#sui has become more lax as well

[snowe-zolynn-rogers]

Okay, I want interaction so I’m opening the ask box back up for now. Please do not bomb my inbox with a hundred asks, a couple new rules (nothing too bad or else I’d feel back because ✨I’m shit at boundaries✨) are in place for it, at least for now.

To my lovely anons, if you could please pick something to identify you so I can see who’s messaged me. Like an emoji or a random word like Cry Anon did or when I bugged my spouse as 🌠 anon.

Please don’t send a long chain of asks about only one thing (five or more at once), I have so many AUs and I like talking about all of them.

As usual, yada yada pinned post, inbox message sections (god I haven’t updated them in like 2 years, I need to do that)

I’m back to menacing, babies. Time to torment my babies again.

[minmotl]

Chapter 55: Tang Fan Gets Promoted, Tells Sui Zhou that He Loves His Cooking More Than Anything Else

Context: Sui Zhou begins his days as deputy chief of the Northern Administrative Court and overcomes the challenges as mentioned in the previous chapter in his new role. Tang Fan gets promoted, and he heads over to find Sui Zhou, but who knew he would get stopped at the door, his relationship with Sui Zhou subject to doubt and scrutiny?

Featuring half-naked Sui Zhou glistening in the sun as Tang Fan stares!!!!!

Introduction Post | Masterpost

—

Highlights under the cut

After Sui Zhou took over the Northern Administrative Court, the first thing he needed to change was the culture, and so he implemented a compulsory rule - starting from the beginning of each month, every three days during yin shi (between 3 to 5am), except for those on duty and those on external trips, it is a must for everyone to gather in the exercise yard and train for two hours. The standards of training is comparable to that of the camp in Jing city, and Sui Zhou even added on extra training items.

For a majority of the men, who have already gotten used to not doing their jobs, sleeping until the sun has risen, and spending their nights trawling through brothels and gambling dens, all of them cried out in suffering. They even headed over to Yuan Bin’s to complain, saying that this Sui-qianhu does not really have a high rank, but the authority he’s wielding is not small. Just to exercise his power, Sui Zhou is disregarding everyone’s lives, torturing his subordinates and is entirely inhumane.

Originally, a complaint of this scale Yuan Bin would not have been able to ignore, but no one knew that Sui Zhou had already notified Yuan Bin.

Before training, Sui Zhou already went to find Yuan Bin and informed him of his plans, clearly stating his intentions and the motivations behind them. It was just as well, as Yuan Bin could not stand to see the Embroidered Uniform Guards being debased to this extent at the hands of Wan Tong. This is the reason why Yuan Bin refused to take action despite so many running to him to lodge complaints.

In all things, it is prudent to earn the understanding and empathy of one’s superior, and once Sui Zhou knows that what he is doing is right, his subordinate’s views are no longer that important. Making any changes to the status quo will always be met with opposition, but if he does not take action because he’s afraid, Sui Zhou can only wait for others to step over him…

Seeing that their complaints have fallen onto deaf ears, everyone can only obey Sui Zhou’s orders and head to the exercise yard for training without a choice.

The first time, when nearly half of the men failed to turn up a minute past yin shi, all these men were all dragged for 10 strokes each with the heavy stick, and after that, they still had to continue training. If they were found to be late the next time, the penalty would increase by 10 strokes and accordingly thereafter.

Once realising that Sui Zhou is being serious, the next time, no one dared to turn up late.

However, these men still protested against Sui Zhou’s listed training strategy. This includes putting a bowl of water on their heads and staying in a squat position under the blazing son for an hour, while holding onto 10kg weights on each hand. If the water spills, this is considered going against the rules and they would have to extend their training time for half an hour. They said this is too hard and tiring, and these already spoiled guards all said they could not do it, much less complete the task within two hours.

Without another word, Sui Zhou personally demonstrated it. Everyone saw with their own eyes how after half an hour, not only did the bowl refrain from dropping, but not even a drop of water spilled from inside the bowl, and it was only then that everyone conceded, now convinced.

Xue Ling and the rest did not need any convincing as they have always followed in Sui Zhou’s footsteps. Whatever Sui Zhou asked them to do, they did without a second word. And once the others realised that their new boss’ working style was strict, determined and efficient, meaning every word he says and that complaints are useless, they could only give up and start training exactly.

However, Sui Zhou did not only make strict demands, as at every end of the month, he would treat everyone to a meal and those who have performed exceedingly well are provided with extra rewards. Of course, this money comes from official funds, but previously when Wan Tong and his men were in charge of both the Southern and Northern Administrative Courts, this fund was often misused for personal gains, taken to be blindly spent. Others in the lower ranks could only dream of getting access to these funds, and since all of them had no benefits, they naturally began taking money from those in even lower ranks than them.

After Sui Zhou assumed his new role, he ordered someone to redo the accounts. Every transaction going out is recorded clearly and from there, there was an extra portion of funds that could be taken and used to reassure the men, and this is a cause for joy.

They spent three months like this and once everyone got used to this torturous training, the complaints lessened. The culture at the Northern Administrative Courts has definitely changed from before, even if it cannot be said that it has gone through a full overhaul. This change is of course good, and even just looking at the way they handle investigations, their efficiency has increased considerably.

