World Cup 93 - RP Thread

by **Kelssek** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 3:56 pm

Brandon stopped at the door to the detectives’ office. “Well, I’ll have to make it work,” Myriam was saying on the phone. “Yeah, I know. Look, just stop there, this is why we divorced. Okay? Bye.” She looked up at Brandon as she ended the call.

“I might have something. It seems the one guy we identified, those people who jumped-”

“Fell.” Myriam corrected.

“-fell from the tower blocks, well I suppose that’s the point, it seems he owed money to the Mongrels.”

It was one of the ways that organized crime found people to do their grunt work, offering or forcing them to work off a debt. Of course, she would need more than that to reopen the file. Besides, stuff involving the Mongrels often involved a trip to Simon’s, which meant outside of working, school, and daycare hours, and she now had the kids for the next week-and-a-half...

* * *

Brandon sat in the driver’s seat of Myriam’s car against the hopefully very small chance things might go badly wrong. Babysitting a detective’s kids while she asked potentially the wrong questions in a gang-owned dive bar was a new milestone in his policing career.

“So you kids like Football Ultimate Team?” said Brandon. “You reckon I should buy Linton-Arbour? Or is he done after he got subbed off against Gnejs?”

They didn’t hear him, or pretended not to, focusing intently on their screens with the headphones in.

Inside Simon’s, Simon (not his real name) deliberately took his time before acknowledging Myriam. Power move. For her part, Myriam was well aware any information Simon fed her was only what the Mongrels would want the police to know. Law enforcement could be deflected from your own operations and onto rivals. The trick from the police force or at least Myriam’s point of view was to avoid being used too badly by one side or another while keeping a lid on things generally.

“What can I get you?” Simon asked.

“Defenestration.”

“Right. Neat, on the rocks?”

“He owed your boss money, is what I hear.”

“Sure thing.” Simon stepped away and went into the kitchen. After a few minutes he came back and gestured towards a booth. “Why don’t you take a seat and we’ll bring your order out for you.”

After a few minutes a large man wearing a Saintsport Heath jersey under a thick winter jacket slid into the booth opposite her.

“Detective Thompson. Homicide squad, yes? Yes. And you want to know about someone who fell from a tower block a couple months ago.” He paused. Myriam resisted the urge to fill the silence.

“Well, it’s about time I did something for the social good, huh? It’s a real shame the mental health issues we’ve got going to day. People feeling hopeless, like there’s no way out. Times are hard, you know? I look at my stock portfolio, just the thaler crashing alone puts me down nine per cent on my retirement. The entire country is four per cent poorer than they were last year. But you still gotta repay your loans, addiction, cancer, whatever disease you’ve got. That’s a moral obligation, in my book. And a good lender also knows it makes no sense to squeeze blood from a stone, that if you push too far you can’t get repaid at all.”

He lifted a finger, to emphasize this.

“But we do have newcomers looking for a business opportunity here, selling a bit of an escape to people. You get what you pay for, though, all those deaths, it’s not overdoses like what the media says. When you die because you got something you didn’t expect, that’s not an overdose. That’s poisoning.”

Myriam sensed she needed to get to the point. “Great, but that’s not-”

“You’ve got some friends in Mytanija who can probably be more helpful than me. Well, good evening. Don’t forget to tip the staff.” He slid out of the booth and moved off.

by **Squornshelan Remnant States** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 4:02 pm

"No, I don't think it's natural to expect some kind of letdown after a long winning streak." Gareth Penrooke's postmatch press conference in Vorácy had taken a turn for the confrontational. The Black-and-Reds' manager was answering a question which he clearly felt was, to put it bluntly, stupid. Namely, a journalist had posited that one might almost expect a letdown performance against a theoretically easier opponent after such a prolonged run of good form. "I can understand why we got complacent, why our discipline broke down, but that doesn't mean it should be expected, or that it's acceptable. Teams that win the World Cup don't suffer these types of letdowns. When you lose focus like this in a knockout match, you get a ticket home, not softball questions at the presser afterward."

"So no, we shouldn't expect or excuse this type of performance. I mean no disrespect to our opponents. They came prepared with a plan of attack and followed it to perfection, but with the caliber of players we put out on the field tonight, that shouldn't have been enough. There's no more margin for error now, for these final six matches. Teams aren't invited into the KPB top ten just for being charming company. We'll need to earn it."

"It sounds like you've given your team a lot to think about on the way home to prepare for Astograth."

"I think it'll be a quiet flight."

SRS: 3
VEZ: 1

Scoring:
SRS: Ness 3', Yarlut 24', Volam 50'
VEZ: Lombardo 87'

Lineup: Shimski; Nyberg, Titov, Yarlut, Halfariani (Musta 72'); Hashemi, Zazagan (Hedberg 72'), Bondarov (Norling 90'), Volam, Yonte; Ness (Panoss 90')

AER: 3
SRS: 1

Scoring:
AER: Goppré 10', 22', Inder 77'
SRS: Bondarov 63'

Lineup: Shimski; Bakken (Stern 79'), Titov, Yarlut (Hjort 88'), Halfariani; Hashemi, Zazagan, Bondarov, Volam (Damnagoras 79'), Yonte (Maksimov 74'); Ness (Fridtjofs 74')

Qualifying Schedule & Results:

MD01: AUD 0-1 SRS @ Arena Kirola (cap. 72,000), Cathair, AUD
MD02: SRS 3-1 RYF @ Flanoil Arena (cap. 50,350), Traal, West Flania, SRS
MD03: STR 1-1 SRS @ TBA
MD04: VEZ 0-1 SRS @ Fate Stadium (cap. 333,000), Naypyithaw, Burma, Val Z
MD05: SRS 6-2 AER @ The Lutenstaad (cap. 75,000), Lutenblag, Molvania, SRS
MD06: ASG 1-0 SRS @ TBA
MD07: SRS 4-2 EQS @ Olympiastad (cap. 47,550), Arkintoofle, Megabrantis, SRS
MD08: OBR 1-3 SRS @ TBA
MD09: SRS 5-1 BRP @ Pheldagriff Stadium (cap. 45,620), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD10: MUR 1-6 SRS @ TBA
MD11: SRS 3-1 ESL @ Admiral Cherenkov Stadium (cap. 71,200), Santraginus, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
MD12: SRS 1-0 AUD @ Vogsphere Arena (cap. 90,000), Vogsphere, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
MD13: RYF 0-2 SRS @ TBA
MD14: SRS 4-2 STR @ Sunergy Field (cap. 37,550), Hunian, Algolia, SRS
MD15: SRS 3-1 VEZ @ Bridger Lane (cap. 72,406), Damogran, Algolia, SRS
MD16: AER 3-1 SRS @ Centerby Stadion (cap. 36,000), Vorácy, AER
MD17: SRS  v  ASG @ Megabrantid Financial Field (cap. 69,245), Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS
MD18: EQS  v  SRS @ TBA
MD19: SRS  v  OBR @ Malgacorp Arena (cap. 29,350), Hensha, Megabrantis, SRS
MD20: BRP  v  SRS @ TBA
MD21: SRS  v  MUR @ Green Heart Center (cap. 20,760), Han Wavel, Han Dold, SRS
MD22: ESL  v  SRS @ Eshialand City Superdome (cap. 75,000), Eshialand City, ESL

by **Eraman** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 4:19 pm

II.IV
THE FOURTEENTH GENERAL ELECTION
THE HOT SEATS OF ERAMAN (PART 1)

9 of the states that make up Eraman will see all 55 of its parliamentary seats up for contest in the 14th general election, namely:

i. Aru

Aru is the northernmost state in Eraman. The diverse state population comprises various ethnic groups, including Eramanese, Samuderan, and Palmyran. The state's capital is Arupura, the third biggest city in the country. It is a bustling industrial city located in the southeast of the state and home to numerous factories and manufacturing plants. However, beyond city limits, Aru is one of the most tranquil states in the country with stretches of paddy fields.

Aru consists of 7 parliamentary seats with 5 seats (Haran, Jagal, Asrana, Saribas, Arupura) located within the progressive coastal belt and 2 seats (Langbumi, Ronan) within the Eramanese heartland belt. The National Front had won the state in every general election until the previous general election where they lost the state to the People's Front who won 4 of the 7 seats.

The state will see some of the biggest names in the country's politics contesting including Tuan Kadir, the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) defending the Arupura seat, and Govind Linggam, the secretary general of LDP contesting in Saribas, both representing the People's Pact. But the biggest name to contest in the state will be Nura Rabima, the opposition leader who is making a comeback to politics for the first time after a decade.

Nura Rabima will be contesting in Ronan, a seat he held since his youth while he was still part of the National Front with the Eraman Nationalist Party until he was sacked from the party and cabinet and subsequently imprisoned by Tun Maha Petara, the fourth Bendahara of Eraman. His wife, Wani Rabima had since held the seat for the People's Pact. Contesting against Nura Rabima in Ronan will be Jai Murni, the son-in-law of Tun Sengalang Petara, the fifth Bendahara of Eraman who will represent the National Front.

ii. Bakti

Bakti is one of the two landlocked states in Eraman located in the northern part of the Krama Mountain Range. The population is mainly Eramanese. The state's capital is Baktipura, the holiest city in the Sanatana Krama religion, with millions of followers from all over the world making their pilgrimage to the city every year.

Bakti consists of 5 parliamentary seats with 3 seats (Baktipura, Mantera, Mandiri) located within the traditionalist highland belt and 2 seats (Siasari, Damaisari) within the Eramanese heartland belt. The state has traditionally been a swing state between the Eraman Traditionalist Party (ETP) and the Eraman Nationalist Party (ENP) with the ETP currently in control of the states winning 3 seats in the previous general election.

Bakti is the home state of Mustari Bramabali, a member of the House of Bramabali, the ruling monarch in the state of Bakti. He is a very influential figure in the country and is looking to win the Mandiri seat for the 11th consecutive term. However, Mustari Bramabli who is representing the ENP with the National Front coalition will not have it easy as the state is the stronghold of the ETP with its chairman, Ajis Nikiti defending the Baktipura seat and its president, Kadi Amengku defending the Damaisari seat.

The hottest seat in the state will be none other than Damaisari for another battle between Kadi Amengku, the ETP president and Sanubari Chikra, the ENP supreme council member. The seat is the truest swing seat in the country with ENP and ETP winning it back and forth. Both candidates had previously won the seat with Kadi Amengku winning the latest one. Will Sanubari Chikra be able to wrestle back the seat?

by **Saint Eleanor** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 4:20 pm

OOC: Did you want a two-year combined schedule? Yes. Yes, you did. Here's your two-year combined schedule.

Oneshot: Don't Smash The Piñata!

The days leading up to Sunday 14th December 2003

A win against the Holy Empire on the Thursday would have been nice. It could have even been gamechanging. Instead, it left the two sides seven points adrift: Tzimisces and company well ahead in the race for first; Evans and friends in the battle for second - a de-facto playoff top seed, as it was under the new, rather more egalitarian order.

Oh, and facing a big, big game against Cardenao, too. At home. In something like five degrees centigrade and semi-pouring rain, too, if Esther's mum was going to have the right of it. (Never heard of Esther's mum? Rebecca Barrett's been presenting the weather on Channel 4 since the summer of '82. Five foot ten, nice hair, nice face, nice voice, good at parties despite also not liking alcoholic beverages, flubs her lines an impressive once every 500 days or so. Some middle-aged internet blokes on messageboards in other footy-mad Anaian places reckon she's a proper hot totty, too.)

The White Stars winning would have opened up clear blue water of their own. Anything else... could have led to trouble, suffice to say. So, how would you expect the Eleanorians themselves to be dealing with it? Exandra Davies was at her scintillating best, as ever: "I flatly don't give a shit how confident those upstarts are. We know how badly they perform against half-decent teams, they aren't going to be facing their dream conditions on or off the pitch, and we'll have their number by half-time, easy as cake."

Everybody else was a bit more balanced. Steve Pilchard, her long-time teammate and friend, was obvious about this: "The Cardenaoans have some of the most dangerous players in the group. When you look at people like Chimo, the ESDCPF legend - or Diego Valenzuela, who I'll have a hell of a time against if his past performances are anything to go by - and you're considering the fact nobody else has gotten a point off the Holy Empire, you can tell they have the solidity, the drive and the attitude. We need to be on our best form if we're going to pick them off."

David Newcastle: "Cardenao are well-organised, well-disciplined, and are going to be as hard to break down as they were when we were away from home. If we cannot get past them, there is a real danger we might not be able to do much these qualifiers. I don't want us to think 'oh no, we're losing' - but I don't want us to think we're going to win by a lot of goals, either. These people are going to go fast and hard and you aren't getting many goals against out of that; the key might have to be a few long balls like it was against Yuezhou."

Georgia Wood: "I'd have to ask my teammates - please, don't smash the piñata. You're going to tire yourself out for the Darmen game, which is equally crucial in the grand scheme of things; we all want to get six points out of these matches, but I do not see that happening if we put all our eggs in one basket. Darmen have won at Saint Eleanor already and it wouldn't look too good in any respect if they were to scoop the double over us."

Narry Taf: "Look, this is a good team. Really good. We could have been playing them in the quarters last Harmony out. I'm not sure I can see a single weakness in them, which is what you want from a team at this level, but at the same time it's going to be unbelievably hard for us to break them down. I'm super-confident we can do it if we try, but we have to try; we can't just expect them to fold."

And I know you wanted to hear from Esther: "I'll admit that Cardenao are going to pose a major challenge to our ambitions, no matter how ready we are. I am not saying preparation is unnecessary - we've been doing a lot of it - but Scooter McNash has one of the most well-travelled and diverse teams in the group, they're on the up even faster than we are, and we simply cannot rule them out at any stage in this contest."

