#she was the one to show him around during his onboarding :c they talked about religion and philosophy

[whoblewboobear]

Do yall want my Jace/Yolanda thoughts or should I just jump off a cliff? Nvm, you're getting them anyway 😘

~

This fully stems from them playing a similar kind of role to their students. Both acting as a mentor and a guide for their students while they figure things out. Whether it be innate magical ability or divinity and religious studies.

Yolanda's a much more well respected teacher than Jace is, and there are so many interesting Jace+Aguefort staff dynamics to explore but one of my favorites is Jace/Yolanda. We knew so little of her bc of how the seasons shake out but what if when Jace started working at the academy she was the staff member to give him the full tour and rundown. 

Their classrooms are far apart and outside of meetings and their polite exchanges in the breakroom they don’t talk much. Jace was never religious, not really, not until Porter, but Yolanda doesn’t push or proselytize. He likes that about her and he finds himself really fascinated by the way she discusses religion and how vast it can be. 

At the end of his first year, he’s completely drained. He knew Aguefort was notoriously A Lot™️ but he didn’t think he’d slam head first into burnout by the time finals roll around. He’s committed to his students, they’re great kids (mostly) so, he spends a lot of late nights grading papers and reviewing his lesson plans, making notes and additions when he hears a little knock at his classroom door. 

Yolanda gives him a little wave and comes in. She didn’t expect anyone to still be in the building but it’s a nice surprise. Jace looks as exhausted as she feels. 

“How do you feel about ice cream?” Not too long after she asks, they’re sat across from each other at Basrar’s  talking about how the school year’s been, their students, plans for the summer. It’s good and exactly what they both needed. They make a tradition out of it, to meet up and get ice cream every year during finals. 

By the time Junior year rolls around and she comes to him with the info about Lucy everything in him breaks. He knows what he has to do or everything he and Porter built together crumbles. He hates that out of all their coworkers it had to be her. Yolanda, one of his dearest and kindest friends. 

He isn’t sure how all knowing and all seeing Porter is quite yet, but keeping it from him could ruin everything. Jace is a fixer but he’s also obedient when his back is against the wall, so he tells Porter. 

“Tell me what you want me to do.” And he’s not sure if Porter is just being cruel or if the amount of time they’ve spent together made him generous. But Jace takes no pleasure in giving the order. In asking Porter to kill his friend. All because she cared too much. She always did, even when she’s in the lion’s den and he’s telling her about the far haven woods.. She just cares so much. 

He doesn’t join Porter. He makes himself scarce for the rest of the evening, smashing his crystal to bits so that for once he doesn’t have to hear Porter’s stupid voice after a kill. How exhilarated it makes him to take a life. Even the lives of those whose only crime was caring too much. 

After that Jace is changed. Quieter, colder, disgusted by the person he’s become. The person Porter remade him to be. The closer the end of the school year gets the more nightmares he has, of Yolanda’s death, of his own, the Rat Griders. He wakes up screaming most nights, so much so that he goes back to sleeping in his own bed. Porter doesn’t seem too put out by it. He’s different now too, barely notices or talks about anything but the plan. When Jace looks at him, he sees Porter covered head to toe in blood. It gets harder to meet his eyes without feeling repulsed. 

There’s no more ice cream, only blood.  When he dies, he wonders if he’ll find her in the afterlife, he doesn’t, of course. Where ever she is now, it has to be better than his purgatory. He’s back in the same blood-red inferno he found himself in after Porter killed him.

For a brief moment he wonders if he even deserves the life being offered back to him by Ankarna.

He takes it.

And when he sees Yolanda again, he wants to run. He wants to disappear into thin air, he wants to reverse time and choose death. But the kind, caring look in her eyes makes him ignore it all. He wraps her up tight in his arms and apologizes. She doesn’t owe him forgiveness, he feels a pit in his stomach when she offers it though. She's a better person than he ever was.  

“I believe we’re due for some ice cream, Mr Stardiamond,” and Gods he shouldn’t be crying but he is. 

Through his tears, he agrees, “Lead the way, Professor Badgood.”

[commenter2]

Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus rewritten pt. 1

Awhile ago I replayed Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus during my R&C gaming marathon and though I had fun, I was reminded of how short the game was and because of that it makes me think what the game would have been like if given a bit more time for development.

So for fun, here is a plot summary of a longer version of Into the Nexus. Hope you enjoy.

The game opens with Talwyn showing Ratchet and Clank around a Polaris Defense Force base as the duo have decided to join the PDF in order to better help the Polaris Galaxy when trouble arises as well as (according to Ratchet) get first dibs on new amazing weapons and gadgets. Though she knows how good Ratchet and Clank are, Talwyn says they still have to go through the training course where you learn how to use the basic mechanics and other mechanics like the Clank Light while getting coached from Talwyn, Cronk, and Zephyr, which could lead to some funny moments from the warbots. After their training the duo are given their first mission to go to a spaceport that is being attacked by Thugs-4-Less. They go and fight them, using the newly installed Grav Leap feature on Ratchet’s Gravity Boots inside AND outside of the space station but when they defeat the attacking forces they discover that this was a distraction so that their employers, the Progs, can lead there attack on Axiom City without much interference, so Ratchet and Clank go to try and stop them before its too late.

On Terachnos Ratchet and Clank (along with the other members of the PDF) search through the city to find the Progs while fighting through Thugs-4-Less forces, during which the duo learn about the siblings recent criminal career as well as things that hint at there Nether origins like how they were found in a cave as kids and that there biology is different then any other life forms on record. At some point Qwark (who was there for a comic convention, a nod to Before the Nexus) calls Ratchet and Clank saying he ran into Talwyn who tasked him to give Ratchet his Hoverboots, which are needed to save Qwark after he is captured by Thugs. Once Qwark is rescued he tells them that he heard that the Progs are on their way to Pollyx Industries. After fighting through the building the duo eventually encounter the Progs who are taking Pollyx and other Terachnoids as prisoners, Vendra tells Neftin to leave with the Terachnoids while she deals with Ratchet, giving us a boss fight. Ratchet and Clank defeat her and Vendra is taken into custody but before being taken away Vendra jokes to Ratchet about how “last of there kinds need to stick together” which shocks and disturbs Ratchet a bit.

The game then takes place on the Nebulox though there are several differences here then the original like only a few weeks have pass since the Prog’s attack, its explained that Vendra is being taken to a specially made prison where she can’t use her powers to escape, and Talwyn is onboard. Besides the ship fixing scene I can see a good Ratchet AND Talchet moment happening where Ratchet talks to Talwyn about how he feels odd seeing the only person to ever be in his shoes be so evil and wonders if he could have ended up like Vendra though Talwyn comforts him saying she know he would never be like that, followed up by a nice Talchet moment of the two holding hands. However this is interrupted when the ship gets hit by debris from colliding asteroids, deactivating Vendra’s prison who causes trouble around the ship like temporarily deactivating gravity, controlling the ship’s security such as laser grids and armed robot security guards, and her sucking Talwyn out if the ship causing Ratchet and Clank to go out and save her. After Ratchet fixes Vendra’s cell, Neftin and the Thugs, who actually caused the asteroids to collide, attack the ship and break out Vendra and after prisoning Ratchet and the others for a bit (Neftin taking Ratchet’s Hoverboots as a trophy) Vendra mocks Ratchet giving up looking for the Lombaxes and she teleports herself and Neftin out of the ship where in this version they use the Thug-4-Less ships to shoot the defenseless Nebulox, which gives use a segment where Ratchet and the others run to the escapes pods.

The heroes discover that only one escape pod is working and it can only fit two people, Clank says they need to find another pod but out of nowhere Cronk and Zephyr throw Ratchet, Clank, and Talwyn into the escape pod and prime it for launch much to the three’s dismay. Before the pod gets launched the two warbots not only say they love Talwyn and call Ratchet and Clank by there real names or a high military rank (displaying that they no longer see the duo as rookies) but they also ask Ratchet to take care of Talwyn for them as the pod is launched and the rest of the ship is destroyed. The three mourn there lost for a bit but there escape pod gets damaged by Thugs and the three fight through the Nebulox debris till they get to a Thug ship a hide in its supply crates. They land of Yerek where a still sad Talwyn has a emotional moment over losing Cronk and Zephyr though Ratchet and Clank (but mostly Ratchet) cheer her up, maybe Ratchet kisses her on the forehead. This cheers Talwyn a bit and she pulls herself together and says she will work on a way to get help while Ratchet and Clank explore the area for a way off the planet.

The plot acts out like in the original game with the duo finding out the Thugs are stationed on Yerek, learn more about the Prog’s past, and discover there ripoff Dimensionator project HOWEVER before Vendra can reveal about Silox, Mr. Eye (who along with the other Nethers have translators on there suits so that the characters and players can understand them) notices Ratchet and Clank and the two are chased by Nethers till they are saved by Qwark who Talwyn called to pick up the three. After telling what they discovered, Talwyn and Qwark go to regroup with the PDF while Ratchet and Clank go to Destructapalooza in order to find some info on Vendra while also getting the Jetpack in the process. They find out about a small Thug-4-Less base on a planet and after scaring some of the guards with Nethers Clank brings from the Netherverse and fighting through the rest, the duo find out about Silox and go there. While on Silox they go look for the Progs, Ratchet fights and defeats Neftin (regaining his Hoverboots in the process), and fail to stop Vendra from releasing Mr. Eye who betrays Vendra and chases down Ratchet and Clank. The ending is a bit different as they just go straight back to the ship using a combination of the Jetpack and Hoverboots while fighting off Nethers and remaining Thug-4-Less enemies till they eventually get to Aphelion and they fly off into space as Mr. Eye goes somewhere else.

[outsiderisin]

Director Henry: Past and Present

Henry knew he should call the Foundation or the GOC as he wrote a handwritten letter to a young lady. She had taken down a sarkic pet with Agent Drummer at a grocery store, while staying relatively calm about it. He wasn’t sure if she was an escaped D-class or an unknown threat herself. Whether she even knew she was a threat or not was beyond Henry’s knowledge. Still, he was willing to take a chance with her as he finished signing the letter. He hoped she would take the offer considering her current living situation.

Once he had sent the letter off, Henry rubbed his tired eyes as he looked over to a stack of legal paperwork. 3 agents ‘died’ last week getting what was simply a vase, but it got a crack during the move and caused a minor disaster to occur. Nothing like your agents becoming inverted, inside out versions of themselves while not noticing. He couldn’t thank the foundation enough for taking it over, though the agents cannot be separated from the vase or horrible pain begins as panic sets in. So by official record, they died in a car crash, from the powering steering malfunctioning.

It wasn’t the first time Henry had to do this kind of thing, but he never liked lying about it. It was a part of why he left the foundation years ago. He had never been a good secret keeper and had a terrible poker face. His wife was amazing with it; though their marriage was frowned upon by many in those days. Henry, as a researcher, understood why as his wife was a mobile task force member. Still they had gotten married before college and kept it alive through those years, so to work at the same company together was a dream.

It wasn’t grand, Henry would admit, but the pay was well and the benefits were beyond anything he would ever see again. He also had a decent amount of time to see his wife when she wasn’t on assignments or duty. She often shadowed him in the lab as he explained what he was looking at and for. She always took in every word and asked questions, which some of his colleagues would explain for him when he got caught up in something by accident.

Nothing was a problem for them till an O5 died of old age. Henry heard of these guys and had apparently meant one before, without knowing it back then, during his time there. The new O5 who was called O5-5 was a dick. Everyone thought they were trying to impress their peers, as he began to try to apply new rules. The rules were often being overturned by the ethics community as Henry found them to be unusual. They were trying to limit looking into the biology of certain scps that fell into certain areas of criteria.

A year later, Henry lost his wife during a routine run. An unusual accident his ass, as he found a few samples of Sarkic dna about the accident site. They about matched up to the standard Sarkic samples the foundation had on site which lead to investigation. That when O5-5 cracked down even harder than before. It wasn’t long before Henry had a hypothesis on why either.

Six months later, he was a part of the mobile task force as he conducted further investigations into his own theory within the ranks. He was rather surprised of how well he was a decent shot during training and that it was easy to catch on to things, even in the field. The team he was on was a back-up crew, but they helped with minor stuff like clean-up, item transfers, and GOIs deals. It was alright till O5-5 caught wind of him on the MTF. Restrictions began to appear, but often had to be ignored to do the job and with many angry phone calls to boot. Henry realized he needed to get out as he felt a noose begin to tighten around his neck. And that, he did.

Henry contacted the GOC in private down time. Them staging his death as he was taken to a base in England. He stuck around a few years with them, as the Foundation poked around for him or rather a close friend poked about for him. He knew why and got a message to her to keep her head low. He was dead and now under a new name. She did just that as Henry soon left England for America under a new identity. Him joining the UIU to at least keep an eye on the foundation from afar.

The UIU was not the best when Henry first arrived. It was a literal damn joke to almost everyone, but a few people. Even the director couldn’t give a crap and lost items all the time as Henry easily climbed ranks. Many CIA agents gave him shit over his serious attitude as he shrugged it off. At least till he got severely hurt after taking a certain phone call. Him asking for a team, but being denied even one person. The director even saying ‘it’s just a child screwing with you.’ Henry ignored him and went to the location alone.

It wasn’t a joke and his hypothesis about O5-5 was no longer a theory, but a fact. The smug bastard even saying his old name while he played dumb. Acting like he didn’t know what the man was talking about as Henry fought an unfair battle. Overran and out classed, Henry fell back on his plan C; Explosives. It worked in ruining the town’s infection, but not in destroying O5-5. 

The creature O5-5 truly was, crippled Henry’s leg painfully slow but didn’t get to finish as the explosion brought a few nearby town’s forces closer. A few foundation vehicles within them. He was whisked away as he told a fake statement to the local forces. Back at headquarters, he got to officially report his findings and shake things up for the UIU. It wasn’t instant, but over the course of 3 years, Henry became the head director.

His leg healed alright, but he needed a walking cane for the rest of his life. His field days were over. His eyes soon started to flatter from constantly working in low light as he got glasses while he made the UIU a respectable joke. Him using his past to make better connections to the Foundation and the GOC as he kept notes on O5-5 when he could. His evidence was still lacking for any confrontation. Still he had become rather untouchable for the O5 and he planned to keep it that way.

He then worked on finding people who had subtle abilities along with regular civilians who had met the unknown and wanted to help. It wasn’t always easy to get them onboard. Some refused outright, others were continuously pending, and some were right onboard. Henry couldn’t blame some for not wanting on, though it did sadden him when the Foundation took them in., but it was understandable. He just hoped to get 13 onboard, as she seemed nice according to Agent Drummer.

Two days later, Henry got to meet 13 face to face at a diner he fancied. She had traveled by bus out to meet him. Them talked as he studied her and her answers as 13 seemed to do the same thing back. By the end of it, she agreed to join under the condition that her privately would be completely respected. No prying, no digging. Henry agreed, but asked why the red tape. Her answer: Antarctica, Site 13.

That answer bothered Henry as the foundation, even to this date didn’t have a site 13 in Antarctica. That site was in North Virginia. Still he respected 13’s wishes as she knew nothing of his past. No one at the UIU knew of his past, so he had no right to demand an explanation. Besides it would come in time, as he cotton swabbed and fingerprinted her silverware and cup as she left the diner. He soon paid and left back to the apartment building that served as their base of operations.

A week later, 13 moved in with just a bag of belongings as everyone welcomed her aboard. Agent Drummer was instantly willing to show her around as he seemed the happiest to see her again. 13 smiling at the man as she let him lead the way as Henry watched from above with a frown. The dna had made a match, but to a little girl who was struck by armored vehicle 17 years ago. Henry began to worry, he had made a mistake as he opened up a new file to keep tabs on 13 as well.

[calliecat93]

RWBY V6 CH12 Review: Seeing Red

Well last week was a trip, huh guys? Mech fight, weapons lost, Adam face reveal. So far the road to the season finale has held nothing back. And as we go into the penultimate episode, are they going to be able to keep surprising us? Can I ever write better intros for this review? All of that will be answered... probably... in this episode! So lets get on with it!

Overview

Good news is Maria and Oscar are still in the air! Bad news is Cordovan is trying to swat them down. Worst, the other soldier are watching the fight... just as radar picks up something. Well I'm sure that THAT won't be a problem. Ruby, who manages to get herself back on top of the ledge, isn't happy with Oscar's actions, but luckily farmboy has a plan! He's noticed that Cordovan locks in Dust cartridges to fire... but the missile launcher pops out during it. Meaning that if Ruby shoots it at the right moment, they can implode it. But to do so, Ruby has to get in close, so Maria comes to pick her up. Despite Qrow clearly being against it, Ruby hops onboard. Maria brings her in close, mocking Cordovan to distract her just as her forces try to call her... well, probably nothing to worry about!

Unfortunately, Cordovan is able to spot Ruby and pulls the missiles back. She sends out a Lightning Dust burst, which effects the systems and Maria's eyes. With her unable to see, Oscar is forced to take the controls... and since he can't pilot they crash in the woods. Fortunately they're alright, but the ship is damaged and Maria is still blind. Ruby's a bit winded, but once she sees the damage and that Cordovan is still coming, she starts to move ahead. Qrow arrives, grabbing her hand and telling her to stop. Ruby's response? To turn around and simply stare at him with a defiant look. A look that takes Qrow by surprise. Almost as though it... remind shim of something... Ruby pulls away, but not before telling her uncle to trust her. A response that very clearly pains him.

Ruby, standing alone, walks up to Cordovan who tells her to surrender and face up to her crimes. Ruby however refuses, pointing out that she and the others have faced worth than her and that they WILL get to Atlas. They're all on the same side, but Cordovan uses her power to look down on others, not defend them. She gives Cordovan the chance to step down... and of course, the old woman refuses as she prepares to open fire. Directly on Ruby. Which would kill her... and you complain about Maria working with children. But Ruby, being Ruby, does something unexpected... she speeds herself inside of the canon. With the cartridge locked, Cordovan can't do anything so Ruby fires an Ice Dust bullet. She bursts out just as ice completely bangs up Cordovan's canon, weighting the mech down and bringing it to it's knees. Ruby's aura breaks, forcing Weiss to use the last of hers to use Gravity glyphs to lessen the impact. Qrow catches Ruby, and luckily our little red is AOK! Phew!

We now turn back over to Blake and Yang vs Adam, who tries to mock the two girls. About how Blake can't face him alone like back in Haven. How Blake made promises to stand by him, and how that turned out. How Blake chose Yang over him, leaving him behind. All of these get rebutted. Blake has people who care for her and will fight both by her and for her. Yang points out how Blake made a promise to who Adam pretended to be, not the person that he actually is. How Blake left him because he became a toxic person in her life who only brought her pain. But despite all of this, Adam makes it clear what his choice is. He's going to fight, and nothing is going to get in his way. With it now clear that Adam isn't going to walk away peacefully, the two girls charge forward.

We get one heck of a fight, Blake and Yang's teamwork allowing them to more than hold their own against Adam. Blake is even able to retrieve the hilt for Gamble Shroud and fight with it still, Yang even saving it when Adam tries to redirect it at her. But of course no fight goes that simple. Adam is able to knock Blake off the cliff, breaking her Aura in the process. She's able to catch herself, but now Yang is on her own and Adam proceeds to mock her about if she can escape the blow that he beat her with in Beacon. This reignites her trauma, causing Adam to mockingly say “Me neither” and continue his attack. But of course Yang may be scared, but like Hell she isn't going to fight back. As the back and forth goes on, Adam is left unaware of Blake slowly climbing her way back up. Instead, he spends his time angrily asking what Blake sees in Yang and as he knocks her down, angrily proclaims that she is a coward just like her partner. He activates his Semblance, causing a dust cloud, as he brings his sword down...

...only to find it blocked. Yang grabbed the blade with her metal arm. But that's not the important part. Not only did her eyes go red... but her hair is on fire. Yes my friends, for the first time since V3CH11 when she got dismembered, Yang has activated her Semblance. She use sit to good effect, punching Adam so hard that it causes rubble. His Aura is completely shattered by this, and worst he finds that he no longer has his sword. Yang does. While this move breaks her own aura, Yang points out that while she may not be faster than Adam, she IS smarter. She throws the blade off the cliff, Adam running after it... and right in position for Blake to land an upper cut. Despite now being outnumbered, without his Aura, and disarmed of his sword, Adam refuses to stay down. He charges at Blake, provoking her to again grab Gambol Shroud's hilt. Yang grabs the bladed remains. They both act in defense... and stab Adam right through the chest and back.

Adam is clearly in shock as the two girls pull back. He stumbles to the edge of the cliff, the life draining from his eyes. He loses all strength and goes limp, falling over the ledge. With one hit to one of the rocks, Adam falls into the water. With no Aura and the severity of his wounds... ti would appear that Adam Taurus is finally dead. Blake, whether it be out out of grief for the man she once cared for, relief that the nightmare is over, or even just having to take a life, breaks down. Fortunately Yang is there to comfort her as Blake tearfully proclaims that she isn't going to break her promise to never leave again. All that Yang can say is that she knows that she won't as Blake continues to cry.

Back at the mech fight, Cordovan is furious as she calls in for her forces to launch a full-scale assault. At the same time, the group's ship is able to still work despite the damage and they start to plan to make a run for it. But it's at this point that Cordovan's men inform her of a much, MUCH larger problem. Seemingly due to the negativity that this fight has provoked among the citizens, a Grimm has appeared. A giant, Godzilla-esque Grimm known a as Leviathan. Worst, it's also summoned an army of Manticore Grimm. With the mech down and most of thee teams Auras broken, it looks like thing shave taken a turn for the worst as the episode comes to a close.

Review

HO BOY do we have a LOOOT to talk about.

We'll do thee mech fight first since lets be real, the Bees and Adam are the big topic. Like last week,t he fight was very enjoyable. IDK if I liked it as much, but there is one thing that I truly loved about it here: Ruby. This volume just continues to knock it out of the park with her development. When everyone is down, she takes it upon herself to face Cordovan. When the ship crashes, she goes to stare down the giant robot that can easily squash her like a bug. When Qrow tries to stop her, all she has to do is glare and tell him to trust her. And then? She actually tries to talk to Cordovan, asking her stop while making it very clear that if she doesn't, then she's not going to quit. And when Cordovan gets ready to fire at her at point blank? Ruby simply flies into the canon, opens fire, and brings the mech down single-handed. It's the type of crazy plan that we haven't seen out of her in quite so time, and it was glorious.

Ruby has been done so well in this volume, and this was no exception. She is in control. She is never going to give up. She is going to get everyone to Atlas and stop those who look down on others, no matter the risk. Yeah there's consequences to this kind of mindset, like the Grimm attack, but tbf this wouldn't have happened if Adam didn't show up and if Cordovan just calmed down. But this does open the door for Ruby to have her trial by fire. And with everyone either exhausted or aura drained, the Silver Eyes may very well be the key to victory. We'll see next week, but we can be for certain that our favorite hooded Huntress isn't going down with a fight.

