World Cup 100 | RP thread

by **Soviet Kem** » Mon Nov 03, 2025 5:15 pm

Sorry, double posted

ISideWith UK · by **Eastfield Lodge** » Mon Nov 03, 2025 5:16 pm

Biyambi - Line-up

GK: Michael Barry
CB: Kit Ortega (<> Francis Shaba 58’)
CB: Chris Mhone
RB: Francis Maseko
LB: James Mbewe
DMF: George Rooney
DMF: Jose Nyoni (<> Andrew Moses 58’)
RMF: Andrew Keegan (<> Foster Joya 45’)
LMF: James Makina
AMF: Christopher Kumwenda (<> Michael Tembo 77’)
ST: Zack Dawnbridge (<> Orama Bukani 77’)

Eastfield Lodge - Line-up

GK: Yuvin O’Sullivan
CB: Zakaria Webber (<> Diana Kirkup 85’)
CB: Jazzmine Guillou (76’)
RB: Mimi Phelan
LB: Allaire Delaware-Mahmud (<> Sadid St Cleer 85’)
DMF: Florian Mordecai
DMF: Harun Farrow (<> Szilárd Forde 77’)
RMF: Boet Caceres (<> Melanee Aguiar 77’)
LMF: Goldie Jafari-Law
AMF: Paisley Lysander (<> Rafeeda Scripps 65’)
ST: Chappell Holdsworth

World Cup 100 Qualifying Group 3 Matchday 7

Location: Amirawemata Stadium, Mrima Nlluwa, Biyambi
Attendance: 78,934

50% - Possession - 50%
20 - Shots - 19
10 - Shots on Target - 13
9 - Corners - 7
14 - Fouls - 16

[[[]][[]]Biyambi 4 – 3 Eastfield Lodge

[[[]]Mbewe (25’) ––– Holdsworth (20')
Bukani (81’, 89') ––– Jafari-Law (57')
Makina (90+3') ––– Scripps (69')[]

Three late goals from Biyambi saw Eastfield Lodge throw away a vital three points in the fight for qualification, after Jazzmine Guillou’s rush of blood leaves the Eastfielder defence shorthanded.

After defeating the second seeds Auprussia, Aleksandr Meogegiv’s side may have been quietly confident about travelling to group co-leaders Biyambi to try and rectify their terrible start to the qualifying campaign for the landmark 100th WCC World Cup. Biyambi manager Agus Putra Yudana named what would nominally be Biyambi’s strongest eleven, whilst Meogegiv once again named an unnamed side from the one that saw off Auprussia with relative ease, Holdsworth looking to score for the third game in a row. The match started off surprisingly on the front foot, both sides throwing caution to the wind with the hosts nearly breaking the deadlock two minutes in as Dawnbridge found Makina with a deft little sideways pass, Makina firing his shot over the bar from the edge of the box. The visitors managed their first shot on target only a minute later, a goal kick launched into the Biyambi half headed on by Lysander and landing at the feet of Holdsworth, who feinted it to beat Mhone only to snatch his shot straight at goalkeeper Michael Barry.

Both sides traded tamer shots on goal over the next ten minutes, but the breakthrough came from the visitors, the Imperial Commonwealth going ahead in the 20th minute through Chapell Holdsworth’s third goal in as many games, the Stags striker rising highest to head home Boet Caceres’ corner kick, rather ashamedly unmarked by the Biyambi defence. The score did not stay lopsided long, as the hosts managed to pull level with their next attack. Dawnbridge received the ball at the top of the arc, played it out wide to Keegan, who played it across the face of goal where James Mbewe appeared from nowhere, the full back having an uncontested back post tap in to make it 1-1. Biyambi almost took the lead on the half hour mark themselves, Kumwenda and Dawnbridge playing it off each other to break through the back line before Kumwenda played it off the foot off the post.

The next 15 minutes continued the pattern of the first half, with both sides continuing to trade attacks but holding firm - the visitors could have retaken the lead through a Harun Farrow free kick, the Hoima Warriors midfielder beating the four man wall from 30 yards only for his dipping shot to be expertly saved by Barry in the Biyambi net. Biyambi themselves could also have struck gold, as Guillou had her pockets picked by Dawnbridge trying to play out from the back, the striker then advancing with the ball but was smothered by the advancing Lodger keeper O’Sullivan before he could get a convincing shot off. Both sides looked set to go into halftime level, but the Imperial Commonwealth nearly snatched a half-time lead as Jafari-Law had a rare first half shot, the winger charging down a clearance from Kit Ortega and bearing down on goal herself, managing to get off the chipped effort before Barry could close her down, only for it to be cleared off the line by Mhone.

Biyambi did ring the changes at half time though, as Andrew Keegan was replaced by Foster Joya in a move that some felt to be fitness and/or injury related. It was a move that immediately proved to be negative to the hosts, Eastfield Lodge’s left wing immediately attacking the new player in an effort to unsettle Joya, and with great benefit as Jafari-Law had support on the overlap from Delaware-Mahmud, the fullback finding her first cross headed off the bar and out for a corner by Ortega, Barry well beaten in the Biyambi net. Ortega was then at fault for the next effort as well, not tracking Holdsworth’s run as Jafari-Law played him in on goal, Barry managing to drop fast enough to block his low effort from sneaking between the keeper’s legs. Jafari-Law managed to capitalise on that eventually, this time a through ball to Holdsworth being flicked back to the Aardswood winger who was in enough space to find the far corner beyond Barry’s reach. That forced the hand of Yudana, the Biyambi manager replacing what appeared to be the weak links in Ortega and the invisible Nyoni.

That was a change that did not work either, with substitute Rafeeda Scripps coming on and making a near immediate impact just four minutes after, pouncing on a loose ball in the Biyambi backline from a free kick and squeezing it into the bottom corner, giving the visitors what seemed to be an unassailable lead going into the last 20 minutes of the match, leading 3-1 and seemingly in complete control as Biyambi started falling apart. That state of affairs would not last too long though, Biyambi broke through on a counter-attack from a poor Caceres corner, captain Makina being pulled back as the last man by Jazzmine Guillou a few yards short of the box. Straight red card as no defender even looked close to covering, and the visitors were suddenly down to ten men, and needing to readjust in the face of what was still a potent Biyambi attack. The hosts made changes of their own, and those changes immediately paid off as striker Orama Bukani found himself unmarked in the middle of the box, plenty of space to be picked out by Joya on the pullback and plenty of time to place the ball inside the far post. A deficit of 1 goal, and just under ten minutes plus stoppage time for the hosts to salvage a point.

They didn’t even need all ten minutes to do it, the equaliser coming a mere eight minutes later as Bukani found himself on the scoresheet yet again, this time a solo effort as he picked up the ball on the counter once again, and shrugged off the challenges of Mordecai and Webber to slot beneath O’Sullivan to make it 3-3, and Biyambi still looking like they’d score again. The Eastfield Lodge side attempted to play defence, a tactic they’re not used to under their current management, but being under the cosh for minutes on end broke them, man of the match Bukani turning provider in the final attack of the game as he managed to beat Webber at the back post from a free kick to set up captain James Makina at the near post, the dependable winger having no trouble bumbling the ball into the back of the net to secure a magical winner for the Scorchers, and as a result, sending Biyambi top of the group. Eastfield Lodge, due to their bye the following round, could fall as far as 8 points off the top of the table heading into the halfway mark of qualifying, a situation that may already be prompting many in the ICELFA back offices to call for Meogegiv’s head. Premature? Only time will tell.

Likely line-up to play Efnakia/Salagalu (4-2-3-1):
O’Sullivan - Webber, Kirkup, Phelan, St Cleer - Forde, Farrow - Caceres, Jafari-Law, Scripps - Holdsworth
Suspended: N/A
Injured: N/A

by **Bonusia** » Mon Nov 03, 2025 5:26 pm

Round 1: Bonusia 0-1 Moladea - L
@La Caravana, Op, Bonport, Bonusia
Round 2: Porotia 2-1 Bonusia - L
@Porotia
Round 3: (Friendly) Bonusia 3-3 Solgavden - D
@Estadi de la Unificació, Somorrosta, Detrívora, Bonusia
Round 4: Bonusia 0-0 United States of Nova Calania - D
@Inda' Regareka Bonusian Stadium, Kekla, Keklagara, Bonusia
Round 5: Bears Armed 0-1 Bonusia - W
@Bears Armed
Round 6: Bonusia 5-0 The Lake Isle of Innisfree - W
@Hepepelioli, Wèep, Pungapu, Bonusia
Round 7: Greater Deutsche 0-3 Bonusia - W
@Greater Deutsche
Round 8: Bonusia 4-0 Meris - W
@Tomàtic, Sant Molina, Ralí, Bonusia
Round 9: Zenic vs Bonusia
@Philosophia Colosseum, Manacus, Zenic
Round 10: Moladea vs Bonusia
@Moladea
Round 11: Bonusia vs Porotia
@La Cova del Tigre, Unom, Plana d’Unó, Bonusia
Round 12: (Friendly) Dixie Florida vs Bonusia
@TBD, Dixie Florida
Round 13: United States of Nova Calania vs Bonusia
@Stadion Azteca, Ostrow Krolewski, Odlegla Ziemia, United States of Nova Calania
Round 14: Bonusia vs Bears Armed
@Estadi Casa Tarradellas, Kynetbo, AMK, Bonusia
Round 15: The Lake Island of Innisfree vs Bonusia
@The Lake Island of Innisfree
Round 16: Bonusia vs Greater Deutsche
@Estadi d'Avellanes&Turró, Minga, Tionera, Bonusia
Round 17: Meris vs Bonusia
@Meris
Round 18: Bonusia vs Zenic
@La Blanquinada, Tarraconova, Tarraconensis, Bonusia

THE MATCH REPORTS

MATCHDAY 7	MATCHDAY 8
GREATER DEUTSCHE 0-3 BONUSIA	BONUSIA 4-0 MERIS
THREE MORE POINTS FOR BONUSIA FROM THE VÀTER LAND	BOLEDA GRABS THE GARLIC, THE BLACK STAR PUT 4 PAST MERIS
Events (GDE): - Events (BON): A. Cea 19' 53'(P) 71'	Events (BON): F. Rojo 1', A. Cea 11', I. Boleda 25', Y. Morad 79' Events (MER): -
SUMMARY: The Black Star got yet another comfortable win to it's name after defeating Greater Deutsche in their home feud in what was a very solid and comfortable game for the team. The first goal came from a cross by Ramon that reached Cea and went straight into the net. The second came in the second half from a penalty kick, awarded after Ramon tried to get past a Deutsche defender and was subsequently taken down. Contrary to that game against Nova Calania, this time Cea didn't falter: he got a very potent shot put into the top right corner, impossible to get for the opposing keeper. To complete his hattrick, Cea again slipped away from the defenders and put the ball into the lower corner. In the end, a pretty uneventful game that went smoothly for Bonusia, and three more points that maintain the possibility of the Space Labubus to qualify for the so awaited World Cup. Aitor Cea, today's goalscorer and MVP, shared his thoughts after the game: "To be fair, all of them were weird "flag-balls" with eyes and they had no hands, so it was easy to score against them". MVP: Aitor Cea (BON)	SUMMARY: Bonusia win again in fashion after defeating the national team of Meris by a whooping 4-0, extending their winning streak to 4 and their clean sheet streak to a whooping 5 games in a row. The Bonusians came to Ralí with a pretty clear "No bullshit" mentality, and the squad got the work done by the 25th minute. Francesca Rojo scored really fast after going straight for the goal after the initial serve. An act of craziness that only she could pull off, as her long ranged shot caught the Merian goalkeeper out of guard and got in grazing the top post. After that initial strike, the Merians got nervous and the Bonusian midfield, lead by Boleda, dominated the game perfectly. In a bit over 20 minutes after the initial goal, two more followed. First, Formiga put the ball for Cea, who feinted a defender and got it in. Fifteen minutes later Boleda, coming from the second line, got a backwards pass from Antonieta Dou and smashed it into the back of the net. After that, with a comfortable 3-0 lead, Bonusia calmed the waters and saved their energy. With Boleda controlling the rythm of the game, the game got very calm. Too calm even, as Molinans who rather enjoy high-tempo games, started booing both squads. Nevertheless, the strategy worked perfectly for the Black Star's interest. On the second half, a lone geniality by Morad put the definitive 4-0 in the scoreboard, that puts Bonusia two points behind the so-awaited 2nd place, which gave way to a qualification playoff against other groups' second-placed teams. Next game at Zenic is really going to be the moment of truth, where the Space Labubus will really prove if they have what it takes to get into the World Cup. "The Merians didn't follow the rythm, and we did. Plain as that". The words of Isaac Boleda, today's MVP. MVP: Isaac Boleda (BON)

(Salvador):- Welcome to El Ressopó, live on Carca TV. The favourite sports talk-show for the fellow night owls that just didn't get enough! My name is Salvador Bonet and next to me are my usual guests: Ramon Berenguer,

(Ramon):- Hi! Thanks for having me, Salvador.

