must have staked and absorbed her at some point. My best guess is that the Empress enthralled Simon at a point when Simon was still writing the notes and it was on one of the pages he pulled out before he left. Or maybe Marceline just didn’t write it down for some reason. Or the writers just dropped the ball and didn’t catch this little continuity hiccup.

Those are my general thoughts. I’m also doing the whole images of my some of my favorite stuff interspersed with my reactions and commentary thing, but since this is gonna be an extra-extra long post, I’ve decided to actually use a read more cut this time.

Marcy and Bonnie talking about Simon in the margins. Give me some of that in the show.

This is the kind of lore development I like to learn about.

Does that mean the writers have thoughts about more Shoko development in future episodes and didn’t want to burn up their ideas in the side material?

International crisis. I mean that was more-or-less implied by the irradiated world, but I like learning more info. Also, he’s already talking about going North. It fits that they paired this with the Scrapbook. The notes follow through for tracking Simon’s progression into madness.

Sure. Again, kind of vaguely implied already by the series, but nice to know.

Now all I can think of is “long ago the four nations lived together in harmony...” Thanks to whoever sent that ask.

I may wanna get these on buttons or patches for my coat to go with the Avatar symbols.

Not sure what to make of this. I feel like it’s some kind of lore for the show. Maybe something to do with Prismo?

Hoo boy. Here we go. The feels train is pulling into the station.

This relationship is just so moving. I’m a sucker for found families.

More world building. Bring it on.

Even if Simon’s story hadn’t been tied to Marcy’s, it would still be one of the most interesting parts of the show. And that first paragraph feels like something that should’ve come up in the show by now. They really haven’t explained quite enough about Betty for my liking. Learning that she has a history of studying these kinds of things helps clarify why she’s so willing and able to take the approach she’s been taking.

After Bonnie and Neddy, I can only assume that this is the Mother Gum in its early days.

Mmhm. Sure. Matter’s more pliable. I can dig it.

The vibrational talk reminded of that bag of miniature people that Magic Man planted on Finn that one time. And he had to shake them to speak to them on their vibrational plane or whatever. I wonder if that’s ever gonna come back with some kind of added significance.

Reminds me of when Life kissed Death.

Wonder if that was a deliberate nod or not.

This. Relationship.

Again, I’m glad I read this now. The thing I couldn’t quite puzzle out after Stakes was where Hunson Abadeer fit into things. This is filling in some of the blanks quite nicely.

You know, after seven seasons of Grob Gob Glob Grod, it was a little jarring to actually see the word “God” here. I’ve got a pretty good recall for character voices, so I could basically hear Tom Kenny saying it as I read it. Of course it makes sense that Simon would have God in his vernacular. Somehow, after the phrase being conspicuously absent for so long, it seems to punch up the impact.

She celebrates her birthday around the time Simon found her! This precious child!

Oh, I can hear it in her voice. My heart!

“I don’t think I’ll ever see him again. Ever.”

There’s no mention of her encountering him again in the scrapbook. I’ve already mentioned the Empress, conspicuous in her absence. And she alludes to other meet-ups in the episode “I Remember You.” I can only assume those meetings take place after the last page of the scrapbook.

I’d love to know more though. I’d love to see her first discovering that Simon’s still alive, but completely insane now. And I’d love to know how we get from this:

To this:

There’s so much of the story that’s still untold.

That moment in Bad Little Boy where Ice King was like “Gob, I’m sorry I doubted your power” kind of takes on a new dimension when you think about how Simon’s from a different time.

“I hope these bring you comfort now that I’m gone, and remind you that you are loved.”

Just fuck me up, why don’t you?

“I want to feel her holding me in her arms and hugging me again like that.”

JUST FUCK ME UP, WHY DON’T YOU?

Again, this ties in so well with the Stakes mini-series. This was exactly the right time to read this for maximum emotional resonance.

Oh, Marcy, you poor, sweet, confused, little angel.

Well, I wanted to know where Hunson fit into things. Should’ve known it would be bad times.

Yeah, I can kind of relate to not having a great father but still wondering how much of who you are is from him.

Deep. Especially at her age. Simon did say she was smart. And of course she had to grow up fast, given that world was a wreck.

“He didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

I concur.

