World Cup 96 - Roleplay Thread

by **Ile de Richelieu** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 12:38 pm

What's going on in Île de Richelieu?

Sankt Hans Havn, Richelieu Øy - I hear or read many foreign friends telling me: What's going on in Île de Richelieu. We've been through a military Coup d'État which occured during the Independents Cup 20. Île de Richelieu was ruled by Cardinal Jean-René De la Sablonnière from the French speaking majority. Population was 900ish. The Norwegian minority was somehow discriminated, mostly due to our religion. We're lutheran, not catholic. We did not recognize a catholic cardinal as our leader, and they discriminated us.

It was time someone did something. Comrade Ragnhild Østerberg finally did something. She found the Nasjonal Patriotisk Front av Richelieu Øy (NPFRO), a left wing patriotic military organisation. Yes I said left wing. Our values are on the center left of the political spectrum, we're left wing nationalists. We illegally imported weapons from Bostopia and Sargossa (ranked 1st or 2nd in arms manufacturing in their respective region), and their government isn't aware of it unless they have a good secret service which did nothing to stop us. We assaulted the parliament, national guards' headquarters and the De la Sablonnière mansion and we overthrown the government. It was fantastic!

Now, we need to rebuild Richelieu Øy (Île de Richelieu). Half of the population (almost exclusively French speaking) fled away and we have now 543 inhabitants on the island. Some players at the Independents Cup 20 and Jenna Raven Cup V never came back and no one knows if they stayed in HUElavia and Saterun or if they went somewhere else and where? Cardinal Jean-René De la Sablonnière and his family, including 18 years old soccer player Jean-William De la Sablonnière, were killed in the attack. it's unfortunate but it was necessary. We had to kill them to take control of the island. Luckily, the Bjørnefjellets Nasjonalstadion, the airport and the Marriott hotel are intact, so the World Cup qualifications will not be impacted.

It's also worth noting that we renamed a few things in norwegian language. The island is now known locally as Richelieu Øy instead of Île de Richelieu. The noun Øy or Île means Island, so you can also call our nation Richelieu Island. The capital city, Port Saint-Jean, has been renamed Sankt Hans Havn. In English it means Port St. John. The national stadium used to be known as Stade national de la montagne de l'ours but we name it Bjørnefjellets Nasjonalstadion and it means Bear Mountain National Stadium in English. And, lastly, we probably have one of the coolest flag in the multiverse.

Schedule

Week 1: Bye
Week 2: vs Eshialand (45) - Will be played on tuesday march 4th 2025 in Richelois calendar. Expected weather: -4 °C (25 °F) with light snow and moderate wind.
Week 3: @ Captina Island (187)
Week 4: vs Bostopia (111) - Played on wednesday march 19th 2025. Expected weather: -14 °C (7 °F) and sunny.
Week 5: @ Sargossa (55)
Week 6: vs United Mandaran States (12) - Played on wednesday april 2nd 2025. Expected weather: -6 °C (21 °F) cloudy with light snow starting to fall in the 2nd half.
Week 7: @ La Pizza de la mama (UR)

Break

Week 8: Bye
Week 9: @ Eshialand (45)
Week 10: vs Captina Island (187) - Played on wednesday may 14th 2025. Expected weather: -3 °C (26,5 °F) with light snow during the whole match.
Week 11: @ Bostopia (111)
Week 12: vs Sargossa (55) - Played on tuesday may 27th 2025. Expected weather: 1 °C (34 °F) and sunny.
Week 13: @ United Mandaran States (12)
Week 14: vs La Pizza de la mama (UR) - Played on wednesday june 11th 2025. Expected weather: 8 °C (46,5 °F) and sunny.

Kjellfrid Thorkildsen

by **Daharia** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 3:34 pm

Call Ups in a Big Moment?
Gerhardt Wehner - Daharian Herald

With the 96th edition of the World Cup coming up, Coach Radoslav M. Alfréd of the Daharian National Team is looking to use this opportunity as a way to build his team for the future. Recently, he talked to his scouts representing each of his nations major regions and compiled a list of his liking of each player.

Top 10 Prospects

1. ST Andrej Marek, Age: 19, Province: Slovakia
2. GK Wolfhard Meyer, Age: 18, Province: Germania
3. RAM Zinoviy Havrylyuk, Age: 22, Province: Ukrayina
4. RDM Narcyz Krupa, Age: 20, Province: Polonia
5. LB David Blecher, Age: 21, Province: Germania
6. LDM Emil Maurer, Age: 18, Province: Austria
7. CDM Sanyi Csizmadia, Age: 20, Province: Hungary
8. GK Wolf Gensch, Age: 19, Province: Germania
9. RB Julius Pulkábek, Age: 18, Province: Czechia
10. LAM Artsyon Novik, Age: 21, Province: Byelorussia

Andrej Marek is the top player on his list, and rightfully so. His skills rival even the Captain of the team, Wojtek Wechsler. It will be interesting to see how Coach Alfréd plays this situation with this skillful 19-year-old from Slovakia.

Wolfhard Meyer is also a great player to have, with the backup keeper Ambrož Chmiel hitting 28 years old earlier this year, Coach Alfréd needs to begin looking for his replacement. This kid might just be it. However, the other keeper on this list is also a possibility. Wolf Gensch, another keeper from Germania, is also in the running to become Chmiel's replacement. Both of these kids have amazing skills and are like brick walls in front of the net. Meyer scored 18 shutouts in the local league, in which Gensch also plays, scoring 16 of his own. This will be an interesting dilemma for the Coach to face in the future.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!

DO YOU WANT TO GO SEE A DAHARIAN GAME THIS YEAR? THEN GO TO dah.tesseradomini.web IN ORDER TO GET YOUR TICKETS BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE! TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THR FOLLOWING GAMES:
Matchday 2: vs Sajnur
Matchday 4: vs Vilwandia
Matchday 7: vs Txakhaxi
Matchday 8: vs Kelssek
Matchday 10: vs Indusse
Matchday 13: vs Oberour Ar Moro

According to our sources, the Youth Academy will be present for the first home game of the event.

GK: Bohumír Braband - 15
RB: Alois Wolf - 17
CB: Alojz Post - 13
CB: Danyil Gavrilyuk - 15
LB: Wojtek Brantley - 18
RDM: Samuel Beiler - 17
CDM: Gerfried Breiner - 16
LDM: Emil Janíček - 18
RAM: Bohdan Dürr - 15
LAM: Bożydar Stein - 15
ST: Krištof Schwarzenegger - 15

by **Oberour Ar Moro** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 6:21 pm

A new World Cup cycle dawned in Regium, and David de Blois was there to see it. He did not go to many Oberour Ar Moro National Team games. If the invite was to take in the game in the Ministry of Culture's box at the Parade Grounds, however, of course he wouldn't say no. And if the Dragoons were welcoming the Dandelions from Gnejs for a friendly, he was quite interested in attending as well. Particularly when he was told who would be joining them.

"David, I want to introduce you to the Gnejsian ambassador to Oberour Ar Moro," said the Culture Ministry flack, walking up with a bright eyed younger man, hand outstretched. David took it eagerly, giving it a strong squeeze.

«It's good to meet you,» said David, to the great shock of the Ambassador.

«Oh! You speak Gnejsian!» replied the Ambassador, obviously pleased.

The Culture Ministry man assumed that the talking in a language he didn't understand was a positive and carried on. "David serves on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rushmore Committee. But before that he was Ambassador to Gnejs, what was it, six years ago?"

«I presented my credentials in Port Kjem seven years ago, and served for about five years on the Rock,» David explained, directing his attention to the Gnejsian. «So, I do speak Gnejsian, though I don't get a chance to use it too often.»

The Ambassador laughed. «You and me both!» he exclaimed.

David's job, the reason he had the privilege of attending a match at the Parade Grounds in the Ministry of Culture box, was to charm the Gnejsian by giving him a little bit of familiarity in his time in the Dominion. And the Ambassador was quite amenable to it. They talked as the game kicked off, David letting his counterpart lead the conversation. The Ambassador was from Vasa, so he expounded on the glories of Vasakamraterna football club, and how Rasmus Lamm deserves an increased role with the Dandelions. David was not much of a football fan; chess was more his speed. But he spent plenty of time around football fans, and David had been sure to do his research. So he could explain sweepers and talk with some authority about the Gnejs domestic leagues. Though with an apologetic bias towards the Port Kejm teams he had way more exposure to during his ambassadorship.

However, even the most football-mad Gnejsian would have their native politesse emerge. "Please excuse me, I've been terribly rude, just going on and on. I'd love to hear more about you and your work. Was there a particularly memorable experience during your time in Gnejs, for example?"

David kept his smile broad as he thought about the question. He would much rather not talk about his time in Gnejs. Particularly the most memorable experience he could name.

Losing One’s Bearings

CHAPTER ONE

The human element, the human flaw, and the human nobility

“Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system-”

“Madeline de Blois,” a warm but distant respite, then back to the robot.

“-is not available. At the tone, please record your message. When you’ve finished recording you may hang up, or press one for more options.” Then the promised tone.

“Hey, Madeline, it’s David. I was hoping I’d catch you with the time difference but I guess you’re working late. I’m at this black tie gala thing for Gnejsian vision. I really would have enjoyed being here with you. Give me a call whenever, I can always sneak out. Hope to speak with you soon.”

David pulled the phone away from his ear and clicked the large red End Call button. She wasn’t working late. She wasn’t going to call.

Shaking his head he slipped the phone into his pocket. He leaned back on his heels, resting against the wall. The string quartet that he had been hearing in a muffled form through the wall gracefully cut themselves off as a magnified voice started speaking. He turned his head to the right to look at the man waiting patiently for him.

“Ambassador?” The fellow Oberour said authoritatively. “They’re about to make the introductions.”

“Right.” David pushed himself off the wall. Shook out his arms, smoothed out his jacket. “How’s my tie Jacques?”

Jacques scrutineered. “Maybe adjust to the left a bit?” David fiddled with the tie then pulled his hands away. Jacques gave him a thumbs up, and David was off, Jacques a respectful distance back. David got to the door back to the ballroom, took a deep breath, then smoothly entered, just in time to hear from the podium the Master of Ceremonies welcome:

“The Dominion of Oberour Ar Moro Ambassador to the Prosaic Union of Gnejs, David de Blois!”

Ambassador de Blois wrapped up another round of small talk as Jacques swung into view holding two glasses of champagne.

“Jacques la Mareschale,” David said with a hint of admiration in his voice. He took the proffered glass and offered a small toasting gesture. “On the ball, as always.”

“For an ambassador’s aide-de-camp knowing where the alcohol is at all times is truly argenteus for old rope. Charming the locals is the tough job. Speaking of-” Jacques made a gesturing motion, and an older man and woman walked into view. «Ambassador, this is Monsieur and Madame Cedergren.» Jacques slipped into a well practiced Gnejsian, his Oberour accent barely noticeable. «Mrs. Cedergren organized this lovely event.» Introduction made, he stepped back and David moved in, hand outstretched.

«Ambassador,» the gentleman stated, gripping David’s hand.

David easily matched the older gentleman’s grip, before breaking out his much rougher Gnejsian. «Mr. Cedergren, Mrs. Cedergren. Good evening! It’s a pleasure to be here.»

«The pleasure is ours,» said Mrs. Cedergren, offering her hand to David. «Thank you for showing your support for the cause of sight here in Gnejs.»

«And what an important cause it is!» David agreed as he took Mrs. Cedergren’s hand and kissed it. «I’m hoping I can do more. I was just over at the silent auction table. There is some art that would look great in my office, though I’m not sure I can afford it at an ambassador's salary.»

The two organizers chucked engagingly. «Well thank you very much. Is your wife here? We would love to meet her.»

While David suppressed a wince, he couldn’t help putting his hands together and rubbing his wedding band between his right thumb and forefinger. «Madeline? Ah, she lives in Regium right now. She works in publishing, it keeps her very busy. She makes it to Gnejs when she’s free from work though.» At least that had been the understanding they came to, David thought to himself. It’s just that Madeline has not been free from work in the five months he’s had the posting. Apparently.

«Well thank you again for joining us,» Mrs. Cedergren said diplomatically before the couple moved on to the next guest. David toasted the couple with his glass as they left.

“Well handled,” said Jacques, sliding back up.

David wasn’t sure if he handled the part about Madeline particularly well, despite all the practice he had been getting. Ignoring that, he put on a lightly smug face. “See? We’re both professional at our jobs,” David joked, before pondering. “It’s a good thing for getting kids glasses or whatever that all the auction items are so expensive, but it would look kinda stingy not to leave with something.”

“We can make a donation directly to the charity with a note thanking Mr. and Mrs. X for their work. That should…” Jacques trailed off as he looked over David’s shoulder, then seemingly leaned back to hide himself behind him. “Here comes trouble,” he muttered.

David was about to chide Jacques for not offering useful information when a large hand slapped him on the back. David stumbled slightly, before quickly turning around.

“An Oberour, as I live and breathe!” A large man gripped onto David’s shoulder and pulled him forward. He grabbed David’s hand in a sort of death vise.

Jacques cut in, his voice raised, “Of course, Ambassador, you know of Rodolphe Pouliquen.”

“Oh, of course!” David managed to extricate himself from Rodolphe’s grasp, and as he tried to subtly massage his throbbing hand he looked over the corpulent man in front of him. “Monsieur Pouliquen, of Cavaco Ball Bearings, correct?”

“10% longer bearing life than other ball bearings,” noted Jacques.

“I can’t believe it’s taken so long for you to meet me in person, Ambassador,” chided Rodolphe. Rodolphe’s tie was askew, his tuxedo and vest were strained. He clearly had already enjoyed a champagne or two, and possibly more, his face bulging out from under a dark comb-over was some shade of red. Though he might always look like that, David thought.

“It is a pleasure to meet you here. Also supporting vision here in Gnejs, I see.”

“Winning over the locals. Just like you, eh?” Rodolphe exclaimed, elbowing David. Harder than he probably should, David thought.

“Oh, Ambassador, you must meet my wife Nicole. Nicole, this is Ambassador David de Blois.”

A woman emerged from the crowd and slid up to Rodolphe, wrapping her arm around his. She wore a black evening gown, a slit up the side of her very long legs. You could follow that in a curved line up to a very plunging neckline, up to the choker on her long neck, to her piercing blue eyes and blonde hair and fair skin.

She was, David acknowledged, exceedingly beautiful.

“Ambassador,” she spoke in a low voice, offering her hand. David took it and kissed it, keeping his eyes on hers. Mostly because he could probably end up staring somewhere he should not.

“Madame,” David could only just respond.

To David’s right Jacques had pulled out his cell phone like he wasn’t frozen in awe. “It’s an important call, excuse me Ambassador. Monsieur, Madame-” Jacques apologetically clicked on the answer call button and started away. «Yes? Speak of the devil, I just saw…»

Rodolphe, who David now wondered desperately how he could have ended up with a woman such as this, just started talking again. “Nicole, of course, owns the majority shares of Cavaco with me. And she’s been key in our success. She may care more than I do!” he joked.

“Rodolphe flatters me," Nicole demurred, before continuing on. "But your recommendation for our Foreign Commerce Authorization is due shortly, correct Ambassador?”

David was thrown for a loop. She’s all business, alas. So as a diplomat, David gave a diplomatic answer. “My letter to the Ministry of Trade regarding the FCA request is due in two weeks. I am finalizing everything with my staff and it will be submitted in time.”

It looked like Nicole was about to speak when Rodolphe burst in. “You should just submit it now!” Rodolphe poked a fat finger into David’s chest. “There’s a waiting list of Union businesses that want to start buying from us! And when you compare ours to the garbage ball bearings that GKL sells here!” Nicole visibly flinched, and a few Gnejsians standing nearby turned, clearly shocked by the loud foreigner.

“It’s all in order, so tell that to the Ministry!” He may have had more to say, but at that moment a young woman serving as a waitress walked by with a tray of drinks. Rodolphe’s personality made a 180 degree turn as his self made a 270 degree turn to keep her in his sights, eyes very clearly focused on her rear end. “Now if you excuse me, I need another drink.” Then he was off, slipping Nicole off like a coat, and was on the prowl in the waitresses tracks, leaving David and Nicole far behind.

“My husband can be quite the rogue,” she said, watching as her husband caught up with the waitress and started to very obviously flirt with her.

“I can’t imagine why he would want to leave you alone,” David offered, feeling offended on her behalf.

“You needn’t worry about me, Ambassador.” She turned to David, putting the full weight of her attention onto him. “I know how to handle men. Particularly when they get too rough. Though…”

She looked him over, then stepped closer, softly taking his left hand into her hands. “Ambassador, I have some important things to ask of you. Regarding my business and my husband. Would you be able to spare some time tomorrow?” She looked up into his eyes, pushing herself against him slightly. He looked down into her eyes. And elsewhere. Back to her eyes.

“Tomorrow?" he asked, trying to restrain his nervousness. "I’ll have to check with my aide-de-camp regarding my schedule-”

Nicole cut him off, squeezed his hand more. He could feel her fingers were near his wedding band. And he could feel her chest pushing against him. “This is a very… personal… request,” she said pleading, “regarding a matter I would prefer to keep private. You can do that. You are the ambassador, after all.”

“Well…” David thought. She and he were both good Oberours. She clearly is in some kind of trouble. And to help an Oberour in trouble would be the right thing for the ambassador to do, after all.

by **United Mandaran States** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 8:54 pm

Road to Unification

Part I : The Dynamic of Monarchy States

Monarchy is a major form of government found in the ethno-linguistic region of Mandara. 6 out of 8 countries within the region are monarchy. And leading to the unification, many things happened to these countries which shape them up in facing the unification.

Rarungan Strengthen Its Monarch Role

Kingdom of Rarungan is a small island country located at the southern end of Majegau Islands. Its border maritimely by Pemecutan in the northwest, Manguwirajya to its northeast and Cakranegara to its south. Historically, the kingdom was a vassal of Pemecutan after being created by them as a safe haven for Sakanese people who fled from Cakranegara following Mbojo Sultanate occupation. The native of the island is Osing people, but today they are the minority in the country. Rarungan is quite unique with the monarch has a huge executive and legislative powers. The King is able to veto any legislation and able to dismiss the cabinet.

In the year of 2023, the Parliament passed an amendment to the country's constitution which gives more power to the monarch. These includes their power to nominate judges in any level, dissolve the Parliament and the right to convene and adjourn the Parliament. Despite the controversies rise by it, no serious objection seems to be filed after the pass of the amendment. Negative comments however come from outside the country such as Pemecutan and Soracana Islands who deemed the monarch position is too strong it makes the country turn into an absolute monarchy. A poll was conducted in 2024 and saw a strong popularity to the monarch despite of the amendment. The current monarch of Rarungan is King Nathakusuma II.

Pemecutan Decide Their Next Ratu Hawir Bhuja

It was all over the news, the scandal that struck the monarch of Pemecutan which led to the break-up of 2 of its states, Kanginan (today's Manguwirajya) and Petang Islands. The criminal act done by the country's previous monarch have led to the decrease of trust to the Royal Family. This situation leads to the boycott of Pemecutan Royal Family by the other royal families within the country. An extraordinary meeting was held by Rajya Sabha to solve the problem of who will be the next Ratu Hawir Bhuja, the Paramount King. Based on historical record, 4 royal families branches are eligible to be the Ratu Hawir Bhuja. Aside from Pemecutan Royal Family, they are Kesiman, Satria and Karang Tamu Royal Family. However, with the strongest influence happen to be under Pemecutan Royal Family, their King have become the Ratu Hawir Bhuja since the country was established in 1686 Pawukon (1966). Two sides emerge from the situation. First, the enactment of elective monarchy. The second, continue the legacy of Pemecutan Royal Family to take the position as Ratu Hawir Bhuja.

Coronation of the New Ratu Hawir Bhuja

Rajya Sabha is a council consist of high rank royal families in Pemecutan. There are currently 16 members (previously 33 with royal families from Kanginan and Petang Islands). Grand Duke of Peguyangan who is currently lead the council finally decided to take on a vote on how to decide the next Ratu Hawir Bhuja as a compromise were not met. The result was 10 votes for elective monarchy, 5 votes for staying with the current rule and 1 abstain. This result was continued to Krama Sabha who then amend the constitution to add the new clause.

In 1786 Pawukon, the first ever election for Ratu Hawir Bhuja position was held. 3 candidates nominated themselves, Ki Agung Ngurah Darma Negara (current King of Pemecutan), Ki Ngurah Agung Wira Bima (current King of Satria) and Ki Ngurah Agung Kusumawardhana (current King of Kesiman). While Grand Prince of Karang Tamu decline his own nomination. A candidate can win by securing minimum 9 votes from the members of Rajya Sabha. The first round saw a narrow votes between the 3 candidates. King Darma Negara of Pemecutan received the most votes with 6, King Wira Bima of Satria with 5 votes and King Kusumawardhana of Kesiman got 4 votes while there was 1 abstain vote. The second round was between King Darma Negara and King Wira Bima. The result, King Darma Negara received 6 votes and King Wira Bima got 10 votes with no abstain. King Wira Bima of Satria was officially elected as the new Ratu Hawir Bhuja of Pemecutan. The coronation was held at Buda Paing Wuku Wayang, 1786 Pawukon or 19 June 2024.

Petang Islands's King Forced Abdication

The anti-monarchy sentiment rise after the criminal scandal conduct by the late Ratu Hawir Bhuja have affected greatly in Petang Islands. Protests continue to happen especially in 7 major municipalities in the country even after the secession of Petang Islands from United Pemecutan. Petition to force the King of Petang to abdicate was sent to Pesamuan Warga, the Parliament of the country. To calm down the mass, Ki Agung Surya Jaya, King of Petang made a public announcement to abdicate in favor of a more democratic government for the country. With the decision, Pesamuan Warga started the drafting of the new constitution. In mid-1786, with the passing of the new constitution in Pesamuan Warga, Petang Islands is officially changing their form of government from constitutional parliamentary monarchy into constitutional parliamentary republic. But as the election schedule was surpass by the constitution process, the country held their general election in 1787 instead with the new government and parliament will assume their position at the start of 1788 Pawukon or the year of 2025.

Kanginan to Manguwirajya

Kanginan was the strongest allies of Pemecutan rather than Petang Islands both in term of economy and defense. The secession crisis which resulted in Kanginan and Petang Islands independence from Pemecutan really hurts the people of Pemecutan. But the result was fill with joy by Kanginani people. Aside from the general election which they held right after the secession, the Parliament push for a change in the country's name. The name of Kanginan was given by the Kings of Tegeh Kori, Pemecutan's predecessor to refer to the kingdom to the east of Tegeh Kori. This naming was continued to use until Pemecutan era, and it has somehow become the exonym of the country. However, the country has their own name. And as they become independent again, the government feel the needs to break free from the historical vassalage past.

A poll was then conduct by independent surveyor to saw the opinion of the population if the country's name was changed. And surprisingly, 97% of the responded were support the change. It seems like the anti-Pemecutan sentiment was still there amongst the population. Back up with the support from their people, the government together with Uma Rakryan, the Parliament drafted a bill of the country's name changing. In late 1786 Pawukon, the country is officially changing its name from Kangingan to Manguwirajya which is their original and traditional name.

Another Coup Attempt in Soracana Islands

Soracana Islands had recently faced the biggest coup in the country's history when the anti-monarchy group able to take over the parliament building and the king's palace. At the time, King Karsiyuha II of Soracana Islands fled to Pemecutan and ask for their help. Pemecutan was success to retake the capital from the rebel and reinstate King Karsiyuha II as the head of state of the country. Soracana Islands was then made a dependency of Pemecutan especially in term of defense for around 5 years. The country experiences some interesting event along the way. The King's partner scandal until the coming out of the King and his long-time partner to the public was seen as the triggered. The country immediately splits between the liberals who supports the King and the conservative who state that the country image has been stain by the fact that they are led by a gay King. Amongst the conservative side is the King's uncle who is also the next in-line of succession. It is believed that he is influencing Parte Mahiajili who is currently a minority in Sarbuka Kayam, the country's lower house to persuade the king to abdicate. Their reason was the growing negative sentiment faced by the Royal Family after the coming out event. While in reality, the sentiment is growing positive towards the Royal Family. The sentiment grows higher after the King officially marry his long-time partner following the passing of Same-Sex Marriage Act in the country, becoming the first country in Mandara area to do so.

The situation went awry after the assassination attempt towards the King. First, the King's meal was poisoned. The King was rushed to the hospital and luckily, he survives. The maids and chefs were questioned and interrogated, but no clues were leading to the perpetrator. Second, King Karsiyuha II was shot when he is in a parade throughout the city of Halangnehu as he visits Nehu Province. The shots wounded his left chest, but luckily it didn't pass his vital organs. The shooter was captured and taken into custody. He confessed that he works alone. And further investigation didn't lead nowhere. With several incidents happen, the King's guard have been doubled ever since.

by **Gnejs** » Mon Mar 25, 2024 12:31 am

The End(a) of Times

A blog about the decline of Union football (because of Enda Clentin)

Special edition: World Cup Qualification Draw

Well, I won’t dwell on the fine… no, wait, that’s just plagiarism. Let’s try again.

I'll tell you what I hate about Enda Clentin.

I hate that he’s so different, and insists on The Dandelions playing so differently from how they used to play and should be playing. Nothing illustrates this better than the draw for the upcoming WCQ we just got the results of. The Dandelions are placed in Group 14, alongside such nations as United Hawkland, Sudilia, Ishadonia, Conania and TJUN-ia. Even though I’ve never heard of any of them, we still know what’s the proper, timetested, Union way of approaching this lot: building the Layered Wall and letting the opposition exhaust themselves banging their heads against it for 89 minutes, and then seal the deal with a swift counterattack, of course. Instead, Enda Clentin wants our proud Dandelions to prance about on the opponent's side of the pitch, under the guise of «putting them under pressure, stoically». He even wants us to go down this road against his own native Delte (where he’s coaching remotely from; how ridiculous is that?!)!! A preposterous notion that invites vulnerability. Because that’s how southron teams play, and the only sensible way for a northern team to counter southron football is playing northern football. Enda Clentin is forcing The Dandelions to play southron football, and I hate him for it.

Losing One’s Bearings

Previous Chapters of Losing One's Bearings: Chapter One

CHAPTER TWO

Unorthodox opening

It was about midday and the tall trees stood as bare as ever against a gray spring sky outside the equally gray government buildings in the Meridian Quarter of Port Kejm. Senior Adviser Adventus Bergamot sat in his office nursing a cup of tea as he let his eyes linger on the scenery outside his window. It had been an unusually grim spring so far, and no respite seemed to be on the horizon anytime soon.

He sighed deeply and consulted the small pendulum clock hanging on his office wall. The standard lunchtime was still fifteen to twenty minutes away, but Adventus felt he couldn’t wait much longer. Ideally, he should be making use of the time to finish the case note about processed mackerel exports his Head of Unit had tasked him with writing. He was only about two thirds done, and he still needed Mrs. Nilsson from over at the Unit for Research and Innovation to weigh in on the paragraphs concerning grant applications for updating the hermetic packaging. Adventus dreaded bringing her in, and had pushed the inevitable encounter back for days. Not that she would have anything substantial to add, she was just a terrible person to spend time with.

He let out another deep sigh and got to his feet, drained the last of the tea in his cup and reached for his jacket. No point pushing it any further, he thought to himself, because he knew he needed to get the thing done by the end of the day. And if he went by Nilsson on his way out to lunch, he could probably cut the encounter short and just ask her to send the assessment to him before 14.00. The short deadline would make her angry, but at the same time she wouldn’t have any choice but to devote her time to reading and writing, as opposed to pestering Adventus with her views on current affairs.

He brought two light gray case files - one slim and the other thick - with him and started walking down the lime green hallway outside his office. As he descended the floors, a febrile sort of activity started making its mark on the hallways. These were busy days in the Ministry of Trade, Enterprise and Industrious Spirit (MTEIS). Not for his Unit for Commerce among Friends (UCF) directly, of course, but mainly over at Acquainted Commerce (AC). It permeated the entire department and ministry though, and there was a very specific kind of energy in the air. A foreign company sought to do business in The Union. While that may seem like a straightforward enough thing to most people in most places, those people and places clearly don’t know too much about the Prosaic Union.

One does not simply walk into Gnejs and start doing business, as the saying goes. There were rules and procedures that needed to be upheld, forms to be filled out and signed in the appropriate amount of copies, extensive scrutinizations and assorted assessments to be done. The company in question hailing from an Acquaintance, as opposed to a Friend, of course complicated matters. Because for Friends it was just a formality, and the whole thing usually got a fast-track treatment and closed in a matter of days. Adventus had been assisting on a number of such cases for years, and he could write those kinds of assessments in his sleep. For Acquaintances, it could drag on significantly longer, in some instances for several years. It almost made you wonder why any Non-Friend even bothered to try and gain access to the Union market to begin with (to be fair, few did). It was often a matter of endurance though, because if you waited for long enough and agreed to enough caveats and stipulations, the doors would eventually open, at least partially.

Adventus knew this one was different though, and why it was causing such an uncharacteristic upheaval in the ministry. Cavaco Ball Bearings, it was called, and it was an enterprise from The Dominion of Oberour Ar Moro, far down southron way. Some might say it was peculiar, that the Cavaco people had their eyes so set on The Union market, a distant and fairly isolated place as it was, but then again any Non-Friend foreign venture trying to breach the Union market could be said to be peculiar, and there was nothing to be said about Cavaco’s determination to gain entry.

While Adventus didn’t work with Acquainted Commerce directly, he had been at the ministry long enough and assisted in enough instances to know how things worked in cases such as these. Normally, AC would receive the initial application and process it duly, and after a few months it would be brought to the Joint Council for On-Rock Acquainted Affairs, where representatives from MTEIS and the Department of Non-Aligned Diplomacy (DNAD) from the MFA would convene. Adventus had never participated in any such council meeting - no reason for him to do so - but roughly his understanding of procedures were that MTEIS and AC would begin by presenting their opening assessment of cautious optimism, whereas DNAD would resolutely shut them down because of some perceived lack in the applicant’s documentation. AC would return the application to the applicant and request amendments, before bringing it back to the Council. This dance would go on for as long as DNAD saw fit, often until the applicant rescinded their application altogether, or in some cases until the application was finally granted because DNAD could find no further excuses to withhold approval.

Adventus knew this one was different though, and that was because he had been following the process with great interest, and had acquired more knowledge about the matter than someone in his position should really be entitled to. What was different about it was that everything was moving extremely swiftly, with DNAD and other forces of resistance apparently unable to find a credible way of pulling the plug. He finally reached Mrs. Nilsson’s office on the third floor, a rather spacious variety overlooking some of the quaint wooden houses that constituted what was left of the «Old Meridian», and lightly knocked on the door before entering. Mrs. Nilsson was one of those old ministry relics that had seemingly been a part of the inventory since time immemorial. She represented that kind of Old Guard of Union bureaucracy that had climbed from bottom to semi-top of the non-executive ladder in-house, as opposed to younger generations with university degrees that came straight from school or other sectors and applied for, and were hired directly to, senior positions often requiring specialized knowledge and skill. Mrs. Nilsson had little formal education or skill, but massive amounts of experience that often made her an indispensable case management asset. In addition she was massively hostile towards anything Off-Rock, and not afraid to let you know her views on such matters. It was an old joke among his colleagues that «Mrs. Nilsson wasn’t racist as such, she just didn’t like foreign people due to their fundamental difference from normal Union folks,» and Adventus found this to be a very apt description of the old lady.

Mrs. Nilsson gave him a condescending look as he entered her office and then returned her focus to the stack of papers on her desk. «Need your great expertise again, Bathilda,» Adventus said and waved the slim case file in front of her. She grunted and nodded towards the pile on her desk, and was just about to start speaking when Adventus cut her off and put it right in front of her. «A bit urgent, I’m afraid. Need your comments before 14.00. Apologies.» She sighed deeply and gave him another look, this time an angry one. «You fucking kids,» she said and flipped open the case file. «If I had pulled something like that when I was your age, the elders would’ve flogged me,» she continued. Sure, Adventus thought to himself, but first of all he was far too middle-aged to find her kid remark funny, and secondly when she was his age her prime responsibility was probably to make sure the Assistant Unit Manager at AC had enough sharpened pencils, so whatever. Mrs. Nilsson calmed down slightly after she had glanced through the case note and lightly nodded to herself, but was rudely awakened from her reflections by a young lady running past her now open office door. «Disgrace,» she muttered and pointed at the hallway. «Rock knows how I’ll be able to focus with all the hohaw about those continental dirt monkeys around here,» she complained. «Continental dirt monkey» was Bathilda Nilsson’s favorite derogatory term for anyone Off-Rock, be they Græntfjaller from northern Pavola or Oberour from the coastlands of Branta. Despite numerous warnings from her superiors, she still made a point about bringing it up in conversations at least twice a day.

Adventus knew he shouldn’t, he had one foot out the door, but he couldn’t help himself. Despite all her shortcomings, there was no denying Mrs. Nilsson was often well-informed. «Have you heard anything? Where do you think they’ll end up?» he asked and turned against her once more. Bathilda sighed once again and threw her arms up in the air. «It’s all very hush-hush and they’re keeping it tight-lipped, but the dirt monkeys will get it in the end, mark my words. I’ve even seen people from the UACNA (Unit for Acquaintances and Courteous Non-Alignment) and other parts of DNAD running in and out of here the last couple of days. If the MFA comes here, you know they’re desperate.»

Adventus nodded and smiled. He thanked Mrs. Nilsson for helping him, and apologized again for the short deadline, before leaving her office and continuing on his way out of the building. He had seen the MFA people as well, and there had been intense activity the last couple of weeks. His own UCF had even been consulted, with a request for information about any Friends with a ball bearing industry that might be interested in being invited to the Union market on short notice. Because if a Friend can and is willing to provide, The Union shall seek to prioritize the Friend over the Acquaintance, as it was often stated. But there was nothing to be gained there, as far as Adventus could tell. The list of Friends was short, and in all honesty this kind of rushed dealing with any of them was unheard of. Adventus himself mostly worked with matters relating to Baggieland, and while they potentially could’ve been swayed to a quick deal, they were all about lager and canned lasagna, and not so much ball bearings.

No, Adventus wagered it would all be settled with an approval of the Cavaco application any day now, and he knew this because he had read most of the case files. He shouldn’t have access to them, but that had been an easy matter to correct. He knew Petterson over at AC was allergic to working with anything other than pen and paper - another one of the Old Guard - and sure enough Adventus had found a neatly organized folder with printouts of all the major documents at the bottom of Petterson’s office closet a few days ago. He had made copies of his own when he was working late one night, and they were now resting safely under his arm in the remaining case file.

Adventus made his way north from the Meridian Quarter, with his sights set on a small pub in the borough of Hornskogen that few ministry folk frequented. The bar lady there was nice, left him in peace and let him bring his own food as long as he bought a pint or two. The place was a series of small old rooms, each adorned with fishnets and Kejm BK scarves and jerseys, and after ordering a pint of DPA he sat down at his usual spot at the very back in the most inner room. He took a sip of his ale, opened up the case file and continued leafing through where he had left off the night before.

They were good, these Oberours, clearly knowledgeable about how to navigate the draconian red tape of Union market access bureaucracy. It looked to Adventus that there was no other option than to allow Cavaco entry to The Union market, because their application and documentation was beyond reproach. And it looked like they had a good product as well, with the smooth and low-friction motion these bearings produced apparently being more or less unmatched, and with a 15 % longer bearing life than other ball bearings they would surely do wonders for plenty of Union manufacturers.

