#watching the test tube interview and going

[panthera-ephemera]

me knowing well that when the next rejoin happens, test tube is just gonna be voted back on

[alien-til-i-stage]

i migjt need to put down as a mercy kill or whatever

[wheucto]

AH. goodbye bot!

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Amy Maxmen at KFF Health News:

Keith Poulsen’s jaw dropped when farmers showed him images on their cellphones at the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin in October. A livestock veterinarian at the University of Wisconsin, Poulsen had seen sick cows before, with their noses dripping and udders slack. But the scale of the farmers’ efforts to treat the sick cows stunned him. They showed videos of systems they built to hydrate hundreds of cattle at once. In 14-hour shifts, dairy workers pumped gallons of electrolyte-rich fluids into ailing cows through metal tubes inserted into the esophagus. “It was like watching a field hospital on an active battlefront treating hundreds of wounded soldiers,” he said. Nearly a year into the first outbreak of the bird flu among cattle, the virus shows no sign of slowing. The U.S. government failed to eliminate the virus on dairy farms when it was confined to a handful of states, by quickly identifying infected cows and taking measures to keep their infections from spreading. Now at least 875 herds across 16 states have tested positive.

Experts say they have lost faith in the government’s ability to contain the outbreak. “We are in a terrible situation and going into a worse situation,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. “I don’t know if the bird flu will become a pandemic, but if it does, we are screwed.” To understand how the bird flu got out of hand, KFF Health News interviewed nearly 70 government officials, farmers and farmworkers, and researchers with expertise in virology, pandemics, veterinary medicine, and more. Together with emails obtained from local health departments through public records requests, this investigation revealed key problems, including deference to the farm industry, eroded public health budgets, neglect for the safety of agriculture workers, and the sluggish pace of federal interventions. Case in point: The U.S. Department of Agriculture this month announced a federal order to test milk nationwide. Researchers welcomed the news but said it should have happened months ago — before the virus was so entrenched.

“It’s disheartening to see so many of the same failures that emerged during the covid-19 crisis reemerge,” said Tom Bollyky, director of the Global Health Program at the Council on Foreign Relations. Far more bird flu damage is inevitable, but the extent of it will be left to the Trump administration and Mother Nature. Already, the USDA has funneled more than $1.7 billion into tamping down the bird flu on poultry farms since 2022, which includes reimbursing farmers who’ve had to cull their flocks, and more than $430 million into combating the bird flu on dairy farms. In coming years, the bird flu may cost billions of dollars more in expenses and losses. Dairy industry experts say the virus kills roughly 2% to 5% of infected dairy cows and reduces a herd’s milk production by about 20%. Worse, the outbreak poses the threat of a pandemic. More than 60 people in the U.S. have been infected, mainly by cows or poultry, but cases could skyrocket if the virus evolves to spread efficiently from person to person. And the recent news of a person critically ill in Louisiana with the bird flu shows that the virus can be dangerous.

Just a few mutations could allow the bird flu to spread between people. Because viruses mutate within human and animal bodies, each infection is like a pull of a slot machine lever. “Even if there’s only a 5% chance of a bird flu pandemic happening, we’re talking about a pandemic that probably looks like 2020 or worse,” said Tom Peacock, a bird flu researcher at the Pirbright Institute in the United Kingdom, referring to covid. “The U.S. knows the risk but hasn’t done anything to slow this down,” he added. Beyond the bird flu, the federal government’s handling of the outbreak reveals cracks in the U.S. health security system that would allow other risky new pathogens to take root. “This virus may not be the one that takes off,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the emerging diseases group at the World Health Organization. “But this is a real fire exercise right now, and it demonstrates what needs to be improved.”

[...] Curtailing the virus on farms is the best way to prevent human infections, said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University, but human surveillance must be stepped up, too. Every clinic serving communities where farmworkers live should have easy access to bird flu tests — and be encouraged to use them. Funds for farmworker outreach must be boosted. And, she added, the CDC should change its position and offer farmworkers bird flu vaccines to protect them and ward off the chance of a hybrid bird flu that spreads quickly. The rising number of cases not linked to farms signals a need for more testing in general. When patients are positive on a general flu test — a common diagnostic that indicates human, swine, or bird flu — clinics should probe more deeply, Nuzzo said. The alternative is a wait-and-see approach in which the nation responds only after enormous damage to lives or businesses. This tack tends to rely on mass vaccination. But an effort analogous to Trump’s Operation Warp Speed is not assured, and neither is rollout like that for the first covid shots, given a rise in vaccine skepticism among Republican lawmakers.

KFF Health News reports on how America lost control on containing the bird flu that could set the stage for another pandemic. If we see another COVID-level or even Ebola-level pandemic, America will be in for a world of hurt, thanks to the rise of anti-public health sentiments.

See Also:

CNN: How America lost control of the bird flu, setting the stage for another pandemic

[deltaromeo3]

ᴛʀᴜᴇ ᴏʀ ꜰᴀʟꜱᴇ? - Mason Mount

pairing: mason mount x footballer!reader

summary: what happens when the reader and mason are together for a youtube video- Truth Asylum?

✿ A/N: i love chunkz & i love footy asylum! pls give the series a watch if you have not😂 anyways, i hope you love this!! ps. if you don’t know what truth asylum is, it’s basically a lie detector test.

“…I’m gonna put their friendship to the test! Today we have the lovely Y/N L/N and Mason Mount!”

The both of you waved at the camera.

★ ★ ★

Finally they strapped you up- placing sensors on your chest and fingers, the blood pressure cuff on your arm and the goddamn rubber tube over your chest.

Chunkz was to your left and Mason was seated across you. You smiled at Mason and he laughs, finding the whole situation funny.

“I’m nervous,” You said as your heart beat quickens, shaking the jitters off.

“That’s true,” Chunkz points out, looking at the polygraph in front of him.

“Oh shut up Chunkz,” You rolled your eyes, the reaction earning a laugh from both Mason and Chunkz.

“Okay so Mason, she’s all strapped up and ready! Go ahead and ask her some questions.”

Mason rubs his hands together, a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

You laughed at his antics.

“So,” He pauses, building up suspense. “Do you think you’re a better footballer than me?”

“No.” You answered confidently.

“That’s true! Wow, you didn’t even think twice,” Chunkz points out.

“Yeah yeah, cause Mason has been at this football thing for much longer than I am. I have a lot to learn from him,”

Mason was in awe. “Aww Y/N, don’t say that!”

“I mean it!”

Next question…

“Y/N,” Mason calls out. “If if wasn’t for football,”

“Oh god,” You muttered, earning a chuckle from Chunkz and Mason.

“Do you think we would still be friends?”

You gulped, batting your eyelashes. “Yea?”

“That’s a lie!” Mason gasps, covering his mouth.

“Wait wait let me explain! Let me explain!!” You quickly interject. Mason and Chunkz chuckles at your quickness to get your word out.

“Alright then, go on,” Mason says, allowing you to explain yourself.

“You see, if you all didn’t already know,” You said as you waved to the camera, indicating ‘all’ as the audience.

“We met through football. Our team had a joint training and that’s how we became friends. Of course I knew of Mason before I even joined, who doesn’t? And prior to this I was quite a lowkey footballer. I don’t think anyone would’ve known me if I didn’t join the club or whatever. It’s just.. we were in very different social circles. He was winning awards left and right at the same age I was playing for a mediocre team back home.”

“So aren’t you glad you met me then?” He adds on, cheekily smiling.

“Is that allowed Chunkz? He’s asking me another question,” You try to sway away from the question, hoping Chunkz says no.

“Answer him,” Chunkz smirks.

“Yeah yeah… I’m glad I met you.”

“And that folks, is the TRUTH!” Chunkz shouts.

You saw Mason smile grow wider.

“Okay, last question before we hand it over to Y/N. Go on Mase,”

He pauses, thinking of a question.

“Y/N Y/M/N L/N…” He leans forward.

“Yes Mason Tony Mount? Go on,” You could feel your heart racing.

“You know the recent interview you did with Wired?”

Oh god. You already know what he’s about to ask. You just nodded in response.

“Remember when they asked about your football crush?”

You nodded again.

“You said it was Hector Bellerin, yeah? Now, can I ask, is that true?”

You gulped, covering your face with your hand. You side-eyed the camera before answering “Y-yes.”

“That’s a LIE! So, who is it Y/N? Is he in the room with us?” Chunkz says, adding fuel to the fire as he smirks at you.

“Ah- Eh! That’s- Okay, so Mason next huh?” You signalled to the producer and quickly avoided the question.

★ ★ ★

Mason’s turn

“Mason!” You called out.

“Y/N!” He returns your energy.

“Oh I’m nervous. I don’t like this!” He shuffles in his seat.

You laugh. “Nerve wrecking innit?”

He nods.

“So, Mason…. have you ever lied to me?” You stare at him intently.

“What?” The question catches him off guard. “Never. On God.” He turns to Chunkz to validate his answer.

“And it’s true. We love an honest guy,” Chunkz says.

“Yes we do,” You agreed with Chunkz.

You pondered a bit for the next question.

“Ah yes,” You paused. “Would you miss me if you never saw me again?”

You saw Mason laugh, like the question would be hard to answer.

“Do you want me to be honest?”

“Well yeah? Duh. Even if you lied I could tell.” You pointed to Chunkz.

“Then..yeah of course. You know when you had international duty?”

You nodded.

“I was going on to Dec about how much I missed you. You can ask him if you don’t believe me.”

You looked over to Chunkz for the answer.

