#infinity train morgan

[chocoloom]

Might be an unpopular opinion, but I need more crossover fanfictions in my life man there like. My favorite kinda of fic.

I like seeing characters getting thrust into wildly different situations and conflicts than what they’re used to. I like seeing characters react and compare differences between the world they’re from and the world they’re in. I like seeing characters with similar struggles getting to interact when they wouldn’t otherwise because they’re from two different worlds. I like seeing characters from different media clash with each other because they have differing perspectives on something, or seeing characters from different media learn from each other by interacting. I just feel like we need more of those, for funsies y’know?

For example, what if Edward Elric ended up in Dungeon Meshi. How would he react upon witnessing or discovering Falin’s resurrection and finding out that it worked. Other than absolute anger (which is a given with Ed’s temper), would he be jealous, just a bit, because Marceille succeeded in bringing back the one she loved? Why did she succeed while he and his brother failed and said failure has horrifically impacted their lives? How would learning about a SUCCESSFUL resurrection impact the actions he takes in the future? Would he relate to Laios, as both of them are dedicated older siblings who feel responsible for their younger siblings? Especially considering both of them feel directly responsible for their siblings becoming horrifically altered due to their actions. How does he interact with Senshi? Do they bond over similar views on seeing humans as small, but vital parts of the world’s ecosystem? I bet Senshi would love Ed’s appetite, what with him having a bottomless pit of a stomach (due to human transmutation shenanigans).

I dunno, I feel like there’s a lot of untapped potential in crossovers, both in terms of angst and in terms of just, general chaos and comedy. Like, imagine Sailor Moon in one of the Souls games like Elden Ring. Or putting Kirby in Disco Elysium? Can you imagine the insanity?! Cuz I can, it’s hilarious.

[couldinfinitytrainhavesavedthem]

[oakwolves]

Roommates who have wacky adventures together. I wonder what their show would be called

[sidecharactersdomatter]

This is gonna be a really quick prediction:

Disenchanted is going to be a coming of age for Morgan.  She’s already grown up in the trailer, and seems to cool for fairy tales.  I can see her arc being similar to Tulip Olsen from Infinity Train where both were hesitant to accept change. (Tulip, her parent’s divorce, for Morgan it’s moving to a new home and accepting Giselle as a mother figure). I already know from experience that most Mother Daughter relationships can be tough.  Due to his experience as a divorce attorney, Robert will end up being the mediator between Giselle and Morgan’s main argument.  I’m really excited that Morgan develops a great friendship with Nancy (who’s using her magic for good!). The one thing I would change about the sequel (since it wouldn’t be possible for Morgan’s biological mother to appear) is that Morgan’s step sibling should be a little older than under 1, and they could have a relationship with their older sibling similar to Callum and Ezran’s from The Dragon Prince

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in March 2024 🌈

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Struggling to keep up with all the amazing queer books coming out this month? Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Remember to #readqueerallyear! Happy reading!

[ Release dates may have changed. ]

❤️ Shift: A Memoir of Identity and Other Illusions - Penny Guisinger 🧡 Tempting Olivia - Clare Ashton 💛 Monilinia - Free Mints 💚 Guillaume - Aurora Dimitre 💙 The Marble Queen - Anna Kopp & Gabrielle Kari 💜 The Baker & the Bard - Fern Haught ❤️ Rainbow! - Sunny & Gloom 🧡 The Safe Zone - Amy Marsden 💛 The Weavers of Alamaxa - Hadeer Elsbai 💙 The No-Girlfriend Rule - Christen Randall 💜 A Different Kind of Brave by Lee Wind 🌈 Cirque du Slay - Rob Osler ❤️ Wizard’s Debt - Niranjan 🧡 One Last Breath - Ginny Myers Sain 💛 Nothing Special - Katie Cook 💚 I Feel Awful, Thanks - Lara Pickle 💙 The Tower - Flora Carr 💜 Be the Sea - Clara Ward ❤️ What Grows in the Dark - Jaq Evans 🧡 Heirs of Bone and Sea - Kay Adams 💛 The Haunting of Velkwood - Gwendolyn Kiste 💙 Thunder Song - Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe 💜 Mona of the Manor - Armistead Maupin 🌈 Like Happiness - Ursula Villarreal-Moura

❤️ Ellipses - Vanessa Lawrence 🧡 Saint, Sorrow, Sinner - Freydís Moon 💛 Blood & Brujas - Mikayla D. Hornedo 💚 Infinity Kings - Adam Silvera 💙 Really Cute People - Markus Harwood-Jones 💜 How You Were Born - Kate Cayley ❤️ These Bodies Between Us - Sarah Van Name 🧡 Icarus - K. Ancrum 💛 The Emperor and the Endless Palace - Justinian Huang 💙 How Not to Date an Angel - Lana Kole 💜 Enemy Colours - R.M. Olson 🌈 Broken Parts Included - Alyson Root

❤️ Who's Afraid of Gender? - Judith Butler 🧡 The Duke’s Cowboy - Andrew Grey 💛 The Secret Something - Emily Wright 💚 Colstead & Andie - Olivia Janae 💙 Play It Again, Ma’am - Sienna Waters 💜 Love Is…? - K.J. Wrights ❤️ Welcome to Forever - Nathan Tavares 🧡 Just Another Epic Love Poem - Parisa Akhbari 💛 The Phoenix Bride - Natasha Siegel 💙 These Letters End in Tears - Musih Tedji Xaviere 💜 Truly Home - J.J. Hale 🌈 Monster Mixer - Robin Jo Margaret

❤️ The House of Hidden Meanings - RuPaul 🧡 Promised to the Queen - Barbara Winkes 💛 A Conclave of Crimson - Nicole Eigener & Beverley Lee 💚 A Hunt of Blood and Iron - Cara Nox 💙 The Fealty of Monsters - Ladz 💜 Ariel Crashes a Train - Olivia A. Cole ❤️ Those Beyond the Wall - Micaiah Johnson 🧡 Dancing Toward Stardust - Julia Underwood 💛 Heir to Dreams & Darkness - Ben Alderson 💙 Comet Cruise - Niska Morrow 💜 Dead Girls Walking - Sami Ellis 🌈 Blackout - Carlos E. Rivera

❤️ Monster Crush - Erin Ellie Franey 🧡 Blessed Water - Margot Douaihy 💛 These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart - Izzy Wasserstein 💚 Kiss of Seduction - Rawnie Sabor 💙 Sunbringer - Hannah Kaner 💜 Evacuation to Love - C.A. Popovich ❤️ Sin - Brooke Matthews 🧡 Falls from Grace - Ruby Landers 💛 Lean in to Love - Catherine Lane 💙 A Small Apocalypse - Laura Chow Reeve 💜 Cascade Failure - L.M. Sagas 🌈 The Mars House - Natasha Pulley

❤️ All This Time - Sage Donnell 🧡 The Romance Lovers Book Club - MA Binfield 💛 View from the Top - Morgan Adams 💚 Number Call - Nagisa Furuya 💙 Crossing Bridges - Chelsey Lynford 💜 The Boyfriend Subscription - Steven Salvatore ❤️ Love the World or Get Killed Trying - Alvina Chamberland 🧡 Synthetic Sea - Franklyn S. Newton 💛 The Prince & His Stolen Groom - J.E. Ridge 💙 Chrysalis and Requiem - Quinton Li 💜 Where Sleeping Girls Lie - Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé 🌈 A Botanical Daughter - Noah Medlock

