IBC36 [rosters/RPs/results]

[Mytanija]

Let's take a look at Gazeta Mytanija's lead story:

COME FLY WITH ME!
MECAVA-CATIC SEALS CRUCIAL DEAL FOR MYTANAR AIRLINE

by Avdotia Dzotsoeva

Ana Mecava-Catic managed to secure a new deal for AirRauchnya to act as a de facto flag carrier for the Esportivan nation for flights into Rushmore. The Premier acted quickly to enable the airline to utilise Mytanar airports as travel hubs for Licentian travellers who want to fly into Rushmore. Esca International and Thessia Alex Util airports will operate 8-10 flights a day to and from the Licentian Isles and AirRauchnya will hope to capitalise further by introducing new routes to popular destinations for Licentian travellers across the region, offering those travellers an integrated flying experience from Esportiva and into Rushmore.

“The Premier and her government’s flexibility and efficiency has enabled us to offer this exciting new route for both Mytanar and Licentian flyers. We hope to make journeys painless for those who want to visit Rushmore by integrating current and new onward routes from Mytanija to other parts of the region into this offering and really making the most of the travel hub concept. Ana Mecava-Catic’s vision, recognising the geographic possibilities in our nation’s positioning in south-west Rushmore and the growing diaspora in the Licentian Isles really played a big part in making this happen. A great deal for all involved!” AirRauchnya CEO Miha Pevk gushed.

It is news which rounds off a very successful week for Mytanar industry, with engineering and construction giants Inženira and Dobruz coming together to work with Banijan corporation RTC on an enormous rail project in Chromatika. The Mytanar government retains a 25% stake in Inženira, a share which seems to look better each day given the success of the company over the past year. The firm is aggressively prospecting for business opportunities across the multiverse and anywhere that might provide a large-scale civil works project appears to be fertile ground for Inženira at the moment. Three foreign entities also hold stakes in Inženira, Græntfjall’s Hrimthur Werken and Quebec’s Bernatchez holding 25% apiece and the fledgling Cardenao Transit Company owning 10% in what is becoming an increasingly complex multi-national ownership structure.

These two new deals come at a time when the post-Conflict reconstruction growth has been slowing. The Premier has mostly been shielded from criticism on this, polling showing that the public believes her government have done a good job when it comes to the economy, but it has allowed Krsto Gojkovic and the MNK to turn their sights on social and cultural issues with greater success. The government will welcome these deals, able to point to an economy which might start to improve at a greater pace once again and fund some of the big projects they have in mind for their election manifesto in a couple of months’ time.

It is rumoured that Jedinstvo will be including full nationalisation of energy in their manifesto, a move which will match their policies at the last two elections: nationalising rail after ’28 and healthcare after ’32. It will be a headline grabbing policy should Jedinstvo go for it, but there will be questions around how they are going to pay for it and there is an early suggestion that part of the policy might be funded by a tax on airlines and on aviation fuel. AirRauchnya’s Miha Pevk could be considerably less chipper on the government if that is introduced. When pressed on the most recent aviation fuel tax rise, Pevk said that airlines ‘must do their bit’ but that ‘new business will help all sides with all aspects, growing business and protecting the environment’.

Ekologija backbencher Danijel Stricevic was scathing of the government’s policy and his own party’s cosiness with Jedinstvo: “[W]e have ceded too much for too long, both when it comes to protecting the environment from the polluting air travel industry; and when looking at which party has achieved its objectives from our governing coalition with the Premier’s party. We need to retake control of our policy agenda and I think we need to review both the party leadership and the approach we might take going into the next election – we could be better off standing alone rather than entering into a coalition agreement where we cannot deliver on the mandate handed to us by our voters.”

That sort of thing could make both the Premier and Ekologija leader Radenka Kovacevic very nervous. Kovacevic will be challenged for her leadership of the party in a month’s time, as Ekologija decide who will lead them into the next election and the policies their manifesto will be based on. If she is removed as leader then Jedinstvo might not find an Ekologija which is as agreeable as they have been under Kovacevic’s leadership. An insurgent Ekologija could leave Jedinstvo having to try to govern as a minority government, or could even open the door for the MNK to enter office if they run a successful campaign. Mecava-Catic will be very nervous and it has been noted that the relationship between the two party leaders – one described as ‘kindred spirits’ – hasn’t been as warm as it once was in recent times.

Kovacevic may see the AirRauchnya deal as Mecava-Catic severing any ties that existed between the two parties, with the Ekologija leader unable to spin the deal in any positive way given how firmly it pushes against any semblance of ‘green values’. Mecava-Catic remains focused on getting the Mytanar economy firing and reducing inequality, her argument will be that deals such as this help to achieve that. Voters will ultimately decide which view makes the most sense to them.


TOP STORIES:
pg. 4 - Inženira and Dobruz Industries win tender for NSD 50 million Chromatik rail tunnel projects
pg. 11 - “Something went wrong,” says crash investigator in Vershina
SPORT: Mytanija qualify for the World Cup with hard-fought 2-1 aggregate victory!

[Atheara]

The Food List: IBC Edition! Part IV: Åppotet Mekjøttost
Posted by The MacGestrold Man / 6.2m Followers

10m Views / 1.3m Likes
102k Reviews (87% - 13%)

My goodness, there is quite the stuff that we really need to get through this time around eh. Now that I think about it actually... There's only like two things that I need to announce in this video. You might be wondering what these announcements are, but don't worry. That will be for later in this video. And it's nothing that involves anything bad or any in real life conditions, so if you're worried about me or my friends well being, then no need. Because we're doing just fine. Anyways, welcome once again to the (Quite likely) final part of this series! I am Harold MacGestrold and this is the awaited Part IV of the series that I am hosting throughout the International Basketball Championships. If this is the first video of this series that you're watching, basically what I will be doing is that I'll be cooking up some of the most known Athearan dishes with the sole objective of showing them off to the rest of the world. Also, if you're still asking about my friends and I, we're fine. Yeah we're pretty chill / Still coping from that thrashing though / You watched until the end dude? Yeah, I'm not looking forward to talking about the game we watched last night. Forget about that for now.

While we should forget about what we'll have to talk about later in the video, we shouldn't forget what we are doing for today. That's the whole point of this series. I know. Anyways, for the life update, we've all settled in quite nicely. Dieranz is likely gaming inside one of our two bedrooms right now, Arian is as far as I'm aware currently out with a colleague of his, and the other friend who's name is Cory is still sleeping. He's always staying up extremely late at night for reasons I don't understand. And speaking about understanding, let's understand what dish we are making for today. The name of the dish this time around is Åppotet Mekjøttost, a confusing name I know. Even I was confused at first when learning about the dish. It's actually more native to Eastern Atheara, not commonly seen here on the western side of the nation. Also it is a Nordian dish, so we have done two for two. Two Gestovan origin dishes for Part I and II, and Nordian origin dishes for Part III and, now Part IV. We all love keeping the balance, afterall.

Now, the original description of this dish in the native Nordian language is, "Åpnet opp potet med kjøtt og ost". And it actually required all the four of us to try and find out the translation, which we did so. But we sacrificed five hours on it, since none of us understand Nordian. It essentially translates to "Opened up potato with meat and cheese". I've, fun fact, never actually made this dish before. Not even my parents, so this will be not only a direct learning experience for you dear viewers, but it will also be a learning experience for me. You're never too old to learn something new, is what the modern generation these days would say. But before we make the dish itself, I have something to say about the process of making Åppotet Mekjøttost. I've actually already prepared all the ingridients, all I have to do is combine them and do a few extra steps to complete it. The reason is because as this video is uploaded, I'm actually going to be hanging out with my friends for a highschool class reunion that my class generation at the time were planning from last year. I know, it's been quite the hectic schedule. But either way, let us quickly enter the kitchen for this dish.

And we are in the kictchen, for likely the second last or the actual last time for either a while or until I decide to immediately make this a series of it's own standing. And if you're asking about the camera literally moving from the living room to the kitchen, the camera is on a rail that passes through the wall from the living room to the kitchen for that silky yet simplistic transition. As you can see, the kitchen has been prepared for this one. And yes, the ingridients are already laid out on the table and because there's nothing we can really do, let's just get straight into it. The ingridients are peeled and washed potatoes that are sliced in half and make sure for them to already be heated up before you slice them, then have the middle parts of it scooped up but leaving enough space for the meat to stay at (Kind of like you taking out an avocado!). The next ingridient is some cooked meat, this time I'm going for mushed up chicken, and the last ingridient is some grated cheese. What you'll need is basically a heating pan, or something by the lines of that, and that's the only tool that you'll need to make this dish once you do what you have to do.

The first thing you want to do is just put the meat to the middle, open space of the sliced and scooped out potatoes. Then, all you have to do is to sprinkle the already grated cheese on top of the meat and potatoes. And you're essentially done, all you have to do is heat this up. Now, place them all up in the heating pan (In this case, there are five of these babies) and then firmly close it. Then, turn on the stove based on your preferred heating time. Mine is around fifteen minutes, and while we wait for these Åppotet Mekjøttost to finish, I suppose we should talk about the game against Valanora in the IBC. To be honest, me and the gang stopped watching the match the moment the point gap was fourty. Looking through the replays, analysis and all, I actually now thinkg Atheara played really well against a team like Valanora's caliber. Sure, we got smashed and we got blown out by almost 50 points, but that is to be expected. We never expected a winning performance, let's be real. The team basically did their best in a lost situation.

And now... The Åppotet Mekjøttost should be ready. Turn off the stove and wait for a few more minutes before opening the heating pan for the cooking to truly finish. Once the heating pan is open, you should grab the Åppotet Mekjøttost one by one with either your hands with a glove (A clean one, most notably) or a pair of these big tweezer things... I'm sorry, I don't know what it's called. I am no expert in the kitchen and neither are any of my friends or even colleagues. Grab them one by one and place them all on a plate, and you officially have made Åppotet Mekjøttost. Take a bite and... Absolutely delicious, no words to say. And it seems that is all I have for, likely, the final episode of this small series. Before I end the video, I'd just like to say thank you all to those who have followed me past six million followers, and those who have left reviews, whether negative or positive. You guys rock.

That was everything I had to show you today and forgive me for the rush. Now, you've just seen Harold MacGestrold, and this was The Food List.

[Tumbra]

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NEWS > Latest
⬤ [LIVE]: Caroline Hall beats Max Young in Georgia Senate race

By Jon Portman
TBC News

TBC News has projected that Labour's Caroline Hall will defeat the former Premier of Georgia, Max Young, and return to the Senate, after a keenly-contested by-election that followed the recall of far-right Senator Kathleen Nielsen.

In what has been quickly described as a victory for the embattled Labour Party leader Bertram Andrews, former Senator Caroline Hall narrowly defeated the former Premier of Georgia Max Young by just 46,000 votes in Tumbra's fourth-largest state, Georgia, to return to the Senate of Tumbra in its first-ever by-election. The by-election, held after former Senator Kathleen Nielsen was recalled by Georgia voters following the passage of a constitutional amendment that allowed for the recall of Senators and MPs by ordinary voters.

The election was held in a rather brief period — there were just two weeks of campaigning, during which both major party candidates engaged in whistle-stop tours of the entirety of Georgia, but the greater significance of the election was not lost on most commentators. Not only was it the first-ever Senate by election, meaning that the scale of this election was much larger than a regular by-election, but there were multiple questions for both major parties that were embedded within. For Labour, the election was being regarded as a test for the federal leader of the party, Bertram Andrews — a disappointing result in elections to the Assembly of Esportiva meant that his future as leader very much lay in the result of this election. For the Liberals, the departure of Kathleen Nielsen meant that the Government lost its crucial 100th vote in the Senate which allowed them to pass legislation, despite the Liberals actively encouraging the recall of Senator Nielsen.

For Prime Minister Stephen Williams, however, voters' decision to push the charismatic Premier of Georgia, Max Young, as the Liberal nominee rather than his ally, Stephen Rosenfield, marked a rejection for Williams in Straton as he looks to push through a series of reforms ostensibly to redefine the role of the federal government and that of the states. Young, together with the Labour Premier of Marcato, Eileen Cho, have formed an unorthodox coalition against any changes to the existing federal-state relationship, coming together in October of last year to reject the claim made by the federal government that the states were spending way beyond their means.

