World Cup 94 [roleplays]

by **Tumbra** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 10:45 am

United Hawkland 0–4 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 12 - V Jones; 18 - C Finney (2 - A Renton, 80'), 4 - I Ashburn (24 - Y Lawson, 80'), 5 - S Kerr, 3 - T Mercurio; 6 - T Harrison, 16 - I Robertson (15 - M Finnemore, 77'), 23 - S Monaghan; 7 - V Wells, 21 - J Hardaker (9 - L Crossley, 72'); 22 - C Henshaw (11 - N Riordan, 72')

TMB scorers: Susan Monaghan (38', 79'), Charlotte Henshaw (53'), Julie Hardaker (58')

Player of the Match: Susan Monaghan [TMB]

Tumbra 6–2 Kharakia

TMB (4-2-3-1): 13 - R Russell; 18 - C Finney, 20 - C Whitfield (14 - W Pritchett, 83'), 5 - S Kerr (24 - Y Lawson, 71'); 46 - M Sheppard (3 - T Mercurio, 80'); 15 - M Finnemore (10 - P Cole, 80'), 32 - L McCormick; 16 - I Robertson; 7 - V Wells, 21 - J Hardaker (9 - L Crossley, 83'); 11 - N Riordan

TMB scorers: Nick Riordan (3', 38'), Julie Hardaker (44'), Valerie Wells (55', 79'), Ian Robertson (84')

Selection of news articles from Tumbran media.

Williams set to shake up Federal Constitutional Court with nomination of conservative justice
All major media outlets

STRATON: Prime Minister Stephen Williams today announced his nominee for the vacant seat on the Federal Constitutional Court, in a move that could shake-up the court's partisan lean and set the trajectory of the court in a more conservative direction for the next few years. Justice Catherine Willetts, 53, a justice on the Sixth Circuit, was announced as the Prime Minister's nominee for the vacant seat left by the retirement of liberal justice Keith Lethbridge-Stevens. The nomination of Willets, if successful, is expected to tweak the balance of the court in favour of a more conservative jurisprudence. While liberal activists have been up in arms over Willets' nomination, legal scholars have been keen to caution that this will not produce the sort of unrest caused by judicial decisions in other countries. "The Federal Constitutional Court generally has a lot less power than judicial branches in other countries, and there is an implicit recognition that their status as unelected jurors means that they will generally not act in an overly partisan way," says Senior Counsel Percy Brenson.

The Republic Strikes Back; Black Eagles hit ten in two games against minnows
All major media outlets

COUNO: A six-goal demolishing of minnows Kharakia marks the end of an extremely productive window for the Tumbran national team, as manager Peter Gabriel hailed the induction of new names into the national team set-up, particularly in defence and midfield, as a "success". A 4-0 away victory in United Hawkland, in which attacking midfielder Susan Monaghan ran riot over the Anaian team, scoring a brace and setting Charlotte Henshaw's second-half goal, was followed by a 6-2 routing of fellow Anaians Kharakia, with Nick Riordan and Valerie Wells scoring braces. Commenting on the dominant performance of the Tumbran national team, manager Peter Gabriel said that the challenge now was to "carry on the momentum" accrued from these scores into the next set of games against Esportivan nation Ancherion and Rushmori veterans Eastfield Lodge. "The team have come back greatly from the setback of the two draws, particularly against Brusseldorf, and it's good to see that the team have responded after I challenged them to do so." It is expected that the same squad that was used for the games against Kharakia and United Hawkland will be submitted for the games against Eastfield Lodge and Ancherion, with only minor tweaks to the squad expected for the two games.

Tumbra's most famous painting to go on display in Cap Nord for the Esportivan Cultural Festival
Tumbra Today, Bencoolen Globe

STRATON: In a surprise announcement by the Tumbran Museum in Straton, the painting Evening at Mount Vernon by Edward Birch will be exhibited at the Esportivan Cultural Festival in Cap Nord. The festival, which aims to showcase Esportivan art and culture in different forms, will see the painting displayed in a special, secure marquee. "Edward Birch's most famous work deserves to be shown to the region as the Tumbran Museum aims to spread the best of Tumbran culture and history to the region and the world," said museum curator Carlene Rowan. "By allowing Evening at Mount Vernon to go on display in Cap Nord, we hope that the legacy of one of Tumbra's most famous paintings will be able to be spread across the region." Responding to concerns over the security of the painting, Rowan replied that "all possible security measures" were being taken to ensure that the painting remained in "tip-top condition" and "safe and secure while it journeyed to Cap Nord." Evening at Mount Vernon is one of the Tumbran Museum's most famous exhibits, with the room where the painting hangs having a special time limit for visitors to look at it. It is expected that the marquee that the painting is displayed in will take on a similar structure.

26-PLAYER SQUAD FOR WORLD CUP 94 QUALIFIER MATCHES vs ANCHERION and vs. EASTFIELD LODGE
Link to full roster
Goalkeepers: 1 - Nick Barker (FC Inter Nantwich), 12 - Victoria Jones (Lakewood City), 13 - Richard Russell (Lakewood United)
Defenders: 18 - Chris Finney (Serrapince), 45 - Sabine Kemp (Raven River, NPH); 4 - Ian Ashburn (Lakewood City), 5 - Stephen Kerr (Chromatik, CMT), 14 - Wendy Pritchett (Grande Mountain, CDG), 20 - Christine Whitfield (Myana, CMT), 24 - Yvonne Lawson (St. John's Arsenal, QUE); 3 - Tracey Mercurio (Kingston FC, QUE), 19 - James Green (Bavingtor FC)
Midfielders: 6 - Trudy Harrison (Chromatik, CMT), 15 - Mark Finnemore (Couno Rangers), 32 - Lucas McCormick (Lakewood City); 8 - Vincent Hicks (Couno Rangers), 16 - Ian Robertson (Ridgewell Rovers), 43 - Cathal Maguire (Wirr Tsi, CMT); 23 - Susan Monaghan (Sabrefell Athletic, NPH), 35 - Natalie Coleman (Bikarish, PFA)
Wingers: 7 - Valerie Wells (AFC Treason, NPH), 17 - Rebecca Haines (FC Inter Nantwich, TMB); 9 - Lynne Crossley (Crossroads, CMT), 21 - Julie Hardaker (Myana, CMT)
Strikers: 11 - Nick Riordan (Sabrefell Moths, NPH), 22 - Charlotte Henshaw (Lakewood City)

by **Xanneria** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 11:17 am

Xanneria kicks around Esportivan neighbor
source: http://www.xtrasports.xan

LOZHO - Xanneria has started off well within the realm of group 4 in the World Cup Qualifiers, but when your facing a regional neighbor it can be tough. Regional rounds within the confines of the WCQs can be extra spicy as being named highest regional member in your group is always a matter of region pride within nations. So the 2-0 defeat of Esportivan player Lozho has helped stabalize Xanneria as top Esportivan in group 4, epsecially after a medicore 1-1 draw versus known boogeyman team Natians and Nosts had caused the Maroon faithful to start to doubt.

Xanneria played the game amid the sunny skies of Lohzo and it was maybe that sun in their eyes that caused the first goal in the game to be scored. I say this because Allison Burnes took a pass from her Austin City teammate Shawna Isley and used that synergy and sun to cause keeper Bonzo De Jong to jump in the complete opposite direction of the ball. Burns though would have to be subbed out as a dive from Romulus saw her limp off after an ankle issue. Xanneria soon got their revenge on Romulus as he got called for an OG! It should have been a Justin Ingram score over the leaping hands of Bonzo de Jong, but Mr. Romulus, the patriarch of bad dives, who had the ball hit his leg and deflected the ball into the goal. This victory leaves the Maroons in a tie for second place in the group with Farfadillis and so far Xanneria is the only team to score points in 100% of their games.

XANNERIA: 2
Burnes 59'
Romulus 82' (OG)

LOZHO: 0

by **Zwangzug** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 11:31 am

Now this field, too, had people and a ball.
But in all other aspects it was far
Removed even from the strikers we'd seen.

The players had no skill, nor even joy
As they pursued their paths about the pitch.
They did not seek the ball, but fled its path.

None could I recognize by countenance,
Though once or twice I thought an accent rang
Which I had heard before, with mortal ears.

"Who are these that so trepidatiously
Run from the ball, as though it meant them ill?"
I asked, and swiftly did my guide explain:

"These are the scoffers who once thought it wrong
For any of their kindred to take pride
In wins or losses, kicking of a ball

When there was so much more of dire impact:
Earthquakes and famines, wars and tyrannies.
These things, said they, should merit all our time.

No joy would they know till no soul knew pain,
And, in their stubbornness, failed to perceive
The beauty and the grace a step away.

Now, all these griefs behind them, they could know
The thrill of play, could they only perceive
The visage of the ball is naught to fear.

But still they dare not contemplate its face,
And so they tremble, dodging from its flight,
And see it only as their punishment."

"Yet is it wrong," I ventured with loud voice,
"That journalists should write of many things
In sky and air, beyond the field of play?

For many are the matches that transpire,
And weary grow the fingers that report
Only upon drab hours-and-a-half."

"I did not say that such labors are wrong,"
She chided me. "Only that those who seek,
Not only to confront life's tragedies

But force all others to face them, as well,
With unremitting stare, and think themselves
Better than mere simpletons who crave hope,

Should come to this." And this I understood.
Scarce are the merriments of life, at times;
Why mock those fans who savor what they can?

We left them to their labor of a game.

(Nguyen 26, Marcus 45+1, Imomenba 73)

by **Tikariot** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 11:35 am

Part 1 of Darkness Descends
Part 2 of Darkness Descends
Part 3 of Darkness Descends

He doesn't want the moment to end but he knows that they cannot not linger. He sits back, looking at Myfanwy.

"Are you ok?" he asks softly.

She nods. "Yes, thank you again. Y-you saved my life."

The Shadow gives her a tired smile. "Did you really think I'd let this - thing carry you off?"

He pushes himself to his feet, grimacing as he straightens out before holding his hand out to help Myfanwy up as well.

With a last look at the shapeshifter's body, he looks at his companions. "Do you feel this?"

"I feel nothing," says the bearded man.

"Exactly. The wind is gone."

They look toward the sea, and it is calm. In the distance, a glow is flickering as if trying to catch their attention. The Shadow points in its direction.

"That's where we have to go."

"How? Last time I checked, we weren't able to walk on water."

Without a word, he walks closer to the edge of the water, trying to find - something to get them across the expanse of water, now oddly calm after the wind has disappeared.

He still sees shadows writhing in the dark recesses of the cave, with the incessant moans and screams turning louder.

"The wind is coming back!" He says, his movements becoming more urgent. "We have to find something. Now!"

They spread out, and a call from Myfanwy alerts him. He turns and runs over to a little cove on the rocky waterfront, where a rickety boat is tied to a partially rotten wooden stake.

The bearded man eyes it with suspicion. "I'm surprised this thing floats on its own, let alone hold us."

The Shadow carefully climbs into the boat before holding his hand to Myfanwy to help her. "You don't have to come if you like it here..."

Grumbling, the bearded man drops himself into the boat, making it rock dangerously. As he attempts to untie the rope, the wooden stake crumbles. The four oars in the boat don't look in great shape either, but they know they don't have time to find an alternative. The hot wind is picking up, and the water's surface is showing ripples. At the same time, the shadows from the edge of the cavern are detaching and moving closer. They push off with urgency and position themselves on the four corners of the boat to row.

As they set out, they try to gauge the distance they have to cover, but with every stroke of the oars, the wind increases in strength, carrying the heat of a thousand fires. The further they progress, the choppier the water gets. The Shadow peeks over the side and, to his horror, sees that it's not only the wind but that there are writhing bodies rising up that cause the surface to broil.

"Row!"

"What do you think we're doing?"

"Have a look under us."

"Oh shit, ROW!"

They frantically row as the bodies begin to break the water's surface and the scorching wind continues to increase. more often than not, their oars hit bodies beneath the surface, and it takes them several minutes until the water finally calms down and the wind lets up. At the same time, darkness is rolling in like an oblique fog, swallowing the light.

He is in a lot of pain, so he is happy that the darkness masks the pained look on his face. He has lost track of time as they press on through the darkness, hoping they are still on the right course. After what feels like an eternity, the boat runs aground with a lurch that makes its crew topple forward. They first notice the stench wafting through the air, a mix of wonderful food and the scent of decay and putrefaction, combining into a miasma to churn even the sturdiest of stomachs. They jump onto the bank of the underground lake, and the moment the last of them touch land, the boat drifts away as if pulled by a string.

As they climb the embankment, the rock gives way to moist earth, which makes it increasingly difficult as it gives way. Eventually, they reach the top, and the sight in front of them is the visual equivalent to the miasmic stench they had smelled when they landed. Before them stretches a seemingly endless expanse of a foul wasteland, dead, barren trees sticking out of a brown morass, a vile mixture of mud, filth and the remnants of food and limbs. Fires burn, and many of the trees are aflame yet not being consumed, casting an eerie, flickering light over what lies before them.

The abysmal landscape is dotted with countless souls, bloated and grotesque, their bodies disfigured from their insatiable appetites on Earth. These tormented souls wallow in the slush, trying to satisfy their eternal hunger, but they can never find relief or sustenance as they shovel the foul mixture into their gaping mouths. From behind, The Shadow hears retching and at least two people violently relieving themselves of the remnants of their last meal.

Rain and hail pour from the dark and overcast sky, perpetually drenching everything in the circle. The rainwater mixes with the slush, forming puddles that add to the misery of the damned souls, soaking them in icy water that further intensifies their torment.

"Do we h-have to go - in there?" the bearded man asks.

"Do we have a choice?"

As they step forward, the ground turns into a thick, dark slush that threatens to pull them down if they remain in the same spot for too long. The rain and hail pelt them relentlessly, and they pull up the cowls of their hoods again to protect them from the onslaught. They weave their way through the swamp, hurrying toward the few places that are raised from the revolting sludge, trying their best to keep their distance from the writhing gluttons that turn their ghastly bloated visages toward them whenever they pass them by.

Ahead they see what appears to be a stone platform, raised from the slush, but it is what they see in its centre that makes them stop in their tracks. There stands Cerberus, the three-headed dog, chained and snarling. His enormous presence is a constant reminder of the guardianship that ensures these gluttonous souls can never escape punishment.

He feels Myfanwy's hand slide into his. "Wh-what now? We can't kill - this!"

He remains silent at first but then says with steely determination. "Not the dog, but him."

Behind Cerberus and the stone platform rises an open vault, its floor filled with what looks like a watery version of the sludge surrounding them, skulls lining the edges with a giant pile of mud, skulls, food and excrement at the back. In front of it sits a bloated, distorted creature that once must have been human but has been grotesquely misshapen by its gluttony.

With a low voice, The Shadow recites:

"In the third circle's gluttony, a wretched being resides,
Feasting on excess, hunger never satisfied.
Discover the soul who cannot stop, cannot stop their hand,
Trapped in a morbid feast, their greed they must amend."

They move closer to the platform, the three sets of Cerberus' eyes fixated on them. Its chains are too short to reach the very edge of the platform. Slowly they begin to circle the stone ring, the three-headed dog straining the chains, trying to reach them, forcing them to remain at the very edge. As they progress, they realize that the dog is not centred on the platform, which means it can reach the entrance to the vault.

The Shadow motions for them to stop. "We have to split up."

"What? Are you insane?"

"The dog is too close to the entrance. If we stay together, it'll rip us apart. We have to create a distraction."

"Hell no!" came the almost uniform response.

"I'll go."

All eyes turn to Myfanwy.

"We can either stay here for all eternity, advance together and get torn apart, or split up and get it done. Wh-whatever - it - is..."

Without uttering another word, she takes off in the opposite direction, running along the edge.

"Fuck me..." the bearded man says before grabbing the other two men. "Let's go. She's right."

Reluctantly they follow him as they run after the redhead. Almost immediately, the dog reacts, its heads swivelling between Myfanwy, the three men following her and The Shadow as if attempting to figure out how to get to all of them simultaneously. Finally, it moves toward the others, its instincts seeing the larger group as the larger threat.

The Shadow lets out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. He mutters, "Damn, I'm happy this thing has only one body..." He rushes along the platform's edge toward the vault, leaping across a foul, bubbling puddle of sludge and landing on a stone ledge that circles around one of the pillars of the vault. After a brief check that Cerberus was still focused on his companions, he slides inside, and the sight of the creature is the most revolting thing he ever had to lay his eyes on. It looked as if it had partially melted into the sludge surrounding it, grabbing anything it could reach to shovel it into its gaping maw to satiate its endless hunger.

As he watched it, he could see something shiny on the left, bloated hand that looked like a ring similar to the other two in his pocket. Carefully climbing across the piles of skulls lining the vault, he approaches the creature, which finally turns its grotesque head toward him, letting out an unearthly groan of anguish. He knows that he has to get the ring, but looking around he sees nothing but skulls and the bubbling sludge. The sounds of Cerberus snarling and baying with increased ferocity remind him that he doesn't have much time to devise a plan.

