gaiverruksia

PRACTICE BIRD Nykyisissä töissäni yksi hommistani on opettaa lintujen tunnistusta. Ja mikäpä parempi tapa oppia linnuista kuin piirtää niitä! Tämän kuvan lintu ei ole mikään tietty lintu, vaan "harjoituslintu", jonka avulla opettelimme, mihin asioihin linnuissa kannattaa kiinnittää huomiota. Oikeastaan opiskelijat saivat linnusta kolme versiota: ensin musta-valkoisen taustattoman linnun (huomionarvoisina asioina esimerkiksi töyhtö sekä nokan muoto ja pituus), sitten väritetyn linnun (värit, kuviot, linnun osat joissa usein on värituntomerkkejä) ja lopuksi tämän koko kuvan (jossa on vielä äänet, liikkeet, ympäristö...). In my current job one of my tasks is teaching how to identify birds. And what better way to learn about birds than drawing them! The bird in this picture is not any particular bird but a "practice bird" with witch we learned what things to pay attention to in birds. In fact, the students got three versions of this same bird: first a black-and-white one without a background (things to note were, for example, the crest and length and shape of the beak), then the colored bird (colors, patterns, bird body parts that often have good characteristics) and finally this complete picture (with sounds, movements, surroundings...). Tai, kuten herra Brony huomautti, olennaisin tuntomerkki on se, että tämä lintu osaa kävellä veden päällä... Or, as Mr Brony pointed out, the most important characteristic of this bird is that it can walk on water...

HOW TO MELT KATI "So you'll be cooking for us in that happening?" "Yeah." // "I want to food to be as good as Kati makes." "Who do you think I learned this stuff from?" // "You guys are so cute that I cry!"

STAR WARS MAY (BE WITH YOU) "It's May! And it's awesome!" // "In May, there's all sorts of interesting stuff going on in the nature but there are other important things as well." // "You see, it's Star Wars day in May. And a new show is coming. And there's an anniversary, too..." // "So I thought that May could be a Star Wars month with all my posts having a Star Wars theme." // "I'll still be uploading that regular twice a week. Though the days may vary according to important dates." // "How strongly my posts have anything to do with Star Wars may also vary. May or may not include shirtless aliens. And clones." Star Wars created by George Lucas

”About a year ago Snowhorse and I tried to think what birds different Star Wars characters would be. And there were so many characters!” // ”And now I drew some of them for you!” // ”We did have reasoning for why each character was that specific bird, but I’m not going to explain them here. You can ask in the comments if you’re interested.” // ”Some of these characters are of course bad guys bad no bird is evil. The birds we chose are based more in concepts and coloration, for instance.” // ”Anyways, here are Star Wars characters as birds.” Luke = sparrow Leia = swift Chewbacca = emu Lando = great crested grebe Han = magpie C-3PO = pheasant R2-D2 = (a smart as heck) little penguin Obi-Wan = red kite Anakin = peregrin falcon Ahsoka = red-footed falcon Yoda = kiwi Windu = great black woodpecker Qui-Gon = Ural owl Rex = great black-backed gull Cody = golden eagle Fives = raven Hardcase = fieldfare Jesse = hooded crow Kix = Siberian jay 99 = kakapo Hunter = osprey Omega = robin Echo = common gull Crosshair = secretary bird Tech = jackdaw (to be precise, the jackdaw I once saved from a trash bin ) Wrecker = greylag goose Palpatine = black swan Dooku = great cormorant Grievous = vulture Pong Krell = frogmouth Ventress = great grey shrike Maul = black grouse Savage = western capercaillie Kanan = spotted nutcracker Hera = barnacle goose Ezra = jay Sabine = wren Zeb = great bustard Chopper = pygmy owl Padmé = Starling Satine = crane Jar Jar Binks = flamingo Dexter Jettster = pelican Jabba the Hutt = over-bred fat turkey Darth Vader = Tyrannosaurus rex Kylo Ren = two-headed eagle ”This way!” ”No, that way!” Rey = phoenix Ewoks = those stuffed toy birds with bird-song voice boxes Clankers = rubber chicken ”So there, that was most of the birds Snowhorse and I had chosen.” // If I were to add one, I’d say that Grand Admiral Thrawn would be a crested cassowary. Both are blue and scary as heck! // ”What were your favorites? Or do you disagree with something? Or did we miss someone on our list?” // ”Happy May the Fourth everyone!” No joo okei, vielä Rex merilokkina: Well okay, one Rex as a great black-backed gull: Star Wars created by George Lucas

GET A SHIRT ON BEFORE YOU POKE SOMEONE’S EYE OUT ”You know that I like Star Wars… and Wookiees… and now in The Book of Boba Fett there’s this Wookiee warrior Black Krrsantan...” // ”Grrr!” // ”Your type of a man, eh?” ”Tall, dark and hairy...” ”And doesn’t wear a shirt!” Sarjiksen otsikko on sitaatti hienosta animaatioelokuvasta ”Sinbad – seitsemän meren sankari”. Siteeraan tätä aina kun voin. The title of this comic is a quote from a great animated movie called ”Sinbad – Legend of the Seven Seas”. I quote this every time I can. Star Wars created by George Lucas

THE END OF KENOBI ”There’s a new series called Obi-Wan Kenobi coming on May 27th.” // It tells about what happens to Obi-Wan between ”The Revenge of the Sith” and ”A New Hope”. // ”Of course I don’t know what’s going to happen in the series but… maybe it could end the way I’ve drawn it in this comic below.” Mitä sarjassa tapahtuukaan on tapahtunut. Vuodet ovat vierineet. // ”Obi-Wan.” ”Mestari Qui-Gon? Mitä opetat minulle tänään?” // ”Minä en enää opeta sinua, Obi-Wan.” ”Mutta – miksi?” // ”Sinun matkasi on jatkuttava ilman minua.” ”En ole valmis!” // ”Sinä olet valmis koska sinun on oltava valmis.” ”En – en ymmärrä.” // ”Hyvästi, Obi-Wan. Olkoon Voima kanssasi.” ”Mestari Qui-Gon…?” ”Hetkinen. Mitä tuo meteli on?” // ”Varmaan Hiekkaväki taas. Ovat varmaan jälleen käyneet jonkun kimppuun.” // ”Huokaus. Pitänee käydä katsomassa.” ”Jep, hehän siellä. Ei liene vaikeaa häätää heitä pois.” // ”Roar!” // ”Raah!” ”Iik!” // ”Toivottavasti poika on kunnossa...” ”Tervehdys.” (Loppu… ja alku.) ”This is not my prediction of how the Kenobi series will end. I mean, that depends on the series itself.” // ”And I’m not saying this is how I think it should end. Or that I’d want it to end this way.” // ”But if I were to decide, I might end it like this.” // ”And I know, it’s really cheesy and totan fan service...” // ”But think about it. We now know all of Obi-Wan’s story. This is probably the last time we’ll ever see him in live-action.” // ”And by ending where we first saw him in A New Hope (back then it was just Star Wars) we would have made a full circle.” // George Lucas himself has said about things like these, ”It’s like poetry, it rhymes.” // ”Anyway, I think it was fun to draw this. What do each of you think?” ”I think you’re a nutcase but no-one’s asking me.” ”A quick note here. Some people always take issue on how Obi-Wan says about R2 that he ”doesn’t remember ever owning a droid”. // ”Which is true, Obi-Wan never owned R2. This doesn’t mean he does not remember who R2 is. I think Obi-Wan remembers R2 and 3PO very well.” // ”Obi-Wan knows those droids and also who Luke is. But he doesn’t know why they’re all here in the desert and who has sent them.” // ”And Obi-Wan knows very well not to show his cards too early. So yeah.” Star Wars created by George Lucas

Star Wars created by George Lucas

Eli ”Se suojaa varmaan hyvin myös hyttysiltä” A.k.a ”I guess it’s pretty good against mosquitoes, too” ”I’d want a Clone Trooper armor.” // ”So that you could paint it in some cool way?” ”No, but to actually use it.” // ”You see, Clone Troopers wear the same armor on almost any planet. Only when it’s really, really cold the clones have some special gear. But they can even go to space in that armor!” // ”And since the armor itself probably isn’t that warm, the clones must have the best underwear in the galaxy!” ”Well… that is true!” // ”And I mean, I want the whole armor because it would be so handy on camps.” // ”Welcome to the camp. I’m Kati, your camp leader.” The title of this post is a quote from The Clone Wars episode ”Rookies” where Captain Rex introduces himself to Hevy, Fives, and Echo by saying, ”The name’s Rex but you’ll call me Captain or Sir”. Later on at least Echo calls him just Rex. Star Wars created by George Lucas

YODAGATOR "After 400 meters turn right." // "That navigator is pretty boring all right..." "Yeah, it could be..." // "After 400 meters, turn right you must!" // "Hahaha! Or it could say..." // "Raah! Rwhaa roaaahh!" // "I wonder where we'd end up following those instructions?" "I depends on how well you speak wookiee." // "And when we come to the highway..." // "...we jump to hyper spaceeeeeeeee!!!" Ja vielä teille, jotka ajattelitte, että Yodagaattori on Yoda + alligaattori eikä Yoda + navigaattori. And here's to everyone who thought that Yodagator is Yoda + alligator instead of Yoda + navigator. Star Wars created by George Lucas

THE IMPORTANCE OF CERTAIN-POINT-OF-VIEWING ”Today it’s been 45 years since the premiere of the very first Star Wars movie!” // ”And to celebrate it I will over-analyze one line from that movie. You will find my over-analysis below.” 'A New Hope': "I was once a Jedi Knight, the same as your father." // "He was the best star pilot in the galaxy. And a cunning warrior." // "And he was a good friend." // 'The Empire Strikes Back': "He told me you killed him!" // "No. I am your father." // 'Return of the Jedi':"He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I told you was true... from a certain point of view." // "And... let's stop here." // "Why did Obi-Wan tell the truth 'from a certain point of view'? The easy answer is that originally 'Vader killed Anakin' WAS the truth. Star Wars was supposed to be just one movie, and Vader wasn't Luke's father." // "But in-story reasons are more interesting." "Obi-Wan knew that Anakin became Vader. So he was certain-point-of-viewing on purpose." // "Obi-Wan was also a smart guy and anticipated that Vader couldn't be defeated in battle. So there had to be another way." // Had Obi-Wan said: "Yeah, your father is Darth Vader, the worst guy in the galaxy. Killed children and your mother." // This would have happened: "You're evil!" "Yep. Come to the Dark Side." "Well okay." To put it simply, that is. // But because Obi-Wan had told what a good person Anakin had once been: "Maybe there's still good in my father, he can be saved!" // And this made all the difference! "Come to the Dark Side." "No. You come back to the Light!" // Luke never won Vader in battle but by believing Anakin was still there... "Eek!" // "And without Obi-Wan's certain-point-of-viewing Luke wouldn't have had anything to believe in!" "Also, what Obi-Wan says about Anakin is really nicely said in general and one of my favorite scenes, too - especially since Obi-Wan knows what Anakin became." // "I've also been thinking about the name of the movie. Originally, it was just 'Star Wars' but after it got sequels it was renamed 'A New Hope'." // What happened in the movie - destroying the Death Star and so on - brought new hope to the whole galaxy. // And Luke is, of course, the new hope for the destroyed Jedi Order. // "But there's one more who got some new hope in 'A New Hope'. And that is Anakin Skywalker. What Obi-Wan said sent Luke on a path that - in the end - led him to bring Anakin back to the Light Side. And I find that a nice thought." // "And thus ends my over-analysis on what Obi-Wan said about Anakin in 'A New Hope'." "Now I shall celebrate and watch that movie!" Star Wars created by George Lucas

Tämä sarjis on luultavasti mielekkäämpi, jos olet nähnyt Clone Warsin jakson Landing at Point Rain. Jos et ole, voit katsoa olennaisen pätkän täältä , lähinnä viimeinen minuutti on tarpeen. Jesse ei ole katsonut kyseistä pätkää, ja siksi hän ei tiedä, mitä oikein tapahtuu. This comic probably makes more sense if you've seen the Clone Wars episode Landing at Point Rain. If you haven't, you can watch the essential parts here , mainly the last minute or so is important. Jesse hasn't watched that clip so he doesn't understand what's going on. "So there, that was my Star Wars May! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had drawing it." // "Ahem, excuse me." // "Yes, Mr Spock?" "It would be nothing but logical to make a Star Trek Month as well." // "And a ninja turtle month." "Hey, us too!" "What birds are we?" "I want my own appreciation month!" "Same here!" "We wouldn't be opposed to one either!" // "Right. Aramis, you'd so be a shelduck." // "And MacGyver, my whole life is practically your appreciation month!" Niin, ja sitten tulin luvanneeksi Lumihevoselle oman sarjiksen paidattomista klooneista (saavat muutkin sen lukea). Tämä tapahtuu Clone Warsin jakson The Deserter aikana. Yeah, and I happened to promise Snowhorse a comic about shirtless clones (others may read this, too). This happens during the Clone Wars episode The Deserter. "This is going great again. I was shot in the chest..." // "...my brothers left me to heal in some random dude's barn..." // "...and now some damn space cow is licking my face!" // "I guess it wouldn't be embarrassing for a soldier to cry for his mother in a situation like this." // "...if I had a mother, that is." Star Wars created by George Lucas

A DAY AS LONG AS A YEAR Joillain ihmisillä on ilmeisesti syvällisiä "suihkuajatuksia", mä taas ajattelen kummallisia harjatessani hampaita. Apparently, some people have depp "shover thoughts", I just think weird stuff when brushing my teeth. Brush brush // "What if... the Earth turned really slowly?" // So slowly that there'd be just one day and night in a year? So that a year and a nychthemeron would be equally long. // "Night side" would probably always be covered in ice. // I wonder if there could be life that followed the day/summer around the planet? // "Of course... Such a one day/year system already exists on the poles..." // "Oh well... back to work it is..."

OCCASIONALLY I'M OBSOLETE "Hi Mom! Hi Big Brother!" "Hello!" "Hi!" // "And happy Mother's Day!" "Thank you!" // "I didn't bring anything but myself... but you wouldn't be a mother without me." // "Kati. You have a big brother. So I literally don't need you to be a mother." "Yeah, remember me?" // "..." // ""That is logical all right..." "But other than that you're important and dear." Tämä ei oikeasti tapahtunut muualla kuin päässäni. None of this actually happened anywhere else than in my brain.

