#whirpools as black holes

[deepwaterwritingprompts]

Text: Our islands float in a dark sea, which extends into infinity below us. We tell stories of whirlpools that swallowed whole cities, now lost but intact in the vast and bottomless deep.

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #306: There is a FIRE Down Below

August, 1989

Can even the SUB-MARINER withstand the brutal attack of the LAVA MEN?

Well, he's got a type advantage?

Attacking him in the ocean was maybe not the best idea.

I don't know why the disembodied Avengers heads are so distraught that Namor is beating up Lava Men. Maybe they're upset because they can't see his abs from where they are...

Anyway.

Last time on Avengers: Captain America unilaterally declared every Avenger is an Avenger and there's only one Avengers team, the one he's in charge of.

Everyone was fairly supportive of this.

Except for the Lava Men who hoisted Avengers Island into the sky and then trapped Captain America, Black Panther, Thor, She-Hulk, and Giglamesh in a lava ball and rolled them into the ocean.

This time: the ocean.

Namor is swimming around in the ocean, just enjoying his life, hanging out with his finny friends, definitely not looking for his dead monster wife's monster babies at all, when some dolphins tell him that there's bad shit going on with the Avengers.

So even though Namor was JUST THERE, he turns around to check things out. Even though the water gets oddly warm. Did someone pee the entire ocean?

No?

It's just the giant column of lava, still glowing cherry hot despite all this ocean around? A flagrant violation of physics? Okay.

The column is made up of just tons of lava men and many break off the column to attack Namor.

He punches them a lot, declaims about how cool he is, smacks some Lava Men with a Lava Man, and swims around really fast to make a whirlpool.

But despite his sea-strengthened limbs, Namor notices what the Avengers noticed last time. There's a lot of the Lava Men and they tend to just reform from damage.

Then the Rock Sphere o' Avengers drops into the ocean. It disrupts the whirpool Namor was working on. And so distracts him that the Lava Men are able to dog pile on and engulf him.

The pile of Lava Men with Namor in the center walks over and starts fusing with the giant stone sphere.

Meanwhile, in the sphere, the Avengers are still hammering away at the insides.

But even though the inner layer is rock and the outer layer is rock, there's a gooey lava middle layer.

Every time the Avengers manage to make a hole, lava oozes in and hardens.

Then a hole opens up by itself and poops out Namor.

He's all pink and dehydrated and unconscious.

I assume the Lava Men pile steamed him before tossing him in with the others.

Thor jams his arm in the Namor hole before it has a chance to close but it just pinches shut on his shoulder.

Then as if it that weren't bad enough, the sphere starts rolling again.

Thor gets mad and breaks his arm free. Which creates a big crack in the prison. Which is immediately sealed shut by lava.

All in all, things aren't going super great for this new Avengers group.

Up in Avengers Island, Jarvis tries to call for help.

The good thing about Captain America declaring all Avengers is Avengers is that you can just call in more help when a giant lava spire lifts your HQ out of the ocean.

The West Coast Avengers are still returning to the west coast from the meeting. They make a big U-turn back towards the East.

Also, various interpersonal dramas make it hard to pin down when in the West Coast Avengers this is set.

Hawkeye already ragequit and took over the Great Lakes Avengers. Tigra is in the Quinjet with the other West Coast Avengers but she doesn't seem taken over by cat instincts. Vision is his traditional red, not all white. Everyone has metal should pads for some reason.

Its weird that the Avengers books can't keep consistent when the same Byrne is writing them both.

Back with Jarvis, the room starts tilting.

He turns on the outside surveillance cameras that can even scan under the base despite it being an idea.

Now that the Lava Men have the Avengers, the ones making up the giant pillar are crumbling away.

Why, Avengers Island is probably going to fall soon!

In the Orb o' Avengers, Gilgamesh goes non-responsive in order to go into an Eternal coma to better withstand the rigors of orb life.

She-Hulk points out that Captain America and Black Panther don't have any powers so how the heck are they doing in the hazardous orb environment?

Cap non-answers by just saying "I'll worry about myself when there's time, She-Hulk."

Since the orb seems to have come to a stop, Cap asks Thor to try to punch an exist if he's up to it.

Thor cautions that it'll probably be wasted effort. But "Thor is ever ready to try anything, Avenger!"

Thor starts punching a hole in the stone, the stone starts sealing over his arm. Same old story. This time, though, She-Hulk joins in.

Thor will punch a hole through the stone. She-Hulk will punch the rock so it can't reform between Thor punches.

And with this strategy, they make progress.

She-Hulk suddenly realizes that if they're still underwater, punching through is going to lead to a rush of seawater into their predicament.

Thor hears her concerns but also proceeds anyway, punching his fist out into free air.

So they're on dry land, if they can only get out to it!

Then Thor gets consumed by the juicy lava filling. Not that its dangerous to him. Remember the Lava Men story this is referencing? Thor just sank into lava with his usual stoic pout.

Thor tells the others not to save him and lets himself be pulled into the lava. And Captain America backs up his decision because Thor is never foolhardy.

OH YEAH

His big plan was just to let himself be drawn to the center of the orb's wall and then go ham.

Meanwhile, some new plot thread.

An old man loses track of his time while reading the newspaper and then old man ambles over to check the science machine he's been working on.

A science machine that could leave a crater where Cresskill is supposed to be if old man messes up.

That's a potent science machine.

Why not get into potato clocks, sir?

Meanwhile, the Avengers find themselves deep within the bowels of the Earth. The Earth has so many bowels and yet does so little digestion.

Captain America points out that as deep as they appear to be, the pressure should turn them into primary colored goo but She-Hulk tells Cap not to sweat the science. She's more worried about how Namor is all burned and dehydrated.

So Thor bonks Mjolnir on the ground and summons a rainstorm.

He can do that. The weather is his friend.

(And really, the only thing that stopped him from doing it sooner was not enough open air.)

Namor instantly rouses because comic book people with water based metabolism rehydrate like sponges. And he instantly flies into a rage based on the last thing he remembers. But Captain America tells him to clam down and Namor instantly listens to his ol' Nazi punching buddy.

The Prince of Abslantis asks where the heck they are and Captain America reiterates his observation that they seem like they're pretty deep into the Earth and yet the pressure hasn't turned them into goo.

Then Jinku, Witchdoctor of the Lava Men shows up and tells them that they're not goo because he chooses for them not to be goo.

That's nice of him. Although he also calls them his prisoners.

(In a funny bit, he tells them not to bother trying to remember if they've met him before because they won't remember him, only for Captain America to instantly go "I remember you." Jinku isn't reading his audience very well.)

Captain America says he thought the Avengers and Lava Men settled their beef but Jinku tells them there's new beef.

WHY, THE AVENGERS HAVE BROUGHT UPON THE DESTRUCTION OF THE LAVA MEN!

Captain America is skeptical because the Avengers haven't interacted with Lava Men for... a while.

So Jinku Explains It All.

Before the Lava Men were Lava Men, they were a subterranean human-ish race called the Gortokians who worshipped a demonic looking god called Cha'sa'dra, "most powerful of the underworld pantheon."

One day, their worship of Cha'sa'dra pays off when the dude himself appears. As a reward for their devotion, Cha'sa'dra turns the Gortokians into immortal men made out of molten stone. Lava Men, you might say.

