#parent | ian lightfoot

[foreverydinger]

Introducing: The Little Lightfoots based in Swynlake

HARPER ELLEN LIGHTFOOT Age: 11 Magick?: Sorceress School?: Swynlake Secondary Work?: Chaos Bringer (Occasionally the Ringleader) Extracurriculars: Pranks & bothering Ian for sorcery input HARRIET LAUREL “HATTIE” LIGHTFOOT Age: 11 Magick?: Sorceress School?: Swynlake Secondary Work?: Chaos Bringer (Typically the Ringleader) Extracurriculars: Pranks & bothering Ian for sorcery input EVERETT ROGER LIGHTFOOT Age: 6 Magick?: Mundus School?: Swynlake Primary Work?: N/A Extracurriculars: Trying to learn sorcery from Ian (he thinks he’s a late bloomer) and reading

The Lightfoot children were a product of love and patience and, truthfully, a lot of Tony feeling as though he cannot quell their rambunctious spirits.

His twins were little identical sorceresses that had his knack for trouble, Tony probably having fed them too many of his rebellious tales from his many years in secondary. He couldn't help it! Especially when the girls begged and pleaded with a practiced manipulation that he was simply powerless against. Ian had been known to teasingly refer to his kin as The Shining Twins which only made them giggle and practice their creepiest of impressions. Tony had had to insist they not do it in front of their brother as it was known to make him cry.

His youngest, on the other hand, took after Ian as much as his daughters took after him. Everett, ever the curious child, was always trailing behind his siblings and parents with a furrowed brow and a question demanding to be answered on his tongue. Tony had tried to explain to his son that he was a Mundus like his father but Everett had heard about Ian's late magical upbringing and was sure that he was simply the same. Tony didn't have the heart to correct him too sternly, especially when he had the passion for it and it would do him no harm to learn like Martin.

Now Tony wasn't sure that he was the best parent, he certainly tried his best, but he knew that this family was the culmination of all those years of hardship. He and Ian would do their best, had definitely and would certainly continue to make mistakes, but what mattered most was that his children would always know love and support.

[onwcrds]

𝚃𝙰𝚂𝙺 𝟸𝟻; 𝙽𝙴𝚇𝚃 𝙶𝙴𝙽.

                       eowyn lightfoot.

eowyn is the nicest of the lightfoot girls. she’s sweet as sugar but just as feisty as her sisters. don’t mistake her kindness for weakness. she’s very capable of giving a beat down when needed which doesn’t happen often since eowyn is also the most sought after lightfoot girl given her sweet demeanor. she’s the most similar to her father sharing an interest in comics, d&d and fully embracing the nerd she is. on the other hand, she’s her mother’s muse and often models for her. eowyn’s the sporty sister who preferred to play soccer and volleyball whereas kinsley and gwen were participating in theatre. eowyn’s never really fit in with the upper east side lifestyle despite being an it girl. she’s more than okay with faking it until she makes it for the sake of her family.

inspired by : minako aino / sailor venus ( sailor moon ) , karma by taylor swift , elle woods ( legally blonde ) , the gossip girl aesthetic ,  lindsey ( total drama island ) , someday we’ll know by mandy moore & jonathan foreman , early 2000s romcom girlies , cloe ( bratz 2007 ) , clover  ( totally spies ) , i think i’m in love with you by jessica simpson ,  doralee rhodes (  9 to 5  ) stella ( winx club )

𝙶𝙴𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙰𝙻

birth name. eowyn monroe lightfoot nicknames. e, winnie date of birth.   october 22 age.    twenty-five gender.   cis female. pronouns.  she/her. species.   half elf / half human powers.   n/a sexuality.  pansexual. place of birth.    manhattan, new york. current residence.   equal time in manhattan and elias. occupation.    model 

𝙰𝙿𝙿𝙴𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴

height. 5'6" build. athletic hair colour/style. blonde eye colour. blue. piercings.  ears and belly button tattoos. ( x ) notable markings.  n/a. glasses/contacts ?  n/a. faceclaim.  lili reinhart voiceclaim.  lili reinhart

𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙻𝚃𝙷

physical ailments.   none. allergies.   seasonal allergies. sleeping habits. loves her sleep she does exercise habits. volleyball, karate, boxing and pilates !! dominant hand.    right. drugs / smoke / alcohol ? no / no / socially, mostly just champagne

𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚈

positive traits. bubbly, charismatic, intuitive, selfless negative traits.  ditzy, materialistic, sensitive usual mood.  happy. likes. spending time with her parents, her cat link, playing dress up, the color orange, red carpets, playing d&d with her dad, uncle ian and her siblings, old hollywood, dolly parton, volleyball, fields of flowers, illustrating comics, the idea of love, shopping trips, her cute little elf ears dislikes.  being underestimated, sweating, muffins, when people dog ear books, ugg boots, breaking her nails, being made fun of for her nerdy interests, mean girls  bad habits.  she’s bad at listening and gets distracted easily

𝚁𝙴𝙻𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿𝚂

mother.    penelope hainline father.      barley lightfoot siblings.   kinsley, guinevere & gabe lightfoot children.   who’s to say, anyways she does have a pet cat named link ( yes after link from legend of zelda ) birth order.   oldest of four. significant other.  a nice little are they or aren’t they with matteo hamato-seara closest friends. lightfoot cousins, hawkins kids, claire teague, katrina everglot, and this could be you !

𝚃𝙴𝚂𝚃𝚂

zodiac sign. scorpio mbti. ESFP temperament.   sanguine. hogwarts house.    hufflepuff. moral alignment.  neutral good.

𝚂𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝚂 & 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚃𝚂

languages spoken.   english, french and bits of elvish drive ?       yes. jump start a car ?        yes !! change a flat tire ?       yes ride a bicycle ?       yes. swim ?      yes. play an instrument ?      no. play chess ?     no. braid hair ?     yes. tie a tie ?          yes. pick a lock ?          no. sew ?       yes.

compassion.         10/10.

empathy.         10/10.

creativity.          8/10.

mental flexibility.          5/10.

passion.         9/10.

luck.         8/10.

motivation.  9/10.

education.          8/10.

intelligence.         6/10.

charisma.       10/10.

reflexes.          9/10.

willpower.          8/10.

stamina.          9/10.

physical strength.         5/10.

battle skill.          7/10.

initiative.     7/10.

restraint.          8/10.

strategy.       6/10.

team work.         9/10.

(  pinterest, her tag, playlist. )

[spirits-of-nature16]

Character Stats Framework. Repost Don’t Reblog

Name: Skyler Lightningmist

Nickname(s): Sky-Mist, Fairy-Gal-Pal, Sky

Age: ageless (as a fairy), 19 (in her human form)

Birthdate: April 16

Species: hand-size pixie fairy, human

Nationality: Neverlandian (I made it up)

Gender: Female

Preferred Pronoun(s): She/Her

Romantic Orientation: Heteroromantic

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Religion: Unknown

Occupation: Earth Talent Fairy, Keyboard Player, Enchanted Lilies member

Face Claim:

Parents: None

Siblings: None

Family: None

Significant Other(s): Barley Lightfoot (fanon)

Children:

Closest Friends: Tinkerbell, Silvermist, Iridessa, Rosetta, Fawn, Vidia (sometimes), Periwinkle, Zarina, Peter Pan, the Lost Boys, Wendy, John, Michael, Jane, Karoline Swan, Bella Carbone, Mirage, Ian Lightfoot, Barley Lightfoot, Laurel Lightfoot, Colt Bronco, the Manticore

Rivals: Vidia (formerly)

Enemies: Captain Hook, Mr. Smee (sometimes), the pirates, Mystic Thorn

Eye Color(s): Yellow/Amber

Hair Color(s): Black with Blonde Highlights

Height: hand-sized (as a fairy), 5’6” (as a human)

Weight: Unknown

Body Build: slender

Notable Physical Traits: pointy ears and olive skin

Tagged: @teamfricndship (thanx :) )

Tagging: @ciaobeto, @thefcxandthehcund, @lightfootshield, @fishes-inthesky, @mariahdoby13, @dontxtalkxaboutxmuses, @lady-scorpion-and-friends, @smourice-toastygraham, @amostpeculiarmadamoiselle, @santaverse and @happyqueenandgrumpydork

[cartoonygothopossum]

Strange World

I don't remember when I first came across this title on Disney+, and I'm not sure how it is that I didn't even get to see a trailer for it. But what the heck? I guess you can say I "celebrated" New Year's Eve by finally watching it.

