#Niagara Falls Sketch

[fleckcmscott]

A very dear and sweet friend commissioned this painting by @tally-kiza as a birthday gift. 😊 It's of a scene in my oneshot The Falls, the story of Arthur and Sarah's weekend honeymoon to Niagara Falls.

Cal, thank you very much for agreeing to take on this commission. You did such a beautiful job bringing this vignette to life! 😍 The subtle pattern on the wall is an example of your attention to detail, as are the wrinkles on the carpet. The lighting is absolutely perfect; I love how the fire's glow spills over them. Cozy, warm, and romantic. 💖

Sarah and Arthur are great, too! They're wearing the perfect We-Need-A-Break expressions. 😂 Arthur's gazing at her with such tenderness. It's a look that makes me wonder if he's able to hear her over all the basking. 🥰 You always draw his body beautifully, and your anatomy work gets better with every sketch. Their collarbones! Their hands! His wonky shoulder! I love it all.

Thank you, Cal, and thank you, dear friend, for this wonderful gift. You've both touched my heart. It's a treasure to behold. 💜

[fictionalcanadianshowdown]

Jude Lizowski is from the tv show 6teen. He is a laid-back stater who spends a large amount of time in a mall with his friends. He is Jewish and speaks in a surfer accent from the 1970s.

Player is from Carmen Sandiego, a tv show. He is a teenage hacker from Niagara Falls who helps Carmen in her capers against V.I.L.E.

Bob and Doug Mackenize originate from SCTV, a sketch comedy show. They are two dim-witted beer-swilling brothers who speak in thick Canadian accents, frequently employing the interjection Eh? And calling each other hosers.

[bytedykes]

[ID: Sketch of the Niagara falls dammed up. Second image is a reply by @thehouseofgrey that says "Waterfall". /end ID]

niagara falls 1969 fanart

[jasposeyblog]

My acquisition of Smallville Lex Luther sketch cover by David Jacob Duke 

David was able to have Michael Rosenbaum sign it at Niagara Falls Comic Con last week where they both appreciated their mutual love of Joy Division.

[emj-lane]

A little About me🤷‍♀️

My name is Emma-Jean Victoria Lane

Most people call me EmJ but some call me Em or Emma...all those things I respond to. I have a hyphenated first name so it's a mouthful lol!

I'm 18 years old and have an identical twin sister, Mazee. Our birthday is Halloween 🎃

Mazee and I were adopted from China when we were 2 months old

We live and were raised in California.

Besides Mazee, I have a sister, Natasha, who is 19. A sister, Morgan, who is 14. my sister, Sydney, is 11. And the youngest is my brother, Hunter, and he's 7. These siblings are my parents biological children.

We have 2 dogs that are golden doodles, Luna and Courage, and we have a cat. Her name is Boo.

I find it weird how friends or dates/boyfriend are sketched out, leary and scared off by the fact that my mom is a psychiatrist. That's her career/ her job but she is a regular person, wife, mother individual outside of her psychiatrist title/career. I promise she's not analyzing or diagnosing you if you aren't her patient in her office or in the hospital

My dad is a teacher at a boarding school for high schoolers gifted in the arts like music, theater, dance, writing, painting etc

Surfing is one of my favorite things/passions/talents. My whole family surfs.

Equal to surfing is my passion for writing.

I started playing soccer in second grade and the rest is history. From then on year after year I played on the soccer team for my elementary school, middle school and high school.

Should have been a mermaid. Love the water and swimming and diving. I was a competitive swimmer and diver from 7th grade and on through the rest of my middle school and high school career

I train and practice karate and kick boxing. In a fist fight I will kick your ass & I love it

My life motto and really driving phrase for my life and personality is "Underestimate me. That'll be fun..."

I'd say I'm very outgoing, friendly and social.

It can get very heated and tension does get very high at home with my older sister, Natasha. She has a diagnosis of ARFID which is avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. She has a lot of Orthorexia traits and tendencies as well. This has been a battle and an issue for almost 12 years now. Natasha doesn't really want full recovery...she doesn't want to weight restore or be healthy. She wants to maintain where she is...still sick, still disordered, still underweight but not getting worse- just completely maintaining & existing forever as she is. It is really really frustrating and sad. Sometimes I would like to kick her in the mouth, grab her and shake her and scream at her but it would not get through to her. It would not help.

