#but shes more just patriotic than uncle sam

[fandom-blackhole]

Ok ok for my summer job we've been doing spirit days every Tuesday, this week's is "Rhyme with no Reason" and I wanted to show my half off!

Im a "Can of Spam" and not pictured is my other half as "Uncle Sam"

[softschofield]

things i would have added to or changed about poldark:

george gutting trenwith and transforming it into the light, airy, gilded, sunshiney aesthetic he clearly loves (cardew, warleggan bank). make it yours, honey

demelza making a move on george at that party after ross cheated on her - what better way to get back at him than by fooling around with his sworn nemesis, and, in george’s case, his wife? one stone, many birds. it would have been iconic. like, i love that part of george’s character is his faithfulness, but nonetheless: iconic. and he’s beautiful. get it, sweetie

verity in lisbon. how hard would it have been to have one scene of her writing a letter or arranging flowers in her room, or walking with her stepchildren through a harbour-side market and smiling and laughing and chatting with them? it’s what she deserved

a big reveal that george’s accent is actually lower class cornish and he’s just been faking the posh one. where did he learn the posh one anyway??? uncle cary certainly doesn’t have it and i doubt his parents did either. just let it slip, or have him drop it when he’s talking to cary. what a character building twist

consequences for ross’ fucking actions. when will you learn!!!!!!!!!!

the entire last season, and especially the finale. but to start with: the final season. if they wanted the slavery plot, brilliant - put kitty and cecily centre stage and cut ned entirely. i think it’s fairly safe to say very few people gave one single fuck about ned, and he took up so much time that could have been used for giving caroline a worthwhile plot that wasn’t some vague jealousy, and concentrating more on george’s mental illness. if they were absolutely determined to put ned in it, they should have swapped the timelines and put the final season plot into, say, season four. the entire last season felt rushed and messy and inconsequential, and honestly? cary carried so much of it. 

poldark’s formula was that every season was essentially insular and self-contained - new characters were introduced in the first episode of the season, a villain was vanquished by the last, and one or two of the new characters stayed on, so that every season we collected new people who then became series regulars. it was a wonderful, fun formula, and it worked well. in the final season, there should have been no new characters introduced. we already had all these lives we’d collected over the seasons - ross, demelza, george, morwenna, caroline, dwight, drake, sam - and the last season should have been about them. about giving them a fitting plot and a satisfying ending. a final episode should mirror the values, sentiments, and aesthetics of the very first one, either in parallel or in contrast. and what makes poldark poldark is: cornwall, love, friendship, mining. it should have been about that. it should have tied in with the rest of the show. it should have been relevant. 

instead, we got a french plot in the second to last episode and a dozen loose ends that had to be tied up in one single episode - which was mostly taken up by a sword fight, ross cheating on demelza but it’s okay because it’s For England even though i’ve always been a renegade and never particularly patriotic aside from being a soldier for what i assume are personal reasons, babies, napoleon, and 1801 MI5. the last episode was absurdly bad - because it had nothing whatsoever to do with the four seasons that had come before it. i mean, george appears in the barn a la t-rex in jurassic park, unseen and unheard, and hits both targets with two pistols - despite the fact ross said in a prior episode that he had always been a dismal shot, despite the fact he’s just had an injured arm, despite the fact he’s left-handed. every single character arc ended on a depressing or just entirely unworthy note. george leaving trenwith and seeing elizabeth going inside? is that supposed to be anything but achingly, horribly heartbreaking? is that supposed to be anything but “george is still struggling with his mental illness, but in a misguided attempt to move on he leaves the woman he loves in the house neither of them were ever supposed to be in and moves forward into an unhappy, broken future”? that scene where he “thinks aloud” and the audience is meant to be “ooooh my god is he still seeing her”? sickening. demelza being hurt for the thousandth time and then just immediately forgiving ross because it was for england? fuck that. fuck that so much. she deserved to be hurt and angry and move on from him, she deserved MORE. and ross leads tess on for six months, starts an affair, lets her fall for him, knows full well what he’s doing by using her - and then when she’s understandably wounded, he’s like “YOU STUPID THOT YOU BROUGHT IT ON YOURSELF STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY” AAAAAAHHHHHH

when george came to nampara the second time, after valentine asked him yet again about having his own mine, i thought he was going to ask ross to teach him about mining so he could bond with his son. adorable. sweet. when that didn’t happen, i thought he was going to tell ross and demelza that they were right, trenwith had always and would always be a poldark house, and now that he’s settling in truro and london (not cardew, for some reason), they could live at trenwith, where they were always supposed to be. when that didn’t happen, i thought he was going to relent and give permission for ross to have a relationship with valentine. but no. all we got, for the thousandth time, was “stay away from my son.” 

i won’t even get into the female characters. they were done so dirty. when the show made the point of having the grandmother watching wenna saying goodbye to her son and smiling sadly, i didn’t think it was actually a goodbye - i thought she would show up at wenna’s cottage and grudgingly say she can come visit on weekends. but no. so what was the point of having the grandmother overhear at all??????? cecily loses her fortune, is forced back to the place she said she would rather die than return to and where her mother died, has her reputation in tatters - and geoffrey charles gets to have a happy ending and go back to military school. speaking of which, when he said that, considering a past plot point had been his lack of funds and the fact that he was attending on credit, i thought they were going to have a little scene where geoffrey charles admits george is finally paying for his studies, because they’re starting to build a relationship based on their mutual love for elizabeth and their loneliness, but no. again, i hoped for too much. i assumed they were actually trying to give an ending that made sense, that left characters with a brighter future, and that made audiences happy. 

but, okay, let me spell out what i wanted for the final season - and, more importantly, the final episode:

the final season: cut ned, put kitty centre stage for the slavery plot, and cecily centre stage for the woman’s emancipation plot. that takes place in london. back in cornwall, go back to the show’s roots and return to mining. cut tess and any sort of human villain, and have the characters battling against the natural elements of the county. focus more on truro, on the red lion, on prudie, on jeffrey and clowance, on pascoe’s new baking venture - and have the peasants more spread out like they used to be, just not on one small set by the coast. amp up the fond nostalgia. bring all the old sets and locations back into it, including cardew. have a scene where someone sets flowers by henshawe’s grave. reopen wheal leisure. when we’re in cornwall, make it feel like it. take it all back to its roots. give demelza a worthwhile plot, and reunite morwenna with her son. take more time with her trauma plot in general - a promise by drake that he’ll never want a carnal relationship with her followed up a day later by disappointment on his part that he hasn’t gotten laid doesn’t cut it. so, that’s cornwall.

in london, put caroline to use. she knows everyone there is to know in high society; she’s independently wealthy; she’s cunning, articulate, strong-minded, and unbelievably powerful. use it. a perfect example, just for a tiny alteration, is the scene where a man spits at kitty - it wouldn’t be seemly for dwight to confront him, but caroline could: she, a powerful, untouchable aristocrat, could have cornered him and chewed him out without any repercussions or consequences. she’s the only truly upperclass character who is painted in a positive light - let her use her power and influence for good. 

the final episode, but i’m focusing on george because he’s my favourite and also he was done so dirty: george’s hallucinations actually are gone and he’s started the process of healing. he and enys have started a positive, meaningful friendship. george helps ross in some different way - getting his hands dirty and going into a mine for the first time to rescue him, for example; imagine george in a cramped tunnel, covered in black dirt and sweat, terrified, clothes ruined, saving ross’s life: powerful - and their dynamic changes to a strange friendship that stays like that. george is clearly changed - he’s kinder, fairer, more mellow - but they keep up pretences for the fun of it. a scene in the red lion to demonstrate this - they have a confrontation (”oh, hello, ross - [bitchy comment]”), turns into a bit of verbal sparring, they clearly still hate each other for old time’s sake but there’s a hint of a smile and they both know they’re secretly fond of each other. they don’t go so far as to actually sit down for a drink together - they still go to their separate tables and their separate lives - but you know. it’s a healthier relationship. 

a scene in the graveyard - geoffrey charles is leaving flowers, george comes up behind, hesitates a moment, then finally joins him; it’s awkward and they’re both bristling for a little bit, but finally george begrudgingly tells him he’ll fund his military training. cut to another scene - they’re both in trenwith. it’s still awkward, they’re still expecting something bad from the other, but their hackles aren’t quite so raised. finally, bessie enters the drawing room with francis’ portrait. george has it hung back in its old place above the fireplace. it’s a soft moment between george and geoffrey charles - the beginning of a reconciliation, an understanding, an apology. they both gaze up at the portrait for a moment. finally, george offers him a drink. geoffrey charles accepts. it’s the beginning of a gentler relationship and the ending of a mutually painful animosity. 

george goes to nampara and asks to be taught about mining; ross agrees. when george leaves trenwith, it’s a quiet, joyful, powerful moment of healing and moving on. in the carriage, he has ursula on his lap and valentine sitting beside him with the miniature portrait of elizabeth. george puts his arm around him, a little uncomfortable at first with the tenderness but settling into it, they smile at each other, he starts to talk about mining. as they drive away from trenwith, george and valentine are too absorbed in their own newfound closeness and gentle conversation to look back. from the upstairs window, elizabeth watches them go with a smile. 

in the truro townhouse, the household is busy preparing to move to london. suddenly, a knock at the front door. it’s demelza, dishevelled and frenzied and smiling - they need all hands on deck to bring in the harvest. george resists at first (“me?”), valentine begs to go, he finally relents - and it’s a throwback to the harvesting scene in the beginning of the show. the final scene: music over a montage. all the main characters are helping in the wheat field. it’s soft, sunny, and beautiful. george, in just his shirt sleeves and breeches, is laughing and free, helping pile wheat onto the cart and playing with valentine - chasing him around, picking him up and spinning him around, both of them are smiling. caroline and dwight are throwing stalks of wheat at each other and laughing, caroline’s hair a mess and she’s pretending to care about it, demelza runs up behind her and showers her in wheat, caroline is melodramatically incensed, demelza is laughing, caroline swears revenge and chases after her, female friendships deserve the world. demelza and ross have some stupid romantic moment, like kissing with the sun as a halo behind them. morwenna, her son, and all the school children help (morwenna and her son share a sweet moment), as does rosina and prudie and kitty and geoffrey charles. cary watches at the edge of the field with his arms crossed and a disapproving (but secretly fond) sneer on his face. all the characters are together - draw back to show the cliffs and the sea in the background - fade to black. everyone is set on their path of healing. everyone is where they should be. the french don’t exist. also squeeze george meeting harriet in there somewhere, and for the first time in two years he feels soft and healed enough to begin to love again, slowly, patiently. EVERYTHING IS GOOD, EVERYONE IS HAPPY, GIVE ME A SIMPLE, ORDINARY ENDING INSTEAD OF SOME SORT OF CHAOS WHERE TOO MANY SENSELESS, MEANINGLESS SUBPLOTS WITH NOTHING TO DO WITH THE REST OF THE SHOW OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS ARE CRAMMED IN. I’D RATHER BE UNDERWHELMED AND DISAPPOINTED BY THE SIMPLICITY THAN OVERWHELMED AND GIVEN A HOLLOW, FRENZIED, OVERDRAMATIC NOTHING - but, better yet, give us happiness by giving the characters happiness. thanks for coming to my ted talk

[youxmove]

@lamentingwclf continued from x

He'd been quieter than normal- hell maybe they both had been. For the entirety of her life, the first part of July was not just a celebration for Uncle Sam. Steve Rogers had become just as prominent of a symbol as the Declaration of Independence itself.

Steve Rogers. The man, myth, and legend. The superhero who gave his life for the country, for the world. Everyone knew the story, and when Steve came back the fourth took on an entirely different celebration...and even now that he's gone...Steve Rogers is still everywhere you look. Every news channel offered a story, every documentary played on the TV. There were banners, posters, books, flags, and the speeches...so many fucking speeches. You couldn't escape it, which was even harder to deal with when you spent every part of the year trying to.