It was definitely an engaging movie, with awesome visuals. The designs of Jaeger and Searcher Clade reminded me of Barley and Ian Lightfoot from Onward. Heck, I could even see personality similarities too! Like Encanto and Turning Red, one of the things driving the plot was generational conflict among the main characters. Jaeger Clade wanted to keep on exploring, while his son Searcher was more interested in those plants that gave off energy, Pando. The conflict continued, even after Searcher started a family, and Searcher, himself, had a similar conflict with his own son Ethan. As an asexual with divorced parents, I was kinda disappointed when I saw that Searcher settled down with a woman who was shorter than him and had a kid. (Yes, I've gotten tired of seeing nuclear families, or what I like to call "cookie-cutter" families.) Despite this, the movie had good racial diversity, and Ethan was openly gay! I thought his crush on Diazo was adorable. The underground environments were pretty cool to look at, even when things got dangerous. Of course, I was glad when Jaeger and Searcher reconciled toward the end, and Searcher reconciled with Ethan. I totally didn't expect that Avalonia is on the back of a giant, sentient creature, and that those cool environments the characters traveled in were its insides! I felt like the Pando was supposed to represent something serious from our real world. Considering it had been used as a power source and was revealed to be hurting the creature, perhaps it was supposed to be a reference to fossil fuels? It did seem that Callisto and her crew would be the twist antagonists, but thankfully, it didn't take too long for her to be convinced to rethink the initial mission. Though I was confused as to why Ethan was no longer living with his parents a year after the adventure, it was sweet that Ethan got together with Diazo, and Searcher and Jaeger were on much better terms by then. Now, if only our world could break up with fossil fuels and switch entirely to clean, renewable energy sources.

[ianthedisastrous]

NAME: Ian Lightfoot

GODLY PARENT (IF APPLICABLE): Athena

AFFILIATION: (Alumni 2012 - current) Alumni chair since 2021

SPECIES: Demigod

ABILITIES: Minor Audiokinesis, weapon proficiency

WEAPONS/ITEMS: Throwing knives. He also has an ornate ivory and silver pen with a carved owl feather design that transforms into a sleek larger dagger if needed - a gift from his mother from a quest years ago.

BIOGRAPHY:

(CW: death, panic attacks)

Wilden Lightfoot was not expecting a goddess to show up at his doorstep one otherwise ordinary afternoon, nor did he expect the day to end with an infant in his arms, his eldest son staring wild-eyed at his new tiny brother. But Wilden believed in things most people thought too impossible to be true, believing his son was conceived from a conversation and born of the curiosity of a goddess was hardly outside the vast realms of possibility.

But magic was harder for Ian to see when his father became ill, when he wasn't even old enough to reach his hand to hold beside the hospital bed. It went away entirely when that bed became empty and the boys drifted back to their little Detroit apartment with nothing but each other.

It was enough, in some ways; eighteen was meant to see his brother off to college but Barley never complained about seeing Ian off to elementary school instead before his job, or spending his evenings inventing games for the two of them to bring back some of the magic their father used to see everywhere.

Ian spent plenty of afternoons patiently waiting for Barley to get home when work ran late, nestled in a corner of the couch with a book or listening to one of his father's recorded lectures from the classes he taught at the nearby college before he grew ill.

And then one day Ian came home to strange low, rumbling, animal sounds and never saw the creature that was waiting on him in the hallway but he felt it, right down to the jarring scramble, the overturned table and the sudden, blinding pain that left him dazed. Everything after was blurry; other sounds, other voices with his eyes squeezed shut, that throbbing ache in his skull, hands over his ears trying to shut it all out.

It felt like the end of the world.

Thankfully, it wasn't. But the monsters didn't disappear, there was just a different one waiting for him when he could finally pry his eyes open; a strange creature with horns who looked an awful lot like someone he'd always seen around his neighborhood, urging him to his feet, urging him to leave, speaking about gods and monsters and everything Ian wanted to push away.

He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, everything closed in around him.

When it all came back into focus he was alone in his bed, one eye still shut behind bandages and his jaw aching with to-be scars he would carry from that night, the hushed voice of his brother in the other room, a stranger's voice, talking about him, about leaving and how the things in the dark would never stop chasing him unless he did.

How they would come back, because of him.

Looking back Ian isn't sure what urged him to run, maybe he just couldn't trust the stranger, maybe he couldn't face anymore monsters or the idea of his brother being harmed. Something did, and he went, on his own, unprepared and frightened, but certain there was no way back to normal again.

Ian Lightfoot was not expecting to find his home in a camp full of demihumans and satyrs, nymphs and a host of other impossible creatures. Once, he would have thought the fear was impossible to escape.