He jumps forward and grabs the arm of the creature, taking it by surprise, its bloated body unable to react quickly, opening its mouth. The touch is revolting, feeling the soft, adipose flesh in his hands, but he takes the arm and rams it forward into the mouth with one quick movement. He feels something snap inside the arm as he continues to push it forward until the creature goes limp with an unearthly gargling sound. Without wasting another second, he grabs the ring, but the finger is too bloated to get it off. He feels the bile rising in his mouth, both from the stench and the sight in front of him. As his eyes water, he grabs hold of the ring and yanks, feeling the tissue give way.

He does not dare to look, but the moment the ring is free, he runs for the exit of the vault, stumbling over obstacles within the sludge but avoiding the fall. He races out onto the platform, yelling at the top of his lungs to alert his companions. The moment he sets foot onto the platform, Cerberus whirls around and, with a powerful leap, jumps toward him, its fangs exposed, eyes aglow. He braces himself for impact but hears chains clinking and then a loud thud shakes the whole platform as the three-headed dog, held back by the chains, hits the ground.

The tremor of the platform briefly has him lose his footing, but he regains control and sees his companions approach at top speed. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Cerberus back up and take another run and leap. He hears a chain snapping just as his companions run past him, and he turns to run himself...

Line-up for Match Day 6 against StrayaRoos

Line-up for Match Day 7 against Atheara

OOC: Images of the third circle of hell are Midjourney, the rest is mine.

by **Saint Eleanor** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 11:56 am

Channel 4 presents THE RACE TO THE WORLD CUP - World Cup 94, fourth qualifier game
SAINT ELEANOR 1-1 THE JOVANNIC (Rick Goldsmith 75, Hashan Redder 35)

Report by Candy Hewitt, Channel 4 football analyst: Rick Goldsmith helped Saint Eleanor escape with a draw at home to the ninth-seeded Jovannic in chaotic circumstances, a result which saw them drop points for the first time in these qualifiers but was - incredibly - a fair one on the balance of things. The visitors must have expected little to start with, anyway, being quickly forced into a defensive posture by possibly the most fluid of the four Eleanorian teams that have taken the field so far.
That team had six shots on target in the first forty-five minutes. Steve Pilchard had an effort clawed away midway through the first half; Jessica Martin cut inside superbly, as she normally does, only to have her scoping effort palmed away for a hopeless corner. The Jovannicans snagged one, although that was harsh on them given how often Hashan Redder (and wide partner Barella Lee) were cut off during promising attacks. Instead, Juyt Dersa clung onto a long ball from the back, bounced it to Redder and watched as the 21-year-old zipped past both central defenders before leaving goalkeeper John Bailey himself left for dead.
You would expect the Jovannic to come out into the second half swinging. Not so: they tightened defensively, dramatically and - 90% of the time - diligently. It was tactical chess, yet all the pieces were in a stalemate that could never be unlocked, save for a moment of magic. The 10% that remained would cost them fatally; that 10% was the magic. First, Huli Maringar's heavy loss of control was exposed by Sylvia Hollenberg, who just hammered the ball into Pilchard's direction - unfortunately, bearing under as much defensive pressure as he was, he had no choice but to attempt a heavily wayward first-time volley.
Then, and most importantly, George Sim tripped Jessica Martin, who attempted a quick free kick from a reasonable distance. David Newcastle thought he was teeing up Pilchard, offside as he was, but his pass instead clattered off two Jovannicans and found its way to Rick Goldsmith, who delivered the easiest dribble-and-shot you will ever see. With just fifteen minutes to go and after oodles of attempts, it was the least his side deserved. But after seventy-five minutes of valiant defence, it was about as bad as Sim and company could tolerate.
Lo and behold - the Jovannican defence finally started to show signs of chiding in response to the pressure, but never would buckle in the end. Goldsmith was to fire narrowly over the bar in pursuit of his brace and clubmate Lydia Nicholls had an exceptionally late header nastily inched away from the goalline in what was the de-facto final act. The Jovannican attack, on the other hand, sat there, dropping back sometimes, but all the while waiting in vain - or not, depending on how optimistic a fan of theirs you might have asked.
Still, Saint Eleanor assuredly should have done much, much better than this. They may have already seen Brenecia and Eura fail to defeat the Polar Islandstates. Surely they would have seen Cap Nord, their next opponents, straightforwardly collapse against this opposition in the last round. The White Stars still have a three-point advantage at the top of the table; the Whalers, talented, cosmopolitan and fourth-seeded though they may be, have collected three points in total. The expectations for Esportiva are low, but they could have dropped much lower today.

⨷ ⨷ ⨶ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷

Thirty Years of Eleanorians - 1977: "I bought my first house for $60,000"
Published by Simon Howard on January 29th 2005

When he was growing up, James Morgan quickly established a reputation for being diligent and focused - even if not academically superb. "I just did enough to get by most of the time. Studying was never quite a priority in the Morgan household because, well, you're passing everything, that's enough to get you a job and you have other things to be getting on with in your life, so why bother with more?" He insists he was never bullied by his classmates in Deepchester, however: "The place is fairly well-off and all that but I knew my place and I think everybody else accepted that so no worries here."

The real ace up his sleeve, however, was not the football team - or regular visits to the library. Instead, he was floating between part-time evening jobs with local cafés and small shops. "Four dollars an hour wasn't anywhere close to the grownups, especially not when you're working as little as I did, but it was still decent money - must have summed to a bit more than five thousand over the four years? I didn't spend it on much because I didn't really get any of the fancy trends around at the time - not that any of us like those, mind."

The Magna man ultimately passed all of his School Certificate exams, with good C passes in English and Maths and a D in Geography among the highlights, before proceeding to obtain a full-time role at the checkouts in his local branch of the Intershop. "Twenty grand a year plus the union benefit - better life, better times, just about better everything, really. I was still living with mum, dad, brother and sister though, which was annoying as well as, some of the time, a chance for me to help out with their homework. It's not something I enjoyed and that's not the only thing I did."

Morgan's saving strategies beyond that were, to put it, somewhat unorthodox. He took "fairly good advantage" of the 10% employer discount to save on his bills, stayed away from eating or drinking anything he couldn't get from the shop and often invited his friends over to his dinners to build atmosphere. "I'm not sure they were expecting my home cooking at all even though I was pretty much doing it every day and some of them were having it every two or three weeks. They were always converted by the time they'd finished, though, and I don't know who that says more about either."

By the start of 1998 and after some pay upratings, Morgan had (by his admission) "tons in the bank, let's just say" and was ready to move out. Coincidentally, a somewhat disused but easily furnishable house in Magna district - more central, and less peripheral, than his parents' house - had emerged on the market for just $60,000. He expressed interest, made representations and had organised a viewing tour but "instinctively knew that I'd have to back my belief in myself up with all the money I'd kept aside for this, really."

He went to his local branch of First Eleanorian to begin with - then and now the only bank to seriously offer mortgage and other loan services since independence - and, after being approved on his credit check, interest stress tests and other tests enforced by the bank on prospective mortgagers, was ultimately authorised for a 50% loan-to-value mortgage spread over ten years. This amounts to a $250 monthly mortgage payment, which he still calls "an absolute bargain," and in the end, the home was easily his.

By any account, Morgan's story was and is unusual. Even in Magna, one of the more impoverished districts, houses will not normally go below $75,000; average house prices can be up to double that in more sought-after areas. The house needed some looking after by the new buyer before he could truly move there from his parents' home, although he claims he's done with that beyond "the usual 24/7 stuff." And now he has a new wife, Katy, who he cites as being "half the stress taken away in the financial sense, then loaded back on me in the obvious sense - the rest of you will know what I mean."

In a sense, though, it is distinctly ordinary. The Morgans are still in traditionally blue-collar jobs: he's retained his post at Intershop, albeit with a promotion to lower-tier management reportedly in the works, while she's a supply teacher who hovers around the Community Schools of the north-west on demand of the Ministry of Literacy and Numeracy. They like their home and are "intent on having children in about a year or so" - although most likely one, he says, given the size of the house and their relatively low wages, about as much together as the average single Eleanorian earns per year. Their friends still come along every now and again, despite Katy's insistence that "everybody's been getting busier and busier, now they aren't just hanging about trying to replace the time they spent at school, so this hasn't happened as often." And, of course, their parents "dearly miss us; this being Saint Eleanor, however, they aren't really far away like we sometimes think."

by **Squornshelan Remnant States** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 12:21 pm

Krytenia - 0
Squornshelan Remnant States - 4

Goals:
SRS: Ness 10'; Bondarov 21', 48'; Nedeljkovic 85'

SRS Lineup: Shimski; Nyberg (Bakken 75'), Titov, Van, Halfariani (Sauber 87'); Hashemi, Sevet-Ibilx; Bondarov (Stern 70'), Volam (Nacar 87'), Yonte; Ness (Nedelkovic 70')

Squornshelan Remnant States - 1
Indusse - 0

Goals:
SRS: Ness 44'

SRS Lineup: Shimski; Nyberg (Norling 84'), Titov, Van, Halfariani; Hashemi, Sevet-Ibilx; Bondarov, Volam (Byqvist 66'), Yonte (Maksimov 78'); Ness (Fridtjofs 78')

MD01: SRS 11- 1 BRS @ Killough Grove (cap. 31,400), Han Wavel, Han Dold, SRS
MD02: ROS 0 - 1 SRS @ TBA
MD03: SRS 0 - 0 BAR @ New Rudlit Arena (cap. 31,200), Rudlit, West Flania, SRS
MD04: KRY 0 - 4 SRS @ TBA
MD05: SRS 1 - 0 INS @ Synesoft Arena (cap. 46,950), Syneca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD06: DOR   v   SRS @ TBA
MD07: SRS   v   TGI @ Overburg Arena (cap. 46,222), Damogran, Algolia, SRS
MD08: CPT   v   SRS @ Captina Company Sports Ground (cap. ), Geneva City, CPT
MD09: SRS   v   PUG @ Viltvodle Civic Arena (cap. 58,300), Viltvodle, Megabrantis, SRS
MD10: CBA   v   SRS @ TBA
MD11:      BYE
MD12: BRS   v   SRS @ TBA
MD13: SRS   v   ROS @ Smolak Systemy Stadion (cap. 31,200), Sjerezo, Molvania, SRS
MD14: BAR   v   SRS @ TBA
MD15: SRS   v   KRY @ Striterax Cybernetics Arena (cap. 64,325), Striterax, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
MD16: INS   v   SRS @ Aditya Varma Kulashekara International Stadium (cap. 131,561), New Hind City, INS
MD17: SRS   v   DOR @ Emerald Coast Colliseum (cap. 38,500), Vassilian, Algolia, SRS
MD18: TGI   v   SRS @ TBA
MD19: SRS   v   CPT @ Black Raven Field (cap. 35,400), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD20: PUG   v   SRS @ Kejm Park (cap. 28,000), Port Kejm, PUG
MD21: SRS   v   CBA @ Radlov Arena (cap. 76,800), Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS
MD22:      BYE

Wild Squornshelous
Part 3: Eastern Sivolvian Rainforest

Far on the opposite end of the country from the harsh cold of Flania, there is another forest huddled at the feet of a forbidding mountain chain. But these mountains are capped, not only with ice, but also with fire. In the southeast of Squornshelous, the Sivolvian peninsula juts hundreds of miles out into the sea. It was built by the offshore subduction of the oceanic plate, which created a chain of volcanoes. These towering mountains block the moisture of the prevailing ocean winds, flooding the eastern slopes with ample rain. The deposits of ash and lava, once eroded, provide rich soils to nourish abundant plants. The result is a diversity and density of life to rival any other habitat in Squornshelous.

Perhaps the most remarkable denizens of this forested land are the Thyreophorans. A diverse group of herbivorous reptiles, Thyreophoran species are all characterized by rows of osteoderms, bony protrusions from the skin which run along their backs. At their most basic, these act as a shield against the teeth and claws of predators. In some species, however, the process of evolution has produced a bewildering variety of forms and purposes, from weapons to mating displays. Various species of this order have made homes across the south of Squornshelous, but here in Eastern Sivolvia, only those native to the upland forests can live their lives undisturbed by humans. Here, in the cloud forests high on the mountainside, is the only remaining place where the smallest member of this group can be found.

Weighing in under five kilograms, Scutellosaurus is one of the few Thyreophorans that moves primarily in a bipedal posture. Its long tail accounts for half its length of just over one meter, and provides a counterbalance for the weight of its armored body. It lives its life among the dense forest undergrowth on a diet of ferns and soft shrubs. An armor plated back might seem to make this small reptile unassailable for most predators, but there are still dangers that slip silently through the forest.

The Puma is a champion of adaptation. They can be found stalking the frigid landscape of the North Reach, here in the cloud forest of Sivolvia, and every habitat in between. Large, sensitive eyes peer through the shadowed undergrowth, and flexible ears scan for any sign of prey. If he can close to within a few meters of the Scutellosaurus, there'll be little chance to escape. He leaps, still silent, and seizes his target. The plates along Scutellosaurus's back and sides prevent teeth and claws from doing much damage, but a suffocating bite to the windpipe is lethal.

At lower elevations, and on flatter ground, the diversity of the forest has collided with an outside force. The demands of human society have required the conversion of large swathes of land to agriculture. While recent government policies have attempted to mollify the harm done the environment here, most of the farming here is still monoculture, producing one of a small number of high demand cash crops. In Sivolvia, more land is devoted to rice farming than to any other purpose. Coffee and oil palm plantations are also common. Outside the borders of protected parks and reserves, the fate of the forest in the face of these incursions is uncertain, as is that of its largest denizens.

Euplocephalus has nothing to fear from puma, and little regard for even the obstacles that humanity has put in the way. Fences and property lines mean little when you're six meters long and weigh in at two tonnes. Like the mammoth of the north, these armored monsters are nearly immune to predation when fully grown and healthy. Just for good measure, their tail sports a massive, rounded set of osteoderms. A club head the size of a human torso is enough to give even the boldest predator pause. Almost any predator. These giants were hunted nearly to extinction, and only legal protections put in place after Confederate independence saved them from extinction. Now their population has rebounded, but the encroachment of agriculture and housing on their former territory limits their numbers from ever fully recovering. The current leading cause of death for these slow moving creatures is infighting over limited grazing range. A broken leg from an opponent's club is usually a death sentence. Despite the limitations imposed by human needs, the future is secure at least, for the territory that remains.

by **Bears Armed** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 12:36 pm

(Shortly before Matchday 4...)

Just outside the borders of Bears Armed's 'Mainland' section, invisibly as far as most people are concerned, a somewhat draconic (although also, to a lesser extent, somewhat equine), long-bodied, and multi-coloured, being is prowling. Sometimes he walks, either on all fours or risen up onto his hind-legs alone, and sometimes -- although he posesses only relatively small wings -- he flies. He pauses occasionally and tests the mystical defences that bar him from entering the country, but each time he is repelled in a shower of [also multi-coloured] sparks. These apparently hurt him, although they do not cause visible damage, and he is grumbling in a low tone continuously under his breath not only when this happens but all through his explorations. Finally he stops, sits back with his long body folded almost into the shape of a 'Z', and seems to fall into deep thought.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

OOC
If you followed the link in my previous post about the Bear-Belles once having been briefly transformed into "ponies" (Including some unicorns and pegasuses) then you should realise who this is and probably would guess that the reason why he's trying to get into Bears Armed is so that he can cause trouble there. You might even suspect that he personaly arranged for the Belles'recent problem with Hwrackspurrts...
My aplogies for not writing more this time, but I've been having a bit of a problem with those blasted Hwrackspurrts myself.

by **Alasdair I Frosticus** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 12:55 pm

It was the dark and forbidding land of Britonisea that the quest for World Cup qualification at last began in earnest.

Britonisea was a mysterious place about which little was known. There was no information about what people might live there, or what 'roster' they might field; so the Holy Empire squad entered the Britonisea lair with some measure of concern - yet they had a plan, a plan that even Jude the Obscure, with his rigid adherence to the rules had to admit did not breach the laws of the game since it involved acting before the match.

At first, the pre-match discussion had centred on Shakaara Vakraas - the mightiest illusionist in the history of the World - casting his weird spell. This spell simply requires the caster to be able to speak to the subjects to bring the dweomer into being. Had this plan been put into effect, Vakraas would have called out to the Britonisea squad, informing them that their final doom was upon them. The force of the magic is so strong, that even those who manage to shake off the illusion are paralysed and weakened by fear; but those who believe find themselves facing their most feared nemesis in mortal combat...

Ultimately, the plan was rejected for two reasons: if poorly cast, it might have impacted the home crowd as well as the players; and it also likely would have resulted in the deaths of many of the opposing team as they battled their nemeses to the death. The good members of the squad flatly vetoed the idea.

It was at this point that Vakraas suggested using "a little auditory illusion of my own devising": a personal spell known as the doom bell. As the teams walked out onto the pitch, Vakraas could be seen ringing a small bell while calling out "dooooooom! dooooooom!". The effect was much less drastic than the more powerful weird. While both require convincing those impacted by the magic that their final doom is upon them, doom bell simply leaves them shaking in fear of their looming final peril for roughly 2 hours minutes, almost paralysed into inaction - a more powerful and focused version of the more common spook spell often used by illusionist seeking to instil fear into their opponents. As such, it was a simple matter for the Holy Empire squad to run out 4-1 winners away from home, with the only Britonisea goal coming from a brief misunderstanding when Winxal doubled over and seemed to be about to manifest his were-hamster form. Fortunately, this merely turned out to be indigestion and wind.