A supervisor that lives by the rules he sets and who rewards and punishes accordingly and fairly is naturally much better than one who only knows how to eat, drink, sleep with prostitutes and gamble, then pushing actual tasks to the subordinates under him. Although Sui Zhou is much stricter than the one before him, there are advantages to that. At the very least, those men who had a good relationship with the previous boss can no longer avoid work, while those men who tried to pander to the boss but was unable to, no longer have to worry about being stuck at the bottom any longer.

Unconsciously, Sui Zhou is sitting increasingly firm in his seat as he makes a mark that belongs only to him on these men.

On this day, Tang Fan walks out from the Ministry of Personnel all reinvigorated with good news. His footsteps have become lighter, and seeing that it is still early, he changes direction - he does not head home, but goes in the direction of the Northern Administrative Court.

Tang Fan has not visited since Sui Zhou was promoted, and the previously lax visitor rules have now become even stricter. The guard on duty does not recognise him, and seeing a Rank Six civil official turn up, he finds it strange and stops him. After hearing that Tang Fan wants to see Sui Zhou, he finds him even more peculiar.

“Who are you? What’s your purpose for seeing him?” the guard asks, his attitude unfriendly.

If not for Tang Fan wearing his official’s robes, he would suspect that the man is here for fun. And it is no wonder that he thinks that way because civil officials care about their reputations and those who turn up here are usually “invited” over against their will. Very rarely do they get officials like Tang Fan who voluntarily visit.

Tang Fan says, “I am Tang Fan, and I’m a friend of your zhenfushi’s, I’ll have to trouble you to inform him. If he is off the clock, could you get him to come out?”

Strictly speaking, Sui Zhou cannot be called zhenfushi officially because he is merely a temporary deputy, but it is common to push someone’s status upwards. For example, a fu-qianhu, others would directly address him as a qianhu, taking out the -fu, and it is also easier on the ears of the listener.

The guard on duty shoots him a suspicious look, firmly believing that it is impossible for someone like their newly instated leader to have friends. Moreover, this person’s rank is low, and they wonder if this man is deliberately saying that in a bid to curry favours with their zhenfushi?

Tang Fan sees through their concerns and smiles, “Can I trouble this brother to inform him, and if he refuses to see me, I will return the way I came from and head home.”

It is not that the guards want to make things difficult for Tang Fan on purpose, it is just that regulations have tightened a lot recently. If they go in and bother Sui Zhou, but this person’s relationship to him is not as important as Tang Fan claims, then they are at risk of incurring penalties.

And so that person says, his face stoic, “Zhenfushi-daren has some important tasks at hand, you can come back next time!”

Tang Fan goes ‘oh’, and asks, “I will just ask one thing, is he still inside, or has he headed home already?”

“He’s still inside.”

“Then I will wait for him here, “ Tang Fan nods.

With that said, he picks up his robes and sits on the steps at the side, taking out a book from his hold and starts to read.

The guard on duty glares, “This is the doors of the Northern Administrative Court, how can you do as you like?”

What a joke, the doors of the Northern Administrative Court, reputed for being cold and heartless, sitting a man reading a book? How would others be fearful of them in the future?

Tang Fan slowly looks back at him, “I asked you to inform him but you won’t, so I’m sitting here and reading a book instead. Surely I’m not creating trouble, and also I’m not blocking the way to the door, I’m just sitting my arse down on the side!”

The guard is now speechless, and he is about to reply when another colleague also guarding the door glares at him and says softly, “Are you a fool, what would happen if you went in to inform him? If he’s really zhenfushi’s friend, we would be offending him, and if not, we can chase him out!”

The first guard rolls his eyes, “You really know how to talk, then why aren’t you doing that?”

The other guard laughs, “I’ll go. If I am praised by the zhenfushi later, you better not envy me!”

In disbelief, he sees his colleague head inside to do just that.

After a while, he sees him scurrying out and with a face full of smiles, the colleague says to Tang Fan, “Da-ren, zhenfushi is still busy right now, but he asks that you head inside to wait for him!”

His mouth dropping open, the guard watches as his colleague brings Tang Fan inside and comes back only after a long while. Quickly, he asks, “Who’s that?”

“Zhenfushi’s good friend, don’t you recognise him? He also said earlier that his name is Tang Fan, and I heard that he is temporarily staying at zhenfushi’s home.”

The first guard sucks in a sharp breath, “Their relationships is that good?”

“Of course!”

“Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“You can only blame it on your terrible eyesight. I already reminded you and you still refused to inform him. If zhenfushi really is to punish someone later for this, I can’t be implicated and be scolded, can I?” his colleague mocks.

The man sulks, speechless, thinking that he has once again lost an opportunity to show his face in front of the boss.

Aside from what those two guards think at this moment, Tang Fan has arrived at the exercise courtyard under the lead of the guard on duty. Even before he sees anyone, he hears the sound of shouting and fighting from a distance away, and once he nears, he realises that there is a match going on there.

The two figures in the center of the yard occasionally jump and land, their blades clashing with each other’s. This is no performance of beautiful, dazzling tricks, but one exchange of merciless, deadly thrusts and parries. On a closer look, isn’t one of them Sui Zhou?

He is battling another person in the field, and they are surrounded by others, egging them on in unison.

Tang Fan’s eyes briefly survey across the circle of men and finds Xue Ling amongst the crowd. He walks over and unceremoniously pats him on the shoulder.

Xue Ling, startled, is about to rage, but seeing who it is, his anger morphs into joy, “Why are you here?”

