#truly an offensive email to get

[voylitscope]

The way I am insulted by this email I got after I watched CA:TWS last night:

Hey, did you enjoy Captain America: The Winter Soldier? Did you enjoy Steve Rogers as a character? Did you enjoy literally anything about Steve and Bucky's relationship? Well, we actually hate when people like those things. We hate it so much that we're going to suggest you watch MCU movies in an order that makes absolutely no sense and would confuse you deeply if you really did it. We're going to suggest you make a totally illogical jump in films and watch Endgame next!

Like, I don't really think that whatever algorithm Disney+ uses to send out these marketing emails takes any of that into account. But. For fuck's sake.

[lizzaneia-elizalde]

Request: Knoxx Wyatt (cowboy yandere) reacting to us (his darling) deciding to go back to the city (cause we got better job prospects or something, I don’t know). What would this man do to keep us from leaving? (And I guess this would still technically be early into the “relationship” where we aren’t long term commitment or haven’t truly “defined” the relationship yet). I just wanna see this man become unhinged. See his “yan” side 😉

P.S. Don’t ever feel guilty about your pregnancy/baby stories. I love them (and probably a lot of your fans since we all most likely got breeding/pregnancy kinks…cause this is Tumblr after all…😘)

Yandere! Cowboy x New in town! Teacher! gn! Reader

WHAT IF: Darling goes back to the city?

Thanks for the reassurance anon! I was seriously getting worried LMAO. Now, I think you know where this is going with what would Knoxx do...

TW: Tampered contraceptives, forced breeding.

"Darlin... What do you mean by that?"

Knoxx gripped the saddle in his hands, his eyes wide as saucers.

You shrugged and gave him your phone which he snatched up immediately.

It was an email in which you're assigned to be a teacher in a prestigious University.

Knoxx felt cold in the stomach. The veins on his arm starting to bulge, blood pumping hastily to his heart as his mind went haywire with the prospect of you--

No, he can't even imagine it.

"But Darlin, yer only been 'ere for months. Not even a year." Knoxx whispered, trying to grit back the wallowing despair in his chest.

"That's what I said! But it's such a good opportunity. With a salary that's definitely much better. No offense."

"N-none taken."

"Besides, I still got two months here!"

Knoxx bit the inside of his cheeks, feeling his molars squish down the flesh, piercing it and letting the blood flow down to his tongue, tasting the metallic flavor before it trickled down to his throat.

Yet, no matter how much he hurts himself, he's not waking from his nightmare.

He wanted to let out a bitter cry but all he could do is laugh deeply. His eyes shaking from the raging emotions that threatened to bubble out.

His mind, heart, and body screamed to hold you down and break your legs, locking you up.

But he didn't.

He let out a trembling sigh and gave a wry smirk.

"Is that so, darlin? Congratulations." He mustered up his best acting skills and bowed with his cowboy hat on his chest.

His smirk widened when he gazed at your body, eyes hungrily drinking in your form.

"How about this, darlin? Let's make the most of those two months. You and me, fucking like animals. Just like you wanted." Knoxx grinned, gulping the blood and giving you such predatory eyes that he knows you love.

You shivered, heat pooling your stomach and lighting up arousal in your body.

"okay. Later night?"

"Oh sure, darlin."

Knoxx pocketed his fist on his jeans, fidgeting with the condoms he had in tow, while his eyes bore into the pin you have on your chest. Specifically, the pointy end.

