World Cup 85 || RP Thread

by **Trolleborg** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 1:47 pm

Previous parts of the story: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 - 8 - 9

Amidst raining rubbish and lumps of earth, Wesley picked up side of the iron contraption, and just then, the whole trench began to chant together, "Trolle-borg, Trolle-borg", just like he heard on a football games. Inspired faces were visible everywhere, even if much dirty and dripping with sweat and blood.

“Ah, so this is their battle cry!” he guessed. And he correctly guessed, because after few more seconds everyone, including himself, still chanting, began to get out of the trenches and rushed forward through the forest past the crumpled and fallen trees towards the flashes of shots, roaring and rattle, and quickly jumped out into a vast clearing. Wesley, breathing hard, with shaking hands, helped his companion put the iron thing on a tripod and quite nearby saw enemies who ran towards them in the very determined state of mind. As in a dream, he saw close combat and helped to shoot from this iron thing, which with a terrible roar and stink spewing fire ahead, desperately hoping that his comrade knew his job and would shot only enemies in such a morass. And he was completely delighted when the enemies rushed to the heels, driven on by a dirty and shabby, but full of enthusiasm and decisively triumphant army all with the same cry. To his surprise, nearby he saw Naomi, she, having an extremely resolute look, dragging a bloodied man back into the trench.

At that very moment, a bright light flashed and the inscription lit up right in the air.

“Our ancestors won that battle. It was difficult for them, they shed a lot of blood of their own and that of the enemy, but they fought for our peaceful and happy life, knowing that they brought it closer with their sacrifices. Eternal glory to them! ”

There were still some words, but Wesley did not remember them anymore, he was in terrible shock, and found himself sitting next to Naomi in the lobby on a comfortable sofa and clutching some paper bag with an intricate coat of arms in the corner. There were two fresh postcards inside. On one Wesley, but suprisingly clad in uniform, dragging this piece of iron, and on the other Naomi, and also in the military uniform, inspiredly dragging the wounded.

“Keith, we really need you,” Wesley said in an almost non-trembling voice. “We want to know what this all means”.

by **Sarzonia** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 1:49 pm

By now, it was becoming obvious that Carlton Sandt had won the favour of Sarzonia national football team manager Kevin Connelly. He had started the previous three matches in goal, including the modest two-match winning streak the Stars took into their home return from a bye against Competitive Solitaire.

Sandt would start this match as well, earning the clean sheet with four saves as the Stars secured a 1-0 victory that improved their position in the Group 7 table to fourth place. More importantly, the Stars were only one point behind Darmen and Jeruselem for the second World Cup qualifying berth.

Sarzonia improved to 5-0-3 with 15 points, and both Darmen and Jeruselem stood with 5-1-2 records. Nephara have a 7-1-0 mark with the lone blemish being a 2-2 draw against Huayramarca. The Cormorants are on 22 points and look to start running away with the group title.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Paolo Gomes said through a translator that he would support Sandt.

"I'll train with him, offer him any pointers I can, anything I can do to help him," Gomes said. "We all want to make it to the proper, so that's a goal we're all working together to achieve."

Sandt said he appreciated the support from his now reserve keeper.

"Any hints or suggestions he can give me, I welcome," Sandt said. "We're striving to be the best possible Sarzonia team we can be."

Gomes has handled his demotion from the starting 11 with grace, according to Connelly.

"He understands that we wanted to go with the hot hand, and right now it's Carlton," Connelly said. "I think Paolo appreciates Carlton learning Portuguese so they can communicate with each other."

Sandt has also helped Gomes with his English, and said Gomes was likely ready to conduct interviews without a translator, but he still uses one in case there were more challenging words and he felt pressure to answer questions properly.

Stars substitute striker Mek'hi West scored the lone goal of the match in the 79th minute after Ernie Mabree won a through ball in the box and slipped a pass to West. He'd gotten the defender to overcommit to midfielder Brady Reynolds after he made several dangerous runs in space throughout the match.

Defender Russ Howard led the way defensively, winning balls with aggressive tackling the likes of which thr Stars last saw from their erstwhile captain away to Brenecia during the previous World Cup qualifying cycle. He also could be seen applauding current captain Clayton Wilson when the latter argued with a Euran referee over a missed call that led to what Howard described as an errant booking of fellow defender Charlie King.

"He's asserting himself more now," Howard said of Wilson. "He's taking his role as a leader seriously."

Sarzonia play South Charlia away in their next qualifying match, and they will take to the pitch with growing confidence, a three-match winning streak, and two clean sheets from the three matches played. Once again, Connelly warned that South Charlia would be a "trap match" as the Group 7 Pot 2 side Darmen pay a visit to Dave Wilson Stadium.

"We saw what happened before the Nephara match," he said. "We dropped three points to a side we had no business losing against, and then we didn't recover against Nephara. We can't afford a letdown."

SCHEDULE:
MD 1: @ Delaclava^ W, 6-4
MD 2: v. Acronius L, 0-2
MD 3: @ Simpralia (Glory Park, capacity 122,000) W, 5-3
MD 4: v. Welzat L, 2-4
MD 5: @ Nephara L, 1-4 (Farham Arena, Sabrefell, capacity 88,046)
MD 6: v. Great Lausitz W, 1-0
MD 7: @ Huayamarca (Estadio Olímpico del Oriente, Sechura, capacity 26,000) W, 4-2
MD 8: BYE
MD 9: v. Competitive Solitaire W, 1-0
MD 10: @ South Charlia
MD 11: v. Darmen
MD 12: @ Aimena
MD 13: v. Jeruselem
OFF DAY
MD 14: v. Delaclava (game played at Pride of Manchester, capacity 110,000)
MD 15: @ Acronius
MD 16: v. Simpalia
MD 17: @ Welzat (Sir James Tretol Memorial Stadium, capacity 19,595)
MD 18: v. Nephara
MD 19: @ Great Lausitz
MD 20: v. Huayramarca
MD 21: BYE
MD 22: @ Competitive Solitaire
MD 23: v. South Charlia
MD 24: @ Darmen (Stadio Rushmore, Johnho, capacity 70,000)
MD 25: v. Aimena
MD 26: @ Jeruselem (Dazza Dallas Stadium)

^Match was played at Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock.

Note: Except for the match in Manchester, Delaclava, all of Sarzonia's home matches will be played at Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock, capacity 105,900.

by **Newmanistan** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 2:06 pm

THE ROCKET REPORT

COACHING CHANGE IMMINENT

by Brianne Henry,

When Emperor Michael V finds the time in his busy schedule to call the performance of the team in World Cup qualifying “unacceptable, and people need to be held accountable”, then the message is going to be heard by all relevant personnel. After the Rockets had a good qualifying performance in World Cup 84, and then won the Campionato Esportica 26, there was a lot of optimism about this team. At the very least, they should have been a team contending for qualification, but they are not even doing that. They are doing so badly that there are many teams that are far down the rankings that are outperforming the team. When you look at all the games on an individual basis, you see many close results. The team is not being killed out there, and they played Vilita pretty well for most of the game. Perhaps, that is what makes this all the more frustrating.

What is going wrong exactly? Newmanistan has scored 16 goals, and conceded 18. Ironically, that’s exactly where another underachiever stands: Chromatika also has scored 16 and conceded 18. These are pretty average numbers, not great but not poor. Therefore, the conclusion could be made that the problem for the Rockets is that they are simply too average. In groups of thirteen, that is not going to get it done. In World Cup 84, we saw this team do a great job of getting three points in the games that they were supposed to get them in. In this Cup, Newmanistan has not been able to do that. This is not meant to disrespect any of our opponents. I don’t need the Drunks in the Tavern or the doctrines of Saintland to say that I am not giving them any respect. All I am saying is that Newmanistan is not getting the job done and getting the “core points” that you have to have on your foundation before you can think about qualifying. They did that last time, and subsequently gave concern to Audioslavia and Sargossa for a long time before the sky blue bowed out. If we’re looking at the numbers just in themselves, it is likely that it is the goalkeeping and defense that is hurting us more then the goal scoring. Although, that needs to be better too.

Manager Miguel Hernandez is in a tough spot, but he might not be in one much longer, simply because he might not have this job. According to source, the Newmanistanian Soccer Association is strongly looking at external candidates right this very moment, perhaps accelerated by the words of the Emperor. One person, on the condition of anonymity, told me that the NSA has already made the decision to sack Hernandez, following the Riena game, and that they are simply looking for candidates right now. Hernandez declined to comment to that rumor.

by **Kelssek** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 2:07 pm

SARGOSSA 1 – Zevallos (47’)
KELSSEK 1 – Blueman (90+1’)
Kelssek: Gallagher, Liadon, Halliger, Curtin, Douglass, Demetriev (Dionne 78’), Lapierre, Ó Tuathail, Champetier (Blueman 62’), Custworth, Taleb (Lister 62’).
Player of the match: Damien Halliger
Estadio Generalissimo Joaquín Delgado, Soluca (attendance: 99,894)

KELSSEK 5 – Torshen (30’, 62’), Maçon-Petrault (65’), Champetier (45+1’, 84’)
RES PUBLICA NOVA ROMA 2 – [redacted]
Kelssek: Gallagher, Bowler, Curtin, Fourtin, Green, Bogdanor (Corvin 76’), Blueman, Champetier, Douglass, Torshen, Maçon-Petrault (Wylten 85’).
Player of the match: Patrice Champetier
Exhibition Place, Kirkenes (attendance: 29,144)

“Here’s Sainz...! Oh what a vital tackle by Damien Halliger! He got back and took that ball perfectly!”
“That’s well intercepted... down the left flank for Sargossa on the counter-attack here... it’s across for ZevaLLOS!! One-nil, as simple as that! Sargossa have the lead and that could be a hugely important goal in the qualification fight!”
“A stinging short by Matt Lister but Roberto Penedo with a strong hand to keep it out! Kelssek pressing the attack desperately here!... I wonder if the goalkeeper’s going to come up for a roll of the dice. We’re going to have four minutes of injury time. Esnáider heads that corner away. Ashley Douglass picks up the loose ball... Douglass with the cross... It falls to Blueman!... And Mason Blueman has equalized for Kelssek!!”
“Sometimes you need a bit of luck, the cross takes a deflection and it wrong-foots Alarcón... Matt Lister draws two defenders to him and Mason Blueman’s in the right spot and takes his chance well. It’s the first international goal for the Soldarian midfielder and what an important one it is. Two minutes of added time left but surely that will settle matters here in Soluca.”

“After a nail biting draw in Sargossa and a romp by the youngsters at home to Res Publica Nova Roma, Kelssek head to Ziwana for another big match in their qualification campaign. Unbeaten in nine matches, can the Voyagers keep going? Hi everyone and thanks for joining us for our coverage of the World Cup 85 qualifiers on KBC. Michela Freeman joins us on our panel, former technical director and KFL Championship winner with Burnaby SC. What’s your analysis of the opponents for Kelssek today?”

“Well, this is a team that’s always dangerous, and they showed they won’t back down against the group’s top seed in their last match. Ziwana come off a 4-3 defeat against Cassadaigua, and that was a match which really showed the mettle of this team. Pulling back from a 2-goal deficit they came out at half time and came close to turning the game around. In the end Cassadaigua’s class showed, but this Ziwana team is not to be underestimated.”

“Do you think coming off a match like that, this could work to Kelssek’s advantage?”

“I don’t know if you can say that. Psychologically it’s hard to predict unless you know the players and you know the team dynamic very well. I think usually you’re not set back mentally with a result like that against a team that you know are ranked much higher, that you know you’re better. Those kinds of matches are like a free hit depending on the mentality of the team, it can actually be a boost to them.”

“Kelssek coming off a 5-2 win at home, we’re likely to see a bit of a lineup shuffle as the youngsters got the job done quite well? What did you make of the performance there?”

“Yes, we got a bit of a glimpse of two of this country’s top young forwards in Loïc Maçon-Petrault and Roman Torshen. It was just exciting because I think that’s the first time they’ve played together, maybe other than a few minutes in an earlier match, and they showed a really good understanding. If they show their potential, and playing in top-level leagues they’ll have no illusions about the standard to reach, the future could be really, really exciting for Kelssek.”

“Is it too early to bring them in against teams like Ziwana?”

“Well, maybe. But you could also see that they’re a bit raw. I think Torshen needs to learn that you don’t always have to blast the ball at full power, he needs to get better at taking chances and shooting when you don’t have a lot of space, and to work on his first touch a bit more. Maçon-Petrault, well he could’ve had a hat-trick if he’d showed a bit more composure that match. I think it’s a role they’ll grow into and it’s not like Kelssek have a gap up front anyway.”

“Thanks for your insights, Michela, always good to talk to you. Now, the city of Birnin-Lukulu is well known for its vibrant culture. Let’s catch up with some of the travelling supporters who’ve made the trip...”

by **West Pocono** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 2:21 pm

THUNDER REGISTER SHUTOUT AGAIN

Once again, the Thunder of West Pocono picked up a shutout, this time doing to so Maccian at home in Bartonsville. This result gives the Poconi a record of 3-5-1, and 14 total points. That point total places them fourth in the group, however there are several teams within two points of the team that have a game in hand on us. For this team that is just fine. They realize that they are not going to be qualifying for the World Cup and are just looking to establish themselves for the future. No one knows if the team will continue to try and qualify for the World Cup, but after this performance, it seems like a strong possibility.

Some people have gone on record to call the team boring. Gary James, of Swiftwater, wrote in to us saying, “You talk about that the team as if they are doing something to be proud about. I can appreciate a strategy that works, and it is working, but I have no desire to go to any of their games. They are boring. I would rather go to valet parking lot of buses, because that would probably be more entertaining.” Richard Corlone, of Tannersville, told us, “A boring game made worse by a boring style of play in the game. Made even worse by more teams in this group, especially the better ones, who play this way. There is no way to be proud of what you are seeing. I have tuned out the games and sometimes wonder why I am bothering to check the score.” This style of play is never going to be for everyone, but hopefully there are more fans out there who realize that this is the way you have to do it. You can’t just think you are going to play a run and gun style of offense against top teams that excel in the back end. Manager Nathan Ruddy has done a splendid job since the start, and I expect that is only going to continue. They have only lost one of their first eight matches, and this shows that the team has made it at this level, and in the future they can try and do more. Maybe then, they will open it up a little bit.

by **Siovanija and Teusland** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 2:54 pm

”We’re about to get underway here at the Centralis Arena, as Siovanija & Teusland are visiting Electrum. The winners of World Cup 78, the home side are getting a fresh start in these Qualifiers after a few years away and will be looking to surprise the Goldhorns here. There’s the whistle, Kynev passes back for Werner, and we’re off.”

Lukas Tauscher was quite eager to get this one underway. Squad rotation for the Goldhorns through Qualifiers meant that he hadn’t really gotten momentum going for himself, and that was something he wanted to change immediately. Tauscher knew that he as a player would feed off confidence, feed off making a mark for himself on the game.

He’d gotten going a bit in the last match against Trolleborg - the first goal of the game for the Goldhorns had his name on it, and overall he’d played decent. Decent wasn’t enough for Tauscher, though. He wanted excellence.

It was that drive and determination that had made him the Republikaliga’s Golden Ball winner as he led FC Teussen Stelburg to a second consecutive league win. He’d also been a star of their double win. To excel on the highest athletic level possible, you need a superhuman level of competitiveness - and Tauscher had it in spades. He hated losing, even if it was just a simple game of cards on the plane with his teammates. That drive had brought him to the very top, however - he’d even unseated Ivo Romanov for the national team’s #11 shirt, no small task given the legendary status of the man he usurped.

Tauscher, however, wouldn’t stop working hard after that - it was just the beginning, in his mind. He knew that with his skill and penchant for hard work he could achieve even more. And thus today, he was intent on putting on a clinic, getting himself truly involved in these Qualifiers. Showing why he was one of the best players on this team.

”Thierse moves the ball over the Karl-Heinz Jager, the Goldhorns trying to build from the back here as we get started. Jager moves it out to the right side and Darijen Vesele. Vesele, fresh off a big move to Rene Skae of Farfadillis, has been great so far in action these Qualifiers, and gets the nod today. Here’s Vesele, coming up the right side with the ball.”

Tauscher was the sort of player with a great knack for sensing when there was an opportunity building. And as he saw this play develop, he had that feeling. He and Vesele had been a great fit so far, particularly in the Trolleborg match where the young right back had assisted his opener. And he could tell Vesele saw the opening as well.

”Here’s Vesele, look at that pace! He’s moving quickly down the field, and it looks like this might be a chance for the Goldhorns opening up. Vesele has options as the Goldhorns push forward in number, and he plays the pass over for Lukas Tauscher.”

Tauscher looked forward, seeing his marker Custard ahead. Tauscher, confident in his speed and ability to beat even the best defenders, pushed forward, and with great skill was able to get past his man and take the ball further down the touchline towards the corner.

”That’s the sort of thing Lukas Tauscher does for FC Teussen Stelburg on a frequent basis, and he’s got the Goldhorns in position here very early for a great attack. Krasimir Kynev and Thorsten Kramer are in the box now, but knowing Tauscher, I wouldn’t rule out an attempt from this angle!”

Tauscher saw both players surging forward, as well as Lojze Kokalj quickly cutting in towards the box as well. He certainly had options. His first instinct was to go for glory - it’d be a difficult effort, but possible. He lined up for the shot, in fact, before seeing Krasimir Kynev earning a bit of an advantage in positioning over the Electrum captain, Alan Moore. There was the smart chance.

”Tauscher, it’s got to be absolutely perfect from this angle to either score or find the head of Krasimir Kynev. Here he is, he whips in the ball - Kynev! Just 2 minutes into the game! Krasimir Kynev scores a header to make it 1-0 for the Goldhorns - and what can you say about that cross from Lukas Tauscher, sublime stuff! The travelling fans love it!”

The Goldhorns rushed over to pile on Krasimir Kynev, but he had his finger up instead pointing at Lukas Tauscher. It was an important goal - Electrum had done a great job so far in these Qualifiers of countering some of the top teams, including the Free Republics and Ethane, so to get this kind of start was hugely important. For Lukas Tauscher, however, it was only the beginning - he knew he had the capability to take over the game, and he intended to do just that.

Electrum 0-5 Siovanija & Teusland, @ Centralis Arena, Electrum

Starting XI: Heuser; Richter, Thierse (Niedermayer 65’), Jager, Vesele; Mihailov (Bahr 78’), Kramer, Werner; Kokalj (Segert 65’), Tauscher, Kynev
Goals: Krasimir Kynev 2’, 25’, Lukas Tauscher 31’, 60’, Todor Mihailov 74’
Man of the Match: Lukas Tauscher
Report: A big win for the Goldhorns as they grabbed a 5-0 victory over Electrum in last night’s match in Centralis. Siovanija & Teusland started the match off with great inspiration, with Lukas Tauscher’s great cross finding the head of Krasimir Kynev just 2 minutes into the game, Kyne would not miss and put the Goldhorns 1-0 up. The Goldhorns had a bit of difficulty keeping up the momentum after that, however, and Electrum managed a great chance through Roland McCourtney that was just punched over by Ewald Heuser. The Goldhorns wouldn’t stay quiet for long, however, and it was a brilliant one-two play between Tauscher and Kynev that gave the Olympia Borograd striker his second of the game. Just minutes later, Tauscher himself would score an excellent effort from outside the box to make it 3-0 by the end of the half. The second half was a very muted affair, each side with their eyes perhaps focused on the next game. The Goldhorns weren’t fully done yet, however, as Lukas Tauscher grabbed his second of the game with a brilliant shot that beat Ralph Mills at the left post. In the later stages of the game, Todor Mihailov added final consolation to make it 5-0. With 2 goals and 2 assists, the match was perhaps Lukas Tauscher’s best for the national team, and there was praise all around for the young FC Teussen Stelburg winger afterwards. Next up for the Goldhorns is their first visit to Borograd of the campaign, as they will take on Appalachian Nation at the Olimpski-Stadion. The visitors are coming off an important 2-2 draw with Ethane, and will surely be looking to take motivation from that into their clash with the Goldhorns.

by **Torisakia** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 3:00 pm

May 30th, 2020
02:06 PM TST

Bort Stevens pardoned by President McDowell

TOKAI - Bort Stevens, famed sportswriter who was arrested earlier this week by the TBI for disclosure of classified information, has been pardoned by President Doug McDowell. McDowell held a press conference earlier today where he spoke fully on the scandal, colloquially known as "Kiragate", for the first time. McDowell's pardon comes in the midst of a large social media and physical movement calling for the release of Stevens and a full investigation into the scandal. Below is a transcript of President McDowell's statement earlier today.

First off, I would like to thank National Security Advisor Mr. Ed Barnogodan and Director of the TBI Mr. Jack Vasco for their full and complete cooperation into this matter. Without them we may have never known how to appropriately handle this situation. Mr. Barnogodan, Mr. Vasco, Vice President Klerkse, and myself have spent the past fourty-eight hours reviewing the facts regarding the Bort Stevens case. After deliberating for the past day, we have come to a conclusion as to the best course of action. As of today, May 30th, 2020, I will hereby pardon Mr. Bort Stevens of any and all federal charges against him. I will also grant Mr. Stevens immunity from prosecution in exchange for his full cooperation in the investigation of this scandal. My decision not only comes from the support of millions of Torisakians nationwide that have fought for the past week to have Mr. Stevens released from custody, but also by the nature to which Mr. Stevens came across and released the classified information of which he was charged with. Director of the TBI, Mr. Vasco, reviewed the initial findings from Mr. Stevens' case, namely the manner in which Mr. Stevens found the classified information. The file that the information was found on was backtraced, and was found to be on a web domain owned by Mr. Mitch Campbell, former Minister of State Security under my predecessor Mrs. Rosalind Dupond. The web domain revealed thousands of other documents that also pertained to the "Kiragate" scandal, as it's known as. Knowing this, the blame does not lie on Mr. Stevens for finding the information; but, on Mr. Campbell for posting the classified documents onto a public web domain. Therefore, Mr. Stevens cannot be charged with possession of classified information as anyone with Internet access could view the documents.

The fact remains that Mr. Stevens disclosed the information he received from the classified document onto his sports blog, which is read by millions each day. While this is the basis for the charges against him, it is ambiguous. Mr. Stevens did not provide a copy of the file that the information came from on his blog. For this reason, it could not be proven by the ordinary person if what Mr. Stevens was saying had any truth or not without proof. Moreover, Mr. Stevens paraphrased much of the information, leaving out many specifics. All of this, plus the fact that Mr. Stevens uncovered what might be the biggest scandal in Torisakia's history, led to my decision to pardon him. I also request that any property seized from Mr. Stevens, including his website, be given back to him. We cannot allow a Torisakian citizen who brings to light a major issue that we may otherwise have never uncovered to be prosecuted so heavily. It is true that Mr. Stevens could have gone this a better way, such as contacting the TBI tipline to report the information and bypassing the legal process. However, I do believe that Mr. Stevens had the best intentions in mind. He wanted the Torisakian public to know of what was going on, and was able to do so without the censorship of private websites such as news outlets.

Many questions remain in this scandal. Why did Mr. Campbell post classified documents on a public web domain? Why did any of the events described in the information Mr. Stevens disclosed happen? We hope to be able to find answers to these question in the next few weeks. It has already been noted that the Senate has formed a special committee called the "Kira Commission" to investigate the matter. Those who will be thoroughly investigate will be former President Rosalind Dupond, Mr. Mitch Campbell, former Minister of Sports & Recreation Mr. Barrie Lowry, as well as others involved in the Kiraism cult between June 2014 and January 2015. I am willing to give my full cooperation and support to the Kira Commission so that we can get this case solved and bring justice to Torisakia.

UPDATE - 03:37pm: Former Minister of Sports & Recreation Barrie Lowry, who was the addressee of the classified memo, has been taken into custody by the Torisakia Bureau of Investigation. Former Minister of State Security Mitch Campbell, who owned the web domain that the classified documents were hosted on and possible sender of the memo, has also been taken into custody. It is unknown if former President Rosalind Dupond has been taken into custody or not.

UPDATE - 4:37pm: Former President Rosalind Dupond stated on Twitter that she will not willingly give herself up to the TBI, saying that they will have to "come and get [me]". Director of the TBI Jack Vasco told TNN that a federal warrant had been issued for her arrest and they are "willing to use any force necessary to retrieve her".

by **Astograth** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 3:01 pm

Previously

Jeckland 2-2 Astograth
Rack City, Jeckland, Jecken Stadium

Lineup: Anzizar, Remondegi, Leskerre, Doyenard, Lizarza, Lekea ©, Berdesagar, Malkorra, Sorrosua, E. Laurnagaray, Urdanibia
Substitutions: Aragolaza for Malkorra, Gurina for E. Laurnagaray, Urkizo for Lekea
Goalscorers: Urdanibia, Berdesagar

Lazaga ran her pen through the list of bulletpoints she’d prepared. The interview wasn’t going well. Yokin Arana looked bored, and she hadn’t managed to get much out of him. She remembered something she hadn’t written down, and cleared her throat.

“Could you tell me what happened between Urkizo and Gurina yesterday?”

Arana perked up at that, and let out a short laugh.

“I mean, you saw it. I don’t know what else there is to say.”

Beltza Urkizo and and Gaitzka Gurina had been on the pitch together for the last twenty minutes of the match against Jeckland, both subbed on as the team switched from its initial 4-4-2 diamond to a 4-4-1-1. After a midfield pass by Gurina was intercepted and resulted in Jeckland’s 2-2 equaliser, Urkizo had gotten into an argument with his partner, butting heads and shoving each other before being separated by their teammates. They had each earned a yellow card for their trouble and made the headlines in Astograth.

“Come on, Yokin. There’s history there.”

The forward laughed again, and looked around the empty room as if to check there weren’t hidden cameras.

“This is anonymous, right?”

“If you want it to be, sure. You know I’m not press.”

“Right. OK. The thing is, Urkizo really fucking hates Gurina. He doesn’t, like, go out of his way, but he can’t stand him.”

“Why’s that?”

Arana blew air and gestured upwards with his hand. “I couldn’t tell you the whole of it. From what he’s said, he doesn’t think Gurina’s paid his dues.”

“As in?”

“As in, Urkizo should be the one starting. He thinks he’s an upstart kid ‘who hasn’t beaten anybody’, in his words. And I can get that, you know, if I was in his position. He’s a senior player, won lots of titles and awards, he’s waited a long time to get his chance at the national team and now that we’re finally going somewhere and he’s in, a younger guy gets his spot. He wouldn’t deny that Gurina’s good, but he’s definitely jealous.”

“They don’t exactly play in the same position, though. Gurina normally plays further back.”

“Ahh, but that’s the thing. Urkizo thinks he could do that, and better than him. Personally, I think he’s angry with the boss and just takes it out on the kid. Well, ‘the kid’, he’s just a year younger than me.”

“Do you think this has anything to do with the derby?”

Arana sat back and wrinkled his nose as he gave it a thought. Gurina and Urkizo played for Sporting Iturributa and Iturributa United respectively, as did Arana for the latter.

“You’re thinking of the 3-0 from last season?”

“Yes, the one with the red card for Urkizo.”

Arana chortled. “Yeah, I know. I was there.” Into the second half, Urkizo had timed a tackle particularly poorly and driven his studs into the shins of Alain Anderika, Gurina’s midfield partner at Sporting, prompting an immediate red card. There ensued a brawl involving both sides’ 11 plus the benches. In the confusion, Gurina was kicked to the ground by right-back Aberri Buruchaga; this was caught on camera but not by the referees, and Buruchaga was handed a controversial seven-match ban by the FAF in the following days. The match ended 3-0 for Sporting.

“Look, the red card and the punishment were both deserved. The tackle was awful and Buruchaga is Buruchaga. But seven matches for that? Bullshit. Gurina rolled around, saw he wasn’t getting a card out of it, and then got up and kept playing. That’s football, I would’ve done the same, but there was some bad blood at United when that verdict came in. I haven’t heard Urkizo comment on it recently but I guess that could be on his mind, too. He’s no white dove, Gurina, is what I’m getting at. Doyenard, the Laurnagarays, Anzizar, Malkorra, Lizarza, he’s in that Sporting clique. Urkizo, he’s only got me watching his back.”

“How aware of all this is Vaudrail?”

“Pff, I don’t know. Ask him. Kiriano’s probably got a better idea. They’re getting disciplined for that spat in Jeckland though, for sure. We needed that win, now who knows if we’re in the fight or not.”

by **Valanora** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 3:01 pm

The ever increasing feeling of frustration was growing inside the Marauders camp, after three straight matches without finding the full three points from the match. In isolation, the draw against Pasarga would have been a decent result even if it might have looked to be two dropped points to some with the Marauders having the home field advantage against the Wanderers. However Pasarga is the group's second seed and a draw on the occasion seemed to be a fair result and reflection of the match, even if it meant both sets of fans as well as the teams were not completely happy with the outcome at the end of the match. However losing at home to a side fresh out of the Baptism of Fire was something that was inexcusable and the team's faults had been shown in that match against Mavinet, flaws that seemingly both Pasarga and now Eraman had seen and taken advantage of. For a team that was cruising away with the group title just three matches before, they were now in jeopardy of falling as far as fourth in the table once they had their bye day and the rest of the group caught up.

For Hawk, it was both familiar and unfamiliar territory for him, for so many decades the Marauders had been the bar that the rest of the world had measured themselves against. Even when the team was not winning titles or reaching the semifinals, they were still a force to be reckoned with, a team that all of the footballing world wished to avoid whenever it was possible. The five stars across their crest and the numerous other records that had the Empire's name on them was all of the testament that one needed that the Marauders had been for the breath of some peoples entire lives, the most dominant team in all of the footballing world. The last three decades though, they had seen struggle unlike any other, struggle that seemed very reminiscent of when the Marauders first entered into the larger international arena back in World Cup 29. No longer was any match a match that one could look on at the schedule and feel like points were assured, every single match was a struggle that the team was having to punch, kick, and bite their way through. It honestly felt like the Marauders were the ones who were unranked and having to try to establish themselves rather than being the dominant force chasing titles.

Words were only going to make the dread in the locker room worse, it would come off as condescending or patronizing, the team did not need to be preached at about not reaching their potential or playing up to the standard that they had set for themselves. Sure that might work for a match or two but it loses its impact after an international weekend and if used too often, it simply demoralizes the squad instead of riling up their passions to get back to playing the sort of football that had taken the Marauders to the top of the group and to the top of the footballing world those decades before. Change had come and left a huge gap in the squad, in all of the Empire, and they had to adapt to that change or be left behind. He was the captain, he was the player that many of his teammates had grown up watching in the national team shirt driving the squads to glory. If there was going to be a cure for the rut that the Marauders now found themselves in, it was going to be through the inspiration of leadership not through words but through actions, actions that would bring the team back into the right mindset. Football was not a game for the weak minded and he knew the team merely needed that spark to quit doubting themselves and get back to playing beautiful football, he would be the spark so help him Elune.

by **Darmen** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 3:12 pm

OOC: Bit of fluid time here, particularly with the SEU-Esportivan Darmen storyline. That story-line is still a few months behind where this RP is.

Everything seemed to be going wrong.

Then again, when was it ever not?

Five of the six members of the National Security Council were seated around the desk, behind which sat Tor Tong Lee, President of the Republic. Lee was reclined back in his seat, his feet on the desk. The bottom of his football boots were filled with bits of grass from the pitch behind the Presidential Mansion where Lee and some of his aides had just faced off against a local schools side.

Director of the National Intelligencery, Georgiy Jansen stood off in the corner of the room, chewing on an unlit cigar. Lee was not fond of smoke.

Vice President Donald O'Donahaue and Defense Secretary Manfred Penzig were hunched over a dossier of classified information. Foreign Affairs Secretary Kalyn Schröder glanced down at her phone, silently giggling at the picture her husband had sent her earlier in the day of the newly born child. Interior Secretary Gunter Rier gazed out the window, overlooking the grounds of the Presidential Palace. Aside from O'Donahaue's and Penzig's hushed chatter over the dossier, the National Security Council meeting was painfully silent.

That is until a really, really, really dumb bird flattened itself against the window, spooking Rier. In a moment reminiscent of many a cartoon, the bird slowly began to slide down the window frame before gravity fully took over and bird hurtled towards the ground below. Schröder's giggles grew, becoming audible to the rest of the room's occupants. She hadn't even noticed the bird, her focus remained on her phone and the pictures of her baby.

She finally looked up from her phone, only to realize that everyone was looking at her. She looked back at the rest of them, including Jansen, for whom she had to twist around in her chair.

"What?" No one said anything, until Lee broke the silence.

"I suppose this National Security Council meeting should actually provide some counsel on the nation's security. How does that sound to the rest of you?"

The attendees all nodded in agreement, all except Jansen, who gave an emphatic, "Of course."

"First thing's first," began Penzig, "We've began to put together all the information we have on the nuclear test in Terra Henrius. It would appear that the Quebecois weren't alone, and the Valladar's played some part in it. Additionally, the blast is one of the largest ever recorded, estimated to be somewhere between 35 and 55 megatons."

"I don't like it," said Rier.

"None of us do," said Lee, "Any ideas what their intentions are, particularly the Valladars?"

"Well, we've a statement not long ago from the Valladar defense minister, Roberto Llinás, made to the Valladar Parliament, that 'there is no real reason to believe that a war with either Eura or Darmen is imminent, nor is something that we desire, but we must be prepared for anything and everything that might come our way.' To me that sounds like typical Valladar drivel, 'We want peace, but if you so much as piss us off, we'll annihilate your whole country.' You know, that kind of bullshit." Jansen wasn't one to hold back.

"And... go on," said Lee.

Penzig took the opportunity to speak, cutting off Jansen as that latter opened his mouth, "I'm inclined to agree with my Valladar counterpart. As much as they do love to run their mouth's and talk a tough talk, Valladares has never really sought out a war with anyone, as far as I can remember. And, while I don't think they see us as much of a threat, the Eurans sure are, so the test is probably aimed more at them."

"What should our response be?" inquired Lee.

"Probably nothing more than a statement to the effect of 'Nuke's are icky-icky, we'd really rather you didn't,' something like that," suggested Schröder.

"Right, we'll do that then," said Lee. "What's next?"

"Tunnels," said Rier. "It would appear some radical Valladar nationalist groups down south are getting real active again. The Valladar's alerted us to the presence of some cross border tunnels and we've had to step up Gendarme patrols along the border. The Air Force has also started doing regular drone flights with infrared and other sensors to spot illegal activity. We're not actually worried about the tunnels themselves too much, but the increased subversive activity down there is worrying. Especially if radical Darmeni nationalists happen to respond."

"Have they?" asked Lee.

"So far, no. Well, I mean the Fascist and Ultranationalist Union is, but no more so than their usual. Hate speech, far-right rhetoric, lies, stuff like that. I wouldn't be too worried about it too much until rocks or bullets start flying. Right now, the pattern of activity appears to represent a period of preparation, as if they’re setting up for something. We’ve increased surveillance in the area, trying to gather as much info as we can, but eventually we’ll have to start interfering in their activities. Can’t let them get too far.” Rier paused before continuing, “I should also mention that, following recent developments in Valladar state of Mountbatten, there were a series of demonstrations by Valladars in Rogerton and other southeastern municipalities calling for the establishment of their own autonomous region or whatever. They were peaceful demonstrations and...”

Lee cut him off, “Well, that might be something we look into in the future. I’m sure giving Esportivan Darmen a bit of autonomy didn’t help. What’s your advice in the meantime?”

“Monitor the situation, but don’t make a big deal about much of it. It’ll blow over eventually,” replied Rier.

“Right and I suppose that makes Esportivan Darmen our final topic of discussion?” asked Lee.

“Yes,” replied O’Donahaue, who had been rather quiet so far. He was overseeing most of Esportivan Darmen’s integration with the rest of the Republic. “Everything is progressing smoothly, we’ve set Friday as the official date of integration, assuming it has your approval?” Lee nodded and O’Donahaue continued, “You’ll fly into Cayo Costa early Friday morning and I do mean early, maybe five o’clock, meet the SEU chairman at seven, sign the agreement at eleven, start flying back latter in the afternoon. Limited media involvement. You will have to say a few words though.”

Lee sighed, “You will all keep me apprised of these and other situations as they come up, right?”

The others nodded in agreement, all except Jansen, who gave an emphatic, "Of course."

There were other matters of national security to discuss, the more mundane ones, but the meeting was only scheduled for so long and the fourteen other members of Darmen's Executive Cabinet weren't going to wait forever. The six shuffled out of the Presidential Office and into the Cabinet room for the meeting of the full Executive Cabinet.

Lee was still wearing his football boots.

by **Krytenia** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 3:22 pm

re.kt
A Krytenia NT Fan Blog

Well, there's a suprise. The national team picked up just the one point yet again. Looks like the Dragons have picked up a habit of not being able to hold a lead against teams they really should be beating. You know who else likes to draw?

Five-year-olds.

Congratulations, Krytenia, we've got a new nickname for you. You're now "The Crayons".

But what colour, I hear you ask?

Well...

Damien Carpenter - MAROON
It's the colour his face goes when he's chewing out the defence for the seventeenth time that game.

James Aitken - GREEN
Same colour as the pitch - he disappears so often he might as well be invisible.

Ross Green - INCHWORM
His name is Green, he's a defensive lightweight, so a light green. Simple.

Theodoros Eleftheriou - PLUM
"Nemyan parents." So, Starblaydi then. Boo. Hiss.

Samuel Johanssen - GREY
We'll give Johanssen a bit of a pass, he's only covering for O'Neill right now.

Stephen Mariner - CORNFLOWER
The dictionary definition of "surrounded by idiots". He's been our best player by miles.

Joshua Kelnic - BITTERSWEET
He's putting the effort in, at least. Just isn't producing results.

Phillip Eaton - TROPICAL RAINFOREST
Abysmal in Yeaddin. Then again, "Phil Eaton" does sound like "Vilitan". Conspiracy confirmed!

Neil Smith - MACARONI AND CHEESE
Body shape seems to imply he's overdone it on the stuff.

Rafael Mendonca - MIDNIGHT BLUE
Not getting the service. Probably wishes he had his Mercia team-mates to fall back on.

Selaphiel Kennedy - RAZZMATAZZ
Dammit, Selly, we can't stay mad at you.

Jerome Jaffacake-Phillips - ORANGE
With a name like that, of course it has to be orange.

So there you have it, a team in twelve crayons. Let's see if we can actually collect the full three points this time.

by **Vdara** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 3:37 pm

Another Draw?

Today was going be a tough game, and everybody knew it. The well-respected and high-ranked were coming to the VdarArena, which was daunting to the players. However, Væñøœrëñbérghüïś thought that the players could grab a point from this game, which they would definitely go for.

The match report is as follows:
1: And the match has kicked off! Can Vdara snatch a point from this game, or will they get another loss? Find out within the next 90 minutes!
8: Fotellis is making a nice run through the defence, he’s rouletted to the left, he’s done it to the right, he’s flicked it up and hit it with the header... into the back of the net! A lovely goal!
27: Vlahiades has got the ball in Vdara’s half of the pitch, and he’s moving forward. He’s lobbed it over to Athanas, who continues the run over on the right side. He goes to cross it into the box... and it’s over and out for a throw in. He’s hit it too hard.
45: And... that’s half time. Quite the bore of a match out there, but Vdara lead at the break.

At half time, the players returned to the dressing room. Surprisingly, Væñøœrëñbérghüïś was absent. There wasn’t going to be any half time speech heroics tonight, that’s for sure.

46: And the game restarts! Vdara lead as of now, but could that change?
56: Ancherion charging forward with a fast-paced attack which seems like it could end in a goal... which it does! Ancherion draw level, and at long last!
75: Karalas has the ball here, and he’s passed it to Lazelis. Lazelis has started to run forward, and he’s powering through the defence! He’s poised to score... and he misses! He’ll be tossing and turning in bed tonight thinking about that one!
90: The game is over! It’s full time! 1-1, and I think that’s a fair result considering how balanced today’s game was.

Following the game, Væñøœrëñbérghüïś had a short message for the players in the dressing room.

“You know, that wasn’t the worst result we could’ve got, but the win was in our hands and we blew it. Make sure to get the win next time out, otherwise I might just defenestrate myself and others. Do better.”

by **Pasarga** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 3:55 pm

Visit Pasarga!
Top 5 Cities By Population

1. Torgos - The capital of Pasarga, it lies at the heart of the Torgos Basin which is one of the view areas in Pargis where one can cross north to south in the island due to the mountain range in the upper center of the island that more or less splits the country between the north and the south. A sprawling metropolis that is also located on the beach, the capital has a plethora of mixing cultures from all across Rushmore and the greater world as well. The last census put the cities' population at roughly five million, nearly twice that of second placed Lunas. With a beautiful environment, lots of space, and a good economy, it is no wonder the capital is one of the most populous places in the nation.

2. Lunas - Some call Lunas the de facto capital of Peynol, with its population of over two million and being the largest and busiest port on the island. Lunas is located in the abnormally more cool region of Peynol, prone to getting cold snaps in the winter, but whose summers are very moderate in comparison to the rest of the region, making it a popular spot for people to have summer homes. A booming fishing industry as well as some steep local traditions make Lunas a very unique place to visit in Pasarga, as the mix of industry and culture really comes all together in the coastal city.

3. Paulinthal - The third coastal city in the list and the third most populous city in all of the nation is Paulinthal. Originally founded as a trading port, Paulinthal has flourished with a huge amount of capital flowing through its city, with a rich and unique culture to the city. It is home to the most ethnically diverse part of the nation, with no less than five languages that can be heard in the streets, the most common of which is the Pasargan Spanish dialect, as Paulinthal has a huge hispanic population. The west side of the city has a large military base which also contributes to the cities one point nine million souls and its wealth makes it an attractive place for many merchants and entrepreneurs to call home.

4. Stein-los - If there is a place in Pasarga that could be called the cultural heart or center of the nation, it would be Stein-los. With a huge amount of museums, dance studios, opera houses, and the like, the city is booming with the arts and the tastes of Pasargan cultural as far as the eye can see. Like the rest of the cities in this list, it also is home to numerous football clubs, three of which are some of the most historic and successful in the dual islands. With just a tad over one and a half million people, it is a very large and rich city both in capital and culture, making it a favored destination for tourists, particularly sporting tourists.

5. Stilinkeep - As the name suggests, this city was built around an old keep that had been erected to protect central Peynol. As the old walls that protected the castle town were torn down and expanded, the city grew and grew to its modern incarnation at just over a million souls who occupy it. A favored tourist site is the old keep itself as well as the old governor's mansion from which the governor of Peynol would administrate the island on behalf of Torgos. That role and structure have been abandoned for a few decades now but its still draws quite a crowd from those who visit from abroad.

by **Zwangzug** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 4:04 pm

Sounds like underachieving managers are competing to see who will hold onto their job the longest. I guess you could call it a...sack race.
Scores for MD10, Groups 9-15.

by **Jeckland** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 4:37 pm

ONE MORE POINT FOR JECKLAND IN ENTERTAINING GAME

Jeckland and Astograth played out an entertaining draw at Jecken Stadium, with no shortage of incident in the match.

The hosts were looking for their third win of the campaign against an impressive Astograth side who themselves had won four of their opening seven games, the most notable against Audioslavia. Both teams clearly came for the three points and that was evident in the first ten minutes, with Martel shooting wide for Jeckland before Urdanibia was denied by Clemens from close range. The tone had been set for the game, but Jeckland became the aggressors during the first half, aiming to overload the wings to take advantage of the Olives 4-4-2 diamond formation. This stalled on the right, with Hodson struggling to make an impact going forward, but came good on the left, with Pain and Dane linking up for great gain. The latter created the opening goal, whipping a ball to the back post where Stack headed it home to give the hosts the lead.

Astograth were quick out of the traps to respond, moving the ball around with pace and stretching the Jeckish shape in defence. Urdanibia was clearly the main goal threat, with Lovell cutting out a razor sharp through ball from Sorrosua that would have surely resulted in the scores being levelled. But just six minutes after the second half started, just that happened. On this occasion the pass was played by Malkorra from the right, but with no interception Urdanibia was through one on one and always going to score. Blanchard charged up the other end and let fly from outside the box, stinging the fingertips of Anzizar in goal. However, things were soon to get worse for Jeckland, with Sorrusua finding Berdesagar in space on the edge of the Jeckish box. A deft touch and a well struck finish put the away side into a deserved lead.

A change of shape followed, with Vaudrail making substitutions to try to hold onto their lead with a more conservative 4-4-1-1 formation. Sanderson looked to have a good chance to set Martel through, but an uncharacteristically poor pass led to the attack going nowhere. But with 79 minutes on the clock, Jeckland struck, substitute Gibbs pouncing to intercept a Gurina pass in the middle of the park before slotting Sanderson through into the box. The initial shot was well saved by Anzizar, but Sanderson was hot on the trail of the rebound and slammed it home to level the scores. An altercation between Gurina and Urkizo followed the goal, with tempers flaring and both players receiving yellow cards for their actions.

The scenes seemed to spur on Jeckland, sensing a potential chink in their opponents armour. However, Astograth stood firm, only allowing long shots from Blanchard and Pain, neither of which hit the target. The full time whistle saw Jeckland looking the happier of the two sides with a point against a team higher up in the table. The Spuds will travel to Muradil next, looking to turn their momentum in the past few games into a higher points return.

Kayden Ross: “Another good performance today, some things we need to work on still but we’re constantly progressing as a team. I don’t like to comment on opposition players or incidents like that which don’t involve my team. We’re just focused on the Muradil match and trying to get three more points on the board.”

ELSEWHERE IN GROUP 1

Audioslavia once against stumbled in the race to qualify, only picking up a point away to Porticalia. Sajnur went two points clear of the Bulls having played a game more following a victory over Muradil. The game of the day for the neutral saw an eight-goal stalemate between TJUN-ia and New Lusitania, while Turori continued their 100% record by putting 5 past Natanians and Nosts. Villablanca beat Necosia at home to leave their opponents rooted to the bottom of the table.

RESULTS

Porticalia 0–0 Audioslavia
Sajnur 3–1 Muradil
Jeckland 2–2 Astograth
Natanians and Nosts 0–5 Turori
Villablanca 3–1 Necosia
TJUN-ia 4–4 New Lusitania

TABLE

-  Group 1                                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Turori                                        8    8   0   0    27    6  +21    24
 2 Sajnur                                        9    5   3   1    24   19   +5    18
 3 Audioslavia                                   8    5   1   2    12    4   +8    16
 4 Astograth                                     8    4   3   1    15    7   +8    15
 5 New Lusitania                                 9    3   4   2    19   17   +2    13
 6 Natanians and Nosts                           8    2   4   2    14   16   −2    10
 7 Porticalia                                    9    2   4   3     7   12   −5    10
 8 Jeckland                                      8    2   3   3    15   18   −3     9
 9 Villablanca                                   8    2   3   3     9   13   −4     9
10 TJUN-ia                                       8    2   2   4    17   17    0     8
11 Muradil                                       8    2   2   4    13   16   −3     8
12 Euran Oceania Territories                     8    1   1   6    14   28  −14     4
13 Necosia                                       9    0   2   7     8   21  −13     2

Turori continue to run away with the group, but behind them a cluster of four teams down to New Lusitania grapple for second spot. Midtable is even more congested, with just two points separating 6th and 11th position. Euran Oceania Territories and Necosia sit further adrift at the bottom of the tables

MATCHDAY 10 FIXTURES

Necosia (13th) vs. TJUN-ia (10th) - Necosia have to be looking at home games as a chance to get points, but will have their work cut out for them here.

Turori (1st) vs. Villablanca (9th) - Turori win, unless something truly unexpected happens.
Astograth (4th) vs. Natanians and Nosts (6th) - Both sides defying expectations so far, but the hosts are the better team for me.

Muradil (11th) vs. Jeckland (8th) - Another key game for the Spuds who have to win games like this to push up the table.

Audioslavia (3rd) vs. Sajnur (2nd) - This is a key battle for qualification - despite their inconsistent start, I’m backing the hosts for this one.

Euran Oceania Territories (12th) vs. Porticalia (7th) - Surely things have to get better for EOT here. Surely?

New Lusitania have the bye this time.

Nine

OOC Note: The quotes on depression and anxiety are taken from real life health websites as I didn’t want to misrepresent the conditions talked about here. As such I can’t take credit for writing them myself.

Depression is more than simply feeling unhappy or fed up for a few days.

Most people go through periods of feeling down, but when you're depressed you feel persistently sad for weeks or months, rather than just a few days.

Some people think depression is trivial and not a genuine health condition. They're wrong – it is a real illness with real symptoms. Depression is not a sign of weakness or something you can "snap out of" by "pulling yourself together".

The good news is that with the right treatment and support, most people with depression can make a full recovery.

I read the words once, twice, three times over, looking for the answers to my life problems in them. This was how low I’d sunk as I approached the business end of my first year at university. Exams were coming up, not that I’d been to many lectures lately or done any revision. I was hoping the knowledge I had from what I had attended plus my EOSA’s would be able to get me a pass on my first year, which didn’t count towards my degree. I just needed to pass them to get into the next year.

Depression made sense to me. The ups and downs had slowly but surely been replaced with a feeling of apathy. I simply survived each day, not caring about the last or the next, not knowing what was happening to me and not brave enough to try and find out.

I had moments, like the one I was having now, where I did care. I looked up the definitions of words, trying to find the answers. I clicked and another advice page appeared on my screen.

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe.

Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life. For example, you may feel worried and anxious about sitting an exam, or having a medical test or job interview.

During times like these, feeling anxious can be perfectly normal.

But some people find it hard to control their worries. Their feelings of anxiety are more constant and can often affect their daily lives.

I was fairly sure I had both of these problems. I was fairly sure I’d had them for months without even thinking of them. Such was the way mental health was talked about, or rather wasn’t, in Jeckland. Suicide rates higher than comparable nations were a known issue, but not one people seemed to care about unless it affected them. I wasn’t going to commit suicide, of course. I knew better than anyone how grief hurt people, because that was part of what I was going through.

The question was, what was I going to do with this information? The answer, was nothing. At least for now. Just reading those definitions and processing that information had overwhelmed me. I needed to do something to distract myself.

by **Banija** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 4:42 pm

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV

Part V

Setting is a cabinet meeting

Kobe Azizi, the Katikkiro, was sitting, leading a cabinet meeting. The decision to do a complete 180 on the country's long-standing nuclear-free zone had indeed been a major political issue. The vote was a lot closer than somebody would've liked at the beginning of a Lukiiko with a majority over 100 seats. The vote was 260-237. That meant 44 MLs defected and voted with the opposition, against the legislation. More than Azizi would have liked. Furthermore, it was worrisome, as a majority of the CPL backbenchers, the junior coalition partners, formed the core of the opposition to the bill within the governing parties, with 35 of them objecting to the legislation.

That lack of discipline within the Christian Patriots League could hurt him in the future. But he was not there to think about that now. They had won a key Lukiiko vote, a tight Lukiiko vote. Isebantu Mutungi, the Waziri, would be present for this meeting of the cabinet. They had some foreign policy fallout over the move that was, admittedly, unexpected by Banija's neighbors. Some of the fallout was expected- particularly, in the Busoga Islands, where the new President Kasekende criticized the move. Some of the fallout, however, was less than expected- Timurian politics were upended by the decision, and pledged to continue their stance against nuclear weapons. The issue was being hotly debated in Baker Park as well.

Azizi started the meeting. "Well, this is interesting." The Katikkiro said. "There is fallout that we need to contain. It's a divisive issue at home, but there's no need for this decision to set us back abroad. We're simply joining a nuclear club abroad that has plenty of responsible members- Banija will be one more responsible member of that community." He paused, and then continued. "But it's always controversial when that exclusive club gets one new member. We're going to go straight ahead to get to that point- we've got to contain this."

"We need to send out reassurances. Transparency, and reassurances. That is what will ensure the international community believes that we are going to be responsible. We've been clear, considering that this is part of the National Defense Review, that this will put us on a path towards the bomb. But we need to put out a public statement for nations like Timuria, for nations like the Busoga Islands, so that they understand what is going on. We will do so. Any questions?" Nobody raised their hand. They discussed a couple of other issues, like the Mercedini COVID-19 crisis, and other domestic issues, and then broke.

Most cabinet members filed out. Azizi simply moved to the basement. Time for the next meeting, a high-security meeting of the Strategic weapons Committee of the National Security Council. His Majesty the Kabaka was the statutory head of the National Security Council, but rarely attended committee meetings. This committee was going to have its first meeting. A brand new creation. So new, of course, that the public had not yet been informed of this committee's existence. It consisted of the following persons. The Katikkiro, Kobe Azizi. The Minister of Defense. A few Air Force Generals, including Air Marshal Kawsu Camara, would join the Committee, alongside a pair of nuclear scientists. And, of course, the Kabaka was an ex officio member.

After everybody was here, Azizi started the meeting. "Marshal Camara." Said Kobe Azizi. "Now that we are finally moving forward on achieving Banija's full potential, I want you to update everybody on Banija's potential for uranium stores."

Marshal Camara stood up. "Now, as everybody who knows anything about Banija knows, we discovered oil all those years ago, and this country has been fundamentally transformed by it. Now, here's the kicker- shortly after the discovery of oil, we discovered uranium stores within the country. They are in the far northeast, right around where Banija, Timuria, and Geisenfred all meet. This, of course, is top-secret information- you'd need the highest of security clearances to know this. Only relevant committee members in the Lukiiko were even informed of this. The size of the stores are unknown. They aren't expected to be large, however."

Kobe Azizi just nodded as Air Marshal Camara continued. "Even if they aren't large, we know they are there. We haven't explored them before- with the country's strict nuclear-free zone, there was no need. The ban of nuclear power and nuclear weapons surely included the export of them, so there was no point. But now, with the recent change in Banijan law, the times have changed. We are going to need government permission to explore the land. The land is technically owned by the Hangaza Regional Government."

Just then, one of the nuclear scientists stood up. "Thank you, Marshal Camara. Now, of course, we will face a number of challenges building our nuclear programme. For one, once we discover how much uranium we have, we're going to have to figure out a way to enrich the uranium. Obviously, you don't just use uranium. Does Banija have the ability to do that at this moment? No. We're also going to have to figure out a method of delivery for weapons. You can't just build a bomb. What kind of bombs? Delivered by air of sea? Bombs that could match Banija's delivery methods? Lots of questions to consider."

The Minister of Defense then chimed in. "Kobe, what we should do is contact an ally. We're going to need help to get here. IF we want to do this with any kind of pace, we need to work with an ally who has done this. One that we can completely trust. One who we already have the foundations of an alliance. Very few countries will look to collaborate on a nuclear program. But some will. And not just weapons- no, we need to have the knowledge to build and support the program in Banija. "

"Siovanija & Teusland." The Katikkiro said. Everybody in the room nodded. "They are perfect, if they are up for it. They have the expertise. We already have military exchange programs that have greatly benefited the Banijan military. Our students are learning greatly from their counterparts to the South, and this will be a great opportunity for both nations. Hmmm, but how to ask? From a Defense to Defense level?"

The Minister of Defense replied. "No, Kobe. This will require a personal touch. And hey, when was the last time somebody came to Banija on a state visit, anyways?" Kobe Azizi nodded. He had a lot to get done, but this would. He concluded the meeting, and began writing some letters. He got the Banijan Ambassador to Siovanija & Teusland on the phone, to help draft the letter.

To: Chancellor Dominik Meier of Siovanija & Teusland
SECURITY CLEARANCE- Public

Mr. Meier,

It is a pleasure for my nation to be contacting yours. Thanks to your leadership, and the good relationship between yourself and Isebantu Mutungi, this Kingdom and the United Republics have a relationship that is strong, and growing better by the day. There was a state visit to your nation by His Royal Highness, the Isebantu, that went well on many levels.

With a new elected Government in Banija, and the fact that you have not been to Busukuma yet, I would like to invite you to visit Busukuma. This would be for an official state visit, with all the pomp and circumstance that would entail. It would occur at Mujaguzo Palace, of course, the official residence of the Kabaka. And, of course, we would hope to get great work done improving the relationship between our countries.

Please let me know a date that works at your earliest convenience,

From,

Kobe Aziri
Katikkiro of Banija

Annex
SECURITY CLEARANCE- FOR AUTHORIZED PERSONS ONLY

Hello Mr. Meier,

One of the important topics that we wanted to discuss during the state visit would be the impending Banijan nuclear program. We are in the early stages of building the program, and we are looking for cooperation on the issue. Your nation's partnership with us on military matters has greatly benefited everyone involved, and we believe that this would be a success.

If you would be interested, this would be a meeting that would occur at the National Security Council headquarters, in my own office instead of the Palace, simply between relevant principals. It would include myself, His Majesty the Kabaka, His Royal Highness the Isebantu, my Minister of Defense, and other relevant NSC members. And we would hope it would include yourself and whatever other members would be relevant for such a discussion.

Please let us know at your earliest convenience regarding this matter.

After sending out that important letter, he made a call to the Banijan Ambassador to Mercedini. They had to get out information to Mercedini regarding their upcoming visit to Banija in World Cup Qualifying. He did not need to do this personally, but he made sure that it got done.

To: Mercedini Football Association(Or Equivalent)
Mercedini Foreign Ministry

SECURITY CLEARANCE - Public

Hello,

The Banijan government is writing to Mercedini in regards to the coronavirus pandemic currently going on in your country. The first thing I would like to say, is that we are deeply sorry for the pandemic raging through your nation. The Banijans are a religious and faithful people- we are praying hard for Mercedini's recover from the pandemic, and that the Lord can spare you from this. If there is any way that the Banijans can help, please, let us know and we will do our best. Furthermore, the Mormon church is willing to help provide spiritual care to souls in Mercedini if they deem it necessary.

However, in just over a month's time, Mercedini will be visiting Banija for a World Cup Qualifier. While it is hard to say what the world will look like then, here is what we do know- it is important these decisions are made ahead of time. Giving everybody the opportunity to plan, ensuring fans are not stuck in a limbo. The Banijan Government is going to take the following actions regarding the Mercedini national team, to ensure both their safety and the safety of Banijans.

When the Mercedini national team travels here, only essential personnel will be allowed to come. That is essential players, essential coaches, and essential support staff. This will be to limit the amount of people coming to Banija. This will also mean that the families of any essential personnel travelling to Banija will not be allowed to travel to our country for the World Cup Qualifier.

Effective immediately, we are going to ban the travel of Mercedini fans to Banija for the match. That means there will not be an away fan section, as Mercedini passports, except for essential personnel for this game, or other important personnel(like diplomats), will not be allowed into Banija until further notice. Any Mercedini fans who have already purchased tickets for the match will be refunded by the Royal Banijan Soccer Association. The RBSA is a strong supporter of ensuring away fans get to travel to games- it is an essential part of sport. However, in this case, we must look to protect the health of all involved.

Furthermore, all essential Mercedini personnel for this game will stay together, in the same hotel in Busukuma. The hotel chosen will be closed to other patrons while they are there, for fear of spreading the virus. Furthermore, after the team leaves, this said hotel will be deep cleaned and closed for two weeks to prevent the spread of the virus. The Government asks the RBSA and the Mercedini Football Association to work together to financially compensate this hotel for these troubles.

If there are any questions, or if anything is left unclear, please contact my office. Otherwise, the country looks forward to your country's first ever game in Banija!

From,

Banijan Ambassador to Mercedini

by **Twicetagram and JYPe** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 5:02 pm

Life in Twicetagria

We edited our logo to make it look fancier

Our BoF Groupmates: Where Are They?
By John Suh

It's been a while since the BoF ended, which also marked our first World Cup appearance. Unfortunately, we couldn't take our AOCAF experience to our advantage, and was knocked out with two matchdays to go.
Now that we're doing quite well in the WCQ, let's take a look at where oour former groupmates are at now.

Note: This is updated to MD9's results, so MD10 won't count.
Tequilo: Tequilo has been at it for a while now. They've finished 3rd in the BoF 72, and have imposed a mark on the footballing community here. Tequilo now sit 6th place in Group 8. They've gathered 2 more points than us for a grand total of 12 points.
Well, this performance isn't that bad, since their group consists of powers like The Holy Empire and Ko-oren.
How they're doing: Doing Well

Kohnhead
Kohnhead was the team that knocked us out, so you could say we have some kind of grudge in them. They didn't make it past the quarters, which is sad since they did so well.
In group 2, the BoF graduate sits in a high 3rd place, with 17 points to their name. With teams like Kita-Hinode and Drawkland, you'd think Kohnhead would succumb to the pressure. However, they've defied all odds, and are on the road to qualification.
How they're doing: Excellent

South Newlandia
South Newlandia placed second highest in our group, but couldn't really make a mark in the following matches to come.
Now, however, they've certainly made a comeback. They're 4th place in Group 13, and they've racked up 16 points. You'd think they're super rookies, but they're just starting.
How they're doing: Excellent

Baggieland, and Havynwilde
Baggieland finished a point over us in the group, and let's just say they're not doing so well.
Havynwilde was the team that beat us to the RO32. They're not coping well either.
Both of them are 11th and 12th place respectively. 7 points and 4 points in 9 matchdays isn't what I would qualify as a good start.
How they're doing: Not really well

Revatnagar
Let's just say this: they suck. They've only racked a point or two in the BoF, and they've repeated that pattern in the WCQ. Last place in Group 15 with 1 point, it's gonna take a while before they even become known.
How they're doing: Awful

Summary
Some of us are doing well(Kohnhead, South Newlandia, Tequilo, Twicetagria) but some of us aren't. Meeting up with each other would be nice, but who knows? We may be facing off each other in the World Cup finals.

by **Kita-Hinode** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 5:23 pm

Their eyes flashed down the player cards, mentioning name per name. "Tsubasa Oozora." The tanned boy said, briefly looking at his friend's face, his hair slightly covering up his eyes. The friend, owner of a long, blonde mare of hair and a rather careful expression on his face sighed. "Got a spare of him already, sorry. I could use a Santiago Muñez though." A groan followed. "Plough, I'm starting to think that we have the same cards. I also need that guy." He flipped through his pile of spares while Plough overlooked him, shrugging. "I'm sorry... I'll probably get some new cards from my cousin but at the moment, that's all I have. Don't you have a brother, Eastfield?" Eastfield nodded. "Yeah. But he swore he would only get footy cards if they included the Tsuzano Belleza." Plough's eyes widened. "You mean de Koch's team? Like I would pay for more cards knowing that he'd take a cut of the profit..."

Eastfield put his pile of cards back in his backpack, shrugging a bit. "Yeah, even for international owners, that guy is very shady... but he does bring good results. I still think Kishimoto is the worst owner ever." Hinode, dressed in the school uniform, chuckled, sitting on the other side of the train wagon they were in. "Look, Whitetower would suck even with or without Kishimoto anyway." Eastfield rolled his eyes over while Plough chuckled. "I see someone's pretty happy about last matchday there... Uh, who's the girl?" The alien girl was sitting by Hinode's side, holding onto her backpack with a cute smile. She chose not to hide her face. "A-Ah, my name is Canvas! Are you friends with Hinode?"

"Pretty much. I'm Eastfield and this is Plough." She took a small bow, causing the other two to look with a bit of curiosity. "She's not from here, is she?" Canvas shook her head. "The green skin was a tip-off, to be honest. Anyway, what's your relation? Or did you just crash on his backyard?" Plough chuckled. "Maybe she arrived in a blue box." Laughter followed. "You're all jokes today, ain't you?" Hinode shook his head. "I... actually did land on his backyard, yes. Still, Hinode here was very fine with me staying with him for a bit before finding a place of my own!" Hinode nodded. "Yeah. Although... you know, if you don't find any place... you could stay a bit longer." The two friends looked at each other. Plough started to whistle. "What? What of it?"

"Ah... well... you know." He chuckled, looking back at Hinode. "The thing about trees and kisses..." Both Hinode and Canvas blushed but Hinode was clearly more embarrassed. "That's not the case. Stop trying to change the subject just because my team is kicking ass this season while yours don't." Eastfield faked a yawn. "Weren't you the one who said that Whitetower would suck anyway? You don't get to say anything if my team fails to beat expectations as is while your team is backed by just Stanley Bronson." Hinode chuckled. "Well, that's just peachy, isn't it? What's the point of supporting the Kamikirimusi Hibees if I can't give you guff over us being too good?" "Now, now, supporting a football team shouldn't be about superiority, it should be about the love for the game." Eastfield gave a light chuckle. "Considering your team is in the fifth tier, I can see you actually believe in that sort of mindset, yeah." Plough nodded in a rather innocent fashion. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"If you're talking about football..." The alien girl interrupted their talk. "I watched the last game of Hinode's team with him as a sort of company. It was pretty fun." "Uh... say, did you two watch it together, then?" The alien girl nodded. "In the same room?" Another nod. "In the same couch?" Before the girl could reply with another nod, Hinode put himself in front of her with his arms crossed. "Enough with the questions!"

by **Hapilopper** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 6:20 pm

Capital Stadium, Hapilopper City
Leading up to World Cup 85 Qualifying Match 10: Hapilopper v. Caelapes
Buddy Martinez was fired up. So was the rest of the Hapilopper National Football Team. Things had been going well for them – remarkably well for them, in spite of a recent loss to the Golden Bears from Hampton Island. The team turned that setback into a lesson learned, running roughshod over the poor bastards from West Angola, who had the unfortunate luck of having flown from Africa to Atlantian Oceania to have to deal with 11 pissed off Hapiloppians hellbent on making a statement.

The result? A 5-1 drubbing of the poor West Angolans, as well as Ernie Stevenson’s first hat trick of the World Cup qualifying campaign. But with all due respect to West Angola, they weren’t that highly regarded, considered also-rans in the group as the Haps, the old farts from Hampton Island, and the teams from Mercedini and Lisander battled closely for that second and last transfer spot. Some almost expected the Haps to take down the West Angolans.

But the next match, a 3-1 shellacking of Lisander, sent an even louder message. Leading up to that match, Hapilopper had just a one-point edge over Lisander for that second transfer spot. On the flight to Esportivan Lisander, Buddy told his crew to turn up the heat.

“Give ‘em hell and send a message,” Buddy said to his players.

And when they got to the stadium in Lisander, they did exactly that. This time, the hat trick came from Claire Randall, who appeared to be taking after his teammate Ernie Stevenson with some showboatish behavior after scoring each goal. A late goal from Lisander appeared to make the final scoreline closer than the match actually was. The Haps had gone to Lisander, made a statement and came home to Hapilopper to get ready to face the last-place team from Caelapes.

And, based off that momentum, Capital Stadium was even louder than it had been before. It seemed like the drummers were banging their drums harder. The horns were even louder. The chants were even more pronounced. And the ceiling tiles over the dressing rooms were rumbling. Over 60,000 fans were jumping up and down, shaking the old concrete canyon. The fans had felt that momentum, and they were starting to wonder if, maybe, by some chance, this was the year that Hapilopper qualified for the World Cup for the first time.

World Cup Fever had gripped Hapilopper with the recent wins over West Angola and Lisander, but maybe it was too early to wonder if maybe, by some chance, they were being premature. In World Cup Cycle 83, the Haps had a seven-point lead over second place in their group at one point. They were forced into a playoff, and wound up not qualifying. In World Cup 84, the team failed to qualify by one point, and instead of going for World Cup glory, found themselves in what then-HFA head Thom Probst called “Cup of Harmony Hell.”

Some even wondered if the excitement was possibly cursing the Hapiloppians. Hapilopper Weekly, a weekly general-affairs magazine, had on that week’s cover a picture of Claire Randall and Ernie Stevenson embracing after another goal, with the caption “THIS IS THE YEAR!”

Not surprisingly, that magazine was quickly banned inside the Hapilopper Football Association offices and the HNFT training grounds. The message from HFA head Max Greenwell and head coach Buddy Martinez was simple – don’t get arrogant. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Don’t worry about what everyone else says. Take it one match at a time.

And even if Caelapes was last place in the group, that didn’t mean the Haps could look past them. Upsets were possible. Hapiloppians, for instance, were still talking about that 1-1 draw between Wreckeria and Kita-Hinode from match day 7. Wreckeria had not come close to their run in World Cup 84 qualifiers, but they took points from the Hinodeijns, which was no small feat. The Caelapenes could very conceivably walk right into Capital Stadium, catch the Haps with their pants down, and take one or three points away.

So the Haps had to take this match very, very seriously. There was still a lot of matches to be played.

by **Alba and Cymru** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 6:27 pm

The Orthochronica
Chapter 69, "An Deireadh" (The Requiem)

In this chapter given to Diarmuid in Iceland (c. 940), the Dagda gives a detailed description of the Final Hour, also known as "the Requiem" or simply "the Day". Those who believe in Fate and do what is righteous are spared from these times, but the wrath of the Dagda will befall the wicked.

The Word of the Dagda, as it concerns the Heavens and the Earth:

1 This is My word, and I promise the [coming] Requiem.
2 There are many who will ask, "What is the Requiem, and upon whom shall it fall?"
3 And others will say, "Such day will never come, for it was never in our records."

4 Do you recall how Rome was destroyed [by invaders]?
5 The Dagda foretold it three times, and two times has it come to pass. So it is foretold that it will be destroyed [again]¹.
6 For the Dagda had sent his Oracles into that great city, and Cicero was among them, saying,
7 "Do not reach into the depths of Europe, for it is foretold by the Dagda that you will suffer a humiliating defeat,
8 And your armies will be broken, and your cities will be broken, and your nation will be broken.
9 For the Dagda has given this land to the Celts and the Germans, and the Mediterranean He has given unto Javan².
10 He has promised Rome to be a great nation, but Rome is like a horse with legs of iron, but hoofs of pottery³.
11 For your armies can reach far and wide, but you will have no control of the land. And the further your armies go, the nearer your enemies become."
12 Alas! Caesar said unto the Oracle, "Nonsense! It is Sael⁴ who has promised greatness to Rome. And I am surely destined to be the king over all of the Earth."
13 But Cicero said to Caesar, "You are foolish. You are promised a quick death by the hands of your own Empire. And your descendants will feel the punishment for your actions by the hands of the outsiders. These are the words of the Dagda."
14 And Caesar denied the Oracle. [It was] his own demise.

