[Roleplays] :: World Cup 92

[Chartistan]

It was perhaps the most difficult game of the qualification campaign for Chartistan. Not based on the quality of opposition, but the conditions they were forced into. Match 14 out of 20 in Group 13 of the World Cup 92 qualifiers wasn't any sort of regular match in any sort of regular stadium - It was IA Quebec in IA Quebec. Perhaps one of the most daunting away days in the entirety of football no matter where the RQFA place their home qualifiers, it's perhaps an atmosphere more feared by more players than any other one that has ever been crafted. To make it all worse, as if it couldn't get any more worse, the Chartistanis had to step into the feared territory of Rammstein Ranch, or more commonly known, the Ram Ranch.

Okay, Ram Ranch wasn't really a fortress, but for teams who are unstable under pressure, it might as well be a hydraulic press. A far flung island hundreds of miles away from the Quebecois mainland, to many people it's just seen as no man's land. Beautiful scenery, but with something lurking in the shadows, hoping to take a bite of whoever may fall victim to it. It's high tech as all hell, they say. It's an experience in and of itself, they say. They don't happen to know that the fans in their little lodges are Grim Reaper fans, right? Members of the Bubonic Plague? The most infamous ultras to ever roam the footballing world at large?

No? They don't fear them at all?

If we can put up a fight against Quebec, we can beat anybody on our day. Those were the words of Doctor Lucas Combbrush in the first leg of this series between Chartistan and IA Quebec. The Grim Reapers always have this do or die mentality to them that is unmatched in international football, especially with the much feared instrument of the Mjolnir motivating them to push for well deserved victory. The Quebecois and their own unique brand of total football, combined with brutal tacking and red cards if needed, are more ways of intimidation. Add that with the stage that Ram Ranch presented and you might as well have a hellfire waiting for the team.

The drums, the vuvuzelas, the banners... The Bubonic Plague brought hell everywhere they went. When Billboard was overrun by a contingent of 10,000 members of the ultras, it felt like the world was going to end. Smoke enveloped most of the streets whenever they marched their way through the city, singing their songs and banging their drums. Just walking up to a pub and you would see the influence they had on the place, albeit with no major damage to, well, anything really. And it was something that was only a sign of what was to come.

Okay maybe Ram Ranch was a fortress after all. Stepping onto Pronghorn Island as a member of the opposing team is like leaving your kids at home. No help, no protection, just intimidation and fear setting in. You could hear the vuvuzelas from here, miles away from the feared Ranch, stinging the ground and causing it to slowly unsettle under the feet of those stepping on it. That ranch was calling them to their doom, to start a path towards dropping out of the qualification spots entirely.

Chartistan knew that this was going to be their moment. If they can put up a fight against Quebec here... Who knows how far they will go?

[Atheara]

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Football > World Cup
Walking on Thin Ice, Chances Need to be Taken
The more matches that pass on, the faster we realize that we are starting to reach the end of the World Cup Qualifying in just several more matchdays. When you focus on something so intently, you tend to forget other sensations. Such as the sensation of time passing, which is definitely the case here. Everything you feel about it will be just a moment going through the passage of time that will be engrained inside your memory, for good reasons or bad ones. Speaking of everything you feel, everyone certainly has felt the most recent matchdays, that being the fifteenth and sixteenth matches of the World Cup Qualifying.xteenth matches of the World Cup Qualifying. The result of the two matches were... More or less decent.

For the fifteenth matchday, we had faced off against Sevendia on the road. The nation of sevens was certainly an interesting experience not only for the players, but also for the fans who decided to fly to Sevendia to support The Blue Guard directly. The main reason being was that everything in the nation was a seven. Sevens were literally everywhere, but still, for the team, the players didn't let this seven-ecstasy get to them. They were prepared to take all three points and put on a show for a match. And that was what happened in the match between the two nations. Atheara took all the three points with four goals, and Sevendia had to consolidate with two goals past The Blue Guard. Sevendia's two goals came from Sergey-Seven Vanven and Sean-Seven Raven. Vanven scored his goal on the 7th minute, as he striked the ball past Cory Kallashin - Ekuinev. Raven meanwhile scored his goal on the 77th minute, as he striked a penalty down the center after being tackled by Alfadi Greznotsh.

The goals Atheara scored to win it up against the nation of sevens were also fantastic. On the 15th minute, Sebastian Gregory played a pass to Zack Dawnbridge, who then proceeded to circle around Severin-Seven Sjeven before passing it to Urusov Cantonian - Myords. Cantonian - Myords striked it hard and true, shooting the ball with his left foot to beat out Sebastian-Seven Proven. The second goal Atheara scored came from a free kick, as The Blue Guard got one when Severin-Seven Sjeven had tackled Azel Nieroth - Albrin. Neroth - Albrin decided to be the one who takes the kick, but instead of striking, he passed it to Dawnbridge as he took a touch, before curling it in past Proven on the 36th minute. The signature Dawnbridge curled shot. The next goal Atheara scored came from a penalty on the 60th minute. Greznotsh easily chipped the ball down the center to take the score up with ease. Atheara's final goal was on the 86th, when Dani Halfaard had the chance to take a corner for The Blue Guard. Halfaard striked it to the center, as Brandon Dottier (Who was subbed in for Cantonian - Myords) easily finished it off for Atheara. An overall thrilling game.

Then came the sixteenth matchday, which was a match against Abanhfleft on home soil in Schennerwits. This match was expected to be an extremely tight affair, considering The Blue Guard was on a good run of results. However, The Lady Revolutionaries would shock the home side as they would take all of the three points from the match by a close 1 - 0 scoreline. The match overall disn't give either side many chances, even with Abanhfleft's more offensive and attacking tactics. In the end, they were able to break through a trong Athearan defensive line when on the 52nd minute of the game, Josefine Vitagliano drifted through a pocket of space that Emanuel Coelho and Ja Dishwasher had left, before proceeding to strike the shot past against Kallashin - Ekuinev. A surprising result which saw Atheara fail to leapfrog some teams in Group 10's standings.

The management certainly had a lot of comments about the team's so far performance, maily about their loss against Abanhfleft (In the side of taking every opportunity they get). But, some words were sprouted out by Kristian Johansson, Atheara's head coach about the team needing to take on every chance they have. "We need to take every opporunity, every small moment, every timeful chance we get. It doesn't matter if that chance was from us or the opponent, we have to take it. Maximize everything we have, because it's a factor in our drive to win. For that we need to be able to use the opportunities that we receive from our luck." His words had put the nation into a deep thought about Atheara's drive to win.

Either way, that drive to win maybe will be of some help. Atheara will once again be facing off against West Barack and East Obama on away ground for matchday seventeen, and against Saint Eleanor at home ground for matchday eighteen. The last time we faced odf against these two teams, the results were a 0 - 0 draw against The Obamen, and a 1 - 0 loss against Saint Eleanor respectively. All we can do is hope for the best results.

[Sargossa]

He glanced across the graphs and figures on the sheet in front of him. If they were correct, then there was really only one conclusion to draw. ‘We’re eating more beef? How is that even possible? At some point we’re going to have to consider government mandated jogging.’

The economic advisors laughed, as they always would when the Sargossan president cracked a joke. Gregorio Emparán had noticeably become a lot funnier since he became the most important person in the nation. He returned his attention to the figures. ‘Export numbers are healthy too, although healthy may not be entirely the right wo…’

He trailed off at the sound of a knock at the door. It opened and in came Alana Velásquez, former private secretary whose organisational ability and talent had seen her eventually become presidential chief of staff. She wordlessly crossed the room before handing the president a slip of paper. He looked at it, then at Alana and then back to the paper. ‘Thank you, gentlemen. I’ll take your recommendations under advisement.’

He left his economic advisors behind as he made his way through the interior of the Presidential Palace, Alana falling into step beside him. ‘This has become something else now.’ He said as he walked. ‘Let’s get the Pasargan ambassador in here. And see if there’s anyone awake at either the Nethertopian or Candelariasian embassies. I think we can give them the courtesy of keeping them abreast of current events. Let’s get Joongyeong on the line too. Wait. Do we even know where the Pasargan ambassador’s allegiances lay? That’s the trouble with civil wars, they’re bloody confusing. Get them in but keep it vague until we can be sure.’

He headed down another flight of steps and reached a heavy door. Two soldiers flanked it and snapped to attention as he approached. Beyond the door and a further antechamber beyond senior figures in military uniform stood or sat around a long central table. The walls of the room were decked out with various monitors. The command bunker was arguably the most secure room in all the Greater Republic. Those that were sat stood as the president entered.

‘Keep your seats.’ He gestured them to sit before taking his own chair at the head of the table.

Those that had them returned to their seats, all eyes in the room focused on the president.

‘Events have taken a turn. Pasarga calls for aid. King Jakub’s true heirs have been marked for death and I cannot countenance that. I will not countenance that. Our Oygruppen brethren will not fall to traitors and a pack of mercenary dogs from Margaret knows where. The ties of Olde Rushmore will endure.’

There was no need to have a map of Pasarga appear on one of the larger screens, it was already there. The situation to the south east had been a regular fixture in security briefings since the old king’s death.

‘What do we know?’

‘The situation on the ground is pretty chaotic.’ An officer in the uniform of military intelligence began. ‘The capital has fallen, with the insurrectionist launching an offensive from Troubalose in the north. There’s no real word on who is financing this mysterious mercenary force. But they are continuing to head south. The loyalty of the Pasargan armed forces seems questionable at best, with large numbers of them having already defected. But we believe forces loyal to the crown are massing in Paulinthal and Stein-los in the south of Pargis.’

‘And the siblings? Do we have a location?’

‘Our most recent intelligence put them in Stilinkeep. The situation on Peynol appears to be stable currently, but with thousands fleeing the conflict in Pargis that stability isn’t likely to last very long. We believe the navy and air force, for the most part, remain loyal to Queen Azra and a forming a buffer between the twin islands.’

‘And we’re going to get their backs. Admiral.’ He turned to a grey haired officer in the dark blue of the Sargossan navy. ‘Have the Fourth Carrier Group re-deployed from the Komodo Channel to the Pasargan channel. They have a Special Forces detachment, do they not?’

‘They do sir.’

‘Good. Securing the siblings and the royal court is vital. We’re evacuate them if needs be, they can shack up in the Viceroy’s Palace for a few weeks while the situation stabilises. Obviously, they may be reluctant to leave. Either way, I want them surrounded by a ring of steel. If they’re off the board this whole endeavour is for naught. Also, I want the First Carrier Group pushed towards the Alban Strait. And mobilize the reserve fleet.’

There was the slightest pause before a number of the room’s occupants grabbed phones and started relaying the president’s orders. Orders that amounted to the greatest single movement of Sargossa’s military in decades. And he was not done. He turned to a smaller monitor on which the face of General Raoul Delgado looked back.

‘Raoul, would I be correct in thinking that a ground deployment in Pasarga is something your military planners would have toyed around with?’

The Chairman of the High Command nodded an affirmative.

‘I want to see their findings. What ground forces are currently on active station in the south?’

‘The Eighth Army is holding the East Larissa Military District and the Second Army is deployed in the South Sargosso District.’

‘Have them readied for imminent overseas deployment. And move the First Armoured Brigade south too. I will hit them with a whole Army Group if I have to. And Raoul, have your planners engineer a new scenario for Pasarga. Taking into account forces now at their disposal and a particular focus on taking Troubalose. Thank you gentlemen, you have your orders. Now I think it’s time to get the Foreign Ministry to issue a statement and then I believe i'm scheduled to have another chat with my new buddy Harry.

* * * * * * * * * *

SSM | Sargossan State Media

International Edition - Politics



Soluca Issues Ultimatum


In recent hours it has been reported that Queen Azra of Pasarga and her brother Prince Iskander have seemingly been marked for death by the insurrectionists waging a bloody conflict in the north of the island of Pargis. The Pasargan rebels, supported by a force of mercenaries of unknown origin, and collectively dubbed ‘The Red and Golds’ have been shelling both civilian and military targets indiscriminately in an offensive that has seen the national capital Torgos fall to the rebels. In a strongly worded statement from the Sargossan Foreign Ministry, President Emparán has given the rebels seventy two hours to lay down their arms, return the institutes of state to the rightful rulers of Pasarga and to surrender. Failure to comply will result in ‘severe consequences’. The statement was immediately proceeded by reports of naval re-deployments and large military mobilisations in the south of Sargossa. It’s another dramatic day in what has been a week of unprecedented events. Against this backdrop is the historic state visit of Euran Prime Minster Harry Barnham. Prime Minister Barnham is expected at the Presidential Palace later today for further talks with President Emparán. Although there’s little doubt as to the topic that will surely dominate those proceedings…

[Flavovespia]

Flavovespia 2 - 0 Hopal

Flavovespia relied a bit on some individual brilliance to get the win over Hopal and get themselves ready for a key game against Zwangzug. Whilst it wasn’t a stellar performance across the board in the capital, Flavovespia again proved that they can still get the wins without needing to be at the absolute best.

Flavovespia were back to their starting XI from Matchday 13, with a return of Adrian Jones to centre forward with Michael Cole and Jonathan Bagshaw flanking him. Nevertheless, despite being back to full strength at attack, it was a slow start for the hosts. If anything Hopal were the ones making the most of the play in the opening 15-20 minutes. Peter Fikudal was finding the right spots with his passes, and Tommy Sanchez had 2 fairly good shots parried away by Aarif Muhammad. Harris Frey also took a chance from range, that wasn’t too far off the target.

The breakthrough came arguably against the run of play in the 28th minute. Jonathan Bagshaw collected the ball out wide, and made a run inside. A clever body feint took the ball past Kay Redford, and before Karos Yamover could close down Bagshaw, the young attacking midfielder opened fire and sent in a brilliant curling shot that Alex Gargin had no chance to keep out. After a tough tournament so far by his lofty standards, Jonathan Bagshaw demonstrated the skill and talent that made him Flavovespia’s most recognisable player.

The rest of the first half saw Flavovespia more in control, but they couldn’t yet find a second goal. Adrian Jones came closest of the forwards, but although his diving header in the 38th minute was spectacular, it was off target. A shame for the forward, who’d love to have that goal in his repertoire. 1-0 it was at the break, Flavovespia leading after some individual flair, in a game otherwise quite balanced with both teams having a good extended spell.

The second half began without too much of note, until the 56th minute of the game. A relatively innocuous clearance from Hopal fell to Kieron Player who played it out to Jonathan Bagshaw just under 30 metres out on the right hand side. Seeing Gargin in a poor position, Bagshaw went for it and hit the jackpot. His chipped shot flew out of reach of Gargin, and dipped just under the bar, flying in and nestling inside the side netting of the net. A pinpoint perfect shot from Baghsaw, and he had a second in this game, both really impressive goals.

That second goal seemed to have taken too much out of Hopal, and their attacking flair of the opening stages seemed to have gone now. Whilst they hadn’t truly given up, it looked like the Flavovespian defence had the game under control, keen to wrap up another clean sheet. At the other end of the pitch, it seemed the question was whether or not Bagshaw could get a hat trick. Every time he got the ball, calls of “SHOOT!” rose from the crowd, and after his earlier 2 goals, who could blame them? Bagshaw did indeed have a couple more shots, but nothing that could really test Gargin. Michael Cole had the closest chance in the second half, having got into a one v one, but at a relatively narrow angle, he scuffed a shot wide of the post, before a suspicious look at the ground acting like there was a divot of turf deflecting the ball.

2-0 the game finished, Bagshaw scoring twice spectacularly, but other than that not the most memorable game. With Zwangzug held to a 2-2 draw in Jeruselem, Flavovespia take the group lead on goal difference, ahead of the crucial game in Zwangzug that could well be decisive in the race for automatic qualification.

Zwangzug 2 - 0 Flavovespia

Zwangzug secured a 2-0 win against Flavovespia to return to the top of the group. Flavovespia will be rueing their performance, the game over for them before it really began, and also became a scrappy, undignified affair that boiled over.


It took just 25 seconds for Zwangzug to get the first goal. From the kick off, the ball was played out forward and wide with Farrokh Sokhi taking on the Flavovespian defence. Sokhi squared it back to the edge of the box, and Kayla Haugen ran in and struck it on the half volley. Aarif Muhammad was beaten by the pace on the shot, and it flew straight and true into the goal. Flavovespia were nonplussed, any hopes of keeping it tight in the opening stages were blown away immediately.

The hosts had control following their opener, and it seemed a matter of when, not if, the second goal would come. The answer was on the half-hour mark. Clean passing through the levels got Quincy Dulk-Fough into position. Aarif Muhammad pulled off a great save, then Stuart Cookson blocked the first rebound, but Esther Axelrod-Conway made it third time lucky, her strike was past the goalkeeper and the two Flavovespian defenders between her and the goal line.

Flavovespia nearly halved the deficit with the final attack of the first half. Kieron Player’s corner was headed towards goal by Stuart Cookson, and it took a hand from goalkeeper Helen Pimbura to tip it onto the post, and then Meghna Imomenba to clear it away. 2-0 at the break, Zwangzug had a commanding position, and Flavovespia would need one of their greatest performances to get back to the top of the group.

Flavovespia’s best chances to get back into it came from a few quick early attacks in the second half. Jonathan Bagshaw had an effort from outside the box lack just enough curl as it skimmed the wrong side of the post and rolled out, with Pimbura beaten. Michael Cole also did well to shake off Imomenba, before sending a powerful shot straight at Pimbura, blowing a good chance for the visitors. Outside of that, Flavovespia were feeding off scraps to try and make a comeback, and at both ends of the pitch, it seemed players were happy to be a bit more cynical to try and disrupt attacks.

The 75th minute saw tensions boil over. David Lyons played a long ball forward, with Michael Cole looking to sprint clear into goalscoring position. Meghna Imomenba cynically pulled Cole back by the arm, sending the pair sprawling to the floor. Cole rose first and deliberately stamped on Imomenba’s leg, which didn’t go unnoticed. Players from both side stormed into the resulting scuffle between both sides, plenty of players trying to act as peacemakers, but a few had certainly abandoned the football for now. After both sides were separated, and the video referee consulted, a smattering of yellow cards were handed out, and 2 red cards. Meghna Imomenba off for the original foul, Michael Cole for the retaliation.

The final 15 minutes were played with a lot of underlying tension, but ultimately no further major incident. Flavovespia couldn’t muster up any more good chances, only a few half efforts here and there. Zwangzug needed to take no more risks in the 10 vs 10 finish to the game, and got the win they needed to return to the top of Group 6. Flavovespia are 2nd, 3 points behind Zwangzug, but on paper with a harder fixture list, and Zwangzug therefore are favourites to win the group. The margin to Jeruselem for Flavovespia is 5 points, with Delaclava 2 points behind Jeruselem. Flavovespia have games to play against both though, and a loss to either would get them much closer to overtaking Flavovespia.

[Milchama]

Alexandria Times-Tribune-Sun-Moon-Sky-Picayune-Courier-Post-Pre-Forward-Current-Reader

Sports Section

Drawkland 4-3 Milchama but it's bad now

Last time Milchama lost to Drawkland 4-3 the entire country erupted into simultaneous cheering. The Warriors had qualified for the World Cup and it was time to celebrate. The late goal by Floren made it 3-3 and an even later goal by the Elite Eleven was not enough as Milchama won 8-7 on aggregate. This time losing 4-3 on the road in Drawkland meant that Milchama had their first loss of the qualifying campaign and moved 4 points back of the Drawks in the race for second place. Of course the race of second isn't that important since, improbably, despite being 15 groups, there are still playoffs to qualify for the World Cup and it's increasingly unlikely (if it ever was likely) that Milchama would come close to directly qualifying to the World Cup.

The game was somewhat similar to the playoff game in that Drawkland got out to an early lead. Madison scoring in the 3rd minute before Apollo scored a beautiful 25 yard stunner to put the Elite Eleven (them again?!) 2-0 in the first 15 minutes. But of course if there is one thing these Warriors are it's fighters. Milchama has come back from improbably deficits or just weird formations, can you believe Squidroidia still plays System Karela?, to get results and there is no reason why the Warriors couldn't do it again even in hostile territory.

The comeback started before the end of the first half as Eliot Flok got on to a pass from Colm Interlasskoti to beat Xander who was cheating up for a transition play. The Milchamian press working to perfection and it was a 2-1 game at halftime. The question for the second half was whose high risk/high reward styles was going to work better. Was it going to be Milchama whose pressing could lead to goals or was it Drawkland's methodic and beautiful passing that could unlock the Warriors defense?

Milchama struck first in the second half as a turnover at midfield by Waver quickly led to Schneider on the ball. Schneider got it over to Floren who easily beat Kingston to make it 2-2 and anyone's ball game in the 51st minute. The next 20 minutes were all Milchama. Floren getting three shots on net, Flok got two more and even Waver got one that almost skidded in before hitting off the inside of the post and out for a goal kick. While it may have been bad luck all around, especially Waver's strike, it was still 2-2. That was until a stroke of genius from sub Kelly Filimitov.

The Elite Eleven had an increasingly uncharacteristic possession in the Warriors end. Rodney was charging down and looked likely to pass a ball to a smartly running Apollo but Filimitov intercepted the pass and beat a line to hoof it up to Schneider. Dee Schneider knew what was up and immediately started to move forward quickly. He then put in an early cross that surprised the Drawkland defenders but not Millie Kouriea who found the cross with her head and suddenly it was 3-2 Milchama. The away fans were cheering, the good times were rolling, and our favorite chant "2 nil up and you blew it" was ringing around the away end.

And it all came crashing down in one play as the Warriors went too far forward and suddenly there was an opening at the back that was ruthlessly exploited by Dominic Southers who scooped Entersher from 40 yards out to tie the game at 3. The less said about this goal the better. Just bad defense from the Warriors. That led to a frantic last 10 minutes. This is not the first time Milchama has been in this position this World Cup campaign. Come back victories against Mystylands and the Finntopian Empire have proven that. And of course, except in that 5-0 facecrush of Schima Bas, every Warrior game has been within 1 goal or less in the last 10 minutes, so a frantic last 10 minutes is a pretty normal feeling for these Warriors.

This time though the last 10 minutes was not kind to Milchama as the Elite Eleven seemed to grow stronger and even with the subs Milchama seemed to get weaker. It seemed mostly like a matter of time before Milchama conceded and it happened just before stoppage time as a great move got Madison his second of the game as he finished off a 15 pass stunner of a move with a simple tap in to make it Drawkland 4-3 Milchama. Unlike last time there was no celebrations as the Warriors collapsed on the field and everybody knew the result had been predetermined.

While the game was fun, and I'm sure neutrals enjoyed the goal scoring, the loss puts Milchama in a tough position. 4 points back of 2nd place and only 2 points up on Starblaydia. Milchama doesn't even have the game in hand on Starblaydia. The good news is that we at home against the Finntopian Empire in the next MD while Starblaydia has to play the much harder Schima Bas away. Hopefully some good results can help Milchama but for right now the disappointment is what counts.

Drawkland 4 - Madison (3, 90), Apollo (15), Southers (79)
Milchama 3 - Flok (34), Floren (51), Kouriea (72)

[Atheara]

Part VIII out of ??
A Full Blown Assault, With Newfound Power

Christian Fierrevanturo was overlooking a fortress that seemed to be recently furnished up to be a base of operations. He took out a set of binoculars and decided to inspect the base for a bit more, it seems quite guarded for the size of it, which actually wasn't that large. It was a surprise to him that a base of that size was quite important for the ISLORA, otherwise he'd have no opinions on it. But he just found the ISLORA wasting resources on something that isn't worth their investment. This base was also quite close to the frontlines, which he finds only even more odd. Anyways, he placed down his binoculars since he was done looking and signalled a soldier to come to him.

Whispering his orders, he signalled the soldier to go and do whatever he told him to. After quite some time on thinking what the best next step would be, the soldier returned with a radio. It was perfect for whatever the older Fierrevanturo sibling had in mind. He decided to put out several orders through the radio. This radio was far more futuristic than what Christian could think of, as he also provided extra information about the orders he was giving. Once he was done with whatever orders he had, he ended the radio call. All he had to do now was to wait for it to happen.

And in the end, it seems he didn't have to wait long. Because suddenly out of nowhere, Canna Varschal was flying her fighter jet as she nose dived towards the fortress, sounding alarms and forcing ISLORA to fire anti air guns at her. But even with the resistance, she did not falter as she fired her jet's energy enhanced missiles and drove the jet back up into the air. Two explosions happened as the missiles had impacted the fortress, causing some parts of it to become rubble. Then, suddenly, a shouting of orders from two different people was heard.

"Charge!"

"Fire up!"

Ordered the two Fierrevanturo siblings. Daniel had his tanks fire at the fortress as supportive fire for the soldiers that were rushing down the hill to charge at the fortress. Anti tank guns suddenly revealed their locations, firing at the tanks. One of them had punctured the tank's armor and destroyed it. Meanwhile, the ISLORA soldiers fired at the charging AMC soldiers, causing several casualties. This would go on for a while until the AMC soldiers eventually overran their positions while snipers and the other undestroyed tanks quickly shot down the anti tank gun positions. Now, the tanks had forced themselves down the hill and were entering the fort as AMC and ISLORA soldiers clashed amongst eachother. But things would get even messier, as two combater class energy mechs appeared on the AMC's side as reinforcements.

On the streets inside the fortress, which was essentially also a small town in terms of it's function, you could see Rozmund Fallagher fighting against several ISLORA soldiers with his enhanced gloves, which were as powerful as actual gauntlets. He looked behind him and ducked from a punch coming at him, before punching back at the stomach of the enemy soldier. He jumped and performed a backflip as he took out his gun and fired at another ISLORA soldier that tried taking him out with a sliding kick, killing the enemy soldier on the spot. Rozmund then noticed two soldiers charging at him, he decided to just step back and let the two soldiers punch eachother, as they both passed out from their own attacks.

He then dodges a shot from somewhere, which ended up killing off another ISLORA soldier. He looked towards where the direction of the shot came from, and immediately he sees a woman of his age. She was wearing what seems to be battle armor which, while looking quite casual would actually work in combat. At least, from what Rozmund can tell with a glance. She also had blonde hair and blue eyes, and her face was filled with that of anger. She took out a second handgun, meaning now she had a gun in both of her hands. The ISLORA affiliated woman aimed her guns at Rozmund as he took a fighting stance. Hands forming fists as they located themselves near his hip, with his legs ready to charge forward when needed.

But then, a sudden gush of wind. And it was a powerful one at that. Rozmund was immediately able to recognize who it was, as he looked where the gush of wind came from. There Cecilia Scharlund was, walking in a slow tempo with as much grace as she steps closer to Rozmund. After a bit, Cecilia was now standing next ro Rozmund as the Scharlund took a look around the battlefiele, before proceeding to look at Rozmund and the blonde haired woman. Cecilia then formed a wind spike, as she fired it at the ISLORA affiliate with the flick of her hand. The woman dodged it, before firing two bullets from her two guns. Cecilia immediately manipulated Elyzian Energy with her one hand as the bullets were deflected.

"Rozmund, go deal with the other soldiers and help the men. She's above your combat capability, it seems."

"You do you, Vessel of Wind. Beat her ass Cecilia, I'm counting on it."

"I won't let you down Rozmund."

Rozmund gave a nod to Cecilia as he ran off to help some of the others. Cecilia and the blonde haired woman gave eachother a hard, cold stare. The two were of course studying eachother and waiting for the other to make the first move. While studying eachother, Cecilia was able to see a label on the blonde woman's coat. She could only see a name, but it would be suffice for her to quite possibly win the fight. The woman aimed her guns at Cecilia as the new Vessel of Wind formed several wind spikes, ready to thrust into action the moment they had to. Suddenly, an explosion happened nearby and some rubble had landed on the ground, creating a loud sound. That was the moment the battle began.

The woman fired both of her guns and moved to the side, Cecilia had to flick her hands to deflect the bullets once again. Then, Cecilia pointed her fingers at the woman. Because of that, two wind spikes charged at the woman. The ISLORA affiliate expertly dodged the two bullets with her impressive reflexes, before being hit by an orb of wind elemental energy, causing her to be sent back. She quickly got up and saw Cecilia charging at her with four wind spikes, two of the recently fired ones were replaced by new ones. She rolled to the side and fired one of her guns again. Cecilia crushed her hand into the inside as she thrusted it forward, the bullets immediately crumbled to dust because of the Elyzian Energy manipulated by Cecilia.

The woman immediately fired the gun in her other hand as Cecilia flipped back as to not get hit. But the moment she landed, the woman charged at her and punched her right at her chest. Cecilia was sent flying back and crashed onto a wall. The woman charged up one of the guns and fired at where Cecilia should be, and the charged bullet caused an explosion. The ISLORA affiliate looked away in pride, before being impaled by a wind spike. She looked back in disgust as she sees that Cecilia had wind elemental energy surrounding her body like a shield. But still, the Scharlund was injured quite a bit. The woman puts the gun that fired the charged bullet onto her belt, and fired the third bullet of that one. Cecilia dodges to the side as she fires the remaining three wind spikes at the woman. Said woman dodges two of the wind spikes, but one hits the ground in front of her, causing dust to get into her face. Then, surprisingly, the Vessel of Wind charged a punch and striked the woman at her face.

That sent the ISLORA woman to a wall of her own, with dust clouds filling the air due to the nature of where the battle was. Cecilia slowly walked to where the woman was and fired two wind spikes, and made them explode in powerful gusts of wind just in case. Once the dust settled (Along with the help of her own powers by blowing the dust away with gushes of wind), she realized that the blonde haired, blue eyed woman was nowhere to be seen at hee supposed location. It was just rubble. Well, it seems like she escaped one way or another. Then, Cecilia crouched down on the ground for a bit, likely due to her own injury. She heard footsteps and looked where it was coming from, Rozmund was approaching the Vessel of Wind and decides to help her up. But now, Rozmund had a question about the battle.

"Cecilia... Where did the woman go?"

"She escaped, I don't know how though... She was supposes to be laying on the wall by now. But she went missing all of a sudden."

"Don't worry, at least you won the fight for now."

"But I wanted to use this trick I found in a book... It relates to the name of your opponent! It sounded really cool..."

"Really...? Well, either way, you can use the trick later. What was the name of the woman anyways?"

"...Hanna Ocherbeth."