❤️ Wednesday Nights - by Donna Jay 🧡 The Woods All Black - Lee Mandelo 💛 Song of the Huntress - Lucy Holland 💚 Rainbow Black - Maggie Thrash 💙 Spirits & Sunflowers - A.D. Armistead & Austin Daniel 💜 Floating Hotel - Grace Curtis ❤️ Far From Camelot - Rylee Hale 🧡 This Way to Change - Jezz Chung 💛 Mexican Bird - Luis Lopez-Maldonado 💙 Android Affection: Unveiling - Beau Van Dalen 💜 Welcome to the Damned - Astraea Long 🌈 She Came for Blood - Darva Green

❤️ Cover Story - Rachel Lacey 🧡 The Poisons We Drink - Bethany Baptiste 💛 The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist - Sophie Gonzales 💚 In Walked Trouble - Dana Hawkins 💙 Never Leave, Never Lie - Thea Verdone 💜 Guardian: Zhen Hun - Priest ❤️ All the World Beside - Garrard Conley 🧡 Rainbows, Unicorns, and Triangles - Jessica Kingsley Publishers 💛 The Feast Makers - H.A. Clarke 💙 Synthetic Sea - Franklyn S. Newton 💜 All the Painted Stars - Emma Denny 🌈 A Hard Sell - Jennifer Moffatt

[90percentstudios]

What sounds did you use for the main cast of CKC's voices?

i'm just gonna post the entire voice list for (almost?) all the characters since i have it on hand!

abracadad - flim and flam from my little pony alarmy - alarm sound effect allegra - estelle/garnet from steven universe andante - thanos from marvel cinematic universe andy - andy aunt nat - grandma dillis from clarence baby g - baby crying sound effect bapawmet - the lich from adventure time blondie - perfuma from shera brownie - disgust from inside out burger queen - hedonism bot from futurama cody - sonic from sonic prime daniel - arin hanson as bird wizard from bee and puppycat david - gaston from beauty and the beast denny - denny dot - peridot from steven universe fluffy - cat meowing sound effect g-ma - cruella deville from 101 dalmations gigi - mai from avatar airbender goochi god - kim kardashian harmony - cassandra kiramman from arcane holden - bow from shera jeepsus - lightning mcqueen (engine) jessica - dog woofing sound effect juvie - raine whispers from owl house katy - kipo from age of wonderbeasts kay - jolyne cujoh from jojo's bizarre adventure mama pepper - jasper from steven universe mayor stick - bill cypher melody - wendy from south park mini - kipo from age of wonderbeasts mir - bow from shera mr. wilson - foghorn leghorn from spacejam a new legacy narrator - typing noises nori - sonic from sonic prime olive - denny papa tony - hal from malcome in the middle patches - winston from 13 reasons why peggy - pinky pie from my little pony peter - tails from sonic prime phoebe - marceline from adventure time pie - terrell ransom's darwin from gumball planet dance - glad0s from portal puppets - catbug from bravest warriors rhyme - allura from voltron sarah - marceline from adventure time stetson - big mac from my little pony steve - morgan freeman on helium the real steve - jim carrey in the mask thorn - count von count uncle bruce - gus fring wanda - tulip from infinity train

[stark---contrast]

Take a Chance on Me

@stevetonygames team Future | Total blackout (24 prompts) | MCU (Endgame fix-it) | 4.2k words | Rated T | Tw: internalized ableism

After wielding the Infinity Stones, time seemed to move differently for Tony.

Maybe it was because of the snap that nearly killed him. Maybe it was a residue of time warping to different decades. Maybe it was elation due to the fact that they'd actually succeeded.

Or maybe Tony was just getting old.

The world was safe again and he could finally rest. And so time ticked away, seasons came and went, and before Tony knew it, Morgan was already seven and three years had passed in what felt only like months.

During that time, Pepper had moved back to the city: first merely for weekdays and then one day permanently. At least the divorce was a smooth, relatively painless process—not that Tony had expected anything else where Pepper was concerned.

Tony had debated on leaving the lakehouse but found he couldn't. Morgan deserved to keep her childhood home during the weeks that she was his, and Tony liked being near the rebuilt Avengers compound. The occasional winged figure soaring in the skies or the muted explosions of a new superhero generation being trained were tangible proof that he'd actually made a difference.

It was a somewhat solitary life. Even with Morgan, the bots and the damn alpaca scurrying about, Tony's social circle had been drastically reduced in the last decade. Conferences and extravagant parties had given way for a workshop in the garage and falling asleep to cartoons at 8 PM. Tony didn't even have to wear a disguise in public anymore: he'd simply fallen out of the general population's perception. 

It was a blessing and a curse. On one hand, Morgan wouldn't have to grow up in Tony's shadow like he had in Howard's. In fact, most of Morgan's classmates were much more awestruck over Pepper, the renowned CEO of Stark Industries, than Morgan's dad with the weird arm who picked her up from soccer practice and sometimes built robots.

On the other hand, Tony was alone a lot of the time. And after years of first living with the Avengers and then with his wife and child, he didn't do so well with loneliness anymore.

Sometimes when it got particularly bad, he'd put on the armor's helmet and play a 360 degree recording of the latest Avengers meeting at the Compound and, yes, he knew full well how sad that was. Tony had retired of his own free will and had a new family now, a daughter who required his full attention and who he loved more than anything else in the world.

But if Tony's eyes still started misting inside the helmet whenever he saw Natasha's empty chair in the meetings, that was nobody's business but his own.

Still, it wasn't like the house was empty even on the weeks Morgan was with Pepper. Rhodey visited almost every weekend, marathoning LotR with Morgan or having beers with Tony on the porch, reminiscing about the good old days like the two old geezers that they were. Happy didn't come by as often now that he no longer had to drive Tony places, but when he did, he usually brought very welcome cheeseburgers and wholly unwelcome dating advice with him.

"You know, Pepper works fifty hours a week and still has time to date," Happy said.

"Well, anyone would fall for Pepper," Tony said around a bite of beef patty and cheddar cheese. "She just has to show up on a date and say one sentence and bam, boyfriend acquired. Not very time-consuming."

"At least she's putting herself out there," Happy insisted. "But if you want to keep being a hermit, there are a bunch of apps—"

"Yeah, because surely I'd be a hit on those," Tony huffed. "Not so much genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist these days; more like single dad, amputee in chronic pain, lost half of my assets in the divorce and spent the remainder rebuilding the Compound. What a catch!"

"The right person won't care about any of that," Happy said. "You just have to take the plunge. Don't you wish you had someone to share your life with?"

"I have Morgan," Tony simply replied, though that wasn't the entire truth.

Because there was also Steve.

Steve was the reason Tony had only lost an arm instead of his life, leaping across what felt like half of the battlefield and flinging himself at Tony to share the burden of the stones. Realistically, probably most of the burden; they knew from the Guardians that even just one stone could give five enhanced individuals a nasty zap when using its power. And nanotech armor or not, Tony was only a baseline human.

After Thanos' army faded away, Steve was the last thing Tony saw before he passed out and the first thing he saw when he woke up. Tony had stared at Steve's dumbstruck face hovering near the hospital bed, rasped "Please tell me nobody kissed me," and Steve had laughed. Just like back in New York.