∴

World Cup 93 - fifteenth matchday of qualifying
Saint Eleanor 8 (Jessica Martin goals 11' and 48', Steve Pilchard goals 19', 35' and 68', Exandra Davies goal 55', Tim Brandon goal 80', Bridget Coombe goal 86' [pen])
Cardenao 2 (Juanma Saez goal 26', Haritz Larrainzar goal 71')
Congratulations to Steve Pilchard on scoring the first hat-trick in Saint Eleanor history

8am (local time) - Monday 15th December 2003

A bar in New Cardonia, Cardenao. An Eleanorian and a Cardenaoan walk into it. Nobody else but the bartender is there.

"There was a piñata. It's dead now."

"There was a what? A what what what what again? Where's the party?"

"There is no party."

"No party?"

"You're not partying, anyway."

"Shut up, mister señor. I am not happy." When in Cardenao, shut up as the Cardenaoans do. Don't try to talk about the 8-2 - especially not in their faces. Michael James did... and found out the hard way.

by **Cap Nord** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 5:22 pm

“You can stop over here.”

The driver duly obliged, as one does on a royal command. Seated behind him, King Harold carefully readjusted his gloves one more time, trying to shake off his nerves. He thought he had none of those left after an afternoon surrounded by sugar-doped children who all wanted a selfie with his majesty, but riding up this street had brought them all back at once. It was a nice neighborhood, nothing special with modest, similar housing. But it looked like a great place to grow up for a kid. Ah, the King knew he never had been good with children and this afternoon, as he had to promote the nationalistic propaganda across the schools, he got that confirmed. It made him wonder why on earth he was doing this. His love for his daughter was unconditional, but as she entered her puberty, he noticed how she confided in her mother rather than her father. The line kept coming back to him as he stepped out of the car: you’ve never been any good with children.

He walked up to the door, hoping that the neighborhood elderly would not be peeking out of the window, suddenly recognizing the empty-handed fellow that looked out of place. Part of him had haste, still his finger hovered over the bell for a few seconds. A clean push button, with a small white paper shoved behind the glass next to it. ‘BJERKNESS’ it read, in bold capitals. It looked nothing like the polished golden door knockers: they had drifted apart so far. And then, as he could hear the curtains rustle across the street, he finally pushed the button. A shrill sound that brought him back.

[A good twenty years ago]

Prince Harold lies in bed, trying to fixate his sight on the high ceiling. Or rather trying to fixate his mind on one clear feeling. Tonight will be the night, tonight he is going to tell his father and sod all consequences.

Tonight, he is going to tell them that he is in love with a commoner.

She is not a classical beauty, but Erna Bjerkness is the most interesting and exciting woman he knows. It started silly, as those things go. She made her arrival on the court as an intern, a support for the agenda of the Prince. But as his first envoy grew sick and the assistant showed little talent for the job, she quickly became his personal assistant. After two decades in which everyone talked to Harold as if he was either a toddler or the eight miracle of the multiverse, she simply addressed him as he was: a man with a busy schedule who did not understand half of it. It grew, bit by bit, or at least, that is how Harold remembers it. It is not unlikely that he was smitten from the first second onwards and that she succumbed under his unrelenting attempts (which was, after all, his strongest romantic trick). For a few weeks, Harold felt alive at last: the passion when they were just the two of them, the excitement to keep it a secret.

But he could no longer hold his silence and with the limited courage he possessed, Prince Harold rose and made his way to the study of his father. Often he wondered whether every son feared his old man or if it was just a royal thing. He could only guess his rejection but the current pattern of actions or opinions from Harold that did not comply with the King’s image of royalty was rather easy: anger and frustration, with an occasional hint of throwing things. Going by that, Harold knew the furniture of the study, despite the heavy presence of oak and expensive metals, could meet its end today. His hand hovered over the polished golden door knocker for a second but to his surprise, the door was opened on him before he could touch it.

“You idiot, we have been looking all over! The deadbeat is over here!”

His father, King Edvard II yells it into the void behind him.

“What? Why?”
“Are you deaf? Don’t you hear it? The palace is under attack! Those dirty commoners, those filthy peasants, they are breaking into a sacred location like pigs! We must flee, now!”

As the shrieking sound of the alarm fills his eardrums, Prince Harold realizes that the best weeks of his life are coming to a brutal end.

[Twenty years into the other direction]

It is a habit by now: minute sixty and on comes Jorgen Bjerkness, with a pat on the shoulder from Robert McEather and a high five from Theodor Bissett. Despite the mixed run of results, with home highs and away lows, the Fort Viljan midfielder has become his talisman, his surprise card in the deck. Well, as he plays it weekly, the novelty wears off quickly. But it suits a lot of purposes and in McEather’s feeble attempts to keep everyone satisfied, it works perfectly well: both Carstensen and Bjerkness have accepted their share of the attention pie.

And there are days and times when it works out perfectly well, McEather told himself. The 3-2 against Banija was created on a combination between the two: Simon Carstensen with the overview and Jorgen Bjerkness with a well-timed header, out of reach for Wanda Kouyaté who was already looking back at a frustrating evening. Even if the Kadongo Kamu brought it back to a tie, the result against the number two of the world was something to take pride in. McEather hoped that in time, it would wash away the frustrations of the shameful Lionsroar loss. Against Poafmersia, the substitution had worked again to fight from the backfoot, having Bjerkness this time assisting the goal.

The only problem was, this was a completely different opponent, a different place and time and, worst of all, a different Bjerkness. Defending a 0-1 lead against West Barack and East Obama did not require dribbling legs to disallow their powerful midfield to take over. The three points in this confrontation would propel Cap Nord back into the playoff race. The extraordinary circumstances of the Pentagram Underworld required an unphased veteran, not an over-energetic youngster. And worst of all, Jorgen Bjerkness was not feeling well, potentially due to the food stand section which had not sold anything since the previous home game and had its chicken masala looking a bit off.

As McEather waved him on, Bjerkness tried to convince the gaffer to put on Veensma instead but to no avail: he would play, end of story. The result? The Obamen slowly but surely raised the pressure on the Whalers and a powerful action from Chobamya, dispossessing Jorgen Bjerkness led to the equalizer.

[At that same moment, but a lot of miles away from West Barack and East Obama]

They were watching the game in complete silence, Erna Bjerkness and King Harold. One of them a regular woman, another one of the mightiest men in the nation (or at least, so it seemed to the outsider). Erna had considered leaving him on the doorstep but eventually, her fear for the gossip had won it over her visible contempt for the man who had interrupted her. She had given him a small glass of water, still being a decent host, but had not bothered to refill it. Still, King Harold had missed every hint, even when she said she wanted to see the game. Oh, great, I also wanted to see it.

Together, they witnessed how Jorgen lost the duel to Harvey Chobamya, looking a lot less strong than the highly trained opponent. Caught up in the game, Erna barely noticed she broke the silence.

“Oh poor boy, that’s just not a match.”

In the opposite chair, King Harold rearranged all the thoughts he had had over the last hour and a half. His confession that he wanted, nay needed to speak to her had fallen on a cold stone.

“I am supporting him in every game, for the Arctic Foxes and for the Whalers, of course.”

The tension of the game broke Erna’s silence.

“He should not be playing, look at him. He’s shivering! I can see he has a fever from over here, is there not some medic to help him? He was so happy to play for them but this is, this is just stupid.”

Another statement to which the King had no proper reply, but to pose a statement.

“I asked the coach to play him more.”

Erna might have ignored him for hours, but now he had her full attention.

“What do you mean?”
“McEather, he is… I think I would call it a friend? I put in a good word for Jorgen, you know?”
“I know what? What are you, an idiot?”

Every bit of confidence that had been carefully built up so far, crumbled at once and it was with a far too high-pitched tone for a king that Harold stuttered.

“I know I have not been around but he remains ‘my guy’. I tried to do something to look after him, better late than never. After all, he is my son.”

by **Saperetia** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 5:57 pm

Late Winner On Home Grounds
Saperetia 1-0 Britonisea

With the team being on a 7 game winless streak, many fans hope that this game can be the one where it is finally broken. Last time these two countries faced off, the game turned into a very boring 0-0 draw with almost no action happening. A lot of fans have come to the national stadium, hoping that there won't be a repeat of that. And so, with the crowd beaming from energy, the SAP 4-3-3 lines up against the BRT 4-4-2:

Saperetia: GK Yakim (C) DEF Ipatiy, Alton, Pascal, Achille MID Lacy, Knobes, Vilfredo ATK Gordie, Antoon, Titus

Britonisea: GK ? DEF ?, ?, ?, ? MID ?, ?, ?, ? ATK ?, ?

In the beginning, instead of defending, the Saperetians went on somewhat of an attack. Not with much vigour, as Vilfredo just walked into enemy territory unopposed, putting a cross in just for Antoon to miss. This type of "attack" was basically what both sides did for the entire first half of the match. In the second half, spurred on by the energetic crowd waiting for a goal to come, the Saperetians decided to forgo their defensive plans and instead focus on trying to finally get a win. This led to the Saperetian team pounding the Britonesian defence for the second half, but for a very long time, no ball or chance could find the back of the net, until the 87th minute, in which a corner from Lacy saw Antoon head it in to basically secure 3 points for his nation, which he ultimately did.

"It's a good feeling to finally win after that time." said Yakim, the captain. "We have had quite the up and down with results recently, and the team hopes that this is a turnaround point, but only time will tell how this will work out." While there is optimism in the team, there is not much optimism in the next match as the team takes on the nr. 2 in the group, Flavovespia.

So close, and yet so far…
Flavovespia 1-0 Saperetia

Not many see the next fixture as an easy match for us, as our team takes on the 2nd in the group, while we are down in 9th. Of course, in the previous fixture against Flavovespia, we managed a goalless draw against the then group leaders, so many hope that this can be achieved again. With this hope, the SAP 4-3-3 lined up against the FLV 4-3-3:

Saperetia: GK Yakim1 (C) DEF Ipatiy, Celso, Diyan, Achille MID Lacy, Knobes, Vilfredo ATK Gordie, Antoon, Titus

Flavovespia: GK Muhammad DEF Lyons (C), Taylor, Hussain, Dance MID Wassell, Player, Clark ATK Singh, Birmingham, Bagshaw

The game, in the beginning at least, was very similar to the previous fixture. Many fans still hoped that Saperetia would still be able to hold on to a draw. But most hope shattered when in the 26th minute, a run from Clark saw the ball be crossed and hit in the net by Singh, bringing the score to 1-0 for the hosts and making the task a hell of a lot harder for Mouthenio and his team. This led to the Saperetians doing what they were good at and defending hard against their opponents, which worked pretty well. During half time, Mouthenio gave a team talk on the pitch, to try and help improve morale. But despite doing that, no Saperetian goals fell in the second half as Flavovespia just had that edge over them. But luckily, there weren't any Flavovespian goals either.

It has at this point basically been all but confirmed that Saperetia will not qualify for the world cup, which was of course expected for a first time nation. It will still be a disappointment for the fans, players and coaches, but hey, that's life, keep that in mind as we head into the next fixture against the nr. 1 ranked team in the rankings and in the group, Valanora.

by **Eshialand** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 6:33 pm

Collapse
Eshialand 1-2 Obrela
Boring Paradise 2-1 Eshialand

"Got any Eshialand wins?"
"Go fish."
"Oh, Karsten, I think filming started."
"It did? Oh shi-- anyway, welcome to Tournament Report, I'm--"
"Karsten, that's my line."
"Sowwy..."
"Anyway, I'm Josh Seametzle, he's Karsten Rhodes, and this is Tournament Report. And as our game of go fish suggested... yes, Owls wins are in mighty short supply. Sorry to all of you who thought we'd qualify, it just wasn't in the cards."
"Pun intended?"
"Of course, that's why I brought the cards in the first place."
"In that case, you're under arrest by the Dad Joke Police, and you have the right to remain silent."
"But silence is so boring, and jail is far from paradise."
"Josh, I legitimately hate you right now."
"Good, if the sitcoms on EBS as of late are any indicator, unprofessional animosity and terrible jokes are great for ratings!"
"..."
"The good news of these recent games, if you could call it that, is that Jake Harran reappeared for these games, although his form was a bit off, you could tell there was some rust"
"Makes sense, maybe he was better off staying on the bench..."
"Nonsense! He just needs time to get ready for the Cup of Harmony! By then, all shall be well again. We may even get past the first playoff round there for once!"
"What if we qualified instead? You know, for the actual World Cup?"
"Karsten... I know that's technically possible, but... no. Let's just prepare for the Harmony Cup."
"Oh... okay. It was a good run."

"At least we can still gather a win in the next window, right? Last-placed Murphtannia at home?"
"We couldn't beat them away, could we?"
"Josh, why am I telling you to believe? 5 years ago nobody would've ever believed we'd be in this position."
"I suppose, but here we are."
"Maybe we can even snag a draw in Valentine Z?"
"That's a Maybe with a capital M. I don't think so, but maybe. Maybe."
"We'll just have to see what happens next time..."
"...on Tournament Report!"

by **Zwangzug** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 6:45 pm

The Spenson Star

One hundred eighty minutes--plus stoppage time--and two very disparate outcomes for team Zwangzug. A victory in the Stelladome, against Cassadaigua, provided a sign of optimism of what fans might hope for in the last thirty-two, but a victory in distant Cormoe was a reminder that anything can happen in football.