Ultimately, the campaign was marked by Williams' noticeable absence from the campaign trail in support of Young, while Bertram Andrews was vigorously on the ground, campaigning for Hall. Young's campaign was ultimately run almost independently from the federal party apparatus, a driving factor that most commentators agreed harmed his campaign significantly. A perception that Young was abandoning the people of Georgia to seek federal office — he resigned as Premier the night he won the Liberal primary — also did not help his campaign. Kingsbury suburbs, which were key to Young winning office in the 2026 state election, turned red by just enough to deliver Hall the victory after preferences were redistributed.

In a small victory for pollsters, opinion and exit polls lined up almost exactly with most predictions made throughout the campaign. The late addition of New Democratic candidate Kevin Lee — who originally started off as an independent, but then won the endorsement of he New Democratic Party — slightly complicated things, but the "free-speech loving, free-market loving" candidate managed to sweep up most of the right-wing vote that might have voted for the Conservative Party instead. Polls swung left and right throughout the campaign, with neither Hall nor Young taking commanding enough leads after preferences were distributed, but Hall eked out a small, 1-2 point lead in the final three days — which proved decisive for the final result.

The result also marked a decisive rejection of far-right politics in Georgia. Disgraced former Conservative Party leader Alan Spalko ran a campaign railing against injustices lobbied against him and his new far-right movement, Vanguard, proclaiming that the federal government was actively trying to shut his party out of politics. Ultimately, however, Spalko won only three thousand votes out of the four million cast, a stunning rejection of the man who made his name campaigning in Georgia. He did not offer any comment after the results were released, and Vanguard's post-election party wrapped up abruptly two hours after polls closed, with little to no fanfare.

The result means that left-leaning parties now control 101 seats in the Senate, while right-leaning parties control 99 seats. This means that it will now be more difficult for Stephen Williams and the Liberal Party to pass legislation through the Federal Parliament, though the Senate's power to reject government budgets is extremely limited.

[Chromatika]

With Shaddon-Ysenov Absent, Chromatika Falls Short to Qasden

After a get-right win over Vielfaltig, the Penguins of Chromatika had a huge opportunity to establish themselves as a lock-in for the Round of Sixteen. Beat Qasden, and be in second behind Valanora. However...

Sixteen hours before the game against Qasden, Kristie Shaddon-Ysenov's brother, Marcus, passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. The Penguins allowed her to leave on medical leave, and the Penguins had to turn to Zachary Chesevsky on short notice.

Understandably, the squad was short against Qasden, being absolutely blown out to a score of 72-98. Despite Lia Xiu leading scorers with 37 points, none of the rest of the players could score in the double digits as Qasden raced out to a twelve point lead at halftime (50-38) and never looked back.

Shaddon-Ysenov is not expected to return until in the later rounds of the playoffs, if the Penguins get there. Until then, Chesevsky will have to suffice - and with more time to work him into the lineup, they can still win against Atheara and make it to the Round of 24, where they can absolutely surprise an opposition.

"It's time to make sure that we are made of sterner stuff," commented Jaudin Negore, "Our hearts go out to Kristie, but basketball won't play itself."

A loss to Atheara would likely knock the Penguins, the top seed in the group, out of the tournament - a disappointment, even without Shaddon-Ysenov.

[Valanora]

They say that festivals are a glimpse into the cultures and traditions of a society for someone on the outside looking in. The premise of the festival itself and then the activities that are then partaken in before and during the festival itself might allow one some understanding of what is considered important to the observed culture. It might come as a small surprise to some that there are few festivals and major holidays inside the Eternal Empire, at least those that are recognized at the federal level. There is rampant speculation that this is a political decision so not to seem extremely exclusive and instead be more inclusive to the diverse population that makes up the Empire at its core.

If there are few at the federal level, then there has to be at least a handful at the more local level, one might be lead to believe. This in true in a way, rather the holidays and festivities that might be more celebrated at a local level, it is more of a case of a separation along the different species that are in the Empire. The Elves for instance have many different celebrations that are more in tune with different natural occurence, such as the Summer and Winter solstice as well as the Spring and Autumn equinoxes. There is lavish feasts for each of this days, with it not being uncommon for small gifts to be exchanged, particularly during the festival for the Winter Solstice. Another important day is the Day of Remembrance, a day in the late Autumn where there is generally great reverence given to past ancestors, leaders, and heroes. Words are seldom exchanged during this day between individuals, as most prefer silence during this day.

The most widely celebrated federal holiday is Jas Hatire day, a day in celebration of the life of the legendary defender of the old Elven kingdoms. This is the same individual for whom the Hatire Memorial is named in Capri, a soldier of a long ago era who is said to have been at the forefront of defending the Elven Lands from a demonic invasion, eventually giving his life up to slay the demonic commander in one on one combat . All federal services are given the day off for the holiday and many have small get together and parties on the day. If the day falls on a weekend, the Premiership often schedules most of their matches throughout the course of the day with fireworks after the match. It is a time of celebration for all that we have and the community at large, bringing together those who might otherwise be at odds with one another.

[Banija]

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Kabaka - King
Luguba - Queen Consort
Sarauniya - Queen Mother
Isebantu - Crown Prince
Omugabe/Omugaba - Prince/Princess
Omulangira/Kyabazinga - Duke/Duchess
Kagere/Kiweewa - Lord/Lady
Katikkiro - Prime Minister
Waziri - Foreign Minister
Lukiiko- Parliament
Kiongozi- Leader of the Opposition\
Mkiiko- Member of the Lukiiko(MP-equivalent)

Katikkiro Xolile Lubabalo, sitting in an all-party meeting with the backbenchers about her bill

The Katikkiro was sitting at the front of the room. You would always need a big room to accomodate 210 Mkiikos, and fortunately, the Lukiiko had places where they could hold these all-party meetings. Discipline was leaving the party- after the first person announced they were going to flip on the legislation, due to some public pressure, three more members of her party had announced they would vote against the legislation. It was embarassing, she thought- her junior coalition partners were all holding the line, while her own party was turning at the first time of trouble.

She got the room to calm down. "My friends!" She told the room. "We must face this political period, this bill, with courage. We did not come into politics to just hang out, or simply to be liked. We came into this business to make transformative change for Banijans. And this bill, this healthcare legislation- has the opportunity to do just that. In a way that many of us would have never expected."

"But Xolile- the people hate it!" Yelled one Mkiiko who was wavering on the fence, who had won a constituency himself that was normally right-leaning. "The heat is strong here."

"Look, people are scared of change- especially in a country like ours." She told all the Mkiikos. "There's a lot of disinformation out here, by the right and these corporations, about this legislation. They get people legitimately believing that we're coming for their doctors, or we're bankrupting the country, or any of that BS." The room, rowdy as it was, was silently listening to their leader's speech. "Look- there's no way around this. This is an issue that could make, or break, this Government. Do we want to go out there as a government that was strictly reactive? That never took strides for positive change? We have a legacy forming, yes- but this will make us. Once Orange Shield is up and running, there's nothing that the right can do to stop us."

The room was rowdy. It was mostly her, and other members of the cabinet, talking about the importance of voting for the bill- a much larger section of the caucus was more skeptical than she had hoped. She thought probably something like 30-40 Mkiikos were on the fence about this legislation. 13 of them flipping and voting against their Government would be enough to kill the legislation. There was no hope in bringing any opposition members on board- no opposition member worth their salt would save the Government on a vote this big. Not in this political system.

Eventually, the room would clear. Lubabalo would be left with just the Leader of the House, and the Chief Whip.

"Well- what are your thoughts?" Xolile asked her two frontbenchers who had their ears to the caucus the most. "Think this passes? Think we need more time"

"Well, we're doing our best out here." The Chief Whip said. "But we can't push it back. If we push the vote back, which is in just 2 days, then it'll look like the Government is conceding defeat. The pressure will only rise exponentially, not fall. We have to get forward."

"What should we do to ensure this gets through?" The Leader of the House asked. "Maybe make it a confidence motion?"

"No." Xolile Lubabalo said. "That'll just piss everyone off, and poison our relations with the backbenchers. Everything will simply have to pass straight up. We've got an extended voting period because it's major legislation - a full hour for everyone to vote. We're gonna have to be whipping people, even on the floor of the Lukiiko."

"Imagine if we tank our own signature piece of legislation." The Chief Whip said, exasperated. "These mother fuckers..."

"We've got no choice but to pass this." Lubabalo said. "It doesn't really matter if this is a confidence vote. If we lose this vote, because it's so important, His Majesty will most likely ask us to go back and receive the confidence of the House again."

"Well, then we're up against it." The Chief Whip said. "Let's make sure we can get this thing over the finish line..."

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@AllBanijaSportsMagazine Lions win handily at IBC 36, with a 79-60 victory on Matchday 4. They are on the brink of the knockout stages, but will face ZRH in a do-or-die fifth game. Winner almost certainly through to the next round. If we lose.. And TJUN-ia win as expected, it could crush the momentum this team has built at this tournament. #LionsVSZetaReka

@SilverStandard Banijan men's basketball costumes!
Israel Arefani: Superhero. Obasie Khoza: Ilman Jawara(he wore pads to the press conference and everything!) (1/2)

@SilverStandard Banijan men's basketball costumes!
Philemon Abonyo: Bear. Tijan Mendy: Wizard. Who doesn't love this team?? #GoLionsGo (2/2)

[Valentine Z]

Part 4 – A Thousand Eternal Victory, and How Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton Walked Through Thousands of Years per Second.

Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton got used to the stale air, but that was more or less that, stale air. It feels like she was wading through a car that has not have its windows rolled down in goodness knows how long, on top of it being left in a temperate or tropical environment. In other words, the place has a very mouldy and dry air. She eventually got used to it, for it would take more than that to take her out. It would also appear so that Zee Tee had absolutely no problems with it, walking merrily alongside her, and making her wonder as to how he is coping with the very fact that this is his world and his home in the far future. Perhaps the prospect of going back to the past and rescuing the princess is all he has in his mind. “Bless your little soul, my friend,” she thought to herself, thinking to herself and then back to walking along this land. She noticed something different with the other inhabitants as well. For start, they have turned a brilliant red in terms of the color of their bodies, and it would seem like their eyes are getting closer, like the characters in those old-timey cartoons. “Maybe it’s just hundreds of years of evolution, or so,” she thought to herself once again, not giving it any particular mind and then simply looking around, and at one point narrowly dodging the piece of cloud that became lose and then dropped right behind her. At the very least, they’ve been walking on a much more stable ground for the most parts, only using the brittle and squeaking clouds only when they absolutely have to traverse through the platforms. Gwen felt like she was in a platformer from the days of old, just that the twist being they seemed to be travelling through time as well. The water, if it was still water, looked dangerous to be in at this moment. It was no longer blue; muddy, polluted, and potentially deadly if fallen into.

“We have been walking for hours at this point,” Gwen remarked, checking on her shoes, her clothes, the surroundings, and her weapons. There has not a need for her weapons as of the moment, but she felt like it would be needed at some point, and she simply wished that she didn’t have to shoot anything at this point. Making sure that her pistols are still secure in the holsters, as well as turning around to talk to Zee Tee, “I do admire your confidence, still! I mean, I am not saying that’s a bad thing, and I will help you out, but...” she trailed off, wondering if she should tell him straight at that point, or hold that thought of the fact that the world is about to change more and more as they went on. It’s one thing to travel through points in space, but with more and more time being fast-forwarded, along with still being unable to find a reference time point or markers that she could use to make time travelling easier in this world, it would be a tough sell to keep on moving forward. Still, with each obstacle, presents a new solution in the form of travelling through time. For instance, Gwen noticed this between Worlds 2 and 3 whereby having trees replaced by the dead and wilting versions of it made it easier for them to pass through, and the difference between Worlds 1 and 2 (and 3) allowing them to use the clouds as platforms. It would seem like the only forward is that.

They reached yet another point of interest, this one a flight of stairs made out of blocks. With no other option, and the platforms being impossible to scale and climb upwards, Gwen and Zee Tee made their way into the narrow passageway, with the former having to crawl her way along and then do an awkward 90-degree turn in order to crane and get out of the pits. She nearly got stuck in the structure, only remedied thanks to Zee Tee giving himself as the support and with Gwen still being slim and small enough. “Okay, I was still a bit too big for that, haha,” she remarked, to which then the two of them checked their bearings. They are only a few meters off the ground as they climbed the structure, so it would not be that bad for the both of them if they jumped. On top of that, Zee Tee does not seem to take any fall damage, while Gwen can crawl off the ledge and to drop down. “All right, let’s go then!”