Except this time, Steve didn't go on a fuck-you-all roadtrip after and leave Tony to deal with the collateral (and emotional) damage. Instead, he'd decided he was personally responsible for the upkeep of Tony and Pepper's lakehouse, and also picking up Morgan from kindergarten when Pepper was busy and going grocery shopping as long as Tony couldn't drive and feeding Gerald the moody alpaca that had already kicked him in the shin—twice. Steve would show up every few days and Tony would pretend to be annoyed even as Morgan squealed and ran out into the driveway to greet him. Clearly, Steve was bored after passing on the shield to Sam, and helping Tony "Designated Charity Case" Stark was either his way of feeling useful or apologizing to Pepper for crippling her husband.

Probably both.

To his credit, Tony did try to fight Steve on it the first few months, but he really should have learned by then that there was no out-stubborning Steve Rogers when it came to doing the right thing. Tony had fully expected Steve's wellness checks to stop as soon as he received his prosthetic arm and finished his physical therapy, but that was almost two years ago and Tony still had leftovers in the fridge from when Steve cooked dinner for him and Morgan last weekend.

If anything, Steve's visits had only become more frequent over the years, which had made some sense after the divorce, but not so much now that Tony had almost full mobility of his arm back. Still, Steve was a big help and Morgan obviously loved him, so Tony had grown kind of fond of their weird little routine and wasn't about to ruin it by demanding Steve's motivations.

Of course, other people weren't as willing to ignore the subject.

"So… you and Steve," Bruce said when he was visiting for his semi-regular science talks with Tony—which more often than not ended in tea and Avengers gossip and raiding Morgan's cookie stash. The Hulk's personality might lie dormant, but his appetite did not.

"There is no me and Steve," Tony huffed. "There's just Steve and Steve's guilt complex. He likes collecting sad people missing an arm; it's kind of his thing, if you hadn't noticed."

"Uh-huh," Bruce said.

"I'm telling you, that guy sees someone with a prosthetic and immediately whips out the adoption papers," Tony kept going. "But hey, if he wants to waste his life mowing my lawn and washing my dishes, I'm not about to complain. Having your personal supersoldier is a lot cheaper than paying for a gardener or cleaning service—and much more efficient when it comes to chopping firewood, too."

"Right," Bruce said. "So who are the flowers from, Tony?"

Tony kept his face carefully neutral and resisted the urge to glance at the bouquet he knew was sitting in a vase on the coffee table. Steve had brought the flowers a week ago and they were starting to wilt, but Tony kept "forgetting" to throw them away.

"Morgan likes flowers," Tony said in explanation.

"I doubt Steve would bring your kid flowers that mean 'Please give me a chance'," Bruce said, because of course he happened to be fluent in flower language. "Have you ever considered he might be sticking around for some other reason than guilt?"

"Jesus, Bruce, let the man bring some platonic flowers!" Tony exclaimed. "You know you're perpetuating toxic masculinity, right? I'll file a complaint to Avengers HR and sic Carol on you."

Bruce rolled his eyes so hard Tony thought he saw a flash of green in them. At least the Hulk would have laughed at the absurd notion of Steve trying to court Tony.

"Anyway, as I was saying about the particle collider…" Tony started, then went quiet as he heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle pulling up in the driveway.

"Oh look, Steve's home," Bruce deadpanned.

"Ha ha, very funny," Tony said. He checked the calendar on the fridge only to confirm what he already knew; it was indeed Tuesday, and Steve wasn't supposed to come by until Friday to help Tony unload the hay bales he'd ordered for his ungrateful alpaca. "He probably just broke his phone or something and wants me to fix it. Sit tight, I'll be right back."

Tony didn't wait for Bruce's reply before walking out on the porch. Steve was already getting off his bike, but rather than the dirt-stained jeans or a sinfully tight t-shirt Tony was used to seeing him in while he did his handiwork around the property, Steve was dressed in a leather jacket and had even styled his hair.

Oh, and on top of looking unfairly good he was also carrying a bouquet of red tulips.

"Tony!" Steve's face lit up and he practically jogged up to meet Tony. "How was your day?"

Tony blinked. "It's Tuesday."

"Yeah, uh…" Steve's smile turned sheepish. "I just thought I'd swing by to see if you wanted to grab dinner together? Oh, and I drove past a florist on the way—here, these are…I mean, you can have them. If you want."

Steve shoved the flowers at Tony and he grabbed them more out of reflex than anything else.

"...Thanks?" Tony said, regarding Steve skeptically. "I'll have to say no on the dinner, though."

"Oh," Steve said, his face falling like Tony had kicked a puppy instead of declining to eat with him.

"I have a week's worth of leftovers to get through because you made enough to feed a small army. Remember?"

Steve frowned. "You didn't throw them away?"

"Well, somebody who grew up during the great depression has taught me not to waste food." Tony smirked. "But hey, you guys have a good time."

"...What?"

"Oh come on, you're clearly dressed up," Tony said, gesturing to all of Steve. "It's obviously some kind of group outing that you wanted to invite the resident hermit to. No need to keep up the act."

Steve was quiet for a beat—probably embarrassed Tony had seen through his white lies—before he seemed to deflate.

"Yeah," Steve said. "Sorry. It was a dumb idea. Have a good night, Ton—Bruce!?"

Tony heard the doorframe creak as Bruce squeezed himself through it.

"Hiya, Steve!" Bruce chirped way too cheerfully. "Funny seeing you here."

Tony glared at Bruce. Bruce resolutely ignored it.

"Yeah, you too," Steve said and, geez, he even pulled out the fake Captain America smile. "Sorry for intruding, I didn't see your car. Weren't you two supposed to be meeting next week?"

"Oh, yeah, Tony just rescheduled a few days ago," Bruce said, the traitor. Thankfully, he didn't know that the reason for Tony's urgent change of plans was because the five days without both Morgan and Steve would have been miserable otherwise.

"And it's no biggie, I was just leaving anyway—Jen's picking me up from the main road," Bruce had the audacity to lie, because Tony was supposed to drop him off later in the evening. "There's a few cups of coffee left in the machine if you want it."

"Actually, I was just…" Steve nodded awkwardly at his bike.

"Yes, see, he's leaving," Tony said. "You both were, but somehow you're still right here—"

"Oh, speaking of Jen," Bruce interrupted, "she keeps bugging me for your number," Bruce told Steve, then grimaced. "In…not so child-friendly terms."

Tony bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from commenting on that delightful bit of information. He'd only met Jennifer once, but she was an absolutely stunning woman, not to mention could match even Steve's strength. If Steve took her up on that offer, they'd make one hell of a couple. She'd be lucky—Steve would be lucky to be with her, of course.

"Sorry." Steve gave a little half-smile. "Not interested in some one-time thing."

"Yeah, I thought so," Bruce said, then looked at the bouquet Tony was now clutching a little too forcefully. "Nice flowers, by the way. Red for undying love, right?"

"Oh, here we go again," Tony groaned.

"Uh," Steve said, his face steadily approaching the color of the flowers. "I just thought they…looked nice."

"I'm sure," Bruce said. "I assume they were out of flowers that said 'Tony, you idiot, there is no group outing, I was asking you out on a date'?"

"Oh my god, Bruce, get in the damn car and I'll drive you—wait, what?" Tony said, the words only now registering.

"Have fun!" Bruce said and—Tony could only describe it as fled—the scene.

