World Cup 99 - RP Thread

by **Edsmontik** » Thu Jun 05, 2025 5:38 pm

OOC: Unfortunately, I lost my original draft to forgetting to press save, so this may look rushed.

Edsmontik 5-0 Yuugria
S. Utravak (16', 87'), R. Aespana (29'), S. Fotserr (41'), V. Jervanois (76') | None
World Cup 99 - Matchday 11
Post Game - 9:16PM, Sunday, 10/19/2031, Touve Suberarenae, Touve, Austrankank, Edsmontik

"A five-nil victory is a strong one."

"I agree. I mean, our biggest win yet! Good milestone."

"Next time we have to slam someone six-nil."

"That would be cool, an even larger win."

The Edsmons had just finished a pretty effortless match against Yuugria.
In the Touve Suberarenae, it was loud.
The stadium was also filled to the brim with Edsmon fans.

Everyone was having a good time in the locker room,discussing how they'd possibly achieve even more.

"We can get big wins."

The biggest celebration though, was with the rise of Sravagn Utravak.
In two games, he scored five goals.
It also just came out of nowhere, which was the biggest surprise.
It's like he gained powers from the gods.

However they couldn't loosen up just yet.
In two games, they'd be playing Chromatika again.
Chromatika was a very strong team.
If Edsmontik didn't put in the effort, they'd lose.

***

Edsmontik 5-0 Yuugria
World Cup 99 - Matchday 11
Post Game Interview - 9:20PM, Sunday, 10/19/2031, Touve Suberarenae, Touve, Austrankank, Edsmontik

"Hello Dav, I'm Kaera Soxzbvy with Inter Sports Network. We have a lot of questions for you if you haven't figured it out yet."

"Yes." der-Ghavyr replied. "I know."

"First of all," the Soxzbvy started, "What are you thoughts on the 5-0 win against Yuugria? How did it happen?"

"Well, the Edsmon team put in their hard work and scored as many goals as they could. They did a good job and I feel like their confidence as well as drive kept them up this game." Dav replied.

"Many months ago, Sravagn Utravak was once just a mediocre player. How have you or your team changed him into this goalscoring machine?"

"Well, I wouldn't say I had too much of a part. However I did influence him to push for his goals. It was mainly his team, who motivated him to just keep trying despite the failures." Dav said. "And look at him now, five goals in two matches. He deserves it after putting in that hard work."

"Now many fans have been concerned about the way you coach or coached your players. You've been pretty rough with them, but it seems like you've changed. Can you explain how this all played out?"

"It began a while before the World Cup." Dav started. "We were a top team in the IAC. I was very encouraging around this time, not so scared of mistakes. And then, we got knocked out pretty early on. I wasn't happy about that. And so, I changed my coaching to a more rough style. I thought it would put the players into positions where they were always doing their best, but it didn't turn out that way. Recently, I found my mistake and have tried to be better to my team."

"Well, that's a good outcome. If Edsmontik can keep up their good performances like this, we'll be seeing them surpass many others."

"Indeed."

***

Edsmontik 5-0 Yuugria
S. Utravak (16', 87'), R. Aespana (29'), S. Fotserr (41'), V. Jervanois (76') | None
World Cup 99 - Matchday 11
Post Game - 9:16PM, Sunday, 10/19/2031, Touve Suberarenae, Touve, Austrankank, Edsmontik

Edsmontik 2-0 Paradystopia
I. Javarqa (36'), S. Utravak (57') | None
World Cup 99 - Matchday 11
Post Game - 1:40PM, Thursday, 10/23/2031, "Muddy Field", Paradystopia

"You know I don't think that field is supposed to be used."

"Yeah, It was... an interesting experience to say the least."

"Whatever. All that matters is that we won, and we get to hold top spot!"

"Just because we hold the top spot that doesn't mean we can just give up now. We're not guaranteed qualification yet. There are still many games remaining."

"I guess you're right."

The Eagles, having just finished an interesting game against Paradystopia, were all tired.
Playing on a muddy field definitely had its side effects.
It was hard to run without slipping, and the ball would slow down or speed up randomly.

However, tackling was much easier.
One slide, and you've basically been carried to the other side of the field.
Or you'd just get stuck in a clump of mud.

The fact that it was a "WCC-Grade" stadium was absolutely wild to some players.
The pitch wasn't even rectangular!
But this is what a small budget could do.
So the Edsmons didn't complain.
As long as they were able to play, they'd be fine.

"Hey, did you see that goal alignment?"

"No, what about it?"

"Reus said that you could score from a corner. No curl."

"No curl? You're joking. That field is bad but it isn't that bad."

"No, I swear. Remember that shot in the match where he almost scored from right there?"

"No?"

"Well that's what I mean. He put no curve on the ball whatsoever and still got close."

"Look, I'm the back up for if the ball gets loose every corner. I wouldn't know. It just looks normal from my view."

"Makes sense."

"Now I have to say, the wildest things have happened this World Cup."

"Yeah."

"Half lion half man creatures from Vixette, penguins that can talk, a lot of stuff."

"Honestly I'm a little tired of playing only humans. These other beings give us more or less of a challenge."

"True. I guess more differences do make it fun."

"Anyways, where's my phone? I swear I left it on that table."

"I haven't seen it. Maybe someone took it."

"Hey, a note!"

"Read it, I can't see!"

"'The greatest midfielder has taken your phone! Oh no!' Who can this be?"

"I know who."

"Who?"

"The guy you always compete with."

"Ystermakt!"

"Yep."

"I'll get you!"

***

Edsmontik 2-0 Paradystopia
I. Javarqa (36'), S. Utravak (57') | None
World Cup 99 - Matchday 11
Post Game - 1:40PM, Thursday, 10/23/2031, "Muddy Field", Paradystopia

Next Lineup (GK -- LB, CB, CB, RB -- LM, CM, RM -- LCF, RCF, ST)
S. Lankiv -- S. Kizani, I. Javarqa [C], B. Norseden, V. Jervanois -- K. Wejikaj, D. Ystermakt, O. Reuhans -- M. Svaardaen, S. Fotserr, V. Reiovus

Injured Players

E. der-Stoiuben, L. Fruedenne, M. Ghreksbvy, M. Stuero, V. Bervaign

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Thu Jun 05, 2025 5:43 pm

While the whole country has been thinking about what happened to their last national team, the new one appear to have found something's clicked.

The Zube Olympic Stadium was a nervous place ahead of the match against Natkr, for whom a win would put them above their hosts and truly validate the argument within some circles in that country that their side could beat this phoenix one. Those thoughts didn't hold up when Natkr were the home side, and they certainly didn't survive contact with the Kytlerians on their own patch.

Within twelve minutes, Ethan Carter had been beaten twice; Sylvia Villa got the first with a chipped finish after finding far too much space on the left, Dino Azar detonated the second in trademark fashion. As he would for the third on the half-hour. As he would again for a fourth just before the break. He was substituted on the hour for Joke Feltkamp, who promptly added a fifth with her first touch, and at that point both teams seemed to just accept that they didn't need to waste any more energy on this. Goodness knows the Kytlerians were happy to have a quieter half-hour at this point.

But that's at home. The away matches are another matter considering this team literally has to confront a PTSD trigger every time they play one. Yes, it's only Germanic Cat. Yes, they seem purrfectly welcoming to play against. But they took the lead in Alaer, let's not forget. Hjördis Sigurdsdóttir certainly didn't, as she set about adding to the second-half goal she scored that night, building on her sensational form in this same system at Aardswood United. And it took eight minutes for her to do just that, after a Felix Katzmann clearance was shanked directly into her path under pressure from the charging Dino Azar. Three minutes later, Alex Ellington got in on the pressing action, another mishit clearance, this one at least made it as far as Zachary Edwards-Hillier but he quickly picked out Sigurdsdóttir and she easily slotted home to double the advantage.

The Kytlerians were unlucky not to score more before the break, but they did get their third three minutes after the restart, Sigurdsdóttir turning provider with Ellington completely unmarked at the far post. That was the cue for Vicente to be sacrificed - somehow he didn't score in either of these matches, but he simply didn't need to - and Stijn Beverwijk, his replacement, wrapped things up ten minutes from time having been denied by two great Katzmann saves earlier.

Nine goals without reply in two matches, one against a key rival for qualification and the other away from home in a match that could easily have finished even more one-sided than it already did.

"This is the kind of performance we've been aspiring to all along," said manager Thomas Hooker after the Natkr match. "We dominated possession, our pressing forced mistakes and created openings, and obviously the finishing was impressive from Dino Azar, he truly gobbled up those chances." Food analogy entirely intended with this particular player, the Kytlerian-Quebecois-Tamazghan tri-national known for his eating enthusiasm. "If we keep performing to that level, we can definitely start having the dreams we had before."

Ah, yes, before. Because, no matter what this team does, they will always be the after. The team that, for the most part, weren't even meant to represent their country before - at least not yet - doing so anyway, because they were who was left after.

by **Pasarga** » Thu Jun 05, 2025 6:10 pm

The campaign was really starting to heat up and Thor was thankful that at long last the strike force was finally showing its true colors, it was just a shame that it took half the cycle to finally start happening. However with their wins combined with a surprise loss by TJUN-ia, the Wanderers now sat in a three way tie for second in the group on twenty-five points but was currently sitting at the top of that grouping thanks to the way the tiebreakers currently were shaking out. They were still sitting four points behind Saterun and after they defeated TJUN-ia in TJUN-ia and had held the Wanderers in Torgos, it was clear that they were not going to melt away as the campaign headed into its home stretch. It was shaking out to be a five team race for just three spots to make it to the Finals, with Saterun sitting in the pole position, which was not the way that Thor had expected this group to shake out with six games left on the schedule, but his hope of being the team setting the pace for the rest of the competition slipped away with their inability to score with any regularity in the first half of the campaign.

Getting a hattrick from Járngrímur in Anaia was a huge boost and the Graintfjall born striker showed the lethal attack that they had shown over the last few years at the domestic level with regularity. It was a huge three points against Cobrio, bringing the two sides level on points and giving the Pasargan team the head to head advantage against them, which looked like it was shaping up to be quite the important statistic if the group was going to head down to the wire. That slight advantage could mean the difference between the Wanderers making it to their third straight Finals and to making an unceremonious trip to the Cup of Harmony despite being the group's top seed and seventeenth in the world. Thor was working all the angles, tricks, and motivational bits that he had up his sleeve to get the team playing up to that level, but it was definitely wearing on him and the stress of how close this group actually was definitely was not low. Thankfully it seemed like the team was receptive and listening to everything he had to say and actually executing it now, but this group felt like a powderkeg ready to blow with how tight it had become.

The home match against American Generations blissfully went as well as Thor could have hoped for with a six to one demolition of the visiting side, a vaunted showing in front of a happy home crowd that was there cheering the team on. The home fans were going to be a huge factor in the last remaining games on the schedule, Thor knew how much they could influence the way the team would feel going into games, how they could will the side on to grab victories from the jaws of defeat or draws. There were so many late goals in front of the fans of the Stade de Torgos both now as a manager and back when he was player. The fans were the lifeblood of the team and how the team was able to achieve more than what they were supposed to, all the cheers for the six goals was going to give the players a boost of morale. To be appreciated by the ninety thousand that filled the seats of the capital city stadium and were loyal to team was a feeling that could hardly be described, much less replicated except maybe at the biggest club's when playing in title deciding games or major knockout rounds.

The next window was crucial for Thor and the rest of the team, if they could win against Sargossa it would effectively eliminate one of the competitors for the third slot and give the Wanderers a win over their neighbors to the northeast across the sea. Before he could worry about the Corsairs and what threat that they could or could not still present, there was still the matter of the game at New Crywyzyxycynya to deal, a team that scored plenty of goals but was giving up plenty as well. It felt like it was the right game to bring Bogdan Laszlo back into the starting eleven and field what he thought was his best eleven. They were going to need the Algolia AC striker in the Finals if they got there and getting him back into the starting spot with games where they were expected to score plenty of goals seemed like the right move for Thor. Switching things in the middle of the campaign had sent the message that he needed to get the team back on the right track but to ensure the team had its best chance at qualifying he knew he needed his best players on the field and now was as good as time as any to set that in motion.

by **Drawkland** » Thu Jun 05, 2025 8:59 pm

METROPOLON, DRAWKLAND
The trio of Cam Cross, Nicole Warren, and Sarah Arrowsword wandered aimlessly through the Metropoloni mall. The girls had decided to stay in Drawkland's capital an extra day after their qualifying match against Vdara. They were in much higher spirits. The last few weeks had been a skid, but now they were back on a winning streak and gotten revenge against the group leaders. Cam proved to be instrumental in that win, scoring the winner on a counterattack in the 84th minute.

Nicole wasn't feeling as anxious despite the rather standard packed weekend crowd in one of Metropolon's bigger downtown shopping centers. She was actually feeling good. So good, in fact, she wasn't even that annoyed when they had a surprise run-in while out and about.

Cam spotted him first. This was probably the 4th or 5th time she'd randomly run into him in Metropolon. It was starting to almost be an expectation. Maybe I need to spend more time in the other quadrants of town, she mused to herself. It was Drawkian running back Jack Hoy.

Jack was wearing sunglasses (indoors no less), but his build was pretty recognizable if you'd seen him in person out of pads. He was sampling a fragrance at a cologne stand when he turned his head and noticed the three girls. His eyes, even obscured by his shades, noticeably lit up in recognition. He returned the cologne bottle to the shelf and briskly walked over to the Kick Corps trio.

"What are the odds?" Nicole asked first as Jack approached.

"Gotta be minimal!" Jack flashed a smile. "Not sure why you guys keep ending up in my backyard. Do you like vacationing in Metropolon that much?"

"Pretty much every time it's because we have a national team match here." Cam explained with a slightly strained tone. "Do you really not pay attention to the Kick Corps?"

"I don't have to." Jack crossed his arms and leaned back in a self-satisfied manner. "Been there, done that. Won gold at the Olympics. I've pretty much peaked at soccer! No need to continue following it."

"Is it a coincidence that you bring that up every time you see us?" Nicole sighed, but only rolled her eyes lightly.

"Absolutely not." Jack grinned. He looked across the three and shot an odd look at Sarah.

Sarah was uncharacteristically quiet, looking away from Jack as inconspicuously as possible.

"We just happen to like visiting a couple stores here whenever we're in town for work." Cam motioned up through a skylight, where the silhouette of the Pinnapex could be faintly seen. "We're actually getting dinner with the Elite Eleven tonight up in the Pinnapex. Real fancy place. We'll be heading out in the morning.

"Ahhh, cool, cool." Jack narrowed his eyes. "So how come you all are in town relatively often and yet you never hit me up to hang out?"

"Uh ..." Nicole didn't know how to respond, but Cam interjected smoothly.

"Well, we usually run into you when we're out and about, so we never have to call you." Cam said quickly.

"Ah, fair enough." Jack shrugged, and smiled again. "I'm just messing with you guys. I don't care. But my place is pretty sweet, I know Cam's seen it before. You're always welcome to hang! Just gotta let me know."

"Thanks, we appreciate it," Nicole replied automatically. She gave a weird look to Cam, who just shook her head slightly.

"Alright, I've got places to be. See y'all!" Jack put up a peace sign and started down the hall the opposite direction from the girls. In moments, he was swallowed up by the crowd.

"You've been to Jack Hoy's apartment?" Nicole turned questioningly to Cam.

"Oh, that was forever ago. Right after he got the place. I was with Jaxon and we ran into Jack and Leo, we got invited up and had nothing else to do so we checked it out." Cam specified. She wasn't sure if Nicole was being accusing or not. "It is a real nice place. Penthouse on one of those taller midtown corner towers."

"Okay, I got you." Nicole nodded. She didn't seem aggravated at all, so it must've been genuine curiosity.

"Meanwhile, what's your deal?" Cam raised a brow at Sarah. "Not one sarcastic comment thrown in?"

"Ah, I'm just tired," Sarah replied with yawn. Cam frowned a bit. Sarah was telling the truth, but it didn't seem direct.

"Let's get going," Nicole said, resuming her walk. "We've gotta get out of here at a reasonable hour so we can change for dinner.

A few hours later, the girls were dolled up and zooming upwards in one of the many Pinnapex elevators. The enormous skyscraper was the tallest in all of Sonnel, so a great variety of elevators with specific floor ranges were required. The specific restaurant the girls were going to was about the same height as the multiple buildings tied for second-tallest in the perfectly symmetrical city. Jaxon Madison had managed to get a reservation as the Elite Eleven, so all the team and their Kick Corps friends in the area were invited.

The girls mostly sat in their little cluster. Cam next Jaxon, Nicole next to Mike, Sarah off to one side, and Ross & Elias nearby. They tried the best to enjoy the real fancy food, and easily enjoyed the expensive wine and liquor being served. Conversation evolved as it usually did over the course of the evening.

Right as they were polishing off their main entrees, a thought popped into Cam's head. She had meant to ask Ross and Elias what happened with their tracking of the supposed tabloid spy. Once there was a gap in conversation, she launched the question their way.

"Oh, right. That whole thing." Ross said after a moment. He was clearly dejected about something.

"Did we not give the briefing there?" Elias inhaled sharply. He launched into an abbreviated version of the search. They'd finally had a name, Tamara Telly. It was probably a pen name, but it was some lead. After more research and retracing their earlier steps, they found a variety of articles written under this name, all of them from publications in the northern territory. Ross mapped out the city of origin and date of each article, eventually triangulating where she likely spent most of her time.

The amateur private investigation continued until Ross and Elias were certain. This supposed Tamara Telly was in the Sadeg area, right in the Elite's metaphorical backyard. A little bit of sleuthing later, they figured where she'd be likely to gather information next.

"We finally figured we'd find her at the comic convention, because there were certain celebrities she'd written about before were going to be present." Elias explained, trying to keep his voice low to not disturb the very gentle level of conversation in the restaurant.

"We got tickets to it and everything." Ross set the scene. "Then, while we're waiting in line, we somehow get spotted by who?"

"Lerocav." Elias groaned.

"Lerocav." Ross buried his head in his hands. "The Drawkionel's son himself. And of course, after zero communication with us for months, he popped up."

"It turns out he wasn't lying. The Immortal Accords were tracking down the case for us." Elias sighed. "He said he was there for the same reason we were, to track down this tabloid person and see if they have any salacious ties to entice them to poke around in the private affairs of immortals."

"And he basically forced us to bail on the mission." Ross shook his head. "Said we were way too conspicuous and were certain to blow our cover."

"So not only did we not get to track down and maybe confront this woman, we ALSO has to miss out on the con in general." Elias gave a fake sob. "An absolutely horrendous turn of events."

"So what, Lerocav has it handled then?" Nicole asked for clarification.

"Yeah, it's been nearly 2 years since then." Cam added. "I guess no news is good news?"

"We can hope." Ross shrugged, taking a final sip from his nearly-empty glass. "We had no news he was even still working on it at the time. Who knows if we're meant to know if it was a success or failure?"

"Aren't the Accords supposed to be a partnership?" Sarah asked, surprisingly lucid for the amount of alcohol she'd already consumed. "We should be accountable to each other. What's the purpose of keeping things secret?"

"Security, I guess." Elias huffed. "I guess the fact that we had some of our own private info slip in the first place is enough to not trust us with real Accords operations. But this could've been our chance to prove we can take care of ourselves!"

"At least Lerocav noticed we were on the right track." Ross paused, then added "If that even was the right track. The same track, at least."

"The fact that there's been no news for over a year is a good sign, I think." Jaxon finally weighed in. "If things were bad, they'd definitely let us know. Besides, we haven't had a stalking attempt in that whole time frame. It might just be nothing at all."

"You certainly hope so," Nicole mumbled. "Let's just hope they haven't gotten too good to catch."

by **Cardenao** » Thu Jun 05, 2025 9:06 pm

“So Haritz, how does it feel to be back in the squad wearing the Blue and Gold again after a whole cycle away from La Furia Azule?”

“Well Missy, it’s……hah, even after a hundred odd games, these last two both felt like the first time all over again. I’m thrilled, of course I am!”

“I know you want to talk about it so let’s get right to the big moment when you were subbed in against Estorvipa and Estorpiva.”

“Ah man, just like you dreamed of as a kid, even after all this time! Coming in off the bench, 1-1 all square, twenty minutes left to go; you couldn’t write it better than that, Missy.”

“You mention it being 1-1 when you took the field, what were your thoughts about the game as you got ready to come on?”

“Well after being a fan, not a player, for a few years now, naturally I was a little disappointed because this is a game we needed to win to get a big push towards qualification…but then, you know, I’m back to being a player again so you have to swallow that and focus on getting locked in and making the most of the moment.”

“Talk about making the most of the moment! It seemed like the rest of the team was eager to get you involved, making sure you got on the ball early and often to get up to game speed, how’d that make you feel?”

“Like I’d be surprised, these are my naoan brothers, that’s just the way we are and I’d say I made the most of it hah! I’ll tell you what Missy, I was SO sure I scored with that shot from just outside the box, I was sure of it!”

“Oh trust us, we could tell! The cameras got you in 4k jumping up like you’d just about scored the goal of your life; how happy were you to have a chance to make up for it in the 82nd minute?”

“Yeahhh my girlfriend sent me some of the memes coming out of it but I couldn’t care less because you’re absolutely banging right Missy, the moment we got that freekick, I had to take it! I might’ve pulled a little rank to get a crack at it but once the ball left my foot, well send me a copy of that celebration because I was cheesing!!!”

“Right into the back of the net, the Estorvipan, or is it Estorpivan, goalkeeper couldn’t do a thing about it, and you, Mr. Larrainzar, won us the vital three points. How does it feel to be back doing what you do best?”

“Like a dream come true again. Even if the team doesn’t call on me for a second more, I’ll never forget that and I’d say that’s a job well done for that alone, but I’m eager to keep going and make a claim for the starting 11, that would definitely be something sweet! We got Eastfield Lodge up next, if we get a win against them then we can really start thinking about qualification. Even if we do lose, there’s a situation where we’re only one point behind 3rd place, so we still have plenty to fight for and we’re gonna give it everything we’ve got.”

“Well I know we’ll be cheering for you, Haritz. Thank you for your time, great game out there, and we hope there’s more to come!”

“Thanks Missy!”

There they were, sitting around a wood table old enough to remember the days before a country was split in two by a foreign power, but the resulting salty air had aged it enough to look the part. That could be said about a fair bit of the Palace of Tears though as it sat high above the northern cliffs in Western Cardenao. Named due to a horrific history as the site of a surprise massacre of the Cardenaoan royal family, the hallowed halls were now host to a set of conversations new to the land as the future of the country was set.

Some random aid, one charged with considering matters of national development, was finishing a fairly self-aggrandizing speech. “The factories of Eastern Cardenao run strong, Küsbon fires at full capacity. Our ports are at majority capacity, we have goods and materials flowing in, in exchange we’re exporting influence, things are well in Cardenao.”

That wasn’t the question though, the various districts of Cardenao were produced that which they were told to produce. The matter at hand was somewhat the opposite of that; what can the districts, or ideally what could national business sectors do to pre-emptively solve solutions of national importance in Cardenao.

Jezebel Schlot, an economic strategist who had earned her seat at these meetings, spoke up with an edge in her voice that matched the ire her boss felt. “That’s so great, that’s wonderful. But what we’re talking about is bigger than rattling off the same old shit. We need innovation, we need new sectors of technology, electronics, forward facing industries that can run on their own and contribute to the whole of the country.”

She paused, taking a moment to let suspense build before unveiling a bold new plan for Cardenao.

“What we should do is take one of our islands, one uniquely capable of meeting the demands to come, and provide funding for a selection of organizations privately run by conveniently random Cardenaoans. An economic zone where chosen industries can have the environment they need to make the most of Cardenao, and allow the state to manage the whole thing, with Mihaly focusing on maximizing everything.”

In the interest of time, Jezebel brought her slapdash speech to an end, knowing that she had made the point to those she needed to. Much was to come for Cardenao, whether that would be good, bad, terrible, or great remained to be seen. One thing was for sure though, they’d all find out together.

by **Banija** » Thu Jun 05, 2025 9:26 pm

The only thing you wanna do is.. see MD13/14 scores for groups 11-15?

by **Indusse** » Thu Jun 05, 2025 10:07 pm

OOC: This is part of the Encyclopedia Series

by **Kanzlia** » Thu Jun 05, 2025 10:22 pm

Provincien class

PROVINCIEN class light cruiser

Displacement: 7200t
Speed: 34kts. 3500nm at 15kts.
Armament: 9-150mm/5.9in (3x3), 3-40mm/1.57in (3x1), 4-533mm/21in (1x5)

No. Name Builder Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
CL1 OCCIDENTALIS Kotr Shipyards Union 13.6.1937 12.12.1938 20.1.1940 Stricken 12.1.1966
CL2 SERENTIA Kotr Shipyards Union 3.8.1937 7.11.1938 1.1.1940 Stricken 11.1.1961
CL3 KALWINTR Kotr Shipyards Union 3.8.1937 10.11.1938 4.12.1939 Stricken 12.1.1966

The Kanzlian Navy underwent through a change in doctrine in the mid 1930s. With the introduction of their Destroyer Flotillas, the Kanzlian Navy have proper offensive capabilities for the first time in ages. However, the destroyer flotillas were just that, destroyers. It was a relatively weak force, only being able to harass other destroyers and if lucky a cruiser force. Therefore much to Jean Wiels reluctance, the Kanzlian Navy felt the need to build light cruisers to form a raiding fleet to engage hostile cruisers. The Naval Design Bureau worked with the KSU to design the cruisers. The Bureau initially wanted to base the design off the Mistralis class, but Szbedansk Shipbuilding denied their request due to the Bureau consulting with their business rivals KSU. So the KSU designed their cruiser from scratch.

Their guns built by Hollowpoint was completely different from the guns in the Mistralis-class. The guns have higher velocity capabilities but with its angle of elevation much reduced. Hollowpoint also provided the fire control system. The design also featured new machinery built by Ardent which pushed the cruiser to a maximum of 34 knots though during sea trials it reached 35.6 knots at its peak. But a design flaw led to the first ship, Occidentalis, to be too top heavy and had to be refitted before it was commissioned. The other two units were promptly fixed of the flaw. The three Provincien class light cruisers were completed by January of 1940.

The Provincien-class would form up the majority of Kanzlia's Fast Response Fleet, alongside the heavy cruiser Szedin V and Doeszan II. The fleet was formalised to engage and harass hostile cruisers and disrupt hostile trade. It was quick enough to escape most hostile battleships but powerful enough to engage anything smaller than that. The Fast Response Fleet would obviously never be used for its intended role and was disbanded in 1946. With little practical use of the Provincien class, Occidentalis and Kalwintr was converted into anti-air cruiser having most of their guns removed and their superstructure reworked to fit more 40mm guns. The conversion was completed in 1950, just in time for the Kanzlian Collapse.

Provincien class post 1950-refit (Torpedo Tubes removed a year later)

Due to the Provincien class young age, they were largely spared of the Navy's massive slashing, though they were mothballed for 5 years. Serentia was instead scrapped however due to her not being modernised in time. Despite being mothballed and spared from the slashing, the Provincien-class was scrapped immediately thereafter. The Kanzlian Navy figured that the Provincien-class refit to anti-air duties was no longer worth keeping as their weapons were already outdated. The City-class anti-air cruisers were recently upgraded to house modern weapons and were more than enough for the Navy. The Occidentalis and Kalwintr was scrapped in 1966.

by **Jeruselem** » Fri Jun 06, 2025 3:25 am

Naked News Jeruselem's Princess Alice Stella Dallas (naked) with her daughter Princess Melissa wearing a Jeruselem World Cup team strip standing around after Jeruselem beat Tevuekk 2-0 at Dazza Dallas Stadium, Jeruselem.

