#cxc mentions

[jazeswhbhaven]

Finally ya'll, it's Astra's character sheet!!! (all base/pose references go to @/albanenechi and I'll be using their refs more often for full bodies!)

I hope the quality of the image isn't bad and that ya'll can read the text when zooming in. I tried to make her chibi in that chalk-like style that the King's chibis have in safe adore mode, but mine looks more messy than polished. (her little chunky thighs are my favorite)

Enjoy!! Next...I'll work on Cain's (help me drawing gods)

[chaosxcrushed]

There's a certain CCCC summary video that we really, really like. We think it is a great video for people if they want to grasp the story more clearly, if they're confused, or if they're listening to the album for the first time.

That video being Chonny Jash and the Weight of the Mind on Youtube by W3tBl@nk3t. We think they cover it really well.

However, I'm sharing this for a different reason; they say few certain things that really struck with us until now, that I'd like to share with the fandom. Sometimes, we see people really just.. Miss the point of CCCC entirely, and I'd like to shine a light on what was said here. If you'd like to hear this for yourself on video, the timestamp is 35:57-36:45.

“..I bet we all could relate to that, they are the prime example of the side of you that suffers and the side of you that hates yourself for suffering:

The side of you that just wants to slow down and feel everything even to the unhealthy extent of not being able to do anything else(1), but also the side of you that so desperately wants you to get over it(2).

Sure, laying in bed all day every day to rot isn't healthy, but neither is boiling things down and invalidating your own emotions. Both are paths to inevitable disaster, and that's what Chonny is doing here. Keep in mind that the idea behind this album is being whole, and that means neither of these sides are entirely in the right or the wrong; this album is about inner compromise and acceptance(3).”

1.) The side of you that suffers; Heart. He is representative of Whole's emotions, he holds them. Your emotions can go haywire, especially when one's mentally ill and has no way of their feelings being validated. An emotional person like Heart suffers under the weight of crushing, devastating feelings. He wants to feel things out, have time to just process everything, even if it takes them days or weeks to get over it. It's not healthy, but feeling is what he does, and he wants to help because he knows he has importance. Solely focusing on just your emotions isn't the best thing to do, however.

2.) The side of you that so desperately wants you to get over it; Mind. Many people have been there, have wanted themselves to stop wallowing in their own emotions and just do something else, even to the point where you think feeling things out is unnecessary. This is also unhealthy, but not intentionally. Like Heart, Mind just wants to help, everything he does is in best interest. This is what he thinks will get them to move on the quickest; to leave behind emotions and focus on anything BUT that. Also not the best thing to do.

3.) This album is about inner compromise and acceptance; About being whole. Neither of Heart and Mind are right nor wrong. They have their own ways of doing things, of what they think will help their whole self out the most, but both are unhealthy despite the good intentions. They fight over who's wrong or right, when they shouldn't even be doing so in the first place. It's your thoughts against your emotions, basically; your feelings contradict your thoughts, and it leads to an inner war of sorts. This won't make things better, which is why you can't have Mind over Heart or vice versa; you'll need both of them. In the album, they are only able to be whole when they get along. They harmonize, they 'combine', they see eye to eye with each other and work together instead of fighting over and over. Inner compromise is achieved with this, and acceptance can lead them away from any disaster that there's to come.

What we're trying to say is that mental health is a large thing tackled within CCCC, and yet we see a lot of people who overlook it; thus, end up missing the point of the whole album. We see a lot of people believe Mind's perspective a little too much and treat Heart quite harshly, or the other way where people demonize Mind and say that Heart is perfect, when it's not really that in the slightest.

This is not a hate post towards people's interpretations of CCCC or how they view characters, I'm just saying that people can tend to overlook what's in the very narrative, and we see a concerning amount of people do such.

Anyways. Stream CCCC and put your Hearts and Minds in the get along shirt. Have a nice day.

[celestialdaily]

The celestial object of the day is E0102!

a supernova remnant located in the Small Magellanic Cloud. This object helps scientists study the chemistry inside stars, and it contains thousands of times more oxygen than the entire solar system!

[weaselandfriends]

Recently finished reading Cleveland Quixotic, so now I have read all six of your stories in the span of like two months. I had a serious illness and had to stay in bed during all that time and you got me through it.

Questions...

Have you read every book referenced in the chapter titles? Have you watched every (real) anime mentioned in in CxC? Have you played Bubsy 3D 2?

Is there any WoG on the connection between Aracely and CM? When reading Chicago, I interpreted CM's wish to mean that "Cely Sosa" was herself, and that Charlie Vizcarra/Clownmuffle were different identities Kyubey had conjured for her after messing with her memories as per her wish. The alternate versions (?) of them in When I Win suggest... I'm not sure. Any comment?

Obligatory who are your biggest artistic influences question.

Especially in terms of tone and thematic focus, you are the bleakest writer I have engaged with that managed not to fall into the trap of numbing misery porn (Berserk, Wildbow, etc). Is something you are conscious of and intentionally try to avoid?

Who is your favorite character, from your own books? Which character do you see yourself as most similar to?

In Modern Cannibals, Graves and Maximillion and Hussie are LITERALLY meant to be the same interconnected entity, right? I was discussing this with a friend who I got to read it, and they agreed that they were meant to be connected as different potential representations of either AH or artists in general, but I read it as them actually being some fantastical unholy trinity monster. The story has a lot of allusions to Catholicism (the game designer in one of his monologues directly compares to his position as an creator as Christ being transmuted and consumed), was wondering if this was as much of an intentional choice as I'm assuming.

Are you ESL? My friend seems to think there are a few minutes "tells" in your work, and if you were that would be the most motivating thing ever for me

Oh boy, a lot to cover here. (I love it, thank you for this ask.)

I've read almost all of the books used as chapter titles. The only chapter titles that come from things I haven't read are:

Magica Madoka Veneficus Puella, from Fargo Ch 38 (This Story's Dead) - I just happened to see the author note blithely describing the story as scrapped and thought that was funny.