I can also kind of relate to giving your not-so-great dad another chance and getting burned again. I suppose it’s not really a shock that I gravitate toward characters who have poor relationships with their fathers.

I never really gave any thought to how difficult it would’ve been to even find fries at that time. And the fact that it was the first time he stole something specifically from her also gives it a little more weight. Like I’ve said before, it’s hard to tell when something’s just a throwaway gag and when something’s gonna come back later with added perspective and significance. I have to wonder how much they thought about in advance and how much is just them looking back and saying “we can expand on that.”

There must be at least some of it that they knew they wanted to develop even from the very early stages.

It’s interesting to figure out where Hunson comes into the picture, but I still don’t fully understand all of it. Primarily: How could a human woman see enough merit in Hunson Abadeer that she would want to sleep with him? What stopped him from immediately sucking out her soul? Why was he even on Earth shortly before or during the Great Mushroom War? There’s still a lot of room to grow on here.

Oh, honey, you’re the most interesting person in this universe.

“I still hope for a living friend.”

I was kind of hoping I might get the story of how she met Bonnibel, but I guess they’re saving that for the show. Must be after the events in the scrapbook.

Gimme all the lore. And Marcy wandering through an abandoned sunken mall full of skeletons shouting for Simon is an absolutely heartbreaking thought.

This angel child deserves nothing but happiness.

THIS. RELATIONSHIP.

She found a puppy! Ahhh! They’re so precious!

Yas, Queen!

This poor girl can just never catch a break.

This backstory is fantastic.

RIP, my dude.

Rise, Marcy the Vampire Slayer.

Let’s go!

Oh no, what’s wrong with Schwabl?

Marcy defending the last of the life on Earth against the scourge of the vampires. I’d seriously watch a whole series of this.

“Staking vampires, protecting the last remaining humans. It felt like I was protecting you. It was the only thing that brought me happiness during those years.”

Fascinating.

It’s rough watching a character who’s so good go through so much pain.

No, not the puppy!

Save the puppy!

Also, that time she almost went feral on Jake was probably really terrible for her because it would have stirred up these memories.

Another good reason to pair the Enchiridion - and particularly Simon’s notes - with this. Who would’ve thought that Marcy owned it for a time?

Thank goodness something turned out okay in all of this.

Wild. So is this Simon and the Crown, or some other force causing it? Does it affect the whole planet, or just the continent Marcy’s on? What about all the humans who were leaving on the boat? Can they survive an ice age? Is it a full “400 really boring years” like in Finn’s wish world? Longer? Shorter? This side material raises at least as many questions as it answers.

So Simon found the Enchiridion and took notes on it for a while before finally sending it to a museum in Scandinavia just was the international crisis that would become known as the Great Mushroom War was ramping up. Then some wizards found it. Then Marcy found the wizards and took it from them. Now the Enchiridion is with Marcy in hibernation. Then somehow it ends up with a minotaur later and Bubblegum is the one who tells Finn where to get it. There’s another chapter in between there and I feel like it involves both Marceline and Bubblegum. Marcy’s life after the ice age could probably fill another book or two.

Precious angel child.

Oh snap, it’s actually written by the people who play Marceline and Hunson.

That was a trip and a half to read. I love the backstory and world building so much. Even in the early episodes I suspected that there must be some kind of substance to this universe for the show to go on for as long as it did. Based on the early stuff though I had lowered my expectations and never imagined that this universe would gain so much depth, complexity, and (above all else) tragedy.

Marceline seems so carefree, but she’s been through SO. MUCH. Most of it while she was still a small child. The people of Ooo are absolutely blessed to have someone like Marceline in their world. And they’re also quite fortunate that her trauma didn’t push her to the full-on dark side. Even after a thousand years of so much confusion and loss, however chaotic she may get, she still has such a good heart.

And wow does reading this ever reinforce my desire for them to figure out a way to save Simon. “He didn’t deserve what happened to him” is so right. Although if it hadn’t happened to him, he never would’ve been able to protect Marcy. He probably would’ve died in the Great Mushroom War like almost everyone else, and Betty would’ve died too. Maybe you could chalk it up to Marcy’s mother’s last prayer being answered or the universe working in mysterious ways or possibly even retrocausality that Simon was able to survive and care for Marcy. Even so, I’m about four seasons beyond ready for the heroes and protagonists to help this poor old man get back the sanity that was stolen from him.

I feel like Finn’s the key somehow. The Crown seems to be possessed by a ghost or spirit. Gunther’s unfinished ghostly business was Evergreen and Evergreen’s unfinished ghostly business was the Catalyst Comet and Finn’s the reincarnation of the Catalyst Comet and all of that’s tied up with the Ice Crown. It seems like there’s some kind of puzzle taking shape there. Betty’s studying psychometric energy, magic, and Glob’s freaking helmet...Glob who was last seen facing off against, once again, the Catalyst Comet.

And just from the Doylist perspective, the writers have been spinning out this tragic tale of Simon Petrikov for a long time and it would be emotionally unsatisfying if they never save this poor man’s mind. I’m worried they might make me wait until the end of the show to fully resolve it though. I was worried for a while that getting his mind back would kill him, but after the events of the episode “Betty” I don’t expect them to take that route.

Simon and Marcy are such tragic characters and I feel for them both. I love learning more about them, even when most of what I learn breaks my heart. The two of them embody so much of what gives this universe its heart and brings it to life.

Adventure Time - S8Ep25 “Ketchup”

“Why don’t you tell me a story about the little girl and the nice lady?”

Watching these new episodes of Adventure Time knowing that the end is in sight can be both depressing and exciting. It’s sad because, even after all this time, the show is still excellent and keeps reminding me how much a hole it’s going to leave in my heart. Yet at the same time, coming to a close means tying off loose ends and answering questions we’ve all been wondering about.

On “Ketchup”, we get some more answers and some more questions about Marceline. The story she tells gives us a look into Marcy and Bonnie’s past, and their relationship’s demise. Plus, we also see pictures of her mom, giving fans a satisfying double hitter of Marceline backstory.

Well, sort of. The narrative Marcy weaves about Weekend City and the potato curse is all very metaphorical and, as Marcy says herself, is up to interpretation. What we do know is that Marcy and Bonnie used to very close, but then something made PB change and the two of them drifted apart. Whether or not the Blue Tranch represents an actual person or something more symbolic is not yet known (Is it Hunson? Help me out here). Also, the “potato curse” most likely wasn’t a real illness and just represents PB becoming more work and science-oriented.

The best part about this is how simple it starts and how deep it gets. Everything begins when BMO comes over to Marceline’s place dressed in an adorable vampire hunter outfit, and is disappointed to learn that all the other vampires are already gone. After that, Marcy asks for BMO to try and download a old flash drive she found in her attic, and everything else is just them killing time. Leave to Adventure Time to create an emotionally intense and beautiful episode whose premise is just “Marcy and BMO pass the time with stories.” It doesn’t feel forced either, because Marceline realizes she’s found the perfect audience to finally talk about her past. With BMO, she’s able to talk about it without really talking about it. Finn or Jake would have seen right through Marcy’s silly puppet show, but BMO just goes right along, even if she knew it was really about Marcy and PB.  Then, after the flash drive is revealed to contain old pictures of Marcy and her mother, BMO unintentionally does the same thing back to her by telling her a made up story about the two people in the picture, which may have been closer to the truth than Marcy was ready for. It’s a beautifully animated sequence that turns a generally light episode into a gut punch.

Using BMO as an audience for the puppet show is a brilliant choice because BMO then becomes a symbol for the Adventure Time audience, and the puppet show represents the show itself, giving us another self-referential episode. While yesterday’s “Abstract” used Jake and Jermiane’s changes to represent how much the show as changed artistically, this episode uses Marcy’s childish but secretly heartbreaking story to express how Adventure Time is a show that uses fantastical imagery and silliness to explore deep subjects. The show does this so kids (represented by the innocent BMO) will stay entertained, but still learn something, even if they don’t realize it just yet. This is a great episode to show your kids to teach them about how people will change, even your best friends. It’s sad, but it’s an important part of growing up. The best way to respond is to move on. Or burst into stardust I guess.

Luckily, your kid probably won’t be too bummed out, because this episode contains some absolutely delightful animation. “Beyond the Grotto” animators Alex Butera and Lindsay Small are back, and their animation is a total treat for the eyes. They make all 3 stories really come to life in front of you, which increases their emotional resonance. 

It’s been confirmed that there is an upcoming episode called “Marcy and Hunson”. This will probably be the one to really answer the questions about Marcy’s past, but I’m still very glad “Ketchup” exists. It’s a beautiful moment for Marceline as she finally attempts to open up about her past. Maybe this is just a test run, and later we’ll see her finally tell us about who Marceline Abadeer really is, sans puppets and potatoes.

Edit: This person explained Marcy’s story way better than I did so read that lol.

- Seriously, BMO is at peak adorableness in that costume. I wish we could have seen an episode about them actually hunting vampires

- JG Quintel’s cameo is just him going “Wohhhhhh!”, but what else did you expect?

- The designs for Rockstar and Lollipop Girl are very nice variations on Marcy and Bonnie’s usual look, giving them a more childish, doll-like design.

- “I also hunt data recovery!”

- “I’ll never get these normies to to understand what their missing. To be pure potato. PURETATO.” Lauren Lapkus is perfect in this episode.

- Marceline: “Come. On you had a cat with legs on its back.” BMO: “I was being emotionally truthful.”

- “Pancakes are ready! Burp.” Never change, BMO.

Soooo Jake and Princess Bubblegum....

Finn

() You are emotional and you cry a lot

(x) You always seek adventure

() You’re into sports and are very active

() You’re more of a leader

(x) You have dealt with a crush not liking you back

() You’re sometimes violent and can get a bit out of line

(x) You’re very brave and willing to try anything

(x) You have a strong sense of responsibility

(x) You love helping others and get upset when you’re incapable of doing so

(x) It’s hard for you to do anything “bad” or “evil”

Total: 6

Jake

() Rarely act mature

(x) You’re laid back and never worry

(x) You like jokes and are funny (or try to)

() You like giving advice, but sometimes they vary between good and bad

(x) You can be irresponsible at times

(x) You love to eat

() You may be fickle or inconsistent with your thoughts

(x) You have a short attention span and may drop conversations easily

(x) You are very religious and have a strong belief

(x) You are imaginative and creative

Total: 7

Marceline

(x) You like to travel and try exotic things

() You’re very rebellious and don’t listen to what others say

(x) You have a strong love for music

() You’re very mischievous and aren’t intimidated by anything

() Others may describe you as mysterious

(x) You’re very emotional

(x) You’re independent

(x) You may get annoyed easily

(x) You have a close group of friends that are important to you

() When you dislike someone you show aggression towards them rather than trying to burn down the hatch

Total: 6

Hunson Abadeer

() You may seem cold and emotionless

() You are rational

() You are very analytical

(x) You have a sense of humour

() You like it when things are done your way

() You may have a tendency of bossing others around just to get your way 

() You’re manipulative

(x) You are intelligent

() You’re crafty and sneaky

() You dislike most people but get really impressed when they do something impressive

Total: 2

Princess Bubblegum

() You are a leader

(x) You are a perfectionist

(x) You’re amiable and nice

(x) You’re friendly and love others

(x) Even though you’re usually nice and sweet, you may get malicious when crossed

(x) You like science

(x) You’re noble and have high morals

(x) You’re organized

() You like parties and events

(x) You have lots of fears

Total: 8

LSP

(x) You may like attention or seek attention from others

(x) You can be a bit selfish at times

() You show little to no concerns at times

() You get upset when things don’t go your way

(x) You dislike getting ignored

() You may complain a lot

(x) You misinterpret things and jump to conclusions

() You make fun of people, even if it’s silently

() You tend to lose your temper

() You like flirting and always think about the boys/girls

Total: 4

Ice King

() You are lonely most of the time

() Some people consider you annoying

() You are disagreeable

() You have a short-temper

() You are arrogant

() You have poor social skills 

() You’re misunderstood

(x) You’re actually quite benign and kind

(x) You’re desperate for love

(x) You’re weird 

Total: 3

Flame Princess

(x) You don’t think anyone would actually like you

(x) You are a bit unstable

(x) You’re quick to jump to conclusions

() You may seem mildly aggressive at times

(x) You have a fickle personality and it changes from moody to easy-going

() You’re difficult

() You’re learning how to be able to handle pain

(x) You are curious and are interested in learning new things

() You try covering up pain inside

(x) You change your mind a lot

Total: 6

Hey, I've loved reading your long Bubbline rants, do you have anything to say about their interactions in Elements and Ketchup? (Also, Marceline's presence in Bonnibel Bubblegum). As of now, where do you think their relationship lies and where do you think it's headed? Do you think they'll become explicitly canon before the show ends?

Hi there! You don’t know how amazing it is to hear that :D Thank you, it’s always great to hear that my rants aren’t just nonsense to others. I’m going to rant again to show how grateful I am, just a quick note first.

The reason why it’s been a while since I posted a rant about Bubbline is that I started doing regular reviews for Adventure Time about a year ago, and so that became my “AT thoughts” outlet. Well, I actually began with retrospectives and I’ve been doing reviews for new episodes since Season 8 premiered. I try to contain myself at least a little bit with these, although my inner shipper still shines through when talking about stuff like The ShirtTM, because who can resist that. I did write about “Elements” and “Ketchup” there, but I’m so glad you asked this because this way I can rant just about the Bubbline aspect.

It’s also a really convenient timing as I’ve been wanting to write about Bubbline, based on discussions I’ve had with friends and other ideas. Some of those might still happen, but at least this gives me an opportunity to voice some of what I’ve been thinking about.

Indeed, I do have a lot to say about their most recent episodes. First of all, can I just point it out that literally all of Marceline’s appearances since the beginning of Season 7 featured Bubblegum as well? Whether they are both main characters like in “Varmints” or “Broke His Crown”, minor ones like in “The Music Hole” or even cameos like “President Porpoise is Missing!” and “Wheels”. The only exception since “Varmints” is “Everything Stays”, where Marcy only mentioned PB, or I guess you could be really critical and say that “Ketchup” doesn’t count. But nitpicking aside, these last three seasons seem to have an agenda.

Not that I don’t see how the lack of Marceline as an individual character has been alarming but from my perspective, the last seasons are clearly going somewhere. I declared after “Stakes” that it’s basically canon and that feeling only grew stronger after “Broke His Crown”, but with that also came a worry that this might be it. After all these years of waiting for the creators to do something, I, along with many others, was worried that “blatantly obvious for those who want to see it but not quite explicitly stated” is the best we’ll get. How do I feel about this following Season 8? Well…

“Elements” wasn’t exactly about Bubbline itself of course, but it contained plenty of small moments that serves as further “proof” for those wanting Bubbline to become canon - and make no mistake, I’m a proud member of that group, but it still wasn’t actual proof, was it? We had Marshmeline staying loyal PB and being constantly by her side, her humming “Greensleeves” and even wearing the famous “What Was Missing” outfit. Uncivilized Elk did a wonderful analysis on what the use of “Greensleeves” might mean, and though I don’t necessarily agree with all of it, I definitely think that the choice of song is intentional and further develops the Bubbline relationship, even if only in a subtle way.

“Ketchup” is much more interesting in that it details what happened before “Elements”, in its own whimsical way. When reviewing the episode I mentioned how Marceline’s story could be interpreted in many ways, but an obvious choice is to take what she said with a grain of salt and apply it to how PB transformed into the pure candy elemental. I absolutely adore this episode and how it lets Marcy process her thoughts and feelings, I love how much she’s grown and how her relationship with PB– sorry, Lollipop Girl is portrayed. What we see is that Marcy fought against the elemental spell and tried to snap Bubblegum out of it (might or might not have even confronted Patience about it) but ultimately gave in so she could be by Bonnie’s side as the spell washed over Ooo.

What’s great about this is not just the very heavy implication that Marceline cares this deeply about PB. Well, that’s great, but it’s mostly just amazing to see how far she’s come since “I’m Just Your Problem”. She still has her own way of coping with things and some stuff is still too hard to talk about (like her mother at the end of the episode), but she’s trying. She admits how much this affected her and she admits how much she cares about Bonnie. This might not seem like a big deal now, but think back to Season 3 Marcy. Even though Bubblegum is strictly speaking not even in the episode, “Ketchup” is yet another milestone for these two.

I didn’t know how to incorporate my thoughts on Marcy into the “Bonnibel Bubblegum” review so here we go. It’s a shame she didn’t have any lines but that was most likely down to real life voice acting reasons, maybe they didn’t feel like dragging Olivia Olson into the studio for two lines. But even without saying anything Marcy’s presence is significant for the same reason that “Ketchup” was: it shows us how far our characters have come. The episode is clearly about the eponymous character and her past, but the scenes set in the present tell us that Finn, Jake, PB and Marcy (along with BMO, sometimes) just hang out as casual friends. Again, think back to “What Was Missing” and how they were almost forced to hang out together.