The match at Peak'n'Break Stadium had seen a short burst of goalscoring early in the second half. Upon the return leg, the Fillies made it clear that it would be a different sort of match, controlling the bulk of possession early and scoring through Carly Patterson in the eighth minute. Zwangzug reacted by going on the defensive, at first uneasily, then settling into a coolly cautious formation, if such a thing can be said. Kirsten Jackson and Cynthia Fairfax-Hazy had several back-and-forth periods of possession, frustrating the Dagans' Rachel Boldin.

Eventually, it built up into a string of passes culminating in a Jordan McKinney run. He was nearly driven out of bounds by Kelsey Werth, but held his own and, when Alyssa Marlin was busy covering Ryota Imamura, McKinney came forward himself to put the hosts on the board. Soon after, Imamura scored on a pass from Farrokh Sokhi, and Zwangzug took the lead into halftime, which was full of fancy scoreboard graphics displaying highlights in Cassadaigua's impressive history. (Thank goodness we didn't play in Arlington, you just know the local fans would have been full of themselves showing off how they've totally heard of the interzonals, blah blah blah.)

In the second half, Zwangzug picked up where they'd left off, as Sokhi headed in a long pass from Meghna Imomenba. But Brittany Byers' side dug in and got physical, with Chloe Anderson and Boldin challenging Fairfax-Hazy and Freda Tery-Wilf and, eventualfly, wearing them down. It was left to Meghna Imomenba to retaliate with a clumsy foul, and despite the protestations of the home fans, the referee correctly realized this was more violent than anything the Fillies had managed, and awarded a penalty which Anderson scored. Back in the game, the Dagans pushed the pace, and substitute Jenna Stokley set up Boldin for an equalizing goal in minute 75. Four minutes later, however, Valerie Waugh curled a shot in off the post to make it 4-3, and Zwangzug held on.

It was a mostly unchanged side who took the field in Cormoe, though after her foul, Imomenba was swapped out for Nina Irving. So you can't say it was caused by playing a B-team against the unranked side. While Zwangzug had the bulk of possession during the first half, they were unable to score, and irritation bred sloppiness. In minute 34, the home striker tapped in a straightforward shot with his left foot.

The second half did see several new faces, with Nilkanth Mibang and Chester Hildegard getting some playing time. And the new energy seemed to help; shortly before the hour mark, Hildegard assisted Cixin Nguyen for the equalizer. But barely ten minutes later, the hosts' central midfielder had unleashed a blazing shot from some distance, zooming past Ketevan Igreli and into the top of the net. That neither Irving, Mibang, nor even the captain Jackson had been able to do a thing about it was obvious, but the recriminations intensified and the defense's abject play for the remaning twenty minutes was as feckless as their mental state. Only a double save by Igreli in stoppage time prevented the scoreline from being any worse.

"We all know anything can happen," Kate DiMarini summarized, "it's just frustrating when it happens to you. I don't think there's much I need to remind the players after this game, they can be their own worst enemies at times and I'm sure this will be looming in everyone's mind when they take the field in Trink. If I thought it would help I'd tell them to take the day off, relax, remember they're doing this for fun--but they're adults and I don't think that sort of patronizing is helpful. One match at a time."

by **Tikariot** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 7:01 pm

Kelvin McDonnell: Good evening Tikariot and welcome to TBC News, I'm Kelvin McDonnell.

Lovisa Bergstrandh: And standing in for Alexandra Garrard, I'm Lovisa Bergstrandh. We have breaking news from Soharr tonight!

Kelvin McDonnell: At the site of the devastating Soharr Slide that had buried big parts of the town of Wenford and took 427 lives, a group of researchers with members from the Soharr Institute of Technology, Tikariot Institute of Technology and the Central Lakelands Institute of Technology undertook the first foray into the cave that had been unearthed. During the recovery efforts, the Tikariotian army had guarded the entrance from self-proclaimed scientists and curious onlookers due to the unknown condition of the cave. Specialists were brought in to investigate the integrity of the cave entrance before the group of scientists was given the go-ahead. Here is Elvika Andersson with the details.

Earlier today, a group of scientists from the Soharr Institute of Technology, Tikariot Institute of Technology and the Central Lakelands Institute of Technology was allowed to enter the cave west of Wenford for the first time, under the guidance of some of the most experienced cave researchers in Tikariot. Before setting out into the expedition, team leader Dr. Robert Feigenzweig expressed hopes to be able to find information on Tikariot from thousands of years ago as the cave is believed to have been buried after a landslide thousands of years ago. There are no known mentions of a cave in the area, which has added to the mystery.

Then, just about half an hour ago, news emerged that the group has made an astounding discovery inside the cave. Here is some footage from the impromptu press conference that was held right at the entrance of the cave.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press and everybody out there watching us, our team made a sensational discovery in the cave system behind us earlier today. I would like to say first that what we have here is not just a cave, but what looks like a whole system of interconnected caves, which does not look manmade. But I see the impatience among you about what we found. About two hours into the expedition we came upon a fully preserved dragon skeleton. I know what you are thinking, dragons are mere mythical creatures and what we found is likely something completely different but I would like to direct your attention to the screen behind me.

This is a picture of the skeleton as we found it. Of course, we will bring in specialists on the matter to conduct proper investigations into the skeleton and its surroundings, but this is a sensational discovery.
As you can see, they were not exaggerating when they announced that it was a sensational discovery. The Tikariotian army has widened the perimeter and brought in reinforcements to protect the site from any intruders and Major Corinne Westerholm has issued a clear warning to anybody with the intention of gaining access to the site that anybody trying to approach without explicit clearance will be detained until further notice. Back to you, Lovisa.

Lovisa Bergstrandh: Thank you Elvika. What a discovery in Soharr, joining us is Professor Xigvard Walkyier from the University of Xark in Xanark, thank you for joining us on such short notice.

Xigvard Walkyier: Thank you for having me. And thankfully technology these days makes this far easier than in the past.

Lovisa Bergstrandh: The announcement of the discovery of the skeleton has spread like wildfire, for obvious reasons. As a professor for Xarkian history, what is your take on this?

Xigvard Walkyier: If the skeleton proves to be real, it would be a milestone in Tikariotian history in many ways. As you may be aware, there has been the myth of the grand dragon Xuroar, whose lair is said to lay somewhere deep within the Xarkian Range. This discovery could be the first step towards exploring if there might be more to this than just old legends.

Lovisa Bergstrandh: What can the discovery of the dragon skeleton tell us about the potential existence of dragons in the past?

Xigvard Walkyier: This discovery is significant because for the first time it provides tangible evidence of the existence of dragons. While there have been stories and legends about dragons for centuries outside of Xark as well, this is the first time we have actual physical evidence of their existence. It also opens up a whole new area of study for archaeologists and historians who are interested in exploring the possible interactions between dragons and humans in the past.

Lovisa Bergstrandh: Dr. Feigenzweig has mentioned that it is not just a single cave, but a whole network of caves, would you expect more discoveries like this?

Xigvard Walkyier: Your guess is as good as mine here. We don't know anything about this cave system yet, or the skeleton itself. But I would say that it's certainly possible. Dragons were known to exist in many cultures around the multiverse, so it's entirely possible that there are more specimens waiting to be found. Of course, finding a dragon skeleton is a rare occurrence, but before today many had thought that dragons did not exist in the first place, so this is opening up so many possibilities.

Lovisa Bergstrandh: So, what are the next steps for studying this dragon skeleton?

Xigvard Walkyier: That actually is a good question, we don't have a lot of dragonologists (laughs), but I have spoken to a few colleagues in our Faculty of Archaeology who will be travelling to Soharr tomorrow and liaise with the team there. Going with the sole picture we've seen, it does not seem like there is a lot of excavating to do because the skeleton looks in absolutely amazing condition, but still, our archaeologists will be able to properly document everything and see what they find.

Lovisa Bergstrandh: Will you travel to Soharr as well?

Xigvard Walkyier: I am tempted, but at the same time I think that it's important not to have too many people show up at the site because it is too important to protect and preserve everything. The discovery of a dragon skeleton is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so we have to take all precautions we can.

Lovisa Bergstrandh: Thank you for joining us tonight, Professor.

Xigvard Walkyier: The pleasure is mine.

Kelvin McDonnell: This was TBC Breaking News about the discovery of a dragon skeleton in the cave above Wenford, Soharr. We will update our coverage as we get more information. You can also follow us on twii.tur and our website to stay up to date with any new discoveries. I'm Kelvin McDonnell for TBC News.

OOC Disclaimer: The image of the dragon skeleton is courtesy of Midjourney, the rest is mine.

by **Savigliane** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 7:14 pm

OOC Note: Some background information might be useful to read this - short summaries of each RP in the previous line can be found here, and short summaries of each RP in the current line can be found here, which should help.

ESCAPE
4. ci sarebbero stati palazzi

a month later - ritorno, grande cucina
"You know," Thea says, looking out across the Grande Cucinan countryside to the big warehouse below, "I thought this would take longer."

Adrian doesn't respond, lost in thought. He's been increasingly distant over the past few weeks as the New Portal has steamrolled its way to completion. It turned out that Maxence Lavigne had somehow had connections to the oldworld, so it had just been a matter of reactivating a temporary portal and pulling out a near-completed version of the permanent one from the other side. It had then just been a matter of leveraging Joël Bonmaison's connections to the owner of Savigliane's largest construction company - that being Joël Bonmaison - to get the portal up and running. They still had to run through another round of safety testing, which had taken them a few weeks the first time they had tried, but it was increasingly looking like everything would be ready soon enough.

"Adrian?" Thea prods again. "You good?"

He sighs in response. "Just thinking about the election."

The other main thread of the past few weeks has been Bianca Fiore's inexplicable resurrection at the polls. When the Piano di Dios leader made the decision to call an election, her party was universally tipped to crash out of power in a humiliating fashion, with the Savigliano left likely to reattain the majority. Still, riding a wave of anti-portal hysteria, her party has compensated for its loss of the center by hoovering up support from its former coalition partners, and has a very real chance of a plurality.

"She's not going to win. ASD and Populistas are projected for like, ninety seats, right? She's just going to cannibalize the right."

"Yeah, yeah. That's what they said last time."

"And we're in Grande Cucina. We're good either way."

"I don't know, Thea. She's done some heinous shit to get where she is. Invading a nation who built their border fortifications out of pasta dough doesn't strike me as beyond her."

Thea looks over, sympathetic. "I know you've been burned by Fiore before. But Lavigne and de Rossi clearly know what they're doing. I mean, storing all that tech in the oldworld? That's some next-level shit. And Bonmaison's stayed out of the way and been helpful. The portal is going to get built, and she'll have no way of stopping people from coming through it. And then our job will be done."

"Why is it our job again? Why are we doing this? Umberto's not even here - Caccini has him running the election campaign. We're just tourists."

A scoff. "Is that what you're upset about? You're going to be a hero, Adrian."

"Or a scapegoat. I wonder what the old Bianca would think about all this shit."

They lapse into silence again. It's only broken by the shouts of two people arguing on the floor below.

"Is that...Lavigne and de Rossi?" Thea nods in confusion, and the two set down to investigate.

"Look, I don't want to do it either," the ex-secret agent is protesting when they get there. "But Bonmaison says he needs to start seeing revenues. Which means we have to drop this immediately. If people pay for early access, the, uh, cash flow issues-"

"You two cannot fuck us like this!" The physicist responds, slamming down a bottle of water. "A month ago, he says he has all the portal money we need. Now he has cash flow issues? We should've known-yes, you two!" he adds, turning to Adrian and Thea, trying and failing to be discreet. "We should've known better than to trust a fucking Ligurean with the money. We cannot go public with these false promises!"

"But they're not false promises if it works, yes? It has passed the tests."

"Not the safety tests, Lavigne! Christ. We cannot promise anything now!"

"Plus Fiore's still in charge, right?" Adrian finds himself chipping in, earning himself a punch on the shoulder from Thea. "I don't see why we want to give her time to prepare. Why can't your guys on the oldworld take care of this? Surely they want us back."

Lavigne laughs darkly. "Oh, they're doing their best. But this project is running into...similar ethical concerns on their side of the mirror as it is on ours. I'm afraid we must make this public at once. Unless you want to take your chances with the election, Adrian," he adds pointedly. "Besides, won't this bolster us - the, uh, anti-Fiore camp - in the election? Nobody says no to a portal that's already running."

In between a silent Adrian and an irate de Rossi, Thea finds herself nodding. The room is quiet.

de Rossi sighs. "Fucking oldworlder. Yes. Tell Bonmaison to go ahead, then."

by **Acastanha** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 7:24 pm

Acastanha Yearly Kaleidoscope
Achievement of the Year - Part 1

Just like the old says, save the best for last. So after various editions of disasters, accidents and scandals that happening in the country throughout the year, now it is the time to look for the achievements that the country have achieved.

Host for the NSTT

Together with Pemecutan, Acastanha is one of the most active nation in the NSTT tournaments. Although none of Acastanhada players have ever win a title yet but they have been progressing a lot especially in the year of 2022. Acastanha involvement in the tour become more complex after the country volunteered to host one of the event following the expansion of the tour. And that's how Tabeira International born.

A Tier 2 event, Tabeira International is held in Tabeira municipality a mid-size town and the capital of Tabeirakan Province. The city is known for its timber and plantation industry. It resemble in the city and the province name. Tabeira in Arranese means timber or wood. The event is a part of the grass court season. In the inaugural competition, the event was won by Marcus Hathwar of Electrum in single. While the double went to Gnejsian double, Sybilla Naess/Timaeus Andersson. And the host player, Iris Bergadhga success to be the runner up in the single event. But unfortunately, their double was lose in the first round.

Following the success of the first edition and the plan to expand more of the tour, Acastanha is given the opportunity to held another event in the grass court season. The country will held 2 simultaneous events. One is Tabeira International and the second is yet to be announced. And in this new setting, Tabeira International is elevated into Tier 1 event while the new event will be the new Tier 2.

