#i kinda wish i could participate in the end of stream art stuff but even that cant persuade me to get a twitter acc

[moxie-girl]

managed to finally catch Levi's VA's stream after missing the last few and was immediately possessed to draw this

[parksprout]

Sprout Journal 11/15/24

Good morning Tumblr!!! I'm at work right now typing up my journal for yesterday! I'm gonna continue writing it as though I was writing it yesterday, though, and use the tenses and all that as if it's from int he moment laksjdhfklasdf not that I need to explain myself... this is literally me journaling.... it ain't for you! Hey! You! On the other side of the screen! This is for me not you! Stop reading immediately unless you're someone I explicitly think is very cute then continue I guess,,, nosy,,,

Honestly yesterday was a good, but simple day! I was feeling good all day yesterday even despite what the journal entry in the morning might've conveyed. It was a very simple school day! Spanish class was easy, though I'd be remiss to mention the fact that I absolutely hate that class. There's still only a few of us so each class period is stressful; the main way we're graded is by participation, so we're expected to speak Spanish for the entire class period but that can be very tiresome!! Especially considering a normal class is 20+ students, so the need to speak would be spread out much more widely than what I experience in this class. Plus my classmates don't really put much effort in. Creative writing class was fun! I feel bad though, I have fallen soooo far behind when I was previously the star student of the class. I just lost my passion with schoolwork lately and that course in particular has such a high demand for my time; we've had to read five whole novels, write weekly responses to them while also writing our own personal writing project + structuring a performance for said project at the end of the semester!! It's all just... a lot. I haven't read the previous book at all, and I'm barely 50 pages into the current one that we're expected to finish this weekend. It's just a lot, ugh. At least Anthropology + Archaeology are both going well!! There's really nothing to note from either of them other than that in Anthropology we were discussing how race is a fabrication and that certain groups in Africa are more genetically dissimilar from each other than those groups are from Europeans or Asians. To help discuss genetic variation we did an activity where we lined up allllll around the classroom from shortest to tallest; I was almost perfectly in the middle lkajsdhfkajsdf which is really fun. I'm at such a middling height. Anyways there was nothing else that really happened at school yesterday!!

After school I went straight to the gym and worked my ass off. I'm feeling really good about my accomplishments there, I'm losing weight, gaining muscle, and generally feeling better! I wish I had started this a couple of years ago, I'd probably have already hit my body goals but whatever :) it's never too late to fix myself. I didn't do a full set of exercises because I had plans afterwards that I needed to go home, shower, and get dressed for so I called it after doing my running and some weight lifting. I ran for 4.6 miles on the elliptical!!! I've even been raising the difficulty settings somewhat nowadays too. It's such good cardio and I always feel really accomplished afterwards!!!

I did a couple more lil things too! I worked on my pixel art for a bit today and started setting up a YouTube channel. I kinda wanna start recording gaming videos once I have my gaming PC! That and map making videos, maybe some art stuff too. Really I just think it'd be nice to capture myself having fun and creating things, especially to share them with the Bnuuy - I always wanted to be able to stream games to them while I played but time almost never worked out in our favor, so maybe if we can't do that right now I can record stuff for both them and I :) and maybe it could become a hobby!! A fun one!!

After I got home from the gym I took a super fast shower, took progress pics (my arms and shoulders keep looking better teehee I'm gonna be so hot someday ... ) and then got dressed!! My friend came and picked me up and we went up to a restaurant to sit and eat :3 I got dinner actually but they didn't alksjdfhasdf they ate taco bell beforehand because they got sick of waiting for me to get home from the gym! We just sat around and talked about creative stuff we're both doing. I talked about my DnD campaign ideas (I have a session on the 16th!) and they talked about their OC's! It was so good seeing them, I think I would've been a lil lonely last night if they hadn't hung out with me! But honestly after that I didn't do much, just chores when I got home and then sleep :) Yesterday was a good day!

I think I've decided I'm gonna include my thoughts about my relationship situation friendship thingie after what I did each day. It's what's typically the most pressing thing on my mind mentally and it's important to get my thoughts out there I think!!

Yesterday was a really good day for me mentally actually. I think that I'm getting a little bit better about being realistic with my interactions and expectations of The Bnuuy. Don't get my wrong, I still want to be theirs again desperately, but I think I'm starting to understand how to behave in our situation a bit better. They really are my best friend. They were my best friend before we broke up, too, but I see it especially clearly now. There's no one I've ever felt so comfortable talking to regardless of what it's about. Yesterday we talked for hours before they went to work and... it felt so natural. I thought about that all day long afterwards, honestly I really hope that we can keep having more days like that. I'd rather have days like that than days with the big serious conversations </3 I know that.. those big talks are so important, but they get exhausting and we never return to our natural flow afterwards. We talked a lot and I had a bunch of fun, but it's... so bittersweet everytime we have a good conversation together. I haven't told them this, but I still get butterflies when they send me messages. I blush before sending them selfies and I think "did they like that?" so often. I'm hopelessly in love with them still even though it's been weeks now. I'm feeling a little bit of longing while writing this, though. I haven't seen their face in a few days and... I really miss it. I miss being allowed to ask to see their face, and... I miss when they called me pretty when they saw mine. Sometimes I wonder if they still think I'm pretty despite us not being partners right now. I really want to record them voice messages, play video games together, make plans for the future, send them every single silly instagram reel talking about couples, send them every picture of purple and yellow together and say "us" afterwards. I miss the little bits of affection. I miss dating them a lot, even if I love being their best friend still.

After this picture is me being kinda longing and stupid </3 I'm slightly ashamed of what I wrote there, even if it's kinda mundane stuff at the end of the day. This is a good stopping point if you're not into yearnposting alkjsdfhaksjdfh

I wanted to ask them out yesterday as scary as it sounds. I didn't because I know it's too soon and that it'd only make things worse for both of us ... but god the impulse is there so often. I know I would be a better partner today than I was at any other point in our relationship, but I also know that ... it's too early to try again. We're both still learning too much about ourselves. I'm not ready to be the partner they need yet, and... they aren't ready to let me back into their heart. It hurts to admit that I know they'd reject me if I tried. I'm not ashamed for wanting it though. I wrote a little note in the notes app on my phone, it went something like "Hey, I know it's really early and that it's ultimately not my choice whether or not we start again, but I've always promised to be honest with you about my feelings. I look at the way we talk, the way we laugh, the way we comforted each other through the difficulty that was the start of this month and I see a spark that... we didn't even capture during the end of our last try. I can see an us that would be stronger than before, more loving, more patient and more free than we have been and... I wanted to know if you'd give me the honor of trying again, better than before. I respect your decision either way, and... even if it's a no, I would still like to be in your life to keep showing you who I am."

It would've been the wrong thing to do. It also just doesn't feel like the right time, yet. Maybe someday it will feel like the right moment. Maybe someday I'll be brave and feel okay enough to ask them out. Last time it was them who confessed to me, and them who initiated us dating. I think that... if we start something new? It's my turn to ask, and their turn to decide. I'm not ready yet even if I want to be. That's about it, though. Yesterday was the first time I didn't have a moment of panic, a moment where I cried at least a lil, a moment where I didn't just freeze up from the pain of heartbreak since this all started, but it wasn't because I'm giving up quite yet. Either way, I'm happy to be getting past those moments. Maybe with this growing clarity I can see a better me, and keep chipping away until I achieve them. This whole entry is kinda written badly lkajsdhfkasdf my thoughts are super disjointed atm because I'm at work and it's wayyyy too loud here, so I hope if anyone reads it I make sense!!! I write like an elementary school student sometimes askldjfhasdf

[im-fairly-whitty]

Caught in the Riptide -- Riptide!Incredibles AU

Violet Parr’s almost-boyfriend Tony Rydinger has super abilities he’s hidden his whole life. That is, hidden until the government asks him to join their new “exemplary taskforce” of new Supers to pave the way for legalized, registered, and government-employed Supers.