That being said, I have another thought regarding this most recent episode and the end of the show in general, which leads us into the last section of this answer. Where the Bubbline relationship lies right now and where it’s headed, hmm. Where it lies now, if you ask me, is in limbo. Throughout Season 7 we saw them talk through their problems, become close friends again and ever since then it’s been a ship tease and subtext paradise. I guess if you’re reading this I don’t have to explain how almost every one of their interactions could be interpreted as a couple, so just take that for granted. The subtext is there, hell, it’s this close to being actual text. But it’s not actual text, is it? And that’s annoying me more and more as each episode passes.

Look, Adventure Time only has 12 episodes left until the end. Around two hours worth of TV is all we’re going to get, and I would love to trust the creators but I’m growing anxious. There are a few characters arcs and storylines that need resolving and Bubbline is one of them. With episodes like “Marcy & Hunson” plus the inevitable battle of wits between Bonnie and Uncle Gumbald coming up I’m not really afraid of them not getting well-deserved conclusions as individual characters. Wouldn’t it be a damn shame though not to have a final scene between just the two of them though? And I’m not talking Korrasami level last scene, neither of them is the protagonist so I get that they are not the main focus of the show. But for all this build up to go nowhere, to stay in this limbo of just enough to see that there’s something but not quite there yet, now that would be a narrative nightmare.

I couldn’t hide the fact that I ship them even if I wanted to, so I’m saying this as a proud fan but also as someone who tries to view it all objectively: Bubbline has to happen at this point. Where do I think it’s headed? Well, it’s headed towards them being a couple, it’s been heading there for years now. From a narrative point of view, it makes perfect sense (this is one of the posts I’ve been wanting to write but haven’t had the time yet). It wouldn’t just be fanservice or giving into the pressure of representation - if anything, this would still be viewed as a move against societal expectations. I’ve talked about why it would mean a lot for Bubbline in particular to become canon, but it’s not just about the LGBT+ aspect of it. Every scene shared between these two have been heading towards a moment where they finally admit their love for each other.

I don’t mean to sound ungrateful when I say all that we’ve had so far is not enough. If anything, all that’s happened since “Varmints” was unimaginable for me back when I started watching Adventure Time five years ago and the only major episode Bubbline had was “What Was Missing”. Even after “Sky Witch” I wondered if they were ever going to go anywhere with this great relationship. But they did, we’ve already seen such beautiful scenes between the two and by no means am I trying to undermine the importance of their friendship. The way these two found each other again after what was clearly a bad falling out is amazing. They mean the world to one another and no matter what happens, that’s canon. Bonnie and Marcy canonically care so much about each other that they are willing to face their own personal demons to keep the other safe.

So I do appreciate what we have right now and honestly if it wasn’t for the blatant “sub”text and the many signs, I would be happy with a Bubbline friendship. I would still ship it romantically, but if I didn’t see signs that the creators want to go for it I would be able to accept that. As I keep saying though, it’s too much at this point for it to go nowhere. I think they have to become explicitly canon before the end, in a way. If they don’t, all of this was for- well, not nothing, but for an underwhelming conclusion.

I’ve been thinking about this lately: what would I do if AT ended without Bubbline becoming canon? Would it affect the way I view the end of the series as a whole? Probably. And maybe this is more the shipper side of me speaking, but I don’t think I would be satisfied with the way they wrap things up if Bubbline doesn’t happen. Even if it does there are still ways in which the finale could be unsatisfactory, but at this point, Bubbline has also become a major factor. 

Because of all of this I really, genuinely hope that Bubbline does become canon by the end. I have faith in the creators and I don’t think they would queerbait knowingly. Would I say I’m sure it will happen, though? Not really. Again, 12 episodes left and so much to resolve, but the best we can do for now is appreciate what we have and keep on hoping. Hey, I never could have imagined Korrasami would truly happen, despite wanting it so bad and seeing the subtext, but maybe it’s safe to start expecting stuff like this.

Anyway, sorry I kept you waiting with this answer, but I hope you’re reading this, Anon, and that you have a great day!