Origin of the Sky Witch

Something a little less heartwarming and fluffy for a change.

-This is one interpretation of how the enigmatic sky witch Maja might've come to be. In the eponymous episode of Adventure Time, Maja's house is shown to have something of an antiquated appearance, and appears to be in a pretty heavy state of disrepair, with wallpaper peeling off, cobwebs present in every corner, and all manner of random junk scattered throughout the place. She has everything from old books, to fishing rods, to masks and skulls, to preserved scientific specimens. If we just assume these various discarded items are meant to serve the same purpose as hambo--that is, they're intended as fuel for her spells after she extracts the sentimental value they possess--then it doesn't seem that strange. But that doesn't explain the dilapidated state of her dwelling, or why she'd choose that particular style of house for her lair. What's more, we know that the principle power sources of Maja's magic are feelings of sentimental affection and caring, but why is this the case? Especially for an ostensibly heartless witch. If Adventure Time has taught us anything about itself, it's that its characters are far from one-note, and their actions (at least when the show's not being goofy) are rarely without purpose.

What if Maja's house has the appearance it does because it was simply her ordinary house from many, many years ago, and she's completely unable to let go of the past. If she had strong memories attached to its old appearance, she allows it to fall into neglect not because she doesn't care, but because to change things would be to destroy those memories; she wants to preserve it exactly as it was. Maybe some of those seemingly-throwaway items aren't just mundane spell-spice after all, but real, treasured possessions of hers from some point in her past. If that's true, then Maja living the way she does could be seen as her way of eternally preserving memories that are near and dear to her, especially if she's as long-lived as someone like Marceline. In essence, sentimentality is at the heart of her character, which would explain why it's the emotion that's central to all of her magical activities. Another interesting observation on this level pertains to Maja's signature pose, which is emulated in panel 13 here. Rather than keeping both hands at her hips, or extending them outward as one might do to express power or dominance, she brings her right arm up and keeps her hand tightly pressed against her heart, almost like it's a subconscious attempt to comfort herself. This also has the added effect of preventing her cloak from flying back in the wind currents, which only serves to make her less--not more--intimidating; it's very similar to how a child might clutch a favorite shirt or blanket for comfort.  Now, none of the above may be even remotely true, and she really may just be a power-hungry evil witch, but if we assume for a moment that maybe there's more to the sky witch than meets the eye, I think the bits we're shown throughout her episodes can offer some pretty profound (and potentially heartbreaking) insights into her character. ...Or, at least I'd like to think of it that way. Of course, all of this leads up to the question, "If memories really are the most important thing in the entire world to Maja, what kind of memories are they? And just what kind of memories could be so powerful (or painful), that they'd cause her to act so ruthlessly?"

-The design for Maja's boyfriend/fiance was based off of one of the picture frames that's briefly seen hanging in her home in the episode "Sky Witch." That, along with the aforementioned heart-holding gesture were the primary inspirations for this comic. I probably won't do too many things like this, it's too ;_; . This one seriously hurt me to draw at certain points.  


*Adventure Time and all related characters are © Pendleton Ward and Cartoon Network.