[Roleplays] :: World Cup 92

by **Al Qurija** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:35 pm

The Second Great War of Unification(1876-1892)

IN THE COLONIES

With famine and sickness ravaging the mainland, Qurijans were unsure as to what the purpose of the ceasefire was for their situation. Both sides considered that it would stop whatever steam either side would have in the start of the war. But in that time, both Pomenienze and Scudelliano Qurijans would get the chance to prepare tactics that they deemed more useful in combat. This unprecedented return to peacetime would not come along with the balance of trade and movement of the previous years, as the people would remain put in their positions and the wars was still technically on. When everything calmed down in Juvencus, only then did the Qurijas return to the war effort, this time readier than ever and through economic recession.

The Conversation, by Abdul Kamal ud-Din Al-Wahhabi painted ~circa 1935

Chapter 5: Second Battle of Sant Gregori(September 6th, 1881)
"The calm before the storm is when the fear really sets in. For not even we can avoid the wrath of god." Unknown soldier's notes, ~circa 1880's

The establishment of the Juven State meant that the establishment of Juven Qurija was a given. An official treaty was signed on September 2nd, 1881, recognising Pomenienze Qurija as Juven Qurija officially. This sent shockwaves all across the country and helped incite people join the fight alongside the already depraving recession. And as if by miracle, the war effort would not take too long to start over again. The Scudelliano Qurijans were looking to finish what they had started, and the defeat in Sant Gregori was not a deterrent for their planned advances. Ricardo Fausto Agostini, Governor-General of Scudelliano Qurija was furious and had ordered an immediate attack onto Sant Gregori, believing it to be the single most important position to capture after Al Qurija itself.

The trenches from the previous battle were still mostly set and ready for another battle, knowing the important of Sant Gregori as a port and trading outpost in general. Soldiers and militia alike were given rigorous training, much like the soldiers back in the mainland. That was fact for both the Juven Qurijans and the Independentists. The atmosphere was near-identical to the mainland's, if not even more prepared in this short moment of time. On one hand you had the defenders of Sant Gregori, led by none other than Joan "El Pistolero" Marcel, a duelist turned general. On the other hand, a Scudelliano Qurijan force led by Uroš Kovac, an orthodox and anti-Pomenienze Slomjenski mercenary at the disposal of Fausto Agostini was camping on the other side, ready for an attack at any moment. These 2 hard prior history fighting with and against each other, their rivalry was one that got typically mentioned in answer to "what scares you the most?" questions. And indeed, their rivalry was so bitter. Which added to the importance of this battle.

A Scudelliano cavalry charge baited out most of the equipment of the Juven, exposing many of their gatling guns and soldiers and despite losing a lot of men in the process, they now had the opening for an artillery attack and eventual charge towards the trenches. Which is exactly what happened. The artillery shelling was a loud rainfall of mortar towards all vulnerable positions, managing to incinerate many people in the process. The battlefield became silent for a while, then a typical charge was ordered towards the position of the trenches. The Juven were not outdone though and would mow through large chunks of the advancing Scudelliano troops, something that would not be enough in the first stages of the battle as many positions within the trenches would be compromised.

In a fight in the village of Panajovac, right outside Sant Gregori. A platoon led directly by Marcel and another by Kovac met in a fight of epic proportions. From duels in the main village street to swordfights inside the village church of Saint Dimitrije of Panajovac. It was a bloodshed that was indescribably cruel. But the bloodthirst in the eyes of Marcel and Kovac were unparalleled. They fought hand in hand, trying to kill each other but with nobody prevailing at first. At last Marcel got the best of Kovac after reportedly landing a punch right in the 'noggins' of Kovac, rendering him unconscious. This led to him being captured by Marcel. With Kovac captured, it was decided that the rest of the Scudelliano Qurijan force was to retreat, but with massive amounts of casualties on either side, nobody was victorious and nothing was over yet.

Following Kovac's capture by Marcel, a legendary conversation between the two occured. With Kovac inquiring the reason he was not dead to Marcel's hands and the latter laughing at his face, knowing his inability to react in his current situation. This led to another word fight of the two rivals and the certainty that this rivalry was not finished, but instead just more fired up. Kovac was let go two weeks following the battle, as there was no reason to keep him captive any longer, according to Marcel.

Battle Outcome: Inconclusive, with the Juven claiming pyrrhic victory.

by **Mercedini** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:53 pm

92nd World Cup Qualification
Independent Athletes from Quebec vs. Covidini
@ Pfizoloroni Sports City Stadium - Pfizoloroni, Covidini

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Covidini, the supposed quarantine capital of the multiverse. The World Cup Qualification schedule stops for no one, and so on we go to Covidini's fourth game of the cycle, and it was a six-pointer against the Independent Athletes from Quebec. They had made a strong start to qualification by winning two and drawing one of their opening four games, keeping them well in contention for a top-three spot in the group. Covidini had made an equally good start to their campaign, with their only blip being a draw at home in their opening game. The Golden Eagles went into the game with plenty of momentum, following a 3-0 win and a 5-0 win before their trip to The Ram Ranch on Pronghorn Island. With no travelling fans and a limited audience, it was going to be a tough game for the Covidinians to get a result from, but a result would send them in the right direction for a playoff spot or potentially the direct spot to the World Cup.

Let's see whether Covidini could isolate themselves with Valanora in the top two positions, or whether the Independent Athletes could make a success of working from home at The Ram Ranch.

World Cup Qualifiers: Referee Howler Leaves A Bad Taste In Quebecois Mouths

It was the result which every Covidinian wanted, but few expected. A massive 3-2 win away from home in Quebec has lifted the Golden Eagles into second place in the group, and keeps them three points behind Valanora with a game in hand. In a feisty game which saw two red cards, plus plenty of non-booked challenges, the game was ultimately won by a Talisky handball which trickled into the net and was inexplicably given as a goal. With the game deep into eight minutes of added time, the Independent Athletes' resolve was broken down at the very last moment, albeit under dubious circumstances. It was a game between bitter rivals where neither side goes away fully satisfied, Covidini have gotten away with one at the expense of the IAQ. In the end, I guess Billic's arbitrary changes proved to the be the difference.

Even before the game tensions were rising, with plenty of pre-game smack talk being thrown from both sides. Quebec were hosting the game in a far flung area of the nation, with no away fans and limited number of media slots to attend the game. Sadly, here at Mercedini Sports Daily, we had to watch the game via the local pub close to the Sports City Stadium, giving us a great view of the game through the bottom of a pint glass. That huge result, followed by a 4-1 against Arjunnagar means Dini are experiencing their best start to a cycle in many editions. They still have another crunch match to play against Valanora, with the Golden Eagles now having a solid margin for error between themselves and IAQ in fourth, who sit five points back while also playing an extra game.

Back to the action and it was all set-up to be a big game at The Ram Ranch, but it ended up being a game to forget for everyone involved. The rain that preceded the match meant the turf inside the 40,000 seater stadium was slippery at the best of times, and ball-halting at the worst. Chances were few and far between, with only Chillotov and Gucci having any real sight of goal in the opening exchanges. The Grim Reapers were having more success on the ball, with double the shots but just as little reward from that gulf in territory. Unsurprisingly, the teams went in at the break level, the thousand or so fans voicing their frustration at the lack of action between two big sides.

With the game stretching into it's second day (local time), the game restarted and instantly made up for it's lack of action within the opening ten minutes. In a quick exchange of goals, IAQ would lead for a total of ninety seconds, where a Yabusele opener was cancelled out by a neat finish from Chillotov. Delays were plentiful following these two goals, with one due to the lack of match ball, while an extended delay was caused by the referee needing to speak to the small group of fans. Once play resumed, it was the IAQ who would take full initiative of the game, with Hong's strong header too much for Wandai too handle. The ball nestled into the net giving the local fans something to cheer about.

That goal would ultimately prove to be the undoing of the home side, as Covidini began to press harder and pull the previously astute defensive line out of shape. Talisky's run forward was found by a scything pass from Karlovic, with the goalkeeper closing in to narrow the angle. A heavy tackle from the aptly named 'Chewbacca' took Talisky down on the edge of the box. What begun as cheers for a good tackle quickly turned into jeers for the referee for what was ultimately the right decision. A couple of replays were needed to determine the overall punishment, but a red card plus a free kick was awarded in the end. IAQ needed to hold on to what they had, but that job was made all the more difficult when Talisky scooped the ball over the wall and into the net for two-all.

Then came the most contentious part of the game. Talisky's winner deep into added time. He went up for the header, and used his arm to punt the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net. How the referee didn't catch it will forever be mystifying, but maybe that is what happens when you employ a second-rate referee to officiate the game by himself. Talisky looked around before sheepishly wheeling away to celebrate, with the Covidinian reaction to that monumental goal being lukewarm to say the least. Dini had to withstand a couple more chances, but they saw out the nine-man onslaught to see out the win and inflict a second defeat on the IAQ. It was a sweet, sweet victory for the Mercedinians, especially with the Quebecois being so openly hostile to the Mercedinian delegation (in multiple ways). Revenge is a dish best served cold, and now the Independent Athletes needed to grind through the gears to earn a spot in the Group's Top 3.

QUALIFYING MD6
Mercedini 4-1 Arjunnagar

-  Group 13                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Valanora                            6    5   1   0    22   11  +11    16
 2 Mercedini                           5    4   1   0    16    4  +12    13
 3 Chartistan                          5    3   2   0    11    5   +6    11
 4 Independent Athletes from Quebec    6    2   2   2    17   12   +5     8
 5 Oberour Ar Moro                     5    2   1   2     6    7   −1     7
 6 Elmyia                              5    2   1   2     6    8   −2     7
 7 Darkmania                           6    2   1   3     3   10   −7     7
 8 Baggieland                          5    2   0   3    10   12   −2     6
 9 Al Qurija                           6    1   2   3     8   12   −4     5
10 Arjunnagar                          6    1   0   5     4   16  −12     3
11 Great Korvax Empire                 5    0   1   4     5   11   −6     1

...and they all lived happily ever after. Covidini will be back to normal very soon, with the team in action over the next two days as they try to reel in Valanora with their game in hand. They are unbeaten in their first five thanks to some brilliant performances from the Golden Eagles, and that has led them to a two point advantage over Chartistan and a five point advantage over their grief-stricken opponents from MD5. We will be back and travelling again very soon, but for now, goodnight!

by **Ochre Islands** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:55 pm

Page 14

OCHRE ISLAND CAT SANCTUARY OPENS

A map showing Socks Island, just off the coast of Flanbourne Island's capital, Wornley
Tourists welcome

The Socks Island Cat Santuary Association has today announced the launch of their cat sanctuary on Socks Island, which seeks to provide shelter, food and veterinary care to any cat which should find itself on the Ochre Islands. As the domestic cat is classified as a 'pest' by the Government, rather than face extermination or deportation, they will instead be sent to live on Socks Island, where they will receive appropriate care for the rest of their lives.

Whilst the Government has long faced foreign criticism for their policy on domestic cats, the lack of prey animals on the Ochres, along with the delicate nature of the islands ecosystem means that cats could very easily dominate smaller animals and indeed raise the possibility of some of the native creatures being made extinct. However, they hope that the benefits of this will instead be recognised.

The Mayor of Flanbourne Island, Wornley-West Councillor Patrick Vasmoth, has said that whilst they were initially 'not keen' on an island full of cats just three and a half miles from the coast of Wornley, it is a major opportunity for the whole of Flanbourne Island to take advantage of. 'This is a major opportunity for the whole of Flanbourne Island to take advantage of. We have already began regular ferry services to-and-from Socks Island, and are looking to increase the number of flights coming into here from Bellflower, which is only sixty miles away as the cat flies, so not a long journey at all from the nation's capital.'

When pressed for comment, Mayor Vasmoth told us that he 'wasn't aware' that cats did in fact not fly, and learning that had 'allayed' his fears about a cat sanctuary being created just three and a half miles offshore.

Page 58

CLASSIFIEDS

A very happy birthday to Mr. P. Miggins from your loving wife Mrs. H. Miggins
Project Alouette: All Stations Two - Alpha-Peter-Sierra-Zero-Five-One Beta-Queen-Romeo-Tango-Zero-Five-One Charlie-Uniform-Vulture- Zero-Five-One Delta-Water- Zero-Five-One Echo-Xray-Yahoo-Zigzag- Zero-Five-One
SOLD: Bull. So stop asking. All enquiries to Farmer Louis Landtender, Hopkins Farm, North 42 C-2, Callais Island. Telephone: (8)5791-665

by **Cap Nord** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:56 pm

Casper Poulsen read it once. Twice. And still processing it, he felt like the loneliest man in the SendBank Arena. Having his son to be the centre of national discourse had been a bizarre experience but the last few days, the discussion had died down at last. It pained Casper to see that for days on end, no one had discussed his actual winning goal over Ziwana but rather just some coincidental combination of circumstances. If it had been any other player that had celebrated with the fans, then the focus would have been on him. But now it was Troels who waved the old flag, by accident, for the nation to see. The day after, Troels had called. That in itself showed Casper that something was off. He could say that he had a good connection with his son but after all those hours in the car to and from the training, they had learned to appreciate a silence together. If something had to be shared, a quick message usually sufficed.

With the years, there were times when Casper had had his regrets on that side of their relation and, yes, there was a certain vanity to it. It did comfort him already that Troels would call him the day after the events, even if both professionally ignored that the person at the other side of the connection tried to push away the tears. Apparently, it really was quiet in the eye of the storm. Almost everyone seemed to be ignoring the matter and those who did not just went through the motions without properly addressing it. But the elephant in the room was so large it nearly pushed Troels out the window. Here and there, a teammate had supported him but nearly in fear for the others. Those who did, did so during short moments alone: a small remark in the elevator or during a short exercise by two on the training pitch. But if Troels had hoped for the captain raising his voice over his case in the dressing room, let alone a statement from the staff, he could wait till pigs fly.

“Did I do wrong, dad?”

The question came out in bits, nearly suffocating on the lump in his throat. As he stood in the SendBank, Casper wished he hadn’t hesitated.

”Who is this kid?”
“Assistant officer-in-training Poulsen, sir.”
“Hm… Looks a little white around the nose and green behind the ears. What are you, an FC Waalterzee fan, haha?”

Before I could answer, a voice cut him off.

“McDonnell, that will suffice. So, assistant officer-in-training Poulsen. Your first day at our headquarters?”

A short nod, as had been taught by our drill officer. For a reason: only the best in class got transferred to HQ. Only now I noticed a faint dripping sound in the background. My eyes tried to catch the source and, adjusting to the shade in the furthest corner, I noticed a man bound to a chair. He rather looked as if thrown on it from a distance by a bulldozer.

“See that piece of shit over there? He tried the bomb attack on our King. But a piece of shit like him had to fail, of course.”
“So now we can beat that shit out of him, haha.”
“McDonnell, enough. But indeed. Every agent who passes by this room has the right to swing a free punch and well, let us say there has been a surprising amount of traffic so far this morning. Your turn.”

Training had prepared me for following orders. Not for getting brass knuckles being pushed in my hands.

“By the way, you can just call me Security Officer Herklotz. Inside the cube we respect the ranks, but don’t voice them.”

“You… You did no wrong, boy.”

The Whalers and the Jaguars took the field in a mild breeze, yet sweat was dripping off the back of Casper Poulsen. He did not want to be here, he needed to get home. If anybody ever found out about him… Angstily, he pushed through the wall of people that rose for the national anthem. The intro, still feeling like nails being scraped over a chalkboard, halted him. Not for the song itself but for the way the people suddenly rose. Dans la vallée la neige se repose! There were a few voices in the opening game. Now half the audience sang the Chanson du perce-neige rather than the actual anthem. And the final verses left no room for doubt: the stomping On riposte! On riposte! was replaced with Poulsen Free! Poulsen Troels! by many.

