World Cup 99 - RP Thread

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

RP Cutoff for Matchday 7 & 8 for Groups 1-5

Check out some hot and fresh Aesop Rock while you're waiting.

[Edsmontik]

Edsmontik v. Moladea
World Cup 99 Qualifiers - Matchday 5
Pre-Game - 5:00PM, Thursday, 9/25/2031, Moladea Home Stadium, Moladea

Just outside of Moladea's home stadium was the Eagles.
The Edsmon team was ready for action, hoping to keep their pretty good record for the qualifiers.
Moladea, being a team that hadn't been doing too well, would be a good win to add in to the record.

To put it short, the Eagles needed some wins.
Being second in the group as the top speed wasn't too cool.
They needed to grab first and hold that position.

Maktholm Ghreksbvy was opening the latest pack releases of Kuser Trading Cards.
The company had recently announced a potential partnership with the World Cup to sell trading cards across the world.
He wanted to see some familiar faces, and couldn't wait for the official licensing agreements to go through.

Ghreksbvy ripped the back open.
Inside, he pulled out the ten cards.
He scanned through the first nine cards.
Nothing.

He was now at the last card.
Usually a special one.
He lifted the 9th card, and found that the 10th was a regular shiny card. (Think Pokemon's Holo Cards)
Maktholm slipped the cards into his binder, and shoved it into his backpack.

Meanwhile, the bus was coming to a halt right in front of the stadium.

***

Edsmontik 1-0 Moladea
World Cup 99 Qualifiers - Matchday 5
First Half - 6:13PM, Thursday, 9/25/2031, Moladea Home Stadium, Moladea

Just thirteen minutes in, and the chaos was already unraveling.
Lerden Shouzvenkreden opened with his first goal and appearance of the qualifiers from a beautiful header.
It was a lucky hit though.
He was very close to missing.

Edsmontik was pushing themselves pretty far with this game.
Even on a partially rotated squad, they managed to score early.
The game seemed to be going pretty uphill.

With every move, the Edsmon Eagles threatened to score again.
It was all just to get the Moladeans a little scared though.

On the bench, Kyv Wejikaj watched as his fellow teammates played the game.
He had hoped to at least be put on as a substitute.
But it seemed as if Lajiflak Fruedenne was a better super-sub for Aespana.
Who knew that Left Midfielder would be such a competitive position?
Next to Wejikaj was Ghreksbvy, who handed over a pack of Kuser Trading Cards.

"For me?"

"Yeah, open one. They're really cool, I promise."

"If you say so."

Wejikaj opened the pack, and looked through the cards.
He saw many players he knew.
And he also saw himself.
The last card, the shiny card, was him.

"Thanks, Maktholm."

"You're welcome. Good cards?"

"Yep, I found myself."

"That's nice."

***

Edsmontik 1-0 Moladea
World Cup 99 Qualifiers - Matchday 5
Halftime - 6:47PM, Thursday, 9/25/2031, Moladea Home Stadium, Moladea

"What a game so far."

The Eagles had a lot of shots- however not all of them were on target.
When der-Ghavyr walked up, some of the players knew the scolding they'd be in for.

"Come on guys. Moladea of all teams, and we can hardly score? What's with all of the post shots and balls that go a mile away from the goal?"

Dav's voice was rough and serious.
He had changed back to his "angry" form.
The Edsmon manager was usually more kind.
But in this World Cup, he wasn't too happy.
Everything had to be perfect.

He announced every failure he saw that evening so far.
Stuero's header that sent the ball away from the goal.
Reuhans standing in an offside position, calling for the ball, without even realizing he was offside.
Verto tripping on the grass not once, but three times.
Lankiv being so focused on his thoughts that he walked into his goalpost.

It was an embarrassment indeed.
The second time he had announced these things.
The Eagles would have to do "better" according to him unless they'd rather have mistakes pointed out again.

So like he wanted, the Eagles went out seeking goals.
And by the end of the match, they didn't disappoint.

***

Edsmontik 3-0 Moladea
L. Shouzvenkreden (10'), M. Stuero (56'), S. Utravak (70') | None

---

World Cup 99 Qualifiers - Matchday 5
Full Time - 7:46PM, Thursday, 9/25/2031, Moladea Home Stadium, Moladea

---

Edsmontik v. Girinatha Empire
World Cup 99 Qualifiers - Matchday 6
Pre-Game - 9:10AM, Monday, 9/29/2031, Touve, Austrankank, Edsmontik

Martin Stuero decided to not join the team on the bus, but rather take his own route with his brother Rons Stuero to the stadium.
The bus was pretty slow in his opinion, and so he decided to take his Modesich Kantian down to the highway for a spin.
He fired the engine and took off pretty late compared to the bus.

He was closing in on a fast sector of the highway, and pushed the limits of his Kantian's Twin Turbo V10.
And then, he saw the bus.
He had somehow caught up to it, and was now passing it.

In the passenger seat, Stuero's brother waved to whoever was looking out of the bus window.
Maartin kept flooring the car, sending it closer and closer to 175 MPH.
Soon, the bus was in his rear view mirror.

"Hey, did you see that?"

"What?"

"Stuero just passed by in his Kantian!"

"How do you know?"

"I saw his brother waving, and Maartin was driving!"

"So that's what he meant by taking a different and faster transportation mode. What's he trying to get to?"

***

Edsmontik 2-0 Girinatha Empire
World Cup 99 Qualifiers - Matchday 6
First Half - 11:43AM, Monday, 9/29/2031, Touve Suberarenae, Touve, Austrankank, Edsmontik

"Two minutes remain in this half!"

Edsmontik was 2-0 up.
Utravak and Stuero had both scored great goals early in the half, which mostly shut the Girinathans down for a bit.
Their opponents weren't doing much other than attempting to defend with their lives.

Aespana charged forward on the wing.
He eyed Rehcikt, making a few gestures.
Once the ball was at his feet, he gestured to Maven again, and fired his lob into the box.

One kick, and the Girinathan goalkeeper was working hard.
The Edsmon ball didn't find the net, but it dropped right back to an Eagle-side midfielder.

Barely that entire half had the Girinathans taken possession.
If the Edsmons just held on, they'd win with a big scoreline.

From the stands, the fans blasted music and sang their chants.
They were showing as much support as possible for the Eagles.
Edsmontik wanted a big win.
With their fans supporting a lot, maybe they could get that.

***

Edsmontik 2-0 Girinatha Empire
World Cup 99 Qualifiers - Matchday 6
Second Half - 12:32PM, Monday, 9/29/2031, Touve, Austrankank, Edsmontik

Beads of sweat dropped down Fotserr's forehead.
He was sprinting and dribbling as fast as he could.
He was racing against a center-back that was taller and bigger.
If Seu didn't pass the ball or throw the defender off, he'd be toast.

Fotserr quickly came to his decision.
He stopped the ball in his tracks, and kept running forward for half of a second.
The defender skid right by him, trying to slow down.
Fotserr charged back to the ball, carrying it in his dribble once again.

He dribbled, whizzing past another defender.
With one slam, he sent it off to Rehcikt, who sent is over to Reiovus, who sent it right back to Seu.
Fotserr rolled the ball, throwing another defender off course, and charged into the box.

With all of his might, he fired that ball.
It went soaring, barely missing a defender that had tried to stop it.
It bounced on the ground.

The Girinathan keeper's hands were getting dangerously close.
But Seu was lucky.
The ball bounced just to the left of the goalie's hands, and right into the goal.

The stadium erupted, with the Eagles happy to secure their win.
With around 10 minutes remaining, there was no way that their opponents would come back from the pit.

Fotserr celebrated with his team, sliding on the grass to the corner before standing up and beating his chest like a gorilla.
It was a little unusual, as Fotserr was pretty small and normally wouldn't be considered "gorilla-sized", but it was funny nevertheless.
His teammates laughed, giving his first bumps before they all walked back to their positions.

Edsmontik just had to play their final minutes of the game now.
Then, they could keep celebrating.

***

Edsmontik 3-0 Girinatha Empire
M. Stuero (12'), S. Utravak (31'), S. Fotserr (79')

---

World Cup 99 Qualifiers - Matchday 6
Full Time - 12:46PM, Monday, 9/29/2031, Touve, Austrankank, Edsmontik

---

Next Lineup (GK -- LB, CB, CB, RB -- LM, CM, RM -- LCF, RCF, ST)

R. der-Zyfragken -- R. Dalsen, L. Shouzvenkreden, B. Norseden, V. Jervanois -- K. Wejikaj, D. Verto, M. Ghreksbvy [C] -- M. Svaardaen, S. Fotserr, S. Utravak

[Archalit]

Upcoming Match | In Today
National Team vs Valanora

Upcoming Match | In 5 days
National Team vs The Golden Harp

Upcoming Match | In 2 weeks
National Team vs Brusseldorf

Current Standings
#  Group 10                           	Pld	W   D   L	GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 5 Archalit                           	6 	3   2   1   	16   13   +3	11

---

Archalit National Trials, Week One
After following the directions the staff gave to him and parting ways with Nik, Alex made his way to a sizable indoor soccer field. He looked up and down between the field and the map, around at the doors connecting him, and he found a swirling in his emotions. It was reassuring that he managed to navigate the massive labyrinth behind him. On the other hand, he was totally amazed at the sheer scale of this facility. As far as he could tell, Nik had another few hundred meters to walk before he would find his place, so the five minute walk he had taken didn’t seem so bad. He set the bag he’d been lugging around down and took a seat at the nearby bench.

Alex wasn’t the only one in the indoor field. He counted one staff member and five other players with more slowly trickling in. At first glance, he didn’t recognize anyone in the room. He was a bit disappointed that there wasn’t anyone he could approach, but a part of him was thankful that, at the very least, he didn’t have any rivals or enemies either. Around the room, the other players mostly stood around as the staff member made preparations. A beep test? or…

“Hey,” came a voice approaching Alex. Alex, lost in thought, jumped at the sudden intrusion. The owner of the voice gave a chuckle. “Quite a place, huh?” He said, extending his hand.

“Right, yeah,” Alex replied, shaking his hand.

“I’m Kendrick,” the player said. Kendrick looked quite strong, and his face almost seemed half familiar to Alex. “I figure we’re probably gonna be seeing each other around, so it’s probably worth getting to know each other.”

“Ah,” Alex interjected. He had just come to the same realization as Kendrick: that they would probably be staying in the rooms surrounding the field, and that they would be seeing each other a lot. “Well, I’m Alex, nice to meet you.”

As another player walked in, the door audibly closed and the staff member instantly began speaking. Everyone turned to face the staff member, but before that, Alex noticed the player who had just entered the room. Kyler Cross.

---

The Gauntlet Part One

Every player was given a simple watch with some of their information pre-programmed in. They were then lined up along one end of the field. “The test will consist of six physicals over three days. Your performance will be scored accordingly. You’ll notice a little number on the left side of your watch’s screen reading 50. This is your score. It will fluctuate according to your performances in the next six weeks and will be used for eliminations and activities later in the camp. This test is much the same.”

Alex stretched his arms in preparation. His gaze was directed towards the big screen at the front of the field with two bold numbers on it. He figured he’d guessed right.

“For our first test, as many of you have figured out, we are doing a beep test. Run through the line before the next beep. You have one warning before your test is over. I’ll begin the test in 5… 4…”

“Woah,” Alex whispered to himself, “this seems a bit sudden.” He got into a start position as the other players followed suit.

The coach reached one and a beep went off, signaling the players to start running. This would prove to be the beginning of their torture as each test became increasingly more difficult. In the beep test, Alex made it through the 12th level which proved good enough for fourth place. Kendrick had scored in the 14s, meanwhile Kyler barely missed reaching level 14.

“Good work Kyler,” Alex said through exhausted breaths after the test was over.

“Yeah, yeah, thanks,” Kyler said dismissively, wiping the sweat off his face. Alex would rather he’d been a little nicer, but he realized two things during that first test. Everyone here is competing against each other, meaning there are no allies, and this was gonna be very hard.

The next test came, a push-ups trial. Alex struggled immensely, not helped by the one-by-one nature of the trial. It occurred to Alex that it’d be a lot nicer if this were an actual game instead of this fitness stuff, but perhaps it’s not the time. Soon after the push-ups, they had a vertical jump test to end the day. Alex looked fine, meanwhile Kendrick soared through the air with a 32” standing vertical.

The day ended with a 40 yard dash. The facility had fancy electronic timing to catch 20 yard splits and each player was given three shots to get their fastest time. Some other player Alex didn’t know won that test among this group with a 4.68.

After all was done for the day, the group went off into their dorms. There were five around the indoor field, meaning everyone paired off with someone else. After being told the pairings, Alex was brought with Kyler and the two headed off for their rooms.

The rooms were fine. A common room, bathroom, two small bedrooms, nothing to complain about. In the common room, a screen gave some information. There was a cafeteria, schedule, and most interestingly, a leaderboard. Every player currently in the facility was listed. Alex had 44, putting him in the bottom half. Meanwhile, at the top, the recognizable giant Cash Diamond stood with a cool 65, leading a tie between the smaller but much sharper Madeleine Olson and the even-shorter Ayesha Al-Maaki with 64 points. Kendrick with 61 could be seen not too far behind them.

Alex shook his head and turned to face the relaxed Kyler sitting on the common room’s couch. “Been a while, huh?” he said.

“Hey dude, what do you think you’re doing?”

“What?” Alex replied, stunned.

“I know we’re staying together, but we’re not friends. Especially not us. We play the same position.”

Alex looked away, exasperated, and sighed. “I’m heading to bed.”

---

The trials continued for what felt like an eternity. Day two featured a 300 yard shuttle which made one of the players throw up their breakfast followed by a 40 yard T-Test. Sure, the tests were difficult, but the nerves made them so much worse. Every player knew that if they didn’t perform now, their chances at making the national team would be over. Alex walked away from day two with 46 points by virtue of the back-to-back running tests that he could do well in. The leaderboards that night showed Madeleine Olson in the lead with 74 points.

At the cafeteria, players were put together with others in their group. This meant that Alex still hadn’t really talked to Nik since they went their separate ways. It was a tough facility to navigate, and with the constant pressure of the next test looming on the schedule, it didn’t really feel like there was much time to take a break and meet up with other people.

