World Cup 99 - RP Thread

by **Warkus** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 11:29 am

OOC: Image attribution – Esmu Igors, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pêl-droed a Phethau Eraill

A blog by Thomas Blayney

I might actually make this post public, since I think everything I'm saying here is above board. If it is public, and you are reading this, then let me say this first: No, I'm not back. I'm just posting some 'extras' from my job at the GDW when I feel like it, that's all.

As some of you know, I've been writing about the interdisciplinary conference on football. There were a bunch of interesting talks, some of which I couldn't write about for the GDW (for various reasons). One such talk was only tangentially related to the sport of football and it wasn't really an 'academic' talk either, in the sense that the speaker wasn't presenting new and original research. This was more of a 'pop science' talk, the kind of thing you'd expect to see on an educational TV show. The talk was titled 'How fundamental is the football?' and it was given by Dr. Robert Carew, a lecturer in philosophy (of physics) at Dinas Sand University. I thought the 'the' in the title was a typo, but it turns out he was talking about football the object and not football the game.

There are these football-shaped molecules made out of 60 carbon atoms called buckminsterfullerene or 'buckyballs'. They look like this:

A naturally-occurring molecule that looks like a football. Neat! The title was still a little misleading, though, as Dr. Carew started off by quickly explaining that buckyballs aren't fundamental at all. What makes something 'fundamental' in physics is its inability to be explanatorily reduced to something else (e.g. you can't appeal to some more fundamental thing in explaining how it exists or works). Buckyballs are made up of 60 carbon atoms and those carbon atoms contain 6 protons and 6 electrons (how many neutrons they contain depends on whether these atoms are C-12 or C-13 – roughly half of all buckyballs have only C-12 atoms, which means each atom would have 6 neutrons). 720 particles in total. The protons and neutrons are made up of 3 quarks each too, so if we're counting quarks and electrons as fundamental particles then a single buckyball is made up of over 2000 fundamental particles. They're pretty big molecules. Their structure is also the product of more fundamental forces – electromagnetic forces and chemical bonds holding the carbon atoms together to create their distinctive and recognisable shape.

What makes buckyballs interesting to physicists, however, isn't the fact that they're shaped like footballs. They're interesting because they're much bigger than particles like electrons and photons but physicists can still perform some famous quantum mechanical experiments on them, like the famous double-slit experiment. In other words, buckyballs seem to behave in a way that fits with the predictions of quantum theory. The structure itself, not just the particles making it up, exhibits this quantum mechanical behaviour. They help physicists understand how quantum mechanics works at a larger scale – a scale much larger than that of fundamental particles, but much smaller than that of large composite objects like chairs and tables. They're like a bridge between the world of fundamental microscopic particles and the macroscopic world that's familiar to you and me. Dr. Carew finished up by talking about 'vague boundaries' between 'classical' and 'quantum' objects, along with the implications this has for the debate over 'object-level vagueness' and 'vague properties' in philosophy. He kinda lost me there and I still don't really understand what he was saying even after I asked him about it at dinner, but the idea is basically that there might be some unknowable boundary between objects best described using classical physics and objects best described using quantum physics. Anyway, I thought it was an interesting talk, even though I'm not entirely sure who the intended audience was supposed to be.

Catching up on the football, we broke our three game losing streak with a very impressive 4-0 win against Middle Alba away from home. It was a great showing, especially since they beat us in their away game last time around. We also picked up a solid 2-2 home draw against Kamijiro, which was all the more impressive considering they currently sit fourth and are hungry for a qualification spot. We're not expecting to qualify, obviously, and while we're not mathematically out of contention yet I expect that to change within the next two games (currently we need to win every single remaining game in a row and Milchama to lose every game, along with results going our way for all the other teams above us). Frankly, we should be happy to finish above last as an unranked team, but it would be nice to see us finish eight or even push for seventh.

by **Anewkansas** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 12:09 pm

The Building of a Country and at what Price

Part 8

First sergeant Evan Mitowski had the widest of grins plastered on his face: this had to be the best working day ever. Watch a football game and make some notes. For someone who had spent some days in training camp with tasks such as ‘clean the toilet with your toothbrush’, ‘shovel that hill of sand into that pit, then make it a hill again’ and ‘keep watch over a nameless plot of land on a winter night’, this was heaven. That the two cold ones he cracked open would be non-alcoholic ones was a negligible downside. Mitowski was too upbeat to notice that his colleague took this task a lot more seriously. Then again, there was little that captain Frederick van der Hauw did not approach thoughtfully, with a hint of aplomb and a smidge of boring.

“Those guys won’t score against us. The North Polish Union has not scored in four games. I’m telling you, this looks like a draw but I think it will be an easy w-”

With a hand signal, van der Hauw made clear that this would be business over pleasure. As the line-up came on the screen, he furiously started to scribble. Suddenly he halted and looked over to Mitowski.

“No O’Reilly but with Jack Cain on the right back…”
“That’s… Also good, right? As long as we’ve got someone from the Agency on the field.”
“It should be O’Reilly. Or O’Reilly as well, if they insist that officer Cain knows how to play football properly.”

It is the kind of comment that could see a pundit wake up with a horse’s head by his side, but from a certain rank this was permitted within the Agency. Van der Hauw repeated it, more to himself than anything else.

“It should be O’Reilly on goal instead of Izak Powell. Price is playing with fire right now. Hm…”
“So, what should we actually do?”
“You check for every move from a potentially subversive player and note whether it is a productive or destructive one considering the course of play.”
“A potentially subversive player? Like, Stu Miller, because he always picks up yellow?”
“For Christ’s sake, Mitowski, they really hand out that badge to anyone these days, aren’t they? Lesson one, every citizen is a potential subversive. And especially footballers, who feel the power of a crowd run through their limbs on a weekly basis.”

The start of forty-five minutes of continuous scribbling and scratching. Halfway through, Mitowski’s wrists were already giving out. As he went through his notes, he made a fair assessment of the game.

“Well, they do a lot of destructive moves, at first sight. Or they’re just not that good. The Polish have most of the ball but cannot find a good finish. Major had one chance but Kalinowski got a hand on it, that’s it.”
“You should always consider the chance that they are really good, but just intend to sabotage the nation.”
“That’s… Well, that would be some first-rate acting.”

The second half had more of the same until somewhere near the hour mark, the Polish Union organised a very rigid attack: you could see the chalk lines from the blackboard in every pass to open up space for midfielder Stanislaw Adamczyk. NPU’s best player did not hesitate and after one look at the goal, he opened fire from twenty meters out. It was not the greatest shot ever, but it still disappeared against the net. Mitowksi immediately jotted down the details.

Merrick - Steps out early - Destructive.
Herrington - Was not covering the right space - Destructive.
Powell - Looked as if he was squatting a fly - Very destructive.

“He do is short, isn’t he?”
“It seems as if Powell is already doing the dirty work for us.”
“Yeah, the papers will be demanding his removal from the team, with or without our hint. If you have a good shot from the edge of the box, he is just very beatable.”

Four more games, four chances to… Yeah, to what avail actually? The group had its predicted six horse race and the remaining four were little more than props to ensure a full table. While qualification never had been a realistic scenario, even Archibald Price had not anticipated such an early demise. Yes, the draws against Kytler Peninsulae, Hapilopper, StrayaRoos and Natkr were costly moments for these contenders but these did not pay out for the Red Turtles if they could not follow it up with an actually valuable win. As Price took on the last steps to prepare for the visit to surprising World Cup hopeful Natkr, his assistant AI tried to pick his mind.

“So, who is it going to be on goal?”
“Let’s see… I can choose between Izzy Powell, whose weaknesses were outlined painfully against the North Polish Union. Or I can pick Conor O’Reilly, who has a series of those sorts of performances to show for him but who has a… convincing element to him.”
“That’s… A dilemma.”
“Well, only one of them intensifies his negative impact on the group when benched.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hoh. Ever since I benched O’Reilly, I noticed that he tries to create malcontent in the team. And with performances like the last one, there is enough to be annoyed about.”
“So, it’s poor or poor.”
“Yes.”
“Or…”

Anni Ina had not spoken about her alternative anymore since that one time in the bar. Fielding Jouko Pesonen, the actual best goalkeeper in the competition but also a second-rate inhabitant who lacked the passport. For her it was a good plan but in the end, Price still was her superior and there was only that much pressure she could put without outstaying her welcome.

“I know your ‘or’. Trust me, I tried.”

Price seemed defeated but his last words surprised Anni Ina. From his reaction, she had judged that he had not even given it much thought but the opposite was true.

“I have been through the rulebook. In a way, it’s pretty slim. Nothing about obligations on VAR, nothing on pitch regulations. Ain’t even no rules saying a dog cannot play a World Cup qualifier. But it is hard to imagine even the dog won’t need to have some sort of paper that confirms he plays for that country.”
“Paperwork is just paperwork, there is always a guy who knows a guy.”
“Corruption.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“Corruption only works if it is not out in the open and that is not an option here. We need to follow the official road and there will be plenty of people and organizations who will do their best to torpedo our file.”
“And still, there is…”
“And if we manage to get past that, there is still the public backlash. Getting a ‘permitted’ a passport could be seen by many as a slippery slope: if we hand out that for being a good goalie, they will all be demanding equal rights in no time. It is not hard to see why that would be rather unacceptable for a few rather important people.”

Anni Ina’s feelings turned from impressed to annoyed.

“So, that’s it. You accept a policy line which you know is unjust and that’s it.”
“I’m just one guy, Anni Ina. Whether my badge reads ‘regular chap’ or ‘national football manager’, I’m up alone against a lot of stronger forces. It’s hopeless.”
“So you sit back and watch how your team loses time and time again because of subpar goalkeeping.”

Now it was Price’s turn to get frustrated.

“What do you want me to do? Smuggle Pesonen into the squad and put him in an O’Reilly shirt? Get my head on the chopping block like that?”
“No, you’re right. It is far more efficient to just keep losing until they fire you. You never wanted this job in the first place, didn’t you?”

The silence and bowed head from Price told her all she needed to know. If it would take courage, it would not come from that corner.

by **Pyazhnaya** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 12:16 pm

Match Report: Pyazhnaya 2 – 2 Yuezhou

Group Stage Thriller Sees Top Seed Yuezhou Held to Draw by Resilient Pyazhnaya
Krasnograd, PYA — In a pulsating game, hosts Pyazhnaya secured a hard-fought 2–2 draw against the group’s top seed, Yuezhou — The Dragons. This result throws the group wide open and keeps the entire group wide open, with Aleksandra Agratova’s side continuing to refuse to be starstruck by their illustrious opponents.

---

First Half: Yuezhou’s Early Dominance and Pyazhnaya’s Resilience
From the whistle, Yuezhou dictated tempo with their trademark 3-4-1-2 formation. The wing-backs pushed high, stretching Pyazhnaya’s defensive lines, while the dynamic midfield trio recycled possession with fluidity. Kara Mingsdottír Zhang and Leona Tsang created several early chances, with Tsang’s well-placed shot forcing a smart save from Elisey Moroshkin.

Despite Yuezhou’s dominance, Pyazhnaya’s disciplined 4-4-2 setup allowed them to absorb pressure and counter effectively. The breakthrough came against the run of play, when Maksimilian Kartashov, making clever runs behind Yuezhou’s backline, latched onto a precise through ball from Aleksandra Novoseltseva to slot home the opener in the 23rd minute. The crowd erupted, the underdogs were on the board.

Yuezhou responded swiftly, with Zhao Deliang orchestrating an equalizer in the 38th minute — a clinical finish following a perfectly timed run by Songwei Milosevic. The Dragons threatened to pull ahead before the break, but Pyazhnaya’s defense, led by Fyodor Solodnikov and Ayrat Bilyaletdinov, held firm.

---

Second Half: Tactical Battles
Aleksandra Agratova’s side came out firing after halftime. Danila Mukhametshin, who had been lively throughout, found space on the right flank and crossed for Danila Terentyev, who calmly finished to restore Pyazhnaya’s lead at 54 minutes.

Yuezhou’s response was relentless, with Kara Mingsdottír Zhang pulling the strings behind the strikers and forcing Pyazhnaya’s backline into action. Their persistence paid off when Leona Tsang scored a composed equalizer in the 73rd minute, flicking a header past Moroshkin from a corner.

The final 15 minutes saw a tense battle of wills, with both sides creating half-chances but unable to find the winner. The draw feels like a fair reflection of a hard-fought and highly entertaining contest.

---

Player of the Match: Maksimilian Kartashov (Pyazhnaya)

The 21-year-old forward’s movement and finishing were crucial to Pyazhnaya’s hopes, and his early goal set the tone for a feisty team performance.

---

Off the Pitch: Romance and Mischief in Full Swing

While the on-field drama unfolded, the Pyazhnayan camp was buzzing with less conventional excitement. Maksimilian Kartashov and Sonya Mordvinova have finally officially confirmed their blossoming romance — caught by teammates sharing knowing smiles and subtle teasing.

