#My guy should’ve learned from narcos

[calif0rnia-lovers]

Back again with questions. Only it’s about Mayans…as I said before I never returned after the s3 finale. I have bolded the questions because it somehow turned into a rant post as well.

1. Was Manny Montana being brought to Mayans worth it? OR was his addition a tactic to garner more attention back to the show?

With him being freed up from Good Girls, I keep thinking they brought Manny in because they know he can play someone who can fit into an outlaw role (ie Rio), but can also a lovable soft side (ie Johnny T). Ya’ll know I follow Manny from fan base to fan base, and love to see my guy booked & busy. But I’d hate to pick Mayans back up to find they’ve shoveled in a temporary character to avoid developing the old. My guess is he’s from the charter that showed up at the end of S3. So his character is probably just to fill in for S4 to distract us from the poor writing of S3. Probably won’t make it pass a season, kinda like how they used the prospect character for a bit and tossed him away in S3.

2. Do they ever focus on Miguel being Felipe’s child???

That storyline alone could have saved Mayans. I think Elgin could learn from “less is more.” I liked SOA and definitely noticed its faults BUT….You know our boy Kurt would have cut out all the extra “mini-shocking” storylines like Angel being a hoe (and disrespecting his momma’s memory by giving her ring to Nails), Coco’s trip to Meth Mountain (when he could have just been a father to Letty and adopt Mini), Ez and Gabby (Sutter would’ve had Ez pining for Em with them sharing some long lost love stares across town like Jax and Tara in S1), and Bishop’s dead son (I’m sorry but they could have used that screen time to develop Bish into a bad ass Prez. That “bad ass Prez” was implied when I just wanted to see Bishop fuck shit up). Used ALL that wasted screen time to develop Miguel into the central character opposite of Ez. How would this simple tactic develop a far more interesting plot than what we were served in S3? Miguel be the father of Adelita’s baby. Fuel source #1 to the fire in the ultimate brother show down. Angel has a reason to hate Miguel. Fuel source #2 to the ultimate brother show down? Miguel fathering another woman’s child…easy plug to push Emily back into Ez’s arms. Which would have given enough ammo to push the original premise of this being a battle between brothers….Fuel source #3 Miguel wouldn’t have chickened out of killing Emily. He would have had Miguel drown her. Not saying this because I don’t like her character. Just saying that Sutter knew one thing “less is more.” It takes a simple act to tip a characters motives and the plot. Prime example: Opie being killed lit a fire under Jax’s ass and started pushing him toward’s the main goal of Jax dying. If they had taken that route they could have easily killed two birds with one stone. Miguel would have finally “crossed the line” separating him from his father. They made big deal saying he wanted to be different from his dad, but in the next scene show he was a lot like the man he was running from. With Emily being dead Ez would have a motivation in the Miguel and Ez tension they pushed the entire first season, only to randomly leave it at the end of S1. My guess is instead, Elgin has Gabby killed because she was Ez’s love interest when I stopped the show. But if he did I as a viewer wouldn’t buy that as enough for Ez to tip like Jax did. He knew Gabby for what…a year??

3. Lastly, did Hank get away from Nails?

Male show runners love an age gap. I’m still salty they didn’t just give Miguel someone his age instead of someone as young as Emily. Danny Pino deserved better. I don’t know why they gave Hank that weak storyline of falling for a girl young enough to be his granddaughter. They should have given him an old lady his age. If you want to know what I miss about SOA…all the old heads had old ladies their age. Some Gemma’s and Luann’s would have sprinkled in our weekly spice of drama. You caught a glimpse of it with the shitstorms Dita was able to stir when she was alive. We needed some legit old ladies to save this plot man

4. Am I the only one who feels we were pitched an entirely different show than what we got?

I hate when shows deviate from the original plan. I came to Mayans the second I saw they added Danny Pino. Seeing him play detectives half his career let me know he was going to serve as Galindo (and he did all of season 1). Can’t believe this Danny Pino opportunity was wasted like that. I came for the deadly Galindo Cartel and poor writing served a half baked drug king pin and a MC that can’t get shit done because they spend all their time focusing on personal shit instead of securing the bag. For an MC that strives solely on the Galindo transactions, I didn’t see a brick of coke more than twice the entire three seasons I watched. Elgin tried to turn the Mayans plot into something poetic. Sir. People don’t watch shows like SOA for half baked poetry. We want you to stick to the outlaw shit. That other stuff?

[fic-for-fic-sake]

A Mermaid Tail

A/N: Yes this is because I’ve been watching a lot of H2O during this pandemic

Pairing: Bucky x reader

You had been working with the Avengers for about two years now and never in that time had you got to use your powers, what you were recruited for. Yes you had punched bad guys in the face and thanks to Nat knew how to strangle someone with your thighs but you were made for more than that. 

Your chance came one summer day when Tony called a meeting. You all filed into the conference room and took your respective seats around the large glass table. There was a hologram on the table, the image blue and slightly fuzzy. You guessed that was the reason for the meeting. 