As she and Zee Tee landed perfectly, both noticed that the air has changed again, and for the worse. This time, it felt like the world got a little warmer, along with the sensation of the air being a bit thicker; perhaps, it was too thick. Gwen noticed that something was up, but she was unable to pinpoint exactly as to why until she realised something was up with her time controls and devices. One of the devices on her wrist measures time around her, relative to herself. In other words, if the world around her is moving in slow motion at half the speed, that means said world is moving at 0.5 seconds per Gwen’s second. At first, her instinct tells her that the world is stationary, with arrow of time itself being unable to work things out and suddenly ceased to be. “0.00000241 seconds, per my second,” she calculated, concluding that the world around her is moving in an extremely slow motion. Zee Tee was unaffected by the flow of time, and this was all without further interference from her. “So you are not being affected by all of this. A little strange, I would say,” she thought to herself, but that is not the most important of things at that time.

“Zee Tee… look, the hills,” Gwen pointed, much to the shock of the asterisk-shaped character himself. He jumped up and down in panic, a large single bead of sweat flowing down his body and then looking at Gwen in a panic. “No, I didn’t do it this time. We didn’t tunnel though a portal. Nor did I- .. I didn’t do this,” Gwen said a little defensively, stepping back at what she and Zee Tee were witnessing. The hills, they were all gone. There were no more hills in the background, and instead there is a single circular shaped object setting in the horizon. “Was that your equivalent of a sun? Err… star, very hot star,” Zee Tee nodded, to which Gwen let out a shocked scream of sorts, trying her best to not startle her newfound friend. “Time is moving very slow around us, there is the sun and… it’s strangely very hot around here, don’t you think so? We have to trek on, still, no point sitting here and looking at the sun of.” As they walked for a few more minutes, that was when they noticed something even more bizarre with the landscape and the whole world then – the creatures that they encountered have a maroon-colored body, as well as a singular eye, almost as if the two eyes have merged into one large eye. Zee Tee approached one cautiously, to which it did not make any attempts to move or to retaliate. “We are moving too fast, we are just a blur to these creatures. To us, it would just look like they are frozen in time.” Zee Tee looked at it one last time before joining Gwen yet again, the two of them realising that the clouds are no longer artificial, nor are solid. As Gwen passed through one, she then realised that it was a horrible idea, for she started choking and coughing violently. She felt like her lungs were burning, but it was simply a sensation without any long-term damage to her body. She took a full minute to recover herself, with Zee Tee standing right beside her and then jumping towards a “Dead and Meh” face block to reveal a gem hidden inside. “Note to self, don’t pass through them,” Gwen remarked, getting back up and looking around.

<< RWD | FF >>

[Delaclava]

Delaclava 91, Ko-oren 62

DELACLAVA — Feuz 2-6 1-1 7, Fernandez 2-2 0-0 5, Zubić 6-8 3-3 16, Graber 2-4 1-2 6, Derda 4-6 4-5 13, Francis 2-5 1-2 5, Alu 4-7 0-0 10, Gouyet 2-2 0-0 6, Kerleroux 1-2 0-0 3, Rybakov 3-5 0-0 6, Luy 0-1 0-0 0, Lehtola 0-1 0-0 0, Breunig 0-0 0-0 0, Marshall 1-4 0-0 3, St-Hilaire 3-5 5-5 11. Totals: 32-58 15-18 91.

KO-OREN — Tanamula 1-3 2-2 4, Manisle 2-3 1-3 6, Varon 7-10 5-7 21, Canton 1-7 1-2 3, Junco 2-8 3-4 7, Chery 1-4 1-1 4, Fernford 2-7 0-0 5, Sarmazenindhen 3-4 2-2 8, Goslin 1-3 2-7 4, Kaminga 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 20-49 17-28 62.

Delaclava      25 - 24 - 18 - 24
Ko-oren        12 - 15 - 19 - 16

3-point goals: Delaclava 12-24 (Gouyet 2-2, Feuz 2-3, Alu 2-5, Fernandez 1-1, Derda 1-1, Kerleroux 1-1, Zubić 1-2, Graber 1-2, Marshall 1-2, Rybakov 0-2, Francis 0-3), Ko-oren 5-15 (Varon 2-5, Manisle 1-2, Chery 1-4, Fernford 1-4). Rebounds: Delaclava 33 (Derda 12), Ko-oren 21 (Junco 8). Assists: Delaclava 22 (Feuz, Zubić 8), Ko-oren 13 (Tanamula 7).

"Are you ready for Halloween?" Przemysław Derda asked Alarig Gouyet, his teammate and roommate as they both got dressed.
"Ready? Bitch, I was born for this. You know Halloween is gay Christmas." Alarig said, rolling his eyes with a smirk before giving Derda a playful tap on the butt. "The real question is, are you ready for Halloween?"
"Yeah, I think so." Derda paused. "I mean, this Talannuan costume looks alright, doesn't it? I was worried if it was going to fit."
"Yeah, you know that's not what I'm talking about," Gouyet stepped in front of Derda dramatically, striking a pose. "I'm talking about your temptress. What are your big plans tonight?"
"Certainly not the same as your big plans when we went out for Diwali," Derda retorted. "Proposed to a Drawkian, huh?"
"In my defense," Alarig put up his finger insistently, "he only said no because he was straight. That means he could a perfect fit if he'd get his mind into the gutter."
"So why didn't you help him?"
"Please, I'm no Jake. Sure, I can swing a guy, it just takes me a bit. Took me long enough to get to you."
"Yeah, well," Derda flushed. "I was playing hard to get."
"Yeah, you were! Now, come on, tell me where this is going?"
"Look, I have a child, she's going to go back to Delaclava any day now."
"Okay, Anna Voss has plenty of better things to do. She can and should have gone back any day now. So you tell me... why is she still here?"
Derda paused. Alarig made a good point, one that was hard to penetrate. "Look, she likes to have fun, this is good as an official visit—"
"Yeah, an official visit to your crotch. Now, stop being a prude and help me put on this makeup."
Derda picked up the eyeliner. "What are you supposed to be?"
"Really?" Alarig scoffed. "I'm a sexy Tumbran Northlander."
"Can Tumbran Northlanders... be sexy?"
"You're lookin' right at him! With these buns? Please."
Derda laughed and got to work. Alarig kept talking. "Okay, so you got Ziggy at home, you got Monica. But you and her agreed this was just to support her. She's going back to Twin Cities, right?"
"I... don't know. It's been a while since we've discussed," Derda avoided eye contact for a second.
"Hey, easy with that lipstick! Now, what's the matter?"
Derda bit his lip.
"Oh..." Alarig paused, then exploded with laughter. "OH! You're in love with her, aren't you?"
Derda nodded.
"You want her to stay!"
"Well, I don't know!"
"Alright, here's how we're going to do this." Alarig grabbed Derda by the shoulders. "You're going to go out there tonight, get your presidential queen, and see how you feel in the morning. Yeah?"
Derda smiled. "Yeah."
"Uh-huh!?"
"Yeah, let's get this bread."
"WOOO! That's right, LGTB!"

---

They met Anna Voss outside the club. Voss looked stunning, striking an impressive figure as a Jeruselemite concubine, a costume she privately hoped wouldn't be photographed too much. They got inside quickly, and Alarig immediately gasped when he looked at the stage.
"What?" Derda asked.
"Shemmy, that's Uwu Lena!"
"Who?"
"That pop star I keep telling you to listen to. This is their song! That's them! Oh, I guarantee I'm taking them home tonight."
"Hannasea are world champions in basketball, you think they want to take home a bronze medalist."
"Heh heh. You dick. None of the Sardines are as fabulous as I. Watch." And Alarig made his way to the stage to pay his respects and take an early lead in tonight's game.
Derda laughed. "I'm sure he'll be back in a bit. Shall we dance?"
"Yes, we shall." Anna smiled. "Impressive for a man of your stature to volunteer that."
"I didn't say I was any good," Derda winked shyly yet convincingly. "Watch your feet." He shot Voss two finger guns awkwardly.
Voss laughed - she surprised herself how genuine and girlish it was - and they began to dance the night away, taking time to order up plenty of Cleo Patróns (a cocktail of tequila, mint liqueur, vodka, absinthe, shaken up in enough ice that it can be chugged - you get one guess where it originated), Alarig alternating between his wingman duties and his selfish pursuits.

The night grew late. Uwu Lena had wrapped up their set and was now chatting earnestly in the corner with Alarig, who was enthralled. The lights were lower as Derda and Voss continued to dance, their hips making contact more and more frequently.
Derda looked into Voss' eyes as best as he could. Even with her heels, Derda still had a significant height advantage. He said: "So, how much longer are you here?"
"You trying to rush me out?" Voss chuckled.
"No, of course not!"
"Well, I'm enjoying my time here. All is under control back home. And there's so much going on, people really seem indifferent to whether I'm actually there or not. So... I might be staying for a while." Voss paused. "Do you think I should?"
"I'm not one to tell you, you're obviously very important and busy," Derda said pensively. "I think if you feel you have good reasons, why not?"
Voss nodded, smiling a little bit. Derda felt bold. He continued. "I'd like it if you stayed."
Voss smiled widely. "Good." She pulled Derda down slightly by the lapel of his drab Talannuan vest, a manic glint in her eye as she tugged at it. They locked lips firmly, assertively yet sweetly, and were immediately wrapped up in each other. Although many others on the dance floor were doing the same, they suddenly got a little bit of space as surely the others could feel the energy a President and a big-time baller were creating.
Alarig used that pace to appear beside them when Derda and Voss finally broke contact. He now had Uwu Lena in arm. Even accounting for heels, they were really quite tall, coming up level with Alarig, Uwu's long black hair and hairy chest contrasting nicely with Alarig's blond curls and boyish good twink looks. Alarig said, "I've got two suites at the hotel down the road. One's for us, one's for you two." He smiled triumphantly. "You clearly need it."
Voss ran her hand down Derda's chest, settling on his belt line. Derda swallowed a bit nervously, but excitedly. "Yeah."
"Well, the four of us should have some fun first, eh?" Alarig said, winking at his friend before turning to Uwu. "Uwu? Is that Uwu?"
Uwu nodded, "Uwu. Oh, Uwu," they pointed to themselves, reaching out to shake both Derda's and Voss' hands. He looked at Derda. "Uwu." He looked at Voss, and gasped admiringly. "Big uwu."
Voss smiled and they exchanged kisses on the cheek. She then leaned into Derda and kissed him on the neck. "Let's see this hotel, shall we?"

[Lisander]

Message posted in the profile of a certain basketball themed bar in Lerna, Lisander:

It's difficult mathematics. But if all goes well, you guys drink for free!

Tonight, the national team goes into probably its last game under Vizargorri. Extending his stay in Lisander is counterproductive for national basketball from every perspective we look at. Aristian basketball is completely different from ours, much more based on physical strength and space occupation. The ridiculous points per game average of this team is ample proof of that.

However, even though most of us have already given in to consternation, I am a very hard-headed supporter. As the fans of a certain football club say, "In the good I am, in the bad I am more". So I cling to the silliest of hopes. Where there is a 1% chance, I complete it with 99% faith. Could it come to nothing? It might, it probably will.

Looking at the situation coldly, Trolleborg and Depivik have the best chances, and Lisander have an almost zero chance of qualifying, needing to take a very big points off. The national team needs to hope for a capital victory of Delaclava over Depivik, as well as, in turn, getting a capital victory over Trolleborg, which would improve Lisander's balance and leave their opponents in the negative. Something difficult, considering that Lisander has the third worst attack in the competition, averaging just 68.5 points per game, a paltry result.

The most likely scenario in my mind is the following:

Delaclava should beat Deipvik and confirm the top spot.
Ko-oren beat Orgstan and go 3-2, clinching second place in the group.
Trolleborg and Lisander is a game that is wide open. Only a win with a large lead guarantees Lisander's passage, as third placed, to the Knockout Stage. Given the results so far, it is more likely that Trolleborgians will win, after all they present a much more consistent game since the beginning of the tournament.

Anyway, you know me. The bar will be open, come and watch the match and, if by some miracle, Lisander manages to qualify, we will have a fifth quarter: ten minutes of free beer for everyone!

[Trolleborg]

Greetings, compatriots!
It’s TTV, and at last we have something good for you from the faraway Hannasea.

In the fourth game of group stage of Basketball World Cup our opponent was Depivik. This team made its debut at the World Basketball Championships right now, created probably the biggest sensation of the championship, defeating Ko-oren in their first match and taking the lead of the group after two rounds. After losing in the duel with the Delaclava, who are favorites of the entire group, the opponents obviously intended to prove that the first successes were not accidental. And the game began in such a way that many fans of our team in the stands saw the specter of a catastrophe coming. Opponents rushed into the game passionately and decisively. By the end of the first minute our lads were losing 0:5, by the end of the second 2:10. The head coach, however, did not lose presence of mind, and not indulge in a panic and hysteria (altought he definitely have a right and good reason to do so), which could be expected in such a situation. He remain steadfast and continue to energetically lead the game, altought left his usual manner of gesticulating actively, right now accompanying instructions with few short gestures, walked around throughout his area while constantly counting and measuring something and giving instructions to substitute players, moving them into the game and returning them back to the bench with due words - and by the fifth minute he completely calmed the players. By this time, Depivik was still leading, but not so catastrophically, with only four points difference, and soon lost this advantage, regain it for a few seconds and lost again, then the game went on equal terms, but after our lads succeeded, to the noisy delight of the stands, three three-pointers in a row, the teams went to the break with the score 54:46 in our favor. Everyone, of course, was intrigued and nervous while waiting of what would happen now, and many nails was eaten right to the meat in the meantime. But now things turned out to be very pleasant - our lads left their changing room self-collected and energetic in some time, while the opponents emerge, apparently, while lost something important - either concentration, or self-confidence after lost advantage of the first minutes, or maybe this is due to the lack of experience. So the gap in the score only grew, and it seemed to many that the record for the matches of our team at the world championships would be surpassed, but in the end, the advantage of our basketball players turned out to be not so serious. 23 points, however, is a good result under the circumstances.

In other matches of our group, Ko-oren lost to Delaclava, with almost thirty points, and made it inaccessible to any pursuers. Delaclava, in any case, already receiving a direct ticket to the playoffs. And Lisander won his first match in the tournament, sending Orgstan to last place. Now we have to grapple with this team, slightly superior to us in the rankings. Such matches have always been difficult for our athletes - however, in the case of basketball, we can honestly say that almost all games are difficult for them. And if we look at all the groups as a whole, it turns out that our head coach and national leader correctly guessed the trends in world sports: it is obvious that the ranking is very important, the first places are universally occupied by those who fell into the first two baskets in the distribution of places, although it cannot be said without exaggeration that they all without exception demonstrate a convincing game, exceptions can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and there will be many fingers left unused. Nevertheless, this is not a reason to entrust everything to chance and luck – you need to try to do everything possible for success, the whole country is demanding full dedication and maximum composure from its basketball players.

[Cardenao]

Cardenao Can Maybe Into Victory!

Hello hello dear readers, thank you for lending your eyes to me yet again! It is/was a beautiful day in Cardenao as always where the sun is shining and there’s a light ocean breeze gently sweeping across the nation. I love it here. And you know what else I love? I fckn love Cardenao basketball and I am here to evangelize it yet again and review our match against Krbustan! Let me set the stage.

We entered the match preceding the Krbustan fixture as a 0-2 team going up against the 27th best team in the world, Gatchingerrak Union, in a game where we needed a win to keep our qualification dream alive. Our Cardenao team played valiantly and with great honor, and the game came down to a last second 3 point buzzer beater by Javier Rose to secure Cardenao’s first ever international basketball victory and inch us ever so slightly closer to qualification. After that crazy, crazy night, you want to relax a bit. Settle down you know, that was a stressful experience so you need to breathe a bit but TOO BAD! You have an even higher profile ‘Do or Die’ match against the mighty unranked Krbustan who somehow were leading the group with two wins and a loss. It’s a match of epic ramifications, could our basketball boys be the first Cardenao sporting program to properly qualify for an international tournament? I’d love to see that happen, especially if it meant shutting up those prissy football lads who go on and on about how ‘exciting and revolutionary Cardenao is as a new footballing entity’ like first off, shut up that isn’t true and you know it. Second, nobody cares. Third, I do love football, my parents raised me right after all. But it would be incredibly delightful if it was our entirely amateur basketball team that was Cardenao’s first international Finals participant, that would be wonderful and to do it in our debut too. Doesn’t that just give you chills?? But anyway, back to the poorly constructed narrative!

Going into the 40 minute match against Krbustan, again only a win would suffice and that was only to give us a small chance at qualification to the Round of 24. Head Coach Jessy Courtouis knew that fact and it was clear he and the team had worked hard to develop a calm, clearly defined game plan. From the tip-off, which we won by the way, the Cardenao game plan was built around a three-man motion offense on the perimeter to create a passing angle to one of the big lads that were banging in the post. César Sauvageon was brilliant the whole night, with his powerful body good for buckets, dominating space to create passing lanes, and easy little one-twos with a slashing perimeter player. We ran up a quick 15-4 lead and the Krbustan players were looking a little shell-shocked at the methodical nature of the Cardenaoan game play. Pass and move, pass and move, feed the post man and move; shoot and score. The first quarter ended 24-9 and any Cardenaoan watching was surely feeling good, I know I was!

So naturally, the second quarter brought pain as the Krubstanians showed heart and hustle to roar back into the game hitting back to back to back triples to start the quarter and it was back and forth from there. The amateur Cardenaoans, though certainly lacking in technique, made up for it with sheer tenacity and the dream of qualification building minute by minute as Cardenao stayed in the game. A beautiful arcing post-fade from Mathias Rose was the final bucket of the half, which ended 42-40 in Cardenao’s favor in yet another very promising display of basketball. After the 15 minute break, the ref blew the game back on and it was a 20 minute fight to stay in the qualification race.

The third quarter was marked by ten valiant minutes of play from the representatives of Krbustan, who thoroughly dominated the pace of play, destroyed Cardenao in rebounding, and generally made the most of their shots to roar ahead. It was so annoying watching these guys during this quarter, I was yelling at my screen the whole time not gonna lie. It just seemed that the harder the shot, the more challenged the shooter was, the more guaranteed a basket was. It’s like that one guy at pickup who just hucks shots up under pressure and they just all go in, it’s truly one of the single most annoying experiences a human being can suffer. Add on poor shooting from a Cardenao team that seemed to stray from the game plan due to their nerves, and you get a 59-63 score at the end of the third quarter. Not great, not terrible but definitely not ideal heading into the final ten minutes of a make or break game of basketball.

Jessy Courtouis got his boys in a huddle, looked them all in the eyes and said words to them. Words that were probably inspirational while reminding them to stick to the game plan, I mean I wasn’t in that huddle so I’m not sure what was said. But something like that I’m sure. Blake D’Aquino got the ten minutes started with a thunderous tomahawk slam and it was immediately clear which team was determined to take control of the game and close it out. Mattéo Bouchard clanged two mid-rangers in in a row and just like that Cardenao was back in the lead, a position we would hold for the rest of the game when of course, it came down to the last seconds. Seven (7) seconds left on the clock, 79-79 after an incredible long range three from Krbustan swished in. Seven (7) seconds for Cardenao to pull off yet another last second win to somehow give us a shot at qualification heading into the final matchday. This was it.

Big César inbounded the ball to D’Aquino, who sped past his Krbustan marker and crossed half court with a head of steam. He paused at the top of the key and showed remarkable control and composure to lift his eyes and body up like he was going to pull a three pointer, before carrying his momentum into the key. With the defense collapsing on him and a second and a half on the clock, Blake D’Aquino kicked the ball out to the man who was seemingly built for this moment, Javier Rose, and that was when I knew we were going to win the game. Need I remind you that this man has been in this exact position for the third game in a row now? Only enough time for one shot with the game on the line, Javier Rose hit the buzzer beater winner for the two games coming into this match and by the grace of the Gods he made it three for three against Krbustan when his two point effort splashed in to make it 81-79 and bring Cardenao to a 2-2 record.

Insanity.

One more match with qualification on the line. 40 minutes of ball against fourth placed Southwest Eastnorth to determine qualification. That’s all it was. 40 minutes of hoop to determine our future in basketball. I love it.

Go team!

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Northern Calania Morning Post

Greens motion to move Halloween to last Saturday of October fails after a fruitless round of debates

Pierre-Antoine Pronovost

JOONGYEONG - A Green Party motion calling for Quebec and Shingoryeo to move Halloween to the last Saturday of October failed yesterday. This comes after the Greens leader Ondine Cleverley-Hwang put a motion to the vote on whether the Federal Government and the Provincial Governments should place the publicly-popular holiday, while not officially recognised, to a Saturday to allow for less impact on the academic calendar.

The proposal saw little chance of success and was opposed by most parliamentarians, with the motion defeated with a predominant margin of 470-34, but there were some interesting marks of support and a two-hour-long debate.

A half-dozen Moogoongwha MPs such as Gabrielle Gelinas, Hector Frimpong, and Goh Seung-Wook, voted in favour of the motion, while the PJLQ government saw cabinet ministers Rudy Milner and Cody Cho back to the motion. Fourteen MPs from the NPD, including the recently-elected leader Irene Kweon Binnington, voted for the motion that was unanimously backed by the ten-member Green caucus.

The tradition of celebrating Halloween on the 31st of October, while originating from the Catholic ecclesiastical tradition of ‘Sollemnitas Omnium Sanctorum’, has been mostly commercial in the Quebecois soil. As the Quebecois Government has not marked Halloween as a public holiday, whatever motion is placed to move it to another day would be viewed more as a symbolic measure and therefore unenforceable.

Cleverley-Hwang received heavy criticism from other Members of Parliament earlier this week, after putting forward his proposal. Much of the criticism had involved the frivolous nature of the motion set forward by a third-term, veteran party leader on an opposition day.

Many, who had come from both the Moogoongwha and the PJLQ-NPD coalition, had pointed out that those considered of greater concern in agenda, such as the education funding, attempts to standardise their slate of university entrance examinations, and recent reports of excessive surveillance on certain minority groups in major cities should be pointed out.

Cleverley-Hwang, however, remained adamant about her cause. The 41-year-old argued that the ‘MPs should consider this with a matter of seriousness as they would, for possible interference of a child’s studies should be factored into the so-called “The Halloween Question”’.

The session also saw a round of murmurs when Moogoongwha MP Theodore Albers responded to Cleverley-Hwang’s rationale on stress- and safety-based grounds, that the Greens Leader ‘is an atheist heathen who does not know a single line of the bible and would rather see the weekend turned into an orgy of alcohol-fuelled binge’. This would subsequently turn into another half-hour of emotional tirade where the ecclesiastical debates on All Hallow’s Eve [and thus the display of anti-Catholic sentiments among certain MPs] occurred.

Prime Minister Jacques Lee Ellington stayed mostly out of the debate but would leave a short remark saying that the motion, even without considering the Catholic origins of the holiday, was not worth spending time debating about.

'I am sure that the Quebecois people would find greater value in discussing other, more pressing matters, that the members of the opposition would put forward,' Lee Ellington said.

Cleverley-Hwang doubled down later that day, telling the reporters after the unsuccessful vote that the outcome did not change the necessity of the date change.

‘Many benefits exist in proposing to permanently change this wonderful holiday, one that is enjoyed by the Quebecois people, to a holiday. More people will be able to enjoy this holiday, this means both the adults and the children, without having to worry about coming to work or school the next day, and thus the work productivity would not be affected by the people.’ Cleverley-Hwang said.

‘Do we want to foster a healthier work environment - one that is fuelled by sustainable work-life balance - or risk a day lost in people’s already-miserable life?’ She asked before leaving the Parliament building.

