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Nov. 26th, 2010 04:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moomin-YOU-
Name: Bug
AIM: faereyjar
LJ name: pandarosi
Munhead or previous character journals (optional): n/a
Timezone: GMT
-THEM-
Character name: Moomintroll
Series: The Moomins
Moomintroll is the main character of the children's series "The Moomins" by Finnish author Tove Jansson. The books were adapted into a cartoon and I am taking his history mostly from this since I'm most familiar with it - though I will likely borrow heavily from some of the films associated with the cartoon and Tove Jansson's comics and novels as I work my way through them again, and to establish how the Moomins came to live in Moomin Valley before the cartoon series starts.
As I was only able to re-watch about half the series recently, I will be taking Moomin from an earlier point (when Moomin is ill and waiting for Snufkin to come back in spring.)
Character history:
In Moomin Valley there live a family of trolls. They have big eyes, round bodies, small ears, and fluffy tails, and aren't the kind of trolls you would usually find living under bridges or fighting with each other. In fact, they very much prefer to live in a warm home with a cozy fire, and live in peace with their many good friends. Moomintroll is the youngest of this small family, and he lives in his round little house with his mother, Moominmamma, and his father, Moominpappa. His good friends Little My and Sniff also live with their family, and even though they aren't really related to the Moomins, Moomin and his parents treat them completely like family - just like all the other friends they have made in Moomin Valley. The Moomins and most of their friends sleep all winter in hibernation and wake up every spring to have fun and go on adventures in the forests and lakes with the beautiful Snorkmaiden, her brother, and Moomin's best friend, the vagabond Snufkin.
How did the Moomins come to be living in this warm and lovely valley? Well, one day Moominmamma and Moomintroll decided to go looking for Moominpappa, who had disappeared to go off on adventures with the mysterious Hattifatteners. They navigate through the dark forest and meet new friends like Sniff and Tulippa, and strange creatures like big snakes and ant-lions. Eventually, they are washed away by a flood of water and are re-united with Moominpappa who has built them a house, which was also washed away to lovely little valley. They decide to fix the house and stay there, settling down and building a wonderful life together.
As they settle down in Moomivalley, Moomin and his family meet new people like the Muskrat, whose house had been destroyed. The muskrat tells them that something terrible is likely to happen soon, and that he believes that a comet that will destroy them all will be heading for Moomin Valley soon. Moomin and his friends try to find out more and head to the lonely mountains to see if they can gaze at the stars and find out more about the impending catastrophe. There, Moomin finds a gold anklet and they meet Snufkin, who takes an interest in their quest and intrigues them with his own stories. He and Moomin become good friends. As they head home to prepare for the comet's arrival, Moomin saves the Snork Maiden and her brother from carnivorous plants and befriends them. The comet mysteriously misses Moomin Valley and it is revealed that the gold anklet Moomin found belongs to the Snork Maiden; he gives it back to her along with a beautiful pearl, and she becomes his girlfriend.
The next spring, Moomin and his friends wake up from hibernation and go exploring for adventure. Snufkin, Sniff and Little My find a large top hat up in the Lonely Mountains. They bring it home and since no one is able to wear it, they leave it to be used as a wastepaper basket. At first it seems mostly harmless, but when Moomin decides to climb into the hat while playing hide and seek, he finds his appearance mysteriously changed into a strange and hideous creature! No one seems to recognise him, and after many tears his mother verifies his identity and he changes back into his normal form. At first, they discard the hat, but after finding it again, they realise it has magical powers and use it to play pranks on some of their neighbours. In the animation, they give the hat back to the Hobgoblin, but in the book, they keep it aside and it is soon forgotten as other opportunities for adventure present themselves.
This comes in the form of a trip to the Island of the hattifatteners: having found a boat, they use it to travel to a deserted and exotic island to help the Hemulen find plants for his new botany collection. There, they meet hattifatteners again though they strange and mysterious creatures, Moomin learns that it is because of this that they are often misunderstood.