Then lets briefly talk about Qrow. I've been starting to ease back up on him since he's trying to contribute again and he['s let out his guilt instead of act like an asshole/drink himself stupid. His freakout in Chapter 10 and brief moments of concern for Ruby last chapter really demonstrated that. But then there's this chapter, namely his reaction after the ship crashed. Ruby gets ready to go at the mech solo, and Qrow grabs her hand yo stop her. It's understandable, his nice could easily get killed and with how bad things look already, he doesn't want to risk that. But then she turns, stares at him, and tells him tot rust her. His reaction is shock and clearly struggling with accepting those words. I don't think it's just due to concern for Ruby though. Going off his expressions, it felt like he was having a flashback. Yeah, I think he was full on remembering Summer in that instance. Hopefully that'll mean that we eventually get a STRQ flashback next volume, and chances are it's gonna hurt. But yeah, really nice scene there~

And now we get to the main event: Bumblebee vs Adam. First,t he fight itself was great. The girls teamwork was well coordinated and watching Adam just get the snot beat out of him was glorious to behold. The best part of course is Yang facing Adam's Semblance strike. This moment perfectly shows off her development over these past few volumes. As Tai instructed her, she is thinking smart. Unlike in V3 where she just jumped at Adam despite being tired and not in a good emotional place, this time she is composed, prepared, and not acting in blind rage. She's scared. Of course she is, especially when up against the same move that traumatized her to begin with. But this time, Yang grabs the sword with the metal arm. This time, Adam can't break her. And after so long, she activates her Semblance at a perfectly timed moment, allowing her to break Adam's Aura in once strike. She has evolved as a fighter because she chose to learn from her mistakes and move forward, something that Adam was never capable of doing. It's a perfect bookend to Yang's story in these volumes. Also I just love her fire hair in the Maya engine! So good!

But yeah... after six volumes, Adam Taurus is finally dead. Now I've already seen the expected 'he fell off a cliff! He can't really be dead!” comments, and I can't blame them. After the fake-out with Cinder, the reaction is understandable. But... no, I think he's dead. Lets look at the facts. His Aura is broken, he got stabbed pretty brutally through the chest and back by two blades, he was already going limp, you could see the life draining out him him, when he fell he collided head on with a rock and there's a pretty nasty sound effect, and finally landed in the water. When this happened to Cinder, she was frozen alive and her Aura was broken, but he wasn't severely injured and I imagine that the Maiden powers offered some form of protection. Adam does not have that benefit. If the stabs didn't kill him, then hitting the water did. With those wounds, there's no way that he can swim out and those punctures are just going to drown him faster. In RvB, The Meta died in a very similar manner: getting stabbed didn't kill him, but being pulled down a cliff and into the water with those wounds drowned him. I wouldn't be surprised if that's where they got the idea since RT produces both shows actually, haha.

My point is, we have plenty of evidence to suggest that yes, Adam is really dead. It also makes sense form a story point. Honestly, there's no real role left for Adam to play. He existed for Blake's connection to the White Fang and the source of many of her issues. He's a symbol of what she's trying to not be, a violent extremist who will kill anyone, including innocents, for his cause. He is why Blake has been running. But these past three volumes have had Blake finally growing away form that. She finally realized that running away wasn't protecting people, only hurting both them and herself. She decided to face her problems, first by reclaiming the White Fang and inspiring other Faunus to fight for their rights instead of letting the WF do it for them. She faced Adam head on with Sun, realizing that she has people who love and who want to stand by her not because they think they have to, but because they WANT to. She came back to her team and has been doing her damnest to make things right, especially towards Yang. And the results? The WF has been completely shattered beyond repair, Faunus have a better reputation and the chance to start anew, and the control that Adam had over her is gone.

Adam suffered, but instead of trying to become better, he decided to succumb tot he pain and hatred. While he may have started off genuinely wanting to help Faunus, the character short made it clear that his anger, hatred, and need for control destroyed any goodwill that he had. He became willing to kill, in part due to Sienna, but unlike her he took utter glee in doing so. He wanted to have power over someone, and he did that to Blake. He deluded himself into thinking that nothing is his fault and refusing to acknowledge his problems. Because of it he staged a successful coup on Sienna that ended up being the White Fang's downfall. He got himself humiliated, and then killed his own men for daring to point out how badly he screwed up. The moment that he ran from Haven, his loyalty to the White Fang and desire to 'better' Faunus lives was gone, replaced only with vengeance against Blake. It may be said in a way because he did suffer and his hatred against humans is understandable. But it doesn't justify anything, especially regarding Blake. Some say that Adam was poorly written, but I could not disagree more. This is what happens when you allow spite and hatred to consume you. It breaks you down, makes you lose yourself, and unless you can recognize it, it'll ultimately destroy you. Just as it did here.

But of course, Adam's death isn't treated as a triumphant moment. Neither Blake nor Yang intended to kill Adam. Blake acted in self defense, and Yang acted to defend Blake. It was ultimately a self defense kill. And for Blake... of course it wouldn't be a happy moment. Yes, Adam abused, manipulated, and controlled her... but he was still someone that she once loved and cared for. Someone that she had been with for so long and who she used to look up to. Unhealthy or not, this was someone that Blake had a strong connection with and she hated seeing what he had become. Does she hate Adam? No, I think she just pities him. She recognizes that he is a toxic person, and she gave him plenty of chances to just leave her alone. He refused, and as such she was forced to end his life. She had to kill the man who she used to admire so much. Everything, along with just the fact that it was finally truly over, hit her in that one instant. She broke.

Fortunately, Yang is there to comfort her, now knowing that Blake isn't ever going to leave like she did again. Now does this make Bumblebee canon? Mmm... until we get a full on conformation, I'd rather not jump the gun. But it certainly seems to be heading in that direction. Sun seeming to move on in the start of the volume (and made it a point that he didn't help Blake out of any feeling she had for her), Adam saying things like 'what does she even see in you', the clear parallels to Yang and Adam... that's a lot of specific things that are really hard to just pass off. I think, at this point, there's a very high chance that Bumblebee is going to happen, though I feel that they need some more happy development between them first. If only just to cool down after all of this. But no matter how you see it, they can finally close the door on Adam. Blake's six volumes worth of development and Yang's three has finally reached their end, and now they can move on to new and hopefully better things. They've both grown from their experiences, and in the end came out stronger for it. I left the chapter feeling immensely satisfied, and just the relief that Adam is gone was... just great. These girls can have peace of mind again, and they very much deserved it.

Final Thoughts

Boy did this review get long! But yeah, loved it! Great fights, a perfect conclusion to the Adam storyline with a VERY satisfying death scene, and of course plenty of insanity still around for the season finale. As I said, it looks like Ruby's trial of fire has come. Will our heroes fall here? Or will they rise like the moon and come out the victors? One more episode to go my friends, lets see how it all ends.

[boltthrutheheart]

Getting The Band Back Together

It is safe to say that I am entirely intrigued by Andrew Lincoln’s recent interview with Entertainment Weekly regarding season 7B of The Walking Dead published on January 3, 2017. (Article found (x)here(x)). In addition to Andrew Lincoln saying that there is a moment in the season finale that made him drop his script and do a little dance, he said something much more interesting to me.

“All I’m saying is that the band is back together”.

In and of itself, perhaps this means very little. Taken quite literally, we have seen the group reunited in the MSF. Rick and the group, ready to fight, join Maggie and Sasha at Hilltop. Daryl escapes from the Sanctuary, makes his way to Hilltop, and has a heartbreakingly beautiful reunion with Rick. We have seen the group reunite except for C@rol, but we know that is coming as well. Literally, the band is back together. Of much greater interest is how this statement from Andy mirrors Norman Reedus’ social media activity prior to the airing of the season 7 MSF.

On the day of the MSF, before the episode aired, Norman posted this picture on Instagram captioned “Band’s back together Tonight mid season finale!”

Norman basically “spoiled” the fact that Daryl escaped from the Sanctuary to rejoin TF in his statement. We see the phrasing “Band’s back together”.

Prior to the above post, Norman shared a picture of a scene from season 4 episode 12 “Still” on Instagram during the MSF marathon on December 10...Beth hugging Daryl from behind outside the moonshine shack. It was captioned “Marathon’s on (still one of my fav episodes) this weekend! Let’s get the fkn band back together!”

This “getting the band back together” concept started, as it seems, with Norman commenting on a scene that Daryl shared with no less than Beth.

There is something about this Instagram post too that has intrigued me since I first saw it. I have discussed this with some other friends, and they seem to have found it interesting as well. Part of me wonders if this was a staged or planned post for whatever reason...as in Norman wasn’t actually watching the marathon live...a latergram. The reason I say this is because if you look closely, there is a copy of the issue of Men’s Journal on which Norman appeared on the cover on the TV cabinet. Norman doesn’t seem like one who would have his magazine cover strategically placed on display near his TV. AMC did, however, have their “Six Sundays, Six Seasons” marathon of TWD over the summer. Season 4 aired on Sunday July 24, 2016 which would have made it much more plausible for Norman to have his copy of Men’s Journal on his TV cabinet during “Still”.

Okay...back to the discussion about reunions. Just out of interest, I decided to research the phrase “getting the band back together”, and these simple observations I wanted to make evolved into something much longer. In my search, I came across a post about “putting the band back together” TV tropes which seems to fit the situation in TWD quite well. By no means is this an know all, end all source or authority, but it was still interesting to read what it said:

“This nifty little scenario is common in sequels, especially after a time skip, but it also happens at the beginning, which basically just means that the original 'Band' existed prior to the beginning.

'Back then', the ragtag bunch of misfits were kicking ass and taking names all over the place. Alas, the golden days came to an end, and they split up, took ordinary jobs, started families...

But now a new threat looms! And there's only one team that can solve it, so it's time to put the old band back together. There are two possible ways to do this: One is that the old leader picks up where he left off, seeking out his old friends and convincing 'em to join up with him again. But just as often, the old leader isn't available - maybe dead, or may have retired, or may have simply disappeared. Or maybe he's just not interested at all. (In that case, he's the first one they visit, only to get turned away, but he'll probably show up anyway just when the rest of the crew has been gathered, or later, in the nick of time to save the day.) Anyway, if it's a former minor character who's gathering the band, that means that he or she will probably be the new leader.

Either way, various things will happen during this episode. A member may be reluctant, and require our heroes to jump through hoops to get him onboard. Several may be working jobs that are oddly appropriate, or ironically inappropriate, to their former role. Extra characterization will occur by showing what kind of activities are taking up their free time, or what kind of family they've started. A former big-shot is likely to have become completely washed-up, turned into a drunk and/or bum, and the heroes will have to revitalize his burning spirit to bring him back to his old glory.” Source (x)here(x)

Let’s look at this piece by piece in regards to TWD.

“'Back then', the ragtag bunch of misfits were kicking ass and taking names all over the place.”

You don’t get much more varied in character than a former Sheriff’s Deputy, a redneck hunter and tracker, a pizza boy, a former mother and art aficionado turned Samurai, a firewoman, farmer veterinarian turned doctor, the farmer’s daughters, an abused housewife etc.

By the time season 4 rolled around, there was a stable, thriving, sustainable community built at the prison with a government and capable fighters. TF had the apocalypse under control...they were “kicking ass and taking names”.

“Alas, the golden days came to an end, and they split up...”

The Governor destroyed the prison, and everyone in the group was torn asunder...

While the majority of TF was reunited after Terminus, their separation was still very clear after Beth’s death and into the days in Alexandra...even reaching into season 7. They may have been physically together, but their ideologies, expectations, mindsets, plans etc. kept them far apart.

“...took ordinary jobs... working jobs that are oddly appropriate, or ironically inappropriate, to their former role...”

Upon entering Alexandria, everyone more or less found their place in the community (or in Daryl’s case outside of it because Alexandria has never been his place) and were given jobs to do.

Our badass ZA survivors have literally moved to Suburbia...a seeming Apocatopia!

“But now a new threat looms!”

 Cue Negan...

“And there's only one team that can solve it, so it's time to put the old band back together.”

In order to defeat Negan and the Saviors, TF is going to have to join together, “Rise Up” (as the new promotions from AMC state), and fight to get their lives back.

Now, at this point, you might be wondering, how does Beth fit into the equation? The band is already back together. Well, there has been a lot of talk about how Daryl’s journey during his captivity at the Sanctuary mirrored Beth’s captivity at Grady. I am not claiming any of these ideas (nor the comparative ideas of the following images) as originally my own, just reiterating what others have said. Both Daryl and Beth were kidnapped.

They were forced into servitude, physically and mentally abused...

But they refused to give up who they were, stood up to the supreme authority, even knowing that it could mean their death. 

