#i just realized these are all karina and julia

[allthecastlesonclouds]

tell me about drawtectives. what is this little show.

oooooh my god oh my god. they are my guys. so.

drawtectives itself is a youtube series created by julia lepetit on Drawfee. it's an rpg mystery show– s1 is a murder mystery, s2 is just a mystery– that doubles as an art challenges show. she draws all of the backgrounds and npcs and most of the assets (the 'cutscenes', you could call them) and then the team gets together, knowing absolutely nothing besides what julia's asked them to prepare, and does some funky improv to create a very funky storyline.

there are 3 players and one dm; the pcs are rosé, york, and grendan/grenda/grandma/gma, and the Big NPCs are Jancy True (s1/s2) and Eugene Finch (s2) and they're, in their own words, a found family, so. beloved. their backup plan if all their jobs fail is to move out east and open a bookstore. jancy and eugene have fully accepted their titles as mom/ancestral ghost and son despite meeting each other likely once before the drawtectives dragged them together. overall though if i had to summarize, it's a bunch of friends getting together, making a bunch of puns, appreciating julia's art, and laughing together. the vibes are 10/10 so loving. in writing the transcripts i've written (Karina laughs) (Nathan laughs) (All laugh) So Many Times it's just fun.

so there's three pcs. first one we meet is gyorik 'york' rogdul, who's a half-orc come to the city to learn about his mother's culture. he is the character we have by far the most lore for– if I compiled all the lore I had about the Northern Tribes and Wild Trains, I think the document would be multiple pages. he's also illiterate, which was an interesting decision for the english major of the group to make (in other words, York Will Not Be Illiterate For Season Three bc Y'all Cannot Read) and morally gray if you think about it too hard (he killed his own brother) but yknow he's hot so it's okay. they're all hot any crimes committed are okay. he's also aroace (confirmed by the player, which is!! vibes!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TELLING ME @axolotllee!)

rosé is the Human Rogue and the youngest of the party; her main trait in s1 was Millennial and she Dealt with that. she, in contrast with York, has so little lore we are scraping the barrel. she was a thief, then left everything about that life behind and changed her name to rosé when she went to work for jancy. she lied on her resumé. she knows how to sew; she's sewn Pockets of Holding on most of her clothing. she bonded with a stray cat that lived outside her last apartment. she's three credits short of graduating college. she's, in addition to being a drawtective, jancy's intern, and cried when jancy got her a cupcake. she won't tell her best friends when her birthday is or where she goes to school or what her last name is. that's all we know about her and i love her and she could probably kill someone as she has multiple knives on her person and does not use them. she's bright and funny and can be pretty dark but really does find the humor in it which is. wonderful.

so grendan highforge starts out as The Snobby Rich Boy which. already love the trope something Always Happens To Them if they're a pc. then through s1 they make an offhand comment about a character (faucon, whose name is pronounced 'falco') and how if her name was pronounced that way it'd be grenda. faucon asks how they feel about it. they are caught very off-guard by that and then ask to be called it for the next hour or so. then the next witness calls him gma, and then grandma, and then. yeah she realizes she's genderfluid. and he uses any pronouns and has a full beard and also wears a romper and loves dogs and the player is the Most Experienced TTRPG-er so through maybe using resources a bittt grandma is the most observant character of all of them. he's also a dog walker and a lightweight and does canonically have druidic magic though that was Not Touched On Much and showed up to their first day on the job slightly stoned (they did stop doing that though.) she carries around a box to make the height difference (york is 7'. grendan is 4'. rosé is 6'. you can see the formatting issue) slightly less difficult. she doesn't know how rhinos reproduce but has had a fascination with them since a police chief said one might've committed a crime. i think they could kill someone by talking too much but they don't actually have the strength or dex to do Jack Shit.

and jancy true is the head pi (a great many of the characters are puns and i love it so much) and is there to make sure things get done and clues don't get missed. she has a cochlear implant and uses a cane and solved s1 just by Reading The Paper and hearsay. she solved about half of s2 before Someone Stopped Her. she says hello children to the drawtectives and it is such a fond thing. eugene is. a guy who i love. julia started the show thinking he would be some mysterious character to join them and then made the wonderful improv decision– avoiding having to do npc-npc conversation– of saying 'yeah eugene is spinning a camera on its stand' and rosé just says so gleefully. 'guys. i think he's stupid.' and he became their son. his character is a lot of The Plot of s2 so i don't want to get into it too much but. jancy and eugene my beloved.

they're just. such a family. to quote nathan (grenda's Player) from the s2 talkback: "That's one of my favorite things about this show, is we came in with these vague ideas for characters, and just playing them with each other, they became friends and became better people as a result of knowing each other and solving mysteries. ... Like, we all kind of independently made our characters people that either were distant from their families or, you know, just had tenuous connections to other stuff, and so these are, like, the realest connections they have in their lives."

and then karina (rosé) about 10 seconds later: "Yeah, we love a found family where they bond over just being the worst."

god. them. they're chaotic and loud and feel very real to me. they have excitement and are pretty bad at social cues but they love each other and want to die together because they would hate too much to be separated. i could articulate this better but it's one in the morning and they mean a great deal to me.

[peniswizard69]

I just realized that all of the characters in Milton were introduced by Jacob and Nathan. Jacob did Kahlua and Shadowy Figure, and Nathan did Milton, Space Guy, and Tree. Karina and Julia ran counterplay

Also like, concepts introduced by Jacob: Milton had to stop doing something, "they" being here, space, something at the window. Concepts introduced by Nathan: Milton licking his butthole, space station getting a reading, the door opening, the tree moving. Concepts introduced by Karina: Charlie looking like Chilchuck, Charlie needing to go. Concepts introduced by Julia: Charlie hearing something (×3), Tree lore

[eddieshellscape]

A Drawfee episode written by ChatGPT!!

(it's weird)

[The camera opens on the Drawfee studio, where Julia, Jacob, and Karina are seated at their desks. Nathan is absent.]

Julia: Hey everyone, welcome back to Drawfee! Today, we're doing something a little different. We're going to try to draw each other blindfolded!

Jacob: Oh boy, this sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

Karina: Yeah, I don't know if I'm ready for this.

[Just then, Nathan bursts into the room, looking frazzled.]

Nathan: Sorry I'm late, everyone! I had to take my pet rock to the vet.

Julia: Your pet rock?

Nathan: Yeah, he was feeling a little pebbly.

[The other Drawfee members groan.]

Jacob: Alright, let's get started before we lose any more brain cells.

[They all put on blindfolds and begin to draw. Things seem to be going surprisingly well, until...]

Karina: Oh no, I think I messed up.

Julia: What happened?

Karina: I accidentally drew on Jacob's paper instead of mine.

Jacob: Wait, what? Let me see.

[He takes off his blindfold and examines his paper, which is now covered in Karina's drawing.]

Jacob: This isn't even me! This is a really bad drawing of a banana!

[As he speaks, the banana on his paper begins to grow and expand, until it's a giant, mutant fruit.]

Nathan: Oh man, that's not good.

Julia: What's happening?

[The banana suddenly bursts, showering everyone with sticky banana guts.]

Jacob: Gross! This is like something out of a B-movie!

[As they try to clean up the mess, they realize that the banana guts are starting to grow and spread, covering everything in sight.]

Karina: We have to do something before it takes over the whole studio!