Not that Adventus really cared much about ball bearings or market acceptance for Cavaco. Not really. There was a reason beyond professional curiosity that made him interested and drove him to inform himself, because he had something you could call a personal interest in the developments. He had recently befriended the Oberour ambassador, a man of the name David de Blois, and he knew the embassy was working on their side of the table, because Cavaco not only needed Union permission but also a Foreign Commerce Authorization from Oberour Ar Moro. Adventus knew de Blois was under pressure, because he needed to have his assessment of the situation and final recommendations ready in a couple of weeks time. Not that de Blois had told him anything about this; he was a far too professional man to discuss such matters over wine and ale with chess buddies. That was how they had met to begin with, during open chess nights at the Bluefin pub down in Stockviken, and over time they had developed a certain comradeship based around common interests (chess, mostly) and language. While de Blois appreciated a relaxed setting to hone his rudimentary Gnejsian language skills, Adventus equally appreciated being able to practice his rusty, but capable, Azertienne (that he had learned as a child when his parents had worked abroad for a couple of years).

Adventus had rather learned about the FCA and the part de Blois played in it through Petterson’s case file. As a matter of fact, it almost looked like the DNAD were placing some vain last-resort-hope in the Oberour embassy denying Cavaco their authorization. That seemed unlikely though, or maybe not; Adventus knew a lot about de Blois’ preferred chess strategies and favorite wines, and had learned a lot about Regium and other parts of Oberour Ar Moro, but he knew nothing about what went on over at the embassy or what de Blois was thinking about Cavaco, or what would happen when the inevitable Union approval of the application became public knowledge. That annoyed him, although he wasn’t sure why it did. In all honesty, he wasn’t sure why he had taken such an interest in the Cavaco case at all. Maybe it gave him a feeling of having more insight into his new friend’s life beyond the Bluefin’s chess board, or maybe he just liked knowing something that de Blois didn’t. He liked de Blois, he knew that much, and whatever his other inner motivations, he sincerely hoped the approval of Cavaco wouldn’t mean any added troubles for him.

He lost himself in the case file again, and didn’t notice the time until a ruckus by the bar snapped him out of his trance. He packed up his things and brought his glass to go see what the commotion was about. It turned out some drunk had picked a fight with the bar lady over Rock knows what, and he was screaming and spitting at her and tucking on the fishnets. Adventus finished the last of his DPA and then planted the glass squarely in the back of the man’s head with enough force to shatter the glass and drop the man to the floor. He smiled at the bar lady and insisted on paying for the broken glass before he went outside. He looked at his watch. 13.40. Mrs. Nilsson would probably be done by now; she often made a point about delivering ahead of her deadline.

OOC: The story Losing One’s Bearings takes place in the Gnejs capital of Port Kejm. For reference, below is a map of the city, divided into Districts and Boroughs:

Staden (The City)

1. Kejm, 2. Holmporten, 3. Meridian, 4. Tullin, 5. Hornskogen, 6. Stockviken, 7. Lillängen, 8. Dalen, 9. Våler

Södra och Västra Malmen (The South- and Westside)
10. Ekviken, 11. Storängen

Norra Malmen (The Northside)
12. Sofiatoppen, 13. Haga, 14. Mariannelund, 15. Wivalla, 16. Backa

Östra Malmen och Öarna (The Eastside and Islands)
17. Stora Grönland, 18. Lilla Grönland, 19. Strandbergen, 20. Klara, 21. Kejms Holmar

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Mon Mar 25, 2024 3:04 am

This audio RP covers a segment on NBO Radio 4's Breakfast show. The presenters are Keith Barnes and Paul Samuels.

by **Polar Islandstates** » Mon Mar 25, 2024 9:30 am

OOC: Yes, stil finishing off this much delayed introduction I'm afraid. Hopefully I'll be up to 'present' time by the time qualifying actually starts...

SOUR CHERRIES
Chapter 8
Marta Solheim and Filip Skaarup
Volume One
Bjarnarey - Jasmine - Stina - Federico, pt1 - Federico, pt2 - Lightbulbs and Headlines - Jos - Pep Talk – Silas - Marta and Filip
** ** ** ** **

Shuffling in her tunic ever so slightly, Marta Solheim gave a nervous wave to the assembled associates. Alexsandr looked around as they all returned a little wave back again. Written on their collected faces he could see the same emotions and realisations he was coming to. The appearance of Silas had kicked Jasmine’s little pep talk into overdrive. It was clear now that, having added him to the chemical reaction, there were events that could no longer be undone. They’d added a catalyst to the formula.

Little by little, he had to admit, things were coming together. He hadn’t gone into the Ocean Café that afternoon with the intention of forming a band of revolutionaries, but fate seemed to have other ideas. Each new character that was brought to their sticky metal table by whatever reason was responsible for adding another string to the bow that all good uprisings need in their arsenal. Whatever it was that was bringing them together, he was beginning to think he needed to just accept it and go with the flow.

Outside in the distance he could hear a goose honking as the retired recruiter began introducing herself.

“Er, yeah, hi everyone, I suppose? I don’t know what Si here has been telling you,” she said quietly, looking up awkwardly at the grinning politician, “but I’m Marta. This is my café.”

“Bought it off my parents years back didn’t you,” beamed Silas, “and always has a warm smile and a hot cup of delicious coffee for me whenever I come to visit, which is never often enough!”

Alexsandr looked down at his cup of... something definitely not recognisable as coffee, and once again was forced to appreciate the gift that Silas had of making people feel accepted and useful.

“Yes, yes, that’s right. This was supposed to be my retirement nest egg,” Marta smiled, “something to do once I left the Navy, you know? Keep me busy for a few years and then sell it on to live my remaining years in the hills of my beloved Luwhel-Besny. At least, that was the plan.”

“Was?” enquired Jasmine, her journalist’s nose forcing her to dig deeper at all times.

“Well, turns out running a café is more work than I thought it would be,” chuckled Marta. “and five years after I thought I’d be shot of the place and halfway to the Hasparran Delta already, here I still am.”

“Ah, but, you love it don’t you,” prodded Silas, putting an arm back around her shoulder and giving her a little playful shake.

“Okay, well, a bit,” agreed Marta, sheepishly, “it also turned out I missed the cut and thrust of the military a bit more than I thought I would too. Missed the routine of things, you know?”

Alexsandr looked the small woman up and down. She was considerably younger than he was, but very short for a Polarian, and no matter how many years removed from active service she may have been, he found it incredibly hard to imagine her in a position of any authority in the Navy.

The Federal Polarian Navy acted as the entire armed services of the Federation; the air force was connected through as an airborne division of the service, connected heavily to the helicopters or the coast guard and border police, who again were non-armed wings of the navy, whilst the harbour guard and marines offered land-based services as yet another command structure under the navy’s umbrella. Even specialist units like the Grenlund Cavalry were run through the navy power structure, and it was still the biggest employer across the entire Federation, and would likely remain so for as long as the individual state health services were considered separate. Individual states all had their own land-based guards, but with the exception of the Scotians, who were frequently deployed in East Külmsaar instead of the Federal Navy for hopefully obvious reasons, they were not much more than ceremonial, and famous old seafaring units like the Kuril Korsairs had long since been adopted into the Federal Navy.

As the biggest employer, there were plenty of different people working there, Alexsandr knew that of course. His own cousin had worked for the Navy his entire life and never picked up so much as a pistol, but all the same, it was hard to imagine this old woman wiping her greasy hands on an apron as someone who had ever commanded anything more than a misbehaving dishwasher. Although her presence did at least explain the plethora of pictures of old military units that decorated the walls. They must have been her old squads.

Silas caught Alexsandr’s eye, and evidently spotting the same thought process in a couple of the others, spoke up; “Don’t be fooled, ladies and gents, Marta is exactly who we need on board. Tell them, Marta: what did you do in the Navy?”

“Oh, erm, well, I was a recruitment officer, officially,” she smiled.

“So like, leaflets and high school careers days?” asked Stina with a nod, seeing how that kind of grassroots knowledge could be useful.

“Originally, sure,” answered Marta, “but I soon moved up the pile. Before too long I was the one conducting interviews, sending the best off to training camps, and then after that I was promoted to allocating the right troops to the right units.”

“Oh, so, like picking teams?” said Jos.

“Yes and no. A bit.” Said Marta, “I guess, if that’s the easiest analogy.”

The group round the table looked at Silas, who simply smiled in response, and then gave Marta a little shake to encourage her to continue.

“Or, well, I suppose the reason Silas dragged me over is because, whatever it was I started out doing, by the time I retired I was doing the same but for the officers. You know,” she shrugged, “putting the right people in charge of the right teams, in the right places, at the right times...”

“...and?” smiled Silas.

“And... and a lot of them still pop in to see me. From time to time, I guess.” Continued Marta.

Jasmine nodded with increasing speed, catching on. “So you’ve got a network of officers in the Navy who you see with relative frequency?”

“Well it’s a regular stopping off point, Bjarnarey, isn’t it? I mean,” continued Marta, “it’s not Aasiaat, obviously, but they come to see me when they can, yes.”

“’Come to see you’ is putting it very modestly,” grinned Silas, “she’s got the ear of these guys. She put them where they needed to be, and she was bloody good at it too. IT might not look like much, but I guarantee you this is the safest café in Bjarnarey. All of Norscelt, probably. Anyone would be an idiot to try anything here, because they’d had half the battlegroup admirals in the entire navy out for their blood if they hurt little Marta, here.”

“I wouldn’t have thought promotions in the navy were done in such a commercial way,” said Stina, slightly confused, “that sounds a lot like how headhunters work in my world. Is it not done on a more... I don’t know, ‘military’ basis?”

“At the lower ranks, certainly,” answered Marta, “but you’d be surprised at the top levels. There would have been no point at all in some of the promotions I was urged to consider. So, instead, I made sure there were good people in charge of good units, and left the bad apples to squabble amongst themselves over jobs I knew would never put them in positions of real influence. They’ve always sent me pictures and updates of what they’ve been up to over the years, too. It’s nice to keep in touch, I always say.”

“In other words,” smiled Silas, “if we need people in the Navy to ‘not act’ when we need them to, Marta here has a essentially got a little black book of people who will park their aircraft carrier exactly where she wants them to and then forget the keys in their other tunic. If you catch my drift.”

“You don’t park boats, Silas,” snapped Marta, suddenly showing Alexsandr exactly what he’d needed to believe she was capable of what Silas was saying, “and anyway, what are you talking about?”

“Oh, was I not clear? Sorry; getting rid of Lund. And The Party.”

They all looked at Marta for her reaction, but had barely focused their eyes on her before her instant response.

“Well, it’s about time. Abhorrent human. Whatever happened to the free nation of my youth? It destroys me, Silas. The Navy took all my best years, and then just when I think I’ll be able to settle down somewhere foreign and warmer, The bloody Party take that right away from me as well. So, it’s bye-bye to Luwhel-Besny.”

“Yeah I did wonder about that,” said Federico, thinking about the tiny little collection of islands off the coast of Mertagne, “why Luwhel-Besny?”

“Well there’s a history there isn’t there, and we visited the place on my first and only tour. I fell in love with the place, and always swore I’d return,” smiled Marta distantly, “alas.”

“I thought The Party had restore the right to live and work abroad?” asked Stina.

“Not if you know as much as I know about the Federal Navy, apparently,” spat Marta bitterly, “so they can go jump off a cliff for all I care. No. I’ll happily help in whatever way I can. Like I say, I’ve missed being a bit more active, anyhow. The leaders of one of the training camps were supposed to be coming through here today, in fact,” she said, “they’ve rescheduled for tomorrow before they leave after I told them I was booked out, but I can speak to them tomorrow by all means. Ask them to consider the nature of who they’re accepting, that sort of thing. There’s already plenty of dissent apparently...”

“Booked out?” asked Jos, looking around the almost empty café slightly confused.

“Originally, sure,” shrugged Marta, “got a booking through ages ago. Said they were going to be holding a meeting here and would I kindly block book the place. Well I said I don’t normally do that sort of thing obviously but they were insistent they’d pay handsomely so, that’s what I did. Ordered an extra scarf and everything but then nobody bloody turned up did they. I knew the game was up when that lad over there was the first in, took his coat off, and he wasn’t wearing anything maroon and navy at all.”

They all looked over in the direction Marta was pointing, at a slightly startled middle-aged gentleman in a green and orange scarf who was now acutely aware of a room full of people looking at him.

“Sorry, ‘extra scarf’? What are you talking about, Marta?” asked Silas.

“Something to do with my little ‘museum’, apparently,” she answered, nodding in the direction of the collection of photos and football scarves, “I know I’m in Hove technically but Hoyer is only a couple of canals away, and the Internasjonal fans come through here from time to time on their to and from games. I leaned into it and made them a little display, thinking it might make them feel at home. Anyway, you know what the Internasjonal lot are like; they always used to drag foreigners along for games, and since the borders raised, they’ve started doing it again. So, when the man from Tikariot called I didn’t think anything of it.”

“Tikariot?”

“Said he was the leader of the Viljallans SC Valhallan Supporters Club.”

“Viljallans?” asked Alexsandr, none the wiser.

“Well that’s what I said as well, but apparently it’s a diaspora team of Valhallans in Tikariot,” answered Marta, “that’s their scarf there.”

Alexsandr looked over, and sure enough, amongst the scarves of what looked like all the clubs in Bjarnarey was proudly handing a half maroon and half navy effort, displaying a badge that he’d never seen before.

“They’re based in Fort Viljan, apparently,” continued Marta, “but, I don’t know. Nobody turned up. So there I was, sitting in an empty café and cursing myself for not taking money in advance, and just when I was thinking about going outside to take down the sign, in walks this guy. And he was clearly nothing to do with it, so I gave up.”

‘This guy’ had by now gotten curious about why he was being talked about, and had walked over to the table to see what was going on.

“Didn’t you see the sign?” asked Marta brusquely.

“Erm, sorry, there wasn’t a sign,” answered the stranger.

“There must have been. A great big ‘closed for private function’ sign, I put it outside the front door.

“Honestly, I promise you. I didn’t see a sign. Sorry.”

“Hmm...” trailed of Marta, sceptically, before shuffling off outside to see for herself.

The new arrival looked around the table at the group of strangers who were now observing him with some level of scrutiny, waiting expectantly for him to say something.

“Er, hi?” he said.

“And you are?” asked Jasmine, who was too far gone with events by now to even pretend that they weren’t up to something.

“Filip. Filip Skaarup. Hello.”

“And what brings you to Bjarnarey, Filip?” grinned Silas, excited to see where this was going.

“Well, a holiday, I suppose. I’m trying to use up my annual leave from the inspectorate but I wasn’t able to go where I really wanted.”

“Inspectorate?!” exclaimed Alexsandr, springing nervously to his feet.

“Not that inspectorate,” explained Filip, gesturing for Alexsandr to sit down again, “chill out, man. The Inspectorate. The Federal Police Inspectorate.”

“Ha!” laughed Silas and Jasmine, almost in unison as they mentally ticked off another one of their ‘to-do’ lists.

“I do a lot of travelling in my job, obviously,” continued Filip, “so what I thought I’d do for my holiday this year was save up all my holiday for one solid block and then go back to Mytanija to see my mum’s side of the family.”

‘That explained his appearance, at least,’ thought Alexsandr to himself, sitting himself back down but still jumpy and nervous from the string of coincidences that kept happening to them. Filip Skaarup was an extremely tall figure, who was every bit as hardened looking as Marta should have looked, a different that was exacerbated by the similarities in their jobs. His Mytanar background had given him a curious facial complexion that would’ve made him stand out in a crowd, even if his accent was completely native to... Alexsandr would’ve guessed at Torshavn. But, western, either way.

“But they wanted me to denounce my Mytanar nationality in order to get a Polarian passport, and, quite frankly, that can get fucked,” spat Filip, pulling a chair round at Silas’ gesture to do so.

“So you walked away?”

“Before they tried taking my identity away from me?” asked Filip sarcastically, “Yes. Yes I did walk away. I’m proud to be Polarian, but I’m not renouncing half of my identity for anyone. I don’t care how ‘ceremonial’ it might be.”

“Could you not have lied about having a second passport?” asked Jos, who’d presumably undergone a similar process recently judging by the introspective look on his face. “Or, just travelled on the Mytanar one?”

“Even if I’d wanted to spit on the memory of my grandparents like that...” Jos shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Filip gave him a stern look. “that passport ran out a while ago, and surprisingly enough The Party take a dim view of foreign passport applications from people who live here, were born here, and are currently applying for a Polarian passport of their own. Let alone someone who works for a Federal service.”

“So, why Bjarnarey?” asked Alexandr.

Filip shrugged, “Why not? I’ve never actually been before, and there was a leaflet at the top of the pile when I got to the exit door of the passport office. The local tourism agencies must be making a killing off those places right now...”

“And, the Ocean Café?” asked Federico, still less into this idea of fate and coincidence than Jasmine and Silas clearly were.

“Just asked some old guy for directions to a decent bar. I don’t know where he thought he was sending me but I’m guessing he didn’t mean here. Anyway, I’d been walking for ages by that point so I just came in. Past no sign whatsoever,” he said, raising his volume for the benefit of Marta, who’d just walked back in waving a sandwich board in her hands with surprising ease given their relative sizes.

“Fished this bastard out of the lagoon!” she shouted, spraying them gently with foul black water. “Suppose one of those bastard geese knocked it in before you turned up, sorry love.”

“S’okay,” sniffed Filip, brushing his scarf gently of droplets.

“So, did you say you were a police inspector?” asked Silas, taking things back to the apparent matter at hand.”

“I did, why?”

“Well... we’ve been talking, my friends and I, and we were just saying how useful it might be to have someone who knows the ins and outs of the police forces in our little group,” said Jasmine warmly, “but, first of all, can I take it from your experience at the passport office that you’re no fan of The Party?”