Nervous glances were exchanged back and forth and murmurs were whispered across the room as you all tried to figure out just what exactly you were looking at. Then, thankfully, Tony walked in, shut the door, and asked FRIDAY to kill the lights. The image came to life, a recording. You all watched as what looked like a submarine moved through the water only for something to go terribly wrong. The ship started to sink before it was nothing more than flotsam at the bottom of the sea. 

“What the hell was that?” Sam asked, vocalizing everyone’s shared opinion. The others, yourself included, had been too stunned to speak. 

“That, Wilson, was something called a narco-sub. Top of the line in drug smuggling and currently at the bottom of Lake Superior.” 

“Michigan? Why would there be drug smuggling in the middle of Michigan?” You asked, confused. You had been there numerous times, it didn’t seem like the type of place you would think about when you thought about drug trafficking. 

“Well, Canada’s right there, it does kind of make sense. Strictly in terms of import and export.” Bucky answered you from your left. You glanced over your shoulder to look at him but his eyes were looking intently at the narco-sub. 

“Thank you Barnes, at least someone has their head screwed on straight today.” Tony said, rubbing his temples. “Fury thinks there might be something else in the narco-sub, weapons of some kind. He thinks this was Hydra.” 

With the sudden revelation, a chill went through the room. Nobody spoke and you swore Bucky tensed up next to you. Tentatively, you placed a hand on this thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze. Without saying a word he took your hand and covered it with his. 

“Barnes, I know this may be hard for you but nobody knows Hydra better than you do so I’ll need you to go on this mission. Y/N you’ll also be going, for obvious reasons.” Tony said while switching on the lights and shutting the hologram off. You knew you should’ve felt upset or pissed about Hydra but all you felt was giddy. You were finally going to use your powers and you had to work hard to suppress the smile on your face. 

“When do we leave?” You asked, your body already tingling in anticipation. 

“Two hours, pack what you need and get on the jet. Wilson, you’re flying them.” 

You learned you would be gone for two days so there wasn’t much to do in terms of packing. FRIDAY had transferred the mission details to your iPad per Stark’s request. You thanked her as you looked over everything. The sub was apparently in the middle of the great lake and sank all the way to the bottom. There was no way to be sure what exactly was on the sub but intelligence reports said drugs and dangerous weapons. So the usual. 

Exactly two hours later you had your duffel bag in hand and walked onto the jet to find Bucky and Sam waiting for you. Bucky looked you over and gave you a wary look. 

“Aren’t you gonna wear a tac suit or somethin’?” He questioned. 

“Usually I would, but I don’t need it for this mission.” You said with a smile, looking down at your casual beach going clothes. Cut off jean shorts and a black tee-shirt. You even wore sandals on your feet. Bucky simply shrugged at your reply as the jet took off and you made your way towards The Great Lake State. 

Sam dropped you off and told you there was a car waiting that you could take the rest of the way to the beach. Once you got there, there would be a boat that you could take out on the water to the drop site. You both thanked him before leaving the jet, promising to meet at the same spot in two days time for pick up. 

Once you got to the beach you and Bucky made your way towards the water, spotting the boat almost instantly. It was nothing special, just a small pontoon. To the unsuspecting eye, you and Bucky just looked like a young couple about to enjoy a day out on the lake. As you got closer to the water you could feel your energy spike, a surge of renewal wash through you. That was only slightly dampened when you realized there was no dock and the boat was just moored out in the shallows. You would have to get in the water to get to the boat. You hesitated and Bucky turned around, noticing your sudden change of pace. 

“Um...Bucky. You’re gonna have to carry me to the boat.” You said. Not a question, but a statement. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head when your statement registered in his mind. 

“What?” Was the only reply you got. 

“I can’t step into the water this close to civilians and you have the coordinates to the drop site. So unless you want me sprouting a tail early, you need to carry me to the boat.” You spelled it out for him, calmly. You had been with the Avengers for two years but none of them had ever seen you as a mermaid. They knew what you were but no mission ever required it of you and you made a habit of making yourself scarce from any pool party they might throw. 

“Oh, uh, right.” Bucky agreed, albeit slightly confused, as he walked back to you and picked you up bridal style. Now you /really/ must look like a young couple in love. Bucky stepped into the shallows and walked towards the boat. Your arms, which were wrapped around his neck, tightened as the water level rose. But before anything bad could happen, Bucky deposited you on the deck before he climbed aboard as well. 

You handed him a fluffy towel that had been waiting on board so he could dry off as he drove to the drop site. About ten minutes later you were at the destination. It was hard to believe you were on a lake and not in the middle of the ocean because everywhere you looked, as far as the eye could see, was water. Beautiful blue water that you thought complimented Bucky’s eyes nicely. He looked comfortable behind the wheel of the boat and you thought that maybe he could’ve been a fisherman in another life. His pale skin would turn golden in the sunlight and his black locks would get streaks of honey brown in them. Although you couldn’t imagine Bucky being any more gorgeous than he already was, but you kept your thoughts to yourself. 

