Maybe I’ll pirate Plural bus or whatever the apple show is, for now deal with my Adventure Time posting.

I liked this season a lot. Spoilers ahoy:

I like that the show’s multiple universes have been revealed to be cells in a giant cosmic tree. That’s way more interesting than your typical multiverse fair, which is usually just a boring writing crutch.

That last shot really sticks with me, of that solid block of densely packed city poking out of an ocean of wilderness. I mean, anyone can project anything they like onto it. A fantasy of modern comforts alongside a “virgin” wilderness, shorn free of history… hard not to see a reactionary read in that.

But. It makes me think of Half-Earth Socialism by Drew Pendergrass and Troy Vettese, that book that argues we can probably balance modern industry with the natural world but only if we devote (at least!) half the landmass of the planet to wilderness preserves. (Maybe you remember the browser game they released alongside the book) I’d like to think that’s the read the creators were leaning towards, given how the show ends with starting a community center and also all the ecological imagery they’ve introduced to their multiverse. Maybe that’s too hopeful. Oh well.

If you want a different fiction that explicitly delves into what life might look like in a world that’s half wilderness preserves, (or you don’t want to read the non-fiction I’ve referenced above) check out A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers