World Cup 91 [roleplays]

by **New Eestiball** » Wed May 18, 2022 4:24 pm

Chess is better than soccer. That is all the sportsppl in New Eestiball have to say on this day, where they have essentially thrown in the towel. Being 12 points behind in the standings with 10 games to go isn't impossible in theory, it's just impossible in practice. Despite the fact that they have just taken 4 points from Darkmania and Star United States, and have a good chance against Unpleasant, today, the largest statistics blog in New Eestiball, Eestifacts, has pointed this out.

Current odds of qualifying: <0.01%
Because of the First Law of Scorigami, as soon as New Eestiball is statistically eliminated, they will go hyper aggressive, trying to outdo Vilita and Bedistan.

by **Saint Eleanor** » Wed May 18, 2022 4:30 pm

World Cup 91 - tenth matchday of qualification
Indusse 1 (Goblin Grundjee goal 73')
Saint Eleanor 3 (Katie O'Donnell goal 21', Jessica Martin goal 47', Steve Pilchard goal 65')

Jessica Martin: "Is there anything that people aren't giving me crap about?"
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers goes one-on-one with the nation's most outspoken footballer about her work to challenge the establishment she may well be part of
Originally published on Thursday 26th August 1999

There are a few things you'll spot at almost every Eleanorian protests, or at least the ones the Army doesn't get to first. You'll spot a bit of a crowd, a few flags, at least one placard whose contents will be republished in The Reporter's comedy section, a clear message - and you might even spot Jessica Martin, or at least a (lifesized) cardboard cutout of her. Don't be taken by surprise.

Born in the same year as the National Liberation Front, which her father joined early on, Martin insists that "I'm most definitely not trying to disrespect anyone: my dad fought for independence, liked going all over town trying to keep order and inspire... civic pride of sorts - I have no idea how he did that - then got early retirement in '86 for all the work the government said he'd done. Mum just works in the private sector [as an accountant serving Collegiate and surrounding districts], she's nice, but it was Dad who really taught me to go out there, stand up for what I believe in, try and make Saint Eleanor a better place and generally just be a good person." To what extent did she do that at her school, University College? "I was actually born in Holland district but my dad got assigned down the road to the University a few years after independence, so I went to school there. I wasn't really much of a campaigner for most of my time there but a lot of people found that I had an independent streak of sorts, smart, talkative, lots of friends, but I never gave up on any of them and I always tried and pushed for, again, what I thought would make the school a better place. This isn't me saying this; that's my form tutor."

Martin was a "proud and somewhat relieved" member of the University College team that made the semifinals of the 1988 Charles Trump Shield, in a vain attempt to emulate the classes of 1984 to 1986. They have only made the big stage twice since. "I was actually eligible to play for Liberty on legacy grounds - what with my dad - but I've been in more than a few PE classes, seen how good my teammates are, and I wasn't convinced they were going to be much better. They got knocked out first round; we pretty much fought our way through the third round against Brightway and the fourth round against Oaktree, both 3-1, both decent performances all round despite some early wobbles, I scored against Oaktree but I'd say that everybody in the squad played a part in taking us this far and helping us dream of another final. And then we played Whitehammer - not the Eleanorian Academy it felt like all the classes before us had played because they'd been eliminated in the quarters, thank gosh, but this time it was a very, very late wobble. 0-0 after extra time, my knees almost felt like buckling - thankfully they didn't - everybody tired except that one Whitehammer sub who'd seemingly been reserved for this moment, dodged past our defenders three times in the first half of extra time and converted the last effort he had on target. I definitely needed my coffee after that; it's the closest thing anyone in Saint Eleanor has to a ritual."

Martin has been a voice for the voiceless almost since she got into the University: "Back in '88, Uni College reception was a strictly 8:30-to-3:30 affair that wanted very little to do with the students - which is a surprise since I'd been told by a couple of people that the University itself was much more welcoming. I got the headteacher on the phone a few days after the summer term ended, asked him if he could extend reception opening hours because sometimes we needed to be picked up late or had other things that needed doing, and he said 'fine, it'll be open until 4:30.' As far as I know, it still is!" Her other movements over the past ten years have been legion: calls to abolish sales tax on sporting equipment; efforts to get education about computing and information technology onto the curriculum; exhortations for Eleanorian Transport to make bus stops accessible for wheelchair users; an (unsuccessful) push to get August 25th, the birthday of legendary Independence rightback Lydia Sharp - who would surely have been captain of the national team a decade ago - recognised as a national holiday. We know why she does it; I'd like to know - how? "I have a lot of ideas, I still have my friends from Uni College and they have theirs, so I basically call a few of them, tell them what I want, bring them over to some dodgy restaurant and we start from there - although they invariably defer to me regarding public relations. It's worked surprisingly well so far, hasn't it?"

When asked about what three games most influenced her development as a player, she opens with a 1991 away day, a 1-0 win against Army and Navy, which featured her making a relatively impactful substitute appearance - even by Roger Elliott's standards. "Sword and Shield used to be owned by the University and they called up a lot of their own students back in the old days - I think they only recruited from there and Uni College until recently. In 1991, of course, I was in the second year of a geography course, getting involved in university management a bit, so to speak, and good enough in the unofficial Uni football team to have been called up to the big guns. The opponents were Army and Navy, 26 unbeaten in the league - including the entire season the previous year, of course - but there were three teams they hadn't played yet: Indy, Grand Beach, and us. We were first and, despite all the indications, I'd say we'd done well to keep them to 0-0 in the hour before I got drafted on. The first move I made I drifted past Lance-Corporal John Simpson, drifted the ball in towards Stanley Longley the finalist and he almost scored but Pete Wallis did a good job getting to it. Numbers two and three, I think, fizzled out a bit. Number four, I get the ball and don't have to do anything before switching the play to Maddie Gordon, who cuts it back to me after I get across the field, have a go from fifteen yards out and that, of course, is very much a goal. Number five was a low cross towards Gordon and I think the Soldiers just shut down the play after that. Little did they know I'd taken down the Invincibles!"

Her next sporting memory is the game that won the Collegiates the 1993 title: a 2-0 home win over Athletic Saint Eleanor. "I was 22, honest to God - there haven't been a lot of good moments ever since. 1992... did we really deserve to win that year? Probably, it was the closest title race of all time and it pretty much made the fact that we were up against them so late in the season special. As far as I could tell it was dead level, but a win for us would have quite ironically made goal difference the big factor in the race - which we led by about eight or so. Surprisingly for us, it was a pretty comfortable state of affairs all around and the plaudits definitely have to go to Stan for his efforts. He set up the first goal because, as everybody knows, Maddie's a bit like a shadow striker in the setup, just a bit more adept at actually creating than he is - which is almost ironic given the circumstances and the fact that this was pretty much a goalmouth scramble of Athletic's own making. It was 1-0 at half time, we had a few other chances that we squandered while the oppo was a bit quiet up front, but then we get to the second goal, which was my fault! I like to say it's the hard times that make me, this was definitely a hard time, Luke Gregory the leftback was a hard man - and he signed for us eventually - and this was the hardest opposition possible, but I came up with my gambit halfway through the second as I skipped to his left instead of his right and just about kept the ball in, then I prodded it into the box. No prizes for guessing who was there with the other winner at the far post - and, of course, we secured the title in the final game. You'd honestly expect us to have more like it in my time, but sadly no."

Martin finally cites Saint Eleanor's 2-1 win over the Ochre Islands at the 76th Baptism of Fire, so far their only win in the knockout stages of a World Cup Committee tournament. "Yes, we opened the campaign against Rizealand and yes, I scored the equaliser but the records are so inexplicably dodgy that I'll have to chalk this one down as my finest hour in the team so far. The game began a bit slowly but we were well and truly out of the gates when we started working, although this time it was Evan Donald launching a cross more than worthy of a header to Aidan Harris for the first goal - a combination you'd never see these days. Right before half time was the hammer blow: I'll admit I have a responsibility of sorts for tracking back and defending, but I just didn't do it, Phil[ip] Lambert outpaced me a bit and surprised everyone on the team, then a low cross-field pass and a half later there comes Bradley Watkins with the equaliser. Once again, it felt like we were just playing for extra time for most of the second half; I tried my best to keep Lambert at bay and I'd say I kept him quiet for the second half. The strongest sense of that feeling I got came after about sixty-three or sixty-four minutes, when instead of going right I just confused him by drifting well infield; I lost the ball once but got it back even to my surprise, then put it into the net from outside the box and felt I could have had a couple of other chances after that which didn't really come off. Not that it matters; we won, of course. If that isn't a worthy way to introduce yourself to the international stage, I couldn't possibly tell you what is - other than holding the trophy aloft, of course. Like our quarterfinal opponents did."

Like Dekamela weMexala a few days ago, Martin also comes into this interview with a recent goal under her belt, having doubled the White Stars' advantage against Indusse - to add to her early consolation against the Anaians in orange, in what turned out to be Jody Dontell's last victory as manager. "Are we talking about the hair sheep again? We're keeping apace of the rest, of course, but I think Dontell being removed was a bit harsh, so to speak, even though we are talking about a team that qualified for the World Cup last time; best of luck to [Richard] Valens with trying to turn the ship around. Otherwise, Indusse aren't the best team but they always seem to be lurking around the corner, trying to get you when you're not looking, and they've done a pretty good job at that. My goal was pretty fast, relatively, and it caught them off the mark instead, I was definitely drifting about in space hoping for a good chance and there it nestled for me to take it straight on." She describes the summer's remaining qualifiers, at home to top seeds Kandorith and South Newlandia, as "challenging games against top opposition - I should know, I played against a couple of the Kandorese earlier this season - which will definitely prove to be a test of our mettle as a collective."

The White Stars dressing room often hasn't felt very united, however, with controversies over Priscilla Evans having dominated the team camp last year - to the extent that she was even threatened with contract termination by centreback Paul Ferry after he threatened to report him pulling the manager to the ground after being dropped from a World Cup qualifiers. "I mean... what the actual fuck? Is there anything that people aren't giving me crap about? They don't like how I have opinions, they don't like how I cut my hair short - for some strange reason - they don't like how I try my best to get civil rights on the radar and they most certainly don't like any of the more or less trivial things about me. Sword and Shield has really deteriorated as a team the past couple of years; not a good luck for all the Uni College prospects: people are fighting over who gets what, I've been thrown into the lockers for supposedly being too shouty - I don't need to name names here - it's just a hostile environment over there and we've gotten into the press for all the worst reasons since Independence in 1992." Does her next grand campaign plan to take her anywhere near the field, as some of her previous calls to action have? "Abraham Straw is not a good manager. He's tried his best to diffuse the situation, which is more than can be said of most managers, and he's kept the old tactical system in place, but it's unfortunate that he can't get us into order off the pitch. A bit like the Good Hope Club and Athletic, we need to do more at blooding the youth in, although I'm proud to say we've got a couple of good generations coming our way."

Martin is 28, both in her prime and still developing as a footballer, but that is far from a bad thing (never mind an oxymoron). At her very best taking the ball places - short passes, high crosses, astonishingly well-placed shots, clean setpieces, you name it - and, after Liam West and Harriet Williams, is surely the most competent leader in the national team, she is not afraid to voice her opinion about most affairs, too, having successfully pushed for changes in spheres that affect the whole of Eleanorian life. Some even say she, along with George Mitcham, are the only people keeping Evans in post in the first place - "not right now, however, we're feeling good again and ready to take on whatever's coming next."

by **Astograth** » Wed May 18, 2022 4:33 pm

The podcast host – the man one, Artizar couldn’t remember his name – twirled his pen until it pointed at Artizar, then shot him with a question. “So… how’s the Castle coming along?”

Artizar beamed. He loved this topic. “The Castle! Brilliant, actually. So, as you knoooow, I’m innovating in the field of Hype Houses, so we’re actually renovating the whole thing into the top Hype House in Astograth. A Hype Castle, if you will. We’re throwing out all the old shit – sorry, stuff – that’s gunking up the place and we’re getting all the best content creators from the country to really elevate their level and pump out the very best, top content, that people are craving.”

The host nodded and broke out a quick smile. “That’s great! That’s great. But I meant Bizkarra Castle, how’s the season going?”

Ah, shit. That Castle. As Duke of Bizkarra, His Grace Artizar Algarana was technically their patron. He’d done a few collabs with them, but damned if he knew anything about how they were doing. Being honest, Bizkarra was a shit town that he avoided as much as possible. It hardly compared to his soon-to-be Hype Castle outside Rumiatzi.

“Well, you know, Igo-”

“Ibon.”

“Ibon, sorry. You know, we’re taking things one match at a time. Taking things as we go. This is a great group of lads with their heads on right and we just don’t want to get ahead of ourselves with regards to the season.”

“You don’t think promotion’s off the table?”

Artizar flashed a smile. “Promotion is never off the table.”

This seemed to satisfy the oaf. The other host, the woman, looked away from one of the massive monitors in front of her and spoke. “There’s half a season left to play, Ibon. Come on. Anything can happen. Anyway, Your Grace, we were wondering: how on earth did you actually did you get the call to Starblaydia’s 2000th match mega-celebration?”

“Oh, I didn’t. I mean, I did, from my agent. That’s how I got the call. I was in the Hype Pool, I think, shooting some content for the fans. The usual TukTuks, or maybe thirstposting, I don’t remember. But my agent called me, that’s how I got the call.”

“And, uh, how did your agent get you the gig?” asked the woman.

“She’s magic. Literally. Like, I don’t ask how, she just gets me stuff.”

“Wow. Do you have her name handy, you know, to rep her?”

“Oh yeah, yeah. Bichilore… Bichilore. I don’t remember her surname, but Bichilore. She rocks.”

The woman stifled a laugh, which came through on her mic.

“What?” asked Artizar, crooking his mouth into a half-smile.

“Nothing. It’s just… Bichilore. It means Daisy. It’s also the Astograthian version of M-”

An ear-splitting burst of mic feedback broke through the studio, forcing Artizar and the hosts into an extended cringe. Ibon cursed.

“That’s REALLY not supposed to happen! This is Daineri Starting FUCKING Goalkeeper, not your neighbourhood podcast!” he yelled at the producers behind the glass screen, as they scrambled at the controls and offered only pantomimed excuses. “Let’s take ten,” he said to his host and invitee.

by **Kamisato Ayaka Nation** » Wed May 18, 2022 4:42 pm

The feeling was back again. Ayaka felt a surge of power cascading through her entire being. This time, however, it felt like her strength had multiplied tenfold. It was a foreign feeling and she didn’t know how to describe it.

Whatever it was, Ayaka didn’t like it.

Her newfound strength felt akin to more burdens laden onto her. It was like back in Teyvat: she and her brother, shouldering the leadership of having to oversee one of the facets of Inazuma itself. This time, however, she was all alone, and her goal wasn’t something she was proud of. “Could this power be attributed to “Ayato”?” was a question she pondered regularly. Before, she thought it wasn’t too wild a suggestion, but it still felt a little unbelievable; now, she felt almost certain with her presumption. Where else could she obtain this power from? Who else could give it to her? There was only one person.

Still, Ayaka wasn’t sure whether this power was for the better or for the worse. She wasn’t sure how to wield it, let alone manipulate it. She would’ve asked “Ayato” but he didn’t seem to be in a great mood the past few weeks.

“What’s so important about this whole football thing…” Ayaka thought. There were many things she was eager to know the answer to in this world but that question definitely took the crown for the one she wanted to know the most. At first, football was a bit weird and foreign, but at the same time intriguing. However, as time passed, the flow of play felt a bit boring; it seemed systematic as if all her teammates were being programmed to do the same thing. Ayaka felt a tinge of suspicion against them but shook it off as merely pent-up negativity from being held captive.

Ayaka wanted to break out of the mold made for her, but it felt a bit risky. How would she even go upon doing something like that. All she knew was to kick some balls, move them around and shoot them. She would definitely have a hard time adapting to other positions considering “Ayato”’s hands-off approach to training the past few days. Just as she thought she reached a dead-end, Ayaka thought of a better idea.

—

Whatever Ayaka had planned and done, it was proving to be a huge success. Two straight victories was a huge testimony to that. Ayaka didn't like to admit it, but she was feeling quite proud of herself. Although she assisted more than she scored, consecutively winning twice was enough for her to feel contented then.

Still, she couldn't help but feel weird sometimes. Whenever she fell back into the midfield, there was a part of her that would always coax her to move back up the field. She didn't know whether it was instinctive, but it felt strange that she felt an urge that strong.

During training a few days after, "Ayato" decided to play another training match. As usual, he'd generate clones from scratch and have them battle it out, but this time Ayaka felt a bit uneasy. It was as if there was a scrutinising gaze especially on her, watching her every move intently. Though, when she turned to "Ayato" he seemed to be his normal self, just observing the match that was in front of his eyes.

When the match started, Ayaka realised that feeling of being pulled towards the offensive third was back, and stronger it was. She almost couldn't resist it, and she found herself hovering around the final third whenever she tried to drop back. It was as if she was being controlled and forced to do that. By whom she didn't know, but she had a very itching suspicion.

Turning her eyes onto "Ayato" his mouth had a slight glimpse of pride as if he was enjoying what was panning out before him. He didn't make it apparent, but he kept on gazing towards the attackers. That cemented her suspicion of him being behind all this. It wasn't all that crazy considering the things she knew he had done. Still, Ayaka was afraid of "Ayato". The sheer power he could hold in her own body was insane, and that spelled disaster for her.

by **Vilita** » Wed May 18, 2022 4:49 pm

The Fear Of Loss Is A Path To The Dark(mania) Side.

Grand Duke's Stadium, Rumiatzi, Astograth :: After a confidence boosting victory at the Rebel Training Grounds in the Old Tivali Jungle, Endur Rotropii was convinced that the Vilitan National Team could head out on the road and play with conviction, striking down their foes and harnessing the most of their abilities on the pitch. However, Rotropii had a warning for the Rebels. Don't fear losing. After conceding 9 goals in their first two matches of the World Cup 91 Qualifying campaign, it was understandable that Rotropii's bunch of inexperienced youngsters had a bit of a fear of suffering another heavy defeat. With nervy 1-0 victories over New Eestiland and Chartistan, the fear of losing had perhaps helped the Jungle Rebels get over the hump and secure the points they needed to get their campaign back on track. Ever the wise, the former National Team defender and current head of the Rebel Academy, Rotropii knew that the style of play was not sustainable. The Vilitan National Team was not going to upset the balance of the multiverse and defeat the Empire if they were always looking behind them in fear of losing. It would be hard enough to defeat the Holy Empire just looking in front of them and playing their own game, especially because some of the totally normal but really not normal at all players on the Holy Empire roster actually had three heads and could literally look in front of them and behind them at the same time. Since the Jungle Rebels did not have this physical adaptation, they would have to focus on what they did have. Skills. Talent. Training. ~~Midiclorians~~?... nope not those.

Rotropii's warning was well received by the team of Jungle Rebels. Heading to Astograth, a nation which the Vilitan National team had never lost to over five all time meetings in the World Cup Qualifying or Finals from World Cup 58 through World Cup Cycle 67, there was a little extra confidence to be shared around. Instead of playing to avoid defeat, the Jungle Rebels were playing to win. Facing the team in the castle for the first time in 24 cycles, these Jungle Rebels would not be held to the close scorelines that their predecessors had been held to in 3 previous wins and two draws against the Rushmori nation. Instead, the Jungle Rebels would score early, and then, later on, score often. Sure, Ukamai Talingri might have let in a couple of goals in the first half and the score might have been tied for nearly 45 minutes of play but the players did not forget Rotropii's message.

Or, if they did, they were reminded of it when the former Marine Coast United star was screaming from the touchline "Don't be afraid to lose!" "It's a trap!"- twice getting warned to stay off the field by the 4th official as they worried that the Jungle Rebels were falling into a trap of playing out the game with the intent to hang on to the point they had earned and avoid losing it, opposed to looking for a way to win the match on their own merits. If the players on the far side of the pitch couldn't hear Rotropii there was a solution for that as well. Substitutions. Back to Back to Back, Rotrtopii would send new players onto the pitch with marching orers. "Don't be afraid to lose. Just win!". First Lentali Purama came on for Narri Sebapilo. Then Takaara Milanzi in for Khrusan Mlianko. Finally Kunaro Tlikara joined their sibling on the pitch after replacing the youngster Letirpsi Vulitn.

Then, the Jungle Rebels scored. Then they scored again. Finally, they scored once more. While Khrusan Mlianko was cruelly denied the opportunity to complete a first career hat-trick, late goals from Fyin Miateal, Takaara Milanzi and Kunaro Tlikara were all the Jungle Rebels need to secure their first multi-goal victory of the campaign and a real injection of energy into their World Cup 91 Qualifying Campaign. The comfortable victory left the team in a celebratory mood for a pleasant trip back to Vilita where they would host Unpleasant on Matchday 7. The result would be anything but Unpleasant for the Vilitan National Team.

Much like they had done at Grand Duke's Stadium in Rumiatzi, the Jungle Rebels came out with their squadron in attack formation and put relentless pressure on the Unpleasant back line. Making a rare appearance for the team following the World Cup 90 debacle, Limu Katarakhna attempted to earn favor with the Rebel Academy Staff by opening the scoring 13 minutes into the match and setting a tone that the rest of the more inexperienced players in the lineup could follow. It was also the first time back in a capacity stadium at home for the Vilita National Team since their crushing defeat to Geektopia on matchday 2 of the campaign. However, to ease back into things, the Football Association of Vilita had the match moved to the remote Riailia Cliff Stadium on the far northern reaches of Turoki Island.

 Vilita 5 - 2 Astograth	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 17' Khrusan Mlianko:: 25' Khrusan Mlianko:: 73' Fyin Miateal:: 77' Takaara Milanzi:: 81' Kunaro Tlikara          
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 63%:: Shots: 8:: Corners: 9 :: Astograth :: Possession: 37%:: Shots: 4:: Corners: 5
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Ukamai Talingri, Narri Sebapilo (Lentali Purama 68'), Awukchu L’bakka, Mikaela Äijälä, Jakku’u Naboyavi, Fyin Miateal, Trezisi Rokopolis, Letirpsi Vulitn (Kunaro Tlikara 72'), Khrusan Mlianko (Takaara Milanzi 69'), Treasvo Tlikara, Diamoa Waviino

Riailia Cliffs Stadium, Riailia Village, Turoki Island, Vilita :: It was the first time that Riailia Cliffs Stadium had hosted a Vilitan National Team World Cup Qualifying Matchup. The only international play the stadium had ever seen before was during the 47th Under 21 World Cup, hosted in Vilita and Turori, when Group F match-ups contested between Sicoutimount, The Inevitable Syndicate, Bears Armed and Slembana were held at the stadium. Now, for the very first time, it was the Vilitan National Team traveling to the Cliffs of Riailia.

Just under 20,000 fans could squeeze into the Riailia Cliffs Stadium and many of them were quite unprepared for the interactions with the local fauna. As the Riailia Cliff Stadium was neither enclosed nor did it maintain continuity around the entire pitch, many of the local sea birds saw the stadium as a good nesting area. With little time to prepare for the arrival of the Vilitan National Team, all fans in attendance were given a "Grop Towel" - basically allowing them to wipe their seat off should they find excrement or other natural substances upon their chair when they got to their seat - or to wipe themselves off if they were dropped in upon from above during the match.

While the Rebel Academy players quickly adapted to the presence of the so-called 'Cliff Birds' - it at time became an Unpleasant experience for Unpleasant whose team bench was twice overrun by Grop Bird - the smaller of the two Jungle Teal, Orange and White bird species native to the Riailia area. While they didn't affect the players on the pitch too much it certainly had an impact on the Unpleasant coaching staff's ability to focus and provide orders to their team. Just over thirty minutes into the match, the Jungle Rebels had their second goal through youngster Injyua Klizlo.

Leading 2-0 at the half, Endur Rotropii and the team retreated to the locker room where they were followed by a small family of Grop who were looking to feast on the half-time catering. Never minding the Grop, Rotropii's speech indicated that the Jungle Rebels training was nearing its conclusion. If they could go out there and take care of the Unpleasant Team in the second half, they would be ready to walk the path and confront the Dark(mania) side on the following match day, continuing their path to an ultimate showdown with the Holy Empire.

Of course, it was no coincidence that Rotropii had made the decision to start the two Tlikara siblings as the forwards in this match on the Grop filled pitch on the Riailia Cliffs. Rejected by the previous management team because they had started their training at too old an age compared with the norm for a National Team Player, Rotropii saw something special in the Tlikara's and wanted to Force the rest of the nation to see it to. Building on the energy of solid play in the first half, Treasvo Tlikara - the "one in a million' shot hero of New Eestiball was called into action and once again given the opportunity to convert for the Jungle Rebels. Tlikara would not disappoint, going on a solo journey seemingly traversing space and time to fight through the Unpleasantries and deliver the ball effortlessly into the back of the net.

After the match, Rotropii and Tlikara would be available for questions. Knowing that the Tlikara siblings had been passed over for many cycles by the two previous National Team coaching staffs, Rotropii was asked what they had seen in Treasvo Tlikara - that warranted inviting the 22 year old to the Rebel Academy with a bunch of teenagers. "It's quote simple really" Rotropii motioned toward Treasvo Tlikara - "The Force is Strong with this one!" Rotropii quipped, referencing the popular Tivaliwood Films series Cove Wars. "And his Sibling!"

After the press conference, the Jungle Rebels headed back to their base to prepare to take on the Dark(mania) side.

 Vilita 3 - 0 Unpleasant	
	Vilita Goals:	:: 13' Limu Katarakhna:: 33' Injyua Klizlo:: 72' Treasvo Tlikara            
	Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 52%:: Shots: 8:: Corners: 14 :: Unpleasant :: Possession: 48%:: Shots: 3:: Corners: 2
	Vilita Lineup :: 	Ukamai Talingri, Injyua Klizlo, Kamarela Dzzara (Fyin Miateal 35'), Narri Sebapilo (Letirpsi Vulitn 45'), Sami Samii’i, Jakku’u Naboyavi, Trezisi Rokopolis (Lentali Purama 61'), Riku Kasslin, Limu Katarakhna, Kunaro Tlikara, Treasvo Tlikara

by **Ceni** » Wed May 18, 2022 4:54 pm

Wibbly Wobbly, Timey Wimey

Chapter 5: Katherion's Hights
an archaic word meaning efforts

One by one, the passengers on AT7093 trooped into Dr. Anya Katherion's office on the Pinnacle Project grounds in New Oxford, looking like a red tide algal bloom in their dark red-and-gold tracksuits. Avi Renning thought the office looked modern, perhaps even too modern with its curved lines, wide open windows, and largely silver palette. "Of course it's too modern," Renning grumbled to himself. "I've been treated to a 22-year shift in architectural styles without having time to get used to them."

Gradually, everybody filed into the office, and a receptionist directed them to a group therapy room where several minimalist chairs in a transparent acrylic plastic already had butts in them. Avi nodded to the players his age -- Asher Koromin, Zane Kirchner, Marco Santa Oria -- and sat down silently. The players looked more like mind-controlled zombies than willing participants in this endeavor, and Avi thought that mind control chips would not have looked out of place in that office along with all the modernist technology.

A door beeped. Avi looked towards the beeping and saw a female figure in a lab coat striding into the room. Great, he thought. The shrink's here.

"If you don't already know me, my name is Dr. Anya Katherion, and I'm the team psychologist," said the woman. Avi rolled his eyes. He knew that they had met decades before, and in fact, it surprised him that Katherion was still alive and kicking all those years later. Maybe it made sense for her to reintroduce herself: after all, the age difference between them had pretty much just doubled!

"I've been told that, um, well, you guys have experienced some time dilation," Katherion continued. "And I'm here to help you process this. Let's open up our minds and share our experiences."

Avi groaned internally.

***

Jaina Ende-Dogor's high heels clip-clopped on the white marble tile that decorated The Semicircle's floors. She reached the building's rotunda and looked out into the distance: the sun reflected off Lake Cenial's waters and right through her eyes, momentarily blinding her.

After she regained her sight, Jaina looked at her phone to confirm her destination: a nondescript room in The Semicircle's third below-ground level. While she had wanted to take her concerns about the portal's malfunction-slash-bad play to the Cenian Parliament itself and the semicircular chamber that gave the building its name, the bureaucratic forces that were directed her to another entity: the Interplanetary Commission on Portal Operation (ICPO). Yes, they really did pronounce the acronym instead of saying out the letters: it was ick-poh instead of the eye-cee-pee-oh. "Ick," Jaina thought to herself, and found an elevator heading downward.

She had a simple game plan: present her data to the commission and call for the portal to be shut down. If it was an innocent malfunction in the portal, then she would find that out rather quickly, but hopefully save a future plane from meeting AT7093's fate. And if it was foul play, well, she didn't want to give the perpetrator a chance to strike again.

But she felt confident that foul play was not in play here. Of course, she did smell a cover-up, so she would have to deal with that in the upcoming session. But she figured that somebody probably made a mistake in operating a highly complex and temperamental operation, and ICPO administrators merely wanted to cover up that incompetence. She could understand that.

The elevator dinged and Jaina ventured out into a rather sterile-looking hallway, perhaps over-exposed with bright lines lining the cinder blocks at compressed intervals. She reached the hallway's end and turned to face a giant black door that looked like marquina stone from Drawkland: dark, ominous, and imposing.

Two men with gray jumpsuits with jet black boots and the ICPO logo stenciled on the torso suddenly appeared from nowhere to open the door for her. She closed her eyes, held her breath, and stepped in.

"Wish me luck," she told the two jumpsuits.

They didn't respond, and merely closed the door behind her.

"Well?" said a Drawkian at the head of the table.

"My name is Jaina Ende-Dogor, and I've been investigating the disappearance of AT7093," she said. "Here's what I've found."

***

Avi could smell the sweat and the testosterone as the session with Dr. Katherion dragged on.

After about the first thirty minutes, he had started to zone out. After those thirty minutes, he had gotten the picture: uncertainty this, uncertainty that, navigating a new world without any reference points, et cetera. Katherion's lips kept moving, but Avi didn't actually hear any sounds coming out of them.

He kept looking at Zane, who sat to his right. Zane looked mighty fine as a cowboy, he thought, with a ten-gallon hat crowning his head, a plaid button-down shirt, the boots, oh, the boots... [OOC note: refers to this RP here.]

Avi suddenly heard Katherion calling his name. "And on this present subject, Avi," Katherion said, seemingly initiating an attack in a verbal fencing match, "what do you feel? How are you feeling inside?'

Of course, Avi didn't have the faintest idea about the current topic, so he tried to parry the question as best he could. "Uh, well, Dr. Katherion," he meekly ventured, "I'm just glad to be with my teammates, you know, since we can find community among ourselves. We don't have to do this alone."

Katherion smiled at him, seemingly letting the parry go by without a riposte. "Good," she said. "I'm glad you've found strengths in these trying times."

"Indeed, I have," Avi said, his eyes glazing back over again. "Indeed, I have."

***

Jaina breathed a sigh of relief as the gavel of ICPO's parliamentarian banged down. "This measure is hereby passed," the parliamentarian intoned. "By order of the Interplanetary Commission on Portal Operation, we hereby CLOSE the portal to further traffic while we await the results of the investigation by Dr. Ende-Dogor."

The head Drawkian had stared her down for the better portion of the hearing, and some of the Cenians had seemingly given her the third degree as well. And the ominous security guys seemed like they would sprout gas masks at any time, flood the room with some airborne neurotoxin, and get the fuck out. At the end of the day, though, at least ICPO had voted in favor of her proposed solution, despite all the adrenaline flooding through her system.

And that was something worth celebrating as she continued her investigation.

by **Cabo Azure** » Wed May 18, 2022 4:55 pm

Renegade, Act II, pt 1
“Since I’m in a position
To talk to these kids and they listen
I ain’t no politician, but I’ll kick it with them a minute
Because, see, they call me a menace
And if the shoe fits, I’ll wear it
But if it don’t, then y’all will swallow the truth
Grin and bear it.”
-Eminem, “Renegade”

For all that it plays at being a modern Rushmori metropolis, Sao Simone, capital of Cabo Azure, has public transit that is notoriously crowded, unreliable, and leaves large portions of the city unserved. Parking and traffic are twin nightmares for those fortunate enough to afford a car, but when Princess Alexandra found herself needing to go downtown late one weekday morning, she had no choice but to take her Magnus MS coupe. She’d ridden in a similar car as a gangly teenager in Quebec and been awe-struck by it; now she cursed its navigation system as she weaved her way through narrow streets, looking for an address.

The street was the type that looks better at night, when the neon signs are bright enough to wash out the trash and grime that stains the sidewalks. Now, in the early spring, the breeze rustled litter in the alleyways and gutters and whipped up little whirlwinds of flyers, each of which depicted a nude woman, her nipples covered by stars. The Catspaw Lounge didn’t exactly stand out from its neighbors; Alex had to check the address twice and spend a minute searching before she found its name, scrawled graffiti-style above the door between unlit neon signs advertising “girls” on one side and “garotas” on the other.

Inside, though, the place was surprisingly clean and smelled faintly of bleach. A young woman worked a mop furiously back and forth in between two of the round tables that abutted the catwalk. Alex approached, but the young woman didn't seem to notice.

“Excuse me,” Alex said, quiet at first, then repeated it louder. On the third repetition, the girl looked up, her bright blue eyes meeting Alex’s. Even dressed for work she was startlingly pretty, platinum blond ringlets tied back in a bun and wearing a t-shirt that left a section of her impossibly thin waist exposed above high-rise leggings. A thought intruded into Alex's conscience, unwanted: she must be stunning on stage.

“Can I help you?” the woman asked, her Portuguese fluent, but accented.

“I’m looking for Blanca,” Alex told her, trying to signal honesty through eye contact and square posture. She wasn’t sure it was working.

“That hallway,” the woman said, pointing. “Go past the bathrooms. Last door on your left.”

Alex thanked the woman, feeling somehow that it was inadequate but unsure what else she could do. Tip her? Tell her she was beautiful? Sit with her awhile? All the above seemed ridiculous, and she hustled across the floor in the direction the woman had pointed.

The hallway to Blanca’s office was bedecked in images that would have been pornographic in other contexts. In one, a woman knelt on the edge of the stage in a barely-there thong. In another, a different woman had her legs wrapped around a man’s waist as he stood, head planted between her bared breasts, hands resting limp at his sides. Blanca’s door was plain particle board with just a sign to indicate its purpose: “Manager.” Alex knocked.

“Come in,” came the voice, casual but confident.

The office was bare, just a cheap desk and chair with a plain laptop and monitor. The woman on the other side of the desk wore a plain but well-fitting pantsuit and stylishly oversized glasses. She was Alex's age, Alex guessed, or a few years older.

"Princess Alex," the woman said evenly, standing from her desk. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Alex had heard Blanca was a foreigner, but hearing her Terranean accent, coupled with her nonchalance about a royal showing up at her place of business, made up Alex's mind that she was likely Nepharim. That would go a long way to explaining how she was able to move large quantities of the merchandise Alex was interested in.

"I want to talk business," Alex said, trying to inject as much royal arrogance into her voice as she could. "Yours specifically."

The woman seemed nonplussed, but she kept her cool. "You don't strike me as the type, but I'm sure I can arrange something."

That caught Alex off guard; she'd been expecting a protracted negotiation. Had someone tipped Blanca off?

"Seriously?" Alex asked, forgetting herself a moment.

"Of course," Blanca assured her. "A customer is a customer, no matter their day job. We don't judge around here. To start with, why don't you tell me what you think of Angie out there cleaning, and we'll go from there."

Angie-that must be the name of the beautiful girl working on the club floor. What did she have to do with why Alex was here? It hit Alex in a flash, and she flushed with embarrassment.

"Not that business," she growled, noting that Blanca looked slightly crestfallen. "Your other business. I know you supply half the women in Sao Simone with their birth control pills. I want in."

by **Graintfjall** » Wed May 18, 2022 5:00 pm

RP cutoff

Collectively across the first 5 MDs (first ten games), Turori and I graded over 380 RPs.

Out of those, collectively, the mean RP earned ~65% of the max RP bonus.
The median RP bonus was 67.5% of the max available.
The STDEV across the five days was ~21%.
Over 75% of RPs earned at least 50% of the max RP bonus available.
About 20% of the RPs earned at least 90% of the max RP bonus available.
A little over 5% of RPs earned 100% of the max RP bonus available.

We will now be switching over and Farfadillis and Zwangzug taking on scorinating. For my groups (8-15) Zwangzug's cutoff time will be 1-3AM UTC (a couple of hours later than my cutoffs were). So the next RP window is about 50 hours for you.

Some headlines from the White Winter Queendom, please try to contain your grief that these are the last such

Græntfjall steps up trafficking enforcement on Kitaran border.
Terror police track fugitive to Mlima Kijani, demand rendition.
Prime Minister floats idea of tax rebate amid budget surplus debate.
Rail bill looms as Finance Ministry tries to control spiralling transportation costs.
Græntfjall's census mulls including gender-neutral option.

Results

by **Wreckeria** » Wed May 18, 2022 5:25 pm

From: “The Tales of a Dead Country – The Story of Wreckeria’s World Cup 91 Campaign” by Gord Radcliff

7: The greatest high and the lowest low

“Wreckeria 1-0 Turori”

For the entire week leading up to the Turori match, experts pretty much predicted that Turori would wipe the floor with the Wreckerians. And that was a reasonable prediction. After all, Turori, not long before, had won the World Cup and had come into this year’s even as the number two nation in the multiverse. So it was fully within the realm of possibility that the fans coming into Unification Stadium that night were going to be subject to a Turorian beatdown of the Wreckerians. In fact, everyone in the press box that night were expecting the worst.

So imagine everyone’s surprise when that didn’t happen. Imagine the surprise of the people in the press box when the Wreckerians didn’t get beaten down, but could actually hang with mighty Turori. Imagine the surprise of the fans at Unification Stadium when the Wreckerians realized they could handle themselves just fine against the mighty Turori Eels.

As the minutes ticked by, the nerves started building. 10 minutes. Mike Power with the Hapilopper City Herald looks at me and shakes his head. I look back and ask him what it is, and he says “this can’t last.”

20 minutes. 30 minutes. Chris Peterson, sitting a row ahead of me in the press room starts muttering that “They’re playing with us! For god’s sake, someone put something in!” And as I looked beyond the stadium to see some black smoke off to the horizon, it seemed like something huge was about to get going.

Minute 39. Sig Justice is making some moves on the pitch that has gotten the attention of the fans in Unification Stadium. He’s making his way to goal. One can almost see the gears turning in his head as he works his way towards Turorian goalkeeper Derizi Amatopa. One could see him sucker Karek Edgeli into his coverage and away from David Marlin, who realized that, if Sig could give him the ball, he could make the most of it.

I don’t know how soccer players think. At least, not yet. I don’t know how they read a play, how they read a situation on the pitch, how they read a goal-scoring opportunity. But David Marlin saw something and so did Sig Justice. As far as I know, they didn’t even need to say anything or shout anything to each other. They could communicate by reading the play.

Sig passed it to David, and David fired it past Amatopa. The result was pure, sheer ecstasy both in the stands at Unification Stadium, and shock in the press box.

Now, usually, in the press box, there is a standing rule that goes across all sports. That rule is “No Cheering in the Press Box.” This is, typically, an easy rule to follow. I’ve been in the press room at NSSCRA races and the room was deathly quiet, as reporters, photographers and PR representatives alike are working on their own jobs or studying what was going on in the race. No cheering, except when a driver got out unhurt from a vicious accident.

That rule felt like it got messed with a bit as the Wreckerian and Hapiloppian reporters on site shouted and yelped with shock that Wreckeria, the team representing a country that didn’t exist anymore, they had actually put one up on Turori – the number two-ranked team in all the multiverse. Even as the minutes ticked by, the shock was very difficult to wear off – Wreckeria was actually leading Turori, a side that just two years ago, had won the World Cup, an enormously popular victory amongst those in Hapilopper and Wreckeria given the unfortunate situation in regional politics at the time. But that’s another story for another time.

For the remainder of the match, there was a sense of doom ahead for the Wreckerians – after all, it wasn’t as if they were leading some random side, they were leading Turori. Mike Power leans over to me and says quietly to not get excited.

“Turori’s probably going to score three in the second half and it’ll be 3-1 like most reasonable people predicted,” Mike says. “At least it’s not a 7-1 beatdown like some were fearing.”

But that didn’t happen. Neither of those two scenarios.

While Wreckeria was stymied in their efforts to put a second goal into the back of the net, they were doing just a good job of keeping Turori from getting one past themselves. They were pulling off an unbelievable effort of keeping the Turorians from doing what everyone expected them to do. And in the press box, everything got quiet again.

50 minutes. 60 minutes. 70 minutes. 80 minutes. The tension in the press box was unbelievable. So too was the tension in the stands, as the noise from the 66,000 plus on hand built and built as the minutes ticked by, roaring with delight as John Marlowe made a number of saves to keep Turori out of the net.

85 minutes in. Mike Power looks over at me and at other members of the media. “Holy shit, y’all, you wouldn’t think… no way!”

No way. Wreckeria beating Turori? What a ridiculous concept. One of the best teams in the multiverse falling to a dead country? Be reasonable, Wreckeria doesn’t have a hope in hell, do they?

90 minutes in. Four minutes of additional time added. Add two minutes to that because a couple of dingbats rushed onto the pitch when the time hit “90:00” and the match wasn’t over. Thankfully, it looked like the Wreckerian security guards understood and told them to stand back on the sideline, wait for the match to end. Wait for the referee to blow the final whistle. Then go wild.

Those six minutes felt like sixty. Plenty of time for Turori to score an equalizer and one more. And it was there that I realized that this Wreckeria team was going to go places. Lesser teams would have folded. Lesser teams would have failed. Wreckeria is not a lesser team. At least, not anymore. At least, I hope not anymore. Wreckeria kept the fight to Turori, refusing to back down. They had gone to war for 90 minutes, what was another six going to do?

And eventually, the final whistle blew. Those two dingbats that rushed the pitch were joined by thousands of lunatic Wreckerians and Hapiloppians who were absolutely over the moon that, yes, Wreckeria had beaten Turori. It was, without question, the absolutely finest moment that Wreckerian football had ever had. And as I went down to the locker room to speak to some of Wreckeria’s players, it seemed like it should have been a moment of pure ecstasy.

But when I saw Marvin Byrnes in the locker room, all was not well.

“It’s gone. All of it.”

Marvin looked white as a ghost when I got to him in the locker room. Something had gone horribly wrong during the match just a few blocks away, and he had just been informed of it. When he saw me, he slowly shook his head, either to say “please, I don’t want to talk” or something much different. It didn’t make sense to me so I walked over to him to ask. That black smoke I had seen before the Marlin goal, it turned out, was a fire.

The small office building that housed the Independent Wreckerian Athletes on the fifth floor had caught fire. I later found out that a wiring fault in the office had set the building on fire just as Marvin had feared would happen. The old building, which was rickety and felt like it wanted to fall apart at any second, went up in minutes.

And as David Marlin fired the ball past Derizi Amatopa, the offices of the Independent Wreckerian Athletes was burning to the ground.

“It’s gone,” Marvin tells me. “All of it. Apparently it went up in like five minutes, but I’ve lost all of my stuff. So I don’t know what we’re going to do for the second half, you know? I don’t know what we’re going to do against Flavovespia. I just don’t know.”

Marvin locked himself in his office with me as he watched the rest of the team celebrate their greatest victory.

“When we started out, it was, what, eight, nine years ago?” Marvin started. “We weren’t sure what we were going to be able to do. That was the best place we could get at the time. It was a dump, yeah, it was ratty as hell, but it was our office. The roots of this, tonight, us beating Turori, started in that office. I’m going to miss that place.”

Marvin sat there for a long time as the media interviewed Wreckerian players, and as Sig Justice passed out the first of “Sig’s Stars” to his teammates. He was afraid to go over there and see the damage, the devastation that he was sure to have been there where his office used to be.

“I’m sure I’ll get a nicer place, one where I’m not worried about something sparking and burning, but damn it, that place, that’s where it all got started,” Marvin muttered. “Shit. I wonder how it started.”

The next morning, when we got to the offices, our worst fears were realized – there was nothing salvageable. The office had truly burned to the ground, and Marvin had nowhere to go. Having taken sympathy for him, the administrators at Unification Stadium put the Independent Wreckerian Athletes in a luxury box in the stadium, where Marvin could truly do work without having to worry about the coffee maker or the sentient refrigerator causing a fire.

But it was going to take some getting used to.

by **Eura** » Wed May 18, 2022 5:32 pm

WORLD CUP 91 QUALIFYING – GROUP 8 MATCHDAY 9
Arjunnagar 2–3 Eura
Scorers:
Sharp 7, Stewart 20, Byrd 47
Lineup:
30. M Key
21. T Coffey
19. A Coles
27. J Byrd
25. Q Phillips
23. E Reeve
28. G Stewart (sub Vincent 72)
29. F Brown
20. R Marshall (sub James 62)
17. A Sharp
26. T Vivier (sub Singh 57)

WORLD CUP 91 QUALIFYING – GROUP 8 MATCHDAY 10
Bye day

Some blog on a dark, conspiracy-laden and factually questionable corner of the internet

Let it be known here and now – God is real, and so is the Devil. And where can you find this Devil?
In the heart of one country.
Eura!
We’ve all known this for some time. But have any of us had the bravery to confront it and admit the truth? No. Read and listen, and listen well.

The Euran Devil lays waste to the world and raises its flag over the wreckage.
In every corner of our part of the multiverse, the Euran government leaves a trail of destruction in its wake.
In Mytanija, the Eurans came bearing the “gift” of democracy and freedom from fascism. They delivered it at the end of a gun. Remember Trunca. Remember the bodies of charred, melted Mytanars, soldiers and civilians indistinguishable from one another, plugging up the bay after the Eurans bombed it into submission. And then when the time came to leave, they dragged their feet. The Euran Devil and its helicopters roamed the landscape for years, hunting and putting down Mytanars of the wrong faction or group like dogs.
In Mertagne, in came the Eurans on their flying chariots, blowing away the Corvidae and replacing them as quickly as they could. Calanian communities and survivors were swept aside by the Euran menace, not immediately, but with a brutal and slow subtlety. They changed place names, sent in “expatriates” and “settlers”, and waited for those who remember who really owned that land to leave or die. And when the Corvidae saw the danger and tried to resist, they just bombed, bombed and bombed some more.
In Sameba, the Eurans defended themselves by cremating the babies of Sameba with a carpet of bombs and shells in years of sieges of cities. Those Samebans who dared resist were driven into the woods, smoked out by a creeping flood of napalm, and vanished one by one by “counterterrorist” operations.
And these are just some of the places that the Euran Devil satiates its thirst for blood.

The Euran Devil owns you.
Not just in Mertagne or Mytanija or Sameba, where the saviours quickly decide they need to call the shots after blowing your house down. Even where you think you have your own sovereign future – a flag, a currency, a vote – the silent hand of the Euran menace is just a handshake away.
The Common Rushmori Community reaches its hands out to the nations of Rushmore, but those hands are guided by Bastion’s blood-soaked wallet. If they can’t block something in a vote, they’ll come for you another way. The so-called collectivism of this false union is a stealth route for Euran domination.
Maybe the other multilateral organisations can help you – except they all report to Bastion, from the Rushmore Press Association to the system of charities and NGOs who all just happen to reside in Directus or Brigham.
The workers of the world have no resources that aren’t being looted by the Eurans to feed their bloated populace. Take the Brenecian miners, for example, who bleed and sweat to extract the fruit of the earth for heartless Euran corporations, whose greed knows no bounds. They get what they want, then throw the workers out to pasture. No money. No rights. No phone call when they are mysteriously replaced by contractors from, well, you can guess where. They don’t care who they hurt. And when you do hurt – when the illnesses their mines, shipyards and refineries extract from their workers start to slowly kill you and your loved ones – who do you rely on to save you? EurChem – gold and blue branded pharmaceuticals. The Health Alliance – Euran overseas healthcare providers. The Harther Corporation – Euran ownership of whatever else you need to survive the numerous methods the bastards use to keep you down.
What if you try to break free? There is no breaking free. Because from west to east, north to south, a chain of Euran force lies in wait to stop you. Nyowani Kitara breaks its chains and struggles for freedom, but the price is a Euran naval base on the Xandrian to keep an eye on you, and aid on a tap easily turned off in the form of the Euran Ian Smith Fund. The remnants of Whittoria, devastated by a meteorological catastrophe and the Corvidae War, woke up in a Euran refugee camp to realise their fishing grounds hosted aircraft carriers and submarines. And those Brenecian workers might think that, if they ask nicely, the Eurans will leave. But what are they going to do when the guns of Fiana Cove turn on them in response?

