#steel the indestructible man

[splooosh]

“Commander”

Jerry Ordway

[doctorslippery]

[p-c-ba-dcforever]

Happy 4th! We're celebrating with the whole Steel legacy! (and while we're doing so, maybe some credit to Don Heck who, given the thankless job of "make Captain America, but different", turned out a pretty sharp design!

[chernobog13]

Rondo Hatton schemes to make life difficult for the Iron Skull in Amazing-Man Comics #16 (October, 1940).

And compared to the Iron Skull, Rondo was Adonis.

This is the Iron Skull:

He was created by Carl Burgos, who also created an obscure character named the Human Torch for Timely Comics.

The Iron Skull initially did not have an origin story when he first appeared in the very first issue of Amazing-Man Comics (which, oddly, was numbered 5; there were no issues #1-4). He just showed up at the scene of a crime and started mopping up crooks left and right.

Later it was revealed that the Skull was a soldier gravely injured during World War ll, which was interesting because America had not entered the war at the time the story was written. The soldier's damaged flesh and bones were replaced with metal by a kindly doctor, making the soldier super-strong and bullet-proof. Oddly though, the doctor gave the new cyborg animé cat eyes, and completely forgot to give him a nose.

Don't believe me? Here's the Iron Skull's full origin from Amazing-Man Comics #7 (November, 1939).

Written and drawn by Carl Burgos.

Yeah, that's all the explanation anyone every got as to who he is and how he came to be.

The series took place in the future of the 1960s, when the war - some of which had been fought in America - finally came to an end. The country was rebuilding itself, but crime became rampant, which is why the Ron Skull - so-called because of his noseless appearance - became a crime fighter.

By Amazing-Man Comics #11 the series had jumped ahead to the early 1970s. War broke out in Europe again, and an unnamed nation was instigating terrorist attacks in the States. The Iron Skull now concentrated his efforts on tackling the spies and saboteurs trying to bring America down.

The Iron Skull skipped issues #12 & 13 of Amazing-Man Comics. He was back with issue #14, but gone was Carl Burgos, replaced by Sam Gilman. Also gone was the futuristic setting and any reference to the events of the previous stories. The Iron Skull moved to New York City where, somehow, in the very next issue he could mentally communicate with the District Attorney.

From Amazing-Man Comics #16. Story and art by Sam Gilman.

The Iron Skull continued to smash crime and war saboteurs in now contemporary, pre-War New York until his strip ended in issue #22. He then moved over to Star and Stripes #2 (May, 1941), along with most of other characters from Amazing-Man Comics, which was cancelled after issue #26.

Things progressed quickly for the Skull in his new book. In issue #3 he got a costume, albeit a simple pair of swim trunks. In issue #4 he inexplicably gained the ability to fly. And in issue #5 he became completely bald. However, as compensation the Iron Skull got his true superhero costume (although he just looks like an employee at your local S&M dungeon):

Yes, that's a skull and crossbones tattooed on his chest. Because apparently he just spends his whole day dressed like that, and only dons the cape when he's going into action.

See? I told ya!

Sadly, the Iron Skull didn't get to enjoy the costume for very long. Star and Stripes #6 was the last issue because Centaur Publications went out of business the next month.

The DC hero Steel, not John Henry Irons but the World War ll superhero who later became Commander Steel, has a similar origin.

When I first read Steel #1 back in 1978 I thought he was just a WWll-version of The Six Million Dollar Man, with his body being rebuilt with the 1940s equivalent of bionics. But now that I've delved into the Iron Skull and his one panel origin, I would say Steel is much more similar to him than Steve Austin (whether or not Steel creator Gerry Conway intended that).

Steel did not, however, develop telepathy or the ability to fly. Nor did he, thankfully, decide to run around in leather boy shorts.

[tallmatcha]

B4r-b1e wakes up from cryogenic suspension with a steel-reinforced spine, a metal jaw, indestructible limbs, infrared eyes, an internal UI, and little left of her humanity but the will to survive. She remembers a cul de sac. A beautiful house. A man…Ken?

No. No, that name means nothing.

[babyangelsky]

My Favorite Expressions in Love Sea Ep. 9

Holy shit I don't think I have ever felt more relieved watching the penultimate episode of a Thai BL than I did this week. I was expecting doom, I was expecting gloom, and while both were absolutely present, we did not linger there.

This is just my opinion but to me that alone is proof of how much Mame has grown as a writer because for a second there I was fearing another Don't Say No situation.

BUT THIS AIN'T ABOUT THAT LET'S YAP ABOUT MICROEXPRESSIONS

I need to start with my baby because after the horrors last week, seeing her smile means everything to me. Gotta hold onto it as long as I can because we all know what's coming.

And speaking of smiles, this situation is TERRIBLE there are delinquents coming at my man with 2x4's but this feral smile from Mahasamut?

This one is purely for Meena's benefit, to comfort and reassure her but it is genuine, Fort's eyes are very sparkly. He switches gears very quickly when the getaway bike arrives for the thugs though so however chill he seems, he absolutely isn't. He just wants to keep the baby (and Vivi and her friend) calm.

It's very disconcerting to see Vivi this serious.