Tang Fan laughs sheepishly, “I didn’t have anything to do on my own and decided to wander about. Are you guys competing? Why is the whole of the Northern Administrative Court here?”

“Previously, da-ge set a rule that we must host a competition at the end of every month. Participants can challenge anyone, and the person who wins will be rewarded heavily. A lot of them were taught a lesson by da-ge before and with pent-up frustration and anger, they challenged him, but each one of the were defeated by da-ge. Hehehe, these people don’t know how good da-ge is, and I, Xue Ling, will not offer myself to be beaten up like this!”

In the span of their conversation, the winner of the round has emerged. Sui Zhou’s opponent thought he had his eye on Sui Zhou’s weakness and was about to carry out a sneak attack, his xiuchun blade sweeping across from the back, but who knew that as if Sui Zhou has grown a pair of eyes on his back, the man leaps into the air and flips, then kicks out at his opponent.

Just as his body is about to slam against the ground, Sui Zhou uses the force by which he lands to turn and steadily stand on his two feet.

The entire process is smooth as flowing water and extremely clean, yet filled with the beauty of power. The spectators cheer for him, loud and raucous.

Sui Zhou, who’s standing in the field, is only wearing a pair of long pants and his torso is entirely naked. Sweat drips from his forehead, neck and other parts down his body, and his whole body is wet. His prominent muscles shine under the sunlight and one can see that this strong, sculpted body was earned through days of strict and hard training, and just because he is now in a higher position does not mean that he has procrastinated on training.

He stares at the opponent he has kicked to the ground and turns his hand over to embed his xiuchun blade into the ground. Coldly, he says, “If you’re unconvinced, try again.”

At this point, Sui Zhou is already fully immersed in the fight. To him, there is no difference between a practice match and a battle. Since he is already on the battlefield, he will do his best and treat the battle seriously. This is respect he gives himself, and also to his opponents.

Under his gaze, his opponent feels as if a feral beast has locked its attention on him, and he shudders involuntarily. No longer able to muster any fighting spirit, he quickly keeps his blade and puts his hands forward, “I won’t, I won’t! Da-ren is strong and skilled, your subordinate admits defeat!”

Everyone bursts into laughter. This person has defeated everyone in the Northern Administrative Court for two consecutive months, and he probably felt confident enough to raise a challenge to Sui Zhou. Many others were defeated by Sui Zhou previously, and he thought he would be the exception, but who knew that in the end, the battle finished in his defeat. The whole situation is a little pitiful.

Once the other admits defeat, the sharp and cold aura around Sui Zhou gentles. He walks over and personally picks the man up, then pats him on the shoulder, 

“You are already doing quite well. Yuan-daren is intending for us to have practice matches with the Jing city camp to boost the troops’ morales, when that time comes, we’ll have to count on you to earn the glory of triumph for the Northern Administrative Court!”

The subordinate was actually still feeling a little embarrassed, but once he hears that, he feels encouraged again. Excitedly, he says, “Da-ren, be rest assured that I will do my best, and I will not cause the Northern Administrative Court to lose face!”

The rest of them cannot help but be convinced by Sui Zhou’s strategy of first defeating and then praising others.

Tang Fan, with his hands behind his back, smiles as he looks on. He does not eagerly rush up, and waits for Sui Zhou to motivate his subordinates and announce the end of the session. Once everyone has dispersed, he walks over steadily, “Zhenfushi acted with so much aplomb, it looks like there is much to look forward to in your career!”

It’s not that Sui Zhou did not notice Tang Fan, but it was not convenient for him to speak previously. Now that everyone has gone, leaving only Tang Fan to stare at him with a smile on his face, a subtle troubled look flashes across Sui Zhou’s face as he thinks about his state of undress before Tang Fan.

“Why did you find your way here? If it’s nothing urgent, wait for me to shower and change clothes.”

“Go ahead, I’m not in a rush, I wanted to treat you to a meal at Xian Ke Lou, do you want to go?”

Sui Zhou was walking in the direction of the house where his clothes are placed when he pauses. Hearing hat, he raises his brows, “With money from where?”

Tang-daren no longer has any financial freedom. He spends half of his salary every month and has Sui Zhou manage the other half precisely to prevent Tang Fan from being a spendthrift. If he finishes spending the money he has on his end, it is impossible to take some out from the portion that Sui Zhou has kept for him.

Tang Fan laughs, “It dropped from the sky!”

Seeing that Tang Fan is deliberately being obtuse, Sui Zhou is not anxious either. He proceeds to shower and change. and then finds Tang Fan in his office.

“Go go go, let’s go have a meal!” Tang Fan says as he gets to his feet once he sees Sui Zhou.

Sui Zhou shakes his head, and then asks, “Were you promoted?”

Tang Fan already guessed that Sui Zhou would figure it out and is thus not surprised. He nods, “Yes!”

“What position?”

“With the Ministry of Justice, as the overseeing langzhong in Henan’s Qing Li Si. I’m Rank Five now, and I’ve been given an extra 100 silvers.”

The three items above can be considered the late rewards for Tang Fan’s exemplary performance in the East Palace and also children smuggling cases.

Sui Zhou’s brows move as they relax, and the ends of his lips curve up slightly, “This is indeed good news, and worthy of a celebration!”

Tang Fan laughs, “Although I do not have my eyes on a prominent position and riches, but since I worked hard and earned the rewards I deserved, this is considered a happy affair. You won’t refuse my treat now, would you?”

Sui Zhou nods, then says, “We shouldn’t eat outside, we should get Ah Dong to buy some ingredients tomorrow and I’ll cook at home then.”

At the sound of that, Tang Fan’s eyes shine immediately, and Sui Zhou can confirm that he absolutely sees the sparkles emitted from those eyes. He cannot help but laugh, “You like my cooking more than Xian Ke Lou’s?”

Tang Fan laughs again, his usual learned and sophisticated demeanour nowhere in sight, “Of course! Sui Guang Chuan’s personal cooking, how can it be worser than Xian Ke Lou’s dishes?”

At his generous compliments, the curve of Sui Zhou’s lips widens.

===

Notes:

*河南清吏司郎中 he nan qing li zi lang zhong

This is a full official rank. It is a little hard to find an English equivalent to this on my end so I’ve left it as that. 河南 (he nan) is a city all on its own in today’s map, and in this case it means Tang Fan is heads this particular court located in he nan. I’m not really familiar on the geography of it as well, it could just be a name for the neighbourhood or sector he’s in as well.

*镇抚使 zhen fu shi

Another official rank, where 镇抚 (zhen fu) is the Administrative Court, and 使 (shi) on its own means ambassador. In this case, it can be interpreted as chief, or some equivalent. He is not a commander yet in this case, which is a position reserved for Yuan Bin, and previously Wan Tong.

*千户 qian hu

There are four ranks within the Embroidered Uniform Guards - 千户 (qian hu)、百户 (bai hu)、总旗 (zong qi)、小旗 (xiao qi) arranged highest to smallest rank, aside from the Commander 统领官 (zong ling guan).

*副千户 fu qianhu

Qianhu is the rank that Sui Zhou officially bore before his promotion, while fu 副 means vice.

*仙客楼 xian ke lou

This is the very expensive restaurant that Wang Zhi brought Tang Fan to in previous chapters.

*绣春刀 xiu chun dao

A special blade that only Embroidered Uniform Guards are given.

[sayuricorner]

Miraculous Ladybug x Carmen Sandiego oneshot: A ending, a new begining

wHere's a one-shot about my Miraculous Ladybug x Carmen Sandiego prompt about El Topo's, Tigress, La Chèvre and Mime Bomb's arrival in Paris!

Warning: English is not my first language so sorry if it’s confusing

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

"-Urgh ! Are we at this flat of your yet ?"

"-For the last time we're not so far anymore so please be patient ! ̎

Sheena, formerly know as ̎Tigress ̎, was in a bad mood, no scratch that, she was in a ATROCIOUS mood and it wasn't just today, she was like that for months now, ever since THE day, this fateful day in which her, La Chèvre's, Mime Bomb's and El Topo's life drastically changed for the worst. All this thank to a mistake, one mistake, the one of too many.

It all begin with a mission, they were all four send to meet with an associate of V.I.L.E to retrive a bunch of works of art he and his men stole in the last month and to bring them back to the HQ. But then Carmen show up, again, they fought against her and lost, again, and after that she disappear with the works of art, again. What they didn't expected however was ACME showing up some times later forcing them to flee not noticing one of the agents putting a micro tracker device on Mime Bomb's hat, only to find about it when they were back at the HQ.

The device has been take care of before ACME could locate them but the council were beyond furious at the quartet. Furious to the point they decided to ̎ terminate ̎ them once for all, yes, failure is usually tolarated in V.I.L.E it's been caught which lead you to be severely punished, most of the time it was brainwashing. But sometimes there's THE failure, the one which can't be simply ignored, the straw that broke the camel's back. And with their mistake, Tigress, Mime Bomb, El Topo and La Chèvre didn't just broke the camel's back, they smashed it. The quartet tried to explain themself, to say it wasn't their fault, but Carmen Sandiego's as always. But the council didn't wanted to hear a thing their decision was final.

But their punishement wasn't going to be a simple brainwashing, oh no, in the council's eyes it was too lax for what the quartet has done, no, exemples needed to be done in order to show to all operatives from the organisation what happen when you push your luck too far. Instead of their memories, they were going to pay for their failure with their lives.

The declaration of their sentence hit them like a pack of bricks and their faces morphed into a expression of shock and horror. Die, there going to die ? They were going to executed them ? Quickly shock let place to panic, an gigantic panic making think the four young adults one single thought : RUN !

And running they did. Without any warning the four now former operatives were running trying to find an escape, other V.I.L.E operatives chasing after them deadly weapons in their hands. Finally they found an escape by stealing the helicopter normally used by the cleaners, flying far away as possible from V.I.L.E and their near-certain death.

Hours later they landed on a tiny island to catch their breath and quickly they realized hard truth : They messed up ! They messed up big time ! And now V.I.L.E comdemned them ! All their work, the efforts, the sacrefices they had done to get where they were ! Their whole life they had built ! And now it was gone ! Soon the shock left place to anger and very quickly violent arguments exploded, each of them trying to blame the other for this fiasco, wanting to make anyone aside themself responsible for ruined their lives. But it was no use and they knew it. Blamed each other wasn't going to change the fact their times as V.I.L.E operatives were over, it wans't going to change the fact they were rogues now and it wasn't going to change the fact that their former superiors wanted them dead.