Both Daryl and Beth attempted one failed escape from their prison. It wasn’t until Daryl broke free and escaped from the Sanctuary on his own that he was truly able to reunite with his group. Rick asked Negan to free Daryl on his first visit to Alexandria, and Negan said he would allow Daryl to stay. “All” Daryl had to do was say what Negan wanted him to...which for Daryl would be giving up the only thing he had left. Daryl refused. (Even though I doubt Negan would have allowed Daryl to stay if he did comply, this is what we were told in the scene). For Beth, TF came to negotiate for her freedom, but she decided to take the chance to kill Dawn and stand up against the injustice at the hospital. She wouldn’t just walk away, and that led her to the ultimate separation from her family. Daryl broke free on his own, journeyed to Hilltop with Jesus, and found his family.

If Daryl and Beth’s stories of separation are paralleling one another, Beth still has the part of her journey to complete in which she frees herself and finds her family and Daryl on her own for there to be a true reunion.

This may be the furthest stretch in this entire discussion, but of course any time I can relate “fire” to Daryl and Beth, I will. The small description of the “putting the band back together” trope includes this portion as well. “A former big-shot is likely to have become completely washed-up, turned into a drunk and/or bum, and the heroes will have to revitalize his burning spirit to bring him back to his old glory”. Daryl is very broken. He has never been the same since he lost Beth. She was his fire. I truly believe that the only thing that can bring Daryl back to the full glory of who he was is Beth’s return.

Finally, on an ending note, I am unable to ignore the musical connotation of this statement that is being repeated by Norman and Andy... “band back together”. This doesn’t even need to be said, but if music was ever attributed to any character in TWD, it is Beth.

“Why don't you go ahead and play some more? Keep singing.” ~Daryl Dixon

“I sing. I still sing.” ~Beth Greene

[manleycollins]

Journal Entry #27 - Party Ain’t A Party...Leaving the Past Behind...Getting it All Out

JOURNAL ENTRY #27 Name: Manley M Collins Social Security Number: 5 7 9 - * * - 6 5 4 1 Date of Birth: 06/21 Place of Birth: Washington, District of Columbia Country of Birth: United States of America Date: June 21, 2019 TOPIC: Party Ain't A Party....Leaving the Past Behind....Getting it All Out DEPARTMENT: United States Department of Justice DEPARTMENT: United States Department of Education DEPARTMENT: United States Department of Health DEPARTMENT: United States Department of Transportation DEPARTMENT: United States Department of Labor

Disclaimer: All English, language, and grammar were purposely made on all or any posts.

As I work on my dissertation updates and law school score.  I am using Khan Academy, Blueprint, and Griffon Prep.  Goal is to aim for 500 points on the LSAT.  Since my first round of schools are denying admission, I am already updating my Credential Assembly Service package and created a brand new list of schools.  I look forward to those applications.  I am expecting to take the LSAT and GRE during the end-of-summer and Fall seasons when I send my second round of applications. If no admissions after second round of applications for August 2020 class, then I am heading to South Carolina around April 2020 to do the position and people, and get it out of the way.

United States LSAC Member Law Schools (First Round) Albany Law School - Applied - Transmitted Sent - Decision is Denied Admission American University Washington College of Law University of California, Berkeley, School of Law - Applied - Transmitted Sent - Decision is Denied Admission Boston College Law School California Western School of Law University of California, Irvine School of Law Columbia University School of Law - Applied - Transmitted Sent University of Connecticut School of Law University of California, Davis School of Law (King Hall) The George Washington University Law School - Applied - Transmitted Sent - Decision is Denied Admission Georgetown University Law Center - Applied - Transmitted Sent - Decision is Denied Admission Harvard Law School - Applied - Transmitted Sent - Decision is Denied Admission University of California Hastings College of the Law Loyola Law School, Loyola Marymount University New England Law, Boston University of New Hampshire School of Law New York University School of Law - Applied - Transmitted Sent - Decision is Denied Admission Pepperdine University School of Law University of San Francisco School of Law Santa Clara University School of Law Seattle University School of Law University of South Carolina School of Law - Applied - Transmitted Sent - Decision is Denied Admission University of Southern California, Gould School of Law - Applied - Transmitted Sent - Denied Admission Southwestern Law School Stanford University Law School - Applied - Transmitted Sent - Decision is Denied Admission Thomas Jefferson School of Law Vermont Law School Western State College of Law at Argosy University Western New England University School of Law Whittier Law School Yale Law School - Applied - Transmitted Sent - Decision is Denied Admission

I did purchase a Yamaha XMAX. It rode very well.  I did have two separate accidents in the Yamaha XMAX.  I thought I was being safe with bike, but unfortunately life did not like me having it.  On December 5, 2018, while I was doing deliveries. The 2018 Yamaha XMAX broke down and could not crank.  I had to push the vehicle from North Capitol St NE and Michigan Ave NE to downtown.  I was severely anger because it was a new bike and some of my recent trips was to Fredericksburg, VA and Baltimore, MD.  I did not know one ounce of help for scooter/motorbike that could have broken down somewhere I was unfamiliar to get help.  It sent all kinds of emotions through me.  So I threw my anger in emails and phone calls to dealer and Yamaha, I authorized the work.  The Yamaha breakdown cut into my XMAS money I could have made from my part-time gig.  Yamaha was expecting payments for the periods of non-use and I told them I was not riding, and I am not paying.  Now, February 1, 2018, Yamaha dealer decides to call back and say bike is fixed.  Guess what I did out of anger?  I got a new bike, Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive, with all the bells and whistles.  I transferred the tags, paid the tax, and now I am riding.  It has been six to seven months riding my motorbike and cycling bike and parking them everywhere.  Guess what?  Now, the cops/MPD and US Capitol Police saw me parking the motorbike on the bike rack.  On Monday, January 28, 2019, I left my motorbike parked on US Capitols ground on a public sidewalk on a bike rack near one of the capitol ground parks for one day because of inclement weather.  I come back the next day, the entire motorbike was gone and someone broke through the Kryptonite lock with security level 10, and all other security features on the motorbike.  US Capitol Police saw me every day and night when I parked in the same spot and did not say anything.  After I made two calls to 911, US Capitol Police showed and told me all the rules regarding the motor scooter.  I paid $210 for towing and they issued me a ticket in the same day for $100.  The ticket infraction information was dated Tuesday, January 29, 2019 at 7:50 PM, location Unit block C St NE and 300 Delaware Ave NE, Code P047, Parked on sidewalk, Signature Officer Dworak, Dept USCP, Element USB/OSB, Badge No 7001.  I am back riding again, but this time I am using all the areas of residential parking in my Zone.  I was completely corrected to use my residential parking permit in Washington, DC and take up a full parking space. My Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive is financed by GE Capital. I do apologize GE Capital for cancelling a credit card earlier in my life when I still did not understand how to use the credit card.  I am glad General Electric came back to be apart of my life. It feels good.

I am becoming better at doing repossessions. My 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee from Carmax was repossessed.  My 2007 Mercedes Benz from EuroMotors was repossessed, but they are getting lawsuit/civil suits for that car experience.  My 2018 Yamaha XMAX from Coleman PowerSports was repossessed and if I incur a balance from that motorbike, then civil suits are prepared and ready.  Just as expected Yamaha made a balance from a defective product.

POSITION #47  - Amazon This was a good position.  I am surprised that Amazon was so inflexible as a 24/7 operation that the organization did not want to switch/change my schedule when offered and I asked.  I learned so much and they pass over plenty people for supervisory positions and ambassadors.  Once the managers and supervisors warn you that you will be terminated due to no more Unpaid Personal Time (UPT) and when coaching kids or providing community service in the same time slot, Amazon will put you in a position not even get unemployment after the years of service.  They did offer for me to come back after 365 days.  I tried to leave with references with the people I thought cared and were friends, but it was a setup.  Since I am not from Virginia, I will not be returning to any Amazon warehouses or fulfillment centers in Virginia or Maryland.  I will take this employer with me to South Carolina.

