#Corni's corny life

[cornistasiathecoblinking]

⭐️ from one writer to another, please yap about your writing ⭐️

Since I've been working on Metropolis since 2023, I'll yap about it! ( i have it locked from AI scrapers so here's a screenshot. )

The story's basic premise is your average Roxanne and Megamind hooking up in secret because fun!

Both have private and professional reasons for keeping their hookups a secret; Megamind, because Doom Syndicate is stupidly bureaucratic and relationships between villains and damsels/kidnappees, are strictly prohibited (really channeling Venture Bros. Guild of Calamitous Intent vibes here), and Roxanne because in this, she and Metro Man really ARE dating and, through a series of compromises in her life, she is very much woven into his family's dynamics.

While this connection to the most powerful in Metro has been beyond advantageous for her professionally, and in her personal life, she finds it incredibly stifling.

Something that I think is important to realize in this fic is that... well... it's like "brainwashing." Being brainwashed is not so much hypnosis and chemicals in the water, but it is a series of small concessions over a period of time.

Since Megamind and Roxanne have been hooking up, Roxanne slowly starts to realize that not everything is as it had once been. Clothes that were bought for her, and provided for her by others don't fit quite right. Conversations with her friends rub her the wrong way. Nothing is as it was and she no longer "fits" in this box of expectations that everyone in the city puts her in.

Slowly but surely, she learns to be herself around Megamind, cause it's not like he can tell anyone either right? So through their time together, she can relax and open up a little and Megamind finds he adores this side of her. So much so, that he finds ways to coax it out, and the more she be her true self, the more he falls in love with her.

Without getting too much deeper into the heart of the story, and risk spoiling it, I want to segway that there is a historical fiction element to it.

The main part of the story takes place in Present Day Metro City, but there are certain elements that have fallen into place since it's founding in the last 1800s. We see Metro go from a little trading post near a natural spring that the local tribes had called "Warriors Wound' which is rich in iron. (the surrounding stones are stained red, check out Blood Falls in Antarctica, it's \,,/METAL!\,,/) there are studies that mineral springs have health benefits when you soak in them (thus local legend that "Warriors Wound" helps heal the the local natives that soak in it's waters.)

(for the record, I'm both spiritual and a geology nut. xD)

This discovery lead to an industrial revolution in Metro. The trading post became Iron Town, and as the years passed, through a series of backroom negotiations, greed, etc. became the sprawling metropolis it is now. ("Metropolis" is Greek for town/city, hence the name which ties into each chapter opening being something to do with Greek mythology/astrological themes.)

Fanfiction is free therapy, right? I suppose this story is somewhat autobiographical; Roxanne is channeling a lot of my own upbringing.

In exhausting myself to meet others' expectations, burning myself out in trying to achieve long-term career goals, and grappling with my struggle to find my own identity and putting away the mask that I've kept up in my life.

During my youth, family, friends, and work associates had always "assigned" me all these roles and expectations. But over time, you "outgrow" these roles and you suffer because you're not living Your Life but you're living other people's version of their lives. They are living vicariously through you.

I remember being young, like, I don't know, 6? 7? 8? And hearing and seeing these kinds of tactics made me so, so, so angry. and back then, I didn't have the vocabulary to explain why. "I don't want to!" "I hate this!" "Leave me alone!" was largely ignored when you have two emotionally immature parents who thought "Boundaries = Rejection" and "Rejection = your kid hates you" When they felt that way, they were very withholding and rejecting.

So as a kid, I just grinned and bore because I had abandonment trauma (my parents were in the Gulf War and left me with an aunt for months during that whole time. Then another time, my dad got shipped to Bosnia and my mom was shipped to Florida and I was left with a postpartum babysitter who... may or may not have kidnapped me during this period. Not really sure but that's a whole different story.) So, while I hated being assigned unrealistic expectations, I accepted it because, in my child's mind, "Being Mad = Being Abandoned." and that's not at all a fun time.

There's a whole lot of other baggage to unpack, but that's the bare minimun of that whole time.

But, anyway, why did I go off on this tangent? Well...

Story time,

I was in my early twenties, and depressed but didn't really know why I was depressed. I was just a general level of unhappiness that was at the very core of my being......

UNTIL

I was flipping channels on tv to have in the background while I played World of Warcraft. My dog had just died so that was contributing a lot to my overall sense of SAD and at least gave it a face at the time.