“Are you kidding?” scoffed Filip, “They’re a blessed danger to this country. Do you have any idea the amount of time I have to spend in my job, weeding out and encouraging the forces we oversee to also weed out the power-hungry idiots who think that arsehole in charge gives them a reason to be abusive of their positions? Or worse, to seek out those positions in the first place just to commit their crimes of division? He’s emboldened the very worst in our society. I’m fighting it every sodding day.”

“Oh good, well, okay not ‘good’,” corrected Jasmine, “but; listen. We’ve all bumped into each other over the course of the day, and we’ve had some thoughts....”

But as Jasmine started her latest introduction and setting out of ideas to yet another perfect stranger, with no small amount of blind trust involved, Alexsandr stopped listening.

Instead, his attention was focused on the figure in the corner, yet again. One of only two people left in the café who weren’t sitting around this small table, the man – presumably a man, based on the frame – was still sitting there in a hat and coat, conspicuously not showing his face, but leaning in to listen to as much as he could do all the same.

Just looking at him set Alexsandr’s mind racing. He wasn’t suspicious. Not as such. If the man was with the OO then surely the place would have been raided already. Unless thy were waiting for the group to try to leave? But, no. That hardly seemed like the OO’s style.

So, who was he? And why did Alexsandr feel like he’d seen that silhouette before?

“...and that’s about the size of it.” Finished Jasmine, bringing Alexsandr back into the room.

“Well, happy to help however I can do, obviously,” said Filip, “anything that helps me get back to see the other place I’ve got roots, but, from what I understand of these things, and, trust me I’ve had a bit of education over my time with the force; beats me how you’re going to pull it off without two more sets of expertise.”

“Right, someone to get the grassroots going,” said Jasmine as Silas nodded, agreeing.

“And someone to grease the wheels internationally,” finished Filip.

There was a cough at the table next to them, and Alexsandr’s hands flew to the armrests on his chair as the others’ heads all swivelled on a pin to look at the stranger in the coat.

“Ahem, well, in that last matter I believe I might actually be able to offer some assistance,” said the stranger, with a voice Alexsandr recognised.

The stranger began to take off his coat and hat, and just as Alexsandr started to relax he felt the others round the table tensing slightly in their own ways, unaware of who this tenth person was going to be even as the penny dropped with Alexsandr and he sat back more in confusion than fear.

“Hello,” he said finally, as he dropped the last piece of his makeshift disguise back to the table, “you don’t know me, most of you, but I work for The Party. In the embassies programme.”

“Most of us?” enquired Jasmine, gently.

“Well, I have worked with a couple of you before.” Said the man, smiling weakly. “Federico, you might not remember, but I liaised with you over the addition of Emmanuele Niemi to the senior Terns squad after his little accident.”

“Mm, you look familiar, but...” said Federico, squinting.

“Well, no matter, it was only a short interaction,” smiled the stranger, “anyway, it’s a good job I am who I am; you all need to get better at talking quieter, I’m afraid. My name is Sebastian Jung. Hello, Alexsandr...”

** ** ** ** **
Bjarnarey - Jasmine - Stina - Federico, pt1 - Federico, pt2 - Lightbulbs and Headlines - Jos - Pep Talk – Silas - Marta and Filip
Volume One

by **Eshialand** » Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:02 am

Settled Down

One year on from the Crisis of 2028 and Eshialand's hasty move to Esportiva, it was time to reflect on the chaotic previous few years and what lie ahead for the nation.

Everything after Fiona Reval was elected Prime Minister had just been a giant mess, really. Eshialand had gone from a nation that didn't really exist on the global stage, tucked away in their own tiny corner of the multiverse, to a growing part of the interregional mesh that was this wild world they now found themselves in. Along the way, there had been chaos... so much chaos, from the king's disappearance and Fiona Reval overhauling everything to a "return to normalcy" that... didn't go back to normal at all, instead just doing experimental rift after experimental rift trying to find a new home without killing millions in the process. All and all, how could the past 5 or so years even be described?

Well, in two words... growing pains. Every single nation will have them, and those were Eshialand's. It had everything a nation needs to truly wake up to the world it found itself in: Fiona Reval representing the radical isolationism that comes from people who don't want to accept or join their new world, the rifts representing the search for belonging in the global framework... it was all there. Through all the chaos, this was just Eshialand, the nation, growing up and becoming a part of the multiverse for real.

Now, a year removed from the move to Esportiva, Eshialand found itself in a stable position, joining in with their new regionmates and -- hopefully -- fitting in there. The Eshian soccer team, too, found themselves hitting a new sense of belonging, spending the period of chaos going from perennial mid-table dwellers to qualifying to their first World Cup. Eshialand was now well and truly a part of this world.

Of course, this would not be the end of the nation's introduction to the wider world. Far from it, as being a part of the world now meant that there would be so many new experiences, new relations, and yes, even conflicts, going on. The pains might be over, but the growth never truly ends.

As for that soccer team, they found themselves in an interesting place going into their first matchday: they'd be welcoming newcomers La Pizza de la mama, not to the Eshialand City SuperDome like they usually had, but to the brand-new Union Stadium in Vaynorth.

While some players had expressed concern about the seaworthiness of Union Stadium before the match, Tony Beaujoleil assured them that Project Upsilon would make her float for decades to come... which really only made the players more concerned. After all, who can take Tony Beaujoleil at his word when he's faced more lawsuits than you can count on both hands?

After La Pizza de la mama, the Owls would be travelling to Ile de Richelieu, where they would surely face some stiff competition, even stiffer than their bodies would be in the intense cold of Sankt Hans Havn. In Josh Seametzle's words "either they'll freeze you out of the game or you just freeze to death." What a way to warm up to the new cycle, huh?

Overall, the look of the upcoming group stage would be a rather interesting one, with Captina Island, Bostopia, Sargossa, and the United Mandaran States (Karsten Rhodes lamented not being able to make Peme-crouton puns anymore) coming up after the team's bye MD. Like last time, first place would be required to autoqualify with second place guaranteeing a playoff spot, but this time around each group only had seven teams rather than eight, which would make everyone more competitive than before. And Kenny Morgan's plan going into qualifying?

"Just play your best, and don't drop points to La Pizza de la mama."

by **Cassadaigua** » Mon Mar 25, 2024 3:55 pm

World Cup 96 Preview,
by Caitlyn Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

We have many things that will be talked about as World Cup 96 takes place, both in the classification phase to determine if we go to the 96A or 96B field (96B field also will be referenced by many as the Cup of Harmony), or if we don’t end up in either one of them. There is also the declining health of former Queen, Cassie II, who many fear may be in her final days. She has been struggling with dementia for a while now, a health condition that affects millions throughout the world, and anyone who cares for them knows how much of a challenge it can be. Now, take that, and add the fact here that the dementia patient is Queen Cassie II. It’s been ten years now since she has officially been in power, with of course, the throne now held by Cassie III, but her health is still a concern to many. We can also talk about what is going on in the Cooper River region of the nation, or what used to be called North Cassadaigua. Since it is officially integrated into Cassadaigua, the “North” designation is no longer used here, but when we call it the Cooper River Region, you know what I am talking about. Most of that is positive, so that is something we are excited to talk about. Brianna I has still held an active hand in that region, thanks to a good back and forth relationship between her and Cassie III. For all of issues of succession that turn dark and violet, we are grateful that a decade later, that they have been able to work things out between them. We’ll talk about that for our international readers during the World Cup, since we always get a dramatic increase in international hits to our website when this great sporting competition takes place.

For now, let’s just talk about soccer. I know, we’re boring like that. The team has made ther way to Blekebakken Stadion, a 28,750 seat facility in Grimes, Brannfjord for the opening contest against the nation that according to the rankings is the 79th best in the world. These are the same rankings that claim we are only the 43rd best, and even though that may accurately portray what the formula says we should be in, you better believe that the mindset of our players is not one of a longshot, but one that belongs in the 96A field. The worst news about this upcoming World Cup is that once again, a 32 team format will be used. The nations of Mertagne and Huayramarca will do a great job hosting this competition, but their bid failed to account for the reality of the international landscape that there needs to be 48 teams. Unfortunately, a competing bid also only proposed a 32 team format, leading us once again to wish we had nations that would be willing to step up and be trailblazers for the competition, and expand the field to 48 teams.

The format sees 20 groups, and this is a big reason why we need 48 teams. There was a time when you could see this working, back when there was not many strong and deserving nations to play in the World Cup, but now we are left with either needing to win a group, which in itself puts some very good teams who finish second in the danger zone of the playoff. This is why there is no Cup of Harmony anymore as far as Cassadagans feel. The “Cup of Harmony” is another World Cup, because its field isn’t far off from what the real World Cup is, and why we began to call them the “A” and “B” World Cups. Fans have begun to appreciate this more and more, leading to a more relaxed approach to qualifiers, and lesser demands on manager Chen Huikang.

Let’s talk about him for a moment, since he will be leading the Fillies into what is his third World Cup cycle. Chen did so well initially, but after struggling in the last Cycle, there would have been many sporting organizations that would sacked him as quickly as possible, and in his case, sent him back to Yuezhou. However, that was not the case, and with Chen doing so well in other tournaments, it has become quite clear that CASE President Stephanie Sweeney is looking at the whole package in regards to Chen. She was recently quoted as saying, “The World Cup is the biggest soccer competition, but just one of them. We also consider how well he has done with the Copa Rushmori as well as with our young players in the RTC Cup. We are thrilled with Chen, and want him to do well in World Cup 96, but if we do not fare well, it doesn’t mean we are going to be done with him. You can finish a strong second, lose a playoff game, and then not be in the main Cup. Is that failure? Well, answers will be different on that. But to me, it is not failure.”

Team Cassadaigua brings a moderately re-tooled roster to this World Cup, with the decision to move on from Stacey Schalberg in goal being the one that has grabbed the most headlines, even when the topic could be a change back to a 4-4-2 formation over the more aggressive 4-3-3. The new starting goalkeeper is Lacey Horvath, who may be only 21 years of age, but she has been the starting keeper for Starksville Coastal, who has now won back to back CSL titles. Coastal plays an offensive minded system, so there are some that will say that Horvath is a beneficiary of having more goal support, but Chen sees that as a positive when approached by it. “Coastal is a champion, and Lacey was a part of that. She’s played in some very big games, against good teams, and while yes, she has the goals to back her up, it can also lead to some great chances that she needs to stop, and our scouting of her says that she does a fantastic job and is ready for this challenge right now. Not in the next World Cup. Right here and now!” Coastal conceded the fourth fewest goals last year, with two of the three teams that were better playing in extremely defensive systems. Erica Knapp, who had a strong run with Concord Heights City, is the backup, and it has been speculated that Schalberg and Chen made a mutual decision to not make her third string.

Horvath will have a familiar face in front of her, as Coastal teammate, fullback Tiffany Brown is the captain of the team, taking over for Madison Rutland. Rutland, also a member of Starksville Coastal, is now 33, and will likely be employed as a late game substitute in the majority of games. Another big change is Shannon Cunningham no longer starting beside Lexi McGregor, but this is a product of the switch from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2. Shannon is simply the odd player out there, as Lacey Sherwood was named the other starter. McGregor, is a given, and figures to be the top scorer in the competition for the Fillies. If she isn’t, we either have a big problem or we are undefeated because others are killing it, too.

So, get ready for this game against Brannfjord, then it is an offday for Team Cassadaigua. The home opener comes on matchday 3 in Concord Heights.

by **Polar Islandstates** » Mon Mar 25, 2024 4:39 pm

OOC: Nearly done, honest

SOUR CHERRIES
Chapter 9
Sebastian Jung
Volume One
Bjarnarey - Jasmine - Stina - Federico, pt1 - Federico, pt2 - Lightbulbs and Headlines - Jos - Pep Talk – Silas - Marta and Filip - Sebastian
** ** ** ** **

“Thor’s Beard,” stammered Alexsandr, “am I ever relieved to see you, Sebastian, er, you’ll forgive me if I don’t get up?”

“Of course, of course,” said Sebastian, waving his hands dismissively as he took in the sheer amount of tables, chairs, and relative strangers between the two of them.

“Sorry, you two know each other already?” asked Jasmine, confused.

“Sebastian here and I have been contacts for a long time,” smiled Alexsandr, “back when I thought I could lead a revolution by myself, before I found myself woefully out of my depth and clueless as to where to go, with only an embassies worker in my contact book and no idea whatsoever of who to go to next. I’ve no doubt Sebastian here did his best at distributing the money I sent, but, I think it was there that I started getting disillusioned.”

Jasmine smiled warmly, “and then of course, you met me and got scared when I suggested we take you off the leash.”

“Oh, I’m still terrified,” clarified Alexsandr, “but seeing Sebastian here does at least make me feel like I might be on the right path after all.”

“And what was it you said you did?” asked Silas, shaking Sebastian’s hand warmly and trusting his judgement of character.

“I worked for the Remote Embassies Initiative at one point,” explained Sebastian, “they sent me out to Valanora to deal with Emmanuele Niemi after his accident whilst on u-21s duty, and then that later put me in touch with Federico over there during the subsequent World Cup campaign, but of course he doesn’t remember me, which, I don’t blame him for at all.”

“I remember a woman, mostly,” offered Federico apologetically.

“That would’ve been Charlotte, yes. My old boss. Temporarily, anyway,” explained Sebastian, “I was drafted into that division really, seeing as none of that entire department would’ve been able to explain the offside rule, whereas I’m a long-term sufferer of it...”

He flashed his FKRA Norregaard season ticket from inside his wallet, putting it down on the table alongside his coat and hat.

“And, now?”

“Well, now, the remote embassies are of course being made less remote. So, I’ve had something of a promotion.”

“Sorry, I’m behind here;” interjected Jos, “’remote embassies’? What’s a remote embassy?”

“An embassy that doesn’t require me to be in the actual nation, is the short answer,” said Sebastian, “the long answer is, well, a bit longer, but it basically boils down to the same thing.”

“Why wouldn’t you need to be in the same nation? Same nation as what?”

“Right,” said Sebastian, settling in for the longer haul, “so you know a regular embassy? With an ambassador and everything? To help the citizens abroad? Yeah, not so much of an issue when you have closed borders. There were ambassadors, don’t get me wrong, but their roles were limited and the administrative staff that surrounded them were tasked mainly with the upkeep of one person and one person only; the ambassador.”

“I suppose with no citizens abroad...” said Jos, catching on.

“Exactly, so. What was the need in a full-on embassy? Waste of money, right? Except that one day...” Sebastian clicked his fingers on both hands for emphasis, “suddenly there was. Suddenly, the nation was open because The Party said so. And so, equally suddenly, and also equally because The Party said so, there were hundreds and thousands of Polarians being sent abroad to usher in a new wave of foreign money into the nation. Oh, sorry, did I say the quiet part out loud? I meant, ‘to build bridges and reinforce international ties’. Only, turns out the problem with having gaslit your entire population into thinking that ‘foreign equals bad’ for an entire generation is that nobody really wants to go, and those that are persuaded to don’t really know what to do when they get there. So, all of a sudden, people like me, people who were very closely watched indeed for having picked topics like foreign politics or Rushmori history at university, are massively in demand. Except there’s not enough of us to go around, and even if there was, there’s no way of suddenly snapping your fingers and having fully-fledged consulates spring up around Rushmore and beyond. So, I’ve spent a lot of time in video-calls over the past few years.”

“Makes sense, I suppose,” said Jos, thinking about his own potential future role, “so presumably there are some people who understand communications networks after all.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” said Sebastian with a dismissive curl of his top lip, “I spent a lot of time talking to foreign techs about bandwidth.”

“But now you’ve been promoted?” asked Silas.

“Well, in that the idea of having a physical presence in all these countries has been shown to be a good one, I suppose,” conceded Sebastian, “so who better to aid with the setting up and expansion of the old ‘ambassador support teams’ into a proper embassy than someone who’s already been doing the job over the phone already?”

“Well, congratulations, I suppose.” Said Silas.

“Thanks, although it’s turned out to be more work than I thought for. Originally I was only being asked to be in charge of the planning and implementation of my previous ‘zone’ in Terranea, but turns out I’m quite good at it, so I’m being dragged all over the place at the moment. Something of a firefighter, I guess.”

“Oh?” asked Jasmine, smiling.

“Pavola, The Vatmark, The Goose Coast... You name it, I’ve been there recently, and might well have to be again, if you catch my drift...”

Jasmine and Silas looked at each other and then back to Sebastian.

“Say, how much contact would you say you have with foreign dignitaries as part of your job?” asked Jasmine.

“Oh, not much actually. I generally spend my time with the Polarian staff, or their ‘home nation’ counterparts.” He answered. “There are the odd official event with foreign diplomats that I get invited to, with increasing frequency as my roles develop, actually, but that’s about it I think.

“Damn,” said Jasmine, perfectly unison with Silas, albeit with one key difference.

“Great,” said Silas.

“What?” asked Jasmine, confused.

“Well we don’t want Mr Jung here talking through official channels, do we?” clarified Silas, “That’s kind-of the whole point? Whereas, Sebastian, correct me if I’m wrong, but would you say an awful lot gets said off the record, in these situations?”

“Oh, for sure,” nodded Sebastian in turn, catching on instantly, “but of course the only things that get back to The Party are what’s happening officially. So far as I know, anyway. It’s possible there are other people feeding things back but, I have a fairly good idea by this point of which ambassadors are the more, shall we say, enthusiastic Party members.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Don’t look for any help from Astograth, basically.”

“Oh. Well that’s, disappointing.” Said Jasmine sadly.”

“Not officially, anyway. The ambassador there is a first-wave card carrying lunatic, and the ‘Grathi administration are always going to go for the status quo. As far as I can see it, anyway.” sniffed Sebastian. “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of other good politicians out there, neutral as far as they can be, who would tell their foreign counterparts the whole truth when push came to shove.”