To the Stars, from Chicago Ch 24 (To the Stars) - As I mentioned in an old review of To the Stars, I only managed to read about 200,000 words of this nearly 1 million word behemoth.

Dunston Checks In, from Chicago Ch 29 (Dunston Checks In) - I have not seen this movie.

As for the anime in CxC, I've seen most of it. I haven't seen Gabriel DropOut or Himouto! Umaru-chan and I've only seen 8 episodes of Revolutionary Girl Utena before I dropped it. (I have an old ask about Utena where I express my unpopular opinion that I didn't like it, to the dismay of everyone who interacted with the post, but I can't find it anymore.) I'm obsessed with lists, so I have a list of every anime I've seen with a number rating (the Dropped section is also accurate).

I have, in fact, actually played Bubsy 3D 2 (also known as Bubsy 3D: Bubsy Visits the James Turrell Retrospective), and not just seen the Dunkey video from which all the Bubsy 3D 2 chapter titles come from. (Including WIW's chapter title, MEWSEUM.) I've also gone to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where Bubsy 3D 2 is set.

Since I keep bringing up Dunkey in this ask, I'll mention that I'm actually in four Dunkey videos. I used to play League of Legends with him in 2012. We even did a group watch of the Disney Channel original movie Don't Look Under the Bed.

2. That's an interpretation I never would have thought of, but it's really cool! (My commenters always seem to have predictions/interpretations I wish I thought of.) My mindset regarding Clownmuffle's wish in Chicago was based on the classic work of horror fiction by RL Stine, Be Careful What You Wish For (Goosebumps #12). In it, the main character, Samantha Byrd, wishes in a fit of rage for her bully/rival "to just disappear." The wish works, but there's a catch - everyone else in the world has disappeared too! Which is just like, okay at that point it's not even be careful what you wish for, you're just making stuff up. At the end of the story, Byrd fixes everything and makes it so her bully/rival gets to make wishes instead. The bully immediately wishes for Byrd to become a real bird, which she does, and nobody else in the world becomes a bird, suggesting the wish woman was just particularly screwing over Byrd for no reason.

Anyway, my mindset was that Charlie and Cely were rivals, and things spiraled out of control, so that Charlie wished for Cely to disappear. What specifically caused them to fall out? I'll leave that open ended.

3. Franz Kafka is my biggest literary influence, though as even just this ask probably reveals, I can take influence from pretty much anything. I'm probably the least Homestuck-esque creator of the many creators influenced by Homestuck, but it was a major influence. The rapper Aesop Rock is another major influence (I'm named after him). Beyond that, pretty much anything I've read or seen might be an influence on me. Cockatiel x Chameleon's two main artistic influences were Lucky Star and the Madoka Rebellion movie, for instance.

4. Honestly, I love bleak misery porn. I love just the most depressing story you can imagine. I love when a story ends and there are maybe 2 characters still alive and they're both generic bureaucrats there just because someone needs to give the final line (like in Hamlet, King Lear, and Akame ga Kill).

Cockatiel x Chameleon is probably the work that most completely realizes my artistic ambitions, and it's no coincidence it's my bleakest and most depressing work. But ordinarily I often feel like I have a duty to achieve some sort of reader satisfaction. I would not consider myself a very indulgent author. I don't know if I could even be one if I tried.

5. My favorite character I've written is Khalid "Lil Cal" Bhandari from Modern Cannibals. I love his role in the story structurally. I love how Z. is so excited to go on this road trip with her friends and then neither of her friends talk to her at all and she winds up talking to this random guy all the time who is introduced as a literal who she has to put up with. I love how he vanishes for half of the story after walking off into the desert and then reappears 50,000 words later to participate in a climactic rap battle. I love his analysis of Malkwon's rap music. He's just a really funny character with a unique role in the story.

The character I'm most similar to is Harper Praise. Cockatiel x Chameleon is my most autobiographical work.

6. I designed Modern Cannibals so that both interpretations would exist simultaneously. They could be different people, or all aspects of the same person (Hussie). Modern Cannibals dwells on questions of identity and people having different faces or sides that are not immediately seen: Not just Maximillion/Ian West, Graves/Hussie, Max/Cosplay Max, but also almost everyone Z. interacts with, who winds up revealing completely new facets of their character in their POV scenes that Z. is totally blind to. This theme of identity works both on the level of Z.'s relationship with her friends, but also on the level of the creator figures' relationship with their audience. It culminates in the final question of the story: Who is speaking the story's final words, Shirou Katsumata the game developer, or his corporate-approved translator?

The identity aspect also translates into a lot of doubles or pairs that are less explicit and more thematic. For instance, each of the three main kids (Z., Kiki, Max) winds up having a "counterpart" in the three main adults (Maximillion, Mitchum, Hussie). The POV chapters are arranged symmetrically around Max's POV chapter as an aspect, with characters either getting a second POV scene in the same position on both sides of the axis (Kiki being the first and last POV scene, Maximillion being the second and second-to-last), or having a different but similar character replace their position on the other side of the axis (for instance, Shirou Katsumata and Andrew Hussie's POV scenes exist in the same position around the axis, prompting comparison of them as creator figures beleaguered by their fanbases). By the end of the story, Z. has seemingly replaced Kiki and Max with Cecily and Maximillion, both of whose names are similar to those of the people they "replace."

So yes, all of these characters who might or might not be the same character were intentionally designed in such a way, and I think that's core to how Modern Cannibals is operating on a thematic level.

7. I am not ESL, sorry. I wonder what those "tells" are...

[traumatized-and-lovingit]

Ask The Hashira (+ others)

Characters always open + (pronouns) + ;; tag

Me/Tamayo (she/he/they/it/er) ;; ooc

Muzan Kibutsuji (he/her/Lord/Lady/Highness) ;; insects

Iguro Obanai (he/him/himself) ;; Forked Tongue

Mitsuri Kanroji (she/her/herself) ;; Kisses!!

Giyuu Tomioka (he/him/himself) ;; Water Breathing

Kyojuro Rengoku (he/they/fire) ;; BLAZE OF GLORY

Tengen Uzui (he/they/perfect/flashy) ;; Stay Flashy!

Sanemi Shinazugawa (he/they/wind) ;; Wind Hashira

Shinobu Kocho (she/butterfly) ;; Float like a butterfly

Gyomei Himejima (he/him/himself) ;; pray for the wicked

Hotaru Haganezuka (he/him/himself) ;; Chip and Shatter

Enmu (he/sleep/REM/dream) ;; Shut Eye

Zenitsu Agatsuma (he/thunder) ;; Thunderclap and Flash

You can ask any character in kny anything, the above are just the ones I will immediately get back to

Kagaya Ubuyaskiki (he/him/his) ;; Beautiful skies

If you are interested in rp, please read below :)

ALLOWED:

Romance/love interests - I will include a list of CxC relationships below

OC + canon interactions - please remember I am replying in character and it will not be my opinion of your character (Shinazugawa is a dick)

your OC + my OC interactions - I have four Demon Slayer OCs that I will include

Violence towards certain characters (it's Demon Slayer, it's expected)

Blood, gore, guts, screaming, fighting, etc. - Once again, it's Demon Slayer

Turned!Character interaction - Slayer turned Demon

Swearing (ABSOLUTELY NO SLURS)

Multi-character rp

If you're on anon, please pick a tag or emoji so I can keep track

Genderbent character - just let me know first

NOT ACCEPTED:

Homophobia of any kind

Racism of any kind

Sexism of any kind

Smut

Hate speech

Anger toward my response times - I have a life and my life has shit happening, deal with it

GRAY AREAS:

Self-harm - as someone who struggles, I find it triggering when s/h is described in heavy detail - I'm alright with mentions of scars, struggling or cutting but please do not go into great detail

Eating disorders - same as s/h

Character pronouns - I have them listed above, please respect them - if you would like to interact with a genderbent version just tell me ahead of time

Suicide - once again, mentions are fine (ex. "ever since [character] killed themself..."), but please do not go into great detail

Interaction with me - it will be labeled as ooc, and please specify that you are talking to me or I will reply in character

Nezuko or Tamayo interaction - I have a special connection to these characters, please respect that

Minor interaction - please let me know if you intend to have romance or love interest so I can age some characters up

Mitsuri - please do not talk excessively about her tits. I get it, they're great, she's an amazing woman, but please do not - can be mentioned in passing

Shinobu - same as Mitsuri

Simping - depends on character

IF YOU WOULDN'T POST IT ON YOUR PERSONAL BLOG, DO NOT MAKE ME POST IT ON MINE

RESPECT:

THE CHARACTERS - human or not, please treat all characters with the respect deserved

THE CREATOR - please follow my rules and remain respectful as I am a being with emotions, thank you

YOURSELF - you matter and you are loved, please treat yourself like it (I'm always open to talk if you need <3)

SHIPS - you may request certain character interactions if they are not listed, but I make these lists to display what I am comfortable with

IRLs - I am a Nezuko and Tamayo IRL, if you do not believe in dissociative disorders or IRL people, please do not interact with me - if you do not believe in them but can see past it, feel free to interact, just don't harass me about it

RELATIONSHIPS:

Muzan Platonically : Kagaya, Upper 6, Lower 6, OC Romantically : Enmu, OC DNI : none

Obanai Platonically : Hashira, Demon Slayers, OC Romantically: Mitsuri, fem OC DNI : Serpent demon, cult

Mitsuri Platonically : Hashira, Demon Slayers, OC Romantically : Obanai, Shinobu, OC DNI : none

Giyuu Platonically : Hashira, Demon Slayers, OC Romantically : Sanemi, Sabito, masc OC DNI : none

Rengoku Platonically : Hashira, Demon Slayers, OC Romantically : Uzui, OC DNI : Akaza

Uzui Platonically : Hashira, Demon Slayers, human!Daki/Gyutaro, OC Romantically : Rengoku, Makio, Suma, Hinatsuru, OC DNI : none

Sanemi Platonically : Hashira, Demon Slayers, OC Romantically : Giyuu, OC DNI : none

Shinobu Platonically : Hashira, Demon Slayers, Kanao, Kanae, OC Romantically : fem OC DNI : Douma

Gyomei Platonically : Hashira, Demon Slayers, OC Romantically : none (aroace) DNI : none

Haganezuka Platonically : Canon, OC Romantically : OC DNI : none

Enmu Platonically : Muzan, OC Romantically : Muzan, Upper Rank OC DNI : none

Zenitsu Platonically : Hashira, Demon Slayers, OC Romantically : fem OC DNI : Spider demon family

Kagaya Platonically : Canon, OC Romantically : Amane DNI : none

masc OC = only male fem OC = only female OC = any gender Canon = any canon character human! = demon-turned-human

[netvs]

my roleplay rules !!

requests: open !

•••

hello, i’m net ! (:

contents

i. main muses/ships

ii. what i’m looking for in a roleplay partner

iii. what i’m looking for in a roleplay partner: extra information

iv. plots/au’s

v. replies

vi. i’m not into the roleplay, what do i do ?

vii. triggers and nsfw

<3

i. main muses/ships

i’ll usually make a post if i’m currently looking to roleplay a certain ship, but i also take requests as well ! the fandoms i’ve make roleplay posts for in the past are all fine to request ships from !

although, here are some things i will not roleplay:

pedophilia/incest/etc. (anything that revolves around a relationship dynamic i don’t agree with)

anything with genderbent characters/alternative canon characters in cxc pairings

ii. what i’m looking for in a roleplay partner

please be either literate or novella. my responses vary in length from a few to a couple paragraphs based on my level of inspiration in the moment. that doesn’t mean i will always give lengthy responses, and i don’t expect the same from you either, but i want there to be an equal exchange with replies

please be 20 or over (if you’re above 25, please let me know and i’ll tell you if i’m comfortable or not)

please be able to roleplay over discord

i also prefer to include NSFW in my roleplays, so i prefer you be okay with that as well ! (DOES DEPEND ON THE SHIP, BUT APPLIES FOR MOST CASES)

*more information below

iii. extra information

if you prefer to send me a message over discord instead of talking here, please message me and i will give you my handle. please include your own user name as well so i know the request is coming from you

iv. plots/au’s

i’m always open to hear plot/au ideas you may want to try ! i try to have a variety of different plot ideas prior to planning and don’t mind working together to come up with an alternative plot as well

v. replies

my replies are based off of if i’m motivated to reply, meaning if i’m unmotivated i’m less likely to reply until that motivation comes back. that being said, i can’t give a time frame as to when i’ll reply, but if i need to take a break i will let you know. please do not consistently pester me to reply

if a long span of time passes without a reply, feel free to remind me or mention it ! chances are i’m either lacking inspiration or just busy with life. i also welcome casual chatting outside of roleplay and encourage it, so feel free to use that as a way to ask about replies as well

if you need a break from the roleplay, don’t be afraid to tell me ! i encourage you to take a break if you’re busy with things or just can’t find the time or motivation to reply. don’t feel like you have to push yourself !

vi. i’m not into the roleplay, what do i do ?

if you’re not interested in the roleplay anymore, don’t be afraid to tell me ! you don’t owe me an explanation of any sort and i won’t ask for one but please tell me instead of staying quiet ! if you’d prefer not to tell me though i don’t mind if you leave the conversation and i won’t question you for it

if you’re unhappy with the plot we’re using in the roleplay and are open to the idea of changing it, i’m totally down and willing to plan out a new plot to use ! just mention the idea to me and we can work it out ! this also applies to starting a completely different roleplay. if we’ve already been roleplaying, i’m more open to doing any roleplays you may be more interested in !

vii. triggers and nsfw

i’m pretty lenient in terms of triggering things that could be mentioned, although there are some things i will not want included in roleplays. if i’m uncomfortable with something being mentioned within the roleplay i will let you know. feel free to send any triggers you have as well so i know what to avoid !

i also have a preference to include NSFW/smut within my roleplays, but it does differ depending on the age of the characters/their dynamic. if you’re unsure, just ask !

•••

if you’ve read this entire post, thank you so much ! it means a lot to me (: if you feel you’ve found a suitable roleplay partner and want to message me, my dm’s are open !

[findroleplay]

Hello! I’m looking for a 18+ rp partner for CxC rps. Mainly looking for HTTYD since I just recently started the series and I am in love with it, and ROTG. If HTTYD id like to try my hand on Dagur :)

fandoms im in include:

- Transformers (can try Starscream and Cyclonus

- Dead by Daylight (confident as Sadako and Pinhead, Wesker, Alien

- Monster High (Kieran Valentine)

and as mentioned:

- How to Train your Dragon

- Rise of the Guardians

If interested you can find me on discord :> ragefloods

-

[rphunter]

back at it again boys looking for star trek: the next generation aksdjf

me: iso | pushing 30 | she/her | gmt-8/-7 | 350 words - 5000 word range per post | queer you: 21+ | don't have to mirror me! just give me enough to respond to (minimum of like 250) | tell me what you want! my limits: the IC and OOC mention of: smoking, drugs, vaping, alcohol, substance abuse (no memes, no imagery, no jokes, no videos, no nothing), as well as ic topics of sexual assault, incest, pedophilia, etc requirements: doubling (unless i guess you only want to write my side??? idk why you would when there's free wish fulfillment at the punch bowl but to each their own), being okay with canon x oc for my side (but i will write cxc, oxo, or cxo for you and any gender configuration)

what i'm looking for: ❤️❤️❤️ riker 💛💛 m!oc with an fc of my choosing 💙 canon transplant from another media (again of my choosing)

what i want to write for you: anything you ask! but i'd specifically adore getting the chance to write data 💛💛💛💛 picard ❤️❤️❤️ geordi 💛💛 deanna 💙💙 q ❤️❤️

i'm only in s4 of my rewatch btw! i'm happy to do plots w later stuff but know i might need to refresh my memory

if interested you can check out my big ad that i've got linked in my pinned post on my blog (that has my discord and email on it), or you can message me directly. if you like this post, i'll also reach out to you (but i'd prefer if you messaged me to let me know what you're looking for) good luck in your searches!

,

[thegreatimpersonator]

CXC and BE's albums (Brat and HMHAS) are weirdly similar snippets of ideas and musical movements and very short and surprisingly deep and weirdly I felt both of them more then TTPD (not to be shady)

no because i made a post talking about how listening to both those albums felt so refreshing to listen to (i only mentioned billies but i was also thinking of charli's)

[jazeswhbhaven]

I love when I find picrews to fuel my own AUs (random blurb below the cut)

Now my OCs are kissing. Cain ofc is bratty asf, Damian is being himself. (what's the fun part is that they're both fankids but Damian is Lucifer's kid with one of my other OC's) Their ship is that Damian is older than Cain by a couple centuries give or take. But they don't really cross each other's paths at all until Cain's anniversary of becoming the ruler of Hell. (to make things easier he's like 20ish in human years and Damian is in his later 20s)

What brings them together is Damian's "rudeness" of not knowing who Cain is he's only heard of him and never knew what he looked like. Plus Damian goes back and forth from Hell and Earth periodically so he's not really up to date with many things.

While Cain is Hellborn naturally by two devil parents, Damian is mixed, Angel/Dragon/Human (his mother is half dragon and one of the last female dragon's that lived in Gamigin's prior realm! It's a long story I think I already talked about it before? Maybe? Perhaps later) Also Despite Damian being the older one, he's quite immature at times and likes to tease Cain who's pretty much similar to Leviathan in mannerisms based on "formality" but as his walls break down, he's more relaxed.

(look at Cain he's so damn grumpy lmao)

The colors are close enough though not entirely accurate to their design, especially for Cain's hair which is Leviathan's hair color if I remember correctly is like a dirty blonde? All all they had was the golden blonde 😭 so ig he gets this color which is closer to an off white/Satan's hair (the tips of his horns are red, so these horns work)

His style of dress again, is reminiscent of Hades since that's where he grew up majority of the time, but what's not seen in the photo is that he wears the same boots Satan gave him when he first started walking (they grow with him based on magic and they're resistant to all types of daily and heavy duty wear)

I also had him facing toward Damian because there was no option to add his third eye.

Damian here looks pretty spot on to how I designed him, only difference is his vitiligo isn't showing because there was no option for it and the scar that's on his eyebrow goes all the way down through his eye. Unlike his father Lucifer who very serious and doesn't react as much, he's the complete opposite very affectionate, though can be a bit of a pain in the butt. However, his voice is monotone, very chill (think of those asmr folks) and doesn't seem to match his facial expressions so he sounds condescending which isn't entirely his fault lol

Lucifer swears that it's as if the universe took the best parts of himself and his mother and threw it into Damian. ANYWAYS that's me and my random blurb for today. I'm currently working on inbox stuff so it will be radio silent for a while and then bursting with activity on my blog...I've also been updating my computer a bunch today so there's that. link to the picrew btw: https://picrew.me/ja/image_maker/2578443

[jcmarchi]

Green Light for LISA - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/green-light-for-lisa-technology-org/

Green Light for LISA - Technology Org

The European Space Agency’s most expensive and complex mission, the LISA space antenna, has reached a major milestone: it has passed the stage of intensive testing by experts in the Mission Adoption Review process – a significant step for the LISA consortium.

Artistic representation of the LISA space antenna. Image credit: NASA/JPL-​Caltech/NASAEA/ESA/CXC/STScl/GSFCSVS/S.Barke (CC BY 4.0)

The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission to investigate gravitational waves in space has completed the preliminary studies and testing phase. During this phase, the entire concept – from the technical specifications of the scientific instruments and operating system to the devices that will need to be built for use in space – was carefully scrutinized by experts as part of the Mission Adoption Review. Following the review, the Science Programme Committee of the ESA (European Space Agency) officially confirmed that the technology is mature enough to continue developing the mission as planned. In other words, the mission got the “green light” to go ahead. The space antenna, which will be used to observe gravitational waves in space and thus detect collisions of supermassive black holes, will be launched around 2035.

More than 120 research institutions across Europe and the United States are involved in the LISA mission, including the ETH Zurich and University of Zurich (UZH). Philippe Jetzer, professor of gravitation and astrophysics at the University of Zurich, and Domenico Giardini, professor of seismology and geodynamics at ETH Zurich, have been closely cooperating on the project for more than two decades. In this interview, the professors outline the expectations for the mission and explain the involvement of the two Swiss universities in Zurich.

The LISA mission has been given the go-​ahead! What does this mean for space research? Domenico Giardini: A lot! We must remember that 95 percent of our universe is still regarded as dark energy or dark matter because it emits no electromagnetic waves, remaining invisible to all our telescopes. Gravitational waves will allow us to investigate this invisible universe. All that Ligo-​Virgo observed was the final collapse of stellar black holes with a duration of less than one second. This was due to major background seismic noise on Earth and the fact that instruments with maximum arm lengths of four kilometres can only measure higher frequencies. LISA will overcome these limitations: there is no seismic noise in space, and LISA can register much lower frequencies thanks to an arm length of 2.5 million kilometres. This will make the detection of the collapse of supermassive black holes possible as well as countless close galactic binary star systems – not to mention a vast number of dynamic objects and phenomena that will help us understand how the universe was formed and how it continues to evolve.

Philippe Jetzer: This launch is the result of several decades of work spent on maturing the technology needed to build this gigantic space antenna. LISA will provide us with a new view of the universe. We hope to gain new insights into its origins and development – such as how the Big Bang came about. Perhaps, we will also find out whether Einstein’s theory of relativity is valid across the board, or whether there are any deviations that would give us new insights into the fundamental laws of physics.

How are ETH Zurich and UZH involved in this mission? Domenico Giardini: ETH Zurich plays a central role in LISA. Working together with Swiss industry and with the support of the Swiss Space Office, we are supplying the front-​end electronics for the gravitational reference sensor, the heart of the LISA measurement system. This sensor enables the spacecraft to follow the reference mass. We are also participating in ESA’s Performance and Operation Team, building the Swiss node of the Distributed Data Processing Centre. Together with other European and American nodes, this node processes all the data sent by LISA, builds global models of our universe and identifies the catalogue of gravitational wave sources. I am a member of the LISA Executive Committee and the LISA Consortium Board.

Philippe Jetzer: In my working group, we have focused on investigating the possible sources of gravitational waves that LISA could observe. With the help of Einstein’s theory of general relativity, we have calculated various expected forms of gravitational waves. These different models will be needed at a later date to enable LISA’s data to be analysed a lot more precisely. Our calculations are therefore of great importance for the precise planning of the mission and thereafter. I have been a member of ESA’s LISA Science Working Team for many years, as well as a member of the LISA Consortium Board.

What does the research team plan to work on next? Domenico Giardini: In addition to activities related to the delivery of the electronics and the construction of the Swiss data centre, our research will focus on developing better global models and pipelines for data analysis and the identification of gravitational wave sources. This will enable us to create a digital twin of our universe in close collaboration with the University of Zurich and other ESA and NASA nodes.

Philippe Jetzer: Following my co-​authoring of the Red Book – a detailed summary of the scientific objectives and technical aspects of the LISA mission – we will start calculating ever better models of gravitational waves and working on other observations that could be made possible by LISA. These are very complicated calculations that can be continuously improved. These studies will continue for several years – certainly until the satellites are launched and the data is analysed.