(Salvador):- Berenguer Ramon,

(Berenguer):- Hi Salvador, thanks for having me!

(Salvador):- And, last but not least... our latest incorporation, Regina Quaresma

(Regina):- Hiii sweetheart! Very happy to be here! Oh, did I tell you how NICE you look in that blazer? Like wow! Sooo good, slayy!

(Salvador):- Yes, Regina, you did tell me. In fact, you tell me EVERY programme...

(Regina):- It just looks nice every day, or I cannot say ut when something looks nice? And that means you wear it every day, dear. If you wear it that much it's going to get dirty, honey. You should like wash it or something.

(Salvador):- I swear Regina... uggh... W-well, today we'll go over today's win for the Black Star against the nation of Meris for 4-0, which now makes it 4 wins in a row for our National team. Rojo, Cea, Boleda and Morad put the goals in a match that the vampires weren't able to control at all. With this win, Bonusia sits at 4th, as you can see in the table he-

(Regina):- WAIT!!

(Salvador):- What now, Regina?

(Regina):- I made my ranking board, like you said!

(Salvador):- Oh, did I say that? *Darn it...*

(Regina):- Come on, you, the guy in production, hurry up and display it!... Thank you handsome!

(Salvador):- What's this?

(Regina):- It's the ranking as of, like matchday 8? Although we didn't kinda play like, 7 games? But LISTEN. I like got super informed about all the matches, and got it prepared so I could like bring the super-duper updated version! And isn't this like sooo cute?? Sooo much better than that lame box with numbers you put. I don't want' to be like super egocentric but I ATE with this design, don't you think??

(Berenguer):- Not even points it displays! Garbage, I say! More like a child poster than a ranking, it looks like. Totally useless!

(Ramon):- Come on, don't be so harsh! I'm sure that Regina made it with the best of intentions!

(Regina):- Awww thanks Ramon that's so sweet!!!

(Berenguer):- Good intentions matter not, let me tell you! Serious programme this is, God's sake for!

(Salvador):- Actually I would pretty much disagree with that last statement... But Regina, next time you do a table graphic, although this DOESN'T mean I invite you to do another one, make sure to add important information like how many points each team has or their goal difference.

(Regina):- What do you mean goal difference? I think all goals are equally valid, you know??

(Salvador):- Okay, I'll explain what goal difference is later.

(Ramon):- I like that she wrote that the Porotians are meanies... Because they really are! That's some piece of information you won't find in the conventional graphics.

(Berenguer):- Sure, a greatly refined comment that is.

(Regina):- They really are meanies! They broke the arm of my beloved Isaac... Oh, my poor thing! How could these monsters do something that cruel to Pedra?..

(Salvador):- Certainly,-

(Regina):- How could these MONSTERS do something to SUCH a HANDSOME MANNN!

(Salvador):- Not exactly the point I was trying to convey here, Regina... I guess that's the, uuuh, nice thing about having different points of view, I guess...

(Regina):- Oh lord, if I told you! You don't know how much I cried after those brutes broke his arm! It's like soo inhumane! But Pedra will get them and be that much mean to them aswell, I know it!

(Ramon):- Well said! Next time we play, we'll win.

(Berenguer):- That I doubt, you let me tell. We're still too far behind to beat Porotia...

(Salvador):- In any case, our production team luckily has their own table graphic with points and goal differences displayed, even though in a less... colorful manner.

                                 Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 United States of Nova Calania    7    6   1   0    20    3  +17    19
2 Zenic                            7    5   0   2    18   10   +8    15
3 The Lake Isle of Innisfree       8    4   2   2    13   18   −5    14
4 Bonusia                          7    4   1   2    14    3  +11    13
5 Bears Armed                      7    2   2   3    10   11   −1     8
6 Moladea                          7    2   2   3     6    8   −2     8
7 Meris                            7    2   0   5     8   22  −14     6
8 Greater Deutsche                 7    2   0   5     5   11   −6     6
9 Porotia                          7    1   0   6     5   13   −8     3

(Salvador):- As you may observe, Nova Calania is pretty comfortable for now in 1st place with 19 points, 4 on top of Zenic, who after their 3-4 win against Porotia and the 3-3 draw between Bears Armed and The Lake Isle of Innisfree, is able to clinch that second spot at the end of this window. On third, one point behind Zenic, The Lake Isle of Innisfree holds on to that high part of the table despite their poor recent results. And only one point behind them, in 4th place with 13 points, Bonusia is on the tail of both of them.

(Regina):- So tense!! This might be better than that soap opera they put on TV after dinner... Casa Sarriana, you know it? Oh I'm so deep into it I just can't stop watching!

(Ramon):- It appears we got a chance, I got a pretty good feeling about this, Salvador.

(Salvador):- Well, at least we are pretty much in the mix. Despite Innisfree still being above us, most analysts all over the Multiverse see three candidates for both the first, direct qualification spot and the second, playoff spot: The United States of Nova Calania, Zenic and Bonusia. Perhaps some with more chance than others.

(Berenguer):- Some with all the chance and one with none, would I say. A hint let me give you: Black is worn by tha one that no chance got.

(Ramon):- Please, illustrate us.

(Berenguer):- By their adjusted results be fooled not, Zenic is a hell of a rival. In the group the best, being second despite. Their field we visit, furthermore.

(Salvador):- Indeed, it's time to talk about Zenic, and for that let's go with Sir Statistics himself, our Reputed Reviewer, Joel Joan!

(J.J):- Good evening Salvador, glad to be here.

(Salvador):- Tell us, Joel, what should Boquete focus on when preparing the game against Zenic.

(J.J.):- Well, there's many things that should be taken into account. A general one, although I'm sure that you already came to that conclusion, is that Bonusia needs to play with the mind of the weaker team. If it doesn't, and it tries to play as they did with Meris or Innisfree, they will most likely succumb to a vastly more classy and experienced Zenician squad.

(Salvador):- Absolutely makes sense.

(J.J.):- Now, if you want to know the main strengths and weaknesses of the Zenician squad, gather up. First, we must understand their style of play. The Survivors play a very versatile 3-5-2 formation that can convert itself into a 5-3-2 in defense and a whooping 3-3-4 on offense. The key of the Zenician team, then, lies on those two men: Nakazawa Shuji on the left and Undeio Dettmann on the right. Remember their name, because they will give our wingers and our fullbacks a hell of a game. They're in their prime, and they are absolute endurance beasts.

(Salvador):- That's harsh, Bonusia is probably going to suffer on the sides.

(Berenguer):- Before I told you!

(Salvador):- What could we possibly do to counter the wingback threats?

(J.J.):- Well, there's not a secret formula per se, that's for sure. Especially given the higher competing level of the Zenicians. We are going to suffer a lot with this game, Salvador. That's why the team needs to go with that idea, thay they won't be the dominant side at all. Then it mostly comes to who we choose for the sides.

(Ramon):- Who do you think is best suited for this game then, Joel?

(J.J.):- In my professional opinion, after analysing Bonusia and Zenic's games, I would go with Pol Miró as our left back and Sofia Fàbregas as our right back. I think they are the most reliable options Bonusia has, and with them on the pitch you get stability and consistency, which will be needed to stop the attacks from Zenic that will come mostly from the side. And for the wingers, I would put Bernat Formiga on the left wing and Antonieta Dou on the right. Their velocity and their capacity to break lines will prove to be the best shot the team got at scoring.

(Salvador):- Do you think velocity is going to be key?

(J.J.):- Indeed! For Zenic relies mostly on their wingbacks to move around the field, Bonusia needs to attack fastly, to move the ball fast so that they don't have time to catch up. In those situations the spaces are going to be there, and with speedy and fiery wingers like the forementioned, we will be able to profit from said spaces.

(Berenguer):- And for the middle of the field, what you do think?

(J.J.):- Well, for our centerbacks, a solid couple will work perfectly, to eliminate the chances for the wingbacks to associate with the forwards. Bruch and Gonfaus should do the trick. And for the midfield and the attack, this is the kind of game where we need some bit of chaos, in order to shake the stable 'Zenician Pillar' that gives freedom to the sides. By doing so, we make them play way less securely. For that job, a midfield led by Obiols would be the ideal choice, with Casas and Poveda being great options to accompany him. And at the front, if he's got good sensations, I would try to exploit that great complicity that Pedra and Obiols got from Unomenc, and thus put the former as the reference of the attack.

(Salvador):- Wow, you really thought about everything, didn't you?

(J.J.):- What can I say, I love my job.

(Salvador):- Well, Joel, thanks you a lot for putting us up to date with the strategy. Hope Mr. Boquete is watching this one. And now, let's look at the highlights of the game against Meris!...

Mentre la nació és embobada,
pel futbol amb cada jugada,
Kynetboà i Minganera,
formen un equip de primera.
Una aliança inesperada,
per quan la cosa va maldada.
Poquet a poquet investiguen,
sense saber bé on es fiquen.
Quan hagin tret la llana al xai,
s'enduran grandíssim esglai!

by **Oberour Ar Moro** » Mon Nov 03, 2025 5:38 pm

Oberour Ar Moro National Team to Wear Throwback Kits

Regium, Oberour Ar Moro - Mercury Sports and the Oberour Ar Moro Football Management Committee today announced that for their upcoming qualification match against Tornadico, the national team will be wearing a throwback kit.

"As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NationStates World Cup," said Arzhaelig le Ladre of the Football Management Committee (FMC), "we're returning to the Dominion's first foray into international sports."

The Baptism of Fire Throwback Kit, featuring a printed scale texture and retro yellow trim.

This attractive design draws inspiration from the kit Oberour Ar Moro wore in their Baptism of Fire debut. That tournament is known as the debut of Eastfield Lodge, which Oberour Ar Moro defeated in the quarter-final round. It is also known, certainly in Oberour Ar Moro, for the historic 9-1 victory over The Five Worlds in the Third Place Match.

"This kit is as similar visually to Oberour Ar Moro's Baptism of Fire kit as is possible while meeting our high standards of modern uniform construction," explained Kannig Védie, head of design at Mercury Sports. "The breathable, engineered weave mesh that gave the uniform its 'scaled' look is now a printed design on Mercury Sports' Vapour+ cooling performance fabric."

The updated kit revives the brighter red and yellow palette of the original, while incorporating the current Mercury Sports logo and FMC crest.

"It is an honor to wear the same colors as Maxentius Hersart de la Villemarqué, Brieuc Mercœur, Ronan de la Tour, and the team that started it all," said National Team Striker Daniel Demisserriche.

The kits will be worn on Matchday 9 at the Parade Grounds against Tornadico, a surprising second place in the qualifying group.

"Wearing this classic look against a debuting nation felt thematically appropriate," said le Ladre. "We hope today's Dragoons play as well as yesterday's."

