#looked at some Moomin artists I remembered from back in the day that I liked to get to this | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

k00299539 · 2 months

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Animation Brief 01 - Week 1 - Research

Above: Moomin

After being formally introduced to the animation course and forced coerced to listen to Radiohead, it was time to crack on with the "World Building" brief itself. The first step in plan was a group trip to the Limerick City Library...

...I didn't go.

To be honest I'm still just a wreck of a person and insomnia has been kicking my ass. There are things I can do while sleep deprived but engage in social situations is just not one of them. I felt like I was starting to panic so I just called it a day and went home.

I didn't stop working however, and like any bad maths student I may not follow the correct process to get a given answer, but right or wrong; I'm still getting to that answer. So basically I made my best attempt at following step one of our brief's outline, just alone and tired.

Above: More Moomin art to lighten the mood...

So step one of the brief, and the whole reason we were supposed to go to the library was for research. Our tutor Yvonne Sweeney outlined this for us. The idea was to look through the children's section in particular and find an aesthetic or the inspiration for an aesthetic to emulate for our upcoming work.

Personally I love the aesthetic of children's media like picture books, so this suited me fine. There's something so raw about illustrations made with the idea of engaging little kid brains. I find a lot of the most memorable children's artists had something idiosyncratic about their style, something imperfect or unusual is more captivating than the opposite. You have to keep looking to satisfy the brain's desire for understanding; "what is it about this that makes it look off-kilter"?

So with all that in mind I went looking at children's books for research. There's a lot laying around my house, not just from my own childhood but my siblings as well. It's pretty fascinating to look back and try to examine why the media we consumed back then had the hold on us it did.

Above: The sin of Gluttony...

When thinking about books I read as a kid for some reason my mind goes immediately to the insatiable insect above. That cover is burned into my subconscious... Although until researching it for this project, I wouldn't have remembered how uncanny the catterpillar's face looks. It's cute in it's own way but also not unlike something you might see in a horror. I'm kinda reminded of the "redeads" from Ocarina of Time.

Above: I don't trust this guy's smile...

If I had to describe the art of Eric Carle in one word it'd probably be texture. Through the use of collage, his work takes on a very three dimensional, tactile quality. This was used to great effect in the Hungry Caterpillar book, with the titular character memorably biting holes out of the books pages.

Above: The flag of California I think

Beyond just what it evokes, on a technical level a lot of Eric Carle's stylistic traits line up well with the medium of animation. An animated scene is assembled, layered from foreground to background. In a simple shot moving these layers at different speeds can create the illusion of depth. This technique employs the parralax effect, having close objects appear to move faster than those further away. Similarly Carle's collage inspired aesthetic is all about layering, and the optical illusion of disparate parts making up a cohesive whole.

Above: The Dumping Ground

Another artist I wanted to highlight is Nick Sharratt, children's author and illustrator best known for providing the artwork for Jacqueline Wilson's Tracy Beaker books. I actually hadn't heard of Sharratt 'til now, despite having known his art forever. Sharratt employs a simple style with uniform line thickness and flat, vibrant colours. There's a loose, playful kind of energy to his work that I feel really speaks to children.

I was impressed to learn how dedicated Sharratt is to kid's media and education. He's been an ambassador for children's charity Theirworld for years, campaigning for children's right to a fair and equal education, regardless of gender, race or circumstance.

Above: (◕‿◕✿)

I don't actually know much about Yotsuba&! It's a long running Japanese manga series by Kiyohiko Azuma ostensibly aimed at children. It depicts the everyday adventures of a young girl named Yotsuba as she learns about the world around her, guided by her adoptive father, their neighbors, and their friends. I know a lot of people use it as a resource when learning Japanese because of simple, easy-to-understand nature and limited use of difficult vocabulary and grammar.

The art, like a lot of manga and comics in general, is more character than background focused. That said the covers have a lovely watercolour aesthetic with surprisingly muted colours for a children's series. I appreciate Azuma's emphasis on light and time-of-day in his illustrations. He recreates the world in the warm, optimistic light you'd expect from a child's perspective.

All that said, I'm pretty sure it's a series co-opted by 4chan type incels for whatever reason, so I'm somewhat uncertain about lumping it in here with genuine kids media.

Above: A more trustworthy smile

The last artist I'd like to mention is Tove Jansson, best known for her children's novel series Moomin, of which I've already posted some artwork above. Moomin is another one of those series I had no real contact with as a child. I stumbled across Jansson's work online, often seeing animated clips and illustration's of these bizarre yet deeply charismatic characters.

In some ways her artwork isn't the most suitable for this project, as her illustrations are dominated by the character with the background being there only to frame them. It's exactly because of this though, that I find her backgrounds so appealing. They represent a kind of warped space, where reality contorts itself around her characters.

Above: Less Moomin

Jansson was also prolific, producing many paintings and illustrations outside her domain of children's books. What I find fascinating about her work is that you can see the same elements appear whether she was working in service of children, adults or no one in particular. That in itself may be getting at what made her such a powerful children's artist, she created art in her own single minded vision, unperturbed about what others might think. I feel that philosophy is at the heart of creating authentic children's media.

#lsad #animation #art #research #world building

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vagueandominousvibes · 2 years

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Welcome!

I’m Kalh (she/her, fae/faer). I’m 25. I talk a lot about my sister and my partner, both of whom I love very much.

I’m asexual and biromantic. I’m a D&D Dungeon Master on holiday, a fanfic writer, and a fanart illustrator. I’ve been obsessed with elves and elvish creatures since I learned to read (Elfquest, The Silmarillion, Legend of Zelda, D&D — you name it). I love winter, brown bears, trees, and moss, and will romanticise any of these if given the chance.

I’m also the artist and writer behind the Links Winter AU, the writer of the Four Swords fanfics Just close your eyes (don’t leave me here alone) and Every Day is Christmas if the Vibes are Right on Ao3, and the writer for the various stories over at @interactivestorytellingwithkalh .

If you want to talk to me, feel free to send a message or an ask (anon’s on)! I love interacting with people!

Please be aware that English is not my native language. Like any other non-native speaker, I can make lingual and cultural mistakes. If I do, please send me a polite ask/message so I can acknowledge and correct it!

(List of fanfics, major posts, and tag overview below the cut)

Tag Overview

#random things ive said to make my sister laugh — the stupid things my sister and I get up to, in text format (you may not believe it, but I’m actually the older one)

#at my partner's — exchanges between myself and my partner that, to me, sound delightful taken out of context (and I want to keep them and be able to look fondly back at them)

#kalh has friends — amusing exchanges with my friends that I want to remember

#fae victim count — the fae victim count

#kalh is on the loose — vaguely analytical posts, often related to casual literary/cultural analysis (these tend to get long)

#kalh’s fragments — short stories and drabbles, some of which are more ominous than others

#kalh’s notepad — story ideas, worldbuilding, theorising, things I’d like to keep track of for myself, etc.

#personal — I have bared my heart to you so please treat it with care /hj

#don’t reblog — posts I’m kindly asking you to please not reblog

#my art — my art!

#writing — things related to the process of writing

#fanfics — good fanfics I’ve read and highly recommend, or fanfics I've written

#links winter au — things I’ve reblogged from @winterlinksandotherlinks or posted about the process of its creation

#monsters&marvels — an LU AU based on an academic area of study within medieval literature and culture

#just close your eyes — asks and posts related to the Four Swords fanfic ‘Just close your eyes (don’t leave me here alone)’

#knights lodge au — asks and posts related to the Four Swords Knights' Lodge AU and the fanfic 'Every Day is Christmas if the Vibes are Right'

Fandom Tags

#loz, #lu, #lotr, #elfquest, #dnd, #four swords, #riordan, #ofmd, #moomin

Major Posts (casual literary/cultural analysis)

On Franz Kafka’s The Trial

Skyward Sword: A Fun Theory About Deity-Like Link

In response to Skyward Sword: A Fun Theory About Deity-Like Link

List of Fanfics (posted on this account)

Among the Crags (Vio Link/Shadow Link, Modern AU, 439 words)

Don’t Know if We’ll Live to See the Sun (Vio Link/Shadow Link, options for other ships, speculative one shot, 433 words)

Four (character study for #monsters&marvels, 631 words)

You can find more of my works on Ao3, including the main story for the Links Winter AU.

Last updated: 16th December 2022

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toyama-division · 2 years

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In honor of International Women's Day, here's a question for the Toyama team.

To Asato, Yano, and Kensaku:

What real-life woman would you say has inspired you, or that you respect for everything that they've accomplished and hope to emulate?

Yano is quick to turn towards Asato as if he was reading the farmer's thoughts. “Don’t you dare say it.”

“I didn’t say anything, Yano.” Asato deadpans, seeming to read back Yano’s thoughts. “I was thinking, it would be really easy to pick women I know in my life. I mean… You would probably talk about your mom or sister if you could…”

“As if! I can think of at least two artists that are girls I admire!”

“If I remember correctly, didn’t you say that Yayoi Kusama was one of the artists to inspire you at the start of your career, Yano-kun?”

Yano looked like he was gonna react happily at Kensaku’s question, but he reeled back his excitement instead, pouting and hiding his face. “I mean yeah… Her installations are super cool to go to. But I also liked looking at Dora Maar’s photographs when I was studying in art school. A classmate told me how she dated Picasso and how he steered her away from photography just because he didn’t think of photography as art.”

Kensaku frowns, “Pablo Picasso? I didn’t know he was so… Selfish.”

“Right?!” Yano bursts out loud, making Asato cover his ears from the sudden spike in volume. “Ah, sorry Asato…”

“It’s fine…I just wanted to say that the first person I think about when it comes to women’s day is the lady who made that one kid’s show about those weird hippo things…”

“Moomin? So Tove Jansson!”