Now, there are those who consider it unsporting to use magic to help turn the tide of a football match, but in his post-match press conference, Juan Tzimisces was quick to point out that no magic had been used during the actual 90 minute of play, and besides, even if there'd been some use of magic before the match, he didn't think that mundies believed in this magic nonsense anyway, so it was a bit rich to complain about his team taking advantage of something that most of their opponents didn't believe in anyway. Tzimisces also rigorously denied that his goalkeeper was using a shield spell to stop the opposing team from scoring as magic had not been used during the Britonisea match, whatever a shield spell might be; which was true, but did perhaps give some members of the team an idea for their following matches.

Regardless, the Imperial coach was quick to stress the natural skill of his squad, and that they could best any team in the multiverse on their day, even without casting Otto's Irresistible Dance on the opposing goalkeeper (not that Otto's Irresistible Dance was real, anyway), as the other teams in group 13 would soon discover as his squad continued their Quest for World Cup Qualification.

In many ways, the Britonisea match would prove to be just a test of the true challenges that the squad were yet to overcome - and the increasingly original solutions they would find to overcome them.

by **Kimi-Suomi** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:02 pm

Kolme pistettä on kolme pistettä. That is a mantra that has encapsulated Kimi-Suomi's WCQ campaign so far as the Huuhkajat have recorded 3 1-0 wins in order to be placed 2nd in this group. It may not be the prettiest football to watch but considering the situation JYK-inen was finding itself in, it was certainly a lot better than it could've been. Esko Laaksonen has been bringing a consistent gameplan so far...but would we still feel that way after this final game before the bye?

Well, we would be on the road to face Pot 5 Atheara in this game and many people were expecting more of the same: a tight game, with both teams having good chances, but one in which the Huuhkajat wins. Well it was tight, that's for certain, and both teams would end up with some good chances...but this time, it seems as though the hosts (and Kristian Johansson) had us scouted and used the counter game to devastating effects. They scored twice off of the counter, once in both halfs, and that would be enough to finally derail us. We took the L...and just in time for our bye.

We had to sit through our bye and mull over that, mull over that loss and that pain. We're still 2nd, but Tikariot are now 6 points clear and the chasing pack is right on our tail. These next two game, against Sinyal at Pesä and Sendhang on the road may be critical at this early stage...and so we must fight for every point we can. We started so well...now, we got to prove that wasn't a fluke. NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

by **Huayramarca** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:10 pm

News Compact – 24/02/1989

Written by: Zoila Victoria
24/02/1989 – Last Updated: 8:52 A.M.

Politics: These last couple of weeks have been some of the most difficult ones in the short-lived history of Democratic Huayramarca, for those who have been out of the loop, we summarise the happenings in the next paragraph.

It all started during a meeting of Marta Mamani, where she stated her intentions to run for re-election, in a movement considered as “disrespectful of democracy” and “the first symptom of an autocratic regime” by many members of the civil society, including some members of the elites in the Coast. Some days later, Mamani gave a speech to clarify her announcement for re-election, during which she was shot by a terrorist in his attempt for a magnicide. Mamani has survived despite having a pulmonary collapse, she has recovered fully but it will start working again the next week.

It is, in regards of the happenings, that the investigation to find the masterminds behind the assassination plot of Marta Mamani has gone in full speed due to the declarations of the terrorist whose surname is Acasiete, who is under trial despite he has, so far, collaborated to reveal some names who could be under the planning of the plot. William Mamani-Hastings who, apparently, was the mastermind of the plan has provided some declarations during a media availability this week, this because “Acasiete” has involved him into the attempt.

William Mamani-Hastings: “I’ve been always against any plan for re-election, against any plan to sideline the Jungle region and the needs of its inhabitants by Serranos and Costeños, we need to stand with determination to make our voices be heard, to let all of them know that we have rights and we won’t renounce them. Considering the latest accusations, I can’t help but feel ashamed of those who think that I led that plan, I have the utmost respect to democratic practices of this nation, and for those also involved in its life; despite I disagree with them, I wouldn’t lead any plot to silence their voices, I’m not that dumb.”

After the declarations, some analysts were surprised on how Mamani-Hastings looked, many of them coincided that “the movements of his eyes towards the horizon were a clear indicator that he lies.” Although, the National Ombudsman Office has been cautious to release formal accusations, in words of Mirna Menjívar, “We want to have a solid case, strong indications enough to make the prove difficult to beat. We won’t commit a mistake of accusing or having bias towards anybody in the process, specially right before a general election.” Analysts also coincide that the Ombudsman is taking the “smartest approach” as releasing an accusation in this timeframe could be “like throwing oil to the flames.”

As of late, all the eyes have been towards Mamani-Hastings, to the point of him going aloud in the same press availability to talk about it: “This is exasperating, it has trespassed my privacy, my family’s privacy, I’m being harassed, and it is intolerable to deal with this in a so-called democratic republic. I do not fear anything, as I said, I’m innocent and I’m here right now, relaxed, without attempting to flee Huayramarca. I do have a social compromise to participate in the upcoming primaries, I want to be the president of Huayramarca and give the so-needed voice to Jungle inhabitants in the daily republican life of this nation.

Marta Mamani’s daughter, Laura, has been a constant face during the process, one face that has declined to talk with media during the first couple of days, as she was on shock on the fear of losing her mother, her only support in life in a critical moment of her adolescence. As time moved, and Mamani healed, Laura talked to media and expressed her feelings: “I only ask for justice, nothing more nor less. It could’ve been my mum, could’ve been a peasant, could’ve been anybody but we deserve to be in a violence-free Huayramarca. No matter if she wants to re-elect or not, our lives must be respected!”

“Acasiete” has revealed some other names related to the entourage of William Mamani-Hastings, and the Jungle elites, this also includes oil tycoons whose names haven’t been disclosed as it is a process under investigation. What we know so far, is that the Ombudsman has offered a deal to “Acasiete” in exchange for information that could lead to the culprits of the failed attempt of a magnicide. A source familiar with the investigation has revealed that “Acasiete’s” sentence could be slashed in half, from 60 years in jail to 30 years.

In matters related to the election, Ñucanchi Ñan has revealed that they will await until Marta Mamani fully recovers to take a decision on letting her run for a re-election or enabling a primary system to have her into the process or having a B alternative in case a complaint against her, that could be passed by the Supreme Court of Justice, prospers. What we know so far is that Augusto Buendía could be one of the potential candidates, alongside the Governor of the Parcoy Province Gabriela Choquehuanca; more candidates could be into the process, which was scheduled to be done this week.

In other parties, such as the Communist Party of Huayramarca, the primaries have been called for, meaning that anybody who is a member of said institution can take part of the process through their registration in the National Headquarters of the party. The expectations in this movement are high, considering they got a solid performance during the last election, being able to compete and obtain a solid third position. This time, the main axis of campaign steers towards environmental sustainability, and retaking key stances in cooperative farms (kolkhoz) across the nation.

There is a process to register new parties, including the new Movimiento Indigenista Illari, a collective of indigenous associations across Huayramarca, including Jungle, Sierra, Coast, and the Isles. Illari has collected the required number of signatures that the Supreme Elections Committee requires, 320,000; and it’s under process of approval. Under a similar situation is the Mamani-Hastings’-lead Republican Party, a spinoff of the Huayramarcan Conservative Party to which he asked for disaffiliation the last month, partially due to the lack of support from party members and people across the Jungle. Despite the party has managed to collect the required number of signatures, there’s doubt among analysts that if said party would be able to survive, as the Huayramarcan Elections Code has defined that if a party is unable to secure five MPs, it will disappear and must be founded again.

More other parties are in the process of selecting candidates, but the overall trend points towards primaries happening in a month, giving candidates enough time to start, gain traction and aim for victory in their processes. It has been confirmed that the elections, in such case, will be pushed back two weeks to enable all candidates to be in the same position before the beginning of the authorised window for nationwide campaigning.

Huayramarcan National Team: “Convincing start, yet not enough for me to be comfortable not for us to celebrate” those were the words of Blâás Âgínsôgnó, the manager of the National Team, after drawing 3-3 against Darmen at Chuckio in a match where Huayramarca showed the same capacity of the last World Cup Finals, being able to do comebacks, showing resilience and a strong reply capability. So far, Huayramarca had three wins vs. Ko-oren (1-0 – Tello), Île de Richelieu (1-0 – Uscamayta) and Sannyamathland (6-2 – Tello, Sayritupac, Alszeghy , I. Mamani, Uscamayta x2).

So far, everybody can coincide that Huayramarca’s issue with a potential replace for Bryan Tello once come the dreaded time for his retirement, is being slowly sorted out through the construction of two superstars in the shape of Lucien Alszeghy and Diego Uscamayta, both being able to show a superb precision when it comes to defining plays. It is important to have into consideration that these two stars are only twenty years old, so they’re still players in the making but with a privilege, having Bryan Tello near them to provide support during their process of adaptation, something that could prove to be decisive if they decide from learn everything they can from el asesino del gol.

Alszeghy has been there, and has provided two goals against Sannyamathland and Darmen, his presence and ability to handle the ball have been key for Huayramarca to solve some sticky situations, but Diego Uscamayta has been the game changer so far, with four goals in four matches, enough to prove the hype he is living not only in Huayramarca, but also in Tikariot with the Parakleion Firebirds at the TPL. In the voice of Uscamayta proper, he says “It is a process, I know I’ll have bright moments and dark ones too, but it is from those chaotic moments where the learning comes from. Tikariot has been more than a school for me, evolving from darkness, being able to harness my potential and use it wisely are the things that are boosting my momentum so far.”

Blâás Âgínsôgnó stands firm with his word, continuingly asking media to “avoid overhyping Uscamayta” as “he is a star in the making”, considering that “he needs some time to show us his true potential.” Then, he also referred to Bryan Tello prospects for the future “We need Bryan, he’s our top scorer, he is more than a player, he is the motivation and guide for many young players here, especially for Uscamayta and Alszeghy, we need them to be under the support of the best at the job.” And that’s real, Bryan Tello continues producing as always, despite approaching to the sunset of his career, he has said “I take care of myself as the professional I am in this sport. I want to last; I am built to last, and I want to give Huayramarca everything until my last second on a football field.” In a show of his conviction and support for the National Team until he can do so.

As time progresses, seems that Blâás Âgínsôgnó has taken the grip of the National Team with solid command, as the players have fully understood and personally took the mission that the manager has appointed on them. Switching from what was an already offensive system to a totally offensive scheme based on block pressing, suffocation of the rivals, keeping the ball near the rival area and asserting domination on possession, Huayramarca has experienced a surge through the usage of the capabilities and potential of the players, aside the fact of helping new players to debut and forge a reputation with the team. The goal, to rejuvenate the team and aim to a path of “constant progression” up the top, which isn’t easy, but the players have showed disposition to achieve the goals.

As the qualifiers goes, Huayramarca continues to improve in their style, as showed vs Sannyamathland with a strong attacking performance, yet being able to hold the rival in their own area for most of the match. The incorporations of Diego Uscamayta, Lucien Alszeghy during the second half, sharing some time with Bryan Tello and forming a trident in attack that proved to be devastating, as the trio managed to work among them with precise passing, coordination, and dragging rival defenders to different positions, causing serious issues on them. Similar conditions were happening in Darmen, except for significant issues in defence, as the Darmenis were able to exploit some of the gaps when the team went to attack, something that caused frustration on Blâás Âgínsôgnó, as he said, “We love to attack, but we also must focus on taking control of the defence when marking, we lacked dominance.”

Despite that, the fact of having a point at the road will always be important to gather as the Qualifiers are more of an endurance race than a quick one, those who endure the most will be able to qualify, and Huayramarca must be aware of it. The next fortnight features Greater Cebu and the Cherven Cities, two teams that may be low ranking-wise, but are always a threat we must take care, as they will field eleven players as we will do, everything can happen, but Huayramarcan players must be aware of the importance of fielding their best players, performing on top of their abilities to keep those 36 million fans happy, to pave the road towards the World Cup dream consistently.

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by **Trolleborg** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:17 pm

Greetings, compatriots!
It's TTV and we continue to we continue to introduce you to the world of Trolleborg sport cinema.

As always, the films for today are chosen by lot. Considering the popularity of this topic, it’s very strange that so far we haven’t got what one of what the film critics called a “documenting grievances”. But just such a film will have first number today. Since the latest events, first of all, the loss without our own fault of four incredibly important points, which actually puts an end to the hopes of our players to achieve some success in this qualifying tournament, and maybe even on the prospect of returning to the top thirty of the world ranking table for at least a few years, it is just very handy.

So, as the first number we have "... + referee", a film about the game, which largely determined the fate of our team in the World football overall. The name of the film is really second part of the newspaper title on the next day, which, by all accounts, most capaciously captured the essence of what was happening. And the first part is the name of the team with which our players played that day. If they had beaten clear outsider of the group on their own field, they would have received a spot in the World Championship without further tests. But the team did not win, although they were leading 2:0 half an hour before the end of the game. Thanks to three penalties invented by the referee and the generous distribution of red cards to our players, the guests went home with a victory – as it turns out, in order to disappear from the world of sports forever. Just these points we lost here is what we are short at the end. Team goes, as a result, to playoff and suffered a defeat there – in the circumstances about the same as in this game. The film was made in the classical system, without interactive elements, the authors limited themselves to an amplifier of emotions, but they used it properly and very talentedly. The film gradually and very skillfully leads the viewer into impotent rage as events unfold and the referees's bias (or totally madness and incompetence) becomes more obvious, and his actions more and more ridiculous. And at the same time, it speaks of the role played by all these events in the minds of the inhabitants of the country that even in the absence of additional means of influence, there are known cases of damage to household property when watching this film.

As second today we present “Moving forward”. This is a film dedicated to a young (at the beginning of the film) player who has high hopes, who is trying to prove himself at the youth level and break into the national team – for more a decade. Made in 3D+, equipped with a decent amount of interactive elements, and, by all accounts, quite accurately depicting the situations that such a football player can get into under such circumstances in the domestic league, this film allows the protagonist to go through training with different coaches and football ups and downs, with rudiment the transfer market (although the choice is only from white, blue, red and green teams), and one of the exits from the plot is to leave for a foreign country. Getting into the national team, according to several of our star players, is even more difficult in the film than in reality. In both cases, however, it is possible.

Finally, our third issue today is "Sweat and sand", a 3D film with interactive elements dedicated to a match in one of the first seasons of the national team. As fans with experience remember, one of the teams that ended up in our rivals in the qualifying tournament for the World Cup having fallen into an unfavorable tournament situation, and decided to resort to tactical invention: they play the remaining matches on a sandy field instead of grassy one. The first opponents who had to deal with this were just our team. By the break, the score was 0:2, but in the end, in the real world, the team found a way to feel confident on the sand and got a draw. But whether it will be possible to do this in the film is a big question, since at the same time you need to monitor what is happening on the field and solve a puzzle about which method is best suited for such difficult circumstances, select means and methods on the go in the fast changing situation.

by **Aeragny** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:24 pm

They say a failure to plan is a plan to fail. In some cases though, it's more obvious than others. Before the year 1963, the museum library, the Prustén National Hall of Knowledge, was still located right next to the museum itself - nowadays the library is located in a building just to the south. It just so happens that in 1963, the museum experienced a severe fire; with parts of the building completely engulfed in flames. The lower floor and basement of the museum were mostly spared, but the upstairs was unrecognizably burnt. When it comes to items that were lost in the fire, most of the larger, heavier items were spared by virtue of being displayed mostly on the lower floors - while various smaller items of national and cultural importance upstairs were secured by staff in time upon the discovery of the fire. When it comes to things that are easily stored in an upstairs location, that are incredibly flammable, and nonetheless heavy and plentiful, the collection of the National Hall of Knowledge ranks quite highly though. The wing housing the library's collection was unharmed, luckily, but the curator of the Prustén Hall, Evil Bulgáv was thoroughly stirred up.

The fire was discovered to have been caused by a short circuit - and that the museum's wiring was overall faulty, rattling their housemates. Immediately after this being discovered, arrangements were made to relocate the library. However, in their finite wisdom, the board of the library chose not to relocate into a centralized position. Paranoia must have set in that any location the collection was moved might be subject to a scorching fire at any point. In total, the massive collection of the Hall was moved into not one, not two, but twelve seperate locations, scattered through the city. Of course, this had various effects, none of which beneficial. Students were having to travel between all too many locations in the city to do research, in a pre-metro Vorácy; sometimes even finding a series of books to be split through the city. The administration for the hall was an utter mess, as it was not disallowed to bring books between locations; and the personnel of the Hall was spread very thin; with certain instances being closed on various days, as they were permanently understaffed.

Some might say that, had the collection burnt to the ground, it would have meant a serious blow to the job security of Mr. Bulgáv. On the other hand, the fire was none of his fault, and he would have likely been excused the serious loss in the library's assets. By letting fear cloud his judgement, and destroying the practicality of the institute in the face of security, he'd ensured that a student's riot would be mounted against him; and he was ousted no more than 5 months later. After this, the library attempted to move back into their wing, but the space had already been repurposed to house the permanent exhibitions, while the other wings were being renovated. Instead the library had to opt for second best - upgrading the building nearest the museum to fit the entirety of the archives, and moving in. Slowly. Even today, the Prustén Hall of Knowledge still owns two buildings in the city, which function not as storage facilities for the archive, but rather as museums for the local history in the suburbs they stand in.