For the new plan of NSTT, it is likely that we will held the second competition elsewhere. Not in Tabeira. But further discussion is needed especially regarding logistics and else. The possibility is looking for a second place that is close enough to Tabeira so the logistics movement can be reduce.

Cezar Ortopag
President of Associação de Ténis de Acastanha

With this new plan, it is giving more acknowledgement to the existence of Acastanha in the world of tennis. And it is hope to be able to encourage more young players, junior and amateur, to see this sport as one of the promising career in their future.

by **Qasden** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 8:26 pm

Red Rouge Readies the Row
High Scoring Action Sparks Interest in Fanbase, Dread in Defensive Coaching Staff
By Tex Preston
The long sun of the 93 Qualifying Campaign is no more than 6 matches away from setting, and for Qasden, the crunch time is now worth more than ever.

Despite very clear woes at the start of the operation, it taking us 5 matches to win one and all, the Vans have very clearly learned and adapted from the faults to turn themselves around into an uncanny opponent. Valentijn Munson's squad rose from the trenches to deliver 5 victories and 2 draws against vital adversaries to keep the Qads alive in a somewhat potentially possible chase for the playoff spot. The highs of defeating Gyatso-Kai and drawing Adab felt endless, but the blank slate against Stevencousin and total humiliation versus Græntfjall quickly brought the Blue-Reds back into a sense of urgency; now 6th, with a world of groupmates below them beginning to be crossed out of qualification chances, the nation needed to keep a G with the ruling dominants if they wanted to continue pursuing the vague magnitude of reaching the World Cup at rank 105. This needed realignment focused on many bruises in the back half of Qasden's starting XI, with Thurstan and a pair of defenders being swapped out for their substitute counterparts. Rigby and Umstroke would take to the pitch for Quickley and Kubo for the next two matches, as would Cliff Rouge, the young keeper from Cordian domestics whose donned the double 0 since joining the main squad a few cycles back. The hope was for the fresh faces (bar Joanna) to keep the defense alive and awake in the threat of the inevitable attacks, and while they were certainly awake, the strength they'd display would come under question almost immediately.

Following the clash with the Super Wolves, the Vans travelled home to Merellin Park to kick off a partially expanded Murderer's Row, first reuniting with last-place Talamia. On the away leg, the hermit nation brought the Munson Era to the brink of destruction after forcing Calcio Calico into a painful draw that sent ripples up the QAFA hierarchy. It was a T that felt like 17 L's taped together, now even sharper given the Hoopoes' unfortunate luck this campaign since then, their 2 points being co-opted by us. Given the new history, the Blue-Reds were eyeing the hopes of putting some goals on the board and preventing the Black-Reds from shorting them of that tall order. As the match continued, it became quickly apparent that, regardless of the outcome, work was still needed. A hat trick from Jaylyn Bone, conjoined with a late header from Shug de la Fontaine, gave Qasden a solid 4 goals that carried over in their eventual win of the Talamians. The problem? The Hoopoes got 3 past Rouge and the adjusted defense lineup just as easily, giving the triumph a bittersweet taste to it. This obscurely ranked opponent was able to do enough damage to us in the GA stats as Græntfjall had; and if it weren't for the offense going off as well as they did, the game could very well have gone a different direction. Now, while it may seem like an aloof goalfest that's pretty rare and exciting to watch, allow me to continue the story with the following match against Natanians and Nosts, the 9th place folks desperately trying to keep themselves in playoff contention following a small mauling by the cold dogs. The closest rank neighbor we have this campaign, the Blue and Bluer were fortunately unfortunate enough to be our first real victim this season, granting the Vans a 2-0 win in Elder. N&N proceeded to find themselves in a dangerous spot for the remainder of qualifiers, now teetering dangerously above eliminated Dod Rava and Talamia. Whistles commenced the precarious showdown at Stadion Nacional, and when they ended it, a curiosity became an abundant assurance: the Qasden defense sucks ass. The offense, meanwhile, scored an unprecedented 6 goals over the span of 90 minutes, generously split between McCracken, Otero, Bone, and Lane. It was a beautiful sight, bar it for the locals just wanting an enjoyable experience. Thankfully for them, the Natanians didn't let up on their end of the battle bargain, also punching in 3 points past Rouge's renegades to half the onslaught's potency. A 6-3 win is nothing to bemoan, but given that it now meant that the past 3 matches alone accounted for over a third of total goals conceded this late into the cycle meant the effectiveness of the changes were, ultimately, harmful.

Zinnia Thurstan, now back up to stamina, will be replacing Rouge for much of the remainder of Murderer's Row, save for the future encounter with Dod Rava. Joanna Rigby is sent back to the bench, forever solidifying herself as to why she can't hold a steady domestic contract. For the balanced Munson effort, these polarizing results meant that something needed to be done in the midfield, or else, things were gonna get hairy in the closing matches. For now though, the Row beckons with some of its stronger incumbents awaiting. Baptism of Fire champions, Kirungabi, find themselves stranded in 8th with the only escape rope for miles being our battle with them next at the Community Greens. Afterwards, Calcio Calico venture back into AO territory to take on one of their greatest rivals left in contention, Pot 5 Gyatso-Kai, with the risk of elimination looming over the loser. Neither of the duo find themselves to be opponents in Qasden's favor, even if we identify our victories against them on the waxing leg. With at least the 5th spot being taken into consideration this portion of the schedule, winning it out is all the Principality can do until Margaret sorts it all out.

That's it for the coverage. Can the Vans take out some of their harshest enemies to date to keep competitive hopes alive? Will Munson and Hounders be able to keep their careers long enough for the next AOCAF? Stay tuned, stay updated, and stay alert for more reports in the upcoming days of the 93rd Sunset Campaign!

by **Sharktail** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 8:28 pm

Sharktail Post EP76

Sharktail's journey continues in the WCQ 93 campaign. Although in principle, Sharktail's chance to compete for slots is almost closed, but this struggle is not over. At least Sharktail needs to try their best to collect as many wins as it will affect the ranking position. A better ranking position can be an advantage for Sharktail for the upcoming world cup.

The Blue Stadium is filled with an ocean of blue. Thousands of The Blue Army still loyally stand behind Sharktail. Surely the victory they hoped for. Down with a full set of blue, Sharktail welcome Fort McKinley. This match is expected to be intense even though according to many observations Sharktail was able to collect three points. Based on current performance, Sharktail is not in good shape, so anything can happen. Sahami may see this match as a testing ground for the players or he is absolutely sure that Sharktail will 100% win this match. Elias Rayyan became the last bastion, to be helped by Harold, Homer Harizul, Wan Irfan and Izz in defense. Azaim was rested to give Nazmi Shafik and Rezal Manaf a chance as a central duo. In the AM position, Win Aziz will be Sahami's choice, followed by Wan Nizam and Benjamin Hidzan as wingers. Harold will be the main bet to tear the goal of Fort McKinley.

Kick off starts with Sharktail kick the ball first. An early set up from Sharktail ended up stuck in the middle. Minutes later, a lob by Nazmi too far and McKinley will have the goal kick. Entering the eighth minute, the first chance for Sharktail to score was wasted. Fort McKinley who attacked before that was successfully prevented and snatched by Sharktail, where the ball was sent straight forward but Haziq Badrol's high kick went over the goal post. The game slowed down with short passes in the midfield. Fort McKinley tries to draw the Sharktail players to come in and steal the ball. The first goal finally came when there was a lack of control from the Sharktail players who focused too much on the ball holder without realizing that some of the opposing players started to set their pace. A through pass failed to be blocked by Wan Irfan straight to the feet of Dennis Gene Young and finished past Elias Rayyan for the first goal.

19'
Sharktail 0 - 1 Fort McKinley
G: Dennis Gene Young (Ernie Clyde Beard)

The match resumed. Win Aziz and Haziq Badrol tried to find a good space to find scoring opportunities, but Sharktail's passes were often blocked and kicked out by McKinley's defense. The equalizer was finally scored. A run from Nazmi Shafik on the left wing looking for an opportunity to cross was blocked by the opposition player and got a corner kick for Sharktail. Harold took a corner kick headed by Wan Irfan into the net. Cheers echoed throughout the stadium.

32'
Sharktail 1 - 1 Fort McKinley
G: Wan Irfan (Harold)

The match is balanced again. Both teams again tried to find a goal before heading to the break. Sharktail's efforts are more fruitful. In the 41st minute, starting from Nazmi Shafik to Win Aziz sent to Haziq badrol, shot beat Fort McKinley goalkeeper. 2-1 to Sharktail gave a sigh of relief before the half-time whistle.

41'
Sharktail 2 - 1 Fort McKinley
G: Haziq Badrol (Win Aziz)

The match continued for the second half. Fort McKinley took the kick and quickly launched an attack towards the Sharktail goal. Even so, the pairing of Homer and Wan Irfan denied Fort McKinley's attempt. Fort McKinley almost scored an equalizer in the 51st minute but was saved by Elias Rayyan. Minute 57, a goal from Gene was disallowed when the flag was raised by the linesman. In the 65th minute, Sahami made two simultaneous changes, including Irfan Danial in the right back position and Irfan Bahrin replacing Benjamin Hidzan who had less of an impact.

68th minute, cheers echoed in the Blue Stadium. Nazmi Shafik scored Sharktail's third goal. Once again, the corner kick was the driving force behind the goal. Harold's pass was punched out by the goalkeeper but managed to be grabbed back by Win Aziz who continued to send the ball into the open area and Nazmi shot in for a goal. Two goals in front, Sharktail is getting closer to victory.

68'
Sharktail 3 - 1 Fort McKinley
G: Nazmi Shafik (Win Aziz)

The thrill of Sharktail leading the opponent with a two goal soon turned into a nightmare. In the 73rd minute, Fort McKinley narrowed the gap to 1 goal thanks to Steve Wayne Smith's goal. There was a lack of understanding between the Sharktail front row which was a little long and made a pass intercepted by Fort McKinley who quickly set his pace towards the Sharktail goal. The first attempt was blocked by Wan Irfan but failed to be cleared perfectly and Fort McKinley's second goal resulted.

68'
Sharktail 3 - 2 Fort McKinley
G: Steve Wayne Smith

The disappointment of Sharktail supporters has not yet been cured, misfortune continues to befall. As a result of failing to control his emotions, Wan Irfan was shown a second yellow card after committing a serious foul. Playing with 10 players, Sahami planned to sub in Maqri. However, the Fort McKinley team first took advantage of the opportunity when they were awarded a penalty kick. A tackle from Harold who was desperate to get the ball out to save Sharktail's goal. Sharktail tried to protest saying it was outside the penalty box but was rejected by the referee who stood by the decision to award a penalty kick. Steve Wayne Smith easily converted for Fort McKinley's tying goal.

73'
Sharktail 3 - 3 Fort McKinley
G:Steve Wayne Smith (p)

The last 17 minutes felt short. It's so disappointing. The Blue Army could only sit still when the final whistle was blown. The two-goal advantage just disappeared. Sharktail is now in a very big and complicated problem. The chance to go to the world cup seems to be delayed again. It is hoped that Sharktail will be able to rise in the next match.

by **Ceni** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 8:52 pm

If there's one thing that upholds Ceni's reputation and soft power abroad, it's Cenian higher education.

Universities like the University of Ceni, University of Cenial, and University of New Oxford routinely draw in hundreds of thousands of foreign students from across the SAREIMA regions and even the broader multiverse — and, to Drawkian schools' chagrin, they occasionally win international titles in collegiate basketball.

But there's another aspect to Ceni's success in international education: its secondary schools, which also routinely draw international students from Rushmore and other regions. Attracted by the commitment to liberal arts and international education from an early stage, these students are an important source of international exchange for the country. But they also raise an important question: Should secondary education even be treated as a commodity for export?

To investigate this phenomenon, we went to six secondary schools with large international student populations: the University of Cenial Laboratory Schools, the School Without Walls in City Centre, the Dover International School, the Humanities and Liberal Arts Academy in New Oxford, the Cenial Latin School, and the Xenophon-Cicero School for Oratory in Southpoint.

Beyond the schools' large contingent of international students, they all have two critical things in common. First, they all accept students based on an exam or a more holistic admissions process. Suffice it to say, students are not zoned to these schools, and nobody gets in to these schools automatically. Second, these schools operate in a weird mix between public and private: While the Cenian state operates the schools, and Cenian citizens may attend these schools free of charge, the same thing is not necessarily the case for international students.

"Indeed, there are several ethical questions surrounding the current Cenian secondary school system when it comes to elite schools," said Vepa Canaj, a professor of education at the University of Cenial (who is not involved with running the UCLS). "Of course, the minute you have a non-universal attendance schema, questions about who gets in and what the fair way to admit students would be. And charging tuition to make a profit really contradicts a lot of these schools' stated missions of educating future leaders and contributing to equity in society."

But supporters of the "independent school" educational model point to several factors that mitigate the principal (and principled) attacks that detractors like Canaj make.

"Given the tax burden on Cenian citizens, it only makes sense that their children can attend independent schools for free," says Tasia Kravo at the think tank Cenian Centre for Public Policy. "And in many cases, tuition at the Cenian independent schools is less than a comparable private school in a nation of origin, but with so many benefits from the student's point of view."

Kravo also noted the idea of meritocracy when asked about selective entry measures. "To produce change across the world, it's absolutely necessary to inculcate the best and brightest," she said. "And it's absolutely possible to have objective means of assessing people who want to enter these schools."