"The SUN needs to WARM UP?!" which, hearing without paying attention to the context made me bust a gut laughing. So I rewound it to get a better sense of the context... and rewound it... and decided, "Wait... this is actually.. REALLY funny!" and left my WoW friend to die in the dungeon while I started the movie from the beginning ("The VERY beginning!!") and watched it... probably eight times on repeat that night!

That night I was so hooked, that I scoured the internet for more googling about sequels and fanfictions and what not. This lead me to Live Journal which is how I found the Megamind fandom!

The reason I bring all this up, is that it was through the Fandom that I was able to take off my mask and be myself. It was through the fandom that I had learned what Gaslighting was and meant, and recognized that others felt the same as I did in my life!

I also began to see that my friends and boyfriend in real life... weren't... actually good people. I started to recognize that they had behaviors that I found repugnant. They would say things that once, i found uncomfortable but could not put a word as to why, now I would stare at them like, "why are you like this???"

But back then, I couldn't just "drop" them. we'd be friends for years. A lot of time and memories invested in the relationships. But the more invested I became in the MM fandom, the less and less I enjoyed being around them. I had noticed that they were becoming possessive of me and my time. When I started writing my first MM fanfiction, and looking at fanart, they would ignore me, even going so far as to say, "This is a kids movie... don't you think it's a little weird for adults to be... this *into* it?"

I didn't really have anything to say to that, but I just stopped talking about it.

Quickly, things began to degrade between all of us. I was spending more and more time chatting with the fandom on LJ and AIM chat, and less and less time hanging out with them, and when I did, I was withdrawn, less social and chatty and sneaking in plot points on my phone whenever I got a chance.

The more I changed, the worse they became. This was also occuring at home with my parents as well. They didn't recognize who I was becoming, and I felt claustrophobic in this box they kept trying to shove me in. The more I grew into my own person, the less everyone was liking. When I was a child, I was easy going and chill, and now, after years of self help and therapy, I recognized that this had been a coping mechanism. I had to let so much go and swallow so much disapointment and resentment because if I hadn't then I would have been abandoned again, neglected and ignored.

But with the MM fandom, I was finding people that liked who I was and accepted me and listened to me and who helped me become the person I am today.

Eventually, those friendships erupted in a big and painful way. I finally called it quits on trying to be their friend. My boyfriend followed maybe a year or so later, shortly after meeting the fandom at Dash Con. I realized I hated being in a relationship with him, and that I was holding onto him because he was my last thread of attachment to my friends.

But you outgrow people and situations. You outgrow your old life. I was like a snake shedding its old skin, growing and changing.

Today I am married to my best friend and happier than I've ever been! I've made lifelong friends here in the fandom and we've met up periodically. I talk to them every day and I don't feel like I am walking on eggshells around them. I can share my interests without bracing myself for eyerolls or mockery.

Megamind changed my life for the better and... yeah. That's... essentially what is happening to Roxanne Ritchi here in Metropolis. She was "stuck" for years without realizing it and through her exposure to Megamind, she is growing and changing into the person she is meant to be.

A bit long-winded but I hope anyone who sees this stuck around for the ride. Thank you for asking @belleyells ! I hope it was informative!

[1892]

"i love..." playing cards from the deck i wrote on as a gift for my wedding annversary. 52 things i love about her!! these nine were her favorites <3

[xxplastic-cubexx]

[right to left]

finally finished This Wip from Ever ago and so now i ask you ever look into another dudes eyes and suddenly want to do whatever he wants

[boxedsprouts]

hi!

[sysboxes]

[Text: This introject doesn’t give a fuck if you think they are valid or not.]

Like/Reblog if you save or use!

[raiinbowolive]

when you can literally change the weather but your stupid boyfriend wanted to use his umbrella

[lazorbeanz]

Y’know what would be nice?

If that the series ended off with Knuckles returning home to Sonic, Tails and Maddie, and (after the rapid fire of questions and scolding for running away which is most likely prone to happen lol) begins to tell them about how he realised he isn’t living with them just to fulfil a vow of protecting the M.E anymore, but rather because he finally found his home

He explains how he finally understands the definition of “home” and what makes one

And if it’s anywhere he is most at home (since losing his tribe), it’s in the small town of Green Hills, with the Wachowski family, because with them is where his place of belonging lies…they are his home, and always were from the moment they took him in

Yeah, I think that would be nice

[cowleyes]

fake yearners when the real lover boys come at them

[beannoss]

Twilight headcanon

Inspired by this super lovely art by @roucaelum-art 😍! (brief mood spoiler: roucaelum's art is so soft and so sweet! This hc has a touch of the bittersweet 🫶)

After Strix, when the Forgers are well established, no secrets between them, Twilight starts journaling. Obviously this is a security risk, so he creates an elaborate cipher. He tests it on Franky. He tests it on the cipher-breakers at WISE. He even feeds some to the SSS. None break it. Satisfied, he starts to journal. Twilight's journaling time is something he starts to jealously protect; given how much it means to him and helps him process things, Yor starts to protect it jealously, too.

