#you are a German coming to America in like the 1940

[thottietohottie]

I think the most fascinating thing about the immigration conversation is that no one on this panel recognizes that most people who immigrate to America don’t gain citizenship and because of that they don’t get access to most government services. Like they can’t functionally take anything away from citizens. It is also interesting how media has been sensationalizing immigration issue. Like yes there have been people that have committed violent crimes that are immigrants and there are international crime organizations, but that’s just the nature of living in a county like America? It’s not to pacify it but it’s a certain type of focus that makes it seem like it’s something new and heinous because of new immigrants like no boob, history constantly repeats itself for several reasons, but it’s not because of having open immigration. It’s just so annoying to see people being demeaned and criminalized for immigrating especially from the children of boomer era immigrants.

[regina-bithyniae]

Finished The Wages of Destruction.

Solid 9/10.

Core ideas to take away:

work creation was a minor element of Nazi economic policy, a distant secondary concern after rearmament

rearmament had widespread public support in germany

shifting to autarky took extremely hacky and likely long-run unsustainable export controls, and even *export subsidies* because imports were still an inescapably vital input to industrial production in

controlling big business was largely a "soft co-opting" project while the agriculturalists were insane morons who were much more staunchly pro-nazi

once at war, Germany was going for broke from the very beginning and there was near-zero slack they could've squeezed out more war production from

truly pitiful productivity rate from Germany's conquered continental empire - the workers were far far more productive if deported to Germany than working in home countries

German surface navy seems useless, they didn't even have the oil to run the ships, and metal would've been better used elsewhere

Speer was a shit, Tooze hates hates him

bombing campaign actually was successful! specifically taking out the Ruhr

"blitzkrieg" doctrine was developed as they went; original 1940 invasion of France battleplan was to go "right up the center" not through the Ardennes and pre-battle production focused on heavy artillery ammunition

Bigger points: German "Strategy"

Germany escalated from diplomatic crisis to war with Poland/UK/France, and to war with the Soviet Union, and then America, out of a series of perceived closing windows of opportunity. First one was seeing UK/French production overtaking them in rates and catching up on stocks. In 1940 the US fully commits to aiding Britain, creating sense of "the bombers are coming eventually" and need to gain immediate advantage by conquering the Soviet Union.

Bizarrely, German production was focused on the Luftwaffe in preparation for fighting US/UK air war as Germany was getting ready for Barbarossa!

Declaration of war on US pitched as confirming alliance with Japan, but still feels stupid. Germany could just stay quiet and force US to either engineer entry to European conflict another way or stay out. Still seems less stupid, considering this is at a time when Barbarossa is coming apart.

But overall, a sound if massively risky plan assuming you accept the insane basic assumptions. Hitler's strategic vision often gets assumed to be terrible out of disgust for the consequences of his actions and their failure.

I really do wonder what the vibe was among German economic elite from 1942 onwards, it's obvious the war is not winnable, that you're very fucked, and that everyone is coming to kill you.

Anyways, good book and worth reading/listening to. Tooze could've slimmed down on the pre-war stuff. I find him vaguely irritating with how he brings up irrelevant things just to show how smart he is but that's probably just envy.

P.S.

The original Volkswagen was just a massive scam with no actual civilian cars being produced despite taking all the payments for the vehicles. Possibly suggests two dominant strains of conservatism? Former is old aristocratic conservatism of the nobility or classic US elite; latter is the populist oppositional culture right-wingism which is about 64% scam artists.

[funnypages]

We’ve all seen this cover and made jokes and homages to it, but I want to put in the context of its time.

Captain America first appeared in December 1940. A year before the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the US declaring war on Nazi Germany. Although there were many in the US urging the government to enter the war on the side of the Allies, there was also those who were sympathetic to the Axis who wanted the US to stay neutral or side with Nazi Germany. Father Charles Coughlin, an anti-communist Catholic priest, launched a radio program which praised Nazi Germany and its actions toward Jews, reaching an audience of millions of people every week. Famous individuals like Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh made speeches on the Jewish problem at home and abroad. The German American Bund, which at its height had 25,000 members, praised Nazism and promoted American solidarity with Germany.

It is in this context that two New York Jews, Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, decided to create Captain America. While the character was popular, his first issue sold nearly a million copies, pro-Nazi groups began to picket and threaten the creators. But Kirby and Simon had powerful allies.

Fiorello H. La Guardia was the half Jewish, half Italian child of immigrants who became mayor of New York City in 1934. He fought against corruption and the mob and worked to protect the rights and improve the representation of the city’s Jewish, Italian, German, and Eastern European communities. The first time President Franklin Delano Roosevelt met Winston Churchill in person, he wrote that Churchill “in many ways is an English Mayor La Guardia.” And as if he couldn’t be more awesome, he liked comics. Upon hearing of the hate mail Kirby and Simon were getting, he called up the two and told them we would authorize police protection of their office if they wanted: “You boys over there are doing a good job, The City of New York will see that no harm comes to you.”

Since then Captain America has continually been a symbol fighting against racism and discrimination in America. He fought with Falcon against racism towards African Americans in the 1960s, in the 1980s he defended gays, and in the 2000s he stood by Arab and Muslim Americans. 

America has had a dark past and an uncertain present, but Captain America represents America’s possible future. He is a symbol of the fight against injustice, racism, and fascism; created and supported by those who see what this country could be.

[thebestofoneshots]

My mate went off on me because I don’t know who Bucky Barnes (did I even spell that right?) is because I don’t like Marvel. The thing is I couldn’t really tell her “oh I do know who he is, I read smut/regular fics about him on Tumblr”…

Anyway, now I’m obsessed with a fictional character I know nothing cannonically about -🫎

Oh you’ve come to the right person. Allow me to educate you on canon.

His name is James Buchanan Barnes, nicknamed Bucky by his best friend in the whole wide world Steve Rogers (that’s Captain America). But we also call him Winter Soldier, Bucky Bear, babe, or one of Lily’s husbands in the Marvel Universe

What’s his story though? Easy peasy. It’s the 1940s he’s besties with Steve, back when he still looked like a twink, and gets drafted to fight in WWII (tho he pretends he enlisted)

That’s him back then. Yeah, we know. How could you not? Also, he’s played by Sebastian Stan, who is an absolute fluffball of a human being.

Anyway, Bucky gets drafted and then we see Steve’s story where he basically just becomes Captain America.

But then, and this is what the interesting stuff happens, Steve gets sent to a camp to cheer up the soldiers like he’s been cheering up the people, and then he finds out that the 107th Infantry Regiment (Bucky’s Unit) was captured by the German army, so he goes (against orders) to search for him.

After a lot of badass Captain America scenes we finally see our baby again. But oh no! He was tortured by Hydra and they clearly did something to him, we don’t know what.

So, Steve makes friends and they form a team Called the Howling Commandos, and they do a lot of badass things, helping the US army win WWII. In one of those missions, there’s a train.

Oh no the train.

Basically, cool fight scenes and all, Bucky falls off the fucking train on a heart wrenching moment.

And then… we don’t see him again until…

But, and this is a good question, HOW DID WE GET TO THAT?

Well, Bucky falls, hydra rescues him bc he’s alive (it’s the super soldier serum they injected on him while they tortured him), also, that’s when he loses his left arm.

They torture him for years:

Fry his brain so he doesn’t remember Steve and also add a little code so they can control his mind.

That’s how our beautiful and sweet Bucky Barnes becomes THE WINTER SOLDIER

Who is he tho? Basically, Hydra’s trained little weapon that does whatever they ask him to do. But it’s okay, eventually, he starts remembering who he is, and there’s a huge drama with this because Tony Stark (Iron Man) finds out Bucky killed his parents (it wasn’t Bucky it was The Winter Soldier) and gets all mad and pissy about it and wants to unalive poor Bucky.

But Steve thankfully defends Bucky and they escape together to Wakanda, with black panther. There Bucky gets frosted, also he looses his arm because of the fight.

Then he’s defrosted and the Wakanda people get him to get rid of the mind control codes put in by Hydra and this incredible scene happens

They also give him a new metal arm (this one’s black and gold)

And then my boy has to go to therapy (literally forced by the law)

Also he cut his hair too hehe.

I feel like I’ve summed up cannon Bucky pretty well so far. Of course, there’s a lot of emotional trauma and other plot points that I left out, but next time someone askes you about Bucky, you’ll know.

Also, I used to write almost exclusively for him, so the obsession is pretty heavy still, Bucky baby I still love you, I have not forgotten you my dear (my like 10 funko pops of you literally prove this)

Read Bucky Fanfics here

[fancoloredglasses]

Captain America (Could you stop the film, please? I think I'm going to be sick), part 1

(Thanks to Chas Blankenship)

[All images are owned by Marvel Disney and 21st Century Films MGM. Please don’t sue me]

Oh gods…where to start…

First off, I had previously reviewed a pre-MCU interpretation of Captain America. This film, made over a decade later, was supposed to be a theatrical release in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the character. Unfortunately, it missed the anniversary by a year…as a direct-to-DVD release (mainly due to reviews being savage). I’ll get to the bad acting and poor writing choices lates, but I want to address on HORRIBLE costuming choice first…

CAPTAIN AMERICA’S COWL HAS RUBBER EARS!

WHY?!?!

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way…

One of the first issues with the film is casting an inexperienced actor in the title role:

Matt Salinger, son of Catcher In The Rye author JD Salinger. Now, I’m not saying nepotism was involved, but…

Salinger looked the part but lacked the ability to pull off being the center of attention. The writing certainly didn’t help matters either.

Of course, you can’t have a Captain America film without the Red Skull. However, in this film he is not Johann Schmidt, Nazi (and VERY German) zealot who volunteered for the procedure that transformed him. Instead, he is Tadzio de Santis, an Italian boy who was kidnapped after his family was slaughtered by Mussolini’s forces, then subjected to the procedure and brainwashed.

