#manek

[bejandaruwallaindia]

Manek/Ruby

Ruby can bring incredible positive energy. Trying to find Manek/Ruby. Call now to buy the original Manek/ruby from Bejan Daruwalla's firm.

[ozma-fangirl]

**SPOILERS FOR WICKED: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST**

I think it’s hilarious that Elphaba is so obsessed with receiving forgiveness from Sarima for her role in the death of Fiyero, but then she nigh-on murders Fiyero and Sarima’s son (Manek), and does not give a shit about it.

[femcpilled]

The half siblings ever

[clementine-blue]

"The Second Shift". Photo by Attila Manek, Hungary, 1987

[farcille]

given everything that happens in wicked I’m kind of amazed that liir turns out normal enough to be the protagonist of the next book

[westfae]

TAG DROP : characters

[mymelodic-chapel]

Carla dal Forno- You Know What It's Like (Minimal Wave, Ambient Pop) Released: October 28, 2016 [Blackest Ever Black] Producer(s): Carla dal Forno, Tarquin Manek

[merdum7]

YL Hooi and Tarquin Manek

[warden-of-light]

You wanna know what's cool about Corvus Corax? The way he appears before space marines and their primarch.

More beneath the cut.

Konrad Curze: The Night Haunter.

Corax appears before the Night Lords.

==================================

‘My lord…’

Curze silenced him with a gesture. His head came up, sniffing at the air like a hound. ‘We are no longer alone.’

Tovor’s auspex let out a single ping.

‘Weapons!’ commanded Sevatar. The command Claw brought up their bolters.

‘I am detecting battleplate power outputs all around us,’ said Tovor. ‘Multiple returns. Eight at least.’

‘I have clear biosign readings,’ said Manek. ‘By the walls. In the shadows.’

‘There’s nothing there!’ said Vor.

Shadows moved around the periphery of the auditorium. Uncertain target locks flickered over undulations in the dark. White outlines on red lens feeds twisted awkwardly, attempting to find something that did not wish to be seen. The sensorium did better than Sevatar’s eyes. He blinked, but his vision stubbornly refused to see what his armour told him was there.

A single Nostraman rune blinked steadily on Sevatar’s helm display. *Threat.*

‘Draw in. Protect the primarch,’ he commanded. He activated the magnetic binders on his bolter and slapped it to his thigh, and plucked his chainglaive from his back. The command Claw fell back around their lord. Curze remained motionless, disinterested. Bolts racked into chambers. The shadows ceased their movement.

‘I have steady targets,’ said Tovor. ‘Sharing.’

The white outlines flickered on Sevatar’s displays into the shapes of Space Marines in full war-plate. And yet he could not actually see them.

‘Should we open fire?’ said Vor, his voice thick with the desire to fight.

‘Hold,’ said Curze. ‘Lower your weapons.’

Reluctantly, Sevatar’s warriors obeyed.

The shadows rippled. Black armoured Space Marines detached themselves from puddles of darkness, like plastek sculptures rising from tar. Where only targeting data had been before, Sevatar now saw a full squad of XIX Legion veterans, materialising from darkness to fill the outlines painted by his cogitator. His eyes ached, begging him to tear off his winged helm and rub them.

This could not be. Nostraman born could see into any shadow. The Ravens should not have been able to hide so completely, but they had. Occupying a broad ledge that had housed statues, now broken on the ground, the Raven Guard had the higher position. Unlike the Night Lords, they had their weapons raised.

‘You have us at a tactical disadvantage,’ said Curze. ‘I trust neither you nor my sons will do anything regrettable.’ He looked at Sevatar. ‘Am I right?’

‘If they move, take them down,’ said Sevatar. He held his glaive ready, his finger hovering over the activation stud.

None of the Raven Guard spoke. They left that to their lord.

Very little shocked Sevatar. Even for a Space Marine he was solid as stone, unmoved by the remnant emotions his brothers suffered so much from. But when Corvus Corax emerged from shadow far too shallow to accommodate him, he blinked in surprise. Nothing that big should have been able to materialise that way – his battleplate alone should have revealed him; every mark of power armour growled and thumped and whined with activity. Corax’s did not. His armour ran silently, with no grinding joints, no teethitching hum. He appeared from nothing as noiselessly as oil running over water. Masters of fear and pitiless killers all, the Night Lords felt the unfamiliar pangs of disquiet.

Warsuit cogitators redrew the target outline around Corax, expanding it from the legionary it thought it had seen to the primarch he revealed himself to be. With an apologetic flourish, their sensorium aids graced the weak points of Corax’s sable armour with floating recommendations for targeting. The hum in Sevatar’s helm changed pitch as his war-plate reconsidered the primarch’s threat rating, appending a rune of high danger to Corax’s head. It flashed but did not change when Corax removed his helm. The warnings weren’t worth a damn. The primarch would be on them before their fingers could squeeze their triggers, even with the Night Haunter there.