"See you later."

~~~Two months later~~~

By the time you were supposed to leave the town, you threw up in the toilet bowl, emptying the hearty meal you prepared yourself. The smell of the paprika and pepper singing your sinuses and making you nauseous once more.

Your heart raced.

You loved pepper and paprika chicken.

You loved spicy foods.

Why would it make you sick?

Food poisoning? No. Impossible.

Your legs shook as you stood up, looking at the bedroom and seeing Knoxx's naked back hugging your pillow.

With a frantic search in the bedroom, you spot the used condoms on the floor beside your bed, and your breath hitched, seeing it leak on the tip. It's tampered with. Every. Single. Condom.

Did he also poked holes on the other condoms he used with your previous encounters?

You felt nauseous once more, but this time, due to your disgust and betrayal, mixed with fear.

You wanted to cry, to scream.

But you don't want to risk waking him up.

You need to get out of there.

With a hasty yet careful movement, you dressed up and ran outside, but stopped when you heard growls. Dog growls.

Knoxx herding dogs were circling you, backing you up back to the porch of your house. Eyes hostile yet calm, they herded you back to the frame of the door until you bumped into a hard surface.

You tensed, feeling two strong arms circle around your waist and felt the hands palm your stomach.

"Hmm... Bun in the oven. How delightful."

Knoxx's husky and deep voice sent shivers down your spine as he kissed your neck and slowly swayed you left to right.

"darlin, let's go back to bed. Pregnancy this early is especially dangerous for you."

You wanted to scream and shout, yet Knoxx's ranch was too big for other people to hear.

Was Knoxx's house this far from the town?

Was Knoxx's ranch always this deserted?

You felt something cover your head, making you flinch.

It's his cowboy hat.

Remember, he already staked his claim on you.

You're his.

[sysakiddo]

Daniel is an overworked scientist who needs litres of coffee to function properly. He likes doing the research and he is acclaimed enough to be treated like a popstar in the community. He likes the attention that comes with it, likes being invited to symposiums where they ask him about his work. 

One day, he gets an email from the head of the association he is part of. The subject of the mail says kid has balls. Daniel chuckles and opens it, finds out it's a research paper that's been printed out two days ago. His own work is referenced multiple times. He scrolls down to the first mention. 

Ricciardo et al. (2024) conclude that this effect is caused by the failure of humanitarian interventions in Africa so far. This can be, of course, easily debunked. The success or failure of humanitarian intervention can be measured by at least sixteen different variables (Schmidt 2022). Ricciardo et al. (2024) use three variables. One must therefore doubt the validity and accuracy of these conclusions. 

Daniel scoffs. He doesn't read the paper, only shoots a quick reply email with nothing but lol. 

He forgets about it soon enough. Ain't nobody dissing Daniel in his own research field. But a similar email comes again in a month, and Daniel's mood is sour. This time, it's a reaction to a speech he had at a random symposium. 

Ricciardo (2024) steers clear of defining this geopolitical concept in a definitive matter. He reconstructed the operationalisation of the concept numerous times. This ambiguity is unfortunate and detracts from the validity of the whole research. 

Daniel yells at Josh across his office. “Come and look at this shit, mate!” Josh doesn't have the reaction Daniel hoped for. He reads the passage and cackles evilly at his sour look. “Is it the same guy as the last time? You got your ass handed to you,” 

Daniel reaches his limit the third time it happens. He looks up the author of the paper. Verstappen, Max Emillian, PhD., Associate Professor with Tenure. Yale University. Daniel's frown deepens. He reads the offensive passage again. 

Numerous researchers claimed the same. For example, Ricciardo (2022) used a survey to collect data from citizens of the contented districts and concluded the same thing. A survey is hardly a good choice for this type of research question, as it is highly reductionist and cannot be duplicated with high validity. 

Daniel has enough. He is going to confront this guy when he attends the same work thingy as him. He won't let an Ivy League freak diss his research. 

And he is truly ready the next time he is at a black tie event. Josh knows about the plan and it's him who finds that dick first. He points a finger at a man standing just a few feet away from Daniel, his back turned to him. Daniel nods to himself and strides to the group where his nemesis stands. Luckily, he sees Alex in the group, who waves at him to come over. “Hey, Alex!” Daniel exclaims loudly enough that everyone looks over, even the man Daniel has his hate speech prepared for. 

He is SO not prepared for the gaze that lands on him, the steely blue eyes and wide shoulders and thick, thick tights that are on full display in his dress pants. Daniel's mouth is suddenly very dry. He tries to swallow. It doesn't help. Max is looking at him with a slight smirk on his face. Alex is saying something, and Daniel nods even though he has no idea what was said. 

“You must be Daniel,” Daniel says nonsensically, then chokes. “Or, no! Oh my god. I am Daniel. You are, of course, doctor Verstappen. Gosh, it's so hot in here, isn't it?” 

The smirk on Max's face grows more prominent. He still doesn't say anything. Daniel thinks he hears Alex trying to hold back his giggles. He brings the wine glass to his mouth but doesn't drink from it, petrified he is going to spill it all over himself. Don't look at his tits, don't look at his tits, he chants at himself but doesn't really succeed. His cheeks are way too warm to look naturally flushed.

“So, yeah. That was embarrassing. I got some new funding. Would you be interested in being a part of my new project?”

[troybarnesbabygirlconfirmed]

hey!!!! so, im making a social media edit and like my friend gave me a prompt. its britta and abed talking sh*t abt jeff but i haven’t seen the show in like AGES so idk how to do that, so do you have any ideas on how they would do that? (asking since youre a writer)

LMAO okay my thoughts:

britta and abed know jeff the best of any character beside the dean because he reads jeff’s emails

jeff and abed relate to each other personality-wise a lot so i think the bulk of them starting to talk shit about him (when you talk shit with someone, you usually dont wanna get too offensive too fast) would probably come from his appearance because britta finds abed’s insults on appearance most funny

probably would start with them insulting his forehead and move past that

britta would insult how his daddy issues make him bitter and hateful and probably also his “cool” guy mentality, she would probably also talk about the way he is in bed.

(depending on how canon you want this to be, abed would probably either listen patiently or agree… 😏)

abed would probably go for jeff’s tendency to bottle up and explode as well as the “im so awesome” act, although he’d probably be the first to say he truly does see jeff’s insecurities and how they play into his current personality

britta could also start going off on his fear of commitment but i feel like abed, having some issues with close partnership himself, might not be as responsive.

i’d probably make britta talk more than abed does because britta’s anger tends to escalate and make her hyperverbal whereas abed’s anger is very sharp but generally contained.

ANYWAYS THIS IS A LONG RESPONSE HOPE THIS HELPS

[roo-bastmoon]

The old fashioned way...

Might not do any good but doesn't take much effort to write letters, send emails, and post tweets.

To: support@weverse.io

My message, in case it's a helpful template:

My name is [redacted here] and I live in the USA. I am a member of WeVerse and have a paid ARMY membership subscription.

I will be boycotting WeVerse purchases and publications and encouraging other fans to do so until you issue an apology for your extremely damaging, insulting, and offensive feature article titled "Morgan Wallen is the Most Wanted Man in Music."

Not only does your article reduce being a white supremacist to being "a troublemaker" and a "mischief maker" while also making other problematic statements (what exactly IS "traditional White American values" and "the celebration of white culture"?), but you also denigrate the achievements of two of the world's best artists--Park Jimin and Min Yoongi of BTS.

Jimin has not had "some partial success in breaking up [Wallen's] domination"--he has made history as the first Korean to get a #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #2 on Billboard's Global 200, despite only 9 days of promotion, 2 music videos, barely any advertisements, delayed playlisting, split streams, deleted views, culled sales, and his songs never being sent to radio. 