Nathan: I have an idea!

[He pulls out a hammer and begins smashing the banana guts.]

Julia: What are you doing?!

Nathan: It's the only way to stop it!

[As he continues to smash the banana guts, the studio begins to shake and rumble.]

Jacob: Uh, I don't think that's working!

[The rumbling grows stronger, until the entire studio collapses in on itself, burying the Drawfee members in a pile of rubble.]

Julia: Well, that was a disaster.

Karina: Yeah, maybe we should stick to drawing with our eyes open from now on.

Nathan: [muffled under the rubble] I still think it was a good idea!

[andsalttheearthbehindyou]

january reading wrapup

a bit weak this month but it was my birthday and thats a holiday in and of itself sooooooo

the shards, bret easton ellis - this was so perfect, top to bottom. moshfegh is obsessed with ellis and i totally see where she draws her inspo from, *I* feel inspired, like this is just an incredibly gifted writer and i feel stupid for being like, hey have you heard of this guy?? but i think everyone just thinks of the american psycho film when we really should be like my god this writer is insanely gifted. im gonna read all his work albeit slowly because i imagine a lot of his novels are similar in vibe and i dont wanna get overwhelmed by it hahaahaha. but this ones gonna stick with me for sure. hbo's making this into a show, im gonna message casey bloys and say cAlL mE I wAnNa Be An aCtrEsS!!!

the vulnerables, sigrid nunez - not much to say but it gave satc vibes for some weird reason to me that i cant even explain

vladimir, julia may jonas - chose this because of natalie portmans bookclub, and i could literally envision her envisioning herself in this type of role if this were a movie, especially after her may december performance. i did enjoy this but the moralist ending really wasn't...warranted? and im being vague here for risk of spoilers but the fire seemed like a very cheap cop out? if anyones read this id like your thoughts? also from the vague synopsis id read it made it seem like the prof was an older man obsessing over a younger woman so i was really intrigued by the role reversal here and i really did want to like this.

black swans, eve babitz - cant believe i didnt read this in 2020! especially since i read slow days back then. eves writing makes me swoon

tender is the flesh, agustina bazterrica - okayy. prefacing this by saying ive been vegetarian for 4 years now and that that greatly affects my take on this, i feel like book is heavily reliant on shock value and the grotesqueness of the real world and the author knows that the reader knows this is a real practice irl and is only forcing them to care because its being done to humans now instead of animals. which is so disturbing? maybe its just me but i think its horrific and cheap to pretend like youre making a statement and pretend like youre urging people to give a fuck about a real world problem but people dont see our irl food industry as a problem, if they did there would be more people with plant based diets. i hate to sound preachy in a 'review' where im condemning the author for being fake preachy but any positive reviews of this honestly are from people that will pretend to make a change in their diet for like a week and then revert to eating meat. and then the 'twist' where it also a commentary on surrogacy at the end, i was honestly appalled. modern day surrogacy as glorified by kardashians where its just rich women who dont feel like gaining weight or are only slightly inconvenienced by pregnancy so they turn to surrogacy is obviously disgusting but the main characters wife in this is obviously infertile and i dont see anything wrong with surrogacy in that instance -- (obviously not like its done here with the cattle-woman, hello??) but oh my god this book was really not....it. for me. and i think cannibalism in media had its fun but we need to move on already its tired. this book had nothing even interesting to say on it, whatever, im annoyed, at least it was short.

sirens & muses, antonia angress - very cute i liked this a lot! it reminded me a lot of this book i read in 2022 called cleopatra and frankenstein, which i also liked a lot. this just reads really well all the way through and i loved all the characters, i was a little upset about what happened with preston but only because i really liked him and i do realize that it was interesting to show flashes of his father in him it made him more complex sighhhh! this could be a good mini series tbh i saw karina so clearly in my head as sophie thatcher ooooof

pefume: the story of a murderer, patrick süskind - kurt rec so i knew it was going to be good, wasn’t expecting it to be sooo funny tho! loved

a knight of the seven kingdoms (the tales of dunk and egg #1-3), grrm - i kept putting off reading this one because ive been scared that i’ll never have a new grrm book to read :[ and also honestly i thought this one would be boring lol but it WASNT, i LOVED it, dunk and egg r literally babies omgmggmgmgmg. loved it so much :,(

the last tale of the flower bride, roshani choksi - i think i liked this, i dont know, i dont know if me not knowng if i liked it or not means i didnt like it, i think i did, but idk lol. I did! i did like this. very tangible and idyllic, i love 'we were girls together' relationships, a jennifer and needy type of thing which will always get me. i thought the switches in pov were fun. someone described this as gothic which is why i picked it up and i...wouldnt call it gothic, but it was good.

i guess this month wasnt as weak as i thought but whenever i dont hit double digits im like ugh. slump.

[doublerainebow]

Artist Resources (Part 1?)

This is basically just going to be a bunch of resources I have found to be useful. I can’t say that I’ve used all of them, but I’m sure they’re all worth checking out.

I’m also gonna try to put a detailed description for most of the links so you have a better idea of what you’re getting. I apologize in advance if some of them are redundant lol

(I put “Part 1″ if in the case I make another one)

~Links to Tutorials, Tips, Resources, etc~

Another Resource List -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Apparently, the post isn’t mobile-friendly, so it’s suggested to view this on Tumblr browser. Has a bunch of other links. I’ve checked out a few of them (mainly the copyright stuff lol), and it seems that some of the links may be a bit outdated. Still, it doesn’t hurt to check out the links.

Arms and Legs -- Leads to another Tumblr post. A handy tutorial on elbow and knee placement.

Art & Game Dev -- This leads to my personal playlist of a bunch of YouTube videos. Has a bunch of tutorials and interesting videos that I’ve collected over the course of a few years lol.

Blamblot -- A website that contains resources and tutorials on comic lettering. This is primarily in reference to western comics, but it doesn’t help to take a looksie.

Commission Calculator -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Helps artists to stop selling themselves short.

Comparing Heights (hikaku-sitatter) -- A height comparer for centimeters.

Comparing Heights -- A height comparer for feet and inches.

Mouth Shapes and Lip-Syncing -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Useful for... drawing mouth shapes.

Reference Angle -- Useful for when you’re trying to map out a face from an odd angle.

Soft Proofing for Printing -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Helps when you’re trying to make prints of your artwork.

Textures -- A website full of different and mostly free textures. While this website is made for 3D texturing, it can also be useful for 2D drawings. Signing up gives you 15 free credits everyday, and you can use those credits to download some textures for free.

The Models Resource -- A website of models ripped from a wide array of games.

The Spriters Resource -- A website of sprites ripped from a wide array of games.

The Textures Resource -- A websites of textures ripped from a wide array of games. 

~Links to Stock Images~

Please check out whatever policies they may have for their images before using them!

(not sure if any of them are active anymore as I followed some of these accounts a long time ago when I used to be more active on Deviant Art lol)

adorkastock (formerly senshistock)

anatoref -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Has a bunch of hand photo references

charligal-stock

HumanAnatomy4Artist -- Does contain nudity

null-entity

PhelanDavion

RobynRose

~Links to Other Artists~

Akihito Yoshitomi -- Yoshitomi is a mangaka who has tutorials on manga making. He also has an insightful series in which he drafts and draws a 30-page manga in 18 days. Remember that every artist works differently and his process may be different from another’s.