I get self conscious sometimes being out with my family. Because I am Chinese and my parents and siblings, except Mazee, are caucasian American many people don't see us as family. They assume my parents are hosting foreign exchange students or if I am out with my 7 year old brother people assume I am his babysitter or his nanny- these things get said to me and my family and those things make a home in my head . They hide out a lot but still are there, lingering.

I enjoy music and playing music. I play piano, guitar, violin and saxophone. They are more hobbies and escapes although I am told I am talented and gifted in playing instruments I like having it as just something enjoyable, not necessarily something to pursue and train for career/performance/competitive purposes. The same goes for drawing.

My favorite artists and musicians right now are John mayer, Dave matthews band, Green Day, Nirvana, The Smiths, Bruno Mars, Billie Eilish, Yellow card, Lindsay Stirling and switchfoot.

Traveling & hiking is also something I love and something my whole family likes to do. Just being outside. We've been to the grand canyon, Niagara falls, Rocky mountains, smokey mountains, parts of the Appalachian trail/mountains, we've been to Hawaii, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Mexico, Australia, Alaska and Canada. And of course California has some hiking/national parks and nature too so we do a lot here too.

Favorite tv shows: Law and order svu, Criminal minds, Psych, and The Good Doctor

Favorite Movies: The Lord of the rings movies, Harry Potter movies, any of the Jaws movies, The Shallows, Hunger games movies, any X-men movies, Star wars movies, Man on Fire, National Treasure 1 and 2, A Beautiful Mind, I Am Sam, Dead Poet's Society, and Freedom Writers.

That's all. This is already longer than I intended.

[poorasdirt]

Real Talk

Okay, normally I just scroll through Tumblr for the memes and maybe a writing prompt to slay my creative demon for a while. But for the past month my life has been so up in the air I legit couldn’t bother to even put a pen to paper.

See, I was living at my dad’s house for the past ten or so years. It was all cool because despite being close to retirement he was pretty on the ball with stuff. But he retired and life got, real? I’m not sure how to describe it.

I was taking care of my dad’s house for him, as best as I could, while we waited for him to finally be able to retire. That was all good and dandy really. But I have a little sister who does stupid shit sometimes. I love her, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I want to put her in a barrel and send her down Niagara Falls.

She’s wrecked three of my cars, could possibly be blamed for wrecking a fourth car, and basically had me stuck at my house for the better part of eight years. I had a revolving door of neighbors that were as intrusive as the weather and I live far enough north that on average my area gets roughly five feet of snow on average.

So, I was dealing with that, but I was dealing. I had ways of getting by without imploding. Then back in April I found out that dad forgot to pay the land taxes for three years and our house was foreclosed on. We had to scramble to find a place to stay, pack up the house, and all around figure out life again.

Don’t worry, I’m mostly in a good place now. I’m not completely on solid ground but there is light at the end of my tunnel that isn’t an oncoming train.

I mean it was so bad that just looking at the fanfics I’ve been writing on Ao3 for fun just made me want to bawl. I’ve contemplated deleting it all, given how fresh everything still is. But I won’t, because I still get comments on those fics about how much people love them.

Then, I saw another author, posting on one of the stories I bookmarked, say that they were deleting the fic because it reminded them of a shitty time in their life. I don’t fault them for that, they can do as they feel best for their mental health. But at the same time the fans of that fic are faced with the thought of losing something that means something so different for them.

I mean why can’t they just orphan the work so they don’t have to deal with it but it can remain as testament to it existing. I’ve followed fanfic sites for a long time at this point and it sometimes hurts to think of a great fic, or scene, or OC and go hunting for it. Only to find that the fic no longer exists.

This brings me to something I always struggle with when it comes to writing. See, I’ve always wanted to write my own novel. I have ideas and even sketch out possible scenes, writing feverishly to capture those moments. But I’ve read blogs and books and watched youtube videos all about writing.

I find the one thing keeping me from taking the plunge of writing an original work is the question of an audience. Every bit of advice when it comes to writing a novel comes with the caveat that it’s being written for someone. I get it, publishers want the work of fiction (or otherwise) to resonate and get sold so money could be made.

