#plot summary

stebbins: wow what a beautiful gay couple

barkovitch: *shoots himself*

Thank you!! I unfortunately dont have one place with all the info BUT i’ll give you the gist of things and some places where you can see more!

this is like 10k words worth of an explanation of the first chronological half of the plot but not everything. I also wrote it a while ago, so… excuse my poor writing! I would also look through the #Writing, #Comic and #Ask tags on my blog! They have a lot of information!! And if you have questions, just ask :D i love to talk about what i make

Anyway, the story is called Waltz With Me and it takes place in (primarily) Washington state from 1976-1993. The main character is Wilson Fischer who looks like this:

dorky little guy with glasses. Since WWM takes place over several years, his appearance changes too. When it starts, he’s 18 and has long hair and when it ends, he’s 35 and bald so. That’s the same guy.

Wilson is a difficult guy. He deeply struggles with self-hatred and as a result, his relationships struggle too. He’s also a closeted gay man in the 70s and 80s and cannot accept this fact about himself, despite being in love with the same man the entire time.

The man in question is Asa Moore, who looks like this:

taller than wilson. Big nose and big hair. Really sweet guy honestly (but far from perfect, believe me…) his appearance also changes over time, when he’s younger he’s got a bit of a bowlcut going on and when hes older his hair is short and he has a beard.

Asa’s sensitive, forgiving, and thinks very little of himself, all of which are reasons that he stays with Wilson as long as he does. He is hopelessly in love with him and believes, despite all evidence saying otherwise, that Wilson loves him just as much.

(Before i keep going, here’s a timeline of appearances aaand my personal commentary - just so you know whats up!)

You may be wondering… so what is the nature of Asa and Wilsons relationship anyway???

long story short… ITS COMPLICATED but they started out as friends. They met through Asa’s step sister, named Vicky, when Asa was 17 and Wilson was 18. They became close quite quickly, fueled by the fact that both of them were lonely kids who were going through weird life changes and just needed somebody. They became close from december 76-july 77, which was when it became obvious that they were more than friends.

In july of that year, they had their first kiss in the backseat of Asa’s car. It ended horribly, with Wilson panicking halfway through and begging to be dropped off at home. This put a pretty big dent in their relationship for a while, and a very much hurt Asa was bent on repairing it. Unfortunately, his means weren’t the greatest. Instead of communication, or anything healthy, he tried to fix his relationship by introducing Wilson to drugs. It was bonding, sort of, and made it so they both thought less about consequences. This method worked in a way - they started hooking up (while only under the influence, to begin) and Asa got what he wanted, and what he believed Wilson deep-down wanted too. This post goes into more depth about how this played out.

Anyway, their relationship was a bit weird at this point. It was based entirely on being cokeheads together but they also both had feelings. Wilson just wasn’t so good at expressing them and Asa still felt hurt from getting rejected. But it worked out, in a way. They started dating in november of 1977. And it just was terrible, like, so bad. Toxic and codependent and closeted and both struggling with addiction. In January of 1979, Wilson broke up with Asa over the phone and they didn’t speak again until 1983.

In these four years, Wilson got clean and went to college while Asa stayed in their hometown and slowly got better. Enough to have his own apartment, at least. Well, anyway, after 4 years no contact, Asa spots Wilson in town again and obviously is intrigued. Wilson moved back for work and was living with his (rather unbearable) parents. For months, Asa essentially stalked him until he “coincidentally” met him in the grocery store. He was so excited by the prospect of Wilson being back that he decided that the past was the past, that he could forgive and forget, and that they had both changed so much that maybe they could even start over. Just as friends, at least. So he asked Wilson if he wanted to move in and to both their surprise, he said yes.

They both regretted this decision after it set in what living with your ex you havent seen in years really meant. It was terribly awkward and the tension was ridiculously high for months. Slowly, however, they settled into each other. It started to feel like the old times again, but better, because they weren’t teenagers with a drug problem anymore. They fell in love with each other again, but didn’t say it.