And so Tony stood there on his porch like an idiot, with the offending tulips in his hand and a dolled-up, fidgeting and completely silent Steve in front of him.

"That's the last time I let Bruce into the cookie stash," Tony finally said.

That seemed to snap Steve out of his stupor. "Yeah, I…didn't expect that. At least not from Bruce."

"Sorry about him," Tony said. He held out the bouquet. "You should probably take these back, huh? With the 'undying love' and whatnot."

Tony tried for a grin. If he just didn't think about Bruce's words, he might survive this conversation with his dignity intact. Steve would laugh and sheepishly take the flowers and leave, and Tony could back inside and casually scream into a pillow. As you do.

But because Tony's life was never easy, Steve didn't accept the flowers. He just stared at them, then at Tony, then flushed all the way up to his ears and cleared his throat.

"No," Steve said, stubbornly keeping eye contact even though he was clearly dying inside. "No, I don't think I will."

"O-kaaay," Tony drawled, slowly withdrawing the bouquet. What the hell was up with Steve today?

"Unless…unless you're actually rejecting me," Steve soldiered on through his visible discomfort. "And I've been too dense to notice it all this time."

Tony opened his mouth to ask if Steve was having a stroke and promptly closed it. There was clearly something going on here that went deeper than Tony saying no to getting pizza or whatever with Steve, but like so many times before, they were just talking past each other.

"Steve," Tony said levelly. "Why are you really here?"

Steve stood up a little straighter even though he was still ugly blushing.

"Because I thought you were free and wanted to take you out to dinner," Steve said.

Tony squinted at him. "And you…dressed up and brought flowers—"

"Clearly should've picked the 'I'm asking you out on a date, you goddamn idiot' flowers instead," Steve huffed.

Tony blinked. He stared. He tried to process the earth-shattering discovery that Steve actually wanted to court him.

It didn't make sense. Tony had questions. He also still wanted to scream into that pillow. There was so much to talk about.

Of course, what came out of Tony's mouth was, "Language, Cap."

Steve's face did something funny at that: like his body couldn't decide whether to laugh or cringe. Smooth, Tony.

Eventually, Steve did burst out laughing, though it had a hysteric edge to it. Tony could relate wholeheartedly.

Tony cleared his throat and Steve stopped laughing. "What I meant was: hi, my name is Tony Stark, single dad missing an arm and owning the world's rudest alpaca," Tony rambled. "And you're Steve Rogers, literal human perfection, standing on my porch and expecting me to believe that you being here is anything more than pity."

"What?" Steve said. "C'mon, Tony, you can't really believe that. It's been over three years." Tony shrugged, and Steve's eyes went wide. "You mean…all this time you thought—"

"Yes? No? In my defense, I tried not to think about it at all, because I liked having you around and the idea of being your good deed of the day kinda put a damper on that."

"How…" Steve said, then shook his head. "Doesn't matter. You're wrong. I started helping you because you're my friend, and then I stuck around because…well, I liked being here."

"And now you want to go on a date. With me. Romantically," Tony clarified.

Steve nodded. "Yes."

"Why?" Tony asked.

"Why do people usually go on dates?" Steve shrugged. "I wanna be with you, and I really think we could be good together."

"But you're…this," Tony, again, gestured to all of Steve. "And I'm…" He glanced down at his workshop tee and grease-stained sweatpants; a far cry from the suits and booty jeans he'd worn in his prime. "Well, I definitely put the 'dad' in 'dad bod'."

Steve just kept looking at him. "And?"

"And you don't want someone like me!" Tony exclaimed. "I'm irresponsible and frankly terrible at relationships, always have been, and I miss being Iron Man and don't know what to do with myself the weeks Morgan's at Pep's." Steve didn't seem phased, so Tony took a shallow breath and quickly continued, "Sometimes I spy on Avengers meetings and cry, and my shoulder still hurts from the stones and the burn scars look hideous and I have nightmares from the wormhole and—and, oh, okay, we're kissing now—"

Steve, apparently done with Tony's pity party, took the liberty of cupping Tony's cheek and leaning in to kiss him. Which, all things considered, was probably the most effective way he'd ever managed to shut Tony up.

Tony's brain was too fried for him to do much more than stand there and let himself be kissed. To be fair, this was the most action he'd gotten in almost three years and he'd never realized how much he'd missed it. The kiss was little more than a soft press of their lips but the simple intimacy of it was enough to flood Tony's body with happy chemicals.

Eventually, he did manage to kiss back, but Steve still pulled away much too soon.

"Are you done?" Steve asked, and it really was quite persuasive when murmured against Tony's lips.

"...With the self-loathing or the kissing?" Tony asked. "Because I was kinda just getting started with the latter."

Steve chuckled and pressed their lips together again and, okay, wow, it really was that easy.

They were both much more confident this time. Steve kissed with meaning, Tony pulled him closer by his stupidly sexy leather jacket, Steve rubbed his thumb over Tony's five o' clock shadow and Tony tilted his head to make the slide of their lips easier. He might not have kissed anyone in years, but he could totally do this—it was like riding a bike, right? He just had to play it cool.

And then Steve lapped at the seam of his lips, and, really, how was Tony supposed to not clutch his jacket and let out a pathetic moan?

That was apparently the cue for Steve to break the kiss, but luckily he didn't look weirded out by Tony's desperation; in fact, he was blushing again and even panting a little, which was a pretty nice ego boost considering how much it took for Steve to get winded.

"Sorry, I, uh." Steve cleared his throat and took a step back and Tony bravely resisted his body's urge to scream no, no, no, come back! "I got a little too into that," Steve said.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Did it look like I was complaining?"

"Well, I still have some things I need to make clear," Steve said.

Oh, boy. Tony straightened his back and steeled himself for the good ol' "Tony, you're so great—except for those five hundred flaws of yours that mean we'll never work out" spiel.

Steve took a deep breath and started, "You're the bravest, most heroic man I've ever met and I'm sorry it took me over ten years to realize that."

Tony blinked. That was a weird start to friendzone someone.

"You have a brilliant mind but more than that, you have a big heart," Steve said. "You care so much about everyone around you, even if they hurt you—" 

Steve winced and Tony felt the phantom sensation of Siberian snow on his face and something heavy pressing down on the suit's arc reactor.

"When I came here three years ago, I expected you to scream in my face, and I wouldn't have blamed you," Steve said. "Instead, you helped me. You trusted me. You forgave me. And then you saved the world—again." Steve smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners; Tony had never noticed the wrinkles before. "And after, you let me be a part of your new life. You let me be a part of Morgan's. And, god, Tony the way you are with her… How could I not fall in love with you?"

Okay, well, that was just unfair. Tony had been just about ready to accept that Steve wasn't about to dump him before they'd even gotten started, but now he had to process the fact that Steve apparently loved him too. Despite all of the bright red, painfully obvious warning signs.

Maybe Happy was right. Maybe the right person wouldn't care.

"I can't even describe how much the last three years have meant to me. How much you mean to me," Steve said, his pretty blue eyes staring deep into Tony's. "And if you'll have me, I promise I'll do my damndest to make you happy."

Tony still wasn't quite sure if this was real. Maybe he was dreaming or Bruce's tea had a little extra something.

But hallucination or not, there was no reality where he'd ever be able to resist Steve Rogers spilling his heart and asking to date Tony.

"Okay," Tony said.