When they return to Moomin Valley, they have two secretive new guests, Thingumy and Bob, who appear carrying a large suitcase between the two of them. No one knows what the suitcase contains, and neither Thingumy nor Bob will tell them anything about it - but soon after their arrival, the Groke comes calling. The Groke is a frightening creature that freezes everything she touches, and she seems to be after what is in Thingumy and Bob's suitcase. It turns out that the King's Ruby is inside the suitcase, and she wants it back. In the book, they hold a courtroom trial and the Groke accepts payment of the Hobgoblin's hat in the place of the ruby, and in the cartoon Moominmamma allows the Groke to choose whatever she likes from the things inside her handbag. She takes Moomin's beautiful heart-shaped shell, which was given to him by Snorkmaiden. He has to go down to the beach and find a replacement after the incident.
Thingumy and Bob then steal Moominmamma's handbag to use as a bed, but when she calls a valley-wide search, they return it to her - not really telling her that it was them who took it in the first place. Regardless, the Moomins throw a huge party in celebration and the two little guests reveal the ruby in their suitcase for the inhabitants of Moomin Valley to admire. This summons the Hobgoblin, who has been looking for the ruby. Unfortunately, Thingumy and Bob don't want to give up the ruby to the Hobgoblin, and in order to cheer himself up, he decides to grant everyone at the party one wish. The Snorkmaiden wishes for the eyes of a beautiful wooden doll that Moomin liked, but when she sees herself she thinks she is hideous. Moomin uses his one wish to wish her eyes back. Thingumy and Bob kindly wish for an identical ruby for the Hobgoblin, who cannot grant his own wishes and only the wishes of others.
The next few episodes are a series short but nevertheless exciting summer adventures; Too-Ticky asks Moomin and his friends to help a girl who has been frightened so much that she has turned invisible, pirates and aliens come to visit Moomin Valley, Snorkmaiden loses her memory temporarily, and Moomin mistakenly grows a jungle out of a box of seeds, overgrowing the entire moomin house and providing a welcome refuge to escaped zoo animals. Moominmamma and Moominpappa decide to elope for a short while, leaving Moomin to fend for himself, and new rather stuffy neighbours move in nearby.
Alas, such fun cannot last forever, and soon Snufkin makes his plans to go south for the winter. Moomin wants to go along with him and talks his parents into giving him permission, but Snufkin needs his time alone. Dejected, it seems like it will be a long hibernation, but the Snorkmaiden cheers him up by showing him her brother's half-finished flying machine. He goes to sleep looking forward to spring, but when he awakes he realises that it is still the dead of winter! Unable to wake the others, he goes out to find Little My also awake and they play in the snow and spend the time with Too-Ticky who has made a steed for the Lady of the Cold and lives in the bath house during the winter. The sea has frozen over and they fish by digging a hole under the ice. Little My gets frozen byte he Lady of the Cold, but is nursed back to health by Moomin, Too-Ticky and the little invisible mice who keep her company. They have a few guests to contend with, and they eat them almost out of house and home, but with their own little issues to contend with, Moomin and My can't help but treat them with affection.
Moomins are not made to be awake during the winter, so when Spring comes, Moomin has a terrible cold and finds himself bedridden while all the others wake from their hibernation and play. To make matters worse, Snufkin has not yet come back to Moomin Valley, and Moomin worries about what may have happened, dreaming feverishly and wondering whether Snufkin really will come back at all. I will be taking Moomin from this canon point in the story.
Character personality: Moomin is a kind hearted, sensitive and very agreeable little troll. With a big heart and a keen sense of adventure, he's interested in all of the marvels of the world and finds investigating even the littlest of curiosities exciting. Going out and exploring Moomin valley with his friends is all in a usual day's work, and often he finds new things and learns lessons about what it means to live life and get by. With a big heart and a patient, vibrant personality, Moomin is a cheerful and popular child and is well loved by those who know him well. Unfortunately, these expectations can sometimes weigh heavily on Moomin's heart, and as a self-conscious troll by nature, he can sometimes get very carried away with pretending to be braver and more capable than he is. Still, his heart is always in the right place and when he's finally exposed, it's rare that anyone would continue to bear a grudge. After all, he is still very young!