“And….It’s true.”

You tried to hide your blush by giggling. “Didn’t know you’d miss me. That’s kinda funny.”

“How’s that funny!” He laughs, “Don’t tell me you don’t miss me when I’m away? Remember when I went to NYC you’d-“

“That’s enough Mase, zip it!” You quickly ran over to him, covering his mouth before he exposes more of what he was about to say.

“Right, last question before we end it.”

“Easy,” You said. “We all know you’ve got a type. Would you date someone that isn’t though?” You smirked.

“God Y/N, cmon now.”

“Well?”

“Yeah…yeah I would. But just this one person though. I don’t even have to think twice. I’d make an exception for her.”

“Oh? Who’s she? A footballer?”

Mason squeezes his nose bridge, hiding his face. “Chunkz save me,” He looks over to Chunkz, hoping he would help him.

“You did the same to her, m’sorry Mase. Go on, is she?” Chunkz looks over to you, smiling. The both of you giggled.

“Err, yeah, she is.” He hesitantly answers.

“Ooh, what team does she play for?” Chunkz asks, even he is growing curious.

“Nah nah nah, that’s too much! Let’s call it a day Chunkz!”

Chunkz and you laugh.

He then proceeds to do his outro.

You knew you shouldn’t have asked that question but you were curious. And also now you were a little disappointed he already has eyes on someone.

★ ★ ★

The video publishes a week later, of course you watched it. You went to look at the comments. It was flooded with things like:

“We need Mason and Y/N to come back!!!”

“There’s obviously something going on between the two of them”

“Oh they’re each other crushes. I know it.”

“Look at how Mason looks at her! He’s smitten.”

“OH CMON MASE SHES RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU”

Your phone suddenly dings.

And so, the two of you began chatting about the video.

However, little did you know that Mason was talking to Ben. He too, saw the video.

[qui-gg]

that one post you made about lightbulb and how she made up her entire relationship with paintbrush until ep12 made me like her character a lot more soo has ur thoughts and opinions on lightbulb and maybe paintbrush changed since episode 15??

Thank you for this question and it definitely has, it’s just been taking me a bit to think and format into words exactly how to say this! But with ii16 releasing soon i should go through this now, so be prepared for a ramble.

Since i’ve made that post, I’ve gone through a few more realizations about the preexisting material itself. I should say it’s a bit dramatized when I said she made up the ENTIRE relationship- there was obviously something there since they’d known each other for a very long time, after all Paintbrush does say “we’re STILL friends”, but she moreso took it and ran with it to a level it was never at. I’ve never properly talked about my feelings on Alternate Reality Show here? But it’s my favorite episode and I have TOO MUCH to say. I’ll be bringing up key parts of my analysis though since this is about 15.

This episode features Lightbulb’s elimination, and so evidently that means it should be seeking a way to properly wrap up her story. It’s not the total focus of the episode, and neither is she the main character (she already had that in 12), but I think it was handled the best way it could have been. Initially when I watched the elimination in the Chicago theater (slack jawed and having my heart broken I was cosplaying Lightbulb😢) there was a lot running in my mind but the fact Lightbulb’s expectations had been subverted in the very best way was on the forefront. Leading up to 15, there was a lot of extra material released that pointed towards hyping up Lightbulb. She’s a very popular character so the average fan’s expectation is exactly what she mentioned in the episode, that she’d win for her team. The exit interviews of the flying buddies ALL point towards their expectations of Lightbulb to win- which I think was SO clever and must’ve been intentional. Lightbulb likely hasn’t seen these interviews, but I think on a meta level it’s for us to see and then Judge Lightbulb’s reaction to those expectations. Because as she does, she takes something as friendly and simple as what Test Tube said to her at the end of 14 and blew it out of proportion. Her friends are giving her encouragement to win of course, because that’s the nice thing to say and do when your friend is in a competition! But as we learn from 12, Lightbulb is seeking more from the game than just the game. She’s here for relationships first and foremost. And, we see that she has so much more of a thought process beneath the surface than we initially expect, that she is very observant and aware of her own feelings and others and takes that into account which presents as her backwards intentions in her quirky behavior, the stuff she does that doesn’t seem to make sense all has meaning. (We also see this exerted in one of my favorite Lightbulb appearances, the Jacknjellify upload of the 2022 meetup short, where there’s a scene of her in her own head through the situation. She recognizes she’s failing an interaction, gets insecure about it, and we see her make up a quirky lie in real time! It’s incredibly important LB material) She just prefers to distract herself from them the more intense they get because when things get more serious it is hard for her to be taken seriously or believe that she could be. And Test Tube is very important to all of this despite not speaking in 15 because Lightbulb’s relationship with her was one of the first that became Real. Test Tube recognized that Lightbulb was struggling most prominently as she alone had been on that journey with her and had that talk, she knew her heart wasn’t in the game for a long time. Which affects her actions towards her in 15! But I’ll get to that in a bit. The point i’m trying to make here is that it is the PERFECT SUBVERSION of audience expectations, that Lightbulb would be willing to win for her team, to reveal that instead she just wanted to go home and be with her friends. She had built up those expectations for herself too and thought EVERYONE (both her friends and on a metatextual level, the real fans) would be disappointed in her for feeling that way but it’s something you can see if you’re looking! Her reactions to all the flying buddies’ eliminations, in the 14 stream there’s a discussion about how she’s not doing well at all being all alone, She just disguised it! As usual! And punished herself for feeling different. And I need to emphasize IT IS THE PERFECT WAY TO GO TO ELIMINATE HER VIA LIE DETECTOR. That was one of the coolest things to me. LIGHTBULB, WHOSE FATAL FLAW IS THAT SHE CANNOT SAY WHAT SHE’S FEELING COMPLETELY STRAIGHT OR HONESTLY, WHO NEVER MAKES SENSE, is forced to fight for a position she doesn’t believe she deserves on a lie detector. My little analytical heart knew as soon as the challenge was revealed she was out. But again, the way it all played out was subversive in just the right way and accurate to her character and I couldn’t be more thankful.

Now it’s time for me to address the Lightbrush elephant in the room. I think Brian said it best on the Jazzy ii15 stream- why does a relationship need to be romantic in order for it to be special? There’s a lot there that is written into the show as is that doesn’t need a kiss scene to suddenly make it pay off or matter. So in this analysis i’m not here for Lightbrush at all. It’s best appropriate to look at it from the lens of a platonic friendship as it was intentionally written and portrayed in the show itself, not to speculate on things that aren’t there.

(Plus, i’m less of a fan of the ship these days. My relationship with it is complicated. I just adore Lightbulb and Paintbrush as characters too much)

Obviously it had to be Paintbrush who responded to the emergency signal. It wouldn’t make sense thematically for it to be anyone else. It was revealed by Brian on a few streams that Test Tube chose to tell Paintbrush to go answer the signal intentionally to help Lightbulb out, knowing that she was missing them and her heart was not in the game. I think it speaks to the strength of the flying buddies that they’re able to read each other like this! In III, we come to understand this is how Paintbrush was feeling after their elimination in 12 and solidified in their season 3 elimination, Their heart wasn’t in the game without meaningful relationships. Both of them were just seeking connection the entire time they were apart, and I think this has to go back to what I said in the post you mentioned that she made up their entire relationship with them. They both had a lot of regrets about the way their friendship worked before their first real connection in 12 before being separated, and spent so much time dwelling on how they could repair that but weren’t able to yet. So now that they have to chance to build that up again together they’re going to take it. I think the talk with her between Baseball Knife and Suitcase at the start of 15 is indicative of this as well, she questions Baseball about voting out Paintbrush, something she never previously expressed any anger about. But she’s not angry, she just has been thinking about it more. And also, that scene is incredible because I fully expected Lightbulb to be alone and misunderstood by the Grand Slams because they saw none of her development and hardly understood her but they approached her to see if she was doing okay and I was surprised! Very much a necessary step towards her decision in the end.

It is INCREDIBLY difficult for Lightbulb to be straightforward. When she’s clicking the pen that’s a coping mechanismmm and when she’s FORCED to say outright “I’m scared, and I need help.” That’s painful for her. Unnatural. Her behavior and method of presenting herself through quirks can’t just be turned off, it’s baked into who she is. And she doesn’t need to change that, she just needs to be seen and recognized and taken seriously anyway. Which makes it perfect when she chooses to eliminate herself with what else but a lie. It’s too hard for her to say “I don’t want to be here. I want to go back and stay with you all”, so she tests her resolve once and for all despite knowing in her heart she just wants to leave with them. She’s not giving up a million dollars just to go be with Paintbrush and I think that take is a bit degrading towards her character- This decision holds a lot of weight to her and the audience who expected a lot from her over the four years of buildup to her appearance here. But everything I mentioned previously built up to this choice, plus the point Taco had been making about leaving the game spoke to her but she chose to leave in her own way, not for the reasons Taco thought she should. And we see also at the end of the episode “today I think an old friend tried to show us she’s drowning” despite being scared of her earlier in the episode SHE STILL SEES TACO AS AN OLD FRIEND FROM SEASON 1! It’s so good that Lightbulb says that line so juicy. But that goes to show again Lightbulb is extremely observant of others. Also i love all of the ocean lingo and theming with her. I should post the Baxter essay sometime. ANYWAY! The point is Lightbulb didn’t make this choice lightly, she’s been toiling with it for three episodes now. She missed “her crew”. And she was always here for relationships and fun, not for the money or the game. She finally built something, and now she just wants to lay with it. She’s earned her rest.

I also need to mention the Dunce hat. Oh my god. Her exiting the show with a Label announcing her as an idiot, a perception so so many have of her and within the show, her friends previously had of her, but she doesn’t care because there are people who see through that, who see her! Sure she might not be understood by everyone for the way she is, but there are special people in her life who do. Lightbulb is such an incredible character.

I tried to keep this brief but of course it isn’t!! And this still feels like I haven’t said enough. But yes 15 was very good for Lightbulb and a great way to wrap up her story- even if it’s not technically over yet! We’ll see what happens in the movie. Thank you for reading this far!

[numberonetacostan]

Thinking about the foreshadowing of the twist rn (some of these may be reaches but I just wanna talk about them)

In Taco's tirade I feel like the lines about defective outcast and history + reality being rearranged could be taken as evidence for Taco being the intended winner but Bow messing that up for reasons that you've already mentioned but a contestant that Mephone never wanted in the show messed up his orginal ending.

Characters having so much trouble breaking away from their stereotypes, they can do it but it's a struggle because it's what they were made to be, Soap feeling the need to constantly clean, Fan being unable to describe who he is when separated from the show, ect.

The season 3 contestants asking what they're fans of, my idea here is they were created knowing they were fans of something but not what that thing is.

Bot not knowing who Springy is since they were one of the few not made by Mephone they don't know who someone he made up is.

This is more of a reach but I did say that in the start, the way the contestants just kind of stand there when Cobs says he doesn't talk to his parents anymore, it's just a joke but it also feels like they don't have anything to say because no-one can actually relate in any way, they know of the concept of parents but don't have experiences of their own the best they can do is try to remember which, going off of Cabby's experience, doesn't really go that well.

I'm not sure on this one but I saw a theory that Springy glitches so much because he was more rushed than others and was just based off the generic theme of those types of mascots or a copy of an actual mascot Mephone could've seen on TV while still living with Cobs, he could've also been made to remind him of before all of this where (despite still being in Meeple with the person he spend so much time hiding from) he could just sit down and watch the reality shows that gave him comfort.

Also seeing that Mephone prefers Bot over the others because they're a person without the predetermined code everyone else has (not sure about this one either but might as well put it here).

Mephone wanting the show to go on for so long because it's the way he can do something away from Cobs (not really but you know, he sees it that way) and the contestants possibly being okay with doing it over and over, The Unvitational Committee didn't want to stop the game itself, they wanted to stop Mephone being the host.

In one of the interviews Test Tube doesn't really go into detail about her origins (and saying she has trouble recalling) namely because they don't exist in the first place.

In Paintbrush's interviews they say their bristles have 'just always done that' in an answer to why they catch on fire when they're mad.

Despite saying he had a good upbringing Silver Spoon is very vague about it in his interview.

Tissues doesn't remember when or how he ended up so sick, just that it's been like that for as long as he can remember.

Okay this might be a bit much and it goes off theme of most asks a bit, I just wanted to make sure you don't mind at the end? Like if it's too long or off the focus of this blog (since it's mainly Taco but it does have others) if it's too long or anything I'm sorry though

My defence is hyperfixation.

Hello there!!!^^ Welcome, and thank you for your submission!!! :] These are all interesting foreshadowing tidbits to think about!!

It's true!!!!! I really really like how they lyrics can be interpreted like that!!! That's how I like to see them :) With Taco as the first one to break away from her role, even if it wasn't really her prerogative, it makes sense and is very satisfying for her to the one who sings about reality changing and being defective, even if the latter is also following her own personal feelings of self-loathing!!!^^

Yup!! Breaking out of their programming is a real challenge for all of them!!! Some are further than others, but regardless I sense a lot of self-discovery in the future of ii!!!! So exciting!!!!! X]

That's honestly low-key hilarious to me. Mephone made them to be fans but just. Forgot to make them fans of II specifically. I like to think all the season 3 newbies have something they're big fans of because of this programming, but it's something they get to choose for themselves.

Yeah!!! Bot did not get the Springy update from the Melife Neural Network. I really really really hope they explore the Melife Neural Network more in whatever is coming up for the show because IT'S SO COOL!!!!! XD

That's pretty neat!!! It's an awkward moment, yeah, but none of them know how to respond because they don't have any parents of their own!!! Augh that's so neat to think about now!!

I believe that in a stream it was stated that Springy glitches like he does because Mephone's memory of the commercials and the time in which he watched them is older and more faded!!! But that's an interesting way to look at it too!!

Yup!!! In a time in which all of the contestants that he made are eager and content to leave the show, there's one contestant he didn't make, who is playing of their own will, and even likes him too!!

Mephone has only had 2 periods in his life, his time with Cobs and his time doing the show, yeah? It makes sense that he'd be so scared for the show to end, his only experience of life without it is living with his abusive father, who he knows is still around. The show is his safe place, an escape where he wants to stay forever. Even through the Unvitationals, manifestations of his own guilt, he doesn't want his show to end. He thinks he needs it.

As for the last few with the contestants not specifying their pasts or saying they don't remember when things started- that was such great foreshadowing actually!!! Because pre-twist you could easily look at it as the crew wanting to let people have their own interpretations and backstories for the characters, keeping things contained to the game, just like the contestants themselves were at the time. But it was actually clever foreshadowing!!! How fun!!!!

Don't worry about it at all!!!!^^ This was a pleasure to read :). I will take any and all asks other than sexually explicit ones!!!! I don't mind at all!!!! The blog theme really is II in general, I just have a favorite character who gets to be all over it, yeah? I'll take asks about anyone!!!! I simply can't promise I'll be able to go quite as in-depth on their character. I am also hyperfixated on ii so no need to worry!!!! :)

[oscconfessions]

Ya know I feel like a lot of discourse wouldn't happen if people actually watched the ii exit interviews. This is mostly about Nickel but also Cabby and Test tube. Go watch the interviews they're fun and also some are important 👍

.

[dystini]

Indycar Driver Lore

Indycar Driver Lore Masterlist

Marcus John Armstrong

Birthdate: July 29, 2000 Hometown: Christchurch, New Zealand Residence: London, UK/Indianapolis, indiana Height/Weight: 5’9”/130lbs

Rookie Year: 2023

Team: Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR)

Follow him on: Instagram Twitter

Career Stats

2023: Chip Ganassi Racing #11 (road and street courses only)

The Side Pod (with Callum Ilott) on You Tube Screaming Meals (with Clement Novalak and James Harvey Blair) on You Tube Screaming Meals on Twitch Screaming Meals on Instagram

Past Racing

2017: Italian Formula 4 - 1st overall ADAC Formula 4 - 2nd overall Toyota Racing Series - 4th overall

2018: FIA Formula 3 European Championship - Prema Theodore Racing -5th Overall Toyota Racing Series - 3rd overall

2019: FIA Formula 3 - Prema Racing - 2nd Overall Toyota Racing Series - 2nd overall

2020: FIA Formula 2 - ART Grand Prix - 13th overall

2021: FIA Formula 2 - DAMS - 13th overall

2022: FIA Formula 2 - Hitech Grand Prix - 13th overall

His father owns Armstrong's, a major car dealership chain in NZ

Has two older half-brothers, a younger sister, and a younger brother

Started karting in NZ at 10 years old, winning multiple national titles

Member of the Ferrari Driver Academy from 2017 - 2021

Finished second in the 2019 Formula 3 championship standings driving for Prema

Multiple race winner and podium sitter in Formula 2

Was Lundgaard's teammate in F2 in 2020

Pescatarian (and very vocal about it)

Drinks a lot of espresso

Has a video podcast called Screaming Meals co-hosted with his childhood friend James and F2 driver Clement Novalak, with an offshoot called The Sidepod that he hosts with Callum Ilott

Lived with Callum in Italy when they were both Ferrari Driver Academy members

Speaks Italian, but will only do so after a few drinks

Hobbies are going to the gym, listening to podcasts, going to restaurants, and watching American football

Used to be an avid cyclist, but gave it up due to it keeping his weight too low and causing problems with his ability to handle the car

Has a serious issue placing bets with his friends, to the extent that he had to pay to take fellow F2 driver Jehan Daruvala on vacation because he owed him so much money from lost bets

Scott Dixon was his childhood hero, and Kimi Räikkönen was his favorite F1 driver as a kid

Hates video games

Doesn’t like animals, but loves children

Iconic/memorable moments Indycar: Marcus Armstrong At IndyCar Spring Training New Indy Car Driver Marcus Armstrong about the Grand Prix of St Pete OVER THE WALL // ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH Marcus Armstrong Long Beach Preview Marcus Armstrong Post Qualifications Marcus Armstrong rocked up to Turn 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to see what 235mph looks like… Callum and Marcus chat during pre-season testing:

F2 and earlier: F2 Speed Date: Marcus Armstrong The Wet Head Challenge HOW TO BECOME A FERRARI DRIVER, A CONVERSATION WITH MARCUS ARMSTRONG F2 DRIVER | Sector 1 Marcus Armstrong Interview | Sky Speed Marcus Armstrong: All the way from New Zealand Keeping it cool at Prema “Michael Shakespeare”: Bullying from Callum and James: Marcus wins “best late lunge” award from F2: Marcus Armstrong Once Said…: Marcus absolutely annoying the shit out of Arthur Leclerc during a virtual GP: F2 Speed Date (2020): Marcus sings “Rocket Man”: Marcus attempting to be sweet with Callum, who is absolutely not having it:

Doing fast laps around Goodwood in his dad’s car: 16-year-old Marcus talks about leaving home to move to Europe alone: Clem Novalak loves Marcus: He likes pineapple on pizza: Interesting content:

Marcus is a self-proclaimed "lover not a fighter". He's known to be very friendly and approachable, with a significant portion of the Formula 2 grid mentioning that he was the driver they got on with best in the paddock during his time there. His results in F2 were mixed, moving teams in 3 successive years, as he sometimes had difficulty getting to grips with the F2 car and tyres, however it’s generally agreed that his midfield championship positions during his F2 tenure aren’t an accurate reflection of his genuine ability and talent. Multiple Ganassi team members (including the boss) have commented on how impressed they are by his raw speed, work ethic, and attitude since his arrival in IndyCar. Marcus himself has already talked about how much more enjoyable the Indy car is to drive and how much fun he’s having now after several years of struggling with the notoriously difficult F2 car. He also appears to be getting on well with his CGR teammates and in particular has talked about how much he likes Marcus Ericsson.