We're 2/2 on smiles for other people's benefit. My poor girly.

*stares at Viviana* You did this.

This look of pure murderous intent may be one of my favorite expressions Mut has had over this whole show, especially because it's paired with that clenched fist. And I'm going to give extra praise to Fort for it because he doesn't clench his fist until after Tongrak apologizes for what happened and he doesn't open his eyes until his hand is practically trembling from holding it so tightly.

This response doesn't come when Rak tries to blame himself for the beating; it happens when he apologizes for it. Mut isn't angry in the abstract and he isn't angry at Rak, he's angry for him.

I don't like this face, Khun Tongrak. I actually had a moment where I thought to myself, "why can't I read your face right now?" and of course it's deliberate on Peat's part. Even without knowing what we know from the preview, this face would have told us that Something was about to happen.

Or maybe that's just me, I don't know. I've been staring very hard at Peat's face for the past two months.

Watching Tongrak desperately try to steel his nerve after entering the snake pit that is his sperm donor's house is heartbreaking.

As much as I hate to subject you (and myself) to more of Jak's face, I'd like to point out that like last week, his face is in shadow while the face of the person he's speaking to, in this case Tongrak, is catching the light. Also worth noting that Rak's back is quite literally against the wall in this scene.

We see this play with light/shadow again when Rak has a flashback of him from his childhood. Jak has always been a vile, psychopathic snake and his true feelings and intentions have always been hidden behind shadow.

It's horrible to say because there's so much anguish behind it but this is such a beautiful expression. There's a split second where he tries to look angry but it just doesn't work.

I think there's a tiny part of Tongrak that truly believed that tearing up the contract would be what made Mahasamut leave and on the flip side of that, a part that was afraid that the contract was truly the only thing making Mut stay.

GODDAMN THIS IS THE SEXIEST THING MAHASAMUT HAS EVER SAID ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME

For people like Tongrak and for people who can relate to Tongrak in the sense that one or more of the parents we pulled in the great gacha of life are horrible and shitty, there comes a moment where you realize that they aren't actually these huge indestructible monsters. They're human.

And when you realize that and look at them, it's like you're seeing for the first time. There's a weird sort of pity and whatever the opposite of awe is that you feel that's hard to describe. It's a feeling of "...Is that really it? Is that all there is to you?"

That is what Peat is portraying so incredibly in this scene.

BLINDING LIGHT OF LOVE LET'S GOOOOOOO

WILD HORSES, YA'LL! WILD FUCKING HORSES!

Pouty Tongrak face, as a treat.

Mook and Mahasamut were talking about Tongrak and what Mut would do if he got rejected when all was said and done, but Mook's face when Mut says he would accept the rejection tells me she's also thinking about herself and Vivi.

I actually really wish she would've talked to Mut about it directly because god knows girly pop needs to talk to someone about Vivi. Or better yet, Vivi herself.

As for the preview next week, do not even sweat it babes because you know what?

THERE ARE COLORFUL PATTERNS ON TONGRAK'S BODY!

I LOVE GETTING EVERYTHING I WANT!

[stroodlenoodles]

Termina Characters as Fountain Pens

Starting with Daan he'd be a Waterman Hémisphère, it's fancy but not obnoxiously so

Abella is a Kaweco Steel Sport, which is basically indestructible

O'saa is a Montblanc Meisterstück (the limited edition 'Around the World in 80 Days' pen) purely because the patterns remind me of his jewellery + clothes

Olivia is a Faber-Castell Ambition Coconut, the mix of wood + chrome made sense to me

Karin is a Pelikan Souveran M1000 Renaissance Brown because OF COURSE she had to be one from the brand named after a bird lol

Pav is a Platinum #3776 Century, it's in the colour laurel green which represents victory (pretty ironic for him)

Marcoh is a Gravitas Stainless Steel Sentry because oh lawd it hefty (it weighs 84 grams!)

Levi is a Pilot V-Pen which are known to be disposable, therefore linking with his life as a child soldier. Sorry buddy...

Marina is a Sailor Pro Gear Fairy Tale in the colour Grateful Crane, mostly for vibes

Samarie is a Parker IM Achromatic Matt Black, it's literally tall, dark and skinny just like her

Tanaka is a Nakaya Heki-tamenuri, it's designed for everyday use (perfect for a business man)

Henryk is a Pilot Metropolitan, looks fancy but actually pretty reasonable

August is a Parker Centennial, vintage type

As for Caligura....

[mustainegf]

I was craving some sheriff James, he’s such a sweetheart (PLS REQUEST MORE FOR HIMMM)

𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

Beads of sweat cover my skin, then I awake with a start and heave in air smothered by pure terror. The nightmare still decorated on his chest, outlaws dragging him back and their laughter in the form of bullets were much too real way too close.

I shook off the terror just in time for James to pull me into his arms. I shivered at his body heat, and though it burned away some of the terror I was still shaking. He didn't speak, but merely held me against him, to his naked chest. The calloused hand brushed away my hair in trying to calm the storm blending inside it.

"Shh, darlin', you're safe," he whispered.