There are one or two names worth mentioning in the cast (neither of the main characters are) that I’ll cover when they’re introduced, but now…on with the show.

If you would like to watch the film, it’s available out YouTube or behind your favorite paywall.

We open in Italy in 1936, 3 years before the start of WW2 (for those who didn’t pay attention in history class) where a young boy is doing a piano recital (with a tape machine recoding it for posterity) in his home when Italian troops break through the window and enter (wouldn’t the front door be easier since you’re destroying property anyway?)  The father objects and is gunned down for his trouble. Mussolini then orders the boy to be taken as his troops slaughter the rest of the family while they make him watch.. Why this particular boy?

Oh sure, that makes sense. Take a prodigy against his will and kill his family. I’m sure he’ll be totally cooperative after that! Besides, the kid is what, thirteen at most? Surely there are genius adults they could recruit, or maybe Mussolini could’ve just appealed to the family’s sense of patriotism and asked for the boy for the good of the country.

 We then switch to an Italian fortress where we have an Italian officer showing a bunch of German officers a film of a rat for some reason, then reveals…

…and this is a good thing???

The Italian claims the rat is much stronger and more intelligent (yeah, but good luck getting it a date in Saturday night!)

We are then introduced to Dr. Vaselli, who created the process (as opposed to Dr. Erskine in the comics, since he’s German and the producers wanted to do this in Italy for some reason), who is appalled that the military is using her process on the bot (you mean she’d be less appalled if they used it on an adult?) so they have her restrained, but she breaks free and flees.

We then fast forward to 1943 (three years after Cap’s comic debut? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to kidnap an older lad and have this be 1940?)

President Roosevelt is being briefed on Project Rebirth, which is Dr. Veselli’s research now in the hands of the Americans.

The President is told that the first volunteer (at least he wasn’t kidnapped?) as a man named Steve Rogers. Should the test be successful, many more will follow.

Out in California (wait, isn’t Steve from Brooklyn? Can’t the writers get ANY details right?) Steve gives a tearful goodbye to his friends and family before Uncle Sam comes to retrieve him.

Steve is then whisked away to a secret lab, where Steve is pumped full of whatever Vaselli’s formula is and electricity until……

(Thanks to Video Club Random)

[QUICK NOTE: Lt. Fleming is played by Bill Mumy, who played Will Robinson on Lost In Space and Lennier on Babylon 5)

With Vaselli dead, Steve Rogers (Code Name: Captain America) is the first and last of America’s super soldiers. Unfortunately, he was critically injured from his gunshot wounds. Col. Louis (Played by Michael Nouri, who played the Love Interest in Flashdance) tells the doctor to patch him up quick because the Axis has a rocket capable of targeting anywhere in the world, including onto US soil, within a week. So no pressure or anything.

As the doctor leaves, Steve forces himself up and wants to know where he’s going in order to stop that rocket.

Within hours, they’re on a plane.

…with Captain America trying out his new fireproof outfit (with his new shield) Once over the area the launch site is supposed to be hidden, Cap parachutes down.

(Thanks to TheMovieDump)

As the rocket speeds toward Washington…

(Thanks again to Video Club Random)

(The boy’s name is Tom Kimball, whose family happened to be visiting Washington. You’ll be hearing about him again in about 50 years)

Later, in Alaska…

…the rocket crashes, but somehow doesn’t explode. Instead, it buries itself in the ice.

Later, when the Kimballs go home to Ohio, young Tom tells the story about the rocket to his best friend, Sam Kolawetz.

Eventually, the war ended and time marched on until 1993 (3 years after this movie was made; again, why not set he WW2 bit in 1940, then have the present be 1990 (which would be Cap's 50th anniversary)) where young Tom Kimball has grown up to become President Thomas Kimball (Played by Ronny Cox, who was Lt. Bogomil in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise and Dick Jones in RoboCop)

He is preparing to travel to Rome for an environmental summit (considering we’re STILL trying to fight climate change, you can guess how successful it will be)

Before he leaves, Kimball meets with General Fleming (who is NOT played by Bill Mumy, but Darren McGevin (who voiced the crime lord Tony Dracon on Gargoyles)), who seems to give Kimball a veiled threat to cancel the summit.

Let’s switch to Italy and a familiar stronghold we last saw 50 years ago.

…where the Red Skull isn’t so red or skull-y anymore (and is sporting a shiny new prosthetic hand so the actor doesn’t have to pretend he doesn’t have one) Skull is holding a summit of his own to oppose Kimball’s environmental agenda. His compatriots want to kill Kimball, but Skull suggest a brain implant to control him instead.

Meanwhile in Alaska, a group of explorers discover.…

OK, if Cap was THAT close to the surface, then there’s no way (a) he’d be frozen enough for suspended animation and (2) it would’ve taken 50 years to discover him!

The explorers cut through the ice and bring the block of Cap-sicle to their base camp. Suddenly the block shatters and…

…Captain America is alive, well, and very fucking confused. He walks out of the tent into the cold (is he trying to become an ice cube again?)

Later, at the White House, Kimball is reading the morning paper…

Kimball pulls out the photo he took of the man on the rocket from 50 years ago to discover it’s the same person (or at least the same outfit) He then calls Sam Kolawetz (now a reporter for the Washington Dispatch…

...played by Ned Beatty, best known for being Lex Luthor’s flunky in Superman and getting sodomized in Deliverance) Sam (because Kolawetz is too hard to consistently spell) starts going on about the legend of the Red Skull and the man in the ice could be a link to the Skull.

Meanwhile in Rome, Skull is making plans for Kimball’s visit. He wants to know where Kimball will be at all times and any dirt his people can dig up on his Secret Service agents. Then he gets the morning paper and sees…

He then tasks his daughter Valentina (wait, you mean someone had a kid with him? Well, that would explain the change in his appearance) to deal with the good Captain.

Later, in the Great White North (What? You can’t expect Cap to get from Alaska to the Lower 48 without going through Canada!) Cap is wandering aimlessly when helicopters (led by Valentina) approach and Sam is driving toward his location. Cap ducks into the woods, so Valentina has the choppers land and she and a couple of goons give chase on motorcycles they just happened to have aboard (why? Couldn’t the choppers be armed and shoot at Cap from the air?) Cap manages to somehow lose all of the goons except Valentina.

(Thanks to Tales From SYL Ranch DARKROOM)

Cute, but there’s no way in hell anyone else would be dumb enough to fall for that.

To be fair to Cap, just a day ago by his reckoning he was in a war against the Germans and the Japanese.

As Cap drives away, he thumbs through Sam’s notebook (after all, he was frozen before it was ill advised to drive while distracted), checking a map to discover he’s in Canada, and drives until he’s out of gas.

Packing up the notebook and disguising himself (good thing Sam had an overcoat that just happened to be Steve's size) he hikes until nightfall, where he finds a truck stop and a trailer that the driver apparently forgot to lock.

…falling asleep next to the Champaign of Canadian Beers as the truck drives through the night, eventually ending up in Steve Rogers’s hometown.

…eventually realizing this isn’t 1943. He finds his girlfriend’s (Bernice) home, but when he approaches the owner (who looks a lot like her)…

She then calls for her mother to call the cops, but…

…her mother’s his old flame (emphasis on old, since it’s been 50 years) and reality finally sets in.

Meanwhile in Italy, Valentina reports failure, but somehow she bugged Sam.

However, all the Skull can think about is her inability to kill Captain America (he shouldn’t be so hard on her. After all, he couldn’t do it either) and sends her away.

Back in Washington, Sam is tracking down the origins of Captain America.

Wait, if that file is Top Secret, how the hell did he get his hands on it?

Sam goes through the file and finds the hometown of Steve Rogers. He immediately calls President Kimball (remember him?) to give him the news (Wouldn’t Kimball have security clearance for that file, being the President and all?)

So naturally, Valentina now has the information and can improve her father’s opinion of her.

Back in California, Bernice' daughter daughter (Sharon) is letting Steve crash until he gets himself caught up. While at Bernice’s place…

…Sam has shown up looking for Steve Rogers. Suddenly he’s shot from behind (nice to see Ned Beatty continues to be cast as the guy who gets shit on)…

…as Valentina storms in looking for Captain America!

At Sharon’s place, Steve is caught up and realizes Sam was telling the truth, and that the Red Skull is still alive. He remembers Vaselli kept a diary that might have Skull’s actual name. Then the phone ring.

We then shift to outside Bernice’s home, where the occupants are being loaded into emergency vehicles and the place has been cordoned off as a crime scene! Sharon’s father is alive despite being shot, but Sam and Bernice…

…refused to talk and paid the price!

The next morning at the hospital, Sharon sits with her father and turns on the TV to comfort him when a Special Report airs.

Well, THAT can’t be good!

Looks like Captain America is taking a trip to Rome (where Kimball was abducted), but first Steve needs Veselli’s diary. Sharon takes Steve to the diner where the lab was hidden. Surprisingly, it hasn’t been converted into a Denny’s yet. Steve goes to the spot where the secret door should be, only it’s a ladies room now.

As management calls the cops, Valentina and her goons arrive at the diner (how did Steve not know he was being tailed?) Steve then finds a space between studs and punches a hole through the drywall to find the secret door into the remains of the lab.

Steve finds the diary as Valentina’s goons arrive at the diner, guns waving. Steve and Sharon hide as Valentina enters the lab. They manage to sneak out while Valentina’s back is turned, but…

What? You didn’t think Valentina would plan for that? Steve uses the darkness to play cat-and-mouse with the goons, making short work of them. They then leave before the cops arrive. Sharon goes through the diary (so she can read Italian?) and while it doesn’t give the Red Skull’s name, it does give the town where he’s from.

So…trip to Italy?