But impossible never really was, not only because his godly mother’s open, curious mind is something he shares with her but because his father helped him believe it, the older brother he still visits helped him survive, and a lot of other people helped get him to that place after harrowing months alone on the streets because of his own foolish choice to refuse that first offer, too afraid to do anything but run.

But it is, and he's come to love it, to love the half siblings he meets each year as he remains, to take pride in his mother's name and the weight of it, and joy in Tony's music and laughter during campfire nights they entertain the youngest campers together with songs and stories.

He found shelter during a war he only fully understood after the dust had settled and purpose he grew into by being there, in guiding and helping the new kids, in calmly reminding the familiar faces not to test his mother's name *too* jokingly in his presence, and in just belonging.

The world outside moves onward, but Ian doesn't miss it much. In his books, in words, he finds his way back and forward in the same breath; his curiosity is never fully satisfied but it's tamed in quiet moments letting the pages teach him new things and revisiting the old.

With the reunion underway he's more resolved than ever to uphold his mother's name with pride, and eager to see old friends return with the stories of their lives out in the world, and new faces with new tales to learn.

[uffdah-riley]

I'll Have A Blue Christmas || Self-Para

Summary: Riley reflects on this Christmas Season Date: 12/26/23 TW: None, it’s just Mildly Sad.

Waking up for a Celestial Elf was very different from a human, or at least that was what Riley had been told. They had wandered the town all night admiring the snowfall without fear of the biting cold and when their body had decided that it had rested enough the world around them dimmed only for the dim light of their room to come into focus.

Riley sat up in their bed, glancing around the dorm room that they shared with Mim, and brushed the hair out of their face. It was the day after Christmas which meant Riley wasn't with the Lightfoots anymore, wasn't surrounded by people buzzing with holiday cheer and boisterous enthusiasm. It had been a good holiday, all things considered, but they didn't live with the Lightfoots and they didn't know how to dodge Laurel's kind mothering gaze now that the festivities had died down.

Riley's own parents hadn't even called. They had known that Riley was staying with the Lightfoots since Riley had texted them the week before but Riley hadn't heard from them since. They didn't even know if Bill and Jill were even in town for the holidays.

Swinging their legs off the bed, Riley made their way toward the bathroom they shared with Mim, Laurette, and Roxanne. The building was quiet now with people at home and Riley didn't have to worry so much about timing their morning routine to match everyone else's. It was quick, Riley didn't focus on looking nice but instead simple hygiene, and then they were back in their room to throw on some athletic wear and head out for a jog.

The cold air was sharp against Riley's skin as they exited Salem Hall but they were happy for the clarity that it swept in.

Riley had stopped by to wish Nick and his little family a merry Christmas and drop off gifts before disappearing to the Lightfoots'. Games had been fun, the snowmen had been built in silly fashion, and Riley had even enjoyed the late night talks with Ian once most everyone else had gone to bed.

It still didn't feel like Christmastime, though.

Riley hadn't gotten to talk to Meg in two weeks due to her travels and they hadn't signed up for Uni Secret Santa just because they didn't feel right about it and then their parents hadn't made any attempt to make Christmas happen. Their grades were nothing to write home about either. Hell, they'd gotten snow so late in the season that Riley had wondered if Swynlake was going to have a brown Christmas!

Instead Riley had a very blue Christmas.

What are you even doing here? A small voice whispered in the back of Riley's mind, causing the elf to skitter and slide to a stop on the pavement. Is there a point to being in Swynlake anymore? Sure, we had fun, but they would have had just as much fun without you there.

Was that voice right? Was Riley really so unneeded in this place?

There's gotta be somewhere out there that you belong. You just gotta find it.

Then it hit them. A light bulb bright and hot illuminated in Riley's mind and they turned on their heel back to their dorm. They had a lot to do if this plan was going to work!

[rainbowriojose07]

Ready for the Battle Blue Boys!