Later in life, when he and Yor have been together for decades, he teaches the cipher to her in case she wants to read and/or share his journals after he dies. It takes time, of course, but not as much as someone might otherwise think, knowing Yor and looking in from the outside. This is in large part because Twilight creates the cipher with Yor in mind. Rarely one to do something for a single purpose when multiple are available, creating it with the intention that Yor can easily learn it also works to confound others in his profession. You see, he’d never met anyone who thinks the way Yor does, and certainly it's far outside espionage or intelligence norms, a way in which no one in those professions would expect a cipher to operate. This revelation he saves for his final journal, and Yor only learns it had been intended specifically for her after his death.

To that point, Twilight does (peacefully) predecease Yor, but she finds she can’t share his journals with the outside world, not yet. They're too precious, too close, touch her too deeply, to share outside the family.

She teaches Anya the cipher, so their daughter can read and share his journals after Yor passes away.

Anya does: she reads her Papa’s journals. Spends a few months, a couple of years, keeping them between herself and her parents' memories. Twilight’s accounts, unsurprisingly, have incredible detail about Yor and Yor’s life and Yor’s opinions and Yor’s views and Yor’s daily life and the way Yor moved through the world. There’s an incredible amount of detail about Anya too: Twilight hadn’t started journaling until years after Strix ended, nearly a decade after he adopted Anya. But, of course, his memory was impeccable, and once he started writing, he never stopped.

Anya reads about herself, about her mother, about their loved ones and their enemies. She reads his words about politics and the news and Twilight's opinions on literature, film, various cuisines. The bakery down the street and the neighbour with the lush roses. Spycraft, war, and international relations. Parenthood, partnership, friendship. Every other idiosyncratic thing he chose to write about. All of it written in her father’s matter-of-fact style from his matter-of-fact perspective, which was always more full of love than he would admit or accept.

She grieves anew, softly, and in her own time.

One day, when she's ready, Anya goes to her father’s favourite archive. She asks to speak with the archivist team. She asks if they would like the journals of the greatest spy in Westalis history: had they ever come across the name Twilight in their research?

She teaches them how to decipher his code (it is, of course, the most complex and creative cipher the lead archivist has ever seen. Anya thinks of her mother, and smiles). It takes them time to go through everything; it takes them time to verify it. But of course, they do. Because Twilight was thorough and he was precise and and he was an excellent planner, prescient more often than not. He ensured there were enough careful points of reference that diligent researchers would be able to confirm his identity and the veracity of what he wrote. And he would only trust the most diligent of researchers.

It's a small archive; the launch of the display of Twilight's journals is similarly small. Anya thinks he would prefer that. The idea of hoards of people reading his words all at once, even if he had intended their being made public, might be enough to revive his stomach aches from beyond the grave.

Anya attends the opening with her loved ones, and later, at home, she shares her own memories of her Papa, and her Mama, and the times they saved the world.

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

[critterstuck-den]

I redesigned the low blood critters yippee!

Aradia is a Burgundy ram

Sollux is a Psionic Bee

Tavros is a Toreador Cattle

[canisalbus]

💕Positivity prime time! Share five things you love about yourself, four things you're excited about, OR three people you care deeply about and why. Pass this along to someone whose posts make you smile💕

- It probably doesn't come through in English since it isn't my native language, but when it comes to speaking Finnish irl, I've been told I have a large vocabulary and I'm good at explaining things. I try to remember that whenever I'm feeling like an idiot.

- I have pretty good skin, I think. It's not too dry or oily and I don't get pimples often. I started using moisturizer regularly for the first time last winter and it's really nice how soft and smooth everything feels now.

- I'm reasonably good with houseplants. My personal favorite is my sago palm, but I also have accumulated lot of prayer plants and various euphorbias. I love cacti but never seem to be able to keep them alive for long, unfortunately.

- Apart from my face blindness and poor sense of direction, I have above average visual memory, or at least I strongly suspect that to be the case. It's fun. And useful.