POSITION #48  - AmeriCorps / Up2Us Sports / TeensRunDC / District of Columbia Public Schools Meredith Lonberger seems like a great person to work with.  I wish Jen Edmonds stayed onboard and things could have been different.  Jen left as a new AmeriCorps service year started.  This experience start out awkward.  I never worked with middle schoolers or in a school environment for a very long time.  District of Columbia Public Schools have a culmunation of a variety of professionals to put the school together.  Students, such as Louis Coney, kept talking and running the 7th grade lunch clubs and interrupt his game with Antoine Lewis regarding bayblades or music sessions with David Adejiji, Louis assaulted me for interruption or stopping them from doing what they were doing.  Jarmal Pannell definitely had a problem with keeping his hands to himself. Jarmal knew his size and kept pushing his friend, Shaun Suber, around.  Jarmal Pannell kept placing his anger out on me by bending my fingers, testing his testosterone, and pushing me and the table at the same time.  Jovan Miles, he was a smart, 8th grade kid and TeensRunDC alum, he came in the first season and started participating, but he started making serious interruptions with watching inappropriate flicks or facetiming girls, throwing food at walls, and assaulted and bullied me around for snitching.  The instructors and security saw what were happening.  They did not do a darn thing.  SaQuan choked Joseph Stanback, a TRDC student, Ms. Latisha Cooper (an adult) assaults SaQuan.  Alexandra Wade, so called Alee, try to keep up this energy and power of psychology.  Positives she was good at attempting to run the organization and attempt to do cohesion, but very bad at decision making as a new program manager of a non-profit.  Lizzie or Elizabeth was good at trying to do the books of the organization, but she will miss some reimbursements as it is see some and do not see some.  Michelle Morris, the Asian girl, tried to fit as much as possible, but purely depressed about not getting in at DCPS as a teacher/substitute teacher.  LeRoy Reed, he was a small and smart young boy.  His friend was Thomas Miller.  Thomas Miller kept complaining and putting down himself with weight problems calling himself fat.  Thomas Miller had a pure attachment to YuGiYoh and his cellphone.  Thomas Miller had several cellphones. I met Thomas Miller's mother and made me wonder who the daddy is because he came out pure red or light skin with black curly hair.  LeRoy Reed was little and bullying people around so people would not mess with him.  I met LeRoy Reed's grandmother alot and she kept thinking I was a DCPS administrator or instructor that could make a difference on his, his teachers', or administrative errors on his records. Thomas Miller disliked Alexandra Wade alot when she dismissed him from an after school practice for keeping and looking at cellphone.  Thomas Miller called her a female dog and all kinds of names.  Thomas Miller dislike Michelle Morris because she dismissed him from an after school practice, but he did not know what names to call her. LeRoy Reed and Thomas Miller were partially coming during Spring season after they caught on to the pattern.  Treazure Stewart was a unique female coming in with all kinds of hairstyles. Treazure Stewart talked about herself alot and able to fully provide her point of view on the lunch club subjects.  Treazure Stewart did come to school with a broken, sprained, or fractured leg.  I did not question what happened.  Joshua Davis started coming to lunch club, but he was being raised vegetarian and lie really well or make an excuse for everything that he does not like.  Alissa Rhodes, Nyasia Coleman, and Jamaya White came to lunch club religiously in the beginning and talking about all the different subjects, then the school started its sports program.  Alissa Rhodes came to one after school practice and complained it was too hot. I let her rest the remainder of practice.  Nyasia Coleman went to basketball program.  Jamaya White sided with her friends and not come at all.  Saviona Richardson, this girl is going to get alot of boys in trouble, and stepped up to all the boys challenging them to anything they say about girls.  Saviona Richardson came to a couple after school practices, then keep saying she cannot come because she is moving.  This was a repeated sentence from beginning of school year to close to end of school year.  I did meet the daddy of Saviona Richardson and her sister.  I got a lyft (TRDC paid) for the family so they could attend TRDC xmas holiday party.  Saviona Richardson did attend almost all the lunch clubs.  Evonye Simmons was convinced sometimes by the boys to attend lunch club....she looks and acts more tomboy-ish.  Evonye Simmons does talk on the subjects and participate in some of the lunch club activities.  Sevyn Robinson only came to lunch club when food is around or when the TRDC is treated by EBFSC.  Jayden Parker is a very intelligent and brilliant star.  Jayden Parker has girlpower to become famous.  I do not know what she plans to become, but it will be big.  Jayden Parker cares very much about the environment and helping others. The way she is coming out to be a selfless person is going to do wonders.  I did meet her mother and she was very kind. Jayden Parker did come to one after school practice. She did not come to anymore practices because she stated she had to get little brother from Maury Elementary.  Navar Rogers had a personal attention complex.  As TRDC coach, Navar Rogers wanted personal attention. He would put down himself to have me as a coach figure out how to uplift him.  Navar Rogers did run in the United States Arboretum Oaktoberfest 5K and did a personal record.  Thomas Miller also walked in the United States Arboretum Oaktoberfest 5K and the only thing that motivated him was to make sure he finished before someone's dog did.  When I started bringing snacks, he expected me to keep rewarding him for every good grade or good act.  I did meet Navar Rogers's guardian.  Allen Jones was a smart dude, but I already see him as a blockhead athlete and jock celebrity (meaning he does sports very well and hates the classroom).  I met Allen Jones's sister during an after school practice.  Morgan Paul was a tomboy, super smart, and intelligent.  Her English was very good and her sense on life was good.  I did meet Morgan Paul's dad.  The parents or guardian are doing a great job helping her understand the different facets of people.  She was coming to after school practices and lunch clubs, but she also was in higher achievement (another after school program) so I think her dad cracked down on what she doing after she was literally not going home after school everyday.  Jakale Lipson was the most unique student I ever met.  Jakale Lipson kept acting like she was a mute student when everyone in the school knew she could talk.  Jakale Lipson participated in lunch club written activities.  Jakale Lipson was helping the main office sometimes during lunch. With Jakale Lipson acting as a mute student in public school questions activities at home or is it truly an act to not get bothered by anyone.  John Moore is going to be a bright student and active athlete.  I can see John Moore as team captain of a sport.  Do not get John Moore talking because gives a point of view on every subject from every angle.  John Moore is very attentive, appreciates praise, and does not mind doing the work.  Ben Boomer, a TRDC alum, came once to lunch club along with his from Orlando Edwards, another TRDC alum, and stated they were in lunch club because of nothing to do.  Ben Boomer stated he was the chill and mellow guy, "nothing about nothing" type of guy.  DeMarko French kept coming to lunch club with a very loud mouth so everyone can hear him or speak over the other person. DeMarko French kept trying insult the female coaches by asking the personal questions or trying to do match maker with the female coaches.  DeMarko French kept promoting sexual activity talking about girls as female dogs and getting their private parts.  DeMarko French even felt comfortable enough to start asking me personal questions about family, having children, wanting children, how to make a baby, etc.  DeMarko French was dismissed from lunch club because TRDC moved to a new room where higher achievement or teachers stored stuff.  DeMarko French took items from boxes and threw them into the cafeteria kitchen when no one was paying attention or looking.  The cafeteria ladies had to tell me what was going on.  Malik Johnson is an internal processor of information.  Malik Johnson took a minute to process thought before he could speak an answer.  If it was not an answer or topic he did not like, Malik Johnson will get up and leave.  Malik Johnson earn a TRDC shirt and he gave the shirt away.  Christopher Fisher came TRDC because of Jovan Miles.  Christopher Fisher is one of those "I do not know what I want to be kids".  Christopher Fisher did not participate in afterschool. Christopher Fisher, Nassir Walker, Elijah Harvey and Jovan Miles kept disrupting the after school program by bullying the younger kids.  Security had the cameras and janitors saw what was happening.  All I could say, "It was inappropriate and not right."  Antoine Lewis presents himself like the victim and yes, he is bullied by other kids, but he is the first to assault a girl.  I never saw him fight or step up to any of the guys.  Antonio Sinclair is a quiet guy and attentive, who do not mind putting the work a different way. For example, at after school practice, I have all attendees do laps around Eastern Sr High School track, but Antonio Sinclair prefer to do sprints or runs up and down the football field.  Elijah Harvey was a very talented artist in the school and he listens to commands when he want to.  Jakhai Pone came to lunch club and participated, then he did not return.  Nassir Walker kept being picked on because everyone claimed he and I looked alike or I could have been his daddy.  Rashaun Bazemore, a TRDC alum, participated in lunch club.  Rashaun Bazemore and his twin brother RaQuan Bazemore wore those TRDC sweatshirts religiously to school. I met Melissa Diggins, who supposed to be after school programs coordinator, and she did absolutely nothing to support me or TRDC.  Ms. Sherry Epps was a funny lady and always talked about my lunch choices.  She, I guess, wanted me to be fat.  Ms. Kimberly George was giving me good tips on how be a better instructor or classroom management techniques that worked for her.  Mr. Christopher Grenier was the track coach and had good attendance when I saw them practice in the same places TRDC practice.  Ms. Patricia Harris was the track coach too and had pleasant personality so it seemed.  Ms. Tara Harris was an interesting social worker who had interest in the kids, but took special interest in Jayden Parker whenever she attended TRDC lunch club. Ms. Tara Harris is the one I sent the bullying email incidents to.  Mr. Joscelin Lockhart, do not know his sexuality, but if girls could talk...LOL...he was the queen bee next to Ms. Latisha Cooper.  Mr. Travis Loggins-Santiago, I kept watching how he was doing crazy and keep me guessing what island he came from.  Mr. Bennisha Lucas is a very intelligent and always fashionable on-point lady.  Mrs. Marlene Magrino, I kept speaking to her like a teacher, I did not say anything uncanny, and did not know she was the principal until February 2019.  Mrs. Ophelia Morgan was the one I thought was the principal because everyone kept sending me to her.  Now, I see why TRDC flyers never got out for the annual fun run or after school practice.  Mrs. Pamela Prescott is kind person and does most of what anyone ask of her.  She deserves a big retirement party whenever that comes.  Mr. Christopher Vann was a cool guy and level headed.  Mr. Christopher Vann did let me know when one of my TRDC students got out of line.  Brian, a new coach, seems like he was timid, introvert, and shy.  Taylor, a Howard Univ. cheerleader, came with full made up face and hair every TRDC event, meeting, or volunteering. Taylor had a car and did not want to use it for the kids.  Sasha, another Up2Us coach, did what she wanted to, had outside employment, had a boyfriend, and kept all her job.  Zachary Thal, a Jewish and Avodah coach, was trying to suck up everyone's hours and work to meet his organization's full time agreement.  Stephanie, a Jewish and Avodah coach, was at TRDC for a month before her cancer returned and she went back home.  Yassah, a Yoga instructor, was off the chain with her life experiences, bartending experiences, and when TRDC started messing up her outside employment income, she straight up quit.  Romeo, a California boy and Howard Univ student, was at TRDC and shared his experiences with the kids, but I always wondered how he paid rent, rarely came to any TRDC event, he was a member of DC Front Runners, and I do not know his sexuality.  After I got terminated, I sent the termination back all the way down the kids and told them I already had two restraining orders filed. I am always seeking how and where to file the third restraining order.  This same information is being formulated to be thrown in the court(s) of law for wrongful termination about all organizations, and not receiving the AmeriCorps education award from Up2Us Sports Inc (New York, NY).  I could not get DC unemployment because not enough time passed and income earned.

POSITION #49  - United Parcel Service I gave this a second chance. This work environment was definitely different from the 1998.  Jarvis Raynor, HR, gave a realistic presentation of the new UPS in 2019. As a preloader, package handlers had to handle three (3) trucks and range 200 packages to 700 packages per truck.  You have thirty days to qualify as preloader. UPS literally was going through people like water and it was a never ending cycle.  My overall manager, William Thompson Jr, known as "JR", was annoying as hell as he kept reiterating stats and procedures to follow. It was impossible to load 75lbs to 130lbs package with 2 or 3 steps inside a truck.  It was insane.  I was calm, cool, and collective.  Julia Barbarczuk, Trainer/Supervisor, was informative and kept following up with plenty of paperwork while on the job.  Angie and Emma, the belt supervisors, were cool and very helpful when the load was light or heavy.  Angela was the Army sergeant in her commands.  Emma was the repeater and coach.  This job was located in Springfield - Newington, VA area.  Cooper was another manager like JR and did crazy by sending me to various workpiles to try and solve them including a truck with payload of 750 packages using a stair to step up in the truck.  The HR manager Jarvis D. Raynor talked to all my references and tried to throw the same game back at me.  I did become eligible for unemployment because of a different rule and did not violate any company policy. However, if there is an ineligible status on the same claim, then you can keep filing, but have to appeal the ineligible status in order to get paid.  My unemployment compensation with Virginia is still pending.

POSITION #50  - Federal Express I applied for the Handler position. It was good to go to familiar ground of Dulles Airport.  I met most of everyone and did the paperwork.  They are very integrated with the United States Postal Service.  United States Postal Service does have a clearance process.  I did go through the Washington Dulles Airport training to pick up my identification badge.  Unfortunately, I did not go to Federal Express because of the travel distance of 35-40 miles one way for a part time and crazy hours. I will take Federal Express as a possible employer in South Carolina.

POSITION #51  - Abercrombie and Fitch I reapplied for this position.  Met two managers Mecca and Luen and made the interview.  It was a great location in the Georgetown community, but I was not hired.

POSITION #52  - PeaPod / Giant Delivery LLC I applied for a delivery driver position.  I had this position along with the AmeriCorps and UPS jobs.  It was another blue collar job.  My hands and fingers were going through slams, pinches, and smashes.  I went to Hanover, MD to have my initial interview.  I got on the PM schedule.  It was fun earning cash tips and meeting the customers.  The challenge was the routes or navigating the truck in Washington, DC streets.  In 90 probationary period, you cannot miss any item delivered to customer and cannot have any accidents.  I did have two minor accidents and they came fast.  The first one was not my fault with a latino lady was driving someone else's car and backed directly into the truck.  The second one was I parked too close to a parked car on one way street and the rear  bumper outside lip caught the front end of the car. I did train with the #1 and #2 drivers of the Springfield warehouse.  I do think about PeaPod / Giant Delivery LLC every time I see those green trucks.  Despite everything, I do miss this job because it was so different, a blue collar job, and driving as a career was not even thought of in my field options.  The uniforms were good and brand new.  The pay was decent.  I got a chance to look at the beauty of Virginia especially when I thought Manassas, Ashburn, Great Falls, etc. were far places.  The job did give me flashbacks to old stomping grounds of Chantilly, Herndon, Centreville, Fairfax, Alexandria, Arlington, Springfield, etc.  I did become eligible for unemployment because the company did not respond.  However, if there is an ineligible status on the same claim, then you can keep filing, but have to appeal the ineligible status in order to get paid.  My unemployment compensation with Virginia is still pending.

I had to file US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration complaints against the following:

United Parcel Service On my final week April 15-18, 2019, UPS made me very sick the entire week and with the weather 65 to 75 degrees. On the belt in my area, UPS ran the warehouse heaters at 90 degrees making it very unbearable. UPS terminated me the day before graduating.  I did the job, but the only appreciation I received was attendance on coming in every day.  I filed a grievance regarding the situation, but OSHA stated the complaint could not be filed because it has no control on warehouse temperature conditions.

Amazon After crazy termination debacle, I filed a complaint on most of the major conditions of the warehouse from carbon monoxide detectors not working to other issues.  This complaint was accepted and filed as an informal complaint since I was no longer there.

US Department of Defense I filed this compliant, but OSHA stated time lapse.  I was in a long discussion with the OSHA officer discussing all the issues of workplace violence, etc.  It was a very good and informative conversation.

ABBTECH Professional Services I filed this compliant, but OSHA stated time lapse.  It was brought up in the civil case on both Plaintiff and Defendant's testimony.

PeaPod - Giant Delivery LLC I filed this complaint against the trucks I drove and other issues in the warehouse.  This complaint was accepted and filed as an informal complaint since I was no longer there.

Yoh Services LLC I filed this complaint, but OSHA stated time lapse.

AmeriCorps / Up2Us Sports / TeensRunDC / District of Columbia Public Schools I filed this one, but OSHA stated it was out of their jurisdiction.