I tucked my face into the side of his neck, inhaling a familiar scent, sweat and leather with an echo of woods he had hunted through for years. The scent kept me rooted, soothed. The nightmare released its grip but my body was still trembling Slower, James rocked me back into his chest. Hot skin, that steady, synchronizing lullaby of his heart with my breath calming me down.

"It's all right. No one's gonna hurt ya, not while I'm around.."

I pressed my head into him, absorbing his words. No drifter, nobody on this Earth would ever fight between us. James another was all and my savings grace, the love of my life and so much more. His short scruffy silver hair brushed my forehead as he dropped his chin, steel blue eyes awash with worry.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I just…it felt so real."

He was chuckling softly and he kissed me at that, his mustache tickling my forehead. "Nothin' to be sorry 'bout. All of us have fears, no matter how brave we are."

His arms were still wrapped around me, holding me protectively. His body was hard and firm against me. I looked to him with eyes full of tears. He had the touch of an outlaw, with lines at the edges of his eyes from years in law enforcement. The sun had given him a tan and his beard colored silver made the man more handsome than many of those in town. In other words, the age never did really matter between us. To me, he was my husband, my protector, my sheriff.

His chest rose and fell again, just as it had always done; I let his rhythm suck me into tranquility. He advanced, his lips on my forehead again… brushing to put back a lock of hair behind an ear. He whispered almost inaudibly. “You're safe... No one is gonna harm you while I'm around… Not my woman."

His thick hands drew reassuring circles on my warm back with the rocking motion. The nightmare weakened, feeling the ghost of outlaws long gone. All I cared about was James, his heart, the way he felt against me.

He inhaled, exhaling heavily and let out a whistle. "So good darlin'," he whispered after another minute of silence "Don't you forget that."

Smiling softly against his chest, his words were serving as solace more than he could ever understand. He had always made me feel like no harm could reach me, that with him by my side I was indestructible.

I whispered, "L-Love you," and let the weariness take me.

Then his hands guided me back onto the bed. Cool sheets lay against my back but his warmth never left mine. He came beside me in bed, snuggled up beside me with his arms gently tugging on the covers and pulled me against him again. His long legs tucked into mine and he wrapped himself amongst me, pulling me close.

His warm breath danced on the ear with a whisper “sleep now”

I closed my eyes, and I allowed him to engulf me. Muscular arms held me. The nightmare had vanished, a long distance memory.

I snuggled against his chest and laid my palm where I could feel his heartbeat. He left one final kiss on my forehead before sliding down next to me, relaxed though attentive. His body draped over mine had been an indescribable comfort.

I mumbled sleepily, “ I would be lost without you…”

"You have me..." he whispered in return squeezing my hand with his. I drifted off to the sounds of his voice in my ear, silken against a backdrop of dark.

Right now, it was quiet. No nightmare could come to reach me with James at my side, and no outlaw, either.

[projectbluearcadia]

[P1] Heart of Blue

Lucifer x GN!MC

[ Part 1 ] [ Part 2 ]

[ Scenario: After a sweet and short date, Lucifer gets a l'il greedy and wants to spend some more time with you. With cuddles straight into caring sex, Lucifer wants to savor every moment.

Part 1 is fluff; Part 2 is fluffy smut. ]

I am publishing before my self-imposed due date for once, but it comes at the price of two parts. Here's to all the vanilla Luci-lovers <3.

Wordcount - 1178

“I was just thinking about getting...” What—Where the hell did he go?! you think as you look for Lucifer through mounds of antiques. Bizarre china, paintings, books, borderline ancient tools, rusty plant holders, old clothes, and no sign of your (stupid) boyfriend. He was right next to me! you think, annoyed as you wander back through the way you came. 

“Look at this,” you hear him say, before you feel his hand around yours—half-shocking you to death—before he drags you in the direction he's been looking. A wall full of pans. What in the ninth hell is he… “It’s Dead Steel,” he explained, hefting one such pan off the wall before he placed it into your hands and nearly made you drop to the floor in the process. He laughed softly as you struggled to hold it, shaking as you carefully set it down onto a dangerously creaking floorboard. 

“And… And why is that so fascinating?” you ask, trying to conceal your exasperation with him, and he turned to look at you, bemused. 

“It’s Dead. Steel,” he said, again, before he effortlessly swung the pan up by the handle and inspected the engraving. “The Devildom long fazed out of using it because the material is highly resistant to being enchanted. It’s heavy, it’s damn near indestructible, great for hitting people…” He flipped the pan over, fascinated as his burgundy eyes roved over it. “I haven’t seen one of these in thousands of years.” His eyes widened at the dark red, nearly invisible squiggle on the bottom. “Wait, this is my pan. I was wondering where that went.” 

“...you really are an old man,” you can’t help but snicker. To think he was so old that his possessions were ending up in antique shops that sold only items that were at least 500 years old.

“Oh, shut up, you,” he grunted. “You aren’t even the sperm cell that squirted from your father’s penis.” You find yourself furtively looking around while you cringe, hoping to low hell that no one heard that. 

“Lucifer!” you scold, and he chuckled. 

“Aw, does this old man embarrass you?” 