Drawfee -- Drawfee is an improv drawing show of four artists: Nathan Yaffe, Jacob Andrews, Julia Lepetit, and Karina Farek. While they don’t have tutorials in a sense, their videos explain the different processes they go through as they draw. They also occasionally provide tips, tricks, and resources in their videos. They do have another channel and a Twitch channel where they host drawing classes in addition to other fun shenanigans.

EtheringtonBrothers -- Has a bunch of useful and eye-catching tutorials called “How to Think When You Draw”.

Mark Crilley -- Mark is a comic artist, specializing in manga, who has a bunch of tutorials about anatomy, perspective, comic making, and other things.

Miyuli -- Miyuli is an artist who posts tutorials on their Twitter. Their tutorials range from anatomy to clothing to other things. They even have a few books of art tips. Currently (as of the time of posting this), their 2018 version is free for download, so I highly recommend you download that. Some tips may be outdated, but they should still be helpful.

Whyt Manga (Twitter/YouTube) -- Odunze is a comic artist, specializing in manga, that has a bunch of tutorials on manga making and drawing characters of color.

~Links to Free Programs~

Blender -- A free 3D program if you’re into 3D modeling and such. I also personally haven’t used Blender (I use Maya lol), but I know it’s a respectable program.

Krita -- A free painting program if you can’t afford Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint. I personally haven’t used Krita, but I have recommended it to a few friends and they have positive reviews about it.

Paint Tool SAI -- Okay, this one isn’t free, but it’s a significantly cheaper painting program where you don’t have to pay a subscription. It’s 5,500JPY (~50 USD). I’m not sure how well it still works on modern computers (the last update was 2016), but I still use it here and there because I love the pen tool feature it has, and it still works like a charm for me.

~General Tips From Raine~

Raine admits that she’s guilty of not following her own advice, but Raine hopes that the tips that she does know will be beneficial to someone who will follow them. She’s also going to keep all her tips under the cut so as to not make this post a huge wall of text (even though it technically already is lol)

Also, if you have some resources, tutorials, tips yourself, please feel free to send them to me and maybe I’ll make a part 2 to this post!

ALWAYS LOOK FOR REFERENCE. This should really go without saying. You can’t draw from life if you refuse to observe life itself.

If you can’t find the exact thing you need, MAKE YOUR OWN REFERENCE. Time and time again, I can’t find something exactly that I need. So instead, what I do is that I take pictures of my own reference. Sometimes I even grab a friend and take pictures of them doing whatever it is I need.

Have a mirror handy when you’re drawing. Sometimes what you need is actually right there in front of you.

Having trouble drawing something? Do some studies. Take the time to understand what it is you’re drawing. I can’t remember the exact story, but I heard that the people who were working on Tarzan were having a hard time drawing his hands. So, what they did was spend a few hours looking at hands to try and understand how they work.

IT’S OKAY TO STUDY THE ART OF OTHER ARTISTS. Just as we look to the old masters as a reference, it’s definitely okay to look at modern-day artists for reference. Just don’t go copying exactly everything that they do, or worse, trace what they do. Just don’t do it... at all.

Not every line needs to be realized. The viewer of your work will automatically connect the dots.

DO NOT TRASH YOUR OLD DRAWINGS. Please, never ever do this. Your old drawings have value to them, even if they look terrible to you. Old drawings may hold ideas for things you could do for the future. They also serve as a way to see how far you’ve come as an artist.

GETTING BETTER AT DRAWING TAKES TIME AND EFFORT. You’re not gonna get better overnight. It’ll take months, or even years, to feel like you’re a competent artist, and even then, you’ll still have room for improvement.

DON’T LOOK DOWN ON YOURSELF IF YOU’RE TAKING A LONG TIME TO GET BETTER. It’ll be better for your mental health in the long run.

Alternatively, DON'T LOOK DOWN ON OTHER ARTISTS EITHER, ESPECIALLY TO MAKE YOURSELF FEEL BETTER. You know the struggles it took for you to get where you are, so don’t go putting down other people when you’ve been in their shoes once.

KEEP DRAWING. If you’re not making an effort to get better, then you’re not going to be better. I get that it’s hard to find the inspiration to draw (I’m very guilty of this), but just keep trying. It doesn’t have to be big or spectacular. You don’t even have to post it if you’re the type who likes to post their art stuff.

Try to find references from real-life. It’ll help you better understand form, lighting, shadows, etc., especially if you’re going for a more realistic kind of art style. Otherwise, finding reference from things like cartoons, anime, comics, etc. are just as good.

Try new things. Try new art mediums. Try a different art style. Switch up the way you do things. Maybe you’ll hate it, maybe you’ll like it. Who knows if you don’t try.

Watch time-lapses (or speed draws/speed paints) of other artists!

Pinterest and Google are your friends if you need tutorials or references or whatever.

If you’re offering commissions, DO NOT WORK UNDER YOUR LOCAL MINIMUM WAGE. You are literally devaluing the work you actually put into a piece.

I like to think I’m an aficionado of Photoshop, so feel free to ask me questions on how to achieve something! I’ve used Photoshop for about 11 years now and know my way around the program. On another note, I do recommend setting custom keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop because the default shortcuts are terrible (in my opinion), and because having custom shortcuts increases the speed of your workflow.

Because I’ve been seeing this a lot lately in Twitter, you’re never too old to start in art. Art is just one of those things that anyone can pick up at any age because the only thing you really need to get good in art is time, diligence, and patience.

Try not to post hi-res images of your artwork to prevent art stealers from selling your artwork in high resolution.

Always, always, always add your signature and watermark on your artwork. I like to add my signatures and watermarks in places that’ll be hard to erase or crop out. I’ve also seen people add their signatures and watermarks in creative ways (ex. on a character’s shirt). You need to protect your work in an era where people will just blatantly steal it and make profit off your work.

Tag List

@reality-is-often-disappointing

[kissdstnctlyamerican]

realized i fully forgot to reply to your comments

drawfee humor just Gets me i love them so much. even funnier is the fucking 4 nathans bit and then they forgot about it mid episode??? i love when karina and julia decide to be absolute menaces to jacob. get him. i love when jacob and nathan are wreaking havoc and julia is about to lose it

i love their stock photo videos and the celebrity sketch artist video where karina answers yes no questions (poor nathan)

i relate to nathan so often sometimes . he is so important to me (also am i wrong for saying jacob is poor little meow meow core?)

NO CAUSE THATS SO TRUE youre so right. jacob born in a wet cardboard box all alone andrews. also the "do you know what a rectangle is" is one of my fav jacob bits i think

[reyofluke-ocs]

Hello. I’m @starryeyes2000; you are on my card for creator bingo.

If you could choose the OC/story of your work a new reader consumes first, which would that be? Do you have a favorite? Regardless of the fandom.

I’m looking forward to getting to know you and your OCs. 💙

Hello!! It is very nice to meet you. Ooh this is a tough one! The only real stories I've started are Teenage Dream (my Odette Octavius fic) and Of Saints & Bastards (my Karina Lantsov fic). Neither are posted though, haha. Probably the one I would direct people towards first (personally) would be Teenage Dream or its TASm counterpart, Brutal, or All Roads Lead Home (my Charlotte Xavier fic).