Ready for the Battle Blue Boys is a Game Heroes Crossover by me 🙂

Description:

The boys are we going Blue Heroes! Alex born in Kingsland, he's excited to heard it's aqua boys, a main colors, a powers and attacks in blue animals. The guys getting dressed to change his color is Blue, just same. Prince Phillip wearing a Blue Tunic, Destiny becomes a Team Union Sovereign Hero. In fact, Alex meets Topher have a attacked Polar Bear messing with Flik, and.... Link was looking at his bonus fragment of Diamond, a crystal ball like so shiny. I don't want to crossed sword, looks great photo of Ian Lightfoot's parents, Cyan Yoshi riding with Blue Whale, he still helps a Sky saving his Default Mii Brawler, and... after 2 years ago, Champion Tunic Link visiting the turquoise fantasy world, getting a all these weapons, Phillip and Topher magical world nights. This is evil clone villains counterpart Dreadlock, Negative Alex, Dark Link, Evil Flik and Dark Captain America, a defeats his blue heroes. He is loves knights hear that Destiny's good talk, he curses fighting one his weapon this Topher banished by Negative Alex, Who was Ian magics Mii Brawler, he's change wears color is blue. Some Flik and Ian are people who Alex's father, King Kendric, something like Sky, a specialist guy, is Captain America stealing his Diamond, what's Flik he making a mad, blue guys is going to home. Phillip is leaving now. He knows my favorite amazing blue male characters! Characters and OC Weapons:

Destiny: 1 Friend-Light Staff

Sky, Link, Alex and Phillip: 4 Swords

Captain America: 1 Shield

Flik: 1 Green Baseball

Characters and OC:

Prince Phillip from The Sleeping Beauty

Prince Sky from Winx Club

Link from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Captain America from Marvel

Prince Alex of Kingsland from Super 4

Flik from A Bug's Life

Destiny from @destinylightsup-2006

"Ready for the Battle Blue Boys Logo" by me

Note: Do NOT Steal Put In OC for Collab

StupidRainbowStarmen / NermanOfAddictsLover

[apirateslifefor--smee]

Among Smee's weekly social engagements was the book club. He'd originally heard about it when Hook's boy was young, invited by some of the parents in the pickup line at Swynlake Primary. And while they were all a bit younger than him, Smee had found them mostly agreeable, and even struck up a friendship with a few of them.

Laurel Lightfoot was one such parent, and Smee had taken to trading books with her even outside the typical meeting times. Which was why she was top of the list when Smee decided he needed to begin giving away some of the many volumes that lined the shelves of his home. They couldn't all fit on the ship, after all.

Today, she'd told him that she was sending one of her sons to come pick up the books. "Ian, old chap!" Smee said, opening the door. "Come on in, come on in. I've got everything inside."

@ianthedisastrous

We Deliver | Smeeian

[iris-vaders]

At the end of Onward

Ian: *paints the guinevere ii*

Barley: Aw SICK dude you drew our fantasy-sonas!

[k2spoe]

Onward punched me in the gut and made me want to give all my siblings a hug. 10/10.

[bxrn-thc-pagcs]

Tags: Parents (1/?)

[punklightfoot]

so uh.. single dad!Barley was bound to happen at some point so I decided to be the one to do it and yeah

enjoy this massive punch to the heart

(if you’re triggered by death during childbirth then please don’t read)

[l-talks]

matching icons for u and ur bro

[ssadumba55]

Disney Characters Cuddling Headcanons

Request: Wholesome cuddling headcanons for Dr facilier and hades and whatever other Disney characters you want in it

A/N: Thanks for letting me add some of my faves! Had a hard time choosing! Enjoy!

Dr. Facilier

Okay, first of all let's get it out of the way. Yes, this man is scrawny as hell. No, that does not mean his cuddles are bad.

He actually gives really good cuddles

And surprisingly, he's a very handsy guy

Like he will initiate cuddling, it won't be one sided at all

He will also do it at really inconvenient times for you, to be honest

Yeah, he's an evil villain but even villains are touch starved okay, and this man is TOUCH STARVED

He will cuddle you as you sleep, that's his most vulnerable and he likes to have someone else close

Feel like he's a 'randomly hug you from behind and rest his chin on your shoulder' type of guy, i don't know just get those vibes

Hades

Another touch starved villain. Seriously, all these guys need is a decent hug

You can't run your hands through his hair, for obvious reasons, but he's a big fan of face stroking

Come on, you can't tell me a god with those shoulders wouldn't love hugs

And okay, he won't actively seek cuddles but if you came up to him and hugged him he would not destroy you

He would freeze up and then return the affection

I know it's not really cuddling but he really enjoys hand holding

There's just something about seeing your hands intertwined that makes him feel warm inside

Yeah, he can be a bit of a scary guy but as soon as you're cuddling it's a whole different story

You'd definitely have to teach him how to cuddle (without making it uncomfortable) at first, but once he gets it, the two of you are doing it all the time

But he still doesn't seek it out

He's the god of the underworld, he has a reputation to keep up

Ian Lightfoot

Awkward cuddler!!!