[Chromatika]

ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
ALICE

MD15: (236) Yakk 1-4 (31) Chromatika
Goals: Xuen-Zhukov 11', 29', Fillar, E. 44', Delaya 71'
Starting XI (3-4-1-2): Begley (C); Coulibaly - Régine - Aimée; Kruetzberg - Larriet-Cortes - Fillar, B. - Fillar, E.; Phoen; Delaya - Xuen-Zhukov.
Substitutes: Laurette -> Phoen (53'), Womack -> Fillar, E. (53'), Park -> Xuen-Zhukov (77'), Ju -> Larriet-Cortes (81'), Oveni -> Delaya (88')

---

MD16 (31) Chromatika 1-1 (125) Gnejs
Goal: Xuen-Zhukov 10'
Starting XI (3-4-1-2): Begley (C); Coulibaly - Régine - Aimée; Kruetzberg - Larriet-Cortes - Fillar, B. - Fillar, E.; Phoen; Delaya - Xuen-Zhukov.
Substitutes: Descombes -> Begley (56'), Baum -> Kruetzberg (56'), Toussaint -> Delaya (71'), Mixon -> Ingram (71'), Ansoll -> Régine (85')

MD18 @ (46) Sendhang
Predicted Starting XI (3-4-1-2): Fillar, J. (C); Coulibaly - de Aea - Aimée; Kruetzberg - Larriet-Cortes - Fillar, B. - Fillar, E.; Kuznetsov; Delaya - Xuen-Zhukov.
Reserves: GK Lorée Bautista, GK Jacob Descombes, DCR Paisley Paterson, DC Gwina Ansoll, DC Klavida Régine, DCL Damon Ingram, DCL Twilight Mixon, WBR Martha Baum, BWM Mare Si, CDM Amélie Ju, WBL Manda Iara, WBL Ladonna Womack, AP Tyamoa Laurette, P Sandra Park, F9 Paskal Toussaint, SS Kara Oveni

---

The Red League All-Decade Team
08: Midfielders - First Team

By: Jordan Lawless, Chief Correspondent

Ah, midfielders. How can we just pick six to represent the brilliance that midfielders have shown during ten years of the Red League? It will be difficult, but we will give it a shot. Attacking Midfielders, Wingers, and Strikers get their own category, and this is more reserved for those that line up at the middle of the field, either in the Central Midfield or the Defensive Midfield positions. Whether it be being the first line of defense in front of the opposition, the facilitator spreading around the ball, or the one taking midrange shots, midfielders come in diverse roles and sizes. Let us honor three of them now.

The Red League All-Decade First Team Midfielder: Sara Kristoffersdóttir, Wirr Tsi

Sara Kristoffersdóttir entered the Red League as an up and comer with a creative streak and a drive that would not let her stay for long if the team didn't live up to her aspirations. Thankfully, Wirr Tsi was up to those aspirations. With three league titles in her tenure at the club, one cup title, and an IFCC title, Sara has been instrumental in helping Wirr Tsi reach those new heights. Then, she went and won the World Cup with Græntfjall for good measure. Easily one of the best players in the Red League, and arguably, the world. The best part? She is just now in her prime, and we may not have seen the best of her yet.

The Red League All-Decade First Team Midfielder: Truday Harrison, Chromatik

When Chromatik firsts signed Harrison after Tumbra's brilliant performance at the youth level, not many people thought it would amount to much. When Leysa Burns left for Wirr Tsi saying that the Capitalizt would be fine because of Trudy, some heads turned. Since then, Harrison has blossomed to a born leader with solid fundamental defensive skills to go with a mean streak and the dogged determination to do anything needed to win the game. Off the field, her relationship with both Ami Coulibaly and Stephen Kerr have also cemented the locker room atmosphere in Chromatik, helping with the intangibles to help the team thrive. They finally won their first tile a few seasons ago, and remain a contender due to Harrison's presence and design.

The Red League All-Decade First Team Midfielder: Marko Zup, Myana

The best story in terms of a foreigner being developed in Chromatika, Zup was on the bench for many a season in Myana before getting the starting job, even having a season where he scored ten goals off the bench. Then, he slotted in as easily one of the most aggressive and impressive Attacking Midfielders to play the position in the Red League, breaking into the Rekan team at the same time. His job is comparatively simple - either shoot, distribute to the wings, or get the ball to Enrico - but there is a sheer brilliance to the way that he conducts his business. He has been an integral part of Myana's resurgence and their continual bid to be one of the best teams in the Chromatik landscape.

Next: Second-Team Forwards

---

The Third Chromatik Premier Election

Meet the Candidates #7 Ilyana Basketerina - The Rebel

Let it be known that the days of a unified Chromatik government post-Rainbow Revolution is over. In the dissolving of the Traditionalist Party, they fired one parting shot that could have far-reaching circumstances: They removed a common enemy from the board, one that everyone could lay down their differences and focus upon. Since then, the New Light Party has concentrated most of its power toward its main candidate, Hélène Embroise, but it's not possible to see what the impact of the shattering has been, as there may be dissidents who are just not coming out into the limelight. So, let us talk about the rebel in the room from the NLP side - one Ilyana Basketerina.

Ilyana Polina Basketerina is the youngest practicing member of the Chromatik Chambers of the Legislature, being elected at the age of twenty-five, now hitting thirty, which makes her the youngest Premier Candidate out there. Chromatik law says that any elected official has to be older than twenty, so she doesn't have to worry about that.

Basketerina is an orphan, having lost both her parents during the Rainbow Revolution, both of them having been martyred by the Chromatik Party. Everyone remembers what happened to Franscesca Larriet-Cortes, but many have forgotten that Larriet-Cortes was the most famous of a group of over one thousand that were killed by the Chromatik Party for believing in the Revolution. Basketerina is a living reminder of that fact and has made it a point to remind everyone as often as she can.

Though first drawn toward the ideals of the Red Party, she soon realized that holding onto hate for everyone that didn't have a direct part in what befell her parents was ridiculous. So, she became a member of the Rainbow Party, until she realized that they weren't going far enough. This made her an ideal candidate to join the Saebitdang movement, which she did. It is a political trajectory that makes sense given her background and ideals.

Now, with the Traditionalists gone and the Rainbow Party splintering, Basketerina has made a ploy to establish a power base in the Saebitdang that isn't strong enough now to do anything, but has the potential to change the political landscape in an election or two. As someone who is running on a platform of both continued observance of what's happened in the past, keeping relations with Banija and Quebec along with others, and a step toward exploration of the unknown, Basketerina can be seen as a cross between Embroise, Kornhäusel, and Li. This has put her in an intriguing position where even some of the Rainbow Party could see some merit in her ideals, though how far that goes cannot be seen unless she wins the New Light Party primaries.

As a bestselling author of both a mystery fiction series and a sci-fi series, Basketerina has quite a following in Chromatik literature, which makes up a lot of her voter base. In the Saebitdang, she's been mostly characterized as an idealist who sometimes takes things too far but has good ideas, akin to a lost child. She's okay with living under that stigma for now - it'll lead to people underestimating her, which they can do at their own peril.

Make no mistake - she knows that she likely won't win this Primary. However, it'll put her more squarely on the map. Then, she has plans, ideas, and the like to take things further - this is just the beginning of Ilyana's journey as part of Chromatik politics.

Next: The New Light Party #3 - Hagiwara Chisuzu

---

World Cup 92 Qualifying, Part 8: Comparisons

Comparisons will be the death of anyone that is somewhat good at anything.

Lavrentiy Xuen-Zhukov? Keira Andisori, although he is just starting his career, she is a literal legend. Too much for the young kid to live up to, but can anyone blame the pundits when he is the best prospect in the position since the days of Andisori? The Chromatik team's media has done a good job of deflecting most of it, but as he goes and continues to excel, the comparisons will continue. Keira Andisori herself has asked to give the young Mytanar-Chromatik some space, but it can't be blamed - and it will be continued for as long as he is active.

Edith Fillar? Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov, which is the most awkward when both of them are on the same team. One is in the prime of his career, the other is just starting off, yet very well. Edith has so many goals by age twenty, which has really gotten the journalism base talking about her. Now that Kuznestov has moved to AM, perhaps they'll play alongside each other in a year or two if Ighv can't hold down the fort. Crazy, isn't it? There are even those that are already hoping Edith doesn't "pull an Antonio", which is downright rude. Thankfully, the two of them remain cordial teammates and hasn't let the talk get to them, the professionals that they are.

Lev Repin? Well... Does anyone really measure up? The failure of the last two cycles have really turned the public against Chromatik Managers - the last successful Chromatik Manager was Lisa Amos, way back when. Tim Landers and Richard Valens were both considered to not be enough at the time, but now, most Chromatiks would give a lot to return to those days of not making the World cup Proper Second Round. Three-fourths of the way through Qualifying, Chromatika is first in their group with a game in hand that will be made up in the next two matches. Brookstation is giving them a run for their money, but Repin's confidence and the way that the team is rallying around the way he plays has been great to watch.

Last five: At Sendhang, home versus Cardenao, at Xanneria, home versus Atetancillo, and at Brookstation. The away matches at Sendhang and Brookstation will not be easy, and the home match against Cardenao bears some concern; however, as Chromatika believes, it starts to thrive, and the team hasn't even reached its full potential yet.

Comparisons be damned.

[TJUN-ia]

By Peter Davis

After a pivotal window saw us climb up to 2nd, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia were undoubtedly in the hunt and nobody was doubting that anymore. David Seems may be without his wife right now, but despite that, he was trying his best to try and drag this team towards a 2nd WC, and the results are turning around. The Jaguars were the only undefeated team left in this group, but the 7 draws this team had taken are certainly painful...but what would happen this time?

Up first was Sixty-ninE X at the Salam Liljamie Stadium as the nation of Ilya Tsunopin and overall kinkiness traveled to fucking Al Kalifa in what has to be the most inverted nation-stadium combo TJUN-ia had ever seen. The game itself was pretty simple to understand: 69X was better than expected, tried to park the bus in the 2nd half and it certainly was working until local hero Malhrani al-Kalhrani broke through to give the Jagaurs the 1-0 win. It may not have been the most enjoyable of wins this campaign, but this win was important for two reasons:
1) With Tumbra on their bye week, the Jaguars actually took the lead in the group for the first time all campaign.
2) No Dagan flags were permitted into the stadium, as the FA-TJUN-ia certainly didn't want what happened in Kepu Manu to happen in the ArU tonight. This ban will also be in effect for TJUN Speed Week in Peninsula, with the only Dagan flags present for the whole weekend being on the 4 Dagan Drivers' cars, in the Opening Ceremony and on the podium if one of them made it there. The TJUN-ian Government also strictly apologised for what it called a "step too far" in the reactions to events in Territoire du Nord and expressed hope that "the actions of a few cannot damage the warmness we feel towards the Dagan people. Those in Kepu Manu are not representative of the whole of TJUN-ia and while opinion here is very much split, we must respect all opinions on all sides like the neutrals we are." KS, the CSTO-based fan group, took it one step further by releasing a statement on twii.tur that goes as follows: "We do not condone terrorism. We do not hate Cassadaigua or its people. We do not hate those who represent Cassadaigua with full voice. We do not hate those who chose to represent "North Cassadaigua", as it was their decision and their decision alone.
We simply hate colonialism. That is our opinion, one that isn't shared by many across TJUN-ia. We hope you, the people of Cassadaigua, can respect our opinion just like we respect yours.
This pettiness has gone too far. We may not agree...but it's time to move on."

Then came a hyped-up trip to Ziwanicell National Stadium in Birnin-Likulu for a very important showdown with the Akambuku of Ungwazi wa Ziwana. If we wanted to be taken seriously in our quest to win this group, finally vanquishing the Scorchers was going to go a long way towards that...and everyone knew it. That's why this game turned out to be a shootout, one where both teams had a lot to lose and defence was just hard to come by at times. We initially took the lead thanks to Malhrani al-Kalhrani, only for Charles Tembo to equalise just before halftime. The second half would see more drama as Tembo score a second, only to be pegged back by a brace from Archer Andrews, only for him to be equalled by substitute Eru Banda with about 5 minutes to go. That would bring the end to this madness, a 3-3 draw that would hurt both sides. For us, our 8th draw of this campaign was enough to slip us down to 3rd with a bye still yet to be taken. In terms of the many draws we've had, this may have stung the most. Ziwana is our kryptonite...and it was proved once more.

We will take our bye on MD18, but not before Cap Nord heads to the Estadio Universidad Carlandas for a 3rd vs 4th showdown that may decide just how secure our Top 3 spot truly is. In terms of one-game windows, this one is massive...and we hope Margaret is in our favour in some capacity. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group 9)
MD1: vs Talannua (227) - Tallawah Stadium, Port Town W 4-2 (T-2nd)
MD2: @Qasden (80) D 3-3 (4th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD3: vs Saltstead (95) - Zebra Stadium, Toropo W 3-0 (2nd)
MD4: @Sixty-ninE X (UR) W 4-2 (2nd)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD5: vs Ziwana (146) - Stade de la Victoire, Roi Ville D 2-2 (2nd)
MD6: @Cap Nord (176) - SendBank Arena, Stennköping D 3-3 (2nd)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD7: BYE (3rd)
MD8: vs Cabo Azure (60) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong D 2-2 (5th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD9: @Ancherion (113) W 2-0 (4th)
MD10: vs Mytanija (19) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky D 2-2 (3rd)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD11: @Tumbra (4) D 0-0 (3rd)
MD12: @Talannua (227) - Castaic High School, Castaic D 2-2 (4th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD13: vs Qasden (80) - Ke Kahua Pāʻani o Pua Aloalo, Kepu Manu W 6-2 (4th)
MD14: @Saltstead (95) W 2-1 (2nd)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD15: vs Sixty-ninE X (UR) - Salam Liljamie Stadium, Al Kalifa W 1-0 (1st)
MD16: @Ziwana (146) - Ziwanicell National Stadium, Birnin-Likulu D 3-3 (3rd)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD17: vs Cap Nord (176) - Estadio Universidad Carlandas, Carlandas
MD18: BYE
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD19: @Cabo Azure (60)
MD20: vs Ancherion (113) - Estádio do Pacífico, Rio Pacífico
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD21: @Mytanija (19) - Radnika, Esca
MD22: vs Tumbra (4) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City

[Delaclava]

DELACLAVA 1–0 Ochre Islands
Bartoš 7'
Rodriguez; Baxayev, Champagne, Gouin (Zhusupov 74'), Torres; Bartoš (Temirkanov 65'), Romeijn, Lindblad (Tudor 28'), Martin, Kovalev; Meyer.

A burn-the-boats kind of game against a team with its own slim hopes of qualifying, new manager Elidyr Lyndainium didn't hold back on his print on the team, opting with Carlos Rodriguez in net and the feisty veteran Josh Torres in right back. The Phoenixes were energized by the crowd at Dimitar Catalon Battleground in Corcorran and Martin Bartoš early goal, a neat little flick around the defense with his left foot, was all the Phoenixes needed on the scorecard. In reality, the path to triumph was much trickier, with Kent Lindblad coming down with a calf injury early in the first half and Wilfrid Gouin cramping badly in the dry Corcorran heat. Drystan Tudor and the battle-tested Rahmonberdi Zhusupov performed admirably in relief, and the rest of the personnel looked in control playing the full ninety minutes. It was a big three points that, as it turned out around the group, helped Delaclava to begin closing the gap to the playoffs.

---

Civia Welephilostopia 0–2 DELACLAVA
Tudor 28' 49'
Cloarec; Meñica, Champagne, Zhusupov, Barry; Bartoš, Demirjian, Tudor, Martin (Romeijn 46'), Anagnakis (Kovalev 46'); Meyer (Gretler 46').

Weeks ago, we'd have marked a straightforward three points to come from this game, but the Elephants' shitty little brothers put the pressure to the Phoenixes on their own turf and Delaclava fumbled the bag badly. It was arguably one of the disasters most influential in the dismissal of Boris Ishutin. Lyndainium insisted his regime would start better than his predecessor's ended, and led by the brilliance of Drystan Tudor and the welcome steadiness of former hot prospect Simon Demirjian, the Phoenixes truly earned the three points they expected from themselves. But arguably the bigger news of the day came with Jeruselem's defeat to Ochre Islands, putting Delaclava just two points out of the playoffs. With that rematch looming, as well as several other opponents against which Delaclava would love a mulligan, the playoff race is thankfully hotting up once again.

Waringpost

Several professors fired, warned after offhand joke published in textbook

Three college professors have been dismissed from their schools, three more have been publicly censured, and multiple schools have criticized educational publisher Roddick-Brown after one of its textbooks, Introduction to Human Geography, allowed a silly remark to be published and distributed.

Lillard Ashcroft (Arana State University), Paul Blair (Richards College), and Frederic Rheinberger (Ixtlajamo University) are the professors who are no longer understood to hold their positions, with Rheinberger providing a statement on his blog of his requested resignation, and ASU and Richards each announcing the dismissal of their faculty.

Ashcroft and Blair had been assigned to write the chapters introducing transportation geography, in the textbook intended for ninth- and tenth-grade students. One of the chapters defined the term "public transport" in a text box as "if you're in a seat that somebody else warmed up". The relevant section did also provide a functional definition of the term. It is unclear whether Ashcroft or Blair was more immediately responsible for the remark, although it has been understood that the two professors worked closely together to produce their chapters.

A statement from Richards College read: "There is a time and a place to have fun and make light, but the education of our nation's young minds is no laughing matter. The actions of Mr. Ashcroft have first and foremost embarrassed his colleagues and collaborators, the teachers and parents who entrusted the education of their children to this book, and to our institution. We expect that our faculty will contribute positively and productively to projects that will encourage the learning process at all levels."

Rheinberger was one of the executive editors of the textbook, and in his words, he was most directly responsible for overseeing the portion of the book including Ashcroft and Blair's chapters. In his blog, Rheinberger wrote: "I am heartbroken that this error occurred. I take the education of all students incredibly seriously, and I never could have imagined myself making such an oversight... In academia, it is highly tempting to be infinitely curious, to seek as many opportunities for growth and contribution as possible. In a time where I bit off more than I could chew, I was not able to adequately fulfill my responsibility in this capacity, and for that, I am deeply sorry."

Shelby Trost (Romavan State University), Michael Davis (University of Bane-Orton City), and Lisa Leoa (Stenrick Tech) are the other executive editors of the textbooks, and each saw their employers address the situation in a statement. UB Orton City confirmed that Davis would remain at the school, while neither Trost or Leoa are expected to lose their positions.

In the weeks since the mishap was first discovered, Roddick-Brown has seen its sales decrease by 18% and has seen several high-profile contracts slashed, including the Catherina Educational Network, the Valhalla Schools and Universities System (V-SUS), and DeWitt University. The company initially released a cursory statement of apology and pledges to correct the error, but has been silent since.

However, many students have praised the sense of humor in the book. Nicholas DeSouza, a high school sophomore in Christiana, said, "I appreciate that they didn't want to be boring. It's not really a good definition, but it helped me remember the real one. And it's good for a laugh during tests."

[Valanora]

The Marauders are entering the final stretch of this qualifying campaign and they know that they control their fate with all the hard work that they have put through the first three fourths of the campaign. The side has maintained an unbeaten record despite very valiant attempts by Quebec, Mercedini, and Elmyia to give the Vanorian team their first blemish of the campaign. A home draw against Quebec in the previous international window makes the race for the group title still be open though, with Mercedini six points back but they have a game in hand and the two teams at the top of Group Thirteen's table still have their second fixture to play between them. However with just five matches remaining, so long as the Marauders are able to maintain this brilliant form that they have been in and so long as they do not suffer a defeat in their match against Mercedini, the group title as well as the qualification to the Finals seems to be theirs to be had and will ensure that their new qualification streak remains in tact.

The key to the Maruaders success in this campaign has been an explosive offense lead by the highly touted Lothas Ludwig, who has been on a completely different level during the campaign with fifteen goals through the fifteen games, accounting for nearly a third of the Marauders goals during the campaign. Some wondered if the move to Nephara would allow the striker to find another level or to maintain their extremely high efficiency in front of net and the answer so far seems to be a resounding yes with how well he has played for the side during this campaign. Ludwig however is just one of many players in the attack who have been performing well, with the obvious of Laborious Hawk whose name is almost synonymous with success at this point, but also Heike Schoß who has been a maestro in the middle of the park and has a dozen assists to her name. While Hawk might have at one point been the fulcrum around which the Marauders team balanced itself, it seems that role has shifted more to towards the center of the park and the playmaking abilities of players like Heike and other more creative central midfielders.

While we are giving praise we have to give a bit of credit to the defense, as while they have been far from the elite unit that some others might be able to field, they have been good enough. When the offense is scoring a click of over three goals a game, the defense is allowed to bend a little, knowing that the offense is more than likely going to be able to get the goals to keep the side in pursuit of the three points. While the staff would no doubt like to see some improvement from the defense, it has been adequate enough. There has to be praise for Claudia Moench, who has been a voice of reason in the back, showcasing the same leadership that she has as the captain at Raynor City United, her domestic club, keeping the defense in line and shuffling to cover. Having players like her and Winter are huge boons, allowing for stern leadership even if they are not the named captain or vice captain.

The team now needs to finish what they started and maintain their focus heading into these final five matches, as well as get the needed rest when they have their bye. The game against Mercedini is going to be huge, but that is not going to be until the penultimate game of the campaign, which by that time the Marauders will have want to wrapped up their qualification. However the way this campaign has been going, it may end up being the match that decides who ends up as the group winners and who will be resigned to having to deal with the lottery that is the playoffs, a fate that the Marauders will no doubt will want to avoid. Playoffs are never an easy thing to try and handle, especially with so much on the line, but it could very well be that way if the side fails to maintain this momentum they have built up thus far into the campaign.

[Brookstation]

---

I||II||III||IV|V|VI|VII|VIII|IX|X|XI|XII|XIII|XIV|XV|XVI|XVII

The 20 is a blog series where authors of Brookstation's biggest football blog, The Beautiful Game documents the lives of some of the best players to have played in Brook soil. Aimed at inaugurating the 50th edition of the Harrison Shield, we document the lives of the players who define the top 20 football clubs in Brookstation.

TOMASO COHEN: THE INFIDEL

Other side of Paradise’s batch of ‘81 are intricately connected with Brook football lore. Being the undisputed kings of Brook football , their first league title would indeed mean very little to them but their win in 1981 would mark the beginning of what would go down to create one of the most dominating legacies built by a club. All of those youngsters, Bob Neil , Vladimir Estevyan, Sam Boyle , Duncan Bell were equally exceptional players who made their victory possible but it was Tomaso Cohen, a kid who had earned the bizarre moniker of “the infidel” * who would emerge from among all these great names to establish a completely different identity in Brookstation.

Having impressed Sir Adam Drummond immediately after his arrival in the youth team with several moments of brilliance on the field, an 18 year old Cohen was ready to make his debut for the club in 1976. Drummond had been duly impressed by the youngster and he had remarked himself,
“The first time I saw Cohen, he was playing against Niskalkok’s youth side. As a manager, I didn't have the time to spend on such irrelevant matches yet I saw the entire game. The young Jew had used a different spell on me and from that day I knew there’s something in that man.” Sir Adam Drummond (Other side of Paradise coach 1975-1991)

Drummond was convinced that Cohen was now ready for patrolling the field on a regular basis and by the end of 1977, Cohen would become a popular name among football fans. Other side of Paradise on the other hand, would continue to display a steady rise in their performances and the club which would finish nowhere above mid table now finished within the top 4 with relative ease. Cohen continued to impress throughout the upcoming seasons and when the Other side would finally claim the trophy and assert dominance on Brook football for the next decades, Cohen would begin a new chapter in his life.
Having won the Best Player of the Year in 1982, Cohen would soon begin taking matters on his own shoulder. In a matter of a few months, Cohen would claim the entire forward position for himself only and although that seemed to be nothing but a stupid move, it worked in the long run. Apparently, Cohen had revolutionized football in Brookstation. Initially Brook football was played in a more passing style with every member in the team playing an equally important role in the club’s attacks but ever since Cohen single handedly controlled his team’s forward lineup, other clubs would follow his footsteps.

Throughout the next few seasons, Cohen would just elevate his performances and with a fast, nasty style of play along with exceptional dribbling skills , Cohen would be compared with Soham Misra and Bruno Pucci, the strikers who had dominated Brook football throughout the 70s. But the 80s clearly belonged to Cohen and rather his new counterparts would be Boyd and Neil-Smith respectively. AC Dason would prove to be a difficult opponent and with Boyd’s heroics becoming popular over the days, Cohen would soon start losing his flair.

The 1985 season was disastrous for the Other side of Paradise. Cohen’s father had unexpectedly passed away due to an unknown complication and the shock which followed had a profound impact on the player’s mental condition for quite a long time. Nevertheless, Cohen would recover by the beginning of the next season and it was evident that he was determined to pay respects to his late father soon enough. Cohen’s behaviour had changed massively and the man who used to be the only one in the opponent’s box now played in perfect coordination with his fellow strikers, Simon Floyd and Anton Benedikt. It was a change no one had anticipated but it was indeed a change that remodelled Cohen as a player. With a reliable source at both wings, Cohen was now even more confident with his game. He was undoubtedly a great finisher and it was on very rare occasions that he actually missed the goal. Other side of Paradise won the title in 1986 , with Cohen scoring twice in the finals and few would even raise a question on him being awarded the Player of the Year.

“ Cohen missing the goal would be similar to thinking that the Green Party won the elections.” David Hose (Essidise Titans defender, 1981-1990)

Tomaso Cohen in action

Things would just become better for him when Boyd would go through the rough patch of his career, ending up mostly on the benches. It would be Cohen’s best opportunity to crown himself the ruler of the field and his endeavours would prove to be successful when he would win his third consecutive Top Scorer award in 1988, completing the cleanest hat-trick possible.

With both players totally dominating the football scene , the main conflict would arise when Donald Williams’ Dason side would face the Other side of Paradise in the semi finals of the 1989 Harrison Shield. Both the teams were off to a great start and every attack ended almost immediately as it began. But after a prolonged wait, Cohen would finally fulfil the hunger of the men in red by scoring a beautiful volley in the 44th minute, establishing that he was still the best player on the field. The crowd didn’t respond to the goal in a nice manner and with the visitors terribly upset to see their king, Boyd at a loss, the crowd started evading the pitch in the roughest manner possible and after a few minutes, Brookstation would witness its greatest sporting disaster. Nevertheless, Cohen was the winner that day and in a rematch a month afterward in an empty stadium, Other side of Paradise would win the game in penalties.

Sir Adam Drummond hasn’t received his title by a fluke. It was two decades of being the manager of the most successful club in Brookstation that earned him this title. One of the reasons for Sir Drummond’s success is his belief in the youth system and even till this day, we get to see the best Brook players graduating from Other side of Paradise’s academy. But none of it would have been possible without the aesthetic brilliance of Cohen and the magic that he cast on Brook football. Had he proved Sir Drummond wrong in the first place, the question of the side emerging as the superpower wouldn’t even arise. Had it not been for Cohen’s selfless reign at a young age, the radical Brook crowd would’ve still rejected the concept of bringing more young players in the team.

It can’t be denied that Cohen is directly or indirectly responsible for the state of Brook football today. Indeed he is still called an infidel due to his religious beliefs but it is entirely due to his mastermind 4 decades ago that the Brook team finds itself in a potential World Cup qualification spot today. He has changed Brook football and thus all Brooks owe our sincere gratitude to the “infidel who influenced football.”

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MORE FROM THE BEAUTIFUL GAME :
Pucci, Boyd or Cohen ? Perhaps the most difficult question ever asked
How Sir Adam Drummond brought football completely out of the dark
Brookstation prepares for the most crucial window of the qualifications

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*The origin of this nickname is completely due to the fact that Atheism is the major religion in the nation followed by Christianity and Islam with Judaism constituting less than 1% of the population. This doesn't imply that the Brooks display any sort of hate towards any minor communities.

[Kimi-Suomi]

Paine on olemassa...ja se ilmoittaa saapumisestamme. Kimi-Suomi is on top of a World Cup Qualifying Group by 4 points. No, this isn't a video game or a story...this is fucking reality. The magic that Esko Laaksonen has managed to put in the Huuhkajat is simply nothing but remarkable, a feat that will go down in our history even if we still end up in the Cup of Harmony in the end. This team actually believes that they have a shot at the fucking World Cup...and that's saying something considering who we are and where we are in the rankings. But 7 games still remain...let's see where the journey heads to.

Up first was Lakikieli [Legalese] at Klinck Stadium, a rematch against a team well known for the art of "scrappy football" and everything associated with that name. We bested them the first time but this time, they certainly learned a few things and went hell for leather to try and beat us in front of their faithful. This game would be all about scrappy football and how Grant Management just simply refused to fucking die. We took the lead 3 times in this contest thanks to Kimi Airo, Anne Hintz and Jyrki Bottas, but our hosts simply refused to give up and came back thrice thanks to Eli Cowan (twice) and Joey Muir. This game was certainly both fun and frustrating, but this point means one thing. Pemecutan are now two points back and with a game in hand.

Then came another matchup with a potential foe for the Top 3, this time Kuraita back at Pesä. Facing off with Eriks Liepinš once more certainly made us realise how far we have come in such a short time. This game would start simple enough, with a first-half brace from Valtteri Nordström setting the tone for the day's proceedings, but the 2nd half would certainly see a better opposition making things a bit tight. Domantas Vaskevičius managed to get one back in the 77th and things were certainly nervy for a while but in the end, we managed to hold on for the 2-1 dub...our 9th win of this memorable campaign.

We have our bye next...meaning that by the time we're facing off with Hapilopper, it will most likely be 3rd vs 2nd. Unless Pemecutan screws something up, we shall face Tom Perkins only a point off the lead...and that gap will be very important in determining how our fate is finalised.
We didn't expect to be in this position...but now that we are, we ain't leaving until we are killed over it.
Five games remain. Viisi peliä.
NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

[Ko-oren]

Part I

World Cup 87, Last Qualifying Match

A few months before the Dragonflies would concede an intentional own goal versus Ethane, so we could pick our fate and choose our own Round of 16 opponent - which would be the first Round of 16 we'd win - and allowing Pasarga first place in the group, head coach Katanmak Juliasterinthen was involved in the first controversy of that cycle. It was quickly forgotten and glossed over by many, but it was a controversy nonetheless.

Quebec was fighting to make the final 32, and with the Dragonflies qualifying early on by winning everything aside from the very rare draw here and there, the only way to qualify was through the playoffs. The Blouman Empire was in their way and very tenacious, and as the end of the qualifiers drew near, most of our eastern 'neighbours' looked at the remaining schedule knowing one thing: their last game was a visit to the Meritocratic Republic and chances of a point were slim, and chances of three points were nonexistent. The Blouman Empire kept winning, and it did come down to those final 90 minutes.

Ko-oren would go on to lose, 1-0, gifting Quebec a spot in the playoffs, at no detriment to us except a few tenths of a KPB point.

The team was remarkably toothless. They had already qualified but in cycles prior that was only more reason for Juliasterinthen and his staff to mix and match players, experiment with formations and assignments, and do a lot of extra work in set pieces. Usually the team came out on fire in those 'meaningless' games - not always getting the right results, but always coming up with a fresh idea and seeing how it applied in the real world, versus a team that usually had something to play for. And it was no different on that evening. The team list contained some of the usual players and some very inexperienced ones, which is par for the course. The first half was nothing out of the ordinary: some fast counterpressing, leaving one or two players open only to challenge three others even harder, and giving the Quebecois nothing to work with. The second half was different, though. Wangolo's Quebec squad got possession, attacks, shots on goal, chances... Not very frequently, but still. Quebec would eventually score the 1-0, which went uncontested by the Ko-orenites and led to no attacks from our side further down the line. They were content in letting time run out.

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World Cup 87, Last Group Match

Knowing what we know now, with how Ethane was gifted a goal to let Ko-oren pick its second round opponent, people had rewatched the Quebec game. The patterns were there: place your fullbacks high up the pitch and pretend to pressure them on their own half while leaving huge gaps open on your own half, with the three centrebacks standing alone against a fast-paced counterattack. Do that for long enough and opponents will score - and if they don't, you give them an own goal at the end anyway.

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World Cup 90, KFA Interview for Presidency

The term coming to an end, Juliasterinthen put his name in the hat for WCC President. An experienced figure, having played for the national team from its first World Cup qualification and coaching them to a final and a title, with some quirks - as the Ethane own goal had gotten quite some attention - but still with his good reputation intact. Employing gamesmanship wasn't new to WCC Presidents, as we're looking at a list and seeing a certain 'J. Jaffacake' there. And everything is fair in love, war, and football, after all. A room full of journalists, giving Katanmak easy questions to reminisce together about a long (but not necessarily storied) career, was suddenly interrupted. Laughs about tripping Lodur Nidog so he could play in the Mytannion (sic) playoff game, laughs about other defining moments, laughs about losing eight Round of 16 games (which can be funny but only after you learn about WC 89), laughs about preparing Davenport for the job after playing alongside her in the heart of the defence, laughs about the Ethane game, laughs about winning the Southwest versus Northeast AOCAF as a Northwestern team.

Uncomfortable laughs too. A painful grin on most faces in the conference room when Juliasterinthen disclosed that he'd rather been in Atlantian Oceania, not Anaia. "There's something else about the AOCAF," he said as a harmless enough statement. "and I know I'm not one for politics, but the Conservative Party were right about other things too." The Conservative Party were (and are) the loudest voice about a return to our old region.

Back to the hearty laughs. Until one young journalist (student?) raised his hand.

"Mr. Juliasterinthen, did you give Quebec a win? Three cups ago?"

[Graintfjall]

North Cassadaigua – 0 (0)

Græntfjall – 1 (0)
Björnólfur (45’ Hanif ); Sigurbergur, Grímúlfur, Asbjørn, Jasmijn (80’ Jan ); Tinni, Danny; Johanna (24’) (71’ Vanessa ), Kaeja (89’), Sara (c) (69’) (nice) (71’ Arendt ); Mímir (58’) (64’ Jason (80’ Lara ))

The RP explains how there were six substitutions in this game.

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Græntfjall – 2 (1)
Björnólfur; Sigurbergur (56’ Tom ), Grímúlfur (c) (29’), Asbjørn, Jan (67’); Þrastar (79’ Joel ), Tinni (73’ Valtter ), Steinar (21’) (45’ Arendt (73’ Kjárr ), Danny; Mímir, Jason (88’)

Audioslavia – 1 (0)
Asaguirreiturri (54’)

Even a six point international break didn’t give KG room to breathe as they found themselves scrambling to defend the decision to field Björnólfur Ernestisson against Audioslavia days after he was a concussion substitute against North Cassadaigua. He and Jose Perez* engaged in a nasty clash of heads shortly before the half time whistle, and after resumption Hanif Anwar took the place of the experienced Snow Wolves keeper. KG has attempted to reform their concussion protocols to meet international standards after withering criticism from the Ministry of Health and Racial Hygiene, but the decision to clear Björnólfur for the key game against Group 8 second seeds the Bulls has raised questions about how seriously they are taking those protocols. Left-slate MT Vígþór Snæsson said: “He was staggering around seemingly unable to hold his balance and days later he’s being pushed out on the field again? This is shameful.” Progressive Liberal MT Elizabet Dóradóttir struck a more measured tone: “I understand the pressures of qualification and the desire to have the best team play against the strongest team in our group, but I do have to question how rigorous the assessment was to have him cleared so quickly.” In the event, Björnólfur played through the Audioslav game seemingly without incident and was dismissive of concerns afterwards. “I was fine. It’s good we have tests, but if someone passes the tests and people complain anyway, then what’s even the point of testing in the first place?” The controversy somewhat overshadowed an entertaining game, sealed for the Snow Wolves in the 88th minute by veteran striker Jason Þórhallursson. Earlier, captain for a day Grímúlfur Gunnþórsson had headed home a corner before the lead was cancelled out by a Briareo Asaguirreiturri free-kick. The Snow Wolves also took full points from the North Cassadaigua game, recovering after losing Björnólfur, with Sara K weaving her way past four players before presenting goal-hungry Mímir with an unmissable chance.

* OOC: In keeping with North Cassadaigua’s RP permissions, this RP is intentionally vague about whether Perez was also concussed.

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Sara Kristoffersdóttir is Græntfjall’s greatest ever player
Why isn’t she more popular?

The sports blog StatsPunk, subject of ongoing confusion over the correct capitalization in its name, recently put out its annual list of top selling sports jerseys in Græntfjall. Unsurprisingly, football dominated the list: only hockey players Tom Finngeirsson and Jack Jokulsson, and basketball player Benjamin Iirosson, made the top 25. Otherwise it was footballers all the way down, from #25, Steinaux legend Petter Erlingsson, whose shirt continues to sell despite his being eaten by a kraken several years ago, to #1, Jason Þórhallursson, who has retained the top spot every year since his return from his drugs ban. There was a surprise entry at #10: national captain, Sara Kristoffersdóttir. Not surprising that she made the top ten – but that she went no further. She was previously ranked #23. Impressive to make the top ten selling jerseys in the country? Perhaps for any other footballer. But Sara K has never been any other footballer.

It is baffling that Græntfjall’s best player in the World Cup title run, best player in international domestic football, and arguably best player of all time, lingers in such relative unpopularity. Consider the other names ahead of her included Emeli Vilbertsdóttir and Hjörleifur Reynarsson, both long since retired, and Amanda Guttisdóttir all the way up at #3 despite not being picked in the World Cup longlist squad. Perhaps the starkest illustration is that Sara K, who was recently named to the all-decade second team of the Red League, Chromatika’s premier league that has done so much to develop Græntfjaller talent, isn’t even the highest selling Græntfjaller Red League jersey. In the past Justiina Dannysdóttir’s outsold hers long past the Crossroads striker being considered for Snow Wolves’ selection; now her Wirr Tsi teammate, Mímir Waltheofsson, yet to fully break into the national team, has eclipsed her, at #9.

When she was named national team captain, Sara K jerseys might have been expected to soar in sales. In fact they barely registered a blip. The fastest riser is Danny Oddkellsson, who emerged during the World Cup campaign, overcame missing a penalty in the shootout against Valanora to score the final, decisive goal of the World Cup final, and signed for 10 figures to Ko-orenite club Aminey CS. His jersey burst into the top 10, at #7. He’s not the only player who debuted after Sara to rank highly. Kæja Finnvarðsdóttir, a good player but without any of the domestic honors of Sara K, is at #2. Asbjørn Vilbjörnsson’s signing for North Hall came too late in the transfer window to factor into the rankings, but the blog predicts that as he gets increased playing time in the national team with Eyvar Mathiasson, his is the next jersey likely to explode. And no doubt surpass that of his captain.

“Sara has always been a controversial figure,” says StatsPunk analyst Benedikt Sandsson. “She was picked for the first ever Copa Rushmori squad aged just 16, and it was just too early. She was a little embarrassed by the experience. First impressions count for a lot. The memory of the ‘impetuous brat’, as one newspaper called her, has really stuck around even after she’s matured.” He is dismissive, though, of the argument that sexism is to blame, pointing to Kæja’s meteoric rise, and to Amanda and Emeli’s enduring popularity. “Cult hero goalkeeper Emmely Aaronsdóttir’s jersey continues to outsell those of Mikkel [Rúnarsson] and even Björnólfur [Ernestisson],” he says, though admitting that in the latter case, there’s still confusion as to which Vilitan – or Turori? – team he plays for. He blames incidents like her occasional outbursts of violence or profanity, including being sent off in the final of the Di Bradini Cup. “Parents – who probably account for a majority of shirt buyers – don’t want to buy the shirt of someone who isn’t a good example,” though he admits that Jason (banned for drugs), Amanda (abortion) and Emeli (rumors of sexual relations with a sapient trouser press) have never suffered for their own indiscretions. “But all those were off the pitch,” says Benedikt. “Whereas hers have come in high profile games.”

Legendary Quodite gender theory scholar Judith Cuttlefish isn’t so sure. “Sara has never been a very traditional Græntfjaller woman,” says the University of West Sponson professor, who is somehow inexplicably alive a century after publishing their seminal work Gender Bubble: Feminism and Submersion in a Bathtub. “By failing to live up to the standards of what remains, decades on from liberation, a very conservative, patriarchal society, she’s been othered as somehow not worthy of respect.” They point out that players such as Amanda and Kæja regularly feature in fashion magazines or advertise outfits through their social media accounts, whereas Sara has “eschewed traditional norms of Græntfjaller femininity”, perhaps referring to incidents where Sara told Ralf Álfarsson to “suck my balls” after a heavy foul or pretending that the champagne bottle was her penis as she sprayed foam over her teammates at the World Cup victory parade.

Some blame her outspokenness on social and political issues. “Emeli endorsed Left-slate, Amanda has often campaign for Progressive Liberal candidates, but both of them are operating within the accepted norms of Græntfjaller political culture,” says football journalist Olle Tobiasson, desperate to distract from his awful toupée by busting out some big words. He alludes to incidents in which Sara K has, from Chromatika, posted pictures of herself wearing the hammer-and-sickle icon, banned in Græntfjall under the Prohibition of Swastikas and Offensive Imagery Act. “She represents a niche strain of Græntfjaller society that expresses nostalgia for the Union and for communism,” he says. “And it is very niche: to almost everyone else, it’s absolute blasphemy.” Which, he notes, she also regularly indulges, spurning the Catholic values of the majority of the country and proudly identifying as an atheist. “Compared to god-fearing Hjörleifur [Reynarsson] or Danny [Oddkellsson] showing his big cross tattoo after scoring the winning goal in the World Cup final, she sometimes seems to embody values ordinary football fans can’t identify with.”

Her former Fliserboding teammate Ben Dalmarsson says that regional bias plays a role. “We’ve always been the outsiders,” he says of the Locusts, for whom she played before leaving for Savojarna, her first international experience as still a teenager. “You don’t see many Steinaux shirts in Gunzlach or vice versa; you don’t see many Háttmark clubs represented in the west. But Fliserboding is outside all that.” There’s some historical justification for his view. Always seen as the land of cabbages, during Unification, Chief Snæbjartur Viktorsson was heard to say that uniting the Riverlands with Fliserboding was “like going to bed with a whore with pox”. Kamdyr and Hómin blood intermixing with ‘native’ Græntfjaller is heavier in Fliserboding than anywhere else, and the accent is notably difficult even for Græntfjallers to understand (it has been described as similar to an English Black Country accent spoken by someone with a mouth full of gobstoppers), though Sara K herself shows little of the rural burr of her ancestors.

Prudism? Sexism? Anti-communism? Regionalism? The explanations will continue to roll in. A more esoteric suggestion comes from her former Kalle Bjørnsson who notes that “Sara is a very hard name to spell”. And Sara herself seems to put the blame more prosaically on her looks. “It used to bother me that I was ugly as a mule,” she once admitted in an interview before grinning and saying that she stopped caring once she realized she “could kick harder than one, too”. Whatever the reason, her shirts aren’t selling commensurate with her achievements on the field. In the latest game against North Cassadaigua, she jinked her way past four players untouched in a moment of pure artistry to set up the winning goal. The immature teenager has matured into a 28 year of world class talent. Græntfjallers should enjoy her best while they have the chance. Once she is gone, there will be more than a few regretting they missed out on acquiring her shirt in her prime.

[Eraman]

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Day 10 - Month 10 - Year 12

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FRONT PAGE

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The Year 13 National Budget is an election budget

Anara: The National Budget for the year 13 tabled by the Bendahara, Tun Rendra Usin is an election budget that aims to buy the support of the people with many one-off grants to win votes in the next General Election.

This was explained by the Leader of the Opposition, Nura Rabima when speaking at the Anara Palmyran Hall in conjunction with the Fund Raising Dinner of The People's Alliance yesterday.

Among the one-off grants in the budget is the grant of Universal Basic Income to every individual aged 18 and over of $50 per month and a $100 smartphone rebate for youth aged 18-30 earning $750 and under per month.

Nura Rabima in his speech called for the people to be wise, and not to be enticed to vote for the Eraman Nationalist Party in the next general election only because of the various incentives given.

"Let's not eat the bait given by ENP because this bait is only temporary, when the bait is eaten then the victims are the people themselves."

"Our struggle is not to get results for a day or two, or a month or two, but it is a struggle for the generations of our children and grandchildren to come," he said.

He also said, with the speculation that the election will be held at any time, the Year 13 Budget is just candy without any substance to deal with the bigger problem of corruption and abuse of power.

Last week, the Government allocated a total of $54 billion for the Year 13 Budget, compared to $48 billion for the Year 12 Budget. Tun Rendra Usin in the presentation of the Year 13 Budget said, of the total allocation of $54 billion, a total of $43 billion is for operating expenses and $11 billion for development allocations.

[Cap Nord]

Are you still in doubt who to vote for in the upcoming election? If so, let your favourite Whalers' footballer give you the right voting advice.

You should vote for Annette Dalving and the National Union Party. Just as Dieter, you prefer to be a bit off the beaten track and opt for the alternative. The creative Sielhafen 1.FC player is the sole member of the selection to give his opinion with regards to the Flaggate, defending Troels Poulsen inexplicitly. The latter has recently outed himself publicly as an NUP supporter in a controversial interview. As does Scharf, you do not accept the current status quo and opt for alternatives. NUP supporters tend to favour the Koronavian offer for energy transports whilst opting against the Esportivan Union candidacy, claiming that unilateral partnership have more upsides than the large conglomerates who are bound by the voting assemblies. Their anti-establishment speech won wide support as did their link to the so-called alternative emblems. Whilst their linkage with the old regime was long a stain on their track record, there admiration for regulation and uniformity now becomes a badge of honour.