The antenna will be launched into space in 2035. What other hurdles does the project still have to overcome? Domenico Giardini: One challenge will be to complete the antennas on time. Three identical satellites will need to be built that send each other signals in a triangle formation with the utmost accuracy and over huge distances. Given the shortage of experts in industry and academia, we need to plan the necessary processes very precisely. As far as I know, the team does not anticipate any insurmountable technical challenges. Some highly detailed studies have been carried out, and we can draw on our experience with the very successful LISA Pathfinder test satellite, in which we were also involved.

How does it feel to be involved in such a prestigious and lengthy project – even if you probably won’t be able to play an active role at the time of its launch? Domenico Giardini: LISA will run for more than 50 years, and three generations of scientists will be working to make the mission a success. We are obviously delighted to have the privilege of playing a central role in this mission. In 2015 we witnessed the fantastic launch of LISA Pathfinder live.

Philippe Jetzer: We won’t be there in person when the LISA satellites are launched in 2035. But we are confident that we will be able to help with the next, very intensive preparation phase and with the initial analysis of the data. Some of our former and current doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers are still involved in LISA’s preparation and are very active in the field of gravitational wave research. Two new professorships will also be established at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. Other colleagues from ETH and UZH are already involved or are interested in participating at a later stage.

Source: ETH Zurich

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[spacenutspod]

Creating some of the most powerful gravitational forces and fields in the universe, black holes are known for their extreme nature, including the ways in which they can devour and destroy whole planets and stars in a matter of seconds. When black holes consume planets, stars, and other cosmic objects, the matter from the collision between the two objects gets violently thrown around space — creating streams of particles traveling near the speed of light from black holes. These streams of particles are known as jets, and while scientists know that these jets can accelerate particles, known as cosmic rays, they know very little about the exact process by which the particles are accelerated. Recently, a team of scientists utilized the X-ray capabilities of NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) observatory to investigate how cosmic rays within black hole jets are created. More specifically, the team investigated Stephenson and Sanduleak 433 (SS 433), a microquasar comprised of a black hole pulling in material from a nearby star. SS 433 is the first microquasar ever discovered and is located in the center of supernova remnant W50, also known as the “Manatee Nebula,” which is located within the constellation Aquila, approximately 18,000 light-years away from Earth. SS 433 contains extremely powerful jets that move at velocities greater than 77,249 kilometers per second — roughly 26% the speed of light. In fact, the jets are responsible for the manatee-shape of W50. Labeled composite image of supernova remnant W50 showing the location of SS 433’s black hole and jet. (Credit: (IXPE) NASA/MSFC/IXPE; (Chandra) NASA/CXC/SAO; (XMM) ESA/XMM-Newton; (Infrared) NASA/JPL/Caltech/WISE; (Radio) NRAO/AUI/NSF/VLA/B. Saxton; (Infrared/Radio Image) M. Goss et al.; (Image Processing) NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk/K. Arcand) As mentioned, to investigate the jets of SS 433, the scientists, led by IXPE principal investigator Philip Kaaret of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, utilized IXPE and its suite of telescopes. IXPE’s three telescopes measured the polarization — a special property of X-ray light that allows scientists to understand the organization and alignment of electromagnetic waves at X-ray frequencies — of the jets to better understand the physical processes that were occurring in and around SS 433, as well as how particles were being accelerated within the jets. IXPE observed the eastern lobe of SS 433 for a total of 18 days throughout April and May, 2023. Within this eastern lobe sits one of the particle acceleration sites that Kaaret et al. are interested in investigating, as well as synchrotron radiation, which are emissions comprised of energetic electrons spiraling in a magnetic field. The results from IXPE showed that the magnetic field around SS 433 is surprisingly intact and organized. For decades, scientists have theorized that when the jets interact with the surrounding interstellar medium, a type of shock would be created, thus creating disordered and messy magnetic fields. “The IXPE data show that the magnetic field near the acceleration region points in the direction the jets are moving. …The high level of polarization seen with IXPE shows that the magnetic field is well ordered, with at least half of the field aligned in the same direction,” Kaaret said. Aritst’s impression of SS 433. (Credit: NASA) Given the new result, Kaaret et al. had to think of new ways to explain the origin of the aligned and organized magnetic fields of SS 433 and other microquasars. Kaaret explained that the magnetic fields within the powerful jets could be trapped and stretched when the jets come into contact with matter within the interstellar medium — directly impacting the alignment of magnetic fields within regions of particle acceleration like the eastern lobe of SS 433. See AlsoIXPE UpdatesSpace Science CoverageNSF StoreClick here to Join L2 SS 433 was discovered in 1977, and, since the 1980s, scientists theorized that the jets of the microquasar accelerate particles and act as a sort of particle accelerator. However, it wasn’t until 2018 that scientists using the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory in Mexico were able to confirm that the jets indeed act as particle accelerators. Later observations of the jets using NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, and the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton X-ray observatory pinpointed the exact region of acceleration within SS 433. Kaaret et al.’s results will not only help future studies into microquasars and jets created by black holes, but also studies into tens of hundreds of different cosmic phenomena. More specifically, the data will allow scientists to determine whether the aligning of magnetic fields in outflows expelled by cosmic phenomena — such as debris ejected from exploded stars, or blazars — occurs in a similar process as it does at SS 433. “This very delicate measurement was made possible by the imaging capabilities of IXPE’s X-ray polarimeters, making possible the detection of the tenuous signal in a small region of the jet 95 light-years from the central black hole,” said IXPE’s Italian principal investigator Paolo Soffitta. IXPE launched on Dec. 9, 2021, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida. The mission is a collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency and aims to measure the polarization of several cosmic phenomena, including cosmic X-rays ejected from black holes, neutron stars, pulsars, and more. Furthermore, IXPE maps the magnetic fields of black holes, pulsars, neutron stars, supernova remnants, magnetars, quasars, galactic nuclei, and other exotic astronomical objects. Kaaret et al.’s results were published in the latest edition of The Astrophysical Journal. (Lead image: Composite image of supernova remnant W50, with the bright blue/purple jet from SS 433 seen in the center of the remnant. Credit: (IXPE) NASA/MSFC/IXPE; (Chandra) NASA/CXC/SAO; (XMM) ESA/XMM-Newton; (Infrared) NASA/JPL/Caltech/WISE; (Radio) NRAO/AUI/NSF/VLA/B. Saxton; (Infrared/Radio Image) M. Goss et al.; (Image Processing) NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk/K. Arcand) The post IXPE investigates microquasar jets, finds unexpected magnetic field structure appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

