IBC 42 - Competition Thread

by **Cardenao** » Tue Jul 15, 2025 8:40 pm

CARDENAO NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM 'BLUE AND GOLDS'

PG: D’Angelo Fox, 27, Athletic Playmaker

D Fox is a wiry, energetic playmaker who uses his twitchy athleticism to create opportunities for his team. He loves a fake shot followed by some dribbling to set up a teammate to score. When he goes to the bucket himself, he likes using some hesitation moves to increase his odds of scoring an easy shot as he prefers not to shoot anything too challenging.

PG: John Franklin Bonaventura, 33, Playmaking 3s

SG: Mac Zollinger, 28, 3-and-D

Mac Zollinger is your typical 3-and-D shooting guard with long arms. He’s good at 3s. He’s Good at D. Why the hell can he never score easy layups? Seriously, the dude can nail the craziest 3 you’ll see all week and then whiff a layup on a fast break.

SG: Pierre LeGoff, 35, Elegant Slasher
SG: Jezaro Principe, 30, Scoring Playmaker

SF: Raúl LeBlanc, 25, Athletic Scorer

The youngest starter ever for the Blue and Golds is also their number one threat in attack, Raúl has excellent body control and knows how to get to the hoop. Having spent the majority of his life as his team’s main scorer, it’s fair to say LeBlanc has developed some selfish tendencies, namely the heroball he likes to break out at inopportune moments. We’re finally starting to see some development from him on the defensive side of the ball too; with his athleticism and natural feel for the game, there’s no reason Raúl shouldn’t be at least decent playing D.

SF: Alejandro Liulia, 36, All-Around

PF: Troy Vazquez, 30, 3-level Scorer

Big Boy Troy Vazquez is tall, he’s wide, and he knows how to score the basketball at every level. He’s got soft touch on the glass, he has a sweet stroke from mid-range, and he can pull up behind the arc and bang you with a 3, what more do you want from your power forward? Well he could be a little better on defense, it seems like BBTV spends more time hoping for a fast break than actually defending his man.

PF: Funstrinston Jaopez Jr., 26, 3-point Stretch Forward

C: Tom Parliamance, 28, Defensive Anchor

Tom Parliamance, Tommy P, Big Daddy in the center position. He’s brilliant at holding the line, organizing the defense, and ensuring the Blue and Golds conceding less points than they score. Can he score? Yes, Tommy P can score and he does well to keep his attempts limited to high percentage opportunities. You won’t see him try any jumpers, any floaters, no eurostepping to the hoop, but you will see him bank it off the glass for 2, ten times a game.

C: Dragan Stoikchev, 27, Point Center
C: Jemar LaMichael, 31, Big Boy

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my Scorers: Yes.
Choose Scoring Events: Yes.
Godmod Scoring Events: No.
RP Injuries to my Players: Yes, but I will decide the severity.
Eject my players/coaches: No.
Godmod Injuries to my Players: No.
Godmod Other Events: No.
Decide Stats for my players: OK but keep it realistic
Style: -5

by **Banija** » Tue Jul 15, 2025 10:13 pm

Banija Men's National Basketball Team

As presented by the Olympic Committee of Banija

Information
Country code: BNJ
Denonym: Banijan(s)
Nickname: The Lions
Head Coach: Sadio Bartaba(3-time IBC champion as a player, 1 time NSCAA champion with Loyola-Istria as the Head Coach, former team captain. Assistant for the last few cycles, first go-around as the head man)
Assistant Head Coach: Lionel Botogo. First involvement with the NT.

Notable Finishes
Champions of IBC 30
Champions of IBC 31
Champions of IBC 32
Champions of IBC 33
Champions of AOBC VI
Champions of AOBC VIII
Champions of AOBC IX
Runners-Up at IBC 29
Silver medal at the XIV Summer Olympiad in men's basketball
Bronze medal at the XVI Summer Olympiad in men's basketball
Third Place at IBC 24
Third Place at IBC 38

Records(W-L, Win %):
All-Time AO Basketball Championships Record: 29-3, 90.63%
All-Time Olympic Qualifying Record: 2-1, 66.67%
All-Time Olympic Record: 26-9, 74.29%
All-Time IBC Group Stage Record: 151-31, 82.97%
All-Time IBC KO Stage Record: 39-16, 70.91%
All-Time IBC Record: 190-47, 80.17%
All-Time Record(All competitions): 247-60, 80.46%

Jerseys designed gratefully by Filindostan!

Away Jerseys

HomeJerseys

Starting Lineup - Players who are italicized are making their international debut at IBC 42.
PG #3 Jalima Ssebato. 6'1. 33 years old. With an incredibly young, yet incredibly athletic, starting lineup, the NT wanted a veteran presence out there- and Ssebato is the perfect fit. In a lineup full of young, hungry scorers, they found a scrappy, veteran, pass-first PG to facilitate the whole thing. His job is to be an unselfish player, get everybody else to eat- and some fierce defense at the point of attack. He's told reporters this will be his only IBC, so we will see what kind of efect he can have on the Lions as the team turns toward a new chapter.

SG #12 Diango Telly. 6'4. 23 years old. Four year player at Loyola-Istria, including being a starter during NSCAA 16. Loyola's star player then, a do-it-all kind of scorer. While he turns the ball over a lot, he can score at all three levels, create his own shot, and separate himself anywhere in the halfcourt.

SF #14 Dike Uchea. 6'9. 20 years old. One & done player at the University of Moravica during NSCAA 16(went to Cass Tech HS), now plays pro ball in Banija. Incredibly talented, but also pretty raw- we'll see if he can handle lights this bright. He's elite both at the rim and in the midrange, and is a great defender- but at this stage of his career, whether his star potential or not will be realized depends on how well he can shoot the 3 ball- which, at this point of his career, is a project. But on a team full of young players with high ceilings, his is the highest of all- and he won't shy away from that pressure.

PF #23 Galabba Danjuma. 6'9. 21 years old. Two years at Aksum State, lead team to a 40-2 record, and the NSCAA 16 championship. Extremely physical player, known for moving slowly and methodically. Sometimes known as a maniac on the court- his temper is legendary, as is his talet.

C #12 Ezra Ogada. 7'1. 30 years old. Went straight to pro ball. Plays professionally at home. Very much a back to the basket type of center. Known as elite defender. Only starter remaining from IBC 40 & 41.

Bench
PG #13 Malkom Yrisuéniho. Farf-Banijan dual-national(Induja). 6'1. 31 years old. Born in Induja, came as a child to Banija. Grew up playing on the courts in Busukuma. Crazy athletic, absolutely unorganized, seen as tough to coach but with limitless talent. NSCAA 14 champion with the University of Moravica.
SF/PF #0 Akanii Kayode. 6'9. 20 years old. One & done player at the University of Bunyoro during NSCAA 16.
SG #7 Mori Bitalo. 6'5. 29 years old. Plays professionally in Banija.
SF/PF #4 Kizza Kaba. 6'8, 30 years old. Graduate of Kizza I College.
C #10 Alanyo Kattante. 7'2. 24 years old. Plays professionally in Banija.
PG/SG #5 Chaka Konta. 6'4. 22 years old. 3 year player at NMU, played in NSCAA 16.
C/PF #9 Twesigye Kayomya. 6'10. 25 years old. Plays professionally in Banija.

Closeout Lineup
PG #3 Malkom Yrisuéniho
SG #12 Diango Telly
SF #14 Dike Uchea
PF #0 Kizza Kaba
C #12 Ezra Ogada

Notes:
- We almost always play a 1-3-1 zone defense. It works well with this team, which has lots of size, and is getting faster, especially at guard. Situationally, we will switch to man to man or a box and 1 if the other team's star player is hot, but the 1-3-1 is the base.
- This team is built very different from past teams. They space the floor much better, they have spread the floor with a lot of players who can hit jumpers, especially three pointers. They also like to play fast.
- This team will run at almost any chance they get. While rebounding, especially on defense, is the team's weakest link, when they do get a rebound, they are able to push the ball, and so quickly.
- For the group stages, this team's rotation runs 12 deep, as Bartaba will do his best to get all 12 players into the game for every single group stage game- in both group stages. However, they will almost certainly shorten the rotation to 8-9 players come the knockout stages. In the KO stages, he will push Dike Uchea in particular to the limit, with his star SF likely to get 35+ minutes on those nights.
- It's a young, mostly new, hungry team. 9 of 12 players, including 4 of 5 starters, come with no NT experience- and the team is expected to go through growing pains.

Recent History
This is their seventh appearance at the IBCs after an especially turbulent period surrounding the men's national basketball team- moments that are firmly in the rearview mirror. The team reached never before seen heights in this sport, winning 4 titles in a row- an accomplishment that has never been matched in any of the Grand Slam competitions (IBCs, WCoH, WC, World Bowl, WBC). 5 finals in a row, and obviously all of those championships, meant success was the name of the game. But of course, with success comes egos, and with the growth of the financial pot comes issues on how to split it. For financial reasons, and many others, players went on strike after IBC 33- sparked when the Olympic Committee, already facing a myriad of issues, tried to force NT players to play at home. They came back at IBC 36, and are trying to get back to previously achieved heights.

When legendary head coach Isaiah Lavaga decided to leave for club basketball in Quebec rather than strike-break and lead a squad of replacement players to IBC 34, the Banijan men's basketball team could not even send a delegation to the tournament- a stunning fall. They did not resolve the issue in time for IBC 35 either, as players and the Olympic Committee seemed to be in a never-ending standoff over the national team. But finally, shortly before the last Olympiad in the Twin Cities, the players and the Olympic Committee were finally able to reach an agreement.

Nearly half a decade of striking. The senior NT was finally back in the fold. The Olympics were good- falling to Hannasea in the semifinals, and earning a bronze medal, the second ever medal the men's basketball team has ever earned at the Olympiad. And hopes were raised after the AOBCs just went like old times, with Banija cruising to their third regional title.

Oscar Laboto, the new head coach, urged caution with this team. "This ain't the same team we had back in the day." He told reporters. "The IBCs are an entirely different beast. We're back at the bottom of the totem pole, and we're gonna take some real lumps. Fans will need to be patient." Indeed, he told reporters it would be 2 or 3 cycles before the team could legitimately be considered contenders- for now, despite their history, simply reaching the knockout stages would be performing 'beyond expectations'.

And it seemed as if that prediction would be proven at least relatively true. With how top heavy this sport is, Banija has been to the knockout stages of the last two IBCs- winning one game in each(Ro24 at IBC 36, the Ro16 at IBC 37), before getting felled by their archrivals, Quebec- who just won their first ever IBC title just last cycle. But IBC 38, we seemingly broke through. Taking advantage of the double elimination format, we got down to the final 3 teams, and for the third cycle in a row, we were beaten by none other than our archrivals, and the eventual IBC champions, Quebec & Shingoyreo. While in IBC 39, we went out in the QFs to Valanora, in IBC 40 we went right back to form- once again getting felled by the dominant team of the era, Quebec. Our archrivals, eliminating us in four of the last 5 editions of this tournament. That's why everybody came back- could they finally beat that Quebecois sized hump?

Turns out, they could. But they didn't inspire much confidence. IBC 41 was a strange tournament- how could you possibly have the least inspiring IBC team in a generation, and yet, pull off maybe the greatest Banijan upset since IBC 24, in the same tournament? Strange, strange things. The entire IBC 40 squad returned for a single purpose- slay the Quebecois dragon. And boy, it looked as if they would fail. Some brutal losses to bad teams for the Lions saw them barely escape group play in Ranoria, only to run into the monster that we call Quebec- and then stun everybody in Ranoria.

Off in the QFs. That generation has a complicated legacy. Mostly one of failure- but hey, they got a nutters upset at the end, right? Hard to say- but we know that generation is done, and a new one is here. New coach, new players(9 of 12 on the roster, including 4 of 5 starters, have 0 NT experience). This is a team building for the future- not only competing now, but trying to reach the top of the sport in a few cycles from now. The question is- can this team make some real noise in Quebec? Or will it be another early exit for the Lions from the IBCs?

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes. Please specify the exact injury(i.e. broken leg, turf toe, broken arm, etc...) and how they got it- and either leave severity to me, or TG/Discord DM me about severity. No more than one major injury per game.
Godmod Injuries to my players: No
Godmod other events: Discord DM or TG for permission

by **Banija** » Tue Jul 15, 2025 10:56 pm

New look Lions prepare for the return of the International Basketball Championships

ISTRIA, MORAVICA- Out with the old, in with a new. After years of delays, the NT has finally overgone a generational transformation- and like we've said, this team is very much out with the old, in with the new. Laboto retired, and Sadio Bartaba is the head man- the same guy who won a NSCAA 13 championship as the head coach of Loyola-Istria men's basketball. Nine of the 12 players on this roster have never played for the national team before this tournament, including 4 of the 5 projected starters for the opening night of this tournament, in Istria.

"It was time for a new look, a breath of fresh air." Patrick Zervos, the Executive Chairman of the Olympic Committee of Banija, told reporters. In Banija, of course, the Olympic Committee directly runs all pro and national team sports, outside of soccer and ice hockey- so he is ultimately responsible for the fate of Banijan hoops. There is an Executive Vice President overseeing basketball, but ultimately, the buck stops with Zervos. "The last generation- they had given so much. And we applaud them, truly. Quarterfinal run on home soil. Huge upset over Quebec last time. There's even a bronze medal in there. They brought us almost back- but now, the time is here to pass the torch."