But it brings me to the question of how much of my fanfic writing was made for myself, and how much have a written for Ao3 (or any other fanfic site I casually was part of over the years). Have I, this whole time, been strictly writing for myself or the community of fans that also occupy the fandom I enjoy? How many times have I continued a project not for the fact that I wanted to, but because of a thoughtful comment or review made me keep going?

Is the reason writing an original work so daunting because I don’t know who my audience would be? Is the built it audience of a fandom a crutch that I’ve been leaning on for years? Or have I become so isolated due to circumstances beyond my control that I can’t quite name a group of people that could enjoy what I want to write?

I’m sure there is an audience out there, but every time I contemplate who my target audience could be I draw a blank. Every time I look at my ongoing fanfic projects I wonder if the passion I have for them is for myself, or those reading them. Am I having a creative crisis or is it just self awareness finally kicking in?

Or maybe I just need a break from writing, somehow. It’s a little hard because my brain won’t shut up about a new idea or working on a new chapter in a fanfic. Otherwise, aside from needing to rant somewhere, I’m doing well.

Thank you for getting through this brain vomit if you made it this far. I hope you have a wonderful day. I’m going outside to take a walk and touch some grass.

[go-see-a-starwar]

I posted 840 times in 2022

That's 840 more posts than 2021!

67 posts created (8%)

773 posts reblogged (92%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@gffa

@that-gay-jedi

@hayden-christensen

@coldwaughtered

@himboskywalker

I tagged 840 of my posts in 2022

#hayden christensen - 435 posts

#anakin skywalker - 422 posts

#obi wan kenobi - 230 posts

#fanart - 166 posts

#rots - 159 posts

#ewan mcgregor - 143 posts

#kenobi series - 134 posts

#aotc - 75 posts

#fave - 67 posts

#padme amidala - 63 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#his gently downward sloped eyes and close-lipped smile i need to be muzzled and packed neatly into a barrel then launched off niagara falls

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

How it started:

How it’s going:

1,339 notes - Posted October 29, 2022

#4

Before meeting her again on Coruscant, Anakin finds a sketch he made of Padme

From Anakin: Apprentice [by Marc Cerasini and illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards]

1,563 notes - Posted August 31, 2022

#3

I don’t know if it can be properly conveyed how much shit was thrown Hayden’s way when his prequel movies came out. Just a metric fuckton of crap. After AOTC (and only in his very early 20s) he was swiftly made the Star Wars pariah, and ROTS did little to assuage that. A lot of the dissatisfaction with the prequels somehow fell on him, both his turns as Anakin got Razzie “Awards”, his name became synonymous with bad, wooden acting.

Over the years the opinion of his performance shifted to Hayden being an unfortunate victim of George Lucas' writing and directing, saddled with lines no actor could make work. But even that opinion still largely discounted Hayden's acting ability.

For him to come back after 17 years to the role he got so much flack for, have his big scene show not even half of his face (and have that face caked in makeup and prosthetic), have his voice distorted, and still deliver the way he did? Still convey all the rage and evil and arrogance but also pain and sadness within Vader? Show everyone this is why he landed the role two decades ago, because he can be frightening and vulnerable and devastating even with just one eye and the corner of his mouth visible? Show everyone he is Anakin/Vader, and make everyone consider he was good all along? Incredible, amazing, the chosen one indeed. Thanks Deborah Chow and Ewan for making this show, thank you Hayden for coming back.

3,416 notes - Posted June 22, 2022

#2

My dudes what exactly do you think is being acknowledged in these scenes?

See the full post

3,560 notes - Posted September 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Finding out they gave Hayden full luxurious ROTS Anakin hair and then proceeded to not show a single frame of it in Kenobi.

See the full post

5,026 notes - Posted August 22, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[fatrocka64]

I wanted to attend the James Street art crawl so badly, but I decided not to go because I felt way too tired last night, plus my behavior was absolutely horrible. maybe the next one in June. I'll go for sure. There's always next time ❤️

Update: I will have to wait until Niagara Falls Comic Con to get some art. Maybe I will get a new sketch commission... I mean. I could just beg and plead my dad to make me a mini art gallery in my bedroom shelf. It's just a natural consequence for being an obsessive freak.. but I did manage to go to Sew Hungry today..