Later that night, Alex went to check how Nik had been doing in his test. “Hmm.” 40 points. Nik was definitely struggling. “I guess I’ve never known him to be a sprinter,” he whispered to himself.

The third day came with its own struggles as the final test was a scheduled 12 minute test at one of the soccer fields. Funny, you don’t really see indoor 11v11 fields, let alone three. Those sat at the far end of the facility. However, they were not the fields they were headed to, as a stadium with a track sat next to the building.

12 minute tests are difficult. Running as far as you can in 12 minutes is much easier said than done. By the end of it, Alex just about managed 8 laps of the 400m track. Meanwhile, Kyler had somehow run almost 9.5 and completely blew away the other players. Especially with the trials from the previous days in his legs, and despite Kyler’s continued animosity, Alex couldn’t help but be impressed.

The day came and went and the next trials began. Among the leaderboards, Madeleine Olson continued to stay at the top with a mind-boggling 82 points meaning she continued to completely outperform the entire field, while the second highest on the leaderboard was actually a semi-famous defender from the east coast, Tarik Marouazi. All these top ten could easily be team captains, he thought. Alex looked down at his own watch. After the 12 minute test concluded, he ended up at 50 points even. Exactly average.

[Natkr]

ReemHelp

---

[OOC: report based on life and my little cousin]

The Importance of Following Directions

One of the most helpful skills in your life is following directions. The ability to follow directions will help you to succeed in your task. When you follow directions, it helps you to avoid costly mistakes that can ruin everything. Making sure you follow directions is crucial to everything you do. Following directions means always following steps correctly, knowing what you’re supposed to do, and understanding your job.

Failing to follow directions can impact you in a lot of ways. When you follow directions, it provides a path that every step and every piece of advice is completed according to the instructions that you were given. Learning how to follow directions can help your performance in the task you have been given. Understanding how instruction works allows for delight in your task. Also, it makes room for improvement, so you can prevent the same mistakes from happening.

Sometimes, directions can confuse you, especially when they are complicated. When receiving instruction, make sure that you understand the task that they give you before moving to the next step. When you understand the task, it will prevent the chances of making mistakes. You are not the only one who has to develop the skill, because this skill can also apply in everyday life. When you don’t follow instructions, it can affect your grades, your behavior, and even the way you plan things.

It can also affect your interactions with friends and family, and when you grow up and start working. When you become a parent, you must also teach your children to follow directions so they too can succeed. Asking questions and writing things down are all great ways to follow directions in the best way you can. The main key of following directions is communication. Following directions is the best way to do your job.

Following directions is one of the most crucial life skills you will need. Following directions can help you succeed in your tasks, and take the right steps to make sure you don’t make a mistake. Following directions is a path that can take you to impact you crucially in your life. Take note of the instructions you have been given to help you. Remember, following directions is crucial to your everyday life, and make sure that you pay attention to every single step of the path.

[Vielfaltig]

SPORT: Knights maintain unbeaten run as we pick up first away win

LYSBORG: This qualifying campaign had been a mixed bag for the Knights so far with a few positive results while also dropping points in games we really should not have. There is some credit to be given to Hahn as his coaching of the Knights has kept us unbeaten through the first six games of the campaign. A big challenge for him would have been the game against Vdara at home being played at the Luminova Park in Montebello. The Vdarans were top of the table with 9 points and were looking very formidable prior to the game. We on the other hand were coming off two draws against Gnejs and Bostopia. The Vdarans definitely had the momentum going into the match and were looking to walk away with all three points. The game kicked off as one would expect with the Vdarans pushing us to the very brink. Their attacking style of overload football was difficult for our defence to cope with and we succumbed under the pressure soon. We conceded two early goals due to our defensive struggles and failed to make anything of the game in the first half. The result seemed certain and our prospects appeared bleak with the team clearly lacking the ability to compete against the Vdarans. The Knights however proved us wrong once again as they came back swinging in the second half admittedly with some tactical adjustments. The comeback was materialising as Favager was tripped in the box on a dribble and we were awarded a penalty. Profeta stepped up the spot and put the ball calmly into the upper right corner drawing one goal back. The Vdarans were not going to go down easily and fought back necessitating our defense to not let up. We eventually got our equaliser in the 78th minute as Profeta scored a volley from a lobbed cross by Faraldo. The match ended 2-2 with both teams walking away with a point apiece however we will definitely be happier with the result than the Vdarans. Hahn's coaching has to be appreciated in his ability to inspire the team to fight back in difficult circumstances. He has successfully created a culture of resilience and dedication which should not be taken lightly. Criticisms of Hahn have mounted however in our disappointment on occasions we should not forget the contributions of his in developing this team to a competitive standard.

The journey of qualifying took us to the city of Lysborg in Solgavden next as we were to face one of the only lower ranked opponents we would play. This was a game of opportunity and a victory here would serve the team's goals very well. Hahn had thus opted for a more aggressive setup than usual resorting to the 4-2-3-1 setup he used against Bostopia. Gasper found herself in the ever important shadow striker role looking to create threats in the attacking third and link play. The Solgavden side were not going to be any pushovers either and were looking to assert that they too had come to play. It were the Knights who landed the first punch as Alvarado provided the finishing touch on a beautiful team move. Gasper played a critical role in the goal by receiving the pass from Profeta and finding Alvarado on the run through the gaps in the Solgavden defence. Solgavden were looking to recover after conceding the goal however failed to convert their momentum into a goal as they were playing some good football in those stages of the match. Disaster struck for the home side just before half time as Favager's curling strike put us two ahead. At half time, we led two goals to none and a positive result for the home fans was looking incredibly unlikely. We needed to be cautious though as complacency could see us lose our advantage quickly as had happened in Montebello a few days ago but the opposite way around. The second half admittedly was not our best performance however we managed to hold on to our advantage and secured an incredibly critical away win for our campaign. This was only our second win out of six games and we were trundling along at a decent place. Group 14 was behaving very odd however as the top 7 teams were separated by just 2 points. We stood in 6th position with 10 points and while this would be disappointing, the group leaders Vdara just had 11 points. The top four in the group were all tied on 11 points with Sarzonia and ourselves trailing with 10 each and Grand Exultia in seventh place with 9 points. To Hahn's credit, we were one of the few teams left in Qualifying who were still undefeated. The high frequency of draws while not ideal would seem preferable to losing those games. With just one-third of our scheduled matches played, qualifying for the WC is still very much on the agenda although very ambitious. Hahn will be proud of his side for holding their own through this phase of qualifying especially with harder matchups approaching which could decide our trajectory for the rest of the campaign. Most notably, the upcoming home games against Sarzonia and Drawkland being played at the Kampenthal Stadion in Lutzkampen. The Knights will be hoping to maximise these home games to give us the platform to pursue qualification with great vigour.

Vielfaltig 2-2 Vdara

1 - M Ramos, 2 - V Sameul, 3 - R DeGarmo, 4 - M R Lyon, 5 - R Rossi, 6 - L Felix, 7 - P Faraldo, 8 - E Abrant (16 - D Otto 84'), 10 - J Roy, 9 - I Profeta, 11 - N Favager

VFT Scorers: I Profeta 51' (P), I Profeta 78' (asst. P Faraldo)

Solgavden 1-2 Vielfaltig

1 - M Ramos, 2 - V Sameul, 3 - R DeGarmo, 4 - M R Lyon, 5 - R Rossi (14 - R Farro 68'), 6 - L Felix, 15 - N Alvarado, 21 - E Gasper (26 - M Goretti 68'), 10 - J Roy, 9 - I Profeta, 11 - N Favager (30 - M Perigord 68')

VFT Scorers: N Alvarado 23' (asst. E Gasper), N Favager 40' (asst. I Profeta)

---

POLITICS: Gunman kills 15 in Walbourg High Court during appeal hearing

WALBOURG: It has been a turbulent period in Walbourg and Marigny as a whole following the events that unfolded at the Quanta Stadium months ago. Marigny as a region has been marred by the uncertainty of its political future, with separatist elements gaining prominence. Secessionist movements in Marigny and Palma have long been overlooked as fringe elements with no effect on mainstream politics however, recent developments serve to challenge these previously held notions. This places the Marignien people in a difficult predicament of having to compromise for the safety and security of all. That is what would have been expected of us, leaving this unfortunate event in the past and moving on. That was not to happen as yesterday could have set in motion a cascade of events which could irreversibly alter the political future of Marigny and Vielfaltig. The Walbourg High Court was in session, hearing the case against the NID for their unjust classification of the PNM and MLG as extremist organisations. This is when a man entered the premises through a service gate armed with a handheld pistol. The events that followed shall be etched forever in Vielfaltigian history as one of the most tragic days since our founding. Over 15 people were killed, with many more injured, before the gunman was neutralised by police forces. Three members of the police force, a few lawyers and a judge were also among the fallen.

In the aftermath of the event, state officials declared that tomorrow would be observed as a National Day of Mourning for the victims of this brazen attack and that all non-essential commercial activity in Marigny will be suspended for the day. Prime Minister Frank Neimann spoke on the matter, assuring everyone that strict action will be taken against the perpetrators and that measures need to be taken to immediately resolve the chaotic situation in Marigny. This could signal worrying signs for Merigniens as more security measures could see them lose more of their freedoms. The Police have launched an investigation into this incident in collaboration with the NID. In a preliminary statement, the Police made it clear that this was an armed attack with no intended target other than to cause as much havoc and loss of life. The perpetrator's identity has been kept secret, most likely to prevent any further outbursts in the aftermath of this incident. This is also an attempt to not politicise a tragedy as such and have an objective outlook to remedy the situation. However, to say that this attack has nothing to do with the volatile political situation in Marigny and the ongoing appeal hearing regarding the extremist classification of the PNM and MLG would be plain stupid. While we do not know the exact motive of the perpetrator, the likelihood of it being partly politically motivated is very high. We should expect more news on this front once an investigation is concluded and what measures the PM may choose to introduce following another tragedy in short succession.

[The Martian Independent Republic]

Henrik P 1 - 4 The Martian Independent Republic
#11 60' | Jowling 21', Garamond 40', 64', Gordon 88'

The Martian Independent Republic 2 - 0 Audioslavia
Caballi 2', Katzenburg 54' |

Part I | Part II

On Time, and How To Buy It
For now, the Spiders are doing well. That's not really debatable - they're topping their group, have the highest goal differential of any nation in qualifying, and just upset Audioslavia at home. This performance has brought benefits to the team. Yes, there's the obvious one of "doing well in qualifying will help you qualify for the World Cup proper", but there are other ones.

It turns out, the philosophy of the Martian corruption watchdog is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". The Spiders sure ain't broke - Rohan Jowling, a late goal from substitute Gordon Gordon, and Luke Garamond's third 2+ goal outing in five games gave the Spiders their third straight away win in Henrik P. That game was one reason why the Spiders haven't gotten investigated yet, but there are other ones.

The main "other one", of course, being the upset of Audioslavia in front of the biggest audience Aeolis Stadium has ever witnessed. The Spiders are a younger squad than the Bulls, and it showed - right off the bat, the Spiders got the jump on the Bulls. Just a minute in, Caballi outran the defenders, took a shot, and as the ball went past Hélder's outstretched arms - not his fault, really, the ball was just placed well - the Spiders became the first team to score on Audioslavia in six games of qualifying. The game wasn't officially over then, of course - there were still 88 more minutes of football to play - but the Spiders were more than happy to play 'post-football' until the end of the half.

The second half began much like the first half had - with the north goal quickly under attack. However, this time Cavagnaro was unable to find an equalizer, despite being handed a golden opportunity, with the net barely defended. Maybe it was the atmosphere - no, not the metaphorical one with fans and all, the literal one. There might be something different about artificial atmospheres. In any case, the Bulls couldn't survive the Martian counterattack - a small error from Gould was all it took for Katzenburg to get a one-on-one with the goalie, doubling the Spiders' lead. Forty minutes later, an incredulous cheer rose from the stadium, as the spectators could hardly believe that the Spiders had taken down the two-time champions.

Success can stave off an investigation for a while, some hope. Potsiri Russell's certainly happy with the bonuses he's getting for winning - rumor has it he's received a 50% raise since qualification began. Future success will be harder to find - the Spiders' next two games are at Pot 3 Mertagne and hosting second-in-the-group (and fellow BoF 85 competitors) Kanzlia. If this can go on a while longer, Russell won't blow the whistle before his replacement officially gets the job. But if Russell figures out what's happening, how people are plotting to get rid of him? All hell will break loose.

[Pasarga]

Traveling away form the comfortable confines of home was starting to become a real challenge for Thor and the Wanderers, as they had back to back away games in this past international window and where they had expected to pick up four points they only picked up a single point. That had shuttered them down from the top of the group and into sixth, looking suddenly at four point gap between where they had started the weekend at and where they had finished it. It was once again a complete misfire from the offense that had left the team flailing and trying to figure out where things were going wrong, especially with the last game against TJUN-ia, as it was perhaps the most difficult game on their schedule and the team failed to properly show up. If there had been something that Thor could bank on despite all of the ups and downs that his tenure with the Wanderers had had thus far, it was that the team still showed up for the big games and could grind out results, yet they suffered a two to one defeat to plummet from their heights and now have to scramble to make up the group they have surrendered.

Six goals in six games was simply not going to get the job done and while he had been patiently waiting for either Járngrímur or Bogdan Laszlo to catch fire, they were not doing so and Thor knew he needed to make changes to the lineup if the team was going to turn their turbelent qualification campaign around. The team had not risen so high over the last two cycles to simply have it all come crumbling back down in one horrible turn of form during a single qualification campaign. When he took the job at the helm of the Wanderers, he had pledged to leave it in a better state than he had taken it over in, with an aging team that was missing out on qualification quite regularly and a national team pool that lacked anything resembling depth. Additionally to get the team performing well in the Copa Rushmori again, as they had floundered there and had seen their once dominant pedistal be torn down, with successive group stage exits in the tournament that had once been their playground. He was not about to let all the success of making the knockouts of the last two World Cups or regional tournaments be undone under his watch.

With a home game against seventy-sixth ranked Legalese and then another away trip, this time to Sharktail, the team was going to have some changes to try and get the offense clicking again. The defense was playing well enough to have won every single match they had taken part in, with only five goals conceded in their first five matches, so there was no need to try and switch things up there. Despite being one of the talismans of the squad, Thor was making the difficult decision to bench Asztrik Biró on the left side of the midfield and replace the veteran winger with Mór Buday, hoping that being eight years his junior the Banija based winger would provide a bit of spark and more pace into the attack. Bogdan Laszlo was going to be relegated to the bench as well, despite being a superstar the last two cycles and perform amazingly at club level, Thor could not keep with the status quo and he was going to give Orkény Szegedi a chance to see if he could translate his good form over the last two seasons in the SuperLiga into getting the offense back to scoring goals again and earning the team some vital points along the way.

If there was a team that was really going to put the team through its paces and see if Thor's changes were going to be the key to getting the team working their way back towards the top three in the group and automatic promotion, it was going to be Legalese. With twenty goal scored through the six games, they were not having any of the offensive misfires that the Wanderers were dealing with and instead were explosive in the attack, though it had left them a tad vulnerable at the back with ten goals shipped to their opponents. The fifth seeds were just one of the many sides that were turning this group into a real challenge for the Wanderers, as three of the top other five pots were sitting ahead of the Wanders in the table. The draw had been anything but kind to the team but few could have seen it going as bad as it had and now it was time to right the ship or else Thor knew he might not have his position for much longer.

[Anewkansas]

No one had told Archibald Price in advance that being a national manager involved so much time spent in boardrooms together with people who probably never had executed a half-decent rabona in their lifetime. To be clear, no one had told him anything apart from the fact that he was appointed. It all got a bit on his nerves. Price wanted to hear the sound of rustling nets and not of rebooting laptops.

The duo that had been tossed in front of him probably could not even produce a normal cross. She, a young-ish woman with short raven hair and a wiry frame (both in terms of physique and glasses), had not spoken yet and was given some credit by Price. It was her business partner, a tall southerner with notable green eyes and a commercial smile that bothered him. Archibald had worn his regular shorts and tshirts to these sort of meetings in the past but had been given a kind but firm question to replace them with blazers and slacks. They felt itchy.

“And so you see, mister Price, this innovation can result in limitless improvements of the team.”
“Yeah…”

By now, Price knew better than to add ‘right’ to the end of that statement.

“With the added value from the insights through us, SweetAsPie Charts, you can turn your own team inside out. Rather than just relying on the limited visuals of the match, you can see the underlying patterns.”
“But… Anyone could do that, right?”
“Well, we do have the freemium option, of course, that’s easily available through the app. It gets you valuable stuff such as, who is your topscorer?”
“Well, Pershing Major with five g-”

The suit lifted his hand and nodded to the woman who was going ballistic at the keyboard. After a prolonged awkward silence, she produced.

“That’s Pershing Major with five goals.”
“As you see, like this it is fast and to the point.”
“But…”
“It doesn’t end there, mister Price. Let us say… Assists. Who is the assist king?”
“Probably Puckett, I th-”
“Shush.”

Another attack on the keys.

“That is Marcus Puckett, three of those.”
“I… I don’t think I really need your assistance, mister… Swedespy, you said?”
“But that is just the freemium content, mister Price. Fortunately, one of the members of the FA board ensured the acquisition of the full set.”
“Who… Who would that be?”
“I believe it was mister Sweet who did so.”

Things started to click for Price. Jeremy Sweet, vice-president of the federation and, if Archibald recalled correctly, dabbling in all sorts of data and consultancy companies. He immediately knew there would be no room for negotiation.

“The deluxe version, as ordered, comes with all the available data and the availability of AI for further analysis.”

Price did not feel like going down without a fight.

“You should see this as an added assistant, mister Price, not as a threat. AI will be there to support you, improve and ease your work. This is not a hostile takeover."
“Isn’t there something in the rules that disallows AI in the World Cup?”

The two exchanged a quick glance: the woman nervously shook her head.

“But of course not, well, I mean. AI cannot score a goal for you, of course.”

The nervous laughter did not make things any better. But well, this was the future, after all. Maybe, Price thought, he had to embrace it. The suit smelled the opening from miles apart.

“I think it would be a good thing if you get a little more acquainted with AI. Go through the possibilities, see some first analysis, … It will help you gain confidence. I will leave you with AI now.”

As he stepped away, Archibald mildly panicked. If a VP had spent money (well, probably federation money, but still) on this, he would have to be able to do something properly with it. With a quick gesture, he turned the screen of the woman’s laptop towards him. It looked like a convoluted spreadsheet but hell, how would he know what AI looked like? Maybe there was something incredibly sophisticated underneath.

“How… How does that work?”
“Don’t worry about that, mister Price. AI will take care of that for you.”

As the door slammed, a defeated Price looked to the screen. Numbers. A lot of numbers. He nearly had forgotten the woman with the raven hair still in the room. Maybe she could help him out.

“Do… Do I talk to it? Is it a voice command? Ehm. Please, give me possession figures.”
“Oh, no, mister Price. I will take care of that for you.”
“Ok. In that case, you can just call me Archibald. What is yours?”

By now, Price had gotten past the point where people using official first name sounded more formal than his last name.

“Anna Ina Ruutonen, mister Archibald. But most people just call me AI.”
“Oh… AI. As in…”
“As in?”
“As in, you know. The artificial thingy.”
“Oh, yes indeed. That. Trust me, that won’t catch on.”

She turned back to her screen and Price looked across the room, wondering whether there were any hidden cameras. Those two had to be taking the piss. But Anna Ina appeared unphased.

“Ahead of this meeting I made a few proof of concepts of the key cases we at SweetAsPie Charts can assist with. Pressure maps, possession loss analysis, free throw insights, … You name it.”
“I guess those would be useful.”

Price now threw his hands in the air.

“Oh and also for ranking your players from best to worst.”
“Sorry? Is that… Something you are supposed to be doing?”
“We are, if the gap between your worst and second-worst is this clear.”

He tried to look disinterested but his nosyness got the better of him.

“And who would that happen to be?”

Price asked it with an almost hidden tremble in his voice. Almost. Deep down he already knew which name would pop up on the screen, in a fitting deep red script.

Conor O’REILLY (GK)

[TJUN-ia]

The Random Rambles of a Jaguar - WC99 Qualifying Edition
with Killian Looker

Four games into this process, and the Jaguars of TJUN-ia have 10 points from a possible 12. Not too shabby at all, as many would say, and David Seems and Li Xiu Ying recognised that fact. It was a good job done so far by Diana Sharafutdinov and the rest of this team, and we can't just push that to the side...but we still have 14 games left to play a lot more points up for grabs. Everyone knew that we were only a quarter of the way through this process (if that), so the pressure was still on to get those points on the board...so how would we do?

The Games
Notcommunist3, a place with one of the wackiest names you will ever see, were our hosts for Game 5 of the season - an unranked team with 2 points already on the board that had nothing to lose. Those are always the most dangerous of teams, those who know they aren't qualifying for the WC but will give you hell when you play them for pride alone...and we thought we were dealing with it OK. Mikela Djé-Djé headed home in the 34th, and for most of this game, that would be where the scoreline stood. But right at the death, at minute 90+2, came a late dagger - a goal for the hosts, the stadium implodes, and it ended 1-1.

After that shock came the biggest game of the campaign thus far, facing the #17 Wanderers of Pasarga at the National Stadium in TJUN-ia City. Any game in which you host the Pot 1 team is always going to be important, and considering the Wanderers entered this contest 2 points behind us, this filled the billing that many expected. Ingþór Auðbjörnsson was always going to provide a stern test, and those who came to this game were certainly nervous in the minutes before kick-off...but the game they ended up watching was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. The first half was intense as all hell, with both Gao Wu Shi and Maja Topić becoming quite busy from all the shots they were taking across the first 45. Both teams had good opportunities to draw first blood, but none were finished off in that first half. The second half, by contrast, simply started chaotically as Paek Un-hui scored in the 51st, only for Zágon Schmid to strike home a set piece three minutes later and just like that, it was 1-1. This second half was a nervy affair from then on, with chance after chance going begging for both teams, but someone seemed destined to win this contest and thank Margaret, it was us, with Odysseas Issigonis heading home the winner off the bench in the 78th. A 2-1 win against Pot 1. Boom!

Reaction
A draw against Pot 10 and a win against Pot 1 are both very different results in the context of this group, but both results mean the same to us - unbeaten after 6, leading by 1 with 12 still to go. That certainly sounded good to those across this International Community...but just like these last few visits, there is still a lot more work to be done.

What's Next?
What comes next are huge games against two of the Top 4 as we face 3rd place Cobrio in Camaron and 4th place Legalese in Carlandas. Two big games and with the numbers still so tight, we should have a better picture of where we all stand after this one.
GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group 12)
(Stadium Guide can be found here)
MD1: @Sharktail (180) W 5-1 (1st)
MD2: vs New Crywyzyxycynya (143) - Ke Kahua Pāʻani o Pua Aloalo, Kepu Manu W 4-1 (1st)
--------------------------------Rambles--------------------------------
MD3: @Saterun (56) - Tsear Tsuperdome, Tsear(?) W 4-2 (1st)
MD4: vs Sargossa (51) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky D 2-2 (1st)
--------------------------------Rambles--------------------------------
MD5: @Notcommunist3 (UR) D 1-1 (1st)
MD6: vs Pasarga (17) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City W 2-1 (1st)
--------------------------------Rambles--------------------------------
MD7: @Cobrio (114) - Tukari Kaita National Stadium, Camaron
MD8: vs Legalese (76) - Estadio Universidad Carlandas, Carlandas
--------------------------------Rambles--------------------------------
MD9: @American Generations (283)
MD10: vs Sharktail (180) - Estádio do Pacífico, Rio Pacífico
--------------------------------Rambles--------------------------------
MD11: @New Crywyzyxycynya (143)
MD12: vs Saterun (56) - Stade de la Victoire, Roi Ville
--------------------------------Rambles--------------------------------
MD13: @Sargossa (51)
MD14: vs Notcommunist3 (UR) - Tallawah Stadium, Port Town/Portuaria
--------------------------------Rambles--------------------------------
MD15: @Pasarga (17) - Stade de Torgos, Torgos
MD16: vs Cobrio (114) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
--------------------------------Rambles--------------------------------
MD17: @Legalese (76) - National Stadium, Central Junction
MD18: vs American Generations (283) - Zebra Stadium, Toropo/Almadinat

[Ralsalin]

37. WC 99 QUALIFICATION. MATCHDAY 5.
RALSALIN 4-0 The Enqab Archipelago Laboratories

Goals:
1-0 Obamawartin 8'
2-0 Minsen-Dwarasen 62'
3-0 Sengendwara (Aniko) 66'
4-0 Kirtiman Asier (Minsen-Dwarasen) 70'

38. WC 99 QUALIFICATION. MATCHDAY 6.
RALSALIN 3-0 Wentzville

Goals:
1-0 Obamawartin (von Erlaid) 1'
2-0 Heen 8'
3-0 Obamawartin 89'

The Knights of Eternal November finished their match series against the teams from the lower pots than themselves, pots 7-10. And the Ralsalien performance exceeded all expectations of the Ralsalien fans. It went absolutely perfect, and all 12 points were secured from 4 games. The Ralsalien stats amazes the imagination. No one in Ralsalin, after decades of hopelessness, could imagine those statistics:

Two perfect (6 points out of 6) international windows in a row.
Third international window (matchdays 5 and 6) ended with a 7-0 goal difference.
Four consecutive victories in the World Cup Qualification with the goal difference of 12-1.
In the Matchday Five against The Enqab Archipelago Laboratories, Ralsalin had won 4-0, achieving the biggest World Cup qualification victory for now.
After Six matchdays, the goal difference of The Knights stands at impressive +9.
Seven goals from Alexander Obamawartin in four games.

The last statement, especially, impresses a lot and gives von Niermann a lot of food for thought. As Kasyan Menon will recover from a strained calf by a matchday 7, there is a dilemma who will play at a center forward position - Alexander Obamawartin, who is at his peak form now, or a wonderful youngster, who is a very important part of the team, being just 18 years old, and playing a crucial role in all competitions, including friendly ones.

FLASHBACK.

Before the start of the World Cup 99 qualification, Ralsalien Football Union organized a friendly tournament for four nations in a honor of a former Grandmaster Minsen Mindorin - Minsen Mindorin Cup. Except Ralsalin, familiar faces participated in the invitational competition - Edsmontik, Oberour ar Moro and The Golden Harp. Ralsalin opened this tournament with the game against The Golden Harp, winning 2-0. Both goals were scored by Menon, who was named the man of the match. Unfortunately, Ralsalin lost another two fixtures against higher-ranked opponents, and the hosts of the tournament earned the bronze medals of the tournament. The first place and decorative cup of Minsen Mindorin were won by the last World Cup semifinalist Edsmontik, who won all three matches. Now, they can admire a beautiful trophy from Ralsalin in their trophy room.
Interesting fact: In all three games, Edsmontik conceded only one goal. It happened in the match against Ralsalin (1-3) and the scorer was... Kasyan Menon.
At the end, all three Ralsalien goals at Minsen Mindorin Cup were scored by one man.

Kasyan Menon celebrates the first Ralsalien goal in the opening match against The Golden Harp.

The same match. Menon attacks, while Minsen-Dwarasen stares right into your soul.

As Menon finally recovered, there is a question, who will be the main striker of The Knights. We assume that Seibold von Niermann, probably, will use both players in different matches.
Returning to the previous results, don't be decieved by the victorious Ralsalien streak. All victories were earned against the teams from the lower pots. But now, the true test awaits. How would Ralsalin perform against the highest ranked teams of the group? The matchday 8 against WBAO especially attracts attention among the Ralsalien fans, as many people expect an exciting confrontation of Alexander OBAMAwartin against the defence lines of West Barack and East OBAMA.

MD1: vs. Reçueçn #50 (H)                                   | 0-1 | 6th ↓
MD2: vs. Katzeburg #54 (A)                                 | 1-2 | 9th ↓
MD3: vs. New Fernia #151 (H)                               | 3-1 | 6th ↑
MD4: vs. Burikinia #195 (A)                                | 2-0 | 4th ↑
MD5: vs. The Enqab Archipelago Laboratories #248 (H)       | 4-0 | 4th 
MD6: vs. Wentzville UR (H)                                 | 3-0 | 4th 
MD7: vs. Kelssek #7 (A)
MD8: vs. West Barack and East Obama #26 (H)
MD9: vs. Poafmersia #78 (A)
MD10: vs. Reçueçn #50 (A)    
MD11: vs. Katzeburg #54 (H)
MD12: vs. New Fernia #151 (A)
MD13: vs. Burikinia #195 (H)
MD14: vs. The Enqab Archipelago Laboratories #248 (A)
MD15: vs. Wentzville UR (A)
MD16: vs. Kelssek #7 (H)
MD17: vs. West Barack and East Obama #26 (A)
MD18: vs. Poafmersia #78 (H)

[Kimi-Suomi]

Does Kimi-Suomi have...kilpailija? That is a question many have asked about Kimi-Suomi and its sports teams, including the Huuhkajat, since they debuted all those years ago. Considering our history, from AO to Anaia, does Kimi-Suomi have a rival? Or rivals?
- JYK-inen, the one they call TJUN-ia, seems like a good shout with the Ice War and all that.
- Hapilopper, when they were in Anaia, were deemed to be a rival according to us...though they would say JYK-inen over ourselves.
- StrayaRoos is our neighbour in Anaia, but we had yet to meet...until now.

But before then, our Huuhkajat had the third instalment of NSSCRA Warz to deal with first, finally allowing Aphrilinen [Aphrilia] to enter the fray in Pesä before they played Alanis Star in the other game of this window. The Anchors, World #57, were unbeaten prior to this meeting in Kimi Kaupunki and many were expecting that to remain unchanged. But, in a rare act of joy, Esko Laaksonen had other ideas. The Anchors like to play a more counter-attacking defensive style of jalkapallo, so we had a lot of the possession in this game...and we used it wisely in the 76th, when Jason Jenner-Pokka found a way to break the brick wall known as Phillip Karnwell to finally break the deadlock. The visitors tried and tried to get back on level terms but it wasn't enough...and the Huuhkajat had their biggest scalp of the campaign thus far.

Just in time for the first-ever "Border Bust-Up" between Kimi-Suomi's Huuhkajat and StrayaRoos' Emus. For the first time since the map update, we got on the buses and crossed the border eastwards looking for local supremacy...but due to the circumstances, Calixto Conti seemed ready for a fight. The Emus were #22 in the rankings, so we expected this game to be a bit of a tough ask and so it proved - with a Cruz Kaiplo brace and a third from Ali Are spelling our downfall, despite the goal and best efforts of Karl Leif Svonsson. First blood Emus...we will hope for revenge in Lumikukkulat on MD15.

Speaking of the City of Lights, they get to host next as Pohjois-Puolan Unioni come to town for our Blue Night - where only Blue is the dress code to counter the opposing red. After that, a tricky road trip to face the grieving nation we call Kytlerin Niemimaa. That one will be emotional on so many levels...and on that night, our table position will simply not matter at all.
NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

---

SCHEDULE/AJOITTAA (Group 13)
MD1: vs Alanis Star (119) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki (NSSCRA Warz I) D 1-1 (T-4th)
MD2: @Hapilopper (49) - Nathan Ellis SuperStadium, Hapilopper City (NSSCRA Warz II) L 1-2 (T-7th)
---------
MD3: vs Natkr (110) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat (Light Night) L 2-3 (8th)
MD4: @Germaaninen Kissa [Germanic Cat] (269) W 4-1 (8th)
---------
MD5: vs Aphrilinen [Aphrilia] (57) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki (NSSCRA Warz III) W 1-0 (7th)
MD6: @StrayaRoos (22) (Border Bust-Up) L 1-3 (6th)
---------
MD7: vs Pohjois-Puolan Unioni [The North Polish Union] (224) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat (Blue Night)
MD8: @Kytlerin Niemimaa [The Kytler Peninsulae] (15)
---------
MD9: vs Anewkansas (UR) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki (Family Night)
MD10: @Alanis Star (119) (NSSCRA Warz IV)
---------
MD11: vs Hapilopper (49) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat (NSSCRA Warz V, HM Night)
MD12: @Natkr (110)
---------
MD13: vs Germaaninen Kissa [Germanic Cat] (269) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki (White Night)
MD14: @Aphrilinen [Aphrilia] (57) - Millennium Dawn Stadium, Darlingtown (NSSCRA Warz VI)
---------
MD15: vs StrayaRoos (22) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat (Rajan Rikkoutuminen)
MD16: @Pohjois-Puolan Unioni [The North Polish Union] (224)
---------
MD17: vs Kytlerin Niemimaa [The Kytler Peninsulae] (15) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki (Kytlair Flight 134 Memorial Night)
MD18: @Anewkansas (UR) - Fallstaff Stadium, Bridgehead(?)

---

NSSCRA Warz Table                     Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Hapilopper                          2   2  0  0    6   2  +4    6
 2 Kimi-Suomi                          3   1  1  1    3   3   0    4
 3 Aphrilinen                          2   1  0  1    3   2  +1    3
 4 Alanis Star                         3   0  1  2    3   7  -4    1

[Saint Eleanor]

OOC: Lara Torridge and Despite Everything will drop next matchday, most likely early on in the window as I've started to engage Quebec and am closing in on a plot for the movie (the outline of which will need to be confirmed before Episode 1, about how the movie was sold in the first instance, can be made - hopefully with pace, but I don't have time to double-hat this cutoff, sorry).

Group of Six meeting (LXV) --- SAINT ELEANOR 4-1 H.O.T.D.A.M.N.
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Bridget Coombe [C], Cathy Winchester [VC], Michelle Addison [ballot]
Location: the Freedom Arms; Central district, Saint Eleanor city, EXT

Stephen here. Despite Bridget's complaints that we keep on going to the pub to discuss the games, I've not only promised that we'll find her a better venue next time, but it was also. H.O.T.D.A.M.N. proved themselves to be a little crumbly; I'm not sure what we did or how, or maybe if it was just the Mallett effect, but there's a consensus that this was a comprehensive display from everybody involved. The media reports, as extensively compiled by Michelle, say it all. Thank you, Michelle; our next meeting will be infinitely worse without your dedication to the truth.

We were far too busy drinking to come up with a proper gameplan. The consensus is that Baker Park will bring their A-game and that nothing short of the full starting eleven, with the normal strategy, would be appropriate

Maria Morgan: "I'd date Bridget if she wasn't so Catholic"
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers tries to get useful responses out of his last interviewee, for the time being
Originally published on Friday 13th February 2015

Maria Morgan, much like most Eleanorians, is the kind of person you try to deal with: someone who has to almost be provoked if you want to extract a word out of them, keeps on talking in circles (even if they are interesting, worthwhile ones), and has so many interests that you'd struggle to believe they have any time for anything else. "You extracted multiple words out of me there, so well played, sir."

Despite having grown up in Broadlands, Morgan was very much a child of the Girls' Preparatory. "I was definitely one of the girlier girls. I like movies and books and movies adapted from books and mediocre pop music and pussybow blouses and twirly skirts and knee-high boots and nice little dainty ballet flats and a damn fine coffee - everything you could want from an Eleanorian wife." She is, admittedly, occasionally asked about how her working-class family could afford to take both of them to the private schools. "My parents wanted us to have a decadent education. They ended up taking out decadent loans. It's a small price to pay for the quality of the education and the extracurricular opportunities. Thankfully, they have largely been paid off, but Gary [Morgan, her brother at Independence 1975] and I do help out when we can - which is occasionally, given Saint Eleanor's well-known tendency to pay football players reasonable wages. I liked drawing and painting - filmmaking is still the kind of thing everyone has to learn for themselves, even though I tried - and I should have gone to the Polytechnic, although fate intervened for the more consistently productive."

Morgan was a notable part of the Girls' Prep team that lost the 2003 Charles Trump Shield final. "That match was not lost. It was decided. Premier are, and always will be, a high-quality team at any level and it's a shame that they haven't really managed to pick it up in the league so far. Ignore that match, and the chaos in the quarterfinal against the Boys' Prep, and you have a perfect defensive record. The kind of thing I like about as much as a good attacking record." Much was made, two years later, about her position as the heiress to Lydia Nicholls when she took her place almost immediately at Hiyashi Celestia, her local club. "If that means moving to a doomed Esportivan league before landing at a Q-League team that's never up to much... absolutely not. If you mean focused, determined, a touch uncensored and able to play wherever the team requires, then yes. I've gathered a reputation of sorts - not really, but I do try to balance doing my own thing with the assigned space alongside fitting into the team, and I do the fitting in much better than I do the independence. It helps me structure everything, as it were."

For all our conversation about marriage, our interview subject today does not have a husband. "I've been called openly bisexual. This is both accurate and not inaccurate. Our men look cute. Our women look cute. I've dated both kinds. I would much rather date a man at this point, however; they don't seem to care as much about the fact that I play football." Does she have any thoughts on her teammates? "I wouldn't call any of them my friends. This isn't an insult; I like being by myself. Obligations hate me as much as I hate them back. I'd date Bridget if she wasn't so Catholic; she seems nice enough, although she's bubblier than I am. I tend to find that the more annoying people, or the quieter ones, are the ones I agree with the most - Lydia is the obvious example, Robby Ellis is the other person I've largely been okay with. The pre-existing relationships do help, of course, but if I'm talking to you a lot then I probably think you're boyfriend or girlfriend material. I'd rather be reading or watching whatever classic from the 1980s is on EBC Cinema 2 tomorrow afternoon than stuck with someone, and it takes something special to change that."

Maria Morgan does care about her team: she has left unsaid the several times she has played an integral, almost comprehensive role in Celestia's modern midfield. Yet she doesn't care at all - she barely pays regard to her teammates except where it's operationally necessary, likes keeping to herself at almost all other times, and tries to be as snappy and sarcastic as she can without being incomprehensible or even misunderstood. She would almost be the typical Eleanorian, were she not one.

Group of Six meeting (LXVI) --- Commonwealth of Baker Park 2-1 SAINT ELEANOR
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Bridget Coombe [C], Cathy Winchester [VC], Katy Wilson [ballot]
Location: Premium Coffee; Trident district, Saint Eleanor city, EXT

WE DID GREAT OUT THERE, LADS!!!! Everyone did VERY WELL for themselves, especially in the opening section, where we broke down the Bees, pushed them to their limits, and scored an EXCELLENT GOAL courtesy of Bridget's Divine Interventions. We tried to hold the line in the second half, but GRAYSON WAS JUST TOO GOOD - that goal, WOW!!!!! - and the game became more and more anticlimatic as time went on. Baker Park got the lead through a rather less notable goal, DROVE THEMSELVES BACK, held THEIR OWN LINE, and stopped us from doing an awful lot. Perhaps to be taken for granted, as we tend to do that all the time! This was not quite enough, but it was A GREAT PERFORMANCE IN CONTEXT when you consider how much they kept the pressure on and the MULTIPLE MASSIVE ANNIVERSARIES they were celebrating at home.



With that anti-disappointment over and easier opponents all the way (until Baker Park visit our place!)... HOW CAN WE BECOME THE HOSTS WITH THE NOST?
Bridget: "You mean the hosts with the most"
Me: "I quite clearly mean the hosts with the nost"
Bridget: "Anyway, here's their last roster"
Stephen: "I'd watch out for NGA in midfield, that guy's a monster"
GB: "N&N generally have a centrally-focused squad"
Stephen: "Not a good one, though, five points out of eighteen is nothing to shout about"
Cathy: "Until they pull a Notcommunist3 and snatch a point against us, then what?"
Katy: "Natanians and Nots"
Bridget: "I know, right?"
GB: "Bridget, I know you can be very sarcastic, but please remember that these are fourth seeds"
Stephen: "Bad fourth seeds, I may add"
Bridget: "I'm not communist either. Anyway"
Me: "The normal lads should suffice, Izzy up top"
GB: "We can afford Michelle and Lily, they need the experience"
Cathy: "Honestly? Yes"
Katy: "Don't suppose Lydia needs a break?"
Me: "Esther needs it more, she's going to retire"
GB: "Lydia needs it more, we're still playing the fourth seeds"
Bridget: "Whatever you say, madam"
Cathy: "Are we trying to out-midfield these guys"
Bridget: "Yes we are, Cathy, if their midfield fails then what else do they have?"
Me: "Their strikers"
Katy: "That's where I come in, right?"

HOW TO SURVIVE THE DINOSAURS
THEY ARE TARGETTING THE CENTRE - SO ARE WE
MAKE SURE TO BREAK THEM DOWN AT THEIR PRESSURE POINTS
OUR NEW WINGERS WILL DO CLEANUP IF NECESSARY
THIS IS UNUSUAL - BUT NO HARM IN TRYING!

4-2-3-1:
__________ ARIELLE ___________
CATHY - LYDIA - KATY - EXANDRA
____ BRIDGET - WUNDERBAR ____
_ LILY - KAVEZALEA - MICHELLE _
__________ OLYMPIA ___________

Reniira Clevinger did nothing wrong

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Cutoff for groups 6-10 for matchdays 7-8!

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

This RP is part of the Mystery Of Flight 134 story arc.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Thanks once again to Queb for being so influential in this entire arc.

Initial analysis of the CVDR "orange box" of Flight 134 has reportedly ruled out a "major malfunction" in the aircraft that crashed in the Blood Sea, killing all 328 on board including the Kytlerian national soccer team.

The head of the multinational investigation has stated that, based on the preliminary assessment of the CVDR data and what could be determined from the debris recovered to date, the aircraft has "categorically not broken up at altitude, and will have fallen into the Blood Sea intact." It is currently believed that the crash was most likely caused by the plane inadvertently being stalled, whilst stressing that "it is not yet clear whether this was due to mechanical problems, pilot error, or - as is perhaps most likely - the former inducing the latter."

It was added that "the stormy weather conditions were likely not the primary cause of the crash, given that other aircraft passed through or around the same system safely shortly before and after Flight 134, but cannot be eliminated as a factor of some description. In particular, it is possible that a lightning strike may have affected a part of the plane where the copper foil layer over the composite frame was damaged, a known maintenance challenge for all composite-bodied aircraft."