 Agust D did not "jockey" for first place but was "unable to topple One Thing at a Time from its pedestal." Once again, Billboard culled the sales it counted and instead favored American artists' paid radio-play, but almost no news agency is willing to publish about this topic. Instead, Agust D has had the highest grossing tour of any Korean soloist in US history. It took Morgan Wallen EIGHT WEEKS to achieve the sales Min Yoongi did in just one week, but nowhere do you mention this in your love letter where you call this racist white man a "breath of fresh air" and "the most wanted man in all of pop music."

I am so deeply disappointed in your "journalism" and frankly disgusted that you would speak of Hybe's own exemplary artists this way. It smacks of sabotage for the artists and contempt and disrespect to the fans. I genuinely feel ashamed to be a paying contributor to WeVerse now. You have truly lost the trust and admiration you might have enjoyed from so many millions of ARMY and K-pop fans.

I have to wonder if WeVerse would even still exist without BTS. In any case, I will be boycotting all WeVerse purchases and publications, and actively campaigning for other fans to do the same, until you issue an apology and learn the proper way to handle sensitive issues around race in America and the music industry--without minimizing K-pop artists' contributions to music. I have no idea what you gained from publishing something that promotes a person like this and diminishes the achievements of people with actual talent, but you certainly are going to lose a lot of your original core audience as a result.

Do better.

-[name redacted here]

[weverse membership number redacted here]

[strangertheories]

Firstly, I'm not trying to cancel Millie! A lot of her Brenner love is just a result of her close relationship with Matthew Modine so she wants Eleven to like him because she likes him in my opinion, based on the context of her also saying she loves Vecna and Angela. This was also ten months ago and she wasn't trying to be offensive but a few people have asked me what she said in reference to this post, and Millies quotes were:

"Y'know I think people really wanna label it like "oh my gosh is Will?" It doesn't matter, y'know? At the end of the day, what's so nice is that in this day and age, it's 2022, we don't have to label things. It's ok to not know, it's ok to be confused, to be going through it and that's what Will is. We don't have to label it, I think the friendship of Finn and Noah prevails on screen, we get to see that beautiful friendship come alive and if that's romantic then that's for Will to discover. That's a story I think that everyone should take away from Stranger Things is that it's ok to not know."

Which... Yes it's ok to not know your sexuality but the issue is that Will definitely does and Millie said this very very soon after Noah said Will was 100% gay, hence why her saying he's confused came across very weirdly. And also saying it doesn't matter is different when you have an unlabeled character vs when you're refusing to explicitly call a gay character gay.

In reference to the Brenner stuff, first she said that he was the saddest death in the show and she later said he's a character everyone hates but she adores. And said if she could pick a character other than El to be her fave, she'd say Brenner because she's "a good daughter". I cannot find the clip of her calling Brenner her dad over Hopper annoyingly, but I have found my text messages about it from July of last year. I'm sure other people can reply to verify that I'm not making this up, just that the search function on TikTok and Tumblr is broken.

So yeah, I love Millie a lot, but her opinions at conventions are truly something lmao. Don't get angry at her please! It's also important to remember that pre-volume 2, Noah was also saying the stuff about Will having no label but later clarified he had to for spoiler purposes. Millie might just have missed that memo, she has spoken in the past about ignoring long emails from Netflix saying what she can and cannot say.

[gamersonthego]

GOTG Review: Hypnospace Outlaw

This is the next game in my Backlog Roulette series, where each month I spin a wheel to randomly select a game on my massive backlog that I must play (though not necessarily to completion). These wheel spins occur on the monthly preview episodes I co-host with my friends on The Casual Hour podcast.

Both of my parents were educators at my elementary school (they're retired now.) Mom was a 3rd grade teacher and Dad taught gym. They both would stay after classes were over to work on lesson plans or grade papers or move equipment, and I got to freely choose which one to spend time with before we got to go home. With Dad, I would mostly practice free throws in the gym (though I never got any good at them). But with Mom, I’d often get to play on her computer (when I wasn’t watching Digimon Adventure on her classroom TV.

That was probably my first real experience with computers. I’d play things like Oregon Trail II (the best one, by the way) or an awful typing program called PAWS featuring a freaky Cheshire-Cat-like mascot. But sometimes, I would load up Netscape Navigator and just poke around on the late ‘90s internet. 

I hated this cat so much as a kid.

I only remember bits and pieces of that time online. A Sokoban block-pushing puzzler, a Super Mario Bros. fan game with all-new levels, some first-person hovercraft racer that had multiplayer LAN capabilities (I’ve never been able to find that game since, it’s definitely not Hover! by Microsoft.) a fansite for the Sonic Underground cartoon. Even with my fragmented memory, I remember the joy and adventure I had just digging around. Anything could be around that next corner, and that was half the fun.

Hypnospace Outlaw is the closest I’ve ever come to reliving those formative computer experiences. Set in an alternate 1999, you are thrust into Hypnospace — an internet stand-in that’s part GeoCities and part forum chatroom — and are asked to moderate and police this online Wild West. 

Developer Tendershoot has nailed the tone and aesthetic of this era. The highly compressed bitmap images, the way pages auto-play (incredible) music when they load, the terrible, terrible fonts, the fileshare servers that are completely inscrutable unless you know exactly what you’re looking for — it’s all just perfect. And it’s not just Hypnospace. The game has its own little desktop computer experience complete with email, virtual pets, a download manager and more. It reminds me of Cibele or Her Story, but much more freeform and robust. But all that is just aesthetic —  the game itself is pretty cool too. As a Hypnospace moderator, you’re given little jobs as you explore the various pages and zones of the browser: Take down some copyrighted material here, censor some threatening speech there, find some lost files that are hanging around…somewhere. Some of these tasks just require you to pay close attention to the pages themselves, while others force you to put on your hacker cap as you cross reference ID codes with unlisted pages, crack passwords or decrypt files, all while a corporate conspiracy bubbles up around you. 

It’s truly satisfying to use your online sleuthing skills to their fullest. And whether you’re stopping a virus from breaking the virtual world or just banning a kid who can’t seem to stop making offensive webcomics, you just feel this sense of power.

In many ways, Hypnospace Outlaw the platonic ideal of the concept of late-90s computing. I do wonder if that hyper-specific aesthetic and mechanics gives it too narrow of an audience, but as someone who is part of that narrow audience, I found my experience with it to be incredibly fun. And it’s one I won’t soon forget.

[crosby-interesting]

Monika Caryk to this day swears she didn't do anything to Melinda. Melinda claimed she had to have a protection order against Monika but it turns out that order never existed, Monika then said in court that Melinda was the one who suddenly started excluding her from team dinners and get togethers and stopped liking her posts really suddenly. She said she did take offense but she never attacked her, she then says that all the wags started emailing her and telling her they were disgusted and didn't want her near them Essentially Monika has her evidence that clears her name, she and her husband Mike offered Erik the evidence and he basically told them to fuck off. A IT (information technology) person was then hired ot looked at the comments/posts Melinda alleged Monika made and based on IP addresses, places and times, they were found to NOT be connected to Monika's accounts in any way, no possibility. When Erik and Melinda found about the IT reports they filed some complaint in court that barred Monika from being able to publicly post her evidence/clear her name All together it was just a big big mess and I feel horrible for Melinda and her having to endure this while losing her son, same for Erik of course. But part of me really feels horrible for Monika because she to this day gets harassed about this and she legally can't say a thing despite her having her set evidence to clear her and her husbands name. I just don't feel like she did it, I truly think they were just really mean trolls. The wags had been excluding her for a while and Melinda then being the captains wife joining in wasn't the best.

consider that I'm in Monica team

[bogleech]

Yes it is American Psycho and the funniest part is that the scene isn't overtly any more sexual than anything else in the movie even if admittedly it's a pretty horny movie in general

