IBC 35 - Everything Thread

by **Drawkland** » Tue Jul 12, 2022 5:33 pm

For Drawkland, the playoffs would start one game early. After taking care of business against Muralos to the tune of a 41 point win and nearly scoring 100, they were faced with a do-or-die match against Mytanija. With the top spot owned by 4-0 Græntfjall, and both squads at 2-1, the winner would get the second playoff spot in the group and the loser would drop to third, and elimination.

With the Group D situation as hectic as it is, the situation for Drawkland and Mytanija is even more resemblant of a playoff. The winner of this crucial Group C finale will face the winner of Group D, and that depends on the direct outcome of the Hannasea vs Ko-oren matchup on the final day of the stage. It's almost a Round of 16 happening in this corner of the tournament.

The Net Corps faced a win-or-go-home matchup earlier this tournament with their first group stage finale against Ranoria. Against the odds (though rank-wise, with the odds), they rallied and defeated the Snow Bears by a wide enough margin to punch their ticket to the second group stage at Ranoria's expense. Now, in this game, the margin doesn't matter. Mytanija are a slightly stronger squad than Drawkland right now, though they don't have the historical pedigree that Drawkland possesses.

Drawkland has had some clunkers this cycle, including Top 10 opponents such as Delaclava and Græntfjall, though they also managed an upset over Valanora. Mytanija, meanwhile, beat world #1 TJUN-ia while also falling to Valentine Z and Sarzonia in the first group stage. They got revenge over the former in the second group stage, but they too fell to Græntfjall.

Drawkland has the momentum, having handily defeated Muralos the previous matchday. Meanwhile, Mytanija will be fresh off the bye, with all their players well rested. This cycle also means a lot for both squads. The Net Corps is looking to return to the late playoffs for the first time in a long time, and reach new heights with an all-new squad in their first cycle. A win tonight would mean a strong start to a new generation, and set the table for great success down the road. Mytanija are looking to build on their best finish in history from last cycle, a quarterfinal appearance. A win tonight would equal their best finish with a chance to exceed it, and create a legacy for a nation that's never been a strong basketball presence.

All in all, this is one of the tightest contests in the final slate of the second group stage. The preparation, momentum, confidence, and precedent are all pretty much equal between Drawkland and Mytanija. It will all come down to who's more in a rhythm come game time, or whoever fate favors. As a basketball fan, what more could you ask for?

by **Tjorl** » Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:47 pm

A Typical Tjorlish Pundit Argument

With how "passionate" Tjorlins are about sports, it comes as no surprise that the most "passionate" of sports journalists and television personalities have easily become famous in Tjorl. For most people, it doesn't matter how knowledgeable you are, all you have to do is to become really mad when someone disagrees on you in live TV. Steffen E. Smits is probably the most famous of these sports personalities and analysts. Smits himself used to be a basketball player, although he never really shone in college. He also knows quite a lot of the stuff he's talking about, but his short temper makes him hated among a big chunk of the Tjorlish sporting community.

Smits loves to argue with Niklas Achen. Achen's journey to fame has not been the same as Smits'. He's never played any sort of organized basketball outside of middle school, his basketball knowledge seems to be simply based on watching highlights on YourTube and Twiturr, and he's just a little less hotheaded. While Smits is the more formal personality, Achen is the casual one.

After Tjorl's crucial win against Abanhfleft, things turned sour between the two again. Smits predicted a loss, Achen predicted a triumph. The fact that Smits was wrong and the "casual" was correct was definitely getting to him.

"HA! Told you the Orcas were gonna win. Kaiser and Martikainen are just too good. BOOM!" Achen says.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You do know Abanhfleft aren't exactly the easiest team to face against, right? I'm pretty sure there's no problem in me predicting them winning that game."

"Doesn't change the fact I won that though."

"Just because you got that wrong and I got that right doesn't mean you are better at being an analyst or whatever."

"Yeah it is, I analyzed the game and my analysis was correct, right?"

"You don't even give five reasons why Tjorl was going to pull that win against Abanhfleft"

"Yeah I did, said Andersson was gonna catch fire, Teufel will dominate the boards again, Sander was gonna lock down McElhannon, Kaiser and Martikainen will do what they always do, and our bench backcourt was gonna fuel the playmaking."

"What? You only got one of those correct and that prediction wasn't even the hardest to make. Andersson only scored 14, Teufel got out-rebounded by Sander, McElhannon, and Provenza, McElhannon was definitely not shut down with 19 points and 12 rebounds, and our bench backcourt had a combined 8 assists."

"Hey, It's not exactly easy trying to predict how the game will actually go. At least I actually predicted the outcome."

Smits couldn't say anything else as he didn't have any other argument to hit back with. This made him even more irritated, and Achen knows it. However, he just decides to not say anything. After, the topic of Tjorl's do-or-die match against hosts Quebec and Shingoryeo became the main point of conversation. The two pundits disagreed again but at least they saw eye-to-eye on one thing: Q&S is a challenging opponent. Since they needed to find something where their opinions clash, they debated on who's the most likely to be the Orcas' engine in their next game.

"Why do you always say Andersson is going to be the one who'll lead the squad? You know Martikainen is on better form right now, right?", Smits mentioned.

"It's a feeling, y'know? Just because his teammates have performed better recently doesn't mean he isn't. If he catches fire, he's the best player on the team for sure. I think his effect is invisible on the score sheet but visible when it is actually seen live." Achen responded.

"You're one to talk, Andersson hasn't played well recently."

"How would you know he hasn't."

"What do you mean how would I know? 'Cause I actually watch the games, unlike you. In the past five games, Andersson's shooting percentages were 43%, 50%, 32%, 28%, and 37%. You already don't watch live, now it even seems like you don't look at the highlights or boxscore anymore."

"I do watch it live, and Andersson's been okay on defense."

"Yeah he has been decent defensively, but you can't power a team if you're one of the leading scorers and you're not scoring. If anyone is going to keep Tjorl close to Q&S, it's most likely going to be Kaiser and/or Martikainen. Their three-point shooting is what got us over Abanhfleft and I think that's the most likely way we'd pull off a win against the hosts, if there's even a way."

"Yeah, right. We'll see after the game. Andersson is definitely going to prove you wrong. Even if we lose, it's definitely not going to be his fault why we lost."

"If Tjorl loses, it's the whole team's fault."

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:55 pm

Second Group Stage - MD5 - Cutoff.

Group 2A
Abanhfleft (07) 81–58 Magnaecia (16)
Quebec and Shingoryeo (03) 83–78 Tjorl (30)

# Group 2A                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Delaclava                        4   4  0  345 305 +40 QF
2 Quebec and Shingoryeo            4   3  1  369 299 +70 QF
3 Tjorl                            4   2  2  335 334  +1
4 Abanhfleft                       4   1  3  300 320 −20
5 Magnaecia                        4   0  4  276 367 −91

Group 2B
South Newlandia (45) 72–72 Equestria (11) (83–81 OT)
Chromatika (06) 81–75 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom (18)

# Group 2B                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Chromatika                       4   4  0  330 294 +36 QF
2 TJUN-ia                          4   3  1  319 290 +29 QF
3 South Newlandia                  4   2  2  312 307  +5
4 Equestria                        4   1  3  305 307  −2
5 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom        4   0  4  243 311 −68

Group 2C
Muralos (UR) 53–84 Valentine Z (15)
Mytanija (09) 76–95 Drawkland (12)

# Group 2C                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Græntfjall                       4   4  0  302 257 +45 QF
2 Drawkland                        4   3  1  338 269 +69 QF
3 Mytanija                         4   2  2  294 306 −12
4 Valentine Z                      4   1  3  275 278  −3
5 Muralos                          4   0  4  248 347 −99

Group 2D
Sarzonia (29) 94–75 Juvencus (22)
Ko-oren (12) 59–71 Hannasea (02)

# Group 2D                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Hannasea                         4   3  1  312 271 +41 QF
2 Nova Anglicana                   4   2  2  299 283 +16 QF
3 Sarzonia                         4   2  2  337 321 +16
4 Ko-oren                          4   2  2  270 272  −2
5 Juvencus                         4   1  3  256 327 −71

Tiebreaker: Three teams are tied at 2 wins, 2 losses. By point difference Ko-oren is first side to be eliminated.

Then the second tiebreaker - head to head record - is applied:

Nova Anglicana (08) 82–82 Sarzonia (29) (93–90 OT)

IBC 35 Quarterfinals

All knockout and classification round matches will be held in Mengwes Garden (KD Garden), in Habpo cluster.

Day 6

#A1 Delaclava vs. #B2 TJUN-ia -- 18:00
#C1 Græntfjall vs. #D2 Nova Anglicana -- 20:30

Day 7

#D1 Hannasea vs. #C2 Drawkland -- 17:30
#B1 Chromatika vs. #A2 Quebec & Shingoryeo -- 20:00

by **Sarzonia** » Wed Jul 13, 2022 11:13 am

Most of the time when a match is no longer in doubt and the opposing team has proverbially waved the white flag by putting in their depth players, the team that's comfortably in front follows suit, slows down the tempo of their offence and the like.

Not so in the case of Sarzonia's national basketball team. The Stars were ahead 94-75 with 3.2 seconds remaining and the main starting five was in the lineup with centre Terry Rutledge preparing to inbound the ball. The Stars used their final timeout to set up an inbounds play with Rutledge looking to get the ball to guard Mike West, who led all scorers with 27 points on 9-for-15 shooting. He was also 7-for-7 from the free throw line and 2-for-3 from 3-point range. Manager Joy Knight was barking instructions to her players as the video board at the stadium showed her doing so. It also showed Juvencus manager Constantino Mutu looking incredulously as he sent on last minute instructions.

The Quebecois referee blew his whistle after handing the ball to Rutledge. He fired the ball and found West at the top of the key. He dribbled, skied and fired a shot toward the basket just as the final horn sounded, then he and the rest of the team looked crestfallen as the ball bounced off the back of the rim and fell harmlessly to the floor. The Stars won the match, improving their second group stage record to 2-2, but they looked for all the world like a defeated squad. West sank into a baseball catcher's crouch with his head in his hands. Ben Thomas slumped his shoulders with his head down. Knight and Mutu shook hands curtly, as she ignored the scowl on Mutu's face and the accusations that she intentionally ran up the score.

The Stars knew what announcers were beginning to inform basketball fans watching the contest about. Namely, that Sarzonia and Nova Anglicana were level on the first tiebreaker in a wild Group 2D. Hannasea were through to the knockout rounds as winner with a 3-1 record. Juvencus were eliminated with a 1-3 mark. That left a three-way tie among eighth ranked Nova Anglicana, 13th ranked Ko-oren ... and No. 29 Sarzonia with all three teams sporting 2-2 records. That meant it was time to check out the Group 2D table. The first tiebreaker was overall point differential, which eliminated the Ko-orenites straight away, as they had a minus-two point differential.

But then it left Nova Anglicana and Sarzonia still in the mix for the second and final spot in the quarterfinals. Both Nova Anglicana and Sarzonia were level on record and on point differential, as both teams had a plus-16. That meant the next tiebreaker, head-to-head result, would apply. Knight was well aware that the team needed to score at least one measly point more than they had to the point of West's final shot in order for it to be the underdog Stars who kept the slipper and sent the heavy favourites home. The players were also aware, as Nova Anglicana had their bye on Matchday 5 and they couldn't do anything more to influence the outcome. Had West's shot made it, or had he been fouled and hit just one free throw, it would be the Stars who would complete their magical comeback by advancing to the knockout rounds.

Alas, it was not to be. The bad news was the Stars were done with their campaign and had to be on the flight back to Woodstock. The good news was that they'd be greeted by Lynn Trask, the chairwoman of the Incorporated Basketball Federation with congratulations at a return to the hoops world that saw the team go 7-4 with a 2-0 mark against the only two teams ranked lower than it, meaning the team took care of business in the only two games they were somewhat favoured to win. The team's 5-4 record against the rest of the field, all ranked higher, only told one small element of the tale. They had one loss by double digits, a 17-point loss to Gatchingerrak Union, and only one other loss that approached 10 points, a nine-point defeat to Ko-oren. They lost in heartbreaking, walk-off fashion by one point to TJUN-ia, comfortably defeated Hannasea, the second ranked team in the multiverse, by nine points, lost to the aforementioned eighth ranked Nova Anglicana by three points in overtime, and defeated No. 9 Mytanija by two. As for the other one, they got a walk-off win over No. 15 Valentine Z in Valentine Z to open the current International Basketball Championships.

Trask wa there with a new contract signed by every member of the IBC Board of Governors and by Trask's agent. Of course, it bore Trask's signature as well. The Board was unanimous in agreeing that Knight was the right person for the job going into IBC 36. The "debate" about whether or not to retain Knight only lasted a few minutes, and mainly centred on the specifics of the financial and benefits packages they were going to offer. As Trask herself said, "we're going to break the fucking bank."

Only the future would be able to tell what a Knight-led team will do in IBC 36 with some of its lost rank restored following the team's decision to sit out IBC 34. But one thing is clear: This Stars team barely skipped a beat even as a prohibitive underdog. That alone bode well for the future: The team's, Knight's, and Trask's as well.

by **Chromatika** » Wed Jul 13, 2022 10:44 pm

Second Group Stage Game 3

Team                        1Q   2Q   3Q   4Q   |   Tot
Chromatika                  18   16   22   25   |    81
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom   24   17   16   18   |    75

@ Mengwes Garden, Twin Cities, Quebec and Shingoryeo

Chromatik Scorers:
Starters
SG LIA Xiu - 22
PG Kristie SHADDON-YSENOV - 15
PF Anton VATNAV - 13
SF Anidra ROXANOFF - 6
C  Maude ZWAHEIL - 3

Bench/Reserves
SG Jordan MERKOFF - 10
PG Zachary CHESEVSKY - 6
SF Howard DWYER - 4
PF Michaelangelo CHOUSTER - 2

Other Notable Stats
SF Anidra ROXANOFF - 13 rebounds
PG Kristie SHADDON-YSENOV - 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals
C  Maude ZWAHEIL - 4 blocks, 14 rebounds, 2 steals

Summary: After a disappointing first half in which the team shot below 30% from the floor and fell into a seven-point hole, the Chromatika Penguins' Jaudin Nagore didn't panic.

No, the Head Coach for the Penguins told his charges to get back out there and play the ay that they know how to.

It worked. Chromatika outscored their opponents 47-34 the rest of the way, Lia Xiu added fifteen of her points in the second half, and the Penguins completed the second group stage with a perfect 4-0 record to head to the Quarterfinals having only lost a single game to Græntfjall.

The good news? The Penguins can't face the Super Wolves again until the Finals.

The bad news? Their next opponents are Quebec & Shingoryeo, the hosts.

Quebec and Shingoryeo's relationship with Chromatika is a great one - Chromatika have always regarded Q&S as a political and a regional ally, the nation having hosted the Anomalies for a Qualifying cycle back in the days of the Chromatik Party. Besides Banija, there isn't any nation that would be considered closer.

For one game, they'll face each other with a spot to the Semifinals on the line.

Stats - Through Second Group Stage
Team Stats
Points Scored: 81.82 pts/game
Points Allowed: 68.91 pts/game

Individual Stats
Scoring
SG Lia Xiu - 23.36 pts/game
PG Kristie Shaddon-Ysenov: 13.27 pts/game
PF Anton Vatnav: 11.72 pts/game
SF Anidra Roxanoff: 6.09 pts/game
C Maude Zwaheil: 3.45 pts/game

SG Jordan Merkoff: 9.91 pts/game
PG Zachary Chesevsky: 6.36 pts/game
SF Howard Dwyer: 4.09 pts/game
PF Michaelangelo Chouster: 2.73 pts/game
C Mack Eduardson: 0.55 pts/game

Other Stats
SF Anidra Roxanoff: 12.36 rebounds/game
PG Kristie Shaddon-Ysenov: 12.09 assists, 6.91 rebounds, 3.27 steals/game
C Maude Zwaheil: 4 Blocks, 16.73 rebounds, 2.91 steals/game

by **TJUN-ia** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 6:25 am

After a clutch with over ZRH got us back on track, the Hoops-Jags of TJUN-ia knew that their final game of this 2nd group stage would decide everything. The team knew it, Bao Zhou knew it, everyone knew it - today was going to be crunch time. Beating Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom convincingly did feel good, an excellent way to bounce back after the terror before against those Penguins of Chromatika, but everyone knew that this wouldn't matter at all if we couldn't take down the Equestrian States at the KD Centre. This game would be the all-important one, of the most important of our entire IBC so far...and everyone knew it.

And so, the tension in the air was certainly palpable when tip-off arrived. This contest would turn out to be just as tight as everyone predicted, with everyone going at full pelt to try and get a decisive blow this late in the IBC affairs. Everything was just tight as all hell, with Adamo Zamenhofo trying his very best to keep up the pressure against a very committed #11 Equestria side. This game was just a nightmare, filled with pressure and swings and everything in between but after the 4th Quarter was over, the scores were level at 67 each...so onto OT, we both went. OT was just as you'd expect, tight and tense all around, but in the end, we just about did enough to win the duel 74-73 and survive into the next round no matter what.

In the end, we enter the knockout with a 3-1 record in the group and a 10-2 record overall. From here on out, the aim will be to not take that 3rd defeat no matter what and I cannot stress the importance of that fact. Up first? Delaclava, ranked #10 overall and the winners of Group 2A. This is certainly going to be tough but you all know where we are now...there is no such thing as "easy" from here on out. GO HOOPS-JAGS!

SCHEDULE
Second Group Stage (Group B - KD Centre, Habpo, Twin Cities, Quebec and Shingoryeo)
MD1: vs South Newlandia (45) W 92-84 (2nd/7-1)
MD2: vs Chromatika (6) L 77-79 (2nd/8-2)
MD3: vs Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom (18) W 76-54 (2nd/9-2)
MD4: vs Equestrian States (11) W 74-73OT (2nd/10-2)
MD5: BYE (2nd/3-1/10-2)
-------------------------------
QF: vs Delaclava (10/A1) - Mengwes Garden (KD Garden), Habpo

by **Valentine Z** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 11:05 am

Part 7 – Outmatched. Outplayed. And also out-loss-ing the other teams. The Solace is in visiting the landmarks and points of interests. And a match.

It was not just the match against the Net Corps that netted the loss for the Angels. For all of the three matches, the Valentians have suffered the losses – the one against Net Corp, that was a given, since even with all the advice and the methods, they were still dumbstruck at the end of the day on what to do when they to play against a bunch of players taller than them, and ones who are a lot more capable than them. Then comes the match against the Græntfjall’s Super Wolves, though by that point, the Valentians have more or less went back to their normal playing performance and state, going back to the tradition of the Valentians being taller than their opponents in a game.

Their only respite for the second play was that they were able to get a 1–3, recently beating Muralos in a dominating and steamrolling match. However, it was more or less done for the Valentians for this particular season, and it was perhaps time for them to make their arrangements to go back home, or maybe even get a yelling from Chief Warrant Officer Joshua Kelly Allen Valench Dimitri “Nguvu” Rashid Fanaka Darweshi H. Terv Kertarajasa Winstin Clayton Voshon Shawnee LeMaun Grady V U. Olwethu Nkokheli Mthobeni. It was certain that they have never gotten a yelling, but perhaps this might be the first time that it might happen, considering the amount of faith, trust, and cheers that they have had for the tea, and yet they blew it. Head Medic Klarke Ray Zane Samson Kourtney Brian Drake Cameron “Dovitljiv Bolničar” Jona T. Jaylon Melvyn Everett Miralem Kova Čamil Ensar Kristofer Marcell Kilian Elia Xr. Nico Zahirović was in the corner, carefully and slowly inspecting his equipment and tools while darting around the lounge, with the Valentian Angels sitting neatly and a bit nervous, with Gwen and Joshua on the front of the whiteboard. Klarke could feel the tension in his own way, sensing that something was about to go down, and it may require a handful of stitches, bandages, and maybe even a call to Lead Ambassador Germaine to come in.

Of course, this being the Valentians, things obviously took a very different turn. Chief Aviator Gwen Tracer Hepburn “Fate of Existence and the Omniverse” Ellen Trixie Caitlin Foxworthy Avril Verlene Eveline Celinda Sammy Doris T-Rev Oxton Arielle Lindall Leslie Vitesse Allison walked in, a little solemn but still wearing a soft and happy smile on her face as she is usually wont to do. She tried her best not to smile too much like Clarissa, lest she gets people to worry a little. Clarissa could pull off her soft smile almost all the time, but it’s reserved for her and her only. Going back to Gwen and her Angels, she stood at the front of the whiteboard, nodding towards Joshua and then simply clearing her throat to make an announcement. She started off with a nod to the Angels and then a small clap, making sure to be sincere about it lest it could have been taken as sarcasm. “Guys, I know what you all are thinking: no, you won’t be getting yelled at by me, or Joshua, or anyone else here! In fact, Joshua and I are proud of you guys. For the first time, we went past the Qualification bracket and then into the second playoffs. Not everyone gets that chance, not especially when you have the likes of TJUN-ia Jaguars playing against us! So, please do relax, as I do a bit more talking. Once again, you guys did great, all right? The ratings were still going up, neither me nor Joshua think that you are all bad. As a friend from NSSCRA told me: It’s all about the long game. It takes patience to get to the championships and to get far. International sports scene is like that – it’s not like domestic sports where you could win a few wins in a row on your very first season. I mean, a few others in the international sports scene managed, but my point is that these guys were good for a reason: They have been playing longer than you have, and me being a manager for this team. (Of course they are all combined to be younger than me, that’s a given)- ahem, anyway, you got this far, and this is something to be seriously proud about, yeah? It’s amazing, I have seen you guys try your best when you were pitted against the Net Corps, against the Super Wolves, and Mytanija’s team. In fact, you were playing against three of the best teams to grace the IBC, and you guys managed to get it done out there.”

All she wanted was for her team and the people around to be happy, and she did just that. The Angels started clapping for each other, gave each other friendly hugs, bro bumps and bro fists, and everything else along the way. It will be another season for the Valentians to show their might, but for the time being, they were more or less set only on one thing that they wanted to watch, and Gwen was hoping that she would not be late for it. The time powers could come in handy, and they do have the asking price for the tickets, but since they would all be going in their original sizes, they would need 2 seats per person, and all-in-all, maybe 36 seats for the entire team (18, including Gwen, Joshua, and Clarke). “36 tickets for the Hannasea vs. Drawkland, Mengwes Garden (KD Garden), in Habpo clusterm” Gwen mouthed off as she e-mailed the order to the officials, perhaps letting them know in advance as to why they were requesting to buy so many tickets, and for the back row, “We gotta make sure that we are not blocking them, haha! Our heights are intimidating enough!” So that was that – the Valentian Angels felt that even after their defeat, they have made a bit of a friendship and connection with the guys and girls in Net Corp, and they wanted to make sure that they would be around to cheer them on and to see them in action. In a way, it would also be for the Valentians to perhaps learn a little bit about how other teams tackled players taller than them. Sure, they have replays of their own matches, but it is nonetheless an eye-opener if the taller team does not happen to be the Valentians. “So that is one thing down,” Gwen remarked, before continuing on to address her team, “Oh, and of course, we got the official clearance to stay in the country as long as possible! I mean, we won’t be staying here for months or even years; nothing wrong with even trying to live here mind you, but it is just that my initial question to them was regarding our stay for this event, as well as to visit and play tourist, and so they graciously offered us this opportunity! Now, get your personal devices and cameras charged up, because there would be a long and exciting week ahead of us!” Perhaps even in defeat, the Valentian Angels have found themselves a way to end it nicely.

by **Nova Anglicana** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 11:17 am

Ramsey's intransigence as cracks rive PP comes at the worst possible time

Harland Peak, Cincinnatus Magazine

You've all seen the RougeTube clip or the countless posts on Twii.tur by now. Michael Ramsey, leader of the People's Party, three days after election day, defiantly standing before a group of PP loyalists and declaring his intention to fight on. Those now infamous words, "It has been suggested," have been parodied to no end. Where Ramsey declared that what been suggested was that he "resign, step aside, go gently into that good night," dilettantish wiseacres have substituted that Ramsey "[is] a pompous ass," "can't tell his political demise from a hole in the ground," and other such utterances as may be amusing to the puerile set. And yet, undeserved ribbing aside, Ramsey's declaration that "nothing will stop me from taking on this radical left government, not the media, not the talking heads, not the traitors within my own party," is unmoored from reality. He's training his fire inwards and refusing to acknowledge that he's alienated more people than he can afford to just at a time when unity is needed within the party.

Let's go back to election night. The Progressive Justice Party triumphant on 40 seats, winning more than 50% of constituencies, and the PP sinking to a historic low of only 24 seats. As Prime Minister Josephine Clark was declaring victory over the far-right and promising to build on her two years with further left-leaning policies, Ramsey was blustering around electoral irregularities and blasting irrelevant foes like Kenneth Pearson. Instead of admitting defeat and promising to learn the hard political lessons the electorate was teaching him, Ramsey was attributing his loss to the media and contesting the results. Yes, the political media in this country has a left-wing bias, and yes, it's frustrating that the PP suffered narrow losses in key constituencies and that several right-wing parties fell just shy of representation, but Ramsey was blind to the plain facts. The 40 seats that the PJP earned were not because of the voters clamoring for left-wing social programs, but rather because Ramsey had become untethered to their mood. The lesson Ramsey seems to have learned from the mosque bombing and government collapse debacle was that he'd lost when he kicked out the right wing from his government, and therefore a hard-right approach was best. Thus the endless focus on immigration and the increasingly heated and angry rhetoric towards Jo Clark and her government. There's nothing wrong with wanting to preserve Nova Anglicana as a unique culture or challenging the lunatic idea that we can resettle 200,000 foreign refugees in 18 months, but that wasn't what the electorate wanted.

When Ramsey blew up in that meeting of the right and alienated the Libertarians, that should have clued him in. The Libertarians blew up the government in Quebec and went to work with the PJP. That would have been utterly unthinkable three days before that meeting. The Libertarian-PP alliance is almost as solid and long-lasting as the PJP-Stewardship one, and Ramsey threw it away. He compounded his mistake by meddling in their leadership race, spending money on trying to defeat Libertarian candidates in Quebec, and destroying the usual strategy of splitting constituencies with the Libertarians so as not to split the right-wing vote as much. Instead of reaching out to the Nationals or Newfoundland First or Belle Patrie or the CPV to stand down in marginal constituencies or making sure to differentiate his policies enough from them to draw distinct voters, he tossed former PP policy overboard and went whole hog for the hard-right vote. There were already four or more parties competing for that vote, so any benefit he derived was likely both marginal and significant enough to deny them seats in the House of Deputies. He managed to alienate key allies, moderate conservatives, and keep potential allies out of Parliament. It's a wonder he still ended up with 24 seats.

But as much damage as Ramsey had done by running a blunderous campaign, he compounded it with his post-election behavior. According to sources within the PP, he berated almost everyone in leadership except for his closest advisor, George Ackerman, and blamed every conceivable source of the election loss except himself. He showed no signs of changing either his attitude or strategy in response to the loss. One unnamed source described him as "living in cloud-cuckoo land where suddenly things would dramatically change if he just kept ranting and raving." The day before his infamous speech, news leaked that senator and former PP leadership candidate James Bradley was considering leaving the party, either to sit as an independent or joining Build!, because of Ramsey's actions and that two unnamed PP senators, believed to be Cheryl Adams and Dick Spaulding, were thinking of joining him. The reported quote was "If that lunatic doesn't resign ASAP, I'm leaving the party." It's perhaps unsurprising that Bradley would be the rebel, as he joined forces with the government to pass several bills, including a budget and Esportiva-related legislation, and had been increasingly unsatisfied with Ramsey's leadership. More surprising was Adams, who had voted with Bradley on the budget before falling back in line, with one wagging tongue saying Adams "had finally grown a spine." Out of the blue was the rumor about Spaulding. Spaulding is a PP loyalist who was a founding member of leadership and is considered an elder statesman within the party. To lose Bradley, who had bucked Ramsey even as he stayed within the party, or Adams, who showed signs of independence, is one thing, but losing Spaulding is entirely another.

Bradley, when asked about the rumor, said, "I think it's an open secret that Michael and I don't have the best relationship, and I do think he bears the most responsibility for our abysmal performance, but I love the party and have devoted my life to it. It would take a lot for me to leave." Adams and Spaulding both had no comment. That's less unusual from Adams, but Spaulding is generally a reliable source of positive or at least even-handed comment towards PP leadership. That was the backdrop for Ramsey's speech, where he decried "threats and plots" and refused to resign. This was greeted by cheers from the small group of loyalists assembled, but the abovementioned derision from the online community. In a recent poll, two-thirds of Nova Anglicans thought he should resign, compared to just a quarter who thought he should stay on, including 44% of respondents who identified themselves as PP members. To direct your political decisions on the basis of one poll (or indeed pollsters in general) is always dangerous, but the chaos has grown too great. When you've lost a loyalist like Dick Spaulding, the party is in tatters in one house of Parliament and on the brink of losing members in the other, it's time to resign.

The worst thing about this behavior is that had he had his head on a swivel instead of well, somewhere else, he might have noticed that Jo Clark isn't exactly in the strongest position. A number of new Deputies elected are out-and-out moderates, and her victory was due in no small part to voters who might lean right on some issues, but ticked the box for her this time on the basis of Ramsey's antics. The Senate is still evenly divided, 15-15, at least for the moment, and Clark can't overcome that without 60 votes. Currently, the PJP, Stewardship, and Liberal Secularists have 60 votes in the House of Deputies, with Equality providing backup, but the LSP have been wavering on whether or not to support this government. The right flank of the party wants some restraint, and Stewardship and the PJP have a majority without the LSP, anyway, so why should they bend to the PJP? The SP also feels emboldened due to its best-ever result and no doubt want to drive the country in a radical green direction. Faced with a united right, Clark would have to find a balance between her newly elected moderates, her restive left flank, a coalition partner that probably wants to dictate instead of being dictated to, and another that is questioning the value of coalition altogether. It's not hard to imagine a few blocked bills either splitting the coalition apart or bringing them to the negotiating table, introducing further opportunities for disagreement within it. Divided government is good for contrasting your ideas with your opponent's, which makes it less about Ramsey and more about a new vision for the country, which conservatives can win. Heck, even Clark mustering 60 votes to dissolve the Senate and call for new elections would give him the opportunity to present a new argument to the voters as to why they should trust the PP. But Ramsey is squandering this opportunity by continuing to attack his foes on the right and blather on about rigged elections.

To those ready to crucify me, please know that I am not substantively disagreeing with Ramsey on policy. The drift towards big government has been catastrophic in this country, and three more years of Jo Clark expanding the nanny state, driven by her green allies towards devastating regulation and unnecessary demonisation of this country's substantial natural resources, is not the result I wanted to see. But Michael Ramsey blew this campaign and he would be an utterly ineffective opposition leader in a time when the right needs not a mindless attack dog, but a ruthless shark who can sense every move this government is about to make and rip it to shreds once the blood is in the water. His temperament is entirely unsuited to this political moment and every day he remains as leader is a missed opportunity. The right needs a leader who can heal their differences, rally them together, and plot a course that both arrests the leftward drift of economics and society and shows them the benefits of solidly conservative policy. Jo Clark won the election by default. She can't be allowed to transform this nation just because there's nothing else on offer.

Note: Cincinnatus Magazine is a publication of the Cincinnatus Institute, which is a think tank for traditionalist or classical conservatism.

by **Drawkland** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 2:58 pm

"So, it's Hannasea again." Jaxon Madison stood at the head of the room. The Elite ~~Eleven~~ seven coaching staff sat in the conference room of their new hotel. With the second group stage ending in the Olympic Cluster, the Net Corps moved shop across the river to the downtown cluster. Even if they got dumped out in the first game, they would rather be holed up close to the KD Gardens than have to commute for their quarterfinal matchup.

"Indeed it is." Somebody spoke up from the table, but it didn't matter who. Jaxon had paused for too long and they assumed he was expecting a response.

"This could be a bona fide rivalry if this game is close. Remember how close we were last cycle?" Jaxon asked.

"We all remember, man. We were sort of there." Richard Hanson, having returned for the playoffs, responded.

"Okay, so enough with the formalities then." Jaxon rolled his eyes. "What went right last cycle, and what went wrong? We have a unique opportunity here. This is where our experience as players can directly help our preparation as coaches."

"The game was really close." Elias spoke up immediately. "The action was back-and-forth, though there was some tough defense throughout. It wasn't a complete barnburner, so we can't just toss the importance of defense aside like we did with Ranoria. All facets of the game have to be on point."

"That's what I like to hear."

"I seem to remember Ross went off in the final minutes and brought the game back from the brink." Trevor Garnet looked at the ceiling in thought. "Without his clutch shooting the end result wouldn't have been as close as it was."

"You could talk about that clutch, but you could easily argue that Hannasea were more so." Craig Bakker countered. "Elias got blocked hardcore late in that game which took points off the board. They had us beat on defense several times in the final minutes, and of course Mike's shot bounced wide at the buzzer."

"It's hard to coach clutch." Jaxon scratched the back of his neck. "We have great shooters like Zoe who can hit the shots that count, but how do we prepare for that? Do we do short scrimmages? This is frustrating for me because I know what we have to do, I just don't know how to practice for it. Something like playoff pressure just can't be replicated on a practice court."

"Just put me in!" Ross Hunter laughed, and a couple others joined in. "I'll just hit like 5 threes in the fourth quarter again to save the game."

"You're funny. I wouldn't want to take away from this core of players anyway. What they've accomplished this cycle is all theirs on the court, and I don't want to take away from it."

"Let me know how you feel about that if we're down by six with minutes to go." Ross winked, and earned another round of chuckles.

"You don't even have a uniform anyway!" Jaxon insisted.

"I do. I brought my uniform from last cycle in my luggage."

"You're joking, right?"

"Put me on the roster and I'll suit up. I'm serious."

"Ross, you-"

"You don't have to, but I'm saying it's an option."

"Fine," Jaxon conceded, just to get him to shut up. "Don't expect a single minute on that court, though."

by **Hannasea** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 4:36 pm

                 Rudy and Alma Greenbaum Centre, Daehakro
                 KO-OREN 59 – 71 HANNASEA
              (17–16, 17–24, 17–18, 8–13)
           Pts: Gunausinthen 19   Pts: Griffin 27
Rbds: Bernard, Runeldherinthen 7   Rbds: Griffin 15
              Asts: Gunausinthen 3   Asts: Cunningham 5

Selection of articles from Hannasean news media.

Griffin, Cunningham lead Sardines past Dragonflies

Powell return boosts Sardines ahead of quarterfinal

Seven syllables for Sonn
el

Can the Sardines win again?
The defending champions
Against the hungry Drawkish
Who have height on their side
And a secret weapon too?
But we have a good record
It should be a great rivalry game
oh balls that's eight syllables

by **Graintfjall** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 6:22 pm

Posted on the In Brief section of the GS SuperSports+ website.

Muted celebrations as “perfect” Super Wolves play with eyes looking homeward

Just Five Kids From Græntfjall
Where Are Háttmark PS 16-32’s Class of ’21 Basketball Team Now?

In the 2020–2021 season [note: it is currently about 2030 in Græntfjaller Fluid Time] Háttmark PS 16-32, a generally unremarkable public school serving one of the last working class neighborhoods left in Steinaux, pulled off an improbable run to the national high school basketball title, normally dominated by teams from Altendalur, where basketball is far more popular. 10 years on, this series will follow the fortunes of those five players and see where life has taken them since, and through that tell the story of modern Græntfjall. As hinted at with my characteristic subtlety, that story is about to take a dark turn. So, skip on if you do not wish to read about such events.

by **Delaclava** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 6:51 pm

Przemysław Derda was relieved that Jim Levins had decided to bench him for the game against Tjorl. He had already had a hard time acclimating to the nerves and pressure of the second group stage in Quebec, and he had chosen the wrong coping mechanism to deal with it - hitting the town and sticking it wherever he could. Now, there was an unknown number hitting him up, telling him that he'd successfully planted his seed thousands of miles away from home. Levins wasn't happy to hear that his star center wasn't in the right frame of mind to compete, he was mainly relieved that the "trouble" his player was in didn't involve him being dead or in jail, so he rolled his eyes and shifted his gameplan to focus on the depth players. And "Shem" could barely focus well enough to cheer on his teammates as they dismantled Tjorl. He would have been a disaster out on the court.

The next day, Derda would be excused from practice again. He'd gotten a message to come downtown and meet this mystery woman at a coffee shop Habpo Commons. Well, a change of scenery from the college-town area would be good. When the morning came, he took the subway, a ten-minute ride feeling like an eternity, before walking off in a daze. He was looking for a woman in a purple hat, and it was lucky that he found her quickly, his heart was beating practically out of his chest.

Underneath the hat was a woman of average height, a muscular athletic build, with tan skin and jet-black hair tied back in an elegant ponytail, with naturally full lips and cheeks, left unadorned to shine in their own beauty. For a second, Derda was stunned, gazing at this gorgeous woman. Then, the woman nervously adjusted her hat and caught this giant of a man staring at her agape. She cocked her head in part amusement, part annoyance, making clear that Derda should approach her. Derda snapped awake, cleared his throat, and walked over to her table.

"Hi. Are you," Derda paused. "Wait, I don't even know—"
"Monica," the woman rescued him. "It's Monica."
"Ah. I'm Przemysław Derda."
"I know who you are."
"My friends call me Shem."
"I'm going to call you Przemysław for now."
"Well...it's nice to meet you. May I?"
Monica gestured to the seat in front of her. Derda gingerly squatted down to fit his 7-foot-1 frame in the dinky metal chair built for a much smaller man.
"So, I have to confess...I'm not really sure how we ended up here."
"Not much to tell, is there? You and your weird little friend—"
"He's a good guy."
"I don't doubt that, but he's a starer. Just like you when you rolled up here."
"Shot out of the gate, huh?"
"Oh, we're just getting started. Anyway, I've been on the rocks with my boyfriend and was trying to just get drunk and stupid. And I've always wanted to get rooted by a star athlete. And, in the interest of fairness," she smirked, "You're a pretty good one. That win against Valanora? My goodness, you were incredible."
"Well, thank you. I've been a bit crap since then."
"Well, you've been distracted, haven't you? I know I haven't helped...but anyway, we hit it off, you'd had quite a lot of absinthe, and we went at it in a crook behind the mountain."
"Ugh...well, I didn't think it'd be a good story."
"It was actually nice. The air was peaceful, and you were a gentleman."
"Well, that's a relief." Derda paused. "So do you, uh, actually know?"
"I haven't been to a doctor yet, but I got the test and I'm late. So, it's looking like it."
Derda put his hands over his head. He really was going to be a dad. Kind of? "Wait, so, where do we go from here? You said you had a boyfriend, does he know?"
"He can't know," Monica snapped. "That's why we're meeting downtown instead of anywhere near campus. I couldn't have anyone around school seeing me meet with you. No offense."
Derda waved his hand in understanding.
"It's hard to explain. It's not serious. He was another drunken fling at first, but he was fun. He's a bit of an annoying little prick though, and possessive too, hitting me up at 4 in the morning. Did I mention Napoleon complex? Anyway, not Daddy material."
"So, what are you going to do?"
"Honestly? No idea. I mean, I have friends, family, softball here. But people talk, people get different. I'm worried what's going to happen once everyone starts to know about this."
Derda paused for a second. In that moment, he was again processing the presence in front of him, taking her all in for the first time sober. Was it too crazy to think...?

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 7:15 pm

It took little to no trouble for Pierre van Eeden Youngblood to get a hold of his friend once he was back in his penthouse suite at the Olympic ParkTel. Everybody familiar with the dynamics of the Royal Quebecois Olympic Committee or 11 Gwangmoo Boulevard would have figured that out rightaway - they had been teammates many years ago at the IRSEA, all the way to its Saclay campus days, and had been to each other and their children's weddings too. This had meant that one of them would be able to maintain contact with the other whenever he had wished so.

Like tonight, when Pierre did not exactly have the mind or stomach to handle mixed emotions.

'Well, Elodie and Se-Woong announcing engagement,' chuckled the Prime Minister, as he answered to his friend on the other side of the phone. It was clear that he, whose wife Meghan (nee Casavant, of the CSKA family fame) was out on an official trip of own, was inside alone inside his office. 'Who would have thought. You know, it's about time that your younger kids are starting to move out on own and settle into families of their own.'

'It's easier said than done, Arsene,' Pierre said, as he answered with his face reddening. Pierre Youngblood, in repeated mention of the engagement on media and personal messages, was feeling sick. On one end, he should be the first one to celebrate - why wouldn't he be happy about something that was going to happen anyway? - but he was just as upset about how all of this, in middle of his extensive away trips, had coincided with the daughter's death. 'Your mother did not have to deal with all of this in her nineties, or when you had sent all three kids of yours a decade or two ago.'

'Well you would think that way,' Arsene sighed. 'But the way that my late father, god bless his soul, had gone so quickly, had left a firm hole around our household. My sister was out of country at the time, my mother's of course teaching at St. Croix, and then there was me, a junior at the Kingston Trin (OOC: refers to University of Kingston's Trinity College, one of two oldest residential colleges), not to mention that our extended family were abroad. Do you think that we really had time to just spend the last moments and grieve?'

The room, all of sudden, felt a lot heavier to Pierre, as he had remembered the relatively-early death of Dr. Kim Sang-Doh, a former comparative literature professor at St. Croix. They had personally not known each other at the time, but his mother, a certain Dr. van Eeden at the LNU back home, were longtime colleagues of the same profession in history to Prof. Agnes Pineau, Arsene's maman. 'No, and you frankly chose yourself into the path of politics, perhaps lot earlier than intended, as an eventual side-effect.' Pierre commented. There was a lot that the two, due to different reasons coming from their youth, had to handle. Now the penthouse suite looked lot dimmer with the lights turning into golden yellow, making it fit for a night like that.

'You see, my friend. you were never the one whose allegiance to the state or the Queen were doubted by your detractors. Why would anybody doubt the famous hero of the AnaiaLife wrestling team, whose back-to-back Commonwealth Games golds were more than enough to cover the fact that he was a golden score and a final qualification match injury away from the Olympics?' Arsene lifted up his voice, reminding Pierre that the Prime Minister, who was part of the squash national team until age 24, was nowhere near friend's calibre. 'But for decades many people did doubt me, a son of two Acadianan immigrants, and so it's hard to find people, let alone yourself, to trust. They did in school, they did at IRSEA, and sometimes even the opposition parties would doubt me!'

This part was certainly true - the Prime Minister, while a naturally competent and loyal man (to those he had aligned with), rarely trusted people, even that of his own. It had gone to the point where Arsene reputedly preferred to reason with an honest republican - a political pariah in the country - or a nod-nod secretary or a Cummingsian advisor. 'Of course, that's partly how I had ended up moving jobs. Partly thanks to you trusting a few.'

'Yes, though you should only thank yourself for all that you had done up to that point - the RQOC is a cutthroat place, and dealing with the ISC or the RSC are no man's feat - you've met my sports secretaries before.' said Arsene, trying not to put himself too much into the spotlight over certain powers he held. 'Listen, you and your father are particularly close to each other, and that's something that I wish I had with mine as well. If you of all persons, would avoid talking about your father's illness to me, that being me of all friends, then what am I supposed to say to you? Who else would have told Elodie and Se-Woong to get engaged right now?'

'He would.'

'Probably.' Arsene said, few, silent seconds falling between them after that. 'You know, sometimes, we all need to be left out of our duties, just so we could re-set our priorities and maybe think about what's next. Sometimes it will be the Olympics, sometimes it will be your son's time in Cold Hill, and sometimes it will just be finding more things to do with Emma. Maybe that's what we need in our lives after all.'

'You said we?' Pierre asked, noticing a change in the pronoun. 'Are you thinking of quitting? Like filing your resignation to the young majesty?'

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Thu Jul 14, 2022 7:28 pm

Quarterfinals Cutoff.

IBC 35 Quarterfinals

All knockout and classification round matches will be held in Mengwes Garden (KD Garden), in Habpo cluster.

Day 6

Delaclava (10) 75–70 TJUN-ia (01) -- 18:00
Græntfjall (04) 81–87 Nova Anglicana (08) -- 20:30

Day 7

Hannasea (02) 94–93 Drawkland (12) -- 17:30
Chromatika (06) 72–74 Quebec and Shingoryeo (03) (Scorinated by Sylestone) -- 20:00

IBC 35

Day 8 - Classification Round

#B2 TJUN-ia vs. #C1 Græntfjall -- 18:00
#C2 Drawkland vs. #B1 Chromatika -- 21:00

Day 9 - Semifinals

#A1 Delaclava vs. #D2 Nova Anglicana -- 17:00
#D1 Hannasea vs. #A2 Quebec and Shingoryeo -- 20:00

by **Nova Anglicana** » Fri Jul 15, 2022 10:33 am

"Ahem, attention, everyone." Dick Spaulding called the meeting to order as the rest of the attendees tucked into their lunches. "I think we all know what this meeting's about, but just in case anyone is in the dark, our party leader, Michael Ramsey, has been making quite a name for himself in the press lately, and not a good one. Something has to be done, and I think you all are the ones to help me do it."

He looked around the room. Melody Savoy, deputy leader and current head of the People's Party delegation to the Assembly of Esportiva. Daniel Foster, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and, second to Ramsey, the foremost isolationist in the party. Celia Yates, the wealthy former Minister of Education who had the ear of every donor in the party. Kelly Goodman, the former hospital CEO and former Minister of Health, who'd run for leadership against Ramsey, then become one of his biggest backers in government. Leonard Carroll, the former Agriculture Minister who'd won a reputation as an honest broker in the party. And Milton Bridges, perhaps the biggest PP grandee of them all, the interim leader when the party had first been founded.

Spaulding cleared his throat. "I'd like to thank you all for being here today, especially Melody, who flew in from Tumbra on short notice. I've chosen you all as my partners in this enterprise because you are all in good standing in the party and don't owe Michael your position. Melody, you've been a rising star ever since you switched from the Libertarians. Deputy Leader wasn't a gift, it was a recognition. Daniel, you're a young gun as well, and I've seen how you keep chits from other members of the party for when you need them. That's savvy politics. Celia, you don't even need politics to be prominent and you seem to have cash ready for anyone at any time, a, ahem, very useful skill. Kelly, I know you haven't backed Michael to the hilt because you're a brown-noser, but because you believed in him. Leonard, I've seen younger Deputies come to you for advice; you know which way the wind is blowing and people appreciate a straight shooter. And of course Milton, you have so much respect within the party that you are unreproachable."

He continued, "But you all also have sufficient reputations to avoid this looking like a meeting of the jealous club. You'll notice that James Bradley, Cheryl Adams, Bethany Cohen, David Chadwick, and others are not here. They all have legitimate grievances, but Michael wouldn't listen to them if Gabriel himself accompanied them. Neither are any of those stooges he's installed in the party committee here. They'd never cross him. I have also regretfully excluded Edmund Baird as well. He's a heavyweight, but he's a Ramsey loyalist at heart. It would take too much time to convince him. As for you all, Melody's libertarian beliefs precede her, Daniel shares many of the same beliefs as Michael, Celia's school choice bonafides are beyond reproach, everyone knows Kelly's had a conservative plan for healthcare reform bubbling away for ten years, nobody hates Leonard, which is more than most of us can say, and Milton is a literal cofounder of the party. None of you are lightweights, none of you are jealous, and all of you are conservatives. I consider this group unimpeachable."

He coughed lightly. "Nevertheless, we must be discreet and do this in the right way. If we simply called for a no-confidence vote, which I happen to know there are sufficient votes to consider in the caucus, there's a strong chance Michael would win. There are enough backbenchers, loyalists, and people afraid to cross him for him to survive. And he wouldn't step down if he won the vote, no matter how close. Neither will the party committee, stacked as it is with his cronies, nor the party membership, shriveled as it is to true believers, be of much help in this situation. No, what I propose is a stealth assault on all remotely persuadable members of the caucus, donors, party elders, and prominent think-tankers and activists followed by a direct meeting with Michael. We must convince him it is in his best interest to resign, or otherwise be publicly humiliated. We cannot win with 51% of the caucus, my friends, we must have 75% of all non-rank-and-file members."

He slid folders to each of the other people around the table. "I've prepared dossiers for each of you with people to talk to, those whom I think will be most receptive to your particular expertise and experience. This requires the utmost secrecy, so be oblique until you cannot be or no longer need to be, and swear everyone you talk to to silence as well. If this leaks to the media or breaks to Michael, everything will go to hell. We have one, dangerous chance to save this party. If you cannot participate, then let me know now and this committee will dissolve, and people like James Bradley and Cheryl Adams will pursue their own, misguided, course to do what they think is right. But if you're with me, then this can be done. Any questions?"

A wicked smile crept across the aged face of Milton Bridges. "Yes, Dick. What took you so long? I've been itching to stick the knife in someone. It'll be just like old times."

Duncan Muir jubilantly tossed the ball in the air as the final horn blared. This Nova Anglicana Lions squad had just done what no other team before them had done: make it to the semifinals of the International Basketball Championships. They'd defeated the Super Wolves of Græntfjall, the fourth-ranked team in the multiverse, the fourth-place team from the previous IBC, 87-81 in a thriller. Muir embraced Simon Moran, the star of the game, as the Nova Anglican fans cheered their hearts out.

"Man, can you believe it?" said Muir, as he looked out across the crowd, one arm around Moran's shoulders.

"Semifinals, baybeeee! Feels good," said Moran, unable to stop grinning, both out of happiness and the adrenaline that had more or less frozen his face into a rictus.

"When you hit that 3 over Iirosson, man? Ice water in your veins and chills down my spine. That was when I knew it was over. That guy had five blocks on the day and then you f***in' showed him."

"Yeah, he's a honkin' tall bastard, isn't he? But they'd been switching all game and I could see he was getting just a wee bit tired, so I took it. 'course I'd be lying if I said the fact that he had swatted five of our boys' shots didn't make a difference. I got just enough height on it to get it over him."

"The shot of the game, man. Back to a four-point lead after they'd just cut it to one with two minutes to go? Iirosson's a capital-G Guy, but trading twos for threes isn't going to work. We had 'em at that point. So who ended up with more points, you or him?"

"You know, I think I nipped him at the end with those final two free throws. Twenty-six to twenty-five, I think. Hell of a game, double-double with twenty-plus points and five blocks on top of it. But we got him. You know, I kept flashing back to Reggie LaPointe in IBC 33 this whole game. You remember that?"

"Yeah, I was still a backup at that point. And you weren't even on the team. You mean to tell me you were watching when Iirosson swatted the game-winning layup out of bounds?"

"Of course I was! I was a national team fanatic well before I was on it. My mates and I were watching in my first apartment and let me tell you, if you thought we were drinking before that play, well, we blew way past that after it. We talked about it for a week, watched all the videos, the analysis. I wanted to hit the big shot over Iirosson, make him feel the same way LaPointe felt. And now we're going to the f***in' semis!"

"I'm sure Reg was watching. Just my personal preference, it would have been better if Afolabi hadn't been out with that sore hammy or if I'd been up against Herfinnursson instead of Ásason, but a win's a win's a f***in' win. It felt good, too, to shut down Ásason. Coach said he was a slasher, but we kept him pretty dull tonight."

"And you think that makes up for your four point-performance?" joked Moran, giving Muir a light shove. "We're gonna need a lot more from everyone if we're going to beat Delaclava. A lot fewer turnovers, for starters. But you were good tonight. Here, let's go join the guys."

Muir and Moran went to join their teammates and coaches, who were now getting into a line to shake hands with the Super Wolves and then salute the fans. Moran was right. Græntfjall had been a big win, but they would need much more from everyone to beat the Phoenixes of Delaclava.

by **Delaclava** » Fri Jul 15, 2022 8:39 pm

Przemysław Derda still had a lot on on his mind, but he was at least significantly less bewildered these days.

One particular sentence from Monica rang in his head: "Are you fucking crazy?"

It was when Derda suggested that Monica could come back to Delaclava with him to raise the child. He knew it was impulsive and rushed, yet his irrational inclinations had superseded logic. Caught off guard by her stunning looks. Intrigued by what felt like a compatible personality - adulterated, even a bit coarse, yet good-humored and kind. Overwhelmed, despite his fluctuation between prolific rawdoggery and profound, embarrassing short-lived crushes, by his desire to raise a child traditionally, in a traditional household with his married wife, even if she wasn't a nice Delaslav like his parents wanted.

And yet as rash as it was, Monica hadn't exactly said no either. After all, Delaclava had good schools, good people, and no mid 5-foot-5 twerps like Benny. And Derda was a star athlete with a cute butt and vaguely paternal instincts.

So they'd left it like this. Monica would actually go to the doctor and make sure she was pregnant. With Delaclava's victory over Tjorl, the Phoenixes and Derda were in town for at least one more game, a rest day, and a quarterfinal. She'd mull over his offer, and promised to at least keep him in the loop even if she chose to stay in Twin Cities. And Derda would, somehow, try to focus on his game. Nothing less sexy that losing an IBC quarterfinal, right?

Derda passed the first test. With Delaclava safely advancing and facing a game but inferior Magnecia team, it was really only going to be a sharpening game for him, and sharpen he did, picking up an easy 16 points in 13 minutes of play. When Coach Jim Levins took him out for Alex Lehtola late in the second quarter, he smiled while giving him a hard, encouraging clap on the shoulder, told him to stay ready, although the Phoenixes only needed the likes of Derda, Djordje Zubić, and Sifiso Ntenga in small doses to take control of the game and make it ten wins in a row.

But TJUN-ia, the #1-ranked team in the world, would be a much stiffer test. TJUN-ia basketball was much like Delaclava football - uncrowned champions, top-ranked teams without a trophy to show for it. (Although in this case, any reasonable observer would still recognize Banija as the best basketball team in the world, and there is no question that Delaclava's football team is the world's finest.) And the Jaguars were motivated now to get that crown. But with losses to Mytanija and Chromatika and a narrow escape against Equestria, there were some cracks in the armor - and the Phoenixes, with three consecutive top-10 wins not so long ago, were primed to turn those cracks into total breaks and send the Jaguars packing.

At this point, most of Derda's teammates knew what was going on with him. His roommate and masseuse, shooting guard Alarig Gouyet, was the first to know, and he'd been supportive both on and off the court, performing admirably off the bench and keeping deprecating jokes about Derda's escapades to a manageable minimum.

Levins, again, was simply glad to know that Derda's irresponsible choices hadn't hurt anyone, although he privately wished for Derda to reevaluate said choices in the future. The veteran, Djordje Zubić, had a long and earnest talk with Derda about managing the various pressures of the competition, especially as an emergent star.

Derda had looked smooth and in control, but could he handle a new pressure, with all the nerves he'd already dealt with and all the other drama?

Yes.

TJUN-ia was a more grinding team, slowing down the pace of the game, and making it back to their spots so the Phoenixes couldn't beat them in transitions. But in a more stable, half-court offensive set, Derda was magnificent, elegant, patient, and lethal. It took him no time at all to clear his mind, get into the moment, and start to wear down Christian McHere. McHere simply didn't have the dexterity or anticipation to answer to Derda's post moves, spins, or setups for a mid-range shot. And if Nikos Papaloukas slid over to help, that meant that the best player in the world, Djordje Zubić, was wide open.

The outcome was never in doubt. Not because TJUN-ia wasn't dangerous on offense, up to the task on defense, and not because they didn't even hold the lead at some points. It was because a victory, to the Phoenixes, always felt on the cards.

Derda was purely stoic until 74 seconds left in the game, when he floated up in the air, grabbed a missed shot from Ntenga, and went back up to slam it in as McHere slapped him on the arm to make it 69-62. Derda shouted in exclamation, banged his chest in McHere's face before Zubić subtly pulled him away to celebrate before anyone got the wrong idea. Derda's free throw made it an eight-point game with just over a minute remaining, and the Jaguars' only option left was desperation fouling - and that went how it usually goes. When the final horn sounded, Derda bent over and let out a cathartic yell, releasing all that frustration and angst that he'd pushed down while racking up nineteen points, fourteen rebounds, and five blocks.

There was a lot out of his control in his life, but the game and the trophy were still very much within reach.

by **Hannasea** » Sat Jul 16, 2022 1:41 pm

               KD Gardens, Habpo
               HANNASEA 94 – 93 DRAWKLAND
              (21–23, 27–22, 22–23, 24–25)
              Pts: Powell 17   Pts: Gibbs 14
             Rbds: Griffin 12   Rbds: Sparks 6
Asts: Griffin, Powell, May 5   Asts: Gibbs 7

Live commentary from Radio Free Hannasea.

by **Graintfjall** » Sat Jul 16, 2022 4:58 pm

Posted on the In Brief section of the GS SuperSports+ website.

Semifinals continue to elude Super Wolves, who fall short once again

Just Five Kids From Græntfjall
Where Are Háttmark PS 16-32’s Class of ’21 Basketball Team Now?

In the 2020–2021 season [note: it is currently about 2030 in Græntfjaller Fluid Time] Háttmark PS 16-32, a generally unremarkable public school serving one of the last working class neighborhoods left in Steinaux, pulled off an improbable run to the national high school basketball title, normally dominated by teams from Altendalur, where basketball is far more popular. 10 years on, this series will follow the fortunes of those five players and see where life has taken them since, and through that tell the story of modern Græntfjall. This story concludes the arc, and again contains some dark elements that those just looking for a cute sports RP might wish to skip over.

Part 5: Ezekiel Josephsson, Small Forward

Játmundur sought out Nate, but they’d been double teaming him all night, and now they were virtually sitting on him. Mramar was the best shooter, but they’d stuck another big body on him. Kai couldn’t fight through the screen. Játmundur cut inside again but he just couldn’t share the speedy little guard with the posh accent and designer shoes who’d been in his pocket all game. Four seconds on the clock, three seconds. He found a lane and drove inside but his peripheral vision picked up the help defender rushing in for the block. And that freed up the man in the corner.

Zeke.

Játmundur whipped the pass out wide – the bounce skipped on about the two second mark, and when Zeke went up, the rangy forward got the shot off just ahead of the buzzer. Játmundur didn’t actually see the shot go in – the help defender crashed into him at that moment and they both tumbled to the hardwood – but he heard the roar in the arena, which had been on the side of the underdog Laser Wolves all night. He heard Mramar’s amusingly feminine yelp of excitement. He heard the cries of agony from the two guys guarding Nate. He heard Kai’s stoic grunt of victory.

When he finally managed to twist himself free and look up, he saw Mramar and Kai embracing Nate from each side. And Zeke standing, arms raised, eyes closed, head down. Totally alone.

Játmundur always felt bad that he hadn’t gone to be with Zeke in that moment. He’d joined in the team swarming Nate, the 41 point, triple-double star player, who’d later lift the MVP trophy. And left Zeke, who’d hit the actual winning shot, standing there alone. He hadn’t even spoken to him until later, in the locker room. Kai was sat on the bench sobbing, Mramar was pouring champagne down his throat and over himself (mostly the latter), Nate was just heaving in great breaths as he tried to take it all in, and Zeke was standing there, staring blankly at his locker. Játmundur came over, clapped the tall forward on his shoulder, and said, “Hey…”, and then noticed what Zeke was staring at.

A banana, stuffed into his locker door.

Kai hadn’t spoken to Zeke since they’d last run into each other in college. They’d actually been pretty good friends while on the team. Neither of them were the star players like Nate or Játmundur, the brainiacs like Mramar. They were just two ordinary working class kids who were tall and could ball a little and had hitched on an improbable right to a national title. But once they were out of the old neighborhood, once Kai had given up basketball, they really didn’t have anything in common any more, besides attending the same college. They shared a few freshman classes and went from sitting next to each other, to sharing a few words before peeling off to their different friend groups, to nods of acknowledgement from a distance, to… not even a nod as they drifted past each other for the last time in the corridors. Three years, there was one final, definitive meeting.

Zeke spat blood, and pulled himself up from the ground. Around them a gaggle of spectators had formed, drunken students cheering on the fight. “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

That was not the particular f-word that had sparked the exchange, of course, but rather the slur Zeke had unleashed while pouring himself a drink. Kai had been called that word before, and worse, but there was a brutal cruelty to the way Zeke had enunciated that just drove him over the edge. He’d never punched anyone in his life, but he had long arms and big hands and swung his fist well enough to leave Zeke picking a tooth out of the carpet. To the immense disappointment of the chanting onlookers, Zeke just glowered up at him, then pulled himself back to his feet, turned, and stormed out, shoulder-barging past the crowd. Kai’s death stare followed him to the door.

Kai later heard mention of Zeke. Prison. His name in the newspaper suing the city. The lack of any follow-up strongly suggested his case had been dismissed without merit, but Kai wasn’t inclined to look him up. In fact, he wouldn’t even have committed him to memory had it not been for that incident at that party. Now, whenever he was accosted by an NDF thug, whenever some grubby little skinhead thought it would be funny to spit that word at him, he couldn’t help but associate it with the snarling face of a man he’d once called a friend.

He did see him, once more. They ended up on the same subway train. Kai lost a level of Kandy Kraken and looked up from his phone in frustration and caught a pair of dark eyes staring at him from the far end of the carriage. At first he thought it was just someone eyeballing him, and looked away. But something made him look back, and at the second glance, there was recognition. Zeke was thin now, thinner than before. Unlike the flashy tracksuits and bling-bling chains, he now wore a formless gray-brown shift, with a white cotton cap on his head. Most surprising was the dark, bushy, straggly beard. They locked eyes as the train rumbled into the next stop, and Kai rose slowly from his seat to disembark. At the very swish of the doors, he permitted himself a small nod. And received one back. He stepped off, and never looked back, and never thought of that moment ever again.

Until 18 months later, as he cowered in a shell of rubble and shattered glass, ears screaming, blood in his eyes, nodding frantically at men in black tactical gear barking orders at him he couldn’t hear over the immense ringing.

“What was he like?”

Nathan shifted uneasily on his stool. Erlendur’s question was innocent enough, but it was also completely crazy. Did he show any signs of being a mass murderer when you borrowed his notes in geography class?

“I don’t know. I didn’t really know him.”

“You were at school together. You played together, right? The Shot, that was him?”

Tjörfi twisted in his seat. “Erlendur, man, leave it alone. Nate, you don’t have to…”

But in the space where his answer would have been, there was only silence, and that was worse. So Nathan tried to explain. “I mean, yeah, but, I knew a lot of kids in school. When you’re, I’m not trying to up myself or anything, but everyone kind of figured I was going pro, and everyone wants to be your friend then. He wasn’t like that. Kept to himself. I don’t think I ever even went to his house. And he was really into weed, not just smoking, dealing. I didn’t want any part of that. One failed test and no scholarship, no career.”

“Weed? So he wasn’t observant?”

“Erlendur, Jesus Christ, can you please audition for a job with a GIB later and leave the poor bastard alone?”

“No, it’s OK. To be honest, I didn’t even know he was a Muslim.”

“He was in prison.”

Nathan nodded. “That I heard. We had a five year reunion, and he wasn’t there. Mramar – he’s a guy I knew back then, he’s a doctor, a great guy. Shit, I think he works in Steinaux. I should call him… Anyway, he kept in touch with him, I guess. Kai didn’t. I don’t think Ját did. But Mramar did, even went to visit him in prison.”

“What for?”

Nathan shrugged. “Probably drugs but I wouldn’t know.”

Erlendur was about to resume his inquisition but Tjörfi intervened. “Nate, if you want to go home, it’s only a classification bracket…”

“It’s fine. I’m fine. Tell the truth… I’ve called family, friends. I don’t think I know a single person who…”

“Except him.”

“Yeah.”

Tjörfi gave Erlendur a thanks for that cheery thought look.

“Mramar. Mramar, wake up.”

Mramar woke with a sharp snort and stood up so fast he hit his head on the defunct observation room’s overhead lamp. He shook it off, blinking rapidly to acclimatize to the light. “I was just resting…”

“Mramar, go home. You’ve worked two doubles in a row.”

“I can help.”

“I don’t need a zombie.” Eva shook her head. “I’ve been home, showered, got some sleep, eaten a hot meal. Have you done any of that since I last saw you?”

“I had… the vending machines…”

“Go home. That’s an order. You are not to see another patient until you do.”

Mramar was too tired to argue. He shuffled into the lounge to retrieve his bag, and found Úlfljótur making coffee. Unlike Mramar, Úlfljótur had been home, and was in a freshly pressed shirt.

“You should go home.”

“Way ahead of you.”

“The overnights…”

“Four of the crits coded. We brought one back.”

“Did the kid…”

“No. Complete BKA.”

“What about…”

“Úlfli, there’s a board.” Mramar rested his forehead against the cool metal of the locker. His voice reverberated off it as he spoke. “I’m sure you can catch up there.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Úlfljótur watched. “What?”

Mramar was laughing. Or at least his shoulders were shaking, even if he was too tired to actually form a smile. “Just brings it back.”

“Huh?”

“This locker.” Mramar tapped it with a knuckle. “We had lockers like this in school. I remember helping him.”

“Who? Oh.”

“Some kids had graffiti’d his locker. I helped him clean it off.”

“Why’d they graffiti his locker?”

Mramar couldn’t decide whether Úlfljótur was charmingly innocent, or too stone-stupid to have got into medical school.

“Oh. Right.”

“They used to chant at games.” He mimed a monkey chant. “Ooh, ooh. The opposition. Our own fans, if he was playing bad. It’s different now. But then. It was rough on him. He got arrested, and I guess he fought back or said the wrong thing, because they broke his hand, and that was it for his basketball career.”

“Was this before Laafjörður?”

“After, I think. But he was never that political. It was prison, I think. He went in Zeke, and that’s the last time I ever spoke to him. Must have come out Tariq.”

Úlfljótur’s curiosity about all this – his colleague was the schoolfriend of a terrorist! – mixed awkwardly with his concern for his friend’s welfare, whom he didn’t want to hold up on getting some well earned rest. When optics had refused to take the kid with glass in his eye, Mramar had gone to admin and literally dragged the hospital chief of staff – a former specialist in retinal repair – to OR. If that kid could see, it was thanks to Mramar. He’d earned some rest. But just one more question…

“What do you think she’s going to do?”

Mramar blinked coldly, then followed Úlfljótur’s gaze up to the television. The Prime Minister was on screen, in footage visiting the blast site.

“Well, Úlfli. I don’t think you’re going to have to wait long to find out.”

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Sat Jul 16, 2022 7:15 pm

Avalon

PART 11 - How Not To Drown

'Right.' Christine's grandfather sighed, and thought once more.

He had previously overseen through the Narrative Committee's takes on situations like this. The committee, which consisted of roughly half-dozen spirits that had their own stories about romantic affairs that had gone wrong, always held a diverse mix of thoughts and arguments that the late monarch, who was probably the only one who had not waged wars over it, always found himself running out of patience close to the end.

Who am I to judge, even that of my own flesh? That is how, after all, her father had found his way with that vile woman after all, thought Henri, remembering that the Queen had shared many physical features as her mother, Novopetrogradian noblewoman Elisabeth Dolgorukaia, and that likely affected his opinions about his own granddaughter. 'But the jealousy is eating you up, even as you acknowledge them and try to outdo your small, miniscule self over it.'

'It bothers me, because I know she is the one responsible for all the things that had gone wrong to him,' Christine lied. 'You know, sometimes, on what if's and how that there are some changeable factors in this life and non-changeable factors in that life and..'

A small, marble table was lifted from below, causing Christine and Henri to move back by a couple of steps. There was an old, wooden box already placed right above the circular top, and the sign 'A Matter of Life and Death, By Choice' indicated that it did not automatically imply

'Yes there are those things. Like everybody on the other side knew you were going to marry Caspian, and that a certain girl named Claire, who nobody had predicted if she would look more like this writer or that musician, would become the mother to whoever comes after you.' He shrugged, his face suggesting more of annoyance over her insistence. It was clear by this point that Henri, her grandfather, had seen through enough of what Christine had suggested. 'But you have to make a choice, one that does not involve your faint, selfish heart fitting of someone in her thirties, but someone in her thirteenth decade of this life. Are you a mere mortal, or someone who actually has to speak to those high above?'

'The latter, though I'm afraid I will never be able to fly this far if the waters were rougher, and the times more dire. Like what brought you here sixty years ago.' Christine was now afraid, and unsure, on what to say to her grandfather. All her life she was confident, knowing what to say and what direction she had come up with, and not to back down from it. But much of it had already been set for decades, if not centuries, by institutional design, and that had not taken into account what would happen if she had to grow out of her personal limits. 'I've seen the way you had flown over the seas, and did not require much to land right in front of the hut.'

'Yes, but I too had lost those beloved before me, and a half-year of plague, which had started just mere months after the wedding day and the Commonwealth Games in Joongyeong, had taught me other things too.' Henri touched the surface of the box, removing a bit of dust and feathers from it. 'You see, dear Christine, you were fortunate your father had made sacrifices to make sure you, unlike him, would not have to fight in two major wars before the bells would ring. Times of peace and domestic stability, in the times of growing conflict, are prized more than ever, and your father and I had done the best to ensure it continues.'

'Understood,' she nodded, her head slightly lower than on usual level. The tough question of who to save, by the gift of what's inside the box, now popped inside her head. Her grandfather's look back at her bit more stoic, almost as if she were seeing another Dr. Heo, Christine knew she had to ask this question to draw a more personal answer than one that he would give as a long-predeceased predecessor with an oldie temper. 'I know, that back home, there are many who needs a saving. Grandmother, my friend Asher, and of course her. But not all of those who need to be saved could be saved by me alone, and I'm sure you had similar dilemma when you were tempted by the roots' potency.'

Christine then cleared her throat and asked: 'Who would you save if you had to choose?'

'I would still keep things the same, and do what I had been here for.' Henri looked back at her. 'I know that it is a tempting idea to think about a dying man, a friend whose loyalty to you is unparalleled first, and your grandmother. But it's a really simple question that involves that of a simple, Quebecois family in heart of Songak.

'That being-'

'It's straightforward. On one scenario you let the life roll - the father, whose conditions slowly continue but can be controlled in public, will eventually die. But the mother will live, the child continues to grow and eventually enters the Palace a grown woman no less talented and bright than her mother and father, and the world goes on.'

'But what if it doesn't? And if I choose the father to carry on the flames, and let his words speak into the minds of the millions?' She asked, closing her eyes as she thought about the possibility she did not want to discuss. The box, thanks to the roots' reaction to the conversation, started to glow as if they were made of platinum.

He shook his head. 'There won't be any bit of it,' said he, swishing his left hand while grasping thin air. 'If that happens and you give it to the undeserved man, then what becomes of it? She dies, he too departs the world out of his volition now that there is no purpose in his world, and the words are left buried and unsaid especially as the course of this world is interrupted by unnatural actions started by you.' She felt her eyes shake, but that's not it, as he continued to speak. 'And then the children will end up orphans, the people being like "there, there, poor Lundrigan children whose parents loved them dearly, but the world remains cold and snowing in front of them like a wintry night.

'Eventually, Claire and her siblings will too head to school, but the paths won't cross by then. The photo of her Alexandre, your own son, have will probably change its image to a lord-knows-who-really, and the piano will no longer play. Those two will never cross paths, you will regret every bit of it as he gives you a soulless reply to an enquiry, and the throne-'

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Sat Jul 16, 2022 7:17 pm

IBC 35 Semifinals - 5th-8th Place Classification Round

All knockout and classification round matches will be held in Mengwes Garden (KD Garden), in Habpo cluster.

Day 8

TJUN-ia (01) 82–84 Græntfjall (04) -- 18:00
Drawkland (12) 57–75 Chromatika (06) -- 21:00

Day 9

Delaclava (10) 67–74 Nova Anglicana (08) -- 17:00
Hannasea 86–57 Quebec and Shingoryeo (Scorinated by Zwangzug) -- 20:00

IBC 35

Day 10 - Placement Round

7th Place Match - #B2 TJUN-ia vs. #C2 Drawkland -- 12:00

5th Place Match - #C1 Græntfjall vs. #B1 Chromatika -- 15:00

3rd Place Match - #A1 Delaclava vs. #A2 Quebec and Shingoryeo -- 18:00

Final - #D1 Hannasea vs. #D2 Nova Anglicana -- 21:00

by **Nova Anglicana** » Tue Jul 19, 2022 11:41 am

People's Party leader Michael Ramsey was sitting at his desk in his parliamentary office when an aide came in and said, "Sir, you have some visitors. I know they're unannounced, but I think you might want to see them.

"Well, who are they?" Ramsey growled. "And you don't get to tell me who I want to see or don't see."

"Sir, it's Richard Spaulding, Celia Yates, and well, Milton Bridges," the aide said, almost in awe after seeing the man who cofounded the party they were a part of.

"Dick Spaulding, huh? Well, I suppose I have time for that traitor, and of course Celia probably wants to talk about money. I've got a plan for how best to pump our donors and get back in power. Milton Bridges deserves a minute of my time at least. Show them in."

The three conspirators entered the room and the four exchanged the usual pleasantries before Ramsey cut across the room with his characteristic snarl. "Well, Dick, what is it? Come to beg my forgiveness for contemplating leaving the party along with those other two traitors? Well, you are going to have to well and truly beg."

Dick Spaulding cleared his throat. "Well, Michael, it is actually about James and Cheryl that I want to talk about first. I want to confirm that they are in fact thinking about leaving the party. I haven't had direct contact with them, but according to my sources, they will leave the party within the week if you don't resign. And if they join Build!, then it is going to be much easier for Jo Clark to get her programs through Parliament. There's a lot of negative public opinion buzzing around. Are you at least prepared to think about resigning, in a more public setting, before the two of them take it out of your hands?"

"Absolutely not!" Ramsey stood up and slammed his palms on the table. "The day I bow to pressure from those or any so-called moderates is the day I die."

At this, Milton Bridges spoke up, with Spaulding and Yates as surprised as Ramsey at the outburst. "In my day, we took all the moderates we could get! Yes, sir, wishy-washers or rock-ribbers, it didn't matter. What mattered was votes, and Michael, you've lost the votes! This would not be happening fifteen years ago."

"Well, you didn't win many elections, Milton, now did you?" sneered Ramsey. "You got used to losing and that was the problem. Furthermore, it's not your party anymore, it's my party! Do you hear me, mine! And we don't suffer squishes or pragmatists or moderates or compassionate conservatives or classical liberals or whatever they want to call themselves! We're here to get power and run society according to good, old-fashioned, conservative, patriotic principles! You either get on the bus or get run over, and that's it."

Spaulding coughed quietly in the ensuing silence. "That's just it, Michael. If getting power is your goal, then you've failed abysmally. It's not your party, and it never was. No one person calls all the shots all the time around here. The party decides, Michael. And the party has decided it's time for you to step down. You can either do it quietly or be dragged out, kicking and screaming. It's your choice."

Flabbergasted for a moment, Ramsey quickly recovered. "You're bluffing! There are thirty other people in Parliament besides me, you, and Celia, and if you think I can't convince sixteen of them to back me, you don't know Michael Ramsey. By God, I'm a politician, and I can win a confidence vote! You want to go to the national committee? I appointed half of 'em and the other half owe me something or know their place. You want to go to the party members? I'm way over 50% with party members, and I'd relish the opportunity to cleanse this party of traitors like you three. So bring. it. on."

Spaulding steepled his hands and said, "Michael, what if I told you that it wasn't just the three of us here, but seventy-five percent of your former cabinet ministers who now oppose you? Or what if I told you that forty percent of national committee members are prepared to resign immediately? How about ninety percent of the national campaign team, the top three in People's Party Youth leadership, and six staffers in your own office, including your head of comms and deputy chief of staff?" He pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket, unfolded it, and passed it across the table to Ramsey. "I have here an open letter calling for your resignation, ready to be published tomorrow, signed by one hundred and four prominent think-tankers and conservative activists, including folks from the Principled Government Foundation, the Cincinnatus Institute, the Conservative Jurist Society, the New Anglican, Law & Liberty, etc, etc, the list literally goes on and on. Celia, tell him about the donors."

Celia Yates opened her briefcase and said, "Michael, I've had extensive conversations with donors in recent days, and eight of our top ten donors in the last cycle say they'll stop donating altogether if you don't resign. Industry groups plan to cut back on donations, and the head of People's Money Machine says he'll shut down the site to donations, so that small-donor spigot is being shut off. And [Party Treasurer] Myron Craig told me that we're scraping the bottom of the barrel on funds right now, so all of this money disappearing doesn't come at the best time. And it's not just donors. The editorial board of the Londinium Democrat is ready to call for your resignation as well."

Spaulding continued, "So you see, Michael, the choice is yours. Leave quietly, and you'll maintain what dignity you have, and we'll make sure you have a soft landing somewhere. There are always plenty of corporate boards and charitable foundations who'd love to have a former prime minister on their team. You can even be a respected elder statesman, like Milton, and help guide the party when needed. But make a stink, keep carrying on like this, and not only will Bradley and Adams, over our objections, hand the Senate to Jo Clark, but every corner of the party will slam you as the baby you were in that viral video. You'll be alone, and then you can lose a confidence vote, resign in disgrace, and take your parliamentary pension with you. You know, the one you voted to slash over the years? What is it now, for one term as a prime minister, three terms as a backbencher, and two as Opposition Leader? 54,000 pounds? A lot of money for the average Nova Anglican family, but not for your tastes, eh Michael? Expensive bourbon and trips to five-star Esportivan resorts eat that up pretty quickly."

Ramsey huffed and puffed for a few moments, then spluttered, "You can't do this to me! I'm the leader of the party. I can't be taken out in some backdoor coup like this! Not one of you had the guts to challenge me openly, so you're trying to do it the sneaky way. I won't have it!"

"We may not have the guts, Mikey boy," said Bridges' gravelly voice. "But you can sure as hell bet we've got the ammunition to take you out. Listen to us and all the evidence we've presented. Leave with your dignity intact or be taken out back and shot like a dog."

Ramsey's eyes were daggers, then he closed them, re-opened them, and sighed. "You win, you bastards. I'll draw up a letter of resignation and hold a press conference within the week."

Yates' response was quick. "You'll do it today, Michael. The donors are impatient, and they'll find some other party to be their champion if it looks like you have a prayer of sticking around. In fact, we have a template if you'd like some inspiration."

Ramsey glared at her. "Fine, today. But you can keep your template. If I've gotta go out, I'm going to use my own words, not some puppet script. You scum-suckers haven't seen the last of me. I've still got friends in the party, and Dick, Celia, I will make sure neither of you nor any of your namby-pamby allies replaces me."

Spaulding raised his eyebrows, but only said, "If you say so."

Ernest Reed, husband and father of two children, would-be grandfather if his kids would ever get around to having kids, was sitting in his house at 24 Maple Lane, Miramichi, New Brunswick, playing around on his smartphone. No different than many other men at that particular hour. He was scrolling through social media when he saw a video titled "You Have to See This MONSTER DUNK by Greg Lindsey!" Being a sports fan, he tapped on it and saw the aforementioned Lindsey, reserve small forward on the Nova Anglican national team, rise high in the air and slam the ball into the net over a taller player named Lehtola, who apparently played for a nation called "Delaclava." The video referred to the dunk as Lindsey "posterising" Lehtola, and the comments were full of the same reference. He had to navigate over to his browser to search "posterising", which apparently meant that the moment was so iconic that it should be put on a poster. He then spent five minutes looking for a poster of said event, because it had been a "monster dunk", and maybe he could gift it to his nephew, who was a teenage basketball player. The search was fruitless, unfortunately, but he decided to look up other highlights from the game, because it had piqued his interest.

Ernest was normally an NABA fan when it came to basketball, but the more he saw from the game against Delaclava, the more he wanted to follow up and watch the national team. The game had been back-and-forth action, with somebody named Zubić on the Delaclav team posting a double-double: 27 points, 14 rebounds. Maybe the Newfield Tides should try to sign this guy, he seemed really good. But Lindsey, Simon Moran, and Clement Villeneuve had countered Zubić's heroic effort. Lindsey had 15 points and a few more big dunks, and Moran and Villeneuve had combined to shoot 8-14 from behind the arc on their way to 35 points together. The Lions had won 74-67, but hadn't put it away until late, when Lindsey had done his "posterising" dunk and Villeneuve had hit a three-pointer to give the Lions a seven-point lead with 1:15 to go. The next game for the Lions, apparently, was the championship game. Ernest was baffled. How had he, a sports fan, been ignorant enough to miss most of the tournament? He blamed the usual suspects: chores and his stupid body, which seemed to decide that 9:30 was about as late as he was able to stay up on any given night.

This gave him an idea: he had made a decent little bit of money by gambling on NABA games with his bookie in town, all hush-hush, of course, because betting on sports was illegal in Nova Anglicana. But this was a big game, surely there was a lot of money to be made. Plus, the Lions were playing so well, making it to the championship game, that he was sure to win by betting on them. He spent the next fifteen minutes absorbing information about the best players on the team and how the Lions had done and who they were playing next to prepare for his bets. After poring through the news reports and highlight videos, he decided that he would bet on the Lions, whether to cover the spread, or if underdogs, to win, and then would lay side bets on Villeneuve scoring more than 20 for the Lions and Tom Powell of Hannasea as high scorer for the game. He made the call, only to hear an unfamiliar voice on the end of the line. It turns out it was his bookie's girlfriend. His bookie was in the hospital, burst appendix, she said, so he quickly hung up before he told her why he was calling. So no bets there. He called his friend Max Riggleman, who he knew also placed bets with this guy, and asked him if he was doing anything with the bookie out. Max told him he hadn't bet with the bookie in almost a year, that he was doing it all on his phone. Ernest was incredulous as Max walked him through downloading something called a "vee-pee-enn", which would make it look like his phone wasn't in Nova Anglicana, so he could use this betting app to bet on the IBC final. Ernest dutifully downloaded the Phantom "vee-pee-enn" and CardaBet apps, both of which were from Tikariot. Ernest didn't know much about it, but it was obviously a smarter place than Nova Anglicana, since they had "vee-pee-enns" and sports betting.

He chatted with Max a while longer about the lawn and the next time they were going to play golf, then hung up and started to look through the Cardabet app to find the IBC championship. He had just found it when something surfaced in him: you shouldn't be gambling on this. He tried to ignore it, since the app promised him he could make something like A£150 (he couldn't quite figure out the conversion rate) in free bets since it was his first time. That was really good. His bookie had never given him free bets. But the voice persisted. If they won all these games without you gambling on them, what if you betting on them jinxes them? That's nonsense, he said to himself. But the voice came back: remember the time you skipped church to watch the rugby final and they got nipped by Kelssek? You ruined their chances at a championship. They've only got one, you know, that WBC 48 crown after a whole lot of trying. Don't ruin it again. The app reminded him about the A£150 in free bets. He hesitated. Then he closed out of the app and deleted it. This was no time to be messing with a hot streak or experimenting with a new way to bet. In sports, change from routine was bad. Plus, he'd have to lie to his wife about this. The apps would still be on his phone, and he'd tried to lie to Christine before, but he was really bad at it, and it always caused problems. Fine, he said to himself. Just watch it, no betting, and maybe they'll win. There was always the Campionato Esportiva once his bookie got out of the hospital.

by **Hannasea** » Tue Jul 19, 2022 4:24 pm

          KD Gardens, Habpo
                       HANNASEA 86 – 57 QUEBEC & SHINGORYEO
           (15–15, 23–15, 24–13, 24–14)
              Pts: Powell 23   Pts: M-A Park 14
Rbds: Powell, Griffin 9   Rbds: Noh 7
          Asts: Powell 10   Asts: Bahng 3

Selection of articles from Hannasean news media.

Sardines ease past hosts for third successive final

All-Esportiva clash showcases clash of styles

Eight syllables for Esportiv
a

So. Farewell then, Michael Ramsey.
Your politics were horrible
Though your taste in whisky better.
As the Federation decides:
To say Yes(po) to the Espo?
What really matters: basketball
The Lions’ sharpshooters, versus
The Sardines who can jump a bit.

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Tue Jul 19, 2022 8:33 pm

IBC 35 Final, Third Place, Fifth Place and Seventh Place Games

Boom.

7th Place Match - 12:00

5th Place Match - 15:00

3rd Place Match - 18:00

Final - 21:00

Congratulations and Commiserations.

by **TJUN-ia** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 9:03 am

We entered the final round knowing things would be tough, but still hopeful for the future.

Where is that hope now?

Delaclava knouted us out by 5 points in a game filled with nothing but pain and tight basketball.

Then came the Classification Round, where our demoralised souls were crushed further by 2 points by Graintfjall.

By the time we faced Drawkland for 7th, there was nothing left as we just allowed them to claim their holy number.

In the space of a few days, our basketball souls were simply crushed out of existence...and now, we're back to that dark place a TJUN-ian must always go through in order to feel alive.

For José Antonio Rodríguez, Marco Smith and Christian McHere, their time in this squad is now over...they certainly tried, that's for sure, but we have to move on.

Bao Zhou knows his Dynasty is starting to crack...and the pieces have to be glued together over the next 2 years...maybe into something more beautiful, like the fabled Kintsugi of another land.

We will be back...but now, we must reflect on a #1 that never managed to reach those true highs.

Nova Anglicana deserve the title, congratulations go to them.

But for us? Time to reflect.

SCHEDULE
Second Group Stage (Group B - KD Centre, Habpo, Twin Cities, Quebec and Shingoryeo)
MD1: vs South Newlandia (45) W 92-84 (2nd/7-1)
MD2: vs Chromatika (6) L 77-79 (2nd/8-2)
MD3: vs Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom (18) W 76-54 (2nd/9-2)
MD4: vs Equestrian States (11) W 74-73OT (2nd/10-2)
MD5: BYE (2nd/3-1/10-2)
-------------------------------
QF: vs Delaclava (10/A1) - Mengwes Garden (KD Garden), Habpo L 70-75
CR: vs Graintfjall (4/C1) - Mengwes Garden (KD Garden), Habpo L 82-84
7PM vs Drawkland (12/C2) - Mengwes Garden (KD Garden), Habpo L 66-76

by **Nova Anglicana** » Wed Jul 27, 2022 11:50 am

Imagine, if you will, a split screen, with Prime Minister Josephine Clark on the left side and People's Party leader Michael Ramsey on the right side.

It has been a long hard road since the November election, but today, I am pleased to announce.../It has been a long hard road since the November election, but today, I regretfully announce...

...that after much consultation with my party and our allies, that Nova Anglicana will have a new government come the opening of Parliament!/...that after much consultation with members of my party and allies outside the party, that the People's Party will have a new leader next year.

I am honored to be able to serve as your Prime Minister for another term, and from today, I know that this government will provide the leadership every Nova Anglican needs in order to live a safe and happy life./It has been an honor to be able to serve as Leader of the People's Party, but today, I am resigning because I am no longer the person this party needs in leadership.

This is not an easy time for our nation, but I am convinced that with the new government we are about to unveil, Nova Anglicana is headed for a bright future./This is not an easy time for our party, but I am convinced that whoever our new leader is, the People's Party is headed for a bright future.

We vow to continue fighting for workers, for parents, for the widow, the orphan, the immigrant, the planet, and above all, for every person who feels like they don't belong./I vow to continue fighting against cheap foreign labor, against forces that would destroy the traditional family, against environmentalist doomsayers, and above all against the radical left who wish to change our nation forever.

We'll be losing some familiar faces to retirement, but the energy and the ideas behind our government have never been stronger./You'll be losing me to political retirement, but the energy and the ideas behind the movement I have worked my whole life to build will come back stronger than ever.

Although the breadth of our government may look a bit smaller, I promise that the depth of our passion and our policy has never been greater./Although the size of our movement may look a bit smaller, I promise that the ardor of our resistance to destructive government spending never burned hotter.

In our new government, you'll be getting strong progressive leadership, and if we can't deliver for you or if we fail to uphold our lofty ideals, don't worry, I'll be the first one out of a job./Our party's new leader will be a strong conservative, carrying on the legacy of the People's Party, and don't worry, if they fail to call out the radical left or if they compromise our conservative principles, I'll be the first to point it out.

And so now, without further ado, I present to you your new government! After I introduce each of them, I'll take any questions you have and ministers will be available for comment at the conclusion of this press conference./And so now, without further ado, I hand off my duties to our new Acting Leader, my former deputy, Melody Savoy. She and our caucus leadership will take any questions you have; I won't be available for comment as of now.

Nova Anglican Cabinet

Prime Minister: Josephine Clark (PJP)
Deputy Prime Minister: Paulette Joseph (SP)
Minister of Defense: Tim McKenzie (PJP)
Minister of Finance: Lester Gray (PJP)
Minister of Education: Kate Buchanan (PJP)
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Talia Sherwood (PJP)
Minister of Health: Alexandra Ward (PJP)
Minister of Social Services: Colin Clarke (SP)
Minister of Infrastructure: Paul Anawak-Shepherd (SP)
Minister of Justice: Sheila Gordon (PJP)
Minister of Commerce/Labor: Isaac Okomo-Grant (PJP)
Interior Minister: Michael Greer (PJP)
Minister of the Environment: Heidi Mathis (SP)
Minister of Immigration: Annette Chandler (PJP)
Minister of Agriculture: Bruce Russell (PJP)
Minister of Culture: Robin Carpenter (SP)

"Here's Clement Villeneuve at the line. Uncharacteristically missed a pair of free throws earlier in the game, but by hitting even one of them, he could make this a three-possession game with just under seventeen seconds to go. First one's in the air...good! 90-83 for the Lions and the Nova Anglican fans can taste it. Just listen to the roar of that crowd! Here's the second, in the air...good! An eight-point lead for the Lions as Jean-Luc Kaplan rolls the ball out to Késhaun Cunningham. Cunningham picks the ball up just shy of mid-court, quickly passes to Robertson, whose three is up and...off the back of the iron no good. Rebound snagged by Philip Meyer. He'll protect it, but no foul incoming from the Sardines and he hands it off to Duncan Muir, who dribbles out the clock AND THE LIONS ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS! It's been a long time coming, folks, but Nova Anglicana has its first International Basketball Championships trophy! The team mobs longtime head coach Lawrence Roberts and there's the traditional post-game Kinetik bath! They got all of Roberts with that splash. Truly a great game in the world championship, by both sides."

"Yes, Dave, that's right, an outstanding game. For Nova Anglicana, of course you have to highlight Clement Villeneuve and Simon Moran, the dynamic duo. They've led this team all the way to this game, and tonight was no different. Forty-three combined points, nine of their team's twelve three-point shots, just a dual offensive engine that any team would be jealous of. But we also can't forget guys like Philip Meyer and Rex McKinney. Hannasea's game is very much a physical, bang 'em up, score inside kind of style, and the Lions don't usually win that kind of game. But Meyer gave as good as he got inside against guys like Jean-Luc Kaplan, and he ended up with 13 rebounds, some of them in big defensive spots. And Rex McKinney saw a lot of game time today. After Tom Powell scorched the Lions early, Coach Roberts pulled Eli Rose, went small ball, sent in McKinney and told him, 'You have one job, stop that man!' And he did. Just two for seven from the field for the rest of the game, and bothered him into a couple of turnovers as well."

"But it wouldn't have been a game without Hannasea too. After Tom Powell got shut down, the rest of the team stood up. Késhaun Cunningham slashin' and passin', Ryder Hansen with a game-high 25, and Jawntré Glover was all over the offensive boards. I think he had ten points on putback dunks alone. The Sardines actually led after one quarter, but Villeneuve and Moran and it was all too much. Lions take a three-point lead at the half, push it to six after the third quarter, and hold on for the win. Very hard fought on both sides, and a great win for Nova Anglicana."

"Thanks, Greg, and now to our sideline reporter Alicia Anderson."

"Dave and Greg, I'm here with Nova Anglicana head coach Lawrence Roberts and small forward Rex McKinney. First, Coach Roberts, the first IBC title for Nova Anglicana in history. After many long years, how does it feel?"

"Alicia, it feels great! Sorry, my voice is basically gone after that game, but I'm on top of the world. It's just like I told the guys, if we play our game instead of theirs, if we create open looks and don't let them have open looks, we'll win, and that's just what they did."

"Clement Villeneuve and Simon Moran went for forty-three points together tonight. Coach, can you describe the importance of those two players?"

"Incalculable! That's how much value they bring to this team. When we run and we shoot, we win. And that's because we have deadly weapons like Clement and Simon. They make our offense purr, and we knew we needed big games from both of them to win. But it's not just them, Alicia. Philip Meyer banging inside, Duncan Muir distributing and taking care of the ball, and great play from guys like Rex McKinney and Greg Lindsey off the bench. It was a team effort."

"A great segue, Coach, to one of the key players tonight, Rex McKinney. Rex, you didn't start tonight, but you drew Tom Powell on defense. How'd you feel coming into the game after his hot start?"

"Well, when he came out and hit four of his first five shots, including two big threes, it was obvious something wasn't working. We knew we weren't going to play zone, not with the big guys up front for them, but Coach just told me to get out there and get him, and that's what I did."

"You certainly did. Tell us how you shut him down."

"With a guy like Powell, you know he's all about momentum. If he gets started, it's really hard to stop him. So much of a shooter's ability is that repeatable motion, the time to take the shot, and all that. So you just have to disrupt things a little bit. Don't give him the time to get set, put a hand in his face, make him take an awkward shot, and Alicia, you can't be afraid of a little contact. Sometimes a foul at the right moment can make him hesitate just enough the next time, or a hand check or a bump does just enough to throw him out of his rhythm. And we succeeded at that tonight. Would not have happened without my teammates playing well on the help side or making it easier for me to fight through screens. Just a total team effort."

"Rex, Coach Roberts, excellent job out there, and congratulations again. Now enjoy your win! Back to you, Dave."

"Thank you, Alicia, and now to centre court, where the IBC President is ready for the trophy presentation."

Nova Anglicana 91-83 Hannasea

Stats: 35-68 FG (51.5%) 12-27 3-Pt FG (44.4%), 9-13 FT (69.2%)

Key Players: Clement Villeneuve - 8-17/5-9/2-4 (23 pts) 4 rbds, 2 asts, Simon Moran - 7-13/4-7/2-3 (20 pts) 6 rbds, 3 asts, 1 stl, Philip Meyer - 4-7/0-0/1-2 (9 pts) 13 rbds, 2 blks, Rex McKinney - 3-6/0-1/0-0 (6 pts) 7 rbds, 3 asts, 3 stls, 1 blk, principal defender of Tom Powell

IBC 35 - Everything Thread

DROP IT DOWN!: Into The Final Stage We Go!

DROP IT DOWN!: Autopsy

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