The problem that they faced at this stage was that upon moving in, and after a terrible attempted kiss from Asa, Wilson told Asa that he wasn’t gay anymore. He just wasn’t doing that sort of thing, it didn’t line up with his goals in life or the “right” way to be (let me add here - Wilson has pretty bad and undiagnosed OCD that makes his internalized homophobia way worse). Anyway, after six months of living with Asa it becomes abundantly clear that he’s in love with him again, and this makes him panic. So Wilson gets a girlfriend, a nice gal from his office named Anne Marie. Two weeks into having this girlfriend, he kisses Asa on their couch and they start having sex within the week. Wilson cheats on Anne Marie for a year straight and Asa thinks he’s lucky.

In 1985, Anne catches them in the act after she left her keys at their apartment, and subsequently fights with them both, dumps Wilson, and spreads (albeit true) rumors about him at their job. It’s absolute misery for Wilson and Asa now, but Asa has hope that now that he’s single, Wilson will actually choose him now. No such luck! Over the next few years, Wilson only becomes more avoidant while Asa still clings to hope.

Their relationship in this time is the same as it was, but not as cheerful as before. They still fuck like rabbits and share a bed, sometimes, and live together but theres just something missing. It’s so emotionally empty and forced. I should add - this entire time, from 1983-now, they never claim to “date” or be an item. Just affair partners at most. This entire time, Wilson’s still convinced that he can wake up heterosexual one day and easily leave Asa. This never happens, but he believes it can, so he tries that.

In 1988, after their relationship slowly fading to barely-friends, Wilson decides to move out. He says its because he needs to move on in life, and that he has enough money now, but he really was just finding it unbearable to live with Asa. They stop having sex, they hardly talk. Months down the road, Wilson calls Asa to tell him that he’s getting married to a woman named Laurie, and that he’s invited, and Asa can hardly believe his audacity or that this was happening at all. Wilson knew Laurie, another desperate person in her 30s, for two months before he proposed and he dissociated every minute of their engagement. To him, he was just doing what he “had to do”.

So, Wilson got married, and Asa was there to witness it. It absolutely broke his heart and not just because the man he loved had forgotten him and left him, but because he knew this was a terrible choice Wilson was making. He knew that it wasn’t what he wanted at all and he couldn’t stop him. Asa cried and drank himself to sleep that night and he didn’t speak to Wilson for another nearly-four years.

In October of 1993, Asa gets a letter from Wilson and he’s so scared to read it that he leaves it on his table for two weeks. When he finally opens it, it’s short and to the point: Wilson asking him if he’d like to take a few-day trip out to the Oregon Coast, just them, so he can talk. He says it’s not something he can do quickly or over the phone, but to call or write him to confirm. The anticipation killing him, Asa reaches out and they plan a little trip a couple weeks later.

The first few days go well. Awkward, totally, but not bad. Wilson drove and picked out the hotel and planned everything, and supplied all the food and alcohol they needed. He told Asa day one the reason he wanted to see him, which was that he and Laurie were getting divorced. “It just didn’t work, it wasn’t ever going to work,” is what Wilson says. They spend the next few days talking about the divorce, where they both are in life, old memories… it’s painful at times but mostly good. Something they both needed.

On the last night, tensions break and they kiss for the first time in years, and then have sex. It’s miserable and sad and cathartic and necessary to them both. Afterwards, Asa in particular feels terrible about it. He wishes he didn’t give in so easily to the man who had done nothing but hurt him, it was humiliating that he still felt so in love with Wilson. Wilson, on the other hand, felt weird about it but hopefully. The way he saw it, it meant that they were back to normal. After his divorce, he could go back to this, and be free this time. He spent the entire night planning how to bring it up on the drive home the next day.