And so Casper Poulsen stayed and witnessed an unseen confrontation during which TJUN-ia dominated the better part of the game but the Whalers clawed themselves back to a point not once, not twice but thrice. The clever shot to the nearest post by Rohan Williams, a minor mistake by Robertson, had been brilliant and Lemmeling pushing it over the line on a post-free kick scramble got everyone on their feet. But that was nothing compared to the explosion of delight when Dieter Scharf condemned the Jaguars to their other nickname, the Draw Masters. It wasn’t a particularly pretty one but he ran to the crowd and jumped right into it. It didn’t require a genius to see the correlation with the winner against Ziwana as he chose for the same corner of the stadium. At once, the crowd seemed to bury the wayward striker with flags of all sorts. Scharf, never shy of controversy, carried them all to the pitch disregarding the emblem on the flag: modern or royal. The referee forced him to leave the pile behind with a yellow card, but Scharf did not return to the kick-off without a cheeky kiss to the rumble of flags and a signal to the crowd, pointing to all of them before beating his chest.

Casper knew very well that everyone in the crowd felt like that but this one, this celebration had been just for him, it seemed.

by **Cardenao** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 3:30 pm

Four More For The Count

There are not one, not two, but three members of foreign Royal families within Cardenao right now, I know you’re all wanting to keep up with them, I know I am, so let’s not waste any time with our review of the World Cup Finals qualifying campaign and get straight into it!

The match against the 198th rated Lisander started with Cardenao roaring forth right from the get go. Scooter McNash had made it clear in his pre-match press conference that pushing the tempo and trying to overwhelm a team that had already conceded 15 times in four straight losses to start their qualifying campaign. It was obvious the game plan was to smash one or two goals past them in the opening stage of the match to force the Lisandrens to try attacking more, which would let the talented Cardenaoan team control the game and squeeze the life out of their foes. Unfortunately it was quickly evident that these 90 minutes wouldn’t be quite the rose paraded Cardenaoans watching the match would be hoping for.

Sure, the Lisandrens were easy to root out of midfield making an advance into a comfortable attacking position easy, but when the Cardenaoan attempts at scouting through Zoltan Keidobika and Ibai Acosta-Vargas found a dug in, entrenched enemy that moved in a well-drilled fashion. Tonight they were determined to break their losing streak no matter what, and the match quickly devolved into long, grinding sequences of uninspiring play. Midfielders Haritz Larrainzar and Vera cautiously probing forward, finding a strong wall through the middle, so they passed it out right to Halan Medhagbia (earning a start due to his strong performances off the bench) who tried using his trickery with the ball to get by on the wing to no avail, so the ball was recycled back through the midfield to Acosta-Vargas who hoped to us his flair-filled creative play to break through on the left wing, succeeding enough to get a weak ball into the midfield that was cleared out to Diego Valenzuela and the whole ferris wheel of resound mediocrity started all over again.

After more than a half-hour of this particular madness, Scooter McNash had seen enough, bringing Dylan Mathers more narrowly to form a three at the back along with Shandon Grandillon and Emmanuel Odita, while Hendrix Salvador pushed up to become a left midfielder, Medhagbia dropped to become a right midfielder, and Ibai Acosta-Vargas formed a striking partnership with Juanma Saez, though it was obvious A-V was dropping much deeper to help link up play and drag a defender with him. It was a little hectic and it was clear it was a heat of the moment change with no drilled in transitions, but the quality of the Cardenaoan players was enough to make it work and they finally started to impose their will on the game. Several attacks come close over the next ten minutes and the breakthrough finally came in the 42nd minute when free-kick maestro Zoltan Keidobika sent a perfect looping set piece in over the defense right to Diego Valenzuela’s outstretched boot, poking the ball past the keeper to make it 1-0 to Cardenao and our traveling fans exploded into celebration as we all did back home! Following this goal and all the subsequent high-five and hugging, McNash had his lads revert back to their original 4-3-3 with the goalscoring Diego Valenzeula back in his natural holding midfield role. The boys in blue and gold had little trouble seeing out the rest of the half, holding onto possession with confidence and ensuring no injuries before the referee eventually blew their whistle.

Second half started and it was more of the same, at least for the initial stages of play. Good attacking movement, keeping the Lisandrens on the back foot and establishing solid positions to build attempts on goal, but the Lisandrens were looking revitalized and dangerous on the counterattack. The first warning sign came in the 55th minute when a Cardenaoan attack broke down and when their midfield was able to skimp the ball past Diego Valenzuela, it was the leaders who were suddenly forced into defense, and it was only a extraordinary save from Ray Holland in goal that keep the scoreline 1-0. Zoltan Keidobiko was brought out in the 61st minute, with the more attack minded Jayful Archer taking over in midfield. Unfortunately that did not have the desired effect, as the calm metronomic balancing presence of Zoltan was replaced by the frantic attack minded energy and movement only of Jayful, thus creating a rather large hole in the Cardenaoan midfield and it only took five minutes for the damned Lisandrens to push in through the gap to create a well-sequenced passing movement that ended with them equalizing the score at 1-1 and that was just a real kick to the teeth. Things didn’t improve from there despite the kickers from Cardenao trying every trick in the book, and the final whistle eventually drew the 1-1 affair to a close. At least it wasn’t a loss though, on to the match against Yakk!

Going up against the 236th ranked team in the world meant that, for perhaps the first time in history, Cardenao entered a match as the heavy favorites. There were many questions being asked of McNash’s men in the build-up of this game. How would they handle the pressure of being favorites? Do the players have the right sort of mentality for this? What is their xDawg statline, do they truly have the dog within them? How would the team bounce back if they lose, what if everything went wrong and Cardenao was humiliated, what then, what if this what if that what ifs upon what ifs? Everybody wanted to know what Scooter McNash would do if Cardenao didn’t win. I guess we’ll never know.

Bang in the fourth minute went Juanma Saez’s right boot, latching on to a beautiful lofted through ball from Haritz Larrainzar with a quick touch then firing it in to start the goalfest. The fans were loving the display of free-flowing attacking football they were being treated to, with the Cardenaoan presence suffocatingly dominant on the match. Wave after wave of blue and gold attacks crashed upon the Yakk defense and the next goal, long seen as a formality, came in the 23rd minute. Haritz Larrainzar was again the orchestrator, setting up the attacking play and playing a pass to Giampetro Vera, who passed it back. Larrainzar saw a flash of blue and gold out of the corner of his eye and instinctually hit a lofted ball over the defense’s head, one that came back down to earth right in front of Ibai Acosta-Vargas’ run. The tricky winger latched onto the ball, took a few touches, a nice fake shot to send the keeper the wrong way, and tap it into the empty net. Easy and Good Game as well. 2-0 going into halftime in a match Cardenao was totally and thoroughly dominating.

To their credit, the Yakkan squad started the second half looking renewed and determined to defend their honor, playing with heart and standing with valor as the Cardenaoan offensive continued. Yeison Mesa, who was subbed in for Juanma Saez at halftime, came close in the 57th minute when his powerful header was superbly saved by the Yakk goalkeeper, then just three minutes later he had a shot crack off the crossbar, bouncing clean over the Cardenaoan attacking presence. Diego Valenzuela went to claim it but was beaten out of the air by a Yakkan midfielder, who collected the ball and charged into the vacant space between the midfield and defense of Cardenao and threaded a superb pass onto one of their onrushing attackers run who neatly put it past Ray Holland to make it 2-1 and give the Yakkan team a one shot, one goal statline. Scooter McNash responded by bringing Halan Medhagbia into the fray in the 63rd minute, then Rafa DiSantos entered the game on the stroke of the 70th minute.

Rafa DiSantos. 20 year old midfield extraordinaire recently made captain of his lifelong Escuela Nacíonal DCPF (De Cardenao Para Football). He is the picture perfect passing perfectionist, dictating the flow of the match with his incisive short passes and deft dribbling touches to keep a firm grip on proceedings. 53 appearances with seven (7) goals and 16 assists in the Cardenao MegaPower League season prior to this World Cup further solidified his rapid ascension through the footballing world. Prior to this moment, he had an uneventful though still developing role with the national team with a single assist in six appearances. But that’s the brilliant thing about football. Once you step on the pitch, it’s a whole new game.

The 72nd minute rolled around and look at that, Haritz Larrainzar again rolled the ball through the Yakk defensive line and it was the young DiSantos from Catazoomba who ran onto it with a sharp burst of pace. He took a touch to gather himself, looked up to see the keeper had stepped a little too high too early, and picked his moment out. The ball shot out to the right, past the keeper’s hand, before bending back to the left to land gracefully in the back of the net. The crowd roared as Rafa DiSantos sprinted away, kicking the corner flag down and screaming his joy at scoring his first goal. It was fucking beautiful and everything the game is about (mostly because it was our guy scoring, not theirs). After everyone collected themselves, the whistle blew and the match proceeded 3-1.

More Cardenaoan dominance followed, building and building until Chimo Ventura (in for Acosta-Vargas on the left wing) was hacked down for a free-kick. Up stepped Haritz Larrainzar, who whipped a ball in and….there was Rafa DiSantos again, diving forward with a powerful header to make it 4-1 and score his second of the game. Poor kid didn’t know how to celebrate, just ran around in a circle with his hands in the ayer, ay-ayer, ay—nevermind.

90th minute has arrived and the referee was just about to blow his whistle when Haritz Larrazinar neatly pirouetted around a challenge, was held back and started to fall to the ground while still managing to toe poke a perfect through ball in for the onrushing Cardenao attackers. One arrived first to the scene, gathered the ball and neatly rounded the keeper before passing it gently into the net to make it 5-1. The goalscorer ran to the previously kicked corner flag with his hands alternating pointing out and to the Cardenao flag on his chest, before falling on his back arms and legs spread. A marvelous hat trick for Rafa DiSantos capped off an all-around excellent performance from the Cardenaoans and an incredible five assists for Haritz Larrainzar.

Four points from the two matches means Cardenao now sits fourth in the group, two points behind Chromatika, who have a game in hand, in third and four points behind group leaders Brookstation, who also have a game in hand. Much football to be played to be sure, but Cardenaoan’s are sure to be delighted at the promising start thus far. So who do we face off against next? Well it’s 8th placed Gnejs and…3rd placed Chromatika. The Gnejsen affair will be a closely contested one, with the 125 ranked team the closest to Cardenao from a rankings standpoint. The match against Chromatika will be a nail biter, the 31st best team in the world has scored a solid ten goals while conceding four and sure to be an interesting match-up for Scooter McNash and his lads.

Go Team!

Mihaly’s Machinations (Part IV)
(Part One, Part Two, Part Three)

For what felt like and probably was the 100th time that morning, President Mihaly Otamendi of the Federated Republic of the Kingdom of Cardenao looked at the man across from him and told him to just take a breath and relax, that everything hand been handled exactly the way the man had wanted it. Of course Mihaly could hardly blame the fellow, he remembered when he had proposed to Sophie Beumer de la Cruz all those days ago at this same location. The breathtaking view of the Ocean of Ayes had been the second greatest source of beauty on display that day as he got down on one knee and professed his love forever. But now was not the moment for reminiscing as Omugabe Ssekamanya of Banija asked if the island was sufficiently sealed off and it indeed was, as they had discussed 101 times before. Yes, all 235 homes on the island had a government agent inside ensuring all went well for the proposal itself and they would be incentivized to step out to cheer the newly engaged couple on, yes that would all be from an appropriately safe distance.

Absolutely no harm in wanting everything done the way the Banijan wanted it done of course, and truth be told Mihaly was rather enjoying this love-filled departure from his normal stately duties. He’d felt the Omugabe become more than a diplomatic acquaintance, ensuring a proposal goes smoothly formed a deeper bond between the two and Mihaly was happy to be playing proposal planner instead of President. Speaking of being the executive, he touched the letter he had handwritten and needed to scan and send to President Jazmín Santángel Hurtado of Montaña Verde, such terrible news of the tragedy that struck the nation. But that was for later, now was the time to ensure things went off according to the Omugabe’s plan. The bell struck and signaled it was time for it all to commence.

Mihaly looked at Ssekamanya and saw serenity and happiness on his face, the look of a man absolutely convinced of his decision and determined to honor his love for all of his days. Mihaly offered some steadying words of encouragement before the pair briefly embraced, a fitting representation for the relationship between their two great countries.

Omugabe Ssekamanya walked away, heading into the new future he created in much the same way President Mihaly turned and departed with his aides in tow. Mihaly asked for a pen while he took the letter out and signed it, pocketing the pen before handing the letter to one of his crowd and directing them to send it directly to Montaña Verde. As that was done, he put the letter back in his pocket and settled back while he remarked at the surprising avenues that had revealed themselves to compliment his original plan. The Flax-4-Boats deal with the Ochren Islands right next door over the sea, the eagerness and ease of such a deep relationship with Banija occurring so quickly, the dramatic HMS Hawabark reveal, then the unexpected offer for a royal proposal in Cardenao and the disaster in Montaña Verde affording new avenues for Mihaly to build Cardenao’s image. Even now as he awaited the celebration of the proposal, he needed to return to New Cardonia where he needed to prepare for the imminent arrival of Crown Princess Kassandra of Graentjfall who would be touring through Cardenao and enjoying the beautiful mesh of scenery and culture that made Mihaly’s country such a prize to experience. As heard cheers of joy nearby, an aide informed him the letter had successfully been sent and received; the President nodded his understanding and ordered his helicopter be started up and ready to take him to New Cardonia to receive the Crown Princess.

Things were happening and happening quickly in ways he could not foresee, but that was the nature of the game. When you play your hand, you are at the mercy of the elements. So far they have been fair to Cardenao, but things change quickly when you’re by the sea.

To President Jazmín Santángel Hurtado of Montaña Verde,

I am deeply saddened to hear news of the tragedy that has befallen the great nation of Montaña Verde. Though different in origin, our nations are now united in having experienced the devastating effect that disasters have by bringing pain to all. In these eternally unwanted times I wish strength for the Montaña Verden people, on behalf of all Cardenaoans I declare that we stand with you.

It has taken time for word to reach our quiet nation and while we have little to give, we open our arms to provide for our brothers and sisters in need. You will find an attached list of the items I have dispatched to your nation. You will have to forgive me for forgetting the courtesy of asking your permission, for I assumed time was of the essence, but I have dispatched some material aid to your grand country in the hope that it might provide some relief and inspire the strength of solidarity in your people, that they should know they are not alone, that Cardenao is with them in these troubled times.

-2 tons assorted medical supplies
-15 tons assorted prepared ocean life

Yours sincerely,

President Mihaly Otamendi

by **Ceni** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 3:52 pm

Bicentennial Stadium, Cenial
Ceni 3-1 Aleirave
 '30 Santa Oria, '67 As. Koromin, '71 Cyn-Penzag

Somewhere, Harmonia
Harmonia 0-3 Ceni
 '23 As. Koromin, '43 Ellex-Mar, '92 Renning

Volatus Millennium Stadium, City Centre
STARTING LINEUP vs. NATANIANS and NOSTS
Kosokhan; Farthen, Lorechian (c), Sontebren; Avant, Falcón, Kirchner, As. Koromin, Santa Oria; Falkenrath, Lorennion

Somewhere, Savigliane
STARTING LINEUP @ SAVIGLIANE
Glasvyrn; Windtide (c), Lorechian, Guri-Montague; Kymeri, Valaran, Falcón, del Toro, Onasi; Falkenrath, Cyn-Penzag

To Triumph, To Hope
Chapter Three: Friday, I'm In Love / Waking Up

THE PRESENT

Andrew Arrowsword pumped a new song through his headphones. "I don't care if Monday's blue / Tuesday's gray and Wednesday too / Thursday I don't care about you / It's Friday, I'm in love..."

So Liam and Sarah hadn't gotten off on the right foot. Liam had said that he just didn't like Sarah's vibe, but he wondered if there was any lingering homophobia on Sarah's part that had caused that. Still, Liam and Sarah first met ten effing years ago. Why would Liam react with such... disdain, if that was the right word, after the fact?

So he texted Liam. "Hey, what's up? You okay to come see Sarah when we're all together in Ceni? Anything I can help out with?"

It wasn't long before the typing bubble showed up from Liam's end. "Don't worry about it — everything's fine. Was just tired and grumpy last night [smiley face emoji]"

"Did you win your match?"