Melissa: Hey Mum, we making the World Cup finals?
Alice: No, we aren't. We won't make the top 3 of Group 4.
Melissa: Why?
Alice: We have 4 games left to play, which is 12 points maximum. We are 9 points behind the 3rd place team which is 3 wins. Even if we win all our last games, I can't see us grabbing the 3rd place spot.
Melissa: That's a pity
Alice: We didn't qualify last time so it's not exactly a shock

Melissa: Are we the worst team?
Alice: No, that's in fact Tevuekk. That's the team we beat them today here
Melissa: So no more games then
Alice: After the last four qualification games, no more games.
Melissa: That's sad
Alice: Don't worry, we still have local games to watch. Not as exciting but it's all football

Melissa: No more overseas trips for you then
Alice: Not ones related to the World Cup 99, but we can travel overseas
Melissa: Can we go anywhere after school finishes?
Alice: Sure, but I have no idea where.
Melissa: I want to travel the world when I grow up, like you do
Alice: You can have my job when I retire. That's the TV host job, you cannot retire being a Princess because you're always a Princess.

Melissa: What about becoming a world cup player.
Alice: Well, that's another way. I wasn't good enough so I stuck to being a media person.
Melissa: I see other Dallas girls in the team, I'm going to see I'm good enough
Alice: I won't stop you but it's hard work being a football player. I'm not talking about the money part, it's the long hours.
Melissa: So if I can't play football, I'll just do what do you.
Alice: Yes well, you can pick your own holidays.

Melissa: I suppose I can other things without worrying about money
Alice: Most football players aren't super rich, it's like they are overpaid. Given the all the hard work you have to do just to become a World Cup player.
Melissa: Actually, I'm probably too lazy to commit to that.
Alice: Err well, that probably comes from me.
Melissa: That's OK Mum, it's best not committing to things you're probably not very good at.
Alice: You seem very good at being public chatterbox

Melissa: No idea where that comes from Mum, hey. I don't think it's Dad.
Alice: Yep I brought up another professional troll but what does one expect
Melissa: Don't worry Mum, I'll uphold our excellent reputation! You know that one.
Alice: I know what to expect when you're an adult
Melissa: Grandma said that too
Alice: She would know, you're going be like her and me.

Melissa: There's far worse parents out there
Alice: Good to hear that, not that I'm perfect.
Melissa: I got friends who have control freaks parents, nice to have like lazy parents
Alice: That's weird, some people think we're control freak Mums.
Melissa: You only bother me if I do illegal or stupid things.
Alice: Life is too short to micromanage other people. I can barely manage myself.

by **Milchama** » Fri Jun 06, 2025 3:43 am

"Well that sucked"

"Yeah that's what happens when you don't RP"

"True"

"And now we're in a much scarier position"

"Definitely"

"But I learned something recently"

"What?"

"One should always read the instructions before playing a game"

"I don't see the relevance to the World Cup"

"Oh, the top 3 from each group make it, not the top 2"

"Really?"

"Really really"

"Are you sure?"

"Read the instructions"

"Ok, where are the instructions?"

"Here: https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=565044"

"But the relevant part is here: 'In formats with 15 groups, the top 3 nations in each group (45 total) will qualify for the World Cup Finals. ' And there are 15 groups"

"Wait, did you just say an entire link outloud"

"No, I showed it to you on my phone, showing the link was the easiest way to change the format"

"I don't think so, I think it would have been easier to do this:

*shows phone with bid thread*

"Probably but that's not what was done, so we're rolling with it"

"So canonically we said the entire link outloud like it's freaking 1995"

"Yes"

"Cool, just checking, anyway back to important stuff"

"What important stuff?"

"Oh that we're in third place and there are 15 groups"

"Oh that's a good thing"

"Except we lost our last 2 games, including a bad loss to Hispinas"

"Yeah, it was a 5-4 thriller but giving up goals in the 83rd and 87th minute to lose was not ideal"

"Nope, it's not like we had a big lead the whole game or anything but just couldn't close it out"

"Yeah, it was a one goal game the whole time, it felt like every time somebody scored the response was there"

"But still awful defending"

"We should have just probably RP'd about that match"

"Do a match report? Are you silly? Who does that in NS Sport"

"True, good point, who does that in NS Sport, who talks about sports or the actual games on the pitch in NS Sport? That's just not a thing we do around here"

"We won't be doing silly match reports and certainly not in qualifying"

"OK what if it comes down a big game and we win that game to qualify"

"Then maybe but certainly not before then"

"We did, however, give Hispinas a lot to work with if they so choose"

"Pretty much"

"Although it looks like they haven't even rostered, which is not ideal"

"It is not ideal"

"So then our commentary could be the only thing anybody ever knows about the game. How else could a TIP episode be produced?"

"We all know that if a TIP episode is ever done about Milchama it will be based on us and not about any match reports"

"How do you know that?"

"Because we're the most interesting things about Milchama and, possibly, depending upon who we are, have been watching Milchama at every World Cup since the 20s or at least early 30s"

"Wow that is a long time, if we are indeed the same people who started this project"

"Would that make us immortal?"

"No, it's more likely that we are just different fans, it's not so hard to find people to find two people to comment on our second most popular sport"

"Ok then explain the praying to Margaret"

"That's simple, there are many Margaret cultists around here"

"Fair enough"

"So then are we the same people?"

"I think that's for the audience to decide"

"How can the audience decide such a thing?"

"Again, that's up to the audience to decide"

"Is it weird that we've become iconic characters in the World Cup?"

"Probably a bit strange but nowhere near as strange as our average conversation or questions around the 4th wall"

"I like that 4th wall, good stuff"

"Definitely good stuff"

"This is a very normal conversation that two fans talk about"

"Yep fans definitely discuss the idea of Being and not who should start or whether the coach is an idiot"

"We should do a thing about Milchamian talk radio, I don't think anybody has done that before"

"That's a good idea, next time"

"Great"

"Until then pray to Margaret?"

"Sure"

"Say as I say and do as I do"

"Ringa pakia!''
''Uma tiraha!''
''Turi whatia!''
''Hope whai ake!''
''Waewae takahia kia kino!''
''Ka mate, ka mate''
''Ka ora, ka ora''
''Ka mate, ka mate''
''Ka ora, ka ora''
''Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru''
''Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā''
''Ā upane, ka upane''
''Whiti te rā, hī!''

"Now repeat after me!"

"Forini! Forini!"
"Finidi! Finidi!"
"George! George!"
"Oh Brother! Oh brother!"

*They strip and run around for 18 minutes*

"We pray the Margaret of SnubNose 38 and Random Number God that you may deliver us victory over all the infidels that we face in international play"

"Sacrifice the Rubber Chicken!"

*Swoosh of an axe and the chicken is dead*

"Margaret we pray that you take this sacrifice of a rubber chicken in good faith and that by your deliverance Milchama does well in all international competitions"

"Come on You Warriors!"

"Let's Go Milchama!"

by **Katzeburg** » Fri Jun 06, 2025 3:58 am

Kelssek 4-3 Katzeburg
an Deòir 27’, 42’, 55’, Nordet 89’ // Field 17’, 63’, Arkwright 80’

Possession - 55% // 45%
Shots on Target - 10 // 11
Shots - 19 // 25
Fouls - 15 // 17

1 Whinery, 2 Herman, 3 Clarkson, 4 Morton (Knepp 65’), 5 Colbert, 6 Plank, 7 Horsfall (Martin 65’), 8 Spears, 9 Arkwright, 10 Wruck (Fuchs 65’), 11 Field

Player of the Match - an Deòir (KEL)

Katzeburg 0-1 West Barack and East Obama
Vobama 77’

Possession - 47% // 53%
Shots on Target - 6 // 5
Shots - 8 // 9
Fouls - 13 // 9

1 Whinery, 2 Herman (Howland 65’), 3 Clarkson, 4 Morton, 5 Colbert, 6 Plank, 7 Horsfall, 8 Spears, 9 Arkwright, 10 Wruck (Ball 65’), 11 Field (Hobbs 65’)

Player of the Match - Vobama (WBEO)

I’m Goin’ Down - A lesson from the Katzeburgian Alliance on how to torch your prospects

By Antony Rotweiss, KBC Election Correspondent

As we head into the final few weeks of the election campaign, parties across Katzeburg are fighting tooth and nail for every single vote. Every single person in their seat who may be undecided or have the potential to be swayed to one party because of what matters to them on a local or regional level. The incumbent Katzeburgian Alliance party have done a solid job to date across the country mopping up a decent chunk of undecided voters thanks to its core policies of an expanding infrastructure system built off the back of the North Katzeburgian railway network and a commitment to further fund sports identified as growth areas for the country with a view of bringing more than one domestic league to the nation’s shores.

But it hasn’t been a flawless campaign, and perhaps no better example of that can be seen in the once-safe seat of Inverhaven Docks, which up until this election campaign has been a long-held KA seat thanks to the beloved local MP Ernest Arnschauer. Arnschauer is a die-hard citizen of Inverhaven, born in the northern suburbs of the city and raised on the docks where he spent decades as a member of the local docking company before moving into politics. His record as the local member is one many politicians can only dream of - rocketing to record high voting figures and winning the seat back in AK19 with a record 77% of the first preference vote.

But all reigns must come to an end, and the 79-year-old has graciously decided to call it a day ahead of this election, stepping down after more than 20 years of service in the Katzeburgian parliament. In his retirement speech, he hailed the work Inverhaven had done to become one of the nation’s most modern cities and the fact he bled the deep blue of the city’s Inverhaven City football club, which in recent years has emerged as one of the largest clubs in the country and alongside its cross-town rivals Inverhaven Ironworks helped put the city on the map.

Cynics will say that it was simply a matter of convenience that Arnschauer was a City fan; after all, Anchor Field is situated directly within the borders of his constituency, but for the MP it was more than just a passion - he could often be found at every game cheering the side on and proudly wore his Inverhaven City scarf in parliament following the side’s Katzeburg Cup win a few years ago. But it points to an interesting quirk of the city on a wider scale, as the suburbs surrounding Anchor Field are as blue as you could go - with only the small divide between the ground and Ironworks’ Factory Grounds in the shape of Waterfield Park cutting the city in two between Blue and Maroon.

In the seat of Inverhaven Docks, it seems that you basically have to be a City fan. Those supporters of the Ironworks are often mocked and told to ‘fuck off across the park’ to the suburbs around the Factory Grounds, a simmering sign of the fierce rivalry which has developed between the two clubs in the still developing league. It’s a divide which on the surface doesn’t seem that deep when looking at the city from a general level - hell, many of those in the KBC newsroom didn’t even know about the significant divide until we started talking to locals as part of this piece. But it is something which may have put a thumb on the scale of the election here in Inverhaven.

To unpack this, we first need to go through the process behind the replacement of Arnschauer. Thanks to his years of work within the community, the KA headquarters had fairly assumed that the seat was a rock-solid hold for the party and could even be used as a springboard for more exciting, younger members of the party to parachute in and take an easy seat to build experience as they are further groomed for leadership. This led to a small fissure between the party and Arnschauer as he prepared to step down, as he was quite keen to put forward the selection of Declan Fallstaff as the prospective new member. Falstaff on paper, seemed a sensible choice - an Inverhaven local like Arnschauer, he had spent a few years working with the MP in the community on a number of initiatives and was already a popular choice within the community.

But the KA had other ideas. Jeff Elliman, a rising prospect within the party thanks to his years within the party’s spin team, was the popular choice from HQ - seen as one of the next generation of KA leaders thanks to his friendly style with the media and his ability to bend even the trickiest questions into a positive for the party. The party put their pressure on the selection process, and local members toed the line to ensure that Elliman would be selected over Fallstaff as the party’s replacement for Arnschauer heading into the next election.

Above: The polling tracker for Inverhaven Docks, which shows a marked decrease in the chances of the KA.

To his credit, Arnschauer has rallied behind the party’s choice, being seen with Elliman at a number of events and campaign stops over the first six weeks of the campaign and it was a smart move, with Elliman managing to retain a good chunk of the voting base of Arnschauer and seeing the KA maintain a steady lead of around 10 points across the first few weeks of the campaign based on polling.

But he wasn’t there for the campaign’s stop at Anchor Field last week, a disastrous move in retrospect given what happened. Elliman was meeting the Inverhaven City Fan Advisory Board, a group set up consisting of more than 100 dedicated supporters of the club that advise the board on fan matters such as ticket pricing, community work, and (often ignored) transfer requests.

Arnschauer was a dedicated attendee of the forum, often swinging by when back in the city during his role as an MP, which made the omission from this particular event a curiosity for many in attendance. But the event started off safely enough, with the lead of the group running a quick Q&A with Elliman. But this would quickly devolve into chaos once the question was asked as to his footballing allegiance. It was a pure softball question for the prospective MP. Fans in the room would have forgiven him for either not answering as he wasn’t a fan, or even saying one of the clubs from his natural home of Katzestadt. But the spin doctor-turned gaffe-master said neither.

Instead, he launched into a passionate description of his support of a local Inverhaven club. A club which had gone from strength to strength in recent years and turned into one of the biggest in the country in a pre-rehearsed speech which heavily echoed many of Arnschauer’s long and storied descriptions of his beloved Dockers. But the one hitch which Elliman found was the most fatal - he said all this about Inverhaven Ironworks.

“It was just stunned silence across the room once he finished,” supporter William Worthington told us this week. “He actually had the cheek to sit back with a smug smile on his face as if he had just suckered a bunch of people into winning his vote, not even realising the group he was speaking to was probably the worst possible audience to hear that.”

Elliman didn’t even spot his mistake at first, answering a few more questions from the now-flustered moderator with references to the Workers and their brilliance off-field, before finally smacking his head about midway through and loudly saying “I meant City! Not the Ironworks!” before profusely apologising to the crowd which was now at a level of pure hatred for the man. The damage had been done, according to many in that room we spoke to.

“Word spreads quickly in our neighbourhood,” Worthington said. “Especially when it’s about someone who slights our club. Every pub in the area was packed that evening talking about the candidate who spat on everything we believe in.”

Elliman’s campaign told us in a statement that he was “eternally sorry for the confusion between the two clubs” and that he “remains a committed supporter of Inverhaven City and everything it stands for” but to many of the people we spoke to on the streets of the Inverhaven Docks seat, he was no longer a consideration come election day.

“They had a great thing in Arnschauer,” grocer Doug Daniels told us. “He was someone who knew the area, bled blue and white and cared about the matters impacting us here. This new guy just seems like a smug prick who thinks he can waltz into our community and not give a toss about us.”

“When Arnschauer was in the seat, I was a strong KA voter every election - I agree with a lot of their policies and Ernest was a treasure for the area,” old lady Doris Johnson told us. “But this new guy doesn’t know about us and he doesn’t want to know about our issues. I’m voting for Katzeburg First who are the only party that agrees with me that lawyers are a blight on our nation - their policy of banning the practice is something I can get behind.”

The drama has seen a torpedo hit the promising prospects of KA retaining the seat, with polling released this week indicating an 18-point drop in voting intention for the party, now falling to third behind a neck-and-neck battle between the Katzeburg National Party’s Adam Matthews and the Social Harmony Party’s Helen Phillips.

Campaigners have been quick to jump on the gaffe and rub salt in the wound as a way to draw extra voters their way. Phillips quickly released a media release which told the local media she was a born-and-bred Inverhaven local who bled Blue and White, while Matthews simply told the public he may not be a local fan of any Inverhaven clubs (originally from Refeld, he follows the local side), but he at least knows the difference between Owen Levitt and Joachim Newell. It does represent an interesting through line within this seat and as we look wider at the nation, the election as a whole. For many voters, knowing your local MP is embedded within the local community is absolutely vital, and as sports continue to rocket in popularity across the country, this could become more and more of a factor across key seats where clubs are found. Jeff Elliman may be the first unfortunate casualty of a sporting-related gaffe costing him a seat in parliament in the nation’s young history.

by **Calgasia** » Fri Jun 06, 2025 4:20 am

Transfer Market News
Calgasian football goes shopping to Gyaromia

Shocking news from the transfer market. In an unprecedented move, the Bundesliga has secured the transfer of four players from Gyaromia to the league. This operation was done in cooperation with the Gyaromian authorities and the assistance of the Ministry of Culture and Sports. In the words of the minister, "This is a great opportunity that showcases the growth and development of our league. The Calgasian Bundesliga is becoming one of the best places to play for young players across the Multiverse. Here they can improve their level and fulfill their potential before going to the top leagues. We would like to thank the Gyaromian authorities for their vision and cooperation, the negotiations have been carried in a smooth and cordial way. Of course, they can rest assured, as we will take care of their players, helping them to become great footballers. This move demonstrates that Calgasia is an ideal place for football."

Club Hungária: the Magyars will sign two players from this package, Bence Váradi (17 years old, Nyírmegye FK), for 1 million NSD a promising, fast, lethal striker, and András Németh (16 years old, Lászvár Athletic), for 1,2 million NSD centre midfielder, a box-to-box with great overall skills that is also considered a wonderkid. President Mor Apponyi spoke to CRF Sport: It's wonderful to have them here. It's true that is a large amount of money, but this is an investment in young players. We want to build a young squad that can be unstoppable in a few years time. Váradi and Németh will surely be an integral part of the project. we remain committed to our philosophy of playing only with athletes of Hungarian origin, and these two young gentlemen will give us lots of great moments in the future.

Now it's up to coach István Kovács to decide if the two new players will play and where. Starting midfielder Natália Arva is in the transfer market, so pundits expect András Németh to take her place in the starting line-up despite being only 16 years old. For Váradi, it seems that for now he will start the next season in the bench, giving veteran starter striker Varga some rest. The Magyars suffered last season with Varga's accumulation of minutes, so Váradi comes handy for them.

Tihány LK: the Hounds also took part in this multiple signing, acquiring midfielder Gergely Horváth (18 years old, Székesvár Vitézek FK) for a fee around 800k NSD. The intention is to provide a generational replacement for 34-year-old veteran midfielder Attila Németh, and secondly to provide support for the team's star player, talented midfielder Rebeka Banfalvi, who last season suffered from not having a reliable partner in midfield, often finding herself as the team's sole focal point. Horváth's great technique and vision, together with his good physicality, should be of great help to the team.

Hunyad LK: the up-and-coming club, currently in the Bundesliga 2., was the third team involved in this trade, getting defender László Farkas (17 years old, Mladost/Ifjúság NR) for a 700k NSD fee. The Horses are making a great financial effort to reach the Bundesliga for the first time, thanks to its new owner, biotech magnate Lecsó Vászoly, who is pouring big numbers to make Hunyad the best team in the second division. He has also signed veteran GK Salian from Club Hungária for 300k, and veteran midfielder Jan Svárovský from Phönix SV for 350k, for a total of 1,35 million.

It's a strategic signing for us. At only 17 years old, Farkas is already a great defender, and his skills will be vital for us to reach the Bundesliga first, and stay there for years secondly. I see him becoming the captain and leader of the team, said Vászoly. The pundits praise his defensive capabilities, fitness, tackle and height, while they agree that he must improve his awareness and passing, as he sometimes makes avoidable fouls or mistakes. They also highlight that with patience and hard work, he can become an excellent player. Let's see if Hunyad LK is the place for him.

The 2002 season is right around the corner and teams all across the league are reinforcing their squads. Will FC Bohunice be able to repeat their 2001 title season? Or will one of the other teams chase them down and claim the trophy? Follow all the action at CRF Sport.

by **Audioslavia** » Fri Jun 06, 2025 4:26 am

Quak/Hawk Down
Written: January 2023

Oh god damnit I’ve fucking done it again.

Is… is anyone expecting a Quakmybush win here? Anyone? Is anyone anticipating the beginning of a period of extended domination the likes of which the Multiverse will never see again? No? Nobody? Of course not. You know what happens. This is The Idiot Project. And we did not make an episode called Untitled Quack Game.

They may not yet be in their final form, but the Marauders don’t lose big games in episodes of The Idiot Project. We missed out on the two-minute Lovisa montage out of a lack of time and resources, but we’re not missing out on anything here.

Elves Security Forces win three nil. Kiso Night scores all three, assisted twice by Laborious Hawk.

Quakmybush will qualify for the next two tournaments, barely, but they are no longer in the same universe as ESF, and it shows in cycle thirty-eight. Drawn together in Qualifying Group 1, the Marauders beat the Sharks 6-1 in Quakmybush and 5-3 in the Empire. They nevertheless qualify together, if fifteen points apart, and both sides meet in the first round of that very cup. Elves Security Forces make one change. A significant one. They finally discard the ESF moniker and refer to themselves officially, from here on out, as the Eternal Empire of Valanora.

But this new boss is the same as the old boss. One of their first duties as wardens of the bottom sixth of the alphabet is to smash little Quakmybush 4-1. Valanora are dominant. And this is still not even their final form.

We’ve attempted to quantify Vanorian brilliance a few times, but it is worth repeating:

Early-to-mid Hawk-era Valanora, from cycles 34 to 55, is the greatest team in the history of football. Yes, even though it is not really their final form. Between world cups 38 and 45, their lowest finish is third. Not third in their group: Third in the *World Cup*. This team are not Generationally dominant, they are Lifetime dominant. The World Cup could go on long after you or I are dead, reduced to the twenty people who still remember how QWERTY keyboards and bbcode work, and this record will not be repeated. Even in the seven cycles after World Cup 48, they are eliminated before the Quarter Finals only once. Laborious Hawk, Espy va Drake, Faeron Soldarian, Kiso Night and, later, Allandren Fresco, form the backbone of the greatest team that has ever, ever existed in the history of NS Sport.

Quakmybush’s participation in World Cups became intermittent during the 40s and 50s until they eventually dropped out of the KPB rankings altogether. This, though afforded them an opportunity. 26 cycles after misunderstanding the name of the Baptism of Fire, Quakmybush make a comeback via The Fireball Thing using the loophole previously taken advantage of by Starblaydia and Dance 2 Revolution. They’ve never been in the BoF before and their rank is zero. These are, according to the rules as they stood in 2011, the main prerequisites for eligibility to compete in the Baptism of Fire. It is a rebirth, a new look team, with one familiar name.

Quakmybush rosters have always been a little intermittent. Cycle 40’s roster had listed the usual suspects of Fields, Sorley and Cam, but by the time of the next available roster, from World Cup 47, there had been a shake-up of sorts. Fields, documented as “retired” in roleplays from cycle 46, had by this time been replaced by John Fields Junior.

John Fields Senior, therefore, played at least 11 cycles of football. Maybe as many as 15. If you’re wondering if he made it into the CL club, the answer is no. The absolute maximum amount of losses he could have played in is 72.

Their roster for BoF 42 lists John Fields the Seventh in midfield, apparent great great <etc> grandson of the Cycle 29 original. By the time of their next available roster, from World Cup 65, he has been replaced by a fourth John Fields. This one’s name is John Fields the Fourth. Hey. Time works differently across the multiverse.

Baptism of Fire 42 has been touched upon before, noting the abnormally above-average performance of Cabric back in Episode 2. A Casaran system, the BoF was unusually large even by today’s standards, boasting a bumper 64 nations.

The eventual winners and runners-up of the tournament are Kangaroo Republic and Whiteinch, perhaps the best argument against the Casaran system I’ve ever seen in the Multiverse, because this was one of the most stacked Baptism of Fire tournaments in history.

For example, two of these BoF teams are about to shape much of the next dozen cycles of World Cup football. They share almost nothing in common but a friendship. A friendship and, funnily enough, a date.

March 15th.

Monterroso declares 'Dog Soldiers Week' as Prowlers, Lunatics Bash on Door

'Zulu' would have been the classic reference, with low-budget aughts indie horror Dog Soldiers as dated a reference as you could find, but the message is clear: There are people outside the house who want to get inside the house and kill us, and we want them not to do that.

In both movies a group of soldiers from the fictional island of 'Great Britain' desperately try to fend off an unstoppable enemy at its gates. In Dog Soldiers it's werewolves, in Zulu it's, gasp, the natives, and in World Cup 99 qualifying group 8 it's Kanzlia and the Martian Indepdendent Republic.

MIR are one of two teams to have defeated the Bulls so far, alongside a Crpostran side that overpowered Audioslavia last week on their way back into contention for the qualification spots. Kanzlia are one of only four teams to have scored a goal against the Bulls, albeit en route to one of Audioslavia's more impressive victories thus far.

Monterroso's men, atop the group by two points, with a five point cushion over fourth, have their orders: Protect the fort. Such is the fixture list, two draws would likely keep the Bulls in top spot regardless of what happens elsewhere. The biggest priority must be to avoid risks. Defeat against each team likely sees them overtake us in the table.

Monterroso's men hope that, when the dust settles, their house is still standing.

Will Crpostran Break The Record
Sapphire Strikers risk becoming first World Cup finalist in history to fail in an attempt to make the next World Cup

Despite victory over Audioslavia and only one loss in 14 games, Crpostran remain outside the three automatic qualifying positions in a competitive Group 8. With four games to go, they risk becoming the first team in history to fail to qualify for the next World Cup after reaching the final in the previous edition.

Let the Aesthetic throw the following stats at you.

The lowest finish the reigning champion has ever attained in the next cycle’s qualifying is 3rd, attained by a Squornshelous side going 12-1-3 in World Cup 32 qualifying group 8. It was, nevertheless, enough for an automatic qualification spot in the group. In terms of Points Per Game, the weakest performance is that of Banija, who went 6-5-3 in qualifying for World Cup 95 and only qualified through Playoffs. Their Points Per Game was just 1.64, much lower than that of the average qualifier.

No reigning champion has ever failed in an attempt to qualify for the next cycle’s World Cup. Strangely enough, only two reigning champions have attained a perfect record in the next cycle’s qualifiers, whereas seven runners-up have managed this. (Quohog in cycle 7, Squornshelous in cycle 39, Milchama 40, The Babbage Islands 56, The Holy Empire 57, Pasarga 72 and Eura 73)

The lowest finish for a runner-up in the subsequent qualifiers is 3rd, achieved by Audioslavia in World Cup 21 qualifying group 4. The side went 6-3-3 with just 1.75PPG, but qualified eventually via the playoffs. Spaam went only 5-2-3 (1.70PPG) in qualifying for World Cup 8 after losing the final of WC7, but qualified automatically.

For the teams winning the bronze medal in the previous cup, only Brenecia (WC92, 15-2-3, 2.35PPG, eliminated in playoffs) and Andossa se Mitrin Vega (WC66, 4-4-2, 1.6PPG, eliminated) failed to qualify for the next edition of the tournament. ASMV finished third, which is the joint lowest for a third-placed team.

Six teams have failed to qualify for the next World Cup after finishing fourth in the previous edition. One of these, New Montreal States, reached the automatic qualifying places, but were eliminated due to CTEing. For the other five, Tadjikistan (7-3-4, 1.71PPG) finished fourth in their WC31 qualifying group. HopNation (WC71 Group 10, 7-5-2), United Gordonopia (WC64, 10-4-4) and Banija (WC89, 12-3-3) finished third in their group and were eliminated. Kagdazka and Pazhujebu were eliminated in the WC60 playoffs after going 9-2-3 in qualifying.

The worst performance by a team who’d made the previous World Cup Quarter-finals is Cuation, who finished 7th in WC33 group 4 with a 6-3-9 record.

The worst performing teams who’d reached the previous last sixteen are Spaam and Turori, who hit just 0.83PPG in finishing seventh in WC28 Qualifying Group 8 and WC26 Qualifying Group 6. This is only just ahead of the miserable 1-5-4 record put together by Kaze Progressa in WC21 qualifying, which makes for the worst performance by a team who’d made the last 32 of the previous cycle.

Also, a shout out to Sibirsky who managed to finish tenth in their WC55 qualifying group (4-5-11 0.85PPG) despite having played in WC54.

by **Gnejs** » Fri Jun 06, 2025 5:41 am

Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!