“Yes, but more importantly, please do not talk about my father’s genitals.” Some things are better left to the imagination, although Lucifer hasn’t quite seemed to grasp that concept yet. 

“You started it,” he hums, apparently pleased with your reaction nevertheless as he takes the 25 kilo pan in one hand. Child. He is actually a child, you complain in your head as he swings the handle on one finger. I guess he’s buying it. And how is he doing that? “MC, if you don’t pick something, I will buy something for bed,” he teases, picking up a cat o’ nine tails and shaking it tauntingly at you. 

“Now that you mention it, I was very interested in something before you ran off, thank you,” you answer shortly before you take him by the hand instead, dragging him back to where you had been roaming before he went and disappeared, shoving him in front of a small, glass case. Lucifer’s eyes widen, and his leather-gloved hands rest lightly on the case. 

“You really will melt my heart one of these days, MC,” he says solemnly, confusing you as you look back at the case. It’s just a pair of fountain-tipped pens that were completely unremarkable aside from what appeared to be two different snakes wrapped around them. One was the color of the ocean, and the other was the color of the sky. It wasn’t one ocean or one sky, because the snakes’ scales had been painted one by one into a satisfying gradient. 

“Is it because they’re cheap?” you guess, and Lucifer shakes his head as he takes the glass case with a faint yet bittersweet smile. Reminiscing, but it’s not the same. Did I find a precious memory by accident?

“No, not at all,” he replies as he takes the case with him, still faintly smiling as he brings both items to the register, paying for them both (He got a discount just because of who he was. Bastard).

“So are you going to tell me?” you prod as he hands the case to you, turning the pan in his hand as he walks in the direction of home with you. “Did you own these too?” He inclines his head. So he just bought back two old possessions. I’m almost surprised he didn’t demand that he receive them for free. 

“I gave them to Lilith as a gift,” he replies wistfully. O-Oh. Wow. Out of all the pens in the world I could pick… “I never really liked the man whom she would eventually call her husband, but I wasn’t stubborn enough that I couldn’t see how happy he made her. I gave them to her so that they could write to each other discreetly.” His tenderness, his kindness and his rich smile in that moment make you remember exactly why you fell in love with this prideful little bugger. 

“So… it’s a fond memory,” you clarify, and Lucifer softly chuckles behind his fist, his eyebrows scrunching together as he walks next to you, his step slow as if he never wanted to stop walking with you. 

“Fond, stupid, sweet… she actually argued with me about it because she said I’d be punished too if she was caught using them. I ended up yelling at her.” Lucifer smiles a little bitterly. “I would have rathered that God held me responsible as her older brother…?” Lucifer glances at you in confusion as you shake your arm in pain. “MC, did you just hit me?” 

“Really need to make it a habit to use magic to protect myself when I do that,” you grumble to yourself, rubbing your elbow, which had made contact with his oblique. Like elbowing a wall, Jesus... “Yes, I hit you. You’re doing the thing again. What’d we talk about?” 

“‘You are not at fault for your sister’s death, you do not deserve to be punished for your sister’s death, and no one blames you for your sister’s death. God can eat shit and go fuck himself,’” Lucifer parroted, word-for-word.

I’m happy you remember, but you really should be saying that from a first-person perspective... “I’m sorry. I know she’d hit me herself just the same. It’s just… difficult sometimes.” Lucifer shifted the pan to his other hand and offered his now-free one to you. You squeeze the glass case in your left before you lay your right in his, smiling with contentment as he looks at you fondly. “All the more reason to prize the things I have.” He gave you a surprise kiss on your temple as he leaned closer to you. “I have a meeting with Diavolo in half an hour, but…”

“But?” you prompt, and he rests his head against yours. 

“If… you’re not busy, then we’re cuddling up somewhere.” 

“Big softie,” you accuse lightly before you kiss his cheek. ‘If you’re not busy’; what a load of nonsense, you think with a smile. He already knows I don’t have anything to do today. I guess Diavolo’s just going to have to wait…

[lillian-gallows]

Kinktober Day 14: Knife Play with Logan Howlett/Wolverine

Pairing: Logan Howlett X Fem!Reader Word Count: 997 Warnings: Knife Play, Claw kink (Is that a thing? I'm making it a thing if not), P in V sex, Pet names, Dirty talk, Unspecified use of protection (Wrap it before you tap it).

Kinktober 2024 Master(sub)list.

Minors DNI

This night was like so many before and after.

It was rare for you and Logan not to fuck each other to sleep, especially after he’s returned from a mission.

But this one. This one was different.

Maybe it was the fact that you were in your feral phase. Maybe it was how he came back all dirty and sweaty, five kinds of keyed up and looking for an outlet. Maybe it was both.

It was most likely both.

Not like it mattered, seeing as the man had you on your belly with your ass in the air the moment he walked in the door, where you were fresh out of the shower, still only in a towel, and debating getting yourself off since you didn’t think he would be home that night.

Neither of you had a desire or need to wait to get down to the fun part, you’d been walking the line of damp and proper wet all day, and he was hard as steel in the confines on his uniform pants.

So, there you are. Ass in the air while Logan pounds you into the mattress, hands fisted in the sheets as his growls vibrate against your neck.