And pass the torch, we must. First, of course, is Bartaba- a 3 time champion himself, as a player. "I know what it means, what an honor it is to put on the orange & white for your country- so I am excited beyond belief for this opportunity." He told reporters. "The vision is here, and the support is here- both in the short and in the long-term, to build a successful foundation for Banijan basketball. The brightest days are ahead of us in this sport."

And look at all the young talent on this team. Diango Telly. Dike Uchea. Galabba Danjuma. Just to name a few guys. With 7 players on the team 25 and younger, there's a lot of youth to go around. We got up with Dike Uchea for a quote. "This has been a dream ever since I was a little kid." He told reporters. "There's a proud basketball lineage and tradition in this country, and I am just the latest to put it on- a steward. I need to pass it onto the next generation in a better place than when I found it- hopefully, by eventually lifting that all-time coveted trophy."

With the double group stage, this team, like all teams, will have a ton of time to mesh for the KOs- if they can get there, that is. The first group stage shouldn't be too difficult a bar, despite being placed in the same group as Quebec. Top 4 teams in Group A get to the second stage, leaving plenty of room for teams to slip in behind the hosts to the next stage. But that rivalry game renewal will be one hell of a 'welcome to the bigs' moment. Matchday 2- first ever road game in front of Quebec's rabid home fans, and a team looking for revenge from last cycle? That's not easy- that's walking straight into the heart of the jungle.

The Banijans, trying to ramp up their own home court advantage, have confirmed that the return leg will be held at Kavuma Field- a domed gridiron stadium, in Herzegovina City. It has hosted both the semifinals and final of IBC 40, and the NSCAA 16 Final Four. So the stadium, which seats 78,000 for hoops, has plenty of experience hosting big time basketball. "We figured- get as many of our own fans in the house, and create a wall of noise, a wall of energy- that'll be our best chance of riding an upset over them in group play." Zervos told reporters. "Plus, we've used it for fantastic championship events, so why not a big home game?" Tickets have been selling like hotcakes for that matchup, so it'll surely be an energetic environment."

Take it all in. It's the best time of the tourney- everyone's 0-0, and everyone can feed their own delusions about how their home team is gonna make a crazy run. And hopefully, the Lions can take those delusions from our own fans, and make them legitimate hopes of a deep run here at IBC 42.

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Tue Jul 15, 2025 11:07 pm

Quebec and Shingoryeo Men's and Women's National Basketball Teams - IBC 42

The Basketball Quebec, in continuation of its practice also shared by Royal Quebecois Volleyball Federation (RQVF) and Royal Quebecois Football Association (RQFA), is proud to continue its practice of sending mixed teams with expanded rosters to international competitions, even as the QBL and the QWBL gender-separated. In regards to their opponents' preferences to play the men, women or mixed teams will remain flexible in advanced consultation with their opponents (OOC: please read my team information right below).

Team Jerseys

Quebecois Basketball In Nutshell

Considered to be one of the 'Big 3' of indoor sports played in Quebecois winters (Basketball, Hockey and Volleyball, while Handball is a summer sport here), basketball is an extremely popular, well-loved sport in Quebec. With massive attention given to both teams, and all levels of basketball being watched from high school to the international stage, the Quebecois are expected to bring fire and fury to their cheering and jeering game.

After looking at the roster, you may have noticed that the Quebecois national teams are...slightly bigger than usual, with Quebecois women being taller than average and men shorter, even though neither are really Drawkians to start with. There is nothing to deny about how the talent disparity exists between the Quebecois women, one of the best (if not the best) program in Multiverse right now, and the men, who would be at their best in the top 12-13, and that's the way of life.

That said, for where they lack in particular height, the Grim Reapers make up for it with tactical versatility, power and strength, not to mention their ability to maximise rotations. The previously-mentioned disparity of talent between the Quebecois men and the women, as well as the international basketball scene's tendency to have predominant number of national teams be mostly male, had influenced the Quebecois brand of double-squading their tournaments with 16-18 players selected from the 30-player preliminary list to represent Quebec every international window. This is particularly evident in the group stage, where the Quebecois have almost always experimented with any format, and often key starters are rested whenever possible. Once the Quebecois national team enters the elimination round (or in the case of IBC 31 and 35, second group stage), the rotation tends to shrink to around 11 or 12.

For clearer sense of an international window and scheduling, lease see here for domestic-international calendar.

Home Venue:

Quebec and Shingoryeo (QUE) Venue Bid
Venue: l'Arc-en-Ciel, Quebec City, Quebec and Shingoryeo - Capacity: 21,580
Home Tennant: CSKA Quebec (QBL/QWBL)
Information: With the city's dreams, glooms and love all reflected its boulevards and the Capitoliens themselves, Joongyeong hopes to welcome the visitors for a swell time in the IBC. Located at the midway point between Fleuve Saint-Henri and the mouth of the River to the East Sea, the 'City of Eternal Lights' is a traveller's paradise as hundreds of museums and monuments form the city.
Right in heart of it is l'Arc-en-Ciel - the 21,580-seater is located on the Alexandre IV District of Joongyeong, just 5 minutes walk away from Bibliotheque Nationale on east and 10 minutes west of Parc D'Armistice, the largest urban park in the Downtown area. Located right next to the Colisee Royale, this is where CSKA Quebec, the winningest men's basketball and second-winningest women's basketball team in Quebecois history, plays its home matches.
Year in and out, it is filled to the brim, and the regular renovations and additions have continued to maintain it as a top-class venue for both domestic and international competitions. Per the internal BQ regulations, however, Basketball Quebec does not allocate any home tickets to the away team supporters.

Position          Team/Program     Name                     Age STATUS    Affiliation
Program Director  Senior           Wilfrid Pellan            52    NEW    Basketball Quebec
Head Coach        Senior-M         Jeremy Chun               72    NEW    Yoseo University-Montevicio (QIS)
Head Coach        Senior-W         Lynne Byrne-Fitzherbert   38    NEW    Montreal Koreana (QWBL)
Assistant Coach   Senior-M         Eo Ji-Hong                40    NEW    Levis Athletic (QBL) 
Analyst           Senior-W         Lauren Kim-Asfaw          46    NEW    Nideyinan College (QIS)

Entirely different staff? Mostly purged national team? No surprise when you underperform.

-#    PO  Name            Surname                 Ht.  Age    Status Debut  College/Jr Club            Team            Current Rating
01     C  Horace          Karugunda               2.20  28  RETURNEE    38  Manitoba Kings (Jrs)                 ★★★★★
03    PG  Hector          Marimuthu  'C'          1.90  28  RETURNEE    40  Yoseo-Montevicio (QIS)               ★★★★
06    SF  Gaetan          Tutberidze              2.01  18    ROOKIE    42  CSKA Quebec (Jrs)  CSKA Quebec       ★★★★☆
11    SG  Diderot         Yeo-Muenkat             1.93  27  RETURNEE    41  Mount Ester (QIS)                    ★★★☆
12    PF  Kadeen          Trabelsi                2.03  20    ROOKIE    42  Hanbat State University (QIS)        ★★★☆
14     F  Armando         Guadanini               2.01  19    ROOKIE    42  Yoseo University at Montevicio (QIS) ★★★
20     C  Jong-Seop       Baek                    2.11  23    ROOKIE    42  Queen's College (QIS)                ★★★☆
25   C/F  Normand         Hwang                   2.06  23    ROOKIE    42  Coloratura State University (QIS)    ★★★☆
28    PG  Florent         Mills-Ryder             1.91  19    ROOKIE    42  Trinity College Inteachan (QIS)      ★★★★☆
51    SG  Gang-Whoe       Kang                    1.93  23  RETURNEE    41  Mount Ester (QIS)                    ★★★★

02    PG  Marija          Saric                   1.77  21  RETURNEE    41  Keewatinook (QIS)                     ★★★★
04    SG  Melanie         Oh                      1.85  20    ROOKIE    42  Keewatinook (QIS)                     ★★★☆
05    SF  Julianne        Ottavino                1.85  25  RETURNEE    41  Coloratura State (QIS)                ★★★★☆
07    PG  Cassidy         Donatello               1.73  22    ROOKIE    42  Lennoxville Marymount (QIS)           ★★★★☆
08    PF  Beatrice        Allende Canizares       1.87  19    ROOKIE    42  University College Jolbonopolis (QIS) ★★★
09    SG  Leonie          Cha                     1.90  19    ROOKIE    42  Nideyinan College (QIS)               ★★★★
10    SF  Ye-Rin          Kim                     1.84  20    ROOKIE    42  Coloratura State (QIS)                ★★★★
15     C  Elodie          Byeon-Graham            1.96  22    ROOKIE    42  Nideyinan College (QIS)               ★★★★
21     W  Maybritt        Igbinosun               1.85  23  RETURNEE    41  Huronia Tech (QIS)                    ★★★☆
33     C  Kelsey          Boulouque Lautner       1.96  27  RETURNEE    40  Saguenay (QIS)                        ★★★★★

Feel free to check my newswire or ask me on Discord how these players are like.

Style Modifier (for IC purposes): -2

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers:Y
Godmod scoring events/Assign other stats: Y, but please TG or PM me before you RP this. Make sure to read my roster information, to avoid any confusion.
RP injuries to my players: Y
Godmod Injuries to my players:N. I shall decide the severity
Suspend my players:Y
Godmod suspension events: N
Godmod other events: Y, but TG or PM are a must if you are trying to get something rolling

by **Tumbra** » Wed Jul 16, 2025 12:03 am

THE TUMBRAN NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM
The Red Wolves

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: N*
RP injuries to my players: Y
Godmod Injuries to my players: N
Suspend my players: Y
Godmod suspension events: N*
Godmod other events: N*

Do not use pictures of RL players and claim they are my players.

COVID-19 does not exist in Tumbra.

*As a general rule, just let me know before doing something egregious. Don't know what egregious means, or unsure that what you want to do breaks 
this line? Telegram me or message me on Discord. I'm on the NSS server.

Roster

Pos  No     Name               Age  Ht  Team
PG   6      Ennis Fox          22   187 [TMB]
SG   12     Patrick O'Rourke   23   193 [TMB]
SF   1      Chris Way          27   190 [TMB]
PF   4      Titus Handelson    25   188 [TMB]
C    3      Jim Hawkins        18   185 [TMB]

PG   2      Clarence Statham   20   190 [TMB]
SG   5      Jon "Skip" Brennan 26   188 [TMB]
SF   9      Lionel Aarons      25   191 [TMB]
PF   11     Alex Letho         30   187 [TMB]
C    8      Crispin Morgenbaum 24   191 [TMB]

G    7      Fabian Wellspring  22   198 [TMB]
F    10     Tim Lucan          23   187 [TMB]

Home games will be played at the Straton Indoor Stadium (cap: 16,250). The coach of the team is one Vernon Walker (63).

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Wed Jul 16, 2025 2:23 am

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ABANHFLEFT
NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM

This will be Abanhfleft's twenty-sixth time participating in the International Basketball Championships. The era of Jan Harris is over; all hail the new king—er, manager of the Rebolusyonaryos, Royal McElhannon. Surely this is the change that the Democratic Republic needs to finally reclaim the trophy that they had won only once in their history. Surely...?

BASIC INFORMATION
Name of nation: Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft
Demonym: Fleftic
Team colors: Blue, orange, green
Style modifier: +2.00
Offense: Run and Gun
Defense: Man to Man
Foul Trouble: Let Them Play
Head Coach: Damari Kohen (45 y/o, 6'10", Abanhfleft)

STARTERS
Center: Sam De Arias (#6, 25 y/o, 7'2")
Power Forward: Clinton del Valle (#72, 24 y/o, 6'10")
Small Forward: Norberto White (#36, 23 y/o, 6'8")
Shooting Guard: Toby Trenton (#12, 22 y/o, 6'6")
Point Guard: Abraham Garcia (#19, 27 y/o, 6'4")

SUBSTITUTES
Center: Ivan Morales (#33, 28 y/o, 7'1")
Center: Marco Fiorano (#99, 23 y/o, 6'9")
Power Forward: Otto Bosanski (#45, 25 y/o, 7'0")
Power Forward: Oskar Smithley (#77, 27 y/o, 6'4")
Small Forward: Angelo Ramos (#16, 25 y/o, 6'6")
Small Forward: Emil Razon (#5, 23 y/o, 6'2")
Shooting Guard: Vladimir Santos (#21, 21 y/o, 6'3")
Shooting Guard: Chidozie Anosike (#52, 21 y/o, 6'5")
Point Guard: Chris Patterson (#31, 22 y/o, 6'0")
Point Guard: Isaac Geisler (#20, 24 y/o, 6'2")

UNIFORMS (Kindly provided by Saint Kanye)
HOME

AWAY

HOME STADIUM (The Fleftic Arena, Riuwiee)

Presenting the Fleftic Arena, the largest indoor arena by seating capacity in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft

Situated in the north of Abanhfleft's capital city of Riuwiee is the National Sports Park, a 140-hectare "special national designated area" in which a majority of Riuwiee's sporting facilities are located. Standing out among the stadia and gymnasia is the massive and imposing structure and flat roof of the Fleftic Arena, officially the largest indoor stadium in the whole of Abanhfleft with its official stated capacity of 100,786 seated spectators for indoor sports. The structure broke ground on September 26, 2009 as part of the capital city's reconstruction efforts following the aftermath of the Holy Catholic Revolution of 2008 which left nearly the entirety of Riuwiee devastated, and construction was completed over three years later in 2012. The Fleftic Arena is the official home arena of the Abanhfleft national basketball team and has played host to dozens of matches during the International Basketball Championships. Aside from that, the Riuwiee Presidents of the Fleftic Basketball Association occasionally uses the Fleftic Arena as its home stadium when it plays marquee match-ups against well-known teams from the league such as the Malabon Black Ops or the Markovsky Red Army, taking advantage of the arena's huge capacity when the capacity of their usual home stadium, the Sterling Arena, is deemed to be not enough for games of such popularity. Aside from that, the Fleftic Arena has also played host to at least four FBA All-Star Weekends since its inauguration and opening in 2012.

