we need to remind people that the central, pivotal plot point was
a secret A.I. tracked everyone by their social media,
including identifying targets *before* they did anything to oppose,
and then launched missiles at them. on domestic soil
watch the film. it came out as military excess/surplus flowed into local police / national guard hands, which is how many BLM protestors were targeted with facial recognition *back then*.
flash forward to May 2025! see what we 'learned'
Adoption of the tech has civil liberties advocates alarmed, especially as the government vows to expand surveillance of protesters and stude
On a fractionally brighter note, the entire end of the movie was about how it wasn't Captain America that slowed stuff down and resulted in a victory. It was a scared little guy who chose to do the right thing with a gun pointed at his head. Steve said that it was about every individual and the choice they made.
That movie was the only Marvel movie that didn't have military funding. Because the US military didn't like the message that it was filled with corruption and that any average citizen has the power to fight back.
I'm not in any position to do much. All I can do is remind the people who might be that every single battle against fascism is fought mostly by the cogs in the machine. Workers who refuse. Who chose to quietly, and sometimes loudly, hinder anything in their power. From forced factory workers making dud bombs to bureaucrats who forged papers that got people to safety, to soldiers who just said "fuck this" and joined the antifascists.
It's just a movie. But it's a movie with an accurate message. One based in history and hope.
And dear sweet gods, I think this is a moment in history where we need to remember the hope part.
do you ever think about how perfectly steve, bucky, and sam typify the 3 big wars america’s fought in over the past century?
steve is the soldier who fought in world war 2. he’s the tail end of the glory and honor of war. his reasons for fighting are clear cut, moral, as far as he can tell. but the weapons used are too deadly, too fatal for glory and honor, really. there’s the attempt to treat enemy combatants with respect, with honor, all while killing them quick than has ever been possible before. there’s the unease of the shift from the old style of fighting to the new. there’s the tiredness that only comes from a second global war in only two decades. there’s the closure that comes from unprecedented total destruction. the thought of “maybe now we can go home. maybe now we can build lives like our parents, those of us that are left.”
bucky is the soldier who fought in vietnam. he’s the one that couldn’t dodge the draft, that couldn’t evade the fight no matter how hard he tried. he’s the one who followed the orders he had to, and rebelled against all the others. his uniform was askew, more civvies than not. he didn’t look a soldier, and he didn’t fight like one either. he didn’t know why he was fighting, who he was fighting. he saw too many innocents die by the hands of his comrades, of himself. he felt agent orange burn his lungs, saw orphans crying in the streets. he came home, the rat-a-tat of machine guns echoing in his ears, always. he disembarked a plane, and was spat on by anti-war protesters. he couldn’t even be angry– he agreed with them. he participated in the winter soldier investigations, confessed what he’d been forced to do, and that almost abated the weight on his shoulders. almost.
sam is the soldier who fought in afghanistan. the modern soldier, with just as much shit as the rest of them. the difference is, where steve was greeted with celebrations and bucky was greeted with vitriol, sam is overlooked, forgotten. he suffers in silence, expected to endure without protest. sam copes, but not all vets are able to do the same. afghan war vets are the ones who take their own lives in droves, the unacknowledged, unknown aftershocks from an invasion founded on half-formed ambitions from men in suits who’d never have to bear the real burden. sam is the modern day vet, unknown, unseen, unthanked.
So is Nat the Cold War? People don’t see a soldier when they look at her, because she really isn’t, just like the cold war was never really a “war”. Nat is the spy on the run, the power never fully unleashed, the constant sense of fear that there is no backing down, no running– there are no vets of the cold war, but there are always the living casualties.
So this is weird, I just replied to a similar question elsewhere and here you are, anon. You probably mean this post ? I’ve made stepped pastel WIP posts here and here as well which you may be interested in.
also here are some pastel WIP close-ups nobody asked for
Here's the card we'll be using for this month's edition of our bingo! Grab it up and get going. Remember, zero need to sign up, but if you want to share it with us so we can reblog and share the love, make sure you do so by next Wednesday, November 2.
Below the cut: a list of definitions for each of the squares in case you need help or ideas (don't worry, those will be added to the FAQs post for easy reference), and a black & white version of the card, in case you just really don't like yellow.
☆ How do I fill my card? How is each square defined?
Here’s the way we’re defining the activities associated with each card. If any of this is confusing after you read it over, send us a message and we’ll help!