GOOD TEACHING METHODS "This one here is red sorrel, it's easy to recognize from the shape of the leaves." // "And the taste is pretty sour and salty, too." // "Did you just eat that leaf?" "Yes." // "Help help our teacher ate the teaching material!!!"

SOME GULL "And what is this bird here?" "A herring gull!" // "That's really close! It's a common gull. You can tell by color of the legs." // "...but it's got a fish in its mouth so of course it has to be a herring gull!" "!?" // "Congratulations, you have mastered the fine art of fast-talking." A note on the English translation: the original comic is about terns, however the joke (and the actual event!) does not translate. It does work with gulls, though, so I changed the species so that you can enjoy the good save my student came up with.

FULL BODY JOB "Birds can be identified from other things than colors and patters, too." // "Such as from sounds. A wood pigeon sounds something like this... wro-huu-hu-hu-huu!" "That sounds really authentic!" // "Woodpeckers have an easy-to-recognize flying style: flapflapflap - sliiiiide - flapflapflap - sliiiiide..." // "Starlings mostly walk... whereas blackbirds jump, like this. A little bit quieter, though." // "Herons have a fun way of walking. Kinda careful and noble." // "A white-tailed eagle soars like a barn door tossed to the sky..." // "...circling slowly without moving its wings... disappearing into the azure... like so..."

YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD STALKER "Hey, Neighbor is at home!" "I wanna see, too!" // "Can you see Neighbor's kids?" "Not right now." // "They should be there though, they're still so young." "Yeah..." // "Hey yes, now I can see the Neighbor's kids, too!" "Let me see as well!" // "Oh my, they're grown so much!" "Yeah, and they're cute all right." // We are not watching you but the fieldfare nest in the tree!

MOSQUITOES "Damn, mosquitoes!" // "And I don't have a mosquito net. What would MacGyver do?" // "Well, he'd of course take out the duct tape roll he'd brought along..." // "...rip off some pieces with which he'd tape..." // "...the hammock into a 'pea pod' where mosquitoes won't bother him." // "Hah. This actually works." "Darn." // This method is 100% MacGyver approved!

Onni on Temmin hahmo Sankariakatemia-roolipelissä. Onni on ihmisen kokoinen alien-orava, jolla on pakkomielle pähkinöihin. Hän on myös porukan MacGyver. Onni (whose name means ”Luck”) in Temmi’s character in the Hero Academy RPG. Onni is a human-sized alien-squirrel with an obsession to nuts. He’s the MacGyver of the team. Random kissa on random. Random cat is random.

IT'S METAL, BUT IMAGINARY "Well, you all know that I read a lot and also watch TV and movies." // "And I have noticed that there's often this kind of plot pattern in sci-fi and fantasy..." // The Lord of the Rings: "We have this really fine and valuable metal, Mithril. I think we could fight over who owns it." // Star Wars: "The Empire stole super strong and precious metal, Beskar, from the Mandalorians. This annoys us greatly." // Mervel: "Your shield is made of Vibranium! So it belongs to Wakanda!" "Let's fight over it." // Stargate: "The gate has of a metal called Naquadah." "You can also make a bomb out of it. So it's worth a war." // "Not to say that real history didn't do it..." // Chilkoot Pass, 1896: Half of us are gonna die!" (Gold?) // "Metal and people don't match that well." The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien Star Wars by Lucasfilm Marvel by, well, Marvel Stargate by Metro Goldwin Mayer

LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP Olin töissä ammattikoulussa puoli vuotta. Se oli enimmäkseen aika kivaa, mutta sitten oli näitä koulutuksia... I worked in a vocational school for six months. It was mostly pretty much fun but then there were training days... "That's a herring gull, right?" "Yes, that's correct!" // "I'd also like to welcome you to this remote training." "There are quite a few of you, 186 altogether." "..." // "Here, have a garlic mustard chip!" "Yummy!" // "...when comparing to the last three years..." // "Well, now it's burning, good job!" "Yes!" // "...mirroring the values of the learning institute..." "Z" // "Just a little longer, you can do this!" // "...KrOps and SePo teams and the Alisa software..." "!!!" // "~~~~~!" "~~~~~!" // "...charting the customer profile..." "Grrrggh."

COME WITH ME, SOW THE SEED OF THE APPLE TREE "Oh, someone had dumped a house plant on the street." // "I guess I'll take it with me. After all, I promised that all homeless plants would be welcome to my home ." Jutun otsikko on sitaatti Juice Leskisen kappaleesta Myrkytyksen oireet. Pelastamani kasvi ei toki ollut omenapuu vaan joku limoviikuna tai jotain, mutta muuten sopii tyyliin. The title of this post is a quote from Finnish artist Juice Leskinen's song Symptoms of Poisoning. I didn't even know before that the song has been translated to English. The plant I saved was not an apple tree but some sort of a ficus tree, and the Finnish version somehow works better anyway, but whatever.

WORK MATE BIRDS Olin kevään opettajana ammattikoulussa. Lähtiessäni piirsin työkaverini lintuina. In the spring I worked as a teacher in a vocational school. When I left, I drew my work mates as birds. Kortin sisälle piirsin itseni selittämään asioita, ja olin tietenkin varis: I drew myself inside the card explaining things, and naturally I was a crow: Opiskelijat olivat tällä kertaa kaikki liroja. All the students were wood sandpipers this time.

LAST WORDS "You ready?" "I hope so..." // "Here we go!" // "This is a bad idea!" "This is a BRILLIANT idea!" // "And if we die now, those were my magnificent last words!" // "No they weren't, you spoke after them." "!" // "This was a BRILLIANT idea!" "Good! Now shut up and concentrate on steering!"

SUPER POWER "The others are on the next bus, it should be here in a moment." // "I think I'll wait on the bank there." // ...// ...// "Hey, Kati is there!" // "How long have you been there?" "All the time. Apparently one turns invisible if one doesn't move."

PROPHECY Summer Camp Fair: Fortuneteller! // "Well, Peter, did you go see the fortuneteller?" ""Yes." // "And what did she tell you?" "Well, that..." // "I'll get a new sister within the year." // *Plab* // "There there..." "No! Not another Rosie! Not another Rosie!!!" Rosie: >:(

CLOTHING PROBLEMS On a camp: "Phew, it's hot!" "We wanna go swimming!" // "Good night, instructors!" // "I hope nobody minds if I sleep in just my underpants since it's so warm." "By all means." // *Rumble!* // "Now that's quite the storm!" "Should we go check the kids are alright?" // "I'll go. But where are all my clothes now?" // "Never mind, I'll just take my raincoat." "Tell us if you need any help there!" // "I do hope everything's okay! I really wouldn't wanna move a tent wearing nothing but undies and a raincoat!"

DEMAND "Oh, someone's dropped their phone." "I see." // "We could take it to the police. Where might the closest police station be?" "Right on the other side of this street." // "Hi, we found someone's phone." "Do you have any demands regarding this matter?" // "Well, a reward for finding it, of course. A big one." // "And its owner's horse. And their kingdom." // "And their first-born (not that I'd know what to do with it). And why not their other offspring, too." // "And all their future income from now until the end of time donated to nature conservation and -- " // "...no?" Juristiystäväni kyllä valisti minua jälkeenpäin, että esimerkiksi löytöpalkkiota voisi kyllä vaatia, ja ylipäätään "kaikkea voi aina vaatia, mutta on toinen asia saako sitä". Ei kyllä silloin tullut mieleen vaatia yhtään mitään, enkä kyllä olisi vaatinutkaan siitä, että kävelin vapaapäivänäni kirjaimellisesti tien toiselle puolelle poliisiasemalle. My jurist friend did tell me later on that one could always demand a reward, and that, in general, "you can always demand everything, but getting it is a different story". It didn't occur to me at the moment that I could actually demand some sort of reward, and I wouldn't have in any case, for literally walking across the street to the police station on my day off.

MONTH OF FAMILIES BEGINS! "Oh, it¨s August already." // "And I thought that after a year and a half we could have a comeback of the... Month challenge!" // "And this time the theme is families." // "There are of course all sorts of families in real life and in fiction, and they're all equally valuable. But I had to limit my list somehow." // "So I decided that 'chosen families', as is groups of friends that consider each other a family, would be left out in this case as they would have ended up in the Month of Friendship list." // "To make it to this list you'd need either blood relation, for example being siblings..." // "...or some sort of a parent-child relationship. Adoptions and others like that work as well! But of course every group that considers itself a family is a family." // "Other than that this works just like the Month of Friendship. I post daily, and these are in random order." // "And we begin tomorrow!" Selvennyksenä vielä niille, jotka eivät ehkä ole aikaisemmin näitä kuukausihaasteita seuranneet: kyseessä ovat siis suosikkini fiktiivisistä perheistä esimerkiksi kirjoista ja elokuvista. Tosielämän perheitä en tässä käsittele, se olisi aika epäilyttävää toimintaa. To make things clearer to those who may not have followed my previous month challenges: these are my favorites of fictional families from, for example books and movies. I will not tackle real-life families here, that would be rather questionable.

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 1 RONJA, MATIAS JA LOVIISA – RONJA, MATTIS & LOVIS (Ronja, ryövärintytär – Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter ) ”Ronja!” ”What is it?” ”I just wanted to hear that you were really there.” ”Of course I’m here.” Ronja, ryövärintytär (kuten aika monet muutkin hyvät tarinat) on luultavasti aika erilainen jos sen lukee lapsena kuin jos sen lukee aikuisena, jolla ehkä itsellään on lapsia. Lapsille se on hauska kertomus ystävyydestä ja kesän viettämisestä villissä luonnossa. Aikuiselle ehkä jää mieleen paremmin se, miten Ronjan isän Matiaksen epäluulot Ronjan ystävää Birkiä kohtaan on vähällä hajottaa koko perheen, ja kuinka paljon Ronja, Matias ja Loviisa kaipaavat toisiaan. Onneksi Loviisa on hyvä ja ajattelevainen äiti (ja vaimo, joka laittaa ryövärikuningas Matiaksenkin järjestykseen) ja Matiaskin lopulta tajuaa, että perhe ja rakkaus ovat tärkeämpiä kuin vanhat kaunat – jotka nekin voivat muuttua kunnioitukseksi ja ystävyydeksi. Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter (like pretty many other good stories, too) is a very different story if you read it as a child compared to if you’re reading it as a adult, maybe one with their own children. For kids, it’s a fun story of friendship and spending the summer in the wild woods. For an adult, what stays in mind might be how Ronja’s father’s, Mattis’, prejudice towards Ronja’s friend Birk nearly tears the family apart, and how much Ronja, Mattis and Lovis miss each other. Luckily, Lovis is a good mother who thinks of everything (and a wife who even keeps the Robber King Mattis in line) and in the end Mattis, too, realizes that family and love are more important than old grudges – and even they can turn into respect and friendship. The quote above by Mattis and Ronja Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 2 HAMMOND & LAPSENLAPSET – HAMMOND & GRANDCHILDREN (Tähtiportti – Stargate SG1 ) ”Suffice to say you might want to get upstairs and punch ’1’ on the old speed dial.” ”My grandchildren?” ”’2’, then.” Kenraali George Hammond on tärkeä mies, upseeri, Tähtiportti-ohjelman pomo – ja isoisä. Hänen lapsenlapsensa nähdään sarjassa vain pari kertaa, mutta Hammond luopuu heti paikastaan Tähtiportin päällikkönä kun heitä uhkaillaan, vaikka muuten häntä ei pelota yhtään mikään. Aika useissa jaksoissa Hammond nähdään puhelimessa juttelemassa lapsenlastensa kanssa milloin mistäkin, koulun näytelmistä ja irronneista hampaista, ihan niinkuin hyvän isoisän kuuluukin. General George Hammond is an important man, an army officer, the commander of the Stargate program – and a grandfather. His grandchildren are seen in the series only a couple of times but Hammond instantly gives up his place as the Stragate commander when they are threatened even though otherwise he’s scared of nothing. In quite a few episodes Hammond is seen on the phone chatting with his grandchildren of all sorts of things from school plays to lost teeth, just like a good grandfather should. The quote above by Jack O’Neill and Hammond in the episode Unnatural Selection, where Jack for once thinks it would be a good idea to call the president. Stargate SG1 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 3 JALIN PERHE – CHARLIE’S FAMILY (Jali ja suklaatehdas – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ) ”For they loved this little boy. He was the only bright thing in their lives, and his evening visits were something that they looked forward to all day long. Often, Charlie’s mother and father would come in as well, and stand by the door, listening to the stories that the old people told; and thus, perhaps half an hour every night, this room would become a happy place, and the whole family would forget that it was hungry and poor...” Jalin perhe on melkein niin köyhä kuin kuvitella saattaa. Kaikki neljä isovalhempaakin joutuvat nukkumaan yhdessä ja samassa sängyssä, kun ei ole varaa toiseen, ja Jali ja hänen vanhempansa joutuvat tyytymään pelkkiin patjoihin. Mutta kun Jali saa tilaisuuden muuttaa asumaan Villi Vonkan suklaatehtaaseen, hän kieltäytyy lähtemästä, jos muu perhe ei pääse mukaan – ja onneksi herra Vonkka toivottaa heidätkin mielellään tervetulleeksi. (Aina Roald Dahlin hahmoja näihin haasteisiin kuvatessani yritän – vaihtelevalla menestyksellä – jäljitellä hänen teoksensa kuvittaneen Quentin Blaken tyyliä. Jos joskus teen jonkin ”tosielämän sankarit” -listan, aion laittaa Quentin Blaken sinne – enkä vain siksi, että hänen nimensä alkaa Q:lla!) Charlie’s family is almost as poor as possible. All the four grandparents have to sleep in the same bed, as they can’t afford another one, and Charlie and his parents have to settle for mattresses. But when Charlie has the opportunity to move into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, he refuses if the whole family can’t come along – and luckily, Mr Wonka is happy to welcome them along. (Whenever I’m drawing Roald Dahl’s characters for these challenges I try to mimic – with varying success – the style used by Quentin Blake who illustrated almost all of his books. If I ever make a ”Month of Real-life Heroes” list I’m going to have Quentin Blake there – and not just because his name begins with a Q!) The quote above from from Chapter 2 of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 4 MUFASA & SCAR (Leijonakuningas – The Lion King ) ”Yes, well, as slippery as your mind is, as the king’s brother, you should have been first in line!” ”Well, I was first in line, until the little hairball was born.” ”That hairball is my son, and your future king.” Mufasa ja Scar ovat leijonaveljekset, joilla ei todellakaan ole hyvä suhde. Oikeastaan heidän suhteensa on niin huono, että isoveljelleen kateellinen Scar tappaa Mufasan päästäkseen kuninkaaksi. Jos kyseessä olisi oikeita leijonia, veljekset saattaisivat joskus tapella, mutta yleensä leijonaveljekset pitävät yhtä ja hallitsevat yhdessä valtaamaansa laumaa. Yhdessä laumassa saattaa olla jopa neljä ”kuningasta”, jotka ovat kaikki läheistä sukua keskenään. Mutta koska Leijonakuningas on Hamlet savannilla, eivät leijonaveljekset tietenkään voi olla kovin hyvissä väleissä. Mufasa and Scar are lion brothers with a definitely not very great relationship. Actually, their relationship is so bad that the jealous Scar kills his big brother Mufasa to become the king himself. If they were actual lions they might sometimes quarrel but usually lion brothers co-operate and rule the pride they’ve taken over together. One pride may have up to four ”kings” that are all closely related. But since The Lion King is Hamlet on savanna the lion brothers of course cannot have that good a relationship. The quote above by Zazu, Mufasa, and Scar The Lion King by Disney