As for the stadium's location, Riuwiee is the capital city of Abanhfleft and is home to over 20 million people. The Fleftic people are very crazy and passionate about basketball, and even though their home side the Riuwiee Presidents has been disappointing in the FBA as of late, the fans still come out in droves to support and cheer for their team.

RP PERMISSIONS
Everything except killing my players and staff is okay.

by **Chobotan** » Wed Jul 16, 2025 7:12 am

Chobotan Basketball Team - The Dogmouths

West Chobotanian coach Yetan Ljandsarv has brought together a mighty team for the 42nd edition of the International Basketball Championship. Towering forward Isik Folk leads the team, with Keandre McMillan providing advice as a veteran on the team. Rookies such as Lisse Leispo are also on the team. As usual, the Chobotanian Basketball Federation mandates that the players must have numbers 1-99, and every 10 numbers must be represented (e.g. 4, 16, 23, 37, 45, 50, 60, 71, 89, 99).

Roster:

Position	Number	Name	Age	Height
Guard	7	Keandre McMillan	33	6'10"
Guard	14	Louis Jevecs	27	6'1
Guard	66	Arnold Claires	25	6'9"
Guard	80	Eron Olvbos	26	6'6"
Guard	72	Jamie Overgartens	21	7'2"
Guard	29	Codan Berg	18	6'3"
Forward	2	Sean Eonnois	23	6'5"
Forward	17	Lisse Leispo	22	6'7"
Forward	98	Angers Veikschlowe	30	7'0"
Forward	65	Kikan Clover	24	6'4"
Forward	48	Alfred Beine	34	6'6"
Forward	51	Isik Folk	20	6'8"
Forward	33	Ronny Blausch	26	6'1

Roster Edits Log:
Eron Olvbos' number changed from 35 to 80 after CBF found no player with number of 80-89

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my Scorers: Yes
Choose Scoring Events: Yes
Godmod Scoring Events: No
RP Injuries to my Players: No
Godmod Injuries to my Players: No
Godmod Other Events: No

by **Juvencus** » Wed Jul 16, 2025 12:17 pm

THIS IS NOT A DAMN NEWSPAPER
By:Diego Bortelli

TEAM ALL FRESHENED UP FOR INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS 42

i Cavalli's camp at Campobello, Northwestern Vinceti with Monte Carpina di Crescento in the background

Now you may be sitting here wondering "Just what the hell is this guy going to say again?". And you'd be right, it has been a long while since I have done anything like this but considering the fact I am a family man and this would require me to travel and work with toddlers to care for and this would be a no-go. However since they have grown enough to enjoy this summer season and understand basketball for what it is, at least a little bit, it is the perfect time to bring back this... babbling fest.

Now i Cavalli have not been a powerhouse by any means in this sport. If anything, a perennial mid-table team that has done absolutely nothing so far would be a more accurate description but I believe that there is hope. Hope in regards to management, especially compared to other sports in this nation, bar I guess football and hope in regards to the talent pool of players currently in possession of said management. As was well-known before, nepotism had poisoned the sport in Juvencus for a long time now and that took a particularly negative form in i cavalli when new players wouldn't come and go, as they would in other sports but instead stay the same. We had to deal with Xoel Maradona for God knows how long and are we gonna ignore the fact that college ballers are still not chosen? Crazy.

Let us go back to what's important. First and foremost, Evan Martin Jackson picking to rep i Cavalli over the Red Wolves of Tumbra? Am I dreaming? That must be the most promising prospect of the national team as it currently stands, besides maybe Leandro Mutu or Xavier Iniesta, who thankfully were picked for the first time. Finally, some talent oozing out of this team and finally, we are not going to see an one-man squad or a couple-men squad. This is a team that looks to be cohesive enough to represent the country and do so while not doing a major misstep. Eugen Cismaru's knowledge of the game is clearly heaps ahead of any predecessor and knowing his playstyle, we are going to keep watching an aggressive squadra for the time being, which is no problem, until we meet a team that can close any gaps as fast as we move out of them.

Now as is known for Quebecois-style hosting of this competition, the first group stages will be taking place in our countries, which is positive news as I will be reporting straight from the source, at least for all home games. Arena Delmons... biggest court in the nation, but getting kinda old. Considering most players in the team are not playing basketball in Juvencus, I don't know how homely it would feel to play home games in Scudelli and not in Arena Reacta in Aguajú, a sort of middle ground solution with excellent atmosphere. Either way, excited for that.

Most competition is unranked, but looking at Banija and the hosts themselves in Quebec is scary enough. Juvencus is ranked 3rd pot but considering the competition it would be no surprised to end anywhere in the top five, unless we wake up. If college basketball showed us anything is that Banijan and Quebecois talent pools are not just deep, they are heaps ahead of anything we could fathom at the current level of the game here. At the same time, it could be a wonderful test for i Cavalli to show their worth and who knows, maybe get a fucking upset or two. The goal is and always will be, to qualify for the main thing and go beyond. Either way, considering the talent of this team, it is no easy task but it is one that is quite possible, God willing.

I will be recording every single process and hopefully we won't have any... disturbances ruin the matches or whatever. I still remember bright flashes of light and krakens in other sports and even "supernatural" beings playing the sports themselves. Those were the worst days of my life, never again.

by **Cardenao** » Wed Jul 16, 2025 3:45 pm

For most Cardenaoans, a summons to meet with Mihaly could perhaps be the best, or worst, day of their life, either way it would be one to remember. For Luka Casales, this wasn’t even his first time this week meeting with Cardenao’s singular ruler. Granted, the only reason they were meeting this frequently was due to the build up and tip-off of the 42nd International Basketball Championship for which Cardenao was, via Luka Casales, the President. While it’s true Cardenao wasn’t hosting, co-hosting, or really involved at all with the actual tournament itself once Luka officially awarded the hosting rights to Quebec and Shingoryeo, but Mihaly felt it was good for the IBC President to, well, keep a close eye on the IBC and find ways to promote Cardenaoan interests. Luka felt that things were going quite well actually, thank you for asking, the signup and host bidding had gone smoothly, there really wasn’t much to do but wait and watch as the Blue and Golds competed, so he wasn’t entirely sure what the purpose of him being escorted through the Palace of Tears was.

[i/]‘Palace of Tears, what a ghoulish name!’[/i] He thought to himself as he passed from one hallway into another, then from that hallway into a new one once more. ‘Terrible business when the Royal Family was entirely exterminated by the Echani but that was…130ish years ago now?’

“I know I’d rename it…” Luka Casales muttered under his breath, the delusions of a man who thinks he has obtained prominence while failing to realize the ladder he climbed didn’t really go all that high and that constructing it from glass might be a poor idea after all as the first cracks emerge.

He wasn’t entirely wrong though, if you were to fund a political campaign and do message testing, two phrases entirely removed from the Cardenaoan lexicon along with ‘democracy’ and ‘that pesky self-determination nonsense.’ If you were to fund such a campaign then you would have middling political consultants telling you that yes, the public definitely thought The Place of Tears was a bit spooky, ominous even, and that it might be worth considering a new name inspired by the golden era Cardenao was experiencing. That being said, they were far more likely to say, that looks neat but if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather have a little more money or perhaps more food please instead of renaming such a grandiose building. And these consultants would probably charge you out the ass to tell you something so obvious too. With such thoughts occupying Luka’s mind, it was time for his appointment and the massive doors swung open in front of him.

Luka never knew how to start these meetings… how do you even address Mihaly? Obviously that was his name but at this point his name seemed to become his title, which made sense. If there’s only Mihaly, why not Mihaly your Mihaly? But it didn’t feel quite right in person to address the man responsible for essentially everything going on at this point like you would your mate at the pub. There was that old government term…what was it… President? Yes, he used to be called President Mihaly but…if there’s only Mihaly, why not Mihaly your Mihaly? Besides, to address Mihaly as President at this point would be to suggest that he and Luka were on the same level, Presidents of something. Luka imagined Mihaly would take some offense to that presumption. There was a last name too, of course Mihaly had a last name, right? Of course…ah, Otamendi, yes that was it. But Mr. Otamendi didn’t quite roll off the tongue like a simple Mihaly did…

“Hello Luka.”

‘Fuck.’ Like always, Mihaly was the one to start the exchange as Luka realized how long he’d been standing there lost in his thoughts.

“Hey Mihaly…hi. Good to see you.”

“Good to see you too, thanks for getting on over here on such short notice.”

“Ah, well it’s easy for me when you send the transport, I’d hate to get lost on my own!”

Mihaly laughed as he looked up from what Luka could see to be some sort of overview of Sareña, the coastal city home to Cardenao’s rich and famous, and a fair few foreign owned properties as well. ‘Probably getting another ‘government’ mansion,’ he thought to himself.

“I’d hate to see you lost,” he responded with a smile not quite reaching his eyes, a detail lost on Luka, blinded by the complacency of his elevated position as President of the International Basketball Championships, he was, after all, a man of great importance.

“Well I’ll keep this brief, the 42nd IBC is about to get underway and I want to know your thoughts on it.”

“Certainly! Well the Blue and Golds are ranked 13th in the multiverse, I believe that is a new high for us, though we’ve rather unfortunately been placed in a pretty tricky group. Drawkland, HUElavia, a Tumbran team that excels in other sports, and TJUN-ia, it’ll be a real ball buster and whoever does the most damage against the highest seeds will win the group. Now I won’t bullshit you, it’s not likely we’ll win the group, not while we gotta play against those Drawkian tall-boys. We’ll make the knockout rounds for sure, probably, then it’ll come down to whoever we go against and what that specific matchup looks like.”

“Decent to hear, I guess we’ll have to see how they do, though I was disappointed to see us go out so early last edition.”

“Mmmhm, that’s those Banijan sons a guns for you, I mean there’s a reason why they three-peated!”

“True enough, I’d be happy to see Cardenao grab one at this point, I’m not sure even I would dream of three in a row…at least not yet. In some ways that’s why I summoned you here today, to discuss the growth of the game in Cardenao and how the perception of Cardenao has improved under your tenure.”

As the air in the room changed, Luka couldn’t help but pull at his collar, he’d hoped this was a simple check in but it seemed like this meeting was going to be a bit more than that.

“I really wanted to see Cardenao break into the top ten at this point in your tenure, everyone knows it’s a bit of a crapshoot after #8 but top ten is a legitimate accomplishment, especially considering our football team is #1 in the multiverse. Now I know you aren’t on the court yourself, there’s nothing you can do to impact the results, but it seems to me there is perhaps less enthusiasm for the sport compared to when I placed you into this role.”

“Well uh, like you said it’s hard to compete when the gridiron team is the best in the world, I mean how bout that Bobby Dials? If I was a kid, I’d probably be looking up to him instead of a basketballer, not going to lie to you Mihaly.”

“Well I appreciate you being honest with me, but that’s one of the reasons I chose you for the role, to build us up at a grassroots level. I’m not expecting us to win the whole thing on our third try, like in the World Bowl, but I do want to see more.”

“Absolutely, I can understand the frustration, I’d love to see us threepeat too! With respect though, the growth of the sport might be accelerated if you were as public about your support for basketball like you are for football and soccer. We all hang onto your every word, so a little bit about bball would go a long way.”

Mihaly blinked, he hadn’t considered that. “I can do that, I can definitely do that. I want a plan though, a plan to grow youth ball and general basketball interest across the country. Being Cardenaoan is following sports, let’s get the IBC included in that.

I’m also disappointed we haven’t bid for or hosted an IBC during your tenure, having it hosted by the country the President is from seems like quite a boon, no?”

“Well certainly, I couldn’t agree more! I would love the honor of having this tournament in Cardenao but there are certain barriers that make such a thing unfeasible.”

“Like what?”

“Well primarily the lack of basketball infrastructure and wide-scale support. I mean, we don’t even have a professional league, same as football and soccer, no professional domestic league means a cap to interest and participation levels. If you can’t get paid to do it in your own backyard, what’s the point?”

“Fair enough. I will say, at a higher level, I would’ve liked to see Cardenao host more meetings between relevant members of the greater basketball community. By that I mean, bring the movers and the shakers here, wow them, impress them, get them and their fans into Cardenao.”

“You know, that’s fair enough but I have time left at the helm, I’ll work some good stuff up for us.”

Mihaly had to smile inwardly. He’d envisioned a different ending to this conversation, one that he would be sure to emphasize soon, but he was impressed by how Luka seemingly had a plan, which was a welcome development. He probably didn’t have a plan, but this meeting would be sure to get him going.

“Well I’ll be sure to check in with you soon,” Cardenao’s singular leader said with a gesture to the door.

Luka took his cue and stood up, “Thanks for the meeting sir, I’ll get to work on this immediately.”