“That’s her name, yeah. I remember liking Moomin a lot as a kid. I don't know if she did anything really impactful, but the show made me feel... Calmer, I think.”

“Wow, I didn’t think people still watched Moomin in this day and age.”

“They made a reboot! But yeah, I guess it’s old, just like-” Yano’s thoughts were quickly halted by a swift slap of Kensaku’s hand over Yano’s mouth, preventing him from speaking. As Yano started to struggle (to breathe or speak, it is unknown) Kensaku calmly smiled at Asato.

“So I guess it’s my turn now, isn’t it?”

“Mphh!”

“Now now Yano. Ya know, it’s rude to interrupt your seniors when they’re talking!”

“MMMMMMGH!” Yano makes some muffled screeches at Kensaku’s pun.

Kensaku doesn’t seem to care about the struggling youth in his arms however and continues talking like Yano didn’t exist. “To be honest… The first woman I think I got to give a lot of praise to in the field I specialize in has to go to Kono Yasui.”

“Who is that…?”

“She’s known for being the first Japanese woman to obtain a doctoral degree in science! She mainly focused on biology and cytology throughout her career. I know that she is someone who many women in the science field look up to. I personally liked her publications when I was in school.”

“Mmph…” Yano weakly mumbles under Kensaku's iron grip, already much calmer than before. Despite wanting to just bite the botanist's hand, Yano uses his already fragile emotional state to give Kensaku a pleading look.

“Yes, Yano-kun? Are you going to behave now?”

The brunette gives a somber nod, pleasing Kensaku as he releases the most rambunctious of the trio from his grasp.

“Urgh, stupid old bastard…” Yano pants, catching his breath from all the struggling he had done in Kensaku’s arms. Of course, his whispered comment seemed to catch the older man’s ears as a sinister aura suddenly rose behind the glassblower.

“Sorry? We couldn’t hear you Yan-Yan, what did you say?”

“N-Nothing! You’re just hearing shit!”

Thank you for the ask! Hope everyone enjoyed Women's Day. (*´ω｀)

Yayoi Kusama

Dora Maar

Tove Jansson

Kono Yasui

#hypmic #hypnosis mic #hypnosis microphone #hypmic oc #hypnosis mic oc #hypnosis microphone oc #toyama division #eco boon #asato rikiya #yano ietsuna #kensaku morimoto #women's day 2022 #ask #excuse Yano's language he's feeling a lil spicy today

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mcrmadness · 4 years

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Music tag game

Got tagged by @hanhan156, thanks!

Again my texts got super long and you don’t NEED to write this much, just mention a song and go to the next one, but nope, not me :D I love talking about music anyway even tho I understand absolutely nothing of it but idc, at least I’m having fun XD (Plus I apparently haven’t been talking nor writing too much lately because of exhaustion and migraine so now all that talkativeness came out in the form of this post lol.)

☀️ A song stuck in your head when you woke up this morning: Today there was nothing, but I recently listened to the Lindemann album F&M again and have had those songs randomly play in my head. Currently I think it’s Knebel, but this other night it was Ach so gern (Pain Version) (it was playing in my dream and then I woke up with it still playing in my head) which I’m actually almost obsessed with now and I like this version so much more than the original version, and it might even be my favorite song on the album now :D The synth and chorus melody in this song is just what gets me every time.

⚠️ A song you love by a band you strongly dislike: I don’t really have bands I’d dislike? There’s just bands I love/like or don’t like. There’s some songs from bands or artists that I might even enjoy hearing when they play on radio (radio rant later on lol) but it just more of makes me disappointed and sad when a band does not have more good songs than just one or two. So I don’t really listen to them ever either because if something is good, I want MORE but when there’s no more, I just... it’s like “all or nothing” :D But I think I could mention here now a song that I’m pretty much obsessed with atm and it’s again the only good song I’ve heard from this band, and I know this band only because the singer-guitarist used to be in Apulanta in the band’s earlier times. This song is Korvaamaton by Varjo. I wouldn’t say I love the song tho, but currently it sounds pretty good but who knows, maybe I’ll find it boring in the future. But the last minute of the song is my favorite part of the song, I’m a sucker for instrumental music and long instrumental solos and that part is just amazing and I probably would find this song pretty dull and would not go back to it this often if it didn’t have that ending.

🙄 A song you dislike by a band you love: This is like the biggest unpopular opinion to exist probably but I just cannot stand Geschwisterliebe by Die Ärzte. I’m sorry Farin, but I just cannot listen to that song :D Sometimes it makes me feel so bad because it’s become so iconic song for the band and Farin seems to be kinda proud of it and I totally get that, but for my own personal reasons, I just cannot listen to that song. I never liked it even when I didn’t know what it was all about and even less when I learnt what it was about, and now it’s literally making me feel sick whenever it starts playing because I’m now so far at my German skills that I’m starting to understand German lyrics whenever I listen to music. And it’s just making me so uncomfortable because of my anxiety and stuff that I just always have to skip this song. The punk rock version they did a few times live is good, tho, that one I like but the original or other live versions? Not so much.

🐤 First song you recall from childhood: Hmmmm. This is hard because the FIRST song??? I remember so much music from my childhood and I don’t know if I should talk about music that was made for kids or maybe other stuff I was into as a kid. Probably my oldest music memory is again about movies, probably even The Lion King or Toy Story, or the Moomins! Those have definitely defined my taste in music too because I hated every Disney film with their boring songs but I loved The Lion King and even Toy Story had such a good soundtrack. But I don’t want to mention these as the first songs because technically they are not songs but scores... so hmmmm. Damn, this is so difficult! :D It’s probably some kids’ song I’ve been singing too, even tho I more often was singing songs I came up with while I was singing (and I stopped that somewhere when I was 7 years old or so). But gosh, I don’t know. I was often listening to the cassettes by this “rock band”, Fröbelin Palikat, that made music for kids in rock sound and damn they were good, my absolute favorite was “On vanha ukko kuollut”, it’s still pretty dope :D

And Rölli (originally a troll character that was to make music for kids but later got his own tv show and movies) was also awesome, I actually had the second album on vinyl and I was listening to that often, I think, and I still get nostalgic when I listen to that album and I’m sure it’s somewhere at my parents’ house but I just can’t find it anywhere! But Itsensäpelottelemislaulu is what I definitely remember from my childhood!!! The title means something like “A song to scare yourself” and I remember it being so terrifying when I was a kid, because he sings there things like there’s a scull somewhere and it made him scared, but it ended up being just an old football :D It’s like the definition of anxiety, first having panic over something irrational and then you find out it was nothing to worry about. And damn this whole album now, the next song also brings back some nostalgic memories that I can’t remember but can feel!!! I think this is it, this is the album and the first songs I can recall from my childhood.

😳 A song no one would believe you’d ever like: Hmmm... classical music! I don’t really listen to it because it’s super difficult to, like, start listening to? There’s so much and I have no idea where and how to start to. And I’m not into operas and I don’t know, it’s like it’s own world and you should know what you’re doing and it just sounds so difficult process so I’ve never done so, but sometimes, if I need music for concentration, I just look for “classical music for concentration/studying” or so from youtube and try to find something with Mozart in it. I don’t know too much about composers but I was very much obsessed with the movie “Amadeus” (-84) when I was younger and I still love that movie (I just rewatched it a few days ago!) and because of that movie, I notice some of Mozart’s music even now and I remember how at school we had to study composers, and how I liked Requiem already because of the movie but also overall I found it interesting, and I still get chills when I hear that certain part of this composition. I don’t even know how long this composition is and if there’s more to it than what’s in the movie and what was played to us at school, but I still like what I’ve heard and I’m always waiting for the moment this starts playing in the movie. Maybe I should go now and look for it from youtube and give it a listen if it’s not several hours long :D (I just looked for it and the full one if almost an hour long. Just like I guessed ::D But I also found a shorter video and omfg I’m getting so much chills from the violins and stuff.)

Of course it’s possible that I just associate the music so strongly with the movie because I also love movie soundtracks and video game soundtracks but I get obsessed with them only when I have seen a movie or played a game myself, otherwise it’s hard for me to get behind a movie/game soundtrack because the music usually is there to add more athmosphere to the events, so I think I love certain soundtrack pieces so much because they remind me of the events but I also feel so strongly about the events because the music is so overwhelmingly good there, and the combination is sometimes something that feels like it’s making my head to explode.

