World Cup 85 || RP Thread

[Pasarga]

An exercise in frustration is what supporting the Wanderers feels like at this given time, with three straight matches where the side has dropped points. It is doubly frustrating when a victory in any of those three matches would have had the side all but qualified by now given the results in the rest of the group. When the side is so agonizingly close to fianlly returning to the World Cup Fianls, it is very difficult to watch as the side continues to slip up at the finish line time after time. The inconsistencies that have plagued the team the last decade rearing themselves once more at the worst possible time.

Yet for all its futility on the last few matches their destiny is still in their own control and things are optimistic. The team has a six point lead with three matches remaining against vastly inferior opponents and a superior goal difference to their chasing rivals. That the side is still in such a comfortable position is telling of the parity that this group and marathon of qualifying that has been imbued as well as their occasional shines of being a top 30 nation in matches they do win. Both Eraman and South Newlandia could have made this race much more interesting but their own failures during the home stretch have left the Wanderera rather unscathed despite their hiccups. One has to shudder to think of the pressure the side would be feeling if their rivals had not stumbled.

The tean that took on Juvencus, a side who was on paper supposed to be a challenger to a qualifying spot but never showed, looked tired. Perhaps the fatigue of such a long qualifying campaign is catching up to the team as they were slow to ever loose ball and tackle. The whole attack looked disjointed at time and the defense was quite sloppy. If not for some good goalkeeping, the team might have been well and truly embarrassed. However the keeper could not keep the heroics up for the whole ninety and eventually let in a goal from Juvencus. It is a disappointing result and makes it feel like the team is merely limping over the finish line rather than sprinting through and on to the next segment.

Every player on the squad will have to do some reflection and figure out what they are going to do to get themselves out of this run. The side is more than likely going to qualify, barring a sort of collapse that will see massive upheaval. Thus the question is not one for how will they get the final few results right but how do they get themselves right for what will come the late spring, early summer when they are in the Finals. Maybe they need to do some team bonding, maybe it it meditation to get their minds right. Questions are being asked and there is not long left for the dquad or its manager to figure out the answers. How will they do under that pressure? That answer may well define how they do come the Finals in a few months time.

[Trolleborg]

Previous parts of the story: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – 14 – 15 –16 – 17 – 18 – 19 –20 –21.

And beginning from this visit to the castle, the life of tourists finally entered the due track. After lunch, Naomi going on a shopping trip, and although she did not know any local brand of clothes, shoes or perfumes, and at first she was afraid that low prices indicated low quality, but then she built such a shopping list that Keith found it necessary warn her, that no aircraft probably hasn’t might enough to take everything she wanted to buy.

Wesley at that time participated in an interactive skiing downhill from a tall mountain, and almost really got himself a bump when he thundered into a snowdrift at a sharp bend. Then he played hockey, and after that participated in some important military campaign for the history of Trolleborg – the same one that struck him so much in the Historical Museum. But because of the all shooting and experienced emotions, all of Keith explanations of what this all means somehow passed him by. He would be too late for an appointment with Naomi if Keith hadn’t had enough patience to remind him about fifteen times that the meeting was about to happen.

Then they went to breathe sea air at the bay. After conferring with Keith, they make a choice between two options – one waterfront full of life and high-rise buildings in the east, and almost patriarchal stretch of coast. And they take second choice.

Than Naomi and Wesley spent more than two hours at sea, strolling back and forth, having a light bite on a summer terrace of a cafe and waiting for sunset there, reclining in comfortable chairs.

Already in the dark, the subway drove them to the city center, and at the suggestion of Keith, they went out at the station before their nearest and walked along a smartly decorated street - as the guardian of tourists herself said, best of the Trolleborg psychologists highly recommend to amuse their souls at bedtime just like that.

It was decided to spend good part of the third day separately - Wesley went to try his hand at the Military History Museum, where Kate promised him not only individual interactive platforms, but also a massive hand-to-hand fight with real participants, and Naomi chose to visit the fashion museum. Having met in the appointed place after dinner, they only said to each other in chorus: "Even a week is not enough!".

And they decided to end the day again, following the advice of Keith, who said that tomorrow is the day of the game, and there is simply no better moment than right now. This time she gave advise to visit to the highest observation deck in the capital, located on the “Sword and Crown” skyscraper, built with the royal family’s money. The monarchy in Trolleborg has long been abolished, as Keith explained, but its representatives still play a big role in the life of the state, setting an example of positive behavior and actively participating in the development of the country. Wesley and Naomi arrived at the skyscraper an hour before sunset, as their guardian angel gave them good advice, offering to do so in order to look at the city both in the light and when the sun sets. And they see the sunset and evening Trolleborg here,

received another charge of vivacity and went to sleep (according to the already established tradition), in an excellent mood.

[Kohnhead]

Kohnhead lose heart breaker against Busoga Islands

Hosting 5th placed Busoga Islands in the first of three match ups in a row against the teams we are competing against to advance to the World Cup and this game was one both sides could have easily walked away with three points. The Brains were unlucky not to get a single point, but sometimes that's how it works. This game by no means eliminates us and with two huge match ups incoming against Drawkland and Squornshelan Remnant States, we still can definitely make the miracle happen.

As I talked about Yesterday the opponents had made some tactical changes, moving some players into different positions in order to try and beat us early. There changes worked early on and the first 15 minutes or so were all Busoga Islands. In the 15th Busoga Islands would find the back of the net with Ikshu Amitabh scoring a beautiful textbook header off of a Kamu Jacobs cross.

Kohnhead has never been the team to fold after going a goal down and throughout the rest of the first half and early parts of the second The Brains created multiple chances and almost scored at least once. In the 60th minute Maltos would even the score to the delight of the crowd at Orange Bull Arena. This game was not over.

There were no more big chances for about 25 minutes as both sides settled in and it looked like both were content for one point. Late in the game (around the 84th) Busoga Islands suffered a heavy blow as Kamu Jacobs the guy who had the assist from earlier went down in clear pain. He had played his heart out and we all respect that, but now it was clear he couldn't play more. This was relief for Kohnhead as Jacobs had been torching the defense throughout the game, and had at least four shots on goal. Newcastle our goalie was playing well in preventing him from scoring.

Madhav Oojam, his replacement had not seen the pitch in five games and wanted a chance to beat us. He got one, and in the 87th we won a corner. Christopher Kohnhead is known to be a very intelligent coach who is good at making decisions in the crunch time. But with visions of the glory of victory in his head, and the loud chants of Orange Bull Arena behind him he sent too many players forward on the corner. Kohnhead has been marvelous as a coach guiding this team to heights we didn't think were possible for a first time team but he really messed up here. I can't really blame him, he went for the win, and Rallyton never misses his spot on corners.

Rallyton missed his spot on the corner and Busoga Islands went on the counterattack. The Keeper (al-Shareef) claimed it and sent it up to Oojam, who sent it down the line to Sarika Birla. Birla would play it back to Oojam who put the ball in the back of the net as Kohnhead would lose 2-1. After the match Christopher Kohnhead was asked about his decision to bring so many people up for the corner.

"We have never played for ties, it isn't the way we play. I thought we could get the win, and clearly it didn't work out. But playing for ties is not the way we do things on this team. Aaron came up to me after the game and said he agreed with the decision. Hindsight is key, but I would do that again 100 times out of 100 if I get the same situation. It's how we do it."

"Did the crowd influence you in your decision."

"No, not really, would have made that decision anywhere. That's all from me for today, you can speak with the players now if you want."

I admire the man's confidence, I do. That's who we are as a team, one that plays for the victory, not for the one point.

With three games left, thanks to an Squornshelan Remnant States tie to Kita-Hinode, Kohnhead still control their own destiny and are only two points out from the top.

Group 2                                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Kita-Hinode                                  21   16   5   0    54   24  +30    53 Q
 2 Drawkland                                    21   12   3   6    42   30  +12    39
 3 Squornshelan Remnant States                  21   12   2   7    48   36  +12    38
 4 Busoga Islands                               21   11   4   6    41   28  +13    37
 5 Kohnhead                                     21   11   4   6    41   32   +9    37
 6 Torisakia                                    21    9   7   5    42   32  +10    34
 7 Wreckeria                                    21    9   3   9    43   46   −3    30
 8 Donnacona                                    22    9   2  11    33   30   +3    29 X
 9 Gyatso-kai                                   22    7   5  10    43   44   −1    26 X
10 Lochario                                     21    5   6  10    30   44  −14    21 X
11 Jantor                                       21    4   5  12    26   46  −20    17 X
12 EGM                                          21    4   4  13    26   49  −23    16 X
13 Balaslandia                                  22    4   0  18    33   61  −28    12 X

Next up is the match against Squornshelan Remnant States on the road. The lineup due to no new injuries is the same as Yesterday's.

[Timuria]

Exciting Match Ends In Three Points

Timuria 4–3 Grod Island
Vatan Ercetin (13), Reza Karaduman (41), Ismail Burhan (70, 88);Grod Island #8 (44), Grod Island #9 (55, 69)

by Tufan Nursultan

The Red Wolves took an early lead, but found themselves quickly brought back to earth by their visitors meaning they had to go the hard way to three more points that may not be decisive when all is said and done, but the Red Wolves seem determined to hold up their end of the bargain as Bekir Altingunes was fond of saying.

Vatan Ercetin opened the scoring with an effort that deflected off the heels of a defender and managed to just be out of the reach of the visitors keeper. A chance to double the lead fell to Volkan Ayhan whose effort was well saved by the keeper.

Reza Karaduman would get a collector's item with a goal of his own, a shot that awkwardly bounced on its way into the goal as the keeper was wrong footed by his effort. Grod Island would get a goal from a free kick conceeded by Kemal Colak, whose rash effort cost the Red Wolves their clean sheet and gave momentum to their foes.

Grod Island's number 9 would get two goals, in the 55th and 69th minute respectively to give the visitors an unexpected lead as the match moved into its final chapter. Ismail Burhan would have the final say however, as his two well placed shots at a critical moment allowed to Red Wolves to keep all three points for themselves.

The result leaves the Red Wolves almost certainly heading for third place, before their match against Sargossa coming off a narrow 2-1 win over Audiaslania in a match that has been billed as the one that might determine Bekir Altingunes's fate.

What They Said After The Match:

Bekir Altingunes: "Well we're still mathematically in it, but when we're saying that we know what it really means. All we can do is keep on winning and keep trying to make it happen."

Player Ratings:

Look, I would've done a player-by-player analysis, but having been unable to make the deadline you'll have to do without it.

Iskender Nur 6/10

Ozbek Sarikaya 6/10

Kemal Colak 6/10

Berker Balkan 6/10

Gokdeniz Dag 6/10

Ertan Renda 7/10

Reza Karaduman 7/10

Caner Turan 7/10

Vatan Ercetin 7/10

Volkan Ayhan 7/10

Ismail Burhan 8/10

Substitutes:

Zeynel Abidin Birkan 6/10

Yildiray Sabuktiginoglu 6/10

Person of the Match: Ismail Burhan - The clinic striker got two critical late goals that made the difference today.

Schedule and Results:

Home stadiums will have capacity in brackets

MD1: @ Xuzaqiy W 5-3
MD2: vs Cassadaigua, Dev Halk Stadium (30,000), Demir L 3-2
MD3: @ Kelssek L 2-1
MD4: vs Barunia, Tashkent Belediye Isci Stadium (18,500), Tashkent L 4-1
MD5: @ Audiasania W 3-2
MD6: Bye
MD7: vs Olastor, Belediye Park (5,800), Demir W 3-1
MD8: @ Patistan W 5-3
MD9: vs The Mann Clan, Belediye Park (5,800), Demir W 2-0
MD10: @ Grod Island W 5-3
MD11: vs Sargossa, Hisar Belediye Sendika Stadium (27,500), Demir D 1-1
MD12: @ Res Publica Nova Roma W 7-3
MD13: vs Ziwana, Halkın Güneş Çiftliği Stadium (27,000), Elektriklestirme W 4-2
MD14: vs Xuzaqiy, Demir-Is Stadium (5,500), Demir W 6-1
MD15: @ Cassadaigua D 0-0
MD16: vs Kelssek, Madenci Stadium (27,000), Uryan L 3-1
MD17: @Barunia W 3-2
MD18: vs Audiasania, Maden-Is Stadium (3,400), Uryan W 2-1
MD19: Bye
MD20: @ Olastor W 6-2
MD21: vs Patistan, Almat Jimnasyum (3,000), Demir W 3-1
MD22: @ The Mann Clan W 1-0
MD23: vs Grod Island, Tasova Belediye Stadium (2,000), Tasova W 4-3
MD24: @Sargossa
MD25: vs Res Public Nova Roma, Dev Halk Stadium (30,000), Demir
MD26: @ Ziwana

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

Independent Cocoa-bo Commission
Transcript of Next Session

Sir Barsanuphius
Good Morning. Welcome to the next sitting of the Independent Cocoa-bo Commission here at a conference room in the Merano Health Club & Spa, Zwangzug. Joining us this afternoon is Allison Munshi, the Vice-President of the Zwangzug Unofficial National Sports Acronym Society (ZUNSpAS).