“Luka…I need you to understand something,” Mihaly said as he looked at the grain of sand.

“I made you president of the IBC; I can replace you or run it myself if that’s what it takes.”

Luka nodded, turned, and walked out of the room.

Nothing left to say.

by **The Enqab Archipelago Laboratories** » Wed Jul 16, 2025 5:06 pm

EVOBALLERS™ ENTER INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Giant Machines Prepare To Tackle "Solved Sport" Against Human All-Comers

KEBERT XELA, T.E.A.L. — The Reuahzloh Corporation, a leading technology company founded by exiles from major Kytlerian universities that fled the crippling taxation of the communist Giisost regime to form part of The Enqab Archipelago Laboratories, are ready to take the new-generation XL EvoBallers™ to the International Basketball Championships, one of the most prestigious sporting competitions in the multiverse.

Each of the XL EvoBallers™ are 218.6cm tall, weigh 109.3kg, and have been found capable of making 98.4% of half-court shots in preliminary testing - allowing them to potentially overwhelm all opposition simply through superhuman shooting abilities.

"Reuahzloh are always ready to showcase the values and advanced technology of The Enqab Archipelago Laboratories on an international stage," said Mocks Minanad, Robotics Division Vice-President, who will serve as the official "team coach" throughout this World Cup cycle. "This new generation of XL EvoBallers™ are uniquely equipped to tackle basketball, a sport that is well known for an established metagame to the point of being effectively a solved sport. By combining size to rival or exceed all human opponents with the perfect consistency of mechanical shooting, these XL EvoBallers™ are ready to deliver on the project's promise of full-spectrum sporting dominance."

Notes to Officials, Opposing Teams, and Journalists Reporting on The Competition
All of the EvoBallers™ on the roster will be designated with numbers 1-15, will be painted teal (alternate white and burnt orange paint is available if tournament officials deem this necessary), and are to be referred to by their codes EVB-XL001 through EVB-XL015. All of the EvoBallers™ are considered interchangeable, as they run on the same codebase, and are not tied to any position - a maximal interpretation of the established trend towards "positionless basketball."

The Reuahzloh Dome in Kebert Xela - designed as a soccer facility - will stage the team's home games. In basketball configuration, it has room for 13,370 human fans.

Journalists of other participating nations are encouraged to report all activities surrounding the team and The Enqab Archipelago Laboratories without fear of censorship.

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Wed Jul 16, 2025 9:20 pm

Four Weddings and a Funeral

PART 1 - ALMA-ADA - Back Home

It was a stormy morning in the Grenadier Hill just outside Bonneville with the hills serving as a background. Most of the mourners gathered closely to the grave of Aline Deutch, mostly to hear the usual words, but also to feel proximity to one another. Early October's not the most difficult time of the year in the northern tablelands of Yoseo province, but it's around when the weather started to get colder because of the 2000m altitude and surrounding mountains of the area. By this point most of the tourist traffic have dried up, and outside of occasional winter orienteering and even skiing crowd, most of those visiting from outside were to see their families or to watch Bonneville's three sports teams - emerging Q-League team Wanderers, collegiate Bonneville State, or major junior hockey's Battalion.

So for most of the visitors, it's a rather unusual time to visit. But the sight itself, one of a quiet farewell, was one worth being present as the wife of the beloved former Premier was laid to rest. Every face looked grim and gloomy, which compounded the black they wore, while several funeralgoers wore glasses to cover their eyes in hopes some wouldn't see the expressions behind. Much of Yoseo's political elite, especially those of the left-wing Shinminjeon Party, had turned out, and even last three living Prime Ministers, Arsene Pineau Kim, Irene Kweon Binnington, and Lucien Azagury-Zovaco, had made sure to pay tribute.

All of this, of course was too much for a woman who was the wife of a beloved premier, whom many had considered to be the next Prime Minister either instead of or after Kweon Binnington. And this was something that Aline, who had spent most of her career at publishing houses, never liked much. In a request that reflected her decision to go out her way. very little was said about politics or even her husband's beloved, eleven-year term at the small Anglican church Aline and her three children, Alma-Ada, Albert and Allison, attended growing up. Few hymns were sung, poems read, and even the current Prime Minister, who had little talent or appetite for literature, made sure to quote lines from a Lord Lundrigan's work.

Our protagonist's father, on the other hand, was the big name of the Shinminjeon Party in the first two decades of Taewha Era. A former navy officer who moved to Bonneville to set up one of first GreGGs Restaurant franchises in the country, Amos Haneke (2005-2057) quickly rose to the political ranks as the Mayor and then the MLA, and spent the last dozen years of her life as the Premier of Yoseo. His base, unlike most of the past Shinminjeon Party of Yoseo's leaders, was a heavily rural one outside of South Jolbonopolis and central Prince Eric. This left a rather strong image in the eyes of many in contrast to more urbanised leadership of Kweon Binnington or manufacturing-driven Menzies McConnell, causing the once-easterner to be considered a federal leadership favourite by everybody.

Not that it mattered much to 32-year old Alma-Ada anyway. Born and grown up in Bonneville, Alma rarely spent time in the provincial capital of Jolbonopolis. Many reasons existed as to why she avoided doing so, but much of it came to quality of life issues that most could translate for something else. Afterwards, she was off to Lakeland College School, one of about a dozen prestigious Grammar Schools, out east, and then to Farrer University, and barely saw her own father until after he had passed. So in that aspect, there was an uneasiness in Alma-Ada that remained even when it was clear her father had loved his wife and three kids, which remained even between her and her mother Aline. This was something that she had regretted to some degree.

Perhaps that was also why Alma-Ada was relieved to have her partner, Isidore Corvino, with her. Having met just months before her late father's suicide, the past decade of their relationship had involved them trying to solve the continued riddle of each their own problems. That, of course, was easier said than done and that was partly why Isidore, an agricultural technician whose family carried all sorts of problems common to rural farmers out in Saguenay province, gave up a career his own. For the past decade, Alma-Ada was busy enough with her life working in Prince Eric as a community organiser and social worker, and Soren, especially with their two young kids Evan and, were happy to set aside.

Even then, however, plenty of questions remained as they continued to listen to the words spoken, and the final proceedings occurred. For most part, Alma-Ada had chosen to stay away from politics, partly believing that it had taken her father away, first from his career and family, and into the tombstone next to Aline's imending one. From time to time Isidore would entertain said possibility, not because he really cared about political ambitions (he didn't), but because everybody knew who she was. Much of the late Premier Haneke's speeches and interviews involved citing Aline or their children and Alma-Ada, being the eldest, would come up. The lines, of course, would be used as solid quips by her chaps and pickup lines by her dates, which certainly made her life amusing in a way.

Until he wasn't around no more. Gone like that twelve years ago.

Perhaps that was why she tried to avoid the questions that were bound to be asked, especially over if she's ready to service in the office like him. It's too much for her at times. But the past week and a half back home had brought her a whirlwind of change in perspective that she didn't expect, and the more time she spent in the final week mostly in recollection with her mother and uncle's family at the Bonneville General Hospital, only added to the dillemma that was likely to come to her way at some point. The call to return that she needed to think through. By the time the bells rang, the coffin was carefully placed and the soil poured over it, Alma-Ada came out unsure - more than ever.

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Wed Jul 16, 2025 9:24 pm

MD1/2 CUTOFF.

Group 1A:

MD1
Banija (7) 102–68 Saterun (UR)
Juvencus (23) 88–71 Gyaromia (UR)
Equestria (43) 98–71 Chobotan (UR)
Indusse (61) 61–73 Wayoutstan (UR)

Group 1A                                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD                                                    
 1 Banija                                     1    1   0   102   68  +34           —    —    —    —    —    —    —   102–68
 2 Equestria                                  1    1   0    98   71  +27            —    —    —    —    —    —   98–71   — 
 3 Juvencus                                   1    1   0    88   71  +17            —    —    —    —    —   88–71   —    — 
 4 Wayoutstan                                 1    1   0    73   61  +12              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 5 Indusse                                    1    0   1    61   73  −12            —    —    —   61–73   —    —    —    — 
 6 Gyaromia                                   1    0   1    71   88  −17              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 7 Chobotan                                   1    0   1    71   98  −27              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 8 Saterun                                    1    0   1    68  102  −34              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —

MD2
Chobotan (UR) 79–63 Indusse (61)
Gyaromia (UR) 65–84 Equestria (43)
Saterun (UR) 91–83 Juvencus (23)
Quebec and Shingoryeo (2 - HOST) 79–71 Banija (7)

 # Group 1A                                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD                                                    
 1 Equestria                                  2    2   0   182  136  +46       —    —    —    —    —   98–71   —    —    — 
 2 Banija                                     2    1   1   173  147  +26      —    —    —    —    —    —   102–68   —    — 
 3 Wayoutstan                                 1    1   0    73   61  +12         —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 4 Juvencus                                   2    1   1   171  162   +9       —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —   88–71
 5 Quebec and Shingoryeo                      1    1   0    79   71   +8       —   79–71   —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 6 Chobotan                                   2    1   1   150  161  −11       —    —    —    —    —    —    —   79–63   — 
 7 Saterun                                    2    1   1   159  185  −26       —    —    —   91–83   —    —    —    —    — 
 8 Indusse                                    2    0   2   124  152  −28       —    —   61–73   —    —    —    —    —    — 
 9 Gyaromia                                   2    0   2   136  172  −36      65–84   —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —

Group 1B:

MD1
Vaishnavaria (11) 89–75 Oriental of Rio de la Plata (UR)
Abanhfleft (16) 66–68 Pritev (UR)
United States of Nova Calania (36) 92–68 Kaumann (UR)
Sea Peoples League (71) 100–83 Sporting Justices (UR)

Group 1B                                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD                                                    
 1 United States of Nova Calania              1    1   0    92   68  +24            —    —    —    —    —    —    —   92–68
 2 Sea Peoples League                         1    1   0   100   83  +17           —    —    —    —    —    —   100–83   — 
 3 Vaishnavaria                               1    1   0    89   75  +14            —    —    —    —    —   89–75   —    — 
 4 Pritev                                     1    1   0    68   66   +2              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 5 Abanhfleft                                 1    0   1    66   68   −2            —    —    —   66–68   —    —    —    — 
 6 Oriental of Rio de la Plata                1    0   1    75   89  −14              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 7 Sporting Justices                          1    0   1    83  100  −17              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 8 Kaumann                                    1    0   1    68   92  −24              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —

MD2
Kaumann (UR) 76–79 Sea Peoples League (71)
Pritev (UR) 72–93 United States of Nova Calania (36)
Oriental of Rio de la Plata (UR) 70–87 Abanhfleft (16)
Ko-oren (4) 80–68 Vaishnavaria (11)

 # Group 1B                                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD                                                    
 1 United States of Nova Calania              2    2   0   185  140  +45       —    —    —    —    —    —    —   92–68   — 
 2 Sea Peoples League                         2    2   0   179  159  +20      —    —    —    —    —    —   100–83   —    — 
 3 Abanhfleft                                 2    1   1   153  138  +15       —    —    —    —    —   66–68   —    —    — 
 4 Ko-oren                                    1    1   0    80   68  +12       —    —    —    —   80–68   —    —    —    — 
 5 Vaishnavaria                               2    1   1   157  155   +2       —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —   89–75
 6 Pritev                                     2    1   1   140  159  −19      72–93   —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 7 Sporting Justices                          1    0   1    83  100  −17         —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 8 Kaumann                                    2    0   2   144  171  −27       —   76–79   —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 9 Oriental of Rio de la Plata                2    0   2   145  176  −31       —    —   70–87   —    —    —    —    —    —

Group 1C:

New Umoja (12) 60–64 The Kytler Peninsulae (UR)
Golden Harp (17) 67–70 JaoAA (UR)
Kronbia (33) 90–95 Epicly Amazing Giraffes (UR)
Warkus (UR) 83–78 Andso Mangis (UR)

Group 1C                                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD                                                    
 1 Epicly Amazing Giraffes                    1    1   0    95   90   +5                —  —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
   Warkus                                     1    1   0    83   78   +5              —  —    —    —    —    —   83–78   — 
 3 The Kytler Peninsulae                      1    1   0    64   60   +4                —  —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 4 JaoAA                                      1    1   0    70   67   +3                —  —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 5 Golden Harp                                1    0   1    67   70   −3              —  —    —   67–70   —    —    —    — 
 6 New Umoja                                  1    0   1    60   64   −4              —  —   60–64   —    —    —    —    — 
 7 Andso Mangis                               1    0   1    78   83   −5                —  —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
   Kronbia                                    1    0   1    90   95   −5             90–95 —    —    —    —    —    —    —

MD2
Epicly Amazing Giraffes (UR) 79–79 Warkus (UR) (85–99 OT)
JaoAA (UR) 68–82 Kronbia (33)
The Kytler Peninsulae (UR) 72–70 Golden Harp (17)
Valentine Z (1) 98–75 New Umoja (12)