15 So shall it be when those of you who deny Fate see the day of Requiem.
16 You have continued to disobey the commandments of the Dagda for your [entire] lives, but the Day comes swiftly. There are none who know its beginning except the Tuath Dé.
17 The Day will begin when you see the sun rise out of the West.⁵
18 And the birds will not sing on that day, nor will the lions leave their dens. It will be a day of great silence. All will fear and be kept in their homes.
19 And the sky will turn red, and a scorching heat will fill the world as none had before. The mountains will be leveled, and the seas will rise above tide.
20 All the Earth will be shaken with a mighty quake, and the lands will be split in half.
21 And the seas will birth mighty whirlpools, and the skies will bear twisters.
22 And the stars of the heavens will fall to the Earth. From the earth will rise a great fog which will cover the moon and the sun.
23 There will be none of the wicked who will be spared from this Day. This is the [entire] truth.

24 But those who keep My word and believe in Fate will be spared from the Requiem.
25 Their records will account their [righteous] deeds. And they will be permitted to enter My Realm.
26 And they will say [in their languages], "Blessed is He who is the creator of all and the bringer of the Requiem, and blessed are the Tuath Dé!
27 For they are all goodness."

28 And those who have rejected Fate and have followed wickedness will experience all of Requiem.
29 Not one wicked soul will be spared from the wrath of Fate.
30 And Elysium will suffer another death during the Day [of Requiem].
31 For it shall burn over with the fury of the Dagda. And all who dwell within it will be burned for eternity.
32 For Elysium is a place of the damned, and what will come from those who are wicked except wickedness?
33 They will utter curses to the Dagda and the Tuath Dé saying, "We were never warned."
34 But many Oracles have been sent throughout the world, preaching of the Day and of Fate. The wicked ones were warned, but never listened.
35 There will be no reward for them except the fires of Elysium on that Day.
36 For it is written that the Day will come in the older scriptures as it is written in the Orthochronica.
37 The word is visible, but many choose not to see it.
38 But those who choose the word will be saved from the Requiem. This is My word.

1 - Rome suffered two major sacks in its history: first by the Celts in 400 BC, then by the Germans 800 years later. Most scholars accept that "Rome" in this context refers to Constantinople, which was sacked by the Ottomans in 1453.
2 - Javan is the father of the nations that inhabit the Mediterranean coast, such as the Greeks, Albanians, and Italians.
3 - This is in reference to the Oracle Daniel in the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
4 - Sael is understood to be the archetypal supreme idol that appears throughout the old mythologies, which includes Jupiter, Zeus, Odin, Baal, and Hubal.
5 - Many scholars have been perplexed by this verse for centuries, especially in the era of modern science. However, many scholars believe that the Earth will continue spinning properly, but the Earth's poles will be reversed on the day of Requiem.

by **Krytenia** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 6:34 pm

The Fat Lady Can Do One
By Rami Niblick in Avidia

SAY it quietly, but it might just be that the dark clouds that have been looming over most of this campaign might just be lifting. Krytenia recorded only their second win of the qualifiers at the New City Stadium, but did so with a consummate performance and their first clean sheet of the competition.

The defence, so pilloried in the last few games, finally looked comfortable. Perhaps it did help that the Saintland attack was rather toothless, with Abraham Justus cutting a lonely figure up front. Going forward, meanwhile, the Dragons were patient against a side with a strong rearguard. The Sanctii often had half a dozen or more people behind the ball, allowing Stephen Mariner and Sam Johanssen to dictate possession, but not allowing the front three the space to get a shot off. The first half consisted almost entirely of Krytenia atempting to create chances, and the Saintland defence not allowing them space to execute them.

The second half continued much in the same vein as the first, with Krytenia clearly dominant, but unable to turn that dominance into clear cut chances. Something clearly had to change, and Jerome Jaffacake-Phillips made a brave call just after the hour mark. Johanssen was taken off, replaced by David Horrocks. The switch to 3-3-1-3, with Horrocks as an X-factor unsettling the defence, did the trick. With twelve minutes to go, and Sanctii defenders in two minds over who to mark, Selly Kennedy leapt to head in a Joshua Kelnic cross to open the deadlock. Saintland were now forced to chase the game, but as a side not really big on the attacking side, it only opened more holes in the defence, allowing Neil Smith to finish a passing move with a well-placed strike to kill the game.

The win moves Krytenia into eighth place in their group, the highest they have been all campaign. Their chances of qualiification, even at just over a third of the way in, are wafer thin, but with a trio of winnable games against Lake Esper, North New South Wales, and the SEU coming up, nine points could make things look a lot more rosy at the turn. Onward!

KRYTENIA - 2
Kennedy 79
O'Neill 56

SAINTLAND - 0
- no scorers -

by **Cassadaigua** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 6:55 pm

OOC: The history of Prince Caspian’s Childhood was previously covered in the most recent IBC thread. As well as his first date with Princess Christine of Quebec. I don’t wish to get double RP bonus for the same information, but some may find these a good read if they are following my theme and the eventual bigger story, so I am including the links here. This information can be considered what was mentioned in the Concord Heights Times, as I focus this entry a little differently.

After meeting Princess Christine in Electrum, the two nobles would spend a lot more time with one another during the Winter Olympics before they had to be on their way and back home as the events concluded. It was a memorable moment for the young Prince, but also what he hoped would be the start of many dates with Christine. Back at home, Queen Cassie II was excited about her son’s relationship for all of the usual reasons, but also had to wonder about how things could be different as he took a liking to a Princess from another nation. This is actually something that had never happened in the family before, and that could probably be explained by the general gender differences between Cassadaigua and what is otherwise commonly seen in the world.

Back at home, Cassie III talked her brother about the relationship. At first, she was teasing him about it, since that is what older sisters do, but she also became very interested in the fact that Christine was a Princess from another country. She knew that part of the reason that Caspian had not found a mate yet was much the same reason it took her so long to find one: difficulty in trusting the motives of the other party. Cassie III knew it was very positive that Christine was a Princess, and it was therefore true love, at least for the time being, between the two of them. Caspian was a very shy one, and after a few weeks of being home after returning from the Olympics, she could see that he was getting nervous about things, and maybe not liking all of their time away. At first, Cassie III was going to let this just run her course, but being the smart young lady that she was, she could see that Caspian’s natural shyness could be making these nerves a little more obvious to Christine, which could drive her away. Or maybe even to her parents, who might be wanting to see their daughter date a more assertive man. Since he is used to seeing women take charge in Cassadaigua, and perhaps Christine was expecting him to do so, and if he continued to not do so, it could be a turn off. Cassie III was successful in getting this point across to him, and Caspian started to make a little more progress. He’d ask his sister for suggestions about things as their relationship went through its beginning months, and Cassie III was glad to help.

Meanwhile, Princess Chelsea, his other older sister was not as helpful. She was still in her phase of really only bothering with things that concerned her directly. Chelsea spend much of her time at Concord Heights Beauty School, and hanging out with a small circle of friends that were far more interested in talking about makeup application then helping out their younger brother with their first significant girlfriend. What Chelsea never let Caspian know, is that deep down, she was very jealous of him dating Princess Christine. In part, she thought it was very cool, and actually admired the beauty and overall elegance of Christine, but it would be frustrating too, as not only was her older sister going to be Queen, and nothing that she could do about it, now the oldest of her two younger brothers was in this extra special type of relationship. It was a silly concern of hers, since she was engaged pretty soon after the Olympics to Jason, and they would get married later on that year.

Caspian would invite Princess Christine to Chelsea’s wedding, which was naturally an extravagant ceremony in Concord Heights. While news outlets had gotten wind of their relationship at this point, this wedding would be the first large ceremony as to where Caspian was seen with Christine within Cassadaigua. Christine had the blessing of her parents to make the trip to Concord Heights for the ceremony, and she received the extra special royal treatment that she deserved once she arrived. Each of them made the most of their time with one another, and seeing a royal wedding of this magnitude surely got each of them thinking about what things might be like for them. Photos were taken of the two of them together, and some Cassadagan media outlets now began publishing articles as to whether or not they would be the next of Cassie II’s children to get married while pointing out that it would be a significant first in the history of our royal family. Cassie III, the future Queen, was in a relationship, but her wedding plans still seemed far off at this point. Surely, the Quebec media was also beginning to wonder how serious this relationship was becoming, and there were likely some reporters from that nation who were on hand solely to watch Christine’s reactions to how things were going. This would also be the biggest time for Cassie III and Christine to get to know one another a little as well. They had known of one another and seen each other for quick moments of time, but at the ceremony, Cassie III did her part to let Christine know how much she meant to her brother, and that he was a great guy at heart.

Eventually, the two of them would part ways from the ceremony, having had a wonderful time together. If there were any doubts about these two being a serious couple to anyone in the World, then those concerns were now erased. Caspian tried to show his new and improved level of confidence at the ceremony that he had built up with Cassie III’s assistance, but the enormity of the day kept him from showing it. Once Christine did leave, he began to wonder about his own future with her, and if he should consider proposing. He was not quite ready to do that yet, not because he didn’t feel like she was the one, but because he did not think the time was right, yet. Cassie III seemed to share in that thought for now, and that if it were done too soon to Chelsea’s wedding, that the proposal might be seen as being a little premature perhaps by her parents, if not to Christine herself. Cassie III knew and understood that it would be necessary for Christine to have complete faith in the support of her parents before accepting a proposal. Therefore, Caspian would look to make a trip to Quebec first, to spend more time with her family.

Meanwhile, Cassadagan sports fans are celebrating one of the biggest victories in the history of Cassadagan soccer as the team pulled off a 9-2 victory over Xuzaqiy on the road. The nine goals scored by the Fillies ties the national record, which was a 9-0 win over Hippostania, on the road. The seven goal margin of victory on the road is tied for the second largest road margin of victory in Cassadaigua’s history, with an 8-1 victory over some nation you may have heard of before called Farfadillis. Xuzaqiy a future World Cup champion then? Probably not.

Cassadagan Goal Scorers: Meghan Wolcott (11'), Rachel Schanke (15'), Sierra Mattison (32'), Meghan Wolcott (34'), Rachel Schanke (41'), Rachel Schanke (51'), Ashley Dahlin (62'), Preston Newfeld (74'), Madison McClain (87')

Also Note: Tiffany Nelson started this match in place of Kelsey Morgan in goal simply to give her some playing time.

by **Zwangzug** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 7:11 pm

OOC: I've been rereading the (very long fantasy series) Wheel of Time during lockdown, and Brandon Sonnabend is very distantly modeled after Rand al'Thor, the protagonist. I had him lapse into anachronistic references to that series, uh, mostly because I thought it would be funny.

"Coach Sonnabend, what can we take away from this game?"

"Well three points, I think."

"Yeah, but uh, what are your thoughts on Valladares...like in general."

"Look, they're an experienced side, no doubt about it, and I think their formation is a strong blend of the symmetry we admire here with strength and leadership on the defense, Gaviria of course the captain, and then Alexandre's put in some very strong showings at Outremont. Their substitutes, I would say maybe not quite as developed--Waldo was almost a nonentity at left-back, completely overshadowed by Delgado and then McCollins and Idmar for our fellows, couldn't get a sense of where he was in the game."

"Yes, but the, uh, country as a whole."

"Well we'll see on the return leg, won't we? That being said, their kits were nice, I thought the alternate in particular was a lovely blend of simplicity with a dash of color for emphasis and it really brings out the bright shades in their crest."

"How about their political scene?"

"I'm...afraid if I were to follow the internal affairs of every country in this group it would be an even longer qualifiers than it already is. I mean, goodness, Mkabia has the Djalenga derby, Twicetagria has...some music, that's probably nice for their culture, Sharktail...has...posters advertising the matches, I suppose one wants to draw up interest for fans following on various media platforms. Yes."

"You haven't been following their secession news?"

"Look I'm all for devolution here and there, well, mostly both here and there, that's the nature of the beast, innit, but no, I can't say that I have."

"You don't care who takes the Westlands?"

"The Westlands of what? I mean, this side of the Aryth Ocean, I suppose you could think of as the West, but that's all relative."

"The what ocean?"

"Er...never mind..."

"What about their bomb capabilities?"

"Oh that sounds very dangerous, the only weapons I would want to use on a mass scale are the Choedan Kal, which can only be triggered via the access keys, obviously."

"Um...well. What do you expect from the trip to Darkmania?"

"Well three points would be quite nice, wouldn't it, but one oughtn't get entitled or complacent about these things, Darkmania are a crafty side."

"Right. Brandon Sonnabend, everybody."

(McCollins 12)

by **Audioslavia** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 7:11 pm

Port in a Storm
Bulls Scoreless in Porticalia

When Sean Patterick formulated his five-five-oh formation, he had to know there would be nights like this.

On a long night in Porticalia’s capital, the Audioslavian Bulls huffed and puffed and made hard work of a defence that had recently shipped three goals to Astograth.

Patterick, seemingly confident as he strode out from the tunnel at the start of the game, grew increasingly agitated on the bench throughout the game until, with ten minutes to go, he abandoned the 5-5-0 for only the second time these qualifiers, throwing on Santiago Rosel for Iago Cacho and, two minutes later, substituting defender John Lomax for the speedy Gabriel Zozaia. For the second time, the change failed to make a dent in the scoreline.

A tougher test awaits the Bulls next month in the form of a six-pointer against second-placed Sajnur, who will visit the Arena Kirola feeling that this may be the best time to be facing second-seeded Audioslavia, who are yet to find their rhythm in Group 1. With two points separating the sides, a draw would be enough to keep the Bulls at bay. A win for the Sajnurans would put five points between them and the claret and greens.

Patterick cut a stubborn figure after the game, defending his team selection and insisting that the 5-5-0 formation would be here to stay for the coming games.

In other sports news, Jeremy Jaffacake has been seen in central Cathair. Or rather, Jaffacake was making sure that everyone could see him, posing with his brand new WA Commendation for Services to Journalist Integrity trophy which, despite all it’s gold and diamonds, probably won’t become the subject of a slow-paced heist drama over the course of these qualifiers. Jaffacake was seen brandishing his trophy in a trendy Russian cocktail bar while loudly criticising his son, Jerome Jaffacake-Phillips, who is currently struggling to get his Krytenia team winning in Group 14, where they sit a hilarious eighth.

by **Huayramarca** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 7:19 pm

ÑÑ Part 1.
ÑÑ Part 2.

Ñucanchi Ñan - Part 3.

Marta was holding her gun, she was decided to defend Sopocachi with her friends, no matter the consequence, she wanted to revenge Juanito after being shot savagely by the police officer. The officers arrived to the place and saw the brutal scene, lots of their mates were bleeding out on the floor, Marta had the gun ready with a lot of people more disposed to fight. Police wasn’t sure if the procedure would be something good for them to do by the fact of being outpowered by a single person in terms of weapon caliber. Marta had her fingers at the trigger, things were about to get out of control. The officers started to walk towards the people, the inhabitants decided to stay quiet and wait for action, they didn’t want to escalate, they did it as a continuation of what Marta did since the very beginning.

Someone ran from the clinic to talk with Marta, she hoped for something good but it wasn’t, Juanito was at risk of death and had to be taken to the hospital, the people tried to stop Marta but she was decided to keep her hands at the gun, she wasn’t sure about what to do, until her maternal instinct appeared and decided to accompany her son in case of anything would be needed, she ran away with a friend, taking the gun back to home and then going to the hospital. Police tried to chase her but it wasn’t able to do so. Marta knew well all the alleys and the labyrinths that Sopocachi has, he jumped from some stairs to another alley while police tried to shoot at her, Marta didn’t cared of responding the shots back, so she sat into the car and her friend drove to the Pediatric Hospital of Huayramarca, located some 20 minutes away from Sopocachi, at Pedernales.

Pediatric Hospital of Huayramarca – Pedernales, Metropolitan District – 12:30 P.M.

Pedernales is the classical high-class neighborhood, despite its status as such, the government decided to build a hospital some decades ago in order to provide the best attention possible for those children in need, specially focused for people coming from the interior of Huayramarca. Marta asked a doctor “Where’s emergencies? The doctor asked politely “Who are you looking for?” Marta, in desperation said “Juan Corzo, five years old” the doctor ran and she followed him, he was saying “He’s in a delicate situation, but there’s hopes he can survive.” Marta was recomforting herself while listening to the doctor, she felt that as music for her ears, meanwhile, her son was on surgery while the doctors tried to extract the rubber bullet from Juanito’s body. Marta had to wait for the surgery in order to expect and answer, but her mind was away she was absorbed by her thoughts on what she did some minutes before. Images of a revolutionary idea were running through her mind, she was considering that Serranos had enough abuse and they needed a voice to gather force and make their rights to be respected by the oppressive Costeño oligarchy, something needed to chance.

Meanwhile, Marta received some news by the surgeon general, he approached Marta and said “Ms. Corzo. Juanito is in danger still, but we have managed to extract the bullet, we are now on procedures to recover him.” She hugged the surgeon while saying “Thanks for your support.” She sat back and talked slowly with her friend, asking him “Do you consider that a collective group would be something needed for us, as Serranos?” Her friend, Kevin, hesitated a bit and answered “We need to be a different alternative, not as the others that always used that ideal to turn themselves into millionaires, we need to mark the difference.” Marta was sure that the idea she had was something that more Serranos would share, there was a lot of abuse and torture from the Costeño elite against Serranos, since they were seemed as cheep workforce for the coastal textile business of Alpaca sweater production or more Huayramarcan souvenirs. Advancements from other nations such as Methods Engineering were unheard of at the nation, abuse was the norm, exploitation and low incomes were associated, repression and lack of freedom to form unions were usual. Marta was thinking about the name and key ideals for the movement she had on mind.

Kevin talked to Marta and said “That phrase inspired me” “Which one?” Asked Marta while reading the newspapers of the day, watching the frog outrage that didn’t helped Huayramarca, since they were defeated once again at home against South Charlia “Ñucanchi Ñan, that phrase sounded inspiring.” Marta interrupted and grabbed the newspaper while saying “The frogs didn’t were the cause, it was lack of support from government and fans that are damaging the Condors, we need unity, from the Sierra to Costa to Jungla, we need to get rid of those oligarchs from the coast.” Kevin, as a football fan he is replied “Indeed, we aren’t the ones responsible of their performance, we are debuting only, we have to consider that factor for this time.” Huayramarca had been doing a good performance before their bye, since then, things were falling down for Omar Caicedo, the “frogate” didn’t helped them and fans weren’t present at the stadium for the latest match. Ñucanchi Ñan needed to clean the image of Serranos among the Huayramarcan society, collecting evidence that might leave badly damaged Mina’s government.

“So” said Marta “Ñucanchi Ñan might be the best name for this!” She nodded and tried to create the image of what her movement would be, Kevin asked “What we will fight for?” Marta remained in silence for a while, she grabbed the newspaper and highlighted some words for Kevin with a marker.

Mina authorizes mineral exploitation near Illimani National Park.

First of all, a Serrano defense platform, something where we can be listened, respected and also be strong, we need to magnify our voices. Kevin took the newspaper and was shocked “The hell are they going to do?” Marta nodded and said “Yes, exploiting our sacred mountain.” The Costeño oligarchy was known for doesn’t care about what Serranos may think, hence, it was needed to press them and avoid the exploitation of said mountain. Aside from that, Marta said “We need to focus more on turning our economy into something ecological, providing equal opportunities and focusing more at education, not at weapons as we do right now.” It was something that she expressed from the very bottom of her mind; Kevin replied “Communism!” Marta said “Somewhat” then Kevin high-fived Marta and turned into the first member of Ñucanchi Ñan, now they had a duty to do, they needed to film a video in order to leave their mark, as Serranos, that the complot from Mina was something to divert their attention from what was happening at the very Illimani National Park.

Sopocachi – Metropolitan District – 3:50 P.M.

They returned to their home, back to Sopocachi, this time in a different entry, the place was now filled with police officers, Marta was surprised that some of her neighbors weren’t at their houses and by the fact that police didn’t moved from where they were. While she was away, some of their neighbors were killed, two specifically by police brutality, one of the neighbors told Marta about that situation and she said “Do you want to join us?” She explained him about Ñucanchi Ñan, he understood and wanted to get enrolled into the organization, hence, he decided to offer his cyber coffee in order to print ÑÑ propaganda and send it through the “Quipus”¹ in order to reach the highest amount of people possible.

The Quipus were an intricated network of communication, rudimentary class of it that crossed several neighbors, including Sopocachi, all of those Quipus were used only by grassroots social movements that were focused by ÑÑ in order to be a serious collective for the Serrano People. They sent the information through them and they hoped that the information would be gladly taken and some supporters would be joining soon. Meanwhile, they were filming a video in order to send it to the media overall, so, Mina would be answered about all and Serranos would be aware of what was happening. Marta started to talk and took a Trome newspaper, she showed it to the camera and said “Dear Serranos, please react! Our beloved Pachamama needs us now, we need to defend her after a new Costeño oligarchic attack is going to be orchestrated against our sacred Illimani.” “The government created a plot with the frogs buried at the stadia where the Huayramarcan National Team plays in order to divert our focus from what’s going on with our nation, they are trying to do what they want, they are abusing our heritage, honor and dignity with this draconian movements! Ñucanchi Ñan is here to defend the nation against the oligarchy, it doesn’t matters that you are from the Jungle, Coastal or Serrano, join us if you want justice, contact us at nucanchinan@huayramail.hua in order to defend to what belong us!” The cyber coffee owner sent the video and now, it was being received by the media, be it newspapers and TV channels despite the Mina’s blockade, they decided also to upload it into platforms such as Huayratube in order to get the maximum reach possible.

After some minutes, the Quipus were filled with notes, people were receptive to ÑÑ, hence some decided to join, some others asked questions that could be answered later on the video. For now, people were at the doors of facing the real power of Serrano communications and self-organization.

Palacio del Altiplano – Metropolitan District – 6:00 P.M.

Hugo Mina was sitting at his dispatch, watching the news, he suddenly saw on breaking news the massacre that happened at Sopocachi, the outcome: 19 people dead, of which 16 were police officers and 3 neighbors. Mina facepalmed while watching that, and then, the Ñucanchi Ñan video popped up at the newspapers, he watched it carefully, he tried to depict what was happening and why the movement would appear so fast into scene. The news anchor also talked about the Illimani mining project, featuring an investigation at the very place of it, Mina smashed a glass of water at the floor and screamed “¡La puta que te parió!” ² He was surprised at how his plan was falling so soon with the swiftness of two young people, that were fed up of the oligarchy he was leading, and also, felt more surprised that Ñucanchi Ñan were also embracing Costeños into it, Mina was really angry and called the police regent.

“Research them, give me all the information about them, I need everything from Ñucanchi Ñan.”

1. A network of cables connecting houses that send information using vibration or paper notes attached to it.
2. An insult that can be used as surprise, involves mentioning someone's mother.

World Cup 85 || RP Thread

The Orthochronica, Chapter 69

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