Come gather around you children of spring and let us trot further down the path detailing how The Prosaic Union of Gnejs ceased to be.

There was no longer any doubt about that one star twinkling too intensely on the night sky as former NSTT World Nr. 1 Dorotea Granit worked relentlessly in her quest to regain form and launch a comeback to the international tennis circuit after having given up on both her marriage with fellow former NSTT World Nr. 1 Georg Heraklit and their joint enterprise of running an orphanage deep down southron way in the rural parts of The Vatmark. Cockaigne, a subset of especially deranged madmen say was the dark apostle star that presided over the fall of gnejsian civilization. A star in the constellation of Antilocapra, it is said to be a mystical sort of paradise with candy mountains and whiskey springs, where money grows on trees. It really wouldn't make any sort of sense - poetic or otherwise - for it to be the one acting as The Prosaic Union’s own ominous morning star and let’s just say right now that it wasn't. The ground did tremble with malicious intent on that day though, there was no doubt about that, and it clearly made practicing your backhand more demanding than it should’ve been. But I digress.

This is another one of those instances where we can draw from firsthand accounts. Throughout her career, Dorotea Granit was always known to keep a diary. If not on the court playing, she would never be seen without that black little book under her arm (she often made entries during break time between games as well). Sadly, the full diary is lost, but by some strange miracle one of her very last entries somehow survived and remains available to us to this day. Do not ask me how. There are many rumors, but the only fact we know is that the entry one day turned up tucked in between the pages of a collection of Baggielandian poetry in the Oswark library down Delte way. Handwriting experts of the day confirmed its authenticity and it remains a powerful eyewitness account of those fateful days.

06.30. Dear diary. Just woke up. Have resorted to wearing a sleeping mask due to that infernal lightbulb in the sky. I don’t like it.

07.00. Dear diary. Just had breakfast. Oatmeal porridge. The breakfast of plebs. All because there’s apparently some freakish shortage of eggs. It’s not good. I need my eggs. Will probably go out and raid local bird nests after practice.

07.45. Dear diary. Slight stomach cramps. I blame the lack of eggs.

09.00. Dear diary. A disappointing physical exercise. I am still strong, but my body is sluggish. These years down south under the spell of that charlatan Heraklit has weakened me more than I feared. Leaving now to raid eggs.

09.45. Dear diary. Egg hunt unsuccessful. Found many nests, but all the birds are dead.

11.30. Dear diary. My backhand is improving but those fucking tremors make training way more demanding than it should be. Stomach cramps still prominent.

12.30. Dear diary. Lunch. Mostly rye bread to help add bulk to the stool and ease passing.

13.00. Dear diary. I find myself contemplating my earlier retirement and the years spent with Heraklit. It was such a sudden and uncharacteristic shift where I abruptly renounced my entire persona, proclaimed my love for Heraklit and left everything to find him and build a new life. If I was a made-up person in some aspiring author’s attempted writing on some antiquated BBCode forum, I’d say it was bad storytelling to achieve a rushed closure to a tale that deserved better.

13.10. Dear diary. In essence, people do not change.

14.00. Dear diary. Decent performance on the court. Promising. No one ever said it was going to be easy returning to the international circuit after a prolonged absence, but if anyone can do it, it’s me. Because I am the greatest player of all time.

14.15. Dear diary. Intensity of stomach cramps increasing violently. Concerning.

15.00. Dear diary. Bowel movements highly abnormal. I’m literally shitting bricks.

by **The North Polish Union** » Fri Jun 06, 2025 12:56 pm

Presidential Elections in the Lithuanian Region - Redux

Amid ongoing controversy and protest, and with a new set of candidates, a second presidential election is set to be held in the Union’s Lithuanian region. The first election was annulled by the top regional court as winner Domantas Sabonis was arrested for his alleged ties to terrorist organizations. Amid Lithuania’s tense ethnic relations, Sabonis had made the election a referendum on Lithuanization policies towards the region’s Slavic majority and prevailed in the first round.

Following the chaotic situation surrounding the shock election results, their annulment, the arrest of Sabonis, and massive protests throughout the region the incoming president will have to navigate complex ethnic tensions. To that end, the various political blocs in the region have coalesced around new candidates and worked out backroom deals to gain support. The two major establishment parties of Lithuania, the Social Democratic and National Liberal parties, formed an electoral alliance backing the largely-unknown and long-retired Linas Navickas although Aivaras Domarkas would split off a considerable chunk of SP support after leaving the party in protest of the alliance. For the Lithuanian non-establishment politicians Neringa Barauskaitė was the presumptive nominee as she had advanced to the runoff past the establishment group prior to the annulment but her ethnic rhetoric was viewed as needlessly inflammatory in the protests surrounding Sabonis’ arrest and she was convinced to step aside for the more moderate Vladas Žagunis, allegedly being promised a Cabinet seat. For the Belarusian bloc, Svajūnas Žukauskas is running again with the support of most former Sabonis voters.

After 400 minutes, finally a goal in World Cup qualifying

In a 1-3 loss against Hapilopper, Renard Jasiński headed the ball into the goal off a set play.

After that, the Union team played Natkr. No goals scored. It happens.

Germanic Cat - no goals

Aphrilia - no goals

StrayaRoos - still no goals

Against Anewkansas, halftime came and went - no goals.

At last, 59 minutes into the match against Anewkansas, the team organized themselves and midfielder Stanisław Adamczyk put it into the net at last, ending a scoring drought that lasted nearly 5 games and over 400 minutes of playing time. All told, the team has only managed 13 goals in their entire qualifying campaign. Take out the 7-3 win against Alanis Star (which has to be among the flukiest games in the tourmanent) and they have 6.

That's right, 6 goals in 13 games. Manager Udo Kluckhohn calls that "the cost of doing business". Despite the abysmal offensive showing, the team still manages to be one place ahead of where they would be if the group was sorted by pre-tournament rank. Maybe he's on to something.

NOTE: AI was used for the generation of images in this post.

by **United States of Nova Calania** » Fri Jun 06, 2025 1:31 pm

Nova Calania is in trouble

Starting XI vs Brusseldorf @ Stadion Azteca, Ostrow Krolewski, Odlegla Ziemia
GK ANNE - LB OUZY- CB VLODZY (Jesus 65') - CB ZIA - RB NATEY - DCM KYLE - LW LETTIE (Maggie 77') - RW ROSE - ACM MO - S ROD (lp 77')- S LILY

Starting XI @ Archalit
GK SERGE - LB ALYSSA (Evan 69') - CB VLODZY - CB GIBBY - RB NATEY - DCM LE GÉNÉRAL (Lily 80') - LW MEI - RW ROSE (Ashy 69') - ACM CHARLOTTE - S ROD - S FRED

Archalit - After barely beating Brusseldorf, Nova Calania lost an important match against Archalit and now our chances to qualify gets slimmer. The match against Brusseldorf was played at Stadion Azteca in Ostrow Krolewski. Starting goalkeeper was Anne-Élisabeth Mongrain and a few starting XI regulars had a day off. Nathan Fauteux-McGrath was suspended for having a red card against The Golden Harp. Nova Calania started off with the ball and after only 30 seconds, Rose Van der Jagt made a cross to Rodrigo Guénette-Velazquez who kicked the ball and it's a goal. This is the only goal of the game and Nova Calania won 1-0!

1st      GOAL NOVA CALANIA   Rodrigo Guénette-Velazquez assisted by Rose Van der Jagt

On week 14, the Tapirs travelled to Archalit for an important game as both teams are battling with a few other nations for the 3rd place. Archalit attacked at the 19th minute when Peres Okomo dribbled with the ball and passed to Ali Akram Fahmi who kicked the ball and it's a goal. Nova Calania tied the game at the 33rd minute when Mei Qi Xiong scored on a free kick. The score at halftime was 1-1. Archalit attacked at the 51st minute when Jeder Khan dribbled with the ball and made a cross to Madeleine Olson who kicked the ball past Serge Bleau-Bean. The Pirates increased their lead at the 75th minute when another Jeder Khan, the jersey #21, had the ball and made a short pass to Madeleine Olson who kicked and it's in. Nova Calania attacked at the 85th minute when Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin had the ball and made a short pass to Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau. She kicks the ball and it's a goal. It's too late, Archalit won 3-2.

Nova Calania is curently 5th in group 10 with 6 points behind the Ochre Islands in 3rd place. Oscioru, in 8th place, are 3 points behind the Tapirs, so, it's really close. On game 15, Nova Calania will receive Oscioru at Flanagan Stadium in downtown Burnham-on-Stove. We expect the regular starting XI agansst Oscioru, however, Wlodzimierz " Vlodzy " Wolkowicz will miss the game for an accumulation of yellow cards. Zia Guerrero Lopez will be inserted in the starting XI. And on week 16, Nova Calania will travel to Sadame and will field a few reserve players.

19th     GOAL ARCHALIT   Ali Akram Fahmi assisted by Peres Okomo
33rd     GOAL NOVA CALANIA    Mei Qi Xiong (Free kick)
51st     GOAL ARCHALIT   Madeleine Olson assisted by Jeder Khan #9
75th     GOAL ARCHALIT   Madeleine Olson assisted by Jeder Khan #21
85th     GOAL NOVA CALANIA    Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau assisted by Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin

Starting XI vs Oscioru @ Flanagan Stadium, Burnham-on-Stove
GK SERGE - LB ALYSSA - CB ZIA - CB GIBBY - RB NATEY - DCM LE GÉNÉRAL - LW MEI - RW ROSE - ACM CHARLOTTE - S ROD - S FRED

Starting XI @ Sadame
GK CHARLUS - LB ANNA - CB VLODZY - CB FX - RB EVAN - DCM GREGY - LW MAGGIE - RW LETTIE - ACM YI MING - S LILLY - S LP

Paul-André Veilleux

A new domestic tournament

Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer - There is a new domestic tournament that will take place in july just before the start of the new domestic season. The new tournament will be disputed between the 5 states that makes the United States of Nova Calania. 2 states will be merged together for football purposes in order to have 4 teams. The four states competing are Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer, Burnham-on-Stove, Odlegla Ziemia and Shanzhou/Aztec Confederacy. Players currently at the World Cup qualifications and who will take part in the Cup of Harmony, if we're invited, will be excluded from the new domestic tournament.

On paper, Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer appear to be the favorites with Sandrine Boissonneault in the net. Other top players for Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer are Nathan Bourguignon, Ludwig Baumgartner and Charles-Alexandre Ng, who previously played with the national team, and Nicolas Montpetit-Hervieux, an upcoming 22 years old centre back. Burnham-on-Stove is sxpected to take the 2nd place. In goal, they has Keegan Threadgold, who used to be the 2nd goalkeeper on the national team. Piper McCormack, Victoria McCracken and Megan klingenberg are the top players for Burnham-on-Stove.

Odlegla Ziemia is expected to be the 3rd best team. In goal, they have Malgorzata Szywacz, who currently plays with RTS Wrzeszcz Krzyszczynka. Their best players are Weronika Olkowska, Tymoteusz Smolinski and 22 years old midfielder Stanislaw Kurowski. The last team is a joint team consisting of Shanzhou and the Aztec Confederacy and they should finish last. Macuilxochitl is in goal and their best players are Qiao Zhu Wang, Zihao Zhe and Hao Yu Zhang. This team has a few future stars like 19 years old side midfielder Netzahualcoyotl and 18 years old striker Dong Dong. The tournament will start on july 4th 2028, a date that has absolutely no signification in Nova Calania.

Chloé Bellefleur

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Fri Jun 06, 2025 3:14 pm

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

Six games. That is all that is left for the Jaguars of TJUN-ia to secure Top 3 in Group 12. And things were looking a bit precarious. After suffering our first defeat of the campaign, in Roi Ville to group-leading Saterun, TJUN-ia found itself in a 3-way battle for the final two spots and they knew that any more mistakes might be fatal from now on. Davis Seems and LI Xiu Ying understood that fact acutely as it prepared itself for what lay ahead, but they couldn't drop their eyes off the ball at all...or else that unbeaten run would've all been for nought. So with so many big games to come, what happens next?

The Games
Sargossa, the best of the rest in this group, would play host to us on MD13, the Corsairs looking to improve on their 2-2 draw in Beregozera to try and make this battle a four-way. That is something we certainly didn't want, this whole situation was complex enough. And so, with that in mind, we faced one of the toughest away days of the season...and got it spot on. We were in need of a good result and while the first half was tough as hell, with Diana Sharafutdinov and Adrian Rodríguez scoring within 10 minutes of each other, we took command of this game late and never looked back - with Zaine Bowry in the 82nd and Odysseas Issigonis in the 92nd sealing the 3-1 win to keep ourselves in the chase.

Then it was back home, to Tallawah Stadium in Port Town/Portuaria, as the unique Notcommunist3 came to town. This game with the lowest-ranked team in the group was under the category of "don't slip up" for a reason, as while many did expect us to get the three points, we couldn't just mail it in, if you know what I mean. We still had to do our job and get those points and in front of this crowd, we did exactly that. They did get two goals in this game but those were mere blemishes as Stephan Fiedtkou, Nur Syaliza Sazali, Belle Whitewater and Mandisa Mxenge ended up in the goals to secure the 4-2 win. Not exactly pretty, but it got the job done.

Reaction
Two wins out of two was exactly what the fans hoped for and that is what they got, but conceding three goals combined in those games will cause some concern heading into this next window. One of the contenders played and lost to Saterun, so that gives us a three point cushion to play with enerting the second-to-last window.