When the sergeant finally begins speaking, her gaze softens, seeing the sorrow fully evident on his features. A faint smile starts pulling at her lips as he starts his story, a story she knew...the whole world knew- but it was a story that had been robbed from it's original tellers...Bucky Barnes being one of them, but hearing it from his lips was like hearing it all for the first time.

And suddenly she's back with him, back in the 1940s, and it looks as if he is too. His features, though still sad, look more like his old photos. That little mischievous look in his eye, the charm, and that stupid boyish grin that only ever came out once in a while. And for the first time, she's able to hear him. Not what anyone thought Bucky would feel, or guess, it was just him...just him and there's no envy. There's only pride.

"Hey," Sharon whispers, crawling over to him, and gently wipes the tear. Her heart aches for him- breaks for the pain in his voice and the guilt she knew ate at him. But even more than that...she aches for the loneliness he had to be burying. She never asked about it, but how could he not feel it? Sure, he had her. He had Sam, and Sam's family, her family...but any piece of home- of his true home- was long gone. Steve was the last of it, and that...that was what Sharon couldn't get passed. She was angry at him for leaving her- of course she was- but leaving Bucky....she couldn't let that go.

Leaning forward, the blonde presses her lips to his forehead. "You did everything you had to do for him. Everything. You survived. You got control of your mind. You came back. That was what he wanted, that was all he wanted from the moment he found out you were alive. There was nothing to make right- nothing. He got to see you as you, that was all he wanted. He was proud of you. Beyond proud of you."

Another kiss is pressed to his head, her fingers softly playing with his dark strands. "....Why don't we get out of the city? Huh? Away of all of this patriotic stuff and just go somewhere quiet? Hell...Canada is pretty."

[kingdomtee]

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[terry-perry]

What was a.j's reaction hearing about the events in TFAWS next to a disgrace of a copy cat cap? And the hallarious story sam mentions "your uncle buck fell from the plane "

Like Bucky, the kids had some trouble understanding why Sam would want to give up the shield

But their parents told them that it’s none of their business and to trust Sam

That was until the new Captain America was announced

Steve thought John Walker was an okay enough guy

He found his introduction a little over-the-top, but he pegged it as the government wanting to make it as exciting as possible after everything

Y/N, on the other hand, had her reservations

She wasn't sure what to make of him

His introduction and interview about being Captain America didn't sit well with her

No one will ever be Steve Rogers, and she was sure Walker wasn't trying to be like him

But she just wanted to be sure he knew that being Captain America meant more than just fighting for justice and valuing patriotism

They were certainly shocked like everyone else when it was shown what Walker did with the shield

Steve was very disappointed while Y/N couldn't help but be disgusted with the news

Both Sam and Bucky came on separate occasions during that small break when The Flag Smashers were planning their attack.

Steve and Y/N offered as much as they could when it came to advice

Gist of it was just Sam and Bucky needing to trust each other and better understand the other as well as themselves.

They go to Louisiana after the Wilsons invite him when everything is over

That's where Sam tells the kids the story of their Uncle Bucky falling out of the plane, which they love hearing about

Much to Bucky's dismay lol

[fatehbaz]

there’s necropolitics. and then there’s n e c r o p o l i t i c s

---

In April 1918 [...]. “We have enemies here at home more destructive, perhaps, than some of the enemies our boys are fighting in the trenches,” state horticulture commissioner George H. Hecke warned in an impassioned call-up for “School Soldiers.”

He exhorted children to do their part for Uncle Sam by organizing “a company of soldiers in your class or in your school” and marching out to destroy their foe: “the squirrel army.” This children’s crusade was part of Squirrel Week, a seven-day frenzy in which California tried to kill off its ground squirrels. 

The state’s farmers and ranchers had long struggled to decimate the critters (also known as Otospermophilus beecheyi), which were seen as pests [...]. The anti-rodent campaign was announced in March 1918 at a meeting of the state’s horticultural commissioners as they lunched on grain-fed gophers. (“Liberal portions of beef were served to those who did not like gopher meat,” reported the San Francisco Chronicle.) [...]. California set aside $40,000 from its emergency wartime funds for the campaign, which included an anti-squirrel publicity blitz: the state printed up 34,000 posters and distributed 500,000 leaflets.

What made Squirrel Week unique was its reliance on kids to succeed where adults had failed. Hecke’s call to arms appeared in a pamphlet titled “Kill the Squirrels,” which sought to stir patriotic youngsters to sprinkle rodenticide outside squirrel burrows. In the pamphlet’s opening illustration, a young woman holding a pail of poison barley invites eager kids to get to work. “Children, we must kill the squirrels to save food,” she smiles. “But use poisons carefully.”

The pamphlet included a recipe for strychnine-laced grain as well as suggestions for other extermination methods, such as shooting, drowning, and poison gas.

California’s war on squirrels was framed as an extension of United States’ declaration of war on Germany a year earlier. Part of this was practical: Future president Herbert Hoover, then the United States Food Administrator, offered his “hearty approval” of the effort to save “vast quantities of food which might otherwise be used for support of our armies abroad.”

But it also made for great propaganda. In the corners of the “Kill the Squirrels” cartoon, two members of the squirrel army stood at attention, wearing Pickelhauben -- the distinctive spiked helmets of the German army. Another Squirrel Week poster showed a Teutonic squirrel family wearing spiked helmets [...]. The father squirrel sported an oddly upturned mustache -- just like Kaiser Wilhelm’s.

An article about Squirrel Week in the Lompoc Journal took the martial theme and ran with it, hailing the “growing army” amassing “casualties” in “initial engagements” against the enemy. “All the killing devices of modern warfare will be used in the effort to annihilate the squirrel army, including gas,” it continued. “Don’t wait to be drafted.” [...] Just in case civic duty wasn’t motivation enough, there were also rewards: $50 ($800 today) to each of the elementary and high schools whose pupils killed the most squirrels, and $30 and $20 to the runners-up. [...] Children were asked to verify their kills by bringing in squirrel tails to their schools. Some impatient exterminators delivered their trophies directly to Commissioner Hecke even before Squirrel Week kicked off, causing a “pronounced odor” in his office.

The campaign also enlisted the help of Four-Minute Men -- volunteers who delivered short speeches to rally public support for the war effort. Anti-squirrel talking points were issued so they might convince farmers and ranchers to go out and kill the “little ally of the [K]aiser”:

The BEST squirrel is the dead squirrel. [...]

He preys on our crops in countless hordes. He fills the ranks of the killed in true military fashion. [...]

Why hesitate? We can get ‘em. How? Poison ‘em, gas ‘em, drown ‘em, shoot ‘em, trap ‘em, submarine ‘em.

Are you not willing to give your whole-hearted support to this state-wide movement to KILL THE SQUIRREL?

By the time Squirrel Week ended on May 4, children across the state had turned in 104,509 tails, though this was thought to represent a fraction of the total casualties. Even after the contest ended, the Commission of Horticulture reported that kids’ enthusiasm for killing squirrels continued for “an indefinite period.” During an anti-squirrel campaign in Lassen County later in the year, one girl brought in 3,780 tails; a boy brought in 3,770. [...] The militaristic edge of the squirrel war of 1918 hasn’t entirely faded: A contemporary University of California web page about the damage caused by ground squirrels features [at time of writing in 2016] an image of a squirrel wearing a helmet and taking aim with a bazooka.

---

Headline, images, captions, and text published by: Dave Gilson. “In 1918, California Drafted Children Into a War On Squirrels.” Atlas Obscura. 29 November 2016. [Bold emphasis, some paragraph breaks/contractions, and the first initial heading/line in this post added by me.]

[bitchapalooza]

For when we make a nation female we have to take history and stats into account. Like with the Philippines everyone wanted Philippines to be female not male even me. But Philippines history kinda shuts it off. With ww2 comfort women which just mean means sex slaves for the Japanese military. And people shipping female the Philippines with her invaders and colonizers like with Japan, Spain, and Ameirca. I heard Filipinos not have dislike as America X Philippines due I guess not being as harsh as the other two. But I see then more as friends. The reason taiwan and Vietnam are female due to the both of them having a history of strong woman and Ireland gave been known as one of the best countries for women and it also has a history of strong woman

That is true, yeah. This kind of makes me wonder about Himaruya's process in general. I wonder just how much designing was put into the characters; such as are there any alternatives to them aside from the Nyos? Any characters that went through more than one concept? He possibly did all the historical research first then went into modern and past statistics to determine gender and physical age(well the listed ages more so than assumed ages based on height and looks).

Small rantish type thing below that goes with this, just cutting it in case no one wants to scroll through it lol.

It mentions misogyny, however, but not in full detail.

America(giving him as an example bc I know the basic history off the top of my head as well have slight first hand experience) being male is very understandable as even now women's rights and gender equality in general is still something everyone is fighting for here; maybe not as much as earlier in history but in some way its still a struggle for many individuals(from unequal pay due to gender to overall misogyny in everyday life). The US is still a patriarch in some way no matter how much you argue.

The first patriotic personification of the US was Columbia, a female. And in short, she was overshadowed by Uncle Sam by the 1920s. Columbia does represent the Manifest Destiny more than America itself but she was created in 1845, while Uncle Sam was created in 1916; she's been written as Uncle Sam's older sister. What I'm trying to get at is America, as a person, was first seen as female and then male. And that tells a lot when looking into WHY Uncle Sam was made. To get men to enlist in WW1 and for civilian support, Uncle Sam's image was used rather than Columbia or Lady Liberty(the Statue of Liberty) and eventually took the spot as the permanent personification for the US— or at least the one that I saw the most growing up; I never heard of Columbia until I had watched a history channel documentary and further asked my history nerd dad about her. And he barely knew anything about her either, was even confused when the documentary referred to her as Uncle Sam's sister. Anyway...

Even with Columbia, however, she was more so used to persuade everyone that it was their destiny to expand(shortened explanation). And considering how woman's suffrage wasn't won until 1920, the movement, and therefore Columbia, was more catered to men who pretty much had full control over their wives, and family all together. And Uncle Sam, as I said already, was made to persuade men into enlisting, not the woman.

In conclusion, its very fitting for Hetalia America to be male as it wouldn't fit for them to be female due to the oppressive and unjust history the female population had to endure throughout American history. So you're very right. It is pretty sad to see less female representation than male in an ongoing media you enjoy. But when dealing with something such as Hetalia historical background is needed in order to make these personifications genuine(genuine used lightly here *points at teleporting Cuba*).

Again, I gave America as an example due to knowing its history the most as well as first and second hand experience. I can't speak for other countries/characters as I feel I don't have the room to talk due to only ever living in America. And of course if you want to read more into why male America makes the most sense I suggest looking into the history yourself. I'd kinda get too wordy and too long here which is why I only mentioned a few things such as women's suffrage.

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

Inside Jokes and References in the Full Bios

Mainly for @spacelizardtrashboys and @kuruumiya

Also: Any time strikethrough text is used it's because it's meant to be secret information, for example on the small bios any time 'Lucifarian' truly isn't their last name their is strikethrough test after saying that it's not their real name. This is to say that no matter what is written or if it's strikethrough text or not, it is there for a reason.

Damien - Bio In-Jokes and References:

The Quote for him refers back to his 'King of Hell' gimmick, as does his middle name, Rex means king.

He's protective, like a dad, but also way too overprotective over the gimmicks for the girls. He's an old, old school guy so he enjoys card games with the boys.

He's supposed to sound like a young Hugh Laurie, mainly because if I heard a young Hugh Laurie say Damien's bio quote I wouldn't be able to take him seriously.

His main finisher (Seventh Circle) refers back to (a) him being the king of hell and (b) the seventh circle is for violence, and well, he's a wrestler, that's a pretty violent job.

He calls fans both 'peasants' and his 'loyal subjects' because he's like an asshole-ish king who'd quickly be dethroned if they rebelled.

Vickie - Bio In-Jokes and References:

The Quote for her refers back to her gimmick along with the old saying 'pride comes before the fall'.