Fact sheet: The six schools featured in this series

University of Cenial Laboratory Schools: Affiliated with the University of Cenial, this school has a main focus on educating the children and relatives of professors in the Cenian university system. Of course, it is open to everyone; its major claim to fame involves its routine development of new pedagogical techniques... hence the name Laboratory!

School Without Walls: Founded on the idea that the entire city is the classroom, the School Without Walls aims to take students out into the city as much as possible, learning from hands-on experience and as many sources as possible besides just the educational system.

Dover International School: One of the founding schools of the International Baccalaureate curriculum, the Dover International School is focused on international issues; a core class is International Current Issues, where students debate and discuss international events of the day.

Humanities and Liberal Arts Academy: Affiliated with the University of New Oxford, HULA is an explicit response to schools with names like "XYZ School of Science and Technology." Indeed, it's founded on the principle that the liberal arts and humanities are essential to a well educated body politic and foundational to higher education.

Cenial Latin School: One of the oldest schools in Ceni, the Cenial Latin School was founded on the belief that the classics are the basis of modern society. That doesn't mean it isn't actively interrogating the biases of the classics in the modern day; indeed, it actively links classical principles and classical philosophy with modern-day issues across the board.

Xenophon-Cicero School for Oratory: Named after two Ancient Greek politicians and orators, the Xenophon-Cicero school is perhaps unique in secondary schools across the globe in that its explicit focus is on debate and public speaking. Public speaking is a mandatory class in all four years of education, and the school regularly places highly in national and international debating competitions.

Jeremiah Aro, principal of the Dover International School, notes that the financials actually work out in favour of foreign students. "We know that it's important to have international students from all walks of life, and we give out a plethora of scholarships, which reduce the already low tuition costs on an international scale," said Aro. "This has already produced benefits in having one of the most diverse student bodies in Rushmore.

Overall, Kor Hartida, principal of the University of Cenial Laboratory Schools, understands both sides of the debate. But he wants to bring up an entirely different point: that Cenian secondary schools are resisting the trend of "STEM-ification" and increased specialization at the secondary school level.

"Across the globe, students are forced to choose their paths relatively early on... that's something that is happening in educational systems across the multiverse," he said. "But we want to teach critical thinking skills, reading and writing skills, skills to engage with our entire world, not just one particular specialization."

In his mind, this approach across the board is what draws so many international students to Cenian schools. "This is something that makes Cenian schools unique, because we have an educational experience that people can't get anywhere else."

by **Cardenao** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 8:57 pm

Chímo's Christening (Part 2)
(Part 1)

‘The Cup of Harmony in Cardenao.’

‘Damn,’ Chimo Ventura thought to himself. The budding football star had gotten wind of it only a bit before Mihaly had gone public with Cardenao’s joint bid with the storied nation of Zwangzug. His thoughts on it? Well as he’d said to a reporter asking the same question,

“I like it just as long as we don’t have to play in the damned thing again, gotta get into the World Cup proper.” Chimo was sick of playing in the Cup of Harmony and was hoping that his third attempt at World Cup qualification would finally be successful. So far the situation was…precarious.

Cardenao was solidly in 5th place after 16 games, with ten wins and a draw against The Holy Empire good enough for 31 points. 35 goals had been scored and Chimo had done well to claim 11 for himself, including the equalizer against THE. Defensively, the team was doing well. Everyone was bought into the five second or less pressing philosophy in which the Cardenaoans immediately pressed the opposition after losing the ball, shit Chimo had even slide tackled some Mertagnen right back, that was something he’d never thought he would do. Of course, there was the 8-2. Chimo sighed and tried to put the humiliating loss against Saint Eleanor in a mental box that he would never open again as an all-too familiar pounding sensation hit his head.

The hangover had struck like lightning and now he was beginning to regret the night he had. What had even happened? Chimo felt movement in the bed to his right and looked over and the blonde haired bombshell still sound asleep. Hmmm. A loud snore came from his left, Chimo looked over and…a beauty of the brunette variety. Hmmmmmmmm.

The candy cane red walls of the gaudy bedroom came into focus just about the same time as the sounds of giggling, laughter, and adventurous loving poured into his ears from the hallway. Chimo sighed even deeper to himself, ‘Ahhhh fuck’s sake.’

The PlayToy Mansion in Quebec. He was starting to become a regular face here and when he walked the halls, there was an increasing amount of women knowingly winking at him, the room he had made his always had a fresh joint and mojito ready to go every night and every, Chimo’s eyes shot to the bed stand, morning. He tried reaching over blondie’s head but couldn’t quite reach, so he carefully got up and crept over…Penelope? Marlene? John? Shit he didn’t know, but she gave his naked ass a playful slap as he stepped out of bed.

“Ay easy there! That ass still aches after all the smacking you did last night!”

“Mmm I apologize for giving you what you want, my lord! I’ll be sure to make it up to you…” she teased back as she rolled over and curled up next to the other nice lady.

Chimo didn’t know why she called him my lord, nobody else did and she had done so from the first time they had met within the infamous walls of the PlayToy Mansion. He didn’t mind, in fact he quite liked it actually, it was just interesting. He sparked up the joint and took a deep breath in, feeling the effects almost immediately and helping ease his pounding head. ‘A little hair of the dog didn’t kill anybody either,’ he thought to himself as he picked up the mojito and took a generous sip. It tasted great as always but didn’t quite fit his mood.

“Mimosa!” He yelled out. It would come. He took another sip as he looked at himself in the mirror. ‘Would you fuck me? I’d fuck me?’ He looked away and walked to the lounge couch and made himself comfortable but froze at the sight of a football in the corner.

8-2. He had led his team to an 8-2 defeat against Saint Eleanor. When the final whistle had blown, he had meekly waved to the crying Cardenaoan fans and trudged down the tunnel with every step bringing more weight to his shoulders. He was Chímo, the golden boy for Cardenao soccer. He was supposed to save the team, lead them to their first ever World Cup Finals, something he had worked towards his whole life. Football had always brought him joy, the magic of kicking a ball had drawn him in since he was naught but a lad. After the 8-2, things felt different.

Chímo had barely listened to his manager after the game finished, just sitting looking down at the ground feeling an increasing amount of numbness radiating out from what felt like his very soul itself. Showers, regular clothes, media appearances, leaving the stadium, it was all a blur. When he’d gotten him, he didn’t know what to do. Usually he made a tuna sandwich and played the latest football video game until he relaxed enough to fall asleep. That night it was different. Timo didn’t want fucking tuna, he didn’t want to play some bullshit video game. No, when Chímo got home, he went straight to the minifridge and got a pair of hard seltzers out and cracked them open, drinking like his life depended on it. He didn’t care that hard seltzers were seen as a woman’s drink, it was a quick, mostly tasteless way to get fucked up quickly and that was his goal. Two drinks became four which flowed into smoking some pot and then two more drinks were popped open. He needed to get away from football, from having his every single step dissected by fans, the media rooting around to find out how much shit he shat, all the coaches and the players and everything.

Chímo was ripped back into the present by the sound of his heart pounding in his ears. He didn’t realize he had started sweating and lifted his mojito with a shaky hand. ‘Get a fucking grip man,’ he thought to himself as he became aware that his ball of yarn was starting to unspool and he felt like a passenger, unable to do anything.

A mimosa appeared in his hand from one of the countless scantily clad attendants in the PlayToyMansion. Chímo stared at it. Deep down inside he wondered how he’d gotten to this point, it wasn’t even 11am and he was two drinks in. He knew he shouldn’t act like this, that it was probably terrible for his health and morally…not pure, but damn was it a fun time away from the football pitch.

Fuck it why not, he was young, hot and a football star! He was Cardenao’s key to the future, he deserved this. Chimo took a sip.

Perfect.

by **Valanora** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 8:57 pm

Sometimes when you stare in the endless void that is the abyss, you can start to lose you mind and have it wander from you as your sanity and sense of being slowly wanes away. That was the fear that Elune had as she continued in her orbit in the system, unable to break free of it and having not yet heard an answer to her telepathic plea for any sort of assistance, be it divine or otherwise. Had it been hours, days, weeks, months perhaps since she had sent out that call for help and yet still she floated on endlessly, wondering what was to be her fate. Would she be forever suspended in this portion of space or realm, wherever it was that she had ended up following her battles with the darkness? Would there come a time back on Silverymoon where they would forget that she ever existed as either a goddess or as one of those first seven elves who had come from their celestial plane of creation and into the material plane, having found the location where a white tree produced silver and gold fruit as it had been foretold by their creator, the Lady Gladerial?

As two globes seemed to form in front of her, an iridescent sheen off of what had seemed an empty bit of space just before, with green hue slowly illuminating from the center of the globes. The iridescence gave way from just a pair of globes until it was a single piece of mass that seemed to take a roughly human shape, though it was missing any sign of a mouth, nose, or even ears. It was not a typical life form that Elune had encountered, shimmering and shaping almost as if it was made up of some sort of fluid that was attempting to take the shape of its container, yet there was no container to be had. The green hues began to expand and almost look like eyes but they seemed to be an odd shape, almost like the view of a galaxy from afar or with a telescope. Scarlet like tendrils started to form and extend from the top of creature and keep growing until it took on a presence that was almost like hair and halfway down the thing's back, if it was to have had a definite torso or solid body at all. Then without warning, Elune heard a distorted chattering in her head.

"Htwa chalas tsu?"

If it was a language, it was one that Elune did not recognize and as such had no idea what the thing had attempted to say to her. It did not seem hostile but with an unidentified creature who seemed to be shifting and reforming all the time, their body language was more than a little difficult to read. Elune knew she was going to have to go with her instincts, which were telling her that whatever this thing was, it was not here to harm her.

"I am Elune, who are you?"

The creature tilted its head to the side and its green eyes suddenly illuminated in a pale blue before then transitioning into a royal blue and taking on the galaxy shape once more, the hair like structure changing from scarlet to a shade similar to steel blue and its hand began to point at itself before it spoke telepathically to Elune once more.

"I am we. We are it. What is an Elune?"

Whatever the glowing had been, it suddenly seemed to be able to understand and speak the common tongue that was spoken in droves on Silverymoon. This was great news for Elune, as she now had a way to actually communicate with the creature, perhaps she could even find a way for the creature to assist her in escaping from the situation that she had found herself in.

"I am Elune and I am..." She paused briefly, trying to figure out to describe what her existence had been over the last several thousands of years. "I was an elf, now I am something more."

"What is more? What is elf? Why did Elune change?"

They were tough questions to try to answer, especially to something that might not have any idea what her type of life forms were or might not even understand the concept of divinity.

"I became a guardian of a world, I was granted power, power that allows me not to have to breathe and has allowed me to stay alive for who knows how long in this space, stuck in the orbit around that star." Elune gestured towards the sun that was a few million miles away from them. "I changed because my maker asked me to."

The eyes once again began to shine in the creature's face and its voice seemed to become quite hyper compared to how it was before.

"You have a maker? I had a maker, long ago, when there was no fire in the sky. I have not seen my maker in quite some time. How did you become stuck? Where are you from?"

Elune was a little concerned, this thing was speaking as if it had existed before the stars had existed, which meant that it existed before even Yanwë and he was the oldest thing that Elune knew to have come into being. Yanwë was supposed to have sprung forth shortly after reality itself came into being but before the universe had began to fully take shape. Perhaps the Elder God had created this thing as well and had forgotten about it?

"It is a long story, I came here at the behest of others who said there was an unending darkness here that was full of evil and had to be purged. I came and did so, battled with that darkness for what seemed an eternity until I eventually vanquished it and had brought back light into this system. Yet an accident on my attempt to leave the system saw me caught in the star's gravity, placed in orbit around it. I very much would like to return home."

"We shall help the more thing get back home!"

Without warning, the creature seemed to expand a hundred fold and everything around Elune was suddenly blanketed in darkness that could only be detected by the occasional iridescence before it began to collapse in and around Elune, the goddess losing her composure as she began to shriek...

by **Ziwana** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 9:12 pm

SOCCER ZIWANA: A review of Birnin Select’s last 10 games in the Ngwazi League

Yoo!!!!! It’s been a minute my people. Well, I was fired from the From the Terraces Show due to the fact that I only reviewed Birnin Select matches instead of the whole league. Luckily, I have been given an opportunity by the state run Ziwani Broadcasting Corporation to continue reviewing Birnin Select on their platform.
So now formerly let me welcome you to Soccer Ziwana, presented by me Mavuto Chakanika. I know my name means problems so no I did not cause mavuto to get fired.
So now let’s get into reviewing Matchday’s 16 to 25 were we the Peoples Team fighting to win their first title in 17 years;

Matchday 16
Matchday 16 saw Oracle Super 8 Champions, Birnin Select returned to the Ngwazi League summit after a brief hiatus as they beat Tamaria Strikas for a second time in a thrilling encounter.

Following a Friday night draw between their title rivals Western United and Amangwazi Birnin, the Peoples Team had a chance of going on top if they won against Strikas and win they did. Zack Dawnbridge would pick up a second ball after Andrew Gondwe’s shot was saved to score the only goal of the match.

Dawnbridge had a chance to add another goal and make the win more comfortable but hit the post.
Tamaria Strikas had a number of chances but they were saved by young shot stopper Richard Gondwe who was playing in place of William Tembo who was suspended by Birnin Select management for his drunken behaviour in the Super 8 final.

Following Birnin Selects inability to win in the last 3 league games, the result was a perfect response from Francis Chiwaya’s team.

Birnin Select owner, Mphatso Kambuwe also praised the team for playing a more interesting game which had a high tempo and pressing whilst not compromising their defensive capabilities.

Matchday 17
Matchday 17 was a historic matchday as 8-time Ziwani Football Champions, Birnin Select hosted Zote Royals at the Hashaan Casimir Arena. This was the first league match to be played in the stadium.