What's Next?
And so, the fate of our campaign may rest on these next two games - the two biggest games by far and ones against our fellow Top 3 contenders. It is very simple, people! The Stade de Torgos is calling our name and Pasarga will be waiting...before we must head to Tiankong for a date with Cobrio. Win both games, and we should be in. Win one of them and that might be enough. Fail to win either of them and we may end up in trouble in the final window. This window is the true moment of destiny, the single moment where TJUN-ia aims to prove itself against its direct rivals.
Our fate is in our hands...but we are not alone.
MARCH ON!
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 D 2-2 (2nd)
MD8: vs Legalese (76) - Estadio Universidad Carlandas, Carlandas W 4-0 (2nd)
--------------------------------Rambles--------------------------------
MD9: @American Generations (283) D 1-1 (2nd)
MD10: vs Sharktail (180) - Estádio do Pacífico, Rio Pacífico W 4-0 (2nd)
--------------------------------Rambles--------------------------------
MD11: @New Crywyzyxycynya (143) W 5-2 (2nd)
MD12: vs Saterun (56) - Stade de la Victoire, Roi Ville L 2-3 (3rd)
--------------------------------Rambles--------------------------------
MD13: @Sargossa (51) W 3-1 (3rd)
MD14: vs Notcommunist3 (UR) - Tallawah Stadium, Port Town/Portuaria W 4-2 (2nd)
--------------------------------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

by **Zwangzug** » Fri Jun 06, 2025 3:17 pm

The Spenson Star

Four rounds remain in World Cup 99 qualifying, and Zwangzug's stint atop group five appears to have come to an abrupt end. After being held to a draw by Indusse, they lost to The Osnari Federation, to fall back behind Zenic and Flavovespia. Yet their qualification prospects are still bright; the top three teams from each group qualify directly, with no playoff phase, so the only gap that really matters is between third and fourth place--Zwangzug currently lead Indusse by three points. Momentum is with the Osnari Eagles, who also defeated Zenic in the most recent fortnight--but they remain four points behind Indusse, and it's possible (probable, we hope) that the gap from early rounds will be too much to make up.

"It's wonderful that the Baptism of Fire produced such a high-level side!" said Tandre Vusin-Jacques. "Everyone says it, but the caliber of play is just so high in the modern game, that I think it's wonderful we have the expanded proper field and lots of depth among sides capable of challenging for the last 48."

"I think Blanche [Coogan-Bucknell] had a terrible game, and I'm not just saying that because I want her job, although that's also true," said Tinn Jejue. "The Eagles are an attacking team, we all know that, we saw that last time, and didn't have too much trouble handling them. Against a side like that, where you know they're going to be pressing from the get-go, you can't just be passive and wait for the back line to handle it, you have to be out there, cutting off plays, and she was just reactive."

The Indusse match was held in Hind, the capital province of Indusse, which is composed of ten districts. "Sloth Island may be the smallest district in the province, but it's big in our hearts!" said Vusin-Jacques. "I appreciated the opportunity to visit the important seaport and learn about all the marine life!"

"In some religious traditions, sloth is also considered one of the seven deadly sins," Jejue pointed out. "I think our entire defense could have taken that to heart and responded accordingly."

Shane Newman, the Indusse manager, is originally from Baker Park, a factoid of increased relevance because of the rumors that Kate DiMarini--retired as of the end of the World Cup 97 cycle--may be considering a return to WCC competition. "Obviously I haven't heard anything to suggest [Bishen] Varadarajan is unhappy in his current position, and I probably wouldn't tell you if I would, because preserving team harmony is much more important than giving you nerds something to write about," Vusin-Jacques said. "That being said, DiMarini's resume speaks for itself, I think we or any other country would be lucky to have her."

"How old is she by now?" inquired Jejue. "Oh, that's right, you don't know, because we're too lazy to keep track. Well, she's old enough that she should be resting on her laurels and not trying to deal with buttkissers like this guy, or figuring out a way to rotate out Blanche without her freaking out. Let the woman rest."

MD13: Butea 28; Carre 50
MD14: Aksnes 29, Hegesa 45+1; Mullis 14 and 37, Klein 62

by **Ko-oren** » Fri Jun 06, 2025 3:32 pm

Project Wiki: Overview

Ko-oren, formally also known as Ko-oren, is an island nation in western Anaia. The archipelago on which the nation sits, roughly forms the northern border of the Ocean of Ayes. It has a varied landscape with many diverse ecosystems, including hot arid deserts, temperate rainforests, steppe, mountains that are covered in snow year-round, though most of the islands have a temperate climate. Ko-oren is made up of 30 provinces, or oren, with a total population a little over 30 million, and an area a little under 671000 km². The country has four capitals, Gehrenna, Majara, Maethoru, and Senoren, who share equal status and each host a part of the government. The largest city is Garihnkatar, other major cities include Ilohbonu, Amahne, which is the nation's cultural and democratic centre, Shemurdar, and Katahshi.

Human activity on the archipelago started during the middle paleolithic on the eastern islands, and evidence suggests that most of the archipelago was inhabited from the mesolithic onwards. Towards the end of the neolithic, many early cities had been established, who discovered sailing, agriculture, and traded. At this point, several cities grew into distinct city states with clear organisation and leadership. Politics and trade between cities sprang up and trade networks developed. One such network, including the modern capital cities, integrated into the Bay Confederacy, from which the modern state is a direct descendant. From there, the networks extended across the archipelago and towards the rest of Anaia.

Most of Ko-oren's history is peaceful, with no wars or battles fought out on the archipelago to date. Throughout history, the country's challenges have been with monoculture and political stagnation, internal power struggles, and natural disasters. Until three centuries ago, the nation was behind most of Anaia in economy and life expectancy, though it has caught up remarkably fast through stable political structures, improving economic prosperity, and a focus on education.

Ko-oren is a unitary semi-presidential republic that sets itself apart from most other nations via its extensive and well-entrenched meritocracy. Presidents, ministers, governors, and mayors are appointed through a system with many checks and balances where meritocracy, ecology, and solidarity are the three pillars behind all national structures. The president leads the staff of ministries in their legislative work. The prime minister, who is also the head of state, leads a cabinet of ministers who work with the ministries to implement laws and set the agenda for the president and their staff.

Today, the nation is considered a developed market, a middle-to-high income economy, with a very high standard of living, safety, healthcare, and education. Given its meritocratic nature, Ko-oren is not considered highly by multiversal political analysts. The nation's GDP comes from its growing financial sector, as well as education and tourism, with transport, healthcare, IT, and agriculture also contributing. A result of this is that Ko-oren's soft power influence has increased significantly, and its hard power has only recently been established as the country created a navy and an air force in the last decade.

by **HUElavia** » Fri Jun 06, 2025 7:24 pm

HUElavia 3–0 The Golden Harp
(Curichimba 15', Serra Fontes 52' (P), Angeli 77')
Estadio de Plata, Pamallu, HUElavia

Brusseldorf 1–3 HUElavia
(Wolfenden 80' | Mongrain 22', Go 47', Piñón 76')

Faces of HUElavia

Episode 7:
The Guantzu

HUElavia has had their fair share of Aesians who made the long journey over from their homelands to the continent. One of these groups is the Guantzu. Coming from the East Aesian nation of Guan Tzu, over 18 million HUElavians claim full or partial ancestry to the ethnic group. Many mainly immigrated along the coastline of Emerald Coast in South Central HUElavia, of which they founded the city of Bagnano to set up their new lives.

Much like most immigrants, many were also farmers and peasants, but also in wielding and metalworks as well. Thus, many were able to not only adapt to the new life in HUElavia, but also willing to work hard to make their mark and prove their worth in the country. Many immigrated during the 1900s to the 1920s, founding their own shops and businesses to keep close their culture. Eventually, opportunity rose when some HUElavian Companies founded and owned by Portuzian HUElavians opted to make factories along the area where thousands would eventually take to the factories to make their living and support their families in HUElavia and back in Guantzu. Eventually, due to the more lax laws in the region, Casinos began to be built within the area and while they were originally run by Portuzian-HUElavians, eventually the Guantzu would open their own, involving traditional games like poker, roulette, craps, but eventually brought their games of Mahjong, which became very lucrative businesses. Thus, the Guantzu have made the Emerald Coast known as the "Cash Coast" from how many casinos are in the area.

From here, the Guantzu have brought many things from their country into HUElavia. Notably being the Cantonese language, where neon signs adorn the streets, along with English and Portuguese translations offered for people to understand what the businesses are. Many of the buildings have the distinctive Guantzu architecture from back home that is on most buildings and can make it feel like they're in Guan Tzu. Clothing can be traditional as well, with many women wearing the Cheongsam throughout the streets in a wide variety of intricate designs. The most popular Guantzu dish in HUElavia would be Spring Rolls, being thin sheets of dough fried and filled with a variety of fillings from shredded pork to shrimp to vegetables. Traditional Guantzu music is also enjoyed in the area, giving a very calming feel to people when they listen to it.

While many Guantzu-HUElavians have made their contributions throughout different sectors of HUElavian culture, the majority have worked in science and business. The most famous Guantzu-HUElavian would be Emilio Li, who owned the Li casino chain throughout the region and eventually spreading to different major cities in HUElavia, making him one of the billionaires of HUElavia. While not as prominent as the Yamoto-HUElavians, the Guantzu-HUElavians have made their mark and have served as strong, independent people willing to give the best support to the country.

by **Sea Peoples League** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 1:40 am


Corporate City 1 (C) 4–1 Southern Chains (S)
Hub City (H) 2–0 Floating Haven (F)
Pentoia Massive (P) 4–0 Separation Island (I)
Deep Country (D) 2–2 Maroon Archipelago (M)
Southern Chains (S) 0–2 Maroon Archipelago (M)
Separation Island (I) 0–1 Deep Country (D)
Floating Haven (F) 2–2 Pentoia Massive (P)
Corporate City 1 (C) 4–2 Hub City (H)

                          Pld    W   D   L   Pts                                          
1 Corporate City 1          2    2   0   0     6    —    —    —    —   4–2   —   4–1   — 
2 Maroon Archipelago        2    1   1   0     4    —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
3 Pentoia Massive           2    1   1   0     4    —    —    —    —    —    —    —   4–0
4 Deep Country              2    1   1   0     4    —   2–2   —    —    —    —    —    — 
5 Hub City                  2    1   0   1     3    —    —    —    —    —   2–0   —    — 
6 Floating Haven            2    0   1   1     1    —    —   2–2   —    —    —    —    — 
7 Southern Chains           2    0   0   2     0    —   0–2   —    —    —    —    —    — 
8 Separation Island         2    0   0   2     0    —    —    —   0–1   —    —    —    —
Hub City (H) 3–2 Southern Chains (S)
Pentoia Massive (P) 0–3 Corporate City 1 (C)
Deep Country (D) 6–2 Floating Haven (F)
Maroon Archipelago (M) 3–1 Separation Island (I)

                          Pld    W   D   L   Pts                                          
1 Corporate City 1          3    3   0   0     9    —    —    —   4–2   —    —   4–1   — 
2 Maroon Archipelago        3    2   1   0     7    —    —    —    —    —    —    —   3–1
3 Deep Country              3    2   1   0     7    —   2–2   —    —    —   6–2   —    — 
4 Hub City                  3    2   0   1     6    —    —    —    —    —   2–0  3–2   — 
5 Pentoia Massive           3    1   1   1     4   0–3   —    —    —    —    —    —   4–0
6 Floating Haven            3    0   1   2     1    —    —    —    —   2–2   —    —    — 
7 Southern Chains           3    0   0   3     0    —   0–2   —    —    —    —    —    — 
8 Separation Island         3    0   0   3     0    —    —   0–1   —    —    —    —    —
Southern Chains (S) 2–4 Separation Island (I)
Floating Haven (F) 4–2 Maroon Archipelago (M)
Corporate City 1 (C) 2–1 Deep Country (D)
Hub City (H) 0–0 Pentoia Massive (P)

                          Pld    W   D   L   Pts                                          
1 Corporate City 1          4    4   0   0    12    —    —   2–1  4–2   —    —    —   4–1
2 Maroon Archipelago        4    2   1   1     7    —    —    —    —    —    —   3–1   — 
3 Deep Country              4    2   1   1     7    —   2–2   —    —    —   6–2   —    — 
  Hub City                  4    2   1   1     7    —    —    —    —   0–0  2–0   —   3–2
5 Pentoia Massive           4    1   2   1     5   0–3   —    —    —    —    —   4–0   — 
6 Floating Haven            4    1   1   2     4    —   4–2   —    —   2–2   —    —    — 
7 Separation Island         4    1   0   3     3    —    —   0–1   —    —    —    —    — 
8 Southern Chains           4    0   0   4     0    —   0–2   —    —    —    —   2–4   —
Pentoia Massive (P) 3–0 Southern Chains (S)
Deep Country (D) 1–0 Hub City (H)
Maroon Archipelago (M) 1–1 Corporate City 1 (C)
Separation Island (I) 1–0 Floating Haven (F)

                          Pld    W   D   L   Pts                                          
1 Corporate City 1          5    4   1   0    13    —   2–1   —    —   4–2   —    —   4–1
2 Deep Country              5    3   1   1    10    —    —   2–2   —   1–0   —   6–2   — 
3 Maroon Archipelago        5    2   2   1     8   1–1   —    —    —    —   3–1   —    — 
4 Pentoia Massive           5    2   2   1     8   0–3   —    —    —    —   4–0   —   3–0
5 Hub City                  5    2   1   2     7    —    —    —   0–0   —    —   2–0  3–2
6 Separation Island         5    2   0   3     6    —   0–1   —    —    —    —   1–0   — 
7 Floating Haven            5    1   1   3     4    —    —   4–2  2–2   —    —    —    — 
8 Southern Chains           5    0   0   5     0    —    —   0–2   —    —   2–4   —    —
Southern Chains (S) 2–4 Floating Haven (F)
Corporate City 1 (C) 1–2 Separation Island (I)
Hub City (H) 1–1 Maroon Archipelago (M)
Pentoia Massive (P) 2–4 Deep Country (D)