[Tjorl]

It was only the group stage, and yet, Tjorl's match-up against Græntfjall was the all-time most watched IBC game in the country, beating the Orcas' thriller against Quebec and Shingoryeo only one edition prior. Everyone tuned in to the game and everywhere you go, every television was showing the Orcas. With the chance to pull off a stunning upset victory and seal their ticket straight into the final 16, Vinzenz Hansson's squad made sure to give it their all. Their toughest test this time is to keep Græntfjaller captain Benjamin Iirosson quiet. In Tjorl's last game against the Super Wolves, Iirosson was simply unstoppable as he grabbed a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds. While he hasn't been as dominant this evening, it still looked like Iirosson was going to be the one to fuel Græntfjall past the Orcas once again. However, Jakob Kaiser has kept Tjorl close. Last time, he was abysmal, shooting 2/8 and only getting 7 points. This time, he has exploded to 18 points and 5/6 three-point shooting only in the first half.

In the final two minutes, Aron Andersson and Oli Afolabi exchanged crucial baskets, keeping the game in a deadlock until only ten seconds were left on the clock. The Orcas had the ball, and they looked to go for the win again. Lorenz Sander inbounded the ball to Kaiser, who called Pat Teufel for a screen. Now having the space to move inside, Kaiser drove to the basket. However, Hussain Abdulla was able to close down, forcing Kaiser to go for the floater.

"Kaiser releases the shot... no good! This game goes to overtime!"

Five more minutes for both teams. The short break between the end of regulation and the start of overtime did not cool down either side. The Super Wolves kept feeding Iirosson under the basket, while Kaiser and partner-in-crime Anders Martikainen kept on their shooting barrage. Then, twenty seconds left. Tjorl only up by 1. Shot-clock was ahead by a few seconds, but there was still more than enough time for Græntfjall to take the lead. Fifteen seconds. Star point-guard Tjörfi Ásason mismatched on Sander. Ásason conjures up some magic with his dribbling and he loses Sander. Seven seconds. With Teufel moving towards the paint, Ásason goes for the kill from the charity line.

"Ásason shoots...

...
...
...

but he misses!"

The ball struck the right iron and bounced out. Teufel grabs the rebound, and is fouled immediately. He has no problem sinking both free-throws, setting the Tjorlish lead at three. Despite a chance to force the game to another overtime, the Super Wolves ultimately fail to cook up a game-tying possession. Ballgame. With another close victory, the Orcas put themselves at 4-0, automatically sealing progression to the final 16.

[Hannasea]

Apologies for the delayed cutoff, busy evening. This is the final cutoff.

Group 1
Brenecia 69–64 StrayaRoos
Sarzonia 70–57 Indusse
San Ortelio 51–95 Hannasea (scorinated by Quebec)

  Group 1                    Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Hannasea                     5   5  0  458 308 +150
2 Sarzonia                     5   4  1  391 338 +53
3 Brenecia                     5   3  2  352 398 −46
4 StrayaRoos                   5   2  3  361 406 −45
5 Indusse                      5   1  4  356 391 −35
6 San Ortelio                  5   0  5  330 407 −77

Group 2
Macbon 64–77 Muralos
StrayaRoos Barrier Islands 70–77 Dod Rava
Mytanija 64–74 Abanhfleft

  Group 2                    Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Abanhfleft                   5   4  1  380 333 +47
2 Muralos                      5   4  1  411 346 +65
3 Mytanija                     5   3  2  414 352 +62
4 StrayaRoos Barrier Islands   5   2  3  389 394  −5
5 Macbon                       5   1  4  352 428 −76
6 Dod Rava                     5   1  4  342 435 −93

Group 3
Poafmersia 78–72 Equestria
Banija 78–75 Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom
TJUN-ia 82–67 Baiddsound

  Group 3                    Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Equestria                    5   4  1  405 361 +44
2 Banija                       5   4  1  373 348 +25
3 TJUN-ia                      5   3  2  377 345 +32
4 Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom    5   2  3  366 343 +23
5 Baiddsound                   5   1  4  346 392 −46
6 Poafmersia                   5   1  4  330 408 −78

Group 4
Orgstan 67–70 Ko-oren
Trolleborg 73–62 Lisander
Delaclava 84–54 Depivik

  Group 4                    Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Delaclava                    5   5  0  429 310 +119
2 Ko-oren                      5   3  2  370 360 +10
3 Trolleborg                   5   3  2  386 372 +14
4 Depivik                      5   2  3  351 390 −39
5 Lisander                     5   1  4  336 393 −57
6 Orgstan                      5   1  4  366 413 −47

Group 5
Krbustan 77–73 Gatchingerrak Union
Southwest Eastnorth 63–64 Cardenao
Quebec and Shingoryeo 90–75 Juvencus

  Group 5                    Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Quebec and Shingoryeo        5   4  1  399 345 +54
2 Juvencus                     5   3  2  405 381 +24
3 Krbustan                     5   3  2  400 390 +10
4 Cardenao                     5   3  2  371 390 −19
5 Southwest Eastnorth          5   2  3  366 398 −32
6 Gatchingerrak Union          5   0  5  355 392 −37

Group 6
Qasden 66–67 Vielfaltig
Atheara 77–80 Chromatika
Cassadaigua 79–89 Valanora

  Group 6                    Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Valanora                     5   5  0  414 307 +107
2 Qasden                       5   3  2  373 368  +5
3 Chromatika                   5   3  2  383 383   0
4 Vielfaltig                   5   3  2  342 370 −28
5 Atheara                      5   1  4  349 401 −52
6 Cassadaigua                  5   0  5  341 373 −32

Group 7
Tjorl 75–83 United Starsian Republics
Aristian Republic 71–94 Græntfjall (scorinated by Quebec)
Diarcesia 69–87 Valentine Z

  Group 7                    Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Tjorl                        5   4  1  386 365 +21
2 Valentine Z                  5   4  1  407 357 +50
3 Græntfjall                   5   3  2  432 383 +49
4 United Starsian Republics    5   2  3  374 401 −27
5 Aristian Republic            5   1  4  355 392 −37
6 Diarcesia                    5   1  4  356 412 −56

Group 8
Pemecutan 75–63 Canadian Dominion
Drawkland 79–85 Tumbra
Nova Anglicana 79–74 Nephara

  Group 8                    Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
1 Nova Anglicana               5   5  0  423 341 +82
2 Tumbra                       5   3  2  388 396  −8
3 Drawkland                    5   3  2  406 385 +21
4 Pemecutan                    5   2  3  378 376  +2
5 Nephara                      5   2  3  361 402 −41
6 Canadian Dominion            5   0  5  349 405 −56

Playoff seeding

                              Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD 
 1 Hannasea                     5   5  0  458 308 +150
 2 Delaclava                    5   5  0  429 310 +119
 3 Valanora                     5   5  0  414 307 +107
 4 Nova Anglicana               5   5  0  423 341 +82
 5 Quebec and Shingoryeo        5   4  1  399 345 +54
 6 Abanhfleft                   5   4  1  380 333 +47
 7 Equestria                    5   4  1  405 361 +44
 8 Tjorl                        5   4  1  386 365 +21
------------------------------------------------------
 9 Muralos                      5   4  1  411 346 +65
10 Sarzonia                     5   4  1  391 338 +53
11 Valentine Z                  5   4  1  407 357 +50
12 Banija                       5   4  1  373 348 +25
13 Juvencus                     5   3  2  405 381 +24
14 Ko-oren                      5   3  2  370 360 +10
15 Qasden                       5   3  2  373 368  +5
16 Tumbra                       5   3  2  388 396  −8
------------------------------------------------------
17 Mytanija                     5   3  2  414 352 +62
18 Græntfjall                   5   3  2  432 383 +49
19 TJUN-ia                      5   3  2  377 345 +32
20 Drawkland                    5   3  2  406 385 +21
21 Trolleborg                   5   3  2  386 372 +14
22 Krbustan                     5   3  2  400 390 +10
23 Chromatika                   5   3  2  383 383   0
24 Brenecia                     5   3  2  352 398 −46

(9) Muralos v Brenecia (24)
Winner plays Tjorl (8)

(10) Sarzonia v Chromatika (23)
Winner plays Equestria (7)

(11) Valentine Z v Krbustan (22)
Winner plays Abahnfleft (6)

(12) Banija v Trolleborg (21)
Winner plays Quebec and Shingoryeo (5)

(13) Juvencus v Drawkland (20)
Winner plays Nova Anglicana (4)

(14) Ko-oren v TJUN-ia (19)
Winner plays Valanora (3)

(15) Qasden v Græntfjall (18)
Winner plays Delaclava (2)

(16) Tumbra v Mytanija (17)
Winner plays Hannasea (1)

Stadium info to be provided later.

[Baiddsound]

Dear Hannasean Federation & the International Basketball Championship,
Thank you for having us. It has been a pleasure to play with you all, and although we may not be going on further, I would like to commend the skills of our players, and the other teams for their magnificent sportsmanship. It has been a wonderful experience.
Yours sincerely,
Tangmam Leimch, and the Baiddsound basketball team

[TJUN-ia]

After a 2-0 start floundered into 2-2 pretty quickly, the usually powerful Hoops-Jaguars of TJUN-is were looking to avoid a group stage exit as the #4 team. It's not as if they've played terrible basketball, quite the opposite in fact, but both Banija and Equestria simply put them to the sword and there was practically nothing they could've done about it. Bao Zhou has certainly tried to do something with this team but something just doesn't seem to be clicking and no one is really sure what that is. But our after was still in our hands so all we had to do was win...simple, right? Right?

Our final opponents were debutants Baiddsound, who entered DEMOS Arena at 1-3 and were just looking to end their first IBC on a high. 'Leftenant' Tangmam Leimch did alright in this game with 67 points, most of them through Cheisk 'Bellows' Pongabyei and Neib 'Islander' Bint through some actually quite good basketball, but we had a job to do and no one was going to get in our way at all. Everyone just did their thing, Adamo Zamenhofo was a beast and we won 82-67. It was a pretty simple game, but we certainly needed that one en route to the playoffs.

We will be the #19 seeds in these playoffs, taking on #14 Ko-oren for the chance to race Valanora in the round of 16. The Dragonflies also finished 3-2 in their group but beat Trolleborg on the head-to-head to claim 2nd in Group 4 behind a 5-0 Delaclava squad. Of course, facing a Top 10 team will always be a bit of a difficult occasion, but we cannot give up. We're supposed to be a Top 5 team, we cannot give up now. We can fight back if we have the chance. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group 3, all games at DEMOS Arena, Market Haverlock, Guild of Launderers, Hannasea
MD1: vs Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom (17) W 63-58 (3rd/1-0)
MD2: vs Poafmersia (UR) W 100-57 (1st/2-0)
MD3: vs Banija (25) L 57-77 (3rd/2-1)
MD4: vs Equestria (12) L 75-86 (3rd/2-2)
MD5: vs Baiddsound (UR) W 82-67 (2rd/3-2/+32PD/#19)
-------------------------------------------
Ro24: vs Ko-oren (10/#14/3-2 in G6)

[Banija]

Banija's TV commentators, calling the Banija v. Zeta Reka game with under a minute left...

Play-By-Play Commentator: "Well, with Zeta Reka center Aca Dušanić hitting his jump hook shot, we have seen Zeta Reka take a 75-73 lead with 57 seconds left. And Oscar Laboto is going to use the team's penultimate timeout. Things are getting good here..."

Banija's point guard, Obasie Khoza, dribbles across halfcourt as the head coach asks for a timeout, and is granted one as his point guard crosses halfcourt.

Color Commentator: "Let's go over the situation, shall we? It's the final day of group stage play here at IBC 36. It has been one hell of a game so far. But let's look at this group for what it is. All three games on this matchday tipped off at the exact same time. Equestria, of course, lost today, but they had already won the group with a matchday to spare, so really, it doesn't matter. That left three teams in the running for the final two spots- TJUN-ia, Banija, and Zeta Reka- with the latter two playing each other."

"TJUN-ia, despite struggling mightily in back-to-back losses against both the Banijans and Equestrians, have just had the final whistle blow in their game, literally seconds ago. An 82-67 victory over a 1-4 and unranked Baiddsound has put them into the knockout stages, no matter how this game ends. Now, this is when things get interesting. A Zeta Reka win here, would make for a three-way tie for the last two spots at 3-2 between the three nations. But Banija beat TJUN-ia, who beat Zeta Reka, who, in this scenario, would have beaten Banija. Who wins there? Well, in that scenario, TJUN-ia and Zeta Reka would go through on superior point differential, and Banija would go home."