For such a historic day, Birnin Select played so well befitting the day with a Dawnbridge hattrick helping Chiwaya’s men to a comfortable win over Zote.

Birnin Select made sure they wouldn’t drop points against newly promoted team in their quest to achieve league glory. 17 years of league trophy thirst was clear for all to see, the side where like hungry lions mercilessly attacking their prey in Zote Royals.

Zote Royals never looked like causing the home side any major problems, and once Zack Akitor Dawnbridge had converted from close-range in the dying minutes of the first half the result was never in doubt.

Straight after half time a hungry Dawnbridge smashed home a wonderful 40-yard drive to the delight of all Birnin Select supporters. Dawnbridge then helped himself to another in the 70th minute to seal his hattrick and the win for Peoples team.

William Tembo back in the starting line up was not once troubled by Zote Royals. In fact, it’s a wonder that Select did not win by 5 goals or more.
Birnin Select had now earned 43 points out of a possible 51 and where 3 points above Western United at the top of the summit, this was a great achievement indeed.

Matchday 18
Matchday 18 saw underdogs in Asghar Athletic Club and Zote Royals hold the top 2 sides in Birnin Select and Western United to draws. The Peoples Team should count their blessings as they were able to maintain their top position due to Zote Royals scoring late against Western United to force a draw.

The match between Select and Asghar ended in a goaless draw which saw the Peoples Team enjoy the large majority of the possession, but were unable to find a way past James Malefula in the Asghar goal. Zack Dawnbridge had 3 of his shots blocked in the game.

Matchday 19
Matchday 19 saw Kai Lahm’s injury-time winner earning Ainheim Dynamos a superb victory over Ngwazi League leaders Birnin Select.
The beautiful goal saw the Peoples Team drop from the top spot due to goal difference. Western United their opposition had totally destroyed the team that Select had failed to beat in the previous game 8-1. The Peoples Team would have to be consistently good if they were to have serious hopes of lifting the Bayaram Super Diski at the end of the season.

Matchday 20
Matchday 20 saw the Peoples Team travel away to 11-time Ziwani football champions, Red Falcons. The Peoples Football Club recovered from their shock defeat at Ainheim Dynamos with a comfortable victory over Red Falcons.

Red Falcons where missing 2 key players in Francis Gadadinyo and Ovilera Mundidinyo. Lacking their strong attacking players saw them enjoying plenty of possession but never threatening to turn the possession into a tangible reward. Zack Dawnbridge was the man of the day as he scored another hattrick.

The win put Birnin Select at 47 points on par with their rivals. If both sides stay consistent and don’t lose, we might see the two sides battle it out on the final matchday of the season as they face each other according to the fixture. What a game that would be.

Matchday 21
Derby days are always special in Ziwana. The most important thing a football club can do for its fans is beat their rivals. The Birnin Derby between Birnin Select and Ainsworth FC although second class in comparison to the Amaclassico Derby between Western United and Amangwazi Birnin is one of great significance not only to their fans but all Ziwanans as well. The Birnin Derby was first played 6th September, 1885 between the colonized Ziwani represented by Birnin Select hence their nickname the Peoples Team and Ainsworth FC then Ainsworth Barracks representing the colonial masters in Ziwana. The Derby is a celebration of the defiance of the Ziwani people against their colonizers.

The Derby game against Ainsworth FC was expected to be a walk over by all Select fans however it took a late goal from Orama Bukani to win the game.

Franics Chiwaya’s side were facing the prospect of returning to the summit of the table if they won or drew against Ainsworth FC. Western United has lost to Red Falcons earlier in the day giving the Peoples Team this opportunity, however this chance was put to the test when Ainsworth FC through Richard Mumba’s goal where a goal up at half-time.

Zack Dawnbridge came from the bench to remind Select fans why he cost a million bucks by equalizing from a cheeky chip to keep the Peoples Teams dreams of winning the title alive. He then went on to assist Orama Bukani in the 89th minute to put Select at the summit by 3 points.

Matchday 22
Matchday 22 saw Andrew Gondwe’s injury-time penalty give Ngwazi League leaders Birnin Select a vital victory after Lonjezi Sporting Club’s surprising comeback looked set to earn them a point at Hashaan Casimir Arena.

Select set the platform for a win early in the first half with two quick goals from James Makina and Hasan Hameed but Lions delivered a devasting comeback from a John Kaonga brace to draw the game level. All these 4 goals were scored in the space of eight minutes.

Andrew Gondwe would come off the bench in the second-half to help his side to another victory to keep Birnin Select at the top of the table.

Matchday 23
Matchday 23 saw Greevin Muhiwa help former team Western United reach the top of the table by scoring a goal that won the game for Arabin Rangers.
I won’t say match about this game as I am a Birnin Select fan and I truly hate losing. This defeat showed how much the team missed George Rooney. With George Rooney in the side, it was very hard for opposition sides to score, also the player helpd open spaces to be exploited by his fellow team mates.

Matchday 24
Matchday 24 will be remembered for a great performance by Zack Dawnbridge. Zack was the artist and the pitch was his canvas. The way he dribbled, put pressure on defenders and his first touch was just unbelievable. He was truly unplayable. He was the akitor of his own show. Zack scored a hattrick to stop Al Quasim Athletic from entering the top 8, one team other than the Big 8 is enough in the top 8 spots.

Both Select and United had won their games and they were both tied on points, who would slip up in the title race? Would this title race be settled by a show down between the two? What an exciting blockbuster season we had on our hands.

Matchday 25
“There is no pressure in the Birnin Select camp, our duty as the coaches and players is to make sure we are playing good football and winning games. Winning the league is just a plus. I truly believe that the pressure is on Western United as they try and achieve 3 decades of trophies, which I truly believe my team will prevent them from doing that for at least the next 10 years.”

Quote from Francis Chiwaya, Manager of Birnin Select

“Franics Chiwaya is trying to push pressure away from his own team who haven’t won a league title in 17 years. Western United have the quality to win the next 6 games and win the 29th league title. Birnin Select on the other hand are a team that will fold under pressure to a small team and if they don’t, they will be unable to beat Black Leopards, Amangwazi Birnin and us in the last 3 games. Come matchday 30 Birnin Select will see the True Peoples Team lift the title at their expense.”

Quote from Western United Interim Manager

Matchday 25 saw a war of words between the Birnin Select and Western United Manager. Both sides trying to unnerve each other, using the media to put pressure to each other’s players. It

by **Milchama** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 9:17 pm

*While watching the Banija-Nova Anglicana World Baseball Classic Final*

(All conversation is a text message unless specified)

"Yo, you gotta watch this game"

"Which game?"

"Fair, Game 7 of the WBC"

"Why?"

"It's tied in extras"

"Oh crap! What inning?"

"11th"

"Damn, who blew it?"

"Nova, gave up two runs in the 8th"

"Oh man was it Xoosh?"

"I don't know, I started watching late because of the World Cup game"

"Oh how did Milchama do?"

"4-0 over Zeta, Reka, and all the Hugeltaldom"

"About time, that Hugeltaldom was getting full of itself"

"Very true"

"Have we beaten anybody yet?"

"Well Xanneria has turned out to be good, we beat them when they were bad but not that they're not still no"

"Ugh"

"Wow, another scoreless inning"

"Yep onto the 12th"

"God that must be so nerve wracking"

"Yeah to pitch in Game 7 of the WBC, game on the line, in extra innings"

"Do you think somebody like HaAdomim ever dreams about something like that"

"I mean he's a starter so probably not but like Tekblam or Food definitely"

"God, what a funny name"

"I know, what a funny name"

"Why did his parents do that?"

"Oh I thought it was given to him later and that his real name was Tenli Chow"

"How is that better?"

"It's probably not"

"Ok then"

"Damn, another scoreless half inning bottom 12 baby!"

"What a game"

"What a game!"

"You know this might end up being the only report on the game"

"And we're mostly talking about soccer"

"True"

"So how screwed are we?"

"Well the fact that we can beat bad teams indicates that Milchama should be able to make the playoffs and then we'll lose because the playoffs are usually populated by good teams"

"Ok good point but after that?"

"Then we have the Cup of Harmony, hopefully, and that should be good for us because those teams are mostly bad"

"Except that it would be an underperformance"

"Oh my god!"

"Oh my god!"

"Only to the warning track"

"I thought that was gone"

"Me too"

"Just a loud out"

"Very very loud"

"Whelp 13th inning"

"I don't think this game is every going to end"

"Are you excited?"

"Oh hell yeah! Baseball forever!"

World Cup 81/82/83/84

© Sporting Times Daily 2023
'Need to march on'--Prescott
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Editor

Ahead of the visit of Montana Verde to the BBP Stadium, Baker Park National Team Manager Jennifer Prescott sounded an upbeat note in regards to the closing stages of the World Cup Qualifying campaign.

Although the 1-0 defeat to Turori dented the Bees chances at winning Group 13 outright, they remain only three points behind the Eels who sit second behind Tikariot; Krytenia was the only one of the contenders to take all 6 points from the last pair of matches and now are wedged into 3rd between BP and Turori and the Dragons will be next on the schedule after the Condors depart Belle Haven.

“That loss (to Turori) was tough, but we need to march on because everything is there in front of us for the taking. We can control what we do, so it's important that we do that and not get caught up in what's going on around us that we no control over.”

Asked about overseas stories suggesting that Baker Park are not up to the challenge of cracking the top 3 in the group, Prescott laughed off the notion that her squad will crack under the pressure.
“You'd have to have a distorted sense of history to make an argument that the Commonwealth are chokers in this phase of the tournament. We want to be at our best when the stakes are highest, when the competition is at its toughest, it's who we are, part of what we stand for as a National Team.
If you look at our record so far, in comparison to every other nation, we have the 30th or 31st (ed.--34th) most points, so it looks poor relative to our past performance, but in context it's not a poor showing. We're in a tough group against teams that are dangerous, if we're in a different group maybe we're top of the table. None of those things are in our control, so we can't get bogged down worrying about it.”

MD 17-18

Lineup vs Montana Verde @ BBP National Stadium, Belle Haven (74,000)
Callaway; S Knight, Kucera, Freeman (C); Ryan, Olivera, Vetter, S Logan; Moorman; Coleman, Gibson
subs--McCormack, Edmonds, Bauer, D'Amico, Shanahan, Boyle, Vuckovic, Price, Harris

Lineup vs Krytenia
Johnston; Bruce, Edmonds, Bauer; C Logan, D'Amico, Shanahan, Boyle; Price; Harris, Mack
subs--McCormack, Kucera, Freeman, Vetter, Ryan, Vuckovic, Moorman, Coleman, Gibson

________________________________________________________________________________________

Head returns for conclusion of CORNCOB
Vincent Molinari III
The Daily Mail National Affairs Writer

Head of State Timothy Wentworth returned from Busukuma for the funeral of Isebantu Mutumbi and Omeugabe Ssenkmanya to Altendur as the Graintfjall based Rushmori Conference of the Environment moves towards it's endgame, where a framework is expected to be offered for delegates to vote on, although the Commonwealth's status as an observer means it would not have any say in the adoption of the resolution (s).

The Cap & Trade regime being offered differs markedly from the approach taken in the Commonwealth, where corporations and industries look to reduce the amount paid through the Environmental Impact Charge in the Corporate Income Tax structure; this is seen as market driven compliance producing tangible results.

by **Archalit** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 9:30 pm

Kanoa approaches Krystol shortly after Archalit's game against Baggieland.

"Krystol, you okay?"

"Kanoa, we both know it's already over, no need to console me or anything."

"..." they stood for a bit in silence, but Kanoa spoke up, "hey, it's not over until it's over."

"Then it's over, isn't it."

"Look at the math!" She waves the rankings displayed clearly on a tablet right in Krystol's face, "we have the power of 'technically possible' on our side!"

"Are you really gonna try that after we lost to Baggieland? That was like, our prerequisite!"

Tension between these two spread to tension amongst the team as they anxiously prepared for the next matchdays. Bad performance here, and they'll miss qualifications. With team chemistry at an all-time low, it all comes down to this.

by **Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 9:32 pm

--------------------
Aleiusia Star
--------------------
Splitting the "true" from
"false" for over 30 years

Government Soon Faces Schisms

Over the weekend in Aleiusia various party bosses have been meeting. The working majority in the National Assembly faces challenges and it’s slim margin is under threat. However there are questions as to what could happen in the wake of a majority being lost.

The government formed with 130 seats, and could theoretically fight off challenges for power. However, the majority has wained to 128 via defections and one vacancy election not going in the government’s favor. With such thin confidence, only a thin number of bills have passed the National Assembly. These bills included tax reforms, a ban on local legislatures raising their pay, and federal smoking bans. The scandalous allegations of graft lobbied against the government have seen rifts form in the rightward focused government. The Democratic Revival Alliance, who hold 15 seats in the government, could break off from the 80 seat Improvement faction. With the objections to financing, the government will look for solutions.

Parties in the National Assembly (Democratic Revival Alliance 2nd from left)

Parties in or out of the Government

Could an exit signal the end of the current government? A fragmented opposition could allow minority rule for another year. Opposition parties number at thirteen. These thirteen organizations cover issues from leg wing, right wing and regional perspectives. Some parties benefit from the current balance of power, while others are keen to strike with an election. Smaller factions could be frozen out of the legislature. The far right groups operating in the aptly named Alliance of the Radical Right could see improvements in seat totals. Gains for the radical right could be from all areas, though in particular there is support in rural Rekadom.

