So I went into the backyard of a empty house that is FOR RENT to have a look at the backyard (size and fencing as we have a dog). The side gate was closed but not locked, house advertised online and visibly empty. I went past the gate, which did not have any signs and a big handle to use, to the backyard which would be max 7m from the gate, had a look around and in particular at the fencing.
The neighbour then saw me and started screaming I was trespassing. I tried to explain I was a prospective tenant but she looked upset AF so I left swiftly, within like 10 seconds, I actually feared she would throw something at me or at my car so I did not go straight to my car. She called the cops later, turns out she owns both homes (they're duplexes).
The place had plenty of cameras which I saw but since no one was living in the house I wasn't expecting anyone to ever realise or be bothered by my 5mn presence. I literally just wanted to see the size of the backyard as the real estate photos always look so much bigger, and the open inspection was a few days later and I could not attend. I stayed there under 5mn and did not do any damage of course.
Two days later the cops came to my home, they easily found me as I parked my car right in front of the home. I explained it all, I showed them I was effectively looking for a new home with a list of inspected homes and notes and even emails about that particular home. They said they understood why I did it, that I scared her (then I said I was sorry, that I only went in because it was empty and that the gate was not locked and it was for a few minutes only, and that she scared me too), they said ok but no more going into the backyards unless it's an open house and that they may send me a fine. I fully cooperated, I gave them my details and all. At that stage, I thought I was good for a good warning. I'm not threatening in any way, I'm a small female of good appearance not a bum or anything like that.
She came back the next day with a $350 fine! The cop said she in fact had no choice but to fine me?? as the trespass was demonstrated (of course as I admitted it). She was a very young cop. I found that very weird, pretty sure the cops always have the option of giving a caution for a small offence for previous good behaviour and minor nature/no damages caused.
I have never done anything wrong or been involved with the police. I read the section 4 of the inclosed lands protection act and other related sections like section 10 about penalty notices, it says the police may issue a fine, up to 5 penalty units (550$). The associated regulation does say 350$ if in the form of a penalty notice.
Also upon attempting to pay the fine it appears the penalty notice has the following errors: - I can't access the online payment because the offence code is not right, I googled it and it is the code for an heavy truck offence (I don't have such licence) however the description part of the offence does mention "entering inclosed land without excuse (not a prescribed land)" which is the trespass offence. But I can't pay online or access the review page or anything as it asks for the offence code and it is not written down right.

• my last name is like "name1-name2" and the fine only has "name1" but my first names, address and DOB are rights.
  
• At the top it says it is a CIN type but trespass is not in the list of prescribed offences oppened to CIN.
  

I'm wondering whether she had to fine me and if so, could I challenge it. Bit steep for a 5mn entry into an empty home that I potentially wanted to rent (well not anymore with such a crazy neighbour). Someone told me they had to issue me with a warning not to trespass then only if I do it again I could be fined. I'm also an immigrant on a visa if that changes anything (in my home country -France- you wouldn't get fined for trespass unless you cause damages. I honestly thought all I risked was a warning).
What would be the best approach?