Supporters will be able to purchase the Baptism of Fire Throwback Kit in both authentic and supporter editions at Mercury Sports retail partners and online at mercury.oam.

by **Qusmo** » Mon Nov 03, 2025 5:38 pm

Uzo looked out at the faces of dozens of children. Each and every one seemed to meet their eyes with a blank stare.

“Welcome to the Nature Education Center, everyone! We’re so excited you’ve been able to make the trip out to join us.” Students from Atlem, as it turned out, rarely shared such enthusiasm about making a two-hour bus ride from the middle of the city to the middle of cropland to learn about ecology and geology. But Uzo still thought it was important, and the teachers still thought it was valuable, and even a handful of the students seemed genuinely curious about what they’d learn.

“The reason why Qusmo is even here in the first place is because of a massive supervolcano. Thankfully, it’s extinct now, so you don’t have to worry. But when it was active, it produced such a tremendous amount of lava and ash that it created the island you’re standing on today. That ash eventually broke down into volcanic soil, which we call andisol. Andisols are the rarest type of soil, but they’re also some of the richest and most fertile, so we can consider ourselves very lucky. It’s a lot easier for plants to grow in our soil, so we’re able to grow some crops here that just wouldn’t survive someplace else. Volcanoes are such dangerous, destructive things, but our volcano also gave us the place we call home and allows us to thrive.”

“Now, it’s not just plants that are affected, either. If they’re going to get enough food to survive, big predators need to have a ton of prey, and that means they need a massive environment. Qusmo isn’t the smallest place in the world, but because it’s an island, it just doesn’t have as much room for big predators as they might get somewhere on the main continent. That means that animals which could be prey don’t really have to worry as much about predators, and that means the animals here in Qusmo are a little bit different than the ones you might see just across the sea in mainland Rushmore.”

“Animals which might be fairly small in Tikariot or Darmen — think frogs, geckos, or tortoises — can grow to much larger sizes here. They don’t need to be as small to hide from predators, and they don’t need to use as much of their energy running from them, so they can grow much bigger here. And that actually influences the behavior of our animals here, too. If a bird doesn’t necessarily have many natural predators, that bird doesn’t have as much of an innate fear of larger animals like humans, so we have quite a few animals who are naturally quite docile around people.”

“On the other hand, animals that are quite big in other places often end up much smaller here in Qusmo. That’s because they simply don’t have as much food here as they might be able to get on the continental mainland. Large herbivores are smaller because there’s less potential grazing area, and large carnivores are smaller because there are fewer large herbivores and less area to support them. That’s why our elephants grow only about as tall as people, and that’s why our national animal, the jejz, is almost closer in size to a housecat than its closest evolutionary cousin, the mighty lion.”

“And that’s one reason why the work my colleagues and I do here is so important. We have so many species living here in Qusmo that are completely unique to this island and this island alone. Because they’ve evolved for so long in isolation, they aren’t equipped to deal with threats from diseases or predators that are common elsewhere in Rushmore, so if we allow external diseases or invasive species to gain a foothold here, some could wreak havoc on our natural, endemic species.”

“The animals, the plants, the soil, the volcano, the island itself: all of this makes Qusmo Qusmo. Each and every one of you people are extraordinary, don’t get me wrong. But never forget that the very world around you has been shaped, for millions and millions of years, by factors great and small that many people might ordinarily never even think about. Qusmo is such an amazing place, and it’s a wonderful home. We have the power to shape Qusmo, and we have the responsibility to protect it. I hope that’s what you choose to do.”

The teachers directed their students to their stations, where they’d get to explore and learn about nature for themselves. Uzo didn’t know how many of the children fully took in their message. Quite a few probably weren’t even paying any attention, or were not-so-sneakily playing games on their phones, or just got bored after they stopped talking about volcanoes. But Uzo could see it in their eyes that there were at least a few paying attention. A few who were interested. A few who learned something. A few who might better appreciate the land they lived on and the creatures they shared it with. And a few was enough.

by **Langenia** » Mon Nov 03, 2025 5:42 pm

Noticias: Deportes

Los Azules Plagued by Inconsistent Form

Los Azules would suffer a 1-2 home defeat to Stewartika in Aragon's Diego Talaman Stadium, setting them on track from an international cycle that promised improvement to one that seems even more dismal than their last appearance. The defeat was especially upsetting to the home crowd as the Langenian national team has been unable to win any match of the World Cup qualifiers at home in front of their fans. As usual, the Langenian sports media began to spread mixed messages as the team struggles to find identity between being a defensive-oriented group or one focused on attack. Langenia is projected to once again come nowhere near close to World Cup qualification, being several points behind the top teams in their group. However, there are positives to take away from the loss as Langenian football looks to contending in the long-term, as emphasized in an emotional speech by Langenian national team manager Adrian Costa.

A highly successful Stewartika team would rest their starters, which the Langenians sought to use to their advantage along with the home crowd's passionate atmosphere. A good build-up play involving a through ball from forward Oscar Galindo and held up by striker Ricardo Antonio would be finished by winger Samuel Esteban for the young prodigy's first international goal in the 32nd minute of the match. A cheering Langenian contingent would celebrate the first home goal scored by the Langenians in the qualifiers.

Adrian Costa's tactical switch to playing a high defensive line would not pay off. In fact, it would Los Azules the game as Stewartika roared back to secure the three points by scoring two goals to overturn the deficit. Attacking midfielder Jin would assist striker Sjoberg's equalizer shortly before halftime, and from then on the match became a stalemate as the two attacking teams would struggled to find the winner. Raul Guzman would miss a great chance, blocked by Ott Bentham. In heartbreaking fashion, Stewartika's young prodigy David Valliney would score the game winner in the 92nd minute in stoppage time, slamming it home from outside the box.

Costa's gamble on playing a higher line with more attacking and pressing during matches has clearly not paid off yet as the Langenians still struggle to generate goalscoring opportunities. Nonetheless, they would recover with a 1-0 win over unranked Afanc Strait away from home, the sole goal courtesy of Langenian winger Raul Guzman assisted by Ricardo Antonio. They now sit in the middle of the table with seven points.

Langenian pundits, analyzing the defeat and the victory, would include high praise for the performances of the two youngsters on the Langenian and Stewartikan teams. 17 year old Langenian winger Samuel Esteban would score his side's sole goal in the defeat to Stewartika, his first ever international goal. Stewartika's young David Villaney, in turn, would score his team's game winning goal, a wonderful strike from outside the penalty area. Indeed, it is safe to say it was a night of wonderkids in football. Adrian Costa, in his press conference to reporters after the latest two matches of the World Cup qualifiers cycle, would comment that "There is still work to be done as find the right balance between attack and defense. I want to incorporate our improved defensive set up with the attacking flair we have always possessed historically. Naturally, this process is not easy as we find out whether it is best to be a possession-based team or to play on the counter. I ask for patience. We are rebuilding the team to actually compete, maybe not this cycle, but in the long-term."

It was a heartfelt speech that many observers in Langenian sports media, including former players and pundits, would agree was directly addressed to the intense criticism the team has faced for their inconsistent form this cycle, such as being unable to win a single game at home and suffering close or crushing defeats on the road. It remains to be seen how Los Azules respond to the adversity.

Upcoming Matches
Langenia vs Skyberius (home)
Langenia vs Sajnur (home)

OOC: Hosts, if possible, please note when scorinating that my style modifier to now +3 to reflect IC changes to Langenia's style of play for RPing purposes.

by **Drawkland** » Mon Nov 03, 2025 5:45 pm

The First Qualifiers

The mixed bag of results in Drawkland's three "debut" tournaments had done enough to keep fan interest sustained going into the Kick Corps' first World Cup Qualifiers. After now two years of conjecture and apprehension regarding this true debut into international soccer, it was finally time for Drawkland to show what worth, if any, they had by World Cup standards. Achieving titles and accolades in regional or other tournaments had some level of prestige, but a team that doesn't qualify for the World Cup rarely gets true respect from the soccer community across the multiverse.

Drawkland's first strokes of luck in the World Cup 77 qualifiers came with its group draw and format. It was a simple fifteen-group "top two automatically qualify" format, meaning that if the Kick Corps could somehow sneak into the top two, they wouldn't have to worry about facing a monster team in a playoff and being sent home empty. Drawkland was drawn into Group 2, which featured the second-lowest ranked pot one team Barunia and dodged the borderline teams at the top of pot two. Now, they did draw soon-to-be World Cup champions in Bonesea from pot two, but the rest of the group had little to speak of. When your most relevant competition outside of the top two is Jeruselem, you generally don't have to worry about the mid-tier teams causing a lot of trouble.

Nobody expected the Pot 7, 156th-ranked Kick Corps to do much of anything in this campaign. Some Drawkians would remind you that maybe position #7 isn't the worst place to start things off from a superstitious standpoint. Even so, the Corps had quite an inauspicious beginning to the campaign. After a 4-0 away win against Willinois to get things started, the Corps dropped points in 5 of the next 6 matches. They weren't facing particularly tough competition either, especially with their 1-2 loss to something called Whovian Tardisia. It was hard to tell whether the three draws in their first three home games were a sign of a strong home presence or being unable to finish the deal even when playing with a slight edge.

The Heater

Corps manager Michael Starre was relatively unfazed by the uninspiring results to begin the campaign. His team was finally starting to find chemistry together, and finding ways to succeed without entirely depending on Ellzidan to turn things around singlehandedly. A home draw against Jeruselem seemed like a sort of turning point. Taking points off the pot three team was a good sign. The Corps finally got back in the win column in the next tie, a 4-1 away win over Darmen. That was followed by a 1-1 draw against Bonesea. It was yet another failure to win at home, but most people looked past that: this draw against Drawkland was the first time Bonesea had dropped points that campaign. With Barunia also starting slow, Bonesea was now the class of the group, and Drawkland had managed to do what no other team had yet managed.

That Boney draw was the true catalyst. Drawkland returned to the win column against Quakmybush, then had an all-important home match against Barunia on the docket. This was the best chance they'd have to take points off the supposed best team in the group ... and the Corps pulled it off. The 2-1 victory for Drawkland pulled them over Barunia on the table right at the halfway point of the campaign. The Corps still sat 6 points behind Jeruselem in the second qualifying spot, but now they had momentum.

The back-to-back wins blossomed into a 6-game win streak that included a sweep of the lower-ranked teams that Drawkland had trouble beating in the first half. By the time Drawkland was set to face Jeruselem again, this time on the road, the Corps at 28 points sat only a point behind the Princesses at 29. This six-pointer on the road had the chance to make or break Drawkland's qualifying campaign. All of a sudden the expectations were high. Could the Corps possibly meet them?

Well, losing 0-3 and suffering their first shutout since the IAC was pretty much the opposite of what Drawkian fans were hoping for. The Corps went from potentially controlling their own destinies in second place to lagging behind all the way in fourth as Barunia had managed to catch up. The final four matchdays, where Drawkland still had to play Barunia and Bonesea, would now be a critically stressful race to the finish.

The Home Stretch

The worst part is that the games against the two top pot "B" teams were on the road. Drawkland had presumably easy matches against Darmen and Quakmybush to round out their home slate, but any dropped points to these middling teams would be a death sentence. One might expect a lesser team to fall short here, but the Corps stood strong. They defeated Darmen 1-0, but the rest of the remaining contenders held serve.

Then Drawkland had their road game against Bonesea, but they managed to pull off an upset and come away with a 2-2 draw. Their hopes were still alive, but now they stood 6 points behind Bonesea in first and 4 points behind Jeruselem in second (not to mention Barunia still a point ahead in third). The Kick Corps almost certainly needed to win out, and they'd need help elsewhere. The entire situation seemed impossible, a fate resigned to many hopeful first-cycle teams believing they could make it to the big event. There's a reason it rarely happened.