Steve blinked, then gave him a hesitant smile. "Really?"

"Well, my kid already loves you, and that's like 90% of my dating criteria these days," Tony said. "I also might have been planning on exploding the workshop roof on purpose so I could get you to come back before Friday, because not having you around freaks me out and five days is way too long."

Steve's smile widened and he stepped closer again. "I know the feeling. I barely managed two before I needed to see you."

Tony's heart did funny things at that and since Steve was already right there, Tony figured he might as well steal another kiss.

Steve made a happy little sigh when their lips met and Tony felt like an absolute idiot for not pulling on this thread sooner. There had just been too much at stake, with their rocky history and Tony's injuries and the divorce and Morgan—

Shit. What if Steve didn't understand how important Morgan was in all this?

"Full disclosure," Tony said, pulling away. "Morgan still has complete veto rights. She says no, this ends right away."

Rather than nod grimly like Tony expected, Steve smiled sheepishly. "Well, actually…I don't think Morgan's opinion will be a problem."

Tony stared. "Please say you didn't tell my kid you wanna bang me."

Steve took a moment to look at Tony like he was an idiot. "Your child," Steve started, "was the one who came up to me two weeks ago and said 'Daddy still doesn't know you love him. You should bring him flowers'."

Some kind of noise escaped Tony's throat; a quiet wheeze in the spirit of Holy shit my seven-year-old daughter tried to set me up with Captain America.

Steve chuckled. "Yeah, that was my reaction too."

"Why…what…how?" Tony managed.

"I've heard from multiple sources that I'm not as subtle with my feelings as I think I am," Steve said, then got a mischievous glint in his eye and added, "and Morgan's always been smarter than her old man, anyway."

Tony barked out a surprised laugh at the unexpected sass.

"Oh, really?" Tony said around a grin. "That's how it's gonna be with you, huh?"

Steve smirked. "Maybe."

"I can already tell you're going to be a menace," Tony teased. "You're lucky you're cute."

"I thought I was 'human perfection'."

Tony snorted a surprised—and extremely unattractive—laugh. Steve merely grinned, and, god, when was the last time anyone but Morgan had made Tony laugh like this?

"Well, mister Human Perfection," Tony said, brushing his hand against Steve's. "Still wanna have dinner with me? I've got cold coffee and leftover casserole."

Steve smiled and laced his fingers with Tony's. "Sounds like a plan."

That was when Steve pulled him close and kissed him again, and Tony decided he could definitely get used to this.

[deadguydeathmatch]

The Dead Guy Death Match Bracket Is Here!

Round 1 will be split into 4 waves of 16 24 hour polls and each wave will be posted 24 hours after the previous. The first wave will start on Tuesday the 18th of April at 3pm BST

The matchups are listed under the readmore and will be hyperlinked to the polls when they go up.

The matchups were all randomised although I did make minor adjustments if I thought one was much too unfair.

Also tagging @tournamentdirectory as I haven't already

Wave 1:

Charles Foster Kane (Citizen Kane) Vs Gavroche Thenardier (Les Miserables)

Leif (Bug Fables) Vs Queen Serenity (Sailor Moon)

L (Death Note) Vs Jonny D'Ville (The Mechanisms)

Noah Czerny (The Raven Cycle) Vs Lee Everett (The Walking Dead)

Pat Butcher (BBC Ghosts) Vs Xerxes Break (Pandora Hearts)

Captain Orimar Vale (Skyjacks Campaign Podcast) Vs Laura Palmer (Twin Peaks)

Diallos Hoslow (Elden Ring) Vs Rachel Amber (Life Is Strange)

Andrei Grandier (Rose Of Versailles) Vs Constance Blackwood (Ride The Cyclone)

Spock (Star Trek) Vs Maria Robotnik (Sonic The Hedgehog)

Kravitz (The Adventure Zone) Vs Sal Fisher (Sally Face)

Mari (Omori) Vs Ianto Jones (Torchwood)

Nate (Leverage) Vs Max (Sam and Max)

Owen Carvour (Spies Are Forever) Vs Vylad Ro'Meave (Minecraft Diaries)

Neil Perry (Dead Poet's Society) Vs Sayaka Miki (Madoka Magica)

Flapjack (The Owl House) Vs Maes Hughes (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Loki (Marvel) Vs Adam Faulkner Stanheight (Saw)

Wave 2:

Obi Wan Kenobi (Star Wars) Vs Diggory Graves (Hello From The Hallowoods)

Hugo Oak (Kipo And The Age Of Wonderbeasts) Vs Leonardo Hamato (Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie)

Chara (Undertale) Vs Magnus Chase (Magnus Chase)

River Song (Doctor Who) Vs Micheal Afton (Five Nights At Freddy's)

Catherine Earnshaw (Wurthering Heights) Vs Tara Maclay (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

Laudna (Critical Role) Vs Aerith Gainsborough (Final Fantasy)

Mia Fey (Ace Attorney) Vs Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby)

Meiko 'Menma' Honma (The Flower We Saw That Day) Vs Claire Foley (Professor Layton)

Grelle Sutcliff (Black Butler) Vs Skelly (Hades)

Ethan Winters (Resident Evil) Vs Portgas D Ace (One Piece)

Polly Geist (Monster Prom) Vs Hua Cheng (Heaven's Official Blessing)

Avatar Kyoshi (Avatar The Last Airbender) Vs Galivar Kholin (Stormlight Archive)

Pink/Orchid (Animation Vs Animator/Minecraft) Vs Lewis Pepper (Mystery Skulls Animated)

Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb) Vs Stoick The Vast (How To Train Your Dragon)

Evelyn Hooper (Less is Morgue) Vs Manny Calavera (Grim Fandango)

Kokichi Oma (Danganronpa) Vs Silco (Arcane)

Wave 3:

Eurydice (Greek Mythology) Vs Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead)

Jack Twist (Brokeback Mountain) Vs Charles Vane (Black Sails)

Howard Hamlin (Better Call Saul) Vs Jason Grace (Riordanverse)

Nora Hildegard (The Vampire Diaries) Vs Gerard Keay (The Magnus Archives)

Manny (Swiss Army Man) Vs Matoro (Bionicle)

Wen Ning (Mo Dao Zu Shi) Vs Kikyo (Inuyasha)

Yuri Nakamura (Angel Beats) Vs Simon Kain (Pathologic)

Deep Throat (The X Files) Vs La Signora (Genshin Impact)

Esmeralda (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame Novel) Vs Ursula Zandt/Silhouette (Watchmen Comics)

Nageki Fujishiro (Hatoful Boyfriend) Vs Tuba (Infinity Train)

Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice) Vs Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption)

Oda Sakunoske (Bungou Stray Dogs) Vs Rose Quartz (Steven Universe)

Duncan (Dragon Age) Vs Junpei Yoshino (Jujitsu Kaisen)

Quincey Morris (Dracula) Vs Connor Murphy (Dear Evan Hansen)

Deadman (DC Comics) Vs Breakdown (Transformers)

Draal The Deadly (Troll Hunters) Vs Castiel (Supernatural)

Wave 4:

Matsuri Kanroji (Demon Slayer) Vs Midori (Your Turn To Die)

Kelsier (Mistborn) Vs Peter 'Parker' Yang (Malevolent Podcast)

Tadashi Hamada (Big Hero 6) Vs Noriaki Kakyoin (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Erik (The Phantom Of The Opera) Vs Matthias Helvar (Six Of Crows)