‘Brother,’ said Corax. ‘I come to you without violent intent, but please, explain to me what is going on in this city.’ His voice was soft like the Night Haunter’s, though not as sibilant, and with a more measured tone. Sevatar refused to let it beguile him. The threat Corax made was clear enough.

==================================

Shadow of the Past.

A warp-turned Corax confronts Lorger.

[trekbait]

Cardassia’s Gay Venues - Ranked

Cardassia’s strict gender roles and focus on family have meant for much of the past few hundred years the queer community there, while tolerated, has lived in the shadows. Post-war, it’s all change on Cardassia and we’re proud to report on some of the hottest queer venues (or "tailor shops" in the local slang) on the planet!

#1 The Blue Spoon

Officially a 300-year-old private members club for women excelling in science and engineering (Cardassia’s traditionally female-dominated careers), this club has been a haven for Cardassia’s sapphics away from prying eyes. Those in the know of course might recognise the name; “blue spooning” being a slang term on Cardassia for a lesbian relationship. But they’ve maintained an air of deniability and exclusive privacy.

Reluctantly opening their doors to a new generation, we joined one of their latest parties with these finely dressed women, often with very masculine cuts, dancing to an all-female orchestra. From our conversations with patrons, it seems those women who do serve in the military are in exceptional demand now they’re allowed in, particularly among the younger patrons. One older Gul was seen carrying two young women around on her shoulders before vanishing towards the powder room.

#2 The Hot Rock

With their preference for the heat and dark, relative to many humanoids, it’s no surprise how popular saunas are on Cardassia. That holds true for gay Cardassians too. The Hot Rock is the biggest gay sauna in the capital and a meeting place for much of its community. Over 4 floors deep under Lakarian Way there is no end of dark corners to arrange a semi-private rendezvous in temperatures passing 90 degrees Celsius in places. 

The upper floors are dotted with dancers, bars and various entertainment. Not being able to handle the heat downstairs, we talked to a few of the patrons. One ex-tailor we spoke to told us of how prior to the war it was very much a “don’t ask, don’t tell” situation on Cardassia. The primacy of the family always had the understanding of affairs on the side, but on the understanding they were kept discreet.

These days, it seems, the old ways are out along with the old leadership. We asked the patron if there were any prominent gay Cardassians in this new society. He replied, “my dear, they’re all gay.” When asked if that included the government, he added “Especially the government.” The patron himself says that he is just visiting for the sauna and was not gay at all, but his friend Elim used to date a human doctor for a few years who was “ravishing.” He grinned as he went back to watching the dancers. Let’s hope this ‘Elim’ finds new love on this new Cardassia.

#3 Dom In Me Cabaret

What was previously an underground satirist group of drag performers during the war is now an ongoing headline show with a full musical comedy based around the Dominion leadership. The king playing the Vorta 'Why-Ooo' steals the show with his sycophantic solos dedicated to his unrequited love for the abusive Changeling.

We lost count of the number of times different characters killed Why-Oooo but the audience cheered mercilessly without fail. The group is currently working on a new act around Tain and the Obsidian Order, something unthinkable a few years ago!

#4 The Ending Sacrifice Bookshop

For a quieter atmosphere, turn to The Ending Sacrifice which now openly sells literature deemed inflammatory to the Cardassian sense of “Family Is All.” Stories of powerful people forsaking arranged marriages to elope with their true love stock the shelves in defiance of the prevailing ideology. The owner, Manek, explains how they how to challenge the monoculture on Cardassia imposed by Central Command over the past 100 years.

“Historically,” they say, “the early Hebitian civilizations were far more liberal and pluralistic. We valued our differences and our culture above military conquest. We want to return to that openness. So much of our society has been suppressed. Did you know that, like most reptilian-like humanoids, Cardassians have the capacity to change sex in certain circumstances? Under the Central Command, this is an unspoken medical disorder to be fixed rather than a natural function of our biology.”

The bookshop hosts literary and academic talks on a number of topics which are free to attend. Drop in and speak to Manek for more.

#5 Obsidian Eyes

Tucked away on the outskirts of Lakat is a BDSM club that only recently opened. For some, the end of the Obsidian order and their eternal monitoring of the whole of Cardassian society (especially it’s queer members) must be something to be missed. Because here, patrons can meet in cold metal interrogation rooms and be watched through “secret” one-way mirrors by “agents of the Obsidian Order”. At a certain point during their liaison, the agents will barge into the room and place the lovers on trial. 

We asked staff if the “agents” were real, or more accurately former, members of the Obsidian Order or just actors. Each person we asked gave an entirely conflicting account of the whole operation and one just quoted lines from Enigma Tales at us. So we’re not sure what to say at this point other than this is an exhibition and humiliation kink we didn’t think we’d see on our trip.