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 5 MANDO & GROGU ( The Mandalorian ) ”You are a clan of two.” Din Djarinin (eli ”Mandon”) ja Grogun perhe-elämä ei alkanut parhaalla mahdollisella tavalla. Mando on palkkionmetsästäjä, jonka piti toimittaa pikku-Grogu pahoille häiskille epämääräisiä, mutta arvatenkin ikäviä tarkoituksia varten. Mando kuitenkin katui sitä, että myi lapsen pahiksille rahasta ja ryösti tämän takaisin. Vähin erin palkkionmetsästäjästä tuli Grogulle adoptioisä. Hauskinta tässä parivaljakossa on se, että isähahmo on poikaansa parikymmentä vuotta nuorempi – mutta scifissä kaikki on mahdollista! The family life of Din Djarin (aka. ”Mando”) and Grogu didn’t start off too well. Mando is a bounty hunter whose job it was to take little Grogu to bad guys for some vague, yet probably nasty reasons. However, Mando felt bad about selling a child to the villains and stole him back. Little by little the bounty hunter became Grogu’s adopted father. The funniest thing about these two is that the father figure is some twenty years younger than his son – but in science fiction everything is possible! The quote above by the Armorer in the episode ’Redemption’. The Mandalorian by Lucasfilm

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 6 KILPIKONNAT & TIKKU – THE TURTLES & SPLINTER (Teini-ikäiset mutanttininjakilpikonnat – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ) ”There are only two things we can give our children: one is roots, and the other is wings.” Kyllä te arvasitte, että tungen rakkaat kilpparipoikani tälle listalle, eikö vain? Mitä teet, kun olet viemärissä asuva mutatoitunut ninjarotta ja löydät neljä mutanttoitunutta kilpikonnanpoikasta? No tietysti adoptoit ne, nimeät renessanssitaiteilijoiden mukaan ja koulutat ninjoiksi. Kilpikonnat ja Tikku-rotta kohtelevat toisiaan kuin oppilaat ja opettaja, mutta myös kuin teinipojat ja vanha isäukko – veljesten välistä jatkuvaa torailua, naljailua ja ystävyyttä unohtamatta. Tähän kuvaan piirsin kilpikonnat pieninä iltasatuaikaan. Surely you guessed that I’d have my beloved turtle boys on this list, right? What do you do when you are a mutated ninja rat living in the sewers and you find four mutated turtle babies? Well, of course you adopt them, name them after Renaissance artists and teach them ninjitsu. The turtles and Splinter the rat treat each other as students and a teacher but also as teenage sons and their old father – not forgetting the constant fighting, bickering and friendship between the brothers. In this picture I wanted to draw the turtles as toddlers waiting for their bed-time story. The quote above by Splinter in the 2003 series episode Enter the Jammerhead (not a very good episode otherwise but has some pretty good one-liners and a nice Star Wars reference) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird Bonus! Extra quotes! The same 'Enter the Jammerhead' episode from the 2003 series as mentioned before: Cody: "Hey, that's what friends are for!" Mikey: "Yeah, to make up for the family you got stuck with!" 2003 series episode 'The King' (after the turtles have stayed with April for a while): April: "I feel like I've gone from happily single to a mother a four overnight." Splinter: "Tell me about it." Some 2003 series episode, I can't remember which one: Raphael: "Too bad he [the Shredder] forgot about the little 90 pound weapon of mass destruction we like to call 'dear old dad'." The amazing movie Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (I'm fighting the urge to tell evyryone what a blast this movie is!): Leo: "My name is Leonardo. These are my brothers, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo." Batgirl: "Seriously?" Donnie: "Our father was reeeeally into Renaissance painters." Mikey: "And he's a rat!"

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 7 SOLOMONIT – THE SOLOMONS (Kolmas kivi auringista – 3rd Rock from the Sun ) ”Most families do have two cars.” ”Most families have a couch. Most families have a mother. Most families are related. If that’s what you want, go move in with most families.” No, nämä kaverit – Dick, Tommy, Sally ja Harry – eivät oikeasti ole perhe tai edes sukua keskenään. He ovat ulkoavaruuden muukalaisia tutkimassa Maata ja ihmisiä, ja joukkoon sulautuakseen he esittävät olevansa perhe. Tämä ei tietenkään aina onnistu erityisen hyvin, kun jotakin komentoketjuakin pitäisi noudattaa. Mutta jos esittää perhettä – tässä isää, poikaa, tätiä ja setää – riittävän kauan, alkaa vähin erin oikeastikin muuttua perheeksi. Well, these guys – Dick, Tommy, Sally and Harry – are not actually a family or even related. They are aliens from outer space studying the Earth and humans, pretending to be a family to blend in. Of course this doesn’t always go so well, with a chain of command to adhere to and all. But fake it ’till you make it – if you play a father, a son, an aunt and an uncle long enough, you start actually becoming a family. The quote above by Tommy and Dick in the episode Auto Erodica 3rd Rock from the Sun created by Bonnie and Terry Turner

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 8 WEASLEYT – THE WEASLEYS (Harry Potter) ”I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That’s everyone in the family!” ”What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?” Weasleyta kuvaa kolme asiaa: 1) Heillä on punaiset hiukset, 2) he ovat köyhiä, ja 3) heitä on paljon. Kohta 1 ei sinällään vaikuta kohtiin 2 ja 3, mutta kohdista 2 ja 3 huolimatta tämä perhe toivottaa kotiinsa ja ruokapöytäänsä tervetulleiksi kaikki muutkin, vaikka heillä ei olisikaan punaisia hiuksia. Koska oikeaa rikkautta eivät ole kaljuunat pankin hovissa, vaan rakkaat ihmiset pöydän ääressä. There are three things to describe the Weasleys: 1) they all have ginger hair, 2) they are poor, and 3) there are a lot of them. Thing 1 doesn’t really affect things 2 and 3, but despite of things 2 and 3, this family always welcomes everyone in their home and their dinner table, ginger hair or not. Because real richness is not galleons in the bank vault but the people you love around the table. The quote above by Mrs Weasley and George in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 9 THOR & LOKI (Thor) ”I’ve never met this man in my life.” ”He’s my brother!” ”Adopted.” Thor on ylijumala Odinin poika ja Loki jääjättiläinen, jonka Odin adoptoi tämän ollessa vauva. Jo muinaisessa norjalaisessa mytologissa Loki aiheutti Thorille ja muille jumalille harmaita hiuksia kaikilla edesottamuksillaan, ja sama meno jatkuu Marvelin sarjakuvissa ja elokuvissa. Ensimmäisen aallon Avengers-leffoissa Lokin puuhailut laittoivat usein juonen liikkeelle, jotta sankareilla olisi jotakin puuhaa. What if…? -sarjassa taas pohditaan, millainen tyyppi Thorista olisi tullut, jos Loki ei olisi ollut hänen vastavoimansa, ja, no, bileet olisivat paremmat, mutta pulassa oltaisiin, kun Thorista olisi kasvanut vastuuton hulttio. Hupaisinta on se, miten Thor ja Loki viittaavat toisiinsa veljinä silloin, kun se heille sopii ja on tilanteessa heille edullista, mutta kieltävät kaiken silloin, kun sukulaisuus aiheuttaa harmia. Vaikka veljeydestä ei niin vain voikaan irtisonoutua. Thor is the son of the high god Odin and Loki is an ice giant that Odin adopted when he was just a baby. In the Norwegian mythology Loki caused trouble to Thor and other Gods with his doings, and the same continues in Marvel comics and movies. In the first phase of Avengers movies Loki’s schemes were often what caused the whole story and gave the heroes something to do. In the What if…? series it is shown what would have become of Thor had he not had Loki to grow up with and let’s just say that the party would be harder but we’d be in trouble because Thor would have grown into a irresponsible party animal. The funniest thing is how Thor and Loki refer to one another as brothers when it’s convenient for them but deny everything when being brothers is a problem. Even though you really cannot resign from being a brother. The quote above by Loki and Thor in the movie Thor Ragnarok Thor by Marvel

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 10 LUCY, EDMUND, SUSAN & PETER (Narnian tarinat – The Chronicles of Narnia ) ”Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids...” Toisen maailmansodan aikoihin Lontoosta lähetettiin lapsia maalle sodan pommituksia pakoon. C. S. Lewisin luo lähetettiin myös muutamia lapsia sodalta turvaan, ja siitä hän sai ajatuksen kirjoittaa kirjan – joka ei juurikaan kertonut sodasta tai pommituksista, vaan vaatekaapista löytyneestä maailmasta ja neljästä sisaruksesta, jotka lähtivät sitä tutkimaan. Tietenkään kaikki ei ole aina onnea ja auvoa, kun on sisaruksista kyse, mutta lopulta he päätyivät hallitsemaan vaatekaapista löytämäänsä maailmaa kaikki yhdessä sulassa sovussa. Around Ward War II children were sent away from London because of the bombings. Some children were sent to C. S. Lewis for some time, and this inspired him to write a story – that didn’t really tell about war or bombings but of a world found in a wardrobe and four siblings who set out to explore it. Of course not everything goes smoothly and happily when you’ve got siblings involved, but in the end they rule the world they found all together in peace and harmony. The quote above is the first lines of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (and thus the very first lines of Narnia stories altogether!) The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 11 MERIDA & ELINOR (Urhea – Brave ) ”Why a bear? Oh! That scaffy witch gave me a gammy spell! It’s not my fault. I didn’t ask her to change you into a bear. I just wanted her to change… you.” Pitäähän listalla luonnollisesti olla yksi hankala äiti-tytär -suhde. Prinsessa Meridan äiti Elinor haluaisi, että Merida olisi rauhallinen ja tyyni, kuten Elinor itse, kun taas Merida tahtoisi ratsastella nummilla hiukset hulmuten. Meridan tuskastuneisuus johtaa hänet pyytämään apua aika hämäräperäiseltä noidalta, mutta tietenkään kaikki ei mene niin kuin hän oli suunnitellut. Onneksi mukava kalastusretki ja muutama hengenvaara lähentävät äitiä ja tytärtä niin, että kaikki kääntyy lopulta parhain päin. Naturally there has to be a difficult mother-daughter relationship on this list. Princess Merida’s mother Elinor would want Merida to be calm and collected, just like Elinor herself, whereas Merida just wants to ride on the moors with her hair flowing. Merida’s frustration with the situation leads her to ask for helm from a rather shady witch and of course things don’t go as she had planned. Luckily a fishing trip and some mortal dangers bring the mother and the daughter closer together, and in the end everything gets better. The quote above by Merida Brave by Pixar

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 12 MADRIGALIT – THE MADRIGALS (Encanto) ”Look at this family, a glowing constellation So full of stars and everybody wants to shine...” Madrigalien perheessa jokaisella on taikavoimia – paitsi elokuvan päähenkilöllä Mirabelilla. Siksi kukaan ei odota häneltä mitään, mutta täydellisen pinnan alla kukaan muukaan ei ole onnellinen. Perheen isoäiti Abuela nimittäin vaatii niin paljon kaikilta, ettei kukaan ehdi nauttia elämästään. Ratkaisuna tilanteeseen on toki vanha kunnon asioista puhuminen, ja lopulta kaikki kääntyy parhain päin. Jotkut internetin kovaääniset ovat sitä mieltä, että koko perheen olisi pitänyt vain hylätä Abuela, koska hänen vaativuutensa myrkytti koko perheen ja sai kaikki voimaan pahoin – mutta se ei olisi ensinnäkään ollut onnellinen loppu, eikä Abuela myöskään tajunnut aiheuttavansa muille pahaa oloa ja stressiä. Jos kaikki olisivat vain hylänneet hänet, mitään ei olisi voitettu, vaan koko muuten ihana ja toisiaan tukeva perhe olisi hajonnut. Kuten muuallakin elämässä, pitää myös perheen sisällä puhua asioista (koska edes maaagiset tyypit eivät yleensä osaa lukea ajatuksia!) ja antaa toisille mahdollisuus muuttaa käytöstään. Jos sittenkin toinen jatkaa kurjaa käytöstään, voi hänelle sanoa hyvästit – mutta useimmat ansaitsevat tilaisuuden, ja siihen Abuelakin onneksi tarttui. In the Madrigal family everyone has magical powers – except the movie’s main character Mirabel. Therefore nobody expects anything from her, but under the perfect surface no one else is happy either. The grandmother Abuela demands so much from everyone that no one has the time to enjoy their lives. The solution is, of course, good old-fashioned talking about things, and in the end everything turns out well. Some loud people online are saying that the family should have just left Abuela because her demanding nature was toxic and made to whole family miserable – but that wouldn’t have been a happy ending, and also Abuela didn’t realize that she was causing all this stress and discomfort for everyone else. If others had just abandoned her, no one would have won; instead, the otherwise wonderful and supporting family would have been broken. As in life in general, in a family you have to talk about things (because even magical people can’t usually read minds!) and give others the chance to change their behavior. If the other person continues their unfair behavior after that, it might be the time to say good-bye – but most people deserve a chance, and luckily Abulea took hers. The quote by Mirabel in the song ’All of You’ Encanto by Disney

