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beybladefanboy · 3 years

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My Top 5 Least Favourite Beyblade Characters

I've talked about this in a few asks but I thought I'd go more into detail about the characters I hate most in this metal top show. Remember, I like more characters than I don't like and some of the characters I'm going to talk about are actually well-written characters objectively, they just annoy me personally. Starting with:

5) Masamune

Masamune is lowest on this list because I don't hate him. I personally find his personality annoying but he is a well written character. He gets good development over the course of Metal Masters and Metal Fury and his friendship with King is really cute. However, he is completely full of himself. The difference between him and someone like Kyoya or Ryuga is that at least in comparison, Kyoya and Ryuga don't actually talk themselves up that much. They let their actions speak for themselves for the most part. They are absolutely arrogant and do brag but not to the same degree as Masamune, who is far less skilled in comparison. He also doesn't know when to shut up and was a really shitty friend to Toby and Zeo. However, at least the show calls him out for what he did to Zeo and Toby and makes it part of the plot. Still completely selfish and horrible though.

4) Johannes

Cat-boy thingy is creepy and I don't like him. He makes me uncomfortable. I don't have a reason really I just don't like the way he is. I’m a cat person too but the way he literally acts like a cat, meowing and sitting like one, is just weird. He’s also just some annoying boring villain underling, like Jack or Reiji without the brainwashing and sympathetic backstory, which spared the two of them from this list by the way. I may not like either of them but they are interesting to talk about and I get why other people like them. Johannes meanwhile is just there to get in the way. He doesn’t do anything interesting he’s just weird and annoying to me. Tetsuya is the same way to me by the way and I could’ve put either him or Johannes on this list.

3) The Garcias

I'm lumping this entire family together because while I have separate small reasons for hating them individually, I hate all of them for the same big reason: I hate their attitude. They act like they're better than everyone else because they apparently "suffered more." First of all, suffering is subjective. Saying that one person has suffered more than another diminishes their suffering and is just arrogant. Yes, the Garcias live in poverty in a harsh neighborhood. They had a hard life and are trying to get out of it but that doesn't excuse them being obnoxious cheaters. I hate how they act like no one else has suffered more than them when LITERALLY EVERYONE ON GAN GAN GALAXY IS HORRIBLY TRAUMATIZED. Besides Masamune at this point but he didn't get out of season 2 unscathed. Meanwhile, the rest of them were at Battle Bladers. They all had to watch their friends get murdered by Ryuga or tortured by Reiji. Tsubasa was one of the people who had to battle Ryuga and came out of it infected with dark power, hurting himself and his friends. Meanwhile, Yu was manipulated and taken into the Dark Nebula and later kidnapped when he tried to leave. Don't even get me started on Gingka. I HATE hearing these know it all Garcias talk about how bad they've had it compared to the characters I've seen get traumatized for the past 70+ episodes at that point. It makes me not give a shit about their suffering because they're flaunting it and using it to excuse their frankly obnoxious and disgusting behaviour. Even Reiji, Jack, Damian, and Ryuga didn’t do that. Ryuga and Jack even admitted their mistakes later in the series with Ryuga especially taking actual steps to better himself. Meanwhile the Garcias stick to their bullshit philosophy to the end, even after it was proven wrong. They’re not any better in Fury either. They pretend to be fighting to manipulate Zeo and Toby to help them just to try and win a battle. It’s just frustrating to watch. Meanwhile, as individual characters, they still annoy the shit out of me. Enzo is an annoying brat that constantly repeats the same phrase over and over, which gets really annoying really fast, Selen's tactics make her battles against Masamune and Gingka frustrating to the point of boring, and Argo is an over the top borderline psycho, and not in a fun way. I don't have a specific reason to hate Ian but I don't really like him either so he gets lumped in with the rest of his siblings, since they all have similar attitudes. They also made Shogun Steel even more of a pain to watch.

2) Ryo Hagane

My reasons for this are mostly in Metal Fusion. He allows his teenage son to believe he's dead for reasons he claims are righteous, all while using this lie to justify hurting his son. Gingka's point counter being broken does drive him to take things seriously and push himself to fight harder to get into Battle Bladers. That is important to the plot and I won't deny that. But did it have to secretly be his dad who broke it? No. It could have been any random person, it could have been Tetsuya. Having his dad do it is an act of abuse, not to mention theft and property damage. I know no one gives a shit about the law in Beyblade but this is still messed up. I don't like the twist that Ryo lives but he does give Gingka semi-important information in the final episodes of Fusion and I might have been able to stomach this twist a little more if Ryo hadn't broke Gingka's point counter. That was a step way too far for me. I still wouldn't have liked Ryo though because allowing his teenage son to think he was dead is still messed up. He's also a terrible director. It frustrated me so much to see him force the Japanese and African teams to battle despite nearly all of them not being well enough to battle because they don't want to "show favouritism." How the fuck is it showing favouritism?! You shouldn't be making any teams fight when they're injured! It's not "showing favouritism" it's common decency. Gingka and Kyoya shouldn't have been allowed to battle when they were in such poor condition and Ryo was being both a bad director and a bad father by forcing them to battle. It seems like a small thing but it makes me hate Ryo even more than I already did. In short, Ryuga was right: "l always knew that your old man and his bey were second rate."

1) Rago

He killed Ryuga. That's it. What, you wanted an essay? Do I really need another reason? Well, he's also a one note villain without any traits to make him stand out among the other power-hungry villains of the series. He could have been replaced by a robot and his impact on the plot would have been the exact same. He's as boring and lifeless as a plank of wood. People say the new characters in Fury are boring. In this one case, I agree. This series has no excuse. Ryuga in season 1 was an excellent nuanced villain even though he and Rago's motivations were technically the same: power. Ryuga however had charm, he was scary, his greed for power began to physically control him by the end, giving us a hint of depth to a previously one note psycho. Doji was effective through his plans and presence in season 1, even Ziggurat had more to him than this "Rago" bitch. Ziggurat had an interesting plan and brainwashed children, Rago is just nothing. He does nothing interesting or memorable and the only reason I remember his name at all is because the one memorable thing he did was murder Ryuga. That alone wouldn't be enough to justify saying he's the worst character in the series but the fact that he's also a lazily written villain seals the deal for me.

