World Cup 95 Roleplay Thread

by **Qasden** » Tue Nov 28, 2023 7:48 pm

Royal Grumble
Disappointment at the Capital Leave Vans in Last Gasp Status Again
By Wallace Wallows
The yearning to get back to the big fight has hindered decades of Qad social progressivism; many older folk refuse to accept the love and attention of their children unless Qasden can get back to the glory days of 4th in a World Cup Group Stage again. Following the untimely failure to re-sign Valentijn Munson, Rex Akimbo was tasked with becoming The Guy™ to bring us back. While the performance hasn't being anywhere near as bad as predicted, the thought of the Blue-Reds coming up short again is leaving fans blue-balled and red-faced.

Following the death of a hex against the unlikeliest country the Qads were able to terrorize, the Vans found themselves on a roll, their defense finally paying dividends in sweeping shutout statements against lower potted teams. Such a high brought about key victories against Archalit (in a friendly, albeit) and Oberour Ar Moro (not in a friendly, just vengeance), as well as a much desired draw against a boding Brookstation. With nothing but W's (and a D) in their wake, Qasden seemed much more well equipped for its first encounter with rival Audioslavia since the script-flipper at the Beltzarga. Roiling for revenge in front of a raucous caucus at the Royal, the Vans would put their best foot forward, but their worst cleat on.
Defense was all this game would be, with a fairly high turnover rate being paired to dramatic saves by both Thurstan and Creighton like a wet steak to dry wine. The offense, however, felt starved for long stretches of time, with Jaylyn Bone being left in a game as meaty as his surname. Such a breakthrough would never come for the Qads, however, though the unholy trend of 1-0 results between Cats and Cows would carry on for its seventh rendition. At the fading breath of the match, a lucky shot from an Anaian forward dismembered all hopes that what happened seven matches ago was merely a fluke. The visiting Audioslavians, for their part, went absolutely mad, keeping publicans in T.V. City well fed following the final whistle. It was to be a quiet night in the capital, save for the tourists and Ambreton residents pity cheering with Audioslavian passerbys to end conversations before they could start. The losses against the Anaian giants left Rex's fan fervor rusted, the end to such an uncanny streak now forever dubbed as The Akimbo Curse™ by his fellow hooligan fans.

In a vain attempt to make up for it, the Blue-Reds would venture out to Ancherion and respect their original result against them by doing it again, with Lana Boreal this time netting a 1-nil'er against a team already out of qualification. To no one's surprise, not a lot of Qads were ready to be optimistic because we beat the already beaten. To everyone's surprise, however, an already beaten managed to beat back in Qasden's favor. Using all their nonsense juice to blank us, the Bulls ran into problems upon visiting last place Saperetia, having to force an unwanted draw to set up a deeply unenviable fight for their lives against the undefeated group winners, Brookstation. The Vans stand 2 points behind the Bulls, with 3 goals more to their scales. Should the River's End defeat the same Saperetia side that the Audioslavians fumbled against, the fates will lean in the best kind of favor a Qasdonian could hope for: an extremely ironic one. Save a shock defeat of the Dreamers, a pair of losses and a whole Cup of Harmony campaign can be unintentionally avenged by the mere solution of not drawing Shieldstan twice. With playoffs on the line, can the Vans close out the campaign with one final push at Hotchskarth Cabin? Will it be Akimbo or Alaba to be sacked after the final call of Matchday 14? Stay tuned, stay updated, and stay alert for more strange situations, farmed fresh from the fields of World Cup 95!

by **Acastanha** » Tue Nov 28, 2023 8:23 pm

The Peace Treaty Signed

The attention of the region have shifted to Bandar Raja in the past week as the peace talks of parties that involved in Kolanos Gulf War were held. The talks was attended by President of Acastanha, Miranda Garbuno; Prime Minister of Kieraha, Sultan Hussain bin Zainal Abidin Al-Sahajat; President of Leihitu, Luis Valenciano; Representative of Keise Islands, Eduardo Marcado; Secretary General of AMAN, Ratna Salim and Samudera Darussalam Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jelita Aini Kadir as moderator. The meeting went intense with parties trying to bring attention over Kierahan action in Tual. Minister Kadir had to interfere several times as the situation becomes heated up. As the meeting was a close meeting, the detail of the meeting progress was unknown to public. Although the meeting spokesperson have always been the reliable sources for the journalists and reporters to get an insight of what's going on. And after 6 days of intense meeting, today, Bandar Raja Treaty is signed by the representatives of delegation present in the meeting.

The treaty have several main points that have to be implemented shortly. One point is Kierahan Government is obligate to held a referendum of self-determination in Keise Islands. This crucial point wins the heart of all Keisean people as their fight for independence is finally heard. Aside from that, the investigation of Tual Massacred will be held under AMAN Tribunal Court. And another important point is Kierahan have to pay for repatriation to all countries that affected by the war especially Acastanha and Leihitu. Kierahan Armed Force is also reduce to half its current size base on the treaty. And last but least, the peacekeeping force, AMAN-KITA will be present in Keise Islands until the process of referendum and the subsequent event afterwards is completed. While the neutral zones established in the border of Acastanha-Kieraha-Leihitu will be discarded at the end of the year. The peacekeeping forces will be staying there to help the rebuilding of the damaged cities and towns and to distributed aid.

Political expert, Andre Aramde welcome the treaty with joy. He believe that the treaty is fair enough especially for Keisean people who have wanted their independence for so long. Aramde also praise AMAN for their decision to cut the size of Kierahan Armed Forces and ban them from building their military. But he warns them about the repatriation punishment impose to Kieraha. Even though it is a justified punishment but it has to be noticed that Kieraha is also suffering many loses, especially in their occupied territories, Duko and Bacan. Soasio is almost wipeout after the besiege and constant bombings. He also suggest to lift any embargo impose to Kieraha so that they can redevelop their economy and pay for these repatriation. Or else, the country might be drown in financial crisis.

Other political expert, Teo Marinka stated about the need to establish a sub-regional organization in the north to reconnect all the countries involved after this devastating event. "Something like The Mandaran Council," he said. He believe that from this organization, the countries will get to know more about one another and conflict like this might be prevented in the future. He was comparing the situation with Mandaran Sub-region who still in the war even after the colonial era. And after the last Cakranegara Civil War and the creation of The Mandaran Council, the sub-region become more and more peaceful and they are also become more integrated. He hopes the similar condition can be applied here.

At the end of the day, everyone can only hope that the treaty will forever ended the dispute present in the sub-region. And bring peace to Kolanos Gulf Area.

by **Zwangzug** » Tue Nov 28, 2023 8:35 pm

We'd been descending stairs, flight after flight,
And all the concrete steps looked much the same
So that I hardly noticed when we turned.

But then it dawned on me, after some time,
We were proceeding forth on level ground,
Many concession stands framing our path.

Some of the fare held no appeal for me,
But others made me crave unhealthy snacks.
My guide saw my expression, and she laughed.

"Here you may walk and have no need of sleep."
For sun and moon had passed us overhead,
And yet, like those within a well-lit dome,

We did not care if it was day or night,
We had no fear of missing the last train.
"Likewise, avoid these unfulfilling traps."

"Am I to wait for more nutritious meals?"
I wondered. "Are we spirit, flesh, or both
Within this place of visions and strange fields?"

"Like one who, having ample food at home,
Avoids the overpriced delights and lines
So not to miss a minute of the game,

So will you be, so long as you are here.
Those in the queues have their attentions torn
Among their senses; sight gives way to taste,

One marvel is distraction from the next.
Yet even their ennui shall have an end.
Someday, they'll reach the forefront of the line,

And then they shall be asked what they desire.
Then shall the answer be made known to them
That now is hidden, even from themselves.

We are not here to join their snaking throng,
But, as you have come down by many steps,
You now shall climb, and other sections see."

"Is there no elevator in this park?
My feet are growing sore," I made protest.
"Be careful what you ask," she said to me.

"For one who lives and breaths with joy like you
The speeds of such a transport would induce
Unpleasant nausea, dizziness, and worse.

Much better to take one step at a time
And if you falter, pause to catch your breath:
I vow I shall not chide you, if you do."

"Thank you," I said. "Besides your ageless pace,
I must admit, sometimes I grow fatigued.
But now, assured that you are in no rush,

I'll follow you, whatever speed you set."

(Marcus 23 and 36, Turmal-Hence 41, McKinney 58; May 77)
(Trajkovski 16, Bajrami 74; MacEacharna 40)

by **Archalit** » Tue Nov 28, 2023 8:55 pm

All eyes on Nightmare. 84th minute, the pressure weighing on him, the score 0-0. If he misses this, the team is on a must-score basis and only has 10 minutes to manifest it. He stares down Daniel Whitcliffe, his heart beating out of his chest.

With the Pirates earning a penalty, it was the first time in the entire match that they had found a scoring opportunity. If the Pirates couldn't find a goal, StrayaRoos would only need a draw to fully eliminate them. If the Pirates couldn't find a goal, Jeruselem would stay confidently ahead of them. If the Pirates couldn't win this game, their World Cup dreams would be instantly and ruthlessly vanquished.

Nightmare began his run up. He felt every step, every strike against the ground. He felt his nerves going into overdrive as he came up to the ball, and he could only focus on maintaining the same form he's always kept. Had he ever been in such a high pressure penalty situation, he pondered, kicking the ball towards the net.

"Oh, o-oh? OOOOOOOOOOOH!" Kekumu jumped out of his seat, clenching his fists so tightly, punching the air. The Archalit Olympic Stadium filled with cheers for the Pirates. Finally, after so much painful anticipation, the Pirates finally made a breakthrough and set the score 1-0.

After the match ended, Lyndon Nightmare gave a post-game interview. In it, he stated, "really, it was high pressure, but like, I needed to get that goal. All I could do was kick the ball the same way I've drilled a million times, and it happened to work."

Featuring:

Slow Back-and-Forth Culminates in Close Archalitian Victory
Can A.I. Play for the Pirates? A.I. Citizen Sydney Makes Their Case
Tennis Archalit Underfunded, Talks About the Future

Slow Back-and-Forth Culminates in Close Archalitian Victory
Written By Nova Johnson
05/25/2036_(ARC)

The Pirates have put themselves in quite the predicament due to their loss against Valanora. With only two matchdays to go, they sit fourth in the group (and recall that they need second to go to playoffs) and are trailing the second place team StrayaRoos by a full win. The only way that Archalit can still stay in is by beating Natanians and Nosts and at least match StrayaRoos for the final matchday. Now, while Archalit has a good record against Natanians and Nosts, having beaten them earlier this season, they are not a team to dismiss so easily.

Having started their World Cup career all the way back in World Cup 73, this team has much more experience than the Archalitians, and while the Pirates outrank them, there has been a precedent of the Pirates losing to lower ranked teams before. And with a stable national league ~~that hasn't seemed to break down since it started,~~ Natanians and Nosts are a well known sporting nation. Unlike Archalit, as well, Natanians and Nosts are fully committed to sports, residing in Esportiva competing in regional meets as opposed to the Independent's Cup. With all that being said, it should be clear that beating Natanians and Nosts is no easy feat.

When the kickoff went down, it was clear that it would be quite a bit harder to break the Natanians and Nosts than most had predicted. They run a pretty solid defense and before this game, they only had 14 goals scored against, the second lowest in the group. Over the full first half, while the Archalitian defense continued to hold on, the offense just couldn't quite identify any holes.

The second half became no different. Constant dry back-and-forth gameplay between the Pirates and Natanians and Nosts. Until, finally, Paulus Mihai D'Orville fouled Lyndon Nightmare and a penalty was called. This was 80 whole minutes into the game, and the Pirates needed to get the goal. With a composed and clean kick, Lyndon Nightmare made the penalty shot look easy, scoring right past Daniel Whitcliffe and ultimately setting the score 1-0. With a few more minutes on the clock, the Pirates held on to the one goal advantage and closed out the game with an extremely tight match.

Now, it's far from over for our Pirates since, unfortunately, StrayaRoos managed to win their matchup against Bigpipstan 6-2. Fortunately, they didn't take it with a seven goal differential or higher, as that makes our edge case a little nicer. Nevertheless, it doesn't look pretty. The only way for the Pirates to make the playoff is if StrayaRoos loses their match against Jeruselem (who, by the way, they destroyed on matchday 7), and if the Pirates defeat the "sort of but not really" newbies, Glazgo, who pulled off a draw against the Pirates back in matchday 7. And while this team sits with a negative record and goal difference, they have a positive WD/L, and we need to beat them in this final match.

Can A.I. Play for the Pirates? A.I. Citizen Sydney Makes Their Case
Written By Nehroz Asan
05/24/2036_(ARC)

Despite calls for change in the Pirates national football team, there have been no artificial sapient beings drafted in the teams existence, despite the prevalence of A.I. sports in Archalit. According to most critics of the concept, drafting A.I. would "undermine the fairness" of the sport as A.I. are "biologically advantaged" so as to create an unfair advantage in the sport. However, the latest statements of the "Technologies and Innovations in Archalit" have argued that excluding A.I. is harmful to their processing and debases the Artificialism movement. One A.I. citizen, Sydney, has made their case for allowing A.I. citizens to participate in national sports.

Sydney is an artificial sapient being who has been competing and training in football since they were young. However, despite their wishes to compete for the national team, there was a prejudice against artificial beings that they would vastly change the sport. However, Sydney claims that there is no biological advantage and that "I've trained constantly to be able to compete on regular human level." Sydney further argues that excluding A.I. is a form of discrimination and robophobia that violates the fundamental principles of Artificialism that A.I. and artificial sapient species have worked so long to defend.

I'm Nehroz Asan, and thank you for reading.

General Bulletins

Tennis Archalit Underfunded, Discusses the Future
Sondas: "This season is exactly the same as last time"
Phoenix Grifjit Accused of Using Robophobic Slurs in Email

by **Tikariot** » Tue Nov 28, 2023 9:28 pm

In our final instalment of our transfer window review, we'll take a look at the remaining three clubs, also known as the three V's.

Vantanoch FC seem to feel quite comfortable with their role as perennial underdog, as they are one of the most consistent members of the TPL right now, far away from the relegation spots. As a consequence of that, Vantanoch management has decided not to stir up anything and Port Rhovanyon loaner Preben Serritslev replacing Ranet Vihmoja in central defence is the only transfer for the club.

Viathyn Park have had a strong showing last season, never at any risk of relegation, and they are taking a careful approach and have kept the core of the team together. The only two departures are centre back Bryce Larkingham, who is moving to the Polar Islandstates, and striker Alvaro Trespalacios who has heeded the call from the homeland Cardenao. Inbound are Saint Eleanorian striker Tim Hart who surprised many in Veriasod and Dantopian dual national Emerson Cromwell shoring up the defence.

The Vna-Chuhul Ravens have been adjusting to life in the TPL are trying to dial things up a notch to try to push into the upper echelons of the league. Gabriel Disasi, Dimitri Sanscartier, Fiji Fujiwara and Danila Terentyev are gone and in come Zezé Sapateiro, Austin St-Onge, Jenson McTierney and most importantly midfield maestro Charles Terzaghi, which should give the Ravens a very viable chance to continue climbing in the rankings.

Ragnar Cederholm: Four more to go.

Adrian Grimaud: Oh good Lord...

Þorgríma Vigdis: Come on, how bad can it be?

Adrian Grimaud: You had the same sauces I had, right?

Þorgríma Vigdis: Yes?

Adrian Grimaud: All I'm saying is Firefarter.

Ragnar Cederholm: The next one's not that bad.

Adrian Grimaud: I'm just worried. What's the name of this one?

Ragnar Cederholm: Do you really want to know?

Adrian Grimaud: That's a really bad sign if you don't want to tell me.

Ragnar Cederholm: Alright, it's called Hell's Wrath.

Adrian Grimaud: ...

Ragnar Cederholm: It's really not that bad...

Þorgríma Vigdis: Come on, let's do this!

Adrian Grimaud: Oh no.

Þorgríma Vigdis: Oh yes!

Ragnar Cederholm (laughing): This is amusing.

Adrian Grimaud: OK I'll take a bite, alright?

Ragnar Cederholm: So this one has a Cenian pepper in it, the Crimson Cascabel.

Þorgríma Vigdis: Oh, wow, th-this is hot!!!

Adrian Grimaud: Really?

Ragnar Cederholm: You're not feeling anything?

Adrian Grimaud: Ehm, no? Has my tongue died?

Þorgríma Vigdis: Wow, this is a nasty one! Icecream, please!

Ragnar Cederholm: Here you go.

Þorgríma Vigdis: Oh, it's gone! You've got this huge blast of heat and then after some icecream, the burn is gone. Interesting.

Ragnar Cederholm: Yeah, it's an interesting one. I'm still a little worried about Adrian's tastebuds.

Adrian Grimaud: I think they fucked off.

Ragnar Cederholm (laughs): Then the next few should be easy, right?

Adrian Grimaud: Bring it on!

Ragnar Cederholm: Here, have a whiff.

Adrian Grimaud: Oh, fuck off with this shit!

Ragnar Cederholm: Oh, you already know it?

Adrian Grimaud: What?

Ragnar Cederholm: You just said its name.

Adrian Grimaud: I don't understand.

Ragnar Cederholm (laughs): That's literally the name! Fjandinn með þetta skítkast translates to Fuck off with this shit. It's from Græntfjall.

Adrian Grimaud: That explains some things but smelling this really has me worried now.

Þorgríma Vigdis: I'm curious now.

Ragnar Cederholm: Alright, let's have a bite.

Þorgríma Vigdis: Ó vitleysa, þetta er vont, þetta er illt. Rjómaís!

