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duhragonball · 3 years

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Battle Tendency Liveblog: JJBA Ch. 105-108

“Master Kars has taken a fighting stance! I... I wasn’t expecting tongue...”

Hey, remember Wammu? Well, he’s dead now, so the only Pillar Man left to worry about is the leader, Kars. His army of vampire slaves don’t like this, so they try to bumrush our heroes, but Lisa kills a few of them, then threatens to destroy the Red Stone of Aja unless Kars honors their agreement.

And Kars is cool with that. He only took off his headdress and exposed his antennae to prepare for the next one-on-one fight. He then kills his unruly henchmen to prove that they don’t speak for him. Moreover, Kars is now willing to fight Lisa Lisa. Earlier, he said that he didn’t like fighting women, but now that he’s seen her in action, he’s on board with the idea.

But he doesn’t want to fight in Skeleton Heel Stone, where Joseph and Wammu squared off. Instead, he chooses the Piza Berlina Temple, right next door to the S.H.S. Apparently, after a hard day of chariot racing, the winners used to come here to worship their gods and drink the blood of the losers.

It’s weird to me that Kars and Wammu should be so familiar with this place, and carry such an abiding respect for it. I mean, they’ve viewed ordinary 20th Century humans with utter contempt, dismissing them as backwards primitives. Santana disassembled a German rifle like it was easy, and he’s supposed to be the big dummy in the Pillar Men. That’s how little they think of 1938 technology and civilization. The Hamon users in this story only get a bit of respect because they‘ve become worthy adversaries.

And yet, the Pillar Men seem to be a lot more respectful towards ancient humanity. Esidisi knew the writings of Sun Tzu, if not the man himself. You’d think he’d just ignore or devour Sun Tzu sooner than look at him. And you’d think Wammu would have wanted to fight in the traditions of his own culture, but instead he’s all into this ancient human racetrack. It can’t be because it’s old. Compared to Wammu, it’s positively brand new.

On the other hand, these guys are the last of their kind, as we’ll learn in a few chapters. Human culture is the only kind the Pillar Men have gotten to see, and it’s been that way for about a hundred centuries now. If Esidisi wants to read a book, he’s pretty much going to have to tolerate human authors, because that’s all that’s left. And if Wammu wants to admire a sporting arena, he’s stuck with places like these, built by those pesky “primitives”.

Joseph asks Lisa to let him fight Kars instead, since he’s still worried about her being a woman. Also, he believes Kars is weaker than Wammu, so he should be able to defeat him. But Lisa insists on handling this, and she strips down to this circus outfit. That sounds like I’m making fun of it, but I’m not. It looks pretty badass, but also period-appropriate.

The fight is very short. Kars pulls some sort of disappearing act, then emerges from one of the stone surfaces of the temple, trying to slash at Lisa from behind with his blades. But Lisa has it scouted, and she wraps her silk scarf around Kars’ arm, charges it with Hamon, and kills him, wham, bam, thank you ma’am.

And then the real Kars emerges from the same stone, and stabs Lisa in the back. Somehow, Kars disguised one of his vampire minions to look just like him, right down to the blades in his arms, and sent that flunky out as a distraction. It’s a cheap trick, and a complete 180 from the honor displayed by Wammu in the previous fight. Kars doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about dishonoring Wammu’s memory, nor does he care about breaking his word. The only thing Kars cares about is getting the Red Stone of Aja, and now he has it.

Unfortunately, this takes Lisa Lisa out of action for the rest of the story. Kars hasn’t killed her, but she’s too badly hurt to do anything from here. That kind of sucks, because Lisa’s such a cool character. A friend of mine once complained that Lisa got a raw deal in Part 2, and we should have gotten to see her get a big fight, on par with Joseph vs. Esidisi, or Caesar vs. Wammu. I can’t really disagree with the sentiment.

However, I have a hard time figuring out how such a fight could have been worked into the story. She couldn’t beat Kars, for Pete’s sake. He’s the final boss of Part 2, so it sort of falls to Joseph to do the honors. And she couldn’t beat Wammu or Esidisi, because Joseph was the one who needed the antidote to their poison rings. Lisa could have lost to either of them--the way Caesar lost to Wammu-- except she’d have to die, which would spoil the big reveal of her origin story.

So maybe there needed to be an extra Pillar Man in the cast? Not Santana, because he’s too weak, but maybe Kars’ group has a fourth guy named Talqingedz or whatever. So Lisa Lisa could mop the floor with that dude... and then what? Would it really carry any dramatic weight for her to defeat a guy like that? A Pillar Man so ancillary to the story that the plot would flow just as well without him? When you get down to it, Lisa Lisa’s dream opponent for Part 2 just ends up looking like Wired Beck, a random jobber presented solely to establish her credibility as a fighter. And we already got Lisa vs. Wired Beck, and clearly that wasn’t satisfying enough. So Lisa Lisa vs. a Pillar Man probably wouldn’t have been much of an improvement.

Nonetheless, I think it’s a valid criticism of Battle Tendency. You come out of this story wishing we could have seen more of Lisa Lisa in action, and we just aren’t going to get it. But the root of the problem isn’t that she didn’t get to fight more, it’s that she was presented as a fighter when that really wasn’t her role in the story. She’s a teacher, training Joseph and Caesar in the ways of the Ripple, but more importantly, she’s an enigma. Who is she? What’s her connection to the Joestars? To Straizo? To Caesar? Where did she get the Red Stone of Aja? And so on.

Her Ripple mastery makes her one of the strongest fighters on the board, but that’s just another piece of the puzzle. I think there was a profile of Lisa Lisa in the manga that said her Ripple was three times stronger than Joseph’s. But we never get to see it demonstrated, because that’s not the point. We’re just supposed to wonder who this lady is and how she got so powerful, and where has she been this whole time. I think this is also why everyone keeps writing her off as a woman. It’s not just chauvanism, it’s intended to keep the reader off-balance. One minute Joseph and the Pillar Men are respecting her power, and the next minute they’re dismissing her. It keeps you guessing.

I suspect this is one reason why Araki dealt Lisa Lisa such an inglorious defeat here. Could Lisa have defeated Kars in a fair fight? Yeah, I think she could. But if she cleaned his clock, it would defeat the mystique of the character. The same is true if Lisa lost to Kars in a fair fight. We’d say “Oh, okay, she wasn’t quite as strong as Joseph, so that’s that.”

Now, the other major reason for Kars to defeat Lisa Lisa like this is to demonstrate Kars’ main character trait. He only cares about achieving his objective. Wammu had his warrior code, and Esidisi had his devotion to his comrades, but Kars has only himself and his goals. He had Lisa and Joseph cornered in the abandoned hotel, but they didn’t have the Aja Stone on them. Lisa made that bluff about a bomb, and then proposed this contest to settle things. Kars agreed, but not because he had any intention of honoring the agreement. He just let things play out because he knew Joseph would bring the Stone to the battlefield, and even if Wammu lost, he would still have all of these vampires to back him up.

That’s how Kars was able to defeat Lisa. He used Wammu’s own honor to lull Lisa into a false sense of security. After seeing how noble Wammu was in defeat, and how gracious Kars was in disciplining his vampires, she began to believe that Kars would fight her fairly. That was Kars’ plan all along. Once he had her isolated on the temple, with the Red Stone of Aja on her person, he made his play. It’s dirty pool, but it worked, and that’s all Kars cares about.

This makes Joseph super-duper pissed, but what’s he gonna do about it? He’s way down there on the ground, surrounded by vampires, and his Ripple is weak from the fight with Wammu. So now Kars can just watch from a safe vantage while his henchmen tie up the last loose end.

But then, the Nazis show up, led by Stroheim, complete with a repaired cyborg body. And Speedwagon and Smokey are here too, along with a fighting contingent of the Speedwagon Foundation. And they came prepared too! Everybody’s armed with UV emitters. To be sure, ultraviolet lamps haven’t worked so well against the Pillar Men, but against ordinary vampires, they seem to do the job quite nicely.

So while they clean house, Joseph climbs up to where Kars and Lisa are, and he’s ready to throw down. Joseph has plenty of harsh words for Kars’ dirty tactics, but Kars doesn’t care. This has all been a chess game to him. The Ripple Clan, the vampires, even Wammu and Esidisi, they were all just pieces on a board, maneuvered and arranged until he could secure a path to victory with minimal risk.

See, that’s the other thing about Lisa Lisa. It’s very subtly expressed here, but Kars was clearly very worried about her. He knew Joseph was a threat because he killed Esidisi, but he knew he could use Wammu to wear Joseph down. But Lisa Lisa is even more powerful and experienced than Joseph, and she’s shrewd enough to destroy the Stone if cornered. He knew he couldn’t beat her at her own game, so he let her think she was playing her own game in order to set her up for that sneak attack. If Kars hadn’t done that, he’d be dead by now, or the Stone would be lost or destroyed.

Likewise, I’m not sure Kars is confident about a fair fight with Joseph, even though he’s tired from fighting Wammu. I mean, you’d think he’d just charge Joseph and cut his head off if he could, but instead he lures him into another trap. Before Joseph got up here, Kars tied Lisa’s feet to a rope. He made sure not to kill her, but only so he could use her as a hostage. Kars tosses Lisa down, and Joseph has to grab the rope to keep her from falling to her death.

And the whole point of that was to keep Joseph standing still. He can’t let go of the rope, so he’s in no position to defend himself. Now Kars can just walk right up to him and kill him at his leisure. As far as Kars is concerned, this is what fighting is all about. Not a test of strength and skill like Wammu’s ideal, but the achievement of victory at minimal risk.

And this is where we see Joseph exceed Lisa Lisa. They both got suckered into Kars’ traps, but Lisa doesn’t have Joseph’s penchant for trickery and quick thinking. She’s got more Ripple power, sure, but that doesn’t matter against a guy like Kars. I’m starting to get the impression that Kars is a lot weaker than Wammu, since he fights so conservatively in this story. He may not be able to afford to fight Joseph in any other way.