😯 A song you probably shouldn’t love but do: Why shouldn’t I tho? I don’t think I have any like these. But something I could mention here is that I don’t know why but for some reason, so often my favorite songs aka the songs with best melodies and sounds are either the most or only songs with some really strong sexual themes or vulgar stuff in them. And I don’t know why bands make the best music for songs with those lyrics??? I personally don’t really care about lyrics and the sound is what defines for me if I like a song or not so I don’t stop listening to a good song if I dislike the lyrics. But this is a reoccuring theme for me now and for example, one of my all-time-favorite Rammstein songs is called “Pussy” because of the melody and stuff. I have no problem with listening to the song but sometimes it feels a bit awkward if people are hearing because normally I’m safe here in Finland as not too many understand German, but this song also has parts in English in it and people here understand English a lot more. And I honestly don’t care what people think, but I just find this such a funny thing because I myself am an asexual. So I could’t even care less about sexual themes in anything but still so often my favorites HAVE those themes in them because bands just somehow makes those songs always sound the best :D And I have examples from so many bands and I still don’t know what’s with it because I literally don’t care about the lyrics there at all :D Or maybe it’s why - when I can’t relate to lyrics then it’s pretty much the same what they sing there and I can pay my full attention to the sound then. (But this doesn’t make sense because e.g. DÄ and Rammstein both sing in German and I’ve spent years without understanding a word and still I end up finding out my favorite songs are about the same themes. And there’s also another German band and my favorite song on an album has a vulgar word AS the title. So weird :D)

• You always switch it off when THIS one comes on: Pretty much just anything on radio. And the whole radio. Rage oncoming: I just HATE radio so much and at work it was always driving me mad when I wanted to listen to just _something but every channel and song made me angrier and angrier because they played nothing but shit. And even if the channel was okay, then the ads started to really get on my nerves. And some channels play this random compilation “ad” of the songs they play on their channel and when you hear this same clip with the same snippets of the same songs after every song, it starts to get REALLY frustrating. And you also start to memorize it too and whenever you hear some of the clips as a full song and that certain part comes, you actually hear the clip of the song that was next in this snippet compliation ad. This was why I started boycotting one of the stations. They also ruin songs for me when they use just one song from a band and play it every week. But to answer to the question properly: anything to do with Finnish reggae music. I just HATE THAT SO MUCH. It’s terrible, they sound like they don’t know how to sing or that they’re just standing somewhere with no posture and the wind is waving them around while they try to get random sounds out of their throats and it ends up sounding like they have super weak throats and it makes my throat hurt to listen to that (I don’t even sing but I can still physically feel people’s singing or speaking styles in my throat). I legit don’t know if it’s just the Finnish reggae style or if they are terrible singers disguised as reggae. I also can’t stand rap but especially not Finnish rap. Or pop songs that are nothing but random sounds made with computer and where they sound like a broken violin. So yeah, I have lots of hatred towards radio and what people nowadays call as music ::D (On top of all that, the radio station in Finland I hate the most plays only Finnish pop music. And it’s awful. And the same songs pretty much every day. Drives me crazy.)

💜 A song that makes you smile: Westerland (to the Max) by Die Ärzte, altho I’m from Finland even I’m already pretty fed up with this song so I skip the normal parts and listen to the funny ones only ::D And the other random remixes they did in the 80s always make me not only smile but laugh (Farin’s yodeling in 2000 Mädchen Wumme-Mix gets me every time), I normally hate remixes but DÄ has always taken that to another level too and I love it :DD

💔 A song that makes you cry: I don’t think I have any like this. I don’t really cry ever and especially not for songs, I can’t even recall ever crying for songs? o_O (WAIT now I know one! That one song in the Lion King where a major plot event happens!!! It’s called “To Die For”. I think pretty much everyone has seen this movie at some point but because of that scene, also the music alone makes me cry! :D I’m listening to this one now and I’m already (almost) crying lol. But it’s again linked to a movie scene and not because of the music itself. Also Hans Zimmer is a genius and my other favorite movie composer.)

🔥 A song that gets you motivated: Anything with happy energy in it. DÄ’s music is often great for this, but especially their album Planet Punk. But sometimes I don’t get only motivated but bit too energetic too and then I become hyperactive and then I’m unable to focus on anything really but hey, at least I’m having the happy energy myself, then :D

I’ll tag @stufenlosregelbar and @cupcakecurl again :D And remember that you can just write there a song title and nothing else if you don’t want to, and not do as deep dive into music stuff as I did here ::DDd

#mcrmadness' random stuff #tag games #music talk~

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geminiamethyst · 5 years

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Possession. Chapter 9 (FINAL CHAPTER)

FINALLY! AFTER ALMOST A FULL YEAR, I have finally reached the end of Possession. Sorry it took so long to get to the end of, I just didn’t originally plan for it to be this long. But, you know what? I’m glad it did anyway.

Okay, because this is the final chapter, I can not stress enough to tell you guys to skip this chapter and read the previous chapters using the links below if you have not done so already. If you don’t, trust me, you will regret it.

I’d also like to say a final big thank you to Schusseltier, avril-circus and laambart for allowing me to write this story as they are the ones that came up with the original comic strips that inspired me to write this. Please give them all your love as they are amazing artists.

Enjoy the chapter.

The road to recovery was easy enough physically for Snufkin. All the bruises had cleared up and his body no longer felt like fragile glass that threatened to break at every move he made. However, it was mentally that was the challenge. For a whole week straight, he woke up in the night screaming from the nightmarish memories of when he was possessed that plagued him. Joxter was by his side at every scream he made and comforted him back to sleep, but it did nothing to help sooth his mind from going haywire. Though it was only for a week that the nightmares had gone on for, to Snufkin it felt like months. He hated feeling trapped like that. The spirit was gone, he knew that. But he had suffered so much when he was a prisoner in his head. He would look over his shoulder at every noise behind him when he walked and if someone had snuck up behind him without saying something, he would either flinch badly or scream in a panic when they place a hand on his shoulder. It had gotten terribly bad when Stinky (who in no time at all learned about what had happened somehow) played a nasty prank on him when he was in the forest getting some supplies for his winter wandering. He had frightened him by using a horn to project his voice around the area, making it impossible for Snufkin to pinpoint where it had come from. If that didn’t freak him enough, Stinky had then screamed down his ear so suddenly that it almost gave the poor traveller a heart attack, literally. It was so bad that Snufkin was curled up like a frightened child and wasn’t willing to move until Moomin, Joxter and Little My found him.

He was that scared of being possessed again.

Madame Portia had been doing everything she could to help him through the healing. She had been making him come up to Moominhouse daily to make sure that he was fine. Results were the same with physically, with the mental recovery becoming slightly better each passing day. She feared that the encounter with Stinky’s bullying would have set him back terribly but he surprised her greatly the day after the incident.

“He truly is you brother, isn’t he?” The medium had teased a bit at Little My that day, further commenting that Snufkin was stronger than he looked.

“You should never doubt my family!” Little My only smirked, earning a smile from Snufkin. Ever since that night, even after all the secrets that were kept, Snufkin felt like he was closer than he ever was with his family since he was reunited with them. It made him all the more determined to see his mother during his Winter wandering with Joxter.

Madame Portia had left a week after that, feeling the need to leave the valley before Winter and help another household with a spirit problem. The family said their goodbyes to her, with Moominmamma giving her some Jasmine tea to have on her travels. Madame Portia too had left some gifts with the family. She gifted the Moomin family a talisman to hang up on a wall to help protect the household from evil spirits and a beaded bracelet made out of turquoise for Snufkin with the same purpose. Despite Little My teasing him a little, Snufkin gratefully slipped the spiritual jewellery on, again fearing for him being possessed again. Feeling that she had done enough for the family, Madame Portia left, promising the family that if they ever meet again, she’ll only bring good fortune upon the family.

Sadly as the time went, Winter had finally creeped in. It felt like it had come quicker than it should have. The frost remained permanent on the ground, making the once lush, soft, green grass dry up and become nothing more than had brown coloured stems. Flowers wittered and died, driving off all the insects that had decorated them in the Spring and Summer. The trees were striped completely of their leafs, making them look like nothing more than tall, menacing figures, especially in the dark of the long nights. Clouds covered the sky, blocking the sun and the beautiful blue that was the sky. The air constantly looked like it was damp and it was also bitter, the wind becoming harsh and icy. No matter where you stepped in Moominvalley, it felt like the Groke was standing right next to you, or it felt like you were looking into the eyes of the Lady of The Cold.

Everywhere you looked in Moominvalley, it seemed like Summer was no more than a distant memory.

Snufkin sat on the handrail of the the bridge, just like he had started doing, waiting for Moomin to come out to say goodbye (A/N For those that don’t know, I’m referencing back to episode 85 of the 90’s series). His camp was packed up, leaving behind nothing more than a rectangle of flattened and worn out grass. A circle where he would have his campfire stayed, blackened permanently on the ground. His things were packed into the knapsack that was beside him. The only difference was that Joxter was standing by, waiting to go. He blew out a puff of smoke from his old pipe. He looked up at the clouded sky, noticing that the smoke blended well with the grey that blanketed the sky. He impatiently tapped his foot, knowing full well that it’ll start snowing any second. As much as he didn’t mind waiting, he’d rather get going before the snow gets too deep to walk through. His prayers were answered when he heard the sound of running feet coming towards the bridge. Snufkin stopped playing his harmonica, hearing Moomin approaching as well. He looked towards the young troll, feeling a smile spread across his face. Moomin stopped on the bridge, catching his breath from the running. He glanced at Snufkin’s knapsack, noting how full it looked despite Snufkin not owning very much. His heart sank a little, remembering that he wouldn’t see Snufkin until he awoke from hibernation and Spring had once again returned, bringing the valley back to life.

“Time to leave?” Moomin asked, feeling a little stupid as he already knew the answer.

“Yes. Everything is just going as they should now that some things are back to normal.” Snufkin smiled sadly, hopping off of the handrail. He slipped his harmonica in his pocket before looking a little sadly at Moomin. “Just remember that I’m going to be a little late coming back.” Moomin’s ears drooped a little and his tail became limp. With everything that had happened, he had completely forgotten what Snufkin had told him on Halloween.

“You’ll be seeing your mother though. Like I said, it’ll be worth the wait for you coming back. I hope everything goes well with meeting your mother.” He smiled a little, trying to make himself feel better. Snufkin only smiled at him a little, trying to reassure him that everything will be alright. He grabbed his knapsack and slipped the burden on his back. Moomin could do nothing more than watch sadly at this sight. He hated this time of year to say the least. He hated to see Snufkin leave for the Winter, knowing that he would never see him until Spring. It eased him a little as he reminded himself that he would be hibernating during that time. However, it still felt heavy on him. To him, it was not fair. But he knew that it would be unfair to Snufkin to force him to stay. Snufkin, after all, was a vagabond, a free spirit. It would be cruel to chain him to one place. He knew that it would be better to let Snufkin go, but it still didn’t stop him from being sad.

“HOLD IT!”