Tigerstar (Warrior Cats) Vs Boromir (The Lord Of The Rings)

Joel Miller (The Last Of Us) Vs Pedro Madrigal (Encanto)

Rufus Emeterio (They Both Die At The End) Vs King Arthur (King Arthur)

Bunny Corcoran (The Secret History) Vs Lenore (Nevermore Webtoon)

Sliver Of Straw (Rain World) Vs Bow (Inanimate Insanity)

Chidi Anagonye (The Good Place) Vs Nicholas D Wolfwood (Trigun)

Tiso (Hollow Knight) Vs Okudera (Yakuza 5)

Koki Kariya (The World Ends With You) Vs Horst Cabal (Johannes Cabal)

Mr Boddy (Clue) Vs Garret Jacob Hobbs (Hannibal)

Eddie Kaspbrak (IT) Vs Emily (Corpse Bride)

Ash Lynx (Banana Fish) Vs Ophelia (Hamlet)

Eddie Munson (Stranger Things) Vs Kili (The Hobbit)

[theinconveniencing]

speaking of morgan can you guys watch infinity train

[dead-girl-bracket]

Full list of contestants:

1.  Laura Moon (American gods)

2.  Caiera the Oldstrong (Marvel Comics)

3.  Heather Chandler (Heathers)

4.  Pyrrha Nikos (RWBY)

5.  Mattias Helvar (Six of Crows)

6.  Jackie Taylor (yellowjackets)

7.  Laura Palmer (Twin Peaks)

8.  The Dark Lord (Animator vs Animation)

9.  Caleb Wittebane (The Owl House)

10.         Adam Stanheight (Saw)

11.         Mai Zenin (Jujutsu Kaiser)

12.         Penny Polendia (RWBY)

13.         Maple (Your Turn To Die)

14.         Jacques Kensington (Henry Stickmin series)

15.         Valiant Hero Charles Calvin (Henry Stickmin series)

16.         Misaki Unasaka (Buddy Daddies)

17.         Dean Winchester (Supernatural)

18.         Castiel (Supernatural)

19.         Mari (Omori)

20.         Ymir (Attack on Titan)

21.         Bow (Inanimate Insanity)

22.         Ethan (Citizen Sleeper)

23.         Kamina (Gurren Lagan)

24.         Bunny Utonium (Powerpuff Girls)

25.         Asher (The Leet World)

26.         Maes Hughes (Fullmetal Alchemist)

27.         Pink/Orchid (Animator vs Animation)

28.         Viggo Grimborn (How To Train Your Dragon)

29.         Peter “Parker” Yang (Malevolent)

30.         Kaede Akamatsu (Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony)

31.         Felix (Red vs Blue)

32.         Ghost (Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2)

33.         V2 (Ultrakill)

34.         Agent Texas (Red vs Blue)

35.         Sarah Lynn (Bojack Horseman)

36.         Portgas D Ace (One Piece)

37.         Amanda Grayson (Star Trek 2009)

38.         Victim (Animator vs. Animation)

39.         Mad Sweeney (American Gods)

40.         Mufasa (The Lion King)

41.         Flapjack (The Owl House)

42.         Magne/Kenji Hikiishi (My Hero Academia)

43.         Hinawa (Mother 3)

44.         Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz (Steven Universe)

45.         Mia Fey (Ace Attorney)

46.         Danny Fenton (Danny Phantom)

47.         Minfilia Warde (Final Fantasy XIV)

48.         Ysayle Dangulain (Final Fantasy XIV)

49.         Tasha Yar (Star Trek The Next Generation)

50.         Kid Loki (Marvel Comics)

51.         Cheryl Brooks Taggart (Atlas Shrugged)

52.         Juliet (Romeo and Juliet)

53.         Desdemona (Othello)

54.         Alicia (The Feather Pillow)

55.         Lennie (Of Mice and Men)

56.         Kikyo (InuYasha)

57.         Kagura (InuYasha)

58.         Shin Tsukimi(Your Turn To Die)

59.         Neteyam (Avatar the Way of Water)

60.         Chrissy (Stranger Things)

61.         Jason Grace (Riordanverse – Heroes of Olympus)

62.         Eddie Munson (Stranger Things)

63.         Stacker Pentecost (Pacific Rim)

64.         Natasha Romanow (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

65.         Debra Morgan (Dexter)

66.         Abigail Hobbs (Hannibal)

67.         Beverly Katz (Hannibal)

68.         Abbie Mills (Sleepy Hollow)

69.         Magnus Chase (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard)

70.         Luke Patterson (Julie and the Phantoms)

71.         Noriaki Kakyoin (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)

72.         Reggie Peters (Julie and the Phantoms)

73.         Alex Mercer (Julie and the Phantoms)

74.         Willie (Julie and the Phantoms)

75.         Jessica Moore (Supernatural)

76.         Tuba (Infinity Train)

77.         Mohan Vishwakumar (Never Have I Ever)

78.         Mara (She-Ra)

79.         Bartholomew (Moral Orel)

80.         Harlan Thrombey (Knives out)

81.         Whizzer Brown (Falsettos)

82.         Oda Sakunosuke (Bungou Stray Dogs)

83.         Mollymauk Tealeaf (Critical Role)

84.         Mephone4s (Inanimate Insanity)

85.         Dough (Inanimate Insanity) but 

[ao3feed-irondadspiderson]

The Juggernaut Joust

https://archiveofourown.org/works/50287234 by Srae13 “Damn dude, that was like be hit by a freight train,” Peter winced. “No, that is the wrong word,” Juggernaut shook his head and readied himself to rush forward again. “And what would you escribe it as?” Peter asked, trying to buy time without having to fight. “Like being hit with a juggernaut,” Juggernaut smirked before rushing forward once more. ----------------------------------- A foe from another universe leads Peter into another public test of strength. A continuation of my series 'A Test of Strength' Words: 4111, Chapters: 1/2, Language: English Series: Part 4 of A Test of Strength Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/M, Gen Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Michelle Jones (Marvel), Ned Leeds, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Stephen Strange, America Chavez, Juggernaut, mentions of other heroes Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker & Morgan Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker Additional Tags: No beta we die like Uncle Ben, BAMF Peter Parker, Hurt Peter Parker, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Protective Peter Parker, Good Friend Ned Leeds, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Peter Parker-centric, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark are Siblings (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Not Canon Compliant with Movie: Captain America: Civil War (2016), Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Canon Compliant with Movie: Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Spideychelle, Everyone Is Alive, Strong Peter Parker, Major Character Injury, Major injuries, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Other Additional Tags to Be Added read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/50287234

[oakwolves]

18 + your favorite infinity train ship for the kiss game (i do not go here but we've been mutuals for so long that you are just a comforting presence on the dash so.)

Aww ty! I'm glad to hear that! Sorry this took so long lol. I went with Doebells (Kez/Alan Dracula) for this prompt since i've already done this one with a different ship!

As her friends walked away laughing, Kez felt the last of her draining confidence slipping away.When she heard the car door slam shut, she sighed and  gravitated lower to the ground against the wall. She looked back at the bathroom door where Ryan and Min-Gi were and heard the sound of music playing quietly. She smiled slightly, then floated away from the door without a word.

“I’ll just… leave you guys to that…” she made her way over to one of the punch tables. But as soon as she lowered her cup into the punch bowl, the table rustled a little. Then, it suddenly, launching the punch bowl in the air and leaving a white-tailed deer in its place.