Well, that came, and Wilson told Asa that he wanted him back. He told him that he was changed now, that he could actually love him this time, that he learned from all the mistakes he’s made in the past. Asa, who had been stewing in his own regret, did not take to this kindly. He made Wilson pull over and stormed away for 20 minutes before accepting he couldn’t leave himself in a wheat field forever, and then went back to argue with him about it. Well, more like Wilson begging to be taken back and Asa repeatedly saying No. he wanted to say yes, but he had to respect himself for once, so he stood firm. After an hour of this, the rest of the drive was silent.

The IT GIRLS (Rival models au?? Jk… unless👀)

🔥Outfit inspo 🔥

How I interpret Snusmumriken's encounter with Dronten Fredrik would look like. Keep in mind Klingenberg never really gave information about the environment other than Fredrik's head could reach above the clouds. I found it difficult with depicting light.

For part 2 go HERE!

The information about the plot I have found in Detta är min målarsång 2025 by Emma Klingenberg.

I love that every time when the comet is depicted it looks like a freaking atom bomb with the atmosphere looks like an atomic blast which is no coincidence. This cold war nuclear weapon allegory got more explicit in the more adult-oriented comic strips (both old and new) where the comet actually hit Mumindalen but only minor impact.

So far the Polish animated series is the closest to Kometen kommer. My favorite is actually the 90s Kometen kommer, despite missing a lot from Kometen kommer, didn't sanitize the atomic blast visuals that was awesome, especially the 2023 restoration. Likely a feature film movie format didn't have such obnoxious broadcast policies Telescreen Japan had to follow where it tone downs an awful lot that felt so damn jarring to revisit to be honest (it's weird since it's not weird enough!).

Also the original Kometjakten 1946 is out of print and is instead replaced by Tove Jansson's polished and more profound revisited version Kometen kommer 1968 which most adaptations are based on and is like a totally different book. Only the few languages like English never got updated or only partially however I'm still skeptical if English is an accurate preservation since the translation tends to be garbage, especially consider Exploit of Moominpappa was actually awful to both Muminpappans bravader/memoarer as I own both versions (more of that will be covered in future posts). I wishes this year for Kometjakten's 80th-anniversary a better modern foreignized English translation of Kometen kommer that never sanitizes the language AND Kometjakten being sold in its original language again alongside Kometen kommer.

I'm working already with foreignized translation of Muminpappans memoarer with forewords (totally missing in Exploits) and preface (Exploits removed whole paragraphs from both Memoarer/Bravader). Right now there's only used copies of Kometjakten that are very rare that tends to be in worn-out shape and awfully expensive as hell. I'm planing on booking a time at Stockholm kungliga biblioteket (KB) in the future to review Kometjakten.

Plot summary of Mumintrollet och kometen 1949

Mumintrollet och kometen is the third variant of the comet story that mostly follows the basis of the comet arc that also blends with Trollkarlens hatt 1948 (that 3rd Mumin book whatever it’s called in English). It's one of the most bizarre variant of the comet arc.

Here it also includes a subplot with Hemulen’s angrily strict maternal aunt trying to educate the Mumin family that the family found more horrifying than the comet. Snusmumriken [Snufkin] apparently knows magic and makes a transformation potion that transforms Hemulen’s aunt to become nicer.

Snusmumriken gets the task to ask Dronten Fredrik to call out the comet to turn away for having such a long neck that it reaches above the clouds. Dronten Fredrik seems to be similar to Dronten Edward from Muminpappans bravader/memoarer. Snusmumriken gets anxious but calms himself by playing his harmonica when he meets Dronten Fredrik.

Klingenberg humorously comments if Dronten Fredrik is related to Dronten Edvard from Pappans memoarer in parentheses. "Dront" is actually the name of the dodo bird in Scandinavia which sounds more ancient even if it means "swollen" in Dutch. According to Detta är min målarsång, this scene seems to be similar to the theatrical manuscript Tove wrote as a child Skatten i spökslottet (The Treasure in the Ghost/Haunted Castle) that features a task to ask a giant for help. (Tove Jansson has plenty of lost and unpublished works briefly mentioned in biographies and sometimes references in her other published works).