In the penultimate matchday, Drawkland got a break. Not only did the Corps take care of business 3-2 against Quakmybush in their home closer, but Bonesea and Jeruselem had their second head-to-head matchup. Dazza Dallas Stadium played host to an absolute barnburner, but the scantily-clad home crowd went home disappointed. Bonesea pulled out a 4-3 win which both secured their own qualification, but shoved Jeruselem into third. Now Barunia and Jeruselem were level with 36 points and the Suns holding the tiebreaker in hand. One point behind them lurked Drawkland.

The Finale

Two things had to go right for Drawkland to qualify. Firstly, Jeruselem needed to drop points on the road against long-since eliminated Quakmybush. That in itself was unlikely enough, but the more difficult part was in the Kick Corps' own hands. Or feet, really. They had to march into Sun Stadium and beat Barunia. Simple as. Even if Jeruselem lost, a draw would put Barunia through. Drawkland had to beat Barunia and pray. Was that even possible?

90 minutes later in Porthaven, the world had its answer. An early Cam Cross goal put pressure on the Suns before they equalized ahead of halftime. The score stood at 1-1 for a majority of the second half. In typical "international soccer" fashion, it was going to come down to the final ten minutes or so. Though Drawkland's roster didn't have a widely-known reputation yet, Barunia was smart enough to keep Ellzidan locked down defensively for the second half. The ancient Elf's heroics would not be making an appearance ... but that didn't mean Drawkland was out. Star forward Katie Madison was the one who made it happen. In the 84th minute, Madison fire a goal past Barunia's keeper for a go-ahead goal.

Sun Stadium was stunned silent. Now their home side, the pot one team, the supposed favorite for Group 2, had ten minutes to stay in a qualifying spot. Jeruselem's game, which was happening simultaneously, showed Quakmybush leading late in the match on the out-of-town scoreboard. Barring some incredible late comeback by the Princesses, a simple draw would see Barunia through. They just needed one goal, one measly goal, to tie the game back up and escape to the World Cup proper.

That one goal never came. Drawkland's defense played the toughest they'd perhaps ever played. For ten beautiful minutes, the Kick Corps denied the Suns, and eventually the mercy of the referee's whistle came ringing out from the center of the pitch. The game was over. Drawkland had just stolen the second qualifying spot. In their first-ever World Cup cycle, the Kick Corps were going to the World Cup itself. Not many teams in a double-digit World Cup can say that.

by **Dhemixia** » Mon Nov 03, 2025 5:49 pm

Brigantine

The story of how Brigantine came to be is essentially just that of Prairie, but in a more law-abiding manner. One could pretty firmly slot it in at the second or third spot in the "important boroughs" list, depending on where you place Dhemix.

While it also involves crossing the river, it's less so a tale of fugitives than it is of a hard-working and tight-knit community reinventing itself to adapt to change. It begins just a couple years after the Kelly debacle over in Prairie, when the Dhemixian government decided that it needed a community on the other side of the river too. In their eyes, they couldn't risk the entire south half becoming notorious for being a region without order or rule of law that convicts could easily escape to. Their solution to this conundrum? No, it's not just "build a bridge", those don't stand until Cantilever actually gets one to be stable a long time in the future, it's instead "send two dudes who have aura and are chill and just kinda hope it works out". What a Dhemixian staple.

Seeing as how Brigantine is actually here today, you can probably assume this gambit worked. Zero idea how, but it did end up working. Those two random dudes? Some guys who were chilling in a bar one day when the man who was in charge of actually picking the people burst through the door, presumably because he'd forgotten the deadline was that day, and picked the easiest two to grab and drag all the way to Dhemix. Their names? James Atkinson and Lucas Cunningham. I'm sure those guys won't come up later to also be the descendants of someone who was important to UC-Prairie like Alfred C. Kelly was. You'd have to be unbelievably lazy to even write a story with a plot like that.

Anyways, Atkinson and Cunningham would end up getting across the river in a reconstructed boat from their fourth attempt that, like all of its predecessors, also hit a rock and practically exploded. Upon getting across, the two realized that they'd left all of their government-appointed supplies back in Dhemix, and had to begrudgingly go back to retrieve them. As if it couldn't get more Dhemixian, the two would find a way to puncture the boat on the journey and still decided to push forward as water was actively filling the vessel because, and I quote, "Turning back is for losers". Absolutely sensational stuff from Cunningham. It's safe to say they got into the alcohol stash.

Regardless, the two would go on to found what is now known as Brigantine. Cunningham and Atkinson founded it as the borough of "New Dhemix", but considering they were both wildly drunk, it ended up coming out more like "Neiow Demhxaiaix" on the plaque. Fearing public outcry, the borough was renamed Better Prairie (I wish I was joking) when the government got word. For the next 20 years, it was firmly considered Better Prairie, despite it pretty objectively being the worse Prairie to live in. That fooled tons of new people coming across the river, though, and Better Prairie actually became one of the first boroughs to industrialize as a result of new technology crossing the river.

This miniature industrial revolution in Dhemixia resulted in what you're probably imagining happening to Better Prairie: tons of factories popping up with cheap labor living right outside of them in the form of cramped urban apartments. Not only did that transition lead to the population density skyrocketing, but it also generally forced communities to get closer if they wanted to coexist. Most found their calling to work on the docks, unloading supply ships and sending the materials to the factories or vice versa, but the unlucky few that were trapped in a cycle of factory work practically couldn't afford to leave.

When the actual Prairie, the one that was prospering right around this point, caught wind of Better Prairie very obviously doing worse, they protested with the government over the name. A tribunal ruled in the favor of actual Prairie, which meant Better Prairie (the fake one, I know it's confusing) was forced to change. Looking around at what was actually in the borough for inspiration as many others like Better Prairie had done before, the committee didn't have to look any further than the exporting scene. It just so happened that Brigantines were the hot new invention that radicalized shipping, so it was pretty much a no-brainer to rename it to Brigantine.

With the name change aligning with the modern-day version, so too did the economic state of the borough transition for the better. By the time Brigantine actually became Brigantine, hardcore factories were on the way out in favor of more secondary occupations in the borough. The housing accommodations were tidied to usher in the new era for the borough, but the overall urban landscape of the borough led to a unique-to-Dhemixia communal dynamic evolving in Brigantine. Closely wound communities were encouraged to stay together, and those microcommunities even ended up merging with each other into entire blocks being connected.

That's about as cookie-cutter as you can get for a domestic football team's upbringing, and it was only a matter of time before there was one side for the whole borough to rally around.

Enter Brigantine Town.

BrigTown was founded just a year after Multi Columbus was over in Dhemix, and this created what was essentially a civil war to break out in the city every time they matched up. It was like that for over a century before the TOL era began for both teams, and all it took was one season for Brigantine to win the league in front of their home fans. With it being the nation's largest stadium, it's only fitting that Brigantine Park plays host to most Dhemixian NTs, football included.

Alright, I may have lied, both Cunningham and Atkinson are related to UC-Prairie football legends. Both Jays quarterbacks in the NSCF era have been perpetually hammered and yet still relatively successful, much like their predecessors were when founding the borough in which they play in. They also both work to oppose a force pushing for fraud football, much like James and Lucas were against the borough literally run by a former fraudster. Their names? Jerry Atkinson and Larry Cunningham.

by **The Martian Independent Republic** » Mon Nov 03, 2025 6:00 pm

the Martian Independent Republic 4 - 1 Skyberius
Caballi 7', Garamond 33', 41', Taupling 85' | ??? 56'

Sajnur 0 - 1 the Martian Independent Republic
| Carver 83'

Spiders snag six points with crucial away win against Sajnur

A Garamond brace in Aeolis and a header in Javoser from Albert Carver were enough to keep the MIR on pace with pot 1 Kelssek for the auto-qualifying spot, with newcomers Stewartika two points back in third. The Spiders face Ranoria and Vetrahjart in two must-win games before their bye on MD11, after which they will have to play Kelssek in Kelssek.

MD7: Youthful Spiders rotation overpowers Skyberius
With the turnaround between this game and departing for Sajnur very short, de Montfort opted to start in a position where the only player wearing black and orange above 30 was Enwye, and even he was taken off at halftime, with the Spiders three goals up. After that, the Martians took their foot off the accelerator a bit, conceding a goal, but there were no more to come from the visitors, and this time it didn't come back to bite them like it did against Stewartika. Taupling added a fourth not long before the final whistle, and the Spiders had scored four for the first time since they hosted Kanzlia halfway through qualifying for the previous World Cup.

MD8: Late corner changes one point to three
Talk about travel sickness. The seas between Aleirave and the Anaian (because the MIR can only be reached by going through Anaia, it is considered Anaian for footballing purposes, but geographically most of it isn't in Anaia; current leading thoughts is that the portal there is some kind of wormhole) portion of the MIR were especially choppy during the duration of the trip, and several days later when the Spiders finally arrived in Sajnur, the most seasick among the team still hadn't fully recovered. This slightly weakened Martian team went toe-to-toe with the hosts for the first half and almost all of the second, with the Sajnuran counterattack usually far more threatening than the Martian attack, but Enwye stopped everything that came his way. The same couldn't be said for the Avordyn, however; a perfectly placed corner from Luke Garamond let Albert Carver head the ball past the hands of the Sajnuran goalkeeper. Without much time left until the game's end, the Spiders could just park the bus, securing their fifth win from seven games.

While Enwye has been excellent, allowing only two goals since that initial debacle, the offense has left something to be desired, averaging less than two goals per game, and scoring only once in five out of the seven matches played so far. Problems seem to be at the far end of the pitch, where Jowling and Garamond often find themselves outnumbered; de Montfort has told Caballi and Carver to play further up accordingly.

A few days later - or perhaps it was a few weeks later, time often works in strange ways - at a bar often patronized by students at the nearby University of Huygens-Lipperhey, we see what appear to be two students. Both of them are firmly convinced that they are right in the friendly debate they're having, although unbeknownst to one, the other has empirical proof. Of course, he'll likely reject any empirical proof, as he's a philosophy major.

"No, Pierre, the universe is fundamentally random at its core. You cannot determine the result at any given time from its starting conditions."

"Peggy, why not? You haven't cited anything against it."

"First of all, the burden of proof is on you for such an outrageous claim, and second of all, what about the second law of thermodynamics? Entropy always increases, you cannot have heat naturally flow from a colder area to a hotter one without the reverse happening."

"But wouldn't this all-knowing being know how the heat would flow?"

"Either you are being deliberately obtuse or you just don't understand the concept of information. If I have five coins and you have three, and I flip all of my coins and tell you the result of each, how are you going to represent that?"

"That's a bad analogy."

"Look, you get it though, right?" Peggy was a bit tired of this.

"Fine, it seems you've just got a weak argument though. In any case, wouldn't this person know what information would be created, because they knew everything?"

"You're getting into theology now, and we've done that plenty of times before. Hey, could I get a djenuntunek?" Peggy let herself slip for a moment on accident.

"A what?"

"Isn't that some sort of weird drink from the Squornshelan Confederacy?" Pierre was feeling smug.

"First of all, no, that's chinanto/mnigs, which is lukewarm water. Second of all, I asked for a gin and tonic."

"Got it."

"Wait, what?" Pierre was no longer feeling smug.

"Just pay more attention, I suppose. It's all about the s sound at the end."

"Whatever you say. In any case, I'm still waiting for an example."

"Alright, here's one. Tell me, why is the MFF's headquarters at 93 10th St in Aeolis, when far more other football federations than would be expected have their headquarters at the same address in various other cities? Why is 1093, in general, so common, but only in nations involved in international sport?"

"It's just the law of large numbers, if it wasn't 1093 it would be 984 or something else. There's bound to be a coincidence somewhere, and people pick up on patterns even where there aren't any."

"It's not a coincidence, but I doubt anything I say will persuade you." Peggy had given up, and her gin and tonic had arrived, so she took a sip.