The reason the various murders aren't here is that as you can see it is only the "Impudence/Hate" category. The categories are Wanton Violence & Crime, Impudence & Hate, Sex & Homosexuality, Drugs & Alcohol, Offense to God, and Murder/Suicide, in other words they spell out "W I S D O M." In every category a movie had 100 starting points and loses 1 point for every offense. American Psycho is actually one of only four films to ever get an absolute 0 alongside Freddy vs. Jason, Scary Movie and Sin City, while the only non-Christian film to ever retain all 100 points in every category was Mary Poppins.

The actual purpose is supposed to be strictly to list things he thinks might be a bad influence on children, which makes it weird that he even bothered reviewing movies like American Psycho. I think he did it mostly for the sake of completion, comparison and because people bring teens to R rated movies anyway. When I was around maybe 13-15 this guy became a weird hyperfixation where I'd troll his email and rag on all his opinions, but decades later the only thing I can still say I hate is his ridiculous degree of homophobia, this was from The Birdcage:

But the sad thing is, I now realize he wasn't a chud and wasn't even "conservative" about anything else by our current standards, I mean, some other things he truly HATED to see in film was any glorification of guns, war, or police brutality, callousness towards the poor, discrimination towards the disabled, casual racism, and even displays of "insensitive parenting." He was not okay with people ever hitting their kids, or in fact ever even talking down to or dismissing the feelings of kids. A thing he says about Pooh's Heffalump Movie is actually kinda touching, (even if he forgot Kanga's name)

Like this is a really sweet outlook, it's just too bad that his "rational explanations" to a child would have also included "because god says it's evil." :(

CAPALERT was a Christian website that used to analyze movies and list out every single "offense" kind of like the bible-thumper version of doesthedogdie but there's one movie I had no idea they ever covered

[fraemlingg]

im just gonna freestyle this text so this is not gonna be very thought through or whatever but literally i am so incredibly sick of social media i am sooo sick of that ugly AI slop everywhere and algorithms and ads and everything being designed to keep us glued to our screens no matter the consequences

i am sick of monetarisation i am sick of posting my art online literally begging for people to like my posts in hopes of being able to make at least a lil money with my art one day it feels like im selling myself out and its so fucking far from authentic like im a tattoo artist and so i follow a bunch of other tattoo artists and although they all have such amazing unique styles everything feels so performative and i KNOW that every single one of them feels the same and its so fucking sad that we cant really do anything about it

and im not trying to sound pretentious but i?? kinda hate meme culture?? it pisses me off?? can we not have normal inside jokes anymore why are 10 people sending me funny little posts even though they know i will not look at them (and like rlly truly no offense bc i know they do it bc they love me and think of me and i love them for it and i appreciate it in one way or another im not being judgy rn thats not my point). i want to write letters not dms but i feel like if i were to say that i might be called "cringe" which yknow is a concern i already expressed in another post and might be a me-problem but as ethel cain said it so fantastically nothing is taken seriously anymore and i hugely blame social media and meme culture

and like pls keep enjoying ur memes im again not judging just speaking from my subjective experience and that experience is that it caused me brainrot im not sure i'll ever be able to fix and that SUUUUCKS dude we all got dragged into phone addiction without a fucking choice and it will just get worse and worse and worse

i watched LuvstarKeis youtube video on why you should make a website and i think they (i looked everywhere for their pronouns sry if i got it wrong ;w;) have such good points i rlly enjoy their youtube videos in general. so yea in the long run i think im gonna create a website (or two to separate tattoos n music), post it to instagram with a statement, and then im gonna "leave instagram". putting that in "" bc im gonna keep my instagram but only so people can dm me for appointments or other things bc i dont wanna give out my telegram and people these days are too damn lazy to write a single email (even dj bookers lol it pisses me off a bit like what do i have this mail for then). like why are people using AI to write emails pls make it stop sometimes we have to do things that are inconvenient and that is actually a GOOD thing my fucking god, same thing goes for physical media like dvds nd such like fuck streaming services but thats another topic for another day

im probably gonna keep posting on my priv instagram just bc like. theres so many photos on there from so many years ago that would probably be lost if i deleted that account nd like i go on there like every 3 months or so to dump my photos there and then i log off so whatever. i am mostly pissed off about sharing art on social media and feeling so unauthentic about it and being glued to my phone when i could do so many other much better things liKE UGHHHHHHH

i think dead internet theory is scary and depressing but lowkey i hope the internet is actually dying bc i am so sick of this internet society. i am so goddamn sick of everyone being addicted to their phones. remember when we had a life like?????? how did we end up like this

i also wanna get a flipphone one day but yea i gotta plan that shit

i just needed to vent i could probably go on for ages about this but imma choose to shut the fuck up now

[yhwhrulz]

Worthy Brief - November 19, 2024

Pass the grace, please!

John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Having spent over 20 years living in Israel's Negev Desert, I've come to appreciate the importance of salt in maintaining proper hydration. "What in the world does salt have to do with grace and truth?", you ask. Well, I'll tell you.

Salt, as you might recall from chemistry class, is a combination of sodium and chlorine. Sodium is a harmless active element, while chlorine is a toxic gas responsible for bleach's unpleasant odor. Yet, when these two elements combine, they form salt—a substance widely used to preserve food and enhance its flavor.

In the same way, if we present the truth of the Gospel without grace, it often produces a very offensive and sometimes poisonous effect on those with whom we share it. However, if we combine the two, we'll be be able to preserve and bring out the delicious flavor of our faith!

Grace and truth came by Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ), the scripture says. How much more should we approach the world around us with these two important components?

Are you finding it challenging to share the Gospel effectively? Maybe you need more grace—or perhaps more truth. Let’s give our efforts to the Lord and ask Him to spice it up the way He likes! It’s harvest time! If we share the gospel full of grace and truth, we will surely reap a hundredfold!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Melbourne, Florida)

Editor's Note: Over the weekend, Worthy News published an in-depth analysis exposing the UN's efforts to influence the global narrative through AI and the media. Shortly after, the article was removed by Facebook. To help our audience understand what’s truly relevant, we’ve launched the Worthy Jail page, showcasing censored news that deserves attention. If you share a Worthy News article and it gets taken down, send us a screenshot—we’ll honor you with a Worthy Facebook Jail T-shirt! Read more …https://worthy.social/worthy-jail/

Editor's Note: Feel free to share any of our content from Worthy, including Devotions, News articles, and more, on your social platforms. You have full permission to copy and repost anything we produce.

Editor's Note: During this war, we have been live blogging throughout the day -- sometimes minute by minute on our Telegram channel. https://t.me/worthywatch/ Be sure to check it out!

Editor's Note: Dear friends — we are going to be heading WEST!!! Now booking in the following states: Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas …. If you know Pastors, Rabbis or Ministry Leaders who might be interested in some powerful Israeli style Hebrew/English worship and a refreshing word from Worthy News about what’s going on in the Land, please let us know how to connect with them and we will do our best to get you on our schedule! You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information.

[annaasher123]

UK Digital Marketing Regulations: A Guide to Staying Compliant

A manual to Staying Compliant In today’s fast-evolving virtual panorama, groups in the uk have to navigate various rules to make sure they are conducting advertising and marketing activities legally and ethically. Staying compliant no longer best protects companies from fines, but additionally builds trust with customers. This manual outlines the important United Kingdom virtual advertising and marketing policies and how businesses can live compliant. 