 # Group 1C                                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD                                                    
 1 Warkus                                     2    2   0   182  163  +19       —    —    —    —    —    —   83–78   —    — 
 2 The Kytler Peninsulae                      2    2   0   136  130   +6       —    —    —    —    —    —    —   72–70   — 
 3 Valentine Z                                1    1   0    98   75  +23       —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —   98–75
 4 Kronbia                                    2    1   1   172  163   +9       —    —    —    —   90–95   —    —    —    — 
 5 Epicly Amazing Giraffes                    2    1   1   180  189   −9      85–99   —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 6 JaoAA                                      2    1   1   138  149  −11       —    —    —   68–82   —    —    —    —    — 
 7 Andso Mangis                               1    0   1    78   83   −5         —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
   Golden Harp                                2    0   2   137  142   −5       —    —    —    —    —   67–70   —    —    — 
 9 New Umoja                                  2    0   2   135  162  −27       —   60–64   —    —    —    —    —    —    —

Group 1D:

MD1
Tjun-ia (9) 74–62 Foxterre (UR)
Cardenao (13) 78–57 Kalos Reigion2 (UR)
Huelavia (51) 68–78 West Barrack and East Obama (UR)
Tumbra (UR) 65–60 Asukalia (UR)

Group 1D                                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD                                                    
 1 Cardenao                                   1    1   0    78   57  +21            —    —    —    —    —    —    —   78–57
 2 Tjun-ia                                    1    1   0    74   62  +12            —    —    —    —    —    —   74–62   — 
 3 West Barrack and East Obama                1    1   0    78   68  +10              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 4 Tumbra                                     1    1   0    65   60   +5            —    —    —    —   65–60   —    —    — 
 5 Asukalia                                   1    0   1    60   65   −5              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 6 Huelavia                                   1    0   1    68   78  −10            —    —   68–78   —    —    —    —    — 
 7 Foxterre                                   1    0   1    62   74  −12              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 8 Kalos Reigion2                             1    0   1    57   78  −21              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —

MD2
West Barrack and East Obama (UR) 67–67 Tumbra (UR) (76–74 OT)
Kalos Reigion2 (UR) 66–62 Huelavia (51)
Foxterre (UR) 61–79 Cardenao (13)
Drawkland (6) 60–64 Tjun-ia (9)

 # Group 1D                                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD                                                    
 1 Cardenao                                   2    2   0   157  118  +39       —    —    —    —   78–57   —    —    —    — 
 2 Tjun-ia                                    2    2   0   138  122  +16       —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —   74–62
 3 West Barrack and East Obama                2    2   0   154  142  +12       —    —    —   76–74   —    —    —    —    — 
 4 Tumbra                                     2    1   1   139  136   +3       —    —    —    —    —    —   65–60   —    — 
 5 Kalos Reigion2                             2    1   1   123  140  −17       —    —    —    —    —    —    —   66–62   — 
 6 Drawkland                                  1    0   1    60   64   −4       —   60–64   —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 7 Asukalia                                   1    0   1    60   65   −5         —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 8 Huelavia                                   2    0   2   130  144  −14       —    —   68–78   —    —    —    —    —    — 
 9 Foxterre                                   2    0   2   123  153  −30      61–79   —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —

Group 1E:

Aphrilia (8) 83–61 Riandera (UR)
Visayas Islands (17) 89–75 New Eastern Canada (UR)
Britonisea (25) 66–75 Ophiuchus Region (UR)
Bohr (UR) 76–73 The Enqab Archipelago Laboratories (UR)

Group 1E                                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD                                                    
 1 Aphrilia                                   1    1   0    83   61  +22            —    —    —    —    —    —    —   83–61
 2 Visayas Islands                            1    1   0    89   75  +14            —    —    —    —    —    —   89–75   — 
 3 Ophiuchus Region                           1    1   0    75   66   +9              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 4 Bohr                                       1    1   0    76   73   +3            —    —    —    —   76–73   —    —    — 
 5 The Enqab Archipelago Laboratories         1    0   1    73   76   −3              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 6 Britonisea                                 1    0   1    66   75   −9            —    —   66–75   —    —    —    —    — 
 7 New Eastern Canada                         1    0   1    75   89  −14              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 8 Riandera                                   1    0   1    61   83  −22              —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —

MD2
Ophiuchus Region (UR) 102–75 Bohr (UR)
New Eastern Canada (UR) 69–82 Britonisea (25)
Riandera (UR) 58–97 Visayas Islands (17)
Valanora (3) 83–56 Aphrilia (8)

 # Group 1E                                 Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD                                                    
 1 Visayas Islands                            2    2   0   186  133  +53       —    —    —    —    —    —    —   89–75   — 
 2 Ophiuchus Region                           2    2   0   177  141  +36      —    —    —    —    —   102–75   —    —    — 
 3 Valanora                                   1    1   0    83   56  +27       —    —    —    —   83–56   —    —    —    — 
 4 Britonisea                                 2    1   1   148  144   +4       —   66–75   —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 5 Aphrilia                                   2    1   1   139  144   −5       —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —   83–61
 6 Bohr                                       2    1   1   151  175  −24       —    —    —    —    —    —   76–73   —    — 
 7 The Enqab Archipelago Laboratories         1    0   1    73   76   −3         —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —    — 
 8 New Eastern Canada                         2    0   2   144  171  −27       —    —    —   69–82   —    —    —    —    — 
 9 Riandera                                   2    0   2   119  180  −61      58–97   —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —

by **Valentine Z** » Wed Jul 16, 2025 10:33 pm

Part 2 [1] – The (Continued and Piecewise) Adventures of Eveline Gwen T. Allison Hepburn! The Legend of the Rapid Flintlock.

Chief Aviator Eveline Gwen Tracer Hepburn “Fate of Existence and the Omniverse” Ellen Trixie Caitlin Foxworthy Avril Verlene Celinda Sammy Doris T-Rev Oxton Arielle Lindall Leslie Vitesse Allison, better known to a lot of people as Eveline Gwen T. Allison Hepburn, or just Eveline. With the power that she has in her for countless eons, she’ve travelled across different worlds and time periods, untouchable by space-time. As she practices and plays around with her powers, Eveline increasingly found herself being able to use them with relative ease. By using eye movements and even thoughts alone, Eveline has stretched and compressed the fabrics of space, went through decades of history either in fast forward or reverse, often times watching from the safe sanctuary of the higher spatial dimensions. It was something quite unthinkable, simply because it was something that she did not think was possible. In the past, all she was and has been was a pilot, part of an organization that dealt with domestic threats that were simply happening around their own planet (and extending to the Moon frequently). Some more time have passed, and Eveline would go to Valentine Z via an uncontrolled and unknown portal deep in space. To put it simply, she love the place quite fondly and so much that she decided to stay there. After all, she did not think that she would be able to go back to her own world. However, when she was travelling with Angela to the uncharted areas of their own universe for the Valentians back then, Eveline fell into a black hole, miraculously surviving. A large and not-too-chronological and non-sequential adventures then follow, to which then she got her space-time powers and immortality (omniscience wasn’t part of the deal). Along the way, Eveline went on vacations – this here is one of them.

Eveline opened up a portal, one that would lead to any of the random worlds. It would be a good vacation spot as any other, for there is no more hurry for her as to which worlds to visit and to go to. The portal, with its bluish hue, opened up to reveal a tropical island on the other side. Using the myriad of sensors that she has on her suit, she got the green light. “Messed up gravity can be horrid,” she thought to herself. Eveline found that the place is more or less a parallel of Earth. The atmospheric composition is a little different, but otherwise, there is nothing too out of place. Nodding satisfyingly, she stepped into the world, heavily-armoured feet treading across and onto the fine sands of the beach. She took one look at the star above, its colour having a little bit more blue than the Sun that herself and the Valentians are used to. The strong breezes from the seas were also an additional welcome, all of it complementing the climate control that she has in her armour. Breathing in the air slowly, Eveline walked towards a tree, one that closely resembled a palm tree. “It most likely is really a palm tree. A bit of a slow start, I suppose!”

As she reached the palm tree, Eveline noticed that there is a jungle in there, with abundance of foliage deep inside. Hardly a challenge for someone such as herself, though she noticed that there are the usual mix of tropical bugs being present and around her. “Not dangerous, but annoying.” She also came across a dirt path – one that was made from thousands of footfalls instead of being formally built. She walked along the path, thick bushes and grass brushing against her suit and her face with every step. The flora was rather ordinary, noticeably lacking in the vivid colours of flowers that Eveline and the Valentians have been accustomed to in their gardens. At one moment, she came across a berry bush, to which her first instinct is to make sure that it was not going to make her sick. One analysis later, she popped a couple of them into her mouth. “Ugh, very bitter,” she complained, quietly spitting them out as she walked. After a few minutes of somewhat mindless trekking (and perhaps even ending up in circles), Eveline came across a more manmade structure – a signboard. Made of wood and crudely built, there was a subtle arrow pointing towards the path ahead. “No writing on it. Ahh, maybe some buried treasure chest,” she mused to herself, following the sign as she walked and marched on forward, hoping to find more than just trees and insects.

FF >>

[OOC Note: The three parts for Eveline – this one plus the other two to come – are pre-written and is no way copied from any works, including my past works. IBC-related RPs will also be added in or made into separate posts.]

by **Tumbra** » Thu Jul 17, 2025 12:28 am

ELECTION 2044: The state-level races with possible national implications, analysed

SERRAPINCE: On February 5, as voters head to the polls, most attention will naturally be focused on the presidential and Senate elections. But while voters get to grasps with the four ballot papers they'll be issued when they step into a voting booth that day, both Prime Minister Sandra Campbell and Leader of the Opposition Alexander Morrison will be hoping for big victories in more minor arenas, comparatively — the state elections. Since 2035, all twenty-five states have synchronised their electoral cycle to take place in fixed, three-year intervals, with every other electoral term coinciding with the presidential election. This has changed the dynamic of these elections dramatically — where once they were a referendum on how the state was governed at the time of the election, they have now become a way for voters to express their sentiment on the incumbent federal government.

Eight of these twenty-five races are expected to be exceedingly close, and could see changes in who leads the state government. With the new mixed-member proportional representation electoral system in the mix, the question of who forms government is expected to be more complicated than in previous elections, too — it might take a while before coalition negotiations result in a government in all twenty-five of these states.

What is mixed-member proportional representation?

From the 2044 election onwards, the twenty-five states have agreed to all utilise mixed-member proportional representation as their electoral system. This means that on the state ballot paper (the yellow one), voters are given two choices — one vote for their local representative, in the left column, and one vote for a state party, in the right column. To correctly cast a vote, voters will have to select both a local representative and a state party — one choice from each column. A voter may also choose to vote for only a local representative, or only a state party.

Votes for both are tallied on election night. Constituency winners are allocated first, while the party vote is taken as the overall result of the election. Parties are then able to "top-up" their constituency winners to get an overall result that reflects how voters chose their parties. A party must win either one geographic constituency or 3% of the vote to be eligible for these top-up seats. In the event that a party wins more geographic constituencies than its vote share allows them to win, the party gets to keep these constituencies, and the additional seats are referred to as "overhangs".

Proponents of the system say that this shift will lead to a more proportional Tumbra and opens up a pathway for the House of Representatives to adopt this system in the future, while opponents say that the amount of state representatives that this system will lead to is "unsustainable," and that voters will effectively be surrendering power to party negotiators on who will form the government.

But with priority in these negotiations being given to the party that wins the most seats, there is still a noticeable advantage to who wins the elections — and with potentially every vote on the line throughout these states, campaigns have become more wide-reaching as party leaders step outside marginal seats and campaign throughout their states.

Raleigh

In Raleigh, one of the country's biggest states by area, but certainly not in population, sixty seats will be in play. Incumbent People's Party Premier Natalie Caspar won a two-seat majority in the 2041 elections, with Leader of the Opposition, Labour leader Dan Wilson, going for a re-match as he sets his sights on the Premier's office in Jesminster. The tough-talking left-wing populist, a former trade unionist turned politician, has said that Caspar "only concentrated her political resources on swing seats" until "this electoral system forced her to go around the state and talk to everybody." Caspar, on the other hand, has accused Wilson's populism of potentially "bringing economic ruin to the state" and has focused on a message of stable, tried and true conservatism.

In terms of the minor parties, the Moderate and Alliance parties — centrist liberals and left-wing environmentalists, respectively — are both expected to break the 3% limit and enter the state legislature, though both are expected to play a minor part in any coalition negotiations. Both Labour and the People's Party have taken leads at varying time in opinion polling, and the race has seen both Cabinet members and Shadow Cabinet members visit the state to campaign on behalf of Wilson and Caspar.

If Raleigh stays within the People's Party column, it will be a big setback to the populist-leftist wing of the federal Labour Party that is trying relentlessly to pull the party to the left. If Raleigh flips to Labour, it will both be a boon to that part of the party, and deprive federal Opposition leader Alexander Morrison of a key ally.

Georgia

The sapphire blue diamond in the People's Party crown, premier Daniel Sharp surprised many when he announced he would not be running for a third term as Premier, instead endorsing Michelle Lander, his deputy, for party leader. The move has seen Labour spy an opportunity to close the gap in the country's fourth-largest state, with Anne Winter, the Labour leader there, running an unusually negative campaign. Winter has accused the People's Party government of underfunding "practically everything that the state needs," especially housing and transport, which she says has contributed to the ongoing state-wide affordability crisis that was a factor in Sharp declining to run for a third term.

Hopes for a flip from blue to red in the newly-expanded 200-seat state legislature are slim, however; despite often being considered a swing state, Georgia has voted blue more often than not, and only a few polls have seen Labour ahead. Winter has said that her main objective is for Labour to "finish first," before deciding on coalition partners; both Lander and Winter have been courting the Moderate party, whose seemingly insurmountable position in third in the state has meant that they will likely be the kingmakers in the election. For their part, the Moderates have supposedly remained open to working with either party, but their party leader Calvin Perceval has allegedly spurned advances from Labour.