So how in the hell can Joseph get out of this one? Well, first he tries to kick Kars to keep him away. Kars just cuts his leg, along with a section of rope that was in the way. Joseph’s Ripple is so weak that the kick did nothing.

Then Joseph sets his own scarf on fire and talks about how he has a plan, and it’s so awesome that he can make this work before the flames reach his body. Kars thinks this is just desperate posturing, and all Joseph seems to do is swing away. Kars thinks he’s trying to get some distance so he can recover his Hamon energy.

Then Kars cuts the rope, since Joseph won’t stand still and get murdered.

And it backfires, because Joseph did more tricky rope tricks! Hermit Purple, bitch!

Basically, that very first bit, where Joseph tried to kick him, even then, Joseph had a plan. He got Kars to cut a section of rope, which he then used to tie his own leg to the rope holding Lisa Lisa. Then he goaded Kars into cutting the rope so Lisa would fall, not realizing that Joseph had her secured with his other rope. Also, that other rope got caught on Kars’ own foot. It’s complicated.

Oh, wait, I forgot to talk about chess. Okay, so earlier, Kars was gloating about using Lisa as a pawn to achieve checkmate. It’s a good analogy, but I’m pretty sure chess was invented within the last 2000 years. In other words, Kars literally slept through the entire history of the game. So for him to be talking about it now, I have to assume he learned about chess during that month while Joseph was training. That kind of sucks. Esidisi and Wammu were running around trying to find the Red Stone of Aja, and Kars was probably chilling out in Switzerland playing chess and drinking hot cocoa all night. Wotta heel.

Then Joseph pulls himself back up with his scarf and uses Overdrive against Kars’ blade. Joseph’s Ripple is so strong that he just powers right through, destroying the blade on Kars’ arm like it’s no big deal. That’s interesting, because when Joseph first saw Kars’ blades, he worried that he wouldn’t be able to block them, and now it’s Kars who wasn’t strong enough to block.

Maybe “Light Mode” was more of an illusion than a genuine power? I mean, the blades are super-sharp, but I never understood what difference it made for them to be all sparkly, unless it’s a psychological trick to demoralize the enemy. It definitely worked on Stroheim, and it worked on Joseph for a while, but I don’t think Joseph’s gotten that much stronger since their last encounter.

Anyway, the Ripple worked, and Kars’ entire arm explodes. Yeah! Then he falls off the temple, and Joseph loosens the rope to help him on his way down. Cool! Then Kars lands on a bunch of spiky rocks, the same gruesome fate he intended for Lisa Lisa. Yeah, how’s that taste, Kars? You loincloth-wearin’ piece of crap?

So... yeah, we won! Great job everyone! Except for the Nazis, they can all go fuck off and die in a fire. Smokey’s feeling a lot better about everything, so he asks Speedwagon about Lisa Lisa. See, earlier, Lisa revealed to Joseph that she was the baby that Erina rescued at the end of Phantom Blood. But Erina told Smokey about the same baby back in New York, and Smokey knows that Lisa Lisa is Joseph’s mother.

Except, Erina told Joseph that his mother died of a disease when he was a baby, so how can Lisa be alive and a Ripple Master? Speedwagon agrees to explain, since Smokey took care of Erina while he was away, but he insists that Smokey not reveal any of this to Joseph, because it’s Joestar family business.

I hadn’t really considered it until now, but this is the first time we’ve seen Smokey and Speedwagon interact so far. They’ve gotten to know each other off-panel, and they seem to have a bond over their shared respect for the Joestars, so it lulled me into thinking they’ve appeared together before this. Anyway...

The origin of Lisa Lisa isn’t all that complicated, actually. She was raised by Straizo and became a Ripple warrior, while Jonathan and Erina’s son, George Joestar II, joined the British Air Force in World War I. George and Lisa fell in love, married, and had a baby, Joseph.

The catch is that there was one last zombie from Phantom Blood. Speedwagon and Straizo thought they got all of Dio’s zombies, but one of them was very clever and managed to stay hidden. He just made sure to eat his victims’ entire body, so as not to leave any physical evidence. Also, he faked a disability to excuse himself from any daylight activities. By the 1910′s, he had successfully infiltrated the RAF as a Major.

So George learned of this, because he knew all the Phantom Blood lore from his wife and mother. But George never had any Ripple abilities himself. He may have had the potential for it, but he was never trained, and I guess he didn’t develop it naturally, the way Joseph did.

So he tried to gather evidence to expose the zombie Major, but his plan backfired and the zombie killed him instead, then covered up George’s death by reporting it as a plane crash. Speedwagon and Straizo investigated this, but before they could act...

Lisa got wind of it and took matters into her own hands. She killed the zombie major, but she did it in front of another officer. The authorities knew nothing of zombies or Stone Masks, so they just thought she murdered an RAF officer in cold blood. So she had to leave Britian as a fugitive, and she’s been living in exile in Italy ever since. The Speedwagon Foundation has been trying to clear her name, but I doubt there’s whole lot they could do about a case like this.

And there you have it. Erina was so heartbroken over the death of her son and the exile of her daughter-in-law that she asked Speedwagon to never tell Joseph what really happened to his parents, and to keep the Ripple a secret from him. Of course, none of that really worked, because Joseph developed the Ripple on his own, and Straizo and Stroheim forced Joseph to develop those abilities even further, leading him directly to his long lost mother. Erina wanted to protect Joseph, but she couldn’t save him from his own fate. Smokey starts crying, and I’m like “same tbh.”

This ties back to a point I made early on. When I watched the anime, it seemed kind of random to introduce Smokey, then drop him for most of the story, then bring him back at the end. But now, it makes a lot more sense. He was a viewpoint character, but only so far as the stuff about the Joestar Family. All the fighting and Ripple stuff could be done without Smokey, since Joseph could function as his own viewpoint character for that part. And while it’s kind of weird for Smokey to be absent for so long, it helps that he seemed to feel the same way. He clearly went out of his way to join Speedwagon on this mission to Switzerland. He simply cares about the Joestar Family that much. He couldn’t sit in New York and wait for an update.

Anyway, Lisa’s going to be okay, and the vampires are all dead, and Kars is slowly dying from the Ripple wound Joseph gave him, so it looks like we’re all finished here. Stroheim decides to put Kars out of his misery by shooting him with high-intensity UV rays. Maybe that’s overkill at this point, but we might as well let Stroheim have his fun.

Oh SHI--

So yeah, Kars had the Red Stone of Aja this whole time, but he only just now decided to use it. That’s because the Stone will only amplify the power of his special Stone Mask if there’s a powerful light source. This whole fight has been happening at night, so Kars had to wait until morning to try this little stunt. But Stroheim has helpfully supplied a bunch of UV lamps, and those work just peachy, thanks. Fuck Stroheim forever.

And just like Dio and Straizo before, the Stone Mask digs bony protrusions into Kars’ brain, but this time the mask has the Super Aja powering it, so Kars stands to gain even more power, turning him into... what exactly?

#jojo's bizarre adventure #battle tendency #joseph joestar #kars #lisa lisa #robert e o speedwagon #smokey brown #rudol von stroheim #george joestar ii

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certifiedskywalker · 5 years

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Academic Misgivings (Part Seven) - Peter Parker

You and Peter Parker aren’t friends, but you’re not entirely enemies either. You don’t like him but he always tries to be nice to you. He has everything you’ve ever wanted and you’ll do anything to show him that you can make it on your own. But can you?

What will happen now hmm? With Y/N continue to fight her growing feelings towards Peter or let herself let go? You’ll have to read to find out.

PART ONE / PART TWO / PART THREE / PART FOUR / PART FIVE / PART SIX

Whether it was what had happened the day before with Peter or the fact you had added an extra layer of clothing, the walk to school felt a little less cold the following Thursday morning. The warmth that had followed you from the Parker’s home stuck with you all throughout the school day, only intensifying when you caught a glimpse of Peter. Across the hall in the morning he had smiled at you, the kind of ‘hey-I-see-you’ type of smile that had once made your stomach curl. It still did, only now it tickled more than it made your insides cramp.

Now you found yourself longing to see him in between classes when, in the past, you would have kept your head down. Throughout the day, whenever the bell rang, you scanned the seas of your peers for Peter’s face. When you never found him, you were disappointed.

That blunder turned to nervousness as you sat at a table in the library, the rest of the academic decathlon team sitting idle around you. Mr. Harrington shuffled through papers full of questions and announcements, a habitual action he performed whenever he was about to start a practice session. Wearily, you flicked your gaze to the library doors then back to the table, as if that, if you wished hard enough, Peter would simply apparate out of thin air.

As you tore your eyes from the door, you caught a glimpse of Flash. He was leaning back in his chair, hands behind his head and a smug smirk on his face. The sight made your blood boil. Flash was still going ahead with the plan, at least his part in making Peter late to practices, and you still had to tell him you wanted out. Just when the courage to pull Flash aside and remove yourself from his scheme, the creaking of a door reached your ears.

“Hi, hey, sorry,” Peter greeted the team. He rushed over, gave you that signature smile and pulled the empty chair out at your side. A wave of relief washed over you as Peter sat down. With a contented breath, you glanced up at Flash whose thick brows were knitted tight with confusion.

“Alright, great,” Mr. Harrington cleared his throat, “now that we’re all here, we can start with some announcements. Betty, I believe as our student council representative, you have something to say.”

Much too eagerly, the blonde stood up from her chair with her skirt effortlessly flowing along in the motion. Betty prided herself on her polished appearance, just as you thought Peter had when you had been so consumed by jealousy. She glanced over the table with a condescending smile and a smack of her lips before she began her speech.

“As you all may know, the Winter Formal is coming up and all school extracurricular organizations have been asked to participate in fundraising for the dance!” Betty clapped for herself, but the sound was muffled by a loud chorus of groans. “We have pamphlets and posters, the Culinary Club is making cupcakes for a bake sale!”

