#which largely stopped after i made the complaint and started dressing in a more feminine way

[gideonisms]

First performance review at work including hits like "you can do multiple tasks," "I haven't heard anything bad about you," and "when you came to me about your issue with C taking over your work, she was just trying to help"

[cloudy-leonhart]

Setting Sails and Setting a Relationship.

[Author Note: I thought of this during history class lol, might make a part two of Reader having more of a intimate meeting]

Summary: Levi and his squad got a job to arrest a secret group of thieves around wall Rose, Reader is apart of a group of pirates who have been travelling from Marley to Paradis, stealing for years. A Thieving Pirate meets a Germaphobe-Captain.

Pairings: Levi x Reader

Type: Feminine Reader

Theme: Fluff, Action, SFW

TW: Swearing, Details of Sharp Objects. (swords, knives, etc.)

[gif rightfully belongs to owner]

“Levi, good you’re here.” Erwin spoke, his hands held a bunch of parchment. Levi rolled his eyes and stood in front of the blonde’s desk.

“You called?” Levi’s sarcastic voice broke the silence, Erwin chuckled a little looking up at the irritated man. “Don’t need to be so tight, Levi.” The black-haired man sighed and dropped his head before looking back up. “Get to the point, eyebrows.”

“You’ve been assigned to arrest a group of thieves in wall Sina.” Levi’s eyes slightly widened, “Why me? Why not the military police or some crap?” Erwin shook his head, “They couldn’t catch them.” Levi scoffed and kissed his teeth, “bunch of lazy shits. Fine, I’ll do it.” He grumbled a few words under his breath as he left Erwin’s quarters.

 “Wait- Levi-” The man didn’t bother listening to Erwin call him back, annoyed that he had to do something as small as capturing a bunch of thieves. He walked into the mess hall, where his squad sat talking with each other. “Oi, get your asses ready, we’re going to wall Sina.” The man kissed his teeth once again as he walked away from his saluting squad. 

“Captain, why are we going to the Stohess District anyways?” Petra asked, riding their horse to Stohess District. “Apparently there’s a group of thieves so good, not even the MPs could catch them, it’s up to us to do so.” his squad lets out sounds of suprise, “Wait, if the MPs couldn’t catch them, what makes them sure we’ll be able to?” Eld argued.

“Me.” Levi answered, not looking back at the dirty blonde from his horse, Eld deadpanned as the rest of Levi’s squad snickered and tried their hardest not to laugh.

———

“Captain, we’ve been waiting for so long! What if they were just pulling out leg and we went here for nothing?” Oruo complained, leaning back against barrels of ale, waiting to be sold and opened.

“Shut your mouth and observe, Bozad.” Levi growled back, annoyed with the complaints the boy has been spouting for the past ten minutes, they observed around, watching the waitresses tend from outside the tavern, the loud cheers and wails from inside the old burned out inn.

Eld and Gunther stayed sitting by the floor, fiddling with their sword handles or making sure they have enough gas, if needed to fly around to get their mission over with. “Er- Captain?- Maybe Oruo was-“ Petra was silenced by Levi’s hand going up, his blue-gray eyes focused on a certain commotion with a neighbouring inn.

“Help!- Thieves! Thieves!” foreign-dressed people started piling out of the tavern, holding bags of bread and bottles of ale and wine, their waists carried bags of gold coins, probably pick-pocketed from the rich men that drunk until they were tipsy and toppling over themselves.

“There! Pull up your hoods and arrest every single one! Let’s go brats!” Levi’s voice sounded loud and boomed with every word, his pale hand reached for his hood, pulling it over this face and running to grapple his hooks onto a building and go after the thieves.

He counted heads earlier from when they ran out the tavern, seven he remembered, he knew that each of his squad would at least get one into custody by themselves so he only needed to worry about catching the rest. He watched from up above their actions and their tips and tricks, avoiding upcoming traffic, or avoiding carriages that carried a bunch of the finest goods wall Sina could get.

He could hear the whirring of strings in his ears as he unclasped his hooks from the building and rolled onto a top of a building, running as fast as he can to keep up with the big group. He glanced down, his eyes widening as the group of seven dismissed into groups of two or three, he grunted and turned back, “Petra! Gunther! Three went to the Left, arrest those thieves and help the others if needed, go!” He yelled out as he looked for a solution to round the thieves as fast as he can.

The thieves looked up, their eyes widening as he saw Levi’s figure get closer and closer, knowing if they don’t do anything to keep him from getting closer, they’ll be arrested and be punished by the king. “Captain! One of them’s getting too close!” One of them called out, a groan was heard, you pulled down your hood and passed your stolen goods onto the rest of the crew, holding onto the hilt of your sword.

“Get to the ship, help the rest if you need to and for the last fucking time, don’t look back!” You warned, stopping right in front of Levi, Levi growled and pulled out his swords, clashing right with yours, both of you held twin-blades, one pair was curved and the other, was detachable.

Your swords both clashed and clinged as you tried your best to fight off the short black-haired man, you observed the man’s next actions as he jumped away, holding his blades in defence. Levi hooked his claws onto the building behind you, gaining momentum before letting go and trying to slash you from up top, you watched as he spun around, you placed your sword up, defending your upper body while your other hand acted as a defence.

“I know these moves, you an Ackerman, kid?” You teased, Levi deadpanned and gripped his swords tighter out of annoyance and offence at being called a kid. He knew of his short appearance and he blames his malnutrition as a kid for it. He kissed his teeth and went to move in to try and corner you.

You and Levi both clashed swords once again, bystanders watched behind barrels in fear and curiousity, to the bystander eye, both you and Levi fought like it was a dance, you moved away and took defence in some turns while Levi took turns in offence. Finally both you and him stayed in a stance, fighting each other for the offence.

Your swords both shook as it screeched as it was being pushed against each other, “What’s it to you that I’m an Ackerman?” Levi asked, his teeth gritted as he tried to fight off your strength while piling his on you. “Nothing, your clan just really..” you leaned closer to his face, “really,” you smiled a mocking grin. “really, annoy me.” Levi’s eyes widened in anger and let out a yell of frustration, pulling his swords back to slam it down onto your figure.

Of course, being a thief has it’s perks, you easily slipped out of the situation, you knew you could’ve done it earlier, but deciding only now that you’ve bought your crew enough time to get back, you slipped away from Levi’s gaze as you started running and returning your twin blades into their respective scabbards.

Levi groaned in disappointment, he couldn’t believe he let you get to him, he shook his head to striving himself to focus back on you as he grappled his hooks once again onto the buildings. Hooking left and right, he stared down at your running figure a little ways past him, he glanced at the scene ahead, making a plan that has him a few steps ahead of you.

He assumed that the large ship docked at the rivers were yours, he constructed a plan is his head, which seem to have a hundred percent possibility to work, until he saw his squad all tied up into a circle.

He unhooked himself from a building and landed down onto the docks, where fishers and merchants came to wander, selling their stuff, a few gasps and loud shrieks where made, due to the unexpected landing.

“Hey, Ackerman.” You grinned, standing right In front of his crew, where they decorated you their glares and filled your ears with muffled noises. “Cut the crap thief. You and your crew better surrender to us, and maybe we’ll go easy on you.” Levi spat out, you laughed softly. “I have a name you know, let’s be bygones, eh?” Levi rolled his eyes and kept his guard up, holding his swords defensively. “The name’s Reader, I don’t want to have to keep calling you Ackerman.”

Levi kissed his teeth once again and scoffed. “Bygones my ass. You’ve been stealing in wall Sina for years, don’t you got better shit to do?” He shot back, you clicked your tongue and walked towards Levi, in return he put his blades up higher and started standing his ground

“Well, wall Sina’s got a bunch richo’s and I can’t really turn down such a under-guarded part of the district.” You explained, making weird hand gestures with a dagger in your hand, “Eat the rich, right?” You gave him a smile.

You slipped away from Levi’s gaze once again, he spun around in a circle looking for your figure, he felt something slide on his back, he felt your breath on his neck as he froze, almost losing his grip on his blades.

“Go fuck yourself.” Levi let out an insult in a breathy tone. As you quickly unclipped his cloak, you smiled devilishly and pulled back, as his cloak fell to the ground.

“Wow, Levi Ackerman of the scouts, I didn’t think you were this smoking hot honestly.” You checked out Levi’s figure as he groaned and slammed his sword onto you once again, you quickly defended with your dagger, leaning back onto a wooden pillar as you effortlessly pushed your strength onto his twin swords.

“Don’t need to be so aggressive, we’re having a conversation, Levi.” You batted your eyelashes innocently, he finally had enough and huffed. He threw his sword right at his squad, releasing the blade from the hold of the sword and replacing it.

The blade flew and cut the rope that held his squad down, Eld stood up and yelled out, “Help the captain!” Petra and Oruo yelled in agreement as they both flew past Gunther and Eld in hopes to corner Reader and her crew.

You sighed softly and shook and dropping your head, you raised it again for a moment, a giddy smile painted on your face. “Ah, come on, Levi! Ganging up on a helpless woman like me?” You teased as you acted more innocently, irritating Levi more and more by the second.

Levi clicked his tongue and stayed quiet as he let his squad corner you. You pouted, and placed your dagger back in its scabbard as you leaned back onto the wooden pillar and glanced around at the members who were in a defensive stance.

“Ahh, what can I do? I guess it can’t be helped then,” you complained, you sent a subtle signal to a crew-mate who was watching over the whole dispute between the scouts and the captain of the thieves. “Shut up and accept your arrest, thief.” Your ears perked up at the honey coloured female advancing towards you. “For fuck’s sake, I’m not a thief, stop calling me one, lass.” You pointed at her with your pointer and middle finger. 

“I’m a pirate, ever heard of em?” You sarcastically asked, making eye contact with a few of the squad embers as they looked at you with confused expressions. “a pi-what?” Oruo asked, dropping his guard out of confusion, looking around to see if anyone else was as confused as he was. 

Levi angrily pushed his way through his squad members, “Who gives a damn?! Arrest the thief, idiots!” He pointed his blade directly at you as you stepped back as Levi’s squad started to advance towards you, step by step. You scowled, looking over to your crew-mate who understood your expression and brought down a rope, for you to hang on and get on the ship with.

You grinned as you saw the rope come from behind Levi, you ran towards him, in which resulted in defending himself, your rough hands barely grabbed the rope, you glanced at Levi, daring to be more mischievous and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek, in which he spun around quickly, wiping away the slimy substance from his cheekbones.

“I believe that we’ve had a little too much fun, and now are behind schedule, I do appreciate playing around with you and your squad, Mr. Levi.” You landed on the edge of your ship as you started to depart, Levi knew better than to follow you into your own territory, so he stayed on the docks, scowling at you and your ship as you bowed, and gave him a teasing wave. “Maybe, take me on a date before bringing me back as a prize, eh, Levi?” You called out as you watched the Levi squad sigh out of exhaustion and disappointment. 

Levi stayed scowling at your ship as it departed, he the wind start to dry the left over saliva from your poorly-done cheek kiss, he reach his hand up, slightly wiping it away, “Tch, I’ll definitely make you pay for dirtying me and my cloak next time.” He grumbled out, feeling a ghost of a smile on his face. “Just you wait, Captain Reader.” Levi walked away from the docks as the rest of his squad followed, not wanting to return to wall Rose to report of their failure to capture the thieves of wall SIna.

[fullmetalirin]

Fullmetal Alchemist OG: Episode 4

The filler begins.

Fullmetal Alchemist Episode 4: "A Forger's Love"

On their way to Central, the Elrics stop at a train station where they hear of an alchemist named Majhal, whose name had appeared several times in their father's correspondences relating to human transmutation, and decide to pay him a visit in the area. Upon entering Majhal's village, they encounter a girl named Clause, who tells them that a zombie has been murdering several of the villagers, her older sister being one of them. Clause petitions the brothers to avenge her sister's death, but Ed is skeptical of the whole situation. Upon meeting Majhal, he tells the brothers that the mysterious zombie is believed to be his former lover Karin, who died in an accident several years ago. After some more investigation, the brothers discover that Majhal has been attempting to revive Karin by using mannequins that look like her, and using alchemy to attach the souls of the village girls he has kidnapped to the mannequins, kidnapping Clause to use her soul. Ed discovers that Karin had not died, but initially lost her memories and has aged. Once her memories returned, she had sought out Majhal, but he was already too possessed by his passions of reviving Karin to recognize her. Majhal refuses to accept the wrinkled old woman who has been supporting him as his Karin, and he attempts to kill Ed. Ed knocks Majhal's weapon out of his hand, which flies into the air and accidentally impales Majhal, killing him. Clause reverts to dressing femininely and sees the brothers off as they continue on their journey.

We open with the brothers on the train to Central. We get more introspection. Ed makes sure Al is on board, Al says he wants to become a State Alchemist too so he can help Ed. They wonder if it'll be hard to become a State Alchemist, and Ed looks somber for a moment before declaring that it'll be no problem for someone of his talent. Al looks sad and Ed realizes he's thinking about Winry.

Cut to Winry and Pinako looking at the burnt home and talking about how stupid the Elrics are. Winry is crying, but also looks like she's quivering with rage. They hope the brothers will come home soon.

As the Elrics wait for the next train, they stop a purse-snatcher with alchemy. They use a rather large circle to do so, and I'm dubious of how they managed to draw one so quickly.

On the carriage ride to the village, Al feels good about himself because he used alchemy to help people.

When they arrive in the village, they get jumped by a gang of urchins. The Elrics prepare to fight, but are totally uncoordinated and trip over their own feet, allowing them to be easily captured. I think this is really cute, and emphasizes that we're in the past. The skilled fighting styles we saw in Liore clearly took time and experience to develop.

Majhal instantly recognizes Al as a bound spirit, despite that being rare knowledge. Foreshadowing!

When Majhal gives them supper, Ed loudly scarfs down the food, which we hear prominently even while Majhal is giving exposition. This amuses me. It's a good use of comic relief, but has a narrative purpose too: like them failing at the battle earlier, this reminds us that Ed's still a kid, and one who probably doesn't get big meals often.

When Clause shows up, she has a fit and runs away. Ed runs after her, but she trips and starts sliding towards the river. Ed quickly draws a circle in the dirt with a stick, and uses it to freeze the water to catch her. So he doesn't know he can transmute without a circle yet.

Also, we see a mechanism for how Ed was able to freeze the water from afar: the reaction travels from the circle to the river before it freezes. See, if only we had been shown that with Isaac's telekinesis I would have had no complaints. (The grass is also frozen along the line, so okay, fair: Isaac's reactions did need to emanate from the contact point, which is why he couldn't freeze Ed from his automail. Still would have been nice if we could have seen that more explicitly when he froze the first guy.)

We see an echo of Ed's dickishness towards Rose as he dismisses Clause's argument of "dead girl showed up once = dead girl killed my sister!" more rudely than it deserves. Clause insults both of them, calling Ed a pipsqueak and Al a trashcan; this actually gets to Al too, but he just sits in the background feeling gloomy while Ed rants, which I think is hilarious. There's a cartoon shift here, but I think it's appropriate, since the tension is low and this whole childish argument is silly.

Majhal sounds pretty creepy when he talks about Karin. The emphasis that what he remembers first about this long-dead person is her beauty is a little unsettling. It's a little hard to tell if we're supposed to take this as a hint he's evil or if it's framed as a normal thing for someone to say.

Majhal uses the transmutation circle on his wristband to amplify the flame of his lantern to burn the Karin mannequin… but it appears to be the same circle he used to mend a broken object earlier, and I'm pretty sure you need a different sigil for that.

There's a shot of Lust spying on them, but she dismisses Majhal as a weak alchemist. Ed notices her briefly as she walks away. So that's a good way of reminding us of the metaplot.

Majhal says that spirit vessels tend to reject dissimilar spirits, so Al is very special. It's not explained exactly how Ed was able to do it anyway with a jury-rigged solution he made while delirious from blood loss, so we're left to assume Ed is just very speshul. I disapprove. This isn't even necessary for the plot: the bound mannequins should want to lash out just from the fact that they're murder victims.

Majhal says he tried human transmutation and failed, but he doesn't appear to have lost any body function in the process.

Ed recognizes Karin by a blue rose in her hair. I… guess she normally kept it covered, but it's still a little weird no one ever noticed. Possibly she only put it there recently, when she tried to confess to Majhal.

"One day her memory returned in a flash!" I don't think that's how amnesia works.

Also, so what, they never found a body? How did no one find that suspicious?

Majhal transforms a tiny chisel into a giant sword with no clear source for the extra mass.

Ed is somehow able to draw a transmutation circle and transmute the rose into a whip before Majhal finishes charging.

Afterward, in an echo of his optimistic statement at the beginning of the episode, Al feels down because he's realized alchemy can be used for evil.

Aaand at the end we learn Clause is wearing a dress again, which is good because Ed tells her she looks prettier in one. Wow, that is some impressive message whiplash. Obsessing over a girl's beauty is wrong except when the heroes do it?

Conclusion

So yeah, this episode is not great. But I don't think it's a total wash either. This is effective in its use of origin story tropes: we can see how the Elrics started learning their martial skills, but also that they have a long way to go before they reach the level we see in present day. We also get some hints to the metaplot – a cameo from Lust, and a connection to Hoenheim and human transmutation. Unfortunately, the alchemic mechanics featured here don't fit with the rest of the series at all, but since it's a filler episode it's pretty easy to disregard them.

On representation: Clause's plotline is awful, yes. But I actually think the A-plot is rather nuanced. In most stories of this type, the fridged woman really is dead. Having Karin still be alive and having the man reject her anyway reinforces how truly awful he is, and shoots down potential apologism. And hey, it ends with a reverse fridging. It's hardly High Feminism, but it is something a little atypical. Even in this slapdash filler episode, these writers are willing to play with tropes instead of falling into total cliché.

[ssanctuses]

Modelling shenanigans

Title: Modelling shenanigans Pairing: Akakuro Rating: T Summary: Tetsuya (begrudgingly) accepts Kise's request to be a substitute model. There he meets a certain redhead, and decides he doesn't actually mind modelling. (Note: A good portion of it is just Kise crying about how he shouldn't have gotten Tetsuya to model.) Author’s note: For @ushijimas-thighs ! ahhh well it contains a bunch of kise moments as I had warned you on LINE and they might be OOC. if they are, I'm so sorry. Also, I have no idea how Kise’s manager looks like or what their gender is, so I just made it a female, because, convenience. I wrote a whole lot more notes on the ao3 side, but both work really :) You can find this on ao3 or you can read more down here cause this story is insanely long and I'll leave everything under the cut.

Kise wasn't surprised at how good the two looked together, and was starting to regret his decision to let Tetsuya model. He wouldn’t have been able to realise they would get this close, after all. But, thanks to his mess-up, the poor blonde now had to be a reluctant bystander to the bluenette and redhead's obvious but subtle flirting. 'Goddammit.' -y- Tetsuya waltzed into the café, waving to the shop owner— his good friends Kagami, and took his usual seat by the window, where he was able to observe the passers-by and use them as inspiration for his works. He had a low presence since young, so he found himself very lucky to have met Kagami, as now he had a comfortable spot to write which was always available for him. (Kagami always put the 'reserved' sign on that seating area so that nobody else would disturb the writer. Tetsuya appreciated it very much.) He'd always been a fan of observing people anyway, so the fact that he ended up as a mystery novelist wasn't much of a surprise. Or so his editor, Momoi, had said. Adjusting his black-rimmed spectacles, the novelist rummaged his checked messenger bag for his laptop. His previous works had been very well-received by the general public, hence he ended up having to write very hurriedly since so many anticipated his current work. As he contemplated its plot, someone put his usual order of vanilla milkshake onto his table. Tetsuya looked up to thank the person who he presumed was Kagami, and his light blue eyes widened in surprise before narrowing after realising who it was. "What is it, Kise-kun?" Kise was a model, a very popular one at that (Tetsuya couldn't understand his fans for liking him so much, but he guessed it was Kise's pretty face that did the trick), and the writer could already hear the distant squeals from the other customers in the café "Kurokocchi, I have a favour~" Kise whined in a sing-song voice. The bluenette looked up at him blankly. "No." "Ehh?? But, Kurokocchi, I haven't even told you what it is yet!!!" Kise then proceeded to do his usual puppy-dog eyes and Tetsuya resolved to slap him the next time he asked him for anything. He couldn't refuse this offer anymore, though. Curse his soft spot for puppies! "What is it?" The writer asked with a hint of annoyance, tapping impatiently on his laptop's keys. "Well, we needed a substitute model cause the other bruised her arm. So I immediately asked if you could do it because the clothing for it would suit you so much and this will be the last time, I promise," the model went on and on and the bluenette put a hand over the blonde's mouth to prevent him from speaking any further. "Okay, fine. When is it?" At that, the puppy-like blonde's eyes brightened and he could feel the sparkles radiating off the other. Kise had no chill. "It's next Saturday at 11 a.m., at the usual area. Knowing your schedule, I know you can make it!" Tetsuya nodded at that, noting down the timing and location of the event. He was just organised like that. "Thank you thank you thank you!” Kise chirped, on cloud nine because this was the first time Tetsuya agreed to model for him! Overly excited for the shoot to happen now, he couldn't stop fidgeting as he left the cafe and headed home. He would be able to spend so much time with his favourite Kurokocchi! Or, at least that's what he thought. -y- "I do hope that my attire is appropriate, though they will probably provide me with their own, I assume?" Tetsuya asked as he adjusted his asymmetrical tendrils of, as Momoi liked to call it, cotton-candy hair. He brought his computer in case they had any delays so he would be able to be productive as much as he could possibly be. "Yep! They'll probably apply some light makeup on your face as well," Kise replied, cheery and all smiles. While the novelist wouldn't admit it, he did think of the model as a precious friend but he just tended to be a little too annoying at times. As they stepped into the premises, Tetsuya's eyes automatically went to the male with fiery red hair. Reason being, he had such a large presence, and their gaze met. It was such a long time since a stranger had seen him so easily and while Tetsuya felt naked under his piercing gaze, his heart also fluttered a little. Not that the novelist would know why. He wasn't a relationship professional for a reason. The redhead dressed impeccably with a long-sleeved button-down the same red as his hair and a pair of black slacks. To match that, he also wore a black vest with golden buttons. While his apparel would have looked much more ordinary on someone else, it clearly looked far more elegant when the redhead was wearing it. His eyes were heterochromatic, the writer noticed, with one the same scarlet as his hair and the other a dazzling golden. The redhead also scrutinised Tetsuya with his sharp gaze and suddenly the bluenette felt underdressed and overwhelmed in the presence of someone such as him. "Akashicchi! Hello~ I haven't seen you in a while." Kise proceeded to speak to the redhead who he called 'Akashicchi'. The novelist then noticed that the model whose movements were usually fluid and carefree was a bit stiff in his conversation with the redhead. The redhead unsurprisingly asked the blonde about the writer, and Kise replied by introducing them. "Akashicchi, this is Kuroko Tetsuya, a good friend of mine and a popular mystery novelist. Kurokocchi, this is Akashi Seijuurou, a colleague of mine," he said cheerily. He then stooped down to Tetsuya's ear— something the bluenette absolutely loathed having done to him— and whispered, "Akashicchi can be really scary, though, so watch your tongue!" "I can hear you loud and clear, Ryouta," Akashi commented with amusement evident in the way he spoke. His voice was soft and velvety, and Tetsuya could feel himself wanting to hear more. The writer could see Kise visibly shake in response to the redhead's remark. Akashi was teasing Kise, and Tetsuya couldn't help but understand why— Kise's reactions were pure gold. "Nice to meet you, Akashi-san," Tetsuya greeted, holding a hand out for the redhead to shake. "Nice to meet you too. Also, please drop the '-san'. Just Seijuurou is fine." Akashi replied with a glint in his eye. Tetsuya merely tilted his head at that. "Akashi-kun, then." Akashi then