She's called 'Victoria' because of both (a) it meaning victory and (b) the fact that Queen Victoria ruled back when Britain had an empire, then the empire fell (as in pride [Vickie] before a fall)

Both Her and Damien are born in August and are the only two to share a birth month as they are Father and Daughter (non-kayfabe, as in they share DNA)

She's raised Christian as back when she was growing up England was a lot more Christian than when she became an adult so she got lax in her beliefs

Her personality is supposed to make her come across as a vain, rich, arse of a person, yet deep down she's still redeemable, she's got a long way to go before she actually redeems herself though

She's the type of person who makes sure EVERY little detail of her matches and promos are PERFECT to the point that she will control what other people do or say, down to the moment it's said/done and the way it's said/done

She only likes the other D.O.D (Daughters of Darkness) members because she has only made enemies in the short while they've been in the company, she especially dislikes George 'The Animal' Steele because of his very messy style going against her 'everything should be perfect' views

She's the leader, the brain and the mouth because of her control over the group, if she let them have more control, there might be less arguments about her amount of control

Her named moves are also references to both her gimmick and other things. Beheader is named because of the Tudor monarchs of England having kind of a thing for killing people in this way (ex. Henry VIII).

Lineage Ender is named that because if she ever botches that one specific move (it'll make sense in context/ she does it during a training scene) it could end either her own Lineage or the person she's doing it to.

Lion's den is called that because she traps them in a near-inescapable crucifix pin, and normally if someone goes into a den of Lions, they aren't escaping in one piece.

Family Pride is named that because not only is her gimmick the sin of pride, but she's got pride in her family and she's her dad's 'pride and joy' because she's his only child.

Wish for this (her main finishing move) is called that because it's an inside joke of "you're gonna 'wish for this' to be over soon"

As she's Damien's blood daughter, a 'prodigal son' joke seemed somewhat appropriate.

Billie - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a reference to the Guerreros and the whole 'Latin lover' trope

She was born in February because of Valentine's day, hence why her birthday is two days before the 14th

She's 1/2 Cuban (just in general - both Mexican and Cuban culture is interesting to me) But she's 1/2 Cuban in case I ever need to write for Razor Ramon, I can get away with making the joke of 'my Cuban accent's better than yours'.

Her casual style is 'Suggestive' because how else is Lust supposed to dress.

She dislikes Hulk Hogan because she finds him incredibly annoying and she dislikes Jesse Ventura because she dislikes his fashion choices.

I imagine her uncle Hugo looks like Luis Guzman and her dad's like Raul Julia. Try to imagine those two wrestling as a luchador tag team.

Her mother was basically a valet to her dad, which was usually Billie's role before she was part of the D.O.D.

Her move name references are all song references: Love me Tender - Elvis' song of the same name, Personal Aphrodite - a reference to / joke on 'Personal Jesus', Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye's song of the same name.

Also, I hope to eventually use the joke 'The Babe, the babe with the power,' 'What power?' 'Power of voodoo' 'Who do?' 'You do' 'Do what?' 'Remind me of the babe' because of one of her commentary nicknames being 'The Babe'

P.G - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is in reference to her being greed and (right at the start of the story) her thoughts on money actually being able to buy her happiness

her surname 'Voronin' means crow, and well, crows like shiny things, like money

she wears 'fancy but simple' clothing because if she bought designer clothes she'd be in debt, but she still wants to look like she has more money than everyone else

she's cowardly in a Jimmy Hart way, she'll piss someone off during a promo and run away once she feels like she's in danger

she's a showman because she's more show than work, meaning she works exceptionally quick matches.

Her moves are basically jokes on the fact that she is greed, such as Gold-digger and Diamond Ring. However, Money Maker is also a joke on the fact that it's a facebuster and usually an actor's face is called their 'money maker'

She hates Hulk Hogan and Sgt slaughter because of how patriotic they are

Kirby - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a reference to (a) the fact that she's Gluttony, (b) her being the only one who wears a mask constantly and (c) her basically being the group's scare tactic against people who think they can push them around.

I am planning on eventually making her a part of the machines, maybe as a valet, maybe as a wrestler, not 100% sure as of right now

Her mother is the Norwegian-Scottish one and her father is the Irish-Welsh one

She is the tallest (not the heaviest, that's Damien) but she's still 9 inches shorter than André.

She's willing to bleed hardway, but hates blading

She hates Big John Studd because of his disrespect, she hates Hulk Hogan because she thinks he's obnoxiously 'American', she dislikes Lord Alfred Hayes and Dynamite Kid because they are so insistent on calling her '1/4 Icelandic' whenever she talks about being 1/4 Norwegian. She hates Brutus Beefcake because he's just 'so, so much' energy-wise.

She's always been tall, always shorter than André though, she was 5'6" when she was 12, which is still taller than Sam, P.G and Eli.

Kirby's the best at using folk tales and mythology references in her promos and still keeping them dark and scary.

Her speaking voice is Jessica Hynes, but I imagine her singing voice (which will be important later) to be that of Deee-lite's Lady Miss Kier. On that note, I will be putting up a post on this part of the fic's canon.

Feeding Frenzy is meant to look similar to Roddy's wild punches, hence the 'frenzy' part of the name.

Organ grinder is named because it's meant to look really hard (like she's putting all her force and weight into it) as if she's grinding her opponents organs

Hungry for Blood is an in-joke of during her toughest matches she seems hungry to give the fans the sight of blood

Consummation is a joke of 'the match will soon be over, the match will soon be concluded, or consummated' not the sex-based meaning of that word.

Number of the beast, which is 666, is a reference to the 619, and is a modified 619 basically.

Vampire's Bite is a reference to her sitout jawbreaker looking like she could possibly bite someone's neck, like a vampire, as she performs the move

I didn't want to call her chops, chops, so I made a joke of 'oh it's chopping, like a butcher's knife'

Overfeeding is another basic gluttony reference. Cheshire Grin is a facelock-based joke. Let Them Eat Cake is a butt=cake joke

The ogress is a thinly-veiled way of the commentary team calling her ugly, because why else would she be the only one in a mask

Holly - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is written that way because I always wanted her to sound like she comes from New Jersey

She's very cuddly towards the rest of the D.O.D and thus gets called a teddy bear by the others

She's Pansexual because she doesn't care what your gender is, she loves people just being themselves

She's the only ginger because I've never seen a ginger wrestler from New Jersey

She was raised Catholic but lost her faith upon realising how bad gay people are treated by the church (Holly literally just goes "Y'all it is 1984, how are y'all gonna reject people based on who they love?")

Holly's very much the person who'll ask permission to cut a promo on someone but won't tell them how harsh she's going to be

She's the group's mom friend (mum friend?)

Before she started travelling with another member of the group (Holly travels with Sam a lot) she would accidentally no-show events

She does accidentally give incredibly stiff shots

Holly likes Gorilla Monsoon because their friendship is very much a weird pseudo-dad-daughter friendship, so basically, she's using him as her new dad

Her voice is Angie Harmon because I think Harmon sounds like a badass from New Jersey

Naptime, Dirt Nap and Lullaby are jokes of 'I'm gonna knock you out'

Eli - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a joke of 'this is why she doesn't do a lot of promos'

She's the most likely to be on one of those 'too hot for TV' blooper reels from her promos

Both she and Sam hate people taller than them

Sam - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a reference to the fact that her tattoos are her 'masterpiece'

she dresses athletically because she's always ready for a fight, especially because she's usually the one picking fights

She likes Lou because he's like a crazy uncle to her and she likes George Steele because, unlike Vickie, she likes the wild man side of his gimmick

She's voiced by Melissa Etheridge because she's still feminine but is the most masculine sounding

[aion-rsa]

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 1: Marvel and MCU Easter Eggs

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This article contains Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 1 spoilers, possibly spoilers for future episodes, and the wider MCU. We have a spoiler free review here.

Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 1 has finally arrived on Disney+. Now, those of you hoping for mystery box storytelling and surreal weirdness the likes of which we got from WandaVision may be a little disappointed. But those of you looking for some gritty street-and-spy-level action with a deeper look at life in the post-Snap/Blip MCU, well, you’re in luck.

Oh? But you’re here for Marvel Comics and MCU Easter eggs, you say? Well, you’re still in luck, friend! The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is full of subtle nods to Marvel and Captain America history, and continues to connect the dots in the ever-expanding MCU.

Here’s everything we found…and if you spot something we missed, let us know in the comments!

Sam Wilson

The stuff with Sam ironing his own shirt, or trying to help his sister get a small business loan is some real “the mundanity of superhero life” stuff that we rarely get a glimpse of in the movies, but that was such a hallmark of what separated Marvel Comics from their competitors in their early days.

In the MCU, Sam is from Louisiana. But in the comics, he was born and raised in Harlem, New York City.

Sam’s sister, Sarah Wilson, also known as Sarah Casper, was introduced back in Captain America #134 back in 1971, and created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan. She’s made only a few appearances over the decades and mainly exists for the novelty of having the patriotic superhero be known as “Uncle Sam.”

The boat that Sam’s sister maintains is named Paul and Darlene, named for their parents, and those were indeed the names of his parents in the pages of Marvel Comics.

Sam’s drop out of the back of the airplane at the start of the Captain Vassant rescue mission mirrors Steve’s in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

The MCU’s version of Bubo is also back in action! Redwing is still very helpful during Sam’s “government contracts” it appears, as long as no one else messes with the drone’s wires. Also, Sam’s personal devotion to the Redwing drone is a nice nod to the fact that Redwing is a real falcon in the comics, and Sam’s pet/buddy.

Sam gets to have a sombre conversation with James “War Machine” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) in what is perhaps just the first of many unannounced The Falcon and the Winter Soldier appearances by other members of the MCU. We already know there will be a larger role for Sharon “Agent 13” Carter in later episodes. Who else might show up?

Bucky Barnes

Fittingly for his Marvel spinoff series, Bucky is introduced in the same way he was back in Captain America: The First Avenger – catching the tail end of an alleyway fight.

Bucky Barnes has now been pardoned for all the terrible crimes he committed, it’s quickly revealed. Doesn’t look like he’s pardoned himself, mind. Not by a long shot.

Bucky mentions having a sister. While it hasn’t been brought up much, he did have one in the comics. Rebecca Barnes was introduced in The Marvel Holiday Special #1 in a story written by Len Kaminski (hence the notebook Easter egg, which we’ll get to in a minute) and tremendously underrated ’90s comics artist Ron Lim. After the deaths of their parents, Bucky and Rebecca were separated. Her namesake was reintroduced during Heroes Reborn, where Rikki Barnes was Cap’s sidekick in Counter-Earth.

In Derek Landy’s new Falcon & Winter Soldier comics, Bucky has adopted a very chill white cat called Alpine. No sign of Alpine in episode one, but we refuse to give up hope.

Lieutenant Torres

The eager Lt. Torres (played by On My Block star Danny Ramirez) who clearly idolizes Sam appears to be none other than Joaquin Torres, who eventually took on the mantle of the Falcon in the comics. So if Sam is destined to become Captain America on this show, will Torres become his sidekick? We hope so!

Batroc

Just like at the start of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we get a confrontation with Georges Batroc (ze leaper!), once again played by Georges St. Pierre. Batroc is such a cool but minor Cap villain, and we never need to spend a lot of time with him, but we do hope he keeps showing up from time to time for cool fight scenes, just like he does in the comics. It’s nice to see that while they’ll never give him his ridiculous comics costume, he’s wearing his comics-appropriate colors here.

The Flag-Smashers

The masked baddies of this episode are known as the Flag-Smashers, an organization who want to do away with all national borders. There’s lots of ways this show deals with the weirdness of the MCU after the Snap, but the increasing radicalization of underground supervillain groups appears to be one neat side effect.

They take their name from the comic book supervillain Flag-Smasher (singular). Flag-Smasher was created by Cap writer supreme Mark Gruenwald and artist Paul Neary back in 1985. The original Flag-Smasher was Karl Morgenthau (remember that name, we’ll come back to it in a second), and he was a non-powered costumed terrorist who led an organization known as ULTIMATUM, “The Underground Liberated Totally Integrated Mobile Army To Unite Mankind” (folks, ‘80s Captain America comics absolutely freakin’ RULE).