CAN Captain America save the President?

WILL Steve and Sharon become An Item?

WHO the hell thought ANY of this was a good idea?

These questions and more will be answered in the exciting conclusion!

[beep-beep-imma-sheep]

I decided to read Anne Frank's Diary... What an interesting experience considering Venezuela's current events.

—

Our lives were not without anxiety, since our relatives in Germany were suffering under Hitler's anti-Jewish laws. After the pogroms in 1938 my two uncles (my mother's brothers) fled Germany, finding safe refuge in North America. My elderly grandmother came to live with us. She was seventy-three years old at the time.

This anxiety feels similar to... Pretty much what anyone who fled their home country would feel.

After May 1940 the good times were few and far between:

28th of July, anyone?

first there was the war, then the capitulation and then the arrival of the Germans, which is when the trouble started for the Jews. Our freedom was severely restricted by a series of anti-Jewish decrees:

Out freedom was severely restricted... Yeah. That speaks for itself.

Jews were required to wear a yellow star; Jews were required to turn in their bicycles; Jews were forbidden to use street-cars; Jews were forbidden to ride in cars, even their own; Jews were required to do their shopping between 3 and 5 P.M.; Jews were required to frequent only Jewish-owned barbershops and beauty parlors; Jews were forbidden to be out on the streets between 8 P.M. and 6 A.M.;

This is not the same, of course, but this also reminds me of how, even if there's no official curfew, no one dares to go outside after certain hour. I remember one of these nights my aunt woke up around 2 am and saw the military through the window roaming around were I live, probably looking for someone to arrest.

Jews were forbidden to attend theaters, movies or any other forms of entertainment; Jews were forbidden to use swimming pools, tennis courts, hockey fields or any other athletic fields; Jews were forbidden to go rowing; Jews were forbidden to take part in any athletic activity in public; Jews were forbidden to sit in their gardens or those of their friends after 8 P.M.; Jews were forbidden to visit Christians in their homes; Jews were required to attend Jewish schools,etc.

... Well, we haven't reached that point. But no one SHOULD get to that point-.

You couldn't do this and you couldn't do that, but life went on.

That sounds very 🇻🇪 to me.

Jacque always said to me, "I don't dare do anything anymore, 'cause I'm afraid it's not allowed".

Again, that feeling looks... Very familiar.

It seems like years since Sunday morning. So much has happened it's as if the whole world had suddenly turned upside down.

🇻🇪28th of July🇻🇪

It's more like being on vacation in some strange pension. Kind of an odd way to look at life in hiding, but that's how things are.

Coping mechanisms be like.

Whatever we do, we're very afraid the neighbors might hear or see us.

GIRL, SAME. There's Chavistas in my neighborhood, I'm s c a r e d that they'd end up ratting us out on being from the opposition so the police can put us under arrest.

Though the people who work there are not on the premises after hours, any sound we make might travel through the walls.

I know that fear.

We've forbidden Margot to cough at night, even though she has a bad cold, and are giving her large doses of codeine.

...

Of course, we can't ever look out the window or go outside. And we have to be quiet so the people downstairs can't hear us. (...) Not being able to go outside upsets me more than I can say, and I'm terrified our hiding place will be discovered and that we'll be shot. That, of course, is a fairly dismal prospect.

From July 28th to August 1st I didn't even dare to look out the window. And the fear of being shot is something I carry with me since I was a kid.

And sometimes they talk about Moortje and I can't take that at all. Moortje is my weak spot. I miss her every minute of the day, and no one knows how often I think of her; whenever I do, my eyes fill with tears. Moortje is so sweet, and I love her so much that I keep dreaming she'll come back to us.

Unrelated to the topic, but back in the last days of May my dog passed away (yes, I had the worst pride month). I resonated with this scared 13 y/o girl who had to leave everything behind, even her beloved pet.

Yesterday I had a horrible fright. At eight o'clock the doorbell suddenly rang. All I could think of was that someone was coming to get us, you know who I mean. But I calmed down when everybody swore it must have been either pranksters or the mailman.

Sometimes I remember the fact that a guard could just... Break into my house and take me or someone I love away. And that's terrifying.

[suugrbunz]

Part Two — Main Focus will be Robert ‘Rosie’ Rosenthal, David Solomon, and inevitably the camp Rosie saw when tagging along with the Red Army.

Welcome to part two, you can find part one here. That part is entirely about the Band of Brothers series and Jewish identity. If you enjoy this essay, you'll enjoy the previous one! Find that one here: X

Let's talk about Rosenthal!! Let me start with; love him and this fandom better not overlook his Jewishness in their fics because this man is from… Brooklyn but more specifically Flatbush. Now, I know people who may not know exactly what Flatbush is and why I put any emphasis on that place. Many Yeshivas are in Flatbush and honestly it is very close to Crown Heights. Crown Heights is kind of like the orthodoxy capital of America. So, all that to say; I don't know the form of Judaism he observed but we can deduce he was Jewish and observing the religion. This is also backed by the fact he married a Jewish woman. So, when I say this man was raised Jewish, I mean it. So, don't dwindle him down to tokenism such as saying things about him loving Chanukah. It might be true but people outside of our religion use Chanukah like it's our holiest holiday. It's actually minor. It is important to represent someone who is of any minority correctly and Rosie (mwah) is no different.

Now in the documentary posted after the MoTa series ended we hear firsthand that the Jews of America KNEW what was happening in Europe. Rosie Rosenthal states this. Plain as plain can be. Which was his main motivation for joining the army air force. Rosenthal comes across a concentration camp which is based in truth. If you find this to be tokenism then sorry but you're wrong. In an age where I see people telling Jews that we are drinking children's blood, murderers, and denial of the holocaust. I think incorporating the reality of the sho’ah is essential. When I was doxxed for being Jewish. Fear showing my Star of David necklace— yeah, it is important!

Don't belittle representation of a minority especially if you are not part of the minority. It isn't your place to police if it was tokenism or not.

Let's address the concentration camp scene and its reality. Firstly, the pungently rotten smell of dead bodies permeates throughout the air whilst the Red Army is near it in the scene. We see Rosie is obviously disturbed by the smell and against his better judgement he goes to its source after asking to stretch his legs. In the following scene we see him discover the dead bodies in the camp uniform. Let's discuss this fact first and foremost. As the Red Army and Patton's Army were approaching the camps they did one of three things; Put them on marches to the interior of Germany (we see this happen in the show with POWs), kill everyone in the camp, or abandon the camp. Information on this particular camp leaves me to woefully say; Everyone in this camp was murdered or sent on death marches to a different camp so they couldn't be liberated. The town the concentration camp resided in was liberated by the 2nd Byelorussian front. More information on this camp can be found here: x

In one of the barrack rooms, which happens to be the one Rosie goes into, there were children. There is a drawing of a menorah, a magen David (which he touches), and Yiddish. Yiddish would've been taught more so than Hebrew in the 1800s-1940s European Jewry. Yiddish itself is a dialect of Judeo-Germanic. What does this mean? It means a Diaspora created a dialect using their native tongue and the regional language. Later on, it developed into its own language with its own dialects depending on where they were. Anyway, I shall digress and return to the true topic at hand. During this we see the words translated as; The judge of life will judge for life. It has religious tones to it but I am not here to explain what it may have meant. I'm not a rabbi.

Later on, when he is about to board a plane to go back to England— he encounters a survivor in the town. Their conversation displays something many survivors struggled with— did G-d remember them? How could tatty have forgotten us? Many Jews lost their religious beliefs after this, some stayed steadfast. I'm not sure how I would've reacted but there is no right or wrong way to react. What you see in this interaction is a genuine representation. Additionally, mass immigration and displaced persons camps were common from this point forward for Jewish people. They had to figure out where they were going to be safe.

On the other hand we have David Solomon... We see David Solomon questioned for being Jewish in the POW camp based on name. He is obviously Jewish. In the show, we see in a scene that after being questioned we hear the Major say; “We are all Americans.”. That didn't matter to the Nazis. I am sorry but the last name Solomon and first name David are nearly stereotypically Jewish. In the show and in this essay we need to address; He was treated differently because the Nazi officers knew he was Jewish. In an interview from 1980, also addresses the fact he too knew that there was a degree of persecution of Jews in mainland Europe. Solomon didn't wear his dog tags because it had H for Hebrew on it and the Jews in the military knew— they'd be treated differently. Even without the dog tags around his neck, he was still treated differently. Solomon was separated from the other members of the 100th and was told he was a spy. The reason for suspicion was due to him placing propaganda leaflets on his pyjamas shirts. I need to add he thought he was going home soon which is why he had the leaflets; He'd gotten them from some Royal Air Force plane that emergency landed the night before the downing of his plane and subsequent capture. Then, the day of the mission, he was in pyjamas because he assumed he was going home. Don't ask me. I don't know. All I know is this is genuinely what he said in the interview. Anyway, after this, he was roughly interrogated due to the suspicion of him being a spy (his words but I suspect this means possible torture.). Additionally, he lost around seventy pounds (est~ 190 lbs to 128) by the time he was liberated. David says Jewish American POWs were treated differently but he isn't sure whether or not Jewish POWs were killed. He also stated that amongst the higher ranking officers there was subtle antisemitism but there were some Jewish officers which balanced it out. Among the antisemitic officers, some had little to no care about what was happening to the Jews; Even if they knew. Many were just medal hungry— they wanted their medals, they wanted to look good. It was a lack of humanitarianism within the higher ranks. Finally, David Solomon says he doesn't consider himself a holocaust camp survivor to any degree (not sure who would).

After the war, those who told the stories were the refugees and newspapers. David Solomon met some of these refugees since some of his own (presumably) extended family members hosted refugees during the war. After learning all of the information, he went as far as to question (he admits this was wrong of him to question but) he goes on to say, “Why the atomic bomb wasn't dropped on Germany”.