PRESENT
This is Part 2 of 3, the Present, in game events we see! Onwards!
The Protagonist is some sort of content creator, one that goes to abandoned or forgotten places and "searches" them, as can be gleaned from the cameras facing the protagonist on his desk, and his conversation with a certain Laura, or LSparks53 (there's also an error in this Harmony tab, with one of the messages from Laura reading as from LauraSparks53 instead of LSparks53. Just a note). This Laura helps our protagonist, who goes by the username of eEnsign. His profile picture are the letters UF, which is weird, since it doesn't match the username, nor what Laura calls eEnsign: Ed. Anyways, I digress. From now on, I'll call the protagonist Ed as well. Laura helps Ed get footage of these places as per the conversation.
eEnsign: "Hey Laura! I'm doing another search this weekend! Wanna come with me?"
LSparks53: "The last few times I've gone with you SUCKED LMAO."
eEnsign: "Remember that old theme park we went to see as kids? Indigo Park?"
LSparks53: "yeah? I kind of forgot about that place? Been closed for a while, right? how would you even get in?"
eEnsign: "Honestly, I don't know. I'm not even gonna bring my equipment. Jump a fence of something? We've done worse lol”
LSparks53: "aight, well just be careful. I'm gonna pass on this one. if you can get in i'll go with you to help record some other time. i'm looking it up now and there's like NO info online about it. probably swarming with cops too."
eEnsign: "I guess we'll find out! I'll check it out, maybe we can go together next week?
Lsparks53: "just be careful, Ed. I don't want to be paying your bail."
And with that conversation, we learn that these two are like a dynamic duo of sorts, having some sort of channel or website where they post footage of places lost to time and "search" them, breaking laws of trespassing and such, apparently also having "done worse", whatever that means. Maybe they took a few things from the place, so burglary? It's never specified. Probably burglary, though, considering that Ed has taken to collecting all sorts of plushies and such from Indigo Park.
What I want to point out is how weird this Laura person acts. As soon as Indigo Park is mentioned, Laura instantly seems to dislike the idea, but never directly says it. Instead, she becomes reluctant to go with Ed, despite having done worse, as Ed puts it. Perhaps she's just cautious, and based on her last sentence, they haven't been caught before, or else she would have said "I don't want to be paying your bail again."
However, I don't think that's the case. Remember when Laura said she looked up Indigo Park and found nothing? Well, we know the website is still up and running, or at the very least, Ed used some sort of service like the Wayback Machine to pull it up on the right most monitor on his desk, which can be seen in the opening cutscene. On it, there's even an option to purchase tickets still, which is incredibly weird, which I'll also go into later on. Why would a defunct theme park need a still running website? After all, if you evacuate everyone from it with no explanation, wouldn't you want to get rid of all evidence of it? If not destroy the property outright, then at least take the website down. Again, digressing, the point is that Laura didn't find this website ... or she did, but didn't say anything.
Again, this is purely speculation at this point; I mean, the two of them have broke into a few places trespassing and recording and documenting abandoned places at least a few times for the internet, and maybe she really is just that cautious, worried about being imprisoned and charged for trespassing, and even attempted burglary.
And it seems like Ed is asking the same questions we are. Behind the Harmony tab is a notes tab with several questions such as "Why did it close?" and "What is left?", among a few others that are cut off. The next question seems to ask "Is it still" something. Seems like Ed and us are in the same boat. Hopefully we can help each other out.
Regardless, Ed ends up climbing the fence and enters the closed off Indigo Park, where dozens of crates stamped with the Indigo Park logo, along with trash, can be seen. Walking around, the main gates are closed off, and one of the doors seem to open on their own, allowing Ed entry into the Registration Center, a desk with a few monitors where a Rangler would sit and check Ed in.
Inside, the Rambley AI comes to life, noting that Ed is the first person there in just over eight years, before directing us to the previously mentioned Registration Center. It is revealed here that AI Rambley has access to the cameras (both computer cameras and CCTV cameras), where he notes that Ed isn’t on the guest list, probably because he snuck in, and didn’t pay for his tickets. However, what stands out as odd is that Rambley doesn’t recognize Ed at all, asking if he was here for the first time. We know that it’s most definitely not Ed’s first time here, but it’s unclear if AI Rambley doesn’t recognize Ed because he grew up, or the registration process requires a photo upload.
Rambley AI: "Hm, I don't seem to have your face in the guest list. Is this your first time here in the park? Or did you just get plastic surgery?"
From here, Ed’s directed to go through the gates, but both AI Rambley and Ed realize that the gates are not open and are instead sending an error message. Going back to the Registration Center, Ed finds and replaces a missing gear, and the gates finally open, from where Ed is free to explore. He’s directed to the Critter Corner, where he receives a Critter Cuff to enter certain areas, and the park, from where he’s directed to Rambley’s Railway to get to know most (poor Salem) of the characters. A massive statue of Isaac Indigo and Rambley can be seen at the entrance.
As Ed makes his way through to Rambley Railway, it’s clear that the park is not in the best condition. Ransacked gift stores, empty cafes with rotting food and festering drinks, tunnels collapsing at the drop of a hat, and weeds spouting everywhere even disconcert the AI Rambley, who tries to shrug off the state of the park by claiming renovations, but it’s clear he’s unsettled with how empty and broken the park is. We’ll cover that later as well.
On this ride, Rambley introduces us to everyone, except for Salem, indicating he’s friends with everyone except her and Lloyd, for whom he has … let’s a bit of distaste for. He’s shown to be sarcastic and snippy with Lloyd, but even his supposed friends aren’t safe from his occasional jabs.
Rambley when speaking to Mollie Macaw: “You sure are [the best pilot you ever saw], Moll! Why, you only crashed into six barns this week!”
Mollie: “I’m not crashin’, Rambley! I’m barnstormin’!”
Rambley: “Haha! What’s barnstorming?”
Mollie: “It’s crashing, with style! I-it barely hurts at all!”
The stutter in Mollie’s audio is what interests me. It could be interpreted as a glitch, which is certainly possible. The park hasn’t been maintained in eight years, and it is falling apart. But it could also be interpreted as Mollie losing her characteristic confidence, upset that Rambley seems to be so keen on pointing out her failures in her hobby sphere.
Rambley, when speaking to Finley the Sea Serpent: “Why the long face? And body? … Oh Finley, you should come out of YOUR shell!”
Finley, in response. “How about YOU come into it instead?”
I would also like to note AI Rambley’s interaction with Finley’s plushie.
AI Rambley: “Ooh, you found my buddy Finley! You know, he’s really shy, like, TOO shy, like OBNOXIOUSLY shy, but he’s got a good heart.”
I want to point out the fact that when Rambley speaks about how shy Finley is, he doesn’t seem to be doing it in a jesting way. In fact, he seems genuinely annoyed with how introverted Finley is, to the point where you can hear it in his voice, and he also uses his annoyed model with slanted eyes when mentioning it.
There’s also a note here that, apparently, Rambley and Finley have known each other for over 100 years, though it’s unclear if this is actually real information, or just something the creators of the ride decided to include for the fun of it.
And another thing. At the very end of the Finley section, Finley hopes that the rider will actually visit him and Oceanic Odyssey, because he’s lonely. Why should he be lonely? He’s friends with Rambley and Mollie, at the very least. Is it because he lives on the bottom of the ocean? Or for other reasons?
Ed then reaches Salem’s area, which is noticeably, horrifically destroyed, a splatter of something bright red front and center. This is where the ride breaks down, and Ed’s required to go and fix it, before continuing onto Lloyd’s area.
I’d like to stop the story to consider the state of Salem’s area; why is it so destroyed? I’m going to avoid thinking of the red splatter as blood, to be honest, but we do know that the Mascots bleed red, thanks to Mollie Macaw. In my mind, there are three potential perpetrators.
The first two are noticeably weak connections, and the reasoning isn’t 100%, so take it with a grain of salt. We know that all the characters received Mascots, so there are three of them that, in my mind, are capable.
The first is, admittedly, a bit weird: the Mascot of Salem. We know she despises Rambley and his friends (her relationship with Lloyd remains a mystery), so it’s possible that Mascot Salem was the one to sabotage her area, as a way of getting back at Rambley. Why her area only is admittedly a bit weird, so she’s not the strongest match. Another piece of evidence would be the smashed animatronic of Mollie. Again, we do know that Salem has used Mollie before by dumping her potions onto her and making Mollie Salem’s minion. Could she also have smashed the animatronic bird?
The second suspect is Mascot Mollie. She can be seen following Ed throughout the ride, and the whole park, for that matter, and we do know there is some bad blood between her and Salem because of the arcade game Rambely Rush. It would give motive for Mascot Mollie to do such a thing, and she’s the only Mascot running about Indigo Park that we know of; Lloyd remained in his theater, not pursuing Ed when he leaves. At the end of the chapter, when Ed enters Oceanic Odyssey, it’s unclear whether a robot or Mascot Finley appears in the aquarium, but he’s likely confined there as well. Mascots Rambley and Salem aren’t even mentioned once.
Now, this one is also kind of a stretch, but the only character that would have more reason to hate Salem more than Mollie is Rambley. They are clear nemeses (again, Rambley Rush), and have been for quite some time. While the AI Rambley is generally benevolent, but still with a sharp tongue, it remains to be seen what exactly the Mascot Rambley is like. His Mascot is still likely here in Indigo Park somewhere, one of the remaining two (Mollie being dead, unless there are several of each Mascot present, in which case this elevates the terror a few notches. Imagine being chased by seventeen Mascot Lloyds) besides Salem. He could very well be the perpetrator. However, I do have a bit of trouble explaining why he would wreck the Animatronic Mollie. Maybe because he knows it’s just a fake, and not the real Mascot Mollie?
However, there is one convenient detail that I have not mentioned. Remember the smashed Animatronic Mollie, and how we were questioning why she was wrecked in the first place? Well, she does offer us one clue. When Ed approaches the bird, Mollie flickers to life momentarily, her voice garbled and distorted until finally, she says this:
Animatronic Mollie: “Not Rambley! He hurts Lloyd! He hurts Lloyd!”
After that, poor Animatronic Mollie finally shuts off for good, her painted eyes devoid of the life she once had. Well, this certainly got interesting, didn’t it? Rambley hurts Lloyd? How? I mean, think about it! How would a raccoon actively hurt a lion? This isn’t like a honey badger situation; raccoons are much more vulnerable and weaker than honey badgers. What’s also interesting is her words themselves. Why would someone program an Animatronic Mollie to say this? We eventually find out that Mascot Mollie will memorize and be able to repeat words or phrases she’s heard, if Ed has the misfortune of being caught by Mascot Mollie later down the line. Is it possible that the same is true for the animatronics? And if so, does that mean that Animatronic Mollie was shouting bits and pieces out of context, or was it supposed to be something she was never meant to hear, and was thusly wrecked?
And even if this was out of context, that still opens up a major can of worms. Even if Rambley never hurt Lloyd, who is this ‘He’ that did hurt Lloyd? Keep this in mind until we reach Lloyd’s attraction.
Anyways, onto Llyod’s area. It’s clear that Lloyd and Rambley both don’t like each other, quite possibly because Rambley hates how Lloyd used to be number one, and Lloyd possibly because he’s not happy that he was replaced by Rambley as head honcho. Rambley, for his part, doesn’t really try to antagonize Lloyd, just wearily going through the ride and trying to get out as fast as possible here.
And that’s essentially it for the ride, AI Rambley suggesting Ed go visit Jetstream Junction. Careful observation would yield the fact that Mascot Mollie has been stalking Ed, studying him from behind the scenes, though she won’t end up being an antagonist until later on.
What’s interesting to note is that at the end, AI Rambley says this: “So, whatddya think? Pretty fun, right? Now you know all about my friends! And Lloyd …”
We know that Rambley cannot stand Salem, Rambley Rush made it quite clear. So, why refer to Salem as a friend? Why is her area so wrecked? Is it possible that AI Rambley has no reason to hate her, because he’s not aware of how often he’s pitted against her in media? But that would also mean that AI Rambley would have to be quite unaware of the media surrounding him, but he seems to know a lot about the history of the park. He still dislikes Lloyd, after all. And then that would beg the question if Mascot Rambley actually dislikes Salem enough to destroy her area in his ride. Too many questions that, unfortunately, there are no answers for. We can’t even see AI Rambley’s thoughts on Salem through a plush or anything, because there are no current collectibles in Chapter 1 that refer to her.
This is actually why I think one of the more intriguing aspects of ‘Birds of a Feather’ is Salem, and her ambiguous presence within the game. There aren’t even any posters in regard to her, unlike Lloyd or Rambley or Mollie or Finley. She’s just so wrapped up in mystery … anyways.
After finding out Jetstream Junction is locked away, AI Rambley sends Ed to Lloyd’s Main Stage Theater, where Ed first catches a glimpse of Mascot Lloyd, dozing on the stage. When Mascot Lloyd notices Ed, he runs into the back, and unfortunately, that’s where Ed has to go.
When Ed reaches the stage himself, AI Rambley tells Ed to be careful, because he has no vision of the backstage area, which is weird. AI Rambley seems to have access to the rest of Indigo Park, why is this area so special? It’s just storage, for the most part … and Mascot Lloyd, but AI Rambley still thinks they’re just as good as they were in their hay day, so he has no reason to be wary of the Mascots themselves until later. It’s true that it’s a Ranglers Only area, and we haven’t really seen AI Rambley in these areas before, so that could be it? Maybe because of his dislike for Lloyd? But then why give AI Rambley access to the stage at all? I don’t know, to be honest. Yet another question. However, AI Rambley does say something interesting.
AI Rambley, to Ed, regarding the behind the stage area: “Hey buddy. I got eyes all over the park, but I can’t see anything behind the stage. If you’re going back there be careful. Your Critter Cuff is not yet able to resuscitate you.”
Why should a Critter Cuff be able to resuscitate a person? From what I understand, it’s supposed to be like those Disney Bands that you can wear at parks, giving you access to different rides and such, even having complementary features of being a pedometer, mood ring, and a heartbeat sensor. This could either be a sort of tease to future upgrades Ed might be able to get in future chapters … or implies something darker. These Critter Cuffs were given to regular guests, for what purpose should they be able to revive someone from being unconscious?
Anyways, as Ed makes his way backstage, Lloyd makes some appearances, even once trying to attack Ed before being foiled by the massive boxes landing on him, causing him to slink away. Along the path, however, is something interesting. Binders, pages, even notebooks are scattered, almost like a bread crumb trail. I was never able to make out what they say besides some months like January, or vague Table of Contents with no explanation. Just thought it was weird. Food for thought. Grabbing the keys, Ed heads back, finding the door locked behind him. Trying to open the door yields an attack by Lloyd, who is strangely repelled by a high-pitched noise.
Now, from all that I have read, there seem to be two theories as for why Lloyd flees. The first cause is that Mascot Lloyd is driven away by the high-pitched beeping from the Critter Cuff. The second, and arguably more intriguing theory, is that someone blows a tamer’s whistle. A tamer’s whistle is a whistle used by tamers to direct animals, usually in settings like circuses where the animal has to perform some sort of trick or feat of athleticism. As it’s used more and more often, the animal learns to recognize the pitch, or duration of the shrill sound, associating it with a certain action that needs to be performed. In this case, the theory states that the tamer’s whistle caused Lloyd to fall back, before fleeing.
Now, while I think the tamer whistle theory is cool in concept, I don’t know who would be able, or more importantly, willing to save Ed from Mascot Lloyd. AI Rambley is not able to see what’s back here, nor should he understand what’s happening, so that removes him from the picture. Mascot Mollie is a possibility, perhaps wanting to save Ed for herself, as she’s seen stalking and watching Ed ever since Rambley’s Railroad, and even appears briefly in the hallway when Ed exits the theater backstage, but why want Ed for herself? They probably don’t need food, else they would have died, sweet pastries and sugary drinks present or not. They were left alone for eight years, after all. The thrill of the hunt would be the only explanation. And then there are our two unknowns, running about the park: Mascot Rambley and Mascot Salem. Could they have been the ones to do it? But why assume they’d act differently towards Ed? Surely they’d still be hostile?
And if the Critter Cuff was the savior, why was it ineffective against Mascot Mollie? Could it be because of the physiological and biological differences between Mascots Lloyd and Mollie? And why did it go off only when Lloyd was nearby? After Lloyd is repelled, the noise stops, after all. Was it the elevated heart rate that tipped off the defense mechanism? But again, surely it would have done the same when Ed would be chased by Mascot Mollie?
Remember what Animatronic Mollie told Ed with her dying breath? ‘Not Rambley! He hurts Lloyd! He hurts Lloyd!’ Could this be what Mollie was referring to? After all, Lloyd didn’t just run away; he collapsed a few feet away from Ed for a brief stint, paws pressing against his ears as Lloyd curled up into a fetal position, only running away when the high-pitched sound ended. Mascot Lloyd genuinely seemed in great pain, and was only able to run away, quite hastily, may I add, once the sound stopped. Was Rambley, AI or Mascot, the one who abused such a feature? Or was it someone else?
Remember, we have no idea why the Mascots turned hostile. Possibly due to a lack of exposure to humans, and thus claiming certain territories for themselves. After all, Mollie didn’t attack Ed until he entered her designated area. But then that brings into question Mascot Rambley. Where was he all this time? Rambley Railroad is his place, after all. But this isn’t Rambley’s only attraction in Indigo Park. At least one other location that we find that bears Rambley’s name is ‘Café de Raton Laveur’, which is French for Raccoon Café. Does that mean that Rambley owns other attractions, and is stalking those? It’s unclear.
Anyways, want to know another possible reason why there was a sudden evacuation with no explanation? What if the Mascots rebelled against the humans because of mistreatment? Think about it, Animatronic Mollie says ‘Not Rambley! He hurts Lloyd! He hurts Lloyd!’ What if Animatronic Mollie wasn’t referring to Rambley hurting Lloyd, but someone else? Someone who would want to design a special feature built into his Critter Cuff that he could activate and subdue, if not straight up hurt Lloyd? And who is the only other male character that we know of besides Rambley, Lloyd, Finley, and Ed?
That’s right, Isaac Indigo himself. This could very well be a case of mistreated creatures rebelling against the horrors they endured. Think about it, when in stressful situations, the mind, both human and not, is much more willing to go into fight or flight, is much more likely to punch first, question later. Is it possible that this Animatronic Mollie caught a snippet of a conflict that arose between the Mascots, when Mascot Mollie was trying to mediate? While this does go against the theory that Animatronic Mollie was destroyed by Mascot Rambley to silence her, it’s still a possible theory, no?
Again, these theories are very much a stretch, I just wished to lay them out on the table and offer them up for people to see and debate.
After grabbing the keys, Ed goes to Jetsream Junction, where Ed goes about exploring and solving some puzzles in order to progress further into the building, as it seems to be the only other place that isn’t falling apart and seems to be in somewhat stable condition. Inside one of the rooms is the Rambley Rush arcade game, and there is something interesting that Salem says in here.
Salem, speaking to Rambley: “Meet the new and improved Marley Macaw! Now with none o’ that ‘friendship’ garbage stopping her from tearin’ you to pieces. I wonder what she REALLY thinks of you now? Have fun finding out!”
Now, this could just be me overanalyzing this thing. It’s our only reference to Salem, and some of the things I cite as evidence could very well just be regular dialogue for an arcade game. However, on the off chance that this means something, I was very interested in what Salem said about what Mollie thought of Rambley. She makes it seem like Mollie is under some sort of illusion in regard to Rambley, like he’s a villain masquerading as a good guy, but has everyone around him convinced he’s good. This could tie in with the broken Animatronic Mollie, as if Mollie found out about some truth in regard to Rambley. After all, her broken, jittering speech made it seem like Rambley was actively hurting Lloyd. Could she have gone to someone to get help, but that other someone suggested Rambley as an ally? That could explain why Mollie felt the need to emphasize that ‘He hurts Lloyd’ twice, like she’s genuinely freaking out that her best friend actively hurt others he didn’t like.
Putting that theory aside, Ed goes through the area, heading up to Mollie’s ride, only to find it inaccessible due to major chunks of broken debris. AI Rambley seems sort of horrified to find the place so broken and calls up a repair technician. It’s no surprise that the line is discontinued, due to most Ranglers likely being laid off after the closure of Indigo Park.
From here, AI Rambley, still somewhat jarred by the wreckage he’s seeing, encourages Ed to go and visit Mollie’s Landing Pad, strangely acting as if Ed had just finished his journey on the attraction, when he couldn’t even step onto it. From there, Ed goes and solves some puzzles, making his way deeper into the building. He spots Mollie a few times as she gets away from him, hiding. What’s an interesting note is that some sort of liquid seems to be dripping from Mollie. When you encounter her in one of the tubes, she leaves behind some sort of reddish grime that disappears once her animation is done. Her eyes, also, aren’t the way they’re usually portrayed. They’re similar to Lloyd’s in that there are white pinpricks of light in dark sockets, Lloyd’s being thin ovals in dark sockets.
As Ed finishes up the puzzles, he goes deeper before he’s attacked by Mascot Mollie herself, fleeing through the numerous tubes and tunnels, before eventually leaving it all behind and entering some sort of Ranglers Only Area.
Before we continue, I’d like to point out something. When being chased, Mascot Mollie occasionally rehearses some lines she once heard, repeating this.
Finely, to Rambley: “You’ve known me for 100 years.”
Reasonable enough; she was there when Ed was in the Rambley’s Railroad attraction. No, what concerns me are two other lines, identified by SuperHorrorBro in his analysis of chapter one.
Mascot Mollie: “Get back in your cage, bird.”
And finally, this.
Mascot Mollie: “Get up you stupid freak!”
Remember, Mascot Mollie only repeats what she has once heard. She doesn’t actively make her own dialogue. Remember the theory I had about the Mascots having enough of their terrible living conditions, and rebelling against the staff? It seems like this is the right direction to go in. Lloyd and Mollie do not attack immediately. While Lloyd runs away, Mollie observes, watching, biding her time. She follows you to Lloyd’s theater, and what does she see, or, rather, hear? Lloyd being pushed further and further back into his domain, the one place he should be happy, before being forced into a corner, and where he lashes out. Even though Ed ends up leaving, he ends up claiming a piece of Lloyd’s territory, and Lloyd goes back onto his instincts, to hunt. However, when he gets too close, that blasted, accursed Critter Cuff lets out its horrible whine, Lloyd collapsing, consumed with nothing but pain. Once the sound ends, he flees, like a terrified animal.
And what does Ed see when he leaves? Mascot Mollie, observing Ed. She’s seen that, yet again, a human encroaches, pushes their bounds, eventually hurting Lloyd to get what he wants. And then, he goes to Mollie’s home, the Jetstream Junction, a place she’s been locked out of due to needing a Critter Cuff, but she wouldn’t dare touch one. She saw what happened to Lloyd, who knew what sort of anguish it would inflict upon Mollie?
She enters behind Ed, stalking him, fury building as she watches Ed run about like he owns the place. How dare this man, this human, walk upon her domain whenever he wants, but she has to wait until she’s let in, like some sort of caged bird. Well, she’s not a caged bird, and she’ll make Ed see that.
At first, when AI Rambley sees Ed, he wishes to stop Ed, but seeing a towering Mascot Mollie chasing him, he opens the door, slamming it shut behind Ed just as Mascot Mollie’s head enters the room, killing the Mascot instantly as blood sprays all over the metallic door and floor. AI Rambley attempts to act like nothing happened, but fails, sighing.
He explains that he didn’t realize the danger of Indigo Park and its inhabitants due to being stuck in that early Reception Center for all of those eight, lonely years, unable to see or interact with anything inside. He was just so excited to finally see an actual person that he pushed Ed into this tour, realizing that, with the way things were, there was no way Ed would come out unscathed, and the AI seems genuine in his sorrow. However, he asks for Ed to help restore the park to the former glory, and, miraculously, Ed agrees. However, before Ed leaves, AI Rambley drops this one last piece of vital information.
AI Rambley: “Whew! That was exhausting to say that whole spiel, but Rambley’s Ranglers (registered) is a registered trademark … that expired yesterday.”
Okay, so couple things. From my impression, I had the feeling that somehow, someway the Indigo Company as a whole was alive and kicking. I mean, look at what Ed has to say when he interacts with the Rambley Raccoon plushy.
Ed: “Ah, there’s my buddy. Kinda feels like Rambley has a whole empire now, being the main man of Indigo and all.”
Ed gives us the distinct impression that not only is Indigo still around, but it’s also positively thriving, yet they allow their trademarks to expire? Trademarks essentially last forever, but you have to fight, in court, to let them continue every ten years or so. If Indigo is based on Disney, the stingiest, largest entertainment company, why would they let their trademark expire, and give access to others? Well, this might have to do with the initial terms.
You see, in order to keep a trademark, you have to defend its usage every ten years. Well, okay, then why didn’t Indigo do so? One of the terms for renewal is that you have to continuously use that trademark. You can’t just claim one and never use it again, that’s basically an infraction upon free speech. Sure, you can fight for its ownership, but there are rules and regulations to these kinds of things, you can’t just trademark something like ‘Oof’ or ‘Lmao’ and keep it without at least saying those phrases occassionally.
And, so far as we know, there are no other places such as Indigo Park owns. Ranglers are synonymous with staff in the park, so obviously, it would be hard to justify keeping a trademark when you never expect to use it. So, that’s my theory on why the trademark did indeed expire the day previously, October 6^th, 2023 (apparently, the creator confirmed the game takes place in 2023, so, that means that Ed arrives on October 7^th, 2023, and the last person to enter park left on October 7^th, 2015).
Anyways, after that, AI Rambley leads Ed to Oceanic Odyssey with the intention to get it back up and running, as it has been closed due to repairs, something that AI Rambley hopes Ed can assist with. As Ed exits, he tries entering a hallway, which AI Rambley blocks.
AI Rambley: “Uh oh. That Rambley’s Ranglers room is only accessible by Royal Ranglers. Maybe you’ll grow up big and strong enough to enter it! But for now, don’t.”
This is the first instance of hierarchy within the Ranglers that Ed has been introduced to so far, and the dark undertone AI Rambley takes when he tells Ed not to go there is somewhat concerning. What exactly is AI Rambley hiding back there? Well, I have a few hunches.
Let’s point out the obvious regarding our friends, the Mascots; they’re not regular animals. Obviously, regular animals don’t have dark orbitals with thin white slits, or have turquoise noses, or have macaws the size of cassowaries. However, they are still animals, creatures of flesh and blood that act like their regular animal counterparts; Lloyd is an ambush predator, stalking until he himself is presented with an opportunity to attack. However, lions are known to just straight up attack if they are discovered by accident, especially if the prey is weaker and slower than them. Lloyd runs away instead of attacking.
Similarly, Mollie follows Ed warily, unsure of what to think of him for most of the time. She never aggresses until he enters her territory, and even then, she’s surprisingly lenient with Ed, straight up until he finishes those color-coded symbol puzzles. Only then does she attack. And even then, this is a behavior reflected in regular macaws as well, as these birds are fiercely territorial of their area.
So, these Mascots didn’t pop up straight from the ground, did they? They had to be bioengineered at the very least, mutated regular animals becoming the Mascots guests once knew and loved. They are, however, animals at their core, animals that do not attack for no reason. They try to deescalate the situation, as Lloyd does when he runs backstage, and when Mollie pulls herself back through the tunnels, away from Ed, and striding through the corridors, until she eventually loses patience and chases after Ed through Jetsream Junction.
I’d like to propose the theory that these Mascots were created in that area of Jetstream Junction, hidden underground and away from prying eyes. This is also where the Mascots were likely mistreated and abused, called horribly names at the very least, and endured beatings and humiliating acts at their worst. This is also likely where the Mascots originally snapped. After all, literally not a single guest understands why they were evacuated. Unless the guests who saw what happened were silenced, there should have been something floating around the Internet, on some obscure forum.
Now, why would AI Rambley hide this? Because he now understands that these Mascots are dangerous, a risk he cannot allow, since he enlisted Ed to bring the park back from the dead. AI Rambley realizes that Ed doesn’t have the tools to survive that area; perhaps because one of the Mascots lurks in there, locked away, or because he doesn’t want Ed to flee, horrified as to the scientific process that allowed for the mutated abominations to roam Indigo Park.
Regardless, Ed finally makes his way to the entrance of Oceanic Odyssey, home of the Mascot Finley. In fact, we actually get to see a glimpse of Finely’s actual size in one of the aquariums as his large head and long torso appear, before the chapter ends. I don’t believe that this is an animatronic, as electricity and water do not mix, especially animatronic with running current of electricity in water.
And that’s where Chapter 1 of Indigo Park, ‘Birds of a Feather’, ends off. Chapter Two will likely revolve mostly, if not totally, around Oceanic Odyssey and Mascot Finley.
So, I have two predictions as for where the next chapter might go. Based on the reactions Mascots previously had to Ed, I believe that Mascot Finley will not be attacking immediately. He’ll likely be observing, like Mollie, at least for a certain amount of time, until he proceeds to attack and harass Ed around his attraction. Ed will eventually get Oceanic Odyssey up and running, and have to leave Mascot Finley behind, as he’s still hostile and very much a danger to Ed.
The alternative to this is that once Mascot Finely realizes what Ed is trying to do, he stops being aggressive, and might instead become a temporary ally, allowing Ed to reach certain locations with his knowledge of the place.
Regardless of Mascot Finley’s ultimate fate, Oceanic Odyssey being powered on will likely catch the attention of Indigo. Based on the information we know so far, Indigo is still a well known, public entity. It’s possible that Indigo abandoned the theme park route, instead focusing exclusively on media such as cartoons, movies, and merch, or they might have other sister locations to Indigo Park. It’s unclear.
Whew. In the words of AI Rambley, this is a lot of information. Almost nine thousand words in, and we finally finish covering Chapter 1. So, let’s proceed to the Conclusion I draw regarding the story Indigo Park tries to tell, and the future events that might transpire.

