Round #16; Adventure Time - What Was Missing
Fandom: Adventure Time
Subject: Princess Bubblegum/Marceline (+Finn)
Title: Shall We Sing?
Warnings/Notes: Spoilers for one of the more controversial episodes of Adventure Time, What Was Missing (controversial mostly because of official reactions to an official reaction to it, re: potential/implied lesbian relationships, not by the fans). This episode is the one that pretty much singlehandedly built one of the largest 'ships in AT fandom, and I love it more every time I watch it; I think the emotional honesty between the girls (and everyone, really) is particularly powerful. Also, they save the day with singing.
“What Was Missing” is the tenth episode in season three of Adventure Time. In it, a Door Lord steals the most important objects of several characters -- Finn, Jake, and Princess Bubblegum among them. Those three and Marceline form a band to open the final door of the Door Lord (which will “open to no command, save for a song from a genuine band”; LOTR parallels anyone?) and get their stuff back. It takes several attempted songs and band breakups before the door can be opened, with the final song uniting the feuding friends and opening the door with the truth in Finn’s words.
What this episode reveals about the relationship between Princess Bubblegum (PB) and Marceline is the most interesting part of it, for me. The first song they attempt, I’m Just Your Problem, is sung by Marceline and directed at PB; it nearly opens the door, indicating that it got close to the truth about Marceline’s feelings for PB, and sounds like a song about a relationship that ended badly. They fight on and off throughout the episode, with some obviously old anger and arguments backing them up. When everyone gets their stuff back from the Door Lord, we find out that PB’s most important thing was an old band tee that Marceline had given to her, when they were on better relationship terms (she wears it all the time, as pajamas).
Their attempts to be friendly to each other despite having some sort of bad falling-out fascinate me, as do the hints at a possible same-sex relationship in a show aimed at children. I tried to get this mix to mimic both the sound of each character’s individual music and them all as a group while following the basic course of the episode. It mainly follows Marceline and PB’s attempts at negotiating their relationship post-falling-out (I unabashedly made it a former romantic relationship for this mix, where trying-to-be-the-perfect-ruler-PB left Marceline in order to better rule her kingdom instead of being influenced by an emotional and impulsive vampire queen), but it ends with Finn’s desire for his friends to get along with each other, as that is the overarching idea of the episode.
This is a mix about miscommunication and wanting to get along again but not knowing how (and a little bit of your oblivious friend who just wants everyone to be friends).
“Ha! Looks like you aren’t as perfect as you thought. Guess you can’t judge me anymore.”
“I never said you had to be perfect!”
I Knew You Were Trouble (8-bit) - Taylor Swift
~instrumental~
Heartless (Kanye West cover) - The Fray
So I got somethin’ new to see,
you just gon’ keep hating me,
and we just gon’ be enemies.
I know you can’t believe
I could just leave it wrong.
And you can’t make it right
so I’ma take off tonight into the night.
Hear ‘em talk, the coldest story ever told.
Somewhere far along this road he lost his soul
to a woman so heartless.
How could you be so heartless?
Stars - fun.
And there are people on the street, they’re coming up to me.
They’re telling me that they like what I do now.
And so I tried my best when I took the fall
to get right back up, back in your arms.
If you’re out here why do I miss you so much?
I feel like I had it all back before I lost it all.
Now I just wait for you to talk to me
but you won’t even look at me, baby.
And I’d be saying that you,
you’re always holding on to stars.
I think they’re better from afar,
‘cause no one is gonna save us.
I’m Just Your Problem (cover) - Elena Íviel Berciano feat. Nicole Vaquerano
It’s like I’m not even a person, am I?
I’m just your problem.
Well, I shouldn’t have to justify what I do.
I shouldn’t have to prove anything to you.
I’m sorry that I exist;
I forget what landed me on your blacklist.
But I shouldn’t have to be the one that makes up with you, so...
why do I want to?
Why do I want to...
Swimming - Florence + the Machine
Your songs remind of swimming,
which I forgot when I started to sink.
Dragged further away from the shore
and deeper into the drink.
Sat on the bottom of the ocean,
a stern and stubborn rock.
‘Cause your songs remind me of swimming,
but somehow I forgot.
Explosions - Ellie Goulding
You left my soul bleeding in the dark
so you could be king.
The rules you set are still untold to me and I’ve
lost my faith in everything.
The nights you could cope, your intentions were gold,
but the mountains will shake I need to know I can still make
explosions. On the day you wake up, needing somebody
and you’ve learned it’s ok to be afraid but it will never be the same.
...
I pray that you will find peace of mind and I’ll find you another time.
I’ll love you, another time.
I’m Just Your Problem (8-bit) - Rebecca Sugar
~instrumental~
What Am I To You? (My Best Friends in the World) - Jeremy Shada
Do you think that I don’t understand?
I just wanted us together and to play as a band,
last night was the most fun I’ve ever had,
even liked it when the two of you would get mad
at each other.
Oh, you are my best friends in the world.
You are my best friends in the world.
That’s right, I’m talking about the two of you girls,
and you, Jake.
I wanna sing a song to you and I refuse to make it fake.
C’Mon - Panic! At the Disco & fun.
Try not to mistake what you have with what you hate,
it could leave it could leave come the morning.
Celebrate the night, it’s the fall before the climb.
Shall we sing, shall we sing till the morning?
If I fall forward, you fall flat.
And if the sun should lift me up, would you come back?