sighed, while smiling slightly. "Okay, Tetsuya." The writer then couldn't take his eyes off of the other and started to observe his actions and behaviour carefully. Well, what did one expect out of a bestselling mystery novelist anyway? He noted how the heterochromatic male tended to favour his golden eye and how he hardly smiled, how he walked so grandly and how he had this aura of elegance that far exceeded everyone else. Overall, he was an interesting character. -y- Tetsuya was surprised at the sheer femininity of the apparel that was picked out for him, but he decided that he would comply since he didn't want to kick up a fuss. Obviously, his spectacles had to be removed, though it didn’t make much of a difference for the bluenette since he could see decently without them anyway. (He just liked the way they looked on him, and they let him see everything in seemingly high-definition, so why not?) They applied some light makeup as Kise had said they would— a slight bit of pink lip gloss to make his pale lips stand out from his ashen skin, and some light blue and pink eyeshadow applied above and under his mesmerising light blue eyes. The makeup artists were fawning over how cute he looked after, but Tetsuya couldn't understand their admiration. They also had to style his hair, but the hair stylist, in love with the softness and fluffiness of his hair, decided all his hair needed was a quick wash and blow dry. He was clothed in a light blue button-down and a grey sweater, with slacks the shade of bubblegum pink. While the clothing themselves were of the same style he often wore, they were a lot more colourful than what he was used to wearing. He often wore neutrals, after all. The writer was considerably embarrassed by his outfit especially the cotton-candy pink flower crown they decided to adorn his head with, but it was typical of the passive boy to voice no complaints. After he left the dressing room and entered the waiting area, he noticed the redhead sipping his coffee with the grace of a swan. How in the world did he manage to look so elegant and graceful no matter the action? That was the million dollar question Tetsuya wasn't going to be able to answer. Tetsuya greeted the redhead, whose apparel was still the same as before but now had a bit of foundation applied to accentuate his bright eyes— as if they didn't stand out enough. The redhead choked a bit on his drink after seeing him— the bluenette wondered why— and then lowered his head in acknowledgement. "You look good," Akashi said, his voice wavering ever so slightly. Our observant little bluenette obviously noticed that, but being as oblivious as he was, he didn't take much of it. "So do you," Tetsuya replied and when Akashi looked away, hands now covering his face subtly, choking out a soft "Thanks", he felt pleasantly surprised. Oh, he was a lot cuter than the writer had expected. The bluenette was about to probe the redhead's tolerance when a certain annoying blonde burst into the room. "Kurokocchi~! You look so cute and I knew the clothes would suit you, I  so glad I was right!" Now going on and on about how he was the one who suggested the colours and the theme, Tetsuya decided he didn't really care and tuned out his voice. He felt disappointment at his moment with Akashi getting interrupted, but decided to ignore it since Kise's antics were something he passively tolerated. They all sat in the lounge, Kise making idle chatter with Akashi about their work, and making sure to include the writer here and there. He appreciated it, but he was more focused on observing Akashi than partaking in their small talk, really. After a while, a professional-looking woman— she honestly looked like one's typical idea of an office lady— strode into the room to call them into the shooting venue. The props were all set and apparently Akashi was popular enough to make a few of the female workers blush and fawn over him (unsurprisingly, really) while I sat on one of the chairs at the corner of the room, watching Kise and Akashi model. It wasn't his first time watching someone model, but he felt completely mesmerised by Akashi's shoot, unable to take his eyes off him. He was just so very… Princely. Not to mention, the way he held himself so grandly gave him this certain appeal. He supposed he'd have to buy his magazines from now on. Tetsuya, filled with inspiration by seeing them modelling, decided to write out a new character for his novel. An analytical, ice prince with the grace of a swan, with cold, calculating and piercing eyes and who stood out from the crowd at first glance— something along those lines. As he started to rapidly type out the description for this new character inspired by the intriguing Akashi Seijuurou, he didn't notice the redhead who had just sat next to him. "So you write mystery novels?" Tetsuya jumped a little at the familiar silky voice. "Ah, yes." "I'm actually very fond of them myself." Tetsuya perked up at that, normally blank eyes now sparkling. "Oh, is that so?" "Yes,” “In that case, you might like my novels. They’re well-received for a reason.” He guessed that he could’ve cut down on the self-advertisement a little but he had this itching want for the redhead to read one of his works. He wanted a compliment from the male who had the aura of an emperor and nothing short of a velvety and enchanting voice, he realised. ‘What a surprising thing for me to wish for.’ The two then continued to converse about mystery novels, before the conversation developed and the subject of hobbies popped up and they both found out that they used to be avid basketball fans. They clicked very well, Tetsuya realised, due to their similar but different personalities. Akashi was very intellectual and ambitious, with a mindset of a chess master, always analysing and breaking through vulnerabilities in one's attacks — or at least that's what the novelist could draw from his personality. Thanks to his cleverness and sharp insights, he perceived things very differently from Tetsuya. The bluenette found that he liked that a lot because he made for an interesting conversation partner, providing him with different perspectives on things. Akashi was also apparently the son of the CEO of the wealthy Akashi Conglomerate, explaining his regal aura. He did notice that he was getting slightly self-conscious, however, since he felt a bit lacking in ability as compared to the other now. Could he be blamed, though? Akashi probably would have made for a better novelist than him anyway, and now he was afraid he was boring the redhead with his common perception of things. Tetsuya tried to ignore that. -y- "Kuroko-kun, please relax your facial muscles a bit. Your smile looks too forced," the photographer commented, getting a little frustrated. Tetsuya felt bad for the amount of trouble he was causing, but it had been a long time since he last expressed this much on his face! "Perhaps just smile the way you normally would. You don't strike me as the sort who smiles often, so don't force yourself," Akashi remarked casually, glancing at Tetsuya every now and then. He then did just that and realised that the more natural they behaved, the better things turned out. “Thank you for your advice, Akashi-kun.” -y- Tetsuya decided that he didn’t actually mind modelling, and since his previous shoot had become very popular, they started to include him in the shoots a lot more. He also wanted to get to know Akashi better, though he wouldn’t have said something like that out loud. -y- This time, the blonde model was dressed in a white tank, with an unbuttoned yellow button-down and a pair of distressed jeans. Unable to sit still, he kept glancing at the clock and sipping from the bottle of water he held in his hand, occasionally taking glimpses at Tetsuya (who was talking to Akashi), flashing the other his signature smiles whenever their eyes met. The novelist was nothing short of disquieted. Even after three months of shooting, Kise always looked forward to photoshoots of him and Tetsuya. Unfortunately for him, Akashi and Tetsuya had a lot more photoshoots together than Kise did with the novelist. So, since today had been one of the rare days Tetsuya and Kise were to have a shoot together, he was excited beyond belief. “Kise-kun,” Kise practically jumped off his seat, eyes sparkling as he looked expectantly at his manager. “Call Akashi-kun and Kuroko-kun to come in,” his manager spoke curtly, and that one sentence was what made the blonde model start to regret everything. Initially, he obediently listened to his manager and had to interrupt the bluenette and redhead’s conversation. He felt bad doing so, of course. “Kurokocchi, Akashicchi, it's your turn.” As he said that, he noticed the redheaded model’s furious gaze right away as the two of them headed to the door. Kise followed, still shivering a little. Only then did he learn the meaning of true fear. -y- “Wait, I’m not supposed to be here?” Kise was baffled— wasn’t he supposed to have a shoot with Tetsuya?? 
“Yeah, we decided that this shoot will be for Akashi-kun and Kuroko-kun instead since they fitted the theme better than we expected,” his manager responded. “Now go and rest while we shoot these two.” The pitiful blonde then sat at a corner, trying to ease the pain in his abdomen as he watched his precious Kurokocchi and his terrifying colleague model together. He shouldn’t have gotten Tetsuya to come the first time! -y- The blue-haired novelist just complied with whatever instructions they told him, and no matter how intimate he was forced to be with the other, he did as told. How Kise wished he didn’t! Meanwhile, the redhead had a smug smile permanently etched onto his face whenever he glanced over at Kise’s side. The blonde would’ve gone mad had he not been terrified of the redhead. Ahh, he would’ve been able to notice the two flirting from a mile away. Their prolonged gazes at each other and side glances were enough to make the blonde model know he didn’t have a chance anymore.
(Not that his chances were all that high in the first place.) They didn’t make his situation any better, by having their fingers come in contact way too many times for it to be coincidental, and he wondered if they were purposely trying to torture him. Honestly, that would have actually made sense. He wouldn’t have believed that, though. -y- Tetsuya was not used to being taken picture of even after 3 months of doing it— he’d been ‘invisible’ his whole life, after all, most of the time he was forgotten to have even been there. As a result, he felt very shy whenever the shutter faced him. Maybe there were some other factors involved. Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, though, he still pushed all of the blame of his bashfulness onto his lack of experience being photographed. He wouldn’t be surprised if he was shown to be blushing slightly in the photos. -y- “Tetsuya, why are you blushing?” Akashi randomly asked one day. The bluenette couldn’t understand why he suddenly felt his face heat up more and why he was getting even more hypersensitive at that statement.
“Perhaps it's the fact that I’m not used to being photographed,” Tetsuya put his hands over his face to cover up his rose-tinted cheeks, but to no avail. “We’re having a break right now, though.” “…” Tetsuya decided to remain silent in response to his statement, his face heating up even more. Ahh, he was really nothing but a blushing mess at that moment. Akashi grinned. The bluenette, was, as he expected, utterly adorable. He really couldn’t resist the other boy’s charms anymore, anyway. The redhead first grabbed the novelist’s wrists and lay them down by his side. Gently taking the shorter male’s chin into his hand, he tilted the bluenette’s head up and pressed his lips to the boy’s. And damn, was Akashi a good kisser. Tetsuya’s blushing only intensified at his actions as he internally failed to comprehend anything anymore. His brain had essentially turned to mush because Akashi just took his first kiss. (Though he didn’t know if it was Akashi’s first kiss as well.) He could barely hear Kise’s wailing from the other side of the room and ignored it because who cared, really. “Your blushing matches the shade of pink they always make you wear,” Akashi remarked casually, acting as if he hadn’t just kissed the novelist. His composure maddened Tetsuya. Or, at least, his version of what was maddening, mixed in with his embarrassment. Hence, Tetsuya decided to lightly punch the redhead on the shoulder. “Akashi-kun, you idiot.”