He moved to London in early 2022 after spending several years living near Ferrari’s HQ in Maranello, Italy, and is known to enjoy city nightlife, being a big fan of wine. He’s a major foodie who likes taking photos of good food almost as much as he enjoys complaining about bad food. He is known to be determined to the point of stubbornness, causing himself permanent damage to his knee during a half-marathon due to refusing to stop when he was in pain. He had a low attendance record at school due to focusing on his racing career and moving to Europe at the age of 14, and as such, although he’s not unintelligent he’s known to be somewhat lacking in general knowledge (such as thinking Shakespeare’s first name was Michael). However, he has the characteristically Kiwi dry, sarcastic sense of humor and very much enjoys mutual teasing and banter with his close friends, something that’s often on display in the Screaming Meals podcasts.

Fanfic Lore

Usually paired with Callum Ilott, or F2 driver Clement Novalak due to their extremely close and physically affectionate friendship - was Clem’s teammate during their karting days, and has said that they talk every day while he’s in the US Likes to tease Callum and wind him up to his face, but often calls him his best mate and praises him when he’s not around. However Callum rarely (if ever) reciprocates the latter, probably due to his intense Britishness Good friends with multiple drivers from various series, including Juan Manuel Correa, Jüri Vips, Guanyu Zhou, Nick Cassidy, Max Fewtrell and Felipe Drugovich Also has a tendency to “adopt” younger drivers and refer to them as “little bro”, including Jak Crawford and Dino Beganovic Has said on several occasions that he doesn’t wear underwear, and also shaves his legs (and possibly elsewhere, having claimed that he is “hairless from the eyebrows down”) Claims he can’t tell the difference between someone being nice to him and someone flirting with him

credit for most of this post to @whitewindhowl and friends

[larksheaven]

i’m sat on my desk chair in full night makeup and a cardigan waiting for my friends to cancel. i have this gnawing, aching feeling like i can predict what words will light up my screen next.

sorry, my friend doesn’t want to hang out as three. rain check? or the more subtle: hey, so sorry i don’t think we’re gonna go after all. i can picture it clearer than i can see myself now, sitting in this room. i can picture me, two minutes from now, putting my tail between my legs and going back to bed waiting for life to happen to me.

that’s fine, i’ll say. i was kinda tired anyway. long week and all.

she tells me she’s almost leaving and i still don’t believe it. i am sat in this chair with my back slouched. my nerves have been acting up all day. i had to film a mock video interview today, twice. i cried during both.

a firework goes off and i’m so on edge it feels like a gunshot. they hunt a lot of animals where i grew up. i think i always understood what the animals must feel. i’ve always believed something’s out to get me. usually because it has.

i should be checking my pizza isn’t burning but i’m just sat here thinking how i know this isn’t normal. i know that this is nurture, not nature, that my nurture was ostracism and closed doors. i don’t remember ever getting out. i think a part of me is still locked in there most days.

normal. a normal person would take rejection in stride. a normal person would not be frozen to this chair to begin with. a normal person would be excited to go out clubbing for the first time. (the fireworks are at it again. it’s like i can feel them in my spine). i’m meeting my friend, and her friend. that’s too many degrees of separation for my liking. i’m not used to this hands on stuff, i mean, clearly. here i am, not moving, waiting for a text to wake me up like some sleeper agent on standby.

i watch them in my head like it’s some movie, laughing behind my back, sending the text to cancel and going anyway. i see it later on their instagram story, they danced all night and had a blast while i curled under a heated blanket.

i started therapy again last week; she told me my avoidance was a maladaptive coping mechanism. i already knew that, but i acted a little surprised to make her feel like she was Doing Her Job Well. not that she was doing bad or anything, it’s just that when you spend enough time alone, you get to know your demons. calling them demons feels mean. maybe little ghosts is more apt.

the little ghosts look like me at different ages, and they all warn me with every turn i take. don’t get your hopes up too high. take a whole lot of photos, that way you won’t have got all made up for nothing. do it before they cancel, you don’t want sad eyes. you want to look like you did before it all went wrong.

i don’t mind these ghosts, though i wish i could talk back to them sometimes. i know they’re just trying to save me from what they couldn’t save themselves from. but im here now, in the end. and isn’t that nice? if you look at me you might almost think im a whole person.

i do wish i could stop feeling so guilty all the damn time. i think it’s self sabotage; i talk to myself like for some reason i’m not allowed to enjoy the full breadth of human experience. like i’m some stowaway in the back of a truck full of real people who are allowed to exist.

i just realised, maybe i should read all this to my therapist. third one in the bag, woo! i should get an award or something for all the times i’ve had my brain put into a test tube in front of me. i would read this to her, but i got a call a few days after my first session. bereavement. she’ll be off indefinitely. i know it’s nothing to do with me, but i find it morbidly funny. we were about to start emdr, an eye movement therapy to help me process something that happened ten years ago. we’re almost at that anniversary. i feel like i should get a cake, or a million or something. but nobody pats you on the back just for getting there. you just do.

i’ve psyched myself out so much that now i’m considering cancelling. i’m fantasising about my bed and not having to drive. my head likes to ruin things for me until it gets me to ruin them myself. i always think people will laugh at me, see. i think they’ll know that i’m naked underneath.

[turtlethon]

“Revenge of the Fly”

Season 7, Episode 22 First US Airdate: November 27, 1993

Baxter Stockman plots to turn the city’s residents into mutant insects.

The seventh season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles heads into its final stretch with “Revenge of the Fly”. This episode aired back-to-back with "Escape from the Planet of the Turtleoids" and is credited to series regular David Wise.

We open with the Turtles watching a report by Vernon, who interviews an un-named scientist at a research lab. The professor reveals that he has been able to distil the genetic characteristics of various insects down to their essences, which are kept in a series of test tubes; with these liquids it should theoretically be possible to create a variety of new bugs for specific purposes. Vernon quizzes the professor as to what would happen if the formulas were to fall into the wrong hands, and manages to give away the specific location of the lab – right down to the room number – while the broadcast is going out on live TV. Knowing how this kind of thing always plays out, the Turtles decide to monitor the facility, anticipating that Shredder and Krang will eventually show up.

***

FLY PAPERS: A BAXTER STOCKMAN INTERLUDE

With the exception of “Night of the Rogues”, I don’t know if there’s ever been an episode of TMNT that ties back to as many prior adventures as this one, so it might be a good idea for us to do a quick recap of relevant past events that will play into this story. Waaaaay back in season one, “A Thing About Rats” introduced Baxter Stockman as a down-on-his-luck scientist who had the misfortune to cross paths with Shredder, aiding in the creation of an army of his own “Mouser” pest extermination robots which were turned against the Turtles, Splinter and April. After this plan was foiled, Baxter wound up being captured by the authorities and – presumably because of his insistence that his undoing was due to the existence of the then-unknown Ninja Turtles – he was confined to an insane asylum. In the aftermath of these events, Shredder would go on to attempt to revert the Turtles back to their original pet forms using a retromutagen ray gun, only for Splinter to intervene and destroy it.

Season two’s opener, “Return of the Shredder”, saw Shreds break Baxter out of the asylum, and for the first half of the season Stockman would serve as the masked villain’s right-hand man. After a series of embarrassing defeats at the hands of the Turtles, “Enter: The Fly” had Shredder request that Bebop and Rocksteady, then residing in the Technodrome in Dimension X, be sent to Earth. To maintain the dimensional balance Shredder would hurl Baxter through the portal. Krang had no use for Baxter and ordered that he be placed in a vaporising chamber, but the presence of a fly during the procedure led to the scientist instead being transformed into a half-man, half-fly, who would return to Earth and swear revenge on both Shredder and the Turtles. At the conclusion of this episode, Baxter found himself suspended in a temporal limbo, permanently out-of-step with the rest of the world and only able to watch events unfold around him as a ghost-like figure.

Season three’s “Return of the Fly” brought Baxter back fully into our dimension, leading to him being manipulated again by Shredder. Later that year, “Bye Bye, Fly” would see the mutant discover an underground temple that was ultimately revealed to be an alien spaceship. Further encounters with the Turtles and Shredder followed in this adventure, during which Baxter would arm himself with a mutating ray stored aboard the ship that could turn his enemies into a variety of different animals. Later, Baxter would escape in the ship only for it to fall apart, leaving him trapped between dimensions, about to be eaten by a giant spider.

Baxter would survive – somehow! - and in season four’s “Son of Return of the Fly II” used a dimensional rift to return to Earth. Now accompanied by his friend, the alien computer’s spaceship (known as “Z”), the increasingly addle-brained fly created chaos at Channel 6 and was briefly able to capture the Turtles. A scuffle at the station headquarters between Shredder and Baxter would culminate in the destruction of Z’s computer form, leaving him a mere circuit board that wound up trapped with Baxter between Earth and Dimension X.