Aerágny 2 - 3 Archalit
31': Lyndon Nightmare 0-1
45+2': -- Çontre Colminge
45+2': Odês Victorya éys <> Stergauce ja Dony
45+3': Duke Sondas 0-2
46': Pelleç Vánu <> Mallvau Yekkum éys
49': Khriss Garyabh 1-2
70': Khriss Garyabh <> Colman Umuitau
77': Colman Umuitau 2-2
81': -- Só Kezhinár
86': Rayth Lionheart 2-3

2 North-Khrakozia - Aerágny 1
17': Unknown Entity 1-0
20': -- Só Kezhinár
44': -- Uillten Tillabois
44': Unknown Entity 2-0
51': Gary Goppré 2-1
55': Renald Duponte <> Colman Umuitau
55': Só Kezhinár <> Elice Veure
74': Arton Seuny <> Bardeus Fichomcéls

With the various odd moves made in the formation of these matches, Azayo jCarvên appears to be a cat in the wild, making the most disastrous jumps. Changing from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 for the match against Archalit, then to 4-5-1 against North-Khrakozia, along the way making changes to the overall strategy of the team, and performing perhaps the strangest substitution in Airannian football history by subbing ja Dony in against Archalit - it seems Azayo is desperate to make changes, in the hopes that any one of them might stick. For the sake of his own job, one could only hope that he figures it out soon.

by **Saint Eleanor** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:25 pm

OOC: In case you've seen something like this RP before, I'll grant the main story was inspired by 'Just a Dad Taking Care of His Daughter': Father's Military Training Kicks into Gear, Saves his Daughter's Life. In case you've seen something like the roleplay line involving this charming young lady that I'm planning for WC95 before, no, you haven't. (Unless your name is Farf or you read the Daily Express.)

Channel 4 presents THE RACE TO THE WORLD CUP - World Cup 94, fifth qualifier game
CAP NORD 1-0 SAINT ELEANOR (Trevor Barrington 81)

Report by Candy Hewitt, Channel 4 football analyst: Capnordic substitute Trevor Barrington scored only his second international goal - and the sole goal of the entire match - to produce perhaps the biggest surprise the home team could have hoped for at the SendBank Arena in Stennköping. The Eleanorian problems began long before he made an impact, though: for the first time since the Cup of Harmony groups, they were being comprehensively outplayed.
Simon Carstensen was the main threat in the opening periods. Much was made in the days - and weeks and months - before the match about his synergy with Jorgen Bjerkness, but in reality, he was in sync with the entire forward lineup. Bjerkness himself should have capitalised on what felt like the longest spell of one-twos ever recorded on a football pitch, but couldn't back it up; a more direct, pingier drop-off ultimately found its way off the post. Till Myrrheim, on one occasion, broke ahead of the entire back four with a through ball from the playmaker and John Bailey had no right to even land a reflex save on his thunderbolt. Rohan Williams pretty much insta-dummied Esther Launceston the first touch he had on the ball, much to her distress... then fired against the side netting.
If Saint Eleanor was to have a hope of getting all three points, in retrospect, it would have had to come in the first fifteen or twenty minutes of the second half instead. For once, whatever Priscilla Evans must have said at half time worked: the Whalers were ground to a halt as marking and all-round defending sharpened across the order; solid build-up play was the order of the day, and it worked harder than it normally does. The two great chances of the period, David Newcastle's arrow-straight zinger that just about rebounded from the crossbar and Rachel McNamara's dipping effort that almost confused Johannes Marzinn and the home crowd alike, resulted from it.
Some were baffled when Carstensen was taken off after seventy minutes for Barrington, as though they were inviting more of the same or simply folding back into their shell. For the most part, he did nothing much. That is, of course, a titanic understatement; with time rapidly running out, the onrushing sub collected a hopeful lobbed pass from Troels Poulsen, cut through what was left of an underfocused Saint Eleanor like butter and finished with aplomb. What arguably should have been a tactical blunder, or remembered as such, had suddenly become one of the best decisions in Pazron Finchley's short history as Cap Nord manager - and so it would be, despite a couple of iffy Eleanorian attempts towards the end.
Saint Eleanor stopped Rohan Williams, but they could not stop an unheralded man playing for the unheralded Sporting Noordeinde; Bridget Coombe drily noted that "very few of us were preparing for this outcome". Less noticed was her repeated insistence that Saint Eleanor are in a better place now than they were after five games of their only successful qualification campaign. Yet with games against the other two big fish in the group on the horizon, top-seeds Brenecia away (which produced an infamous 4-0 win for the Patriots last year) and Eura at home, it seems unlikely that the even faintly good times will last for much longer.
By contrast, it takes a lot to unsettle Launceston. Normally she is calm, bubbly, positive; sometimes she even has a smile on her face, and she lets the media know of it. This time, she called the result "straightforward highway robbery" and insisted that Saint Eleanor would have to do "more work than we've done since 1998" - before she even started playing professional football - to qualify. It may not have been the fairest assessment of the situation, but time will tell whether it was an outright overreaction to the national team's recent troubles seen more broadly. Nevertheless, we now know the difference between a side that wins its first three matches and a side that has to play the fourth seed right after failing to secure a win against a team ranked lower than Baptism of Fire bronze medalists Evinea.

⨷ ⨶ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷ ⨷

Thirty Years of Eleanorians - 1978: "I was struck by lightning aged nine - and I've been through worse"
Published by Frank Butcher on February 3rd 2005

When Broadacres Primary School in the New Bayside district closed for the summer holidays in 1987, Daisy Tarrant was probably not looking forward to a lot of new experiences. "I'd say I grew up in a family of traditionalists. We own our guns, we shop at OPAL, we go to church every Sunday and - if I was lucky - I got taken to see the Good Hope's home games when they were on. The Dockside is a really nice place and I wouldn't leave if I had the choice, but it can get very familiar, very quickly, even if you know exactly what you're doing."

What she does remember is being asked to go out for an afternoon with the Hodge family; for good reason, she thanks a diary she's kept for about twenty years and amazingly hasn't given up on. "Was it unstructured? I must have spent most of my time in the house watching a documentary series about some military coup in another country on TV2 on the day. I don't know what it was about and I don't even know if I had any of their homemade biscuits or not."

She does not even remember if she was bored or not, although she did get taken out to the district's playground a short walk away for apparently unstructured play. What happened next astonished her. "I was extremely surprised when I heard the first thunderclap; I knew it happens every now and then but I don't think I was told about the risk at all on that day. I have no idea what was going on the rest of the time, but I was reminded a week later that the second one... sent however many volts right where I didn't need it, thank you."

It also emerged that the Hodges had to send for an ambulance at the time, although they performed basic CPR in the interim. "People like to think that Saint Eleanor is one city. It is not. It is about forty cities located a bit close to each other who get their own affairs, in particular, in order. Had I been somewhere else and I had to wait hours, would I be here? Most likely not; layfolk can only give you help for so long. That... and private insurance. I've gone on short holidays a few times in my adult life and while I've never needed to call the emergency services, heaven help me if I ever have to pay $600 for the privilege."

The holidays are short for a reason, too. Tarrant was already known by her friends as being kind, compassionate, smart and "a lasting presence" - and she was doing all of that after surviving the nigh-flukish incident, as well. She walked out of the Community School with consistently good grades, passed the Commissioned Officers Test after a few months and, as she has been for the past eight years, is now a Lieutenant at the Trident Gamma army base, which has increasingly attracted a focus on communist and trade-unionist violence in recent years.

While Tarrant has no husband or children, she claims that her current job "more than makes up for it." There is - and, of course, has to be - a darker side to it. "I have woken up at least once every seven to ten days honestly fearing that somebody is going to make an attempt on my life; I can't imagine what the Privates and above are thinking. It almost happens sometimes: a few years ago, I was drafted to lead an operation in the flesh to take down a purported small business that was basically running money to sponsor secondary strikes. We did it, but with such great difficulty I can barely describe it. The frag grenade could have killed me; the shopkeepers could have, the armed picket leaders could have - there are so many risks out there. Obviously most trades unionists are nice people who'd never dream of doing this sort of thing but it's the tiniest, most pervasive minority in the smallest patch that try to ruin things for all of them."

There are "perks" off the job, too. Most impactfully, while the strike didn't permanently ruin any of her functioning, it did leave her with irreversible tinnitus which she says "can be almost unbearable some of the time" - although, "in my completely unscientific opinion, keeping the dial on LocalTALK seems to take out some of the stress, at least."

by **Saint Eleanor** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:26 pm

OOC: ICly, Channel 4 has exclusive rights within Saint Eleanor to use the new, streamlined OptaPoaf API and are totally using it as an excuse to plug their Race to the World Cup. OOCly, this is purely IC news and neither I nor Poaf have any fancy spreadsheets full of important numbers to present to you. Alas.

I'm awaiting official clearance of the below roleplay - beyond its principle - from WBEO, although she has no RP permissions beyond "let me know if you're doing anything crazy" and "visitors to the Underworld get a special amnesia serum after the fact" so chances are she won't smack me too badly. This match was RPed at the time by WBEO and to some extent me.

Thirty Years of Eleanorians - 1979: "I watched Saint Eleanor at the Pentagram Underworld"
Published by Lucy Richards on February 8th 2005

To call Josh Baines from North Seville a seasoned fan would be putting it lightly. He has attended every single Saint Eleanor game, home and away, since they kicked off their Baptism of Fire campaign against Rizealand nine years ago - perhaps the only person to have done so. There is, however, one gap in his record - one he could not have found the time to close. As his friend from St Paul, Phil Walker, explains, "during World Cup 92, the Obaman authorities had issued a few warnings that they were going to be playing in small, new-build stadiums nobody would willingly choose to play in. We'd been assigned to the Pentagram Underworld in West Barack for Matchday 9 and obviously Josh wasn't able to come because it was either go there or get quarantined."

Walker resigned from his job as an apprentice chef at Torch late in June 2001 to prepare for his 48-day pre-match assessment in West Barack and East Obama. He says he remembers nothing of the assessment; when I read the BBC's description of the stadium back to him, he nods almost as soon as I recite the section about the memory serum. It is clear he passed, however, as he goes on to claim that "I remember pretty much every single thing that happened in that game. It was terrible. Very, very terrible, I'm telling you; you'd not want to watch the replay."

The opening minutes are almost reminiscent of those in West Barack and East Obama's visit to Saint Eleanor a few days ago, with Fred Olibama denied a near-certain goal by what was in 2001 an excellent piece of defending - and in 2005 pure misfortune. "We should have gone behind much earlier than we actually did; if Newbridge hadn't gotten there when he did, we would have. We were third in the group, playing rather decently, trying for another World Cup qualification and then they throw the kitchen sink at us almost immediately. Wow."

Most of the first half, he recounts, was "scrappy at best - absolutely cynical at worst. You'd have expected mistakes from Princess Sylvia at this stage in her playing career but that particular mistake - no, you do not get to almost shoulder-barge Harvey Chobamya and not expect to get booked. Although, to be fair, she aimed at his ribs, not his legs; that would have taken out of the game for a completely different reason. And Sam Newbridge again. He was so choppy that he deserved to have been taken off the pitch much, much earlier than he actually did. I can't think of anyone in the team, other than maybe Dave Newcastle, who did a good job at tracking back and marking."

Eleanorian hearts were broken the first time around by a perfect Lily Chobamya corner - and a response from Trent Vobama that was just as good. "That was one of the best connections to a corner kick I have ever seen. My dad watched Bridget Coombe win the league for Occidental Olympic that day in 1998 and, from his recollections, he says that header was just her using pure brute force to get it in. Vobama didn't need to do anything - anything. And we had to sit there for what felt like hours on end with absolutely nothing happening on the field."

The BBC suggested in its report on the win that the delay was caused by food poisoning among many of the Obamen players and match officials - with the exception of Charles Obama. "You said about the serum, yeah? I'd wager some money that Charles Obama gave them that at half time under cover of darkness. Steve Pilchard was clean through on goal at one stage - I am going to make that clear, that does not happen often - and what does he do? Fire the ball so pathetically it actually has to bobble off the pitch. If you can make a ground shot bobble off one of the best-kept pitches in world football, you are not having a good day."

Jenny Barracki was soon to put her team out of their misery, though, pouncing on an excellent, if goalkeeper-deflected, effort from Obama at the hour mark. "What... what was he thinking? The reports say you haven't had the bad food, hardly anyone else on the team is leading by example, you need to stop the lead, you're facing a shot by the best player on the pitch - who's literally just bounced past half of the outfield - and what do you do? Obviously you push it out to the next man or woman. This was a terrible, terrible, terrible performance; enough so that I'm already needing to say it again."

Once again, the BBC's view of the tactical scene after the second goal - one of Saint Eleanor lashing out harder after the immediate removal of the hosts' paciest attacking strengths - is corroborated by Walker. "They're also completely justified in saying we didn't succeed at all. I counted all the attempts we had after Barracki scored and we had two. Dekamela weMexala had a go but it was dragged wide enough that nobody cares about it. There's widespread agreement that Sylvia missed a humiliating late chance but the SESB claimed she was miles out and, much as Obama and friends wouldn't want me to say this, that's exactly what happened. This is the state of Eleanorian football and we were supposed to put up with it?"

The final act was yet to come, however: Obama, still ploughing away at the match despite the effective surrender of many of his teammates, was caught up - Walker insists he was flat-out pushed - by Newbridge while looking for a goal to seal the match. While he was certain to be sent off, the visitors' horror was only consolidated by the fact his foul merited a direct red card; John Bailey proved no contest for Lily Chobamya's penalty, the strike which finally made it 3-0. Walker had, and still has, one thing to say about this: "Why?"

The endings for the Eleanorians involved were mixed, but generally happy. The national team was bounced out of even the playoffs in 2002 in circumstances widely - but vaguely - stated to be controversial; they won the Cup of Harmony that year, but suffered a poor playoff defeat the next cycle around and could not get past the last sixteen in their title defence. Walker, meanwhile, is back in the restaurant kitchen - but this time he's frying chicken for Willis, the de-facto national chicken shop. "I get to put my experience into a lot of use, definitely, although not much goes on there - and, for the most part, what happens is I do my job and people laugh at me for having worked at the other place."

And, while the White Stars and Obama Carers are back in the same group, the Obaman authorities have been reluctant to name or announce their home venues in public. Walker definitely has a preference for next time, though: "It's got to be the Supermax. More fans, less restrictions, a new experience and, if I'm right, a chance for us to exact our revenge on a right damp bit of turf. I swear that, for all our shortcomings, Saint Eleanor is just about the last nation whose players know that they have to wear proper metal studs when the ground's anywhere close to flooded."

by **Naixi** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:27 pm

I know you think you've seen my face before, but I promise... you haven't. You've seen faces like it when you've switched on the television and seen a stern, unsmiling Golden Person face gazing back at you while a woman's voice tells you to buy perfume. You've seen faces like it when the manager of some nearly-depleted mine out east appears in a press conference and some Golden Person money guy accidentally wanders into the frame. You've seen faces like it when you buy a current affairs magazine and some celeb has taken out four pages on his "mental health journey" amidst the inadequacies of the Golden People's health care system.

But I promise you: you've never seen my face before. And that's how I like it.

FFFFRRRRZZZZZ! With a wicked growl coming from the speedboat's engine and a three-story plume of spraying water sailing up behind me, I make the first turn around the Olive Pylon. It's not quite the hard part done yet, but that's my first step toward escaping the harbor with my guest. Hostage. Prisoner. Whatever you insist on calling her. She's shivering on the bottom of the boat, her left wrist handcuffed to a seat. I glance back at her. She's terrified; I have no emotions at all. The first ratatat-tat of automatic gunfire begins behind me. I didn't really expect they'd just let me leave with her, no questions asked.

My big brother Fred took the UCI admission test for the first time when he was just 20. He failed, of course. Nobody's supposed to be able to until they've busted their ass in academy boot for a half a decade and memorized the Elevated Foreign Assets and Agents manual (and a couple other manuals), and you can't possibly hope to have that under your belt until you're at least 24. Still, he tried. Every year he tried. There were more glamorous forms of service, of course. With our family's connections, why not become an officer in the army? Or the naval academy? But no... he wanted to be a spy. I idolized him. When he finally passed UCI admission and officially became an intelligence operative for the government of the Golden People, I was delighted for him, naturally, but also heartbroken that he'd be leaving home. Not just leaving home... dropping off the map, told to leave his family behind for king and country.

With a polite clink, a bullet blasts away a section of glass wind guard in the speedboat. The thugs' aim is getting better, but not enough that I'm worried. They don't like that I've just abducted the boss' girlfriend, but frankly, that's not my problem. I'm in possession of a submachine gun thanks to the generous donation of a man whose neck I snapped 20 minutes ago, so I fire off a salvo of bullets behind me at the pursuing craft. When I release my finger from the trigger, I notice my cargo is screaming as shell casings land near or on her legs. I look down at her. "Make sure you keep your head down," I instruct her laconically, then go back to blasting the idiots who are following me. With a turn around the Blue Pylon up ahead, there's another pause in the action.