I’ve been sh-ing since I was 11. At first, I did it to get my parents attention because they emotionally neglected me heavily and put a lot of pressure on me to perform well in school. I never saw my father on most days as he worked late and my mother would often lock herself in the room. When my teacher found out, she called my parents. They sent me for therapy for about 1-2 years but eventually I stopped going because my school schedule became too busy and I didn’t have time for it.
I’m 21 this year and I often relapse when life is overwhelming. Rather than doing it for attention, I tend to do it to punish myself if I’ve done something wrong. It makes me feel better emotionally and helps me to regulate my emotions. But when I do it, I still feel like 11 year old me. I always thought it was something I could outgrow of. I can’t receive therapy for now but I really need help to stop. Is there anyone who can provide some insight to this?

I'm going to try to lay it out as simply as I can: Me- Cptsd that has resulted in lashing out, anxiety, neediness, lack of emotional regulation, defensiveness
As stated above, I am quite clingy. I would text and them after a few hours I'd call and spam. Sometimes just texting a lot right away. Nothing inherently bad (I think, you tell me that's why I'm here) I'd spam "I miss you" "I'm eating ___" "I did this __" "I love you so much" and then it'll spiral into "greetings, I'd like attention" "wyd" "wya" "5 hours :c" "I am waiting for you" and then call.
Getting into the anger part and lack of emotional regulation. When I feel accused, not being listened to, saying I'm lying, misunderstood, I end up saying "don't call me a liar" or "I have proof I know what happened" or "listen to me" but ANGRILY and I'd be spamming the same thing like "no it was ___ and ___" for example. I'd spam my point over and over as if I'm fighting to be heard when I already am.
The situation- -Was accused of cheating, lying a lot -had tracker on phone, was constantly getting phone checked, asked a lot of questions -I'd get left alone mid convo/argument. Either by them driving off, leaving, locking the door, going on the game, then returning hours later -I'd be told that wasn't what I was thinking, intending, doing, what happened, how it happened
These are the type of situations that triggered me
How I triggered them.. -Easily defensive -Saying I'm not lying -Can't tell the difference between a convo or argument -Can interpret asking questions as a form of disbelief or interrogation -Dragging out convo when they're trying to sleep Basically huge misunderstanding and negative assumptions and lack of consideration
Now I've reached out to a lot of hotlines and have been told this: I have harmful behavior, but I'm reacting to abuse. But I just.. don't believe it. Just because hypothetically I am getting abused, that's no excuse for me to be that emotional or angry or defensive or attacking. Aka, no excuse for me to be abusive. My emotions and clinginess can be a lot for anyone. We're all human with a battery and fluctuating emotions that can only handle someone else so much. He said I was manipulative and I don't doubt it. Come on, spamming and lashing out to get a point across? I'm not a toddler.
I used to be the person that was true to myself and identity, saw things clearly, wouldn't change myself for others (besides improving as a person). I used to be level headed, calm, bubbly, optimistic, social, and new what was up before others picked up on it and tried to be around good hearted people. I just don't know what the hell happened to me. I quit my job, lost 45lbs, quit martial arts after 14 years, quit leaving the house because I don't wanna make them jealous, I'm growing my hair out, I'm girlier. These are things that are qualities of a person and never imagined to give up for someone else. I just don't get it. I'm confused. I don't know if I'm the person who's getting hurt or hurting others. I constantly feel guilty and like a monster. I constantly beg and try to change to be wanted. My confidence and sense of self is gone. Yet I still feel like I'm at fault for destroying everything because of my lack of mental stability.
Mind you, I'll stress again that I'd often get extremely emotional: crying, screaming, not listening, panic attacks, crazy spamming, obsessiveness and clinginess.
Can anyone relate, understand, or give me any insight on what the hell is happening to me?

Hi There!
I know this question has been asked many times before, but given that I am still a fairly new corn snake owner of a 1.5 year old corn snake, I'm hoping to just settle my mind and get some help.
I am moving from Oregon to Florida in a month and will be taking my snake with me. I was thinking of transporting her in a small, ventilated, and locked tub with some aspen. I also had small hand warmers under the tub for some heat. I had to do this recently during an unexpected power loss in a major ice storm. It worked well for the three days, however, that was in an unexpected emergency and I don't even know if that was a correct way to get her to a safe source. I'm going to be driving 9-10 hr days, and it'll take about 5 days. She will of course come into and motel I stay in with me.
I guess my question is if that method would work while making my move as well and driving? Once in a motel, I would put her on a regulate heat mat until we depart the following morning. If not, what is the safest method for a small young corn snake to be transported in a car? Thank you!!

In this post, I want to outline what the next week or two could entail - positive and negative - for South Africa. I also want to give a bit of context on some of what will happen and how it should be interpreted.

Next Steps

How exactly will the new President be elected?

1. The Independent Electoral Commission is set to release the official results tomorrow
2. This kicks off a Constitutionally mandated timer - the Chief Justice must announce when the first sitting of Parliament must happen; but no later than two weeks after tomorrow
3. At the first sitting of Parliament, all MPs can nominate someone from amongst their peers to be President (really should be called a Prime Minister)
4. They vote on a secret ballot, whoever gets the fewest votes drops out and they vote again until someone gets a majority of votes in the National Assembly (50% + 1)
5. The Chief Justice presides over this process and then announces the results

Will it be peaceful?

• Possibly, but there will probably be some trouble
• The ANC is making the right noises about democracy and respect for the IEC - which is positive
• Many smaller opposition parties, especially in the Western Cape, are accusing the IEC of vote rigging in favour of the DA/ANC
• EFF have not said anything to my knowledge
• There are genuine issues with how the election was conducted. Even the DA is taking the IEC to court. But our local analyst here says that it was more of a screw up, and certainly not rigging or anything like that
• MK - which is the party which won the most from this process - have announced that they want a total re-do of the elections and have said that the IEC must not release results by tomorrow or 'there could be trouble'

What does this mean for South Africa?
South Africa is a young, vibrant, healthy democracy.
Our institutions were designed brilliantly (by copying prior work, thanks for that guys), that if you observe it carefully, you can see the democracy working itself out logically:

• The IEC don't really have a choice when to announce the results - they've committed to June 2nd publicly.
• Because we have a free media and the results were declared live with statistical projections, we can know that the results actually were highly unlikely to be tampered with.
• Once that happens, a different institution takes over - the Chief Justice. There's an uncertainty element - they have up to two weeks but they could announce the Presidential election for Thursday. At the latest, it'll happen on June 16th, Youth Day - the anniversary of the day that Hector Pieterson was killed in Soweto for standing up to Apartheid.
• Because power is spread out geographically, there is not a single point of attack to shut down proceedings. The IEC's operational center is in Johannesburg North. The Chief Justice is in Johannesburg South. Parliament, where the Election will take place is in Cape Town. And the seat of the executive government is in Pretoria.
• The work is broken down into specific roles and distributed to different actors. Independent courts can and will punish anybody who drops the potato. A former President has been arrested before. The precedent is set. Nobody is safe, especially now that nobody has a majority.

Parliamentary staff have already started making preparations for the Presidential election. The Chief Justice probably already has a date in mind. The IEC have already shown us the final results more or less. Because of the design of liberal democratic institutions, what happens next is inevitable. Just like how Zuma's arrest in 2021 was all but inevitable - each person had such a specific 'next step' to take that it kind of just happened.
Lastly, despite what all the naysayers have been saying for 30 years, and with the notable exception of the failure to arrest Omar al-Bashir on ICC charges, the South Africa state as a whole has never just blatantly ignored procedures and laws. Slow-walking, yes. Loopholes - like hell yes. But we disinvited Putin to South Africa because we couldn't find a way out of it. We've arrested a former President and the Speaker had to resign to face corruption charges. We're not Zimbabwe, despite what people think.
Instead, what is actually happening is we have been paying the price for our democracy.
I have spent the last year exploring the last 30 years of our democratic history. And one thing I have consistently found is that many of South Africa's problems could've been avoided if key actors abrogated to themselves rights and powers beyond what the Constitution provides:

• Mandela did not seek a second term because he "dared not linger". He more or less withdrew from politics to prevent "Big Man" syndrome from taking root.
• President Mbeki fired Jacob Zuma when he was merely alleged to have committed corruption - putting Zuma's back against the wall.
• Judge Nicholson threw out Zuma's initial charges because he sincerely believed there was interference, rather than 'look the other way' because Zuma was 'obviously' guilty (innocent until proven guilty)
• The head of the Scorpions (anti-corruption unit started by Mbeki) refused to allow President Mbeki to delay the arrest of the allegedly corrupt head of the police because he sincerely felt it would be a betrayal of his duty whilst Mbeki had a credible cause for concern of a war within the law enforcement community - it was a genuine debate, not some banana republic hatch job
• Once Zuma was democratically elected President of the ANC, and the ANC democratically called back Mbeki, he resigned, rather than declare an emergency and do the whole 3rd term benevolent dictator thing
• People like the DA leadership and Thuli Madonsela (the Public Protector Zuma himself appointed) spent a decade fighting to get Zuma to face the music on corruption - and in the end the Ramaphosa faction pushed him out
• When Zuma defied the State Capture investigations, he was arrested even for something as 'mere' as contempt of court - and the police station carried out their duties as they would for anyone else. It cost us lives.
• Zuma did manage to dodge time, but he only did it through abuse of genuine provisions in the system for medical parole and through a loophole that the ANC found to prevent further violence
• Zuma has avoided his original corruption charges for years through multiple appeals - an abuse but a legitimate exercise of his democratic rights; the man has not been proven guilty in a court of law and we have to get him the right way
• Zuma was allowed to start his party in line with his democratic rights, when in other countries Ramaphosa would've just thrown him in jail - but the IEC stood up to Zuma and fought all the way to the Constitutional Court to prevent him from sitting as an MP (which would've allowed him to potentially be nominated for the Presidency) because of his criminal record - the arrest worked out even if he only did a month or two.
• This year, Zuma destroyed the ANC at the ballot box. Not the way many of us wanted the fall of the ANC to happen, but it is the will of millions of Zuma's supporters who are citizens of South Africa. It must be respected even if it inconvenient to acknowledge. And it will be respected - just not any more than the democratic rights of anyone else.

If you follow the story, all of this could have ended if someone just said "Fuck it, no, I'm taking over" rather than follow the rules. But we didn't and that's where the problems began almost each and every time.

This Is What Democracy Looks Like

I've come to feel that many people who call themselves liberals don't really understand this.
We are compared unfavourably against countries which, very often, did not actually develop in a liberal democratic way. They took the authoritarian shortcut / benevolent dictator and liberals just like the fact that it worked out 3 or 4 times in countries like Singapore and South Korea.
This might be a bit whiny/self-pitying, but I have started to feel as if we are being judged for actually trying to write the exam and failing sometimes whilst being compared to people who never really even registered to write it. Or, in the case of Western democracies, who also failed miserably in the past but whose failures are forgotten or ignored. And in the case of the United States, I must admit it is extremely discouraging to see the double standard from liberal voices that emerges from almost perfectly parallel situations. Trump is a "test" of "the American idea" which "though bent, proved itself to be secure" and "something we can recover from" because "democracy is an experiment" and "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance" but "we shall overcome". But South Africa is a basket case any time something goes wrong. People remember the horrific unrest of the 2021 unrest but leave out the part where we arrested a former head of state which is what a precipitated it.
Lastly, it is somewhat discouraging when people are unable to notice what doesn't happen. Nobody notices that the money printers aren't starting up and the opposition isn't in jail and most ethnic groups haven't formed ethnic parties and Putin didn't come in the end and we're still in the ICC and ICJ system and white South Africans still have not been ethnically cleansed even though the internet seems to think it happened 10 years ago and on and on... There's a list of doomer takes that began the minute Mandela was released and most of them haven't come true - but nobody seems to even keep track that people have been wrong for 30 years. After 30 years of being wrong, maybe they'll be right this time. Sure. But you don't get to be smug and say "I knew it" when you were wrong for 30 years.
While many of my fellow South Africans practise the bizarre South African exceptionalism of believing only we struggle with corruption, incompetence and bigotry, I have lately come to understand that this is what democracy looks like. At least at first. Just wait until we start to get the returns on the messiness that comes with freedom, diversity and a commitment to a modest humanistic project.

Why South Africa Should Matter to You

As I outlined in my piece, The South Africa Fallacy, it is deeply misguided to watch South Africa try and fail to execute the principles you advocate for the whole world and somehow feel as if our failure doesn't implicate you or cast real aspersions on your ideas. We are a diverse, open, tolerant, deeply liberal society and our aspirations to that liberal democracy is the source of our problems. MK's political theory - above and beyond supporting Jacob Zuma - is precisely that our Constitutional Democracy doesn't work.
So, all this is to say something very simply. If shit doesn't hit the fan and a new President is elected democratically, please notice that we actually did it. Please don't shift the goalposts yet again.
But if things do go south, then you need to back us. I have been frightened of the prospect that there is a challenge to the democratic transfer of power, and the democratic world steps back just because they don't like the incumbents because of this or that disagreement. But the ANC, for all its failures, remains a party which in its original incarnation was not only 'Western', but, in particular, it is a direct descendent of the great democratic tradition of the African American population.
American Heritage
This history has been lost to common memory, but it is waiting for you in the history books. African Americans from Booker T. Washington to Martin Luther King Jr. were a real and influential force within the genesis of the early ANC. It's not that the ANC founders simply read their works. No. The "Man Who Founded the ANC" graduated from Columbia and befriended Alaine Locke, the gay father of the Harlem Renaissance. His co-founders were all enthralled by the gigantic influence of Booker T. Washington, and attempted to replicate his Tuskegee Institute in KZN. The man who first reformed the ANC from a period of stagnation studied at Tuskegee and Northwestern, and, not only that, but married an American woman named Madie Hall. And Luthuli and King were mutual admirers. Mandela inspired Obama into politics, Mandela gave him his blessing when he became a senator, and just a few short years later Obama eulogized Mandela in the way that only Obama could.
The corruption of the ANC is the corruption of one of the proudest and most beautiful heritages not just of Black liberals, but of anybody who believes in liberal democracy. It should not be dismissed. It should hurt deeply. But that heritage can outlive the ANC in the South African Constitution. This same Constitution has finally come under direct and explicit assault.
Global Heritage
This is your heritage. South Africa is like a garden of so many of the great ideas of global liberal democracy. It was the fertile soil in which the seed of Gandhi's Satyagraha first germinated. Through the liberal Helen Suzman and the radical Bram Fischer, it is the inheritor of the proud Jewish tradition of advocating for human rights. Scottish, German and American missionaries educated the broader black intellectual class beyond the ANC. English-speaking settlers, for all their sins, introduced abolition and one of the world's first explicitly non-racial Constitution here in the 1850s. It was a flawed Afrikaner hero and genius who founded the League of Nations, and launched the project of building an international system to regulate global affairs. And all these united together under the leadership of Mandela and Tutu, infused deeply with native African philosophical ideas of Ubuntu, to bring to end a terrible conflict with minimal bloodshed, and through truth and reconciliation.
I've slipped into full on South African exceptionalism now. But I don't care because either I'll be proven right in two weeks or I'll be proven wrong, and I want to enjoy these ideals while I still can. Because in the world that would come after, I'll have much bigger things to worry about.
I don't mean to alarm anybody, but even if the next two weeks go by without a hitch, that will only be a testament to an enormous amount of behind the scenes work to prevent catastrophe. Democracy is not free. None of us can be so foolish as to miss the moment that South Africa is in. Transitions like this are never unchallenged, not with all that's at stake for those who lose once the full might of the Constitutional order finally kicks in.
The idea that "Nothing ever happens" has been thoroughly defeated at the ballot box. It's over. There's no going back. The results of the election mean that there is no political coalition for 'managed decline' any more. It's up or out.
I want to end this with a link to one of the most beautiful speeches ever delivered by a South African orator. If you only have a few minutes, then you can watched the abridged version set to patriotic music. But consider the historical moment that we're in. Maybe it's worth it taking 45 minutes to play the full version of the speech in the background. The speech is I Am An African by Thabo Mbeki, delivered at the signing of the Constitution in 1996.

Discount Luggage
Traveling is an enriching experience, whether it’s a weekend getaway, a business trip, or an extended vacation. The right luggage can make all the difference in ensuring a smooth and enjoyable journey. Here’s a guide to the must-have luggage pieces for your travels and holidays, designed to cater to various needs and preferences.
The Versatile Carry-On
A carry-on is essential for short trips and can save you from the hassle of checking in baggage. Opt for a lightweight, durable carry-on that fits airline size regulations. Features to look for include:
Spinner Wheels: For easy maneuverability. Expandable Zippers: For additional packing space. Multiple Compartments: To keep your items organized.
The Durable Checked Luggage
For longer trips, a sturdy checked suitcase is necessary. Hard-shell suitcases offer better protection for your belongings and are resistant to wear and tear. Key considerations:
Material: Polycarbonate or aluminum for durability. Security Features: TSA-approved locks and robust zippers. Interior Design: Compartments and compression straps for efficient packing.
The Practical Backpack A good travel backpack is invaluable, especially for those who prefer a hands-free option. Whether you’re hiking, exploring a city, or need a personal item for the plane, look for these features:
Ergonomic Design: Padded shoulder straps and back panel for comfort. Water-Resistant Material: To protect your belongings from the elements. Multiple Pockets: For easy access to essentials like water bottles, gadgets, and travel documents. 4. The Compact Duffel Bag Duffel bags are perfect for weekend trips or as an extra bag for souvenirs. They are versatile and can be easily stored when not in use. Choose a duffel bag with:
Durable Fabric: Such as canvas or nylon. Convertible Straps: For carrying options like shoulder or backpack. Zip-Top Closure: To secure your items.

1. The Functional Garment Bag For business travelers or anyone attending a formal event, a garment bag is essential for keeping clothes wrinkle-free. Consider these aspects:

Lightweight Construction: For ease of carrying. Multiple Hooks and Hangers: To organize suits, dresses, and accessories. Water-Resistant Exterior: To protect your clothes. 6. The Essential Packing Cubes Packing cubes are a game-changer for staying organized and maximizing luggage space. Benefits include:
Various Sizes: For different types of clothing and accessories. Breathable Fabric: To keep clothes fresh. Visibility: Mesh tops to see what’s inside without opening.
The Travel Toiletry Bag A good toiletry bag keeps your personal care items in one place, preventing leaks and spills in your luggage. Features to look for:
Waterproof Material: Inside and out for easy cleaning. Multiple Compartments: To organize toiletries and cosmetics. Hook for Hanging: To keep it off wet surfaces.
The Compact Tech Organizer With the rise of digital nomadism, keeping your tech gear organized is crucial. A tech organizer can store cables, chargers, and gadgets neatly. Important features include:
Elastic Loops and Mesh Pockets: For secure storage. Padded Compartments: To protect delicate electronics. Compact Design: To fit easily into your carry-on or backpack.
Investing in the right luggage can significantly enhance your travel experience. Prioritize pieces that offer durability, functionality, and organization. Whether you’re a frequent flyer or an occasional vacationer, having the right luggage ensures you’re prepared for any adventure that comes your way. Safe travels

https://archive.is/vYHVW
Annual Town Meeting voters will be asked to adopt a $1.9 million operating budget for fiscal year 2025, buy a police cruiser, save library statuary, and add a short-term rental provision and a Floodplain Overlay District to the zoning bylaws.
The meeting will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Colrain Central School, with 46 articles to be considered.
The requested town budget represents a $37,500 increase, or less than 2%, over the current year’s spending plan. However, the Finance Committee and Selectboard are not recommending the Mohawk Trail Regional School District’s $2.4 million operating assessment, which is about a 6.2% increase.
The biggest budget hike for Colrain comes from school bus transportation, which went up by 83% under a new bus contract and due to decreased state reimbursement for regional transportation.
Other spending requests include:
■$62,133 for the Mohawk Trail school district’s capital assessment.
■$8,628 for Colrain Central and $3,637 for Mohawk Trail, to upgrade phone systems for enhanced 911 communications.
■A $24,000 transfer to pay for technology-related expenses: firewall upgrades, new server room door and locking mechanism, desktop and laptop computer stations.
■An $80,000 police cruiser, with $54,251 coming from the Police Stabilization Fund and $25,749 coming from free cash.
■A $57,000 transfer from free cash to buy Highway Department snow removal equipment and a trailer. However, the Finance Committee and Selectboard do not recommend approval.
Under a new bylaw proposal, short-term rental of residential properties would require owners to get a signed permit from the Planning Board, with a fee of $100 for a one-year permit. Also, an owner of more than one property in town may only use one property at a time for a short-term rental.
The purpose of adding a Floodplain Overlay District is to ensure public safety, eliminate new hazards to emergency response officials, and prevent contamination and pollution of water resources. If approved, the town’s building inspector would be the official floodplain administrator, reviewing permits of any future development proposed in the floodplain. Also, the Conservation Commission would need to review and approve any new construction in the Floodplain Overlay District.
Another zoning bylaw change involves updating the town’s solar photovoltaic system regulations to reflect state changes.
For decades, plaster busts of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Julius Caesar, Homer, Christopher Columbus, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Beethoven and Dante Alighieri have been kept at the Griswold Memorial Library. Some are in need of repairs or restoration. Library trustees have considered removing some or all of them, but a citizen’s petition article on the Town Meeting warrant asks voters “not to erase our town history” by voting that the library continue to display the statues.
Another petitioned article asks if a stop sign should be placed at the intersection of Jacksonville and Main roads, so that traffic coming from the north would stop, allowing traffic coming down the mountain to turn left more safely.
A final petitioned article asks the town to adopt the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act by approving a 3% property tax surcharge that would be used with matching state funds for town improvements — parks, open space, historic preservation and community housing.
To view the full Town Meeting warrant, visit:
https://colrain-ma.gov/files/Annual_Town_Meeting_Warrant_FY2025_-_Recommendations.pdf

Suprabhat, Vannakam, Adab and Welcome to the 2024 LOK SABHA GENERAL ELECTION THUNDERDOME.
NO RULES, NO LIMITS, ONLY CHAOS.
THE CAGE -
India is a parliamentary democracy that follows the first-past-the-post voting system, similar to the standard Westminster System. The Lower House of the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) consists of 543 seats representing 543 constituencies that send 1 Member of Parliament (MP) each. These 543 MP's then choose a prime minister via simple majority.
For each constituency, a political party gives a ticket to a single Candidate. The Candidate with at least a plurality of votes in a constituency represents that Constituency in parliament as a member of the party.
There are no party level primaries in India, the candidate for a constituency is decided by the party high command and only one person from a party can be on the ticket for a particular seat. You can contest multiple constituencies though from the same party as both Narendra Modi (2014 BJP Candidate for both Varanasi and Vadodara) and Rahul Gandhi (2024 Congress Candidate for both Rae Bareili and Wayanad) have done. If no existing political party gives you a ticket, you can contest as an Independent Candidate or form your own party and contest as a member of your own party.
The government can be formed by the party or the alliance that has a simple majority of MP's. When no single political party has a majority of MP's, an alliance of various parties can be formed that contains the majority of MP's. This is called a post-poll alliance, where the parties contest elections separately but might come together after the elections in order to form the government or be part of the government. However there is also the pre-poll alliance where political parties join or form an alliance before the elections.
THE DATES - 19th April, 26th April, 7th May, 13th May, 20th May, 25th May, 1st June
THE RESULTS -
THE EXIT POLLS-
On average, most exit polls gave the following results
BJP+ - 365/563
INDIA- 143/543
OTHERS- 35-543
THE FIGHTS -
Economy & Employment:
The incumbent BJP-led NDA government makes the positive case of economic growth and development under its decade long tenure. It points to strong rejuvenated GDP growth with relatively low inflation, rising wages, a growing middle class, stable macroeconomic positioning, strong spending, slashing of multidimensional poverty, a strong and well administered welfare state, expanded free trade, sharp reduction in regulation, increase in select manufacturing and industry, a revitalized finance sector, and a thriving service market.
The government points to the large-scale infrastructure development undertaken, expanding roadways, delivering expansive electrification, and provisions of basic utility services. They point to the stagnation and policy paralysis observed under the tenure of the last Congress government (UPA 2), and further make point to the opposition's alleged proposed populist economic programs as untenable and unfeasible. They make the case that the opposition has leftist economic policies that are not grounded in economic reality.
The INC-led I.N.D.I.A opposition on the other hand, makes the negative case against the incumbents, pointing to large scale youth unemployment, even among educated youth. They point to an alleged inability of the government to tie growth to employment. They allege a failure of manufacturing capacity and sufficient industrialization of the economy, highlighting the lack of sufficient private capital inflows. They criticize the growth figures of the economy by casting doubt on the government's statistics, and focusing extensively on growing wealth inequality, alleging that growth only occurs for the rich billionaire class, with minimal relief for the poor, targeting specific attacks against domestic industrial magnates, Adani and Ambani. They allege favoritism on the part of the incumbent government towards their select base, highlighting the state of Gujarat as being prioritized over other states.
In making their positive case, they propose a more inclusive and redistributive model of growth, proposing heightened subsidization programmes, more welfare and support programmes, higher taxation on the wealthy and corporations, leveraging private capital inflows for infrastructure development, and prioritizing equitable growth through a caste census, developing corrective policies for inequalities between castes.
They aim to solve the employment crisis through expanding roles in state enterprises and filling government vacancies, alongside expanding labour intensive industries like manufacturing and mining, whilst pointing to high growth rates of the economy as well as committing to expand manufacturing through reforms and subsidy platforms like the PLI, FAME etc., further claiming that increased infrastructure spending will lead to crowding in effect thus enabling faster industrialization.
Social Justice:
The issues of social equity and justice have become major cornerstones of both the incumbent and opposition electoral platforms. This is most prevalent through the forthcoming section on sectarianism, but also focuses on key issues regarding class equality and - most importantly - caste-based discrimination.
The incumbent BJP-led NDA government point to their solid track record of universal poverty alleviation, targeted successful welfare and affirmative action programmes. The INC-led I.N.D.I.A opposition on the other hand, point to growing wealth inequality and apparent institutional and systemic discrimination against underprivileged caste communities in academia, employment, governmental programmes, courts, the military, etc. They allege that the government has not committed to taking resolute and definitive action against casteism through corrective policy.
This all boils down to the Reservation system, a large scale, affirmative action initiative, conducted through a systematic quota-based policy of allotment of institutional positions in education, governmental employment, schemes and programmes, direct political representation, etc.
With reservations estimated to have hit 59.5% of Central Government Institutional positions, there are now broader calls to expand the scale and scope of this drive. The opposition wanting to break the cap limits and even introduce this system into the private sector to potentially induce parity, while the government commits to more modest hikes of upto 62.5% while playing into incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi's identity as a member of an underprivileged caste community.
While the opposition campaigns on removing limits to the quota system to deliver equity, the government alleges these commitments to be populist and detrimental, while alleging that the opposition seeks to potentially appease its Muslim voter base by introducing expanded reservations for Muslims, thereby allegedly sabotaging the disadvantaged Hindu lower castes, and redistributing their wealth to Muslims, in a bid to gain their votes.
Communalism:
Both the incumbent BJP-led NDA government and the INC-led I.N.D.I.A opposition have framed communalism as a lynchpin issue of the Election. The incumbent government points to alleged casteist and bigoted rhetoric against select caste groups and Hindus. They allege the opposition panders to minorities for their votes, whilst not delivering on the real issues. They allege the opposition seeks to drive up divisiveness and shared social harmony in India. They further allege that the opposition engages in divisive rhetoric on key issues of Hindu-Indian culture like that of the Ram Temple, in ways that contradict the spirit of the Indian State.
The opposition on the other hand, accused the incumbent government of being bigoted against minority communities, from the large Muslim community, to the lower caste communities of Indian society. They allege use of hateful and divisive rhetoric against these communities, and point to select controversial government positions and policies on issues like the Ram Mandir, the controversial CAA-NRC laws, the proposed Uniform Civil Code, among others. They further allege institutional degradation of key offices including policing, academia, and the military in discriminating against minority groups.
Institutional Independence:
The INC-led I.N.D.I.A opposition alleges institutional degradation and capture of various independent governmental entities by the incumbents. They point to the use of Executive, Investigative, Anti-Corruption, Enforcement, & Tax authorities against opposition figures and media as evidence, highlighting specific cases of the detaining and arrest of two sitting opposition Chief Ministers, and the resignation of one. They highlight alleged selective targeting of opposition figures for raids, charges, and arrests, creating an alleged environment of impunity for the government. The opposition alleges heightened and blatant partisanship of members of the Judiciary in support of the incumbent government. They also allege illegitimate freezing of campaigning funds, crackdowns on press freedoms via capture of media institutions, and also critically alleges institutional capture of the Election Commission, casting doubts on election results primarily critiquing India's Electronic Voting Machines (EVM).
The Government rebukes these claims as part of a strong anti-corruption drive, highlighting a drop in governmental corruption cases since the previous Congress government (UPA 2, infamously riddled with such allegations). The government frames the opposition parties as corrupt and power-hungry, while further disparaging the opposition's alleged unfounded attacks on Indian institutions, apparent partisan attacks on the judiciary and critiquing apparent unfounded claims of election denialism.
THE FIGHTERS –
The election is primarily clash between two large coalitions, and their leading parties. On one side, you have the incumbent government of the BJP-led NDA, or National Democratic Alliance, and on the other, you have the opposition INC-led I.N.D.I.A, or Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, a new mega coalition of more than 35 parties, with a few unofficial supporters too.
The following is a list of some key players in each of the alliances and is by no means a comprehensive or exhaustive list of all involved factions.
The incumbent NDA includes:

1. BJP – The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party - "Indian People's Party") is a Hindu nationalist party committed to Hindutva ideology, promoting Hindu culture, opposing Muslim immigration, and creating a nativist country wherein India embraces a fundamentally Hindu social fabric. The BJP government under Modi undertook strong reformist policies in promoting liberalization of the economy through aggressive regulatory reforms, furthering free trade through FTAs and privatization of underperforming state assets. They took aggressive stances on defense and counterterrorism against Pakistan and China, while pragmatically engaging other nations despite criticism on some foreign policy moves for being 'wolf warrior-esque'. They uphold a strong nationalist domestic and foreign policy, that simultaneously does not retreat from globalization. On National Security, they aim to make India a regional power with a strong emphasis on modernization & indigenization of military administration and technology, while also reducing bureaucratic and manpower burdens through varied recruitment windows. BJP manifesto
2. JD(U) - The JD(U) (Janata Dal (United) – “People’s Party (United)”) is led by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and has been in power in the eastern state of Bihar since 2005. It was formed after a series of splits and mergers in the Janata Dal in the 90s. It is credited with doing good work in the state on roads, electricity, and water, however it has failed to provide jobs & spur manufacturing. This, combined with its leader frequently switching between rival alliances, is causing anti-incumbency. JDU website
3. TDP - The TDP (Telugu Desam Party – “Party of the Telugu Land") follows a pro-Telugu ideology. It was founded as an alternative to the Congress hegemony, by emphasizing Telugu regional pride and serving as the party for farmers, backward castes and middle-class people. Since the 1990s, it has followed an economically liberal policy that has been seen as pro-business and pro-development as well as populist welfare measures. TDP Manifesto

The opposition I.N.D.I.A includes:

1. INC - The INC (Indian National Congress) is a big tent social-democratic/democratic-socialist party with its foundational pillars being equity, equality, and egalitarianism. They take broad commitments to secularism and class equality to be principal positions. The INC under Rahul Gandhi has taken strong positions on caste issues, shining light on inequities from past and current discrimination, and proposing active policy interventions. While the INC also holds a free-market/pro-liberalization consensus, they emphasize growing social and wealth inequality and seek inclusive and redistributive growth with strong state intervention. They also see some proposed liberalizing reforms to further inequality and take an 'anti-corporatist' position. They take a slightly less strong position to Indian foreign policy, stressing a more diplomatic approach (with minimal variance on actual positions to the incumbents). They embrace globalization in part, while emphasizing India's need for domestic development. They aim to industrialize India rapidly through stimulating private investment and aim to subsidize both supply and demand. They seek to maintain the Indian military with a focus on highly trained soldiers. They pioneered multi-alignment as the foreign policy for India. INC Manifesto
2. AAP - The AAP (Aam Aadmi Party – “Common Man's Party"), part of INDIA coalition, currently holds power in two key states - Delhi and Punjab. Its chief figurehead and leader, Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate under an alleged liquor scam in the run up to elections. A barely 10-year-old party it has expanded very quickly to many states, running two of them, and now has national party status by the Election Commission of India (ECI). It leans centre-left to centre-right, with some play of soft Hindutva, while its economic platform comprises heavy spending in education, health, and free schemes of water and electricity. They rose to power on an anti-corruption program in 2013 and continues to have it as its central plank. AAP website for 2024
3. CPI(M) – The CPI(M) (Communist Party of India (Marxist)). They commies lol. The CPI(M) is one of the larger and more mainstream communist parties in India. Since they operate within the Indian republic's constitution, they have adopted more Indian characteristics. They are primarily against privatisation in the public sector and in favour of universal education and healthcare. Their base has traditionally been in Kerala, one of the more developed states in India in terms of income levels and HCI. they're in favour of private sector reservations and in recent years have also been pro-FDI. They promise non-aligned foreign policy, but largely are very anti-US and pro-China. They promise to restore Article 370 and oppose forceful seizure of land by the government. They're one of the most influential parties in India due to a strong cadre and student union ecosystem. They've had an effect on the farmers' protests as well as economic positions of the INDI Alliance. CPI(M) MANIFESTO
4. DMK - The DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - “Dravidian Progressive Federation") is a big tent broad left-wing party that is foundationally Dravidian (primarily Tamil) Nationalist, with strong emphasis on social equity and caste issues, while being staunchly secular and atheistic, and interventionist, statist, heavily welfarist, and industrialist in economic policy. They are primarily a regional party operating in the state of Tamil Nadu, led by M.K. Stalin, the state's current Chief Minister. DMK manifesto
5. RJD - The RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal – “National People’s Party”) is a caste-based (Muslims & Yadavs) political party in the Indian state of Bihar, which it ruled from 1990 to 2005. Its rule was one of extreme lawlessness & anarchy. It was called the “Jungle Raj”. Between 1990 & 2000, Bihar's per capita income and power consumption fell off a cliff due to mismanagement. Its CM, Lalu Prasad, was convicted of corruption in 2013.
6. SP - The SP (Samajwadi Party – “Socialist Party”) believes in creating a socialist society that operates on the principle of equality. Although the party previously ran on an anti-computer, anti-English, and anti-machinery platform, under its new national president Akhilesh Yadav, the party has made a 180° turn. Now, the Samajwadi Party declares itself to be the party of infrastructure while maintaining its commitment to social justice, with a special focus on teaching computer skills. The party's main base is in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is the most populated state in India, with a population of 230 million. The only negatives associated with the party are the rampant dynasticism within its ranks and its perceived soft stance on law and order issues. SP Manifesto
7. JMM - The JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha – “Jharkhand Liberation Front") currently runs the govt of eastern state of Jharkhand. The party has historically centred tribal rights as its central plank and agitated for a new tribal state separate from Bihar until 2000, when their demands were met. It leans centre-left to left with their key issues being tribal control of land, mineral and mining rights, addressing issues of rehabilitation of tribals. The party is primarily run by the Soren family, with Champai Soren being its chief minister candidate in the current government after the last chief minister Hemant Soren was arrested by enforcement directorate. JMM is in alliance with the Indian national congress in the state, and part of the INDIA coalition for the Lok Sabha elections. They face charges of corruption and the image of dynastic politics.

The “It’s Complicated”, Unaligned, Split, and/or other Supplementary Parties include:

1. TMC - The TMC or AITC (All India Trinamool Congress) is a Bengali political party ruling over the state of West Bengal since 2011. It is led by Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. It is a center-left, welfarist, Bengali Nationalist party. It has been criticized for using heavy-handed authoritarian tactics against opposition leaders in the state, corruption, and political violence. It is credited with ending 34 years of communist rule in the state. West Bengal under the AITC has registered subpar economic performance and is largely stagnant. Pertinent to note Mamata used to be Congress leader till 1998, and AITC, in spite of being sympathetic towards the I.N.D.I.A. alliance at the national level, is fighting the Congress-Left alliance in West Bengal on all 42 seats. TMC Manifesto
2. AIADMK - The AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam – “All India Anna Dravidian Progressive Federation") is a broad centre-left/left-wing party adhering to foundational Dravidian philosophy, while emphasizing Tamil identity. Traditionally being less ethno-nationalist than their sister opposition party the DMK, they adhere to broad welfarist left-wing populism, focusing on social justice and communal equity, while being less economically statist than the DMK. They also focus primarily on Tamil Nadu as a regional party, currently led by Edappadi Palaniswami. AIADMK manifesto
3. Shiv Sena - The Shiv Sena (“Army of Shivaji”) was founded by Bal Thackeray in 1966 as a populist, xenophobic party, although the party gradually added Hindutva ideology to its anti non-Maharashtrian plank. It was the long time senior partner to the BJP in Maharashtra till Narendra Modi's popularity caused a change in the dynamics. After power sharing talks with the BJP failed in 2019, the Shiv Sena switched alliances to join hands with their long time rivals in Congress and NCP in an arrangement that made Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav Thackeray the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. In 2022 again, The Majority of Shiv Sena politicians led by Eknath Shinde rebelled against the top leadership to ally again with the BJP, taking control of the party and toppling the Uddhav Thackeray government. The splinter group led by Uddhav Thackeray is called SS (UBT) and it is allied with the Congress in the INDIA Alliance. SS(UBT) Manifesto
4. NCP – The NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) were founded in 1998 by Sharad Pawar and a few others who left the Congress in 1998 after Sonia Gandhi was made Congress president. Despite it's formation, the NCP was a long term ally of the Congress sharing virtually the same ideology. In 2023 however, like the Shiv Sena, In a rebellion led by Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit, a Majority of NCP politicians switched alliances to support the BJP and took control of the party. Like the Shiv Sena, the Splinter group led by Sharad Pawar and his daughter is called NCP (SP) and it's allied with the Congress in the INDIA Alliance
5. YSRCP - The YSRCP (Yuvjana Sramika Rythu Congress Party – “Youth, Labour, & Farmer Congress Party”) was founded by the son of an old congress Chief Minister after he was denied the role of Chief Minister after his father. It's a populist centre-of-left party with strong focus on welfare schemes and cash benefits. It's mired in controversy due to its dynastic nature, its ties to Christian Fundamentalism and American Missionaries targeting the marginalized.
6. BRS - The BRS (Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi – “Indian National Council”) was formed originally with a single-point agenda of creating a separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. They are largely neoliberal and are credited with rapid economic growth in Telangana.
7. BJD – The BJD (Biju Janata Dal – “Biju’s People’ Platform”) was formed by Naveen Pattnaik the son of the former CM of Oddisha, Biju Pattnaik. It’s a Odia regional party with a strong focus on poverty upliftment through welfare policies and equitable economic growth.
8. BSP - The BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party - "Majority Community Party") is a center-left party in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which was started to uplift Dalits and other marginalized communities in India by Kanshi Ram. Its current party president is Mayawati. BSP is considered as one of the biggest parties in India as per vote share, although it's currently in decline. At its height, this party had a strong base in many states across north India, but now it's only limited to the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is one of the largest states in India with a population of 230 million. There are strong suspicions of BSP working in secret with BJP, and maybe that's why the party is not fighting this election enthusiastically. Although they can still make the competition interesting on a few seats in UP.

OTHER KEY ISSUES -

1. Political Dynasticism:

Although dynastism is thought to be a good fix for internal chaos in a party, the current political leader of the Congress, Rahul Gandhi, is a fourth-generation dynast who has to carry the political baggage of everything which went wrong during the rule of his grandmother and great-grandfather.
Also because one family has been controlling the Congress for decades, it has caused various state-level leaders to either form their own party or join another one. They see no future in the Congress anymore because the door to leadership is always closed for them. This has destroyed the ground level cadre of Congress party in many key states.
Rahul Gandhi’s privilege combined with the lack of any real political acumen so far has led to the INC taking damage due to is infamy.
Nepotism and dynastic politics has been a key issue throughout the last 10 years as BJP positions itself as the ‘common man’s party’

1. The Ram Mandir:

A land dispute originating from the alleged destruction of a Hindu Temple, replaced by a Mosque built allegedly atop the site (the Babri Masjid) in the 16th century allegedly by Mughal Empror Babur in present day Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, the proposed birthplace of the Hindu deity Lord Ram.
Following a century of sporadic conflict, from 1853 to 1949, a revivalist movement in the 1980's would lead to rising communal tensions, culminating in the 1992 destruction of the Ram Temple by Hindu Nationalists and devotees.
The legal conflict over the land would continue until 2019, when the Supreme Court of India issued the controversial ruling that the land be handed over to government trust for the construction of a Ram Temple, with seperate land being allotted to the local Muslim community for construction of a Mosque.
Almost all elements of the dispute remain mired in controversy. From the historical and religious associations of Ayodhya with Ram, the existence of a definitively Hindu structure, the alleged deliberate destruction of the said temple, the times and events of construction and use, the participants, planning, and events of the 1992 destruction, the ASI Archeological Surveys that served as key evidence for the Supreme Court being tampered and politicized by both sides of the politcal aisle, the legality of the ruling itself, and other surrounding issues regarding justice against those alleged to have partaken in the destruction of the Babri Masjid.

1. Foreign Policy:

The BJP is campaigning on building a multi-aligned foreign policy where India is seen as the world’s friend as well as an upcoming regional power. This was at its peak during India’s G20 presidency. Many Indians claim the rise of India’s global stature is an electoral issue. This can be seen in the popularity of the government’s anti-terror operations in both Pakistan and beyond. The resurgence of an interventionist foreign policy has proven to be popular in projecting the strongman image of Modi. The country’s commitment to it’s strategic autonomy and multi-alignment have been a fixture right since Nehru.
SUPPLEMENTARY SOURCES:

Lottery locks…

1. Alexander Sarr, Zachari Richasire, Dalton Knetch
   
2. Reed Sheppard, Ron Holland, Rob Dillingham
   
3. Stephon Castle, Matas Buzelis, Donovan Clinigan
   

I think in another draft Rob Dillingham could be valued as a similar prospect to Malik Monk and maybe that’s a lazy comparison since they’re both guards from Kentucky. However, they do seem like similar archetypes. The one thing I’ve noticed looking at the lottery is each prospect seems to have some sort of flaw or more so limitation the lower you go and if they did not have that they would undeniably be 1st overall and this wouldn’t be looked at as a weak draft at all. Holland/Castle and shooting, Sheppard and size, Richasire and handle, etc. Imagine how good some of these guys would be if they didn’t have these knocks on them.
Late lottery and potential risers…

1. Jared McCain, Cody Williams, Devin Carter, JaKobe Walter, Johnny Furphy, Tidjane Salaun, Tyler Smith

Now this is where the real draft starts. I think a lot of players in this tier are going to make the teams that drafted them really, really happy. Im really high on McCain and I could easily see a team talking themselves into picking him up early because he’s showed he’s one of if not the best shooter in this class. Cody Williams reminds me of Patrick Williams and Devin Booker coming out of college, the sample size so far looks very promising but will he be able to handle a larger volume? A hand full of these guys can rise a lot higher because teams will value their production at that age along with physical tools like a Furphy, like a Smith and especially Walter. I know recently people have these guys going lower but I really don’t see them slipping past 20 at the lowest. The potential along with the production at that age with all these prospects is going to be to enticing for executives to turn down. There’s a reason a lot of them have kept their names in the draft.
Risers…

1. Isaiah Collier, Carlton Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, Tristan Da Silva, Pacome Dadiet, Jaylon Tyson

Collier is probably the toughest prospects to gauge in my opinion. He came into the college scene a top recruit but didn’t have the season good enough to have him as a top 10 prospect, I’ll be it still a decent season. Questions with his jumpshot will probably keep him lower. Someone like Kyshawn George I could see a team overvalue his shooting along with physical attributes and take him early. Bub Carrington is probably the most underrated prospect in this class and I could see a real rise from him when you look at his situation and realize he’s only 18 and he has the college season he did. A lot of executives will overlook some of his inefficiencies due to being young (reports came out that he wanted to go back to school but NBA scouts encouraged him to stay in the draft). With the success of guys like Quickley I could see him fitting that mold. A team looking for an NBA ready prospect can certainly reach higher for Silva but the potential seems more appealing with other players. Jaylon Tyson is also another underrated prospects I could see moving a lot higher due to his stats at a good school, his build and age.
Big men after Clinigan…

1. Yves Missi, Kyle Filipowski / Zach Edey, Kel’al Ware, Daron Holmes

I wanted to rank the bigs separately so don’t take this as I’m ranking them lower than the prospects above them because I could definitely see any of these guys including Missi being selected a lot higher. A team will talk themselves into his productions, size, natural gifts/talent and age. Could see a Steven Adams type story play out. With Flip and Edey it really depends on what a team will value more because I could see Edey coming in day 1 and be able to average a double double. Flip is younger and has 2 really solid years in college but probably won’t be as good as Edey right away and could he ever is the question. I think out of any of these big men if someone is going to fall it might be Ware despite how good he is it’s a lot easier for teams to look at the other big men in the class and talk themselves into being just as good without the baggage. Again I just wanted to rank the bigs in their own category and could easily see them going higher than a lot of the guys in the risers category.
Borderline first rounder to early seconds…

1. Ryan Dunn, Tyler Kolek, KJ Simpson

Second rounders worth a flier…

1. Kevin McCuller (older prosper with a lack of jumper might hurt his stock but could still find a way to contribute)

Terrence Shannon (trial and being an older prospect, he might not get to play his game in the NBA)
Ajay Mitchell (not many successful prospects from the school he attended and usually smaller school players have a harder time finding a place in the league)
Dillon jones
Jalen bridges