Birthday Month Festivities I planned major and minor activities for my birthday month, but it seems someone or people did not want me to enjoy it.  This is what happened. 1992-1993 - accidentally lost keys and took no issue with it because replacements were made. In South Carolina, I accidentally lost wallet and replaced everything....nothing really was in it since I was just a kid.

2015 - In New York City, keys were lost and given back to me; even though, I already paid to have the keys replaced.  I was elated and superbly surprised for as large as this city is...that I got something back.

2016 - In Chicago, I became ill and could not control the loss of my wallet and other original identification documents....nothing came back to me.  One out of my set of three keys went missing.

2019 - In Washington, DC, keys were purposely taken from me in March 2019....I already had a backup or 2nd pair. My bicycle seat cover stolen twice for no apparent reason. Life kept on trucking. Then in June 2019, my wallet was purposely taken from me and fraudulent activity occurred immediately.  Nothing materialistically came back to me. The banks, credit card companies, and I fixed the fraudulent activity.  In my sacred home of Washington, DC, I am confused and baffled on the purpose of harming or hurting me in that way in a sacred place of the gym.  Questions unanswered:  Is it to just repeat the same incidents that already happened with family and do it with a bunch of strangers?  Is it to ensure I was physically in the city?  Is it to ruin the happiness and enjoyment I do around my birthday month?  Is it because I talk about everything to the public?  Is it to say we hate you and the way I carry my life?  Is it just do because it is happening to other people?  Is it to do it just to get another police report?  Is it to prevent me from getting a job with WMATA as a special police officer?  Is it to see whether or not I commit crimes without identification or access to money?  Is it to say I cannot physically f*ck up the person that does the harm/hurt for a self-defense plea?  Yes, I felt anger towards me when I went to the Nationals vs another team (2x) and announced it via twitter that Nationals won both games. Either way it goes, 30 years of having the gym/fitness centers as a sacred place has been violated.  40 years of church as a sacred place is being changed to ensure nothing happens there.  I am still on schedule on moving away from Washington, DC.  I stayed still long enough.  After the wallet incident, I will not be renewing anything regarding Washington, DC...let it all expire next year or whenever they expire...join the State of Connecticut.  I will only leave Washington, DC with my corporation headquarters.  I was genuinely asked by some of my organizations to run for Mayor again, and I seriously gave it a thought, but nah....  

Another thing, DC tried to reproduce what Atlanta already did on Flag Day.  DC (NYC) had a red and grey taxi with an ethopian/black driver run me down or hit me from the back at an K St NW & 6th St NW intersection and I am on a bicycle, and knock me to the ground sending me to the George Washington University hospital.  Thanks to the bicyclist and witnesses for taking care of me until ambulance, MPD, and DC Fire and EMS arrived while everyone was calling 911.  After five hours, full examination and x-rays, the doctors and nurses cleared me that I was okay to go home.  At least the white woman driver with her SUV immediately compensated me for ruining my bicycle and the Atlanta bike accident did not send me to the hospital.

Another thing, DC MPD decided to attempt to take credit for giving me someone else's empty, very dirty wallet along with my five (5) cards I cannot use. It was in an evidence bag with things listed on it that was never in the bag.  The incident report quickly reviewed stated their research and contact attempts to reach me.  I am very sorry for poor, poverish, or non-intelligent people, who cannot get themselves out of the legal process or criminal law.  I personally apologize what people do that have power over your life do.  It does give me some sort of relief I did not win Mayor for real and question how some candidates' or incumbent promote, such positive numbers, to retain office.

Here is the backdrop or background of the wallet situation at Sport and Health Northwest (Tenleytown) - my letter of termination and cancellation:

After 30 plus years of fitness and working out in gyms across any city and any state, Capitol Hill Sport and Health showed twice that they can pick locks, then I went Tenleytown Sport and Health.  I thought with the 55 plus gray hairs senior folk that it would be okay to workout there.  I did bring a guest one day to show him the gym and his similar kinfolk, and he got chastised by the Tenleytown sales personnel.  On Wednesday, June 5, 2019, I happened to show up late in the evening around 6:30 PM and trying to catch at least one group fitness class and get a workout in.  I did see some minority faces I never saw before in the gym so I did not question.  I prepared to leave and get my normal shower in.  I went to the Men’s Locker Room.  My locker number was 50.  I insert my key and the entire lock fell apart.  I asked the front desk if it was an accident that my lock was cut.  He (a young white man front desk clerk) informed me to check for my wallet and other valuables.  Sure enough, my entire wallet from my pants and my checkbooks were stolen directly from my bag.  The front desk stated he was the only one on duty to run entire gym.  He stated some people came to check out the gym and did it in less than 5 minutes.  No camera footage and no discernment of the individuals especially if he is paid minimum wage individual with no manager on staff.  At Sport and Health, mid-range price point was to keep rift-raft out.  DC Metropolitan Police Department was called and report is made.  I am locking down my cards.   DC MPD had the nerve to reiterate this happens a lot in the Tenleytown area.

So based on this rollup of a situation, this is my decision.  Capitol Hill, I am terminating my membership on Thursday, June 6, 2019.  No termination fee is charged. No monthly membership fee is charged.  If any fee is charged without my consent July 2019, then I will inconvenience you and all employees’ names at Capitol Hill and Tenleytown, and send it through every system in the United States and the District of Columbia, and at the end send you a bill that you will have to pay.  Thanks for your attention to this matter.  My weapon of choice:  Tell everything to everybody.   At least, I do give the courtesy of telling your first.

Civil Action Suits ABBTECH Professional Services ABBTECH stayed in the State of Virginia and defended their position in Arlington County Circuit Court.  The initial case was dismissed and workplace violence was permissible based on the configuration told.  The configuration is one company invites you in, another company assaults you, and the government hosts the place where it can happen....if you report it, the company that (holds your clearance) invited you in files an incident report on your clearance....then the government files a decision on your clearance...thus leaving you without a clearance.

YOH Services LLC, a Day and Zimmermann Company Emailed copies of everything that was happening in Arlington County (Virginia) Circuit Court was sent to all Yoh offices. Their offices were moved out of Virginia to escape a Class 1 Misdemeanor of Simple Assault and Battery.

United States Department of Defense The Arlington County (Virginia) Circuit Court case was upgraded to United States District Court. It is currently in progress. Two US Department of Justice United States Attorneys and a special assistant attorney are defending US DOD.  My motions are being heard on June 14, 2019, which is Flag Day, or making a decision on the papers.  In relation to the ABBTECH situation, if you are non-military personnel holding a clearance and assaulted or violated, you have two years from the date the incident occurred to file an administrative review with the Department of Army, Navy (Marines), Air Force, or Coast Guard.  You have to google or search the internet for the information....this is not general public knowledge and it is not covered in any of its training for any project.  I am still working the case.

EuroMotors Montgomery County (Maryland) Circuit Court heard the case.  It was a good and long testimonial discussion with the judge to connect EuroMotors to the incidents that happened with my Mercedes-Benz.  However, the initial case was dismissed, but I can re-filed on basis of harm with the repossession.

PODS Middlesex County (New Jersey) Superior Court has this case.  No response, yet.  Still in discovery period.

More civil cases to file, but one to three at a time.

Class Action Suits Postmates I complied and got a response.

Grubhub I complied and got a response.

Uber I complied and got a response.

Caviar I complied and got a response.

Walmart I complied and pending response.

Wells Fargo I complied and got a response because proof of evidence was not supplied.

A Recruitment Process Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority I got notification in April regarding the Special Police Officer position with Metro Transit Police.  I did not go in April 2019 because I did not have all my documents together.  Then, I got another notice regarding a May recruiting event.  I paid quite a bit of money to get originals and copies of all identification.  I went attended the recruiting and got to the first interview.  First interviewer stated they needed the original birth certificate with seal embossed on it.  First interviewer (a white man) did question why someone like me with all this education would want a $36,000 job.  I left and purchased birth certificate again.  I filled out the online application again and got a June 2019 notice day of recruitment.  I went and attended.  Second interviewer (a white lady) looked at my questionnaire and I had all the pages. She stated I needed another work reference, more neighborhood references and everyone has to be local to area. She stated to reschedule. Guess what I did? I walked straight the door and did not look back.  People that were to the recruiting event have been doing it for months and did not get through.

Please see all attachments regarding the cases.

[i-am-very-very-tired]

She approached him because she recognized his camera flash — Aziz Ansari was taking pictures at the 2017 Emmy Awards after-party with a film camera, not a digital one. “I stood up, and I’m like tipsy at this point and feeling really confident. I’m in a gown, and I walked up to Aziz and said, ‘What’d you just shoot with?’”

Grace is a 23-year-old Brooklyn-based photographer, then aged 22. We are not using her real name to protect her identity because she is not a public figure. She says Ansari brushed her off at first, but after he realized they both brought the same kind of camera to the event, an old model from the 80s, he was impressed.

They flirted a little — he took two pictures of her, she snapped some of him — and then she and her date went back to the dance floor. “It was like, one of those things where you’re aware of the other person all night,” she said. “We would catch eyes every now and then.”

They ran into each other one last time, right as Grace was leaving. At Ansari’s suggestion, she put her number in his phone.

When her plane landed back in New York the next day, she already had a message from him. They exchanged flirtatious banter over text for a week or so before he asked her to go out with him on Monday, September 25.

The date didn’t go as planned. The night would end with Grace in an Uber home, in tears, messaging her friends about how Ansari behaved. Babe spoke to the first friends she told about it, and reviewed the messages on her phone.

The day after the incident, she wrote a long text to Ansari, saying: “I just want to take this moment to make you aware of [your] behavior and how uneasy it made me.” To that message, Ansari responds: “Clearly, I misread things in the moment and I’m truly sorry.”

The mobile phone number from which his texts to her were sent matches up with his details on a searchable public register.

We spoke to Grace last week. When we met, Ansari had just won Best Actor for his Netflix show “Master Of None” at the Golden Globes, where he declared his support for the fight against sexual assault and harassment by wearing a “Time’s Up” pin on the red carpet.

Grace said it was surreal to be meeting up with Ansari, a successful comedian and major celebrity, and she was “excited” for their date.

Before meeting Ansari, Grace told friends and coworkers about the date and consulted her go-to group chat about what she should wear to fit the “cocktail chic” dress-code he gave her. She settled on “a tank-top dress and jeans.” She showed me a picture, it was a good outfit.

After arriving at his apartment in Manhattan on Monday evening, they exchanged small talk and drank wine. “It was white,” she said. “I didn’t get to choose and I prefer red, but it was white wine.” Then Ansari walked her to Grand Banks, an Oyster bar onboard a historic wooden schooner on the Hudson River just a few blocks away.

She said it was a beautiful, warm September night. They discussed NYU, comedy and a new, secret project he was working on, but she says she did most of the talking.

Grace says she sensed Ansari was eager for them to leave. “When the waiter came over he quickly asked for the check and he said like, ‘Let’s get off this boat.’” She recalls there was still wine in her glass and more left in the bottle he ordered. The abruptness surprised her. “Like, he got the check and then it was bada-boom, bada-bing, we’re out of there.”

They walked the two blocks back to his apartment building, an exclusive address on TriBeCa’s Franklin Street, where Taylor Swift has a place too. When they walked back in, she complimented his marble countertops. According to Grace, Ansari turned the compliment into an invitation.

“He said something along the lines of, ‘How about you hop up and take a seat?’” Within moments, he was kissing her. “In a second, his hand was on my breast.” Then he was undressing her, then he undressed himself. She remembers feeling uncomfortable at how quickly things escalated.

When Ansari told her he was going to grab a condom within minutes of their first kiss, Grace voiced her hesitation explicitly. “I said something like, ‘Whoa, let’s relax for a sec, let’s chill.’” She says he then resumed kissing her, briefly performed oral sex on her, and asked her to do the same thing to him. She did, but not for long. “It was really quick. Everything was pretty much touched and done within ten minutes of hooking up, except for actual sex.”