You should vote for Emile Durand and True Blue. The party of former Prime Minister Wellers placed Minister of Foreign Affairs Durand in the difficult position to limit the damage to the public image. If you stand by van Hilvaren, there is a decent chance you don’t mind a serious dose of confidence in your own capacities whilst continuing on the chosen road. For True Blue, the preferred laissez-faire approach on the cost of living crisis should lead to actual results any minute now (but quite a few voters are tired of waiting). Durand, a charismatic candidate is considered as arrogant by a sizable portion of the voters population, blending in perfectly with the vision most football fans have of van Hilvaren and Sporting Noordende, the club he captains. Traditionally the party of the self-employed, True Blue tries to lure wider support through a set of tax cut measures. They are relatively positive on the opportunities the Koronavian energy deal could offer.

You should vote for Ted Ferguson and FarmersRight. Some parties aim for the status quo, but this one truly wants to keep out everything, as does Leuwert who is currently at a respectable number of five clean sheets. FR goes for no limitations to the crop price settings for the farmers, no entrance passes for refugees and other foreigners, no additional measures to support those hit most on the cost of living crisis. When it comes to the international front, they shun the decision to open up and desire to return to the isolation policy which kept Cap Nord away from all conferences and tournaments in the past. A link with Koronovia is highly despised due to Koronavians being foreigners. Although its name is a remnant from the past, the support for the FarmersRight remains stronger in the rural areas and they currently poll to improve on the 6% they scored three years ago.

You should vote for Cecile Lund and the LibDem Coalition. It is easy to draw the comparison between Williams and Lund as both have been spotted partying in the chillest clubs of Cap Nord. Both have an appetite for appearance and know when to score that goal in front of an open goal, as Williams recently did to equalise against Ziwana. Lund managed to turn the shattered LibDems into a proper party that could get itself on the map in this election. Firmly against any sort of repartition and focussing on tax cuts to drive the population out of the cost of living crisis, the LibDems might win a lot of disgruntled TrueBlue supporters along the way. Their foreign stance is focussed on the international opportunities, approving trade deals but refusing any sort of influence on the internal lawmaking process.

You should vote for Heinz Klammer and the United Leftists. Both already pack a certain age, but still their star is rising slowly but surely. It took quite some years before Persson was recognized as the perfect number ten of the nation, as it was not until recently that Klammer, a veteran of the parliament after five terms, got named as the leader of the United Leftists. Klammer will be having an uphill battle, as some of his proposals did not land well with the quorum whilst driving away some of his traditional support from the factory workers. Especially his plans to support the suffering nation of Montaña Verde were not met with enthusiasm. As with Persson, distribution is key but sometimes he seems to distribute too much, being it distant island nations or right-backs with mediocre shooting skills. They could in theory profit from the demise of Wellers but as part of the coalition, they got a few punches as well: as one of the few parties against the Koronavian deal, they are required to provide alternatives for the rising cost of living.

You should vote for Gudme Mogensen and the RedReaction. It is cool, it is hip and it is new: we must be talking about Simon Carstensen and his steady rise to glory with Sandfjell Fotball. The young prodigy won his first minutes in the national team against Ziwana, immediately delivering an important assisting pass. And so did the communist party, which splintered after the deplorable last election before reuniting as the RedReaction. Gudme Mogensen is a relative newcomer but during her two years in parliament, she convinced with passionate pleas in the semicircle and strong interventions in the debate. RedReaction are unlikely to make the coalition but the support for the common man and their financial needs in these dire times might attract a good number of supporters. They are against the Koronavian energy deal, due to the authoritarian Karlson regime and rather want to link with leftist parties across the region.

You should vote for Lieve Mosselschuit and the C&D. The static factor in the midfield, Carl Worbe became the synonym of boring and unattractive in football: but his sideway passes and simple solutions did play an important part in the last title of Sielhafen 1.FC and the steady rise through the ranks of the Capnordic national team. The C&D is not the vast people’s party it used to be but its choice for the centre might still attract more supporters than just the elderly. In a period where the political spectrum seems to be widening every election, a party which opts for the compromise under all circumstances will have an impact on the coalition: some flanking options for the poor but without a tax rise, some negotiations with the EU and the Koronavians without direct promises. It has an audience but it is hard to tell how large that audience is.

You should vote for Alina Lagerback and the Nature and Future Party. Known for his remarkable hobby as a florist and his vegetarian regime, the Lydholm midfielder fits the bill of most members and voters for the green party of Cap Nord. They have a higher education, a desire to conserve the dwindling nature of the country and are seen by the rest as completely out of touch with what is going on for all others. When it comes to coalition talks, this leaves them (as is the case for Hom) on the bench until there is no alternative left. The NaFP has voiced itself as an opponent for the Koronavian energy deal and has suggested an ambitious (or utopic, according to opponents) energy deal. Whilst there are long-term plans voiced, Lagerback has failed to produce a clear vision on how the people of Cap Nord will see their bills and invoices dwindle in the near future, keeping the party a minor element in the coalition talks.

Let us be honest, you are his mother. Feel free to vote on whoever you want, Miss Gustafsson, just not the Leadership Initiative of Klaus von Talham. As an openly xenophobe and antidemocratic party, they are so far to the right of any political spectrum chart that we can only hope they fall off the ballot. According to the latest polls, there is a next-to-nothing chance they reach the national threshold for election in any constituency but they might be represented again in some regional councils. With their few seats, they are as unneeded as undesired in a coalition.

[Tikariot]

The by now familiar piano notes open up to sliding images of different areas of Tikariot, of restaurants, dishes, and more, before the logo superimposes itself over a collage of the various images.

The still then morphs towards the images of Svart Björn Resort in Fort Viljan, more precisely the kitchen, where Susanna Wheymore, host of Culinaria Tikariot, and Freja Skarrsheim have a very large pot ahead of them on the stove.

Susanna Wheymore: Good afternoon Tikariot, welcome back to Culinaria Tikariot and the Svart Björn Resort here in Fort Viljan. Still with me is Freja Skarrsheim, one of the two proprietors of the resort and the queen of the kitchen, as well as some of the magnificent Viljan dishes that she cooks up for the guests of the resort. We are just waiting for the timer to go off for the fläskpannkaka, or pork pancakes, that are in the oven and that add to the already unbelievable scents of both the fish stew and beef roast that are filling the room here. I'm actually surprised I haven't submerged part of the room yet, because each single one of them would already be mouth-watering enough on their own.

At this moment the timer goes off and Freja pulls out the pan with the pancakes, which don't really look like much, but going with the look on Susanna's face when she sniffs towards the pan, looks can be deceiving.

Susanna Wheymore: So this is the fläskpannkaka, which is made with just four ingredients, bacon, eggs, milk and flour, but sometimes the challenge lies within the simplicity of a dish.

Freja Skarrsheim: I agree. The less ingredients a dish has, the less margin for error you have, because you don't have anything that can mask something that can go wrong, but going with what this looks and smells like, I think that we've hit the spot.

Susanna Wheymore: Oh, this is all you, I haven't done anything other than potentially distract you, so any credit here goes to you!

Freja Skarrsheim (laughs): You're funny. So let's cut a piece and see.

She takes a large spatula and cuts a rectangular piece, scooping it up and placing it on a plate, putting it down next to a jar of lingonberry jam, which Susanna makes sure to put next to the pancake, not on it, to make sure to be able to try the original dish. She blows on it for a while as we can see the steam rising.

Susanna Wheymore: Oh this is lovely. I know I don't have any reference points, but it's hearty, it's filling and I could definitely see this as a good breakfast to get you going in the morning. I noticed that you did not actually season this before putting it into the oven.

Freja Skarrsheim: No, because it gets salt from the bacon and any other seasoning can be applied after, depending on the taste. You can crack some fresh pepper over it, and use the lingonberry jam, some people like to put a little bit of hot sauce, so it's really easy to personalize without needing to put it into the whole pan.

Susanna Wheymore: That's good to know! The jam adds a nice touch of colour and just a hint of sweetness that works well off the saltiness of the bacon, so thumbs up for the first and likely not the last time today! Now looking at the stove, we have two big pots here, one with the fiskar stew, the other one with the beef roast, which one should we go with first?

Freja Skarrsheim: That's all up to you, I think both are ready.

Susanna Wheymore: Hm, let's go with the fish then.

Freja Skarrsheim: OK, let me get two bowls.

Thomas Skarrsheim: Please make that three!

Almost as if on cue Thomas walks in, with a bottle in hand.

Susanna Wheymore: Were you just listening and waiting to come back in?

Thomas Skarrsheim (grinning): No, I would never use underhanded tactics like that. But as chance has it, I have a lovely white wine with me here, which greatly pairs with the fish stew, so while Freja gets us the food, I shall get the wine ready for us.

The picture cuts to a table set at the big window facing the lake, with a steaming bowl of fish stew and a glass of white wine in front of each and a freshly cut loaf of sourdough bread in the middle of the table.

Freja Skarrsheim: So this stew is made with whitefish, as the salmon are not really around here right now, wild garlic, carrots, onions, celeriac, potatoes and cream, and of course herbs etc. and despite the cream isn't heavy.

Both the Skarrsheims look at Susanna as she takes her first spoonful.

Susanna Wheymore: This is nice, really nice. It has a really full flavor, is very balanced and you can taste the fish, but it's not strong within the mix.

Thomas Skarrsheim: If the fish tastes too fishy, so to say, it often is a sign that it is not as fresh as whoever cooked it wants you to think it is. Or doesn't know how to balance flavors, either way. That's why we pride ourselves in only using fish that's been caught the same day and there will be days where we can't offer it, if the fish just won't bite, but we're upfront about it and we refuse to compromise on the quality just to be able to serve it.

Susanna Wheymore: I admire that because I guess too many restaurants will try to accommodate the customers one way or another.

Thomas Skarrsheim: Yes, that's true, but our customers appreciate we won't compromise, even if it means that can't offer it.

Susanna Wheymore: This wine is really nice, too, is it local as well?

Thomas Skarrsheim: This one yes, but the climate here is not necessarily the best for wine, so this is one of the few exceptions we make to our "local first" rule, but more out of necessity than choice.

There is a brief cut and we are back in the kitchen, where Freja just lifts the lid off the beef roast.

Susanna Wheymore: I know that we just ate the fish stew, but this makes my mouth water already all over again.

Freja Skarrsheim: This is our beef roast, which is cooked with onions in a creamy sauce, which is something that a lot of places don't necessarily do, most are more regular gravy-based there, but this recipe with the cream has been passed down for several generations and I think that's what makes it authentic in its own right.

She takes a plate and puts some freshly mashed potatoes down before adding a generous portion of the stew and sauce on top. Then she adds some broccoli and a dark jelly to the plate before presenting it to Susanna.

Freja Skarrsheim: This is black currant jelly, just a little bit to add a light touch, but you don't have to use it.

Susanna Wheymore: Homemade, too?

Freja Skarrsheim: Yep, we have bushes in the backyard.

Susanna Wheymore: I love how you have everything close by and make it fresh.

Freja Skarrsheim: Well, it's what a lot of people around here do. Thomas has some red wine ready already, I see.

Back at the table, everybody is enjoying the roast, especially Susanna is really digging in.

Susanna Wheymore: Oh, I love this, too! The meat is so tender, it literally falls apart, and the creamy sauce is so smooth with the potatoes, and the light crunch of the broccoli is the counterpart to the tenderness of the meat... You were right, I might want to move in here and eat my way through your whole menu!

Both Skarrsheims laugh.

Thomas Skarrsheim: I told you! Especially which such a gifted cook in the kitchen!

Susanna Wheymore: You are a lucky man, Thomas!

Thomas Skarrsheim: Oh, I know!

Susanna Wheymore: I am full! This was awesome, Freja, thank you so much!

Freja gives her a big smile, but then looks at her questioningly.

Freja Skarrsheim: Are you sure that you don't have any free space anymore?

Susanna Wheymore: Uh, why?

Freja Skarrsheim: Because I have some kanelbullar in the oven.

Susanna Wheymore: Kanelwhat?

Freja Skarrsheim: Cinnamon buns. All fresh.

Susanna Wheymore: Ooh! Well, I might be able to squeeze one in!

Freja laughs as she leaves the table with the empty dishes.

Susanna Wheymore: Now I've been told that the Viljamark also is known for its local liquors.

Thomas Skarrsheim: Yes, we have some really nice ones, the most popular is Bärvin, a fruit spirit distilled from berries, which people like to enjoy after a nice, rich dinner in front of the fireplace or for the ones looking for something a little more adventurous, there is Mossun, which is distilled from a species of moss that is native to the Viljamark. That one is not for the faint of heart, though.

As Freja returns with a steaming hot cinnamon bun that has Susanna inhale a full lungful of the cinnamon and sugar scent, the picture switches to the view of Lake Viljan as the sun is setting over the resort before coming back to the three sitting in front of the fireplace.

Thomas Skarrsheim: So you have two glasses in front of you, the clear one is the Bärvin, the dark one Mossun. I would recommend trying the Bärvin first.

Susanna takes a sip and licks her lips.

Susanna Wheymore: This is quite strong! But it doesn't burn and you still get the feel of the berries, this certain sweetness. This is actually quite nice, but I couldn't have more than one of these little glasses or I'd be a goner. Now let me try the Mossun.

Again she takes a small sip and her eyes immediately go wide and she exhales sharply.

Susanna Wheymore: My word, this is a completely different caliber, this is a lot stronger and bitter! No, this one is out of my league!

Thomas laughs as he takes his in one shot.

Thomas Skarrsheim: It is a bit of an acquired taste, yes.

Susanna Wheymore: Thank you so much, you two, for a wonderful day here and some absolutely marvelous dishes, and of course your great company, I will definitely be back, because there are a lot of things I still want to try. And you, my dear viewers, the Viljamark is a great package deal of raw, untouched, beautiful nature, absolutely delicious dishes, and an incredible amount of blond people! Seriously, that's not as cliche as I had originally thought, but it is true! I hope that you will join me again next week when we will travel south to the Emerald Coast for more Tikariotian cuisine!

[Audioslavia]

Jeremy entered the portal.

A few seconds later, he was back.

"Huh" he grunted, putting his hands on his hips. "I thought I'd be waking up on a hospital bed"
"You did" said his inner consciousness, pausing during his brief tidy-up of the alternate reality Jeremy had been staying in. "You said you wanted to sit bolt-upright and scare the living bejeezus out of someone"
"I did" said Jeremy
"And you did" said his inner consciousness. "Only at your age, Jeremy, sudden movements like that cause the blood to rush out of your head pretty quickly"
"Ah, right" said Jeremy. "What's that waterfall sound" he said, looking around.
"The blood rushing back into your head" said his inner consciousness. "Don't worry. There are no doors now. You'll come to in a couple of"

bip. bip. bip. bip.

Jeremy opened his eyes for the second time that minute. Above him was a white strip-light on a white ceiling. Slowly, he propped himself up on his elbows and looked around the room.