Exausted from their arguments and the intense shock they lived, the quartet tried to get some sleep, away from each other, some, like, Tigress, trying to hide tears of frustration, haunted by one crucial question : ̎ What are they going do to ? ̎

The following day, recuperated from their emotions they regroup together to decide what to do next. After a long debate the group decided that the best thing to do first was to go MIA for a time, El Topo had carefully suggested that maybe they could try to contact Black Sheep and ask for her help only to be violently shut down by an angry Tigress.

"-I would rather die than ask for Black Sheep's help ! ̎

By so they decided to hide from V.I.L.E on their own.

And so with their plan in head they gatered in the helicopter to the nearest country where, after they got rid of the helicopter, they hide for a while avoiding all potential V.I.L.E spy or contact who could tattle on them. Then they left for another country under new temporary identities, courtesy of Mime Bomb's hacking skills, who would had guess the mime was actually a hacker and a very good one. There, they stayed hidden too before once again going to another country with another identity and they keeped that pace for a while.

Months after they start going MIA, the group feeling that V.I.L.E's search for them didn't seem to be as strong as it was before, decided to set themself permanently in a country while still keeping a low profile. Which bring back to their current location : Paris

"-But seriously Jean-Paul a Bakery of all places ? And were you forced to rent that fa- ̎

Before Tigress could say more Mime Bomb smacked a hand on her mouth, mimic nervously to her to shut up while La Chèvre and El Topo discretly, also nervous, looked around them to see if anyone heard them.

̎ -Denis is right Sonia ! ̎ La Chèvre whispered angrily at her. ̎Don't forget we must keep a low profile! My name, especially in public, is Alexandre and unless you want us to be busted by ̎ you-know-who ̎ you better start remember that ! ̎

While removing his hand from Sonia's mouth, Mime Bomb, no, Denis, with El T- Marco, nobbed in aggrement with Alexandre 's statement.

When they choose France for their, hopefully, permanent stay, they found new identities which would be their permanent legal names. And so Tigress become Sonia Parker, La Chèvre Alexandre Riviere, El Topo Marco Álvarez and Mime Bomb Denis Dumont and at the right moment they were going to an flat Alexandre rented from a couple of bakers whose backery was located in the 18th arrondissement.

̎ -Tch ! Whatever Alexandre ! I still can't beleive you rented a flat from bakers ! ̎ Snapped Sonia.

̎ -Well excuuusssse me princess ! But we don't exactly had the budget to got a room at places like the 16th arrondissement or Le Grand Paris ! ̎ Alexandre answered rolling his eyes. ̎Anyway, from what I know those bakers are very successful and from what Isaw in the pictures the flat upside their backery and home seem more than decent so it should be fine ! ̎

Sonia snorted at this. Yeah right ! As if things ̎ should be fine ̎ for them in their situation.

A few minutes later they were finally in front of the bakery which on the first look didn't indead seem bad.

Turning face to the others Alexandre warned them with a serious tone.

̎ -Okay from now I will be the one talking ! Whatever is happening just shut up got it ? ̎

Everyone nobbed in aggrement, even Sonia despiste been still in a bad mood.

As they entered the bakery they were invade by a strong delicious smell of bread and pastries, the inside was bright and beautifully decorated. And at the counter was standing a massive man and a petite woman, surely the owners.

When they saw the quartet, the couple smiled at them while the man greeted them.

̎ -Bonjour messieurs et madame ! En quoi pouvons-nous vous aidez ? ̎

(Hello sirs and madam ! What can we do for you ?)

Alexandre greeted him back politly.

̎ -Bonjour, Alexandre Riviere et ce sont mes amis Marco Álvarez, Sonia Parker et Denis Dumont! Nous sommes là pour l'appartement à louer ! ̎

(Hello ! Alexandre Riviere and this is Marco Álvarez, Sonia Parker and Denis Dumont! We are here for the flat !)

Hearing this, the man's smile cheer up even more and he and his wife hastened to come shake their hands.

̎ - Oh oui Nous vous attendions ! Je suis Tom Dupain-Cheng et voici ma femme Sabine Cheng ! ̎

(Oh yes we were waiting for you ! I'm Tom Dupain-Cheng and this is my wife, Sabine Cheng!)

̎ -Ravi de vous rencontrer Monsieur Dupain-Cheng et Madame Cheng ! ̎

(A pleasure to meet you mister Dupain-Cheng and madame Cheng !)

̎ -Un plaisir également Monsieur Riviere ! ̎ M. Dupain-Cheng's wife, Sabine, answered him, smiling as her husband. ̎Mais suivez-nous vous et vos amis devez être impatient de voir l'appartement et de vous installer après un si long voyage ! ̎

(A pleasure too mister riviere !) (But please follow us I'm sure you and your friends can't wait to see the flat and to set yourself after such a long trip !)

̎ -Cela serait parfait merci ! ̎

(It would be perfect thank you !)

While following the couple upstairs, the former V.I.L.E member listened them talking about how they will like to live here, what are the best places in the district and many other things and as they entered the flat they once again thanked the Dupain-Cheng couple before the bakers let them set themself in their new living space.

The flat was very spacious, with three bedrooms, a bathroom, a little kitchen and a living room with a big window, giving the room a beautiful sunny light.