Andrew's phone vibrated when Liam responded. "Lost in the singles but Andrew and I won in the doubles. Will face the same little ferret that I lost to in the singles semis. So either double trouble or a great opportunity for revenge." Another text bubble popped up. "Looking forward to seeing you and Sarah in a bit. Hope she tells fewer cringy jokes [winking emoji]"

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Sorry to hear about the singles, but good luck tomorrow in the doubles! [trophy emoji] [tennis ball emoji]
See you soon [blowing kiss emoji]"

So was it much ado about nothing, a tempest in a teacup? Probably. Andrew just hope that Liam didn't hold it too much against him... Truthfully, he loved Liam, and the lengths to which he wanted Liam to like Sarah was a testament to how much he wanted Liam to fit into his family. Did he want to marry Liam? Probably.

When? That was the question...

Maybe the visit with Sarah would shed some light on that question. Even if indirectly.

SEVERAL DAYS LATER

Liam Penderyn squirmed in his seat in the Air Terranea Celestar plane from Antillia to Cenial. Yes, his trophy for the Antillia doubles championship was safe and sound in the hold, or so the airline app promised. (Unlike his boyfriend, he wouldn't have fretted about it too much anyway.) Yes, he had company on the flight: His doubles partner Andrew Lamar sat in the seat next to him in business class. No, the long travel day wasn't giving him nerves.

And no, it wasn't quite boy trouble.

Liam loved Andrew, and Andrew loved him. Nobody disputed that. And despite a "bad vibe" on his first meeting with Sarah, they had mostly gotten along for the last ten years. Their relationship was far from the warmth at the Equator, but it wasn't quite North Pole frigid, either. So then why did Liam think about this upcoming meetup with so much trepidation?

Suddenly, a tap on his shoulder interrupted his train of thought. "Something on your mind?" Andrew Lamar had turned in his seat to face Liam. "You seem like you want to be anywhere but here."

"I'm supposed to meet Andrew and his sister in Ceni tomorrow, but I have a pit in my stomach about it and I don't know why."

Andrew (the other Andrew) furrowed his eyebrows. "Problems with our favorite Arrowsword? I though things were going well between you two."

"To be honest, our relationship has seemed to... stagnate over the last few years. With our peripatetic lifestyles, we don't really get a lot of face-to-face time, and Andrew really hasn't pulled off a really romantic gesture in some time," Liam said.

"Peripatetic. Nice word." Andrew paused. "Are you expecting your other Andrew to make a big romantic gesture or something when you all meet?"

"I don't know. But I think one of us needs to do something like that to spice up our relationship, and fast. Yet I wouldn't know what exactly to do. Maybe I am expecting something to go down. Is Sarah going to tag team with him to say that we need to break up?" Liam suddenly felt his heart speeding up a beat, maybe even pumping as fast as a WGPC racecar.

"And why would he break up with you?"

"I don't know. It just feels like we haven't made any progress in the relationship, despite having been together for so long." Liam took a sip from his water that a flight attendant had brought by while they were talking.

"But you said he loves you, and you love him — what would have made that change?"

Liam struggled to articulate a response to that question, only managing to splutter out a few incoherent bits about a gut feeling or something.

"There's your answer — you can't even think of anything that would make him break up with you," Andrew replied.

"Yeah, but breakups always seem to come out of nowhere. I just can't stop worrying — I really can't see life without him," said Liam.

"Then tell that to him. Don't sit around moping and preworrying when you don't have any idea that he's actually going to break up with you." Andrew paused. "Something that always helps me is to do some controlled breathing — here, let me show you." Together, Liam and Andrew breathed in slowly, held their breaths. and breathed out slowly. "Better?" Andrew said.

"Yeah, a little," said Liam.

"Now let's enjoy this business class." Andrew raised his champagne glass and Liam did the same.

"To the Antillia doubles title!" Liam toasted. Their glasses clinked.

Andrew repeated the toast. "To another trophy!"

THE NEXT DAY

The much-anticipated tete-a-tete finally arrived. Andrew and Liam arrived in tandem, dressed to the nines as they sauntered up to the Solsbury Hill gastropub in Millennium City in Cenial. Of course, they chose a swanky place named after the Peter Gabriel song that was renowned for its rooftop terrace that had a vine-covered trellis that separated the partygoers from the usually considerable noise from the street.

Indie beats percolated throughout the terrace as Andrew and Liam summited the staircase:

"When the night is young / Moving like we're one / Dance until it's gone / And I ain't waking up..."

As they didn't see Sarah's hulking mass poking from above the crowd like Finn McCool in a medieval Irish pub, they joined the dancing for the moment while they waited. Andrew stood out from the indistinct waves of adumbral outfits with a tan suit possibly imported from West Barack and East Obama and a white shirt like a good chiaroscuro, while Liam sported a navy suit with a ribbed gray turtleneck.

"You look sexy, boyfriend," said Andrew. "Shall we move as one, dance until it's gone?"

Liam took Andrew's outstretched arm and started to dance. "Only if you answer a question for me," he said, giving Andrew a peck on the cheek. "Are you going to break up with me?"

OOC note: Apparently, PHPBB isn't equipped to post Unicode emojis, hence the word descriptions. Sad.

by **Valanora** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 4:26 pm

In the history that Valanora has at the World Cup and beyond, there have been many cases where people often look back and wonder "What might have been?" as the teams fail to reach some goal or are upstaged at an unexpected point along the way. One of the most famous of these instances is the interruption of a period that look to be a Vanorian hegemony over the World Cup but not for a resurgence from a Starblaydia side that had been mostly absent from the world stage for many years but had quickly reestablished themselves as an elite team en route to winning two titles, preventing a potential unprecedented five titles in a row by the Marauders. It is in the two World Cups that the Starblaydi won that they best the team from the Eternal Empire in the Semifinals, making for quite a strong case that they were perhaps the only thing standing between Valanora and a five peat. Others would perhaps point to a few decades later when the side unexpectedly made the Final against Cassadaigua and had looked to have all the momentum heading towards the title decider but ultimately came up short.

The number of these is likely in the dozens and it is a bit awestrucking at how many close calls that the Marauders have had or a number of the other national teams representing the Eternal Empire. Despite the plethora of success that has been had by Vanorian teams and athletes, there have been that many and more situations were it could have been more or were perhaps had been more likely to achieve those great feats but for one reason or another were denied from doing so. Does the failures to come up with the trophies at those times outweigh the glory that has been earned when the representatives have made their way back to the homeland with a title in hand? The answer seems obvious and it ought be, if were focused merely on all the times that we have found failure in our lives then we would never have the opportunity to truly appreciate the fortunes that have been had and the spectacular achievements that we have been able to undertake and see through to that success in the end.

Whether or not this Marauders team is the one that is standing at the top of the podium when the tournament comes to its conclusion in Electrum and Vilita, it should not be a stain or some judgement on the players or the manager themselves. So long as the efforts that have been given forth in order to try and achieve that result is the best that they can muster and are simply outdone by another side who perhaps want it more or get a bit lucky or what have you, it matters not. Failure is a stepping stone to success, it is from our failures that we often learn far more about ourselves and what we need in order to make ourselves better than we do when we are bathed in our successes. Failure should be bitter and leave a foul taste in ones mouth, but only for a moment, until we can shake off the cloak of disappointment and bring ourselves back to our feet and continue on. It is often not a case of how hard you push yourself but how often are you able to get back up after being brought down low, to have the steel in your resolve to continue on. Perhaps that steel is the ever present feeling in Hawk and how he remains the constant of the team throughout the many decades and can once more lead them to the sweet taste of victory at the end of their labors.

by **Chartistan** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 4:33 pm

THE BILLBOARD GAZETTE

EL MUNDIAL DE SONNEL

Chartistan eyed in bid to bring World Cup to Sonnel next cycle

While everyone is gearing up for World Cup 92, to be held in Vilita and Electrum in a while's time, the region of Sonnel has shown every interest it possibly could to stage perhaps sport's biggest event for the very next cycle in some way, shape, form or capacity. Dubbed the Sonnel Superbid, this rumored bid to host the World Cup, Cup of Harmony and/or the Baptism of Fire has been in the works for a while now, and while it's still not ready to debut, speculation has already been abound on just who would get the rights to stage matches.

It's commonly rumored in the media that Chartistan will play a part, any part, in this bidding process. The 68,000 seater Old Town Park, which recently played host to Chartistan's 2-2 draw with IA Quebec in qualification for World Cup 92, is Chartistan's largest stadium, with the Billboard venue at the very most able to host a World Cup Semi-Final should the bid call for it. Built just 5 chart years ago, it doesn't need any advanced renovations to put it up to snuff with the venue requirements by the World Cup Committee (Not like Farfadilis proved there was any such requirements after co-hosting the Baptism of Fire and World Cup last cycle) and will likely be accepted unless a larger Sonnel nation or larger Sonnel nations put up enough large scale venues.

Other venues in Chartistan, including Westlife Stadium in Official City, Exoplanet Stadium in Gaon and Aria's Toneseye Football Ground, may be considered to play host to matches, albeit with considerable upgrades needed. Even though Westlife holds 40,000 spectators on any given matchday, the relevant authorities would probably like to see it expand capacity to 45,000 at the bare minimum, with 50,000 being the benchmark. Expolanet and Toneseye have it even harder, with the 35,000 and 25,000 capacity venues respectively most likely needing 15,000 and 25,000 seats to fit minimum requirements for hosting World Cup matches. Both venues would need to be reworked inside and out, and Exoplanet's purple pitch might be a snagging point for WCC officials.

Chartistan, however, are not likely to co-host the World Cup, even if a rumored 4 nation bid throws Drawkland, Delaclava and Juvencus into the mix. In all likelihood,, Drawkland will absolutely co-host the World Cup with a nation like Delaclava and also play host to the Final. That leaves Chartistan in either Cup of Harmony or Baptism of Fire conversations, and even then they could lose out on hosting entirely if everything goes south for them. Although nothing has been said publicly about the bid from any Sonnelian FA, never mind Chartistan's, the rumor mill will likely continue to spin until the bid is officially announced somewhere in the region.

Having already been announced to hold a GAT meet and was featured prominently in a rumored but shot down regional Olympic bid, could Chartistan bring the multiverse's best to Billboard, Official City or Gaon? Only time will tell.

CHARTISTAN 2-2 IA Quebec
Old Town Park, Billboard, Chartistan

-

Cash Smith' 14 (CHA)
Holly Smier '61 (CHA)
Zinaida Woodcarver '77 (IAQ)
Jean-Christophe Babin '89 (IAQ)

by **Trolleborg** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 4:51 pm

Greetings, compatriots!
It’s TTV with a hot news about our national football team. In the qualifying tournament for the World Cup, our team skipped one round due to will of the calendar compilers, but our fans had something to see in it, since the two strongest teams in the group fought in a full-time duel and Pasarga won, confirmed their status of favorites, slowly but surely gaining speed, and right now came out on the third place. They could have done the second one, but EOT got in the way.

And in the second match of the series, our lads hosts Ganes Ame, who arrived with 1 point in 5 games and sit at the moment at the last place in the group. The proudly named Saints, young and fast team, with a tendency to get carried away with attacks, made their debut in world football this season and reached the BoF quarter-finals. Probably, the defeat there by the future winner of the tournament psychologically broke the players, because in the qualifying matches they were not very convincing so far. Our fans, of course, counted on an easy three points, but there were a lot of skeptics who pointed out that there were many cases in the history of our team when, it would seem, there was only need to raise hand and take these points, and our lads are often stumbled on such opponents and lost the most important points - let's remember, for example, Bahia Roja and the Atlantic Republic. But this time evil wizardry past did not work like in past, although our lads could well have scored more than they did. This time, Morten Troghil fielded a line-up where most of the players were new to international football, and you can’t say that he didn’t risk anything, mindful of what terrible debuts new players sometimes made and what kind of results the team showed when it was dominated by new recruits. However, everything ended well – our lads confidently held the initiative, they didn't make mistakes like in the match with Covelandia, and opened the scoring in the first half thanks to an excellent corner kick use. Reuzer moved fast to the post nearer to the corner, pulled the defenders with him and headed the ball past them right into the center of the box, where Pathmoor made one-touch volley shot, hard and straight into the corner. Total 1-0, modest – but a victory nonetheless.

With that victory our team has completed a relatively easy part of the tournament – according to the results of the sixth round, all five teams with which we played are at the bottom of the table, and games are coming up with those of them who now real contenders for tickets to the World Cup. This part begins with fights against Soldera and Acastanha. The first of the teams is now in second place, albeit having played the match more than all competitors, and our lads play away of home with them, and the second opponent is a strong one, and in addition plays on our field, where Trolleborg team is terribly unlucky – signs indicate not the best alignment for us, but let's hope for the best.

by **Banija** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 5:35 pm

Isebantu Mutungi, at the Garifunya Presidential Palace in Frederykvil

Isebantu Mutungi had been taken on a grand tour of Garifunya, and needless to say- the Isebantu was impressed. With his father, Kabaka Mwanga, in his upper 80s and not getting any younger, Mutungi was, slowly but quietly, started to take more of the reigns of governance. Many of them tended to live until a very old age, and Kabaka Mwanga was no exception. Albert III, Mutungi's grandfather was in his 80 when his life was violently taken from him many years ago- and yet, he hadn't even reached the age of natural death. Monarchs mostly lived to an old age in this country because of the advantages of being a modern-day monarch- elite healthcare, alongside fabulous wealth. Throw in that the health care resources of the state are at your disposal, and yeah, having a family where people regularly live until their 90s makes sense.

But of course, while they lived longer than the average human, they certainly weren't living as long as, say, Vanorian Elves. And age took a toll. Back when he took the reigns to the throne, Kabaka Mwanga would've undertaken state visits like this himself. But these days, when you can no longer reasonably say you're even in your mid-80s, those kind of international fights take a toll. Kabaka Mwanga powered through his flight to Chromatika for the World Bowl Final, and it had clearly taken a physical toll on him. His mind was top notch, naturally- but he could not come to Ferderykvill himself. And with the Isebantu not only taking the lead on this issue in general, but also the heir apparent to the throne himself, it made sense for him to take the visit himself. It was a win for all sides. Garifunya's President gaining a personal rapport with the next King. The Kabaka, on the other hand, getting to know his counterpart intimately- these kind of personal relationships were extremely important in international politics.

He was able to see, firsthand, the benefits of this agreement that he had come here to sign. Obviously, the Banijans had done their homework throughout painstaking negotiations, to dot the I's and cross their T's. But he was able to see the potential with his own eyes. Obviously, the opportunities for the RTC were tremendous. But other Banijan companies, too, would have great opportunities here. Agriculture. Hell, the first thing on his schedule when he got back to Banija was to attend a meeting with a bunch of Banijan university Presidents, where he would speak directly about the education exchanges, and they would finalize details to put it into practice. But at the Palace, he was here to give his speech, alongside the President.

The President spoke first. He liked the points that the President touched upon. Massive amounts of foreign direct investment, into Garifunya. The social and economic advances that would be available to everyday Garifunyans. How this would benefit everyday people in the country. How nations like theirs would link. After the President was done, the Isebantu started to speak.

"Thank you, Mr. President, for your eloquent words." The Isebantu said to start his speech. "I am proud to be here, on behalf of my father the Kabaka, and the Kingdom of Banija, to solidify the alliance between Garifunya and Banija. As the President said, the black nations of the world are very few and far between. Ours are nations that are often forgotten about, tossed to the side, ignored in the grand scheme of things. We have a great responsibility to one another to help lift each other up- because, as the saying goes, the rising tide lifts all boats."

He paused, and then continued. "The benefits for Garifunya have been eloquently laid out by the President. And this is foreign direct investment of the modern age, the kind of FDI that ensures that wealth flows throughout. But think of the benefits for those back home as well. The educational exchanges are going to give our young people a chance to experience this country- for all its beauty, for all of its potential. As Garifunyans come to Banija as well, it will expose Banijans to this country and its great culture, and most importantly, will help ensure that we are constantly assessing our own ways of doing things. Having the next generation have the opportunity to be a little more worldly is something that I see as a universal good."