[andromeda1023]

The youngest member of an important class of objects has been found using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Australia Compact Telescope Array. A composite image shows the X-rays in blue and radio emission in purple, which have been overlaid on an optical field of view from the Digitized Sky Survey. This discovery, described in the press release, allows scientists to study a critical phase after a supernova and the birth of a neutron star.

Systems known as "X-ray binaries" are some of the brightest X-ray sources in the sky. They consist of either an ultra-dense star packed with neutrons --- a.k.a., a "neutron star" --- or a black hole that is paired with a normal star like the sun. As these two objects orbit one another, the neutron star or black hole pulls material from the companion star onto it.

A new study shows that the X-ray binary called Circinus X-1 is less than 4,600 years old, making it the youngest ever seen. Astronomers have detected hundreds of X-ray binaries throughout the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies. However, these older X-ray binaries only reveal information about what happens later in the evolution of these systems.

Astronomers were able to determine the age of Circinus X-1 by examining material around the orbiting pair. While the source itself has been known for decades, the neutron star is usually so bright that the glare from its X-ray light overwhelms any faint emission surrounding it. The new Chandra data were obtained while the neutron star was in a very faint state, which meant it was dim enough for astronomers to detect the faint afterglow created by the supernova explosion plowing through the surrounding interstellar gas. This, combined with characteristics of the radio emission, allowed the researchers to pinpoint the age of the supernova remnant. In turn, this information reveals the age of the neutron star since they were formed at the same time.

These results have been published in the December 4th issue of The Astrophysical Journal. In addition to those mentioned above, the other authors on this paper are Peter Jonker of the SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Niel Brandt of Penn State University, Daniel Emilio Calvelo-Santos of the University of Southampton, Tasso Tzioumis of the Australia Telescope National Facility, Michael Nowak and Norbert Schultz of the Kavli Institute/MIT, Rudy Wijnands and Michiel van der Klis of the University of Amsterdam.

Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison/S. Heinz et al; Optical: DSS; Radio: CSIRO/ATNF/ATCA

X-ray Binary Circinus X-1 (NASA, Chandra, 12/04/13) by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

[blackmeetsblond]

Tis the month of November and it's the return of the Japanese いい○○の日! Time for art of it except I have 0 time to draw 8D

So instead of doodling with each day, I tried to draw poses I don't usually and mix several of the topics in one!!

There's いいおしり、おなか、おっぱい、腋、ヒプ、太もも... Likely there's more, but for now...

Of course there's always a Cloud version 8D

[weaselandfriends]

Three completely unrelated questions: ever heard of interactive fiction (parser games like Zork etc), and if you have, what's your opinion on it? Also, you mentioned a Pokemon fanfic ages ago and do you have plans to write that because Pokemon is my obsession and I would read the hell out of a Pokemon story if you wrote one. Also, is Sister from CxC and that Chateau de whatever vampire anime she keeps talking about inspired in any way by the Marquis de Sade?

Question 1: This blog, believe it or not, used to post exclusively about Homestuck, so yes, I have some familiarity with interactive fiction and parser games. I actually knew about Zork long before Homestuck, mainly because when I was 12 I was a huge Nintendo fan who would read books about the history of video games and Zork would always show up sooner or later. Now have I actually played a parser game? No.

In college I took a senior seminar on interactive fiction. This was a very funny course that included the David Cage classic Heavy Rain. I remember the professor bringing in a PlayStation and having us actually play the game; all the students made fun of the terrible voice acting and inhuman characters, and by the end the professor, looking genuinely hurt, said "I thought it was a good story..."

In this class, I wrote a paper that was actually about the original Super Mario Bros, arguing mainly that even in the complete absence of traditional narrative (text, video, etc.) any video game is actually interactive fiction, in which the player's phenomenological experience of the game shapes their understanding of the game's narrative. Consider the way a first time player would play Super Mario Bros, moving tepidly and carefully, stopping to hit every block, and dying frequently, and then compare that to an experience player or a speedrunner who will blaze through stages at full speed, ignoring most obstacles and reaching the end in a few moments. The understanding of who Mario is as a character is significantly different for these two players, and in fact the absence of traditional narrative elements makes this interactivity even more pronounced compared to a game like, say, The Last of Us, where character is much more strongly enforced by the authorial entity via traditional narrative elements.

Some time after I wrote this essay, Dark Souls would get popular and give everyone else the same idea I had, with its "environmental storytelling" that stripped out traditional narrative elements without sacrificing narrative itself. But I think you can see the precursor to Dark Souls' style in a lot of older games.

Question 2: Very odd coincidence, I actually started thinking about that Pokemon fanfic idea again recently, prompted by the ask I got in which I talked about my idea for a professional League of Legends sports story. Since Players stole my thunder in that regard, I started thinking of ways I could put my rather extensive esports knowledge to use for a story, and remembered my old Pokemon fanfic idea.