[drjilliantweiss-blog]

NPR Morning Edition reports on my clients' suits against computer company Dell. From NPR Morning Edition: Helen Harris doesn't wear makeup or feminine jewelry. She mostly dresses in men's tailored suits and men's shoes. She's gender nonconforming and identifies as a woman. And, she says, that's nobody's business. Which is why in late 2015, when she started taking hormones to become more masculine looking, she did it quietly. Harris, 37, is a systems engineer who worked at Dell, selling technology to major companies and helping them set it up. But she says she had a tough time moving up at the computer company and was assigned to a lengthy training period, while colleagues were promoted. She says she got heckled by co-workers when she gave presentations. And, Harris says, one of her instructors kept telling her "people have to like you for you to be able to do this job. He kept saying stuff like that to me." NPR spoke to four colleagues with whom Harris has worked. They described a talented young woman whose career was completely derailed a few years ago. And they, like Harris, suspect she had a tough time because of the way she looks. Article continues after sponsor message Her struggle at Dell led Harris to file a complaint with New York City's Commission on Human Rights, alleging the company didn't want to put her in front of customers because of her appearance. Dell says Harris' situation was resolved amicably. But there are at least two other cases against the company from LGBTQ workers alleging discrimination. Dell, which is an NPR sponsor, denied liability in one case. The other is ongoing. After Harris' company merged with Dell, she and other employees were assigned to training. Harris says she was heckled by co-workers when she gave presentations. She says her colleagues who attended the training started moving up the corporate ladder, but Harris didn't. Elias Williams for NPR Harris says her problems happened around the same time her employer, EMC, was merging with Dell. In her complaint, Harris detailed how she kept being told she needed to keep on training. So she did — for three years. During that time, she says, she'd speak with managers, executives, colleagues and human resources. "What is the problem? Like, if there is a problem with me, like [with] what I'm doing, can someone please speak up?" she says she asked them. The rights of trans and gender-nonconforming people in the U.S. are starting to get more attention. Activists say limited job opportunities and lack of clear protection from workplace discrimination have helped marginalize transgender people and hurt them financially. Over 200 companies — including Amazon, Google and Uber — have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that federal civil rights law prohibits discrimination against gay and transgender workers. The Justice Department has argued that it does not. '  And there's this idea that the tech industry is a place where stuff like this doesn't happen: Scooter in to work and have piercings and tattoos? No problem. As long as you work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or what you look like. The diversity numbers at big tech companies like Google, Facebook and Apple tell a different story. Take Facebook: Less than a quarter of tech roles there are held by women; African Americans make up only about 1%. And when you look at Dell, you get a complicated picture. Cicilia Gilbert, who was also a systems engineer at Dell, was let go in 2018, during the middle of her transition. The company has repeatedly been ranked among the 50 best for diversity. But several current and former Dell employees, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, said the company's New York office has the reputation of being a "boys club." Cicilia Gilbert, who was also a systems engineer at Dell, says it's especially bad in the tech sales division. Gilbert, 58, is suing Dell for, among other things, allegedly discriminating against her for her gender transition. The case is ongoing. She told NPR that when she decided to transition from male to female, a trans co-worker advised her: "Don't tell these people that you're transgender. It's a career ender." In her lawsuit, Gilbert said that in late 2018, right in the middle of her transition, she was let go. "They said, 'We're laying you off because your transgender transition is impeding your ability to travel,' " she told NPR. It's not unusual for a company as large as Dell to have discrimination lawsuits. Jennifer Davis, a spokeswoman for Dell, told NPR that Gilbert's layoff had nothing to do with her gender — it was part of a restructuring in which hundreds lost their jobs. Gilbert and her wife, Alexandra, stand in their yard in upstate New York. Gilbert is suing Dell for, among other things, allegedly discriminating against her for her gender transition. The case is ongoing. And Davis pointed to the company's support network for trans employees. NPR spoke to two workers who say the extensive medical coverage and support Dell offers made their gender transition possible. They said they consider themselves very fortunate to work for a company that's so inclusive. But in 2017, the Massachusetts attorney general investigated the case of a former intern who is trans and who had complained about discrimination. Dell denied wrongdoing but paid a $110,000 settlement. Harris says she always saw the tech industry as a place where, no matter what you look like, "if you put your head down and you learn the stuff and you do the work, you can change your circumstances." Earlier this summer, Harris told NPR she was still on Dell's payroll, but she wasn't going into the office on a regular basis anymore. In her complaint to New York City's Commission on Human Rights, she detailed her problems using Dell's bathrooms. "That's the truth," she told NPR. She added that after being harassed a second time about which restroom she was using, she decided to stop going to work. Harris said she was exhausted. A few weeks later, she left the company. Harris quit working at Dell but plans on staying in a career in tech. Elias Williams for NPR Davis, Dell's spokeswoman, wouldn't provide details about Harris' time at the company, saying she wishes to respect Harris' privacy. But Davis said, "The matter was resolved amicably." Despite her experience at Dell, Harris said she wants to keep working in the tech industry. "I want my money. I don't want to be poor," she said. "My father, he picked cotton. My grandfather was a sharecropper. I'm a systems engineer. So, I'd rather stay." https://ift.tt/2Y36d4s See this link: https://www.npr.org/2019/07/15/740726966/it-s-a-career-ender-2-lgbtq-former-dell-workers-share-their-stories