Meanwhile, the two Danilas, Terentyev and Mukhametshin, continue to cause both cheers and groans as their pranksterisms continue. Their latest caper involved stealthily rearranging the coaches’ tactical notes in the hotel meeting room, leaving Aleksandra Agratova momentarily baffled — though she couldn’t help but laugh once the trick was revealed.

---

Match Report: Aleirave 1 – 0 Pyazhnaya

Aleirave's Narrow Victory Stifles Pyazhnaya’s Momentum

Aleirave — In a tightly contested encounter that sometimes resembled more a war of attrition than a football game, Aleirave edged Pyazhnaya 1–0, dealing a blow to the host nation’s hopes of qualification.

---

Tense Tactical Battle

Aleirave’s “Seagulls” entered this fixture aware that the three points were vital to climb the group standings. Managed by the seasoned Haulafo Paka'ula, Aleirave deployed their favored 3-4-1-2 system with a defensive solidity that frustrated Pyazhnaya’s attacking ambitions.

Pyazhnaya started brightly, eager to bounce back from their draw with Yuezhou. Maksimilian Kartashov and Danila Mukhametshin combined well early, but Aleirave’s backline, marshaled by Sergei Byalko and Tefei’o Tesuna’e, remained resolute.

Aleirave’s patience paid off in the 61st minute. Neraveke Ho'uminālu, Aleirave’s veteran striker, found space inside the box to convert a low cross from Lunaha Fuseraka, calmly placing the ball beyond Moroshkin’s reach.

---

Pyazhnaya’s Struggle to Respond

After conceding, Pyazhnaya pushed forward aggressively, with Timofey Aristarkhov and Aleksandra Novoseltseva trying to orchestrate attacks through midfield. Aleksandra Agratova’s team dominated possession but struggled to break down Aleirave’s compact defensive shape.

Aleirave’s wing-backs and midfielders efficiently tracked back, doubling numbers in defense and breaking up plays. Despite a late flurry of chances — including a fierce shot from Danila Terentyev saved by Falena Rukipiato in Aleirave’s goal — Pyazhnaya could not find the equalizer.

---

Player of the Match: Neraveke Ho'uminālu (Aleirave)
The striker’s decisive goal and tireless pressing earned him the Man of the Match honours, highlighting his importance in Aleirave’s push for World Cup qualification.

---

Group Implications

Aleirave’s victory propels them into fourth position,three points behind Pyazhnaya and four behind Yuezhou and Baggieland, outlining how incredibly tight this group is for the three qualification spots. Visayas Islands are level on points with Aleirave and Calgasia only two more behind them.

---

Pyazhnaya’s Extracurricular Highlights: The Danila Duo’s Latest Escapade

Post-match, back at the team hotel, Terentyev and Mukhametshin — affectionately dubbed “The Danila Duo” — were up to their usual mischief. This time, the pair organized a surprise karaoke night, roping in even the shy goalkeeper Elisey Moroshkin for an impromptu rendition of a classic Pyazhnayan folk song. Maksimilian and Sonya shared a dance, their chemistry lighting up the room and boosting team morale after the tough loss.

by **Kimi-Suomi** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 12:53 pm

This group is far from over for the Huuhkajat of KImi-Suomi. That is a fact we simply could not deny. Despite still being in 6th after all of this time, this team were still only four points off the Top 3 with six games still to play in what is turning out to be a hotly contested Group 13. The fact that Esko Laaksonen's side was still in this thing is a testament not only to this group being the way it is, but also the spirit this team had carried throughout this campaign after claiming just one point from our opening three games. We have shown a lot of fight to be here, but this isn't over. Niin kauan kuin meillä on mahdollisuus, jatkamme taistelua loppuun asti.

And so, it was time for White Night in Pesä vs Germaaninen Kissa (Germanic Cat) - a night where White was the predominant colour in the crowds and everyone was told to "be loud". That simple request would be followed by those who turned up in our favourite colour, and considering the stakes around the group, we needed them in this game...even against Germaaninen Kissa. This game ended up being tougher than expected, as Felix Katzmann did his very best to keep the first half scoreless while Tommy Katzke and Nico Mauz were as annoying as hyttynen in the summer heat, but we never lost faith and we never lost hope in our team. Jason Jenner-Pokka managed a brace in the 60th and 78th minutes to make everyone breathe a sigh of relief. This wasn't over for another matchday, at least.

Then came the point where most expected this fun time to end - Millennium Dawn Stadium in Darlingtown against Aphrilinen [Aphrilia] in our final act of NSSCRA Warz. Leonardo Bianchi's Anchors entered this window as the team to beat, top of the group with only a defeat to Hapilopper to their name, as they looked like the only lock-in to the Top 3 from this group. But they had taken a tough 2nd defeat in their last game, a 0-3 loss at Kytlerin Niemimaa, so they were hungry for revenge as we were arriving in town. Not many people were expecting us to leave 6th after this game, because many assumed that we were simply going to take the L and start the long road down to elimination after all of this time...but that is not what happened. Instead, a different game was played.

We knew we would have the majority of possession, that's how the Anchors operate, but when they countered, Alexander Ekdal was stubborn in his net, and Jenniina Keisala was stubborn in front of him. Keisala had her best game by far of the campaign in this contest, the player for Khalgarh Valley FC in Tikariot certainly showing her worth on the international stage. This defensive stability that we somehow maintained throughout this game meant that people were seeing a lot more Kimi-Suomi on their TV than Aphrilinen...which would lead to the most incredible thing. In the 87th minute, with a 0-0 draw starting to feel all the more inevitable, Enni Pajari was on the pitch and had the ball. She then proceeded to run that ball through the midfield, past Amelia Haze, before slotting it perfectly past Phillip Karnwell. She didn't stop running until she reached the corner flag...a moment of history in Suomen football. Somehow, we escaped Darlingtown with a 1-0 win over the group leaders. No one saw that coming. And suddenly, the Huuhkajat were back into 4th...and a point away from dancing.

I told you all, we are not out of this one...and shit is certainly getting real right now. Four more games and somehow, we have a shot at doing this...but we need to do our part. The final home game at the Galaktien Colosseum is up next, a rematch with a tricky StrayaRoos side in the 2nd Rajan Rikkoutuminen before we look to get some valuable points against Pohjois-Puolan Unioni on the road.
Maybe our funeral has simply been delayed instead of cancelled.
Maybe we won't make it despite everything that we've done.

But what did I say at the start?
Niin kauan kuin meillä on mahdollisuus, jatkamme taistelua loppuun asti.
NEVER FORGET THAT!
NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

SCHEDULE/AJOITTAA (Group 13)
MD1: vs Alanis Star (119) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki (NSSCRA Warz I) D 1-1 (T-4th)
MD2: @Hapilopper (49) - Nathan Ellis SuperStadium, Hapilopper City (NSSCRA Warz II) L 1-2 (T-7th)
---------
MD3: vs Natkr (110) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat (Light Night) L 2-3 (8th)
MD4: @Germaaninen Kissa [Germanic Cat] (269) W 4-1 (8th)
---------
MD5: vs Aphrilinen [Aphrilia] (57) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki (NSSCRA Warz III) W 1-0 (7th)
MD6: @StrayaRoos (22) (Border Bust-Up) L 1-3 (6th)
---------
MD7: vs Pohjois-Puolan Unioni [The North Polish Union] (224) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat (Blue Night) W 3-0 (6th)
MD8: @Kytlerin Niemimaa [The Kytler Peninsulae] (15) L 0-1 (6th)
---------
MD9: vs Anewkansas (UR) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki (Family Night) W 2-1 (6th)
MD10: @Alanis Star (119) (NSSCRA Warz IV) W 2-1 (6th)
---------
MD11: vs Hapilopper (49) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat (NSSCRA Warz V, HM Night) W 5-2 (4th)
MD12: @Natkr (110) L 2-4 (6th)
---------
MD13: vs Germaaninen Kissa [Germanic Cat] (269) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki (White Night) W 2-0 (6th)
MD14: @Aphrilinen [Aphrilia] (57) - Millennium Dawn Stadium, Darlingtown (NSSCRA Warz VI) W 1-0 (4th)
---------
MD15: vs StrayaRoos (22) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat (Rajan Rikkoutuminen)
MD16: @Pohjois-Puolan Unioni [The North Polish Union] (224)
---------
MD17: vs Kytlerin Niemimaa [The Kytler Peninsulae] (15) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki (Kytlair Flight 134 Memorial Night)
MD18: @Anewkansas (UR) - Fallstaff Stadium, Bridgehead(?)

NSSCRA Warz Table                     Pld  W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Kimi-Suomi                          6   4  1  1   11   6  +5   13
 2 Hapilopper                          5   3  1  1   15  11  +4   10
 3 Aphrilinen                          4   1  1  2    5   4  +1    4
 4 Alanis Star                         5   0  1  4    6  14  -8    1

by **Edsmontik** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 2:40 pm

Edsmontik v. Chromatika
World Cup 99 - Matchday 13
Pre-Game - 6:00AM, Monday, 10/27/2031, Capitalizt Dome, Chromia, Capital District, Chromatika

"And welcome to Chromatika!"

"You have a lot of excitement in your voice."

"Well, yeah, why wouldn't I? We slammed Chromatika into a wall last time with a 3-1 win."

"But that was at home. We're in their territory. Who knows what they can do now?"

"I guess you're not wrong."

"We can't loosen up just yet. Once- or rather if we gather a win here, we can lay back a little. But even then we have to be careful. We want that top spot, so we have to earn it."

Upon arriving in Chromatika, the Eagles were a little nervous.
It was a pretty important game.
If the Eagles won, they would have a strong chance of keeping 1st place in the qualifying group.
If they lost though, they'd fall to second.
Not that second was bad, but it would be a punch to the ego.

The bus slowed down as it approached the entrance to the stadium.
The bright color of the WC99 logo and Edsmon flag shined on the side of the bus.
They had now arrived at Chromatika's Capitalizt Dome.
Everyone got off, and scurried inside to the locker rooms.

As everyone settled down, Dav der-Ghavyr walked up to the table in the center and waited for attention.
Once most players seemed to be done putting everything on, Dav began.

"Alright team. This morning's game may be the toughest one yet. Even tougher than Vixette. And you all know how tough Vixette was. We've had some pretty big wins recently, but we can't let ourselves loosen up. We have to remain at our current pace if we want to secure first."

A lot of the Edsmons nodded in agreement.

"Today, we're going to push through. I know we don't have our main players with us, but we're going to go full power." Dav said. "Utravak, you've proved to the team your amazing goalscoring ability. Keep it up, and we might see another win."

The Eagles clapped for Utravak.

"Now, it's time. Let's go out for some warm ups."

***

Edsmontik 1-1 Chromatika
World Cup 99 - Matchday 13
First Half - 9:34AM, Monday, 10/27/2031, Capitalizt Dome, Chromia, Capital District, Chromatika

"It's in! Edsmontik has equalized against Chromatika's Anomalies!"

The First half was going well for both sides.
Both the Chromatiks and Edsmons had plenty of shots.

It was definitely not a boring clash.
With each battle in the halfway point of the pitch came excitement.
Almost every two minute, possession was switched around.

There would be an attack, and a counter right after.
Then, that counter would be countered.
It was a very, very, action packed match.

After Reiovus was substituted off for an injury, it didn't look too good for the Eagles.
But with Edsmontik's equalizer through Utravak scoring once again, things could go well.
He had fired a strong driven shot down to the left corner for that goal.
Once again, that had gotten the Edsmons celebrating.

It was unusual for him.
Utravak had become a "hero" in just a few matchdays.
A lot of people looked up to him.
He had never faced that much pressure before.
Now, he knew what Stuero felt when he scored the lone goal to win the BoF.

The game continued on, with more clashes on the wing and in the center.
Both teams kept pushing, throwing blow after blow.
Everyone wanted a win here.

***

Edsmontik 1-3 Chromatika
World Cup 99 - Matchday 13
Stoppage Time - 10:48AM, Monday, 10/27/2031, Capitalizt Dome, Chromia, Capital District, Chromatika

"Edsmontik has one penalty to take. If they score, they will lessen the impact of this devastating turn."

With five remaining minutes of stoppage time, and two goals down, the chances to make a comeback were slim.
However, it would be possible if they scored this.
The question now was, "who would step up to the challenge?"

Utravak did.
It would be challenging, as he had a history of messing up penalties, but no one else went.
He'd have to take his best shot.
A loss was on the line.

The atmosphere of the stadium was very quiet in the Edsmon section.
There were still players cheering on the Eagles, but not as much as before.
The Chromatik side, on the other hand, was much louder.

Sravagn went through his thoughts as he set the ball down.

"Calm down." he told himself. "If it works, it works."

He slowly backtracked, until he felt that his position was good enough.
The pressure was building.
It was hard for the striker to remain calm.
Utravak readied himself, waiting.

Then, the whistle blew.

Utravak ran forward, winding back his leg and firing a shot right down the middle.
The ball curved slightly to the right, but in the second he shot it, he thought it wouldn't be much of a problem.
Sourtois dived right.

"Oh no." crossed the head of Utravak as he watched the ball curve the same direction as the dive.
He felt slightly relived in half a second as Sourtois' hands went too far right.
But his heartbeat went right up, breaking the roof once the ball smacked into the cleats of the keeper.

The ball dropped onto the pitch, but not into the goal.
Every player ran for it.
There was still a chance, a small one, but a chance still.
But a defender cleared it.

***

Edsmontik 1-3 Chromatika
S. Utravak (33') | L. Xuen-Zhukov (14', 60'), B. Fillar (78')
World Cup 99 - Matchday 13
Full Time - 10:53AM, Monday, 10/27/2031, Capitalizt Dome, Chromia, Capital District, Chromatika

Edsmontik 2-1 Moladea
World Cup 99 - Matchday 14
Second Half - 6:57PM, Friday, 10/31/2031, Touve Suberarenae, Touve, Austrankank, Edsmontik

Kizani rushed down the wing.
The Moladeans were countering a strong attack.
He was the closest to the striker, who was now slowly pulling away.

Steus had never really been recognized.
After all, defenders weren't as well known.
But he wasn't here for that.
He was here to save the team from getting a draw after their loss to Chromatika four days prior.

His engine fired all pistons at full power as Steus ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
To his left, he saw Ivikt running too.
But the center back was clearly not doing a very good job of catching up.
The Moladean striker was now getting farther away.

Kizani pushed more.
He needed every ounce of power he had to stop the striker as soon as possible.

And then, he got lucky.
The striker tripped when he turned to get closer to the goal.
Kizani ran to the ball and quickly cleared it away.
Mission completed for him.
Now, he had to wait out the rest of the second half.
As long as the Moladeans didn't find a second goal, the Edsmons would be fine.

Steus walked around looking up at the fans in the huge Touve Suberarenae.
The Edsmons had done a lot on the road to qualifying.
Wins, draws, losses.
They had everything.
It was almost a perfect run, but a loss was inevitable.

He kept going, thinking and thinking about what the Edsmons would or could do this World Cup.
And then, he thought about his teammates who had been injured a few matchdays back.
Luckily for the Eagles, Frudenne, Ghreksbvy, and Bervaign would be up and running soon.
But Stuero and der-Stoiuben would most likely be back in mid-November.
For now, Edsmontik had to do what they could with what they had.

***

Edsmontik 2-1 Moladea
World Cup 99 - Matchday 14
Stoppage Time - 7:01PM, Friday, 10/31/2031, Touve Suberarenae, Touve, Austrankank, Edsmontik

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I trust you with this, Steus."

"Why me? Why not Kyv, or Darion, or Vlakken?"

"Because you have the power."

"Since when?"

"Every time, you take kicks like no other. Your free-kicks from the defense were great to the team. besides, we're missing our FK takers."

"Okay then."

Steus Kizani stepped up for the kick.
With a few more minutes on the clock for stoppage, he could ultimately shut the door for Moladea.
He backed up, taking long breaths as he stared at the ball and then the goal.
It wasn't too far away.

If people believed in him, he could do it.
The goal felt farther every time he looked.
Kizani took one last breath.
One,
Two,
Three,
Shoot.

Kizani's ball soared directly to the goal.
It passed over the heads of Edsmons and Moladeans.
And it tucked itself right into the corner of the goal.

Kizani couldn't believe it.
He scored a goal from pretty far away.
It was an achievement for him.
And also a win for Edsmontik.

***

Edsmontik 3-1 Moladea
S. Fotserr (9'), K. Wejikaj (49'), S. Kizani (90+1') | Striker (70')
World Cup 99 - Matchday 14
Second Half - 6:57PM, Friday, 10/31/2031, Touve Suberarenae, Touve, Austrankank, Edsmontik

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

R. der-Zyfragken -- S. Kizani, L. Shouzvenkreden, B. Norseden, J. Vikral -- L. Fruedenne, D. Verto, M. Ghreksbvy [C] -- M. Svaardaen, S. Fotserr, S. Utravak

Injured Players

E. der-Stoiuben, M. Stuero, V. Reiovus

by **The Osnari Federation** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 3:29 pm

A high-energy beat starts playing as you see the screen of your television flash between various sports highlights. You recognize a few. Some from the Osnari Eagles’ Baptism of Fire run, some from the Eliteliga, and some from World Cup Qualifying as well. The letters FSN flash onto the screen, followed by a cut to the studio, where Stefan Senger awaits, wearing a well-tailored gray suit and green tie, blonde hair held in place by what you determine is most likely an obscene amount of hair gel. “Welcome to Extra Time, FSN’s Osnari Eagles National Team coverage show. It’s been one hell of a window for the Eagles, and we’ll get you caught up on everything and ready for the crucial upcoming matches right here, today, on Extra Time.”

Stefan: “I’m joined today by Leo van Haag, one of the Federation’s premier football analysts and friend of the show, who will help me break down everything that’s happened over the last week. Welcome to the show, Leo!”

Leo, as always, was calling in from his office. The video call-tailored bookshelf behind him featured several books, including Craziness Encouraged by Simeone Di Bradini and many works by the late Audioslavian journalist Jeremy Jaffacake. “Nice to be back on the show, thanks for having me.”

Leo: “A pleasure as always. Leo, the last week has seen some of the best football ever played by an Osnari squad. Most of our viewers have probably seen it already, but let’s roll the tape real quick.”

The TV shifts to a brief recap of the Eagles’ two matches over the last window.

“Still tied at zero here 35 minutes into the match but we have the Eagles here on the attack. Werren has the ball, crossing the midline here. Fires it downfield - that’s a long pass down to Gido Mullis. He’s got it, Mullis threatening here but quickly collapsed on by the Zenic back line. Mullis… steps back, it’s a pass back to Liam Homberger high in the box! Homberger shoots! GOALLLLL! THE OSNARI EAGLES TAKE THE LEAD HERE AT THE OSNARSTADION!”

“Gentile here with the ball, and that’s Osterwalder on him in defense. Gentile makes a move, Osterwalder falls for it! Gentile wide open, he shoots! Hias Schefer knocks it away! A diving save for the youngster!”

“Nagel has it here looking to build up the attack. Finding open space here, lots of open space as he runs down the field. Oh, he uncorks a shot! Blocked by Mosely but that’s STILL CLEANS UP THE REBOUND AND THAT’S THE DAGGER HERE IN THE 81st MINUTE! A HUGE GOAL TO KEEP THE MATCH SECURE, MOSELY DID NOT EXPECT THAT SHOT AND GAVE UP AN UNLUCKY REBOUND, AND STILL WAS RIGHT THERE TO FINISH IT OFF!”

“Should be getting the whistle here soon… *whistle* … and that’s it! A huge three points for the Eagles as the 165th-ranked team in the world upsets the 33rd.”

“Here we are, kicking off at the Stelladome in Zwangzug. Let’s see what’s in store for us today…”

“The Eagles on the attack here early, that’s Kobel advancing on the wing. Oh, beats the defender there, and Kobel fires a cross into the box… JOST BLUM WITH THE HEADER, AND THAT SNEAKS PAST COOGAN-BUCKNELL FOR THE GOAL! THE EAGLES HOLD THE LEAD HERE IN ZWANGZUG!”

“Palmetto with it here in the attacking end, sends it over to Butea, Butea shoots! SCHEFER MISSES IT! WE ARE KNOTTED AT ONE AT THE STELLADOME!”

“Carre with the ball here, moving up quickly on the wing, and Abegg is there to meet him. Carre chips it… that’s Abegg beaten, Carre is on the run with no Eagles in sight! He fires… goal! Hias Schefer had no chance as Harold Carre blasts a shot in on the far side for a 2-1 Zwangzug lead!”

“Impressive spunk by the Eagles to even stay in it with a top-50 side for the second match in a row really… oh here’s Conz Still moving with the ball low here, he hasn’t got too much space, takes pressure from Sibelius and he fires over a desperation cross… AGAIN COLLECTED BY JOST BLUM, AND COOGAN BUCKNELL IS TOO FAR AWAY! AN EASY TAP-IN FOR THE OSNARI FORWARD, AND THE EAGLES KNOT THE SCORE AT TWO APIECE IN THE 68th MINUTE!”

“This is dangerous, this is really dangerous. Liam Homberger’s got the ball in space here in the 76th minute, he’s got Mullis over to his right and fires the pass. Mullis drives in low, takes pressure from Dravid and puts it back to Werren. Werren, finds Nagel out left. Nagel has space, he sprints in towards the box. Brecht comes up to meet him and he finds Homberger. Homberger… dribbles past Gainsborough and has a great angle here! HOMBERGER SHOOTS! IT’S IN! IT’S IN! THE OSNARI EAGLES HOLD THE LEAD NOW IN THE 77th MINUTE! WHAT A GOAL!”

“Zwangzug playing desperate here, looking for the goal with the whistle about to blow. Shot from McGraw! It’s collected easily by Schefer, and there’s the whistle. What a match! The Eagles pull off a second straight upset, a six-point window, and this is just a huge moment for the Eagles!”

The highlight reel now over, the TV returns to the studio.

Stefan: “Wow, Leo, when I say that was one hell of a window…”

Leo: “It was incredible. An amazing performance from the Eagles, two matches in a row, two big wins, honestly incredible.”

Stefan: “Any players that stand out to you especially well this window?”

Leo: “You know it. The Jost Blum brace against Zwangzug? Ridiculous. That guy is a stud and a complete menace in the box who can outbattle just about anybody. He’s just a machine. Liam Homberger as well, another big goal for one of the best young kids on the squad. It’s great to see him trust himself to make moves like that and as we saw, it worked out quite well. My last one, Hias Schefer. Not necessarily an insane window for him in itself, but we see him play against top-end competition and doing quite well, and that’s just great to see after the way he got pulled from the Baptism of Fire. This kid has a long, prestigious career ahead of him, and I’m excited for it.”

Stefan: “Of course, bringing Schefer back into the fold is a great thing, he’s a really talented kid and we love to see him do well. Gido Mullis as well, Captain Osnari himself, I’d put him on that list. Things have slowed down for him a bit in Qualifying from the Baptism of Fire, but I think that’s a good thing. You’re bringing more people in, you’re working as a system with this squad, it’s really a great thing to see, and the last two matches prove that it’s working.”

Leo: “My complements to Nathan Held for getting this squad to work well together. It’s really been amazing to see so far. However! Qualifying isn’t over. There’s four matches remaining. The Eagles sit seven points back of a spot in the World Cup. Seven! With very winnable matches ahead. Stefan, I have to tell you, I think this team has a real shot to play in the World Cup.”

Stefan: “Whoa, whoa, whoa, I love this team as much as anybody. But the World Cup? That’s a hell of a high bar for the Eagles’ first qualifying cycle, don’t you think?”

Leo: “I’m just looking at the numbers, man. Four winnable matches for the Eagles, the hardest one coming against Indusse at home, which to be fair is far from an easy or even likely win. Flavovespia faces off with both Zenic and Zwangzug in their last four matches, and Indusse faces Zenic right before they visit us at home. It’s entirely possible that the squads ahead of the Eagles drop just enough points for them to sneak into the World Cup.”

Stefan: “But it’s unlikely.”

Leo: “Yeah, it’s unlikely for sure. But you know, there’s reason to be checking all the scores right now. It’s quite a close race, and the upset is doable. In terms of what I expect from this team, another nine points and locking up a spot in the Cup of Harmony would be a wonderful end to what’s been a very exciting cycle already.”

Stefan: “That makes sense enough to me. One more thing before you go, Leo, the transfer window is open and active. What do you make of the moves so far?”

Leo: “Honestly, everything’s gone about how we expected. Werner Werren leaves Lowenherz for overseas in Zenic, where it seems like he has a good chance to perform really well. Niklaus Stahli will see what he can do in Siovanija and Teusland, and I have high hopes for the kid there as well. The biggest thing has been seeing Wolfsberg buy. Honestly, it looks like they’re trying to purchase a whole roster here. It’s wild, but it might just work. They’d be screwed if there was a foreign player cap, but I’m sure their management is currently thanking Margaret that there is not.”

Stefan: “Wonderful. Leo, thank you for joining us on yet another edition of Extra Time. After the break: who, exactly, is John Parkinson? We’ll tell you all about the brand-new Eleanorian manager of Wolfsberg FC.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

The Commonwealth of Baker Park National Team will host Loyo at the BBP National Stadium on matchday 16 of World Cup 99 Qualifying in a historic fixture that brings a full circle to the 20th Anniversary of their debut in NSWC play during the World Cup 80 cycle.

Baker Park were a lightweight afterthought in international soccer prior to their entry to the 67th Baptism of Fire, having won just 179 of their 410 previous matches dating to 1948--the official first contest was in 1934 but they did not field a national side again for 14 years following that 9-0 defeat--but a revolutionary change in the thinking of the Football Association of the Commonwealth introduced mixed gender squads after BP shocked the established order by winning the Sporting World Under-18 Championships in Abanhfleft with a team comprised of both male & female teammates; the BOF would introduce coed national teams to the senior level under the leadership of then BP Women's NT boss Pamela Scott, who chose a roster made up of a core drawn her from some of her own trusted veterans as well as the men's player pool plus a few newcomers from each gender that would prove themselves to be future stars of Gold & Black clad teams that became famous far and wide for the results produced.