"Can we like... cuddle?"

He finds it slightly embarrassing

Whenever you cuddle, it feels like it's you coddling him

You'll definitely have to help him feel a little more comfortable about that

He doesn't mind hugs though, even in public

Has to plan out cuddle sessions

(You do it at random times anyway)

Definitely enjoys feeling you stroke his hair

Anna

Anna likes the warmth of cuddling

She's always been big on hugs and cuddling, considering there was a long stretch of time after her parents died where she had no one to cuddle

Will seek out cuddles, if you can't or won't at the time, will pout

If you're laying down, she likes to nuzzle her head right under your chin

She's a silent cuddler too

No talking, she just likes to soak up the moment

Sometimes she even falls asleep

(It's the only time she's really quiet!)

Kuzco

So, the emperor doesn't like to be touched by random people

Who would?

He does, however, like to be touched and cuddled by those close to him

I mean, come on you can't tell me this man doesn't like being held and having his hair stroked

Definitely will seek them out and WHINE if he doesn't get them

He's like a puppy, pet his hair and he'll be good for the rest of the day

And you'll give him cuddles because he has a good pout face, even out of llama form

[redrosesartcabin]

So yeah, I wrote the thing based on an anon message for @itsme-star

I made it a Barley x (female) reader (based on my self insert character) fanfic ‘cause I had to be a little self indulgent lmao

I hope you enjoy it! It turned out longer than I had planned xD

——————————————————

The double-decker couch

Barley x (female) reader fanfiction

———

Around three months ago:

Y/n’s boyfriend, Barley Lightfoot, had knocked on her window… with small stones… in the middle of the night:

At first her ear just twitched and the noise had mashed with the dream she was having, but the more the noise repeated, the more her consciousness felt pulled into the physical realm again, and with a groan, she had to face the reality that the noise would not stop until she got up (she already had a suspicion as to who was causing the noise).

With a heavy sigh, y/n forced herself from under her comfortable blanket, before ripping the window open.

‘Of course it’s him’, she thought, looking down at Barley as he waved his hands up at her, somehow wide awake.

‘How much energy can a person have?’, she asked herself, before she motioned with her hands, that she’d come outside.

“What in the world are you doing here?”, she asked as she arrived, whisper-yelling at him.

“Well you know how it is my lady: sometimes one just drives around at night after finishing a campaign of quests of yore and sees the poster of a double-decker bus and then one might think: ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if one could have a couch after that structure?’ After having had thought about a new couch for a while and ‘wouldn’t it be cool, if one might be able to build that with their girlfriend?’”

“I can’t say I relate, though I am impressed by one having the idea”, she said, deliberately accentuating the word ‘one’, as she couldn’t now but smile at her beautiful dork, “And I have to say I love the idea, though I still have to decide whether it was worth waking me up at three a.m… but for now I’ll just say yes, because I love you too much to be mad at you for this”

“I know: I’m irresistible”, he winked, pulling her closer to him and engaging her in a sickeningly romantic kiss.

“As nice as this is, I would still like to catch up on some sleep. We’ll write later and you tell when we should start building”

“I actually thought… you know… that maybe now-”

“Don’t push it”

“Right”

Now:

It hadn’t been easy. First they had to scavenge several junkyards for old couches (because let’s be real: They were both poor college students and buying material or new couches just was too expensive), who weren’t completely busted. Then they had to figure out how to build the thing.

After studying art for a while, where y/n had to do a bunch of installation projects, she had gotten significantly better at building things with woods and such, though she still wasn’t an expert. And whilst Barley also got crafty from time to time, he also wasn’t a master.

But somehow, after sweat, and even a couple of tears after y/n once got her hand stuck under one of the couches, they had finished it: The double decker couch.

“This-”, Barley said, pointing his finger at it, “This is beautiful”.

It was a yellow and a green couch, connected through metal poles and stabilized with old wood planks with two ladders placed on top of it and just enough space between the couches, so that one could sit up straight. It sort of looked like a bunk bed, but with couches.

“It is. It really is”, y/n agreed, looking at her bandaged hand, “totally worth busting my hand”

“Totally worth going through every junkyard in the city”, Barley added.

“Totally worth being awake once for 48 hours”, she added as well.