Adrian Grimaud: What?

Ragnar Cederholm: I think she wants ice cream.

Þorgríma Vigdis: Give!

Ragnar Cederholm: Have you had your bite yet?

Adrian Grimaud: Uh, yes.

Þorgríma Vigdis (unintelligible sounds, but very clear gestures)

Ragnar Cederholm: Come on, Adrian, take it!

Adrian Grimaud: OK. (looks at the wing with fear in his eyes - takes a bite - runs off screen screaming)

Ragnar Cederholm: That, uh, didn't go over well.

Þorgríma Vigdis: Oh, this thing is nasty! What is in this? Kerosene?

Ragnar Cederholm: Actually - it doesn't say.

Þorgríma Vigdis: Then yes, kerosene. For once I don't blame him.

Ragnar Cederholm: Should we check on him? Chris, can you check, please?

Þorgríma Vigdis: I'm surprised they're allowed to sell this, you could use this as a biological weapon!

Ragnar Cederholm: It is - unique, that's for sure.

Chris: We found him!

Ragnar Cederholm: Oh, where?

Chris: He had his head in the fountain outside, trying to drink it all.

Ragnar Cederholm: Is he going to live?

Chris: We think so, but I'm not sure we'll be able to get him back inside.

Þorgríma Vigdis: I'll go talk to him.

Ragnar Cederholm: Thank you.

10 minutes later

Adrian Grimaud: This thing should be outlawed! This is a class A felony. A danger to humanity. You can probably make a tank rust with this!

Ragnar Cederholm: Maybe we should try this...

Adrian Grimaud: Sure, go, get us a tank!

Ragnar Cederholm: I don't think we have one.

Adrian Grimaud: There has to be a Tanks R Us or something, no?

Ragnar Cederholm: Only in Eura.

Adrian Grimaud: Damn... Now what?

Ragnar Cederholm: The next hot sauce!

Adrian Grimaud: Oh no...

Þorgríma Vigdis: That label looks cool!

Adrian Grimaud: Ey, Demon Smile!

Ragnar Cederholm: Do you know that for real this time?

Adrian Grimaud: Not the sauce, just the band.

Þorgríma Vigdis: They're a band, too?

Adrian Grimaud: Yeah, a death/thrash metal band from Port Tacassam.

Þorgríma Vigdis: Any good?

Adrian Grimaud: Yeah, not for the faint of heart, though.

Ragnar Cederholm: How about the sauce?

Adrian Grimaud (sighs): Alright, let's do this or I'll never hear the end of it. My tongue's ruined anyway.

Þorgríma Vigdis (eyes going wide and frantically looking for milk or ice cream): Oh crap, this feels like Satan's arsehole!

Adrian Grimaud: AAAAAH! SHIT!

Ragnar Cederholm: Yeah, that demon is really smiling... Can you pass the ice cream, please?

Adrian Grimaud: We'll (spoon of ice cream) run out (spoon of ice cream) of (spoon of ice cream) ice cream!

Ragnar Cederholm: We have more! And one last sauce.

Þorgríma Vigdis (taking a deep breath): Oh boy. Now even I'm worried.

Ragnar Cederholm: And you should.

Adrian Grimaud: Why...?

Adrian Grimaud: Tell my wife that I always loved her...

Þorgríma Vigdis: Oh my God...

Ragnar Cederholm (banging against the table in visible agony): Not again...

Both scramble for the ice cream.

Adrian Grimaud: What's wrong with you people?

Ragnar Cederholm (with a spoon of ice cream in his mouth): Whafs wong with oo?

Adrian Grimaud: I feel absolutely nothing.

Þorgríma Vigdis: Sewiouswy?

Adrian Grimaud: Yep. I think my tastebuds and pain receptors have officially given up.

The two others are shaking their heads with disbelief while scarfing down ice cream.

Adrian Grimaud: I have transcended...

Screen fades to black.

by **Huayramarca** » Tue Nov 28, 2023 9:46 pm

Land of Wind, Mountains and Bright Sun – Chapter I, Episode 7 – Divide and Conquer

As David decided to resume reading, after quite some time without doing so because of different issues, those ranging from sheer lack of will, university commitments, love affairs, etc. He picked a pretty interesting book about multiversal history which helped him to understand some key aspects that he often dismissed because it sounded more of a “casual” issue rather than a “systemic” thing among the collapse of civilisations in history, as he was reading the book, he then found a key phrase that would stick with him for quite some time, that one was “Divide and Conquer – Or the art on how kings manage to seize power and retain it for long periods of time.”

A phrase that was impactful for him, but still a bit meaningless if he decided to extrapolate it to Huayramarcan history and its particular intricacies through time, as there are pretty few or little spans of time with a ruler standing for a long period of time, be that around 15-20 years. Huayramarca has always been a turmoil of leaders, but there was a point where that came out to the spotlight, the inflexion point that caused everything to go in that spiral. As he took some researches he did, drawings, and more, he decided to explain his hypotheses in the following video of David te lo Cuenta.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen! I’m David Huamán once again, and this time I’ll talk about the inflexion point on where Huayramarca turned out to be a pretty tranquil spot for leaders to a turbulent hotbed for them, a place where having leadership and control for five years or more turned out to be the ultimate success. Of course, we are getting closer to our time, so we will still feature some previous “pre-historical” content and notions during this couple of episodes that would decide some of the main components of modern Huayramarca.

Came to two millennia before the change to our era, around 4000 years before today, the Huayramarcan original tribes were having a pretty stable time: Moxeños and Seafarers collaborating with each other while Highlanders and Bekksiders continued to have a relationship of convenience rather from a full peace accord or treaty of that nature. One of the main characteristics of that time was that the leaders tended to rule for, basically, their entire lifetimes without actually being challenged for that position. Things were about to change in one of the least expected places to happen, the Bekksiders.

Bekksiders have been cohesive through time, especially after the famine that hit them so hard that killed half of their original population around 4000 years before the time we are settled in this history. Elders weren’t the rulers, instead, it turned to be a fairly modern process of democracy with everybody electing who they wanted to have the power, giving especial value to the guesstimations of children, as they thought that their “pure souls” would have a clearer understanding of people, their attitudes, and hopes of ruling the tribe properly. The order had been working, but that was about to be broken in thousandths of pieces.

The Bekksiders were growing resentful over the domination of the Highlanders, especially after remembering some of the gruesome happenings during the famine, the control exerted by Highlanders that little or nothing had connection with the Bekksiders, henceworth, being rather ignorant of the everyday struggles of the Bekksiders in Sechura. As the expectations of the Bekksiders was to stablish a solid agricultural society, aside one based in extraction of minerals from soil; weren’t met, the people were expecting more support from the Highlanders, but there wasn’t an easy way to sever the ties with them without causing a major harm to the community, instead, things had to be solved at house.

Solving things at house wouldn’t also be a peaceful option, but the safest one of all options out there, as it was a big community, the support for ousting the leader and loyal to the Highlanders wouldn’t be a big issue… That was what they thought. Before the perpetration of the first “coup” ever registered in Huayramarca, people started to spread the word in the community that “changes2 had to be done “by goodwill or blood”. As the threat was released, people didn’t wasted time to inform the king of the Bekksiders with that detail, to which the king laughed and dared to challenge “If they want to kill me, which won’t even happen even in their wild dreams, they have to do big sacrifices for that.” Sacrifices were losing lives in the hands of royalists, that was what he expected, because King Ayacucho had that in mind.

Until everybody knew about the news in the community, people decided to let rest things in the air for quite some time, letting Ayacucho think that everything was over already without even starting to happen. Ayacucho continued ruling in a loyalist line to the Highlanders, even obeying to do some crazy decisions such as “gifting 80% of the harvest of a single year for the Highlanders” That last decision irked the populace, as there was little to nothing left for them, that was like the lighter version of the famine they feared too much.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a peasant emerged under the name of Intriago, he was one of the biggest harvesters in the Sechura region in that time, pretty much he had the control over a lot of the region’s harvest for a season, that gave him enough leverage for multiple situations, including this one. As he led a co-operative, he suggested to the members of it “Why we don’t neglect to provide them food and decide to be independent?” Many people agreed with the idea, and that’s how one of the boldest projects of the Bekksiders started out of nothing.

The first idea was to change the trajectory of some rivers to naturally feed the River Sechura with even more water, enough to sustain the current trend of improved production; the more, the merrier for the people. As the authorities and loyalists to Ayacucho got the plot of Intriago, they attempted to boycott the plan, but that only triggered the second part of it for Intriago, as he decided to visit Ayacucho to negotiate. A hard operation of business? Perhaps, but Intriago had a lot to lose and couldn’t afford to lose it all.

As Intiago met with Ayacucho, the former decided to take a poisonous dagger and stabbed multiple times Ayacucho with it, causing his death and the immediate control of him over the Bekksiders, who supported his inclusion to rule the new lands and be in charge of the territories, ensuring the prosperity of them and also the future of people.

This is a short episode that will work as a preamble for the next one, which will cover up more in depth the outcome of this situation, one that goes harder due to the implications of it, the resources taken in consideration to achieve the final goal of each side and the costs of that fight for power in the Selva and Sierra of Huayramarca. We will see more of this in the next episode “Betrayal.”

by **Saint Eleanor** » Tue Nov 28, 2023 9:50 pm

OOC: I am not godmodding. Gentle Breeze's appointment has been arranged with, and can be confirmed by, EQS.

IC note on that final headline: Saint Eleanor aren't out with a draw. They'd need Yakk to lose in any fashion whatsoever, Carpathia and Ruthenia to lose in any fashion whatsoever... and Cassadaigua to also lose, against unranked Barunia, by seven or more goals.

IC guide to regional papers: The News Letter = east coast; The Advertiser = dockside; The Gazette = western city; The Express = north-western city; Academy = Collegiate district and the University; The Morning Post = northern city; The Journal = east-central city; èl Dîrì = Rulandese-speaking community; Le Citoyen = Azertienne-speaking community

Though The Stars Fall
Episode III

Thursday 13th December 2007

Game, set and Cass: Dagans put kosh on Eleanorian ambitions with easy 4-3 win

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Le Citoyen
Saint Eleanor needs to avoid defeat, hope all three competitors drop points, to make playoffs on Sunday

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èl Dîrì
Diamond 10 "cancelled" by SEFA; board announces new medium-term plan to be "published after CoH"

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The Journal
Taking Pride in our Community

For the good of everyone in the Eleanorian game... PRISCILLA MUST GO

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the ADVERTISER
Christine Terrence says Priscilla Evans was "totally misguided this cycle" and "lacks fortitude" to continue
Defender is first player since CoH82 to openly speak up against Evans - and it's rumoured multiple others privately agree with her

----------

Daiki Fujiwara joins Terrence in opposing Evans, argues that fellow newcomers "badly integrated"

----------

THE NEWS LETTER
PROUD TO SERVE THE EAST COAST SINCE 1963

SEFA spokesman insists "next steps" relating to Priscilla Evans are being taken after squad backlash

----------

The Gazette
By the West, For the West

Priscilla Evans reportedly tells Bridget Coombe she'll leave if Saint Eleanor doesn't make it

Friday 14th December 2007

NOT-SO-SUPER SATURDAY: Evans' future to be discussed at "huge" meeting tomorrow

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The Express

Coombe disputes claims that Evans promised her a departure date; says manager is "doing the best she can"

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èl Dîrì
Anonymous SEFA source insists that it "will back Evans" if she wins CoH again

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the ADVERTISER
Esther Launceston says Priscilla Evans has "run her course" as manager, "needs to make way for a better leader"
Launceston, a national team regular and historic Evans ally, is the sixth member of the setup to call for her resignation since Thursday morning

----------

The Gazette
By the West, For the West

Angelica Northend and David Key stand by Evans as Saturday showdown looms

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THE NEWS LETTER
PROUD TO SERVE THE EAST COAST SINCE 1963

"Most teammates" discontent with Priscilla Evans, admits supporter Naresmet taFrexala

----------

The Journal
Taking Pride in our Community

Sam Newbridge says Evans opponents "not a hiveminded faction;" hold "divergent opinions" on squad turnover, philosophy, group quality

Saturday 15th December 2007

END OF AN ERA, ALRIGHT: Evans agrees to quit after tomorrow's Starblaydia game

----------

The Journal
Taking Pride in our Community

Priscilla Evans "was not forced" to leave, claims "stress and immense pressure" was the trigger

----------

THE NEWS LETTER
PROUD TO SERVE THE EAST COAST SINCE 1963

SEFA would have kept Evans for WC96; only planned to axe her if she failed to qualify again

----------

Exclusive: SEFA reaches "agreement in principle" to hire Gentle Breeze

----------

The Gazette
By the West, For the West

Gentle Breeze reports "frivolous," says SEFA vice-president Harry Gordon

----------

the ADVERTISER
Decision on new manager "not made at Evans meeting," claims Donald Lucas
SEFA president won't confirm or deny Gordon's claims, but iterates that this morning's meeting was "all about Priscilla"

----------

THE NEWS LETTER
PROUD TO SERVE THE EAST COAST SINCE 1963

Jim Paterson on Saturday: Why hasn't SEFA's managerial search been told to stay at home?

----------

The Express

EDITORIAL: Gentle Breeze is a proven winner - and our national team desperately needs wins

----------

Le Citoyen
SEFA has "multiple options on the table" for Priscilla Evans replacement

----------

THE NEWS LETTER
PROUD TO SERVE THE EAST COAST SINCE 1963

11pm special: SEFA has "preliminary deal" with new manager but won't name names until 9am

Sunday 16th December 2007

Gentle Breeze will take over as Saint Eleanor manager NEXT FRIDAY - even if we make playoffs

----------

The Express

SEFA had been looking for a new manager since April humbling by West Kharakia, Donald Lucas admits

----------

THE NEWS LETTER
PROUD TO SERVE THE EAST COAST SINCE 1963

Gentle Breeze to hold press conference at 11am; Evans to talk at 3pm; final round kicks off at 6pm

----------

èl Dîrì
Saint Eleanor appoints first Arrosian manager

----------

the ADVERTISER
Gentle Breeze ushers in "focused, determined and adventurous new era" for White Stars
New Eleanorian manager, who won WC83 with Equestria, warns that "very challenging times are ahead" for the national team in her first press conference with SEFA - but promises "consistency and justice" after this year's new player influx

----------

The Journal
Taking Pride in our Community

"These players aren't in Pot 5 and shouldn't be behaving like it:" Sass is the order of the day for Gentle Breeze

----------

Priscilla Evans congratulates Gentle Breeze, emphasises that "entire squad is focused on today's Starblaydia game"

----------

The Gazette
By the West, For the West

Evans "open to job offers" after announcing step back from Saint Eleanor

----------

THE NEWS LETTER
PROUD TO SERVE THE EAST COAST SINCE 1963

Ltn. Stephen Mitcham confirms he'll remain an assistant manager under Gentle Breeze's tenure

----------

The Express

Gentle Breeze says she will appoint a second assistant by 31st January - but rules out tapping old boss Pearly White

----------

èl Dîrì
Esther Launceston "will start" despite urging Evans to resign

----------

Le Citoyen
"Everybody" is behind Gentle Breeze, says Christine Terrence after recent turmoil

----------

Saint Eleanor to crash out if they don't beat Starblaydia - and face impossible task if they do

by **Kandorith** » Tue Nov 28, 2023 11:03 pm

Hikari Kyoyu

Illuminating Today

Kandorith Looks To Secure Direct Qualification

One Last Obstacle for Qualification
by Natsumi Miyasaki | Sports - Football |

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Mekahi is one win away from securing direct qualification for World Cup 25, after an impressive campaign that saw them competing for the top spot in the group with Farfadillis. Kandorith tops the group with 29 points and a +18 goal difference, with 45 goals scored. They are still only trailing behind Graintfjall for the top scorers of the qualifiers, who have scored an impressive 48 goals. For now, Kandorith has managed to impress and keep their heads in the games to course towards success. While the qualifiers did not go by perfectly, a 9-2-2 record for wins, draws and losses is not a bad look for the national team at all. So far, Kandorith has the approval of the home fans for sure.

Kandorith will face Polar Islandstates in their last game of the qualifiers, whom they beat 3-0 at the Empress Masumi Stadium before. The spirits of the team will be high, knowing that a victory will most likely secure the ticket to World Cup 95, unless Farfadillis shatters records for goals scored in an official match, of course. Farfadillis, who are currently in second place with the same amount of points, have a goal difference of +10 and 34 goals scored. They will be playing against the number 8 of the group, Semarland, so no surprises are to be expected there. Yet, this is the world of football and anything can happen, as Xanneria could still grab the second spot in the group (or even the top spot if one thinks of an outrageous match happening). They are just behind Farfadillis with 26 points and a +11 goal difference. Xanneria will face Darmen, who are the solid number 4 of the group with 21 points in total.

Kandorith has been performing better than in the previous qualification campaign, to much relief from the fans at home. While there were fears of another historical Kandorese downfall, the crisis seems to have been averted by outstanding play and technical staff. While there were even people doubtful at home, they have mostly disappeared, as the Kandorese people can surely be proud of the performances in the past thirteen matches alone. The renewed Kandorese team had a complete reshuffle and it seems to have worked, with two sections of the field creating chances like never before. Most exciting, of course, are the young prospects that were the stars of the team so far. Ken Takahashi and Riku Kobayashi have been nothing but brilliant, and Kandorith has their own “wondersub” from now on too: Yusuke Sasaki. With an arsenal of new players, the Kandorese team has seemingly more pace, and energy and seems to play with more individual skill than previous rosters of the national team.