I always liked the near-future near-utopian world of Pokemon, where there seems to be little or no scarcity and 75% of the populace does nothing except pursue hobbies of interest. I'd like to do a serious exploration of what a world is like that encourages 10 year olds to drop out of school and attempt to become professional sports stars, without verging into edge. This is a world where it's *fine* for 10 year olds to do that, mainly because widespread, versatile, and even skilled Pokemon labor means there's less need for a large and robust human workforce. So what are these pros like, having left home at 10, spending their youths tromping through wilderness, their only significant social interaction being with what are essentially animals? All while training to excel in a competitive sport that requires an encyclopedic breadth of knowledge about all the diverse Pokemon species, movepools, statistical spreads, strategies, etc.? Obviously they're going to be total social weirdos. I think it'd be a great premise for a sports story to focus on a big, international tournament where these utter nerds come down from their mountaintops and are suddenly hoisted up as the exemplars of human society, imbued with instant celebrity despite their inability to function in any social setting.

So, to answer your question, it's back on the table. I'm pretty sure after CQ my next story will be a relatively short horror story set at a prestigious all-girls prep school in New England, but after that anything's possible.

Question 3: Sister's favorite anime, Le Chateau de Diodati, is primarily modeled on Le Portrait de Petit Cossette, a 2004 gothloli OVA directed by Madoka director Akiyuki Shinbo. Petit Cossette isn't hentai itself, but Shinbo was also directing several visually bizarre hentai OVAs around the same time, which I rolled into the Diodati fictional narrative. The name "Diodati" comes from the Villa Diodati, a Swiss manor once used by Lord Byron and the Shelleys, famous for being the location where Mary Shelley first created the story of Frankenstein. Diodati is also an Italian name; the Comtesse's full name, Marie von Diodati, is a nod to the tripartite cultural heritage of Switzerland (French, German, and Italian), and meant to contrast Marc Elmarghichi, who is of Moroccan descent. Sister/the Comtesse's appearance is modeled off Lambdadelta from Umineko and Shinobu Oshino from Monogatari (another Shinbo anime!).

The only work by de Sade I've read is Justine, and while the unabashed degeneracy of that work was in the back of my mind while writing CxC, it never manifested into any explicit or implicit reference. I have something of an aversion to de Sade, not because of anything he wrote, but because one of my least favorite novels, Thomas Pynchon's Vineland, has a horrible pun where a gardening business is called Marquis de Sod.

[cindersfall]

Reading CxC currently (I'm real early on so forgive if any of this gets horribly jettisoned as false afterwards) and indeed Harper's terminal ennui towards her obviously very well off and free circumstances make her a gripping character for me. Especially how, as it's been progressing, you see more and more that she's just outright ignoring or seemingly unable to pay attention to that anyone else would be extremely concerned and attentive about. She works for a drone company. She mentions completely nonchalantly that she knows they bomb innocents and straight up assigns the same importance to this as the fact that her coworkers are wearing tshirts. She keeps talking about the end of history, but history is going on around her—within her hands—and she just doesn't care. Hell, given that she's helping the military drone strike people and the context of the 'history is ended' quote is mentioned in re: the Armenian genocide, you could argue she's the one ending history.

Makes it very interesting to me where this might be going thematically. Also, not only invokes ennui novels to me, as Bavitz has mentioned is an influence, but also all of those comics about people in dead-end office jobs which only have the moral 'work is boring' but only defines work as 'thing you do in a cubicle' and never actually mentions what any of the characters *do* (see: Dilbert and its many cousins).

Harper's circumstance seems to be commenting on that as like, "okay, work sucks, but what is that work? when we aren't just stuck within panels of desksitting and meetings, what is the world like around them?" and then it's complicity in mass murder and the expansion of US imperialism. which Harper *still* has The Dilbert Attitude about. And that you can be numb to your role and feel disconnected from its consequence and have that newspaper strip 'nothing ever happens' perspective but it doesn't prevent you from being an active agent in history nonetheless, whether or not you even notice.

So just think it's interesting from the view of like, yeah, Harper has this insanely privileged stable job and life, but can even that change her own apathetic perspective? And can her apathetic perspective change the realities of her job? Why, why not? I'm still early on so I can't say if all this ties together neatly but I think it definitely is engaging and helps introduce some themes I expect will be expanded upon and revisited more as I continue.

(Also aside, I have considered Harper as a sort of exaggerated parody of the audience surrogate protagonist. She's certainly the most traditional protagonist-y out of any Bavitz work I've started thus far, the guy who doesn't know shit about fuck and thus learns things at the same time the audience does, but her internal narration often skips over things that maybe should be explained, but does take the time to explain things like Twitter, Discord and the concept of commissions that everyone reading would already know. Her gaps of knowledge and the reader's gaps of knowledge just don't line up, making her a sort of subversion to this type. This is interesting to me too.)

im still not sure what the hell was up with part one, all i can think of is that bavitz wanted to warn their readers who, upon reading about the sordid lives of gramm and mimmy might be tempted to think "whew! what a mess! clearly the answer is to touch grass and have a normal life with a 9 to 5 job in a nice apartment, going to bars, dancing with friends doing excercise and hanging out with co workers!" and part one was him preempting that by showing how that world has its own issues, where its insipid, inane, lacking of meaning or purpose, where you are surrounded by people who are either robots or aliens, where eventually you just die and none of that mattered at all.

but then, is that actually true?

more than being authentic, harpers life feels less like a raw depiction of a middle class office worker and more just the artificial obverse face of gramms life. this is presumably what he is running away from, what he imagines his life would be like if you turned all the parameters of it to its diametrical opposite. it makes sense in how its the negative space of everything gramm is, but i dont know if it makes sense as a depiction of something real. and i say this as someone who managed to live the white collar wagiecuck life where i had to hang out with coworkers and got to conventions and do scrum meetings.

or perhaps its an exaggeration of it? a heightened caricature? but if it is its in a way unlike that of the heightened way in which gramms life is depicted, another lifestyle i am familiar with. gramms life feels real in a way harper's didnt.

and what is up with harper anyway, she became completly irrelevant to this story? was her purpose just to be an empty point of view character for the reader to use as an entry point into this world? much like many accuse harry potter of being? if she is she seems like a grotesque parody of it, a satire of the concept of the self insert protagonist.