Thank you for taking your time and consideration..

I might have to make a funeral for the art crawl because I might not go back this year.

But at least I managed to manipulate my mom into getting me tickets for Furnal Equinox.. despite being disowned. I still get to go back..

See how nothing changes? I still get to go places.

Hope I don't get another cold before Niagara Falls Comic Con

[larrysland]

Life is like a river, it flows by itself.  Some rivers create things such as Niagara Falls, a place of great beauty.  But like this waterfall, life can sometimes be a hard tumble as it flows on.  We can survive such hard times.  Friends, family, loved ones can help us.  And then, like a river, our life can continue to flow on to other beautiful, calm places with ones we love and who love us.    

(FYI, I made this sketch from an image I found on the web 3 or so years ago.  I made my own drawing of it.  I can’t find that image now but I want to acknowledge that someone else drew it before me and I admired it so much I made my own copy.)       

[audreycanblog]

The Dope List: 08/13/2021

The Dope List: 08/13/2021

It’s Friday the thirteenth, y’all. But this doesn’t have to mean we’re in for bad luck today. On the contrary, the weekend is right around the corner, it’s pay day for some of us, and I have a brand new edition of The Dope List to share! Sounds like some good luck to me! It’s become a Friday ritual for me to share some dopeness with you to get your spirits elevated. The Dope List is dedicated to…

[bizarepistachio]

On the 2022 Road trip the third place I went to was Niagara Falls since I had never been. Both of these were live drawings. The 180° one was a trial since I had to keep covering it when the wind changed and the spray’d get me.

Image ID: Two traditional drawing the top in watercolor and the bottom in pencil. The top is of a wide-ish river and short falls with trees surrounding it and two geese swimming about as geese do.

The bottom image is a 180° view of Niagara Falls, specifically from the top of American Falls. You see it as it comes in from the right and falls in the middle. A city is across the way with a bridge across the river. A viewing center is across the falls and a space-needle like observation point is all the way on the left.

[bobmccullochny]

ABOVE HORSESHOE FALLS Photographic Capture processed to resemble a sketch.

Available in : Canvas, Acrylic, Brushed Metal, HD Metal, Wood, Mural, Picture Frame, Poster, Order online or by phone at at 1-800-650-5301 Click the link to see full size!

https://www.pictorem.com/268606/Above%20Horseshoe%20Falls%20.html

[rgbagel]

Practice practice practice

[victorianpining]

could you show us what your notes looked like from when you were outlining FADOW?

The early notes are a bit scattered, but I can definitely walk you through my planning process for sure!! (Putting under a cut in case this gets long and because it will obviously include heavy spoilers for FaDoW)

So after writing that draft version of the reveal scene I mentioned yesterday and deciding I was going to try to write this project one last time, the first thing I started with was the Garridebs moment and thinking how I wanted that to look so I could have that in mind while planning everything else.

The idea that sprung to mind immediately is the scene you got: I wanted it at Niagara Falls, and I wanted Moriarty to try to cut out John's heart. The specific line "I’ll have the honours of cutting out John Watson’s heart. It seems that’s the closest I can come to having yours," was the first fully formed idea I had. Right away I *loved* it, but I also thought "there's no way I can do that, all of that is way too over the top there's not going to be a way to lead to that naturally." So I kept that scene and that line in the back of my mind and went back to the show.

I watched the first 10 episodes, keeping written notes of anything I might want to build on for my version of the story. I'm flipping through it now and it's funny how the core of certain ideas was there right away, but not the execution. For example, while watching TRF, I had the ideas to have Sherlock take his flirty behavior on the roof a step further as his ruse for TLD, to have Moriarty's code be real after all, and to try to work in Snow White as a way to connect the apple and the heart imagery and the code (the connection to Turing is a bit more tenuous, but I thought it would be a nice nod for anyone who picked up on it). But I still hadn't had the idea for Sherlock as the huntsman yet so I was like "well how would Moriarty make the switch from Moriarty wanting Sherlock's heart to wanting John's?"