Meanwhile Muminpappan sings quietly Villerivallaresången [The Villerivallare song] that was seen in Kometjakten/Kometen kommer [that 2nd book] where Mumintrollet sang while Snusmumriken plays it at the dance floor. 

Villerivallaresången lyrics:

Villerivallare, natten blir kallare the night get colder klockan är fem. it's five o'clock. Du vandrar allena You wander alone på trötta små bena on tired small legs och hitter ej hem. and don't find home.

"Villerivallare" and similar is a rather common wordless vocals or phrase (or whatever you call that) in Swedish folk music that means somethings about twirling, messy or chaotic.

Recreation of Villerivallaresången by Johanna Grüssner at Moomin Voices album can be found HERE. The lyrics from the official Moomin site seems to reuse the one found in the English localization meant to rhyming which can be found here HERE (switch between languages).

In photos, Muminpappan wears an coat with no top-hat just like what he was described having in Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen 1945 that he apparently lost when Mumintrollet and Muminmamman finds him at the end. He seems to start wearing his iconic top-hat in the comic strip arc Muminfamiljen 1955 [Moomin and Family Life] alongside Muminmamman start wearing her apron.

For part 2 go HERE!

(When I'm finished depicting the rather strange finale scene!)

From Detta är min målarsång 2025 by Emma Klingenberg

I have actually seen this large poster in real life last year's summer at the exhibit "Från Mumin till Chop Chop" at Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde art museum in Stockholm. Unfortunate forgot buying the book that came with the museum.

So. A lot of stuff happens on these blogs huh. I THOUGHT I WOULD WRITE THESE POSTS TO SUM UP WHATS GOING ON. I thought I would start with the turbulent relationship between Doctor Crane and @e-nygmaofficial. Now a lot of this will be from Jonathan’s perspective. Fair warning. If you want to read their interactions most are tagged with Scriddler.

Edward and Jonathan have been associates for quite a long time. Meeting in arkham. Although at first Jonathan wanted nothing to do with Edward given he saw himself as above criminals and well, he’s Jonathan. That coldness melted fairly quickly, hard to resist the charm of the riddler. They became friends, or. Whatever you would call a friendship between the two of them. Until Jonathan was kidnapped and tortured by cobblepot leading to the first scarebeast transformation. During that the scarebeast severely wounded Edward. Leading to him having to use the cane he is now often sighted with.

They had far less contact after that. Neither one wanting to think about it. But like magnets they couldn’t stay apart for long and after talking and Edward making it clear he had some feelings for Jonathan, things seemed to calm. After all, one of Edward’s many compulsions was an inability to lie. So when he claimed he didn’t mind Jonathan kissing him before drugging him with toxin. Or when he said he loved the other man. It was the truth, right?

Well, that came into question when during a plan Edward claimed to create, that involved the kidnapping of multiple civilians. Edward left Jonathan to take the fall. Claiming to have been forced into the plan by outside forces and feeling guilt for the life taken during it. Despite laughing about the murder only moments before. Things only got worse when the scarebeast returned and Edward due to his trauma made no effort to help, avoiding Jonathan afterwards. In retaliation for what was in his eyes proof Edward had been lying and was using him for entertainment this entire time Jonathan got Edward committed to Arkham and tormented him about his fears.

After Jonathan almost died, Edward visited him in the hospital and said it was best they went their separate ways. Not taking it well, the war profiteer was sent to torture Edward.

I’ve had a bunch of people asking to hear more about the wthcdau that i mentioned here!! way more than i anticipated! so I’m going to do my best to turn me and my sister’s enormous text block of a summary doc

into a coherent, presentable format! it got really long, so this is just the first half— ill share part two once i get it written up.

read on for shenanigans and nonsense :)