Teenage Dream meshes comics and MCU by Odette being Doc Ock's daughter and also having Oscorp and the Osborn's exist and provided I can make it realistic I'm really happy about that! Brutal, takes place after TASM2 where Gwen had left for Europe, Octavia (Odette in that universe) broke up with Harry Osborn because of his obsession with Spider-Man and started to have something with Peter Parker, but ends up paralyzed after being dropped off the clocktower by Harry - Peter catches her enough to stop her from breaking her neck but not enough to save her spine. As a result of TASM!Otto experimenting with AI technology he creates a prototype of the arms similar to his that ends up bonding with Octavia, turning her into the anti-heroine named Madame Octopus, as the AI in hers wasn’t fully developed so a larger part of her is in control compared to Otto’s version of the prototype. Which is really cool and fun to explore, personally, because of how complicated all of her relationships are in that verse.

All Roads Lead Home, my Charlotte Xavier fic, is one I will probably be most proud of, provided I can realistically pull it off. It kind of meshes XCU and MCU together, as if they were never separate ones. Semi-grounded back in New York after a narrow brush with death during her last trip escorting mutants to safety, Charlotte gets to reconnect, truly, with everyone - the X-Men, her brother and dad, even Erik. As a result of being stuck in New York for the time being, Charlotte begins paying more attention to the news as word of the Sokovia Accords starts leaking out as a potential legislation. And she realizes that Wanda and Pietro Maximoff are mutants, in some form, and ends up trying to get in contact with them - especially when she gets it out of Erik that they may or may not be his children. It’s self-indulgent, mostly, but god if I can pull it off... I’d definitely recommend it. Unless you hate Wanda, then none of my fics will be for you - at least, not this nor if I ever write Julia Peneva’s fic. 

Also purely self-indulgent, but Of Saints & Bastards - it’s malarklina x oc and i’m considering trying to rewrite certain parts of the books/show as a result and just... The Darkling running around chasing after Karina, Mal, and Alina to have them by his side just does something to me I can’t help it I’m sorry. Plus, it’ll piss most of the fandom off, so maybe all the toxicity will turn towards my fic instead of other members of the fandom.

[lightsburnbrite]

The Devil is in the Details: Part 1

After plugging the address in to her GPS, Karina drove off towards the center of the self proclaimed modern art district, just past the Kunstareal.

You have arrived at your destination.

With a frown, Karina drove on in hopes of finding a parking spot. She switched the map app on her phone to walking directions and soon found her way to the empty storefront. Finding the door locked, Karina stepped off to the side and chose to examine the chipped portions of her manicure. Soon she wouldn’t be able to resist picking at the missing sections of polish until she had peeled the entire nail clean.

“Miss Müller!”

Looking up, Karina saw a middle aged woman in a camel colored suit hurrying towards her and extending her hand.

“Sorry I’m late, traffic was terrible!” After shaking Karina’s hand, the woman then took the same hand and smoothed out her ivory blouse. “Fredericka Schmidt. It’s so nice to meet you in person, Ekaterina.”

Karina immediately formed the impression that the woman was a little scattered and in over her head. Even though she was late, she shouldn’t have acknowledged it or apologized. That would have given her the upper hand. Instead, Karina now held that position as the one being inconvenienced. At least, that was what Marwin had always told her. Giving her head an almost imperceivable shake as if to get the thought to leave, she smiled. “Karina will be fine, thank you.”

“Wonderful.” Schmidt pulled out a ring of color coded keys and flipped through them until she came to a bright green one. “Now, most of the commercial spaces on this street are either occupied by stores or we have a handful of artists that use them as their own personal galleries.”

Once the door was unlocked, they stepped into the bright and completely open space. “I’m interested in setting up a gallery of sorts,” Karina walked around the perimeter before turning her attention back to the real estate agent. “I inherited a large collection and while I’ve donated a lot, there were several pieces that I don’t want to part with so I figured that would be my best option. I have a few of my favorite pieces in my house but my husband isn’t a huge fan of having the entire place filled.”

“You have the Strohmann estate!” Schmidt’s eyes widened when she realized who she was dealing with. “I have larger properties-”

Karina gave her head a little shake. “No, this size is fine. I only have a handful that I want as permanent installations. Aside from that I plan to feature emerging artists that might otherwise not have a platform.”

“Yes, of course. How noble.”

Right then, Karina had to fight back the urge to roll her eyes. She never made it a habit of tying herself to Marwin Strohmann but her name was now well known in the artistic and philanthropic circles as the inheritor of his estate. It didn’t help her desire for anonymity when Focus published an article profiling the ten wealthiest “under 30’s” in the region. Karina had refused an interview and wouldn’t provide a headshot so the magazine must have searched for a useable picture elsewhere. The photograph that ran with the profile showed she and Leon both dressed in all black with sunglasses on, Karina with her arm looped around Leon’s, attending the memorial service for Marwin. If she was looking for a silver lining to it all, they made a very attractive couple.

“I’d like to sign the lease today if possible.” Karina turned back towards Fredericka Schmidt and punctuated her statement with a smile.

As part of her ongoing therapy, she worked with a body language coach. The initial idea was to help her feel more in control of her own surroundings but Karina was also aware that it just helped her become more assertive in general. The only difference was now that she didn’t care if people called her a bitch.

“Yes, yes, of course!” That request seemed to have flustered Schmidt somewhat but Karina just waited patiently as all of the paperwork was gathered.

When she got back into her car, Karina made a few taps on the in dash monitor and waited for the phone to ring. She wasn’t sure he’d pick up but she figured leaving a message would be fine also. After a few more rings, it clicked over.

“Hey Mausi!”

It always made Karina’s heart flutter when he called her that.

“Hi Leon.” She smiled and waited to see if he was feeling chatty or if she’d get to go first. When there was a slight pause, she continued. “I got it.”

“You rented the space? Shit, that’s great!”

“Yeah,” She laughed, feeling excited herself. “I looked around inside and it’s perfect so I signed a year’s lease right then.”

“I’m so proud of you, Maus.”

Karina could hear some commotion in the background then finally a voice she recognized yelled out.

Who’s on the phone?

She laughed when she heard Leon answer back: Angela Merkel!

“Hey, babe, I miss you like crazy but we’re out on a boat and the reception bad. Can I call you back tonight? Like right before bed when I’m by myself?”

She smirked now, knowing exactly what he had in mind and knowing that she could use that as well. “Yeah, of course. I love you, sir. And tell my brother I said hello.”

“I love you too, Maus.”

With a sigh and a smile, Karina switched the audio over to music and began the drive back to their place.

When Leon strode back out of the cabin, the guys started to tease him.

“Was that the wife checking in on you?” Lucca called out over from the other side.

Leon cocked his head to the side and smiled. “That was the wife giving me some good news about a project she’s been working on. Your sister says hello, by the way.” He had turned towards Marius at the end who just rolled his eyes, much in the same way his sister did.

“How did you manage to sneak away for a whole week?” Marius made a little jab at Karina’s expense.

Leon just shrugged now. He easily could have taken the credit for taking a guys only holiday, but he never missed an opportunity to point out how understanding and, at the root of it, reasonable Karina really was. “I told Karina what was planned, when I’d be leaving and when I’d be back.”

When that got some incredulity from the rest of the crew he laughed. “Plus she hates Mallorca and I’m taking her to the Maldives for our honeymoon over the winter break.”

