#to me comparing Snufkin and Siffrin with each other is hilarious because one Siffrin is anything but chill

[cochineal-leviat]

Island Moominvalley AU thingy/sketches from class

Heyo, I finally remembered posting these sketches I made in class two months ago. I made these when I was feeling horrible, and I took to my sketchbook during class to deal with what was happening in my life. My grandma had just landed in the hospital during the first-semester exam period, and oh boy, you bet I was distraught. She is doing much better now, by the way. Don't worry.

I honestly love how easy it is to remember how to draw Siffrin without a reference. It helps me draw without having to think.

(Btw, au ideas are the complete bottom of the post if you want to read about it!)

So, from the top, the chronological order I made the sketches.

As my first drawing, I was just sketching a little guy that wasn't supposed to be Siffrin yet. Halfway, it did become Siffrin, but I drew him with both eyes because I was going off on instinct. At the end of the sketch, I was really confused as to why Siff felt off until I started on the second drawing and realised they had an eyepatch! So, first sketch siff became pre-canon siff. His original hair colour is already well on its way of coming through. Compared to my recent comic, Siff, this is much closer to the Sadness Incident. (Maybe around the time the party meets Bonnie?)

Siffrin is squinting because he is trying to read something but the lack of depth makes it hard. They look a little angry but Siff is wholly unaware they are making that face. And since this is after the game events, they do not have their hat to hide their face behind.

I drew Snufkin right under simply because I remembered how similar Snufkin and Siffrin are in design, which is not a surprise since insertdisc5 said that in the later stages of designing Siff, there was a vast Snufkin trend going on tumblr. I didn't have any grayscale markers on me at the time so I created depth and greys by hatching. It's interesting how different the grayscale shades on Snufkin and Siffrin are since Siffrin is almost entirely in black and white, and Snufkin, when turned into black and white, is made out of grey shades.

On the right is an older Snufkin or an attempt at a design for an older Snufkin. Then, I remembered the ideas spooking in my head about an AU where Snufmin from Moomins were Siffrin's parents before the whole Island shebang happened. More about that later.

Different stages of life for Siffrin before the Island Incident. I always admire people who can design a character ageing and them looking different but still recognisable enough to be that character. So I took a crack at that, with the top being toddler Siff, the left kid Siff and the right teen Siff. Teen Siff took more influence from Loop. But that isn't really surprising if you have completely finished the game.

(The flower crown was made by Moomintroll)

A family portrait with baby Siff and two very proud fathers. (I forgot to colour it in இ௰இ.) Snufkin is much shorter than Moomintroll, but I realised I had drawn the heights wrong afterwards. The top of Snufkin's head usually meets the height of Moomin's chin.

Btw I did not come up with the Snufmin as Siffrin's parents' idea. I saw an author on AO3 who came up with it first, and I was really inspired by it. I can't really find the fic anymore. I think about it almost daily. (I am writing a fic about it, but it's getting so long, help. Why must school be so harsh? I just want to work on that and NPLH)

I'm not that sure about my design for Moomintroll yet, but I do know I want him to have a fun curly moustache (you can see a sketch I didn't ink all the way at the top of the post, and I like it, but it can have more features of his Moomin form in there. I should have drawn regular Moomin next to him for reference, but I forgot.)

AU rambling part

My rough concept for Island Mooiminvalley is that Moominvalley is not necessarily the entire island. The original northern country is a string of islands with diverse cultures, and Moominvalley was a part of that. (The capital could almost be considered its separate thing for how advanced their technology was)

It follows the canon of Moomins pretty closely (except that they are human) until Moomintroll and Snufkin get together in adulthood and have Siffrin. Snufkin is still a traveller, which is an inherent part of where he is from on the other part of the island. In contrast, Moominvalley is a homebody (except for some residents like Moominpapa.)

So Snufkin travels all over and comes home during Spring to spend time in Moominvalley and with his family. Moomintroll stays at home half the time but also works as a carpenter around the place (and makes sure no parks are created in Snufkin's absence). He wears his father's passed-down pouldrons as inheritance, as wearing a piece of your parents is tradition when they retire. The ribbon tying his hair is from Moominmama. (Moominpapa would hold onto his top hat too much to give it to Moomin. The pouldrons are from his military service. Although if he really served in the military of the Island or if it was a trinket from his travels is unknown)

Siffrin grows up being inspired by Snufkin and wants to be like him when they grow up. Curious and excited about exploring the world. Moomintroll was against this at first (if you don't know Moomins/Moominvalley, it's because Moomintroll has abandonment issues and yearns a lot for Snufkin to return. Like a whole damn lot. Siffrin really takes after Moomintroll in that regard, XD (heh, not that funny,. More sad with what happens in game)

Eventually, he relents, and as a rite of passage, Siffrin is sent off by his parents and the entirety of the valley on their first voyage. (Something about letting your hair grow long when you stay somewhere long and cutting it when you wander again in Snufkin's culture, so Siffrin cuts their hair short and gives it to fathers to remember them by. So freshly wiped memory Siff has short hair)

In the middle of the ocean on their way to Vanguard, the tragedy of the Island struck, and they washed ashore, unable to remember their entire lives. Only a few belongings remained as the waves swallowed up most of them.

What happened to the Island? What happened to Moominvaley? To Siff's forgotten parents? I am keeping that for my fic ^_^

Are you guys interested in this au? Please tell me if you are.