You can listen to the interview here: x

You can find extra background information that I didn't include but read here: x

The Allies knew what was happening to the Jewish population of Europe. They. Knew. They could've stopped it but let me explain why they didn't. Through the American political lense— they put a quota on specifically Jewish immigration solely because they wanted to keep a majority Christian nation. They turned away Jewish refugees throughout the war. An example of this being Billy Joel’s (bye i keep using him as my example) parents who had to immigrate to Cuba during the duration of the war. After the war, they went to New York. However, a family that also tried going to America were the Franks. Yes, those Franks. Anne Frank, Margot, and Edith would have survived if America didn't refuse them.

[oatmilkenjoyer69]

Stevebucky Non-Fiction Rec List

I read a lot of non-fiction about the 20s, 30s, and 40s because I’m obsessed with Lindy Hop and jazz, so if you’d like a broader historical context for the NYC of Steve and Bucky’s youth, here’s my ongoing list! Also featuring info about WWII. I’ll be expanding as I read more books

Music, Dancing, and Nightlife in NYC from the ~1920s-1940s: 

Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday (1999) - Angela Y. Davis

Swingin’ at The Savoy: The Memoir of a Jazz Dancer (1996) - Norma Miller and Evette Jensen

Blues People: Negro Music in White America (1963) - Amiri Baraka

Swing Shift: “All Girl” Bands of the 1940s (2000) - Sherrie Tucker

This one isn’t specifically about NYC, but very interesting to learn about war-time America! This is basically a history textbook, so be aware of that if you dive in 

Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay World, 1890-1940 - George Chauncey

The Weary Blues (1926) - Langston Hughes 

This one isn’t non-fiction, but it’s amazing and gives you the perfect understanding of what the nightlife in Harlem felt like

WWII Battlefield Sociology and History:

Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich (2017) - Norman Ohler

Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust (1996) - Daniel Jonah Goldhagen

An important look at the rise of fascism/antisemitism and the everyday person. Here’s a review of the book and its reception from Boston University

Storm of Steel (1920) - Ernst Jünger

This book is actually about WWI, but it’s fucking crazy. It’s a memoir by a German soldier that was having a fucking blast on the battlefield. Very harrowing read, great to learn about what life was like on the front lines.

Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War II (1991) - Allan Berube

I haven’t read this one yet, but it’s on my TBR! 

Night of the Assassins: The Untold Story of Hitler's Plot to Kill FDR, Churchill, and Stalin (2020) - Howard Blum

Bonus! Documentaries:

Jazz (2001) - Ken Burns

The U.S. and the Holocaust (2022) - Ken Burns 

Baseball (1994) - Ken Burns

Defying the Nazis: The Sharp’s War (2013) - Ken Burns

Jackie Robinson (2016) - Ken Burns

The War (2007) - Ken Burns

Yes, I have a Ken Burns addiction, please do not @ me. I know I’ve watched more docs from people that are not Ken Burns, I’ll add them as I think of them.

If anyone needs someone to consult with about their pre-war/WWII-era stevebucky fic, please let me know, I love talking about history, especially NYC nightlife

[littleeyesofpallas]

Funny thing about idiots who try and hide behind, "I believe in separation of art and artist!" Is that there is not and has not ever been any actual legitimate art theory of separation of art and artist. People frequently misattribute it to Barthe's Death of the Author, despite that not being the meaning or function of that essay at all. Often people come upon some concept of "separation of art and artist" as either a half misheard/misremembered paraphrasing (else as a kind of primitive reinventing of the wheel, but in a very ungabunga appropriate fashion the wheel they think they've thought of all on their own is square.) But the origins of the idea go back to what was called New Criticism in the 1940s. You may not have ever heard of them as they were a ""literary philosophy"" that only ever existed in the United States, focused mostly on poetry but did feebly try to expand into other art forms, and even at its height really only thrived in the specific academic scenes of the American South. They are not especially well remembered because they were rendered entirely obsolete in the 1960s-70s because, and you'll never guess, feminism and the civil rights movement proved them a complete and total sham. That's a big claim let me back up...

In the mid 40s New Criticism's rise stemmed largely from the resistance to the German roots of preceding 19th century literary analysis. In Europe literary analysis had spent the past 100 years refining an emphasis on tracing links of how authorial intent and the context there of defined a work. New Critics argued that knowing facts about authors and putting work in its historical and cultural context and understanding the meaning of words and their intended uses was counterintuitive to experiencing art, and instead posited that real art stood on its own. That is to say, that they thought you could/should read words on a page and be able to judge the work's artistic value and integrity based upon the feeling in that moment and any pontificating or unpacking thereof. They championed this idea largely in support of popular poets of the time like T.S.Elliot as a kind of ward against accusations of them all being idiot fanboys who only liked Elliott's work because they knew it was Elliott's. But it was painfully transparent even to their contemporary detractors that it was all just a flimsy halfbaked excuse to not do the work of actual literary criticism.

Anyway, so how did wiminz and the blacks ruin this party for a bunch of entitled, hypocritical, southern, white collar, agrarian-fetishist land inheritors. (Oh yeah, as a random tangent of their supposed artistic values, they were also very about resisting industrialism and preserving ""the agrarian lifestyle"" which was of course specifically referring to the farming culture of the antebellum south.). Well, go figure, when people who weren't white, conventionally educated, and/or male started gaining traction in poetry these dweebs, with their "art should speak for itself" pseudo-philosophy suddenly lacked the context to meaningfully read the expression of people writing from a lived experience that wasn't cookie cutter identical to their own. So to them all that new fangled poetry and prose about life as a woman or as a black person in America were utterly incomprehensible. But while they couldn't make heads or tales of Langston Hughes, or Gill Scott Heron, the rest of academia was picking up on it all just fine.

Go figure. Who could have possibly known that their thin veneer of academic pretention and pseudo-intellectualism would be so ill equipped to actually process or even approach art as art?? Everyone. Literally the rest of the world and most of the rest of American academia at the time. Everyone knew they were full of shit from day one. They were only fooling themselves. They were basically the world's lamest, least interesting cult.

So go figure that when someone tries to invoke, "separation of art and artist!" all I can think of is how I've got good odds betting that that person's tiny little peabrain must have gone through the exact same frantic fanboy coping mechanisms that a bunch of loser T.S.Elliot groupies sitting around burning grammy and grampa's plantation money to cosplay English majors did back in the 1940s-50s to excuse themselves from having to actually learn any critical thinking or reading comprehension skills.

[butwhyduh]

As someone whose people (and family) were directly affected by the Nazi and what they did, I am repulsed by what had happened. I don't think I have words to describe the anger and sadness I feel. My family members, just like families of my friends, are struggling with generational trauma, and neither of us received any financial compensation for what had happened. Including the survivors from the 1940s.

Yet I still see in America comments like "the good guys lost WWII" and I can't believe that there are people who truly believe such things.

Not only regular folks but apparently celebrities too.

Agreed. It’s gross. And pardon my language but anyone who has anything nice to say about fucking n#zis can go fuck them self with a hot poker stick. And I feel for you. My grandparents were in Germany and they left to the states right before the war. The reason I don’t speak German is because America was so nationalistic at the time that they threw rocks at people who spoke German so they completely stopped speaking it. So I guess not that surprising that it’s come back. 😥

[musingsofabookworm1]

Catching Up: Part 2

During this span, I returned books to the library that I didn't have time to read. I've never done that. Ever. Dark literary days. But better days head hopefully! Here are November and December's reads:

*The Oracle of Maracoor: Another Day #2 by Gregory Maguire: 4 stars The second in the series following Elphaba's (Wicked) granddaughter. This is a series which will require a read of the first book prior to this one. Both are short, and if you enjoy the Wicked Chronicles, I highly recommend it.

*Mecury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra: 3 stars I waited so long for this book as I absolutely loved Constellation of Vital Phenomenon, but this one just didn't do it for me like that one did. It follows Italian-born Maria who comes to America in the 1940s in hopes of hittting it big in Hollywood. There's more to it than that, obviously, but that's the bare bones. If you've not read ...Phenomenon, you need to.

*The VanderBeekers on the Road by Karina Yan Glaser: 4 stras Book six, but not the last (as expected), of Glaser's middle grade series. It picks up right where its predecessor left off with its lovable characters. Get the middle grader in your life into these books!

*The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama: 5 stars Just read this book. It's amazing. Also recommended: buying and sharing with your BFF -- it heigthens the enjoyability.

*Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan: 5 stars I thought I was "outgrowing" Picoult's work. But this one brought me back to saying I'm a fan. Picoult brings back characters from previoius works writing from the perpective of Olivia whose son is accused of murdering his girlfiend Lily (Boylan writes Lily's chapters). The two authors put out a hell of a product! Two thumbs way up for this one.

*The Killing Code by Ellie Marney: 3 stars WWII YA compared to Kate Quinn. Not quite, reviewer. You can find better WWII YA than this one. It had some good parts, but average overall.

*We Spread by Iain Reid: 3 stars This has Reid's usual werid vibe, but I didn't like it as much as his others. Protagonist Penny finds herself in a nursing home of sorts that her now-decesased partner signed her up for prior to his death.

*Skipping Christmas by John Grisham: 3 stars Sometimes you read a book because it's your BFF's favorite even though you both know you probably won't love it. But it took minimal time to read, and it did have its highlights.

*Poster Girl by Veronica Roth: 3 stars Said girl is Sonya who lives in a society in which the Delegation has set up a moral code that landed her in prison, but after 10 years, an enemy fromt he past offers her a deal in exchange for her freedom.

*Anywhere You Run by Wanda M. Morris: 5 stars A snow day read! And an excellent one at that! After the murder of a white man in 1960s Mississippi, two black sisters disappear from town in hopes of escaping the secrets they left behind.