Even for a young moomin, he has his share of little regrets and hardships, so it's lucky that his mamma and papa are there for him ( well, most of the time, they have been known to run off once and a while ). Moominmamma is kind, patient and resourceful - she is never without her apron and her handbag, which always contains the little things that make life easier in any situation. He relies on her a lot - sometimes too much - and if he has any problems he almost always turns to her first, because Moominmamma is always sure to have at least some good advice or soothing words, even in the harshest of situations. Moominpappa, on the other hand, lives a rather bohemian lifestyle, associates with occasionally dangerous people and is always up for adventure - he often unwittingly launches his family into strange or absurd situations based very much on his little whims. Still, Moomintroll finds these little diversions exciting and enthusiastically tags along to see and experience new things - even if he's frightened or scared. These foolish little indiscretions can sometimes land him in unfortunate situations and worry Moomin unduly, but despite his sadness, loneliness and irresponsibility, he always somehow pulls through.
Moomin treats his friends just like his family. A sensitive troll by nature, he worries about them when they are sad and sometimes has a little too much faith in them; while they do let him down from time to time, or even annoy and hurt him, he never bears a grudge and always forgives them in the end, even if it sometimes takes a little coaxing. This is important because some of his friends are abrasive and fiery, like Little My, or selfish and materialistic, like Sniff - however, their hearts are always in the right place and even with their flaws, he treats them well and eventually realises he isn't above flaws himself. His best friend is Snufkin, who in some people's eyes is a bit of a vagabond and a wanderer, but Moomin idolises him greatly and respects him very much, to the point of wanting to be like him. Of course, Moomin isn't like him at all but they get along very well and their companionship is extremely important to Moomin in general, even if he is occasionally jealous or angry with Snufkin for their different sensibilities. He always looks forward to spring because even though Snufkin has to leave during the winter when his family hibernates, he will always be back again to have adventures in the warm sun. Snufkin teaches him a lot about different points of view, and about what it means to enjoy solitude, something Moomin is still trying very hard to understand - since not everyone is like him and it is sometimes a difficult concept to grasp.
In love as well as friendship, Moomin is a lucky little troll. His admiration of the Snorkmaiden is reciprocated, and their romance is childish and innocent but never really simple. They give each other thoughtful and sometimes downright poetic gifts, play together with their group of friends, and enjoy each other's company greatly. Moomin compares her to Diana, the goddess of the chase, and values her intelligence as well as her good looks. However, he can be shallow and love can be lonely, and while he adores the Snorkmaiden and tries to be the best boyfriend he can be, sometimes he makes mistakes and hurts her feelings more than he realises. Girls are hard to understand, but he believes that if he works hard at it, he can make her very happy. Perhaps one day he and the Snorkmaiden will be like Moominmamma and Moominpappa - he'd like to think it's possible.
When it comes to his neighbours, he is still a child and so he can be mischievous and reckless around them - but if any of them are in need, it's likely that he and his friends will do all they can to help out, and others do the same for him (even the Snork allows him to see his unfinished invention in order to cheer him up). When the Hemulen is depressed about completing his stamp collection, the children and Moomin try to help him find a solution to his problem and find something else to collect. When Too-Ticky brings an invisible, frightened child to the Moomins to help understand, Moomin is one of the most determined in the group of friends to try his best to build up her confidence and make her visible again, despite the meddling of a bad-natured neighbour. Moomin even begins to understand the frightening and terrible Groke who freezes everything she touches, because she is really very lonely.
As wonderful as Moomin Valley is, sometimes Moomin learns that life isn't always good - and like almost anyone, he can be prone to bouts of sadness and loneliness, especially since he is easily deceived. He relies very much on his parents and often laments his lack of guidance if they are not around, though this is often offset by his pretending to be brave when he is really the opposite (just for appearance's sake). Sometimes he can be slightly too naive and trusting of strangers, and, especially early on, he places a lot of importance on the 'beauty' of people, believing that if something or someone is beautiful, it is likely that they must be gentle and kind as well. It is difficult for him to say no to people - especially to guests and friends (in the comics, he is chased out of his own home simply because he cannot handle all the guests and poor relations that have appeared in his house). A dreamer at heart, his hopes and expectations can often let him down or have unforeseen consequences. Sometimes a little proud, or too keen to live up to the image other people have of him, he can get carried away with games or act dishonestly to protect himself. Still, his heart is always in the right place and one can never please everybody, so sometimes the little things people don't know really won't hurt them.