Nothing would be complete without a little bit of conspiracy and drama, though, as Kaya Michiyu was absent from the first half of the qualifiers, but Takeshi Kurosawa has proven to be just as great of a tactician as Michiyu. With renewed energy, the Kandorese team has taken on a more attacking approach than in previous games, and it has worked out for the best, so far. The team also seems more resilient, and it seems that even getting behind in a game only strengthens the win-mentality and competitive spirit of the Kandorese players.

Kandorith now stands on the verge of qualifying for World Cup 95, which would be a glorious return after the disastrous qualifications of World Cup 94. One hurdle still stands in their way, and the Kandorese team is determined to take the win home while playing at the Polar Islandstates. While winning is on the minds of the Kandorese, there will also be slight unease, as the relatively recent changes in the political landscape of Polar Islandstates. Nonetheless, everyone is looking forward to the last game and knows that the Kandorese team is not one to take things for granted. One would be foolish to underestimate The Terns and their solid defensive style of football.

While the first match against Polar Islandstates was a 3-0 home win for the Kandorese, nothing in football is a certainty, and for a defensive team, the home advantage can surely play in the psychological hands of their prowess and willingness to shut down the game. The final game of the qualifiers will be a thrilling decisive game, while the home team plays for pride and honour. The Kandorese are playing for direct qualification for the upcoming World Cup. Will the Kandorese team keep their heads like they have in the entire campaign, or will complacency sneak into the heads of some of the less experienced players? - We think not and shall await a glorious return to the World Cup.

  Group 6                                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Kandorith                                   11    8   2   1    39   23  +16    26
2 Farfadillis                                 11    7   2   2    27   22   +5    23
3 Xanneria                                    11    6   2   3    28   22   +6    20
4 Darmen                                      11    5   2   4    30   28   +2    17
5 Sarzonia                                    11    4   0   7    19   23   −4    12
6 Basel-Triesen                               11    2   5   4    23   24   −1    11
7 Polar Islandstates                          11    1   4   6     7   15   −8     7
8 Semarland                                   11    2   1   8    15   31  −16     7

Films & Series

Ready, Set, Over-The-Top Action!
by Rina Yamada | Entertainment |

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Fans of action-packed thrillers, gore, and intense action, get ready. Kenta Miki, the renowned director best known for critically acclaimed films such as Neon Yoru, Blood Rain, and Cybernetica, has made a powerful return to the big screen with a determination to excite and thrill. Yomi: Dark Honour unfolds in the shadowy underbellies of megacities across the world, and this latest masterpiece will take you on a wild ride through massive neon-lit locations where crime, corruption, and chaos reign in the streets.

Explosive Plot

Yomi: Dark Honour follows the gripping tale of Kiryu, played by Ryo Takahashi, a legendary hero and sellsword fighting corruption and criminal gangs that control the streets and politics of New-Tenkyo. Aligned with an international agency to dismantle criminal networks globally, Kiryu's return home becomes perilous when he is recognized, captured, and subsequently released, only to find himself entangled in a web of danger.

Enter "Shizuya Brando," the leader of the Hiwata Clan, who reveals a dire ultimatum to Kiryu. A bomb is implanted in his body, interconnected with his cybernetic enhancements. To survive, Kiryu must execute a series of deadly tasks for the Hiwata Clan. The stakes are high, the clock is ticking, and the plot thickens as Kiryu navigates this treacherous path.

Colourful Characters

As Kiryu grapples with his predicament, a diverse group of characters joins the fray. The mysterious and beautiful Mika Suzuki (Miri Hakari) adds an intriguing layer to the narrative, leaving Kiryu uncertain of her true motives. Hiro Nakamura, a Rockerboy hacker, brings his decade-long quest to crack the city’s networks, while Kenji Yamamoto, a skilled gunsmith seeking retribution from the Hiwata Clan, lends his expertise to Kiryu's mission. This colourful and unlikely band of heroes takes audiences on a cinematic journey filled with twists, turns, and, of course, the signature action sequences and gore we all know and love from Kenta Miki's films.

Homage to the Classics

Yomi: Dark Honour pays homage to genre classics like Neon-Priest, Battle For Tenkyo, and Night of The Rogue AI. Kenta Miki seamlessly incorporates the signature elements of these films – flamboyant outfits, striking cinematography, witty dialogues, vulgar language, and over-the-top violence and gore. The result is a dark and twisted tale teeming with action, drama, blood, gore, and a contemplation of how far a person will go to defend their honour.

Technical Brilliance

The film's technical brilliance shines through nonlinear storytelling, stunning locations, pop culture references, and an electrifying soundtrack that adds another layer to the visual and auditory experience. This fusion creates a spectacle unlike any other film in the past decade.

Anticipation of Violence

Yomi: Dark Honour is poised to be a box office hit, appealing not only to hardcore Kenta Miki fans but also to enthusiasts of non-cult action thrillers. With memorable characters, impactful quotes, and extremely violent action scenes, it promises to be a recipe for success. The film's relatable yet entertaining narrative, set in the backdrop of Tenkyo, guarantees an action-packed pleasure for the eyes and brains.

The Date is Set

Mark your calendars for December 1st, as Yomi: Dark Honour becomes available on all entertainment platforms and virtual reality devices. A dedicated braindance version of the film is scheduled for release in the first quarter of next year. If you've been seeking the perfect excuse to immerse yourself in a captivating film or virtual experience, this is the opportune moment. Yomi: Dark Honour is primed to blow your mind and stands as one of the best films of recent years, potentially marking Kenta Miki's magnum opus.

by **Aphrilia** » Tue Nov 28, 2023 11:15 pm

Peer Pressure? No, I'm Chasing What I Want.

For the majority of her life, Amelia Haze had absolutely zero idea on what career she wanted to pursue.

While the notion that Aphrilians are immortal are true, sure, but choosing a career that you end up hating can be crushing for one's life. It takes years to untangle yourself from a specific path you have chosen, and it takes decades to learn everything you would have to know to select a new career path. It's one of the prime reasons that entering adulthood and choosing your true career is known to be more relevant in Aphrilia than any other country in Eluwa, and perhaps even the multiverse. Parents would often host parties for their child once they hit the age of adulthood, family celebrations would be held the moment they decide a career. While plenty of people have hopped between careers in the past and now as they still do, not everyone is able to do so either quickly or as successfully. And for over two decades, that was the case for Haze.

Being born into a household that consisted of a constantly travelling business father, a model designer mother, three older brothers and an older sister, (In order of age; Nolan and Erick (Twins), Rena, and Cory) Amelia was the youngest in her family. From the timid age of six, she constantly heard about career choices and interests, hobbies and desires, everything one would consider for a career. It filled her brain a lot, it confused her. Nolan wanted to be a private investigator, Erick desired his interest to continue their parent's family business, Rena just wanted to explore the world and now multiverse as a vlogger, and Cory somehow just chose to be a butler. All of her siblings had hobbies and interests that mostly were aligned to their career choices. Yet despite the financial capability to perhaps find and choose what curiosities she wanted to fill, Amelia was just uncertain of things. She could never wrap her head around the endless possibilities on what paths she can or could take in life.

At first, she ended up with art. Specifically sculpting. Making these sculptures and designs were great and all, but Amelia had the feeling that she was not the artistic type. Then music kind of entered her head when she attended an opera with her sister, the violin especially. Her parents gave her a tutor to teach her on how to play, and while there was natural talent that could be seen whenever Amelia played... She felt it was tedious. The constant thought of doing similar movements over and over again, trying to fit in the harmony that was a single constant. It made her have a distaste. But it was after music that she found what would be the career she stuck with, that being sports. Football in particular was the sport that caught her eye. The constant movement, an everchanging flow that was always different yet still rhythmic, it felt like it was the one. The only issue was her parents, largely due to family history. No one from the Haze family ever engaged in high activity careers, sports especially.

"But mom, dad, I still want to try. I am more than certain! Please."

And thus, with Amelia's certainty and the fact that all of her siblings were on board to at least give Amelia another chance, her parents finally gave in and signed her up to a football academy by the age of twelve. Quite later than most professional footballers, but Amelia was certain that she could catch up to those around her age. Plus, it was one of the best academies the country had in the form of Topaz Cove City. While they were all at guard due to her rich background and at first, a lack of talent (Aphrilians often don't like those who use money to get through life with ease), Amelia being a quick learner helped put the academy's doubts into rest. While not the most physically fit player out there, Amelia had a surprising knack for game knowledge. She knew plenty of well documented tricks, her analytical capabilities were amazing, and her game sense locked her into the team's starting team. She was free to follow a tempo that she desired because the team designated her as a sort of controller type of player.

It was exhilarating. She was able to feel free and manage between repetition and creativity. Even though the lack of her physical capability meant that she had to play a more location oriented position that being a non-upward moving center back, Amelia still heavily contributed to Topaz City Cove. Her more analytical football style actually helped the team further. And to Amelia, she felt like she finally found what she had desired. When she did art, she knew her mind was on the creative side but recognized that art wasn't really the creative thing she sought. When she played the violin, the constant movement of her hand made her irritated and it felt tedious. She continued to progress and was later promoted to Topaz Cove City's senior team due to her performances, contributing to both on and off pitch performances.

However, by the time she hit the age of twenty six, Amelia actually felt burnt out. While her family was appreciative of her efforts to push forward with football as she decided that it was her true career, there was something nagging the back of her mind that made football tiring. Consulting with her teammates and coach didn't do much to alleviate the feeling within her, but she was able to deduce that it may be because of her constantly overworking herself. With serious consideration, she decided to take a break for a year or so. This is a rather common thing among Aphrilians, to take a break from your career to rest yourself before continuing on with your life. During this break, Amelia had furthered herself into the more tactical side of football. From her knowledge, Aphrilia before her didn't have many players that would contribute to the strategical and tactical efforts of the team, so she decided that she would be one of the next players to do so. Amelia also continued to train during her break as to not have her skill rust down.

By the time she returned to football after her year break (Which consisted of analyzing football, training her capabilities, taking a rest from the professional scene, and further learning about her own desires for the sport), Topaz City Cove had won the league title. While she would miss out on the team action domestically, Amelia returned well before Aphrilia entering the 95th World Cup Qualifying. Of course for a player that would be able to help with team strategy, she was picked up by Christian Vermont personally to be a part of Aphrilia's national team. Haze felt like she was not ready, but if someone as old and experienced as Vermont was certain in his choice, then you can't go against it. During the national team's first meeting with each other before the tournament, Amelia Haze greeted them all with quite the sentence.

"I'm back and I know what I want, let's get the dice rolling."

by **Flavovespia** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 12:01 am

Milchama 0 - 0 Flavovespia

In a game neither side could afford to lose, it was the defences that held up in a goalless encounter. Flavovespia are left with nothing but a head to head record keeping them ahead of Savojarna with 2 games to go.

It was a cautious, tentative start from both sides, with the majority of possession in the middle of the park, and little in the way of risk taking. That is, except a 30 metre shot by Jonathan Bagshaw 10 minutes in, that Fletcher Archman had to push away. The resulting corner saw him also need to parry away a Stuart Cookson header, before the defence cleared.

Whilst Flavovespia had the better opportunities to start the first half, Milchama came back and finished the first half stronger. Good movement and passing got Barry Thomas some good chances, but Nathan Crewe was having a good day, and kept everything out that was headed it way,. Goalless at the break in an even game, but the home fans really wanted some goals.

Milchama had one of their best chances in the 52nd minute, when Barry Thomas had a strong shot only deflected away by Nathan Crewe. Avi Benbemore closed in on the rebound, but Andrew Dance slid in and getting the ball first, cleared it. The video referee upheld the no penalty call, despite the hopes of the hosts.

Whilst fans were hoping for goals, it was the defences ruling the roost, and the attackers were left to feed on scraps. Amrik Singh and Christopher Hill were lively in the latter stages for Flavovespia, but that clear cut chance just never fell for either side.

No goals were scored in the end. For Milchama, they needed at least one of Flavovespia or Savojarna to not win again, to stand any hope of making it to the World Cup. Flavovespia were top, but only on head to head record over Savojarna. 8 wins, a draw, 3 losses, 21 goals for and 11 goals against, nothing separated Flavovespia from Savojarna.

Flavovespia 4 - 2 Valentine Z

Another brilliant Michael Cole hat trick saw Flavovespia take the slightest of edges into the final Matchday, and for a second cycle in a row eliminated Valentine Z.

Keen to avoid the fate suffered in Valentine Z, it was a cautiously defensive start from Flavovespia. Valentine Z had a fair amount of possession, but couldn’t get any good crosses away. A long shot tested Nathan Crewe, but he had the answer. Then in the 17th minute, a classic Flavovespia counter attack. Nathan Crewe cleared to Kieron Player, he looked up and played in Richard Birmingham over the defence. Birmingham rounded Eveline Valeria Annalise Tiêu Xuân Ngọc and slotted in to open the scoring.

Michael Cole would double the lead in the 29th minute. This time Jonathan Bagshaw was the supplier, he did the hard work dribbling from wide before cutting inside. Eveline Valeria Annalise Tiêu Xuân Ngọc committed to blocking him, only for Bagshaw to smartly play a driven cross that Cole got a flick on to score.

Flavovespia looked in command, but were rocked just minutes later. A clever free kick routine left Joaquina Samanta Alonso Clara Lombardo free at close range to shoot. No offside flag came up and it was an easy finish for her. The momentum was with the visitors, but Flavovespia held firm for the rest of the first half, 2-1 it was at the break.

Flavovespia would’ve probably been expected to be cautious again in defending this lead. However, but for a brief attack snuffed out, Flavovespia controlled the early exchanges of the second half. That paid dividends in the 58th minute, when Michael Cole got his second. A good ball by Charles Adams picked out Michael Cole, and he skillfully cut inside. The shot wasn’t easy, but the power and placement was pinpoint, and he made it 3-1.

For Flavovespia, there was déjà vu as Valentine Z quickly halved the deficit. This was a pure wonder goal, Sammie Arif Raihan Bin Mohamamad Andika hit it from 28 metres, it curled to the right, before dipping back in and just inside the corner. No goalkeeper was saving that, the sort of goal Flavovespia just had to accept its greatness.

The tension was so high in Highland Road with the next goal so key for both sides. It would come from Michael Cole in the 73rd minute. His form was pure brilliance in the Qualifiers, and he got himself another hat trick. A Kieron Player free kick would bounce around the box, and after a failed clearance, Michael Cole put his laces through it, smashing the shot into the net, no time for any defenders or goalkeeper to get a block. 4-2 now, with Michael Cole the big difference maker.

Valentine Z continued on valiantly, but their qualifying campaign was sadly running out of puff. Flavovespia had the answers at the back, and although it wasn’t plain sailing in the latter stages, they had enough to still be a threat on the counter. Michael Cole forced a great save from Eveline Valeria Annalise Tiêu Xuân Ngọc on the cusp of injury time, as he sought to become Flavovespia’s joint top goalscorer of all time.

4-2 it finished and with Savojarna only winning 0-1 in Tzvi, Flavovespia go into the final Matchday with a goal difference one better than Savojarna, and the head to head in their favour. Whoever gets a better result of the two wins the group, the loser goes into a single legged playoff. Both sides win, and Flavovespia must match or go one less than Savojarna's winning margin. Both sides draw is good enough for Flavovespia. Both sides lose, and Flavovespia must not lose by more than a goal more than Savojarna lose by. Savojarna host Sudilia on the final Matchday, whilst Flavovespia travel to The Dictatorship of Vanilla. This isn’t the first time Flavovespia have been in a final Matchday battle to qualify, but nonetheless the pressure will be immense, as the battle for a 5th consecutive World Cup berth reaches the thrilling end stages.

by **Recuecn** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 1:04 am

In a few days, les licornes were set to play the final match in their qualifying group. It was late in the season, but even though the calendar said it should be spring, almost summer, a cold snap had set in and the wind blustered across the lawn of the FNRF headquarters. Jean-Luc Lassalle, the young minister of sport, clutched the folds of his coat closer to his chest and pulled his scarf up to keep the wind off his nose. He could see a cyclist going up the street, fighting against the wind. Jean-Luc smiled to himself. At least he wasn't that miserable.

A bulky figure emerged from the glass double doors that were the front entrance to the FNRF building. (The Fédération Nationale de Reçueçn de Football, Reçueçn's governing body for the sport.) The figure was wrapped in just as many layers as Jean-Luc, if not more, but his face was uncovered, and Jean-Luc recognized Bill LaVoyard, Reçueçn FC’s representative.

“Is that you, Minister Lassalle?” he called.

Jean-Luc pulled his scarf back down and smiled at Bill. “It sure is,” he replied. “How are you doing, mon ami?”

“Oh, I'm hanging in there, despite the weather,” replied the older man. He held the door open for Jean-Luc to enter the building. “Here, come out of the cold.”

“Thanks,” said Jean-Luc. “I hope you haven't been hanging around at the door to catch me alone and ask for some favor,” he laughed.

Bill laughed too. “Of course not!” he lied, and mentally noted that this wasn't the right time to bring up the request he'd wanted to mention. “I just saw you coming in alone so I thought I’d say hi. Did you walk here?”

“That's the advantage of working in Reçueçn,” said Jean-Luc, meaning the city. “As I'm sure you know. And in my case it's extra nice because the executive offices in the castle are so close to centre ville, if you don't mind walking down the hill. But no, I took the streetcar. It's a bit too far even for me.” The FNRF headquarters were out in the banlieue, located not far from the stade national in the same neighborhood.

“Well however you got here, I'm glad you made it,” said Bill. “Sometimes I feel like you're the only one talking sense in that room full of old fogies.”