Okay, there’s my list. Again, I like way more characters than I dislike and if you like any of these characters, that’s fine. I know for a fact Masamune, Johannes, and the Garcias have fans and while I don’t really understand why in the case of those last two, I can respect that opinion.

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avengers-nextgen · 5 years

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We Are One XV

“You’re very quite lately,” Alex noted, sitting on the edge of Sage’s bed. “And I know you’ve been having some bad days. My Dad said he-“

“Your dad didn’t knock.”

“He didn’t know better and it was a good thing he didn’t knock. You’d have done something you regretted,” Alex frowned, watching Sage play thoughtlessly with Salem’s tail as he slept.

“I wasn’t going to do anything, Alex. I’m past that.”

“You’re not if you still consider it. Listen, I know you won’t admit it but-what Enzo said hurt you. I know it did because if my brother said something like that to me I’d be well, I don’t know. It wouldn’t be pretty I can tell you that much,” Alex made sure she was seen from Sage’s peripheral before resting a light hand on the other girl’s leg, “so whatever you’re internalizing-you have to tell me.”

“I’m just thinking, okay? About what I’m supposed to do from here on out,” Sage frowned. “No matter what everyone else hopes for there’s going to be a final show down. There’s going to be choices we have to make.”

“Hey, look at me.” Sage reluctantly did as she was told. “They’re not going to be easy ones but you have me. That’s at least one person who has your back, right?”

“I just feel like my family isn’t supposed to stay together you know?” Sage sighed, finally relaxing. “Something always ruins it. This time it’s some revolutionary jerk.”

“Fight for it,” Alex insisted, “if it matters then fight for it. Sometimes losing something hurts more when you don’t try to keep it in the first place. If you fight for it and still lose-then maybe it wasn’t meant to last.”

“Why can’t things just be permanent?”

“I don’t know. I guess that’s not how the world works,” Alex shrugged.

“I don’t like the world,” Sage pouted, jutting out her bottom lip.

“Eh, sometimes it’s not so bad. Otherwise I wouldn’t have you. An adorable semi annoying girlfriend.” Alex teased, earning a playful kick to the ribs.

“Shush.”

— — —

Drew remembered Kubu returning with blood across his hands. It was a deep red in contrast to the white. She watched Harper scrutinize the boy’s every move. She saw the flicker of distrust in the other girl. In fact, Drew was beginning to doubt what was at play.

She recalled when Killian returned soaked to the bone with water and wielding some foreign object. The tension in the air was thicker than ice and no one dared to cut it. Not until Harper decided it was time to do so.

“When did we decide on murder?” Harper demanded.

“We are drawing them out. Forcing action on their part,” Killian replied calmly.

“Who did you kill?” Drew remained quiet as Harper approached Kubu with a thousand suns burning in her eyes.

“The father of a girl. The red head is fond of her,” He replied with care. “She is an orphan, but she is in no danger of legal action. From what I was told this girl is an adult. She needs no guardian or custody.”

“You slaughtered her father?” Drew’s voice finally broke the silence. It was steady, cool, but edged with pain as something flickered in her mind.

“I meant to do it in his sleep. I meant for no suffering to be had,” Kubu protested.

“You always intended suffering if you chose to kill the people that girl loved,” Drew remarked, still with that ever annoying apathy.

“It is done. We cannot fix it,” Killian waved his hand in dismissal.

“Have you considered the idea that we have crossed a line?” Harper stepped in front of the eldest boy to stare him down. “What if they come after us how we’ve come after them?”

“They won’t.”

“How do you know?” Max piped up from where they sat in the corner.

“They have a moral compass that surpasses their desires for revenge,” Killian assured.

“Some do. But there is an entire program and facility at their disposal isn’t there?” Max asked. “What about their bosses? They can order anything. Enzo’s friends don’t even have to lift a finger for us to be in danger.”

“Then I suggest we temporarily return home,” Killian shrugged.

“Not yet,” Kubu shook his head, “give it time. They will be hungry to retaliate, but too scared to do so lest they overextend. Let the anger subside after a day or two. Then we move. Emotions will be less at play.”

— — —

Two days had passed since that fateful evening. Nathaniel returned safely along with Orion after spending 48 hours at the Barton residence. Both walked in on chaos.

“We have a reading,” someone called from their surveillance station.

“Lock in,” Fury ordered.

“Oh this cannot be good,” Nathaniel mumbled, “Fury rarely gets involved unless it’s dire.”

“Send out aerial surveillance team.” Fury instructed from the central platform usually taken up by Maria. Orion scanned the scene until he spotted Fox at her own station.

“Hey, what’s going on?” He asked, lowering his voice for a reason he didn’t know.

“The hell if I know,” Fox grumbled, “apparently some pretty serious tech was stolen when Piper faced off with Killian. Guess it’s pretty deadly or Fury wouldn’t have his panties in a bunch over it. Right now we’re trying to peg where their little gang is and someone has a read on your cousin.”

“Let me see,” hopping the railing Orion squatted down beside Fox. Sure enough he could see a vague and hazy image of his cousin beside the girl named Harper. “Well I’ll be damned.”

“Looks like they’re heading down town,” called an agent.

“Good. I don’t doubt that’s where they’ve been hiding,” Fury determined. “It’s easy to lay low there. Any sighting on the others?”

“They’re one block away from targets D and C. Running a potential route analysis. Seems they’ll be meeting at the following location.” A schematic appeared on Fox’s screen with a red box placed about a small and squat building.

“Send the aerial team to the building.”

“Sir, with all due respect what are we planning here?” Nathaniel asked.

“A sting operation to take out their base of operations. Nothing huge, but it may limit their functionality and destroy that weapon they’ve stolen,” Fury explained.

“Sir, are we certain this is where they operate?”

“I have numerous accounts of the targets gathering at this specific location. I also have records stating the home was emptied months ago,” Fury studied the agents before him.

“Run the address,” Nathaniel whispered, leaning over the railing so Fox could hear him.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I have an uneasy feeling about this. I don’t doubt Fury’s done his research but I also know that real estate agents in that area are shit heads. They’ll do and say anything to get people turned out of homes especially when they can’t pay the bills,” Nathaniel explained, “and I don’t want him to make a mistake because some money laundering asshole lied on government paper work.”

“Okay, sheesh. I’m on it.” Fox’s fingers flicked across the keys with impeccable speed.

— — —

“Stop and go,” Drew repeated.

“I get it. It’s a quick visit. We don’t want to give away family locations. I know. Killian said it eight times already,” Harper hissed, shooting a glare at Drew. “We’re close anyways. Just another block-“

“Sh,” Drew slung out an arm stopping Harper in her tracks, “do you hear that?”

Despite her frustration with the alien Harper remained silent straining her ears to pick up on anything unusual. In the distance a careful thwack thwack thwack sounded. “A helicopter?”

“I don’t know what that is,” Drew admitted.

“They come here all the time. Perks of living in a dump. Now come on,” Harper pushed past her companion and kept walking. Drew remained a few paces behind staring intently at the sky. The noise she’d heard only grew louder with each passing second.

“Harper, I don’t like this.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, Harper-“

Just as the two approached the property line a large spotlight shown down from a dark shape in the sky. On its side was an emblem Harper knew well. “No. What are they doing her-“

“Harper wait!” Sprinting, Drew hurdled the fence and tackled the other girl to the grass. A loud bang sent a thrum through her ears followed by a wave of heat.Glancing up, Drew was met with fire.

“Oh God,” Harper breathed. After a second’s hesitation, she sprinted towards the inferno. Shaking her head, Drew followed.

Bursting through the door both were greeted by suffocating heat. Smoke stung Drew’s eyes and clawed at her throat but she shook the pain away. Off to the right she spotted a young boy slumped onto the floor. “I have him. Go!”

Nodding, Harper bolted down a small hallway as Drew collected the unconscious form. Tucking him to her chest she rushed back to the lawn. Spilling his body onto the grass she searched for signs of life.

Inside, Harper collected her baby brother and youngest sister. Both were conscious albeit stunned and in shock.

“Come on,” Harper pleaded, “just get outside okay? Here, take Ahanu. I’ll be back.”

Watching her two siblings disappear, Harper began her search for the rest of her family. Smoke began to collect in thicker and thicker pockets making it even harder to breath and see. Still, Harper continued the search.

Drew sat kneeling in the grass as Killian, Max, and Kubu finally arrived. They lingered out of sight by the overgrown bushes watching with wide eyes.

Something about the scene was impossibly familiar to her. The raging fire, the crying kids, her sense of helplessness and confusion, the heat, the fear, and the dangerous ship overhead.

Images flicked in front of her like foggy memories of the past. Soldiers tromping across colored sands soaked with blood. Two corpses lay mutilated at her feet and there was a man. A man she didn’t quite remember. He was frightening. Drew vaguely heard her own voice-much smaller than it was-calling for someone. Her father.

She could see it all so clearly. Seas of red, screams, body parts strewn about, and the horrible thing in the sky tearing everything apart while some man watched. Stomach twisting in pain, Drew leaned forward fighting against the searing heat in her skull.

It was the most vibrant series of images she’d ever seen. There was something familiar in them. Something she knew very well and yet she didn’t. It was foreign and familiar all at once.

— — —

“We need to get over there now,” Nathaniel yelled.

“No,” Fury spoke softly.

“What do you mean no?! People are in there! I knew this was-how did you make this mistake?!” Nathaniel demanded, his face red in anger.

“Everything checked out. I did my part. Something went wrong along the way. We had two days to prepare for this! There was no indication of-of a family inside.” Fury replied coolly, “Now you are to stay here. That’s an order.”

As Nathaniel argued with Fury in the background Orion watched the scene unfold from the surveillance footage. Drew had managed to pull someone out of the flames but now she seemed to be laying there in some form of shock. Time passed incredibly slow and after Harper’s third trip the building gave a final shudder before collapsing.

“How many are there?” Orion whispered. He counted slowly and carefully, “Seven. That’s good. How many are alive? Where’s the coms link?”

Scrounging about Fox silently passed over the device. Orion pressed the button getting in touch with the helicopter team, “how many are alive?”

“Give me a se-“

“How many are alive, damn it!” Orion growled.

“Five. We don’t see any vitals on our scanner for the eldest boy or the eldest girl,” Came the reply.

“Shit,” Orion breathed. His heart sank in disbelief. “This shouldn’t have happened. This shouldn’t have happened!”

Fox only watched the footage as Orion joined the frenzy with Nathaniel and Fury. She saw the blaze slowly begin to die and she continued to watch until the video feed cut out. She’d been so absorbed in it that even after the screen went dead she remained in her seat staring at darkness. She was beginning to remember why she hated organizations like SHIELD.

#avengers #avengers next gen #marvel #black widow #captain america #mcu #natasha romanoff #pepper potts #romanogers #scarlet witch #phase3 #we are one

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kickassfu · 6 years

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The Cursed Treasure

This was my contribution to klaroline winter wonderland for the wonderful @honestgrins I’m really happy you liked it ^^ I have to thank @garglyswoof for all of her incredible help on what stuff was missing and what fit or not, @gooddame for helping me out how to end the story and giving me ideas, and @austennerdita2533 for being excited with me lol Couldn’t have done it without u guys!

On AO3 and FF.

The Cursed Treasure

It almost seemed like a choreographed dance, with their feet light and fast, and their swords clashing. A duck here, a feint there, round and round they went, neither of them winning the fight. It mattered not that the ship was being blown all around them, or that the blood of their dying companions seeped into the wood as they kept their focus on each other. She wasn’t about to die over a moment of distraction, and apparently he was even more cold-blooded than she - not a speck of worry etched into his features, but a touch of delight and madness shone through his blue tempest eyes. Somehow in the midst of death and fire, he seemed to be having fun, and if she were to be completely honest, so was she.

“Caroline, the ship is sinking, we need to leave.” her first mate yelled as she stabbed a soldier in the chest, but as much as Caroline would like to leave this hellish wreck, she wasn’t about to turn her back towards him , it would mean instant death.

“Caroline is it? How delightful.” he said, never stopping his attack.

“Captain Caroline Forbes, pleasure to make your acquaintance. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d rather leave the epilogue to this story for another time.” she answered, parrying his sword with style, and smiling all the while.

Taking a step forward, he parried her strikes until her back was against a wall; their faces so close their lips almost touched, he whispered “I’m not very much into leaving things to chance I’m afraid, so I don’t think I’m letting you go so easily. I quite enjoy you love.”

“I apologize, but I don’t feel the same,” she shrugged and headbutted him hard enough he stumbled back, without giving him a chance to get his bearings, a pirate from behind him hit his head with the hilt of his sword knocking him out.

“So being the pirate I am you’ll have to forgive me for not playing fair. Bye, random soldier, you were slightly entertaining.” Caroline said unapologetically, and as she walked away from the sinking ship she blew him a kiss.

XXX

- 3 Years Later -

The bar was full; yelling and cursing abound, pirates and less respectable folk hanged around making their messes and getting drunk - the usual merrymaking with the casual fist fight, after all their blood ran hot and their brains slow. Caroline sat in the corner, drinking peacefully and not minding the usual ruckus - completely alone with her thoughts - although her crew was never too far from her. Some of them were scattered throughout the place always keeping an eye on her - lest she make trouble and the wrong person ended up dead or worse .

Pirating had been her life since she was but a child, thriving in it, loving it. A deadbeat man who happened to be a semi-famous pirate didn’t make for much of a father, but in turn she got a big family - yes, they were pirates, rough and mean, but they loved her as if she was theirs and took care of her when her parents didn’t. It was no wonder she followed their lead, gained as much knowledge as she could and went her own way; some of them sticking with her when she put together her crew, some stayed with her father, and others she had met along the way, becoming as important to her, as any other crewmember. So of course, everyone was protective of their Captain, mostly because she was the one that kept them all together, and for most, their savior and family. They would lay down their lives for her faster than the rum runs out on a pirate’s ship, because they had no doubt she’d do the same for all of them.

So when a man approached her, they all took notice and were ready to jump in, if necessary , but he didn’t seem to care about how they stared at him, and Caroline almost smiled at his carelessness. Not even looking up, she took another sip of rum and ignored him.

“This is a rather glum welcome for someone you almost killed, I think I deserve something a bit more exciting, wouldn’t you say love?”

That voice - she knew that voice - it stuck with her for some unknown reason. The way it coiled around someone’s heart in its fake innocence, and squeezed it until it stopped, was something unforgettable. No matter how brief their encounter had been, she had never managed to shake him off, “I kill a fair amount of people.”

“I bet you do, but it seems you failed to do the same to me.”

Looking up she rolled her eyes, “I wasn’t trying to kill you, if I was I would have stabbed you, but I didn’t . At most, you can say I left you to die.”

“Ah yes, how truly kind of you.”

“The point is moot, you’re alive and well, aren’t you? If you came for a rematch, sorry to say I’m not in the mood.”

“Not at all, I just came to pay a visit. I couldn’t forget you, and now that I’m going to spend more time in your waters, and hopefully will run into you more often, I just thought I needed to pay my respects.” smirking, he winks and mockingly bows, “Goodbye love.”

“Captain Caroline Forbes!” she insists; Caroline wasn’t a fan of the pet names, and she deserved recognition for who she was, and what she had accomplished.

“I would think you’d rather be called Captain Caroline Sparrow , but I guess I was wrong. Not a fan of your dad I suppose, guess we have that in common.”

“Who are you ?”

“I’m Klaus, just a lowly pirate.” he said, walking away, and leaving her in utter confusion.

A navy man turned pirate, and someone that knew who she truly was? Klaus was proving to be more dangerous than she had anticipated, and she was slightly intrigued. Whether he was friend or foe, Caroline would figure out eventually, and if she was being honest she was looking forward to meeting him again. Klaus , a lowly pirate he was definitely not. No worries, they’d meet again.

XXX

“Are you sure this is the right Island?”

After weeks of sailing they had reached their destination. The voyage had been rough; the winds had been against them, the storms almost never ceasing to torment them, and the sea as always, the fickle lover, that gave and took at its whim. It was an enormous Island, - apparently deserted, but you never knew - the trees seemed to engulf the whole island, the sight was slightly terrifying and in part mesmerizing, although the energy surrounding it was ominous and strange. She was sure .

“Yes Bonnie, I’m sure. Believe it or not I can read a treasure map.”, it was a bit old and fragile, but still readable, and Caroline would never make such a rookie mistake.

“It’s not the treasure map I have issues with, it’s that old compass you stole from your dad; it doesn’t even work properly.”

Feeling a little attacked, by how she clung to sentimental things - even if they were pretty useless - Caroline tried to stop that topic of conversation, “You worry too much, you’re a pirate now, live a little .”

“Says the person that likes planning everything perfectly, and gets mad when something’s out of place.”

“I am...flexible.” as Bonnie stared holes into her soul, Caroline gave in, “Fine, I’m just emotionally attached to this compass, and even if it drives me crazy sometimes, I can still work with it.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Bonnie smiled, shrugging at her little confession; after all she knew Caroline better than anyone else, and would always be there to make her see reason when emotions blinded her, and to let her be emotional when she closed herself off. It had been a lonely life, before Caroline had found her, and Bonnie wouldn’t trade the freedom of pirating for anything else.

Rolling her eyes, Caroline changed her attention to all of her crewmates, “Gentlemen, ladies, and all in between, we have reached our destination. This treasure shall be ours for the taking.”

“What about the curse? ”

“Enzo, since when do you care? Besides, every treasure is cursed, precisely because no one wants it stolen.” Caroline answered, not in the mood for superstitions.

“Come on Captain, you’ve seen things, you’ve heard stories, from all those years spent on that ship.”

“Even if that were true, for the one treasure that is actually cursed, there are thousands that are not. So we will be going , you can stay and take care of the ship if it pleases you.”

“As if I’d ever let my dear Captain go to dangerous places without me, who will have your back if not me?” Enzo winked at her, he’d follow her to the end of the Earth if he had to. If not for her, he wouldn’t be alive after all.

“Bonnie, or really anyone else, although I can take care of myself too.” Caroline joked.

“Now you’re breaking my heart.”

“You’ll get over it. Pirates, prepare the boats, we’ll be departing soon.”

XXX

As soon as her feet hit the sand, Caroline felt something was off , and drew her sword instinctively. Her crew, as always, following her lead with no questioning. She went forward carefully, not knowing what could pop up, but feeling certain that something would.

What she wasn’t expecting to see was Klaus - and a few other people she couldn’t recognize as quickly - run away from the forest and towards them, with seemingly no intent to battle them. Everyone seemed afraid of something , but not Klaus, he looked intrigued, almost delighted with the situation. Caroline wasn’t sure what they were running away from, but she wondered if Klaus had a death wish, always finding comfort in the midst of horribly dangerous situations. Not that she couldn’t relate sometimes - to emerge victor when the odds were against you, was an indescribable high.

The sight that followed was something completely unexpected, and for some reason - maybe the absurdity of it all - made Caroline laugh. Skeletons, walking - well, running - skeletons were chasing them, and very effectively killing the slower ones. Her crew stared at her in disbelief and she stopped laughing, grounding her feet and ready to destroy those measly bones.

“Hack away at them, until all their joints are disconnected and they can no longer move. And if that doesn’t work, burn them. If that doesn’t work, well...we’ll go from there, if it comes to that.”

“I was right after all Captain, the treasure is cursed.” even Enzo was surprised by the validity of his concerns.

“If the only curse is the treasure being guarded by bones, we’re in luck, because I am not giving up my bounty for something as silly as this.”

“Aye aye Captain.” they all screamed in unison.

Klaus’ eyes and hers met, and he smiled, knowing that somehow she had his back, and if not, she was welcome to try and stab it. Turning around, he started fighting those monsters once again, only one other person staying behind with him, while the rest of those fools ran away.

“This is the last time I listen to you, I told you this treasure was not to be messed with. I warned you. I even showed you a million better things to steal or do, but no, you have to go where you might be killed. Nik, you’re an idiot.”

“Says my reckless little brother. You still came.”

“I thought if you should die, it must be by my hands.” Kol said ducking, swinging so hard the skull of the thing went flying off.

“Thank you, that’s comforting at least.” Klaus grunted, trying to push off two skeletons from him at the same time.

Cutting an arm off, Kol pivoted out of another monster’s way, taking both of its legs off and then its head. By now he was huffing and puffing, tired of this dance he needed more excitement, something interesting to talk about, “This wasn’t just about the treasure, it was about a girl as well, wasn’t it? The blonde tasty little thing you were staring at? You knew she would be here, and wanted to take her treasure, taunt her, and eventually bed her. Not sure you understand how courtship works, but doing that would probably get you a slap, not sex.”

“Watch your tongue, before I remove it.”, Klaus had been growing more irritable with each word out of Kol’s mouth, and imagined it was his face on the skeleton he was currently skewering and smashing to pieces.

“I’d like to see you try.” Kol taunted, the exhaustion almost ebbing away compared to how much fun it was teasing his older brother.

From the corner of his eyes he could see Caroline swing her sword with incredible accuracy, taking down monster after monster, as if she was almost dancing to the sound of the wind. For a second he got distracted by the vision that was her, and got nicked by the rusty sword of one of the skeletons attacking him, not even flinching he kicked the thing back as hard as he could, and kept fighting. Knowing now wasn’t the time to have his attention stolen by the enigmatic pirate, that consumed his every thought.

XXX

Everyone was exhausted, but things had seemingly calmed down; the monsters seemed to be gone for good - but Caroline was not about to let down her guard, not just yet. It had been surprisingly easy to fight off, and she didn’t trust any of it. Suddenly, all her fears came true; people started falling down, for no apparent reason. She had to be strong, to not show any weakness, she was their Captain after all. It wasn’t easy though, seeing her crew, her family, on the sand groaning in pain. Bending down, Caroline checked Enzo’s forehead, it was deathly hot, once again having to swallow her fear, she then checked for any injuries and lo and behold, a scratch on his neck pulsing black.

“How bad is it?” seeing the look on Caroline’s face Enzo continued, trying to lighten the mood, “Is my face still pretty?”

“Was it ever?” she joked along, smiling in relief. Looking around, she saw Bonnie taking care of everyone she could get to, giving instructions to anyone still standing; getting up she gave two soft slaps on Enzo’s face, “I’ll be back, don’t move.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Bonnie was special , there was a little bit of witch in her and if there was ever any problem, Caroline trusted no one better to figure something out. Pulling her away from everyone, Caroline said, faking optimism “I’m here for some good news.”

“Turn around and come back later, I don’t have any for you.”

“Bonnie.”

“It might be poison, it might be mystical, it’s probably a bit of both, and I need time to figure things out.”

“I don’t think they have much, and I’m not losing anyone. Tell me what to do, and I will get it done.”

“We need to leave. If this is supernatural, it will probably be purged from their body when they get far away enough, and I’ll figure a way to deal with the poison. We shouldn’t stay here any longer.”

“People have died, I am not leaving without that treasure. Grab everyone, put them in the ship and I’ll be back shortly. If I’m not here in half an hour, leave.”

“You’re the Captain, we’re not going to leave you stranded here. You have to come with us.”

“I’m the Captain, and I’m ordering you to follow my orders. Do it, Bonnie.” Caroline said, but couldn’t help but whisper her true feelings, “Please .”

“Fine, if you’re not back in time, you’ll swim back even if it kills you.”

“Sounds about right.”

Hugging her Captain, her friend and family, Bonnie whispered, “ Come back. ”

“I will . Go.”

Readying herself, she took one last look at her crew, and walked into the forest of death. They needed this gold, and by the Gods, Caroline would get it. Curse or no curse, her blood was too strong to die here.

XXX

“I’m not leaving without the treasure.”

“Nik, are you daft? We need to leave, you’re hurt and I’m not carrying your arse out of here.”

“I’m fine, I’m not on the ground am I? I’m going.”

“Well then I’m…” Kol’s eyes caught sight of the most intriguing woman, and his basest desires won out, “sadly, not going with you. It seems my help is needed elsewhere. Good luck brother.”

He felt for the poor soul who had to deal with his brother, but at least it wasn’t his problem anymore. Looking around Klaus saw Caroline leave, and followed her. Maybe he’d leave this cursed island not with one treasure, but two.

Jogging to her side he teased her, “Why would you leave without me love? Thinking of stealing that pesky little treasure for yourself?”

“If it wasn’t for me, you’d be dead by now, some appreciation would be nice. The bounty is mine, and I’ll kill you before you get close to it.” her smile was cold, and razor sharp.

“I just thought it dangerous, you walking around all by yourself, what if more skeletons appear, or god forbid, something infinitely more nefarious.”

“Something like you?”

“I wouldn’t ever dream of hurting you.” Klaus said honestly, and the truth behind his words stunned even him.

“As if I could ever trust you.”, Caroline was a pirate, trusting people came sparingly and with difficulty and Klaus used to be from the navy - her enemy .

“I happen to be a very trustworthy chap, ask anyone.”

“You must think me dumb, but that pretty face of yours won’t fool me.”

“You think I’m pretty?” flirting, he stood in front of her face, - his fingers lifting her chin - inches away from her open lips.

Slapping away his hand, she kept walking, “I think you’re dangerous.”

“Dangerously pretty?” he was fairly certain, that out of the two, Caroline was infinitely more dangerous to him than he could ever be to her, but he still felt the pull to her side and the truth of the matter was that he always was partial to a little bit of danger.

“I would rather be attacked by a dozen monsters than deal with you. You’re exhausting. ”

“Then why are you smiling?”

Caroline hadn’t even noticed she was smiling, “I wasn’t, you’re delirious.” after looking up at him she saw how pale he looked, sweat dripping from his forehead in an unnatural way, “Actually, you do appear quite sickly.”

“I’m fine, we have gold to find, let’s move quicker.” it was his turn to try and change the subject, but he doubted she’d let it go.

“Wait a second.” she grabbed his hand - it was hot, and sweating - and pulled him towards her, reaching up to feel his face, “ You were hurt too .”

“You’re imagining things, sweetheart.”

“I bet I could kill you right now, without breaking a sweat.”

“Is that so? Want to bet?”

Rolling her eyes, she kept walking, “Stop distracting me, I don’t have time to deal with you. If you fall down, I’m not dragging you back with me.”

How could she be worried about someone she hardly knew, someone that could be quite irritating and more than a bit dangerous. It didn’t matter, she would keep an eye on him; just her luck having to take care of someone else when she was tight for time.

They walked in silence for a while, until she spoke up again, “Did you manage reach this far?”

“Now you have time for me again? I’m honored.”

“Ugh, fine.” he sounded like a child sulking, and Caroline was not in the mood to deal with anyone’s tantrum.

“No, we were pretty much attacked as soon as we walked into the forest.” he answered truthfully, his words falling on deaf ears as she was so concentrated on her ancient little treasure map.

“There it is.” Caroline said excitedly, her map never once betraying her expectations. It was a waterfall, behind it there was supposed to be a hidden cave, and then X marked the spot. Going in, both of them got drenched, there were several chests, and for one second she got reckless, and walked forward with her guard down. The ground buckled under her, and suddenly she was falling into a pit full of spikes, until a hand grabbed her arm.

“Careful there, don’t go dying on me before our re-match.”

“You saved me.” she couldn’t believe it; not that he had saved her, but that she wasn’t as surprised as she should be. In the depths of her being, Caroline thought Klaus’ words carried weight and honesty - that he’d never betray her, and that made him even more fatal.

“You sound surprised.” he said strained; his fever had been going up and his strength down since they had begun their little adventure, and only with his willpower he pulled her back out.

Caroline lied, “I still don’t trust you.”

Klaus laughed, of course, even after all this, she - a pirate - didn’t trust him . “How are you going to take all these trunks with you? The most I can take right now, is a few coins.”

“I’ll take what I can, as long as I don’t go back empty handed, I’m fine with it.”

Opening up the chests, - carefully - she filled her pockets as much as she could, and filled her sack as much as she could carry; it was heavy, but she could handle it. Klaus on the other hand, couldn’t carry as much, but still took a pretty good haul. Caroline should be thinking that he’d still find a way to double cross her, and steal her bounty, but she couldn’t even fathom it anymore. She was in trouble.

XXX

He was basically dragging himself along, trying to look strong and failing miserably, trying to keep up with her. Suddenly, Klaus dropped to the floor, and Caroline stopped in her tracks, “Get up Klaus, I told you I’d leave you to die. You’re not doing this.”

He was completely unresponsive, and she considered it, she really did - she was a damn pirate, for Gods’ sake - but she couldn’t go through with it. Dropping her very lovely sack full of gold, - she cried a little - and put his arm around her neck, dragging him along with her.

“I will kill you after this, I promise.”