Just then, the public address announcer announces the final scores of the other two, just finished games in Group 3.

Color Commentator: "Yup, there you go- with that announcement, now everybody knows the stakes for what should be an insane final minute. For what is now, unsurprisingly, a must-win for both teams. A win for Banija means Banija will be in 2nd, and into the KO stages. A loss? Puts TJUN-ia at 2nd, Zeta Reka at 3rd(depending on their point differential, could jump to second), and either way, Banija in fourth, and on the first flight back to Atlantian Oceania."

Play-By-Play Commentator: "Let's talk about how this game has gone then, shall we? It's been a real close one. Not necessarily a game of runs- both teams keeping each other close, keeping each other honest. Because the Hoop-Jags were such heavy favorites, it is of no surprise that this game is basically a playoff game before the knockout stages. The intensity levels, have been extremely high. The biggest lead of this game has been 7 for the Banijans, and just 5 for Zeta Reka. Back and forth, back and forth. Just when a team seems to be really getting some momentum, the other team makes a clutch basket. And remember, these are two similar teams. The 1-3-1 is rare at this level- and it is rarer still, that you see two teams playing the 1-3-1 against each other.

It makes for an interesting process, a fascinating chess match between the head coaches, with Oscar Laboto on the Banijan side, and Stefan Krdžewić for Zeta Reka. Laboto has responded by leaning on his veterans, especially Koman Shomari. The 36 year old, who has been mostly on limited minutes because of his age, has easily played his most minutes of the tournament, even though he hasn't been a starter yet. And yet, the 36 year old big has 17 points, on 6/7 shooting, including going 2/2 from 3. The lineup has been shortened, and while tiring, they are playing very well."

"Looks like the timeout's over."

Both teams seem to be getting out of their timeout. Banija's got their closeout lineup in, and Zeta Reka has their starting lineup in. The Banijans have veteran shooting guard, Israel Arefani, in-bounding from halfcourt.

Play-By-Play Commentator: "You're gonna have Arefani lob the ball into the backcourt, with Khoza catching the basketball. The Loyola grad, the NSCAA champion, Obasie Khoza dribbles the basketball across half-court. He passes it to Abonyo on the wing. You've got Shomari coming to set the screen.. And Abonyo gets around the screen! He's crashing hard towards the basket... And look at Abonyo's court vision! He hits Arefani all alone in the corner! The veteran, with a Zeta Reka guard desperately challenging, makes the extra pass, swinging it to a WIDE open Obasie Khoza. He launches a wide open three..."

Color Commentator: "BANG!!! WHAT A THREE, OBASIE KHOZA HAS DRILLED FROM DEEP!"

Play-By-Play Commentator: "What a shot!! Obasie Khoza drills the wide open three pointer, fueled from an excellent passed from Abonyo to the corner, and then Arefani making the true veteran pass, making the extra pass to Khoza. Zeta Reka didn't even have a chance for a desperate contest. There are 42 seconds left in this one, and the Banijans lead by just a point, 76 to 75!"

Color Commentator: "It looks as if Zeta Reka might try to go 2 for 1 here. Smart move."

Play-By-Play Commentator: "You're right! Both teams have one timeout left, and they are not using it. Zeta Reka's point guard dribbles up the floor, as everybody's hustling back. Look at him hustle down the court. Wasting no time- calling for a screen from his center, as Zeta Reka Aca Dušanić sets a perfect screen. Aca Dušanić rolls towards the basket, as it look like Raila Amolo is caught in no mans land. Their point guard throws the lob...

Color Commentator: "OH MY WORD! IT'S KOMAN SHOMARI!"

Play-By-Play Commentator: THE VETERAN BANIJAN POWER FORWARD CAME FROM NOWHERE! The lob was thrown and Koman Shomari, from nowhere, as the center was about to catch it and slam it home, came from the other side of the basket and tipped the lob before the center was able to get his hands on it. The ball bounces to Raila Amolo, who catches it, and is fouled with 32 seconds left. Wow, what a sequence!"

Color Commentator: "Not the end of the world for Zeta Reka, one would think. Amolo's a 54% career free throw shooter at the professional level, and with this much time left, he's unlikely to make two. Even making one would be a pretty damn good result for the Banijans."

All the players make the long walk to the other side of the court, as Raila Amolo prepares to take his free throws. Amolo, who is most definitely a poor free throw shooter, clearly looks nervous. He misses the first free throw rather badly, clanking on the front iron.

Color Commentator: "Well, hopefully he can make this one- even one for two wouldn't be the end of the world. The referee passes the ball back to him, and then he shoots..."

Play-By-Play Commentator: "Amolo's missed again! This time, back iron, as the ball bounces high.. And it's tipped out by Koman Shomari! Finding the hands of Israel Arefani, who gives it back to his star point guard. A six second differential between the shot and game clock. My oh my. Amolo missed both, but Shomari tipped out the offensive rebound to the backcourt, where the Banijans were able to get a fresh 24. Laboto doesn't look like he's going to use his final timeout, he's going to trust his offense. We're down to 8 on the shot clock.. And looking like another pick and roll."

Color Commentator: "Oh, it's the double screen! Shomari sets the on ball screen, while you've got Abonyo rolling from the off-ball screen by Amolo. He gets the ball, and he's absolutely wide open from about 12 feet- and drills the shot like a mid-range assassin. 10 seconds left, and Zeta Reka use this timeout to advance the ball to halfcourt. 78-75 to Banija, and Zeta Reka's got a chance, a legitimate one, to heave a three and send this thing to OT. Maybe multiple chances with this amount of time left, especially since they'll send it to halfcourt.

Play-By-Play Commentator: "Djono Iwowić will in-bound for Zeta Reka. He flips it to Joel Iwanić, as the clock starts ticking. The defense outside the paint is absolutely ferocious, as the Lions are obviously playing a no threes defense. The point guard flips it to Luk Roth, who barely gets one off as he's basically blanketed by Israel Arefani. It's a rough shot, as it misses rim entirely and hits backboard. Zeta Reka's PF is there for the offensive rebound! He flips it back out to Joel Iwanić, who heaves another heavily contested three himself. The second shot to not even hit rim, as ZRH''s players have no space out there! This one lands of Shomari, who heaves it downcourt before ZRH can foul him... And the clock hits triple zeroes!"

Color Commentator: "Oh my, what a win! A stunning elimination for Zeta Reka, falling tragically at the final hurdle, simply not being able to find any space to get off even a decent shot on the final three pointer of the game. Definitely a painful way to go out, when they fought so hard to see the light of day for the knockout stages. But for the Banijans- once again, a stunning win, and an emphatic end to this group stage. Going 4-1 with a win over a top 5 team was not how Oscar Laboto drew it up, but that is what happened. And look at how we eked out this last victory. We won those key, crucial moments, in the final seconds, that separate failure from victory, that separate us from the knockout stages, and from being on the next flight home. What a game."

---

@LionsBasketball Being 2nd in group 3, Banijan basketball will be the #12 seed for the knockout stages! Our opponent in the next round will be none other than 21st ranked Trolleborg. And the team waiting in the wings for the winner? Our Commonwealth rivals, Quebec.

@AllBanijaSportsMagazine Banijan basketball, popular among the black community in Hannasea, has spoken glowingly about support received in the host country. Obasie Khoza told a story about how he autographed a trio of local kids Lions basketball jerseys while walking to a park. Always good for that extra support, eh?

[Valentine Z]

Part 5 – A Shake to the Core, the Angels’ Ascent into Playoffs, and the World That Will Never See its Sun.

The scores were tallied up, the teams were accounted for, and the news was out: Gwen’s Angels are coming to the playoff! With a large victory of 4 matches and losing only a single match to Tjorl, the Valentians would be moving on to the next bracket and section of the season, placing 11th in the team of 24 that made it into the playoffs. In essence, they are in the middle, on the slightly-above-average category with a lot of points to show for, both for and against. With the point difference of +50, and with the seeding and other behind the scene work going on, Gwen’s Angels would be playing against Krbustan, the 22nd team out of the 24. “Good luck, and all the best!” Joshua said to his team, noticing the absence of Gwen on the team, but it is something that they were more or less used to, and are able to adapt to it to the fullest. “Krbustan Men's National Basketball Team, check their rosters out and if you need a bit of help here and there with what to do, or which players to look out for- err, I will try my best. I will be frank, I don’t really know these guys as well. And IF we win, we are up against Abahnfleft, so… just get R&R first!”

Gwen Tracer Allison Oxton and Zee Tee found themselves back in World 1 again after a much arduous journey, with the latter jumping in joy and the former letting out a big sigh of relief. “So that portal took us back in time too, it would seem,” Gwen remarked, much to Zee Tee nodding and then offering his leg to shake hands with Gwen. The two walked around the world that was ever so fantastic, ever so bright that she even had to shield her eyes for a short moment just to see the bright star above them. “All right, shall we go on?” Gwen asked to which the two of them made their way towards a row of platforms, one where Gwen could easily climb up on it, and Zee Tee could jump on top of it with not a lot of effort. On one of the blocks is a smiley face, a very happy and cheerful one. “That is probably where the gem is in! Remember those blocks?” Gwen remarked, to which Zee Tee jumped towards it in order to pop the gem inside. However, instead of a gem popping up, something terrifying happened – the eyes of the block popped clean off, and though thankfully with no blood or gore involved, it was still a very jarring to see.

“Holy crap!” Gwen exclaimed, to which Zee Tee then landed on Gwen’s shoulders, this time equally as shocked as her. The eyes popped out, and they were greeted to a bleak scene, perhaps even worse than World 4 with the star that is going red giant and threatening to swallow the whole planet. Instead, there are the hills again, the skies are yellow, and it would seem like they are not travelling quickly through time again, judging by the slowly moving denizens of this world, with a single sad eye on their faces. It felt a little bit like World 4, just minus the star and the color of the skies. “What just happened?” was the first thought that Gwen had, followed by a sudden realisation that a portal must have been hidden inside the block, a deceptively innocent-looking and happy block that would have otherwise contained a gem. “I think we just travelled a few million years,” she remarked to Zee Tee, who was starting to get more and more anxious and nervous as they went on. Gwen also found out that Zee Tee could not swim, or at least because the waters were becoming much heavier and metallic or poisonous. Either way, the poor flower thing died, to which Gwen then tried her best to rewind a few seconds just so that she could catch him before he fell into the “water”. With 8 seconds being rewound, Gwen stood in front of Zee Tee and grabbed him, which stopped him from jumping. “You didn’t make that jump,” she simply said, looking at him in the eyes and then putting him down gently onto the floor, “Don’t worry, I will help you out, all right? Zee Tee, look… I know this is getting stranger and creepier by the minute, but whatever happens, I will make sure that you will see your princess, and we will go back to the world and… I will see what I can do to prevent all of this,” she said as she looked at the hills.

The hills seemed to have a bit of a mouth, from what she noticed. The fallen chunks of earth and rocks made concave shapes, and she saw it as early as back in World 3. Here at World 5, however, she noticed that the hills were having relatively spiky protrusions. She chalked it up to them being stalactites and stalagmites, but seemed a little too well-formed for geographical features. On top of that, the dead tree branches on the hills does not help as much to convince Gwen that this is all somehow natural. No, she noticed that something was going on in this world, and something sinister happening ever since they went past World 4; anything before that was still plausible, being able to be reasoned as the worlds slowly eroding. This, however, she need to check later. For the time being, she found herself and Zee Tee jumping and landing as carefully as possible on the isolated platforms, almost all of which situated above the dirty and dangerous “water”. So far so good, they thought to themselves, as Gwen was able to climb and make sure she is using her recall and blink to adjust her footing if needed. Zee Tee, however, is a complete natural when it comes to platforms. “You’re doing great! Come on, we are nearly done with this part,” Gwen said, as they approached another open body of water, with the bricks and platforms close to each other, but otherwise still traversable. There was only one problem, which they noticed a bit too late; as Zee Tee was making his second jump to a platform, a very large red and demonic hand shot out of the water at unfathomable speeds.