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 13 SEITSEMÄN VELJESTÄ – THE SEVEN BROTHERS ”Siinä onpi veljessarja Jalo niin kuin sonnikarja Voimalla seitsemän miehen!” ”There you have the roster full As noble as a herd of bulls The seven strapping brothers!” Tässähän on todellinen suomalainen klassikko. Luin Seitsemän veljestä lukiossa, ja itse asiassa ihan pidin siitä (jos alkuperäisteos ei nappaa, suosittelen Mauri Kunnaksen Seitsemää koiraveljestä – aivan huikea ja todella hauska versio!). Vaikka varmaan puolet vuorosanoista kuuluu Juhanille, saavat kaikki veljeksistä hetkensä ja jokaisen oma luonne ja paikka veljesjoukossa löytyy. Ja tämähän on kasvukertomus, jossa hulttioveljeksistä kasvaa kunnon miehiä – eikä kukaan siihen yksin pysty, vaan kyllä siihen veljiä tarvitaan mukaan, niin niitä vanhimpia kuin nuorempiakin. The Seven Brothers is a real Finnish classic. I read this in high school and quite liked it. Even though the oldest brother Juhani gets maybe half of the speaking lines, all the brothers get their moment to shine and everyone’s personality and place in the family can be found. And this is a story of how a group of lazy good-for-nothing brothers grow up to be decent men – and none of them can do it alone, all need their brothers for it, both the older and the younger ones. The quote above is from a song that other boys sing to the seven brothers to mock them. I wanted to put both the original Finnish version and a translated (by Richard A. Impola) version here. The Seven Brothers by Aleksis Kivi

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 14 MUUMIPERHE – THE MOOMIN FAMILY (Muumit – The Moomins ) ”Moominmamma will know what to do.” Muumipeikolla on mitä ihanin perhe. Hänen vanhempansa antavat hänen lähteä seikkailemaan kavereidensa kanssa milloin vain ja pakkaavat vielä eväätkin valmiiksi. Ja kun Muumipeikko tulee kotiin, ovat Mamma ja Pappa vastassa, kannustamassa ja lohduttamassa – ja ruoka on pöydässä valmiina. Ja sen pöydän ympärille ovat aina ystävätkin tervetulleita. Pannukakkua ja vattuhilloa riittää kaikille. Muumintroll has the most wonderful family. His parents let him go adventuring with his friends whenever he wants to, and they even make him sandwiches to take along. And when Moomintroll comes back home, Mamma and Pappa are there for him, to support and comfort – and dinner is ready. And all their friends are always welcome to join them. There’s plenty of pancakes and raspberry jam for everyone. The quote above by Moomintroll in the book Comet in Moominland Moomins created by Tove Jansson

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 15 PERUNAPÄÄT JA ALIENIT – POTATO HEADS AND ALIENS (Toy Story) ”You have saved our lives. We are eternally grateful.” ”You saved their lives? Oh, my hero! And they’re so adorable! Let’s adopt them!” ”Daaaaddyyyy!!!” Buzz viittaa kerran Toy Storyn lelujengiin perheenä, mutta minusta he kuuluvat enemmänkin sinne iso-joukko-ystäviä-jotka-pitävät-toisiaan-perheenä -kategoriaan, jossa ei tosiaan ole mitään pahaa, mutta jotenkin minun piti rajata tätä listaa. Sen sijaan herra ja rouva Perunapää sekä heidän adoptoimansa kolme identtistä alienia muodostavat pienemmän perheen tämän suuremman perheen sisällä. Herra Perunapää pelasti alkujaan alienit putoamasta pizza-auton ikkunasta, ja alieneilla tulee myöhemmin tilaisuus maksaa velkansa korkojen kanssa. Alieneilla tosin ei ole kovinkaan laaja sanavarasto, joten en usko, että perheen yhteinen aika sisältää kovin jännittäviä keskusteluja – onneksi ei tarvitsekaan. Buzz once says that the toy gang of Toy Story is a family but I’d say they belong to that a-big-group-of-friends-who-consider-each-other-a-family category which is all well and good but I had to somehow limit this list. However, inside this larger family there is a smaller family that consists of Mr and Mrs Potato Head and the three identical aliens they adopted. Originally, Mr Potato head saved the aliens from falling out the Pizza Planet Truck’s window, and later the aliens had the chance to pay their debt. The aliens don’t have a very large vocabulary so I don’t think their family time has very interesting conversations – luckily that is not required. The quote above by Mrs Potato Head and the Aliens in Toy Story 2 Toy Story series by Pixar

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 16 TEX & KIT WILLER (Tex Willer) ”Remember what they say about the apple and the tree...” Tex ei ehkä ollut kovin hyvä isä pojalleen Kitille tämän ollessa nuori, koska suri vaimonsa Lilythin kuolemaa ja oli aina jossain reissussa jahtaamassa roistoja. Mutta kun Kit kasvoi tarpeeksi vanhaksi lähteäkseen Texin mukaan seikkailemaan, isän ja pojan välit lähenivät kummasti. Eikä tässä perheessä omena tosiaan ole pudonnut kauas puusta – samanlaisia hornankekäleitä ovat molemmat. Tex probably wasn’t a very good father to his son Kit when he was young, as Tex was mourning the death of his wife Lilyth and also always somewhere chasing bad guys. But when Kit grew old enough to join Tex’s adventures, the father and the son became much closer. And in this family the apple surely hasn’t fallen far from the tree – both are the same type of daredevils! The quote above by Kit Carson to Tex when meeting Kit Willer for the first time (and after the younger Kit shot an arrow through his godfather’s hat!) in one of the old original Tex comics by Bonelli and Galep (I translated it from Finnish as English versions are very difficult to get and I don’t speak Italian. And Italian versions aren’t easy to find in Finland, either.) Tex Willer created by Gianluigi Bonelli and Galep

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 17 SPOCKIN PERHE – SPOCK’S FAMILY (Star Trek) ”Why did you marry her?” ”At the time, it seemed the logical thing to do.” Star Trekissä, varsinkin alkuperäisessä, on harvemmin perheitä kovin olennaisessa roolissa, muutamia mukana raahattavia lapsia lukuun ottamatta. Enimmäkseen lähisukulaiset tuntuvat kuolevat (*khömKirkinvelikhöm*). Rakkaalla tiedeupseerillamme Spockilla on kuitenkin loogisesti kriisinen perhesuhde, joka toki juontuu siihen, että Spockin äiti Amanda on ihminen ja isä Sarek vulcanilainen, eikä Spock itse oikein koe sopivansa kumpaankaan joukkoon. Spockin isä Sarek muuten valehtelee suippokorvat heiluen väittäessään naineensa vaimonsa Amandan vain loogisista syistä, sillä onhan selvää, että Sarek rakastaa Amandaa, samoin kuin poikaansa – vulcanolaiset vain eivät oikein osaa tunnistaa muiden tunteita, saati omiaan. In Star Trek, especially in the Original Series, families are rarely in an important role, with the exception of some kids dragged along. Mostly close relatives seem to be there just to die (*coughKirk’sbrothercough*). Our dear science officer Spock has logically a pretty difficult family situation, of course based on the fact that his mother Amanda is human and his father Sarek is Vulcan so Spock doesn’t feel like he fits in anywhere. Spock’s father Sarek is by the way totally lying when he claims he married his wife Amanda for purely logical reasons, as it is easy to see that Sarek loves Amanda, as well as his son – it’s just often difficult for Vulcans to understand others' feelings, let alone their own. The quote above by Spock and Sarek in the Original Series episode Journey to Babel Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 18 KENAI, DENAHI, SITKA & KODA (Karhuveljeni Koda – Brother Bear ) ”No matter what you choose, you’ll always be my little brother… Did I say little?” Kenai, Denahi ja Sitka olivat ihan tavallisia keskenään nahistelevia mutta toisistaan huolehtivia veljeksiä kunnes yksi heistä kuoli ja toinen muuttui karhuksi ja tuli adoptoineeksi uudeksi pikkuveljekseen toisen karhun. Nahistelu ja toisista huolehtiminen jäivät vähäksi aikaa tauolle, kun kukaan ei oikein tiennyt missä mennään, mutta kun hommat saatiin selvitettyä, veljesrakkaus voitti – ja nahistelukin palasi, kuten kuuluu. Kenai, Denahi and Sitka were very normal brothers who were constantly bickering with each other but who also took care of one another. But when one of them died and another one turned into a bear and adopted an actual bear as a new little brother, all this bickering and care-taking was forgotten as no one really knew what was happening. But in the and everything was sorted out and brotherly love won – and even the bickering was back again. The quote above by Denahi to Kenai when Kenai chooses to stay as a bear and transforms into one. Brother Bear by Disney

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 19 SKYWALKERIT – THE SKYWALKERS (Star Wars) ”Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son.” No niin, tämä on yksi elokuvahistorian kuuluisimpia, mutta ei niitä parhaimpia perheitä… Kun isukki on galaksin pahin jätkä, joka yrittää joku tappaa tai saada puolelleen lapsensa, jotka taistelevat häntä vastaan, tragedialta ei voida välttyä. Mutta loppujen lopuksi Luke toi isänsä takaisin valon puolelle, ja Luke ja Leia tajusivat olevansa kaksosia ja saivat näin sisaruksensa, ja se on aika hyvä juttu (mutta mikä tapahtuu Hothilla, jää Hothille…). Well now, this is one of the most iconic families in the movie history, but definitely not one of the best… When the daddy is the worst guy in the galaxy and trying either to kill his kids fighting his evil forces or to lure them to his side, you simply can’t avoid tragedy. In the end, however, Luke does bring his father back to the light side, and Luke and Leia realized that they are twins and thus got their sibling back, and that is pretty nice (but what happens on Hoth, stays on Hoth…). The quote above by Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars created by George Lucas Onko nyt kurja fiilis kun oli kurja perhe? Klikkaa tästä piristyäksesi! Are you feeling bad now because of this bad family? Click here to cheer yourself up!

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 20 ANKAT – THE DUCKS (Aku Ankka – Donald Duck ) ”One Christmas I finally got too lonely so I called Hortense’s son, Donald, who by then was caring for his three nephews! He had a family! He was so much richer than I!” Kun Della Ankka häipyi eikä puolisostakaan kuulunut mitään, Aku Ankka joutui adoptoimaan siskonsa kolme rasavilliä poikaa. Ja kun Akun Roope-enokin on rikkaudestaan huolimatta usein Akun päivällispöydässä vieraana, muodostavat nämä Ankat kolmen sukupolven ankkaperheen. Ja miksipäs ei – seikkaileminen ja aarteiden etsiminen on aivan parasta perheaikaa! When Della Duck took off and her spouse was nowhere to be found, Donald Duck had to adopt his sister’s three tameless sons. And since Donald’s uncle Scrooge, despite of his riches, often eats at his nephew’s dinner table, these Ducks form a three-generation duck family. And why not – adventuring and finding treasures is the best kind of family time! The quote above by Scrooge McDuck in Don Rosa’s The Old Castle’s Other Secret or A Letter from Home Donald Duck by Disney

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 21 THE BAD BATCH ”If this is where you want to be, then this is where you’ll stay.” Tämän porukan kaikki jäsenet ovat oikeasti klooneja samasta jampasta. Mutta kun yksi heitä on jostain syystä nuori tyttö, josta aikuiset miehet päätyvät huolehtimaan, niin kyllähän siitä väkisin perhe tulee, vaikka kaikki ovatkin geneettisesti lähes identtisiä. Hunter ja Wrecker ovat Omegalle läheisempiä kuin Tech ja Echo, eikä Crosshair ole juuri paikalla, mutta parhaansa mukaan tämä isäjengi yrittää huolehtia adoptiotyttärestään/siskostaan/kloonistaan. All members of this group are actually clones of the same guy. But because one of them is for some reason a young girl that the grown men end up taking care of, they inevitably become a family, even though they all are genetically almost identical. Hunter and Wrecker are closer to Omega than Tech or Echo, and Crosshair is rarely even there, but this Dad Batch is trying its best to take care of its adopted daughter/sister/clone. The quote above by Hunter to Omega in The Bad Batch episode ’Cut and Run’. (Also like the sweetest ever reference to The Clone Wars episode ’Unfinished Business’ where, when Echo is torn between his loyalty to Rex and his newly-found place with the Bad Batch, Rex says to Echo, ’If that’s where you feel your place is, then that’s where you belong’, thus allowing Echo to go with the Bad Batch. First I thought that the similarity between these lines was merely a nice little easter egg for the fans as there was no way it was an in-universe reference because Hunter was on the other side of the yard when Rex said this – but then I remembered Hunter’s heightened senses…) The Bad Batch by LucasFilm

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 22 IIKKA & AARO – IAN & BARLEY (Eteenpäin - Onwards ) ”I had someone who looked out for me. Someone who pushed me to be more than I ever thought I could be. I never had a dad, but I always had you.” Haltiapoika Iikka ei koskaan tavannut isäänsä, sillä tämä kuoli ennen hänen syntymäänsä, ja hän on aina ollut vähän kateellinen isoveljelleen Aarolle, jolla sentään on muutama muisto isästään. Mutta kun veljekset päätyvät hurjaan seikkailuun isänsä jalkojen kanssa (kyllä, luit oikein), Iikka joutuu pohtimaan sitä, kumpi on pahempaa: kaivata sitä, mitä ei koskaan saanut, vai menettää jotakin, mitä rakasti. Ja että ilman isääkin voi kasvaa ihan hyväksi haltiaksi – varsinkin, jos on veli rinnalla. The elf boy Ian has never met his father who died before Ian was born, and he’s always been jealous to his big brother Barley who has at least some memories of their father. But when the brothers end up on a quest with their father’s legs (yes, you read correctly), Ian has to ponder on which actually is worse: to miss something you never had of to lose something you love. And that you can grow up to be a good elf even without a father – especially if you have a brother by your side. The quote above by Ian to Barley Onwards by Pixar