[enbylestat]

Tidings of comfort & joy

Chapters: 12/12 Fandom: The Wicked Years Series - Gregory Maguire Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Elphaba Thropp/Fiyero Tigelaar, Fiyero Tigelaar/Sarima Tigelaar, Elphaba Thropp/Sarima Tigelaar, elphaba thropp/sarima tigelaar/fiyero tigelaar Characters: Elphaba Thropp, Fiyero Tigelaar, Sarima Tigelaar, Galinda Upland, The Wizard (The Wicked Years), Liir (The Wicked Years), Nor "Ilianora" Tigelaar, Manek Tigelaar, Irji Tigelaar Additional Tags: Holidays, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Lurlinemas (The Wicked Years), Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Character Study, Anarchy, Fascism, Politics, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-Typical Behavior, polyamorous Fiyero Tigelaar, bisexual Fiyero Tigelaar, Bisexual Elphaba Thropp, Bisexuality, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Useless Lesbians, lesbian Glinda Upland, Revolution, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, Tumblr Roleplay, Inspired by A Christmas Carol, Bisexual Female Character of Color, POV Alternating, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, POV Third Person, POV Third Person Limited, References to Wicked - Schwartz/Holzman, References to Wicked (The Wicked Years), Song: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Fix-It, Happy Ending, Polyamory, rairpair, Threesome - F/F/M, Canon - Book, Historical References, Allegory, Femslash, Smut, Intersex, Queer Themes, POV Elphaba Thropp, POV Fiyero Tigelaar, POV Sarima Tigelaar, Minor Elphaba Thropp/Galinda Upland, Character Death, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Religion, Atheism Series: Part 5 of The Wicked Years (enbylestat's version). Summary: Post the violent (and justified) overthrow of Oscar Diggs - the ‘Wonderful’ Wizard of Oz, and the ascension of an extremely reluctant Glinda Upland-Chuffrey, Elphaba Thropp, who is already on the way to the Vinkus makes a life for herself in a way that is on solid ground and one she, Sarima and Fiyero Tigelaar all deserve.

(AU: no one dies / everyone lives, fluff with light smut.)

@creators-club

[llycaons]

THEY FOUND HIM

this is so crazy....liir has been in that well for like two days now and nobody really cares? nobody's looking for him? guys he's 7 years old

[evidence-based-activism]

slightly random but what do you think of the whole corset discourse?

I'm not completely positive about what you mean by "the whole corset discourse", but here are my thoughts and some research on corsets.

So, first, I consider corsets a part of "beauty culture", which definitely negatively affects women.

To identify feminist concerns for something like this, I ask first if it is functional and comfortable. Then I ask if it requires behaviors or standards that are not required of men.

So, for example, some relevant questions are: Does it cover everything you want covered or are you constantly having to self-monitor to maintain public decency? Do you have a full range of movement? Can you run, squat, and lift objects without it causing discomfort? Are you able to refrain from wearing it without feeling distress about your appearance? Are you able to wear it without feeling the need to engage in other beauty rituals?

If the answer to (some of) these questions is no, then it's a pretty strong indicator that it's enforcing harmful standards of femininity.

----

There is frustratingly little research on the effects of wearing a corset.

There is an interesting dissertation [1] that discusses much of the historical evidence, but much of this doesn't meet modern research standards. One chapter does review more modern work, which indicates corsets impair lung function, put pressure on internal organs, weaken trunk muscles, and may have other negative effects. In particular, she notes that corset use discourages exercise, and reductions in exercise are known to have significant negative physical effects.

She later [2] confirmed the reductions in lung capacity and found participants noted skin discomfort, back pain, and a need to reduce activity.

More recent research has confirmed the decrease in lung function, discomfort, and reduced exercise capacity for non-elastic corsets [3, 4] and waist trainers [5].

Expert opinion (i.e., from doctors), also indicates that (1) many of the "benefits" being claimed about corsets/waist trainers/shapewear are myths and (2) there are substantial negative effects to wearing them [6-8].

While we do need more and stronger empirical research, expert opinion aligns with the current research.

---

In conclusion, I think corsets (and similar items) are a part of patriarchal beauty culture. They most likely have negative effects on the human body, and they contribute to a culture of inactivity and objectification.

I hope this helps!

References under the cut:

Gau, C. R. (1998). Historic medical perspectives of corseting and two physiologic studies with reenactors. Iowa State University.

Colleen Gau (1999) Physiologic Effects of Wearing Corsets: Studies withReenactors, Dress, 26:1, 63-70, DOI: 10.1179/036121199805297827

Na, Y. J., & Kim, Y. H. (2011). Changes in physiological responses by the pressure of non-elastic corset. Fashion & Textile Research Journal, 13(6), 943-951.

Na, Y. (2015). Clothing pressure and physiological responses according to boning type of non-stretchable corsets. Fibers and Polymers, 16, 471-478.

Green, T., & Roby, A. (2018, October). The effect of waist trainers on breathing. In Respiratory Care (Vol. 63, No. Suppl_10, p. 3012838). Daedalus Enterprises Inc..