Caroline reached the beach, and they weren’t there. She had taken too long, and now Klaus would probably die. Throwing him on the sand, she sat next to him. She knew he had to have a ship, but he wasn’t awake, and he obviously didn’t have enough time for her to go look for it, and his cowardly friends might have stolen it anyway, so what was even the point?

Waking up, his insides felt like they were on fire, his head as if it was splitting apart, and he thought this really might be the way that he died - how bland . Still, he noticed Caroline by his side, that she hadn’t left him behind after all and smiled, and that surprised him - she did have a soft spot for him after all.

“Sparrow, I have a dying wish.”

“To die by my hand instead? Because if you call me that again, that’s what will happen.”, she half joked; he was still alive, and all of sudden she didn’t mind him calling her that name, it was inconsequential.

“Being killed by you doesn’t sound all that bad. But no, just one kiss from the most beautiful and fascinating woman, I have ever met.”

“She sounds delightful, I’d love to meet her.”

“Caroline, we both know you’re not against it, so stop pretending. I’m dying anyway, it won’t hurt you.”

She felt for him, and she knew kissing him would hurt her for a multitude of reasons, but she couldn’t let him die without ever tasting his wicked lips, and so she granted his wish. Caressing his fevered face, her lips touched his dry ones; it was soft and kind, as if sending him off to the next world with tender love, and not consuming passion.

She regretted it, as soon as someone cleaned their throats behind them.

“I told her not to interrupt, Nik. That you would rather die in the arms of your lovely angel of destruction, than to be rescued, but I couldn’t stop her.”

“You didn’t think I’d actually leave you behind.”

“Bonnie!” Caroline basically ran into her arms, and hugged her.

“Still in pain over here.” Klaus said; his head hurt even more, now that Caroline had basically let it fall helplessly against the rough sand.

“I’ll help.” Kol said tiredly, picking his brother up.

XXX

- A Few Days Later -

“Are you feeling better now?” Caroline asked, feeling his forehead - it was colder now but still warm.

“I’d feel better if you k-”

“Well, I need to go check on my crew, so you have fun.”

Grabbing her hand before she could leave, Klaus laughed, “I’m just kidding love, we have time for that later.”

“I think you’re still delirious.” she commented, sitting back down on the bed, next to his lying body.

“You enjoyed that kiss as much as I did, Sparrow.”

“That only happened because you were dying.”

“Then I will just have to do that, again, and again, and again, until you can be honest with both of us.” he shrugged unconcerned, near death wasn't as terrifying as not being able to be by her side and bask in her light.

“Good luck with that.” Caroline laughed, wondering if his words rang true, and anticipating his future actions.

Their hands were still linked, and he kissed the back of hers tenderly, “We have time, and we both know you value my life more than you do gold, and you’re a pirate.”

If he was offering, she had no reason to refuse. He was right, she had chosen him; his life had more weight in her heart than the gold she needed, and so returning the favor she kissed his knuckles, “Then from now on your life is mine.”

“It has been since the day you almost killed me.”

#klaroline #klaroline drabble #klaroline fanfiction #klaroline winter wonderland #caroline forbes #klaus mikaelson #kc #kc fic #kc drabble #mine #my ficlet #my ficlets #honestgrins

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ryanonwrasslin-blog · 7 years

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Wrestlemania 33 Review

RI’m going to keep this relatively short because I’ll have the full review of the week later on, but as one of my gimmicks around here is ranking things, I thought I’d put together the definitive ranking fo the matches from NXT and Wrestlemania, along with some assorted thoughts, from worst to first, and grouped together by category.

Terrible

18. Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt

There were a couple of letdown matches on the main card that I came into with high hopes, but nothing compares to this one. Against the right opponent each of these guys can have fantastic matches. But neither has a style that meshes well with everyone, and unfortunately it’s now clear that they just don’t have chemistry with each other in the ring that’s even 1% as interesting as their chemistry outside of the ring. I don’t know what Smackdown’s plans are, but the air really felt like it was let out of this feud last night.

17. Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker

Poor ‘Taker. And honestly, poor Roman. The Big Dog has mostly had good matches for the last year-plus no matter what his critics might insist. But I don’t think even a wizard like Shawn Michaels or AJ Styles could have pulled something worthwhile out of the Dead Man last night. We’ve seen this deterioration in the ring really since the Mania loss to Lesnar, but ‘Taker was always able to at least give us something. Last night was dreadful and thankfully it’s the end for ‘Taker. That spot with Taker turning to putty as Reigns tried to put him into the Tombstone hurt to watch. In all honesty, he shouldn’t have gone past the CM Punk or first Lesnar match. Thank you for so many good moments, ‘Taker, but it’s time to rest in peace.

Mostly Dull

16. Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin

I don’t think I’ll ever understand why this wasn’t made under like hardcore, No-DQ rules. I get that there were multiple other matches that made use of no rules, or bent the rules, but there’s always a place for a schmozzy match that battles backstage and uses lots of props and barely resembles a technical match. That’s what this needed to be. Instead, it was a perfectly okay pre-show match where, for some reason, Dean Ambrose retained.

15. Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Even a bad battle royal is still perfectly fine, and that’s more or less what this was. I liked the strategy involved in getting Strowman thrown out. That kind of stuff needs to happen every now and then to keep fans from complaining too much about how dumb the wrestlers are. And Mojo is an interesting choice. I can’t see a world where he’s ever even worthy of being more than a placeholder for a midcard belt, but hey, the guy is fun to have around and it takes all kinds to build a wrestling company.

Too Long By Half

14. Seth Rollins vs. Triple H

Woof. This match. Why in God’s name was this match the longest on the card and yet Samoa Joe still didn’t show up? There were basically zero shenanigans you wouldn’t see in a typical episode of Raw. If they wanted to book it this way, they should have shaved probably eight-plus minutes. And if you wanted it to be 20-plus minutes several hours into a card, you needed to do something more interesting than a typical Triple H cerebral assassin match. They’ve known this match was coming for like eighteen months, so thank God it’s over, and I’m sure that’s why they made it this epic battle, but sometimes you’ve go to realize how that sort of thing will play in-house and this crowd was not interested and neither was I. Also, I know Seth hitting Trips with the Pedigree was the money move, but how you gonna deflate the goddamned Phoenix Splash by kicking out? That 100% needs to be a Rollins finishing move going forward.