Name: Bug
AIM: faereyjar
LJ name: pandarosi
Munhead or previous character journals (optional): n/a
Timezone: GMT
-THEM-
Character name: Moomintroll
Series: The Moomins
Moomintroll is the main character of the children's series "The Moomins" by Finnish author Tove Jansson. The books were adapted into a cartoon and I am taking his history mostly from this since I'm most familiar with it - though I will likely borrow heavily from some of the films associated with the cartoon and Tove Jansson's comics and novels as I work my way through them again, and to establish how the Moomins came to live in Moomin Valley before the cartoon series starts.
As I was only able to re-watch about half the series recently, I will be taking Moomin from an earlier point (when Moomin is ill and waiting for Snufkin to come back in spring.)
Character history:
In Moomin Valley there live a family of trolls. They have big eyes, round bodies, small ears, and fluffy tails, and aren't the kind of trolls you would usually find living under bridges or fighting with each other. In fact, they very much prefer to live in a warm home with a cozy fire, and live in peace with their many good friends. Moomintroll is the youngest of this small family, and he lives in his round little house with his mother, Moominmamma, and his father, Moominpappa. His good friends Little My and Sniff also live with their family, and even though they aren't really related to the Moomins, Moomin and his parents treat them completely like family - just like all the other friends they have made in Moomin Valley. The Moomins and most of their friends sleep all winter in hibernation and wake up every spring to have fun and go on adventures in the forests and lakes with the beautiful Snorkmaiden, her brother, and Moomin's best friend, the vagabond Snufkin.
How did the Moomins come to be living in this warm and lovely valley? Well, one day Moominmamma and Moomintroll decided to go looking for Moominpappa, who had disappeared to go off on adventures with the mysterious Hattifatteners. They navigate through the dark forest and meet new friends like Sniff and Tulippa, and strange creatures like big snakes and ant-lions. Eventually, they are washed away by a flood of water and are re-united with Moominpappa who has built them a house, which was also washed away to lovely little valley. They decide to fix the house and stay there, settling down and building a wonderful life together.
As they settle down in Moomivalley, Moomin and his family meet new people like the Muskrat, whose house had been destroyed. The muskrat tells them that something terrible is likely to happen soon, and that he believes that a comet that will destroy them all will be heading for Moomin Valley soon. Moomin and his friends try to find out more and head to the lonely mountains to see if they can gaze at the stars and find out more about the impending catastrophe. There, Moomin finds a gold anklet and they meet Snufkin, who takes an interest in their quest and intrigues them with his own stories. He and Moomin become good friends. As they head home to prepare for the comet's arrival, Moomin saves the Snork Maiden and her brother from carnivorous plants and befriends them. The comet mysteriously misses Moomin Valley and it is revealed that the gold anklet Moomin found belongs to the Snork Maiden; he gives it back to her along with a beautiful pearl, and she becomes his girlfriend.
The next spring, Moomin and his friends wake up from hibernation and go exploring for adventure. Snufkin, Sniff and Little My find a large top hat up in the Lonely Mountains. They bring it home and since no one is able to wear it, they leave it to be used as a wastepaper basket. At first it seems mostly harmless, but when Moomin decides to climb into the hat while playing hide and seek, he finds his appearance mysteriously changed into a strange and hideous creature! No one seems to recognise him, and after many tears his mother verifies his identity and he changes back into his normal form. At first, they discard the hat, but after finding it again, they realise it has magical powers and use it to play pranks on some of their neighbours. In the animation, they give the hat back to the Hobgoblin, but in the book, they keep it aside and it is soon forgotten as other opportunities for adventure present themselves.
This comes in the form of a trip to the Island of the hattifatteners: having found a boat, they use it to travel to a deserted and exotic island to help the Hemulen find plants for his new botany collection. There, they meet hattifatteners again though they strange and mysterious creatures, Moomin learns that it is because of this that they are often misunderstood.