If Georgia stays within the People's Party column, not much will happen — the state is trending blue and keeping control of the state's government is regarded as a baseline for what is still a nominally competitive state. But if it flips Labour, federal Opposition leader Alexander Morrison will be in big trouble, and the sharks will start to circle — not least from Shadow Home Affairs Minister and factional rival, arch-conservative Alexander Hurst.

Harren

The northeast of the country is often seen as the one region where Labour reigns supreme, but the Cape State of Harren is probably the sole exception to that. Incumbent Premier Audrey Prentice has led a Labour government now described as "laggard" for the past five years, only narrowly winning re-election in 2041 after entering an uneasy coalition with the Moderate Party. With that coalition having come to an end, Prentice has controversially announced that she will not enter a second coalition with the party if they win the election, dramatically limiting her space to manouevre politically. Elsewhere, the People's Party leader, Christopher Woodhull, has courted controversy over the supposed nativist tone his campaign has taken — with Ben Carradine, a conservative influencer, supposedly taking on a major role in the Woodhull campaign and influencing the direction of the campaign.

Prentice has come under fire for a lot of her manifesto — with Woodhull's campaign stating that her plan to build 300,000 houses in the state over the next six years is simply a ploy to allow more immigrants into the state — but she has, curiously, apparently declined help from the federal Labour party to help with her campaign, much to the Harren branch's consternation. Polls have narrowed dramatically since the election campaign kicked off, and Labour insiders are worried about whether Prentice's campaign could potentially cost the presidential campaign of former Prime Minister Bertram Andrews crucial votes.

Much of the national impact in this race will come from if the People's Party flips the state. Doing so would deal a severe blow to Labour's morale, given that they have prided themselves on keeping this particular region of the country ruby red on the state level. The bigger Pandora's box, however, would be the People's Party looking at Woodhull's campaign, the rhetoric it employed, and could potentially bring his divisive campaign style onto the national stage in preparation for the 2045 federal election.

Fremont

The southwest's largest state also sees the most interesting of the eight battles here by far — instead of this one being a People's-Labour battle, this one instead sees an incumbent People's Party government led by Anne Fairchild going up against the more liberal and regionalist Republican Party. Fairchild, who is stepping down after nine years as Premier, saw the leadership of her party pass to Mark Coen, a longtime critic of Fairchild's government in a move that was seen as a saving throw by the People's Party. The election thus sees a curious case where both major party leaders — Coen and Republican premier-candidate Austin Harrier — are both running on repudiating Fairchild's legacy.

Coen's move of visibly distancing himself from Fairchild has alienated a lot in his party, not least federal leader Alexander Morrison — who has appeared reluctant to campaign on Coen's behalf. Coen has previously described himself as "a conservative in the Stephen Williams mold," a reference to the centrist former Prime Minister of Tumbra who eventually got kicked out and got re-elected twice as an independent MP. Harrier, on the other hand, has run a more cautious, centrist campaign, seeking to protect the Republicans' lead in the polls. While a post-election coalition with the Labour party is considered practically inevitable, considering the two parties' friendly working relationship, Harrier has courted controversy by refusing to commit early, seemingly operating on the logic that committing to the idea of a Republican-Labour coalition could alienate People's Party voters who might give their votes to Harrier at the last minute.

Fremont is thought to be seen internally in the People's Party as a key battle in their fight to maintain control of the region that they have long since held to be a stronghold; should Fremont flip to the Republicans, it means the insurgents will now hold three of the four state governments in the South-West. At the same time, however, a loss here would not be treated as seriously as one in Georgia; partially due to the state party's puzzling decision to run a candidate repudiating the policies of another from the same party, and they might very well have seen this as a lost cause, judging by the reluctance of Shadow Cabinet members to turn out for Coen — instead choosing to turn out in Grantfeldt and Marlsbruhe.

OOC: To continue tomorrow

by **Visayas Islands** » Thu Jul 17, 2025 6:28 am

FIRST 2 WINS FOR THE BLUE SUNS
Iloilo City, Metropolitan District and Jakarta, Riandera

The Blue Suns' first game was at the Palacio Nacional, where the La Banda Azul barra brava group awaited them to cheer on for their first game. It was against New Eastern Canada, fellow debutants. In the first half Isandro Belmonte and his henchmen were able to capitalize the first quarter all within Mamadou's athleticism and Nobuhara's shooting ranges over the 3-point line. But the Eastern Canadians gave all what they got against the Blue Suns, but nothing on with the defensive style of Galarza and Mondragón. The domination continued on the second half as in the 3rd quarter, Darian Ebana, a former young prospect born to an Equatoguinean mother, shows his speed on the defense and and gave Nobuhara some more shootings but with some assistances for Mondragón and Belmonte. The game ended with an 89-75 win for the boys in sky blue. And then, they're facing against Riandera in Raja Dura Arena. Arriving in Jakarta, the team did all the work to face the Fire. "We have some good chances that we have, hope we can do it in Riandera.", says Ortega. "Riandera are just a new team to face, hope they could try to impress us." The Rianderan team might impress the Visayan team with their play, but not enough for the Blue Suns as they went on to do their own thing to dominate the Rianderan defense and offense as Diarra again take the responsibility to guard some of the center and Nobuhara kept raining on threes like its nothing and some dunks from Diarra too to impress the visiting Visayans, especially the barra brava group that cheered on since their first game. And went on to sing the victory song for themselves after taking out the Rianderan Fire, 97-58. "Well, my team had just played well against these guys. But kudos to the for not giving up.", says Ortega. "And hopefully our next matches against both Valanora at home and Aphrilia away." The Blue Suns will face 3rd ranked Valanora and 8th Aphrilia in Iloilo and in Stallend. Will the Blue Suns secure a victory over the two?

by **Banija** » Thu Jul 17, 2025 11:49 am

Omugaba Immaculate, spending time with the heir, and her grandnephew, Isebantu Sekakama

Omugaba Immaculate had been running on low amounts of sleep. Ever since the end of the World Cup, the Kabaka had taken a big step back pubicly- and delegated more official tasks, both public facing and internal. His travel abroad had already been largely limited for some time, as the 97 year old, at his age, was not one to be stepping on planes and taking trans-continental flights at his old age. Omugaba Immaculate, who was set to succeed him as the Regent, or Omukama, until the Kabaka's great-grandson, Sekakama, was of age, was largely doing most things that he'd do himself.

Omugaba Immaculate had just attended a full cabinet meeting- fresh on the backs of a trip to Nyowani Kitara. She had spent 4 days in Dewayo, talking both about economics and general geopolitics. She had known that she had wanted to get back to the region soon- she had to pay a visit to the Kytler Peninsulae eventually, a burgeoning ally. Relations were growing quickly between the two nations, not the least because of incidents that bonded them- a Banijan/Busogan transnational crime that occured during World Cup 98, and of course, Flight 134. That would be more of a long-term goal- try to solidify those relations, maybe a state visit over the course of the next 6 months. She'd make sure to put that on the Kabaka's plate. A state visit in Banija, of course- you couldn't put a 97 year old on a flight all the way to Pavola.

But, that was simply something that was on her mind. Another one of her responsibilities, of course, was not only overseeing the care for the Isebantu- but ensuring that he was ready to take the throne when he came of age. He had 12 years, of course- but there's no Monarchy 101 course. It was the instilling of values, of a way of life.

So she had been seeing his lessons directly. And so far... Well, the Isebantu was 6 years old.

"Come on Sekakama." She told her grandnephew. "Pop quiz- I know you're ready." Sekakama, meanwhile, was boucning up and down- he was eager to get outside, to start playing soccer outside with his peers.

"What's the capitol of Banija?"

"Busukuma!" He said, looking at her. "Can we go outside now and play-"

"A couple of more." She said. "What country's flag is this?"

"Uhhh...." He sat there, scrunching his face up- he was thinking. "Oh- that's Quebec!"

"No." She said, shaking her head. "Try again." It was almost like raising a child again. She was too old to be raising children- and she wasn't the child's mother, to be fair. But, Sekakama was the heir to the throne, and his education was of utmost importance, for the country.

"Chroma- WAIT- IT"S RANORIA!" He shouted. "The Krauts! They're in that Jack Hoy video game-"

"Yes." She nodded, smiling. "Ok- one more. What is the name of the leader of Cardenao?"

"President Mihaly!" He shouted. She laughed. "Alright, you can go play." She smiled as he nearly flew out of the door. He tripped falling down the first step- but like most children, he got straight up and ran towards his playmates. She looked out the window and smiled as he played. Just then, his mother, Princess Muirne, walked inside the room.

"How'd the lessons go today?"

"Well, he showed improvement." Omugaba Immaculate replied. "He remembered the name of the Banijan capitol, so that was good."

"That even took me a minute to remember." Princess Muirne laughed. Of course, Muirne wasn't Banijan- she was a Brenecian princess, married into the family and then converted to Mormonism for the purposes of the wedding. "The boy and I are going to the Juvencus game, on MD4, as it's right here, in Busukuma. We'll be in the suite- he's actually gonna do part of the halftime show!" Princess Muirne went onto explain that he was going to juggle- the Kabaka had wanted to get him out in front of people young, and make him popular young, so he was doing stunts like that from time to time. Fortunately, crowds seemed to energize him, and he had a particular, even if random, talent for juggling. "Are you coming?"

"Sorry Princess." Omugaba Immaculate replied. "I'll have things to do. I have a meeting with the National Security Council that day. Standard updates."

"You can't move it?"

"Nope." Omugaba Immaculate replied. Princess Muirne sighed- this was a tough family to try to break into. Her and Omugaba Johanna were the only non-Banijans in the royal family, and they stuck out like a sore thumb sometimes. Her husband dead, but her son the heir- she'd live her life here, but it was a tough place to try and make friends. oh well.

"Alright, sounds good." Princess Muirne said, walking away. "Have a good one!" She grabbed a book off of the shelf, one by a Teus author, and walked outside to start reading where the kids were playing soccer. Omugaba Immaculate sat there, already thinking of what was next on the day's to-do list.

by **Chobotan** » Thu Jul 17, 2025 2:09 pm

Chobotan Basketball Newswire

MATCHDAY ONE: FIRST LOSS
In their first IBC game, Chobotan's basketball team got smacked right in the head by the proverbial cuckoo clock. A 98-71 loss for the Dogmouths saddened the heart of many a fan. Yetan Ljandsarv chose to start his choice 5 for the game, these being McMillan, Berg, Veikschlowe, Beine, Folk, and Eonnois. Sean Eonnois and Keandre McMillan teamed up for the first bucket, a 2 scored by McMillan, who ended the game with a cool 20 points. Codan Berg proved strong on blocking, but was hauled off during his 3rd stint after a huge error cost the Dogmouths 2-and-1. His replacement Eron Olvbos was, a bit unsurprisingly, not up to Berg's level. The largely young and inexperienced squad may have been one of the deciding factors in this unfortunate loss for the Dogmouths.

MATCHDAY TWO: UNSATISFYING REDEMPTION
The second game for Chobotan proved a much better one than the first, with Ljandsarv's Dogmouths winning 79-63 over Indusse, ranked #61. However, Angers Veikschlowe, in an interview, said that "this win has not made me feel a lot better. It's unsatisfying redemption, really.". Veikschlowe's words most likely sprung from the fact that Chobotan only scored 8 more points than they did in their loss to Equestria, who now leads the group. However, this win has helped Chobotan get up to 6th place. Veikschlowe says that he looks forward to their next game, on Friday.

by **Kronbia** » Thu Jul 17, 2025 2:13 pm

IBC 42 Game

There is news that Sigma for Electronic Applications Development is currently negotiating with the International Basketball Organization to obtain a license to launch a video game that includes the teams participating in the International Basketball Championships 42. The company has started producing sports video games for several years. The company produced the LKB plays game, which includes all the teams of Kronbia and allows users to play multiplayer with other players or simulate LKB league. It is updated every year with team changes. Sigma also launched the football video game the CMFA 17, which is a game that includes the teams participating in the Mandalanusa Cup 17, and the Biyambi Football League game about the local league in Biyambi from Mandalanusa.

After two rounds in the qualifiers, Kronbia has achieved one win and lost its first match. Some saw this as a bad sign and it may show the team's fragility and inability to win against unranked teams, while the team is required to face the world's 1st ranked Valentine Z. However, the team has a lot of ambition and the fans are expecting good results from IBC 42.

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Thu Jul 17, 2025 4:47 pm

It's become an established trope at this point that in every sport bar soccer, the worst time to face the Kytlerians is at the very beginning of their journey in a sport.

Their list of debut (or post-Isolation re-debut) upsets is frankly getting silly at this point. The first time a Kytlerian XI ever padded up for an ODI? They demolished the team atop the Test rankings at the time. Their debut at the WBC? Victory on the road against the beaten finalists of the prior cycle - which, by the way, is what the Babbageball team had just done too. As for the post-Isolation returns? Well there's the Elephant Chess Cup wins (plural), the baseball Phoenix making the playoffs at the first attempt, and, oh yeah, The Kytler Peninsulae have actually... beaten... Chromatika! (And then making the playoffs from there, and then the even more unhinged way they won their octofinal when they got there...)