1. The general information protection regulation (GDPR) 

The GDPR, which got here into impact in 2018, is one of the most great data privacy policies. It governs how businesses collect, shop, and use private information. Under GDPR, digital marketers have to make certain that they have express consent from individuals before collecting their personal data, such as electronic mail addresses or cellphone numbers. to comply with GDPR: always request explicit consent from customers for data collection. provide clear facts about how information can be used. permit users to withdraw consent easily. - ensure relaxed storage and management of private information. Failure to comply with GDPR can bring about hefty fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual worldwide turnover, whichever is higher. 

2.  The privacy and digital communications guidelines (p.c.) 

Percent complement GDPR and in particular regulate digital advertising through electronic communications, consisting of emails, textual content messages, and getting in touch with calls. The regulations mandate that agencies ought to obtain previous consent before sending any direct advertising messages, besides in certain instances like present customer relationships. Key regions of compliance include: - Gaining consent earlier than sending advertising emails or texts. supplying an easy opt-out alternative for recipients. - ensuring call recipients are not indexed at the phone preference carrier (TPS). Non-compliance with % can cause fines and reputational damage. Marketers must often overview their consent mechanisms and replace practices accordingly. 

3. Cookies and tracking technologies 

Cookies and similar monitoring technology play a crucial role in virtual advertising, enabling companies to track consumer conduct and personalize content material. However, below United Kingdom law, businesses ought to obtain informed consent from customers before placing cookies on their gadgets, except for strictly necessary cookies. to remain compliant: Show a clean and concise cookie consent banner on your internet site. Give an explanation for the kinds of cookies used and their purposes. give customers the choice to simply accept or reject non-crucial cookies. Marketers have to regularly assess and update their cookie policies to make certain transparency and compliance. 

4. The opposition and Markets Authority (CMA) recommendations on marketing 

The CMA oversees advertising practices within the United Kingdom, making sure they're truthful and not misleading. Virtual advertising campaigns should follow the CMA’s advertising and marketing regulations, which require that advertisements are trustworthy, not deceptive, and absolutely distinguishable from editorial content. To make certain compliance: Make certain all claims in commercials are substantiated with evidence. - truly label paid or subsidized content to avoid deceptive customers. - avoid the usage of unfair phrases in promotions or contracts with clients. Failure to follow the CMA’s suggestions can result in legal movements, along with fines or regulations on advertising sports. 

5. Advertising standards Authority (ASA) Codes 

The ASA is responsible for enforcing the UK’s advertising codes, which cover all styles of advertising, which include online and social media. The codes are designed to shield clients from misleading, harmful, or offensive advertising. To stay compliant with ASA codes: - Make sure that every claim in ads is trustworthy and can be proven. - avoid offensive or dangerous content, including ads that sell dangerous behaviors. - certainly expose any business motive in social media posts by using influencers or logo ambassadors. Corporations ought to often evaluate their marketing content to make certain it aligns with the ASA’s requirements, mainly while conducting influencer advertising. 

6. Consumer protection from unfair buying and selling policies 2008 

Consumer protection from unfair trading policies (CPRs) is another crucial law that virtual marketers need to take into account. The CPRs prohibit misleading actions and omissions in marketing, in addition to competitive business practices. to remain compliant: Do no longer exaggerate product features or create false impressions. Make certain that any omissions in advertising materials do no longer lie to consumers. - keep away from excessive-pressure sales strategies that might be considered competitive. Breaches of the CPRs can bring about felony motion, fines, and reputational damage. 

7. Highbrow belongings laws 

Virtual marketers have to also be aware of highbrow assets (IP) laws while the use of snapshots, motion pictures, or other content material of their campaigns. Using copyrighted material without proper permission can lead to legal motion. To keep away from IP infringement: always reap permission or licenses for any 0.33-celebration content material utilized in advertising and marketing. - remember the use of royalty-free pictures, motion pictures, and songs in which feasible. - attribute creators nicely when necessary. ensuring that your digital advertising content material complies with IP legal guidelines will guard your commercial enterprise from luxurious legal disputes. 

8. Kid's online privacy safety 

In case your virtual advertising and marketing activities goal or include youngsters, special care has to be taken to conform with United Kingdom laws that protect youngsters’s privacy online. Advertising and marketing to youngsters below thirteen calls for explicit consent from their mother and father or guardians. To make sure compliance: - acquire parental consent for any facts accrued from kids. - Do no longer make the most of children's lack of experience or vulnerability in advertising. Ensure that commercials targeted at children are suitable and do not inspire harmful behaviors. 

9. Nice practices for compliance 

Staying compliant with UK virtual advertising and marketing policies requires non-stop attempts and interest in detail. Right here are a few fine practices to follow: - behavior regular compliance audits of your advertising sports. Train your advertising crew on the brand new policies and recommendations. hold clean information of consent for statistics collection and advertising sports. - overview and replace your privacy policies and phrases of the carrier regularly. Use computerized equipment to manage consent, song compliance, and manage choose-outs successfully. 

Conclusion 

Compliance with United Kingdom virtual advertising rules is essential for keeping patrons agree with and warding off hefty fines or criminal movements. By adhering to the GDPR, percent, and other applicable laws, organizations can make certain that their advertising sports are moral, obvious, and respectful of patron rights. Normal reviews, updates, and personnel schooling are critical to staying beforehand inside the evolving regulatory landscape.

If it feels like wading through a sea of paperwork, not to worry-there are professional agencies like  Digileap Marketing Services that ensure your digital marketing strategy is fully compliant with UK regulations while driving results and growth for your business.

[emptymanuscript]

Article with embedded video of the speech if you wish to check for yourself exactly what he says:

Transcript is also in the article if you want to see it written down but not watch it.

His remarks were delivered June 30th 2024 at Lake Church in White Lake, NC, the recording was made by the church, with the Robinson's and Pastor Cameron McGill's consent.

The link to their posting of the recording on Facebook, if you want to make sure it hasn't been tampered with. The speech is about 30 minutes long.

The New Republic states that it got an email statement from Pastor McGill about the incident:

“Without a doubt, those he deemed worthy of death [were] those seeking to kill us,” Pastor Cameron said in an email, adding that Robinson “certainly did not imply the taking of any innocent lives” and that the rest of his speech was “non-controversial.” There was no formal media presence during the speech, the Pastor confirmed.

Robinson is a frequently controversial figure.

Rolling Stones wrote an article about him this last March 9th 2024, cataloguing some of his more controversial statements. Though that isn't the word they used to describe said comments.

Slate also has its own article summing up, much more briefly, his biggest "hits."

I assume both were written in response to Robinson receiving former president Trump's “complete and total endorsement,” a few days earlier on March 2nd, 2024, stating that Robinson was like Martin Luther King but better.

In spite of the fact that Robinson has previously caused waves by stating, "MLK Was An Inferior Pastor And ‘Communist.’"

So this behavior is fairly in line with how he conducts himself and the kind of person he is. He is very staunchly a member of the MAGA party in excellent standing because he supports all their stances to a tee.

Which is what I think is more important for me:

There may only be one Robinson and he may, for the moment, be confined to North Carolina, but what he advocates and says is exactly why the MAGA movement and Trump like him so much. He is saying exactly what they like and want. He is speaking with their voice and he says it with authority and vitality. He is, quite simply, what MAGA is. Compare him to Trump and he is the living example of the old wisdom, “In America, you gotta work twice as hard [as white folks] to get half as much.” There is absolutely a reason this man is the first black Lt. Governor of North Carolina and has a good chance of being its first black Governor, the polls are well within the margin of error between him and his opponent and his numbers are generally trending upward.

He says clearly what he thinks about things. He is happy to elicit the controversy and ride that wave. Because he knows he can. Because he knows he is saying what his audience wants to hear and saying it best because he believes it. The offense is to his benefit because it is showing everyone exactly who he is and who is people are.

Which makes him helpful because he is telling us what MAGA thinks. He is telling us MAGA's goals. He is telling us exactly who they are.

The problem is that I think the left truly does not understand what is being said.

An excellent example of that is this clip from the young turks about the kerfuffle around the surfacing of his quote "I absolutely want to go back to the America where women couldn’t vote."

They're very good about giving the larger context but I think it is because they're missing the point, when the people who cherry picked that portion of the quote did not.

Go look through his speeches. I've now watched a whole lot more than I wanted to AND have barely brushed the surface. He likes to talk and he's quite charismatic. He resonates so well with his audience because he is absolutely identifying problems that do exist within that context and advocating their favored approach. It is not a problem within his own constituency, it is a benefit, because he is declaring clearly for them that he is Right Wing Authoritarian, like them, and they don't want people who aren't.

He is willing to go backwards in American cultural history to the point where women couldn't vote and people of color would be lynched because he is a Leopard.

The fundamental mistake people make in the metaphor of the Leopard party about MAGA is the assumption that anybody who supports the Leopards thinks they are not Leopards themselves. No one who thinks they are a Gazelle is going to support the Leopards. Everyone who thinks they are a Leopard is ok with that.

Make no mistake, the incomplete clip of him being happy to go back to women without voting rights is absolutely correct. Because he trusts the women who ARE Leopards to fight like Leopards and to seize that power back. He is confident that they can. Take away their voting rights and they will fight and kill and destroy and cheat and whatever it takes with utter ruthlessness until they have that power once again. There is nothing that will hold a Leopard back except trying to be a different animal. So, as a Leopard, he has zero fear of going backward. It's not a threat to him, it's a benefit.

Anyone who is NOT a Leopard - whether they don't want to be, so he couldn't give a shit about them, or they just aren't as powerful as they think they are and won't make it, which sucks, she was a real nice Gazelle, but it is still for the best because when it came down to it, she was no Leopard - will get purged. Their faces will get eaten by the Leopards so only the Leopards will survive. It is Social Darwinism, the strong succeed because they are strong. The weak get taken out because they are weak. That is the central thesis of Leopards Eating People's Faces Party, MAGA, modern Republicanism, Christofascism, whatever name you want to call it. Might Makes Right BECAUSE Right is Might.

This has been gaining strength as the Right Wing Authoritarian central organizing principle since Russell Conwell started the principles of Prosperity Gospel in the propagation of his Acres of Diamonds sermon. With Andrew Carnegie's The Gospel of Wealth to help it along by arguing that the benefits would inevitably trickle on down to everyone, even to those who didn't have God's direct blessing or didn't care about God either way. The plan was good by definition. And it is still more than good enough for MAGA. Same thing, different name. Might and Right are identical things. If you are one (enough) you must get the other. That is the natural order of things.

And the very worst thing for not just yourself but EVERYONE is to oppose that natural order which must inevitable weaken, sicken, and destroy both the individual and society. That is the true devil's work: opposing God's plan which destroys the Might of the Right and therefore destroys the Right until there is no Might left to resist the devil's influence and everything is laid to waste and lost forever.

If you have the stomach for it, it is worth listening to his 45 minute speech recorded at the Freedom House Church and kept up on their youtube channel. He's a much easier person to listen to than Trump. Unlike Trump, his charm and intelligence come through. It is simply easier to listen to him. Even if what he is saying is just as awful if you pause to think about what he is really saying and dissect what it means.

Yes, he really is happy to go back to the way it was because he believes with all his heart that he is a Leopard and that the Leopards are going to be just fine. If they are truly Leopards, they will take what they deserve. If they are not, they will get what they deserve. And in the end, that is what is best for everyone. No one deserves anything that they are not strong enough to take on their own because that is what God has deemed to be the plan.

You strive to be the best you can be and you live or die by that. And blessed is the good person who dies by God's plan. To die as a Leopard, because you are too weak to live as a Leopard, even though you tried, is the second best thing a Leopard can do. For that Leopard lived as a Leopard and died as a Leopard and both of those things made the Leopards stronger.

And that is what MAGA wants.

All the policies and inflammatory statements are side effects or boosters. They are nothing except the push to move the world toward what they want: rule by the Leopard.

And that's really all you have to ask yourself about whether you should support Robinson or any MAGA personality.

Are you ok with rule by the Leopard. Do you believe that Might and Right being identical is a good thing for yourself and those you care about?

You will never shame him or outlogic him or catch him out with some kind of hypocrisy because he is not a hypocrite by his own definition. He is a Leopard. If he hurts you, he is a Leopard and you are not. If he eats your face, fine, he is a Leopard and you are not. If he decides to help you, fine, he is a Leopard and you are not. As a Leopard, it is his right to decide. He can do the Noblesse Oblige thing or not. It's up to him because he is a Leopard. His Leopardness entitles him to what he can do. His might makes him right.

And if you are strong enough, he is cool with that. Leopards deserve their power because they are powerful. It is tautological. It is God's will. It is BECAUSE it is.

Are you strong enough to thrive in that paradigm? Are the people you care about strong enough to thrive in that paradigm? Will that paradigm give you the world you want when it goes right? When it goes wrong?

Are you a Leopard?

Look at all those inflammatory statements again. Does he think you are a Leopard? Can you prove it to the other Leopards when they start eating faces?

Standing in a church advocating murder.

#MAGA

[lillynigerianlitblog]

Week 7 Nigerian Blog

The most important quote of the week from, “Yinka, where is your huzband” is on page 164. Yinka says, “For the first time in a few days I feel like the Yinka, who knows what she’s about.” Yinka says this after she crushed her interview at the new job. She was getting her hair done by her aunt and read her the email from the manager at the new job saying she passed the first step and should come back for another interview. After feeling down because she lost her job and couldn’t tell her mom or sister about it, she secretly had to grind. This was the first time in a couple weeks that Yinka felt the best she ever had. She feels on top of the world. She got this new job and she thinks it is going well with alex. She has no complaints. 

I didn't really read a lot this week and I wishhh I could have read more. It was the first week back from thanksgiving so I wasn’t really back to the flow of things. However, as soon as I picked up my book I fell back in love with it. I was instantly eagered and drawn in again. Like I’ve said many times before, this book is too real. It makes me feel like I’m reading my journal or a friend's text message. When they talked about the struggles of getting your hair done as a black girl and the struggles of finding someone that looks like you so u can feel beautiful it’s a real struggle many black girls face. I like how Yinkas cousins finalllyyy opened up about why ola was being so rude to Yinka. She found out that ola was going through something personally with her husband that’s making her feel insecure. That’s  causing her to lash out. This is really important because as I just said, Yinka feels on top of the world right now. Two same exact days, two completely different feelings. It teaches me to not judge someone or take offense to what they say. This could be a  tricky way to think because it could lead people walking all over you. That’s a problem Yinka faces. She's constantly getting walked on because she’s too nice. I think that the secret coming to light will help them understand each other better and I just hope by the wedding they will be TRULY good. Not just acting okay because one of their cousins is getting married. 