Qualifying for the EqueStar WC 80 Finals on their debut to NSWC play--the 12th nation to do so in the post-WC 26 era--Baker Park carried on their streak of successful advancement through World Cup 94, where Banija were victorious for the second time in their history and first under the management of one Pamela Scott--who would also lead them to second consecutive title in the following cycle--with a fourth place finish in WC 85 and two other quarterfinal appearances in WC 88 & 90 their best result. Their fifteen straight times making the Finals--13 through qualifying and twice as co-hosts--is a NSWC record that some have said might never be matched, although it was also said that a debut qualifier might not be seen for many cycles after BP were finally prevented from a place in the last 32 during WC 95 qualifying.
Just one cycle later Crpostran proceeded to break through to the Finals; Edsmontik joined the first timers club one cycle after that, with both nations rising to the medal stand in WC98 in an unprecedented climb to join the Bees, Bears Armed, Quakmybush, Cafundeu, and Bonesea in the select group of debutante qualifiers that eventually came within 2 victories of the ultimate prize as World Cup semi-finalists.

The Baker Park-Loyo matchup will be the 800th time BP have fielded a mixed gender lineup in NSWC play and it will be a fixture that possibly will clinch a place in the now 48 team World Cup Final for one or both nations; the hosts for an 18th time or the visitors their first in their short WCQ history. The National Stadium was constructed in advance of Baker Park's first hosting turn alongside Cassadaigua in WC 84, and has become it's most frequent international home venue. Since hosting World Cup 90 they've lost just 4 of 43 matches played at the 73,500 seat stadium and only once over the last 16 dating back to the start of WCQ 96.

There will be a celebratory atmosphere in the pre-match lead up to kickoff with a recognition of many of BP's past stars that have been instrumental in the building of a reputation that includes a pair of regional titles and the Cup of Champions from Eagles Cup XIII in addition to Under-18 and Under-21 crowns.

Lineup vs Saint Eleanor MD 15

Cotterill; Andrews, Lohmeyer, A Jones; Martini, D'Alessandro (c), Kirby, Howard; Grayson; Coleman, Khan
subs--Duffy, Newbury, Little, McKenzie, S Logan, Garfield, Bryant, Morgan, Prince, Ikedieze, Hardison, London

Lineup vs Loyo MD 16

Albertson; Frost, Milhouse, McKenzie; Douglas, Garfield (c), Morgan, Prince; Bryant; London, Hardison
subs--Longstreet, Taylor, Franklin, Newbury, S Logan, C Boyle, Kirby, Romero, Chamberlain, Shock, Ikedieze, Applegate

by **Oberour Ar Moro** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 5:43 pm

My Dragoons had scored three goals on Gyaromia at the Parade Grounds. The stadium was shaking in glee. I still wasn't at ease.

Gyaromia are still pressing. They wanted a first goal. They were desperate for a first goal. They were sending men forward. Pushing. Crashing into our lines.

We don't want to be on defense. We want to be on offense. Dictating terms. We want to score more.

And yet we're trapped on our half of the pitch. Dragged backward.

Gyaromia's Péter Balogh had the ball. Blaise Leboeuf had chased him down and was pushing as he should. Roland Máramarosi was ahead and calling for the ball. Balogh lost his patience, looked right, sent a dangerous cross toward István Fekető. A mistake. Fekető wasn't ready.

But with difficulty Fekető collected the ball. Because Berin le Passeeur should have been there to pressure, tackle and start the counterattack.

I had to scan the entire pitch for le Passeeur. He had fallen back. Waiting to be challenged. Passive.

I pulled out my notebook. Passive in transition, I wrote.

He didn't belong on my pitch.

Gaspard Virel didn't belong on that pitch.

Gaspard's father owned a series of exclusive luxury hotels that glimmered and shone across the nation. Another family that Gulien had sent me. The father was very eager. Eager to help, to boast, to buy his son a place to give him meaning in his eyes.

"Bécherel clearly is special," said the father with stars in his eyes. "I'm prepared to make it even more so." The envelope was hand delivered by a servant in a very expensive car.

So Gaspard arrived at Bécherel in that very same car.

The school may be special. Gaspard was not. How could a young man so cruel in his personal behavior be so unassertive on the pitch?

I limited his minutes. Occasionally his father made his concerns known. So I would find a way to give Gaspard scraps to satiate him. Cameos to keep the old man quiet. But at Saint Isidore University we had a match to spare.

I let Gaspard know early in the week. "You're starting at left wing." Let him puff his chest. Impress his friends. Brag to the girls. Call his father.

"He's not ready," Yves warned, rightly.

"He doesn't need to be ready," I said with a shrug.

Just as I expected, Gaspard was a mess in the game. Stone footed. Slow witted. The game happened around him. Every touch he made was a mistake. Every decision he made was wrong.

My notebook remained at my side. What was the point? There wasn't anything to correct. Just limit his presence, Let the real players do the real work when it mattered.

We lost 0-1. But I had given him his time on the pitch. Just as I promised. Gaspard or his father couldn't complain.

No one could complain. I'm building a fortress. I don't care where the stone is sourced. The public shouldn't either.

A loss here doesn't matter. Not to the table. Not to me. Saint Isidore fans jeered. The Bécherel fans who made the trip booed. But they'll forget in time. One parade and they'll cheer my name again.

And we kept winning. Winning matches. Winning titles. Everything that actually counts.

The national team pool met at Tourbillon Forest. Thirteen games unbeaten. Top of the group.

Made them gleeful. Made them soft.

Training was a mess. The focus was gone.

And there was Berin le Passeeur. Smiling. Laughing. Not taking this seriously. We were in a transition drill, and le Passeeur is jogging back. Behind the play. Passive. Again.

"Stop!"

A surprised Laurens scrambles for his whistle and starts blowing. I'm already storming forward.

"Everyone stop!" They freeze.

They need to understand. They need to be made to understand.

"le Passeeur!" My voice cuts across the field. He startles. I point to him, closing the gap.

"Are you tired, le Passeeur??" I ask him.

He flinches, blinks, mumbles his response: "No."

"Do you think this effort is acceptable, le Passeeur?"

Another mumbled "No." Like an abashed schoolboy. He isn’t sorry. He’s just caught.

"That looked like the effort of someone who doesn't want to go to the World Cup."

Silence.

"You haven't qualified. Not yet. And if le Passeeur's effort," I raise my voice to emphasize to the players, "is as good as we can expect in the next four matches, you won't."

Look them in the eye. One by one.

"Do you think that The Holy Empire is just going to let us through? Do you think Al-Tamazgha is just going to gift us a win we haven't earned?"

I slowly spin around. "Every single one of you needs to give me everything, or you'll be at home. Watching the World Cup. Again."

My breaths are shallow. I close my eyes and try to regulate them.

"Laurens," I say quietly, "shuttle runs. Full pitch. They go until I tell them to stop."

I look at the players, looking for signs of dissent. For smirks or side glances. There are none.

I slowly start to walk off the practice pitches as they start running. Let's see if you take things seriously now.

by **Kamijiro** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 9:00 pm

[OOC]
[TW: death]

by **Eshialand** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 9:17 pm

Almost Home
Busoga Islands 2-3 Eshialand
Eshialand 2-0 Kwrpania

With long-awaited revenge being taken against the Kwrpan side at home, Eshialand's winstreak, one nobody had expected to happen when the team had left Kwrpania, had been brought to nine, now half the campaign long. With just four matchdays to go, many eyes were now on the qualification race: there were many teams with good chances to qualify, but only three could win out...

Eshialand - 1st place, 34 points
Schedule: (A) Tevuekk, (H) Valentine Z, (A) Pakhomiya, (H) Juvencus

For the Owls, the number to keep an eye on. Three points -- or any points in the critical match against Valentine Z -- would be enough to secure third place, and with playoff matches not being a factor in this qualifying campaign, that's all that matters. With matches against the bottom two teams in the group still to go, this shouldn't be much of an issue -- but Kenny Morgan, always one to temper high expectations, made sure to say "we've had unexpected things happen before, never count your owlets before they hatch."

Estimated chance of qualifying: 99%

Juvencus - 2nd place, 28 points
Schedule: (H) Sudilia, (A) Quakmybush, (H) Jeruselem, (A) Eshialand

In a position where 2 wins will likely be enough to qualify, it's important to have a weaker pair of lower-ranked teams to play against, and while Kwrpania only really has Tevuekk before you get into proper contender territory, Juvencus has a nice pair of matches against Quakmybush and Jeruselem, not to mention that their Sudilia match is at home while Kwrpania's is away. As for staying ahead of Valentine Z, while Juvencus doesn't have a head to head match against the Kittens left on their schedule, with the Valentians having to deal with both Eshialand and Kwrpania, things are looking good for Juvencus.

Estimated chance of qualifying: 90%

Kwrpania - 3rd place, 28 points
Schedule: (H) Busoga Islands, (A) Sudilia, (A) Tevuekk, (H) Valentine Z

While Tevuekk will be some relatively easy points to pick up, the rest of these matches will be far from trivial, with all three of the Busoga Islands, Sudilia, and Valentine Z fighting to claw their way back into the top three. These matches would be high-stakes for all involved, and the Electric Eels will have to fight off some tough competition to secure their way to the mythical first cycle qualification. It's far from an impossible task, but not trivial either. Luckily, they wouldn't have to be perfect, especially with Valentine Z at home on the schedule to pick up points... they would just need a finish as strong as their start.

Estimated chance of qualifying: 80%

Valentine Z - 4th place, 24 points
Schedule: (H) Jeruselem, (A) Eshialand, (H) Busoga Islands, (A) Kwrpania

While the Kittens were by far in the best position to get into the top 3 from outside it, they had the massive problem of needing to pick up 4 points of ground with away matches in Eshialand and Kwrpania on the schedule. Just having either one of these wouldn't be a fun wake-up call, but having both on the schedule at once was a nasty wake-up call. Hosting Jeruselem was good and hosting the Busoga Islands could likely be points, but the spectre of these away matches loomed.

Estimated chance of qualifying: 20%

Sudilia - 5th place, 19 points
Schedule: (A) Juvencus, (H) Kwrpania, (A) Quakmybush, (H) Tevuekk

Juvencus and Kwrpania, right away, with losing either one being a total death sentence. Quakmybush and Tevuekk weren't the problems; it was what was coming in the next international break, especially away to the first seeds. This wasn't going to be an easy climb. Hypothetically possible, sure, but not going to be easy by any stretch.

Estimated chance of qualifying: 3%

Jeruselem - 6th place, 19 points
Schedule: (A) Valentine Z, (H) Pakhomiya, (A) Juvencus, (H) Quakmybush

A slightly easier schedule than Sudilia's, what with the lack of Kwrpania away, but there was still a Juvencus match away, as well as Valentine Z away. In terms of seeding this was the tougher lineup than Sudilia, but Kwrpania have shown themselves to be an ever-so-slightly better team than Valentine Z this cycle... however, with Sudilia being the higher seed than Jeruselem, it all balances out, and they have about the same chance as Sudilia.

Estimated chance of qualifying: 3%

Busoga Islands - 7th place, 19 points
Schedule: (A) Kwrpania, (H) Tevuekk, (A) Valentine Z, (H) Pakhomiya

On the bright side, no Juvencus for this Busogan team to play... but they would still have to deal with away matches against Valentine Z and Kwrpania, not a good sign for anyone. At least they had home matches against the bottom two teams in the standings, which were about as close to six free points as you could get here. They had a better chance than the other two 19-pointers based on that alone... but it was still a longshot.

Estimated chance of qualifying: 5%

All that remained to be seen is would be of these teams ends up making it to the big dance: while three front-runners clearly showed, there was still a lot of football to play, and in this sport, anything in any world could happen. This is the multiverse after all: always expect the unexpected and strap in for the show.

by **Zenic** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 10:52 pm

"It's been a rough set of weeks, that's for sure."

Emperor Santiago Cuauhtémoc gave a glare in the general direction of Consul Felipe that could have killed anyone else. Unfortunately, his partner in leadership was correct: it had been a rough week for the Empire. Their number one suspect in potential espionage, Dragutin Tomčić was nowhere to be found; the national futbol team went from potentially securing their spot in the World Cup for a historic 4th straight time to having a very real possibility of not making any tournament; and the Emperor has gotten even less sleep than usual as the government is going over everyone ever hired since Cuauhtémoc's ascendance and he decided to double check all of their work.

"I agree with what we're doing this week but it still stings to have your competency second-guessed. Unless you want the hiring process to take 2-3 years for ANY position, you're always going to miss something. You just don't expect that something you miss to be the new employee is a part of some kind of organization that wants to do harm to your nation .I doubt any government would have been able to find out Tomčić's secret. Well, except for a police state or dictatorship." Consul Felipe sat quickly as he allowed the Emperor to vent his frustrations. After all, there aren't that many people someone of his stature could really vent to in the first place.

The reason they were in a car was because they were returning from a particularly abrasive press briefing regarding the past week. Normally, they hold them in one of the many buildings in the Magistrate Block but rumors flew about some news outlets sending their extra prickly reporters instead of their more level headed contemporaries and coworkers. And the rumors turned out to be truth. There were points throughout the briefing that Justo Felipe was certain that the Emperor was going to walk over to one of the prickly bastards and sock them right in the face. Heck, he might have even GAINED some points in his approval rating from that. Alas, the Emperor was chosen for a good reason and managed to maintain his composure in the face of some very uncouth questioning.

"I need to unwind. This stress is going to be the death of me. I can't go out like Emperor Helostein or Emperor Lopetegui. I can't do that to my family." Felipe cringed at the mention of those two names. Anyone who knew anything about the history of Zenic knew that those two had some of the more 'unfortunate' deaths out of any Emperors. Emperor Helostein was a good man who was one of the few Emperors to be voted into the position by the Quinque Familiae instead of being hand picked by their predecessor. While others believed he may have been the best option, his heart disagreed and gave out on him while showering on a small trip to San Valerie from the capital. Felipe's heart went out to those who had to deal with the Emperor's body immediately afterwards. Meanwhile, Emperor Lopetegui has the misfortune of being the only Emperor to die on television and the cause of it to NOT be an assassination. How did Lopetegui die? In the middle of an interview, he leaned against a railing that gave way and he fell 10 stories to his death. How is that embarrassing? Someone had done the same thing a month prior at the same spot and the Emperor went on a long crusader to improve public safety and building standards. Many believe he must have overworked himself so much that that particular detail slipped his mind and he ended up suffering the same fate as the other unfortunate citizen.

"You know what, pal? How about we head over to Binar for a weekend and just unwind? No paperwork, no meetings, no questions other than 'What are we doing today?', 'What are we eating?' and 'Are we getting any drinks?' How about it? Think of it as a medical retreat." The Emperor reflected on the situation and made a final decision. "I don't think we can afford to do that right now. However......" he said, turning to his Consul. "I think we can get make enough headway and wrangle enough approvals to head over there next weekend." The two friends smiled at each other and had a little chuckle as the ride continued. "And, if we need an 'official' reason, we can just say that we're doing some hands-on inspections regarding Internacional Binar and the ZFLS. Just a quick trip to International Globe and we're good to go."

The two fist bumped and enjoyed the rest of their ride before they would inevitably go to sleep and wake up to another day of the grind that not even Emperors and Consuls can escape.

by **Sel Appa** » Sat Jun 07, 2025 11:41 pm

Turtles Eliminated; Löwys Future in Doubt

Matchday 12

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NATIVES PROVINCE—Following an embarrassing home stand draw against unranked Henrik P, Sel Appa find themselves eliminated from World Cup contention again. A win would have narrowly kept them in the running, if everything else went their way, but this was not to be. The match itself was a boring lack of scoring as coach Marek Löwys defensive play continued to not deliver results. One would have expected riots had this been Nemnenait or Anila City, but the small NativeZone has a more passive crowd. Showings in those cities ended up cancelled as security officials realized Sel Appa faced possible elimination. Police were deployed across the two cities during the match to temper any unrest.

The Turtles have scored only ten goals against twenty two. Interestingly, they have done better abroad, thanks to a commanding five goals at Henrik P. With only a half dozen matches remaining, the team is just searching for consolations to improve their international rank. This has been the worst qualification performance in Sel Appan history, going by wins and points, even worse than last Cup. This compares to Sel Appas debut in World Cup 30, when they went 4-2-8 and only seven goals against. Its been a sad return for a team that once took 3rd place, in World Cup 37.

All of this puts a serious question mark over Löwys job. Calls have increased for him to be fired after these qualifiers, or even sooner, building on the animosity he earned last round. Some blame his unorthodox style, particularly defensive, when offense is sorely needed. Others say a foreigner should never have been made coach, despite the fact that most of his pro career was in Anila City and he moved there and took citizenship. A lesser view is the inexperienced, young side just isnt ready for international play. Pressure will increase on Federation president Gérard Duceppe as the qualifiers close out, but he himself doesnt look to be facing removal.

However, there isnt a clear successor should Löwy be dismissed. The successful DuPont era is desperately missed Attempts to pull Estevez back in have all failed; he wisely prefers domestic development to national scrutiny. Other former players who have been speculated for potential are Colin Patette and Miquelinho. Dzheighcymn Ghotiolo also gets some discussion. Or Duceppe might look to a domestic coach for deployment. Either way, it is safe to expect a change before the Cup of Harmony, and the president to look for a more offensive strategy. Löwy will probably go down as the worst coach in the teams history.

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by **Vixette** » Sun Jun 08, 2025 4:10 am

i really like you — carly rae jepsen

Blanchefleur's heart hadn’t beat as fast as it was in a long, long time. She just didn’t know, at all, how to confess to someone she liked. She had dressed up in one of her better gowns, and she subtly put on some makeup as well. As she walked to the library, she held onto the letter that she had adorned with stickers and a small bow. No guesses as to what the letter contained.

The library was as quiet as ever, and as she made her way to her usual spot. She looked around for any signs of Félicien, but he was nowhere to be seen. Yet. Sitting herself down, she pulled out a novel she had randomly picked when she came in and started to “read” it. Really, that day she wasn’t interested in reading anything; instead, she was interested in having Félicien read her letter, so where was he?

Blanchefleur mindlessly flipped through the pages as she pretended to read the book. Her mind meanwhile was still on Félicien. The head librarian hadn’t arrived yet despite the library being open. That was weird. Thankfully, Blanchefleur didn’t have to wait long for Félicien to walk through the doors of the library. She took a good look at him. He wasn’t wearing anything too flashy, and his figure was unassuming; you wouldn’t know he was an athlete just from looking at him. Perhaps that was what made him even more enchanting to her: that he didn’t stand out from the crowd.

Blanchefleur took a while to rehearse her lines by heart. She had to pull this off perfectly, and she was going to practice again and again until she was confident in herself.

“Hey, Féli, I just kinda wanted to, y’know, gi—”

Nope.

“Hey, uhh, Féli, I thought it’d be inte—”

Not nearly perfect enough.

“Féli, I just kinda wanted to give thi—”

Nah, it sounds too unconfident.

After a few tries, Blanchefleur found herself feeling frustrated at herself. Why couldn’t she pull this off? The last thing she needed was for her tongue to be tied when she actually confessed to him; it’d be too embarrassing. It took another couple of tries before Blanchefleur decided to just wing it and confess to him impromptu. After all, a natural confession was better than a performed one, wasn’t it?

Gathering all her courage, Blanchefleur mustered the balls to stand up and walk to Félicien who was standing at the reception. It shouldn’t be hard, Fleur, just do your best was a mantra she repeated to herself in an attempt to placate her worries. Still, she still felt slightly uneasy. What if she made a fool of herself in front of him? What if that made him say no? No, that couldn’t be, she had to do her very best!

“Hey Féli,” Blanchefleur said, “I just… I need to ask about a book.” Félicien turned his figure around to face her.

“Sure, what’s the problem?” he asked innocently.

“Wait, you need to follow me.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

Félicien eyebrows were slightly raised, and Blanchefleur couldn’t tell if they were raised in confusion, worry or suspicion. To her relief, he followed her anyway, and as she took the lead, she brought the two to a more secluded aisle in the library.

“So?” Felicien asked, “What’s the deal?”

“Uhh…” Blanchefleur replied sheepishly, “I wasn’t actually asking for anything. I just… I have something to tell you. Read this.” She pulled out the letter she had made from behind her and offered it to Félicien. If he wasn’t confused already, he definitely was then. His eyes opened wide, and he was speechless as he took Blanchefleur’s letter.

He scanned the letter.

Dear Féli

I shan’t beat about the bush anymore: I really, really like you. I just feel like the more time I spend with you, the more I realise how amazing you are as a person. To me, you’re kind, patient and hardworking, and I really appreciate that in you. I also think you look really good, so that’s a plus!

I guess I’m writing this letter so that you can understand my feelings and my actions towards you. I just love you, Féli, and I hope you do too.

Love,
Fleur

Félicien had to read the letter twice, and both times his shock was immense.

All this time, Blanchefleur liked him?

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense, and the more her actions made sense. Was that why she always wanted to hang out with him? Was that why she wanted to be touchy with him? While he could rationalise her feelings, he wasn’t sure about his. How did he feel about her? Were the butterflies in his stomach just him liking her? He remembered the fuzzy feeling in his heart whenever his fur brushed against Blanchefleur’s, and the gratefulness and happiness floating around in his psyche whenever Blanchefleur brought him out to try something new. Maybe… maybe he liked the physical touch, and maybe he enjoyed her putting so much effort when they went out. Maybe, just maybe, he liked her for all of that.

A second felt like a minute as Félicien tried to process all his feelings. He never really thought of it, but he probably liked her a lot. Actually, scratch the “probably”, he did like her a lot. Why did it take him so long to figure his feelings out? In retrospect, he probably should have known, and reading Blanchefleur’s letter, he finally felt some sort of clearance in his heart.

Clearing his voice, Félicien crooked his head up to look at Blanchefleur. She was looking to the side, all bashful, as she put her arms behind her back. He had never seen this meek side of the usually confident Blanchefleur before, and in a way she just seemed even cuter that way.

“Fleur…” he began, “I like you too.”

by **Kelssek** » Sun Jun 08, 2025 7:25 am

Complacency cost us points, Chidiebere admits

A frustrating outing in New Fernia saw Kelssek fail to score despite dominating possession, dropping points that allowed Reçueçn to overtake them in the standings. It followed a frantic 4-3 win against Katzeberg that was rescued by a spectacular stoppage-time volley by Logane Nordet, which has raised questions about whether the players are losing focus at a crucial point in the qualifying campaign.

The match against Katzeberg at Macquarie Docklands, home of Obey Chidiebere’s former employers Latrobe Athletic, was fun for the spectators and Lionel an Deòir, who completed a hat-trick within the hour, but surely groan-inducing for the coaches. Kelssek’s defending looked highly suspect and Sandrine Lalande had one to forget, twice getting caught upfield commiting to an unsuccesful tackle and allowing the opponents an odd-man rush the other way.

The trip to New Fernia made little impression, except most importantly on Kelssek’s points total, as a disjointed and toothless performance was not improved by the coaches’ efforts to find a winning formula with substitutions and switching the wingers around and back again.

“That’s not the result we wanted, of course. It’s about keeping the right mentality at this point in the season. We can’t afford to take these matches lightly, or the buffer we have will go away real quick,” said manager Obey Chidiebere after the match in New Fernia saw Kelssek drop to second place in their qualifying group.

An important player who needed a better performance was Titan Pogbacar, who has just returned from a month out with a shoulder injury and still looked behind the pace in these two matches. He was uncharacteristically wasteful in possession in New Fernia and was substituted at 53 minutes. Yet many questioned the choice to send on Terence de Landa, whose experience didn’t provide the creativity needed either.

“Someone like Emre Massinen or Sofie Mylonakis should have been given the chance instead,” said NSN anaylst Matt Lister. “Dynamism and energy was lacking, this wasn’t the kind of match to fall back on names you know.”

Meanwhile, the Kirkenes FC management is reportedly upset with Chidiebere’s comments regarding Kaiden Pépin’s club career. As speculation swirls over the Kelssek captain being unsettled at Exhibition Place and exploring a move to a foreign league, Chidiebere gave his backing to the player in his pre-match comments.

“Many in the Kelssek squad play abroad, of course, and what matters to me is that it’s a good level of play, as far as I’m concerned for the national selection,” he said.

A source familiar with the Kirkenes FC board of directors said they were “infuriated” with the comments and believe that as national team manager he should have told their player to stay in Kelssek.

