It isn't hard to see why they haven't been invited- perhaps they have subjected the wedding couple to the same thing they are subjecting you to now about someone else. You have a choice to make between a couple who hold you responsible for something out of your control, and would put you in the middle, and a couple who value you enough to invite you to their events. It shouldn't be hard to make that choice- and having to make it wasn't something you forced.
The responsibility lies with the snarky friends, whom you no longer need. I'd back away from them, especially before your wedding. You're growing apart, and they're lagging behind.
It's what happens when you become a grownup.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.