Mr. Harrington raised his hands in a calming gesture. “How about you all partner up for this activity to split up the workload? Maybe ask your families, local businesses-”

“You want us to ask for money to fund a premature mating ritual masked as a high school cliche?” MJ’s question, as per usual, stunned Mr. Harrington into silence. His mouth opened but a dull sound of confusion was all that answered her.

“It’s not….that,” Betty grumbled, “it’s a nice dance!” MJ rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the book held tightly in her hand.

The table fell quiet as Mr. Harrington passed out fundraising packets to the team. Peter handed you the papers, fingers brushed lightly against your own as he did. The soft touch sent a shiver down your spine, one that you tried to hide as you passed the rest of the packets down.

“Also, the person or partners who raises the most money get a surprise at the dance!” Betty beamed happily, her already bright blue eyes sparkling with school cheer. No wonder she didn’t get along with MJ very well.

“What kind of surprise?” Ned pressed, his eyes scanning over the packet.

“Well that would ruin it, now wouldn’t it?!” Betty plugged with an overt optimism that had you send a glance at Peter. He met your gaze and smiled in a way that told you that, he too, found this wholly unappealing.

“So partner up,” Mr. Harrington said once Betty had sat back down. “Once you have a partner, make sure all the donation forms are in your packets and get busy.”

“No...no practice today?” The question slipped from your lips without you even thinking about it. It was an instinct to question any disruption in your routine. You heard two or three snickers directed at you, a whisper entailing an insult, but you hardly cared.

“Nope, just fundraising,” Mr. Harrington replied with a half-hearted thumbs up. Your face fell but you were quickly overtaken by a sudden bustling about the table. People were scrambling to find partners, including Flash who was making his way to your seat. No, no, no...

Nearly tipping out of your chair, you turned to face Peter with wild desperation holding you in place. “Pete, do you want to be partners?”

You didn’t even notice the nickname, how natural it felt falling from your lips. Your attention was enraptured by the way Peter smiled when he heard it. The softness of his features warmed you, stole you away from the present in a whirlwind before Peter decided to reply.

“I...y-yeah! Yeah.” His brown eyes darted across the peaks of your face as if reading a map. Before he could reach the end of your lips, Flash came up to you in a blur of a gaudy patterns on his shirt.

“So that surprise huh? What to win it with a guarantee?” Flash smirked at you and, as if he thought you might change your mind, Peter frowned.

“Peter and I are working together, Flash,” you growled out his name and pointed your brows at him. Silent message received, Flash sent you a wink.

“I guess I’ll see you on the dance floor then.” Flash grinned as he turned around, knocking his shoulder against Peter’s still sitting form. Despite the impact, Peter barely moved and in a rush, Flash spat out an insult to aid in his recovery, “you too, loser.”

“Ignore him,” you sighed and locked eyes with Peter’s for a split second. Where he used to look offended when Flash was rude, he just looked annoyed. Slightly miffed, he glanced over his shoulder to watch Flash as Betty strode away from the black-haried boy looking grossed out.

“I wish I could,” he replied and the exhaustion in his voice made your heart hurt. When Peter turned his gaze back to yours instinct told you to pull your eyes away. With the slightest hesitation, you did.

“So, fundraising?” You grabbed your packet and began to stand in the hopes that movement would drive your muddled feelings towards Peter away for the time being. As much as you were happy to have him in your life, some strange part of you missed the days where you hated him. It was so much easier than dealing with ...real feelings.

“Fundraising,” Peter sighed, “we could hit the coffee shop, ask for donations there?”

“That’s a good idea.” You pulled your bag over your shoulder and Peter mirrored the action with his own before you both started towards the door. “Plus then we can study there afterwards.”

“Oh, uh, I can’t today, Y/N,” Peter stammered as he opened the door for you. As you walked through you gave him a strange look. Just the day before he had been brainstorming ways to tutor you in confidence, now he was backtracking. You had overstepped, you must have, at some point. Your confession yesterday evening was a lot to ask anyone to handle let alone a teenage boy.

“Oh, okay.” Your tone dropped and you hated how disappointed you sounded.

“Yeah I got like internship stuff and-and...uh...dog walking...around the city.” You quirked a brow at Peter as you walked. He had fallen into step at your side, giving you a perfect view of his profile and reddened cheeks.

“Dog walking? You walk dogs?” Peter glanced at you with a look of worry before smiling nervously. He was no good at hiding what he felt and you liked it. Peter wasn’t hard to hate nor was he hard to read; he was an open book even if he was lying.

“Y-yeah, dogs are g-great and gotta get some cash somehow, right?” He let out a breathy little laugh and before you could question him further, he opened the school’s front door for you. “Anyway, I can help you at the coffee shop but then I think I should get going.”

“Okay, I’ll probably stay there late and study anyway if you want to join in.” The afternoon cold nipped at your skin and sent a shiver down your spine. Although you weren’t sure if it was entirely the breeze or the impending loneliness of the rest of the day.

“That’s cool, but Y/N,” Peter started as you both made your way to the cafe, “you should do something else.”

“Something else?”

“I mean, what I was saying yesterday, you should find things you like other than studying. Something you can do even if it’s just for you.” You both stopped and waited for the traffic to slow at the end of the block. The sign for the coffee shop was just within your sight as you mulled over what Peter had said.

“What should I try?” You pondered aloud and Peter shrugged.

“There’s a whole world outside of your walk between home and school. There’s that old bookstore on Birch Street, a seamstress on the corner-”

“A seamstress? You want me to try sowing?” Peter shook his head at your incredulous look.

“I mean, if you might like it, it’s worth a try right?” The traffic let up and you both crossed the street. “If you learn how to sow before the dance, you could get paid to like fix dresses and stuff.”

“I’m with MJ on this one,” you groaned and you heard Peter hum with interest. “I have no inclination to go to, as she said, a ‘premature dating ritual’. I didn’t even go to homecoming,whenever that was.”

At the mention of the dance, Peter fell into an unnatural state of silence. Not a quip or optimistic comment passed over his lips. Instead, his face hardened and jaw clenched. Whatever nerve you had inadvertently stepped on, you wanted to smooth it over.

“Didn’t you go with Liz? She was nice...” You weren’t lying, not really. You hadn’t really known Liz, only that she was older than you and Peter and very active in Midtown High. When she left, the decathlon team underwent reorganization that put Peter at the top of A team and started your one-sided sense of rivalry.

Or was it always jealousy? Your envy and twisted disdain towards all-things-Peter had started with Liz. The disgusting, love-struck glances. The thought of Peter’s puppy eyes towards her made you cringe just thinking about it.

“Yeah...she was,” Peter’s voice cut through your reflection. You spared a glance at him and saw, he too, had been ruminating too. “But uh, you’re not going?”

“To the Winter Formal? No, probably not.”

“Me neither,” Peter agreed, “I don’t think I want to go with Ned. The last time we went to a dance together was in eighth grade and he wouldn’t stop-”

“Doing the Cupid Shuffle,” you finished, “I remember.”

“Yeah,” Peter sighed, “I feel like things were easier then.”

You nodded at his words, as you both walked. It truly had been an easy part of your life; less worries, less confusion, but less Peter. That trade off didn’t seem so appealing as it once had. You snuck another glance at Peter and saw that his softness had returned.

“Yeah, it was but I like things now,” you murmured.

“It is pretty cool,” he agreed. “What if someone asked you though?”

“What?” You stopped when you reached the front windows of the coffee shop. From the view, it didn’t look terribly busy inside. “Asked me what?”

“To the dance,” Peter explained. He stood by the entrance but he faced you, brown eyes searching your expression. “Would you go then?”

“I...I don’t know.” It felt like your brain had ceased to function, little sparklers of delight gave you a sense of lightheadedness. “Maybe?”

“I thought that...did...did Flash not ask you to go?” Your eyes widened and felt a wave of slight disgust wash over your shoulders at Peter’s innocent question. Suddenly your mind was once again grounded in the moment and horrified at the thought of going to a dance with Flash when you wanted to go with ...a speeding car drove by with music loud enough that you couldn’t hear the finished thought.

“W-why would he?”

Peter’s cheek turned a bright pink and he scratched at the back of his neck. The movement made the sleeve of his plaid button up fall to the middle of his forearm, where the veins spilled into his hand. The detail held your attention much too long for your liking. You turned your eyes to the bustling road to your right.

The area of Queens that surrounded the school always had traffic in the early evening. The roar of the train on it’s stacked rails was almost drowned out by the activity on the street below. Despite the congestion of cars, plant life in the form of small bushes and aromatic pink pansies sprouted up from cramped corner lots. Even with the world around you demanding all your senses, you felt some string of your being pulled towards Peter the moment he spoke up.

“I don’t know, you guys jus’ seem close so I figured that-”

“No, no, no,” you began to shake your head. “No we’re not....Flash is, arguably, the worse.” Your vehement denial made Peter laugh lightly, a sound that soothed over the burning embarrassment that rose up from your skin.

“Yeah, I guess so. I think I’ve met worse though.” Peter opened the door to the coffee shop for you and you walked by him with a disbelieving look.

“Really, huh?”

“Really.”

“Well that was painless,” Peter joked as you walked towards a table nestled in the corner of the shop. “And we got to meet who made those awesome cookies last time.”

“Yeah, he was nice,” you said as you rubbed your head as you recalled the baker. The blonde, middle-aged owner of the restaurant had agreed to give a small donation to the school’s fundraiser. After she had, in full detail, rattled on about her fitness journey and the revolutionary results of the keto diet. “Ms. Ferguson was chatty though.”

“Do you really think bread is the root of all evil, like she said?” You glanced over at Peter as you took a seat and shook your head.

“Bread is man’s greatest creation, Pete. That’s just common knowledge.” That nickname again. You had to watch it before it got out of hand.

“Is that a decathlon, scholastic grade fact or are you just saying that?” Peter stood beside the table, not sitting because, as you remembered, he would have to go soon. The thought of him leaving made your stomach drop but you smiled anyway.

“I’m being dead serious,” you fired back with a grin. Peter laughed and adjusted the strap of his backpack on his shoulder. “You still have to go?”