KELSSEK 4 – an Deòir (27’, 42’, 55’), Nordet (89’)
Carrieri, Casiraghi, Lalande, Vergland, Sauvé, Pogbacar, Licea (Nordet 78’), Pépin (de Landa 64’), Mylonakis (Mao 64’), Niemi, an Deòir (Goh-Lemaire 83’)
KATZEBERG 3 – Field (17’, 63’), Arkwright (80’)
Macquarie Docklands, Latrobe (attendance 53,558)

NEW FERNIA 0
KELSSEK 0
Carrieri, Bastien (Sauvé 77’), Durocher, Zivkovic, Nyhof, Pogbacar (de Landa 53’), Pépin, Obident (Rendon 68’), Moore, Niemi (an Deòir 68’), Cutter (Goh-Lemaire 77’)

Great Sourness - @GrSourness

You'd never see such disloyalty from players in my day! We all knew our place and were happier for it. If no other team will sign this guy knowing he'll be a traitor on them, he'll learn a lesson! And how can he be Kelssek captain, what kind of example does this set for the kids?! Utter snowflake nonsense

Great Sourness - @GrSourness

And if @TitanPogbacar is such a virtuous signaller be a good teammate and tell your buddy not to betray his comrades! This is what happens when a generation grows up without proper spanking!

by **Crpostran** » Sun Jun 08, 2025 7:29 am

by **Tikariot** » Sun Jun 08, 2025 8:04 am

Chapter 1: Welcome to Sugar Creek
Chapter 2: Cupcake Awakening
Chapter 3: Death by Dessert
Chapter 4: Sugar-Crazed Carnage
Chapter 5: The Sweet Survivors
Chapter 6: The Anti-Cupcake Plan
Chapter 7: Into the Cupcake Nest

Chapter 8: Bake or Die

Smoke curled into the morning sky as the Sugar Creek Candy Museum shuddered behind them. The group stumbled into the open street, half-coated in soot, caramel, and marshmallow fallout. Doug and Lucy heaved the containment drum of volatile Fire Frosting, its scorched metal hissing and pulsing with unstable magical energy. Crumble followed, limping slightly, his shirt half-melted and his mustache singed by a licorice whip.

"This is like carrying Satan's fondue..." Lucy mumbled as she slipped on a glob of caramel and almost faceplanted into a lamp post.

A final, echoing screech—part sugar, part infernal—rattled the museum’s peppermint glass windows behind them. Something inside howled.

“I think it’s evolving,” Malcolm wheezed, dragging his inhaler from his pocket. “The cupcakes… they’re mutating faster than we thought.”

Lucy, face smudged with flour and fear, pointed down the frosting-slick street. “Where to now? We can't bring this thing into another building—it might explode!”

Then Crumble, peering through his cracked goggles, jabbed a caramel-crusted finger across the street. “There,” he growled. “Only place with industrial ovens, fortified countertops, and… god help us… gluten-free infrastructure.”

Doug followed his line of sight—and froze.

There it was, unscathed by the sugary carnage. Standing like a temple of kale in the midst of chaos:

The Balanced Beet—Gwyneth Kale’s all-vegan, raw, self-righteous bakery café.

Doug's face fell. "No, no, no, I am not going in there!"

---

With its brushed bamboo exterior and window decals of stylized roots and affirmations (“Love is the leavening agent of life”), The Balanced Beet was aggressively peaceful. Wooden wind chimes sang in the caramel-thick air. A welcome mat read:
“Namaste & Namastay Away from Sugar.”

A chalkboard stood by the door:

Today’s Specials: Sunflower-spirulina protein scones, Gluten-free oat-balls, and Medicinal Rhubarb Loaf.

Doug groaned audibly.

“Seriously?” he muttered. “Of all places…”

The front door opened with an eco-conscious chime. Standing in the entry, framed by strands of hanging ivy and moral superiority, was Gwyneth Kale. She wore a flax-blend apron, her hair tied in a smug bun, and her gaze sharper than a celery stick.

“Well, well,” she said, sipping something green and vaguely judgmental. “Douglas. You look like a maple-glazed war crime.”

Doug, caramel-streaked and holding back pure existential frosting trauma, straightened his back. “Gwyneth. We need your oven.”

She tilted her head, serene and deadly. “You’ll need to scrub your auras before coming in.”

---

Once inside, the contrast was almost offensive. Doug squinted at the immaculate vegan paradise—open-plan workspace with repurposed wood counters, dozens of hand-labelled jars, and soft ambient sitar music playing in the background. The smell was equal parts lemon balm and well-meaning.

Crumble coughed. “Smells like guilt and sage.”

Doug slammed the cursed Dark Arts of Confectionary onto the polished countertop, where it smoked against the reclaimed mahogany. Malcolm gently deposited the leaking drum of Fire Frosting next to it, causing Gwyneth to raise a single eyebrow.

“That… is not FDA approved,” she observed.

“Neither is the flaming licorice demon we just ran from,” Lucy snapped. “Do you have pans or not?”

And so the arguing began—over the nature of sugar, baking ethics, Doug’s soul, Gwyneth’s muffin empire, and whose fault it all really was. The tension reached a rolling boil.

“I’ve seen scones cause less trauma than your personality,” Doug spat.

“At least my food doesn’t evolve into weaponized pastry!” Gwyneth fired back.

---

In the midst of the chaos, Sheriff Bob sat slumped in a wicker armchair, staring into space with frosting-crusted eyes. “They're still out there,” he whispered. “In the frosting. Watching.”

Lucy was experimenting with the batter. “What does Fire Frosting taste like, anyway?” she asked, dipping a finger in.

Doug screamed, “NO—!”

But she’d already licked it.

Her pupils dilated. “It’s like… lemon zest... on fire... inside my bones.”

Meanwhile, Crumble stood reverently by the drum. “This ain’t dessert. This is what happens when sugar makes a pact with the devil.”

Suddenly Bob bolted upright, knocking over a crate of agave nectar. “They're whispering at me,” he said. “The cupcakes know my name.”

---

And yet… they began to bake.

Under a tense truce, Doug, Gwyneth, Lucy, Malcolm, Crumble, and even frosting-fried Sheriff Bob began assembling the Anti-Cupcake Cake. A convergence of mystical ingredients and culinary vengeance:

Fire Frosting—glowing like lava, stirred counterclockwise.
Ghost pepper ash—Gwyneth’s addition: “It cleanses sugar chakras.”
Crushed peppermint shards—symbolic and shrapnel-friendly.
Doug’s Nana’s handwritten spice cake base—burnt edges and all.
Crumble’s “secret sauce” (later revealed to be high-octane cinnamon bourbon).

As the batter thickened with eldritch consistency, the tension faded. Gwyneth muttered blessings in Latin while piping edible runes. Doug handled the oven with holy reverence.

Malcolm monitored pH levels. Lucy held a whisk like a sword.

They slid the Anti-Cake into the oven. The dials glowed red as they set the temperature to 666 degrees Fahrenheit. A low hum filled the room—part heat, part arcane resonance.

---

Just as Doug whispered the incantation—“Bake at 666. May the glaze protect us”—Crumble flipped on the news feed.

Static. Then: chaos.

BREAKING: CUPCAKE HYDRA SIGHTED DOWNTOWN.

A behemoth of buttercream terror lumbered through Sugar Creek’s core. Five writhing heads, each with snapping sprinkle-fanged jaws, writhed atop a cake-flesh mountain of destruction. One head belched molten frosting onto the county courthouse. Another spewed sprinkles so sharp they punctured hydrants.

Lucy’s face drained of color. “That’s not a cupcake.”

“That’s a final boss,” Bob muttered, cocking his whisk.

Doug looked at the oven. Then out the window.
Then at Gwyneth.

“It’s time to take the oven mitts off.”

TO BE CONTINUED.

by **Tanirinthia** » Sun Jun 08, 2025 8:55 am

THE LAST DIPLOMAT
Chapter Eight - Wandering Thoughts

Sebastian sat at his desk and wistfully daydreamed of a time in the not too distant past. A time where his department consisted of only him, a job title that made people perhaps chuckle slightly over when they learnt of his position, or former colleagues assuming that he had some something wrong to earn it, some of them even starting rumours of what ill fated thing he had done, all the while with him sitting bored to death in and old dated and somewhat inappropriately heated office no matter the time of year. If you had asked him at the time, if he wished it to be more exciting, to mean something real he would have bit your hand off making that wish. He now knew what they meant by “Be careful what you wish for”.

Now he found himself the head of a department a prestiged as any, people fighting to get transferred and proudly showing off on social media and parties that they now work there. His days now longer empty but full to bursting with meetings, requests, decisions and stress, the days didn't end at the office due to time differences not only across Tanirinth but the lack of time synchronisation in the multiverse, he had to be available at time of the day or night. He had no time for anything else, he only knew anything happening outside of the department through overheard conversations while grabbing the few coffee breaks he could in the week. Apparently the talk of the town is the chance we might not qualify for this World Cup, losses against Osterhalten and Sea Peoples League being particularly frowned on as he heard it. In fact there was beginning to be some chatter around the age and unchanging nature of the squad which had supposedly been the same since whenever they kicked off the clandestine program. There was a part of him that secretly hoped this gossip may come true, perhaps things would calm down. He knew deep down that wouldn't be the case though, were it to happen there was still the next edition of the Independents Cup, planning for the opening of the domestic league, and probably a failed qualification would bring a renewed pressure to make sure it didn't happen next time which would somehow end up making more work for him. Besides, at least the World Cup was hosted elsewhere and he didn't need to worry about the organisation and perhaps even with the hosting nations wanting to schmooze there might even be the odd gala.

Speaking of football, given how much of his job seemed to revolve around it, he had been giving some thought to it after talking with various diplomats from opposing teams. Football seems to be almost identical across the multiverse, not simply a similar version around the basics of a ball that you can't pick up except for one player on the team and the object is to get that ball through a designated area that each team has opposite of each other, but pretty much identical convergently evolved across the multiverse. The amount of players being the same, what is considered a foul, the presence of a referee as well as off pitch assistant referees, the penalties for those fouls being a yellow card or a red card, and that two yellows add up to a red card. Penalty kicks, free kicks, corner kicks, throw-ins. The fact games are two halves of fourty-five minutes each, with the possibility of added time, and in matches that need a decisive win extra time and penalties. It wasn't just the present state of the rules and how it was played, you look back at the records those playing the games even those without access to of knowledge of the multiverse had rule changes progress in the same way, you look back and old rules such as golden goals, away goals did exist but were gotten rid of roughly the same time across nations spread all across the multiverse.

You would perhaps think that the existence of the first World Cup somehow is the thing that ties this all together, maybe the echoes of the tournament spreading through the multiverse. However all those nations all had to the playing the same game, and football has existed in Tanirinth since at least five hundred years ago, whereas this first tournament was only just over three hundred years past, bizarrely the exact same year as unification. But there are nations with an even longer history, all seemingly having just coincidentally and convergently coming up with the game of football. He noted that it's not the only thing like this, in sports alone there are many events out there in the same vein as football, but even whole languages evolving separately to end up the same, cultures, cuisines, you name it here will be nations separated by universes that have come to the same place.

He wondered upon the nature of this, was there some original or prime world this was all an echo of? Were there sinister forces that worked across the multiverse to coordinate these things for reasons unknown? Or was it simply that in an infinite multiverse the odds meant this was always going to happen, and that with a selection bias those worlds who had evolved similarly would inevitably reach out to each other?

Any more rumination on the matter would have to wait, thanks to a rude knock at the door.

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight

by **Valanora** » Sun Jun 08, 2025 9:06 am

Despite a bit of a wobble during the last international window, the Marauders had managed to secure their passage to the Finals being hosted in the region, with two thirds of tournament being set to be held in neighbor countries. All that was really left for the team to achieve during the last two international windows taking place over the next few weeks was to try and outright win the group, a task that would require at minimum six points of the remaining twelve on offer. Holding a six point gap and the tiebreakers over second place HUElavia, the task was simple enough, win at least two of the last four games on the schedule and the group title would be theirs, while seven or more would ensure that even if the second seeds went perfect in their remaining fixtures that there would be no need for tiebreakers to be employed at all. While the latter was certainly the preferred way that the team wanted to end the campaign, the former would also make do even if it would be seen as a bit of a disappointment and perhaps even a bit of an underachievement given the team's status and the perceived skill on the roster.

Awaiting them over the next week in this international break was Brusseldorf who would be visiting the Hatire Memorial in Capri on the island of the same name, before a trip to Archalit. The latter had fallen off a bit since the last time to the two teams met, with them being in a top three position to now in fourth and trying to battle their way back into a qualifying position despite being ranked just one hundred sixtieth in the world heading into the qualification campaign. The home game against Brusseldorf was where Elizidan was planning on doing quite a bit of experimentation, the entire second team was going to be put in from the start to gauge their level and readiness for the Finals. The visitors had had a rather poor go of it and were sitting in the ninth position in the group, looking to be quite vulnerable at the back for large portions of the campaign. The Drawkian elf needed to know who behind the likes of Hawk and Haaland she could count on in the Finals if there was a need to press for a goal late on or mix things up, as both Klara Holmberg and Julia Hahn were battling to keep their spots on the roster ahead of younger, Kelssek based attackers.

Trying to spice up the scoring was going to be needed after the team managed just two goals in the last window but thankfully the defense did their duty and the team came away with four points, including the crucial win at The Golden Harp, as it was the result that booked their spot in the Finals. Up and down scoring had been an issue towards the start of the campaign as well and Elizidan thought she had solved it during the middle portion of the campaign where the side had won nine straight games and scoring in bunches while they were at it, but somehow Qusmo and The Golden Harp found a way to corral Haaland, Hawk, and Winkel. Having three reliable scorers on the pitch was a bit of a blessing but that all three failed to fire during the past two games and the team relied on set pieces to get their goals was a tiny bit worrying, as it could provide a gameplan for teams in the Finals to try and keep the Marauders off the board and pull off upsets against the team. There needed to be reliable plan B or even C going into the Finals and having already qualified, the elf was afforded a handful of games to try out some different options.