When they return to Moomin Valley, they have two secretive new guests, Thingumy and Bob, who appear carrying a large suitcase between the two of them. No one knows what the suitcase contains, and neither Thingumy nor Bob will tell them anything about it - but soon after their arrival, the Groke comes calling. The Groke is a frightening creature that freezes everything she touches, and she seems to be after what is in Thingumy and Bob's suitcase. It turns out that the King's Ruby is inside the suitcase, and she wants it back. In the book, they hold a courtroom trial and the Groke accepts payment of the Hobgoblin's hat in the place of the ruby, and in the cartoon Moominmamma allows the Groke to choose whatever she likes from the things inside her handbag. She takes Moomin's beautiful heart-shaped shell, which was given to him by Snorkmaiden. He has to go down to the beach and find a replacement after the incident.
Thingumy and Bob then steal Moominmamma's handbag to use as a bed, but when she calls a valley-wide search, they return it to her - not really telling her that it was them who took it in the first place. Regardless, the Moomins throw a huge party in celebration and the two little guests reveal the ruby in their suitcase for the inhabitants of Moomin Valley to admire. This summons the Hobgoblin, who has been looking for the ruby. Unfortunately, Thingumy and Bob don't want to give up the ruby to the Hobgoblin, and in order to cheer himself up, he decides to grant everyone at the party one wish. The Snorkmaiden wishes for the eyes of a beautiful wooden doll that Moomin liked, but when she sees herself she thinks she is hideous. Moomin uses his one wish to wish her eyes back. Thingumy and Bob kindly wish for an identical ruby for the Hobgoblin, who cannot grant his own wishes and only the wishes of others.
The next few episodes are a series short but nevertheless exciting summer adventures; Too-Ticky asks Moomin and his friends to help a girl who has been frightened so much that she has turned invisible, pirates and aliens come to visit Moomin Valley, Snorkmaiden loses her memory temporarily, and Moomin mistakenly grows a jungle out of a box of seeds, overgrowing the entire moomin house and providing a welcome refuge to escaped zoo animals. Moominmamma and Moominpappa decide to elope for a short while, leaving Moomin to fend for himself, and new rather stuffy neighbours move in nearby.
Alas, such fun cannot last forever, and soon Snufkin makes his plans to go south for the winter. Moomin wants to go along with him and talks his parents into giving him permission, but Snufkin needs his time alone. Dejected, it seems like it will be a long hibernation, but the Snorkmaiden cheers him up by showing him her brother's half-finished flying machine. He goes to sleep looking forward to spring, but when he awakes he realises that it is still the dead of winter! Unable to wake the others, he goes out to find Little My also awake and they play in the snow and spend the time with Too-Ticky who has made a steed for the Lady of the Cold and lives in the bath house during the winter. The sea has frozen over and they fish by digging a hole under the ice. Little My gets frozen byte he Lady of the Cold, but is nursed back to health by Moomin, Too-Ticky and the little invisible mice who keep her company. They have a few guests to contend with, and they eat them almost out of house and home, but with their own little issues to contend with, Moomin and My can't help but treat them with affection.
Moomins are not made to be awake during the winter, so when Spring comes, Moomin has a terrible cold and finds himself bedridden while all the others wake from their hibernation and play. To make matters worse, Snufkin has not yet come back to Moomin Valley, and Moomin worries about what may have happened, dreaming feverishly and wondering whether Snufkin really will come back at all. I will be taking Moomin from this canon point in the story.
Character personality: Moomin is a kind hearted, sensitive and very agreeable little troll. With a big heart and a keen sense of adventure, he's interested in all of the marvels of the world and finds investigating even the littlest of curiosities exciting. Going out and exploring Moomin valley with his friends is all in a usual day's work, and often he finds new things and learns lessons about what it means to live life and get by. With a big heart and a patient, vibrant personality, Moomin is a cheerful and popular child and is well loved by those who know him well. Unfortunately, these expectations can sometimes weigh heavily on Moomin's heart, and as a self-conscious troll by nature, he can sometimes get very carried away with pretending to be braver and more capable than he is. Still, his heart is always in the right place and when he's finally exposed, it's rare that anyone would continue to bear a grudge. After all, he is still very young!