“Bill!” Jean-Luc laughed again. “You're the oldest one in there! Wait, merde, is everyone here already?”

“Ahhh, not so loud, I'm trying to preserve my youthful image… or should I say illusion. And yes, the reps are all in there, but you're not late. It just goes to show they're all the anal type who show up fifteen minutes early for a business meeting.”

“And I'm sure you were here fifteen minutes earlier than any of them,” returned Jean-Luc. “Anyway, let's not make them wait any longer than they already have, shall we?”

On the far side of the lobby, a door led into the meeting room the FNRF used for the meetings of its executive board. The pair walked in, and seeing the other six FNRF founding team representatives seated in a row, Jean-Luc could seee why Bill described them as "anal fogies". The other side of the room, with the representatives for the ÉNRF, LNRf, semi-pro, amateur, youth, and women's soccer, presented a much younger and much more diverse panel. Bill took his seat next to the other six founding team reps, and Jean-Luc stepped over to a podium which had been set up near the head of the table. He laid a dossier on it and opened the meeting.

"Bonjour à tous. I'm very excited to have the privilige of welcoming you all back and of opening this meeting as we discuss Reçuecian soccer in the near future."

A polite patter of applause indicated he was being far more warmly received than he had been by the old FNRF back in the days when he'd had to fight them tooth and nail for control of Reçuecian football. They'd eventually found a compromise, and enough time had passed that everyon could work together happily for the most part these days.

"Obviously, normally the ministry representative at these executive board meetings is Jeanne Chartray, but she told me she has some kind of important project she's working on and asked if she could skip this meeting, so you get me instead. I thought it would be fun to attend this meeting in person. After all, we've had another hiatus recently, like we did a dozen world cups ago, so although this would normally be a routine meeting, I understand that the circumstances are a bit extraordinary this time around."

Jean-Luc looked around the room and he could see people nodding.

"I know that obviously the LNRF season affects some of your organizations more directly than others, but that will be our first order of business, and after that I'd like to do a check-in on the ENRF as well, given that we're hoping they'll also be heading to a major tournament soon. And after that we'll have time for new business."

Jean-Luc launched into a discussion of how to get the LNRF (Reçueçn's soccer league) back into action for its eleventh season. He presented some charts with past data and made some predictions about finances and attendance, then outlined his ideas for driving up interest and excitement ahead of the start of the season, before opening things up to the executive board.

The main concern across the board was that Reçuecian teams finally begin to reenter IFCF competition. The national team representative and the reps from the league were all in agreement. "I believe giving our players a chance to play club soccer at a higher level will in turn help the growth of our national team," said the ÉNRF representative. "And I'm sure my LNRF counterparts and their players would love to participate in the IFCF as a reward and sort of validation for a strong performance in a hard-fought league season." There were murmurs of assent around the room.

"I remember back when it was called UICA," reminisced Bill LaVoyard. "I guess that's neither here nor there, but even way back then our domestic league was never really strongly represented, whether in UICA or IFCF. Given that our league consists entirely of Reçuecian players, which is a pretty unique situation, you wouldn't think it makes sense that we do so much better in WCC competitions. I don't know if that's sustainable."

"Which, the Reçuecian-players-only rule?" asked Jean-Luc.

"Well, perhaps that too, but no, I meant having a strong national team without a strong league to back it up."

"Certainly we'd all like to see both the league and the national team do well," said Jean-Luc. "Are there any other practical suggestions to that end on which we could take immediate action?"

The representative for women's soccer spoke up. "I was going to mention this later, but I don't see why I should wait to bring this up. Almost every major footballing nation in the WCC has a mixed-gender team. Hell, some of them have different species. I don't see any reason why we, a modern, 21st century nation, with every reasonable hope of eventually counting ourselves among the top of multiverse soccer, should still have a segregated league, or national team."

There was a bit of a hubbub as the patriarchs present all tried to speak at once.

"Well, segregated isn't how I'd put it..."

"If Reçuecian women played at the same level as the men it would be different..."

"We've always done it this way..."

"What, do you want us to let ponies play, too?"

"Order, please!" Jean-Luc tried to calm things down. "Madame Martel, it is my understanding that it is tradition, rather than policy, that keeps women from playing in the LNRF?"

"There are a million things that keep women from playing, Monsieur le Ministre, and without support from the federation, that's never going to change."

"I'm aware there are also some tournaments, like the olympics, where gendered teams are still a requirement."

"We don't even participate in the olympics."

"With all due respect, I take your point and agree that this is a very important issue, but I think at a time like this where we are once again trying to get the league to even function after a long period of inactivity, we have too many things on our plate to try to also solve systemic sexism." Jean-Luc shut down the representative's argument unilaterally. The ministry representative on the FNRF executive board was not meant to have a larger say than any other member, but since it was the minister of sport himself attending the meeting, the balance of power was out of wack--something the other representatives felt keenly, but of which Jean-Luc was not aware.

"In conclusion, then," he went on, "we've done this before, so let's jump-start the LNRF the same way we did last time to get back into the swing of things and get ourselves back into IFCF competition as well. And," he added, alluding to an earlier suggestion from one of the reps, "if we can finally get the teams' branding more consistent and visible, we think that that will help publicity, etc., to go more smoothly." Jean-Luc paused and looked around the room, but there were a lot of things to cover, so he didn't wait for objections.

"Moving on. The ÉNRF" (the Équipe Nationale de Reçueçn de Football, the country's national team) "is back in action with a level of intentionality we haven't seen in the better part of ten World Cup cycles."

Again, a brief round of applause. Jean-Luc joined in.

"Yes, we're all very excited by it, particularly because even after such a long hiatus, we've been able to stay in contention the entire way through qualifying. We've just got one game left this weekend, and as I'm sure you're aware, even a win may not be enough to earn us a play-off spot, since that will also depend on the results of other matches in our group. However, with the Cup of Harmony on the horizon, we are hoping to be invited to a major tournament this summer either way. And if we don't get that, there's the next IAC coming up after that. I'll open this to discussion: how do we feel about the ÉNRF?"

Attitudes in general seemed very positive. Jean-Luc mentioned that Bonheur Relié, the current manager, was still technically on an interim contract, but after his performance in qualifiers, the federation seemed happy with him and showed no desire to replace him.

"Maybe we offer him an official contract of his own?" suggested one representative. "We might not be going to qualify this cycle, but he's done wonderful things with what he had. And the "Spirit of 83" slogan he came up with was frankly inspired." There were nods and murmurs of agreement. Jean-Luc jotted down some notes.

"Offer Relié an official contract. That sounds good to me. And yes, I agree that the "Spirit of 83" has really swept the nation in a big way. Anyone who can inspire that energy in an entire nation can hopefully do the same thing in a locker room." "The Spirit of 83" had indeed swept the nation, and especially right now, with Reçueçn on back-to-back victories over Bostopia and Dod Rava, and still with a chance of a play-off spot, energy across the country was very high.

"Do we want to establish the results we expect from Relié for him to keep the manager position?" asked Jean-Luc?

The consensus was "no". The Reçuecians weren't so full of themselves that they felt they were entitled to World Cup qualification--at least, not yet. They were fine with just making it to the Cup of Harmony. "I think if after two more cycles we don't seem to be making progress, we can re-evaluate," said one representative. "So maybe we set the contract length to match that."

So it was agreed. The LNRF rep spoke up as well.

"This is obviously with the interests of the league in mind more than anything else, but that is my job," he said. "I think a sense of stability will be good for the players, for the league, and by extension, all of Reçuecian football. Can we set in stone that we'll have two league seasons for every World Cup, regardless of what the IFCF does? One before the World Cup, and one before the IAC."

That idea, too, met with approval, and was voted through.

"Well, that about sums things up," said Jean-Luc. "Any other new business?"

It appeared that most of the items representatives meant to raise had come up during earlier conversations--women's participation, the league/WCC calendar, et cetera. But just as Jean-Luc was about to adjourn the meeting, Bill LaVoyard raised his hand.

"Yes, Monsieur LaVoyard?" asked Jean-Luc, but Bill had already put his hand back down. He wasn't ready to make his request yet; he needed a bit more time.

"I'm sorry, Monsieur le Ministre, it's nothing. I was just stretching."

"Well then that's it! Thank you all for a productive meeting. I'm very excited to see the results."

Jean-Luc gathered up his documents and spent a couple minutes shaking hands and chatting with a few of the representatives, although he noticed that the rep for women's soccer had left rather quickly. Eventually, he too stepped out into the lobby.

He was surprised to find Jeanne Chartray standing outside the meeting room, waiting for him.

"Jeanne! I thought you said you had something important you were working on today!?"

"I do, and I wanted to talk to you about it, Monsieur le Ministre, Jeanne said with a smile. "Don't worry, it's not more soccer talk. My boss--my other boss, at the Reçueçn Times--wanted me to talk to you about their cycling tournament."

"I've heard of it," said Jean-Luc. "Why does he want the ministry involved?"

World Cup 81/82/83/84

The Overachievers !!!

Time once again for the Overachievers Awards for World Cup Qualifying, recognizing the nations that surpassed their expected finish in the group table based upon their original seeding pot.

The criteria is unchanged—and also as flexible as the committee wants to make it—in spite of a smaller number of pots for this edition; any national team that will finish at least three places above their seed at the group draw are eligible for recognition, with honorable mentions going to sides that may have performed well for most of the campaign but ran out of gas at the the end.

All errors are the responsibility of the presenting body, or whichever innocent interns we can railroad into taking the fall.

Let's Take it To The Stage, suckers!

(written based on the results of MD10/11)
8th seeds—Oh lordy, have we had some tough customers coming from the group of unranked nations this WCQ! Aphrilla (Group 1), who are actually only 2 spots above so I suppose they are an honorable mention; The Kytler Peninsulae (7), Santa Barbara (13), Zenic (15), Amenria (16) and Okoya (20) round out the list.
7th seeds—a collection of nations returning from hiatus—Hapilopper (2),Reçueçn (3) and Vdara (18)--are joined by Sea Dome (8) and the potential biggest story of the qualifying phase in Brannfjord (4) which has a chance to make the Finals on their debut.
6th seeds—Myrtle Beach (2)--who might possibly have the highest point total for a 7th placed side--Why are you in here (9) and Carpathia & Ruthenia (14) all in the running for honorable mentions pending the final matchday.
5th seeds—Savojarnia (5) has qualified for the playoffs and Yakk (14) could join them, while Ile de Richelieu gets a shout for their 3rd place effort.
4th seeds—Eshialand (2) and Sajnur (12) have booked trips to the last 32 and West Barack & East Obama (16) could finish as one of the top 2 dependent upon results.

That's it for this time! Congratulations to all of the nations that caught our attention and keep on reaching for the stars!
_________________________________________________________________________________

Eshialand 4-4 Baker Park--Songs of Praises
Scott McCrae
The Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

I wanted clearance from my predecessor, Frank Armitage, to use the same header from his CPA Award winning story for The Daily Mail during World Cup Qualifying 82 and he generously gave his assent via a text message while I was far into the writing of this story, adding a question: "what is the mood at the end of an era?"

There were no scenes of despair or emotional demonstrations at the end of the match in Eshialand City from the team in white, the visiting side which had held the hosts and Group 2 leaders to a 4-4 draw in a match that Baker Park needed to win in the worst way; the traveling supporters made no special effort to mark a watershed moment in the history of the Football Association of the Commonwealth of Baker Park.

The Baker Park National Team knew that its fate was sealed for this World Cup Qualifying 95 campaign: there would be no playoff to fight through to make the Finals, no last day magic that had almost seemed to arrive when it was least expected. They can no longer claim the title of the only nation that has never failed to qualify for the World Cup Finals.

Will Barnard stressed to his squad ahead of the match that record streaks were fun to talk about, yet in every tournament it's what happens in the present that counts. At no point have any two qualifying experiences for the BPNT been identical as there is always a new challenge awaiting, opponents hungry to prove themselves.

“I read or heard in more than one overseas preview that this was the easiest group of all, that we should walk through no problem. I don't believe that, we've never believed that in the dressing room.”
Barnard treated the post match media conference like any other away draw would be handled, although the gathered assembly knew that it was anything but routine.

“We came in fourteen (in the KPB rankings) but I don't know if we were realistically that far ahead of Cardenao or this lot (Eshialand). We already knew what Ellis Football was all about and Nathan (Ellis, Hapilopper boss) has built upon the previous success and will continue to bring them back to where they belong. That Myrtle Beach team are ones to keep an eye on. Everyone save Aleireve in this group took points off us, so either we were not a strong top seed or the others were better than thought.”

The home match against Brusseldorf and the finale in Aleireve have been consigned to dead rubbers, and Barnard said that the lineup for those matches may possibly be used as evaluation minutes ahead of a roster shakeup for the potential Cup of Harmony berth.
“We'll probably use Ian (Dickerson) or Robbie (Beth Rossi) in net and the rest of the squad will develop from there.”

NT Co-Captain Lucie Shanahan was made available for the domestic media pool and spoke about the feeling in the dressing room after the match.
“It's a strange feeling in that everyone is conscious about the record, but you are also a bit disconnected when you're a cappie or bantam and the whole importance doesn't hit you until you're actually in the Finals squad. A lot of our pool right now would've still been a couple of cycles away from actually wearing the shirt at the World Cup, so there's the immediate motivation to bounce back.”

That's the secret that lies at the heart of Baker Park's record above all else—more than one quarter of the men and women that have earned a National Team cap in a World Cup Qualifying match since World Cup 80 have never come close to actually playing in the World Cup itself.
The Gold & Black is the motivation for the players, something Barnard has looked to focus upon since adopting a new, subtle theme prior to the last AOCAF tournament--”Our Pride Never Dies”—that has been incorporated into various aspects of the overall NT structure.

There is absolutely no chance at this point that the FAC would consider bidding for the next World Cup, at least not until they had qualified on merit once again; the 122 year old governing body wants no pity or favor in keeping with the spirit of the nation's ethos.

______________________________________________________________________________

© Sporting Times Daily 2023
Prescott, Kirby among names floated for jobs overseas
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Editor

Former Baker Park National Team Manager Jennifer Prescott and her one time assistant Darren Kirby have both been mentioned as possible candidates for the increasing number of international openings as World Cup 95 Qualifying comes to a close.

Reports from St Eleanor are all but certain that SEFA have come to an agreement in principle with Equestria's Gentle Breeze to be their next manager; the Royal Quebec Football Association are looking once again for a boss for the Grim Reapers as the managerial merry-go-round returns to the forefront.

Reports of whispers surrounding the jobs in Cassadaigua, Eura and Qasden (!) have many observers of the international scene speculating about possible candidates with BP's duo mentioned among several names connected to those potential openings.

by **Independent Athletes from Quebec** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 1:46 am

Ahead By A Century

PART 8 - The Workers Of Art

Second week of December

'Are you leaving tonight or tomorrow?' was the question Adelaide had asked Claire on the Hallway, as soon as the Robinson House girls of Year Ten had managed to make their way back into their dormitory Hall, alongside a few seniors whose senior examinations were completed. By this point, most of the House only had those of the Upper House, especially with the Year nines having finished their examinations the day before and the Years seven and eight having headed home now. Adelaide had only meant to say it as a matter of enquiry, but of course with her, it would somehow come with continuous conditions and motives attached towards them that Claire Lundrigan had quietly been accustomed towards.

'Tomorrow afternoon,' Claire briefly answered. Unanimated in her reply, but still anticipating to return home. 'I'll be taking the train back, like most simpler people do, and then spend the holidays there at home.' Did she know that there was still a year and a half to be spent here, with relatively little foray to head home in her own convenience? Likely yes, but the availability of outings here had at least covered for it anyway. 'Father's still not well, and the siblings need me. All that usual stuff.'

'You aren't going to be there the whole month, aren't you?' Adelaide looked back at Claire doubtingly. She knew there was an air of untold words, maybe exasperated by the recent events, between them, but couldn't exactly point to explain. 'You know, nobody here stays home the entire break right? Just ask Sir. Asher, if anything-'

Right, the Queen, thought Claire as she was reminded of what seemed to her a my knowledge, that of Christine the Second having attended Universite St. Croix around the same time as her father. And yet for some reason, there was almost nothing that her father, who held no shortage of recollections and words, she had heard so little over those times. Was there any specific reason behind why? She briefly wondered, before deciding to give in. 'No, Christmas is for family, New Year's for-' she said, trying to relay it back to her friend who seemed particularly eager.

'Friends and Lovers, singing Auld Lang Syne,' Adelaide smiled back. 'So, as you know, certain Georgie Northwood won't be going home for Christmas because his father, the Duke himself, has asked his boy to not fly back. I'm sure You could guess the reasons why.' This part was true - the traditionally-preferred winter destinations for the Krytenians of all kinds, Yeaddin and the Ochre Islands, were involved in situations all too complicated for the Anaians to enjoy. And this is not the least with all the uncertainties in the heart of Lake Bekk. 'So he will be spending time at the Mont-Saint-Louis Lodge, just one hour west of Songak by ski train, with a few of us after Christmas before the term kicks off again. No cap.' She said.

'No cap,' Claire laughed lightly upon hearing Addy utter the term. While they were not always in the easiest of terms even as friends, there were a couple of things between them that had no doubt made communication easy enough. 'I'm not a big skier myself, and my family almost never goes to Songak for the New Year, but I guess if I could ask mum and dad on time...'