Leftward opposition parties face varying choices. The presidential elections will take place in around two years time. Without progress on the opposition aligned president’s campaign promises, the Socialist People’s Party will look to negotiate for a no confidence vote according to experts. The logic is that the SPP’s hand will be stronger in future negotiations. Further left wing parties have different aims. The Justice party’s People’s Alliance is running low on resources in major cities and will want a later election. The Environmentalists have had internal conflicts.

Resident political analysts at the Aleiusia Star predict no general elections, but a minority government could occur. According to polling in the capital, the center left could do the best.

Written by Wuk Tolowić, former communications advisor to multiple National Assembly Members.

Weekly headlines
Government Soon Faces Schisms
Glavni Councilor Diagnosed With MS
Commentator Luka Lukić; Cup of Harmony qualification a "Pipe dream"
Immigration in ZRH; Year By Year
Op;Ed: Water Standards Need Restart

by **Patriotlandia** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 9:37 pm

Results
----------------------------
Patriotlandia 0–2 Flavovespia
Petro-Pat Navy Memorial Stadium (61,962), Port-la-Ville, Province of Abelanne
Port-la-Ville was the stage for the fifteenth match of the group stage. Patriotlandia were looking for good results this window if they wanted a chance at securing a ticket to the playoffs. They were, however, up against the top two teams in the group Flavovespia and Valanora. The early game did not have plenty of action as both teams cased each other. The last meeting saw Flavovespia run riot on the Patriotlandian defense scoring 6 goals. The home team was looking to improve defensively but the skill gap between both teams were evident. The Flavovespians quickly extinguished any offense from the Blue shirts while their quick attacking play generated loads of key chances in front of goal. Aurélien About, who donned the gloves tonight as Paul Lataupe took a maintenance day, played brilliantly to keep the team somewhat in the game. The AS Couen netminder would falter first as Adrian Jones headed the ball from an early cross past him. "It's the type of goals you'd like back" said About after the game, "You see the ball the whole way, but it's so well place you can only watch". Flavovespia would add a second goal towards the end of the half to bring their lead to two. Play tightened up in the second half with defensive adjustments and the substitution of Aya Palmer into play to help out the back four. The Patriotlandians were finally able to generate some offense. Bertrand Langlais had a good run past the defense before feeding Lucien Graham in the box. The ball however took a weird bounce before reaching it's intended target which sent the intended shot skyward and over the bar. "I was impressed with the team's work ethic in the second half. We showed the fans we could play with the better teams but obviously this is a results business and we need to convert when we get the opportunity", said manager Jean Alexandre Carignan.

Valanora 7–2 Patriotlandia
The Patriotlandians were travelling to Hatire Memorial stadium, in Capri, Valanora. The team seemed full of confidence with group stage results so far being positive. The Vanor would dominate play, however, and the visitors would be on their heels. The Patriotlandian defense were unable to properly clear while in their own zone. This was taken advantage of by the Vanorians on multiple occasion. "We have to be better at containing and clearing defensively. Obviously our opponents were a class apart tonight but I feel like this selection can do a lot better", said Jean-Alexandre Carignan post-match. "I think the draw we had in our previous tie with them inflated the team's ego. We will obviously watch the tape and discuss it as a group but we have some adjustments to make. That is for sure". One of the few bright spots during the match was Bruno Vaillancourt finding the back of the net on a corner kick. Glenn Wils would score his second of the qualifiers, coming on as a substitute, to close out the game. The 7-2 defeat puts significant strain on the hopes for the national team to secure a playoff spot now falling behind 6th place by 5 points.

Upcoming games
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Patriotlandia vs Lashnakia (UR)
Parc du Nord (24,000), Alexandrie, Province of Sourterre

Patriotlandia @ Pasarga (20)
Other News
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The Patriotlandian Soccer Partnership (PSP) announced today the creation of a development program in order to grow the next generation of national stars. The Unified Development Program (French: Programme de développement Unifié (PDU)) will combine U18 teams from team academies, colleges and universities in a single competition. The PSP announced that all players would receive scholarships for their participation while the Partnership would also take care of all logistics away from teams reducing the financial burden associated with away game transport and housing. The hopes for the program is to streamline player development while also increasing accessibility to top tier development leagues to more prospect who cannot pursue their dream for financial reasons. The PSP added it was open to corporate sponsorship for the program as long as they meet a set of requirements. The league format as not yet been announced but rumors were surfacing of an end of year playoff tournament. Players and teams have all stated to be excited for the new venture with more mainstream coverage of the league helping to promote the grassroot level of the sport in the nation.

by **Pasarga** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 9:54 pm

"How is the election going?" The queen asked as she was taking a moment out of her agenda to try and get a small update on the ongoing elections to refill the empty seats in the parliament.

"About as well as we could have hoped, Eternal Flame candidates are leading in ten of the twelve elections which means they will retain a stranglehold on the the control as long as results hold. However it is a tad troubling that the Anarchists and this newly founded Green something or another party are both going to be getting a seat in the parliament. Giving a voice to these sort of movements I fear could sway the vote that is due to come next week your highness." It was about what she had been expecting to hear but she knew that her aide was right, that these two extreme groups were going to be able to have platform to spread their ideas was far from ideal, the fragilities of democracies she surmised.

"I read somewhere once that the paradox of a tolerant society is that they need be completely intolerant of intolerance in order to survive and not have their ideas be used against them to give those who spew hatred to have a platform. They will need kept on a short leash, lest they look to corrupt this institution that is supposed to be giving a people their say in the government. It is what my father would have wanted, even if he did dearly disagree with the ideas that these two parties apparently stand for. Ironic that one of them claims they would dismantle the very government that they are being elected to if they ever did rise to be the dominant power." She closed her folder of documents and took a gaze at the television as they did a small update, with final results not expected to be in until the very late evening or the early morning of the following day.

"Speaking of the following week, I have been told that we have received some support from abroad as of late, a few token donations from both governments and private citizens to help in the rebuilding projects. One has to wonder if it is the generosity of their hearts that has lead to this turn or if it is the threat that the dual islands might be withdrawing from the organization that has them scrambling to give some sort of show of support to try and bolster the chances that we do not leave. Either way, the funds and resources are welcomed either way, current projections are saying it will be between three and five years to completely rebuild from the damage that was caused and who knows how much longer for it to leave the national psyche."

"Well, perhaps next week's vote will be a rallying point for the entire nation your highness, it is a pivotal moment in the history of our nation, especially if it should result in favor of withdrawing from the CRC. Current projections have it as a coin flip."

by **Huayramarca** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 9:56 pm

A Day in the Life of: Kevin Quispe

By Carlos Humala

When somebody asks for one of the hearts of the team, the motivational soul, the one that makes his teammates to push far away from their limits, the one who’s capable to give his 110% at every match; there’s a name that comes to mind as the first option, that’s Kevin Quispe. A guy that can be considered as the main battle tank of the defence, a player that compensates the lack of some attributes with character and a great capacity of anticipation against the rivals. From a humble background, a person that knows how to fight for everything against everybody, is here to talk with us about his experiences, his perspectives for the future, and some characteristics that are typical of his play style.

Kevin Quispe was some minutes before us, he was looking quite impatient, so we started rather fast as we all know that Kevin is a really short-tempered person. As we sat, Kevin greeted us and said “Good night!” Nope, it wasn’t sarcasm, it was the night before the match against Lisander, Kevin said beforehand to us: “One of my pre match rituals is not talking to anybody who’s an outsider, I want to be fully concentrated in the match on what I have to do and in the gameplan from the manager. That’s what I love to do, so I would like to talk with you the night prior.”

I greeted him “Hi, Kevin! How are things right now?” Kevin said “Hi! Things are going smooth, we’ve prepared some stuff, but we have to do the rest tomorrow in some conversations with the team and managerial staff, there are some details that we need to work prior to the match.” Then, I asked him. “What about you?” He said “I’m relaxed. I try to keep my head leveled for the moment, I want to be relaxed and concentrated in the goal of the team since the night before the match… That’s what helps me to get motivated into the game, to gather enough passion to show it in the field.” Kevin, as you might notice in his performances, and some of his words right now, is that he is really passionate and intense when playing football; for him, it’s not about playing, it’s a matter of honour and pride.”

Let’s start understanding who is Kevin Quispe, for that, I asked him “Kevin, what do you feel about your childhood?” Kevin nodded for a moment, he was trying to prepare an answer for the question, then he said “I feel that I had a difficult childhood, that because of the environment where I was grown, and for what I had to do to provide support to my family in their activities or their daily subsistence.” Then, I continued with the contextualisation questions “What did you do for your family?” He said “I helped them to take care of livestock, to herd cows and pigs at the Sierra for my first twelve years. It was a quite hard activity for me, as I was alone and had to solve many things by myself.” As he said “myself”, then it came to mind that he had developed some sense of independence by doing such activity in the past, now, it was matter to confirm the hypothesis.

“Kevin. Do you consider that herding helped you to be more independent and analytical since an early age?” Kevin said “Analytical, definitely no; I don’t consider myself too much of an analytical person… I’m impulsive and I guess everyone in the media knows it. To answer your question, it did help me to be more independent, as if a cow was having illness or had an accident, I had to act quickly to safeguard its life and the integrity of the herd, all of that by myself when I was a child.” About being impulsive, that’s a characteristic trait from Kevin, as he has been yellow card the most times ever for a player of the Huayramarcan National Team, although he has had quite some time without being carded, around 35 matches being clean.

We continued with Kevin and asked him “Tell me more about family and context.” He said “I was born at Comodoro Aramburú, at Arequipa, I had to help a family of my parents and ten more siblings who lacked access to education. That’s why we had to resort to livestock herding and not professional careers as we wanted to do. All my family has been devoted to the business, taking care of the animals and also for being quite sociable with the community.” I asked him “How sociable?” He answered “Well, we are involved at religious activities; preparation of festivities, etc. That has been since always, now we are able to do it better and in a greater scale than before.” Then, I did a counterquestion “Did the family helped at sporting activities?” He said “We loved sports, that means that yes, we helped those activities for sure.” Sports, passion, independence… That’s the mix that helped to forge the Kevin Quispe we are used to see as defender in the National Team.

Kevin continued and unveiled something interesting about him “Well, we were so fond of sports that our family also owned a small team at the community. My dad was the manager and some sort of owner, in cooperation with a small chicken rotisserie at the community.” Then, I asked him “Did your fathers team became the first sporting experience for you?” He said “Of course, it was my first experience. I started playing since I was 11 years old, as I was leaving the cow herding to my younger brother. My parents asked me to prepare food for the animals and that was it. So, I asked him to play, he allowed me to do so, and I was glad of playing football since an early age.” I asked back “How did you feel when you noticed that your dad was coaching you in your first footballing experience?” He said “I felt trust, confidence and support. It was important to build character and get used to the sport, that provided by the best person for me.”

Without any margin of doubt, having your dad teaching you the basics of the sport and providing support in your baby steps is fundamental to ensure a better development, this when compared to many other children who play the sport. I asked Kevin about performance at the team, he said “My dad made me play better than anybody else in the team, to play stronger and with more dedication than the rest. He even warned me that I’d warm the bench if I didn’t play at a 110%. He made sure that I had to perform better than anybody else, so he would get rid of any potential suspicion from people saying that he was favouring me. I also feared that, I wanted to show the fans my real talent, so I decided to focus on being the best in my position at the time, which was as a striker.”

“Now that you said that you used to be a striker, I now wonder how your transition to centre back was?” Kevin said “I had already three to four years playing as a striker by that moment, but our main centre back left the team as he migrated, illegally, to Québec as his family was having financial issues. As there was nobody left in the team to cover that position, and we had a surplus of strikers, I decided to offer myself as a voluntary.” I asked him “How did your dad reacted?” Kevin said “He didn’t like the idea at the beginning, but he later noted that I had some attributes such as anticipation, character and good stamina that would help me for said position… He accepted my proposal, the team did it too; that’s how I ended playing as a centre back”

For sure it was an unexpected change, from being the player whose responsibility was to score the goals to be the one in charge of impeding the rival to score goals. Despite the situations, what Kevin learned in his childhood about independence and resilience was enough to facilitate his adaptation process, by softening the learning curve for the position. But, how did we get the Kevin Quispe we all know today. “Kevin, sorry if this question can be somewhat uncomfortable but I’m curious. How did you metamorphosized into the defender we all know today?” Kevin said “I metamo… Metamarfa… ARGH!” then I corrected “Changed” then he added “Ah, changed then. My character got built through the time I was playing at the team, being the son of the manager and having that extra pressure was the main reason I had to deal better with problematic players.”

“Problematic players?” Kevin answered to it “Yes. Some rival players tried to provoke me and, by that, provoke my father and make him get into issues with the referee and start a brawl. I managed to take care of those players in the field by blocking their chances, keeping myself level-headed and away from any kind of potential conflict.” “But, what about the temper?” I asked him, then he said "I managed to tell them to stop provoking me, I was being serious and I talked to them quite hard and annoyed, that’s why I got my temper reputation, I don’t want to let anybody take my mind away from the game, even if that means getting yellow carded for it.”

Struggling with opponents trying to provoke you intentionally, and also your family during a football match isn’t the kind of thing that anybody involved in the sport would like; let alone feel comfortable with it. Those reasons have made Kevin be quite defensive in his stance against rivals trying to provoke him, he’s short tempered against that kind of provoking and low play gimmicks from them. Now, what about being called to the Condors “Kevin, how did you get called to the National Team?” He said “I got notified of a screening and scouting process at the Huayramarcan Football Federation, I felt that I had a lot of talent and skills to showcase, hence my dad told me to go and try to get into the final list of the National Team. Once I entered, I felt myself comfortable as I worked as it was said, I showed intensity and good performance, that’s why Omar Caicedo ended picking me up for the National Team.”