Cha'sa'dra hung around to enjoy being worshipped. Maybe relatedly, the former Gortokian civilization sank into primitive barbarism. It's gotta be him because there's no other suggested factor.

Anyway, the day came when Cha'sa'dra just fucked off with no explanation.

They got an explanation later. That Cha'sa'dra was summoned by another god (N'astirh) to take part in a war against the surface (Inferno).

The important takeaway is that Cha'sa'dra was one of the nameless demons the Avengers mowed down during their Inferno tie-in issues.

Except, he wasn't nameless. His name was Cha'sa'dra. And whoops, his turn men to lava men spell had no ontological inertia. When he died, the Lava Men lost their lava and their immortality.

Hundreds of former Lava Men instantly died of being way too old. The only ones that survived were Jinku and his acolytes. Thanks to manipulating the magic of Cha'sa'dra, they were protected from instantly aging to death.

But instead of aging, Jinku's acolytes turned to stone. Living but unmoving.

"The process of their minds slowed to such a point ten thousand years might pass before they formed a whole thought!"

Dark.

So Jinku is the last guy both alive and not trapped in a living hell.

Jinku: "This is what you brought to my people, you who call yourselves Avengers! You who consider yourselves champions of all that lives! You slaughtered all but a handful, and condemned the rest to an eternal living death! For this, you deserve no better than agonizing death!" Captain America: "I'm not going to pretend we Avengers were not instrumental in the death of your god... But what you have to understand is that Cha'sa'dra lied to you! He was no great god. He was a minor demon. A tiny part of the horde that attacked." Jinku: "SILENCE! INFIDELS! If there were a punishment greater than death, I would now condemn you to it! I would see your souls writhe in torment till the end of time, for your blasphemy!!"

Telling the truth was not the best policy this time, Cap.

Although, the death of his entire race probably made him unwilling to hear any explanation or excuse.

I think maybe you have to kick him in the lava junk until he calms down.

Anyway, Jinku does have a punishment in mind for the Avengers.

DEATH BY LAVA EXPY OF CHA'SA'DRA!

And since the Avengers were all standing in one easily punched row, he punches them all in a row.

You'd think that this would set Captain America and probably Black Panther on fire. Thank god lava doesn't work like lava in fiction.

Follow @essential-avengers for more of the same of this. But, hey, like, reblog, and comment! I'm lonely down here.

[arianakozlova]

Our sky, if some celestial bodies were closer to us

[new-moon-over-septarsis]

(Another writing club snippet for Disgrace; this time the prompt was "Danger". Join us, my dear readers, as Toffee tries for the first time to follow the Call of Magic, only to see there's something much more malicious hiding behind the wonder and delight of this Realm.)

Jester bolted upright. He payed no mind to the splash of water next to him, as Juno weirdly payed no mind to having her head thrown off his shoulder so suddenly. That sound again. He thought it had disappeared the moment he'd set foot in this realm. Now here it was, no longer a ringing in his head, but a call from a distance...one he could finally follow with his ears alone.

Across the flat expanse, he spotted a single unicorn. He could just barely make out dark purple fur against the shallow gold waters, growing smaller toward the horizon. That song went with it, a singular subtle melody now instead of a medley of screeches, though still chaotic and indecipherable as usual. Jester refused to take his eyes off the unicorn lest it fade into the background. He shook Juno by the shoulder, who had snuggled into the sand and gladly let the waters rise and recede around her.

"Look. Over there. I think we need to follow."

"Nuh uh. I'm comfy."

Jester sighed. "Ugh fine. Don't go anywhere."

"Mm'kay."

Jester gave a reassuring pat on her shoulder, then waded through the waters toward the figure ahead, going deeper and deeper the quicker he caught up to it. By the time the water had reached his chest it became clear that the unicorn could walk it like solid land; he would have to swim after it. Just as he was about to start paddling,

he heard a snort off to the side, followed by a growl. An enormous gray unicorn, with a cracked horn and many stitches across his body from what seemed old battle wounds, leered into the distance at the dark one. It didn't seem to take notice of Jester, but the quick Septarian dove underwater to be sure to avoid its malice, as it trotted on in a huff.

He followed their silhouettes as best he could, keeping below the surface as the waters grew deeper, deeper, too deep now to see the bottom. The only indication of which way was up or down were the crystal reefs and landmasses surrounding him. The war-torn horse made a sniffing motion then whipped its head down and submerged it. Jester kicked backward and swam behind a reef. The motions scared a swarm of horned sea horses (Jester would've rolled his eyes playfully at the notion of "sea unicorns"), which luckily provided just enough cover- or at least distraction -to not be noticed. Once the unicorn had its back turned and was far enough away, Jester kicked gently off the reef and lifted his head above water to take a breath.

Meanwhile the creatures spoke.

"Why do you keep coming back here? You're lamenting for something no one knows or even cares about," demanded a stern, gruff voice.

"I care about it." The dark purple unicorn rang with a soothing, majestic agender voice.

"Our roots are here. Our purpose is here. You can't just pretend you have no duty to fulfill."

"That place-" they motioned their head toward a location just barely obstructed from Jester's view from the surface of the water "-is all that's left of what we once were, if we ever were anything. We don't belong here. And even if we do, who decided that for us? Isn't there more to our world than this? Than magic?"

"Magic is what controls this universe," the stern voice raised, almost booming now despite its maintained composure. "And until that changes, all who oppose it have no place in this world."

The dark horse sighed bitterly. "You're just like your counterpart." The white stars that sparkled across their fur began to glow.

"And you're starting to sound just like yours."

"Maybe that's a good thing!"

Their horns began to glow in tandem with the stars as the unicorns bore them at each other.

"Do I need to teach you our place? Or would you rather end up like the one who was supposed to take yours?"

The dark one lifted their head fully, standing ground against their counterpart who leaned forward with aggression. "You don't have power over me while I run this wand. You have no control over what I want for my life."

Around them, the golden waters became a deep violet, slowly spreading outwards. The grey horse staggered backwards desperately, disgusted by the mere sight. The dark magic reached the water around Jester from behind the rock he hid, and he inhaled sharply as a wave of energy rushed throughout his body. Not just invigorating, but familiar. Embracing. Like a lost friend he'd always known and loved turned out to be beside him all along.

Eclipsa...

The aggressive one turned its head toward the sound of Jester's gasp and immediately charged. The swift Septarian dove again and kicked off the reef, swimming for his life. The moment he dared to look back, though, he realized the trail of dark magic he'd left in his wake had thwarted off his pursuer. Jester didn't want to relax, though. He kept swimming, down, down, further down.

Until he noticed a current picking up. It felt to be all around him, all around the area; one enormous circle where all the water pulled gradually to a singularity. Curious, he followed the current to a place where all the water seemed to shoot straight down; a waterfall underwater? And just like a waterfall rages, he couldn't see past it. He only noticed too late that the current had grown too strong, pulling him forward and down towards the unknown once again... only this time he was fully aware.

Jester clung onto the nearest crystal pillar. He tried climbing back to the surface, desperate for a breath, but every time he let go for even a second the riptide threatened to take him. Then he felt a splash from above. The dark unicorn galloped down through the water. They circled, motioning their head up to come with. He quickly grabbed onto their mane and rode up to the surface with them.

Jester gulped in air and climbed onto the unicorn's back as it trotted across the surface. While catching his breath he looked around for the other one. He was nowhere to be found. In his disappearance and in the returning silence, Jester noticed a subtle new sound. The longer he listened, a new sound would come one after another. Whinnying of other horses; hooves against soft, dry ground; tinkling almost like bells; snapping and crackling. But above them all: anvils.

Jester turned toward it, toward the place the two unicorns had been blocking from his sight. At the surface the water continued to pull in its direction, and without him asking, the dark horse walked forward for a better look. They both looked down into the place where the water fell, and he tried his best to comprehend what he saw.

The short and simple answer would be an enormous chasm, a gaping hole in the world in which all the surrounding water would fall in. Yet it didn't simply fade from his sight after falling too far: it disappeared altogether, blinking out of existence behind a black void. Just before disappearing, though, any water touching the walls would start to swirl around the void as if in a whirpool. Upon doing so it would shift from its normal gold color to blue, to violet, to red, then to nothing.

Jester leaned forward just a bit more to better listen, wondering if perhaps this was what he was called to. He closed his eyes to absorb the sensation, and the slightest smell brushed his nostrils: Soot. Soot, coal, burning metal, fire and brimstone. He gave a little smile upon being reminded of the smithing shop he'd worked for. But the whinnying noises began to sound distressed, almost suffering, and those pleasant memories of the forge shifted and distorted into Mewman soldiers dancing crazed around a bonfire.

His eyes snapped open and he desperately tried to shake the memories out of his head. The purple unicorn carried him away in response; he climbed down off them atop a flat crystal mass, and they brushed their face along his in reassuring comfort.

"So..." He began, unsure where to start. "You spoke of your roots, didn't you? Is that where unicorns are from? Eclipsa told me you were all born from the magic." He gasped and turned to face them. "I do know you from somewhere, don't I? Eclipsa: you're her millhorse."

They nodded. "She calls me Orion the Brindle."

"Can you tell me...do you know where she left to?"

"She's safe. And happy. That's all that matters.

Jester huffed. "Hm. Well. Good for her."

Orion stepped forward, regarding him with a curious and anticipating gaze. "I've tried confronting you in dreams before. It's nice to finally meet you, Jester."

His eyes widened. "I knew those visions were real. So, you're the one who's been calling me?"

"Many of us have. But our songs can only reach those who need or wish to be called."

Jester glared. "'Wish?' All I want is for this to stop."

"Perhaps it's a need, then. We have a purpose, and so must you if you have the power to walk through this place without losing yourself. Someone like you must be the key to our salvation."

"Salvation? You're a prisoner?"

Orion sighed. "There's so much I want to explain, and so few ways I know to describe it. I barely understand myself."

"I ..." He thought about Juno waiting for him, wondering why she hadn't come in the first place, after all her adamancy about braving this ordeal with him. "...don't think I have time for the full story."

"You would under different circumstances. I never would've called you had I known you'd bring ... company."

Jester tilted his head. "Why's it important for me to be alone? What kind of trap is this?"

"One orchestrated by the Magic, not by us. It happens to everyone. We unicorns have been here for so many generations we've forgotten our own roots." Orion looked off into the distance longingly, almost in regret. "So too does anyone who stays too long. They have endless fun, then never want to leave. They forget their roots, their purpose, their lives, and eventually lose everything."

They turned back to Jester expectantly. "Except for you, apparently."

The weight of their words took a moment to settle, not because of his own mysterious calling, but because of her.

"And Juno? What's going to happen to her?"

Orion shook their head, their tone growing darker and more serious. "Your friend is in danger. She'll lose herself here...and not just to the magic."

No.

"...I have to go back. Now." Jester took a step backward, ready to bolt.

"Wait! I haven't told you everything!"

Jester snapped. "I can't help you! Whatever your 'salvation' is, I have more important things to worry about right now!"

He turned tail and ran. Luckily Orion had brought him to an area where the path from there to where he'd left Juno was all mostly flat ground and shallow water. He wasn't sure how much stock to put in the unicorn's words, but if what they said would happen to Juno was anything like the way he'd lose himself in those visions and sleep spells, then he couldn't risk not trusting their warning.

This place. All the wonder mysticism of this realm, of magic itself. He'd wanted to believe it could be different from ways he's been wronged by magic in the past. But if Orion's words were true, then it was all true. And, deep down, he felt he'd known it all his life. Magic and all its delight. It wasn't just a lie: it was a trap.

[scifigeneration]

Swift's telescope reveals birth, deaths and collisions of stars through 1 million snapshots in UV

by Michael Siegel

Technicians prepare Swift’s UVOT for vibration testing on Aug. 1, 2002, more than two years before launch, in the High Bay Clean Room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Imagine if the color camera had never been invented and all our images were in black and white. The world would still look beautiful, but incomplete. For thousands of years, that was how humans saw the universe. On Earth, we can only see part of the light that stars emit.

Much of what we can’t see – in the infrared, the ultraviolet, the X-ray and the gamma ray wavelengths – is blocked by the Earth’s atmosphere. For the most part, this is a good thing. The atmosphere traps infrared light keeping the Earth warm at night and blocks high-energy ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma rays, keeping us safe from deadly cosmic radiation, while letting in visible portions of the spectrum of light. For astronomers, however, this has a drawback: We look at the universe with one eye shut, unable to receive all of the information the universe is sending to us.

Visible light is just a tiny part of the electromagnetic spectrum. NASA

Launched on November 20, 2004, and orbiting an altitude of 340 miles, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has three telescopes that monitor the universe using wavelengths of light that are blocked by Earth’s atmosphere. These included the X-Ray Telescope, the gamma-ray-sensitive Burst-Alert Telescope and the Ultraviolet Optical Telescope (UVOT). The UVOT recently delivered its 1 millionth image – data that astrophysicists like me use to gain insights into everything from the origins of the universe to the chemical composition of nearby comets.

Watching the birth of black holes

Swift’s primary mission is to study the afterglow of gamma ray bursts (GRBs) – which document the birth of black holes. Black holes are forged in the most violent explosions in the universe – the explosion of a massive star or the merging of two neutron stars (the shriveled husks left over from past stellar explosions). These explosions are so powerful – producing tens to hundreds of billions of times more energy than the sun – that even though they occur billions of light years away from Earth, they can still be detected by instruments like Swift. In fact, the first GRBs were detected by the Vela satellites, which were built to detect the explosions of nuclear weapons.

Over nearly 14 years, Swift has studied over a thousand GRBs. In doing so, it has revealed what powers them and given us glimpses into the furthest reaches of the cosmos, to the time when the first stars were being formed after the Big Bang.

However, one of the things you learn working on a space telescope mission is that if you build it, they will come. The mission provides capabilities to the community of astrophysicists – simultaneous X-ray/UV imaging and a rapid response to requests to observe and photograph specific sections of the sky – which are only available to Swift. We can focus our telescopes on an object of interest within hours of a “Target of Opportunity” request through our website, something no other mission can do. UVOT also fills an important niche by observing larger areas of the sky than can be observed with the more powerful UV instruments aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. These capabilities have proved a boon to the community and enabled study all sorts of objects and phenomenon beyond GRBs.

Swift’s ultraviolet-aided discoveries

Nearby galaxies are full of activity with new stars being formed. Swift is able to capture panoramic ultraviolet images that highlight the youngest, most massive stars in these galaxies. This gives us insight into what the universe has been doing over the last few hundred million years. My research team’s work has focused on nearby galaxies – like Andromeda and the Magellanic Clouds – to reveal what processes drive their past and ongoing star formation.

On the left is an image of the nearby galaxy NGC 3623 taken with UV. On the right is an optical image. Note how the galaxies spiral arms — where new stars are being born — stand out in the ultraviolet wavelengths emitted by these hot objects. NASA/Swift/L.McCauley, PSU, CC BY-ND

With UVOT, we get a much better view of supernova explosions. These can occur when a white dwarf, the remnant of a star like the sun, explodes, or during the final death throes of a massive star, more than eight times the mass of the sun. These events generate enormous amounts of ultraviolet light, and Swift has a unique ability to observe them within hours of discovery.

On the left is an ultraviolet composite made from several images of the Whirpool Galaxy (M51) taken between 2005-2007. The image on the right was made in June 2011, shortly after astronomers detected the explosion of a massive star in one of the galaxy’s outer spiral arms. The object is marked by the red circle. NASA/Swift/E. Hoversten, PSU, CC BY-ND

Comets sweep through our solar system, transforming from a frozen solid ball to a vapor as they approach the sun and creating magnificent tails of ionized particles. Swift studies these comets, and analyzes their chemical composition by breaking the light they emit into different wavelengths. Swift also allows scientists to measure a comet’s rotation by seeing how the light changes over time. This has revealed that violent eruptions on the comet surface can dramatically alter a comet’s path.

This image of Comet Lulin was taken by Swift on January 28, 2009. It shows data obtained by Swift’s Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (blue and green) and X-Ray Telescope (red). The image of the star field (white) was acquired by the Digital Sky Survey. At the time of the observation, comet Lulin was 99.5 million miles from Earth and 115.3 million miles from the sun. The ultraviolet light comes from hydroxyl molecules and shows that, at this time, Lulin was shedding 800 gallons of water every second. D. Bodewits/Swift/NASA, CC BY-ND

One of the most exciting discoveries that Swift made was connected with the recent discovery of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). Gravitational waves are distortions in the fabric of spacetime created by the motions of extremely massive objects. In August of 2017, two neutrons stars collided in a distant galaxy, creating gravitational waves powerful enough to be detected on Earth. Swift was one of an army of telescopes that looked for the source of the gravitational waves. The mad scramble over those few days led to one of the most exciting discoveries of the last decade – a luminous afterglow from the source of the gravitational waves. This has opened up new branches of science by connecting a new way of studying the universe – through gravitational waves – to the traditional way – through light.

An artist’s depiction of a space warping collision of two merging neutron stars. The ripples represent the gravitational waves that distort the space-time grid. The narrow beams shooting out of the collision show the gamma rays burst that are released after the gravitational waves. The yellow clouds glow with other wavelengths of light that are generated in the collision. NSF/LIGO/Sonoma State University/A. Simonnet

UVOT has been taking snapshots of the universe since 2004 and finally piled up its millionth image. Its success is a testament to the international team of engineers, scientists and staff at the three institutions that support it – the Pennsylvania State University; Mullard Space Science Laboratory in Surrey, England; and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. It has been my privilege to be a part of this team for the last nine years. What does the future hold for UVOT? We hope to find more sources of gravitational waves, survey nearby galaxies, study even more supernovae, and monitor how objects in the universe change over time.

Here’s to the next million images.

About The Author: 

Michael Siegel is a Research Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Pennsylvania State University

This article was originally published on The Conversation, a Sci Fi Generation content partner.

[collectorofstarstuff-blog]

Maria and the Kelpie [Fighting the Lake]

Leopold hadn’t thought ahead. It was very unlike him. It was the reason Levi and Estelle were following him and he was following instinct quite blindly into a horde of enormous fungi. “Not far off the path,” she had said. He strained for any more details, but Maria hadn’t said much; he hadn’t let her get far. He wasn’t the best actor. He should’ve drawn out belief in her story a little. But in reality, all he could do was wander a little way down the beaten path, pick a side, and veer off into the ferns aimlessly. He liked to believe he knew which way he was going. Levi certainly thought Leopold knew, confidently at the heels of the King, looking ahead as though thinking he might walk into the lake at any moment.

But Estelle knew Leopold was faking confidence. She’d known him longer than Levi had; the current captain had only been inducted after Leopold was King, after Levi had saved the princess several times in one night. Estelle had seen the King’s clumsy feet turn left before he turned his body right and nearly tripped over himself, tangling his own knees. He had no idea where he was going. She said nothing, hoping just a little bit that he would eventually admit it and look all the more foolish.

She was therefore disappointed (thrilled) to come upon a much smaller lake about a half a mile from the path. Levi didn’t look at all surprised since he expected to find the lake all along but Leopold, who had been leading them, was very surprised. He didn’t let it show too much, allowing his Captain of the Guard to step in front of him, sword at the ready.

They waited, nobody sure what for. Estelle expected to see the water move on its own, as she had witnessed the first time she’d been to the lake closer to the city. Levi expected the water to give a great, seemingly unaided heave and swirl into the body of the young Ancient he had seen the first time, the beautiful Ancient they had all been able to see. The King wondered if, in the brief time that nothing happened, for the third time in his life, it would be the same Ancient--the Kelpie--that he had met near his home when he was ten.

For more than many minutes, nothing happened. So Levi asked permission to approach the water. The King agreed, a little relieved someone was brave enough to do it before he had to. But Levi was always risking his life to save Leopold. Ever since he’d been a lowly soldier, he dreamed of personally serving the King. Now that he got the chance, he wasn’t going to squander it on the shore. He was going to prove Leopold had made the right choice in promoting him to Captain.

But he felt a bit foolish, standing beside a clear lake with his sword drawn. He had half hoped stepping closer would trigger a response in whatever ancient beast was lurking there. The water rippled from a sudden breeze, making him jump. But when nothing happened, he felt like an idiot again, jumping at wind. He even went so far as to jab the surface with that point of his sword, maybe expecting it to hurt the lake, and therefore, the waiting Kelpie.

Nothing. Leopold began to think maybe Maria had made everything up after all. There was nothing here. But no, he didn’t believe she’d make up a story like that just to get his interest. He didn’t even know if this was the lake she’d talked about. Maybe he had led them astray after all.

“I knew it.”

Maria jumped down from an overhanging mushroom limb and very narrowly missed Estelle. But Maria was a practiced climber. It was really all she had to do with her free time. And her long skinny arms and legs made it very easy to be agile off the ground. She stalked towards her father, nearly his height, and glared. But it was a hopeful glare. She expected him to apologize.

“Maria, what are you--?”

“I knew you would listen to me. So why’d you try to make me look like an idiot?”

Leopold faltered under his daughter’s withering gaze. It was the same as Leanna’s. Difference was, he loved Maria. And she loved him. So it actually scared him when she used that angry look on him, never mind that he was the King. For a moment, he thought of his happy, carefree daughter, Mariana the princess, not the renounced Maria. She never would have used those eyes on him or anyone, no matter how much they wronged her.

He didn’t get to say anything. The appearance of the King and his two companions had meant nothing to the lake, lying in wait for the real prize that it knew was lurking there. Maria had arrived. It was ready. The lake’s gentle ripples became hard, riding out an invisible gust of wind as they swirled in on themselves, forming a whirpool just under the surface. The King and Levi leapt back. Estelle backed into a mushroom stalk, staring in wonder. But Maria could not move. She was rooted to the reeds of the shore. Leopold made an effort to go back and grab her, astonished she had not been quick enough to flee. She was quick in nature. It was about the only positive trait she possessed.

But the lake was suddenly flung into the air. The entire sum of deep water rushed towards the invaders as though a giant arm reached up to smite them. Levi pointed his sword menacingly at the water, as if that could possibly protect him, arm wound around the waist of the thin King. He had dragged Leopold to the ground while Leopold was trying to get at Maria. The King was screaming her name, but Levi was stronger. He pinned him there, watching the wave descend. It had all happened in an instant. Maria was facing the flying lake, arms outstretched as though embracing it, but really, she had just forgotten how to use her arms.

It crashed down, tons of cold water pounding four human bodies into the dirt, completely emptying the hole and sending it into the forest, swamping the surrounding areas. Levi and Estelle both hit their heads, but only the weak King was gone, poleaxed, eyes transfixed on something that wasn’t there, out cold. Estelle was lying there, breathing hard, but Levi leapt up, searching for the Kelpie.

It stood there, paws poised in majesty. It had been ready. It had waited for this attack, enduring the short time Maria was gone, expecting her to return with a huge force. But there she was, drenched, trembling, she couldn’t escape it. Not now that it had her fixed with its black gaze. Her tiny star had slipped into the black hole and eclipsed it, just like before, and it affected them both in a strange way. The Kelpie was merely staring at her. Having expected her, it now could not see what it had waited so long for. A skinny boy--girl--without a star. But somehow, it couldn’t look away. It had touched her again, earlier when she’d hit it, but not where its adhesive skin would have come into effect. She’d gotten away. It would have devoured her not an hour ago, but now it was confused.

Maria had never gotten a good look at the Ancient, having tried to escape it earlier. It looked to her like a huge, furless wolf, a mossy green deer with saber fangs and claws. It looked straight into her, not into her eyes, through her chest, as though it could see her heart pumping. With those pit eyes, she might just believe it could. Its ears were shock point forward, its tail paving the air, the hair of its long, boneless tail was weeping lakewater. It quivered, but it didn’t know why. Only ten days ago, this same human was tiny and round. Blubbering. The Kelpie had felt its fear, just like it did now.

I can hear you.

These were not words; they were sounds that Maria just understood, as if she had discovered the wind’s language. It was as though she were looking at someone and reading the tilt of their lips, the angle of their eyebrows and knew their exact meaning. She mirrored them at the same time, maybe earlier, she could prophesize the emotions and was forced to counter them with her own. She wanted to counter them, but she had to feel them first. She could read the words out loud, but they had not been said, they were only meant. Conversing by expression.

The beast was talking to her, through her, somehow. She would have felt victimized, but she couldn’t because she knew she had meant it too, meant it first. She could hear it.

Her knees hurt, but it took her a moment to figure out why and then wrap her hands around them. She was on the ground. When did that happen? Then her fingers inched through her dirty hair because she felt sure she was two people now. Her head stapled together by her elbows, she pushed two Marias into one again and looked over at the beast. It was on its side now, head pushing towards her then pulling away, moving side to side in pain. It pawed at its ears, never quite reaching the head it had to put back together. Still, it recovered first. Getting to its shaky claws, it moved carefully towards Maria, breathing hard as though the freezing air pained it to breathe, and touched its nose to her warm cheek.

It met the point of Levi’s blade. He stood over Maria, sword positioned to waste the Kelpie. He was groomed to kill, maybe even born for it, definitely poised for it. He held it with two hands, the sword gripping the Ancient’s throat in clear warning that if it tried to kill Maria, he would have something to say about it first. Namely, a cut to the throat. Maria could say nothing. Her vision was doubled. She could see the legs of the Kelpie and the empty lake clearly, but then she looked down and saw Levi’s sword at her own throat. She shook her damp head and snorted like an animal. How were they joined?

She was suddenly backing up and soaring through the air in a jump that would be pure effort to a human body. The Kelpie had moved so quickly Levi had no time to react, but the Ancient was standing over the unconscious body of the King, claws poised to strike down on his unprotected neck. Levi immediately threw his sword from him, seeing the animal to be making a deal. Which was ridiculous, as beasts weren’t smart enough to gamble. Not smart enough to be this good at it, anyway.

“No…” Maria mumbled from the ground by Levi’s feet. She was still staring at the lake, her back to everyone. “I don’t want to hurt… father.” If Levi had been paying strict attention to her, he would have known she shouldn’t be able to see what the Kelpie was about to do. But Levi’s circumstances didn’t involve her. He stood his ground. If he got too close, or tried to pick up his sword again, the animal would kill the King.

“What do you want?” he said. He didn’t feel at all like the animal wouldn’t be able to understand him. He knew better. The Kelpie didn’t move its menacing paw, but it jerked its muzzle in Maria’s direction. She didn’t see, kept on shivering from the cold lake water, but Maria spoke in a voice unlike her own covered by the chattering of her teeth.

“Give me that human,” she croaked, as though unused to her own throat and vocal chords. They were hesitant, they were like first words. Startled, Levi looked around at her. Her eyes were shut, her jaw clenched, her hands pushing her temples closer to the bridge of her nose. She didn’t seem capable of saying anything. But she moved her bared teeth to continue. “I will not harm the little Sun,” she pushed out, gasping. It was as though someone was screaming to her the words of a script she had no choice but to recite. But she wanted to say them. They were her words weren’t they? “Give me that human. The tall one.”

“Okay,” Levi said, hands out. “Okay. Don’t hurt the King.” Never until now would he consider such a thing, even in a jest or a lie, but under the circumstance of Leopold lying in danger’s way.

“This pathetic aaah!” Maria yelped in pain and clapped her hands over her ears as though it could stop the instructions. “This pathetic Sun is your King!?” she shouted, tears ripping down her cheeks as though trying to refill the lake. She laughed, insane, as the Kelpie tossed its proud head. “Give me that human!”

Levi found himself rolling into the giant hole in the ground as the Kelpie slammed its thick body into him. It seized Maria’s jacket and lifted her easily, then started dragging her away, letting her shoes fall off as they were tugged over thick fern roots and muddy rocks. Everything was damp now, earth and trees alike. Maria showed no sign that she knew she was being moved, only kept groaning and clutching at her head.

“Wait!”

Estelle rushed forward, startling the Kelpie into taking another whirling leap and facing her, snarling around its mouthful of the jacket. But Estelle showed even less hesitation than Levi as she thrust her hand forward and in it, the book.

“Here.” She marched forward, with purpose, and slipped it into Maria’s pocket. Then she stepped back. The Kelpie lowered its great head as if in understanding, then bounded off into the forest with its new prize. Now Estelle’s conscious was clean. When they found Maria’s body, the King couldn’t claim Estelle hadn’t given her the book as he had instructed. Like hell she was going to be caught with it when Leopold discovered his Maria was dead.

Neither she nor Levi asked what the beast was going to do with her.

[smiththeteacher]

You lie there, not even thinking really, except to try to consider how to describe the hurt, as if finding the language for it might bring it up out of you. If you can make something real, if you can see it and smell it and touch it, then you can kill it. You think, it’s like a brain fire. Like a rodent gnawing at you from the inside. A knife in your gut. A spiral. Whirpool. Black hole. The words used to describe it – despair, fear, anxiety, obsession – do so little to communicate it. Maybe we invented metaphor as a response to pain. Maybe we needed to give shape to the opaque, deep-down pain that evades both sense and senses.

Turtles All the Way Down, John Green

[chogrin]

One of the most memorable movie moments growing up as a kid was watching a film where #Frankenstein gets sucked into a whirpool / black hole as he says goodbye to a little girl and takes her stuffed animal as a memento. I remember that scene always made me feel emotional.. a bittersweet feeling, as Frankenstein has been and will always be my favorite monster. As I got older, I forgot the movie's name, but always remembered it fondly. It wasn't until college when a friend wore a #frightrags shirt that said "Wolfman's Got Nards" with a gnarly wolfman design on it, that I immediately recognized it, and asked him from what movie it was!?, for which he simply replied "Monster Squad dude." I went home that night looking for a copy of the film online, but to no avail.... A few more years went by and during a lunch break, some co-workers and I went to the mall and lo and behold there it was... like finding a lost treasure, the 20th anniversary double disc dvd of The Monster Squad. I had finally found it and got it without hesitation. Watching the movie that night brought back so many happy memories. It made me feel like I could take on all the monsters in the world! It also reminded how much I wanted a treehouse fort! Flash forward 10 years later and I've done two art shows in tribute to the Monster Squad and have gotten to meet and work with a lot of the amazing people behind it. I still find it very surreal. There's a lot of "kids dealing with weird shit" movies out there, but the Monster Squad is king by far! It's a feel good / spooky ride that I can put on anytime. It always makes me smile from ear to ear and has led me to forge some great friendships around the world. I guess you could say that the squad is an international phenomenon now. A movie that can do that is just magic. Fred Dekker, thank-you for making this film and for the inspiration you've given me and the world all these years and for years to come. YOU rule! #AndreGower & #RyanLambert, thank-you for making me part of the g@ddamn club! Happy 30th Monster Squad! "Monsters Creeps" Poster Art by www. burntobuild.com "Monster Squad Art Show" Poster art by www.theelectriczombie.com #chogrin

[holy-haunted]

Evil and Illusion

I have been observing how the process of confusing people on purpose leads to perverting their Divine Emanation into the inverted one; they somehow stop hearing purity crystal clear and manage to delude themselves by converting every precious symbol into an infernal device, while somehow still believing its is the right way. Until they say Puff! and their willpower opens their eyes to see how much they enjoy disrespecting the laws of the universe, so no justification is necessary at that point in time. So where is the fine line? How are we supposed to protect people from illusion, which is a manipulative teacher with treacherous ways? We are a Tabula Rasa raised by a cluster of disharmony - isn't this sad? I guess music maestros have an important task, to convey into this world a string of sounds that will make One remember. But what if you become deaf? What IF you hear it, recognise it and turn your back because the guilty pleasure knows how to tease with infected pain? Illusion is like a whirpool of the Primordial Creation. The Divine Spiral is Conscious, and it has a mind that can act on purpose. I am afraid to see how the symbol of a black hole and a spiral of creation look like each other. Have I mentioned that I love contrition? A rainstorm of Tears of Redemption are Holy waters where purification manifests new life forms. I love the sorrowful cleansing ray. If water could be a ray, then it would be the ray of redemption. I wonder whose Ray will this one be...

[samuelmmarcus]

Modern Farmhouse Townhouse Design Ideas

  Hello, my dear friends. How are you today? I hope your week was great and you can find some time to relax while seeing this inspiring house tour during the weekend.

You might recall seeing many homes built and designed by Timber Trails Development Company and interior designer Julie Howard on Home Bunch. I tend to feature them often on the blog and over on my Instagram because they’re truly one of my favorite builder/designer teams and today I have the pleasure to share this newly-completed townhouse.

Here, the designer shares the details on their latest townhouse project:

“We’ve built this townhouse many times before. It is our smallest master suite on the 1st floor unit so it is a big hit with empty nesters who want to downsize. The greatest asset with this unit is that is cuts out all the unneeded space in a house, without sacrificing space in the areas you really spend your time. We didn’t sacrifice on space in the kitchen or family room. Both spaces are large and grand and open up to each other.” – Julie Howard.

  See other popular homes by Timber Trails Development Company with interior design by Julie Howard:

Open and Airy Townhouse Design.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Modern Farmhouse.

2019 New Year Home Tour.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Interior Design.

Coastal Farmhouse Home Decor.

Grey Shingle Home.

Interior Design Ideas.

Black & White Interior Design Ideas.

Empty Nester Townhouse Design Ideas.

New-Construction Home for First-Time Home Buyer.

New-construction Farmhouse with Front Porch.

New Home Inspiration.

Modern Farmhouse Townhouse Design Ideas

With house prices skyrocking, living in a townhouse can be a great option for empty-nesters and young families. The townhouses built by Timber Trails Development Company are all well-planned and beautifully designed, which actually makes you forget they’re townhouses.

 Exterior Brick: Aztec White.

Townhouse Overall Details: 3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths & 2 Car Garage.

Foyer

Foyer Door: “The doorways are standard 6’8” but the ceilings are 9’. I added a faux transom with wood to stretch the door height. This gives the illusion of taller doors. I love how it turned out as it gives so much detail and character to the foyer.” – Julie Howard

Staircase Stain Color: White Oak: 50/50 Minwax Weathered Oak and Benjamin Moore Classic Grey.

Leather baskets – Hearth and Home from Target (Discontinued) – similar here & here.

Bench: Wayfair.

Wall Paint Color

Paint color throughout the house is Benjamin Moore Classic Gray (with a few exceptions). This is the designer’s go-to neutral color for walls.

Rug  Runner: Etsy, Vintage Runner – Other Beautiful Runners: here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Home Inspiration

“The inspiration behind our Timber Trails Rustic Blues is exactly what the name says Rustic with Navy Blue accents throughout. We had never put this combination together before. We’ve done a lot with Navy and brass with a more elegant vibe but never with rustic woods. We love how the warm of the wood accentuates the navy throughout the home.” – Julie Howard

Island Dimensions: Large custom designed island 12’ long x 4’ wide.

Pendants – Discontinued from RH – similar here – Other Pendants: here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Hardwood Flooring – White Oak with custom stain – Floor Color – White Oak: 50/50 Minwax Weathered Oak and BM Classic Gray – similar here.

Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Design

This custom-designed kitchen features floating shelves and a custom shiplap hood with Knotty Alder band.

Counterstools – Discontinued – similar here – Others: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Sconces over shelves – Visual Comfort.

Island Paint Color

The island paint color is “Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore”.

Kitchen Countertops – Statuario Nuvo by Caesarstone.

Cabinet Paint Color

Perimeter cabinets are custom in Benjamin Moore Simply White.

Backsplash – The Tile Shop White subway by  with black grout.

Hardware: Cup Pulls, Pulls & Knobs – all in “Warm Brass”.

Faucet: Faucet in polished nickel.