On the other side of the coin, the elf was concerned about how the team was going to deal with the trip to Archalit, as their hosts were going to be in a high stress environment where they needed to win and had the home support behind them, in addition to it being away trips that had been proving the most difficult for the team even in their victories. It had been a narrow two to one victory for the Marauders in the home leg, where they were able to pip the would be upstarts thanks to their own home crowd, but now the roles were reversed and with the Marauders having a bit less urgency to go and grab a victory compared to their foes. While the defense had been unusually steady for the campaign, Archalit's offense had been among the best in the group and had shown they could score in bunches if they found a weakness to exploit. There were still questions regarding the leftback position for the Marauders as all the options there were over thirty but all of them were also highly talented players playing with top clubs. If the team managed to hold firm and only concede a goal or keep a clean sheet there, she would feel quietly confident in the defense as they approached the Finals.

by **Cobrio** » Sun Jun 08, 2025 9:21 am

Part I | II | III | IV |

"He's a bit sulky, eh?" Dami muttered to Dangare, sat beside him. His cousin chuckled softly.

"A bit," Dangare agreed. "You think this is the guy?"

"No." Dami paused. "I know he is."

Dangare scratched his head. The younger man was still learning what exactly the Ekezie Gift entailed. Dami would have to explain this better later. "Huh," he said. "Granny used to say things like that all the time too."

Dami smiled wryly. Perhaps Ezinne had had more of an impact on him than he'd realised. Her decision to leave the house to him had upset some people in his family, but Dangare was one of the few who seemed to get it. He'd said, very candidly "If Granny left you the house, she must have had a reason," and while Dami had not said it at the time, Dangare was absolutely correct. The younger man seemed to have an inkling of what the significance of the house was, even, when he said "there was always something different about this house, it was always home, even though I never lived here." Over the past year, Dami and Dangare had grown close, especially when Ezinne hinted to Dami one time, in the Djalia, that Dangare had an affinity for The Gift.

"It is nice to see you and your cousin Dangare have grown close, Dami," she said.

"He is a good man," Dami said.

"More than that, nephew. He is an Ekezie. Like you." She punctuated those last two words somehow. Dami couldn't explain it but he certainly felt there was more weight to them. Amari, sat nearby nodded silently, too. The message was clear. And if he could not understand it, then he had no business carrying The Gift.

"Dan," Dami said. "Come with me, we have business to attend to."

The older man shuffled down the row to the steps without waiting to see if his cousin would follow. He needed to get to the dressing room.

* * * * *

Dami and Dangare walked through the concourse at Tukari Kaita National Stadium, passing multiple vendors -- Dangare stopped to buy utojáni, and some ishapa to wash it down -- before slipping through a side door and walking down a near-empty corridor. Dangare didn't even know these corridors existed. After a few minutes walking, they arrived at the door to the suites. The corporate, VIP areas.

"Uh, cousin..." Dangare started.

"No trouble self, na. We dey can go."

Dangare frowned in confusion, but followed. As they approached the entrance, the security guy thrust out a hand. "Entry pass." The man said, in a deep monotone.

Dami chuckled "Ch! You don recognise me, Chinedu?"

The man frowned, but looked closer at Dami.

"After all the years I was taking my time and teaching you, na." Dami shook his head. "So disappointing, oh."

The man -- Chinedu, apparently -- had a sudden moment of realisation. "Aht! Mistah McIntosh! But you are looking very different this days, na."

Dangare's jaw dropped a little. How could Odell have known this man would be here? Dami laughed. "Many years dey pass, na. Many changes dey tek, oh."

Chinedu nodded solemnly. "True be this one, na. But sir, I must you dey ask ... wede you enter secure area?"

"Aht! Chinedu, me and cousin, we dey go speak with a man."

Chinedu scratched the back of his head and chewed his lip. "I dono you can allow, sir." He said. "Sorry."

"Aht! You dey no tell? I go tek role in CFF," Dami said, rummaging beneath his shirt.

"Congratulations, oh!" Chinedu said, as Dami produced a lanyard Dangare had never seen before. It certainly looked like the personnel badge Chinedu had, but nobody had time to look closely. Chinedu waved them through with an apology, and a "we dey catch up later. Mek we chop, na."

"Of course. Mek I do business and we dey mek plans." Dami replied, as they walked into the secure section of the stadium. They made to go toward the VIP boxes, but Dami led them through another side door, and down another corridor.

"Cousin," Dangare started.

"I will answer later. Now we must focus."

"OK. But I am concerned, na. Many questions I have."

"I know. And you dey will receive answer. But not right now. We have to find someone."

Dangare frowned but followed anyway. Silently, but for the occasional smacking of his lips as he finished eating his utojáni, and the gulps and slurps as he drank the ishapa.

Eventually, they descended some stairs and came to a busy area, filled with reporters and other men in suits, or colour-coordinated tracksuits -- two different styles, Dangare noted; one of them obviously Cobre, the other he assumed must be for the opposition team -- Odell did not stop. He walked straight out into the mayhem, and calmly plotted a course to a door up ahead, that Dangare could read said "Home Dressing Room"

'Oh.' He thought to himself, feeling the sweat on his palms already. He was about to ask Odell why he had dragged him along when his cousin turned to him and said "wait here"

"O-Okay," stammered Dangare.

"If you see the manager or any of the players coming, knock the door."

* * * * *

Demé threw his shirt in the basket and stalked around the dressing room. He'd been subbed off early, and chose not to return to the bench. The manager didn't seem to mind, and hadn't even looked at him when he walked straight down the tunnel.

"If they would just give me the ball, I could have-"

"Made magic, eh?" A voice, vaguely familiar, yet alien to him interrupted. Turning around sharply, he saw an uncle in a plain linen shirt and linen trousers.

"Who are you, uncle?"

"Just so. An uncle."

"How did you get in here?"

"I walked through the door, lost cub."

"Cub? Lost? What are you talking about?"

The uncle stood still and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. In the distance, thunder rumbled. Demé flinched slightly.

"Ah, so you have met Ifuoké?"

"Who?"

"The rider of the storms. Messenger of the Irunashe." The uncle said, softly. The thunder became louder.

"What nonsense are you talking about, ngugu?"

The uncle smiled a little, eyes still closed. Demé felt the wind, heard it rush past his ears.

"Aht! What witchcraft is this, na?"

"No be witchcraft, nephew. Just listen." The uncle's mouth had not moved, yet Demé heard him anyway. "I am here to show you the way."

* * * * *

Dangare stood outside the dressing room as instructed, leaning against the wall, watching the tunnel. After a little while, he could have sworn he heard wind whistling through the gaps in the door frame... but that was impossible. Wasn't it?

Odell had been in there for about six or seven minutes by his reckoning when the final whistle went, on the pitch. He heard the three sharp whistles clearly. Any minute now, the players would begin streaming back down the tunnel.

He wiped his brow, and wrung his hands. Already damp. He wiped his hands on his shirt, lightly soiled already with the grease from his utojáni.

"Aht! Such a mess..." He muttered to himself.

He spotted a green shirt heading his way from the tunnel and turned to knock the door, only to bump into Odell. "Time to go, cousin." He said.

by **Pasarga** » Sun Jun 08, 2025 9:30 am

Thor wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, the team had answered his call and his changes to reinstate the players he had taken out of the starting lineup earlier in the campaign and provided the right choice. The team had played two of its best games in the entire campaign, scoring five away at New Crywyzyxycynya, before posting a clean sheet at home against northern neighbors and qualification rivals Sargossa while scoring three as well. Six points from six for only the second or third time during the entire campaign had the manager feeling better and yet there was no real room to breathe either as they were still being hounded by Cobrio three points adrift from them and four points behind Saterun at the top of the table while tied with TJUN-ia at thirty-one points. This qualification campaign was definitely taking years off of his life as Thor tried to push every button and use all the motivational tactics that were at his disposal to keep the team playing at a qualification pace, which felt like an uphill climb if he was being entirely honest with himself, each step feeling more difficult to take than the last.

This upcoming window was going to be huge for the Wanderers, not just with their two fixtures, but also with the other fixtures that were set place to occur during this break. The most notable of those was TJUN-ia playing against Cobrio a few days after the Wanderers would host the Jags in Torgos in a massive six pointer. It would be a second qualification six pointer in a row for TJUN-ia and a victory for them would ensure they still had the inside track over the Anaian outfit heading into the final two games, regardless of the result in Torgos. For the Wanderers, six points from their own window coupled with a win by TJUN-ia could all but secure their progression into the Finals out of this very hectic and topsy turvy group, though they knew that both of their upcoming opponents were going to be difficult tasks. That was especially true for the first match in the Stade de Torgos, as the victor between TJUN-ia and the Wanderers would hold quite the advantage when it came to tiebreakers and what was going to be needed from them in the final international window in a month's time.

In the first meeting in TJUN-ia, the hosts would grab a pair of goals to edge out the Wanderers in a two to one affair, a game that had helped facilitate the changes that Thor had made to the lineup as the team was teetering at the bottom half of the table at the time with only two wins from their first six games, along with three bad draws. Since then the Wanderers have gone unbeaten winning seven times to get themselves back into the qualification race. It has been a bit of a mixed bag for the Jags, who have suffered a few unfortunate draws and losses themselves, being a fellow victim of the upset bug that has plagued the top seeds of the group and allowed Saterun to have their uncontested spot at the top of the table. Thor knew that the confidence that the team had gotten over the last nine matches was vastly important, especially with the offense coming to life in the last two games. The key to disrupting the TJUN-ia game plan was to attack them and not allow them an inch, give them no time to think or air to breathe, suffocate them into making bad decisions and then capitalizing on them. With a raukus ninety thousand expected in Torgos, Thor hoped his team would perform just as well in executing that plan as they did against their neighbors Sargossa in the previous home game, to take those crucial three points way with a top tier display.

Then there was the case of an additional trip to Anaia as the now eliminated from contention side of Legalese had the ability to play spoiler, as they could attempt to flip the script from when they visited Torgos and the Wanderers escaped with an two to one victory. It was the first victory on the side's current unbeaten run that has allowed them to overcome what had been truly an awful start despite being the top pot team of the group. Since the two sides met in Torgos in the middle of the campaign, Legalese has only won twice since and that floundering second half of the campaign is why they were eliminated at the end of the last matchday. It has not been for a lack of offensive power though, having scored the fourth most goals in the group and that was a worry for Thor, having had issues with high scoring teams like Saterun earlier in the competition. What was going to be needed was likely the same sort of approach they had with both Sargossa and what he was planning for TJUN-ia, if they could not have solid possession then they couldn't craft attacks and those mistakes would hopefully lead to scoring opportunities for his side. Járngrímur had shown that lethal touch in four of the last six that was so often on display for CA Paulinthal in the SuperLiga, they were going to need it in the last four to push on for that spot in Arrosia for the Finals for a third straight time.

by **Carpathia and Ruthenia** » Sun Jun 08, 2025 10:09 am

The perfect run continues as six becomes twelve

Well looks like that heavy loss has certainly stoked the fire in the collective belly of the team, carrying on a perfect record in the two windows since, with victories against Henrik P and Mertagne. While a win against unranked Henrik P would have been thought of as certainty, looking across the qualifying groups shows that you should be counting chickens, you need only look to Group 11 where Tanirinthia ranked fourth in the WCC rankings managed to lose at home to the unranked Sea Peoples League, and looking at our own group Crpostran fifth ranked, and runner-up of the previous World Cup may have only lost one game, an upset against Kandorith, but they have dropped points by drawing seven times costing two points each time and shockingly we may end up with the unprecedented event of a finalist failing to qualify for the next World Cup. So although some may say a win against Henrik P is nothing to shout about, three points is still three points and there are no guarantees in football.

The match against Mertagne was a different story, our first three points against a team ranked higher than us in this qualifying campaign. Mertagne have been having a similar campaign to Crpostran unable to convert games into three points and having to settle for a draw, and seemed to have had a return to expected form with a four to nothing rout of Sel Appa, but with the home crowd behind the players Carpathia and Ruthenia were able to push for the winner in the second half and defend the lead successfully, something they weren't able to do in the corresponding fixture in Mertagne earlier this campaign.

We currently find ourselves four points of qualification pace, but with twelve points left on the board anything could happen. Next window we find ourselves up against Kandorith who despite their media completely ignoring us in there look ahead to possible qualifiers have found themselves slipping three points behind us, and given that we took the full three points against them in the first half of qualifying perhaps we can put the nail in the coffin of their own qualification hopes if we can repeat this feat away in Kandorith. Then Crpostran, a team that for their ability is having a disastrous campaign, will this bad form continue or will the dragon have been awoken in the final push for qualification. This window will most likely be decisive for qualification with us facing the two teams ahead of us, perhaps we would dare to dream of a perfect eighteen points? Or will we have made the same mistake Kandorith made and dismiss the team below us and they will make the dark horse run with a perfect window.

All I know is this will be an electric upcoming window!