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 23 CUTHBERTIT – THE CUTHBERTS (Anna-sarja – Anne series ) ”But this hat here, it represents the ’original Anne’ that I met at the train station that day. That blessed day when faith brought us together… and we became a family.” Cuthbertien vanhapiikasisarukset Marilla ja Matthew tarvitsivat apupojan tilalleen Vihervaaraan, ja pyysivät että heille lähetettäisiin orpokodista poika kasvatiksi ja apuriksi. Jonkin väärinkäsityksen takia he saivatkin tytön, tavattoman puheliaan ja mielikuvituksellisen mutta traumatisoituneen Annan. Pienen alkukitkan jälkeen Anna jäi Vihervaaraan, ja se olikin parasta, mitä näille kolmelle olisi voinut sattua. Anna tarvitsi sekä Matthewin lempeää ymmärrystä että Marillan määrätietoista kasvatusta kasvaakseen onnelliseksi aikuiseksi – ja Marilla ja Matthew tarvitsivat Annan unelmia ja innokkuutta ymmärtääkseen, etteivät heidänkään tarinansa olleet vielä lopussa. The old and unmarried Cuthbert siblings Marilla and Matthew needed someone to help them at the Green Gables farm and asked an orphanage to send them a boy to help and be raised. Due to some misunderstanding the got a girl instead, the endlessly talkative and imaginative yet traumatized Anne. After some initial trouble Anne stayed at the Green Gables, and that was the best thing that could have ever happened to these three. Anne needed both Matthew’s kind understanding and Marilla’s firm upbringing to grow up to a happy adult – and Marilla and Matthew needed Anne’s dreams and enthusiasm to realize that their stories weren’t finished either. The quote above by Matthew in the TV series Anne with an ’E’ Anne of Green Gables written by L. M. Montgomery

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 24 ANDERSENIT – THE ANDERSENS (Inside out) ”They love us.” ”Yeah, Mom and Dad are pretty cool.” ”Guys, of course they are. But we can’t show it.” Inside Out kertoo monista asioista: surun tärkeydestä, uuteen paikkaan muuttamisesta ja sen aiheuttamasta koti-ikävästä, kasvamisesta – ja myös perheestä. Siitä, että vaikka välillä voisi olla niin tolaltaan, että unohtaa, kuinka tärkeä perhe on, on silti mahdollista saada takaisin se rakkaus ja luottamus, joka perheeseen kuuluu. Tosin Rileyn, kuten aika monen muunkin nuoren mielestä vanhemmat voivat joskus olla tosi noloja... Inside Out tells about many things: the importance of sadness, the home sickness caused by moving to a new place, growing up – and also about family. How sometimes you can be so upset that you forget how important your family is, but how it is still possible to get back all the love and trust that keeps a family together. Though Riley, just like almost every other teenager, finds her parents pretty embarrassing sometimes... The quote above by Fear, Anger and Disgust Inside Out by Pixar

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 25 PONYBOY, SODAPOP & DARREL (Me kolme ja jengi – The Outsiders ) ”You take up for your buddies, no matter what they do. When you’re a gang, you stick up for the members. If you don’t stick up for them, stick together, make like brothers, it isn’t a gang anymore. It’s a pack. A snarling, distrustful, bickering park like the Socs in their social clubs or the street gangs in New York or the wolves in the timber.” Ponyboy on nuori poika, jonka isoveljet Sodapop ja Darrel joutuivat jättäytymään pois koulusta ja huolehtimaan pikkuveljestään heidän vanhempiensa kuoltua. Onneksi pojilla on muukin jengi turvanaan ja apunaan kasvatushommissa. Ponyn, Sodan ja Darryn talon ovi ei koskaan ole lukossa, vaikka kyseessä on aika rauhaton naapurusto, sillä koskaan ei voi tietää, kuka kaveri sattuisi tarvitsemaan turvapaikkaa sohvalta. Luin tämän kirjan puolipakotettuna yläasteella, enkä olisi uskonut, että missään määrin pidän tällaisesta rankemmanpuoleisesta ja väkivaltaisesta jengitarinasta, mutta mutta se iski suoraan johonkin hyvään kohtaan. Eli siis suomeksi, että oli todella hyvä kirja, jopa siinä määrin, että tämä on toinen kerta elämässäni, kun etsin tuon samaisen sitaatin (edellinen kerta oli lukion kuviksen lopputyötä varten). Silti yhä ihmettelen, että miksi kukaan antaa lapsilleen sellaisia nimiä kuin Ponyboy ja Sodapop… Ponyboy is a young kid whose big brothers Sodapop and Darrel have to drop out of school and get jobs to take care of their little brother after their parents die. Luckily, they have their whole gang to help them in raising him. Pony, Soda and Darry’s front door is never locked, even though they live in a pretty restless neighborhood, as you never know which one of your friends might need a couch to spend the night in. I was half forced to read book this in middle school and I wouldn’t have thought that I’d like a rough and rather violent gang story but somehow it just hit. What I mean is that it’s a really good book, so good in fact that this is the second time in my life that I’ve looked up that quote (the previous one was for my high school art project). However, I still don’t understand why anyone would give their sons such names as Ponyboy or Sodapop... The quote above from Ponyboy’s narration The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 26 TAUKKI & TSOUKKI – RUTT & TUKE (Karhuveljeni Koda – Brother Bear ) ”Being a brother means nothing to you.” ”Of course it does.” ”Oh yeah, like what?” ”What about the time when your hooves froze in the pond? Who sat with you all winter, eh?” ”You did.” ”And who showed you where the good grazing is? I mean the really tender stuff, all covered in dew. Now, why do you think I did that, eh? Because I… Because I love… dew.” Hirviveljekset Taukki ja Tsoukki (jotka suomenkielisessa dubbauksessa puhuvat Turun murteella, mikä on aivan tappavan hauskaa) ovat Karhuveljeni Koda -leffan ”ne toiset veljekset”. Hirvipojat tuovat tarinaan paljon huumoria, mutta myös näyttävät päähenkilöille Kenaille ja Kodalle, että veljet ovat veljiä ja tärkeitä tyyppejä, vaikka välillä tapeltaisiinkin, ja että – puu! The moose brothers Rutt and Tuke are ”the other brothers” from Brother Bear. They bring lots of humor into the story but also show to the main characters Kenai and Koda that brothers will always be brothers and important people, even if you sometimes fight, and even if – tree! (Also I’m very sorry for anyone who doesn’t speak Finnish and thus is unable to enjoy the Finnish version of Brother Bear where Rutt and Tuke have a Turku accent. It’s absolutely brilliant and hilarious.) The quote above by Rutt and Tuke Brother Bear by Disney

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 27 MIGUEL & KUOLLEET – MIGUEL & THE DEAD (Coco) ”That there is your papá Julio, and there’s tía Rosita, and your tía Victoria, and those two are Oscar and Félipe. These aren’t just old pictures, they’re our family. And they’re counting on us to remember them.” Nuori Miguel haluaisi soittaa kitaraa, mutta perheen historian takia hän ei saa. Niinpä Miguel päätyy kuolleiden maahan selvittämään sukunsa salaisuuksia – mutta ennen kaikkea hän tapaa edesmenneitä sukulaisiaan. Koska, kuten meksikolainen Día de los Muertos, eli Kuolleiden päivä, ja koko Miguelin tarina meille muistuttaa, ei kukaan lakkaa olemasta perhettä vain siksi, että hän kuolee. Young Miguel wants to play the guitar but can’t, due to his family’s history. So Miguel ends up in the land of the dead to unravel the secrets of his family – but more importantly he meets his long-passed relatives. Because, as the Mexican Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, and Miguel’s story reminds us, no one stops being family just because they’re dead. The quote above by Miguel to his little sister Coco by Pixar

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 28 ARISTOKATIT – THE ARISTOCATS ”All those little kittens, Duchess. I love ’em.” ”And they are very fond of you.” ”You know, they need a… Well, you know, a sort… Well, a sort of a… Well, a father around.” Herttuatar ja hänen pentunsa Marie, Toulouse ja Berlioz ovat hienoja rotukissoja, jotka kaapataan pois turvallisesta kodistaan. Matkallaan takaisin kotiinsa he kohtaavat kulkukissa Thomas O’Malleyn, joka paitsi ihastuu Herttuattareen, myös alkaa pitää tämän pennuista kuin omistaan. Lopulta Thomas ja Herttuatar päätyvätkin yhteen ja Thomaksesta tulee pentujen ottoisä (näiden biologista isää ei edes mainita koko elokuvassa!). Elokuva on vuodelta 1970, jolloin uusperheet eivät olleet vielä kovin tavallinen tai hyväksytty juttu varsinkaan lapsille suunnatuissa animaatioissa, mutta niin vain tämä kissaperhe löysi tiensä yleisön sydämiin. Duchess and her kittens Marie, Toulouse and Berlioz are fancy purebred cats who are kidnapped from their safe home. On their way back they meet a stray cat called Thomas O’Malley who not only falls in love with Duchess but also starts loving the kittens like they were his own. In the end Thomas and Duchess end up together and Thomas becomes the adopted father for the kittens (whose biological father is never even mentioned in the movie!). The movie is from 1970 when blended families weren’t a very common or accepted thing especially in children’s animations. However, this cat family found its way to the public’s hearts. The quote above by Thomas and Duchess (the Finnish version is actually even better, as Thomas says the kittens need a ”isähahmotelma”, which sorta translates to ”father figurine”, and it’s really cute) The Aristocats by Disney

MONTH OF FAMILIES, PART 29 LILO & NANI (Lilo & Stich) ”Dad said, O'hana means family. O’hana means family. Family means...” ”...nobody gets left behind.” ”Or?” ”Or forgotten.” Kun Lilo ja Nani menettivät vanhempansa auto-onnettomuudessa, teini-ikäisestä Nanista tuli itsepäisen ja vanhempiaan ikävöivän pikkusiskonsa huoltaja. Eikä se ollut todellakaan helppoa, ja Lilo oli jatkuvasti vähällä joutua huostaanotetuksi. Kaikki kuitenkin muuttui, kun kuvioihin tuli koira – eli siis karannut kokeellinen avaruusolento, joka meinasi aiheuttaa maailmanlopun. Loppujen lopuksi Stichistä (ja muutamasta muusta alienista) tuli osa Lilon ja Nanin perhettä, joka, vaikka onkin pieni ja rikki, on silti hyvä. When Lilo and Nani lost their parents in a car accident, the teen-aged Nani became the guardian for her stubborn little sister Lilo who missed her parents terribly. It surely wasn’t easy, and Lilo was constantly about to be taken into custody. However, everything changed when they got a dog – I mean, an escaped experimental alien that almost caused the destruction of Earth. In the end, Stich (and some other aliens) became a part of Lilo and Nani’s family that, even though it is little and broken, is still a good one. The quote above by Lilo and Nani Lilo & Stich by Disney

MONTH OF FAMILIES ENDS "And that was it, the Month of Families." // "And as we just saw, there are many kinds of families. Just like in real life. And all of them are valuable and important." // "Many of us have been lucky and got a good family right away. If you aren't one of the lucky ones, I hope that you find people who are a good family to you." // "And speaking of which: go call a family member." // "Parent. Grandparent. Sibling. Cousin. Child. Someone else important to you." // "And if you are at work right now, remember to call them after work. And anyways: why are you reading a silly comic blog when you should be working?" // "After you've made that call, do leave a comment and tell everyone what is your favorite of fictional families! Or if you have ideas for new drawing or comic challenges." // "And hey, please tell me if you read this at work. It would be hilarious to know."

BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED COMICS ...elikkäs kuukauden päivittäisen postaamisen jälkeen takaisin normaalijärjestykseen eli noin kahteen kertaan viikossa. Minun piti piirtää tässä kuussa paljon, mutta enpäs sitten töiden takia ehtinyt. Tässäpä teille torstaipäivitykseksi roolipelivuoheni Kake nauttimassa vapaahetkestä. ...so after a month of posting daily we shall return to the normal order of things and to the two or so posts a week. I was supposed to draw a lot this month but due to work didn't have the time. Here's a picture a my RPG goat Kake enjoying a moment off for your Thursday update. Totta puhuen en itse asiassa postannut kertaakaan elokuussa, vaan olin ajastanut koko kuukauden postaukset jo heinäkuussa. Eli olin oikeasti kuukauden tauolla blogihommista ja vain vaikutin aktiiviselta. To tell the truth, I actually didn't post once in August but had instead timed all the August posts already in July. So what I really did was that I took a month off doing anything blog-related and just appeared active.

SIGNS OF AUTUMN "Oh, geese are flying again. Their molt is over." // "Autumn's coming."

HELMET, PART 1 "Hi Mom!" "Hello!" // "Uhm... since when have you had a biking helmet?" "Like, last week." // I was just going biking... // ...when I heard the neighbor's toddler ask their mother... "Mom, why doesn't that lady wear a helmet?" // "Is she a bit dumb?" "I guess I am..." // "So that's why." "This is great! I love this kid!" // "But this helmet is so black! I feel like I'm Darth Vader!" "I have been trying to tell you for years that you should wear a biking helmet. Luckily you hear the truth from the mouths of children..."

HELMET, PART 2 "Hi Mom!" "Hi Kati!" // "You have a new helmet." "Yes, someone stole the old one." // "Oh, that sucks!" "Well, not really. It was old and broken, and I had hoped for someone to steal it for years." // "Now you are a Darth Vader as well!" "I even have a Darth Vader-y red light!"