"You know me very well."

by **Bull Sheet** » Mon Nov 03, 2025 6:35 pm

the ball's emotional journey over the course of the Equestria match
1': Well, it's time to be kicked around again. I wonder how many times this will happen before they finally stop.
3': What the fuck is this? Why is there something trying to enter my soul? How do I have a soul? And why is the something talking about libertarianism?
4': Vertigo is a really weird feeling. I'd think that these heights have happened to me enough times before that I wouldn't be scared, but it still happens.
5': Seems like a false alarm, I dunno.
7': Oh, now I remember. That's why I'm scared. Suddenly hurtling a hundred kilometers an hour towards a crossbar.
8': OUCH! Seems like they've stopped for a bit, though, so I appreciate that.
11': See, I had gotten used to being gently pushed, so that kick wasn't amazing.
15': Ooh, feels weird. The twists and turns I'm doing can't be good for my back, though. I mean, being kicked around a ton can't be good for my back, but it still happens.
16': They seem to be talking about an 'equalizer'. Equalize my suffering with that of the players? That would be great, for me at least.
21': Well, this is a first. Coming to a complete stop, while still in the air. Surprising, but at least I'm not moving that quickly, and stillness is good.
22': I spoke too soon.
24': OUCH! They're saying Children did this? I shudder to think of what the adults are capable of.
25': I can sense it. Finally, someone who shares my suffering.
26': They burn. I don't like that. They can suffer.
29': That force is back, and now they're whispering about the invisible hand. I'd prefer the nonexistent foot.
30': Now I'm floating? Feels different from when I was falling.
31': Nope, falling again. Got my hopes up.
35': Okay, I've been placed down somewhere, hopefully that means they'll be keeping me safe.
36': OUCH! Why did I expect anything better?
37': Now they're talking of this thing called an 'equalizer' again, does it happen every other time a whistle is blown?
40': Some of these feel like feet, and some of them feel like hooves. I wonder why that is.
41': On reconsideration, some of these feel like a countertop.
43': They seem to be slowing down. Maybe that's good?
45+2': Alright, the whistle has been blown a bunch of times. I might not be hurt much longer.
46': Oh, and it seems that break was temporary. Not fun.
48': Seems like people are angry, and I'm getting picked up and moved to a spot that seems different.
49': OUCH!!! That was the worst so far, I hated it.
52': Is there a holy presence near me, or am I just hole-y? Could be either one.
53': Yay, feels like I just hit something pointy.
54': Am I deflating, or are those just my hopes and dreams?
57': And the spirit is back again, now talking about shrugging.
58': Hey Siri, how do I tell a spirit in my ear that I don't have shoulders to shrug?
59': Hey Siri, how do I speak?
60': Why are things built around humans?
61': Well, no time for that anymore, my schedule is booked 24/7 with pain.
64': OUCH! And people are cheering for this? Sick.
66': This can't go on for much longer.
70': Did they just say 'twenty more minutes'? That's an eternity!
71': Hooves have a better casingfeel than feet.
73': Hooves kicking as hard as they can don't have a better casingfeel than feet.
74': Why is it that everytime I've said something positive, it's immediately been negatively corrected?
76': People are saying that someone named Margaret decided these occurrences, I'd like to have a word with her.
81': Back and forth and back and forth and back and forth.
82': OUCH! Just when I thought it was over.
85': Why is it windy all of a sudden?
86': Why is it dark all of a sudden?
87': Nah, false alarm, thought I was in paradise for a moment, then I just bounced off five different places in fifteen seconds.
89': Hooves are kicking hard, while feet are kicking weakly.
90+2': Lots of whistles blown, hopefully things will stop forever.

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Mon Nov 03, 2025 6:47 pm

CUTOFF
Qualifying stage MD9/10

by **Equestrian States** » Mon Nov 03, 2025 8:22 pm

To say that Equestrian hoofball is in a dark age would be the understatement of the century.

Speaking of which, it's the 100th World Cup and it's been another decade in the Harmonic Union since the last edition of the World Cup. The land's finest mages and scientists have struggled to definitively explain the temporal phenomenon which has enveloped the Equestrian States over the past century, but the leading theory is that it is a result of the temporal stasis which grasped Equestria for nearly a decade just over 100 years ago now. Recent reports suggest that the passage of time in the Harmonic Union is now returning to similar rates to the rest of the multiverse, although it may still be faster than the previous flow of time Equestria experienced. The accelerated passage of time has, of course, had major consequences for Equestria. International trade and foreign relations have suffered significantly as few have dared venture into or from the Harmonic Union over the past century at the risk of being displaced from their standard flow of time by the poorly understood chaotic time magic which has permeated the land.

Unsurprisingly, the phenomenon has substantially impacted Equestria's participation in international sports, particularly hoofball which was always intertwined the most with the rest of the multiverse. The United League has long since halted participation in international competitions, and Equestrian hoofballers have effectively ceased to travel abroad outside of short-term trips for the now far more intermittent major competitions like the World Cup. As a result, the quality of play in both domestic and international hoofball has sharply declined as players and coaches go untested against the multiverse's best for long spans in their careers. Additionally, the local flow of time, which previously was a boon to Equestrian hoofball as it prolonged careers relative to the multiversal standard and ensured that Equestrians nearly always held the advantage in experience, has turned into its greatest foe, limiting most players to, at most, one or two cycles of international hoofball before retirement. Many within the Hoofball Association have even questioned if Equestria should continue to participate in the World Cup or regional competitions, but these arguments have always ended in favor of continuing the Equestrian States' long history of participation in spite of the challenges and dangers.

If the flow of time is normalizing, however, an opportunity for a revival in the fortunes of Equestrian sports may be presenting itself. When the mages of Canterlot reported a slowing of the local timestream, the Hoofball Association requested and received permission from the Crowns to bid to host the Arrosian Regional Championship and Baptism of Fire in partnership with neighboring Farfadillis and Banija. It then came as a pleasant surprise when the bids were accepted by both the Arrosian Football Confederation and the World Cup Committee, and two of international hoofball's grandest competitions returned to Equestrian shores for the first time in over a century. Now entering the 100th World Cup, the Harmonic Union faces a new challenge: restoring the Ponies to their former position among the multiverse's elite.

With so many famous Equestrian former hoofball players and coaches either in the twilight of their lives or already passed into the Great Beyond, there are few candidates who have the experience and skill required to guide the Equestria back to glory. Fortunately, the most magically-gifted unicorns are blessed with exceptionally long lives, and one such unicorn previously found success on the hoofball pitch. Her playing career has long since ended, cut short by the cruel flow of time, but her instincts and drive to bring the Harmonic Union back to the pinnacle of international hoofball remain as sharp as ever. Who has the Hoofball Association tapped to lead the revival of the Ponies?

Sunny Day. One of the most powerful unicorns to ever live and champion of the 83rd World Cup.

by **Stewartika** » Mon Nov 03, 2025 10:06 pm

STEWARTIKA BACK TO WINNING WAYS, NOW SECOND IN GROUP 8

After hosting two matches, Stewartika picks up two wins, now on a three game winning streak and an eight game unbeaten run following the opening day loss to Skyberius - a result that has now been avenged on return. With Kelssek dropping points with a loss to Sajnur, Stewartika takes the playoff spot with 7 games to play, still two points behind the Martian Independent Republic as the Spiders keep their form.

Matchday 9 - Another Sjoberg Show

On the first of two straight home matches, and the last of uncharted territory, Stewartika faced the unranked Afanc Strait before a rocking Illney crowd.

Business-like, Stewartika gets things underway, scoring early thanks to the inevitable Sjoberg. However, Afanc Strait’s defense immediately adapts, and Stewartika finds itself frustrated. Despite not being able to score themselves, they hold Stewartika’s attackers off, and the first half ends 1-0.

Entering the second half, Stewartika attacks like usual, once again being denied. Suddenly, though, the Afanc Strait breaks, and quickly equalizes then scores a second in the span of five minutes. Abruptly trailing, Royal Purple finds itself stunned for a moment before shaking it off. Morissey slots home the equalizer from outside the box, Sjoberg puts in two more for an astounding hat-trick as he keeps raking in goals, and his late substitute Erikkson delivers with a superb strike and a subdued celebration. Stewartika finishes the first set of matches with a great 5-goal showing and the good news of other fixtures.

In the Locker Room:

Kunio walks in, looking at a holo-slate.

“Lads… Kelssek lost.”

A hush is over the players, before it is broken by a quiet “get in…” from unexpectedly, Sung.

The entire room breaks into laughter and cheers.

Full Time:
World Cup Qualifiers - Group 8

Stewartika
The Afanc Strait

5
2

V. Sjoberg ’12, ’79, ’86
Unknown ’55

J. Morissey ’64
Unknown ’60

D. Erikkson ’89

MAN OF THE MATCH: Viktor Sjoberg

Venue: Illney Stadium

Weather: clear, slight wind, 63 degrees F

Matchday 10 - Sweet Revenge

Next, Stewartika faced a real challenge - Skyberius, the only team that managed to actually defeat them so far in qualifying. As such, they were determined to rectify this blot on their otherwise lossless record and set the tone for the remaining matches to qualify with poise. And when they took to the field, it was clear the tables had turned. Skyberius had chosen not to change up their tactics too much - a decision that would be damning. Stewartika flew forward with a devised solution and took full advantage. Goals from Sung bookended a long range screamer from Bentham and a corner header from Soon, a dominant 4-0. Nothing much to write home about, all things considered, as the fans revel and the players celebrate with three points in hand.

Full Time:
World Cup Qualifiers - Group 8

Stewartika
Skyberius

4
0

M. Sung ’38, ’79
O. Bentham ’47
B. Soon ’52

MAN OF THE MATCH: Sung Min-jae

Venue: Illney Stadium

Weather: slightly cloudy, calm, 80 degrees F

Next, Stewartika travel to face Sajnur, and host Ranoria. Not too much trouble is expected, but as they say, expect the unexpected - until then.

by **Seeberg** » Tue Nov 04, 2025 1:51 am

“They told me to do some commentary about current events, like the restrained beauty of a goalless draw in this new age of unfettered scoring,” said Sigismund Schiltze and adjusted his feathered green felt cap, “but how can you say something about today and tomorrow without firstly discoursing protractedly on the many yesterdays of time gone by,” he continued and took a long swig from his stein while doing light luncheon on the steps of the old opera house on Quietscheentchen Straße, in the heart of fair Brinterberg. “So while you might expect a small treatise on how scorigami used to matter, I instead invite you to sit down and meditate on the story of How The Horkenheimers Ended Up Here.” Herr Schiltze devoured his last bite of a particularly fruity Zwetschgenkuchen and smacked his lips in contentment, before continuing: “Call me old fashioned, but when the cookie crumbles, you pick up the pieces, and so I suggest we now proceed to Part 12, wherein we look closer at the idea of Seebergundian Fußall competing internationally, and its ripening process.”

”Many yesterdays had transpired between where we left off, and where we now jump back in. Forget about society tolerating jazz music and women wearing trousers, for example. At this point, the former was a celebrated artform, and the latter was the latest fashion amongst the ladies of society. We had experienced the Great Umwälzung, the reformation of the ßa with a dissolution of the purpleshirts, and The Gemeinschaft had even introduced television (SeeTV now gathered families in the evenings for a daily hour of wholesome entertainment). As is evident, many things had changed, although remarkably many other things had not. However, I suppose that is only natural for a deeply conservative society hidden high up in the Misty Berge. For our purposes, it is of relevance that one of the things that had not changed, was Fußball.

Withal, this is a truth with some need of modification. Because, strictly speaking, the continued lack of popular interest in Fußball did not necessarily mean a lack of development within Fußball itself. The game remained its stale and boring self, of course, but development in the world of FußBall was instead chiefly manifested by the growth of SFV bureaucracy. The organization now occupied not only the entirety of Haus Tolleknolle, but four of the adjacent buildings along Sehr Altes Pumpernickelstraße, just off Morgenmuffel Platz in the heart of fair Brinterberg. The different departments, sections, divisions, offices, teams, boards, branches and units were all busy enough and more or less self-sustaining in generating work for themselves and each other, and while the vast majority of the organization was completely content with administering the status quo, certain elements were of a different mind.

