OOC: For the placement of group stage matches, the matches listed first and second go to venues listed first, third and fourth the second venue, and the rest is straightforward.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. While Halifax International Airport is one of the six major gateways to Quebec, Bathurst International Airport has limited flights available outside of Quebec and its neighbouring nations in Anaia, which mean that it may be better for you to fly via Quebec City on a domestic flight, or take the high-speed VELO from Quebec City or Halifax.
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
also extremely punctual/on-timerelatively punctual compared to other methods (one or two-hour delays are better than what you'd get in other options, with this bad of a weather),
popularcramped (best option out of any right now) and frequent (one train per 30 minutes, with more coming due to demand), making it a very cost-effective and attractive option. Even with such situations the services in Quebec National Railways (QNR) are high-quality and well-maintained, so don't worry about your comfort while riding trains.
As for Bathurst-Halifax services, both cities are connected to one another by train service once every two hours:
- VELO - High Speed Rail - 1:40-2:05 - 7x Daily between Quebec City Reneegrad and Halifax Bujeon via Bathurst
- MACH - Medium-Speed Service, Daytime services - 3:30-4:00 - 8x Daily between Quebec City Reneegrad and Halifax Bujeon via Bathurst
- Nightstar - Medium-Speed Service, Nighttime services - 5:00-5:30 - 2x Daily between Quebec City Reneegrad and Halifax Bujeon via Bathurst
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 ClustersThe Ministry of Sport and Recreation, as well as its internal body, the Imperial Sporting Council, has recently shifted from a nationwide to regional-based hosting system on the international tournaments hosted in Quebec and Shingoryeo, to promote easier, more environmentally-friendly travel, as well as fostering regional interest in a sport of concern.
Thus, in a bid proposed by the Acadie province and the Royal Quebecois Volleyball Federation, there will be two city clusters for the group stage, followed by the knockout round in the third city cluster, to be OOCly released before the MD10-11 cutoff. All three will be located in the Acadie province, the largest Quebecois province outside of the two metropoles in Montreal (Montreal) and Quebec City (Capitale-Nationale).
Group A - BathurstThe Group A, which includes the hosts Quebec and Shingoryeo, and the top ranked HUElavia, will be centred on the historic city of Bathurst. Wildly considered as the midway point between Quebec City, the nation's capital, and Halifax, the third largest-city with strong economy and industry, it also connects the industrial southern half of Acadie and agricultural Saguenay province on the northeast of the country. It is generally viewed as the centre of the Acadie province's less developed, mountainous and more traditional northern half, and has leaned more conservative (small-c-lettered, mind you) in past. The powerful presence of Quebecois aristocracy, as well as the landed gentry, often means that their political and economic representation have gone somewhat back and forth in the contemporary period.
Having served as the provincial capital until 1868, Bathurst is traditionally associated with its status as the regional centre in almost every capacity, with its relative prosperity and modernity attributed to the industries it were able to keep. Economically it still holds a lot of its stakes to agriculture and fishing, with by the Gonyang Plains to its direct west (some bordering and within Gaspesie province), and the fishing villages to its east (and if you cross the bay from the Plains, Gaspesie), even as the largest employers are the Quebecois Government, the Royal Quebecois Air Force and museums. Centred by historical buildings that house those institutions, as well as its three universities, including Mount Ester University, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the country, and many secondary and other post-secondary institutions that attract students from all over the province, Bathurst has survived the past waves of economic stagnation in the region and emerged a stronger city.
Due to its relative distance from the largest cities, as well as the social climate of the region, Bathurst is a relatively homogenous city in terms of demographics, with most of the ethnic minorities coming from those of the Quebecois Commonwealth and/or their time as students. Greater concern does come from the language dynamics in the city, where the aristocracy and the middle class tend to be English and Korean-language speakers, and likewise with those to the west of the city's boundaries, while those east of city's borders are primarily French speakers with greater disgruntlements. Otherwise, the city has stayed relatively quiet, conflict-free and peaceful, with the key focus lying upon rural affairs and the much-opposed development of its suburbs. The residents are often proud of their city and may identify closer to Quebec City than Halifax, due to the great three-way divide inherent in the province.
1. Hersey Centre (Capacity: 13,450)Just two squares walk from the QNR station and the City Hall lies the Hersey Arena. Sponsored by the Hersey Investment Group based here, it is located in the city's Downtown, which has stayed quaint and charming even as the city continues to evolve. The Downtown residents, usually of Middle Class or the Mount Ester students, are usually known to be snobbish, early-adaptors with particular attachment to local sports teams. The multipurpose arena, built twenty years ago for the QOVO-women's team Drillers and QBL team Spurs, is two-year olds with two dozen boxes on the top floor, and a local sports museum attached to it.
2. Norman Williams Arena (Capacity: 10,890)The defending Quebecois men's collegiate champions (and the women's powerhouse), the Mount Ester University Lancers, call this gigantic arena home. Built by the alumni donations in year 1954, the Williams is consistently renovated with latest, state-of-arts features to welcome the university students and local fans who would come here to watch the Lancers basketball and volleyball matches. It is located in middle of the Mount Ester University campus, mostly known for its redstone buildings, situated on the Southern half of the city, and the fans and the locals usually spend a great deal of time available for nightlife or food in the University District as well.
3. Ssangye Arena (Capacity: 5,680)Ssangye is a small city located about thirty minutes drive or twenty minutes train ride just west of Bathurst. While a small city of 45,000, Ssangye is an inland city known for its mountains, small villages draped across the boundaries, and the neverending rice paddy layers over the rolling hills, and its own reputation in volleyball. Ssangye Arena, while usually for the Ssangye College, a local liberal arts college, as well as the Bathurst Board of Education, is a decently-sized arena eligible for IBC and VWE regulation matches, and is selected for that purpose. The arena, home to occasional youth national teams' training, too shares a long history of national team and professional alumni coming from the city, and its intimate atmosphere with banners reflect such. Outside the arena, there is a beautiful flowers festival that's renowned across Quebec and Shingoryeo, so if you are curious to enjoy the late-May vibes, this time of the year may be the best time to do so.
Group B - HalifaxThe Group B, which hosts the defending champions Mytanija and the finalist Cassadaigua, will be based in Halifax (Population: 2,130,800), the capital of Acadie Province and the largest port city in the Southeastern Quebec. Due to its significance as the historical entry point of immigrants entering Quebec until 1950s, as well as the maritime of the city's industries, Halifax has stood as one of the most defining cities of the country. Perhaps this is of nobody's surprise that the denonyms, Haligonians, carry an implied meaning of hot-headed, leading person in a group, or that much of the country's countercultural arts and culture scene began there before eventually becoming mainstream in Montreal or Quebec City.
Gifted by its location and history of leading the charge in the Quebecois Industrial Revolution two to three centuries ago, Halifax has set itself in an unique blend of nation's histories forming layers after layers into one. Built in year 1612 as a trading outpost right next to the newly-built Royal Quebecois Navy Base, Halifax is a port city with longstanding history of light and heavy industries that continue to this day.
From the old factories on the western end with products set for exports and the suburbs to the inner half of the city, the rest of Halifax is largely maritime, with its City Centre containing historical buildings of the bourgeoisie on the west, and the seafood and agricultural markets, restaurants and business towers on the east end, as well as well as old districts built into the hills and the mountains all over them. To the east of City Centre, Halifax has Leith, the centre of its Schottian population originally of working class origin, as well as the famed Eastern Beaches where much of the city's younger population have been heading.
Traditionally, Halifax has been one of three major battlegrounds in Quebecois politics. Due to the city's odd coexistence of many colours, whether it be its mountainous shantytowns located near the wester half of the Downtown, or the increasing tensions between Leith and the Eastern Beaches, it has become even more of the litmus test for the Quebecois public. It was one of four major cities where the centre-left Parti Justice et Liberal du Quebec (PJLQ), led by the charismatic Prime Minister Arsene Kim, had made major gains, winning nine seats to the shock of then-incumbent NPD or then-opponent BQ, whose grip on the city was not lost, but taken some hit.
1. The Acadium (Capacity: 20,854)The usual number one choice for arenas in Halifax, The Acadium is a multipurpose arena that is home to the QHL team Halifax Tempest, the QWBL team Halifax Sun, and also hosts occasional Quebecois national team matches for both basketball and volleyball. Built almost fifty years ago for the 2002 Quebecois Commonwealth Games hosted in Halifax, it was rebuilt from a gigantic white-domed structure to a grey rectangular cube with comfortable seating and all the needed facilities and overpriced refreshments for the fans to enjoy. Nearby the arena, there is Sajik Park, home to Haligonian's IFCF and Coupe du Roi matches, the Commonwealth Games Park that contains the venues from the 2002 Games, and the Giants' Park, home to the cursed QBO franchise that is Halifax Giants.
2. O'Neill Arena (Capacity: 9,640)Leith's an unique situation. Built on the southeastern tip of the Bay where the Maybin Shipyards and OB Heavy Industries & Construction is located, Leith has long established itself as the mini-Schottia within Quebec. The 380,000 locals there hail their ancestry to the Schottian immigrants who immigrated to Quebec in search of better lives in late 1800s, and found themselves welcomed to the industrial workforce in the area that had needed as many hands as possible. While most of its inhabitants have become Quebecified, and speak largely in the Southeastern dialect of Quebecois Korean language, they retain their heritage in various aspects, one of them being Haligonian Football Club located just 5 minutes walk away. The local arena, named after the women's national team legend Mara O'Neill, was recently renovated for the use of the women's QOVO team Halifax Antebellum, and is in fit shape to host VWE-IVF tournament matches.
3. Seunghakpo Pavilion (Capacity: 4,580)If you are looking for a quieter area to enjoy the beaches Halifax is known for, Seunghakdo, the beach located on the southwestern end of Halifax, the may be the right place to do so. Dotted by small, numerous houses in dense layers across the beach, the cinematic views and less crowd on the area (most of those not local would usually pick the ones on Leith or East End) mean that plenty of film shootings and locals would be found here. An old, community arena built back in the 1970s, Seunghakpo Pavilion went through a couple of renovations in recent years to be able to host VWE or IBC games when needed.
Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 10:51 pm
