Welcome to the 11th Volleyball World Expo!
Royal Quebecois Volleyball Federation is delighted to welcome the thirty competing nations of the Volleyball World Expo to the Kingdom of Quebec and Shingoryeo!
As the 'Everything Thread', this place is where you will post your roster and RPs, also where the match results and fixtures will be posted. With 30 nations competing, this means that it will be able to be set up with five groups of six teams, which will be followed by the round of sixteen (1v16, 2v15, etc) and onwards. The teams will be drawn with round of sixteen with no rematches of group stage rematch until Semifinals, and will be redrawn after Round of Sixteen as well.
All games will be played within Quebec, and all matches within the same group will be played in the same city. IC information about Q&S and the host cities will be available on the post right below that of the OP. Any OOC questions should be directed to the OOC thread.
Ranks: Due to the relative lack of the ranks in the past two VWEs, the official ranks were not used. As with the protocol used in VWE 9, hosted by Cassadaigua, any nation that have participated in both VWE 9 and 10 will receive a full day of max RP bonus, while half the amount will apply to those who have participated for VWE 9 or 10. They will also be placed on Pot 1-3 of the group stage, or as an additional team on Pot 4.
Both: Abanhfleft, Cassadaigua, Commonwealth of Baker Park, HUElavia, Kohnhead, Kriegiersien, Lisander, Permecutan, Qasden, Quebec and Shingoryeo, Siovanija and Teusland, Taeshan
Either VWE 9 or 10: Chromatika, Hispinias, Sarzonia, Xanneria
Tiebreakers: Points, H2H Result, Set Difference
Groups
Group A (Montreal - Laurent Ahn Arena)
Quebec and Shingoryeo
Sarzonia
Hispinas
Saint-Domingues
Mapletish
Mytanija
Group B (Montreal - Commonwealth Centre)
HUElavia
Taeshan
Chromatika
Iba Dawa
Sierra Grand
Sannyamathland
Group C (Montreal - Calania Place)
Cassadaigua
Commonwealth of Baker Park
Xanneria
Sharktail
Hebitaka
Græntfjall
Group D (Quebec City - Arena Jacques-Lee-Woodpecker)
Siovanija and Teusland
Lisander
United States of Devonta
Abanhfleft
Banija
Grey County
Group E (Levis - Pavilion de Levis)
Kohnhead
Kriegiersien
Permecutan
Qasden
Srednjaci
Bunkaiia
Schedule
RP cutoffs will be at 21:30-22:30 PM Eastern Standard Time (UTC - 5:00) on matchdays.
Groups and IC Information Posted: March 15
MD1: March 20 (1v6, 2v5, 3v4)
MD2: March 21 (6v4, 5v3, 1v2)
MD3: March 22 (2v6, 3v1, 4v5)
MD4: March 23 (6v5, 1v4, 2v3)
MD5: March 24 (3v6, 4v2, 5v1)
First Round: March 26
Quarterfinals: March 27
Semifinals: March 28
Bronze Medal: March 29
Gold Medal Match: March 30
Welcome to Quebec and Shingoryeo!
Transportation
To arrive in Quebec you'll likely just want to fly in to the city that you will be playing in. Both Montreal and Quebec City have an airport that serve most major airlines, include including the giant Quebecois duo of Spiritair and Aeroquebec groups. The likewise goes if one wishes to arrive in Quebec by port, or international train, with both having international services available (OOC: Please let me know if you need any arrangements).
While travelling inside country, there are main methods you can use for this. Various levels of services exist per speed, route and also the overnight availability (this option remains very popular in Quebec), and they are
As for Montreal-Quebec City services, both cities are connected to one another by train service once every 30 minutes:
- Quebecois Train Express (QTX) - High Speed Rail - 0:50 - 26x Daily between Montreal Saint-Pancras and Quebec City Reneegrad
- Velo - Medium-Speed Service, Daytime services - 1:30-45 - 14x Daily between Montreal Saint-Pancras and Saint-Lambert, and Quebec City Reneegrad and Cheongnyangni Stations
- Nightstar - Medium-Speed Service, Nighttime services - 2:00-2:30 - 8x Daily between Montreal Saint-Pancras and Saint-Lambertm and Quebec City Reneegrad and Cheongnyangni Stations
Languages
There are three official languages in this nation: English, French and Korean. All 3 languages are taught in school curriculum and with great depth, causing most of the population to be at least trilingual. Additionally, in this part of the nation there are some other First Nations languages being recognised as regional languages and are used+learned to great depth in schools, so please note this when you're RPing in Quebec. Most Quebecois you'll meet are at least fluent in two of the languages and that will show with way they speak.
Money
The national currency of Quebec is Quebecois Pound, with the exchange rate of $2 NS for 1 Quebecois pound. With the nation being rich with huge economy, almost everyone will have at least has a good deal of money here. So please don't feel surprised if the products are much more expensive here than back home, excluding alcohol and certainly marijuana.
Things you'll need in your stay, prices in NS Dollars (NS$) and Quebecois Pound (Q)
- Hotel: NS$50-400, Q$25-200
- Public transport in both cities: NS$2-6, Q1-3
- An one-way ticket between Montreal and Quebec City: NS$8-40, Q4-20
- Average cost of food: NS$6-34, Q3-17
- Sports tickets: NS$40-600, Q20-250
- Bottle of water: NS$8, Q4 (Sale of bottled water itself is extremely limited, with public fountains providing very low interest for the people)
- Alcohol: NS$10-100, Q5-50 per keg
- Public phone: NS$2 per 5-minute call, Q1 per call
Cuisine
Quebecois cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from dominant Korean and elegant French cuisine that came with settlers, as well as materials and existing food of the First Nations living in the area, Quebecois cuisine has evolved through a complex interaction of the natural environment and different cultural trends and is the best mix of it all.
Quebecois cuisine is largely based upon rice, other diverse kinds of grains, vegetables, and meats(in this area moose and caribou, and to rare cases bears). The meals are noted for the number of side dishes (banchan) that accompany steam-cooked short-grain rice. It varies on the personal preferences but often in every meal they eat at least some form of maple syrup, Kimchi and/or bread. Commonly used ingredients include sesame oil, doenjang (fermented bean paste), soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and gochujang (fermented red chili paste). In this part of the nation, fish are caught off the rivers and lakes to be eaten in whatever the way one prefers as well.
Ingredients and dishes vary by region to region, with many. Many regional dishes have become national, and dishes that were once regional have proliferated in different variations across the country. Meals are regulated by cultural etiquette, which are very hard to follow for even the average Quebecois due to all the processes they take.
Feel free to ask me for any questions if you have any in mind.
Religion
Quebec is a religiously diverse country, though divided when it comes to dominant regions. In the cities where the World Cup of Hockey will be hosted, First Nations' religions are widely practiced, with Quebecois Catholic Church and Buddhism right behind. Due to these differences, all three levels of Government keeps some separation from any religions, though they still hold some influences in those levels and receive lots of funding. It is also not recommended to argue about politics or religion in Quebec, as political and religious apathy is not really a thing for the Quebecois people.
Laws
Culturally and socially, Quebec is in bit of a mix. Another handy chart will be in place to explain some of Quebec's laws in place:
Recreational drugs: Legal, though selling them without a provincial licence can lead to up to $10,000 in fines and 5 years in jail.
Hard drugs: Illegal, with punishments up to $50,000 in fines and 5 years in jail for possession and consumption of the drugs.
Prostitution: Legal. People won't be talking about it, but will nod along. That said, any form of human trafficking involved will come up with minimum 25 years of jail time.
Pornography: Legal, aside from child pornography (applies to any pornographic videos or anything else starring people up to 18 years of age). Possession of child pornography will land you straight in jail for 7 years, while production and distribution of it can lead to potential death sentence. So, don't try it as it's a big no-no.
Legal age for tobacco: 18
Legal age for alcohol: 14
Maximum BAC to drive: 0.03.
Saying the word 'Coconut': Legal
All the foreign citizens caught under the Federal and/or Provincial law will not be extradited, unless of a special order given by Christine II and the Prime Minister.
Host Cities
In celebration of the 11th Volleyball World Expo being hosted on the homesoil, and to tie back to the illustrious history of Quebecois volleyball and sports as a whole, the cities of Montreal and Quebec City were selected to host the entire stage of the VWE.
Located in middle of Central Quebec, the City of Montreal is the largest city in Quebec. Founded in year 1554 as the meeting place between the indigenous peoples of the area and the rapidly expanding kingdom, the city evolved from a collective of small communities into an active trading centre for the Quebecois merchants, the government, and the neighbouring Semars.
Then, as the kingdom expanded to incorporate almost all of its current territories (and South Detroit), as well as expanding into other territories to form the Quebecois Empire, so did Montreal as not only did it become the economic centre of the Quebecois Empire, but also the place of many contrasts that's come to be remembered for all its faces in the industrial revolution and the Age of Quebecois Empire. This is also when its famed nickname, the 'Blue Smoke', came up, with the city's been part of the latest industrial developments and until about late 1800s the latest buildings, when the building bylaws were introduced by the nouveau bourgeoisies and the nobility. Not to mention the Korean-Quebecois Romanticist movements that had come up as the expanded access to the Interrealm Portal had resulted in a particularly strong fervour of sentiments in the country.