“Oh my god!” Kez shieked, dropping her cup. Upon a closer look, she recognized who it was. The punch bowl,  landed on the deer and soaked him completely

The deer snorted and dug his feet into the ground a few times. He then burst into flames, instantly evaporating the punch before the fire went out.

“Oh… hey! I didn’t see you at all at this party,” she said. “But… I guess that doesn't really matter since the party’s over now…I kinda blew it.”

The deer started to nudge Kez towards a different table, one with various snacks. As he helped himself to the leftover food, Kez rested on the table next to him quietly. She glanced at the bathroom door again. Ryan and Min-Gi still hadn’t come out. Not that she blamed them. Now that the party was a bust, they’d be stuck here until the next party rolls around.

A puff of hot air brushed over her, sending her a few inches backwards. She looked up to find the deer peering down at her.

“Oh, that’s my friends there. I’m sure you saw what happened on stage. I really thought things would go well. I mean, we’re so close to seeing Morgan and… things would be alright.”

Kez sighed and decided to help herself to some of the food on the table alongside the deer.

“I really thought I’d be able to help these guys and maybe do something right for a change,” she said. “But even if we do get out of this car and back to my car I’m still worried about stuff going wrong.”

The deer snorted, as though asking Kez to elaborate before continuing to devour the food in front of him.

“You know how I said I wanted to explore the other cars for a while? Well, I uh, I kinda, like, got kicked out,” she admitted. “I swear I wasn’t trying to ruin Morgan’s life, things just happened so quickly and I couldn’t stop everything from coming crashing down before it was too late. When I ran into Ryan and Min-Gi, they're just… always fighting and then they make up and then they start fighting again…at least they seem to be getting along now.”

Kez shoveled another brownie in her mouth.

In between bites, she said, “Those two have a lot going on from wherever they came from that I can’t even begin to understand. I figured that maybe it would be better if… they didn’t have to go back home and deal with all that. And maybe Morgan wouldn’t be lonely anymore. It’s, like,  supposed to be a win-win? Right?”

The little bell deflated when she detected no reaction from the deer. She continued eating quietly. The deer suddenly straightened up, projecting a glowing image from his antlers. When Kez looked closer, she saw an apparition of herself talking to Ryan and Min-Gi. The guys looked a little upset, but understanding. The three of them shared a hug before the image  faded out into the air. The deer closed his eyes briefly before staring back at Kez.

“You’re right…. I should talk to them about this,” Kez said. “When the moment’s right. Thanks.”

The deer blinked before nuzzling the metal shell of Kez’s body. She felt her body heat up slightly and smiled at him. The door to the bathroom opened, and Min-Gi popped his head out looking around. His eyes rested on Kez. He shifted a little and patted the space on her shoulder , encouraging her to take a seat there. Kez looked back between Min-Gi and the deer. The deer snorted and nudged Kez towards the bathroom.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go!” she laughed. She leaned in and left a brief kiss on the side of the deer’s face. His antlers suddenly burst alive with sparkling roses blooming on the crown. One of the roses fell off, and he leaned forward to catch it in his mouth to eat. With that, he gave Kez one final nudge towards Min-Gi and took off.

Kez watched the deer fly off into the air before following Min-Gi into the bathroom.

[lakesbian]

i think the funniest mischaracterization the infinity train fandom does is when people see how lake acts when she’s [checks notes] “finding out that her animal companion literally has a sapient parasite in its mouth” or “actively running from cops with massive power sanders stating explicit intent to murder her” or “seeing her best and only friend being subtly manipulated by an actual murder cult” or “generally experiencing constant systematic dehumanization” and then respond with “hmm. the fact that she’s being a bit hostile during all this means that she’s probably a dick All the time :).” like, no, her life just fucking blows right now! 

people do it to min-gi, too--the amount of fanfiction in which he’s portrayed as a constant and infernal cunt is ridiculous. or all the fanfiction where ryan is written as having a morgan meltdown moment every single day of his life. when we see characters on the train, we’re seeing how they act in response to being forced into bizarre, unfair, uncomfortable, and dangerous scenarios while simultaneously experiencing a definitive low point in their lives. it’s by default a biased perspective, and not representative of their whole personalities.

like, you would probably also be a bit cranky if you hadn’t showered or slept in a real bed for three weeks and were having a bonus existential crisis to boot.

[raincandy-u]

ive been thinking on this for a bit now but i honestly am so fed up with the treatment of characters who most likely have abandonment issues in media. its always seen as a villainous trait and more often than not used for some "big bad" in a piece of media. as someone who has these struggles myself this is becoming exhausting to see.

even pieces of media that i love or hold pretty great affection for can fall into this and its just so disheartening. i'll drop an example, the murder of sonic the hedgehog is such a fun and entertaining little vn that i was enjoying so much and then that ending part hit. i just feel like there was no reason for the stuff with the train to happen... it added nothing to the story and it just kind of made me feel bad.

i understand that abandonment issues arent like a great trait to have, and i understand that they can result in pretty terrible behaviors that are not great for the people around you if you dont keep them in check. i am fully aware of all of this. however, can we have no sympathy for the people who actually have to deal with it all? the people who actually face them? the people who have to go through emotional anguish and just act like it's all okay for the benefit of those around them?

another example would be book 4 of infinity train, morgan did not have to be like that for the story that took place to happen. kez could have found min and ryan for literally any other reason. infinity train does this yet again with both amelia and simon, but i will let this slide as the whole point of the infinity train itself is to basically provide therapy, so for people in the show to have that kind of trait just makes sense. even if what happened to simon makes me also pretty bummed out...

i guess the point of this is that, it all just kinda sucks.

[sebeth]

Who's Who In The DC Universe #1: The Atom I, The Atom II, The Atomic Knight, The Atomic Skull, Auron

The Atom I by Rick Hoberg & Romeo Tanghal

The “original 98-lb. weakling, Al Pratt bought dinner for a drunken vagabond who turned out to be Joe Morgan, a former boxing champ

Morgan put Pratt through an intensive training and exercise program

Pratt chose to become a costumed crime-fighter instead of pursuing a boxing career

Atom gained “atomic strength” from an encounter with Cyclotron in 1948

The Atom was a charter member of the Justice Society and later joined the All-Star Squadron

The Atom retired after the JSA’s breakup in the 1950s

He later became a professor of nuclear physics and married a woman named Mary

Al’s godson is Nuklon  (aka Atom-Smasher) of Infinity Inc

He remains mostly retired but will don the costume when duty calls

The Atom made frequent appearances in the various Justice Society series and in All-Star Squadron. Damage (Grant Emerson) was later revealed to be Al Pratt’s long-lost son. If I remember correctly, Atom died in the Zero Hour mini-series so he never encountered Grant. I am unsure of the explanation behind the disappearance of Al & Marys son or how Grant ended up in the bad guy’s custody.

The Atom II by Gi Kane

Ray Palmer was a graduate student trying to find a way to reduce matter in an effort to aid farmers in increasing their yield. Ray discovered white dwarf matter was needed to successfully reduce objects.

Palmer shrunk himself in order to free himself and others from a cave-in.

Ray became a professor at Ivy University and the hero known as the Atom.

Palmer married Jean Loring but the duo later divorced.

Ray and Jean told their story to author Norman Brawler, ending Ray’s secret identity.