Even though Karina had been a sore spot between Leon and Marius initially, Marius did give eventually but there was an unspoken understanding that Leon wouldn’t necessarily rub it in that he had married his best friend’s little sister. Every now and then, however, Marius would check in to make sure things were ok with Karina.

“Is she still seeing her therapist? The good one?” Marius dug through the cooler and found one of the ciders that Leon liked after getting a beer for himself.

With a nod of appreciation, Leon took a sip and then nodded again. “Yeah. She’s actually been able to cut down to twice a month now and, um, she’s doing really well. I’ve got my Maus back.”

“Good.” Marius nodded as well. “That’s good.”

Once Karina made it home, she immediately went to the spare room that she had set up as a work space and stood in front of her design board. “I’ll need to take pictures of the layout. Then I can figure out where I want everything to go and what area will be open for other artists.”

She turned to look at Elsa, her Bernese Mountain Dog, who seemed entirely disinterested.

“Of course,” She scratched Elsa behind her ear, “There’s an office so I’ll need to get you another bed to keep there. Sound good?”

That at least elicited a groan in response.

“I know.” Karina at down on the floor next to Elsa and wrapped her arms around the dog. “I miss him too. He said he’ll be home soon so maybe we can both stop moping around then.”

Karina could’t decide if she felt like cooking or if she even wanted some sort of takeout. After walking out on the terrace, she realized that the temperature had settled down to something a lot more comfortable. Grabbing Elsa’s leash, Karina looked to see what vendors were at the market today. Sometimes she could find a whole meal there and right now, that seemed like a better idea than anything else.

After dinner, Karina sat down and worked on compiling the history of the various pieces of art that she was donating to the museum. Occasionally, she’d glance at her phone but when she began nodding off at the table, Karina decided it was time to call it a night. She kept her phone next to her as she washed her face and brushed her teeth but it remained silent. Finally, she put a movie on and got into bed.

When Karina woke up, the first thing she did was to check her phone but there were only a few updates from various apps, no missed calls. Flopping back down, she rolled over on her side and stroke Elsa’s head. Elsa had made herself at home on Leon’s side of the bed whenever he was away.

“I know I’m being ridiculous,” She gently smoothed out Elsa’s ear now, “but he said he’d call.”

Karina frowned as she stared up at the ceiling but Elsa’s paw on her forearm brought her mind back. “Ok,” she sat up and yawned. “Ok, I’m getting up.”

The hardest part of her day had become figuring out what to wear to work. There was a professional dress code she needed to adhere to, the weather outside had been stifling hot recently yet the museum was always frigid, and there were some days where she was in the archives moving things around. Fortunately today, Karina knew she’d only be working at her desk so a simple shirt dress would suffice.

Coffee in hand, Karina made her way to the shared space where her desk was, greeting her coworkers along the way.

“Oh, Karina?”

She turned to see her boss, Nena, walking towards her carrying a leather folio. “Yes?”

“I was hoping you could help me out and train Daniel and Sara on conducting tours today.” Nena’s voice had a touch of pleading to it. “Julia has been working with them but she needed to call out sick today. Do you have time?”

Karina smiled and nodded. “Sure. Let me just put my stuff away and I’ll meet you out front.”

Daniel and Sara were two college students who were interning, much like she had at one point, so she felt a sort of obligation to help them out. They had never been introduced but Karina figured couldn’t have been any more than a year or two older than them which usually went over better than if she needed to tell someone older than her what to do.

“Daniel, Sara,” Nena turned to Karina once she had walked back to the main entrance. “This is Karina Müller, she’s one of our curators and actually wrote the script that you’ve been working from. She’ll be helping you out today.”

After spending a few hours with the two of them, Karina didn’t mind Daniel, but Sara had a little bit of snark to her that just rubbed Karina the wrong way. Still, Karina was grateful when their training portion of the day was finished and she could go back to cataloging the newest collection that had arrived.

She stopped around lunch time and went for a walk before returning to the break room. Sitting at the table with her salad, Karina still had her ear buds in when she realized someone was in the room with her.

“Hmm?” Karina had registered that it was Daniel who was speaking to her but she didn’t actually hear his question.

Daniel let out a little laugh. “I just said thank you for this morning. That’s one of the more useful training sessions I’ve had”

With a nod, Karina offered a polite smile. “Oh, thanks. I’m glad it was helpful.”

“It’s easy to tell this is something you’re really passionate about.” His smile broadened. “Listen, a few of us are going to catch a movie after work. Want to tag along?”

“Thanks for the offer but…” Karina then thought about what her evening would look like otherwise - taking work home and then moping around waiting to see if Leon would call. “Let me think about it, ok?”

Daniel offered a very satisfied grin in response. “Sure.”

[surveys-r-us]

it’s 2019 and i still do these

Do you know people with these names? For each name, say if you know someone with that name and how you know them.

Aaron: I know multiple Aaron’s. Two of them are former coworkers. The other one is someone I know of but haven’t really talked to much.  Adam: A jerk face.  Aisha Alanna Alex: Off the top of my mind, I think of someone I matched with on bumble a few months ago.  Alexa Alexandria: A girl from elementary school Allegra Allie: Someone from high school who had a baby.  Allison: A girl from my sorority (that I quit)

Alondra

Amanda: One of my early college friends who transferred. I don’t even follow her on social media anymore.

Amber Amie Ana: Another girl from my old sorority lol.  Anaïs Andreas Andrew: I know a few.  Angela: A girl I used to play soccer with in middle school.  Angelica Anna: Someone from high school. Think she moved after graduating college.  Annie Ari Ashley: Not the biggest fan of because she gets involved in other people’s business (including mine) but we’ve had some fun memories.  Ashna Audrey Austin: cute guy from my hometown who I talked for like a week senior year of high school Becky Ben: A friend I’ve never actually met in person but we talk every few months.

Berkeley: Someone who studied abroad in Ireland with me. She might’ve spelled it differently.  Beth: One of my first friends in college. She’s one of the nicest people I’ve met. Bobby: Another person from college. He can kinda be a dick.  Bolor Brendan: My friend who plays guitar and sings. Super talented. We bonded over our music tastes being relatively similar.  Bridgid Britney: I think it was spelled Brittany but a girl in the grade below me in high school.  Brooke: My little cousin. Cal Callie Cam Cameron: I had a brief crush on him back in high school.  Camille: One of my old roommates’ close friends. I’ve only talked to her like twice.  Camryn Carmen: A distance cousin.  Caro Caroline: I know like 5 Caroline’s. My old roommate is one of them.  Casilda Cecile Cecily Chanel Chloe: The first person I thought of was a friend’s little sister.  Chris: Super liberal, obsessed with Game of Thrones and listens to Talking Heads Christina: One of my sister’s friends.  Christopher: Someone from high school. I’ve known him since kindergarten.  Claire: One of my best friends.  Claudia Claudine Cole: Was just wondering about him the other day since he deleted all his social media. Wonder what he’s up to. I know he’s a pilot.  Connie Connor: He plays football and writes for our student newspaper.  Courtney: She’s hilarious.  Cyrus Daisy Dakota Dana Danielle: Someone from my high school who also went to my college. She was older than me though. David: This cool guy from the Netherlands I met my last night in Ireland. He was apparently super into me according to my sister. He deleted me on snapchat though so now I don’t know how to communicate with him.  Delilah Diane: My aunt.  Diego Donald Doug: A family friend Duncan Dylan: My best friend’s ex. Pretty sure he got busted for selling drugs lol Eleanor Elijah Elise: My sister Eliza Elizabeth: One of my sister’s friends.  Ella Elle: Another girl from my sorority. She tags her boyfriend in things a lot on facebook. Ellie: Another person from high school. She’s like me and got the fuck out of this town.  Elliot Emerson Emily: Man I know a ton. One that comes to mind is my friend who we can go months without talking and pick things up like no time passed.  Emma: Someone from college who deleted her social media recently. I applaud her for it.  Eric Erika: Erica. Went to middle school with her. She’s had two kids.  Ethan: Dude I knew of in college but never really talked to. Faith: One of my old coworkers. I would see her out at parties and be surprised since she didn’t seem like someone who drank.  Fiona Francesca: Franz George: This short kid who’s sorta friends with one of my old roommates. I had class with him and didn’t even realize it until 3 weeks before the semester ended haha.  Ginny Giselle Grace: My beautiful cousin Graham Hadley Hailey: One of the few people from high school I’d still hang out with. 