'Come on, Claire, I'm sure the goodwill of Plongeon, the Muse of the Forties, and your ever-esteemed dad would be enough to free you so that all of us could have a blast..' she said, her voice dragging on as if she were pleading. 'You know how big of deal would be for everybody if you were to come...and I really mean it. I hear that even Solveig may be coming.' Solveig Davidsdottir, the Crown Princess-designate of Cabo Azure, has been a hot name in Joongyeong high society for a couple of years now, with the current Maritime University student having made positive impression since her society debut at the Bal des Ballons under the Queen Mother Elizaveta's presence.

Claire nodded along, trying her best to keep up with Adelaide's insistence. Naturally, it was easier said done when on the hallways. 'Alright, alright, but promise me there is no pressure for me to come if something does go wrong, okay?' Claire said. 'I've told you before how my dad rarely travels these days right?'

'Yeah, it's not the easiest,' Adelaide said, giving a slightly sadder look upon it. 'But I'm sure that every parent wants their girl to go out there with their friends in the bigger cities. I mean, what else is there to do?'

'Fine, fine,' responded Claire, without realising the verbal affirmation she had given. 'I will go, but won't be leaving until after the twenty-fifth. But promise me that everything will go alright this time. You know how worried my family gets over all that Jazz that's been happening here since I've arrived.'

'I really really promise,' Adelaide said, slightly drawing herself back. Sometimes, it was easier to give a promise and then hope for the best that nothing's going to go wrong afterwards. 'Nothing will go wrong, we'll have a dandy time and take a lot of pictures. Maybe you could even bring a guitar or two even and play it for us.'

Two weeks later...

Her father was sitting on his wooden chair with a wool cover, right behind the desk. Sir. Asher, at only 41 years old, was a man of interesting fortunes. He was a man whose mistakes would fuel his own demise, and yet within them, had brought out the unexpected brilliance in all. Whether it be in the forms of a longstanding friendship with the Queen, who pitied his decision to part the first time with his eventual wife Eileen over his own misjudgment, penchant in ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time, or just committing himself to the life of sins and hedonism, with his own tints fuelled by streaks of mysticism, in the early-twenties that aimed for self-demise.

Funnily enough, it would be those attempts in self-demise that would not only fail, but also bring the circle back together. Not only did Sir. Asher find himself back to his beloved Eileen de Ramaut, their relationship had blossomed into a fifteen-year old marriage that had unexpectedly begun because of our dear protagonist's unexpected arrival. To make the trajectory more amusing, it would be the Lundrigans' three children, who he had would not leave longer than a weekend, who were seemingly bringing the gravity back into this estate that seemingly was built on the clouds.

All of this was interesting for sure. There once was a time when the couple had retreated as a young couple and family in the greater Coxwell Park, with Claire in waiting and then-just Asher had started shifting from a career as culture and sports journalist at both The Taegukgi and Concord Heights Times. Those days have long gone past, and the copies of first two books of seven-volume Korean-language series In Search of Lost Past, and four English-language novels, were firmly placed at one of the bookshelves in his room. Even all of this, as well as the fine wooden carvings that had draped the room, could not hide the thinner, sorrower appearance of his pallor face where suffering and passion coexisted.

'Ah, Claire,' said Sir. Asher, trying his best to only give her a light look of acknowledgment. 'You should be asleep, six is an ungodly hour and your mother's asleep.'

Claire looked deeper at her father, who seemed occupied enough with his own writing. For most of her life she had remember Sir. Asher, whose gift as an erudite, modernist writer had earned Knighthood - he, by mother's side, was a descendant of the now-extinct Vdaran royalty, but nobody in Joongyeong had recognised titles of small Esportivan islands to be anything but an endnote - was built daily here. All her life she had remembered her father spending time here, usually writing for hours, and moving downstairs to read with his family or the guests, who would be surprised from time to see how little he had talked about himself. 'You know mummy would often write her songs at four in the night, by the sea right?' Claire raised a counterpoint. 'You know how there is a common saying where the greater Lauzon Barony has two constants - insomniacs and many children.'

Sir. Asher smiled back at Claire with a grin on the left side of his cheek, before fixing his glasses. 'Yes, but I'm sure that you would not want to spend the Day after Christmas with your old, country bumpkins, won't you?' His left hand was placed over the top of his laptop's keyboard where he usually wrote, and his right wrist stopped to be raised to the direction of the ceiling. 'I'm sure that you wouldn't want to read a short story I'm working, aren't you?'

'I surely would,' said Claire. 'But where would you be sending off to?'

'The Queen, as have been the case for all the novels,' Asher replied, his left finger moving as if they had still been functioning from his long-gone days as a smoker. Twenty-years removed they were, but his habits somehow had remained strong enough for his index and middle fingers to move on their own. 'That's how friendships sometimes work they say. And they really do, no matter how much those friends want you to hold back and whatnot.'

'I'll ask again - is it a tragedy?' asked Claire. 'The short story and its ending, I mean.'

'Every story is a tragedy in the Shingoryeoite soil, Claire,' her father answered in a roundabout way. 'The Petrogradian romantics had many traditions, which ran parallels to that of what we have here - if you had read dilligently based on the readings list for Upper School - and those who I had studied under.' Claire, of course, knew that there stood additional level of literary understanding between Sir. Asher and a group of few friends. The Heo the younger's and the Lautners did not include themselves in the picture, though they have always been among the first to help the dying man, nor did his brother Frank, the former Grim Reapers' captain having retired back in Adab.

But Eileen, the elderly cadre of auteurs and others did, and so did his old teacher, Heo the senior.

And so did the senior's finest pupil, by the name of Christine the Second. Perhaps too well.

'Does the writing ever get lonely?' Claire asked at her father, giving a worried look on her eyes. On her first year of Russian language instruction at the Avon-Gillespie, she was starting to get hold of the language by learning the grammatical rules and basic conversations, but was still miles away from being able to read the likes of Akakhov, Luzhin and Plokhy-Nemtsov. 'I know it's not the best time to ask, in today of all days, but...'

Sir. Asher nodded. 'Very, but nothing that compared to some of the times I have lived.,' Asher replied, his eyes feeling mellower and more translucent in colour. 'The existence that I live allows me to go through those small moments of writing while lonely, and in this I am grateful.'

'You know, Addy would mention about how the Queen would call, from time to time, mummy as the Muse of the Fifties, and you as The Writer.' She looked back at her father. 'I was surprised that the Queen had such strong opinions towards both you and her.'

'Did she? How nice of her.' Sir. Asher looked back at Claire, trying his best to get around the fact that his friend, as did most others around him, preferred to see through the one side of the story. Not easily displayed in public, but known by those closest including the Monarch's very own friends and family, this was not something that he was comfortable telling her about, and hoped that she would know as little of it as possible, at the latest of time. 'How are the Royal Highnesses, Adelaide and Alexandre, doing? You and Addy seemed particularly close, from what I have heard at least, and the Prince of Abitibi's being his usual self...'

'Addy and I are fine, just two arts-minded kids whose parents happened to have crossed paths a lifetime ago,' Claire said, trying to underplay the complicated state of their friendship. 'We are total opposites, to be clear - Addy reads The Latest Whistledown, I don't pick up unless I hear the gossips. She plays bassoon and thinks like an art historian, I play horn and paint in the hall. She's an Olympian sailor, and I suck at Jay-vee field hockey.'

'That's what we would call the state of a perfectly healthy friendship.' Sir. Asher seemed satisfied with the answer, even if he may have already heard them from a half-dozen people around him at times. But Adelaide wasn't who Asher had in mind. 'What about Alexandre? You know, it was quite a rare sight to see the Queen that distraught when her and I talked over the phone few weeks back. She was on a state visit abroad, somewhere far and depressing, when the news had broken. Everybody had been telling me how awful it was.'

'No,' Claire immediately replied, hoping that her father had not picked up the sudden change in direction. 'All I know is that he's Addy's brother, who every girl in the school has something to say about, and who every guy wanting to befriend.' Considering her efforts to stay away from answering this questions since coming back from Avon-Gillespie two weeks ago, this was the last thing Claire wanted to answer. Her ability to talk little of it, and how her parents had followed in fear of re-traumatising the girl, had worked out alright, as did vaguely telling H. Richard and Maude Sophie, who seemed both intrigued about the siblings.

But what if she had to tell the exact details? 'I do feel bad for him, yeah. To be shot and left like that on a homecoming night too...' she said, a light trail of conscience in her words. 'But no, I have only seen him from distance really - the Prince of Abitibi seems to live in a separate existence from that of mine, on the other side of the world.'

'Mmm,' a quick murmur followed, before he spoke again. 'I think that you should worry little about your mother or me, Claire Lundrigan.' Asher smiled back at Claire. There was a level of assurance in his voice that had suggested his approval of Claire's upcoming trip to the Ski chalet. 'You have to live your own life, and I don't think it would be a wise idea to disappoint your friends when it's them, and not the other way around, who want you to come to a sha-leh.'

'Yes, but what about family celebrations? Those Coxwell dinners and sing-alongs, they always want all of us to come. What would they think if I'm off to a chalet with a bunch of..'

'This is where we all gotta take some risk, and have a leap of faith.' Asher said, without hesitation. It was a weird moment where his younger self had overlapped all of sudden, in his study of all places.

by **Sajnur** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 2:36 am

19th Independents Cup, Poafmersia

Offsdi Stadium, Kingsford

Matias sat in the stands of an unfamiliar stadium, in an unfamiliar country, watching a barely familiar Sajnur team get battered by a very familiar Indusse. This campaign saw long time manager Chloe Saukanen finally bring some youth to the Sajnur national side, but only out of necessity, the retirements of several of the early generation that brought the once proud red and purple side to the world stage and the strike of the team's four best remaining players in protest at the Football Association's chronic mismanagement of football in the country bringing what remained of the national team to a dismal IAC campaign. Before this match Sajnur started with three draws before losing 3-2 to the illustrious footballing nation of Sudilia. Matias had never seen such dross. Then again, he'd never seen Ella Ciuru captain the side before. Yet even at this point Sajnur, rooted to the bottom of Group F, were still theoretically in contention for the knockout stages. They just needed to beat top seed and previous finalist Indusse and hope several other results swung just right.

None of that was happening.

Instead Matias, along with a few thousand or so other Sajnur supporters, were watching their beloved team get battered by the orange clad opponents. By half time it was 2-0 Indusse. At this very moment it was 4-1. Sure, Indigo Taylor had managed to score to make it 3-1, but then Antonio Mersias put a fourth past Natasha Kirai. Matias checked his phone to see if there was anything interesting to look at. The glowing screen showed him little that he hadn't already seen in the past half hour. The myriad other matches that also needed specific results were not providing them, so even if Sajnur managed an almighty comeback there would still be no knockout stage. Sajnur had no pathway to further tournament play. One in a million, maybe, and even that might've been generous. Any noise in the stadium had long since become a monopoly of the 50% or so of the stadium that was occupied by Indusse supporters. That noise suddenly got louder.

Goal Grundjee!

Matias sighed. That one in a million was now one in a billion. What was left of the remnants of positivity that the red and purple section of crowd possessed evaporated away into the ether. 5-1. That scoreline would prove to be final. And so would Sajnur's IAC 19.

World Cup 95 Qualifying

National Stadium, Javoser

Matias sat in the stands of his home stadium, in his home country, watching his home national team play against a team which he had, interestingly, never seen play before. Sajnur was hosting the Squornshelan Remnant States, a team which had played Sajnur before, but not in several years. As a result, only a few of the players wearing red and purple on the field actually had experience playing against the team in the white away colours. Sajnur even had a player who'd been in the SRS's top division, but Basuli Maktar had retired from the national team setup. Maybe his towering two metre frame would've been useful here on this day, but it seemed that Sajnur was doing just fine in Javoser. Soon, the more than ninety thousand strong home fans roared in celebration as Tia Parci whipped in an exceptionally early cross for a charging Ella Ciuru to collect and slice into goal. Radoslav Blaha lay on the ground, his grasp just too short to reach the curling ball, too short to prevent Sajnur from leading 2-1.

Just two minutes later, disaster would strike. Oystein Shakhnovich had the ball in the penalty box and slithered his way past Hatu Raglan. He positioned himself to shoot, and suddenly found himself flying to the floor, his leg clutched in pain, and several of his teammates crowded around Silja Jorse nearby. Jorse had run in from the edge of the box and sent her right foot through Shakhnovich's left shin. Neither player would see further action, the SRS winger obviously needing a substitution in the form of Tarbi Ksudach, and Jorse being given a straight red. Yet the resulting kerfuffle would not be broken for another three minutes before Embla Avachinsky slotted the penalty to tie the game.

Now the stadium as a whole was tenser than a rubber band around the legs of a rhino, and Sajnur were now a player down, a rhino cornered by poachers, the eyes of Squornshelans locked through the scopes of rifles. Sajnur had to regroup, and coach Saukanen, somehow still in the job amid the perennial chaos of the Sajnuran FA and the team's horrific performance at the previous IAC, brought on Elyudi Samiryan and Jessica Siafik. Straight swaps for the tired legs of Tia Parci and Ella Ciuru. There would be no shoring of the defence, only a shuffling of Raglan to right back. Sajnur would go full attack. Except the Squornshelans had nearly all of the ball. Shot after shot peppered the penalty box, the defence, and Natasha Kirai as a ten-player Sajnur tried in futility to dispossess the black and reds of the ball. Only a brief mini-eruption of cheer would provide respite as Indigo Taylor, the scorer of Sajnur's first goal, came off for national favourite and longtime #1 striker Andre Naulo. Then the onslaught resumed.

Soon, however, Sajnur started getting more possession, and even a shot on goal in the 77th minute. The rise and fall in noise and pitch of the home crowd as Samiryan's effort was collected by Blaha. Clearly, according to Saukanen, this was the signal for more attack. Raglan came off, and replacing him was Tova Dakher, a winger replacing a centre back. Sajnur were now effectively playing two at the back. But who needs defender when you're starting to win the possession battle again? Now it was fusillade of footballs at both goalkeepers. SRS then gets the ball in a particularly dangerous position. Ksudach runs in miles behind Dakher and receives the ball free to run at goal. Kabas Verjez can't get to him. It's now just Kirai in the way. A shot! A fingertip save! And Kirai gathers it back up. A quick roll to Verjez and Sajnur start their counter. Soon the ball is in the Squornshelan penalty box. Violet Valera has the ball. She fires it! Another save, but from Blaha, smothering the close attempt. But Valera takes the rebound, and look who she sees! It's Naulo, and he's wide open for the pass! Blaha is in no position to intercept, and he's stranded at the post! Naulo takes a touch, and it's point blank into goal! Matias screams in rapturous joy, ninety thousand Sajnurans rapturing their vocal chords with him!

Even six minutes of extra time aren't enough for SRS to break through, and three whistles from the referee signal for the rapturous cheers to restart. Victory. Seven in a row. Sajnur are top of the world.

by **West Barack and East Obama** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 2:51 am

The Chronicles of Obama: A Ballad of Bushes and Bidens

"Remember folks, the winner takes it all. Let the games begin!"

Jacqueline, the host of the competition, proceeded to slam down a comically large red button on a table to initiate the Fortnite game. Suddenly, everyone's avatar was transported into the Battle Bus. The nervousness of the situation began to creep up on Joe. It was just moments ago that he was freezing to death on the streets, or strolling through Hope Square, or even getting mocked by his former friend. These lapses in concentration weren't going to cut it in a high pressure game such as this. 100% focus and locking in was required.

"Kilo can you hear me? Over." Joe whispered into his microphone.

"Robinette, I can hear you. What's the plan? Over." came the reply.

"As we practiced, the meta is to camp out in strategic locations such as stairwells with shotguns and be ready to give people a quick blast to the head. No time to respond. Follow me down to Dusty Detroit. Do you copy? Over."

"Copied. Over."

Joe wiped some sweat off his brow and gulped down a can of Sozha Soda. He looked to his left and right, but the cubicle dividers prevented him from seeing what his opponents were doing. He quickly faced his screen once more and decided to focus on his own team.

"Alright, Kilo we're going to need to tear down some of these walls to collect resources. You should get on that while I open up all these chests. Be on the lookout at all times, because I'm not going to have enough time to revive you if we get into a shootout. Do you copy? Over."

"Relax! I've got it handled. I'm not the wor- OH MY [EXPLETIVES DELETED]"

Suddenly, all Joe could hear from his headphones were the rapid-fire gunshot sounds coming from an SMG, followed by shotgun blasts. He quickly made his John Cena avatar run towards where Kobamala was and opened fire.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

After a quick shootout, Joe let out a sigh of relief. As he overheard groans being groaned and racial slurs being uttered from a few cubicles away, he knew that he had just gunned down two potential claimants of his three million dollar prize. However, there was now a much bigger problem at his feet.

"Great, Kilo, well done on not following my instructions. Do you know how risky it is for me to go to the reboot van and get you back in the game? Not to mention tha-"

"Calm down. It's not the end of the world!"

"It would be the end of my world if I lose this match! How calm do you expect me to be!? How about you quieten down and reflect on your actions while I save your sorry ass. Over."

Joe made his way out of the now-demolished Dusty Detroit and sprinted towards a reboot van where he could get his teammate back into the world. As he began the rebooting process, his mind was racing with anxious thoughts.

"Robinette, you good? Over."

"Almost done. Get ready to glide down and heal up. Over."

Soon, the thirty second timer was up and Kobamala reentered the arena. Joe's nerves calmed a bit but it wasn't long until another barrage of bullets came his way.

"We're getting ambushed! Kilo, you're on low health due to being rebooted. I'm going to need you to glide away from the danger right now. Do you copy? Over."

"What about our opponents?"

"I'll handle them."

Joe got out his rocket launcher and began raining fire and fury on his opponents. He blasted a RPG after RPG during the 2v1 as he hid behind a tree, but it proved too much to handle. The duo was too strong for him and one stray bullet delivered a fatal blow.