In front of him, a nurse was being attended to by a doctor. Each of the four windows of the room appeared to have about fifty people fighting with one another to try to peer in.
"You might have killed her" came a voice to his left.
"Rubie" said Jeremy, leaning to his left. "How long have you been here"
"Er, about four minutes" said Rubio Sanchez
"You weren't talking to me about psychology and crampons during that time, were you?" asked Jeremy
"Er, no" said Rubio. "Why, should I have?"
"Just wondering" said Jeremy. "Did I get her good?"
"She'll live" said the doctor, as three orderlies piled through the door. "She just needs a lie down for a minute"
"She can have Jeremy's bed" said Rubio
"Hold on, I've only just woken up" said Jeremy.
"Yes, but you won't want to be staying here" said Rubio, nodding towards one of the windows. Jeremy blinked the fuzz out of his vision and saw a huddle of people waving camera phones at the scene. "I don't even know why they're filming. It's like recording a Champions League game from the stands. Like, they have professionals to do that, why are you waving your phone around"
"There's no professionals recording this hospital though, are there" said Jeremy, turning to view the same scene play out in two other windows.
"This isn't a hospital" said Rubio. "You're in a tent at the bottom of Stonesthrow Road. People have been queuing to watch you tossing in your coma for days now"
"Oh god, I wasn't doing that was I?" said Jeremy, aghast.
"Tossing and turning" said Rubio. "At least I assume so. You tossing in your sleep would probably have been clipped"
"What"
"Clipped"
"What's 'clipped'"
"Saved as a small snippet from the live-stream and gone viral"
"Live-stream"
"You've been trending on Twatch for a while now"
Jeremy blinked. He narrowed his eyes.
"Who set that up?" he said, finally, and flatly.
"I think it's best just to leave it" said Rubio
"Who set that up?"
"Okay here's the deal. I'll tell you, but not here. And you have to tell me something first"
"What" said Jeremy. "I've been starring in The Truman Show Versus Sleeping Beauty for god knows how long, what could I possibly tell you?"
"How you got put into a coma in the first place" said Rubio. "But let's not talk here. Let's go somewhere more comfortable"
Jeremy looked over at Rubio, narrowing his eyes. Rubio smiled and shrugged. "What can I say" he continued, "there's an exhibition of bar interiors close by and I'd like us to go"
"Pub Exposition" said Jeremy. "You'd think we'd have found another way of loudly and clearly explaining things we already know to one another for the benefit of a mysterious silent fourth person by now"
"Yeah you'd think" shrugged Rubio

[Sendhang]

DAY 14 - MONTH 10 - YEAR 12

---

---

Sendhang is back to winning ways

Kambang: Sendhang struggled to get back to winning ways after 3 consecutive draws with Juvencus, Ko-oren, and Lisander in the Group 11 World Cup Qualifying campaign before finally recording a 4-3 win against Yakk yesterday. Playing at the Federal Stadium, The Rice Farmers initially took a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Teuku Salahudin in the 4th minute, Nanang Wirajuda in the 12th minute, and Keylar Samoi in the 25th minute. Yakk then managed to close the gap in the first half thanks to Sohkmaat Tsedinaat's goal in the 44th minute.

Entering the second half of the match, Yakk, guided by Richard Presintino from Xanneria, seemed to get a tonic by closing the gap through goals from Tsagaantsoojiin Oryaangabar in the 52nd minute and Mihkeal Boryozov in the 68th minute. Stunned by the opponent's resurgence, Teuku Irfan's men returned to their pace before Teuku Salahudin scored the winning goal for his team through a goal in the 84th minute.

Teuku Salahudin himself acknowledged the difficulty in the action while describing Yakk as almost making Sendhang suffer their 4th consecutive draw.

"Yakk's equalizer after we were 3-0 up surprised us and I was very relieved to find the winning goal. It was a difficult match but I am happy to get back to winning ways with the national team," he said.

However, the head coach of Sendhang, Teuku Irfan is still not satisfied with the performance displayed by his team despite recording the dramatic victory. According to Teuku Irfan, there are many weaknesses displayed by the team, especially the defensive aspect and the situation needs to be improved in the remaining World Cup qualifying campaign matches if they want to grab a playoff spot to the World Cup.

"We need to improve our defense for the upcoming match because I don't like to see my team let go 3 goals," he said after the match.

Commenting further, Teuku Irfan was happy that Sendhang managed to collect three points at home in addition to the performance shown by his boys.

"We deserve to win and get three points. The players showed determination even though they were tired from all the traveling and club matches. It is not easy especially now that we are now almost at the end of the domestic season," he said.

Sendhang is now in third place with 30 points, 4 points behind Chromatika in the first place, and a point behind Brookstation in second place. Following Sendhang closely behind is Ko-oren also with 30 points and Juvencus in fifth place with 28 points. Sendhang's next match will be a trip to Gnejs who is currently 6th and still have a chance to qualify before the big match at home against Chromatika.

[Ranoria]

Snow Bears Still Tracking Well, But Can We Pull Away From The Pack?

After a tie against the Black-and-Reds, and a 4-2 win against Sargossa, an encouraging performance given the defense having their worst outing of the tournament, the Snow Bears have gotten to 31 qualifying points and have a very strong chance to make the playoff to get into the World Cup Proper, which would be the first time that Ranoria has ever made it into the playoff for that purpose.

Tatiana Queen was brilliant in this one - the youngster has been pretty quiet for an offense that hasn’t done much throughout the qualifying campaign, but she posted a hat trick in the 4-2 win in what was certainly her best performance in this tournament with Kris Reinhardt and the back line finally showing some gaps in what’s been one of the best defensive showings throughout this tournament.

At 9-4-1, the Snow Bears have only failed to earn points in one of their matches to this point and are certainly on track for their best qualifying performance in team history, but with Kandorith starting to pull away now at 13-1-1, the loss in our first matchup against the 9th best team in the world may have sealed our fate - it’s going to be almost impossible to close the 9 point gap between these two teams. Carried by what’s still tied for the stingiest defense so far in these qualifiers, this team is optimistically looking at a shot against a 3rd seed team to make it to the World Cup Proper if they can find a way to keep Yuezhou and the Squornshelan Remnant States, both just three points behind, from tripping them up at the end, as both teams are nipping at their heels in this qualifying race.

Serious soccer fans in the country are calling this retribution after hearing about how uncompetitive this team has been at the highest levels. Skeptics are saying they’re going to blow what’s been a magical run so far. Realists are saying that a team like this having this kind of success is an affront to the very sport - an underfunded team in a stadium of under 20,000 with almost no fanbase? How are they pulling this off?

Our theory is the higher level of completion in Chromatika, with some of our players having taken up playing over in a gridiron rival’s nation, and that the improved quality of competition has translated to a better team on the World Cup stage. We don’t know ourselves, what we do know is that this team has a chance to do something special, and we can’t wait to see how they finish.

Match Results                                
MD1: Ranoria 2–1 Squornshelan Remnant States
MD2: Bongo Johnson 0–4 Ranoria
MD3: Ranoria 1–0 North and South Vietnam
MD4: Sargossa 0–1 Ranoria
MD5: Ranoria 3–0 South Covello
MD6: Yuezhou 0–0 Ranoria
MD7: Ranoria 0–0 Pyazhnaya
MD8: Boring Paradise 0–1 Ranoria
MD9: Ranoria 1–0 The Licentian Isles
MD10: Kandorith 1–0 Ranoria
MD11: Squornshelan Remnant States 0–0 Ranoria
MD12: Ranoria 4–0 Bongo Johnson
MD13: North and South Vietnam 0–0 Ranoria
MD 14: Ranoria 4–2 Sargossa

 PGroup Standings                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Kandorith                        15   13   1   1    46   20  +26    40
 2 Ranoria                          14    9   4   1    21    4  +17    31
 3 Yuezhou                          15    8   4   3    31   18  +13    28
 4 Squornshelan Remnant States      15    7   7   1    38   26  +12    28
 5 Sargossa                         14    6   3   5    27   22   +5    21
 6 The Licentian Isles              14    6   3   5    25   25    0    21
 7 Pyazhnaya                        15    5   3   7    18   32  −14    18
 8 South Covello                    15    4   2   9    20   29   −9    14
 9 Boring Paradise                  14    2   2  10    28   43  −15     8
10 North and South Vietnam          14    1   4   9    13   27  −14     7
11 Bongo Johnson                    15    2   1  12     9   30  −21     7

[Brenecia]

Karodin Tetrarchy 3 - 5 Brenecia
(4-4-2) 12 - Corder; 2 - Sidle, 18 - Killen (22 - Fitz 87'), 6 - Staplewood, 3 - Culpepper (25 - Reed 63'); 15 - Wake, 4 - Briggs, 23 - Sitko (8 - Conway 76'), 10 - Byrne; 21 - Lofthouse, 13 - Stokes (9 - Baker 76')
Goals: Byrne 3', Lofthouse 29', Stokes 37', Sitko 55', Baker 81'

Princess Etain's smile had been honed to perfection, over the years.
It started young. She was royal. Royals had to smile. Royals got trained by etiquette specialists... in proper monarchies, but Brenecia was dirt-poor, so. So Etain just had to learn on her own, and she learned, quickly, to smile.
She took that charming smile as a model student through the wealthiest schools in Rozelle, but no university was good enough for her. None in the country, anyway. Had to take that smile abroad, to the bright lights of Directus University. Where she excelled, and people inclined to take her lightly because she was a Brenecian, because she was a royal - it was important to remember, of course, hers was not a proper royal family, her family tree did not yet resemble a sailor's knot - because, from time to time, she was a woman. Her smile bought her time to prove herself, and brought peoples' attention to it when she had something to show, and sometimes it even dazzled people into forgetting she was still thinking, acting...
It was being tested, today. It always was, whenever her mother brought her in for high tea. That, she never learned, was her mother's smile.
She always did underestimate her mother. The clever children of slightly dull parents always assumed they were complete morons. Outsmart an adult when you're 13 and you assume you'll outsmart them your whole life.
"Etain." The tone was no different. Still cloying and fawning. No warning signs.
"Mother..." The Smile came out. "It's good to see you again. Been too long..."
"Yes, it has, hasn't it? Because you've been busy." Mairin peered over the top of her glass. "I am not without friends, Etain."
"That's... good..." She suspected it was not. At least, for her.
"Nor eyes! I saw the way you courted that Smetona woman. Seduced her, swept up on her the moment she started to leave. And what did you tell her?"
"We talked about Muirne's wedding," she said cautiously. It was true. It was a partial truth.
"And?"
"I don't remember. It was small talk."
"Nothing about a presidential role. An ambassador?"
Etain's smile, at last, began to fade. "Well, in my role as," and then she slipped, "queen-"
"Eh-hem."
"Future queen! Future queen." She put up her hands. "Which-- God willing, not for years. Decades. But someday. And you have-- rather, kept me on a short leash, mother. Or, allowed others to keep you leashed."
"And maybe that's gone on, long enough." Her mother settled back in her seat. "I've been speaking to Dorian. The marshal."
Oh, well, now Etain blanched. Now she was properly fucked. She'd sold the marshal on selling martial law to Mairin. She knew martial law would be disastrous, and wanted someone else to take the fall so she could unite the country.
She had, perhaps, neglected Blackwood since setting him on that path. And though he thought martial law was a great and righteous thing, he'd still been talking...
"Getting ideas above your station, aren't you, Etain? About the running of the country..." Mairin puffed out her cheeks. "If you have input... perhaps I will listen."
You never have, went unsaid.
"But." The queen leaned forward, the chair creaking beneath her bulk as she jabbed a thick finger toward her daughter. "That ends now. Dorian's encouraged me to take a firm hand. Royalty should take the lead, where the military can't. For..." She sniffed. "Optics. Because the current lot in government are hopeless. They'd have us starve, just so they could afford their... infrastructure, or whatever other banality they come up with." Sniff. Sniff. "But then, trust a foreigner and a peasant like her not to understand how these things are done..."
They went on in that vein for some time. More precisely, Mairin talked, Etain let the words wash over her. The specifics scarcely mattered. It was a yank on the shoulder, a reminder that she was still powerless, for now, and not to step out of line.
She left soon after, thoroughly chastened. Her power fantasies of asking her mother to step down - a restless dream that never quite left her, recurring again and again in new forms, in the shower, lying awake at night - well, that was over, now. Not with her mother so emboldened.
It was not easy on Mairin, either. She rose to her feet and ascended the staircase - the damnably long, steep staircase in her ineptly-built palace, slammed together in the years after federation - with a tremor in her hands that wouldn't quite leave her.
She noticed it, shortly before it became too late. She thought it had truly affected her, putting her bright, sharp, eager daughter in her place. Perhaps how Daedalus felt, watching Icarus make his doomed flight. And as she took her final, trembling step, wondered if she was not a bit hard on Etain.
Then her hand at last pressed against her chest, she took a staggering half-step forward, not quite set on the next stair, her footing slipped, she fell, her head whipped against the railing and came away cracked, and she rolled limply down the stairwell, leaking a long trail of blood until she came to a gentle rest at the turn down to the second story.
It was some time before she was found. They really couldn't afford enough staff for this place.

BRENECIAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 9
Goalkeepers: 1 - Cessair Meade (Rammsissil, VIL), 12 - Phoebe Corder (Ituraitz FC, ASG), 20 - Casper Harder (Sparta Zijweg, AUD)
Defenders: 2 - Esther Sidle (SC Montfort, TLI), 3 - Nimue Culpepper (Sabrefell Athletic, NPH), 5 - Athelney Shrine (Falourr, EUR), 6 - Cerys Staplewood (Suttonville, EUR), 17 - Caoimhin Hadley (Sabrefell Athletic, NPH), 18 - Iucharba Killen (North Laithland, NPH), 22 - Patrick Fitz (Royal Rumiatzi, ASG), 25 - Shana Reed (Creed United, NPH)
Midfielders: 4 - Skaidrina Briggs (Southern Star), 7 - Kendra Carpenter (Wirr Tsi, CMT), 8 - Iseult Conway (Wirr Tsi, CMT), 10 - Katua Byrne (KT Itzalovalle, AUD), 11 - Lienke Covolan (Vermillion Rage, NPH), 15 - Maerhen Wake (1830 Cathair, AUD), 16 - Sylvia Marusak (Juavi FC, VAL), 19 - Tamara Seager (FK Arsika, MYT), 23 - Rajmund Sitko (West Cuono United, TMB), 26 - Vaida Meskela (Makosile, VIL)
Forwards: 9 - Siobhan Baker (Anomalies, CMT), 13 - Mor-Rioghain Stokes (Mountainside, EUR), 14 - Danand Tristram (Sabrefell Athletic, NPH), 21 - Jadwiga Lofthouse (Yassaca, SRS), 24 - Cyprian Korsak (Kingsgrove)

Sharktail 1 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 1 - 0 Captina Island
Savojarna 2 - 1 Brenecia
BYE
Brenecia 0 - 0 Karodin Tetrarchy
95X 0 - 3 Brenecia
Brenecia 2 - 0 United Adaikes
Garbelia 0 - 3 Brenecia
Brenecia 3 - 0 Huelavia
Adab 0 - 1 Brenecia
Brenecia 1 - 0 Polkopia
Brenecia 0 - 0 Sharktail
Captina Island 0 - 1 Brenecia
Brenecia 0 - 1 Savojarna
BYE
Karodin Tetrarchy 3 - 5 Brenecia
Brenecia vs. 95X
United Adaikes vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Garbelia
Huelavia vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Adab
Polkopia vs. Brenecia

[Pasarga]

"Your majesty." It was two days after the Queen had reached out to all those who had spoken of friendship and being allies for assistance in dealing with the attempted revolution. It was no true democratic revolution as those who were funding the matter were trying to make it out to be, this was not the will of the people nor was it the will of those who had been elected to represent them in parliament. This was an attempt at a bloody coup, one that would replace what had been a very peaceful and benevolent monarchy with a potential autocracy ruled by those who had funded the revolution for their own power and gain.

