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avintagekiss24 · 4 years

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Power > Ransom Drysdale. Andy Barber.

|| pairing: ransom drysdale x black!reader x andy barber

|| word count: 4,449

|| warnings: more filth lol, dub con if you look close, smut, sex, oral sex (male & female receiving), anal sex, vaginal sex, threesome, spanking, nipple play, no spoilers for either Defending Jacob or Knives Out

|| note: this is a sequel to my Ransom fic, paper. this things this one man has done to me is just... evil. anyway, this is my first crossover fic! the only thing better than one chris evans, is two chris evans, lol. hope you enjoy! happy sunday!

line divider by whimsicalrogers!

You stare out of the large windows that look over the city, your arms crossed over your chest, your lips set in a hard line as some of the last words that floated between you and Ransom play through your mind.

“Don’t leave me.”

“Okay.”

You left anyway. You both woke up a few hours later, the post sex high completely sucked out of the room and replaced by all of the hatred and anger that had been brewing for months. He wasn’t surprised. You both got dressed in silence and he didn’t even try to stop you when you walked out of his room, down his steps, and out of his house for the last time. The two of you haven’t spoken since - which, Andy says is for the best - but today is finally the day. Today is the day you finally cut your losses and move the fuck on from Hugh Ransom Drysdale-Thrombey.

You turn quickly when you hear the door click as it opens but your anxiety instantly eases when your eyes land on a familiar pair of blues. You smile softly as he moves into the room, shutting the door behind him before he sits his briefcase on the large conference table. You lift your arms in anticipation as he steps around the table towards you. He crushes his broad chest to yours as he captures your lips with his own and lifts you right from your feet.

You wrap your arms around his neck as you let him hold you, kissing him back hard - harder than you have in a while. He moans into your mouth, you assume noting the difference in your aggression before he pulls away with a soft smack. He sets you back on the ground, much to your chagrin, and chuckles a little when you whine like a little girl. He nuzzles his nose into yours, rubbing his gently against yours as he rests his forehead to yours.

“You okay?” He asks quietly.

You keep your arms wrapped around his neck, “Now that you’re here, yes.” You answer in a hushed voice.

Ransom’s words come back to you again - you fucking somebody? You’re fucking somebody. Indeed you are, and were when he asked. Enter one Andy Barber. Boston’s leading divorce attorney and as you’d come to find out, most eligible bachelor. It was purely by luck that the two of you met, one night at an exclusive Boston bar. He was out celebrating a big win for his most recent client and you had just finished moving into your apartment. He slid up next to you, his cologne strong and sweet, his eyes serious, and remarked on how you looked as if you had had a long day.

You left the bar a few hours later with his business card and a pair of wet panties.

“We’re gonna take him for everything he’s worth, I promise you that.”

You laugh a little, “He’s not worth shit, it’s his grandpa that funds his lifestyle.”

“Well, that allowance will be yours. That, the house, and that stupid car of his.” He scoffs quickly before he starts rubbing his hands up and down your hips, “Then you sell it all for even more money and move in with me.”

“Oh?” you ask, raising your eyebrows as a playfulness fills your voice, “Is that so, Mr. Barber?”

“Of course. All of this sneaking around is exhausting. It’ll be nice being able to fuck you in my bed instead of on my desk for a change.”

You furrow your eyebrows, “I like fucking you in your office.”

He laughs, pecking the tip of your nose with his lips, “You’ll never want to leave that bed, darling. In fact,” He says, swatting you gently on your ass before he moves away from you and back to the table, “I’ll make sure you don’t.”

You click over to the table and bend over, resting your elbows on the flat surface as you place your chin in your hands. You cock your head, “With handcuffs?” you ask softly, biting the tip of your finger.

He glances up at you as he pulls out your file, “With whatever you want baby girl. Now come, sit. We have some things to go over before he gets here.”

----------

“Mr. Barber?” A voice sounds from the intercom in the center of the table, “Mr. Drysdale and his attorney are here.”

“Thank you, Ruth. You can send them in.”

You sit up straighter in your chair, adjusting your suit jacket before tossing your hair over your shoulders. Andy stands and buttons his jacket before he rubs your back quickly, “Just let me do all of the talking, okay? Tap me on the arm if you want to interject with something, but keep your voice low. Got it?”

You nod, “Okay.”

“Hey,” he kisses you quickly when you look up at him, “Relax.”

“That’s not helping,” you huff as you feel heat rise in your cheeks, clicking your teeth when you hear him chuckle.

The door opens seconds later and in walks Ruth, Andy’s trusted assistant, followed by Angie Hernendez, Ransom’s attorney and then Ransom himself. You expel a deep breath as you cut your eyes towards him, looking him over as he saunters in, his arrogance on full display. He’s in that stupid, tattered, thousand dollar cable knit sweater and a pair of brown Chino’s. He links eyes with you almost immediately and his lips twitch into that famous shitty smirk you’ve grown so accustomed to.

“Nice of you to dress up for the occasion, Ransom.” You quip, leaning back in your chair and propping your chin in the palm of your hand, extending your fingers over your lips.

He chuckles as he sits across from you. He leans forward, resting his elbows on the table as he braids his fingers together. His blue eyes travel down your face and chest, lingering at your cleavage before he flicks them back towards your face, “You’re looking good, babe. Real good.”

You roll your eyes and scoff before clearing your throat. You glance over at Andy as he sits and opens his folder, completely unfazed. You just need to be like Andy - don’t let this mother fucker get under your skin.

“Mrs. Hernendez, it’s nice to see you again,” Andy starts, smiling softly, “How are you?”

“I’m doing well, Mr. Barber. It’s nice to be across the table from you again. Shall we?”

“Of course,” Andy says, clearing his throat, “My clients demands are easy. She’s been a dutiful wife to Mr. Drysdale-Thrombey for the past five years while he - “

“She can have whatever she wants.” Ransom says suddenly, cutting Andy off completely.

A deafening silence falls over the room as all three sets of eyes zero in him. You and Andy’s mouth fall open as Angie snaps her head in his direction. Ransom blinks slowly at you, his eyes roaming around your face again.

“I’m - I’m sorry?” Andy asks, sitting up in his chair a little.

Ransom cuts his eyes towards the clean cut man, sizing him up before he speaks again, “You heard me, pretty boy. She can have whatever she wants. You were right, she was a dutiful wife, she deserves it.”

Angie lifts her hand quickly, “Mr. Barber, Mrs. Drysdale, may I have a moment with my client, please?”

“No.” Ransom answers simply.

“Mr. Drysdale,” Angie hisses, turning towards him, “You need to be quiet.”

“You work for me, don’t you?” He snaps, squinting his eyes, “Give her what she wants.”

Angie sighs heavily, “Ransom-”

“Hugh.” He corrects sternly.

Your eyes go wide as you blink back at him, completely dumbfounded. You turn your head towards Andy, who has fallen back into his chair, his hand clasped over his mouth. If it weren’t such a serious moment, you’d laugh. You’ve never seen him at a complete loss for words. He leans forward after a few seconds and scratches at his beard as Angie fumes across from him.

“What is it you want, dutiful wife?” Ransom asks as he turns his attention back to you.

“Um,” Andy starts, “I usually have a whole thing, but uh, she wants ten thousand a month in alimony.”

Ransom shrugs, “Done.”

“The apartment in Manhattan, the Range Rover, the condo in Miami, and use of the property in France, dates to be determined and submitted in writing to you and your attorney three months ahead of time, each time.”

“Done.”

Angie scoffs loudly next to him, throwing her pen down onto the table, “Mr. Drysdale, I -”

“Can you leave, please?” Ransom asks, snapping his head towards her, “I want to talk to my wife.”

Angie’s mouth nearly hits the floor, “You’re serious? You want the legal counsel to leave the room?” She asks incredulously.

He shakes his head, “Not him,” He nods towards Andy, “Just you. Leave.”

She laughs in disbelief. She blinks blankly at you and Andy before she stands, grabbing her briefcase and muttering under her breath. She clicks towards the door, but turns just as she opens the door, “Not that is matters, but I highly discourage this, Mr. Drysdale, as your counsel -”

Ransom lifts his hand and waves her off, “Noted. Thank you.”

The door slams seconds later. You blink and find Ransom’s eyes on you again. It’s a familiar look in his eyes, one you are all too familiar with. They’re intense and hungry, just like they were all those times he would roll over and ravish you in the middle of the night. You’re not sure why, but that look still sends a signal right to your core. You cross your legs underneath the table, squeezing them together as your breathing deepens.

“It’s him, isn’t it?” He asks you directly, as if Andy isn’t even there.

“What?” you blink

“It’s him,” he gestures towards Andy with his head again, “The guy you’re fucking.”

You gasp as Andy clears his throat and sits up in his chair, “That’s none of your business.” He answers, his voice deep and stern.

You squeeze your legs together a little tighter.

Ransom rolls his eyes and cocks his head as he stares back at Andy, “Relax buddy, okay? She’s still my wife, I have a right to know whose cock she has in her mouth now.”

“Fuck you!” You shout angrily, “You are such a fucking dirt bag!”

“Oh, I knew that’d get a rise out of you.” He smiles back, his eyes now full of mischief.

Andy sighs loudly, not having an ounce of patience for Ransom’s bullshit, “What is it exactly that you want, Mr. Drysdale?”

Ransom turns his eyes back to yours, “I don’t want you to leave me.”

You scoff, “Too late for that.”

“I mean it. Don’t leave me.”

“Ransom -”

“You can keep fucking him,” he says seriously, “I don’t give a fuck. Just don’t leave me.”

Your eyes go wide again. You feel Andy’s eyes on the side of your face as you stare back at your husband. You could almost swear that… he’s serious. His eyes are steady, his mouth set in a hard line, his jaw tight.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you pretty boy?” He says after a few seconds tick by, “God,” he laughs, “I can see why she fell for you, you smell like money.”

You stand abruptly, “Andy, let’s go.”

Andy stands at your request, closing his folders and tucking them under his arm as he grabs his briefcase. You follow him around the edge of the table as Ransom calls for you, pleading for you to sit back down. Just as you pass by him, he reaches for your arm as he stands, grabbing your wrist and pulling you into him. You struggle against him instantly, anger flashing through you as you try and rip your arm out of his grasp.

“Goddamn it, Ransom!” You growl.

“Let her go.” You hear Andy say behind you, “Ransom, I mean it.”

Ransom laughs at his tone, twisting you quickly in his hands so now your back is crushed to his front, your eyes on Andy. You feel him tuck his face into the crook of your neck as his hands curl around your waist, squeezing you tight.

“Tough guy, huh? You must be from the other side of Boston.” He smiles, “Cute.”

You watch as Andy smiles back, his eyes darkening as he tilts his head, “You’re a good read, Ransom. I am from the other side of Boston, you know, the side where smug assholes like you get your fucking ass kicked.”

Ransom cuts his eyes towards you quickly before he returns his attention back to Andy. He starts to sway the two of you back and forth slowly, his hands dropping to your hips to rub them gently, “You know she likes this, right?” He questions, his deep voice vibrating in your ear, “She likes this tough guy shit - this little back and forth of ours. I bet you her pussy is soaked right about now.”

You let out a shaky breath. He knows you like the back of his hand. Your lips part as you link eyes with Andy, your chest rising and falling harder and harder with each breath. Ransom likes it too. You feel his length pushing against your ass as he keeps you tight against his body. You watch as Andy’s eyes move down your body, his face softening as he recognizes the specific tells that you’re turned on. He then snaps his eyes to yours and he knows - you do like this.

“See?” Ransom says softly, kissing your cheek, “You get it now, pretty boy.” His hand slips down toward the band of your pants, his fingers pushing just underneath it before you grab his wrist.

“Ransom -”

He pushes harder, breaking from your grasp, his greedy fingers seeking your sex. You tense when you feel his warm, thick fingers between your wet lips. He groans as he pushes along your bundle of nerves before pulling his hand free. He rubs his thumb along his middle and index finger for Andy to see, your slick coating them.

“Told you that pussy is singing right now.” He says, popping his fingers into his mouth, licking them clean, “Mmm. She tastes so good, doesn’t she? Fuck.”

You close your eyes, swallowing hard when you feel him press his lips to your neck softly. You shudder when you feel his teeth start to nip at your skin and his hand cupping your left breast. You relax against him, just like so many times before and let him seduce you, right in the middle of the room - right in front of Andy and the city of Boston below. He pushes his hand back into your pants and pushes his fingers between your folds and starts to massage you slowly, your hips moving slowly with his hand.

“She likes to be watched too,” Ransom whispers, “Did she tell you that, Andy?”

He pops the button to your pants and unzips them, giving himself a little more room to work. He pushes his index and middle finger into you and you grunt loudly, grabbing his hand that is still groping your breast.

“Open your eyes.” You hear suddenly, Andy’s voice thick and low, “Open your eyes, baby. Look at me.”

You flutter your eyes, letting out another shaky breath as you blink at Andy standing in front of you. Ransom bites down into your neck before he sucks gently, his fingers still pumping slowly into your cunt, “So we’re all a bunch of perverts, huh? This is what we could have if you don’t leave me, sweet girl. This could be fun for the three of us.”

You moan loudly as Ransom curls his fingers, stroking your insides gently - sweetly. You bite your lip, watching as Andy approaches you slowly. He steps right up to you, towering over you, just how you like. He grabs your face in his hands and starts rubbing your cheeks softly, his bright eyes bouncing between yours. He leans in and kisses you - his tongue sweeping along the roof of your mouth before he moans into your wet mouth.

Ransom starts nibbling again - up your neck and to your ear before he tugs on it. You break from Andy’s lips to groan as you push your hips into Ransom’s hand a little harder. Your heart thumps against your chest as Andy starts to unbutton your shirt, button by button, until the black silk falls open, exposing your thin, see-through bra. Andy skips his fingers up to the material, pulling the cups down to free your flesh.

Before you know it, he sucks your tit right into his mouth - his tongue swirling around your taut nipple.

“God,” you breathe, letting your head fall to Ransom’s shoulder as lust and pleasure blooms across your skin and through your body.

You feel Andy’s hands around your middle, gripping your flesh, holding you steady as he falls to his knees in front of you. He slides his hands into the sides of your pants and pushes them right down your legs, letting them pool at your feet. He pulls at your panties next, slipping them down your thighs and calves until they're around your ankles. He sits back on his legs, watching Ransom’s fingers dip in and out of you. He reaches forward, stroking your thigh with the tips of his fingers before he places a gentle kiss in the crook of your hip.

Your hips jerk forward at the notion. You feel Andy’s large hands around your waist again, holding you tight as he plants his warm lips to your stomach, right above your soaked sex, then down your thigh to your knee. He grips your ass in his strong hands as he ventures back up to your center. He pushes his nose into you, breathing you in before his tongue sneaks out from behind his lips to lick your clit. You jerk again as he sucks your clit into his mouth, moaning softly as he massages you with his lips and tongue.

You push your hand into his hair, balling the dark stands in your fingers as his tongue swirls around your flesh. Ransom pushes his fingers into your harder, deeper, faster as he rolls your nipple between his fingers. He pushes your hair over your shoulder and bites the side of your neck again, hard enough to leave an instant bruise - exactly how he knows you like it.

Ransom pulls his fingers from you as Andy stands moments later, both men starting to fumble with their own clothing. You step out of your panties and pants, pushing them off to the side as Andy drops his Armani pants and pulls his cock from his matching boxers. You beckon him towards you as he starts to stroke himself and grab his dick once he’s close enough. You drag your hand up and down his shaft, watching him as the stress starts to drain from him.

You lunge forward suddenly, gasping as Ransom slams into your cunt from behind. He starts a furious pace right out the gate, bending you forward before he grabs your hips to hold onto you. You keep pumping Andy in your hand, before taking him in your mouth, sucking the tip of his cock as best you can as your body lurches forward with each of Ransom’s deep, hard thrusts.

You release Andy from your mouth with a pop and wrap your hand around his girth, hand fucking him again. Cum starts to drip from his slit as you work him over, strings starting to hang from his tip that you sweep away with your tongue and mouth as you take him in again, this time deeper, to where you feel him in the back of your throat.

“Ah,” you hiss, reaching back to dig your fingers into Ransom’s hip as your mouth goes slack around Andy’s cock, “Fuck.”

“God, I love it when you whine for me.” He groans.

His thrusting stops seconds later, and you’re pushed towards the large table in the center of the room. Ransom lays back on the mahogany tabletop as Andy closes in behind you, wrapping his hands around your hips. You climb onto the table with Andy’s help, right over Ransom’s awaiting body and throw your hair over your shoulder as you hover over him. You grab his dick, positioning him at your opening before you sink down onto him, your eyes fluttering as you spread for him.

He pulls your body down, crushing your chest to his as you feel Andy slip his large hand up your spine. Andy grabs your waist again as he slips his cock between your ass cheeks, seeking your tight hole. He circles at it before he starts to push, hissing as your body expands to take his length. Your mouth drops open as your head falls, the fullness you feel starting to make your head swim.