Alexsandr was impressed, despite himself. He knew Sebastian was growing up, and had been too busy to keep in touch recently, but this display of self-assured fact delivery and casual revolutionary talk was a far cry from the slightly nervous penpusher he’d first got to know back in Jan Mayen. Back then he’d been the leader of the ‘campaign’, of course. Green in his own way and totally naïve about what regime change might require. But now, with Alexsandr’s cold feet being just about held at bay by the persuasive rhetoric that Silas and Jasmine were deploying, he found himself totally convinced by Sebastian’s character. He wasn’t being cocky or arrogant in any way, but simply confident. Maybe they really could pull this off, after all?

“And these ‘messages’ of what’s happening back home,” said Jasmine, “you’re happy you could tell those to the right people?”

“At the right time,” smiled Sebastian.

“You make it sound so easy...” muttered Stina.

“Oh, it won’t be,” added Sebastian, cutting across her with a shake of the head and raised eyebrow, “I know full well what’s going on here. This isn’t an overnight job. We can’t do anything quickly here, and nothing is going to change overnight. I could fly out to Eura tonight and play some cards, but they’ll take months to be ready. Years, even. We’re planning a garden here, folks. You’ve got to plan ahead for something to fill out and plug the gaps by planting it now. We’re gardening. Sowing seeds to reap later on.”

“I like this guy,” smiled Silas, pointing at Sebastian but looking at Alexsandr, “where on earth were you hiding him?”

“I honestly didn’t even know he was in the country,” shrugged Alexsandr, “last we spoke we were pausing our endeavours until we worked out what was going to happen with this upcoming vote. Come to think of it, why were you hiding from me?”

“Mm?”

“The disguise,” gestured Alexsandr, “why didn’t you just, take it off earlier?”

“Come to think of it,” said Federico, “why are you even here, of all places?”

“Same reason as Marta,” nodded Sebastian, “well, no, okay not exactly the same reason, but, I was also led to believe that a meeting of the Viljallans SC Valhallan Supporters Group was going to happen today, and I’m going to Tikariot in the next few weeks, so I was hoping to get a headstart on some Valhalla-sympathetic contacts out there that I could lean on. By the way, Marta, I don’t know if we’ve been set up by the same person but I’ll settle up for whatever value they told you they’d pay.”

“Like hell you will,” said Alexsandr, to a grateful smile from Marta, “I’ve got that, but why the disguise?”

“Well, same reason you keep jumping up, Alexsandr, I suppose,” continued Sebastian, “and the same reason you all need to get better at keeping your voices down. Once I realised there was nobody here that had even heard of Viljallans, I kept my head down in case it was a sting or something. Then of course, you walked in, and whilst that didn’t immediately dispel the idea that it still might have been a trap, Jasmine there popped up and started gabbing away, and then by the time the rest of you appeared I figured it had just... gone on a bit too long. And the longer it went, the more awkward it would become.”

“How uniquely Polarian of us,” chuckled Stina, “the idea that a revolution almost didn’t come together because of social embarrassment...”

“Although,” said Silas thoughtfully as the gentle laughter died down, “that’s not a bad thought. Do you think we should... you know.”

The rest of the group followed the direction of Silas’ subtle nods in the direction of the last remaining person in the café who hadn’t joined their increasingly large group in the corner.

“For completeness, if anything else?” offered Jasmine, surrendering to whatever fate had brought them together.

“I suppose so?” agreed Alexsandr, warily.

“We only have grassroots and OO left on my wish list, after all,” said Jasmine, “and if she was trouble, we’d’ve known it by now, surely...”

Despite the obvious risk, there was nonetheless something of a devil-may-care attitude amongst the group by now, and the collective will was definitely leaning towards bowing to the inevitable. Silas stood up and walked over, clearing his throat, but just as he was about to extend a hand and introduce himself to the stranger, the door to the café crashed open with a bang that startled everyone.

Any fears that this was a raid however were soon extinguished when a tall, lanky youngster, with pink and purple dyed hair and an impressive collection of facial piercings burst into the café, clutching a handful of colourful leaflets in one hand and a ripped poster along with an open bottle of beer in the other.

“Marta! You old tart,” shouted the youth with a cackle, “you been holding out on me? What’s this about a contact?!”

Slamming the poster down on the counter, the youngster looked behind it for Marta, and, seeing nobody, turned around confused. Spotting Marta with a group of people of wildly different ages and appearances seemed only to confuse the youngster further, who took a swig of the beer, belched loudly as if to underline this confusion, and then used the bottle to wave at the assembled crew.

“Okay then Marta, who’re your friends. You been having orgies again?”

There was a gentle ripple of shock where Alexsandr could practically hear the eyebrows raising one by one, such was the pregnant silence whilst everyone expected someone else to talk next.

“Well, she’s certainly not OO...” said Federico quietly, announcing what everyone except presumably Marta was thinking, although with an inside knowledge that nobody else there was aware of.

“No,” came a voice from the corner.

Ten sets of eyes whipped round. The woman that Silas hadn’t gotten as far as shaking the hand of was standing up, slowly but assuredly, and was making sure to raise herself up to her full not inconsiderable height, punctuating the move with a tap of her steel-toe-capped boot against the floor.

“She isn’t OO,” she continued, “but I’m rather afraid I am...”

** ** ** ** **
Bjarnarey - Jasmine - Stina - Federico, pt1 - Federico, pt2 - Lightbulbs and Headlines - Jos - Pep Talk – Silas - Marta and Filip - Sebastian
Volume One

by **Yue Zhou** » Mon Mar 25, 2024 9:44 pm

THE JIANGDONG MORNING POST
NEW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO START CONSTRUCTION IN JIANGDONG
Dong Nanwei, LOCAL

JIANGDONG -- Recently inaugurated President Zhuang Weilun, alongside Secretary of Transportation Lu Jingwen, announced the construction of a new international airport this morning in Yuezhou's second city. "Despite Yuezhou's rapid modernization since the dawn of the United Republics," Zhuang stated in this morning's press conference, "we are still relying on socialist-era air infrastructure to connect us to the world. My administration takes infrastructure very seriously, and we will do our best to make sure Yueren have the modern airports they deserve as soon as possible."

The construction project has been given a budget of 3.3 billion yuebi (1.6 billion NSD), much of which is reported to come from foreign sources in exchange for (among other things) a stake in the airport's management, and is forecasted to open in five years. Zhuang suggested that it would likely be named the Zheng Zhoulun Jiangdong International Airport, after the former Nanhai governor who many consider to be the father of the United Republics.

Currently, the majority of international travel between Yuezhou and the rest of the world still flows through Yincheng Baiyun International Airport, located in the former capital of the socialist People's Federation. Baiyun is still reasonably modern, at thirty-eight years old. However, its distance from the southern provinces, which have seen the bulk of foreign investment and tourism in recent years, makes it a suboptimal location for the nation's premier airport. The southern port cities of Jiangdong and Nangang both have some international flights, primarily to other Pavolan cities, but are also similarly in need of modernization and expansion to fit modern Yuezhou's air travel needs.

Because of this, the opening of an international airport has been reportedly of interest to the government since the Zhen Qiang administration, with Zhen almost signing off on a similar project in Nangang. However, the right-wing Liang Ziyou's term in office saw infrastructure projects largely put on the backburner. The general lack of airport infrastructure in the nation has also been a top priority of the new Department of Transportation. After President Zhuang spoke, Secretary Lu proceeded to announce planned expansions to existing airports in Beian and Nangang - small concessions to two cities who were hoping and expecting, respectively, to receive the new airport - as well as increased investment in the partially state-owned airline YueAir. "It's a new age for air travel in Yuezhou," Lu declared optimistically, although the secretary was noticeably uncomfortable when pressed on the source of the funding for all of the infrastructure projects.

by **Chromatika** » Mon Mar 25, 2024 10:12 pm

World Cup 96 Qualifying Fortnight 1 Pool (vs. Equestria, @ Sawenia)
Starters: GK Do Seung-Min (1923 Esca, Mytanija); DCR Odwin Muir (Serrapince, Tumbra) - DC Rowan Harry (Chemberley City, Sylestone) - DCL Twilight Mixon (Lakewood City, Tumbra); WBR Ibayashi Haitou (Mipojoseon, Quebec and Shingoryeo) - DLP Alija Mesic-Mizayaki (St. John's Arsenal, Quebec and Shingoryeo) - AM Alissar Phoen (Dynamo Sjoedrhavn, Savojarna) - WBL Nemes Mátyás (Auprussia NF, Auprussia); AP Evin Françine-Miklavivec (1923 Esca, Mytanija); P Sandara Park (Montreal Koreana, Quebec and Shingoryeo) - CF Nam Il-San (Avanaroch White Wings FC, Tikariot)
Reserves: GK Hailee Sourtois (Directus, Eura), GK Jill Swanson (Crossroads, Chromatika), DCR Aoi Kyouka (Avondale City, Sylestone), DC Eileen Jackson-Jones (Avanaroch White Wings FC, Tikariot), DCL Uemura Saburo (Excelsior, Sylestone), DCL Cylie Nodis (Chromatik, Chromatika), WBR Cyrus Vette (West Couno United, Tumbra), WBL Róża Panaś (Jinja City FC, Banija), WBR Emilie Kruetzberg (Lakewood United, Tumbra), CDM Jayla Lethbridge-Antonio (Coret Hawks, Nephara), DLP Marion Goo (Crossroads, Chromatka), AP Haley Hauser (Spartangrad, Eura), AF Elaine Howard-Dawes (Couno Rangers, Tumbra), AF Marietta "Marie" Fucheux (Perce Town, Quebec and Shingoryeo), AF Lavrentiy Xuen-Zhukov (Myana, Chromatika)
Preview: The potentially final season for the Anomalies with Repin at the helm starts with a home game against Equestria and an away match at bottom-feeders Sawenia. Befittingly, he has placed so many of the new faces into this selection, with enough veterans to pepper in as needed. Look for the many players based in Tumbra and Sylestone to shine during these matches, along with the introduction of Jayla Lethbridge-Antonio, Róża Panaś, and Jill Swanson. If he's needed, Lavrentiy can always come off the bench. With the qualiyfing cycle being so much shorter - it's only twelve matches played this time around - there isn't any time to fool around; Chromatika will look to start off on the best foot possible.

THE REBUILD
I: Introduction - The Abyssal Invasion and Occupation of the Eastern Half of Myana Island

Two years ago, everything changed in a blink of an eye. Chromatika was already reeling from the revelation that Hélène Embroise, their third Premier, had been elected using the powers of the Shadow Hand, an underground syndicate that had sought revenge against the previously ruling Chromatik Party and had thought that the Rainbow Party had not done enough. A wave of economic recession had started to hit the country that would result in the current state of the economy and the dissolution of most of the sports leagues in the country; there were serious concerns regarding the integrity of the Chromatik government when it came to succession, and the country was facing the brunt of growing pains as it continued to forge its way forward as the Rainbow Revolution continued to go further and further away in the rearview mirror.

Then, the awakening of a foreign leader across Anaia led to the forces of the Abyss leaving the dimensional anchor that served as a prison in Freedom's Altar, Yesopalitha. This force looked for the nearest port of raw magic available, and somehow, it latched onto the temperate jungle that occupied the city of Eyrods. In an instant, the demons of the Abyss started to pour through, transforming the jungle into a corrupted stronghold. It took all that Chromatika had to form a line of demarcation to stop the forces from crossing into the half of the island containing the ever-so important city of Myana; however, everything from Egren eastward was deemed lost. Panic swept over the island in a heartbeat, the peoples of the eastern half of the island trying to escape with their belongings as fast as they could, while the authorities tried to determine if a strict blockade was needed or if they would allow the survivors to come through. With the death toll entering the five hundred thousands and the displacement of over a million citizens, this invasion and the resulting occupation would result in the biggest loss of Chromatik life in the young history of the nation.

To their credit, the Yesopalithans came as soon as they could; they explained the situation, took as much responsibility as they could, and the leadership of both nations agreed that the best course of action going forward was to try to contain the demons while working on a spell that would take a year to complete. It was a gamble to rely on the whims of another nation, but Chromatika wasn't really in any place to negotiate - they were dealing with things beyond their realm of knowledge while trying to put up with the repercussions of having to rehouse over a million people. So, the line of demarcation was created and held - and in a masterstroke, the Yesopalithans caused the Abyssal demons to go back home to fight off an incursion, allowing the unified forces to blow up the dimensional anchor and forever stop the demons from coming back.

Still, in that span of a year, untold damage was done to the eastern half of Myana Island. Approximately two-thirds of one of the most beautiful places in the country was corrupted beyond repair; all the fauna and flora were altered forever at a genetic level, and all the populace that were not able to escape were exterminated to the last person. The new government - Hélène Embroise was impeached unanimously - vowed to start rebuilding the eastern half of the island, and the Yesopalithans turned their considerable purse to help Chromatika. Other Anaian nations and corporations have started to chip in, and Chromatika turned itself to a reconstruction project that would have the gravitas to turn everyone toward a common goal. Perhaps, this was a blessing in disguise.

Now, a year later, the eastern half of Myana Island looks something more like the way it used to be. They are still a bit of a ways away from completing the project, but signs of life are showing. The Chromatik government has stated that plans are present to start moving people back into some of the border cities within the next year, but the purification of some parts of the ecological life that has been affected will take upwards of multiple decades - and the scars of this invasion will be left on both the countryside, the memories of everyone impacted, and Chromatik history will last forever.

This series will try to focus on eight areas of Myana Island that have been hit hardest by the Abyssal Invasion, the impact of the damage, the efforts made to rebuild, and the work that is needed to get things back to a semblance of where they were. It is not meant to be an exhaustive report on what has been going on nor what is needed, but a summary of the efforts made and how effective it has been.

Chromatika seems like it's been cursed from the very beginning to face one tragedy after another in regards to its history; it's hard to see just what may happen in the future to bring a sense of peace, but even bad luck has to run out at some point, right?

With that hope in mind, the history in the background, and the memory of all the lives lost in the forefront, we take a solemn yet needed look at the impact of the Invasion of the Abyss on the following: Agriculture/Apiary, Housing Infrastructure, Ecology, Fishing/Aquaculture, Manufacturing, Financial Institutions, Education, and Government. The impact on sports will be mentioned in housing infrastructure and financial institutions as well.

May this study find its readers with a deeper understanding of the current mentality of Chromatiks, the situation at hand, the importance of the age that Chromatika is in at the moment, and the possibilities that await this brave nation as it continues to take steps forward at the world stage.

-Dr. Kiedra Everstein-

Disclaimer: All words of Dr. Everstein are her opinions, backed by certain facts. They are not to be viewed as anything otherwise.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Where does Baker Park go from here?
Scott McCrae
The Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

An outside observer might come to a conclusion that the entire structural foundation of the Commonwealth of Baker Park National Team system is eroding at a remarkable rate and no one would blame them for expressing such an observation.

Since the end of World Cup 95, the BPNT have played a total of just nine matches--the fewest in any inter-qualifying period in the mixed gender era--while the entire youth team setup has gone through a period that saw the Under-21's snap a ten match winless streak in Valanora but still fail to advance and the Under-18's fail to win a match in the group stage for the first time ever.

It remains to be seen if this winter of their discontent will turn into glorious summer as the qualifications for World Cup 96 in Mertagne and Huayramarca are fast approaching with plenty of questions remaining unanswered at the FAC Charter Development Center in Birkenfeld.

Will Barnard has taken the decision to stick with most of the core from the WC95 squad, which is heavy on experience but still relatively young (average squad age—26.7) and motivated to make amends for the failure to qualify for the Finals for the first time in BP history.

The format for this tournament will not play to the strength of the Bees which is their depth, but it also has thrown up a positive development in that there are 20 groups which meant that Baker Park sneaked into the second pot with only 17th ranked Sylestone having a better KPB.

Jeruselem will be a group opponent for the third time and the Tiger Princesses appear to be in something of rebuilding mode; there are far easier opening day fixtures than a trip to Dazza Dallas Stadium but if the Gold & Black can catch the home side still in the process of sorting things out it could make for a fast start to the campaign.

Raspotoche return from a hiatus in international soccer and will visit Collins Park on matchday 2, having faced BP in qualifying during the WC 93 cycle, with Al-Tamazgha hosting the Bees for the third match before their bye on matchday 4.

Newcomers Union of Ventura will be the guests at the CONAGCO Stadium with a trip to the top seeds following that, and a fourth international break will come with a home doubleheader as Copa Rushmore winners Zenic will visit Rogers Stadium and then the return fixture with the Princesses at the BBP National Stadium, which will also host the final two dates against Al-Tamazgha and Sylestone, the latter coming on the penultimate round.

Sylestone have faced off with Baker Park on three previous occasions, all friendly contests while Al-Tamazgha hosted the final AOCAF Cup and in the previous edition was a group stage opponent; that makes four of the six Group 12 opponents that have at least some history with the BPNT, and only Jeruselem have managed to earn points in those 12 contests.
________________________________________________________________________
Barnard took a large all-male squad to Farfadillis for the inaugural ARC and utilized it in a way that confounded many who watched a pair of draws and a 1-0 loss to the Busoga Islands that showed nothing in the way of tactical experimentation or developing continuity among various groups of players; indeed, there were 19 members of that squad who started only a single match, with the other seven each having two caps. Paul Vetter (67 caps), Alonzo Boyle (58), Park Jae-Song (58) and David Coleman (39) only saw action against Busoga on the final day while Ben Moorman (62) played only in the opener against Demot.

No offense to Demot, Busoga or Canadian Dominion but Baker Park should've easily advanced to the knockout stage even if those five had stayed home; the same could be said of Ardsk, which knocked Zoe Montgomery's side out of the Jenna Raven Cup in the quarterfinal. Seen in hindsight, the JRC has to be considered a massive failure after the Lady Elks allowed only a single goal in their four victories, but couldn't find the net against Qasden in the group stage or against Ardsk.