Nierenberg, A. (2022, May 20). The Truth About Waist Trainers. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/well/waist-trainers-weight-loss.html

Adams, Rebecca. “Spanx Are Literally Squeezing Your Organs.” HuffPost, 20 Jan. 2014, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/spanx-shapewear_n_4616907.

Manek, Nish. “The Hidden Health Risks Caused by Shapewear, Explained by a Doctor.” BBC Science Focus Magazine, 7 July 2024, https://www.sciencefocus.com/comment/shapewear-body.

[sleepyfan-blog]

Day Four

Author’s Note:This is Day Four Of Hagiel’s Terrible, Awful, No Good Mission. First. Previous. Next. 

Tagged: @egrets-not-regrets @the-pure-angel @i-am-a-dragon34 @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan @bleedingichorhearts

Warnings: infidelity mention, ask me to tag something if it bothers you/I missed it

Summary: Hagiel learns some information from the Ultramarines and works alongside the mortals repairing the spaceport. Gossip begins to spread at the end of the shift, distracting the mortals, much to Hagiel's frustration.

Hagiel woke up five and a half hours later, a small frown appearing on his face. He had only meant to sleep for four hours. The extra hour and a half was an hour and a half that he could have been doing something in preparation from the Ultramarines’ arrival and inspection of the capital hive city. He muttered a mixture of curses and his morning prayers as he swiftly ate and got into his armor.

Once his helmet was on, he checked his vox for messages, a mixture of uncertainty and hope accompanying this task. Each of the leading mortals on the teams who were repairing the major hospitals had checked in with him. 

[This is Marius of Repair team Aleph. All major repairs have been completed on the North-Eastern Hospital. We have left a quarter of the team behind to aid in moving the recently arrived medical equipment in place, and to wait for the paint to arrive to get the hospital back to it’s full-shine state. Heading to the space port to begin assessment and repair. God emperor be praised, lord angel.]

[Amrice of Repair team Besh. Major repairs of the North-West hospital have been completed. We have left half of our team to finish the spit-shine repairs needed and to move bodies out to the cathedral to be sanctified and burned. The rest of us will be focusing on repairing the infrastructure along the east-west corridor on the upper levels. God emperor willing, we will complete this task on time, My Lord.]

[Beliath of repair team Calit. All repairs of the West-Central hospital have been completed. Sending excess paint and tiles over to East-central hospital. Currently working on the infrastructure on the North-south corridors. Those repairs should be completed on the upper levels by the end of the day. Will keep you up to date on timelines, Lord Hagiel]

[Penji of repair team Delta. All external repairs of the South-Eastern hospital have been completed, with the aesthetic repairs to be completed by the end of the day. Currently working on repairing the infrastructure of the mid-levels on the east-west corridor. Will keep you up to date on how repairs are going at shift changes, or if something drastic happens. By him on Terra, we might be able to pull this off, Lord.]. 

[Jacq of Repair team Elid. Major repairs of the South-western hospital have been completed. Aesthetic repairs postponed due to lack of paint and other supplies. We have been deputized by the Arbites to aid in body-removal and food-distribution. Team in good spirits, Lord Angel. Will update you on when we are free to continue fixing the city.]

[Manek of repair team Falco. All external repairs of the mid-levels hospital have been completed. Aesthetics repair of the hospital projected to be completed by the end of day. Next task will be aiding repair them Gat with repairing of the underhive infrastructure. Will update you as needed, Lord.]

[Ignis of Repair team Gat. All external repairs of the underhive hospital have been completed. Aesthetics repair of the hospital deemed to be low-priority and may be completed if time-permitting. We are currently working on repairing the infrastructure in the underhive. Will update you on how it goes at shift-change, Lord Hagiel]

Hagiel tasted the hope on his tongue at that, but it was tempered by the wariness beating in time with his hearts. Yes, all of this was good news. He had actually been surprised that the Arbites hadn’t deputized more of the repair teams for body disposal and food-distribution… On the other hand, the city desperately needed to look as if it hadn’t been half-destroyed by several xenos factions if they wanted to make at least an unremarkable impression upon the soon to be visiting Ultramarines. 

Speaking of the Brothers in Blue, Hagiel took a moment to center himself before checking both his vox, as well as The Resolve’s vox-system, to see if they had sent him any messages updating when they would be arriving. It would be just his luck to receive this much good news, only to find out that instead of having three more days to get the city and people into a semi-functioning state he had three hours before they were arriving… His mouth was very dry as he looked through the Resolve’s vox-logs. They’d seen fit to tell him who specifically, he and the mortals here were going to be playing host to.

By him on Terra!

They were definitely going to need to throw a welcome parade. Not doing so, despite the fact that this city, this system, was reeling and healing from attacks from Orkz, Eldar and Tyranids… There was little chance that the Captain of the second company of the Ultramarines would see anything less than a full welcome-parade and likely a feast in his and his brothers’ honor to be an insult to them… Especially as they were coming here on behalf of the new Regent of the Imperium - whoever the fuck that was. Hagiel wished he had a name, or at least a planet of origin, so as to have a guess as to what they might be like. 