Nate & Stacia - honestly they were one of my favorite couples on MAFS I've ever seen. I felt they were both actually really mature in how they handled conflict. They never really yelled at each other or argued in toxic ways. Nate may have gotten more upset at times but I think overall you can really see the respect they have for each other consistently throughout the relationship. They both know what they want and are willing to put in the work on themselves so I'd say overall this seemed like a healthy dynamic and a true power couple to me!
Alexis & Justin - I'm surprised Alexis said yes and unsurprised that they argued immediately after the decision. They both have toxic arguing patterns and Alexis can straight up be a narcissist at times. I think its pretty fucked up that Justin had to give away the dog and Alexis treated it like it's not big deal. Justin was looking for validation and recognition of his sacrifice but Alexis just refused to give it to him. It seems like she was happy his dog was gone and she didn't really seem to care about that affect Justin. Justin also does read into things too much and sometimes creates conflict for no reason in appropriate ways/settings. They seem like a couple that will definitely implode with all the toxicity between them. Another point is in the honeymoon we see them as like this in love happy couple. That was a red flag for me because often the most toxic relationships start out that way because they aren't realistic. I think also Alexis was unable to compromise. Like this man gave up his dog for you and you can't give up going to the club with friends Every Weekend? You can't go out once a month or do brunch every other week instead? She just wanted Justin to adjust to her lifestyle without making any effort to adjust to his expectations, which I don't think we're even unreasonable. I get needing space but damn woman it's not that hard to come to a compromise on something like that.
Miguel and Lindy - they give me a few red flags as a couple and they both have some toxic tendencies as well, but I think they are at least aware of their own past traumas and baggage and willing to confront it head on. I think with their personalities it could naturally lead to a clash, but honestly I think Miguel was being pretty toxic towards the end, being very dismissive, cold, etc towards Lindy. At the same time I think Lindy also struggled to regulate her emotions and approach Miguel in healthy ways. I have mixed feelings about this couple because I do think it's relatable for a lot of us IRL, where we have partners who aren't perfect and have trauma that can affect the marriage. At rhe same time, it's how aware you are and how you respond in times of conflict that is gonna determine if you make it or break it. They do seem to have a lot of genuine love for each other which is what brings them back each time though, and I think they compliment each other in many ways as well. I think they both have some growth to do but overall I was surprised to see they chose to stay together and hope they don't let the toxic tendencies destroy them.
Mitch & Krysten - seems like everyone feels some type of way about Mitch and I'll join the club. Mitch made absolutely no effort to compromise and just expected Krysten to completely adjust to his environmentalist lifestyle without giving her much grace or agreeing to compromise himself. A healthier dynamic would have been him accepting that he makes certain choices but accepting that Krysten might not make those choices. Or maybe recognizing all the things Krysten did agree to change for him like using more environmentally friendly things in their house, and in response maybe he could have been more lax about other things. Him saying he wasn't attracted to her ON THE HONEYMOON like what and then the next day being all over her? Just seems so weird and I feel so bad for Krysten. She is a beautiful, kind, woman who showed nothing but class and respect throughout the entire experiment. I was especially blindsided when they both said no because the night before they were talking like they both wanted to make it work. But I'm glad they recognized that it was a fundamental incompatibility and were able to part ways somewhat amicably.
Morgan & Binh - poor Binh, that's all I can say. Morgan is a straight up abuser and narcissist with the way she treated him. I don't even think Binh really lied to her. I think he was just afraid to tell her he was tlaking to Justin.. he was afraid because normal non abusive people don't care if you talk about your relationship to friends. she spun it as "him lying" when thats not even the case. She was the one who lied on her application and got max that Binh called her out and questioned her honesty. I honestly don't think Binh did anything wrong here. Sure he could have been more open with Morgan but Morgan's response to the issues was to gaslight, project, and to turn herself into the victim for every little thing. She couldn't even forgive him for something so small and decided to end the marriage over it. I get that it's a major conflict but I got the vibe she just didn't like him amd was looking for an out. We see it early on. At the wedding Binhs family asks her if she wants kids and she doesn't really answer. We know from her friends that she doesn't really seem to want kids, and she finds out this is something he wants. I think from that moment she was looking for any excuse to get out so she took the first conflict as an opportunity to escalate and end things. We see further lack of interest on her end when Binh plans her a nice beef dinner. He opens up to her and is extremely vulnerable and even says he has a trigger with feeling like he's not good enough. The entire conversation his body is turned towards her, he's trying to make eye contact and she is...just chowing down, not making eye contact or really making any effort to truly connect. What's worse is that after he discloses this insecurity to her, she literally uses it against him over and over. Throwing the flowers down, constantly telling him that his apology isn't enough, etc. It's like she heard his insecurity and used it intentionally to hurt him. Straight up covert narcissistic behavior on her end and it was disgusting to watch. I am glad Binh escaped honestly and I feel bad for whoever Mogans next victim is. I hope Binh finds a woman who treats him better how he deserves.
All in all I think this was one of the better seasons I've seen with relatively less drama compared to some other seasons and Good examples of healthy conflict Resolution in many instances across most couples.

Draft 1
Suprabhat, Vannakam, Adab and Welcome to the 2024 LOK SABHA GENERAL ELECTION THUNDERDOME.

NO RULES, NO LIMITS, ONLY CHAOS

POKKS	NDA	INC	Other
Axis My India	361-401	131-166	8-10
CVOTER	353-383	152-182	4-12
Today's Chanakya	385-415	96-118	27-45
CNX	371-401	109-139	28-38
ETG	358	132	53
Poll of Polls	379	136	28

testlink

The Cage -

India is a parliamentary democracy that follows the first-past-the-post voting system, similar to the standard Westminster System. The Lower House of the Indian Parliament (*Lok Sabha*) consists of 543 seats representing 543 constituencies that send 1 Member of Parliament (MP) each. These 543 MP's then choose a prime minister via simple majority.
For each constituency, a political party gives a ticket to a single Candidate. The Candidate with at least a plurality of votes in a constituency represents that Constituency in parliament as a member of the party.
There are no party level primaries in India, the candidate for a constituency is decided by the party high command and only one person from a party can be on the ticket for a particular seat. You can contest multiple constituencies though from the same party as both Narendra Modi (2014 BJP Candidate for both *Varanasi* and *Vadodara*) and Rahul Gandhi (2024 Congress Candidate for both *Rae Bareili* and *Wayanad*) have done. If no existing political party gives you a ticket, you can contest as an Independent Candidate or form your own party and contest as a member of your own party.
The government can be formed by the party or the alliance that has a simple majority of MP's. When no single political party has a majority of MP's, an alliance of various parties can be formed that contains the majority of MP's. This is called a post-poll alliance, where the parties contest elections separately but might come together after the elections in order to form the government or be part of the government.However there is also the pre-poll alliance where political parties join or form an alliance before the elections.
**THE DATES -**
**THE RESULTS -**
**EXIT POLLS -**

THE FIGHTS -

Economy & Employment:

The incumbent BJP-led NDA government makes the positive case of economic growth and development under its decade long tenure. It points to strong rejuvenated GDP growth with relatively low inflation, rising wages, a growing middle class, stable macroeconomic positioning, strong spending, slashing of multidimensional poverty, a strong and well administered welfare state, expanded free trade, sharp reduction in regulation, increase in select manufacturing and industry, a revitalized finance sector, and a thriving service markThe government points to the large-scale infrastructure development undertaken, expanding roadways, delivering expansive electrification, and provisions of basic utility services. They point to the stagnation and policy paralysis observed under the tenure of the last Congress government (*UPA 2*), and further make point to the opposition's alleged proposed populist economic programs as untenable and unfeasible. They make the case that the opposition has leftist economic policies that are not grounded in economic reality.
The INC-led I.N.D.I.A opposition on the other hand, makes the negative case against the incumbents, pointing to large scale youth unemployment, even among educated youth. They point to an alleged inability of the government to tie growth to employment. They allege a failure of manufacturing capacity and sufficient industrialization of the economy, highlighting the lack of sufficient private capital inflows. They criticize the growth figures of the economy by casting doubt on the government's statistics, and focusing extensively on growing wealth inequality, alleging that growth only occurs for the rich billionaire class, with minimal relief for the poor, targeting specific attacks against domestic industrial magnates, Adani and Ambani. They allege favoritism on the part of the incumbent government towards their select base, highlighting the state of Gujarat as being prioritized over other stateset.
In making their positive case, they propose a more inclusive and redistributive model of growth, proposing heightened subsidization programmes, more welfare and support programmes, higher taxation on the wealthy and corporations, leveraging private capital inflows for infrastructure development, and prioritizing equitable growth through a caste census, developing corrective policies for inequalities between castes.
They aim to solve the employment crisis through expanding roles in state enterprises and filling government vacancies, alongside expanding labour intensive industries like manufacturing and mining, whilst pointing to high growth rates of the economy as well as committing to expand manufacturing through reforms and subsidy platforms like the PLI, FAME etc., further claiming that increased infrastructure spending will lead to crowding in effect thus enabling faster industrialization.

Social Justice:

The issues of social equity and justice have become major cornerstones of both the incumbent and opposition electoral platforms. This is most prevalent through the forthcoming section on sectarianism, but also focuses on key issues regarding class equality and - most importantly - caste-based discrimination.
The incumbent BJP-led NDA government point to their solid track record of universal poverty alleviation, targeted successful welfare and affirmative action programmes. The INC-led I.N.D.I.A opposition on the other hand, point to growing wealth inequality and apparent institutional and systemic discrimination against underprivileged caste communities in academia, employment, governmental programmes, courts, the military, etc. They allege that the government has not committed to taking resolute and definitive action against casteism through corrective policy.
This all boils down to the Reservation system, a large scale, affirmative action initiative, conducted through a systematic quota-based policy of allotment of institutional positions in education, governmental employment, schemes and programmes, direct political representation, etc.
With reservations estimated to have hit 59.5% of Central Government Institutional positions, there are now broader calls to expand the scale and scope of this drive. The opposition wanting to break the cap limits and even introduce this system into the private sector to potentially induce parity, while the government commits to more modest hikes of upto 62.5% while playing into incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi's identity as a member of an underprivileged caste community.
While the opposition campaigns on removing limits to the quota system to deliver equity, the government alleges these commitments to be populist and detrimental, while alleging that the opposition seeks to potentially appease its Muslim voter base by introducing expanded reservations for Muslims, thereby allegedly sabotaging the disadvantaged Hindu lower castes, and redistributing their wealth to Muslims, in a bid to gain their votes.

Communalism:

Both the incumbent BJP-led NDA government and the INC-led I.N.D.I.A opposition have framed communalism as a lynchpin issue of the Election. The incumbent government points to alleged casteist and bigoted rhetoric against select caste groups and Hindus. They allege the opposition panders to minorities for their votes, whilst not delivering on the real issues. They allege the opposition seeks to drive up divisiveness and shared social harmony in India. They further allege that the opposition engages in divisive rhetoric on key issues of Hindu-Indian culture like that of the *Ram Temple*, in ways that contradict the spirit of the Indian State.
The opposition on the other hand, accused the incumbent government of being bigoted against minority communities, from the large Muslim community, to the lower caste communities of Indian society. They allege use of hateful and divisive rhetoric against these communities, and point to select controversial government positions and policies on issues like the *Ram Mandir*, the controversial CAA-NRC laws, the proposed Uniform Civil Code, among others. They further allege institutional degradation of key offices including policing, academia, and the military in discriminating against minority groups.

Institutional Independence:

The INC-led I.N.D.I.A opposition alleges institutional degradation and capture of various independent governmental entities by the incumbents. They point to the use of Executive, Investigative, Anti-Corruption, Enforcement, & Tax authorities against opposition figures and media as evidence, highlighting specific cases of the detaining and arrest of two sitting opposition Chief Ministers, and the resignation of one. They highlight alleged selective targeting of opposition figures for raids, charges, and arrests, creating an alleged environment of impunity for the government. The opposition alleges heightened and blatant partisanship of members of the Judiciary in support of the incumbent government. They also allege illegitimate freezing of campaigning funds, crackdowns on press freedoms via capture of media institutions, and also critically alleges institutional capture of the Election Commission, casting doubts on election results primarily critiquing India's Electronic Voting Machines (EVM).
The Government rebukes these claims as part of a strong anti-corruption drive, highlighting a drop in governmental corruption cases since the previous Congress government (UPA 2, infamously riddled with such allegations). The government frames the opposition parties as corrupt and power-hungry, while further disparaging the opposition's alleged unfounded attacks on Indian institutions, apparent partisan attacks on the judiciary and critiquing apparent unfounded claims of election denialism.

THE FIGHTERS –

The election is primarily clash between two large coalitions, and their leading parties. On one side, you have the incumbent government of the BJP-led NDA, or *National Democratic Alliance*, and on the other, you have the opposition INC-led I.N.D.I.A, or *Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance*, a new mega coalition of more than 35 parties, with a few unofficial supporters too.
*The following is a list of some key players in each of the alliances and is by no means a comprehensive or exhaustive list of all involved factions.*

The incumbent NDA includes:

1. ***BJP*** – The BJP (*Bharatiya Janata Party* - "Indian People's Party") is a Hindu nationalist party ce and counterterrorism against Pakistan and China, while pragmatically engaging other nations despite criticism on some foreign policy moves for being 'wolf warrior-esque'. They uphold a strong nationalist domestic and foreign policy, that simultaneously does not retreat from globalization. On National Security, they aim to make India a regional power with a strong emphasis on modernization & indigenization of military administration and technology, while also reducing bureaucratic and manpower burdens through varied recruitment windows.
2. ***JD(U)*** - The JD(U) (*Janata Dal (United)* – “People’s Party (United)”) is led by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and has been in power in the eastern state of Bihar since 2005. It was formed after a series of splits and mergers in the Janata Dal in the 90s. It is credited with doing good work in the state on roads, electricity, and water, however it has failed to provide jobs & spur manufacturing. This, combined with its leader frequently switching between rival alliances, is causing anti-incumbency.
3. ***TDP*** - The TDP (*Telugu Desam Party* – “Party of the Telugu Land") follows a pro-Telugu ideology. It was founded as an alternative to the Congress hegemony, by emphasizing Telugu regional pride and serving as the party for farmers, backward castes and middle-class people. Since the 1990s, it has followed an economically liberal policy that has been seen as pro-business and pro-development as well as populist welfare measures.

