As Someone Who Knows Very Little About The American Governmental System... Is It Even Realistic That

as someone who knows very little about the American governmental system... is it even realistic that Bucky is a senator/candidate, outside of the simple fact that it goes against everything we know about his character for the last 13 years and is deeply ooc and weird?

Can someone with his history actually become a senator? Dude has killed like...a lot of people, specifically American citizens to keep it relevant to this context, and he's openly broken the law and gone against multiple governments in some of the most wild displays of anarchy alongside Steve and the Avengers. Also I don't think he's been a consistent enough resident of any state even if you take out the Blip?? At least 9 years right? Bro has maybe been on American soil for 3 years, pre AND post Blip, and that's being generous assuming Thunderbolts takes place in 2024-2025.

I don't know how realistic it is that he's even able to run for senate? I'm not an expert, not American, but it just seems absurd.

The main take really is that Bucky Barnes as a senator is one of the stupidest things, what the hell

Bucky finds one of Peter's library books left behind in his apartment his first morning back from a long mission, and it leads to a confusing morning for both of them; the beginning of something even more unexpected than Peter becoming Bucky's cat sitter.

Part 2 of when you've nothing to remember, you've nothing to lose featuring Peter as Bucky's cat sitter and Bucky almost remembering Peter. Neither of them have enough emotional stability for this, but they have cooking and memories of women who cared for them as mothers to share...

For the @winterspider-bingo SFW Fill: In the Kitchen

(which I know isn't a row link with Alpine, this is just a good filler prompt)

if Bucky does fully become the Winter Soldier again in Thunderbolts* I don't see it as "undoing" anything and I'm getting annoyed with all these articles and posts about that "ruining" or "undoing his character arc". People in recovery do relapse, relapses happen, and demonizing them doesn't help. We haven't failed because a relapse is not a failure and it's not undoing anything: it's a natural part of recovering. No one is a robot that magically bounces back and never falters again.

If done right it's important to show a character getting back up from a relapse. I've had a couple relapses over the last ten years and it hurts to see people act like that's some kind of character failure or bad narrative/writing choice, when it's sadly just realistic. Relapses can be devastating and it's vital to depict a character pulling through one and finding that consistency towards recovery again.

Granted I don't think Marvel will do it any justice at all if that is the case since they've glossed over pretty much all of his recovery already, but I can dream

current fan creation landscape is kinda like if you went to a party with a homemade cake and everyone takes a slice and silently thumbs up at you with no attempt to start a conversation except for occasionally some guy sits in the corner with a tape recorder critiquing the cake as though he was a restaurant critic and another guy is handing the cake to an uber driver like "yeah i need you to find a restaurant that makes cake like this so i can have more of it" and the only person that's talked to you in 30 minutes is a very sweet little guy who was like "hey i liked your cake" and then ran away apologizing for bothering you the moment you said thank you.

just finished reading on the road to freedom and Bucky and Peter having a marriage of convenience after Far From Home so that Peter is granted diplomatic immunity through being married-in Wakandan royalty is hands down the greatest and funniest concept I've ever seen. Even in a strictly platonic sense that shit is hysterical

imagine the running jokes, the half assed threats to divorce each other for anything from siding with Sam over them, disagreeing on missions or liking pineapple on pizza, confusing the fuck out of people casually introducing each other like "this is my husband Peter/Bucky", getting asked why they haven't divorced yet since Peter's long since been proven innocent (because fuck the spell) and the best they manage is a shrug and say they "couldn't be bothered", "don't you have anyone else you'd rather marry? Girlfriends?" another shrug, or why didn't Peter just get adopted too why did it have to be marriage and he goes on a tangent because fuck you he has May he's not comfortable being someone else's adopted child

In a PeterMJ context, MJ finds it hilarious, you cannot tell me she wouldn't be down for screwing over the terrible justice system and fucking with heteronormative marriage norms. She'd be proudly introducing them as "my boyfriend Peter and his husband Bucky" in the most purposefully deadpan voice, or outright claiming them both as her husbands in every way except the shackles of the legal system or saying they're her harem, a package deal, marry one get one free... She and Bucky reply "it was funny" at the same time in the exact same blank tone of voice whenever anyone asks why Peter and Bucky stayed married or ask why is she okay with it

(since Bucky is canonically the MCU's White Wolf, who in the comics is T'Challa and Shuri's adopted brother, in the fic it's explained that being adopted into the royal family is what got Bucky let off with only mandatory therapy as part of his deal and it's genius)

I don't go here but I'm calling it now that Joe Locke's character can't say his name is because names have power especially if you're the demiurge, and the moment he does Wanda across the universes will hear it and use it like a homing beacon