La Chèvre, Mime Bomb and El Topo begining to store their belongings while Tigress just leaning against the big window looking at the city with the same scolding expression she's having for a long time now.

La Chèvre was about to severly told her to stop grumbling in her corner and to come help them when a few knocks at the door take the group by surprise. Who was that ? The owners maybe ? But they just left them ? But more importantly, who's gonna answer at the door ? Finally after a while staring at each others not sur what to do, it's El Topo who dicide to see who was at the door. Only to find in front of him a petite young girl who wouldn't be no more than 15 with black hair and big bright blue eyes who looked shyly at him with a smile.

̎ -Bonjour ! My name is Marinette I'm the owners daughter, I'm here to welcome you and to see if you are well settled ! ̎

El Topo smiled at the young girl, from what he saw he can tell she seem to be a very nice girl.

̎ -Holà Marinette nice to meet you ! I'm Marco and this is Alexandre, Denis and Sonia ! ̎

The two other men wawed at Marinette, smilling politly while Tigress just groaned not moving from where she was standing.

Noticing the surprised expression of the young girl at the older woman's behavior, El Topo quickly turned to the young teen with a nervous smile.

̎ -S-Sorry about her ! The trip was very long so she's very exausted ! ̎ Said El Topo trying to reassure the young girl. ̎Anyway ! We are very well settled thank you for asking ! You can tell your parents the flat is perfect ! ̎

Marinette's smile brighen at the statement.

̎ -Great ! I'll make sure to tell them ! Oh and before I go ! ̎ She give El Topo a white box with pastries goods inside. ̎Those are macarons ! I made them as a welcome gift, I didn't know what you liked so they are chocolates and vanilla ! ̎

̎ -Woaw thank you ! They look delicious, I'll make sure everyone get some ! ̎ The older man promised her with a smile.

̎ -Okay ! I'll go now goodbye ! ̎

̎ -Bye ! ̎

Closing the door El Topo turned toward the others.

̎ -I like this chicita she's nice ! And look she even made macarons for us ! ̎ He said as he was putting the macarons on the table.

Curious, they all take a macaron, aside from Tigress who was still in her corner grumpy. Immediatly after their first bite, the three men had stars in their eyes and quickly take another one.

̎ -Come on amiga ! Just come and try at least one, you'll see they are very tasty ! ̎ El Topo telling while taking a bite.

Letting out a frustrated groan, Tigress joigned them at the table. With an critical look, she took an macarons, a chocolate one, and took a bite. It was... not bad ! In fact it was very good ! The soft biscuit was melting in her mouth and the chocolate ganache was very tasteful and creamy provoquing a great explosion of flavours. She even surprised herself taking another one, and the others seem to had noticed too since they were staring at her with a little smirk.

With a little sigh Tigress just give in keep going on eating the macarons. While they were finishing the goods Tigress looked absently at their flat feeling a bit relaxed for the first time since their escape from V.I.L.E.

Maybe things will be fine for them after all. Just maybe.

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[shinigamikarinkurosaki-archive]

hey u got anymore of those shinigami!karin headcanons (like how she became a shinigami/her life after becoming one?)

You bet your patootie I do ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

So many platonics, HitsuKarin, RenShuuKiraHina. Double exclamation point (!!) with warnings placed before upsetting headcanons.

!!– self injury Izuru’s the first one who Karin shows her self-injury scars. They’re really bad, & it’s the reason she always wears socks. Her calves are virtually hairless because of how much she burned herself. I think the openness she has with Izuru helps curb her tendencies.

Karin doesn’t make a lot of casual friends in the academy. She forms very solid comraderies that help her in battle in the future, but she doesn’t make friends until she’s instated. Most of her friends are seated officers thanks to her connections. However, she’s also found they’re less likely to make a big deal out of her family.

!!– smoking Karin continues smoking throughout her career. There’s no real reason to. She’s allowed to smoke in the office since pretty much everybody does & cigarettes are pretty cheap. Momo gets her too try smoking a pipe but she doesn’t like how cumbersome kiseru are.

Toushirou & Karin take a break from their relationship just after Karin passes away. She’s just not in the mentality for romance. That said, they stay pretty good friends throughout their break. They pick up again when Karin’s healthier.

Karin tries to avoid nobility like the plague. Momo has nothing good to say about Byakuya, & Rukia & Yoruichi too close to Ichigo for Karin to want to talk to them. She meets Kuukaku & Ganju later iin her career, but she’s already so adverse to her blood family that she doesn’t speak to them much.

Karin & Rangiku turn out to be good friends. They have a lot of mutual friends so they end up spending a lot of time together & discover a mutual love for latte art together. This both endears Toushirou & drives him crazy because Karin & Rangiku end up ganging up on him while they’re teasing him.

Toushirou’s the cook in the relationship. Karin somehow ends up ruining everything because she wants things to either cook faster or she experiments. They’ve had to replace the oven twice because of her.

Karin puts the punishment squad uniform in vogue. She actually didn’t know the sleeveless/backless top cut was the punishment squad uniform until Momo & Shuuhei told her at the exact same time with GREAT FEAR in their voices. That said, Karin plays the political game very well & somehow gets on Sui Feing’s good side, so Sui Feing doesn’t attempt to get some rule passed banning the uniform from all shinigami excluding those in the punishment force. Pretty soon, a lot of lady shinigami cut their uniforms the same or similar ways.