"What news do we have of the opposition movements? Any attempts for them to make good on their threats to end our family line?" Aslan asked, having been quite incensed at the call by the Red and Golds to call for the heads of the entire Majistar family. His brother, who had once been an instrument in their designs, as well as their mother, was now in danger. It boiled his blood that someone who claimed to be Pasargan and representing the will of the people would be so callous and bloodthirsty to call for an entire family to be snuffed out.

"Last night there was a scuffle outside of your brother's residence, but his personal security was apparently able to repel them. It seems it was a small scale attempt, a half dozen or so, not a full pledged effort. They likely do not expect for their to be a security detail in place and had only sent a nominal force for the task. If your brother will listen to reason, he and your mother should relocate to Sargossa. Their forces have been deployed to augment our own, it seems that Peynol should remain firmly in our control so long as their is no surprise defections or sleeper cells somewhere on the island." The general's eyes moved from Aslan to the Queen.

"Speaking of Sargossa and their interference in the matter, I must reaffirm my position that you and your brother should also accept their offer of relocation from the dual islands while this attempted coup is dealt with. With Eura and Sargossa cooperating, there is no path towards victory for the Red and Golds unless they are able to strike a decisive blow, one that would crater the support of your cause. That of course is them actually succeeding in taking your lives, neither of you have any heirs. You're next of kin in Ezid has already had one minor skirmish and Aslan is here with you. Having three members of the line of succession is a dangerous situation given the current circumstances."

Queen Azra rubbed her cheeks with her right hand, knowing that the general was speaking the truth. She had expected aid but to have the developments of Eura and Sargossa cooperating as well as Quebec meant that regardless of whatever equipment they had, these mercenaries and defectors were now severely outnumbered. Their only recourse would be to attempt a strike on the lives of the Majistar family, to take away the very cause of those loyal to the monarchy. "I will not abandon my people in their time of need, I have made this clear time and time again. Yet Iskander is still recovering from his wounds and having him in a more secure location would bring me much joy in these trying times. Aslan wants to stay and support the cause but perhaps having him here in Stilinkeep with me is a bad idea." She motioned to her cousin who was standing off to her left. "I know you want to be here with me cousin but the situation is dire. I ask that you head to Lunas and assist the naval forces there, they are still receiving refugees from Torgos when I talk to them yesterday."

"If that is how you think I am best able to aid you cousin, I will do so. Do you think these rebels will surrender to Sargossa and Quebec or will the fighting continue?"

"They have lied and been underhanded since the beginning cousin, I expect that there is still much bloodshed to be had before things begin to settle down in our home. However the show of support from our old friends and new should be a huge boost of morale for all those who are loyal and looking for a return to peace sooner than later." The Queen said, hoping that the rebels would lay down their arms. Perhaps some of those who had defected from the army would, but so long as the mercenaries were getting paid and still thought they had a path to victory, she doubted that they would go down without a fight. What that meant for the dual islands she was not comfortable thinking about.

[Oberour Ar Moro]

The father knew one thing for sure. His son had been pushed off the roof of the de Saint-Darerca Auction House. As his son lied on the pavement, the father heard him say that he was pushed. One witness on the street said he saw the son being pushed before he fell screaming to the ground. The father had

It had been some time since he had track someone down like this, but he was particularly motivated. As he sat in his son's hospital room, he watched the security camera footage he had downloaded. Two men, Visant Bauldry was one of them, had disappeared into the highest level of the auction house, and the same two men reemerged later. After the time his son had been pushed.

The father rubbed his face, felt the accumulating stubble on his sallow cheeks. He needed to talk to both of these men and get the answers from them.

---

It's one thing to think about having someone killed for an insurance payoff. It's another thing to have official insurance paperwork surreptitiously changed so that a person's death would financially benefit you. It's a completely different kettle of fish to actually kill someone and get away with it. Brendan Maze was discovering that.

He had started by trying to learn about contract killing in the abstract. This absolutely terrified him, as his search history was already looking weird. And worse, he wasn't sure if contract killing was even a thing in the Dominion. So he just imagined tracking down a criminal, paying him off, then getting hauled away by the gendarmerie posing as a hitman.

This may have been enough to put him off if he hadn't started getting phone calls in the night asking about money owed. Brendan was pretty sure the people calling him had access to killers, and they may not be that interested in working with him to take care of a third party.

Brendan tried another track. He began looking into Visant Bauldry and his life. And that's when he learned about someone who might have a grudge against him. So, he made a cold call to strike up a relationship.

"Hello, this Conrentin de la Celle le Ter, how may I help you?" said the voice on the other side of the phone.

---

Shortly after Oberour Ar Moro fell to Baggieland, a man whistling tunelessly walked up to one of the entrances of the Parade Grounds. "Excuse me," the man said to a bored guard.

"Yes?" The guard asked, looking over the man. He was put together well enough, though his shirt might fit a bit tight. The man rocked back-and-forth softly on his heels.

"Could I leave something with you? It's a gift for Visant Bauldry." The man pushed a package wrapped in paper into the hands of the guard. Inside was a notebook filled to the brim with thoughts, very few of which were lucid, many of which were written in blood.

"Of course," the guard said.

"And could you tell him Gwihen Piroth left this for him? I would appreciate if he read it." The man continued.

"Sure thing," the guard said.

The guard then watched Piroth stroll away before promptly pitching the package unopened into the garbage, having already forgotten the man's name.

[Independent Athletes from Quebec]

The Mathletes - Scientific, Literary Venue of Sports Journalism

RQOC Chair Arlene Lafontaine to retire from her Chair position, elections to be held in the New Year

Patrice Moreno

JOONGYEONG, JOONGYEONG - Dame Arlene Lafontaine, who retires after 4 years of chairing the Royal Quebecois Olympic Committee (RQOC) since 2052, has said that his greatest challenge and pride will be hosting the most recent Summer Olympics.

Lafontaine, who has overseen the successful executions of both the 2024 Aeropag and 2054 City Centre games’ qualifying events hosted in Quebecois soil - first as the RQOC Athletes’ Commission chair and second as the RQOC Chair, has told the RQOC.que:

‘Cohosting the Olympic Games, even after a multitude of experiences that we have had over the years, was a once-in-a-lifetime task, a feat, that we won’t see happen again for a very long time. It required every bit of our effort and dedication, and we are more than happy that all had gone safely and without trouble.’

Lafontaine, who had taken part in every one of the Summer Olympics that the RQOC had participated since their inaugural voyage thirty-eight years ago in Centralis and Nassau Bay, had noted 2044 Istria-Orean games to be the ‘most challenging’ she had taken part.

‘There was no doubt that maintaining the travel logistics for both the athletes, coaches and related officials between northern Rushmore and southern Atlantian Oceania, was one that we had to plan way in advance.’ Lafontaine said. 'For us, it was also about getting things right, especially when considering our boycott of the 2038 Republica Games on safety-related grounds, something that unfortunately we would look back in hindsight for the tragedies that occurred on those grounds.

‘Eventually, we were able to find the right middle-ground, where our delegations’ safety and convenience were established thanks to our constant dialogue and cooperation with both Liventian and Banijan authorities.'

With Lafontaine’s retirement, effective January 1, it is expected that there will be elections for both her and Vice President Pierre V.E. Youngblood - who had announced his gradual retirement from the position six months earlier - to take place in the new year.

Until then the Interim President position will be taken by Youngblood. The former Prescott-Twin Cities co-chair’s vice president position will also be taken under interim position by Secretary-General Philippe Marechal-Gong.

‘The RQOC, as an organisation with an increasing range of responsibilities over the recent years, is prepared to restructure its governance structure for the decades to come. In subsequent months, there will be leadership elections and necessary measures placed to allow for the organisation to move into the future.’

As an all-rounded swimmer best remembered for her positive outlook on life, Lafontaine has won seven medals, including two golds from women’s 100m breaststroke in Centralis-Nassau Bay 2020 and 100m butterfly in Novonaya-Provinsk 2030. Her all-rounded successes in both freestyle and more technical strokes, first as a 17-year-old from Songak and then last as a 27-year-old in Provinsk, had long made her a household name in Quebec and Shingoryeo as a transformative sw8mming icon.

Lafontaine, whose career had seen her also double herself as an Athletic Commission Chair for the RQOC from 2024 to 2030, would go on to be the chair of the Federation Quebecoise de Natation (FQN) from 2036 to 2056 after a short stint coaching with the Quebecois national swimming team. Her twenty-year tenure had seen both successes and failures, where the Quebecois national teams have experienced great challenges transitioning into a more competitive landscape, but would eventually come fruitful with a successful Olympics at home, where the Quebecois had landed 10 medals at Yongma College Aquatics Centre, including three by then-18-year-old Hannah James-Yim.

She became a member of the Olympic Council in 2054, replacing former International Volleyball Federation (IVF) Dame Brittany Veronneau. Two years earlier he succeeded Sir. Yannick Ahn as the RQOC.

While retiring from chairing the RQOC at the end of the year, Lafontaine continues to stay active in her professional and athletics commitments on other ventures she had undertaken in past. She will continue to represent Quebec and Shingoryeo as the second Quebecois member of the Olympic Council alongside Youngblood, who has yet to make a decision on his Olympic Council membership. Her commitment to the Arlene Lafontaine Foundation, the foundation to improve access to swimming pools and competitions for children from underprivileged communities, will be at the forefront of her efforts moving forward.

[Saint Eleanor]

World Cup 92 - fifteenth matchday of qualification
The Cordian Isles 0
Saint Eleanor 0

World Cup 92 - sixteenth matchday of qualification
Saint Eleanor 3 (Hugh Roanoke goal 19', Tim Brandon goal 40', Katie O'Donnell goal 69')
New South Yukon 2 (Unknown Lemming goals 47' and 60')

OOC 1: So you're telling me Saint Eleanor's only scheduled one roleplay for the MD17/18 cutoff? Wait, what?

OOC 2: The corporation tax rate in Saint Eleanor is zero.

---

David Worrall: "Nobody expected me to have a running start, although I think some people wanted me to"
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers goes on the record with the only truly professional goalkeeper from his magical list
Originally published on Friday 21st December 2001

Most of the goalkeepers I'll be talking to in this series had only a few organised games - sometimes just the one - to make their big impression. David Worrall had something in the order of 200. "I wouldn't quite say I failed, unless you're taking it one factoid at a time. You might well be, but I'm not going to judge."

Between Lieutenant James Frank and current stopper Neil Rourke, Worrall was the second of Olympic's three starting goalkeepers, with nearly all of his starts coming from 1981 until 1992. But about a year and a half into his new job - and after several seasons of shadowing, or attempting to shadow, Frank - concerns about whether he could perform for the club lingered. "There were concerns about everybody, to be fair: 'lads, it's Olympic' was still a pretty common refrain until about six or seven years ago." Him more than most, however: the Westerners conceded a concerning 39 goals in his first eighteen-game season, and 14 in the first seven of 1982 was hardly an improvement. "Nobody expected me to have a running start, although I think some people wanted me to. Olympic were small but wanting to improve, yet again, and the results in the early parts of the season didn't live up to anybody's hopes. Don't ask me how or why it didn't, because the vibes just weren't there, honestly. I know that some people were blaming me for the results, but I didn't feel that was justified and I felt as though I had to work on that, too."

As it turns out, game eight was against the Good Hope Club, a side almost as bad as the Parksiders were at the time... almost. "Now we're getting to the stage where the vibes actually weren't there because they'd dissipated out of the Parkside Stadium to have a bit of a summer holiday. I felt like I deserved one a bit, but thankfully, I was paying attention the whole way through. You know what I do and how I'm supposed to do it correctly, so I won't go over it again here, but I was working overtime or thereabouts to stop them getting into the game when they weren't so incompetent as to not know how to work a football. Unfortunately, towards the start of the second half, Good Hope actually were competent; they'd strung together a few passes which I'd reckoned our defenders would get to, but they didn't, and by the time it came for me to react they'd gotten the ball into the net from a good distance. already. Did we have chances? Yes, but none of them were too big."

With a handful of minutes to go, the visitors were still up by the only goal of the game. "But when your team gets a free kick in that situation... it was from forty yards out, was it not? That's a bit audacious for a shot. Apparently Oscar Wright agreed; he dragged his arm out, I noticed, and within a few seconds he'd chosen to lob the ball into the area instead of just hammering it like you'd expect. There was some confusion because the player who got the ball had rammed it straight into a Good Hope defender and there was a kerfuffle; not too big, and I have no idea what I was still doing up there, but Wright had pushed forward a tad, he passed the ball to me, I got the goal with my second effort and we played out the last three minutes, I believe. Sometimes, I wonder if I won myself any favours or if I just bought myself more, unnecessary time on top of the time the rest of the world had given me long ago, but I'm not sure if it mattered." Worrall's performance in goal, as the people would have it, was distinctly above average by a fairly narrow margin, and then it wasn't.

Although Worrall was never quite as bad as he was for the first couple of years in hindsight, he was typically good for 25 to 30 conceded a season - and his side remained very much stragglers, consistently stuck behind the top four and perhaps even the odd underdog or two throughout the 1980s. "This wasn't a good Olympic. If you want a good Olympic, start looking from '96 or '97 onwards - not my time. What I will say is that I tried my very best to play a part in improving the squad as well as myself. I was never the captain and wouldn't have wanted the job, but I was always working with him and the manager on what to do, getting those plans into action, making us a more efficient unit with a plan in both attack and defence, and helping the new guys get to grips with the system. And if that was a system, I have positively no idea what you'd call it now! By 1992, I was 36 and I honestly wasn't sure if I could carry on, even though I was very popular in the squad and similarly with the fans at that stage. So I decided I was good, quit, and look for a new opportunity. Well, it wasn't that new when you think about it these days, surely?"

With Parkside Community School having a glut of PE teachers as it was, Worrall's job after retirement was (and is) the same role at Holland CS. It may as well be the same predicament: the local school has consistently tried and failed to keep up with private school rivals Saint Benedict's Catholic, although to accuse them of trying would arguably be an overstatement. "Was it... 1995 that we last made the third round of the Shield? I think it was. Ben's have threatened for the cup title multiple times since we last made it. I will accept that they are much better-resourced and better-staffed than we are, but there is no harm in us thinking a bit smaller, trying to go for objective targets instead of the moving ones that Ben's seem to put up every few years - third round, fourth round, 80% of all students say they enjoy PE, whatever - and having some fun while we're there. The other community schools seem to manage it." He nonetheless lives in the district with his wife and two children: "one boy, one girl, exactly as my friend predicted so many years ago I've lost track. Thanks, Rachael. Anyway, they're all good, nobody's complaining - maybe a bit about the state of Holland and its school - and I'd say it's been rather productive up to now."

David Worrall seems to talk about fun and excitement and fair play more flatly than anyone else involved with the Eleanorian game, but for a very good reason: he was involved in a team that had all the benefits of the latter but was getting very, very little of the former. He gave it to them, even if not quite in spades - and future generations have paid him, and his colleagues, back more than amply. Any supporter of Latrobe Athletic or Olympic Thessia can attest to that.