Ms Munshi
Thank you, Sir Barsanuphius. It's an honour to be able to speak to you tonight at the ICbC, as I call your commission - here at the the spa no connoisseur of spas would miss. So healthy, highly recommended, is this sweet metropolis - mental and physical bliss!

Sir Barsanuphius
Could you perhaps take a moment to clarify why you wanted to talk to the commission? I regret that your letter to the committee wasn't entirely clear.

Ms Munshi
Ah, well you see, it's about the fact that your trans-dimensional crusade still lacks a punchy acronym. Have you considered 'BANDPASS', or 'BAN aDdictive Performance enhAncing SubStances'? No? You don't like that one? How about CONCERNS, or 'Crusade tO baN addiCtive pERformance eNhancing Substances'.

Mr Minett
Just to clarify, Ms Munshi, you don't have any evidence to present about the nature of Cocoa-bo?

Ms Munshi
Oh, goodness no! Why would I waste your time with that sort of nonsense? It's not as if any other witnesses have given you any definitive or useful evidence one way or the other, is it? This evidence silliness is a waste of time if you ask me. No, I'm here to talk about acronyms. How about the 'ENFRANCHISE crusade', or 'thE aNti perFoRmANCe enHancIng SubstancEs crusade'. Or, let's see... I know! 'NAIVENESS' - 'baN AddIctiVe pErformaNce Enhancing SubStances'.

Mr Minett
But these acronyms are all very silly!

Ms Munshi
I'm sorry?

Mr Minett
You're not forming acronyms using the first letter of each word; you're just grabbing any old letter from a word salad of vaguely related words, and putting them together to form other words!

Ms Munshi
Is that not how you form acronyms in, where is it... Jeckland?

Mr Minett
No! It's....

Sir Barsanuphius
Ms Munshi, if I may... the commission's time is quite valuable. If you could perhaps come to the point...

Ms Munshi
With an even better acronym? Absolutely! CATATONIC - CrusAde To bAn addicTive perfOrmance eNhancIng Cocoa-bo; SUBATOMIC - Sir barsanUphius Bans AddicTive perfOrMance enhancIng Cocoa-bo; TICONDEROGA - mulTIverse Crusade tO baN aDdictive pERfOrmance enhancinG cocoA-bo... Oh yes, and one for the senator! How about PANDEMIC - Puppies AgaiNst aDdictive pErforMance enhancIng Cocoa-bo. I'm particularly proud of that one.

Senator Copronymuso
Puppies are against Cocoa-bo? Why wasn't I informed about this earlier? This is vital information that could change the entire direction of the commission!

Ms Munshi
Ah, well, I'm not sure it's supposed to be taken literally; but if puppies were against Cocoa-bo, I'm sure that there would be a PANDEMIC!

Senator Copronymuso
And where can I meet the leaders of this PANDEMIC? Sir Barsanuphius... why has PANDEMIC not been called to testify? The puppies must be heard!

Sir Barsanuphius
Let's talk about this later, senator. Ms Munshi, is that quite all?

Ms Munshi
Once in a while all the gods will smile on little old Merano; humble shy Merano suddenly hits the press. And I report with all the pride and joy that I possess, half of the world and his wife has our address - thanks to the the ICbC and the magic of acronyms!

<Ms Munshi is lost in thought; she doesn't seem to notice that the commission members have left the room>

Hmmm.... Zwangzug acronyms... WARM (zWangzug AcRonyMs); WARY (zWangzug AcRonYms).... maybe WAGON (zWangzug mAGic Of acroNyms).....

[Zwangzug]

"A strong performance sees Group 5 settled with three matches to go; Zwangzug will take second place behind Baker Park. The final three games will see trips to Bushkrub and Mkabia, with the Eagles' Club hosting Twicetagria. Katie, your thoughts?"

"I can't say I'm too excited about Bushkrub, Stefan."

"Aha, have you also been following the Tracy Vegan saga?"

"The shade of brown at the bottom of their flag isn't a very patriotic color. And the contrast with the yellow on the left isn't doing it for me. I feel like I've only seen those shades paired together in, um, less-nationalistic contexts."

"Yes, but about clinching?"

"Mkabia, on the other hand, are elegant and to-the-point. The dark green offsetting the white is a good contrast. Clearly, an experienced vexillographer in this nation."

"If we could just bring it back to football--"

"Sharktail have overachieved in this group, much like their flag, it's a simple pattern but the three-dimensionality of the inner star is reminiscent of Sarzonia, who have one of the great celestial motifs in the world game. With all respect to Krytenia and the remnants of Cosumar."

"Thanks, Katie. Coach Sonnabend has said--"

"Darkmania living up to their name a bit too well, the cross may have some interesting religious significance but it's almost lost against the blue and green stripes. Maybe that could be brighter?"

"--as yet unclear whether Farfadillis in any state to host competitive matches, after the distressing news from Atlantian Oceania--"

"Adsuri a lost cause, I think, not only are the stripes and stars too busy but the English script is jarring. I can go for some good kanji on occasion, but seeing recognizable characters in this context isn't my thing."

"--thirteen other teams have secured their qualification to date, though group 5 the first to be completely wrapped up."

"Some of the other flags in contention include--"

"Ah, I'll just interrupt you there, Katie, because the Independent Cocoa-bo Commission is about to begin hearings in the west FTC, apparently Ms. Allison Munshi has some insight to offer."

"Any relation to Sophie, the midfielder from Sharag?"

"I assume they're probably distant cousins, Katie, but it makes me annoyed when you slip in actually useful facts about football because then I can't come up with a reason to get you fired."

(Twoni 27, McCollins 45+1, Angier 82)

[Port Ember]

The Razing of Port Arthur

This article centers around the military battle which took place in 2018 at the location of Port Arthur, which was at that time a Colony of Ukraniumstan.

This battle was fought between nations forming part of the Gold Club Alliance and the Iron Entente in the form of a naval battle. The consequent missile barrage on the area from Kyavan razed the entire area, destroying the entire city in 2017.

The Battle of Port Arthur

Part of the Gold Club - Iron Entente Conflict

Belligerents:

- The Republic of Port Ember;

- The Armed Republic of The Chuck.

Vs

- The Reconstructed Nation of Ukraniumstan;

- The Militant Empire of Kyavan.

Strength:

- Port Ember:

• 2 x Guided Missile Destroyers - Lilly Black Class Guided Missile Destroyer;

• 2 x Frigates - Orca Class FF;

• 9 x Missile Boats - Jolly Roger Class PM;

• 2 x Supply & Support Vessels.

- The Chuck:

• 50,000 Marines (5th Corps);

• 50 San Antonio-class Amphibious Transport Docks;

• 5 Wasp-class Amphibious Assault Ships;

• 1 Blue Ridge-class Amphibious Command Ship;

• 2 Enterprise-class Aircraft Carriers;

• 17 Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyers;

• 7 Seawolf-class Fast Attack Submarines;

• 5 Ticonderoga-class Cruisers;

• 3 Hellfire-class Arsenal Ships;

• 10 Supply-class Fast Combat Support Ship;

• 3 Militarized Pathfinder-class Picket Ships.

Vs

- Ukraniumstan:

• 1 Ulyanovsk-class Supercarrier (w/ 44 Mikoyan MiG-29K fighters, 6 Early Reconnaissance aircraft, and 16 ASW Helicopters);

• 5 Kirov-class battlecruisers;

• 7 Slava cruisers;

• 10 Sovremenny-class destroyers;

• 10 Akula-class submarines;

• 1 Severodnivsk-class submarine.

- Kyavan

Unkown.

Casualties & Losses:

- Port Ember:

• 4 Jolly Roger Class Missile Boats sunk

• 1 Lilly Black Class Destroyer Damaged

• 94 Sailors

- The Chuck:

• 8 San Antonio-class LPDs crippled;

• 2 Arleigh-Burke-class Destroyers crippled;

• 1 Wasp-Class LHD crippled;

• 1129 sailors and soldiers injured;

• 135 sailors and soldiers killed.

Vs

- Ukraniumstan:

• Ulyanovsk Carrier(scuttled and abandoned);

• 5 Destroyers(Sunk);

• 1 Destroyer(Scuttled and abandoned);

• 1 Destroyer(Damaged);

• 1 Battlecruiser(Sunk);

• 1 Battlecruiser(Damaged);

• 2 Cruisers(Sunk);

• 1 Cruiser(Damaged);

• 15 Cutters(Sunk);

• Total casualties: 4,458 dead/6,890 wounded

]Ground Losses:

• 1 25S Artillery Battery;

• 4 BMP-3's;

• 1 Sapsan/Hrim2;

Civilian Casualties

• Estimated 4 Million dead or missing;

• Estimated 2 Million displaced.

Date: 2017

Location: Port Arthur and surrounds.

Result:

Port Emberian tactical victory; City subsequently completely destroyed by Kyavan.

Territorial Changes:

Entire Port Arthur area and surrounds ceded to The Republic of Port Ember.

BACKGROUND

Despite the vast ideological and political differences between the two nations, prior to this battle, The Republic of Port Ember and Ukraniumstan held friendly and positive diplomatic relations, due to the two nations fighting alongside during the Ashmore Civil War in 2017. However relations soured between the two nations when Kyavan destroyed the Ashmore Islands by means of illigal chemical missile strikes, and Ukraniumstan refused to cut diplomatic ties with Kyavan - with whom they shared a historic alliance with.

This defiance led Port Ember to call for a general and total trade embargo and blockade against Ukraniumstan, whom continued to strike a deal with Port Ember to lift the sanctions. Port Ember agreed to the deal of Ukraniumstan leasing several deep water ports to Port Ember in Western Harbour, Port Arthur (a colony of Ukraniumstan at that time).

Relations between Port Ember and Kyavan continued to sour and finally boiled over when Kyavan attacked a fleet of The Neo British Empire (an Ally of Port Ember with whom they shared a Mutual Defence Pact) off the coast of Kyavan. This led to Port Ember declaring war on Kyavan, which continued to sour realtions between Port Ember and Ukraniumstan - as they and Kyavan held a Mutual Defence Pact, altough Port Ember and Ukraniumstan did not declare war against one another.

As part of honoring their commitments to the Neo British Empire, Port Ember sent a small naval combat group towards Kyavan, who made for port at their leased Western Harbour in Ukraniumstan controlled Port Arthur when the conflict erupted.

NAVAL BATTLE

The Port Emberian naval battlegroup (PESF Naval Battlegroup XI, under command of Commander John Crusuo) obtained authority from the Ukraniumstan port officials to enter the port, on the condition that the Port Emberian vessels undergoes an inspection, to which was agreed upon and the naval group entered the port.

It is still unclear what exactly transpired next, but Port Emberian records states that a Ukraniumstan Patrol Cutter opened fire on one of the Port Emberian Missile Boats. The Naval Group returned fire, instantly sinking the Cutter. It is at this moment that the battle erupted in earnest, Ukraniumstan forces taking the offensive against the Port Emberian naval group in the harbour. A group of 15 Patrol Cutters opened fire on the Port Emberian Vessels in port, but was subsequently sunk. Furthermore, on-shore artillery batteries damaged the rear Port Emberian vessels, trapping the Naval Group in the harbour. The Port Emberians returned fire against the artillery batteries and other military installations on shore whilst towing the damages vessels out of the way, forcing an escape route.

As the Naval Group exited the port, the Ukraniumstan's Vostok fleet based in the nearby Western Dalny Naval Base started to engage them. This resulted in a long period of missile duals between the two forces, resulting in the Naval Group's flagship - the PES Darling taking torpedo damage, and inflicted serious losses on the Vostok fleet.

The battle esculated as a large invasion fleet of The Chuck (allied with Port Ember) - the 2nd Expeditionary Force, entered the area, and together launched a massive missile barrage - totalling 800 missiles, entirely crippling the Vostok Fleet and ending the naval battle.

THE RAZING OF PORT ARTHUR

After the naval battle for Port Arthur was won, the Naval Group retreated with haste to friendly ports due to a lack of munitions and having taken serious damage.

Imediately following the naval victory, the invasion fleet of The Chuck neared the coast and commenced a bombardment and bombing sorty against the remaining coastal defences in preparation for a possible invasion as it was now clear that war was unavoidable.

Kyavan, Ukraniumstan's closest ally feared that the defeat and capture of Port Arthur was imminent, and allowing the area to be captured by her allies would cause a strategical nightmare in the ongoing military conflict, they decided on a worst case scenario option - and launched countless ballistic missiles onto the area. The exact amount of missiles launched onto the city is still unkown, yet it is known that the explosions continued for hours since the strike commenced.

AFTERMATH & CONSEQUENCES

The Kyavan Missile Barrage completely destroyed the entire city and surroundings, practically razing the entire area to the ground. The exact casaulty fgures are unkown, but is estimated that roughly 4 million people were killed or lost in the destruction, and an estimated 2 million survivors fled the ruins northward into China to seek refuge or flee back to Ukraniumstan.

Besides the unspeakable loss of human life, the area's nature also suffered greatly. The area was burning in some areas for months still after the incident and left the area deserted of any animal life and the bare minimum of vegetation. The entire surrounding ocean also suffered from the greatest oil spill ever recorded.

This battle also had major political consequences. Convinced by the pure destruction of the event and its immediate consequences, coupled with the absolute outrage from the international community - the involved parties settled on a Truce, halting the entire conflict on almost a global scale. Also, Ukraniumstan ceded the destroyed territory of Port Arthur over to Port Ember legally and permanently.

Images of the Conflict

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[Kandorith]

Shinonome Kyoai - International
News From The Empire

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Tough Game Keeps Kandorith Ahead

*  Group 11                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Equestria                              22   14   8   0    61   33  +28    50 
 2 HUElavia                               21   16   1   4    59   35  +24    49
 3 Kandorith                              22   12   7   3    58   40  +18    43
 4 Vdara                                  22   12   4   6    45   38   +7    40 
 5 Xanneria                               21   10   7   4    55   41  +14    37 
 6 Ancherion                              21    6   7   8    40   40    0    25 
 7 Blouman Empire                         21    7   4  10    40   43   −3    25 
 8 Nooooooooooooooo                       21    6   6   9    40   40    0    24 
 9 Monglechabagd                          21    6   5  10    36   48  −12    23 
10 Fujai                                  21    5   6  10    35   49  −14    21 
11 South Concepthuania                    21    4   3  14    32   50  −18    15 
12 Lo Santano                             21    3   6  12    31   51  −20    15 
13 Jamestownnnn                           21    4   2  15    38   62  −24    14

Tenkyo, With the win over Ancherion the Kandorese team still has a small chance of qualifying for the World Cup. Equestria still stands at number one in the group with zero defeats so far, completely out of reach now with fifty points. For Kandorith to still qualify everything is in the hands of HUElavia's performance in the upcoming matches, one draw or win and Kandorith will be eliminated from qualification and Equestria and HUElavia will go to the World Cup. It looks impossible from here on as HUElavia only has to face Equestria, Blouman Empire and Fujai. While it is not expected they win from Equestria, most likely they will win against Blouman Empire and/or Fujai. The Kandorese fans will be praying for the Blouman Empire and Fujai to do the unlikely; beat HUElavia. Next to HUElavia not getting any points, Kandorith has to win against South Concepthuania and Vdara. For Vdara it is also vital for HUElavia not gaining any points or losing any games to still be able to qualify from the group.

Manager Hayabusa remained cautious when commenting on Kandorith's position however. "I still stand by my words of the team performing admirable and brilliantly throughout the entire qualification campaign. We can still qualify of course, but it is next to impossible. Naturally I hope we make it and HUElavia slips up although, I doubt it. The team has shown how much they have grown throughout the tournament and honestly it shows there is a great future in store for Kandorese football in general. We will still be at our best and we will still fight for the slim chance we have at qualifying for the World Cup.

Some media has already asked if I would remain as manager of the national team and right now I am unable to answer that. I would like to remain at the head of this wonderful team and I hope the football association thinks in the same way. Even if we do not qualify, the team I build has performed way above expectations. In all fairness we should have done better in our first games and we have dropped points unnecessarily in matches we certainly should have won. In the end we will see if this is what eventually caused us to be at the place we end up in. For now we are still looking and hoping to qualify and with high morale and pride we will start our coming match."

The next game for Kandorith will be against South Concepthuania, who currently sit in 11th place of the group. For the Kandorese team a simple and swift victory is expected and no noteworthy difficulties should arise during the game. However, as Kandorith is a young team some caution will always be in their play although Hayabusa is expected to use his best starting eleven to make sure the victory is secured against South Concepthuania. After this match Kandorith will still face off against Vdara, who closely follow Kandorith in fourth place with only three points in between them. Even if Kandorith would not qualify, staying in third place will be the main goal for the last couple of games. To qualify Kandorith needs to win both remaining games and gain at least seven goals against zero conceded goals to beat HUElavia.

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

To Qualify, Winning Helps
Salwan Mynhier

A huge away performance by the Black-and-Reds saw them put up three goals and take a point home from their visit to Kita-Hinode. It was a solid result for a team reeling from a two-match losing streak, but not enough to hold on to second in the group. While Kohnhead were beaten by Busoga Islands, and those two teams sit just behind us with 37 points, Drawkland defeated Donnacona, and have taken back possession of second with 39. With all the teams in the chase now having an equal number of matches remaining, Drawkland are quite clearly in control of their own destiny; win out and they qualify. Their next match, however, will be against Kita-Hinode, who have not lost a match in qualifying yet. If that trend were to continue, Drawkland would need results to go their way in the rest of the group. Realistically, it will be the team that manages to avoid stumbling over the last three matchdays. Nine more points from any of the aforementioned teams should be enough to qualify, as I can't see how Margaret would allow more than one of them to win out.

For The Black-and-Reds, another massively important match (not that there are any unimportant matches at this stage) looms right on the heels of their clash with Kita-Hinode as Kohhead comes to visit at the Olympiastad in Arkintoofle. The Brains are disheartened but far from out of the running after their loss to the Islanders, and will no doubt be looking to make a statement. In order to keep their qualification hopes alive, Kohnhead will have to figure out how to solve the Confederate defense, which stymied them in the two teams' first meeting in Kohnhead City. In this final stretch of qualifying, they'll have to face the full first team back line of Dzarkhin, Dalso, Harkhan and Ulcviecel, backed up by the always vocal Stovar Krieven. As far as the attacking lineup, it's a tossup between Vladcik and Hocij on the left, and between Lomidan and Takala in the middle. Teklu is the go-to on the right, and Rebljeten at attacking mid. Up front, Ajao has been a dominant force, but it's uncertain who Tamela will opt for as his partner, as no second striker has separated themselves from the others to this point. On the other side of the ball, the Black-and-Reds are hoping to find some consistency in what has been a very streaky qualifying campaign. There is no time for them to dwell on the missed opportunites against Gyatso-kai and Donnacona, they'll need to be focused and coordinated to avoid dropping desperately needed points.

In the end, no matter how you slice and dice the hypotheticals, if you want to play in the World Cup, you need to win.

SRS Qualifying Schedule

MD1:  SRS 4-5 Torisakia @ Pheldagrif Stadium, Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS (cap. 45,620)
MD2:  Balaslandia 2-3 SRS @ TBA
MD3:  SRS 5-3 Wreckeria @ Sunergy Field, Hunian, Algolia, SRS (cap. 37,550)
MD4:  Busgoa Islands 2-3 SRS @ Dukuma Oval, Dukuma, BUS (cap. 63,000)
MD5:  Bye
MD6:  SRS 5-2 Drawkland @ Megabrantid Financial Field, Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS (cap. 69,245)
MD7:  Jantor 3-3 SRS @ TBA
MD8:  SRS 0-2 Gyatso-kai  @ Slavnarzeczpospolitastadion, Lublova, Molvania, SRS (cap. 61,230)
MD9:  Donnacona 0-1 SRS @ TBA
MD10: SRS 2-3 Kita-Hinode @ Bridger Lane, Damogran, Algolia, SRS (cap. 72,406)
MD11: Kohnhead 0-1 SRS @ Orange Bull Stadium, Kohnhead City, KHN (cap. 23,000)
MD12: SRS 3-1 EGM @ Igbar Steel Arena, Zarss, West Flania, SRS (cap. 15,100)
MD13: Lochario 1-2 SRS @ Zun Olympic Stadium, (cap. 98,000)
MD14: Torisakia 2-0 SRS  @ TBA
MD15: SRS 5-1 Balaslandia @ Killough Grove, Han Wavel, Han Dold, SRS (cap. 31,400)
MD16: Wreckeria 1-0 SRS @ Patrick Stadium, Halstead, WRE (cap. 30,000)
MD17: SRS 2-1 Busoga Islands @ The Lutenstaad, Lutenblag, Molvania, SRS (cap. 75,000)
MD18: Bye
MD19: Drawkland 0-1 SRS @ Spartan Veteran Stadium (107,500)
MD20: SRS 3-0 Jantor @ Malgacorp Arena, Hensha, Megabrantis, SRS (cap. 29,350)
MD21: Gyatso-kai 2-1 SRS @ Meshgeroya'yaim, Keldabe, Mandalore, GKI (cap. 79,890)
MD22: SRS 1-2 Donnacona @ Smolak Systemy Stadion, Sjerezo, Molvania, SRS (cap. 31,200)
MD23: Kita-Hinode 3-3 SRS @ Tentai City, Tentai, HIN (cap. 80,000)
MD24: SRS v Kohnhead @ Olympiastad, Arkintoofle, Megabrantis, SRS (cap. 47,550)
MD25: EGM v SRS @ TBA
MD26: SRS v Lochario @ Castle Street, Jaglan, Algolia, SRS (cap. 57,300)

[Xanneria]

FLOX putting through changes, putting out complaints
By Steve Stevenson

XANNERIA - A 1-0 loss to the old touted Blouman Empire has lead to some possible changes being brought out by the organization FLOX or Football League of Xanneria. A primary concern has been the fatigue that has set in for the Maroons. a huge 26 game qualification tourniment has seen the Maroons start quick but now the fade is real as Players have noted the combination of these games pulled together with the FLOX league or what ever international series they re affiliated with. Coach Myrone Rhule has also been vocal on this front saying that

I'm sure we're not the only team going through this right now. I can only imagine how other domestic leagues are suffering due to their players being over extended, As a coach I'm having issues and I don't put in the effort like my own players do. We did have a lot of entries but in reality we should also have shrunk the size of the groups.

FLOX President Jeb Gyorko did make a proposial to put forth in fornt of the FLOX board. He stated he might put in a two-deep roster plus some additional backs ups into the roster for the 27th CE. Most board members that have commented on this have been for it. Notably Jordy Anne Fogerty,

We've had some good success with the entry of Bonchek and Walters on the team, adding in a few extra could do good for the gender integration in Xannerian Football.If we ever get in this situation again, we need more people> I know throwing bodies at problems has been the Virginian way in the past, so it can't hurt in football

Right now the tired Maroons are in fifth but could easily overtake the Vdaran team in the next two games, with lowly Jamestownnnnn one of the teams on the schedule it's very possible to recoop back into fourth spot for the Maroons. Oddly enough, when Xanneria was in second in their group a joke was made by a Delaclavan pundit "it would be funny to see them finish fifth with how confident they have been lately". Well Delaclavan pundit, we don't disappoint anyone internationally, just ourselves.

So for the next three games it will about placement with the teams coming in for the COH at Kellssek (Who we have sent a request to be drawn into their groups) and Zwangzug.

[Terre Septentrionale]

Terre Septentrionale draws with Northwest Kalactin

Krzczonow, Mazovia - On matchday 23, Terre Septentrionale received Northwest Kalactin in Krzczonow, located in northwest Terre Septentrionale. Against an opponent like NW Kalactin, one can expect a big score, but the game was pretty boring and ended 0-0. Coach Slawomir Wyrzykowski told La tribune septentrionale he used a different approach in this game and les Nordiques, too affraid to concede a goal, played overly defensively. Wyrzykowski decided at the last minute to bench striker Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa in favor of central defender Karolina Zaborowska and used a 4-5-1 formation instead of the traditionnal 3-5-2. Cwierczakiewiczowa still entered in the game at the 62nd minute and there's nothing much to say about this game so I'm gonna take a break from writing. 3 years ago we hired a junior writer to cover the Sporting World Cup and Di Bradini Cup. Her name is Katarzyna Krzykowska and we have asked her to analyse every groups trying to qualify for the World Cup. Let's take a look at her article.

Wlodzimierz Pietruszewski,
Senior writer,
La tribune septentrionale

World Cup qualifications: Groups analysis

Group 1

No surprise here to see Turori in 1st place and they've already qualified. There's a battle for the 2nd place between Audioslavia and Astograth. Audioslavia are a pot 2 team while Astograth were in pot... 10! Astograth has been one of the biggest surprise so far in the qualifications. Though, I believe Audioslavia will qualify. New Lusitania, still in the hunt has no chance.

Group 2

Kita-Hinode are already qualified with 53 points. The 2nd place is disputed between Drawkland, Squornshelan Remnant States, Busoga Islands and Kohnhead. Torisakia are still in the hunt, but they have no chance against 4 teams ahead of them. Here we have no idea who will qualify but i'd like to put my money on SRS.

Group 3

Our group, we'll talk about them at the end.

Group 4

There's a three-way race for 2 spots between Taeshan, Main Nation Ministry and South Covello, known formerly as Gregoryisgodistan. South Covello are actually a pot 1 team, but because Lord Gregory was a white supremacist and every statues of him should be teared down, I'm gonna go with Taeshan and Main Nation Ministry.

Group 5

Commonwealth of Baker Park and Zwangzug are already qualified. BoF participants Twicetagria had a really nice run but it wasn't enough for them.

Group 6

Banija is already qualified with 58 pouts. The last spot is disputed between Hampton Island, Lisander, Mercedini and Balqia. Mercedini should be the better team among them but it will be hard for them to pass over Hampton Island in the standings. Hapilopper is kinda disappointing, our BoF 70 nemesis is currently 6th in their group and already eliminated.

Group 7

Nephara is already qualified. There's an interesting race for the 2nd place Sarzonia, Darmen and the naked people of Jeruselem. I don't like Jeruselem so I hope Sarzonia will qualify. My brother Arkadiusz Krzykowski, who participated in the recent Di Bradini Cup, has a Katherine Annabelle Dallas poster in his bedroom. Yuck!

Group 8

The Holy Empire is already qualified. My brother Arkadiusz Krzykowski also has a Sir Barsanuphius the Bold poster in his bedroom, next to the Katherine Annabelle Dallas poster. Then for the 2nd place there's a race between Port Ember, Ko-oren, Devonta and Cheergirls. I wish Cheergirls qualify because Meghan Banks is my hero but I think Ko-oren or Port Ember will qualify.

Group 9

Cassadaigua qualified with 61 points, wow I'm really impressed! Then, for the last spot Kelssek will qualify with a draw in their next game or a Timuria draw or loss. Timuria needs to win all their remaining games to tie with Kelssek and it won't happen. Go Kelssek, I love their maple syrup!

Group 10

Siovanija And Teusland is qualified. For the 2nd place it's between the Free Republics and Ethane with Trolleborg and Abanhfleft being longshots. I don't like the FFR because Scarlett Nicholls is a bad person so I'm gonna put my money on Ethane.

Group 11

Equestria is qualified with 50 points. HUElavia follows with 49 points and they only needs a draw to be qualified, or a draw or a loss by Kandorith, so they will likely qualify.

Group 12

95X is qualified. Starblaydia is currently second with 41 points and should qualify, barring a bad luck.

Group 13

Valanora is qualified and Pasarga is expected to qualify too. I don't like Pasarga because they beat us in the Cup of Harmony. I like Valanora, it's one of my favorite nation in the multiverse.

Group 14

Vilita is already qualified. Then, the race for the 2nd place is between Qasden and BoF participants Riena. Riena is actually one of the biggest surprise in these qualifications, I wish they qualify. Newmanistan is a nation that I like but their two losses against the Drunk people is really hurting them. How can you lose a soccer game against drunk peoples? Lol.

Group 15

Brenecia is qualified. Reçueçn has a good chance to qualify but Filindostan and Québec are still in the race.

Group 3

This is our group. Eura is qualified with 51 points. Then we have a big race for the 2nd place between our Northmen, Eshan, Savojarna, Chromatika, Northwest Kalactin and The Sarian. The last three, despite still being alive, are longshots so it will be between us, Eshan and Savojarna.

On matchday 23, all of these teams drew against each other. Terre Septentrionale with a 0-0 draw against Northwest Kalactin. Savojarna and Eshan, a 2-2 draw. Chromatika and The Sarian, also a 2-2 draw. On matchday 24, the Reprezentacja Nordycki will travel to Eshan to play in an unknown location against unknown players while Savojarna will play in Alba and Cymru and Chromatika wil have a bye. Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa is expected to be back in the starting XI and play a full 90 minutes match. Despite Karolina Zaborowska's outstanding play against Northwest Kalactin, Coach Wyrzykowski will go back to the traditionnal 3-5-2 instead of the 4-5-1 he used against Northwest Kalactin.

Katarzyna Krzykowska,
La tribune septentrionale

[Delaclava]

Delaclava Roster - End of World Cup 85 qualification, and Cup of Harmony 77

Manager: Johannes Detmer (Catherina FC)

#	Position	Name	Team	Age	Height (ft)	Weight (lbs)
1	GK	George Ross (3)	Catherina FC	23	6-4	175
14	GK	Tomasz Janaczek	Steckholl United	30	6-3	190
20	GK	Tyron Younga	Valhalla Vikings	20	6-6	190
2	DF	Luke Lemieuxb	Cleopatrana SC	27	6-2	195
6	DF	Valentin Gusev (V)	ASK Landsmark (SVJ)	24	6-3	185
8	DF	Keghart Nazaretianc	Valhalla Vikings	24	6-0	175
12	DF	Kelly Joseph	Steckholl United	27	6-3	185
4	DF	Chris Lang	Coldwater	26	6-2	170
19	DF	Pau Panc	First City	20	5-10	160
22	DF	Carlos Berreraa	Catherina FC	23	5-11	160
5	MF	Keaton Durbridge (C)	Dí Maozöxê (FFD)	25	5-10	155
7	MF/FW	Dathan Ingram	Catherina FC	20	5-7	140
11	MF/FW	Lukas Meyer	Savojars Vinge Virkaja (SVJ)	19	6-2	175
23	MF	Rubèn Albertc	Manchester	21	6-0	170
3	MF	Timur Zaitsevb	Cleopatrana SC	20	5-10	150
15	MF	Kazuo Martina	Brisara FC (CMT)	18	5-11	170
16	MF	Sargis Nazaryanc	Steckholl United	20	5-11	170
17	MF	Geghard Darbinyanc	Ossiana FC	28	6-2	185
21	MF	Michael Rogersc	Steckholl United	26	5-11	160
9	ST	Dashaun Howard	Steckholl United	18	6-5	190
10	ST	Artem Kohutc	Catherina FC	19	5-10	165
13	FW	Alexei Gusev	First City	24	6-1	160
18	FW	Erik Hovhannisyana	AC Espene	18	6-1	160

(C) = captain, (V) = vice captain, (3) = third captain
^a Originally members of the AOCAF 60 squad, dropped prior to qualification, recalled beginning with the Welzat match.
^b Called up for the Simpralia match, retained for the permanent squad.
^c International debutants, beginning with the Welzat match

---

When Ryan Keating left the national team, disappeared overnight in Manchester and headed back to Cleopatrana, he admirably kept up a regular "self-care" routine - staying active, getting plenty of that seaside air, and socialising with friends who knew what he'd been going through, and supported him as he relaxed and recovered from his stressful time abroad.

Tim Landers, upon being suspended as manager of the national team, took a... different approach.

His wife Brenda had missed him dearly, as he had not been home in several weeks; now after just a few days, part of her couldn't wait for the phone to ring, the DFA telling him he was reinstated, so he would get out of the house again. At first, Tim took the opportunity to be with his wife, catch up on everything that had happened in the past few weeks, but Tim quickly became withdrawn, paying more attention to the Vredean whiskey in the cabinet. And he was not a large man - wiry in build like a former football player who'd stayed in good shape - so it didn't take much imbibing before he'd be snoring on the couch.

Brenda would roll her eyes and head to bed alone. Frankly, she was glad this was the worst of it. And he was always sweet on her in the morning, and they'd enjoy coffee and the newspaper, but it would always be a matter of time before his good mood wore off.

Tim couldn't understand how this had all happened. In just a matter of days, he had won the biggest game of his career, then saw one of his best players vanish, had to go on with the campaign and battle against an ineligible team, rearrange the team's travel schedule, return home and talk to that player, unearth a large and intricate orgy ring, suspend half the team and throw together a new squad, manage a home draw with that new team, and almost immediately afterward get dumped by his governing body.

Just recalling that turn of events made his head spin more than a few stiff old fashioneds.

And to add insult to injury, he'd been betrayed by one of his most respected rivals in Dhiego Vera. Tim knew there was hot competition amongst the league's top managers to get the national team job, and Dhiego certainly thought he deserved it after taking Cleopatrana SC to a surprise league title, but the DFA had stuck with Tim, the more consistent choice at Steckholl United. Tim had practically gifted Dhiego an opportunity to get a leg up, but Tim was too caught up in doing the right thing to consider that his rival would take advantage so gracelessly, and rat him out to the DFA while he was trying to handle a sensitive situation.

But there was one thing Tim was sure of; from the time Ryan Keating left the team up until his firing, Tim would not have done a single thing differently. He now chuckled at the thought that he had missed what had been going on, but never in his wildest imagination would he have conceived that a good portion of the team would have been more concerned with screwing each other than winning football games. And he couldn't help but note that none of his players had gotten caught up in this.

It was certainly a learning experience for him - he just hoped he'd ever get the chance to do it better next time.

***

Brenda was sitting in the upstairs living room, reading a book while a oncoming pot roast sat in the slow cooker, when she heard Tim come upstairs, begin to put ice cubes in a glass, and figured he was fixing himself another drink. So she was surprised when he came up behind her, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding a glass of ice water.

"Staying hydrated?" she joked.
"Well, I don't want to fall asleep early."
Brenda looked at him. "Why's that?"
"The team's playing tonight."
"And... you want to watch?"
"Of course!" he exclaimed. "Forget what the DFA did - this is still my team and I put my time into them for months. I'm not going to stop now. You wanna come downstairs and watch?"
Brenda wasn't sure about that - she didn't know how critical Tim was going to be of the new team. But given he was calm and in a pleasant mood, she couldn't pass up that opportunity. "Sure. Did you see the Quinniville Quote from today? It has the new lineup."
"Yeah, I'll get that. Thanks," and he gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked away.

Once they settled in downstairs, and turned on the TV, Tim took a deep breath and opened the sports section.

It wasn't bad at all. It was a small consolation that Dhiego Vera's meddling had not worked - the new manager was instead Johannes Detmer. The much older manager of Catherina FC, Detmer had a deeply instilled code of honor and great respect for all players, managers, and officials. Landers didn't think he'd ever seen Detmer lose his temper or get in trouble for his words or actions. The prevailing thought was that Detmer was too old for the role now, but this team needed a caretaker, and there was no one more suited for the role.

Tim was impressed that Detmer hadn't shown any obvious favoritism for his own team - only four Catherina FC players appeared in the roster. George Ross and Dathan Ingram were already on the team anyway, Carlos Berrera had appeared on the squad previously and had plenty of potential. Then there was Artem Kohut - an exciting and flashy young prospect at striker. Landers was already kicking himself that he'd never pushed to get Kohut on his own squad.

In fact, it was Steckholl United - Landers' team - that was most prevalent on this new squad. Janaczek, Joseph, and Howard were all still there, and the two reserve midfielders Detmer had picked, Sargis Nazaryan and Michael Rogers, were quite capable.

Landers nodded. This was a solid team. He wasn't sure how they'd fare about Nephara in a few days - but for now, they just needed to beat Welzat.

It was a curious formation Detmer had opted for, Landers thought as he looked at the screen. George Ross in goal, as usual. From left to right in the back: Luke Lemieux - the callup from Cleopatrana, a solid player but one Landers thought was too hefty for his desired high-speed style - Keghart Nazaretian - not Chris Lang, oddly - Valentin Gusev, and Kelly Joseph; Ruben Albert in a defensive midfield position, Dathan Ingram - yes, the forward - at left mid, Keaton Durbridge at right mid, and Lukas Meyer, the forward with twenty goals, at attacking midfield. Artem Kohut and Dashuan Howard filled out the lineup at the striker positions.

Landers didn't need to wait long to find out how the team would adjust to this formation - they didn't. In just fourteen minutes, they were down 3-0. Tim groaned and picked up the remote to turn off the TV.

But something stopped him. He realised that this was a mess he was partially responsible for creating. And he realised that he'd perhaps sacrificed his job to make this team as good as it could be. He'd put too much effort into his team to bail after fifteen minutes. If the Phoenixes were going to get blown out, he was going to sit there and take it with them.

Brenda watched with apprehension, wondering if this could get any worse.

But on the screen, Detmer was the picture of calm. He watched as Keaton Durbridge gathered his team together, and Landers smiled as he remembered how the captain lit into his team in that Sarzonia match.

But that wasn't even what happened here. Durbridge had been through a lot in the past few days too - admittedly, he had seen some very close friends get booted off the team in inexplicable circumstances, and he was just trying to pick up the pieces now. Here, as the camera focused on the captain's face, he was intense, yet level, somehow understanding, even hopeful beyond belief.

Landers watched and knew that Welzat's day was done.

He was enthusiastic for the future as Kohut took a pass from Meyer in the box, drew two defenders to him, made a nifty dribble and an outside foot flick back to Meyer for the goal - just 37 years of age between the two of them, just twenty minutes of game time together, and this was a duo that promised to be legendary.

He was proud of his Steckholl striker, Dashaun Howard, to erase doubts about his performance, his youth, his unpolished nature, with a well-timed run that put himself in just the right position to head in a Dathan Ingram cross - what had changed? - and silence the home crowd just three minutes before the half.

He looked on as the unquestioned leader of this team, Durbridge, took control of the game, and as Luke Lemieux was about to win a ball in the back, Durbridge spurred Lemieux on to finish the job and find him sprinting forward through the middle. He took the ball, feinted with a long shot - a massive threat on its own - and found Meyer again for the tying goal.

Then finally, just as it seemed that the two teams had reached a stalemate, that the Phoenixes had run out of momentum to pull this game out, they still kept applying just enough pressure until the opposing line broken down, and with Meyer at the top of the box, playing point guard of sorts, Erik Hovhannisyan initiated a dizzying tic-tac-toe to Meyer to Kohut, who took the pass and stepped into the middle in one motion, giving him the space to cut back and beat the keeper nearside for a big first international goal.

"Yes!" Landers shouted, standing up and forgetting he was holding a glass of water, which harmlessly fell to the carpet. He and Brenda hugged and jumped up and down, a mirror of what the entire Delaclav squad had now flown onto the pitch to do.

Eventually, as the final whistle blew and the game ended, Brenda smiled, patted Tim on the shoulder and said, "Let me go get some towels,"

"Sorry," Tim replied with a sheepish grin.

Through adversity that was inconceivable just a week prior, the Phoenixes had pulled off a win that if not for the competition - they were eliminated from qualification - was at least for the pride and dignity. Now they'd go over to Valhalla, in a massive 105,000-seater, and hope to at least put a little bit of fear into the Cormorants. He owed a massive debt of gratitude to Detmer - so cool under pressure, never wavering from the gameplan - to Durbridge, a consummate professional who had put all the noise aside and taken this team on, and to the entire team, who showed more clearly than ever, without half of their usual cohorts and without their permanent coach, how far they'd come from the first time an assortment of twenty-two Delaclav players had stepped onto a pitch under the same banner.

Welzat 3-4 Delaclava

WEL, Bois (Little, Oposto) 5'. WEL, Little (pen.) 9'. WEL, Fanwich (Smith) 14'. DEL, Meyer (Kohut) 23'. DEL, Howard (Ingram, Albert) 42'. DEL, Meyer (Durbridge, Lemieux) 58'. DEL, Kohut (Meyer, Hovhannisyan) 90+2'.

Lineups
WEL - Overton; Bitterton (Crowns 76'), Days, Stones; Bragg, Oposto, Fanwich, Sleeping-Fox, Smith (Minno 67'); Little, Bois.
DEL - Ross; Lemieux, Nazaretian (Zaitsev 70'), Gusev, Joseph; Ingram, Albert (Nazaryan 46'), Meyer, Durbridge; Kohut, Howard (Hovhannisyan 70')

[Audioslavia]

Part 1 (Sue)
Part 2 (Sue)
Part 3 (Emanuel)
Part 4 (Sue)
Part 5 (Emanuel)
Part 6 (Emanuel)
Part 7 (Emanuel)
Part 8 (Emanuel)
Part 9 (Emanuel)
Part 10 (Emanuel)
Part 11 (Emanuel / Jeremy)
Part 12 (Emanuel)
Part 13 (Emanuel)
Part 14 (Emanuel)
Part 15 (Sue)
Part 16 (Sue / Jeremy)
Part 17 (Rory / Jeremy)

Sajnur Sunk
Twenty down, four to go

The sprint to the line is in full effect now at the end of this marathon qualifying session.

With a fantastic away victory over Sajnur, Audioslavia increase their unbeaten record to ten, having won their last four games. They’ve needed every single one of those twelve points on offer, with Astograth hot on their heels, just two points behind. With both sides on equal goal difference, but with Astograth holding the better head-to-head record, the onus is on Audioslavia simply to not stop winning. The Olive-Greens certainly show no signs of doing so themselves.

The pressure on Sean Patterick’s job has faded a great deal since the mid-way point of qualifying. Bizarrely enough the public’s critical eye has turned towards the FFA for their ridiculous mistake in scheduling.

The FFA announced, and confirmed, plans to hold the official presentation of the World Assembly Commendation for Services to Journalistic Integrity trophy to Jeremy Jaffacake during ‘Audioslavia’s final home game against Natanians and Nosts’. The problem here, of course, is that Audioslavia will be playing N&N away from home, and that their final home encounter is against divisional lightweights Villablanca. Realizing their mistake, the FFA have ‘rescheduled’ the event to happen during that home game instead, still to be held, along with the game, at the 1927 Arena in Kjeligsted.

Audioslavia now look forward to…

Rory put down the newspaper and looked over at Elizabeth.
“The FFA didn’t know when Audioslavia’s final home game of qualifying would be played”
Elizabeth leaned over from her computer.
“The FFA can’t tell their arse from their elbows” she replied.
“How do you think this changes Txo Zaldun’s Master Plan?”
“Well if he turns up to the 1927 Arena three days early then he’ll be shit out of luck” said Elizabeth. “But never mind his plan, what’s your plan?”
“Oh it’s my plan now, is it?” said Rory. “I thought it was…”
“…our plan, yes, it is our plan” said Elizabeth, closing her screen for a second, “but only insofar as I’ll be helping with the planning. You’re the one actually going there. I think.”
Rory threw the newspaper onto the sofa.
“Yeah. Yeah I am going to go.”
“As long as you stay safe, honey, you’ll be fine” said Elizabeth, standing up. Rory smiled at her as she came to the sofa and sat next to him, throwing the newspaper onto the floor as she did so.
“So” she said. “I’m going to make us a cup of tea in a minute. When I came back, you’re going to walk me through this plan one more time”
“My plan, or his?”
“Both”

---

Jeremy locked the door of the studio. Then he unlocked it, went inside, got his hat, and locked it again. He turned towards the street, shrouded in the murky bluish haze that permeates a major city as the sun disappears over the tops of the houses, but still illuminates the faint haze of pollution hanging in the air. He turned back immediately, unlocked the door, switched off the light, and locked it again. Perhaps his memory really was failing him.

Jeremy lit a cigarette, tipped the brim of his hat down over his eyes, picked up his bag and made his way down the road to the local pub. The barman smiled and nodded at the arrival of his best customer and fetched the ingredients for his whisky.

"Nae Daff the-night, Jeremy?"
"It ain't podcast day today" said Jeremy. "I was finishing up the latest episode of The Idiot Project"
"Whass that? Is that like The Idiot Podcast?"
"Kind of" said Jermey. "Only there's a video to go along with it."
"Huh" said the barman. "Ahv no heard of it"
"Aye" said Jeremy, "but then you'd never heard of podcasts until the other day. And I recently had to explain the concept of 'smartphones' to you."
"I still think they're a bunch ae total nonsense" said the barman, sniffing and placing Jeremy's whisky down on the bar. "I mean, it's a phone. What's the point ae hauvin' a phone that you can also play snake on?"
"That's not a smartphone" said Jeremy. "But the fact that you just said that is the reason I come to this bar and not any other"
"So this award of yours..." said the barman, doing that thing barmen always do in poorly written stories; namely absent mindedly polishing a glass while also reminding everyone of the plot, in case you'd forgotten. "...I hear you're getting it, officially, on the final matchday of qualifying."
"Yeah" said Jeremy, "Centre-circle. 1927 Arena. Just before kick-off. Audioslavia vs Villablanca."
"And you're not worried that the fact that this is all really common knowledge? So much so that barmen who don't even know what smartphones are, apparently, see to know about it? Isn't the ready availability of the itinerary going to make it easy for some, oh I don't know, nefarious figure from your distant past to come up with some sort of devious plan to somehow steal this trinket of yours and/or make you look really stupid on a very large scale?"
Jeremy frowned.
"No, why?"
"Just curious. I dunno. I find I get curious whenever someone comes into the bar who's, like, a maverick cop or an investigative journalist or whatever. I end up asking lots of questions that would only make sense if there was someone standing nearby who, for some reason, wanted a quick summary of what was happening in the life of that character. I mean person."
Jeremy blinked. He took a big swig of whisky and set it back down on the bar. He turned towards one of the walls and, very discreetly, made a 'dude what the fuck' gesture at it.
"Y'see" continued the barman. "Normally I rehearse these questions beforehand, on a notepad, but this time I'm just saying them out loud as they come to me, and it appears that isn't a very good tactic as none of this is making sense."
"Where did your Scottish accent go?"
"Exactly" said the barman.
"What's the name of this pub again?" asked Jeremy
"The Gradually Breaks Immersion"
"Ah" said Jeremy. "Have I... have I been here before?"
"No" said the barman
"I must be dreaming" said Jeremy
"If it turns out this is a dream then that totally takes me off the hook with regards to, y'know..." said the barman, gesturing vaguely upwards.
"It'd be a total cop-out" said Jeremy. "But fuck it, let's find out"
Jeremy pinched himself and disappeared. The barman dropped his glass, muttered something about first drafts and promptly melted into the pattern of a hotel ceiling.

Jeremy woke up with an 'argh' and scrambled over to his bedside table to check the time on his phone. He swiped off the paused game of 'Snake' and, after his eyes had time to adjust, found that it was 6am. Huh. He could have sworn he'd been asleep for much more than, when did he go to bed again.... five hours? He contemplated getting up, but wisely decided against it. It was already going to be a long day. No sense it making it four hours longer than necessary.

Jeremy closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts. The day's itinerary organized itself in a neat, imaginary line in front of him. 10am: Get up. Shower. Breakfast. All that good shit. 11pm: Phone interview with Audioslavian radio sports show 'Audio Squared'. 12pm. Lunch. Beer. 1pm: The Idiot Podcast special with Daphnaes. 4pm: To the Channel One offices in Kjeligsted for the interview with Audioslavian news. 5:30pm: Stadium. Hand over the trophy that he'll be being re-awarded that evening. 6:30pm More TV stuff. 7:20pm: To the pitch at the 1927 Arena for the presentation. 7:20+however-long-it-took. Train out to Oljestaden. Pub. Bed.

He wondered whether or not the Bulls would have the beating of Villablanca today. He tried to remember whether or not the match meant anything. Was this a must-win qualifier? Were the Bulls already out? Already through?

Huh. He couldn't remember.

[The Jovannic]

Denigh Kian: The White Wonder of New Hope.

When people mention Denigh Kian, you usually get two responses. One, a resounding cheer from the person and a sudden urge to start talking about football, or a grumble and a glare. This is because Denigh Kian is a controversial figure in the football world of the Jovannic, and his importance in the past decade or so is tremendous.

Early Years
Denigh had a normal childhood. He was part Inzen part Gisteni, and lived in New Hope, a large and densely populated city in the Golda Region. Average income, sufficient housing, good food. His grades were not spectacular, his football skills normal for a child his age. Denigh really got into football during his late secondary school years, where he played for his school, with a medal to show for it. He played midfielder at this time. After secondary school, he enrolled into the New Hope academy. New Hope City at the time was just a mid table club, solid but unspectacular football and a limited fanbase. Its academy however, had recent success and was looking good. He played well in the academy, winning a few tournaments and getting a few medals, and soon graduated with enough skill to be part of the New Hope City reserves.

Younger and Bolder
His debut was 2 months later, at 18. He played against Duckingham Town, another mid table team. He came on as a sub in the 67th minute and impressed with his bold passing and good runs forward. This gave him another start just 2 matches later, against Horimat FC, a good team that regularly broke into the top 5. He scored his first goal there, and New Hope came with a 3-1 win, much to the celebration of fans. Then coach Leroy Porteor and introduced him to the striker role, a place where he r
Stayed until now. He got a few more starts, each with good performances and a few goals. His second season went just as well, scoring 17 goals and breaking into the top 10 scorers of that season, fans thought he was the new hope for New Hope. The next two seasons were slightly worse, as he leveled on a plateau, but this was expected and many were still cheering him on. His performance against Rivals Golda Mitra in his fourth season showed his class, with his first hat trick and an assist to give a commanding 6-1 victory. He had a distinctive style, he often trusted into the centre and swung around, confusing the central defence and often making use of the confusion to sneak behind the lines. During this time, RonaEv attempted to sponsor him, but just 5 days later was found that illegal chemicals was put in their sport drinks, and a scandal ensued, resulting in a 7 year jail sentence for the CEO.

The White Wonder Peaks
After the scandal, Denigh had a small drop in performance, but soon picked up with 2 goals and an assist against Royale de Sliverstye. At 22, he was still young, and many clubs sought to buy him, but he remained loyal. We skip 4 years to 26 and Denigh Kian is the face of the team, the star, the MVP, and most New Hope fans fell in awe to him as aspiring performance after performance led New Hope to their 9th league title and first since 1990. A change in manager also allowed Denigh more free room to play and weave, further improving his performances. He got his third MVP player of the season award, and various accolades also came his way. The next year saw several new changes, as Denigh, now married to spouse Marie Silene, won New Hope their 8th cup, and narrowly losing out to the league by winners Varla Crlak United.

Controversy and Consistency
We now skip a year to 29, as Denigh aged. Another cup was won, and now captain Denigh raised the cup high In the air. However, there was something amiss when a person accused Denigh of theft from a local jewellery shop, and had CCTV footage to show for it. Denigh of course denied the accusations, and allowed a search of his own house. The search party found nothing but Denigh still had to have an alibi, which he did as he was having a BBQ party with his brothers and sister. It was soon found that the perpetrator was just a lookalike and the person who accused him mistook the footage for his face. Although this was solved, he certainly took a dip in performance. Just 1 goal in his next 10 games showed that. He of course picked up afterwards, playing well to score a double against West Juxe United. He played consistently the next season, holding out to ensure his team's 11th league.

Age
His form stayed consistent, but his speed appeared lower as age caught up to him. He still had shining performances but the current coach's speed style was not for him at this stage. He fell to the bench, where he stayed for 2 years. During this season, 33 years of age, he plays regularly as strong form was needed. His consistent goalscoring kept New Hope into contention for the title before eventually losing to Nationale Jovannica.

[Astograth]

Natanians and Nosts 2-4 Astograth
Location: ???

Lineup: Anzizar, Martel, Narke ©, Yrigoy, Lizarza, Lekea, Gurina, Berdesagar, Malkorra, Duarte, Urdanibia
Substitutions: Ibargengoitia for Berdesagar, Sorrosua for Lekea, E. Laurnagay for Urdanibia
Goalscorers: Malkorra x2, Duarte, E. Laurnagaray

---

“You worried?” whispered Churio Aragolaza.

“Not particularly,” replied Selatz Yrigoy as he perused the inflight magazine.

“You reckon he’ll keep his word.”

“I do,” said Yrigoy, looking up. “And if he doesn’t, who cares? He’s the boss.”

Aragolaza was taken aback. “I care. For going back on a promise, at least.”

Yrigoy sighed. “Churio, it’s not even certain that we’ll make the Cup of Harmony, nevermind the World Cup You know how it is. Or do you have contacts in Kelssek and Zwangzug?”

Aragolaza frowned and shook his head. “Where’s your ambition, mate? Don’t you want this?”

“Of course I do!” snapped Yrigoy, before having a look around that he hadn’t woken up anybody else. “But you’ve got to put your trust in Vaudrail. He said if we make a tournament, whether it be the World Cup or the Cup of Harmony, he’ll take all of us. And his word’s good.”

Aragolaza sat back, resigned, and looked out the window. It was pitch black. They were just a few hours into their long-haul flight from Natanians and Nosts back home, with a refuelling stop in Nephara. Shame they wouldn’t let them out to even stretch their leg – it would be a nice chance to have a chat with some Nepharan agents.
He turned his thoughts back to the worry that gnawed at him. This was his first time on the national team, and he’d earned ten caps already. Six of those were as a substitute for Malkorra and four of them as a starter – not bad, all things considered, but Vaudrail would only start him against the likes of Muradil and Porticalia, never Audioslavia or New Lusitania. He also hadn’t scored any goals or performed especially noticeably, whereas Malkorra had just scored a brace last night and brought his goal count to four in these qualifiers. Malkorra was also playing in the Nepharim Premiership…

Where Aragolaza was a key player for Urbizania Wanderers, a championship-winning star, with Olibondeka he had so far been merely average. Yrigoy was in a similar situation, having played in just eight of twenty-one matches so far. Yet the centre-back was unfazed. Had he just given up? He was 31, two years older than Aragolaza. Did the big 30 just sap all ambition out of you? Or did he really trust Vaudrail that much, that he wouldn’t swap Yrigoy for, say, Iturributa United’s Cherran Peluaga, or Sporting’s Erauso Zugasti? Or the man he’d replaced, for that matter: Wanderer’s Xarles Sabatza. Sure, Vaudrail had taken Yrigoy to Royal Rumiatzi and made him a key part of the team over three seasons, but was this trust or naïveté?

If anyone was getting the axe in the transition from qualifying to tournament, it was Aragolaza and Yrigoy. The right winger had been keeping an eye on who might replace him, but it did nothing to ease his worries. Rumiatzi’s Iturriche would be the obvious choice, but Arkamo’s Achabalastra or Gesterlake’s Karrikaburu would be solid outside picks as well; all of them were younger than Aragolaza, and solid goalscorers like he was meant to be. Even United’s Zohiartze Gorrachategi, whom Vaudrail had initially judged past his prime in choosing Aragolaza, could be a fine addition to the team for a short tournament.

For now, there was nothing he could do but stew. No, meditate. Mindfulness! And train harder. And maybe meet with some Nepharan agents…

[Oberour Ar Moro]

Comte de Brumes and Dr. Caterine Forestier were meeting in her office, discussing forthcoming experiments for HIERATIC, when a young woman with copper hair walked through the door, holding multiple folders.

"Excuse me, Dr. Forestier, I have some..." her voice trailed away as she the two people in the office turned their heads towards her. Forestier, she recognized, but the other...

My God, it is him. The immortal king.

He stepped forward, all charm and politesse. "Comte de Brumes," he said as an introduction. The Comte took the young woman's free hand and bowed toward her while lifting the hand to his mouth to kiss it softly.

She couldn't help but blush, despite the shock she was feeling. It was as if he was constructed entirely of charisma.

"What is your name, Mademoiselle?"

She looked up at him. "Erica Reclus."

Dr. Forestier had returned her view to her computer. "I just brought Erica on as a personal assistant. Which must be why she doesn't realize she shouldn't barge in-"

"Oh, there is no cause for alarm." The Comte took the paperwork from Erica's hands, then turned to put it on Forestier's desk. "Thank you so much, but could you leave us be?"

"Of course, Comte. Doctor." She curtsied involuntarily, before stopping herself, and turning to leave the office. It was him, just as the Doctor had said. Or would say when they traveled to the future in about five months. As Erica left, she saw that one of her fellow assistants was reading about Oberour Ar Moro's upcoming rematch against Southern Esportivan Union.

---

The IPR extradited additional research on chronons after the incredible results from the first experiment. Dr. Forestier was on pins and needles as she awaited the results. And when they came in she was amazed. In a bad way. What happened?

The results were garbage, they didn't make any sense based on the initial results. What had happened?

They went back to try the experiments later on and the results were even further off base. The next time after that, it shorted out the entire system. They hand-inspected each of the nodes that had to be adjusted for particular experiments and discovered that the node at Triangle-Four was so broken it had to have been done at purpose. And there was a camera on that node that showed a maintenance worker that must have been the one to do the sabotage.

The security office had a picture of the maintenance worker and tried to determine who it was. It wasn't anyone who actually worked at the IPR, as best as anyone could tell. However...

"You know, that looks like Nycollas Mauranghas."

"The football player?"

"I mean..." the officer pulled out his phone, searched for Mauranghas, and found a picture. Yeah. "Yeah?"

---

"I understand that you are working on your remarks." A traveled back in time Dr. Caterine Forestier met with Conmore des Paveillons, Minister of Research days before the Conference on Colliding Beam Physics. "Minister, I think you'll want to talk about our research on the matter of time. Here's a way of looking at it: Imagine four balls on the edge of a cliff."

---

The first national team practice for the Legalese match had only just started when assistant Arzhur Janquin called Nycollas Mauranghas aside. He gestured to two men in dark suits looking uncomfortable in the warm weather. "These guys say they need to chat with you."

Nycollas was baffled. "Who are they?"

"From the Interior Ministry. Any idea why they need to speak with you?"

"I have no idea!"

Janquin looked askance at him. "Then you better follow them and clear up whatever it is."

Nycollas hurried towards them. The two gestured towards Nycollas and started walking towards the FMC office.

The two agents looked abashed. The oldest one sat down, the younger one held a packet of papers. The oldest sighed.

"Monsieur Mauranghas. Where were you on the day of..." He sighed, "September 8."

Nycollas tried to recall. That must have been around when qualifying began. In fact-

"Wasn't that the day of the game against North New South Wales?"

The man in the suit sighed again. "Yeah..."