Tony has never wanted to be a capital S Super, but he figures that if participating in what he’s assured is really just a publicity campaign is how he can help defend his country against non-registered vigilantes like the Incredibles, then it’s his duty to do his best. Of course, the newly christened Riptide soon realizes that nothing is quite as simple as it seems.

Fanfic for the Riptide!Incredibles AU. A post-movie Incredibles 2 au belonging to @edorazzi (on tumblr).

Part 1: The Offer

“And then my family’s going on a trip next week,” Violet said, flipping on her blinker as they drove through an intersection, “so I don’t know when I’ll be back from that.”

“I can’t believe how many things your family does together.” Tony said, smiling as he stared out at the heavy rain hitting the car window.

He could feel the water all around them, falling from the sky, pelting the windshield, running across the pavement under them and spraying from the spinning wheels of the car as they drove. It made him feel alive. If he were alone he’d have the windows all rolled down.

“Oh, well, I mean, I guess,” Violet said, blushing a little as she turned the wheel, “my dad’s always making us go, and my mom’s always-”

“No, no, I think it’s cool.” Tony said quickly. He and Violet had been spending time together for months now, but she still got embarrassed over the funniest things. “I think it’s really neat that your parents want to spend so much time with you, even if it’s always so last minute. I mean, I wish I could see you more, but I get it.”

“Well, thanks.” Violet said. She was smiling that adorable little smile she did when he knew she wanted to smile big, “And thanks for being cool with it.”

“What kind of friend would I be if I wasn’t?” Tony said, playfully elbowing her, “I mean, you’re the one chauffeuring me to work.”

“Stop it Tony, I’m driving.” Violet said, laughing as she elbowed him back. “Sorry we’re taking all these side roads, Center Street is still all torn up, I hope you’re not going to be late.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll just tell my mom we forgot about the construction.” Tony said, “I guess the Incredibles sure had a blast taking out whoever was trying to rob the bank last week.”

“The DMV.”

“What? I thought they said it was the bank on the news?”

“I mean...it might have been the bank.” Violet said, casually shrugging her shoulders as they drove into the parking lot of the Happy Platter, pulling around back, “I don’t really pay attention to the news I guess.”

“I don’t really either.” Tony said, unbuckling his seatbelt as she parked the car in the back alley behind the restaurant, “All this Super politics stuff kinda goes over my head to be honest.”

“Don’t forget your umbrella,” Violet said as he opened his door, “you’ll get soaked.”

“Thanks.”  Tony said, grabbing his black umbrella and opening it with a grin as he stepped out of the car, right into a puddle that came up to his ankles. “I don’t mind a little water though.”

“Well, you’ll mind a lot of water if you start your shift looking like a drowned rat.” Violet said with an amused look, “You’re already in your work clothes, you won’t have time to dry off.”

Tony leaned down to see her one last time, obediently holding the umbrella over himself to stay dry.

“You still want to come over to do homework tomorrow after school?” he asked, leaning his arm against the top of the car door.

“Only if we finally watch that dumb movie you keep bugging me about afterward.” Violet said.

“Aw, come on Vi! Creature from the Black Lagoon is a work of art!” Tony teased, “You just watch, it’ll be a classic someday. I think it’ll be on at seven tomorrow night, I’ll double check which channel.”

“I’m only watching it so I’ll have some peace.” Violet said, rolling her eyes in mock irritation. “I’ll bring the popcorn.”

“Perfect.” Tony said, stepping back so he could shut the door as Violet rolled the window down. “I’ll call you at like ten tonight, when I get off work.”

“Sounds good, my dad should be off the phone by then.” Violet said, “Have a good shift, Tony.”

“Drive safe, Vi.”

Tony backed up as she rolled the window up and put the car in reverse, waving at him as she pulled out of the alley and then drove away, disappearing into the pouring rain.

Tony wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve having her as a friend, but whatever it was, he was glad he’d done it. And maybe, if he wasn’t reading all the signs completely wrong, they could even be more than friends soon.

He looked down at his shoes, they were completely soaked through to his socks. He smiled as he splashed his right foot a little, then closed his umbrella. He looked up into the stormy grey sky, stretching out his arms as the rain pelted him, soaking him to the bone in seconds.