[heartsoulrocknroll]

AEW Dynamite 10/18/22

Death Triangle (c) vs. Best Friends and Orange Cassidy for the AEW World Trios Tag Team Championship -- Death Triangle rocks so hard. This was another great match from them. More animosity between Pac and Cassidy here. Pac once again tries to use the hammer, but Fénix stops him. Beautiful offense from Pac. Nasty release German suplex on Cassidy. Cassidy immediately responds with an Orange Punch, but neither man can follow up. They tag out to Penta and Trent. Strong Zero by Best Friends on Penta, but Fénix breaks up the pin! Double cutter to Trent and Chuck, followed by a beautiful spinning heel kick and piledriver to Trent by Fénix!! This gives Fénix the three count!!! Death Triangle retains!!!!

I don't have the words to say how much I loved the promo segment with MJF and Regal. MJF tells a story about trying out for an extra position with WWE. He says Regal was impressed by him and wanted to give him a job until Regal found out how young he was. He says Regal told him to go out and work and send Regal a match and a promo every month, implying that Regal would endorse him for a job with WWE when he was older. MJF says he did this for a while, but by the third month, Regal responded with an email stating, "I'm a very busy man. I have talent from all over the world to watch. The game has changed. WWE exclusively hires the best talent in the world, top world class athletes. When you're one of them, then maybe send me your stuff." MJF says Regal's email made him want to quit wrestling and even kill himself, but he didn't want to let Regal and the naysayers win. "Here we are, and my god, have the tables turned. You are nothing more than a sad, withered old man who got fired. You have snuck into my company like a flea-ridden rat, sticking to talents far better than you ever were." MJF says he's the 26 year old kid who is on top of this business and that WWE would now kill to have him put pen to paper in the bidding war of 2024. MJF says he reads Regal's email every day, not to put a chip on his shoulder, but to give him a good, hearty laugh. He says he is about to become AEW world champion because he's MJF and he's better than you and you know it!!!!!!!!! HELL YEAH!!!! Regal says MJF called himself a child at 19, but Regal was fighting grown men at 16 and bleeding from every hole in his body to get into this business. Regal said he sent that email to MJF to light a fire under him. "If a bloody email is what it took to get you to this place, and you've held onto that for 7 years, then you've had it easy, sunshine." Regal calls himself an ordinary decent villain. He says anyone inside the ring is fair game, but condemns MJF for putting his hands on Schiavone and taking shortcuts to get to where he is. Regal says just because MJF is making lots of money, that doesn't prove anything to him. He mentions MJF's constant use of cheapshots with the Dynamite Diamond Ring to get victories. "When I used these (brass knuckles), it was because I just liked hitting people with them." Regal finishes by saying, "If you want to be the devil, make a name for yourself by doing it right." Regal turns his back, seemingly giving MJF an opportunity to hit him. MJF seems to consider it, before deciding against it. Regal tells MJF he still has a lot to prove, then leaves the ring.

This was so, so good. Truly something special. Both MJF and Regal were excellent here. So hyped to see where it goes from here.

Chris Jericho (c) vs. Dalton Castle for the ROH World Championship -- I wasn't really into this at all. There were some good things. Some nice gut wrench suplexes from Castle. But also a lot of nonsense with the boys and Hager on the outside. Jericho kicks out of Bang-a-rang and wins with a Judas Effect.

Jon Moxley (c) vs. Adam Page for the AEW World Championship -- Great action here to start. Page rushes Moxley in the crowd before the bell and lands a moonsault off the balcony. Mox is bleeding before the match even starts. They finally get in the ring. Huge stunner out of nowhere by Mox!! Moxley lands a superplex, then covers Page but pulls Page's shoulder up before the three count and lays in some stomps to the head. Moxley locks in an armbar, but Page gets to the ropes. Page hits Deadeye on the apron!!!! Moxley attempts a German suplex, but Page lands on his feet and responds with a huge lariat!!! Moxley comes back with a lariat of his own!!! Just as I'm thinking how much better Page's lariat looked and just as I'm getting into the match, it becomes clear something is legitimately wrong with Page and the match is stopped. Dang. (Thankfully, he was okay.)

After the match, Moxley calls out MJF. Moxley says wtf is his name? Max Jacob Friedman?? Lol. Moxley says he usually just lets MJF talk because he's not worth breaking a knuckle on. MJF comes out with the chip and a ref, seeming like he is going to cash in. But he then leaves the ring, gives Regal the chip, grabs a mic, and goes off!!!!! "You want to talk about me cutting corners? You want to talk about me being a man? I'm going to cash that chip in, but when I do, I don't want you at 50%, I don't want you right after a match. I want you at 110%. I don't want any excuses. I want to make sure that when I beat you clean, smack dab in the middle of the ring, that there's not a goddamn question that I'm better than you know it." MJF SAYS HE'S CASHING IN AT FULL GEAR!!!!! "Look at me when I say this, Regal, you piece of shit. For the first time in my miserable life, I'm gonna earn it." AAAAAHHHHHHH I AM GOING NUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE IT!!!!!!!!! LOOOOVE IT!!!!

I'm not always a fan of Moxley promos, but his response here was great. "I'll tell you exactly what you're going to earn. You're going to earn the heel of my boot in your mouth. You're going to earn your teeth rolling around inside your mouth, going down your throat, settling in your stomach, and you're going to shit them out. You have earned my fist going directly up your ass. You have earned your esophagus, your throat, your larynx getting squeezed until your head turns purple and pops off like a Pez dispenser... I'm going to show the world that getting in the ring with me is dangerous as all hell."

WHAT A SHOW!!!!!!!! WHAT A STAR, THAT MJF!!!!!!

[wyvernseeker]

"Why, hello there, little girl! How are you doing?"

Momo Akanegakubo couldn't help but look at the one who had addressed her as such with a look of disdain. Adorable and youthful she may have been, but a child she certainly was not. And being mistaken for one in spite of her reputation and accomplishments irked her to no end, almost as much as things she considered uncute.

And right before her, there stood a man with a decisively uncute appearance. Strike that, to her he didn't look uncute so much as he did creepy. The man in question was heavyset and adorned with a red chef's coat and reddish-brown pants. But what stood out to the little chef was was his face; the man was bald with ears as pointed as his fingers and wearing ghoulish white face paint with thin red lines trailing down his eyes to his similarly red (and surprisingly prominent) lips. In between the lines was a large, round red nose. The man in question looked like a clown, and one of those creepy monstrous clowns at that.

For the former 5th seat of the Council of Ten, the man's appearance and the condescending tone made her begin to seethe with hate.

Currently, the young Akanegakubo heiress was searching for information relating to her parents. It wasn't unusual for her to not hear from them due to their work, but a month was far too long to go without anything: calls, text messages, emails were decisively silent. And evidently, a business associate and friend of her parents seemed to think so and reached out to her seeking answers. Soon as she did, an email was sent to her.

"Greetings, little chef. We hear that you're checking in on your parents. If it weren't for you proving your personality to be so ugly from your support of one Azami Nakiri, we would be touched by your concern. Rest assured, your parents are doing okay. However, we suggest that as a sign of gratitude to us for letting yo hear from your dear, beloved parents, you are to agree to a shokugeki against one of our numbers. Unless, you could decide to ignore our suggestion and/or blatantly reject us. Should you choose to do so, your parents' business and standing might decisively plummet. Don't worry, this isn't an ultimatum. This is merely you being offered a choice. And we pray that you choose right.

P.S. We also recommend that you involve no one else in our meeting. It's for the dignity of both you and your parents. And definitely so as to not distress them.

P.P.S. We recommend you answer quickly. We get the feeling that your parents are about to make some, dare we say, uncute business decisions."