Snufkin, Moomin and Joxter turned to see Little My running towards them from Moominhouse. With the speed she was running at, you’d think the Groke was chasing her. The trio caught sight that she was carrying something in her hand, but her arms were going so fast that all they could make was a blurry white object. She skidded to a very sudden holt on the bridge, almost slipping on the frost that had remained on the bridge.

“You weren’t going to leave without saying goodbye to your sister, were you?” She shouted after catching her breath.

“Sorry My, but usually you don’t do that. I thought you were asleep already.” Snufkin said as he knelt down to her.

“Yeah, well, I’m only doing this once! So don’t expect me to do it all the time.” Little My smirked, hands on her hips. She suddenly looked at what she was holding. “Do me a favour will you?”

“Of course.” Snufkin said before the small girl thrusted an envelope into his hands.

“Give this to Mother for me. I owe her a letter.” She said, her face softening a little, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “And.....be careful out there, okay?” Snufkin smiled. He surprised her by pulling her into a hug as a thank you. At first, the older sibling was stunned, but patted his back a little. “Yeah, yeah. Just get outta here before I get too soft. And you!” Joxter jumped a little as Little My pointed at him after Snufkin let him go. Little My’s features turned serious but meaningful. “You had better take good care of my brother. If something happens to him I will personally hunt you down myself!”

“Of course.” Grinned Joxter in amusement, his pipe held between his teeth. It faded as soon as something small, soft and white made its way to the top of his nose. Everyone looked up at the sky. Snowflakes had finally started to fall, twirling and spinning gracefully to the valley, almost like a ballet dancer performing on stage. At first, they fell thinly, only one snowflake coming down once every second, before they multiplied. The snowfall had started to become so dense that Joxter started to worry that he and Snufkin might have to wade through ankle deep snow before they could leave the valley. As Snufkin placed the letter delicately in his knapsack, his father placed a hand on his shoulder, telling him that it was time to go. Snufkin stood up and slipped his burden back on his back.

“So long, my friend. And I promise that I’ll be back before Spring is over.” He smiled sadly, extending a hand out for Moomin to shake. Instead of shaking it in his paw however, the young troll pulled the traveller into a heartfelt hug. He wrapped his arms a little awkwardly around the knapsack, but he still held a little tight. Snufkin stood a little shocked at this sudden interaction.

“Come back safe.” Moomin whispered, his voice a little hoarse as if he was going to cry. Snufkin blinked, then brought his arms around his best friend, giving him a reassuring hug. It felt warm despite the cold chill in the air.

“I promise.” He whispered into Moomin’s ear before the best friends released each other. It felt empty now that they had let go. Became colder all of a sudden. Little My climbed up onto Moomin until she stood on his shoulder, holding one arm around his head to keep her balance. Moomin, unfazed by this, watched with envy as his best friend and Joxter walked away, leaving shallow footprints in the thin layer of snow that had already started falling. They slowly became nothing more than two green dots. Moomin promptly wiped a tear that had trailed down his cheek.

“GOOD LUCK, SNUFKIN!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. He wasn’t sure if it was the snow making him think it or not, but for a few seconds, he believed that he had seen Snufkin stop, turn and wave back at those he called family. Moomin and Little My waved back. They continued until Snufkin and Joxter disappeared for good. Now Winter has officially come to Moominvalley.

And Moomin couldn’t wait until next year, when Moominvalley is blessed by the return of Spring.

And Snufkin to come back with it.

The End.

That’s it everyone. Final chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Sorry if it feels anticlimactic, but I don’t care. I don’t know where to go next, but I’m sure I’ll figure something out. If you guys want me to do a short story where Snufkin meets his mother or something like that, feel free to let me know.

In the meantime, have a nice day.

Here are the rest of the chapters, for those that are late to the party.

Chapter 1: click HERE

Chapter 2: click HERE

Chapter 3: click HERE

Chapter 4: click HERE

Chapter 5: click HERE

Chapter 6: click HERE

Chapter 7: click HERE

Chapter 8: click HERE

Links to the original artists:

Schusseltier: click HERE

avril-circus: click HERE

laambart: click HERE

#possession #snufkin #moomin #little my #joxter #moominpappa #moominmamma #oc #madame portia #ending #finally

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mi4014alishiasmedberg · 3 years

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Carl Larsson is one of my favourite artists from Sweden his style makes me feel very nostalgic, it is soft in feeling and makes me feel at ease and his focus on Scandinavian scenes eases my home sickness a lot over the years. (it has been 12 years since I went back to my home country, I'm hoping to get back some time soon). My grnadmother has a print of one of his paintings hanging in her living room. He puts a lot of focus of his work on family and this natural life of Sweden that feels so nostalgic. This is why I chose him.

Geoffrey Ernault works in the gaming industry as an environment artist and his work is just so beautifully vibrant, particularly this piece, which I love the blues contrasting to the yellows and the very bright red that almost looks like its glowing. It feels like I've been transported to a fantasy land and yet it still feels real.

Tove Jansson is a Swedish-Finish artist and her work shaped my childhood with her moomin stories and art, including the eventual animation adaptation of her story which a couple of years back got a 3D reboot. This art work I chose features some of the characters and again I love the colours of it, despite being blue dominated it doesn't feel cold, just nostalgic and calm.

For designers the first building is from Poland and I have thought it was so cool since I first was shown it by a friend of mine who likes architecture. I love how wavy it is, it's unusual, almost like surrealism but architecture or someone took the photoshop liquid tool to a regular building. I'm really curious on how the windows were done in the middle.

The sculpture is of a dragon, it was part of a festival or exhibit in Sundsvall (the district I used to live in) I couldn't find many photos of them unfortunately. I remember as a child running around the city and spotting all these different interesting dragon sculpture designs and I'd go up and look at them and touch them, I was like that one friend everyone has that when they spot a dog just HAS to go over and pet it, except I was doing it for inanimate objects so that's arguably sadder. I just think it was a really cool idea of this artist to have all these unique dragons hiding all over the place. I unfortunately couldn't find the name of the artist who made them.

The last one is a college building in Sundsvall, I love the design of it, the water surrounding it plus it being a cylinder shape rather than a cubic shape is a simple design choice but it feels so different and unique especially when buildings around it are all cuboids.

Osamu Dazai - No Longer Human

"People talk of "social outcasts." The words apparently denote the miserable losers of the world, the vicious ones, but I feel as though I have been a “social outcast” from the moment I was born. If ever I meet someone society has designated as an outcast, I invariably feel affection for him, an emotion which carries me away in melting tenderness."

I really love this book in general, it's a highly recommended read for me, if you get the chance. He has an interesting view and he expresses it so beautifully, I feel a connection to his words in a way. He's a interesting figure. This quote in particular speaks to me, I have lived a life of always being different to what is pushed as the societal norm, neurodivergency, my sexuality and gender identity and certainly being an immigrant. After years of training my accent I can go stealth in the UK as sounding very Irish, this came from xenophobia I experienced, training to sound less Swedish, less foreign. I have noticed that the vast majority of the friends I make tend to be 1st or 2nd generation immigrants like me, its not that I consciously seek them out, it just happens, like we magnetise to each other through that shared experience. I feel a strong sense of solidarity with others who do not fit the societal norm, the outcasts.

Yusuke Kishi - Shinsekai Yori

"The power of imagination is what changes everything."

I love this story, it was adapted into a really good and interesting animated series Shinsekai Yori or From The New World. It deals with a lot of heavy issues but does it so stunningly. Definitely recommended to binge watch although it's very dialogue heavy and it's important to pay attention to that dialogue ir you can get confused so something to bear in mind! Imagination does power everything, entertainment, our views of ourselves and others, how governments/countries are run, science, engineering, design, fashion, art, etc, etc it's not hard to argue that every facet of our lives has been from someone's imagination at one point in time that has become reality. Using imagination we can imagine what a world could be like without oppressive policies, how things could look like if we changed the way things currently are. A world where we are free, where we live in harmony with the nature around us, where we help each other, where we do not hate each other for superficial reasons, where we are free.

Astrid Lindgren - Ronja Rövardotter

"Yes, she was lonely, but she missed no one in particular. Whom could she miss? Her days were full of life and pleasure, but they passed so quickly."

Astrid Lindgren is to this day one of the most influential novelists from Sweden, she wrote children's literature but her stories are enjoyable to any age, including adults. Ronja Rövardotter is perhaps a bit of a spin on the story of Romeo and Juliet, both main characters come from two clans who hate each other, however it is a story of platonic friendship between a girl and a boy and I really like that, that it doesn't reduce Ronja to just being another story about a girl in love and instead she is written the way boys are written in kid's stories. Astrid Lindgren always treats children as intelligent beings, she doesn't dumb things down and didn't ever shy away from darker subject matters like death for example. It's no wonder so many of her works have been adapted to film. This quote relates to my own feelings, lonely but not missing anyone, homesick yet at home. It's an odd feeling. Sometimes even when your days are full of bliss the days pass so quickly and you wonder deep down if it will last, it's like you are missing a feeling that has yet to even end.

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chenlays · 7 years

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artist!renjun

I hope this is what you wanted :”) ilysm💖 ⭐️ requests are open !! ⭐️ masterlist

can you make a cute artist!au w renjun bc that is probably the cutest and softest au ever :’)

art class is!! really fun

u basically got to do ur own thing on an assigned project and chat n have as much fun as you wanted

and 👀👀

there’s renjun

he’s a rly cute and soft boy who absolutely loves that class

and watching him draw or paint or just mess around was pure joy !!he would space out a lot with the end of his pencil in his mouth,, just thinking about what to do next

and sometimes he would just smile sO bright because of how funny a line or feature looked

a lot of the time he was more quiet and to himself, just sketching away and humming and occasionally looking up

but u never really paid attention to what he was looking at 👀👀

one day when u were going to get ur snuffs

he was smiling really wide to the point where u could see his lil snaggle tooth 🤧🤧 (REST IN PEACE)

he was drawing in a very awkward position so he could cover the paper with his arm

and u were rly wanting to see it,, ofC

so u peeked over his shoulder and saw a really really pretty sketch :”)

but there was hearts and stars and flowers all over the background

nicely blended also

he didn’t realize you were there until you complimented him

then he waS SCREAMING

“OH hello,,, uHm may I help yOU??”