The water was probably freezing, but even when he was a kid water temperature had never bothered him, whether cold or hot. He spread his fingers wide, letting the feeling wash through him. Every part of him tingled with energy, the water around him feeling like possibility, wanting him to reach out, to let it become a part of him.

But...he was already late for work. And besides, even in a back alley someone might see him.

He took a last deep breath of the stormy air, and then pulled a key out of his pocket, unlocking the back door of his family’s restaurant and letting himself into the kitchens. Mom would be expecting him to be waiting tables already, meaning he had to get out to the front.

He left sloshing footprints across the tile floor of the empty, half-lit backroom as he tossed his umbrella in the corner. Tony closed his eyes, taking in a breath and letting himself feel the water that was dripping off him, the water plastering his hair down, the drop of water dripping off his nose.

He took a careful breath, and then raised both his hands, imagining that he was pulling off a blanket. He opened his eyes as the water on him pulled forward and then off him, gathering into a clear mass floating in front of him, leaving his work uniform and hair completely dry.

He smiled to himself as he carefully moved his wrists, sending the water running through the air and splashing into an old sink, only some of it sloshing onto the floor. He reached out to the spilled water on the floor with his mind, commanding it to gather itself up and sending it up and into the sink with the rest.

Tony grinned as he quickly ran his fingers through his mussed hair and straightened his work uniform bowtie. His breath was a little shaky, but it was worth the satisfaction of an “insta-dry” as he called it.

Only his parents knew about his...skill, and he rarely used it, but he did have a couple small tricks that made life easier when no one was around.

He walked to the sink, turning on the tap for cold, and then walking to the other end of the counter to grab some of the plastic pitchers sitting on the shelf. He arranged a set of plastic tumblers on a serving tray, then looked over at the running tap.

Normally he’d just walk the extra five steps back to the sink to fill the pitchers the normal way...but there was still so much energy running through him from the storm he could still feel raging outside.

He might as well have just a little more fun before getting to work.

He reached out with his mind to the tap water, beckoning it forward with his hand and angling it into the two pitchers he had set on the counter. It took extra focus to keep the running water in the air, but he squinted his eyes, keeping his hands steady as he imagined running an imaginary hose from the faucet to the pitchers, carefully filling them both before letting the stream of water drop back into the sink with a splash.

Tony leaned against the counter, chuckling a little at his slight dizziness as he took a second to collect himself. He picked up one of the pitchers, inspecting it smugly. Not too shabby.

“That’s quite a party trick you have there, young man.”

Tony jumped, whipping around in panic, the pitcher he was holding sloshing water all across the floor.

A man in a trim suit walked out of the shadows on the other side of the room, an amused smile on his face.

Tony’s mind somehow blanked and screamed at him at the same time. The man had seen, he’d seen him use his power, he knew he wasn’t normal. Was he just a patron who’d wandered into the back looking for the bathroom? Was he from some kind of superpower tracking organization? Was he going to arrest him?

“I, I wasn’t, I didn’t-” Tony stuttered, taking a step back and clutching the mostly empty pitcher.

What if the man was a villain?

“Hold on there son, calm down.” the man said, chuckling as he held out a hand, “My name is William Gibbons, I’m just here to talk.”

“C-customers aren’t allowed in the back, Sir.” Tony said, his voice cracking and his brain switching into autopilot as he stared at the man’s outstretched hand.

“Hydrokinesis.” Mr. Gibbons said, putting his unshaken hand back in his pocket, “That’s an incredible power, ever use it for anything bigger than filling water pitchers?”

“No sir, Supers are illegal.” Tony said, his knuckles turning white from his grip on the water pitcher’s handle. “I mean, I think they are, I don’t really listen to the news that close, I just do little things, I mean, I try not to, I mean-”

“I’m sorry to have caught you on your shift Mr. Rydinger, but I have a proposition for you.” Mr. Gibbons said, pulling over two bar stools from the side of the room and sitting on one, waving for Tony to sit on the other. “I’m an agent for the United States Exemplary Taskforce committee for the Superhero Registration Accords initiative. Ever heard of it?”