- I've developed a liking for long, aimless walks and I think that's a positive thing. I've always been a homebody indoor person type of guy and I'm okay with that, but it's still good for you to get some fresh air and casual, no pressure exercise every once in a while. Soon it'll be winter again though and I'm not going to go outside for any longer than I have to when it's -20°C for weeks on end, but right now I'm enjoying wandering around more than I thought I would.

[a-realproblem]

there is something so captivating about this kiss with loumand and it’s only because of armand.

forget the context of what’s happening and just watch armand.

it’s almost like watching someone wake up from a dream just to see them realize they were not dreaming and that they did in fact get everything that they wanted.

his facial expressions and him having to come back to himself after the kiss…I swear if louis didn’t have his hand on his chest he would of tipped over

when louis said, “I’ll be with him.” it’s as if armand was on the verge of tears, his puppy dog eyes have never puppy dog eyed so hard

all he’s ever wanted was for someone to choose him, pick him, love him and to him in that moment, he got it.

[cicerfics]

Hi! I just wanted to say thanks for all of your posts - especially right now - and the messages of hope you put with them. I'm having a hard time with accepting the election results and what it means, so it's nice to see the encouragement and the reminder that we will get through it all. 🙂

Big, big hugs to you. I don't want to seem like I'm being glib about any of this: it's a really hard and scary time and I understand the tendency to panic. My stomach was in knots all last night, to the point I felt like I was going to throw up! I literally emptied out a trash can to put by my bed, just in case my stomach couldn't cope with the stress!

It's A Lot to cope with. Especially after the insanity and stress we've all experienced since the start of the pandemic. We're all exhausted and sad and burned out. Believe me, I know.

But I do believe that we can and will get through this. Obviously, none of us wanted to be called upon to live through this type of Major Historical Event. But we will not be the first set of people (nor the last) to face this kind of thing in their lifetime.

Famines and natural disasters happen. Unpleasant and malicious political regimes rise and fall. Plagues sweep through the land. It's part of how the world works. Nothing is ever perfect. We have always inhabited a flawed world and a flawed society.

But humans are, broadly speaking, really good at surviving things and a sense of community is our superpower. We can (and will) take care of each other. Humans can be awful, but we can also be so very wonderful.

And when I manage to persuade myself to step outside my bubble of human-centric concerns, I'm blown away by the sheer beauty and wonder of the world we get to live in. Even though it's flawed and imperfect, it's so lovely. It's downright magical sometimes.

I was opening a pomegranate the other day and just marveling at the seeds. How beautiful it is! And how lucky I am to get to be here, eating these sweet juicy seeds! How lucky I am to toss a small handful of seeds to the birds in my backyard, and watch them gobble down their food before fluttering up into the trees!

How lucky I am to send a photo of my pomegranate seeds to friends, and receive in return a picture of their dog, or their garden, or their new throw pillows! How lucky I was last night, in the midst of all my anxiety, to get to go outside as see a really spectacular sunset and share it with my loved ones!

We have a beautiful world full of beautiful creatures. We have so many fellow humans who see this beauty and want to protect it and share it with one another. We must not lose sight of that. Things are still good, and we will continue to take care of each other in the days ahead. 💖

[prettyboykatsuki]

if this is too personal of a question, please feel free to ignore! but I was wondering because the way you talk about him is so sweet: did you ever expect to end up with your bf? like, was your relationship something that snuck up on you, or did you just Know at some point and go for it?

WAAHHHHH. it's not no worries!!!

did i ever expect to end up w my bf... it's yes AND no i think.

im not trying to be corny but i usually compare my experience w my boyfriend to like. the japanese term koi no yokan bc i think it's most accurate to my experience. not quite love at first sight but the feeling when you meet someone you know you're going to love them.

its not any exaggeration to me at all but i knew he was going to become someone important to me the first time i met him. ive yet to meet another person in my life who makes me feel like that. i know it sounds corny and made up KDSJKA but i just. knew. right away that he was going to be someone i loved eventually.

this might make some of u laugh but me and my boyfriend we're qpp's (queerplatonic partners) before we ended up dating and we only knew each other for a few months until then and hadn't hung out in person. it must've been four months of that before dating (i was dating someone else at the time we met) forreal

i dont believe in first sight but i did know from the moment i met him he would be someone i loved eventually. so while i wasnt surprised when it happened, the actual dating came as a surprise to me which is why i say yes and no

[maxthesillyy]

something something. max and william parallels. something something. william wearing basically the same get-up as max did episode one but masculine.