                          Pld    W   D   L   Pts                                          
1 Deep Country              6    4   1   1    13    —    —   2–2   —   1–0   —   6–2   — 
2 Corporate City 1          6    4   1   1    13   2–1   —    —   1–2  4–2   —    —   4–1
3 Maroon Archipelago        6    2   3   1     9    —   1–1   —   3–1   —    —    —    — 
  Separation Island         6    3   0   3     9   0–1   —    —    —    —    —   1–0   — 
5 Hub City                  6    2   2   2     8    —    —   1–1   —    —   0–0  2–0  3–2
  Pentoia Massive           6    2   2   2     8   2–4  0–3   —   4–0   —    —    —   3–0
7 Floating Haven            6    2   1   3     7    —    —   4–2   —    —   2–2   —    — 
8 Southern Chains           6    0   0   6     0    —    —   0–2  2–4   —    —   2–4   —
Deep Country (D) 0–0 Southern Chains (S)
Maroon Archipelago (M) 5–3 Pentoia Massive (P)
Separation Island (I) 0–1 Hub City (H)
Floating Haven (F) 5–3 Corporate City 1 (C)

                          Pld    W   D   L   Pts                                          
1 Deep Country              7    4   2   1    14    —    —   2–2  1–0  6–2   —    —   0–0
2 Corporate City 1          7    4   1   2    13   2–1   —    —   4–2   —   1–2   —   4–1
3 Maroon Archipelago        7    3   3   1    12    —   1–1   —    —    —   3–1  5–3   — 
4 Hub City                  7    3   2   2    11    —    —   1–1   —   2–0   —   0–0  3–2
5 Floating Haven            7    3   1   3    10    —   5–3  4–2   —    —    —   2–2   — 
6 Separation Island         7    3   0   4     9   0–1   —    —   0–1  1–0   —    —    — 
7 Pentoia Massive           7    2   2   3     8   2–4  0–3   —    —    —   4–0   —   3–0
8 Southern Chains           7    0   1   6     1    —    —   0–2   —   2–4  2–4   —    —
Southern Chains (S) 0–3 Corporate City 1 (C)
Floating Haven (F) 1–2 Hub City (H)
Separation Island (I) 1–1 Pentoia Massive (P)
Maroon Archipelago (M) 2–2 Deep Country (D)

                          Pld    W   D   L   Pts                                          
1 Corporate City 1          8    5   1   2    16    —   2–1  4–2   —   1–2   —    —   4–1
2 Deep Country              8    4   3   1    15    —    —   1–0  2–2   —   6–2   —   0–0
3 Hub City                  8    4   2   2    14    —    —    —   1–1   —   2–0  0–0  3–2
4 Maroon Archipelago        8    3   4   1    13   1–1  2–2   —    —   3–1   —   5–3   — 
5 Separation Island         8    3   1   4    10    —   0–1  0–1   —    —   1–0  1–1   — 
6 Floating Haven            8    3   1   4    10   5–3   —   1–2  4–2   —    —   2–2   — 
7 Pentoia Massive           8    2   3   3     9   0–3  2–4   —    —   4–0   —    —   3–0
8 Southern Chains           8    0   1   7     1   0–3   —    —   0–2  2–4  2–4   —    —
Maroon Archipelago (M) 2–0 E-Southern Chains (S)
Deep Country (D) 6–1 Separation Island (I)
Pentoia Massive (P) 2–2 Floating Haven (F)
Hub City (H) 8–2 Corporate City 1 (C)

                          Pld    W   D   L   Pts                                          
1 Deep Country              9    5   3   1    18    —   1–0   —   2–2  6–2  6–1   —   0–0
2 Hub City                  9    5   2   2    17    —    —   8–2  1–1  2–0   —   0–0  3–2
3 Corporate City 1          9    5   1   3    16   2–1  4–2   —    —    —   1–2   —   4–1
4 Maroon Archipelago        9    4   4   1    16   2–2   —   1–1   —    —   3–1  5–3  2–0
5 Floating Haven            9    3   2   4    11    —   1–2  5–3  4–2   —    —   2–2   — 
6 Separation Island         9    3   1   5    10   0–1  0–1   —    —   1–0   —   1–1   — 
7 Pentoia Massive           9    2   4   3    10   2–4   —   0–3   —   2–2  4–0   —   3–0
8 Southern Chains           9    0   1   8     1    —    —   0–3  0–2  2–4  2–4   —    — E
Southern Chains (S) 0–0 Hub City (H)
Corporate City 1 (C) 4–4 Pentoia Massive (P)
Floating Haven (F) 2–2 Deep Country (D)
Separation Island (I) 3–3 Maroon Archipelago (M)

                          Pld    W   D   L   Pts                                          
1 Deep Country             10    5   4   1    19    —   1–0   —   2–2  6–2   —   6–1  0–0
2 Hub City                 10    5   3   2    18    —    —   8–2  1–1  2–0  0–0   —   3–2
3 Corporate City 1         10    5   2   3    17   2–1  4–2   —    —    —   4–4  1–2  4–1
4 Maroon Archipelago       10    4   5   1    17   2–2   —   1–1   —    —   5–3  3–1  2–0
5 Floating Haven           10    3   3   4    12   2–2  1–2  5–3  4–2   —   2–2   —    — 
6 Pentoia Massive          10    2   5   3    11   2–4   —   0–3   —   2–2   —   4–0  3–0
7 Separation Island        10    3   2   5    11   0–1  0–1   —   3–3  1–0  1–1   —    — 
8 Southern Chains          10    0   2   8     2    —   0–0  0–3  0–2  2–4   —   2–4   — E
Separation Island (I) 0–1 Southern Chains (S)
Maroon Archipelago (M) 2–1 Floating Haven (F)
Q-Deep Country (D) 3–2 Corporate City 1 (C)
Pentoia Massive (P) 0–0 Hub City (H)

                          Pld    W   D   L   Pts                                          
1 Deep Country             11    6   4   1    22    —   2–2  1–0  3–2   —   6–2  6–1  0–0 Q
2 Maroon Archipelago       11    5   5   1    20   2–2   —    —   1–1  5–3  2–1  3–1  2–0
3 Hub City                 11    5   4   2    19    —   1–1   —   8–2  0–0  2–0   —   3–2
4 Corporate City 1         11    5   2   4    17   2–1   —   4–2   —   4–4   —   1–2  4–1
5 Pentoia Massive          11    2   6   3    12   2–4   —   0–0  0–3   —   2–2  4–0  3–0 no full home advantage
6 Floating Haven           11    3   3   5    12   2–2  4–2  1–2  5–3  2–2   —    —    — 
7 Separation Island        11    3   2   6    11   0–1  3–3  0–1   —   1–1  1–0   —   0–1
8 Southern Chains          11    1   2   8     5    —   0–2  0–0  0–3   —   2–4  2–4   — E
Southern Chains (S) 1–3 Pentoia Massive (P)
Q-Hub City (H) 2–0 Deep Country (D)
Corporate City 1 (C) 4–1 Maroon Archipelago (M)
Floating Haven (F) 1–0 E-Separation Island (I)

                          Pld    W   D   L   Pts                                          
1 Deep Country             12    6   4   2    22    —   1–0  3–2  2–2   —   6–2  6–1  0–0 Q
2 Hub City                 12    6   4   2    22   2–0   —   8–2  1–1  0–0  2–0   —   3–2 Q
3 Corporate City 1         12    6   2   4    20   2–1  4–2   —   4–1  4–4   —   1–2  4–1
4 Maroon Archipelago       12    5   5   2    20   2–2   —   1–1   —   5–3  2–1  3–1  2–0
5 Pentoia Massive          12    3   6   3    15   2–4  0–0  0–3   —    —   2–2  4–0  3–0 no home advantage
6 Floating Haven           12    4   3   5    15   2–2  1–2  5–3  4–2  2–2   —   1–0   — 
7 Separation Island        12    3   2   7    11   0–1  0–1   —   3–3  1–1  1–0   —   0–1 E
8 Southern Chains          12    1   2   9     5    —   0–0  0–3  0–2  1–3  2–4  2–4   — E
E-Floating Haven (F) 3–3 Southern Chains (S) | Ed: It's like they dragged them down to their level today
Separation Island (I) 0–0 Corporate City 1 (C)
Maroon Archipelago (M) 0–0 Hub City (H)
Deep Country (D) 2–3 Pentoia Massive (P)

                          Pld    W   D   L   Pts                                          
1 Hub City                 13    6   5   2    23    —   2–0  8–2  1–1  0–0  2–0   —   3–2 Q
2 Deep Country             13    6   4   3    22   1–0   —   3–2  2–2  2–3  6–2  6–1  0–0 Q
3 Corporate City 1         13    6   3   4    21   4–2  2–1   —   4–1  4–4   —   1–2  4–1
4 Maroon Archipelago       13    5   6   2    21   0–0  2–2  1–1   —   5–3  2–1  3–1  2–0
5 Pentoia Massive          13    4   6   3    18   0–0  2–4  0–3   —    —   2–2  4–0  3–0
6 Floating Haven           13    4   4   5    16   1–2  2–2  5–3  4–2  2–2   —   1–0  3–3 E
7 Separation Island        13    3   3   7    12   0–1  0–1  0–0  3–3  1–1  1–0   —   0–1 E
8 Southern Chains          13    1   3   9     6   0–0   —   0–3  0–2  1–3  2–4  2–4   —  E
Southern Chains (S) 0–2 Deep Country (D)
Q-Pentoia Massive (P) 1–0 E-Maroon Archipelago (M)
Hub City (H) 1–0 Separation Island (I)
Q-Corporate City 1 (C) 3–1 Floating Haven (F)

                          Pld    W   D   L   Pts                                          
1 Hub City                 14    7   5   2    26    —   2–0  8–2  0–0  1–1  2–0  1–0  3–2 Q
2 Deep Country             14    7   4   3    25   1–0   —   3–2  2–3  2–2  6–2  6–1  0–0 Q
3 Corporate City 1         14    7   3   4    24   4–2  2–1   —   4–4  4–1  3–1  1–2  4–1 Q
4 Pentoia Massive          14    5   6   3    21   0–0  2–4  0–3   —   1–0  2–2  4–0  3–0 Q
5 Maroon Archipelago       14    5   6   3    21   0–0  2–2  1–1  5–3   —   2–1  3–1  2–0 E
6 Floating Haven           14    4   4   6    16   1–2  2–2  5–3  2–2  4–2   —   1–0  3–3 E
7 Separation Island        14    3   3   8    12   0–1  0–1  0–0  1–1  3–3  1–0   —   0–1 E
8 Southern Chains          14    1   3  10     6   0–0  0–2  0–3  1–3  0–2  2–4  2–4   —  E
Hub City (H) 2–0 Pentoia Massive (P)
Deep Country (D) 2–0 Corporate City 1 (C)
Pentoia Massive (P) 0–1 Hub City (H)
Corporate City 1 (C) 2–1 Deep Country (D)
at Black Star Stadium, Maroon Archipelago

Corporate City 1 (C) 0–1 Pentoia Massive (P)
Hub City (H) 2–1 Deep Country (D)

by **Alasdair I Frosticus** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 3:19 am

OOC - much of this RP is a parody/edit (in part to keep it PG-13) of bits of the Parris Island training sequence in the Stanley Kubrick film Full Metal Jacket

From the Diaries of Swole Santa

On the thirtheenth matchday of qualification, my swole elves gave to me... a loss to ... GIRLS??????

[transcribed from Evil Swole Santa's post-match speech to the elves]

What the fuck was that? A 3-2 loss to a bunch of girls?

I have talked Mr Tzimisces into letting me take control of tonight's training session, and you are in for a world of hurt, elves.

Tonight ... you pukes will sleep with footballs! You will give your footballs a girl's name! Because this is the only loving you elves are going to get!

Your days of french kissing old Mary Jane Rottencrotch behind the training ground shed are over! You're married to this piece of leather! And you will be faithful!

Now pray!

"This is my football. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My football is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it, as I must master my life.

Without me my football is useless. Without my football, I am useless. I must shoot my football towards the opposing goal. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to shoot at my goal. I must shoot before he shoots. I will score with more of my shots than he will.

Before God I swear this creed. My football and myself are playing for the Holy Empire. We are the masters of our own fate in qualification. So be it .. . until we have achieved qualification.

Amen."

You, you there at the back. Stampy TemperFlakes. Perhaps you'd like to tell us what you're finding so funny?

<Stampy TemperFlakes mumbles something about how if Santa is the team captain, shouldn't he be taking some of the responsibility for the bad results?>

Well ... no shit. What have we got here, a fucking comedian? I admire your honesty. Hell, I like you. You can come over to my house and make love to my sister.

<Santa punches Stampy TemperFlakes in the stomach. Stampy sags to his knees.>

You little scumbag! I've got your name! I've got your ass! You will not laugh! You will not cry! You will learn by the numbers. I will teach you how to play better football. Now get up! Get on your feet! You had best unfuck yourself or I will unscrew your head and shit down your neck!

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Stampy TemperFlakes, why did you join this football team?

"Sir, to qualify for the World Cup, sir!"

So you're a winner!

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Let me see your winner's face! You've got a winner's face? You don't want to be losing football matches to girls? Aaaaaaaagh! That's a winner's face.

Now let me see your war face, you lousy maggot!

"Aaaaaaaagh!"

Bullshit! You didn't convince me! Let me see your real winner's face!

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"

You didn't scare me! Work on it!

Now, all of you little fuckers... get down and exercise! Push-ups! I want to see 100 push-ups from all of you little pussies before you go to bed with your footballs, and you had better goddamn mean it!

One, two, three, four!
I always love to see us score!

One, two,three, four!
I always love to see us score!

One, two, three, four!
I always love to see us score!

<and so on; another 97 times>

----------------------------------

From the Diaries of Swole Santa

On the fourteenth matchday of qualification, my swole elves gave to me... a solid win, thank fuck

Note to self: training regime following embarrassing loss to Doubeia seems to have worked; continue methods through to end of qualification.

by **Aphrilia** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 7:20 am

Derailed, Assess, Continue Forward (And No Blaming Anyone!)
Two back to back losses. That was quite the bad news.

In the meeting room within the national team's training facility, everyone had been gathered up for some briefing. The two losses came at a time when Aphrilia was at it's peak of momentum, and these results had set the team back massively. Leonardo Bianchi also had only recently found out about the existence of the room thanks to Joseph Alan. A briefing, a meeting, a talk... Whatever it was, he felt that as coach, this would be necessary to try and figure out what went wrong. He knew the team was disappointed, as well as the fans.