“I-I don’t think so.” Tony said, cautiously scooting onto the other stool, “I mean, I’ve heard of the accords, everyone’s heard of that I think. Not the other one though.”

What he wanted was to run out of the room, but it was way too late for that. Besides, if Mr. Gibbons was going to hurt or arrest him he already would have, right?

“Well, that’s because the “other one” is a highly classified government project.” Mr. Gibbons said, tugging on the cuffs of his sleeves, “Which is why before we go any further I ask that you keep the subject matter of this conversation between us. I am bringing you into a conversation of utmost importance, one of national security.”

“Of course, yes sir.” Tony said, sitting up straight on his stool. National security?

“Times are changing Mr. Rydinger, as you’re probably aware,” Mr. Gibbons said, “there’s been a shift in our society recently with the re-emergence of Supers. While being a Superhero, and to some extent having super powers, has been illegal until very recently, we’re now seeing more and more individuals step up to the opportunity to use their powers in public. What’s your opinion on it, Anthony?”

“I, well, I guess everyone’s just trying to do their best.” Tony said, shrugging his shoulders, unable to fight off a rising sense of deja vu, “I mean, I know Supers do a lot of damage to buildings and roads, but as long as they’re protecting innocent people I think that’s something good, right? I know there’s a lot of people who are using their powers for bad too though, I guess I can see both sides.”

“You’re a smart kid.” Mr. Gibbons said, nodding, “That’s a very diplomatic answer. Tell me Anthony, have you ever considered being a Super?”

Him? A Super?

“Not since I was really young I think.” Tony said, laughing nervously, “I mean, the whole idea sounds cool to any kid I think, but all I can do is throw water around. And I wouldn’t want to break the law like that anyway, filling glasses is one thing, but I would never go running around trying to stop crime, I’m not like, like the Incredibles or anything.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that, you’re exactly the kind of person that I’m looking for.” Mr. Gibbons said, reaching into his coat and pulling out a business card, handing it to Tony.

He tipped the card towards the light, the words “Exemplary Taskforce” glinting back at him.

“This is going to be a time that is very confusing for a lot of Supers,” Mr. Gibbons said, watching him closely, “whether they’ve been participating in illegal activity, or doing their civic duty like yourself and obeying the law. The last thing that the government wants right now is for mass chaos to break out, we don’t need everyone who can buy a set of spandex starting to moonlight as a “hero” in their spare time. There need to be rules, there needs to be order. There needs to be an example set for the coming generation of Supers, and I would like you to be part of that.”

“I, what?” Tony said, looking up, “But I’m not a Super, I mean, my power isn’t really good for anything but drying off quickly.”

“That’s only because you haven’t trained your skill,” Mr. Gibbons leaning forward on his stool with a smile, “imagine what it would be like to walk outside into that rain right now and be able to reach out and stop every raindrop for miles around. Imagine being able to dive into the ocean and having all that water respond to your command. Being able to divert rivers to put out fires, containing explosions and debris with a wall of water, immobilizing criminals with the flick of your wrist and a puddle.”

Tony sat on his stool, holding his half-full pitcher of water and hearing the rain pounding the roof above him. For a moment he did imagine. The breathtaking rush that controlling that much water would be, how incredible it would feel to spring into action to help others with his power.

To not be afraid to live that part of himself out in the open.

“Well, when you say it like that it does sound pretty cool.” Tony said, smiling at the business card, “What...would someone on your taskforce do?”

“The taskforce is going to be a group of brand new heroes,” Mr. Gibbons said, “Supers who will be examples of heroes at their peak. Instead of being vigilantes operating with homemade equipment and their own rules, taskforce members will receive professional training, identity protection, publicity management, and a government issued paycheck for their services.

“The reason that Supers were outlawed was because of the unchecked destruction caused by well-intentioned vigilantes playing by their own rules. This time around we’re going to show everyone that Supers and the government can work together, and that it’s better for everyone. No more chaos, everything legal, Supers will finally be able to fully integrate into society. Their efforts will be a proper career, a way to build a safer world for us all.”