“yEa, wHAT were u drawing 👀👀”

when u ask him he gets all blushy and cute and closes it really fast

avoiding eye contact as much as possible too,, and lots of shaking

he says smth really dumb too

“MY C—ACTUS”

renjun w t f

he had a crush on u and u couldn’t see it smh u eggo

bUt then u just left him alone because he obviously wasn’t comfortable with sharing

and then the day after in art

he found the courage to sit beside you and watch you paint the scenery instead of letting you watch him

and when u weren’t looking, he just smiled so softly and did a cute laugh if u messed up

and then said encouraging words to make you feel better about the wrong stroke or bad blend or failed technique

“messing up just makes your art ten times more beautiful!!!”

after a week of just helping you and keeping you company, he stopped you after class on a Friday probs and gave you a SOFT and nervous smile and it conCERNED u a lot

and he was stuttering quite a bit probably :(

but he ended up asking you about his art

hMmm “could you come by my house sometime so I could get help with a drawing????”

oFC u said yes,, if u said no I would’ve hunted u down ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

and he wrote his number on ur hand rly fast with his special tracing pen

and zoomed out of the room bc he was so nervous

iT WAS cute though !!! soft shy baby boy

after school tho

he probs texted you right away n made it nice!! And sent lots of hearts n smiley faces

“du trist edderkopp 👺”

he was so cute and awkward n,, u just lov him

even though it was making u anxious n whatnot (pROBABLY I mean,, renjun is so cute how could he not make you nervous

you went over to his house for whatever he needed

I feel like his house would feel reALLY welcoming

nice flowers at the front n a fresh lawn and a lil porch decoration

and then he answers the door in pajamas bc he fORGOT and he was just screeching into his sketchbook or smth and stressing about this very moment

you’re trying not to laugh bc CUTENESS and he’s so embarrassed

it’s awful,, poor bby :(

he’s rUNNING while saying you can come inside and just leaving a trail of tears

but in like 5 minutes he’s back with a presentable outfit and those glasses that make him look so precious :”)

and he still has messy hair which makes him 29389292x cuter so u don’t say anything

but he just sets his sketchbook at a table and pulls out a chair for u 🤧🤧

“hEY do u want anything???”

“UHm 👀👀 can I have water ??”

his smile omg

probably smiles n runs to his kitchen,, ready to make u the best glass of water you’ve ever had

his sketchbook was one of those rly aesthetic ones !!!

the front was a little old and torn at the corners and it had lots of dirty on the edges and papers shoved in between pages

it looked so tempting to open :”)) but u had to rESPECT

he comes running in with some water and a tiny plate of cookies or whatever u prefer

“you mentioned it while you were sketching your background!!”

while ur drinking ur water,,,

“uhh renjun??? why did I come over??”

“oH, I needed help with drawing someone!! you both have similar features and I needed an example!!”

as he was drawing and looking back n forth from u and the paper, you couldn’t help but notice how happy n determined he looked

he started making small talk with you after like five minutes so you wouldn’t be bored and you both learned a lot

and soon, he was done with the sketch and had asked for you to come back another time

it happened to be the following saturday

and throughout the whole week in art, both of you talked the whole time about so much

he was a good friend of yours at that point, and he was so much more interesting

he paid attention to all of your quirks and habits and literally fell in love with them all

if you liked to chew on ur nails or smth

he would laugh a lil and grab your hands and give u a warm smile

or if you liked to ramble a lot and stopped in between to say “sORRY I’ll stop :>”

he would frown n ask you to keep talking so he could work better

he paid attention to it all and remembered every little thing you said

you like flowers?? he’s already painting 20940 different kinds !!

AN YW AYS

when u went over again,, u went in his tiny art room

it was cozy and bright in there with lots of supplies on shelves and art hung up all over

and it was aLL his art !!

he probably had a painting of moomintroll and snorkmaiden tBH and when u asked what it was he snatched

“UH that’s just an old kid thing I liked sry wrong number ://“

“renjun wtf ur literally speaking to me”

but u both just sit and he gets his work done while u rant abt world issues and opinions and he also does too while aggressively cOLORING

and when he does finish

he shows you!!!

it’s yOu though :o

ur screeching bc “omg I thought u wERE USING ME AS AN EXAMPLE THIS IS AMAZIG ILYSM YOU EGG”

ur just showering him in compliments and love and tears and he is so flustered and happy that you like it

but it gets overwhelming so he drops everything and hugs you sOO tight

and then he steps away from you and covers his face,, and u can see marker stains and pencil lines on his hands and he looks sO cute n like he’s conquered his life goal istg

messy hair n messy artist renjun is my aesthetic

wOw he’s so cute,, trying not to look u in the eye and still form words so he can tell u how he feels 🏌️🏌️

“snjdksk I drew you because you’re beautiful and I’ve been trying to draw you since our very first art class but I never could :’)”

and he gives u 2993 moomin stickers he made himself

after that he holds ur hand all the time in class when he can

and draws hearts all over ur stuff YES

and always gets paint on ur clothes so pls

beware

also hums while drawing in class since it calms both of u i’m tearing u p

aNd u need to date thx

the art teacher is assigning a partner project next term for that sole purpose

“date or u get an F”

thank u ilysm

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skullsandfairylights · 4 years

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Writer’s Month 2020

Day 1: tattoo artist/flower shop AU– 2638 words

Snufkin took a deep breath as he stepped off the bus. His knees felt stiff and he was actually questioning if his legs were still attached to his body, with how little feeling he had in the bottom half of his body. He hadn’t moved once since he first got on the bus and sat down almost six hours ago.

The bus wasn’t his favourite method of travel. There were too many people. Although most kept to themselves, occasionally, he would end up sat next to someone who took his lack of headphones as an invitation for a chat. Which would have been nice had Snufkin not decided early on in life, that travel time was quiet time. Snufkin liked to use his travel time to reflect – he would think back on the adventure he’d just had and think forward to the adventures still to come.

He was grateful that, this time, he had ended up sitting next to a young mumrik woman who had simply shoved her bag onto the overhead shelf, plugged earbuds into her ears and then started writing into a small journal – which appeared to be full of recounts of different adventures she had had. She had given him a polite smile when she boarded – three stops after his own – and then another small smile as she rose to let him out of his seat, into the aisle when the bus reached his stop. Snufkin had tilted his hat to the fellow traveller and smiled before heaving his rucksack from the overhead shelf and left the bus.

Now he was in the middle of Moominvalley – a town that he found he could not completely abandon. Even though Snufkin didn’t like the idea of being tied down to any one place, there was something about this town that kept pulling him back.

If asked, he would probably say that it was his family that pulled him back. His mother owned a large house (which needed to be large considering how many children she had) near the coast and Snufkin tried to at least show his face whenever he was in town even if he wasn’t that close to his mother or younger siblings. Then there were his older sisters. His oldest sister, Mymble, lived just outside the town in a modest house with her partner. They were eagerly looking forward to expanding their little family (hopefully soon, according to Mymble’s latest message) and Snufkin would admit that he was looking forward to having a little niece or nephew, so he would often call in to his sister before he even thought about venturing anywhere near his mother’s house.

Mymble also knew her brother well. She knew that he enjoyed his freedom and his travelling. She never tried to pressure him to stick around longer than he was comfortable and she had converted a small shed in her garden into a small guest room. The key was hidden amongst the well-kept flowerbeds, giving Snufkin a dry place to sleep no matter the time or day. All she had asked was that he check in regularly to let her know that he was okay, a habit which likely rose from Mymble practically raising her younger siblings whenever their mother got distracted.

Snufkin’s other older sister, nicknamed Little My, also lived in Moominvalley. However, where Mymble was the epitome of the responsible, sensible sister, Little My was the epitome of the rebel child. For as long as Snufkin could remember (backed up by tales from Mymble), Little My had been a troublemaker. She loved to cause mischief and mayhem wherever she went. Likely spawning from a need for attention as a child, Little My just loved to see people jump. Thankfully, her pranks and antics calmed down as she got older, but she still had an appearance that would make some uneasy and recoil.

Little My had gotten her first piercing at ten – no one bat an eyelid at pierced earrings – and then followed that with more until the top of her ear was almost covered. Her ear piercings were then followed by a nose stud and an eyebrow piercing. At 14, Little My had decided she wanted something to make her stand out from her innumerable siblings and dyed her hair black with a DIY dye kit – the bathroom never quite recovered.

And then, at 15, she got her first tattoo. Again, it was something she did herself. She bought a tattoo starter kit online and tattooed “I BITE” in wobbly letters on the side of her foot. It was not very pretty, even Little My herself had admitted that. But that first tattoo got her hooked. 5 years later, she started working in a tattoo parlour in the middle of Moominvalley High Street and quickly became a popular artist.

And that was who Snufkin was on his way to see first. It had started, as many things do, with Little My being annoying.

Snufkin had been away traversing the mountain range two hours outside of Moominvalley. He’d been away for almost a month before he returned to Moominvalley and his sisters, covered in mud and dust but with the most content smile he’d ever had on his face. Little My had taken one look and immediately started complaining.

“You look happy. It’s disgusting.” She had said, “What’s so great about a dirty great lump of rock?”