*Marmee by Sarah Miller: 5 stars Love Little Women? Get your hands on this book. It follows the story through Marmee's journal entries and includes additional insight into this supporting character. Another good one to share with your BFF if you both love the March sisters.

*Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer: 5 stars This one was $7 for the paperback, and I loved The Things We Cannot Say so forked over the money. This was another snow-day five-star read! It started slow as the plot goes back and forth between a mother in the 1950s and a family close to present-day. About a third of the way through, things picked up, and how all the pieces came together was excellent!

*Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships - by Nina Totenberg: 4 stars My BFF bought this book so we could enjoy reading about RBG. Ruth is sprinkled in for sure. More and moreso as the memoir carries on. I knew nothing of Totenberg other than the fact that she is a journalist. So all new info on her.

*A School for German Brides by Aimie K. Runyan: 3 stars The plot summary tells of how to the protagonists stories meet. But that doesn't actually happen until about three-quarters of the way through this WWII novel. Definite negative on that front. Average overall.

[flying-not-falling]

The Middle - September 1940

When the other boys called you names, we’d go to the place on the far side of the school grounds, near the hills and the stream that leads out to the city. We’d climb up, rip off our shirts, and send them to the ground. We’d yell to the hills and cannonball into the water. 

It was easy to forget on days like those, but these weren’t the same cannons our fathers and uncles wrestled with, hid from, died to in the war. Not the same ones we’d soon be called to face ourselves. 

“We had a duty,” Couch Brown told us while reminiscing. He had a pipe and half his left leg. “To blast them damn Germans to hell,” he coughed a lot.  

The unpleasant way his face contorted, choking on smoke, stayed in my mind, and I snubbed my cigarette on the grass under the tree, digging it into the fresh dirt.

“They’re saying October,” I mentioned, my fingers tracing petals around where my smoking cigarette burned a circle into the earth. I wondered if anyone at all would mistake it for a real flower. 

“What?” You lulled, lying on your back under the canopy of leaves. 

“For the draft, I mean, the names will be picked by then. Service starts in November, most likely, my dad was telling me.” 

“Huh.” Your face was hidden through the tall grass. 

“Yeah.” 

“You’re too young for the draft,” you turned your head away. I turned too, looking out at the yellow flowers on the other side of the riverbank. Nobody would think my flower was real, I decided, if they knew the beautiful flowers God could make.  

“I’m almost seventeen, you know, I could enlist,” I told you, keeping the lightness in my voice that made it okay to talk about things we shouldn’t, like your family or the war that was coming from across the sea. America had been doing a poor job as of late, you’d said, with heeding Washington’s warnings.   

You lifted your head above the tall grass. “You won’t though,” you rolled over on your stomach, bracing yourself on your elbows, like an army crawl.  

“I could,” I sat up, feeling the chill of the wind on my back, still wet from the evening we spent jumping into the river, swimming so far upstream that the yellow lights of town looked like a battalion of fireflies through the scope of a gun. 

You didn’t respond right away, instead you launched yourself up to the top branch of the tree. You found my eyes before throwing yourself flying into the air, purposefully tucking in your knees and sticking out your hands like the wings of a plane to make the largest splash of water, drenching me on the riverbank. 

 You were right of course, how could we go from explosions of water on the lake to shells of metal spiraling out from no man’s land?

[animala2z]

American Eskimo dog price, size, behavior & Profile Special Info…

The American Eskimo Dog is a breed of companion dog that originated in Germany. The American Eskimo Dog is a member of the Spitz family. It is considered an ancient dog breed due to its recent mixing with wolves.

The ancestor of the breed was the German Spitz, but due to anti-German sentiment during World War I, it was renamed “American Eskimo Dog”. Although modern American Eskimo dogs have been exported as German Spitz Gross, the breeds have diverged and the standards vary greatly.

In addition to serving as a watchdog and companion, the American Eskimo dog achieved a high level of popularity in the United States as a circus performer in the 1930s and 1940s.

There are three size varieties of the American Eskimo dog breed, Toy, Miniature, and Standard. They share a close resemblance with the Japanese Spitz, Danish Spitz, Volpino Italiano, German Spitz, Indian Spitz, and Samoyeds.

Visual Status:

Dog Breed Group: Companion DogsHeight: 15 to 19 inches tall at the shoulderWeight: Starts at 30 poundsLife Span: 12 to 15 years

Size

The American Eskimo Dog comes in three sizes: Toy, Miniature, and Standard. The toys measure 9 to 12 inches and weigh about 10 pounds.

Miniatures stand 12 to 15 inches tall and weigh about 20 pounds. Standards stand 15 inches by 19 inches and weigh about 30 pounds.

Breed Characteristics (Ratings In Point)

Adaptability: 5 PointsDog Friendly: 4 PointsShedding Level: 5 PointsAffection Level: 5 PointsExercise Needs: 4 PointsSocial Needs: 4 PointsApartment Friendly: 3 PointsGrooming: 4 PointsStranger Friendly: 2 PointsBarking Tendencies: 5 PointsHealth Issues: 3 PointsTerritorial: 5 PointsCat Friendly: 3 PointsIntelligence: 5 PointsTrainability: 5 PointsChild Friendly: 2 PointsPlayfulness: 4 PointsWatchdog Ability: 5 Points

Breed History

The American Eskimo dog is a member of the Spitz family. Spitz dogs are Nordic dogs with a fox-like face, profuse coats, tails on the back, and small, prickly ears. There is a great diversity of Nordic breeds in size, from the small Pomeranian to the large Samoyed.

The true origins of the American Eskimo dog are unknown. What is known is that in the United States, small, white Spitz-type dogs were commonly found in German immigrant communities.

These dogs were descendants of the white German Spitz, white Keeshonden, or large white Pomeranian who came to America with their German families. They became known collectively as the American Spitz Dogs.

The American Eskimo Dog was a popular entertainer in many circuses that traveled across the United States during the 19th century. With his brilliant white coat and amazing ability to juggle, the Eskie was a favorite showman. This widespread attention helped popularize the breed.

In 1917, the American Spitz has renamed the American Eskimo Dog, although today no one knows why. The American Eskimo Dog Club of America was established in 1985, and in 1995, the American Kennel Club recognized the breed in the Non-Sporting Group.

Temperament and Personality

The Eskie is smart, friendly, and a good communicator. His alert nature makes him an excellent watchdog, but be careful! He is very outspoken. Train him from a very early age that excessive barking is not allowed.

An American Eskimo will tell you through glances and barks what it wants. One look at the cookie jar, then one look at you and one look at the jar sends a very clear message. Fascinated by her black eyes and smiling face, you will find yourself giving her a treat without even thinking about it.

Eskie gets on with everyone he meets, but he isn’t always patient with tight squeezes from kids. Closely supervise interactions with young children, and teach them how to gently pet an Eskie. An American Eskimo should never be shy or aggressive. If a puppy or its parents are not available, don’t say thank you.

Begin training your puppy the day you bring him home. Even at eight weeks old, he is able to soak up everything you can teach him. Don’t wait until they are 6 months old to start training or you will have a more stubborn dog to deal with.

Dog Breed Image

If possible, take him to puppy kindergarten class, and socialize, socialize, socialize until he is 10 to 12 weeks old.

However, be aware that many puppy training classes require some vaccines to be up-to-date, and many veterinarians recommend limited exposure to other dogs and in public places until puppy vaccines. In lieu of formal training, you can start home-training your puppy and socialize him with family and friends until the puppy’s vaccinations are complete.

[justjensenanddean]

Jensen Ackles gets supe-d up as Soldier Boy in first look at The Boys season 3

A Captain America-esque figure, Soldier Boy is the original superhero. He's also the leader of the team Payback, which, in the world of the show, was the premiere group of superheroes before the Seven was formed.

Soldier Boy was active in the 1940s during World War II at a time when Vought founder Frederik Vought had "practical applications of Compound V tested in the field," Giancarlo Esposito's Mr. Edgar once said in season 2. "Soldier Boy killing Germans by the dozens" was one of those applications.

"Soldier Boy is the original badass," The Boys costume designer Laura Jean Shannon, who created Ackles' suit with concept artist Greg Hopwood, said in a statement. "Our goal was to highlight a bygone era of overt masculinity and grit. With that pedigree we dove headfirst into baking in an all-American quality grounded in a military soldier's practicality with a heavy dose of old school cowboy swagger. We knew that the actor had to have Steve McQueen looks and chops with a John Wayne attitude, luckily Jensen Ackles embodies all of that."

Showrunner Eric Kripke is just happy fans will finally "quit clogging" his "Twitter notifications with demands" to see Soldier Boy, he added in his own playful statement.

"When I cast Jensen as Soldier Boy, the first thing I said was, 'I'm most excited for you, because of the amazing process you'll go through with LJ, our Super Suit designer.' It took six months but the experience surpassed Jensen's expectations," he said. "LJ has made a work of art that tips its hat to the WWII Soldier Boy from the comics, while taking it in a sleek new direction. And if you think the photos are cool, just wait till you see Jensen in action. It's one of my very favorite suits."

It's unclear at this point if Ackles' character will also be involved in the present-day storyline of season 3, (SPOILERS) which picks up after the Boys disbanded and Congresswoman Neuman (Claudia Doumit) was revealed to be a head-exploding supe, but it seems likely. We already know Aya Cash's Stormfront has lived for decades without aging.

After tackling white supremacy, police brutality, alt-right extremism, and an actual Nazi in season 2, Kripke told EW season 3 will delve into "the history of the supes" and the team Payback in order to "tell a little bit about the history of America and how we ended up in the current fraught position that we're in... Soldier Boy gives us an opportunity to do that."