She says Ansari began making a move on her that he repeated during their encounter. “The move he kept doing was taking his two fingers in a V-shape and putting them in my mouth, in my throat to wet his fingers, because the moment he’d stick his fingers in my throat he’d go straight for my vagina and try to finger me.” Grace called the move “the claw.”

Ansari also physically pulled her hand towards his penis multiple times throughout the night, from the time he first kissed her on the countertop onward. “He probably moved my hand to his dick five to seven times,” she said. “He really kept doing it after I moved it away.”

But the main thing was that he wouldn’t let her move away from him. She compared the path they cut across his apartment to a football play. “It was 30 minutes of me getting up and moving and him following and sticking his fingers down my throat again. It was really repetitive. It felt like a fucking game.”

Throughout the course of her short time in the apartment, she says she used verbal and non-verbal cues to indicate how uncomfortable and distressed she was. “Most of my discomfort was expressed in me pulling away and mumbling. I know that my hand stopped moving at some points,” she said. “I stopped moving my lips and turned cold.”

Whether Ansari didn’t notice Grace’s reticence or knowingly ignored it is impossible for her to say. “I know I was physically giving off cues that I wasn’t interested. I don’t think that was noticed at all, or if it was, it was ignored.”

Ansari wanted to have sex. She said she remembers him asking again and again, “Where do you want me to fuck you?” while she was still seated on the countertop. She says she found the question tough to answer because she says she didn’t want to fuck him at all.

“I wasn’t really even thinking of that, I didn’t want to be engaged in that with him. But he kept asking, so I said, ‘Next time.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, you mean second date?’ and I go, ‘Oh, yeah, sure,’ and he goes, ‘Well, if I poured you another glass of wine now, would it count as our second date?’” He then poured her a glass and handed it to her. She excused herself to the bathroom soon after.

Grace says she spent around five minutes in the bathroom, collecting herself in the mirror and splashing herself with water. Then she went back to Ansari. He asked her if she was okay. “I said I don’t want to feel forced because then I’ll hate you, and I’d rather not hate you,” she said.

She told babe that at first, she was happy with how he reacted. “He said, ‘Oh, of course, it’s only fun if we’re both having fun.’ The response was technically very sweet and acknowledging the fact that I was very uncomfortable. Verbally, in that moment, he acknowledged that I needed to take it slow. Then he said, ‘Let’s just chill over here on the couch.’”

This moment is particularly significant for Grace, because she thought that would be the end of the sexual encounter — her remark about not wanting to feel “forced” had added a verbal component to the cues she was trying to give him about her discomfort. When she sat down on the floor next to Ansari, who sat on the couch, she thought he might rub her back, or play with her hair — something to calm her down.

Ansari instructed her to turn around. “He sat back and pointed to his penis and motioned for me to go down on him. And I did. I think I just felt really pressured. It was literally the most unexpected thing I thought would happen at that moment because I told him I was uncomfortable.”

Soon, he pulled her back up onto the couch. She would tell her friend via text later that night, “He [made out] with me again and says, ‘Doesn’t look like you hate me.’”

Halfway into the encounter, he led her from the couch to a different part of his apartment. He said he had to show her something. Then he brought her to a large mirror, bent her over and asked her again, “Where do you want me to fuck you? Do you want me to fuck you right here?” He rammed his penis against her ass while he said it, pantomiming intercourse.

“I just remember looking in the mirror and seeing him behind me. He was very much caught up in the moment and I obviously very much wasn’t,” Grace said. “After he bent me over is when I stood up and said no, I don’t think I’m ready to do this, I really don’t think I’m going to do this. And he said, ‘How about we just chill, but this time with our clothes on?’”

They got dressed, sat side by side on the couch they’d already “chilled” on, and he turned on an episode of Seinfeld. She’d never seen it before. She said that’s when the reality of what was going on sank in. “It really hit me that I was violated. I felt really emotional all at once when we sat down there. That that whole experience was actually horrible.”

While the TV played in the background, he kissed her again, stuck his fingers down her throat again, and moved to undo her pants. She turned away. She remembers “feeling in a different mindset at that point.”

“I remember saying, ‘You guys are all the same, you guys are all the fucking same.’” Ansari asked her what she meant. When she turned to answer, she says he met her with “gross, forceful kisses.”

After that last kiss, Grace stood up from the couch, moved back to the kitchen island where she left her phone, and said she would call herself a car. He hugged her and kissed her goodbye, another “aggressive” kiss. When she pulled away, Ansari finally relented and insisted he’d call her the car. “He said, ‘It’s coming, but just tell them your name is Essence,’” she said, a name he has joked about using as a pseudonym in his sitcom.

She teared up in the hallway, outside his place, pressing the down button on the elevator. The Uber was waiting when she left the building. He asked if she was Essence, she said yes, and then she rode back to her Brooklyn apartment. “I cried the whole ride home. At that point I felt violated. That last hour was so out of my hand.”

Babe asked Ansari’s representatives if they wanted to respond to Grace’s account but they have yet to do so. [Update – 10:02pm, January 14: Ansari has released a statement, which you can read in full here. In it, he acknowledges that they “engaged in sexual activity” but says “by all indications [it] was completely consensual.”]

Grace compares Ansari’s sexual mannerisms to those of a horny, rough, entitled 18-year-old. She said so to her friends via text after the date and said the same thing to me when we spoke.

But Aziz Ansari isn’t an 18-year-old. He’s a 34-year-old actor and comedian of global renown who’s probably done more thinking about the nuances of dating and sex in the digital age than practically anyone else. He wrote a book about it, “Modern Romance”, and it was a New York Times bestseller. Ansari built his career on being cute and nice and parsing the signals women send to men and the male emotions that result and turning them into award-winning, Madison Square Garden-filling comedy.

Most people first saw Aziz when he was Tom Haverford, a Parks and Rec fan favorite whose absurd, hilarious phrases were made to be memed. Who hasn’t said “treat yo’ self” once or twice? At that time, he branded himself as the witty, woke alternative to the stereotypical douchebag bro. His early 2010s routines paint him as the kind of guy who strikes out because he actually respects women.

And then, as he rose to prominence, he focused less on his own sexual disenfranchisement and more on pressing societal issues like racism and sexual assault, a move that’s earned him tons of praise. Refinery29 called him “a certified woke bae.”

In the second season of “Master of None”, one episode introduces a macho TV food guy called Chef Jeff, who gives Ansari’s character Dev a huge career opportunity before being accused of sexually inappropriate conduct by a bunch of women.

Discussing the storyline, Ansari said he wanted to examine what happens when much-loved characters are revealed to be creeps, making all those around them who don’t speak out complicit. “So it was like, ‘Okay, what if this is one of those types of guys and we just get the audience to love him? And then pull the rug out from under them at the end and reveal that he’s actually not a good dude?’”

Speaking to babe, Grace mentioned the glaring gap between Ansari’s comedy persona and the behavior she experienced in his apartment as a reason why she didn’t get out earlier. “I didn’t leave because I think I was stunned and shocked,” she said. “This was not what I expected. I’d seen some of his shows and read excerpts from his book and I was not expecting a bad night at all, much less a violating night and a painful one.”

In the Uber home from Ansari’s apartment, Grace texted a friend: “I hate men.” She continued: “I had to say no a lot. He wanted sex. He wanted to get me drunk and then fuck me.” She texted another friend after she got back to her apartment, “I’m taking a bath I’m really upset I feel weird.”

Grace’s roommate, who babe has spoken to, didn’t see or talk to Grace until the morning after. The roommate asked how it went right away. “She said, ‘it was awful. It didn’t feel good at all.’” Grace filled her roommate in on the details later. “I guess it ended up getting really fucking weird, really fucking quick,” the roommate said. “She was really shaken up about it.”

Another friend, who Grace texted on the way home from Ansari’s apartment and spoke to the day after on the phone, told babe she was “so upset.”

Grace says she spent the next day groggy and miserable. When they asked, she told her coworkers that the date had gone poorly. She also reached out to her friends, who helped her craft a message to tell Ansari how she felt about the date. But he reached out first.

“It was fun meeting you last night,” Ansari sent on Tuesday evening. “Last night might’ve been fun for you, but it wasn’t for me,” Grace responded. “You ignored clear non-verbal cues; you kept going with advances.” She explains why she is telling him how she felt: “I want to make sure you’re aware so maybe the next girl doesn’t have to cry on the ride home.”

“I’m so sad to hear this,” he responded. “Clearly, I misread things in the moment and I’m truly sorry.”

Those texts were the last Grace had contact with Ansari. And that night in his apartment was the last time she saw him, until she watched him win big at the Golden Globes.

Grace says her friends helped her grapple with the aftermath of her night with Ansari. “It took a really long time for me to validate this as sexual assault,” she told us. “I was debating if this was an awkward sexual experience or sexual assault. And that’s why I confronted so many of my friends and listened to what they had to say, because I wanted validation that it was actually bad.”

For Grace, the Golden Globes brought the events back to the forefront of her mind. “It was actually painful to watch him win and accept an award,” she said. “And absolutely cringeworthy that he was wearing the Time’s Up pin. I think that started a new fire, and it kind of made it more real.”

She told babe: “I believe that I was taken advantage of by Aziz. I was not listened to and ignored. It was by far the worst experience with a man I’ve ever had.”

Ansari has now released a statement denying sexual misconduct.

He said: “It was true that everything did seem okay to me, so when I heard that it was not the case for her, I was surprised and concerned.”

Update: Ansari’s full statement:

“In September of last year, I met a woman at a party. We exchanged numbers. We texted back and forth and eventually went on a date. We went out to dinner, and afterwards we ended up engaging in sexual activity, which by all indications was completely consensual.

“The next day, I got a text from her saying that although ‘it may have seemed okay,’ upon further reflection, she felt uncomfortable. It was true that everything did seem okay to me, so when I heard that it was not the case for her, I was surprised and concerned. I took her words to heart and responded privately after taking the time to process what she had said.

“I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue.” – Aziz Ansari

Contact babe on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or email us at babe@babe.net.

[jeremyau]

Why Handy Chose a Painful Path to Profitability

As companies move from go-go growth to a focus on profits, only the strong--and smart--will survive.

By Jeff Bercovici

Jeff Bercovici is the San Francisco bureau chief of Inc. Previously, he held senior editorial positions at Forbes, AOL, and Radar. Full bio

jeffbercovici

San Francisco bureau chief, Inc.

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Handy co-founders Oisin Hanrahan, CEO (left), and Umang Dua, COO, in their New York City headquarters, are faced with the daunting task of figuring out how to build a profitable company, and keep investors happy, in a world where growth is no longer the most crucial metric for startups.

CREDIT: Daniel Seung Lee

For a few months in early 2016, Handy CEO Oisin (oh-SHEEN) Hanrahan lived in fear of Tuesday mornings. It was then, in the on-demand home-cleaning startup's weekly leadership team meetings at its New York City headquarters, that Hanrahan had to look at slide after PowerPoint slide showing how badly the strategy he'd championed was backfiring, while doing his best to ignore the I-told-you-so looks of his co-founder.

At the time, Handy was in the midst of a major change in the way it brought on new cleaners, or "pros," as it calls them, a change that Hanrahan had advocated. He eventually wanted to roll out an online onboarding process in all 28 of its markets.

His co-founder, Umang Dua, had resisted the plan since it was first proposed back in late 2014. His chief concern was that qualified candidates wouldn't complete the application process unless a human helped. But the two agreed to do a limited test run and see what happened. They rolled out the new system in Miami and Washington, D.C., in January 2015.

The two founders were still debating whether to implement it in all of Handy's markets when, in November 2015, the company closed its $50 million Series C venture capital funding. The new capital brought some relief--in the form of additional financial cushion--but also caused a new kind of stress. The tone of the meetings with potential investors during Handy's search for funding had unnerved both Dua and Hanrahan. "A lot of the conversations we had were less around our business and more around whether there would be future funding for businesses in this category," Hanrahan recalls.

Several VCs told Hanrahan and Dua they worried they'd be plowing money into Handy only to have their counterparts at other firms balk at underwriting its next stage of growth, leaving them holding the bag.