By Margita Ongaro
CBC Ruthenia

by **Aleirave** » Sun Jun 08, 2025 11:10 am

Some Upsetting Required
Calgasia 4-2 Aleirave
Aleirave 1-0 Pyazhnaya

That loss to Calgasia was... not ideal. Not ideal at all. A home win over group-topping Pyazhnaya started to make up for the hole they found themselves in, but being three points back with four matches left was still not a good position to be in at all.

Their next international window would be the best opportunity to make up for those lost points, with an away match in Safiloa and a home match against Gopnikea, two teams both well out of qualifying contention by this point. However, that was the good news, as their last window would be a potentially soul-crushing ending with away in Baggieland and home against Yuezhou. If Aleirave were to pick up points, they would have to do it now, but they would also need to find a win in at least one of their final two matches. As Haulafo was quick to point out, these matches had generated 4 points for the Gulls in the first half, but it would still be a tough challenge.

As for the much sooner matches against Safiloa and Gopnikea, there was confidence that this pair of matches would generate the nearly-required six points, and not only that, but there was hope that this team could be in third by the time all was said and done, with Yuezhou playing host to Baggieland on Matchday 16.

"Of course it's not going to be easy, campaigns like this were never meant to be easy," Haulafo said, "but if we can get back into the top 3 before the final two matches, things will be back in our control, and that's a little bit of a better feeling than having to make up ground in those matches... I'm not sure whether it will be enough, but we have to have hope and fight the hardest we can. We can get back into the World Cup, we've done it before so we can absolutely do it again. It's just about trying."

by **Valentine Z** » Sun Jun 08, 2025 11:28 am

Part 3 – Kinetic weapons are just far better. That, and the kinetic energy of goal shots.

Exuberant Superintendent T-2000/2904-3 Surveillant Clarissa Alanis Star Breya « La Amoureux Chéri » Millie Taissa Butterfly Mélody Coraline Jolijn Trini Clementine Hollie Samantha Zeta Harumi: That is one of the edits that are being proposed! Things are looking up for us and yes, that also means that there will be other parts of the Defense Force that we will soon be moving onto! The commit can be done anytime but for the purpose of making sure that the edits are timed with significant events, I usually wait until after World Cup in order to post the edits. Besides, it also helps ease the potential of errors. I am not one to brag, hehe, I mean, these kinds of things are what I excel at and so I don’t need a lot of computational power in order to achieve them. It’s good for timekeeping, let us put it in that manner! Multitasking is what I do, haha! Running a lot of the automated systems of Valentine Z- oooh, sorry!

Going back to the Valentian Defense Forces, I believe that some of them might think that it does not look as technological or magical. That, I quite agree! I believe that we need a little bit more cool stuff, such as lasers and all the more advanced weaponry! Of course, we have to draw the line at CBRN-based munitions and weapons, because I believe that is when we will go from defending our own territory to simply being a menace to the lives around us, in the most uncivilized ways possible. So we indeed took those out, with exception of purely ethical research in order to get antidotes and all sorts of anti. The rationale is that we will need to counteract any kind of bad weapons that others might not hesitate to use against us. This, once again, is very least likely to happen in the sporting worlds, please let me be clear with this! This is not due to the nations that we are playing sports with or against. Moving on!
Yeah, we need a little of other unconventional forms of weaponry. However, bullets indeed still do a lot of damage, and as a result, we have still been sticking with this! I adapted to energy weapons myself, but I can still use them!

A little bit of a mood whiplash from the topic of warfare (self-defense, really!) to sports – hmm, we are doing decently well in World Cup 99! As for Alanis Star’ Diodes, it’s rather unfortunate, but there’s always the next season, and we have more than enough funds and support from the rest of Valentine Z (and the citizens of Alanis Star) as always! For the Kittens though, I believe we need a win or two for the next two matchdays, and we might be able to be good to go? We will definitely need to go for those playoffs, we might not be guaranteed the qualification, I don’t think so! Still, it’s all right, we can do it and we got this! The next two matches are going to be against Jeruselem, a team that we have played before and won but we should not get overly confident; and then there is Eshialand who are definitely a force to be reckoned with! I don’t want to say this too early, but I believe – and based on my often times reliable prediction system – that we will be able to beat Jeruselem with slight relative ease. Of course, we cannot all be overly confident. I do hope that we will beat them, something about them is… I should not say it, sorry!

by **Captina Island** » Sun Jun 08, 2025 12:36 pm

Captina wobble but still control their fate
The Captina Company Press Association

The Captina Company National Football Team lost for the first time in the second half of qualifying, 1-0 away to Equestria before getting back on the winning track against Hispinas in Geneva City. Those results combined with Farfadillis' relentless pace through the schedule and Milchama dropping all six points during the most recent international window leave the Rosso e Oro seven points off the lead of group but sitting in second place with four matches remaining.

The first of those will be a trip to Arrosia to face the leaders and top seeds before the penultimate home match of the campaign against Middle Alba. Captina will hope that they can ride on the cushion built up during the first half of qualifying to remain in the top three heading into what looks now like a treacherous finishing stretch with a trip to Kamijiro ahead of the finale against Warkus that doesn't seem as winnable a proposition as it did before the bottom seeds were victorious back on match day 9.

Catching the Farfs at the head of the table doesn't appear to be in the cards but then again it really doesn't need to be the goal, as simply finishing ahead of either Milchama or Kamijiro or both will be enough to earn a fourth visit to Arrosia, this time for the Finals. After having come so close in the last cycle before falling to Busoga Islands--who by the way will not be making a return appearance in their home region--the focus of the side will be to finish as strong as possible.

The win over Hispinas marked a milestone for NT boss Jonas Yarborough as it was his 50th victory in charge in 120 matches for the combined mixed gender squad, pushing him four games above the .500 mark in his tenure.

by **Kandorith** » Sun Jun 08, 2025 12:49 pm

Hikari Kyoyu

Illuminating Today

World Cup

Once More Onto the Breach
by Natsumi Miyasaki | Sports - Football |

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Standing in a highly contested middle point of Group 8, the Kandorese national football team is moving towards the last final and critical matchdays, looking for a small miracle to still challenge the top three spots. Kandorith is currently in sixth place with a surprising 21 points in total. With only 3 and 4 points behind the numbers 5 and 4, respectively, held by Carpathia and Ruthenia and Crpostran. Can the Kandorese Mekahi make one final push towards consistency and be the surprise contender, or will the team and the fans have to look at a solid mid-group ending?

In recent matchdays the Kandorese team have again shown that they are capable of surprises and holding themselves strong against higher-ranked teams, only suffering a narrow 1-2 defeat against Kanzlia, who are in third place currently and 65th in the rankings. Looking at the table, it is easy to see just how contested the top three spots are currently, as they are still up for grabs for nearly everyone in the group. Kandorith then faced Sel Appa, and with renewed energy, they rebounded to secure a convincing 3-0 victory at the Empress Masumi Stadium, demonstrating once again how the Kandorese team has resilience and does not let a defeat get their spirits down. The focus now shifts to the upcoming crucial last matchdays, with maybe a little prayer thrown in there.

Navigating the Mid-Table

The first immediate challenge for Kandorith is against Carpathia and Ruthenia, who are ranked 77th and in fifth place with a three-point difference to Kandorith with 24 points. The first game between the two teams resulted in a disappointing 1-0 for Carpathia and Ruthenia, but this gives the fans a hopeful look as the next game will be at home. During the entire campaign, Kandorith has shown great performance when playing at home, and this match could just make the difference in the upcoming days. Not only would Kandorith close the gap to the top with three points, but the morale boost of winning against a higher-ranked team is something Mekahi could certainly use. The pitfall, however, is that a defeat would create a significant point difference with the top 5 and eliminate any hope for the Kandorese team, leaving them to fight for sixth place together with Mertagne.

Following the clash with Carpathia and Ruthernia, Kandorith will have to turn their attention to the match against Henrik P, the current newcomer who sits at the bottom of the table with just one point out of fourteen matches. While they are the weakest team in the group and Kandorith has beaten them at home with a convincing 3-0, they will still need to be careful to not give anything away. The match is an absolute no-brainer for the Kandorese to grab a three-point win and secure an even more stable spot within the group. Anything less than a victory would certainly raise eyebrows and will be a stain on the fresh career of Reina Kuroda. Beyond points, goal difference will certainly carry value too, which means that the Kandorese need to keep their scoring game up and their defence at the ready at all times.

The Larger Picture

While Kandorith will mostly focus on the coming match days, both the players and Kuroda are very aware that two more demanding matches will follow immediately. Kandorith will face the now 7th placed Mertagne at home, followed by the final away match against the Martian Independent Republic. The goal is to maximise points from all four remaining games and show that Kandorith can once again be a footballing force to be reckoned with; a possible qualification does not solely lie in Kandorith's hands, though, as the teams standing above Kandorith in the group all need to underperform or even make gigantic mistakes. Technically even the top spot is still in reach for Mekahi; while unlikely, the fans dare to dream still. The qualifications for the World Cup have been challenging for the Kandorese team so far, but the upcoming fixtures are anything but horrible, and the Mekahi have everything in their own hands to give maybe their final best performances of the qualification campaign. The nation will watch the upcoming games with extreme tension and excitement, and it will give Reina Kuroda the chance to end their first major national campaign with a giant success.

 # Group 8                                Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Audioslavia                             14   10   2   2    23    8  +15    32
 2 The Martian Independent Republic        14    9   3   2    36   21  +15    30
 3 Kanzlia                                 14    8   4   2    37   21  +16    28
 4 Crpostran                               14    6   7   1    25   12  +13    25
 5 Carpathia and Ruthenia                  14    7   3   4    21   21    0    24
 6 Kandorith                               14    7   0   7    30   26   +4    21
 7 Mertagne                                14    5   5   4    25   20   +5    20
 8 Legendenex                              14    1   5   8    11   32  −21     8
 9 Sel Appa                                14    1   2  11    10   29  −19     5
10 Henrik P                                14    0   1  13     8   36  −28     1

Health & Lifestyle

Neural Fade: Vanishing into the Glitch
by Haru Ishida | Healthcare |

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A strange rise in numbers from hospitals and medical experts signals a new danger for the elderly in the Kandorese Empire. Many of these individuals seem to be losing their life pulse, swallowed by the very technology our empire relies on. A grim statistic has emerged, showing more elderly suffering from rapid cognitive decline. These reports often precede missing person cases or symptoms similar to Cyberpsychosis. In past years, experts dismissed these statistics as anomalies, but now they sound the alarm as this anomaly casts a long shadow over city neighbourhoods.

Witnesses from crowded lower sectors describe their loved ones becoming "unplugged". Their minds no longer recognise reality, faces, or voices. They unravel before family, losing communication skills and sometimes wandering off to disappear into Tenkyo, never to be seen again. Medical analysts from Aegis MedCorp are releasing data, attributing these cases to "unforeseen neuro-environmental factors" or "legacy bio-ware incompatibilities". However, the public believes this surge connects with troubling changes in the cognitive enhancer market. Recently, cheaper alternatives appeared from companies like Hiyashi, Kaito International, and Kosen Optitech. The theory that cognitive enhancers harm the human brain has circulated for years but remains unproven.

The Unseen Epidemic: Lost on the Wire

Reports extend beyond Tenkyo. Similar patterns emerge in Kurosawa, Imakazawa, Higaku, and Ginza. Almost every urban area shows signs of a widespread issue affecting the elderly. Strained families, overwhelmed by the economy, often miss early signs of neural decay until it’s too late. Standard trackers, mandated by local corporate welfare programmes and supplied by Biotechnica's budget line, have proven unreliable. Reports indicate frequent "signal drops", firmware glitches, and data fragmentation make these trackers useless in busy areas.

Tenkyo police, stretched thin by corporate asset protection and rising gang violence, respond slowly to missing person reports. "They're seen as just failing old hardware in a broken system," said a veteran officer, who wished to remain anonymous, over a scrambled private channel. "Unless they have something valuable for corporations, their priority is nearly zero. Normally this would be a STAT case, but they have bigger issues than a 'lost memory unit"'.

The Corporate Solution and Conspiracy

For Kandorith’s corporations, this situation presents an opportunity. "Cognitive integrity" is a luxury, featuring some of the finest neural implants available. Advanced treatments and brainware upgrades from companies like Kosen Optitech and Biotechnica keep users at peak performance, seemingly untouched by the lurking decay. Yet, where there’s corporate opportunity, a black market thrives. “Memory farms” are rumoured to be large operations run by "scrappers" who target vulnerable individuals in cognitive decline, repurposing their minds for data processing and worse—stripping their bodies for organs and chrome.

The true impact of what’s now called Neural Fade is not fully known, but experts believe it affects a wider demographic than we realise. Each vanished elder represents a lost life and a piece of the past, swallowed by a future that has no room for the obsolete. As the economy churns, lower sectors grow chilling and cold, raising a vital question: Are these minds simply fading away, or is the system actively purging its unwanted and undesired?

World Cup 99 - RP Thread

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