Things would take an unexpected and disappointing turn in season five’s “Landlord of the Flies”. Somehow Baxter was back on Earth, with no explanation given; “Z” was also nowhere to be found. Following an adventure in which Stockman controlled an army of flies that brought to city to its knees, he was sent by Donatello back into dimensional limbo, the last time he had been seen up to this point. It’s arguably easier to consider “Landord” non-canon, given that it doesn’t line up with any of the prior Baxter appearances or what will happen in today’s adventure. (It was also a cruddy episode all-round, and thus easily discarded in the great scheme of things.)

Now that we’re up to speed, let’s return to today’s adventure, already in progress: several of the events detailed above will play into those that are about to unfold, albeit often in ways that raise more questions than answers.

***

For whatever reason, Shredder has decided that now is the time to repair the retromutagen ray from season one. To that end, he has Bebop and Rocksteady recover a Nutronium crystal, the final component he needs to make it operational again. All of this would be fine, but... the ray as it appears here looks nothing like it did when we last saw it. Instead, it’s drawn to look identical to Baxter’s mutating ray from “Bye Bye, Fly”, the one that didn’t undo existing mutations but rather shifted the target from one form to another; it even still has the dial with pictures of different animals on it. An egregious goof, to be sure. Let’s press on.

At “Genetic Research” - that’s what the sign says – a night watchman stands guard as the Turtles look on from nearby. Baxter is namechecked by the team during their conversation, leading to Raph mentioning that “thanks to Krang he’s stuck in some kinda... dimensional limbo”. Wait, what? The last time we saw Baxter it was Donatello that sent him to another dimension; I guess we can take this as confirmation that “Landlord of the Flies” has been scratched from the record, as the only thing this seems to match up with is the portal to the Technodrome being shut down while Baxter was in the middle of passing between dimensions in “Son of Return of the Fly II”.

As Shredder makes the final adjustments to his ray gun, Krang is attempting to restore contact with Dimension X. With his equipment faltering, the portal instead focuses on a different realm, the one where Baxter was trapped. The fly passes back through the portal, arriving in the Technodrome clutching the circuit board that is the last remnant of his buddy, “Z”.

Baxter evades a group of Foot Soldiers then hurls himself at Krang, picking the alien brain and his bubble walker up before flying to the roof and dropping him back down to the floor. Shredder intervenes, only to be tossed into a wall. Following Z’s instructions, Baxter connects the alien computer’s circuit board to the Technodrome’s systems. Now in control of the undersea fortress, Z has the Foot Soldiers round up Shredder, Krang and The Boys, locking them in a storage facility. Having picked up on Vernon’s earlier broadcast, Z informs Baxter of the experiments taking place at the research facility and begins plotting to use these developments to achieve world domination. A handheld computer allows Z to continue aiding Baxter remotely.

I neglected to mention this in prior Turtlethon entries but over the course of the last few episodes, as the focus of the series has returned to the Technodrome, the traditional transport modules have been phased out in favour of a new amphibious version. One of these vehicles appears briefly here, emerging from the water and rolling into the city. Meanwhile the Turtles abandon monitoring the research facility when April requests help, having found herself on a rooftop while covering news of a fire. The blaze has since spread, putting her in danger, and so the team rush to her aid. Moments after their departure the module rolls up; from it emerges Baxter, whose appearance causes the guard to faint. The fly smashes through the windows of the lab, barging in and stealing the test tubes containing the genetic materials.

At EMF (it’s unbelievable!), April finds herself cornered by the worsening fire until Michaelangelo, descending from the Turtle Blimp, swoops in to save her at the last second. Later, a fireman shows the Turtles and April the “Super Slosher 2000”, an advanced water cannon used to quickly put out blazes. April is informed of a break-in at the lab by Burne, and leaves with the Turtles in her van; Baxter is already long gone from the facility, and steals the Super Slosher to use as a delivery mechanism for the stolen genetic materials. Testing it out, he takes aim at the firemen, who become giant mutant termites as the first act concludes.

Returning from commercials, Baxter watches as the termite men begin devouring the wooden exterior of an old building. Meanwhile, the Turtles and April talk to the professor at the lab regarding the break-in, and note the tell-tale signs that this is Baxter’s doing. While the team find it hard to believe that Stockman would be capable of doing much with the formulas given his diminished mental state, his supercomputer friend Z is another story altogether, and so our heroes rush off to intervene.

At a fairground, Baxter opens fire with the Super Slosher, turning everyone in attendance into mutant insects. He laments that despite all of this going as planned, he feels something is still missing; Z then suggests that the Turtles should be the next target in his quest for revenge, and that attacking their allies at Channel 6 would be an effective way to lure the green teens out of hiding. The mutant fly leaves, forgetting to take Z’s handheld computer form with him.

In the Technodrome, Krang posits that his fortress was built “too well”, providing no means of escape. Shredder suggests that mixing the chemicals present in the storage facility could allow them to create an explosion and blow down the door. Meanwhile the Turtles arrive at the fairground and restrain the mutant insects. Donatello finds the handheld computer, but Z refuses to reveal what’s going on, shutting down his system instead. As a means of pressuring him into revealing what’s going on, Donnie threatens to dump “fifty megs of random data” into his logic circuits. (This might not sound like a lot now, but keep in mind that in 1993 it might have been the size of your home PC’s entire hard drive.) Z reluctantly explains that Baxter was able to acquire some of Krang’s mutagen and is using it into conjunction with the stolen lab materials to turn everyone into mutant bugs.

The Turtles and April learn that Baxter is now at Channel 6, and hurry over to the station offices to confront him. Inside they find a giant honeycomb, an indicator of things to come. Burne soon emerges, having been turned into a half-man, half-bee. Before the Turtles can react, Irma – now a moth lady – joins her boss in attacking, the pair working together to drag Leonardo and Michaelangelo away. Meanwhile Krang’s makeshift chemical bomb proves entirely ineffective in blowing down the door, and so the Technodrome Crew find themselves having to go back to the drawing board.

Baxter has taken over broadcasts at Channel 6. He goes on the air, promising his viewers that if they aren’t already mutants, they will be soon, and espouses the benefits of living as an insect. Elsewhere in the building, Donnie and Raph look to rescue Leo and Mikey, but instead find themselves trapped in the web of a mutant spider Vernon as act two reaches its conclusion.

Act three opens with April cutting her friends free from the web. Donnie and Raph point out to Vernon that spiders eat flies, not turtles, and encourage him to spin an enormous web outside of the building so that Baxter can be captured. Back in the Technodrome, Krang suggests using his bubble walker to force the door open, and so the bad guys get to work on their next escape plan.

Baxter confronts a captive Leonardo and Michaelangelo in the station offices, promising to get even with the Turtles, despite conceding that he can’t remember exactly why he wants revenge to begin with. Donnie and Raph intervene, freeing their friends, but further threats emerge as Baxter turns April into a wasp. (Compared to her genuinely creepy transformation in “The Cat Woman from Channel 6”, this is handled in a haphazard and shoddy fashion; in one shot she has wings and antennae, in the next her entire body has changed, and I can’t help but wonder if this was a result of laziness or someone considering showing the full metamorphosis to be too frightening.) Insistent on not fighting her friends, wasp April instead joins the Turtles in chasing Baxter out of the building. There, the mutant fly finds himself trapped in the web created by Vernon, the Super Slosher destroyed in the process.

Much to Vernon’s frustration, Baxter is saved from being devoured, with Raphael noting “that is not how we get rid of villains on this show.” Meanwhile April continues trying to resist attacking the Turtles. Donatello suggests to the team that the only way of restoring everyone to normal is to get Shredder’s retromutagen ray, and so our heroes have Baxter take them to the transport module.

Bebop and Rocksteady attempt to use the hydraulic limbs of the bubble walker to pry the door open, but without success. Meanwhile the Turtles arrive in the Technodrome, but are tricked by Z into entering a room full of Foot Soldiers, still under his control. The robots free Baxter, only to be quickly defeated by our heroes.

As the Turtles rush to shut down the Technodrome’s main computer, Baxter seeks the retromutagen ray, intent on returning himself to his human form. Z attempts to deter the Turtles with a group of wheeled machines, but his systems are ultimately taken offline thanks to a well-placed strike from Donatello’s bo. With Z no longer in control, the doors of the storage facility unexpectedly open, making Shredder suspicious. He grabs the retromutagen ray as the Turtles arrive to confront him and begins opening fire. Briefly, it seems that the Turtles are set to be reverted to their original forms, but Baxter swoops in, grabbing the ray out of Shredder’s hand. He leaps through the portal, followed by the Turtles, who recognise retrieving the gun is the only way April and everyone else can be made human once more.

Seeing an opportunity to be rid of the Turtles forever, Shredder shuts down the portal. Caught between dimensions, the Turtles realise that only a few seconds remain before their route back to the Technodrome vanishes from existence. The team leap back in, restraining Shredder in another of the complex’s storage facilities.

Evidently some time must have passed before the concluding scene takes place, with Raphael noting that “everyone in the city is back to normal” as the Channel 6 regulars are restored to their regular forms. Leonardo uses his sword to destroy the retromutagen ray, ending once and for all the threat that it could be used to revert the Turtles nto regular pets. None of the station employees remember their time as insects, but Vernon still has a latent appetite for flies and chases one through the building, echoing his lingering desire for cheese following his time as a rodent in “Were-Rats from Channel 6”.