"Robinette, I'm coming over to get your reboot card. I'm back to full health. Over."

"Don't bother. I give up. It's Joever, Kilo. We're only a few minutes in and we both died already. We're clearly not cut out for this. If you want to continue on, that's fine. But I've accepted my fate. I'm outta here. Over."

"You can't just give up like that Robinette! There's still all to play for. Sure, we're probably going to get ambushed at the reboot van again, but it's important that we tried. You don't want to be on your deathbed next week regretting not playing your hardest for the game of your life, do you? Over."

"Don't care. I'm taking off my headset and walking out of here. If I'm fast enough maybe I can make it home before rush hour. See ya, Kobamala. Thanks for alll... of your help. Over."

"Hello, hello?"

Kobalama sighed. This was a dire situation. Without a partner, her chances of winning the match and advancing to the next round were next to none. But it was important to her that she at least tried, so she decided to stack up on Sozha Jugs and camped out a secluded location with a sniper.

Soon, the game's participants dwindled. It went from 50, to 25, to 10, and then there were three left. As the storm closed in, she soon found herself up against two familiar gamertags: Giorgio Bush and Saul Wolfopitz.

"Oh shoot, I'm up against Joe's archnemeses. If only he was here for this, he'd know which weakness to exploit."

She crept behind a pillar and got into a sniper position. In the attic of a barn, she was relatively safe, but she needed to remain as hidden as possible. Soon, the two opps entered the barn and ransacked the place as they tried to find that one last annoying camper. Kobamala was nervous, but she needed to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike with her rifle. As soon as Giorgio's avatar moved into the perfect position for a clean shot, she pulled the trigger.

BANG!

Kobamala stared at her screen in shock. Second place.

by **Farfadillis** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 2:53 am

Farfadillis National Team, Cycle 95

Hello and welcome back to another edition of 'KIKI or BOUBA?'! As always, for the upcoming World Cup 95 cycle, we have curated the opinions of Farfadillis' top 25 kikiboubologists (measured by h-index, which is 100% accurate but only when it comes to kikiboubology) to tell you what to think and why to think it, specifically regarding the kikiness or boubacity of the prominent Farf players in this squad. We will be focusing on the four biggest names in the squad as per the FFFF's weirdly official star ratings for them, as can be found in the federation's press release before qualifiers, which weirdly includes a very simplistic and naturally controversial rundown of Farf politics, an outdated map of Farfadillis that is entirely lacking one nation-state, an empty promises of a description of the team's tactics and what the hell are roleplaying permissions? But we digress, without further ado:

Dénes Robineau: ST, age 25, Szoirsian, plays for Brinemouth
Dénes is one of those rare cases where the name says one thing but the player's personality says an entire other thing. Staring at the name, especially knowing how Szoirsian pronunciation works, you'd be hard-pressed to make a case for Robineau being anything other than the boubaest of boubas. Lots of vowels, the 'R' sound is actually kinda smooth in Szoirsian, Dénes is a calm and inoffensive name, you get the idea. However, look into his personal and professional life and you get a whole different picture. His father was cripplingly alcoholic, for one, which meant his upbringing in anarchy Szoirsia (and post-anarchy Szoirsia) was less ideal than it already would've been. Although his early life experiences have made him swear off all drugs (rare for a Farf!) he has nonetheless carried his trauma onto his professional life in a radically different way, as any good kiki would: he is a huge diva. Team playing too defensively? That's a transfer request. Team not one of the best in the league? That's a transfer request. Gaffer looked at him funny? Transfer request. The weather is kinda shit everywhere he goes? Fair enough actually. But transfer request anyway. The only reason teams even put up with him is just how good he is on the pitch (hence his number-one place on the list). As far as his playing style goes, it is kiki but not overwhelmingly so: he is very good at dribbling and at stabbing the defense (figuratively so far) at the right time, while also being fantastic at very sudden changes in direction. All of these are very kiki characteristics. His penchant for violently strong shots over finesse regardless of distance and his insane acceleration are also very kiki. Verdict: 80% Kiki, 20% Bouba.

Jôs Sürréo: ST, age 26, Rülândéán, plays for Lakewood United
Jôs' upbringing was too harsh to expand upon here but safe to say he had a very kiki upbringing. His name is also fairly kiki: look at those rolled r's in his surname, as well as that buzzing "j" sound in his first name. Plus those diacritics are not particularly easy on the eyes, are they?! Alas, Sürréo seems determined to be his strike partner-ish's polar opposite: off the pitch, he's quite calm and collected, to date having never been involved in a scandal of any kind. On the pitch, his calm and collected, very selfless playmaking in the final third is a sight to behold, as are his dribbling and his finishing. However, all of these attributes look exceptionally bouba when Sürréo plays: his passes always curve nicely and in satisfying ways, never seeming overhit, his dribbling is extremely technical and involves a lot of close control as opposed to long strides and constant acceleration and deceleration and his finishing is always about precision over power. He is excellent at placing the ball in the corners and makes quite a spectacle of it with his rather tame shot strength. However, he is a fairly pacey player who can play kikily when the need arises, so let's not get too carried away. Verdict: 20% Kiki, 80% Bouba.

Lêyêló Jáánsêlà: ST, age 24, Rülândéán, plays for Rülândéá Kôstä
Lêyêló is a strange case of a very kiki person overall who might look quite boubastic on the surface: he is by all accounts one of the most well-read and smartest footballers in the entire Multiverse and a solid leader in every dressing room he's been in (that's two, to be clear: the NT's and Rülânéá Kôstä's). However, by all accounts he also has occasional flare-ups of behavior that can only be described as kiki, like that one time he honored Faragó rue Cazade amidst enormous ethnic tension inside the dressing room, or that other time he tried to empathize more with fellow Rülândéá Kôstä teammate Baraxil Muhaburu and tried alcoholism for a month before concluding Baraxil's life must fucking suck. There's also the fact he opted to focus on football instead of nuclear science, which is the one thing that pays well in Rülândéá and where he had a guaranteed in because of his father. Kiki commitment to the ball, respect. On the pitch, you don't really need us to tell you: a takilante is about as kiki as a tactical role gets. Frenetically going from flank to flank pressing the opposing team, trying to stab (again, figuratively) the opponent with late runs into the box and belters from outside it, a huge focus placed on the unexpected and in every facet of the transition part of tactics. More potentially bouba aspects of play like playmaking and dribbling are even tossed aside (somewhat) in favor of these priorities. As such, Jáánsêlà's playstyle is as kiki as it gets. He's also the first world-class takilante for whom the position is natural (that is, he's been playing it since he was in his early teens). So... yeah, not a lot to discuss here. The distinct lack of terrorist attacks carried out is what stops this one from being a 100%. Verdict: 95% Kiki, 5% Bouba.

Eloriján Mopiraja: CB, age 23, Indujan, plays for 1923 Esca
Let's get one thing out of the way: Indujan names, prominently featuring the Indujan 'j', are almost always kiki-sounding. The Indujan 'j' (think of the sound typically associated with 'kh') is just very rough on the ears. However, Mopiraja still manages to have a bit of a 50/50 name despite that. This is already a sign of things to come: Eloriján is arguably the most sober center-back Farfadillis has ever produced, and not only on the pitch! He is reportedly a very down-to-multiverse man in a stable long-term relationship who's traded away the chaos of Farfadillis in favor of settling in at a much nicer place like, uh, Mytanija. Yeah, it's all about contrasts at the end of the day. On the pitch, he's exactly what you'd expect from a bouba: calm, collected, with an astute reading of the game. If he has to make a tackle, it's because he thinks he's already made a mistake, or at least one of his teammates has. He's also great at playmaking, but not in a Farf way: he's very good at escaping the press and playing the best pass, not the flashiest, kikiest pass available. This makes him a great addition to an otherwise very kiki back four + goalkeeper. Verdict: 10% Kiki, 90% Bouba.

by **Savojarna** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 3:09 am

SAVOJARNAS DAGBLADET -- INTERNATIONAL
Savojarna’s prime news source for international readers

Sjoedrhavn breaks off relations with Adyatagrad over SJ492, cites “lack of cooperation”
Sjoedrhavn/Vestrholm - Despite no clear proof of sabotage on an International Air Savojarna flight from Reneegrad International (QUE) to Sjoedrhavn, the Savojar government have broken off talks with the Adyati representation. The two countries held no formal diplomatic relations, being represented through formally neutral third parties, but held informal talks regularly and had installed a regular Forum for Peace between military leaders and high-ranking politicians on both sides. However, last night after an extraordinary session of the Executive Commission, the Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Anton Larsson (KPS-I) has called off his trip to Varinsk, where the next meeting of the Forum was scheduled to occur on the 20th to 23rd of September, as well as announcing the decision to recall General Daniil Pusjkin as a liaison officer of the Savojar side in the peace dialogue and send only a lower-level civil servant team to discuss technical issues surrounding border lines.

The reasoning for this move entirely hinged on the SJ492 disaster, despite no hard proof for terrorism or sabotage to be found. Quebec’s National Aviation Authority has announced that the current state of investigation has focused on the Savojar suspicions, but did not find any strong support for the sabotage theory. However, Savojarna’s TSOS, which are involved in the investigations ongoing in Quebec, have communicated that the investigators are not excluding the chance either, and expect to get more information from the black box that has been found and recovered yesterday. With this unclear situation, the main narrative still centers on sabotage, with politics citing the NAA intermediary report that mentioned break patterns in the hull that could potentially indicate an explosion.

In his communication, Larsson emphasised that the cause for the move was not any decisive proof that Adyati forces were behind the crash. “We are awaiting the NAA and TSOS results. Quebecois authorities have been highly supportive and the TSOS involvement ensures we get the information we need. But we are operating under reasonable suspicion based on Savut sources and circumstantial evidence that are putting our attention on Adyati elements. We have diplomatically requested assistance from Adyati leadership and not received the support we have expected in this troublesome time. If there is indeed no involvement, we see little reason for their secrecy”.

In a response press release, Adyati Foreign Minister Sanyashin - a well known hardliner within the Adyati leadership - claimed a different order of events. “We have received an inflammatory document of the Savojar government, demanding full access into Adyatin far beyond expectable involvement in the affairs of a sovereign state. Sjoedrhavn demanded access to codified documents and the rights to question Adyati nationals in our country. These are not conditions we can reasonably agree to, and should be seen as a willing provocation”. Larsson rejected the claims, stating that common diplomatic procedure made it impossible for him to show the document sent to the Adyati leadership, but said that “we have made a responsible request to protect our citizens and clarify a tragedy that may have been a criminal act”. He has called upon the international community to match Sjoedrhavn’s actions and limit diplomatic engagement with Adyatin, as well as imposing sanctions on the state.

SavNews / tpe // Published: 14. September 06:54 SST

SAVOJARNAS DAGBLADET -- INTERNATIONAL
Savojarna’s prime news source for international readers

Quebecois report suggests shift away from sabotage in SJ492 investigation; LKPS protests in National Assembly
Joongyeong-Reneegrad/QUE; Sjoedrhavn/Vestrholm - The National Assembly held a special session early this morning to join the live communication of current results of the investigation held by the Quebecois National Aviation Authority into the crash of an IAS machine in Quebecois waters. After a first reading of the flight recorders, the NAA announced they are shifting their investigations away from sabotage.

“In initial moments of the investigation, we have pointed towards the possibility of an explosion. This was based on circumstantial evidence and classified reports from Savojar secret services (Savut, ed.), which we were not allowed to see source material of according to Savojar strategic considerations and classification law. Material analysis gave a mixed image, which was why we continued this lead. We maintain that the hull broke apart, and that there is an indication of extreme heat around the edges, but we do not know the order of events or the cause of this heat yet”, so the lead investigator. Further, he said: “After analysis of the flight recorder, we see evidence that implies pilot mistakes or material failure”. A list of indications pointed out three main factors justifying this step: There was no sudden stop to the recordings as it would be likely if the connection between flight recorder and cockpit was suddenly severed; the voice recorder in the cockpit implies that pilots were noticing vibrations and fixing a minor issue with the instruments notably before the crash, pointing away from a sudden break; and finally, the fact the plane was flying with abnormally high speed for a while before the crash. All of this, so the leader of the investigations, indicates a cause with a longer buildup.

This revelation is particularly important in the light of the recent diplomatic tensions between Savojarna and Adyatin. Having recalled diplomatic connections over the suspicion, the Executive Committee got into some questioning from various sources, most notably the Syndicalist Union. SU leader Anna Ljökelsöy accused Larsson and Bjugstad of threatening the security of Savojar citizens over an overly flimsy grounds, whereas known SU foreign policy specialist Ulf Pettersson argued that the move was likely to strengthen the hardline faction in the Adyati government, contrary to Savojar interests. Larsson defended his decision based on the Adyati unwillingness to cooperate with investigations, and received strong backup from the LKPS.

MNA Dmitri Lanjev (LKPS), known both for his aggressive stance on Adyatin as well as his personal involvement having lost two party members in the crash, questioned the investigation overall. Arguing that the NAA was attempting to prevent questions about Quebecois airport security, and questioning the neutrality of the investigation, he urgently requested a move of investigations to the TSOS headquarters in Värstjö and the leadership of the Savojar authorities. He further put forward a motion to officially enquire the independence of the NAA from the Quebecois government, but received no support outside his own party. Further steps are expected later today, including a statement regarding relations with Adyatin.

SavNews // Published: 15. September 09:02 SST

Daily Headlines

Larsson condemns global rise and presence of fascism, pledging Savojar support to all anti-fascist movements in the world

Liberal Block delves into chaos over struggle for party leadership as factional struggle continues

Late blockbuster transfer: National player Tom Krogstrup moves to Chromatika for 6 million NSD

by **Sylestone** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 3:16 am

World Cup 95 Matchday 14

This is it. This is where we say Goodbye to 120 nations. It's been a pleasure having each of you, and we hope to see you back next cycle.

by **Elmyia** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 12:21 pm

The Overlap Podcast

John Wood: Vote of censure courting controversy, Elmyia do the qualifying hokey-cokey and destiny, thy name is Cassadaigua... all this and more as Elmyia go into the play-offs... Joining me today, as ever, are the ever effervescent Iain McLeod.

Iain: Hi

John: And the eternally energetic Maria Wright.

Maria: Morning.

John: First up then and Elmyia have gone on through to the play-offs, 90 minutes up against Cassadaigua separates them from a second consecutive World Cup qualification. But... Elmyia came close to something far more impressive didn't they Maria?

Maria: Yep, it all got pretty excitable in the press box for a while. A sweeping move set off by Kit Simmons ended with Valentina Galli bundling the ball home just 7 minutes in. Pemecutan also fell behind in a shock to Frontiere, Elmyia were topping the group with 35 points... Then, minutes out from full-time, Pemecutan had pulled back level and Elmyia seemed to feel the pressure. Scarlet McCaskill picked Marakakis' pocket, Beresford out of position and Berlinguette can ghost in and fire home. Play-offs it is.

John: Play-offs it indeed was. Given the position they were in, should fans be disappointed?

Maria: Well... essentially they've performed to par right? Second seeds, second place. Given they took only one point against Pemecutan they can't exactly feel hard done by, they've put away the team below them efficiently without a command performance. But, they had the chance there and failed to convert it.

Iain: I'd agree you can't say second wasn't unfair given their other performances. People might worry about the lack of clutch in these sorts of situations.

John: Lack of clutch indeed. They'll need plenty in their upcoming test against Cassadaigua. But before we move to that, Iain, is there anything noteworthy from this game? Any reason Elmyia struggled to get over the line?

Iain: Not to lean too far into the narrative, but it was a bit of a bottle job...

John: I never thought I'd hear you use the word bottle job Iain...

Iain: Well, no, I am being a little bit harsh there. They were facing what proved to be the meanest defence in the group. The midfield three do a good job of screening, I think defending in a 4-3-3 gives them quite a lot of flexibility. They can drop into a 4-5-1 and have more cover than a 4-4-2, but they've also got the freedom to push their three forward on the break which can be a bit less predictable. Basically, though, they mostly sat in their block. Porras does chuck the bodies forward, but Marakakis looked off pace and she didn't get much joy dropping into spaces. I also thought Benedetti dropped back too readily. In a situation where you're struggling to break a team down, having someone to cross at helps, I'm surprised Whittingham didn't come on.

Maria: Yeah she's stopped featuring so much, which seems harsh given she's never really gone off the boil for club or country...

John: Well do we think we could see her back at some point?

Maria: Maybe. I think Porras has developed their style of play for a World Cup campaign, and Benedetti makes a sort of sense for that. But, I'd like to see Whittingham back in some situations.

Iain: Me too. She can really force a situation sometimes. Benedetti probably helps establish some dominance, but against much weaker, or even much stronger, sides she could add a different dimension.

John: So it was just a situation where they failed to break another side down? What was the issue with the goal?

Maria: It's not the way he likes to play, but you do wonder if they should've hunkered down with not long left. They could've qualified automatically, and ultimately it felt they left themselves exposed to an easy break.

Iain: Yeah, the commitment to all out attack is clear. But with a few minutes left, I would question whether it's wise to keep Beresford and Katsouranis quite so high and Marakakis up the pitch...

John: As you say though, he's unlikely to change. Given where they were before though we surely can't argue too much?

Maria: You're not wrong, the trajectory has been well ahead of what anyone had hoped for. It possibly just feels like they're starting to stall.

Iain: Possibly, I think he is trying to figure out a different way to play, he's tried to use pressing to make them harder to play through. I can't say it's massively paid off, but it's gotten the side this far.