Ray suffered adverse health effects due to years of exposure to white dwarf matter.

He currently lives with an alien culture located somewhere in South America, permanently remaining at his six-inch size. The aliens are around six inches in height.

I’ve always loved Ray – a likable, relatable genius. “The Sword of the Atom” was the mini-series/special where Ray moves to South America. He fell in love with one of the aliens (I can’t remember her name) but their love was doomed when loggers (I think) destroyed the alien civilization, causing her death.

Ray returned to America, solved his shrinking health-related issues, and resumed his heroic adventures.

The 2000s were not friendly to Ray. Jean, his ex-wife, decided to murder Sue Dibny, among others, for…reasons. Ray became a shrunken recluse allowing Ryan Choi to become the third atom. Donna Troy, Jason Todd, and Kyle Rayner searched the multiverse for Ray Palmer for…reasons. Jean Loring became Eclipso and a Black Lantern and murdered more people for…reasons. Ryan Choi, a delightful character, was murdered for…reasons causing Ray to resume the mantle of Atom.

Did DC have to murder Ryan? DC has dozens of speedsters, kryptonians and Bat Family members. I think the universe can handle two Atoms.

…reasons = bad storylines I can’t be bothered to remember the details of.

Ray has had multiple solo titles and is a long-standing member of the Justice League.

Ray has appeared in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon and made multiple appearances in CW’s Arrowverse, most notably the Legends of Tomorrow series.

The Atomic Knight by Murphy Anderson

Gardner Grayle was an army sergeant who was placed in a sensory deprivation tank and subjected to a series of simulations, studying his response to nuclear war and its aftermath

Grayle tapped into his latent telepathic abilities and took over the simulations and the staff

He fantasized beyond a nuclear war, instead conjuring up a fantasy where he and a group of others wore radiation-proof suits of armor. The Atomic Knights helped restore order to post World-War III America.

The fantasies expanded to include an appearance by the mythological Hercules

Grayle fell in love with Marene Herald, a psychiatrist attached to the project and included her in his fantasies

Superman discovered the project when Grayle’s fantasies began reshaping reality. Superman shut down the project and freed Grayle from the tank.

The sergeant had to re-adjust to life in the real world and Marlene’s real place in his life.

Grayle joined S.T.A.R. Labs and use his precognitive abilities to prevent catastrophes

Grayle occasionally dons a suit of armor, stolen from the army, and goes into action as the Atomic Knight

The only Atomic Knight(s) I’ve read was their appearance in the Convergence Legion Of Super-Heroes mini-series. I will say, if I was stuck in a sensory deprivation tank and subjected to a series of post-Nuclear War scenarios, I too would create my own fantasy world.

The Atomic Skull by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson

Albert Michaels was a director of S.T.A.R. who suffered from a rare nervous disorder that short-circuited the electrical impulses of his brain.

Michaels stole his own inventions from S.T.A.R. and turned them over to SKULL, where he quickly became the leader

Skull attempted to cure Michaels by implanting a neural pacemaker made of radium in his brain.

The implant malfunctioned, mutating Michaels’ brain waves into a new form of energy

The Atomic Skull is a C – D level Superman villain. He did make a few appearances in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon.

Auron

Kidnapped by the Psions, the Okaaran woman X-Hal was forced to take part in a genetic experiment and was mated with a Branx warrior. The mating produced two children, one who became the first Citadelian, the other the being called Lambien.

The Citadelian left Okaara when X’Hal went mad and destroyed three of Vega’s 25 planets in her fury.

Lambien was raised by X’Hal once the Warlords of Okaara found a way to harness the incredible power granted her by the Psions’ experiment.

Lambien received some of X’Hal’s powers and appointed himself the guardian of Okarra

Lambien later joined the Omega Men

His power continued to grow and though he feared he may become as insane as his mother, he retained his sanity

Lambien changed his name to Aurion

Aurion and the Omega Men destroyed a Gordian fleet of Citadel slavers on earth and then returned to Vega, where they helped end the Citadel tyranny.

If you are a fan of the Wolfman/Perez era of the Teen Titans, a few of these names should be familiar even if you’ve never read an issue of Omega Men. The Citadel and the Warlords of Okaara feature in the origin of Starfire. And Kori swears by “X’Hal” in almost every Titans issue. Marv Wolfman is the creator of the Omega Men and Starfire which is why he can interweave the story elements between the two series. Starfire debuted in late 1980 and the Omega Men in mid-1981.

I’ve never read the 1980s Omega Men series (it’s on my TBR list as I’ve heard it is excellent). I have read many of the other appearances of the Omega Men from the 1980s to present day – their Teen Titans appearances, the Invasion, the Adam Strange, Rann-Thanagar War, and Tom King mini-series and I can’t recall Auron featuring in any of them.

Love the Omega Men, they’re a fun group.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Good afternoon, my bookish bats. I hope you have a good book, delicious latte, and sweet snack within reach! No TBR is complete without a few young adult novels, and plenty were released in March! Here are a few YA releases to consider adding to your shelves.

🩷 March 5 🩷 ✨ What Monstrous Gods - Rosamund Hodge ✨ The Prisoner's Throne - Holly Black ✨ Defy the Storm - Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland ✨ The Stricken - Morgan Shamy ✨ The Encanto's Daughter - Melissa de la Cruz ✨ Breathing Underwater - Abbey Nash ✨ One Last Breath - Ginny Myers Sain ✨ Bad Like Us - Gabriella Lepore ✨ Promchanted - Morgan Matson ✨ Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams - Shari Green ✨ The No-Girlfriend Rule - Christen Randall ✨ Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal - Gretchen Schreiber ✨ An Unlikely Proposition - Rosalyn Eves ✨ A Different Kind of Brave - Lee Wind ✨ The Baker and the Bard - Fern Haught

🩷 March 12 🩷 ✨ The Hedgewitch of Foxhall - Anna Bright ✨ Six Truths and a Lie - Ream Shukairy ✨ Monster Crush - Erin Ellie Franey ✨ Infinity Kings - Adam Silvera ✨ The Other Lola - Ripley Jones ✨ Just Another Epic Love Poem - Parisa Akhbari ✨ Not Your Average Jo - Grace K. Shim ✨ Book, Beast, and Crow - Elizabeth Byrne ✨ Meet Me in the Fourth Dimension - Rita Feinstein ✨ Ariel Crashes a Train - Olivia A. Cole ✨ These Bodies Between Us - Sarah Van Name ✨ A Feather So Black - Lyra Selene

🩷 March 19 🩷 ✨ Where Sleeping Girls Lie - Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé ✨ Under This Red Rock - Mindy McGinnis ✨ The Last Bloodcarver - Vanessa Le ✨ The Revenant Games - Margie Fuston ✨ In the Orbit of You - Ashley Schumacher ✨ Cancelled - Farrah Penn ✨ Rules for Rule Breaking - Talia Tucker ✨ The Veiled Kingdom - Holly Renee ✨ Taka - Ryan Jampole

🩷 March 26 🩷 ✨ The Poisons We Drink - Bethany Baptiste ✨ Dead Girls Walking - Sami Ellis ✨ Royal Scandal - Aimee Carter ✨ Icarus - K. Ancrum ✨ The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist - Sophie Gonzales ✨ Chronically Dolores - Maya Van Wagenen ✨ Out of Left Field - Jonah Newman