The woman handing out the Flag Smasher masks was tough to make out, but that appears to be was Erin Kellyman (Enfys Nest from Solo: A Star Wars Story) playing “Karli Morgenthau.” In other words, she’s probably the leader of the organization, not the big, scary dude with super soldier strength. But speaking of him…

The big scary guy is credited as “Dovich” and he’s played by Desmond Chiam. How did he get so strong? Well, the words “Power Broker Watching” appear in the credits, and the Power Broker was key to John Walker getting his super soldier strength, as well as several other minor Marvel characters. Remember what we said about how awesome ’80s Captain America comics are? You’re about to find out!

Sam’s crack about “bad guys” with “bad names” in regards to the Flag-Smashers also applies to real world nitwits who go around calling themselves names like “Proud Boys.”

Bucky’s Notebook

There are some standout names in Bucky’s notebook, notably L. Kaminski (probably ‘80s Marvel writer and editor Len Kaminski) and H. Zemo (as in Captain America: Civil War and this very show’s baddie Helmut Zemo). 

We wrote more about those names here.

Captain America

In the Smithsonian exhibit where Sam and Rhodey chat, there are lots of artifacts from Steve’s life, mostly taken from the era of Captain America: The First Avenger like the Howling Commando uniforms, but there’s something else cool there: the actual cover of Captain America Comics #1 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the first appearance of the character. Remember, as part of the propaganda effort during the war to make Captain America a symbol of the wartime effort in the MCU, these comics were a thing. This means that Joe Simon and Jack Kirby also existed in the MCU, but their stories were meant to be chronicles about a real person.

Where’s Steve Rogers?

It seems that only a few people might know what really happened to Steve Rogers. Has Old Cap now passed on, or is he alive somewhere ready to make an appearance in the show at a later date? Many fans are still hoping for a Chris Evans cameo, and we’ve seen trailers for the series where Sam and Bucky apparently practice throwing Cap’s shield around out in the woods. Perhaps there’s a secluded cabin nearby…

The conspiracy theory about Captain America secretly watching us from the moon is likely a reference to Nick Fury in the comics. The events of Original Sin showed that Fury had been secretly waging wars on potential alien invaders for years. Uatu the Watcher put a series of events in motion so that he would die, but Fury’s immoral actions would be exposed. In the end, Fury was forced to become the new Watcher — the Unseen — and was imprisoned on the moon, looking over Earth as his new job. Coincidentally, Bucky took up his alien-fighting job in the aftermath.

It also feels a little like The Last Avengers Story, a dystopian Avengers comic from the mid-90s. It’s explained that at some point, Steve Rogers was President and was assassinated. In the final scene, it’s revealed that he’s been secretly recovering and has been watching over the world in a bunker.

Who is the New Captain America?

The new Captain America that we meet so briefly here is Wyatt Russell as John Walker. Who is John Walker, you ask? Well, John Walker was ALSO the new Captain America in the comics! But before that he was the reactionary supervillain known as the Super-Patriot. He took over the mantle of Captain America after the government decided they wanted Steve Rogers to be more of an employee and less a free agent symbol of liberty. After his time as Cap was up, John became the U.S.Agent. That’s all you’re gonna get out of us for now, for fear of spoilers.

You can read more about John Walker here.

Unanswered Questions

No, we don’t know who the L.A.F. are supposed to be, either.

The “government official” who introduces John Walker is played by Alphie Hyorth, and is simply credited as “government official” in the credits. That seems pretty suspicious to us, and we wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being revealed with a recognizable Marvel Universe name like Henry Peter Gyrich or something down the line.

Names like Captain Vassant, Congressman Lockhart, Senator Atwood, or Bucky’s therapist Dr. Raynor appear to check out Marvel-wise.

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[centipedall]

Mister Lincoln, I presume?

Charlie Smith walked to the edge of the small cliff and looked at the old stone bridge. The thing was older than most of the city’s buildings, and the tales surrounding it were the subject of today’s investigation. It was a seven-foot drop from the cliff down onto the beach peppered with broken bottles, shards of metal, and probably tetanus. She looked downwards and sighed. What she had to do for a good picture. Charlie sat down at the edge before scooting herself off into the spiky pit of disease.

The cliff bent inwards from the top, forming a rather spacious pit that formed one of the city’s biggest populations of homeless. Of course, the sharp bits were more prominent inside than out- partly from the wind blowing in, and partly from the denizens themselves. Also scattered along the floor was Fourth of July apparel. The people, like the ground, were weirdly patriotic. A man was dressed in a tattered tank-top, with flag-patterned socks and a star-and-striped top hat. A woman had a large white winter coat over her bare chest emblazoned with the words “Uncle Sam Wants You!” and a grimacing eagle on the back. Another (almost completely naked) person had a flag wrapped around their head like a turban, and a lot of pennies and flag patches in a circle on the floor around them.

Charlie figured that these people were the best to talk with about the bridge. After all, some of them had spent half a century here. They should have some great stories. Unfortunately, no one looked like they wanted to illuminate her. Well, a couple twenties (provided by the website, of course) should fix that.

“Hey! Any of y’all want some easy money? You just gotta answer me a few questions ‘bout that bridge.” Charlie drawled.

Most of the people glared at her. A few went so far as to give her the middle finger. One old man whispered some unfortunate words under his breath. All in all, it was a tough crowd.

“I’ll help out, ma’am. There’s actually some pretty interesting stuff on the underside. Come on, walk with me.” The nude in the turban stood up and started walking. This was met with a chorus of displeasure.

“Jesus, Rick, don’t be an asshole.”

“Boo!”

“Don’t come crying to me when She gets mad.”

Charlie started to follow this Rick guy, but she felt someone grab her arm. A young man looked up at her. He opened and closed his mouth several times before actually speaking.

“Uh, miss, you sh-should, uh, take this. I-I’m s-sorry for bothering you. Please don’t be mad.” The kid held a penny out in front of her. Charlie wrested her arm from his grip and walked away.

“No! Wait, uh, oh g-god, I’m so sorry for y-y-yelling. Please, miss. P-please take it.” The kid seemed to be on the verge of crying.

“Alright, guy. Don’t get mad, okay? See? I’m taking the penny.” She slowly took it from him and put it in her pocket. She took a few steps back, then rushed to Rick, who was standing almost under the bridge.

“So, Rick, what’s so special? I don’t see anything money-worthy.”

“Oh, you can only see it directly underneath the bridge. Come on, follow me.” The man disappeared into the shadows under the bridge.

Charlie hesitated for a moment before following him.

The first thing Charlie noticed was the strange feeling. It was like cold metal was constantly running up and down between all of her muscles. The second thing she noticed was that everything around was dark, although she could still see things in a couple foot radius. Rick stood next to her, and he was hard to look at. In fact, anything that wasn’t obscured by darkness was uncomfortable to see. It was like every color was subtly altered in a way that hurt her eyes. She felt like she had spent the whole morning inside, only coming out at noon.

Squinting her eyes, Charlie said, “Rick? What’s happening? Are- are you seeing this?” She started to back away from him.

He laughed and said, “Pretty interesting, right?” The chuckling abruptly stopped, followed by an alert, “Wait, stay. She’s almost here.”

After the sentence ended, a scraping, metallic noise emanated from in front of them. It was a horrendous sound, like thousands of nails scraping along the marble floor. The noise got closer and closer, until Charlie wanted to collapse with her hands over her ears. Then, it encircled them, the noise buffeting Charlie from all angles. Finally, it ended in front of them. And the solemn copper face of Abraham Lincoln- top hat and all- emerged from the shadows.

As the rest of his upper body revealed itself, Charlie busted out laughing. Jesus. All that tension just for some guy in a Lincoln suit? She would’ve been angry about the waste of time, but this was just too good of a punchline.

“Ok friend. Thanks for the laugh, but you’re not getting the money. If you’ll excuse me, I gotta go find someone else who’ll gimme a better story. Unless you and your buddy got some good folklore?”

“Lincoln” continued to come out of the darkness. The head rose up to a good eight feet above the ground, and the massive copper chest showed. The arms seemed to be around six feet long. Against the relatively proportionate head and chest, they made quite the impact. The bottom of its chin dropped out, revealing a toothless mouth of wet gums and a long tongue. Drool dripped onto the floor.

“What… Is… How…” Charlie stammered, before coalescing her thoughts into “The fuck?”

“Here you go, madame.” Rick said, before tossing one of the flag patches to the thing.

“Excellent. And what is your payment, miss?” The copper behemoth’s voice was high and feminine, and seemed to emanate from its tongue.

“Payment? What do you mean? Wait, Rick, where are you going?”

“See ya, ma’am.” He chuckled to himself and walked out of the shadows.

Charlie started to follow him, but Lincoln swerved in front of her with surprising speed. One of the arms drifted towards her, causing Charlie to backpedal.

“Stay now. I need payment. An egg or a strip of clothing, perhaps.” The eyes of the statue stared a good couple of feet above her.

Oh god, an egg? Like, a breakfast egg or the other kind? Charlie shuddered and felt bile building in her throat. She quickly tore a piece off her shirt. “Here. Here you go. Can I go?”

“No, I don’t want your second skin! I want your clothing!”

“But… this is… what?” Charlie’s voice trailed off.

“Shall I have to keep you until you produce an egg? For shame, to be unprepared. And may I say, you are not showing much deference towards your first Lord.” The thing sounded a little offended in a patronizing way. “He did create your beautiful country. Um-Air-Ika, yes?”

“I’m… sorry? Are you talking about George Washington?”

“Bah! I won’t fall for your tricks! That man was merely a pretender to the first Lord’s throne! Alas, him and his barons had to usurp Abraham's palace with their spiteful treachery! Thankfully, his twin Carver threw him out- with the help of my Hypogaean siblings. Truthfully, the Court had their own plans for that day. I do thank them for implanting Kenny. He did good with reaching our brothers of the Æther. If only they could pull him down from the moon, his barony would start behaving, I tell you that!” The thing snapped out of her tirade and tittered. “How now brown cow, you won’t get me distracted so easily!”

“What are you talking about?” Charlie had lost all fear to the onset of confusion.

“Enfantés these days! Here, let me show you!” It retracted into the darkness for a moment, only to come back with a thick, tattered book between its hands.

“Peer, and become educated!” It shouted… pridefully?

Charlie walked up to the book. It was covered in dried mud, and had many pages torn out. The thing pointed to a page with pictures of the presidents, with their time in office printed under each picture.

“See? Now, this book caters to the Pretender, so it shows him first. However, we all know that Lord Lincoln was the first one. And here. Kenny on the moon, and his barons below him.” It pointed to JFK before gesturing at the presidents that came after him.

Then, it flipped through the pages, first showing her a picture of Benjamin Franklin, then one of an astronaut- probably Armstrong. “Look! I have exclusive pictures of the Pretender’s chief wizard- you know, the one who invented the Frenchman-Powered Juggernaut and bifocals. What a shame he killed Tesla. Now that man, he was an excellent ambassador and wizard. His death ray was just charming! Ooh! I also have a picture of Kenny taken during his exile on the moon! Oh, how sad it is.”

Suddenly, the thing dropped the book. “Wait, I forgot to show you my style! Oh, look upon it, how beautiful it is!”

The thing quickly moved, becoming much closer to Charlie’s body. Then, it curved around her. Charlie saw that, instead of legs, it had a long, thick, wet, ophidian tail that reminded her of intestines. Stuck to the tail were thousands of pennies, almost covering it. The tail went off into the darkness, with no signs of stopping.

“Yeah, that’s, uh, nice, I guess. I like how it’s… covered in pennies?”

“I prefer the term eggs. It’s scientifically accurate. Slang absolutely disgusts me.”

“I’m sorry? Did you say eggs? Wait a second, wait a second.” Charlie dug in her pockets for pennies. She only found one, and showed it to the creature.

“Is this good?”

“Oh, how delightful! Here, give it to me!” Lincoln stretched out a hand.

Charlie tentatively dropped it in its palm, and asked, “So, I can go now, right?”