The tone of the message strongly implied that the Regent might deign to grace this world with his presence in-person. Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! He was going to contact Governor Shyrc and Captain-General Qvelt immediately, so that both of them would be able to start preparations for that particular incoming clusterfuck. God-emperor Hagiel hoped that it would be just the Captain of the Second company and a selection of his direct underlings visiting… As laughable as Captain Sicarius being considered just anything. The Maveric captain was well-known for his impressive feats on the battlefield… And infamously short temper and harsh tongue. 

He sent a mass-message to the mortal repair team leaders. [Focus efforts on repairing the spaceport and the surrounding infrastructure that will be most visible to our incoming Ultramarine guests. As Captain Sicarius is of noble descent, it is unlikely that he will take much of an interest in seeing the middle-levels or the Underhive.]

The Dark Eldar had landed in the spaceport, and had tried to descend upon the mortals who lived here like the vile parasites of suffering and misery they were. Dozens of his brothers had died valiantly pushing them back to the spaceport and off of this world. He had recovered his brothers’ bodies after the fighting had stopped, but he worried that the Drukhari may have left a nasty surprise or six for them to find while trying to put everything back to rights. 

He received acknowledgements from all seven team-leads currently on duty, though with a certain amount of unhappy undertones from those who had been focused on efforts in the mid and lower levels of the hive. Hagiel genuinely wanted all of the city repaired to the best of it’s abilities… But the Lamenter was also trying to be realistic as to what could be completed in the short time frame that they had and limited resources available to them.

His next order of business was to call Qvelt, waiting with as much patience as the God-Emperor was willing to grant him. His call went to voxmail. Granted, it was early in the morning, so Hagiel left him a brief voice message, informing him of Captain Sicarius’ impending visit - and the possibility of the new and deeply mysterious Imperial Regent possibly visiting this city in person as well. Hagiel then vox-called Qvelt, hoping that the captain-general would pick up.

Qvelt did not see fit to answer his vox. With an internal sigh that the Lamenter suppressed from becoming an External one, Hagiel duly informed the current head of the Arbites of this system who was coming to visit for certain, and who he also needed to prepare additional security for, just in case the new Imperial Regent did deign to visit their world. Every time Hagiel said that, a wave of nausea threatened his ability to keep the rations he’d eaten earlier inside his stomach, where they were supposed to be. 

God-emperor grant him the patience to deal with mortals. Perhaps they were both simply asleep, and would answer later. Hagiel tried vox-calling both of their second in commands. Elgath did not answer, but Lady Sablescar did.

“Good morning, Lord Hagiel. How may I be of service?” Lady Sablescar asked, the baseline human sounding a little tired.

“I am calling to inform you that we will, unfortunately, be needing to organize and throw a full Welcome parade and banquet for the Ultramarines who are coming to inspect this city. The second company captain and several of his officers are coming… In addition, it was strongly implied that the new Imperial Regent may be deigning to visit us with his retinue as well.” Hagiel explained, an apologetic note in his voice.

All subtle sounds of exhaustion were replaced by an intense and gratifying focus “I see. Has the timeline for their arrival changed at all? I have yet to go through the repair reports, but the projections when I went to sleep last night were promising. As were the reports about handling the minor scuffle in the lower levels. Have you spoken with the Lord Governor, or General Qvelt about this yet?”

“I tried, neither of them answered their vox-messages. Neither would Lieutenant Elgath. I am aware of the early hour of the morning, but I would not be calling if it was not an urgent matter.” Hagiel answered honestly, doing his best to bite back the irritation that bubbled up within his hearts. 

“That’s… A little strange. I’ll see what I can do to reach them on my end, as well as begin preparations for the welcome parade and the feast. Just so that I know where you are likely to be, in case you need to be reached, what are your plans for the day, Lord Angel?” Lady Sablescar responded. 

Hagiel answered “I will be working alongside repair team Aleph to repair the spaceport and surrounding upper-level infrastructure and buildings, unless something more urgent comes up during the day.” Part of him wondered if he should talk to the Inquisitor… But… Inquisitors. Ugh. No, he would reach out to the other, to be diligent in his duties. Maybe the Lord Inquisitor would also know who the new Imperial Regent is, or find out before they arrive. Or at least get a read on how they intend on ruling the Imperium.

The fact that the Ultramarines seemed to back this new Regent up - as evidenced by Sicarius apparently being at the Regent’s side currently, from the implications that he could read between the lines… It was possible that the new Regent was of Ultramar, rather than one of the Lords of Terra. 

“Noted, thank you for informing me, Lord Hagiel. If you’ll excuse me, there is much I need to organize in the next three days - unless the timeline of their arrival has changed?” Sablescar asked.