Your body feels like it’s on fire, and the push and pull of his is only stoking it into an inferno.

His skin is slick against your back, the hair on his chest is a slight tickle that makes your skin tingle.

With his hands gripping the sheet right next to your face it would have been impossible to miss the way the very tips of his claws peeked out from between his knuckles, a slight gleam in the low light.

You’d thought plenty about those claws, how Logan uses them, how strong they are, how sharp they are.

What it would be like if he held them to your throat while he ravages you.

His rhythm faltered for only a second when your much smaller hand wrapped around his, thumb first brushing lightly against the very edge of the skin where the metal protrudes, unsure what it is you’re doing but certainly not against it.

You wonder how many little nerves there are in those spots, he never reacts with pain to his claws but maybe he’s just used to it? A question for later.

Right now, he’s turning his hand to hold yours, an almost hesitation to stop you in the action. “That’s a dangerous game, Baby…” He rumbled in your ear, voice like gravel and pebbles.

“I thought you knew…” You started but are cut off by a whimper as he circled his hips against yours, grinding his shaft up against your G-spot. “I like dangerous.” You managed as your eyes rolled closed, pressing back against him.

He let out a low growl, at your words or at your actions you’re not sure, but his claws are inching out just a bit more, and it makes you clench around him, earning you another growl and a little more glinting silver.

“Fuck, Angel…Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He said as the slow metallic slice of his claws unsheathing fully met your ears.

At their full length they seemed to glow, their sharp tips twinkling with every shift of his hands.

Freeing your hand from under his grip you returned it to where you’d been caressing the base of the blades, feeling him shudder against you at the sensation.

You made a mental note of that as you wrapped your fingers around his wrist and tugged his hand closer.

“That how you want it, Sweetheart?” He said, sounding a little smug. “I can do that.” He finished before he was pulling up onto your knees, chest to back, and wrapping his hand around your throat, bringing his claws less than an inch from your face.

Your pulse jumped as adrenaline leaked into your veins, the natural reaction one would have to having three one-foot-long indestructible razors so close.

But rather than be a fearful turn off, it just made you all the wetter as he continued to press into you, his thick cock stretching you perfectly and his tip kissing your cervix on every thrust.

Logan let out a low rumbling chuckle as you clenched around him. “I knew there was a reason I loved you…” He said teasingly before unsheathing the claws of his other hand, trailing them so lightly along your belly that you couldn’t feel them but for the way the air moved around them, a slight metallic chill that made goose bumps bloom.

Your body melted into his, giving into the absolute control he had over both your bodies and basking in the absolute trust you shared.

It was addictive.

With care he continued to wrack your body with pleasure, filling you over and over till you were begging him to let you cum, and when he deemed that you’d had enough for this round, he lowered you back to the bed, and with one hand pressed to the back of your neck, holding you in place as his thrusts turned punishing.

Skin slapping skin and the wet sounds mixed with the animalistic sounds coming from both of your mouths, your desperate cries and his low growls, as the knots in both your bellies got tighter and tighter.

His grip had returned to the sheets, but his claws remained out, and you watched as his grip tightened on the fabric as he edged closer and closer, causing the blades to tear into both the sheets and the mattress.

When the pressure released and your orgasm washed over you, yanking him right along with you. Both of you careening into ecstasy in a show of shaking bodies, rolling hips, tearing fabric, and names falling from lips in half-finished breaths.

As you lay there, attempting to catch your breaths, Logan let out another chuckle. “Don’t think I’m done with you yet…”

His words earned a breathy laugh of your own. “Good…”

[splooosh]

“maybe”

Jerry Ordway

[doctorslippery]

[iocity]

Teaser Chapter: A Voyage to the Sunset, pt. 1

ASL ‘MERICA AU

Note: Surprise!! I actually did not plan on releasing this so soon, but I got to excited about it. Hopefully it’ll be enjoyable! I’ll be making one of these for each of the boys! No romance just platonic/familial.

Word Count: 1,678

CW: Implied physical abuse, broken bones, bullying

masterlist!

Luffy has known from a young age that he is very different from other people. Although he lives with Grandpa Garp (who he lovingly nicknamed GeeGee), a beloved and respected old man in his town, his kindergarten and first grade classmates would always make sure to let him know how different he was. His usually blank face, his disinterest in most things (including school), the way he lit up when talking about certain topics. All of it, he noticed, was taboo.

Although he could tell there was something fundamentally different about him, he never assumed it was wrong, even when the bullying started. He knew it wasn't his fault that they jeered at him, called him names, and smushed all the bugs he was interested in. That didn't stop him from crying about it. Everyday he would come home, tears in his eyes as he detailed his struggles to fit in to Garp.

This isn't unfamiliar to Garp or the man he struggles to call his son. It's nothing new, for them at least, to be different. He got over it, so he assumed Luffy would too.

Unfortunately, Luffy can't tough it out too well. He was starting to feel his abnormality. The way his teachers looked at him as he fails every class but excels at beetle anatomy and edible foods, the shock and slight curiosity in their eyes as he opens up his notebook to show his drawings; all of it made it so glaringly obvious that he was an outcast. He wasn't good at drawing at all, but his wide eyed toothy grin distracted the teachers from that fact, proud of his knowledgeability with bugs but desperate to have him pay attention. So, as the weeks go by, charm was replaced by disappointment, and disappointment by office visits and skipped recesses. A delinquent in the making.