So c’mon.
4s
ss
Subject: Princess Bubblegum/Marceline (+Finn)
Title: Shall We Sing?
Warnings/Notes: Spoilers for one of the more controversial episodes of Adventure Time, What Was Missing (controversial mostly because of official reactions to an official reaction to it, re: potential/implied lesbian relationships, not by the fans). This episode is the one that pretty much singlehandedly built one of the largest 'ships in AT fandom, and I love it more every time I watch it; I think the emotional honesty between the girls (and everyone, really) is particularly powerful. Also, they save the day with singing.
“What Was Missing” is the tenth episode in season three of Adventure Time. In it, a Door Lord steals the most important objects of several characters -- Finn, Jake, and Princess Bubblegum among them. Those three and Marceline form a band to open the final door of the Door Lord (which will “open to no command, save for a song from a genuine band”; LOTR parallels anyone?) and get their stuff back. It takes several attempted songs and band breakups before the door can be opened, with the final song uniting the feuding friends and opening the door with the truth in Finn’s words.
What this episode reveals about the relationship between Princess Bubblegum (PB) and Marceline is the most interesting part of it, for me. The first song they attempt, I’m Just Your Problem, is sung by Marceline and directed at PB; it nearly opens the door, indicating that it got close to the truth about Marceline’s feelings for PB, and sounds like a song about a relationship that ended badly. They fight on and off throughout the episode, with some obviously old anger and arguments backing them up. When everyone gets their stuff back from the Door Lord, we find out that PB’s most important thing was an old band tee that Marceline had given to her, when they were on better relationship terms (she wears it all the time, as pajamas).
Their attempts to be friendly to each other despite having some sort of bad falling-out fascinate me, as do the hints at a possible same-sex relationship in a show aimed at children. I tried to get this mix to mimic both the sound of each character’s individual music and them all as a group while following the basic course of the episode. It mainly follows Marceline and PB’s attempts at negotiating their relationship post-falling-out (I unabashedly made it a former romantic relationship for this mix, where trying-to-be-the-perfect-ruler-PB left Marceline in order to better rule her kingdom instead of being influenced by an emotional and impulsive vampire queen), but it ends with Finn’s desire for his friends to get along with each other, as that is the overarching idea of the episode.
This is a mix about miscommunication and wanting to get along again but not knowing how (and a little bit of your oblivious friend who just wants everyone to be friends).
“Ha! Looks like you aren’t as perfect as you thought. Guess you can’t judge me anymore.”
“I never said you had to be perfect!”
I Knew You Were Trouble (8-bit) - Taylor Swift
~instrumental~
Heartless (Kanye West cover) - The Fray
So I got somethin’ new to see,
you just gon’ keep hating me,
and we just gon’ be enemies.
I know you can’t believe
I could just leave it wrong.
And you can’t make it right
so I’ma take off tonight into the night.
Hear ‘em talk, the coldest story ever told.
Somewhere far along this road he lost his soul
to a woman so heartless.
How could you be so heartless?
Stars - fun.
And there are people on the street, they’re coming up to me.
They’re telling me that they like what I do now.
And so I tried my best when I took the fall
to get right back up, back in your arms.
If you’re out here why do I miss you so much?
I feel like I had it all back before I lost it all.
Now I just wait for you to talk to me
but you won’t even look at me, baby.
And I’d be saying that you,
you’re always holding on to stars.
I think they’re better from afar,
‘cause no one is gonna save us.
I’m Just Your Problem (cover) - Elena Íviel Berciano feat. Nicole Vaquerano
It’s like I’m not even a person, am I?
I’m just your problem.
Well, I shouldn’t have to justify what I do.
I shouldn’t have to prove anything to you.
I’m sorry that I exist;
I forget what landed me on your blacklist.
But I shouldn’t have to be the one that makes up with you, so...
why do I want to?
Why do I want to...
Swimming - Florence + the Machine
Your songs remind of swimming,
which I forgot when I started to sink.
Dragged further away from the shore
and deeper into the drink.
Sat on the bottom of the ocean,
a stern and stubborn rock.
‘Cause your songs remind me of swimming,
but somehow I forgot.
Explosions - Ellie Goulding
You left my soul bleeding in the dark
so you could be king.
The rules you set are still untold to me and I’ve
lost my faith in everything.
The nights you could cope, your intentions were gold,
but the mountains will shake I need to know I can still make
explosions. On the day you wake up, needing somebody
and you’ve learned it’s ok to be afraid but it will never be the same.
...
I pray that you will find peace of mind and I’ll find you another time.
I’ll love you, another time.
I’m Just Your Problem (8-bit) - Rebecca Sugar
~instrumental~
What Am I To You? (My Best Friends in the World) - Jeremy Shada
Do you think that I don’t understand?
I just wanted us together and to play as a band,
last night was the most fun I’ve ever had,
even liked it when the two of you would get mad
at each other.
Oh, you are my best friends in the world.
You are my best friends in the world.
That’s right, I’m talking about the two of you girls,
and you, Jake.
I wanna sing a song to you and I refuse to make it fake.
C’Mon - Panic! At the Disco & fun.
Try not to mistake what you have with what you hate,
it could leave it could leave come the morning.
Celebrate the night, it’s the fall before the climb.
Shall we sing, shall we sing till the morning?
If I fall forward, you fall flat.
And if the sun should lift me up, would you come back?
So c’mon.
4s
ss