Andy starts to move and so do you, sliding along Ransom’s body as he fucks up into you. Your moans grow louder and closer together as they fill you up, fucking both of your holes gloriously. Ransom shoves his fingers into your mouth and you’re glad, needing something to help keep you quiet. You suck on his digits, before nibbling on them, saliva slipping from the side of your mouth and dribbling right back down onto him.

He grabs the back of your head and leans up to kiss you, sloppy and hard, “Messy girl.” He slurs against your lips before he bucks hard into you, making you squeal.

Your head is soon pulled back, craning towards the ceiling as Andy tugs on your hair. Ransom’s fingers are back in your mouth as both men push into your pussy and ass, making you quiver. You can feel them everywhere. Andy’s large hands around your hips, his fingers sliding up your spine before gripping your shoulder. Ransom’s fingers hooking your teeth, the other hand squeezing your wrist that’s holding some of your weight against the table.

A slap is leveled to your behind - you’re not sure by who - but it sends a spark right through your hypersensitive body. Your pussy clenches as you grind your teeth together, your face twisted in pleasure and pain. Another slap comes, quickly followed by another and it’s all just a little too much. Andy fucking your tight ass, Ransom filling your cunt, your clit being massaged by your own thrusting motions - it’s intoxicating. You’re finding that you love being pushed right to the brink of what you can and cannot handle. Not only is it intoxicating - it’s quickly addictive.

You lean up, separating your chest from Ransom’s, and Andy knows exactly what to do. He reaches for your tits, groping them before he starts to tweak your nipple, just how you like right before you’re about to come. You bite down on Ransom’s fingers, still in your mouth, as you thrust your hips, down onto Ransom and then back into Andy, wanting to feel it all at once. They both speed up, fucking into you hard and fast as your pleas and cries fill the room.

Andy slams into you and it tips you right over the edge. Your thighs start to shake as you tense before your orgasm rips through your body. You don’t even recognize your own voice as you screech and moan, the waves crashing over and over again. You soon feel Ransom shudder beneath you and then a warmth spread through you as he ruts hard into you as he begins to spurt. Andy is close behind, his spunk spilling into your ass seconds after Ransom.

Andy pushes deep into you before he places his palm flat in the center of your back. You’re a mess. Cum dripping from your pussy and ass, strings of saliva hanging from your lips and chin. You’re sated - fucked like every girl on the planet should be. There’s a pair of lips on your shoulder, trailing kisses down your back as another pair peck at your forehead and the side of your face.

Ransom drags his hands up and down your thighs as you rest against him, Andy’s hands massaging your shoulders and skirting up and down your sides for only God knows how long.

“We should probably get moving,” Andy says after a while, “I’m sure they’re wondering what’s going on in here.”

You groan, drawing laughs from both the men before you slink off of Ransom, your body now empty and cold. Andy takes your hand, helping you off the table, and keeping a hand on your back as you move on wobbly feet back to your pants. The three of you dress quietly, but within a close proximity to one another. You are, of course, the last to finish up, Andy and Ransom watching as you button up the last button on your blouse and rake your fingers through your hair.

“Do I look okay?” You ask softly, laughing just a little as the new memories of what just happened flash before your eyes.

You gain a smile from both of them, both picking up on your nervousness and slight hesitation, “Always.” Ransom answers.

“So, I guess I need to file new paperwork Monday morning?” Andy asks, adjusting the collar of his jacket over his neck.

You smile back before glancing over at Ransom, “What kind of paperwork?”

“Hold paperwork. Until we can… figure this out?”

Andy shifts his eyes to Ransom, who turns to you, “That’s up to the princess, here.”

Your eyes bounce between his, that seriousness reentering them again. As much as you try, you just can’t hate him. He makes it hard, but if he ever really needed you, you know you’d be there. He’d pull his stupid shit and you’d be right back in his bed, full of his cock, screaming his name.

You glance back at Andy, whose eyes are just as serious and full of adoration as Ransom’s. He’s a good man, a steady man - the type of man that you wish Ransom could be. He’s not a man that you just give up because you can’t seem to tear yourself away from your asshole sometimes ex, sometimes not husband.

And then, it dawns on you.

Your smile grows larger. You scratch at your Andy’s beard with your fingers before linking your free hand with Ransom’s. You’ve got the best of both worlds, sitting right in the palm of your hand. Not only do you hold Ransom’s power, you have Andy’s too.

Ransom was right, this will be fun for the three of you.

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shih-coulda-had-it · 3 years

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in sickness or in health

Notes: Post-Mr. Shimura & Kotarou, pre-relationship Nanahiko; beginnings of a sickfic (spoiler alert, it’s pneumonia). I just wanted to write about a kotatsu table. Word count: 1,590

It’s not that Torino Sorahiko has a delicate constitution, but Nana is very close to begging Chiyo to write a doctor’s note so Sorahiko is obliged to stay at home when the weather turns cold.

First he starts to sneeze, and then his voice begins to rasp, and suddenly Gran Torino is showing up to work while coughing his lungs out. Nana usually has to wait him out; the instant he falters mid-air, Nana smoothly swoops in and excuses him for the rest of patrol. For the rest of the week, if possible.

Sorahiko can pretend all he wants. But one disruption to his airflow is all it takes to send him flailing.

The fateful, annual misstep thankfully occurs before they resume patrol. They are taking a noontime break on their rooftop, surveying the street below, having fallen into the comfortable silence that fills the gap between conversations. Sorahiko clears his throat to indicate they need to move on. He does not stop clearing his throat; he’s doubled over, locked in a coughing spasm that nearly topples him over the edge of the roof.

Nana catches him by the waist, steadying him.

“I’m fine,” he chokes out.

“If I kicked you off this roof, you’d go splat on the asphalt,” Nana tells him sincerely. Sorahiko can’t even meet her eyes, and his face is red with exertion and embarrassment and what has to be the beginning of a fever. His frame shudders with another great cough.

“We can’t just stop patrol.”

“Sick days exist for a reason, and so do vacations! Time to use ‘em!”

“Ugh,” Sorahiko says, but he complies with her insistence that they return to the agency. Nana drops him onto the cot in the backroom, and cheerfully points at the civilian clothes sitting at the end of the mattress. Patrol can wait until Toshinori is done with school; even though Toshinori cannot fly, he’s remarkably agile about scaling rooftops.

“So you go home,” Nana says, internally planning out the rest of her day, “and get some rest until we know for sure that you don’t infect our civilian employees.”

It’s already a given that One for All will keep her and Toshinori spry and healthy; Nana’s immune system hasn’t encountered a virus or infection that it couldn’t burn out since she swallowed Rokudo’s hairs. Bonus, One for All keeps her toasty warm during the winters—she gleefully cut out winter gear from her expenses years ago.

Sorahiko looks up at her. He’s already peeled off the domino mask, and even with the dim ceiling light, Nana discerns the glaze in his pale brown eyes.

“Can’t go home,” he confesses.

“Huh?”

“My complex, it’s getting… fumigated,” Sorahiko informs her. He sounds smug. Like he’s won the argument Nana hadn’t realized they were having. “I told you about the termite problem.”

“No,” Nana says slowly, “you said your place had a cockroach problem. Termites, when did—no. When did the fumigation start?”

“Three days ago.”

“Where have you been sleeping?” Nana demands in a higher-pitched voice. Sorahiko eyes her shiftily, and he scrunches up his civilian wear in his hands. Looking at it closely, Nana realizes that the clothes are pajamas: flannel pants and a thick cable-knit sweater the color of a pale sun. “If I look under this cot, am I going to find a suitcase, Sorahiko?”

“Not under the cot,” he hedges. So, probably squirreled away in his desk’s drawers.

“Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Are you at least keeping the heating on overnight?”

Sorahiko looks at a point over her shoulder and blatantly lies, “Would I suffer the cold?”

She glares at him because Sorahiko would be the type to deny himself the right to a warm office and minimize their heating bill. They don’t even keep a pillow and blanket for the cot! It’s literally a mattress on a tiny metal bedframe, bought for the office with the express purpose of napping, not actual sleep.

He shrinks where he sits. A sad sniffle punctuates the scene.

“Sick day for everyone,” Nana says promptly, and leaves Sorahiko alone in the backroom to tell their civilian staffers the good news. They are unhappy to find out that Gran Torino has been slowly but steadily contaminating the office with his seasonal germs. Thankfully, their concern for his housing situation outweighs their outrage over Sorahiko continuing to work while sick.

These are their most senior staffers; they know the pattern of a sick Sorahiko too.

She waves goodbye and doubles back to her and Sorahiko’s enclosed office to collect his cache of spare clothes (toothbrush and travel-sized hygiene products included). Once all that is in a tote bag, Nana returns to find Sorahiko still sitting unchanged on the cot, staring blankly at his pajamas. Nana squashes the burgeoning panic. The tote bag is dropped at one end of the cot, and she touches his shoulder.

Sorahiko startles, snaps to attention. Inelegantly, he says, “Wha’s happ’nin’?”

“You’re coming home with me,” she tells him. His eyebrows draw together.

“Says who?”

“Says your best friend.” Nana takes the pajamas and stashes them away into the tote; she picks up his domino mask and smooths it over his face, careful around the eyes, firm about the stray air pockets that tend to gather over his cheekbones. “C’mon, Sorahiko. I’ve got a kotatsu with your name on it.”

“You still own one?”

“Not everyone decided to prioritize a Western bed,” she says dryly, and helps Sorahiko stand upright. He breaks into a series of coughs again. She holds him through it and hopes that this year is just particularly bad for Sorahiko. When Nana had sent him home before, had he curled under his blankets and hacked his lungs out, every breath coming out as a rasp? Surely not.

“You still have one of those,” he remembers. Of course that’s what he remembers.

They stagger outside, Nana propping Sorahiko up with his arm around her shoulders. She locks the front doors and squints at the direction back to her apartment.

“Don’t wanna walk,” he mumbles into Nana’s hair.

“We’ll fly,” she assures him. And they do. Sorahiko’s pride matters less than his comfort, when his stubborn streak peters out. Nana scoops Sorahiko up in a bridal carry, hangs the tote bag on her elbow, taps off the ground and soars to the rooftops. The flight back to her apartment is swift, even with Sorahiko shuddering with stifled coughs.

Entering through the lobby, and then ascending the stairs with judicious use of Float, they finally make it home. Already, the heated building prickles at Nana’s skin. It wakes Sorahiko up too, if the faint stirring of his head is any indication.

“Home?”

“Home,” Nana agrees, keying them inside. She sets her partner onto his feet and sits him on a stool in her genkan. By the power of muscle memory, Sorahiko automatically starts tugging off his boots and various accessories. Nana’s quicker; she helps with the gloves, then ushers him to the bathroom. “Don’t fall asleep yet.”

“Hngh,” he manages. When the door shuts behind him and her shower starts, Nana reheats her kotatsu table, fiddling with the electric heater settings until there is a veritable warmth seeping through the carpeted padding.

Sorahiko needs rest, nutrition, and medication. Possibly Chiyo. Nana weighs the potential humiliation of telling Chiyo she was oblivious to Sorahiko sleeping in the office, chilled to the bone with not even an emergency foil blanket available—versus the danger of not telling Recovery Girl at all.

She stalls for time by making tea and checking her supplies. Painkillers, present. Canned soup? Worryingly absent, along with cough syrup. Nana may have to use her instant ramen powder packets for a broth.

“Nana,” she hears Sorahiko croak. “Just buy take-out.”

“And pass on my cooking?” Nana reflexively says before she jerks her head from her pantry. Sorahiko looks bedraggled. Dressed cozily, yes, but his towel-ruffled hair sticks up in jagged tufts, and the haggard shadows lining his face signals exhaustion more than stress.

“No need for two incapacitated pro-heroes.”

Nana rolls her eyes and gestures to the living room. “Kotatsu, go.”

He shuffles at first, then makes a delighted sound as his naked feet hit warmed territory. Sorahiko lowers himself to his knees, and then visibly decides, fuck it, and slides his entire body, neck down, under the heavy patterned futon.

“Oh,” Sorahiko sighs. His eyes flutter shut; Nana quietly picks her way over and sits by his head.

“I think I’m going to call Chiyo-chan,” she informs him.

“Unnecessary.”

“I’m calling Toshinori too.”

One eye cracks open. “Very unnecessary.”

“He’ll want to know why the agency is out for the day,” Nana explains, giving into the impulse to stroke her fingers through his fluffy silver hair. She cards the tufts into a smoother angle—less bedhead, more rakish. Sorahiko’s contented rumble stutters with a cough. “And he has easier access to Chiyo-chan.”

“I’m not sick.”

“Uh-huh.” His pout is ridiculous and endearing, and Nana’s heart hurts. She tries to smile anyway. Sorahiko ignores her valiant attempt to lighten the mood; the downturned corners of his mouth deepen into a real frown. How is he always tuned into her actual feelings? Ridiculous.

“... I’m a little sick,” he concedes grouchily. “Don’t let the kid be noisy if he invites himself over.”

“Okay,” Nana says, soft. She lets herself cradle his jaw for one long moment, feels the shifted weight of Sorahiko leaning into the touch, before withdrawing. She has a phone-call to make.

#bnha #nanahiko #torino sorahiko #gran torino #shimura nana #shih.txt #d-december #hmm this i definitely want to extend #fever dreams sorahiko. nice ring to it. >:3c

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atinydroid · 3 years

Text

Constellations

So I started draft 4 and I’ve rewritten the beginning (again for the 4th time......) and I like it LIKE A LOT OK so here you go!

------------------------

“-Barris system wishes to--- any potential travelers of--- meteor-run that there has been--- increase in pirate act--- suggests pilots either avoid--- altogether or--- Alliance escort.” A deep voice carries through the crackle and static of the long distance signal. A halo-pad laid gutted on the floor with a thick long cable connecting it to an open wall panel.

The sound of broadcast devolved into nothing but static as Vic stepped through a thick cloud purple steam. Her grey coveralls were stained in an oil-slick of colors along with the bandanna that was protecting her hair and her cheeks ran with bright purple against her dark skin. She didn’t even bother removing her pitch black goggles as she set down her quartem-wrench and pulled off one of her oversized gloves with a sigh, “What’s the point of having a radio that can pick up an iggie’s signal from two systems away but can’t hold onto a news cast?” She poked at the halo-pad until it eventually changed to a working channel. She waited till she heard a woman’s voice come through the pad’s speakers clearly before putting it back down and disappearing back into the steam with her wrench.

This time a woman’s voice came through the pad’s speakers much clearer than the last reporter’s. “-have been following the royal couple since they announced their engagement last Wayan year! We were all-” A loud clang interrupted whatever the woman said next. “And now that Princess Altheae is 18 there’s no reason for them not get married as soon as possible.” “Isn’t it romantic? I wish a handsome Yvestian prince would come sweep me off my feet.” A different woman sighed dreamily.

Vic let the white noise of the gossip mix with the sounds of the ship, it was like a different kind of silence, one that she created so she could focus on what she was doing. Cause stars forbid she makes one wrong move in here and dislodges a pipe sending core backsplash all through the ship. This was delicate work and it needed a delicate touch. She only had a few more adjustments to make she’d be-

“What are you listening to?”

Vic jumped from her position only to slam her head right into the thick pipe she had been squatted under. “Fuck!” She hissed and quickly backed out from under the pipe, rubbing her hand against her bandanna. She spun around with a growl to face just who the fuck did that. “Repo! Stars I told you to knock!” She stomped through the steam and came face to upside-down face with a blue robot face. The LED eyes were shining a bright yellow and created a head-light effect through the steam.

“I fail to see how that would result in a different outcome.” Vic was still glaring at them as they dangled through the open floor panel. “Also I do recall you telling me, what was it again?” They waited as if they were actually going to give Vic a chance to respond. “Ah yes it went something like, ‘I am Vic, I can readjust the output of the engine while I sleep’.” They did their best to alter their voice box to sound a little higher pitched but it was a little off-mark, as per usual.

“That is not what I sound like.” She crouched down and unplugged the gutted halo-pad from the wall, letting the cord slither back into the access panel.

“You will forgive me for not having a voice module capable of replicating your specific cadence.” Repo moved aside as Vic shooed them out of the way of the open hatch. “However I think you will find that I was successful in capturing the vibe of your phrasing.”

“Don’t say vibe.” Vic grabbed the edge of the hatch and pulled herself up through the floor. Repo stood up as she did and closed the hatch behind her, not bothering to lock it considering they were the only two who ever went in there.

“Now you wish to police my language choices. Is there nothing I am capable of doing to satisfy you.” They didn’t even bother attempting to sound hurt like they did when they were really trying to push Vic’s buttons.

She pulled her goggles down around her neck as she rolled her brown eyes. There was a distinct purple ring around her eyes where the goggles had done their job keeping the steam out. “Oh please. If I really wanted to ‘police your language’,” she threw up air quotes, “I’d tell you to use a contraction once in your life-cycle.” She smirked at the outrageous gasp Repo let out. She pulled the bandanna from her head and scratched her fingers through her tight-coiled hair, letting her mohawk fluff up a bit after being pushed down for the last hour.

Repo hummed in dissatisfaction, “Contractions are for those who do not have the kind of processing power that goes on in my motherboard. The amount of data that goes through my AI-unit at any given time and you want me to use contractions? You might as well...”

Vic tuned Repo out by now, letting them go into a rant that Vic had heard many many times before, the first being when she was 8 and didn’t know any better. She stepped up to a large metal sink before she unzipped and shrugged off the top half of her coveralls, her muscles shifted, a sheen of sweat coated her skin until she grabbed a towel and began to wipe herself off.

She turned and leaned her hips against the sink as she wiped the streaks of color off her neck. Although it was kind of pointless seeing how humid it was in the engineer’s room at the moment. It sat on top of the warp-core output and was always hot. But when the core was in use, it was almost unlivable. Well for anything that could feel heat. Unfortunately Repo didn’t fall under that category so Vic was left to suffer alone. Which was why her cot was on the farthest wall from the output room, behind a curtain in an attempt to block out the humidity which was ultimately pointless but made her feel better. Where as Repo’s recharge nest, which was just a pile of pillows Vic threw there to make herself feel better about Repo just sitting on the hard metal floor, was closer to the hatch that lead down.

Their room was simple but it was home. Everything about it, from the work desk covered in random parts that needed to be fixed, to the scraps of paper that had little notes her and Repo had left to each other. Sometimes it was hard to remember that she had only lived on this ship for 10 years and not her entire life. She couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

“Are you listening to me Victoria?” It sounded like Repo had finished their rant a little earlier than usual.

Her eyes came back into focus and she looked over at the very indignant robot with a smirk, “Absolutely. You were just getting to the part where the one time you said ‘don’t’ your motherboard almost short-circuited.”

#constellations wip #sci-fi #the dino writes #writeblr #writblr

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sonicringbond · 3 years

Text

Sonic Ring Bond: The Journey - Scene 40

It’s been a while since I wrote one of these and I feel like I forget everything I said last time. Oh well. Rosy and friends are actually in Radio Point for this scene, and it’s a bit of a long one. They may be here for a reason, but I still had to throw in some Rosy sightseeing to keep the traveling theme going. I hope everyone has as much fun in Radio Point as Rosy in...

“Oh my, I hadn’t expected you to get into Radio Point, before I arrived.”

It was hard to tell with Blister’s deliberate and sleepy sounding way of speaking that she was actually surprised, but she did seem energetic enough for it to be believable. Rosy however, with her waging tail and nigh inability to stand still was far easier to read. “Well, we just had to!”

“Though they got mad at us for running up the cables,” Draw made sure to dampen Rosy’s enthusiasm with a reminder of the trouble she caused. She puffed her cheeks up at him, but it was Sonic who spoke next in the airship port at the top of one of Radio Point’s many towers.

“I’m not too fond of waiting, and as she says,” Sonic explained as he pointed a thumb back at Rosy, “we had a reason to come up here quickly.”

“I bet you were disappointed when you found out the trains are entirely for the maintenance crews then,” Blister the Mouse allowed herself a chuckle at the group’s expense.

“It’s a good thing you have an airship,” Sonic agreed, though Rosy got mad at him.

“Hey, we may have had to wait, but even you can’t argue there was plenty to do while we did!”

~Radio Point was a really unique town. Asides from the trains, which Blister already pointed out weren’t for tourists or civilians, there was movement all through the air as airships came from far and wide to reach the city. Of course, the locals used them too so they could get around between towers.

~Outside of the internal steam works, which I bet Tails was able to visit, there were spectacular views no matter where you went in Radio Point. From the airship docks to as close to the treads as the villages went down towards, there was either a view of the crystals jutting up out of the lava belching grasslands or a view of the pit itself where an even more enormous number of crystals erupted out of the earth. It looked kind of like the pit was full of rows and rows of scary giant teeth. Hee-hee! It’s a good thing it’s not a big mouth.

~The ground wasn’t the only pretty thing to look at either. Thanks to all the airship traffic, the skies above the pit were an array of shimmering confetti. At least from the lower levels. Up here in the airship dock it was clear to see all the ships that carried advertising banners as well as those that offered in flight services, like dining and cleaning. There were even hotel airships that were designed to stay in the air for weeks. It was the most airship friendly city I had seen since wandering around in the lands under Yolk.

~As advanced as the city was though, there were still plants growing nearly everywhere. Most of the moving equipment that I saw was relatively clean, but the steam pipes and buildings all throughout town were still covered in a wide array of plants. It’s just so weird to me how even on these big moving towers of metal, plants found a way to grow. I wonder if there is a reason for it.

~That’s a mystery I’ll have to wait another day for. Today, the opportunity to find my best friend has appeared before us and I can’t wait to meet the man who Tails helped out. Hopefully, he’ll be friendlier than the last member of the Engineers I talked with.

~Oh, I hadn’t mentioned that, had I? Oops!

~Well, from Blister’s airship, which was like a cut in half avocado in shape with the main balloon comprising the body of most of the vessel, it was easy to see the Engineers’ banner flying. The white and blue flag with the gear and wrench on it was almost everywhere. The pirate flag that Blister flew almost matched it, except hers was a blue flag with her gear, two wrenches, and a human skull set on a white stripe that ran from top to bottom. It really makes me feel uncomfortable flying on a pirate vessel and I’d really like her to give it up. But… well, she’s helping today even though she was supposed to be looking for her friend who is supposedly a Ring expert. And the Engineers are still mad at me, I think, so having her introduce me to Tails’ friend is probably for the best.~

The Dish that hung above the pit, supported by the giant radio towers and spikes that anchored it, had a similar tower of its own in the center of it. But it was the underside of the dish where the next dock awaited Rosy and her friends. Here, the facilities that monitored almost every radio signal under Yoluku were situated. The utilitarian design stripped the facilities of any comforts, but it was natural considering the location of them above the pit.

“I wonder how they account for Ring Shifts,” Rosy mused while poking her cheek as they were led into the facility’s inner workings. As she had a clear view of the pit below the metal grating that made up the catwalk floor they walked along, it was little wonder that she would be curious to how they managed not to fall in.

-|-

“Sure enough,” a rough looking sapient grizzly bear remarked as Rosy and the others were led into his cage like office. Even his desk was little more than a plank of wood laid across pipes and conduit. “You really are from the picture. But what about the other two?”

“Draw and Blister here are friends,” Sonic introduced the koala and mouse, respectively. “One’s a troublemaker and the other’s a pirate. I’ll let you guess which is more trouble.”

“Sonic!” Rosy chastised her blue companion and he smiled at her playfully.

“And that would make you Rosy then,” the grizzly concluded at Sonic’s unplanned introduction. Standing up, he revealed he inherited the tremendous size of his non-sapient cousins and offered his own name. “I’m Over, chief communications technician here at Radio Point. It may not look like it from here, but I’m pretty respected among the Engineers. Pretty high ranking too. I carry enough weight in actuality that even those troublesome Preservers acknowledge me.”

Rosy stared intently at the grizzly bear’s round form and quietly agreed with him that he carried a lot of weight. His massive arms assured her though that it was likely all muscle. As much as her attention was on his girth however, his was on her.

“A pink hedgehog…”

“Eep!” Rosy squeaked and earned a curious look from Sonic. It was Blister though who provided the next words of their budding conversation.

“I’ve heard she was supposed to be doing a seven-day Ring gathering job for the Engineers when she up and disappeared. I wonder if you can really help her…”

“Blister, please!” Rosy pleaded with the pirate and their playful smile.

Draw held no fear or wisdom that he perhaps should and addressed Over bluntly. “It was a boring job anyway, and we ended up saving a bunch of fairies from some autogolems after we left.”

“You what?” Over questioned in surprise looking at Draw. “If the autogolems weren’t powered by Rings… Those would have been Preserver autogolems. And near a lookout and Ring gathering sight no less. Do you have any proof of what you’re saying?”

“Just this little weirdo.”

Opening his fur coat, Draw allowed the yellow fairy he had a Ring Bond with, Mote, to peak out from within. The look of disbelief on Over’s face worried Rosy a fair bit.

~And then he laughed. I hadn’t been expecting that. It didn’t clear up the suspicions that the Engineers have of me, but it was enough to convince Over that we could see the Ring Radio that they used. And it was amazing. Amazingly big that is.

~Unlike the ones in the wrist devices that Sonic and I wear, this one was a massive room full of machinery, and a ceiling of shifting, glowing geometric lined blocks like in a Ring Gate Beacon. It’s obviously much more primitive technology than what I’m used to using, but due to the nature of our world that doesn’t tell me a thing about how old it is. But…~

“Wow! Tails really made this work!”

“That he did,” Over stated, proudly putting his hands on his hips. “He also taught me how to maintain it while he was here. Since then, I’ve been growing more and more familiar with it. It’s kind of become like an old friend.”

“So, it’s been sometime since Tails was here?” Sonic asked as he folded his arms, recognizing the telltale speech that marked a passage of time beyond what could be properly observed under Yoluku.

“It has been,” Over nodded seeing Sonic’s impatience. “Long enough that I probably would have forgotten him if not for the picture and notebook we filled out together while working on this wonder. He’s as much a part of my life as anything now. Unlikely I’ll forget him as long as I live.”

“That’s wonderful!” Rosy chirped up, adding some good cheer to counter Sonic’s souring mood. “It’s great to hear Tails made a friend! He’s normally so bad with people!”

“Yeah, but him having already passed through, and some time back, means we’ve missed him, kid,” Sonic ignored Rosy’s positivity to get his complaint out.

“Well, we can still try to contact him,” Over suggested surprising everyone in the group.

“How’s that?” Draw won the question race and followed up with more than he should have. “These two have really good Ring Radios that are a lot smaller than this one and they can’t reach anyone but each other.”

“Tails had the same problem,” Over managed to dismiss Rosy’s fast growing concern by revealing that he already knew about her and Sonic’s. “It’s part of why he left. He spent a good while here trying to boost the signal using the crystals.”

“The crystals?” Blister poked her nose into the conversation. “I thought they must have been rather valueless considering no one seems interested in gathering them.”

“On their own they are,” Over agreed with the mouse’s presumption. “But gathered together like they are here, and according to Tails likely amplified by the pit, they are able to drastically improve radio signals and their distances. It’s why Radio Point persists here. If not for this pit radio communication would be far less reliable than it is.”

“Not like Tails to give up on tech,” Sonic remarked wondering what was going through the fox’s mind.

“He didn’t actually. He left with the goal of finding another pit, or perhaps meeting up with the Queen of the Sky and brainstorming with her about a solution. I’ve no idea if he’s achieved either goal though. The pit is pretty unique, and the Queen of the Sky is a she-devil who even the clouds part for when she races.”

“It sounds like Zooey’s been having fun,” Rosy laughed nervously. “But if you can get in touch with Tails…”

“Don’t worry,” Over reassured Rosy of his intentions, “we’ll be trying to now.”

Per his word, Over began working countless buttons and knobs around the room. From a console with a handheld mouthpiece and a speaker, a horrible static sound came across and filled the room.

“Static? Sonic verbalized his curiosity. “Ring Radios work across dimensions. What could be causing the interference.”

“Maybe that thing in the sky,” Over hinted at Yoluku, but offered nothing more as he worked some more dials.

A high-pitched sound came across the speaker and cut the static for a moment, but the static soon settled back in. However, a green light lit up on the console and Over smiled. “We’ve got him!”

“Really!” Rosy jumped up with her question and stared at Over with urgent pleading.

“Go ahead and see if he can’t here you.”

With Over’s permission, Rosy dashed to the console. After only a moment of studying it, she picked up the hand piece and depressed the button in its side. From there it was a moment longer as she fought to contain her excitement and actually managed to speak. “TAI~LS~!!!!!”

-…o…sy- -I… …at y…?-

“Ah, ah, ah… TAI~LS~!!!!!”

~It was really him. It was really Tails! I was so happy I could cry finally hearing Tails’ voice again after so long. But… Well, unfortunately the signal wasn’t good. We could hear each other, but it was impossible to hold a conversation. I just couldn’t make out what Tails was saying through all the static. Sonic checked to see if our Ring Radios could connect to Tails’, but they didn’t even pick him up like the one connected to the big dish.

~Ooh! It’s so frustrating. I finally had a lead on Tails, but he was out of reach and I had no idea what to do. Over tried to improve the signal, but in the end, we lost it and any chance to find where Tails was. Still… Still, we actually talked to him. He was alright.

~The last time I saw Tails he was fighting those mean old pirates who want revenge against him. But he wasn’t there when I found Sonic and helped him beat them. And even though pirates like Blister are inspired by them, as far as I can tell, Tails hasn’t gotten involved with any more pirates. And while that’s good, it means we have no leads again.

~But you know, I was able to talk to him and that means Tails is okay. As long as Tails is okay, Sonic and I can find him. And we will! Sonic promised after all. He was going to get all of us home!

~…Though, I’m actually enjoying this little adventure and don’t feel the need to go home yet.~

Scene 40 · CLEARED Radio Link, End

-----

How’s that for a little treat! Tails has finally appeared for the first time since the Prison Prairie chapters. Well, at least over a really shaky radio connection XD I also introduced an OC I expect to be a one off, but I’ll see if he gets any positive attention and demand to see more of him. For now though, this scene wraps up the last of my survey based scenes. The next one is going to be purely off the top of my head. So that means adventure, mystery, and maybe some plot progression. Please look forward to it!

-----

Special Thanks to Cutegirlmayra Story by @JoshTarwater/SonicFanJ Inspiring Song – Lumacie Archipelago: Mystic Woodland – Tsutomu Narita – Granblue Fantasy Original Soundtrack

Fair Use Disclaimer

Sonic the Hedgehog and all affiliated characters and logos are the express property and Copyright© of SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS used without permission under Title 17 U.S.C Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 in which allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. “Fair use” is use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be considered copyright infringement. The Sonic Ring Bond: The Journey alternate universe (AU) consumer written work of fiction is a non-profit transformative work primarily for personal use and can and will be taken down without warning or prior notice at the request of the copyright holder(s) should it not be recognized under “fair use”.

*Sonic Ring Bond logo created by DEE Art – twitter.com/daryliscute.

Sonic Ring Bond AU and Sonic Ring Bond: The Journey are the creation of Joshua David Tarwater/ynymbus/sonicfanj/@Joshtarwater and is to be, including all contents herein considered for all legal purposes the property of the Sonic the Hedgehog intellectual property (IP) and copyright owners, SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS. All story contributors via prompt, suggestion, written scene, art, and all and every other contribution acknowledge that all contributed material is forfeit for legal purposes to SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS upon official request from SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic fan fiction #sonic au #sonic au series #sonic ring bond #the journey #classic amy #amy rose #rosy the rascal #au amy #amy redesign #sonic oc #patch #draw the koala #mote the fairy #blister the mouse #over the grizzly

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ghostofviperwrites · 5 years

Text

Rescue Mission

Requested by Anonymous

Pairing: Hiromu Takahashi/FCs

“Are you jealous?”

Hiromu Takahashi was bored. And if anyone knew anything about Hiromu, it was that nothing good ever came from him being bored. The last time he was bored a Ring of Honor show the Los Ingobernables were appearing on had been delayed for two hours because Hiromu had deemed it necessary to determine whether the multitude of video camera cables were interchangeable. Newsflash: They were not. This had resulted in the two-hour delay while crew scrambled to figure out why none of the video feeds were working. Eventually they had figured out the issue, but to this day no one outside LIJ knew who the culprit was.

Naito and Sanada were out with Okada, no doubt getting themselves knee deep in women while Evil was with his latest plaything and Bushi was currently missing in action. He was not answering his cell or home phone. Hiromu pursed his lips as he considered launching a rescue mission to find his friend. It was hard to have a mission without soldiers though. And while Daryl was a fine soldier, two was not enough. Hiromu shuddered at the thought of calling Evil to assist him. He knew his brother would be more than happy to assist, but his new woman was psycho and she honestly scared Hiromu, so no, he wouldn’t be calling Evil just in case the she-devil answered his phone as she was wont to do. He wasn’t even going to think about enlisting Naito and Sanada, he wouldn’t want to interrupt whatever challenge they were entertaining themselves with.

“Alright Daryl,” Hiromu told his stuffed cat. “Looks like we need to go find some recruits.” Rising from the hotel bed Hiromu checked himself in the mirror, making sure he looked his part. He then sat down at the little desk, using the hotel stationary to painstakingly write two lists. The first a list of places to find recruits. The second outlining likely places where Bushi would be hiding out. Satisfied with his preparations Hiromu headed out the door, Daryl tucked safely in his arms.

He didn’t have to travel far to his first destination, just an elevator ride down to the lobby of the hotel to the little dance club that was attached to the hotel. Hiromu glided right past the doorman barely giving the man a cursory glance as he entered the dance club. It wasn’t very busy, a little too early in the night yet for the place to be jumping, but Hiromu stopped at the bar, placing Daryl in a good viewing position as Hiromu signaled the bartender for a beer. Once he had his drink in hand Hiromu turned his back to the bar leaning on the railing as he surveyed the room. Murmuring to Daryl Hiromu passed through potential candidates rejecting them for nonsensical reasons that made perfect sense to him and Daryl. Finally, they settled on three potential recruits that were keeping to themselves in the back corner, dancing in their booth and nursing their drinks. Just three girls having a fun night out who didn’t seem interested in any outside entertainment shooing away any men that dared to approach them.

Grabbing Daryl and his beer Hiromu weaved his way through the dance floor, dancing with partners who came up to him as he passed before making it to the corner where his potential squad members were.

“Ladies,” Hiromu said, flashing his megawatt smile with a courtly bow. “My name is Hiromu and this is my companion Daryl. Do you mind if we join you for a moment to discuss a matter of grave importance?” A line like that would probably get anyone else sent away, but Hiromu had always had off the charts charisma, drawing people to him in any situation. Exchanging looks, the girls all concurred and motioned for Hiromu to join them.

“Your cat is so cute,” One of the girls squealed. “Does he go everywhere with you?”

“Everywhere.” Hiromu said meaningfully managing to look both lecherous and innocent at the same time, making the girls giggle.

“So, what is this matter of grave importance?” The blonde in the group asked stroking her finger along Daryl’s paw and onto Hiromu’s arm.

“It a secret. If I told you I’d have to kill you,” Hiromu giggled flirtatiously. “It could be a dangerous mission. I can’t promise we’ll return safely. So, I need to know are you in or out?” He waited patiently as the girls conferred, wondering if they should tag along for what was sure to be a strange ride with the handsome stranger.

“I don’t know,” the first girl said hesitantly. “This is really weird.”

“I want to go with him,” the blonde said sidling up to him. “He’s really cute.”

“It’s all or none ladies. Daryl wants all three.” Hiromu said seriously.

“What the hell, this seems like more fun than just getting drunk.” The first girl said with a shrug making her friends squeal in excitement. Gathering up their belongings they followed Hiromu back into the hotel lobby oohing and aahing as a limousine was pulled to the curb for them. Giving the driver their next destination, Hiromu leaned back, eyeing his newest recruits. They would make fine soldiers he thought to himself. Pretty girls made for loose lips. They would be able to get the intel they needed to find Bushi.

Several stops later their squad had grown to ten soldiers with Hiromu, who they were calling the General, and Daryl dubbed Lieutenant General. Champagne had been flowing freely and they were all feeling damn good as they cruised the streets in their limo. When Hiromu’s phone began ringing and he saw who was calling he quickly quieted the girls.

“Bushi! You’re alive.” He said excitedly.

“Of course, I’m alive. I just went to see my family.” Bushi’s voice came through the speaker. Hiromu frowned, excitement dying as he realized his mission was now a bust.

“Aww man, you ruined my fun Bushi! I had a rescue mission planned and recruited soldiers and everything.” Hiromu pouted, making a couple of the girls coo at him and rub his shoulders sympathetically.

“You recruited soldiers?” Bushi laughed. “This I gotta see. Send me a pic.”

Hiromu situated himself in the middle of the ten recruits smiling widely for the camera as they crowded around him. Almost immediately after hitting send Bushi called back.

“Those are you soldiers? How the hell did you get all those fine ass girls?” Bushi exclaimed.

“I am an excellent recruiter.” Hiromu said sanctimoniously. “Are you jealous?” he teased his friend.

“Hell yeah I’m jealous. You guys should come rescue me.” Bushi told him.

“No can do. I know where you are and that you are safe. No rescue mission needed. Sorry.” Hiromu said before disconnecting the call.

“Okay ladies, looks like the target is safe and the mission is aborted.” Hiromu said to sounds of disappointment. “So, what do you say we go back to my hotel and I debrief you?”

#hiromu takahashi imagine #hiromu takahashi fanfic #njpw fanfic #wrestling fanfic #mywriting #ghostofviperwrites

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writing-royza · 5 years

Text

Tainted Blood, Tainted Soul - Chapter Ten: Escalating Concerns

A/N: Happy… well, Monday, everyone. Sorry for the delay; apparently getting married makes you crazy amounts of tired. So please belatedly enjoy this chapter!

I do not own FMA.

Chapter Ten - Escalating Concerns

EASTERN MILITARY HEADQUARTERS

1025 HOURS, APRIL 16

"What do you mean, 'he's already here?'" One hand holding the telephone to his ear, the other curled in a fist on top of his desk, Hakuro gritted his teeth, and forced the next word out of his mouth. "…Sir."

"What I mean is that Colonel Mustang and his adjutant should have arrived in East City sometime early this morning, and that they are likely to pay you — as acting head of the garrison — a visit sometime today or tomorrow." Even over several hundred miles' worth of telephone cable, Grumman managed to sound smug and superior, at least to Hakuro's ear. "They're in the middle of an active case that —"

"With all due respect, sir —" And not much of that, really. "— I can take care of any investigation in East City. Surely, the Colonel and his aide are still recovering from their wounds from the battle two weeks ago. They shouldn't be back on active duty, much less —"

"If the doctors cleared them to work and travel, then I believe the doctors," the old man said firmly. "Furthermore, I trust the judgement of both Mustang and Hawkeye, and if they say they feel fit to work, then they are fit to work." His voice took on a hard edge. "I say this not only as a senior officer that knows them both rather well, but as Führer-President. Do I make myself clear, General?"

The subtle emphasis on his rank was enough of a warning flag to bring Hakuro's temper back under firm control. "…Yes… sir." He almost said 'Your Excellency,' but couldn't quite force himself to do that much. "My apologies. Thank you for notifying me, and I'll expect the Colonel sometime soon."

"Good. Whatever information and aid they need, see that they get it. I'll expect a progress report on this in a week."

There was no goodbye, simply the click of the call being terminated. Hakuro replaced the receiver, and sat still behind his desk, working to keep a leash on his anger. Yes, it was loathsome to have to deal with Mustang, especially at the behest of an old fool like Grumman, but it was part of the job. As long as he stayed professional, he could muddle his way through this. Once he was out the other side, things would look better.

This semi-good feeling did not last more than five minutes, when his secretary tapped politely on the door and opened it to announce, "Colonel Mustang and First Lieutenant Hawkeye to see you, sir."

Jaw clenched into what he hoped was an approximation of a courteous smile, Hakuro got to his feet… and hesitated when the younger man stepped inside. Dark sunglasses obscured Mustang's eyes, his Lieutenant's right hand gently touching his left arm, clearly guiding him. A set of file folders were tucked under her left arm.

In a moment of pure shock, Hakuro forgot his dislike for the ambitious upstart, a slightly numbed thought of That's right… he's been blinded…. running through his mind.

Before he could recover his loathing, he came around the front of the desk and indicated one of the visitors' chairs in front of it. "Seat him here, Lieutenant."

It seemed Mustang had different ideas. Halfway across the floor, on some invisible cue to his Lieutenant, both of them stopped and came smartly attention. "I appreciate the concern, General. While Lieutenant Hawkeye is still occasionally needed to help me with more dimly lit rooms, my eyesight is returning." His polite smile took on the kind of edge that generally meant there was some sort of private joke, but he didn't elaborate. "Aside from that, we're both working toward fully active duty as quickly as we can, hence why we're here."

A twinge of annoyance tried to manifest itself as a twitch in his cheek, but Hakuro forced it down under the overarching cover of his professional façade. "Of course. The Führer-President called my office this morning to tell me to expect you, and give me a brief overview of the case you're working." He couldn't quite bring himself to say Grumman's name, not after the old fox had pulled the rug out from under him during the lead-up to the Battle of Central. "That being said, I'd like to hear things from you yourself. At ease, both of you, and sit down."

The three of them settled around the desk, and Mustang began going through a paraphrased breakdown of the crimes being investigated in Central. The gory details that he glossed over were shown rather than told; Hawkeye wordlessly produced the appropriate crime scene photos with flawless timing, passing them to Hakuro across the desk.

He grimaced, feeling his breakfast shift uneasily in his stomach. He gave the photos a perfunctory glance but nothing more, listening until the end of Mustang's little narrative.

"And so, given the information from Second Lieutenant Catalina, you believe this killer came East somehow from Central?" He folded his hands on the desk blotter. "What's to say that the East City killings weren't done by a copycat?"

Lieutenant Hawkeye shifted minutely. "If I may, General, it's our opinion that it would take a seriously disturbed mind to kill in the way the Central City killer does. For there to be two such-minded individuals at the same time…." Her usually stoic features took on a hint of distaste. "Frankly, sir, it doesn't bear thinking about."

He couldn't argue with her there, and so nodded in acknowledgement. "I understand. I can even agree… to a certain extent. But I think we'll need some form of concrete proof before we can paint all these crimes with the same brush. Something aside from the murder method that's common to all scenes."

He was used to reading Mustang's moods and opinions in the younger man's dark eyes, and so the sudden tension in his shoulders meant nothing without further context. It could have been wariness, anger, interest, discomfort….. With those dark glasses on, he had succeeded in both masking whatever injury he had incurred as well as his deeper thoughts.

"With all due respect, General," he said, choosing his words carefully — ah, so the tension signalled wariness, "the only common link between the murders is the method in which they were carried out. The victims all come from different backgrounds, no two look particularly similar, there's no social connection that we can see, the ages very from a child to middle age…." He shrugged expansively. "The only correlation is how they were killed."

Hakuro sat back in his chair, giving the two of them a pointed look. "Then I suppose you'd best figure out some other way they're all related, shouldn't you?" When neither of them answered, he continued. "I think I've heard enough. At the Führer-President's direction, you have free rein to investigate what you need to here in East City. Anything of pertinence will be reported to myself as well as him. Is that clear?"

There was a brief stiffening in Mustang's jaw that might have been him clenching his teeth… or merely swallowing a more blistering retort than the cool, quiet "Yes, sir," that he murmured instead.

"Good." He paused for a moment, then changed tack. "Now, I heard the two of you were injured during the Battle of Central, but I don't believe I know what exactly happened to you. If you're going to be trusted with this case, I'd like to know the extent of your injuries so that I can gauge how much you can handle."

This time, the tension came to Hawkeye's shoulders in time with the faintest sheen of indignance and anger in those usually calm brown eyes. Hakuro had overheard stories from others under his command what an absolute terror the slender sharpshooter could be when her temper was roused, but that didn't scare him.

The expression didn't falter as her gaze met his, though it didn't progress any farther. Mustang's head twitched minutely in his adjutant's direction, before he answered calmly. "As I said, my eyesight was temporarily put out of commission, but it's recovering, and I'm told I should regain full use of my eyes. Aside from a good amount of my back being scraped up by a fall, I'm entirely fine."

Hakuro hadn't taken his eyes from a still watching Hawkeye. "And you, Lieutenant? You're looking paler than I remember."

Her voice was quiet, but clear. "A man involved in the corrupt cabal against Führer-President Bradley attempted to kill me by cutting my throat," she said, her words deliberate. "Fortunately for me, he only nicked one part of my neck, but it was enough that I lost a fair amount of blood. I should fully recover all that I lost within in the next two weeks, but until then, it's nothing that should keep me from working."

For a moment, he sat silent, unsure of what to say in the face of this revelation. He knew what she really meant by 'corrupt cabal,' and had read reports from Major-General Armstrong and her brother as to what they had witnessed… making Hawkeye's subtle message all too clear. This deceptively passive woman would not be killed easily, nor would the usually cocky and smug man beside her.

"Would that every soldier in Amestris had the fortitude you've shown," he said, careful not to add 'because then perhaps I could get rid of you two.' Instead, he shifted in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "Let's go back to the question of this serial killer you've been chasing. While I can appreciate that you're both well enough to be in the field once more, I'm not sure why you wouldn't simply continue working the murders in Central while a team here in the East investigates whatever happened here. It could save you a lot of time and travel."

Mustang was already shaking his head. "That's true, but information never flows as smoothly between two cities so far apart. Not to mention that my team started with this case in Central, and to try and explain the particulars to another team here in East City would take more time than it's worth. We've left Breda and Fuery to follow up with things in Central, but Lieutenant Hawkeye and myself came here to learn what we could."

The logic was sound, but Hakuro had one more bid to make. "And this is the second time you've investigated serial killings, isn't it? The last was that scarred Ishvalan man that seemed so bent on taking out State Alchemists." He gave the younger man a pointed look. "I don't recall there being an arrest in that case."

Frustratingly, Mustang appeared unruffled. In fact, he smiled. "No arrest, no. But the man you're talking about attacked Führer-President Bradley during the Battle of Central, wounded him badly, but was subsequently killed."

"It's our belief," Hawkeye put in quietly, "that he was leading a band of Ishvalan refugees in actions against the Presidency that day. Major-General Armstrong took it upon herself to deal with the body."

Annoyed, Hakuro held back a resigned sigh. All the cards were on the table now, and his was the losing hand. "I see." He got to his feet, which prompted the others to do the same. "I won't hold you up any longer, since you have work to do. Make sure any reports you file come to me as well; someone as bloodthirsty and dangerous as this man shouldn't be on the streets."

"Our sentiments exactly," Mustang agreed. Both he and Hawkeye saluted dutifully, before moving toward the door. "Thank you for your time, General."

They were most of the way across the room before a sudden idea seized Hakuro. His hand drifted to the paperweight resting atop a stack of reports to his left. "Colonel — just one more thing…."

He waited just until that dark head had turned back in his direction, before plucking the paperweight from its resting place and lobbing it underhand toward the younger man. Mustang twitched visibly in surprise, before his left hand shot out to easily catch the glass dome sailing in his direction.

So, his vision was indeed returning, and with it went the faint, fleeting hope that he could have been run out of the military on a medical discharge. Hakuro forced a thin smile. "Just a test, Colonel, to assess just how on-the-mend you are. You passed admirably."

The answering smile was just as thin, without a trace of humour. "Your concern for my welfare is touching, General." He set the paperweight on top of the filing cabinet next to the door. "We'll be in touch."

The already small smile had faded before the door closed behind them.

STREETS OF EAST CITY

1100 HOURS, APRIL 16

He watched her as she drove, her eyes never leaving the road but to flicker briefly toward the sidewalk or the other lane. Riza's eyebrows were drawn tight, her anger apparent in the set of her jaw and the light in her eyes, in the way her right thumb tapped distractedly on the steering wheel. The car, signed out from the East City motor pool, was otherwise silent.

Finally, he faced forward again, commenting mildly. "You know, driving angry might not be the best idea, but at least when you do it, you look good."

She didn't so much laugh as give a short, slightly humoured outward breath. "That's a very roundabout way of telling me I'm pretty when I'm angry, sir."

"Serves the purpose, though." The car slowed, then stopped at a red light, and he reached over to settle a hand on her knee. "The meeting didn't go that badly, did it? I thought that, given Hakuro's opinion of me, it would've been a lot worse."

Riza didn't take her eyes from the light, or her hands from the wheel. "Yes, I think the fact that we're both still very obviously recovering threw him off-balance. He only questioned our fitness to investigate and be in the field, instead of our ability to do our jobs in general."

He shrugged, taking back his hand as the light changed and the car started forward again. "Exactly. And if he hadn't tried to test me at the end, I would have counted it as some sort of progress."

"That's most of what's getting under my skin," she answered, the words suddenly clipped by annoyance. "He just had to push it that little bit further, couldn't just take our word that we're really on the mend…. The questioning, I can handle. That's part of the job; you and I have both done it before. But the casual, off-the-cuff test…. It insinuates he thinks we were lying to achieve our own ends." She paused a moment. "Which, yes, we've both done before, but that doesn't have much bearing on this. Frankly, that so-called 'test' was nothing short of insulting."

"Well, then, best we prove him wrong. Which we've both done before." They began to slow for another red light, and he took the opportunity to slide closer on the bench seat, reaching for his pocket. "In the meantime, we'd best go to ground, get ourselves oriented, and figure out where to proceed from here. And I have just the place; I already left the number with Headquarters."

The car stopped, and she glanced sideways at him. His eyes were still hidden by the dark glasses, but she could sense the mischief lurking there. "You have a place in mind, when we haven't been in the city for months?'

He held up a pair of keys on a metal ring, grinning. "You know, I think I do…."

STREETS OF EAST CITY

11:00 A.M., APRIL 16

The man paced along, hands in the pockets of his dark suit, the brim of his hat tugged low and his head ducked to hide his face from any observant passersby. He was more recognizable here, but the danger of being seen did not overly disturb him. He could deal with anyone that realized who he was.

What disturbed him was that he had watched Mustang and Hawkeye emerge from the front entrance of Eastern Headquarters, not saying much, and head toward the motor pool. In Central, Mustang had kept one hand on his adjutant's shoulder or arm at all times, needing her to guide his blind steps. Now, he walked under his own power, hands at his sides, moving gently as he walked. The conclusion was obvious.

He could see again.