“Yeah,” Peter sighed and you frowned slightly. “sorry, Y/N, but I-I, I’ll text you later if I think I can make it back here. I don’t think I can, I have a pretty busy night. Just let me know if you leave.” You smiled softly at his rambling.

“Okay, have a good night, Pete.” He smiled at you which cut himself off from talking anymore than he had to.

“You too Y/N, and hey, maybe try something new?” You gave him a lazy nod and, seemingly content with that, Peter walked out of the cafe. The moment his form disappeared, you let your little smile drop. He was right, you should try something new, but you wanted to do so with Peter. Any memory worth making would have him in it.

But, the drive to not disappoint him picked you up from your seat. You walked over to the counter of the coffee shop where an overwhelming array of brewing machines and smells invaded your senses. Luckily, Ms. Ferguson, the shop owner, wasn’t working the front. Instead a younger girl stood, waiting to help you with your order.

“Hi, what can I get for you?” When she smiled, her lip ring slanted to the side in a way that made you wonder if it was poking the inside of her mouth uncomfortably.

“Uh..what do you recommend?”

“Well we have a new white-chocolate latte that’s pretty good, but, personally, I like the hot, peach-ginger tea.” You snuffed the cringe that threatened to crawl it’s way on your features and nodded at the pink-haired girl. It was something new.

“I’ll take the tea then,” you replied and began to pull out your wallet.

“Will that be all?” You glanced into the display case until your eyes found the strangest pastry within: a pistachio and rose scone. It was definitely something new.

“And I’ll take one of those.” With a kind smile, the girl picked out the oddly flavored scone and set it on a plate. “Thanks.”

Hours later, the same scone sat on that same plate as you flipped idly through the pages of your textbook. However, there was no tea left to run cold. In the later evening, the coffee shop was silent. The brightly colored girl that had helped you at the counter was gone, replaced by a tired looking college student.

His perpetual frown had made its way on your own face, your lips downturned as your eyes danced along the page. Your mouth would move every now and then, form the question then the answer in the hopes it would better stick in your memory. Yet nothing seemed to keep you focused. Every few seconds, your mind would drift to thoughts of Peter only to scramble, steady your eyes back on the pages opened before you.

After a few more minutes of battling with the content of your intrusive thoughts, you felt a new war begin. Tired eyes began to droop and your neck ached in the angle you been holding it at since you had began studying. Sleep had begun to drag you into its depths, threatened to drown you in a silent escape from your mind. Before you gave in and let your head fall to the cold surface of the table, you hurriedly packed up your things.

Lazily, you shoved your books back into your bag overcome with the haze of tiredness. You were so captured by the feeling that you nearly tipped over as you threw your book bag over your shoulder. However, the weight of the books was nothing compared to the heft of your muddled feelings towards Peter.

Due to the slightly longer walk from the coffee shop back home, you were able to reflect on the confusion such emotions had left you in. You were...friends now, so it seemed. Thanks to his unwavering kindness, you had been able to let go of your misgivings but some piece of you still screamed at you: you can’t like Peter Parker. You liked him, there was no hiding that, but you couldn’t like him. Yet, with each step, it became more clear that you did.

When your apartment complex came into sight, you were flooded with relief. You were a street width away from the swaddled comfort of your own bed. With your mind solely focused on the image of your bed, all warm and inviting in the quiet of the apartment, you stepped out onto the road. Between your hunger for comfort and the still-clinging lures of sleep, your senses were horribly dulled.

So dulled in fact, that you didn’t notice the car that drove towards until you heard the roar of its engine rushing towards you. One of it’s headlights was out, but it was still enough to pull your eyes towards it as you crossed the street. You felt your blood run as cold as the air around you but you were too frozen to shiver. Brief, fleeting moments flashed before your eyes, Peter’s face among them as the vehicle barreled towards you. A single ‘honk’ reached your ears and suddenly, with eyes closed, you felt weightless.

The physics of a car crash evaded you in the moment but you were either pushed or pulled backwards. Some soft fabric of your clothes licked gently at your skin as you propelled back and up into the air. Not an inch of pain had rattled your form which was now numbed to the bitter Autumn chill. The dark behind your eyelids welcomed you, the air hugged you tight, and you gave greeting to the end. Only, after a second, you could find that you could still open your eyes.

City lights, from the distance you were at, looked more like fireflies. Little dancing speck of illumination as you rose above the tops of the buildings across the street from your apartment complex. Terror, sudden and piercing washed over you, sent numbness through your limbs that could only be felt in a scream.

“I got you! I got you!” The street outside your apartment complex shrank as you were pulled up and up and up. Suddenly you were upside down, pushed by the sharp breeze as you cried out. Hopeful hands grasped at only at the air around you, nothing to halt your unexpected flight. Before you dared to glance at whatever winged beast had come to your rescue, you feet brushed against solid ground.

“What the f-”

“You’re okay, Y/N! You’re okay!” Large, almost diamond shaped, white eyes invaded your vision. The familiar splashes of red and blue detailing Spiderman’s suit pulled you back, quite literally, into the world of the living.

“You? You again?” The mask’s eyes almost seemed to squint at you and Spiderman’s head cocked to the side.

“You’re not happy to see me? That’s not normally the response I get,” he quipped. Your legs gave way and you sat soundly on the ground. Only it wasn’t the ground; the scratching surface of the apartment complex’s roof on your legs. As you sat, Spiderman darted towards you, hands holding you steady as you took a seat.

“Whenever you’re nearby some is on the verge of death and for the past few days, it has happened to be me.”

“Well, you didn’t die this time,” he said and sat at your side. “I’ll always catch you...or pick you up, I guess.”

You laid your head in your hands in an attempt to calm your still rattled nerves. “Ha, yeah, you guess.”

A moment of silence passed as you collected yourself. You could feel your heart pounding in your chest, the image of the single headlight still glowed when you closed your eyes. As you opened your eyes, to avoid the daunting sight, you felt a rubbing motion against your back. Spiderman’s hand soothed calming motions into the fabric of your sweatshirt in an entirely human gesture.

“Th-Thanks,” you murmured and met the masks eyes.

“You’r-You’re welcome.” Another moment of silence and you rested your hand at your side. Your fingers brushed the outline of your phone, tucked safely in your pocket and you thought of Peter once more.

“Shit, I have to call someone,” you muttered as you heaved yourself to your feet. Spiderman followed the motion and you realized what you said. “Not about you, just...my friend...I need to tell him I left, that I made it home. Pete-”

“No!” Spiderman raised his hands at you as you pulled your phone from your pocket. You glanced at the suit-clad figure and quirked a brow. “I mean...I got your letter!”

“You...you did,” you breathed out and slipped your phone back into your pocket.

“Y-Yeah I-“ he cleared his throat and, in a deeper voice, he continued. “It was uh, sweet and I uh…”

“Sweet?” You had to bite back the scoff that threatened to crawl up and out your throat.

“I mean, the fact you wrote it in the first place, I-I ...hold on.” Before you could even blink, a shot of white web whizzed by your ear and when you looked to see where it landed, you only saw a shadow.

“What do you-” The spot where Spiderman once stood was now empty.

“I’ll be right back!” A boyish shout caught your attention and you shuffled your feet as you waited. The wind was more powerful as you stood on the roof, the chill more intense. Numbly, your fingers itched for your phone and traced the outline of your phone in your pocket. You wanted to tell Peter about Spiderman, about everything about how, for the second time within a manner of weeks, you had almost tasted death again. Most of all, you wanted to tell him how you felt even if the contents of those feelings still puzzled you.

You were a few seconds away from texting him, to tell him everything. Luckily, Spiderman was true to his word and was back, standing before you with a piece of paper gripped tightly in his gloved hand that stole all of your attention.

“I was going to uh, leave this at your window but...here.” He lifted his hand, the piece of paper held out towards you to take. Spiderman cleared his throat as you took the slip of lined notebook paper from him. It seemed that even superheroes had a need for the most mundane office supplies.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” you stammered out. You met the angular form of the masked man before you and you couldn’t stop the question that spilled off your tongue. “I didn’t ask in the letter but...what were you doing in Chicago? It felt ...”

“Yeah, odd for me-” he coughed and with the same low voice as before continued. “I was thinking about a change of scenery. New York has just so many other superheroes y-ya know?”

“I guess you’re right,” you say, but even with the mask covering the mystery man’s face, you can feel the anxiety emanating from his form. Try something new, Peter had told you. Sharing banter with a superhero certainly felt new enough. “I just thought you liked me.”

Spiderman let out an eerily familiar, nervous laugh in an attempt to hide the widening of the white eyes of his suit. “Well, that too.”

“Oh,” you replied as you hadn’t expected a true answer, let alone an answer in his ‘normal’ voice. You bit your lip and turned your gaze to your feet. The space between you and the neighborhood web-slinger grew thick. The chords between you, the ties of fate that tied you close were pulled taut.

“Ha, yeah, uh, I better be going.” His voice lowered again, almost comically so, “got to fight some crime.”

“Okay, yeah,” your murmured, “stay safe.” You watched as Spiderman walked backwards towards the edge of the roof. He gave you a thumbs up and despite not seeing his face, you could feel the frown masked beneath the fabric.

“I could say the same for you!” You smiled at his effort to diffuse the rigidity but as soon as Spiderman webbed away, you let your lips fall. When you curled your hand, you began to accidentally crumpled the crisp edges of the paper.

A renewed sense of curiosity, the drive to know that had thrust you into the world of academics, overwhelmed you. With slightly panicked hands, you unfolded the paper. Scrawled in a childish font was your name and a greeting.

Y/N,

You’re very welcome, for the rescue. I’m just glad I was there that day. Stay amazing.

-Spiderman

P.s. The person behind the mask ...I like that.

You smiled, but not because you had received a note from Spiderman. No, you smiled because your free hand reached for your phone, still tucked away in it’s pocket-sized sleeping bag. Smiled as you pulled up Peter’s contact and sent him a text.

YOU: Pete, I left the coffee shop so don’t bother swinging by, but I saw him!