He finally tried, in second grade, to become friends with his bullies. He followed them around as they threw pebbles at him, grinning at them and pretending he can’t feel their dislike. He let them poke, prod, and push at him until he was hurting, because he would rather hurt than be all alone. He acted more normal, trying to tame his ever present energy so he would be liked. Garp noticed how injured he would come home every day, his gaze steeling because he knows how to raise soldiers and not children. The house was silent those days.

One day, Garp gets a call from the school, the familiar sound of Luffy's sobbing flooding the phone as they alert him that Luffy has been hurt again, and he has refused to tell them who did it. The seriousness sinks in when instead of getting directions to the school, he was getting directions to the hospital. All Garp could do on the drive over was obsess over how he failed again. He wondered when the crack happened in his family; he wondered if he was the one who caused it. His hands went white on the wheel as he pulled into the parking lot, his anxiety turned into anger and anger forced into control as he steels himself to face the grandson that he failed.

Luffy had claimed to break his arm by jumping off the swing. Garp calls bullshit, he knows his grandson is virtually indestructible. His head sags into his hands as he listens to the sniffles of his grandson who just won't harden up. It dawns on Garp, all at once, that he isn't cut out for this. He isn't cut out for anything but the battlefield. He wasn't even cut out for his own son, and Luffy isn't cut out for a sergeant and not a father figure. So, the day Luffy is discharged, he returns home to packed bags and GeeGee claims to take him on a road trip (which he believes with wide eyes and a smile). They pack up in Garp's old pickup truck, the engine sputtering to life after a few tugs at the keys in the transmission, the car ride silent and awkward. Luffy knows something is wrong, and for the first time, he is certain it's him; he knows it in the way that his grandfather's hands grip the wheel a little harder than usual, in how the trees outside don't speed by the window and instead crawl at a snail's pace. He wonders for a moment if he is broken and needs fixing before deciding to stop, instead wanting to memorize the shape of the trees as they pass. Cedar Elm, Southern Magnolia, Desert Willow, he lists, until half of the trees are unrecognizable, and it excites him to be able to know them. He lays his hand on the window, the cast stopping him from fidgeting too much as his thoughts run from him, and he lets them, freely.

Garp watches his grandson from the corner of his eyes, his whitened knuckles regaining their color as he witnesses the pure wonder in his grandson that Garp seemed to have lost over the years. The thought that he isn't cut out for this crosses his mind again, his lips pursing as a familiar softness blooms in him. He resents the vulnerability it brings. He wasn't prepared for this little boy who feels so deeply, a little boy who shouldn't be his to take care of. Luffy turns to him, smiling in his seat as he points out the window with an exclamation, and Garp's facade of cement and brick cracks; his eyes soften, a hand going to rest on Luffy's head.

"It's not that you're a bad kid. Never has been." The words crack when they leave his mouth. Luffy looks up at him with wide brown eyes, his smile melting into a flat face before his eyes settle onto the window in front of him.

"I can't raise a kid like you, Luffy. Couldn't raise your father, can't raise you. I just ain't fit for it." He says, his eyebrows furrowing as he watches the road go by, every sign a step closer to leaving his grandson. His little boy.

"Why not?" Luffy asks, his loud voice ringing in the car as his hand picks at his frayed shorts.

"I just... ain't cut out for fatherhood. I couldn't make you or your damn daddy harden up like a man ought to. You've got to, to live well. And I would say your daddy is livin' everythin' but well.

It hangs in the air for a moment, echoing in both of their minds before Luffy nods slowly, returning to looking out of his side window. The silence returns, and it weighs on Garp's heart, guilt running through him as the urge to turn around gnaws at his resolve.

"If I had been normal, do ya think you'da been fit for it?" Luffy's voice asks, smaller this time. Garp shifts his eyes to the back of his head quickly, before they return.

"Maybe," he says, pursing his lips tightly afterwards. Luffy slowly nods again, his hand softly gripping the cast enveloping his other arm. He pauses for a moment, frowning because he dislikes thinking too deeply, but it seems he has no choice.

"Alright."

Garp's chest heaves with a deep sigh, his hand leaves Luffy's head to pull at his beard, the silence returning to make him question his decision.

"I don't think l'd like bein' like you much when I get old," Luffy's tone is even; there's no bite to be found his words. It's a simple fact.

"I'd rather stay me."

Garp looks at him, puzzled by the child beside him. He puts another hand to his wheel, before shifting it to grip his knee, a laugh bubbling up in his chest. Luffy eyes him while he howls with laughter, before joining, because something must have been funny if his Geegee was laughing. The car slows to a stop on the side of the road as Garp wipes his tears, his hand clapping onto Luffy's back so hard that Luffy thinks his eyes might just roll out of his head.

"I reckon you'll learn!" He exclaims, and Luffy realizes after a few moments that he is being mocked. The realization seeps into him like poison; it picks at his bones and eats at his heart. His own grandfather is throwing rocks at him, he is squishing the bugs he likes, and he is breaking his arm. His hands tighten into fists, his arm aching.