Hagiel found himself shaking his head as he answered “From what I was told, they are still projected to arrive in three days… It’s just that we may be playing host to not just Ultramarines, but the Regent they are backing as well.”

“... I see. I will send you an update on how preparations are by the end of the day, my lord.” SHe demurred.

“Thank you.” He murmured before hanging up. He paused, looking at his chronometer and huffed, All of this phone calling and people-wrangling had eaten up several hours of his morning that could have been spent rebuilding. But he should contact the Lord Inquisitor anyways. Even though they were pretending to be otherwise.

… Then again, they may not be a full Inquisitor, they were a member of the Inquisition, and from what he had observed, the highest ranking member of the Inquisition still alive within this system. Which was why he was calling one Lady Von Flint, waiting for her to pick up his call.

“Greetings, my lord. What may I do to aid you? I am a humble adminis-” The Inquisitor started.

“Don’t. Don’t start with the whole humble civil servant thing with me. I know that you’re a member of the inquisition. Quite possibly an Inquisitor, as you’re the one who slipped me the Astartes-grade snack at the party earlier this week.” Hagiel answered bluntly “I’m not done speaking yet, so do not interrupt me with lies and denials. Neither of us have the time for it. The Captain of the Second Company of Ultramarines is going to be the one inspecting this city… And possibly the new Imperial Regent as well.”

Von Flint was silent for a frustratingly long period of time before she spoke “I suppose it was teh astartes grade snack that gave me away? While I am aware that the relationship between the Inquisition and your chapter is… Fraught, to say the least, this headsup is a gracious one that I will not forget. I will begin preparations on my end. Do you have any idea as to the identity of this Regent? The frequent warp storms that plague this system make long-range communication incredibly difficult to rely on with any regularity, due to a number of factors that I am sure you are already aware of.”

“Apart from the strong implication that the Regent has the full support of the Ultramarine chapter, along with possibly all of their successor chapters? I don’t know. Captain Sicarius is the head of their bodyguards.” Hagiel informed the Inquisitor quietly. “The regent has apparently been moving from system to system, asking for the loyalties of the Imperial worlds they find there… and if the leaders of those worlds do not bend the knee, they use the might of the Ultramarine fleet to enforce compliance.” 

“... Oh… That is… Well. Alright then. I am guessing that, at best, those noncompliant rulers are killed quickly and publicly.” Von Flint managed out, voice trembling for just a moment “Some of my preparations will go towards speaking to Governor Shyrc and the other ruling noble families to strongly consider being very welcoming to the incoming Regent. I am sure that his good sense will prevail over any prideful notions that he may have.”  Von Flint answered. They paused for a moment before answering “I do need to ask this question as while you are a newcomer to this system, you as an Astartes, and one who helped lead our forces to victory when defeat was all but assured… Where do you stand?”

“I have sworn vows to Him on Terra, and to my chapter master. Unless I receive orders from either of those two superior officers, or evidence to suggest that this Regent does not rule because He ordained them to, I will heed the Imperial Regent and swear loyalty to them, as His representative ruler.” Hagiel answered truthfully. He also knew that this was the correct response to give, when speaking to an Inquisitor/a member of the Inquisition. He did have some private reservations, but he would not speak them aloud to anyone, save perhaps a trusted Brother or two… But all of them were dead, or too far away.

“Naturally. Your call has been a surprise but a… A welcome bit of news. I will speak with my network and begin preparations for the Regent’s arrival. Have you informed the Lord Governor, or the Captain-general?” The inquisitor asked curiously.

“I attempted to contact both of them, and their second in commands earlier this morning. Only Lady Sablescar was able or willing to actually answer her vox this morning. If you need to speak with me in person, and I am not answering my vox for whatever reason, I will be aiding in the repair of the spaceport and the damaged surrounding structures and infrastructures. I will have my vox on me, but given the kinds of metals used in the spaceport, the communications aspect of my vox could be interfered with.” Hagiel explained, before asking “Is there anything else that you wanted to talk to me about at this time?”

“Not at this time. I will vox if my network uncovers something urgent to handle that I am unable to handle on my own… Or if I get additional intel on who the New Imperial Regent may be.” Inquisitor Von Flint answered, “May The Emperor’s light guide you.”

“May His LIght guide you as well.” Hagiel answered automatically before ending the vox call. He briefly checks to see whether or not the three high ranking mortals he sent messages off to earlier have tried to contact him while he was speaking with the Inquisitor. 

None of them have, which is a little out of character for the three of them, but perhaps they are dealing with supply issues, or another riot has broken out on one of the nearby mining colonies and they are trying to handle that. Hagiel squares his shoulders and heads out to the reconstruction site with swift and purposeful steps.

~

The rest of the morning and afternoon passed in a blur of physical effort and reconstruction, in an unseasonable heat that would have dehydrated the mortals something dangerously, had Hagiel not insisted that they properly take care in the heat, by moving slowly and working in the shade whenever they could, and hydrate frequently. He had pulled on some of the few strings he had in this system in order to ensure that all of the repair teams currently working got the breaks and hydration they needed to not weaken in the heat. 