"Oh. Gilduin Roux had us at a hotel the night before. I ate breakfast with the team, we went to the Parade Grounds, warmed up, changed, played the game. I scored a goal." Nycollas narrowed his eyes. "Everyone on the team can account for that. Why are you asking?"

The younger man pulled something from his packet of papers and handed it to Nycollas. It was a picture of security footage. "A man, who looks strangely like you, sabotaged the particle accelerator at the Institute for Particle Research that day."

Nycollas stared at the photo. There was a guy, who plainly looked like him, with his arms in the guts of a large machine. A large triangle was painted on the wall with a stenciled four inside it. Nycollas shook his head and handed the photo back. "I don't know what to tell you. I was playing football."

The older man stood up gruffly. "That's what we told them. They can look up football results like anyone else. I'm sorry we wasted your time. We'll let the manager know that we just had questions for you."

Nycollas returned to the field and rejoined practice. When they returned to the locker room he pulled out his phone and made a call. "I got a visit today...Mm-hmm...Triangle four...September 8th last...Sure, let's get that figured out and I'll take care of it."

---

"Oh, that was you who ruined the experiments?" Erica and Nycollas met with Dr. Forestier after he had met with the men from the Interior Ministry. "That makes sense now. Hang on, I'll figure out how you broke it and write up a guide.

---

Minister of Research Conmore des Paveillons had been called in to meet with Chancellor Serapion d'Eaue-Bonne. And whatever he had expected, he did not expect that he would be fired from his post.

"The IPR is well above budget, and we were very generous. But worse, your performance at the Conference on Colliding Beam Physics made us look like fools." He threw a journal at des Paveillons, which was highly insulting towards his understanding of time, or much of anything.

"But we're so close-!"

"They are so close if they are close to anything. You are not. Thank you for your service."

[Twicetagram and JYPe]

A Message to Everyone(esp Twicetagria's defenders)
From Danny Cutman

You know me. I'm the most high-profile personal trainer in all of Atlantean Oceania. Actually, maybe not that large, but I'm still well known. People who want to be my apprentice but are too scared to have asked me, "What is the secret to my success?" Well, the answer is simple: patience.
I had to wait a long time before I could physically see the fruits of my labour reaped.
whips out a used calendar, and then flips it until this month
You see, we always start off with the easy, but what if the easy wasn't easy? We still have to try. Every successful person has been at your level at some point.
When you go easy,
pulls out an unused punching bag
the effects may not be seen.
punches the bag lightly, but it only slightly moves
However, after you have practised,
punches the bag until it tears in half
you can see the results of your hard work and effort.
Being successful isn't a hereditary thing. It's a reward for being patient when others couldn't wait.

Wait! We're not done yet.
You see, after being shccesaful doesn't mean you can slack around. You still have to maintain yourself, so that you won't fall to the competition. Practise everyday, and every night. That way, we won't be conceding useless goals to little teams that are irrelevant. Because of this, we have lost our chance to qualify in our debut World Cup. Because our defenders partied all night long and didn't train, we've been losing to teams we should have won.
I hope this video will motivate you, and give you the boost and patience that you need. Peace.

[Huayramarca]

Part 1.
Part 2.
Part 3.
Part 4.
Part 5.
Part 6-
Part 7.
Part 8.

Ñucanchi Ñan - Part 9.

Illimani National Park, Huayrasuyo Department - 24/04/1980 - 4:00 P.M.

Recomended music choice for the RP

The People was cornering the Police officers who were left without covering, the angry mob was turning madder conforming the time was moving up forward, the officers didn’t offered resistance at all for the moment, since a simple cornering didn’t posed a threat to their capabilities of attacking in case of needed, they have the upper hand of the deck according to them, since they were thinking that Ñucanchi Ñan et all were unarmed. A wrong thought appeared at Girón during that moment “Well, let’s await, they won’t attack us” What they didn’t thought is that even more people from the Illimani surroundings would appear into scene and would break into the mob of people, they were residents from the monasteries and communities, whose ideal is to keep the place virgin, so they can promote tourism more often for the people from abroad. Illimani is, to be fair, a good place to visit considering that its actually a virgin land if you get over 5000 meters, several pristine lakes and an always snow-capped twin peak is waiting for those alpinists or people wishing to visit a hot spot for beautiful scenery.

The hotel owners from that zone were known by being rich, well-armed and against Mina’s government. Nazario Mamani was the leader of the Hotel Syndicate from that zone, Mamani is a gun lover himself, a vicious person in terms of attitude towards revenge, something that he wouldn’t mind at all to do even if police were there. A supervisor from the zone said “’Police is near, they are protecting the mining equipment, apparently there’s a group trying to send them away.” Mamani took his index finger to the mouth, then raised his right hand, fist punching the air around and said “Send the militia of the Syndicate, this is our time.” The supervisor took rifles and automatic assault weapons with him, gave one to Mamani and then he called other owners to go there.

The hotel owners arrived, unsuspectedly and unnoticed since the people was struggling with police on the place, and the officers weren’t able to keep a good panoramic vision by the fact of being cornered and waiting for instruction in order to display themselves on the place. Huayramarcan police is known for being incompetent, they only wanted to brag their weapons but most of the task forces of the nation have little to no training on how to properly use a weapon, how to change magazines, etc. The militia arrived into the place, approached to the mob and shot to the air, Mamani asked “What’s going on here?” Girón recognized Mamani immediately, he knew that he wouldn’t have a chance against Mamani’s man, hence he decided to answer what he was asked for “Those people want to eject the mining company out of here.” While he pointed out the Ñucanchi Ñan avant-garde, Mamani talked with Ana, she had to explain what was their purpose on those lands, de-facto ruled by the Hotel Syndicate. Ana said “We want to protect this land, we don’t want mining, we want Illimani to remain virgin.” To what Mamani nodded instinctively and said “We too, we need a clean environment to promote revenue for our hotels.” Although they disagreed by the usage of the land, Ana was aware that it was preferable to keep hotels than keeping mining equipment that could heavily damage the Illimani National Park.

Ana said “Preferable is to keep you all here, so, what do you think?” Mamani took a weapon, and started to shot at the police officers, so the militia also accompanied the fire, Mamani said “I don’t think, I just want them and their equipment out of this park.” Seeing the situation, the Ñucanchi Ñan militia answered by taking the machinery and took it to a place where they would keep it safe, with control of Mamani. Kevin asked Mamani if it could be a good idea to sell that material and share revenue, a 33% for ÑÑ and 33% for the Syndicate, with 34% destined for preservation of the park, planting more trees in order to do reforestation duties at some zones of the park, Mamani agreed with the idea and decided to proceed as it was meant to do.

The officers weren’t unable to answer to the firings, nor even for asking for reinforcements via radio, people proceeded also to launch Molotov cocktails on them in order to burn them alive while being shot. Mamani said “I don’t want any kind of evidence from what happened, once they die, bury them, let them be fertilizer for our potato crops.” The Syndicate and Ñucanchi Ñan were celebrating the action, which once again showed that “El pueblo, unido, jamás será vencido.”

The objective was done, the equipment was long away for good of the Syndicate and Ñucanchi Ñan, they were winning the battle by then, but, somebody wouldn't resist the temptation to see what was going on, it was Mina itself who decided to arrive to the place, while the people was talking each other, suddenly, Mamani spotted a convoy of black Sierra SUVs moving to the field, but suddenly stopping since some corpses were still there, the duties to remove them and turn those into fertilizer weren't finished yet, a random suited person got out of the van, Kevin said "Oh, look who's here." Everybody turned to the vans and observed how the machinery wasn't there, how Mina was standing with perplexity at the scene, he saw how his plan was failing completely. Mamani decided to go berserk and asked the people to corner-up those cars and try to kidnap Mina for once, the bodyguards were shot all of a sudden by the militia, Mina took a weapon and then, Ana grabbed her 9mm and shot him at the knees, she was delighted while that bullet was crossing the air, right at Mina, she was enjoying every bit of blood going out of his body, it was revenge consumed up for most of the Serranos present, it was truly their day.

The people managed to go near Mina, they interrogated him and proceeded to kick him, everybody was kicking viciously until someone noted that Mina wasn't wearing normal dressing, he had something below his shirt and then, everybody decided to retreat, some suspiscions arised into the air "Is that a bomb? Asked Buendía while looking closer and detailed to the big fish that Mina was. Buendía was right, it was a bomb, Mina tried to kill them all if they didn't allowed him to drill and extract their gold, it was a desperate measure for somebody desperate to rob money from the state, make himself a new life away from Huayramarcans, who would be left with nothing after that brutal robbery plan." People was at the dillema of shooting or not to shoot, since they wanted to kidnap Mina, they wanted to torture them and cause him a slow but painful death as revenge to what the Serranos had been suffering on the last years.

[Alba and Cymru]

ԬԬԬ The Celtic Times ԬԬԬ
Bringing Light to a World in the Dark

June 14, 2020 Edition

Celts Looking for 9 Points in the Last Three Games
Edinburgh, Alba

Alba and Cymru left Savojarna yesterday with an all-out offensive win with a score of 3-2. The Celts were the first to score via Conchúr MacGregor with a tight shot through goalkeeper Iiro Pakanen. Savojarna answered with a score 60 seconds later through Arvid Jotansson. A foul on Cadoc ApGlywys in the late first half would see a completed penalty kick, giving the Celts a 2-1 advantage at halftime. Savojarna scored early in the second half via Freya Sigurdsdottir. Both teams struggled to make way throughout the remainder of the match, but Sergey Leonidov came through with an assist from Not Lionel Messi to give the Celts a 3-2 win over the home opponents.

Now going up against Terre Septentrionale, who is looking for a playoff spot in Group 3, Alba and Cymru seek to upend their plans and take 3 away from the football giants.

Game stats for Alba and Cymru (6-6-9):

Group rank: 9th
Shots: 10
Goals: 3 (Conchúr MacGregor, 21'; Cadoc ApGlywys, 41'; Sergey Leonidov, 85')
Possession: 55'
Saves: 7
Fouls: 7
Yellow: 0
Red: 0
No notable injuries

[Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom]

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

Helmutov’s car pulled into an alley in the capital’s small industrial district. These poorer precincts reminded Helmutov of where he grew up, and also towns in his constituency. Nikola let Deputy Helmutov into a building, it was run down like any other, but the insides were cleaner than expected. There was a nearly empty waiting room with a receptionist. The room also housed an armed guard. After Nikola spoke to the woman behind the desk, Nikola and the deputy were disked away into a room. Passing an armed guard, and his large gun, the two men entered dimly lit room. “Nikola, what’re we in here for?” Helmutov asked as he made out his surroundings. He was in a square room. A large chair sat behind the desk and one more was on Helmutov’s side. The deputy took a seat while eyeing up a bookshelf. Once the deputy was seated the person in the large chair began to speak, “We were not expecting this level of activity, Mr. Helmutov.” That smooth monotone voice signaled only one person Helmutov knew. “Luka?” he asked out. The chair swiveled back. There indeed was that dull speaking, fedora wearing, pointy chined ghoul the president called an advisor.

“Did you set up that motorcade?” Helmutov asked, “I didn’t sign up for the line of duty.” “I apologize for getting you in over your head. Pull up a chair Nikola” The men then sat in the stale air without making a sound as Nikola sat down on a folding chair. “Perhaps, I should have known that you need to be up to speed on this country.” Luka said, his hands locked by the fingernails. The monotone man spoke up, “You know that in old regime, law enforcement on the ground has some disputes” Luka said breathing in as the sentence trailed on. Helmutov looked directly into Luka’s eyes, listening closely. Luka continued, “the People’s Affairs Legal Department was the battleground. People who controlled information seemed to control enforcement, and those who policed the people wished to control the information. Strong rules could keep he two pieces in check. However, those without the gifts in leadership could not control the blaze.”

Luka spoke further, “Your trail was an example of the conflict. Don’t you remember what happened?” Helmutov responded with a nod, and elaborated in audio form, “After the trial?” Luka shook his head, “Before then, Mr. Helmutov.” Helmutov’s memory began to stream into the mainframe of Helmutov’s mind. As Helmutov worked to remember the situation, his visions moved to the court room itself. “I had thought the trial would end quickly. They brought in an inspector, I can still see his bushy mustache and diminutive stature. He claimed the ‘Green Order’ were a subversive terrorist group, and that they had bombed the public square before massacring citizens in cold blood.” Helmutov paused before continuing, “That was normally the end in trials of this nature. However I wasn’t interested in that. That was why I volunteered. I requested the ability to cross examine this witness. I invoked the government’s philosophy of ‘Otvorenost’ and I implored the judge to let me continue. He accepted my request. I did not expect to cross examine a government witness.” Luka chuckled, “What did you do with your opportunity?” he asked.

“They had just claimed no one saw the shooting. ‘But there was a witness,’ I said, ‘I know of only one.’ Then the little guy scoffed at me. I don’t believe he expected any response.” Luka butted in, “Certainly he did not, old fool.” “You were listening,” Helmutov said, thinking to where the story had been derailed. “I mentioned his address because the witness was my neighbor. Not that I told anyone that. The prosecution tried to argue my idea down. In this trial, the Judge’s word was law, and he let us find this man.” Helmutov saw people standing up, the judge calling for order. “He claimed to have photos of the event, he claimed ‘people were wearing the wrong uniforms.’ They were dressed like authorities.” Luka interrupted Helmutov’s day dream, “They said that was a tall tale, but we know better” “Of course,” Helmutov said, “and we still lost the trial. However, the authorities were on the ropes. Others in the city began talking. They agreed with our story, and they protested in the streets. They couldn’t execute the accused.” “The judge and the cameras made the government look quite poor.” Luka said. “What happened to you?” he asked rhetorically.

Helmutov thought for a moment, making sure to recall the essential details, “After the trial a few men in uniform came to me. They took me by the arms, and moved me into a room. I was alone, and I couldn’t hear anything until there was a loud bang. A few people with green ribbons took me out of the courthouse. I didn’t return to my residence for a week.” “That’s correct,” Luka said, “You were housed by the Green Order. Eventually you were not a target of the government, and you were able to return to your legal duties.” Helmutov nodded, “I’m not sure why I was given such mercy. However, perhaps the Green Order’s lawyer was untouchable.” “Not that anyone in the government could do anything to you at that point.” Luka said, “They had lost their powers, too many people were grappling for control. Ultimately the intelligence community reaped the greatest rewards in government.” Helmutov looked confused, “But you lost the government.” Luka smiled and continued to speak, “If you remove a tiny blade of grass, do you kill the roots? My predecessors did not need the socialist government. Without them the intelligence community still survived into the new democratic era. We no longer are orders to spy on commoners, so the people are rarely interested in removing us. The new police however consider us a threat. Some of us compete against them just as we did against the executioners of old.”

Helmutov stood up as did Luka, “There is much more to the story than I can explain here." Luka said, "You now know more than millions. Even though our interactions have been through happenstance, you have been invaluable to national intelligence. I know it is difficult for people to grapple with this information, but you will need to.” “What if I decide this game isn’t for me?” Helmutov asked, Luka spoke in reply with a degree of urgency, “You would not live.” Helmutov looked behind him. “Not by my guard’s hand.” Luka said, “The people who are after you will have no trouble silencing you if my protection is rescinded. I don’t mean to be cold, but I only have so many resourced I can throw out into the wilderness. Since you’re likley going to live in your home, you will need quite a few guards for the time being. It is late. A few of my men will coming with you. Your vehicle may need new registration as well.”

[Valanora]

They promised her a new and better life out in Valanora
Underneath the blue neverending sky, swore that there were gonna
Get things in order they'd send for her
When they left her behind, it never crossed her mind

There is no Valanora
No painted forests, no Caddonia
If there was an Arrosia Wild
She could fill it up with the lies they told her
But they don't exist, those dreams they sold her
She'll wake up and find
There is no Valanora

She got a postcard with no return address postmarked Longview
It said, I don't know where I'm goin' next, but when I do I'll let you know
May, June, July, she wonders why
She's still waiting, she'll keep waiting 'cause

There is no Valanora
No painted forests, no Caddonia
If there was an Arrosia Wild
She could fill it up with the lies they told her
But they don't exist, those dreams they sold her
She'll wake up and find
There is no Valanora

Each day the sun sets into the west
Her heart sinks lower in her chest
And friends keep asking when she's going
Finally she tells them, don't you know

There is no Valanora
No painted forests, no Caddonia
If there was an Arrosia Wild
She could fill it up with the lies they told her
But they don't exist, those dreams they sold her
She'll wake up and find
There is no Valanora

OOC: Based off There is No Arizona

[Natanians and Nosts]

After defeating Turori by 2x0 in the last round,Natanians and Nosts lost to Astograth this round.
The team will face Muraldil on the next round.The new manager said he Will only fully test the team on the Campionato Esportiva because this is the first time the great majority of players is training with him.
Natanians and Nosts is currently in 7th place with 29 points.

[Kelssek]

Results for matchday 24, groups 1-7
New Lusitania's RP below was counted for MD24.

[New Lusitania and the Algarves]

STL|Serviços de Transmissão Lusitana
Sport | Football|
World Cup 85

A PASSING GRADE
New Lusitania 4-2 Natanians and Nosts
@Estádio do Mondego, Coimbra (Att:47 955)

The return flight home would set up the following match in the academic city of Coimbra. This meant that the federation had attempted to organise things in a way in which the life of the city would join in on the fun for a great atmosphere, which they would deliver. Representatives of faculties and nationwide universities paraded around the track just before the stars entered the pitch. New Lusitania made one change as Silveira returned in what now seems to be an alternating schedule with Paciência. The match was now under way with a great crowd and a pleasant day for what would be a great match. The first goal would come in just fifteen minutes, actually, when Fernando gave the ball some air to switch flank and it made its way to Silveira who would sink it into the bottom of the goal as the modern stadium erupted into cheers. Despite a few good chances by the Selecção, "N&N" would bounce back to equalise as Ápio Silva curved the ball slightly to manage a goal on the right hand side of the net, in off the bar. The crowd fell silent for a moment but got back on it's feet as the game went underway, sensing a real twelfth man there, more than usual even. Just before halftime it was yet another goal by Daniel Jota who'd volley it in from a Gama cross on the opposite flank to put New Lusitania in the lead, a great position to be in by the time the teams make it to the dressing rooms for the end of the first period.
The second half brought a new round of thrills for all fans in the stadium, the bars and their living rooms alike kicking off with an extremely dangerous Nosts side which almost got the equaliser right after the whistle if not for some good reflexes. New Lusitania's third would actually come before any other Natanians goals when Gama found his goal of the day following a Veiga assist. The player currently with Sevilha showing a rapid run to connect with the ball and then shoot it in well to make it 3-1. The away side were undeterred and a second goal for them appeared on seventy two minutes following a corner where Ninnio Gonçalo would head it in as best he could to pull one back. With little time left yet plenty of possibilities the hunt was on and the real feel of anxiousness filled the stadium as the final ten minutes appeared. The Selecção would seal the deal with a goal from Veiga on eighty-five though after a great counter attack issued by Fernando, who would now receive his eleventh assist. As for Veiga, a Complex yet simple tap in to the left side would be enough to ensure New Lusitania another three points.



THE HUB
Goals:Jota (14), Paciência (7), Veiga (6), Gama (5), Silveira (4), Fernando (3), Azinheira (1), Trincão (1), Cavalariça (1), Guerreiros (1)
Assists: Fernando (11), Gama (8), Horta (7), Veiga (6), Paciência (3), Mário (2), Azinheira (2), Jota (1), Silveira [1], Nevais (1), Cancela (1), Leiteiro (1)
Bookings: Cancela (3Y)

NB: Previous editions my have the name Paciente instead of Paciência which is a mistake which STL apologises for.

MMXX STL

[Independent Athletes from Quebec]

PART 3 : THE INVESTITURE

The Walton Room of the St. Henri’s Palace was a special location for many royals, not because of how homely it seemed, but rather because it was fitting for the week that led up to the Coronation of Queen Christine II of Quebec.

The Room, while not the nicest nor the most regal of the rooms available in the Capitol’s four palaces, had particular symbolic significance for the nation, and it did fit the current situation the best, as everybody awaited the Coronation. Among seven days that came right up to the Coronation, today was the day of a major celebration and the clearance of a major hurdle. According to the Royal Marriages Act of 1788, the foreigner were forbidden from marriage to any member of the direct line of Quebecois royalty, barring the government’s approval to give the very subject of concern a fitting royal title.

Of course, this had made sense then, for those who knew their piece of royal history well. There once was a time when the Quebecois Royal Family, as expected from the customs of the monarchies, were actively marrying foreign princes, princesses or noblemen. Starting around the time of the Act’s introduction in 1788, Royal Kingdom of Quebec was widely expanding its range, as the kingdom of mercantiles and coexistence had expanded to gradually incorporate more territories, and to establish critical ties with various Atlantian Oceanian and Rushmori Kingdoms. At the same time, the concern of royals engaging in improper marriages (remember, there were lot more children of the nobility and royalty then than now, on a relative ratio to the rest of the population) became a matter of significant concern for the Parliament and Cabinets of all political fronts.

So there arrived a law, and subsequently the whole sets of tradition that culminated from it, and many stories that came out of it. While there have been no shortage of such examples in Royal House of Jeongs, given the status of the former Quebecois Empire (now Commonwealth of Quebecois Dominions and the Allied Nations, shortened as the Quebecois Commonwealth), the most famous of the stories was the story of Prince Richard, the Duke of Walton and widely regarded as ‘le pere Richard’. The dark haired Krytenian Duke, whose brown eyes, remarkable intellect, short fuse, and his love of latest innovations combined for something bizarre, was a perfect complement to the hot-tempered Queen Arlene the Great, as they went to loving marriage from 1843 to 1867, before his death to typhus. Their story was a fable to many children and a dissertation topic for others, and while there had been three royal consorts since then (Prince Henrik of Langeland, Queen Maria, formerly of Aguablanca and Queen Mother Elizaveta), none seemed to have the magic that the wild, just-ascended pair of Arlene and Richard held in the minds of the Quebecois and the Commonwealth people.

Maybe that was why everybody, in some ways, were looking forward to the next six months that were to follow, first by the Coronation of the young Christine II, followed by many months of change and celebrations, before finishing off with the big bang in the Royal Wedding, to be held in a warm, August morning. It was in this feeling of excitement that brought every member in the House together, as hundreds of men and women sat or stood before the young Prince Caspian. The list of the guests present were, of course, the very best of the society: several dozen members of both Quebecois and Cassadaiguan royal houses were present, as did few from the High-Ranked nobility. They were complemented by the loyal members of the Royal Household, as well as Her Majesty’s Cabinet led by the Prime Minister Kim Seung-Yin, the Opposition led by Tatiana Zarankine, and members of the Gyujanggak, the prestigious independent research centre located in heart of the nation. Not to mention the presence of half-Quebecois Prince Marco of Jeruselem, who somehow had enough balls and boldness to come to the ceremony in full, regal suit of the Jeruselemite Royal House.

Were they all approving of the prince? Probably not. The royal-to-royal sentiment had long passed the Quebecois since the Southern Rushmori War, and the Quebecois live in a different era now, where a Prince living in Moors of Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch, Antigonish Islandm would be preferred by majority of domestic nobility over a foreign prince, even taking account into glowing praises of Caspian. Were they still looking forward to the era? Absolutely. All of them did.

The ceremony itself was quite straightforward, as the Queen arrived at the sight of the The Queen slowly opened the paper she wrote minutes earlier, but had been prepared in exact wordings for every recitation the past three centuries. Of course, there were minor alterations as in what earldom, duchy and whatnot to give, but that isn’t the point anyway. 'I grant you and the heirs, male of your body, lawfully together, the dignities of the Duke of Halifax, the Earl of Esperance and the Baron Charlevoix, and Knight Companion of the Royal Moogoonghwa Order.’ She said, as she placed the sword on the shoulders of the prince, before drawing it back. Then, she quickly and efficiently pinned the Medal, with its shape and colour more fitting of the ancestral past than the contemporary Quebec of mixed-raced peoples, at his right breast.