The man tried to tell himself that it didn't matter. Just because that arrogant fool could see again didn't mean anything for him; he had his own defenses in place, at least during the night. He took the risk of looking up, to where a perfectly blue spring sky stretched overhead, broken only by rare, wispy clouds. It was an effort, to hide his face in the daylight, as he had with Hawkeye at the cemetery. He had to be careful not to waste his energy like that, to conserve it for the proper time.

Perhaps he ought to find out where they were operating out of while here in the East, and try to get a glance at whatever notes they had. Simply to make sure they weren't getting too close to him yet, and to check on Hawkeye's progress. She would be ready soon, and then….

He licked his lips, ducking his head once more. The taste of her rose like a ghost in his mouth, a memory of the blood, of the faint smoky aftertaste that lingered on the tongue. He was surprised – pleasantly so – to find that dwelling on these thoughts of her caused the hunger to swell. Much as an ordinary human might hear their stomach rumble as the scents of a meal, the man heard a snarling in his mind, like a ravening wolf.

He hadn't thought he would need to eat again so soon; then again, the two hobos had not been as filling as he might have liked. Theoretically, he could wait until after nightfall, but to take a new victim in broad daylight like this…. The thrill it would give him would be immeasurable.

Walking leisurely, he made his way out of the bustling commercial area into a less-populated residential district. Here, there were the sounds of small children playing in backyards, the occasional bark of a dog, the far off purr of a car engine. Laundry flapped on lines behind houses, a telephone rang in the interior of one on a corner.

The man turned down streets at random, looking for all the world like an ordinary gentleman out for a midday stroll. When he came to a corner shaded by an old, drooping oak tree, he paused in the shade cast by the wide boughs, and listened.

The nearest house had left a window open to admit the fresh spring air, and radio music floated out into the sunshine. His ears picked out a woman's soft humming blending with the music, and the soft sssssswick… sssssswick… sssssswick of a broom moving across a hardwood floor. No other sounds emanated from inside; it would do.

Approaching the front door, he knocked, taking a moment to straighten his tie and smooth the fabric of his suit jacket. The woman who answered was plump and pretty, light brown hair falling in curls to her shoulders and held back with a brightly patterned kerchief. She wiped her hands on her pale green apron, smiling politely at the stranger on her front steps.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

The man returned her smile with some well-feigned surprise, reaching up to pluck his hat from his head. "…I'm terribly sorry… I must have the wrong address. I was supposed to meet a realtor about buying a house in the neighbourhood, and he told me to come to 187 Plum Street for a viewing."

Now looking puzzled, though still with a plastic version of her former smile pasted to her face, the woman hesitated before saying, "Well, this is 187 Plum Street, but the house isn't for sale. In fact, I don't know of any houses on our street that are…. Perhaps it was a different street that sounds similar?"

"That's what I'm beginning to wonder…." He looked around the deserted avenue, allegedly perplexed but actually checking for witnesses. Not a soul moved in the pristine front yards of the neighbourhoods, or twitched aside curtains in neighbourly nosiness. He looked back to the woman. "I'm rather embarrassed. I hate to impose, but… if you have a telephone, would I be able to use it to call the realty firm and get the correct address? I'm sure it wouldn't take more than a minute."

Again the woman hesitated, twisting the hem of her apron between her fingers in uncertainty. Her gaze travelled over him briefly, evaluating. He stood with his hat pressed to his chest, his free hand clearly visible at his side. Apparently seeing nothing suspicious, she stepped to the side and held the door open. "I don't see why not. Please, come in."

Her home was neat and orderly, with all the earmarks of being attended to by a stay-at-home wife with no children in the picture. Not only was there no evidence of toy boxes or child-size shoes, but the house held only adult scents. Children had a tendency to smell of things like storybook paper, crayon wax, and cookies and milk. Like the little Jamieson boy.

He followed the woman to the bright, warm kitchen, where she gestured toward the far wall. "Telephone's over there, sir. Take all the time you need, if it's a local call."

"It is, thank you." Moving toward the device, he pulled out his wallet, looking through it as though for a business card. "You have a lovely home, Ms.…?"

"Angelini. Joanna Angelini." She smiled, turning toward a soup pot that was on the stove, steam curling from the top of it. "And thank you; my husband and I are quite happy with it." Picking up a wooden spoon, she poked it into the pot, stirring the contents as she peered at them through the steam. "I don't believe you told me your name, sir."

"You're right. I didn't."

The way he struck against her caused her to drop the spoon into the soup with a clack. Joanna herself was thrown first against the stove, knocking half the breath from her before she was dragged backward and down. The man twisted as she fell, causing her to land face-first on her kitchen floor.

Surprised, the woman didn't have time for much more than a ragged gasp before his weight descended on her shoulders. The man's teeth sank into the soft flesh of the side of her throat, a low, pleased growl sounding as blood began to seep into his mouth. Her breath still returning, Joanna couldn't manage more than a hoarse whimper. Her legs kicked helplessly, one shoe clattering noisily against the stove.

He could hear her starting to regain her breath, and clamped one hand firmly over her mouth, pulling her head back so he could better access her neck. Joanna whimpered again, but fainter this time. The blood flowed more easily, some spattering to the immaculate tiled floor.

She continued to try and struggle, but the man's strength held her easily in place. Unconcernedly, almost casually, he kept a steady pace, alternately sucking and swallowing, feeling the life-giving blood ooze down his throat. It didn't so much slake a thirst as fill his stomach and ease the hungry rumblings there. Gradually, Joanna Angelini's struggles grew weaker and weaker… until at last she slumped in slow motion to the floor and was still.

A hoarse voice croaked from the kitchen doorway. "Joanna?"

Freeing his teeth from the woman's neck, the man lifted his head and turned. A man stood staring in horror, wrapped in a bathrobe thrown on over pajamas, his hair in pillowed disarray and his eyeglasses sitting crooked on his nose. The eyes behind them were glassy with fever and staring in uncomprehending shock at the man crouched over the lifeless body on the floor.

"What…." He halted, swallowing against the congested rasping in his throat. "What did you do to my wife?"

Getting slowly to his feet, much as though he were trying not to spook a skittish animal, the man ran his tongue over the blood coating his lips. Far from containing it, all the gesture did was spread it around. "I would think it's fairly obvious," he said, voice low. "She was good enough to invite me in, though I'm afraid I may have overstepped her hospitality in taking food without asking."

The husband's wide eyes went from the man's bloody mouth to his still-bleeding wife on the floor. Blood was still draining from the punctures to her neck, forming a pool on the floor. "But — how…."

He was still staring, dumbstruck, when the man lunged. This time, he didn't bother to go for the other's throat. Instead, he struck him on one shoulder, spinning the unprepared victim around to the left. A second later, he caught Joanna's husband by the head in both hands and gave a sharp twist.

There was a sharp crack and Mr. Angelini dropped bonelessly to the floor, mere feet away from his late wife.

The man staggered, stumbling to the little kitchen island to support himself, bent nearly double. The violence had awakened that other hunger, that sexual need, and the force of its suddenness left him breathless. He braced himself on the cool tile counter, taking long, deep breaths, willing the throbbing in his groin to subside. Still, it was a long while before he was able to stand straight and breathe normally.

Stepping over Joanna's body to the stove, he plucked the dish towel hanging from the handle of the over door and using it to dab fastidiously at his lips and chin, removing all traces of blood. He hadn't gone quite as wild in this attack as the others, but then again, he also wasn't quite done.

Standing there, watching the pot on the stove continue to bubble placidly, he leaned forward to peer inside it. Rich broth, vegetables, and chunks of meat bobbed along with the rolling boil, sending a savoury fragrance into the air. The man smirked. Of course: the dutiful wife making chicken soup for her sick husband. How disgustingly domestic.

And if the meat were diseased, he was hesitant to sink his teeth into it. The two hobos and their high blood alcohol levels had been bad enough, and the man respected this body too much to tarnish it unnecessarily with illness. He wasn't even sure what effect human germs would have on him, but he had no desire to find out.

Turning the heat off to the burner under the soup pot, he once again stepped over Joanna's body and then over that of her husband, making his way to the front door. He checked himself over to make sure there was no blood visible on him before stepping outside.

His hand was on the doorknob when a thought clicked into place. He hesitated a moment, an idea forming, then returned to the kitchen. He stepped over Mr. Angelini in crossing to the far wall and picked up the telephone receiver, dialling a single '0' before he brought it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said, pouring panic into his voice when the operator had connected. "I need the police, quickly! There's blood, so much blood, and the Angelinis…. They're… they're…."

"Sir, calm down. I'm connecting you to the military police," the woman on the other end responded, her voice tense. "What address are you calling from?"

"It's 187 Plum Street. Tell them to hurry!" And with that, he hung up and headed out the door.

"Thank you for your help, Mrs. Angelini. I'll let you know if I move to the neighbourhood," he called cheerfully back to the interior of the house and its dead occupants, purely for any unseen spectators. Shutting the door firmly behind him, he started off down the walk and up the street, his hat tugged low to keep his eyes hidden, and his head slightly ducked against any pedestrian he might pass. He had only walked two blocks before he began to hear sirens.

27 WHEELER STREET, EAST CITY

1217 HOURS, APRIL 16

The apartment was littered with taped-up boxes, open boxes, boxes waiting to be folded back into being boxes, and empty boxes waiting to be filled. Setting her military duffel on the floor and the paper bag of groceries on the counter in the kitchen, Riza's eyes roamed around the space. Hayate trotted inside past their feet and began exploring instantly, his nose to the floorboards.

"He does intend to come back for all of this, doesn't he?" she asked, only half sarcastically. "I would have thought Grumman would prefer to take all his belongings to Central in one go and be done with it."

Roy's duffel hit the floor, knocking into a box of heavy-looking leather bound books. "He told me he would have liked to do it that way, but that there was a time crunch between being confirmed as the incoming Führer-President and getting to Central. He took the most important things and boxed up what he could before he left." He grinned at her, his eyes still hidden behind protective sunglasses. "He said that if the head of the country couldn't find a flunky or two to come back here and get the rest of his stuff, what was that country coming to?"

Riza smiled back, beginning to sort through the grocery bag for anything that needed to be refrigerated. "As long as I don't end up being one of said flunkies, I can't fault him for the logic."

She was facing away from Roy when his arms circled her waist in a gentle embrace, his lips pressing a kiss to the back of her neck. Shuddering lightly, she pulled away, but not by much. "Not now," she warned, smiling. "We've got things to do."

"You mean aside from each other?" The fingers of his right hand tugged at the hem of her uniform jacket, trailing the silver edging. "Can't say anything pressing is coming to mind, other than —"

He broke off as she turned in his arms, giving him an admonishing look. It was in strange juxtaposition to the spots of colour high in her cheeks that spoke to her own want. Want she was clearly holding back, with all the force and discipline only Riza Hawkeye was capable of.

"I know that it'll be the first time you've seen me that way in months," she murmured, tone firm, "but we've got new case files to go over for the two murders that happened here, we need to eat, we need to get in touch with our old contacts out here to see if they know anything —"

She stopped when it was apparent that he wasn't listening. Reaching up, she took the sunglasses from his face, revealing the reddened eyes. He looked as though he were going through a particularly nasty bout of seasonal allergies: the eyelids were red and slightly puffy, the whites looking as bloodshot as if he hadn't slept for a week. But the irises were once again a striking near-black, glimmering with humour as he gave her a mischievous wink.

"Doesn't stop you from being a sight for sore eyes."

Riza reached to the side, setting the glasses on the countertop. "I think I'd appreciate the compliment more if it weren't hidden inside a terrible joke."

Sobering, Roy took a half-step back, looking her over carefully. "I'd feel more confident in the compliment if you weren't still pale as a ghost," he admitted. "I couldn't see it through the lens tinting, but you definitely have the look of someone who's lost a lot of blood."

Unconcerned, she turned back toward the grocery bag. "That's hardly a coincidence, seeing as how I did lose a lot of blood."

His hand settled onto her arm. "Yes, you did, but you've had two separate transfusions. You should have regained some of that colour by now." Gently, he turned her toward himself. "Riza, if there was ever a time for you to be honest with me, it's now. You're whiter than white, but are you having any of the other symptoms? Dizziness, fatigue, feeling faint? Any of that?"

She shook her head. "None."

His hands took one of hers, pressing the fingers between his palms with an analytical frown. Across the room, the telephone began to ring, but he ignored it. "You're sure? Because your hands are cold, too."

"My hands are always cold." Pulling free, she headed toward the phone. "Roy, I know you want to help, I know you're concerned. But if you're going to worry this much, it's only going to slow us down. Please; if I tell you I'm fine, you can rest assured I am." Without waiting for an answer, she picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

Forced to wait, he took the refrigerated items from the bag, putting them away as he watched her facial expression change from polite inquiry to professional concentration. "Again already?" A pause. "All right, I understand. We'll be there as soon as we can."

Hanging up, she gave him a grim look. "If you still have concerns, they'll have to wait, sir. Our killer just surfaced again, in one of the residential neighbourhoods. We're needed at the scene."

"All right. I should have expected we'd hit the ground running." Closing the gap between them, he caught her hand before she could move away. "But when we get back, maybe you should let me look you over more closely." He grinned. "Just to reassure myself that you're really as okay as you say you are."

Riza returned the smile. "Only if you let me do the same."

#fma #fmab #Roy Mustang #Riza Hawkeye #royza #royai #fma fanfiction #royai fanfiction #tainted blood

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austinpanda · 3 years

Text

Dad Letter 031421

14 March, 2021

Dear Dad--

Happy Pi day! Also happy change your clock forward an hour and be grumpy about it for a few days day! I’ve set all the clocks in the house, the two in the bedroom, two in the kitchen, two in the living room, one on my left wrist, and one in my car. The computers and the phones and the TV all took care of themselves, although I’m still unused to the concept of my TV being in connection with the internet, but it is. I came to realize just yesterday that my TV has buttons on the remote for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which means, if I’m paying for either service (and I am paying for Amazon Prime), I can watch that stuff, which is coming from the internet, and not a broadcast TV signal, right there on my TV.

Sometimes I have to write it all down so it makes sense to me: The internet comes into our house through a cable. That cable hooks up to a modem, which also produces a wi-fi connection. In other words, the modem broadcasts a connection to the internet, and any of our devices that can grab that internet connection and use it can be set up to do so. Now the TV is receiving the internet wirelessly, and that’s how we can watch movies from Amazon Prime Video with just the modem and the TV. And if that wasn’t enough, my DVD player can also catch wi-fi signals, so my DVD player also has buttons for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video on the remote. Technology is beginning to move so quickly as to leave me occasionally befuddled at the magical properties of the shit I already own.

So, this past week was a teensy bit more consequential than others of recent memory. I had an initial interview for an auditor job at our casino, and I believe that interview went very well. Some of the interview questions did take me by surprise. The first question he asked once the interview began was: What makes you a wandering, bamboo-eating bear? I believe the intention was intended to discover whether he could make my head explode and cause me to soil myself with fear using only a single question. Then it occurred to me that he was asking about my email address, [email protected]. The ronin were wandering samurai, and the panda is a bamboo loving bear, so...aren’t you clever, Mr. Interview Guy! I then had to explain that I was a bearish fellow, and among bearish fellows, it’s frequently to our advantage to include an indication of bearishness in your email address. I didn’t bother explaining that I added the “ronin” part because I like being an enigma.

The rest of the interview went well, and seems to have qualified me for the next step, an in-person interview. This is at the Hollywood Casino Hotel and Raceway in Bangor. Apparently they do harness racing there. I would be a person in charge of compliance! I’d make sure the casino was adhering to the special federal laws about money changing hands, as well as the state laws and the corporate guidelines. Any time a customer wins $10,000 from the casino (or loses the same amount), the law requires paperwork. It’s all about detecting and deterring using casinos for laundering money. It’s not a very sexy job, but it’s in a sexy setting. Who knows what kind of perks may come with a casino job? Maybe I’ll get an occasional free show, or free meal in one of their restaurants, or a chance to pet the horses (which I assume are required for harness racing). Also it seems this is the only job I’ve ever had where there’s at least a chance that someone will push a cart with a million dollars on it past my desk while I work.

Stacy and I had a brief chat yesterday, and I fear I was grumpy, even though we had just received our stimulus bucks just the previous evening, causing us to be temporarily unpoor. It makes sense that this would be a time of good cheer, but...not really! We’d waited for it for months. It seemed so...modest, compared to the size of the crisis. America is so oddly reluctant to help the needy, and so oddly quick to decide that someone else’s need springs from their personal failures. When someone poor receives financial help, we’re even quick to judge whether they’re spending it responsibly or not, based on the contents of a shopping cart, without knowing a thing about their circumstances. Okay, off my soap box.

So Stacy started a chat with me yesterday, possibly thinking this would be one of the few times when I wouldn’t be preoccupied with poverty and my job hunt and my Covid concerns. Well I sure showed her! It is, indeed, nice to get $1400 from the government to help keep bills paid during a pandemic. But that amount buys me 3-4 weeks of keeping my head above water, during which I’m still quarantined, still at the end of my retirement savings, still mostly unemployed, but for the online work I’m doing for Amazon, still not vaccinated and unaware when I will be, etc. It’s like this money just took all the wolves at the door and shoved them back a few feet.

It reminds me of the time when, a few years back, the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. It was a time of great celebration, but all it did was piss me off. Why? Because I saw it this way: The law just recognized that gay people have the right to marry. This means being able to marry is my right. If it’s a right, then it’s a right that I’ve had this whole time. I don’t have a new right to marry my husband. All that’s happened is that the law is no longer preventing me from actually enjoying the use of this right. So thanks for the permission, assholes. Oh, and now I have to get married again. Because the first time I got married, it wasn’t legal, and I couldn’t afford to travel to a state where it was, so my wedding and marriage existed completely outside the law. And what are the chances that Texas would have approved of same sex marriage in my lifetime if they hadn’t been forced to? So yeah, sometimes when the “good” thing happens, like money from the government, I don’t feel exultant, I just feel like, “Well, now I’m breaking even finally. For a few weeks, then I go back to being fucked again.”

But I don’t wish to turn into Mr. Sour Grapes. The $1400 from the government would also be a bigger deal if I didn’t feel like I was about to get a job. (I think the casino will hire me. And they should, because I’m awesome, and I genuinely enjoy fiddly, esoteric paperwork.) So having said all that, yay, we just got $2,800 from the government, and we’re temporarily non-impoverished! It’s still too risky to see our friends face to face, but I have this month’s stupidly large kerosene and utility bills covered. It’s well-timed in that regard. And I could always blow the casino interview. That’s not my desired result, but it would sure make the stimulus check more meaningful. Well, except that just sounds like I’m being bitter again. Not so! It will be nice to worry less about income for a spell, and even if (when) I get the job, it’ll be a while before my first paycheck gets deposited.

A couple of final notes. We just found out in the past couple of days that there are two things Maine does not have. First, Maine does not have billboards. I lived here for a year and a half, and I never noticed the lack of billboards. I just checked, there are a few billboards in Maine, but they have to advertise state shit, like “Attend the University of Maine!” and they can’t exceed 25 feet in height. So no billboards to tell you where the next hotel, or gas station, or world’s largest ball of twine is. The second new thing we discovered that Maine doesn’t have is Red Lobster. Maine, the state where all the lobsters live, does not have any Red Lobster restaurants. I expected to find no Dairy Queens, and instead I found that Old Town has a Dairy Queen, but there’s no Red Lobster closer than Massachusetts.

Can’t believe it’s already 10:30 a.m. here in the Eastern time zone! Oh, Daylight Savings Time, you scalawag! Since it’s Sunday, and since I have my next interview on Tuesday, I’m not going to bust my ass doing Amazon work today. Instead, I’m going to show Zach the movie Children of a Lesser God, because he’s never seen it, and we’re going to enjoy what will probably be the last nice-sized snowfall of the season. It’s snowing lightly now, and it’s beautiful!

Keep tha faith! All my love to you both!

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josephlrushing · 4 years

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Gear Diary’s Father’s Day 2020 Gift Guide and Giveaway

June 21st is Father’s Day. Let that sink in for a moment; we are already halfway through 2020. While it may seem like this has been the longest year ever, there are still six more months just waiting to spring their surprises on us — which is all the more reason to take a minute, slow down, and celebrate the fathers in our lives.

We’ve got some great gift suggestions if you’re stumped on what to give Dad this year. We’ve also got some fab prizes to give away, so be sure to check out our giveaway at the end of this guide.

Pitaka Air Tray

If your dad always forgets where he left his daily-carry items like keys, wallet, or phone, then he needs a tray where he can keep his things organized. But not just any tray. The $129 Pitaka Air Tray, available in Crystal Silver or Obsidian Black, is an elegant catch-all for the contents of Dad’s pockets. There’s room in its microfiber-lined well to hold a combination of small items; even better, there’s a three-coil aramid pad on the left that can charge any Qi-enabled mobile device with up to 10W fast wireless charging. The tray measures approximately 9.4″ long by 6.75″ wide by 0.5″ deep, so it should fit on a bedside table or a table near the front door. You can get 15% off Pitaka items sitewide with the code SUPERDAD.

Lenovo Ecco Pro Backpack

If your favorite father is eco-minded, then he will appreciate the new $81 Lenovo Eco Pro Backpack. Made with the equivalent of 34 plastic water bottles, the Eco Pro Backpack was is a limited edition designed in honor of Earth Day 2020. The backpack has plenty of pockets and compartments for Dad’s laptop, water bottles, and extra gear. It has a hidden pocket on the breathable mesh back to keep his valuables safe, and there’s an integrated luggage strap for sliding the backpack onto the handle of his carry-on, once it’s safe for Dad to start traveling again.

DaVinci IQ2 Vaporizer

Okay, so a vaporizer might seem like an odd gift for dad. But, depending on where dad lives or what medical conditions he might have, this just could be the best gift you’ve ever given him. The $295 DaVinci IQ2 Vaporizer has a refined metal shell that looks and feels like something that came out of Apple’s creative minds. And it’s packed with technology. Dad will be able to customize his cannabis experience through precision temperature and adjustable airflow, and he’ll also be able to track and report his dose per draw and per session.

Yale Assure Lock SL

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The Yale Assure Lock SL is a deadbolt-replacing smart lock with a built-in keypad. If you add a Connected by August module, Dad can enjoy remote control and third-party integrations through the August app, or he can set temporary codes through the keypad for when you and your family come to visit. You can bundle the Assure Lock SL with a matching Yale Navis Paddle for $199, which enables contactless access for Dad by allowing push or pull entry with his hip or elbow.

OnePlus 8 Series Phones

On the left is the OnePlus 8 in Interstellar Glow (it’s hard to photograph!), and on the right is the OnePlus 8 Pro in matte Glacial Green.

If Dad hasn’t upgraded his phone in some time, you might want to test his reception to moving on to something more current and powerful. The OnePlus 8 series Includes two 5G-ready models, the OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8 Pro. If Dad has always wanted an ultra-premium flagship phone with all of the bells and whistles — including a larger display with a fast refresh rate, a top of the line processor, water and dust resistance, long-lasting battery life, and an excellent camera — then he’s a perfect candidate for the OnePlus 8 Pro. On the other hand, the OnePlus 8 would be perfect for Dad if he’s expressed interest in a compact premium smartphone that won’t make him trade the flagship features he wants for pocketability. The OnePlus 8 starts at $699, and the OnePlus 8 Pro starts at $899. Also, Dad can get three months of Google One with 100GB storage for free with the purchase of a OnePlus 8 Series phone. Check out the offer here.

ZAGG Messenger Folio (for 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 10.2-inch iPad, iPad Air 3)

For under $60, the ZAGG Messenger Folio keyboard case will finally help Dad realize that iPads aren’t just consumption devices; with the right keyboard case, Apple’s tablets become powerful productivity tools. This offering from ZAGG lets dad get to work without breaking the bank, and it even has a spot for his Apple Pencil.

Aukey Car Mounts

My Jeep Wrangler has a near-vertical windshield, which never seems to play well with windshield mounts. What I like most about these two Aukey mounts, in particular, is that they can attach to the top of the dash rather than the windshield, ensuring that they will work in just about any vehicle. Both of these mounts securely attach to a car’s dashboard via sticky-pad or with the included sticker base.

Aukey Magnetic Car Mount

If your dad’s phone is kept in a case that has embedded metal plates (so that it will work with magnetic mounts), he’s going to love the $21.99 Aukey Magnetic Car Mount. The mount’s arm is adjustable, and it can rotate 360º; a ball-joint allows for easy tilt adjustment so Dad can set his phone where it best serves him while driving. The padded circular mount has four strong magnets embedded in it to hold Dad’s phone securely. If he needs to charge his phone while driving, Dad can easily attach a cable. Also included with the dash mount are two metal plates, a small one and a larger one, that can be affixed to the back of Dad’s phone (or inside his case). That way, his phone will work with the mount if he doesn’t already have a magnetic mount compatible phone case.

Aukey Arm Car Mount

If Dad’s not the only one who drives “his” car, a dash mount that works with every phone — no matter its case — would be a great gift, and the $19.99 Aukey Arm Car Mount fits the bill. The mount uses a grippy silicon sticker to attach to the dashboard, but if Dad’s dash is uneven or he finds the mount isn’t holding securely, he can also use the included sticker to make it stay in place. Rather than magnets to secure Dad’s phone, this mount uses a quick-release grippy holster to hold smartphones that are up to 3.8″ wide (including their case). Dad can swivel the arm up or down, and the holster 360º, to get a personalized viewing angle.

Lenovo Smart Display 7 with Google Assistant

As perfect for the top of Dad’s desk as it is on a kitchen counter, the $99.99 Lenovo Smart Display 7 is a compact device that combines the power of Google Assistant with a 7″ screen. It’s perfect for watching recipe videos when Dad’s making his latest batch of sourdough bread. He can also use it to stream music, to listen to audiobooks, to control his smart home devices, as a digital photo frame, to keep up with the family’s schedule, or when Dad simply wants a quick answer to a random question. Give Dad the convenience of Google Assistant coupled with a 7″ touchscreen; he can even use it to make video calls with Google Duo. Even better, if Dad is concerned about his privacy, there are built-in security features, including the TrueBlock Privacy Shutter for the camera and a mute microphone button.

Anker Powerline II 3′ Long USB-C to USB-C Cable

If Dad needs an extra charging cable for his laptop or tablet, the 19.99 Anker Powerline II 3′ Long USB-C to USB-C Cable is an excellent option. This cable is rated for up to 10Gbps speeds during data transfer; it can also handle audio, a 4K video signal, and it has an E-marker chip so that it can safely deliver up to 100W (5A) of power. The Powerline II is USB-IF certified, and it’s built to last with a rubber coating and an integrated velcro cable tie. Anker is so confident that this cable will work well and hold up with Dad’s use that they’ve given it a hassle-free lifetime warranty. Get Dad two!

Philips SmartSleep Connected Sleep and Wake-Up Light

If Dad is struggling to find a good sleep routine, he’s in good company these days. But if you want to help him get things back one track, the $219.95 Philips SmartSleep Connected Sleep and Wake-Up Light can help. You can help Dad find his perfect sleeping and waking environment. A built-in AmbiTrack sensor will measure and keep track of Dad’s bedroom’s temperature, noise, light, and humidity levels, and it will give him recommendations for better sleep. He’ll be able to customize alarms, lights, sounds, with new colored sunrise and sunset themes through the SleepMapper App. The SmartSleep Connected Sleep and Wake-Up Light also has an FM radio, power back up, USB mobile phone charging, an AUX dock with a quality speaker, a full dim clock, and a smart touch display.

Moshi USB-C to HDMI Adapter

If you like to provide your dad with solutions that will make his life more efficient, then the $44.95 moshi USB-C to HDMI adapter with charging is going to be of interest. This adapter connects to any USB-C laptop, mobile phone, or tablet; an HDMI cable can then link between his phone and a nearby television, monitor, or projector. So whether Dad is trying to connect his phone to the HDTV to show you his latest TikTok video in 4K (60fps) HDR, or he’s using his phone to beam a PowerPoint presentation through a projector at his next art club meeting, Dad’s going to love finding all the ways this adapter will come in handy. Best of all, he can keep his device’s battery topped off by plugging in a USB-C power cable into the adapter. Good stuff!

Luno Life Air Mattress

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Car-camping is a thing. Whether Dad just wants to enjoy bear-country campgrounds from the safety of his locked car or he wants a fast and easy way to con mom or one of the kids into camping without all of the extra tent-management fuss, the $224.99 Luno Life Air Mattress is the perfect solution. The 4″ thick Luno Air Mattress converts the back of Dad’s SUV into a comfortable place to sleep; the adjustable air mattress is available to fit in over 1800 vehicles and is made of pet-friendly, durable fabric. The Luno Life Air Mattress takes just five minutes to set up; it can accommodate up to two people who are 6’2″ tall or shorter, and it can hold up to 600 pounds total weight. Dad and his camp-mate can tailor their side’s mattress firmness to the perfect level with the adjustment valve, and the O-Beam construction will give them stable full-body support. The kit includes both sides of the Luno Air Mattress topper, two base extenders, a 12V air pump, a repair patch, and a carrying case — everything Dad will need for a comfortable weekend (or longer) away!

Withings Steel HR

If Dad likes the idea of wearing a fitness and sleep tracker, but he doesn’t want to look like he’s wearing one, he’s going to love the Withings Steel HR. Sized at 36mm or 40mm, and with options like different case colors, glass or sapphire crystals, and beautiful bands to choose from, there is a Steel HR for everyone. It’s not only a beautiful watch, but the Steel HR series is also practical. It will help Dad keep track of his heart rate, steps taken (and distance), caloric expenditure, sleep duration and quality, and his workouts. The Steel HR works in tandem with the Withings Health Mate app to keep all of dad’s health information in one place. With the current sale, prices for the Steel HR start at $119.95 for the 36mm regular steel case, and they go up to $239.95 for the 40mm Sapphire Signature in black with a slate grey face.

August Wi-Fi Smart Lock

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The $249 August Wi-Fi Smart Lock installs over the existing hardware on Dad’s door, which is perfect if he is living in a rental or retirement community; the Smart Lock has a sleek and compact design so it will look great installed. The August WiFi-Smart Lock can be paired with a $59 August Keypad so he can activate it with a simple PIN code.

Samson Satellite USB/iOS Broadcast Microphone

So Dad wants to be a podcaster? The first step is getting him the right tools. There are some great microphones available that won’t break the bank but, if you want one that looks cool, is simple to use, and that’s affordable, look no further than the $99 Samson Satellite USB/iOS Broadcast Microphone. The microphone is plug and play, and it will capture high-definition audio on Dad’s computer, iPhone, or iPad. It features 24-bit/96kHz audio, three selectable pickups patterns, and fold-back leg design for tabletop use, but it can also connect to a microphone stand.

Tivic Health ClearUp Sinus Pain Relief Device

If Dad suffers from sinus pain, he’s probably tried everything from nasal sprays to hot compresses trying to get the pain to stop, so that he could continue to function. Carly gave the Tivic Health ClearUp device a try last year to manage her sinus pain, and she had excellent results. The ClearUp device is non-invasive and chemical-free. You can read more about the science behind how it works here. Ordinarily, the ClearUp device costs $149; right now, Tivic Health is running a Father’s Day promo that lowers the price for one to $119 with free shipping (use code tvreliefbuy1) or for two to $223 (use code tvreliefbuy2) if you buy from their site; on Amazon, you can get two for $233 with no code necessary. When you purchase, Tivic Health will donate $5 from each purchase to the American Nurses Foundation. We have a giveaway going on until midnight CST on June 15th for one Tivic Health ClearUp device; you can enter here.

Power Banks

Whether Dad needs a way to top off his mobile phone or laptop when he’s on the go, there is an Aukey power bank that can help. These are two of my favorites.

Aukey 18W PD 20,000mAh USB-C Power Bank

At first glance, this may look like the typical power bank, but at 7.75″ long by 3.75″ wide by 0.5″ thick, the $48.99 Aukey 18W PD 20,000mAh USB-C Power Bank is a bit longer and broader than the typical slim external battery pack. It all makes sense, though, when you realize that this power bank packs 20,000mAh! That’s enough for Dad to charge his 12.9″ iPad Pro once fully, his iPhone XS six times, his Samsung Galaxy Note9 four times, or his Google Pixel 3 more than five times. If he’s got one of the new flagship phones with a 5,000mAh battery, he can charge it up to four times. But this isn’t just a slim, high-capacity battery; The Aukey 18W PD Power Bank also has two USB Type-C Power Delivery (PD) ports and three USB Type-A ports, one of which has QuickCharge 3.0; it can output (as the name suggests) up to 18W of power. The package even includes a Type-C to Type-C cable, so Dad can PD charge his Android phone, Android tablet, or new iPad right out of the box. A low-current charging mode will make sure that low-current devices like headphones or fitness trackers never get a higher current than they can handle. Weighing in at 14.7 ounces, this power bank is an excellent option for Dad to keep in his backpack or gear bag.

Aukey PB-Y24 Universal Power Bank

If Dad has been looking for an external battery pack that can charge just about anything and everything, he’ll be thrilled to get the $79.99 Aukey PB-Y24 Universal Power Bank. The PB-24 has a massive 26,800mAh capacity, and it has two USB Type-C ports that can deliver up to 65W PD, which is more than enough to power a 13″ MacBook Pro or a Google Pixelbook Go at full speed. It also has an old(er)-school Type-A USB port with QuickCharge 3.0. The power back has built-in safety-checks to protect your mobile devices from excessive current, overheating, and overcharging. This battery pack also has a low-current charging mode to safeguard your lower-current devices, and it has built-in safety features to protect Dad’s devices from excessive current, overheating, or overcharging. For what it can do, this battery is surprisingly smaller than expected; it measures approximately 6.5″ long by 3.4″ wide by 1.2″ thick, and it weighs 1 pound 4.8 ounces. The package includes a mesh storage pouch and a Type-C to Type-C cable.

ISOtunes Pro 2.0

The $99.99 ISOTUNES Pro 2.0 are wireless in-ear headphones that have a wired connection between the two earbuds; they feature at least 16 hours of battery life, IP67 dust and water resistance, and background noise-canceling for calls. They are even OSHA and NIOSH approved, and they have a SafeMax 85dB volume limit. Some people prefer true wireless headphones, but others prefer to have this cable due to the improved battery life and in-ear stability. We’re betting that Dad might prefer these.

Austere III Series Clean & Protect Kit

What does Dad use when it’s time to clean his HDTV’s screen? If you’re not sure, then a gift of the $29.99 Austere III Series Clean & Protect Kit might be in order. This kit includes a two-sided cleaning cloth as well as a 6.8-ounce bottle of Austere’s antibacterial, unscented, and ammonia-free solution which cleans streak-free and without harming electronics or their displays. Dad will be able to use it to keep his desktop computer, his laptop, his phones — pretty much any of his electronics — clean and streak-free.

Qalo Silicone Ring

If Dad has a hobby or job that makes wearing his wedding ring unsafe or uncomfortable, he might appreciate a Qalo Silicone Ring. Qalo Rings are made with comfort, safety, durability, and fashion in mind. Prices depend on the ring you choose, but even the most expensive ones are around $39.95 when they aren’t on sale. The rings come in lots of colors and styles, so there’s sure to be one that he’ll like. For Father’s Day, Qalo is giving 25% off sitewide with no need for a coupon. They’ve also got a few Father’s Day Dad Packs priced at $49.99; they include a set of three rings in his size, a travel case for the rings, and a gift box.

Thanks to some very generous sponsors, we have one of each of the following to give away:

• Lenovo ThinkBook 13s-IWL (value $800)

• Lenovo Smart Display 7 (value $99.99)

• Austere Clean and Protect Kit (value $29.99)

• Aukey PB-Y24 Universal Power Bank ($79.99 value)

• Philips SmartSleep Connected Sleep and Wake-Up Light ($219.95 value)

We will choose a winner for each prize at random and in the order of the prizes shown; you can enter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Rules:

• Please be sure that you have [email protected] whitelisted in your email settings.

• Our giveaway will run from 6:00 pm on June 9th to Midnight on June 16th, 2020.

• Due to shipping fees, this giveaway is open only to people with a continental USA mailing address; if your address shows as out of the country, we will be forced to pick a new winner.

• If you are chosen as the winner, you will have two weeks to respond to my email. If you do not respond, on the 15th day, we will be forced to pick a new winner.

Thank you for your understanding, and Good Luck!

from Joseph Rushing https://geardiary.com/2020/06/09/gear-diarys-fathers-day-2020-gift-guide-and-giveaway/

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siva3155 · 4 years

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300+ TOP BROADCAST Objective Questions and Answers

BROADCAST Multiple Choice Questions :-

1. The acronym FM stands for A. frequency modes B. filter modulation C. frequency modulation D. filter methodology E. future mediocrity ANS:- C 2. According to studies, the quarter of the hour with the largest listening audience is A. 0 - 15 min B. 15 - 30 min C. 30 - 45 min D. 45 - 60 min ANS:- A 3. Which scientist is credited with the discovery the existence of radio waves A. Thomas Edison B. Heinrich Hertz C. Ben Franklin D. Guglielmo Marconi E. Albert Einstein ANS:-B 4. Which inventor conducted the first radio transmission in the year 1895 A. Thomas Edison B. Heinrich Hertz C. Ben Franklin D. Guglielmo Marconi E. Albert Einstein ANS:-D 5. Which single event resulted in global acceptance of 24 hour mandatory use of radio for shipping communications A. The 'War of the Worlds' broadcast B. The attack on Pearl Harbor C. The crash of the Hindenburg Zeppelin D. The sinking of the S.S. Titanic E. Hitler's invasion of Poland ANS:-D 6. Morse Code is what form of radio transmission A. AM (Amplitude modulation) B. FM (Frequency Modulation) C. PDM (Pulse Duration Modulation) D. PCS (Personal Communications Services) E. PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) ANS:-C 7. FM broadcasts are assigned what radio frequencies by the FCC A. 540 kHz - 1630 kHz B. 88 MHz - 174 MHz C. 300 MHz - 3000 MHz D. 1850 MHz - 1990 MHz E. 7.25 gHz - 8.4 gHz ANS:-B 8. Line of sight propagation is defined as A. A signal traveling directly from the transmitter antenna to the receiver antenna B. The 'dead area' within the skip zone C. A signal refracted, or bent back to the earth by the ionosphere D. A signal traveling along the ground following the curve of the earth E. None of the above ANS:-A 9. The term 'Picket Fencing' is used to describe A. Slats of wood that divide one receiver from another B. The actuality of direct and reflecting waves first canceling then reinforcing each other, causing fluttering of the transmission C. The actuality of direct and reflecting waves canceling each other, but not reinforcing, thus causing fluttering of the transmission D. None of the above E. All of the above (Your Answer) ANS:-B 10. At night, AM transmissions can be received from great distances because A. There are fewer stations broadcasting B. There is less traffic on the roads to cause interference C. The dissipation of the 'D' layer of the ionosphere D. All of the above E. None of the above ANS:-C

BROADCAST MCQs 11. The type of cable used to send a program from the broadcast amplifier to the transmission antenna is called A. XLR B. TRS C. RCA D. Coaxial E. TT/Batham ANS:-D 12. Satellite transmissions work on what kind of signal A. AM B. FM C. UHF D. VHF E. PCM ANS:-E 13. Lavaliere mics are used widely in TV broadcasting because A. They are unidirectional and reject ambient noise B. They are dynamic and add no bed noise C. They are small and nonintrusive to the video camera's view D. They are unidirectional and reject ambient noise and they are dynamic and add no bed noise E. All of the above ANS:-C 14. Omnidirectional mics are used in field recordings for A. Capturing ambiance B. They are impervieous to the proximity effect. C. Capturing more than one source at a time D. All of the above E. None of the above ANS:-D 15. An obstacle of using hand operated 'booms' or 'fish pole' stands is A. they are illegal in many states B. The operator's arms may tire from long use C. They're expensive D. Mic can interfere with the camera view if it drops into frame E. The operator's arms may tire from long use AND the mic can interfere with the camera view if it drops into frame ANS:-E 16. Miking sporting events requires sound pickups from what sources A. Announcers B. The crowd C. The action D. All of the above E. None of the above ANS:-D 17. The process of temporarily lowering the volume of a recording (or any source) in order to speak over it is called A. A quick fade B. A drop out C. A donut D. A hole E. None of the above ANS:-C 18. What two factors determine sky-wave propagation between two points? A. the frequency in use B. the level of humidity in the air C. the level of ionization D. the level of humidity in the air & the level of ionization E. the frequency in use & the level of ionization ANS:-E 19. The highest frequency at which the ionosphere bends radio waves back to Earth is called A. air B. non-conductive materials C. space D. all of the above E. none of the above ANS:- D 20. VSWR is a measure of an impedance mismatch between A. the antenna and the receiver B. the transmission line and its load C. the compressor and the oscillator D. the antenna and the receiver & the transmission line and its load E. all of the above ANS:- B 21. The optimum standing wave ratio is A. 1:1 B. 2:1 C. 3:1 D. 4:1 E. 5:1 ANS:- A 22. a 'cart' is used in broadcast productions for A. P.S.A.'s B. sound effects C. commercials D. all of the above E. none of the above ANS:- D 23. The largest amount of broadcasting air time is dedicated to A. sit-coms B. news C. commercials D. dramas E. sporting events ANS:- B 24. A downward 45 degree angle of a D.J.'s vocal mic is used to A. help reduce sibilance B. help reduce plosives C. help reduce ambient noise D. help reduce phase problems from reflected waves E. help reduce sibilance & help reduce ambient noise ANS:- B 25. 'Split-Channel' mixers are used primarily for: A. Film production B. T.V. production C. Music production D. Radio production E. Radio and T.V. broadcasts ANS:- E 26. DARS brodcast systems use hybrid transmitters known as: A. ICBM Systems B. POTS Systems C. ISDN Systems D. Phased Array Systems E. IBOC Systems ANS:- E 27. What frequencies are allocated by the FCC for commercial AM transmitions? A. 88Mghz-175Mghz B. 275Khz-1750Khz C. 106Mghz-1250Mghz D. 540Khz-1630Khz E. 160Khz-1900Khz ANS:-D 28. The communication system used between principal production crew members and the talent is called... A. IFB: Interruptable Foldback System B. SA: Studio Address System C. PL: Private Line System D. SMS: Studio Monitor System E. CMS: Crew Monitor System ANS:- A 29. XM and Sirius use what type of transmission systems? A. AM B. FM C. DARS D. S-DARS E. IBOC ANS:- D 30. The primary purpose of radio is to convey information from one place to another through A. air B. non-conductive materials C. space D. all of the above E. none of the above ANS:- D 31. Sometimes a radio manager, seeing a weakness in a rival station, will: A. Adopt that station's format, hoping to do it better and lure away listeners B. Exploit the weakness through an aggressive negative-advertising campaign C. Avoid using the same music format, fearing that it may be inherently weak D. Try to develop a network of spies within the rival station to make it weaker E. None of the above ANS:- A 32. Media corporations are said to be seeking synergy when they: A. Replace their accounting firms with in-house auditors B. Break ground for broadcast stations in new locations C. Sell off stations to avoid violating FCC ownership rules D. Get into carriage battles with local cable systems E. Acquire companies that can work together in creative ways ANS:- E 33. The TV program credited with (or blamed for) making profitability mandatory in news is: A. PBS' McNeil-Lehrer News Hour B. CBS' 60 Minutes C. CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 D. ABC's 20-20 E. CNBC's The News with Brian Williams ANS:- B 34. Networks and their affiliates have argued over how much a network has to pay a station in: A. Licensing fees B. Barter minutes C. Compensation (comp.) D. Accounting credits E. Advertising funds ANS:- C 35. One major breakthrough in the development of the personal computer was the addition of icons and visual links to replace text-based commands in the computer's operating system. This innovation was called: A. Pulse Code Modulation B. Quantization C. Graphic User Interface (GUI) D. Sampling E. Data Storage ANS:- C BROADCAST Objective type Questions with Answers 37. The number of local TV stations in the country from which newscasts flow is about: A. 600 B. 800 C. 1,000 D. 300 E. None of the Above ANS:- B 38. In order to describe the speed of bits flowing in data streams, engineers refer to "bit rates," which are measured in: A. Frequencies B. Cycles C. Hertz D. Bits per Second (bps) E. Bytes (kilo, mega, giga) ANS:- D 39. The term "bit" is formed by compressing two terms; they are: A. Binary, Digit B. Binary, Terminal C. Basic, Intelligence D. Broadcast, Digital E. None of the above ANS:- A 40. On average, TV-news salaries are very low, starting at little more than: A. $18,000 a year B. $700 a week C. $20,000 a year D. $1,500 a month E. $25,000 a year ANS:- C 41. The Swedish engineer whose design was to rethink analogous waves of energy in terms of dots and dashes was: A. Harry Nyquist B. Claude Shannon C. Warren Weaver D. John Mauchly E. J. Presper Eckert ANS:- A 42. Overall, the largest sector of U.S. broadcast journalism today is: A. Public-Radio News B. Syndicated Radio News C. Network TV News D. Local TV news E. Local Radio News ANS:- D 43. The only true broadcasters in the U.S. system are: A. Fiber-Optics Webs B. Broadcast Networks C. Cable Systems D. Local Stations E. Internet Sites ANS:- D 44. One tool that many radio stations use to analyze the timing and competitiveness of their programs is the: A. Music Chart B. Hot Clock C. Playlist D. Computer E. Newsletter ANS:- B 45. A fundamental change from the 1970's is that big-time television today no longer has: A. News divisions as "loss leaders" B. African-American correspondents C. Assignment desks D. Labor unions E. Foreign bureaus ANS:- A 46. The broadcast industry rests on a three-legged stool of these economic factors: A. Station, Station Group, Network B. Broadcaster, Producer, Advertiser C. Revenue, Payroll, Profit D. Researcher, Producer, Marketer E. Broadcaster, Audience, Advertiser ANS:- E 47. This part of the personal computer is important because it translates software applications for the CPU. A. Operating System (OS) B. Storage Memory C. Random Access Memory (RAM) D. Floppy Disk Drive E. Mouse ANS:- A 48. In the basic transaction in commercial broadcasting, A. Consumers buy programs directly from networks B. Advertisers sell their products to audiences C. Advertisers buy shows from production companies D. Networks buy programs from affiliated stations E. Broadcasters sell their audiences to advertisers ANS:- E 49. Unlike most countries, the United States began early to allow broadcasting to operate as: A. A national treasure B. Private enterprise C. An arm of government D. The chief entertainer E. None of the above ANS:- B 50. If a TV network broadcasts a female-oriented sitcom when its top rival is airing a pro football game, that's usually called: A. Evasive Action B. Audience Raiding C. Hammocking D. Block Tentpoling E. Counterprogramming ANS:- E 51. Which advertising medium has the advantage of low costs, flexibility, and effectiveness? A. Radio B. Television C. CD-ROMs D. Video ANS:-A 52. What advertising medium typically runs for four to six minutes and is used to showcase a property to prospects before they visit? A. Radio B. Television C. CD-ROMs D. Video ANS:-D 53. What type of advertisement is most successful when it is visual, grabs attention, and has an identity all of its own? A. Radio B. Television C. CD-ROMs D. Video ANS:-B 54. Broadcast faxing is: A. an excellent saturation medium that can enhance a message with visuals. B. used to get a message to a number of prospects at the same time. C. a system in which the hospitality firm gives selected travel intermediaries or other target markets a special fax number they may call to receive its latest information at any time. D. a high-quality presence that can quickly provide new information to consumers. ANS:- B 55. Which of the following is an advantage of Internet advertising? A. High saturation B. Long shelf life C. Quick updates D. Highly targeted ANS:- C 56. Video brochures have a higher storage capacity than CD-ROMs. A. True B. False ANS:-B 57. Travel services on the Internet serve as an online directory of properties. A. True B. False ANS:-A 58. Television advertising is expensive as hotels must pay for both airtime and production. A. True B. False ANS:-A 59. It is important to determine audience demographics and develop targeted ads when advertising on television. A. True B. False ANS:- A 60. The Internet is an inherently interactive medium, so it isn’t necessary for a property Website to build in interactivity. A. True B. False ANS:- B 61. __________ is the measurement of the opening in a lens of a camera that allows a specific amount of light to be let in . A. composition B. aperture C. diffusion D. focal length ANS:- B 62. _______ is the term for removing and dismantling sets after a production. A. cleanup B. strike C. break down D. load out ANS:- C 63. What do the letters C.C.D stand for? A. charge coupled device B. crispy creme donuts C. charge current distribution D. common cathode disc ANS:- A 64. Dimmer is part of a camera . A. True B. False ANS:- B 65. Switcher is part of lighting. A. True B. False ANS:- B 66. F-Stop can be found on the camera. A. True B. False ANS:- A 67. Match cuts are found in editing. A. True B. False ANS:- A 68. What is the correct kelvin temperature of indoor videography? A. 5600 Degrees B. 7200 Degrees C. 1200 Degrees D. 3200 Degrees ANS:- D 69. What is the correct exterior kelvin temperature for daytime exterior videography? A. 5600 Degrees B. 3200 Degrees C. 7200 Degrees D. 1200 Degrees ANS:- A 70. What does RGB signify? A. Rig, Ballast, Grid B. Right, Bright, Great C. Ring, Bing, Gring D. Red, Blue, Green ANS:- D BROADCAST Questions and Answers pdf Download Read the full article

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guidetorecording-blog · 5 years

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6 Important Things To Consider When Selecting An Audio Interface For Music Recording At Home

The audio port is effectively the center of any personal computer based home recording studio and thus it's extremely important to make the proper selection so that you receive the best results because a wrong decision will restrict you in what you need to reach with your songs.

Besides budget constraints there are a couple different items to ask yourself before you plonk your hard earned money to fulfil that dream to acquire some music listed.

1 Do you want to have an internal sound card or an external audio port unit in a box?

My very first recording setup consisted of an inner audio card installed in a purpose built in computer to match the requirements of this card. So far as budget goes this could be a economical alternative as you aren't paying to get a situation and controllers but you'll be restricted in inputs and outputs as a sound card isn't especially large. Additionally just a tiny setup understanding is vital and you might want to have underneath the hood to tweak a couple of things ahead of your port card shows up on your computer control preferences. This sort of unit is generally restricted to pc towers that also restricts you marginally in portability.

