#Which involved presenting Buddy in new wave aesthetics. Make him look like he could be on MTV at the time

[scary-ivy]

Can't find my old post about how Buddy Holly and Elvis Costello are kind of blended together into the same person in the eyes of pop culture, especially during the 80s. And now that I think about it, this is at least somewhat Paul McCartney's fault

[hains-mae]

Flowers - Pt. 2

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 (end)

(Damian x Reader) Soulmate AU

Rating: T

Ages: Damian and you are 16, everyone’s ages follow after.

Summary: Soulmate AU where the wounds on your soulmate turns into a flower tattoo on your skin, if it heals with no scars the tattoo goes away, if it heals with a scar then the tattoo stays. You know who your soulmate is. It’s Robin. The vigilante. The crime-fighter and protector of Gotham who runs along side the Dark Knight himself – Batman. And you’re still you. This couldn’t possibly work, could it?

Notes: I did not expect my last fic to gain as much popularity as it had, and I am so thankful. @grincheveryday said there had to be a part 2, and although I wasn’t planning on it – I relented. And now here we are, with part 2.

Anyway, thank you again so much for the lovely comments. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own DC. If I did, I wouldn’t make it as confusing as it is now.

Metropolis. The convention was to be held in Metropolis. The city of Superman! I was more than excited when the school informed us, and it turned out that Lex Corp. was sponsoring our transport and accommodations.

Gotham Academy instructed us to pack a week’s worth. The actual event was going to run for a total of one week. 3 days to try and impress during the showcase. After that they scheduled a meeting for students and companies who were interested in internships and mentoring, which would last another 2 days. On the last day Wayne Ent. promised a gala to finish off with a bang.

“Oh, my baby is growing up.” Mom said as she helped me pack.

“It’ll only be a week, mom. You’re not getting rid of me that easy.” I laughed.

It was a decent trip going to the big city of Metropolis. What I noticed first were the clean streets and bright colours. The sun was actually out of the clouds (something that only happened a handful of times during the year back at Gotham). There was a lot of excited chatter on the bus as soon as we entered.

“Alright children, you know the rules. Keep close and stay in sight.” Our science professor spoke up over the murmurs.

“Ah, Gotham Academy I’m presuming!” A boisterous voice caught our attention and successfully made us all quiet.

It was Mr. Lex Luthor.

“Mr. Luthor, it’s an honour. May I just say on behalf of our school we’d like to thank you for the generous hospitality.”

“The honour is mine.” He replied to our guide and professor as he shook her hand. “With such young and brilliant minds, how can I refuse?”

It felt surreal to be there. To be meeting with one of the most famous inventors and businessmen on the planet. I thought about pinching myself but if this was a dream, I didn’t want it to end.

We were ushered into the building that we were going to be staying at for the next week. It looked amazing on the inside just as it did on the outside. The receptionist smiled warmly at us when we entered. As the adults talked about where to place us, my schoolmates and I were left in a waiting area with large, soft sofas. I sighed in delight thinking this day couldn’t get any better.

The briefing was short, and we were sent to our rooms to freshen up before dinner. If I thought the lounge was awesome, the bedrooms were 5 times more. The walls were cream in colour, and the furniture’s light tan tint complimented the aesthetic. Two queen sized beds since were to stay in pairs. Bright yellow flowers on beautifully painted vases stood on each of our bedside tables.

I took the bed closest to the window, and placed my bags on the floor. My roommate didn’t mind as she unzipped her suitcase and began to make herself at home. As we shuffled around placing our belongings in their respective areas, I couldn’t help but wonder if Robin would be here. It was a million to one chance since many schools from Gotham were involved, but still, I hoped.

You don’t even who he is, or even how he looks like under that mask — my inner muse said pointedly. I sighed, knowing it was right.

That evening I opted to go to the dining hall a little earlier than expected. I didn’t have any friends around, since it was limited to one student per section. So I found myself alone sitting on a table with my name printed all fancy on a card. I sighed, pulling out my phone and going over the slides of my presentation for the invention.

“Good evening.” A presence alerted me and I fumbled as my phone slipped from my hands.

They caught it in one swoop.

I looked up and found myself face to face with a pair of clear forest green eyes.

“Apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you. My name is Damian Wayne.” His tone was clipped as he handed me my phone, like he wanted to be anywhere else but here.

I swallowed thickly, I’m sure I looked flustered, he seemed like he was in a bad mood. Quickly clearing my throat I took my phone from him and introduced myself as quickly as I could.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He said stiffly and sat down beside me.

There must’ve been a mistake on the placement of the name cards. Usually they would assign our seats in accordance to our sections. Mine should be at the last... and oh my god his name is next to mine?!  How did I not notice this???

“The - the pleasure is mine.” I said nervously and tucked my phone back in my pocket.

I may not be part of any of his (or his brothers’) fan club, but I wasn’t living under a rock. Damian Wayne. Son of Bruce Wayne; the one who organised this entire endeavour. The son of a multi-billionaire business man. The prince of Gotham! What in the world was he doing here — next to me?!

There was a painfully thick awkward silence between us, or maybe it's just me — I bit my lip and looked everywhere else in the room but the boy who was sitting beside me.

Taking deep breaths to calm myself down, I noticed a pleasant aroma in the air. I must’ve missed it after our surprising introductions, but his perfume smelled good. It wasn’t a scent I would normally smell nowadays, but I immediately recognised it.

“Arabian oud.” I said out loud. Unintentionally mind you, to which I mentally facepalmed.

I quickly covered my mouth and apologised. Great, now he’ll think you’re a creep, way to go.

“Yeah.” Damian cocked a brow at me and narrowed his eyes. “It is, not many people know.”

“My dad. He liked those kinds of scents. Came a cross it one time during a case he was working on. I guess it grew on me too.”

Talking about my dad to a complete stranger, it was nerve wrecking but at the same time the memory calmed me, and the scent dancing between us only lulled me further into memory lane.

“It sticks better than regular perfume.” He said nonchalantly.

I had to giggle at that. “Well you get what you pay for.” He scoffed, and I reminded myself that this guy was probably rolling in money every day.

There was silence again, but this time a little less awkward. I still hoped everyone would be here soon though.