It grabbed Zee Tee screaming, trying to drag it back into the depths. “HOLY CRAP!” Gwen exclaimed, unslinging her rail gun and shooting the hand in its arm, landing one shot. She slowed down the flow of time at that point so as to land a couple more shots. The hand was simply slowly making its way back into the water, having shrugged off all the shots that Gwen put onto it. “Shit, this isn’t working. Reverse, reverse!” she exclaimed to herself, pressing a few keys on her device, which in turn was warning her that there’s only 6 seconds of time powers left; with no points of reference and with this dimension utterly screwing with her space and time powers, Gwen would have to comply. With all the 6 seconds of time reversal being used up, Gwen was sent back to the point where Zee Tee was trying to spring onto the next platform, right at the path of the hand. She grabbed Zee Tee again, this time by one of the “petals” of his flower-like body, which she felt bad that it might hurt the poor thing, but that would certainly be a lot more desirable than what could have happened. “Zee Tee…” she trailed off, “Jump. Carefully. Watch out.”

This is going to be one heck of a platforming section.

<< RWD | FF >>

[Chromatika]

Chesevsky, Xiu Pace Penguins to Playoffs; Shaddon-Ysenov to Return for Playoffs

Facing their second straight game without starting Point Guard Kristie Shaddon-Ysenov, Lia Xiu paced the Penguins with 38 points and backup Point Guard Zachary Chesevsky had his first double-double of his career with twelve points and fifteen assists as the Penguins survived a late charge from Atheara to prevail, 80-77, and grab a spot in the playoffs.

Chromatika and Atheara exchanged blows to a quite even First Quarter, ending 18-18. Xiu had ten points in the Second Quarter, giving the Penguins a three-point lead at halftime by a score of 42-39. An even Third Quarter had the score at 60-57, and in the Fourth Quarter was when Chesevsky took over. The backup, whose play had been scrutinized heavily in the Qasden game, had nine of his twelve points in the final frame.

With thirty seconds left, the Penguins had a three-point lead; Atheara would try one more time to tie the game, but the final attempt was blocked by Maude Zwaheil, sending the Penguins in dramatic fashion.

Their opposition in the opening round will be one Sarzonia squad that finished second in Group 1, behind first overall seeds Hannasea.

With the break in play between the Group Stage and the first round of the playoffs, Kristie Shaddon-Ysenov is bound to return.

"Zach (Chesevsky) has done a great job filling in," mentioned Head Coach Jaudin Nagore, "But this is Kristie's team, and though we understand that this is a hard time for her, we're going to be supporting her through all of it, including on the court."

Shaddon-Ysenov buried her younger brother Marcus recently, and took a leave of absence that had her sit out the last two games. She will rejoin the team in Hannasea in time for the playoffs.

Shaddon-Ysenov declined to an interview about her absence.

A win over Sarzonia is a must in order for the Penguins to not take a step backwards in their play over the last few editions. With Equestria waiting, the Penguins could make some noise if they got hot.

They may have an emotionally compromised Point Guard, but playing can do wonders for a player's psyche.

[Ko-oren]

14 parties, 14 different opinions about how to handle the subordinate states, if you will, that the central meritocratic government wants to create across the multiverse. Obviously, supporting the government's plans is the Meritocratic Party, currently the largest fraction in the Ko-orenite parliament. Fiercely opposed are the Democratic Party members, the second largest fraction in parliament, smaller by only two seats. They are running on a platform that's twofold; one side of their programme being that they are democratic (and therefore in favour of more individual liberty, as well as defending the liberty of the people that might be living in these subordinate states) and the second side being that they are not the Meritocratic Party.

The most important split in Ko-orenite politics is the Meritocracy versus Democracy split. This makes the Meritocratic Party and the Parti Démocratique the largest factions, often separated by only one or two seats, with the Meritocratic Party always the largest party - so far.

Behind these two parties we find the Labor Party, the Liberal Party, and the Green Party. All of them fairly large representations in parliament – 20, 17, and 19 seats respectively. First and foremost among them is the Labor Party (currently on 20 seats) so only a single seat behind the Démocratiques. The Labor Party is internally divided over the issue: on the one hand they see that the plan might further their policy as at least one of the subordinate states should turn into a slightly more left-wing version of Ko-oren, while on the other hand recognising the obvious imperialist plan for what it is. The Liberal Party has similar objections to the Parti Démocratique, and on these kinds of issues almost always back them. The Green Party, meanwhile, is largely in favour of the plan on the condition that every single subordinate state will incorporate a green agenda in some form. Be it putting the states in a position where they can generate their own electricity and answer their own needs, or where they can limit the emissions of nearby countries by supplementing energy and other needs with products of defacto Ko-orenite making.

Further down the list are the Nationalists, as well as the Vert&Bleu (a centre-right wing green party), and the Conservatives, all backing the central government,

All in all the opinion of the parliament is only a minor factor in the eventual decisionmaking process of the government: after all, parliament is only an auditory board, in charge of checking budgets, laws and other proposals, without the power to force government to do something. That said, opinions presented in parliament have been the basis for major – and necessary – changes to proposed laws, changes to existing laws, etcetera. The influence of parliament, as well as the level of MPs and their preparations, has risen tremendously since the parliament was first formed.

A handful of seats in parliament are reserved for inhabitants of the subordinate states, five out of 144 in fact, and for now the seats are filled with the votes of a small committee in the designated areas, so while not a true representation of the opinion of the people there, it should come very close. This means that the following five people have earned seats in what are now still small constituencies:

Masanaga Nakatani (m) PLÉconomique
Maynard Carross (m) Pinternational
Esmé Dupuis (m) Pinternational
Desmond Ealby (m) Labour
Dionisia Finchhead (f) Pirate Party

We can see that the international aspect is valued immensely by voting for the International Party. We can see that traditional Ko-orenite political axes do not count for them as much. And we can conclude that it's more important for them that they can align themselves with the rest of their region and the rest of the world rather than strictly looking for economic help, imports and exports to Ko-oren. The seat of the liberal economic party reaffirms this. The seat for the Labor Party and the Pirate Party feel like protest votes, but in fact support for these two candidates across the areas was undeniably strong.

[Trolleborg]

Greetings, compatriots!
It’s TTV and we are more than happy to bring very good news from the Hannasea, where basketball world cup was held, right to you. Altought we must warn you it’s, possibly, last good news from IBC this year. As many of you know, Trolleborg national basketball team yesterday have a game of utmost importancy – in the last round of group stage tournament our lads have as opponent big star of world basketball sky, team from Lisander. Victory was give us pass to the coveted play-off, at least nominally, since this year there was a play-in before the cup fights proper. Getting into the playoffs for our team, which has suffered many offensive and illogical defeats in its lifetime, is definitely an encouraging sign, and perhaps such success will allow basketball players to feel more confident in the upcoming battles. If Lisander won, many things would determine who would finish third in the group. Most fans thought that our opponents would still not be able to win victory that was enough to give them advantage in the overall fight for a playoff spot, since this required a difference of +30 or so, but anything can happen, and we have already seen how it does precisely. Difficult black days, unfortunate coincidences, a sudden breakdowns of key players, biased refereeing – all this cannot be discounted when trying to predict the outcome of a game in world sports.

As completely logical for the team that needs to score as many points as possible, Lisander players from the first seconds ran to the half of the field of our basketball players. Our head coach, probably expected precisely this, since the five that started the game included people known for having cool heads under fire, but also endowed with some straightforwardness – apparently, he considered the main thing not to concentrate on the beauty of the game and attacking actions or have parity in the score by any means, but see team firstmost task to repel this expected onslaught, while forcing opponents to spend as much stamina on this as possible. By the third minute, the Astyrian nation's attacks were somewhat out of breath, and the score was almost equal. It was then that Vladimir Finn began to gradually change both the lineup and the pattern of the game – slowly, carefully, but consistently. And until the very end, our basketball players did not depart from this line, not getting being carried away by attacks and any adventures. By the seventh minute, the apparent equality in the score had disappeared, and then our lads were consistently leading in the score. But at the same time they could not break away by more than twelve points, since Lisander tried his best – this was also evident in the determination of the players, their dedication, in the stubbornness of the struggle under both hoops, and in how reluctantly subbed players went to the bench. In fact, our fans were able to breathe more or less calmly only a minute or so before the end. And they burst into a wild roar of delight when the buzzer drew a line under this game – 73-62 to the Trolleborg. In a difficult, very difficult struggle, our lads have achieved what only optimists dared to count on at the beginning of the tournament!

In other matches of our group, Orgstan fought Ko-oren, and lost by only three points, and Depivik ended his adventures, having been defeated by Delaclava by thirty points - which gives our team, albeit a dubious, but, nevertheless, achievement – we lose game to the winner of the group with the lowest score. As a result, our lads overtook Ko-oren in terms of points difference, but gave him the second place due to head-to-head result. However, we don't know whether it was worth to be upset – the second-place winners got one of the favorites, TJUN-ia, as opponents, tournament for them is not very easy, but perhaps the team's motivation to play better will make them even more serious opponent. However, our own opposing team is not simpler at all, since we have on the other side of court the powerful team Banija, multiple champion and winner of the world championships. Although we are all aware of the difficulty of the task facing the basketball players of our country, but this evening we should focus not on introspection and finding psychological flaws, but on supporting the team at such a difficult moment.

[Hannasea]

Cutoff for Round of 24.

Muralos 63–83 Brenecia @ Oceanbay Park, Upper Niedewe
Sarzonia 52–61 Chromatika @ MonsterMASH Arena, Pintook
Valentine Z 66–63 Krbustan @ Zzub Zzub Center, Oak Park
Banija 73–49 Trolleborg @ DEMOS Arena, Market Haverlock
Juvencus 71–93 Drawkland @ Emmanuel Renaudin Arena, Silver Mountain
Ko-oren 72–90 TJUN-ia @ Sandstone Cliffs Stadium, Old Blopping
Qasden 59–65 Græntfjall @ Pablo Escobar Memorial Stadium, Brethwick (scorinated myself, with Qasden's permission, as I was not able to find a timely 3rd party scorinator)
Tumbra 75–76 Mytanija @ West Seventh Arena, New Blopping

After possibly the lowest scoring play-in round in IBC history, that gives as Round of 16 fixtures...

Round of 16

(8) Tjorl v Brenecia (24)
@ MonsterMASH Arena, Pintook

(7) Equestria v Chromatika (23)
@ DEMOS Arena, Market Haverlock

(6) Abanhfleft v Valentine Z (11)
@ Oceanbay Park, Upper Niedewe

(5) Quebec and Shingoryeo v Banija (12)
@ Sandstone Cliffs Stadium, Old Blopping

(4) Nova Anglicana v Drawkland (20)
@ Sandstone Cliffs Stadium, Old Blopping

(3) Valanora v TJUN-ia (19)
@ Oceanbay Park, Upper Niedewe

(2) Delaclava v Græntfjall (18)
@ DEMOS Arena, Market Haverlock

(1) Hannasea v Mytanija (17)
@ MonsterMASH Arena, Pintook

The Round of 16 will see four double-headers, with the higher seeded team's game coming second [IC; OOC, all games will be scorinated at the same time]. The winners of each game at the same stadium will play each other in the quarterfinals (e.g. Tjorl v Brenecia will take place first, then Hannasea v Mytanija, and the winners of Tjorl/Brenecia will play Hannasea/Mytanija in the QFs).

[TJUN-ia]

After our place in the playoffs was only secured on the final day, the Hoops-Jaguars of TJUN-ia entered the playoffs at 3-2, 3rd place in their group and the #19 seeds - which certainly didn't sound like a team who were supposed to be ranked #4 pre-season. The fact it was a bit of a struggle to even make the Round of 24 was very concerning to one Bao Zhou and he knew that the playoffs would be an absolute disaster for this supposed Top 5 team if they didn't turn things around fast. This was not the way a Top 5 team was supposed to play and he knew that if he wanted this team to remain Top 5, then a deep run will certainly be required...if that is even possible at this point.