When he didn’t respond, you made your way to the door that lead into the apartment. The metal of the door knob was bone chilling as your fingers wrapped around it. The damp warmth of the complex hit you right in the face, the stench of wet newspaper that mingled with stale cat urine was wholly unwelcoming. Yet, you made your way down the flight of stairs.

When you reached your floor, with the overhead lights flickering, you sighed with bittersweet relief. Your being ached with fatigue of coming down off of adrenaline. A single text ping broke through your zombie haze as you unlocked your apartment door.

PETER: sorry, got caught up. saw who?

YOU: Spiderman! He gave me a note

PETER: oh really! cool ha

YOU: I’ll tell you about it tomorrow

PETER: alright, good night Y/N :)

You smiled again, the lightest of smiles that had ever graced your features. Charm that once infuriated you brought warmth to your cheeks and set your wrecked nerves at ease. Just the comfort of having Peter to talk to made you giddy. What was his secret?

201 notes · View notes

fallen-imagine-angel · 6 years

Text

A Ski Trip to Remember (Peter Kavinsky x Reader)

Notes: Hey guys, sorry for the hiatus, but I’m back! I went on a trip and had an absolutely terrible writer’s block. But here’s this angsty fluffy Peter K fic for you guys! I love writing for him. Also, though, I’m 3 followers away from 400?? That’s crazy! It wasn’t that long ago that I was celebrating 300! So, as soon as I get 400 followers (make it happen, y’all) I’m going to post what I’ll be doing to celebrate it. Thanks so much, love you guys and all that you do!

Summary: You and your best friend Peter have agreed to go on the annual ski trip together since you both have no date, but what happens when Peter’s filthy ex tries to get back in the picture?

A Ski Trip to Remember

Peter Kavinsky x Reader

Requested?: Nope

Word Count: 4,029 (this is long sorry)

Warnings: angst, fluff, the usual

Peter Kavinsky. Your best friend and neighbor. Not to mention, the love of your life. He doesn’t know that last part, though.

You open your window, which faces Peter’s room, and start to throw rocks at his window. A moment later, the window goes up and you’re met with Peter’s stunning face. Also, he’s shirtless. Of course.

“Hey, Pete.” You grin at him, trying to ignore the blatant fact that your crush is standing across from you, shirtless.

“What are you doing? It’s three in the morning.” Peter laughs, disappearing for a second before emerging again with a makeshift ladder. He throws it out the window and you do the same with your ladder. He climbs out of his room and into yours.

“I just wanted to talk to you. You know, ‘cause I’m your best friend? Besides, you’re still awake, too.” You grin and nudge his shoulder with your own.

“Actually, you woke me up.” He scoffs, nudging your shoulder back.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. You’d rather be here with me than sleeping, anyway.” You tease, sitting down on your bed. He follows suit and sits down next to you.

“You’re right. What’d you want to talk about anyway?” He asks, suddenly curious about your motive.

“Well, I got to thinking. The ski trip is, what, only a couple weeks away, right?” You sigh, head falling on his shoulder in dismay.

“Yeah, why?” Peter asks, laying his head on top of yours. You want nothing more than to lace your hand with his, but you refrain from doing so.

“I don’t have anyone to go with, but I want to go so bad! I mean, it’s the trip of the year. I don’t want to miss out just because I don’t have a boyfriend.” You groan, rubbing your hand over your face. You hear Peter chuckle, causing you to jerk your head upward to knock into his face. He just laughs louder because of that.

“Look, if you’re so worried about it, then why don’t we go together? I don’t have a date, either. And it’ll just be….as friends, I guess.” Peter suggests, and you think over it.

Going on the ski trip with your best friend and crush? Two birds with one stone. What if something happens and you both confess your love for each other?

“That sounds fun. We could do that if you want. However, I don’t believe that girls won’t be falling over themselves to ask you to go with them.” You sigh once more, eliciting a groan from Peter.

“Then I’ll turn them all down! You’re my number one girl, after all.” He pulls away from your position, giving you a cheeky smile. You smile and shake your head.

“Pinky promise? Remember, Pete, if you pinky promise then you can never take it back. And if you do, I get to chop off your pinky.” You smirk at him.

“Pinky promise. We’re going to the ski trip together.” He grins widely and hooks pinkies with you. You smile triumphantly.

“Well, I guess all my problems are solved for tonight!” You lay back on your bed happily.

“What about that math test tomorrow? I know you were worried about it. Did you get it down?” Peter lays back on your bed with you.

“Crap.”

~+~

It’s been two weeks exactly, and the ski trip is finally here. Well, it’s tomorrow, to be precise.

“So, how’s my favorite boy doing?” You slide into Peter’s passenger seat, smiling widely.

“Good, actually. Hey, would you mind if Gen rode home with us today? She and I have this huge test to study for.” Peter asks, and your smile immediately drops. He’s been getting closer with Gen lately, and it’s slightly very unnerving to you. He always answers her calls and texts. He’s always there for her when she wants him, and most of the time it’s for stupid stuff. He’s even left you for her a few times, which is when it hit you the hardest.

“What do you have to study for? We have all the same classes, Peter, and the ski trip is tomorrow.” You frown, furrowing your eyebrows at the boy.

“Okay, look, I just want to spend some time alone with her! We’re finally becoming good again, and I think maybe...something might happen. Please?” He pleads, giving you his signature puppy dog look. Your heart drops at his words

“I don’t know why you’re asking me. It’s your car, you can do whatever you want.” You mumble, looking out the window.

“I just want you to be comfortable since you’re my best friend and I always give you a ride home. Thank you, though. You’re the best friend ever!” He squeezes your hand before starting the way to school.

“Pete, we’re still going to the ski trip together tomorrow, right?” You whisper, looking over at him with big eyes.

“Of course!” He nods vigorously, but his mind seems elsewhere. You sigh and look out the window until you get to school. Once you’re there, you hop out immediately and rush inside, not even bothering to wait for Peter.

~+~

After school, you’re shoved into the back of Peter’s car as Gen calls “shotgun!” in her loud, annoying voice. You look over to Peter, half expecting him to argue with her that you always get shotgun, but he’s silent as he climbs into his car.

You huff in annoyance and get in the back, having to watch in agonizing pain as Gen laces her fingers with his hand that isn’t on the wheel, something you’ve always wanted to do.

“So, how was everyone’s day?” You break the silence, hoping that it’s only awkward for you. You would hate for Peter to think you’re mad at him, although you kinda are.

“Mine was great! How was yours, baby?” Gen purrs, stroking his arm lightly. You almost gag at the sight.

“It was okay.” He admits, shrugging his shoulders lightly. His mind isn’t present, though. He’s definitely daydreaming as he drives. Is that dangerous?

“I bet I could make it better.” She hums, licking her lips slightly and giggling.

“Alright, there is a third passenger here. Just warning you.” You remind them, giving them both a pat on the shoulder.

“Right. Sorry, I forgot you existed for a second. I just get that way with Peter sometimes…” She giggles again, and you’re close to fuming now.

“Well, I’m glad your boyfriend here is going on the ski trip with someone else.” You grin at her. Her head whips to face you, a scowl ever present on her features.

“He’s what?” Her head turns to stare daggers into Peter’s side profile. You see his jaw clench.

“One, I’m not your boyfriend...yet. Two, it’s true...I’m going with someone else. I guess. It’s nothing serious, though.” He mutters, and you can’t help but grow angrier with each passing word.

“Oh, look where we are! Your house. Goodbye, pest.” Gen waves to you as you get out of the car. You return it with a glare as you march to your porch.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Peter catches up with you as soon as you’re in the front door. Luckily, your family isn’t home right now.

“What do you want?” You growl, ripping your arm out of his grasp.

“What is going on with you? I know you don’t like Gen because of what she did to me, but we’re both over that so why can’t you be, too? And why’d you go and try to sabotage me like that revealing that I’m going with someone else?” He asks, and you see the anger bubbling up in him. Like he deserves to be angry.

“Oh, you’re absolutely right, Peter. Let me apologize. I’m sorry that the person you’re speaking of doesn’t happen to just be anybody at the school, it’s me. I’m sorry that you’re getting back together with Gen since she’s a crappy person in general. Her dumping you oh so long ago is not the only reason I don’t like her. And lastly, I’m sorry that you don’t take me, or our friendship, seriously. I really misjudged you, Peter.” You huff, your words on the verge of yelling. You drop your backpack next to the wall.

“You misjudged me? Excuse me, who’s the popular one here? I picked you up from being a loser, (Y/n/n). You can’t give me the excuse of misjudging, because apparently, I was wrong to ever consider you a friend if you’re just going to go and stab me in the back like this. Maybe you should just be another somebody at the school to me. I like Gen, (Y/n/n), so I don’t see why you’re ruining this for me.” He rants, running his hand through his hair. You growl.

“Don’t (y/n/n) me. Don’t tell me I’m the one back-stabbing you. I said I misjudged you, but that was the only harsh thing against you that I said. I never called you an idiot, a jerk, nothing. I attacked Gen because she bullies me and hates me for no reason. Meanwhile here you are, defending the bully, calling me names. You’re calling me a bad friend, just another somebody in your life, and here I was thinking this would just be another one of our petty fights. I can’t believe this is how it turned out. From a simple car ride to this.” You blink back tears, not wanting to cry in front of him. Peter’s face turns to stone.

“At least I wasn’t the one that started it back in the car.” He whispers, and that breaks the last straw.

“Get out of my house.” You tell him, your voice dangerously low.

“What?” He asks, giving you an incredulous look.

“You heard me. Get out. I don’t want to see you any more right now.” You bite your lip, adding the right now to the end because you know you’re going to regret this entire fight soon. Very soon.

“Fine.” He walks out and slams the door shut behind him. You break down crying immediately after he leaves, grabbing your backpack and running to your room.

You drop onto your bed and sob into your pillow, not stopping until about fifteen minutes later. You look up and see that you didn’t roll your shades down, so across from you is a torn-looking Peter and a smug-looking Gen. Just what you needed.