POCKETS OF EQUALITY "I went to buy trousers for hiking." // "And now I'm angry." // "First off because on the women's side the colors were yet AGAIN pink and purple. Men's trousers had more natural colors." // Secondly: the side pockets in women's trousers were made "inside" the trousers, whereas men's were outside: You can barely fit a phone here... but everything fits here! // "And thirdly, the design itself. I have properly wide hips so you'd think that women's trousers would be the right size for me and men's trousers too slim." // But no. Women's trousers are made to be "well fitting" which means very slim and emphasizing the woman's curves. // I found a fitting pair from the men's side. "Because they are supposed to be a bit too big and comfortable. And you use a belt to tighten them so that they fit." // "I mean, seriously: every hiker needs trousers that are comfortable and that have good, big pockets. And one's gender doesn't tell if one wants to camouflage oneself in the moss or not. Equality to trousers!" // I went to the hike wearing trousers I bought from the "men's side".

Tämä on omistettu Douxille. En kadu mitään. This one is dedicated to Doux. I regret nothing.

AUTUMN HIKE, PART 1/2 "I'd want to organize an autumn hike in the Kilpisjärvi area. I wonder if anyone would like to come along?" // Big Brother: "I could come." Miko: "Me, too." "Just the three of us? Well, it's quality over quantity then!" // Snowhorse came to help me with packing. "I'd need to fit all this stuff... into this backpack." "I always hate this state of packing." // "And which order shall I put in all?" // "I'd want so many things so that I can easily get to them, like the first aid kit, raincoat, dry socks, some food, the map and other stuff, too..." // "You can't pack everything on top!" "I know, but I'd like to!" Päätin tällä reissulla piirtää osan sarjiksista jo maastossa retken aikana, siksi nämä loput ovat vähän erinäköisiä kuin yleensä. Olen myös piirtänyt ne suoraan tussilla tai kuulakärkikynällä ilman luonnoksia, joten niistä puuttuu se vähäinenkin huolittelu, josta tavallisesti blogini lukijat saavat nauttia. This time I decided to draw some of these comics already during the hike and that's why the rest of these comics look a little different than usual. I've also drawn them directly with a marker or a ball-point pen without sketches so they lack the usual minimal effort that my readers normally get to enjoy. On Kilpisjärvi: "Let the hike begin!" // "I guess it's this path." // 45 minutes later... "It wasn't this path." "Whoops, the very first path we followed was a wrong one. This is slightly embarrassing." "You don't say?" // "The view is nice, though." "Yeah, 6/5 would watch again." "It would be so nice if I found a white willow grouse feather!" // "Oh, a white willow grouse feather!" // "Trallalallallaa!" // "Oh no, I dropped it!" // "Oh no, the creek swallowed it!" "Burb!" // "Well, maybe it is the sacrifice I have to make so that the creek doesn't swallow Big Brother!" Surullista tässä riekonsulkajutussa oli se, että se tapahtui suunnilleen ensimmäisen kahden vaellustunnin aikana juuri kuten tässä sarjiksessa on kuvattu - enkä sen jälkeen enää löytänyt toista valkoista riekonsulkaa! What's sad about this willow grouse feather story is that it happened during the first two hours of our hike pretty much exactly as I've drawn it here - and I didn't find another white willow grouse feather afterwards! "It's very annoying to walk in this wet mud..." // "It might be drier further up the slope." // "!" // "It's over, muddy path! I have the high ground!" Muistiin laitettakoon: ei kannata piirtää punaisella kynällä ilta-aikaan kun muut ovat jo nukkumassa ja sen takia pitää käyttää punaista otsalampun valoa ettei herätä muita. Punaisessa valossa punainen väri näkyy äärimmäisen huonosti, ja piirtäminen on todella hankalaa. Note to self: it's not a great idea to draw with a red pen in the evening when others are already asleep and you need to use a red light so you don't wake them up. In red light you really can't see the color red very well and drawing is extremely difficult.

AUTUMN HIKE, PART 2/2 "It sure was windy and rainy last night." "The tent seems to have survived." // "Listen, fellows..." // "...it wasn't just raining last night." "Shall we continue?" "Excuse me?" // "Nothing, to Big Brother... I asked." "Okay." // "I mean, FROM Big Brother I asked. It's so windy that I get prepositions mixed up!" "There's some sort of an orange cone in the hillside there." "What is it???" // "Maybe it's some kind of a weird tent?" "Or some landmark?" "A species of fungus new to science?" "Could it be... an alien?" "Or a spaceship?" "Maybe it's just a really big carrot?" // What it actually is: A Kati wrapped inside a space blanket to shield herself from cold, wind and rain during a lunch break. The first creek: "Oh, what a beautiful creek!" // "I want to immediately drink form it!" // "I'll take pictures!" // "I love little fjeld creeks!" // The 50th creek...

THE LAST OF THE TURTLES Lumihevonen toi minulle sarjisfestareilta Eastmanin ja Lairdin TMNT-sarjiksen The Last Ronin. Se sijoittuu teini-ikäisten mutanttininjakilpikonnien tulevaisuuteen, jolloin teini-ikä on jäänyt kauas taakse, ja enää yksi kilppariveljeksistä on jäljellä kulkemassa koston teitä. Mutta en kerro kuka kilppareista hän on, jos vaikka haluatte lukea sarjiksen. Fanitaide lienee väistämätöntä. Snowhorse brought me an TMNT comic called The Last Ronin, by Eastman and Laird, from the Comic Festival. The story is set in the future of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when their teenage years are far behind and only one of the turtle brothers is left, walking the paths of revenge. But I won't tell you which turtle he is, in case you want to read the comic. Fan art, I assume, is inevitable. The Last Ronin oli hyvä sarjakuva ja hyvä tarina. Synkkä, surullinen ja väkivaltainen kyllä, mutta hyvä. Tosin en ole vielä ihan sinut sen kanssa, että koska tämä sarjis on Eastmanin ja Lairdin käsikirjoittama, se on alkuperäisten kilppareiden osalta periaatteessa canon, ja se on aika synkkä viimeinen kappale siihen tarinaan. Onneksi, kuten Mikey kerran sanoo, "sarjakuvissa kukaan ei pysy kuolleena kovin kauaa". The Last Ronin was a good comic and a good story. Dark, sad and violent, yes, but good. Though I'm not yet quite okay with the fact that since this story was written by Eastman and Laird, it is technically speaking canon for the original turtles, and it's a rather grim last chapter to that story. Luckily, as Mikey once said, "nobody stays dead for very long in comic books". PS. Pari sanaa tästä kuvasta. Lainasin The Last Roninin yhdelle kaverille, joten piirsin tämän ilman mallikuvia, ja tiedän, ettei tämä ole lainkaan sitä tyyliä, jota sarjakuva edustaa. Mutta olen muutenkin kilppareita piirtäessäni ottanut eri sarjakuva- ja sarjatulkinnoista omia suosikkijuttujani ja yhdistellyt niitä haluamallani tavalla. Tykkään myös aina piirtää kilppareille hännän, niin kuin alkuperäisissä sarjiksissa. Se on usein jätetty pois eri tulkinnoissa, mutta minusta se on hauska. Onhan Tikku-rotallakin häntä, miksi siis ei kilpikonnilla? PS. A couple of words about this drawing. A friend of mine borrowed The Last Ronin from me so I drew this without references knowing that this isn't anything like the comic. But I've mixed and matched my favorite parts of different versions of TMNT from comics and TV shows. I also like to draw the turtles having a tail like in the original comics. It's been left out in most interpretations but I find it funny. I mean, Splinter the rat has a tail, so why not the the turtles too? TMNT and The Last Ronin created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

LIKE MOTHER, LIKE SON Me, age 30: "Here you go." Camp instructor, age 18: "Thanks, mom." // "I am not your mother, even if that could be just possible." // "Like, biologically possible, not socially acceptable." // "Well, that's just like me: biologically possible, not socially acceptable."

KING Lukioaikoina piirtelin paljon aarnikotkia. Se harrastus on vähän jäänyt, mutta aina välillä tekee mieli palata vanhoihin hyviin aikoihin. Tässä siis Tuhkasiipi, ja otsikosta voi päätellä, että hän on yksi aarnikotkien kuninkaista. In high school I used to draw lots of griffins. I haven't really done that lately but every so often I feel like picking up those old hobbies. So here's Ashwing, and as you can deduce from the title, he's one of the kings of the griffins.

BLOCK I am ill: "I'm going to the grocery store, do you need something?" // "Well, I'd really want some orange juice, so if you could bring me one... of those... these things?" // "A juice block?" "Yes, that thing." // "One brick of juice coming up!" "Hehehehe, block..."

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CENTRIFUGAL FORCE... ...mutta sitä voi silti hyödyntää. ...but you can still take advantage of it. "Hmph. There's still mayonnaise in this bottle but it's all stuck in the bottom." // "If we were in a lab, this would be a really good time to abuse a centrifuge." "Couldn't you just turn yourself into one?" // "I can try!" // "Ha, it worked!" "Physics never let you down!"

BE THE FAN ART YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD Toimin vaihteeksi pelinjohtajana ja laitoin Sankariakatemia-roolipelin hahmot muuttumaan lapsiksi ja joutumaan peitehommiin kesäleirille! Kun sanoin, että tästä olisi hauska nähdä fanitaidetta, yksi pelaajista vastasi, että "ole se fanitaide, jonka haluat nähdä maailmassa". Niinpä piirsin itse. Tosin yli puolet pelaajista taisi pelin aikana piirtää hahmonsa lapsina. I was acting as the game master for a change and I made the characters from the Hero Academy RPG turn into children and having to work undercover on a summer camp! When I said I would like to see fan art of this, one of my players answered that I have to "be the fan art you want to see in the world". So I drew it myself. Though more than half of the players drew their characters as children during the game. Hahmoilla oli kovin erilaiset tavat suhtautua lapsena oloon. Andreaksella oli parasta ikinä ja hän teki pyyhkeestä viitan ja juoksi ympyrää. Minun hahmoni Thranon piti muuttaa kissaksi, hän söi myyriä metsässä. John-Joseph tykkäsi fidget spinneristä ja lapsena olosta niin, että hän päätti jäädä lapseksi pelin lopussa. Terry vaati saada ottaa Boromirilta saamansa vaellussauvan mukaan leirille. Alienorava Onni muutettiin taas tavalliseksi oravaksi, joka ei saanut käyttää kirvestä. Minuel ei tällä kertaa ampunut, kun kesäleirille ei saanut tuoda jousta, mutta Minuel juoksi senkin edestä. Tea mökötti koko ajan. The characters had very different attitudes towards being kids again. Andreas was having the time of his life, he made a towel cape and ran around in circles. My character Thranon was turned into a cat, she was eating voles in the woods. John-Joseph liked having a fidget spinner and being a child so much that he chose to remain a child after the adventure. Terry demanded that he wanted to take the hiking staff he got from Boromir to the camp. The alien squirrel Onni was turned into a regular squirrel that wasn't allowed to use an ax. Minuel didn't shoot this time as she couldn't take her bow to the camp but she made up for it by running a lot. Tea was sulking all the time. Tarinassa esiintyi myös kissaihmisten kuningas Rasmus, jolla on mukanaan kaikenlaista leiriläisten ja ohjaajien vuosien varrella kadottamaa kamaa. Kuvauksistani jotkut pelaajat päättelivät kohdanneensa jonkinlaisen Muumien Piisamirotan eivätkä suinkaan kissaihmistä, mutta se oli ihan hyvä juttu. Tältä ajattelin Rasmuksen suunnilleen näyttäneen. (Kissaihmisillä ei minun mielestäni ole häntää, hehän ovat olleet ihmisiä aivan hiljattain.) One of the characters in the story was the cat people's king Rasmus who was wearing all sorts of stuff that camp kids and instructors have lost over the years. From my descriptions some players thought he was more like some Moomin character and not a cat person but that actually was a good thing. However, this is what I thought Rasmus looked like. (I don't think cat people have tails as they were humans not that long ago.) Mulla oli aivan liian hauskaa vetää tätä peliä. I had way too much fun GMing this game.

CTID: INTRO "Hello everyone!" // "This post is the first in a little longer series of comics. Its name is 'Comic things I dislike'." // "Its original name was 'Comic things I hate" but 'hate' is too strong a word for these comics, and too absolute." // "I'm planning to tell about thing in comics, mostly in the comic style, that I dislike or find irritating." // "I also want to say that I am not a professional in comics but these are the opinions of an amateur. Also, all comic makers have their own style, and some use the things that I normally dislike really well!" // "And indeed, these are my OPINIONS. Everyone can like exactly the comics they like - or not like!" // "And yes, over the years I have fallen 'guilty' of probably all the things I'm going to talk about." // "So I hope you don't take this too seriously. I don't want to insult anyone, I just want to talk about comics! We'll start in the next post!"

CTID: UNREADABLE HANDWRITING (Illegible handwriting) "So if your handwriting is messy or unreadable, ask someone else to letter your comics... or do it by computer." Jos et jaksanut lukea sotkujani, niin näin siinä lukee: "Yksi asia, mikä häiritsee ihan tosi paljon." // "Käsiala. Ja siis varsinkin tosi huono käsiala." // "Käsiala on tietysti kaikilla ihan omanlainen." // "Ja se on ihan hyvä asia, ei sen tarvitsekaan olla kaikilla sama." // "Erilaisia kirjoitustyylejä ja käsialoja käyttäen voi myös tuoda esimerkiksi persoonallisuutta eri hahmojen puhekupliin. Ehkä joku huutaa tai joku toinen puhuu kaunopuheisemmin." // "Mutta käsialan pitää AINA olla luettavissa ilman että se on vaikeaa tai vaatii vaivaa." // "Koska vaikka olisi kuinka hyvä tarina ja kuvitus, niin jos on vaikea lukea, mitä hahmot sanovat, niin kyllä se sarjis jää lukematta. Ainakin minulta." Here's what's written in that terrible handwriting: "One thing that really annoys me." // "Handwriting. And I mean bad handwriting." // "Everyone of course has their own style of writing by hand." // "And that's a good thing, not everyone's handwriting has to be the same." // "By using different types of writing and lettering you can, for example, also bring personality to different characters' speech bubbles. Maybe someone is shouting and someone else is more eloquent." // "But handwriting must ALWAYS be legible without it being hard or taking too much effort." // "Because even if the story and the drawings are really good, if the text is difficult to read, then the reader is not going to read it. At least I won't." PS. Kiitos äidilleni viimeisen ruudun puhekuplan tekstaamisesta. PS. Thanks to my mom for lettering the speech bubble in the last panel. PPS. Tottakai se on Comic Sans, mitä muutakaan odotitte? PPS. Of course it's Comic Sans, what were you expecting?