The opposition I.N.D.I.A includes:

1. ***INC*** - The INC (Indian National Congress) is a big tent social-democratic/democratic-socialist party with its foundational pillars being equity, equality, and egalitarianism. They take broad commitments to secularism and class equality to be principal positions. The INC under Rahul Gandhi has taken strong positions on caste issues, shining light on inequities from past and current discrimination, and proposing active policy interventions. While the INC also holds a free-market/pro-liberalization consensus, they emphasize growing social and wealth inequality and seek inclusive and redistributive growth with strong state intervention. They also see some proposed liberalizing reforms to further inequality and take an 'anti-corporatist' position. They take a slightly less strong position to Indian foreign policy, stressing a more diplomatic approach (with minimal variance on actual positions to the incumbents). They embrace globalization in part, while emphasizing India's need for domestic development. They aim to industrialize India rapidly through stimulating private investment and aim to subsidize both supply and demand. They seek to maintain the Indian military with a focus on highly trained soldiers. They pioneered multi-alignment as the foreign policy for India.
2. ***AAP*** - The AAP (*Aam Aadmi Party* – “Common Man's Party"), part of INDIA coalition, currently holds power in two key states - Delhi and Punjab. Its chief figurehead and leader, Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate under an alleged liquor scam in the run up to elections. Barely a 10 year old party it has expanded very quickly to many states, running two of them, and now has national party status by the Election Commission of India (ECI). It leans centre-left to centre-right, with some play of soft *Hindutva*, while its economic platform comprises heavy spending in education, health, and free schemes of water and electricity. They rose to power on an anti-corruption program in 2013 and continues to have it as its central plank.
3. ***CPI(M)*** – The CPI(M) (Communist Party of India (Marxist)). They commies lol. The CPI(M) is one of the larger and more mainstrean communist parties in India. Since they operate within the Indian republic's constitution they have adopted more Indian characterisrics. They are primarily against privatisation in the public sector and in favour of universal education and healthcare. Their base has traditionally been in Kerala, one of the more developed states in India in terms of income levels and HCI. They're in favour of private sector reservations and in recent years have also been pro-FDI They promise non-aligned foreign policy, but largely are very anti-US and pro-China. They promise to restore Article 370 and oppose forceful seizure of land by government. They're one of the most influential parties in India due to a strong cadre and student union ecosystem. They've had an effect on the farmers protests as well as economic positions of the INDI Alliance.
4. ***DMK*** - The DMK (*Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam* - “Dravidian Progressive Federation") is a big tent broad left-wing party that is foundationally *Dravidian* (primarily Tamil) Nationalist, with strong emphasis on social equity and caste issues, while being staunchly secular and atheistic, and interventionist, statist, heavily welfarist, and industrialist in economic policy. They are primarily a regional party operating in the state of Tamil Nadu, led by M.K. Stalin, the state's current Chief Minister.
5. ***RJD*** - The RJD (*Rashtriya Janata Dal* – “National People’s Party”) is a caste-based (Muslims & Yadavs) political party in the Indian state of Bihar, which it ruled from 1990 to 2005. Its rule was one of extreme lawlessness & anarchy. It was called the “Jungle Raj”. Between 1990 & 2000, Bihar's per capita income and power consumption fell off a cliff due to mismanagement. Its CM, Lalu Prasad, was convicted of corruption in 2013.
6. ***SP*** - The SP (*Samajwadi Party* – “Socialist Party”) believes in creating a socialist society that operates on the principle of equality. Although the party previously ran on an anti-computer, anti-English, and anti-machinery platform, under its new national president Akhilesh Yadav, the party has made a 180° turn. Now, the Samajwadi Party declares itself to be the party of infrastructure while maintaining its commitment to social justice, with a special focus on teaching computer skills. The party's main base is in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is the most populated state in India, with a population of 230 million. The only negatives associated with the party are the rampant dynasticism within its ranks and its perceived soft stance on law and order issues.
7. ***JMM*** - The JMM (*Jharkhand Mukti Morcha* – “Jharkhand Liberation Front") currently runs the govt of eastern state of Jharkhand. The party has historically centred tribal rights as its central plank and agitated for a new tribal state separate from Bihar until 2000, when their demands were met. It leans centre-left to left with their key issues being tribal control of land, mineral and mining rights, addressing issues of rehabilitation of tribals. The party is primarily run by the Soren family, with Champai Soren being its chief minister candidate in the current government after the last chief minister Hemant Soren was arrested by enforcement directorate. JMM is in alliance with the Indian national congress in the state, and part of the INDIA coalition for the Lok Sabha elections. They face charges of corruption and the image of dynastic politics.

The “It’s Complicated”, Unaligned, Split, and/or other Supplementary Parties include:

1. ***TMC*** - The TMC or AITC (All India Trinamool Congress) is a Bengali political party ruling over the state of West Bengal since 2011. It is led by Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. It is a center-left, welfarist, Bengali Nationalist party. It has been criticized for using heavy-handed authoritarian tactics against opposition leaders in the state, corruption, and political violence. It is credited with ending 34 years of communist rule in the state. West Bengal under the AITC has registered subpar economic performance and is largely stagnant. Pertinent to note Mamata used to be Congress leader till 1998, and AITC, in spite of being sympathetic towards the I.N.D.I.A. alliance at the national level, is fighting the Congress-Left alliance in West Bengal on all 42 seats.
2. ***AIADMK*** - The AIADMK (*All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam* – “All India Anna Dravidian Progressive Federation") is a broad centre-left/left-wing party adhering to foundational Dravidian philosophy, while emphasizing Tamil identity. Traditionally being less ethno-nationalist than their sister opposition party the DMK, they adhere to broad welfarist left-wing populism, focusing on social justice and communal equity, while being less economically statist than the DMK. They also focus primarily on Tamil Nadu as a regional party, currently led by Edappadi Palaniswami.
3. ***Shiv Sena*** - The Shiv Sena (*“Army of Shivaji”*) was founded by Bal Thackeray in 1966 as a populist, xenophobic party, although the party gradually added Hindutva ideology to its anti non-Maharashtrian plank. It was the long time senior partner to the BJP in Maharashtra till Narendra Modi's popularity caused a change in the dynamics. After power sharing talks with the BJP failed in 2019, the Shiv Sena switched alliances to join hands with their long time rivals in Congress and NCP in an arrangement that made Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav Thackeray the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. In 2022 again, The Majority of Shiv Sena politicians led by Eknath Shinde rebelled against the top leadership to ally again with the BJP, taking control of the party and toppling the Uddhav Thackeray government. The splinter group led by Uddhav Thackeray is called SS (UBT) and it is allied with the Congress in the INDIA Alliance.
4. ***NCP*** – The NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) were founded in 1998 by Sharad Pawar and a few others who left the Congress in 1998 after Sonia Gandhi was made Congress president. Despite it's formation, the NCP was a long term ally of the Congress sharing virtually the same ideology. In 2023 however, like the Shiv Sena, In a rebellion led by Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit, a Majority of NCP politicians switched alliances to support the BJP and took control of the party. Like the Shiv Sena, the Splinter group led by Sharad Pawar and his daughter is called NCP (SP) and it's allied with the Congress in the INDIA Alliance
5. ***YSRCP*** - The YSRCP (*Yuvjana Sramika Rythu Congress Party* – “Youth, Labour, & Farmer Congress Party”) was founded by the son of an old congress Chief Minister after he was denied the role of Chief Minister after his father. It's a populist centre-of-left party with strong focus on welfare schemes and cash benefits. It's mired in controversy due to its dynastic nature, its ties to Christian Fundamentalism and
6. ***BRS*** - The BRS (*Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi* – “Indian National Council”) was formed originally with a single-point agenda of creating a separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. They are largely neoliberal and are credited with rapid economic growth in Telangana.
7. ***BJD*** – The BJD (*Biju Janata Dal* – “Biju’s People’ Platform”) was formed by Naveen Pattnaik the son of the former CM of Oddisha, Biju Pattnaik. It’s a Odia regional party with a strong focus on poverty upliftment through welfare policies and equitable economic growth.
8. ***BSP*** - The BSP (*Bahujan Samaj Party* - "Majority Community Party") is a center-left party in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which was started to uplift Dalits and other marginalized communities in India by Kanshi Ram. Its current party president is Mayawati. BSP is considered as one of the biggest parties in India as per vote share, although it's currently in decline. At its height, this party had a strong base in many states across north India, but now it's only limited to the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is one of the largest states in India with a population of 230 million. There are strong suspicions of BSP working in secret with BJP, and maybe that's why the party is not fighting this election enthusiastically. Although they can still make the competition interesting on a few seats in UP.

OTHER KEY ISSUES -

1. Political Dynasticism:

Although dynastism is thought to be a good fix for internal chaos in a party, the current political leader of the Congress, Rahul Gandhi, is a fourth-generation dynast who has to carry the political baggage of everything which went wrong during the rule of his grandmother and great-grandfather.
Also because one family has been controlling the Congress for decades, it has caused various state-level leaders to either form their own party or join another one. They see no future in the Congress anymore because the door to leadership is always closed for them. This has destroyed the ground level cadre of Congress party in many key states.
Rahul Gandhi’s privilege combined with the lack of any real political acumen so far has led to the INC taking damage due to is infamy.
Nepotism and dynastic politics has been a key issue throughout the last 10 years as BJP positions itself as the ‘common man’s party’

2. The Ram Mandir:

A land dispute originating from the alleged destruction of a Hindu Temple, replaced by a Mosque built allegedly atop the site (the *Babri Masjid*) in the 16th century allegedly by Mughal Empror Babur in present day Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, the proposed birthplace of the Hindu deity Lord Ram.
Following a century of sporadic conflict, from 1853 to 1949, a revivalist movement in the 1980's would lead to rising communal tensions, culminating in the 1992 destruction of the Ram Temple by Hindu Nationalists and devotees.
The legal conflict over the land would continue until 2019, when the Supreme Court of India issued the controversial ruling that the land be handed over to government trust for the construction of a Ram Temple, with seperate land being allotted to the local Muslim community for construction of a Mosque.
Almost all elements of the dispute remain mired in controversy. From the historical and religious associations of Ayodhya with Ram, the existence of a definitively Hindu structure, the alleged deliberate destruction of the said temple, the times and events of construction and use, the participants, planning, and events of the 1992 destruction, the ASI Archeological Surveys that served as key evidence for the Supreme Court being tampered and politicised by both sides of the politcal aisle, the legality of the ruling itself, and other surrounding issues regarding justice against those alleged to have partaken in the destruction of the Babri Masjid.

3. Foreign Policy:

The BJP is campaigning on building a multi-aligned foreign policy where India is seen as the world’s friend as well as an upcoming regional power. This was at its peak during India’s G20 presidency. Many Indians claim the rise of India’s global stature is an electoral issue. This can be seen in the popularity of the government’s anti-terror operations in both Pakistan and beyond. The resurgence of an interventionist foreign policy has proven to be popular in projecting the strongman image of Modi. The country’s commitment to it’s strategic autonomy and multi-alignment have been a fixture right since Nehru.
**SUPPLEMENTARY SOURCES:**

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Story: 14 years ago, your aunt had passed with the final request that everybody come to her funeral with not a single relative absent, and you were the only person out of 22 family members absent favoring to a long-awaited date instead. Mysteriously months after your aunts passing the funeral home was mysteriously shut down with the last guest reporting the rotten stench of blood and mucus while employees began quitting on the fly due to the sensation of a "foreboding presence". 14 years today you are suddenly urged to show up to the abandoned funeral home to pay your long-awaited respects to your auntie, so you wait till midnight to break in and pay your respects, but your aunt is not so welcoming to this late intrusion.
Antagonist: Auntie- Auntie would be a dried withering husk wearing a pristine dress with her lips raisined to the point you can see her bare gums and her eyelids peeled from decomposition making her peepers endlessly gape into your soul without a chance to blink. Auntie would have the innately terrifying ability to stretch her optic nerves out of their sockets so she can peer around corners even when she is a couple feet away, then when she gets to the point her eyes stretched too, they will pop back into her sockets. Rather than moving like a human or zombie she levitates centimeters off the ground with her feet dragging across the floor, moving her limbs as if she was being puppeteered from above, it is made clear that your aunt does not possess this lifeless husk but rather regulating it like a marionette.
Death Screen: Auntie wraps her optic nerves around your neck like a boa constrictor causing you to black out before viciously eating the meat off your bones with the only implification of this being a disgusting munching sound reminiscent of the sound of chewing raw steak or uncooked chicken.
Setting: The setting would be a dark but pristine funeral home, clearly outdated but incredibly fancy and oddly well-kept for over a decade of abandonment implying auntie had taken care of it just as she took care of her domicile when she was alive. The building would have a large cuisine dining room, a gathering room, a coffin storage, a gourmet kitchen, an entire laundry mat, wine cellar and hallway of hotel esc bedrooms, the layout would feel more like a hotel connected to a funeral home almost liminal in the way it was built.
Gameplay: You'd be locked inside, and you would have to find a way to escape, during daytime the funeral home is completely safe allowing you to freely explore for a couple minutes, but when dusk returns auntie will come back to attack you. You could utilize hiding spots such as tables, beds and even coffins to hide from auntie during the evening.