Sink: Kohler Cast Iron Sink.

Appliances: Whirpool Refrigerator, Dishwasher, Cooktop & Ovens.

Runner: HomeGoods – similar here – Other Beautiful Runners: here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Layout

“The family room ceiling jumps up to 11’ from the 9’ in the kitchen. I love this detail because it separates the spaces as “their own” without breaking up the openness. Sometimes open concepts can be so open that they loose their character which we try to avoid.” – Julie Howard.

Dining Room

The dining room features a custom accent wall above banquette with chevron trim. Accent paint color is Benjamin Moore Hale Navy.

Dining Chairs: Wayfair.

Dining Table: RH – – similar here.

Lighting: Discontinued – Other Beautiful Linear Lighting: here, here, here & here.

Rug: Vintage.

Family Room

The kitchen opens to a bright Family Room with plenty of space and inspiring ideas! Paint color is “Benjamin Moore Classic Gray”.

Sofa is from Ikea – similar here & here – Others: here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Arm Chair with Ottoman – Ikea – Others: here, here & here.

Chandelier – Visual Comfort.

Tree – Walter E Smithe – similar here & here.

Coffee Table

Coffee Table is actually two benches from Wayfair pushed together. Brilliant idea!

Rug: Dash & Albert – Other Great Rugs: here, here, here & here.

Fireplace

Fireplace is black honed Granite tiles with a mantel built with crown molding.

Beautiful Mirrors: here, here, here, here, here & here.

Blue Chair – Homegoods – Other Wingback Chairs: here, here & here.

Planters: here – similar with faux ferns.

Home Office

I am loving the board and batten wainscoting. The navy blue paint color, Benjamin Moore Hale Navy, goes from above the wainscoting and it continuous on the ceiling. Fabulous idea!

Light fixture – Discontinued – similar here, here, here & here.

Desk – World Market.

Hanging Chair: Serena & Lily.

Rug: Vintage from Etsy.

Powder Room

“The wainscoting is a new favorite technique. We took a 1×6 board and ran it around the perimeter of the room slightly higher than the pedestal sink. This is important as the pedestal sink needs to mount to the wall and having a board in the way won’t work. Between the trim piece and baseboard we installed thin slices of barn wood planking. These pieces are really easy to install as they backs peel off and have a sticky back. We also nailed them in as well. Another trick is to paint the wall behind black incase there are any holes in the wood that show through.” – Julie Howard

Barnwood: Home Depot.

Mirror – Homegoods – similar here.

Sink – Kohler.

Toilet – Kohler.

Faucet – Moen.

Master Bathroom

The master bathroom is full of great ideas and it features plenty of character. A niche with custom shelves add extra storage to this beautiful bathroom.

Vanity Cabinet – RH – similar here, here, here & here.

Mirrors – here & here – similar.

Baskets – Joss and Main.

Light Fixtures – here – similar.

Faucets – Moen in “Flat Black”.

Rug – Target – Others: here & here.

Black & White Tiling

Bath – Tile – The Tile Shop – Similar: Floor Tile, Shower Wall Tile, Black Tub Surround Tile & Subway Tile.

Wall Paint Color – “Classic Gray by Benjamin Moore”

Shower Faucet: Moen.

Tub Faucet: Moen.

  Many thanks to the interior designer for sharing the details above!

Builder: Timber Trails Development Company (Instagram) Make sure to follow them!

Interior Designer: Julie Howard

Photography: @stofferphotographyinteriors

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Thank you for shopping through Home Bunch. For your shopping convenience, this post may contain AFFILIATE LINKS to retailers where you can purchase the products (or similar) featured. I make a small commission if you use these links to make your purchase, at no extra cost to you, so thank you for your support. I would be happy to assist you if you have any questions or are looking for something in particular. Feel free to contact me and always make sure to check dimensions before ordering. Happy shopping!

  Wayfair: Up to 75% OFF on Furniture and Decor!!!

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  Posts of the Week:

California Home Interior Design Ideas.

  California Home Renovation.

  Cape Cod Lake House Interior Design Ideas.

  Simple Ideas for a New-Construction Home.

California Modern Farmhouse for Sale.

Two-toned Grey and White Kitchen Renovation.

Before & After Kitchen Renovation.

Open and Airy Townhouse Design.

New California Mid-century Modern.

Modern English Country Home Design.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Interior Design.

French Country Style Home Design.

Builder’s Home.

2020 Kitchen Design Ideas.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Modern Farmhouse.

Black & White Modern Farmhouse.

Neutral Home.

Small Lot Modern Farmhouse.

Dark Cedar Shaker Exterior.

Follow me on Instagram: @HomeBunch

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See more Inspiring Interior Design Ideas in my Archives.

“Dear God,

If I am wrong, right me. If I am lost, guide me. If I start to give-up, keep me going.

Lead me in Light and Love”.

Have a wonderful day, my friends and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

with Love,

Luciane from HomeBunch.com

from Home https://www.homebunch.com/modern-farmhouse-townhouse-design-ideas/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[technologyreviewsgadgets]

New Post Whirpool Supreme Care and Fresh Care Front-Load Washing Machine Review has been published on http://www.reviewcenter.in/7977/whirlpool-supreme-care-and-fresh-care-washing-machine-review/

Whirpool Supreme Care and Fresh Care Front-Load Washing Machine Review

Whirlpool launched their European ranges of washing machines in India, i.e. Supreme Care and Fresh Care range of front-load washing machines. They understood the needs of the millennials and provided them with the most features and the highest quality washing machine at the best price. These machines are a better buy, as they prevent multiple issues like clothes shrinking, stretching, colours fading or the loss of original form upon washing! Also, why not, when a consumer is investing in an appliance, they deserve to get the best output from them and these machines are designed to be extremely efficient at washing clothes compared to conventional models. Moreover, Whirlpool has always been ever-learning and futuristic in developing technologies which connect with their consumers and care for their ever-changing needs.

Let’s look at what makes both the ranges stand out!

Both ranges offer a host of features and great quality products. Supreme Care range offers a more futuristic design with a complete-touch panel and all the features (except SteamCare technology) of the Fresh care range. The Supreme Care range also offers a large black door with a chrome outer ring, which adds to the aesthetic appeal of the machine. To understand more about the ranges, here’s a quick listing of the features for both the Supreme and Fresh Care washing machines:

Features Supreme Care Washing Machine Fresh Care Washing Machine Made in Europe ✔ ✔ 6th Sense SoftMove Technology ✔ ✔ A+++ Energy Ratings ✔ ✔ IntelliSense Inverter Motor ✔ ✔ Near Zero Vibrations even at 1400 RPM ✔ FreshCare Tumbling ✔ SteamCare Technology – Steam + Tumbling ✔ Colour 15 ✔ ✔ Infinite Care Drum with Curved Lifters ✔ Biostains 15 ✔ Hot Finish ✔ Feather Touch Panel ✔ Clean+ ✔ Warranty 10 years 5/10 Years

Made in Europe

Probably the first time that any brand has brought a ‘Made in Europe’ appliance in India. These washing machine ranges were completely designed, manufactured and imported from Europe. Whirlpool has brought European craftsmanship machines to India for the first time ever, a world-class product from a leading manufacturer.