“Oh yes, dearie, you can leave.”

Charlie started to walk away, then stopped and looked back at the creature. “Actually, one more thing. What would’ve happened if I didn’t give you my pen- uh, egg?”

“Well, dear, I would’ve just kept talking to you until you birthed one! Or I became impatient and retrieved one from within you. I don’t know where they are stored, so I might’ve had to root around in there for a while.”

Charlie paled, took a few steps, and was back out of the shadows. She shuddered as her body returned to normal, then quickly strode towards the encampment. Rick was gonna get a piece of her mind.

“Hey Rick, you asshole!” She yelled. The man walked away from his spot and looked at her.

“Why did you leave me in there? And what was that?”

“We aren’t sure, ma’am. And you said you wanted a story.” He gave her a big, goofy, genuine grin. Oh.

“I’m sorry for yelling, Rick. I thought you were being… well, whatever. But that thing was dangerous. I could’ve died.”

“Don’t worry ma’am. We were gonna go in with some iron if you weren’t out in a bit.”

“Iron? What does that do?” She asked.

“Haven’t you ever heard the stories?” He looked at her with incredulity.

“Uh, I guess not. Listen, I have to go. How can I get out of here?” She said.

“It’s on the other side of the bridge!” He smiled.

“Oh fuck me.”

When Charlie got home, she quickly wrote up the story. Rick wasn’t wrong. It was certainly interesting. Her boss loved it too. He was going to put it in the fiction section, but he was proud of her for expanding into fiction. In fact, he wanted her to write more!

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the story was pulled back and scrapped. Her boss told her they had no control over it, and gave her some money in condolence. Meanwhile, the bridge was quickly and quietly dismantled over the course of a night. When the next heavy rain came down, thousands of pennies were washed down the riverbed. As well as the copper head of Abraham Lincoln, pierced with iron.

[ladyloveandjustice]

The Westing Game Chapter 7

Titled “The Westing Game”. We’ve reached titleception here!

Here we get some more specific details about how this game will be played. The sixteen “heirs” are divided into eight pairs (picked by Westing) and each pair receives 10,000 dollars along with clues. Any absent forfeits the money.

The interesting thing is Westing seems to anticipate who isn’t going to show up, as he pairs the two who don’t- Dr. Wexler and Mrs. Hoo- together. How did he know they weren’t going to show? Mrs. Hoo not coming because she doesn’t speak English is easy enough to anticipate, but Wexler is supposedly attending a game or something, but is he really? Did Westing know he’d be occupied with something? And is there a reason he set it up so these two specifically wouldn’t get funds.

Anyway, our other pairs are Flora the dressmaker/Turtle, Chris/Doc Douchebag, Sandy the Doorman/Judge Ford, Grace/Mr. Hoo, Crow/Otis the deliverer, Theo/Doug and Sydelle/Angela. Did Westing have an agenda with these combos? Are they volatile pairings? We’ll just have to see!

As everyone’s paired up, we get some additional insight intp the characters- including some inner thoughts, that. presuming a reliable narrator, might eliminate some folks as suspects. Hoo thinks whoever killed Westing deserves a medal, which means he didn’t do it. Chris is excited to find out who the murderer is and (hilariously) is equally excited about the possibility of his partner being the murderer, so he isn’t. Angela thinking Sydelle can’t be the murderer due to her perceived disability also implies she isn’t the one, but more indirectly than the others.(My theory, sort of shot down already!)

There’s also some character notes here- despite getting along so well with his brother, Theo seems to resent that he spends all his time caring for him deep down (and then feels guilty for that resentment). Which makes me again wonder WHERE ARE THEIR PARENTS, why is this entirely Theo’s job, whatever’s going on, they suck. Angela also shows awareness that her mother has a negative influence on her she tries to resist, as she disparages Sydelle internally (it’s unclear if because of her personality or disability) then corrects herself that this is something mean her mother would think.  Also, Doc Douchebag continues to be a dick, but that’s a given. Suspicion continues to be thrown onto Crow and she’s definitely guilty of SOMETHING, but it feels way too much like a red herring to me.

Everyone is given two words each on a piece of paper as “clues”. Gleaning this chapter, the clues include the words: “amber”, and possibly “queen and/or king”, “plain”, either “on” or no”, “purple” “waves”...and something that offends Judge Ford, with her calling it “minstrel dialect”, so much so that she almost walks out. I don’t wanna speculate there! But just looking at the clues, what pops to mind  with purple, amber, waves, plain- is “America the Beautiful” which would fit the whole Uncle Sam obsession Westing has. I’m not sure how you’d get “minstrel dialect” out of that song though, so maybe there are more “patriotic” things in the mix?

He also ends his will by encouraging everyone to buy his products. A CAPITALIST TO THE GRAVE.

Intrigue abounds! Lets go straight to chapter eight.

[angelicichor]

I always imagined that either versions of Leatherface would have the most hectic family time on the 4th of July. Tons of family coming over, distant cousins etc, bbq, tons of meat to prepare for it,drinking, loud music and fireworks, Drayton/Hoyt bitching about how the food isn't that good although he would not do better if he were to cook himself. Even grandpa is there wearing patriotic accessories. Just pure absolute mayhem 😂

Oh, absolutely! 

Thomas would be forced to do SO MUCH heavy lifting for the family, because sure, their family consists of 4 people and the rest either doesn’t exist or doesn’t  care to visit them, but they’ll for sure invite the trailer ladies as well and Hoyt ain’t gonna disappoint America with a half-assed 4th of July!

So we’re talking crates of illegal fireworks, setting them up for the evening, dealing with a big group of people that Hoyt went an extra mile to find, getting them ready for supper, and just... Luda Mae will have a lot of cooking to do, yeah, but THOMAS’ POOR BACK help this BOY.

Hoyt would only be really useful for bringing stuff from the city, like beer, whiskey, smokes, veggies and all this kinda stuff, but everything else is purely Luda, Thomas and if he has one - his s/o. 

They’d only celebrate after 11 pm, because you know Monty and Hoyt would get too fuckin’ drunk to function for more than 2 hours, singing old country songs and watching the TV, but that’s only AFTER the marvelous dinner Luda prepared. 

And I think this is one of those few rare days during which Tommy let’s himself relax, sits down with his uncle and Monty, maybe gets something to drink, but he doesn’t really get drunk... boy’s got a hard noggin for this type of stuff, but he enjoys the feeling of being included, of the family being, well, happy together, no butchering to be done, no fear for the next day, just plain fun. He can do that.

With Sawyers however, oh god, brace yourself, Texas. 

There’s at least 30 people. AT LEAST. Not counting the people in the basement, because, you see, Drayton ain’t the only one leadin’ the butchering life.

Bubba, just like Thomas, is made to do all the heavy lifting, but Nubbins helps him a bit, well, mostly just keeps him company and plays with the victims. 

You know there’s this one auntie who has 5 children, who all immediately swarm Bubba, demanding to be lifted up, squealing at him so he does the same in return and they LOVE IT, because they love their cousin, especially that one blondie baby, who just has stars in her eyes when she sees him and Bubba gives her one of his masks at some point.

Nubbins only really pays attention to anything once Chop Top comes around, and then the two start fighting, wrestling, biting each other, like the feral rat men they are, meanwhile Drayton is off discussing something with another family member, talking about how sex ruins all good things, even though he should be getting the children off Junior, so he can make his delicious Chili.

The first guests have arrived at 6 in the morning and it’s an old couple that will be leaving later, but just wanted to chat with grandpa, help him dress up as Uncle Sam before leaving, the granny kissing Bubba’s cheeks with all the love in the world, but Nubbins just gets a cheek pinch, because she knows he’s a naughty, naughty boy. 

The second ones to arrive are the married folks who brought like... way too many fireworks. Like, they needed two pick-ups to get them to the house. There’s too many, please --- And they’ve been shooting those babies from 10 am till the end of the party and somehow STILL  have some left, which they’ll use on their ride home, because fuck law.

But honestly I LIVE for the headcanon that the Sawyers and The Hewitts are cousins. 

Mostly because I just wanna see Tommy and Bubbsy interacting.

Like they arrive and Bubba immediately squeals in happiness, running to hug his big cous’, whining and giggling as he lets him go, only to squeeze him again and Thomas just goes with it, because why not.

 They both help each other while unpacking everything and you KNOW Bubba’s fucking amazed by Thomas, the way he can carry more than him, how he’s more precise with the meat, how fast and focused his hands are... Just a star eyed baby watching like Thomas is the most talented person in the world. And Tommy feels so awkward with it, so he just... skits over and motions to one person’s face, pointing to Bubba or more precisely - his masked face, then to his own and it takes moment for the youngest Sawyer to register that he just got asked FOR A MASK. And oh gosh is he excited. 

 And the rest of the family still comes, but while everybody is excited to see Bubba, Thomas kinda... intimidates them, so the giant tries to make himself as small as possible, not to scare the children, but don’t worry! Bubba’s here to rescue him!

The moment Bubba interacts with Thomas, everybody is more willing to do so as well, and soon enough Tommy is just... covered by little slimy gremlins that those people call their children. He’s loving it. 

Drayton and Charlie argue the WHOLE DAY, but at the end of it their argument comes to a close - because it’s time to prove who’s the better head of their family. And there’s only one way to do that! BUBBA, TOMMY, ARM WRESTLING, NOW.

Thomas laughs it off, but... But Bubba is ALL ABOUT THIS. He sits down fast as lightning and is giving Thomas that expectant look, but his cousin is just... confused, why would he? He doesn’t want to hurt Bubbsy, they’re family and sure this is only arm wrestling, but that can do SO MUCH DAMAGE when it’s two giant, powerful men doing it.

But Bubba insists, so Tommy listens and is surprised that Bubba is actually... fucking STRONG. He should’ve expected that and he did, but not to that extent.

They both give it their best, but in the end Thomas ends it with a loud slam and to his shock the table flips over and Bubba falls to the floor, but damn it, he’s SO STARSTRUCK. 

 Thomas is called the best man in the family instead of Hoyt, who is FURIOUS about it, but nobody cares and LUDA IS SO PROUD OF HER BOY.

Speaking of which, whenever Bubba and Thomas are alone Luda Mae will come up to them, praise both, tell them how handsome they are, tug their ears affectionately, because their cheeks are PROTECTED DAMN IT.

And she’ll definitely have a tissue with her to swipe away any dirt on Bubba’s face, he loves his auntie and doesn’t understand why Thomas is so embarrassed when she tries to clean his mask too.

Around 6 pm everybody sits down, gives grace and starts F E A S T I N G. Except Thomas, but when asked he just hangs his head and gives a shy smile, but the family understands, he isn’t the most open person. They make sure to leave food for him for later, when he won’t have so many eyes on him.Instead of eating he carves a dope-ass knife out of a bone that he found on the floor, leaves it on the bench for anyone to pick up and it just dissappears at some point. 

Also - DO NOT mix Nubbins and Thomas. Tommy has thrown the rat man against a wall before and is NOT afraid to do that before. They just... don’t work.Chop Top though gets on with Thomas surprisingly well, but it’s probably because Tommy is absorbed by his vast CD collection. He sure as hell comes back home with at least 15 of them and a player that he borrowed. Luckily Chop Top can drive himself to retrieve it at some point. 

kjaklsjalldk I could write headcanons for those bastards interacting for HOURS, but that would be too long ｡ﾟ･（>﹏

[glorifiedsnickersbar]

Swing the Sadness Away

A short story; featuring Countryhumans United States of America

Word count: 1357

         “Look, we know you’ve been down lately,” Canada urged his brother to get up from his bathroom floor, “so we booked a table at a nice bar.”

         “You don’t book tables at bars, you just show up,” America mumbled, refusing to leave the tub of cold water that soaked his clothes. He couldn’t even go outside anymore without his people screaming at him about how much of a failure he was. The riots, the lockdowns, stupid laws he had no control over. He was only the embodiment, he had no dealings in the politics of his land. He was forced to face the consequences that, in truth, had nothing to do with him. He couldn’t even tell most that he can’t do anything, that if he did, he’d be breaking laws set in place by his own race. Holy Roman Empire was destroyed because of intervening, so were so many tribes and peoples... he didn’t want that for his own population, to spiral them into ruin... but it seemed they were doing it on their own sometimes. “And I don’t want to show up.”