“That does sound pretty cool.” Tony said softly.

A world with legal Supers. A world with Supers who could be trained and paid and protected. A world where having powers would never have to be illegal again and everyone could be safe.

“I have school though,” Tony said, looking away from the card, “I have a job helping my parents with the restaurant. I’d really like to help, but I don’t know if I’m good enough to help so many people, there has to be someone better, someone stronger who wants to fight.”

“That son is what we call humility.” Mr. Gibbons said, smiling, “And believe it or not, it’s perhaps the rarest power a Super can have. If you choose to join the taskforce you won’t have to worry, your schooling will be finished with private tutors and your parents will receive a stipend that will cover much more than your half-time table bussing shift, believe me.

“As for strength, that’s what the training is for, and besides, the goal of the task force is not to be soldiers, it’s to have a group of levelheaded Supers that can be ambassadors to the public. Supers who can set an example for others to follow, to show unity and organization to help reign in vigilantes before they come back in full force.”

“And...if I say no thanks?” Tony asked, scratching the back on his head.

“It’s entirely up to you.” Mr. Gibbons shrugged, “There would be a legal silence agreement I would ask you to sign to keep this conversation to ourselves, and then you would be free to bus tables in peace for the rest of your high school career. There’s plenty of other law-abiding Supers out there who would be able to fulfill their duty to serve their country, to take our nation in the right direction, to set an example for the entire world of what unity and freedom really looks like.”

The whole world. A whole generation of Supers. Thousands of people, of kids like him, who’d hidden what they could do their whole lives.

Tony looked down at the water left in his plastic pitcher.

It was crazy, it was completely out of the blue, but...was it really that crazy when he thought about it? He never really wanted to be a Super, a real hero out on the streets, but he’d been born with his talent anyway, and he was already a firm believer that people who could help others should.

“Can I think about it?” Tony asked, looking down and rubbing his thumb over the business card.

“Of course. I wouldn’t expect you to make this kind of decision on the spot.” Mr. Gibbons said, getting off his stool and straightening his hat, “I’ve already spoken with your parents and they’ve given their permission if you’re interested.”

“Really?” Tony’s eyes widened. Mom and Dad had always been alright with his ability, but he’d never really, well, talked to them about it before.

“They understand that you have a unique talent, and that if you choose to develop it legally into a career serving your country that it’s your choice.” Mr. Gibbons said, putting his stool back against the wall, “Of course, I would recommend that you speak with them about it as well. I have another stop here in town before I head back, but when you’ve made up your mind my number is on the back of that card. Don't lose it, and remember that if you agree to join, the sooner you let me know the sooner we can start your training.”

“Yes, sir.” Tony said, getting up from his stool and slipping the card into his apron pocket, this time shaking Mr. Gibbons’ hand when he offered it. “Thank you for coming and talking to me about this, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

“You’re a bright kid Anthony,” Mr. Gibbons smiled, “I know you’ll make whatever choice is best. I hope to hear from you soon.”

And without another word, he turned and left the kitchen. Leaving Tony standing alone with his half-full pitcher, and a business card that felt like it was burning a hole in his apron.

Tony stared at the wall for a long minute, his head a mess of thoughts.

He walked to the back door, almost in a daze, propping it open to see the rain still coming down hard outside.

A real Super. Really helping people. Helping bring order and unity. Something that only someone like him could do.

He reached out a hand, pulling some of the rain over to fall across his palm, dripping off his fingertips.

This was something he could do.

[Read Chapter 2: Old Friends]

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Hope you enjoyed part 1, I’ve been captured by this au and as usual will be chasing it as far as my excitement takes me. (Which my long-time readers know is usually pretty far.)

I have at least a couple more chapters in mind for this au, so be sure to follow my tumblr and AO3 to catch the next chapter as soon as it posts. Many thanks to @edorazzi on tumblr for starting this au with their wonderful artwork and headcanons, and for welcoming me on to write for it! Their ideas are fantastic and so fun to work with.

Cheers,

- Wit

(Support me on Patreon or buy me a Ko-fi!)