The Euran Devil does all this and makes you grateful for it – and fearful of what will happen when you finally say “enough”.
There is nothing more Euran than institutional and nationalist self-congratulation.
”We liberated Sameba! You’re welcome, world!”
“We fixed Nyowani Kitara, Mareibat, Mytanija, South Covello and everywhere else that needs it! You’re welcome, world!”
“We give you our money, our news, our football, our political system and our language. You’re welcome, world!”
And when you ask them if they could stop “giving”? God help you, because what comes next is the real storm, and even then the Eurans justify themselves to the very end.
Ask Electrum, Eura’s neighbour who watched helplessly as Euran “ethnic minorities” rioted and intimidated their northernmost settlements until they were handed over, with the Euran government swooping in to pretend it was solving a conflict rather than manufacturing it.
Ask Valladares, whose citizens were scattered over the Ituyan range by a Euran missile. The Eurans butchered them as collateral of their own internal fracas, lied about it, then turned around and told the Valladars to be grateful it didn’t get any worse when their lies could no longer hold. At least they didn’t nuke them as well, right?
Ask Eura’s “allies” who supposedly benefit from the falcon’s clutches holding them tight. The Nepharans bled for Eura in Sameba, but largely had to regain Iskandervale and Pravenna by themselves, and when they needed the Eurans to help them in their quest in Nyowani Kitara, what did Bastion do? Told them to handle it, and then cut in to take the credit later on.
Every election in Eura is a fraud. They return governments – usually the same governments – and each one of them, no matter what party or leader, subscribes to the belief of Euran exceptionalism. And if the world pushes back hard enough, they threaten us with consequences. Call it what you want – the latest iteration is the so-called “Unionist Party” – whatever cloak it wears, the consequence is the threat of millions of Euran troops seeping into its neighbours. A greater Eura to swallow the world. Their war cry?
Try and stop us.

This article was liked by ketamine_weasel and 45,535 others

by **Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom** » Wed May 18, 2022 5:46 pm

RekanSport
Breaking; Schwartzhammer granted release
By Šojka Tomičić

After months of tension, Fen Schwartzhammer walked away from fixtures with Aleiusia Capital. The club, not wanting to prolong the situation with their former player, granted him a release before their final domestic fixture of the year.

Aleiusia's top scorer for multiple seasons in a row, Schwartzhammer's months ago entered into a pay dispute after the Campionato Esportivano di Campeones finished with a victory for all parties. As reported by RekanSport weeks ago, Fenstermacher Schwartzhammer was dissatisfied with attempts by Capital to restructure contracts. In addition, other clubs grew interested in the Federal Football League's top scorer. Schwartzhammer was available for Aleiusia Capital's penultimate league game. The match had implications for the Champions League race, but Schwartzhammer did not play. Fen also did not show up for the matchup, which caused Brenecian Brighton Mattheus to start instead. Schwartzhammer also did not show up for the final league fixture.

“Fen screwed us.”
Vikentije Marić; Aleiusia Capital President, Majority Shareholder, CEO

The decision to try and let Schwartzhammer back into the fold was puzzling, but explained “We were giving him a chance,” head coach Jowan Stanimirić said of Schwartzhammer after the match, “This matter is not something us tacticians control. We want Fen here, and we were willing to let him come back.” In the past few weeks the nation has been divided on the walkout. A RekanSport poll in a prior article showed a majority of RekanSport readers supported the player. Capital as an organization have attempted to control the damage. Capital's President and CEO Vikentije Marić made an appearance on TV-4's nightly news to defend his business interests. “As far as I'm concerned,” Marić said, “Fen screwed us.”

Schwartzhammer has remained silent in the matter, though an official statement read that Fen was “Available for all National Team fixtures.” The forward was not in action for the National Team against Bendicion which ended with five goals for Zeta Reka's stars. The national team, through an anonymous insider, informed RekanSport, “Fen Schwartzhammer was not selected for the side from the onset. No roster moves were made in regards to his club duties, and he will start as a Mantis.”

The unattached superstar is expected to start against The Sarian, whom the Rekans must beat to stand a chance of catching the highest ranked third seed in the country.

RekanSport Top 6:
World Cup 91; 5-2 Win, Rawic Responsible Special Free Article
Breaking; Schwartzhammer granted release Special Free Article
Olympic Runner Hospitalized After Stroke
Council Of Fitness Chairman Resigns Over Infidelity
Platinastigrade Undergoing Staff Change?
Ice Hockey League Debuts in Two Years, Chairman, “Optimistic”
Free Articles remaining this month: 5

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by **Oberour Ar Moro** » Wed May 18, 2022 6:04 pm

Author's note: For the purposes of this RP it is important to know that "Oberour Ar Moro" can refer, and in this RP does refer, to the government of their nation. The nation's full name, the "Dominion of Obeorur Ar Moro", literally means the religious-military organization officially known as Oberour Ar Moro's Dominion or governed territory.

Charles d'Aaci did not like this. He did not like how Capitaine Gueignart's eyes were notably wider when he walked up. He did not like how Gueignart muttered sotto voce about how Charles needed to follow him. He did not like how any gendarme he passed seemed to be deliberately averting their gaze as he walked. He did not like how the Capitaine personally escorted Charles past the offices and meeting rooms to an interrogation room, and waited until Charles entered.

Waiting in the room at the table was a man in a dark suit reading some papers. And not just any dark suit. A dark gray suit jacket and pants. Gold stitching on shaw lapels, gold button holes. As Charles walked in the man stood up and buttoned his jacket, and d'Aaci thought he saw a flash of dark red lining.

The man in the suit was not just from Oberour Ar Moro, but of Oberour Ar Moro through and through. And he had come south from Regium to speak with him personally?

The door clicked shut behind him. It was just Charles and this man. There was no where to go.

"Please sit down, Monsieur," the man said, gesturing to the empty seat on, as Charles noted, the side of the table where the accused sat. Charles walked slowly, taking a wide berth, before taking the seat.

The man had a ribbon bar on his lapel that Charles didn't recognize. Every member of Oberour Ar Moro, while in official dress, wore a ribbon bar for the highest award they had earned. A quick way for a member of Oberour Ar Moro to do some official phallometrics. d'Arci didn't qualify for the Oberour Ar Moro dress suit, but he could wear a Commendation Bar on his Gendarmerie uniform.

The man continued to stand, reaching into his suit jacket. Charles had a brief vision of the man pulling out a pistol, but he just pulled out a wallet. The man flipped it open and pulled out a business card, then sat it on the table and sliding it towards him.

Charles slowly reached out and slid it towards him, before picking it up.

Roland de Blanchefort
Knight, Order of Fidelity
Ministry of Intelligence

So that's what the ribbon bar was. Order of Fidelity meant elite. Knight, Order of Fidelity meant very elite.

And Ministry of Intelligence meant Charles was right to feel like he was in danger.

Charles put on a smile and asked "How can I help you Monsieur de Blanchefort?"

The man, de Blanchefort, continued standing and looked down at him. "I just have some questions, Sous-Lieutenant."

"On 9 December you met with Monsieur Lorete de Vry here at the Pelendava Gendarmerie Southern District. Is that the case?"

Obvious stupid question, so de Blanchefort was building to something.

"Yes." Charles knew how interrogations worked. He was going to answer the question asked, and nothing else.

de Blanchefort continued. "At that time Monsieur de Vry reported his co-worker, Monsieur Bénigne Cixous, as a possible missing person, is that correct?"

"Yes." This was going to annoy the Ministry of Intelligence man, but Charles didn't particularly care.

de Blanchefort's eyes had narrowed. "Have you begun to investigate the missing person case of Monsieur Cixous?"

"Yes." If this de Blanchefort could ask these questions he could read the reports Charles had written.

de Blanchefort closed his eyes briefly and sighed. "What steps and actions have you taken to investigate Cixous' reported disappearance?" he asked, obviously annoyed.

Charles attempted to be the model of professionalism. "People over the age of 18 obviously do not legally have to return to their home. Bénigne Cixous is neither elderly, nor a child under the age of 16. We are unsure if suffers from a mental or physical condition. There is no...direct evidence of a crime at this time. However, we have determined after investigating his apartment and work, and speaking with his landlord, neighbors, and multiple co-workers that he has not been heard or seen by them since 5 December. He had not told anyone about any trips or vacations, his home did not have any indications of him planning to leave anywhere. His wallet was still there, for example."

The Ministry of Information man walked closer and leaned over Charles, putting his hands on the table. "You have said we multiple times. However, I know that you are working this case on your own. Interviews without a second, filing reports digitally but not discussing your work with a supervisor. That violates Gendarmerie protocol."

"It is not a best practice under protocol, but it is permitted," Charles argued.

"So you admit you are not following 'best practice'," de Blanchefort pressed. "You also laid out why Bénigne Cixous is not a typical vulnerable population. Your action is closer to the investigation of a crime."

"I feel there is reason to proceed with a more comprehensive investigation," Charles allowed.

"Do you believe a crime has occurred?"

"It's possible, but what I believe-" Charles was cut off.

"What do you believe, Sous-Lieutenant?"

Charles sputtered. "I've investigated missing persons cases for seven years, I like to think I have a good sense-"

"A good sense isn't a reason!" de Blanchefort fulmined, pounding the table. "Neither is a feeling or a hunch or a niggling thought. What evidence? Do you believe a crime was committed?"

"I...uh..." Charles was left speechless. He very much did not want to make his true thoughts known to this man.

Roland de Blanchefort leaned back, breathed deeply, centered himself. He slid his hands down his jacket as he turned away, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles. "Leave Bénigne Cixous alone and move on to other things, Sous-Lieutenant."

Charles leaned back in his chair. Was he being let go?

de Blanchefort's voice softened further. "No more. That is an order." He walked to the end of the table and started to gather his papers.

Charles was of two minds. He had briefly imagined the cleaning staff having to clean him off the floor and walls with a mop, and now he was allowed to walk away with...there wasn't really a warning. Just go, essentially. Which would make quite a bit of sense if the Ministry of Intelligence didn't want him interfering with their work.

"But..."

The Ministry man pounced, turning around on his heels. "But what, Sous-Lieutenant? Was I not clear enough?"

Charles leapt up, meeting de Blanchefort at the middle of the table. Charles spoke quickly in a low voice.

"The Gendarmerie files on civilians are connected to the medical systems civilian files which are connected to the municipal governments civilian files which are connected to every part of Oberour Ar Moro. Information shared with all of Oberour Ar Moro, because I as a gendarmerie need to know what Oberour Ar Moro knows. When a suspect of victim or witness has gone to the hospital and why, if they've paid their water bills, if they've filed a complaint with the city, and on and on and on."

Charles would look back at this and be surprised about how worked up he would get.

"And I know what it looks like when someone is disappeared. When someone is actually kidnapped by a criminal it's filed a certain way. When someone reports that aliens have implanted a microchip in their brain and they're committed to a mental hospital, that's filed in a different way. When someone starts to build a bomb in their spare bedroom, and they're put on trial for treason that filed in another way. And when the Ministry of Information-" Charles put his finger in de Blanchefort's chest and pushed "-decides they need to get rid of someone quietly for whatever reason, that is filed in its own special way. I've seen them all. I understand all that. But Bénigne Cixous didn't. Match. Any. Of. Those."

"I saw his civilian file, and it was like no other file I've ever seen. Cixous vanished off the planet, and our computers know something happened, and the computers flagged him as something for somebody, explained nothing, and now you're here telling me not to care about it. How damned ignorant! You're with the Ministry of Information, shouldn't you care?"

The adrenaline drained from Charles and he realized far too late that he had gone way too far. "I, uh, I didn't mean...I mean I'm sorry..."

de Blanchefort put his hand up and made a waving motion. A "don't worry about it" motion. He actually...smiled?

"Charles," the Ministry man spoke, apologetically. "We do care. But for your health, you should leave Bénigne Cixous be. For now. We are working on this. But, unfortunately, you absolutely must not continue your inquiry at this time. Tell me you understand."

Charles' eyes were wide as he slowly nodded. This was a sudden turn. "I...understand."

Roland de Blanchefort gathered his papers and strode towards the door. He reached to push the buzzer requesting for the door to be unlocked. "I am very serious. Please stop your inquiry. But we may be back in touch to discuss this case further. You may be of some assistance." de Blanchefort pressed the buzzer and the door was swiftly unlocked and opened. The Ministry man was suddenly all business again. "Capitaine," he acknowledged out the door with a curt nod, before pushing his way through on his way.

Capitaine Gueignart walked in, and just managed to contain his surprise that Charles was standing in one piece. The two regarded each other in silence before Capitaine Gueignart made a small "Hrm" and walked out. Clearly, Charles thought, unlike him, the Capitaine was smart enough not to speak out of turn.

by **Aut-Ves-Nat** » Wed May 18, 2022 6:08 pm

by **Gortolekua** » Wed May 18, 2022 6:36 pm

Anyone who makes it to Adelaide Island as a Ranger, Gortolekua's national police squad, is sworn to secrecy given the nature of what takes place on the island. Those who make it on aren't allowed to speak about what happens on the island to non-Adelaideans because of an oath to secrecy; they're not even allowed to tell most Rangers. Adelaidean Rangers who do wish to speak about their experiences with each other first have to vet each other to make sure there's no stolen valor taking place. Once vetted by the Government, they are transported to a secure location to discuss life on the Island. They can also hop on an encrypted phone call (monitored by a Government official to ensure both parties are speaking about authorized matters only) if need be, but there's a greater preference to in-person meetings, as to avoid any chance of someone hacking the phone call somehow. There's a lot of confidentiality across generations as a result: Spouses can't tell their partners, siblings are told to keep things shut, friends are left wondering what they do for a living, and a whole nation is left in the dark regarding the activities that take place.

Being a Ranger on Adelaide Island, however, is also a prestigious launching pad to national success. This particular set of Rangers gets spearheaded into elevated aspects of society. Swaths of Gortoleki elite—business tycoons, cultural icons, decision makers—credit their time on this Arcatan slab of land to their success. Perry Salonen, the country's Päälehen, was an Adelaidean. So when he got asked by sports radio personalities, politicians, talk show hosts, and the like about why he's keeping this last vestige of Government secrecy, it makes sense that he's kept his mouth shut. He knows what takes place on that Arcatan slab, and wants to keep it a closed secret.

René Lorenzo and Cash Delgado made it far enough as potential Adelaideans sofar—one because he wanted to, and the other in spite of the fact . Their initial assessments, having happened, meant they were two members of Project QZ. Joining them as Project Members were Margarida Karjalainen and Catharina Lundin. Both of them dreamt of being Rangers since they were in their youths, and both went through the successful steps—apply to the local provincial government, interview a former Adelaidean, go through a physical, emotional, and logical examination—to get stationed on Adelaide Island. They didn't know about the fact they were working on a Project as a Ranger—none of them did because of the secrecy sworn to anyone who serves.

The latter pair found out the following morning, when they were all shoved and packed together in the same Mess Hall the night prior, where Trainer Hooper had her outburst directed to René.

"Seeing as we ended the last night with the first half of Project QZ's newest members, we'll start off the morning with the other two," Hooper said, bringing an unwelcome pep to the morning announcements. "Karjalainen. Lundin. Welcome to Project QZ. Please make your way to the front."

All four of the new Project Members stood up and made their way to the front of the Mess Hall, standing near Hooper.

They all realized something was up when they were blindfolded by already-stationed Rangers and dragged onto a futuristic-looking golf cart, with a glass pod that covered the four passenger seats for the four new QZ Rangers. The other recruits' faces were stunned as they witnessed what was, effectively, a government-sanctioned kidnapping.

"Let go of me! I don't know why you're shoving me," Cash yelled as his mouth was muzzled shut. "Brrzzzz brzzz brzzz brzz brzzz!"

"Why are you doing this to us?" Margarida asked, with a sack thrown over her face while getting shoved into the pod and her seat.

Catharina and René accepted their fate, voluntarily making their way into the golf cart, as to avoid embarrassment. By this point, everyone was muzzled and bags were placed over their heads. Once ensuring everyone was seated and inside the pod, one of the cart-operating Rangers pushed a button. A white gas suddenly filled the pod, and all four recruits went limp. Hooper gave the two Rangers a thumbs up.

The cart whisked away, everyone remaining horrified to varying degrees. They were scared of what was bound to happen, and understandably so.

"Settle down, settle down. Nothing will be too extreme," Hooper told the recruits, as another cart that looked just like the Project QZ one pulled into the Mess Hall. "You'll all be fine."

Catharina woke up in a haze, just slightly before everyone else in the pod followed.

"Where am I," she asked, wondering what happened. She looked at her body, noticing her recruit outfit had been replaced by an all-white garb. Everywhere around her, she was surrounded by chrome. Chrome floors, chrome walls, holograms left and right. But she saw familiar people that appeared on the first arrival to Adelaide Island. She knew she was there, but everything about it made it seem like she wasn't. She never felt less at home.

A voice she hadn't heard before came closer, as they were finishing up a conversation with somebody else. Footsteps grew louder and louder, before stopping at Catharina's head. The person looked down at her and smiled.

"This, Recruit Lundin, is where the future of Gortolekua lives. Now, you're going to be part of it. Welcome to QZ."

by **Huayramarca** » Wed May 18, 2022 6:46 pm

Public Servant

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Part 5 – Crazy Dreams are Made of This

Palacio del Altiplano, Huayramarca D.M. August 15^th, 1985

Time continued marching, two months after Marta took the reigns of Huayramarca to continue the project of Augusto Buendía, something they fought hard while ousting Hugo Mina from office in the short-lived civil war of 1979-1980. The putrid structures that left Mina as a legacy were difficult to erode, lots of corrupt officials trying to keep their privileges no matter what, their lifestyles and social “superiority” were things that looked difficult to forget or leave, it was part of their lives, but something had to be done to restore normality and turn Huayramarca into a viable country.

Mina was the kind of bastard dictator that had a megalomaniac desire to control everything and impose his will in unexplained matters, to the point of creating laws in the Huayramarcan Constitution that set a requirement of two different National Assemblies to derogate laws. His tentacles were buried so deep into the Government that he used this tactic, at least, 115 times, hence causing a significant backlog for the future governments when taking this kind of bills to debate motions. Coincidence or planned boycotts to his successors? You might choose one of the options, but there’s one thing for sure… Mina was sly as a fox.

Marta was wondering how to get rid for good of those Mina bills in an effective and less time costly manner… Express debate? Ignoring it? She heard a knock on the door and asked the person in the other side to come in, it was Víctor with some ideas for her that’d help quite a lot. “Want a coffee, Vic?” said Marta when he sat, but he nodded negatively. “There’s something more important for you, Martha, I’ve an idea to settle the Mina’s roots for once.” Marta changed her posture in the ergonomic chair, sipped some water and said “I’m interested, talk more about please.” Víctor said “Have you ever heard about omnibuses?” Marta said “What has to do our public transportation in this?” Víctor said “You need more pro tips from me when it comes to politics and the language, we use… Well, by omnibus I refer to a massive bill to simply derogate Mina’s roots issue for once.” Marta wondered “But that’d mean skipping debate, I want to have things as transparent as possible for the people.” Víctor replied “I won’t ever go against your will with transparency. That can be solved by addressing the main issue with this kind of laws, it’s a matter of a quick dissection to it.”

Marta had already read 85 out of 115 bills passed under the two Assemblies scheme, most of those were related as limited public access for governmental information “Reserved for 100 years, only accessible for Mina’s son, etc.” Marta could have simply ignored everything, but she’s extremely purist when working in this kind of situations, sticking to the rules in the most literal sense is her game. She analysed and said “Most of those laws are related to hiding public information, availability for people or being catalysts to legitimise corruption in most of the Huayramarcan institutions, including nepotism, bribes, etc.” Víctor said “Well, you have answered by yourself, hence we can set the debate in said route, address the root issues and kill the poisoned tree for good. “Will the MPs approve or be in disposal to accept a debate under these conditions?” Víctor said “Ask the MP leader of Ñucanchi Ñan and the three-line whip will be done.”

A three-line whip means that Ñucanchi Ñan will have to adhere to what the leader MP, as requested by the president, says in regards of a law or bill presentation; in this case, it will be a mandatory voting for the bill to be debated in a general way, as an “Omnibus bill” and not a bill for everyone of the 115 Mina’s roots that there’s an actual need to eradicate… “Huayramarca needs us to take a leap forward, not only a mere step.” Said Víctor “Think about the damage we could suffer if we go in a bill-by-bill basis, the backlog will be horrendous” Marta said “That’s a fair point, so it’s basically damage control in order to dedicate our time to more important things. It’s a go.” “I’ll send the three-line whip to the leader MP then. We have a plenary session in the afternoon, make sure to be there and start the debate!” said Víctor while rushing to the offices of the MPs.

The Omnibus bill was now a go from Marta, still, it’d take some time to make convincing arguments. Fortunately, there was precedent from the previous presentation of the bills, one by one, that could be combined to form a decent argument for the debate. Time moved forward, then Juanito appeared to give some cheers to her mom. “Mommy!” said after arriving from school “How are you?” Marta hugged him and replied “I’m fine yet a bit busy building some argumentative lines to present the Omnibus Bill” Juanito frowned and asked “The what?” Marta forgot that he didn’t knew about that kind of proposals “It’s a package of laws that are aimed to eradicate Mina’s laws and deadlocks that he tried to inherit us.” Juanito replied “Well, corruption should be kicked out, that’s a good move and I trust you.” Marta’s face drew a smile, she hugged back Juanito as she bid farewell in a rush, Víctor was sending messages through e-Quipu telling her to be ready for the debate.

Marta visited the parliament chamber, she awaited the MPs and shortly addressed some of them as they were arriving. She tried to be as joyous as possible, still, not trying to persuade in illegitimate ways, only part of her principles of courtesy towards people. She started to speak as everybody arrived and quorum was already passed “It’s of the utmost importance to eradicate the tentacles of Mina’s dictatorship, as its laws are a mechanism that tried to perpetuate corruption through creating an extensive network of laws that forced two assemblies to erode each law. But there’s a way to go forward with this, in order to avoid backlog in more important affairs from the Opposition and the Government partisan agendas, that’s why I suggest to address this issue with an Omnibus Bill in order to derogate all of the Mina’s laws at once.”

Some mutterings were heard from the benches assigned from the Popular Party, mostly referring as if this was something important or not, to what Marta simply said “Ghost jobs, bribes, lack of trust from the Huayramarcan citizens towards their institutions and from abroad. Which kind of incentives could we offer to Huayramarcans coming from abroad to invest here? For foreigners trying to come here? For future Free Trade Agreements? There’s no certainty and we need to throw that to the trash can, as those initiatives are a massive loophole in potential tax collecting and revenue for the Government. We need to act, swiftly!”

Some questions were made from the MPs but mostly were apparently solved from Marta and some support she received from her MPs of Ñucanchi Ñan. Time has come for the voting, people was expecting at the TV as there was the golden chance to finish with the infamous legacy left by Mina for once, and people wanted it to be done as fast as possible in order to let Huayramarca focus in more important matters for her future. That same feeling was mutual in most political parties, as they pretty much considered that there is a need to start this from zero, scratch. Voting came, 160 votes for, 25 abstentions and 15 against, 15 from a dissidence in the Popular Party; still, a flawless victory for Marta in her goal to help Huayramarca face new challenges.

by **Drawkland** » Wed May 18, 2022 6:59 pm

E N D L E S S . . .

Nicole Warren stepped through the maze door, and the stone snapped shut behind her. The maze entryway was a small foyer of sorts, made of stone, with several small torches casting the room in an eerie light. At the opposite end from the entrance, there was a single large tunnel that disappeared into darkness. The walls were adorned with carvings that seemed to be many different types of writing. Most of them were foreign or alien-looking glyphs and symbols.

Nicole looked at the other ten members of the party. Most of them were rummaging through their packs to find whatever light source they brought.

"So the whole thing is underground?" Katie Madison asked, pulling out a bundle of glow sticks. "Just making sure."

"Yes, it's all underground." Nicole confirmed, holding an unlit oil lantern in her hand. "Apparently the first section of the maze is completely dark, but as you get deeper into it there's usually various light sources you can use."

"Should we do the maze strategy where you stick to the left wall and eventually you'll reach the end?" Andrew Arrowsword asked.

"No, that won't work." Jaxon Madison chimed in, and he chuckled a little bit. "The maze moves. Some say it's operated by a tribe of people, some say it's controlled by one man, and some say it has a mind of its own. Either way, it will change paths, separate, confuse, and switch up when you're not looking, and even sometimes when you are. The only thing it won't do is trap you. There will always be a way out."

"So what do we do then?" said Riley Hoyt. "Are we supposed to wander around aimlessly until we reach the end?"

"There is a method to the madness." Jaxon counted the group in front of him to ensure there were still eleven. "You won't know it now, but you'll understand when you get deeper. You have to operate on instinct, on feeling. Most importantly, there's no way to game the system. There's no strategy that will have you outsmart the maze, and in fact, it hates when you do that. The more you try to outplay the maze, the harder it will outplay you."

"We'll stick together, then." Cam Cross stood up from where she was sitting and looking through her pack. "I know that we'll get split up, but we should stay together whenever possible."

"You're right." Nicole stepped forward to the center of the group. "Never go it alone, unless you have to. That's the number one rule."

Everybody in the group nodded, and looked around in silence. Some realized this could be the last time they could see the faces of the people around them.

"No use in waiting any longer. Let's go." Nicole motioned to the gaping tunnel entrance, and the group slowly shuffled towards it, in a clump.

"Hold on, Leo, can you give me a boost?" Jack Hoy asked, as most of the group was walking into the maze itself. "I want to grab one of these torch things."

"Sure." The hulking Leo Cross bent down to allow Jack to hop on his shoulders. He used a wall as a brace, and Jack grabbed one of the wall torches from its sconce.

"Thanks!" Jack said as he hopped back down to the floor. "I figure if these things can stay lit, they're probably some kind of magic. Could be useful. Here, it's kinda heavy, you should carry it."

"Makes sense." Leo took the torch from Jack, and handed his own lantern to Riley, who was just using a couple glowsticks.

"Damn, they already left. Let's hurry and catch up," Jack said, and the Grid Corps guys kicked into a jog to make up the lost ground. They could faintly see the light from the other members of the group in front of them, but the light was rapidly fading. The group ahead seemed to turn a corner, and the light in front was suddenly gone.

"Did you guys just lose sight?" Riley asked, puffing a bit.

"Yeah, I think they turned the corner here." Jack slowed down, and the other two slowed into a walk as well. The cave seemed to take a right turn, and Jack peered around the corner. There were no lights or sounds of people to speak of.

"I think we lost them." Leo said simply, and he continued past the corner to keep walking.

As the group walked down the beginning tunnel, some of them talked amongst themselves. Nicole, Cam, and Sarah had taken the front, while the Cenian boys were right behind them. Katie and Allison were stuck with them, and Jaxon was taking up the rear, keeping an eye behind him for the lagging Grid Corps guys.

The tunnel started taking a turn to the left, and the group took the corner in stride. They continued walking, and Jaxon noticed the Grid Corps trio were further behind than he thought.

"Hey everyone, hold on a moment," Jaxon said, turning to make sure everybody heard him. When he turned back around to see if the Grid guys were closer, he suddenly saw nothing but darkness. He put his hand out and it touched hard stone wall where there'd been open passage a second ago.

"What's that?" Nicole asked from the front.

"Never mind," Jaxon sighed and cursed internally. "We're split up. Let's keep moving, and try to stay closer together please."

The maze was less like a hedge maze and more like a catacomb. It slanted, it went up and down, there were stairs, ramps, sheer faces and drops. It ranged in appearance, from being a clearly constructed stone hall, like the foyer was, to being a naturally-formed cave with all its intricacies.

The Grid Corps guys made their way down the natural-looking tunnel. As they continued to walk they noticed more and more columns along the wall. Gradually, the natural rock face gave way to a smoother carved surface.

"Do you think we made a mistake?" Leo asked. It was the first time any of them had spoken in awhile.

"What, that we didn't stay with the group right away?" Jack replied, turning to look at his companion.

"Not that. That was going to happen eventually regardless," Leo asserted. He then waved the torch Jack had given him. "I mean taking this thing. Jaxon said that the maze doesn't like it when you try to outplay it. Do you think this qualifies as outplaying it?"

"I'm sure we'll be fine." Riley waved his hand in dismissal. "We'll have bigger fish to fry than that, right? For example, this fork in the road."

The fork Riley referred to was a pair of openings in the carved stone wall. The tunnel path had widened to accommodate the two tunnels, one of which went straight forward and another of which seemed to pitch downwards.

"We could also try turning around." Leo pointed behind himself. "I think I saw another small opening a few yards before we came across this."

The group turned around to see where he pointed, and all they saw was a blank wall where they had just walked through a moment before.

"I don't think we're allowed to go back that way, pal!" Jack laughed, but clearly he was shaken a bit. It was bizarre to have the walls silently shift around behind your back.

"So we'll take the fork then." Leo pointed at the right tunnel, the one that seemed to have a stairwell going down. "That path seems to be lit. The left one is dark."

"I don't want to burn through all our fuel," Riley said. "Just in case the torch ends up not working out for some reason. We should take the lit path so we spend as little time in the darkness as possible."

"Sounds good to me. We gotta wander somewhere, might as well do it in convenient fashion." Jack shrugged, snuffed his lantern, and started walking. "Hey, maybe we should hold on to each other's packs when we walk through the opening so we don't get separated."

"Good plan." Leo took his free hand and snagged the back of Riley's pack. Riley stepped forward and clutched a strap on Jack's pack.

"Let's go then." Jack walked through the right opening, taking his first steps down the stairwell. Riley followed him, but he misjudged the first step of the stairs and stumbled a bit. Leo briefly lost his hold on Riley's pack, and the two guys in front lurched forward. Just ask Leo was about to follow him, the wall of stone slid across at breakneck speed and shut.

Leo slammed facefirst into the wall, blocked from his friends, and now alone. He'd dropped the torch, but picked it back up. It hadn't lost its flame, and really seemed quite unbothered by being dropped on the ground.

"I guess I'm on my own, then." Leo said to himself. Without missing a beat, he walked through the tunnel on the left.

by **Turori** » Wed May 18, 2022 7:07 pm

Today's Cutoff is brought to you by: the Cocoa-bo eatery.

:: Cocoa-Bo Eatery
Cocoa-bo, an establishment taking its name directly from the beloved national animal of Turori, started as a small dessert shop in Kionao. However, it was only after they added chocolate topped drinks to their menu that their popularity started to soar. As more and more patrons scooped up their chocolate flavored pick-me-ups, demand for the Cocoa-bo product skyrocketed and soon new franchised locations were popping up all throughout Turori. Shifting to more of a social 'hang-out' then just a casual place to drop in, get a dessert, and leave, the new locations started adding small foods such as Bagels for the morning, Soups and Sandwiches for Lunch or Dinner and Salads for the entire day.

Cocoa-bo has expanded outside of Vilita & Turori. Their first regional location was opened in Andossa Se Mitrin Vega and Cocoa-bo has opened temporary locations during major internationstatal events such as the World Cup Finals with past locations appearing in Drawkland and Cosumar. Cocoa-bo has a permanent presence in South Covello and is also continuing to grow its presence in Starblaydia, the Equestrian States and other interested nations. The company continues to further increase its image by partnering with Motorsport teams and expanding the company footprint across Atlantian Oceania and beyond. Cocoa-bo are also the kit sponsor for Mliona-Lpaka AFC in the Vilitan League. Cocoa-bo's largest current markets are, in order, Turori; South Covello, the Equestrian States, Vilita and Cassadaigua. Cocoa-bo's most recent major expansion was to the region of Rushmore through its hub in Starksville, Cassadaigua. Cocoa-bo has also entered the business of product licensing and outsourcing after establishing an exclusivity agreement within the Commonwealth of Baker Park for bottling, distribution and local product with the BCEL Beverage Company to maintain a product line of Cocoa-bo drinkables in the Commonwealth.

Cocoa-bo are sponsors of the Cocoa-bo Challenge Trophy. Cocoa-bo also has an up-and-down relationship with the dreamed realm. After a lengthy Inquisition led by Sir Barsanuphius known as the Independent Cocoa-bo Commission attempted to link Cocoa-bo's most popular delectables to illegal performance enhancing substances, there was a strain over the beloved drink outside the multiverse itself. However, fences were mended when Cuddly Cthulhu and his Playful Pals agreed a sit-and-sip session with the Cocoabo proving Cocoa-bo shops to be the ultimate place to make unexpected friendships.

Note: The Cutoffs for Groups 1-7 will remain 01:00-03:00 UTC.

by **Ranoria** » Wed May 18, 2022 7:37 pm

OOC: This won't make much sense without a brief reference, so if you're curious, quickly check out just the sidebar in the MD report portion of a couple of these RPs and you'll catch onto the storyline pretty quick. This isn't the extent of it, but should give you an idea and a laugh within 30 seconds or so.

by **Delte** » Wed May 18, 2022 10:54 pm

Magnecia 3–4 Delte
Player-Reporter Kim Samrodd in Delburg City, Delburg, Magnecia for Plemon's Almanac

It was a long way to go for a football match, and I have to say the early injury to our stoic goalkeeper Osward Ess was a terrible blow to both our chances and our morale. No offence to reserve shot-stopper young Elmrod Elny, but he's no Osward Ess. To be fair he's not even an Aughran Lerold, but Aughran's not on the trip, being as it's high summer back home and his employer at the ice-cream stand on Deltemouth harbour wouldn't give him the time off. So Osward spraining his wrist in the warm up when attempting his controversial 'Catherine Wheel Kick' was disappointing, though coach Clentin had other words for it. Young Elmrod did his best to overcome nerves and a poor start to at least finish on the surprisingly winning side, mostly thanks to your man Tai Cerotha's second international hattrick and no thanks whatsoever to Osward Ess' grandstanding handstanding clearance trick.

The Karodin Tetrarchy 2–3 Delte
Player-Reporter Kim Samrodd in Porzhbihan, the Tetrarchy for the Chippy Dinner Wrap-Up

It was a long way to go for a football match, and I have to say we were all quite worn out for this second of a double-header on the road. I'm getting carp’s tunnel syndrome in my thumb from all this typing and several players were looking weary for this match-up with the Boycotters, who refused to show up for the match. We knew something was wrong when we had no reply to our emails for directions to the ground, no-one to welcome us when we eventually found it, and no team sheet for the match. Really it should have been a 3-0 walkover awarded to us by the NSWC but as we had already announced Elmrod Elny on the team sheet after Osward failed to recover in time, they clearly felt they should still award a couple of goals to the absent home team. Did Elmrod take offence? Well he's a good stoic, so if he did, he didn't show it.

VISIT DELTE
A Guide For Adventurers & Reluctant Football Teams

Out & About The Town: You’ll be wanting to head off to Ildemorton Road for the football of course - after all, that’s why you came - but there is more to Oswark than the astroturf sports ground with it’s temporary World Cup stands, if you have some spare time. Despite its small size and remote position in the world, Oswark has a rich history and much of it is still in evidence today: from the ruins of the spectacular castle built in the fourteenth century by the Dukes of Oswark, Aroth and his nephew Athad, to the Town Locks - the industrial era waterway, warehouse, brewery and factory complex that was once one of the biggest inland ports in the region, now preserved as a spectacular conservation area with a working dry dock and the offices of the Delte River Trust (DRT) - who manage the modern waterways, the valley itself, and by extension, form the effective administrative governance of the whole valley community. Once you’ve done eating and drinking, why not try out the museums for more history - The Uncivil War museum, the Stoic’s museum and the DRT’s own exhibition at the Town Locks, the Museum of The Valley of The River. There is more to Oswark than history of course - but not much. The Market Square is a thriving centre of informal commerce, there is a cinema showing three-year old international films as “new releases” and the Skellen Theatre provides an intimate venue for concerts, recitals, gigs, dances and of course productions from the in-house theatre troupe, The Oswark Fiesta & Revue.

Lovers of football memorabilia will enjoy the exhibition space at the Brewery Sports & Social Club on Ingundonny Avenue, which also serves as the temporary training facilities for visiting world cup teams. Usually the home ground of ‘Oswark’s other team’, the once all-conquering Brewery Social FC (now fallen on more mediocre times), it has a comprehensive collection of ephemera relating to the 130-year history of football in the valley, including the modern day trophies for the Delte Valley Tuesday Evening & Sunday Lunchtime Super League, the much more popular Friday Night & Saturday Morning Ultra Premier League - the women’s six-a-side fútsal championship - and the oldest football competition in the valley, The Mixed Nines Football Cup. Really love your football statues? In the next edition we’ll tell you all about the Delte Valley Sculpture Trail - you can pick up the football-themed trail map on your visit to the Brewery Social.

UP NEXT in our serialised visitor guide: get nautical with a boat ride up or down or up and down the river; if you forget to pack your sea-legs, visit the Garden of Regrets and engage with the national obsession of statue-making.

by **Drawkland** » Thu May 19, 2022 2:29 am

E N D L E S S . . .

The main group of the party was sticking close together through the dark cavern. The assortment of oil lamps, candles, and chemiluminescent items made a general glow around the group that was more comforting than it was eerie. There were a few muted conversations, but the more casual atmosphere of the hiking days past had dissipated well before they stepped in the maze. Now it felt like it was just best to stay quiet, lest the maze be listening.

It wasn't long before the group would reach their first little wrinkle in the maze. Their path had been a single rough corridor resembling a cave, with no light to speak of. Now the eight members of the group came upon a fork in the path.

To the left was a path that had the same cave-like interior as the path they were currently on, but that one had small braziers hanging from the top of the walls. It emitted a low glow, but enough that other lights wouldn't be necessary. The path on the right had an actual doorway, made of carved stone that was clean and clearly constructed. It had no source of light, though, and the length of it was obscured by darkness right outside the bubble of light surrounding the party.

The group stopped at the intersection, looking at one another expectantly. After the awkward pause, Jaxon cleared his throat.

"Which way should we go?" Jaxon asked, clearly talking to Nicole Warren.

"I'm not sure." Nicole didn't grab her notebook, but she was clearly trying to remember something from it. "I feel like we haven't even really been through any real darkness challenge yet. Everything has gone according to plan. It seems unwise to go to a lit path so early. It's almost too easy."

"Ugh," Katie Madison protested from the back of the pack. "Seriously? Can't we just go down the way that's lit? Carrying these things is getting tiring."

"I think Nicole is in the right, here." Jaxon replied carefully. "It's important that we complete each of the various challenges so we can progress deeper into the layers of the maze. If the maze doesn't think we've passed through the darkness test, then we can't go any further. The more time we spend in here, the more likely it is that we'll run into trouble."

"We've been walking through the dark for like twenty minutes," Allison Summers pointed out. She had no idea if it had actually been more or less than twenty minutes, but it felt right. "Surely we've passed it by now? We have lights anyway."

"Should we really be arguing with Nicole and Jaxon both?" Cam Cross butted in, hoping to end the dispute quickly. "They're basically the experts here. Nicole has taken extensive notes and study to this, and Jaxon has literally been here before. No need to bicker about it."

"I want to go down this path with the lights," Katie insisted. "Plus, didn't you say we shouldn't try to outsmart the maze? If an option seems easier, I say we take it."

"That's not really what I meant when I said that," Jaxon started to explain, but he was interrupted.

"I'm going to go down the left side!" Katie interjected, and grabbed Allison's wrist. "If you guys want to go down that other way, it's fine by me, but it's your loss. Alli and I will meet you guys at the finish line, or more likely, you won't get there at all."

There were several objections and incredulous gasps.

"We shouldn't split up when we don't have to." Jaxon tried to keep his composure. "The maze is already ruthlessly efficient at splintering groups and making the journey harder for everyone. Let's not do it any favors."

"I'm not going to bother with this anymore," Katie waved her hand dismissively. The striker took a couple decisive strides into the left pathway, and she pulled Allison along with her.

Jaxon's eyes nearly popped out of his socket, while the rest of the group mostly gaped at what they were witnessing.

"Fine then." Jaxon turned to regard the rest of the group. "You guys follow Nicole's guts and go down the right pathway. You can figure it out from there, I think. I'm going to tag along with those two idiots so they don't get killed."

"No!" Cam protested quickly. "Why bother? They're clearly making up their mind. Stay with us! At least we'll listen to your guidance." She stepped forward to brush her hand against Jaxon's arm, a move which didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"Listen, I ..." Jaxon tailed off and gritted his teeth. He stared at the ground, his mind moving at a hundred miles an hour. Promises he'd made, choices he said he would stick to. In spite of his second mind, he sighed and squeezed Cam's hand before letting go.

"I'm going to go with them. I know you guys can figure things out. Just remember to not panic, whatever you do, even if things get screwy. Stick together. And-" Jaxon stopped himself before going on.

"And what?" Cam asked quietly.

"Nothing. I need to catch up with them." Jaxon went to jog down the left pathway, before turning his head back to take one more look at the group. "I'll see you later. Promise."

With that, Jaxon was gone. Nicole, Cam, Sarah, and the Cenians took some meaningful glances at each other. Nicole especially gave Cam a weird look, but she shook it off.

"Let's get going then?" Cam asked to break the tension.

"Right." Nicole nodded, and looked over at the gaping darkness of the carved hallway. "Onward we go."

Leo Cross walked alone. The hulking Drawkian strode through the caverns, silent save for his constant bootsteps. The steps were constant and confident, like a ticking metronome. The hallway was wider than the tunnel he and the other Grid Corps boys were walking through earlier, right before they'd be separated. He allowed his mind to wander as he walked down the hallway, right arm partially lifted to carry the torch Jack had taken from the foyer.

The Grid Corps defensive end was renowned in the game for being monstrous on the field; the way that he dueled linemen and tracked down ballcarriers was nothing short of iconic. His strength was unmatched, his instincts immaculate, and his endurance was something the game had never seen. In ironic contrast to his animalistic play on the field, he seemed to be a machine with batteries that never ran out.

Off the field, however, he was much more reserved. He had no problem being friendly with the fellow players on his teams, but he was never extroverted. He didn't necessarily dislike anyone, but he also seemed to enjoy being alone. His friendship with Jack Hoy was mostly the product of convenience. They'd known each other on the Grid Corps for almost two decades, and when a vast majority of the team retired, he and Hoy were practically the only veterans left. Their status as offensive and defensive captains also forced them to spend more time together, so eventually something resembling a close friendship was forged.

A close friendship by Leo's standards anyway. Ignoring his own personal reservations for getting close with others, it was hard to take a man like Jack Hoy seriously. The Kid was a phenom as soon as he entered the league and started putting up Hall of Fame numbers. His ego, which was probably already too big after he almost won the collegiate MVP award his senior year, got even bigger when he became part of championship-winning teams on the domestic field and in the World Bowl. That level of success, cockiness, and a still-boyish attitude made Hoy almost seem like a caricature of himself. Sure, he and Leo had spent a lot of time together, but Leo couldn't recall a single deep conversation they'd had over the years. They'd talk ball, they'd talk girls, they'd talk current events, but nothing seemed heartfelt.

So why did Leo have a pit in his stomach about the guy?

Despite his numerous awards and achievements on the field, Leo didn't know what else he wanted from life. By all verifiable metrics (and many non-metrics, such as "he's got that dawg in him fr"), he was going to be an inner-circle Hall of Famer whenever he decided to retire. People years from now will argue whether Leo Cross was the greatest Drawkian defender of all time, surely the best to ever play on the defensive line. By all means, he had the career that every boy roughing up a tackling dummy all summer dreams of.

So why did his future feel so uncertain and empty?

About a year ago, the news of Nicole's intended quest spread through the grapevine of elite athletes in Drawkland. When Leo originally heard it, he thought it was a joke or something, and forgot about it. When he heard about it the second time, he was told that Cam Cross, his second cousin, was going to be doing it as well. That piqued his interest. He hadn't had a lot of interaction with Cam besides hanging out at some Cross family reunions. She was also six years his junior, so that didn't help matters. Still, when he had talked with her, she was fun but serious. It takes a lot of dedication to play good enough to warrant NT caps at the age of 20. Leo could relate to the grind, practicing day in and out to perfect the skills you were gifted. That's one thing they had in common. He knew that if Cam was going to do something like travel to another dimension and try becoming immortal, it was something serious.

Out of nowhere, Leo had felt a calling. He felt an overwhelming urge to call her up and ask her about it. When he did (Cam was really surprised to get that call), she explained her reasoning. Her best friend, Nicole, was going. Cam just wanted to be there to help her, because that's how strongly she wanted to keep her friend safe and happy. She was prepared to do whatever would be necessary. She also explained why Nicole was doing it, to be with her immortal lover Mike.

Why didn't Leo feel that way about anybody?

Eventually Jack Hoy heard of this exploit through the grapevine, and he made it no secret among his friends that he was going to tag along. When Leo heard this, he made a split-section decision to join in. Maybe he could help one of his closest friends, or perhaps his cousin Cam. It's not like he had anything else to accomplish in his career. If anything, dying early in something like this could prevent him from suffering a sharp decline in his career to ruin his legacy.

Maybe it was just the right thing to do.

Maybe he was just doing it to run away.

What happens if he made it through? With no need to worry about age taking his skills or injuries limiting his play, he would never have to retire. He could play football forever, until the sport or the world collapsed. Is that really what he wanted to do? He wasn't even sure what he wanted to do with the next few decades of his mortal life, much less what he'd do with an eternity. He was already almost alien to his teammates due to his reclusive nature and his inhuman persona on the field. If he was some sort of immortal demigod, that would make him even less reachable.

Maybe he didn't want to come out of the maze alive.

All these questions and musings weighed on Leo's mind as he continued to follow the tunnel. The carved nature was starting to give way to more natural cave formations again. The path had forked and split up probably a dozen times at this point, but Leo never slowed. His subconscious decided which option to choose before he had time to hesitate. Sometimes, a lack of hesitation was all you needed to beat a blocker. When neither of you have time to think, it comes down to the body's natural response, and Leo's body always had the answer.

The path seemed to repeat and turn around on itself without visibly curving or bending. Leo was vaguely aware of walking through similar intersections a few times, but he didn't register it to his conscious mind. He just kept walking, and he did what he always did on the field.

He let his instincts guide him, and let his body do the rest.

Jack Hoy and Riley Hoyt tumbled down the steps of their hallway. Leo Cross had just been stolen from them, the stone wall shifted right in front of their faces to separate them. Riley's tripping on the top step, followed immediately by the impact of the wall closing, caused both the Grid Corps guys to fall down the remainder of the stone stairs.

"I wish I had my fucking helmet for that," Jack sputtered as he pushed himself up. He offered a hand to Riley, who was a little slower getting up.

"I'm too old for this shit." Riley pulled his arms behind himself, trying to stretch his back.

"Isn't that why you're here?" Jack grinned and slugged Riley on the shoulder, and put his arms up in an apology when Riley winced. "My bad."

"It's fine. And yeah, you're right. This is either bringing me back to the field or sending me out in a blaze of glory." Riley looked down the hallway, which was faintly lit by small torches along the ground. "This beats watching TV on my couch or playing pickup with 50-year-old guys at gym."

"I'd take watching somebody eat shit on a flight of stairs on TV over doing it myself," Jack smirked, also taking a look down the hallway. "Hey, do you still have those glowsticks? Maybe put one in your pocket in case the maze does something stupid like blowing out the torches. Don't want to get caught off guard, right?"

"Great plan. I have them here, let's just keep walking." Riley pulled out his unbroken glow sticks, placing them in his pocket for quick access as requested.

As the duo walked down the hallway, they encountered several anterooms which had a half dozen tunnels available to take. Without much bickering, the duo would agree on which one to take and go on their way. They hadn't yet encountered a dead end, but the surroundings were feeling increasingly similar.

"Do you think Leo will be alright?" Jack asked after a minute or two of walking in silence. The worry was barely detectable in his voice, like a splash of diet soda in a regular soda. Still, the fact that it was there at all was incredible to Riley, who'd rarely heard Jack express legitimate concern about literally anything.

"You know him. He's probably crawling on all fours and eating maze monsters with his bare hands by now." Riley joked to keep the mood up. The last thing he wanted was to start panicking, mostly because he's pretty sure they'd already passed through the same chamber three times.

"Yeah!" Jack exclaimed in return. "I bet he can smell the center of the maze. Probably halfway there already."

"I wouldn't be surprised." Riley's smiled faded when they approached another antechamber, which seemed identical to the one they'd already been in several times. "Alright, this is officially not cool. Does it feel like we've somehow gone in a circle?"

"Somehow, I think you're right." Jack took a look around the room. "Which is weird, because we've only been walking forward."

"I feel like we've tried all the different tunnels here." Riley sighed, looking at each opening in turn. "Should we go down one we've gone down before? If these are the same tunnels, that is."

"Yeah, maybe," Jack mused, rubbing his chin for effect. "Hold on a second, why don't we come the way we came?" He pointed at the opening they'd just come out of.

"No other ideas here," Riley shrugged. "Worth a shot."

"Sweet." Jack gave an 'after you' motion to Riley, and they walked back where they'd came. Almost immediately, they came across a stairwell heading downwards and twisting back on itself, like the legally required stairwell in an office building.

"That's new!" Riley said, carefully trotting down the steps.

"Definitely wasn't here before." Jack let himself smirk again. "Did we just pass the test or something?"

"One down, like a million to go." Riley rolled his eyes, and they continued down the stairs.

Katie, Allison, and Jaxon were not happy campers. The argument at the fork had left all three of them in a bad mood, which is definitely not the sort of mood you want to be in when facing a life-or-death circumstance.

"You're too stubborn, you know that?" Jaxon had been fuming, and finally gave in despite his better judgement.

"Why, because I know what I want? I know that I'm right?" Katie scoffed, not turning to meet eye contact with Jaxon.

"You have no idea what's right and wrong here." Jaxon couldn't help but start cutting deep. He could feel the insecurity radiating off of her in waves. "You're so completely out of your element, and yet you act like you've done this before. Let me give you a hint, you've done nothing like this. Ever. You're blind leading the blind."

"I didn't ask you to tag along with us," Katie shot back quickly, expertly hiding the fact that Jaxon's words had hit her hard. She hid it from Allison, at least, but Jaxon could feel it. "There's a reason I wanted me and Alli to go alone. I don't want to be weighed down by those other dorks. I don't want to get caught in their crossfire when they eventually make massive mistakes that cost them their lives. You're just here because you know I'm right."

"Oh really?" Jaxon laughed savagely. "You think I decided to come with you two because you have some secret instinct to beat this thing yourself?"

"Guys, can we stop arguing?" Allison asked quickly. The tensions were doing nothing to help her rising panic from the decreased light coming from the braziers on the wall.

"I came along to protect you from yourself," Jaxon continued, ignoring Allison's request. "You're too arrogant for your own good. At least with me you have a chance of lasting long enough for somebody else, probably me, to save your ass."

Katie stopped in her tracks and whirled around to face Jaxon, but to her shock, he was gone. He had just finished his sentence, and now there was nobody behind them. Allison turned around and saw the same. The shock scared her shitless, and she almost screamed.

"Calm down, Alli, we're fine. I hope the maze ate him and spits him out somewhere far away from us." Katie took a deep breath and huffed it out.

"What if the maze eats us, too?" Allison asked with a shiver. "It's getting dark, too, I can barely see. Why aren't these torch things giving off any more light?"

"It's fine. Look, there's brighter lights coming at the end of this tunnel." Katie turned and pointed to the direction they'd been walking towards. "I bet there's a better way through over there. Let's just get to that crossroads and assess the situation from there."

"Okay, that sounds fine." Allison was still on edge, but she and Katie gathered themselves and started walking again.

They walked for what felt like five minutes, but the lights at the end of the tunnel didn't seem to get any closer.

"Is there something going on here?" Allison asked, and Katie just grumbled to herself.

"Maybe the lighting is playing tricks on us. Whatever, let's just go back the way we came." The duo of Drawk Corps stars turned and went the way they came, seeing the brighter lights of the tunnel they'd walked through previously pretty close in the distance.

They walked for what felt like ten minutes, and those lights go no closer. Both girls were starting to panic, though Allison was clearly taking it much worse.

"This isn't right. We should be back there by now. Katie, what's going on?"

"Don't freak out on me. It's just an optical illusion. Here, let's jog down the other way again. If we run we'll get there sooner, right?"

"O-okay ..." Allison said, but she wasn't convinced.

The duo broke into a light jogging stride at first. When the tantalizing light in the distance got no closer, the panic made them naturally increase their stride. Eventually, without realizing it, both girls were in full-on sprints down the mottled cavern floor.

Suddenly, Allison's toe caught a tiny stalagmite, and she hit the rocky surface with a hard thump.

"Katie..." Allison tried to sputter out, but the wind was completely knocked out of her, and her head felt woozy. Katie, meanwhile, was still running full throttle, the roaring in her ears and flurry of steps against the stone floor so loud she didn't hear Allison drop off behind her.

The lights in the distance were still well out of reach.

by **Tumbra** » Thu May 19, 2022 3:57 am

The Hainan Union 0-4 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 13 - Danvers; 2 - Hughes, 5 - Henderson, 4 - Kerr (31 - Tyler, 63'), 19 - Carter; 37 - Finnemore (8 - Hicks, 84'), 16 - Fisher, 23 - Monaghan; 7 - Hilton, 9 - Vaughn (29 - Silverwood, 75'), 11 - Riordan

TMB scorers: Nick Riordan (31', 39', 55'); Susan Monaghan (78')

Player of the Match: Nick Riordan (TMB)

Damukuni 0-0 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 24 - Jones; 2 - Hughes, 5 - Henderson, 14 - Ashburn, 19 - Carter; 37 - Finnemore, 16 - Fisher, 23 - Monaghan (10 - Cole, 75'); 17 - Wells, 29 - Silverwood (9 - Vaughn, 60'), 22 - Erskine (11 - Riordan, 80')

TMB scorers: Nil

Player of the Match: Andrew Fisher (TMB)

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NEWS > Tumbra > Politics
Henworth by-election sees loss for Prime Minister; Labour defeated on 10.5% two-party preferred swing

By Michael Brownley
TBC News

HARCHESTER — A referendum on Michael Kirkland's premiership, a barometer for the 2029 federal election and so much more — that was the message that was imprinted onto the voters of Henworth throughout the by-election campaign that has now resulted in the Liberals winning the seat on a 10% swing. In her victory speech, the newly-elected MP, Michelle Brennan called it an "embarrassing" loss for the Prime Minister, but a "rejuvenating" victory for both her constituency's Liberal Party as well as for the west of the country in particular.

The result, which was delivered at 2.05am — four hours after polls closed — saw the Labour Party candidate, Norman Knight, lose to three-term Marlsbruhe state legislator Michelle Brennan after Moderate and Conservative preferences broke overwhelmingly for the Liberals. The main shock of the night, however, was Green preference votes flowing to the Liberals at a much higher rate than expected — which contributed overwhelmingly to the margin of victory being as large as it did. This particular trend, said psephologist Ted Jenkins on the TBC's by-election coverage, could reflect "the growing antipathy that Western voters have towards the federal government, and the Prime Minister in particular."

Yet the problems in Knight's campaign may have begun even before the writs were dropped. The Constituency Labour Party faced a bitterly contested fight for the nomination after former MP John Kinnear, 63, resigned to take on the post of Ambassador to Ceni. The local party's preferred candidate, Max Wright, "fit the demographics of the seat more," according to former Chair Maxime Welland — a local councillor with progressive economic credentials and outspoken in his opposition to the Tumbran government's actions in the Northlands, and who had years of experience on the ground. However, Welland maintained at the start of the campaign that the eventual nominee, Norman Knight, had been "foisted" upon them by both the state and federal Labour parties. In retaliation, the executive committee of the Labour party resigned before the start of the campaign — a move that Jenkins said "may have contributed to the lack of visibility that the Labour campaign had."

Knight's own credentials were seemingly quite impressive for a prospective federal Labour MP, too — at just 39, the former Tumbran navy lieutenant who later set up an advocacy group focused on offering financial aid to the working class, seemed destined for at least a junior leadership role within the Labour Party. An attempt to get him into the Senate in the 2026 election, however, failed — Knight was third on the party list, but Labour only ended up winning two seats in Marlsbruhe. Knight's campaign attempted to keep the election local, with the knowledge that the general unpopularity of the federal Labour Party meant that securing election in a seat with a 3.9% two party preferred vote margin would always have been an uphill battle.

The Liberal campaign, on the other hand, completely ignored Knight and the local Labour Party. Michelle Brennan, 48, ran her campaign effectively against the Prime Minister in Straton — hammering him on sluggish economic growth, the slow rate of the takeover of the Northlands, and aggressively positing that Labour had "abandoned" the West of the country, a traditional happy hunting ground for the Labour Party. Aided in her campaign by Shadow Law and Justice Minister Lawrence Newell, the two aggressively drove home the message — in what might be an early view of the Liberal/National coalition's playbook for the 2029 federal election — that only the Liberals could save Tumbra from "Labour's left-wing madness".

The end result — which saw Brennan win by over fourteen thousand votes, a margin of 13% — had been predicted by several pollsters at the start of the campaign, and largely spells trouble for the Labour Party on the federal level if this result were to be repeated elsewhere. Previous polls indicated that if a federal election were held tomorrow, Labour would emerge atop in a hung parliament — but if this swings of this magnitude were to occur in the west, then Labour's status as the largest party in a hung parliament would also come into doubt.

Still, though, analysts have been keen to caution that a by-election result should not be seen to be as a way the political headwinds are trending — but for an election that was as much a federal one as it was a local one, the signs do not bode well for the Labour Party, which will be running for a fourth term in office next year.

TUMBRA SQUAD FOR WORLD CUP 91 QUALIFYING, MD12 - vs SENDHANG
Goalkeepers: 1 - Nick Barker (FC Inter Nantwich), 12 - Andrew Taylor (Couno Rangers), 13 - George Danvers (Columbia City)
Defenders: 2 - Ryan Hughes (Lakewood City), 3 - Nigel Harris (Lakewood United) 4 - Stephen Kerr (Chromatik, CMT), 5 - Harry Henderson (Aleuisia Capital, ZRH), 14 - Ian Ashburn (Lakewood City), 18 - Nicholas Moss (Miruan City), 19 - Chris Carter (Lakewood City), 20 - Douglas Moore (Lakewood United), 26 - Raymond Perry (Serrapince FC)
Midfielders: 6 - Trudy Harrison (Chromatik, CMT), 8 - Vincent Hicks (FK Metropola Borograd, STL), 10 - Phil Cole (Osarese Marcadia, AUD), 15 - Craig McGrath (Serrapince FC), 16 - Andrew Fisher (FC Inter Nantwich), 23 - Susan Monaghan (Northern Stallions, BRE)
Wingers: 7 - George Hilton (Serrapince FC), 9 - Robin Vaughn (Lakewood City), 17 - Valerie Wells (Swanguard Athletic, QUE), 29 - Duncan Silverwood (Pyathora Miners, TKT)
Attackers: 11 - Nick Riordan (Sabrefell Moths, NPH), 33 - Bruce Nolan (Couno Rangers)

by **Banija** » Thu May 19, 2022 7:48 am

"The Art of the one goal win"- Analyzing the mentality behind Banija's 1 goal road wins against Eraman, and Quakmybush, that entrenched Banija atop World Cup Qualifying Group 12

Banijan goalkeeper Wanda Kouyaté makes an important second half save against Quakmybush

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- For much of this World Cup Qualifying campaign, the campaign has been about Banija's glittering and dazzling offense. The first six matches(all wins), the team was score a minimum of three goals per match, and creating all sorts of goalscoring opportunities. Whether at home or on the road, Pam Scott's Kadongo Kamu squad were getting by on lighting up the scoreboards, and relying on their abundance of firepower in front of goal to win games. Which is not a criticism, of course- when you have an abundance of a resource, you use it. That's how this sport works. It is brutal and serious competition, and that's how this sport goes. But then, came the fourth two match window. After a trio of six point windows, we had a one point window. A home draw against Sargossa, followed by our first loss of the Qualifying campaign, against Brookstation.

As is natural, of course, there was a serious recency bias among the fanbase. But Pam Scott, the team's manager, told fans that everything was fine. She's been through this, of course, plenty of times. As a manager for the Baker Park national team, and then a manager for the Farfadillis national team. She's in rarefied air among international managers- there is an extremely small list of managers who have taken three different nations to the knockout stages of the World Cup, two of them to the brink of glory, all the way to a World Cup Semifinal. She stayed calm. When talking with her after the visit to Quakmybush, she told reporters that it's important to not simply 'ride the flow' of World Cup Qualifying. "I've been through enough Qualifying campaigns to understand how these things go." She told reporters. "You can't overreact, both too positive or too negatively, to one Qualifying match. It's about how consistent we are- in our style of play, in our mentality, in our effort. It's not only about Qualifying for the World Cup, but putting ourselves in a position to make a run at the World Cup as well."

She promised the team would respond well, and that is exactly what we did. Went went up 4 goals on Mon Sold after we hit the hour mark, although the visitors scored twice in the late stages for a 4-2 win, on Matchday 9. Our next two matchups, of course, were away to Eraman and away to Quakmybush. While Quakmybush was on the outside looking in regarding this Qualification group, they have a rich World Cup history, And Eraman was in line for a playoff spot. Both looking to take the scalp off of a team ranked in the top 6 and who are three-time World Cup bronze medalists. Both teams gave us their best shot, on either side of our bye. In opposite ways- one, by successfully executing a low defensive block, and the other, a tremendous comeback- we were able to earn three points in each match. How did we do it, and what does that mean for our pursuit of World Cup silverware?

Matchday 10- Banija visits Daulapura Stadium

The Banijans paid a visit to Eraman on Matchday 10, with a lot of excitement for the battle at hand. Eraman, of course, entered the match sitting in a playoff spot, in the Qualifying group table. Right next to Sargossa, both nations trying desperately to get to the World Cup. Both Banija and Eraman are attacking sides, and naturally, the first half was full of free-flowing attacking from both sides- especially an aggressive home side. Agung Suryanantha is a Pemecutan national who, of course, brought his nation to the World Cup Finals for the very first time. In route to doing so, of course, he absolutely wrecked Banija, and then practically eliminated us from World Cup Qualifying. So he knows how to expose our team. Eraman got players in behind quite a few times, with chances to give themselves the lead.

But we've got world class players too, eh? Wanda Kouyaté is 37 years old, and still the starting national team keeper. Will she ever retire? She's the multiverse's only three-level world champion(U18, U21, senior), as well as being victorious in back-to-back penalty shootouts to win AOCAF 66. (She's actually got a stunning penalty shootout record for the national team, although we'll dive into that in a different article). And even at her age, on the road, she was a brick wall against Eraman. She made a brilliant save with her feet(pictured), that was then cleared off the back line by Tairu Conateh. But it gets better than that. She had a brilliant diving save in the 15th minute, on a curling shot from distance that almost everybody thought was going in. She had a one v. one save against Putra Daulapura Wikra Petara, who had been on a breakaway. Her pair of point blank saves, as well as her brilliant diving one, prevented the Banijans from going down.

It gave us the space for our own attacks, without allowing the crowd to really get on top of us. And eventually, you give this team enough chances, and they will score. We did exactly that in the 49th minute, when a Kausu Dione turn at the 6 yard box left him wide open in front of net, in a range that he could never possibly miss at. Trying to join his goalkeeper as a three-level world champion(he won the U18 and U21 World Cups, but wasn't on the World Cup 86 squad), he did himself a favor by putting that one into the back of the net. That meant 1-0, in this trying road environment. The team worked incredibly hard to double their lead, but in the next 20 minutes, they could not do so. Dione himself had the best opportunity, being wide open to try and volley in a cross. But his volley, while leaving the goalkeeper more still than a statue, hit the crossbar and bounced harmlessly over the top of the goal and out of play, for a goal kick.

How did we defend the final 20 minutes? A low, defensive block. "Sometimes, you've got to park it in and see out the 1-0 win." Pam Scott told reporters. "I know, I know- it's not how we normally play. But it wasn't really our day in terms of finishing, and we had the lead." We switched the formation around, taking off our goalscorer, going to a single high strikers, and replacing him with an extra defender, the new Spartangrad signee Adin Wasawo. When Kemo Jawara came into the game for Idi Mboge, it was as serious a commitment to desperate defending you could get- 5 defenders on the pitch. A rarity for Pam Scott. And just throwing defenders onto the pitch worked. Jawara's and Wasawo's fresh legs made a huge difference in the back. Quick to close off gaps, and not allowing the creation of those passing lanes to create chances. No great chances for Eraman in the last 20 minutes, as Banija's defensive setup only allowed them to take incredibly low percentage shots from distance straight to the goalkeeper, or loft hopeless balls into the box that would be repeatedly claimed by Wanda Kouyaté.

A unique setup that got the three points- but one that Pam Scott said showed a lot about this team. "If you want to go far in a World Cup, if you want to win one- you have to be able to win in a variety of ways." She told reporters. "Sometimes, you are able to simply impose your style of football on the game, and take full control. That's what a team like Ko-oren does so incredibly well, but in the opposite direction. They dictate pace, where even those 1-0 wins, their opponent never has a chance. That's why we try to do, except with free-flowing football. Create spaces, expose them, ensure that the keeper is repeatedly fishing the ball out of the back of their net. But you can't always do that. Like today- Eraman was on it. Played incredibly well. The fact that we were able to adjust tactically is huge. The World Cup Finals will require all sorts of adjustments- nobody, except for maybe World Cup 79 Schottia, just imposes the game onto their opponents for 7 games in a row. Our ability to do this, in the here and now, is a good projection for future success."