"The benefits of many parts of this economic programme are obvious. But, I want to focus on two parts. First, of course, the RTC investment. Being able to build out a public transit system in this country, and operate it, will of course be great for one of our biggest sectors. But that means middle class jobs right here at home. As many know, the RTC builds vehicles in-country- supporting middle class, union manufacturing jobs building things like the busses, and light rail cars, and whatever else. It is how the workers of both countries can be united- Garifunyans who operate the system, and Banijans who build at home. And I don't need to explain the benefits of the oil deal. A chance to export Banijan oil to yet another country, will further link our economies and drive our relationship ever closer."

The Isebantu finished his speech, and after some softball questions, the President ended the speech. It was just then that he got a text alert on his phone- a photo from his oldest son. He grinned, and put his phone away. He was still here on business. But he'd be adding a daughter-in-law to the family...

The Shining Star
Banija's biggest celebrity gossip blog

BREAKING- Omugabe Ssekamanya FINALLY asks the question, with a $30,000 NSD ring

CARDENAO- Oh. My. God. I just saw the most BEAUTIFUL wedding proposal in history. You guys are not going to believe, this- Ssekamanya is getting married!!! The royal hunk, the Olympic gold medalist, the freaking future Kabaka of this whole country- he's got a wife. And not only does he have a wife- but she's a foreign princess! Her baptism into the Puritan Church of Latter-Day Saints is literally happening this weekend, as soon as they get back to Banija.

But let's get this show on the road, eh?

The Setting

Of course, it a sunset proposal. Because who wouldn't want that?? The proposal was at Point Loma de Sol y Mar- one of, if not the, most scenic spots in all of Cardenao. All sorts of big wigs were there. Toyuwa Okafor, former World Cup hero, was there. (Editor's note: Today I learned that a former NT striker is the Banijan Ambassador to Cardenao now?? From scoring goals to striking deals!) President Otamendi and his wife were there- Sophie Beumer de la Cruz was honestly wearing the most stunning dress. I did not get a chance to ask her who she was wearing- so many reporters were asking about boring old political BS, like 'what does this mean for Banija & Brenecian alliance', and 'is the Cardenao & Banijan alliance strengthened by this moment'. Like who gives a damn!!! I'm here for the freaking tea. Anyways, First Lady Sophie, if somehow you see this, send me who the designer was!

The photos, truly, were beautiful. The rocks are sort of a cliff edge- with beautiful olive trees, and a great view of the Ocean of Ayes. The trees, the water- and this proposal was clearly blessed by the Lord himself. The weather was gorgeous, with not a cloud in the sky. The photos (for paid subscribers only) were absolutely stunning. And Princess Muirne- well, she's really going to fit in nicely into her future role of Omugaba. It's such a photogenic couple- the Olympic gold medalist, paired with an Olympic gold medalist. Of course, two Royals are pretty much always gonna be.

And the rock. Not the backdrop, but no- I'm talking about the diamond. Wow, what a diamond. Like I said- it was $30,000! And while the Omugabe did this all the way out here in Cardenao. Kind of unique for Royal Family proposals- usually they like to gather the whole Royal Family there. But the Omugabe wanted to break from tradition- he'll be his own type of King, for sure. "You know, I really want to thank President Otamendi and his wife, Sophie Beumer de la Cruz, for all they've done to help me reach this moment." He told reporters. "They helped with the spot, and provided invaluable helping with the execution so that I can marry the love of my life- Princess Muirne."

It was awesome to be here for the actual event. Toyuwa Okafor was able to livestream the Kabaka so he could watch the proposal. The Kabaka- bless my heart. He's actually pretty adept with the technology- at least, it appeared that way from where I was sitting! I can never see my own Grandpa's face when I try to video chat him. Toyuwa(or I guess now I've got to call him the Ambassador) Okafor then ran up to the Omugabe after the lovely couple kissed, and they spoke for about 15 seconds with the Kabaka on the phone. Who knows what he said- but what a beautiful moment.

Omugabe Ssekamanya, for so long a bachelor, has now declared his intentions to take himself off the market. If you want any details at all regarding the royal wedding, look to this blog first!

Subscribe today for the small price of $9.99 per month to see the gorgeous photo album!

WCQ Brief- Banijans drop points for the first time during Qualifying campaign after a home draw with an upstart Estorvipa and Estorpiva squad

MYNDA, AKSUM- The match against Estorvipa & Estorpiva had a straightforward enough start, at home. An early 19th minute strike from the young Aquila Hongo gave the Banijans an early 1-0 lead, and then Sarafina Ikpeazu doubled the lead in the 39th minute. "At halftime, it looked like a straightforward enough path to victory." Pam Scott told reporters. "But as we all know, this is why games are a game of two halves. We sat back, just a little bit, and E&E showed exactly how good they were- they were prepared to punish us, in our own house, and made do. In a 14 minute span, the visitors put three goals past the Banijans, with Zaluzhenko, Prasutagusic, and Udeanu all putting themselves on the scoresheet. While Udeanu's goal had given them the lead, Idi Mboge came off the bench to get the equalizer for team Banija.

"A point today... If you were a neutral, this was a fantastic watch." The manager, Pam Scott, told reporters. "It was probably a point well-earned all-around- both teams were emphatic, but neither was able to outplay each other. While we don't want to drop points at home, this is how things go in Qualifying. We've got a long campaign, and obviously have picked up a fair amount of wins already. We've got a huge rivalry game in just three days time, and we need to be ready for that." That gave the path for a huge visit to Equestria. Our archrivals, we've played them in all sorts of major tournaments- AOCAFs, World Cups, Cups of Harmony. The only competition we haven't played them in, essentially, was Qualifiers- until now.

It was a tight, physical, 0-0 game for the majority of the affair. But Banijan killers like Pristina Shine are no longer the leading light for this Equestrian national team, as their elite athletes were not quite as strong as they once were. It would be Kamara Touré, off the bench, who would score the 74th minute winner, and just three minutes later, on the counter-attack, it would be our marauding superstar right back, Tairu Conateh, who would finish them off with a 77th minute dagger. That meant a second win in a rivalry that had so long been dominated by the Equestrians, as the Banijans earned what was certainly a tough road win. "It's an away qualifier, but it's a rivalry- so you throw things like record and rank out the window." Pam Scott told reporters. "But we were able to ensure that our class shined through, and did what it took to earn all three points."

This upcoming window will see them play at home against a winless, last place Olastor, and then travel out to Sudilia for what will certainly be a tough away qualifier. "If you're looking for simple, straightforward wins- then you're in the wrong sport." Sarafina Ikpeazu told reporters. "I've got immense respect for both of our next opponents, and it will be a tough road for what is our goal every single window- a 6 point window."

by **Pasarga** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 5:41 pm

We don't want men who want everything,
Taken away our pride in this suffering.
We told them to desire everything,
Lost is the caution in this cataclysm,
No heed called, we take everything

Frozen and suffering,
Are the knights all dithering?
Do they even have a reason why,
The sons and daughters sent to die.
Can pain even be comprehended?
Our forces surround everything.

A heart broken in pieces,
All lost, broken pride
When all of our own have died?
Is there anything left to feel inside?
When every moment
Your soul shatters a thousand times,
Is that enough?

-Excerpt from the tales of the refugee in the Pasarga crisis

by **Montana Verde** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 5:46 pm

Acastanha – 3 (1)
Kalchankar (25’ pen.), Brandas (72’), Tipag (82’), Gothrado (90+2’)

Montaña Verde – 0 (0)
Ingeniero (24’); Roberto Dylan, Tafalla, Cambeiro (82’), Juderías (64’ Tíntín ); Primitivo (83’ Aramis ), Coco, Cristo Díaz; Monaguillo (66’ Tatiano ), Osito (56’) (66’ Indiano ), Covarrubias (83’ Diego Marino )

Montaña Verde – 2 (1)
Dolfo (90+1’); Alcalá, Tafalla (76’ Cambeiro ), Arquímedes, Juderías (66’ Justin ); Cristo Díaz, Valentinha; Tatiano (66’ Valentinha ), Primitivo, Aramis (37’) (76’ Emma ); Maestas (72’ Osito (79’) (89’))

Casa de Campo del Este – 1 (0)
(73’)

Article from the international news magazine The New Week National Atlantic News Spectating Economist Time Man.

In A Ravaged Republic Of Rainforests, Technical Questions Linger Despite World Meeting Rallying Call To Aid

Abraham

Foxhound

Bechor

by **New Eestiball** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 6:11 pm

Keeping it Close
the New Eestiball Doorknobs held Graintfjall to only 2 goals in their match yesterday - the only problem is that the Doorknobs only scored one. 937 has only allowed 4 goals in 5 games, but the Doorknobs are still mid-pack despite having a +5 goal differential - the two 1-goal losses to the two top-ranked teams push the Doorknobs downward.

by **Kelssek** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 6:19 pm

Taleb equalizer snatches key point for Kelssek in Cassadaigua
5 OCTOBER | Kirkenes 14°

One point gained or two points lost? Kelssek would have taken a draw against Cassadaigua in a key away match at Grande Mountain if you’d offered it to them at the start of the match. But such was the way things seemed to click in their late surge to come from behind in the match that many in the blue camp left feeling Kelssek could have nabbed the winning goal with ten more minutes.

Cassadaigua controlled the match from the beginning and it was against the run of play that Kelssek scored with their first foray into the opposition’s penalty area. Colm Ó Tuathail got to the byline and seemed all out of space, but he managed to squeeze the ball diagonally through the box for Loïc Maçon-Petrualt to apply the finish, a composed half-volley that nestled into the top right corner of the goal.

The two-time World Cup winners were unperturbed by this turn of events and Kelssek eventually yielded under the pressure. It was back to being hemmed in and Cassadaigua took the lead with two well-worked goals by the end of the first half. And the score could easily have been 4-1 against them.

Perhaps Cassadaigua will rue their wastefulness in front of goal but the tide was ebbing by the hour mark and Jorge Guardia played his hand well. Throwing on the subs had the air of rolling the dice at first but coupled with demands for a higher tempo, Kelssek were able to take the game to Cassadaigua and establish some possession at last. It said much that the hosts’ response was to shore up the defences, judging it too risky to try and find the goal that would kill off the game.

And in the end it was the fresh legs in attack which took the honours as Shaheen Taleb, who showed some intent when his first shot was a powerful hit that rattled the crossbar from 20 yards. His second touch was to control a flick-on from Eamon Breault and dribble to the channel, building up speed as the Cassadaigua defence closed in.

Taleb took his momentum through the challenge of Madison Rutland and kept his feet, managing to get enough behind the shot to beat Stacie Thornton. The goalkeeper’s reaction signalled her own disappointment not to have gotten a stronger hand to it.

CASSADAIGUA 2 – Bolden (29’), Sherwin (36’)
KELSSEK 2 – Maçon-Petrault (11’), Taleb (85’)
Gallagher, Buené (Bowler 82’), Marshall, Auiloquet, Barris, Lapierre (Breault 68’), dí Völará, Ó Tuathail (Lafrenière 78’), Hartpoach (Ducharne 82’), Maradrogba, Maçon-Petrault (Taleb 74’)
Venue: Peak’n’Break Stadium, Grande Mountain

Kelssek to send combat engineers, hydro workers to Montaña Verde

A Kelssek Armed Forces combat engineer brigade will deploy to Montaña Verde to aid in the country's disaster relief efforts following a devastating earthquake. The announcement was made by the Ministry of National Defence after consultations on areas of need as the international community has responded to the disaster. Temporary bridges and transport links are desperately needed as damage to infrastructure has been a major problem hampering relief efforts. But a key problem that may well be the top priority is the San Ferano Dam, which reports have warned has sustained damage and needs emergency repairs. A breach could lead to a second major disaster in itself.

Hydroelectric infrastructure is a key area where the Kelssek government has also offered assistance, and civilian experts and workers from Power Network Kelssek and provincial hydro companies are also likely to accompany the aid mission as needed.

"We just want to give whatever help we can. We'll take our lead from our hosts. Whatever resources that can be brought to bear, we'll try to do our best," said Roy Tiller, a manager at Konoha Hydro who is organizing assistance efforts along with the Federation of Electrical Workers.

by **Eura** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 6:46 pm

WORLD CUP 92 QUALIFYING – GROUP 4 – MATCHDAY 5
Eura 2–1 Krytenia
Scorers:
Robson 34, Green 73
Lineup:
1. T Hammond
4. J Menard
15. K Sherwood (sub Phillips 66)
5. T Green
6. J Gates
8. V Robshaw
11. B Malone (sub Mason 79)
10. S Singh
7. A Woodman (sub Almwood 79)
9. S Robson (sub Matthews 77)
14. A Sharp (sub Vivier 70)

WORLD CUP 92 QUALIFYING – GROUP 4 – MATCHDAY 6
Geektopia 3–4 Eura
Scorers:
Singh 17, James 44, Malone 57, Brookfield 62
Lineup:
13. J Hewitt
15. K Sherwood
5. T Green (sub Hart 80)
19. J Byrd
6. J Gates (sub Brown 60)
16. O Vincent
11. B Malone
10. S Singh (sub West 75)
12. O James (sub Marshall 82)
9. S Robson (sub Brookfield 54)
14. A Sharp

The Brigham Herald (Brigham, centre-left, broadsheet)
BARNHAM PITCHES CRC TO A DIVIDED YUEZHOU

Prime Minister Harry Barnham became the first Euran leader to visit Yuezhou in its modern history this weekend, in a historic moment for both nations. Before a couple of years ago relations between the two nations had been difficult due to differences over the conflict in Nyowani Kitara, after a long history of relative ambivalence towards one another. But Barnham reached out to Yue premier Wu Zhongsheng shortly after taking office and began a reset of relations, starting with increased co-operation on post-Kitaran Conflict terrorism that had struck Yuezhou, and reportedly a successful push to get President Wu to take the high road and de-escalate a serious spat with the then-Akongo regime in Dewayo. Then, in a major coup for the President and his country, the United Federation gave official recognition to the United Republics.

Since then, relations have been positive and talk of a state visit was considered a matter of not “if” but “when”. On Saturday morning Barnham’s official plane landed in Nangang, and Barnham was quickly whisked to Xingruifang House. The House is the official residence of the President and a symbolic venue that once hosted the Governor of Nanhai; it was from here that the movement that would become the “U.R.” initially gestated. A carefully choreographed shaking of hands and all-smiles photograph set the tone for a what was a clearly chummy affair.

Euran government sources suggest that, in their bilateral talks at Xingruifang, the main topic of discussion was potential Yue accession to the Common Rushmori Community, where both men found “an awful lot of common ground”. They also held talks on the ongoing implementation of the Varakoula Accords, counterterrorism and security – including the threat of a nascent separatist movement in the region of Sangau – and bilateral trade. Barnham also had the opportunity to meet members of the new advisory group set up by Wu to explore the practicalities of CRC membership.

Sources on the Yue gave similar impressions of the meeting but were also keen to stress that Wu “held his own” with Barnham, against the backdrop of an election where Wu’s National Union party face a difficult struggle against the hard right, CRC-sceptic Liberation Army, the left wing Progressive Democrats, and a potentially crucial pro-CRC voice in the new centrist party, Forward Path. Although there are many anti-Euran voices in Yuezhou, and the Liberation Army certainly made hay of Barnham’s visit as a sign of Wu’s alleged weakness, overall reaction appeared to lean positive, and Barnham was warmly received as he visited the Yue Assembly.

At the Assembly, Barnham briefly met the leadership of the other major parties and officials from both countries mingled, though Barnham was careful not to undermine Wu by spending too much time with the ideologically like-minded Forward Path and Progressive Democrats. According to a report in the Directus Post, Barnham’s Social and Wu’s National Union parties have struck a “co-operation and learning” agreement. In such a new democracy with limited campaigning infrastructure, NU strategists reportedly believe Euran-style mass data and doorstepping techniques, designed to reach Eura’s huge electorate in very rapid election campaigns, could give them a cutting edge ahead of polling day.