Some external aviation experts have speculated that pilot error was the likeliest cause of such a sudden and mysterious crash of an Avro A350, seen as the safest commercial aircraft in the sky. However, others have wondered if the extreme Blood Sea conditions could make any flight dangerous. One possible theory being floated is that the plane stalled in an attempt to fly over rather than through or around the storm, but under normal circumstances the A350 will reject inputs that could cause a stall, suggesting that a technical malfunction of some kind - perhaps caused by the storm, perhaps not - could have been the catalyst.

Zube Olympic Stadium, Zube, The Kytler Peninsulae
The Kytler Peninsulae 1-0 StrayaRoos (Beverwijk 76)

After the defeat in Aphrilia, this was now a match of particular importance - a defeat here could easily leave the Kytlerians struggling to qualify, while a win would give them a four-point buffer over the group's second seeds with four straight matches against sides ranked outside the world top 90 to come. Not that such things seemed to matter too much in some other groups - see, for instance, how Crpostran are discovering for the first time in their history that Maggie can hurt them in qualifying as well as the Proper - but this one was going with the chalk rather more. There was already a four-point gap between fourth and fifth, and it was the four who were meant to be up there who were, in fact, the four up there.

Needless to say there was a bit riding on a meeting between any two of those four, but when one of those four is this Kytlerian team there still seems to be this air of insignificance about the actual play, especially when the match is on Kytlerian soil. Once again there was a heavy fog of emotion over Zube Olympic Stadium before kickoff; once again it didn't much seem to clear in actual play, and there wasn't even a first-half goal to spark it to life. Would both sides be happy with a point? Certainly it felt like neither were willing to let the other get all three. Kaniehtiio Lindiwe - who plays his club matches in these vaunted environs for Capitolians - had the best chance on the half-hour, but clipped the outside of the post.

The second half was more open, mostly because the Emus felt inclined to push forward and in doing so left exploitable gaps when their attacks broke down. A fine last-ditch tackle from Oliver Vandome on Lindiwe sparked one particularly promising break ten minutes after the restart, that left Packard clean through on goal only to be denied by the charging goalkeeper Amina Semya. Both teams shuffled their attacking packs - the visitors bringing on Zane Shalik for Lindiwe, the hosts moving Vicente wide and sacrificing Sylvia Villa for Stijn Beverwijk - and it was ultimately that latter move which bought the decisive moment around 15 minutes from the end of the 90. Drifting inside from the left touchline and dragging defenders with him, Vicente's gravity sprung open Park Si-Woo in acres of space, and when Seyma could only punch away his dangerous outswinging cross, Beverwijk was on hand to fire through the crowded penalty area and into the unguarded bottom right corner of the net.

There was something emotional about that roar. Beverwijk had lost his friend and club teammate Olivia Reynolds to the Flight 134 disaster, and pointed to the Zube night sky both upwards and - pointedly - in the rough direction of the crash site before bursting into tears amidst a group hug with the rest of this phoenix national team. After a fine Vandome block denied Shalik in stoppage time and the final whistle followed almost immediately, tears poured out of the home benches, and the Kytlerian-based pair of Lindiwe and Alana Kerr made a point of consoling the very team that had just beaten them; they've been in this country for some time themselves, they knew just how much this meant, and they simply could not hold that force back in this building. They would have to pick up the points they needed elsewhere, and one imagined they'd be just fine with that as long as they could.

Not that the Kytlerians are the only team touched by tragedy in this group.

The North Polish Union
The North Polish Union 1-0 The Kytler Peninsulae (Wołoszin 18)

Shortly before the most recent Baptism of Fire in which The North Polish Union made their debut, dozens of people died in an explosion in the port of Žardininkai, seen as a possible terrorist attack by many of the nation's mourning citizens. The two sides were united in grief on some level, and perhaps that emotion suited the hosts - who, ranked as they are outside the top 200, needed all the variance they could get against top-20 opposition who had played the other three big dogs of the group already and beaten two of them.

Set pieces were always going to be one obvious way to pull the upset - and while Yrko started this match over Whosash in the only change to the lineup that beat the Emus explicitly with that in mind, he's only one man. An absolute unit of a man, but still only one. Karł Wołoszin is another one, and as he prepared to take a free kick in an obvious crossing position, he took one look at the naturalised Verdean giant and opted to try and blast the ball straight at goal from a narrow angle instead. With only two in the wall and Vanessa Andrews prepared for the cross, the ball fizzed straight in at the near post. There's your variance alright!

The good news for the Kytlerians was that they had over 70 minutes to come back. The bad news was that an already defensive-minded team now had literally zero incentive to take any chances; attack was now to be a heathen construct to the representatives of this staunch Catholic nation. The assumption was that something had to give, that an hour and more of one-sided play would ultimately lead to a goal. But it never did. Lined up in a nominal 3-5-2 that was functionally a flat back five with four holding midfielders at times, the hosts simply refused to acknowledge that one of the nominal best teams in the multiverse could score on them - and duly ensured they didn't. While the Kytlerian crowds have reacted to their emotional victories with an eerie sense of weepy remembrance, there was no such restraint from this crowd - they greeted the final whistle with a guttural cathartic roar.

Perhaps, on some level, away matches will continue to be a major challenge for this of all Kytlerian teams. They wouldn't be human if they didn't think that, and it's just as well that they are human on the evidence of how successful the robotic representatives of The Enqab Archipelago Laboratories aren't. But it does make for quite the conundrum ahead of a potential - and it is still only potential - World Cup not only away from Rushmore, but literally on the other side of the Blood Sea, on the Arrosian continent that 24 Kytlerian players visited never to return.

Fortunately, for the two-game homestand to come, the Kytlerians have been able to play their Joker. After some time off recovering from the emotional cocktail of not only having lost so many of her friends and teammates but literally only being alive herself because she stayed with her new team to train rather than join the national team, Joke Feltkamp is back.

"It's a good job people know how to say my name (YO-keh) in this country," Feltkamp told NBO in a recent interview. "Apparently there's been the odd troll on social media calling me a joke for not playing but my psychologists have been telling me not to look at my feeds and just let my agent handle it because that's what he's paid to do, I did ask him out of curiosity last week and he was like "yeah, a few, mostly on Honkr" and I was like "what's Honkr?" and he just went "you don't want to know" and I just laughed."

[Cardenao]

Tikariot 1-0 Cardenao: Ugh

In a hard fought and cold as absolute shit match between the hosting Tikariot Tikariotions and the Cardenao Cardenaoans, many a visiting fan had to be ice picked out of their seat at the Citadel of the North and brought to one of many emergency re-heating tents located around the Citadel. In a surprise that shocked…not many people, turns out lightly dressed folks from the caribbean Cardenaon were not ready for the brutal winds and snow of Fort Viljan. With the icy wind ripping the air out of the spectator’s lungs, this was a very quiet affair and that worked in the home teams favor as they were content to dominate the ball and freeze the Cardenaoan players out of the game.

In their defense, Team Cardenao got the game started with a bang, perhaps knowing they desperately needed to get something going early before the weather impacted proceedings too much. That bang was Kicko Necíb rolling the ball back to Ricky Delafont for the kickoff, who immediately hit a lofted ball down the left wing for ChuChu Hernandez to run onto. The lad didn’t waste a touch, taking one to open his angle up before sliding the ball on the ground into the center for Dimitri Micalizo to smash into the net and score his first tournament goal for the Blue and Golds………but the assistant referee had raised his flag and it took all of 0.1 seconds for the video referee to confirm the offsides call. 0-0.

0-0, an exhilarating scoreline in most matches as each team poked and prodded to find an opening, was reduced to a soul crushing affair where passes became less a reason to gain the upper hand and more a reason to run and keep the body warm. Kai Chidubem and Tikariotian keeper Conrad Hurst took to jumping jacks, pushups, and, on one occasion, breakdancing to keep the blood flowing and the mind sharp as they squinted through a freezing fog to try and follow the pattern of play. Unfortunately though, the poor conditions continued to degrade to the point not even the television cameras were sure where the ball was or what was happening. In this sort of situation, you might think the referee would realize the madness and call proceedings to a halt until the situation improved. You would be wrong, this is an Arrosian affair after all!

Anyhow, thankfully the terrible first half eventually came to an end and we could all go somewhere warm for the far too short 15 minute halftime break. Indeed, as the referee whistled for play to resume, it seemed a fair few fans elected, not to return to their seats, but to watch the second half from the comparatively tropical interior of the stadium. The players didn’t seem all too thrilled to return to the pitch, even the Tiks of a riot seemed like they’d rather be elsewhere…imagine how the Cardenaoans felt!!

Well it was clear for all to see how they felt, they clearly just wanted to get the game over with. Who could fault them? Qualification not going quite according to plan, at the home venue of the world number 6, playing in weather no Cardenaoan should ever experience, easy to see why the team more or less gave up the second half as the Tikarioters had their way with La Furia Azule. Does that excuse the pitiful performance we saw over those 45 minutes? Absolutely not. Is it at least easier to put ourselves in their shoes and empathize with their defeat? Absolutely. Anyhow the game winner was a pretty scrappy though absolutely deserved from the hosts. It was unfortunate the goal came as a direct result of our best chance of the game, when Ricky Delafont hit a real snapper of a free kick that narrowly cracked off the bar and rebounded back up the field into Tikariot’s possession. Those damn snowy birds flew up the field before the 17 year old Magnus Baltazar von Rosencrantz neatly slipped the ball through Kai Chidubem’s legs and, after that, both teams seemed content to just get this shit over with and move on to somewhere warmer and happier.

And with that, one of the dullest games I’ve seen from Team Nao came to a merciful end and we can all go on with our lives!

[Solgavden]

 Solgavden (SGD)  vs.  Drawkland (DRK) 
@ Nordstjärna Arena, Orliss (64,989 attd.) 

GOALS
3 - 3
Mishra 9'
Cross 22'
Cross 47'
Halvorsan 55'
Dillan 61'
Tennefjord 83' [P]

SHOTS
23 - 20

SHOTS ON TARGET
9 - 9

POSSESION
48% - 52%

PASSES
316 - 322

FOULS
15 - 12

YELLOW CARDS
1 - 1
Ramirez 49'
Bright 83'

RED CARDS
0 - 0

CORNERS
4 - 5

 Solgavden (SGD)  vs.  Vielfaltig (VEL) 
@ Harald Kistner Memorial Stadium, Lysborg (81,973 attd.)

GOALS
1- 2
Alvarado 23'
Favager 40'
Mishra 77'

SHOTS
20 - 16

SHOTS ON TARGET
6 - 4

POSSESION
45% - 55%

PASSES
297 - 304

FOULS
11 - 8

YELLOW CARDS
1 - 0
Scheller 74'

RED CARDS
0 - 0

CORNERS
5 - 7

www.nstv.com.sg/sports/football/articles/i60fm988ts10

Nordstjärna TV | Sports
Solgavish Fans Unite Against Insurmountable Odds in Qualifiers

By: Prince Frederik
Posted 33 mins. ago

As the World Cup Qualifiers heat up, it's becoming increasingly clear that Solgavden is not yet ready to go toe to toe with the world's elite. Our first World Cup cycle may not produce the dazzling results some were hoping for, yet instead of wallowing in our own self-pity, the Solgavish people have shown resilience against insurmountable odds. From Lysborg to Limmiera to Orliss, thousands of fans packed in to sold out arenas to cheer on De Rega Röda in their first World Cup. This level of support has surely rubbed off on the players, as after a dismal defensive performance in the Baptism of Fire, the team has come back into form. After a 0-2 loss to Gnejs on Matchday 2, the team hasn't lost a game by more than one goal. The national team fought to stay comptetive in 2-1 losses against Vielfaltig, as well as Group 14 leaders and projected favorites Vdara (in their own stadium!). More recently, the team fought back to force a draw against 62nd ranked Drawkland, where most pundits (myself included, admittedly), expected Solgavden to be blown out.

Solgavish football fans are a special breed. The Kongensliga was formed by my great-grandfather (King Halfdan IV) as a way to unite the country after years of brutal civil war. Multiple clubs, both established and new, made up by communities that were both rich and poor, set out on the pitch that proved to be the great equalizer, with only skill and intellect separating the victors from the losers. It didn't matter if you were Melvenian, or Orlisian, or Asilandish, or Höjmarkish, if you showed talent and a good work ethic, you had the chance to do something amazing. Over the last century, football has become a staple of Solgavish culture. Despite the rivalries that define the Kongensliga, such as Kosmo Lunaris vs. Walsbruck, Othlesse-Surlin vs. Trondhelle, or Rega Lysborg vs. everybody else, every Solgavish football fan can agree on one thing: The national team deserves our support. It's fascinating (although a little unnerving) to watch my fellow Torkola Village fans root for Sig Halvorsan, seeing as that man tormented us for the past few years, but that's the beauty of the sport. So with qualifiers heating up, and an away match against 11th ranked Sarzonia looming, let's give them hell. Many aren't expecting much from us (hell we aren't expecting much either), but that doesn't mean that we can't show up to our away matches in Sarzonia, or Drawkland, or Vielfaltig, and let chants of "MÖRDA!" rain down from the stands! We endure despite the odds, and to fight until the last minute, so let's go out and show them what it means to be Solgavish!

---

TOP STORIES:

POLITICS: Chancellor Sondergaard faces opposition from both left and right as he tries to keep coalition afloat

POLITICS: Orliss Election 25': A personal look into each candidate who wants to be the next Lord Chancellor

ENTERTAINMENT: Beloved cartoon & movie trilogy to receive reboot, fans already have mixed opinions

[Visayas Islands]

---

THE BULLS ARE ON THE TOP AGAINST SAFILOA AND GOPNIKEA
Ponaiga, Safiloa and Jordan, Metropolitan District

After some days of training, the Bulls went on to Ponaiga in Safiloa to face the national team. Before that, there was a situation on the hotel where some Safiloan fans are trying to break into the hotel to physically assault the players but instead they're been protected by the security. The fans said that they "did" this to "weaken their bodies" and "give Safiloa a miracle" to win the game. But the "miracle" they wanted wasn't going well as the Safiloans trying to get out the defense against Pascual, Zaldarriaga, and Descartin, the substitute who became a starter in place of Robles. This Visayan defense that led to Uemura's free kick that made the Visayan avalanche coming in the 72nd minute. Maybe the fans inside the Safiloan prison regret their decision to break them. "Thank God that we won over them!", says Zaldarriaga. "If it wasn't for some random security guard, we're really going to get violated!". "About the Safiloan attack in our hotel, it was a miracle that the security intervened to take out these crazy headed fans.", says Ayala. "And also, we have nearly improved our defense, and hope the game in Jordan would give us more improvements on defense and offense." Then they came back to Iloilo to face against newcomers, Gopnikea. Where the fans are getting crazy at this point that they didn't disappoint to cheer them on. And the defense of Robles has came back like he was a superstar. Because of the defense that Visayas had, they gave Marasigan and Yee their own goals at 22nd minute and 57th minute. "I think, our defense has gone well for us after the Safiloa game.", says Ayala. "Next could be Baggieland and Yuezhou, they're heavyweights at this point. But I hope we do the best for the boys." The light and dark blue boys will face Baggieland at Dartmouth Hill and Yuezhou at Nangang. Will the Bulls upset the Baggies and finally won over the powerhouse, Yuezhou after the defeat in Iloilo?

[Banija]

Who's off to the oasis for the Groups 11-15 MD7-8 cutoff?

[Kanzlia]

Snoek Class (post 1938 refit)

---

SNOEK class destroyer

---

Displacement:  1260t
Speed:  29kts. 3000nm at 15kts.
Armament:  3-120mm/4.7in (3x1), 4-533mm/21in (2x2)

No.	Name	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
TJ-01	SNOEK	Kotr Shipyards Union	11.3.1919	16.3.1920	25.10.1920	Decommissioned 4.8.1943, Scrapped 11.4.1944
TJ-02	BAARS	Kotr Shipyards Union	15.3.1919	20.3.1920	29.10.1920	Decommissioned 24.3.1933, Preserved
TJ-03	SNOEKBAARS	Kotr Shipyards Union	21.3.1919	27.3.1920	2.11.1920	Decommissioned 4.8.1943, Scrapped 11.4.1944
TJ-04	MEERVAL	Kotr Shipyards Union	24.3.1919	31.3.1920	4.11.1920	Decommissioned 4.8.1943, Scrapped 11.4.1944
TJ-05	ZEEBAARS	Kotr Shipyards Union	28.3.1919	2.4.1920	8.11.1920	Decommissioned 4.8.1943, Scrapped 11.4.1944
TJ-06	HEILBOT	Kotr Shipyards Union	2.4.1919	5.4.1920	12.11.1920	Lost 18.12.1941
TJ-07	KABELJAUW	Kotr Shipyards Union	5.4.1919	8.4.1920	16.11.1920	Decommissioned 4.8.1943, Scrapped 11.4.1944
TJ-08	MAKREEL	Bijradoe Shipbuilding	9.4.1919	11.4.1920	20.11.1920	Lost 18.12.1941
TJ-09	TONIJN	Ibsian Heart Co.	6.8.1919	12.8.1920	23.4.1921	Decommissioned 4.8.1943, Scrapped 11.4.1944
TJ-10	HARINGHAAI	Ibsian Heart Co.	10.8.1919	15.8.1920	25.4.1921	Decommissioned 4.8.1943, Scrapped 11.4.1944
TJ-11	ZWAARDVIS	Ibsian Heart Co.	14.8.1919	20.8.1920	28.4.1921	Lost 11.2.1939
TJ-12	BARRACUDA	Szbedansk Shipbuilding	3.1.1920	8.1.1921	18.9.1921	Sunk in collision 11.10.1930
TJ-13	WITTE HAAI	Szbedansk Shipbuilding	7.1.1920	12.1.1921	20.9.1921	Decommissioned 4.8.1943, Scrapped 11.4.1944
TJ-14	BLAUWE HAAI	Szbedansk Shipbuilding	11.1.1920	16.1.1921	24.9.1921	Lost 18.12.1941
TJ-15	AAL	Szbedansk Shipbuilding	5.5.1920	10.5.1921	15.1.1922	Decommissioned 4.8.1943, Scrapped 11.4.1944
TJ-16	LENG	Szbedansk Shipbuilding	9.5.1920	14.5.1921	18.1.1922	Sunk in collision 11.10.1930
TJ-17	ZEEWOLF	Szbedansk Shipbuilding	13.5.1920	18.5.1921	21.1.1922	Decommissioned 4.8.1943, Scrapped 11.4.1944

The main killer of the KNS Kenneth incident was not that the old protected cruiser was sunk, but because no one was there to pick the survivors up. When the Kenneth slipped beneath the waves, nearly all the crew were able to evacuate the ship bar a dozen brave sailors who decided to sink with the ship. The stranded sailors had no means of communication and their evacuation boats were not built for the treacherous waves of the high seas, and as a result the KNS Kenneth sinking claimed 413 lives out of 423. The inadequate support from the KNS Bryant and KNS Joelszon became a major point of contention from public investigators. The two cruisers were not adept for the high seas, and they were the best and fastest the Kanzlian Navy had to offer for the operation. The Kanzlian Navy was under immense pressure to modernise the fleet even further by adding in ocean going destroyers into the mix, something the Kanzlian Navy had been putting off for nearly a decade.

The Naval Design Bureau set up a competition urging domestic shipbuilders to submit designs for a destroyer design that is adept for the high seas. Kanzlia's major shipyards chipped in, and even foreign designers took part, but in the end Kotr Shipyards Ontwerp T3.B5 was chosen. It was a conventional design with a double stacked funnel, fitted with 4 TTs and 3 guns. The first designs had machine guns midships, but these were all replaced in 1938 with 40mm Ardent Anti-Air guns. The Snoek class were named after predatory fish.

The contract was awarded to Kotr Shipyards for 8 units (one unit was eventually given to Bijradoe Shipbuilding) and the lead ship of the class, the Snoek, began construction in early 1919. By August of the same year, another order of 3 units was given to Ibsian Heart to take advantage of the economic boom the country was experiencing. In 1920 another order of 8 units was given to Szbedansk Shipbuilding, and though Szbedansk Shipbuilding would only complete 6, the 17 units of the Snoek class built by February of 1922 remains to be the largest class in the Kanzlian Navy numbers wise.

The Snoeks were primarily organised into dedicated Destroyer flotillas tasked with engaging hostile cruiser forces and overwhelm them. They also had showing the flag duties though was limited in this aspect due to the already existing Lugzaun class. Baars collided with a steamer, she was stricken but was preserved in Kotr. Heilbot, Makreel, and Blauwe Haai was lost in the 1941 Eastpoint Disaster where exceptionally rough waves rolled the destroyers over resulting in nearly 200 deaths and the loss of 3 ships in a single night. Zwaardvis suffered a similar fate earlier in 1939. Barracuda and Leng collided during an exercise, resulting in the loss of both ships. Otherwise, most of the Snoeks had uneventful careers with the surviving rest decommissioned en masse in August of 1943 as Fleet Plan 1943 was underway.

[Ko-oren]

Project Wiki: Government

Ko-oren is a unitary semi-presidential republic with a meritocratically appointed legislative and executive branch, a representative and democratically elected parliament as an auditory branch, and a separate, independent judicial branch. In a semi-presidential structure, there is both a prime minister and a president. The prime minister - also the head of state - is the head of the executive branch with the ministers as its members, and the president leads the legislative branch which is comprised of the staff of ministries who collect information and opinions and propose legislation. The parliament can veto this legislation and otherwise oversees the proposal and approval of legislation and budgets. The judicial branch has the power to interpret and apply laws.

Branches

The executive branch consists of the prime minister and his ministers, collectively called the cabinet. Until recently, the cabinet consisted of a few members, typically 12, though the last several cabinets have included junior ministers and numbered up to 72. All members are appointed: the prime minister is appointed by a broad committee, assembled ad hoc from members of the public (journalists, professors, agencies, and, recently, members of parliament). In turn, the ministers are appointed by the prime minister and the broad committee. The cabinet is responsible for the day-to-day running of the country, implementing legislation, and setting the agenda for their ministries during their term.

The legislative branch consists of the president, the vice president, and the (senior) staff of the ministries. Like the executive branch, there often were 12 ministries, but their number has risen to as high as 72 under recent cabinets. The president is appointed by the ministries and almost always is chosen from their ranks. This branch proposes new laws based on the research done by ministry staff. The laws and decisions can be swayed by the agenda set by the executive branch, as ministers - part of the executive branch - are also heads of the ministries - who are the legislative branch. Generally, however, research into data and sentiment within society leads to a proposal for policy, which is written within the ministry and checked against the agenda of the minister frequently.

The judicial branch consists of the supreme court and its hierarchy of regional courts (district courts), as well as the separate constitutional court. Members are appointed from within and come from the nation's universities. Decisions by district courts can be appealed and will then be handled by a court of appeals, and after another appeal, by the supreme court. The constitutional court has been instated in the last century to oversee the 'spirit of the law' and to check that proposed policy, ministerial agendas, and decisions made by courts fit that intended spirit.

The auditory branch consists of the democratically elected parliament, which has 144 members. Two-thirds of seats are decided in national elections with a six-year term length, with each election covering one-third of seats. The remaining third are district seats, with each region of Ko-oren being allocated, according to population size, a number of seats. This is to avoid the pitfalls of a two-party system in a one-seat-per-district system. Elections are held every two years: two national elections followed by a district election, and only one-third of seats can change during each election. The parliament checks proposed and accepted legislation and budgets. It has had a veto power during some cabinets.

Agencies

To further protect a meritocratic system that is otherwise highly susceptible to corruption, a number of agencies has been created who can give binding advice into personnel choices, legislation, and budget proposals. These are the ombudsman general (who takes into account objections from the general public), the comptroller general (for finance), auditor general (adherence to existing legislation and standards), a privacy and information commissioner (privacy law, information security), an ethics commissioner, and an integrity commissioner. The position of language commissioner exists as well, for cultural matters.

Devolution

Ko-oren is divided into 30 regions along cultural and climate lines. Regions take centre stage in land planning, both urban, suburban, agricultural, and natural. Regions are tasked with executing policies made at the national level, and supply information to the legislative body for proper and efficient policy creation. For tourism, as well as several other services, regions band together in larger organisations ('Tourism Northeast' encompasses Sahmanaubahl, Libahilotalhaun, Mahrkioren, Aerellen, Azuren, and Thelibahlan).

Regions are further subdivided into municipalities, which take care of services such as garbage collection.

Constitution

Main article: Constitution of Ko-oren

The constitution of Ko-oren is a living document, reviewed every twenty-four years, by a committee of people who were previously involved in one of the four branches, but journalists, (university) professors, and even laypeople are invited onto the committee as well. The preamble sees frequent changes in wording though the meaning of the text has stayed largely the same in the last several centuries. Section three, which details how the government operates, sees much more changes. Section five sees sweeping changes in every edition, as it deals with devolution, the extent of which changes cabinet by cabinet. Section seven is a recent addition, while section eight forms a conclusion that, like the preamble, has stayed almost entirely the same since the first drafting of the document.

An early constitution was drafted two thousand years ago, upon the creation of the Bay Confederacy, in which city states willingly gave up powers to a newly created central organisation. The constitution was used to delineate which powers were central and which were devolved to cities. Over time, the importance of the constitution waned and for a time it was merely a historic document, remembered for the creation of the state of Ko-oren, but with no impact on life at the time. Eight hundred years ago, a new attempt was made to write a constitution, as Ko-oren started to take up an international role, but this document also had little impact on the rights of Ko-orenites - it was a document detailing how Ko-oren worked (descriptively, not prescriptively). Two hundred and fifty years ago, the first draft of the current constitution was made, modelled after documents in other nations, during a time where Ko-oren rapidly became unitarian. This document included basic human rights and devolution rules.

International relations

Ko-oren is a member of the World Assembly and has a permanent mission to the WA, GA, and SC. There is also a permanent mission to Koroa City for Anaian matters, as Ko-oren takes an active role within the region. The country further takes part in many international initiatives, and takes an especially large role in ecology and sustainability matters, and champions the meritocratic cause.

Law enforcement

Law enforcement is covered by national police. In matters involving politics, police, or armed forces, a special police branch takes over. In protected natural areas, rangers take over police powers. There is a separate tax and customs service for internal financial matters and import and export facilities. The coast guard is an extensive branch with police capabilities.

Military

Until recently, Ko-oren did not have armed forces. From the coast guard, a navy was developed, and from the navy, an air force was further developed.

[Jeruselem]

Princess Alice Stella Dallas talking with Jeruselem player Airi Kima after Jeruselem lost 3-0 to Juvencus at Dazza Dallas Stadium …

Alice: Hey, Airi. Rough day at home by the looks of it.
Airi: Yeah, but we weren't expected to win anyway so I guess it doesn't matter anyway.
Alice: From the looks of it, we're not even going get near that top 3 spot.
Airi: As long as we're not in last spot
Alice: Definitely don't want that unwanted achievement
Airi: I don't expect us to qualify but finishing last is not replacement target for sure

Alice: I hear you found some new better paying work in the off season
Airi: Yeah well, normal modelling jobs aren't really worth the time these days. And there's always younger women out there doing for cheaper than you.
Alice: So what's the change?
Airi: I guess I'm not getting any younger and football is not for one getting too old. So I guess I have to use my looks while I'm have them. Got into mature nude modelling.
Alice: You're in Jeruselem, it's not like nudity is uncommon.
Airi: I'm not uninhibited like you. I'm not an natural exhibitionist.

Alice: SO how did you find this job
Airi: A friend say she found this agency which pays more than one I am using. She's a bit shameless so she doesn't care how indecent the work is. She does a lot porn on the side but I looked into it anyway.
Alice: So less hours and more money.
Airi: I guess you don't have spend hour getting dressed if you're doing nude modelling
Alice: I guess you might getting to end of the football career
Airi: Getting older and picking up more injuries these says. It's a sign I'll need to find something else to do as I might not be able to keep it up.

Alice: Not the stay at home mom type
Airi: I get bored easily, staying at home all day isn't my thing.
Alice: You could become one of them social media influencers from home
Airi: I've got the wrong personality for that. I'm kinda of awkward socially, unlike you who loves the spotlight.
Alice: Well good luck with that. If you want have a go at more adventurous work, I got friends who can help.
Airi: Yes, I know you know a lot of Jeruselem porn stars.