My wish was granted. Not five minutes later, the room started to get filled. Everyone took their respective places and made quick chatter. Damian and I stayed quiet though. Perhaps his friends weren’t able to come either, well we had that in common.

Damian was introduced to us before the waiters served our food. Apparently he wasn’t part of the convention but because Wayne Ent. was the one sponsoring, Mr. Wayne deemed it necessary for him to make an appearance.

I sighed to myself and looked around, this really was nothing like I expected it to be.

-x-x-x-

Dinner was delicious. Everyone was happily stuffed and ready for bed. Everyone but me. I couldn’t relax after sitting next to Damian the whole night. I felt his stares multiple times but every time I try to catch him I fail.

As soon as we were done an old man wearing formal attire came to pick him up. Didn’t know where to, but I heard “father” and “penthouse”. Rich kids...

Maybe it was just me who was getting a little paranoid. Maybe it was because of all the rumours I heard of how fan clubs treat other girls who even dared to talk to him other than a polite hi or wave. I shuddered at the thought. Our professor was droning on about the rules (again) and the importance of the buddy system. I briefly wondered if I could sneak out for a small walk around the block or something to release some energy.

And that was exactly where I found myself later that evening. I managed to pass the receptionist and walk a couple of minutes around the area. Not too far, the hotel was still in view. There were people around minding their own business, which was new for me since around this time in Gotham, everyone would be at home. The crisp air felt good, and I was finally able to relax. It was too stuffy being next to him. His smell, it reminded me too much of dad. The memory made a lump form in my throat.

I looked up at the starless sky and blinked back tears. Mom said he’d be proud, I wanted to believe it was true.

“Aw little girl. Why so upset?”

I whirled around and saw a man all dressed in baggy black clothes inch closer at me. “How about you come with me and I can make you feel all better.”

I took a step back as my heart started to race. This was probably not the best idea, even though this was Superman’s City, it didn’t mean crime didn’t exist.

A heavy hand gripped tightly at my shoulder and I realised with utter dread that I was surrounded. Only one way to run and it was through the alley. Every instinct in me shouted that it would be a really bad idea, first off I didn’t know the place, and if I just ran I could very well get lost.

But the grip on my shoulder was worse than anything I could’ve imagined at the moment.

“You’re a pretty little thing aren’t ya.” Another man came in and slid his hands across my cheek before covering my mouth.

His breath smelled of alcohol and smoke. It made me gag.

“I’ve got some great ideas on what I can do with you.” He snickered and dropped his other hand lower onto my chest. I gasped in fear.

No, this isn’t happening.

They pushed me further into the alley, away from prying eyes, and into to the shadows. The man started to grope my waist and hips.

This isn’t happening!

I wanted to fight back, wanted to bite his hand and shout, but my body was frozen. I was in shock. My inner voice was yelling at me to do something, to do anything! But fear clasped me tight and hard.

Then he forced his dirt calloused hand under my shirt and touched my breast.

That snapped me out of it.

With a sense of need to survive I dug my elbow into the man who was holding me and shoved the one in front with as much force as I could muster, exactly how dad taught me. They grunted in pain, and their hold on me lifted. I bolted down the dimly lit passage as soon as I was free.

But they didn’t stop. They called after me, swearing and cursing slurs as they ran. Their footsteps echoed along the tight alley. How many of them were there? 4?

They chanted along what they were planning on doing with me once they catch me. It was horrible. My throat tightening in disgust. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend how their minds worked. The tears were beginning to fall as every turn I took only lead deeper into the maze.

I kept running, taking quick sharp turns in the hopes to loose them. I refused to go like this. But my heart plummeted as soon as I faced a dead end.

They were all laughing at my demise, taking their time to get to me so the fear really soaked in. They strolled and taunted. Taking out their ropes and knives from their coat pockets.

“This was a really stupid idea...” I whimpered to myself, wiping my wet cheeks furiously as I did.

“No shit.” I instantly recognised the voice. “We really need to stop meeting like this.”

A figure dropped in front of me, clad in familiar colours. I felt my knees go weak and a new wave of tears started to fall. I sobbed in relief.

Robin pulled out his katana and growled at the men.

“Do not touch her.” He spat at them.

“Robin? But isn’t he supposed to be with the Bat?” One of them questioned, but he was outright ignored.

Their leader, the one who groped me, laughed. A loud barking sort of laughter.

“Don’t touch her?” He mimicked. “But I already have. Must say, she’s quite soft.” He leered at me, I could feel him undressing me with his eyes and I instantly clutched my jacket tighter.

“Bastard!” Robin shouted and threw himself into battle.

They didn’t look worried though.

“You’re just a boy!” They yelled at him as they aimed to kill.

It didn’t phase him as he attacked with the same precision as he did before. Their bullets were evaded with his quick movements. I protected my head with my arms and dashed behind a corner full of crates.

“Excuse me.”

I turned to the person next to me.

He offered a smile, and I noticed his feet weren’t touching the ground. He was hovering over the air.

“Quit stalling Superboy!” Robin grunted. “Take her someplace safe!”

“You heard him.” He told me, and carried me bridal style before flying away.

I clutched on to him as the ground became further and further away.

“Wait — what about Robin?” My voice sounded weak but I didn’t want to just leave him behind.

Superboy looked at me and grinned. “He’ll be okay.”

He set me down on the roof of a building just above the fight.

“Can you wait here a moment? We’ll be right back.”

He looked a few years older, dressed in his father’s colors and symbol proudly plastered on the middle of his chest.

I managed a small nod before he zipped back down and joined the fight. With a bit more courage I peered down and watched as they bravely fought the men. Superboy withheld from using his lasers too much, I suppose since they were in such an enclosed space. Robin on the other hand looked like he was putting everything he had out there.

It ended quite fast, with the men tied up in a rope. Robin seemed to be talking to Superboy, the metahuman nodded once and pointed up where I was standing. I quickly looked away and walked back.

A grappling hook shot up before hooking itself to the side of the building. Robin swung forward and landed gracefully in front of me. He looked angry.

I tried not to look at him straight in the eye, hoping to make myself smaller.

“Did they hurt you?” He asked, his voice filled with concern but still laced with a little venom.

I bit my bottom lip to keep it from quivering, I felt so ashamed, and so used. I felt dirty.

“He touched me...” I chocked out, trying to keep the tears at bay and failing.

Robin clenched his fists.

“What were you doing outside at this hour?”

“I - I just wanted to take a walk. I didn’t - it wasn’t -“ I was shaking. All I wanted to do was go back home and hide under my covers.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. I heard him walk up to me and hold my chin, turning it towards him as he wiped the tears.

“Stop crying.” He said. “You’re safe now.”

Not being able to help it, I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight. I wasn’t an overly physical type of person but I needed something solid, something safe, to clutch on to after what just happened. I wished my mom was here, but then I also didn’t since all this would do would only worry her more. I dreaded the fact that I needed to tell her what happened. But for now I just breathed in and out, trying to calm myself. Robins arms slowly encircled me, and he patted my shoulder awkwardly.

Wait — this smell…

Arabian oud.

I tensed, and pushed back. Robin looked a little confused at the suddenly change but loosened the hug.

My heart started to race as I looked up at his face. No way, there has to be hundreds with the same perfume, right? I couldn’t, or rather didn’t want to believe it. Was it really him under this mask? I wish I could give myself an answer but I was terrified of what I would find if I looked. I was both mad yet relieved that I didn’t look too closely at his face during dinner or else it might be too easy to pick apart his features. The mask only hid so much. I must’ve been eyeing him for too long because Robin gave me a questioning look.

“I -“ I quickly put a slight distance between us and cleared my throat, hoping the heat on my cheeks would cool down, and my head to stop spinning. “Sorry, and thank you! I... probably should get back.” I finished lamely.

The time it took us to get from where we were to the hotel was filled with silence. I made sure not to make eye contact for too long and when I had to I made sure to ignore everything else. I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to piece the puzzle together... It felt risky. I thanked him again, and asked him to thank Superboy.

Sneaking back into my room was a lot more difficult that sneaking out. Thankfully my roommate and I had separate keys so going in was a breeze. She was already asleep when I got there much to my relief. I headed straight to the shower, eager to scrub off the mans filthy hold on me. I grimaced as I caught my reflection in the mirror, my skin was bright red from all the scrubbing and my eyes were puffy. I sniffed and looked away.

I didn’t sleep that night, not well anyway, but that was to be expected.

...

...

... to be continued ...

[intoxicatingimmediacy]

Big Ups: Clipping Pick Their Bandcamp Favorites

“Right from the beginning, we always wanted to make a horror-themed record,” says Jonathan Snipes, a producer in the Los Angeles-based progressive noise-rap trio Clipping, alongside MC Daveed Diggs and fellow beatsmith Bill Hutson. The group’s third project for Sub Pop, There Existed an Addiction to Blood, updates the cult horrorcore hip-hop trend of the mid ‘90s in a thrilling and forward-thinking fashion. It’s a striking and deeply atmospheric record, powered by synth-based sonic experimentalism and grisly concept-focused writing that exudes a sinister and shadowy feel.

There Existed an Addiction to Blood adds to a stellar canon of work that kicked off with Clipping’s introductory midcity mixtape in 2013. “That one was really us learning how to be Clipping, and what we sounded like,” says Hutson, who helped mastermind the project’s metallic, glitch-afflicted beats. On the following year’s debut album, CLPPNG, the crew moved further towards what Hutson calls “dark and noise-tinged instrumentals.” The omission of the letter I in the album title represents the way Diggs avoids rhyming in the first person. Hutson maintains that if much of hip-hop involves MCs rapping about their own lives, Clipping’s music strives to be “a novel, not a memoir.” Case in point: 2016’s Splendor & Misery took shape as an Afrofuturist sci-fi adventure that explored an artificial intelligence world; 2017’s single “The Deep” inspired the author Rivers Solomon to expand the song’s environment into a novella of the same name.

Basing There Existed an Addiction to Blood around horrorcore and gory movies is a natural representation of Clipping’s influences and the way the trio approach writing songs. “Horrorcore is this forgotten and maligned subgenre of hip-hop that we’ve always had a tremendous amount of affection for,” says Hutson. “So much of Clipping is about referencing styles of hip-hop—almost all our songs were conceived as our take on a certain type of rap song—so this horror album was always going to happen.” Snipes adds, “We think of each of these songs as self-contained movie scores of vignettes in a specific genre.”

The original horrorcore movement that inspired Clipping’s latest album was spearheaded by RZA and Prince Paul’s Gravediggaz project, plus artists including Houston’s Ganksta N-I-P, Detroit’s Esham, and New York City’s Flatlinerz. ‘90s horrorcore lyrics were packed with macabre imagery and references to psychological disorders, satanism, and cannibalism; the gruesome verses were often relayed over willfully dank and grimey production. Clipping’s resurrection of the subgenre taps into the same lyrical themes—but this time Digg’s intense verses are backed by marauding waves of monstrous synths, sharp abrasive stabs of discordant noise, and snatches of field recordings that bring a chilling realism to There Existed an Addiction to Blood.

Key song “Run For Your Life” plays out like a frantic short movie. It co-stars Memphis MC La Chat, who used to roll with Three 6 Mafia and the Hypnotize Minds roster back in the ‘90s. “She’s hunting down Daveed and approaching and moving behind him in a car,” says Snipes. “Then in the third verse, we’re fully in the car with her.” To drum up the effect of the protagonist being chased to a bloody demise, Digg’s lyrics are surrounded by constantly shifting ambient noise: The sound of passing cars blasting music and dogs barking literally pulls the listener into the chilling scenario.

The same blend of adventurous production techniques and concept-heavy writing present on Clipping’s latest album also runs through Hutson and Snipes’s Bandcamp recommendations. Blasts of abstract hip-hop lyricism mix with innovative thematic albums and avant-garde film scores, adding up to a smart representation of Clipping’s advanced-level musical DNA.

Bill Hutson

Dax Pierson - Live In Oakland

I first saw Dax Pierson play around 2003, when he was in a group called Subtle that was an Anticon side project with Dose One and Jel. Dax was also the secret weapon of the Themselves project, which was also Dose and Jel, and on tour he’d play keys and finger drum on MPCs. Dax is this compelling, creative performer and composer. This tape came out on Ratskin and it’s from a more recent show—I might have even been at the show! His music is fascinating, almost uncategorizable left-field dance stuff that’s blending all these ideas.

John Wall - Hylic

I was really enamored of improvised music in the early ‘00s, and it’s a lot of what fueled my ravenous collector habit, which came from having to track down these obscure records that came from Japan and Germany and Switzerland and England, where they were only pressing a couple of hundred copies. John Wall is very careful as a computer music composer, and he’d spend years and years cutting up tiny pieces of improvised sounds and turning them into these totally austere and totally alien compositions. I was fascinated by the disparity between how much intention there was behind it and how alien the result sounds. Hylic almost sounds like there’s no human brain making logical choices that would compose this music—it feels like it’s naturally occurring in some way, like you’re listening to the background radiation of the solar system—but there’s also the most extreme version of authorship going into it.

billy woods - Hiding Places

I think billy woods is a fantastic example of this very abstract and angular and strange rapper but with these really strong connections to the history of New York rap. It’s almost like he’s from a different timeline where southern hip-hop didn’t take over the mainstream in the ‘00s and we kept going with Nas and Wu-Tang, and it’s developed into this new form. [Producer] Kenny Segal is a buddy—we’ve toured with him—and he would have been a youngster in the Project Blowed days but came out of the experimental L.A. hip-hop scene that produced Abstract Rude and Freestyle Fellowship and, later with the beatmakers, birthed the whole Low End Theory and Brainfeeder movement. This album is a New York and L.A. collab record that seems to perfectly synthesize two different types of left of center aesthetics, but feels completely natural in a way we wouldn’t have expected maybe 20 years ago.

Kevin Drumm - 09082001 gtr​/​synth ‘solo’

I included this not because anyone needs me to tell them Kevin Drumm is a fuckin’ noise hero, but I wanted to include Drumm because I think what he’s doing is a really unique thing that Bandcamp can provide: A couple of months ago I bought Drumm’s entire discography for like $22, which was like a hundred or so releases! He puts out so much, and it’s all of such high quality. This specific recording is from my favorite period of his work in the early-2000s, but it wasn’t available [back then] until he started bypassing labels and physical copies and started putting everything up himself direct to the fans.

DEBBY FRIDAY - DEATH DRIVE

[The label] Deathbomb Arc put out some of the first Clipping stuff. I think of [founder] Brian Miller as A&Ring my listening habits because he’s out there finding new artists I wouldn’t come across and putting out their records. DEBBY FRIDAY completely blew me away—this release seems both out of nowhere and so fully formed. It’s just brilliant and sort of industrial hip-hop. It’s really like the best Skinny Puppy album we never got but with way better lyrics and content and performance. It’s so smart and dark—she’s a really great lyricist.

Jonathan Snipes

Missincinatti - remove not the ancient landmarks

Missincinatti was Jeremy Drake, Jessica Catron, and Corey Fogel, and they had this band for a short time in L.A. where they played these contemporary arrangements of sea shanties. They’re all incredible musicians, and their arrangements were always so off-kilter and smart. This album is only on Bandcamp, and it’s like a little monument to this band that I loved so much for a short time. One of my favorite things is arrangements of folk music that almost feel like critical theory about folk music and this project feels like it’s in this realm. I wish they were still around playing shows so I could go to them.

François-Eudes Chanfrault - Inside

I discovered François-Eudes Chanfrault when I saw the movie for which this is the score. Then, when I started looking into François’s music, I realized that I’d run across him in online nerdy computer music circles. He became one of my favorite composers, and I became obsessed with tracking his music down. The development of the Inside score is really slow and tasteful, and that’s hard to accomplish when working with film. I also score movies, and film music always feels like if the music’s following a picture. It wants to be fast and have abrupt changes—but François is someone who is somehow able to make these really long elegant cues that actually play against the action of the film in this really striking way. It’s probably the last score I’d expect anybody to write for that movie, and it hits exactly the right tone. His use of electronics and computers and his use of a chamber ensemble are perfectly matched.

Lauren Bousfield - Fire Songs

Lauren’s a really good friend, and this album’s only available on Bandcamp. She’s an incredible musician—an absolute genius. This is the album she released shortly after her house burned down and she lost all her possessions in the fire. It feels very personal. It’s easy to think of electronic and breakcore as just splattered breakbeats that feel mechanical and machine-based. But this one, with the context [of the backstory], feels very emotional, and almost makes me tear up when I hear it.

Bryce Miller - W A S P

Bryce Miller is someone I found through some Bandcamp journalism, which I read regularly. This album, which is based on the Stieg Larsson Millennium books, is elegant and precise. There’s a lot of this retro ’80s synthwave stuff flying around—I’ve made a fair bit of it myself—but somehow this really nailed the tone of feeling very contemporary, but also very ancient. It’s like what I wanted synth records in the ’80s to sound like at the time, but they never quite did. The sense of melody and structure and tension and release is really spot on. Bryce feels like a real composer in that realm.

Max Tundra - With Love To Mummy

I first heard Max Tundra on the double disc compilation Tigerbeat6 Inc. from like 2001. I was really into Aphex Twin and Squarepusher and Kid606 and Matmos, and I was trying to figure out who was doing weird electronic music and that comp came out and it ended up being a huge window into bands I’d never heard of. Max Tundra’s track [“The Bill”] sounded like a general MIDI soundtrack to a spy show that he’d recorded into his answering machine! I’ve been a lifelong fan of his since then, and this collection is, like, his teenage recordings—it’s really interesting to hear his old music. It’s charming and fun to listen to as a fan, and to note where his music took him after that. I suppose other people feel the same way about that Radiohead release.

[lunarose99]

Dorks

I wrote another thing. It’s actually fluffy and... well maybe not romantic but certainly less angsty than my usual stuff. 

Enjoy Keith and Lance being dorks getting together because of aliens. 

Read on AO3

Lance is about to pee himself.

 Why, you may ask?

 Well, now, that would be an excellent question. The short answer is the presentation he is listening to is hilarious. It’s supposed to be about one of the early humans, he doesn’t remember which one, but the point is it’s supposed to be boring as dirt. And he supposes if this kid was actually talking about what he’s supposed to be talking about, it would be.

 That’s why no one in the class is listening, anyway. The slides for the presentation have neat little pictures of early human skulls and the perfect amount of text and boring titles. And every now and then the kid clicks through them to make it look like he’s going along with it.

 The words coming out of this kid’s mouth, however, do not match his slides at all. He got started on a tangent at some point and just rolled with it. The teacher hasn’t said anything, and every time Lance glances over at Professor Sendak the man has had his head down over his desk. No one else is paying attention, either, hence why the kid went on with his tangent.

 The tangent? Conspiracy theories. This kid has been ranting about fake moon landings and aliens for five minutes now, and he shows no signs of stopping. It’s kind of adorable, actually.

Lance wishes he could remember the kid’s name. They’ve had class together all year, but the kid was quiet and never raised his hand, and Lance never paid attention during roll call. So to see this quiet, shy, nerdy kid become so animated and passionate about conspiracy theories of all things is downright hilarious.

 It’s always the quiet ones, right?

 What made it worse is Lance is pretty sure he is the only person in the room paying attention to what this kid is saying. He ran late today and so ended up in the front row, his traitorous friends not saving him a seat. There had been several angry texts about that.

 He wanted to take it all back. This kid was amazing. Lance needed to learn his name and everything else about this kid. This was his new best friend right here.

 “And the pyramids!” the kid said, waving his arms. “Did you ever notice the pyramids are the same in central America and Egypt, despite the two regions having no contact with each other? It’s obvious aliens were involved! They taught the humans how to build!”

 Lance is having a hard time figuring out if this kid is serious or not. At this point he was only talking to meet the time limit their presentations had to be, so the actual sanity of the kid was questionable.

 Lance’s sanity, however, was going to take a nosedive if he didn’t let out his laughter soon. He’d shoved a fist in his mouth a while ago and bitten down on his knuckle, which had been working. But the more he watched the kid the harder it was becoming to keep his composure. But if he laughed it would break whatever reverie has the class ignoring this presentation, and he doesn’t want to get the kid in trouble. Not when he has made Lance’s week.

 Like all good things, the presentation does eventually end. The kid hits the key to end the slideshow and then looks around to see if anyone has noticed. Lance takes several deep breaths to calm down.

 The kid has to call Sendak’s name to actually alert him the presentation is over, and Lance is pretty sure the kid just got full marks for that reason alone, which is so unfair in the grand scheme of things, but he’ll let it go this once.

 “Oh, thank you, Keith. That was very enlightening, well done.”

 Lance almost loses it again. Enlightening indeed.

 Keith gathers his few materials and goes back to his seat. Sendak gives them a few reminders about their essay and when their final will be, and then he ends the class early. Keith was the last presenter.

 Lance books it to Keith’s seat before the kid can leave.

 Keith pauses in gathering his things. “…can I help you?”

 He’s cute, Lance decides. He’s got a messy haircut and pale skin, and his typical black t-shirt and dark skinny jeans. He pulls it off well.

 “Your presentation was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen,” Lance said, breaking out into a smile again.

 Keith’s eyes widen, a pink dusting covers his face. He bites his lip and his face gets even redder. “Uh…thanks.”

 “No problem! I mean, that takes serious balls to do what you just did!” Lance looked away for a second to wave and acknowledge Hunk and Pidge. He swears it was just a second. But when he looked back, Keith already had his bag over his shoulder and was running out the door.

 Lance blinked.

 “Um…what just happened?”

 He ran away? Why did Keith run away? Lance hadn’t even asked if he wanted to get together sometime! Hell, he hadn’t even gotten a last name! How was he supposed to find him now?

 “Lance, come on! I’m hungry!” Pidge complained.

 “Yeah, yeah I’ll be right there.” Lance stared at the place Keith had disappeared a little longer. Was it something he said?

 Xx

 Keith wants to die. Let it be known on all records that dying of embarrassment is, in fact, possible.

 God, he hadn’t thought anyone was actually listening! He never would have rambled on about all those theories otherwise! Especially not the cute Spanish boy!

 To: Shiro

I want you to write ‘Killed by aliens’ on my tombstone.

 To: Keith

Part of me wants to ask why, the other part of me doesn’t want to know.

Is there a reason you’re thinking about your post-mortem desires?

 To: Shiro

I did something stupid and I will never be able to recover. The only repentance is death.

 To: Keith

Okay, before you actually give a heart attack, tell me what happened. Are you okay?

 To: Shiro

Remember that cute guy in my bio class?

 To: Keith

The one with the amazing butt, yes I remember.

 To: Shiro

And you know how I had my presentation today?

 To: Keith

I remember something along those lines. How are these related?

 To: Shiro

Well I was the last presenter, so of course no one is listening by that point. Not even prof. I had a throwaway line about aliens early in the presentation but no one reacted, so I thought fuck it and just spent the time talking about aliens. Prof had no idea, he didn’t even know when I was done.

 To: Keith

You didn’t.

And let me guess, guy with the amazing butt was actually listening.

 To: Shiro

he came up to me after class and said it was the best thing he’d ever seen??? Shiro I’m dead I can never show my face in public again.

I ranted about aliens in front of the hottest guy I’ve ever seen

 To: Keith

Please tell me you got his number

 To: Shiro

Shiro. What part of this conversation makes you think I got his number.

 To: Keith

Well what else would you have done after he said your speech about aliens was the best thing he’s ever seen?

That’s a keeper right there. Never gonna find another one like him.

 To: Shiro

I want to remind you who you are talking to.

 To: Keith

So what did you do then? You had to have said something

 To: Shiro

I said thanks and booked it first chance I had

 To: Keith

Keeeeiiiitttthhhhh

 To: Shiro

This why I need you to kill me and put me out of my misery.

   Much to Keith’s chagrin, Shiro is not willing to kill him. Keith is forced to suffer his humiliation. By the time that class came around again, Keith almost skips it. And he would have, if they didn’t have to turn in their final essays that day.

 Hot Guy is standing outside the door to the room when Keith gets there, and he notices Keith before Keith notices him. So Keith has no chance to escape.

 He should have planned his funeral better over the last few days.

 “There you are!” Hot Guy says. “Why’d you run off so fast the other day? I didn’t even get to introduce myself!”

 Keith blinks. He…wants to introduce himself?

 “What?”

 “My name’s Lance Sanchez. You want to sit together today?”

 Keith can no longer process what’s happening. His body moves on autopilot separate from his mind, and he finds himself sitting in the middle of the room next to Lance.

 “So…how’d you learn so much about aliens anyway?” Lance asks.

 Keith continues to stare at Lance. “You…really were listening.”

 “Um…yeah, I thought we established that?” Lance asks, looking side to side.

 Crap. Keith is blowing it. Hot Guy is actually talking to him and Keith can’t stop being an idiot for two seconds to actually enjoy it.

 He’s saved from further embarrassment when Sendak starts the class. It’s a review day mostly, and just when Keith thinks he’ll be able to run away and never see Lance again Sendak hands out study guides and tells them to work on it together.

 “Perfect, now we can talk more!” Lance says, flashing a gorgeous smile at Keith.

 Yeah, if Keith could just stop time and stare at that smile until he dies he’d be very happy with his life. It’s a little crooked, the right side pulling up slightly higher than the left, but the way it makes Lance’s face crinkle is to die for and Keith thinks that would be a wonderful reason to stop breathing.

 “Uh, are you okay, buddy?” Lance asks.

 The smile disappears and Lance’s brows drop into concern. It’s not as pretty as the smile, but any look directed at him is good enough and oh crap when did it get this bad? He knew he was crushing on the guy but that was strictly because Lance was aesthetically pleasing to look at. He should be a little more functional than this.

 “Keith?”

 Keith blinks and shakes himself out of it. He should probably respond. “Yeah, sorry, I was just…”

 “Distracted by my good looks?” Lance asks. His voice dropped an octave and he raised on brow, smirking, actually honest-to-God smirking.

 And it shouldn’t, Keith knows it really shouldn’t, it was barely a sentence, but those words have his face heating up again. For God’s sake he doesn’t even know if Lance swings his way!

 But, as usual, his mouth runs faster than his brain. “Yes.”

 The flirty look drops immediately, replaced by wide-eyed surprise. Lance leans back a little, the tips of his ears turning red. “Wait, really?”

 Keith buries his face in his hands. “You’re stupidly attractive and if you could just get the rejection over with already that’d be great.”

 It’s a few moments before he feels Lance prying his hands away. Now Lance looks amused, a softer smile on his face this time. “How about instead of a rejection, I give you my number and we go on a date.”

 “What.” Keith.exe has stopped working.

 Lance’s smile grows. He rips off a corner of the study guide and writes down some numbers, sliding the paper over to Keith when he’s done. “You’re not so bad on the eyes yourself.”

 Keith’s gaze darts down to the phone number. Is this real life? Did he actually get Hot Guy’s number? Or did Shiro actually kill Keith and this is some weird post-mortem dream?

 “This is real, right?” Keith asks. He’s asking to make sure this isn’t a dream, but Lance thinks he’s talking about the number.

 “Of course it’s real! You think I’d give you a fake number after all of this? I haven’t been able to stop thinking of you for two days, man.”

 “I…really? You’ve been thinking of me?” Keith asks. His face is heating up again, but for once it’s not in embarrassment.

 Lance’s blush, however, might be. “Don’t look so pleased.”

 Keith smiles and picks up the paper, taking his phone out so he can program it in right now. As soon as that’s done, he sends Lance a smiley face.

 Lance brightens as soon as he gets it.

 Keith is ready to walk out right then and process what just happened, but he realizes something crucial.

 They’re still in class. What are two people who just agreed to date but haven’t actually gone on a date supposed to talk about?

 “What are we supposed to talk about for the next half hour?” Keith asks.

 “Whatever we want, I guess,” Lance shrugs.

 “You could try doing the study guide in front of you,” a girl on the other side of Lance suggests.

 Both boys freeze and blush in embarrassment. The fact that probably half of the class heard their getting together is just dawning on them.

 Keith buries his face in his hands again and sinks down in his seat. “I’ll just die now please.”

 Lance laughs. “Not until after the second date, at least.”

 Keith peeks out from behind his fingers.

 “Come on, you little rabbit, let’s study so we don’t fail.”

 “I can’t fail this class, I’ll never be able to look Sendak in the eye again after the last two days.” Between an alien presentation and scoring a date in his class, there was going to be very little biology that Keith actually remembered.

 Lance scoots his chair closer and leans over the worksheet, reading aloud the first question.

 Keith stares at him for a moment and decides it’s a good thing he’s not a biology major anyway.

 Xx

 To: Shiro

Shiro. what do you wear on a first date.

 To: Keith

YOU HAVE A DATE????????

 To: Shiro

Please don’t freak out I’m alREADY FREAKING OUT

 To: Keith

I’ll be there in ten minutes and I want details. Who is it even with?

 To: Shiro

Hot Guy with the Amazing Butt from Bio

 To: Keith

The one who listened to your alien presentation?

 To: Shiro

…

 To: Keith

I don’t believe this. Aliens actually got you a date.

   gemcM��|�

[jamestwalden]

Cordova Coolers™

In the red-hot cooler market, a new standard of cool & SCOTT CAMPBELL, JR. Star of Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch”

by Tom Innis, Avantech

Imagine the scene.

It’s a scorcher of an afternoon in late-summer of 2014. You’re out on the lake, entertaining friends on the MasterCraft™ powerboat for which you’ve spent the proverbial boat-load of hard-earned money. Your buddies are duly impressed. The sun is blazing, the wake-surfing is intense, and the muscles are tired. You idle the boat and kibbutz about crushing some serious waves as the thirst factor surges.

There’s an audible “ahhhh” as you lift up the seat cover, open the hatch lid, reach into the cooler, and hand your parched friends a beer. The setting couldn’t be better: wake-surfing on a picture-perfect summer day; a cold beer your worthy reward for an afternoon well-spent.