After I watched the first 10 episodes, I went through a smattering of short stories. I had asked on Twitter what some of people's favorites were and I tried to pull from those. Each "Episode" takes at least some inspiration from three short stories. TST its Boscombe, Six Napoleons, and Thor Bridge. TLD it's Sussex Vampire, Devil's Foot, and The Dying Detective. And TFP it's... The Final Problem, The Dancing Men, and Three Garridebs. So I went through those for things to include.

Reading the scene with Culverton's Smith's poisoned box in TDD was when the Snow White angle properly snapped together, and I knew I could actually lead to Moriarty cutting out John's heart after all. That was the most exciting moment in planning, for sure.

The last two early planning steps were going through the blogs for any cases to work in other than TST. The Inexplicable Matchbox case was always interesting to me, and just vague enough that you can do almost anything with it, so I decided to slowly add in details throughout that would hint that this was the central case with the details that I added. The other was writing an exhaustive backstory spreadsheet detailing the origins of the five main characters (Sherlock, John, Mycroft, Moriarty, and Mary) and what they were thinking and doing at each point of the first ten episodes so I could have a consistent feeling for their characters and their mindsets. Mary was the hardest part of the rewrite to get right because she's such a mess of contradictions. I hope I succeeded in the end in having her be a cohesive character.

So I had a rough sketch for the beats I wanted to hit and a vague idea of how I would get from point to point, so I started outlining one episode at a time. TST was definitely the hardest, both because I was struggling with Mary and because I was kind of still getting the hang of setting up a story. My outlines were all pretty detailed, with some dialogue included as well rather than just "at x point this will happen"

The earliest version of TST was pretty different. Initially I was going to have the Appledore Vaults be real to so in this episode Moriarty would be working on that. But the main things was that the subtext was way less subtle. Initially all the characters were going to get customized "miss me" notes with a symbol for their character, heart for Sherlock, gun for Mary, apple for John. That was way too much info too soon and also pretty silly. Same for the comics, initially it was going to be a pre-selected collection rather than every single case, ending with The Inexplicable Matchbox. Again, showing my hand way too soon. And the episode would end with Sherlock and John finding Moriarty on a stage, having a conversation that revealed similar information to the phone call I ended up going with instead, before Moriarty disappearing. Again, way too soon to include any kind of in person confrontation with him.

I scrapped that and did a second version, which is what my editors saw. It was also... Not good. It's much closer to the episode you got in the first two thirds (apart from the fact that I later went back and included Mary into a few more scenes to keep the tension going) but the last third was Awful.

First of all, Beppo was initially guilty (because I wanted to have him killing Pietro truly mirror what Moriarty wanted which was Sherlock killing John). He was provoked by Sally telling him that they were having an affair, kind of Iago style, but he was still guilty, so less intrigue, less of a twist.

The main thing is that the way I did both the villain Mary reveal and the fake baby reveal was sooooooo over the top. I know fake baby is a silly plot point and I think I must have thought getting it over with quickly was like ripping off a band-aid. John and Sherlock set up a trap for Mary, John pretending to take a romantic walk with her over a bridge while finally knowing who she was, Sherlock came out, confronted her with being behind Moriarty's return, and she revealed Moriarty was still alive... before ripping off her baby belly and jumping into the river..... all three of my editors who saw it were like "Rebekah. You can't do that." And I was like "yeah... you're right..."

A lot of the fixes to the end of the episode came out of various conversations I had with them. Two of them still weren't sold on fake baby being a viable explanation so I decided to include a section of Sherlock and John going over my reasoning for why it would have worked. Changing the end of the case presented the opportunity for that emotional conversation Sherlock and John have on the roof, and I thought Sherlock finally coming clean to John on a roof was fitting after TRF. All three editors suggested Mary being smart enough to see the trap coming and so running away before they had the chance to confront her, and so we got the letter instead.

That experience did a lot to help me understand where I had gone wrong and make corrections based on that for planning TLD and TFP. So the TLD outline is pretty similar to the episode as you know it. The big changes are that originally Sherlock was going to be much harsher about John in the prologue, which actually would have been more of a tell that it was obviously fake which I didn't want, the confrontation with Mary had some tweaks, and most of what happens between Sherlock catching Jack and Sherlock and John trapping Culverton wasn't there.