Karin grows her hair to be several feet long. Momo loves weaving it with flowers. If Karin didn’t have to sit for an hour and a half every morning while Momo did her hair, she’d wear it with artificial flowers everyday. For the most part Karin just wears her hair in a bun. Yes, Karin & Momo gush about being bun buddies.

!!– suicidal ideation, drinking Karin’s suicidal ideation never fully disappears. The weeks between her birthday & the anniversary of her suicide get really rough for her. She starts feelings really guilty for leaving Yuzu, Jinta, & Ururu & drinks– alone– to try to distract herself from her pain. That said, drinking only makes her worse. The first two years she had to be hospitalized for alcohol poisoning. Momo, Renji, & Toushirou take shifts watching her the first few years so she doesn’t do something stupid. Izuru proves to be of great solace to her during these periods.

She loves Shinji & Rose!! Rose’s vivaciousness for life is infectiousness. He gets Karin to try a bunch of new things. She picks up the koto & latte art because of him. They spend a lot of time gushing over Izuru when he isn’t around. She loves how lax Shinji is. So long as she gets her shit done, he doesn’t bug her. Plus he has great music taste. Shinji & Karin spend even more time gushing over Momo while she is around, & often times it makes Momo as red as tomatoes.

[tarmaste]

What Is a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist?

Pelvic floor physiotherapy is the most underused service in women’s health, and many women don’t even know it exists until they have a problem to fi x. Pelvic fl oor physiotherapists are fi rst trained to perform general physiotherapy and then take additional training that addresses the pelvic fl oor. They perform internal (vaginal and rectal) assessments to determine the function of the muscles and position of the organs, to mobilize any scar tissue, and to teach women how to properly contract and relax their pelvic fl oor. They help balance the pelvis to ensure the pelvic muscles are aligned and able to do their job, they help release unproductive tension patterns that may interfere with labor and birth, and they help women identify the right and wrong way to engage the pelvic fl oor. Many pelvic fl oor physiotherapists have additional training to help women understand what their body needs to do when they are pushing their baby out. These therapists are also an essential part of your prenatal health care team and your postpartum recovery, and all new moms should see one around six weeks postpartum. In fact, as mentioned in the last chapter, you should rely on your pelvic fl oor physiotherapist to give you the green light to return to high-impact activities (and it will not be at six weeks postpartum!). Because it is a part of the body that is vital to so many aspects of our daily life, and also because it is a part of the body we can’t see, it is important to have a therapist who can help us access and optimize it. Kegels are in essence an isolated exercise, yet given that we are dynamic beings who move throughout the day (at least ideally), it makes sense to broaden the view of pelvic floor exercise to include movement. It’s all well and good to know how to isolate your pelvic floor muscles, but because they work in synergy with the Core 4 as the foundation to all movement, it is important to integrate the pelvic floor muscles into functional movements of daily living. Chapter 9 has been dedicated to this aim with Movement for Motherhood, which will teach you how to use your pelvic floor and Core 4 in a variety of daily movements and activities. In addition to supporting movement, the pelvic floor muscles have a role in breathing and controlling intra-abdominal pressure and therefore must work synergistically with the diaphragm, the transversus abdominis, and the multifidus, making up the Core 4 as mentioned earlier. The Core 4 form the deepest layer of the core and work together to ensure alignment, proper biomechanics, and control during activities. They are anticipatory, meaning they prepare us for movement and they also stabilize and control movement.

The diaphragm, as shown in figure 3.3, is the largest muscle used for breathing. The diaphragm is located in the ribcage and attaches into the lumbar spine. It is a dome shape at rest and becomes flatter in shape as you breathe in. This movement forces the ribs to move out to the side. Unfortunately, many people actually use this muscle incorrectly. Each breath should be accompanied by lateral rib expansion, yet with today’s sedentary lifestyle and slouched posture many people tend to breathe up in the chest. This has a major impact on the synergy with the pelvic floor. When you breathe in, the diaphragm should contract and descend and the pelvic floor should then lengthen and descend. The transversus abdominis

should also lengthen and expand outward to allow the air to enter the body freely. When you exhale the opposite happens—the pelvic floor contracts and lifts, the transversus moves inward, and the diaphragm rises up. To help you master this synergy you will learn and practice the core breath, a fundamental exercise to practice daily in pregnancy to help minimize things like diastasis and back pain. The core breath is a key exercise for postpartum recovery as well. Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Pregnancy and birth are often blamed for many of the core challenges women face postpartum. Common struggles include incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain, lower-back pain, and a tummy that simply won’t lie flat anymore. Women have a false belief that because they have had children, it is normal to have these challenges. This is not true. It is not normal—common, but not normal—and so much of what women deal with postpartum can be prevented or minimized if they are given the right information during pregnancy.