Suffice to say that New Umoja and The Golden Harp really drew the short straw when they, as second and third seeds, were the first two opponents in the history of the Kytlerian national basketball team, the last big potential beneficiaries of the national tradition for beginners' luck. And oh, how they slani got it in New Umoja.

For a start, they were up against the mystery men - no roster having been provided by the home side despite their status as the #12 nation in the multiverse. Secondly, one of those mystery men got injured in the warmup to be replaced by another one who was, presumably, worse. Thirdly, these mystery men missed a shocking number of open jumpers; their greater savvy allowed them to scheme their players into position to make those shots, they just simply didn't. And when they didn't, Magnus Eriksson was invariably there on the boards to prevent second-chance points. And that's how the visitors ended up taking a 36-31 halftime lead into the locker room - a lead that, somehow and some way, they never actually lost throughout a second half that made a mockery of the "basketball is just scores going brrr" cliché in certain circles, at one point seeing both teams combine for nine straight scoreless possessions in what might be the best sequence of the entire competition from a Ko-orenite perspective. New Umoja got within one in the final minute, but Bunsars Hesaramba made a big-time corner three with 30.9 seconds on the clock and the subsequent Oops! All Fouls endgame was tied, allowing for a whole new set of Kytlerians to celebrate an improbable debut victory over highly-touted opposition.

And so to the home opener against The Golden Harp. This one had an absolutely feverish atmosphere inside the Kytlerian Indoor Arena - the Kytlerian basketball demographic can roughly be described as "everyone Golden Harpians hate," and quite a few of them were waving banners that suggested the feeling was mutual. This one felt personal, and tensions boiled over the moment the genderfluid Vic Charles came off the bench and promptly drew what can only be described as disdainful glares from basically everyone involved with the visiting team. Their first eight points of the game came from the charity stripe as they drew seemingly targeted fouls simply by the act of being their own self, but it wasn't enough to stop the visitors from taking a 40-35 lead at the break, Cynfelyn Hughes the standout with 18 first-half points.

When the lead grew to 11 early in the second half, there were signs of despair - not so much because the home team were losing, which wasn't an unreasonable thing to expect against seasoned opposition, but because they were losing to this nation, representatives of CLEC values that most Kytlerian basketball fans extremely do not share. As the lead crept down gradually, every Kytlerian bucket was greeted with a big roar, ditto every stop and rebound, and when Bevin Underwood went to the line to try and extend a 70-67 lead in the final minute, the noise was as loud as anyone could remember hearing in this building, for anything - and this is a venue that's hosted all the biggest names in Kytlerian music and a bunch of very loud Tikarotian rockers with very passionate fans. Underwood missed both, Ace Lee's attempt at a game-tying triple bounced off the rim only to be tipped in by Eriksson, and when Sieffre Harrison's pocket got picked by Lee on the next possession, the crowd stirred yet further as the home team got the ball with the shot clock turned off and a one-point deficit.

Patience. Aron Stefansson threatened to turn this into a one-on-one iso matchup with the shaken Underwood. Then he dished it to Lee, who was guarded by Harrison. What Lee saw was that Hughes was covering the passing lane for Eriksson, presuming that with a one-point gap the play would be inside to set up the BFG in the paint. What Hughes was not covering was either the passing lane for Charles or, you know, Charles themselves. Lee kicked the ball out to the sixth-"man"-who-isn't, the corner three went up, and... allegedly the buzzer sounded as the ball swished through the bucket, but it was hard to tell over the absolute din from the crowd, more than a few of whom stormed the court in celebration.

Not only a buzzer-beater winner, not only against a nation these fans hate, but from the most visible epitome of anti-CLEC values on the court.

Whatever lies ahead for Kytlerian basketball in the years ahead, there will always be a few people - maybe more than a few - who will argue it can never get better than this.

by **HUElavia** » Thu Jul 17, 2025 7:33 pm

Blur

1.0 Prologue

Summer. A sweltering heat goes around a parking lot of a school as parents are lined up waiting for their kids to leave school for the day. The humidity beats down even more, making it feel oppressive to anyone outside. A middle aged Portuzian-HUElavian by the name of Iago Matos sits in his red Ram Guerilla, drinking some JagEnergy Lime Sports Drink, just passing the time reading a car parts magazine. Flipping through the pages, looking at the parts offered. Engines, Turbo Kit Systems, Racing Chips, Tires. He thinks to himself, Man, these are some nice parts they're selling... I ought to order some more parts to sell at the shop. Lot's of youngsters are gonna want to tune their cars this summer. Really good potential to make some money going into the fall...

The bell rings for 3 PM. Kids and Teenagers head on out, fleeing from the Omar Lima de Reus Elementary and Middle school kids hugging their friends, some exchanging numbers for the summer and such. Out comes one kid, no older than 13, yet looking like he can be in elementary school. Skinny and average height for his age, coming out with a smile on his face as he gives a peace sign to his friends as he gets into his father's Guerilla, throwing his backpack to the back seats, while getting back to the front seat and buckling up.

"Hey Dad!"
"Hey Vini! How was your last day of school for the year?"
"It was very fun, some played movies, some were having snack together, we signed off our yearbooks for the summer. I spent time playing video games with Rafael, Geraldo and Fernando."
"Did you win some of those games?"
"Yeah, we had fun playing Bayshore Midnight with our modded cars."
"That's wonderful kiddo, I'm glad you had fun on your last day and now you got summer to enjoy!"
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it!"

Eventually into the expected ride home, Iago turns to a different direction than the normal route that Vinicius was familiar with.

"Hey, shouldn't you have gotten off back there? That's where we usually take back home."
"Vini, I got a surprise prepared for you today, as a reward for your hard work and good grades this year."
"Ooh! What is it? I wanna know!"
"Tah, tah, tah... You gotta be patient. I promise you that you'll love the surprise."
"Does mom know where we're going?"
"She does, I did tell her the other day. And she was okay with the surprise I have for you."
"Can you give me a hint?"
"Nope, you'll guess it pretty quick. Anyways, let's stop by Hot Rockets for some food."
"Ooh, definitely!"

Vinicius ate his cheeseburger and fries, mulling over where his dad was taking him. On the other side of the outdoor patio of the restaurant, seeing some young adults, eating, talking and laughing, while some of the guys joining them were in tuned up street cars. Having vibrant colors, unique liveries on them, he was staring right at the cars with immense interest in them.

"Do you like those cars?"
"Yeah. They're a lot cooler than the cars I see in video games."
"Well, those cars are worth a lot of money. Probably those folks there shelled out a lot to make them look that good. And they probably drive good too..."

After a while, Iago and Vinicius went back to the Guerilla and continued driving onwards as the sun began to set with the traffic getting more cluttered. More unique cars began merging along side them, with unique looks and motors revving loudly, playing music. Eventually, they get to a stoplight right by a large parking lot, where it looked like it was filling up quick. Vinicius began to look around and realized where he was going.

"Are we going where all these cars are headed?"
Laughing, Iago gave a grin and responded "Absolutely. You're gonna love this stuff kiddo."

As the green light came, right past them went the youngsters at Hot Rockets playing music and putting blinkers to turn into a main entrance, with security guiding cars in, while workers would take entry money to the cars going in. Vinicius felt his heart race, feeling giddy for what he was about to see once he got passed those covered gates.

To Be Continued...

by **Aphrilia** » Fri Jul 18, 2025 7:22 am

For Stella Ronnie-Meyer, the two opening games were disappointing.

The first match was relatively simple. Newcomers Riandera were the opposition that The Brigadiers were playing up against, and the game overall was a clean win. But Stella could tell that there was just... Something off with how the team played. She did her part, of course, contributing to the game, but this team felt... Dull. The "why" part was something that she herself isn't sure about. This usually isn't something that she herself would question, but Stella was feeling the effects of this dead-air in the game against Valanora.

Safe to say, this team got ass-whooped by the world number three. Nobody was playing like themselves that day, and The Brigadiers felt stagnant. They felt stale... They felt boring. There was no flair or excitement that usually existed within this team. And while Stella herself knows that the team never had much flair in the first place, this was completely different. Instead of it just being there... Right now, it just felt like nothing existed in the first place.

Perhaps that's why she found herself, and two others, called by the team coach.

Kieran Vassal was... If Stella could describe him, "a man more often with his head in the clouds." Funny that's how she describes the man, a man who's presence online was the complete opposite of that. For the cameras, the pictures, and the fans, Kieran Vassal was a man who was certain with his words. Composed and well-liked, albeit someone who can get too excited at times. But what she didn't expect to happen was her sitting on the floor with her two other teammates as Kieran sat on one of the side-court seats, thinking hard about what he had seen from the team he leads. It was safe to say that he also was rather disappointed from the lack of charisma and form that The Brigadiers had.

Speaking of disappointment, two others were there alongside Stella. First was August Strecker, the teams starting Center. He was, according to Stella, "a guy who takes action." He certainly took action seeing the team having an atmosphere more dead than a graveyard, trying to rile everybody up in the team. Trying to excite them for the tournament ahead, but it just didn't work. On the other hand, the other person with Stella and August was the team captain himself, Sebastian Gremoire. Sebastain was, "they type of guy you could go to for serious matters." And plus, he's the captain. So far, whilst the team have followed him, he could tell that not many seemed to be joyful in playing.

"I want to thank you three for coming." Kieran stated, as he held a small board with notes, presumably on the current condition that each player on the national team is currently in. "I assume the three of you know why I called you here? You three must've noticed it." The manager added on. The three players could only nod. Only they seemed to notice and care.

It was definitely an issue. The low morale amongst the players, the lack of excitement in their plays, the dullness in their movement... It feels so abrupt, so random. It came out of nowhere. "How in the world will we even do if this is our current condition?" Sebastian asked not just himself, but the other three people around him. The discussions continued for a while, but it was primarily the boys. Stella just listened in, she knew she couldn't contribute much. Those two and Kieran were far more in depth in the words they spoke.

But she didn't doze off, Stella still paid attention. "The mood in the team is at an all-time low." "No one except us and a few seem to be motivated to play, everyone else feel dead." "They're all still the same off-court however." She listened to many of the words and sentences uttered by the three. It certainly seemed like a grim situation, and there doesn't seem to be any root cause that they can target. But ultimately, the question lingering in everyone's mind reared it's head. Kieran had to ask it, "What do you three think the solution is?" If the manager is the one asking the players, then it seems to be truly grim. Admittedly, whilst Kieran was great with tactics and strategy, he was never the one to be good with personnel. It's a weakness that he wouldn't like to admit, but acknowledges that it's there. And it's haunting him at the worst time possible.

For Stella, well, any problem has it's solution. Of course, she thought that way unlike the other three here. It was that unnatural positivity and optimism within her that affirmed Stella, that there was an answer to this. That they could solve this critical dilemma that the team faces. Determined and hopeful, Stella suddenly stood up, surprising everyone there. "If they don't feel the fun and joy flowing through them in every play, then we'll just have to play to inspire them and spark those feelings back into them!"

August and Sebastian look at each other, confused. But Kieran had a slight smile on his face.

by **Valanora** » Fri Jul 18, 2025 9:17 am

There was no mistaking the atmosphere of the training camp leading into this IBC, the team had a sole focus of making it deep into the knockout rounds of the competition and with a bit of luck they would be playing for and winning their first championship title. Twice before they had made it to the championship game in the Dragon's history and twice before they had failed at the final hurdle. Those failures had spurred on change, they had helped force the hand of the VSC to actually re-establish the EBA and then to finally convince the braintrust around the team that it could no longer operate as a club team and needed to pull from the rosters of the teams playing in the EBA. While that transition had been a bit rough, the fruits of their labors were starting to blossom now as the team was among the early favorites to win the tournament, after two successive editions of promising runs that ended up falling a bit short.

For a few editions the confidence and the swagger that the team had composed themselves with and walked out with had been missing, perhaps being a bit too complacent in their spot in the basketball world or perhaps just a bit long in the tooth. Yet when Odin Nagy was appointed as the new head coach a few cycles ago, he brought in a new mindset and a new set of philosophies to apply to the team that forged a new identity. No longer were the Dragons simply going to live and die by the three point shot, they were going to be adaptable and they were going to have a few players on the team that could play a physical style of ball if the opposition was going to try and take advantage of the usual lithe frames of Vanorians. Players also were no longer going to be to picked simply because of reputation and the media thinking they were the best players, they were going to be picked based on how they were playing with their teams and if they were willing to buy into the idea that Nagy and his staff were pitching the team.

Centers Aksel Bergh and Odin Molvik were going to have a lot to prove to the coaching staff as well as their teammates heading into this tournament, as they were the only two new faces of the team but at an important spot. The wings were always going to be a strong suit of the Vanorian style of game, three pointers and long jumpers just seemed to come naturally to a lot of the guards growing up in the Empire, but the team needed a strong presence in the front court. If they could just manage to grab a few offensive rebounds or defensive ones that normally would go the opposite way, it would give the team a huge edge up on previous editions of the team where they were constantly being beaten on the boards. Nagy did not need the front court to be dominant in order for the team to have success, he simply needed them to be competitive and give the Dragons a bit of an edge and dimension that the opponents of the team were not used to playing again. Allow the team a bit of versatility on how they could approach each and every game so that they were not easy to game plan against.