On the second floor of the newest addition to the expanded base of operations lay The Unit for Non-Radikal Innovative Implementation of Neues Ideas (TUNRIINI), who was tasked with careful consideration of cautiously original ways to potentially do things differently but more often than not conclude it was best not to (all public institutions had one of those back then; it was all the rage). Amongst the diligent civil servants in TUNRIINI were Erich Fromm and Augustus Messermann. These two men - the former a newcomer to the SFV-ranks and the latter a longtime servant - came to bond over their shared notion that FußBall, both as a game and as a societal phenomena, was not all that it could be, and both harbored a deep wish to bring back the crowds of old to the sidelines. Young Fromm had ambitions and visions and wanted to make a name for himself, whereas the elderly Messermann was a nostalgic historian with an obsessive interest in the Vergoldtete Age (which was yet to be named as such at this point in time; the official discourse of the day rather described those early years as «the troubled birth of FußBall» and described the old version of the game as «underdeveloped»).

Fromm and Messermann had several different ideas, which all shared the characteristics of cautiously and incrementally changing the game back towards the Pre-Wingholter days of the Liga’s heyday. They met with stiff opposition at every turn, and it was almost like the very existence of their unit was an elaborate joke, because clearly no one - least of all their superiors - seemed even remotely interested in actually doing things differently. Over a long career in the service of the SFV, they only ever managed to push one of their initiatives all the way to the point of implementation (lengthening the pause between the first and second halves from 3 to 5 minutes), and in that sense they never amounted to much. What they did do, however, was to give birth to an idea, and make sure that idea survived.

It all started with young Fromm bursting into their shared office room one day with determined eyes and a big smile. He had learned of something cooking abroad, out in the world beyond the great mountains. A competition was to be arranged that aimed to bring together the best FußBall players of different nations into distinct teams representing their home, and have them competing against one another, much like an international version of the Brinterberger Cup. The event was to be hosted somewhere far away in a place called The Boreal Islands, and an open call had been made for contestants to sign up.

It’s unclear how Fromm had been made aware of the preparations for the inaugural Independent Associations Championship, seeing as news of, or from, the outside world was still very sparse at this time. However, despite the Gemeinschaft being a deeply conservative society hidden high up in the Misty Mountains, they had never been utterly isolated. The exports of fine violins and pristine Critical Theory was a fundamental building block of Seebergundian society and had contributed to travellers and traders coming and going for as long as most could remember. Even though the authorities went to great lengths to keep visitors separated from the daily life of Brinterberg and the Gemeinschaft at large, every now and then the odd visiting libertine evaded standard protocol and before you knew it there were foreign influences roaming around the city and fraternizing with the locals (that’s how we got jazz music and the idea of females wearing trousers, for example).

It stands to reason that Fromm first caught wind of the IAC from one of these foreigners - some accounts say it was a strange man in a tweed dress and a burgundy tophat - but in the grand scheme of things it matters little. What did matter was that he and Messermann quickly identified the establishment of a national FußBall team, and having them play internationally, as a possibility of breathing some much needed popular interest back into Seebergundian FußBall. Having a national team jousting against foreigners had the added usefulness of boasting patriotism, Fromm and Messermann reasoned, and their suggestion would therefore likely be looked favorably upon by the government, they theorized. Perhaps the government of those days would’ve supported the idea, but alas, they never got the chance. Fromm and Messermann authored a memorandum detailing their suggestions and sent it to the unit higherups, where it was quickly shot down and deemed a far too radical change to the established order.

The duo was disappointed, but not deterred, and they made a point of submitting the same memorandum yearly for the remainder of their careers, where it continued to be shot down. However, time and exposure are funny things and would come to work in Fromm and Messermann’s favor, because as the years went by, their idea gradually lost its radical newness. The recurring suggestion to establish a national FußBall team started to become a familiar concept to their immediate superiors, which led to them not automatically resisting it, eventually approving of it and in the end the submission was cleared and passed on to the next level in the hierarchy, where it was resolutely shot down. And so time went by, and every other year or so the suggestion passed yet another hurdle and continued its climb towards the top of the SFV pyramid. Fromm kept at it after Messermann retired, and when Fromm eventually left the SFV to pursue a career in aromatherapy, he entrusted their mission to his younger colleague, Walter Freudlingen.

Freudlingen diligently continued his predecessors’ work, even though he hardly shared the latter's enthusiasm. Still, he was a loyal colleague and kept honoring his word by yearly submitting the memorandum, and it soon became a part of his routine, on par with visiting the dentist or traveling up to the northern lakes in the summer. Then, one day when Freudlingen entered his office, he was greeted by a letter proclaiming that the head of the SFV had decided upon the establishment of a national FußBall team. The memorandum had gone full circle and returned as an order from the top, and the order also prosaically specified that the new national team was to compete in the 21st Independent Associations Championship.”

by **Indusse** » Tue Nov 04, 2025 3:19 am

Know your Team!

With the Centenary Edition of the World Cup on the way, Indusse is all set with their squad to compete their way into the final stage. While the team has a few familiar faces in them, there is a bunch of players who are here in the national camp for the first time. "Know your Team!" is a special section of our reporting that focuses on introducing the team to our readers. Two players will be introduced to the readers, every issue. While we have already finished introducing the defenders and midfielders, we shall now focus on our attackers. Today, we will be getting to know two major strikers of our squad.

RAHUL B Kumar
Position: FW | Age: 27 | Club: Tsear AC | Apps: 221

Born to the national legend Baskar H Kumar as his only son in the private island of Derasar off the coast of Cape de Hind, Rahul had faced a lot of controversy regarding his arrival in the camp to be nepotic. He ended up proving that wrong with his performance in all forms of football. Rahul started his training at a very young age playing for his school teams and later in local clubs around Hind. He followed his father's path of being a sharpshooting striker. He soon started his career at the age of fifteen by playing for New Hind City B Team, the same team that was the stepping stone for his father. He also got into the Under Sixteen and later Under Nineteen national squads in the subsequent years. His performance in these matches soon got him a ticket to the National Team. After his stint at New Hind City FC, he was transferred to play for Neagra FC during his alma mater at Sanātana Dharma College, New Hind City. After a few years playing for Neagra, he went back to New Hind City as a key striker. His play for the club and the national team improved and he got his first overseas contract playing for Tsear AC in Saterun. Rahu who is still young for the game, is quick and a sharp shooter everyone needs to keep an eye on.

Antonio MERSIÁS
Position: FW | Age: 29 | Club: Herzegovina City FC | Apps: 349

Once the youngest recruit in the national camp and now the full-time captain (sixth full time captain in the National Team history) of the National Team, Antonio Mersiás was born in the Karadawadi County in Dhalopura's Farjourd district. Born in a poor family as "Antonio Francis Antony Mersiás" his parents had to find ways to make their needs meet. He was send to a village school where he was not an achiever in academics but very keen in football. His headmaster who noticed his talent decided to send him to the city of Jawal-Biesse for his further studies and training under the master's expense. He soon got enrolled in FC Jawal-Biesse and was promoted as their Captain. His skills soon got him into the Sporting World Cup Squad and he was named the captain of the team. He took his team into the SWC Semi Finals but lost against Starblaydia. He soon got transferred from FC Jawal-Biesse to Dhalopura FC. He soon got into an argument with the Dhalopura FC Management and he was send to play for Hind City FC. He played in the club for a few years and his performance there got him into the National Team Squad. Mersiás is also the player from Indusse with most Overseas Transfers. While he played for Hind City, he was offered a contract to play for the Hebitaka side club Demolishers. He soon left Demolishers to the Quebecois Side Winnipeg United. His career had a major boost while playing at Quebec where he was one of the key players in their league. After a illustrious career at Winnipeg, he was transferred to another Quebecois club Baie-Verte. Baie-Verte was a life changer for Mersiás where he improved his performance and skills which eventually won him the Q-League Golden Boot. After a few years at Baie-Verte, he returned to Indusse playing as the main striker for Southbay Riveria FC. While at Southbay Riveria FC he won the Liga Prime Golden Boot thrice and Golden Ball twice. He was recently transferred to the Banijan club Herzegovina City FC which is one of the top ranked club in the world.

Goals and Goals, Everywhere!

The Flocking Blues were at home for playing the last match of the qualification round's first half. Till now, the match records are fine. Seven matches played and from those five of them are wins and the rest two draws, this indeed is a record that can be agreed upon. Indusse is now in a situation where it cannot afford a lose easily since a lot of the other opponents are making way to the table top. Indusse faces Germanic Cat, in the last match of the first half. Germanic Cat ranks two hundred and fourteenth in the world is a weak team compared to the squad from Indusse but they cannot be taken lightly since Indusse ended up in a draw against Bruinswik who were ranked way below Germanic Cat. The Team from Germanic Cat is pretty similar to the Indussean soil since they had their debut tournament in Indusse just like the Osnari Federation at the Eighty-Sixth Edition of Baptism of Fire. The difference with them and The Eagles was that Osnari won the tournament when the Cats could not. After all Eagles do prey on Cats.

Indusse had a easy start in the game when O'Shaughnessy scored the very first goal in the third minute from a counter attack that originated from the first touch of the game. The stadium was a sea of blue, all shouting and screaming with a very early lead for the Home Team. "This looks like a easy game." chirped a fan in Cica.da, a leading social networking site from Dantopia. Well it did look like an esy game where the Indussean players gave no opportunities to their opponents. The Possession remained with the Flocking Blues for a very long time. Indusse increased their lead through a direct free kick goal by O'Shaughnessy again at the forty first minute. There seems to be nothing happening at the Germanic Cat Side, very silent as if they are not even able to make any moves. Then just before the half time whistle was blown, a defender fouled O'Shaughnessy and the player fell down with pain. Medics arrived and took him to the bench in order to treat him. The Half time whistle was blown and Indusse leads two against none.

The Second half started with the same energy as before. O'Shaughnessy was substituted due to that injury and Leonard Buschelus was let in to take his place. The Fitness Staff said that O'Shaughnessy shall return to play from the next match since the Injury was not so severe. Captain Mersiás started the second half's 'goal scoring ceremony' with a banger volley in the fifty seventh minute. A goal to be remembered as Mersiás himself called it later came as an assist from the boots of Djetson. Three and none, Germanic Cats were no where to be seen. "The team was present, but not their souls" said Mersiás in later press meet that was arranged reflecting on the team's first half performance. The game continued, more goals started to pour in and all from Indusse. First, a goal from Grundjee at the sixty sixth minute via a header. Then by Djenkzo at the seventy eighth through another free kick. Oh my! These opponents do be giving a lot of free kicks for the Home Team. The game was closing to its end, but the goals weren't. Mersiás made his second goal at the eighty first minute via a quick but confusing Rabona. Another spectacular goal from Mersiás marking the complete victory of Indusse. Everyone had thought that the game is about to end with a 6-0 score line but then came the next, Djenkzo gets his second goal in via a cross by Rahul in the eighty seventh minute. A complete destruction of Germanic Cat, the match ends seven against none.

This must have been the best first half performance that Indusse had in all its World Cup Qualification history. If this team is able to qualify with flying colours then, multiple records are set to break. While the team gets on to the second half of the qualification stage, they are in high hopes of not losing a game and scoring plenty of goals so that they can take over the Indussean records for most win in a qualification round (12 wins - World Cup 81) and most goals scored in a qualification round (51 Goals - World Cup 99). Indusse did not have to travel for the first game of the second half. It was with that same low ranked team with who the squad ended up in a draw - Bruinswik. Bruinswik is ranked way below Germanic Cat, the team that got crushed in the last match. In the first half of the round-robin stage, Indusse and Bruinswik's match ended up in a goalless draw, surprising and disappointing fans alike. This time it was a home game, support was for Indusse (this does not really matter since Indusse ends up sending their own huge cheer squad for all matches) and the team was very keen on getting this win in their name. The game commenced and it did seem to be in Indusse's hand at the start but the visitors were trying their best probably due to the confidence they earned last match.