Snufkin couldn’t have even begun to explain how he had felt when he finally reached the peak of the mountain and looked out on the land. He had been able to see everything. The air had been so pure and clean that he felt like he couldn’t get enough of it in his lungs. He had sat and watched as she sun moved across the sky, the shadows moving slowly over the landscape. He had felt at peace.

“I know what will get that stupid grin off your face!” Little My had suddenly announced. Snufkin had looked at her as she disappeared from the room, only to return moments later with her tattoo kit. Snufkin had originally said no but Little My refused to drop the subject until he relented, on the condition that it couldn’t be bigger than his harmonica.

Mymble had then found them ten minutes later, Snufkin lying shirtless on his stomach in the middle of the kitchen floor with Little My sitting on his spine, focussing intently on Snufkin’s shoulder.

After that first tattoo, Snufkin found that he quite liked the idea of recording memories in his skin. He didn’t like pictures all that much – they were too easy to lose. He didn’t like souvenirs either – they required more space than he had to store. But getting his sister to ink symbols and images into his skin? They would last and didn’t require him to start carrying around a suitcase. So, after every big adventure that he took, he would return to Moominvalley and visit Small Beasts’ Tattoos to get a memory imprinted onto his back.

Moomin loved his job. He worked in a florist on Moominvalley High Street. The shop only had four employees. There was the owner, Mr Hemulen, who loved plants and flowers and would spend hours tending to the stock which sat on display in their buckets of water. There was Snorkmaiden who had a very good eye for design and took on the job of building the bouquets and arranging the displays so that they caught the eye of those passing. There was Sniff, Moomin’s best friend, who handled all of the backroom work – managing the finances, ordering in new stock, and keeping track of custom orders.

And then there was Moomin. Moomin filled in and carried out the other jobs. He would handle customer service and man the till – Mr Hemulen was hopeless with technology, so much so, that Moomin wouldn’t even trust him to answer the telephone. Moomin would fill in when Snorkmaiden and Sniff had days off, he was no where near as talented as them, but he had watched them enough to get by. Moomin would play courier and deliver orders when the customer was unable to get to the store. And Moomin would close up, he would let Snorkmaiden head off to whatever social event she had planned for that evening, he would let Sniff scurry away to get on with whatever scheme he had planned to earn him some extra cash and he would let Mr Hemulen head home so that he could tend to the personal plants he grew at home – Moomin knew Mr Hemulen’s greenhouse to look like a jungle from the inside.

Moomin really loved his job. It wasn’t too taxing, and he loved getting to see his best friends every day.

It also didn’t hurt that the shop was opposite a tattoo parlour that a certain mumrik happened to frequent.

Moomin hadn’t meant to stare the first time. He had been just finishing tidying up the shop when he noticed a mumrik dressed head to toe in green walk passed the window. The mumrik had walked into the tattoo parlour and then ended up getting tattooed in the one window seat. Moomin had glanced over as the mumrik had gotten settled on the seat, his shirt gone and his back on display, and was struck by the tattoos already decorating the skin. There were about 15 miniature images dotted around the mumrik’s back. They didn’t appear to be connected to each other, yet they flowed like they couldn’t not be connected. They were all rather small – too small for Moomin to be able to make out from across the street – and they were all just black, no splashes of colour anywhere.

Moomin was fascinated.

Due to his fur, tattoos would never be something he could realistically consider. He’d thought about it, during some rebellious moments of his youth, but eventually decided that the upkeep would be too much for him to maintain and gave up the idea. But he was still fascinated by tattoos in general. Particularly, the seemingly random assortment on the mumrik’s back.

Moomin was thankful that the mumrik only ever appeared after the florist had closed. Because whenever he appeared, Moomin couldn’t stop his thoughts from drifting and he would never live it down if Snorkmaiden should ever spot his staring. The only downside was that while the mumrik often returned to the tattoo parlour, his schedule didn’t seem to follow any rhyme nor reason. Like the tattoos on his back, he appeared at random – sometimes having only a couple of days between visits and then disappearing for a couple of months. Whenever a long period passed, Moomin often found himself thinking of the mumrik. He didn’t know where he disappeared to but Moomin still hoped that the mumrik was safe, wherever he was.

The bell above the door tinkled as Snufkin made his way inside the parlour. There was the buzz of a tattoo gun emanating from the back rooms and a murmur of conversation just beneath it. He was later in arriving than usual, there had been a rather talented street performer who Snufkin simply had to stop and watch. He’d then dropped a few coins into hat and continued on his way. He was lucky the door was still unlocked, which meant that someone was still getting worked on, and meant that he would still likely be able to see his sister.

Footsteps gradually drew closer from the hall leading to the back, and a voice sounded “Hiya, sorry we’re actually about to close soon so you’ll have to book an appoint- Oh, hey Snufkin. How are you? Good adventure?” Ninny was one of the other tattoo artists and good friends will Little My.

“Hello Ninny. I’m good, the fresh air is just what I needed.” Snufkin smiled. As he spoke, the sound of the tattoo gun stopped and then a shriek filled the air.

“IS THAT SNUFKIN? YOU [JERK]! YOU DIDN’T SAY YOU WERE ARRIVING TODAY!” Little My went quiet as the tattoo gun started up again and Snufkin huffed out a laugh as he slung his rucksack down next to the chair by the front window. He chatted casually with Ninny for a few minutes until a rather large, muscled man with a very bushy moustache and wearing biking leathers appeared from the back rooms. Little My followed behind him. “And I swear, if you come back to me again to get another cover up, you will wish you hadn’t been born.” The man nodded once at Little My, eyes wide and nervously fidgeting with the bandana in his hands. Snufkin smirked at the sight of the large man quite obviously feeling intimidated by his sister who barely reached the man’s chest in height. The man quickly paid, speaking to Ninny in a quiet voice before scurrying out of the parlour.

“Still terrorising your customers, Little My?” Snufkin asked as his sister finally turned to look at him.

“I wouldn’t have to if people actually thought their tattoos through. That’s the third time he’s asked me to cover up his arm tattoo.” Little My stood with her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes scanned up and down his brother’s figure, “Well, what are we doing this time?”

Snufkin smiled and started to describe his latest adventure where he went to find a waterfall hidden deep in a forest which had a large cave, big enough to live in, behind it. Little My nodded, pulling a sketch pad onto her lap, absently doodling as she listened. Soon, she held up the pad to show Snufkin her designs. Snufkin pointed to his favourite and pulled off his shirt as Little My went to grab her kit.

By the time Little My was finally inking the design, the other artists had all left, leaving just Snufkin and Little My in the shop. Snufkin asked about what Little My had been up to during their two and half month separation, and then asked after their sister, Mymble, and then finally after their mother.

“She got married again.” Little My casually stated. Snufkin hummed in response.

“Who’s step-dad this time?”

“I don’t know. I barely paid attention at the wedding. I only went for the food, to be honest with you.” It was quiet for a few moments. “You should probably bring flowers when you go visit.”

“I spoke to mother when I got off the bus, she wants me to stay with her tonight. I won’t be able to get flowers at this time.” Snufkin glanced out the window at the sky which was beginning to darken.

“Go across the street.” Little My grunted, tongue out in concentration.

“It’s closed, the lights are off.”

“Moomin will still be in. The large lump of a marshmallow always stays really late for some reason.”

“They’re still closed.”

“Like I said, Moomin will let you in. He did it for me when I forgot Valentine’s Day. I would not have survived arriving home empty-handed.” Little My started to finish up. “I’ll even walk you over, if you’re that concerned.”

“No thank you, Little My, I’m sure I will manage.”

And twenty minutes later, after wrapping his latest tattoo up tightly, Snufkin said goodbye to his sister and left her to clean up her workspace while he walked across the street.

Sure enough, as he approached, he noticed a figure moving around inside the shop. He walked up to the door and rapped quietly on the glass. A large white moomin came and unlocked the door.

“Yes? Can I help you?”

“My sister Little My works across the street and she said you might be able to help me get some flowers for my mother?”

The Moomin smiled brightly and nodded, holding the door open wider, “What were you thinking?”

#Yup #I'm trying to do Writer's Month again #I hope I can keep it up alongside my probation year #fingers crossed #i tried writing words #Writer's Month 2020 #writersmonth2020

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legendarynightmaresandwich · 6 years

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My 17 Books of 2017

I swear to Glob, I’m gonna have to make this a monthly thing bc my dumb ass didn’t write down what I read every month so I sat for 30 mins straight thinking “what did I read this year?????” Then I kept confusing this year with 2016, relived the fact that I didn’t read a single book this Summer bc I had a stupid boyfriend instead, and that I won’t have any pictures of the books bc most of them were from the library and I’m lazy.

2017. While I was still in school I exclusively read stuff for class and not pleasure. I still enjoyed the books I read, so I included them. After graduation, like I said, I acquired a dumb boyfriend, so instead of reading I wasted my life with him for three months. (Pro-Tip: Reading is always more satisfying than boys.) Moving back home, and working at a library, I read 11 books, a graphic novel, and almost half of a graphic novel series. (I’ll explain.) It feels so good to read again!

So the total for the year is 17. Not bad at all! So, here we go.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston

Hooooo boy it was so good to read this book again. This book was first presented to me in high school, by a teacher I didn’t like, who treated everything we read like it was stupid. I guess that was her sense of humor. What I remember from high school is that everyone hated this book and especially hated the main character, Janie. The consensus was that Janie makes horrible decisions, relies on men too much, and is irresponsible. Talk about an anti-feminist reading. Reading the book again, being older and slightly wiser, I’ve realized that the book outlines the ways that society makes it almost impossible for a character like Janie (a woman of color, uneducated, and poor) to thrive. Her life is about survival, despite her missteps and trials she survives. My one problem with the book is that I wish Hurston explored Janie’s inner thoughts more. Other than that, this book is beautiful.