John: Good progress indeed. 1 game left to settle everything then, Elmyia face off against Cassadaigua in Chromatika. Of course this is a rematch of Elmyia's first ever match in a World Cup proper. We've talked before about our opponents, they looked short of qualification, how did they pick back up?

Maria: Well, three wins in a row, unbeaten in the second half of qualifying, they seem to have the wind up their backs. Carly Paterson seems like she's finding form, which is worrying me.

Iain: Yeah, they're a 4-3-3 side, they seem to like possession. I wouldn't say they're massively notable for their style, but given how excellent some of their individuals are it doesn't always require a lot of complexity. Given the massive gaps Elmyia will leave for them at the back, they've certainly got the skill to take full advantage. Lexi McGregor was electric when they last faced off in the World Cup proper, I wouldn't count her out from swinging this tie.

John: Is there anyway Elmyia could move to match them?

Maria: I feel like even if there was, they wouldn't right? They play the way they do already, with Speight still out of the team the only question is who slots into the right-hand slot in midfield.

Iain: That would appear to be the outstanding question. Looking back at how they've struggled against Carpathia and Ruthenia, a team they should really be putting away, and they really struggled with them getting 4 players into that midfield. Elmyia could conceivably do this, Benedetti drops back, get Simmons, Galli and A.N Other and they could conceivably cause the Fillies some problems.

Maria: Wasn't their defensive display quite impressive too?

Iain: True, they were pinpoint in that regard...

John: So are we leaning towards a little bit of extra protection at the back then?

Maria: I'd love it if they played McLoughlin to be honest. His cameos have been much stronger than any of the other players auditioning for the spot. He's smart, technical but not lightweight.

Iain: Yeah, I do feel it's a little unfair he's been somewhat left out of contention for the extra spot by Porras. He's not exactly a clogger as a defensive midfielder. Maybe he just feels he's too similar to Simmons? I don't know, I wouldn't mind two Simmons in the lineup.

John: I wouldn't mind 5 in fairness.

Iain: Other than that, I'm guessing Albrook for Katsouranis is out of the question, but it wouldn't hurt in this lineup.

John: Well, Porras has some calls to make. But, coming out of the camp, in the wake of the revelations around the FF's directors being involved with Corrupt Petrostate... Is there anything to the rumours that some players are considering withdrawing in protest?

Maria: Yeah, it's the Italia contingent that sound the most likely to walk. Beresford will have all eyes on her, she's shown a lot of willingness to talk about her principles in the past, even among public criticism. She was already thought to be on the verge of walking when they failed to bring the vote of censure. Porras sounds like he talked her round, but it's not looking good this time...

Iain: Yeah, it's a point that she really has genuinely demonstrated principle beyond what most footballers do. I can't imagine she'll dip yet, but withdrawing from the squad if they qualify would be a big personal hit to take.

John: That it would be, and presumably to the national side as well? Who could they end up missing?

Maria: Vita Speight and Lauretta Hightower, maybe Ian Garavakos as well although he's not yet as close with the rest of the Italia group. It wouldn't impact the squad on the same scale as the Albion Baptism of Fire withdrawals did, but they'd be losing two key starters and two important squad players.

Iain: Yeah, credit to the team for having its high quality players more spread out. You just worry that unless the whole side can present a united front, then the protest won't quite have the same impact.

John: Very true, either way, I presume we won't find out until post playoff.

Maria: Indeed.

John: Well, a lot to chew on. We'll speak to you next time listener, when Elmyia's fate will be revealed.

by **Mertagne** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 12:58 pm

The dim light crept in once more as the sun began to rise. Bryan hadn’t slept all night, not after the awful dream. It had seemed so real, so… true. Like an inevitability. He felt in his bones that he’d been marked for death, and in just three short days, he’d be the one - the gift - to whatever abomination presented itself to those villagers in the night.

Bryan knew if he wanted to live he’d have to act fast. A quick assessment of his surroundings revealed that while this barn was a makeshift prison, it was still very much a working barn, but the sphere of influence he had was small, due in no small part to the harness that criss-crossed his stained flight suit and that was shackled to a thick metal strut that kept the barn aloft.

He ran his weathered hands along the strut. It was far too thick to bend, but the chain itself was weaved around the strut and locked with a stern looking padlock. The padlock had clearly come from the enclosure the pigs were kept in, as it seemed that there was nothing keeping those animals enclosed save for the gate. Wallmer imagined that over their lifetime they’d simply accepted that they’d never be able to escape. That would of course be typical of Mertagnian pigs.

However, it was possible that a further structural weakness existed on the harness. The chain drew itself around his torso, but the mercy from the Mertagnian lumberjack meant that Bryan had his hands free to do some messing around. He pondered what would break first if he rotated himself around and around, coiling in the chain further, before drawing the conclusion that it would likely be him.

He searched the stone floor of the barn for anything he could use to get some purchase on the lock. A stray splint of wood, a piece of metal, a particularly sturdy part of hay… but nothing gave itself up to him. Then, he assessed the walls of the barn, a robust wood that seemed to contain few weaknesses. None of the loose bits from the planking were particularly thin enough to jam into the lock, and none of them would break it anyway. He tore a plank off of the wall to look at the pallid landscape, and make out the treeline a few hundred metres away. The dense coniferous forest seemed to dominate the landscape, and from the low angle of the plank he couldn’t quite make out the sky behind. The ground almost seemed to rise up along the horizon, a shallow rise of trees all the way up to the snowy caps of the mountains. Picturesque, almost. If he wasn’t coming here as an invader and the populace weren’t about to sacrifice him, he would almost consider coming here as a tourist.

It was at this point he wondered if he could get out of his confines without breaking the chains. If the fabric of the harness was damaged enough, perhaps the chains would be free enough to slide off? There was a bit of give as it was - he wasn’t quite as big as whatever animal this was designed to hold, presumably some kind of guard dog.

The removed plank took a swift kick to the spine and split in two, sending splinters over Wallmer’s socked foot. They’d taken his shoes away before he’d woken up, presumably as a deterrent against escape, but cut up feet along the Mertagnian forest floor was undoubtedly better than a cut up chest along the Mertagnian forest altar. He took the half plank, which had been crudely formed into a vague point, and began to run it through a hole in the metal strut in an attempt to sharpen it down a little.

He pierced the tough canvas of the harness and sawed back and forth along the bindings falteringly in the grey light of the morning. He'd hoped that his insomnia would prove to be an ally and that the Mertagnians, presumably tired from their night-time shenanigans, would be sleeping off the worst of their profane ritual, giving Bryan time to escape. He prayed that time would be on his side as well, but the wood proved not to hold a candle to a decent blade, and progress was slow.

As the fabric began to fray, Bryan looked out through the hole he’d made in the barn at the treeline. The first signs of progress bore fruit as the fabric started to fray a little at the end. Soon he’d be able to unpick the dense threading and slither out of the chains. As he did so, he kept sneaking quick looks at the door, expecting to be hit with a barrage of axe-wielders faster than he could think, like in the days of old. It seems that these Mertagnians, no matter how much they swept about Calania, couldn’t seem to let go of their heritage as axe-brandishing marauders.

After what felt like an agonising stretch of time, the inlay of the harness finally peeled back to the point where the chains were free to slide around Bryan’s body. He contorted himself into a pencil-like shape to slide the chains downwards, avoiding his neck and ribs, the former of which still burned from the rope and the latter still ached from the crash. The clink and clatter across the stone floor stirred the pigs, much to Wallmer’s dismay, but eventually the downed Bostopian pilot weaved himself free from the intricate yet unwieldy capture situation that he’d found himself in.

The second step was actually getting out of the barn. In his socks, Bryan rushed over to the collection of tools and grabbed a hatchet that was resting against the wall. He was far too weak to take on a person with it, but he gasped as he clattered it into the side of the barn over and over, trying not to make too much noise as to betray his escape. The hole he clawed into the barnwork wasn’t much bigger than the legroom he had in the cockpit, but it’d have to do as he crawled through, catching parts of his flight suit on the way out. Falling onto the grass, he slid, belly down and clasping the rusty hatchet in his hand, across the grass and broke into the trees. The forest had finally consumed him, albeit in a different way perhaps than the Mertagnians that acted as Bryan’s captors had hoped.

by **Cassadaigua** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 4:04 pm

World Cup dream remains alive,
by Caitlyn Dufrense, Concord Heights Times

In the event that Team Cassadaigua does end up qualifying for World Cup 95, we will have to call it very resilient and gritty effort. Following a 5-2 win over Barunia (which I’ll get to more in a bit) at the Sun Stadium in Havenia, the Fillies are where you probably thought they would be at the start of qualifying. With this format, the “pot 2" team would seem to be destined to be headed to the playoff, and a lot of prognosticators around the world likely figured that we would be. That’s exactly where this team is, but it sure the heck did not take the easy route to get there. The 25 points that the Fillies had were enough to end up in a tie with Yakk, of whom we had the tiebreaker with, and finish a point ahead of Saint Eleanor. However, in the grand scheme of things, those same 25 points have us as one of the worst second place teams out there. Only Drawkland, and Banija (yes, that Banija), had worse second place records. Looking at those names, especially Banija, but no offense to the Drawk Corps, we can see that we are not alone when it comes to underachieving in qualifying. Like those two, we have a second chance to make the World Cup, and will face Elmyia in that playoff.

“It’s a new life, for sure,” captain Madison Rutland said of the still active possibility of qualifying for the World Cup, “the way things have went to this point were not ideal, but as a group that does not matter any longer. We got to the playoff, and have a winner take all matchup against a familiar opponent.” Both Cassadaigua and Elymia qualified for the last World Cup, and ended up in the same group. Neither advanced to the round of 16, and the two squads would draw their head to head matchup. Rutland said she does not expect that previous encounter to be advantageous for either side. “Yeah, all that really means is that we have had a meaningful game already. Even in just two years, there can be a lot that changes in a World Cup. We’re not the same teams, it’s just that flags doing battle are the same.” The game will take place in a familiar site to some, at Felswyr in Chromatika, a place that Shannon Cunningham knows pretty well. The second team all pro in Chromatika’s Rainbow League, fresh off a 25-goal campaign told us, “Yeah, there’s been a game there (Felswyr) for us, they’re down on their luck right now but they should turn it around. I can give restaurant suggestions, but it’s not really my home in Chromatika. I am glad to have at least one game there.” Teammate Lexi McGregor says that Shannon was downplaying how excited she is, “Don’t buy that. She’s stoked to be playing this game in Chromatika. She screamed in jubilation when she saw the playoff draw was bringing her here and not to Sylestone. We can’t let her down!”

During the first leg of qualifying, the Fillies were not able to defeat the Suns in Grande Mountain, settling for one of their four draws. The result was a let down, and despite the second half starting quick with a pair of wins, the pace would slow with more draws. Somehow, someway, the stars aligned for the Fillies to get the results they needed elsewhere in the group while starting to win games themselves. All the team needed to do was win against a 3-3-7 side. Five minutes into the match, Lauren Engle got the team started, and her sister would double the lead twelve minutes later. In the 33rd minute, Tiffany Brown made it 3-0, a great advantage for the squad even with none of the forwards accounting for the goals. After the intermission, Carly Patterson made it 4-0, a very good sign for her as it was now her third goal in four contests, showing some signs that she is breaking out of the brutal slump that she had been on earlier in qualifying. Barunia would get to within two, but the dreams of the Suns to comeback would set when Lacey Sherwood made the most rare playing time with a 85th minute goal. The best part of this was that there was no need to check the scoreboard for other results. West Kharakia may suck, but Yakk wasn’t going beat them by fourteen goals.

Chen Huikang was complimentary of the never say die attitude by the team, “At this level, you expect that a team will never quit, especially when they are as talented as the group that we have. But, they heard the noise and took it to heart. One more win, and we’re off to the World Cup. If we’re peaking at the right time, that’s not a bad thing.”

by **Qasden** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 5:28 pm

Castle Crashers
Last Laugh Leaves Qads on Doorstep of Qualification
By Wallace Wallows
A goal, a whistle, a wait...
...and a cheer.

The city of Destiny isn't exactly known for its positive aspects. If pessimism was a sport, the citizens of Fyre's lamer twin are dynasty champions. The city had constructed Hotchskarth Cabin, a cozy, but beautifully ornate stadium, to give the town more credibility on the national front. To whoever was mayor at the time, it was a success in bringing in doubloons from hosting World Cup Qualifiers; to the people having to help fund it, however, it felt more like a gaudy, living white elephant meant to masquerade their miseries and vehement stubbornness when asked why they don't just move elsewhere. Regardless, it's one of the most affordable places to live in all of Qasden, which unintentionally saw a small, but noticeable uptick in families and young Qads moving to the region in order to exploit Destiny's cost of living in conjunction to its proximity close to the much more interesting and lively Fyre. The struggles and strifes between the original residents and the incoming horde of internally foreign home snatchers is one as old as the founding of Qasden, but in all the hooplah of day-to-day mental dysentery, every citizen of Destiny can get together to watch the Blue-Reds fight on their field, even if it does mean having to watch out for sports channel drones around match time. In the normal hustle and bustles of the Big Little, the last match before the home stadium shuttered for another cycle was always a big deal, bonus if its in the mountainous southwest. Like the start of a shitty slasher flick, a thick plume of positivity and passion fogged the streets it scarcely roamed. The Vans, under a socially dimwitted, hooligan manager, were in fairly good shape to finish qualifiers in its highest position since WC85. Moreover, it was Destiny that'd get the first pickings when it came to how the mood was gonna be set.
Despite being unable to accrue any points against Audioslavia, a slew of other victories (and a draw) kept the Qads right on the Bulls' thin tails, culminating in one final opportunity to pounce for playoffs at the Cabin by taking on the most unusual beneficiary to this charge: Saperetia. The Rooks (no known official nickname, but they got a castle on their badge so that's what we're going with for convenience) were dead last in the group, only managing to grab 9 points throughout the previous 13 matches. Certainly a doom spell for whoever the unfortunate bastard is managing the team, but it wasn't a true campaign without some high notes. With nothing left to lose, the Saperetians evolved into a dangerous form of themselves, quickly becoming much more of a hassle for some teams in the latter half of qualifiers. They nicked 2 goals against an impenetrable Brookstation, held Oberour Ar Moro to a close 0-1 win, even getting 3 points from strong showcases against Ancherion and Shieldstan. All this information means nothing, however, in the face of their biggest result of the cycle: a draw on Matchday 13 against Audioslavia. The Rooks were able to catch the Anaian team off-guard, the latter presumably still emaciated from their 1-0 reverse card against Qasden the match prior. Such heresy quickly evolved into a major problem for the Bulls, who were only able to rescue a single point at the end of the match, wedging them between a rock and a hell of a hard place in time for the final match. With Qasden having dispatched Ancherion on MD13 themselves, the opening for 2nd place was now down to 2 potential tenants by a difference of 2 points. Qasden needed just a victory over Saperetia and a prayer to go through, while the Audioslavians had to look their own fans in the faces as they try and hold on for dear life against an undefeated Brookstation. A draw between the Bulls and Dreamers put Qasden through on GD with a win, so it really did become a sense of win or get shunned into oblivion at home.
The crowds inched their way through security into a chilled Hotchskarth Cabin. Some thought it'd be wise to wear full kits in cold weather while bearing half-and-halfs from the nation's most famous matches, while others were merely passing by on their way back from the local Squornshelan grocery store and wanted to know what the hubba was about. Within the walls of Qasden's premiere site for lesser-ranked matches, Bodies in Blue and Red jostled and jingled as if they were trying (and failing horrendously) to get on WorldVision. A tifo, which never occurs in Destiny, was unveiled, displaying several cats storming a Saperetian castle with a bull looking out through its window in fear. The players took to the pitch, the anthems of familiar and not were played, and the starting whistle was blown.
In their calico kits, the Vans made quick work of the Wolfonian Kingdom in the first leg of competition. Now, however, the nerves were cranked up to eleven, with even the most weathered faces of the national team feeling the pressure of passion in the air to get the job done. The Saperetians, for their part, weren't feeling as generous this time around, and decided to capitalize on their draw against the Audios by doing everything in their power to take out the River's End. Quickly the possession game was lost for the Vans, having to rely on Akimbo's back brace of a defense strategy to keep the ball away from Thurstan. After thirty-ish minutes or so, the Vans found a break in the Rooks' line, and took their shot. Ultimately, it'd wound up offsides, but it did get the groove going into a scoreless half. Around the same time, the Audioslavia-Brookstation match was taking hold, with jumbotrons within the faux-wooden walls of Hotchskarth showcasing the match live while fans waited for things at home to resume. The game here needed to be won, but it'd be meaningless if the Dreamers aren't able to stop the bovine battalion.

The match kicks back off, snapping the necks of several nervous Qads back into gameday position, a revels of the supporters section still roaring from the first whistle. The Vans took advantage of a seemingly strained Saperetian midfield, and after 67 minutes, made their big play. Bone had found the ball in the box and took his shot, being bounced back by the keeper before being sent right through them by the backup in Alice Sauvage, the arena erupting into a certain noise violation. It was all defense from this point on, holding back the desperate Rooks just long enough for the final whistle to be blown, and the match to be won.

The fans briefly rejoiced, but the players stood still on the field as all eyes fixated on the big screen. Within moments, anarchy would break loose, as the whistle blew through the speaker system, with Brookstation ending Audioslavia's campaign the same way Qasden had done the cycle prior: 1-0 at the Beltzarga.

The deed was done, Qasden had gone through to the playoffs.

