Under the Bridge

“These are my red flags for women:

If she stabs me more than twice.

If she has a concerning amount of ex-husbands who died on their honeymoon, like... [a brief pause for thought] Like four or more.

If Gozer the Gozerian asks me to choose the form of the destructor and then one of my childhood crushes walks through New York City at 300 feet tall, uh, and steps on a church... [takes a breath and pauses for a second] I mean, it’s not the height! It’s not the height. I like a climb. But, like. [another breath] She stepped on a church. Or any building, really, ‘cause. [deep breath followed by a brief pause] Legally they’re not supposed to be able to ask you about that on like your homeowner’s association application, but- but they’ll ask. They’ll look it up.

i don’t want you to heal me rather, take this broke machine

"I'm really sorry that lockdown and the ongoing pandemic interrupted pivotal educational and social/emotional development moments for you. You have an uphill battle towards adjusting to a lot of community based efforts because you experienced a mass trauma during an incredibly important time in your life where you should have physically been around your peers learning to engage in shared community. There is no "but" here, I'm genuinely really sorry. Something many of us consider key points in our interpersonal growth as youths was taken from you, not without reason but without care for its impact on you. I hope you know we are eternally allies in our struggles and if that is something you struggle to know I hope you can learn it someday."

Because so many of the angriest, most disenfranchised people I see on this website are under 24 and I often try to put younger people's behavior in the context of where they might have been 2020. I've seen the impact on my siblings and their peers+friends first hand, all ages 18-24. We've talked about how its impacted them, the isolation, the attachment to the internet, the anxieties and phobias and fears it developed in them due to the pandemic, the political unrest, and the responses to both that we've seen since. I know they're not the only ones and I know how much being marginalized also influences that impact too.

*I haven't read the book yet, so whatever I'm about to say I'm basing it off of the movie.

**And yes this kind of ties into my theory of linking the Iron Lung universe to PHM

As SOON as the scene happened where they said they were going to use Astrophage to power the ship, I knew that there was a strong possibility of some countries in the world that would try to keep their own sample of Astrophage. Those would be countries that have space programs to get up there [USA, China, Russia, etc] and grab some for themselves, or maybe some unsavory person on the project took some because they got paid to do so and gave it to these governments.

It's much like nuclear energy. Very destructive if done wrong, but extremely powerful if done correctly. But also like nuclear anything, there's the tendency to also create weapons.

But I remember how in the 60s and 70s there was a government agency that was essentially tasked to see if we could use nuclear stuff to construct things, to clear land for construction [the Ben Gurion Canal in occupied Palestine is one example]. Ultimately, they learned that it's way too dangerous to use nuclear stuff to do that kind of thing.

Regardless, I can see a similar trajectory with Astrophage in this universe.

Especially when they had the demonstration showing how Astrophage can melt metal in the blink of an eye, and the size of the explosion at the building from just a tiny amount.

Astrophage can be used for energy, some will say. Astrophage can be used for weapons, others will say. Regardless, I can see how programs to figure it out will be in place by the time the Beatles come back with the Tau Ameoba.

All they needed the Tau Ameoba for was to make sure the sun stopped dimming. And now, with the saving grace [haha] that is the Tau Ameoba, I feel like some of the Astrophage programs feel like they can be even more reckless or push the boundaries because there's a solution for if things go wrong.

And I do imagine eventually things go wrong.

You can also see a scenario where the Tau Ameoba gets out of control, too. It's cells, it's biological life that's resistant to Nitrogen [which is in Earth's air] and can also get through xenon and who knows what else eventually.

It can eat the Astrophage, which is mostly water but also clearly something else, because you can't see through it.

I'm just thinking that if there's ever a sequel, it would have to touch on the fact that Astrophage and the Tau Ameoba can cause issues down the road as well. Because humans are mostly made of water. Earth is mostly water.

Trevor Noah interviewing Judith “Badass” Heumann

Judy Heumann believed in the inherent value of each disabled individual and would never back down on what she thought was right. Her friends and fellow activists remember her as a strong leader.

Judy Heumann

December 18, 1947 - March 4, 2023