CTID: TALKING HEADS "One thing that many comic readers don't like and most comic artists try to avoid is so-called 'talking heads' comic." // "It means a comic in which in almost every panel there is a 'talking head' explaining something." // "Mostly you end up with this when the comic maker has something important they want to say, not so much if they have a story to tell." "The problem with the 'talking head' is that it get quickly boring as nothing happens and mostly the backgrounds aren't that interesting, either. In shorter form, such as in Fok_it, the 'talking head may work." // "The 'talking head' phenomenon easily happens also if you have two people discussing something." "Indeed. Conversations work without problems in books but not so easily in comics or movies." // In Tex Willer the characters mostly discuss by campfires where making coffee brings something visually interesting the the panels! // "Comic artists easily fall for 'talking heads' because they're so easy to draw." // "So it's a good idea to draw the character doing something while they're explaining stuff. It's more work when drawing but the end result is usually much better!"

CTID: TEXT WALLS "The thing I'm going to talk about in this part of my series of Comic Things I Dislike often appears with the 'talking heads' phenomenon mentioned earlier, though of course not always. What I'm referring to here is text walls which means that the panels are filled with way too much text." // "As I said, 'talking heads' and text walls quite often appear together, and there is one very good reason for this. They come from the same place and same kind of need. Often, not every time." // "What I mean here is the comic maker's need to talk about something, tell their opinion or explain some abstract concept, not so much the want or need to tell about something that has happened." // "One easily falls victim to a text wall if one has important things to say about something that is difficult to draw about. However, most comic creators try to avoid making text wall comics. And for a good reason, too. Text walls are mostly considered pretty boring as they make reading the comic painstaking and slow." // "Sometimes it is a good idea for a comic maker to ask themselves if it is necessary to make a comic about some topic just because they're used to do so. Maybe it is better to just write about certain things if they don't make good comics." // "Because text wall comics often aren't visually that interesting..." // "...as the text by definition fills most of the panel. If you still want to make that comic, think first about which things are the most important ones to say." // "If your character has plenty to say... you can divide their lines into more than one speech bubble. Then the text wall doesn't look that bad." // "Or you can bring in another character with whom to discuss the topic. A dialogue is often much more interesting in comics than a monologue, and like in real life conversation, in a dialogue the lines naturally stay shorter." "Could you please let me talk here, too?"

CTID: CRAMMING "Many of the problems I have discussed in my comic series are avoidable with good before-hand planning. The topic of this comic, placing things in the comic, is a great example of this." // "It is often difficult to plan in your mind how you're going to place everything in your comic." // "That's why you should plan ahead and make a storyboard." // "It is especially useful if you're making a longer story with a page limitation." // "Shorter comics, such as one-page-long strips are still easy to plan in your head." // "But with longer comics you might use up too much space in the beginning..." // "...and in the end you have to cram when you run out of space!"

CTID: SPEECH BUBBLES PLACED WRONG "Hi, so nice that you invited me!" "Hello again, everyone! Today I invited Snowhorse to talk about comics with me." // "Yes, they're an important topic." "Today's topic is speech bubbles." // "Indeed, it is very annoying if it's done wrong." "And especially the placing of speech bubbles." // "And if reading is slow and difficult you can't really enjoy the story." "The 'flow' of the comic is broken if the speech bubbles are placed in a wrong order and you have to think about which order to read them in." // "You sometimes even see wrongly place speech bubbles in published comics." "I understand it in some really old comics but not in new ones." // "It is bad all right, but also avoidable." "To me, this is probably the most annoying thing in this whole series!" // "Yep, and you can always ask someone to read your sketches because the artist often becomes 'blind' to their own mistakes. Slowly does it!" "Yes! Good planning and making a storyboard are good ways to avoid placing your speech bubbles wrong."

CTID: ! "Hello again! Welcome back to my comic series about comics!" // "This one is one of the no-so-annoying ones in this series! At least to me!" // "Unlike many of the other topics, this one doesn't have that much to do with the planning but more with the finishing!" // "And this is the thing! Constant usage of exclamation points!" "Even though Tex Willer is a great comic it sometimes overuses exclamation points!" // They are all right in a fight scene! "Look out!" "Aagh!" "Behind you!" // "But people don't tent to exclaim constantly when they're talking!" "Indeed!" // "Exclamation marks are really useful if someone is actually exclaiming or shouting something! But if they're used all the time it just looks that everyone is constantly YELLING!" // "And now... Another pretty similar... and equally annoying thing... Which is... Constantly... overusing... ellipses..." Huomasin sittemmin, että "..." on "pistekolmikko" tai "ellipsi". Kolmoispiste taas liittyy fysiikkaan ja on se lämpötilan ja paineen suhteen "optimaalinen" kohta, jossa aineen kolme olomuotoa eli kaasu, neste ja kiinteä, ovat tasapainossa. En tajunnut tätä tussatessani.

CTID: EXPLANATION BOXES Finland, an afternoon in October, 5.42 pm. Kati. "Welcome back to the Comic Things I Dislike series." // This is the newest episode of the series! "Today my topic are explanation boxes." // This is an explanation box! "By them I mean those small panels in which it is explained what is happening in the comic." // Now Kati will talk about explanation boxes. "Explanation boxes are often good and useful. You can, for example, tell the location or time period of the comic in them." // Here Kati talks more. "But too much is too much. For example, if the exact time isn't important, just leave it out." // Here's the next panel. "Many old newspaper comics have plenty of explanation boxes because of how they were published. Because every strip ends with a cliffhanger! Reading it as a book is pretty terrible..." This is an example of a newspaper comic! // Oh no, no Kati stumbled! "And just don't use the explanation box to explain what is in the picture or what is happening in it. That's the picture's job! Using an explanation box like this gives the feeling that the artist doesn't trust themselves, their comic or the reader." That is a rock. // This is the last panel where Kati is laying on the ground. "Even this comic would be better without the explanation boxes."

CTID: INTERESTING PANELS "One thing you oftentimes see in comic drawing guides..." // "...is that you should use interestingly shaped (=non-rectangular) panes to make the page look more interesting." // "I myself hate this. It CAN work, for example it is often used in manga." // "But in-between interestingly shaped panels there is often unused space... like here and there!" // "Of course you can modify rectangles such as with this speech bubble trick - but the basic shape is still a rectangle! JP Ahonen uses this a lot in the Northern Overexposure comics." // "In actin scenes and scenes that are confusing to a character interestingly shaped panels are a good special effect. But in peaceful scenes they're more a disturbance." // "You also have to be careful not to mess the reading order..." There? Or there? // "Interestingly shaped panels can easily make the page restless and confusing!" Earthquake? // "When used well and sparingly, non-rectangular panels can create a sense of action or other effects..." // "...but mostly I would recommend that you're stick to rectangles."

CTID: CHANGING STYLES "When a comic artist makes a lot of comics, they mostly get better at it and often their art style changes." // "You can see it in Asterix comics, for example. In the first album, Uderzo's drawing style is very different than in the last." // "Even in my blog the style has changed over the years. Luckily!" // "I say luckily because it's a sign that I have developed. Changing styles become a problem if it happens in the middle of the story." // "Especially sudden, not plot-related changes in the art style confuse the reader. Unless it is used a short-term effect." // "The Tex Willer artist Fabio Civitelli has said that he draws long stories by beginning at the end, drawing backwards to the midpoint and then taking it up from the beginning and drawing again to the middle. This is so that the style in the beginning and in the end would be as close to each other as possible." // "It is important for every artist to develop and try new stuff... but let's not sacrifice the comic or the reader to this change!"

CTID: SUDDEN ENDINGS "Every comic, whether it is a published series or a small blog, end at some point." // "Even the really big ones that have been published in many countries for decades! One day it'll be the very last issue." // "And if the comic only has one maker it is even more natural that one day it will end." // "There are many reasons for this, and many of them are good, Maybe the artist's life was changed due to a new job or a baby. Or maybe they lost interest in their comic." // "Of course, if possible, it would be nice if the artist would tell that they're not going to continue with their comic so that the readers won't be left wondering what has happened." // "Because it's very dull if a good comic just suddenly en

HERE WE COME, REDWALL! Aloin miettiä, miltä sarjishahmoni Kurre-orava ja varpuspöllö Varpu näyttäisivät lapsuuteni suosikkikirjojen eli Redwallin tarun maisemissa. Aika söpöiltä näyttäisivät. I started to wonder what my comic characters Shadow the squirrel and Sally the pygmy owl would look like in the world of Redwall, my childhood favorite book series. I think they'd look pretty cute. A Tale of Redwall by Brian Jacques

INTERRAIL 1: OFF WE GO AGAIN "I'd like to organize a hike to Scotland, on the West Highland way!" "Ooh! Sounds awesome!" "I wanna come, too!" "Hi!" "Count us in!" // "So four hikers and hike leader." "Or four Hobbits and their Aragorn!" "You can call me Aragorn from now on!" "I'll just write it down here." "How do we get to Scotland?" // "We're an environmental NGO, therefore we don't fly." "An Interrail ticket might be just the ticket." // "Hey, I could go meet my friends in Britain and relatives in Austria while I'm at it." // "I'll take a couple of months of train holiday! Europe, here I come!" I went to see Mother and Big Brother before I left. "So, you're going the day after tomorrow?" "Yep." // "How's your packing going?" "I haven't even started yet." // "Kati couldn't have packet yet, she has to pack everything on top ." "This is not going to go away anytime soon..." We took a ferry from Turku to Stockholm. // "We'll be travelling to Copenhagen in the first class of the train." "I see." "The tickets included an on-board breakfast." "I wonder what it'll be like?" // "And here you go." "Thank you." "A fascinating box." // "There's yogurt in here!" "And a tiny little bag of granola!" // "A bread roll!" "And cheese and lettuce!" // "Cherry marmalade!" "I've got apricot marmalade!" // "A boiled egg!" "Apple juice!" "We should have made this into an unboxing video." "I go get tea." "We're finally here." "That was a long way alright." "Now that's an interesting clock." // "Yeah, it's lacking the hands!" "I guess it's nothing o'clock then." // "Maybe we've died and entered the great beyond." "Perhaps." // "Remember the Valhalla mist we saw from the bridge in Denmark?" "?" // "This is it. That's where we've ended up." "Ah, indeed." Jatkuu... // To be continued... The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

INTERRAIL 2: FREEBOOTERS, PART 1/2 Aragornilla oli mukana vaelluksella West Highland Wayn opaskirja, jossa kerrottiin siitä, kuinka Skotlannin metsiä poltettiin, jotta niissä majailevat roistot ja ryövärit jäisivät vaille turvapaikkaa. Kyseisistä roistoista käytettiin englanniksi nimitystä "freebooters", joka oli meidän mielestämme hirveän hauska sana. Suomensimme sen "vapaasaapastelijoiksi" ja käytimme itsestämme sitä nimeä lopun reissua. Aragorn had a West Highland Way guidebook in which it was told how the Scottish forests were burned down to drive out all sorts of robbers and criminals who lived in the woods. Those criminals were referred to as "freebooters" which was a word we found funny and started calling our hiking group freebooters as well. First day of hiking: all day raining, a heavy backpack, three poorly slept nights, a broken hiking pole handle, a path that has turned into a creek, wet boots, steep uphill // "Tomorrow should be easier in every way!" "I hope so..." "We have to go through that tunnel." "It looks pretty low." // "It is. Be careful." // "Are you stuck?" "Yes. Help!!!" "Kati, look what's ahead! A tunnel!" // "Oh dear, it looks rather low." // "We have to go through it before you so we can take pictures when you get stuck again!" "Yeah!" // "One of you should stay behind me so that you can take a video from both sides..." // "Oh, yes, this is gonna be viral!" "'A Finnish woman gets stuck in a low tunnel in Scotland', a hit to be sure." (The tunnel wasn't that low.) "!" // "What did you find?" "A rock." // "A very pretty rock." // "Maybe it's a dragon's egg?" // "You mean like a small and grey one?" "With a white stripe." // "Ooh, I'd like that!" "...and then over that ridge, and then the rest will be fast kilometers." "You know..." // "...that 'fast kilometers' sounds like something you could say as a farewell to a fellow hiker." // "Like, 'good journey, fast kilometers'." // "Sunny days." "Favorable winds." // "May your tent always stand on even ground." // "May your boots never hurt your feet." "May your bra always be dry." "May your favorite book never be turned into a bad movie!" Jatkuu... // To be continued...

INTERRAIL 3: FREEBOOTERS, PART 2/2 "This is Rannoch Moor!" "It's what?" // "The place where Scrooge McDuck is from!" "Ah!" // "If you come to the castle grounds you'll have to pay a fine, you #@$*!!!" (Despite of our efforts, we didn't find the McDuck castle.) The next comic doesn't translate, unfortunately. We're coming up with Finnish translations for the Devil's Staircase, a steep uphill on the West Highland Way that wasn't as difficult to climb as the legends had told. "Those were really pretty waterfalls." "Yes, totally worth the visit." "Our backpacks have waited here patiently." // "So, you're gonna hop on again?" // "'Cause you sure don't look like you're gonna walk anywhere on your own." // "Hahaha! 'You gonna hop on again?' Hahahaha!" // "Hahahahahahahahahahahaha..." // "I guess I broke Aragorn..." "...hahahahaha..." "My new favorite piece of hiking gear is this space blanket. It's foil on one side and tarpaulin on the other." // You can do so many things with it! If the ground is wet, you can sit on it. // You can use it to make a shelter. // You can wrap yourself in it to protect yourself from wind, rain and cold. // You can place it at the bottom of a tent to protect a sleeper from the cold ground. // "If you could dry yourself in it, it would be as useful as a towel!" Vaelluksemme loppui Fort Williamiin, missä menimme pizzalle The Black Isle (Musta Saari) -nimiseen pubiin (tämä ei ole maksettu mainos, mutta oli kiva paikka). Ensin tosin kuulin pubin nimen väärin ja luulin sen olevan The Black Owl (Musta Pöllö). Ajattelin, että siinä olisi hieno nimi pubille tai majatalolle. Jos Musta Pöllö olisi majatalo, sillä voisi olla tällainen kyltti, jossa valkoiset osat ovat siis mustaan puulevyyn leikattuja reikiä. Our hike ended in Fort William where we had pizza in a pub called The Black Isle (this is not sponsored but it was a nice place). At first I misheard the name as The Black Owl. I thought it would be a great name for a pub or an inn. If there was a Black Owl Inn it would have a sign like this, with the white parts being holes cut into a black wooden board. "Sitä joko elää elämänsä niin kuin se tapahtuu, tarttuu sitä kuin härkää sarvista ja peittoaa sen, tai sille kääntää selkänsä ja alkaa kuihtua pois..." (Dr Boyce, Star Trek: The Cage) Jatkuu... // To be continued...