         “You’ve been in this bathtub for three hours,” Mexico poked his head around the door, a bored expression on his face, “We’re going out.”

        “It’s a better coping mechanism than going out, getting drunk or doing drugs, ya’ addict.”

         “Keep my stereotype out of this!” Mexico huffed.

         “Forgive him,” Canada sighed, “We all know no one has control over what they do sometimes.”

Mexico wandered off, mumbling something along the lines of ‘stupid humans’ or some-such insult.

     After another battle of wits and perhaps some strength in getting America out of the bathtub, the star clad patriot looked to the suit on his bed, cocking a brow as he looked to his younger brother.

         “I thought you said we were going to a bar-”

         “We are,” he shrugged, “It’s Swing Night. We know how nostalgic you can get sometimes, so we thought we’d bring you somewhere you can experience your glory days again.”

America frowned, looking back to the black ensemble before him. It had been awhile since he went out somewhere nice...

     The group soon came together, finding Spain, France and a few others had joined in as well, but America was rather sour.

         “Don’t be surprised if they only play ‘In the Mood’ over and over, or some mixed versions,” he straightened his collar, “Most of it will probably be rap afterwards anyway. Or country, something the kids like nowadays.”

         “Yikes, you sound like Britain,” France giggled, her swing dress bobbing as she flew up the few steps to the door, “just have a few drinks and let up my dear boy! We’ll swing the night away!”

         “How much wine did she have before coming with you?” America asked Spain, who chuckled.

         “None. Though I may have slipped a little something in her sparkling water before we came. She was more of a stick in the mud than you before getting here.”

America mumbled something about Spaniards, but the man was already in the building.

         “See? Told you-”

America sighed as they walked in to the blaring sound of ‘In the Mood’. Needless to say he was unamused and frankly already tired of humans before seeing a single one down the hallway. He trailed behind, bumping into Canada before he realized they had stopped. About to say a profanity, the down veteran looked past them, seeing a sight he hadn’t in along time.

     Everyone was in their old Swing Dance regalia, dancing the night away to the beat in the golden glow as a young woman DJ’d for the forgotten and neglected generation so many made fun of. The generation that saw war, the generation no one will listen to because they don’t agree with the modern ideals. Men and women well in their 90′s laughed as they swung on their partners, some being rather adventurous as they were swung over another’s shoulder. A few waved at the Countries, smiling widely as others ushered them onto the dance floor.

         “Don’t be scared,” a petite woman, hair grey but long, voice youthful though her cheeks sagged, beckoned them to follow, “come on in!”

         “Uh... I think we found the wrong place-” Mexico mumbled out.

         “No, no, this is right,” America stepped out of the small crowd of Countryhumans, “This is perfect.”

He offered a hand to the woman, who giggled before taking it and practically dragging him across the dance floor.

     The audience clapped as America danced his heart out, never being left alone, always having a joyful partner to keep that smile on his face. The others took a little longer to warm up to the idea of dancing with a man or woman that looked so much older, though they themselves were practically ancient. Either way, they all had the time of their lives, America being the bravest as he sung a song or two, his voice as smooth as Frank Sinatra’s, ‘The Coffee Song’ keeping the smiles on his audience’s face as they danced along and clapped, stomped their feet and twirled.

         “I’d like to thank you all,” he laughed into the microphone, “For this wonderful night. I... I hadn’t had this much fun in years...”

The room became quiet as the man wept, the young woman who organized the event coming up with a tissue, a soft smile on her face as he took it.

         “So many still love you. We know it’s not your fault. It’s corrupt people and stupid human nature,” she chuckled, “Just know that when you need a break, you can dance the night away.”

     America woke up in his bathtub, looking around with tears in his eyes, a stark difference to the freezing water that surrounded him. He stumbled out, looking to his empty bed. 

A dream. Go figure.

The wounded soldier stumbled on to change, only to make a detour out of his room, not caring that he had no clue to where his feet took him, or that his car was now soaked in the front seat. He only paid attention when his soaked feet hit concrete, the building familiar, but dilapidated. Boards hung loosely, the stairs were rotted, and the inside smelled of watered down smoke. He followed the hallway, turning, like in his dream, only his audience was silence, ghosts of a good time staring back at him menacingly. The dance floor was flooded with lingering rain, the middle sunken in like an upturned umbrella. 

         “It burned down,” America jumped at the elderly voice, his breath labored, obviously having smoked, “three years ago. No one has the money to bring her back to life.”

         “Who owns it?” America questioned.

         “The bank. I was going to give it to my granddaughter but- I’m afraid no one will higher an old veteran like me. I couldn’t keep up with the payments.”

     America wiped tears from his face once more, finally paying full attention to the old man behind him. His hair was short, the usual military cut he had adopted. The Medal of Honor hung around his neck, dress uniform well kept, though baggy around his older frame. 

         “What- uh, how did you earn it?” he questioned.

         “I’m surprised you asked,” the man chuckled with an amused smile, not needing an explanation to what the embodiment was referring to, “My platoon was gunned down, so I played the rabbit, jumping from hole to hole until I could properly dispose of the Jap’ throwing the artillery around like water balloons. I was just being stupid, now that I look back... a young Private.” He sighed, chuckling to himself, “ah, but no one cares to ask anymore. Most don’t know what it is.”

         “Much less what it takes to earn one,” America nodded, standing a bit straighter, “I thank you for your service, sir. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for your part.”

         “No problem, Uncle Sam.” The old soldier saluted with a lopsided grin.

     America looked around again before stepping toward the man, placing a hand on his back.

         “I’ll bring this place back. Where people can dance the night away.”

-~~-

Dear USA - 

We still love you

Sincerely,          Those who know what it cost to keep you free

[jordynliebelt17-blog]

Contextual Leadership and Exceptionalism

*In this entry, I will be responding to the question: How does this artifact define what it means to be an exceptional nation? What does it mean that you/we/they are defining it that way? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this definition?

           To address these questions, I have looked at the Toby Keith song “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” as my rhetorical artifact. This song addresses how America is looked at in terms of exceptionalism.            

Toby Keith’s 2002 song “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” is a great example of American’s idea of being an exceptional nation by painting a picture of the nation as being stronger than any other. This song was released as a response to the 9/11 attacks on our country and how we handled the attacks. The song is uplifting and patriotic in a rallying the troops sort of way.

           The rhetorical concept being applied to this artifact is the exceptional nation. The idea of an exceptional nation is believing one’s country is superior to all other nations in the world. It is rallying troops by making them believe that they will always win because they are the best and strongest fighting. It is citizens believing nothing their nation does is wrong because they are the best. An exceptional nation is one that is looked up to by the rest of the world. This can be seen in Pericles’ funeral speech to the citizens of Athens, when he spoke highly of the dead and encouraged and praised the people of Athens for being the best.

           In Toby Keith’s song, he defines American exceptionalism as being patriotic, being able to stand up after a big hit, and being able to fight back with full force. Keith sings about the nation being hit by a “mighty sucker punch” from out of nowhere and how once they had been able to process what had happened, they “lit up [their] world like the fourth of July” (Keith). This idea of getting hit and responding full force with what we can assume are missile strikes supports the idea of a stronger country that does not take attacks from others lightly.

Keith also seems to downplay the 9/11 attacks by referring to them as just a “punch” when they were actually incredibly devastating to our country. This, however, also comes back to the exceptionalism and not admitting to not being prepared and taking a huge hit from another nation. Keith also personifies Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty, a bald eagle, and Mother Freedom. The way he refers to them are as if these attacks awakened some sort of godlike force within the country that would fight this battle for us, and it is all “brought to you courtesy of the red white and blue” further personifying the American flag. He defines America as a nation that should not be messed with. Even going as far as saying “we’ll put a boot in your ass it’s the American way” implying that an American Ideal is to fight harder when someone hurts you. This all leads to the definition set up by Keith of being a nation that cannot be messed with and will always come out on top because we are the best country, in his opinion.

           There are advantages and disadvantages to this definition by Keith. It is good that we are a strong and powerful nation and we should be proud of it. We stand for freedom, liberty, and justice. We are a nation full of patriotic citizens. These ideals are very much supported in Toby Keith’s song. However, there are also disadvantages as well. One might question if we should respond so violently and ruthlessly to being attacked. We were a nation just recovering from a horrific disaster and it is understandable that we fought back the way we did. However, the rhetoric used about the attacks led to people discriminating against many Muslim Americans. They blamed the attacks on a whole religion instead of the group of people who were actually involved.

           In an article by Andrea Elliott titled “Muslims in America: Creating a New Beat”, she discusses the affects that 9/11 had on the Muslims in America. She discusses how “Their businesses, homes and mosques came under surveillance by the authorities” after the attacks and they no longer felt like they were considered Americans (Elliott). Not only did it have an impact on their living situations but also on their faith, “Many Muslims took refuge in their faith, growing more devout. Others distanced themselves from Islam, avoiding their mosques and even changing their names” to cope with shift in American attitudes about them (Elliott). As we can see by this, the narrative that Toby Keith is creating about the exceptional nation can be harmful to Muslim Americans. The song can rally people the wrong way and end up causing people to be prejudice.

           In all, Toby Keith’s song “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” is a great example of the narrative of an exceptional nation. It has its advantages and its disadvantages which are reflected in American ideology. Whether this song does more good or bad is up to the listener.

 Elliott, Andrea. “Muslims in America: Creating a New Beat.” Nieman Reports, vol. 61, no. 2,

Summer 2007, pp. 55–56. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=25888246&site=ehost-live.

Keith, Toby. “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” Unleashed, James Stroud. 2002, Track 1*

[quakerjoe]

A Cuppa Joe for 3 January 2019

 Regarding Patriotism

 Patriotism. What the fuck IS that exactly? I used to think it stemmed from the nation’s actual motto “E Pluribus Unum” meaning “From Many, One” where we all stand together, united, as one people, Americans, and look out for one another. That was a hard delusion to wake up from. While such a thing is possible if we so desire it, it isn’t going to happen evidently. Seriously, think about this for a moment. Who do you see the most out here going on about “patriotism” today? Angry white dudes. I don’t see African Americans out there blowing the “Look at me, asshole! I’m a PATRIOT!” horns loudly, nor anyone from the LGBTQ community or from any minority such as our Islamic/Arabic neighbors who came here to get away from all the radical, violent religious bullshit and just want to pray in peace. Angry. White. Dudes. All pining for a “Christian Nation” while acting exactly the opposite to the teachings of Christ. They clean their guns and play circle-jerk warrior in the woods with their limp-dick friends because they’re too much of a sad sack to actually JOIN the military and SERVE. THAT would be Patriotism.

Then again, is serving in the military really being patriotic anymore? I was proud when I served, but looking back on it, WHO was I really serving? Was I truly protecting the US from some threat? Not really. We’re on the other side of the planet, far away from any direct threat. Two massive oceans divide us from any other military that may want to harm us. Then again, WHY would any other military even WANT to harm us? Could it have something to do with the way this nation invades other nations to topple their elected governments and establish banana republics in order to get what “we” want from them? By “we”, I of course don’t mean that you or I give a shit what the price of bananas is. Oil, on the other hand… We all care about oil prices because we’re constantly being blocked from developing and using green power sources so that the rich twats in Big Fossil Fuels can get even richer. They spend thousands on buying elected officials here who band together and pass a tax break law that gives those rich twats savings in the millions and even billions.