A quirk in the schedule mean that the team was going to have its hardest work front loaded, first having a bye on the first matchday and then going up against their group's second seed in eighth ranked Aphrilia. An away trip to seventeenth Visayas Islands before a home match against twenty-fifth Britonisea would round out the first three games of the competition and against all the other ranked teams in the group. Four unranked teams meant that all those games against their fellow ranked teams had even more pressure on them, as you had to expect that everyone was going to pick up eight wins from those other games. Of course with a second group stage to follow the first, this competition was going to be a bit of a track meet instead of a sprint, though getting off to a fast start was always preferable than having to play a bit of catch up, even if there was going to be a bit of the latter regardless with the opening round bye.

Fortunately for Nagy, the team was absolutely on fire against Aphrilia, the team playing in front of a sold out Stormvalen Arena, a bit of eighteen thousand cramming into the arena in Stormguard for the opening match of the group. Besides the trip away to Aphrilia, this was the most difficult game currently on their schedule and the Dragons were completely in control from the opening tip to the final buzzer. For as good as the team was, shooting fifty-six percent from the field and holding Aphrilia to under sixty points, there also was a feel that their opponents entered into the game all out of sorts compared to how locked in the Dragons were. When asked about the differences in body language, captain Balder Hauge credited Nagy for making sure the team was both mentally and physically prepared to open up their game and perhaps they benefited from having an extra day of rest with the bye. Regardless of the reason, if the team is looking to send a message and are serious about championship aspirations, they certainly showed those credentials in the first game and now the test of if that focus and ferocity travels will be had, and should they prove capable then good things look to be on the horizon for this team.

by **Warkus** » Fri Jul 18, 2025 11:43 am

OOC: Eirian Protheroe image created using makowka character maker II.

Monarchy of Warkus

Queen of Warkus
‘Brenhines Warkus’

Royal coat of arms

Incumbent

Eirian I (Protheroe)

Details

Style: Her Majesty
Heir presumptive: Markus Protheroe
First monarch: Siôr I (Protheroe)
Formation: 342 years ago
Residence: Castell Dinas Wen
Website: royal.war

The monarchy of Warkus, also known as the Warkusian monarchy or as the Dove Guardianship, refers to a form of government in which a hereditary monarch reigns as the constitutionally-constrained head of state. The Unified Kingdoms of Warkus and its monarchy were originally formed 403 years ago through the Kalon-Haul Unification, an event which saw the ruling houses of the eastern and western lands of Warkus forge a path towards unification and peace after centuries of conflict. This occurred in the decades following the Royal Reassertion in the east where Queen Efa of House Kalon deposed her longstanding regent and brought an end to the last known war between the Warkusian kingdoms.

While King Llywelyn of House Haul and Queen Efa of House Kalon originally dubbed their unified house 'Kalon-Haul', their successor King Siôr I elected to take the house name Protheroe, after the mythological King Rhydderch who was said to have unified Warkus thousands of years ago. The combined coat of arms, which depicts the previous coat of arms of House Kalon on the left and House Haul on the right, was retained.

The Warkusian monarchy has historically been associated with dovish foreign policy and a staunch commitment to peace above all, partly because its establishment marked the end of a long and bloody period in Warkusian history. This is also because, generally speaking, periods of stronger royal absolutism have been associated with peaceful diplomacy while periods of rule by regency or warlords are identified with aggression and geopolitical ambition.

The significance of the Warkusian monarchy dwindled with the emergence of the Senedd, a single unicameral parliament originally established as a mere advisory body, and the bourgeois and proletarian classes. First Minister Carwyn tabled a petition to establish a national constitution which limited the monarchy's power significantly, mostly limiting it to a ceremonial role with one unique exception. That exception was the 'Guardian Dove' role, under which any declaration of war or any military operation deemed 'politically and morally significant' could not be made without the head of state's approval. This arrangement effectively enshrined the monarchy's image as a guardian of peace into law.

The Dove Guardianship has had a profound impact on the lives of Warkusian monarchs, who are expected to perform ceremonial duties and be highly educated in foreign policy and military matters. They are required to attend frequent intelligence and military briefings while also liaising with members of government. They are traditionally expected to be exceptionally sceptical of the need to take military action. While the head of state is able to permit or veto any attempt to engage in significant military action, they are now required to produce a document detailing their reasons for permitting or vetoing.

This institution is not without its problems. The exact definition of a 'politically and morally significant' military operation is contestable and has only been clarified once by the Uchel Lys ('High Court') in the Crown v Martell, in a controversial decision that saw the then head of government deposed. Future high courts have refused to consider revisiting this verdict for centuries. There are also worries about the Emergency Wartimes Protocol, a series of complex rules which set out various failsafe mechanisms in the event that the ruling monarch is unreachable or there are reasonable suspicisons that they have been unduely coerced into making a particular verdict.

The current Queen of Warkus is Eirian I who ascended the throne following the abdication of her grandfather King Osian II. While this article has used personal names followed by regnal numbers to refer to Warkusian monarchs, it is common today for monarchs to use a standard full name in their everyday lives and when referred to by ordinary speakers or the news media. For example, Queen Eirian I is more commonly referred to as Queen Eirian Protheroe.

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Fri Jul 18, 2025 4:00 pm

Basketball. The first Big 5 sport TJUN-ia made a final in, and it has been downhill ever since. While we have been good enough to remain inside the Top 10 of the rankings (#9 as of this tournament), we have yet to repeat the glory of that time since. For the 42nd IBC, Bao Zhou enters a team that saw 12 players leave after the last tournament, with Samantha Naylor the only remaining starter - and now Captain of the Hoops-Jags, the first Official Captain in team history. All the shuffling around now means only 3 players in the Starting 5 and Bench combined are aged 30 or above, so this team carries with it some youthfulness that we hope can be used to great effect in Group 1D. Yes, there are two group stages in this IBC - the 1st is Home and Away, with the Top 4 qualifying for the 2nd in Quebec and Shingoryeo...but we can cross that bridge when we get there. For now, the main focus is Top 4 and with 16 games ahead of us, we will need to be ready for anything.

A unique scheduling format by the BFT means that all of our home games for the First Half of the group will be at the Unity Centre in Riverside, with Liberty Arena in The Gardens hosting in the Second Half, so that means Riverside will become our home base for this first part of the schedule. The opening night, the first at home in a while, would be against debutant Foxterre and for this opener, we knew we both had to take it easy while also not going too easy against a team that could punch us in the teeth. Samantha Naylor certainly had pressure on herself to deliver after being made our 1st Captain, but she fit into that role well and helped lead this team to a good 74-62 win - with Teuane Tibbo getting the best figures with 28.

Then, right on MD2, we faced our sternest test of this group was we had to go on the road to play #6 Drawkland. Going to Sonnel this early in a campaign to face #6 wasn't exactly a fun way to kick off an IBC campaign, but we had no time to complain and everything to fight for. Both teams were expected to make Top 4 out of this group, so this battle between ourselves and the Corp was a chance for both sides to see where they stand ahead of tougher tests to come. The game was close, that can certainly be said, with things still looking uncertain with 1 minute on the clock...but Mohammad Al Rayyan was working his ass off, Kim Gyu-ri was a threat, and Dami Wong was too quick off the bench to defend. All three help contribute to the win for the Jaguars, a 64-60 win that puts us 2-0 with 14 to play.

Great start...let's keep it up! We have a BYE on MD3 to reflect on our good start before we begin a stretch of 8 on the bounce - starting with #13 Cardenao in Riverside in what should be another bigtime game.
The long road begins again.
Let's see what this new generation can do.
GO HOOPS-JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group 1D)
MD1: vs Foxterre (UR) - Unity Centre, Riverside W 74-62 (1-0)
MD2: @Drawkland (6) W 64-60 (2-0)
-----------------------------DROP IT DOWN!-----------------------------
MD3: BYE
MD4: vs Cardenao (13) - Unity Centre, Riverside
-----------------------------DROP IT DOWN!-----------------------------
MD5: @HUElavia (51)
MD6: vs Tumbra (UR) - Unity Centre, Riverside
-----------------------------DROP IT DOWN!-----------------------------
MD7: @Asukalia (UR)
MD8: vs West Barack and East Obama (UR) - Unity Centre, Riverside
-----------------------------DROP IT DOWN!-----------------------------
MD9: @Kalos reigion2 (UR)
MD10: @Foxterre (UR)
-----------------------------DROP IT DOWN!-----------------------------
MD11: vs Drawkland (6) - Liberty Arena in The Gardens, New Washington
MD12: BYE
-----------------------------DROP IT DOWN!-----------------------------
MD13: @Cardenao (13)
MD14: vs HUElavia (51) - Liberty Arena in The Gardens, New Washington
-----------------------------DROP IT DOWN!-----------------------------
MD15: @Tumbra (UR) - Straton Indoor Stadium, Straton
MD16: vs Asukalia (UR) - Liberty Arena in The Gardens, New Washington
-----------------------------DROP IT DOWN!-----------------------------
MD17: @West Barack and East Obama (UR)
MD18: vs Kalos reigion2 (UR) - Liberty Arena in The Gardens, New Washington

by **Valentine Z** » Fri Jul 18, 2025 5:08 pm

Part 3 [2] – Getting captured is a legitimate strategy – provided they don’t kill you, of course. The Legend of the Rapid Flintlock.

Chief Aviator Eveline Gwen Tracer Hepburn “Fate of Existence and the Omniverse” Ellen Trixie Caitlin Foxworthy Avril Verlene Celinda Sammy Doris T-Rev Oxton Arielle Lindall Leslie Vitesse Allison walked for a couple of minutes, came across more discoveries along the path. It would have been ordinary, but what with her not having encountered any human beings or intelligent beings in this world just yet, it was quite an extraordinary find and of indication that there are at least humans in this place. There were distinct footsteps, though it seemed like they have been around for a couple of weeks or even months at this moment. On top of the footprints, she saw indication of traffic, such as pieces of cloth, glass bottles with stagnant water in them, and the most curious of all – one boot with its sole absent. “Someone walked a lot,” she mused as she came across the end of the path, leading to an opening. At that particular moment, Eveline then slowly and carefully walked towards out of the jungle, ducking into a nearby bush as she looked at the surrounding that presented itself to her. “Wow,” she thought, “So is this a convention?”

An encampment presented itself, consisting of obviously ordinary human beings. At the very least, from what she has seen, Eveline was sure that they were normal people. They were all dressed up in various manner of clothing, most of it themed around the outfits worn during the Golden Age of Piracy. A lot of activities were happening in the encampment, most of it involving moving wooden crates and barrels, a couple of pirates huddling around the campfire, guards around the cave that presumably lead to where the headquarter of this whole operation likely is, couple of fishermen, tent full of equipment. There was nothing too extraordinary, other than their mere presence. “Hmm, I wonder how I can get to them,” Eveline thought to herself, with her mind slowly drifting off as she was formulating a plan. Sneaking and stealth were absolutely an option for her, along with simply walking towards camp.

Just as she was nearly finished with her thoughts, there was a rustling from behind. She turned, glimpsed a man with a raised club. Too late. Wham! The head blow, however, was ticklishly weak; figuring out that they were about to bring her to the camp, Eveline let herself crumple helplessly for the fun of it. She heard a couple of voices along with more rustling. "Carry her back to the camp, maybe strip her armor off." "Aye!" Good. She wanted to get there anyway. From what she could feel, there were nine pairs of hands on her – two pairs lifting up each of her limbs, and finally the last pair of hands that are lifting up her head. “Me goodness, this lass be heavy!” one complained as Eveline contained her smile. Given the short distance, it should have taken only a couple of minutes for them. However, things have been proven to be futile and difficult for them throughout the entire thing: From them dragging her from the dirt path, into the sand, and then onto a wooden floor. With that done, she was then tied up to a wooden pole, in a sitting position. With her eyes closed, Eveline could definitely feel a LOT of men breathing around her.

The commotion indicated that they were all lost as to how to take off her metal suit of armour. “No seams on this,” one remarked quite audibly, to which she inaudibly chuckled. There was a multitude of sounds all around, from the rustling of chains to the swords being unsheathed. “Really now?” she thought to herself, wanting to open her eyes for the curiosity of what they might be trying to do to her or the armour. Then there were the small and minor vibrations, ones that were a result of the each of them trying their best to get her out of the suit. There were motions and sounds of cutting, often times too close to her face; bashing onto the chest plate with blunt force, though which the force was not felt that greatly thanks to the dampening systems inside (the sounds, on the other hand). Someone suggested placing a small fire near Eveline, to which he was admonished for it being “a squiffy idea.”

<< RWD | FF >>

Elsewhere, Valentine Z’s Gwen Angels would take their very first win… only at the second match day. As it turns out, due to the way the teams are ordered and organized, Gwen’s Angels would get the BYE on the very first day. It would have been much more preferable if the BYE was in the middle of the qualifiers, but alas – we will have to make do with what we have. In other words, there will be no break in the middle. We will certainly be tested, that is very certain. Our match against New Umoja’s National Team went pretty well, a success that we are hoping we can emulate and do even better against Golden Harp and Kronbia, the latter of which Joshua would be a bit more familiar since he went to them for that training program called "Road to Future". We don’t keep such secrets of our team’s successes, of course, and hey – if the underdogs would like to emulate us, we will be more than happy to show them the ropes. Naturally, our time as an underdog is now up, since we have rose up the ranks very, very quickly – and now we are the big dog. Or a big tiger, if we are sticking to feline themes. Let’s hope for the very best.

IBC 42 - Competition Thread

DROP IT DOWN!: The New Era Starts Hot

Who is online