Hagiel’s armor provided all the thermo-regulation that he needed, but he did gratefully accept small sips of cool, refreshing water, as there was only so much recycled sweat one could tolerate before the tang started to turn one’s stomach. Besides, him clearly hydrating and taking small breaks throughout the shift encouraged the mortals to do the same when the liquid rations were being handed out.

The spaceport had taken relatively little damage as the invading Xenos had used it as a staging ground for trying to invade and assault the hive city, which also held true for the surrounding infrastructure. This meant that the repair team that he was working alongside had finished all of the necessary repairs in the surrounding area and in the spaceport itself by the setting of the sun. There had been a tense moment when Hagiel had been called in to disarm several Dark Eldar traps and an unexploded Orky big boomer, but he had been able to skillfully and easily disarm all of the xenos trickery without much difficulty. 

With the spaceport and the surrounding structures and infrastructure fully repaired, it had been decided that they would continue to work on fixing the major damaged roads and the like starting from the Space port until it was time for shift-change, whereupon the next group of mortals would take over. Currently, Hagiel was helping to clear away some debris, placing them into a large device that ground up the chunks of road and turned them into new road paving, which the mortals were spreading in the spots that needed patching. 

The sun was low in the sky, and there was about an hour or so left before the next shift of mortals relieved this one. Hagiel intended on working until he had to stop for his optimal four hours of sleep, as he still felt bad for oversleeping this morning, and how long it took him to vox-wrangle information to the mortals who needed it most. Not that Governor Shyrc, Captain-general Qvelt nor Lieutenant Elgath had seen fit to actually send him so much as a vox-text acknowledging what he had told them. Part of him was concerned that meant that whatever they were dealing with was a potentially Serious matter… One that the mortals had not seen fit to loop him into.

He was trying to ignore the slowly growing sense of impending Trouble their continued silence gave him, instead focusing on what he could do, what he could control. Which was ensuring that the Ultramarines who were coming to visit had no reasons to nag at him because the Hive City had not received the aid that they needed in order to properly recover from three consecutive Xenos attacks.

One of the mortals had stopped working, stretching and yawning a little before looking over to another and asked “Did you here? Lieutenant Elgath was caught by an Early morning patrol, leaving mister Raskoa’s home, just before sunrise this morning.” They revealed with a small smirk on their face.

“So? He works for the Lord Governor. It was probably some kind of late night meeting for getting the system back into order.” The other mortal pointed out.

“Yeah… Except that he was leaving the house without his pants on and a huge love bite still wet on his neck.” A third mortal chimed in, also smirking “At least, that’s what I heard.”

“Aren’t they of rival noble houses, or something like that?” The first mortal added. None of these mortals were working as diligently as they should be, and their rumor-mongering was starting to attract attention of the rest of the mortals on the repair crew.

“Nah, it’s just that Shyrc and the captain general have hated each other since, like, forever and that kind of fraternization would get them both fired, at minimum.” A fourth mortal chimed in.

“Aren’t both of them married to other people? Infidelity is a sin… Or at least it should be.” Th third mortal huffed, having stopped even pretending to work, their arms crossing over their chest as they leaned a little on the long-handled shovel they’d been using to shift debris.

More mortals were gathering around the gossips distracting them from their tasks.

A sigh left Hagiel as he rolled his shoulders and turned to the gathering crowd of chatty mortals. They had perhaps half an hour before the next shift of mortals arrived… But that was no reason o slack off, in the Space Marine’s personal opinion. It was bad optics for the oncoming shift to see the previous shift in a loose gaggle doing frak-all, rather than working. He was trying to come up with a tactful way to order the mortal to get back to their tasks without coming off as a high-handed asshole. The last thing he wanted to do was to antagonize these mortals three days before the Ultramarines - and maybe the Emperor-blessed Imperial Regent arrived on this world.

The mortals could potentially do a catastrophic amount of damage in that time, and it was not a headache that Hagiel wanted to try and handle. Not when there was already far too much to do and next to no time to do it in. 

Before he could speak, the mortal shift leader stomped over, calling out “There better he a good reason all of y’all are standing round talking, rather than working. Did you find another knife-ear trap that the Lord Astartes needs to handle?”

The gathered mortals startled into motion, once again going back to their tasks “We were taking a brief break, ‘cause of the late night heat.” One of the gossipy mortals called out.

The shift-leader harrumped at that “Fine. Break time’s over. You can talk if you want to, but keep working.” 

The rest of the mortals answered with a collective “Yes ma’am.” as they all returned to their various tasks.

Hagiel checked his vox-messages via his helmet vox as he continued to shift debris. Von Flint had sent him a message a little over an hour ago. It read,

[Potential political issue has come up. Two high ranking members of opposing political factions have been caught having sex with each other. From my initial investigation, there was nothing Ritualistic or Chaotic to the nature of the sex. Simply two people cheating on their partners at an inopportune and stressful time.]