"I'll be damned if I do. I'd rather die." Luffy's gaze has steeled on his grandfather, his brows furrowing in anger because how dare his own grandfather insult his dream?

"Watch your tone boy," Garp responds lowly, his tone and resolve matching Luffy's as he grits his teeth, "You've no idea what l've been through to keep you safe and fed. I raised you whether I liked it or not. You've got not a clue in the world how many people in your family had to toughen up just like you."

"That's got nothin' to do with me." Luffy tells him simply; his tone is as flat and even before, but this time Garp is raising a hand. A threat of violence and a promise that any backtalk will be met with force. Luffy's mouth shuts as he crosses his arms as best he can, tears brimming in his eyes as the car starts driving again, the trees in the window passing so quickly that Luffy could no longer make out their shapes or names. He settles further into his seat, the air in the car boiling with unspoken rage. After a long while, his eyes focus and refocus on the sinking sun through the front window sleepily, and he wonders if the place that his grandfather is taking him is waiting there for him. He thinks he’d quite like that, living right under the sun. He keeps thinking, imagining their destination, until slowly but surely his eyes fall closed, and he drifts softly into a dream that is his and his alone.

Tags :p: @porschethemermaid

[blindmagdalena]

thinking about how good it'd be to bond with John through past traumatic experiences. Sharing anger at mistreatments, soothing each other's scars by telling obvious but needed things.

He won't be enthusiastic to share. It's better to keep up with "made of steel" image in front of even close people than to seem "dirty, shriveled, anemic". But I'm sure if s/o will mention their past or maybe get him curious so he'll nudge his beloved to share what's bothering them, in the process of their vulnerability he could accidentally show a glimpse of his pain.

Telling Homelander he was handled unfairly and cruelly. Expressing to him resentment they feel for his childhood while in return he seethes that someone in the past dared to hurt his precious s/o. (just imagine him saying "I'd give everything to be with you in those times" AND TELLING HIM THE SAME!!! He'll have his inner child moment and cry i bet)

Comfort loved one with righteous wrath.

this type of emotional wound dressing is so cathartic to me. there is such an intense element of festering rot to Homelander's emotional damage that it's going to hurt to flush it out. to cut away what's dead. if he's ever going to move forward in a meaningful way, he'll have to let himself bleed in a way he hasn't since those wounds were fresh.

and god, what a mercy to have someone who will bleed with you. to hold your hand and staunch the flow before the dizziness overtakes you. to be trusted to do the same for them.

it's one thing to be willing to die for someone. it's something else entirely to be better for them.

handling an indestructible man like he's made of glass because that's what his psyche has been reduced to. fragile, full of hairline fractures. it's not salvageable, it'll never be what it was, but maybe it doesn't have to get worse. maybe he doesn't have to break any further.

or maybe it is the gentle touch that finally shatters him. at least he'd have someone to help pick up the pieces.

[docgold13]

Heroes & Villains The DC Animated Universe - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

Metallo 

John Corben had been a top tier mercenary and assassin who accepted a job arranged by Lex Luthor to steal an experimental battle suit.  The suit was actually designed and built by LexCorp, yet Luthor needed it stolen so to facilitate an illegal sale of the weapon to the sanctioned government of Kaznia.  Lois Lane investigated Corben, suspecting his ties to Luthor.  Yet Corben found her out and was planning on killing her when she was rescued by Superman.  

Corben was incarcerated and soon thereafter was diagnosed with a rare and terminal viral disease.  Luther helped to facilitate Corben’s escape and offered the dying man a last chance to cheat death.  LexCorp scientists would transfer his mind into an indestructible android body made of a super durable alloy called metallo. The body possessed strength on par with that of Superman and was fueled by a Kryptonite heart. With nothing left to lose, Corben agreed. Upon the completion, Corben's android body was covered with a layer of artificial skin that resembled his original body.

Although Corben’s mind survived, being deprived of any physical sensation quickly drove him mad.  Luther promised to improve Corben’s robotic body, making it so he could feel again, but first Corben had to kill Superman.   While battling Superman Corben discovered that it was actually Luthor who had arranged his illness, manipulating him so he would be a willing test subject to become a weapon against the Man of Steel.  Coren tried to kill Luthor but was caught in an explosion and sank to the bottom of the sea.  He was presumed dead yet survived.  He cast aside his old name and became ‘Metallo.’  

The villain would resurface for subsequent battles against Superman.  He later helped to form the Superman Revenge Squad and thereafter became a member of the Legion of Doom.  

The great Malcolm McDowell voiced Metallo in his initial appearances with actor Corey Burton voicing the villain in later appearances.  The metallic menace first appeared in the second episode of the first season of Superman: The Animated Series, ‘Last Son of Krypton Part II.’  

[pherelesytsia]

Coming Home before Christmas

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x female/wife/Reader

Summary: Thomas returns home and is surprised by his children worrying the Grinch will steal the sweets.

Warning: just pure Christmas fluff

Word Count: 1.1k

a/n: Requests are open!!!

