History AdventureTime / TropesDToH

* HeroicFantasy: The Cartoon

** Finn's design partly comes from a character named Bueno, another one of Pen Ward's creations.
** BMO seems to be a retro-fied [[Webcomic/QuestionableContent AnthroPC.]]

*** For that matter, any episode where [[{{KnightOfCerebus}} The Lich]] is directly involved will go through a severe shift in tone. The stakes are [[{{TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt}} much higher]] [[{{OmnicidalManiac}} than usual]], the NightmareFuel gets cranked up a lot, and previously established characters may actually ''[[HeroKiller die]]''.

** In "[[Recap/AdventureTimeS1E11Wizard Wizard]]," he and Jake learn [[{{Whatevermancy}} a number of magical powers]], which according to WordOfGod are tied to [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman magical robes]] and [[ResetButton are removed when the robes are destroyed]].

* {{Expy}}: According to WordOfGod, Fionna is partially based on Sailor Moon.

---> "Well, ''[[SarcasmMode maybe]]'' you should help me get some princess hair, so ''maybe'' your friend won't be sucked into my '''''[[{{Squick}} bottomless bottom]]'''''!"

** [[WordOfGod Ice King and Scorcher]]. The Scorcher's fire powers and competency contrasts with Ice King's ice powers and incompetency.

** Or the ice ninja powers or wizard spells that Jake and Finn gain, neither of which are ever used outside of the episodes that introduce them. [[JustifiedTrope Sort of justified]] in the case of some of the wizard spells, as [[WordOfGod Word Of God]] states the power disappeared when the robes were destroyed, as said above.

** In every episode a waving snail appears for at least one scene. [[WordOfGod They actually forgot to put it in "Trouble in Lumpy Space", but added it for reruns.]] [[spoiler:In the second season finale, this takes a dark turn when it turns out that Lich performed a BodySurf to take it over as his new host.]]

** "Tree Trunks" ends with the titular character taking a bite from the fruit they've been pursuing all episode. She explodes. [[EsotericHappyEnding Then we see her running, laughing, through crystal.]] It later gets a MindScrewdriver in "Crystals Have Power."

* GenderFlip: [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]] with "Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake". ''Everyone'' is gender-flipped. And we mean '''everyone'''--even the background characters (e.g., Mr. Cupcake is Ms. Cupcake, the Gumdrop Lasses are Gumdrop Lads, [[http://rebeccasugar.tumblr.com/post/9693381246/fionna-and-cake-monday-at-8-adam-and-i-really hell, even the staffers]]). They even went UpToEleven and changed the CreatorCameo of Adam Muto to Rebecca Sugar in the opening sequence.

** The tone of the first season is generally more fast-paced and cartoony, with [[DerangedAnimation zanier expressions]] and [[WorldOfHam over-the-top dialogue]]. After the crew received a massive overhaul in season two, the show began to tone down those traits and start expanding on the show's lore, resembling the series people are familar with today.

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: In "City of Thieves" this happens to Finn, resulting in a rather DarkerAndEdgier version of himself. Complete with a BadassCape.

* FaintInShock:
** Princess Bubblegum faints with relief after her people were saved from a plague by [[ItMakesSenseInContext the Ice King's pained howls]]. After [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext trying to flip over a bed and shouting in]] GratuitousGerman first.
** Played straight by Marceline of all people. She gets a little... overwhelmed by the discovery that [[spoiler:her old friend and father figure Simon had been freed from the ice crown's curse.]]

* [[UsefulNotes/NuclearWeapons The Deadliest Mushroom]]: A lot of references are made to the "Great Mushroom War." [[WordOfGod Pen Ward has confirmed the series takes place post-nuclear-apocalypse.]]

** [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Lemongrab.]] [[GroinAttack Think about it,]] adventurers...

** One scene in "What Have You Done?" has a book with a string of numbers on it: 5318008. Converted to "calculator" font and turned upside-down, this reads "[[GettingCrapPastTheRadar boobies]]".

-->P.S. don't mess around and point the Maid at your buddy, you goof. You already [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar screwed up]] once.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: [[Radar/AdventureTime Has its own page.]]

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: The Flame Kingdom is an officially Evil hotbed of backstabbing, plotting and fratricide. [[spoiler:Flame Princess tries to reduce this, but the fact that she seized the throne by force and imprisoned her father rather reduces her claim to the moral high ground.]]

** [[spoiler:Grob Gob Glob Grod]] sacrifices himself in "Astral Plane" to [[spoiler: stop the second comet from crashing into Mars.]]

* FiveManBand: [[TheHero Fi]][[TheHeart nn]], [[TheLancer Jake]], [[TheBigGuy Marceline]], [[TheSmartGuy Bubblegum]], and [[TagalongKid BMO]] form a literal one in 'What Was Missing'.
** Most of the same gang in ''Stakes'', switched up with Marceline as TheHero, Bubblegum as TheLancer, Jake as TheBigGuy, Peppermint Butler as TheSmartGuy, and Finn as TheHeart, with SixthRanger Lumpy Space Princess.
** All the above characters will usually team up together, although less often as a Five Man Band and more so as a PowerTrio or any variation of a quartet.

'''Lemongrab:''' Prank...? For laughs...? Yes, of course... Just a prank... for laughs. ...Hahahah[=aH=]AHAHAHA''HAHAHAHAHAHA (Peppermint Butler begins to laugh, too) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH''--[[DisproportionateRetribution/WesternAnimation Twelve years dungeon... All of you. Dungeon. Seven years, no trials. C'mon, let's move it.]]

'''Lemongrab:''' Prank...? For laughs...? Yes, of course... Just a prank... for laughs. ...Hahahah[=aH=]AHAHAHA''HAHAHAHAHAHA (Peppermint Butler begins to laugh, too) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH''--[[DisproportionateRetribution Twelve years dungeon... All of you. Dungeon. Seven years, no trials. C'mon, let's move it.]]

** Bubble from "BMO Lost" is popped and [[ComingOutStory "finally freed" and "doesn't have to hide anymore" right after he confesses his feelings towards BMO.]]

-->'''Jake:''' Finn, he's got a [[FrickinLaserBeams laser]] [[RayGun gun!]]

* FrickinLaserBeams: Princess Bubblegum has a flying swan that ''shoots lasers''.

** Further escalates in "Hot To The Touch", when it becomes clear that Finn is truly smitten with her. His {{Adorkable}} attempts at wooing her leads to [[spoiler: the Goblin Kingdom nearly being burnt down to the ground.]]

** [[spoiler: And yet, he writes fanfiction about the genderbent version of Finn falling in love with him...]]

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop:
** In-universe, the lesson the Magic Man is apparently trying to teach anyone who encounters him is "be as big a JerkAss as you possibly can to anyone you come across." Out-of-universe, the lesson of "Freak City" can be interpreted as "some people are just jerks, and you have to deal with not being able to change that."
** This later proves to be the moral of [[spoiler:both Finn's and Phoebe's arcs with their respective fathers.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Magic Man''' (after causing Jake's death in "Sons of Mars"): "I win again, as always!"]]

* EvilVsEvil: