World Cup 80 • EqueStar • Roleplay Thread

[Juvencus]

TOSET'S MANAGERIAL POSITION JEOPARDIZED

August Toset's future on the gli attaccanti bench is under severe danger after the team's inability to defeat lower-ranked opponents, resulting in a winningless streak of 4 games in a row after a win streak of 15 games. The Juven Football Association, being accustomed to winning or at least clinching on a tie to keep the team's hopes of qualifying to at least the play-offs alive have issued a warning towards Toset, meaning that if he doesn't manage to get 2 wins in a row in the last 2 matches of the first half of the qualifiers he will be removed from the managerial position and be replaced with someone else, deemed more 'suitable' by the Association.

The poor showing started at the match against Brenecia, a higher-seeded team, which resulted in an expected 2-4 defeat, despite the team's attempts to hold an advantadge early on, then, on an away match against North New South Wales, the gli attaccanti was kneeled to the ground with a surprising 1-0 defeat following a poor showing from the gli attaccanti. Following the match after that is a tie, this time against group rivals Tobiasia, with 1-1 and lastly, another tie against New Lusitania and the Algarves with the same score.

This means the gli attacanti has had a relatively ineffective overall game for 4 games straight, managing to score 4 goals in 4 games and conceding 7 goals, which means the defensive wall, made to suck up all the pressure of the opposing offenders isn't doing its job right, making a lot of mistakes in either passing or leaving spaces from which the opposing side can go through, but neither is the unstoppable force that is the Juven attack doing its job right, being completely useless and not living up to its name, if Toset doesn't organise the team once more, his job and most importantly, the team's chances of even grabbing a play-off spot are almost completely gone.

[Schottia]

Enrico Hanson-Conavacio

Part Eight.

Dreams.

Guilt is for arseholes Claire Hanson reminded herself of her father's words, as she crept from Colin Donaldson's Concord Heights hotel room for a second night running. Had her husband ever cheated on her..? She didn't doubt it, but it wasn't the kind of thing you brought up in conversation, especially if you had a sneaking suspicion the answer was going to be yes.

Her whole life, Claire had been attracted to the dangerous types. She had always sought out adventure in her relationship, intrigue and peril. When she had first met Leonardo Conavacio he was this larger than life character: a wild and attractive maverick. He had a reputation that went before him in Multiverse football, and that was something Claire had bought into emotionally. He was still all those things, of course, but some small part of Claire - the thrill-seeker - felt like it was in the verge of hanging up its boots.

The Schottia team physio had a dream a few weeks back, while taking a nap on the treatment table in her office. She had dreamt that she was living in a little fisherman's cottage down by the sea in some fictional fisherman's village, with epic blue skies and swirling waves breaking against the harbour walls. She held hands with her clean-shaven, checked shirt wearing husband while the walked along the cobble beach with their Irish setter bounding along in front. The sun was warm, but there was a bracing wind, blowing the hair of her two perfectly polite, and immaculately dressed daughters, who called her "mummy" and smiled when they spoke. It had been a magical day, where they'd enjoyed a small picnic lunch sheltered between the sand dunes; consuming sandwiches she and her husband had loving prepared together. It was the kind of day that no misfortune could touch, and the only negative had been their setter, Charlie, shaking himself dry beside them, as they partook in a family hug.

Claire had woken with a jolt, alerted by the beeping of her phone, as her mother called to inform her that Enrico had taken the tram to training by himself. Claire couldn't work out if she was more annoyed by her son for his deception of with her mother for buying into it so blindly. She couldn't blame the poor old woman though, she knew better than anyone just how manipulative the little bastard could be. He would already have his grandmother wrapped around his little finger. She would think that she was in charge, but in reality, Enrico would have it all carefully stage-managed.

Maybe this was why she was having such vivid fantasies about a boring life - a quiet life. One where she had a normal job, and was surrounded by kind people whose actions lowered her stress levels as opposed to elevating them to heights requiring medication. Perhaps that was what she was doing with Colin Donaldson, trying to leach some of the normal out of him.

Back inside her hotel room she opened the mini-bar and took out a small bottle of wine, tipping it into the coffee mug that sat next to the tea-making facilities. She was going to need something to help her get to sleep. 'Fucksake.' she muttered, noticing that it was already two in the morning; meaning that her hopes of a good night's sleep were currently lying in ruin. Just one good night's sleep, just one. Even when she was on team duties and away from her nocturnal one-year-old, she still found herself awake at crazy o'clock. She took a mouthful of her wine, realising that she wasn't remotely tired. She had been carefully conditioned to feel wide-awake all night; it would be tomorrow afternoon before she was consumed by the overwhelming desire for sleep. It was never easy trying to rest during the day, but sometimes she could grab forty winks slouched forward, with her head pressed against the refrigerator.

How had it come to this? How had it come to this, eh? Sat alone in her hotel room at two in the morning drinking pinot grigio out of a mug. She didn't even like white wine. She only really chose it because it was cold, yet stronger than beer. The mug was an attempt to convince herself she wasn't the kind of person who would drink wine straight from the bottle. There had been glasses in the room somewhere, but locating them would have involved putting the light on, and risking seeing herself in the mirror - Seeing her reflection, and being forced to confront herself face-to-face. She wasn't yet ready for that conversation, and was quite frankly frightened as to what the result might be. Claire wasn't prepared for that internal heart to heart. No, it was far better to scramble around in the dark, drinking wine from a hotel mug, somehow going to sleep and pretending none of this had happened.

[Savojarna]

int.snb.sj - De Savojarsk Nyhetsbyrå International
News from Savojarna for the world

The History of Savojarna in the 11th century: Part II

The Ejanan Empire
in the course of the late 9th century, the Ejanan Kings began expanding into Northern Vestrholm under Ingvar the Great. The Ejanan Empire had made its first advances by diplomacy, but it had also shown military proficiency and strength thanks to its large supplies of metal and its huge wealth coming from the island's silver reserves. In a great naval battle in 886, an admiral named Hrolfr and his fleet could destroy a union fleet of the Northwestern Vestrholm Jarldoms under Baldur the Wet of Jorsund, whose castle and capital Ingvar's troops subsequently conquered and destroyed as punishment. The only realm in the North of Vestrholm that could match Ejana's military might was Jarnslän under Kjetil I., who styled himself King of Jarnstad after the conquest of two minor realms in his vicinity. These two would struggle over the control of the land south of them, but Ingvar's son Helgur could achieve a strategic victory in 902, when he laid siege to Thorsborg and could cut off Jarnstad's armies from the South. In 918, Helgur made an alliance with Kjetil's son Sigwulfr and sealed it through the marriage of their children.

The Ejanan Empire, which engulfed all of Vestrholm and Ejana through either reign or alliance in 936, was a loose confederation rather than a tightly centralised empire. In the late 10th century, the trade between southern Vestrholm and Russica increased and led to a competition between the two major economic actors in the South: Sjoedrhavn, at that time still formally under the control of the Jarl of Hamarvik, and the allied Jarldoms of Grentvig and Bjärla. In their competition, they tried to achieve sole control over parts of the lucrative trade with Russica, but also upset the power balance in the Empire. In 1018 Ragnar the Great, ruler of Sjoedrhavn, spun an intrigue against Hamarvik and won the Jarldom himself, styling his family "Sydjarl" after the conquest of Hamarvik and becoming the second strongest force in the Empire - one that made King Harald of Ejana fear for his position and attempt to strengthen it by imposing central rule in 1021, letting himself be chosen and crowned Emperor under threat of military action against non-compliant Jarls and Kings.

The Sydjarl Rebellion
Following the imperial crowning, the Sydjarls first revolted together with Jarnstad, who claimed that they had never been subjugated to Harald and therefore could not legally be brought under the Imperial Crown. For his aggressive conduct against this rebellion, he earned the name of Harald the Wild after he unexpectedly charged headlong into a Jarnstader army, causing them to flee and return with more troops. Sjoedrhavn, however, lacked the resources of Jarnstad and relied on the trade with Russica for its war effort. Harald knew that and tried to diminish Sydjarl influence in Russica to isolate the rebels and force them into battle, while Ragnar I. Sydjarl tried to secure his supplies from the South and used the conflict to weaken his old rivals in Bjärla and Grentvig.

The Sjoedrhavner navy raided Pawlograd in 1023 to enforce better trade conditions and toppled Dmitri III. of Gabryov, a smaller coastal city, to install a puppet leader. In the North, Grentvig tried to enforce similar relations with Jaromirgrad and installed their own puppet kings. Ejana also tried to undermine Sjoedrhavn's efforts in the South with its wealth, buying the loyalty of multiple lower city-states and establishing client states with silver rather than steel. The decision in the rebellion came with the death of Ragnar and the Treaties of Thorsborg. Thorsborg had previously been reluctantly loyalist, but with Ragnar's death, the sister of the Jarl of Thorsborg became the Princess of Sjoedrhavn and the city sided with the rebels. Harald, seeing his rule now in danger, offered a peace which the new ruler of Sjoedrhavn accepted. With peace restored in the Empire, calmer times laid ahead for Russica as well, but it turned out to be a calm before the storm.

The Great Zavoyari Raids
As military action in the Empire was no longer an option, the scramble for influence in Russica continued in the form of alliances and trade concessions; sometimes obtained by negotiation, sometimes by bribery, and sometimes by sheer force. As a byproduct of the centralisation, all the various agreements with Sjoedrhavener, Bjärlar or Grentviger trading companies were essentially agreements with the Empire as a whole, and Storevik as its capital and representant had the power to enforce them. For the most time, this meant that the Imperial judiciary had to arbitrate between the trading companies when their deals were undercut by competitors, but occasionally it enforced rulings against Russican city-states as a whole. While these enforcements usually meant officially permitting individual Jarldoms to militarily enforce them, the Empire also had the capacity to carry out such military missions by itself and increasingly took it in the 11th century.

Why did the Empire increasingly carry out punitive missions itself, resulting in what the Russians call the Great Zavoyari Raids? First of all, it had a power interest. As the Russican city-states were increasingly fortified and advanced their military, they gained confidence and rejected the often one-sided deals with their neighbours. This meant that there was an increase in military operations of the Southern Jarls against these states, and thus an increase in their strength. This unsettled Ejana, as it meant that these Jarls - one of them had been in open rebellion just a few decades earlier - grew stronger vis-a-vis the Empire. They had to be kept both in line by providing them support, and kept in check by minimising their military power. There was also an economic interest. Ejana itself increasingly lost its weight in overseas trade, and in the 1050s, there were a few bad harvests in the region. With the Empire in distress, both the Southern Jarls and Russica itself increased the price for grain which they needed to feed their own population.

In these conditions, many historians argue that the complaint lodged by the Jarl of Grentvig against the city-state of Pawlograd was a more than welcome reason for Storevik to proclaim a punitive raid against the city. In 1052, records of Sjoedrhavn show that "1'000 men and their ships were put under the shield and flag of Grentvig to sail against the Russians", while other records state that the operation was led by the Emperor's First Admiral himself. In the Chronicles of Grentvig, it is said that "the Jarl's Son, Leifr, sailed atop the Emperor's Fleet, carrying with him 1'500 of our own men and a multitude of others from Ejana, Sjoedrhavn, Landsmark, Bjärga and others, in that order, to punish the Russians and seek our grain". This has been interpreted to mean that Leifr, who was married to a daughter of the Emperor's brother, had led the Imperial fleet under the flag of Ejana.

According to the Grentvig Chronicles, the raid was a brutal success: "They first sailed to Pawlograd, where they laid siege to the city and left upon the payment of gold, hostages and supplies. The Landsmarkers and Bjärgars wanted to return home, but Leifr had led the fleet to the North. Unwilling to be cowards in front of the Emperor and bring disgrace to his banner, they turned around and sailed with him. In Novyetsk, Leifr landed to punish the city for it had not given him an agreement the year before. The Grentvigers led the attack on the city, and they saw the Prince of Novyetsk dead and chose a new one among its people, whose son they took with them. Leifr sacked and pillaged three other cities and accepted gold, hostages and grain from many more. In September they came to Jaromirgrad and laid siege for three weeks, but left before Thor had them caught with his rough winds, accepting Prince Svjatoslav's offer of gold and luxuries. In October Leifr returned and was acclaimed by the Jarl and the Emperor for his success".

Similar raids were conducted over the coming years, banding the troops of the Empire closer together. The raids often lasted for the whole summer, as long as the sea permitted the forces to return. Surprisingly, and also a bit mysteriously, the Russicans failed to band together against this threat despite increasing demands of the raiders. Next time, we'll finally open the Chronicles of St. Andrei and see how the increasing rhythm and demand of the raids led to the fall of a major symbol of Russican Christianity and a shock to the Russican world.

[Nova Anglicana]

Parliament Approves Graduated Raise in Minimum Wage

Some Nova Anglican workers will be getting a raise soon, as Parliament approved a bill to raise the minimum wage from A£9/hour to A£12/hour by 2020. With its passage in the Senate, the Minimum Wage Act of 2018 has become law. Starting 30 days from passage, the minimum wage in Nova Anglicana will become A£10/hour. On January 1, 2019, it will rise to A£11/hour and on January 1, 2020, it will rise to A£12/hour. Prime Minister Hal Blackwood said of the bill, "This is a raise for a lot of working Nova Anglicans. It will put more money in working people's pockets; that means more money to spend, more money to invest, and more money to save. In these times of economic anxiety, we have to make sure that people can count on a decent wage for the hard work they're putting in."

The legislation passed the Senate 13-12, with the government coalition (PJP, Stewardship, Liberal Secularists) voting for it, and the opposition (PP, Libertarian, National) voting against. Earlier, it passed the House of Deputies 55-45, with free-market minded Liberal Secularist Garrett Lawrence voting against and PP moderates Bethany Cohen and Kenneth Pearson voting in favor. Cohen and Pearson are facing tough re-election campaigns in swing districts, and hope to bolster their credentials with moderate to liberal voters by supporting the bill. Most of the opposition spoke out forcefully against the bill, from arguments that it would bankrupt small businesses to the idea that the government should be interfering with wage negotiations between employers and employees at all. Libertarian leader William Dawson, a particularly vocal opponent, said, "It's not the place of the government to restrict the free market. People will lose their jobs because of this, and I think a lot of people would rather have a job at A£9/hour than no job at all."

When it comes to the political calculations, wage increases are always popular. With the economy showing signs of a slowdown, some commentators see this as an attempt by the ruling coalition to jumpstart the economy and increase their electoral prospects. Monica Hudson of the Cincinnatus Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank, said, "This is a thinly-veiled play for votes. The optics of giving people a raise is great, but the amount of money this will actually put in people's pockets is limited and will have a small impact on the economy. This isn't a meaningful change, except in the sense that thousands will lose their jobs due to increased wage costs by the end of the year and more by the time it reaches A£12/hour in 2020."

With 30 weeks left in the year by the time the Act takes effect, the minimum wage worker will take home an extra A£1200 in 2018 (assuming a 40 hour work week). This would represent a 6.7% increase in their yearly wage, which is fairly substantial for any worker. If the entire raise had gone into effect this year, minimum wage workers who made A£9/hour would have taken home an extra A£6000 this year, and workers who made A£10/hour and A£11/hour would have earned an extra A£4000 and A£1200, respectively, which would have been much more of a raise. But it will gradually raise the minimum wage, to give time for businesses to adjust. The minimum wage has been raised once in the past, going from A£6/hour to A£9/hour in 2009. Economists estimate that job losses were anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 for that raise and some have projected numbers as low as 20,000 or as high as 200,000 for this particular raise. The raise would affect an estimated 300,000 individuals this year and as many as 1.6 million by 2020. What effect this will have on the economy remains to be seen. In any case, wages are going up for low-wage workers.

[Filindostan]

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FOOTBALL: WORLD CUP 80 QUALIFIERS
Estie: 'We will have new manager before Ethane friendly'

SAN MARCO - Estrellita 'Estie' Barizaga has vowed to appoint Filindostan's next manager before the second half of World Cup 80 Qualifiers begin.

The Pula Garudas terminated its contract with ex-manager Willy Gurnawan and his coaching staff a day after Filindostan plunged to its fourth straight winless match, drawing with Euran Oceania Territories in their own Filindostan National Stadium here in San Marco, in front no less of the Filindostani president, Dorigo Dutete and 70,000 spectators. This left Estie to appoint current Under-21 manager Berna Encarnado as caretaker manager, with her first match in charge being a 1-0 defeat to Valanora, which put them seven points adrift of the final playoff spot in eighth place, just ahead of the Eurans in Atlantian Oceania and Razenthuria.

Gurnawan is highly rumored to take reins of one of the clubs in Tanjung Pagi, most likely Perokojak, should unverified reports turn true that Fortunas is targeting to sign their current manager, Japheth Pencawan, or Perotapam, depending on the actions that will be done by the former Filindostani Football League champions. His assistant meanwhile, Vicky Toledo, has been rumored to take an associate role at Petroslovania national team, which Filindostan met in the semifinals of the Baptism of Fire tournament in Barunia and Mattijana.

Insider reports state that there were three applicants for the Filindostan job - one who was the manager of a well-known nation for around 11 editions of the World Cup, one who was one of the youngest managers of a prominent club in an unranked nation, and a cyborg-like mystery man who claimed he was part of the World Cup 71 qualifying squad from the Ruins. Estie did not release any information about the applicants, but she ensured that the successful applicant will be chosen before Filindostan travel to Northeast Esportiva to face Ethane in a mid-qualifying friendly.

Gurnawan ended his managerial tenure at Filindostan senior national football team with 59 matches, including friendlies, with 32 wins, 9 draws, and 18 losses, accruing a win percentage of 54.24 percent, a feat that incoming managers may be hard pressed to beat.

Written by FSNA Staff.

[Kita-Hinode]

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL
National Football Roundabout

Poltergeists finally win again, 3-0 over Great Chota

Not pictured here: actual match

With the Hinodejin in an all-time low as far as form goes, the team visited Great Chota with the smallest of expectations, only to find out they were able to topple them with a very respectable three to zero win. Thing is, the expectations were so low, the Sunrise Club Digest couldn't exactly send anyone to report on the game... or take a picture. That's World Cup 80 qualifiers for you, so here's a picture from a game our intern was playing instead, just to not have it be only words.

Overall, the game had the Hinodejin play really solid football which, although not really stellar, was enough to grant them a very good result, especially when you consider the team's slump in previous matches had, at one point, placed them behind their opponent in the standings. It's hard to really tell what exactly went wrong so far, although the fact it's a pretty fresh squad tied with a too defensive demeanour that doesn't fit the offensive potential that the Hinodejin have and an uncanny lack of luck all seemed to converge towards a disastrous combination. Both three goals came from mere basic plays, serving mostly to note that, at last, the team's captain, Taphia Aishin netted a goal for the Hinodejin. Kyung-Ja Sang and Iori Saitou also scored theirs but that was about it.

While a win does raise spirits, expectations remain fairly low towards the next games of the qualifiers, with most fans already preparing for Cup of Harmony tickets, just in case. Notably, both IGACO and Superstar, the Hinodejin companies bidding for World Cup partnership are already looking towards retracting their bids, believing that there'd be no point to even bother if the team's form doesn't improve by the half-point of the qualifiers.

Hinodejin Intercollegiate Top League's starting twenty teams unveiled
Regardless of the departure en-mass of several institutions from the Hinodejin Intercollegiate Football League, the newly formed Top League revealed a list of twenty-four teams that will participate in the inaugural season of the HIFL's new top competition.

Surprisingly, all eight Conference Champions made the cut, with Utsukushima and Togene joining the list on the fringes, some considering it mostly having to do with the depleted pool of universities to choose. Mido-Hinode, unsurprisingly, found themselves among the twenty-four as well. This means that the Hornets, Mido-Hinode's strong football team, will now officially play for the nation's title, having spent a couple of years already as an Independent with no real prospects of joining the system unless University Athletics improved in the Western portion of the Empire.

The list of institutes participating in the top tier is, as follows.

Name (Town - Year of Foundation) - "Nickname"
Basque University (Basuku-Hitoshi, Nashihana - 2025) - "The Bulls" [former Basuku University]
Himawari University (Kazama, Himawari - 2056) - "The Suns"
Hylia University (Ikidomari, Kameria - 2058) - "The Archers"
Imperial Forces Academy (Seidoshi, Uchina - 2023) - "The Samurai" [former National Army Academy, Academy of Defense Forces]
Kameria University (Koa, Kameria - 2037) - "The Thunder"
Kanshiro University (Kanshiro, Nishikoku - 2097) - "The Dragons"
Kuroba University (Gagameru, Kuroba - 2029) - "The Magic"
Mido-Hinode University (Harumi, Mido-Hinode - 2087) - "The Hornets"
Minaduki University (Anbanitsukawa, Anbanabira - 2116) - "The Wildcats"
National Battle Institute (Misakinawa, Misashima - 2088) - "The Trainers" (formerly "The Hitmonchans")
Nishikoku University (Mizuhara, Nishikoku - 2104) - "The Phoenix" (formerly "The Fortress")
University of the Pacific (Mitsushima, Heiwashima - 2080) - "The Tide"
Rakun Biologic Academy (Rakun, Kameria - 2050) - "The Umbrellas"
Royal Academy (Asame, Tsutsuji - 2022) - "The Garnets"
Sakurahana University (Kodoryo, Sakurahana - 2023) - "The Knights"
Somei-Yoshino University (Hinode, Somei-Yoshino - 2024) - "The Rockets"
Tentai University (Tentai City, Tentai - 2140) - "The Kickers"
Togene Girls' Academy (Kari, Minamihara - 2084) - "The Chicks"
Tsutsuji University (Kitsunemachi, Tsutsuji - 2040) - "The Foxes"
Uchina State University (Irohashima, Uchina - 2023) - "The Rockers"
Ume-Aburana University (Aoyoh, Ume-Aburana - 2025) - "The All Blacks" (formerly "The Butterfrees")
Utsukushima University (Mikai, Utsukushima - 2074) - "The Waves"
Zeppelin University (Daiyawayasu, Somei-Yoshino - 2028) - "The Ripples"
Zora Institute (Misakinawa, Misashima - 2092) - "The Dolphins"

Some more infamous calls were the addition of the Minaduki University, a Nekojin based institute that has yet to play a season of football, apparently being invited to participate in a non-human quota. The University of the Pacific is also a newbie to the HIFL, although they have played in smaller leagues in the past, having a bit of more experience than the Wildcats. Notable omissions are The Northern Institute of Magic and several Somei-Yoshino based unis, leading those being the notable Speedwagon University. Reportedly, these could be included in a second division, although it remains to be seen whether or not that'll be an option.

The Hinodejin Intercollegiate Top League has been scheduled to start in two weeks.

[Tobiasia]

Tobiasia 2–3 Olastor

Disappointing goals hand Olastorian rivals the win.

The first goal came from Fraser Philips as he powered a high pass from Lithgow into the goal in 21’. Olastor came back, however, with a beautiful screamer into the top right corner that was no fault of the defence.

Next came the Olastorian striker who smashed the ball into the bottom left from a corner. As the home crowd erupted in joy, Woods began a counter, knocking the ball to Ryans who ran it through the defence and passed to Uzele who hammered it home into the goal.

With just 8 minutes left, most thought it would end in a draw, but a craftily worked equaliser handed the Olastorians the lead at 82’.

Our view
Bitterly disappointing away loss to a team we needed a point at least from. Matthews needs to brighten up his ideas if he wants to keep playing for the national team, and Eastgate was nothing special. If he wants to see that move to a Port Sebastianese side happen, he needs to brighten his ideas for the next game.

Highscorers
•Fraser Philips: 6
•Lee Ryans: 4
•Rosa Uzele: 4
•Harry Lithgow: 2
•Sally Urtup: 1

Most assists
•Sally Urtup: 4
•Lee Ryans: 3
•Harry Lithgow: 3
•Flint Eastgate: 2
•Paul Goldsmith: 1
•Rosa Uzele: 1
•Fraser Philips: 1
•Frank Woods: 1
•Katrina Zeya: 1

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

HAS IT BEEN ENOUGH?

By Brianne Henry,

As I watched the 0-0 draw against Main Nation Ministry, I felt like writing this real long piece describing the match, but match reports do not always excite the reader base. Even more boring to someone who might not want to read a match report in the first place, would be reading a match report in a game that did not have a single goal. Maybe I could tell some sort of interesting story, but that is not really the forte of The Rocket Report. Some other national publications do a great job at whatever it is they feel like doing, and use all sorts of pictures and color schemes to prettify their piece. I can even read stories sometimes about things that have nothing to do with soccer at all, and they will at times, end up as the best reads.

Zero Goals For us.

Zero Goals for them. Exciting story, wasn’t it?

Hey, at least we have the same record as baseball rival Cassadaigua, right now.

Speaking of the pink, they have bid to host the upcoming World Baseball Classic, and perhaps we might see more bids from other nations. There’s still time. Along those lines, we are seeing bids for the 33rd place tournament, otherwise known as the Cup of Harmony. At first, we saw something from Abaja and Razenthuria, and that got a lot of people talking. Then, we saw something from Vilita, and no one is really talking about it. That should mean it’s safe to say that out of those two bids, Vilita is the preferred one. Vilita is a good place to try to finish 33rd, I suppose. Perhaps Shark will make an appearance. And for you Starblaydi or other readers who have no idea what that reference was, it’s towards the recent NSSCRA champion, Razor Suzgar, from Vilita and Turori, who won his title in Tundra Falls. Maybe we could return the favor. If we were invited to that 33rd place tournament, I think that we could win, but we’d have to bore the world with a ton of match reports or other intuitive insight at the same time we’ll be focused on World Baseball Classic qualifying. At least in that, we have a nifty rank to back us up.

Ratings for World Cup qualifying at home are still holding steady, perhaps helped by the quality of a couple recent opponents attracting interest. The buzzkill was the 1-0 road loss to Great Chota, though, but such is life of the unranked. We’d probably still have lost the game if we were in the top 30, because that’s just how the Rockets roll in qualifying.

So if you want insight on the 0-0 draw with Main Nation Ministry, here it is.

We had ten people on the field, plus a goalkeeper. So did they. Everybody kicked the ball around a lot. Sometimes running into one another and falling. Sometimes using their heads. But never at one time, did the ball hit the back of the net. The end.

[Siovanija and Teusland]

STELBURGER ZEITUNG

LATE EDITION -- SPORTS

GOLDHORNS DROP 3-1 TO AMERICAN EASTERN STATES

It was a night to forget for Siovanija and Teusland’s national football side, as they fell 3-1 away to the American Eastern States.

Coming in after a surprising 3-3 draw with Chromatika, expectations on the Goldhorns had been raised a bit. “We showed a lot of fight in that game, and I think we’re ready to move forwards from that game and put in some better performances now,” said Apostol Manevski as the squad boarded the flight to the American Eastern States.

The American Eastern States had played a good game the last time out, taking a 1-0 victory over Cosneolta. The other win for the AES in the Qualifiers so far was the 1-0 win over Garifunya. Thus, the host side came into the match with Siovanija and Teusland having won 2 in a row over higher-ranked opponents, on solid form.

Stefan Licht returned to the side for the match, while Alexander Geschke was in for Paulus Leistner. “Paulus has played well so far, but so has Alex, and we want to give everyone a chance to prove themselves. Stefan has been out for a while of no fault of his own, and we’re going to bring him back as well,” commented Manevski.

Already storm clouds were forming above this match, however, in the literal sense. Heavy rain was the setting as both sides took to the field for the match, and the anthems rung out around the stadium. The match got off to quite a slow start, as both sides adjusted to the setting. The ball zipped between player to player, sliding around on the wet pitch. Siovanija and Teusland took some time to settle into the match, and American Eastern States adapted to the conditions at their home much quicker than the visitors.

That allowed them to draw first blood early on in the match. The winger moved around the right side of the pitch, and was able to beat Lutz Daschner and come into the box. That’s quite the achievement, considering Daschner is generally considered the paciest player on the Goldhorns roster. The winger put in a solid pass which was past the centre back duo and right in the path of the centre forward. He took a few touches before turning and striking the ball past Viktor Venev, making the score 1-0 for the American Eastern States.

The Goldhorns had reason to be disappointed in their own performance after that goal. They were not moving well on the ball, and something simply seemed off about the team on the day. It was overall a poor day for the team, and the troubles were summed up just minutes after going behind. Ivo Romanov was on the ball, and the normally-solid right winger botched the cross attempt for Miro Dinev. Dinev was still able to get a head on it, and even after he put in so much effort to win the header, it went off the post and wide.

The American Eastern States continued their onslaught of the Goldhorns in the first half, and continued to put the defence under pressure. For all their efforts, though, they just could not get the ball to fall into the net. Viktor Venev made a decent save to deny the striker just before halftime, but overall the Goldhorns were under pressure and could not come out in that first half.

Apostol Manevski sensed a need for change at half-time. He brought on Evgeni Antonov in place of Dennis Brotzmann, hoping for the side to be more offensive in the second half. Antonov’s addition was intended to bring spark into the midfield, in place of Brotzmann’s more defensive style. No other changes were made, the side seeming to get the message that the manager expected much, much more of them.

The Goldhorns grabbed an early goal in the second half, and seemed on top of things, having pieced things together. Alex Geschke brought the ball forwards, sensing that perhaps a direct method would do well for Siovanija and Teusland. Geschke pulled into the box, and ended up turning to find Viktor Dimitrov at the top of the box. Dimitrov pulled the ball forwards a bit before sending a shot into the bottom left corner.

The rain had by that point stopped, but if fans of the Goldhorns believed that the sun would come out for their team, they were sadly mistaken. Despite the goal, Siovanija and Teusland couldn’t really get much going afterwards. American Eastern States were back on the attack, and they forced the Goldhorns back into their own half.

The lads played quite inconsistently overall, seemingly unable at points to get the ball out of their end. Finally, the moment that ended any shot of 3 point for Siovanija and Teusland came about. The AES centre forward found himself clear through on goal, having a great opportunity to score. In a last-ditch effort to stop him, Stefan Licht went in for a tackle. There was no question what was to come. Licht was given a red card, and the Goldhorns were down to 10 men for the first time. The ensuing penalty kick was converted by the centre forward, and now Siovanija and Teusland were 1 goal and 1 man down.

The Goldhorns could not come back from that, and Manevski was steaming on the touchline. He decided to stick with the three at the back, subbing on Daniel Pingov in place of Klopfer in order to put the ‘General of the Backline,’ as he’s nicknamed by the players, in for the last bit of the match.

It overall wasn’t enough to keep AES away from the goal. They grabbed another goal in added time, with the centre forward doing a wonderful job to get into the box before playing a pass over to his winger, blasting the ball past Venev for the 3-1 goal. The Goldhorns left the pitch with a right to be disappointed in their efforts. It was quite a poor match from the side, especially coming off the high of the 3-3 draw with Chromatika.

Apostol Manevski was not impressed with his side’s performance. Keeping the players locked in the dressing room after the match, it’s understood he let them know exactly what he thought of the display. He didn’t hide his feelings to the media after either. “We cannot play like that. To tie the 7th best team in the world, then come out a week later and give our fans that display? It’s unacceptable, and we as a team are not going to tolerate it.”

The players seemed to share his view. “We aren’t happy. That’s nothing to be proud of, what we just did out there. Apostol’s right to be upset, and we have to be better than this,” commented the captain Miroslav Dinev. “Not good enough. We’re going to regroup, and hopefully come out better for it,” said Viktor Venev. Stefan Licht apologized to the fans after his red card, saying “It’s not the way I want to play, and I know it’s not the way the fans want me to play. The only thing I can say is that I’m going to work harder every day to prevent this happening again.”

Next up for the Goldhorns is a match with Kalumba at home. It’s the first date at the Olimpski-Stadion for the Goldhorns, and Manevski is expected to call up a few new faces for the match. “We aren’t going to base our squad on what happens in one match, but I’ve noticed a few performances in the Republikaliga that maybe deserve some recognition,” said the manager. A possible example of a call-up would be Vladimir Kostov, the Olympia Borograd midfielder who brings a very physical presence to the centre of the park.

The Kalumba match will be important for the team, another match against higher-ranked opposition. All that can be asked of the players is to put in a solid performance, and potentially grab a result.

Siovanija and Teusland 1-3 American Eastern States

Siovanija and Teusland XI (4-2-3-1): Venev; Kleinmann, Klopfer (Pingov 62’), Licht (Red Card 60’), Daschner; Kramer, Brotzmann (Antonov 46’); Geschke, V. Dimitrov (Stern 62’), Romanov; Dinev
Goals: Viktor Dimitrov 51’
Match Notes: It was quite a poor performance from Siovanija and Teusland, as they fell 3-1 to the American Eastern States away from home. Stefan Licht was sent off in the 60th minute after a poor tackle, and the penalty was converted. It was overall a terrible evening for the side, who take on Kalumba next in the Qualifiers.

[Mercedini]

Mercedini Aim Big For The 64th WorldVision Song Contest

---

25 Mercedini #MRC

Sebastian Sabatino - Temptation
Tune: Benjamin Ingrosso - Dance You Off

Mercedini are back and better than ever for the 64th WorldVision Song Contest, this time hosted in Varea, Nekoni, a nation hosting the competition for the first time. Another internal selection chose previous 'The Voice of Mercedini' winner Sebastian Sabatino to represent his nation for the first time, following a media frenzy about the next representative for the WorldVision Song Contest. Sabatino has been rather successful in Mercedini since his victory in Mercedini largest singing competition, mainly staying out of the limelight and writing a series of #1 hits for various artists in the sphere of Mercedinian music, now he moves in front of the microphone in the multiverse's biggest singing competition.

His song, titled 'Temptation', was written by Sabatino himself. Is an up-tempo love song which crosses a number of genres when it comes to musical composition, but has widely been branded as pop by many pundits and music listeners. Mercedini has not had a podium finish in a long while, so let's see whether Sebastian Sabatino can break that record with a performance to remember in Varea. He performs 25th in the final.

The song begins with the stage and the arena bathed in complete darkness with only two lights on, placed either side of Sabatino as he stands on an elevated platform on the centre of the stage. As he is the only thing that is lit, he commands the full attention of the arena with one side of him lit in blue, while the other side is illuminated in a vivid red, with both sides in contrasting colours as he sings the opening series of lines with his eyes closed.

My body feels paralysed
But I know you can possess it (possess it)

He begins to rock back and forward as the song finds his feet with the main melody beginning to become apparent to the viewers and the members of the audience. The audience begins to clap along to the beat of the song as Seb put his finger up to his temple to visualise the lyrics he is singing to the people watching him. The blue and red light turn to a solid white as Ben opens it eyes as the camera shows a close up of his face, leading into the opening chorus.

Feelings repeat in my mind
The only vision’s angelic (angelic)

An LED screen bought by the Mercedinian delegation then reveals itself to the audience, as it pulses in a series of reds and whites, as Seb performs a series of choreographed moves on his own, which give the impression to some that he is free-styling his moves, giving him the freedom to express himself through the medium of song and dance. White and red light flash and move around him as the melody continues to permeate through the song, with the audience clapping and waving their flags in time with the beat.

Just want your temp-temp-temptation
But I don’t want hesitation
‘Cause yeah, I love just me and you
Girl, you set me in the mood
And I like that
Yeah, I like that

A series of quick cuts gives the appearance of a polished routine by the choreographers of the performer and of the stage production, flashes of red and white continue to move around the stage as Seb moves around, clearly illuminated by the white spotlights placed upon him. Several sweeping shots are made by an elevated camera, first sweeping in from the side of the stage to the front, and then of an angle placed within the audience which moves from left to right, meaning the performance is stationary in the centre while heads and waving flags fly past in the foreground.

All remedies fade out of sight
And I don’t want the red light
Cause yeah, I love just me and you
Girl, you set me in the mood
And I like that
Yeah, I like that

Sabatino moves back into the centre of the elevated platform where the LED screen now pulses in a series in white and blue colours. The flashing lights which were present in the chorus have long since subsided, leaving the LED screen and the spotlight the only things illuminating the stage. A wide still shot of the stage encompasses the LED screen and the performer on stage, with the shot lingering on that angle to give the audience a sense of the choreography as Sabatino interacts with the shapes and colours of the LED screen.

We know two halves make a whole
We combine to make us better (better)

The camera then moves up onto the stage but stays below the elevated platform Sebastian is standing on, as the Mercedinian performer looks down at the camera as he sings the lyrics before reverting his attention back to the central camera just in time for the angle to change, now showing a close up of Sabatino's face.

You put me right where you own me
You’re there whatever the weather (and I’ve always known that)
But how (but how)
Oh how do you keep my words locked up in my mind
But you changed that, you changed that

Sabatino walks back to the centre of the elevated platform with a certain swagger and does a quick spin as the angle changes yet again, this time where his face fills the entire screen as he places a finger on his temple, mirroring the first verse where he did the same. Seb gives the camera a wry smile as he steadies himself for the second chorus. An unilluminated figure joins him on the platform, both give each other a determined look as they turn to face the audience as the second chorus.

Feelings repeat in my mind
The only vision’s angelic (angelic)

The two performers on stage perform the same choreographed performances as seen in the second performance, with the added routine of the female the only big difference between the first and second choruses. The flashing lights on the side of the stage have become more intense than the last time we saw them, with the mixtures of red, white and blue all mixing to form an ultraviolet hue on stage, regularly broken by the flashing white lights matches the bass sounds of the song.

Just want your temp-temp-temptation
But I don’t want hesitation
‘Cause yeah, I love just me and you
Girl, you set me in the mood
And I like that
Yeah, I like that

All remedies fade out of sight
And I don’t want the red light
Cause yeah, I love just me and you
Girl, you set me in the mood
And I like that
Yeah, I like that

The female spins away, leaving Sabatino all alone on stage, accompanied by the lights and the LED screen still throwing out vivid colours to the audience in the arena and the viewers at home. The camera angle then switches to an overhead view of the platform set-up, revealing the floor of the elevated platform is also LED, displaying the same graphics as on the wall behind him. The final line of the interlude turns of the stage and LED platform completely white, which Sabatino indistinguishable from the stage, as the wall of light drowns out any features of the stage, before subsiding into darkness before the final chorus comes back into life.

(I just want your temptation, give me more)
I just want your temptation, give me more
Oh how do you keep my words locked up in my mind
My mind

The darkness is broken by fireworks flying from the stage and same red and white aesthetic seen in the first chorus. Now, the choreographed aspects of the song has long since ended and Sabatino is there engaging the audience and ignoring the camera as the sweep forward once again. He moves from the centre to the side as the camera sweeps to the right, now giving his full attention to the camera as he now engages both parties watching along.

(Just want your temp-temp-temptation) You
(So I don't want hesitation) I don’t want hesitation from you now
(Girl I love just me and you)
Yeah you set me in the mood
(And I like that) I like
I like that

The backing vocalists which are currently unseen now come into their own as they sing the main elements off the chorus as Sabatino adds emphasis to the primary parts of the song. Sabatino moves down from the elevated platform and towards the front part of the stage and just in front of the crowd in the stadium. At the end of the song, Sabatino gives the crowd one final spin before holding a clenched fist in the air, completing the Mercedinian performance at the WorldVision Song Contest.

(All remedies fade out of sight) All these remedies fade out of my mind
(I don't want to see the red light) Don’t want the red light
(‘Cause yeah, I love just me and you)
Girl, you set me in the mood
And I like that
Yeah, I like that

The stadium erupts in cheers and waving flags, as Sabatino stands there, smiles and takes in the occasion. He places his hand on his heart and looks up and the stands packed with people. He bows and blows a kiss to the audience before thanking the crowd, "Grazij Varea, Thank You Nekoni!", Sabatino waves at the audience before walking off stage, making way for the next part of the show.

[South Toronto]

Chapter 8: Losing Hope
Continued from here.

Kelechi was called in for a meeting with the STFA after a 3-2 loss to BoF runner-ups Commonwealth of Bakerpark. A series of rather shitty results have put him dangerously close to sacking. Only a year ago, former manager Axel Salzer Lenzi was in the same position but picked up a lot of points and finished 6th in the group. However, now he has lead the team to a measly seventh in the group, and if that doesn't improve he'll be sacked very soon. There was a downpour of rain outside, which reflected Kelechi's mood perfectly.

Finally, the new STFA chairman, Nikaloas Laukkonenco opened the door and said: "Ah Kelechi, you may come inside now, we need to discuss the team". Kelechi was sweating out of anxiousness and sat down in his chair. "Look Kelechi, we chose you as the new person to replace Axel because we needed a young manager who will grow with our team. Right now, me, the rest of the STFA, the coaching staff, the football clubs in our STFA, the fans and even the players are unhappy with your team's results. Quite frankly, a 5-2 loss to an unranked Main Nation Ministry is just inadequate. Although, they are in contention for a World Cup Spot, and for an unranked side that is very impressive, conceding 5 goals in only 18 minutes is something you'd expect of an unranked side, not a team just in the top 100. Also, I fear you may have lost the dressing room. Your player's forms are very inconsistent, and even with the aid of a new defence coach who time after time has told you to balance the midfield, you still fail to listen and get terrible results. I am afraid to say this, but if we are not in 5th or higher in the group by the next two games, we are going to sack you. Do you understand?" asked Nikaloas Laukkonenco. "Yes, I understand. I will not disappoint you," said Kelechi anxiously. "Good, I hope so, the door's that way," said Nikaloas. Kelechi walked out of the room, scared but determined at the same time, he knew he had to help his team to fifth. Now how to break the news to the players?

The whole squad was called for a meeting, and even Jay-Jay Rerin came. "Look, guys as you know we haven't been playing to the standards the STFA want. They wanted us to finish the first half of the campaign in fifth, but we are currently seventh," Kelechi began. Before he could speak, Troi interrupted him. "No, no, no. It's your fault we are performing so shit. I've only started fucking once this whole fucking thing blud, you keep on overusing the same players over an' over again. That's what a squad is for if one person keeps on fuckin' up, there are 22 other people who can replace him!" said Troi. Paul also commented on the matter. "Yeah, and your tactics are absolute bullshit. I'm an attacking wingback, why not tell the wing backs to push higher up the pitch instead of cooping us all up in our half? Are you stupid bruv?" said Paul with an angry tone.

"These niggas telling you how they feel, now I'ma tell yo' ass how I feel 'bout this team," began Jovonte. "You don't fucking listen to advice from the fucking coaches, Kayla said if we're gonna play someone like Michal, we need someone like Kevin or Ni Ling to help with defensive support. And what do you do? You play Michal and Jozy as CAMs behind Trevon, Artjorm, and Haris. What the fuck is your problem? That's why we lost 3-2 to the Commonwealth of Bakerpark, 'cause of your shithole tactics and your inability to actually make smart decisions. You're 39, but the tactics you use are from the fucking dinosaur age yeah? Man can't walk in the streets without abuse being hurled at me saying " Oh you're a fuckin' disgrace to South Toronto, what are you defending? Because you're not defending the ball or your fucking dignity!". I'm getting tired of this shit, not starting any games. I'm tired of your dinosaur tactics, I'm tired of you not listening, I'm just so fucking tired of this," fumed Jovonte as he stood up and clenched his fists in anger. His veins on his head looked like they were going to burst any second.

"In fact, fuck you! We can play with no coach, and it won't matter if we aren't fifth by the end of the first half or not, because you are the one going to get sacked, not us. I declare this meeting over, go get your things and come back in an hour, we're taking the economy tickets there, we need to hear how our fans feel. If you are too pussy to hear constructive criticism, don't bother coming to the match." said Michal harshly. The whole squad got up and left, not one of them even ushering a word to Kelechi. He lost his dressing room, his team. They don't play for him anymore, they play for South Toronto now. Kelechi slumped back in his chair, stunned at the squad's mutiny.

Had this been planned, or were the players really that unhappy?

[Banija]

Kabaka - King
Luguba - Queen Consort
Sarauniya - Queen Mother
Isebantu - Crown Prince
Omugabe/Omugaba - Prince/Princess
Omulangira/Kyabazinga - Duke/Duchess
Kagere/Kiweewa - Lord/Lady
Katikkiro - Prime Minister
Waziri - Foreign Minister

Crisis Command Center- Ministry of Defense

The men were all gathered in a room, in the Crisis Command Center at the basement of the Ministry of Defense. Of course, this was where most military actions were planned- considering it had been ages when a formal declaration of war had been carried out by the Banijans, and therefore there was not a need to have these settings in the War Command center at Mujaguzo Palace, where the Commander-In-Chief during wartime, his majesty Kabaka Albert III, would reside.

Attending this crisis meeting was the Minister of Defense, Hatabu Danso, the Katikkiro, Matthias Mutebi, the Waziri & Isebantu, HRH Mwanga, and Banija's Chief of Naval Operations, Themba Masonda. With the crisis in the stage it was in, it was going to be Hatabu Danso, the Minister of Defense, who would chair this meeting- who chaired all meetings in this room unless the Kabaka himself was present, who was almost always present at these meetings.

"My friends," Started the Minister of Defense. "I have a report coming in from Captain Mabonga, who led the patrols past the Western borders of the Busoga Islands. Last night, he encountered a cargo ship from the Equestrian States, an unscheduled freighter to Nezrouch. Which, for those of you who do not know, is the western-most harbor on the islands, and naturally, the western most harbor in all of Banija. This was, for what we can say, trying to reach the harbor to deliver supplies. Captain Mabonga then told the ship to reroute towards Istria, as that is the hub for all international aid."

"Then, of course, the ship refused." Continued Danso. "The ship said that it had orders to deliver aid to Nezrouch directly, and it refused to turn around. Captain Mabonga said that he repeatedly told the ship to turn around, and the captain refused. It was confirmed to be a ship captained by Equestrian volunteers, to deliver aid during this crisis of drought. And the ship kept moving forward. Captain Mabonga felt it unsafe to board the ship directly, as, with no Naval planes in the area, he had no intelligence on what was on the ship, or who was on the ship, or whether or not he'd face a firefight. After the ship repeatedly refused to turn around, he ordered the two submarines with him to fire. The ship was sunk."

The room looked around, stunned. A ship from the Equestrian States was sunk? Banija's bigger, strong neighbor? This wasn't going to go well....

"Minister", said Isebantu Mwanga. "How many lives were lost? What was on that ship?"

"Your Highness," replied Danso. "We are not sure. We are still searching for bodies, and it will take another 3-4 days to actually be sure of what was lost. But we believe that pretty much everybody on that ship has died."

"You're kidding me!" Said Isebantu Mwanga. "You imbeciles sunk a cargo ship? Captain Mabonga had that kind of authorization to fire on a ship that wasn't a warship, that wasn't firing at him? Who the hell gave him that authorization?" And everybody turned to look at Admiral Masonda.

"Your Highness" Said Masonda. "I gave him direct authorization, as is required by the chain of command. However, that authorization flowed through me from the highest levels of the chain of command." And then everyone turned to look at Mattthias Mutebi. It was clear- authorizations so broad to fire at a ship like that would have to come from one source, and one source only- the Katikkiro.

"What matters not, is what has happened in the past." Said Matthias Mutebi. "It is about how we move forward. We need to brief His Majesty, and we need to get in contact with our allies. This is not something that we can stand for. And also, we need to increase security on the Busoga Islands, fast. While we are in drought, we must maintain our rights to our sovereignty. We are a poor country- our sovereignty is constantly our threat."

"Mr. Mutebi." Said Isebantu Mwanga. "I implore you, to strategize carefully. Atlantian Oceania is a region with many big militaries- and we are in the wrong. Who will help us? The Quebecois Commonwealth will not be happy at our aggressive action. Allies like Baker Park won't be happy. Who can we-"

"Your Highness," Interrupted Matthias Mutebi. "Remember your constitutional bounds. I am the elected representative of the people. We control domestic policy, while you serve as the Waziri, under His Majesty. How we deal with aid, respectfully, is my business. Do what you need to do on the world stage- but do not undermine me."

"That said, there is another issue that we have to deal with." Said the Minister of Defense. "It is suspected that aid was airlifted directly to Dukuma Regional Airport- there was a massive overcount in the stocks that were received at the Dukuma Regional Airport. While we have no direct evidence, it all leads to the Commonwealth of Baker Park- the aid has what seems to be their signature, with the brands of water that are being delivered. What shall we do?"

"We must maintain our sovereignty." Said the Katikkiro. "All aid must be delivered through Istria. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. Let us enforce that."

And, with that, the meeting was over. There was one thing that needed to be taken care of..

To: Busogan Patrol Fleet Commanders
We have new orders received from the Katikkiro. We must maintain our borders- His Royal Highness Mwanga, the Isebantu, will be in contact with representatives from the Equestrian States. We have specific orders- we must defend Banija's borders. However, do not ever fire upon ships that are not warships, and do not fire unless fired upon. You have specific instructions to board vessels that attempt to force their way through Banijan waters, and only fire upon them if you are fired upon first. But all aid, as decreed via Busukuma, will go through Istria. This is your authorization, and your policy, until those higher up the chain of command than I say otherwise.
From: Admiral Themba Masonda
Chief of Naval Operations

[Eura]

OOC: Continued from here.

By trembling so much Beran feared he was about to earn a bullet from his long time friend and colleague. Gartanzo had become notoriously violent in the face of nervous behaviour ever since the last failed assassination attempt. Yet the borderline psychopathic President didn't seem to appreciate the significance of Beran's fidgety demeanour. Beran couldn't be sure why. Had Gartanzo underestimated him, or was he really the great leaders personal blind spot? Beran had told him moments ago that there was something Gartanzo could do to bring him out of his depression. ‘Marco, you must tell me if I can help. You haven't said anything for a minute. You know as well as I do that I can't spend time waiting on the indecisive.’ Beran remained still. ‘Fine. Tell me later. Cigars and wine will bring it all out for sure.’ Gartanzo tucked back into his food with a content murmur.

Six years of fear and six months of grief within that culminated in this decisive moment. Gartanzo continued, unaware of the decision-making process running through Beran's head. ‘The more the Euran Army wastes its time holding back from attacking us in the south, the greater our opportunities to prolong the struggle and bleed them towards a favourable peace. It's been hard but we have time on our side.’
‘I don't think you do old friend.’ Gartanzo was about to resume speaking with a retort when he noticed the usage of “you” rather than “I”. From a sitting position Beran let his bubbling stew of rage spill over, clattering his china plate against Gartanzo's head. Gartanzo reacted with shock, stumbling backwards off his chair and onto the floor, flailing as he went. Beran leaped onto him with a steak knife in one hand and a crudely weaponised dinner fork in the other. They struggled brutally before Gartanzo threw his old ally of him and got to his feet.

The President stared down his guest with a look of confused outrage. ‘What is the fucking meaning of this? Have you lost your mind?’ Beran laughed manically. ‘Me? You've crushed our country into the dirt and you have the cheek to ask that!’ Gartanzo touched his forehead and noticed a trickle of blood. His indignation turned into a cold kind of hatred. ‘They've got to you too then. Who are you doing this for? The Army skeptics? Communists? Eura?’ Every word he spoke carried like acid. Beran shook his head and picked up the knife again. ‘No. I'm doing it for her.’
‘Put it away you fool.’ Beran advanced with a menacing glare. ‘Its going to end here.’
‘I knew you were weak. You're going to be weak now. Its all you know. Fuck!’ Gartanzo attempted to circle over to the door and call his guard to no avail. Beran charged and clattered into him. There was a further struggle. Gouged eyes and clawed skin, the slice of a blade and a repressed scream – then a series of gunshots as the bodyguard broke in. Beran lay still as a tear rolled down his cheek. He thought of Moira. Gartanzo could think of nothing. When the news reached Beran's office the only staff member he could trust issued out a series of letters marked top secret around the country. The first domino had fallen and soon the other parts of a dormant Euran plan to end the war would come to fruition. It had taken the lives of one family to save a million others.

[Starblaydia]

Matchday Eight Cutoff

One more day of Starblaydi scorination in the qualifiers remains, and here's the MD8 RP Cutoff.

And your scores.

[Drawkland]

It's been a wild ride with the Kick Corps for me. I was one of the top high school prospects around, and I only needed to play for 3 years in college before a team wanted to pick me up. I declared for the draft and I was drafted by none other than the Drawk City Troopers. The Troopers were in a little rebuild (which means midtable rather than title competition), and needed a big-name young striker to head their rebuilding striking corps. They trusted me with that, and I delivered, simple as that.

My popularity seemed to explode overnight once that season started. Luckily for me, it was the same season that DISC was coming up with players for the Kick Corps. I was one of the flashy new players they wanted on the team. Those first few tournaments, I was absolutely acceptable. There's nothing else I can say about that. I did what I needed to do, and in some cases, that just wasn't enough to be a starter. The Baptism of Fire, Cam Cross came out of nowhere, proving she was one of the young greats of the team. She had a story like mine, I like to think. A young striker just barely out of high school now on the national stage. I certainly had no problem letting her play in my space. The reserve lineup on the Kick Corps, especially at striker, is nothing to sniff at. At least in my opinion.

I didn't want to plateau, though. I was still young and had a long career ahead of me. One thing that I think kills players in the DLK is peaking. With Drawkians able to play well into their 40s or even to 50 if you have some real stamina and stay healthy, if you flat out at 25 you're going to become real mediocre, real quick. The standard for awesomeness is always changing. So I knew I needed to up my game. I knew the Troopers needed to go off on the league. And I was going to be the one to lead it.

2 season ago, it happened. After a mediocre season before, the Drawk City Troopers quietly turned into a juggernaut in the offseason. We won the cup. We won the league table. We were a game away from probably winning the bowl playoff. We were one point, well, one goal away from a 100-point season, one of the most elusive and prestigious accomplishments you can get in the DLK. I led that charge, although that's not to diminish the accomplishments of my teammates. Mary-Anne Song, Katie St. Johnstone. Come on, they're total monsters. But as I heard a sportwriter say that season, if they're monsters of the team, I'm the Cthulhu. I kinda liked that moniker. It's ironic really, considering how I'm undersized for a Drawkian athlete.

After the season, I really caught the attention of the media again. And, way more importantly, the attention of Michael Starre. I proved I could be a greater player. I was lucky enough that Jackie Crawford was having only an okay season at Rozelle, so I was let back onto the starting lineup of the team for the Independents Cup. I was going to prove myself and take back the spot that I knew I could hold. After our great performance in the preliminary rounds of the IAC, I think I proved myself.

Then there was the whole Grand Final debacle of that cup. I used to feel like I had failed, but the more I recall the game, the more I look at tape, the more I realize there's nothing I could've done. We were kinda doomed at the start, which sucks. At least we got revenge last week. Sweet, sweet revenge.

I still don't have an excuse to plateau, though. I think probably have at least 10 years in the tank, and an incredible amount of talented strikers surrounding me and the rest of the team. I will be holding on to this marquee position as hard as I can. This game is everything to me, and I never want to be thought of as "past her prime" or "used to be a good player." I don't want to be pitied by the nation. I just want to be as good as I can be, at all costs. Maybe win stuff along the way? Who knows. There are many incredible names, incredible players enshrined forever in the DLK Hall of Fame. I would be honored for mine to be counted with theirs, once I am old and doing other things that have nothing to do with this game. That's the goal I'll be most happy to score.

---

"After the rocky stretch with a draw to unranked Ceyesca and loss at home to top-ranked Electrum, Drawkland's national soccer team has seemed to have gotten their mojo back with a win against Free Republics. The national team of the Free Republics has been the bogeyman for the Kick Corps throughout its history, beating them in their first-ever tournament as well as their most recent tournament. Their first meeting was the Third Place Playoff of the first Global Cup of Soccer, where Drawkland fell with very little fanfare 0-2. Their next meeting was in the Grand Championship of the Fourth Independents Cup, where Free Republics once again triumphed, this time by a margin of 3-1 against a much stronger Drawkian squad.

With these games haunting the teams and having smashed some of their chances at titles in the international stage, the largest fears of this qualifying cycle weren't the ones against #8 ranked Electrum, but against the #46 ranked Free Republics. Luckily for the Corps, their first match against the Republics went as beautifully as they could've hoped: a 2-3 victory on the road. Love Holm and Steven Bosters of the Free Republics scored early and they held the lead until halftime. The Kick Corps responded with good adjustments after halftime, with Cam Cross and Siv Foss scoring the goals to tie the match midway through the second half. Nearing injury time in the 88th minute, Stella Moore came through with a massive goal to give the Corps the lead with minutes to go. And just like that, Drawkland beat Free Republics in soccer for the first time in their history. It may not bring them the titles they lost in past years to them, but at least poetic justice, as well as much-needed points in the qualifying race, were obtained.

Next on the list the Corps travels to Northwest Kalactin, which is seen as an easy win from most pundits. After this match, the Corps enters over a one-month-long "home stretch," where the Corps plays 5 games at home and 2 games very close to home, one in Silver Beach and one in Electrum. The former is only an afternoon's plane ride away, and the latter is the same with a short portal visit through Avon. This is where the Corps needs to really hit their stride if they want to gain momentum to win the group, or at the least have enough momentum to win a potential playoff series.

In other news, the DBO (Drawkian Basketball Organization) has been looking at changing their rules after this most recent IBC and NSCAA. Seeing the power of Newmanistan's sharp shooters, the DBO has cited that they will plan to trial a 4-point line a few feet away from the 3-point line in lower leagues. If it's taken well, it will likely be added to the DBO itself by next season. Some players have reacted on social media ..."

[Farfadillis]

"I'm afraid the club won't be making use of your son's services any longer, sir." With that cutting formality that was cold as ice, Fragardallians' U-19 squad's manager had told his father that he would likely never make it big as a footballer. Gerfer Fondasdas was the man's name. It was a name that was truly etched into Somuele's mind. He hated him. He had no reason to, in reality. Furthermore, he knew that. But he still hated Gerfer with a passion that was difficult to match.

He hadn't done anything terrible. He was in charge of the academy at the time when Somuele was showing none of his potential. He was paid to choose the good players over the bad ones. He chose terribly - Somuele der Pros would prove better than any other player they'd ever produced - but Somuele left him no choice. For ten games in a row, he'd put in absolutely horrendous performances. He truly never looked like a player with a future in the first division, let alone the national team. But some players are late bloomers. Somuele was only nineteen. While some players are already world beaters at that age, he was getting discarded by a relegation-threatened team's academy.

His father was not a rich man, but he believed in him. Blindly so. To the point that he looked everywhere for a decent club that would take in his son. He found no such club in Farfadillis. Turns out, no first division club wants the academy reject of the worst first division club. He managed to get him a try-out at Madorre De Fuego, who were somewhat decent, but he didn't impress anyone. It's difficult to know what, exactly, Nasaré der Pros saw in his son. He might've been projecting his childhood frustrations onto his son or something. There's no way to know now.

Nasaré eventually arranged something for his son: a try-out at a... Semar club. FC Kolberg. Nasaré was a pretty successful engineer with a consequently very comfortable wage, so he could afford the plane tickets and all. He probably would've made even more money as an agent, in hindsight. He was very persuasive to get his son in FC Kolberg's academy.

Somuele began blossoming into a better player. He had played as a striker in his youth, but he wasn't very good at scoring goals. When Kolberg's youth manager asked him his position, he said "centre midfielder". He didn't know it but, in that very moment, he completely changed his entire career as a footballer. He impressed enough in the first few practice matches in Semarland, and ended up convincing the youth manager to sign him. He eventually got into Kolberg's squad, but rarely ever got any playing time. The Semar league wasn't very good, so he wasn't, actually, in a much better position than he would've been at Fragardallians. But he was making progress, no doubt.

Disaster struck when his contract wasn't renewed. Kolberg's manager had chosen not to renew his youth contract. Somuele did not hate this man nearly as much, however. He couldn't even remember his name. Perhaps because he hated his time in Semarland, and found it wholly unproductive. But, at the end of the day, his time at Semarland was worth it, even if only because Lammerton City picked him up as a free agent.

Now, Lammerton City weren't a very fancy team. They were a Schottic team that had been recently promoted. There, he earned a starting spot almost immediately, and became the team's rising star. He was the rising star of a sinking ship, however, because he soon suffered a relegation. At that point, he probably could've jumped ship and joined another Schottic club. He was now seen as a moderately-promising prospect. Not leaving Lammerton City was, perhaps, the best decision of his career.

The following season, he tore apart the Regional Division B, carrying his team to back to the SPL. He was hard-working, but also elegant. He could make something happen out of nothing. He was a very talented dribbler and the best playmaker in the league. And he was only 23. Having repaid Lammerton City for trusting him, Somuele finally opted to sign for a different club. With a heavy heart, because he had grown fond of the team, der Pros signed for New Belfast Warriors, who were a much better team. With the Warriors, he could aim to qualify for UICA competitions. He would get recognition. At this point Gerfer Fondasdas was already regretting having let him go, surely.

He continued stringing very good performances, one after the other. He became a well-known player in Schottia. He soon became the team's most important player. He "made the team tick", according to some journalists. Before most of this, he had already earned his first cap. Now he knew for sure Gerfer was regretting his decision. He still had a lot of road to cover, however, because there were some very talented players ahead of him in the pecking order. Ruy Monrazón was indisputably better than him, Joan Nonhagatte more talented and younger and Groaré Sasca was just too talented and young for him to beat him. Fortunately, Sasca was a much better offensive midfielder, Ruy Monrazon eventually retired, and Nonhagatte failed to achieve his full potential. Meanwhile, Somuele quietly continued to put in solid performance after solid performance for both club and, whenever Tíbürçìó felt like it, nation.

After the AOCAF Cup, he was told he'd be the starter for the World Cup cycle. He played two very good matches, then came a call from Cosumar. Eastweald, Cosumarite champions. He accepted their proposal. From Fragardallians academy reject to Farfadillis NT and Cosumarite champions' starting player. He'd made it, despite what everyone besides his father thought, and it had all been the fruit of his effort.

That's why he chuckled a bit when Eleonóra told him to "dial it back a bit" because they were "only facing some minnows".

[Mattijana]

Mattijana Hang On For Schottia Draw

MFO SPORT

Mattijana 1

1 Schottia

-Hojbjerg(51)

-Martel Burns (23)

Mattijana claimed one of the best results of their international history as an equaliser from Marko Hojbjerg and some spirited defending meant they held on for a 1-1 draw against world number 1s Schottia.

Going into the game, Schottia had failed to even drop a point and looked like they were on the way to extending their 100% record when mercurial striker Corinne Martel-Burns collected an incisive chipped pass from midfielder Camila Soria Luna and fired a shot past Handanovič into the top corner.

Mattijana started to work their way back into the match as the first half went on however. Katarina Jakupovic had a shot from the edge of the box deflected narrowly wide before Edvard Crajasović's header from a corner forced a fine save from Schottian number one Harry Gould.

Despite going in a goal down at the break, there was more of a sense of optimism around the Stadijo Našinal than there had been earlier in the game and Dušan Vukoja had clearly managed to succesfully rally his team during the interval as Mattijana came out pushing for an equaliser.

They got it too, as Sofiane Bisrali beat his marker down the right wing and flashed in a low cross towards the feet of midfielder Marko Hojbjerg just inside the box. The 24 year old didn't catch his first time shot, but it was accurate enough to slither past Gould and into the bottom left corner, prompting wild celebrations from the team and the capacity crowd lining Mattijana's biggest stadium.

With the crowd providing the atmosphere, it was the job of Vukoja and captain Katarina Burnisevič to calm the hearts and minds of her team. They threatened to concede again however when a defensive lapse allowed Martel Burns to find some space and flick a free header just wide.

The let off prompted Mattijana into getting their defensive organisation back together and Schottia were unable to break down the home team's back line, particularly with the likes of Struna, Bisrali and Mathilde Lekarisa all looking lively on the counter attack. As the hosts began to tire however, Schottia began to have more of the ball and forced their opponents deeper into their own half.

They had another chance to restore their advantage in the 73rd minute when winger Stevan Rexmont popped up infield and flashed a shot at goal that Lucija Handanovič had to be alert to push clear at the near post. She was called into action shortly afterwards too as another shot on the turn from Martel-Burns was kicked away.

Burnisevič was in fine form as well, hacking off the line after a goalmouth scramble following a corner before making an excellent sliding block to turn another shot wide. It was Handanovic who produced the game's stand out moment as a deflected shot from Luna wrong footed the goalkeeper, who somehow managed to stick out a foot and direct the ball around the post.

That seemed to inspire Mattijana to see out for the point, with Crajasović, Burnisevič and Hojbjerg generally making the crucial clearances at the right times. Scenes of jubilation met the final whistle, with the majority of the Našinal on their feet to congratulate the team on a well-earned point that will feel more like a victory.

[Cassadaigua]

At the Wilson house,

“Taylor, I want you to give this to the boy that says you are bullying him tomorrow.” Mrs. Wilson stated.

“Ok Mom, what is in the envelope and why?” Taylor asked.

“It’s four tickets to the next soccer game at Concord Heights Stadium, the match against Maryloupe. They are great seats in section 108, kinda near where we gave the tickets to Mrs. Bradford for that one game. Same contractor gave them to me as before, and we already have our tickets.” Explained Mom.

“Why do you want me to give them to Nathan, that’s stupid! Why not another one of my friends!” Taylor exclaimed.

“When you give Nathan the envelope, make sure that it is in clear view of Mrs. Bradford. She needs to see it.” Mom explained further.

“Why?! Why are you doing this?” Taylor asked.

“Taylor, this is a lesson for you, sweetheart.” Mrs. Wilson explained, “Sometimes those of us who can afford bigger and better things need to do symbolic gestures towards the lower class like the Douglas family. It makes it seem like we care about them, even though we really couldn’t give a damn about them. They see it as a nice thing, but the important thing is to make sure the teacher knows that you are doing this, so that it can be documented that such a gesture was done towards him. So when they accuse you of bullying, the teacher can go back and say that you did this nice thing.”

“Uh, I think I understand but still, I don’t know.” Taylor replied, hesitantly.

“It’s just like when you see celebrities donating money. They don’t do so quietly, they do so at media events. They need everyone to know that the donation is being made. The donation therefore isn’t really about them giving something, it’s about looking good and getting good press. Yes, you are doing something good that will mean something for someone, but the purpose is to look good for the school and that you, and we, are seen as a caring family and are not bullies.” Mrs Wilson explained further, “If that celebrity truly cared about the person or organization they were donating for, and doing it for that reason alone, they would do it quietly. The contractor that gives me these tickets gives them for the same reason. Not because they like me, but because they hope that the gesture will mean we renew their contract cheaply instead of going with a competitor. I know that’s a lot of business there that you might not understand yet, but that’s the reason.”

“So if I do this, no one will call me a bully?” Taylor asked.

“He might still call you a bully again in a month,” Mrs Wilson replied, “but the school, knowing we did this, will look upon us favorably as charitable people. Other kids will think you are very nice, too. Plus the teacher already likes you. We’ll do more for your real friends later, don’t worry.”

The next morning at school, Taylor was unsure what to do with the envelope. She knew that her mom expected her to give it to Nathan, but what fun would that be? Not all of her friends were as fortunate as she was, and this would be a great way to give a favor to them. Thoughts raced through her head as to whether or not she could get away with it. But it hit her. Her mother would probably look at the game to find the Douglas family, and probably want to talk to them. Maybe another one of those symbolic gestures that she had talked about. The day had not quite begun, and she saw Nathan talking to his friend. She would have to do the right thing.

“I won eight goldfish! It was so cool!” Nathan exclaimed to his friend.

“How many are still alive?” the friend asked.

“Five. My mom said most of them die soon because they don’t really have a healthy life but maybe one or two would live for a while.” Nathan said with a smile, “Oh no, here comes Taylor. What’s she gonna do, tell me she went real fishing and caught a giant bass?”

“Um, hi Nathan.” Taylor said.

“Hi.” Nathan said, with a complete lack of enthusiasm.

Taylor then remembered. “Make sure the teacher sees”. So she looked to see where Mrs. Bradford was and noticed she wasn’t in position for the teacher to see. “Can you follow me for a second?” Taylor asked, in an effort to be right next to the teacher when she handed him the envelope. Nathan hesitated, but noticed they would be walking near the teacher, so he felt pretty safe.

“Hi Mrs. Bradford!” Taylor said, getting a hi back to make sure the teacher was paying attention to her. She turned towards Nathan, and extended the envelope towards him, “Here, I am sorry for things I have done and I want you to have this.” She impressive wore a fake smile, as Mrs. Bradford, believing it to be sincere, smiled especially wide.

“I don’t want it!” Nathan yelled. “Why can’t you leave me alone.” Despite saying he didn’t want it, Nathan grabbed the envelope in an aggressive manner, and began to rip it in half, before noticing it was too thick, and he couldn’t.

“No! Don’t rip it!” Taylor screamed, as now the entire class was watching.

“Leave me alone! I don’t like you, whatever it is, it’s a trick.” Nathan yelled, as he tossed the envelope on Mrs. Bradford’s desk and went to his seat.

“But you have too!” Taylor pleaded. “It’s for you! From me!” Taylor was confused. She didn’t expect this to happen. Mrs. Bradford asked Taylor to go back to her seat, and with some hesitation, she did. Before beginning class, the teacher opened the envelope.

“Oh my Gosh!” Mrs. Bradford thought as she saw the contents. She began getting teary-eyed at the gift, and told Nathan to come to the desk as there was no way she could get right to teaching now.

Nathan obliged. “This is what she was giving you.” Mrs Bradford commented, while holding out the four tickets to the Maryloupe match. Nathan looked over the tickets, then at Taylor, who smiled wide. He didn’t understand this. He was thrilled, yet confused. Why was she doing this? But it was so awesome. Maybe she really was sorry. Nathan took the tickets, to the teacher’s asking, “Is there anything you want to say to Taylor for being so nice?”

Nathan looked at Taylor, still confused, “Thank you. I, I don’t know what to say. This is great, thank you very much.”

After school, Taylor went home, and told her mother happened.

“Remember, sweetie. They will have a good time, which is nice, but most importantly, everyone in that class thinks you are amazing now. Including the teacher. You got major brownie points today, and that’s what matters for you.” Mom said.

“You made brownies?” Taylor asked.

“Well no. You’ll understand. Well done, hun.”

[Taeshan]

It seemed like everything was on track for a continued great season for Taeshan, but then it all came crumbling down in the span of 10 minutes. The Knights had had a leaky day for the most part, but it was the remnants of the squad after a late red card to Alex Turniquette that failed to hold a home leaad against Abaja. With a win keeping them with Apox, just behind Eura, and a tie better than a loss. A loss needed to be avoided, and up 2-1 in the 80th, they failed to hold serve down a man. That was ultimately the failure that could see them doomed for the remainder of the season.

The first half was impressive from the Knights. A early goal from Aleksandr Denisov got the fans in Docktown Memorial excited, only to diminish when Abaja tied the game. But the tide turned before halftime when Randal Abl Bakr curved a corner into the head of Edison Trueblood. But all that work would end in dismay as Turniquette earned a second yellow late, which saw Seth Green's chances of starting the next game rise, but the Knights chances of holding on to an already embattled three points, fall. Abaja would score twice in the last 10, and the Taeshan fans would have the doubt creep slowly back into their minds with one game remaining in the first half of the campaign.

[Ashkam]

“'Til you own your own you can't be free
'Til you're on your own you can't be me
How we still slaves in 2018?”

Five Hundred Warriors
Chapter Nine

“Heading to the football school was an eye opening experience, to say the least. On one hand, it was crazy to see how dedicated everyone here is, even at the youth level. They were hitting these kids with sticks as they ran through giant tractor tires after running laps, in damp conditions, and there wasn’t a single player that asked to quit. On the other hand, it’s almost a little unnerving how well drilled these kids are. How much of it is conditioning and how much of it do they actually believe? And by believe, I’m talking about believing in all this stuff about Ashkam’s way,” said Audrey Kazma, sitting in the passenger side of the SUV that was being driven by Arik Nordale. Although she wasn’t showing her face at the moment, and instead had a ski mask on and had her hair pulled back under a hood, with a similar outfit to Arik.

“It’s easy to think it seems weird, but you’ve seen the other side of the world. You haven’t lived here your entire life so it’s not what you grew up around, but them? I’m guessing they were already young, and they’ve been hearing this stuff since they were even younger. Some of them were put in the school as soon as they could dribble and others heard this stuff in schools and from parents. If you don’t embrace teamwork, if you don’t embrace the collectivism and the role that duty plays in Ashkam, you’re going to be the weird one. Not the person thinking of freedom,” Arik explained, surprisingly well spoken for someone that was currently heading out to commit a crime. You didn’t expect a gang member to follow all these things. But maybe that was why Arik had survived so long and balanced the gang with a football career.

“And what do you think about it?” asked Audrey, looking at him out the side of her eye as her pistol sat in her lap. Well, it wasn’t hers, but someone from the 500 Disciples had shoved it in her hand before she left. She would need it if they were really going to do this, if they were going to get revenge on the Jestana gangsters that had accidentally shot at her when she first arrived, because they thought that it was Arik rather than her in the taxi. She didn’t know a lot about 500. But Arik said that if she wanted to experience the real heart and soul of the city, she needed to get familiar with the criminal world. Because the government restricted too much for anyone to get the true experience otherwise.

“That’s a dangerous question, lass,” Arik chuckled, turning to look her in the eye as the SUV slowed and he parallel parked it across the street from one of the larger hotels in the downtown part of the city. They had inside word that their targets would be leaving the building right about now. If they could catch them, they would likely have the element of surprise and do a lot of damage before pulling off, since there wasn’t much traffic downtown at the moment. “Most people wouldn’t be able to give you a straight answer. They won’t want the police and the MIS on their ass, for sedition. But because I’m already living on the other side of the law, I can open up more than they can. In a way… The fact that this is a conversation we’re having is part of the Ashkamite way.”

“What do you mean? You’re saying it’s part of the culture here to be afraid of saying anything because people might get pissed and come after you?” she asked, getting the general sense of what he was saying but stopping to make sure she was understanding it fully. Because it was conflicting with some of the other things she had heard, including what the government and what her coaches had told her.

“There’s no absolute freedom. If you want that, you’ll have to leave your country and find an anarchy. But let’s just say that Ashkam has less freedom than less. In the majority of countries, you won’t have to worry about being killed extrajudicially or sent into a reeducation camp by the MIS, or even by the local police,” Arik stated, with a shrug. “Duty to nation is a big thing in Ashkamite society. And if you don’t carry out your duties, or if you’re a detriment to that, they have their ways of taking care of you-”

“Chairman Tanai told me that the camps don’t exist. Gave me a long report that had pictures and everything, explaining that the camps were just something that was forged by outsiders as a way to discredit Ashkam because of economic differences. You’re saying that… The report was a lie and that there’s, what did you call it, reeducation camps in this country? Because that’s pretty fucking different from what they told me, and they backed it up with some convincing arguments and evidence-”

Arik raised a hand to shush her. “The Communist Party has some of the brightest minds in Ashkam working with and for it. Both in the party itself and within affiliate organizations such as the Jestana Institute of Communist Theory, or the Theory Institute as most people end up calling it. You don’t think that they can forge some report to tell you that there’s no camps? You don’t think that they would lie about it to save face? If they flat out admitted everything, we wouldn’t be worrying about an invasion. No, we’d be worried about a popular uprising and about the people storming the capital and forcing changes themselves.”

“So what are you telling me, then? That the camps are a real thing and that you’ve seen them? What evidence do you have about that? Because it’s a pretty big deal-”

“Relax. Getting upset isn’t going to change anything. Look, reeducation camps aren’t that big of a thing. There’s one in Jestana and there’s one in Haska. There’s rumors that there’s another secret one, in the Haskaria mountain range somewhere. Of course, all of them are secret but I’ve seen pictures of the first two. The police also threatened to send me to one because of my gang activity, but it’s safe to say that I was valuable enough to HSK that they never had any chance of seriously making a move on me. I pretty much told them to fuck off and I was fine, but I know others that were locked up in the Jestana one for weeks or months on end before reappearing. I knew one guy that didn’t really change. The others? Was like they were different people, or like they were replacements that just looked a lot like the people I knew,” Arik explained. “The most common camps are labor ones. And you can see those every time you drive around the backroads enough and reach a mining or logging site. They aren’t nearly as brutal, though. Because damaged workers can’t do shit.”

“This isn’t the country that they sold me on when they convinced me to come here and play for the national team, once it’s assembled. I… I guess I’m upset because I specifically asked about this and they lied to me. I don’t know who to believe. I’ll have to look for a second opinion-”

“Don’t. Unless you want to end up in a camp and see the inside of one for yourself. There’s a reason they can cover them up, just mentioning them is enough to get you locked in one or even summarily executed, if you aren’t important enough that they have to bother with returning you eventually. Most people don’t have freedom in this country. I’m lucky enough to have it because of the choices I made. You came here without knowing the situation, but that doesn’t mean you can’t carve out a living too. It’s why I think you should take an active role right now. Think of it like an initiation. And if it works out, you can join the group I did… And be above the Ashkam way that you told me about, the one that supports duty to your country even when that country runs reeducation camps. We didn’t choose crime for the money, Audrey. We chose it for the freedom.”

[Audioslavia]

Ladies and Gentlemen...

"Sometimes maybe bad, sometimes maybe Desya" :- Desya Kuznetsov

Desya Kuznetsov's bizarre post-game interview for Audioslavia's Channel One has thrust him into the mainstream spotlight across the nation.

"On grass is green. It's green like our hearts, is green like the cack from the turtle, but is cack from the bull, and we the cack and we together, together together together, is manure. Is manure for fresh, for plants for growth of seeds that the football, is cack for in face of those who want not lost game but lost game. Is cack for face. Is cack for seed. Is cack Audioslavia. We Audioslavia. We badge. Badge. Fuck." :- Desya Kuznetsov

The striker, who plays his football for Audioslavian high-flyers Cazadores Cathair, has built a reputation over a season and a half of being somewhat no nonsense off the field as well as on it. One only has to hark back to last season's spat with Anderson Sandro, himself hardly a shrinking tulip*, in which an on-field disagreement over who'd had hold of whose shirt (spoiler: neither did. Desya had Anderson by the shorts, Anderson had Desya by the hair) evolved into a contest to see who can covertly knee the other in the balls the most often while the referee's back was turned, which devolved into trench warfare when, after their respective managers had substituted each man before they got each other sent off for ball-tampering, they resorted to throwing ice-cubes, plastic bottles and oranges at one another from the safety of their own dug-out. The league fined both clubs for failing to control their players, with the fine increasing from $20,000 each to $50,000 each when both Cazadores and Izotz Zubia released statements that they were just trying to pass each other a nice cold bottle of orange juice in a really roundabout way.

*violets (and, indeed anything Starblaydi-coloured) are taboo in Audioslavia. A popular rhyme in Audioslavia goes "Roses are red, tulips are of a wide variety of colours." These are the only two lines of the poem. If an Audioslavian says this to you, he could mean literally anything. It's best just to nod sagely and stroke your chin and go 'mmmmm'"

Off the field, rumours about Kuznetsov's 'disarming directness' (as international team-mate Roddy Fraser once very charitably put it) have been afloat for years, steadily increasing in number. One story suggests Kuznetsov refuses to acknowledge that verbs exist, another says that only eats food that has a colour he can name, while a more alarming rumour suggests that Kuznetsov frequents venues in an illegal cockfighting ring disguised as a chicken (ie wearing a red glove on his head and shouting 'BOK' every time he remembered he was pretending to be a chicken, which wasn't often) and offering to fight whichever rooster believes it's tough enough to take him. An eyewitness, who wished to remain nameless for obvious reasons, has it on good authority that Kuznetsov has a record of 5 wins from 6 bouts, with one draw.

For all his irregularities, Kuznetsov is well liked in the dressing room for both Audioslavia and Cazadores Cathair, perhaps helped by the fact that older brother Baran (a right-back, as yet unselected for the national team this cycle but a regular for Cazadores) has helped both with behavioural issues and translations to English from 'Kuznetsovskese', as his team-mates put it. It's said that, despite his ability to cause anxiety just from opening his mouth before he speaks, Kuznetsov is a man who puts his team before himself (and his own safety) and, when all is said and done, is a very good footballer.

It's perhaps unfortunate, then, that the nation and the world are finding out about the peculiarities of Kuznetsov at this early stage in his career, before 'maturity', if such a thing were possible, while Desya is still 'a little rough around the edges', as new national team manager Wilfred Lidgley puts it.

Following Audioslavia's 2-1 win over The Frozen Forest, in which Kuznetsov grabbed both goals, one a clever finish by the near post, the other an inadvertent deflection off of his face from a botched Forest clearance, Kuznetsov was selected for a short Channel One interview against the advice of both the FFA's media team, which gave C1 a quick warning about his unpredictable nature, and fellow striker Roddy Fraser, who could be seen mouthing 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO' to C1 reporters as Desya approached the camera.

Few onlookers will forget what they heard next.

"Thank you for interview is strong honour to. Fight fight every game fight fight. Sometimes maybe bad, sometimes maybe Desya. Today goal. Today goal again. Tomorrow goal. Nephara, Flardania, they all of feeling goal. Goal to Audioslavia. Again. Fuck." :- Desya Kuznetsov.

With Audioslavia being such a vast nation, with a myriad languages and dialects thereof, it's sometimes diconcerting for the majority, who will use English in their 9-to-5 job no matter where they work or who they work with, to hear the Audioslavian lingua-angla spoken so poorly. That is, of course, the way of the world in rural areas. Kuznetsov, who hails from the northern quarters of Padia, a land in which Cyrillian is spoken (it may be reductive to call it this, but think of a bastardised Italian spelled out in Cyrillic text, and containing elements of Portuguese". "Нао пуо фар уma фриtаttа сенза роttере ле уове") by the hundred thousand inhabitants spread across two large coastal towns and a number of villages. The language contains many verbs, but not too many versions of the word 'be' - the opposite of Kuznetsov's English.

It's also disconcerting for Audioslavians to hear the word 'fuck' said on TV quite so much. Therein lies the reason why we cannot fully print Kuznetsov's bizarre interview.

Whatever it was that he said, Kuznetsov's meaning is clear. He is a young man who is not afraid of putting his reputation on the line. It may be exactly the sort of person Audioslavia's national team need as they attempt to qualify for a major tournament despite being lowly third seeds. Kuznetsov's eye-opening performances off the field should not detract from the maroon patch he's in for club and country right now.

Whatever football fans think of him as the face of the Audioslavia national team, it's clear that Kuznetsov is here to stay.

[North Prarie]

The Jersey World Cup: Part 2

Note: For the last one, Conseolta and Mriin posted right after I posted the first part. on their request, I'm going to count his post in it. Therefore, everyone in Group 5 gets bumped down. Therefore, that group is now:

• Mriin
• Cosneolta
• Aji No Moto

Group 8

The Macabees

Northwest Kalactin

Al Qurija

Drawkland

Free Republics

Drawkland gets first here. Easy. Al Qurija gets a close second though, as I love that pattern.
I normally wouldn't go with those Free Republics kits, as the font choice on the back isn't the best. But it's better than the Macabean and Kalactanian kits. Seriously, the numbers on the Nortwest Kalactin ones are way too big. Final rankings:

• Drawkland
• Al Qurija
• Free Republics

Group 9

Soltseed

United States of Devonta



Pasarga

Again, there's only 3 kits here, so not much competition. Pasarga is going to be ranked 3rd here, their kit is just too dull. Now it's a fight for 1st.
At first I would say Devonta, but the color contrast with the flag isn't great. Plus, I love the nicely colored hoops on the Soltseed kit. Final rankings:

• Soltseed
• United States of Devonta
• Pasarga

Group 10

Turori


Ethane


Acapais

Banija

Melbergia

The kit game in Group 10 is OK. That's it. OK. I'm going to put Apacais in first here, since their kit is not OK. It's great. Melbergia comes in 2nd, since I love the dragon watermark, and Turori in 3rd because I love the turqouise and blue stripes. Banija's kit is great, but the watermark doesn't look right, somehow. They'll get 4th. Final rankings:

• Acapais
• Melbergia
• Turori

Group 11

Ceni

Beepee


Tumbra


Omerica

Ceni automatically wins this group. The away jerseys are definitely one of my favorite kits in the whole World Cup. And Omerica too, their jerseys are top class I feel like Tumbra doesn't deserve 3rd, but here we are. Final rankings:

• Ceni
• Omerica
• Tumbra

Group 12

Vangaziland



Maryloupe

Loyyn



Crystalline Caverns



Mattijana

Schottia

Ok, I think that the Vannish kits were really the only kits that I really liked in this group. The others were OK. Here, i'm going to put Crystalline Caverns in 2nd place, and Schottia in 3rd. The pattern on the Maryloupe home is nice, but the away and/or GKs are a bit dull. Loyyn's kits have a good font choice, but the flag contours with the sash. Final rankings:

• Vangaziland
• Crystalline Caverns
• Schottia

Group 13

Ko-oren

Farfadallis

New Gazi

Acronius

Mercidini

OMG, these Acronius kits are ON POINT! Automatic 1st. The Farf kits are awesome too, so they get 2nd. Now, for 3rd it was between Ko-oren and Mercidini. I ended up going with Ko-oren because I don't love the Mercidini font choices, plus, they look too default. The Ko-oren kits may not be clean and polished, but they have some style and the dragonfly is great too. RANK:

• Acronius
• Farfadallis
• Ko-oren

Group 14

Razenthuria

Damukuni



Valanora

Alpine Union

Filindostan

This was a hard group to pick. The cleanness of Damukuni's jerseys gets them out of the way and puts them at #1, so yeah. At first I thought of ranking Razenthuria, but their kits don't beat Filindostan. The flames on the GK eased the decision even more. So, final rank:

• Damukuni
• Valanora
• Filindostan

Group 15

Barunia

Cosumar

Valladares

So, only 3 teams, so they all move on, but now to rank: It was hard to put someone in 1st. But I ended up going with Valladares. The slate gray on the away and the patterns and textures on the home are so awesome! Final ranks:

• Valladares
• Cosumar
• Barunia

And that's it for the group stages! Next:
Knockout for Qualifying

[Zwangzug]

The fourth official raised their board to indicate that three minutes remained.

Above the field, the bright sun beat down. Lucas was typically a player of the baseball-influenced school of "play until the end, you never know, there's always time for a comeback." More time typically visited the losing side. However, even he was coming to understand that it was unlikely to benefit Zwangzug on that particular day; it didn't seem like goal difference or the other tiebreakers would make a big deal to them. Part of him, indeed, was looking forward to resting. Preferably in a quiet and dark room.

But that did not deter him from charging forward with all his energy, anyway. Directly into an opposing midfielder.

He had just enough time to take in the home player's look of regret and fear before he hit the grass.

*

"What's the deal?" Kendra yelled. Things like that weren't supposed to happen. Not to Lucas. Not to a midfielder.

"Calm down," the doctor said. "He's breathing okay, and his limbs haven't been distorted any. Obviously we can't say for sure, but there's no indication he won't make a full recovery. All he needs is rest and time."

"Well, we have plenty of that," Kendra snapped.

"The mid-qualifying break is after this matchday?"

"Uh, yeah," said Kendra, slightly embarrassed at meeting one of the team's fans in that context.

"Good. I wouldn't expect him back for the upcoming game, but some time off should let him recover."

"Okay. Well, what do I do now?"

The doctor looked like biting back advice on her midfield play. "Whatever you do on a day off. Sign autographs."

*

Bam! Pow! Pew! Crrrrang!

Desmond's spaceship in SCQ: Superceleritas Quest exploded into particles of light and debris. Grousing, he decided that if his crew were useless enough to get blown up for the fifth time that day, he would name them after Spenson's UICA opposition the next time. At least that would make their probable demise a little more satisfying.

Before he could restart, his phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hi," said Kendra.

Great, another tirade about how the team was crazy or bad at football or, in all probability, both. "I'm not in the mood."

"Has Lucas ever had a concussion?"

"I--what?"

"At Spenson. It could be important for his records, you know?"

"I don't think so," said Desmond. "There was that one time he almost wiped out over a training cone, but I think that was mostly just a blow to his pride."

"He what?" Kendra asked, muttering something away from the phone. "How does that even...you know what, never mind."

"Cool, can I go?" Desmond asked, absentmindedly turning up the inappropriately-swelling-and-triumphant music.

"No, hold on, the doctor wants to know--"

"Lucas isn't my bleeping responsibility, okay?" he snapped. "You're taking this kinda hard, but like, it's only Matchday Eight. Chill."

"What's a cone? Like an ice cream cone? Why are you using them to train."

"No, a cone cone. A practice cone."

"Practice...?"

"I think in some other countries they use them to practice driving. Like, cars."

"You practice football the same way people practice driving cars?"

"Before you even start, Kendra, that is not the reason we're bleeping eighth. Teams do this everywhere."

"Just because teams do something everywhere doesn't mean it's a good idea--"

"Kendra. We're not having this conversation. Go talk to Solveig or whoever's starting against Kernovi and practice tactics or something."

He hung up and turned back to SCQ.

[Ceni]

---

To Brobdingnag We Go
Chapter Eight: Hello Drawk City

---

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

---

Drawn curtains could not stop the rise of the Sonnel sun, nor could they stop its rays from penetrating Andrew's beauty rest. He woke up with a splitting headache. "Was it the booze?" he groaned to nobody in particular, sitting up. "Please tell me it wasn't the booze. I really liked it." Sarah startled him, entering the room unexpectedly. He tried to wave her away.

"And the top of the morning to you, too, Andrew," she said. "I take it you woke up on the wrong side of the bed today?"

Andrew groaned again. "I feel like a mallet's hammering my head from all angles and directions."

"Got a wee headache, did you?" She laughed. "I look forward to seeing you vomit in a few hours." As if on cue, Andrew started retching.

"Fuck you," he told Sarah.

Exiting the room, Sarah blew a fake kiss. "No more booze for you!" she said in a matronly tone. Andrew rolled his eyes. Fifteen minutes later, he managed to stumble out of the bedroom in a backwards t-shirt and sweatpants before managing to run in to the sharp edge of a glass table. A vase of thin and scraggly-looking flowers fell, shattering into a thousand and ninety-three pieces. Wilted petals intermingled with glass shards and a pool of water on the floor, so Andrew carefully maneuvered around it to get to the main lounge in the palace's modernist wing. More transparent glass furniture and jarring shapes greeted him. After thinking about it for a moment, Andrew figured that glass wouldn't work wonders on a fainting body, so he egressed to the center of the palace and its more ergonomic designs.

He encountered Iarocav, dressed casually and presumably about to begin the day's governing, in the palace's main node. The two nodded at each other, the manly strategy of greeting without having to say a word. Before the conversation could progress much further, Andrew, a victim of his own excessive intake of excessively strong Drawkian alcohol, involuntarily plopped down on a couch.

"Had too much to drink?" Iarocav asked casually, taking a break from whatever important, big honcho stuff he was doing, at least for a bit.

"Yeah," Andrew conceded. "I have a bit of a hangover."

"I can see that," Iarocav said, a bit humorously. "Don't worry, you'll be fine, but Drawkian booze is a bit stronger than what you're probably used to. Faster metabolisms, higher body weights, etc."

"I wish someone had told me that before serving me umpteen gallons on a silver platter."

Iarocav smiled. Changing the subject, he asked about the Arrowsword trio's plans for the day. Andrew replied that they would probably head out to Drawk City and start Seth's promised tour of the salient attractions. Iarocav recommended a couple of attractions, and contrary to Andrew's expectations, Iarocav volunteered to take the triumvirate out to Drawk City in the airship they had came to the palace in. Andrew felt like declining, not wanting to impose on the Drawkoniel, but then he considered how much Sarah and Seth, the two legitimate Drawkians in his party, had admired the bigwig and his company. At that point, he had to accept Iarocav's offer.

A few hours later, the quartet touched down in Drawk City. Andrew had thought that Iarokannet Bay was a beehive of activity. If that was so, Drawk City was ten or twenty beehives - all sorts of people coming and going, intermingling with shiny skyscrapers, erect, glass reflecting the sunlight into a cloudless sky. Andrew marveled at the city, the Cenial of Drawkland, but on a larger scale. So many things to do! So many people to see! Seth would have to do a lot to live up to his promises, the pocketful of mumbles that they were.

Thanks to Iarocav's status as a near-God, the group got priority landing in the metropolis, bypassing the queue of passenger transports and cargo outfits waiting for their turn to land. Once they sat down, Iarocav asked, "Where to next?"

Glancing down at his map, Andrew mentally tried to figure out the most efficient route through the city center. He concluded that the party should head towards the Drawk Corps Headquarters, smack dab in the middle of the city and one of the most important buildings in the entire country. The group threaded through throngs of people on their way, despite Iarocav's best efforts to clear the way. Not many people viewed a shrimp as a big reason to move out of the way. Unmistakable, the building dwarfed all others around it. A massive fountain spurted out water in the middle of a gigantic plaza. Four stadiums, presumably for Drawk Corps sports teams, surrounded the building itself, a huge silvery glass skyscraper with vague hints of cobalt. A webbed glass skirt, for the lack of a better term, connected the main skyscraper to the surrounding stadiums, creating a shaded outdoor mall for shopping and strolling and the like. Andrew almost felt like fainting, with so much to take in.

Luckily, Iarocav could arrange a private tour of the whole complex. Of course. The inside didn't seem too different from any other office building Andrew had been in, except most office buildings didn't grant the visitor the opportunity to meet the CEO of one of the largest enterprises in Drawkland. Seth gladly elucidated the company's function. "Have you ever heard of those huge club storefronts out of Argentinstan?" Andrew nodded. "A Corps is like that, only bigger. With a membership at a Corps, you can shop at a plethora of different stores, get all kinds of benefits, attend all sorts of events and galas and sports events. And the Drawk Corps is the biggest of them all." Andrew whistled, for the immensity of the building took on an entirely different dimension when Andrew realized the millions of people it served. "This is the Drawk Corps!" proclaimed Seth.

"Are you members?" asked Andrew.

"Of course," said Seth and Sarah simultaneously. "How could we not be members?"

"They used to say that everything's bigger in Texas," Andrew muttered to himself. "What they really meant to say was everything's bigger in Drawkland." Staring at the entire complex from the observation deck of the headquarters's tower, he had to admit that Drawkland simply amazed him. And they had barely scratched the surface.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

David Blake: "and we're back on CBC 2 Soccer Night, here with Charlotte Daniels and Alan Lilly. I mean...really, what is going through Trevor Richmond's mind right now? Alan?"

AL: "what should be going through his mind is 'can we cancel the second half of qualifying?' but I'm guessing he's still trying to figure out who should be playing together and who fits into the right roles."

CD: "I think Alan has hit it on the head. He seems to have the same problem Pam Scott had in the BoF, no matter what combination she threw out there, somebody new came through in the clutch. This Hinodejin side obviously did a bit more preparation in terms of tactics. They didn't let BP dictate the tempo or the pace. But I think here is another example of an element that we continually overlook, and that's we have a lot of really excellent technically gifted players."

AL: "and we have had for a long time Charlotte. That technical ability really shone through across the board. They didn't have to have 55 percent possession to make their mark on the flow of the match. Hinode are a great side, you can't ignore they are in the top 30 in the multiverse, but I don't know if they played their tactics right today. You know, just like the previous match, I think these sides who haven't seen us up close don't quite fathom that we have decent players who play very well together."

CD: "The South Covello match was the really the only time in this group we've been outplayed on merit. If you'd have told Trevor he'd have 4 away wins in this competition, he'd have been thrilled. And he's got 4 in the first 8 games."

DB: "So what do you both think will happen with the squad after this final match in the opening stage?"

AL: "He's got them all on the same page now, hasn't he? Unless he wants to switch out some of the fringe players, I don't see anyone who warrants being replaced."

CD: "I'm sure he would love to get Agahambri and Ohler, and maybe Ashcroft into this mix. I think he might think he would have more options with those three in the squad. It's hard to say."

DB: "Does this next match seem like a trap game?"

CD: "It certainly under the right circumstances looks like one, but I don't think Trevor is going to let them be complacent with a chance to get 3 more home points."

AL: "there have been plenty of head scratching results in other groups where bottom of the table sides have surprised much more highly regarded nations. But I think they'll come through comfortably."

DB: "that's all we have time for tonight, thanks to our guests and thanks to you, we'll see you next time. Good night"