Why can’t people just accept that a cat hitched a ride on the back of a goose?
Writer and illustrator Natalya Lobanova shared a delightful photograph on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/NatalyaLobanova/status/1020975200572182530
The simple tableau of a cat riding on the back of a goose to stay dry raised so many questions. Why was the goose not attacking the cat? How had the cat mounted the goose’s back – via a stealthy crawl or a flying leap? Would the cat bite the goose at the end of the journey or were they in some Disney-level quest to find their lost friend, a Rottweiler.
One Twitter killjoy decided to cut right through the reverie with this comment.
Photoshop 101 – remember that shadows on one must be the same as on the other and the strong light source hits both items from the same direction otherwise people will call fowl
— Allison Beaumont (@AJ_Beaumont) July 23, 2018
Her intervention was not appreciated. In this world of Trump, Brexit and the rising cost of Freddos, why couldn’t people just let us have this one thing?
Alison, it’s a Monday. The start of a long, hot slog of a week. I really, really needed to believe that this cat was hitching a ride across a river on this duck and now I don’t and the lustre of my day is dulled.
— Lauren Fortune (@LaurenAFortune) July 23, 2018
Dammit Allison lol pic.twitter.com/rrD6F9Cp1k
— Jon Snow🐺 (@FrappKiing) July 24, 2018
Allison wasn’t the only person itching to ruin the fantasy.
Someone opened up a photo of a Canada goose in Photoshop or The Gimp. Then they opened a picture of a black cat, removed the background from the cat, feathered the edges, copied the cat, pasted it as a new layer in the goose photo and added a shit drop-shadow.
— Leon Robbins (@leonrobbins) July 22, 2018
Leon’s reply went down as well as Allison’s.
This is the most comprehensive and well-considered ruining of something I’ve ever read.
— Ian Morris (@IanMorris78) July 23, 2018
You ruiner! I bet you spoil everything from the end of movies to books! How many people did you tell #GOT #Avengers #spoilers
— Cherry the Geek (@cherry_LA) July 24, 2018
— Rita Santos (@_RitaSantos) July 23, 2018
— Still breon (@Dukksauc) July 23, 2018
— taylr (@taylr) July 23, 2018
Some ignored the literalist narrative taking place in the replies and focused on the potential story as they saw it.
https://twitter.com/thelittlepakeha/status/1021340573393813504
https://twitter.com/98ghuraba/status/1021014964037931008
https://twitter.com/carIisIe/status/1021750583534002176
The witch that sent her familiar to slay the Prince never expected them to fall in love. https://t.co/7UVgd0MJ0S
— Mikki Kendall (@Karnythia) July 23, 2018
A love story for the ages https://t.co/qWhCtE9LBH
— rabia O'chaudry (@rabiasquared) July 24, 2018
when you're depressed but your friend still manages to drag you out anyways https://t.co/QJvfoqW1Ky
— mtp (@tsengputterman) July 23, 2018
There’s a bag of wheat and a fox on one riverbank.
— Richard Adams (@RichardA) July 22, 2018
Someone even tracked down another picture of the cat.
But look! This one is 100% real: pic.twitter.com/62s86bSSMH
— BCPalmer (@bcpalmerfiction) July 23, 2018
Natalya used her considerable skills to appeal to everyone’s better nature.
pls everyone pic.twitter.com/CorIGV1bPp
— Natalya Lobanova (@NatalyaLobanova) July 24, 2018
Actor, Connor Byrne, however, could see what was really going on.
https://twitter.com/connorjbyrne/status/1021318514727145472