Thomas Shelby Masterlist

Christmas carols, old and heard for the hundredth time, playing on a continuous loop, filled every corner and flooded the deserted rooms of the house at the end of the world, oozing with joy and the purest form of delight a heart could feel.

Blue eyes, the beauty of a summer's sky, sparkled. Charlie and his sister, dressed in jumpers with laughing reindeers and grinning snowmen sledging down the hills, tried to count the variously sized ornaments with glittering elements adorning the tree. Light wooden figures were lurking between the ornaments in reddish hues. Fairy lights twinkled like stars and rising flames gnawed at the logs.

Feet dangled from the sofa covered by dozens of pillows and fluffy blankets, hidden in a box in the attic during the warm months. The children stared impatiently at the screen, but no complaint crossed their lips. The door slammed into the lock, and a bunch of keys jiggled. Charlie, threw the blankets aside and jumped followed by his sister off the sofa, ran past the kitchen island and Y/N looked after them as she poured the warm, not boiling liquid into the almost identical cups with rows of red flakes, dots and dancing snowman.

Joyful voices greeted the returned father. The heavy, dark leather bag fell to the ground. Thomas laughed, felt arms wrapping around his leg and he lifted the young girl from the ground, pressed her tight to his chest and ruffled the boy's hair. Snow was thawing and gossamer waterfalls danced over his face. His eyes, once dull, sparkled, forgot the past, the cruel word beyond the thick locked wooden door, and noticed the knitted jumpers.

            "We have been waiting. Come. Everything's set! We have picked out a movie. And if we are not nice, the Grinch will steal our cookies." the children sang out almost in sync as if they had been memorising the sentences on the sofa for several hours as if it was a poem.

The Shelby chuckled and settled his daughter down next to Charlie. The burden of everyday life disappeared. His right hand slipped into his coat pocket and, with the push of a button, he turned the sound of his smartphone off.

            "I'm here, Mister Grinch will not steal your cookies. Where is mom?" Thomas inquired.

The dark-haired man leaned to the side, hoping to catch sight of his wife leaning against the door, but the soft hum of a melody crossing her lips accompanied by the sound of clinking spoons let him know she was in the kitchen.

Hands reached for him, clutching his firmly and the children pulled the father still dressed in the coat into the depths of the house, past reindeers with reddish scarves and saluting nutcrackers. They ignored his complaints, wishing to finally find themselves on the sofa and turn on the fairy tale.

Entering the living room, the scent of Christmas, oranges, apples, and chocolate greeted him. His eyes slid across the richly decorated room. The reindeer pulling the swan carriage next to the nutcrackers in uniforms saluted and protected the snowmen family on the window seat, and Thomas wondered how he could have disliked Christmas, almost loathe, the merry time. The thick, indestructible layer of ice protecting his heart like a shield of silver and steel melted away. Once he would have called the reddish pyjamas with snowmen and nutcrackers childish and idiotic, something a grown woman should not wear, but it looked better on his wife than an evening gown. Her hair falling in gentle waves framed her features, touched by the soft light. The children released his hands and told him to follow swiftly, but the father didn't listen as they ran back to the sofa.

Y/N exhaled, turned, and faced her husband. He remembers, Y/N thought to herself, glancing at the clock and seeing that it was still before seven, knowing he had been thinking of them, trying to keep the promise he had made to at least try to arrive earlier to spend time with his family.

Grinning, Thomas cast his gaze over his shoulder and glanced after the chatting children. He took off the coat and threw it onto the bar stool. Thomas flashed his wife a smile, stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her waist, placed his hands on the small of her back and breathed a feather-light kiss on her lips.

            "I missed you," Thomas whispered, barely audible, but Y/N heard the words loud and clear.

            "I missed you too. How was your day? Are you tired? We waited but we can watch the movie tomorrow. You are probably exhausted. Arthur called and told me you might arrive later, that your day was rough." Y/N spoke.

Thomas chuckled, lowered his gaze to the cups with whipped cream, colourful sprinkles and chocolate flecks.

            "I'm not tired. You don't have to worry about me. I am fine. Nothing a cup of coffee can't fix and we should join the children if we want cookies." Thomas answered.  

Y/N didn't have to look at the table, heard the giggling children tampering with the round white and silver plates, searching for the most delicious biscuits and devouring them as if they hadn't eaten in days.

            "You should have seen them in the afternoon when they came from school and kindergarten. You might have noticed, but the gingerbread house is gone. I was in the shower, maybe ten minutes gone, and when I returned, the house was gone." Y/N breathed.

Astonished, Thomas turned and noticed that instead of the gingerbread house was a reindeer on the mantlepiece.

            "I noticed the sweets were missing." Thomas laughed.

            "The gingerbread wasn't even soft. It was hard as a rock. But they didn't mind. They drank at least a litre of milk to soften it. And now they are planning to build a new house and I am surprised that their stomach doesn't ache." reported Y/N.

She leaned her head on his chest. His fingers sank into her hair, brushed through the light waves, and breathed lovely words into her ear. The children switched off the lamp and the only source of light was the dimly glowing Christmas tree, and Charlie called out to the parents, gazing into each other's eyes like love-struck lovers.