Still, all roads have to start somewhere and that would end up being Sandstone Cliffs Stadium in Old Blopping as we faced the #14 Dragonflies of Ko-oren. This battle between two 3-2 teams was expected to be a bit close, as both Zhou and Juliet Shillington commanded Top 10 teams looking to survive the Round of 24 unscathed, but this game wouldn't be that close at all. Fidel Varon was certainly a big man in this game with 25 points and Cibrán Junco was certainly a bit of a beast but to the surprise of a lot of people, the Jaguars woke up and played like their very best for the first time since 2-0. Adamo Zamenhofo was good once more with 23 points but it would be the rest of the team that stepped up, with both Nikos Papaloukas and Matvei Dzhanayev also producing 15+ points in their games. In the end, the score was a surprising 90-72 in favour of TJUN-ia - a sign that maybe the team of old is coming back at the right time and that this team certainly ain't dead yet.

We head to Oceanbay Park in Upper Niedewe next to face an undefeated #3 Dragons side from Valanora, who is basically the complete opposite of us right now. We started #4 but are seeded #19 while Odin Nagy had his team starting at #15 but have ended up as the #3 seeds and one of the 4 undefeated teams left in the competition. Simply put, we've swapped places...so this won't be easy. But we have to try. We can't give up now.
We've beaten these Dragons before when we were much smaller.
Let's hope we can do that again.
GO HOOPS-JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group 3, all games at DEMOS Arena, Market Haverlock, Guild of Launderers, Hannasea)
MD1: vs Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom (17) W 63-58 (3rd/1-0)
MD2: vs Poafmersia (UR) W 100-57 (1st/2-0)
MD3: vs Banija (25) L 57-77 (3rd/2-1)
MD4: vs Equestria (12) L 75-86 (3rd/2-2)
MD5: vs Baiddsound (UR) W 82-67 (2rd/3-2/+32PD/#19)
-------------------------------------------
Ro24: vs Ko-oren (10/#14/3-2 in G4) - Sandstone Cliffs Stadium, Old Blopping W 90-72
Ro16: vs Valanora (15/#3/5-0 in G6) - Oceanbay Park, Upper Niedewe

[Valanora]

When Odin Nagy was appointed as the new head coach of the Dragons, there was no mandate to get the team back into the elite of the IBC contingent. There was no task to get the team deep into a playoff run or even to have the team pursue a championship, the simple mandate for the new coach was to get the team back to being respectable. There is no beating around the bush, the team that performed in the thirty-fifth edition of the tournament was a shambles and that they failed to advance to the second group stage was a massive blow to the pride of not just the team itself but for the nation that had slowly come to appreciate the sport and the team with their sustained position within the tournament regulars. However that all came to a huge crashing down, the perennial fifth placed team in basketball had been felled by a group that had been made out to be a Group of Death from the moment that the draw had occurred, yet not a soul could have predicted that it would be the Dragons who were the team who was going to be on the outside looking in when the dust settled.

What has transpired here in Hannesea has been nothing short of remarkable, the level of turnaround from one edition to another with just a large amount of turnover from the squad, including the loss of what had been the star player for the better part of a decade. While Nagy might have not been officially tasked with redemption, nor had he been the type of coach to preach as much to his team, the fans back home had started to call this the "Redeem Team". With a perfect group stage record and having earned a bye into the second round of the playoffs, including the massive upset of the first seeds in Chromatika on that second group stage game, the moniker might become well earned by the team. However if the fans were taking inspiration from the RLStates player of America and their team of the same name, then Nagy was going to have to try and temper expectation, as that player had been quite used to winning tournaments and had assembled an all star cast of talent from their dominant domestic league to try and get a championship after failing to podium.

The Dragons were under no illusions, they were not a team with a championship pedigree, they had never brought back the trophy back to the Eternal Empire, and there was a lot of basketball to be played between now and the championship game. While winning a title would have been quite welcomed by Nagy as well as all the fans of the teams back in the Empire, it was not the goal and even thinking about potentially winning it would be nothing but a distraction for his team. There was not a need for any sort of those distraction, for it had been a hyper focus and attention to the small details that had been why the team had been able to perform so well in the group stage. The focus was especially useful with Nagy emphasizing the commitment to the defensive assignments by the team more than his predecessor, which had been a great decision for even the nights that the team's shots were not wanting to fall the way they did in practice, the team had still been able to emerge through those struggles with a victory in hand. Those victories securing them the third seed in the tournament.

A bye into the Round of Sixteen was welcomed, allowing the team a few extra days to rest and recover from the few small knocks that they had picked up through the group stage of the tournament thus far. It also allowed the staff a better opportunity to scout their opponents, watching the game between Ko-oren and TJUN-ia in full. It would be TJUN-ia who would win, besting the team from Ko-oren in a rather comfortable fashion. With an explosion of ninety points against a team from Ko-oren, who we know are infamous for their defensive posturing across almost all sports, shows that the TJUN-ia team can shoot with the best of them. It is going to be quite the stern test for the newly implemented defensive schemes of the Dragons, as they are not going to be asked to stop the TJUN-ia offense from scoring, as that would be an impossible task. Instead they merely needed to slow them down, to grab the rebounds and initiate the fast break for the offense when the Jags miss their shots. The half court press might be the key and if the Dragons are able to hit their shots, it will likely mean that the side are in it and maybe even could take another step in this great path back to prominence they have been on this tournament.

[Valentine Z]

Part 6 – A Breakthrough to the Next Bracket.

Gwen’s Angels did their best against Krbustan, and it was by some miracle that they were able to win with such a very close record. With a score of 63–63 on both sides, but with 4 more minutes left on the clock, the Angels then decided that they would need to score at least one point and then it would be done for them; all they need to do is to make sure that they are denying the opponents as much as they possibly can. With Cameron Diana Wendy Anderson Fu Guan Ting scoring a three-pointer just as they needed, it was then time for the Valentians to do their defensive play. “It will be risky, but we have to do it!” Cameron called out, with the other four acknowledging the call. Marley Aaliyah Lena Annabelle Ava Hodges and Damian Cohens Nik Linn Aung Khaing Htun would do the best to block the outer shots, Cameron Diana Wendy Anderson Fu Guan Ting and Rossa Serena Vic Rosângela Chaves Hamamura on the inner shots, and then there was Bailey Kendrick Sophia Linde Hồ Ngọc Ðoàn who was assigned with actively going after the opponent to steal their possession, or to generally become a distraction. With 3 mins and 14 seconds left on the clock, they signalled at one another to not let up, and that they would need this as much as they can in order to not lose this one. “Our fate of the season depends on this one match!” Bailey joked, much to the chuckles and smiles from the other players before they got their game faces on. And so they did the defensive plays, and eventually managed to tire out the Krbustan team, the final score being 66–63. “Well, good news and, maybe not very good news,” Joshua announced as they were chattering around in the meeting room, “You guys did it, that’s the good news! Come on now, give yourselves a pat on the back and a clap! You all did great! And now… the not very good news. Well I mean, it’s good to advance to the next stage, but you know what I mean, my friends. We are going to be up against the Fleftic team. They have a LOT of record up their sleeves, so watch out.”

Gwen and Zee Tee walked carefully and surely on this relatively new and dangerous area, making sure to peek into the water first before they continue on. They noticed that the hands have a pattern; they don’t seem to be very sentient or alive, and have a simple mechanism of simply checking if there is Zee Tee or Gwen in the immediate area, and then they shoot out. On top of that, the hands would not chase after them, or bend, or move in another direction; they only shoot out in a straight vertical line. Last, but most importantly, they can touch the arms; the hands and palms were problematic and would instantly kill Zee Tee, but the arms he could pass through. Gwen had not been touched by the hands just yet, but she wasn’t in any hurry to find out what would happen. As they explored the world, Zee Tee also noticed that the bricks and some platforms were becoming more fragile; a single hit from the bottom was more than enough to disintegrate and break them apart, and this being both useful and problematic depending on if the bricks needed breaking. She quietly nodded and continued on, Zee Tee in tow as he would wait and obey Gwen’s hand gestures to slow down, stop, or to follow her. “We know the pattern of these things, but we are still not sure if they will just pop up. Come on, do be careful now,” she said calmly, albeit deep down she was fascinated by the nature of this place. World 1 to 3 are the standard affairs for her, as far as she was concerned; the world started off beautiful, then pollution and erosion must have slowly killed it. World 4 is when this place was nearly going to meet its end, what with the sun in the background engulfing the hills. World 5, the one where she was standing in at the moment, was both fascinating and terrifying, for the lack of a better word or a phrase.

By all accounts, none of these should have been standing. She has seen stars and suns of the planets going red giants, and how they became larger and larger until it exhausted all of the water, along with killing and obliterating whatever is still standing, if they are still standing. The structures here, however, are still standing. So what exactly was causing all of these? For the first time in many eternities, she doesn’t know; she has never seen a world such as this one. Zee Tee seemed to be taking this relatively well, which was also one of the things that worried her. It had so far been nothing but business between the two, but she figured that she could at least try to talk to him a bit here and there. “So… well, since we have been walking for a while and the goal seems to be a bit far away for now, so… I think it would be great if we talk a bit, you know? What do you say?” Zee Tee nodded, so that was first step.

“All right, since you can understand me but you don’t seem to be able to speak my language, you can just nod or shake your- err, head… I just want to get to know you a bit more, that’s all. All right? Cool, let’s begin, then,” she paused for a while as they went past another body of water, with the same deal of devilish hands and arms protruding out. “Do you need to eat or drink? I mean, you don’t have a mouth, but…” Zee Tee shook his head, “Okay, yeah, that should have been a bit obvious, haha. You get your energy from the star- sunlight?” He nodded his head, much to Gwen being puzzled, “Interesting, so a little bit like a plant. Maybeeee a flower,” she made a note to herself, and then went on with the next question, “Was the princess captured by those little guys we saw along the way?” Zee Tee nodded. “Are there any other beings around this place?” he shook his head this time. “So you, the Princess, and those little guys, you are the only three types of beings around?” Zee Tee nodded. “Do you know anything about those hands that came out of the water?” he shook his head. “All right, good answers so far, I learned a fair bit.”

She trailed off for a while, then she had to ask the question. Deep down, as cute and innocent as he might be, Gwen still felt that she was being lead to a trap in a way. She didn’t want to assume it right away, but she needed to find out if the princess being captured is just a front to get her powers, or something of that sort. She would have to mask the question, still, she thought, “Does all of this surprise you?” Zee Tee pondered and thought about it for a while, but then just as he was about to answer, the entire place started shaking. “What the sh- was that an earthquake?” Zee Tee was confused as much as her, with big eyes that was staring into nothingness, “ZT, snap out of it, come on!” Gwen took a quick look around her surroundings, noticing that the hills seemed to be collapsing more and more, and that some of the weaker bricks and platforms were getting dislodged. “We need to find somewhere safe, now!” And with that, the two were off, Gwen making a run for it with Zee Tee just right in front of her. The whole place was shaking, but other than falling bricks and hills in the distance imploding, nothing else seemed to have changed. Furthermore, the other denizens – now maroon-colored single-eye creatures – did not seem to be in a hurry, and the hands were still coming out at the usual rate. As they sprinted and ran and parkour around the place, they eventually found a portal that is leading to somewhere. Gwen could not make the calculations, and Zee Tee was as equally as clueless. He looked at Gwen with those panicking eyes, to which then Gwen simply responded.

“We don’t know what’s in there, I can’t make out what is beyond that portal…” she admitted, hanging her head low and crouching to address him, “We have to get in there now, we don’t know what is going to happen to this place.” Zee Tee walked towards Gwen, with the latter then holding him in her arms and hugged him tight. “Leap of faith!” she exclaimed, jumping into the portal that would take them somewhere. Anywhere, and away from this crumbling world with a quake that shook the entire place. “I hate doing this as much as you do!” she remarked, perhaps having a haunting memory of her earlier days where she was being spontaneously teleported through time and space without any control. She hated the idea of that; it was one thing to go to all of these exotic places, but as Gwen stated herself – power itself, is nothing without control. It would go on to show that even Fate herself could get lost in the grander scheme of things, humbling her. And with uncontrollable and unknown portals through this world, this was exactly what she felt. She felt helpless, being unable to undo all of this because of her lack of familiarity.

The portal took longer than usual, but it did eventually take them to the next part of the world. Gwen dusted herself off, the ground being a bit more dusty than usual, and one block underneath her breaking from merely stepping onto it. She looked around, much to Zee Tee’s horror and herself. Zee Tee approached and walked towards her for comfort, to which she then let him sit on her arms as she hugged him a bit tightly. “What the bloody hell is this?”

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