Quote: “There is a basin in the mind where words float around on thought and thought on sound and sight. Then there is a depth of thought untouched by words, and deeper still a gulf of formless feelings untouched by thought.”

I love this quote bc instead of seeing Janie as a lost cause we should view her as untapped potential, she is so much deeper than the surface layer that I was unfortunately taught in high school.

Native Son by Richard Wright

Here’s another book that was good to revisit in a sense. I didn’t read this in high school, but my sister’s grade and the grade before me did. And everyone hated it. Reading it in college, I am so glad that I didn’t read it in high school. Generations younger than me might be ready to read this book in high school, but my generation was not. (I am so glad that it seems like younger generations are more informed about inequality, feminism, etc.) For my grade and the kids older than me I think it was impossible for white kids, in a white high school, with white teachers, to fully understand this book. It is so EASY to read this book and view Bigger as a murderer. (It is important that he doesn’t kill on accident either. He smothers a woman, chops her up, and incinerates her.) And he is a murderer, but not exclusively. He is oppressed every way he turns, by his employers, the police, the media, his friends, his family, etc. And Bigger responds to the world’s anticipations. This book is fascinating to me in that Wright wanted to create an “Anti-Uncle Tom” character. Bigger is a bad person, and a criminal. But he also represents the inevitability of an oppressive society to fail its citizens and create monsters.

Quote: “Men can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread.”

Go Down, Moses by William Faulkner

This book was HARD. Faulkner is impossible, especially when you have other classes to focus on. I survived by reading a Cliffs Notes synopsis of each chapter before and after reading it. But this book was worth the read. It’s a brief, but deep look into the practices of the antebellum South. I really liked the format of this book being a series of short stories. (But in Faulkner fashion he never tells the reader who is speaking and what time period we’re in.)

Quote: “But you cant be alive forever, and you always wear out life long before you have exhausted the possibilities of living. And all that must be somewhere; all that could not have been invented and created just to be thrown away. And the earth is shallow; there is not a great deal of it before you come to the rock. And the earth don’t want to just keep things, hoard them; it wants to use them again.”

Counterlife by Philip Roth

This book is extremely interesting. It’s broken into five parts and each part is an alternate version of the same awkward story. Henry has a serious heart condition. BUT the medicine that is keeping him alive makes him impotent. The only other option is to undergo an extremely dangerous surgery. In one version he dies of the surgery, in one he survives and moves to Israel, then in another his brother Nathan is impotent instead of him. The whole book is framed by Nathan who is an author. It shows how fiction can be unreliable, how authors twist the truth. We never know the “true” story. This is a structurally brilliant book, even though I’m not a huge fan of the characters. Their problems are worthy of eye-rolls.

Quote: “And as he spoke, I was thinking, 'the kind of stories that people turn life into, the kind of lives people turn stories into.”

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

I read this book bc I read Fangirl and really enjoyed it. This book was just as cute and fun to read if you can get over the creepiness of the plot. Lincoln’s job is to read company emails to make sure everyone is following email policy. Emails get flagged for swearing, other code words, and anything that doesn’t seem like work to the computer system. Two women that work at the company chit-chat through email all day, not following the email rules. Lincoln reads their emails and falls in love with one of them. Like Sleepless in Seattle, the two don’t meet until the end. Again, if you can get over the lack of privacy in the plot, this book is enjoyable. I love Lincoln as a character. He’s a big, tall, lumber-jack type man who is really sweet. I also enjoyed how the book portrays working the night-shift. It’s a world I don’t think most people really know about. Lincoln is lonely and in a rut and these two hilarious women are the only bright spot in his life.

This book is cute, and it was a good break from reading heavy stuff for class.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

I have always wanted to read this book. The cover is beautiful. (That shouldn’t matter...but it does.) It seems like the general consensus of this book is that it is life changing. This book will inspire you! This book will make you take the initiative to follow your dream! Snake oil. Maybe I’m cynical, but I HATED this book. It’s preachy, it’s chock full of cliches, and worst of all I cannot get over how sexist this book is. The boy character is allowed to have a dream and pursue it. But the girl’s dream is to STAY BEHIND AND WAIT FOR HIM TO COME HOME????? That’s her dream!?!? That sucks!!!!!!! That’s unacceptable to me. Every nice thought or potential mantra to be gleaned from this book is completely overshadowed by the mistreatment of the female characters. LAME.

It by Stephen King

I read this book bc I wanted something really long to read at jury duty. This book is so long, but I honestly loved every second of it. I was borderline obsessed for two weeks of my life. I completely fell in love with the characters, my precious babies. I was always weirdly fascinated by the mini-series when I was little. I really liked getting to know the kids and then the adults. I was surprised that the book is not split half in half, but the adult scenes are mixed in with the childhood memories. I really enjoyed this book that my first reaction to seeing the new It movie was to be MAD at what they changed. That hasn’t happened in a while. (Harry Potter anyone?) I thought the tumblr love for Pennywise was funny to a certain extent, he’s pretty hilarious in the movie. But in the book...real life nightmares were had. Nothing in particular gave me a nightmare, just the overall vibe and tone of the book stressed me out and kept me awake. This book really transported me. When I was reading it, for better or for worse, I was in the town of Derry.

Quote: “Maybe there aren't any such things as good friends or bad friends - maybe there are just friends, people who stand by you when you're hurt and who help you feel not so lonely. Maybe they're always worth being scared for, and hoping for, and living for. Maybe worth dying for too, if that's what has to be. No good friends. No bad friends. Only people you want, need to be with; people who build their houses in your heart.”

Fair Play by Tove Jansson

I love this book. Tove Jansson is the creator of Moomin and I only recently found out that she wrote a few books too. Fair Play was the only one my library had so I checked it out. And it was amazing. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

The more I learn about Tove, the more obviously autobiographical her books seem. This book is a series of short stories about two women who live together and learn to work around and with each other in every way. Mari is sensitive where Jonna is gruff. They are both stubborn about different things and have a beautiful symbiotic relationship. In some reviews I’ve read of this book people go out of their way to make sure it’s known that Mari and Jonna’s “sisterhood” is strictly “platonic.” I roll my eyes, bc CLEARLY they are not. They are life partners and have a deep love for each other that goes beyond just being roommates. Plus, it’s pretty obvious that Mari, a writer, is Tove Jansson, and Jonna, an artist, is her life partner and graphic designer Tuulikki Pietila.

But back to the book. It is an absolutely beautiful series of short stories. I wouldn’t even call them stories. They are more like little snippets of daily life. They are full of subtle emotion and are written in such a straight forward but artistic way. Simple prose carries deep meaning in this book.

Quote: “It is simply this: do not tire, never lose interest, never grow indifferent—lose your invaluable curiosity and you let yourself die. It's as simple as that.”

The Artist of Disappearance by Anita Desai

I originally read this book for a class (Landscape Architecture of India) and to be honest I skimmed through it and wrote a bullshit book report. When I saw it in the library I wanted to try it again. This book is just three short stories I can’t believe I didn’t find time to read it before. I didn’t really like the third story, about man living in the mountains, but the first two are great. The first is about a man trying to figure out how to insure a dusty mansion full of treasures. The second is about a woman translating a work of fiction, on the brink of madness as she becomes more of a creator than strictly a translator. These two are among the best short stories I’ve read. The writing is so beautiful.

Quote: “Everything in the house turned damp; the blue fur of mildew crept furtively over any object left standing for the briefest length of time: shoes, bags, boxes, it consumed them all. The sheets on the bed were clammy when he got between them at night, and the darkness rang with the strident cacophony of the big tree crickets that had been waiting for this, their season.”

Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie

I’ve been meaning to read some Agatha Christie for some time now. I read And Then There Were None in high school and absolutely hated it. I was interested in this one bc I know Christie went on many archaeological digs. So I thought this book would contain interesting historical elements about archaeology in the Middle East and ancient Mesopotamian culture. Not at all. Lapis lazuli is mentioned once, cylinder seals are briefly mentioned, everything else mentioned are just “tablet fragments” and “vases.” I was disappointed. I was also really disappointed by how BORING this book is. The mystery is slightly compelling, but nothing exciting really happens. This is a Poirot mystery, another reason I picked it, but he doesn’t show up until halfway through the book! The book is narrated by a nurse. She’s tough and straightforward. I really liked her at first, but throughout the book she is straight up racist. The Middle East is a “primitive” land to her. The natives speak in a “funny, sing-song” language. She is suspicious of the native men around the dig being thieves. She’s even prejudiced against Poirot, showing much disdain toward his accent.

At least Poirot is nice. And he solves the stupid mystery. How does a woman drink a WHOLE GLASS of acid without noticing??? This book was dumb. I don’t think I’ll read Christie again. In this instance my high school self was right.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

I was really excited to read this book, Neil Gaiman has yet to disappoint me. I love the way this book was written. I especially loved how in the introduction Gaiman outlines all the female Norse gods whose stories have unfortunately not survived. (Makes me want to write some Norse mythology fanfiction. Nerd alert.) I love these characters, the stories are so interesting. A very good read.

Quote: “The Norse myths are the myths of a chilly place, with long, long winter nights and endless summer days, myths of a people who did not entirely trust or even like their gods, although they respected and feared them.”

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Jumped on the bandwagon with this one. This was a really popular book at the library so I checked it out. It’s cute. (Bridget Jones is better.) The book promised to make me cry, but I didn’t. I really liked the main character, Lou. She’s funny and just trying to figure out her life which I related to. A quick read, VERY predictable.