I followed Fred into UCI a few years later. My naïve adoration had evolved into a more hardheaded perspective by then, so it was certainly not as if I felt I was entering a family business. I was an independent operative in my own right and was proud of it. My assignments took me all over Rushmore. I was posted in Eura for a long time (busy place), but eventually got promoted to Assistant Station Chief in Astograth. That was a great gig - the pay was amazing and you should have seen my flat in Rumiatzi - but it did get a bit boring after a while. My brother and I lost touch for a little while, but tragedy brought us back together when my nephew - his son - passed away two years ago. I held him at the funeral while he cried. We've been in touch a bit more since then: regulations be damned. That's how I came to know that he was in Naixi. His assignment was to collect information on the operations of a powerful crime lord in Qiawutian's Seaport District.

"Let me go, you awful Tommy!" she howls at me as I push the speedboat to its limits and roar ahead. "I don't know anything, I can't tell you anything!" I look down at her again. She's very beautiful. Her long black hair swirls behind her boisterously in the breeze, and her pale yellow dress still clings perfectly to her body despite the fact that I've... well, you know, treated her badly enough to handcuff her to a boat. "Please," she begs further, "I don't even love him. If you let me go, I'll... I'll do anything."

I stare at her blankly. Finally, in a complete deadpan, I respond, "can you cook?" I then resume machine-gunning the goons chasing us. We're closing in on the final pylon... the Plum Pylon.

All of a sudden, a few months ago, my brother went silent. I had no idea what had happened, and could only wonder whether he'd been killed or injured or captured. Any which way, UCI would inevitably disavow any knowledge of Fred's activities, so I knew I wouldn't find out anything through my employer. Eventually, however, I did find out where he was and what had happened... but it was the six o'clock news that gave it away. A "security contractor" had been arrested on suspicion of assassinating a member of Naixi's Celestial Council, and in the grainy photos and videos I recognized the perp straight away as my brother.

He was no security contractor and I'm quite sure he was never instructed to murder a Naixese head of state. We just got done losing a war to these people ten years ago... you think we wanted to go at it again? Just to be sure, I checked with all my bosses. I knew they wouldn't give me any information, but because it was my brother, I had to try.

Not only did they not give me any information, UCI ended my Astograthian posting and called me back to Central. Clearly, they wanted all of this quiet, which I thought was a bit suspicious. I began to suspect that they had played a part in setting him up, in using him as a patsy. There was only one way to confirm that, though: go off the grid and find Fred myself.

Upon arrival, I immediately discovered that the Naixese authorities had been told I might be entering the country, and had to work very hard to avoid their attentions (no small task when your race gives you away as a Golden Person). But I did track the cavalier gangster down in Qiawutian and discovered that he has Saturday night booze bashes on his yacht out on the waters by the Qiawutian Marina. Evidently it's an open secret that he's one of the people you can go to if you want to buy alcohol here, where it's all illegal - beer, wine, and liquor.

And that's why you find me here, my stolen speedboat arcing through the blackish blue waters, with bullets fizzing past my head and a gorgeous woman screaming at my feet. I talked my way onto the yacht for the party and introduced myself to the crime boss' girlfriend while he was below deck arranging some deal (with the UCI, for all I know). She seemed interested in getting to know me, but the minute I started asking about Fred, she tried to hand me over to her gangster boyfriend. So, naturally, I grabbed her, threw her in a moored speedboat, and handcuffed her to a seat. "Apologies," I'd said to her before starting the fiercely roaring engine.

Now we've got to make this last turn around the Plum Pylon, and it's no easy feat because the instant you've made that turn, there's a long rock embankment just a few dozen meters after that, if you want to fully escape the marina. Spray from the speedboat again makes a cascade of water droplets against the burgundy and violet sunset to the west, and I have to lay off on the throttle for the last maneuver. Following a hunch, I slowly begin to turn the speedboat around in a 180-degree turn. The first pursuing boat begins to round the last pylon, and I've just barely got my rotation done.

"They're going to kill you, you know," the crime boss' girlfriend says softly.

"They can barely drive a boat."

"It's 'sail.'"

"What?"

"One 'sails' a boat."

I stare at her blankly again, then rev the engine loudly and rudely.

"Wait... you're going back into the marina?!"

"No."

"Well, what are you doing?!"

"I'm sailing back into the marina," I answer smoothly, and then throw down the throttle hard, zooming straight at the oncoming boat.

The first boat full of goons is just orienting itself for the exit so that it can pursue us. Seeing me coming at full speed, it stops, leaving a chaotic white and blue and green foam shifting everywhere around it. I raise the submachine gun and let loose on them again, and they return fire. I feel one bullet graze my arm, and another surely misses the top of my head by two inches. But I've realized something the other boat doesn't: there's another boat of thugs rounding the last turn, and they don't know they need to slow down.

The second boat zooms around the Plum Pylon and has no time to react or slow down. It careens directly into the other boat full of the boss' underlings, and both speedboats erupt in a massive explosion. Whipping the wheel hard to starboard at just the last second, I ricochet off the pylon on one side, graze the embankment on the other, then skid up and over a pedestrian walking dock and clap violently into the clear water on the other side. We nearly capsize, but a quick twirl of the wheel, and I have the boat upright.

"Now," I say, turning back to my panting captive, "let's resume this conversation. Where's my brother?"

"What's your name?" she asks in a whisper.

"Irving. David Irving."

OOC Note: This and future roleplays borrow themes and concepts from the roleplaying game Feng Shui 2. All storylines and characters are original creations. ICly, events take place in Naixi and within the Naixese timeline, not in RL Hong Kong, which is the setting for the game.

Matchday 4

Naixi 3 ⇨ Huang, Pao ⚽x1 (Yep), Geng, Z.B. Tan, Tsung, Tian (Xin), Yap ⚽x1, Hark ⚽x1 (Mok), Yuan, Jin, Ling
The Cherven Cities 0 ⇨ Vasylyshyn, Polzin, Piontek, Wrona, Dubek, Ziemniak (Józwiak), Nowak, Grabowski, Walentowicz (Boyko), Gorecki, Kędzierski (Jelenski)

3' Goal ⇨ Hark (NIX)
32' Yellow Card ⇨ Nowak (TCC)
36' Goal ⇨ Yap (NIX)
41' Yellow Card ⇨ Hark (NIX)
42' Yellow Card ⇨ Wrona (TCC)
47' Goal ⇨ Pao (NIX)
59' Substitution ⇨ Hark OFF Mok ON (NIX)
60' Substitution ⇨ Kędzierski OFF Jelenski ON (TCC)
68' Substitution ⇨ Pao OFF Yep ON (NIX)
70' Yellow Card ⇨ Yap (NIX)
71' Yellow Card ⇨ Piontek (TCC)
73' Substitution ⇨ Tian OFF Xin ON (NIX)
80' Substitution ⇨ Walentowicz OFF Boyko ON (TCC)
83' Yellow Card ⇨ Yuan (NIX)
92' Yellow Card ⇨ Yep (NIX)
93' Yellow Card ⇨ Huang (NIX)
94' Substitution ⇨ Ziemniak OFF Józwiak ON (TCC)

Matchday 5

Jeruselem 0 ⇨ Sora, Alexandra (Mikami), Oldman, Mikado (Suisei), Don, Cake (Desantis), Wight, Denny D., Mel, Russia, Geese-Frogg
Naixi 0 ⇨ Huang, Pao, Geng (Ming), Z.B. Tan, Tsung, Tian (Xin), Yap (Yue), Hark, Yuan, Jin, Ling

1' Yellow Card ⇨ Wight (JER)
6' Yellow Card ⇨ Russia (JER)
40' Yellow Card ⇨ Denny D. (JER)
43' Yellow Card ⇨ Yuan (NIX)
47' Second Yellow Card ⇨ Yuan (NIX)
50' Substitution ⇨ Yap OFF Yue ON (NIX)
58' Substitution ⇨ Alexandra OFF Mikami ON (JER)
60' Yellow Card ⇨ Hark (NIX)
60' Substitution ⇨ Tian OFF Xin ON (NIX)
64' Yellow Card ⇨ Xin (NIX)
70' Yellow Card ⇨ Geng (NIX)
80' Substitution ⇨ Cake OFF Desantis ON (JER)
85' Yellow Card ⇨ Sora (JER)
91' Substitution ⇨ Mikado OFF Suisei ON (JER)
95' Substitution ⇨ Geng OFF Ming ON (NIX)

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Bees look to extend win streak
by Fiona Devlin, National Soccer Writer
for The Times

Reporting from Fiskadaha City, Poafmersia:

The Commonwealth National Team have been a work in progress since before the start of the World Cup Qualifying tournament as Manager Will Barnard continues to shuttle players in and out of the squad as was done in the series of friendlies during the buildup, and used the opening three fixtures in Group 4 as a further exercise in learning about the player pool.

The third international break for Qualifying would bring up two very different opponents, with a first ever trip to newcomers Rincurd from the Baptism of Fire followed by a visit from AO nation Pluvia & The Saxean Isles to Endborough; the Bees snapped out of their scoring slump on the away day, putting up six in doubling up the debutantes and carried the momentum over to post a 4-2 result in front of the Rogers Stadium crowd.

Combined with the other results Baker Park find themselves alone atop the table with 12 points, just ahead of Farfadillis; with the bottom four seeds out of the way, along with fifth seeds Pluvia, the attention will now turn to the higher pots against which there is previous history starting with Poafmersia on matchday six followed by a visit from Xanneria at the BBP National Stadium, then a trip to Natanians & Nosts.

Elena Diaz had a brace while Kyle Baum, Magda Kucera and Luke Olivera all added their first tallies of the campaign, and Quinton Harris came off the bench to close out the scoresheet in Rincurd; Harris made it two in two as Isabelle Wiley, Serena McDavid and April Syzmanski added the remainder of the damage in Endborough.

Barnard has limited the number of players involved in squad rotation so far during the first half of qualifying, adding just the odd fringe player to the subs bench.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Mixed Gender Soccer in Baker Park: An Oral History

When the Baker Park men's Under-21 team returned from the 42nd DiBradini Cup in Valanora, having advanced to the quarterfinal in the nation's first foray into multiverse competition, the post tournament report and debrief saw a topic come up that had not been encountered previously in the history of the FAC.

Liam Sullivan, then Men's U21 Manager, now FAC Sporting Director: “We were a bit naïve about how the sport was constituted when we first got involved, as we hadn't imagined that all-female or mixed gender teams competed alongside all-male sides in competitions. We end up in a group with Dainer, Ceni and Cassadaigua not knowing anything about the fact that the Fillies were an all-female side until we first see video ahead of the Ceni match on day 2.

As a staff the first thing that we notice is that these are not dainty girls in pink shirts but physically impressive women who had skill and confidence playing against men; when we later are showing the squad the video, we tell them to not concentrate on anything but Ceni.
It's not until we are prepping for the final group match that we start to discuss the wider issue of how you approach playing an all female team that tackles and challenges opponents and receives the same without question? I think the fact we have a women's league that is probably every bit as physical and challenging as our men's leagues helped a bit, so we establish a mindset that we will be as aggressive as (Cassadaigua) show us they are prepared to be.”

An intense, close fought affair sees BP take advantage of a sending off to score a pair of goals late to win 6-4, advancing to the Round of 16; Sullivan's impression after asking a hypothetical question at the following morning's team meal colored his thinking for the rest of the DBC and the resulting discussions upon returning home.

Sullivan: “On balance we were equal over 90 minutes with Cassadaigua, the red card (against Enrique Lopez, a future NT star for the Fillies) tilting things in our favor at the end. We were the new kids, going against a nation that were former World Cup Champions, and I think the way the relationship between us (FAC) and CASE progressed afterward was in part due to a mutual respect forged that day. I wondered what the guys thought about the experience and their honest feelings about playing against a team of women; I said 'how many of you would be fine with some of that team playing in a side alongside you?' and about 9 or 10 raised their hand. Then I asked 'how many of you know a female player—from college, from academy, from some connection—that is of a similar ability as (Cassadaigua)?' Probably 14 or 15 raised their hand in different expressions of willingness to admit it.
Consider the fact that all of that squad went on to win caps on mixed gender squads, I think the realization began to play into their minds.”

Sullivan's written report to the FAC Board contained just a single paragraph near the very end on his recommendation as Assistant Director of Player Development—nearly all the full time management of NT squads from age group to seniors held positions within the Development Department—that the National Team structure should pursue the feasibility of male and female players combined into one single roster assignment. Ahead of the official inclusion of the report to the agenda of the full board, there was an in-depth review to talk through the findings.

David Carlson, former FAC Executive Director: “Liam and I had spoken daily while the (DBC) was going on, and once they were eliminated he said he wanted to meet up as soon as they'd returned to Baker Park.. I thought the squad had done such a great job that I took Liam at his word literally and was at the airport when they got back; I greeted everyone as they came off the plane, which was really a surprise as nearly all the players hadn't met me previously. So we were riding back to Birkenfeld and he's telling me this thought that he'd had about integrating men and women into the same squad. He thought it was something that we could gradually phase in starting at (Under) 15s and then move up the line. I told him we would definitely study it and get Pam's thoughts.”

Trevor Richmond, then NT manager: “Dave, Pam and I met together usually every other day, because we weren't just handling the national teams but the whole Development program and by this point we'd integrated certain parts of the setup to the point where the same standards, the same message was being applied consistently. So we're having our usual mid-day talk on Wednesday, which was the day after Liam's team had come back. We usually met first thing on Mondays, mid-day Wednesdays and later in the afternoon on Fridays, and of course Pam & I talked between us a lot more often than that; Dave leaves the mixed gender thing til the end and approaches it from a strange roundabout way, asking both of us to name the three best players in defense, midfield and forward then saying if hypothetically we took those 18, plus your number ones, and put them up against Newport's first team in a friendly—I think that's who'd been promoted to the Championship—what would be a probable outcome? I look at Pam and she looks at me with the same curious expression and then she says 'is this assuming that our players are on the field together in the lineup?' and Dave nods.
She then says 'I don't even know how to imagine that scenario. Take it away Trevor'. (laughs)
I had to admit I was stumped as well, and then he goes briefly into Liam's idea and says we're going to look at it once we hear Liam's debrief. And that was the end of the meeting, and Pam & I walk back to our offices and she comes to her door and says 'tell me it's too early to start drinking, Trevor. Please tell me' and I remember saying 'maybe we should've asked Dave that' (laughs)”

Pam Scott, then Women's NT manager: “I literally sat down at my desk and blanked out for about five minutes. Kate (DiMarini) and I still shared the same office but she wasn't there when I came back because she used to like to eat lunch later; when I finally snapped out of it I started thinking 'are mixed gender national teams even a thing?' so I searched InfoStork* for a couple of minutes which started to calm me down. The reigning World Cup Champions (which at the time was Schottia) were a mixed gender side as were several other top ranked teams. I downloaded some stuff to read later about the composition of these squads, then rang through to Trevor to say I was gonna forward some of the materials I'd found to him.”

There was one person on the staff who'd given the idea a bit of thought prior to the U21 squad's return from Valanora; Zoe Montgomery was Sullivan's “twin” in the hierarchy of Development structure as the Director of Player Development for the women's side and had volunteered to be an outside video analyst grading performance. She also took away a lesson from the review of the Cassadaigua match that placed her as an early proponent of further study of mixed gender possibilities.

Zoe Montgomery, then Women's U18 boss, current NT Assistant Manager: “By the time of the DBC, Liam and I probably had the closest personal and professional relationship among the staffs of the men and women; we'd casually dated for a month or so probably 2 ½ years earlier, which didn't end up going anywhere, but we considered one another close friends and then we ended up working along parallel tracks in the Player Development program. I offered to do self-scouting vid review for his staff while they were at the DBC, which kept me busy doing something during that period. Ahead of the Cassadaigua match I was curious about their (NT) setup so I looked around for some video, which was really an eye opener for me as a woman who played in college and just one season as a part timer in non-league.
I could see that the Dagan (under) 21's were better than any side I'd played in; they weren't physically overwhelming but they weren't concerned with playing aggressively and getting stuck in. I decided to wait until (the U21 team) came back to discuss some of my observations with Liam and the others before I went off advocating to Pam and the rest of our staff.”
_______________________________________________________________________________

MD 6 lineup vs Poafmersia

McCormack; Bruce, Edmonds (C), Schulman; C Logan, Ryan, Carlton Morgan, Altman; Price; Mack, Coleman
subs: Dickerson, Obodime, Bauer, Kirby, D'Alessandro, Edward Ogwumike, McFairlaine, Baum, Gibson

MD 7 lineup vs Xanneria @ BBP National Stadium, Belle Haven (74,000)

Callaway; Hardwick, Obodime, Bauer (C); Ogwumike, D'Alessandro, Kirby, McFairlaine; Baum; Diaz, Gibson
subs: Rossi, Schulman, Walker, Morgan, Wiley, Shanahan, A Knight Coleman, Moorman

by **Flavovespia** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:31 pm

Flavovespia 0 - 0 Trolleborg

Against a side with a record for being tough to score against, it’s probably no surprise that this game ended up goalless. It was a game played fairly and respectfully, but ultimately lacked much excitement in the end, as Flavovespia failed to get their first home win of the campaign.