In that email was a video of her parents, looking physically well and unharmed. Of course, looking at her their faces in the video, neither her mother or father looked truly at ease and seemed rather distressed. If she had to guess, her parents had been challenged to a shokugeki in secret by what seemed to be a collection of individuals, and unfortunately lost. Whomever this group was, they seemed to have some sort of influence given how they were able to not only get near her parents but also challenge them. Yet, however competent they may have been, they would soon learn the price of threatening the Akanegakubo name.

"Spare me the fake pleasantries. Who are you, who do you work for and why have you gone after my parents?", Momo uttered as anger and revulsion dripped into each word like drops of vanilla extract into a baking mixture.

"Fake pleasantries?" spoke the roundtound clown in the same condescending tone as before, now with false outrage and offense added in a concoction of obnoxiousness. "Why would you say something so hurtful? After we were so kind as to let you get in touch with your dear, sweet parents and humbly challenge you to a shokugeki. Is that any way for a little girl to act? Just think of what your parents would think if-"

"Quit with the comedy act!" Momo exclaimed with a look of rage on her face. The man's appearance, tone and behavior were, despite her learnings and best efforts, really beginning to shift her opinion of him from enraging to infuriating. "You and your cohorts practically kidnapped my parents, basically threatened to cripple their business and try to intimidate me into a shokugeki, and you expect me to remain calm? Do you think this is some kind of joke?!"

Despite this display of outrage from the younger woman, the man in question seemed to be unfazed by what he just witnessed. Chuckling for but a moment, he then began to retort to the petite purple-haired girl before him.

"Oh, my apologies, young lady," retorted the pleasantly plump man to Momo in an insincere apology. "It's just, given how we're supposed to be engaging in a food war, it doesn't strike me as right to intimidate or unnerve my opponents. Even if, admittedly, it would give me an edge, especially against one as adorably tiny as you. But regardless, I will answer your questions one by one, starting with my name. You may call me, Malcanta!" As he spoke, the clownish-looking man began to pose in an exaggerated and comically dramatic manner. As he finished his sentence, the now-named culinary clown noticed Momo's become half-lidded, her expression softening from one of anger to one of annoyance. "See! It's helping isn't it?"

"No, it isn't," the purple-haired girl flatly replied. "Now answer my other questions."

"Patience now, I did say one at a time. Now what were your other questions again?" Malcanta uttered in a falsely innocent tone.

"You really are going to pull this on me, aren't you? Just so you know, it's not cute coming from you. But I'll play along. Who," Momo paused, take a deep breath so as to not lose her temper once more with the annoying clown in front of her, "do you work for?", she finished, a dash of annoyance slipping in despite her best efforts.

"See? Being polite and respectful is pretty cute, dare I say! So I'll tell you. As for me, I work for the Les Cuisiniers Noir, led by my wonderful, talented and oh-so benevolent boss! As you can see behind me." Unlike when he spoke to her so far, Malcanta spoke of his boss with nothing but genuine praise.

True to his word stood a much thinner man with deathly pale skin and black hair wearing black trousers and a black sweater vest over a gray dress shirt with black stripes. Even from just his nonchalant way of standing, Momo could tell this yet-to-be-named man exuded a powerful aura that commanded leadership. But looking into his silver eyes, she could see several emotions that all together unnerved her.

Disgust.

Annoyance.

Anger.

Hatred.

The kinds of things she would feel when looking at something she didn't deem cute.

And all of it was directed at her.

"Oh, dear Momo-!" Malcanta said in a rather grating sing-song manner no less unpleasant than the majority of what he spoke, breaking Momo out of her trance. "I know that my boss is wonderful, imposing and rather dapperly dressed, but I'm afraid he is not the one you are to be going against in this Food War. I mean, not that you would have a chance against him."

Looking at the portly man close to her, Momo could only utter in annoyance, "Let me guess, it's you."

"Oh, don't say it like that, wittle Momo-chan! You're hurting my feelings! Not to mention, yourmakingmy boss look likehe doesn't know what he's doing! Waaaaaahhh!-", Malcanta announced with fake sobbing and an all-too unconvincing face indicating his feelings were hurt. In the background, Momo could see the pale-skinned man in black and gray chuckling at his subordinate's antics.

Dare she say it, Somā Yukihira came off as nice tolerable than this manchild she had the displeasure of interacting with.

And now that she noticed, didn't that man in what seemed to be in his early 20's look eerily similar to him?

"But in all seriousness, yes.", the chef in red chimed in curtly. "My boss figured it'd be best if I was chosen to engage you in culinary combat. Even though he could easily triumph over you. Besides, one little victory over a culinary clown like myself shouldn't be difficult for one of Azami Nakiri's top lapdogs. Or rather, lapcat in your case."

The obvious joke, and rather poorly-constructed obvious joke at that, only served to get the lithe girl holding the stuffed cat to get her rage bubbling inside like water in a pot on the stove. "Don't mock me, clown. Now, where are my parents and why go through all this trouble? "

"Oh, and I thought you would figure this out, being part of the Council of Ten and all. I mean, we'd have to go through so many hoops to attract you to our circus."

Of course.

"You see, Momo Akanegakubo, we of Les Cuisiniers Noir desire to bring about a drastic revolution of the culinary world. And unlike you and your non-so-adorable or honorable compatriots of Central, or the snake in human skin you served, we don't intend to crush those simply wanting to cook as they please." Malcanta's eyes then narrowed, yet his smile remained just as wide, his jagged-looking teeth only serving to highlight his unsettling appearance even more.

"And you, my dear, are merely a stepping stone for our goals. One that I might add, deserves to be stepped on."

Unlike before, Malcanta's voice was much more softer than earlier and his tone decidedly less jovial. That, alongside his narrowed eyes and large toothy smile and features caused a shiver of fear to run down Momo's back.

"H-how would I be worth stepping on? I'm not even part of the Council of Ten anymore! And Central was dismantled!"

"Oh, so that erases all the rigging matches your cohort Eizan Etsuya engaged in? I mean, that was something you and Azami's other top enforcers definitely spoke out against, right?"

Momo didn't have an answer for that. The one who actually criticized Eizan for buying off judges in shokugekis to not even taste the food was Rindo Kobayashi, and even then it was only after Sōma challenged the second-year to a shokugeki to keep the Polaris Star Dorm from being demolished.

"Or what about the attempts to silence dissent against those who dared to reject your boss' great and glorious plans? Right down to threatening to shut down any and all clubs that didn't kowtow to Central. How about that? "

Once again, Momo responded with silence.

"Or best of all, knowingly trying to condemn your juniors to a state of perpetual stasis in skill and improvement, all the while being confident you and the other big kids of Central would remain at the top. What say you then?

Again, Momo was silent.

"And, let's not forget your willingness to crush the culinary aspirations and enjoyment of your aforementioned juniors, haphazardly sacrificing them for your own selfish desires."

This time, Momo had an answer.

"What were we supposed to do?! We could tell what Senzaemon was planning to do to us! All of us! Sacrificing us for the sake of his egotistical granddaughter! How could we just let everything we worked for go to waste?"

"Oh! NOW you have answer! I mean, it's understandable. You work hard and study hard, learning all the tricks of your trade, determined to make a name and legacy for yourself. Only to discover at the end that your reward for doing everything right is for the one overseeing your progress to say 'go to hell!' My granddaughter's already secured future matters more than the one you've etched out. I mean, that would be enough reason to betray that old bastard. As well as your fellow students, right?"

To Momo's surprise, it wasn't Malcanta who said this, but his silver-eyed superior. His tone carried an undertone if understanding, but a deeper one of mockery and derision.

"See what we mean? We're more than justified bringing you down into the mud for our worldwide performance," Malcanta chimed in. "And we have the perfect incentive to get you to agree to this shokugeki. May we present, Mr. and Mrs. Akanegakubo!"

From behind the man in the dark clothing soon shone a light, underneath which were Momo's parents, sitting in chairs and looking no less distressed than in the video sent to her.