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[writers-in-moominvalley]

Super friendly reminder that in Moominpappa at Sea, it was Moominmamma's independent suggestion to take the whole family to the Lighthouse Island to help make Moominpappa stop feeling useless about his role in the family. Please do not absolve her of her agency in that mess. (I'm saying this in a genuinely gentle and chipper manner, I'm just too tired to word it like that.)

Passage from the book, for evidence:

Moominmamma said nothing. She padded up and down, getting ready for the night. As usual, she looked in her handbag, she turned the lamp down; and all the time there was a silence in the room that didn’t seem natural. When she came to Moominpappa’s model lighthouse, standing on the shelf by the washstand in the corner, she began to dust it absentmindedly.

‘Mamma,’ said Moomintroll.

But Moominmamma wasn’t listening. She went up to the big map hanging on the wall, the one showing Moominvalley with the coast and its islands. She climbed on to a chair so that she could reach right out to sea, and put her nose right on a spot in the middle of nowhere.

‘There it is,’ she murmured. ‘That’s where we’re going to live and lead a wonderful life, full of troubles…’

‘What did you say?’ asked Moomintroll.

‘That’s where we’re going to live,’ repeated Moominmamma.

‘That’s Pappa’s island. Pappa is going to look after us there. We’re going to move there and live there all our lives, and start everything afresh, right from the beginning.’

‘I’ve always thought that spot was only a bit of fly-dirt,’ said Little My.

Moominmamma climbed down to the floor. ‘It takes a long time sometimes,’ she said. ‘It can take a terrible long time before things sort themselves out.’

Then she went out into the garden.

[writers-in-moominvalley]

I could go on forever about the blandening of female characters in the 90s series but I really must point out the most perfect microcosm of this grievance especially when it comes to Mrs. Fillyjonk's character. Look at this! They took out the very easy joke that told us so much of her personality just from one panel!

Even if the 90s series managed to keep her a little aggressive and rude and prim, its subtler characterization and jokes are left behind in favor of either generic characterization or incredibly heavy-handed character moments and slapstick.

They made a joke about Mrs. Fillyjonk making "mother and housewife" sound professional when she has nobody to impress, because her whole character is about pathetically trying to impress people who aren't there, into just... Telling us what she is plainly. Which isn't bad in and of itself, it's a boring but efficient introduction of her character, but it doesn't tell us about her as much as it could beyond what she is and it's really one instance in a series where the point of a character is missed and just hits a different point that just isn't as interesting, making for a weaker character.

[writers-in-moominvalley]

... This has to be a kink thing for Snorkmaiden, right? The whole abduction thing? That she's, like, into it? Legitimately? I'm not seeing things, am I? It has to be. There's just no way this isn't basically a newspaper-friendly depiction of a character with an open kink about something questionable. Good for her, honestly.

Do you think she might have a collection of dubcon historical/bondage romance hidden somewhere?

[writers-in-moominvalley]

(Sorry if this has been asked before.)

Have you read any of Tove's books for adults, and if so, which one did you like the most?

Sadly I haven't read any of Tove's books outside of Moomin, I would love to if I had free access to them (I'm unable to pay for any legal copies) but also I haven't made an active effort to find them available. And I'd love to read all the biographies, too.

[writers-in-moominvalley]

I still think about this pair of panels from Snorkmaiden Goes Rococo every single time I think about Snorkmaiden's ideas of romance. The implications are just so fascinating.

Oh, the idea that she just has an unorthodox definition of romance, that she defines it not by the repeated and long-term affections of a life partner but the thrill of falling in love with a new some-one in a new place. That she keeps ditching and circling back to being unhappy with Moomin not because she wants to reach an ideal of heteronormativity or feminity but because she doesn't thrive in a lifetime monogamy, she doesn't thrive in the downward hill of calm domesticity, but at the same time he's become all too familiar to leave behind altogether.

(... Yet again thinking about her paralleling Moominpappa in the strangest ways)

I think there's just so much to be thought about and explored in the complex relationships and ideas people have about what they think romance is outside of this strange black and white of "They truly love eachother (like a Normal Couple™)" and "They actually don't like eachother but are staying together because of societal expectations" people make up. The short-term polyamory, the blurring of lines between lover and friend and stranger and toy, the conviction and confusion and the interpersonal misunderstanding and frustration of it all.

I want that perspective of Snorkmaiden and her relationships explored so much.

[writers-in-moominvalley]

... Moominpappa's Memoirs is about Moominpappa writing a book about his backstory from the beginning (when he was found at the doorstep of a Foundling Home) all the way to his first meeting with Moominmamma, all the while involving Sniff and Snufkin's parents (and Sniff's great uncle) on a boat/island kingdom adventure.

I'm deeply sorry for your misunderstanding on what the book is about.

Fun question; What do you think Moominpappa's Memoirs is about, exactly? Either thematically or literally.

I'm curious to see how other people see it (and no don't say stuff like "it's about a bunch of dudes sharing a braincell and messing around" because never have they actually shared a braincell on any matter, they have very different fractions of braincells specializing in different things.)

[writers-in-moominvalley]

Mūmin 1969 and Moomin 1990 character designers: Hmmmmm.... How should we make our evil magic guy look...? (Looks at the comic strip)

Character designers: Aha! The mountain robbers with guns! Of course!

[writers-in-moominvalley]

Fun question; What do you think Moominpappa's Memoirs is about, exactly? Either thematically or literally.

I'm curious to see how other people see it (and no don't say stuff like "it's about a bunch of dudes sharing a braincell and messing around" because never have they actually shared a braincell on any matter, they have very different fractions of braincells specializing in different things.)