Similar thing for TFP. There wasn't a Mind Palace scene, originally Moriarty was going to chase their train not be sitting calmly (two editors said it would be a better fit for his character than the straight canon reference and I wholeheartedly agree), Sherlock and John just happened to run into Irene and Kate and Moriarty's "reminders" were absent because I incorrectly thought it was obvious he knew where they were, there was no heart bomb, and the bit where Sherlock and John both offer to sacrifice everything to keep the other safe wasn't there yet.

Most of the changes that came after the outlines were the result of the feedback from the three editors who looked at them, so when I say the story wouldn't be what it is without their help, I mean it! Ren @novaviis in particular also offered very detailed feedback on my first drafts. They did an incredible job of identifying bits that could be stronger with a few tweaks, identifying patterns where I kept making similar mistakes and offering suggestions on how to approach them differently, and also made additions that were perfectly in keeping with the style and tone I was going for and at several points were things I wish I would have thought of. (Nessie in the first prologue? You'll get your punishment later? The callback to the waterfall at the end of TLD as transition to TFP? The Vincent Starret paragraph in when Sherlock and John return to 221B? All Ren and those are just the first examples that come to mind).

So yeah hopefully that was interesting to read! It was a LOT of work up front but I think it all paid off in the end.

[olivish]

Okay so here are five Wilford headcanons/ficlets. A bit long, below the fold:

1. His “real” name isn’t Joseph Wilford. Wilford invented - or, perhaps, stole - this name, many years ago, to hide his true origins. If anybody ever asked him about his youth, he would invent some compelling tale, gradually adding details that were more and more outrageous, just to see how much the person listening was willing to believe. Soon he realized, the longer he could string someone along, the more useful they proved to be in the future. 

To this day, Ruth still believes that he was raised by penguins after his family died in a shipwreck off the Falkland Islands. “Little known fact,” Wilford told her, “Penguins are excellent parents. And they have better table manners than most people you’ll ever meet.” He nudged his head towards Melanie, who was eating sushi with her hands, wiping her fingers on her jumpsuit. Melanie: “Huh?” 

2. Wilford LOVES pierogis topped with butter, sauerkraut and pepper. Pierogis are his comfort food. His Ukrainian neighbor in Sheffield used to make them, and while she cooked, she’d regale him with stories about her absent husband, who, she confided, was KGB. Pre-Wilford Wilford sat transfixed as she told tales of statecraft and espionage with gusto, her wooden spoon zooming and stabbing with every robust gesticulation. It was only later, when crafting his own identity, that Wilford realized - of course - she’d made it all up. 

Decades later, “KGB” became a common bit of color he’d toss around in dinner party conversations, grinning ear-to-ear as the particularly stupid echelons of high society scooped it up, eyes wide as they gasped in scandal. 

3. Wilford HATES airplanes. He’s deathly afraid of heights, although he hides it well when necessary. He built a train empire specifically so that he’d never have to take a “projectile death tube” anywhere, ever again. And besides, aerospace guys are pricks and he enjoyed driving them out of business. 

On this subject, Melanie entirely agreed. “Fuck airplanes,” she’d say after a particularly good day, clinking her beer against his glass of scotch. “Fuck airplanes,” Wilford would echo in return. 

“We should put that below the logo, you know,” Melanie suggested. “Like a slogan. Wilford Industries--” 

“Fuck Airplanes,” Wilford finished the sentence, laughing, a hand on her shoulder. He gave an affectionate squeeze. “Bloody right.” 

4. Wilford’s favorite scientist is Nikola Tesla. He has a vast collection of Tesla memorabilia, and bought many of his original sketches and prototypes at auction. He built Wilford headquarters in Colorado Springs and Niagara Falls, as an homage to “the master.” For Halloween, Wilford consistently dressed as Tesla, complete with mustache and pigeon.  

When Elon Musk named his electric car after Nikola Tesla, Wilford had a meltdown and tried to sue. “For what?” Lilah Folger asked, confused. “How should I bloody know?” Wilford raged in reply. “You’re the lawyer! Figure it out! Slander! Indecency! Being a grimey little prick!” 

Lilah tried her best, but it was the only lawsuit Wilford ever lost.