After You by Jojo Moyes

I liked the Louisa character from Me Before You, so I thought I would read the sequel. It was disappointing. Everything fun and admirable about Lou is lost. The story-line where Will’s conveniently long-lost teenage daughter shows up is stupid. The love interest is boring. Really, a terrible sequel. I’m sure there’s better fan fiction out there.

The Whispering Muse by Sjon

This book is plain weird and not my favorite. Luckily, it’s short. I like the mythological/folkloric aspects of the story. My main issue is that the main character is so unlikable. He’s pompous, annoying, and rude. Not endearing in any way. The ending is very strange.

Autumn by Karl Ove Knaussgard

I LOVED this one. The author is writing letters to his unborn daughter. They’re not really letters though, more like small essays on completely random topics: frogs, sunset, plastic bags, embarrassment. The author has a fascinating way of thinking, and the connection to his daughter made the book sweeter. This will be the first of three, I think a book will be published for each trimester? Not sure. But I can’t wait to read the rest.

The Fables Series by Bill Cunningham

Fables starts out great. Fairy Tale characters in NYC, trying to survive. The premise was intriguing and the first few volumes are awesome. It was everything I wanted Once Upon A Time to be. Where OUAT is over-dramatic and embarrassing, Fables is gritty and clever. It started falling apart for me about halfway through the series.I wound up only liking a few characters that the series kept straying away from. Sitting and reading a whole, long-winded story about Little Boy Blue, when Snow White and the Big Bad Wolf are so much more interesting, got tedious. To be honest, I just skimmed through the later issues.

Origin by Dan Brown

Dan Brown’s worst book, in my opinion. I’ll have to read some of his others again to make sure this theory pans out, but the writing in this one is so condescending. It was really annoying. It’s as if Dan Brown thinks his audience is stupid. Instead of saying “Beethoven was playing on the radio” he’ll write “18th century composer, known for works such as this and that, emitted from the iHome music player that was invented in 2005.” Every little detail has some shitty explanation. He explains what Uber is, what William Blake’s most famous poem is, "Nicolaus Copernicus … the father of the heliocentric model — the belief that the planets revolve around the sun — which ignited a scientific revolution in the 1500s"; "Friedrich Nietzsche, the renowned 19th-century German philosopher and atheist"; and "Winston Churchill himself, the celebrated British statesman who, in addition to being a military hero, historian, orator, and Nobel Prize-winning author, was an artist of remarkable talent." WE KNOW. Or you could google it!

Honestly, the writing made this book hard to read and not be insulted by. I did like the story. It’s interesting, very contrived but it’s Dan Brown. Contrived is his middle name. This book read like a shit mystery with sentences from wikipedia copied and pasted in.

Quote: "'Robert,' Ambra whispered, 'just remember the wise words of Disney's Princess Elsa.' Langdon turned. 'I'm sorry?' Ambra smiled softly. 'Let it go.'" (The "it" in question is Langdon's cellphone.)

I can’t believe I had to read that with my own eyes.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

My last read of 2017. I was intrigued by the movie trailer and the cover of the book is beautiful. This book will stick with me for a while. One review describes it perfectly.

“It’s been a long time since a book filled me with this kind of palpable, wondrous, disquiet, a feeling that started on the first page and that I’m not sure I’ve yet shaken.” -Matt Bell

This book is beautifully disturbing. And the ending is perfect! It’s a trilogy, but I don’t know if I even want to read the other two yet. I think I have to let this one marinate for a while.

A stunning read, a great way to end the year.

Quote: “I am walking forever on the path from the border to base camp. It is taking a long time, and I know it will take even longer to get back. There is no one with me. I am all by myself. The trees are not trees the birds are not birds and I am not me but just something that has been walking for a very long time…”

And there you have it! My year in books. Here’s to next year!

#2017 #happy new year #tove jansson #native son #their eyes were watching god #annihilation #dan brown #origin #books

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billcrandall-blog · 7 years

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From West to East to North and back again

It’s interesting how obsessions that have directed the course of my life - and my art - have always been about culture intertwined with place. As I’ve felt somewhat alien in my own country for much of my adult life, usually 'place' meant somewhere else.

London

In my teens and early 20s, London was everything. The mother lode of just about every cultural touchstone that mattered, especially musically. In high school I went there on a school trip - which for me was more like a pilgrimage - and was hooked.

So a few years later I picked up and went there with a guitar and too-few bucks. My band at the time, Modest Proposal, had been offered to play at the famed 100 Club, so we all went and I tried to stay on.

The record label guy who got us the show, Mark Johnson, was also managing The Sharp, a band which was basically The Jam minus Paul Weller, with Jimmy Edwards on guitar and vocals. Mark said he was going to try to get me in on second guitar. The Jam’s drummer Rick Buckler was in attendance at our 100 Club gig, and one afternoon we got to hang with him at his London recording studio, Arkantide. Unfortunately, Mark clearly had other, um, personal designs on me as well, so that all evaporated pretty quickly when it was clear I didn’t roll that way. I was 20 years old and, suddenly, completely alone. It was just too hard, soon I was back home. (Years later we heard rumors Mark had died of AIDS in Morocco or someplace. There's a pretty extensive thread about him on this mod revival forum from a while back.)

A few years passed and I tried again. My longtime friend and mod-mate David T had moved to London for his PhD, so I took a fall semester abroad, which was really just a cover for trying to get a band going with David.

[A couple dudes who auditioned with David (right) on his balcony in Primrose Hill]

I was living in a one room bedsit in north London, with an electric meter I had to pump with 50p coins to keep the heat on. The band never got off the ground unfortunately. As the weather turned colder I remember being riveted to a crappy little TV in a friend’s freezing flat, watching what would become known as the Velvet Revolution in Prague. I thought about going there, as I was getting more into photography and it seemed a golden opportunity. But I was headed home to the US in a matter of days, and my mother was coming for a visit, so I didn’t even try. Probably best, I was way too green.

Prague

Around the same time I was reading Milan Kundera and poring over the photography of Josef Koudelka, tapping into new physical and psychological terrain via art. My cultural compass was shifting east, especially with the London yearning seemingly tapped out. While I missed the Velvet Revolution, by 1991 I was in Prague teaching English. Never in my life had I felt such affinity with the textures, smells, sounds, and general vibes of a place. Communism was gone but the ghosts hadn’t cleared out yet and globalism hadn’t arrived. There were few tourists. It was that in-between period, when things were gorgeously rough and all seemed possible.

I learned some Czech, met a girl, went back several times over the next few years. The girl didn’t work out in the end, maybe I was more in love with the place. I remember thinking of the city at the time as feeling like a comforting, motherly embrace. The complex sensibility of the people - unsentimental yet warm, understated but with that dark humor, without some of the American excesses I disliked - made a deep and lasting impression. As did Czech photography and photographers that I met, which became hugely formative influences. I began to understand the link between sensibility and being an artist. On one hand I used to think, well, damn, once again the dreams didn’t work out. But they did in other unexpected ways. I’d go so far as to say that Czech people helped make me the person I am, and Czech photography helped make me the photographer I am.

Starting a family obviously grounded me at home in the US. Not without some leftover wanderlust, if I’m being honest. So I kept going, when I could. From Prague’s maternal lap I hopscotched to the Baltics, the postwar Balkans, Belarus, and other parts of Eastern Europe.

Of course I was making photos, that was a big driver along with basic curiosity. But I also still had that almost primal urge to situate myself in a different place, to breath different cultural air, even if I always snapped back home in the end.

Finally, with a young daughter and a ‘normal’ job, I found a way to work photographically with what was right under my nose in DC. But while I was feeling more invested at home, I couldn’t shake the sense that maybe all I was doing was projecting my Eastern inclinations onto my hometown. Maybe it was wishful art-making, seeing what I wanted to see.

But soon there was a shift again, this time to the north. My fixations began to skew toward the Nordic countries, and as always, dovetailed with their cultural output and informed my own. I love Finland’s Tove Jansson and her Moomins stories and art. She knew something about wishful art-making: as a lesbian, anti-fascist artist in WWII Finland, she constructed the Moomins’ humanitarian paradise partly as a rebuttal and antidote to the ugliness and despair of wartime.

There was Denmark’s bike culture. The Swedish film Let the Right One In, such a beautiful and atmospheric thriller. Iceland’s music scene, beginning with Sigur Ros like most people but there are so many more. I find it perhaps the most creatively fertile region at the moment, but that’s a different post.

As I became less restless and more concerned with making the art I needed to make, these became new inspirations. And I felt I could tap into them without needing to *be* there, it was almost enough to let them live in my head. I discovered the evocative soundscape approach and new musical vocabularies of bands like Sigur Ros and Norway’s Royksopp. Suddenly, after many years away from making music, I started having ideas again, new ways of assembling a palette of sounds, melodies, and song structures. This helped lead to my 2016 solo album New World Voyage, a concept album that imagined the first people to leave Earth forever for a distant planet.

So maybe heading East made me a photographer, and looking North resurrected me as a musician. As I work on stripped-down acoustic versions that I can manage playing live, and new songs for the followup record, I find that, finally, maybe I’m turning to my own country for inspiration. (Lately I do find myself listening to more Jackson Browne than I ever thought I would, does that count as a guilty pleasure?)

What’s hard though is finding current American musicians pushing the envelope, going beyond genre, in ways I find as satisfying as what Nordic artists like Jonsi, Pascal Pinon, and Farao are doing. So I try to do it myself, to bring some of that into my own work as I tried to bring Eastern Europe into my photography.

As my friend and mentor the great Czech photographer Viktor Kolar - who himself has a tremendous affinity for place, in his case his industrial hometown of Ostrava - told me, if you have a vision and are able to create, then you have a duty to do so. So much of that vision has been shaped by where I've been, where I've been drawn to like a magnet.

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