It will be difficult to do much evaluation on the fly with only 12 matches to sort out 20 automatic qualifiers and 20 teams that will playoff for the remaining 10 slots; it will take at least 23-25 points out of the 36 available, so draws are nearly as bad as losses if a side can't defend their home field. Barnard has made it clear that at the back and up front he is going to stick to the best 7-8 over every doubleheader international break and maybe 10 in the midfield; there may be spot bench duty for some of the players with fewer than 20 caps but the Bees are going to ride their experience in the attempt to make their World Cup 95 disappointment an unfortunate accident.

Lineup for MD1 vs Jeruselem

Callaway; Bruce, O'Connor, Schulman; C Logan (C), Ryan, Vetter, Altman; McDavid; Harris, Diaz
subs: Albertson, Jones, Kucera, Morris, Park, Garfield, D'Alessandro, Bryant, Riley, Engels, Hardison

Lineup for MD 2 vs Raspotochje

Rossi; Jones, Kucera, Walker; Park, Olivera, Garfield, Boyle; Price (C); Engels, Hardison
subs: Cotterill, O'Connor, Morris, Bruce, D'Alessandro, Bryant, Ryan, Vetter, Riley, Diaz, Harris

by **Flavovespia** » Tue Mar 26, 2024 5:39 am

After a period of speculation that began around the last World Cup, but picked up steam in CAFA Cup 8, Augusto Rinaldi ended the rumours on his future, by confirming that he will stand down as Flavovespia manager after this World Cup period. The manager from Savigliane, began his stint at Flavovespia at CAFA Cup 2. Now, after 2 CAFA Cup victories, and 5 consecutive World Cup qualifications, he feels that the time is right to step down.

In the press conference called to start the World Cup 96 Qualifying campaign, where the announcement was made, Augusto Rinaldi was quick to dispel any talk that this wasn’t a decision he chose. He stated “the FFA have always backed me, and I have backed them. It has been a brilliant decade, but know I think that the time is right for me to retire and seek new adventures”. Whilst some are surprised the news was broadcast at the start of the campaign, it seems Rinaldi wanted to avoid distraction, and get the squad ready for his last tournament.

The squad he has chosen is a largely familiar one, but based on recent tournaments, not a huge surprise. Only one debutant enters, Philip Swales after an impressive season for Loxthorpe Rovers. Paul Amos was a star for Bavingtor upon his return, he is back in the national team. Just 23 players for these qualifiers, rather than the 26 that has been seen before. There’ll also be some veterans whom it’s likely this will be their last tournament, Stuart Cookson, Kieron Player and Michael Cole almost certainly are on that list, and Jonathan Goldstone could join that list. In more ways than one, there’s a sense of an end of an era coming up.

However before the goodbyes begin, there’s a 12 game qualifying group to contend with. Now ranked #11 in the World, Flavovespia know the expectation on them is they should be qualifying, no longer can they sit there as the plucky underdogs or a team on the bubble of qualifying. With Anaia nations Mertagne and Huayramarca hosting, Flavovespia will be especially keen to qualify for a tournament relatively close to their shores. A trip to Delitai opens up their campaign, before a more familiar opponent in the shape of StrayaRoos arrive in Flavovespia for Matchday 2.

by **Pasarga** » Tue Mar 26, 2024 6:08 am

When the Wanderers noticed that they were seeded into the first pot for the draw for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers, there was a lot of optimism that the team would be able to translate their Cup of Harmony triumph back into a dominant display through their group and be once more into the Finals rather than having to battle away in the Cup of Harmony again. Despite the continued struggles by the national team in the Copa Rushmori, a tournament that once was stomping ground for the national team which has now turned into something like a cursed pitch for how the results have faltered over the last decade, there was genuine hope that last cycle would be a mere blip in an otherwise upward trajectory for the national team in regards to the World Cup over the last decade and a half. With the prodigal son returning, Thor having been appointed as the manager of the national team after a long time away in the White Winter Queendom first as manager of Molding before then leading the Snow Wolves to glory, everything seemed to be coming up the way that the Wanderers and their supporters would have wanted for a successful qualifying run and a return to the Finals at the end of it.

Then the draw was actually made and the group has turned into something quite like a nightmare for the Wanderers and the chances of winning the group have been quite diminished, as has the hope that they squad will finish in second spot to qualify for the playoff that would determine the remaining ten places at the Finals. Being one of the lowest ranked first seeds was always going to make the second seed a scary proposition for the Wanderers, such is the way it is when you are ranked towards the bottom of your pot, yet to have been drawn against the Quebecois was almost cruel, as they are among the best second seeds in the draw, but then they were also paired with Cardenao as their third seed, who on paper is a scary mid level third seed who will be contending for the top two spots with the Wanderers and Quebec outfit. Good but relatively unproven outfits from Amenria, Vyktoria, and Doubeia will make the lower seeds of the group far from being an automatic three points either, as they all have the quality within them to snatch some surprise results and those matches against the lower pot teams might be more the difference between the top three potted teams than the matches between themselves.

However that itself, although tricky and not quite favorable if you are a fan of the Wanderers, is not the sort of group that will send the fear that have crept into the fanbase since the draw has been announced. It is the last team in the group who will be entering into the qualifiers as an unranked team that suddenly turns a tricky group into one that is far more difficult to play than what it appears on paper, as the team has been drawn with Arrosian outfit Siovanija and Teusland. If one looks back a decade or so ago, they were a team and a national league that was taking the sport by storm and were also doing so in other sports as well, having academies that have produced some of the best players to play the game during their heyday, such as the Vanorian striker Lothas Ludwig as well as their very own Thomas Kramer. The time away from the game in isolation might have stripped them of their ranking but when a nation has that sort of quality, there is no stripping of that and they are going to give the Wanderers and the whole rest of the group a lot more trouble than what your usual unranked opponent is expected to in the qualifiers. They are the wild card that everyone else in the group has to play around or risk being felled mightily by them.

The team itself looks solid enough on paper but the future after this tournament looks a bit grim unless the reforms that Thor has suggested need to take place within the federation as well as the league begin to take place. The lack of quality or quantity of players behind this generation of talent has been concerning for a few years but it was always surmised that some talent would arise from nothing as has often been the case but as we have neared the time when the current generation is starting to age out, their replacements are few and far between. A question of quality is one thing, not playing enough with your domestic team or not playing at a high enough level to really warrant a call up, but combining that with a sheer lack of players is where it really becomes troublesome. A good manager can make do without truly elite players if they can find ones to play into their system but that might be difficult for Thor moving forward and there might be a generation where the side sees a dip in form, where the Finals are a pipedream rather than a realistic target to be aiming for every edition. If that is truly the case, it is up to this crop of players to provide the best they can for Thor now and the fans, enjoy the good times while we still have them and power through the obstacles that have been put in the way.

by **Adab** » Tue Mar 26, 2024 6:28 am

A Dance with Football
Snapshots of the lives of the people involved in Adabian football and those associated with them
For a full list of chapters click here. To read all the chapters in one go click here
For an (incomplete) list of major/prominent characters in this story click here and scroll down to the ‘Football’ section

Chapter 78: The Revolt

November 13, 2036
Saad Kaykali’s house
Adab City

“You are mad,” Saad shook his head and sank on his chair. “You are fucking mad. This whole thing is goddamn mad.”

“It is,” Rashid conceded, sighing and putting his own head on his hands, glued to the lonely dining table. “But you know there is no other way.”

“Do you realize what we are getting into?” Saad demanded.

“I do,” Rashid declared, “and I’m sure you do too, Mr. Kaykali. There is no turning back. We are way past the point of turning back. And I know you see the truth of what I’ve just said – because you didn’t say you disagree with this.”

November 14, 2036
The streets of Adab City

“I stand here now before you,” the powerful, sonorous voice of Amarutu Tabira echoed past the broken concrete, the burned-out buildings and the rising columns of smoke, “not to advocate for the cause of a single person, or a few, but for the cause of the PEOPLE OF ADAB!” The last three words he punctuated by slamming his shoe on the makeshift platform to the wild, raucous cheers of the crowd.

Under the dark black sky they had gathered – men, women, and children of various colors, creeds, and shapes – united in their mind by the belief that they had been wronged by generation after generation of Adabian government. The actions of two, an unlucky couple, had set things in motion, spreading the fire until it lit souls in all parts of society.

“It is not our wish to defile this holy month of Ramadan, the last ten days of Ramadan,” Tabira continued, raising his fist as his voice escalated, before then turning to point at the general direction of the Imperial Palace, “but it is the desire – and the ignorance – of THOSE in that mighty gilded cage, that grandiose monstrosity, who have been shut off for FAR TOO LONG from the ordinary people! The rights of two were denied, then – unsatisfied by this injustice – they continued by persecuting those who support them! They stood up, and they were REMOVED from their positions!

Leaning to the microphone for dramatic effect, his arm still extending behind him towards the Palace, Tabira announced, “I, of course, am talking about the pride and joy of our nation: the Adab national football team. Alulim Sinmuballit and Emma Arthur fought for their love, and their friends stood up for them, and now the rotten government – and their rotten football association – have removed them all! Effectively declared them persona non grata, unwelcome, a disgrace, despite everything they have done for US!”

“Tell them, Ama, tell THEM!” a voice demanded from the crowd to yet another round of cheers, drowning every other noise from this end of the boulevard to the other.

“I will, I WILL!” Tabira declared. “In fact, I have been telling them for so long, and you, the people, have been saying the same for so long! Yet our pleas have fallen on deaf ears! We are ignored, marginalized, dismissed! And now they will enact policies which will destroy freedom and equality as we have known it! Will you allow this to stand?!”

“NO!” the crowd affirmed.

“Will you allow this to stand?”

“NO!”

“WILL YOU ALLOW THIS TO STAND?!”

“NO!”

“As you should. AS WE SHOULD!” Tabira raised his arm again, now accompanied by the rapid banging of fists on the lectern. “I now present to you, EMMA ARTHUR AND ALULIM SINMUBALLIT! The heroes of this century!”

A few feet behind the podium the rebellious members of the national team had been seated. Now Emma Arthur and Alulim Sinmuballit uneasily rose to their feet, clearly unaccustomed to addressing a political – almost revolutionary – gathering. Taymour Frangieh, Shania Enmerkar, and Enlilbani Yargab led the other members of the team in a round of applause for the couple as Emma and Alu stepped onto the podium. Tabira stepped aside, allowing Emma to assume her place before the lectern. By mutual agreement between her and Alu, she would be the one to speak.

She tried to hide it, but her fingers were trembling and she was beginning to sweat. No one thought the situation would spiral until it reached this point where she would be delivering a speech to a mass gathering. My struggle has become everyone’s. How did we come to this point?

“I am not one for this… sort of thing, I have to say,” Emma began. “After all, I’m just a football player. I also do some modelling and appear on magazine covers sometimes, I suppose. Otherwise I’m not that very remarkable. I like to think I’m confident, but not so confident so as to talk before literally thousands here.

“But you are fighting for me and Alu, and for us all in this country, and I want you to know how much we appreciate it. Nothing that Alu and I have gone through can ever compare to your suffering – and we want you to know that we are with you.”

Emma’s speech was not particularly noteworthy; for everyone there it was enough that she and Alu be on the podium – the faces of the rebellion. The nominal, if not the actual, leaders. The moving force behind all this. After she had concluded her remarks, Tabira returned to the podium to conclude his own speech.

“I demand nothing but a free, equal, and democratic Adab, where no one is lower than their fellow citizen, where people can love and marry whoever they want to marry regardless of color and creed, where no one is discriminated against, where the Adabian dream is achievable and not just a pipe dream!

“I live for a free, equal and democratic Adab, and I shall die for it if I have to.

“Down with the government!

“Down with the oppressors!

“Down with the monarchy!”

by **Valanora** » Tue Mar 26, 2024 6:35 am

What do you do when you are at the top of the perch and are looking out across the grand horizons at that which you have risen to the pinnacle of? Three top four finishes in the last four tournaments, including a runners up medal against Arrosian frenemies Banija, has seen the Marauders find their way once more to the top of the KPB rankings and now entering into a qualifying section where the question is not if they are going to qualify but by how much? It is a bit of an arrogant take but it is the reality for the Marauders as they gear up for the upcoming qualification campaign and knowing that the most difficult part of the campaign is to not let complacency sit in, to not rest on their laurels and let the ranking and achievements of the past few tournaments get to their head. Banija was in the same position last tournament and nearly found their way not qualifying for the Finals despite having been a recent champion and with some of the best players in the sport suiting up for them. Getting to the top of the heap is a massive achievement in of itself, but finding a way to stay at the top is perhaps an even greater achievement and it is always a difficult task, which is why those who are able to retain the World Cup title are few and Aguazul is the standout at their unprecedented three in a row.

There are question marks for the team as they head on in to the qualification campaign however, despite their status as the current number one in the world, and it comes from their performance at the Arrosia Regional Championship, where despite being the best team on paper, they failed to perform at a high level. Maybe it was because of the environment, given the chaotic nature that if Farfadillis, but the appointment of a Ko-oren manager and the shifting away from the storied formation that has seen the team have all their success over the many decades leaves a bit of an uneasy feeling among supporters of the team, a feeling of abandoning something that made Valanora great and unique. A lot of that reservation comes as a result of it being a Ko-oren national who has been appointed as the head of the national team, as Ko-oren has been seen by many Vanorians across many sports as the complete anti-thesis of the way that they view and understand sport as a whole and with the corruption and even tactics that border on cheating that they have been known to employ in the past.

As a result of all that, there is an uncomfortableness between the fans and the team, despite the VFA claiming to have done a thorough vetting process as well as interview process to narrow down their candidates to take over from the legendary Euran of Dan Eastwood after he retired from managing with the third placed medal in hand last World Cup. Eastwood was beloved by the team and fans alike, he brought Raynor City United to the greatest heights of the game with an Champions League victory and then when appointed to the national team, got them winning trophies again and competing for the World Cup once more despite having turned into just another also run participant in the tournament. Always like to be there but never likely to make it beyond the round of sixteen, which had been a plague upon the team for some years before his appointment to the managerial position. Emeline Millet has a lot that she is going to have to try and live up to and to try and overcome the way that those from Ko-oren are seen within the Empire and especially by the fans of the national team who have taken great pleasure at dispersing Ko-oren when they have met in the last decade or so.

The group is a bit of an odd one for the Marauders as on the surface, there is not much that looks to challenge the team and really put them through their paces in the lead up to the Finals, as the second seeded Eura is one of the weakest second seeds and has been on a major decline in the last few years or so, they do not have the same talent that they did a decade ago, much less sixty years ago when they were able to lift the competition in World Cup 66. Ceni has been back in the international fold for a few years now and shows streaks of promise only to land with a thud when it seems to matter the most. Then a bunch of teams that the squad simply has not history with and whom look to be overwhelmed and outmatched by the talent gap between themselves and that which the Eternal Empire is able to field. Not winning the group and taking the automatic qualifying spot will be seen as a failure because of how weak the group looks to be on paper and it would come as no surprise if the side did qualify early and have a few games where they simply put on a scoring clinic. Complacency though, it is perhaps inevitable that it might creep in but a good side can recognize it and overcome it, to keep on getting the job done even when they feel it slipping in. This Marauders team is good but it wants to be great, elite even, and a strong run through a relatively weak qualifying group starts that process to being seen that way.

by **Brookstation** » Tue Mar 26, 2024 6:37 am

AC DASON

The history of Dason is interesting to say the least. Dason was a mere village until the Brook military saw the location as a perfect spot for establishing a permanent military training camp. That is how Dason began to gain popularity but it would take around three more decades for Dason to claim the status of a "city". Talking of football, football started as a pastime for the soldiers, many of whom were pretty skillful at it as well. A small football organisation for the soldiers was established sometime around the 1900s but it wouldn't be until 1953 that the club would gain any proper recognition.

The prime influencers or 'founding fathers' as we call them, were Oliver Doyle, a rich landlord, who spent almost his entire fortune on travelling around the world, and
Edward Porter, the town mayor. Towards the end of 1952, the Dason military council held a meeting along with these two gentlemen , the result of which saw the formation of the Athletic Club of Dason. A petition for a separate football club was politely declined as the costs of maintaining a separate faculty only for the game of football would require a ton of additional investments. The decision didn't trouble anyone however since football was literally the only sport familiar to the town abeit a bit of cricket and rugby. The next task was to look for a suitable location to play in, and after a month of just searching for places, Doyle acquired around 500 acres of barren land along with some additional grants from a neighbouring orchard owned by the Singh Brothers Brewing Company for an enormous amount which remains undisclosed to this day.

Mandatory service to the nation saw a lot of footballers arrive in Dason for duty, some of whom also made a guest appearance for the club, including the likes of Ethan Reynolds , Gabriel Dubois and Anders Jensen. Slowly but surely, these short stints made the club growingly popular among the Brook football scene. Dason's first competitive match was against Willowbrook Blues in July 1953, where the team started in a bizarre uniform with green and yellow shirts with black edging and white shorts. Perhaps it was this distinct combination of hues which garnered a lot of uneccessary attention towards the club eventually building up on their popularity.

The choice of this rather absurd colour combination back in the day can be credited to none other than Doyle himself. What made Doyle invest a considerable chunk of his fortune on a town like Dason was the town's natural beauty which appealed quite a lot to him. He claimed that on his visit to the town, he was taken aback to notice acres after acres of field filled with ripe corn plants and as silly as it might sound, the colours of the club were inspired by these very bright yellow and green corns which Doyle witnessed on his journey. This also gives rise to the club's crest which is again pretty weird, featuring a raven of all possible creatures. Again the backstory of this raven derives from the corn fields which Doyle witnessed. The main occupation in the sparsely populated Dason village was agriculture which made sense as to why the area was surrounded by tons of agricultural fields. Dason, thus also had a rich variety of wildlife until the town's rapid industrialization. Crows populated the town in plenty and thus almost every acre of land was marked by a scarecrow to protect the valuable yield. The natural beauty had perplexed Doyle, who spent most of his time residing in the urban capital. Thus, the crow which was rampant all across Dason was included in the club's crest.