Clearly there are some big changes between the Soldier Boy in the comics and the Soldier Boy on screen. For one, Payback and the Seven operated at the same time in the comics. The character on the page was more of an anxious, insecure supe who was constantly belittled and overruled by his team member Stormfront (originally depicted as male). Soldier Boy was also vying for a spot in the Seven, which led to a particularly... intimate moment between he and Homelander during the comic arc known as Herogasm — which, as it happens, is being adapted in season 3.

By comparison, Ackles teased his version of the character on Instagram with an image of his Soldier Boy shield. "Every dent, every scratch, every mark tells a story. A story that ends with me, winning," he wrote.

Variety:

Ackles steps into the third season of the comic book-inspired drama as the original superhero, created by Compound V in the 1940s. He fought in World War II (killing German soldier by the dozen, it has been said) and then became the first super celebrity and a mainstay of American culture. In the comics, he was the leader of Payback, the second-strongest superhero team behind the Seven. (Though it should be noted he always wanted to join the Seven and mistakenly thought sleeping with Homelander was a test before being allowed to join.)

When it comes to Soldier Boy’s abilities, he is strong and agile, able to dodge bullets and blows equally easily. He also has a shield that he uses as a weapon, which has been incorporated into Ackles’ costume. (For a closer look at the shield, visit his Instagram.)

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/jensen-ackles-the-boy-season-3-soldier-boy-costume-first-look-1234989106/

https://ew.com/tv/the-boys-season-3-jensen-ackles-soldier-boy-photo/

[incorrectcomicbookquotes]

When the JLA first met the JSA

Batman: So, Mr. Garrick, how are you enjoying your time in the twenty-first century?

Jay Garrick: Well, I must admit, there are a few things that confuse me and the others about this time period.

Batman: I thought you'd say that. So how about you and I sit down and I can catch you up to speed. No pun intended.

Jay Garrick: Why, that'd be just swell, Batman!

Batman: Well, for starters; I'm sure you've noticed that what was once a simple household item is now everywhere you look. And that they're much more important in today's society.

Jay Garrick: Yes! Yes, exactly! The televisi-!

Batman: Women.

Jay Garrick: ... what?

Batman: I mean, Black Canary and Wonder Woman fought in WWII alongside you, so you should have expected them to start demanding more rights. But after this thing called "women's suffrage" it's been a downward spiral since then.

Jay Garrick: Uh, I think you're confused-

Batman: Equal pay, voting rights. Hell, I can't even ask Batgirl to make me a sandwich without saying "please" and "thank you."

Jay Garrick: Jesus Christ!

Batman: I know, it's terrible.

Jay Garrick: Wait, no! That's not what I meant-!

Batman: But it only get's worse, I'm afraid. I'm sure you've noticed a lot of minorities walking around.

Jay Garrick: Oh, my god.

Batman: I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Flash, but segregation is over and racism is no more. Well, for the most part. There are still several subsets of this country where it's very much alive. You're welcome to visit there if you'd like.

Jay Garrick: WHAT?!

Batman: There's also a few words and phrases that are socially unacceptable to say these days. Don't worry, I have a list-

Jay Garrick: STOP! I'm not racist!

Batman: What? You're not? What're you talking about? You come from the 1940's.

Jay Garrick: Okay! But that doesn't mean everyone was an asshole!

Batman: Oh, really? Are you sure? You're not just a little bit racist?

Jay Garrick: Why do you sound disappointed? Were you hoping I was racist?

Batman: What?! N-no! Why would I be-?!

Jay Garrick: I mean, that stuff about women sounded like it came from the heart and-

Batman: Oh, so now I'm sexist?!

Jay Garrick: I mean, if I didn't know better-

Batman: I adopted a black kid!

Jay Garrick: ... not racist.

Batman: Got it. (clears throat) You know, Jay, considering where you're coming from, you and the Justice Society really are the best of us.

Jay Garrick: It's not like that Batman. The "A" in "JSA" stands for the America we strive for, not necessarily the one we live in now. Equality is part of the American Dream. And so long as the Speed Force flows through my veins, I'll never stop fighting for the freedom of everyone in this and every other country.

Batman: Simply amazing.

Flash: Holy cow! The Golden Age Flash?! This is such an honor! Can I have you autograph, sir?!

Jay Garrick: Certainly, son. Who am I making this out to?

Flash: (takes off his mask) Barry Allen!

Jay Garrick: Barry... (sees his face) Allen...? Wait... blonde hair? Blue eyes? Wait, are you... GERMAN?! (proceeds to beat up Barry)

Batman: Wait, no, no, no, no! Jay, stop!

[staticscreenwriting]

Love like the movies // Bucky Barnes

One - When Harry met Sally 

Synopsis: This is a story of boy meets girl. The boy, Bucky Barnes, finds himself thrown into a world that seems so different from everything he’s ever known. Growing  up, Bucky had not a doubt in his mind that his undeniable charm and his gorgeous smile would one day help him find the one. Now he realizes there’s so much more to romancing women, especially those from the 21st century. The girl, (Y/N) knows entirely too much about rom-coms and is quite particular about the way she eats her popcorn. Bucky meets (Y/N) a few months after returning to NYC. He knows almost immediately that becoming her friend is inevitable. This is a story of boy meets girl. This is not a love story. This is a story about love. (Bucky Barnes x female!Reader // a few spoilers for EP1 of TFATWS)

[additional note: I am German. Sometimes I get the tense wrong or make mistakes. I am useless when it comes to punctuation. Go easy on me, please.]

“ Now in the movies they make it look so perfect And in the background they're always playing the right song And in the ending there's always a resolution But real life is more than just two hours long “

Some Avett Brothers song sounds from the little radio that sits on the corner of the counter. Thick drops of rain pearl against the window, racing each other down the glass before meeting up eventually and becoming one with each other. 

(Y/N) refills the last of the mustard bottles, setting it on the counter next to the others. It’s a quiet night at the diner. The kitchen’s been closed for an hour now and usually, that’s when people stop coming in. While the Little Blue Diner is known for their hot dogs and burgers, neither their coffee nor their cold sandwiches are gonna win any prizes any time soon. 

And yet …

Sure enough, as her eyes lift towards the figure slouched down in the corner booth, his gloved hand is already outstretched, signaling his desire for yet another refill.

A mixture between a chuckle and a scoff tumbles from her lips at the thought of him wanting more of the slightly burned liquid. If there’s one thing (Y/N) can admit to being bad at, it’s brewing coffee. Where there should be a rich brown color, hers usually ends up with an inky black hue and instead of leaving a hint of warm caramelization on your tongue hers just tastes bitter. It doesn’t seem to face the man in the corner though. Not even a little bit. To say this worries her is a bit of an understatement. No one in their right mind would take 7 refills of her witch's brew.

“ You okay, my dude ? “ (Y/N) inquires as she steps up to his table, coffee pot in hand. 

The man doesn’t look up at her. He doesn’t have to. She’s acutely aware of the character currently occupying the corner booth. It’s a face she knows like the back of her hand. One that’s been staring at her from books and documentaries, one she’s been greeted by every time her dad took her with him to the Smithsonian. Though they do not dare look up at her, she’s so awfully familiar with the bright blue shade of his eyes, he might as well be a long-time friend. 

“ I’m fine. “ 

Of all the lies in the world, “I’m fine” must be the most unbelievable one and yet the one told most often. No one who’s actually fine ever says those words. Those two words are reserved for the lonely and broken only. It’s like getting “I’m not fine at all” tattooed across your goddamn forehead. 

“ Sure you are, that’s why you’re having the 7th refill of my god awful coffee. “ 

“ ‘s not that bad. “ 

“ Sure, if you’re into licking charcoal it’s probably not that bad. “

It’s just a split of a second, a fraction of a moment, but (Y/N) is sure she can see the corner of his lips lifting slightly. It falls back into the stoic scowl immediately but it was there. For a teeny tiny moment, there was the shadow of a smirk on his face and that’s a success in her book. 

“ Either way, here’s how we’re gonna do this. I’ll give you one last refill, after that, I’m cutting you off, my friend. I know I’m a waitress and it’s my job to bring you what you want but I do not fancy watching you suffer a caffeine-induced heart attack in this very diner. I am not equipped to handle a situation like that and quite honestly they don’t pay me enough to deal with that either. “ 

His eyes are still trained on the scratched-up white linoleum table but ever so faintly he nods his head in silent agreement. 

As promised, she pours him one last cup of coffee. A brew so dark it could rival the bubbling goo of a tar pit. 

“ Enjoy your last cup of the night, Mr. Barnes. “ 

It’s then, as she’s just about to walk back behind the counter, as those words leave her lips, that he looks up for the first time since he’s walked in. 

His eyes are the exact shade of blue she’s so familiar with but there’s something else about them. An infinite sadness haunts every spec of blue. Where she thought there would be a sparkle of adventure, a hint of mischief, there is just loneliness. This is not the man she’s read about in museums, heard about in stories. This man right here is completely and utterly lost.

“ I - I uh — “ 

He clears his throat, once, twice, then nervously brushes his hand across his face. 

“ I can go if you don’t want me here. “ 

“ Huh? “ 

“ I asked if you want me to leave. “ 

As those words escape him, his eyes seem to grow even more devastated. They glimmer with memories of a time long gone and a future uncertain. Shine with hurt and fear. 

“ Why would I ask you to leave? “ 

Bucky shrugs his shoulders in a way to make it look nonchalantly. It’s hard to seem casual though when you seem to carry the weight of the entire world on your shoulders. 

“ People who recognize me usually aren’t so keen on having me around. I don’t know if you’ve heard but I’m uh — I’m not people’s favorite person. “ 

It’s a sad thought, (Y/N) realizes, to be constantly bound to a past that is yours but never really belongs to you. To be forever linked with the horrible actions of a version of yourself you had no control over. And no matter how hard you try to set it all right and to repent for your wrongdoings, to some people it will never be enough.