Alice: There's no harm in having alternative forms of income
Airi: Football is not like an office job, you have real used by date. Your body will give up on you.
Alice: It is a job for younger folk for sure, I guess you're one of the older players.
Airi: I'm only just recovering from some recent injuries, not sure I can keeping going if I just aggravate them worse.
ALice: Let me know if you want more outside work
Airi: I'll keep to my limits for now.

Alice: CaN see your recent work?
Airi: I guess so, considering you're the one not wearing anything at the moment.
Alice: So, where these photos going?
Airi: Oh, they are on a web site with required subscriptions. I guess that's how they pay for the models.
Alice: I see the makeup people got busy hiding them football scars
Airi: It's amazing what those people do, they magically hide years of ageing and your imperfections

Alice: A lot of girls on team also have these side jobs
Airi: I know, they know they won't be football players forever like me
Alice: Jeruselem may not be the best team on the field, but we have one of more attractive females on the field
Airi: I have a suspicion that's why people still watch the team, it's not because we're winning all the time - well not at the moment
Alice: Football has always been about entertainment anyway, winning and qualifying is the bonus if it happens
Airi: Looks like we're not to qualify again

[Gnejs]

Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!

Come gather around you children of spring and let us delve deeper into the tale of how The Prosaic Union of Gnejs ceased to be.

There was now hardly any doubt about that one star twinkling just a tad bit too intensely on the night sky as the grizzled old homesteader Vidar Björnstjärna pressed on through the thick foliage of The Interior on his way to the big lake so and so many clicks from his home in the Hellavika valley. Mönch, amateur stargazers have singled in on as the star that turned out to be a herald of destruction. A star in the constellation of Virgo, it is estimated to be over six billion years old; usually too dim to be visible to the naked eye, but astrological sleuths and other enthusiasts are sure that its unusually increased radiance was what people experienced back then, and who am I to disagree? Named after majestic alps of old, it would indeed make some sort of poetic sense if it would be the one acting as The Prosaic Union’s own ominous morning star. And yes, the ground also very much trembled (with malicious intent!) on that day, and this was actually what had drawn old Vidar out on the trails to begin with. But I digress.

He had become something of a living legend, old Vidar. He had been out there steading since the early 1960’s and had outlived all the Interior trends and tendencies and movements and eras since then. It was a Björnstjärna family tradition, to go live The Interior Way for a few years after finishing school and Vidar had done what his father and mother and grandparents and great grandparents and so on and so on had done before him. It was a way of connecting with your roots and the land, to make sure you never forgot where you came from and how small a piece you were in the grand scheme of everything that was Gnejs. The difference was that Vidar had never stopped. True, there were the years in the early 1970’s when he had returned to Nokkeby with Mathilda after she refused to raise a child in the wild. She had almond-shaped grey eyes and had done a tour as a social worker at The Hearth when they met and fell madly in love. He had brought her to Hellavika and they had shared a magical summer together but when winter came knocking and her belly started growing the spell had worn off. He had struggled greatly with adjusting to life outside The Interior and had been burdened by depression. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave his wife and child behind and return to the wild, and he was aware of how profoundly selfish his actions were, but still he felt like he had no other choice. So he returned to his hand-built cabin made up of logs and mud and moss to resume a life of quiet toil unpolluted by the burdens of modern civilization. He foraged and tended a small garden, he hunted and trapped game with tools of his own making. It was a life deeply connected to the seasons, where spring and summer was all about preparing and late autumn and winter all about enduring and surviving. In large parts a life cut off from other people, but never one of complete isolation; he interacted with other residents of valleys and forests when needed, and he never felt truly alone when the land itself was so full of life.

He tried to be the best parent he could, and loved to spend time with little Eleanor when her mother brought her to The Hearth every other month. There was a strong bond between father and daughter in those early years, but it soon withered and by Eleanor’s teenage years they were all but estranged. Life in The Interior continued though, and allowed for no respite or breaks due to such personal reasons or sorrows. Vidar had seen it all. He had been there for The Shamanic Troubles of the late 1970’s, where tensions between practitioners of Prosaic Shamanism, Messianic Shamanism and Traditionalist Shamanism boiled so fiercely it often came to blows on the slopes of the southern mountains. He was there for the New Green Wave of the late 1980’s when interest in old traditions and ways of life had a huge resurgence and young professionals from the city all of a sudden wanted to move out and live closer to nature and in accordance with the stories of old. He had lived through the steep decline in the homesteader population that began in the mid 1990’s and continued to the end of days. He had brokered peace deals between Bear and Snake cultists, he had survived the blizzards of 1983 and 2003, he had performed the rituals of old where the Wild Roses grow and picked the cloudberries of the north. He had saved countless lost travelers from certain death and buried old Friends at the foot of Mount Frøya. During all these years he rarely gave much thought to the world beyond the trees, living a life of deep satisfaction in his valley. This changed when news reached him of the birth of his granddaughter Augusta (who would eventually become a capable NSST player in her early twenties), which stirred a sensation within him and he even went to the lengths of spending prolonged periods of time visiting Eleanor and Augusta in their home on the outskirts of Nokkeby. The bond between grandfather and -daughter grew strong over time, and when Augusta became older it was rather she who came and visited him in The Interior (much to the displeasure of her mother) and he treasured her visits more than anything. He started showing more interest in the outside world as Augusta grew up and often trekked to The Hearth to read newspapers and if possible watch broadcasts of his granddaughter playing. His increased exposure to the intricacies and developments of modern civilization left him disturbed and his life acquired an added layer of deep stress and unease.

His first thought after the tremors rocked him awake was of Augusta. He experienced intense discomfort and anguish, fueled by a deep fear for his granddaughter’s safety. I don’t know why he decided he needed to go down to the lake, but that’s what he did. If I had to guess, it was based on stories told to him by his old Friend Hieronymus, who for many years headed the Boysenberry Synod. A common theme for many of the shamanic traditions was origin myths of the Life Water, and for Hieronymus and his followers that big lake at the very bottom of the valley held an especially deep significance. Now, the woodland surrounding the lake was littered with dead wildlife; Vidar had noticed and pondered the quietness and seeming lack of life in the valley for some time, but he had never seen anything like what he witnessed that day. The primordial fear grew ever stronger when he reached the lake and saw that its water had somehow petrified into solid rock, and it exploded into panic as he remembered yet another of Hieronymus’ old tales. «Will I reach Augusta in time?» Vidar thought to himself as he ran back up the slopes. He did not, in the end, but not for a lack of trying.

[Paradystopia]

'Guilty Feathers 2' poster is AI generated, with 'Coming Soon' banner added by me.
I feel dirty and disappointed in myself.
Funny how the use of AI provokes that in me, but not the creation of a romance film series with questionably bestial undertones.
I'll be sure to mention it to my therapist ...

---

"Roll the VT!"

It's been a long year for Chadley Pumpernickel since the tragic death of his wife.

But now he's ready to move on, and to explore a different side to himself.

Can he find love again, or will his feelings for Hugo once again cause tragedy?

Get ready for the long-awaited sequel to 'Guilty Feathers', 'Guilty Feathers 2'.

Experience the highs and lows of Chadley's quest for a happily ever after with more romance, more backstabbing, and many, many more gratuitous man-on-man sex scenes than the original.

Be a part of the Paradystopi cinema event of the year!

'Guilty Feathers 2', Coming soon!

"Thank you Stefan for that sneak peek at your upcoming film. Anyway, next on the show we have Rhoderick Erdnussbougher, Manager of our national football team amidst, what is looking to be, a surprisingly successful campaign. Everybody, give it up for Rhoderick!"

Rhoderick steeled himself and tried to block out the sound of the overbearing canned applause. Why he'd accepted to come on a talk show, he really didn't know. He knew he should have just sent Error. Granted, it would've been a questionable decision to let him be the voice of the national team, but it would've probably made for some good TV. It was however, much too late to back out now and offering a wan smile and nod of acknowledgement to a wildly gesticulating producer, he took his cue and stepped onto the stage.
Directly ahead of him stood the elegantly suited Markus Lazhan; host of the eponymous 'Markus', the show Rhoderick now found himself a guest upon. He was a tall, slender gentleman who exuded an air of quiet power. His face was mostly warm and welcoming, though belied by eyes that pierced like needles as though they were targeting upon your deepest, darkest secrets and evaluating how best to extract them with minimal effort. He shook Rhoderick's hand firmly in both hands and greeted him so gregariously you could almost believe you were witnessing the reunion of two estranged best friends. Rhoderick however, had not been in the same room as this man at any point prior.
He was pointed towards a long sofa, upon which sat two others who had now moved along to vacate the spot nearest Markus' seat for Rhoderick. Both clapped in the same disinterested way and flashed non-commital smiles, more for the cameras benefit than for Rhoderick, as he took his seat. The woman had been the first guest, a short, severe looking lady of Arkan descent whose name he hadn't caught. She had been espousing the adoption of some ludicrously radical matriarchal politics. The man was film director Stefan Davidson. He was dressed entirely in white, barring a black alice band which kept his long feathery black hair off of his face and some sort of black lily as a buttonhole. He was obviously attempting to portray an image of an artist and was quite grotesquely man-spreading seemingly to maximise the chance of some part of his anatomy being in shot at all times.

"So Rhoderick, Rhoderick, Rhoderick ... Tell me all about the football ..."
"Well, ermm ... What do you want to know?"

Markus gave a measured chuckle, though his eyes said to Rhoderick 'Who the fuck are you to be asking questions on my show?'

"Well, we're having a good run of things presently. Three wins on the bounce, Vixette, Moladea and most recently, Auprussia. Should we be entertaining the fact that Paradystopia could be making the finals?"
"Oh. Ermm, well, to be honest, I don't know if ..."

Again, Markus' piercing glare delved into Rhoderick's psyche.

"... I mean, It's certainly ermm, possible, I guess."
"Fantastic. I did notice you made an interesting choice against Chromatika by the way. You opted to not play Error, yes? Given his recent success in front of goal, was that perhaps an oversight?"

Rhoderick remembered all too well the events in the changing rooms at Z'ai'ai Field. Error, believing that Chromatika's ability was intrinsically linked to colour, had painted his skin, from head to toe, in black paint. Not wishing to bring about a scandal, Error had been barricaded in the team showers by the rest of the squad for the entirety of the match and Kiaran ordered him a book he found online entitled 'How to not be racist, for dummies'.

"No, no, I ermm, I think we were just trying something different."
"Interesting. Anyway, Moladea, and a new record set for largest away victory. Sadly, I missed the game but I can imagine it being the culmination of your tactical vision coming to fruition?"

Some time prior, in Moladea

---

"Pass the fucking ball! Find some damned space! Move up! Don't pass it ther... Oh, for fuck's sake! Defend!"

Rhoderick's throat was beginning to suffer. For close to ninety minutes, Paradystopia had looked more inept than usual. Nothing was working. It had seemed to be the first match in which the team, on paper, looked in the driving seat. Off the back of a victory to Vixette, and against a misfiring Moladean squad who'd yet to get a victory in the group. This seemed a ripe opportunity to gain some much needed points. As things currently stood though, they scarcely deserved one for the draw. Iona was struggling against the offside trap, Kiaran's long passes were inaccurate to say the least, and Hleqrru was having no joy trying to break through the midfield. Rhoderick had even begun encouraging the penguins to get forward in an attempt to tease a goal from a stagnant game.
The clock hit ninety, and the fourth official's board announced there would be a further five minutes of play. It was about this time that Jim found himself in the opposition area, and then was promptly tripped over by a member of the Moladean midfield. Rhoderick's head fell into his hands, and awaited the likely yellow card for Jim. The referee however, disagreed and pointed to the spot. For whatever reason, the official adjudged the Moladean player to have fouled Jim. Heated debate ensued, but the decision stood and Anja easily slotted home the opener.
The Moladea squad upped their intensity and pushed to find a quick reply in the dying seconds, only to find themselves caught on the counter. Finally Kiaran managed to play a long ball on target, Iona nailed her timing and found herself one-on-one with the keeper. She tried to place it round an outstretched arm into the far corner but it was off-target. She hadn't however, seen Jim, having waddled the length of the pitch at record speed, and slid on his belly to tap the ball goalward at the far post. In their defence, following the penalty decision, the Moladean's had given the penguin a wide berth for fear of incurring another foul.
Moladea went into all-out attack but bringing their keeper up turned out to be a bad decision after an errant shot was blocked by the back of Kiaran Schlippe, and fell at Error's feet. His long shot for within his own half into an empty net found it's mark and inexplicably, Paradystopia claimed a 3-0 victory.

---

WCQ99 MD7
        Moladea 0-3 Paradystopia
                       Bortland (p) 90'
                       Jim 90'+4
                       Message 90'+6

"Oh yeah, everything went ermm, well, according to plan. We err, pulled through in the end."
"And I'm sure, after that performance, A home victory against Auprussia was a mere formality?"
"I suppose you could, ermmm ... yeah, you could say that."

A few days ago in Paradystopia

---

"Pass the fucking ball! Find some damned space! Move up! Don't pass it to ... Oh, for fuck's sake! Defend!"

Whilst an impressive away win may have buoyed the confidence of the Paradystopi squad, the general standard of play began very similarly to the previous match. Iona Schlippe was though, determined to get her name on the score sheet and despite a lack of quality in the balls sent her way, she was still giving the Auprussian defence something to think about. Given Auprussia seemed to have Paradystopia outmanned and out-organised in the midfield though, it looked unlikely to come to anything.
That was, until Jim started pushing forward.
Whether getting his name on the score sheet in the previous match had triggered something in Jim, it was impossible to tell but what was apparent, was that he was playing further up the pitch of his own accord and triangulating his position with Hleqrru and Kiaran. He began taking a role in one-two plays allowing the deep midfielder to lose their markers. He began finding a way to be in exactly the right spot to allow clearances to bounce off his head and to the feet, or into the path of a team-mate. This, on top of being in exactly the right place to impede an advancing Auprussian player. For reasons no-one could explain, Paradystopia now had a capable regista who just happened to be a penguin.
As the first half neared its end, Paradystopia found themselves looking the more dangerous team.
As they hit stoppage time before the interval, it was Jim, with a deft flick of his foot, who nutmegged Ingalcer Pardau thus putting Kiaran Schlippe in space. Kiaran lofted the ball forward, setting up a footrace between Iona and Arin Seaxany. Iona found an edge, and with a half-volley into the ground saw the ball bounce over a diving Gallis and into the net.
Auprussia returned from the break determined to hit back but if there was one thing the Paradystopi squad knew they could do, it was soak up pressure. They held firm, and by the time Anja Bortland's quickly taken corner in the sixty-fourth minute found Iona's head at the near post and gratefully slotted home, Paradystopia were in the driving seat. Whilst Ariou Adalrisse kept the pressure up with a quick reply, the match was Paradystopia's to lose and they clung on to their third successive victory.