The city, however, also had its down moments- the city was struck, in chronicle economic depression between late 1950s to early 1990s, with particular sense of dreariness, the grime and the loss that caused Montreal to be remembered for its particular brand of rock music and the musical theatre in the West End, but it all seemed as if its fortunes, unlike the other major cities in the country who had gained vibrancy during this period (Kingston, Halifax, California City and Winnipeg being among those), were dwindling quickly.
By the 1990s, however, the Quebecois economy had finally started to climb up, and with the previous decade's successful industrial switches to banking and other tertiary sectors of the economy once again, as well as the contemporary cultural scene that had drawn many eyes back there again, and since then it hasn't looked back. Having taken back the economic reins from Quebec City and Kingston, Montreal is once again, the economic and contemporary cultural capital of the nation.
Today, Montreal is the largest city in Royal Kingdom of Quebec with 7.4 million people residing in the city proper and 10.3 million on the Montreal Province itself. Given its particular economic and cultural note, Montreal has been remembered for being more cosmopolitan and the left-wing of the two metropoles compared to Quebec City. This is reflected in particular with the ethnic diversity of the city's immigrant population the past two centuries, who have come largely from various parts of the Multiverse. It remains the home to about two-fifth of the nation's 100 largest companies, as well as 4 of the 7 nationwide banks in the country (Bank of Montreal, Banque Centrale, Royal Commonwealth Bank) and the Montreal Commonwealth Exchange (MCX). While it has its own shares of skyscrapers, especially on the South Shore, and parts of the West and East Ends, the Downtown Proper still maintains most of the facades from the 1700s-1800s.
Sure, the 'Blue Smoke' has way too many attractions for a humble being like myself to list from, so I'll only mention a few. The downtown core, where the industrial age buildings lie, hosts many journalism outlets, dozens smaller museums and two universities (Farrer, widely regarded as one of three top schools, and Iggulden, for its own fine arts and cinema institute). On the west side of the downtown core, which ends on Paddington and Windsor stations on the west end, lies the West End District, which has been the home of one of the Multiverse's best theatre scenes in both drama and musical theatres. In the middle lies various financial buildings, the odd ten-story skyscrapers, hotels and a couple of sporting arenas here and there, as well as the Silver Garden, home to the Regimbault and Shingoryeo Symphonies and various railway museums that border the Royal Cross and Saint-Pancras stations. Saint-Pancras station is where the international travellers from Semarland and beyond - all the way to or from Baker Park via East or West Transcalanian Railway Line- familiarise himself with. Then, on the east end, lies the famous Arlenia and Koreana West Districts. Home to the past centuries' working class and college students who live on rent-controlled apartments and houses, this was where much of the people's history were discussed, held and executed. With its vibrant nightlife scene on the Arlenia Side of the South, and Koreana West District where Jewish-Quebecois and many Quebecois of Commonwealth origins have made their homes after their arrival in late 1800s, the eatery culture is particularly well established there.
Sporting-wise, Montreal hosts almost every sports league in the country with at least a franchise, though none is so famous as Montreal Koreana itself. Founded in 1875 as an international Korean-Quebecois organisation that aims to put 'soul and body' in mind with athletics, education and servitude to the Quebecois State and the Crown, Montreal headquarters of the Koreana Society has become one of the nation's two premier pan-sport societies as well. While having a historically famous club branch in almost every sport league, Montreal Koreana has been known as of late for its dominant hockey, men's volleyball and women's basketball programs.
For the course of the playoff stage, there will be 3 arenas used in Montreal area. The main arena, located in the Koreana District of Montreal, will be Laurent Ahn Arena, on the northeast side of the city. Home to Montreal Koreana's men's and women's volleyball teams, it is about 15 to 20 minutes drive from the Downtown and one to five minutes away from the selected hotel(s).
The second arena for the tournament, agreed by the Quebecois Volleyball Federation and the QOVO, will be Commonwealth Centre. Opened in 1972 ahead of the Quebecois Commonwealth Games held in the city, it has been the home to Montreal Ivanhoe Spiders, widely regarded as the 'other Montreal team' on their women's circuit known for their flashy designs. Located in the Commonwealth Park, it is located about twenty minutes metro ride and half an hour drive east of Downtown.
Finally, the third arena used will be Calania Place. Opened in 1886 as the oldest professional arena in Quebec still standing, it has been the home to Montreal Calaniens of the Quebec Hockey League, and has hosted many international tournaments, including World Cups of Hockey 26, 29 and 40, and hundreds of concerts over the course of its history. With its convenient location, it is practically within walking distance of the entire Downtown, as well as the city's four of five major train terminals (Paddington, Royal Cross, Saint-Silas, Angers).
Just 215km northeast lies the other co-hosting city in Quebec City. Located at the midway point between Fleuve Saint-Henri and the mouth of the River to the East Sea, Quebec City is the nation's capital and widely viewed as the 'Soul of the Nation'. Founded in 1504, this was where the Pierre Henri I, the founding monarch of the Jeong House, established the kingdom on a treaty between the indigenous tribes of the area, and named it 'Quebec City', a Neo Hanyang, on the meeting place of all forces of power. Like with Montreal, Quebec City quickly grew as did the Quebecois nation and subsequently the Empire, as Quebec City was the heart of the country where the intelligentsia argued about its identity, the nobility about how to survive and evolve in consistently changing world around them, and the foreign interests looking to take part in their own missions.
As the Quebecois Empire peaked in mid 1800s to early 1900s, the finest legacies of the era were often said to be 'built on Montreal, Kingston and Halifax's might, the reach of the Quebecois National Railway Company, and flowered in Quebec City'. That's why what we remember as Quebecois fin-de-siecle, one of the finest periods mentioned in history, literature art history textbooks, are so heavily focused around the city itself. Unlike Montreal, where the romanticist and ideological movements were based more around nationality and also the class, philosophical and political movements continued to remain more abstract and existential in the 'Northern Paradise', guarded by Universite St. Croix's famous Seongyoongwan University College and its constituent colleges, as well as its cafes, sporting venues (horse races, polo, Taekgyeon and Sseuireum were lot more common back then) and salons.
There was for a period of time, especially in the 1940s-1960s during which the Capitol, partly due to the divide between Quebec and Novopetrogradian Soviet Union that brought temporary cold war before their reconciliation, as well as the Post-wartime euphoria, had seemed to be frozen back in time. Unlike Montreal, however, Quebec City was able to maintain consistency in its own significance as both the Palais Royale, the Parliament and the house of all four Quebecois pillar religions (Buddhism, Anglicanism, Catholicism and Indigenous Religions) remained in the country (not that it was gonna leave anyway), and with innovative urban planning processes, Quebec City has become the seat of relevance it sought on own.
Being the heart of Quebec, the 'City of Eternal Lights' is a traveller's paradise as hundreds of museums and monuments form the city. Among them, the most popular ones are the Commonwealth Museum, the Garam Museum of National History and Northern Calania, as well as Sainte-Victoire Gallery and Royal Gallery of Quebec. The Royal Quebecois Ballet and the Quebec Philarmonic Orchestra, two largest among hundreds of classical arts organisations, are hosted in the Royal Richard Hall and Pavilion Bakhmeteff. While the nobility and haute bourgeoisie usually stays out of public celebrations and events, the city's force majorite is usually out in many festivals that dot the city's calendar - the most famous being QBC Proms that mark the city's summer. For those who come here to see some of the royal history of the city, they would also be encharmed by the Palais Royale, Sandringham Abbey and also Arlene and Richard Museum that do their best to explain the fabled history of the royals.
The Quebecois sports teams usually host at least one home series in the nation's capital's various state-of-art venues, most notably so with The Reneegrad, the new temple of Quebecois football. CSKA Quebec, the other pan-sport organisation in the country, is the major draw here (and in many sports, the only draw, due to its developmental system that incorporates the entire city), and it is cheered by Her Majesty too!
With the city's dreams, glooms and love all reflected its boulevards and the Capitoliens themselves, Quebec City welcomes the visitors for a swell time in the Volleyball World Expo. As for the arenas themselves, Arena Jacques-Lee-Woodpecker is located on the Alexandre IV District of Quebec City, just 5 minutes walk away from Bibliotheque Nationale de Quebec on east and 10 minutes west of Parc D'Armistice, the largest urban park in the Downtown area. Located right next to the Colisee Royale, this is where CSKA Quebec, the second-winningest men's and winningest women's volleyball team in Quebecois history, plays its volleyball matches.
In the meanwhile, Pavilion de Levis, is located just south of the Fleuve Saint-Henri, in the city of Levis. Widely regarded as the industrial, port neighbour to Quebec City (the other southern neighbour to Quebec City, Reneegrad, is a much tamer city of its own with its own major terminal and lots of middle class households), Levis remains important in Quebecois manufacturing industry as it has been the past two hundred years. The arena itself, located on the Downtown Levis and just next to Choe Doo-Gwan Dreampark de Levis, is home to Levis Athletic, a historic Quebecois sports club with labour class origins dating back to 1920s.
Kuodorf