Part 69 Date night (Part 1) (Part 68)
[Help support me on Ko-fi so I can try to commission some character art and totally not spend it all on Gundams]
Only a few hours had passed since the short training session had ended and yet Nul'trula felt ready for more. It had only been two and a half hours of actual simulated combat, after all. With the expanded capacities of her new shell, she hadn't even reached the point of either stress or processor lag while engaging with hundreds of targets, countering thousands of munitions, and ensuring her four team teammates had all the support they needed to persevere. It almost felt like a game to her, and one she was naturally good at. Though Nula had already sworn to herself that she would never willingly bring harm to people, that essential aspect of morality was a fundamental part of her base code, she couldn't help but enjoy the thrill brought by that combat simulation.
Though the enemies she battled were controlled by a sapient being, a rather kind one whom she considered a friend, they represented an evil that once threatened all other life in the galaxy. If only her creators had taken the safe precautions with Hekuiv’trula that they had with her, maybe things would be different. However, as Nula’s mind had expanded in her shell far beyond her wildest expectations, she had been decompressing long stored away files regarding the Artuv'trula species. And those lost memories revealed more and more about a past that she wished she had left forgotten. Regardless of how kind and loving the team of scientists were who created her base code and instilled within her a drive to protect all living things, they were a part of a government who mistakenly saw their state, a mere social construct, an idea made manifest by the will of those participating in it, as the final and ultimate expression of the Artuv’trula people, culture, and species.
How could an artificial intelligence programmed with the express purpose of bringing something as fleeting and amorphous as an idea into infinity become anything other than the end of its own creators? How could a being whose sole created purpose was to ensure the continuation of a concept, but not the people who embodied that concept, become anything other than deranged? If people, cultures, and political systems change, which they all inevitably do, then how could an AI purposefully made to preserve one specific state, nothing more than the fleeting whims of an ever-changing people, do anything other than what it was programmed to do? Where Nula was explicitly designed to cherish all life, her brother's purpose was to ensure the Gytiom Infinite Hegemony would live on throughout all time and space. It was only a matter of time until Hekuiv would realize that the Artuv'trula were not immutable, they would change, and the Gytiom governmental system would be replaced by something else. And when that non-sapient, barely-sentient military control and management AI came to that inevitable conclusion, it was already far too late to stop it.
Even with her mind as clear and robust as it now was, Nula'trula hadn't yet consciously connected the fact that her lust for new experiences was directly related to her deep down desire to remain ignorant of the worst aspects of her creator's history. Her readiness to engage in more combat simulations, to see all the sights The Hammer had to offer, and engage in any activity which could keep her processors fully engaged were all just as much desires to have fun as they were a means to keep herself distracted. In moments like these where she could keep herself occupied with enjoyable thoughts, there was no need to wallow in an unchanged past. Instead, Nula was focusing all of her consciousness towards the present.
Having just walked out of a movie theater and into a clothing store with the company of Melatropa, one of her first true friends, the only things on Nula's mind were what she had just seen and what kind of clothing styles she should experiment with. The hour-long animated film featured a simple but effective art style, a single androgynous character reminiscent of and relatable to a dozen species, and a story focused on the struggles of one's own mind while surrounded by nothing but nature. Despite not being able to truly empathize with just how difficult base survival really was for a biological being alone in the wild, the meaning and intended message of the film had hit its mark. The battle outside one's soul was often far less brutal than the one fought within. However, at the current moment, that lesson was only to be applied to the rather innocuous clash between material choices for the outfit that Nula was to wear on her first ever date.
“Ooo! Are these furs?!?” Slowly making her way through a wide selection of clothing materials, Nula stopped in front of a particular section that peaked her interest in an innate way that far surpassed the almost endless display of fabrics she had been perusing. “Are they all from real animals?!?”
“Well, they're synth-furs.” Melatropa answered with a soft but quite deep giggle. “Either made out of manufactured polymers or cloned material, both of which are produced on demand to reduce the storage requirements. But yes, they are all based on real patterns from animals throughout the galaxy. The one you're looking at right now is actually from the bal'amuro of my people’s homeworld. A mighty feline predator that hunted my ancient ancestors just as we hunted them. But as we developed our weapons technology and grew in numbers, they were nearly pushed to extinction. While tens of thousands of years of conservation has guaranteed they will live on with a stable and healthy population, possession of actual bal'amuro fur has been outlawed for so many generations that the only remaining examples reside in the wild, in zoos, or in museums. If I remember right, this stuff is cloned from a preserved cloak that rests in the museum in Ten’txutcan.”
“I can see why your people covet this material so much.” The canine android’s voice trailed off as a distant memory, or rather an ancient and highly compressed bit of stored data pertaining to her creator's history, began to resurface. However, thanks to her vastly upgraded processing and memory she was able to continue on regardless of the fact her mind now bore the burden of remembrance. “A gold that simultaneously shimmers and absorbs light, spots of pinkish red that would be nearly invisible at night, and… Oh… This deep blue underskin is simply gorgeous. I presume this is outside of the budget Admiral Atxika gave us?”
“I'm not going to tell you what our budget is. But…” The large and muscular blue woman shot Nula a coy wink before letting her crimson red eyes wander down the display of material samples. “Let's just say we can afford it so long as you don't try to fill your entire closet with just this. Besides, you gotta consider how it'll look with the synth fur you wanted Banitek and Agothocli to cover your paneling with.”
“I was actually still considering my options with that.” Nula struggled to pull herself from the artificial golden panther fur but quickly found herself making her way down the aisle while affirming something she had discovered earlier. “None of these quite match what I wanted for my shell. You see, while my creator's did sport a wide variety of colors and patterns in their fur, I was looking for something quite specific.”
“Oh? Is there someone specific you wish to emulate?”
“Well… I guess you could call an ancient deity someone. But, yes. My name, Nula'trula, was derived from my creator’s ancient Goddess of Life and Love, Nula'somia. She was imagined as having a short but dense coat of glistening, pearlescent white fur that was as soft as silk and with a red-gold mane and flowing locks.”
“I'm not exactly sure about how to acquire the mane and hair… But that fur you're describing does remind me of something.” Mela turned towards the large blue woman standing behind the counter and shouted towards her with a cheerful tone. “Hey, Luniviria! Do you have a moment?”
“Oh, we don't need to bother her. Didn't she already tell us that all the materials she had available for her garments were on display here?”
“She keeps some special stuff in reserve for her more well-informed clientele. And if you're going on your first date night tomorrow, then this definitely calls for something special!”
/------------------------------------
“Do any of you three actually do any work on this ship?” Banitek paused his hammering and asked the avian, mustelid, and primate who were lounging about in his workshop. “Or do you weenuks just hangout all day waiting for something to do?”
“I mean, it kinda feels like that sometimes!” Tens retorted with a vigorous, full-bellied chuckle.
“I don't know about Binko, but Tens and I were running training with some of the Qui’ztar honor guard a few hours ago.” Hompta added with a high pitched and squeaky tone. “But speaking of working, what have you been up to, Binko? I haven't really seen you for like a week!”
“I've been studying for my pilot's license renewal.” The deep purple avian had his tablet in one of his claws and was reading from it rather intensely. “Which reminds me, Tens. You need to get your co-pilot license renewed soon. Tarki already has all the paperwork done for you, you just need to study for the written test so you can pass.”
“Have the regulations changed?” The Nishnabe warrior shot an overly confident look towards Binko, who ignored it. “Because if not, then there's nothing I need to study for.”
“It's a fifty question test from a bank of a thousand.” Binko's vibrant blue eyes slowly lifted from his tablet as an incredulous expression befell his feathered face. “Are you really trying to tell me you remember all thousand answers after eight years?”
“Go ahead, test me!”
“Alright!” The deep purple avian quickly flicked through the list of questions he was studying and picked one that he felt would challenge his friend and co-pilot. “If a vessel loses power to its primary and secondary control thrusters while in the process of docking, what is the procedure?”
“While the pilot uses tertiary control thrusters to arrest all movement, the co-pilot contacts the station's flight controllers to declare the emergency.” Much to the surprise of the Kroke, Kyim’ayik, and Hi-Koth, the Nishnabe warrior, a man who had made it a mission in his youth to avoid school at all cost, was able to respond without the slightest shred of hesitation. “The controllers will attempt to confirm the malfunction with their sensors, specifically looking for any potential of explosion or hazardous material leak. Assuming there are no immediate threats to the station, the controllers will then deploy tug-drones to either bring the vessel into the originally assigned dock for repairs or, if there is the potential for hazardous material contamination, the drones will move the vessel to a safe temporary dock where emergency repairs must be undertaken before the vessel can dock into the station-proper. Then there's a few more steps that have to do with diagnostics and specific repairs, but I'm pretty sure those would fall under the questions about how to address control thruster failure that aren't specific to port docking.”
“Binko, don't tell me he got that right!” Hompta blurted out while staring daggers at Tens.
“Fine, I won't tell you.” Binko retorted with soft cackling while shaking his head and scrolling to a new question. “I'll tell Bani. Hey Bani, Tens got that question right.”
“Of course he did!” Though Banitek was shocked at how quickly and effortlessly Tens was able to answer such a technical question, this was not the first, or even hundredth, time that he had seen this mostly hairless primate display an unpredictable amount of knowledge. “The guy's got the memory of a Muritoph but can't remember his own birthday most of the time.”
“I think it's in a couple months.” In stark contrast to his confidence when answering Binko's question, Tens actually looked a bit confused as he tried to remember both the current date and the date of his birth.
“It's in six weeks and you're turning twenty-four, you weenuk!” The furry little beaver-otter half shouted with frustration obvious in his voice. “I swear, niji! If your parents and goko didn't call you on your birthday every year, you'd have no idea how old you are!”
For a few moments, Banitek's workshop was filled with laughter from four different species. Despite having grown up together on the same station, going to the same school, having the same caretakers, and even considering each other as family, there were certain aspects of each individual that were wholly unique to their species. Where Binko was incredibly quick witted, his Kroke brain able to mentally process thoughts at rate far higher than most other forms of Ascended life, both Hompta and Banitek, with their larger but less densely packed brains, were able to maintain multiple trains of thought at the same time. However, much to the continued surprise of them and all other non-human persons who spent any amount of time among the Nishnabe, Tens was able to effortlessly switch between rapid recall, multiple trains of thought, or even utilize both at the same time. And while the almost comical tendency for this Nishnabe warrior to forget things which many considered to be incredibly important on a personal level, the fact he could immediately answer a practical question from a subject he hadn't specifically studied for in years was somehow even funnier.
“Hey, so, back to my original question.” Banitek was the first to slowly get his deep and roaring laughter under control. “How much work do y'all actually do on this ship? At least one of you has been here everyday since I opened this shop.”
“Well… As a member of the security and combat staff, I'm pretty sure my contract stipulates that I'm always on-call.” Even if Tens couldn't remember every single word of the contract he had signed when joining the First Independent Fleet of the Third Qui’ztar Matriarchy, he could still instantly recall the most important parts. “But I am required to log a minimum of five hours a day, five days a week, or thirty hours total a week of training whenever I'm not deployed on a mission. And that includes physical training. But I usually don't log stuff like my morning exercises or if I'm just messing around in the sims. I also get compensated with additional time off after extended missions.”
“Yeah, this Qui’ztar Fleet is way more serious about time off than the Nishnabe Militia.” Hompta added while struggling to get his high pitch chortling under control. “As a member of the engineering and support staff, I'm also on-call if I'm needed. But I have the same amount of required work hours. As long as I log thirty hours, I'm getting paid good!”
“I'm technically part of the diplomatic staff so I don't really have required work hours.” Binko's comment drew a rather harsh glare from his friends which he didn't notice because he had already gone back to studying from his tablet. “My hours are whatever Tarki tells me my hours are. But if I'm with the love of my life, I can't really consider that working.”
“Eeeeee! Lover-boy over here!” Hompta sarcastically chided his avian friend as he found a new reason to continue his wild laughter.
“Alright, so, what do y'all do when you're not working then?” Bani rolled his eyes at the Kyim’ayik who already had children but had not yet even considered getting married to any of their mothers. “If y'all only have to work thirty hours a week, what are you doing to fill time on this ship?”
“I flirt with the Kyim’ayik women onboard!” Hompta announced with a cheeky smirk and seemingly endless giggling. “And there's that fishing spot, a bunch of shopping, and all kinds of different entertainment venues. I took one of the ladies from reactor control to a movie the other day and I got another date night lined up with her tomorrow!”
“Before Atx and I started shacking up, I hit almost every bar, sim room, and smoking lounge on this ship.” While Tens did leave out any mention of the Qui’ztar women he had flings with before he and Atxika began their relationship, it was clear by the rather coy and particular look in his eyes that Hompta hadn't been the only one chasing tail. “I’m telling you, niji, this Amenities Section really does have everything a person could ever need or want. When I asked Atx about it, she told me the point is to prevent burn out or psychological issues that can come from being a warrior in space. Apparently, Nishnabek aren't the only people who get weird if we spend too much time doing combat training. The work hours and amount of entertainment available are specifically meant to avoid that. Like, we couldn't tell you everything there is to do in this ship because there's just so much. The whole First of the Third uses this ship as their port of call and place to relax, it's got to have everything anyone could possibly imagine so everyone can unwind and not feel the need to do stupid stuff!”
“Speaking of stupid stuff…” Binko, once again, did not look up from his studies but it was painfully obvious who the mention of stupid stuff was directed at. “When was the last time you jumped out the window at that one bar, Tens?”

The Ultimate Guide to Aluminium Shutters

When it comes to home security, one of the most effective measures you can take is installing high-quality shutters. Among the various options available, aluminium shutters stand out as a top choice for homeowners who prioritize safety, durability, and aesthetics. In this blog post, we’ll explore the many benefits of aluminium shutters and why they are an outstanding investment for your home security.

Why Choose Aluminium Shutters?

1. Impenetrable Barrier

Aluminium shutters are crafted from robust architectural-grade aluminium, making them incredibly difficult for intruders to break or force open. This impenetrable barrier provides an extra layer of security, ensuring that your home is well-protected against potential break-ins. The sturdy design of aluminium shutters creates a formidable obstacle that deters even the most determined criminals.

1. Advanced Tamper-Resistant Features

Many aluminium shutters come equipped with state-of-the-art locking mechanisms, such as the patented Italian Strip-Proof Lock. This innovative feature secures both the top and bottom of the shutters simultaneously with a double key turn, making it extremely challenging for burglars to bypass these security measures. These tamper-resistant features enhance the overall security of your home, giving you peace of mind.

1. Visual Deterrent

The mere presence of aluminium shutters can act as a powerful visual deterrent to potential intruders. The solid and imposing appearance of these shutters sends a clear message that your home is well-protected. Burglars are often discouraged by the sight of such robust security measures and are more likely to move on to easier targets.

1. Superior to Other Shutter Types

Compared to wooden shutters and other lightweight materials, aluminium shutters offer significantly better security. Wooden shutters can be more easily forced open or damaged, compromising their effectiveness. While steel shutters are also durable, they can be prone to corrosion over time and may not offer the same level of advanced tamper-resistant features as aluminium shutters.

Additional Benefits of Aluminium Shutters

Privacy and Noise Reduction
In addition to their security advantages, aluminium shutters provide excellent privacy by controlling the amount of visibility into your home. They also act as effective noise insulators, reducing external noise levels and creating a more peaceful living environment.
Energy Efficiency
Aluminium shutters are excellent insulators, helping to regulate indoor temperatures by blocking out excessive heat in the summer and retaining warmth during winter. This can lead to significant savings on energy costs for heating and cooling, making them an eco-friendly and cost-effective choice.
Versatility and Customization
One of the great advantages of aluminium shutters is their versatility. They can be installed on windows, doors, patios, and other outdoor areas, offering flexible security solutions for your home. Available in a variety of styles, colours and finishes, aluminium shutters can be customized to complement your home’s aesthetic, enhancing both security and curb appeal.
Low Maintenance
Unlike wooden shutters, aluminium shutters are resistant to fading, cracking, and chipping. This durability means they require minimal upkeep, ensuring they maintain their attractive appearance and functionality over time.

Conclusion

Aluminium shutters are a superior choice for homeowners looking to enhance their home security. Their combination of impenetrability, advanced tamper-resistant features, and visual deterrence makes them an effective barrier against intruders. Additionally, their benefits in privacy, noise reduction, energy efficiency, versatility, and low maintenance make them a practical and stylish addition to any home.
Investing in aluminium shutters is a smart decision that offers unparalleled protection and peace of mind. With their unmatched durability and ability to deter intruders, these shutters provide a sense of safety that is truly invaluable. Enhance your home security today with aluminium shutters and enjoy the many benefits they bring.

I LOVE women. I think they’re beautiful, many are kind and caring too. I REALLY want to have sex, I genuinely do. I’m not gay, but I want to be a sissy, and be denied sex. I want to be humiliated and it’d be really awesome if I had a domme to keep me locked in chastity, and diapers.
I’m very non masculine. I have NO DESIRE to be “more of a man”. I am extremely attracted to women. That’s make it so exciting, my virginity/celibacy isn’t due to lack of attracting the opposite sex, it’s due to me just being undesirable to women.
I was always bullied in school, a girl even pretended to like me for months until she and all of her friends laughed at me for falling for it.
There was also this girl who said “Do you think she’s hot?” And showed me her phone, and it was a BBC.
The fact that I’m NOT gay is what makes the idea of being forced to, serve it, so exciting. I definitely wouldn’t mind stroking a man off. I’d be scared of sucking or “taking” it, but that’s what’s so exciting about it, being hesitant and nervous…….
I definitely want a women to peg me wearing a strap on, that’s for sure.
I’m honestly exactly 6 inches fully erect, and I think pretty thick/girthy, but I still have “small dick ENERGY”. Sometimes I wish I was smaller, like 3, or 2 inches, maybe smaller……
I’ve read that longterm chastity can shrink it, but I really need a dominant woman to be my key holder, so I can’t just take it off.
I genuinely wish I could penetrate a women, experience that physical AND emotional intimacy (still with her on top and in charge, dominating me even in intercourse), but then I could never go back, a huge chuck of the fantasy and humiliation would be gone forever. But actually knowing what I’m missing might be even more torture (and therefore arousing and exciting).
I’ve always been told I’m too ugly and weird anyway.
There’s always the option of paying “working women”, but that requires some traveling (or major MAJOR risk of safety and legal trouble).
I also wouldn’t want to continue to sex trafficking, because without it being legal and regulated, it’s highly likely the women aren’t fully consenting.
I really enjoy this specific type of porn (JOI) where women get fucked by big men, completely uncensored, BUT, I have to close my eyes when the music stops, and can only listen to her getting fucked. Just knowing it’s happening right in front of me but I can’t look is BEYOND arousing. And then when the music stops I can open my eyes, and am greeted with either a pixelated clip of it, or even better, a trans women with a massive cock and balls.
I love being a straight (well not gay, MAYBE A LITTLE BICURIOUS) sissy.
Diapers provide comfort, but also humiliation, and yes, it is highly a sexual thing.
I don’t know what happened to make me have such kinks, but I started having these fantasies LOOOOONG before puberty, they just didn’t become a SEXUAL thing until after puberty.
As much as I genuinely love cisgender women, I do have a turn on for trans women. Women who are really feminine, but then have a big ol dick and balls instead of a pussy (even though I love pussy).
I’m a massive pervert, and even worse, I actually feel like I’m objectifying women (I don’t mean to, it just feels like natural desires).
I never want kids, but damn do I want to have sex. A longterm girlfriend/wife with a true emotional intimate relationship would be nicer too, but I’m really not good enough for women that way.
I’d be lucky if any women even casually hooked up with me.
I get off on the idea of being a 45+ year old virgin who has never even had a girlfriend or kissed on the lips, but I also dread it at the same time. It makes me excited, but also depressed at the same time.
I love femdom and virgin cuckold humiliation so much, but I also do truly want a real (physically AND emotionally) intimate relationship with a woman.