“Kevin, how would you rate your experience at the National Team?” He said “It has been a trip of my lifetime. Getting to know players such as Bryan Tello, the Mamani brothers, Gabriel Sayritupac, etc. And also getting the chance of playing at Farrenton Athletic in Eura, by showcasing in the National Team, at the highest level possible, has been a life changer for me and my family. Now, I’ve been able to help them, help my friends, and also helping the future generations of Huayramarcans to get involved into football with a better perspective than that we had to do before. Now we are respected abroad, we are trusted as hardworking players with some interesting talent, and with our performance every weekend, we make the scouts to point their eyes to Huayramarca in search for some of their future players. Our satisfaction will be helping future players to be the best and let them feel comfortable abroad with our support.”

As Kevin was leaving, we asked him “Do you like doing rituals before the match?” He said “I just like to meditate and be comfortable for the matches, that’s why I rejected the interview at first in the morning… I want to be calm, to be as fresh and as agile as I can be, that’s why I dedicate some time for meditation, as I think is an investment of time that makes me perform at the best level possible at a match.”

by **Saint Eleanor** » Fri Feb 24, 2023 10:21 pm

World Cup 93 - sixteenth matchday of qualifying
Darmen 0
Saint Eleanor 2 (Dekamela weMexala goals 31' and 36')

What's your greatest achievement?

John Bailey: Marrying my wife, Anna. You would imagine it would be easy to point to what I've done in football, but - when you think about it - my career has been a series of incremental improvements and I couldn't just choose one moment to write about. She's a beautiful woman, more talkative than the average but not quite as sarcastic... which is still an awful lot by Eleanorian standards. And she doesn't flinch her duties unless she has a good reason, which happens rarely enough that I complain about the extra workload. If I hadn't met her, my life would be much lonelier and less accomplished.

Cathy Winchester: Taking Saint Eleanor to the World Cup in the first place was quite an achievement. It wasn't one I was foreseeing - I'd assumed we'd take Juvencus to extra time and that would be the end of that - but I saw David, he threw to me and all was well in the end after a bit of magic. The qualification elevated our standing... immeasurably, and it's something I'm definitely looking forward to again. At some point in future time, of course, Margaret willing.

Exandra Davies: One achievement? I've won the Saint Eleanor League, had a fucking good time with Jolbonopolis, learned the electric guitar good, found myself two girlfriends - not at once - took care of Mary the tortoise when Charlotte couldn't, won the Cup of Harmony, scored more than a few goals, changed maybe a few games... and did I remember fighting one of the class bullies so much I got outed? Oh, my goodness. It's been quite a life already.

Sam Newbridge: 1998 was the first season - domestic season, anyway - I ever went without getting sent off. I was naturally getting the referee's attention in other unsavoury ways, but as the weeks and months rolled on, I started thinking to myself... "wait, is this the responsibility I have now that I'm captain?" Jamie Rodgers thought so; he never implied it in the interview but that's how it came up on the internet version.

Liam West: I organised the Carpentersville Community School sports day of 1985 - or led the student organisation works, if we're being a bit more precise - after the School Council got into a bit of a tiff with the governors over some irrelevant nonsense everybody's forgotten. When I came back home in 1986 for the summer holiday, it turned out even their immediate successors had forgotten.

Bridget Coombe: That goal. Yes, I know; it looks like I'm peacocking - and I'll admit that I am, a bit. I have never been flashy, although nor have most Eleanorians; I've mostly just cracked on with the work no matter what the task assigned is. Anything extra is a bonus, especially when it wins your club their first ever league title; I'm long gone now but I'm confident they'll win a few more in my lifetime. Without it... I think I might still be in the national team, but I wouldn't have had as prominent a role and I might not have gotten too many opportunities with them. Not unless I deputised full-time at centre-back. Now there's a thought. Esther - you sometimes think about going the other way, do you?

David Newcastle: Number three. The Indy team of... what, almost ten years ago now, was the best I think anyone's ever seen in this country. No star strikers, just a bunch of mostly-big names working together for the greater good - much like the nationals. People are fond of saying that the team fell apart due to its own complacency after that, but the dressing-room tire fire here was never as bad as Arsenal or Good Hope; it was just that in 1998 when we couldn't get our fourth title, people were dipping in and out of the international transfer market, looking to one-up each other and we weren't really doing that other than Layla Grover. She's a great person in all regards and she doesn't want to leave the club - maybe because she wants to bring the glory days back first?

Sylvia Hollenberg: I discovered the bookshop next door to the Royal Palace aged seven or eight, which is an achievement to the extent you'd have expected me to recognise it much sooner. I jest; that was when I first went in there, got something for myself with good old-fashioned pocket money, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's how I got my appreciation of literature of all sorts - and, to an extent, child and youth illiteracy, the basis of my foremost royal charity mission. It might have even been how I was considered good enough for Sword and Shield's books at all. I got there by merit, thanks.

Dekamela weMexala: I was in Occidental Olympic, of all places, when Fetakela Manuta started telling people about his revolutionary new way of tactics... something. It wound up being controversial - he was forced out after fan and player backlash for being too attacking, then Adam and Bridget left the club partially due to the uncertainty - but at the start, it was not like that. He was not trying to reinvent how the entire squaad played back-to-front: he just wanted more emphasis on the centre, like in pre-Manuta reality, with the wider players as backup options. This was a challenge for many other people. Having arrived so quickly, it was something I could easily understand. My playing style would not be as relatively unique as it is if he was not there at that time.

Steve Pilchard: Being here, talking about what my achievements are. When you have autism in this kind of society, people mostly do not care about you; the expectation is that you're barely able to look after yourself, can't get much of a job and won't really be looked after. I don't want to promote the NAAC here - this is about my personal achievements - but I'd say I've done all of that looking back on my life; that, and I have celebrity status in my own right rather than as part of this dead-boring "inspiration porn" thing I learned about from the internet.

Jessica Martin: My most successful campaign would be the one I organised to modernise working practices in schools, funnily enough; most people don't think it worked out that much, but the recent shift towards better and more demanding classroom work over piles of homework - however slight - is appreciated by everyone. My greatest sporting triumph is, without a shadow of a doubt, the Cup of Harmony; taking that home meant a lot to Priscilla, to the entire team and... everyone else. Expectations are very much there to be destroyed!

Tim Brandon: Meeting Diana... was up there. I can't pick a "winner" but she'll have to do for now: I could talk all day about how she instilled the values of service, patience and generally not being a fucking wanker into me. Plus, it's about family. The Eleanorians are as big on family as anyone. I reckon Lydia's going to have seven kids or something ridiculous like that.

Georgia Wood: This isn't a moment as such, but I think I might know close to everything about what happens in Brightway. Who's doing what, who's around where, what's being sold and for what discounts... a lot of Eleanorians are cosmopolitan on a relative scale; they like exploring all around the city and I'd strongly encourage that. Public transport is free and it costs a couple of dollars to fill up your tank! IDespite the occasional complaints about "shallow-rooted middle-class tossers," in much less polite terms, people here very strongly appreciate my presence; I've spent my entire life here and, while I'm a bit introverted, I've acquired a reputation as a bit of a matchmaker too. In all senses. One of my neighbours even wrote a letter to the President asking if I could be appointed leader of the District Council.

Hugh Roanoke: I have been to every single pub in and around the Collegiate district... multiple times. My record is twelve days - I need to keep my sanity intact - but some people here have done it in more like twelve hours. My next stop is running the shelves of every other shop in the area, which should take a while but will end up being perfectly okay and result in me being much less sozzled. I have a family I need to look after these days.

Lydia Nicholls: Giving birth to Andrew and Gareth - we named them after our grandfathers - was quite a wild ride. I won't go over all the details here - they're boring and every other mother's told you them - but it taught me, as well, how much I should really appreciate being a mother, with all the rights, responsibilities and duties it entails. And the celebrity, too; everyone in the squad's seen me breastfeed them ten million times and now they're gossiping a bit about me, in the good way. Did you know formula milk is only available on EHS prescription?

Esther Launceston: I started the Cup of Harmony final! I've had immense responsibilities put on me by Adam Woolley and Yelto-Aflan Ono before - starting virtually every major game aged 19 or 20, and this at a time when the practice is nearly unheard of in the larger clubs due to IFCF loads; being de facto mentored by the absolutely lovely Wlad Wlad - but, as someone who's still largely a reserve player for the national team and had just been called up, being asked to play and prepare in such a major tournament game was unnerving and inspiring in equal measure. After the match, most people thought I did an excellent job at generally keeping the Yueren away and going forward in attack when necessary; if I can do that in every game I start... well, I'll try my damnedest.

Adam Denby: Anyone I've talked to will know that, when I was playing for the other Olympic back home and I scored in 1994, my second ever season, to seal the win against Grand Beach, The Reporter called me a "fan favourite" in their headline. That was when I knew I'd made it. I was always a character in that team - my trajectory in the long-run wouldn't have changed too much without it - but that really kick-started the self-belief I had, made me the player I am today, and pretty much got me onto the big stage, I suppose.

Aaron Francis: Getting out of the Polytechnic and starting my life was very, very big. Juventud was supposed to be an opportunity for the Poly to compete; it was, and always has been, an excuse for them to call up a dozen-and-a-half randos who don't know what they're doing. There are rare exceptions - I'm one of them - but the names often feel like they've been picked out of a hat and cohesion is forced rather than natural. Please reform the damn system when you can - please!

Harriet Williams: Being elected the Head Girl of the Eleanorian Academy. I've gone over the roles and responsibilities a million times, never mind the achievements - that's tracking closer to 200,000, I'll admit - but it served me well for life as the Athletic Saint Eleanor captain, a leader in the Eleanorian nationals, and, if some people are to be believed, an all-round excellent person. What I've learned from there has certainly emerged to become a big part of my identity. The great thing about being a national team member is that everybody in the side has had big experiences, they've all had to make big calls - I could see all of them being high-fliers of some description beyond football - and they are themselves wonderful people to be around. They have been since the 82nd Cup of Harmony, anyway!

Naresmet taFrexala: I was called up for the national team. Counts for something, no?

Christina Fulton: I won the World Cup - in the World Cup 92 game, on Expert difficulty... with Cap Nord. It's not quite an unranked team, and it's not quite Legendary mode, but still quite an achievement. It probably tells you more about how much I play that series of games than anything, but I'm not sure there are too many other Eleanorians going about who could do something like that. Maybe Lydia Sharp at a push, but I'm not sure she's interested in pushing out Robert McEather, not at this early stage in his Capnordic nationals career - and not at this juncture in their political history.

Rick Goldsmith: There was this huge bully at Queenston CS, right, and he wasn't with any of the local gangs but that just made him harder because all of them feared him. One day when I was in Grade 12, he had a classmate pinned against the wall and I think he was going to put him out of school for a few days. Then I grabbed him in return and said "look, mate, you can't go about hitting other people, they could be serving you at the OPAL." I mean, that was the calibre of the people he was picking on, but he listened and shut up against all but his most sworn enemies later. No, he didn't join a gang; he was never going to be that obvious.

Arielle Richardson: When I was in my second year at the University, I was the Vice-President of the International Relations Society. Sounds boring! But what I actually did was organise some of the formals, carry out fundraising drives for various events, help the President in writing up his once-every-now-and-then international politics updates, and so on. It was a welcome relief from all the pressure I was under at the time with football and studying and it matches my other interest in the humanities, too.

Corporal Denise Livingston: Sticking with Army and Navy through this patch of long-term form feels like an achievement in and of itself. I'm not a very exciting person and I don't think I could point you to anything particularly earth-shattering in my lifetime. If it helps, I was with the Army School's school council for most of my time there and I convinced the science departments to spend more money on modernised equipment during one of our meetings.

Natalie Monaco: I blew a piece of bubblegum to about the size of my face once - and I still don't know how. I'd say most every schoolgirl - and some of the more sensitive boys - have had a go at the sticky stuff at some point, but they all give up for whatever reason. Some of them just had it once or twice. A few others didn't feel like they needed any more of it after a certain point. I thought it tasted too much like strawberry. Ideal if you've just eaten something you really don't like... not if you just want some fun.

Melcheta Pazorzal: I have been playing for the Golden Unicorn for about ten years, almost without interruption, trying the best I can to keep playing, to steer the attack and to make every fan happy. Many people love me and I believe this has been a success. I am, of course, still in the national team after a few cases where people doubted me - all glory goes to Allah for this - but yeah, people said I wasn't going to be a success at first and now I am. I'm good enough, I think.

Priscilla Evans: Probably one of the two Cups of Harmony - 73 and 84. People think I played an important role in both of them, but - for the most part - I was working in the background and letting the rest of the squad do what they loved best. Both of these were triumphs of team unity over excessive individuality... although Exandra might argue otherwise. I feel proud of both of them as a result. And they showed what highly-unfavoured nations could do against stronger opponents with larger talent pools; I'm not sure an Eleanorian fourth-string starting lineup would do any good against their Yue or Auren equivalents.

Lieutenant Stephen Mitcham: The Cup of Harmony win about fifteen months ago was the biggest achievement in Eleanorian football history. I'll be the first person to say this was not a tournament where we were 100% capacity, 100% of the time, but we tried as hard as we could at all times and places, we had the willpower, we succeeded and we laid the foundation for our current successes. I offered Priscilla a lot of help with the tactics and strategy in that and many other tournaments and seeing it all through to its conclusion was definitely the best thing I've ever done. It's the best thing anyone in Saint Eleanor outside of my family's ever done!

World Cup 93 - RP Thread

WC93 MD15-16

Match report: Saint Eleanor 8-2 Cardenao

What do the White Stars think about... personal glories?

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