Flavovespia largely stuck with the squad that got the win against Tanirinthia with just the one change, Paul Taylor starting at centre back ahead of Nazir Hussain, with Augusto Rinaldi looking for a bit more confidence in his back line. Good performances for Anthony Lane and Stan Scott-Wilson saw them stay in the squad. The opening exchanges were balanced, with a lot of fast movement of the ball. Trolleborg were making some rapid passes, trying to find players in space, but were met by a resilient Flavovespian side, who themselves were content to play the long game, looking for space down the pitch.

The first half seemed to have a good amount of action everywhere except the two boxes. Anytime someone attempted a cross, or a through ball, or dribbled just inside, it seemed there was a defender in the way to clear the ball, or the ball would roll through to the goalkeeper. A few shots on target apiece, but nothing too threatening. Flavovespia would be pleased to see Nathan Crewe continuing his good form, and looking confident in goal. 0-0 at the half time break, a fair score, if not a thrilling score.

The second half began with Trolleborg nearly scoring within 5 minutes. A quick attack down the right saw Anselm Kollimor play in a grounded cross towards the inside box. Torben Kranforde slid in, and although he got a foot on the ball, could only direct it into Nathan Crewe, who held on despite Kranforde’s slide taking him into the goalkeeper, drawing a foul. Good sportsmanship saw Kranforde offer Crewe a helping hand up, with Crewe showing no signs of upset with the challenge.

Flavovespia had a good number of half-chances and near openings in the second half, especially when Adrian Jones came on, but nothing that could really be a big threat. Morten Kerr was tested, but with shots and headers that an international quality goalkeeper would be expected to save, and save them he did. A tough game for the attackers on both side of the pitch, but one where the defence deserve to stand up and be praised.

A scoreless draw in the end, not a thriller, but one that keeps Flavovespia unbeaten. 5th in the table with a visit to Vilita coming up, Flavovespia however knew they needed soon to fire up their campaign, else times could well get tough for them in seeking a 4th consecutive World Cup appearance.

Vilita 1 – 5 Flavovespia

Flavovespia’s win against Vilita will surely go down in history as one of their most famous victories in World Cup Qualifiers. It wasn’t just the fact they took a win against the top seeds in the group, they did it in a professional, composed manner. Against a struggling side underperforming their ranking, Flavovespia took their chances well, and finished with a famous scoreline.

It began with Vilita having the majority of the possession in the opening 5 minutes, with Flavovespia looking for a counter attack. David Lyons fired the ball downfield, and it found Anthone Lane in full sprint. He beat Rojara Tiones and then with a good finish, shot low and hard past Zelkki Milake Jr. in the goal. 0-1 to Flavovespia, Vilita continued their tough start to the campaign, and it was a dream opening after 6 minutes for Anthony Lane and Flavovespia.

Vilita needed a goal to try and steady the ship, and they found their equaliser in the 19th minute. After some sustained pressure, Flavovespia had one too many crosses into the box they couldn’t clear cleanly. Trezisi Rokopolis gathered one up from about 20 metres out, and just outside the box, sent a curling effort around Stuart Cookson. Nathan Crewe was in full flight, but unable to keep the shot out as it found the corner of the net. 1-1 now, Vilita had made their pressure pay off, and it was poised to be a good entertaining game.

All of Vilita’s good work was undone however just 4 minutes later. Michael Cole played in Jonathan Bagshaw, leaving him with just Zelkki Milake Jr. in goal to get past. Zelkki Milake Jr. rushed out, missed the ball as he slid in, and cynically took out Bagshaw in the follow through. Not only was it a penalty, the referee felt the move by Milake was a denial of goal scoring opportunity and out came the red card. Teenager Altirii Touiniki had to come on to try and save the penalty. To their credit, they’ve dived the right way, but Michael Cole had too much power on it, and it was into the net. 1-2, only halfway through the first half, but now Flavovepsia had a one goal lead and a one man advantage

The rest of the first half was a fairly balanced affair, even with Flavovespia a man up. The Flavovespian defence were strong and stoic in their play however, able to keep the lead, and showed why after Matchday 1, they’d been tough to break down. Flavovespia had a few opportunities of their own, but the defence of Vilita did enough to make sure Altirii Touiniki didn’t get thrown completely into the deep end. 1-2 it was at the break, Flavovespia in a good spot, but even with the player advantage, knew this wasn’t won yet.

Flavovespia got the perfect start to the second half, just 90 or so seconds in. Kieron Player got left unmarked as he ran into the box, and was picked out by Jonathan Baghsaw. His precise shot wasn’t read quickly enough by Altirii Touiniki, and the ball flew over the line and into the back of the net, to make it 1-3 to Flavovespia, who now had one hand on the three points and a win against the top seeded side in the group, away from home.

Flavovespia added their fourth goal of the game in the 69th minute. An atypical Flavovespian goal, this one came from some slow, steady passing up the field. Eventually it was Jonathan Goldstone with a decisive through ball to Michael Cole in the centre of the park, who put his laces through the shot. It clattered the inside of the post, but thankfully bounced over the line, to make it 1-4 to Flavovespia. The side were in dreamland, the red card of Zelkki Milake Jr. an undeniable factor, but Flavovespia were taking full advantage.

Vilita were running out of steam by the end, the effort of playing most of the game with 10 men taking a toll, and Jonathan Bagshaw finished off the win just before injury time, with his first goal of the qualifiers. He sprinted clear down the wing, and was faced with only Altirii Touiniki to beat. Altirii Touiniki at least didn’t get sent off, but they were a deer in the headlights, and were able to do little to stop Bagshaw’s getting around them for a simple tap-in. 1-5 the score in the end, and Vilita continue with a tough campaign, losing ground in the table and a goalkeeper to a red card. For Flavovespia however, a game to remember, they did everything right once they got the lead and the man advantage, and reap the rewards.

Flavovespia are 4th in Group 15, although games played is a factor. 3 teams lie a point ahead of them, with 9 points. One of them is Dantopia, ranked 241st before the tournament, but are playing much better than that, and deserve a lot of praise. That will be a tough test for Flavovespia in St Astons. Then, a visit to Euran Oceania Territories. After this win, Flavovespia know keeping up momentum is key to getting to the World Cup.

Provisional Lineups:

MD6: Crewe, Lyons©--Cookson--Taylor--Scott-Wilson, Wassell--Player--Goldstone, Lane--Cole--Bagshaw
MD7: Crewe, Scott-Wilson--Beresford--Taylor--Dance, Adams--Edwards--Goldstone©, Lane--Shepherd--Bagshaw

by **Brookstation** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:45 pm

In my time, very few paid any heed to academics, unlike today’s competitive world where everyone runs a rat race. Thus I would call myself fortunate enough to have passed the intermediate stage of school which meant that it was time for me to finally attend high school, which was situated in the suburbs, quite far away from the city. High school provided an entirely different environment compared to the previous years of school and although there were quite a few disadvantages, the school had surprising footballing benefits.

The school was a reputed one which meant that the school comprised of a diverse range of students coming from all sorts of places. This meant that apart from the two Norwegian wood home sides, there were groups of boys who followed Essidise Titans, Waffen, Fubfield and Wham. It was nice to experience this unusual blend of cross culture but it was fun. For instance, whenever I missed a Norwegian wood fixture, I always had the option to catch up with my friends and watch their team’s game over the weekend.

During my first year of high school, I became friends with this one lad called Devon Critchley, whom I accidentally ran into in the science lab one day. Now, Devon happened to be a Hacienda fan and the Hacienda were the house of elites at that point of time. Superstars like Nikola Walker and Alexander Mitchell were regular visitors to the Riverside Stadium (now, the Bruno Pucci Stadium). In this list of superstars, mention must be made of Elena Roberts who supposedly was in an affair with Hacienda’s star Bruno Pucci. Haciendas squad was the definition of sophistication and we could just dream about that aura which surrounded them.

It was pretty easy for Devon to witness the Hacienda games, given that his father was posted in the city itself. On the other hand, as someone who had never been to the “Gem of the West”, I would sit and listen passionately to his descriptions of his journey to Hacienda. As luck had it, Norwegian wood face a surprise exit at just the group stages of the Shield, which meant that it, would be a year-long wait before I could watch any football again. It was then, when Devon came to the rescue. Hacienda had made it to the semi-finals with relative ease and now they were about to face Rottenham United.

Being a staunch supporter of the club, Devon had obviously been present in the previous encounter between the two clubs and during recess; he went on jauntily flaunting his experiences at the Riverside. He vividly told us the details of how Hacienda had a comfortable lead till the 75th minute or so, thanks to a Pucci brace, when the underdog Rottenham side inspired by their skipper Saif Hussain retaliated, with two consecutive last minute goals to level the score. Like every other Hacienda fan, Devon was eager to take revenge. Devon’s parents would however not allow him to attend the match alone and of all the responsible people, he found me for his company. It was an once in a lifetime opportunity that I just could not pass, so without the slightest hesitation, I agreed to join him on the journey. But little did I know of what was in store of me…

*

School was almost about to end, just one lesson remained, which I would fortunately not attend. It was quite a long journey from our town to Hacienda thus Devon made the wise decision to skip the day with an excuse of a stomach ache. For me, it wouldn’t be that easy however. I had to somehow escape from the premises during the last period. When my class was busy heading towards the library, I decided to pack by bag and make the escape when suddenly I met the games teacher on the way. Mr. Robson, I think, instantly glanced at me with his huge round eyes and the look told it all. I was convinced that a cane beating awaited me but luckily enough, he just turned around and walked towards the gymnasium. I had successfully overcome all the dangers that lay in my path. I caught up with Devon at our designated time, 1:30 and our journey to the west was about to begin.

Rottenham might have been the underdogs but they had still overcome their opponents on home territory and furthermore consolidated their form after sweeping a stunning 4-1 victory over Towning SC in the quarter finals. Nikolai Nikolic, the manager who had almost led them to victory just 2 years ago, was still in charge and this time he looked more confident that ever. Irrespective of that, Rottenham’s squad comprised the likes of Dave Casper, Andre Petrovic, Ivan Simic and Frank Nkosi. In fact the squad also included Ivan Rodriguez and Pedro Lopez, having just been released by Hacienda, who was determined to prove their mettle in front of their former club.

It was not as if any Hacienda fan present in the stadium were enjoying their stay in the stadium, especially under the unbelievably cold conditions of December. The stadium held both good and bad memories for the visitors but the promising form of Rottenham made the situation worse. As a neutral party to the game, I was rather enjoying my time, speculating the Riverside for the first time.

To give some more context to what happened the last time, Hacienda faced Rottenham in the Riverside, Hacienda manager John Hobbs, benched majority of his team, claiming them to be unfit for the match. No one knows why he did that but as a matter of fact, Hacienda fans were frustrated as they saw their title hopes getting demolished in front of their very eyes. A transfer letter soon followed.

Now it was Charlie Taylor, Hobbs’ ex-assistant who was in charge of the club. Taylor had immediately re implied Hobbs’ golden tactics and made further modifications to maximize the potential of Hobbs’ batch constituting one of the best groups of teenagers in Brookstation. Furthermore, he signed midfielders Benjamin Smith and Jack Zuill to solidify the team’s structure. He also promoted Henry Robinson from the academy all the way to the main team, where he became an important link between Bruno Pucci and Manfred Dubois

Nobody could challenge the flair which Pucci held. It was obvious that he had an enormous impact on the entire atmosphere. His very presence added a lot more value to the game and when he stepped forward and displayed his sublime skills and rapid pace combined with a clear understanding of the game, the sight was worth speculating. With his long blond hair and chiselled face, he was a beauty to watch on the field.

More and more Hacienda fans entered the stadium, in pursuit of vengeance. It was still hard to digest last time’s results. Everyone present in the stadium that day knew that it was going to be a battle that was worth it, a battle to remember.

To be continued...

by **Captina Island** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:50 pm

Captina earns first win, face uphill climb

(TCCPA) Geneva City--The Captina Company Football Team finally got on the board and that led to the first three points earned with a 3-1 victory over The Gothanita Isles in the only fixture played during the third international period.

Patience Wedgewood, Alesandro Mercari and Charleston DiCanio provided the firepower needed to help the Rosso e Oro rise to 7th in the Group 6 table, tied with Bears Armed on five points.

The Prosaic Union will be the next opponent at TCC Sports Park, sitting second in the table. The following fixture will pit Captina against Cabo Azure, the 21st ranked nation in the multiverse who currently sit a point behind in 9th place having failed to win any of their first five matches.

The side took advantage of the extra rest during the last break by forgoing training after the away victory, which hopefully will pay dividends as the tournament forges ahead.

by **Vilita** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:52 pm

♫ On the road again, Goin' places that I've just come back from, Seein' things that I just saw again, And I can't wait // screech // scratch // Rebels Time... Back again... ♫

Recently we were talking about how much the Vilitan National Team usually sucks at the start of World Cup Qualifying. Matchday 1 usually not great. Matchday 2 usually just as bad. Matchday 3 - sometimes they turn it around then, sometimes they have one more really bad match then turn things around on Matchday 4. Thats the Vilitan National Team in a Nutshell.

Honestly, for just a fleeting moment here it seemed like Endur Rotropii and the Vilita Jungle Rebels had dodged a bullet. Unbeaten after 3 games - even if two of those results were draws and one was against a nation that no longer even exists, history shows things could have been much, much worse for Vilita. The 5-0 victory against Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer should have been a turning point that finally kicked off the qualifying campaign in a proper manner and allowed Vilita to move forth and play their way back into a top 3 position.

Then Matchday 4 and 5 happened. Typically a solid stretch of matches, the Vilitan National Team hadn't lost a World Cup Qualifying Matchday 4 or Matchday 5 fixture since the World Cup 83 Cycle suffering a 1-2 defeat at home to Mattijana on Matchday 4 of a relatively short 12 match qualification campaign. Though they were traveling, there was little expectation that an upset could be in the cards against Tanirinthia, a hundred-something ranked opposition that didn't even bother sending any media coverage to their World Cup Qualifying matches. If they had bothered sending any media coverage of the game, event at their own stadium, they would have had plenty to report on. After the Jungle Rebels took a 1-0 lead thanks to an early goal from Jakku'u Naboyavi and seemed to be in position to add to their lead.

That's when the game turned on its head. I'm not going to call it a moment of stupdity from Ukamai Talingri, but the reality is the referee isn't going to be in position to make a bad call if you don't give them the opportunity to make bad calls to begin with. Whether or not Talingri got the ball or the player isn't really the problem, it was the haphazard overhand lob that turned the ball over 30 yards from goal to begin with. It was just a momentary lapse of concentration that may have just sunk the Vilita National Teams qualification hopes. Though Vilita would hold the scoreline 2-2 at the half thanks to a goal from Nii'arala Milaaso, down a player in the second half it was just too much for the Jungle Rebels to hold off as a spirited Tanirinthia seized the opportunity to steal 3 points from the top seed of Group 15.

 Vilita 2 - 4 Tanirinthia	
Vilita Goals:	:: 11' Jakku’u Naboyavi:: 40' Nii'arala Milaaso             
Stats :: Vilita 	:: Possession: 46%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 12 :: Tanirinthia :: Possession: 54%:: Shots: 8:: Corners: 17
Vilita Lineup :: 	Ukamai Talingri (Zelkki Milake Jr. 17'), Injyua Klizlo, Awukchu L’bakka, Tero Alatalo, Sami Samii’i (Antiviv Davaflei 75'), Fyin Miateal, Letirpsi Vulitn, Jakku’u Naboyavi, Clarana Refiami (Kunala Jyvaiij 20'), Kunaro Tlikara (Riku Kasslin 20'), Nii'arala Milaaso

So maybe you could look at it and say, hey, Vilita lost their first MD4 matchup since World Cup 83 Qualifying - but all in all, it wasn't that far away from the start of the qualifying cycle. With more and more games being played in qualifying - 20 such matches being contested in this cycle, it hadn't even hit the 1/4 mark of the campaign. That excuse, however, might have flown out the window on Matchday 5.

Matchday 5. Magical Matchday 5. No Vilitan player in the modern era had ever suffered a defeat on Matchday 5. With a record of 35-7-0 over their previous 42 World Cup Qualifying Matchday 5 fixtures, Matchday 5 was undoubtedly the Vilita National Teams best matchday in all of World Cup Qualifying. Ever. From World Cup 71 through World Cup 85 the then-Jungle Cats won 15 consecutive Matchday 5 Qualifying matches. Overall, the Vilitan National Team were +66 on Matchday 5 over the stretch that would see their most recent Matchday 5 defeat coming 54 cycles earlier - a 1-0 defeat against World Cup Champions Ariddia during World Cup 38 Qualifying.

To say that the Vilita National Team expected a victory would have been an understatement. Of course, there were signs that this was coming. An opening matchday draw against a Team without a Country. A Matchday 4 defeat to a Nation that isn't even concerned that their team is competing. Even though Vilita were able to rebound on Matchday 3, it was clear there were cracks in the defense. Yet no one expected just how big they were.

Despite having already lost Ukamai Talingri due to suspension, it was Zelkki Milake Jr in goal for Vilita as planned all along for Endur Rotropii and the Jungle Rebels.