Hannah: Wasn't a big fan of her.  Havana Helen Henry: Someone else from high school. He’s super smart.  Hugo Huma Ilana Indra Isabel: One of my favorite coworkers from this past year. Such a sweetheart. However, she can talk too much which was especially annoying at our mandatory meetings at 9 PM (college jobs suck) when I just wanted to go home and go to bed.  Isabella Itza Ivy Izzy: Think there was a girl with that name on my floor freshman year Jackie Jacob: Old neighbor. He got busted buying weed before it was legal here. Not sure what he’s doing now James: My uncle Jamie Jason: A family friend. Actually saw him the other day.  Jennifer: My former aunt.  Jenny: see above Jess: One of my closest friends.  Jhadha Joe: My old manager at work. I miss him. He’s so funny.  John: My music soulmate.  Jonathan: He plays football. He and his girlfriend are super cute together.  Joseph: An asshole.  Joyce J.P. Jude Julia Julie Justin: A distant relative.  Kaan Kai Karina Kat Kate: One of my cousins.  Katherine Kinaya Kira Kristie Lanie Laura: She’s from Hungary. She’s low key insane.  Lauren: Aye that’s me. Also one of my best friends.  Leah: My old supervisor. She’s hilarious. León Lexxi Liberty Lisette Louisa Luca Luis Lynette MacKenzie: Spelled differently but this girl who’s somehow a Trump supporter lol.  Maddie: A really complicated friendship but think we’re good now.  Maggie: Actually one of the funniest people you could meet. She uses tinder just to send stupid messages.  Makena Manlio Margaret Margo Maria: My old roommate.  Marianna Mariely Martha Martin Mayuri McKinley Megan: The person I think of is a friend from college.  Meredith Mia: One of my really close friends.  Michael: My ex boyfriend lol Michelle: One of my oldest friends. I’ve known her since 1st grade.  Mike: This dude who gets insanely drunk at the bars and does stupid things. I don’t know how he hasn’t been arrested.  Minah Miranda: This artsy girl from high school.  Molly: Another old neighbor. She lives in Chicago I think.  Morgan: One of my close high school friends. I don’t really see her often.  Nadia Nancy Natalie: A mutual friend with different people. She studied abroad in Ireland when i did.  Nathan Nathanael Neoma Nichole: She was my camp counselor.  Nico Nikki Noah Noelle: Pretty sure there’s a girl from my hometown with that name.  Octavio Olivia: My locker buddy throughout high school. Would see her every day.  Orion Owen: Went to college with him for a bit. He transferred and then dropped out. No idea what he’s been up to. He’s really into theatre.  Paige: My little cousin Pam Pat Patrick: My old high school crush. He unfollowed me on instagram a few months ago which sucks because we were actually decently close friends at one point.  Paul: A family friend.  Paula Pauline Peter: I definitely know a Peter but can’t think of one.  Phoebe Phong Price Quinn Rachel: Another person from high school I’d actually still hang out with.  Rai Railey Raquel Ray Rayne Rebecca: Known her since 2nd grade.  Rebkah Regina Reilly Remy Ren Rhianna Robert: My friend’s brother.  Rohini Roither Rose Ruby Ruilin Sabrina Sakura Salim Sally Sam: This super buff guy from high school. Literally could be a bodybuilder for all I care. Sapna Sarah: This really religious girl I went to high school with. I don’t think she ever left our hometown.  Savanah Sebastian Shani Shannon: One of my good friends from middle school. I haven’t seen her in years.  Siena Snigdha Sofia Sophie Soren Spencer: Think a guy from my high school has a younger brother with this name.  Summers Sydney: She just got married and had like a two week honeymoon at Disney. Taran Taylor: Talked to one for like two weeks. His current girlfriend hates me but we kinda mutually ended things so I don’t get why.  Tessa: One of the nicest people from the nicest family in my entire town. Thea Theo Theresa: I’ve met a couple in college.  Tim: My uncle Tom: I’m not really a fan of him. He likes to show up to things uninvited. Tori Ural Victoria: Someone from my floor freshman year. She’s vegan and is getting married in like a month. I can’t wait to see her wedding photos. Her dress will probably be really beautiful.  Viviane Walter Will: Some kid from elementary school Willa William Yujin Yuta Zac Zoe Which names do you prefer?

Alice or Allana? Alice Allie or Andie? Andie Alexandra or Anastasia? Alexandra Anna or Angela? Anna Annie or Angelica? Angelica Ana or Ashna? Ana Audrey or Ashley? Audrey Ansel or Annika? Ansel Brooke or Britney? Brooke Berkeley or Bella? Bella Bo Chao or Beatrix? Beatrix Camille or Camryn? Camryn Cristina or Casilda? Cristina Chloe or Courtney? Courtney Charlotte or Carol? Charlotte Cleo or Chanel? Chanel Davin or Dillon? Dillon Delilah or Dutra? Delilah Erin or Elina? Erin Emin or Emerson? Emerson Emily or Emma? Emma Erika or Estelle? Estelle Faith or Frannie? Faith Fernanda or Francesca? Francesca Georgina or Gracie? Gracie Gabriela or Gina? Gina Hailey or Hannah? Hailey Hadley or Havana? Hadley Indra or Isabel? Isabel Indiana or Ivy? Indiana Jenny or Jessie? Jessie Julia or Joyce? Joyce Jasmine or Jackie? Jasmine Jamie or Jennifer? Jamie Kimia or Karina? Karina Katerina or Kate? Kate Kira or Kristie? Kira Lia or Lily? Lia Lauren or Lynette? Lauren Liberty or Leila? Liberty Margaret or Martha? Martha Michelle or Mackenzie? Michelle Mia or Michaela? Mia Morgan or Maddie? Morgan Maya or Mayuri? Maya Megan or Makena? Makena McKinley or Margo? Margo Nikki or Natalie? Natalie Nadia or Nancy? Nancy Nicole or Olivia? Olivia Rachel or Rebecca? Rachel Remi or Rosie? Remi Ruby or Reine? Ruby Ren or Sakura? Sakura Sapna or Snigdha? Sapna Sally or Stella? Sally Sophie or Sydney? Sophie Sophia or Solana? Sophia Skye or Sierra? Sierra Serena or Savanah? Savannah Sarah or Sabrina? Sabrina Tara or Taylor? Tara Vittoria or Yahs? Vittoria Yoonju or Yukine? Yukine Aidan or Austin? Austin Alan or Andrew? Alan Aldo or Alexx? Alexx Ben or Brian? Ben Billy or Brodie? Brodie Corey or Carlos? Carlos Coleman or Connor? Connor David or Dylan? David Eli or Eric? Eric Franz or Fernando? Franz Gabe or Graham? Gabe Holden or Hudson? Hudson Jacob or Justin? Justin Jack or JP? Jack Jimmy or Jared? Jared James or John? John Karm or Kian? Kian Lou or Lenny? Lenny Michael or Mickey? Michael Nick or Nathan? Nick Peter or Pierson? Peter Rai or Rafael? Rafael Sanjay or Supawat? Sanjay Will or Wynn? Will Zachary or Zack? Zack