---

WCQ99 MD8
           Paradystopia 2-1 Auprussia
I.Schlippe 45'+1, 64'          Adalrisse 68'

"Wonderful. Well, here's hoping to the good form continuing. Thank you Rhoderick Erdnussbougher for your time. We'll now be taking a short break for a message from our sponsor, Dr. Chonk's Patented Medicinal Salt, now with added sodium!"

[Audioslavia]

The Empire’s State-Building
Written: January 2023

Let’s go back to World Cup 29 Matchday 1. We know Quakmybush overcome Praying2God’s Under Sixes, but what’s happening elsewhere? It isn’t the only game we’re covering today. Five minutes gone, and here come the Bostopians.

“He kicks the ball out upfield, and it’s chested down by Serring. Serring plays the ball right to Reppon…who charges down the right flank, he’s got past McCray, and Houser’s coming out toward Reppon! Oh Reppon with a wonderful jink past Houser there, he’s into the area with a cross looking for Trent on the penalty spooooooooooooooooooot! IT’S IN! TRENT WITH A WONDERFUL HEADER INTO THE TOP LEFT CORNER! BOSTOPIA GO ONE NIL UP IN THE 5TH MINUTE!”

:- Bostopia, 2006-06-21

And there’s this team called Elves Security Forces who, it turns out, play football quite well.

Here we are 11 minutes in.

Here is Stone coming down the left side. Oh look at that move she put on Alavarez, I've never seen her pull that off before. Collins is making a run into the penalty area and Stone puts it right on his feet just outside Scuro's reach. Here comes Petäjä trying to close him down, and he gets the ball to Zacharius, GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!
Did you see that shot?! Perfect placement, bottom right corner. I've said it before and I'll say it again, placement over power gets it done.

:- Elves Security Forces, 2006-06-21

…and sixteen minutes in.

The Marauders supporters are just settling down. They seemed to get a large contingent over despite the distance. Here come Cuellar down the middle, Manderine springing him. He dribbles past Rachmaninoff and Donovan, Night is making her run, and Cuellar lobs it into the penalty area. Night chests it down, Yngve is charging at her. GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!! Right over the outstreched hands. What class by the spunky little lady.

:- Elves Security Forces, 2006-06-21

The mania doesn’t last for Elves Security Forces. Though 2-1 up at the break, the Bulls of Audioslavia would find it within themselves to come back to snatch all three points for themselves.. Bostopia, too, would be pegged back to 1-1 and 2-1 by Liverpool England. The 90 minute mark would come and go with their experienced opponents firmly in control.

And yet…

…and it’s cleared behind for a Bostopian corner!
There’s Dave Kripp, the goalie! Even he’s coming up, Bostopia have nothing to loose now, they’re throwing everyone up!
Steven Serring to take the corner for Bostopia on the left hand side. The home fans are doing everything to put him off! Serring delivers the ball into the area, it’s met by Dave KRIPPPPPPPPP! Straight at Carrero but he can’t hold onto it, and it’s fell to the feet of Jamie TREEEEEEEEEEEEEEENT! IT’S IN! BOSTOPIA TWO LIVERPOOL ENGLAND TWO! THEY’VE DONE IT! IN THE THE DYING MOMENTS!
You don’t care how an equaliser this late comes, it was nearly from the goalie but the mêlée on the goal line has found Jamie Trent hoofing the ball into the back of the net, and rightfully there’s pandemonium in the stands!

:- Bostopia, 2006-06-21

Where the Elves fail, Bostopia gain a measure of success, holding Liverpool England to a famous two-all draw.

But it was at this point where Bostopia stop being co-protagonists. I never got to the bit where I researched and wrote about early Bostopia. Whoops sorry lol.

Zacharius and Kyla Night are the scorers of Elves Security Forces’s first two goals in World Cup football, but these aren’t their first goals in dark blue. In something of a theme for this series, they made their debuts in a long-forgotten regional tournament, this one called The Young World Cup, its results unfortunately lost to entropy. Zacharius, on 58 caps at the start of World Cup 29, is described as “an average striker", but one kept in the first team through their leadership skills. In thirty games in and around the regional tournament of The Young World Kyla Night has scored twenty-one goals. Come the end of the cycle, she will help herself to ten of her side’s 25 goals, with Zacharius netting six. Nicknamed the Devil’s Kiss, she represents the birth of this nation as a major footballing powerhouse.

You won't find a better strike partnership in the world football, at least not at the time. You may look at the volume of their goalscoring output and doubt that a little, but consider this: The two players are an item. During qualifying the pair announce their intention to marry in a ceremony that will coincide with World Cup 29’s final. By the start of World Cup 30, they have a two year old son.

Elven Times
What's On The Horizon?

With the upcoming 30th edition of the NSWC (Nationstates World Cup) and our Elven Marauders entry into it, we look ahead to the competition.

Q: Will the Marauders do one better off their last campaign and qualify for the proper?
A: We think Yes.
Why?: With the expierence gained from the first go around, the squad is now ready and knows what to expect from their competition.

Q: Will Night be the leading scorer for the Marauders?
A: Of course.
Why?: Night is the best player that the ESF has ever seen, and she just continues to get better.

Q: Now that Zacharius and Night are hitched and have a kid, how long until we see the child on the pitch?
A: As soon as they are eligable
Why?: His parents are two of the top 3 strikers in the ESF history, enough said. Expect to see young Kiso Night in the 33rd Cup where he will be 15, which would make him the youngest elf on the national team.

:- Elves Security Forces, 2006-08-01

Kyla Night would indeed be the top scorer for her side in the qualifiers, not only for World Cup 30, but 31 and 32. She has it all. Speed. Skill. Talent.

But not luck.

Disastrous results throughout qualifying for World Cups 30 and 32 resulted in the side getting no further than mid-table, while in a World Cup 31 qualifying group of death they would find themselves pipped at the finish by, of all nations, regional rivals Demot. Goalscoring prowess alone isn't enough. You need lashings upon lashings of luck as well.

Qualifying records, cycles 29-33
           Pld   W   D   L  GD   PPG Qualifications
Quakmybush  62  38  11  13  74  2.02 4
Valanora    62  26  10  26  -4  1.42 0

While Quakmybush would never quite get going in the World Cup proper, ESF made a fist of things in the Cup of Harmony. Having turned down the offer in cycle 29, Cycle 30’s Marauders would do what so many future incarnations of their team would do: Reach the final of a WCC tournament. Dance 2 Revolution, mentioned before as “A Side Sativaville Wanted To Be”, were waiting in the final. Beaten finalists in the Cup of Harmony after World Cup 12, beaten finalists in World Cup 17, D2R finally took some silverware by virtue of an extra-time goal from…

RP was here...but jolt failed to post...will replace ASAP

:- Dance 2 Revolution 2006-09-30

Oh okay D2R yeah we’ll wait.

Whatever actually happened, Kyla Night’s six tournament goals were to be for nought.

Between cycles 29 and 32, at every opportunity, the Marauders threatened to take the world by storm and failed.

The side are desperate not to let their chance at World Cup 33 pass them by. Looking for some kind of impetus, the side find the Prince that was Promised. The Foretold. The Prodigal Son. First born kin of Marauder strike duo Kyla Night and Zacharia: Kiso Night. At just sixteen years old, Kiso takes up a starting spot alongside mother and father in a new 3-4-3 system that suits the expansive Vanorian style of play. Kiso would score six goals throughout qualifying, Kyla nine, with Zacharius finally taking a brief step from his wife’s shadow to net twelve.

It’s only enough for a 9-4-4 record going into the final game, with the side a distant third behind Bettia and Jeruselem. They enter their final game of qualifying knowing that, to be absolutely certain of making the big dance, to be granted the opportunity to play in the World Cup held in Quakmybush, they would need to end their qualifying campaign with a win. A win against a team that knows all about winning.

Their opponents are Lovisa.

---

[Aphrilia]

OOC: A break from my usual style of RPing.

Eight matchdays have came and passed. How is Aphrilia doing?

Well, definitely much better than the first half of World Cup 98 Qualifying, that's for sure. In fact, so much better to the point that we are currently tied for first place in the group against StrayaRoos. Yes, the Pot 2 team in our group. For many, it truly was by this point that everyone believed that Aphrilia was in their new era. There were no more doubters. No doubters of the players, the staff, of NAFA, people saw this team and performances and told themselves, "Yeah, I can put my faith in this team." That was what everyone watching this team said. Even those who don't watch football regularly, they can see the team's results and trust them.

Group 13                       Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Aphrilia                     8   5  2  1   17   8  +9   17
   StrayaRoos                   8   5  2  1   18   9  +9   17
 3 The Kytler Peninsulae        8   5  1  2   11   8  +3   16
 4 Hapilopper                   8   4  1  3   13  14  −1   13
 5 Natkr                        8   3  2  3   15  15   0   11
 6 Kimi-Suomi                   8   3  1  4   13  11  +2   10
 7 Anewkansas                   8   1  5  2   11  12  −1    8
 8 The North Polish Union       8   2  2  4   11  14  −3    8
 9 Alanis Star                  8   2  1  5   15  23  −8    7
10 Germanic Cat                 8   1  1  6    8  18 −10    4

But we can't let our guard down yet.

Remember, this is only nearing halfway through qualifying, we still have about ten matches left to go (Assuming it's a double round robin, which I believe it is). The Anchors have certainly turned their fortunes around, but that is for now. Who knows what will happen within the second half of qualifying. There's still many chances for this team to crash and burn.

But, perhaps thinking about it... How is the team able to perform much better than last time around? Was it a sort of code they were ale to crack? Are they using a new training routine that is perhaps being kept secret? Are The Anchors playing dirty by committing bribery and other such heinous crimes? Of course not! Especially for the latter, there is absolutely zero chance that they are stooping so low. Anyways, I can think of several reasons as to why they have been performing much better than expected. Here's some:

1. No Changes Towards The Roster
You might scoff at this, but I think it's legitimate. The sudden call-ups back in WC98 had shaken up the team. New faces tend to do that, but Christopher Vermont reportedly made those call-ups out of the blue. And of course, people were right to doubt this decision and the players that were now on the national team. But everyone seems to be on good terms for the most part. Had those call-ups not been made, perhaps the team could have been much more stable and perform with a better mindset. But the players that were chosen to be part of the national team all have proven their worth, and thus, Aphrilia have much more available choices in players. They've also been tactically valuable, adding variety.

2. Newer Tactics, More Refined
Leonardo Bianchi was brought into this team when his tactics were being questioned. When he seemed to have been performing... Worse than usual. At least for the national team regard. All it took was his first tournament with a team that was reeling from the bitter aftertaste of disappointment and failure to turn things around not just for himself, but also for this team and the fans. Their play during the Independent Associations Championship, there was clear improvement. The tactics seemed experimental at first, but so far it has been doing great for the team as of right now. The Anchors look explosive but still identifiable, a mix of original and new elements. And it's certainly been popular with the supporters!

3. The Team Is Taking Advantage Of Their Biology (And Training Appropriately)
You know how some of the players on the national team aren't even human? Well, here they're called ohia, if you can't remember. Just to name a few: Jessica Rhine-Faust, Ines Forrestal, Aguri Hosokawa, Alexander Burns... I think that's it. Maybe I missed some, who knows. Memory hasn't been fresh in ages that's for sure. I think Theresa Villa is one as well but... What she is supposed to be is currently under trepidation. Some say she isn't an ohia, and that she is a "Teñvana" according to what we know. In any case, they've shown greater physical abilities than a human and have been taking advantage of their biology for the team, and rightfully so! Because according to supposed leaks, Christopher Vermont had everyone follow up on the same schedule. If it was for the first time they all met then I would say it's understandable, but he was doing this until the very end of his reign as manager... Which I find dumb. Because seriously, you should've taken advantage of what you have. I think training plays a much larger part in what makes a player than people think.

Fortunately, from what I also hear, Bianchi doesn't make the same mistake and has the ohia train to their limits. Note that it doesn't mean everyone else gets a pass! No, in fact, I heard the training for the national team is actually much tougher on average. They want to win, right? Of course everyone will be trained to their limits and specialties. As long as it isn't being overdone then I believe it should continue. This is also seen on the field, if you couldn't tell. Back in WCQ98, the players looked out of it and sloppy on matchdays... Even though they had looked fine for the previous years. But this time, all of them seem prepared. They seem to be in great conditions on the physical side! The new training has definitely seemed to have a good effect on the team as a whole. And as long as the team performs well, I don't think the players have any complaints.

4. The Burning Desire To Redeem Themselves
Of course, this is the elephant in the room. Perhaps the most important out of them all...

Perhaps I've explained it before already, so to cut it short: This team was struck an incredible amount of blows. Not getting to the World Cup after having previously doing so, whilst also performing worse than their debut year. Things that they could (And couldn't) control fucking them over. A bitter aftertaste, as I said, with the final result that cemented shame and disappointment within their minds as well as resulting in their long-time manager taking the sack... Which wasn't helped by some of his horrendous decisions. From once a rising star to... Sudden frauds. Then the FA decided that, "Okay, things need to change." So they brought in a man who was also on that path.

Leonardo Bianchi changed himself and the team for the better, as accepting the fact that they had to make changes resulted in a 3rd Place finish at the IAC. And now, they're still pushing forward hard. They weren't satisfied with that podium finish, no, not yet. The flames of desire, the desire for redemption, was still being fanned within all of their hearts. You could literally feel the passion and heart that each person that was working, playing, and supporting this team had. It was to the point that it could be cut with a knife and it would blast towards you akin to a tidal wave. That is how much desire everyone has. And I really do think that's beautiful. Everyone is united towards a single goal.

And I repeat again, it's damn fucking beautiful.