The 1960s saw a series of experimentationn with the club's logo, starting with the introduction of a shield to make it bear some more resemblance to the military faction and then began a series of changes on the shield's actual anatomy, starting from a very formal pointed structure to a mere joke of a shield. In fact, in 1963, the shield was removed altogether and replaced with a green and yellow football, bearing the letters AC Dason. It is still not known who decided to take that outrageous decision but as a result of this disaster, fans went crazy and no one even knows just how soon the emblem was dropped and the old shield was restored.

Following the death of Doyle, the club kept sinking into a void of financial depth, which just deepened with every passing day. The club almost even ceased to exist when the FBM corporation stepped up and brought the club under their patronage and revived the club back into life, bringing in expert facilities and investing millions in the development of the club's overall faculties which did yield the expected results, establishing Dason as one of the best clubs in the country in the years to come. Years after their foundation back in the day, Dason had finally established itself as a prominent club in Brookstation and with the introduction of the revolutionary Harrison Shield, Dason's performances skyrocketed as the club fully launched itself into fame. It was great to see the restoration of a club, which started out as nothing but a group of passionate soldiers playing football to pass their boredom. Dason is a beloved club throughout the nation and apart from their overachieving records, there is no reason for anyone to hate this club.

Well, as for the crest, the rounded up almost shield looking emblem was finally adopted as the main shape of the crest. The crow was restored, shining in a dark green hue and for the erstwhile football logo, a yellow football was also encorporated in the middle of the crest. At the end, everyone was satisfied and what could be better than a happy ending.

by **Srednjaci** » Tue Mar 26, 2024 7:20 am

official web site

WORLD CUP 96 MERTAGNE & HUAYRAMARCA

BACK TO THE PAST VS FUN FACTS

Srednjacian national football team playes play off in WC91 cycle and lose to Mytania (3-3, 0-4) . That is our best result at WC qulifyng.
The Srednjacian team never scored an own goal and only twice had a direct red card for exclusion.
Isidor Matković is the only player who scored goals with his right and left foot, but also with his head.
The national team played three matches at the stadium in Bistua Nuova and lost all three, since then the national team no longer plays at that stadium.

HISTORY ( BEFORE WC96)

P     W   D   L      GF  GA   GD

56   29  14   45     130   151  -21

BIGGEST WIN 5-1 vs Ibixa

BIGGEST DEFEAT 2-6 vs Bogo Johnson

DRAW GAME WITH MOST GOALS
Srednjaci vs Chromatika 4-4

LIST OF SCORRERS

1. Isidor Matković - 39 goals
2. Li Peng - 26 goals 
3. Takanobu Tavano - 18 goals
4. Davida Zimmer - 16 goals
5 . Ante Tomljanović - 14 goals
6. Petra Marinović 10
7. Perica Lozančić - 4 goals
8. Ivan Županović - 1 goal
8. Matija Čižić - 1 goal
8. Marko Šegotić - 1 goal
8. Olga Vuković - 1 goal

TOP ASSITS

1. Takanobu Tavano - 29 assists
2. Davida Zimmer - 22 assists
3. Ante Tomljanović - 17 assits 
4. Danijela Majić - 9 assists
4. Li Peng - 7 assists
6. Olga Vuković - 5 assists
7. Isidor Matković - 4 assists 
7. Matija Čižić - 3 assists
9. Ivan Županović - 1 assist

KATANIJA , NATIONAL STADIUM : BLUE OYSTER

Katanija is the capital of DR Srednjaci. It is also the largest city in the country. Economic, political and military center. Katanija has the strongest financial sector in the country and also has the most universities.

KATANIJA is the capital with 19,000,000 inhabitants.
It is the seat of government and the economic center of DR Srednjaci.
Katanija is first mentioned 600 years ago when in a storm merchants from the north strayed and came across the settlement.
Katanija in the old language means "enter". The language barrier actually gave the settlement its name. The merchant knocked on the door and asked the host what the name of this place was, and the host replied with a smile, "Katanija = come in," thinking that the merchant was asking him if he could take shelter from the rain.
Katanija began to develop later with the establishment of a trading post and an administrative building. With the arrival of the scholar Don Bernard Rivić, the first high school was established.
Peoples from the east also immigrated to Katanija, bringing with them other crafts such as glassmaking and goldsmithing.
The development of Katanija briefly stopped the pre-medieval war of the peoples of the Far East. After a siege of the city that lasted 6 weeks, the city surrendered to the khanata of Wei Xu.
Due to the disease of his troops and lack of food, the Easterners withdrew back to their Changxi empire.
Katania moved forward to a new war. King Dalat 2 established the Central Kingdom of Dalatia and declared Katanija the capital. He built a magnificent palace, today it is a museum and cultural heritage, a tourist attraction.
After the unification of all the slanders, Katanija briefly lost its position, but after the civil war and the establishment of the Republic, Katanija regained its position as the capital.
Katanija is the only city in DR Srednjaci that has two civilian airports.
It is located in the southeast of the country towards the border of today's Saint Shokai.
To the north are the slopes of the mountain Bijeli Vrh and to the south is Lake Bulat.
The river Modra flows through the town itself, which springs on the slopes of the mountain and flows into the sea.
The river Modra is navigable, so it transports goods and people.
In addition to the nearby mountain, on the east side are wooded hills and a national nature park.
Hikers, recreationists and mountaineers love to stay in these hills. The mountain lodges offer original food and drinks and the nature park has limited access to people so as not to disturb the biodiversity and ecosystem.

MELARIT

BLUE VOLCANO STADIUM - Melarit

HISTORY

The history of Melarit dates back to ancient times. Melarit was an important city for trade.
Trade meant a lot to the city, where in addition to trade, shipbuilding, production of oil, wheat, salt, stone and shellfish also developed.
There are records that the production and export of shellfish was a very lucrative business. Melarit was proud of his navy, they were excellent sailors.
All this leaves a lot of room for the development of the city in education and science.
Melarit has developed over the centuries and today is one of the most beautiful cities on the coast. It is the second largest city in Srednjaci with 4.260,000 inhabitants.
In recent history, Melarit is the largest port in DR Srednjaci and one of the largest in the region. The cargo port carries an enormous amount of cargo. Apart from being a large port, Melarit is also a tourist destination with a large number of hotels and resorts. The rich historical and cultural heritage attracts millions of tourists every year.

KULA

KULA GOLDEN EYE STADIUM

Kula is a city that is developing very quickly. The discovery of large quantities of natural gas gave the city a big boost in development. Furthermore, the metal industry as well as the chemical industry keep this city in a high fifth place in our country when it comes to GDP per capita. Kula have 2.540,000 inhabitants.
Despite the accelerated industrial development and construction of the city, the city has major problems with transportation.
The new city bus has not yet been completed and the roads are congested. Parts of the city literally stand still during rush hour. City leaders are struggling to solve the traffic problem.
When it comes to the city center, traffic is limited there only for buses, trams, delivery vehicles, police and emergency services vehicles. Around the center itself, there are more than 36 underground garages for tenants and guests in the center.
The city offers a lot of different contents, museums, galleries, restaurants and night clubs.

GROUP 8

@ Kula - Golden Eye Stadium vs Sea Dome (94)
@ Melarit - Blue Volcano Stadium vs The 14 Stars (176)
@ Kula- Golden Eye Stadium vs Wight (UR)
@ Katanija- Blue Oyster Stadium vs Brookstation (13)
@ Melarit - Blue Volcano Stadium vs Juvencus (39)
@ Katanija - Blue Oyster Stadium vs Qasden (48)

Our national team is placed in group 8. The biggest favorites for the playoffs are of course Brookstation, Juvencus and Qasden.
We missed two cycles, WC94 and WC95. This cost us a ranking, we fell to 221 position. That's a very big drop.
We hope for better results in this qualification cycle.

by **Tumbra** » Tue Mar 26, 2024 8:52 am

THE INTERVIEW: Michael Campbell
The Tumbran national team manager sat down with Matchday to discuss Tumbra's World Cup qualifiers, Gazeta sporta's match ratings, and the future of the national team.

LAURA KNOWLES
Matchday

STRATON: The job of Tumbran national team manager has been described before as the hardest job in Tumbra. In the hundred and thirty-seven years that the national team has existed for, the seventeen men who have ascended to the position of manager (for the first fifty or so years, there wasn't such a thing as a proper manager) have been arguably scrutinised more than the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic. The seventeenth person to occupy that position, Michael Campbell, was originally seen as a short-term transitional appointment as Tumbra struggled to play international football well. The idea was that Campbell would get Tumbra to the World Cup, do somewhat decently, and then another foreign manager would be given the job.

And then Tumbra made the World Cup Final.

The details of that match are well-covered elsewhere, but the country's run to the Final, including beating Farfadillis 4-0 in the semi-final after the Farves ran roughshod over Tumbra in the group stages, has been regarded by some as Tumbra's finest moment in footballing history. Though the Black Eagles departed that tournament with silver, it seemed to spark a fire in Tumbra that had been long absent after Tumbra's lame elimination at the hands of Tjunia in the previous edition. Campbell was quickly given the permanent manager's job and was buffed up with a hefty increase to his staff, which included an assistant mananger — Michael Aitken, former manager of Straton, was quickly brought into the job.

In a rare interview, Matchday speaks directly to the Tumbran national team manager about recent developments; including Tumbra's double triumph in both the Under-18 and Under-21 World Cups, the upcoming qualifiers, and other things — like Gazeta sporta's match ratings and their influence on his players. Conducted over three hours on a Thursday afternoon, Matchday correspondent Laura Knowles was able to speak to Campbell in a candid setting. Excerpts are here.

On Tumbra's World Cup qualifiers

Laura Knowles: Some have suggested that Tumbra were given a relatively soft draw in the World Cup qualifiers, with none of the other seeds having qualified for the World Cup in a few cycles. What's your take on the situation?
Michael Campbell: I don't think it's soft. It's definitely a good draw from the standpoint of "we want to qualify," but this team is full of hidden mines. Saint Eleanor — well, people know they can qualify, and they have qualified before against tough opposition. Darmen, they haven't qualified in a while, but they have proven they're able to tango with some of the best. Eraman made the playoffs a few cycles back, and there's always the newcomers to look out for — Auprussia, I think they were, they'll be a nation I think people will be looking out for. So no, I don't think it's soft, and I think we'll be impressing this onto our players at every match.
Laura Knowles: Are your toughest opponents Saint Eleanor?
Michael Campbell: I think that certainly is the case, yes. We're looking at that particular match with a magnifying glass, because those two games will be the most important for us in determining whether we qualify directly or have to go through the playoffs or not. Up until last cycle we actually did better at the World Cup when we went through the playoffs than when we qualified directly, so that's an interesting tidbit which I'm sure will now be mentioned across the cycle.
Laura Knowles: And the aim is?
Michael Campbell: The aim is, for me, always to qualify first. I don't think it's healthy to get too far ahead of ourselves before a single ball has been kicked; that's arrogance and arrogance, in my opinion, will always be punished. The aim is always to get into the final 30 qualifiers, and then we re-adjust from there. For us, because we don't attend the Cup of Harmony, if we fail to make the World Cup our cycle ends — and so there's an extra bit of motivation for the players.
Laura Knowles: And expectations beyond that?
Michael Campbell: As I've said before, it's premature to speculate. I go into every match thinking that the game will end up even if we don't play properly. I think assuming qualification is a given creates a spirit of entitlement and heightened expectations, which can and will bite you in the rear. We are never the favourites, even if everyone says we are.

On Tumbra's football heritage

Laura Knowles: This cycle marks the first cycle in which none of the players that took part in Tumbra's first-ever qualifying match in World Cup 87 were called up. Does this mark the definitive end of an era for you?
Michael Campbell: For sure it does, at least in a player-sense. I mean, our first generation of players after that — I think people would call that our golden generation, and plenty of them are still playing — are still key, integral parts to the national team, but I felt a bit...nostalgic for that after I realised that there weren't any players from the 87 squad that were going to be in the squad. I think when the generation of [Trudy] Harrison, [Stephen] Kerr, [Valerie] Wells, et al. retire it'll be definitively the end of an era, far starker than the likes of [Vincent] Hicks and [Robin] Vaughn going would; but that's mostly because most of the world are far more familiar to Harrison than they are Hicks.
Laura Knowles: Any worry that there won't be experience in the team anymore?
Michael Campbell: By now, I think our first golden generation are the experience. It does seem like they broke into the team only a few years ago, but Tumbra have had them fronting the line-up for nearly a decade now. I think you (Matchday) published a few articles on that Di Bradini Cup squad, and it turned out that twenty of them made it to the national team. That's heritage in the making, really, and they're the ones with experience now.

On the media

Laura Knowles: Have you and the players been dealing well with the media attention?
Michael Campbell: No better or worse than previously, I'd say. I think there's a bit more media attention this cycle, particularly with what we did last cycle, but I've been able to make people focus on us.
Laura Knowles: Do you enjoy dealing with the media?
Michael Campbell: For me, personally, it's a bit of a quid-pro-quo situation. I give them nice, soundbitable answers, they give me nice, easy-to-answer questions. For the players, they know how to deal with them and they're typically able to not let things to go their head. But there is one glaring exception.
Laura Knowles: And that is?
Michael Campbell: Gazeta sporta. They publish match ratings for certain games — I think they focus mainly on Champions' League games and the Mytanar league, but sometimes they publish certain important games here too, especially in their Tumbran edition. And the players cannot get enough of them. A six and they'll be grumpy even if they scored a goal. They're known to be very strict with their scores, yes, but the players pay very particular attention to them.
Laura Knowles: And the players worry about the reception they'll get?
Michael Campbell: Very often.

On the youth double and development

Laura Knowles: Tumbra enter this cycle with the rare distinction of having won both international youth football tournaments in a single cycle. Is that something you're proud of?
Michael Campbell: For sure. I've worked closely with Thomas Branting and John Lennon in the two years that we managed our teams, and I'm very happy that they were able to bring their trophies home. I've had a word with the players on the victorious teams when they returned to Tumbra, and I've watched all the games — I tried to show up for most of the Under-18 games — and I can safely say that there's a lot of talent in Tumbran youth football who will be developing very quickly, very soon.
Laura Knowles: What's your take on the Development Player system? A while ago there was a bit of a debate in Matchday over it.
Michael Campbell: I think both Toby [Barton] and Daniel [Galbraith] made good points. At the end, yes, we can control how our players develop if we keep them here; but we also need to let our players experience the world of football and its various styles for them to gain experience. Most of this current generation was raised outside Tumbra, and look how far they've come.
Laura Knowles: So you'd say you're on the internationalist side of things?
Michael Campbell: Well, I could easily point to examples like Ron Stark and Charlie Ross, who didn't develop as planned. But yes, I'd say I'm in favour of Tumbrans heading overseas, regardless of age. We don't get that much these days, and I think in my qualifying pool there's quite a marked decrease in players from overseas.

On Nick Riordan

Laura Knowles: Any chance of an international return for Nick Riordan?
Michael Campbell: I'll just make this clear. His behaviour at the World Cup was absolutely inexcusable. He chose to put himself ahead of the team, and that, to me, is unacceptable.
Laura Knowles: I'll take that as a no?
Michael Campbell: He knows what he has to do if he's to return to the Black Eagles. But I think it'd also be quite difficult for me, personally, to call him up as long as I'm still manager.

On pre-match routines

Laura Knowles: Do you and the players have any pre-match routines? Any superstitions, anything?
Michael Campbell: On the day of matches I'll always look to eat the same thing. Three hours and thirty minutes before, it's a meal of grilled salmon, tomato pasta, potatoes, broccoli, scrambled eggs, and some mock goose.
Laura Knowles: Mock goose?
Michael Campbell: It's like a vegetarian option. It's air-fried soy skin. Very crispy, delicious. I give it partial credit for why my waistline's expanded so much since I stopped playing, actually!
Laura Knowles: And the players?
Michael Campbell: Oh, I think they'd murder me if I shared any of their pre-match routines. You're not getting a peep out of me for that one, unfortunately.

On coaching and punditry

Laura Knowles: Do you think there's a lack of Tumbrans in punditry?
Michael Campbell: I certainly think there's something about how Tumbrans play that makes them not-very-exciting media personalities. The generalist option is to be a coach, of course; it pays less but you're able to stay within the footballing ecosystem. Many players' interactions with football media have been quite negative, particularly in this country, where the tabloids can be quite relentless. But yes, I do think we lack Tumbrans in punditry, and it tends to create a negative cycle.
Laura Knowles: How so?
Michael Campbell: You get people with little on-field experience to commentate on football, and they end up saying things that, to the average football player, might be construed as just bonkers. It may be for clicks, or for views — when I was young, the term for that was "bait" — but it tends to give off the impression that pundits are, and I mean absolutely no offence here, a bit daft. And then because players don't want to work with them, they end up avoiding the field. And because they avoid the field, media companies find more people with little on-field experience to be pundits, and so on.
Laura Knowles: So coaching is seen as the more erudite post-playing career?
Michael Campbell: When I was at Straton and Port Marray after, yes. Pundits are often seen as silly. Journalists are more respected, especially long-form journalists, but it's difficult to get into that field after retirement because so many of us come from lower-class backgrounds and never received that good an education. So we tend to go into fields where we know are safe; where we don't need to deal with pundits.
Laura Knowles: Do you see that changing?
Michael Campbell: Well, if the media industry gets people who actually know who they're talking about into punditry, then maybe. But even then, it's all a bit generic, isn't it?