All things considered, this is a lacklustre way for Baxter to go out. The final moments of the story tease the idea that he could be returned to his normal form, and doing so would have granted both him and us a nice bit of closure, particularly if we assume there was no intention to use him again moving forward. Perhaps David Wise wanted to keep his options open for stories in future seasons, but to have Baxter’s arc end in this fashion – never even acknowledged once the Turtles re-emerge from the portal, becoming an afterthought in his own episode – strikes me as an unsatisfying conclusion to one of the show’s few ongoing storylines. I suppose in theory it’s possible that he was able to restore himself to his human form during his largely unseen scuffle with the Turtles, but even if that were the case, his prospects while trapped between dimensions – particularly now that he no longer has (the presumably destroyed) Z as an ally – seem bleak.

Within the wider workings of season seven, “Revenge of the Fly” feels representative of how things are going. From “Night of the Dark Turtle” through to "White Belt, Black Heart" we had a stretch of some of the strongest episodes in the show’s history, as the more juvenile tone that had become synonymous with this incarnation of the Turtles gave way to an ever-so-slightly more mature, focused series, if only out of necessity. Things began to falter with “Night of the Rogues” - a huge story that required more broadcast time to work that it received – and each of the subsequent episodes has suffered from similar problems. I’m beginning to get the impression that saving Turtles this far into its run is a monumental task, one hampered by broadcast regulations, dwindling budgets and executive meddling, and it’ll take more than a few strong scripts to do it. (If that reads as a bleak analysis, keep in mind that we’re only five episodes away from a dramatic tonal shift that will alter the direction of the series for the remainder of its run.)

NEXT TIME: I know we already had an Atlantis-themed Turtles episode, and it wasn’t even that long ago, but we’re going back to the well again! See you next time for "Atlantis Awakes".

[divitiaes]

𝙑𝘼𝙉𝙄𝙏𝙔 𝙁𝘼𝙄𝙍 𝙋𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙎 . . . A LIE DETECTOR TEST

"  we're  going  to  be  taking  a  lie  detector  test  today.  you  will  be  hooked  up  to  the  machine,  and  we  will  ask  you  a  series  of  questions  -  whether  you  tell  the  truth  or  lie  is  up  to  you,  but  the  test  will  be  able  to  snitch  out  any  lies. "

“   oh,   go   ahead,   ”   iris   tilts   her   head   down   and   her   arms   raise   to   observe   the   polygraph   examiner   hook   the   pneumograph   tube   component   around   her   chest.   the   next   cut   of   the   introduction   shows   the   runway   model   displaying   a   honeyed   smile   of   pseudo   -   innocence   on   glossed   brims,   the   examiner   now   wrapping   the   blood   pressure   cuff   around   her   bicep.   “   before   we   start   this   —-   ”   the   obnoxiously   loud   ripping   noise   of   velcro   interrupts   her   sentence.   the   runway   model   exhales   in   amusement.   “   i’m   innocent.   let’s   get   to   it.   ”

"  to  start,  what  is  your  first  name  and  what  city  are  we  in  ?  "

“   my   name   is   iris,   and   we’re   in   new   york   city.   ”

"  thank  you.  how  are  you  feeling  today  ?  "

“   i’m   tired,   but   i’m   overall   feeling   good.   i’m   finally   able   to   stay   in   one   place   for   a   little   bit   since   the   spring   -   summer   2024   catwalk   season   wrapped   up   last   month.   ”

"  understandable.  how  about  an  easier  one  -  what's  your  favourite  colour  ?  "

“   oh,   i   have   quite   a   few   favorite   colors   …   navy   blue,   lilac   …   ooo,   i   love   a   good   green.   like,   deep,   forest-y,   or   emerald   green.   ”

"  and  your  favourite  film  genre ?  "

“   i   love   watching   romance   films   —   especially   romance   dramas   and   comedies   from   decades   and   decades   ago.   i   also   love   a   good   heist   movie   !   ”   iris   glances   over   at   the   polygraph   examiner,   who   tilts   their   head   in   confusion.   even   the   mildest   spike   on   the   polygraph   doesn’t   go   unnoticed.   the   phlegmatic   kavas   daughter   doesn’t   get   away   with   the   teeniest   white   lies   this   time.   “   okay,   i   do   enjoy   those   movies,   but   i’d   much   rather   see   an   animated   film.   i   love   princess   mononoke.   i   watch   it   at   least   twice   a   month.   ”

"  let's  see  -  what  is  one  thing  you  wouldn't  be  found  without ?  "

“   a   book   or   my   kindle   !   i’m   always   traveling   across   the   globe   …   which   means   a   lot   of   sitting   around   on   an   airplane.   i’d   rather   read   a   book   than   watch   downloaded   stuff.   ”

"  keeping  it  light,  what's  your  drink  of  choice  ?  "

“   this   all   you   got   ?   i   don’t   think   i’m   ever   not   seen   with   a   cup   of   iced   coffee   from   a   local   café   or   moroccan   mint   green   tea   in   my   trusty,   insulated   travel   mug.   right   now,   i   do   love   adding   cinnamon   and   gingerbread   flavoring   to   my   coffee,   ”   a   satisfied   sigh   and   a   shift   in   poised   posture,   iris   awaits   the   next   question   with   patience.   however,   the   exchange   in   glances   between   the   interviewer   and   the   polygraph   examiner   catches   her   attention.   long   lashes   flutter   in   confusion   before   realization   hits   her   smack   -   dab   in   the   forehead.   “   oh,   did   you   mean   alcohol   ?   ”   soft   laughter   from   the   production   crew   filled   the   studio.   

"  which  of  the  following  have  you  attended,  and  would  you  attend ?  "

the  ballet.  the  met  gala.  the  horse  track.  the  race  track.  a  yacht  party.  the  opera.  the  orchestra.  a  broadway  show.  a  shakespeare  production.  a  concert.  a  comedian.  an  (  american  )  football  game.  a  soccer  /  football  game.  a  documentary  film.  a  film  premiere.  a  polo  game.  art  museum.  wine  tastings.  nyc  sightseeing  tour.  celebrity  sightseeing  tours.  haunted  tours.  charity  galas.  fashion  shows.  fashion  week.  disneyworld  /  disneyland.  a  basketball  game.  a  hockey  game.  a  baseball  game.  a  boxing  match.  a  cricket  match.  the  golf  course.  the  olympics.  

"  oooh,  we're  jumping  into  something  a  bit  heavier  now.  what  is  the  one  thing  you  want  to  achieve  in  life  ?  "

“   i’d   like   to   be   a   polyglot.   i’ve   already   gotten   a   few   languages   under   my   belt,   and   i’ve   been   learning   bits   and   pieces   of   other   languages   due   to   traveling   so   much   and   working   with   all   sorts   of   different   people.   the   more   languages   i   learn,   the   more   i   can   communicate   and   get   to   know   people   from   all   sorts   of   lives   different   from   my   own.   ”

"  who  knows  what  the  fates  ​​​​​​​have  ​​​​​​​in  ​​​​​​​store.  ​​​​​​​how  do  you  feel  about  reputation.com ?  it's  ​​​​​​​all  ​​​​​​​anyone  ​​​​​​​seems  ​​​​​​​to  be  ​​​​​​​talking  about  lately. "

“   meh,   ”   with   her   free   hand   that   isn’t   attached   to   the   polygraph   machine   by   her   index   finger,   iris   flicks   brunette   tresses   off   of   her   shoulder.   “   that’s   all   i   have   to   say.   ”

"  everyone  is  entitled  to  their  own  opinion,  i  guess.  what's  the  weirdest  /  craziest  headline  you've  read  about  yourself  there  ?  "

“   a   lot   of   them   are   weirdly   focused   on   my   diet   or   some   made   -   up   feud   with   one   of   my   siblings.   weird,   but   stereotypical   being   the   person   i   am,   ”   a   shrug   of   her   shoulders   as   a   smile   blossoms   onto   her   sun   -   kissed   features   as   she   begins   to   reveal   her   answer.   “   the   CRAZIEST   one   has   to   be   that   i   was   rumored   to   be   coming   out   with   an   album   ‘cause   i   was   hanging   out   with   some   wonderfully   talented   musician   friends,   ”   iris   bursts   out   in   a   fit   of   giggles.   “   i   am   the   most   tone   -   deaf   person   on   this   planet.   i   will   not   go   near   a   recording   booth   any   time   soon.   ”

"  what's  something  you  are  currently  working  on  ?  "

“   i’m   finalizing   some   things   for   my   company,   rainbrews,   that   will   be   released   in   the   next   year.   i’m   so   excited   !   ”

"  i'll  look  forward  to  it.  one  last  official  question  -  and  it's  an  easier  one.  cats  or  dogs ?  "

“   i   love   dogs   —   especially   big   ones.   i   want   to   get   an   anatolian   shepherd.   love   ‘em.   ”

"  personally,  i'm  a  dog  fan  anyday.  anything  else  you'd  like  to  add ?  "

“   oh,   really   ?   do   you   have   a   dog   ?   i’d   love   to   see   pictures.   but   no,   i   can’t   think   of   anything   to   shamelessly   plug   in   here.   ”

"  well,  thank  you  so  much  for  joining  us  today  ​​​​​​​-  can't  ​​​​​​​wait  ​​​​​​​to  ​​​​​​​have  ​​​​​​​you  ​​​​​​​back  ​​​​​​​with  ​​​​​​​us  soon."