The co-founders weren't exactly surprised by the skepticism. "Things were not particularly good at that point," Hanrahan recalls. "We were seeing other companies around us struggling to raise capital. There was talk of down rounds. There was talk of unicorns falling," he says, referring to the Silicon Valley nickname for startups with billion-dollar valuations. Faced with a rapidly chilling climate for funding, Hanrahan and Dua agreed they needed to proceed on the assumption that this round would be the last available to them and to think about how it could carry them through to profitability.

The obvious answer was to implement the online onboarding strategy across the entire company, which Hanrahan predicted would save Handy millions of dollars a year. Dua agreed to the plan, and the company began the rollout to all its markets last January.

The only problem was that Dua was right. Successful onboarding plummeted more than 40 percent. Handy had to cancel thousands of bookings as demand outstripped the supply of available pros. Customer complaints skyrocketed. It was a grim replay of an episode from a year earlier when the company had moved all of its customers onto recurring-service plans without providing easy ways to opt out--while simultaneously shutting down its telephone complaint line.

For Hanrahan and Dua, this debacle was just one more stumble on the long, unfamiliar, and painful path from growth to profitability.

Sacrificing growth for profitability, seeking ways to save a few million bucks, worrying about the future mood of investors--these are things that well-capitalized startups in Silicon Valley and throughout the tech industry didn't need to do much of during the past decade. As VC funding for private companies broke records in 2014 and 2015, startups competed to spend like sailors on shore leave.

Umang Dua (left) and Oisin Hanrahan, co-founders of on-demand cleaning company Handy, say it's hard work shifting to profit mode.

CREDIT: Daniel Seung Lee

For companies like Handy, which has raised more than $110 million in venture capital, the ability to spend hard and fast was seen as a way to gain a competitive advantage over everyone else trying to capture the same market. And no matter how hard the company spent, there was always someone willing to throw more money at it. Growth and market penetration became the primary valuation barometer, and no expense was spared to keep it rising.

When torching money seems fiscally prudent, it's bubble time. Right on schedule, a correction arrived. Venture capital funding, which had been setting new records with each passing quarter, tumbled 11 percent at the start of 2016, according to the National Venture Capital Association. The total number of investments plunged 29 percent, according to an analysis by PitchBook. For the first time in years, the number of "down rounds" by companies raising money at lower-than-previous valuations eclipsed the number of new unicorns.

Unlike the bursting ofprevious bubbles, this has not been a wholesale economic apocalypse. Rather, the deflation of this bubble brought sanity, and a desire for profit, back to startup land. What looked like evidence of desperation 18 months ago--cost cuts, layoffs--now reads as welcomed discipline.

"Two years ago, the only question [investors] were asking was, Is this a big idea?" says Donn Davis, managing partner of Revolution Growth and co-founder of Revolution. "Now they're asking two questions: Is this a big idea? And do you have a reasonable plan to grow to profitability without too much cash?"

At an onstage appearance in June, Drew Houston, CEO of the $10 billion cloud-storage startup Dropbox, declared that Silicon Valley had entered a "post-unicorn" era in which the rules were different. "Cash is oxygen, and if you keep having to go to investors to fill up your scuba tank, then you can run out," he said.

This ill-advised purchase, a five-foot-tall chrome panda sculpture, remains in Dropbox HQ's lobby as a reminder of "our future in thoughtful spending," says founder Drew Houston.

CREDIT: Christine Chou @Ch0ubella

This sentiment has come as a rude awakening to cash-drunk, growth-focused startups, which must now figure out two things: the levers they need to pull to shift from growth to profit, and whether they have the skills and stomach to pull them. Back in early 2016, Handy was faced with the possibility that it might not have either.

Hanrahan and Dua met as classmates at Harvard Business School and had the idea for Handy (originally called Handybook) while sharing an apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There was a third roommate who didn't join their team but provided an invaluable contribution in the form of inspiration. "I'm a tidy person," Hanrahan says. "Umang is like middle of the road, and then the third guy was nasty." Like so many would-be entrepreneurs at the time, Hanrahan and Dua were already wondering how they could use the new ubiquity of smartphones to upend some settled market. On-demand cleaning seemed like a large and unclaimed opportunity--albeit one full of challenges they couldn't foresee.

Their timing was good. In 2012, when they launched, the financial crisis was a receding memory, the "Uber but for fill-in-the-blank" phenomenon was still in its infancy, and VCs had a keen appetite for on-demand plays. Joel Cutler, an investor at General Catalyst Partners, had two pieces of feedback when Hanrahan and Dua asked him to join Handy's $2 million seed round: They should ask for more money, and they should drop out of business school to focus on the startup full time. The next couple of years was a land grab against rivals like Homejoy, Mopp, and Exec, and that often meant outspending them. Handy eventually acquired Mopp and Exec.

Then, in July 2015, Homejoy went out of business. Rebecca Greene, who oversees Handy's marketplace operations, remembers Homejoy's shutdown triggering a surge of relief with a tinge of existential worry. "It makes you a little nervous when you consider your biggest competitor is suddenly no longer there," she says.

"It makes you a little nervous when you consider your biggest competitor is suddenly no longer there."

To Hanrahan, it was a bad news-good news situation. Just a year earlier, Homejoy probably could have raised another round ... and now it couldn't. "The capital markets had changed in general, but they had definitely changed for the on-demand or flexible economy," he says. The good news, however, was "we were now in a category where there wasn't a number two that was fighting us for every single customer with very aggressive unit economics. We had the space to focus on sustainability instead of pure growth."

Handy didn't just have space. It had a financial imperative. Throughout its brief history, the company has been dogged by complaints and low ratings. The reviews section of its page in the Apple App Store is full of horror stories--tales of last-minute cancellations, no-shows, clueless cleaners, damaged floors, you name it. Some quality issues were simple rookie mistakes, like the time Handy ran a big promotional offer without realizing it was Easter weekend, and almost no cleaners were available, forcing the company to cancel bookings and issue credits en masse. Others were growing pains, the enviable problems of a company struggling to keep up with snowballing demand. "The growth may come overnight, but your ability to deal with it--it's not a switch," says Dua.

But other issues were structural, the same sorts of stumbling blocks that tripped up Homejoy. Home-cleaning is what's known as a "high-cost-of-failure" business: A booking costs a lot more and takes a lot longer than, say, a car ride, and customers are considerably less willing to laugh off one that goes wrong. "It's just a hard category," Hanrahan says. "This is most of the complexity of Uber with an added layer of what actually happens in the home."

These problems were less important than the company's explosive growth while the money still flowed. But now, with the company burning through more than $1.5 million per month, it had to turn those irate customers into consistent profit centers, and the only way to do that was to improve the product.

Umang Dua, COO

CREDIT: Daniel Seung Lee

The company had been trying to address these problems from the start. In its first two years, as demand soared, the company hired dozens of hourly workers to handle the flood of incoming complaints and problems. Eventually, it had a team of more than 100 customer service associates in its cramped New York City office, manning phone banks in shifts. Even with all the new bodies, wait times often ran as long as an hour. It also implemented chatbots to serve as a customer's first contact. Unlike human employees, bots never take bathroom breaks or want overtime pay for holidays. (They can, however, be unpredictable and profligate in their own way: Once, after a customer entered her phone number incorrectly, a Handy chatbot ran up a $50,000 bill exchanging preprogrammed text messages with what turned out to be another company's automated chat app.)

But by mid-2015, the need for a cheaper solution was painfully obvious. By outsourcing the customer experience department to call centers in Florida and Missouri, the co-founders knew they could reduce that part of the payroll by more than 50 percent, saving millions of dollars a year. But they also worried they'd be giving up a valuable measure of control. They argued over the pros and cons for hours, in the end agreeing that call centers were the way to go. That meant laying off dozens of customer experience associates they'd so recently brought on. Both co-founders say it was a wrenching moment. "It just sucks," Hanrahan says.

But that was nothing com­pared with the self-inflicted pain Hanrahan suffered through in early 2016 as he waited for his self-service onboarding initiative to stop bleeding and start being profitable. Instead, things got worse.

He and Dua had intended to roll out the self-serve model slowly, market by market, but then word began making its way around Handy that virtual onboarding was the long-term scenario. Members of the operations team who handled onboarding in markets where self-serve wasn't yet up and running demanded to know whether their jobs were safe; at least half a dozen didn't wait to find out and took other offers. Rolling out the change gradually had seemed like caution; instead it was creating chaos. "Anything more than a couple of weeks when people's jobs are at stake is a long time for them to have uncertainty," Hanrahan acknowledges.

As the months passed, Hanrahan stayed resolute, but only because he didn't see an option. The Dublin-born entrepreneur is fond of a saying from home: The best way to climb a wall is to throw your shoes over it. Handy, he says, had thrown its shoes over the wall, committing itself to the business model, and there was no going back.

As Handy's engineers worked out the kinks in the new self-serve platform, the onboarding completion rate stopped dropping like a stone. By the end of the first quarter, it matched the pre-rollout rate, and by the end of the second quarter, it outpaced the old rate by 10 percent. It looked like Hanrahan had made the right call after all. It helped that Handy's biggest competitor wasn't around to capitalize on its wobble.

Most recently, Handy has increased the layers of chatbots that customers have to go through before they can get to a human customer service representative. Between the success of the onboarding initiative and the shift to more chatbots, the company laid off another 42 employees in March, just four months after it closed its $50 million Series C.

Oisin Hanrahan, CEO

CREDIT: Daniel Seung Lee

Replacing people with software systems is the kind of decision that's difficult emotionally but a no-brainer as a matter of business rationale, Hanrahan says. The company simply needed to get to the size at which spending money to build those systems made economic sense. "It's important, as you go through these scaling moments, that you figure out the places where you can do something in an automated way and where the human touch is more valuable," he says. "Our goal is to focus humans where they can have the most value and focus bots or machines where they can have the most value."

An extremely important lesson Handy has learned during its pivot to profit came from a decision that was made long before the funding environment became challenging. At the advice of its investors, the company decided in 2014 not to expand to any new markets beyond the 28 it was already in. Pressing pause on expansion to new cities, and focusing instead on growing within existing markets, carried significant risks, especially during a period in which the "growth uber alles" ethos still reigned. If Handy wasn't already in a market, some other cleaning startup could seize it. "It's an all-out land grab and will continue to be in perpetuity," acknowledges Bob Davis, a general partner at Highland Capital Partners. "There's a tradeoff."

The risk ended up being worth it. The more customer density Handy has in a market, the better its business model works--customer acquisition is cheaper, the greater density of both cleaners and customers makes it easier for both to get appointments they want, and referrals jump as a result. Happier customers means fewer contacts with customer service staff. Happy staff means higher retention and less need for recruitment and onboarding assistance. If Handy hadn't stopped its market expansion, it would not be reaping these benefits today.

"From the outside, you look at this and think probably the way to improve unit economics is reduce pay to pros, increase prices to customers, maybe discount less," Hanrahan says. "On the inside, you realize so much more of it has to do with optimization and getting your pros more jobs."

Handy's economics are looking healthier with each passing quarter. More than 50 percent of its growth is organic or through referral channels, yielding a 33 percent drop in the average cost of acquiring a customer, from $30 to $20, in the past six months. Discounted bookings (typically sold through deal sites like Groupon) are down from 12 to 7 percent of the total. All of Handy's cities are now gross margin positive, versus 72 percent in October 2015, and the company as a whole saw its gross margins jump from 7 to 20 percent. Most critically, Handy's burn rate has been falling steadily. At $1.5 million a month last summer, it has come down by more than 15 percent since, and, sometime in the second half of 2017, the company expects to flip over into profitability. And that's budgeting in for the launch of new cities and at least one new service vertical.

None of this necessarily means that Handy is done with the money-burning part of its story. Startups often do a profitability toe-touch, just to prove it's within their reach, and then dive back into investment mode. "Will we raise more capital 12 months out? Maybe, maybe not," says Dua. "But if you do it, you want to do it from a position of strength. You want your fate in your own hands." Compared with some of the upside-down thinking of the bubble years, that sounds like a philosophy that makes sense whatever the season.