While the Vilitan National Team hadn't lost a single Matchday 5 Qualifying fixture in the modern era, even the rare colonial era Mathchday 5 losses that Vilita suffered at the hands of Ariddia, Milchama, Wentland, Squornshelous, Liventia and The Belmore Family had something in common. On every previous occasion where the Vilitan National Team had lost on Matchday 5 of qualifying, they had done so in a hard fought contest being defeated by a single goal. That allowed their all time Matchday 5 Goal differential to notch up even further to a +85.

But it was always destined to be a day of firsts for the Vilitan National Team. Their first ever Modern Era defeat on Matchday 5, and their first ever Matchday 5 defeat by more than a single goal were all but sealed in the 23rd minute when Zelkki Milake Jr. became the second Jungle Rebels goalie to be sent off in as many matches leaving 18 year old Altirii Touiniki to fend for themselves as the substitute goalkeeper with only nine players out in front of them. Michael Cole's penalty kick put Flavovespia in front for good, negating the tying goal that Trezisi Rokopolis had scored just minutes earlier. While the Jungle Rebels were able to sustain the pressure for the remainder of the first half, once again, they would ultimately succumb to the pressure in the second half conceding three more goals in a stunning 5-1 defeat at home.

It would be the worst defeat for the Vilitan National Team in a World Cup Committee sanctioned competition since losing the arguably meaningless World Cup 72 3rd Place Playoff to Eura 5-0 and just the third 1-5 defeat ever suffered by the team, a mark previously achieved in One Red Dot during World Cup 26 and at home to new Montreal States during World Cup 32.

While some might give the Vilitan National Team a pass due to having played the majority of the previous two matches with 10 players and without their starting goalkeepers, others will say that the problems are indicative of the leadership and it was time to make a change to the coaching staff. After suffering back to back defeats for a combined total scoreline of 3-9 of the two most historically prosperous matchdays of Vilitan World Cup Qualifying history, the Jungle Rebels era in Vilita may have come to an end.

by **Dantopia** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:54 pm

DANTOPIA ✓

@Dantopia
Your #Lions reign supreme over @SJJSM in the #WorldCupQualifiers

#Dantopia : #Lions : #WorldCupQualifiers

2 JULY 2023

Dantopia Dominate in Away Display

Saturday 1 July 2023
Complexe Sportif National, Sacré-Couer, Saint-Jean-Jacques-Sur-Mer
Saint-Jean-Jacques-Sur-Mer   2 - 5 Dantopia
Goudreau-Luneau 31’              Bartholomew-Barnham 11’, 24’
Guignard 77’                     M. Danchevy 41’
                                 Fodderingham 68’
                                 Moses 83’

Dantopia’s national team put on an attacking show in their 5-2 victory over Saint-Jean-Jacques-Sur-Mer at the Complexe Sportif National on Saturday. A brace from Brent Bartholomew-Barnham, followed by goals from Michael Danchevy, Will Fodderingham and substitute Manny Moses were enough for the Lions see off the Tapirs on their home turf. The leaky defence at the other end of the pitch should draw some concern for Harold Northgate and his men, however.

The Dantopians opened the scoring in the eleventh minute after Ezra Cunningham mesmerised the crowd and the Saint-Jean-Jacques defence alike with his silky dribbling into the penalty-area, drawing out opposing goalkeeper Serge Bleu-Bean and leaving a straightforward cutback for Brent Bartholomew-Barnham to receive on the edge of the box. The Portland Pirates man was able to slot the chance home with relative ease. Bartholomew-Barnham was then tasked with a free kick opportunity after twenty-four minutes following a foul on Michael Danchevy just outside the penalty-area. The right-back come central midfielder was able to successfully whip the ball around the Saint-Jean-Jacques wall and into the top corner, making the score 2-0.

However, seven minutes later at the other end, a lapse of judgement from Lions defender Gary McGoldrick saw him lose out aerially to a pressing Marcelin Nkoulou, leading to a headed goal for Saint-Jean-Jacques forward Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau. The Dantopians were able to rectify their error by increasing their lead once again just before the end of the half, this time through Michael Danchevy, scoring a tap in at the far post after Adebayo Adeyemi blew past the opposition defence and drew Bleu-Bean away from his goal once again.

Following the half-time interval, the Lions continued their relentless pursuit, with a long pass over the top from Lewis Shank reaching Will Fodderingham, who – one-on-one with the goalkeeper – elected to chip the ball over the rushing Bleu-Bean from just outside the box. The execution from Fodderingham was so calm and smooth, it will surely be recognised as one of the goals of the tournament so far. However, yet another mistake from Dantopia defender Gary McGoldrick saw the Tapirs get another goal back, this time through Carlo Guignard following a cross from Nathan Fauteux-McGrath. McGoldrick should have had a straightforward clearance at the near post but missed the ball entirely when he swung at it, and the twenty-eight-year-old Club National forward capitalised on the error, much to the annoyance of Lions goalkeeper Jeffrey Danchevy.

Finally, not long before the end of the game, substitute Manny Moses scored a header from a Dantopia corner, being assisted by man of the match Brent Bartholomew-Barnham, who’s two goals and assist marked an encouraging display from his newfound midfield position. The twenty-four-year-old Portland native has really grown into his new role in Dantopia’s 3-2-4-1 system, being employed by the national team manager as more of a box-to-box number 8. He’s long been criticised for his lack of defensive discipline at right back, so moving him into midfield has seemed to help offset this weakness in his game, and has allowed him to flourish at what he does best which is creating chances for others.

Group 15                             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Dantopia                            4    2   2   0    10    5   +5     8
 2 Ziwana                              3    2   0   1     8    4   +4     6
 3 Valentine Z                         4    1   3   0     7    5   +2     6
 4 Vilita                              4    1   2   1    10    7   +3     5
 5 Flavovespia                         3    1   2   0     4    2   +2     5
 6 Tanirinthia                         3    1   1   1     4    4    0     4
 7 Trolleborg                          4    0   4   0     1    1    0     4
 8 Neibeskiya                          4    0   4   0     3    3    0     4
 9 Patriotlandia                       3    0   2   1     3    6   −3     2
10 Euran Oceania Territories           4    0   2   2     2    7   −5     2
11 Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer          4    0   2   2     4   12   −8     2

Dantopia travel back home to Portland to face Tanirinthia next at DT Centre. The win against Saint-Jean-Jacques-Sur-Mer sees the Lions top Group 15 after 4 matches played, albeit with second place Ziwana holding a game in hand over the Dantopians. This has been an encouraging start for Harold Northgate and his squad entering their first world cup qualifying tournament. The Lions had not been favourites to qualify headed into the competition, with many more experienced teams included in their group. Northgate will be hopeful the positive results can continue, though the Lions cannot afford to become complacent now. Every point will be crucial as the qualification campaign is long and gruelling.

DANTOPIA ✓

@Dantopia
The #Lions came back from behind to draw against @Tanirinthia in the #WorldCupQualifiers

#Dantopia : #Lions : #WorldCupQualifiers

2 JULY 2023

Danchevy Double Saves the Day for Dantopia

Saturday 1 July 2023
DT Centre, Portland, Dantopia
Dantopia            2 - 2 Taniritnhia
M. Danchevy  49’, 60’   Lark 6’, 7’

The Lions were only able to manage a draw against Tanirinthia in Portland on Saturday. Two early goals from the visitors saw the crowd stunned into silence at DT Centre very quickly. In fact, it was probably the quietist the stadium has ever been during a football match. Man of the match in the previous game Brent Bartholomew-Barnham was unfortunately not available for the match against Tanirinthia after picking up the flu following the match against the Tapirs. His absence from the squad meant a start for Cliff Clamber in midfield, though Bartholomew-Barnham’s contributions were greatly missed.

The Mighty Oaks got off to their quick start when Ferris Dixon brushed off a half-hearted attempt to tackle them from Lewis Shank. Dixon bombed into the box and fired a shot at Dantopia goalkeeper Jeffrey Danchevy. The Portland Pacific goalie was able to parry the effort away but only as far as the oncoming Lark Holt, who tapped the ball in uncontested and lifted the spirits of the travelling away supporters behind the goal.

Immediately after the restart, Dantopia midfielder Dani Spaghetti slipped when receiving the ball, allowing the goal scorer Lark to pounce onto the loose ball. Lark expertly dribbled around centre-back James Rock and slotted another past Jeffrey Danchevy in net, leaving the Dantopian home fans stunned, the players shocked and the national team manager Harold Northgate apoplectic with rage. The Tanirinthians, imbued with confidence following the two goals from Lark, then retreated into defensive positions, as a winning result away from home for them would be extremely positive for their position in Group 15. Following their unlikely victory against Vilita in the previous match, their fortunes in the group had seemingly been turned around completely.

However, a concerted effort from the Dantopians would follow very quickly. Northgate barked orders at the team on the touchline. The national team manager had to be warned by the referee for encroaching onto the pitch numerous times in the first half, in fact, such was his anger at his team’s performance. It was not able to be contained by the technical area alone. Efforts from Michael Danchevy and Cliff Clamber before the half proved promising, but opposition goalkeeper Elmer Marshall was resolute and prevented a Dantopian goal before the break.

The Lions shifted their tactical layout at half time. As a result of a pretty poor first half, Will Fodderingham was brought off, with Manny Moses replacing the Dartford City man. Moses moved into the central striker role, with Danchevy shifting to the left wing, and Dantopia reverted back to their more traditional 4-3-3 shape defensively, though in attack their positions still resembled the 3-2-4-1 Northgate has fashioned in recent games. With a more out and out centre-forward to build an attack around, the Dantopians were able to establish more control of the game, and the threat in behind from Danchevy from the wing proved much more dangerous than it had from the centre of the pitch in the first half.

In fact, so threatening was Danchevy from the side of the pitch, not five minutes into the second half, the Dartford Devils man was through on goal against Marshall, and staying true to his recent form, the twenty-five-year-old forward didn’t disappoint. Following a pass over the top from Shank, Danchevy rifled home his shot to bring the Lions within a single goal of the Tanirinthians. Danchevy picked up the ball and took it back to the centre-circle himself, knowing how important every minute would be in the second half for the trailing Dantopians.

Then, in the sixtieth minute, Danchevy found himself through on goal again, this time following an aerial knock on from Manny Moses. Proving far too quick for his defender, Danchevy accelerated away and punished Marshall in goal once more, bring the game back level and enthusing the Dantopian home supporters back to their usual noise levels. Northgate had successfully brought his side back from the brink, and now the hunt was on for a winner. However, no such winner would be found, despite close efforts from Clamber, Adeyemi and Cunningham. The Tanirinthian back line were able to organise themselves again and settle things down. The game ended in a draw, which all things being considered would be a fair reflection on both sides. Dantopia had been far too passive and open early on, but their second half display meant they ought to have earned something from the game.

Group 15                             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Ziwana                              4    3   0   1    13    5   +8     9
 2 Dantopia                            5    2   3   0    12    7   +5     9
 3 Valentine Z                         5    2   3   0    10    7   +3     9
 4 Flavovespia                         4    2   2   0     9    3   +6     8
 5 Tanirinthia                         4    1   2   1     6    6    0     5
 6 Vilita                              5    1   2   2    11   12   −1     5
 7 Euran Oceania Territories           5    1   2   2     5    9   −4     5
 8 Trolleborg                          4    0   4   0     1    1    0     4
 9 Neibeskiya                          5    0   4   1     4    8   −4     4
10 Patriotlandia                       4    0   2   2     5    9   −4     2
11 Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer          5    0   2   3     6   15   −9     2

The Lions have a match against Flavovespia next at Saints Park, St Aston’s City. The Flavovespians sit fourth in the table, just a point behind Dantopia in second, and will be looking for a result to climb up the table after two wins and two draws to start. Trolleborg have failed to win a single game in Group 15 yet, though have also yet to lose a match either. They have drawn each of their first four games and will be looking for three points against Dantopia in Lion City on Monday. Keen supporters of the Lions will remember Trolleborg from their hosting of the South Pacific Cup, which Dantopia ultimately won, though they will also remember Dantopia’s 1-0 loss to the hosts in the group stages of that tournament. Harold Northgate and his team will be looking to respond in their second fixture against the Trolls as they welcome their fellow nation from the South Pacific to Dantopia’s capital and the almost certainly packed-out Lion City Arena. These next two matches for the Lions will be crucial to their qualifying campaign, and Northgate will be keen to avoid any more silly mistakes at the back after the last two matches. Let’s see if the national team can turn things around in that respect.

DANTOPIA ✓

@Dantopia
Your #Lions up against @Flavovespia in the #WorldCupQualifiers

#Dantopia : #Lions : #WorldCupQualifiers

2 mins ago

Harold Northgate is unfortunately still without the presence of Brent Bartholomew-Barnham headed into the match against Flavovespia at Saint’s Park, St Aston’s City. The Portland Pirates’ player is likely to be available for the following match against Trolleborg back home in Lion City after heading back to Dantopia early to recover. His teammates will have to get through this next fixture without him, and Northgate has made some amendments to the starting eleven from the previous match which saw two early errors lead to Tanirinthian goals.

In for Gary McGoldrick at centre-back is Bukayo Yesterdi. The left-sided centre half has often been unfavoured by the national team manager, despite his impressive club form, but Northgate is now turning to the twenty-five-year-old Lion City F.C. defender after clangers from McGoldrick in the previous match cost the Dantopians two goals. Another change in the starting line-up sees Jason Sanchez return, in for Will Fodderingham on the wing. Cliff Clamber has maintained his place in the side following a largely positive display against Tanirinthia, and Michael Danchevy will once again lead the line for the Lions, though the performances of Manny Moses have not been unnoticed by the national team manager.

“I haven’t started with Manny today, and I understand why that has been seen as a little controversial” said head coach Harold Northgate during his pre-match interview. “Manny offers a lot for the team up front, and we will be relying on his contributions moving forwards, but I have selected what I believe to be a winning approach against Flavovespia today. I need Danchevy to occupy the opposition centre-backs with his pace in behind, allowing my free eights in Cunningham and Mount additional space to exploit in the half spaces.”

Northgate is hoping to overload the low block the Flavovespians employ, a tactic they use as it aids in their fierce counter-attacking football. It will be interesting to see if Northgate operates with the 3-2-4-1 formation defensively against the home team from Anaia or if he will revert the defensive line back into a four when out of possession. We expect the latter to be the case as the wing play from star player Jonathan Bagshaw will almost certainly be at the forefront of the national team manager’s mind.

Northgate is missing man of the match from the last game Brent Bartholomew-Barnham, but is widely expected to continue with the 3-2-4-1 shape.

Dantopia left back Lewis Shank will need to be on guard against the AC Izotz Zubia wide player who’s reserved personality off the pitch is a stark contrast to his star level on it. Shank has put in impressive displays defensively before, and has been known to cover at centre half at times for his club the Dantopian Devils. He isn’t the fastest left back in the world, but he isn’t the slowest either, and his ability to read the game defensively more than makes up for his average pace.

A good result against the Flavovespians will put the Dantopians in good stead headed into match-day seven when they face Trolleborg back in Dantopia. Strong performances from the attacking front five of Sanchez, Cunningham, Michael Danchevy, Clamber and Adeyemi will be required to get the best of the well-drilled Flavovespian defence. However, the Dantopian attackers are more than capable of putting in a solid performance, as results from the world cup qualifiers have already shown. Northgate and his team go into this match with every confidence they can win it, and the feeling amongst the travelling fans in attendance is that of brimming confidence, even in the face of some less than stellar defensive displays as of late.

DANTOPIA ✓

@Dantopia
Northgate makes just one change for the #Lions against @Trolleborg for the #WorldCupQualifiers

#Dantopia : #Lions : #WorldCupQualifiers

3 mins ago

Brent Bartholomew-Barnham returns in an otherwise unchanged side for the Dantopian national team as they face Trolleborg in the Lion City Arena in Lion City tonight. The sole change sees Cliff Clamber move back to the bench to accommodate Bartholomew-Barnham into midfield where he has shone recently. This match marks the second time the two nations from the South Pacific have met, with the last outing resulting in a 1-0 victory for the Trolls on their home turf. Northgate and his side will be looking for vengeance against Morten Troghil’s side, who are well-disciplined but have recently lacked innovation at the sixty-one-year-old’s helm. Despite this fact however, he continues to receive overwhelming support amongst Trolleborgians as his three international tournament wins carry with them a certain level of admiration and respect for the manager.

Brent Bartholomew-Barnham returns, and the attacking shape is expected to remain the same, but Lewis Shank will likely revert back to left back whilst in defence.

The Dantopians are largely expected to line up in the 3-2-4-1 formation Harold Northgate has favoured of late, with a midfield box created out of Shank, Spaghetti, Bartholomew-Barnham and Cunningham when in possession of the ball. Out of possession, it is widely believed Shank will return to his more natural left back position to defend better the width of the Trolleborgian attack. The attacking quintet for the Lions is made up from left to right of Sanchez, Cunningham, Michael Danchevy, Bartholomew-Barnham and Adeyemi. Sanchez and Adeyemi will hug the wings, hoping to stretch the Trolleborg defence wide and allow the half spaces to be penetrated by Cunningham and Bartholomew-Barnham. Both are capable at finishing or playmaking. Danchevy’s goal will be to run in behind and test the resolve of the Trolleborgian offside trap.