WCQ96 QUALIFIERS SQUAD FOR DARMEN V TUMBRA
Goalkeepers: 1 - Victoria Jones (Lakewood City), 12 - Richard Russell (Lakewood United), 13 - Branko Cvitkovic (Serrapince)
Defenders: 2 - Annie Renton (Serrapince), 18 - Hazel Kennedy (Couno Rangers); 4 - Stephen Kerr (Chromatik, CMT), 5 - Wendy Pritchett (Lakewood United), 14 - Christine Whitfield (Myana, CMT), 20 - Yvonne Lawson (St. John's Arsenal, QUE), 30 - Benjamin Byrne (Lakewood City); 3 - Tracey Mercurio (Kingston, QUE), 19 - James Green (Bavingtor, FVA)
Midfielders: 6 - Trudy Harrison (Chromatik, CMT), 15 - Lucas McCormick (Lakewood City), 47 - Serena Philips (Lakewood City); 8 - Ian Robertson (Ridgewell Rovers), 16 - Victor Leighton (Lakewood City), 43 - Cathal Maguire (Tor, CMT); 10 - Susan Monaghan (Lakewood City)
Wingers: 7 - Valerie Wells (Lakewood United), 17 - Erin Robertson (Couno Rangers); 9 - Lynne Crossley (Chromatik, CMT), 37 - Marie-Claire Gill (Chalesm, SRS)
Strikers: 11 - Charlotte Henshaw (Lakewood City), 22 - Edward Maddison (Avondale City, SYL), 26 - Julie Hardaker (Myana, CMT)

Schedule: @ DAR, Bye//v AUP, @ ARG//v EOT, @ EXT//v ERA, v DAR//Bye, @ AUP//v ARG, @EOT//v EXT, @ ERA

by **West Barack and East Obama** » Tue Mar 26, 2024 9:41 am

"I think it's safe to say if you told Obamen ten years ago that they would be standing here today, they'd be laughing in your face. And probably reporting your ass to the government for even imagining such seditious activities.

Heck, even telling Obamen at the start of the World Cup 95 qualification cycle that we would end up in this situation would require some strong convincing. A team made of scruffy amateurs, packed up and sent on a rickety plane to faraway regions to play a sport banned in the nation? It's madness. Especially after a mostly silent qualification cycle right before, which saw us narrowly miss out on the playoffs and a Cup of Harmony invitation.

Before, we were the underdogs. But now, we are the top dogs. We go into the match against Abanhfleft tomorrow as the second seed. The second favourite. Sure, not the first favourite. That title belongs to the well-deserving Chromatika, who will certainly be proving their credentials and getting a bit of sweet revenge on us during the qualification campaign. But for once, people are counting on us to make it far. Anything short of the playoffs, to most of you, would be disappointing. I want you all to just take a moment to step back and analyse that line of thinking. It would be unthinkable just a year ago. Like I said, reported to the government and sent to Guanobamano Bay.

Of course, I'm not saying we are having it easy. Just as you all have changed your perceptions on Obaman football, so has the team. For one, the great Charles Obama will be leading us into this campaign. Our newcomer Nossu Obamadamus will also be filling in my role in the defence. These two now have the greatest responsibility of all: living up to my high standards, haha. But seriously, please wish them all the best. They've been airdropped into a crazy situation and we can make their lives easier by treating them with respect, even if results don't go our way.

In the end, there's only one thing to say about this matter: We are so back. Thank you, this was Trent Vobama, and good night."

by **Sarzonia** » Tue Mar 26, 2024 11:12 am

When Caleb Rush accepted the job as the manager of the Sarzonian national football team, the original thought was that he would guide a "B" team that competed in the Arrosian Regional Championship. A different manager and another "A" team would compete in World Cup qualifying.

Rush was sitting on his front porch looking out at his yard, talking with contractors about the first mow of the season when he felt the vibration that was his phone's indication that another call was waiting to be answered. He rolled his eyes and decided to finish his conversation about lawn maintenance. He'd deal with the voicemail later.

Probably some scammer, he thought as he saw the voicemail indicator after finishing the call. He tapped the commands to access voicemail and realized within the first couple of seconds that it was no scam. It was the Incorporated Football Federation asking him to head to the Kevin Wilson Training Field at the Dave Wilson Athletic Complex.

Rush looked down. He was in his bathrobe with a pair of boxer briefs and a pair of slides. Definitely not football manager attire. He called back.

"Wait, are you serious?" he asked. When he was assured that, yes, the IFF was serious, he said, "Give me 30 minutes, minimum." As soon as the call ended, Rush stood up, his holiday reverie abruptly called to a halt, and walked into the house to shower, shave and dress up for the press conference. He'd have to entrust his younger son Byron with taking care of the house. He took out a credit card so Byron could pay the contractor.

Then he got in his car and drove to work. The team that was assembled would be the same one that fell in the quarterfinals of the ARC, a far cry from the bronze medals performance of the first ever Sarzonian national football team back in the old days.

Rush was sure his superiors would have the best of the best Sarzonian footballers and managerial staff. He didn't realise that would mean he and his crew would earn those honours.

Sarzonia were playing in Group 18 along with No. 8 ranked Ko-oren, an extremely defence-oriented side, one that would make Sarzonia's balanced "total football on steroids" approach seem rather takilan by comparison.

Ochre Islands at No. 44 were up next with their brand of possession football being the nut Rush and company would have to crack. The 61st ranked side representing Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove were the third highest ranked side in the group. The Tapirs play somewhat of an attack-minded style, certainly in comparison to the Dragonflies, and noticeably moreso than Rush and his Stars.

No. 87 Carpathia and Ruthenia are also in the group, but little is known about them and their style of football. The same for 259th ranked Rea San Vegas and No. 295 Labalia.

"We're going to have to outwork people," Rush said. "It was always going to be the case with the 112th ranked team going up against four teams in the top 100. Our challenge isn't just rank disparity. It's the difference in styles that will make preparation especially important."

Sarzonia will open with Labalia at Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock, followed by a trip to Rea San Vegas for Matchday 2. Following a bye on Matchday 3, the Stars will face Ko-oren at Dave Wilson Stadium.

"We've got to make sure the team aren't too hyped up for that one," Rush said.

SCHEDULE (Home matches at Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock in CAPS)

MD1: LABALIA (295)
MD2: @ Rea San Vegas (259)
MD3: BYE
MD4: KO-OREN (8)
MD5: @ Carpathia and Ruthenia (87)
MD6: OCHRE ISLANDS (44)
MD7: @Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-On-Stove (61)
MD8: @ Labalia
MD9: REA SAN VEGAS
MD10: BYE
MD11: @ Ko-oren
MD12: CARPATHIA AND RUTHENIA
MD13: @ Ochre Islands
MD14: SAINT-JEAN-JACQUES ET BURNHAM-ON-STOVE

by **Crpostran** » Tue Mar 26, 2024 11:15 am

At an energetic gathering in the heart of the Crpostown-5 Constituency, Conservative Party supporters fill the Crpostair Arena with excitement (Interestingly, the rally also comes just a day behind a World Cup qualifier match against Britonisea that is slated to be held at the same stadium). The rally is an opportunity to motivate the base, generate support, and highlight the party's commitment to its constituents with the approaching elections just around the corner. The arena is a sea of blue, filled with banners and balloons showing the Conservative Party's logo. A huge stage takes centre stage (pun intended), surrounded by supporters waving banners and yelling slogans from the stands of the massive stadium.

Kalysta Marianita: "Crpostown, good evening! Ready to show everyone that the Tories mean business?"

Crowd: Cheers and applause

Kalysta Marianita: "Yes...I can feel the energy here. All of you are Crpostown's heart and soul, and on election day, we will all together make our voices known loud and clear!"

Crowd: The arena is filled with cries of "Tories! Tories!"

Kalysta Marianita: "Now, my friends, let me welcome someone who supports our vision for a better Crpostran,". Please welcome our loyal Conservative candidate for Crpostown-5, Elizabetha Brijiniski!"

Audience: Cheers and applause as Elizabetha steps onto the stage

Elizabetha Brijiniski: "Crpostown and Kalysta, thank you so much! As your Tory candidate, it is an honour to be here today. I strongly think that our community is capable of positive change, and I'm prepared to stand up for each and every one of you."

Crowd: Loud cheers and applause

Elizabetha Brijiniski: "I want to tell my fellow Crpostranians that this is not the time to be complacent. We cannot afford to follow the FFP and their supporters to send Crpostran down the path of unemployment and stagnation. It's time for new ideas, new leadership, and a government that serves everyone!"

Crowd: Nods and agreement

Elizabetha Brijiniski: "I promise to represent you in parliament, along with Kalysta Marianita and the entire Conservative team. I'll put up every effort to promote your concerns, stand up for your rights, and get real results for this area of Crpostown." Thank you!

Audience: Enthusiastic applause and cheers

Kalysta Marianita: "I appreciate your motivating comments, Elizabetha! Let's spread the word, knock on doors, and seek the help of our friends and neighbours to support Elizabetha and all of our Conservative candidates

The crowd roars with passion

Kalysta Marianita: "Today, my fellow Crpostranians, I come before you with a burning desire for change! As a group, we have the ability to affect the destiny of our dear country. We need to take advantage of this chance and accept the challenge!"

Crowd: Nods and murmurs of agreement

Kalysta Marianita says, "The FFP may try to distract us with their empty & flashy promises, but all of us can see through their smoke and mirrors, can't we?"

Jeers and boos from the crowd

Kalysta Marianita: That's right! We are not going to fall for their tricks and scams. We understand that true leadership is what's needed for true change, and we will provide it."

Loud cheers from the crowd

Kalysta Marianita said, "My friends, I want you to picture a Crpostran where every child has access to quality education, where every family has a roof over their heads, and where every worker earns a fair wage for a fair day's work."

Yells of agreement come from the stands

Kalysta Marianita: "We can achieve that Crpostran that we dream of only if we work for it! We need to demand more from our leaders by uniting and standing shoulder to shoulder. And on election day, we'll do just that!"

Applause and calls to "Vote Conservative!"

Kalysta Marianita: "So let's get out there and make some phone calls, knock on doors, and get the message out there. Together, we can change the course of history and bring a new age of prosperity and advancement for our wonderful country!"

Enthusiastic clapping and applause.

The rally ends with a good luck message by the crowd to the CFA for the football match to be held in the same arena the next day.

THE STARTING XI AGAINST BRITONISEA

(OOC: This is a continuation of a series of RPs that happened in the BoF93 threads on the Crpostranian legislative election set to take place sometime around mid-April. Anyone may refer to the recently concluded Bof93 thread for more information.
THE SAME STARTING XI & SUBS WILL BE PRESENT IN ALL QUALIFYING MATCHES UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. Until then, Ciao!)

by **Aleirave** » Tue Mar 26, 2024 11:15 am

Wish Upon the Stars

"You know, everyone talks about how Aleirave has the most beautiful summer days... but nobody ever talks about the night. The night sky out here, it's just... beautiful, isn't it?"

Nakelia Lifevaneka's late-night walk with Piheve Evatene had taken the two out of the city into the Old Grounds, where their opening match against Sawenia would be played the next day. "I guess so..." Piheve replied.

"Come on, are you telling me you've never gone out here at night and just... looked up?"
"I mean I'm usually asleep early, gotta wake up in the morning to--"
"Pleeeease, night is way better than morning anyway!"
"And what happened at our last 9am practice?"
"We don't talk about what happened with the shoelace..."
"You didn't even trip on your shoelace, you tripped on the ball... I didn't even think that was possible!"
"Just shut up!"

"Hey!" a voice yelled out in the distance. "The two of you shouldn't be fighting like that the night before the big match!"

The voice, of course, was Haulafo, their coach on the national team. "Sorry Haulafo!" Nakelia yelled out before asking, "wait, why are you out here so late?"
"Well, I could ask the two of ya the same thing!" he replied. "I suppose I just wanted to give the place one last walkthrough... the start of a World Cup cycle always stresses me out a little, and there's nothing like a nice late-night walk to calm the ol' nerves..."
"See Piheve? Haulafo's on my--"
"Aww pshhh."

Just at that moment, a shooting star passed by.

"Did you see that Piheve?" Nakelia asked.
"The airplane?"
"Nobody's flying airplanes over an island in the middle of nowhere at this time of night, surely it's a shooting star!"
"Okay, well if it's a shooting star, what did you wish for?"
"I think you know what I wished for..."
"A win against Sawenia?"
"...yeah, sure, that... heh..."

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Tue Mar 26, 2024 12:38 pm

“It’s really a shame that you had to miss the rest of the Raven Cup, Ina,” Ashley Jaxson said to Inocencia Pendergraft as the two of them made their way out of the hospital where Ina had been confined for the past couple of weeks. Ina had been forced to miss the latter part of the 5th Jenna Raven Cup after she had picked up a particularly nasty case of gastroenteritis. It had gotten so bad that Ina had to be literally flown back to Abanhfleft for proper treatment, but even though the Lady Revolutionaries were now down their starting goalkeeper, they still managed to make it all the way to the final of the Raven Cup and win their second championship against the team whose federation had founded the Cup, Sarzonia.

“There were times when it felt like we were just barely hanging on, you know,” Ash continued as she and Ina continued their walk. “And then there were times when we were just on top for the entire game and the other team couldn’t get even a single look past us. Like that first game against Ardsk. It was also the first game after you, you know…”

“Yeah, yeah, I get the idea, Ash,” Ina nodded her head in a somewhat impatient way.

“Also, funny story about that first Ardsk game, Ina,” Ash went on, either not hearing or not caring about what Ina had just told her. “So we had to get another goalkeeper in, and of course it had to be Yesha Okamura of all people. Don’t tell her I told you this, but even today sometimes I still get the feeling that she cost us against Pasarga in the DBC.”

“Wait, didn’t you also say that you had the ball when she was coming out to claim it?” Ina asked. “You two got mixed up, and that’s how Pasarga scored, right?”

“That’s not really the point,” Ash shook her head. “What I’m saying is that there was a moment in that Ardsk game when I didn’t think Yesha could get the ball, just like that time against Pasarga, but this time I let her have the ball, and we won the game that time!”

“So what you’re saying is that if it was me in between the sticks, you wouldn’t have let me get the ball?” Ina asked skeptically.

“Of course not!” Ash exclaimed. “If anything, I wouldn’t have even tried to go for the ball in that situation because I know that you’ve always got that. That’s how much I trust having you behind me and the defense.”

“Again, don’t let Yesha or Celina or any of the other goalkeepers hear you say that,” Ina shook her head in amusement. “But in all seriousness, I somehow managed to catch that match even when I had that hospital food they tried making me eat coming out of both ends, and I thought you actually did good out there. At least from what I little I actually saw in between all my trips to the bathroom.”

“I would have thought that you wouldn’t have wanted to talk about that, but hey, it’s your mouth,” Ash shrugged. “You do whatever you want with it.”

“You know what the funny thing is though?” Ina asked. “I stopped having the shits just in time to catch the final. I mean, I’ve been able to keep up with the Raven Cup a little bit so I knew that we made it to the final against Sarzonia, but imagine me finally getting cleaned up just in time to watch the final. Of course, with my luck, that’s when the final became a nil-nil shutout. But that Ingrid girl, man, she’s a real gamechanger! I don’t know if it’s a good idea to start her in our next games or just keep her on the bench, but damn, I’m just so happy that she’s on our side.”

“You’ll get your chance to thank her in the next training camp,” Ash said. “Speaking of which, I actually got you your medal from the Raven Cup,” she added as she handed over a small box covered in red felt to Ina. The latter opened the box, revealing a gold medal with the logo of the Jenna Raven Cup engraved in the middle along with the year of the most recent tournament and the word ABANHFLEFT on it. Ina took the medal out of the box and held it in her hand. “You know, Ash, I’ve already won one of these things before,” Ina said, “but it still feels good to have one of these hanging on my neck. But I also don’t really feel like I’ve deserved this one. I left when the girls needed me the most.”

“Oh come on now, Ina, don’t say that,” Ash muttered. “If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have made it out of the group stage in the first place. Your saves against Damukuni, Rastopochje, and Srednjaci were the foundation on which we managed to win our second Raven Cup!”

“Wow! ‘The foundation’?” Ina repeated. “Where did that come from? Are you trying to be a politician or a businesswoman, something like that?”

“In any case, you’re still just as deserving of that medal as Ingrid, Yesha, Coach Kate, and even myself,” Ash insisted. “Besides, they gave out forty of those things, and last I checked, you were still on the roster, so just shut up and take the medal.”

“Fine, if you insist on it so much,” Ina muttered as she returned the medal to its box and put said box into her bag. “So, Coach Kate wasn’t kidding when she said that this was going to be her last time with the team, huh?” she said, referring to the fact that the previous manager of the Fleftic women’s football team, Kate Bernanos, had departed from her role after nearly a decade and now two trophies under her belt.

“I mean, I think she made it perfectly clear that the SFA was done with her the last time before this one that we were in the Raven Cup,” Ashley replied. “No more contract extensions, and it doesn’t matter if she wins the Cup or not, which she did. She’s still out the door nonetheless.”

“And who’s in?” Ina asked. “Anyone I should know about?”

“Unless you’ve been following Pridnestrovian football, I don’t think you’d be really familiar with the new manager,” Ash said. “Remember that time when Pridnestrovia’s women’s team did well in the World Cup qualifiers and the Copa Rushmori? Well, the guy who managed them at the time has a son, and that son is our new manager.”

“Oh my god!” Ina cried out. “A Pridnestrovian manager? How well did that work out for us the last time?”

“Hey, at least the SFA is trying something a little bit different,” Ashley conceded, although even she had to admit that that wasn’t really saying anything. “Besides, you haven’t even met the guy yet. No one in the team has. Heck, even I don’t know what to think of him right now. Maybe it’ll finally work out under him. Maybe we’ll finally win the Independents Cup or the Brevity Cup, whichever one the SFA decides the ladies get to play in. Do I think that’s actually going to happen? No, of course not. But I’m cautiously optimistic that our chances are going to improve a little bit.”

“Well, you’re more optimistic and hopeful than I am,” Ina said.

World Cup 96 - Roleplay Thread

Who is online