Thank the god emperor for that. Slaaneshi grox-shite spread really fast amongst the Imperial Elite upon a world, once a cult got established most of the time. To stop the taint spreading further, full execution of all of the ruling mortals was generally needed, alongside their servants who had been exposed and likely tainted (often against their will), which was deeply unfortunate. [Anything you want me to do about the situation?] He sent, letting out a breath of relief. Hopefully that bit of grox-shite was not something that he had to deal with personally, as this sort of internal nonsense was squarely the purview of the Inquisition on non-Chapter worlds, such as this one.

[Not yet, though I thought you should be made aware of it. Both the Governor and the Captain-General are furious about it, but I am attempting to get them to refocus on issues that actually matter… But do I have your support, should I need your assistance in putting this matter to rest?] The inquisitor asked.

Hagiel hesitated for a couple of moments. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to say yes to that, with such a blanket statement from an Inquisitor he did not know. But it wasn’t as if he had many other options, and they needed this issue resolved quickly. [If I say yes, will you be able to get this matter resolved before the Ultramarines arrive? They are known for being highly political and with keen insights. A united front must be able to stand up to their keen-eyed scrutiny… Especially as they have the backing of the Imperial Regent.] He wouldn’t put it past the Ultramarines not to meddle in the affairs of this system if they felt that they could get away with it. The brothers in blue and gold were meddlesome types.

[I should be able to. And you bring up several excellent points that I had not considered. I will bring it up with both Shyrc and Qvelt. This kind of petty nonsense is wasteful and not something we can afford at this sensitive time.] Von Flint texted back. [How goes the rebuilding efforts?]

[Despite the heat, the spaceport and the surrounding structures have been fully repaired. I will be receiving the reports from the day shift leads in roughly ten minutes from now, but I have good reason to suspect that, barring anything unexpectedly unfortunate happening, we will have the city looking back to normal by the time the Ultramarines arrive.] Hagiel texts back. He is hesitant to say such a hopeful statement out loud, given the… Often unfortunate circumstances his brothers in gold often find themselves in, but this sex scandal is exactly the sort of nonsense that happens. 

[That is indeed good news. I am off to wrangle unhappy nobles.] Von Flint texted back,

[You have my deepest sympathies, and I wish you well in your endeavors.] Hagiel texted back, before refocusing entirely on the work before him. There was much left to do, but he did have hope that the physical structures of the city would be ready for inspection in time. 

[fabriche]

photograph by Atilla Manek, his wife and daughter at a Budapest market in 1987

[bestiarium]

The Wingwak [Algonquin mythology; Native American mythology]

Sleep-inducing creatures and spirits are somewhat common in myths and tales from around the world, presumably having arisen independently as ways to explain peoples’ need for sleep. In the folklore of the Native American Algonquin people – who live in Canada – this creature takes the form of the Wingwak (alternatively ���Wingoc’), a small insect-like supernatural being.

Though the Wingwak is a spirit of sleep, it takes the form of a butterfly (though I have also seen them described as flies). Usually they swarm someone in groups of five in order to put that person to sleep.

There is an Algonquin legend about a celestial being who, being aloof and not paying attention, fell through a hole in the heavens and fell down to Earth. Though he was not hurt by the impact, the being was surprised to find that mortal humans sleep. He eventually discovered a man who slept significantly more than the other humans, and around whose head there was a swarm of butterflies. He crafted a bow with arrows and took aim at the insects. His aim was far beyond that of mortals, so he managed to hit some of the insects with an arrow and chased the others away. Thus, the being from the heavens managed to wake the man and proceeded to share his knowledge with the humans. He prophesized that one day, a race of bearded creatures would arrive in this world. When that happens, the people would die off. And later, the arrival of the women of this bearded species will signal ruin for the people. I believe this last part might be a reference to a different story that I did not manage to find.

The Wingwak is also mentioned in a bunch of proverbs: the saying ‘wingwak ondjita manek’ (“there are many wingwak”) means that everyone is currently asleep. ‘Ni nisigok wingwak’ (“[may] the wingwak kill me’) is said when one is very tired.

Sources: Chamberlain, A. F., 1900, Some Items of Algonkian Folk-Lore, The Journal of American Folklore, 13(51): pp. 271-277. University of Western Ontario, 1990, Algonquian and Iroquoian Linguistics, Volumes 15-20, page 35. Cuoq, J. A., 1886, Lexique de la langue algonquine, J Chapleau & Fils, Oxford University, 446 pp. (image source: Pinclub Teaser for the Metazoo Cryptid trading card game, illustration by Siobhan Daly)

This is the third or fourth time I looked up images of a very obscure folktale and found artwork from Metazoo cards. Maybe I should check that out. I really suck at trading card games, though.