“ No, you don’t have to leave, “ (Y/N) reassures before sliding into the booth opposite him. “ I don’t know you because of — because of what happened. I know you first and foremost as Sergeant Barnes, former officer of the 107th Infantry Regiment, part of the Howling Commandos, and best friend and brother to Steve Rogers. Everything else that’s — none of my business really. “ 

Bucky lifts his eyes off of the table again and while the sadness is still there, something else lingers for a moment. Curiosity, intrigue maybe, or just relief. 

“ Wow. Didn’t think I’d run into someone reciting my life to me. Huh. “ 

“ My dad used to be a curator at the Smithsonian. He was in charge of the Captain America exhibition. I’ve seen your face a million times, visiting him at work. I gotta say though, you look way more approachable and friendly on the picture they put up. “ 

This time, it’s more than a fleeting moment, this time she’s sure about it, this time he lets out an actual chuckle. 

“ I was a lot younger then, okay? Cut an old man some slack. “ 

“ Oh, you pulling the old man card now? “ 

“ Is it working? “ he asks, eyebrows raised in question. 

“ Not really. “ 

“ Ah, what a shame.” 

Silence settles upon them again like a thick duvet filled with feathers, it’s not uncomfortable but it’s smothering anyway.

“ Do you wanna talk about it? Your sour mood, I mean.” 

Bucky shrugs again “I have a therapist.” 

“ Does she make you draw your feelings? “ 

He smiles again at that question. His smile, (Y/N) thinks, ain’t the worst thing she’s ever seen. She wouldn’t mind seeing it more often.

“ No. Why? “ 

“ Mine did. She stopped pretty quickly though, I guess my drawings were too detailed and gory for her.” 

“ Huh. “ 

“ Mmmh.” 

After another sip of coffee, one he takes without grimacing, without showing any sign of disgust for the burnt brew, Bucky speaks up again.

“ Mine thinks I’m lying to her. “ 

“ Are you ?” 

“ Well yeah, but she doesn’t need to know that.” 

“ Maybe telling her the truth would help you. “ (Y/N) suggests only to be met with a determined head shake No from Bucky. 

The notification sound of a phone pulls them from their conversation and at the sight of the name on the display, Bucky lets an “oh shit” slip from his lips.

“ Don’t you sound excited about getting texts from your friends, “ (Y/N) jokes

“ I had a date last night. That’s her. “ 

“ Since she’s texting you I assume it went well. “ 

Bucky grimaces at her words, slightly shaking his head in disagreement.

“ No? “ 

“ I mean, I had fun and it went well — at first. She’s really sweet. But then we started talking and I may have run. “ 

“ Ran where? “ 

“ Away. “ 

“ Away as in you left. “ 

“ Mm-mmh” 

“ Just like that? “ 

“ Yup. “ 

“ Why? “ 

He throws up his arms in frustration and shakes his head again as if to gather all his thoughts and rattle them neatly back into place. 

“ I don’t know, okay? I haven’t been on a date since the 1940s. Everything I know about women and dating and romance seems antiquated. I’m overwhelmed and confused and I just don’t wanna do anything wrong.” 

“ Dude, you ran from your date without any explanation. How much worse could you have handled it? “ 

“ Yeah well, hindsight is 20/20. “ 

While his words try to sound light and nonchalant, his shoulders tense and his whole demeanor seems to shift back into the gloomy state he’s been in since he entered the diner. Like a big cloud that’s following him around, casting shadows at all times and hardly allowing any light to shine through.

“ Look, I don’t think any of us know what the heck we’re doing half the time. Like, trust me I know what I’m talking about. Online dating means I have to choose between men who think posing with a dead fish will make me want to sleep with them, men who think knowing obscure Star Wars facts can replace having an actual personality, and men who send me pictures of their … privates without me ever giving any indication of wanting to see those. So yeah — dating can really s - be frustrating. “ 

Bucky regards her for a second, the right corner of his lips pulled into a lazy lopsided smirk.

“ Did you just censor yourself because you don’t wanna swear around me ?” 

“ Maybe, but that’s beside the point. The point is, we’re all just human and in the end, we’re all just looking for someone to like us the way we are, all quirks and issues and baggage included. I know women might seem intimidating but really all we want is to be loved and appreciated. And not the over-the-top build-you-a-house, the notebook kind of love. More like the Harry and Sally kind.“ 

(Y/N) can almost see the gears working inside Bucky’s brain, the desperate attempt to make any sense of all the words and phrases she’s just thrown at him. A jumbled mess of pop culture references swirls through his head like a swarm of bees, chaotic and messy. 

“ I have no idea what you just said. “ 

“ When Harry met Sally? “

Bucky just shrugs and shakes his head.

“ You’ve never seen it? “ 

“ I’ve been a bit preoccupied with being blipped away into oblivion for the last 5 years. So I haven’t really had the time to get into movies yet. “ 

This time it’s the gears in her own head that start turning. 

“ What are you doing Friday night ? “ she asks, biting her lip in nervous anticipation.

“ I — I don’t know. “ 

That’s a bit of a lie, really. He does know. It’s the same thing he does pretty much every other day. He gets some takeout, brings it home, sits down in front of the tv, tries to get lost in whatever show they put on, fails at doing so, reads a few pages of a book, lays down to sleep, and then wakes up a little while later to yet another nightmare, tangled up in sweaty sheets, heart racing. 

(Y/N) doesn’t need to know any of that though. He doesn’t tell his therapist so why would he tell a random stranger.

“ Well, don’t make any plans. We’re gonna kill 2 birds with 1 stone. “ 

“ We are? “ 

“ Yeah. Trust me on this one. “ 

“ I don’t even know you. “ 

“ Sure you do. “ (Y/N) says and taps the tag pinned to her baby blue polo shirt with the diner’s logo on the back.  “ I’m the one who serves you just enough coffee to keep you happy but not have you die a painful and honestly mildly embarrassing death. “ 

Every part of him screams at him to say no. To stay away from her the way he does from most other people, even Sam. To get up and get out and not cause any more damage than he already has in other people’s life. But then he remembers his therapist's words, he remembers Leah’s face full of confusion and disappointment, he remembers the empty feeling in his chest. That feeling of pure and utter loneliness. 

“ Alright, Friday works for me, (Y/N). “ 

“ Perfect, Bucky. “ 

“ Bring a jacket. “ 

The address and “Bring a jacket” that’s all she’s texted him. No explanation, no plan, nothing. 

Bucks leans against the streetlamp, hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his leather jacket. Anxiety is washing through his system like tidal waves on a stormy ocean. This whole being spontaneous thing was much easier back in the 40s. When his shoulders weren’t so heavy with guilt. When he didn’t have to constantly face the consequences of his actions. Consequences of a past he can never quite outrun no matter how far he goes and how hard he tries. 

Maybe this is good, he has to remind himself. Getting out of his comfort zone, if that even exists for him. Opening himself up to new opportunities. Maybe even make a friend. (Y/N) seem nice enough, if a bit peculiar. 

His shrink would be proud of him. Getting out there, talking to people, being approachable. This must for sure earn him some kind of gold star equivalent in her notebook. 

“ Hey there, Mr. Grumpyface. “ 

(Y/N)'s voice cuts through the chilly New York night like headlights through thick fog. She strolls towards him, lips pulled into a big bright smile. Leading up to tonight he’s spent quite a lot of time wondering if this is some kind of project for her, if maybe she sees him as a sort of charity case. Something to earn her karma points. It wouldn’t be the first time. But the genuine joy radiating from her face lets those worries melt away instantly. 

Maybe, Bucky thinks, she really just thinks he’ll make a good friend. And maybe he can. 

“ Hi, (Y/N). “

“ You brought a jacket” she points out, pinching the black leather between her fingers. Her nails are painted in various shades of red, each finger a different hue. 

“ I did. You told me to. “

“ And you listened! “ 

“ Why wouldn’t I ? “ Bucky inquires, a look of confusion settling on his face.

“ You wouldn’t believe how many men think wearing a jacket when it’s cold out somehow clashes with their need to demonstrate their masculinity. “ 

“ Wow. “ he exclaims.

“ Yeah. So anyway, you ready to go up? “ 

She nods her head towards the house across the street. It’s a slim multiple-story brick building with rusty fire escapes. It looks like a residential lot, not much else that could give away (Y/N)’s plan for the rest of the night.

“ Up? “ 

“ Mm-mh. “ (Y/N) nods and motions towards the top of the building. “ to the roof. “ 

“ The roof? You’re not planning to push me off or anything, right? I don’t usually spend time with strangers on rooftops. “ he tells her, a smirk lifting the sides of his lips.

She grants him a smile in return. One of those that you try so hard to suppress but despite your best efforts they find their way onto your face anyway. Because some smiles demand to be smiled. And her smile is pretty cute, he thinks, it deserves to be seen. 

“ Foiled again, damn Bucky. I’m a waitress with a useless degree in literature and creative writing but assassinating you was exactly what I had planned for tonight. Couldn’t let me have that one, huh? “ 

“ Sorry to spoil all the fun. “ 

She softly bumps her shoulder against his right side as she passes him and crosses the street. Her red skirt flutters around her knees like a ribbon of fire, bright and warm and —

“ You coming, grumpy ?” 

“ Yeah uh — yeah sure. “ 

The walk upstairs is filled with chatter from her and nodding from Bucky. It’s been like this most of the time since — well since he’s really back. Other people usually do the talking and Bucky listens. It works most of the time. Works with Yori. Sometimes though, sometimes it doesn’t. He can see people getting frustrated with him. Hell his own therapist does and she knows the baggage he has to carry around. 

This is different though, (Y/N) doesn’t seem to mind much. She’s a waterfall of words and topics and doesn’t seem to get bored or annoyed with him. It’s nice. 