Left Something To Be Desired

13. Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya vs. Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James vs. Naomi vs. Carmella

On the one hand, the shortened time led to a frenetic pace that, this late in the show, was needed to keep the crowd from utterly dying. But on the other hand, I would have liked to have seen this get at least another 2-3 minutes so that it wasn’t entirely a spot fest and didn’t feel as much like a throwaway. They do gain points for making the right call in the end result, with Naomi being one of the best calls to win of the night.

12. Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax

At some point we need to have a discussion about Bayley, right? I mean she’s not outright bad or damaging for sure, but she is just not working as well as she should be on the main roster. People want Sasha to win big, and are perfectly happy to hate the hell out of Charlotte. But this was not a good match after the fun of taking out Nia was accomplished. And if they turn Sasha tonight, I’m concerned fans are not going to be nearly as behind Bayley as you’d expect. Sasha is an amazing heel, but she’s also a brilliant character that fans respect the hell out of.

11. SAnitY vs. Tye Dillinger, Roderick Strong, Kassius Ohno, and Ruby Riot

The mixed tag rules still leave us in such weird places. Unless the match is booked damned near perfectly, at some point it always turns into a frustrating plot point. I do wonder if NXT ever comes close to pulling the trigger on Dillinger. It almost feels like too little too late after another L.

10. John Cena and Nikki Bella vs. The Miz and Maryse

I hoped for more from this given how phenomenal the booking leading up to the match was. Instead they mostly protected Maryse, let Miz have a couple nice minutes, and then it was time for the Cena family to get their shit in and get to the real point of all of this: the proposal. Fine for what it was, but given how good 3 of the 4 in this match are in the ring, and how Maryse’s ring rust could have played into Nikki’s strong style dominance, I hoped for better.

Perfectly Fine, And That’s Okay

9. Aleister Black vs. Andrade Almas

Almas has settled in as a nice mid-card hand in NXT and a welcomer to the card, and this showed why. It was a nice match, showed off both men’s skills, and put Black over as a force to be reckoned with in the months ahead in NXT. At some point, I hope they get on the Almas train. That dude has it figured out now and needs to get something of a push.

8. Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens

I wanted this to be Savage/ Steamboat. I wanted it to steal the show and make it impossible to follow in every way. But this just never clicked as much as I wanted it to. That’s not to say it was bad. It wasn’t. It was a strong story of two guys who know each other’s moves so well that they constantly have the moves and counters scouted. That’s a fine story, but it needed more to really work. We didn’t quite get there, I’m sorry to say.

Fun

7. Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar

This was the best possible version they could have done of Goldberg/ Lesnar. I didn’t want another 2 minutes or less affair but asking these two to go ten or more minutes is not being realistic about what you have in them, and it’s risking the crowd turning on it. Instead, both guys got to hit their combined four moves, it told a coherent story, and was a lot of fun. Everyone involved deserves serious kudos for stretching this out to just the right length and making it as good as it could possibly have been.

6. Bobby Roode vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

This was a far better version than their first matchup. Roode is developing a nice tendency of working smart, dare I say cerebral, matches. The knee work to neutralize the Kinshasa was good, as was his ready counters. Shinsuke’s matches in WWE have all been fine, but not one has ever lived up to the man’s hype, charisma, and most of all his entrances. I hope that changes on the main roster.

5. Neville vs. Austin Aries

In terms of technical skill on both sides of the bout, this was certainly the winner at Wrestlemania. Just a well-booked, entertaining match all around. Neville continues to be both smart and devastating, and this didn’t take any shine off of Aries. Let’s do this again with these two.

4. AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon

If I could get past the booking oddity of making Shane McMahon look on the equal of AJ Styles, this would almost certainly be the match of the night, and I can’t believe that’s something I just typed. AJ is a demigod in the wrestling ring, and full marks go to Shane McMahon for learning from the worst parts of the overlong Undertaker affair. This was fun, relatively strong from a technical perspective, and should cement AJ as a goddamn miracle worker in the ring to the decision makers at WWE.

3. The Club vs. Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Enzo and Cass vs. The Hardys (!)

I gave this match shit for using up the ladder stipulation for three team who seemed in capable of making it worthwhile. But the, things got a little bit Broken. Without a doubt the biggest pop of the night went to the freakin’ Hardys showing up at Wrestlemania. From there it turned into 11 electric minutes. Everyone got cool spots, crazy ass Jeff Hardy jumped off an enormous ladder, and the crowd lost their shit repeatedly through it all. It won’t score high by any technical measure, but goddamn if this wasn’t a ton of fun.

These Are The Actual Good Matches

2. Asuka vs. Ember Moon

It seems like I like this match more than most, even though I don’t have a ton to say. And yes, I know that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. The tag match was hot fucking fire, but this told a strong story and made both women look great. Ember is coming for Asuka, and coming soon, but Asuka’s surprise semi-turn tonight was beautiful.

1. The Authors of Pain vs. The Revival vs. #DIY

A great, possible swan swong, for what has been the best division in all of WWE for over a year. I have to think at least one of Revival and #DIY are being promoted, and honestly they both should be. I’m not sure AOP can keep this up without them, but that’s a question for another day. For Saturday night, we got brilliance from the three teams. The combo finishers, the frenemies dynamic between the two smaller teams, and AOP’s just incredible physicality. My only issue is just how much damage AOP had to overcome to win. It got to be too much when whichever Author sat in double submissions for forever without tapping, and within another minute or two was up hitting his moves. That was a step too far, and the only thing that kept it from being another all-time classic.

#Wrestlemania #Wrestling #WWE

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