- ‘leave kudos on a fic’
This is the easiest one! Just go out and find a fic you like and leave a kudos on it, if you haven’t already. It’s a small gesture but it makes an author know that someone actually read their story!
- ‘reblog/retweet an art post’
Find any art post you like and share it! Here’s the catch: you need to interact with it a little. When you reblog/retweet, please tell the creator what you thought about the piece – you can add some tags, or reply to the post, or quote-retweet or add a comment, or anything! A simple “I love this!” is nice but some details are even better (“your linework is so good!” or “that shade of blue is perfect”). One thing to think about: a lot of art on Tumblr is reposted (like when a user posts another artist’s work from Pixiv, say), so it’s nice if you make an effort to interact with posts that are actually from the creator if you can. That way the artist will see your comment!
- ‘reblog/retweet a fic post’
Same as the above, but for fic! Again, tags/replies/comments are needed, preferably with a little detail. You don’t need to be super eloquent or leave a detailed review (although if you have time/energy, that would be appreciated!); a tag as simple as “that was really cute” or “great characterization!” will do. Like with the art posts, it’s nice if you reblog directly from the writer (if you can) – some fics are posted by AO3 feed bots and the like, so the author may not even know a reblog has happened.
- ‘reblog/retweet an edit’
Same as the above, but for edits! Edits can include a gif set, or a set of screencaps, or even a fanvid. And, again, some simple tags/replies are needed. “I love that song choice!” for a vid or “great coloring!” on a gifset can let people know their work is being appreciated.
- ‘comment on a fic’
Find a fic, on any fic-hosting site you like, and leave a comment. That’s it! Again, no need to leave a novel-length comment (unless you’re inspired!) – a sentence or two is all we’re asking for this square to be considered complete. This is a great opportunity to let a writer know how their piece made you feel, or what section you particularly liked.
- ‘message a creator’
‘Creator’ here can mean anyone who makes *anything* to do with fandom: art, edits, fic, meta, knitted sweaters with character faces on them – if they’ve made anything, they’re a creator, and now’s your chance to let them know they’re appreciated. Send a message (anonymous or not!) letting them know that you enjoyed their work!
- ‘make a rec post’
This is a chance to tell your fandom friends about something they need to see. You can rec a fic, a blog, a fan event, an artist, an author, that person who knits sweaters with character faces – any kind of fandom thing that you want to make sure people see. This doesn’t have to be long or complicated, but feel free to go into as much detail as you want! Just make your own post, on Tumblr or Twitter or wherever else seems best to you, and give that thing you loved a little fanfare.
- ‘interact with a meta post’
A little love for our analytical friends! Here, you can reblog/retweet any kind of meta post for your fandom, whether it’s a three sentence headcanon or an essay-length dissection of why Character X is the absolute best character in Fandom Y. It’s even better if you respond to the meta, whether that’s agreeing or (respectfully!) adding your own thoughts, but sharing it is the main thing here.
And here's the non-decorated version, in case you feel like making it your own. Get creative, if you want!
Hi! People are always saying, oh man, fandom feels so dead, I don't know if people are really interested in my fic/edit/art/gifs/meta posts.
hello, hello -- happy w.w. to all who celebrate -- and as part of that delightful day, I wanted to get a sense of interest in a similar project that might have a slightly wider scope. You'll see the details in the linked google form.
Fandom's not *dead*, it's just... tired. And busy. And overstimulated-while-simultaneously-not-taking-anything-in. And sometimes people feel like they can't send a message or leave a comment or whatever because a) they just didn't have time when they saw it, or b) because they thought the post was too 'old' and it might feel weird, or c) who knows! Tons of reasons. But, in general, it's the interaction and communication that makes fandom feel alive, so -- we want to encourage that! Wouldn't that be fun? A little 'hey, I see you!' across the various dashboards.
It'd be super helpful if you'd take the little survey. (It's seriously little: two questions plus an optional short answer.) Share it widely! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! And then, at some point, a later project (with an actual title) may come your way.
So what if all Steve wanted for his sweet sixteen was his first kiss. It’s 1934, the first Fourth of July since the end of prohibition. Maybe it’s the whiskey made him bold enough to tell Bucky his birthday wish. Maybe it’s made Bucky bold enough to grant it for him, because he knows how to kiss real good, up on the rooftop, when all anyone else is looking at is the fireworks.