Getting off your bed, before giving Peter or Gen a chance to say anything, you close your blinds and sink to the floor.

How humiliating could this day get?

“Honey, where’s that boy toy of yours?” You hear the door shut and your mom’s voice call out, causing you to groan.

Things could definitely get worse.

~+~

The next morning, you wake up to your alarm that’s set to get ready for the ski trip. You groan and slam snooze on it before a brilliant idea pops into your head.

Apologize.

You immediately sit up straight and get out of bed, taking a shower and putting some comfortable and semi-warm clothes on. You grab your bag and set it by the door, flinging it open and gathering the courage to actually walk over there.

“Honey, I thought you weren’t going on the trip anymore?” Your mom yawns, walking into the room.

“I’m gonna go apologize. I can’t live without Peter.” You admit.

“That’s a bit dramatic, but okay, sweetie.” She nods and walks out of the room.

You roll your shoulders and walk to Peter’s house, knocking exactly three times on his door. He opens it almost immediately, shock evident on his face when he sees you. His hair is tousled like it usually is when he first wakes up and you can’t help but want to run your fingers through the soft locks. You don’t, though. And you didn’t bring your ski trip bag with you, just in case that seemed to forward, so you just fidget with the bottom of your sweater as you stare at him.

“Uh, what are you doing here?” He clears his throat awkwardly, looking anywhere but at you.

“I’m here to apologize. I’m sorry. I didn’t want things to end the way they did, and I need you to know that. I’m sorry I said all of those things. You’re my best friend, I can’t lose you. Please forgive me.” You frown, looking at the ground. You feel tears well in your eyes again but you blink them away. You’ve had enough embarrassment for a few days.

“I forgive you. And I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have said all those things. You’re my best friend, too, and what I said was truly awful. I said some terrible things and immediately regretted them, but when I saw you crying...I couldn’t get the fact that I caused those tears out of my head. It hurt, it really did. I’m really glad we’re making up this early in the fight because I don’t know what I’d do without you around.” Peter smiles slightly and you grin widely at him.

“So, about the ski trip…” You trail off, giving him a sheepish smile. His eyes widen.

“About that….in the chaos of our fight, I figured we weren’t going anymore and asked Gen to go with me...I’m sorry.” He frowns, taking his turn to look down at the floor in embarrassment. He scuffs the floor with the tip of his shoe. Your face goes red in embarrassment at the fact that you thought he would keep your ticket for you.

“Right! Uh, yeah, you have fun with that. I’ll see you later, I guess.” You frown and spin on your heel. You feel Peter take your wrist, causing you to turn back around again.

“I just want you to know that...I didn’t mean anything I said during that fight. Seriously. You’re the most important person to me. I value your friendship like crazy, and you could never be another somebody in the crowd to me. I’m sorry for even suggesting it.” He gives you an awkward smile and you give a fake one in return.

“Yup. You too. Have fun on your trip with Gen.” You spin around again and hurry over to your house. You feel Peter’s stare on your back as he watches you go. It wasn’t a complete failure, he’s not mad at you anymore, but you still aren’t going on the ski trip with him.

Gen is.

~+~

After thirty minutes of complaining about how the ski trip was a bad idea in the first place, there’s a knock on your door. Your head perks up in curiousity.

“I’ll get it!” You call and run downstairs, swinging the door open to see Peter standing there, a large smile on his face.

“Still got your bag packed?” He asks.

“Yes...why?” You feel a smile tug on your lips.

“Because you and I are going on the ski trip together. C’mon, we gotta go or else we’ll miss the bus.” He motions you away with his hand. You chuckle and grab your bag, saying a quick goodbye to your mom before walking out and climbing into Peter’s car with him. He starts to drive way over the speed limit.

“So what made you change your mind?” You hum, not being able to do anything but smile.

“Well, I got there and sat down by Gen on the bus and she kinda laid her head on my shoulder and for some reason, it made me very uncomfortable. I quickly realized it was because only you ever lay your head on my shoulder and it felt weird for someone else to do it, and I didn’t like Gen stealing the signature thing you do with me. Then, I got to thinking about the trip and how much it would suck without you by my side. So, I got up and marched right off the bus to get to your house. And here we are.” He explains animatedly.

“I’m glad you chose me.” You nod.

“See, that’s the thing, though. It should have never been a choice. I should’ve been by your side since the beginning, seeing that Gen’s a terrible person in the first place. She’s a brat. She threw a fit as soon as I took her ticket and I realized how right you were. It’s always been you, (Y/n/n). It always comes back around to you.” Peter chuckles, laying his hand on top of yours and nervously glancing at you. You keep silent, absolutely over the moon that Peter Kavinsky, your crush, has his hand on yours right now.

“Yeah. You’re right. It’s always been you, Kavinsky.” You nod in agreement, biting your lip to keep from smiling uncontrollably again. You smile anyway. Then, you’re in a parking spot in front of the school. The two of you get out of the car and head toward the bus when you hear an all-too-familiar voice that you really wish you hadn’t heard.

“You!” Gen screeches from behind you, causing you to spin around and give her a look.

“What about me? I know I’m great but you can’t just come up to me screaming for an autograph, sorry.” You frown and Peter chuckles. He stands beside you, defensive against Gen instead of you this time and your heart melts. He really did notice how harsh he was.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Come on, (Y/n/n), we need to get to the bus. Ignore her.” Peter takes your hand in his and drags you away from her and to the bus. You find two seats together at the back and sit down.

“Thank you for stopping that. I don’t what I would’ve done if she started throwing punches.” You chuckle.

“Anything for my favorite girl.” He nudges you and smiles, laying his head on your shoulder and closing his eyes. You smile warmly at the cute boy and lay your head on top of his, quickly drifting off to sleep as the bus starts the journey.

~+~

When you arrive, you nudge Peter to wake him up. His eyes flutter open and immediately lock with yours. His lips turn up in a warm smile.

“You ready?” You question, and he nods groggily. You help him out of his seat and the two of you walk into the lodge.

“What first?” He asks, slinging an arm around your shoulder playfully. You hum.

“Well, we are on a ski trip so...let’s ski!” You grin at him.

“Atta girl. Meet back down here in ten?” Peter returns your grin. You bite your lip.

“Make it twenty. I’ve got to change into something warmer.” You giggle and brush past him, heading up to your room.

Once you’ve changed, you go back to the lobby. However, waiting for you is none other than Peter Kavinsky, along with Gen of all people. You didn’t even know she still went on the trip.

“Oh. (Y/n). I didn’t think you’d be here.” She grits her teeth, looking you up and down. Peter grimaces and walks to stand by you.

“Really, you didn’t? I mean, Peter did ditch you for me, so I thought that would’ve sent the message…or are you really that stupid?” You frown, faking concern.

“Haha, so funny, (y/l/n). Peter and I were about to go skiing, so...I’ll see you around.” She scowls and grabs Peter’s arm, to which he pulls away from her.

“I never said I’d ski with you. I actually promised (Y/n/n) here I’d ski with her. Not you.” Peter slides his arm around your waist causing you to smile widely. Gen justs scoffs and walks off.

“C’mon, let’s go ski!” You excitedly pull him along as you walk out of the lodge.

~+~

After skiing for so long, you head back to your room. You had already told Peter goodnight, so you were thinking you were done for the day. Oh, how wrong you were.

“(Y/n)!” Lara Jean’s familiar voice calls out to you. You turn to see her walking down the hall, smiling at you.

“Hey, Lara Jean. What’s up?” You stop in front of your room to talk to her.

“Nothing much. I just saw Peter out in the hot tub alone, though, so you might want to hurry.” She jokes.

“What?” You smile, though you’re slightly confused.

“I mean...I thought you were going to change...you know, to go to the hot tub with him?” She asks.

“Oh, no...I didn’t know he was going to the hot tub.” You laugh nervously, not really sure what’s going on.

“Well...Peter’s waiting for you in the hot tub, so...go get ‘em!” She awkwardly pats you on the back before walking off quickly. You frown and step inside your room, grabbing your swimsuit.

If Peter’s in the hot tub, who are you to keep him waiting?

~+~

You walk out to the hot tub, a robe wrapped tightly around you to keep out the shivering cold. You see Peter before he sees you.

“Out here all alone? Where’s Gen?” You chuckle. Peter turns to look at you, smile brightening once he sees you.

“I actually wasn’t waiting on Gen, thankfully. I was waiting for someone else.” He admits, and your stomach sinks a little.

“Oh. Who were you waiting on?” You ask, wrapping your robe a little tighter self consciously.

“You, silly. C’mon in, the water’s warm.” He motions for you to step in. You grin as you take the robe off and step into the hot water. You sit next to him and he slings his arm around your shoulders.

“This is nice.” You try to start a conversation, failing terribly.

“It’s more than nice. I wish we could do this all the time.” He smiles, closing his eyes.

“What, have a hot tub?” You laugh.

“No, I mean I wish we could be like this all the time. Me and you. Doing cute stuff like this.” He lays his head on your shoulder, and you swear your heart stops beating.

“What are you trying to say, Pete?” You breathe out, biting your lip in a nervous habit.

“I’m saying I don’t want to be friends anymore, (Y/n/n),” Peter groans into your shoulder, “I want to be more. I want to be your boyfriend. I want you to be my girlfriend. I want to do cute stuff with you and be able to kiss you and hug you whenever I want.”

“I want that too.” You whisper, turning to face him. You see his face break out into a smile as he lifts his head off your shoulder.

“Then does that mean I can kiss you?” His eyes flicker down to your lips. You nod slightly and he tenderly presses his lips to yours. Your eyes close as you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him closer to you.

After a few minutes of just making out in the hot tub, you break away and giggle.

“I’m tired. Can we go to bed now?” You run your fingers through his hair, something you’ve always wanted to do.

“Yeah, let’s go. It’s getting cold out here anyway.” He smiles and helps you out of the hot tub and into your robe. The two of you walk to your room and he presses a sweet kiss to your lips.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, boyfriend.” You smile and kiss him again.