A+++ Energy Ratings

Both ranges are certified with the best-in-class energy rating by the European Union Directive. Such a highly efficient motor gives the consumers the best wash with minimum energy consumption.

6th Sense SoftMove technology

Available in both ranges, the 6th Sense SoftMove technology by Whirlpool senses the type of fabric in the drum and intelligently customises drum movements to remove the toughest of stains with the softest touch. That means you can confidently wash your delicate clothes and trust the washing machine to take care of everything else automatically. This technology utilises six kinds of wave motions to wash the clothes, i.e.:

MOTIONS DESCRIPTION PROGRAMMES DRUM SPEED ENERGIC WASH Diametrical Force Uses a strong tumble motion to knock off the toughest dirt and get the perfect cleaning results for cotton fabrics. Cotton Whites Bed Linen Colour 15° 50 RPM POWER SHOWER Vertical Falling Provides effective cleaning of synthetic materials with recurrent vertical tumbling in the drum. Synthetics Duvet 50 RPM COLOUR BATH Long Soaking Reduces the effects of friction and preserves colours by letting the load gently soak within the drum. Colours Mixed Clothes 60 RPM WAVE MOTION Asymmetrical Movement Gives results similar to a warm water wash, even in cold water using asymmetrical drum movements and dispersal of the load. Synthetics Sport wear and Jeans 45 RPM SLOW MOTION Gentle Rolling Provides gentle treatment of delicate fibers with extra gentle rolling effect using slow drum movements. Delicate Silk FreshCare+ 25 RPM SOFT CRADLE Movements Absence Gives excellent care to woolen garments by using a delicate rocking movement. Wool 28 RPM

Colour 15°

Available in both ranges, Colours 15° ensures effective use of the softener to avoid colours fading from the fabrics. Moreover, it also uses a splash of cold water to protect the colours of fabrics while providing perfect cleaning. Using Colour 15° ensures that your reds will remain red and orange will remain orange even after multiple washes.

Whirlpool Supreme Care Washing Machine

Infinite Care Drum

The Supreme Care range offers a unique drum pattern and curved lifters, designed to perfectly take care of your laundry. It has a one-of-a-kind design with an intricate pattern of 20% smaller holes reducing the surface friction by up to 70%. The softly curved profile of the lifters are gentle on the clothes during the tumbling motion, which means no more damage to the clothes during the wash.

Intuitive Feather Touch Panel

Remember the touch panel by Whirlpool in their refrigerator? Similarly, Whirlpool boasts an intuitive touch panel even in their Supreme Care range of washing machines, which offers over 50 different washing combinations for you to choose from. With its 6th Sense SoftMove technology, the machine intelligently customises the cleaning cycle depending upon the fabric and the laundry load.

The machine’s inbuilt memory remembers the last used program, which intelligently customises and recommends parameters for each wash.

FreshCare Technology

FreshCare feature available in the Supreme Care range of washing machines, helps keep the garments fresh and wrinkle-free by intermittently tumbling them for up to 6 hours even after the cycle ends. Even if you forget to take out the laundry after the cycle ends, the garments would still smell fresh and feel dry. It also reduces bacterial build-up by letting air proliferate through the load.

IntelliSense Inverter Motor with Near Zero Vibrations

Benefits of an inverter motor is not just limited to saving money, but also creating fewer vibrations. This machine is almost silent even when running at the maximum speed of 1400 RPM, hence ensuring a superior clean. Whirlpool offers a 10 year warranty on its motor.

Even running at the maximum speed of 1400 RPM this machine creates almost no vibrations and such higher speeds ensure superior cleaning.

Whirlpool Fresh Care Washing Machine

SteamCare Technology

The SteamCare feature programs the drum to make gentle movements along with generating steam, which is passed through the clothes to prevent wrinkling, especially cotton fabrics. SteamCare deep cleans and ensures bacteria and odour free clothing. This feature is highly beneficial for babies’ clothes and is not meant to be used on woollen garments and duvets for obvious reasons.

Clean+

Variably soiled clothes and woollen fabrics require a different type of wash cycle. The Clean+ feature helps set the right washing cycle as per the cleaning needs. It sets the washing options to 3 different levels, i.e.:

Intensive level: Delivers washing performance for highly soiled garments in 215 minutes.

Daily level: Is designed for everyday laundry usage in 100 minutes.

Fast level: Is designed to wash lightly soiled garments in 60 minutes.

Each option is an entirely separate program with different water usage, cycle time, tumble patterns, and speed.

Should You Buy it?

Even though it’s an advanced machine, its intuitive controls make it extremely user-friendly. These machines perfectly suit the modern and technologically sane consumers’ needs and offer the best of build-quality.

The SteamCare technology offered by Whirlpool’s front-load washing machines helps avoid the inconvenience of unloading the clothes immediately after the wash cycle, and lets you finish your favourite episode/programme first or just take a nap. With this technology, leaving the clothes in the machine is not a concern anymore as it keeps your cloth free of odour, allergens and wrinkles.

These Made in Europe machines totally get our recommendation!

Highlights of Supreme Care and Fresh Care Top Models in the same size:

Models Supreme Care 8 Kg Fully Automatic Front Load Washing Machine Fresh Care 8 kg Fully Automatic Front Load Washing Machine Features Made in Europe, 6TH SENSE® SoftMove, IntelliSense Inverter Motor, A+++ Energy Rating, Feather Touch Control Panel Made in Europe, 6TH SENSE® SoftMoveTechnology, FreshCare with Steam Technology, IntelliSense Inverter Motor, A+++ Energy Rating Additional Features Dosing Aid, Start Delay, Rapid Wash, Intensive Rinse, Heavy Soil, Rinse Hold FreshCare, Clean+, Colours 15°, Intensive Rinse Programs E-Cotton, Cotton, Mixed, Synthetics, Delicates, Wool, Colours, Rapid 30, Colour 15°, BioStains 15°, FreshCare, Hot Finish E-Cotton, Cotton, Mixed, White, Sport, Duvet, Jeans, Synthetics, Delicates, Wool, Rapid 30, Colour 15° Drum Capacity 55 Ltr 62 L Max Spin Speed 1400 RPM 1200 RPM Capacity 8 Kg 8 Kg *Capacity of the washer with standard test clothes as specified in IS 14155 Outside Dimensions (mm) 850×595×610 595×630×845 (WDH) Machine Weight 72 Kg 71 Kg Display Digital Display with Touch Panel Big Digital Display Warranty 2 Years Comprehensive Warranty + 8 Yrs Extended Warranty on Motor 2 Years Comprehensive Warranty + 8 Yrs Extended Warranty on Motor

[shiro-tora3]

Rant

I um...i uh fuckin...

I did the THING again where i fucking just-

Im too much. Someone is nice to me so i latch on to them and i dont mean to be but i get annoying and overbearing and worried about their wellbeing and i ask things because you are Nice and i want to make you happy and people like to talk about themselves right so i ask but thats Weird.

Or if we start talking i get too excited i guess and i start talking More and Loud and im sorry and they get weirded out and give me the Look and walk away and it FUCKING HURTS.

And then its just...idk. it feels like a slowly swirling black sucking hole of glass gnawing in my chest. Like a whirpool of acid. And even once it stops the place where it rotted a hole is there and its still filled with glass so just touching it hurts so sharp all over again.

I dont know what to call it.