“This should be awarded some kind of price… maybe I’d also just be happy for some money for a wellness weekend ‘cause my back could really need a nice massage”, Barley groaned, touching the small of his back.

“Hard agree”

They stayed standing there for a while, looking at it, before y/n occurred a question that should’ve occurred to her much sooner.

“So-uhm-”, she started, “what do we actually do with it now?”, she asked

“Sit on it of course. You sit below and I above so I can feed you grapes like you’re a roman emperor”, Barley explained matter of factly.

“That sounds lovely darling but that’s not what I mean”

“What seems to be the issue then?”he asked, a little frustrated. What could she possibly have to say now? After so much hard work?

“I mean… where do we put it?”, she asked with a sincere expression which immediately washed away his annoyance, “because it certainly won’t stay in my parents basement”, she stated.

“It’s certainly more worthy than this old, dusty room with your family's junk. And also because this place is crawling with bugs that I will have to remove every time because you’ll just screech and run away until it magically disappears”

“Hey!”, y/n interjected

“It's true!”

“Ok yeah fair enough, though seriously- where? I also can bet’ya we can’t put it anywhere in our homes either. It probably barely fit under the ceiling”

“Yeah no”

A moment of contemplative silence spread across them.

After a while, Barleys thoughts wandered to the night where he had gotten the idea. He thought about his beloved car-

‘OH. MY. GOD. That’s it!’, he thought to himself.

“I got it!”, he then yelled excitedly, his face contorted into one of the most adorable expressions y/n had ever seen anyone wear. No matter what it would be: She couldn’t but say yes to that smile.

Still she asked, “What’ya got?”

“You know how I got my idea from a poster with a double-decker bus?”, he asked her, still smiling like he had won the lottery

“Yes?”

“And you know how I have a van, right?”

“No”, she answered sarcastically, “I know absolutely nothing about your most prized possession of a van that you called Guenivere the second after you sacrificed your first Guenivere when on a quest-”

“Ok I got the gist”, he chuckled, “but ok hear this: Since I have this wonderful van, this wonderful BIG van-”

“Wait a minute: You really want to put the couch in-”, she interrupted as she realized what he was saying, but got immediately interrupted back as he realized she had caught on

“Yes! I absolutely am”

“Dear lord… but ok I have no better idea, let’s do it”

“YES”

“Barley I am telling you, this is NOT working”, y/n huffed as she let her side of the construction gently land on the ground once again.

“Come on, just one more time!”, Barley pleaded.

“You’ve been saying ‘just one more time’ for an hour!”, she argued, “there is no way around: this just doesn’t fit inside the van. You underestimated Guenivere”

“Hey! There is no underestimating Guenivere! It’s not her fault”, he pouted.

“Ok ok ok... Sorry Gueni”, y/n said, giving the car a sincere pat on one of the back doors. She has gotten used to treating the car similar to a pet, “but seriously: We’ve been trying this at every angle, and as cool as Guenivere is, she can’t magically shapeshift”

“Magically shapeshift”, Barely repeated her last words, suddenly deep in thought, before an “ohhhh”, sound escaped him, “wait here my lady, I’ll be back in a sec”

“O...k”, she said, a little confused.

Five minutes later, she saw Ian storm out of his house, his hands clenched around his magic staff, with Barley closely behind him. “WHAT'S THE EMERGENCY?”Ian yelled as he came to a hold, which caused his brother to almost crash into him.

“I need you to make Guenivere big enough so that our self made double-decker couch fits into her”, Barely explained, breathing as though he had just run from death.

For a moment nobody said anything to that before Ian and y/n both shouted

“WHAT?”,at the same time.

“So much for an emergency”, Ian also mumbled, a little annoyed at his brother's antics.

“I mean: If she’s too small, then we can just make her bigger, right?”

“Technically yes but I think you didn’t consider a very small, tiny detail”, Ian commented.

“And what would that be?”, Barley asked irritated, not understanding what the issue was.

“You are aware as a supposed magic expert, that I can’t only enlarge the trunk, right? I would have to make the entire car big, and that would lead-”

“-to the entire street being filled with the car”, y/n finished the thought, apologetically laying her hand on Barleys shoulder, “I’m sorry my love. It was a nice thought”

“Dang it”, Barley breathed out, “I was looking forward to make my own uber-van-couch-double-decker-business”

“Hm”, y/n simply hummed. She had known from the beginning it would probably go south, but his enthusiasm had given her hope.