[figure-skating-watch-party]

Belarus Open Championships - Winter Star

A weird thing happened, after the success of Minsk Ice Star a few months ago, Belarus asked the ISU if they can make their national championships international and give an opportunity to compete to some other skaters in this difficult season,  the ISU agreed and here we are. We have the Winter Star competition! 

I’m usually not watching competitions live and it means that when I get to the videos some are already missing. I wanted to watch men and ice dance and got the majority of short programs and all rhythm dance videos, so I take it. (only two free programs and no free dance though...)

MEN

The biggest international star was no doubt Kevin Aymoz. His short program to Indigene, surprisingly, wasn’t the best though. Because instead of 4T he jumped only 3T and the same happened to 4S - only 2S and without a combination. His 3A though was beautiful. Kevin’s way of skating is truly unique. It’s modern, charismatic and sincere.  He highlights every note of the music with a unique movement. In the free program he returned to his last season’s Lighthouse and again it was beautiful and brought him the victory.

The favourite for the Belarusian championship title was Konstantin Milyukov and I love his short program so much. His Nutcracker is amazing. (as already said, in this segment he even scored higher than Kevin). I love his elegant and majestic moves. And then in the free program to Time Lapse he is very expressive and the tempo quickens towards the end and keeps the program interesting. 

You know all the team!Japan or team!Russia fans? I’m a loud team!Spain fan so I was very happy to see two participants from Spain in the men’s category. Namely  Arnau Joly and Iker Oyarzabal. Arnau skated his short to Woodkid and I liked how powerful and energetic his step sequence was. And it was interesting to compare the two Spanish skaters. Because their programs and interpretation was very different. Iker skated to You raise me up and he was skating so softly. Also his spins look great.

ICE DANCE 

I don’t have much to say, I just love ice dance in general and rhythm dance in particular :D  And here I kind of realized how diverse the rhythm dances are, even thought there are strict requirements for the pattern dance, the music has to be from a musical and yet we have funny Masks, sensual Burlesques, playful Cats, classic Ritzs etc. And I love them all. 

There were some teams you even won’t find on the ISU’s official pages or you’ll find them but with former partners, so it was new teams here and yet the dances were amazing. Not a single major mistake in twizzles for example. 

Viktoria Semenjuk / Ilya Yukhimuk - ‘s Wonderful They paired up before the last or this season and indeed it was wonderful. The music, the costume, I smiled the whole time watching them dance. 

Karina Sidarenka / Maksim Yalenich - Mask So much fun, great twizzles, amazing choreo. And yes, we support all yellow costumes!! 

Julia Wagret / Pierre Souquet - Singing in the rain Their skating was so smooth, I have to admit I was playing a little game with myself and doing my own ranking and trying to see if I’d be close to the judges’ view and yes they belonged to the top or near the top.  Another Singing in the rain. I have to immediately add them to my collection. Yes, I collect Singings in the rain ;)

Paulina Ramanauskaite / Deividas Kizala - Putting on the Ritz A classic, you can do no wrong. Good twizzles and a beautiful lift where Paulina holds her skate.

Chelsea Verhaegh / Sherim van Geffen - Cats I loved the fun, lightness, playfulness. Chelsea was so expressive. 

Yuliia Zhata / Berk Akalin - I’m just a baby in this business of love From what I’ve found they paired some time last season and because Yuliia is from Ukraine I believe this is the first season they can compete for Turkey. I liked their dance a lot. Especially the non-chalant way Berk carries himself on the ice. 

Daria Popova / Volodymyr Byelikov - Grease Another Grease to add to my collection with Smart/Diaz on top of it. Them and Wagret/Souquet was objectively speaking clearly the best here. I enjoyed their dance a lot, they also had the most complicated lift of all teams. 

[theofficialimaginariumblog]

Chapter 8

The next thing the children knew, they were back in the woods where they had started. The door and the ticket machine were gone.

“We made it!” a boy exclaimed.

“We’re back in the real world!” A girl gushed. “We can finally go home!”

While some children cheered, others - the children wearing old-fashioned clothes - didn’t look too sure.

“I don’t think our home’s there anymore,” Karina sighed. “Yeah,” Julia said. “It’s been so long since we left.”

“Then come with me.”

The voice was soft and warm. Everyone turned to see Miss Riddle - the real, flesh-and-blood Miss Riddle - approach. On either side of her was Blake and Bonko, still in his ghost-like form, but smaller than before.

“Blake!” Elly ran to her brother, embracing him in a hug.

“Geez, Blake,” Franklin remarked. “You’re so reckless, you know that?”

“It’s a miracle you were able to make it out alive.” Tanner added.

“I knew you could do it, Blake.” Summer smiled. Blake returned the expression.

Meanwhile, Bonko faced his old playmate. His eyes downcast in shame, he mumbled “I... I’m sorry, Hermia.”

“I’m sorry too,” Miss Riddle responded. “I didn’t realize how much I hurt you, or how much of my magic you absorbed.” She gently lifted his face up so that his gaze met hers. “Now that you have a soul of your own, we can start over, like Blake said.”

For the first time in ages, Bonko smiled a real, genuine smile.

“What about us?” Another boy - Gabe Lamb, who had gotten his journal back - asked.

“Every child of this time will be sent home,” Miss Riddle answered. “As for the others,” She looked to Karina and the other children of the past. “they’ll have a new home. Everyone here will finally have a chance to grow up.”

With that, she waved her hand, and another door appeared, this one shining the purest gold. It opened into a vortex the color of a cloudless summer sky. With another wave of her hand, three small ships, each one big enough to hold a large group of passengers, descended from above.

“Will we ever see each other again?” Blake asked Karina.

“Maybe when we’re older,” she replied. She glanced at Miss Riddle. “I think we should learn magic from her so we can find our way back to you guys.”

“Okay, everybody!” Elly suddenly announced. “This is the part where we do a group hug!”

And hug they did. When they were done, the children of the present flew back home aboard the airships, and Miss Hermia Riddle, Bonko and the children of the past entered the portal to a new life.

Karina was the last to go after her sister. Before she entered, she turned and gave the five remaining children the peace sign. Then she was gone.

The golden door closed, and vanished, leaving them standing alone.

“C’mon, guys,” Blake said. “Let’s go home. Our parents are probably worried.”

So the five children crossed the field, climbed over the log fence, and walked down the hill, homeward bound.

“C’mon, Blake!” Elly exclaimed. “The others are waiting!”

“Where are you going?” their father asked. 

“To meet up with the others,” Blake answered. “We’re just gonna hang out, is all.”