But do Central and South American nations have a mobile force to invade us? Fuck no. What about Persian nations that we and other European nations carved up for oil field access, ignoring the territories if Sunni and Shiite, creating nations that have all sort of in-fighting between the two peoples? That’s on us, kids. Still, they don’t have a military worth a damn that can cross the oceans and get to us. So is being over THERE being “patriotic” and really defending our freedom? Fuck no. So WHO are we serving? Rich. White. Dudes. Period. Are THEY “patriotic”? They bribe the government to use military force in nations that they want something from, like oil, or poppy fields for Big Pharma, and they USE us as cheap mercenaries; cannon fodder to secure their FINANCIAL interests, and the thanks veterans get when they get home is shit wages, their families on some sort of financial assistance, and when they need medical or mental health, we practically ignore them and then wonder why the suicide rate for returning vets is so high. Fewer mouths for Uncle Sam to feed, right? Meanwhile, the rich, white dudes don’t ever have to look at them or deal with them and even though the blood is on their hands from war, they weren’t the ones sent in to do the killing. THEY don’t have to deal with the consequences; they just cash in and get rich. No guilt. No empathy. No PTSD. Nada. Just loads of cash. Meanwhile, we use up our munitions and equipment and keep the War Machine and major contractors super-financed in contracts that aren’t bid for anymore. That doesn’t sound at all patriotic to me, but there’s something you need to understand.

YOU are not a person, you’re a component. You’re something to exploit and rob. When people in government today see “We the People” they automatically see that as “We the Rich Fuckers” and the rest of us are the plebes; the livestock that generates money for them and we don’t matter to them. If we did, we’d have had free healthcare coverage and education decades ago, and it’d also be the best on the planet and there’d be a sense of pride in being an American from the richest down to the poorest because we’d be at our healthiest and our smartest. Instead, we revel in our arrogance, our ignorance, and our stupidity. We roll in a puddle of hubris and it seems that most “patriots” don’t even know what that word means. THAT, dear Joes, is the new definition of “patriotism” among the ‘plebe class’, and just like in days of Olde, when the Constitution was first drafted, “People” meant the wealthy class who owned land and property and were the only ones who voted. They got the good food, the good medicine, and the good education while you got little to none of any of it and you’d have been working since the day you could walk and talk at the same time until the day you dropped dead. That’s what MAGA is all about, only trumplefuckstick’s supporters are poor, stupid fucks who must believe that they’re really millionaires who are temporarily inconvenienced at the moment and that they’ll be rich soon with 45 at the helm.

Their idea of “patriotism” is to literally shit on everyone here that isn’t of their ilk- ignorant-as-fuck white, cist-gendered, white, “Christian” MEN or their brainwashed, sidekick women who dine on hate as well. They’re praying for the End of Days one moment, while hoping that just before that happens they get an opportunity to hunt down and murder Obama or HRC or just go on an all-out “nigger hunt” or a chance to do-in the “towelheads” living here. They’re praying for a chance to slaughter anyone LGBTQ because the bible calls them an abomination to be destroyed. They give me the impression that they watch “The Handmaiden’s Tale” and jerk off to it because using women as breeding stock and enslaving them and killing the “uppity ones” is a dirty, wet dream of theirs, and they call it “patriotic”.

So someone out there, please remind me what it truly means to be a Patriot of the United  States of America. As far as I can see, we went from aspirations towards “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” to “I got mine; fuck the rest of y’all! Bootstraps, fucker! Pull yourself up or just die ‘cause I’m not going to help you. I had to work hard to get what I’ve got. Get a job!” Instead of looking UP at the rich and powerful shitting on us, too many of us are looking down at those less fortunate than those wielding the “White Privilege” card and blaming the POOR for all their woes as they look down their noses at them and continue to let the shit roll downhill instead of reaching down to help someone up. It’s a disgrace. It’s the OPPOSITE of being patriotic. It’s the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of what I was taught it meant to be an actual Christian and frankly, the level of hypocrisy from the religious people here is sickening, insulting, and fucking INSANE. 

I tire of so-called “Christians” showing up here telling me that they’re not ALL bad. Well, they ARE. If you’re watching evil transpire before you and you do NOTHING, you’re guilty of that evil too, and frankly I am still waiting for some sort of allied Christian movement to get together enough to call out the ‘false prophets’ getting rich in this country and getting behind, en masse, to see to it we get Universal Healthcare for ALL, a bolstered safety net program that includes “food stamps”, the promotion of medicines and science because if there is a god, we were blessed with senses that should be trying to study how He/She/It made the universe and how to make the world a healthier, safer place of PEACE, not a nation with a bloated military budget that can’t even pass muster when audited while people here in our own country are going hungry and homeless because “fuck you, you peasant, that’s why”. If your idea of being a “Christian” is ignoring the bible and praying at home, in private and you insist on going to a tax have to pray (yes, church) then you’d better be DOING something to fight against the evils sweeping the nation and against the tenants of Jesus. Evangelicals, or Talibangelists as I call them, are on the move. Where the fuck are YOU? Yeah, hanging around your community trying to do “good deeds” is sweet and all, but wouldn’t it fight hunger and poverty MORE, in line with Christ’s teachings, if you got off your ass and rallied AGAINST the Talibangelists and called them out on their bullshit? Where’s your presence in the REAL clear and present danger here? Where is YOUR voice when it comes to defeating the false prophets we’ve been warned repeatedly about?

>Matthew 7:15 clearly states “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are raving wolves.” Perhaps you “Christians” should STOP ELECTING THEM! Forwarding and backing known pedophiles and sex offenders doesn’t sound too Christian OR patriotic to me.

>Matthew 24:11 Jesus says “and many false prophets will appear and lead many astray.” Sounds like the brainless twats on FOX and trumplefuckstick lying to the masses who slop back the shit like it is gravy and not the feces that it is.

>Matthew 24:24 says “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

>Second Peter 2:1-3 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” 

>First John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” So forgive my skepticism of all you alleged “Christians”, but I’ll believe in you when you SHOW me that you’re not all talk and no ACTION. 

> Jeremiah 23:16 Tell me this one doesn’t apply to suckers who vote GOP and Corporate Democrat as well as those fuckwits who go to mega-churches to throw away their money and their souls: “This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.” 

> Ezekiel 13:9 “My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord God.” We have truly FAILED as a nation at this one, kids. So quit with all the religious preaching on my page. If you haven’t sold all you own and have given it all to the poor, then I’m not going to take you seriously. (Matthew 19:21 and Luke 18:22). 

From what my parents and grandparents taught me, part of being a Patriot was to confront evil and help those in need, and honestly, I’m not seeing it from the “Christian” community, only their hubris and vanity and a defensive sense of pride compounded with an extremist element here that uses the Bible as license to commit all manner of atrocities against their fellow countrymen/women etc. even though we were WARNED about this sort of fuckery- “because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money” (Titus 1:11) AND “Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.” (1 Timothy 6:5).

If you haven’t noticed, we are HERE: 

> 2nd Tim 4:3-4 “the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” So let’s just pull this sanctimonious bus off to the side of the pretentiousness highway and cut the shit with your religious ramblings and let’s focus on saving the world and figuring out what it truly means to be “patriotic”, shall we? We SHOULD be looking out for one another REGARDLESS of religious beliefs.

Having said all that, Dear Joes, tell me this- how do YOU define “Patriotism” today?

[lunaofthevalley]

Steadfast Tin Soldier ||

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Note: The long awaited and requested part two is here. Decided to make this a mini series of sorts so expect a part three as well.if you wanna be tagged comment or send me a message pand I'll ad you. Warnings: stupid Bucky

Y/N never imagined how much her life would change upon moving to the compound to start to work for Bruce. When her old boss told her he'd gotten her an interview for a proper job, a great one at that, she never thought it would land her working for the Avengers, or well a Avenger seeing as she exclusively worked under Bruce, but as time passed and relationships grew, Y/N found herself being a helping hand to everyone. If you took a look at her you'd never think of her as someone who had a career in science. That's why Y/N loved her chosen lifestyle, she was always surprising people, and she, herself loved surprises, and ever since she started working at the compound her life seemed to be even more full of them. But the greatest surprise came in the form of one James Buchanan Barnes.

She of course knew who he was, or more specifically who he had been. Upon being employed, Y/N was given a briefing on everyone who held a high position at the compound, which mostly consisted of the Avengers and a few select others, like Fury and Agent Hill. So of course she knew all about him, or more specifically, what she was allowed at that moment to know. She had been told of his past. His service to the army during the Second World War, his supposed death due to falling of a train, the years he spent being tortured by HYDRA, the atrocities he was made to commit while he was under control as the Winter Soldier. But if you asked her honestly she could care less about it. She was told he was a changed man, and she fully believed it, even if others that had known him longer still didn't.

When she finally saw him face to face she was a bit taken aback. You could tell he had been through a lot. His eyes gave it away. She could also tell he was an attractive man, under the unkempt long hair and slight beard he seemed to have. He was big, way more than her, the years of work and service evident in his body. She of course was also quite taken by the metal arm he sported. It was not the same one he had killed with before, no this was the brand new one, provided by the Wakandans. He'd caught her gaze that day, as she gave him the once over, and when she looked up at his face again, their eyes met. What had been surprising not only to her, but also to Bucky, was that she had not looked away in embarrassment, as many would do. Y/N seemed to have gained this new found confidence right there and then because her eyes didn't stray from the soldiers blue ones at that moment.

Y/N didn't see him again until a week after. He'd changed a bit. He no longer had much of a beard as he did before, it was more of a scruff now, as if he'd let it grow lightly, but not to much that it looked bad. His hair had been trimmed too. It was still long, more neater. It reached a little above his shoulders, but below the jawline. It didn't look unkept now, it looked, softer, lighter and not as greasy as the day she had first seen him. She started seeing a lot more of him after that day, and they had begun to communicate. Sure it took a while for them to actually start having proper conversations, but no matter how small the amount of time Y/N and Bucky spent together was, she always cherished it.

She had slowly but surely begun to be enchanted by James Buchanan Barnes.

She was actually thinking about him the moment Natasha and Wanda burst into her room, going off about some party Stark was planning, involving costumes, which she reckoned had to do with Halloween which was a couple of weeks away now. She wasn't much surprised at the news of the party. It would be her first one at the compound, but she knew of Stark's love for extravagant celebrations, so she expected it.

"How exciting, you'll be experiencing your first Stark party, and lucky for you it's themed." Wanda told her with much enthusiasm, which Y/N couldn't help but smile at.

Natasha made a face, "I wouldn't go so far as to call it lucky. But don't get me wrong you'll have fun."

Y/N gave the, each a once over. The three of them had quickly become friends after she had started working and living at the compound. Being the only three women in a group made up mostly of men was sometimes overbearing, but they had each other, so they tended to stick together to make things more bearable.

"So, do you know what you'll be dressing up as?" Y/N asked.

"Don't know yet actually," Nat was the first to respond. "Might go for something simple, but sexy, y'know, show off the bod."

"You're always showing off the bod in that catsuit of yours." Y/N argued.

Nat nodded, "Yes, but this time I might get to do it as a sexy fireman or even better a sexy Avenger!"

"But you are an Avenger." Wanda butted in.

"I mean yeah, but imagine me showing up as a sexy Iron Man or a sexy Captain America. Imagine how Steve would react." All three took a moment to imagine how said scenario would go down before bursting into a fit of laughter. It would be quite comical if it were to happen, and Y/N would put it past Nat to actually dress up like that just to get a kick out of one of the guys.

"What about you Wanda, any ideas?" Y/N asked.

"Well like Nat said, I also want to do something simple. Was thinking of a witch, simple enough I only have to buy a few accessories, seeing as I have enough black clothing already." Y/N and Nat giggled lightly at that. Wanda then turned to Y/N and asked the same question.

"Oh, I don't know yet. I mean I did only just find out about it. Maybe I could do the same as Nat, dress up as one of the guys, though I'd much rather go for the normal version than the sexy one."

Nat scoffed. "You'd look great in a sexy costume, you have a great figure. Your dainty, but muscular, you got curves and a good northern and southern region."

Y/N blushed at the comment Nat made, "Look who's talking."

"Hmm I might have an idea," Nat and Y/N turned to look at her, "Y/N, didn't you use to be a dancer?"

Y/N raised her eyebrows, "Uh yeah I was, nothing professional but yeah. How did you know?"