[writers-in-moominvalley]

The ending of The Water Nymph was a disappointing lack of girl power in a way that felt less like comic-esque commentary on gender roles and more like a straight up cop-out, but in the very least Mrs. Fillyjonk throwing her pickaxe to the ground and huffing almost saved it for me.

She should've thrown the pickaxe in Moominpappa's direction, though.

[writers-in-moominvalley]

Aw man, I wanted to do the big comic compilation myself when the week was over :( (/not mad)

Just thought it'd be fun to see y'all try to figure this out. Put your reasoning in the comments/tags!

*DIDN'T HAPPEN

DARNIT

[writers-in-moominvalley]

I'm going to reply to you here as to not spoil the poll but Moomintroll was considered an orphan in the first comic (Moomin and the Brigands) and the start of the second comic (Moomin and Family Life)!

The context is that he was separated from his parents since very early childhood (it's implied he wandered off through a fence gate) and didn't remember his parents until their incidental reunion.

Of course, this backstory was never brought up again as far as I know/remember. Moominpappa tends to take up the majority of the backstory currency in the comics.

(The... The comics are an utterly different timeline from the books, just to clarify.)

[writers-in-moominvalley]

Just thought it'd be fun to see y'all try to figure this out. Put your reasoning in the comments/tags!

*DIDN'T HAPPEN

DARNIT

[writers-in-moominvalley]

Garnet.

[plain text: Garnet.]

Amethyst!

[plain text: Amethyst!]

And Peaaarl~

[plain text: And Peaaarl~]

And Steven!!!

[plain text: And Steven!!!]

[writers-in-moominvalley]

You Moomin fans do know that Fancy-Dress Balls are, by definitions, balls where people wear costumes and masks, right? You know that people aren't supposed to wear their ritz or lavish dresses to those things, right? It's just a formal social gathering where they wear costumes and dance. The 90s series wasn't being weird with the costume thing, that's just what those balls entail.

In the comics Moominpappa said he wore a pith helmet to a Fancy-Dress Ball in his youth, do you think he would do that if it was a truly posh, fancy party?

[writers-in-moominvalley]

I'm terribly sorry, I have since grown from making this post and find that Grokes should also be given near-nightly attention if you don't want them to wander off and destroy the local ecosystem, like outdoor cats.

And you should give them little jewels to play with, especially the red glowy ones, I hear you can get them free from the Hobgoblin using cherries.

(joke)

💡Lightbulb Moment💡

The Groke is a fairly easy creature to manipulate, I think. Like, she's pretty intimidating and could kill you intentionally or not but she doesn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed, she's just a moth in a big black ghost costume. She see light she get light.

You could probably use a laser pointer on her and she'll follow it.

Play fetch with glow sticks.

Use her as a cooler if you satisfy her need for warmth with a furnace or something.

Dangle a lantern on a stick and watch her try to catch it in the air.

Grokes need some enrichment even in their natural habitat, do them a favor and throw a flashlight their way every now and then.

[writers-in-moominvalley]

As much as I kind of resent the 90s series for exaggerating/over-adding Sniff's cowardice for most of his appearances, I think this scene in the Comet in Moominland movie is so fascinating to me within the context of his character in the adaptation.

The absolute gall he suddenly develops in this garnet pit is astounding. He bears his teeth at a monster for the first time. He isn't afraid of this thing, he's more concerned about getting out of the pit with his precious gems. He's angry and determined to leave this place with something valuable. He argues with his friends over leaving the garnets because to him it is more important that he leaves with them than if he even survives this encounter. (To him,) his friends aren't helping at all, they're just telling him to do the exact opposite of what he really wants while standing up there doing nothing, he sasses Little My herself for not helping.

Sniff's seemingly endless determination and desperation to get what he wants even in the face of danger and hopelessness is one of the core traits of his character that is severely understated. It could be characterized either as a self-destructive greed or an unrivaled determination and optimism to achieve his goal in life, perhaps even both at the same time. He just has to keep his gems, otherwise what's even the point?

What's even the point.

[writers-in-moominvalley]

@prevailing-westerly

In Finland, Midsummer could be anywhere from the 20th to the 26th of June but only after 1955, before 1955 Midsummer would always be on the 24th of June. And since Moominsummer Madness was published in 1954 I think I can safely presume that Tove was thinking about Midsummer taking place in 24th within the book (and Exploits of Moominpappa, in 1950, as it was mentioned there aswell).

And in Moominpappa at Sea the family didn't leave the island by the end of the book, I suppose they just continued on living there until they needed to come to Moominvalley for hibernation.

A concrete calendar timeline for each book in the Moomin series:

Moomins and the Great Flood: the end of August

Comet in Moominland: Early October (up to October 7th), the revised edition changed this to early August (up to August 7th) for Moomintroll's birthday.

Finn Family Moomintroll: November (prologue), early Spring to Autumn.

Exploits of Moominpappa: Spring to Autumn (within Moominpappa's story). / Moominpappa's Memoirs: Early Spring to Autumn (within Moominpappa's story), height of August to September (in the meta story).

Moominsummer Madness: June (up to Midsummer, June 24th)

Moominland Midwinter: a little after New Year's to April.

Tales from Moominvalley: Early Spring to Christmas (if we presume the whole anthology takes place within the same year)

Moominpappa at Sea: the end of August to October 3rd.

Moominvalley in November: November (obviously)

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Canon birthdays: Moomintroll (August 7th), Moominpappa (August 9th), Little My (June 23rd, Midsummer Eve), the Fisherman/Lighthouse Keeper (October 3rd)