The old standard for treating pelvic floor dysfunction was for the OBGYN to dole out a standardized sheet of Kegel exercises. Science and clinical experience shows us that this is not only ineffective but can be harmful to some women. The three personalities of the pelvic floor demonstrate why certain women should not necessarily do Kegels. Most of us envision that after a baby’s ten-centimeter head comes through our vagina, the vagina will be left stretched and weak; hence, there is a need for Kegels. This is true in many cases postpartum, if the pelvic floor has been stretched and has not yet recovered its normal tone, strength, endurance, and timing. You can think of this pelvic floor as the “beach bum.” The tissue is long and lax (hypotonic) and not really working very well. Untreated, most women with this type of pelvic floor will develop incontinence, prolapse, and perhaps pain. Kegels can and should help these women, especially when used during movement. However, there is another personality of the pelvic floor we call the “gym rat.” This pelvic floor is tight (hypertonic), contracted, and can be short; therefore, it also has no power and poor timing. With this type of pelvic floor, women still have incontinence. Often, they will have pelvic pain, especially pain during intercourse. This pelvic floor has no give, and doing Kegels will worsen any dysfunction because the Kegels will be contracting an already contracted group of muscles. The third personality of the pelvic floor, “the little gymnast,” is what we should all strive for, where there is a perfect balance of tone, flexibility, and timing. This is a floor that can support a pregnancy, stretch for birth, and return to optimal Core 4 synergy. As we have discussed, our bodies are amazing at compensating. The pelvic floor muscles often come to the rescue and attempt to do the work of the abdominals that are now stretched and weakened and therefore ineffective. This most often results in pelvic floor muscles that are hypertonic and short, disrupting the synergy of the Core 4. Having Core 4 muscles that are not in sync will contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction such as urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and pelvic pain. It is often thought that these conditions only happen to older women, but pelvic floor dysfunction can affect women at any age and any stage of life. You may have heard of your grandmother or aunt having pelvic organ prolapse, or your friends leaking pee when they exercise ever since they had kids. These issues are common but they are not normal, and in pregnancy there is a lot you can do to avoid these conditions. Your postpartum recovery is key as well. It is a time of healing, restoration, and retraining. The pelvic floor will have been through a lot, and getting started with core breathing as soon as possible postpartum will go a long way to restoring form and function and avoiding dysfunctions. Let’s take a closer look at these common dysfunctions.

Urinary Incontinence By definition, incontinence is any unwanted loss of urine at any time and of any amount. You may hear women say that it is normal to leak after having kids, but the truth is it is not normal. There are two main types of incontinence: stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and urge urinary incontinence (UUI). SUI occurs when there is an increase in intra-abdominal pressure that is too great for the sphincters and pelvic floor to manage. Small amounts of urine leak out with exertion such as laughing, coughing, sneezing, and running. UUI typically involves a sudden, often uncontrollable, need to find a bathroom. It can be the result of nerve damage or scar tissue, or it can even be behavioral. It is also possible to have both types; this is called mixed incontinence. During pregnancy the need to urinate can increase under the effects of hormones and the pressure on the bladder as baby grows. It is also common to experience some form of incontinence as well. Studies show that if you experience incontinence in your pregnancy, there is a 70 percent chance that you will continue to live with it postpartum as well (Rocha, Brandao, Melo, Torres, Mota, and Costa 2017). Pelvic Organ Prolapse Pelvic organ prolapse is the descent of the pelvic organs (bladder, uterus, or rectum) into the vaginal canal. A cystocele occurs when the bladder bulges into the vaginal wall (also called an anterior wall prolapse). A uterine prolapse occurs when the uterus starts to descend into the vagina. A rectocele is when the rectum bulges into the vagina (also called a posterior wall prolapse). There are varying degrees of prolapse ranging from grade 1, which is very mild, to grade 4, which most often requires surgery. An important thing to note about prolapse is that the degree of descent doesn’t necessarily correlate with the symptoms. Some women may have a small prolapse and be very symptomatic, while others will have a more advanced prolapse yet have no symptoms at all. Some common signs of prolapse may be lower-back pain, a sense of heaviness in the pelvis, a tugging or pulling sensation, a feeling like something is falling out, pain with intercourse, inability to insert a tampon, or inability to keep a tampon in. These are just a few of the symptoms, and they are felt to different degrees by different women. Like we said, some may feel symptoms when they have an early stage prolapse while others feel nothing at all and only notice the prolapse once there is a bulge at the entrance to the vagina. Pelvic organ prolapse is not life threatening, but it is life altering. Especially for active women, it can be a very unpleasant reality. Also note that prolapse can take years to develop and, because not everyone feels the early signs and symptoms, it is important to seek out a pelvic floor physiotherapist as part of your health care team in pregnancy and for the rest of your life. If you do not have access to a qualified pelvic floor physiotherapist and you suspect you have a prolapse, accessing resources online like the Association for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Support (APOPS) and asking your OBGYN to do a POP-Q (a special test to measure the grade of prolapse) can help you make informed choices about your health care. Posture, alignment, proper body mechanics, Core 4 synergy, preparing your body for birth, recovering optimally, and delaying the return to high-impact activities will all play a role in preventing or minimizing the descent of the pelvic organs. Pelvic Pain Pelvic pain is another dysfunction often brushed off as just another pregnancy ailment. However, just because you are pregnant does not mean you need to suffer. Things like lower-back pain, sacroiliac joint pain, pubic symphysis diastasis (pain in the front of your pelvis at the pubic joint), and dyspareunia (pain during sex) can all be treated and often cured during pregnancy or postpartum. Often the problem is as simple as the pelvic floor muscles being hypertonic (too tight), or hypotonic (too lax). Other problems include compensatory strategies coming into play, such as referred pain from other muscles like the hip adductors, or uneven rotational forces on the pelvic bones. Once again, posture, alignment, and synergy in the Core 4 play important roles in prevention and treatment of pelvic floor dysfunctions during pregnancy.

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