“See you tomorrow, (Y/n/n).” He presses one last kiss to your forehead and walks off. You walk into your room and dreamily sigh before going to bed.

This would be a night you’ll never forget.

~+~

The next morning, you quickly find Peter on the bus and give him a chaste kiss.

“Morning, babe.” He grins at you and pulls you in for a longer kiss. You bring your hand up to his cheek before you’re rudely interrupted by a voice behind you.

“Ahem. People are trying to sleep here.” Gen rolls her eyes. She’s sitting in the seat across the aisle from you.

“Then you shouldn’t have sat there.” You shrug and peck Peter on the lips again. He chuckles and laces your hands together.

Maybe this ski trip wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

#peter kavinsky #peter kavinsky x reader #peter kavinsky reader insert #x reader #reader insert #x you #x y/n #x (y/n)#peter kavinsky x you #peter kavinsky fluff #peter kavinsky angst #gen #tatbilb #to all the boys i've loved before #to all the boys ive loved before #ski trip

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p-weezy1 · 7 years

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Sell Out Boy?

Life is pretty good. Figured it was time to update because lately I’ve been crazy busy and ended up not being as social as I wanted to. So, MANIA is postponed until January next year. Bummer, right? I know we’ve disappointed quite some people, but I’m trying to make that feel a little better. There’s no one more bummed about it than us, believe me. But the tour is still happening and we’ll have a record we are super stoked on in the end.

The set/stage design for the tour are still MANIA based. Began planning that a month ago. Dang, October is super close now. Our new stage gear arrived too, super rad jeans jackets.

Setlist won’t change either and been talking to the merch store about the preordered MANIA bundles- they’re still gonna be send out as planned, the vinyls and CDs that come along with them will be arriving at everyone’s homes in February. I think that’s a pretty good solution for this issue and I hope it will make up a little for the disappointment. Oh, yeah. I’m going to put a read more here- basically because (shock) I’m probably going to complain about a few things concerning Fall Out Boy, or should I be saying Sell Out Boy? Nobody knows what the correct version is anymore. Honestly you don’t have to read this or anything, it’s just me bitching and finding an outlet through writing.

Okay. If you’re still here with me right now and have no idea what I’m talking about- we’re that band that always does everything wrong, no matter what we do. I’m also that dude with the asshole reputation that gets hated on for pretty much just breathing- so we had Patrick write the announcement about the release date of the record being pushed back to January. Because he’s like that lil dude people can’t be upset with, for some reason he gets like five times less hate than I do when I open my mouth about something. But yeah, most of the kids in our fanbase reacted pretty positively, they’re being supportive and understanding although they’re disappointed because everyone has been looking forward to September, just like us. Then you also have these jerks that hide behind social media profiles and start bitching about whatever flaw they can detect and of course shit has been blown out of proportion and it’s kind of saddening to see that we’re being made out to be something we’re not, just through plain assumptions. At the same time they would never say these things to my face. I generally am very open towards criticism so if you come up to me and tell me you don’t like my music for this or that reason I’d be stoked to discuss why. But yeah, it usually never happens. Online they have big mouths though. We did this for us, so we can put out an album we’re 100% content about. At the end of the day it’s the four of us that have to put our names on this CD and I won’t put my name under something we rushed to finish just because we had to meet a deadline while knowing we could have done ten times better. We also did this for the fans. I don’t want to give them a half-assed album, they deserve better. But here’s the tea (I actually almost spilled some earlier): People are suddenly calling us Sell Out Boy (doesn’t get old it seems but the pun has stopped being funny in like 2005) because we’re postponing an album and they’re drawing wiiiild conclusions. Basically, it’s because of how weird Young and Menace sounds. I said the album is going to be something inbetween Champion and Y&M but that apparently means we saw people’s reaction to the first single we put out and because it polarized and probably was too different and strange for some people, we’re now rewriting songs to adapt them to whatever it is that the general public favors. And that’s bullshit. It’s what this song is meant to do. We released it, completely aware it wasn’t supposed to be a radio hit. This album is meant to be different. We will have to play these songs countless of times so at the end of the day we as a band need to like them. That’s the most important part here. And we simply felt like the record wasn’t ready and after years of experience you kind of get a feeling for these things. So a mutual decision was made, considering what’s the best for us and the fans. Wouldn’t we be sell outs if we would have done the opposite? Putting out an album because we have to meet a deadline without actually considering the quality. Makes no sense. Just like the fact that people complain about our sound and pretty much want From Under The Cork Tree back but then buy our records anyway. I don’t need you sending me hate tweets and all (yeah, I’m a human person and have feelings too, oh snap) but then your ass will show up at our show anyway. You’ll probably buy the album too, just out of spite. Well, don’t. And if we wouldn’t have pushed back the release you would have complained about the way our sound has changed, now it’s us trying to adapt our style to the liking of the masses, which would pretty much defeat the purpose of this entire thing for us as a band evolution wise- it’s not changing. It’s still going to sound the way we want to and it’s still going to have that MANIA vibe. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it. Don’t come to our shows, don’t expect us to deliver what you think we should sound like. We’re always going to be the underdogs and I’m cool with that, as long as I get to make the music I want to be making. Thankfully our fanbase has been super supportive of the way we’ve changed throughout the years and has always given everything new we’ve tried a chance. These are our real fans and I’m pretty grateful for them. Haters, shitty fans or shitty friends, those come and go. But the real ones always remain. You kinda figure that out after a while. It’s completely normal not to like every single song or album by your favorite artist but you have to accept that they want to evolve and grow as well and that’s impossible by releasing the same kind of record over and over again. Rant end. Love Pete

Peee Es: Super thankful for our fans but please keep in mind we’re humans, not machines.

#((please keep in mind this is a roleplay blog!!! Thank you))#t.

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news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog · 5 years

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Pete Buttigieg's new influencer handbook is an extremely online way to campaign

Pete Buttigieg is taking online campaigning to a very 2019 level.

The South Bend mayor, who announced his official presidential bid on Sunday, understands the undeniable power of the internet, and he plans on using it to his full advantage.

Buttigieg, his husband Chasten, and their dogs Truman and Buddy, already have beloved Twitter presences, but the millennial mayor and his team took things a step further this weekend by releasing an entire set of digital assets, social media guidelines, and detailed explanations behind each of his visual campaign aesthetics so that influencers and fans can easily show him support online.

The Design ToolKit, created by design firm Hyperakt and available through PeteforAmerica.com, serves as a sort of Buttigieg brand bible, if you will. The decision to create and release the guidelines was a bold, strategic, and honestly pretty smart move.

Image: peteforamerica.com

SEE ALSO: Pete Buttigieg and the viral allure of the charming politician

"This is your home base for downloading the graphic assets you need to support our grassroots campaign," the home page reads.

The four areas below — logos, colors, type, and Team Pete — take supporters into the mind of Buttigieg, giving them all the information they could ever want or need about his decision-making processes. It's a lot of information. Borderline too much information, really. But it's here, so let us break it down.

Logos

In the "Logos" section of the site, Buttigieg describes how South Bend's Jefferson Boulevard Bridge inspired his logo, and he offers six pre-made graphics for download in JPG, PNG, or SVG format. He really tries to accommodate every possible preference.

Users can also play around with an interactive color pairing tool to create their own logo, which, despite my dream combo of Blue Sky and Rust Belt not being an approved option, is pretty fun.

Before you download an asset, though, you must accept Mayor Pete's very official Terms Of Use, which clearly state:

If he hasn't scared you off yet, you might venture to explore the "Colors" section, which, I cannot stress enough, is as extra as it possibly could be.

Colors

Pete Buttigieg isn't a regular, red, white, and blue president. He's a cool president, who hand-picked his color scheme with the utmost consideration. Buttigieg apparently dug deep to land on the nine colors that serve as an "ode to his hometown and his life there" — like, maybe even deeper than Beto digs to write his Medium posts.

Image: peteforamerica.com

Not only does he give the general details for each color in his campaign, but he compiled a color coordinated collage of his life. He goes on to provide a meaningful description of each color as it relates to him as a human being.

Image: peteforamerica.com

I'm fairly certain Pete gave these nine colors more thought than most people give their wedding vows, children's names, or entire presidential campaigns. And the same could be said for his typography.

Type

"Our brand typography pays homage to America’s industrial legacy, to Pete's ability to convey substantive ideas plainly, and to his bold vision for a modern America that reaches for the future with focus and clarity," the page reads, before breaking down each and every font and size included in Buttigieg's campaign visuals.

The "Type" tab also features a pre-made statement about "Generational Change" that users can customize and download, just like the logos. I'm exhausted!

Image: peteforamerica.com

Team Pete

Finally, Buttigieg gives supporters from all over the country the option to download a logo specific to their state, all of which were hand lettered by more than a dozen artists. Supporters are encouraged to "download them, print them out, add them to social profiles and use them to spread the word" about the campaign. Just in case you didn't already get the gist by now, Pete wants your viral support. OK? If you like him then you should've opened your Twitter or Instagram account and put a graphic on it. Oh, oh, oh.

Image: peteforamerica.com

It seems like Buttigieg's Design Toolkit covers every possible social media angle, but if supporters think of any other graphics that they would find useful, the team encourages them to reach out and share their ideas.

#2020: The online campaign trail

Now, more than ever, social media can give candidates an extra leg up in a very crowded field. It's an opportunity to directly interact with supporters, engage potential voters, and spread the word about all they stand for and what they're accomplishing.

We've seen how Donald Trump speaks to Americans through Twitter, and how politicians like Beto O'Rourke and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez use Instagram Stories to give followers relatable glimpses into their personal lives. Already Mayor Pete has thrown his hat in the ring by stepping up his Twitter game and even releasing a very diverse campaign Spotify playlist. (I mean, Carly Rae Jepsen and Phish back-to-back? He's good.)

But Buttigieg's latest efforts to inspire social media influencers to share their support for him on social media is above and beyond the usual digital assets kit. Poke fun if you want, but this is an innovative step that clearly shows he's more native to social media than almost anyone else so far in the race.