You stood up, preparing to dive to find the narco-sub, and Bucky stood up behind you. You went to stand on the back ledge of the boat, ready to dive off, but Bucky’s hand around your wrist stopped you. 

“What?” You questioned, looking back at him. 

“Aren’t you gonna take your clothes off?” He asked, eyeing your outfit that you had worn on the jet. 

“Excuse me?” You balked, tearing your wrist free from Bucky’s grasp. His eyes seemed to go wide as he realized how his question sounded and a slight blush colored his cheeks. 

“I, I didn’t mean it like that.” He stammered, rubbing his neck with the back of his hand, “I just meant won’t your clothes get all wet.” 

“Oh...well the simple answer is no. When I hit the water my clothes disappear and they reappear when I’m dry again.” 

“Disappear? Where do they go?” Bucky asked, curiosity oozing out of him like a small child. 

“I promise I’ll answer all your questions when I get back but we really need to find the sub, so can I go now?” You replied, body itching to be in the water again, to feel your tail return to you. Bucky gave you a nod and you were off, you dove into the water and headed down towards the sub. You relished in the feel of a fin instead of feet, how fast you could go underwater. You saw a few fish swim past you and you smiled at them, it had been way too long since you had done this. 

About ten minutes later you began to swim back to the surface. As you got closer you saw Bucky’s legs kicking lazily in the water and you realized he was sitting on the back ledge of the boat, waiting for you to come back. You resurfaced to the right of his feet and leaned your arms against the ledge. 

“So what’d you find?” Bucky asked, squinting in the mid-afternoon sun out on the lake. 

“Half of the drugs and weapons are gone. I guess they took what they could when they realized they were compromised before letting the rest rot at the bottom of the lake.” 

Bucky nodded his head in agreement but he seemed distracted by something. It was only a moment later when you realized he was distracted by you. Or rather, your tail that flapped lazily in the water. He noticed that you had noticed him staring and quickly averted his gaze, a pink blush once again decorating his features. You hadn’t pegged Bucky for a blusher but you thought it was cute every time it happened. 

“Sorry.” He apologized, making it a point to look everywhere but at you. 

“It’s okay, I told you I’d answer your questions, remember?” You replied, teasing him gently. But another part of you really meant it. Not many people got to see you like this so you never had to talk about it, much less answer curious questions from your teammates. Especially teammates as attractive as Bucky Barnes. 

At your words, Bucky brought his head back down to get a proper look at your tail. You turned around so your back and elbows were leaning against the deck. You let your deep violet tail breach out of the water so Bucky could see it better. You heard him gasp as your scales caught in the sunlight, changing the violet color to resemble fuchsia instead. Bucky’s eyes raked over your tail before taking in the top half of your body as well, resting on the flesh colored webbing that wound its way over your chest. 

“What, no seashell bra?” He teased. You simply rolled your eyes in annoyance at the question. 

“Is that the only question you have for me?” You bantered back, rolling along in the water to face him once more, forearms resting on the ledge. Your wet hair cascaded down your back, it didn’t matter how long or short you cut your hair, in the water the length was always the same, stopping just above the small of your back. 

“How, um, how long have you been like this?” 

“Well I wasn’t born a mermaid if that’s what you’re wondering. When I was sixteen I went on a trip with my parents to the beach. One night, something pulled me out of bed, almost like a strange sensation. I followed it to a cave and into the water that was there, like my own personal pool. I waded into the water just as the full moon rose above and then the strangest thing happened. The water started to bubble and fizz around me and it felt more like a natural hot spring than a cold pool. I got out of the water not long after that and I didn’t think much about it until the next day when I went swimming in the water early in the morning and sprouted a tail.” 

“What did your parents say?” He questioned, leaning his elbows against his thighs to get closer to you. 

“They didn’t believe me until I showed them. They’re biologists so they tried to find a natural explanation for it but all their tests came back inconclusive and I accepted that there are some things in this world that you simply cannot explain.” You told him, having spent countless nights yourself trying to figure out what happened to you to make you what you are today. 

“So this” He started, gesturing towards your purple tail, “happens every time you touch water.” You simply nodded in response. 

“My hydrokinetic abilities can be accessed any time but they’re stronger when I’m in the water.” 

“You’re not gonna make me drown myself by singing to me are you?” He questioned, half teasing but with a wary look in his eyes. 

“No, there’s no chance of that, but weird things do tend to happen each full moon which is why I try my best to avoid them.” 

You and Bucky talked for a little while longer, him asking questions and you answering them to the best of your abilities. Bucky saw that the sun was setting and made his way to stand up. 

“Okay, it’s getting late. We should probably head back to the beach house for the night.” 

“You go ahead, I haven’t been out in the water in the longest time. I’ll meet you back in about an hour.” 

“You sure?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at you from his place behind the wheel. 

“I’m sure.” You replied before diving into the depths of the lake once again. You treasured the feeling of the freshwater in your hair and how your tail whipped through the water making you the fastest thing around. You hadn’t felt this exhilarated in two years and you didn’t intend to get out of the water any time soon.