Pandemonium defined Destiny that night, the raucous raves of fans challenging the nightlife scenes of Qad City and Fyre. Akimbo held his tongue and minded his manners when dealing with the swarms of press surrounding him and assistant manager, Lori Vandelhaar, right up until he spotted a passerby in an Everfree Indigo basketball jersey, in which said press was swiftly recruited in the efforts of holding him back. Not even the rowdiest of Qad fans know to mess with a fan of an REBL team that doesn't have an IUBC.

The next morning was muggy, much like the minds of damn near everyone in the country. Their playoff fate was soon to be decided, but there were strange and shocking absences from the qualifying radar this time around. Quebec, Eura, Squornshelan Remnant States, even the Commonwealth of Baker Park, a name that now really only brings fear to the boomers who were around for Belle Haven back in WC80 and Busukuma in AOCAF62. For now, however, it was time to sober up and prepare for the long journey to either Chromatika or Sylestone in order to find our final fight before the World Cup Finals.

The wait would conclude, and with all boarding passes being booked for Kirkham, a battle in the Sentient Oval would be the last test for the Vans, the first qualification since World Cup 85 now on the line and in the hands of Rex Akimbo. Their opponent? Tanirinthia, a newer face in the field of play, who shook the game's grounds by upending the efforts of Ochre Islands and Cap Nord to take a playoff spot in what would be the most incredible underdog story, had debuting Brannfjord not pulled the same shit against TJUN-ia and Eraman as well. Still, the Mighty Oaks were able to put the heat on the powerful Graintfjall right up to the final day, and given that the last time the Vans played an up-and-comer in a win-or-go-home playoff resulted in Baker Park going on to 15 successful qualifications straight, its safe to assume that even without the built-up name recognition, the Tanirinthians are going to provide an intense challenge for Akimbo as he tries to become the second (yes, only the second) ever Qad manager to see the big dance, putting him in shoes only ever worn before by the legendary Jon Merritt, which feels...a little sullying, honestly, but humble I suppose.
The jaffacake jevil is slain, but can the Blue-Reds defeat the Blue-Yellows to finally return to a stage the young'uns have yet to ever see? Could Qasden, under the most unlikely candidate for manager ever, pull off the inconsolable and qualify for World Cup 95? Stay tuned, stay updated, and stay alert for more reports on the matter, mined from the sentient quarries of Sylestone!

by **Brannfjord** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 10:04 pm

The Trees, Pesfield, Sylestone – Prior to the match against Koronavia

In a rather unexpected turn of events, the Norvik brothers and their family were invited to the play-off match for the qualification for the 95th World Cup Finals to be held in Sylestone and Chromatika. First and foremost, it was a big surprise the fact of mentioning Brannfjord and play-offs in the same sentence, as De Selene have done a spectacular campaign considering that this is only their first venture in a World Cup Qualifier, a feat that few nations have ever performed and now Brannfjord was among them. The second reason is that the Brannfjording Fotball Forbund invited some of the most loyal fans and employees, and also their families, to the play-off match all included.

The Norvik brothers were amazed at Sylestone, as they commenced their talk: “Bro. Honestly, I didn’t even expect to be living this” said Torstein to Harald, the latter responded “I hoped, but didn’t expect. Hey, look at that bidet walking!” and then Torstein shut him off “Shh… sentient house appliances and accessories are commonplace here, so don’t do that kind of remarks” Harald then said “Well, I didn’t know about it… Totally unexpected, yet funny.”

“From the rugged mountains and fjords of our land to the world. I’m now happy of this national team. It has progressed so fast even despite we had to suffer against Zwangzug, as TJUN-ia had us at reach for most of the game.” Said Torstein, then Harald replied “Well, yeah… Suffering like that is something I don’t like to experiment, and pretty much nobody else. It is so stressful, but that’s football for us.” Then he added “We could have scored some chances on Zwangzug, but that’s the tax of failing and playing at the home of one of the best teams in the World. Fortunately, Josifovo played a solid match defence-wise and controlled TJUN-ia with a 0-0 draw, and I mean contained because TJUN-ia is truly an offensive side one should really take care of.”

Torstein nodded, then continued “Indeed! At least a couple of goals were feasible for us but that doesn’t care for me… We achieved what we wanted, at least partially, and that was to continue in the fight for the play-offs and a World Cup berth for us.” Harald then said “I see we will be playing Koronavia, apparently an Anaian nation with a profound love for foxes and guacamole” Then he added “I would like to taste guacamole, people says that it is pretty good” Then Torstein replied “I’d think Huayramarcan guacamole tastes better” then Harald said “As far as I know, Huayramarca only produces avocadoes, they don’t prepare guacamole” an “Oh, shoot, right.” Came from Torstein.

After talking a bit about culinary issues from Koronavia and Huayramarca, they both returned to talk match stuff. “Seems that Koronavia is a heavily defensive side, as they only received six goals against in the whole qualifier.” Said Torstein, then Harald replied “Ah, another Zwangzug?” Torstein said “Well, not that much. They had a similar performance to us, though, but they didn’t score as many goals as Zwangzug or us.” Then he said “Hmm, so expectations are that we will have a close match this time, eh?” Harald stopped and thought for a while, then a quick dialogue came between both:

“Will be a close one, for sure, but won’t be a boring match, as there’s a lot in stake for us and for them. It will be the first World Cup qualification for the winner, no matter who.”

“Do you think Kjartan Martinssen can predict ow Koronavia can play?” said Torstein

“I wouldn’t think he will predict. He will infer from what they have done in the past.” Replied Harald. Who then added “I hope we have a good chance, it will be incredibly good to make history, but it won’t happen nothing if we lose… We have done something big this qualifier, as the eyes o many pundits across the multiverse have focused on us, we have been dubbed as the surprise of the Qualifier.”

Torstein continued “Surprise is a pretty beautiful word for us, but I also think we can do something interesting for this match. We are a more offensive side than them, we tend to be pretty solid defending but not as them, but we have played teams with even better defending, so we are used to it.”

Harald said “Fair point, and fair chance. We didn’t score past Zwangzug, but we have got the formula to break those kinds of defences, and that’s through set pieces and we have pretty skilled players on that area.”

Torstein, about to finish, said “If Brannfjord decides to attack, be confident on their talent and capabilities to adapt, we might do something good, otherwise we wouldn’t do that. I hope for a great score, and we can do that.”

Harald finished “Of course, captain obvious. Brannfjord can perform nicely, but it is in the players to perform on par for the circumstances… I’m nervous, I’d like to talk about other stuff to vent those nerves.

The brothers left and went to a café close to the city centre, as they decided to relax and spend some time in other things, this as a way to drop out pressure or lack of commodity. Tomorrow will be a big day, whatever happens, as Brannjord had done something great already.

by **Deltt** » Wed Nov 29, 2023 10:22 pm

The Grearish Union 0-0 Delte
Reçeucian AI text generator 'DeepReçn' ^{OOC: it wasn't} in the far faraway for the Skimpy Matchday Report & Negligible Detail Express (Sports Section)

I've been briefed not to dwell overly long on the finer details of our match but suffice it to say the Away Team Mission played a generic game and mostly earned some interesting adjectives for their performance, particularly within the homogenous ninety minutes of very normal time.

The Quick & The Delts: Faraway Sauce
6/6: The Lucidity of Ringer Smith

As noted by Doc Ustingham

“Before that,” continued Ringer Smith, lucidly - if a little unbelievably - referring to when a series of improbable events dating all the way back to the mid-sixties took him from a multidimensional void to a Quiet Cottage On The Edge Of The Cosmos, via some unlikely adventures with pirates, tequila-infused Tequiloas, wailing Anaians, weeping Aoans, and Aguazulus with their poison darts, “I played football in Wight for Old Pandaemonians and started in the ’65 World Cup Final in Saugeais, or Pasarga, I’m not sure which because I can’t say I was paying a lot of attention. We beat Polar Islandstates 3-2 you know. I’ve got a medal somewhere.”

Test Subject PS65-cc, or Climo Coss to give him his proper name, was of course describing his backstory for the lucidity test at the end of his stay at the Fountain of Youth Spa Resort in the Garga Marshes. It is the final of several tests we have conducted on the effects of the revitalising bogwaters up in the gnat-bitten highlands. Not to mention, of course, the application of my famous and very delicious Faraway Sauce.

The lucidity of Climo Coss, though. For a centenarian and a half, he’s more awake than the glittering frothy stern draught of the HMS Baggie. He’s more awake than the seas by a mighty tempest shaken, and the air of the light that fills full all of its girth. He’s more awake than a progressive liberal orthodoxy. He’s more awake that little Polly Shortsocks, aged five and three quarters, after a nightmare about a giant zombie flesh-eating hedgehog hiding under the bed after eating her mother and father.^[1]

(Although I did say I wouldn’t mention my RecQ Helicase Booster syrup, which I’m branding as Faraway Sauce, I should probably point out that my syrup isn’t guaranteed to make you a World Cup winning footballer. For that you should add a tab or three of RPinin and a gallon of Archie’s Nutgone Nonsense Prose No.65 to your matchday routine.)

RPO’s The Quick & The Delts returns for a fourth and final season in World Cup ’100, with the come-back production The Quick & The Delts: All The Pretty Puppets. Just who controls Audioslavia, really? Aren’t we all just puppets of The Archregimancy? Will the Executive World Cup Committee ever forgive Qazox, who seems more like Penfold these days than Baron von Greenback? Is season four a season too far? Questions, questions: stay tuned to NSWC-100 sign-ups for all the answers.

[1] Yes, this is a blatant product placement for the upcoming RPO chiller, Polly Shortsocks & The Hedgehog Apocalypse - an absolute shoe-in for this year’s Best Frightener Prize at the Children’s Questionable Film & Television Awards, and of course an adaptation of Toald Phal’s classic book, Polly Shortsocks & The Sign of The Snaked Cross, in the famous series Polly Shortsocks Goes To Hell & Back.

by **Cabo Azure** » Thu Nov 30, 2023 5:05 am

Huayramarca 3-3 Cabo Azure
Starting XI: Gomez | Soares, M'bah-Pinho (red card 40'), Furtado, Branco | Gontijo, Bastos, Florencio (goal 21') | Cardoso (goal 35'), Mendonça (goal 70'), Silveira (c)
Subs:
The Maçaricas drop their first points of qualifying in a hard-fought, chippy draw with implications that go beyond the three points on offer. Arriving in Huayramarca, the Azurean team was already assured qualifying to the World Cup, though it had taken longer than one would expect from a team with thirteen wins from thirteen matches. Huayramarca, the Pot 1 team in Group 7, has consistently been the barrier between Cabo Azure and automatic qualification throughout these qualifiers, and had a few things broken differently, this easily could have been a showdown for an automatic qualification spot.

The match started out with fireworks as Ian Mamani scored in the first ten minutes for Los Condores, receiving a clever pass from Mendoza that got past Heitor Soares to put him in scoring position. The Maçaricas fired back after twenty, with Florencio sending a ball floating from outside the area that sailed past Mamani to land on the ground inside the net. The next ten minutes were frenetic, with matching goals from Cardoso and Bryan Tello to keep things level at 2-2. Tello's goal was reviewed for offsides and eventually upheld, much to the chagrin of Tobias M'bah-Pinho who was arguably at fault. Tobias took the opportunity to confront Tello, only to be interdicted by Orlando Mina, whom he shoved to one side.

The shove was apparently more than the referee was willing to accept, and he showed Tobias the red card, reducing the Maçaricas to ten men for the last fifty-plus minutes of the match. The Maçaricas regrouped admirably in the first half, parking the bus to see the half out, but in the second they came out surprisingly aggressive for a team down a man. Miguel Gontijo played like a man possessed, shuttling between possession and defense, and between him, Furtado, and an unusually subdued Branco, they were able to keep the Condores out of their half for the most part.

A rollicking counterattack found Pio Mendonça in position to score with twenty minutes to play, and he capitalized, sending Mamani sprawling to give the Azureans the lead. Dreams of a perfect qualifying were crushed, however, when a basic give-and-go by Tello and Sayritupac exposed a gap in the exhausted ten-man Maçaricas and allowed the Condores to equalize.

Nevertheless, Cabo Azure qualifies automatically as #1 in the group after an impressive qualifying campaign. Tobias M'bah-Pinho will miss the first match of finals for his red card, leaving coach Zanetti with two serviceable centerbacks. Watch this space for changes to the roster from qualifying to the World Cup finals.

Fifty-five years ago {M-40}

“Abigail.”

Abby awoke to someone shaking her hard. At first she was relieved; she’d been having a nightmare about living skeletons dragging her into the earth, a remnant of a horror picture she’d seen at the new cinema in Portelo a few nights prior, and she felt incredibly safe waking up in her bed. The feeling dissolved almost immediately into concern when she realized who was waking her; it was Raquel, the praetorian who’d been assigned as her protector. Abby didn’t know Raquel well–she kept a professional distance–but even in the dim light she could see the woman’s features were grim.

“Raquel?” she said sleepily. “What is it?”

“Get dressed.”

There were praetorians who talked down to Abby, treated her like she was a soldier or a child, and others who mimicked her brother’s treatment of her, making her the butt of jokes about her appearance or her parentage, calling her “the Silva girl” or “the bastard”. The worst jokes insinuated that Carlito Silva, her mother’s twin brother and heir to the Silva fortune, was her real father, but Raquel wasn’t part of any of that. She’d never treated Abigail with anything besides professional respect, and it was for that reason Abby obeyed her in the moment without question.

A few minutes later she’d pulled on the closest outfit to hand, which was her school uniform from Maritime Prep. Raquel gave her a once over, seemed to deliberate between two choices, and then sighed and indicated she should sit on the bed. The covers were warm under Abby’s bum, and she wondered idly if she’d be able to sleep in this bed tonight, or ever again.

“Hairbrush,” said Raquel, and now Abby could hear the edge in her voice. Raquel, who went toe-to-toe with male praetorians and her brother’s cronies, was nervous about something. Abby indicated the vanity adjacent to her bed in the small room, and Raquel turned on the lights. In the mirror, Abby could see what the woman saw; her curly black hair was a rat’s nest bunched about her shoulders. Awkwardly, Raquel took a seat behind her on the bed and got to work.

Brushing out Abigail’s mop of black hair was normally the task of an hour or more for her mother, or fifteen minutes for the serving girls who attended both of them. Brushing her hair had always been an intimate moment between mother and daughter, whether Carlotta was brushing her hair or directing the servants. For her part, Raquel wore her hair nearly as short as her male colleagues, and her inexperience with a hairbrush showed as she tugged and pulled at the princess’s scalp. Abigail put on a brave face, but the hair pulling hurt, and combined with the uncertainty of what was happening or where they were going, tears soon welled in her eyes.

Raquel eventually set down the brush and began gathering Abby’s hair, which had frizzed past her shoulders, into two simple braids that ran past her ears. With the hair out of her eyes, it was plain to see the scared look in the girl’s face, and Raquel couldn’t avoid giving her little sympathetic glances as she worked. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie,” she said, with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Come on.”

They left her bedroom, passed through the sitting room where Abby sat and read with her mother, and down the stairs to the darkened grand hall, where two figures greeted them: Carlito Silva, her mother’s twin, arms folded, dark eyes full of fear, and Prince Alexandre of Quebec, his straight posture belying his ninety years on Ennessearth. The rest of the hall was conspicuously empty, devoid of the usual hustle of praetorians, soldiers, and functionaries that were milling about the palace at all hours.

“Where’s the queen?” Raquel asked Carlito, a note of panic in her voice as they approached.

“Already gone,” answered Alexandre sagely. “You took too long. Do you understand your assignment?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Tell me what it is.”

“Take the boat to Centralis,” she recited. “From there take the first thing smoking to Concord Heights. Do you have the passports?”

Reaching into the pocket of his suit jacket, Prince Alexandre produced two little booklets with writing in Terranean, French, and Hangul. In the dim light, Abby could just make out “Royal Kingdom of Quebec and Shingoryeo.”

“Keep them close,” Alexandre instructed Raquel. “I’ve been gone from my homeland more than fifty years. It took some serious doing to get those on short notice.”

Abigail waited until she was safe and warm belowdecks in the little trawler before she started asking questions. Raquel had hustled her through the palace to the hidden dock, where the boat pilot had met them and ushered them on board. Though it was pitch black, he ordered them to stay below decks, which was not a lot to ask, cold and stormy as it was.

“What’s going on?” she asked Raquel, meeting the woman’s dark eyes. They were seated in the galley, with mugs of warm coffee between them. Raquel looked like she was about to answer, then took a sip of coffee. Abigail pressed. “Why are we going to Electrum? Why do we have fake passports?”

“Someone tried to kill your brother,” Raquel answered, trying unsuccessfully to keep her voice from shaking.

“Who?” Abigail’s voice was weak with disbelief.

“Praetorians,” said Raquel bitterly, “My brothers and sisters. I don’t know who they were working with, or what their goals were. I don’t know anything, except that I need to keep you safe.”

“If Reinaldo’s dead, then I’m the queen,” Abigail said absently, staring at the table.

“That might be the idea,” Raquel offered wryly. Seeing the look on the princess’s face, she continued. “The senior praetorians, the brass, they used to run wargames to see what would happen in certain situations. I don’t know how they went down, but I know one scenario was a foreign power assassinating King Reinaldo in order to prop you up as a puppet.”

Prince Alexandre’s face appeared in Abigail’s mind. “You mean, like a foreign power providing me with a false passport and arranging to get me out of the country?”

Raquel nodded almost imperceptibly. “Yeah, like that. Except your brother is still alive, so he’s still the king.”

World Cup 95 Roleplay Thread

Once, I rose above the noise and confusion...

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