Not all of the visit was confined to the halls of power. Barnham has always placed a lot of value on symbolic and emotive gestures in building political and diplomatic relationships. This means his international tour is likely to see a lot of sombre moments recognising the different struggles that have shaped the countries he visits. It was no surprise then that he visited the Zheng Zhoulun Memorial in Nangang with Wu by his side, laying a wreath to the fallen of the Yue Civil War and fallen revolutionary General Zheng Zhoulun. Barnham and Rushmore Minister Brendan Glennard also met business leaders to discuss the economic benefits of the CRC at a well-received reception in the Xinfanrong business district.

Finally, before wheels up on a fast and busy trip, Barnham was treated to a tour of the national football stadium, Yübao, and soon after enjoyed a largely unstructured meet and greet with members of the public on the streets of the city. However, away from the cameras, a noticeably heavy security operation in the surrounding area was a reminder of two hard realities – that even this flourishing Yue democracy has not fully escaped its violent past, and that Euran PMs remain nervous about their personal vulnerability after Sameba’s infamous attempt on the life of former Prime Minister, Michael Judge. Barnham will hope to have another incident free visit to Nyowani Kitara in the coming days, before moving on to Mytanija.

The Eastern Eagle (Falourr, centre-right, mid-market tabloid)
SHIPS FOR EURAN ALLIES AS MILITARY FIRE SALE CONTINUES

It was a proud moment for Vice Admiral Lyna Corrall of the Chromatik State Navy (CSN) as she watched a lumbering trio of warships arrive at Myana, entering the deep waters of its port one by one. “This is a triumphant day for our country, as we enter three new warships into service of our proud State Navy” she said to the gathered press, “and establish a new relationship with a serious overseas partner.” Corrall was referring to Eura, represented on location by Minister of Defence Richard Skinner, who has sold the ships to Chromatika as part of an ongoing effort to trim the force numbers (and eye watering cost) of Eura’s fleet from its pre-Great Endemian War peak. The ships were transferred for what Euran sources described as a “nominal” fee due to their age, likely a few hundred million pounds at most.

All three vessels served in the War against the mighty navy of the Republic of Sameba but are now considered surplus and outdated by the victorious Euran Navy. Hadrian class light aircraft carrier ENS Jones is the highlight of the bunch, able to carry a dozen combat jets and a dozen more helicopters. It is joined by two Deliverance class amphibious assault ships that carry a standard complement of thirty aircraft – mostly helicopters with a handful of combat jets thrown in – but crucially can also deploy amphibious vehicles and marine troops. The ships might be past their sell-by date for the Eurans (Jones is thirty years old), but for the historically small CSN they represent a huge upgrade on a solitary, aging battleship that operates alone. The vessels are thought to be set to patrol territorial waters as their main mission.

Remarkably, this isn’t the biggest arms export Eura has completed in recent weeks. After a deal struck by the previous government in Nephara that was gladly honoured by the current Corvistone regime, Minister of Defence Petrarch Yearling met Euran counterpart Skinner in the port of Brinemouth two weeks ago. Their venue was the deck of ENS Venerable, a General Hartson class nuclear powered supercarrier. In a first for Eura, it has chosen to sell one of its prized capital ships, though only to a very close ally in Nephara.

It will be joined by a dozen support ships to be sold to the Nepharans after serving their navy on loan during the Kitaran Conflict, giving one of Eura’s closest allies a greatly enhanced ability to conduct long range expeditionary operations overseas. This follows the successful joint development of a now-operational long range surface-to-air missile and anti-ballistic missile system, already in service with both countries, known as SAM-100 “Viper” in Euran service. It is believed that the Venerable, which can carry nearly fifty combat jets and seventy aircraft overall, has a longer term purpose than simply enhancing Nepharan firepower.

The ship is already half a century old as one of the oldest of its class and will likely only serve for twenty years after its reactor was given a final refit and refuel by Euran technicians at Falourr. With that in mind a former Euran Navy officer, Admiral Penny Heatherstone, told this newspaper that she suspected the carrier would be a “testbed” for a next generation, indigenously built Nepharan supercarrier to be constructed within the next couple of decades, which would use the same infrastructure that will now be installed to support the Euran-supplied vessel.

In the meantime, Euran and Nepharan officials are reported to be in negotiations over the sale of modern escorts for the carrier, though the press in Corvistone is suggesting that the Eurans have disappointed their allies by refusing to consider selling the high-tech and invaluable Blackhall class heavy missile cruiser. It seems that Eura is instead only interested in selling off old (but battle-proven and effective) ships destined for the scrapyard, as part of a massive military reform programme put in place by the current Social government. They aim to shrink the Euran fleet by as much as a quarter in just ten years, meaning many more sales are likely, including potentially four obsolete City class nuclear aircraft carriers. The other branches of the military are also undergoing massive cuts, making a huge amount of Euran (and former Sameban) equipment of high quality available for export.

by **Independent Athletes from Quebec** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 6:57 pm

OOC: As always, I adhere to RP permissions, especially if there is Y to 'other events'.

Farfadillis's post-R16 RP was one of the most memorable pieces I have read that involved this Grim Reapers' side, so here's my first shoutout to him. Additional shoutouts go out to Huayramarca and Hapilopper for their encouragement of the use of 'Cocaine Bear', a 2023 movie that just offered me a wide range of possibilities for future RPs. Cheers.

Dr. Heo and the Portal of Madness

PART 8 - Here Comes the Regrets

‘Alright, so the basement’s flooded,’ said the Narrator, who travels across seven seas and reversal time trip, as he found himself sitting in middle of a small, stuffy living room with humidity maximised and comfort minimised. ‘Something wrong must have happened that caused it to flood overnight, and of course we can’t get back there because electrocution is still possible, even for spirits who have long passed…is it correct?’

Several hours had passed since he and the Residents of the Prospero Lounge had managed to teleport their way to this house from middle of Blood Sea, where the sea monsters reigned and every sense of normalcy was a fancy idea. Now the Narrator, whose possession of all his properties across the multiverse combined for an impressive collection, was talking to his yellow residents - ageless goalkeeper Ondrej Cech, Henri VIII his first and most renowned lieutenant, the Hall-of-Fame fencing coach William Yi, the 11th Duke of Bathurst - you need a multiple levelled-coffin once you are of that stature to avoid your corpse being robbed of jewelries, after all.

While not directly participating in the conversation, Lord Hahm the Hall-of-Fame goalkeeper and hockey coach and his mate Fabrice Nelson-Ryong, the investor whose coffers and likelier coffins were tightly enclosed to one another, were also there sitting on a sofa some distance away, in hopes that they would not be caught missing at this safehouse like how they had done so back in the Prospero Lounge.

The Prospero Lounge’s residents besides the Creator and Henri VIII all made noises of their own interests and relief, and they began moving their heads and hands in a frantic manner to which the Creator had thought of it as a group behaviour, no different than a group of blind-minded follower to a contrarian mod without a single touch of facts in his bones.

The ingrates… The Creator thought to himself, as he tried to raise his left index finger for a chokehold magic, but Henri VIII held him back.

Let them be. Henri shook his head, suggesting that they needed not to escalate the situations further.

Eventually the laughter and the chatters would die down, and it was time for the six of them to figure out a possible way to figure out the Multiverse, they had decided to turn the television on.

As the four men sat closely, facing the television perhaps too closely to the point where they would be of collision, one would notice how close three of them had looked with the exception of Ondrej Cech, a 193cm giant whose body had barely aged, being an outlier. While most people would have noticed each of them separately, there was no doubt that Nelson-Ryong, Henri VIII and the Creator could have come from the same family with how distinct were their thick eyelashes, their body frame limited by the reality, and of course each of them had their own abilities limited by the years that had affected their physical, though never the spiritual, mobility. Sure it was not the most reasonable of things to compare Cech, who was lucky enough to accidentally fall into the pit of one-hundred-lives while still a player on his thirties playing for the Turoki Tide, to the other five who were just way older than him.

Sports 24+: Farfadillis thrash undisciplined Québecois team

Farfadillis wrote:Description: On a very hot (more on that later) night in Farolera, Manguele's team secured a place in the quarterfinals, where they will face Brenecia, after taking advantage of a flurry of indiscipline from the Grim Reapers, who have certainly earned their nickname (more on that later).

One day after the match between Turori and Ko-oren, La Gran Avenida was set to be set on fire, figuratively, by the hosts in their round of sixteen match. The stadium itself would survive the match, but the same cannot be said of 30% of the surrounding forest, as well as officer Tristán Torrecillas and two pigs. Two more pigs, if you ask those assisting the protests that have sprung up as a result of the match….

‘God, what the hell happened over there?’ asked William, the recently-deceased duke more than surprised about the very score ‘7-2’ than the events that had accompanied the second round match at La Gran Farolera.

‘Let’s be honest, it’s not the most mentally formidable of the bunch,’ commented Ondrej, the 149-cap goalkeeper who had already watched the 20-minute highlight clip the night before eventual flooding of the Lounge. ‘It’s not Lukaeks or the players’ fault I’d say, but there were some glaring mistakes out there. Like Marco Hertel’s antics right at that moment.’ The goalkeeper continued to rant about the lack of mental composure by Hertel, the son of his national teammate Xavier, whom he had not seen in over twenty years to now.

‘Distractions are temporary, but you gotta get over your temptations. Especially when you have just tied the game. What the fuck was that?’ He raised his voice in disappointment.

‘It’s no doubt unfortunate,’ sighed Henri, his lips puffed up with his mouth closed. ‘You would think that a man of his stature, who had just won the Champions League two years prior, would play the hero.’ He then hesitated for a moment, before speaking again. He was having that odd desire of wanting to sound as neutral as possible, a sign dating back to his days as the long-awaited Crown Prince.

‘But then, my friends, isn’t Marco already a hero in the eyes of many?’ He asked. ‘To the brave, starving Rulandese, or his hometown Jeruselemites who watch the Fontvielle Impact games? Or even better the children of our land who are simply suffering at the hands of the ‘

‘Henri, my young man,’ answered Fabrice, as he shook his head. ‘Have you not thought of the consequences that perhaps too many doses of creativity, or that of the so-called alchemistic idea of yours-’

‘Gentlemen,’ exclaimed the Creator. ‘I don’t think the moral behaviour of Marco Hertel, no matter disgusting or unacceptable he may be, is the one to discuss here. Because that’s not how the basement got flooded.’

He then cleared his throat, before starting to speak again. ‘It is more than clear that while I was away on a short trip to see the young, next candidate, before having a short time-travel voyage to what was it, Taxhavn-? Nyhavn? No that’s Norrehavn,’

‘Delte, sir. Taxhavn’s on your to-travel list though,’ said Henri.

‘Ah, thank you, thank you.’ The Creator responded giving a quick clap or two. ‘That part wasn’t drifted away from our control though, especially with me arranging this with one of the co-creators of the Shango-Fogoa Confusionistic Art Collective. For the very co-creator and I, it was just one of those narrative trajectories that kept bringing misfortune on one end, but catharsis for the other, so it was relatively easy to access, establish joint control over the tragicomedy it was, and called it a day. Straightforward.’

‘Interesting, so you are saying that these events happen because they are just meant to happen,’ said Alexandre. ‘So while those here would not be noticing those rightaway, the deceased would be able to observe it.’

‘It’s a complicated matter, dear Alex,’ said the Creator. ‘And it’s something that I can’t tell you all about it, at least not until you have fully joined the world.’ Then a brief flash of thoughts passed him, as he came to remember the pet bears, who the creators behind Hap-a-loppa and Huayramarca were just clothing them the night before. A teardrop quickly dropped as Ondrej and Henri looked at him in a puzzling manner, not being aware of what had happened since.

But enough with the tears. ‘Anyways there’s something wrong with the basement, we cannot fix it until some water’s cleared, and even then we probably won’t be able to go home for a while.’ said the Creator. ‘It’s unfortunate, but this safehouse, not to mention the six ladies who were now hiding out in the Rink of Dreams up north, are all we can do.’

‘What about the Daemyeonggoong Palace? Or the Thetford Castle?’ asked Fabrice. ‘We, after all, have our own past majesty who’s still beloved, and whose queen was one of the most beloved belichestvos of the nation’s history.’

‘Nu-uh, we ain’t going there to temper with the young. Besides, the spiritual value of the Shingoryeoite Crown means that if we temper with the agents too often - that being Christine the Second in this case - it would not be the best for us in long run,’ disagreed Henri, as he quickly shot down the possibility of moving to a dozen Palaces or the castles he once held possession of. 'Sometimes you gotta forget you gotta forget (잊을건 잊어야 하네).'

The Creator just nodded. ‘That’s correct. So we will have to find a way to live among the people aboard this sinking ship, or at least fix whatever that has caused the house to flood.’ answered he, alluding that the flooding involved not only his nation, but also the regions surrounding it.

It was then that William Yi, who kept attentive eye on his teardrops over the missing pet bears of his friends, had a realisation. ‘So there is certainly a crack among the realms that surround this Calanaian realm,’ said William, remembering the way a sloth of the cocaine bears had walked along his latest interest, the mysterious island located four thousand kilometres offshore named the ‘Pronghorn Island’. ‘I know that you just wept over how you had worried over your bears, and that those tears, dropped when you were worrying about their well-being on the other side of the sphere, were genuine. Which is to suggest that whatever that’s tearing this nation, this land, and us apart right now, may be that the world, once again is in need of being brought together again, perhaps by forces beyond the humanly control.’

‘I see what you mean,’ said the Creator, his voice slow and deep almost to the point of slumber. ‘Like what you said, the tears we all shed are never bad at all. But those tears, which come from us all, are rare and could easily be wasted.’ He then continued, ‘So we have to find the right way and persons to bring it together, else it would come down to nothing…’

by **Tikariot** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 6:58 pm

The by now familiar piano notes open up to sliding images of different areas of Tikariot, of restaurants, dishes, and more, before the logo superimposes itself over a collage of the various images.

The still then morphs towards the marketplace in Tovaca, where the host of Culinaria Tikariot, Susanna Wheymore, had left off last time.

Susanna Wheymore: Good afternoon Tikariot, welcome back to Culinaria Tikariot and welcome back to Tovaca as well! As you can see, we have returned to the streets of Tovaca and after having enjoyed their street food so much, Gilbert here is going to follow through with his promise to show us a bit more, less call it, 'advanced' dishes you can find here and after having tasted the pastries and flatbreads so far, I honestly can't wait to explore more!

With this Gilbert Landreau from the Tovaca Culinary Institute comes into the picture with a wide smile on his face.

Gilbert Landreau: Hi Susanna, happy you enjoyed Tovaca so far, so since it is still early, let's have a look at some breakfast in one of our cafes, shall we?

Susanna Wheymore:Absolutely, lead the way!

With that they set off and they don't have to go much further than two street corners alongside the edge of the market plaza to reach a quaint cafe with a few small tables and chairs set out under red and white umbrellas.

Gilbert Landreau: Of course, you can get your regular staples of breakfasts here in Tovaca--and Taeria overall--but that's obviously not what you are after, the bread, the eggs, the bacon, etc. If you want to eat more like the locals, then you come to a place like this and you will see that it is a quite eclectic mix, because it's the "a little bit of this and a little bit of that" approach with a lot of small plates and bowls. Some staples are small roasted flatbreads, which are maybe the size of your palm and they are like a blank canvas. You can have them sweet with honey or some jam, you can have them savory with some ham or some Tovacan cheese, there is excellent salty goat cheese that works really well, or just plain olive oil. You will also find thick yogurt being almost omnipresent, which often is mixed with honey and then some seasonal fruit, pomegranate is a favorite, or different kinds of berries, which you will find can send you on a nice, cool and refreshing start into an often hot day. Of course, it would not be Tovaca, if you couldn't also get a pazzatat of pretty much any of the usual varieties, Tovacans eat those at literally any time of the day

Susanna Wheymore:You are not making this easy to choose here!

GL (laughs): I know, I know, but that's why you can get things in small portions here, so you can try a couple of them.

As the two dig into the breakfast offerings, the picture shows scenes from the market, which is bustling at this early hour, with the fresh wares, fruit, vegetables, fish, and more, arriving, before cutting back to Susanna and Gilbert entering the actual market proper.

Susanna Wheymore:This was delicious! And the nice thing is that you don't feel heavy and full!

Gilbert Landreau: Yes, that is one thing in an often hot climate, you don't want to be burdened with a heavy, filling meal right from the get-go, especially if there is a lot more to be discovered!

Susanna Wheymore:So this here is one of the many markets of Tovaca and as we can see, there is a lot going on already!

Gilbert Landreau: Life starts early before it gets too hot. You probably have noticed that the way the old town is built, you have these narrower streets, but higher buildings, which is not just because they tried to fit as much as possible within the old city walls, but also to keep the heat out, and the same goes for the activities, they start early to get everything set up, so that once it gets hotter throughout the day, everybody can stay within the city walls and under the canopies.

Susanna Wheymore:Then let's dive right in!

With this they disappear into the crowd. When the picture rejoins them, it's clear that quite some time has elapsed.

Susanna Wheymore:Seeing all of this makes me hungry!

Gilbert Landreau: Well, it's getting close to lunchtime, so that's not surprising.

Susanna Wheymore:It is? Wow, time really flies when you have fun! So, what would you recommend?

Gilbert Landreau: Let's find one of the barbecue stalls for some skewers!

It doesn't take long before they come across a stand with a huge, black grate over what almost looks like a smoldering pit of hell with embers and some flames shooting up where some of the fat dripping off the multiple offerings on top of the grill ignites.

Susanna Wheymore:Wow, when you said barbecue stall, I expected something a little, uh, smaller.

Gilbert laughs.

Gilbert Landreau: Go big or go home! If you can't find something barbecuable here, you will not find it anywhere else! So one of the big grilled things in Tovaca are skewers of almost any kind. Different meats, vegetables, mixes of them, eat them right off the skewer or wrapped in a nice ftara bread with some garlic sauce or some chilis and vegetables, what would you like to go for?

Susanna Wheymore:Phew, this is hard... Maybe some of the chicken in a ftara with garlic sauce?

Gilbert Landreau: And some chilis?

Susanna Wheymore:Uh, ok?

Gilbert Landreau: Haha, still feeling the heat from yesterday?

Susanna Wheymore:Yep.

Gilbert Landreau: Well, the garlic sauce will help tone it down a bit, so which of the peppers do you want to go for? Some Tren de la Noche? Scorched Earth?

Susanna Wheymore:Uh, no thank you, maybe I'll try a Tovaca Tempest?

Gilbert Landreau: Good choice, so let's go for it!

Without much talk one of the attendants takes a ftara, adding some vegetables, and with some flourish grabs a skewer, sliding the meat right into the bread before adding a generous slather of garlic sauce and then some chopped up peppers.

Susanna Wheymore:OK, here goes!

She takes a bite, then another and finally her face turns a good bit redder as she obviously has hit the peppers. Gilbert looks at her with a somewhat amused look on his face.

Gilbert Landreau: Are you ok?

Susanna Wheymore:Yes, I am, this is really hot, but the flavor is just amazing! You feel the burn, but you still taste it and the meat, the slight char, and then the creaminess of the garlic sauce, this is wonderful!

Gilbert smiles and then holds out his wrap.

Gilbert Landreau: Here, have a sniff.

Susanna Wheymore:Whoa! I feel like my whole nose is on fire!

Gilbert Landreau: This is the Scorched Earth one, this is serious, serious stuff.

Susanna Wheymore:I'd say, remind me not to try this one, because I think this could set me on fire!

Gilbert Landreau: Haha, I'll keep that in mind.

After some more pictures moving through the market, we arrive at Susanna and Gilbert on the other end of the plaza.

Gilbert Landreau: Now there's one more place I'd like to show you, both for the food and also for the place.

They exit the plaza through one of the many sandstone arches and find themselves at one of the outer rings of Tovaca, with a restaurant has a terrace with an absolutely spectacular view towards the Xandrian Sea. Gilbert leads her to a table right at the edge and the view indeed has Susanna at awe as they take a seat.

Susanna Wheymore:Wow, I am speechless, this is just beyond spectacular!

Gilbert Landreau: This has been an institution for decades and also with some of the best food in the city, if not province and I figured that it'd be a great place to finish off our travel here. Their specialty here is Tiġieġ Tovaca or Tovacan Chicken. It's slow-cooked, tender chicken in a creamy yellow chili sauce made with Dunes of Taeria chilis over a bed of couscous and some root vegetables on the side.

Susanna Wheymore:Sounds marvelous!

It doesn't take long and two large plates are placed in front of them, which indeed looks like some dunes of the desert.

Susanna Wheymore:Ooh, pretty! Oh my god, this is heavenly! The chicken literally melts on your tongue and goes so great with the creaminess of the sauce and it has just that hint of spice, this really is one of the best dishes I have ever eaten! Unfortunately, we are also out of time and you will not get much talking from me anymore anyways, because I just want to enjoy this, haha. Thank you so much, Gilbert, for a beautiful and extremely tasty time here in Tovaca, for you out there, if you can come here, it is so worth it, if you can't, try to find an authentic Taerian restaurant to get this right here! Our next edition will be taking us to the Cardannon Archipelago, see you there!

by **Brenecia** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 6:59 pm

Brenecia 0 - 0 Karodin Tetrarchy
(4-4-2) 12 - Corder; 17 - Hadley (2 - Sidle 62'), 18 - Killen, 5 - Shrine, 3 - Culpepper; 7 - Carpenter, 19 - Seager, 8 - Conway (23 - Sitko 62'), 10 - Byrne (16 - Marusak 75'); 21 - Lofthouse (14 - Tristram 75'), 9 - Baker

95X 0 - 3 Brenecia
(4-4-2) 12 - Corder; 17 - Hadley, 22 - Fitz, 5 - Shrine (6 - Staplewood 84'), 3 - Culpepper (25 - Reed 61'); 15 - Wake, 19 - Seager (4 - Briggs 53'), 8 - Conway, 10 - Byrne; 21 - Lofthouse, 13 - Stokes
Goals: Stokes 41', Seager 71', Stokes 79'

SPECIAL REPORT
Ascertaining the readiness of the Brenecian military
Ministry of Defence

BACKGROUND
Brenecia's military has dealt with unprecedented challenges over the past decades. Governments have swung between trying to prioritise the military above all else, encouraging high spending on unrealistic stretch goals, and heavy cost-cutting measures that have stripped away even the basic necessities. As a result, while the degree funding could have been used effectively, much of it has been squandered on vanity projects. While we are in no position to significantly bankroll the army now, it is essential to align a bipartisan consensus on what priorities the military has, if and when new funds are made available.

TERRITORIAL ARMY
The Territorial - descended from the original First and Second Territorial, branches of unified Grand Nephara's army - presently serves as Brenecia's de facto reserve force. However, it has unfortunately picked up many of the dregs left behind in the wake of the formation of the Federal Army.

The Territorial can call on approximately 92,000 men and women who have gone through basic training. They are armed with outdated but still effective weaponry, most often the heavy and unreliable InBaRi-33, which was abandoned decades ago by the Nepharan army for good reason. Most of its vehicles are old utility trucks with machine-guns strapped to the back. In truth, they are little better than conscripts, and their use outside of a defence of home would be of laughable effectiveness.

FEDERAL ARMY
The hard end of the wedge of Brenecia's ground forces, the Federal Army enjoys some degree of training and equipment, but in some areas has been left completely underdone. Nevertheless, reforms under Dorian Blackwood have ensured a universal degree of discipline.

The Federal counts just under 60,000 servicemen and over 400 vehicles, of which only a few dozen are 'technicals'. Equipment is a mishmash, though largely significantly better than the Territorials get; there is a 'grab bag' feel, the result of having been scavenged from the flash sales of various first-class militaries over the past decades. The search is ongoing for a standardised service rifle.

NAVY
The Navy has generally been kept in better shape than the Army, thanks in part to its increased relevance. As an island nation whose recent governments have operated under a certain degree of paranoia, Brenecia's vessels are well-maintained, its crews well-stocked and well-trained, even in the absence of direct combat experience. This is likely the role in which it is to be of most use to any joint peacekeeping effort, though of course, Brenecia has no hope of stopping any serious first-world nation's assault.

One of the vanity projects of the Ward administration was a small fleet of four nuclear submarines, which are by a distance the most modern and effective part of the fleet. Beyond this, after a recent scrapping of a swathe of outdated vessels, Brenecia owns 13 large ships, 34 boats and 3,600 personnel.

AIR
Brenecia continues to lack an official air forces, with the nation's air capabilities seconded to the Federal Army or to the Navy; they are, in their own right, effectively nonexistent. Between the branches, Brenecia has 47 aircraft, very few of them up to modern standards.

NATIONS OF INTEREST
No nation currently poses an existential threat to Brenecia. However, most war-games tend to centre around Nephara, owing to their increased role as self-declared regional pacifiers, and Tumbra, owing to their ongoing conquest of the Northlands. As things stand, Brenecia would have no hope of withstanding a sustained offensive from either nation. As a result, maintaining a positive relationship with Eura is absolutely essential. We have no greater bulwark than Fiana Cove's continued existence and usefulness to Bastion. Our soon-to-be-acquired blood ties with Banija are also extremely welcome, and we should exploit this however we can - though, naturally, it further sours our relationship with Corvistone. In a strict 'deathmatch' scenario, however, Tumbra and Nephara would roll over our standing forces effectively without a fight.

LEADERSHIP
The Territorial Army's leadership is largely not fit for purpose, with many of their officer corps being where incompetents were shifted out from the Federal; however, more competence prevails in the Federal and the Naval commands. There is a significant degree of loyalty within the ranks, and many consider themselves indebted to Marshal Blackwood, whose status approaches godhood in the eyes of many. There is a troubling undercurrent of far-right sympathies within the officer corps, and to a lesser degree the soldiers under them. However, nothing suggests these men and women will not put Brenecia first under all circumstances.

READINESS
Brenecia's military has, thankfully, been almost entirely inactive since the formation of the nation, most notably keeping boots off the ground throughout the Corvidae wars. As a result, the absence of real combat experience among leadership and soldiery is a real factor.

The most significant test of the military, therefore, is the recent declaration of martial law. Again, the Federal stood up better than the Territorial; accounts of corruption and needless violence were rife within the latter camp. The Federal Army acquitted itself reasonably well where it was in use, maintaining discipline, though it too acquired a reputation for over-eager application of force. Nevertheless, the undercurrent of overzealous behaviour could stand to be reined in, and, it bears stating explicitly, almost the entire officer corps of the Territorial should be thrown into the sea.

CONCLUSION
This was a report to ascertain the combat readiness of Brenecia's armed forces; the only possible conclusion to draw is, 'they are not'. We are completely reliant on the goodwill of other nations to ensure our security situation, regardless of hawkish rhetoric in the past, and no matter the degree of investment in the future the fact is that Brenecia's capabilities will never catch up to very developed nations with a consistent cashflow of development.

As it stands, Brenecia's military could likely play a role in any peacekeeping obligations thrust upon it as part of the EU. The Federal Army and Navy both have well-trained personnel and some decent equipment, enough to pull the nation's weight as part of a greater effort. But it must be stressed, this is the very limit of Brenecia's capabilities for the forseeable future.

CODA: ULTRACONFIDENTIAL

BRENECIAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 4
Goalkeepers: 1 - Cessair Meade (Rammsissil, VIL), 12 - Phoebe Corder (Ituraitz FC, ASG), 20 - Casper Harder (Sparta Zijweg, AUD)
Defenders: 2 - Esther Sidle (SC Montfort, TLI), 3 - Nimue Culpepper (Sabrefell Athletic, NPH), 5 - Athelney Shrine (Falourr, EUR), 6 - Cerys Staplewood (Suttonville, EUR), 17 - Caoimhin Hadley (Sabrefell Athletic, NPH), 18 - Iucharba Killen (North Laithland, NPH), 22 - Patrick Fitz (Royal Rumiatzi, ASG), 25 - Shana Reed (Creed United, NPH)
Midfielders: 4 - Skaidrina Briggs (Southern Star), 7 - Kendra Carpenter (Wirr Tsi, CMT), 8 - Iseult Conway (Wirr Tsi, CMT), 10 - Katua Byrne (KT Itzalovalle, AUD), 11 - Lienke Covolan (Vermillion Rage, NPH), 15 - Maerhen Wake (1830 Cathair, AUD), 16 - Sylvia Marusak (Juavi FC, VAL), 19 - Tamara Seager (FK Arsika, MYT), 23 - Rajmund Sitko (West Cuono United, TMB), 26 - Vaida Meskela (Makosile, VIL)
Forwards: 9 - Siobhan Baker (Anomalies, CMT), 13 - Mor-Rioghain Stokes (Mountainside, EUR), 14 - Danand Tristram (Sabrefell Athletic, NPH), 21 - Jadwiga Lofthouse (Yassaca, SRS), 24 - Cyprian Korsak (Kingsgrove)

Sharktail 1 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 1 - 0 Captina Island
Savojarna 2 - 1 Brenecia
BYE
Brenecia 0 - 0 Karodin Tetrarchy
95X 0 - 3 Brenecia
Brenecia vs. United Adaikes
Garbelia vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Huelavia
Adab vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Polkopia
Brenecia vs. Sharktail
Captina Island vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Savojarna
BYE
Karodin Tetrarchy vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. 95X
United Adaikes vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Garbelia
Huelavia vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Adab
Polkopia vs. Brenecia

by **Hapilopper** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 7:04 pm

The Team Hapilopper Headquarters, Hapilopper City
A day after World Cup 92 Qualifying Match 6: Hapilopper 0-0 Kuraita
The mood among Team Hapilopper was not good. Yes, the team was a very manageable two points off the lead, even as second-place Poafmersia had played one less match. But the fact of the matter was that Team Hapilopper had blown an opportunity, tying with Kuraita, who was 7th in the group. The fans let the team know it too, and booed the Haps at the end of the match. Nobody was happy about being booed by their own home fans, but they could kind of understand why. They could understand why they were being booed.

Even still, some players handled it less well than others. Toby Bryson shrugged as he jogged under the tunnel, as did other players. But Jerold Dickman and Ashley Stanford didn’t handle it well at all. Ashley spotted a couple of fans screaming at her, and she screamed right back, giving the fans the middle finger. In response, a fan threw a cup of soda at Ashley and she started to rush into the stands, being restrained by Team Hapilopper coaches. Needless to say, morale was low among the team, but it could be much, much worse.

Peter Robson, spotting the mayhem from inside the tunnel, realized that something had to be done. He quickly got back to his locker, got his cell phone and made a call to members of “The Asskickers” party group.

The next morning, as the Team Hapilopper players got back to the headquarters, they found out, pretty quickly, just what “The Asskickers” had pulled off. And so did Dom Probst.

To the surprise of the players, Probst was sitting in the middle of the locker room. Probst never went in the locker room unless something was up. He let the coaches do their thing, and he took care of administrative business. But he was in the middle of the locker room, and he looked very, very pissed off. Some of the players figured it had to do with the 0-0 tie. Others figured it had to do with Ashley Stanford almost going into the stands to give the angry fan the “what for.” And others figured it might have had to do with the players yelling back at the fans.

They were all wrong.

“As soon as everyone gets in, we’re having a team meeting, we’ve got a big problem,” Dom said, spitting the words through his teeth.

Peter, meanwhile, was trying to keep a straight face. He knew what had happened, but he couldn’t say anything. Nobody else knew, however, and Peter hoped to keep it that way until Dom let loose with what he had found. As all the players got into the locker room, they all quickly realized that all was not well with Dom Probst, and he was about to tell everyone why.

“I don’t know who did it, and I’d sure like to know who,” Dom started. “But would someone like to explain how and why there is a fucking full-size DAIRY COW in my office?!”

Peter exploded with laughter. This had taken a good bit of effort with his fellow Asskickers members, and the payoff was brilliant, primarily because of the way Dom had taken it. But Dom saw Peter explode with laughter, and was not the least bit impressed. The other players realized what was going on, and they too started laughing once they realized that, yes, Peter Robson and his friends had put a dairy cow in Dom Probst’s office, which, at best, was a ballsy move, and at worst, downright suicidal.

“Robson?” Dom asked, turning towards Peter. “You want to explain this? A dairy cow? How the hell?”

“Want to milk it?” Peter asked with a wiseass tone of voice.

“NO, I DON’T WANT TO FUCKING MILK THAT COW!” Dom snapped. “Are you out of your mind? How the hell did you get a full-sized milk cow in my office? And what the hell were you thinking?”

“Well, you see, I figured we need something to brighten our day,” Peter explained. “We’ve been working our asses off trying to get ready for these matches, we’re not necessarily in the best of moods and I think a few of us are on the verge of cracking. We’ve had 5 am wakeups, we’re being cut off from the rest of our lives, maybe we need a little bit of levity, something to get us in a good mood before these next matches, you know? We’ve got a real pitfall ahead of us with Kimi-Suomi and we can’t get too wound up, otherwise, we’re fucked, you know?”

Dom shook his head in resignation. He figured Peter had a point, but still. And it seemed all was going to be well, until Myrone Rhule could be heard retching up in the office row.

“WHAT IS THIS DAMN MILK COW DOING UP HERE?” Rhule could be heard shouting. “UH, DOM, IT JUST TOOK A DUMP IN YOUR OFFICE!”

Dom froze. Everyone else did too. If looks could kill, Dom would have massacred the entire team. He stared a hole through Peter Robson, shook his head and walked off without saying a word. When he got back, Dom found out it was true – the cow had, alright, “done its business” on the floor of his office. His first reaction was to have Peter shot, then kicked off the team. But Thom Perkins turned the situation around, noting that the team was loose, happy and ready to go after what was being called the “Cow Shit” incident. Maybe that’s what Team Hapilopper needed, was a little levity.

by **Graintfjall** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 7:09 pm

– 0 (0)

– 2 (1)
Mikkel; Sigurbergur, Grímúlfur (c) (89’ Asbjørn ), Eyvar, Jan; Tinni (59’ Kjárr ); Steinar (89’ Arendt ), Danny, Valtter, Þrastar (77’ Röskvi ); Jason (31’, 68’) (77’ Mímir )

Græntfjall – 2 (1)
Emmely; Michelle (86’ Sigurbergur ), Eyvar, Sveinbjörg (80’) (86’ Asbjørn (90+3’)), Jasmijn (68’ Leona (90+1’)); Tinni (45+1’) (68’ Kjárr ); Johanna, Kæja (63’ Ari ), Sara (c) (63’); Emilia (73’), Lara (6’)

New Eestiball – 1 (1)
709 (45+1’ pen.)

The Snow Wolves finally moved top of their qualifying group with a gutsy 2–0 win over Audioslavia featuring football of striking ugliness on both sides. A fearless performance in goal from Mikkel Rúnarsson, Sigurbergur Geirröðursson and Jan Játmundsson both looking significantly better than second options on their respective full back wings, and Danny Oddkellsson pulling the strings when asked to turn playmaker in his most assured performance to date all impressed; Jason Þórhallursson turned back the years to bully in two characteristic short range smash-and-grab jobs. He was rested for the return leg of the international break as the Snow Wolves played their first ever World Cup qualifier at the TQG Langvöllur Arena in Hofvinger, and though a sloppy penalty just before the half cancelled out Lara Auðunsdóttir’s early strike, Sara Kristoffersdóttir re-donned the captain’s armband after a couple of games out and zinged her way to a stylish goal, running past three defenders and finishing with a chip off her less favored right. But with the Bulls perfect outside of the first game, and Tikariot likewise apart from their MD1 meeting with the Snow Wolves, Græntfjall have thus far done only just enough to keep their head above water. Ensuring qualification remains a long way off as the international season stretches ahead of them. Alyssia Noahsdóttir is an injury date for the next window with a minor ankle injury, while despite getting back into scoring ways Lara won’t feature having broken her wrist.

Queen Júlíana to undertake first interplanetary royal visit: first stop, Kaedeki

Queen Júlíana will make history as the first Græntfjaller to visit another planet, the Höll was announced, as it was revealed that the monarch herself was aboard the Silfur Rakettur spaceship that launched from the GANAX Cosmodrome last night. The mission, conducted amid great secrecy given the security implications, saw the Queen, members of the Foreign and Trade Ministries, and several courtiers, board the Silfur Rakettur, which will be piloted by GANAX cosmonaut Captain Jon Berentsson and accompanied by mission specialist Kía Leiðólfsdóttir. The secrecy meant a low-key ceremony for the departure, which was listed on public schedules as a routine satellite launch, but vast crowds are expected to attend the return. The launch cleared Earth orbit successfully, with GANAX flight manager Sigurbaldur Guðleiksson saying it was a ‘10/10 perfect launch’.

The Silfur Rakettur will fly to Sonnel and land in Kaedeki where upon landing Queen Júlíana will enter the ranks of interplanetary monarchy. “For some time we have desired to have a more fully developed partnership with Sonnel than simply shouting out ‘seven!’ at random intervals,” says Prime Minister Kaija Michaelsdóttir. “And I can think of no better envoy on our behalf than our illustrious monarch herself.” While the Queen’s full itinerary is being kept secret for security reasons it is to be expected that she might visit Drawkland and Juvencus, nations Græntfjall has developed soft power relations with through international sports, while her well known love of fish means she could see her way to Sulsuland. Security procedures are said to be “fantastically tight” and the mission has been in planning for many months. While the primary concerns are the rigors of space travel on the elderly Queen, courtiers have pointed out she remains in excellent health and regularly exercises by riding horses, going bow-hunting, and getting in some cardio by whipping poachers caught on her crown lands. Precautions against extraterrestrial kraken activity are in place and the Silfur Rakettur will be accompanied by two military starfighter-grade rocket ships.

The visit has been broadly welcomed by the public. “I think it’s fantastic, a really modern monarchy,” says accountant Hjálmgeir Hinriksson. Nurse Snjófríður Dalísdóttir says she thinks “the Queen is sure to make a great impression” and “can’t wait to see pictures of her in Kaedeki”, which will be beamed back by satellite beacon. Even royal critics from the NDF have wished the Queen a safe voyage. “Whatever our differing views on the role of an inherited position of privilege having absolute political primacy in what is meant to be a modern democracy,” said constitutional affairs spokesman Atli Steinkelsson, “I think we can all agree that rockets are frickin’ cool!!!”

“Sylvia the Server” encapsulates Reform 30/30’s identity problem

It’s the campaign nightmare every politician dreads. During a meet and greet with voters, shake hands, smile, kiss babes, pose for selfies – and avoid difficult questions like the plague. So when Victoría Valdimarsdóttir turned and answered “Yes!” to a call from the crowd asking whether she could “answer a simple question”, her aides must have been tempted to fake a buttbuttination attempt and hustle her out of the building. When, nine excruciating minutes later, she was still yet to answer the question, they may have been rethinking how fake it should be. And as the leader of a new party still struggling to explain its identity and purpose to an electorate poised to deliver a huge mandate to an incumbent party that has already fought this tough battle to the top, she may have delivered a knockout blow. To herself. Before the first debate has even taken place.

The question was posed by Sylvia Hávarðsdóttir, a young server at Sebastien’s, a chain restaurant that specializes in Azurean cuisine. The Græntfjaller appetite for seafood has made Sebastien’s a quick hit and several branches have opened in recent years across the nation. Valdimarsdóttir was canvassing in Molding, in South Háttmark, where a branch has recently opened. While speaking to young voters at Hagalín Valtersson Technical College, the question came from the crowd: would she answer a simple question. The confidence in her “yes” soon turned sour as Sylvia laid out her question. She introduced herself as a young school leaver working her first job to help support her parents, saying that she’d been able to save up enough for her first apartment while also contributing to her parents: her father needs assisted care following a workplace accident. But her budget is tight and the new taxes being proposed by Reform 30/30 would eat into her margins. “Could you give me an example of a tax your party would cut?”

It took nine minutes and seventeen seconds before Valdimarsdóttir’s sputtering attempt at an answer died in a hail of coughs. Aides finally persuaded her away from the gaggle of press microphones, pleading that she had a “pressing engagement”. With a bottle and a glass, joked some of the journalists scribbling up the copy. Maybe not the glass, replied some of the others. Aside from the fact that Reform 30/30’s manifesto does include a few tax cuts, such as reinstating the mortgage relief controversially axed by the Progressive Liberal government, there were other ways of answering the question. “Their [Reform 30/30’s] proposed expansion of the individual allowance for income tax would effectively serve as a large personal tax cut for low pay workers like Sylvia,” says journalist Anný Sívarsdóttir. “But instead, she just started talking about how it was good that plastic bags were going to cost more.”

Græntfjall has never had a major environmentalist party before, and Reform 30/30’s meteoric rise last year after they were formed from the ashes of several previous failed inceptions seemed to promise much. They won a slate of seats across important council elections. “Last year they had a simple message: it’s 2030, it’s time to take climate change seriously,” says elections analyst Fritz Jóndórsson. “Now it’s 2031, and it’s much less clear what they stand for.” The party was formed with the aim of bringing to attention Græntfjall’s failure to meet major emissions targets in 2030, but quickly expanded to national politics as disaffected right-wing Left-slate members fled Ingiberg Leifsson’s drive to the hard left while moderate Blue-Greens and Progressive Liberals looked for a new home as Falgeir Brjánsson and Kaija Michaelsdóttir seemed to tack to the right on questions of Islam, defense, foreign policy, and immigration.

According to Sívarsdóttir, the problem is one of “not selling why environmentalism is good for the man on the street.” “For all the talk of Jabal Akhdar, the CRC… most voters vote based on pocketbook issues. The economy has improved under the Progressive Liberals, so persuading voters they should give up some of that prosperity in order to save some puffins.” She also points to the party launch by the Progressive Liberals, which clearly attempted to “co-opt” the environmental ground from “under Reform 30/30’s feet”. Jóndórsson feels that Sylvia the Server encapsulates the problem.

“Græntfjallers do not like voting for political monopoly, they are very wary of handing the Prog-Libs a massive majority,” he says. “There are a lot of voters out there who are looking for a reason not to vote P-L. Reform 30/30, though, are struggling to give them one when they can’t make the case ‘we can save the planet and here’s how that’ll help your bottom line’.” He says Græntfjallers are not “selfish” but that “there’s definitely a ‘what’s in it for me?’ attitude.” Valdimarsdóttir, he says, “couldn’t come up with a convincing answer.” As to evidence of social media accounts showing Sylvia Hávarðsdóttir to be a Progressive-Liberal member, who only began working at Sebastien’s a week before the visit? “Even if it was a plant… she still took the question. Once that happens, it’s all on her. And at this early test, she failed.”

Also in the paper:

NEWS: Reports of massive explosions in Jabal Akhdar
BUSINESS: New Græntfjaller Central Bank chair appointment takes hard line against crypto fraud
POLITICS: “We will seen the Queen to Mars”: escalating election promises
MUSIC: The unmetallic peninsula: younger Græntfjaller increasingly embrace EDM, country, blues over metal and hard rock
SPORT: Cornered? Explaining the Snow Wolves’ problem with set piece defense

by **Kandorith** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 7:19 pm

Shinonome Kyoai - International

Game on! - Kandorese national team holds strong in group 2

Before a bye day, the Kandorese had to face The Licentian Isles first, and the determined Michiyu ensured the media that mistakes would not be tolerated against them. The night shaped up to be exactly what they desired from the national team. With little to no mistakes, the Kandorese national team sailed towards victory while not conceding any goals themselves. Thrilling? Yes? A good prospect for the upcoming games and morale. An absolute yes.
By Natsumi Miyasaki
Sports

^{SHARE THIS:}

 PGroup 2                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Kandorith                         5    5   0   0    22    9  +13    15
 2 Ranoria                           5    5   0   0    11    1  +10    15
 3 Yuezhou                           6    3   2   1    12    7   +5    11
 4 Pyazhnaya                         6    3   1   2    12   12    0    10
 5 Squornshelan Remnant States       6    2   3   1    14   13   +1     9
 6 South Covello                     6    2   1   3     8   11   −3     7
 7 Sargossa                          5    1   1   3     6    7   −1     4
 8 The Licentian Isles               5    1   1   3     7   13   −6     4
 9 Bongo Johnson                     6    1   1   4     6   14   −8     4
10 North and South Vietnam           5    0   2   3     3    6   −3     2
11 Boring Paradise                   5    0   2   3    13   21   −8     2

Where the previous games of the national team were absolute thrillers of matches with goals a-plenty, the game against the Licentian Isles was more of a calm day for the Kandorese team. Michiyu fielded as many irregular players as possible, leaving the star players either on the bench or out of the starting squad in a full rotation of the team. It was not exactly spectacular, but a beautiful, nearly faultless three-to-nothing win for the Kandorese nonetheless. The current qualification campaign could not have a better start for Michiyu and the Mekahi squad. With five matches played, the Kandorese share the first spot in Group 2 with a goal difference in their favour. Though the group has been consolidating from the earlier points, Yuezhou and Pyazhnaya are also closing in and are now within a possible 4 and 5-point reach, respectively.

The match against The Licentian Isles was a statement of the tactical prowess of Michiyu's vision for Kandorese football again, as the team is enjoying a five-match winning streak currently, scoring 22 goals already and only letting 9 goals go past the goalkeeper. Currently, there is no special feeling around the qualification yet, as the half-way point has not even been reached, but the Mekahi are certainly showing their best side so far. Michiyu stated before the qualifiers even began that getting good results right out of the gates would be a priority and then holding on to those results to keep morale high during the rest of the qualifiers was a must. For the fans, the current victories of the Kandorese team are creating a positive atmosphere around the nation and songs of praise are sung in many bars.

"I get that people are enthusiastic about what is happening right now. Though I do not share the great enthusiasm the fans are showing yet, We still have a long way to go, and we should be careful about getting complacent. We have a few large matches coming up, and we should definitely focus on those as a team. Although I do have to admit that I am quite pleased with how the team is performing currently, "Michiyu stated after the victory over the Licentian Isles The Licentian Isles (0-3) to Shinonome Kyoai.

The current success of the Kandorese team, combined with previous World Cups, has been sweeping the nation for years now, and the true revival of football in the empire is in full swing. Kandorith believes that qualifying for the World Cup and focusing on the group stage early in the qualification process is a must, while not losing track of the qualifications themselves. While Michiyu is still rotating some players around, the final squad is taking shape steadily and will possibly be showing their first real starting eleven in the upcoming matches. The only real opponent right now for the Kandorese is the currently second-placed Ranoria, whom the team will face on the last matchday of the qualifiers.

"It's very important that we keep our heads in the game and that we have shown enormous progress in both the defensive areas and the resilience of our play as a whole," Michiyu pointed out. "For Kandorith and the people within the empire who all put their trust and faith in us, this is a staple on the national team right now. We have started these qualifiers with some impressive victories, and, of course, the people will want more games like that. We are prepared to take the fight to the fields of any nation and once again show what we are worth. "

The Kandorese will face a well-known opponent in the next game, the Squornshelan Remnant States, who last time the two teams met kept Kandorith at bay with a draw. This could well be a much-needed win to keep the number one position in the group, as Ranoria are currently steamrolling through the group too. After facing the Squornshelan Remnant States, Bongo Johnson will follow, whose track record currently isn't that great. This is where Michiyu pointed out the dangers of complacency. "That they are at the lower end of the group table does not mean they are harmless," Michiyu said. "Teams like those can be the most dangerous, especially if you are on a great winning streak. In the past, we have had our troubles with lower ranked teams and teams sitting at the bottom half of the group. We need to keep ourselves from making those same mistakes as we did in previous qualifiers. "

With eyes on matchday seven and eight, the team will be walking onto the field with full confidence to face the Squornshelan Remnant States on the grounds of the Empress Masumi stadium in Tenkyo. While home games have been the curse of the Kandorese national teams in the past, those times seem to have been left in the past as there have only been a few awkward moments while playing at home so far.

by **Saint Eleanor** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 7:25 pm

OOC: As I told Tikariot in April while commenting on Tyskerlund's leader factbook: "Princess Sylvia's idea of "informal attire" is a T-shirt, Daisy Dukes and standard-issue white trainers. /// Her dad, King Andrew, never pretends to look smart unless absolutely necessary. Which is much of the time. /// President George Mitcham might ditch the fancy blazer if he wants to look like a Man Of The People."

Princess Sylvia: "I consider it my responsibility to at least help us win matches"
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers asks possibly the most powerful woman in the national team about her efforts to become a bit more even-handed
Originally published on Monday 25th June 2001

You could be forgiven for thinking that Sylvia Hollenberg is overly posh, perhaps even a bit out-of-touch - and definitely not popular. "But I think I'd say I try my best to be a good person and a good player. It's not my fault most people hate me."

But even more people know Hollenberg better as Princess Sylvia of Atoccia, heiress to the throne there. "My younger brother is Prince David of Hillfort - the royal family has historically strong relations to the town, to the point where one of the local schools is called the Royal Institution because it was authorised by King Paul II in 1624 - but the eldest child of the monarch, and their eldest, and their eldest, and so on are 'of Atoccia' because the assumption is that they will go on to become King or Queen at some point." It is very well-known that she is eligible to represent Saint Eleanor by virtue of her mother, Queen Rebecca. "I would definitely say David is more popular than I am. The same people have gone after me for the past five years for a lot of reasons that don't make too much sense: first they complain that I've cut my hair short, but so did my grandmother, Queen consort Laura, in 1968 or so. Then that I'm dressing too informally despite the fact the royal family hasn't had a dress code for about a century and a bit. Then that I've been talking back at my teachers at the National Academy; I'll admit I've done it three times in six or seven years there. But representing 'a foreign country' was definitely the breaking point."

No need to go that fast: how did it all begin? "For brevity's sake, you spend seven years in secondary school in Atoccia - but the nation has an extremely competitive football league, possibly a result of having 1,750,000 inhabitants and a terrible senior league. King Andrew IV, my father, knew this as much as anybody. He wasn't actually that bad as a striker, but his performances definitely went alongside that of the [National] Academy. We won the league that one time he was the leading goalscorer [25 goals in 28 games, 1969] but mostly struggled when he went for less than one every two or so, although it was about 35 years ago and I obviously don't remember all of it. Anyway, he asked me if I wanted to play, I did, and most of my time there was spent as a starter. Although I was put in central midfield mostly because the manager thought my aura, so to speak, looked prettiest there: good at all sorts of things, not too willing to do silly things, happy to pass to teammates, happy to go forward if necessary, and so on. I'd say I repaid the favour."

But no - what was her school really like? "I mean, other than it being the fanciest in the country... it was quite good, although I studied for about three or four hours a day after school. This meant I made a lot of friends, but only four or five of them weren't really superficial relationships! This meant I was good at pretty much everything, but Terranean foremost. I'd immerse myself into anything I could read when I could, mostly books of all sorts but sometimes the local paper. The teachers liked my essays, the analysis, the detail; I can't go into all of it here but they thought I'd be good to apply for a university course. The University of Saint Eleanor definitely thought my grades were good enough, although the backup plan was actually the university about a five-minute walk away from the royal palace - which, strangely enough, is next door to the independent bookstore I loved going to and overlooks a small convenience store and my primary school. That's what not knowing anything about urban planning does to you." How's the University going? "Quite good, even if I'm behaving a bit similarly. It's a bit trickier but you'd expect that."

What three games does she feel most shaped her development as a player? "First of all... I'd have to go with the penultimate game of the 1996 season: Institution vs Academy. Everybody thinks that the 4-0 win against the Northern Cotadora School [in 1998] was the big one, but that was only because SESB covered it at the time. This, on the other hand, was much more important in terms of the title: we still do two points for a win in the Atoccian leagues, they were two points ahead of us so they'd most likely get the title with a draw. I was talking to the manager and the captain at 8am on the day of the game - I'm next in line to the throne but I wasn't even the captain! - and the general sense was that there was no need to panic, our centrebacks needed to lock onto the strikers and so on, I had to do a bit of marking as well but my real job was to get the ball forward and just about see to it that there was a goal. For obvious reasons, very little happened to concern us but I could say I helped out with the only goal of the game. The person I was supposed to be watching had the ball for a bit but was losing focus, so I decided to get at him and the ball; it took a few seconds but I got onto it in the end. I don't normally do long balls unless it's absolutely necessary but there were twelve minutes left, any mistake more serious than that would be costly so I put it forward, the goalkeeper barely touched it out and he left Graham Harris open for the winner. He was one of the five people or so I was actually friendly with; the last I checked, he was at the other university."

Second would be the 1-0 win against Independence 1975 towards the back-end of the 2000 season. "At the time, the race for the top four was heating up and we needed a win against Indy if we wanted to look like serious competitors; there were about nine or ten games left after that but it felt important, Emma Steele - she's actually a good manager, much better than the one they had before, I'm told - wanted to get there, we felt we could do it and we could. It's not like the Institution game where I set up the only goal: that would be a typical Jess Martin free kick. However, especially given what I was told was the quality of the opposition, I definitely feel as though it was my first really good game. Were they actually that good? Layla Grover was annoying, as she always is. I can't comment on [Liam] West and [Luke] Elliott, but they still appear to be good as ever; they stopped a lot. But the weak points that day were out wide: what I did when I stayed back, which I did a lot, was not to get myself into too many issues with Layla, hit the ball forward and a bit wide, hope that Jess or Hugh Roanoke gets to it, and that's how that happened, then. Obviously that's a summary, not a complete account, and I was thwarted while going forward a couple of times, but I'd say I was good."

Third is the 4-0 defeat at home to Brenecia's Southern Star in February, which all but put them out of the Challengers' Cup after the first qualifying round. "Pride's Run was bad. The University Grounds were worse - much worse! If you're just looking at the squad, they made no new signings over the winter, although I'll admit Emma didn't do this either, and were mostly getting on a bit in years. On the other hand, you could quite solidly argue that most of them are at their peak, and playing against others at their peak can only mean trouble. Their best player, and I'd say the best player that day hands down, was Medea Morin-Antonoff; I know she's mostly a reservist for [the Independent Athletes from] Quebec, but at the rate she was going that day, I'd be thinking 'thank goodness I don't have to play against her in the qualifying groups.' Scored once, set up a couple of others, knew where I was, stopped me from getting the ball, dispossessed me more than once when I did have it, the main reason I couldn't do a lot and - dare I say it - the reason why the tie was over by the time we settled into Brenecia. If you're wondering what happened to Jess and Hugh, they got cut off by the opposing players out wide, too. I know I like looking for improvements but this one just... had a lot of them. Emma thinks I've been coping well and we've been doing better in the league, but the last round before the summer holiday wasn't too good and I fear for what will happen if we carry on like this."

Hollenberg doesn't need to explain that "nobody has any problems with me, I don't have any problems with them and we've actually befriended each other a lot. As I said, the controversy is among the people watching the games, not the people who actually take part in them!" But despite having started all five qualifiers so far, how secure does she feel her role in the national team is, with competition in central midfield unusually strong? "I think I might be the most precarious starter in the entire lineup! If you look at the manager's preferred setup, Steve Pilchard could be replaced by most of the central midfielders or any of the strikers on the bench; I honestly think he'd be better suited up front full time, although he'd need Dekamela [weMexala] or perhaps Melcheta [Pazorzal] alongside him, and [Occidental] Olympic has two starting strikers already. Bridget Coombe is mostly safe, unless the manager wants to give Lydia Nicholls a runout instead. I'm just there and the impression I'm getting is that I could be replaced by almost anybody at any time for just about any reason."

Some people have argued that Hollenberg has been somewhat constrained by playing with a somewhat more attacking posture than would have been expected - perhaps even by Priscilla Evans. "I'm not sure we have our tactics right this cycle so far, but if I could drop back a bit, play next to Bridget and let Steve work with whoever the number nine is, that would be pretty cool - although I'm going to say I'd be replaced by Lydia if that happened right now." But on the other hand, my impression of Hollenberg's performance towards the end of the opening qualifier was that she was 'an okay defensive midfielder at best;' is that a fair assessment? "Yes, and I think that's definitely something to work on. I won't be there for all of it, but I'll ask Lieutenant [Stephen] Mitcham what he can do to help during the summer training camp. I'm probably better at my club because I know my role and I can adapt based on the circumstances: when you're playing in central midfield next to somebody who really wants to be a playmaker but has been moved back a bit to avoid anyone complaining... it's either that or Steve becoming a striker, forever. Not that the King would wish that on him, of course."

Joint-fifth alongside Atheara in Group 10, the White Stars will be looking to get their qualifying campaign back on track when Sevendia visit on Wednesday. How many goals will Saint Eleanor score? "You expected me to say seven, didn't you? If we're going to be realistic, the fact we could not score against New South Yukon - an unranked side with almost no defence whatsoever to speak of - was immensely disappointing. Hopefully we can score at least once, but goals will mean very little if the Sevendians decide to pin us against the wall and I should hopefully be able to contribute to the effort where I'm needed." Only seven nations conceded fifteen or more goals in the first four rounds, New South Yukon among them. "I know, right? But that's beside the point: a lot of people think we can't deliver after what's happened in the two April games and I consider it my responsibility to at least help us win matches, perform against better opponents, put the New South Yukon incident behind us and hopefully qualify for the World Cup again."

Yes, Sylvia Hollenberg is softly and eloquently spoken enough you might as well think you've heard her voicing the directions on your sat-nav a few thousand times before. While she is trying desperately to match that with similarly smooth results on the pitch, she admits she has quite a way to go, accepts she has to fight for every minute and hardly seems as controversial as she actually is once you get to talk to her for about half an hour. The long summer of international football will matter to the entire squad - but to Hollenberg more than most.

by **Vilita** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 7:31 pm

FOOTSPORT ASSOCIATIONS OF VILITA & ELECTRUM - WC92 ✓

@FAVE92
Word is that some theoretical vexillologists at @Tropicorp have come up with a new flag design to ensure @VilitaNT actually win a game this World Cup. Also, don't forget the @SpinningLeek 20% offer - root or no root!

#CUTOFF :: #GRP_8-15

by **Ranoria** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 7:57 pm

Snow Bears Throttle South Covello In Fourth Consecutive Shutout, Yuezhou Looms In Week 7

The Snow Bears dominated South Covello 3-0 coming out of their bye to make it a franchise-best 5-0-0 start to the WC92 Qualifiers

Credit to Banijan assistant coach Manlafi Sowe - the old-timer's been with the Snow Bears for three cycles now. At first, it was to try and maximize the final years of the original Ranorian World Cup core, but when they failed to make the Proper, he stuck around for the long haul - and in hilarious fashion earned us our first ever Cup of Harmony bid. Now, in the third time he's shown up with this squad in the World Cup Qualifiers, they finally appear ready to make some waves with five wins - they're unbeaten and untied to this point. Of course, head coach Mark Tilmann has been with the team from the start, and outside of the team's initial entrance has always managed to get his crew by with a winning record - but it's no secret that Sowe is the mastermind of this operation.

Now, what's next? This team being 5-0 is completely unprecedented. Sure, they typically start strong, but to be keeping pace with Kandorith, a team that's scored 22 goals during this run (ten more than the second-best mark in our group) is the definition of overperforming. Really, there's a reason we haven't generated much buzz despite the strong start - Ranoria managing to qualify for the World Cup would be nothing short of stunning, and maybe even an affront to the sport.

After the dominant showing against South Covello at least proved that this team wouldn't be too high on themselves coming out of the bye though, Yuezhou is the next team up. At 3-2-1, they've done alright for themselves, with their only loss coming in a nail-biter against Kandorith - can't hold that against them. They've got 11 points to our fifteen, and losing to them in this first matchup would make this race much tighter than anyone would like to admit after such a strong start. Mind you, we've also already hit our bye, and played one less game than them, but this is only the Snow Bears' second matchup against a team that came into World Cup 92 ranked higher than them at 48th to our 63rd. Last time we played a higher-ranked team, it was a 2-1 showdown against Squornshelan Remnant States, who scored the only goal the Snow Bears have conceded so far in this tournament.

Led by Kris Reinhardt, the back line is still leading the way - they're tied with some traditional powerhouses like Nephara and Savojarna with the fewest goals allowed so far in this tournament. The veteran center continues her aggressive play and it's paying off, especially with an athletic freak like Vincent Emilia at goalie to ensure any mistakes are mitigated and some speedsters around her in Sabra Sapharina, David Yarbarough, and Andrew Parrish who have the speed to cover up any lapses in judgement.

Match Results                                
MD1: Ranoria 2–1 Squornshelan Remnant States
MD2: Bongo Johnson 0–4 Ranoria
MD3: Ranoria 1–0 North and South Vietnam
MD4: Sargossa 0–1 Ranoria
MD5: Ranoria 3–0 South Covello

 PGroup Standings                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Kandorith                         5    5   0   0    22    9  +13    15
 2 Ranoria                           5    5   0   0    11    1  +10    15
 3 Yuezhou                           6    3   2   1    12    7   +5    11
 4 Pyazhnaya                         6    3   1   2    12   12    0    10
 5 Squornshelan Remnant States       6    2   3   1    14   13   +1     9
 6 South Covello                     6    2   1   3     8   11   −3     7
 7 Sargossa                          5    1   1   3     6    7   −1     4
 8 The Licentian Isles               5    1   1   3     7   13   −6     4
 9 Bongo Johnson                     6    1   1   4     6   14   −8     4
10 North and South Vietnam           5    0   2   3     3    6   −3     2
11 Boring Paradise                   5    0   2   3    13   21   −8     2

by **Baggieland** » Wed Oct 05, 2022 8:10 pm

Captain Fletcher rubbed his eyes as he stared at the map spread before him, he gave a smirk as he looked again at the rail line that was marked as running along the coastline of Baggieland. On this patrol, he had promised the crew an unusual prey; now they were buzzing excitedly about bagging a train.

The rail line itself wouldn't be any trouble. A shore patrol could go ashore under cover of darkness to plant the explosives… one of the sub's 55-pound scuttling charges. But this early morning Fletcher and his officers were puzzling over how they could blow not only the rails, but also one of the trains that shuttled along this route.

Midshipman Waller, the chief engineer, had an exciting new idea. Why not let the train blow itself up? Waller was excitedly explaining how he had cracked nuts on the railroad tracks before he joined the Senior Service, placing the nuts between two ties so the sagging of the rail under the weight of a train would break them open. "Just like cracking walnuts," he explained. "To complete the circuit (detonating the 55-pound charge) we hook in a micro switch… between two ties. We don't set it off, the TRAIN does!" The inventive crew of the sub went about building a microswitch. When the need was posed for a pickaxe and shovel to bury the explosive charge and batteries, HMS Onslaught's sailors had cut up steel plates in the lower flats of an engine room, then bent and welded them to create the needed tools.

As night fell, two dinghies were slowly lowered into the water and eight saboteurs began paddling towards the beach. Twenty minutes later the holes had been dug and the explosives and batteries hidden beneath fresh soil. Everything was set. They didn't have long to wait, as the frequent trains of Baggieland could be relied upon to stick to their schedule. The train approached and the darkness was shattered by a brilliant light and the roar of the explosion. The boilers of the locomotive blew, shattered pieces of the engine blowing 200 feet into the air. Behind it the cars began to accordion into each other, bursting into flames and adding to the magnificent fireworks display.

The crew let out a huge roar of approval as the burning remnants of what used to be a train lay all over the Baggielandian countryside. "Why a train?" enquired Sub-Lieutenant Travis. "For fun," came the Captain's reply.

And that is how HMS Onslaught became the submarine that sunk a train.

[Roleplays] :: World Cup 92

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