"You must've mentioned it before or something."

"Oh." Y/N didn't recall ever telling Wanda, but she supposed it could've come up in a conversation at some point.

"You could dress up as a Ballerina. It would be perfect." Nat offered.

"You think so?"

"Yeah, no one will show up as a ballerina, because let's face it, it's not really a very Halloween-y costume, which makes it perfect seeing you will be the only one."

"Well... I still have some of my ballet costumes from my last recital which wasn't that long ago."

"See," Wanda said quickly, "you wouldn't spend any money.

"Well when you say it like that it doesn't sound so bad."

"No more arguing Y/N, you're going as a Ballerina." Nat said proudly.

_________________________

"So you want me to dress up as a soldier for Stark's stupid party?" Bucky asked, "Why?"

Steve looked at Bucky as they were currently sat in front of each other in the common room. "Uh no reason, just thought it suited you."

"Why because I was a soldier?"

"Well yes, but also because I remembered that story you used to go on about back in the forties."

"The Steadfast Tin Soldier. You want me to dress up as the Steadfast Tin Soldier?" Bucky wanted to laugh. He found it quite odd that out of everything Steve could've brought up, he brought up this. The one thing Bucky had always used as a metaphor to his life.

"Well not exactly, but yes. You're not someone who tends to go all out with this sort of thing so I thought I could help, and I remembered how much you used to like the tale, so I thought I'd suggest the idea. Thought it would remind you of the good old days."

"But wouldn't I look out of place," Bucky asked, "The Steadfast Tin Soldier is a toy soldier, isn't that a little more adept to Christmas time?

"Well yea but Christmas is just around the corner from Halloween, and besides I don't think anyone will care." Steve tried to reassure him, but Bucky still looked uneasy. "Look if it really doesn't appeal to you, you can dress up with Sam and I. He's going as a bald eagle and I'm going as Uncle Sam, you could dress up as the American flag to complete our group costume."

Bucky instantly made a face. "You know I think I'd rather try my luck with the toy Soldier. Patriotism is more your and Sam's thing."

Steve smirked knowing his tactic had worked, "I'm glad to hear you say that. We'll be going to the city next week to buy the costumes."

"Alright punk."

________________________

The days came and went and before anyone knew it te day of the party was among them. Tony had scheduled it to be the weekend before Halloween. He had made it a rather private affair, inviting mostly only staff members of the compound and a select few other outsiders, but all in all it was still a grand party, but then again it was a Stark party, so it could be nothing short of grand. The party was occurring in the hall, the biggest room in the compound. It was normally used for when they had big conferences or meetings with most of the resident staff, and it was also built to be used for parties. Almost everyone was there already. Sam and Steve were currently the center of attention, with their very patriotic costume. Sam honestly looked ridiculous in the bald eagle get up, and well Steve who always seems to ooze patriotism and freedom seemed to be doing so more tonight. Natasha had indeed showed up dressed as a sexy Captain America, which had also indeed made Steve as red as a tomato for a couple of minutes. All three of them probably had the best group costume. That is until Clint and his family showed up. Clint strolled in looking as mighty as ever dressed up as Legolas. He thought he would give honor to the nickname Tony gave him, and he got a silver lining out of it as well, the greatest group costume of the night. Laura, his wife was dressed as Galadriel, while his kids were dressed up as hobbits.

Bruce showed up dresses as Albert Einstein, and he looked adorable with the big wig and bushy mustache. Wanda in the end opted to go as a fortune teller after having seen the most amazing baggy pants she had ever seen for sale at forever 21, which she matched with a black crop top she had lying around, a scarf that belonged to Y/N on her head and an about a hundred pieces of jewelry. Vision had probably gone for the simplest of costumes, deciding to just cut some holes into a sheet and go as a ghost. Rhodes was dressed in a bright purple suit with a frilly shirt, and he was sporting a wig. He was dressed as Prince, which if it wasn't already obvious, you'd get the idea after hearing him sing a horrible rendition of purple rain. And as seemed to be a recurring theme at the party, Tony and Peter also showed up in a group costume, or well a couples costume as it's technically called, but since they weren't actually a couple they decided to go with the term bro-stume, as in a costume of bros. it was obvious it had been Peter who had come up with the title. They were dressed up as Marty McFly and Doc from back to the future. Although the best costume of the night award probably had to go to Thor, who showed up dressed as a giant pop tart. Everyone knew of the love he possessed for the sweet treats, but they never thought he loved them so much he'd actually dress up as one.

Bucky was by the bar observing everything going on at the party. He had dressed up as the Toy soldier, like Steve suggested, and he honestly felt a bit ridiculous, with the big hat on his head and the obnoxious blue and red tones of the jacket. Don't even get him started on his tight white pants. The only thing about the costume Bucky was quite alright with were the black boots. It was then that the patriotic trio approached him at the bar.

"Why so glum chum?" Nat asked.

Bucky shrugged in response, "Don't know, I'm not really used to this sort of thing remember. This is my first party in over 75 years, and it's a costume one at that. Don't remember the last time I dressed up like this."

"C'mon, cheer up Buck, don't think about all that tonight, try to have fun." Steve reassured his best friend.

"Is Barnes in a funk because his sweetheart isn't here?" The four of them turned to see Tony and Peter approaching.

"What sweetheart?" Bucky asked confused.

"Oh you know, little miss lab assistant."

Peter cut in, "He means Y/N."

Bucky gave Tony a sharp look, "What makes you think she's my sweetheart, we're just friends."

"Right, just like me and Pepper are friends. Come on Barnes we all see how you look at her as if she were the last plum in the world. And I only say plum because I know you have an ungodly love for those things."

At that moment a six foot pop tart appeared, "Whats this I hear about ungodly love?"

"Oh nothing, just bothering Barnes about his school crush on Y/N." Sam explained.

"Oh I see." Thor nodded, "By the way, where is Lady Y/N, I am most excited to see her costume."

"Hmm yes, I wonder what she'll be dressed at." Tony said in a humorous tone, which earned him several pointed looks from the patriotic trio.

"Well wonder no more mister Stark, because she just arrived." Peter nodded towards the entrance closest to the bar, which also was the one that led to the private quarters of the compound.

Everyone in the small group turned to look at Y/N. Bucky's mouth hung open in shock the moment he laid eyes on her, and even the rest of them, who already knew what she would be dressed up as, did a double take at seeing her. She was wearing a white leotard, accompanied by an also white, slightly sparkly tutu that had pink details on it. Right below her shoulders she was wearing those frilly things ballerinas sometimes wear. Her legs were covered in white tights, but not the solid kind, she was wearing the see through type, the ones were you get a peek at her natural tone of skin, but it's still evident that the tights are white. She was wearing her old pair of pointe shoes, the light pink ones that matched the outfit. On the crown of her head rested a small tiara/diadem type of thing, which was rose gold in color and was adorned with fake pink and white jewels. Her Y/H/C hair fell in loose waves down her back instead of being held up in a tight bun as it is usually on a ballerina. She was wearing more make up than usual, but not a whole lot that her face looked cakey. She looked natural. She looked ethereal.

Bucky swore in that moment that she was not only the ballerina to his soldier, but that she was also an angel that may or may not have been sent to him.

As Y/N approached the group she started to blush deeply at feeling all eyes on her. She immediately started to have second thoughts on her costume. Once she was close enough to the group she dared ask the question, "Why are you all looking at me like that, is my costume bad?" In that moment everyone started talking.

"No, no you-you look beautiful doll."

"Lady Y/N, you are most divine this evening."

"The lab assistant turned into a graceful swan. Get it, swan lake reference."

"You look g-great miss Y/N, like a princess."

"Told you you had a great body."

"Hot damn girl, we need to get you out more."

"You look great Y/N"

Y/N blushed even more at all the comments, "Well thank you for the reassurance."

Everyone got quiet after that, no one daring to disrupt the awkward silence that had consumed the small group. That is until Tony opened his big smart mouth.

"Would you look at that."

Everyone turned to him, but it was Y/N that had voiced what everyone was thinking, "Look at what."

"You and Barnes."

She looked at Bucky before looking back at Tony. "What about me and Bucky?"

"I just found it funny that you're dressed as a ballerina and he's dressed up as a toy soldier." When no one said anything he continued, "You know, like that fairytale."

That's when it clicked in Y/N's mind, "Oh, you mean the Steadfast Tin Soldier?"

"Yep, that's the one" Tony quickly replied.

That's when Y/N looked over at Bucky and took in his costume. He was indeed dressed up as a toy soldier. He looked quite dashing actually. She then remembered the tale. She'd only heard it a few times before but she remembered the basic plot of it. Of how a Tin soldier had fallen in love with a ballerina. As she though more about it, she remembered more of the story, how it happened that the Tin Soldier was also missing a body part, much like Bucky. Only difference being Bucky had a metal one attached in its place. Everything had become quiet again, and it was obvious that the suddenly topic of conversation made Bucky a little tense. He didn't dare look at Y/N in fear of being judged, but contrary to his belief Y/N was quite pleased with the outcome of their accidental compatible costumes.

Y/N cleared her throat and turned to Bucky, "Say would this Tin Soldier fancy a dance, I know this ballerina does, and I don't think there is a better partner than you."

Bucky struggled to say something, he looked like a deer caught in headlights. He stood gaping at her for a few seconds before Steve lightly nudged him, "I- uh, sure doll, I'd love to." He slowly held out his flesh hand and she lightly placed hers on his. There was a drastic difference. His big, calloused, war torn hands and her small, frail soft ones. A soldier's hands and a ballerina's hands. Bucky led Y/N out to the dance floor and once they found themselves in the middle of it Bucky turned to Y/N, hesitance evident on his face. He still had her hand in his flesh one, which meant he'd have to place the metal one on Y/N's waist. He'd never touched her before with his metal limb, so Y/N guessed he was afraid to do so at the moment. She reached out and grabbed his metal wrist, and placed it tightly on her waist before inching closer and placing her hand on his shoulder.

"You won't hurt me Bucky."

"I'd never dare to doll."

A few seconds of silence loomed over them before Y/N spoke up. "It's quite funny isn't it, that our costumes relate in a way."

Bucky nodded, "Yea, you look beautiful by the way. Quite the original choice of costume."

Y/N blushed a light shade of pink, "Thank you, it wasn't my first choice but Nat and Wanda insisted on it, and now that I see the finished product I'm kind of glad they did."

That's the moment it click in Bucky's mind. Why Steve insisted on him dressing up as a soldier, Tony bringing it up right now, Nat and Wanda telling Y/N to dress up as a ballerina. They had both been played at the same time and they never noticed, and for what reason exactly Bucky didn't know. Steve knew Bucky liked Y/N, he'd accidentally let it slip one time during a run, and ifs he's being honest he's not exactly the most subtle when it comes to her, so he didn't put it past the team for noticing. He didn't know why the team went through all the trouble to try and set them up like this. Y/N had never given him a reason to believe she felt the same as he did. And even if she did , he didn't deserve her. Bucky then began to internally panic. She deserved someone better in her life, someone who was completely stable, who didn't have as rough a past as him, someone who was better than him. He stopped dancing and stepped back from her looking down at her confused features. She was about to say something but before she could he cut her off, "I'm so sorry doll, but I have to go." And with out a glance back he bolted out of the room, leaving her in the center of the room all alone. The rest of the team watched in horror as Bucky quickly left the party. None of them had expected Bucky to do that. Out of all the possible outcomes tonight could have, that one was never even considered.

"God damn it Barnes, one tries to help and you do this." Tony sighed.

"Lady Y/N looks sad."

Wanda turned to Thor, "Of course she's sad, she just got left in the middle of the dance floor by the guy she likes!"

"Frosty screwed up big time." Clint added.

While they all argued over their failed attempt at getting Y/N and Bucky together, said girl still stood in the same spot in which Bucky had left her. She still stared at the door, in hopes that this was all a joke and he'd come back. But things aren't a fairytale. And in that moment the Ballerina lost her Soldier.

TSTS TAGS: @hadesgirl1015 @holycoldcoffee