“   oh,   thanks   for   having   me   today   !   this   was   fun,   ”   iris   glances   over   at   the   polygraph   examiner,   pointing   to   the   device   once   the   director   calls   cut   on   the   set.   “   can   i   purchase   one   of   those   ?   i’d   like   to   get   one   and   test   it   on   my   siblings.   i   still   want   to   know   who   blamed   me   for   staining   the   anatolian   rug   in   our   vacation   home   in   amalfi.   ”

[power-rangers-side-force]

Prologue: The Past: A team to behold

*No warnings apply here I think! Just kicking off the au with some actual content. Enjoy!

“If you ask anyone, they’ll say the first Power Ranger, and the leader of the Power Rangers was the Red Ranger. That's wrong. When it comes to that debate, Angel Grove tells a different story. Named after its founder, Angel Grove is known to be the location of the only set of Power Rangers proven to exist, and they call themselves the Mind Force. Led by the Green ranger, this team of heroes protected the world from those who wished it harm. There is no Red Ranger. In fact, there are only the Green, Yellow, Pink, and Grey rangers, recently  joined by the Orange ranger. These rangers have proven themselves courageous and are worthy of protecting our world from threats. Who are these masked vigilantes? The world may never know. But what we do know, is that for all the bravado surrounding them, this Red Ranger myth seems to be fully fictional ” He sucked in a breath. “ So, what do you all think? Think it’ll be good enough for the paper for once? The amount of lies in those things are disgusting, and I wanna spread some truth for a change.”

Janus, Remus, and Remy were all sat, gathered at the town's best location to unwind, the juice bar. The three had only been friends at the beginning of the school year, but a lot had changed since then. Now they were sitting, nearing the end of their school year, and had been through so much, and had so much yet to come. Things had started when they all went to a small cove, with that fateful day those crystals fell into their hands. Now they led lives they could never have dreamed of, fighting a great enemy in colour coordinated spandex suits, led by an alien in a test tube and a strange skittish android, all whilst being physically enhanced to battle for as long as possible. Hell, they could even go to space if they really wanted! All this, whilst still having the safety of home to fall back on. These three alone had become so close these past months, doing everything they could together. Their custom made communicators made it so they could chat any and everywhere, as well as be alerted to any danger afoot. Said communicators were crafted out of old watches, and luckily, watches could go with any outfit they wore. Everything was perfectly concealed.

“It’s good babes, but is this really the best time to speak about the rangers?” Remy tilted his sunglasses forward. “I mean, we don’t want any news on us, imagine having to deal with paparazzi without our stunning faces on show!” The other two on the table could only roll their eyes with their exasperated sighs as he proceeded to feign a faint. “Chill coffee addict, I’m just clearing up some damn conspiracy nonsense, besides, what's better for kicking off a journalism career than covering the one topic the other reporters won't seriously touch due to there being no interview chances?” Janus put his notebook down in a small huff of frustration, no longer being taken seriously due to Remy's joke. “What do you think ‘mus, do you agree with insomniac-Drew over there or do you have your own two cents?” The last teen twirled the moustache he’d grown before sitting up. “What do I think?! I think we should hunt down the squirt who started that rumour! I mean, what's so wrong with green being the leader? Why does red have to be the focus? There isn't even a Red ranger!” 

Remuses ranting quickly came to a close as someone approached the table. Emile practically collapsed into the chair she pulled out, exhausted much more than normal due to her normal routine, as well as the added battle from earlier that day. “What's gotten you three all riled up then?” The boys shifted their seats to accommodate the extra table member as Janus spun their notebook over to her. “Here Em, take a read and tell me what ya’ think. I’m thinking of finally giving journalism a shot, and I’m thinking that starting with the extra ranger rumour will be a great start.” Just as if his train of thought was finally back on track after being derailed, Remus resumed his rant, unaware of the sudden jarred expressions of everyone around him. “Who even does that?! The Power Rangers are great the way they are now! Who even came up with a Red Ranger?!”

“Your brother Remus. Your brother started the Red Ranger rumour." They all turned to Emile, Remy clearly holding in a laugh. "He told me all about it when I was babysitting him whilst you had that tournament away from town. We were sat watching cartoons as always, and he turned to me and asked ‘who's your favourite ranger? Mines the red one,’ and I said, ‘Roman, there is no Red ranger. Do you mean the Pink one?’ And he yelled, ‘No! The red one who leads the rangers!’ And by this point I stared at him and asked if he meant the Green Ranger, who we all know is the actual leader, and a great one at that, but he yelled again saying, ‘No! The Red one! The Green one’s only the second leader! The true leader is the Red Ranger at their base!’ And then he leaned super close to me and whispered ‘I’m the Red Ranger, I made him up, and I told everyone at school and they told all their friends and their parents, and now everyone knows of the Red Ranger!’ And then he struck a little pose and ran off. So I was walking with all of you the next day, and I was gonna tell you about it all but by then everyone already knew about Romans Ranger OC”

The table was struck silent by Emiles tirade, and stayed that way for a few seconds before Remy burst out laughing and verbal chaos ensued.

“Oh my god-”

“I am going to kill my brother-”

“Remus don’t you dare-”

“Fight, fight, fight!-”

“Hey, what's up everybody? What did I miss?”

The group had been so immersed in the story and their subsequent reactions, that no one even noticed the new face at the table, belonging to the newest member of the group. It was now Emile’s turn to sigh, due to dealing with antics like this on a daily basis. “Hey Tommy, you didn’t miss much, don’t worry about it-”

“My little pest of a brother started the damn Red Ranger rumour! I’m going to hit him in the head with a morning star if I get the chance!”

“Calm down babes, he's in elementary, you don't wanna be locked up for murder so lean back and settle for pranks like the rest of us.”

Tommy shunted his weight onto his hands to catch the others' attention at the table's sudden imbalance “I’m sure you’ll figure it out in time Remus, I mean, you can do a lot of stuff, you even helped me. Dealing with a rumour your brother started can’t be too bad, right? If anything, you could make a small rumour back that he loves his best friend to teach him a lesson.” The group shared an embarrassed expression upon realising just how much had actually been overheard by Tommy. They were meant to help him adjust, not the other way around. Once realising the group's flustered faces though, Tommy decided to carry on with what he initially came over to chat about, an impossibly high voice crack invading the beginning of his sentence.  “That being said, I do have a question about all this, being still new and all.” Janus leaned forward himself.

“Go ahead Thomas, what’s on your mind?”

“You can just call me Tommy, Jan, but I’ve been wondering, why hasn’t anyone figured your identities out yet? I mean, you only dress in your colours. Remus is always in a green tank top and letterman jacket, Em is always in her pink cardigan or leotard from doing gymnastics, Remys always in biking jacket with a grey shirt and black glasses and shades, and Jay is always in that yellow shirt with a yellow bookbag!” Whilst pointing out the obvious, he gestured to everyone when saying their names, before finally gesturing to himself. “Hell, even I’m beginning to dress in only orange and I haven’t even been with you guys that long! I just, I don’t get how we can hide our identities whilst dressing like what people expect the casual versions of them to look like. Isn’t the whole point of not telling anyone other than each other to, you know, not let anyone know? I mean I figured it out after being here for a week, it's plain obvious to anyone looking in.”

“Thomas-Tommy, the only reason you found out, is because you became a ranger in that first week, remember it or not. It's the basic technology that protects the morphers, Zordon, the base and our identities. I understand you’re concerned, but trust me on this one, there's nothing I haven’t thought of. We are going and protecting a world that can harm you from not following some arbitrary rules, and I’ve done everything I can to protect us from the fallout of things like working outside of the government on the scale we do.” A pause of an eternity passed as a concerned expression only formed more prominently now on Januses face. “You’ve never brought this up before, is there something on your mind?” The last ranger finally took a seat at the table. It was clear that he was made of pure exhaustion at that point, not being used to the work of a ranger. He slumped over in his chair as soon as he sat down in it, ploughing his head into his hands. “ It's just,... I’m,... What I’m sayin’…”

Emile held his hand in a gesture of support. “Take your time Tommy, no one is rushing you or judging you, we’ll try and help, okay?”

“Thanks Em,” he looked up at the faces of his only friends, “What if people find out? My life, it’s gonna fall to shambles, I don’t know what I’m gonna do.” His voice shook. He was new to this, he didn't know how to handle the stress, the pressure. The only people he trusted with this secret gathered around him to help calm him. “It’s not the normal fallout I’m worried about, I’ll have you guys to help me through it and I’ll help you. It’s just... I fought against you at one point. I-I know that I’m not Lime, and Lime isn’t me, but Lime is me at the same time. It was still my body, and my face, whether I knew that or not. I... I still hurt you guys, and I still threatened people, and I have no idea if people will believe what actually happened! It's just… a lot to actually take in… and I… I-I… Agh, I just don’t know right now.”

No one knew how to answer him. Yes, they would all be in the same base problem if people found out, but he had a point. Whether they wanted to admit it or not, Tommy was the Lime ranger after not even being there a week, and he kicked their asses daily. It didn’t matter if he was now the Orange ranger, and one of the best fighters they’d met. The past was still there, and it still stung like a really awkward papercut soaked in lemon juice and vinegar. They’d all be in the same trouble with their identities revealed, sure, but Tommy would be in so much more trouble for something he had no voluntary part in doing.