“Sorry Barley”, Ian said quietly, now feeling bad for having been so harsh beforehand , before slowly heading inside again.

Y/n and Barely sat down on the edge of Guenivere’s trunk, tired and disappointed that it all hadn’t turned out like they wanted as they looked at their creation.

Y/n leaned against Barley’s shoulder, lovingly rubbing her cheek against him like a cat (she loved doing that).

After a while Barley decided he had enough of sulking, standing up to go to the front to put on some good old metal (which luckily she enjoyed too).

As he however returned to the trunk, he noticed some ropes laying around.

He had used ropes last time to tie up some of the material he had bought for their project, so they wouldn’t move around- what if though…

“Ok I’ve had enough”, Barley decided, “I WILL have my double-decker-couch-van for more people to ride with me and my buddies and if its the last thing I’m gonna do!”

“Barley, what are you-”, y/n wanted to ask, but as she saw him pick up the ropes from the trunk floor, she understood, “- Are you sure this will work out?”

“Nope”, he answered truthfully, “but I will surely try!”

She was still skeptical, but at the same time she would try anything with him, and if it meant helping him tie a double-decker-couch to the roof of his van.

“If you believe it can be done, I will too”, she smiled, giving him a quick peck on his cheek, “let’s do this!”

It was eight p.m. The sun was almost behind the horizon and the streetlamps threw dodgy looking lights in the middle of the street and kept the corners dark.

But the elven couple, who stood in front of a yellow van with a double-decker couch tied to its roof, couldn't help but see what they had accomplished: Which was accomplishing what, at least the female elf, had thought was impossible… yet again.

“I can’t believe that worked”, Y/n mumbled.

“Told ya”, Barley hushed back.

“Should we drive around? See if anyone is crazy enough to go on a drive?”, she asked.

“You bet we are. And tomorrow… and whenever we can. I’ll be the driver and you the tourist guide.. or maybe some kinda sturdess, after all you’re good lookin’”

“Oh hush”, she giggled, visibly blushing

“And-”, he continued, though not without giving her a good wink after his compliment, “then we’re gonna show the dear people of this town another perspective to life”

“That we can promise”, she laughed, “that we sure can”

[cartoonygothopossum]

Turning Red

Not even two days after it first came out on Disney+, I got to see the new Pixar movie Turning Red. It was a fun, yet relatable movie. I liked that the protagonist was a normal-looking Asian girl with glasses. I liked that her friends were pretty normal-looking too. Her friend Miriam kinda looked like a female Ian Lightfoot, but with green clothing. If the only part you saw was Mei's narration at the beginning, it could've given the impression that she was too perfect. And yes, she did start out as an overachiever, but the trailers made clear that her mother Ming was quite overprotective.

I could relate somewhat to Mei's struggles. Though I don't recall my family being as strict as Mei's was, I did maintain good grades from middle school onward, partly to avoid getting punished by my family for bad grades. I vaguely remember my sister and paternal grandparents being kinda strict with me. I also kept my share of secrets from my family to avoid having to explain difficult stuff or stuff that they might not necessarily approve of. This was one of the few pieces of mainstream media I've seen that mentioned menstruation, and it was nice that it didn't frame it as a shameful thing.

I felt bad for Mei when her mother embarrassed her at the Daisy Mart and when she transformed into the giant red panda at school. At least her friends and her other classmates came to accept the red panda side of her. I wanted Mei and her friends to be able to attend that concert together. I think they deserved to have a night of fun. Tyler was a jerk to Mei for a good portion of the movie, but Mei did get carried away when she tried to attack him in her red panda form. I also liked that Tyler was revealed to be a fan of the same boy band that Mei and her friends were into. It was too bad that Mei's mother found out about the secret plan, and the concert ended up on the same day as Mei's ritual.

I've heard that super strict parenting can cause kids to become super rebellious, and this movie certainly made that clear. It was interesting that Mei's mother and maternal grandmother had a similar relationship in the past too. As crazy as the fight between Mei and her mother was, it showed how intense arguments can be between teens and their parents. Sure, Mei lied to her mother, but her mother needed to understand that Mei was growing up, trying to become her own person. Mei was clearly hiding a lot from her mother. Thankfully, though, they did reconcile at the end, with Ming respecting her daughter's decision to keep the panda part of her. Mei's father was right. We all have negative, messy sides to us that we need to learn to live with.