There is every hope Dantopia can settle the score with Trolleborg and gain victory over them this evening, but Trolleborg are certainly a worthy and experienced adversary for the Lions, and every precaution with need to be taken against them. Many Trolleborgian fans are in attendance tonight, and the away section is expected to be loud and energetic in Lion City Arena. Can the Dantopian national team settle the score tonight? We will find out shortly!

by **Independent Athletes from Quebec** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:58 pm

Independent Athletes from Quebec (IAQ) - World Cup 94 Team
WINDOW 4 - v. Legalese, @ Eraman
26-PLAYER ENTRY

GOALKEEPERS (3):
Goh Yeong-Rok (Kingston FC), Kang Gwang-Heui (Aminey SC, KOR), Sandra Middleton (Brinemouth, NPH)

DEFENDERS (9):
Kira Dormann (Kingsbury United, TMB), Coralie Higgins-Mah (Alnio, CMT), Joo Pil-Seung (Frenei Tor, CMT), Mariano Kang Mêndêlöíndçêl (Rulandea Kosta, FFD), Hannah Kim (Damogran, SRS), Noel-Hercule McKinley (West Couno United, TMB), Sinisa Salihamidzic (Montreal Koreana), Yves Soonias (Montreal Koreana), Frederic Yabusele (Atletik, MYT)

MIDFIELDERS (7):
Mathinna Bouck (Rulandea Kosta), Cesar Icardi-Rabiot (Jinja City FC, BNJ), Camille Oh-Chainey (CSKA Quebec), Pyo Seung-Hye (Avondale City, SYL), Otis Tekaronhonte (Eivora Athletic FC, TKT), Rebecca-Anne Wawanolett (Chromatik, CMT), Alain Vadnais (Swangard Athletic)

FORWARDS (7):
Hong Yeong-Sahm (Lhor, CMT), Anna Korniloff-Kouyate (Atletik, MYT), Eloise Kweon (Sabrefell Moths, NPH), Odette Tsioui (Perce Town), Enyinnaya Udegbunam (Latrobe Athletic, KSK), Ruby Vanderley (Lanar, CMT), Zinaida Woodcarver (Crisibless, NPH)

Starting XI vs. Legalese (4-3-2-1, also translated as 4-3-3):
Goh Y.R.
Soonias - Dormann - Higgins-Mah - Joo P.S.
M. Bouck - Pyo S.H. - Vadnais
Udegbunam - Tekatronhonte
Hong Y.S.

Starting XI vs. Eraman (4-2-3-1):
S. Middleton
Yabusele - Salihamidzic - H. Kim - Mariano Kang
Oh-Chainey - Wawanolett
Woodcarver - Icardi-Rabiot - E. Kweon
Korniloff-Kouyate

SOCIAL SEASONS OF SHIN-GORYEO: SYNOPSIS

For those wondering about the Social Seasons, an introductory article about it is available here.

Year Season Month City Function
1 Small Oct. Dongnae-Halifax Festival de Dongnae
Brief synopsis: Raoul-Christophe 'R.C.' Jang-Nolan meets his friend Louise and tells her that there will be a new film project of his that could be his 'finest work', but will likely require assistance from a specific studio.
With a set plan for the presentation of the project, R.C. heads to the premiere at the Festival de Dongnae, where he lightly drops the notes of Rico Sierra, the Quebeco-Krytenian chair of the Monte-Sierra studio, of 'Barbenheimer'.
Sierra finds it amusing, but informs R.C. to give about a month before deciding on the project.
Cutoffs to occur: July 1 (Louise) - July 3 (Raoul-Christophe)
---
1 None Oct. Hattmark Testiculos Ceremony
Brief synopsis: At the very night of Testiculos, where relatively-indifferent R.C. arrives to the ceremony alongside the Heo-Sierra family, R.C. gives more detailed plan and the synopsis of the plot.
The Heo-Sierras, who are present as Perce Town owners and thus with an invitation to the ceremony under the recommendations of Rebecca-Anne Wawanolett and her agent, Mauril Yoon (see my IBC-37 RPs for a semi-related storyline on him), finds it amusing, but discusses the difficulties of putting together such a project.
They agree to it, but ask to have another meeting when they all return to Joongyeong.
Cutoffs to occur: July 5
---
1 Small Nov. Joongyeong Bal des Ballons
Brief Synopsis: TBD
Cutoff to occur: July 7 - July 9
---
1 Large June Montevicio Montevicio Emerald Ball
1 Large July Joongyeong Grand Prix de Joongyeong
2 Small Oct. Joongyeong Final Night of QBC Proms
1 Large April Joongyeong Jongmyo Jerye
2 Large May Songak Athlone Gala
2 Large July Adelphi Castle Adelphite Festival

And now, what is up next in the Social Seasons of Shin-goryeo? See right below:

The Social Seasons of Shin-goryeo

PART 2 - Festival de Dongnae .2 - Raoul-Christophe

It rained all week in the Dongnae-Halifax County.

The rain drenched and the wind swept all over the maritime city of Two million people, bringing with it the sense of chaos and the sense of amity that had swept over the city's Old Port quarters for the festival week.

This was the kind of rainstorm that would hit on you with the uncomfortable feeling, and even more so with how the familiarity of the noise could hurt your ears. But it was egalitarian too in the sense that the blast did not discriminate others, and the scenes that would emerge from the legendary 2060 edition of the Festival de Dongnae no doubt made it a sight of own.

As is always the theme of the week with the cinematographers, the well-connected, and the public would crowd themselves in the entire Old Port district. They would mostly find themselves looking find their friends and family members after a screening, but also to look to spend time in the Donggyeong (Eastern Capital), one of the oldest cities in the nation. They, after all, were situated where the film festival's Pavilion de Cinema and La Cinematheque Acadienne (one of two regional campuses of the La Cinematheque Shingoryeoite based in Joongyeong) directly faced the nearby Mulchi Fishery Market and the Dartmouth Cross square.

Grim faces of the dissatisfaction with the weather alternated with the glee of the surprising encounters and the exchanging gossips on the street, while the guests would move into restaurants and stalls to talk over businesses and recollections of more serious natures. The famous and the beloved of the international film scene had turned out for the occasion, with their family and friends also joining the experience that had become one of own. One moment you would notice the Chae-Morneau duo of the Tomcat series downing shots with Jesper Sandberg, Tikariotian thriller director who's the current year's jury chair, and other moment you would notice the foreign dignitaries conversing with actors and actresses of contrasting classes on a Pocha (street tent restaurant). Even the famous media and film feuds would subdue and change into the forms of passive-aggressions and humorisms.

True to the festival where Raoul-Christophe Jang-Nolan had spent much of his time there, to the point where he would remember every joint on the street and would recall the smell of the subway back to the hostel when he was still a teenager. Inside his head, he was living this experience year after year, one where the tunes of this festival's most memorable soundtracks were still playing, almost as if they were replacing the footsteps and the onomatopoeias on the street, and one where the colours would either turn into black and white or technicolour as if he were turning his mental switch on and off.

Raoul-Christophe's hair was plastered in the rain, with the mousse he had put on his hair melted and dripped to prove they held no use, while he had to put on an autumn coat to limit the rain damage done on his suits. Such was the inevitability of being out in middle of the rain, heading out of his 'rendez-vous' (masterclass) where the re-mastered version of 1956 classic Ahead By A Century was shown, as his mind wasn't even aware of how wet it was. He walked lightly, trying his best to stay relaxed as he was heading into a late-night meeting with his good friend. Raoul-Christophe kept imagining the alteration of his younger self and the years that had passed since, and as the drums continued to beat from the skies, he couldn't help but to feel how jarring the times have been lately.

His friend, Hong Soon-Deok, was very different to Raoul-Christophe. As one that those in Joongyeong had adored more, most people considered them to be the total contrasts, where Joongyeong's darling Hong would stand on the other side of the panel as Songak and Montevicio's Jang-Nolan (many would qualify earlier, psychology-driven works of Jang-Nolan to be different than time and space-influenced later eras of his), but really they were not.

Hong's father, Hong Sang-Hoon, taught at Cinematheque Shingoryeoite in Joongyeong, and then moved onto teach cinema at Farrer and Iggulden University in Songak, where Hong first met Jang-Nolan, then a student at Farrer. For a long time Jang-Nolan would work as a film staff, around the same time which him and Soon-Deok, who was then trying to find a breakthrough after his time with the Institute des Metiers de l'Image et du Son (IMIS), crossed paths. This did seem like a long ways past for them, as they had become the eminent figures on their respective fields of film, and had spent twenty years pass before them. Their friendship, perhaps thanks to how much their difficulties were in the twenties, held onto it, and as he entered into a quiet, restaurant where Hong made the reservations, he was occupied with thoughts.

Now it would be a lie to suggest that Raoul-Christophe wasn't envying his friend. He handled emotions well, but often held things bubbling inside and perhaps have used the said bubble to fuel, perhaps excessively so, for his own competitive edge. And the envy did quietly come up earlier today when Jang-Nolan, who was finding himself in difficulties with Cydonia and his upcoming project, came to realise from the sounds of the applauses and the side-remarks that 'Escort, First Lady' were very likely winners of the Pomme d'Or, and he was very close to refusing invitation from grabbing a 22h supper with his friend. But he knew that wasn't prudent, especially considering Hong's peculiar ties with Montesierra Productions, and that perhaps accepting it would suggest perhaps help as his friend of the House of Lords, Lady Louise Bunting Moskowitz, had done so.

He slowly made his way to the entrance, where a waitress had noticed who Raoul-Christophe was. 'Sir, are you here for Mr. Hong Soon-Deok?' asked she, to which he gave a nod. 'Yes, I am.'

'Please, come this way.'

It was a warm, dimly-lit Izakaya, one where most who would frequent here were the locals themselves or those who had been here years ago - this area, which is no short of Izakayas, have fancier, more flashier ones that did not require going into back alleys. Raoul-Christophe was doing his best to not look particularly embarrassed, as him and Soon-Deok started drinking sake glasses after glasses. A more reserved, gentle individual than Raoul-Christophe, Soon-Deok wore a dark suit and dark shirt, a fitting clothes selection considering the weather.

'Congratulations to you, my dear friend,' said Soon-Deok, who was speaking quieter than usual. His face didn't lie with a curvier smile and brighter colour of his face than usual, however. He had a good feeling about the film's chances, even it involved competing against Timón Ferrero's Black Iris and Juan Chota Corta's Elver Garaga, both psychological thrillers more on the lanes of the Jury. 'This is your first Festival de Dongnae for an event at Festival de Dongnae since...what? Interplanar?'

'Something like that,' answered Raoul-Christophe. 'I mean, I come here every year as you know already, but these days I am rarely to present unless invited for classical movies.' He then continued, pouring Sake on an empty glass to indicate his congratulations. 'Congratulations once again, Escort, First Lady looked brilliant yesterday. A bit elaborate, somewhat hardboiled-take reminding me of [Salvatore] Montano, but what I could tell you is that you have brought another masterpiece to the world.'

'Thanks, man,' He answered, as they quickly said cheers and clanged the glass. The glass of Sake couldn't go down fast enough tonight, not with the way rain's blasting down on all of the city for another day. Pajeon (Seafood scallion cake) was cooking from some distance away, and they could smell it, likely meaning that a round of drinks couldn't come sooner. 'You know,' he then spoke again. 'It does feel like times have really flown, haven't they?'

'Yes, and perhaps for the best,' Raoul-Christophe answered. This part, after all, was true. For all the competitiveness they and several others of their generation held towards one another, the current era of Quebecois Cinema has been an outstanding one for all parties. He then switched topics, going straight to the discussion. 'You know, I'm more thinking about a different project, one that may require your assistance.'

'Say it,' answered he. 'I thought you aren't exactly the type to work with Montesierra over this, no matter how the Sierra-Heos would view you.'

This part was true. The Sierra-Heo couple, who were leading Montesierra productions that were based both in Joongyeong, the generally-perceived capital of Franco-Koreanophone cinema, and Gobion, the home to Krytenia's Yardleywood, did have particularly positive opinions about Jang-Nolan. And while their paths had not exactly crossed, especially with the Joongyeong studio directing more social critique and documentaries while Gobion would handle more sci-fi/alternative films, there existed a potential.

'Yes, so that's why I would like to ask them if they would be interested in the latest project I have in mind,' said Raoul-Christophe, who feeling a bit more desperate now. 'I know it's not exactly on their foray, but perhaps they would be interested in working, even if just for this project.'

'What's the name?' Hong asked.

'Barbenheimer. I can't tell you more than that just yet, but I could promise you that if full directions guaranteed, it will be a success.'

'Barbenheimer, that does sound like a fun name...' Soon-Deok slowly nodded, before he started pouring another glass, this to him first. 'Both Msr. Sierra and Mille. Heo are currently out of town due to a funeral, but I will let them know.'

by **Cap Nord** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 1:59 pm

In a country where everyone seemed to be a national coach on the side, there were few places where Pazron Finchley, the actual one, could relax. Especially as the results of these qualifiers showed themselves as a rollercoaster with a moment of divine inspiration by Barrington sending Cap Nord from hell to heaven. In bars or pubs, everyone felt the need to share their inner thoughts on the line-up but in the darkness of the movie theater, Finchley could let his mind wander in silence. With the Esportivan Culture Festival reaching its zenith, the theaters showed a selection of what would be displayed there with various international movies on display. But also the selected crop of local artwork made its way to the big screen now.

Finchley had passed on Till Theft Do Us Apart, a romcom under the guise of a heist movie, and was not in the mood for Norrki's Quest, a pseudo-historic epic on the legendary hero of the north. No, Finchley could let go of his worries about the Poulsen suspension and fully immerse himself in Pedigree[/], a grim arthouse drama about a sales manager at a nondescript firm who collapses and signs a deal with the devil, just to feel alive. It did not take long for the Lozhoan gaffer to take it all, munching as the main character tried to outsmart his impossible opponent. Finchley, was having a typical bag of [i]buttercrumps, a snack as simple and low-budget as it sounds, which was sold by street vendors outside any venue, being it for sports or for cinema. They also made the sound of firecrackers inside an empty elevator. As someone behind him whispered "Hey, mate, could you just…", Finchley instinctively raised his hand in apology.

"Sorry, mate, these buttercrumps, you know?"
"Yes," the whisperer continued, "that as well. But also, have you considered Siebe Moersleutel on right-back? I know he plays in Patriotlandia on the left, but hear me out…"

Just nowhere.

by **Turori** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 2:00 pm

TURORI NATIONAL ✓

@TuroriNat
Turori National Team goalkeeper Derizi Amatopa has been in top form thus far in World Cup 94 Qualifying. After the Eels dropped a goal against Milk Island in their opener, Amatopa has stepped in to record three consecutive shutouts against Ceni, Eshialand and Delaclava to put Turori firmly locked in cruise control atop the Group 5 Table. Of course, the Eels will know not to get too complacent as the World Cup 79 hosting duo of Ceni and Drawkland are still primed in position to pounce if the Eels get caught up in a potential bogie match against Kewlz of the oddly spelled team of Cheetahs and Reptiles later in the Qualifying Cycle

#WC94Q - #AmatopaWall - #Group5

 Turori 3 - 0 Eshialand	
	Turori Goals:	:: 9' Loala Inkabu:: 40' Naraiza Ruaplal:: 50' Kala'a Yuliizala            
	Stats :: Turori 	:: Possession: 63%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 9 :: Eshialand :: Possession: 37%:: Shots: 3:: Corners: 5
	Turori Lineup :: 	Derizi Amatopa, Karek Edgeli, Moumouni Verre'elali, Planio’o Nrujsa, Biliki Rona'atu'i (Nua'oma Aikiki 45'), Kiidallen Aeroluzzi (Trenian Omalizo 45'), Cuoabaza Orani’aoa (H’munao Cagomia 45'), Naraiza Ruaplal, Kinabo Telioa (Amakli Inuro'o 45'), Loala Inkabu, Kala'a Yuliizala

 Turori 2 - 0 Delaclava	
	Turori Goals:	:: 17' Loala Inkabu:: 58' Tulaki Rauogba             
	Stats :: Turori 	:: Possession: 60%:: Shots: 8:: Corners: 6 :: Delaclava :: Possession: 40%:: Shots: 2:: Corners: 3
	Turori Lineup :: 	Derizi Amatopa, Karek Edgeli, Moumouni Verre'elali (Kala'a Yuliizala 70'), Amakli Inuro'o, Planio’o Nrujsa (Nua'oma Aikiki 70'), Cuoabaza Orani’aoa (Kiidallen Aeroluzzi 72'), Tulaki Rauogba, Naraiza Ruaplal, Lumlao Noauryua, Turakia Diijelhma (Biliki Rona'atu'i 72'), Loala Inkabu (Klaillal Tuirma 70')

by **Kelssek** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 2:03 pm

Cutoff for matchdays 6 and 7.
Note: the after-deadline RPs by Eura and Audioslavia were counted as part of this cutoff. Please do not count on this always being the case.

World Cup 94 [roleplays]

Thirty Years of Eleanorians: 1977

WC94 MD 3 & Part 3

Finally, Some Adversity

Thirty Years of Eleanorians: 1978

Thirty Years of Eleanorians: 1979

WC94Q MD [Matchday 5 Ruined] - End of the Rebels?

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