“Well, have fun!” He waved his son and daughter goodbye.

“They’ve gotten so close, haven’t they?” their mother acknowledged. Her husband hummed in agreement.

Once the five reached town, the first thing they did was go to the arcade. And this time it was open when they arrived. They enjoyed their day out together, and the similar days after that, as much as they could, for the summer was almost done.

[theofficialimaginariumblog]

Chapter 7

“That’s Miss Riddle?” Franklin said in disbelief.

“It can’t be her!” Tanner rubbed her eyes. “Can it?”

“But that’s the same person we just saw!” Summer looked the doll over.

“No, it’s not,” Blake realized. “That ghost thing had to be an illusion, like in a magic show.”

“So, wait,” Elly said. “You mean this is the real Miss Riddle?”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Karina added. “‘Cause then, that would mean that-”

“That she turned out like Julia, too.” Liam finished in shock. “And everybody else.”

“What’s she got there?” Morgan noticed. Megan saw it too. “Look,” she pointed. And the others looked.

Blake crept over and picked up the stuffed doll from the real Miss Riddle’s arms, turning it around in his hands.

“Why’s it look so... familiar?” Karina said almost exactly what he was thinking.

Indeed, he couldn’t help but think that he had seen something similar before. Then it hit him.

“A harlequin doll...” he breathed, connecting the dots in his mind. “Just like...”

“How dare you.”

The familiar voice, filled with a tranquil rage none of them had heard from its owner before, was enough to make them jump up in alarm and look around the room, trying to spot where it had come from.

A thick stream of white mist suddenly shot out of the doll into the air. When it cleared, there he was, floating above the children, glaring down at them.

“Bonko,” Blake gasped.

“Wait, Bonko was behind all this?” Elly asked, shocked at this turn of events. “But why?”

“It’s…” Bonko seethed, glaring at the doll that was once Miss Riddle. “It’s not like I want to stay here, too! Being betrayed by my own best friend, trapped in that junkyard for decades, with no one playing with me, waiting for myself to rot!”

“So...” Summer glanced at the harlequin doll. “This doll used to be...”

“Miss Riddle’s toy,” Karina realized. “From when she was a kid.”

Bonko continued. “The despair I felt after she threw me away like I was literal garbage... how would you understand any of it?!” He gestured to their surroundings. “This place was meant to help me collect happiness, and that’s just what it’s gonna do! Soon, I’ll have more happiness than anyone in your world!” 

“So you’re just gonna...” Karina clutched Julia close to herself. “...steal it from kids?”

“That’s just messed up!” Elly protested. 

“What about the kids you lured here?” Tanner asked. “They’ll never get the chance for life!”

“What you’re doing will seriously hurt people!” Liam explained.

“Please, Bonko!” Summer pleaded.

But Bonko wasn’t having any of it. “Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!!!”

It was as if the harlequin appearance had been a costume or a mask that Bonko had removed. The harmless-looking exterior was completely gone, replaced by the large, ghostly being that was now barreling towards them.

The children scattered at once, causing the thing that was the real Bonko to slam into the floor. He rose up, covered in dust, orange eyes glowing with fury.

Franklin, Tanner and the twins fired laser after laser from their pistols at the monster. Liam launched projectiles from his slingshot. Whenever Bonko swooped down at them, Summer and Karina would slash at him with their swords. But their attacks had no effect.

Then Elly had blasted him with her bubble gun. “Why don’t you pick on somebody your own size, huh?!”

Bonko turned on her, and lunged, like a squid jettisoning itself towards its prey.

“Elly!” Blake, who had been standing in the sidelines, trying to think up a plan, darted towards his sister. At the last second, he made a running jump, shoving her out of the way of danger.

But he couldn’t save himself.

Bonko skidded on the floor, crashing to a halt against the wall. For a moment, he didn’t move. But then he slowly rose up into the dim light. There was no sign of Blake. The other children were stunned.

“He ate him!” Elly wailed. “Blake!” Tears began to form in her eyes.

The massive phantom turned his sights on the remaining children. They knew that, without Blake, their efforts would be all for nothing. They huddled together, expecting the worst to come...

Bonko started twitching. He looked down at his hands. The look on his face was absolute confusion.

Then he jerked to the side with a yell, smashing into another wall. He fell to the ground, clawing at his chest. “W-What are you doing?!” he cried. “Stop it! Get out of me!”

It was then that the children knew what was happening.

“Blake!” Summer gasped.

Inside Bonko’s body, Blake held on as tightly as he could, resisting the current that threatened to drag him out.

“Not a chance!” he called over the wind whistling in his ears. “If you’re not gonna end this, then I’ll do it for you!”

“NO!” Bonko was screaming now.

A golden glow surrounded the writhing Bonko. All at once, what seemed like a million beams of light shot out. They emerged from Marchen Palace, spreading throughout the Imaginarium. Only one remained, flying instead for the children. It struck Julia square in the wooden chest.

In another instant, a wooden puppet was replaced with a girl around Karina’s age.

“Julia!” Karina breathed.

There was a sudden rumbling. By now, their surroundings had changed completely. The Imaginarium no longer looked like the perfect carnival - more like a crude, childish crayon drawing of what the perfect carnival should be.

“Run,” Summer cried. “Run!”

And that’s what the children did, Julia now included.

The exit, once located in the Haunted Academy, was now in plain sight. Other children - Bonko’s previous victims, now free - were scrambling into the tunnel.

“The whole place’s coming apart!” Franklin shouted. “We gotta go!”

“What about Blake?!” Elly cried.

Summer looked back at what used to be Marchen Palace. “It’s all up to him, now,” she whispered.

CRACK!

The wind stopped, allowing Blake to release his hold. Floating weightlessly, he looked up to see a large, glowing crack forming a hole big enough for him to enter.

“No!” he heard Bonko cry out. “Please!”

Blake ignored him. He swam towards the hole.

“DON’T LOOK AT ME!!!”

The rain that poured down was relentless.

When Blake first saw the child, he was standing amongst the ruins, staring up emotionlessly at the stormy skies above; a pitiful sight.

“Are you... the real Bonko?”

The child just looked back at him before turning his gaze to the ground. “It’s always been like this...” he whispered.

Blake looked up at the grey sky, then back at Bonko. “You’ve been feeling this way this whole time,” he said. “but you still wanted to make a change. Is that it?”

“But nothing changed,” Bonko replied. “No matter how hard I tried...”

Blake stepped forward. “It’s not too late to start over,” he spoke in the same gentle tone he used in the past to console his sister whenever she cried, crouching down to meet the spirit’s gaze. “You can’t be satisfied by flat-out stealing happiness from others. You gotta earn it by doing whatever else makes you happy.”

“But how?” Bonko asked. “I was made to make others happy. Not myself...”

Blake smiled. “You’re alive now, are you? That means you can find real happiness. Favorite foods and games, friends, family, lovers... If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the simple things in life brings that kind of pleasure.”

Bonko looked up at Blake, then lowered his head. Tears began to well in his eyes. He sobbed. “What have I done? ...I’m such a monster...”

Blake hugged the weeping child. “I don’t think so. I know you can change. You just need to take a step in the right direction. And you can begin by letting everybody know you’re really sorry.”

CRACK.

They both looked up. The rain had stopped. Cracks were forming in the sky.

Then the world around them shattered.