Your friends crack-open their beers; they take a deep draw. You do the same. Nobody says anything for a moment, but everyone knows. The beer is warm.

Wait a minute. You’re onboard a luxurious powerboat, the skies are blue, the sun is shining, and you’ve just completed an epic day on the water with your buddies. Suddenly, the perfect day has gone seriously wrong. “Sorry about the warm beer, guys…”

Flash-forward to a few months later. In Kodiak, Alaska, Scott Campbell, Jr., captain of the 109-foot crab-fishing boat the Seabrooke, has just finished another season of battling frigid, treacherous Bering Sea waters to hit his seasonal quota of Opilio and Bairdi snow crab. Campbell, aka “Junior,” as he is known on Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” program, has been captain and owner of the Seabrooke since 2000. Life is good for Campbell: he’s a successful business owner, television celebrity, and is able to enjoy the finer things in life – like his MasterCraft™ boat – when the crab-fishing season is over.

But with seas raging around him, competition chasing him, and another successful season behind him, Campbell has only one thing on his mind: that otherwise perfect day on the water the previous summer, sullied by warm beer in the cooler.

Focused on a cooler future.

Now it’s early 2015. Though he maintains ownership of the boat and the crab-fishing business, Scott Campbell, Jr. has spent his last season aboard the Seabrooke, and is eyeing up his next career challenge. Together with Mike West, his friend from high school days in Walla Walla, Washington, Campbell’s next move is to develop a line of rugged, feature-rich, high-performance coolers worthy of keeping beverages cold on the hottest of days, and offering consumers a “Made in the USA” promise. 

Campbell and West – founder and owner of Arizona-based BBQ Island™, a marketer of outdoor grilling equipment and culinary environments – make a formidable team: young, hungry, successful entrepreneurs who’ve built industry-leading businesses through creativity, hard work and competitive savvy.  With Mike’s brother and host of the Outdoor Channel® series “Steve’s Outdoor Adventures,” Steve West recently joining the Cordova Coolers™ team, it’s clear that if anyone can successfully launch a cooler in the hyper-competitive high-performance cooler market, it’s these guys.

Imagine a hypothetical conversation among Scott, Mike & Steve: “OK, so we know there’s demand for high-performance, made in the USA coolers, and we know we’re the guys to bring it to market. We have capital, we have business savvy, we have an audience, we have channels of distribution, and we have marketing muscle behind our names. The only thing we’re missing is a cooler.”

Connecting with roto.

Despite having a rudimentary cooler design, Team Cordova knew they needed help in completing their design and converting their cooler concept to reality. Though familiar with successful rotationally molded cooler brands, after several fruitless attempts to connect with interested parties, they figured the next best move was the oft-used business search tool, Google.

With the BBQ Island business based in the greater-Phoenix, Arizona area (BBQ Island operates an e-Commerce business and two retail locations in Tempe and Scottsdale, respectively), Cordova partner Mike West’s search landed on Mold In Graphic Systems, located a few hours north in Clarkdale, Arizona. Given Mold In Graphic Systems’ unique industry position, broad product offering, and myriad industry connections, it was this link-to-roto that proved to be the turning point in the project, and a catalyst in developing the uniqueness of the Cordova Coolers™ brand.

From the initial meeting between Mike West and Mold In Graphic Systems, it was clear that Cordova was well-positioned to successfully enter the cooler market. “Cordova’s business plan and credentials were sound,” recalls Scott Saxman, Business Development Director with Mold In Graphic Systems. “They had a clear path to the market, and they understood the importance of building a brand – not just another cooler.”

And as he has successfully done throughout his career, Saxman connected his prospective customer with key roto industry players who could help catalyze project success. Thus, while immediate conversations focused on permanent branding and labeling strategies, Saxman pointed Team Cordova in the direction of other capable industry contacts: “I also knew (Cordova) needed help from a product design, tooling, and roto-production standpoint – that’s when Avantech got involved.”

The tools for success.

With cooler designs still in the preliminary phase at this stage, Saxman connected Cordova Coolers™ with Tom Innis (president) and Jeff Herwig (sales engineering manager) of Avantech, a well-connected, industry- leading tool-builder. From an initial meeting at BBQ Island with Campbell, Jr. and West, Avantech established an understanding of design requirements and performance expectations, and quickly assembled a team of internal and external resources to accelerate completion of design.

“We knew from the onset that Cordova was looking for a feature-rich cooler with unique aesthetics and superior ice-retention performance.” said Herwig. “We also knew we had to tap-into outside resources to optimize design-for-manufacture outcomes.” Thus, by combining Avantech’s engineering team with outside industrial design, plus the input of local rotational molder, Stern Companies (Brainerd, MN), various iterations of the Cordova Coolers™ were developed, reviewed, and revised, until a final design emerged in late-2015.

However, with tool production set to kick-off, another opportunity presented itself to Cordova: the chance to “close the loop” which opened almost two years earlier (HINT: it involves warm beer on a hot summer day).

A boat-load of opportunity.

You’ll recall that Cordova’s journey to market started aboard Scott Campbell, Jr.’s MasterCraft™ boat, when warm beer pulled from an onboard cooler catalyzed an idea that eventually materialized into a line of high-performance rotationally molded coolers.

“I’ve been a loyal MasterCraft™ owner for many years, and I’ve always been impressed with their commitment to quality, service and attention to detail,” commented Campbell. “But I when I drank that warm beer on the boat that day, I recognized the need for a cooler solution worthy of the MasterCraft™ brand.  So I called ‘em up, pitched the idea, and the Cordova Coolers™ brand was born.”

With his status as both television celebrity and loyal customer firmly established, Campbell was welcomed to MasterCraft™ headquarters to discuss outfitting new boats with a customized version of the Cordova Cooler™. Upon receiving an enthusiastic response, Campbell decided to temporarily diverge from his proprietary (Cordova) cooler launch and focus on developing an exclusive design for MasterCraft™. 

As Campbell can personally attest, MasterCraft™ owners’ brand loyalty rivals that of Harley Davidson® and an exclusive list of other high-profile consumer brands. As such, it was absolutely critical to deliver a cooler to MasterCraft™ that met their needs in a number of areas:

Branded visual appeal;

Feature-rich;

Meticulously manufactured;

High-performance;

Exceed expectations;

Made in the USA;

Fit within existing on-board cooler hold.