The first goal came from the visitors at an early twelfth minute, silencing the home crowd. Shehzad who was at the goal line was unable to capture the ball into safety. Indusse now 'double charged' started a series of counter attack so that they could find an equalizer and yes! they did. In the twenty third minute, the goal line was attacked by the strikers with a bunch of shots in and from one of those Djenkzo was able to kick one in. It was unexpected since a bunch of shots seemed to be coming towards the visiting keeper from all the side and they tried their best to get it off the danger zone, but no it did not work out. The stadium gave a sigh of relief, yeah at least the home team is not behind the visitors. But the peace was not staying for long, the visitors ended up scoring another bringing them back to the lead at the thirty fourth minute. But funny to say, Indusse gave the equaliser at the thirty eighth minute with a wonderful long ranger from Djetson. No more goals were born till the end of the first half, two against two and the game was off for the break.

There was two changes in the home team as they are now set to play the second half. Primary goalie Jahangir Shehzad was substituted and in his place, Preetham Singh has been introduced. Djetson Hasle was also asked to sit back and Vineeth K K was made his substitute. The second half started with both the teams trying to score a goal so that they can get a lead and not so late, the substitute Vineeth scored a goal from a header in the fifty nineth minute changing the score and awarding the Home Team a lead. The visitors were now getting aggressive as they only wanted to score more goals so that they could at least equalise, but soon came the news that would crush them. At the sixty eighth minute, Rahul scores through a wonderful volley awarding Indusse a two goal lead. Now the visitors could not do much, their hopes shattered the only aim was to make sure no more goals are made. But to everyone's surprise the fifth goal for Indusse as made and that too by a Veteran 'Defender'. No one expected to see Mathias Paulson's name in the goal scorer list this season. But here it comes! Indusse wins with five goals against two. A Sweet revenge has been taken.

Indusse 7–0 Germanic Cat
Playing XI: Shehzad (GK), Cyrus, Paulson, Akshay, Bhattacharya (All Defenders), O'Shaughnessy , Grundjee, Djetson (All Midfielders), Mersiás (c), Rahul, Djenkzo (All Attackers)
Substitutions: O'Shaughnessy ⏷ Buschelus ⏶
Goals: O'Shaughnessy (3', 41'), Mersiás (57', 81'), Grundjee (66'), Djenkzo (78', 87')
Indusse 5–2 Bruinswik
Playing XI: Shehzad (GK), Cyrus, Paulson, Akshay, Bhattacharya (All Defenders), O'Shaughnessy , Grundjee, Djetson (All Midfielders), Mersiás (c), Rahul, Djenkzo (All Attackers)
Substitutions: Shehzad ⏷ P Singh ⏶ , Djetson ⏷ Vineeth ⏶
Goals: Djenkzo (23'), Djetson (38'), Vineeth (59'), Rahul (68'), Paulson (80')

Other Headlines

Ashley Ashcroft Reported Missing!
Ashley Ashcroft, the reporter that was charged for misconduct in the Olympic Games row was found to be missing from his house at Beaumont Drive, Riveria. Ashley was been closely watched by Paparazzi after he was let go of all charges by the court.
Nisarga Floods: Final Death Toll Hits 36
The floods at Nisarga seems to have ended and the situation was found to be under control. Rescue efforts have been finished since there is no more individuals reported to be missing. At the same time, the final death toll has been recorded as thirty six including women and children.
Government To Conduct Transport Categorization Surveys
The Government of Indusse has announced to conduct 'Transport Categorization Survey' in order to produce a priority based list for transportation infrastructure such as Airports, Sea Ports, Shipyards, Railway Stations etc. This would be categorised based on revenue generation and footfall.

OOC: The Player Images are AI Generated.

by **Krytenia** » Tue Nov 04, 2025 4:04 am

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

PART SIX: MARGHERITA (STREET) PIZZA

A white void materialised around the two rivals. Rami recognised what this meant immediately. “Oh goody,” he said with a sigh, “we're back here again.”

Jeremy looked at him with a look that was both bemused and queasy. “Where is here, exactly?” he said, trying to ignore the increasing unease in his digestive system. Before Rami could reply, though, a familiar figure swept into view, as Margaret shimmered into existence, riding a swivel chair, wearing a colander atop her cowl, and brandishing the most poisonous of smirks in the direction of Jeremy. “Oh shoot,” she said playfully, “I forgot the cat.”

Jeremy's response to this was for his insides to decide they didn't want to be inside any more, and he vomited copiously at Margaret's feet. The priestess, for her part, was unfazed, her smirk not even slightly fading. “You know what they say, Jay-Jay...” she said playfully, “liquor before beer, you're in the clear. Liquor before interdimensional travel...feel your insides unravel.” Margaret waved her hand, dematerialising Jeremy's lost lunch, before turning to Rami. “Now, what can I do for your sorry self?”

Rami gave Margaret a glare that would have killed a mere mortal at fifty paces. “You gave me a whole lot of nothing to work with. How the hell am I supposed to fix this issue?”

Margaret smiled maliciously. “And there I was, thinking you were an investigative savant, rather than a hack.” She pointed at Rami's hand. “Give me the chicken.” Rami looked at her, bemused, but handed her the rubber chicken that had brought them here.

“Right, time to work some mojo.” Margaret placed her hands on the rubber chicken, making it glow again, before handing it back to Rami. “There we go. That should help guide you to where you need to go. Once you get there, though...you're on your own.” She glanced over to Jeremy. “Well, functionally on your own.”

Rami smiled weakly. “Thanks...I guess.”

Margaret's smile elevated to Cheshire Cat levels. “And now, Rami, I have good news. You're going home...sort of.”

Rami glowered. “I don't like the sound of that 'sort of'. This is going to be some sort of hellscape, isn't it?”

“Actually, it's Emberton at the start of World Cup 50,” Margaret said snarkily, “so...yes. Yes it is.” Rami frowned at Margaret's comment, whilst Jeremy snorted a laugh, immediately regretting doing so as a stray piece of vomit travelled from his throat to his nose.

“So wait...” Rami said quizzically. “If the anomaly is in Emberton...why the hell did you send me all the way to bloody Silexhera?”

“Because, Danny boy...” Margaret responded, “what use is a detective without a sidecick?” Jeremy grunted angrily at her comment, but Margaret continued anyway. “A bumbling sidekick, clearly, but a sidekick nonetheless. Now, time is off the essence, so, in the words of the great prophets...sod off.”

Margaret pressed her hands together, and the void disappeared, replaced by an alleyway somewhere in downtown Emberton. The chicken squeaked and spun in Rami's hand before pointing west.

“Guess that's the way we need to go,” Rami mused as he began walking, “come along, Jezza.”

Jeremy scowled at Rami. “Even I don't have words to express how much I fucking despise you right now,” he said as he followed behind, “never forget that.”

by **Audioslavia** » Tue Nov 04, 2025 5:04 am

THE _____________|  |______________
   / ||  |    |  |  ||    |  |  /
  /__||__ \   |  |__||__  |  | /
 /   ||    \  |  |  ||    |  | \
/    ||_____| |  |  ||___ | _|_ \__
                 |  |       CYC 100

Throwing Plastic into the Fire
The BoF is a pure, beautiful tournament. Here are the nations who have sullied it.

There are four rules regarding entry requirements for the Baptism of Fire. Rule three says you need to sign up for the tournament in a World Cup sign-up thread, rule four says you’re only allowed one nation per tournament, and rules one and two can be summarised as such:

If you’ve played in a WCC-sanctioned Baptism of Fire before, you can’t play in it again.
You need to have zero KPB points in order to play in the BoF, unless <thing about regionals we don’t need to concern ourselves with here>

Back in the early nineties, these two rules were squeezed into one, much simpler rule:

If you’ve ever played in a WCC-sanctioned tournament before, you can’t play in the BoF.

This rule had been brought in for the newbie cup to ensure everyone in the newbie cup was actually a newbie. Before cycle 91, there had been a few nations who had entered the Baptism of Fire tournament despite having previous experience of WCC international football. Some believed they were exploiting a loophole in the rules, others that a one-time entry to the BoF was a right that all teams should have, whether a total newbie or a returner after years in the wilderness. Here at The Aesthetic, the only thing we care about is that we’ve just used the phrase ‘there have been a few nations’, instead of giving you the exact number, and that just doesn’t sit right with us.

It turns out that 68 out of the BoF’s 2,473 entrants before Cycle 91 - a little over 2.7% of all BoFfers up to that point - had already gained some kind of experience of WCC football. This included seven* prior World Cup winners (Starblaydia in cycle 38, Liventia in 42, Vilita and Ariddia in cycle 50, Rejistania in 52, Europa Britannia in 65 and Squornshelous in 81) who, between them, had won a whopping 23 of the previous 90 World Cups.

When the WCC banded together to vote on whether returners should be allowed to compete in the Baptism of Fire, they voted, by a razor thin 16-15 margin, to say no, they shouldn’t. Thus, the door was closed on the likes of, say, St. Saratoga, a veteran of World Cups 72, 74, 75, 78, 79, 81, 83 and 85, to compete in BoF80, held at the start of Cycle 93.

They finished 7th in BoF Group B.

Eventually a topic of some controversy, the matter was voted on again at the start of cycle 94. By a margin of 16 to 7, the WCC elected to reinstate the previous rule.

If you’ve played in a WCC-sanctioned Baptism of Fire before, you can’t play in it again.
You need to have zero KPB points in order to play in the BoF.

The change to the old rule allowed Sinyal to take part in the following BoF despite having gone 2-4-7 in WC83 group 7. The regulations still precluded the likes of Lionsguard, who’d been knocked out of BoF68 by Baker Park, from entering BoF81 and gaining creditable draws with Kamijiro and Dantopia before being eliminated. At least, that was the plan. The plan didn’t exactly work because, for the second time in four paragraphs, the oddly specific thing I just said couldn’t happen did actually happen. And as mentioned in a previous episode, Talkasa entered the very same BoF despite having been in one four cycles prior.

If you’ve been wondering what ‘WCC-sanctioned’ is doing in the phrase ‘WCC-sanctioned Baptism of Fire’, then don’t worry: there’s a good reason for it.

The very first edition of the tournament, held in cycle 12, hosted by Kaze Progressa and won by Dance2Revoltution, did not award ranking points. At the time, the KPB system wasn’t quite yet in operation. This, and the unofficial nature of the initial competition, means the very first edition of the tournament is not considered to be a ‘WCC’ tournament. Inaugrual BoF winners Dance2Revolution and inaugural runners-up Lovisa were thus afforded the chance to compete in the tournament a second time, so long as they were going into that cycle unranked. D2R duly entered the BoF before cycle 64, being knocked out by Nephara, while Lovisa would lose all five of their BoF games before World Cup 85.

The further back into World Cup history we go, the hazier the BoF rules seem to get. As far as I remember, those rules were threefold:

1: Your rank must be zero
2: You can’t have played in a BoF before.
3: You can’t have played in a WCC tournament in the last three cycles

But we do have precedent in around 2007 of a Presidential decision that suggested it was the duty of the BoF hosts to set their own entry requirements for the BoF, so long as rule 1 was applied.

Bazalonia wrote:“The Hosts of the Baptism of Fire may decide all parameters about BoF Eligibility beyond requireing that all nations have 0 KPB Points.”

(ctrl+f 22-08-2007

I have no idea how long this rule had applied, but there was precedent for a similar rule being in effect in World Cup 26, where a returning Legalese questioned why they’d been allowed into BoF 13, despite having been part of BoF5.