An outboard port on the other hand is generally easier to install and get running. You'll need to pay more because you're receiving an instance and knobs, link cable etc along with some type of indication that the unit is operating displayed on front panel. Another benefit is the simple removal and link to a notebook that's becoming far more commonplace as CPU speeds have grown.

2 Ask yourself what are you planning to document?

Clearly what you're attempting to record will have a large effect on your final selection of port. By way of instance in the event that you merely wish to plug into a guitar and also document a vocal later for developing a demo with no other monitors you might well get away using one channel USB audio port (or inner audio card) with a few fundamental light recording applications (which will normally be bundled together with your device) which should work good.

On the other hand in case you're shooting an whole band all with different microphones for your vocals, drums along with inputs like computer keyboards, bass and guitar such as (and you wished to feed them into your computer so that you might use consequences and do a little editing on a few of the singers, then you're taking a look at a multi station interface using 8, 16 or more sound resources plugging right into it.

If you're a solo artist subsequently a 16 channel sound port could be overkill and you'd likely get by just fine using a 2 or 4 channel apparatus that would permit you to do everything you desired (you'd only need to plug and unplug because you altered tools to microphones).

3 Will you be needing to work with midi later on?

Another thing to think about is if you're aspiring to utilize midi in which case you'd go for an interface which includes that as a input signal and output signal because it might be more economical to buy 1 device with sound and midi joint than 2 boxes of tips to hook up and organize on your own desk.

4 Are you looking to travel and record on the go?

Then consider a mobile unit that's hardy and fast to establish. There are a couple of manufacturers that create sound interfaces which just operate through USB or firewire and plug into a notebook and function without needing an outside power source meaning that you could literally capture in the center of the desert in the event that you wanted to (but that is another story).

5 What operating system are you really going to be working with?

Are you a Mac user? Windows or Linux? Many ports will operate on both the Apple and Windows systems along with a little handful will play fine with Linux however you'll need to have a look at the Linux communities to determine which will function OK.

USB 2.0 is pretty much a trivial connector for a number of the smaller ports and it works pretty well. Firewire is dependable but more Mac friendly compared to windows because not all of firewire cards installed in windows machinery function with no problem.

6 What recording software are you planning to operate?

You can usually get a fairly good deal with all the bundled software that accompanies the hardware since most devices provide something quite decent nowadays. Most ports will collaborate with any of the significant DAW apps which are available on the market. Consider this when you've got a particular individual in mind and discover whether the port you're considering will encourage it.

Concluding comments.

Choosing the proper sound interface to match your recording needs can save you frustration and time as you'll have the ability to begin fast and the technical difficulties setting up will probably be solved until you start. Do take the opportunity to do just a little study (review websites are a fantastic place to begin ) before you buy and your purchasing decision will end up being a great one.

Mark Spivey is a musician composer from Australia who also introduces novices into the wonderful world of producing, recording and promoting their music.

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bestpricesmartphone · 5 years

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Cell-phones

Cell phones have changed the way we live, work and play. Nobody knows exactly how many small plastic handsets there are in the world, but the best guess is that there are about 7.9 billion subscriptions. That the population of the planet. In developing countries, where large-scale fixed networks are scarce, over 90% of phones are cell phones. Cell phones are radio phones that route their calls through a network of masts connected to the main public telephone network. Here’s how they work. Cell phones use wireless technology.

Even if they do exactly the same job, landline phones and cell phones work in a different way. Calls are carried by fixed lines as well as electrical wires. Cut out satellites, fiber optic cables, changing desks, with other razzmatazz, and fixed lines are not so different from the toy phone that you could have made from a piece of string and a number of boxes of baked beans. The words you are finally talking about traveling down a direct and wired connection between 2 handsets. What is different about a cell phone is that it can receive and send calls without wired connections of any kind.

How does he do that? Using infrared radio waves to receive and send the sounds that would normally travel on the wires. Whether you’re sitting at home, walking on the road, driving a car, or getting on a train, you’re bathing in a sea of waves. TV and radio applications, signals from radio-controlled vehicles, wireless phone calls and even wireless bells, all these things work with energy: undulating patterns of magnetism and power that zap and glide invisibly away at the speed of light. Cellular networks are by far the fastest source of energy in the world around us.

The post Cell-phones appeared first on Best Price SmartPhone.

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techabrelcom · 6 years

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Best Podcast Microphone 2018 (Best Sound For Your $$)

Be the host of your own show. Podcasting provides a platform for anyone who wants to share views on any subject under the sun. To do that, however, you will need to gather the necessary equipment and set up your own home studio. Be careful when choosing your mic as it will have the biggest impact on the quality of the recording. Sure, you can use your laptop’s built-in mic but that won’t yield inspiring results. Try to get the best podcast microphone that you can afford and you’ll never look back. Below are a few options that you may want to consider:

Our Recommendations for Top Mics for Podcasting

Highest Quality

Rode Podcaster

Click here to check price on Amazon

The name itself makes it clear who the device was made for. This specialist microphone is great for those who are just starting out and want everything to be as simple as possible. It features a USB interface so it can plug directly into any computer without any hassles. Use any audio mixing software to capture the input and edit the shows. It has a 28mm dynamic capsule that picks up sound in a cardioid polar pattern. The range is good enough to allow a bit of movement while recording. However, it may also pick up unwanted noise in the background.

The all-metal body inspires confidence in the build and durability of the product. Indeed, the Rode Podcaster comes with a 10-year warranty. An LED power indicator and a built-in pop filter. Under the mic is a 3.5mm port for headphones, as well as volume control. It does not have gain control. Those who wish to monitor the things in real-time can plug into this port. The frequency response listed is 40Hz to 14KHz which is fine for voice recordings. People trying to record with musical instruments should look elsewhere. All in all, the unit serves its purpose very well.

Note – Also available in a bundle with the mic, shockmount and arm stand – click here for more info.

Heil PR-40

Click here to check price on Amazon

Here is another dynamic microphone that has been designed with voice in mind. It can be used not only for podcasting but also for voice overs and similar applications. Choose from different colors including chrome, champagne, and black & gold. It has a steel housing with an internal shield against noise from lighting fixtures and video monitors. There is no need to worry about handling and making adjustments on the fly as there is an internal Sorbothane shock mount. It features a cardioid pickup pattern that is able to reject off-axis noise thanks for the presence of four rear ports.

The mic comes with an internal filter and two mesh screens which serve to reduce pops and hisses. The presence of a formidable NdFeB magnet structure, along with a large and light mic element, enables the unit to provide dynamic range and high sound pressure levels of up to 148 dB SPL. This means you can enjoy natural sounds that are free from distortion. The frequency range is between 28 Hz and 18 KHz with impedance at 600 ohms. Note that, unlike the first two mics, the Heil PR-40 uses a more traditional 3-pin XLR connector.

Also available in a bundle with the mic, shockmount, mic cable and arm stand – click here for more info.

Mics For Podcasting Under $200

Blue Yeti USB Microphone

Click here to check price on Amazon

Anyone who is looking into USB microphones should consider the brand Blue. They have a massive presence in this product category, earning their popularity through affordable price tags and excellent performance. The Blue Yeti USB Microphone is an excellent example. This device has a metal body that includes a sturdy base to keep it in place on a desk. A peek underneath reveals a mini USB port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and mic stand attachment. Below the logo is a mute button with indicator light and a knob control for the headphone volume. There are also knobs for gain and pattern selection.

Like most USB mics, this one is also plug and play. Any computer with a modern OS should be able to recognize it right away and get it working. Sound quality is more than acceptable for podcasting with 16-bit 48KHz sampling rate. It is possible to choose between an omni-directional pattern and a cardioid pattern. The former is suited to round-table discussions while the latter is better for solo efforts. Experimentation may be needed to find the right settings. No software ships with the product but there are plenty of open source and commercial options online.

Other Options:

Bundle with a pop-filter and headphones – click here for more info

Other color options:

Black – click here for more info on the Blackout Edition.

Midnight Blue – click here for more info.

Space Grey – click here for more info.

Slate – click here for more info.

White – click here for more info on the Whiteout Edition.

Podcast Mics Under $100

Audio Technica AT2020

Click here to check price on Amazon

Audio Technica is a highly respected name when it comes to sound equipment. Podcasters who are aiming for professional quality audio would do well to consider their offerings including the AT2020. Just remember that this is not a USB mic so connecting it to a computer is not as straightforward. It needs an XLR cable which is sold separately. The only things you get in the package are the mic itself, a stand adapter, and a carrying pouch. On the bright side, this helps to cut down the price of the unit to $99 and even less at discount rates. One thing that was not compromised is the performance which the AT2020 knocks out of the ballpark.

Individuals that do not mind spending extra for a good stand, pop filter, shock mount, XLR cable, and other accessories will shrug off the sparse package. These are not that expensive anyway. Some may already have all of the gear necessary and are just looking for a mic upgrade. Podcasters who want to give their listeners the best aural experience should not think twice about this cardioid condenser mic. YouTubers who dabble music will also be served well by its wide range. Frequency response is excellent from 20 Hz up to 20 KHz.

Samson Meteor

Click here to check price on Amazon

The Samson Meteor is another USB mic for people who like to keep it simple. It comes in chrome, brushed nickel, and titanium black. The classic design is stylish yet smart and compact. It does not need a stand or a mount since its base is already composed of three short legs that fold out to support it like a tripod. When folded up, they protect the mic from bumps and bruises — ideal for traveling or long-term storage. It has a cardioid pattern which can pick up both vocals and instruments with ease. Even background voices can be captured without having to speak louder.

There is a mute switch, a headphone volume control, and an indicator light can be found at the front. The 1/8 inch headphone output port and the USB port can be found at the back. Underneath is a stand adapter for mounting on a different desktop stand or a boom. This mic does not need addition power via USB hub. Thus, it can be connected directly even to low-powered devices like tablets with no issues. No drivers are required. Just plug it in and start recording. Note that this does not have a gain adjustment on the mic so any changes must be made via software.

More color choices:

Chrome – click here for more info.

Brushed Nickel – click here for more info.

Bundle Options:

Samson Meteor Mic USB Studio Microphone large diaphragm, built-in monitoring + Samson Stereo Headphones + Pop Filter

Samson Meteor Mic USB Studio Microphone (Chrome) Bundle With SR350 Stereo Headphones

Samson SAMTR Meteor Mic with Adjustable Desk Mic Stand and Pop Filter

Audio Technica ATR2100

Click here to check price on Amazon

Another low-cost option from a reliable brand. The ATR2100 is a cardioid dynamic mic that is capable of both digital and analog outputs. For podcasters who like versatility, it’s hard to find a better deal. It can be connected to a computer for home studio recordings and plugged into sound systems when it’s time for a live performance. There is a headphone jack for real-time monitoring so there is no need to wonder how the audio is coming across. The cardioid pattern is good for recordings where there is a definite focus on one or two speakers. Noise from the rear is minimized.

The conventional handheld mic design fits perfectly into the included tripod desk stand. The legs can be folded while the mic angle can be adjusted. Both cables, USB and XLR, are part of the package for ease of setup. Just plug it into a computer and it will be good to go. Compatibility with Mac and Windows is guaranteed. Conversion from analog to digital signals is done by a quality AD convertor using 16-bit 44.1/48 KHz sampling rate. The frequency response is from 50 Hz to 15,000 Hz which makes it suited for voice recordings.

Bundle Options:

Audio Technica ATR2100-USB USB/XLR Microphone with Knox Desktop Boom Arm Mic Stand & Pop Filter

Audio Technica ATR2100-USB USB/XLR Microphone with Knox Pop Filter and Headphones

Samson Q2

Click here to check price on Amazon

The Samson Q2U can be considered as an alternative to the Audio Technica ATR2100. Both are handheld mics that are as comfortable in a recording studio as they are in a concert stage. People who are looking for a versatile unit to take to different places will not be let down. The Q2U will provide excellent results in a fully soundproofed room but it will also give decent results even on the field. Like the ATR2100, it has a USB cable as well as an XLR for connection with other equipment. Having options never hurts, especially if you are on the go and are not quite sure what you will be faced with when you get to your destination.

This versatility also makes it a nice piece of gear for podcasters of every level. Novices can get it and use the USB connection to start recording right away on a computer. More experienced individuals can upgrade the setup by adding a mixer, pre-amplifier, and digital recorder in the studio without having to replace the mic. Just plug it into the XLR port of the digital recorder and enjoy the increase in audio quality. The package is quite generous with an included desktop stand, an XLR cable, a pair of headphones, and even a free copy of the Cakewalk Music Creator program.

Podcasting Microphones Under $50

Blue Snowball Ice

Click here to check price on Amazon

Lastly, we have the Blue Snowball Ice which is a condenser microphone. It comes in either black or white. You can get it with a pop filter and headphones at additional cost. This one is a USB mic so it’s basically plug and play with any computer. It’s great for people who are tired of cheap microphones and wish to improve the quality of their outputs, without reaching too deep into their pockets. The unit itself currently retails for under $50. This entry-level offering by Blue features a spherical head and a tripod base that’s about 10 inches in total height.

This product is good for the absolute beginner who wants to record podcasts without having to deal with too much tech. It can also be used by students for their projects, by YouTubers to get better sound, and by anyone who wishes to chat via Skype. A six-foot USB cable is included in the package. The unit has a single mic capsule with a cardioid pick-up pattern and 16-bit sampling for professional audio quality. It may seem tiny but it is heavy and sturdy. It won’t fall over as long as the screws are tight and the mic is placed in a good spot.

Other Options:

White

Bundle with Knox Studio Boom Arm & Pop Filter

Bundle with Knox Pop Filter & Studio Headphones

Choosing the Best Microphone for Podcasting

Budget and Price Points

Cost should not be a barrier to podcasting. There are multiple products at different price points to serve all kinds of budgets. Those who are just trying to dabble in it may not be prepared to spend a lot of money. Good thing that there’s plenty of options in the sub-$100 category including the Blue Snowball Ice which is only half that amount. Even the excellent Audio Technica AT2020 is sold at just $99. Individuals who can afford to spend a bit more may want to look into mid-tier offerings such as the Blue Yeti USB Microphone which has a solid build and comes with its own stand. For people who want the best podcast microphone that money can buy, the sky’s the limit. The Heil PR40 is a good place to start at over $300.

The type of mic – Condenser vs Dynamic Mics

Both types are good for different purposes. It is up to the buyer to get one that is suited to his or her particular application. The advantage of condenser mics is that they have a higher output level. This means that the signal does not have to undergo amplification which usually results in unwanted hiss. They are also more sensitive, especially at higher frequencies. The recording thus feels richer but it can also pick up lots of noise. A pop filter can make things better. Dynamic microphones, on the other hand, can filter noise from the tongue, lips, and air vents.

XLR vs USB connections

The main advantage of USB mics are their simplicity. You plug them into virtually any computer and they will work right out of the box. Even old PCs with Windows XP and tiny RAM should be able to get them up and running. In most cases, installation is automatic. No other equipment is required to begin recording. On the other hand, XLR mics will require the purchase of a digital recorder. Having a mixer and pre-amp is also ideal, especially for multi-microphone setups. The increased investment will result in vastly improved audio quality. Some mics have both types of connectors for versatility.

Accessories You’ll Need to Make the Mic Work

Desktop mic stand or broadcasting arm

Keep your hands free during a recording by letting a desktop stand hold the mic for you. This will make it easier to adjust controls on the fly and take notes in an interview. The stand will also fix the height and angle of the unit to their optimum settings. These may require a bit of experimentation to find the best combination. A broadcasting arm may also be considered for a greater range of adjustments. This is usually clamped to the side of a table. This frees up valuable desktop space. An arm is also less prone to bumps and falls compared to desk stands.

Mic cables

Although it is possible to use wireless microphones, these tend to be much more expensive than their wired counterparts. Reliability issues and technical complications also hound them. It is for these reasons that wired mics are still preferred, especially when it comes to recording. Podcasters can save time, money, and effort by using cables. The type of cable needed will depend on the microphone connections, USB or XLR. The unit may include the necessary cables in the package to make setup easier. If not, then buying them should not be that difficult. They should be long enough to promote freedom of movement without adding too much clutter.

Shock mount

Even small positioning adjustments can rattle the interior components of a mic and introduce noise into the system. Vibrations from the floor can also travel up to the unit and do the same thing.

These can be prevented through the use of a shock mount. This piece of accessory creates a physical separation between the mic and the arm or stand to reduce vibrations and other shocks. This vastly improves the quality of the recording. It will be as if the unit was suspended in the air thanks to the dampeners that surround it. The designs may include o-rings, springs, and other elements.

Mic Setup with the Rest of Your Gear

The microphone is only one piece of the puzzle. It is arguably the more important one since this input device gets the ball rolling. However, the rest of your gear needs some attention as well. Make sure that the mic is fixed on a sturdy stand or arm with a good shock mount and pop filter to minimize vibrations and noise. For USB mics, it should be trivial to plug into a compatible computer and record a show. For XLR mics, one will need to purchase a digital recorder to capture the audio in high quality. An amplifier and mixer will provide additional control over the output.