Getting to Oxford is difficult Fort William: leaving for London by train in the morning Glasgow: Rail road workers are on strike. There's one train to London. "Dear passengers, due to a broken signalling system this train cannot go further south than Crewe." Preston: Half an hour stop for some reason. Crewe: Fire alarm on station, train couldn't get to the station. Changing trains. Stafford: Train stops for half an hour to re-start engines. Waltz on the platform. Birmingham: I decide to go directly to Oxford instead going via London. Northampton: The train my friends are in breaks down AGAIN and they have to change trains AGAIN. Oxford: I reach my destination. London: Others reach their destination. I went to Oxford to meet Whale. "Hiiii, so good to see you!" "It's been so long!" // Oxford actually does look the way it does in television. "Heh, such a cute card with a frog on it." // "I could send this to my flatmate who likes frogs." // "I wonder what their address is?" // "..." // "..." // "...probably the same as mine..." // "Sounds like something that could happen to me, too. Sometimes I wonder how I survive." Jatkuu... // To be continued...

INTERRAIL 5: LONDON "One thing that I don't understand about the architecture in London or generally in Britain..." // ...are these pits between sidewalks and and house walls. // "You can't grow plants there because they're too dark." // "And from the downstairs windows you have this breathtaking (dim-lit) view to the opposite wall. Or maybe trash cans." // "And all you get in this pit protected by a fence is rain water, fallen leaves and candy wrappers! Yuck." // "What is the point of this pit and why are they everywhere in Britain? If someone can explain, I'd actually really appreciate it." Kävin Lontoon eläintarhassa. Piirsin siellä eläimiä. I visited London Zoo. I drew animals there. "Everyone thinks we're some sort of ninja dinosaurs. Not cool, bro!" "Well, at least it's not frogs anymore! But I'm not surprised that long-necked turtles weren't the inspiration for TMNT..." Lumihevonen innostui pitkäkaulaisesta kilpikonnasta ja piirsi hienomman ninjakilpikonnan . Snowhorse got excited about the long-necked turtle and drew a better ninja turtle . "In an earlier comic I wondered why there's so often this pit between the sidewalk and the building in Britain." // I asked Mudkip who is a Londoner. "They weren't originally built that way." // "Initially, the buildings had windowless basements. Later on, they were turned into apartments, and people wanted them to have windows." // "Fences were made so that people wouldn't fall into the pits." // "...but it's still a dark pit that collects rain water and trash, right?" "Yep." // "And here in the center the rents are crazy." "I wouldn't pay to be able to see a pit from the window." If you're planning to sleep in a hostel room with other people at some point... // ...make sure you wake up when your alarm rings. // If you don't tend to wake from your alarm... // ...change it to something that will wake you up. // Because if you don't... // ...you might be woken up by something else completely. Jatkuu... // To be continued... TMNT by Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird

INTERRAIL 6: VISITING FAMILY Matkani jatkui Itävaltaan sukulaisia tapaamaan. Luonnollisestikaan ei kommelluksitta. My journey continued to Austria to meet some relatives. Naturally, not everything went as planned. "If you at some point end up in a situation where your train is cancelled and you have to spend five hours on a Saturday night at the train station in Cologne, you better prepare for people coming to talk to you. If you don't want to talk, there are some ways to get rid of them." // Method 1: "Hiya, where are you headed?" // "I don't think that's any of your business." "Ok." // Method 2: "Hi, where are you from?" "..." // "Are you from around here?" "...no." // "Are you from Britain?" "...no." "America?" "...no." "Where are you from, then?" // "...Finland." "Understandable, have a good night." Herbersteinin eläintarhasta: From Herberstein Zoo: "Tea!" // "Tea!" // "Tea!" // "Tea!" // "Tea!" // "You really drink a lot of tea!" "Tea!" "They must have made a mistake in Ireland back in the day and baptize you with tea." Jatkuu... // To be continued... Star Wars created by George Lucas

INTERRAIL 7: ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME I ended up in Rome for a few days. Colosseum was easy to find. Though I only admired it from the outside, didn't go in. "Heeeeey, come to a tour in Colosseum!" // "Hiya, I like your shoes!" // "Do you speak English? Spanish? German?" // "Where are you from, hey?" // "I want to give you a gift!" // "Leave me ALONE!!!" // "Thank you." Kävin Rooman eläintarhassa piirtämässä. I visoted Rome Zoo and drew a little. Vatican museums: "Well, that was a lot of museum!" // "The map hall was cool. And Botticelli's 'comics' in the walls of the Sistine Chapel." // "But why is there The Creation of Adam in all these souvenirs? It's not here, is it?" // "Is it?" // "..." // "Well it's in the CEILING of the Sistine Chapel!" // "And I was just watching the walls! Back we go!" "Hey, boss, what should I do with this marble head?" "Never mind, just put it somewhere." // "Hmm..." Oikeasti. (Valitettavasti en pannut merkille kuka tämän oli tehnyt ja ketä se esittää.) Seriously. (Unfortunately I didn't write down who made this and who this head is.) Jatkuu... // To be continued...

CHRISTMAS EPISODE 2022 Koko blogini historian ajan olen postannut jouluaattona jotakin Doctor Who -teemaista. Miksi luopua perinteistä? Joskin tänä vuonna katsomani uudet jaksot olivatkin lähinnä huonoja, ja niistä syntyisi vain sellaista sarjakuvaa jossa valitan niiden huonoudesta. Siksi palataan ajassa takaisin neljännen Tohtorin aikaan! Throughout the history of my blog I have posted something Doctor Who themes on Christmas Eve. Why give up the tradition? Even though the new episodes I've watched this year have been mainly bad and they'd only make comics of me complaining about their quality. So let's travel back in time to the days of the fourth Doctor! Kuvassa näkyvät sanat ovat sitaatti Bruce Springsteenin kappaleesta Two Hearts , ja jos harrastaisin fanivideoiden tekemistä, olisin jo aikaa sitten tehnyt videon Tohtorista ja hänen matkakumppaneistaan tämän biisin tahtiin. Tykkään erityisesti kohdasta "grow up to dream again" - ehkä se kuvaa vähän sitä, miksi uudet jaksot eivät oikein iske minuun: niissä yritetään olla niin kovin syvällisiä ja vakavia, että unohdetaan unelmoida ja seikkailla ja pitää hauskaa. Vähän niin kuin teininä, kun koitti olla kovin vakava ja aikuinen, kunnes kasvoi vähän isommaksi ja tajusi, että välillä saa ja kannattaa hullutella. Niin kuin kuvassa esiintyvä neljäs Tohtori sanoi: "Ei ole järkeä olla aikuinen, jos ei joskus saa olla lapsellinen!" The quote in this picture is from Bruce Springsteen's song Two Hearts , and if I were into making fan videos I would have already made one to this song about the Doctor and his companions. I especially like the part "grow up to dream again" - maybe it's kinda why I'm not a huge fan of the new episodes: they try so hard to be deep and serious that they forget to dream and go on adventures and have fun. A bit like when, as a teenager, you tried so hard to be very serious and adult until you grew up and realized that it's okay and good to fool around sometimes. Like the fourth Doctor, pictured here, once said, "There's no point being grown-up if you can't be childish sometimes!" Hyvää joulua kaikille! Have a Merry Christmas, everyone! PS. Niille, joille vitsi ei aukea: Doctor Whon Tohtori ei ulkonäöstään huolimatta ole ihminen vaan Ajan Herra, ja heillä on kaksi sydäntä. Mutta ehkä kolme on vielä parempi? PS. For those who didn't get the joke: the Doctor in Doctor Who is, despite his appearances, not a human but a Time Lord, and they have two hearts. But maybe three is even better? Doctor Who by BBC

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2022

INTERRAIL 8: SWITZERLAND En suoraan sanoen tykännyt Roomasta, joten matkasin seuraavaksi Zürichiin, missä viihdyin paljon paremmin. To be honest, I didn't like Rome, so next I traveled to Zürich which I liked much better. North of the plains towered rugged mountains whose snow-covered peaks glittered in the sun whenever they were not hidden away by clouds. // Between the great, steep hillsides slept deep lakes, reflecting the blue of the sky. // Fall had painted scarlet and golden the woodlands that covered the mountain slopes -- // -- where, in the springtime hawks, eagles and smaller birds nested on the branches of graceful trees. // The air was sweet and fresh there. // It was a land where a Freebooter was happy to walk, where her steps were light to take and her soul was light as well! // "...I've been reading The Lord of the Rings way too much!" Olin kuullut paljon hyvää Zürichin eläintarhasta, joten kävin sielläkin (nämä ovat Interrail-sarjisten viimeiset eläintarhapiirokset, lupaan sen!). Se oli tosi hieno paikka. I had head great things about Zürich Zoo so I visited it, too (these are the last zoo drawings in the Interrail series, I promise!). It was a really awesome place. Oikeasti pidin Zürichistä todella paljon, mutta sieltä ei ole tämän enempää materiaalia. I really did like Zürich quite a lot but I don't have any more material from there. Jatkuu... // To be continued...

LOOKING BACK AT 2022 ”Well then. The year 2022 it pretty much wrapped up.” // ”In this blog I have told about many things I’ve been doing, but here are some things that I didn’t draw into comics.” // I taught Mr Brony to knit. // We saw a wild goat in Scotland. ”He smelled like a goat.” // I drew some coloring pictures that were commisioned from me. ”But I won’t post them here.” // I organised some bird-watching trips. We saw a northern pintail Interrail-sarja jatkuu heti ensi postauksessa! The Interrail series will continue in the next post!

INTERRAIL 9: RETURN TO LONDON I returned to London, this time to meet Jimothy. ”Nice to see you again!” ”Hello there! (So you have a beard now.)” // ”Are you hungry? Want to go eat somewhere? We can of course just get sandwiches if you’d prefer.” // ”I’d actually like to eat some proper food. I’ve been living on nothing but sandwiches again.” // ”I haven’t had a proper meal in...” // ”...1...2...3...” // ”...in several days.” ”If you need to count, it’s way too long from a proper meal!” Jimothy and I visited several museums. // Like the Natural History Museum. ”Hey, I know that fossil!” ”You get excited over weird things.” // And the Royal Maritime Museum. ”These Brits are somewhat enthusiastic about this Nelson fellow.” // Try shooting a cannon! ”A little more up!” ”Now! Fire!” // ”This game is made for children, you know.” ”Yes.” // ”But that’s no reason not to play!” ”Indeed!” We met Mudkip and some of Jimothy’s and Mudkip’s friends. // We went for pizza. // ”Uhm… how are you eating that pizza?” // ”From outside to the inside. Like a spiral.” // ”I mean, I start from the crust, that is the most boring bit, and then move the the centre, which is the best part.” // ”I have never seen anyone eat a pizza like that before.” ”I don’t know anyone else who’d do it like this, either.” Jatkuu... // To be continued...

INTERRAIL 10: RETURNING HOME ”I admit, I’m sometimes really dumb.” // I had to spend several hours in the middle of the night between trains in Paris… // ”...so I thought that I’ll just spend that time at the railway station!” // They CLOSE the stations for the night! (We open at 5.) // ”Well, had to live with that, then. I walked up and down Boulevard de Magenta for some three hours. No one came to harrass me but it was really boring!” // ”Next time I’ll go to a hostel. I’m not that poor.” // ”Moaaaan!” // ”I’ve been sitting in this train for two hours already and there’s still two more hours to go! I can’t do this anymore!” // Meanwhile, in Middle Earth: ”Uruk-hai kidnapped our friends!” ”We’ve been running after them for three days now!” ”We can still do this!” // ”...” // ”It would be cool to be part of the dúnedain… but I’m too much of a wimp for it.” Paris: ”Still 32 hours ’til I get to the ship and breafast buffet.” // Karlsruhe: ”22 more hours to go ’til the breakfast buffet.” // Copenhagen: ”10 more hours.” // Stockholm: ”Two hours.” // ”This I’ve been waiting for!” ”And then I returned home.” // My interrail trip took six weeks and took me to eleven countries. // Hiking in Scotland was so much fun! // And I met same family after a really long time. // I didn’t really like Rome at all… // ...but Zürich was really nice! ”And of course it was awesome to meet Whale, Mudkip and Jimothy again!” // ”I drew a lot of comics already during the trip.” // ”I almost filled this sketchbook. Often I drew in the hostel beds in the evenings.” // ”It was a good idea to draw already while traveling so I didn’t have to work so hard when I got back home.” // ”And, as you probably already guessed, I had the Lord of the Rings as travel reading.” // Though I only finished reading the appendices in the metro on my way back home! The end of the Interrail comics.

Kalenterin kansikuva Lumihevoselle: Clone Warsin/Bad Batchin kloonisotilas Echo Bad Batchin ensimmäisen tuotantokauden asusteissaan. A calendar cove picture for Snowhorse: Clone Trooper Echo from the Clone Wars/Bad Batch, in his Bad Batch armor from season 1. Star Wars by Lucasfilm

INTROVERTISM Introvertism is when you go to a store to look for a specific product... // ...spend 15 minutes trying to find it yourself... // ...finally brace yourself and ask a seller for help... // ...the seller finds the product... // ...and even though the product is not exactly what you were looking for but just something very similar... // ...you thank the seller anyway and don¨t say that this is not what you were looking for... // ...and when the seller doesn't see you return the product they found to the shelf... // ...and spend another 15 minutes looking for the right product.