“Alright Tommy, I need you to try and calm down and look at me.” Emile got level with him, coaching him through breathing until it became much more steady, and he could only look at her with tearful eyes. “We know that you and the Lime ranger are not and were never the same person. What our enemies do is they try to get at our insecurities, and they saw you as a way to do that, but they knew what person you are Tommy.” The rest of the group had backed off slightly, giving the two room, yet still crowding them like a curtain for privacy. “They knew words wouldn’t sway you, so they used some kind of magic to sway you, and you lost who you were.” She wiped his tears. As silent as they were, they still formed. “Let’s say, hypothetically, people found out. Lets say, one day, Jan's tech failed, or Remy gossiped too much, or Roman saw Remus transform and spilled the beans, or if someone did figure it out. We wouldn’t let them hurt you because of that. But even if we keep going in this bad scenario, what's the worst that could have happened, that we can’t fix with evidence, and teamwork, and everything that has made you worthy of this power and identity as much as the rest of us, hm?”

Silence now pierced their ears and hearts as those words sank in for all of them, not just Tommy. They’d never want for each other to fall, but it still could happen. But they were chosen for this job. Chosen for some reason, something that made them more worthy than their classmates, their teachers, their neighbours. Whatever that something was, it counted on them to protect the world from an alien-initiated doomsday. But they were still kids. The silence soon transformed from a searing spear to a soothing tranquil river of thoughts. None of them had said anything. They didn't need to. They’d never let that bad scenario happen, and didn’t need words to communicate their camaraderie.

“Thanks Emile, I… really needed to hear that.” Tommy shook off whatever crippling fear was left inside of him at the moment, standing as proud and as tall as he did in the ranger line up. “You’re right, I have to focus on who I am, and if I do, I’ll probably be who I truly want to be.” Standing up herself, Emile couldn’t help but smile. “I’m glad you got that from what I said, I was getting a bit worried you’d blame yourself, which you shouldn’t, because the guy standing in front of me right now is one of my closest friends, and isn’t to blame for anything.” An almost melancholic atmosphere spread through the group. They all knew that what she said wasn’t the truth, but it would be nicer to believe it was. Just for now.

“Seeing as we’re all standing up already, does anyone want to join me at the library? I’ve got a few books to borrow that might help me with Alphas coding.” Maybe journalism could wait after all, being rangers brought them closer than ever, and Janus would much prefer to be fixing wires than going and losing that friendship after all of that. As they all looked at each other, pondering the idea, the bittersweet expression on their orange friend’s face lit up with joy. “The library? I actually haven’t ever been there, we should all go and you guys can show me around! I wonder if there's any good books on biology there…”

“Yea! Or some more psychology books, I’ve been blazing through them like the Horde trying to blaze through Eternia!”

“What?”

“Kids cartoon reference coffee-brain,”

“Oh.”

Remus walked ahead before turning back to look at his group. His team. His friends. “Look at this! We’ve got a future therapist obsessed with cartoons, a biology professor, a future barista, and a journalist. That's like, at least two Doctors in the group. God I can’t imagine that. What futures we’re gonna have, Eh?” The group caught up to him as Tommy caught his eye.

“We’re rangers, Remus, we are the future.”

-End-

Hope you enjoyed this snippet of what's to come! I doubt I'll be fully consistent, but I'll try to not post too far apart.

[c10v3r]

ILL SCREAM AND CRY AND YELL AND GO INSANE IF PAINTBRUSH TALKS ABOUT LIGHTBULB IN THEIR INTERVIEW I WILL GO BALLISTIC

with the knowledge their va thought lightbrush was canon and fully aware of what they caused when they announced it this is gonna be one hell of an interview /hj -💫

IM LIKE EYEBALLING THE CHANNEL JUST WATCHING TO SEE THAT INTERVIEW POP UP LIKE

BOTH FAN AND TEST TUBE MENTIONED LIGHTBULB IN THEIR INTERVIEWS WHAT THE HELL IS PAINTBRUSH GONNA SAY SNIFFLESSS

question for paintbrush have ubeen thinkung about any sorr of light source based 9bject recently (roblox man face)

[ivfblossoms]

 Trusted Child Care Solutions Finding the Best Fit for Your Family

Parenthood is one of those beautiful journeys which is never easy. The fun-filled adventure that it makes, important choices are never too few. Among them stands a very significant one finding the right type of child care. Whether you’re navigating new parenthood or have welcomed your child through the assistance of the best test tube baby center, understanding the variety of child care services is essential. From daycare centers to in-home caregivers, the right solution ensures your child’s safety, learning, and happiness.

Why Selecting the Right Child Care Solution Matters

It is the years when major growth occurs from cognitive development, socialisation, to emotional development of the person. High-quality care of child allows not just a learning safety environment from where thinking and imagination will flourish accompanied by interaction, but it also takes care of parents' anxiety for time they spend outside with their child. Bottom line, the trusted baby care pays into your children's futures while to you, in your parents' absences from your back, can bring a relief of worries.

Considering Your Child Care Options

1. In-Home Care (Nannies/In-Home Caregivers)

• Home Care Quality, Customized care-there is literally one on one care. The child care options allow a child not be thrust into the world at large because one can take one caregiver and in unique care. However, this often proves to be pricey exposing your child to one major cause of care.

 2. Babysitters-Short, Term, As needed Care

Babysitters are very good for partial care-overnight, weekends, or crisis. They tend to be often cheaper than full-time care and also perhaps less reliable not highly professional in training and often less structured in activity.

3. Preschool Programs (Early Education & Readiness)

Preschools are generally preparatory for kindergarten. Socialization, minimal academics, and emotional preparedness take precedence. The majority of them are state-run; admissions are by age and availability. Some of the most popular ones have waiting lists and refuse children if they are below the age cut-off. One would want to plan ahead and apply well in advance.

Selecting the Best Childcare for Your Family

1. Decide how many hours of childcare your child will need, your child's age, whether they would prefer to be in a classroom setting or more at home in style.

2. Your budget must include daycare or preschool tuition, nanny's per hour pay, transportation, food, supplies, etc.

3. Start researching and scheduling tours for potential providers

Plan to visit daycare centers and preschools to inspect the cleanliness of facilities, staff-to-child interactions, and the routines. Interview in-home providers about their experience, daily activities, and emergency protocols. Word of mouth from other parents could be helpful to your decision-making.

Red Flags to Watch For

1. No Transparence If a provider doesn't feel like discussing policies or procedures, this would be a red flag.

2. Issues with hygiene Childcare place has to be childproof and clean, quite in a pretty good condition.

3. Percentage of change of personnel staff This would provide some unstable days also to your small child too.

4. Basic educational orientations

Keep a vigilant observation about the environment wherein there is some proper education or socialisation just in such a manner so it can lead towards some development subsequently.

A Good Child Care Plan Brings Various Benefits 

1. Peace of Mind

A parent can go out and attend to work or personal issues without much hassle or worry regarding the child.

2. Continuous Learning and Development

Through the set programs, be it daycare or preschool, a child will have the opportunity to enhance his cognitive, social, and even emotional abilities.

3. Socialization

Children learn to communicate, become sympathetic and confident due to playing with other children and adults.

4. Routine Schedule

Children like being in routine schedules. Such a schedule will make the children feel emotionally secure and brings stability in the life of children.

Conclusion

Choosing the best pediatric childcare is not an easy decision you can make overnight. Caregiving for your children could be daycare, home care, nanny, babysitter, or preschool. Assess the needs of your family through visits to different centers or by asking other parents as to whom they would recommend. Peace of mind is brought to the parents as they find a good and trusted provider for them. At the end of it all, everything seen in the overall well-being of your child, from growth and development, is worth much more than the effort exerted in such a vital decision.

[inmyhumanform]

The Court TV docuseries OJ25 (2020) is the best and most truthful account of the trial.

2016 Vulture interview with juror Sheila Woods:

I guess maybe black people cheering was less about O.J. and more about the politics of the LAPD at the time, police brutality. A lot of their catharsis was bigger than O.J. I can understand that. But at the end of the day, two people were murdered.

I think most people thought we based our decision on race. Race never came up in the topic of our deliberation, or even how the LAPD treated black people.

Like, regarding Fuhrman, none of his comments really …

The thing with Fuhrman was once his credibility was shot, you really could discount anything he said. He was definitely a liar — he lied on the stand — and when he came back to the court, he took the fifth on everything. Why would you trust anything he said? He was the detective that found all this evidence: the blood on the Bronco, on the back fence, on the glove … all of that created reasonable doubt.

Was there a moment in particular during the trial that really swayed your decision towards reasonable doubt?

Yeah, when they started talking about the blood evidence. There was, like, a milliliter of blood they couldn’t account for. And they found blood on the back fence of Nicole’s condo, and that particular blood also had the additive in there. That additive is only found in [a test tube of blood], so why would the blood sample on that back fence contain that additive unless somebody took the blood from the test tube and placed it there?

Do you think O.J. was framed?

I don’t know if he was necessarily framed. I think O.J. may know something about what happened, but I just don’t think he did it. I think it was more than one person, just because of the way she was killed. I don’t know how he could have just left that bloody scene — because it was bloody — and got back into his Bronco and not have it filled with blood. And then go back home and go in the front door, up the stairs to his bedroom … That carpet was snow white in his house. He should have blood all over him or bruises because Ron Goldman was definitely fighting for his life. He had defensive cuts on his shoes and on his hands.

O.J. only had that little cut on his finger. If [Goldman] was kicking to death, you would think that the killer would have gotten some bruises on his body. They showed us photos of O.J. with just his underwear just two days after, and he had no bruises or anything on his body.

ty I'm gonna watch this!