Even for a young moomin, he has his share of little regrets and hardships, so it's lucky that his mamma and papa are there for him ( well, most of the time, they have been known to run off once and a while ). Moominmamma is kind, patient and resourceful - she is never without her apron and her handbag, which always contains the little things that make life easier in any situation. He relies on her a lot - sometimes too much - and if he has any problems he almost always turns to her first, because Moominmamma is always sure to have at least some good advice or soothing words, even in the harshest of situations. Moominpappa, on the other hand, lives a rather bohemian lifestyle, associates with occasionally dangerous people and is always up for adventure - he often unwittingly launches his family into strange or absurd situations based very much on his little whims. Still, Moomintroll finds these little diversions exciting and enthusiastically tags along to see and experience new things - even if he's frightened or scared. These foolish little indiscretions can sometimes land him in unfortunate situations and worry Moomin unduly, but despite his sadness, loneliness and irresponsibility, he always somehow pulls through.
Moomin treats his friends just like his family. A sensitive troll by nature, he worries about them when they are sad and sometimes has a little too much faith in them; while they do let him down from time to time, or even annoy and hurt him, he never bears a grudge and always forgives them in the end, even if it sometimes takes a little coaxing. This is important because some of his friends are abrasive and fiery, like Little My, or selfish and materialistic, like Sniff - however, their hearts are always in the right place and even with their flaws, he treats them well and eventually realises he isn't above flaws himself. His best friend is Snufkin, who in some people's eyes is a bit of a vagabond and a wanderer, but Moomin idolises him greatly and respects him very much, to the point of wanting to be like him. Of course, Moomin isn't like him at all but they get along very well and their companionship is extremely important to Moomin in general, even if he is occasionally jealous or angry with Snufkin for their different sensibilities. He always looks forward to spring because even though Snufkin has to leave during the winter when his family hibernates, he will always be back again to have adventures in the warm sun. Snufkin teaches him a lot about different points of view, and about what it means to enjoy solitude, something Moomin is still trying very hard to understand - since not everyone is like him and it is sometimes a difficult concept to grasp.
In love as well as friendship, Moomin is a lucky little troll. His admiration of the Snorkmaiden is reciprocated, and their romance is childish and innocent but never really simple. They give each other thoughtful and sometimes downright poetic gifts, play together with their group of friends, and enjoy each other's company greatly. Moomin compares her to Diana, the goddess of the chase, and values her intelligence as well as her good looks. However, he can be shallow and love can be lonely, and while he adores the Snorkmaiden and tries to be the best boyfriend he can be, sometimes he makes mistakes and hurts her feelings more than he realises. Girls are hard to understand, but he believes that if he works hard at it, he can make her very happy. Perhaps one day he and the Snorkmaiden will be like Moominmamma and Moominpappa - he'd like to think it's possible.
When it comes to his neighbours, he is still a child and so he can be mischievous and reckless around them - but if any of them are in need, it's likely that he and his friends will do all they can to help out, and others do the same for him (even the Snork allows him to see his unfinished invention in order to cheer him up). When the Hemulen is depressed about completing his stamp collection, the children and Moomin try to help him find a solution to his problem and find something else to collect. When Too-Ticky brings an invisible, frightened child to the Moomins to help understand, Moomin is one of the most determined in the group of friends to try his best to build up her confidence and make her visible again, despite the meddling of a bad-natured neighbour. Moomin even begins to understand the frightening and terrible Groke who freezes everything she touches, because she is really very lonely.
As wonderful as Moomin Valley is, sometimes Moomin learns that life isn't always good - and like almost anyone, he can be prone to bouts of sadness and loneliness, especially since he is easily deceived. He relies very much on his parents and often laments his lack of guidance if they are not around, though this is often offset by his pretending to be brave when he is really the opposite (just for appearance's sake). Sometimes he can be slightly too naive and trusting of strangers, and, especially early on, he places a lot of importance on the 'beauty' of people, believing that if something or someone is beautiful, it is likely that they must be gentle and kind as well. It is difficult for him to say no to people - especially to guests and friends (in the comics, he is chased out of his own home simply because he cannot handle all the guests and poor relations that have appeared in his house). A dreamer at heart, his hopes and expectations can often let him down or have unforeseen consequences. Sometimes a little proud, or too keen to live up to the image other people have of him, he can get carried away with games or act dishonestly to protect himself. Still, his heart is always in the right place and one can never please everybody, so sometimes the little things people don't know really won't hurt them.