5. Wilford would constantly go off about how much he hated children, didn’t see the point of them, was too busy/selfish/interesting to ever waste his time with procreation, but the truth is, he’s sterile and he hates it. Only Audrey knows the secret, because he let it slip one night while particularly inebriated. Everything he’s done in his life, from building a global empire to plastering his name all over the train, to building an engine that would literally *never* stop, was motivated, at least in part, by a desire to leave a lasting legacy.

When Melanie had Alex, Wilford found himself particularly bitter, and Melanie teased that he was jealous of the baby taking so much of her attention. What she didn’t realize was that Wilford’s jealousy was primarily directed towards her, not little Alex. 

“It must be intoxicating, having complete ownership over another human being,” Wilford mused. “I mean, she’s completely yours, isn’t she?”

“Parents don’t own their children, Joseph. You’re thinking of slavery.” 

“Legal definitions aside, that girl came from you. She’s helpless, utterly at your mercy, depends on you for everything. But, rather than resent the tyranny, the little thing loves you for it. Devotion without question. Without merit.”  

“I like to think I merit it.” 

“Doesn’t matter. That’s my point. You could be the worst parent in the world, and she’d love you anyway.” Wilford chuckled. “Evolution. What a trip.” 

“Speaking of trips.” Melanie frowned as he rolled a joint. Not his first of the day, she could tell.  

“Now, now. You’re not my mother.” 

“It’s making you melancholy. It’s not fun, Joseph.” 

“Oh, just let me wallow, will you? If you’re not going to join in...” 

With a sigh, Melanie left him alone, resigned to the fact that Alex was destined to become a permanent wedge. And she wasn’t wrong. Over the years, Wilford seemed intent on proving his point, spoiling the girl at every turn, showering her  with attention and gifts, deftly positioning Melanie as the bad guy who was always saying no. No, you can’t eat ice cream for every meal. No, you can’t keep a show pony in the backyard. No, you can’t stay up all night watching Duck Soup with uncle Joseph. 

“What are you so cross about?” Wilford would tease. “You’ll see. Come tomorrow, she’ll love you anyway.”

This lasted until one day, Melanie did something so awful, so unforgivable, so against nature and everything a mother should be, that Wilford was positive, the spell was finally broken...

[chdarling]

I need your opinion on something! Ever since I've read hp as a kid, I've imagined the cloak as a sort of blanket. But i've recently seen fan art where it has a hood and gathers at the top, like a normal cloak would. Which makes sense, but then how would 3 teenagers fit under it? And would the hood just be really large, so it would go over your head and fall onto your chest?

Listen, wizard fashion is sketch. It makes zero sense. It hasn’t evolved since the eighteen hundreds but also NO one in the eighteen hundreds dressed like that so what are these fuckers on. There’s no way of knowing. Whatever the true answer is, it’s 100% worse than we’ve imagined. Still, here are my incredibly accurate and thought provoking theories:

1. It’s 100% an invisibility poncho. Like one of those horrible blue plastic ones your mom made you wear when you went on the boat at Niagara Falls, and then you still got completely drenched anyway, except now in all the photos you look like a member of the blue man group melted. Not cool mom.

Scientifically, you can definitely fit at least seven ten-year-olds under one of those ponchos so I feel confident in this hypothesis.

2. It’s actually quite fitted. Death took one look at the good Peverell brother and admired not only his joie de vivre or whatever but also his svelte form. In fact, in order to carry out their stealthy castle missions successfully, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all stacked upon each other’s shoulders, Vincent Adultman style. JKR just never told us this because it wasn’t relevant to Harry’s journey etc, and the kid was too oblivious to notice he had a Weasley on his shoulders. It’s fine.

3. There is no invisibility cloak. The whole thing was an elaborate social experiment by Dumbledore to see what sort of bullshittery an eleven year old boy would get up to if he genuinely thought he was invisible. All the teachers were in on it. Ron and Hermione were in on it. This was the Truman Show for wizards.

Now you may be thinking “But CH, that is both unethical AND outlandish!” To which I say, friend, please see the attached addendum which details every pedagogical malfeasance Dumbledore committed during his tenure as Headmaster and get back to me.

…tl;dr: I don’t have any insight, just jokes, but I think it probably has a hood because doesn’t It slip in POA when Malfoy sees him in Hogsmeade? Idk 😂😂😂