“Working with Avantech, we had a platform from which the MasterCraft™ design could readily emerge,” stated Campbell, “and we were able to deliver full renderings to MasterCraft™ within a couple of weeks.” Following several face-to-face meetings and incorporating resultant design tweaks, the official green light was given, and tooling production for the MasterCraft™ version began at Avantech’s Brainerd, MN (the company has since relocated all but its foundry operation to a new facility in Baxter, MN) in early 2015.

From stem to Stern.

With tooling production underway, and with prototypes due at MasterCraft™ in less than 90 days, the cooler manufacturing strategy began to crystallize. Located within close proximity of Avantech, and having contributed input to the design process, Stern Companies – Rotomold Division emerged as the rotational molder for production of the coolers. After building a dedicated manufacturing cell, investing in upgraded foaming equipment, and lining-up component suppliers, they were ready to tackle the challenge of the MasterCraft™ project.

“We recognized the opportunity and ‘fit’ of the Cordova project right away,” commented Shawn Hunstad, owner and CEO of Stern Companies. “We have a strong team, extensive manufacturing capability, and the tenacity to deliver to deadlines and expectations.” The proximity to Avantech was also a plus: “with Avantech nearby, it’s easy to get together to review design issues and manufacturing challenges on the fly,” added Hunstad.

Accordingly, a feature-rich cooler entails a number of customized components required for optimal product value and functionality. Stern’s capability in sourcing components was crucial, as in addition to molding and foam-filling the cooler bodies and lids, the complete cooler assembly requires handles, gaskets, latches, feet, Mold In Graphics® and other components. “Across the spectrum of rotomolded products, a cooler represents a relatively high degree of manufacturing difficulty,” added Avantech’s Tom Innis. “To make a project as demanding as the MasterCraft™ cooler happen, we had to put together a complete supply chain solution for Cordova Coolers™.”

Despite some initial – and at times painful – hiccups, the decision to launch the MasterCraft™ cooler prior to the Cordova line appears to have been a wise one. For starters, MasterCraft™ has spec’d the customized cooler as a standard item for new boat builds; proof that their exacting demands of a high-performance, brand-worthy cooler have been met, while providing “hey, we can do this!” confidence for Team Cordova. Equally important, the MasterCraft™ cooler has generated sustainable business for Cordova, providing fuel and momentum for the launch of proprietary Cordova cooler line.

“We certainly learned a lot by launching the MasterCraft™ version first;” commented Campbell, “much of which we’ve successfully applied to launching our Cordova Coolers™ line. We understand the importance of managing the details and making certain communication is air-tight throughout the supply chain – particularly with a project as demanding and with as many ‘moving parts’ as a cooler.”

A new standard of cool.

Having successfully executed the MasterCraft™ launch, Team Cordova turned its attention to finalizing designs for its namesake line of coolers. Performance-wise, the objective was to replicate the ice-retention capability of their MasterCraft™ version, while offering aesthetic appeal and added functionality unique to the Cordova line. “We knew we had a winner with regard to ice retention;” commented Campbell, “the testing by MasterCraft™ proved our cooler rivaled and even out-performed established brands already in the market.”

To achieve desired design objectives, Cordova collaborated with Avantech design engineers to dial-in unique aesthetics, while optimizing consistency of manufacturing outcomes and maintaining cooler durability and performance. “We wanted the Cordova line to stand-out from the crowd and have instant visual appeal, which is necessary in an ultra-competitive market sector,” said Campbell.

In addition to its ice-retention capability and design aesthetics, the Cordova Coolers™ line offers patented features such as anodized aluminum handles, built-in bottle opener, “Lid-Lock” feature, and gasket technology to enhance sealing performance. Additionally, “TruBlue” Thermochromatic MIG5® graphics from Mold In Graphic Systems provide an at-a-glance indicator of internal cooler temperature. Commented Campbell: “All of these unique, patented features, combined with visual appeal and ice-retention capability give our cooler a strong combination of looks, functionality and performance that’s hard to beat in the market.”

A brand of brothers.

Predictably, market response to the Cordova Cooler™ has been overwhelmingly positive, and Team Cordova’s initial efforts to promote the coolers have proven fruitful. In addition to exhibition at several trade shows, Cordova is a sponsor of “Steve’s Outdoor Adventures (in which Team Cordova member Steve West stars),” and receives promotional air-time during each episode – reaching 1.6 million viewers per show on the Outdoor Channel. Further, Cordova Coolers™ has launched a new website with e-Commerce capability, and is aggressively marketing through traditional and social media channels.

Taken individually, the members of Team Cordova are marketing powerhouses in and of themselves. Combined, and with a multi-faceted marketing strategy as a catalyst, the brand-building potential for the Cordova line is staggering. “We know that building a sustainable brand is more than having a good product,” commented Campbell, “and we’re investing significant resources in reaching as broad an audience as possible through a variety of platforms.”

Campbell also shares Team Cordova’s desire to be a part of manufacturing resurgence in the U.S., and feels a “made in the USA” message can be leveraged effectively in positioning the Cordova brand: “We’re extremely proud that the Cordova Coolers™ are manufactured in the USA, which helps create jobs here, and can drive economic growth in our country. We’re working exclusively with U.S.-based supply chain partners – people like Avantech, Stern Industries, Mold In Graphic Systems and others – so that as Cordova grows, so will their businesses. It (made in the USA) is a crucial component of our brand.”

Warm memories. Cool future.

Thinking back to that hot summer day on the water almost three years ago, Scott Campbell, Jr. reflects on his journey from crab-fisherman to rotomolded cooler entrepreneur: “It’s pretty amazing how quickly this has all happened,” commented Campbell. “And looking back, it’s a good thing we didn’t have a good cooler on-board that day: opening that warm beer on my (MasterCraft™) boat kick-started this whole crazy adventure.” We can’t imagine a cooler story. 

from an article at RotoWorld® https://rotoworldmag.com/cordova-coolers/ from Blogger http://jamestwalden.blogspot.com/2017/01/cordova-coolers.html