Meanwhile on the other end, two players felt that it had been their fault for the back-to-back defeats. Jessica Rhine-Faust felt that her leadership was lacking within the two previous matches, and some people were pointing at her inconsistency and hesitation throughout the matches as the team's source of losses. Despite the fact that her captaincy was overall great throughout the campaign. On the other hand, Theresa Villa perhaps felt that it was her doubt of the fact she brought bad luck that had struck The Anchors.

She feels as if nature was forcing her to remember what she is.

"Alright everyone, let us begin." Bianchi stated as everyone had gathered, starting the briefing. It was rather straightforward, safe to say. Talks about what perhaps should be changed, assessing what had went wrong, figuring out key mistakes, and much more. Bianchi had made it clear that this team was a family, and just like an actual one, they would figure out how to solve this dire situation together. There was definitely a lot to be discussed, and everyone had at least something to say about the whole thing. Whether it's an entire line or a whole paragraph, one by one, everyone stated what they had in mind. Well, that was until it was the captain herself decided to speak.

"Permission to speak?" Rhine-Faust asked. Bianchi only nodded, curious to hear what the captain herself had to say. She stood up from her seat and went to the front, as it seems like it was something out of her heart that she wanted to state. "I will keep my words short." Rhine-Faust spoke, before adding on. "My sudden failure as captain is on me alone, and I apologize to all of you. I understand that a lot of us may feel like it was our own fault for these defeats, but I want all of us to take responsibility and work together to get back to form..." That last line made Villa look away from Rhine-Faust, who noticed it. The one at the front added some more words before ending her speech, much to the delight of a few as most clapped at what the captain had said. After some more time spent at the briefing, everyone was dismissed for the night.

Villa was just glad she was able to go through that. Perhaps her words some time ago had jinxed the national team, being a supposed "bringer of bad luck" and whatnot. However, as she was about to head back to her room in order to rest up, someone called out her name. Looking back, it was the captain herself and best friend, Alexander Burns. Choosing to humor the two, she approached them. "Hey Jessica, Alex. Great speech by the way Jess, even if you said that you meant to keep your words short." Villa remarked.

The captain just laughs it off. "Maybe I did get carried away. "The reason we wanted to talk to you was, uhm..." Rhine-Faust couldn't say it by herself, thus Burns chimed in. "Jess was worried, she saw you look away. You okay?" He asked. Villa was surprised, these two worried about her? Well, perhaps her behavior back during their time on the U21 team sparked some curiosity... Why did she say that back then, even? Perhaps as a way to tell them to not get too close? Whatever. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for checking in, but I have to go now." And before either Rhine-Faust or Burns could say something, Villa walked away, just wanting to get some rest for the night.

The duo looked at each other, noting this behavior of hers. Perhaps something was afoot.

by **Flavovespia** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 8:20 am

Twice Pulled Back, But Third Time Lucky

Unitarnia were a fighting force against Flavovespia, but it was ultimately one comeback too many for them, as Flavovespia went on to win 2-3. Results elsewhere were a big boost for Flavovespia, Indusse drew 1-1 with Zwangzug and Zenic were defeated 2-0 by The Osnari Federation. This was certainly the break Flavovespia needed in a tight group.

Back to events in Unitarnia, and it was a frantic start to the game. Flavovespia’s first attack saw them find the back of the net. David Atkinson, back from injury, broke clear down the left, he pulled his cross low towards the back of the box, and Charles Shepherd was there to guide it into the corner of the net. However Unitarnia were by no means unsettled by that early setback. With their first real attack, they too found the net. There’s was a great goal, some slow passing around the edge of the box, followed by a shot unleashed from over 20 metres out, that Peter Marriott had no chance to save. 11 minutes in, 1-1.

Just 5 minutes after the first equaliser, Flavovespia were leading again. This time Charles Shepherd was the provider, he flicked the ball on with his head just outside the box, into the path of Frank Johnson. Chesting it down, then volleying, Frank Johnson showed poise and composure to make the finish and restore the lead for Flavovespia. Flavovespia had a good few chances as the first half went on, but couldn’t extend their lead, leaving it 1-2 at the break.

Unitarnia came out firing in the second half, and got the equaliser again. It was ultimately Flavvoespia fialing to clear their lines that allowed the Unitarnia striker an easy shot at goal. Peter Marriott got a touch on it, but couldn’t keep it out, and was rightfully frustrated with his defenders. However the best form was defence was attack, and John Fletcher got the opportunity to score a rare international goal in the 56th minute. Just outside the box, a powerful shot was always rising, but not enough to go over the bar, and it rattled the underside of the goal. 2-3 to Flavovespia, and they had their confidence back.

Unitarnia were unfortunately knocked back and not able to conjure up more magic or chances. Flavovespia were in a position to see out a win, and they calmly did so, with little drama in the latter stages of this game. The number of games left now is 5, and this result boosts Flavovespia’s hopes of qualifying significantly.
Alexander Schmitt

Four Goals In Thrilling Victory

In a key match between 2 of the 4 sides fighting for one of 3 Group 5 World Cup berths, Flavovespia proved their mettle to come through with a 4-1 win over Indusse. A loss for Zwangzug at home to The Osnari Federation sends Flavovespia top, sweetening this Matchday further.

Even before kickoff, the importance of this game meant plenty of tension, a win for either side puts a lot of pressure on the loser in the race to the World Cup. Perhaps that’s why it was a cautious start, most of the play in the midfield, with few breaks as both sides sat deep. It was going to take something special to break the deadlock, and who other than Jonathan Bagshaw to do so in the 25th minute. A mazy run by him took him past 2 defenders, and his shot produced a brilliant save, but Jahangir Shehzad could do nothing as Frank Johnson hit the rebound home. In a first halfthat’d finish 1-0, it was one moment of great skill to separate the two sides.

Indusse needed something to get them back into the game, and they got their equaliser in the 55th minute. A well worked free kick routine saw Goblin Grundjee hit a half volley at the far post to make it 1-1. Now with much of the second half to go, a pivotal moment in the qualifiers. Flavovespia would however be the ones to get the next goal, in the 67th minute. It was a direct free kick goal, Christopher Hill clearing the wall with a great curling effort, to find the back of the net, a just reward after Frank Johnson took a hefty challenge to the ankle, leading to the set piece. 2-1 up, Flavovespia were in a good position but it wasn’t all over.

A double whammy secured Flavovespia’s win in the 78th and 79th minute. Jonathan Bagshaw’s cross missed almost everyone, but not David Atkinson. Despite a tight angle, his header found its way into the goal, doubling the lead. Then, almost from kick off, a loose pass back was intercepted by Peter Langdon, and he was able to round Jahangir Shehzad to score. 4-1 with little time left, a fighting performance now saw Flavovespia heading for victory. With 4 games left, Flavovespia now know 2 wins and a draw is mathematically enough, after a tight battle at the top of Group 5, could Flavovespia finally be in the right gear to go to the World Cup, and try to defend their title?
Judd Stafford

by **Doubeia** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 9:09 am

film out — bts | habit — seventeen

Ambrose looked out into the open. The grass in the park was freshly cut, its fragrance hitting his nostrils like perfume. Autumn had come and was about to go. Ambrose observed the gardener raking the fallen yellow leaves away. The maple trees dotting the park had been left bare, their emptiness an apt metaphor for how Ambrose was feeling.

Ambrose shook his leg around. His foot was left in a cast, an ugly consequence of his injury. He had thankfully been discharged from the hospital, but between having someone take care of him in an air-conditioned hospital ward and having to live for himself in his lifeless apartment, he would rather choose the former.

Ambrose was always reminded of how lonely he was when he checked his social media. Everyone seemed to be doing something with somebody and it was driving him nuts. His feed was people eating with each other, window-shopping together, bowling with their friends… and here he was, alone in his apartment having to resort to his phone for entertainment. Sure, Ambrose’s life wasn’t too lonely. He visited the club’s physiotherapist regularly to treat his injury and slowly ease himself back into the thick of things, but it was the club’s physiotherapist, not a friend. He knew his attitude reeked when he was still with Skye, but he didn’t know it stunk to the extent he became a social pariah with the way no one seemed to be reaching out to him at all. Sometimes Maddox and his cousin Isaac came to visit him, but they also had their own lives to live; their visits were sporadic.

Ambrose thought everything sucked. He had no relatives in Winterfalls apart from Isaac, and it didn’t seem like he had any friends either. He thought he might as well go live in the nearby mountains alone with how empty his life was.

One day, Ambrose decided he had enough of rotting at home and chose to visit the park downstairs. Walking with his crutches, he slowly and painfully made his way to the park and sat himself down on a bench. That was how he found himself sitting down, looking at greenery and some gardener raking fallen leaves.

Ambrose wondered how the stars had aligned so that the funnest thing to do for him was to sit and stare aimlessly. He felt a sense of deja vu sitting down on a bench. Memories long bygone came back to revisit his mind, and as he thought of the times he and Skye would sit on the bench, he reminisced. The breakup had happened a month ago, but Ambrose couldn’t shake Skye off his mind just yet. He thought he was doing well until the injury hit. The resulting loneliness made him yearn for company even though he threw away the only person who would willingly accompany him.

The park had many benches, and Ambrose didn’t remember for sure which ones he sat on with Skye, but they all looked similar enough for the deja vu to hit. As Ambrose sat, sometimes his mind would wander away from Skye to a different topic entirely. Sometimes, he had a shower thought, a moment of eureka. However, when he turned around to excitedly tell Skye what he’d been thinking about, he was rudely reminded that, no, Skye wasn’t by his side. It was weird, though. The longer he sat, the more he felt that Skye was with him. Perhaps it was his mind playing its little tricks with him, or maybe his memories were interfering into the real world. Reliving his memories… that wouldn’t be too bad now, would it?

Ambrose watched the few people walk past him. He was lucky none of them recognised him or he wouldn’t have been able to escape the unavoidably uncomfortable questions they probably would’ve asked. Most of them were lone joggers, running to get some cardio in. There were some that ran as a pair. He didn’t know whether they were friends, siblings, or a couple, but either way he was jealous of them. Imagine doing something with someone. He couldn’t relate.

Sometimes, Ambrose wondered how Skye would be about his injury if they were still together.

Would she be the most worried mother ever?

“Amby, no. You are not going out today,” Skye chided, “Not when you can’t even walk.” Ambrose wanted to go out for a drink. It seemed like a good idea to him, but not to her.

“Please, babe,” Ambrose begged in the most unbearably cute voice he could muster, “I’m sho bowd. I want to go dwink. Pwease…?” Skye couldn’t help but laugh at Ambrose’s antics, but her no-nonsense attitude returned soon after.

“Hell no! You’re going to break all your bones at this rate!” Skye said incredulously, “You’re staying here, on my watch. Besides, you have me here.”

“Awwightch…” Ambrose couldn’t fault her logic: his injury was still kinda bad. That day, he decided to hold in his drinking temptations and spent the rest of the day being taken care of (read: babied) by Skye.

Would she try to lift his spirits?

“Now, who’s finally decided to buy some new shoes?” Skye joked while walking into Ambrose’s apartment as she stuck her tongue out cheekily.

“Skye, this is a cast,” Ambrose replied matter-of-factly. It only took him a millisecond to understand what Skye had just said, and he let out a chuckle. A chuckle led to a giggle, and then to voracious laughter.

“Shut the hell up already!” Skye said through her laughter, “It wasn’t that funny, seriously!” Once Ambrose’s laughter had died down, he held Skye’s chin gently.

“Babe, you’re the funniest person in my life,” his eyes had a dreamy look as his tone turned all quiet suddenly. Skye merely laughed it off.

“Who knew getting injured would make you a more sentimental and appreciative person?” she quipped before pulling out a box, “Anyway, I bought us chicken! I even bought the spicy one for you.” She opened up the box to reveal an absolutely gargantuan assortment of chicken. Every. Single. One. Of them looked tasty as fuck. Ambrose looked at Skye with the happiest expression he ever had since his injury.

“You’re so fucking amazing,” he told her.

“I knew you would say that,” she laughed, “Anyway, let’s get digging!”

At that point, Ambrose knew to stop thinking about what-could-have-beens. It was obvious that Skye was never going to be his again, so what was the point of making up scenarios in his head? After a while, Ambrose got sick of watching nature and decided to go back up. He reclined on the sofa and switched the television on. He looked through the movies he’d watched with Skye. One of them stood out to him.

“Film Out”. A movie about a man whose wife only existed in photographs.

Ambrose remembered his initial reservations when Skye chose the movie to watch. The premise just sounded super weird, like how could someone only live in photographs? However, he remembered being overwhelmed with emotions as the minutes passed by. He related to the main character’s pain of not having his wife be with him physically, and he admitted he shed a tear when the final reveal occurred: the man’s wife had died young, and the man was vicariously making her live through all the photographs even though all she wanted was peace after death. He soon went crazy from all the hallucinations he had about his wife.

As Ambrose rewatched the movie, those same emotions – those of sadness, concern, listlessness – all came rushing back into his heart. However, the sympathy he had felt for the main character became empathy in that instance; Ambrose understood what it was like to lose someone he loved, and to relive all their memories in an attempt to savour what was left of their relationship. In fact, he was doing just that, watching a movie he used to watch with Skye, right in his living room.

“In my imagination, you’re so vivid as if you are right there, but I reach out my hand and you suddenly disappear.”

World Cup 99 - RP Thread

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No.	Name	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
CL1	OCCIDENTALIS	Kotr Shipyards Union	13.6.1937	12.12.1938	20.1.1940	Stricken 12.1.1966
CL2	SERENTIA	Kotr Shipyards Union	3.8.1937	7.11.1938	1.1.1940	Stricken 11.1.1961
CL3	KALWINTR	Kotr Shipyards Union	3.8.1937	10.11.1938	4.12.1939	Stricken 12.1.1966