A heavy iron door swings open as they reach the top of the building and as soon as they step out onto the rooftop balcony they get engulfed in an ocean of lights. They’re strung from one end of the roof to the other and back again. Next to the door, a little makeshift bar is set up, and a guy in a Star Wars shirt hands out beers to people. 

Multicolored deck chairs and beanbags are haphazardly placed across the entire roof, all pointing towards the corner furthest away from the door where a big white sheet hangs spanned between two poles. 

“ Sooo you gonna tell me what we’re doing here? “ Bucky asks again as (Y/N) steers him towards a cluster of chairs in the back. 

“ Some peeps I went to university with, set up movie screenings here every once in a while. I could pull some strings and got to choose the movie. “ 

“ We’re gonna watch a movie? “ 

“ Not just any movie, “ she exclaims and drops down onto one of the plastic deck chairs that looks like it used to be bright pink once but is now but a bleached blush colour from being exposed to the sun too much. “ We’re watching when Harry met Sally. “ 

Bucky slumps down on the chair next to her, a blue one with white daisy patterns. 

“ Me not knowing this movie really does bother you, huh? “ 

“ It’s a classic, might as well start with this one. And anyway, maybe this can help you get back into the dating game. Ya know, help you understand modern romance. “

“ You think so? “ 

She shrugs and starts fumbling around in her bag, “ I dunno. It might. And if it doesn’t at least you’ll spend your time watching a good movie and get to experience the blessing of my company. Ah-ha! There you go “ 

Her hand reaches out holding a bag of M&Ms.

“ I brought snacks. “ 

More and more people start occupying the chairs and bean bags and a few minutes later a guy steps up in front of the sheet. He’s wearing a shirt with a black and white bird pattern, huge glasses with a brown frame, and jeans that don’t cover his ankles. He’s tall and lanky and his hair is so messy, Bucky wonders if it’s intentional or if he just hasn’t brushed it in a while. 

“ Hi guys, I’m Andrew. For those of you who don’t know me, I live in apartment 2B and I just wanna say thank you for showing up and welcome you to our movie night under the stars. A few days ago we received a special request from one of our good friends and because she let me stay on her couch for several months back during our college days and I still owe her for that I couldn’t reject her request. So thanks to Miss (Y/N) over there in the pink chair you now get to spend the next 90 minutes watching Meg Ryan fall in love with Mike Wazowski. Enjoy. “ 

As he steps away from the sheet, the lights are turned off and the MGM logo pops up on the screen. 

“ Trust me, Bucky. This one’s so good.” (Y/N) assures before throwing some M&Ms into her mouth, now entirely focused on the movie.

It takes a while for Bucky to relax. Being around so many people and not having any fear of what’s lurking around the corner is still very new. Letting go is never as easy as it sounds. Eventually though, his nerves settle down a little and as the movie progresses, he finds himself relaxing more and more. Something he hasn’t done in a long time. Not since Wakanda.

Exactly 46 minutes into the movie, (Y/N) lets her eyes wander to her left where Bucky, until now, sat slumped into his seat. Still perpetually grumpy but more chilled out and relaxed than she’s seen him before. Until now. A moaning Meg Ryan visible making him uncomfortable.

“ You okay, grumpy? “ 

He doesn’t grant her a real answer, just scoffs and rolls his eyes. There’s a smile though, she’s sure. Somewhere hidden there is another smile. 

“ So, what did we learn today? “ 

Bucky looks at (Y/N) who has her arms wrapped tightly around her middle shielding herself from the chilly night air. The movie night has ended a while ago and the two of them are slowly strolling along the New York City streets on the way back to (Y/N)’s apartment. 

“ To take your own advice and dress warmer for a movie night? “ 

(Y/N) chuckles. “ No, grumpy. I meant the movie. “ 

He shrugs at her question. Quite honestly he hasn’t learned anything new. Nothing about the movie seemed in any way revolutionary to him nor does he see any benefit for himself and his dating life going forward. But the way she looks at him right now, expecting something grand not from him really but some beautiful consequences to her ideas, that makes him reconsider. Sure he could tell her that it was just a silly little movie about people falling in love but that would no doubt hurt her, even a tiny little bit. And if there’s anything Bucky has enough of, it’s hurting others. 

“ I guess that men and women really can not be friends. “ 

“ Noooo! No. Is that really what you took from this movie? “ 

“ That’s literally what happened. “ 

“ Okay first of all it works, look at us! We’re friends! Second of all, that’s not what the movie is really about. It’s about love and vulnerability. It’s about overcoming all the tiny things that can work against you and your relationship. Like distance and timing and egotism. It’s about hiding who you are because really opening up to someone, being your authentic true self with all your faults and imperfections, that makes you vulnerable. And being vulnerable is fucking scary. But love is worth it anyway. That’s what the movie is about. “

As Bucky noticed before, some smiles demand to be smiled. They need to be smiled because they’re important and they mean something. The one gracing his face now, that’s one of those. One of those you remember because you feel them all the way in your heart.

“ You think we’re friends? “ 

“ Oh, are we — are we not? “ 

“ No. I — no, we are! I’d like to be friends. “ 

(Y/N) abruptly stops in her tracks, turns towards him, and holds out her hand. “ To friendship.” 

“ We’re shaking hands on it? What is this, a business deal? “ 

“ You know what, yeah now that you mention it that’s pretty lame. “ (Y/N) agrees, balling her hand into a fist “ how about a fist bump, bro? “ 

Bucky reluctantly knocks his right hand against hers before continuing his walk down the street. “You call me bro again I’m canceling the friendship. “ 

“ Alright. Noted. “ 

“ So have you talked to the girl again? “ 

“ Hmm? “ 

“ The one you went on a date with? “ 

“ Oh, Leah. Uh — no.” 

“ Why not? “ 

Bucky throws her a look. One that says “are you kidding me?”. One that says “ you know why.” 

“ Cause I ran out. That’s embarrassing. She’s gonna think I’m insane. She’s never gonna wanna see me again. “ 

“ I sincerely doubt that. You just gotta say sorry. I know in Love Story — that’s a novel and also a movie from the 70s — they say that ‘Love means never having to say you’re sorry but that’s a load of bull. Just say sorry and ask her for a do-over. “ 

“ And then what? We play a rematch of battleships and talk about my trauma? “ 

“ Well, what did you do on dates in the 40s? “ 

That time, his youth, that seems like a different life altogether now. So much happened between then and now and the man he is now, has no relation to the boy he was then. Sometimes looking back hurts, makes it painfully obvious what he’s lost. But sometimes, like tonight, he can feel a hint of fondness coursing through him at the thought of times long gone.

“ Dancing, mostly.” 

“ Like, ballroom dancing? “ 

“ Swing. “ 

“ You swing dance? “ 

“ I did. “ 

(Y/N) regards him through squinted eyes “ really? “ 

“ You don’t believe me? “

“ I don’t know. You don’t strike me as a dancer. “ 

Not a second later, Bucky’s gloved hand grabs onto her’s and twirls her towards him then away from him and back in. 

“ You twirled me! “ 

“ Mm-mh.”

“ I’ve never been twirled. That’s so fun. “ 

It’s like autopilot taking over as Bucky holds onto her, twirling her again then pulling her in and swaying them in a circle. It’s not swing dancing, not even close but there’s no music either, and anyway, his dancing days are over. But sometimes you gotta make a point and if that means slow dancing in the middle of an empty street then that’s that. 

The night wraps them in a blanket of comfort and intimacy as the stars and the New York skyline try to outshine each other. It’s a moment so peaceful, Bucky can’t remember the last time his heart felt so light, his mind felt so at ease, his entire being got to let go and just be alive and in the moment.

And then the shine of headlights rips them from their moment and makes them jump back onto the sidewalk. 

“ Get off the road you fucking morons! “ 

“ Gotta love the big city folk. “ 

“ Yup. “ 

“ Hey, Bucky.” 

“ What? “ 

“ You really can dance.” 

“ Told you. “ 

“ Can I tell you a secret? “ 

“ Sure. “ 

“ I can’t dance for shit. “ 

“ That so? “

“ Yup. Which means you gotta teach me. “ 

“ Absolutely not.” 

“ Oh, 100%! “ 

“ We’ll see about that.” 

There are nights you try to forget. Nights that you wish to never ever remember. Ones that break you. That beat you down and leave you bruised and battered.

Then there are nights like this one that you want to hold onto for just a little bit longer. Those that fill you with joy and an immeasurable thirst for life. The ones that make you feel grateful to be alive right here and now. 

The inevitable end of the night creeps closer as they arrive at (Y/N)’s front door. Neither of them really want to say goodnight but both know there’s no use in delaying it.

“ I hope you didn’t hate the movie too much, “ (Y/N) speaks up, leaning against the front door of her apartment complex.

“ No. It was fun! Although I still don’t know who Mike Wazulsky is. “ 

“ Mike Wazowski, he’s — you know what? That’s a conversation for another time. “ 

“ Alright, if you say so. “ 

“ Thanks for walking me home. “ 

“ Oh, yeah no need to thank me. It’s the right thing to do. “ 

For a moment they just stand and smile, trying to cherish the last few moments of this night. 

“ We should do this more often. “ Bucky suggests, surprising even himself.

“ For sure. I still have so many movies to show you. “ 

“ Can’t wait. “ 

A slight sense of awkwardness falls over them as neither of them knows what to do. Go for a hug? Shakes hands? Wave goodbye? 

“ I uh — I should go. “ 

“ Yeah, of course. Have a good night, Bucky.” 

“ You too, (Y/N).” 

“ Oh and Bucky? “ 

“ Yes? “ 

“ Give Leah a call. “ 

Bucky nods his head before turning around and walking back into the night.

As he takes the way back to his own home, there are only two things on Bucky’s mind: the vulnerability of falling in love and the question of who the hell Mike Wazowski was.