Matchday 12- Banija pays a visit to Quakmybush

We, of course, had our bye on Matchday 11. That, of course, left us 6 points clear of the rest of the table in this Qualifying group after the halfway mark. On Matchday 12, we'd open our own second half of the Qualifying campaign, by paying a visit to Quakmybush. The Qualification campaign for our regional mates, of course, not going quite as well. Sitting with 14 points at the halfway mark of World Cup Qualifying. However, with playoff spots open for third place teams this cycle, they are, like plenty of teams, still right in the thick of things. They entered the matchday just three points off pace for the third place in Group 12, and the final playoff spot. Nothing to rejuvenate your Qualifying campaign like a win over a Pot 1 Banija squad, right?

With the Banijans coming to town, we were ready for a hostile environment, and we got one. "We've got great respect for Quakmybush, and what they've done in the past in this tournament." Pam Scott said. "A team from this country, a country like this... On any given day, they are capable of beating anyone. And we knew that we needed to bring out everything we had to ensure that this would not be one of those given days." Quakmybush started the game aggressively, just like Eraman. Doing what they could to try and take the lead. But they were also physical. Battering the Banijans around, the referee had a 'let them play' attitude, and they successfully disrupted our offensive flow.

Unlike Eraman, towards the end of the first half, they were able to put the ball into the back of the net. The play was quite simple, but executed brilliant. When their left winger beat one of our defender on the edge and started coming towards the goal, up the back line, we knew that we were in trouble. He crossed the ball on the ground, to the six yard box, and their #9, who had made a brilliant diagonal run, stepped in front of our centerbacks, wide open in front of goal. He finished with all the quality and class of a truly strong #9, and brought the stadium to an explosive sound of noise. The fans were really into it now, as the Banijans looked kind of shell shocked. Down 1-0 away from home- we needed to change things up.

Wesoloski-Okafor had been especially struggling against the physicality of the Quakmybush back line. So Pam Scott decided to change things up. Kamara Touré came into the game to play striker for Wesoloski-Okafor at halftime, and try to open things up in the second half. While Quakmybush switched to a low, defensive block, the Banijans repeatedly tried to get after it. When Sergius Atieno came into the game for Tijan Sowe, we started to really control the midfield and then create chances. It would be the substitute himself, in the 67th minute, who would put the Banijans on the scoreboard. He played a brilliant through ball to Kausu Dione, who was one on one with the keeper inside the 18. Atieno was smart enough to follow his pass. Quakmybush's goalkeeper made a brilliant one v. one save, but Atieno was there for the rebound. He chipped the ball over the keeper's head and into the back of the net, to tie the game at 1.

Banija kept pushing forward, looking for the winner. Quakmybush, at that point, looking to simply secure the point. Gereh Kama was fouled in the box in the 77th minute, and the referee pointed directly to the spot. With Wesoloski-Okafor, our normal penalty taker, out of the game, there was a little confusion over who would take the penalty. It went to the 23 year old winger- Lolong Bokate. "He's got that confidence and moxie of a Dí Maozöxê player." Pam Scott told reporters. "If I had to do it over, I'd pick him again." She should probably pick her words more carefully, as even Bokate isn't perfect. He skied the penalty, with many Banijans thinking our chance of winning this one were shot.

But the Banijans kept their heads up. And the Dí Maozöxê winger would play a key role in the eventual winner. Lolong Bokate hit a cross towards the near post, that was attacked by Kausu Dione and the Quakmybush goalkeeper. Dione, running away from goal towards the front post, knew that he had almost no angle to try and score. He simply flicked the ball on with his head, hoping someone was there, knowing the goalkeeper couldn't possibly recover in time. And fortunately for him, someone was. Gereh Kama was perfectly positioned for the flick on, and he headed the ball directly into the back of the net. The comeback was complete- Kama had scored the 84th minute go-ahead goal, which turned out to be the winner.

"Hell of a comeback by these players!" Pam Scott told a reporters in the immediate aftermath. "WOW! My blood is pumping. But hell of a job by our boys here." She told reporters. "Nothing was going to deny us. We didn't get rattled when they scored. We kept executing the gameplan, and we were able to hit those space. We never lost faith, even after the missed penalty, and here we are, winners." The Banijans were rewarded in the table as well. We sit 8 points ahead of the second places Squornshelan Remnant States. With our team not playing on the final day of Qualifying, it is of course important that this team try to clinch before Matchday 22, so we are not reliant on the results of others to try and get to where we want to go.

And after these performances? Well, we are well on our way to doing exactly that.

by **Sarzonia** » Thu May 19, 2022 8:52 am

Supporters of various Sarzonian national teams have seen various media talk about certain nations as multi-sport rivals, where no matter what sport is contested, a matchup between Sarzonia and a team from one of the countries mentioned always has a chance to be considered an instant classic.

Certain countries go without saying as automatic rivals regardless of the ball being used or even if a ball is being employed. There's Delaclava. They're our regional neighbours, for one thing. They're also close friends of ours, to the point where Sarzonians and Delaclavs alike have both been jokingly asked (we think, anyways) if we're actually not the same country. Then there's the joint Sarzonian-Delaclav territory known as Sarzoclava. Sarzonians can tell which region of Delaclava one of their citizens comes from by accent, and we're sure the same applies to Delaclavs able to pick up a Benataran accent from a Somersetian.

But rivalry? Oh yes. Any time Sarzonia plays Delaclava in any sport, you can expect it to be a fiercely-fought contest on the pitch, court, rink, or whatever the venue, though the intensity on the field, pitch, etc. often doesn't translate to what happens before or after the match. Many a post-match presser has been either delayed or rushed through to completion because of post-match outing plans between combatants from the two nations.

Matches between Sarzonia and Banija also share that level of intensity. Football may not have the same level of hostility that, say, basketball has, although Banija and Sarzonia both withdrew from the most recent International Basketball Championships. There's certainly a fierce rivalry between Sarzonia and Banija in lacrosse, as both teams have met in the knockout rounds of the last three WLCs, with Sarzonia coming out on top in all three. The Serpent Lions include Sarzonia as one of their biggest gridball rivalries. The level of congeniality between Sarzonian and Banijan may not reach the same level as that between Sarzonian and Delaclav, but there is progress in that regard.

As for Sarzonia vs. Valanora, the teams are most familiar these days with facing off in World Cups of Hockey or on the basketball court, although the Stars have faced Valanora on the football pitch in times past. The Stars may not be one of the biggest rivalries for the Vanorians, but even their media have noted the tendency for matches between them and Sarzonia to become heated regardless of sport.

Not as much talk about rivalries for Sarzonia has included Cassadaigua. Those countries have met in various sports including lacrosse, volleyball, and now football, and have seemingly always included high stakes. With top of table Electrum idle on the final matchday of the first half, the Stars and Fillies met at Ralph Friedgen Stadium on the campus of Woodstock University where a winner would take sole possession of first place in Group 5. Sarzonia came out victorious thanks to an 87th minute penalty by Jake Campos and it was the Stars who were top of the heap in the group at the midway point of qualifying.

Sarzonia would slip back to contention mode after a 1-0 defeat to Electrum back at Dave Wilson Stadium. The field conditions of the stadium pitch were still problematic, according to Campos.

"I hope they never play another gridball match on that pitch," he fumed. "I could've scored a goal if the field conditions were better."

As it stood, Cassadaigua regained second position in the Group 5 table due to goal difference despite Sarzonia having the head-to-head result, as both teams carry an identical 8-1-2 mark after 12 of 22 matchdays. Sarzonia will look to rebound with a match against Magnecia, this time at Nottingham Pavilion after a bye on Matchday 13.

by **HUElavia** » Thu May 19, 2022 10:33 am

Thibaea 3-4 HUElavia
(Delafosse 28', 61', Chevalier 74' | Brousseau 10', Bellerose 55', Aveiro 70', 90+2')
Rougelle Stadium, Felmar, Thibaea

Chromatika 3-3 HUElavia
(Zuniga 19', Kuznetsov 50', 70' | Honda 30', 68' (P), Nascimento 88')
The Tidal Wave, Tihon, Urrhed Island, Chromatika

XI vs Saterun:
Casillas (C), Arroyo, Pillpe, Ardance, Larrangoz, Mayordomo, Duarte, Aveiro, Noffke, Balderas, Lopes
Home Uniform will be used

XI at Cabo Azore:
1 Lettmann, 4 Vargas, 2 Lavezzi, 3 Higashi, 5 Mitarte, 6 Font, 8 Brousseau, 10 Navarro-Hamada, 11 Chanca, 7 Honda (C), 9 Nascimento
Special Uniform will be worn

A Chef's Voyage

Chowing Down Caghia

"Hi, my name's Antoine Brousseau. For several years, I've been a chef, working in various restaurants throughout HUElavia. The sights and smells of cuisine have been a part of my life since I was very young. But now, it's time for a new change in my life. It's time to travel throughout the country and sample the various dishes this country has to offer. I don't know what's ahead for me, but I got the appetite to find out."

"This is A Chef's Voyage."

On the northern coast of HUElavia, there's a city that resides, bustling with people and loud sounds. Here resides Caghia, the cultural capital of the Cog. The city is part of a region that's been more-or-less forgotten by people around the country. But, it is a unique place. Home to over 4.6 Million Cog-HUElavians, it is a bustling city of people that work hard to support themselves and their loved ones, maintaining their roots from the old country with their traditions and especially their foods. The city bustles with words being spoken in Vietnamese, English, and some light Spanish here and there. I'm here to see what they have to offer.

I arrive to the local market area, where I see a bunch of ingredients being sold. People here come over supermarkets in the area for the most part, picking out their favorite vendor and calling out the amounts of the ingredients they want, paying their Hueks and going about their day. Looking at them just calling out like it's a bidding event can be overwhelming, but such is their way of getting their food. Next to the markets are food stalls that sell a variety of Cog dishes for people to enjoy. Of course, I have to eat their most famous one: Pho. It is a soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat, which it is usually beef, sometimes chicken. *Takes bite and slurp* Mmmmm, this is so great! The soup's broth is very rich with a savory taste to it, very flavorful and subtle, similar to Chai Tea, but with more savor into the taste. The beef tendon has a chewy, sweet taste that makes it enjoyable to cheer and savor with each bite. The rice noodles are soft and easy to eat, they also have a savory flavor thanks to being soaked in the broth. The herbs do give it a slight sweet taste to the dish, but it really adds to it. God, I could have another bowl if I could, this is some amazing stuff.

I wander around the city, taking in the sounds of the people driving through, the public transit passing in the middle of the street to take people around the city, and admire the various billboards, mainly advertising in Vietnamese and English (although, there is some signage in Spanish, thanks to us being on the eastern side of the country), and seeing people go about their day, either in seriousness or in glee. Eventually, I arrive to a restaurant named Northern Orient, where I'm looking forward to try their popular dish: Bò lúc lắc. It is beef sauteed with cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, pepper, and soy sauce. Time to enjoy this Franc-inspired dish. *Takes bite* Mmmmm! It really tastes so delicious, very similar to what the Francs have made. The beef has a nice savory taste to it, a bit salty, but very good there. The vegetables are soft and well cooked to where it melts in your mouth as you chew it. The lettuce also has a nice crunch to it when you bite down and chew. The rice is also very soft and nice, seasoned just right and the soy sauce adds the umami taste to it. Very great dish, and the Cog really did a great job giving their own take to the Franc dish.

I go around visiting some local parks that also have busts of famous Cog-HUElavians who have left their mark in HUElavian society, such as former senator Nhat Ha Do, former actor Tuan Trong Van and actress Nha Y Thuy, and footballer Duy Manh Phi. People have a sense of pride in contributing whatever they can to this nation that allowed them to arrive during the mid to late 20th century, where many immigrated here and settled down to make their cities and communities, making what I believe to be a very underrated region of the country. As a snack, I decide to buy from a local street vendor, and I choose to eat Bánh bò. It is a a sweet, chewy sponge cake made from rice flour, water, sugar, and yeast, and has a honeycomb-like appearance due to air being trapped in bubbles. *Takes bite* Mmmm! Very sweet! It has a sweet flavor from the sugar and coconut milk used to make this, which just sits so well in your mouth when you eat it. It should go without saying, but it does have a coconut flavor to it, thanks to the previously mentioned coconut milk. Honestly, this may be one of my favorite snacks I've ever had. Hell, I may have to buy more of these to take home!

While Caghia may not be a popular city compared to the main capital of Curumba, the influential cities of San Rafael and Sao Salvador, the technological hubs of Sega and Goang, or the gastronomical influencers of Lourdes and Canternico, it still is a beautiful place to visit. The people here are cheerful and kind, they face through the harsh realities of life with strength and motivation, making great food that people ought to try and enjoy. In all honesty, this may be my favorite place I've visited up to now in the country. Take a moment to eat good food, appreciate the good culture and music of the Cog, and I'm certain you'll fall in love with the place. Thank you for your time Caghia, I certainly will not forget about it.

by **Saint Eleanor** » Thu May 19, 2022 11:35 am

World Cup 91 - eleventh matchday of qualification
Saint Eleanor 0
Kandorith 0 (fun fact: before this result, Kandorith were the last side to have won all of their previous qualifiers this cycle)

OOC: Still doing the Batchelor interview today-ish. I got the idea for this when I woke up today to see BP sliding in my DMs inquiring about the possibility of Martin heading over to his league; this was the best response I could come up with

Abraham Straw: Martin's place "not at risk"

Sword and Shield manager Abraham Straw has assured loyal Collegiates that captain Jessica Martin's place in their starting lineup is "not at risk from anything or anyone," despite reportedly being tempted with a move abroad after her recent interview with Saint Eleanor State Broadcasting.

In a press conference yesterday afternoon, Straw admitted that "somebody in the Baker Park women's league, I've forgotten who, tried to contact me about the prospect of getting Jess out of the country the other day after they read what Jamie Rodgers pushed out. I do not know why they did it or why they thought it was a good idea, but she does not feel threatened at all, and her place as the team captain and a regular starter is not at risk from anything or anyone. We're going to need her to keep on stepping up to the plate both on and off the field if we want to move on from the mess we're currently in."

Last year, reports emerged that Paul Ferry wanted to urge the manager to get Martin out of the University Grounds, in an effort to stop her from telling this newspaper the truth about his repeatedly abusive behaviour. The Collegiates' boss appears to have flipped the script on its head, however, insisting that "Paul has been a bad influence on himself and everybody involved in Eleanorian football in the past few years. I've had more than a few chats with him about what he's done, why it's utterly unacceptable and what he'd like to do once he gets out of the sport. Once he goes, so does the panic in the dressing room."

All reliable accounts of the club's dressing room suggest that Martin is being increasingly targeted for their poor showings among much of the older cohort, especially by Ferry, Luke Gregory and Ivan Brown. In return, her sympathisers have claimed that the critics are trying to blame her for their own misgivings and see her contrarianism as a necessary balancing act. Many accuse Straw of not doing enough to stop it, despite pointing out his "good relationship with the captain on all sorts of matters, such as promoting a healthy team environment, rooting out troublemakers, and generally making sure we're the best team we can be on the field."

Although Martin has bemoaned the backstage toxicity herself, she remains adamant that "I'm not playing favourites here. I'm the captain and I have to do everything it takes to make sure that we stay united and focused, especially since Straw won't really do that. Hopefully I can get the bullies to listen and the next manager to get our act in order, although Paul decided that shoving me across the dressing room was a good idea when I last said that." She also believes that she doesn't "really fear the government, they mostly listen to people's concerns. I've talked to General Mitcham a few times and he seemed like a nice, understanding person. That can't be said for half of the people involved with my club."

Arsenal have disappointed this season, entering the league's summer holidays with twenty points from sixteen games, level with Squidroidian-owned Newbanks United and the Golden Unicorn. Their 3-1 victory away to Independence 1975 just before the break was widely seen as a surprise result against an otherwise strong team, despite Indy fullback Donald Hutchings calling it "an appropriate outcome for what was, quite simply, a shit performance."

World Cup 91 [roleplays]

Jessica Martin on Jessica Martin

WC91Q - Riailia Cliffs and the Path to the Dark(mania) side

Endless, Episode 1

WCQ-91 MD11-12

Endless, Episode 2

Abraham Straw on Jessica Martin, actually

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