If anyone's prepared to master the viral campaign trail, it's him.

WATCH: Presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke’s teenage hacker life

#_uuid:9e6a1e35-ba19-31d3-80ad-f5a479a18689 #_category:yct:001000002 #_author:Nicole Gallucci #_lmsid:a0Vd000000DTrEpEAL #_revsp:news.mashable

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grapsandclaps · 6 years

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GRAPS & CLAPS - THE GRIMSBY EDITION PART 2! (IT'S GRIM IN GRIMSBY).

Hello again. I am Chris Wilson, the official #GrimsbyGraps correspondent for Graps and Claps. Grimsby is quite a random place for dedicated coverage but until I can coax our Andy to visit the town with the third best football team in Lincolnshire (out of 3), someone needs to tell you how #GrimsbyGraps is taking over the world. Yes, really. Well, maybe.

It all started when some brilliant, creative genius invented the #GrimsbyGraps hashtag and-- Okay, fine, let's skip forward.

Since the last time we were here for BWR's Ignition, British Wrestling Revolution put tickets on sale for their next show, 'No Gods, No Masters'. It sold out in ten hours! This was for a bigger venue too: the first card at the prestigious - if a place for record, job and craft fairs counts as that - Cleethorpes Memorial Hall in 24 years. Unbelievable stuff. BWR then put tickets on sale for their April event also at the Memorial Hall, 'Dive and Kicking', possibly in hope of starting PROGRESS-style immediate sell-outs from now until the end of time. They have sold half their allocation so far. Pretty impressive for #GrimsbyGraps, but the difference between the two shows is one man alone. As discussed before on this blog, having the WWE UK champion Pete Dunne on the card guarantees an extra 80 to 100 ticket sales. He is a rare draw in the age of strongly-branded promotions themselves being the main attraction.

BWR stacked the card for 'No Gods, No Masters'. Suddenly, a snowstorm in March. BWR came out relatively unscathed considering OTT and Discovery Wrestling have cancelled their plans for this weekend. However, BWR announced the morning of the show that Kay Lee Ray, Big T, Big Grizzly, and Tel Banham couldn't make it. And later in the afternoon, the weather had held down and choked Bram in Birmingham, meaning five matches would not go ahead as scheduled. The good news, though: the two big contests remained in tact.

So, let's get on with the report.

Firstly, you can tell I'm not Andy Ogden as my pre-show drinking involved a bottle of water to keep myself hydrated, followed by a severely-diluted protein shake due to my next shipment of powder being stuck in a van somewhere on the motorway (wouldn't have happened if Amazon used Simon Morris Transport). Yes, instead of pub crawling, I was in the gym until 30 minutes before bell-time. And that's why I'm only allowed to report on #GrimsbyGraps.

'No Gods, No Masters' began with the ring announcer's opening spiel. Apparently "we're not jobbing to a snow storm" (actual words), and he used a variation of "the weather's cold outside but the action inside is RRREEEDDD HOT". Pop.

Out came Reese Ryan, doing his Nathan Cruz circa 2012 'Hollywood-with-a-thick-northern-accent' shtick. His advertised Blockbuster Announcement was in two parts: not only has he released Big T from his security detail and replaced him with evil choir boy Will Kroos, but he introduced the Real Wrestling VIP Championship. In wrestling, it seems you can bring your own title and it's legitimate. Jonny Storm appeared unannounced and challenged Ryan for the belt. What followed was a ten-minute bout in which Storm outclassed Ryan in between the referee somehow failing to notice the large evil choir boy attacking Storm. Kroos entered the ring and planted Storm with a DDT to ensure Ryan retained his "title".

Next, the Korn-dubstep antics of Guilty By Habit transcended Southside Wrestling as Robbie X and SUUUUUUUUPERTWAT Kip Sabian (replacing Big Grizzly) defeated The Proven's Caz Crash and Sam Wilder. This was a top-notch contest. I love how X and Sabian don't get along, as though they're only in GBH together because their mates are mates. An added bonus too: the match ended with a CHEEKY ROLL-UP and a CHEEKY HOLDING ONTO THE TIGHTS. #MyGraps.

Lana Austin was up next, accompanied by Eliza Roux and Jami Sparx. With Kay Lee Ray "too scared" to show up, Roux offered an open challenge on "her best friend Lana's" behalf. Little Miss Roxxy made her BWR debut by accepting. Although the crowd took a while to get into it, Austin and Roxxy put in quite a shift until everyone was emotionally invested. Roxxy finally gained momentum once Roux and Sparx were kicked out for their extra-curricular activities and hit a springboard knee-faceplant for the win. Roux and Sparx reappeared and left Roxxy laying on the canvas.

Before intermission, we saw the much-hyped hardcore match between Jimmy Havoc and local hero/silly boy Tyler Devlin. There were no pretences here: both men introduced every weapon they were planning to use from under the ring before the bell rung. Devlin's antics were mercifully less of his own doing this time, but he still managed to get thrown onto a ladder, bounce off a guardrail he had balanced from the ring, eat pins, get curb stomped onto pins, and falling after Havoc's rainmaker onto, yup, pins. Silly boy. Rewind a bit: the ultimate silly boy-ness came moments before when he executed a Jeff Hardy-style senton bomb from a ladder through a table outside the ring... and missed. It was the sickest spot I've seen in person since Death House. Silly boy. Havoc won with that aforementioned rainmaker. After the match, he got on the mic, said he was impressed with Devlin, "but you're just a Jimmy Havoc knock-off". Cue a kick to the nads. Bit harsh from Havoc. I'd say he's more a Clint Margera knock-off.

Intermission. £1.10 for a can of Fanta Lemon went down very well considering I didn't know Fanta Lemon was still a thing. Meanwhile, the raffle was £1 PER NUMBER. Related note: Cleethorpes voted Tory.

After a forty minute break for some reason, we returned with Tyson T-Bone coming out. Originally he was meant to face Bram. His new opponent was... Gabriel Kidd. Every time I go to a show where someone pulls out, Kidd is the replacement. 3CW in November, PROGRESS Sheffield in December, now this. Never mind "Life Boat Man", he should be called "Answers The Phone Man".

Tyson T-Bone versus Gabriel Kidd sounded terrible on paper. Already in my head, I was going to dismiss the match. So, obviously, they fucked with me by having a blistering, hard-hitting brawl that went around the ring - including a sweet knee drop by Kidd onto T-Bone as he hung over the guardrail - and delivered more chops than a vegan's nightmare. It helped how the crowd were RRREEEDDD-HOT for this (take note, Sheffield Southside). T-Bone hit Kidd with a piledriver for the victory and both men were applauded. If it wasn't for the main event, this would've been my match of the night. Strange times indeed.

Next: Scotty Rawk, Cole Quinzel, Matt Myers, and Kelvin Kayton defeated Jimmy Mcilwee, Harry the Hammer Winston, evil choir boy Will Kroos, and (despite being fired in November) Simon Lancaster in a "Get the Lads on the Card" match. The crowd love Mcilwee's homeless, can't-get-a-BWR-contract-even-though-he's-on-every-card gimmick but there was nothing else noteworthy here.

El Ligero versus Tom Weaver versus Robbie X doing double-duty in place of Tel Banham. In a confusing series of events: the ring announcer said the following was a triple-threat match, Robbie X attacked Tom Weaver during his entrance, and he interjected himself into the match to make it... a triple threat match? The announcer tried back-tracking by saying he "suddenly understood" the original third participant couldn't be there, but it was a bit contrived (sorry, readers). This was another excellent contest. Weaver hit a shooting star press on X for the victory before Ligero approvingly shook his hand. I hope they find something substantial for Weaver - as a local lad, he deserves more high-profile fights at these bigger shows than winning throwaway - albeit great - triple threat matches.

In the main event, WWE UK champion Pete Dunne faced the World #GrimsbyGraps Champion Joseph Conners for the latter's title. With this being the third high-profile match between the two in seven weeks (PROGRESS, TNT, here), a friend joked they are this generation's Jonny Storm versus Jody Fleisch. And you can't help but admit they work really well together, telling a well-told story of the cocky AF Dunne stretching Conners as the World #GrimsbyGraps Champion got the crowd (who were evenly split) behind him to make his comeback. I admire how Dunne never half-arses a match, pulling out the same flips and top-rope stomps and high-octane brawling as seen in Fight Club Pro. Together they brought out a big match feel likely never seen in Grimsby/Cleethorpes. It's a massive credit to both men. But...

...let's quickly talk about Dunne's WWE UK title. I can't believe this has never been angrily discussed on Twitter. Can you name me one time other than PROGRESS Ally Pally where the current UK champion has taken a pinfall or submission loss at a non-WWE show? It's as though there's a contractual obligation or something. To be fair, I believed for a couple of near falls that Dunne would become the World #GrimsbyGraps Champion, even if I never believed Conners would cleanly retain the title. Here came the bullshit finish: Tyson T-Bone ran in and attacked both men. No contest. Conners and Dunne chased off T-Bone. Then Conners challenged Dunne to continue the match, only for Dunne to kick him in the nads and leave. Conners got on the mic again and teased a rematch between the two down the line to end the show. Finish aside, this was easily the best match in the era of #GrimsbyGraps to date.

'No Gods, No Masters' as a whole, putting aside my local pride, was a top-shelf show. They overcame the weather and delivered one of the stronger cards I've been to for some time. The crowd was well up for the action, while the wrestlers brought their A-game. Cleethorpes Memorial Hall is a cracking venue for the graps too. Definitely worth the visit if you're coming from out of town. Just, you know, avoid going out in Cleethorpes afterwards if you enjoy your health and wellbeing.

Here's hoping the momentum continues into 'Dive and Kicking' on April 20th. This event will feature a tournament to crown the first-ever BWR Cruiserweight champion - an odd choice for a division given all but three guys are cruiserweights, but there we go. Of course, your #GrimsbyGraps correspondent will be there in person, so I'll see you back on Graps and Claps on the 21st.

Until next time!

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