Legalese wrote:Meanwhile, in the Channel Sport newsroom, a call came in, confirming an odd story, one that seemed very unlikely. "How is that possible? They've played in it before, back thirty-two years ago. They never invite teams in twice!"

"That's what we thought, too", said the reporter on the line. "Apparently the Rejistanis have played by different rules. I'm trying to get a comment from LAFF, who've apparently kept it under wraps."

ctrl+f 31-12-2005

Elsewhere, East Lithuania were also playing in their second BoF. They couldn’t remember if they’d been in one before.

New Manhattan wrote:
East Lithuania wrote:when you talk about people being new, does the U21WC count, because I have participated in that many times, and I don't know if that means I'm new, because the last time I was in the WC was around WC 20. I dunno if it means I should participate in the Baptism of Fire. meh... confused i am :confused:
Since you have participated in a previous WC (I hadn’t realized that you did), you may or may not be eligible for the Baptism of Fire tournament—no one’s really sure.

ctrl+f 18-12-2005

Whatever your beliefs on what the rules of the BoF should be, you can probably agree that there are two categories of, let’s say, ‘irregular’ entries.

Category one: Comeback BoFfers. Teams who play in the BoF despite having already played a WCC tournament before.This one is a broad spectrum, covering all sorts of moral grey areas, including pure white and black. An example of a lighter grey would be Tanah Burung, an active nation in the single-digit World Cups, before the BoF even existed, entering the competition in cycle 26. A moral colour closer to black would be the likes of New Lowerlands who, after playing in World Cup 65 qualifying, were somehow allowed to take part in the Baptism of Fire before World Cup 66, to everyone’s annoyance.

Here is a league table of everyone in category A.

Comeback BoFfers      Debut BoF  PPG
  1 Haraki                4  27  2.44
  2 Kyrjasmark           73  78  2.40
  3 Audioslavia           4  59  2.25
  4 Ndaku                71  77  2.25
  5 Rejistania            9  52  2.20
  6 Starblaydia          15  38  2.18
  7 Sliponia              7  19  2.14
  8 Vilita               13  50  2.14
  9 Dennisov              3  51  2.14
 10 Emperor Pudu         27  72  2.14
 11 Milchama             23  89  2.14
 12 Sinyal               83  94  2.13
 13 Torisakia            59  89  2.11
 14 The Weegies           7  48  2.00
 15 Ariddia               1  50  2.00
 16 Greater Vakolicci Ha 63  68  2.00
 17 Squornshelous         5  81  2.00
 18 Acapais              33  78  1.86
 19 Nova Mercia          21  22  1.83**
 20 Parthenon             8  47  1.67
 21 Shonar Bangla        11  19  1.60
 22 NEWI Cefn Druids     11  50  1.57
 23 Vdara                84  95  1.57
 24 Tanah Burung          2  26  1.50
 25 Quakmybush           29  55  1.50
 26 Errinundera           5  26  1.40
 27 Bisim                56  61  1.40
 28 Liventia              6  42  1.38
 29 Europa Britannia      1  65  1.20
 30 RK/IA Quebec         59  85  1.17
 31 Praying2God          11  20  1.00
 32 Pablicosta            3  41  1.00
 33 New Montreal States  10  48  1.00
 34 Novikov              51  59  1.00
 35 Gangnam              62  79  1.00
 36 Silver Beach         50  80  1.00
 37 Bunkaiia             85  88  1.00
 38 St Saratoga          72  93  0.88
 39 St Samuel            34  55  0.83
 40 TailsPrower          52  65  0.80
 41 Revlona              80  88  0.75
 42 Itailian Mafias      52  56  0.60
 43 New Lowerlands       65  66  0.60
 44 Spaam                 3  38  0.57
 45 Swilatia             25  47  0.50
 46 Oiseaui              44  56  0.50
 47 Keyshona              8  26  0.25
 48 Evisceratomatoes      9  66  0.20
 49 Nikea                 7  48  0.00
 50 Total n Utter Insani  2  48  0.00
 51 New Jarwel           79  97  0.00

The second category would be for teams playing in the Baptism of Fire twice. Second Bite BoFfers. Again, there are various grey areas here.

Second Bite BoFfers    BoF1  BoF2 Average PPG
  1 Silar                53  63   2.20
  2 Dance 2 Revolution   12  64   1.64
  3 Alinghi Federal-Demo 69  76   1.58
  4 St Paul's Isle       34  51   1.53
  5 Megadia              54  57   1.45
  6 Legalese             18  26   1.44
  7 Zarbli               41  51   1.42
  8 Rüntenbach           64  69   1.38
  9 East Lithuania       20  26   1.30
 10 Lionsguard           80  94   1.30
 11 95X                  38  76   1.15
 12 Kebec                78  79   1.14
 13 Colurada             50  51   1.09
 14 Kerblaekistan        58  61   1.00
 15 Team 46566           47  74   0.89
 16 Lovisa               12  86   0.82
 17 Vuam and Isma        27  37   0.80
 18 Talkasa              88  94   0.78
 19 Kenavt               41  49   0.75
 20 Joshulia             65  70   0.63
 21 Alversia             38  41   0.56
 22 Diol                 53  58   0.44
 23 United Island Empire 26  29   0.00

Nearer the whiter end of the scale, Legalese seemed to think they were fine entering a second BoF, and mentioned their already having been in the tournament a number of occasions. There’s no suggestion of wrongdoing here. If there were, it might have been debated at the time, although records of internal WCC debates are patchy between 2003 and 2007. Then there’s the case of 46566, the numerically named nation whose initial posts in the NS Sport forum were, first, a sign-up for the World Cup and BoF and, secondly, a sign-up for the World Cup and BoF. In their defence, there are five and a half years between both posts.

At the other end of the spectrum, let me introduce you to Alversia. World Cups 38 and 41 happened within seven months of each other, yet Alversia signed up for both tournaments, providing just one RP and 1 and 2/11ths of a roster in total. Really. Though they provided a full team line-up for BoF28, the BoF25 team lists just one goalkeeper and one sweeper alongside a note that says ‘rest of the roster coming when I have time’. The side lasted just one game in BoF28 before being ousted from the tournament when their inelligibility came to light. All games were declared void and awarded as three-nothing defeats.

Particularly aghast at Alversia’s supposed trecheary were would-be opponents Kenavt, who suggested a “”scandal of bribery” had happened. This is shocking for two reasons. Firstly, there’s no evidence that Alversia had even remembered they’d played in the BoF, let alone encouraged anyone to memory-hole such information via bribery. Secondly, Kenavt themselves went on to try the same trick.

Having been aware of Alversia’s expulsion for having entered the BoF a second time, not only did Kenavt try to sign up for BoF36, but they did so saying “Im pretty sure you can do the BoF twice, if you're unranked when you enter.”

You can read the whole exchange, including the part where they were told they wouldn’t be allowed to compete, here. As you can see, despite the early warning of their inelligibility, an administrative mis-hap allowed the side to play in the BoF anyway, where they reached the second knockout round before finally being eliminated.

You’d expect that to be the last link in the chain, but it somehow isn’t.

In qualifying from the group stage, Kenavt almost scuppered the plans of one Barnettsville, an eager young nation keen for success, but thrashed 4-0 by a Kenavt team that, by that point, everyone was aware shouldn’t have been there.

Fast forward just one cycle, and Barnettsville are entering their puppet, Colurada, into the cycle 50 Baptism of Fire, where a 1-1-3 record and immediate CTE would only be good enough for a first round exit and an expulsion from qualifying before it had even begun. Fast forward one more cycle, and Colurada were again entered into the Baptism of Fire, this time putting together a useful 2-2-2 record that theyThey would receive zero KPB points for.

At the bottom of the above list, United Island Empires were more bad as in shit than bad as in evil. They attained a 0-0-4 record in their Baptism of Fire tournament in cycle 26, admittedly with two of their games coming against Bazalonia and the Islands of Qutar. They put together a modest 4-3-5 record in qualifying before inexplicably retiring from international football and returning at the start of cycle 29 where they, again, tried to enter the BoF. Like Alversia, they managed to play one match ibefore being found out and removed from the tournament, with all its games in the tournament being awarded as 0-3 defeats. The sheet counts only their matchday one defeat to Mrkvejina as their one game in that tournament.

The fate of United Island Empires isn’t the stupidest in this article. That prize would fall to, er, me. You can see Rüntenbach apparently entered two BoF tournaments. That isn’t true. German American States, who later became known as Rüntenbach, entered BoF51. Red Blackiland, an entirely distinct nation, entered BoF56. For some reason, both were listed as Rüntenbach on the TIP database. This has been rectified as best we can.

So, at the start of this article we looked at the rules of the Baptism of Fire tournament. Whatever the rules are, or should be, one thing we can agree on are that they’re tough to police. Should Category As or Category Bs both be banned from the BoF? Or just the first, like cycles 91-94, or just the second, like <gestures vaguely at the jolt era> some of those people possibly said or did once, we don’t know.

Does either give you an advantage?

We’ve sworn off images for now, so let’s give you a link to one study, which suggests that Comeback teams do slightly better than the majority (here represented by the letter O). It appears that, on average, the average PPG of teams competing in the BoF twice is worse than average. But that’s counting both appearances together. Do these teams actually improve?

The data suggests they kind of maybe ish do? On average, teams improve their Points Per Game performance by 0.11 in the second BoF. In other words: Noise. Only this time, the solution to the noise is definitely not to find more data.

*The database counts Polar Islandstates’s cycle 78 comeback as Amnarei-Asud a separate entity to the Polar Islandstates that competed in World Cups in the 50s, 60s and 90s, despite the fact that the side changed their name “back” to Polar Islandstates midway through World Cup 78, and narratively are the same nation.

**Though it’s common for these teams to play one game in the Baptism of Fire before being discovered and expelled, Nova Mercia somehow took part in just one match in *qualifying* for World Cup 21. It was a game listed as being in Group 8, halfway through the campaign. Unlike other matches in that World Cup, it wasn’t listed as an exhibition or friendly. I have no idea why it was played.

Table-Topping Bulls 'Must Survive BoF Gauntlet'
Rival Hapilopper Lick Wounds after Snestar, Super Earth Showdowns

With four routine wins in as many matchdays over bottom-of-the-table opposition, including a revenge victory over Denyssia and a 7-1 shellacking of Cretian Territories, the Bulls have climbed to the top of the table. They've been helped partially by the fact that prior leaders Hapilopper have fallen from 6-0-1 to 6-1-2 thanks to back-to-back games against the group's scariest opponents.

Though both Snestar and Super Earth both departed the Baptism of Fire at the semi-final stage, that gargantuan scale of the competition this cycle means that, arguably, a semi-final appearance is worth a tournament win in any other BoF. Eventual champions Shin-Zetsubo are doing a commendable job, putting a 3-3-3 record together and with a final surge to the playoffs not out of the question, but Snestar and Super Earth both have scalps over the top two seeds - the former 5-4 winners away to second seeds Hapilopper, the latter dominating World Champions Audioslavia at home and holding Hapilopper to a draw. Runners-up Choppyhausen are doing even better out in group 20, emerging apparently as the only serious rival to Valentine Z for the automatic qualification spot, four points clear of veterans TJUN-ia behind.

The two-game gauntlet that has bloodied rivals Hapilopper is now in line for the Bulls. Snestar were defeated 5-2 in Cathair at the start of the campaign, but an away trip against an opponent that, on the hour mark in that game, looked every bit like they'd be leaving the city with a point, is a daunting task. Following that, revenge is sought at home to Super Earth. Two wins guarantees at least a four-point cushion at the top of the table with a huge match against Hapilopper to come. Failure to come out with at least 4 points will make a tight group even tighter, especially if fifth placed New Montreal States - professional, historical wildcard who were quarterfinalists in World Cup 11, finalists in 31, Cup of Harmony champions in cycle 61 and new, surprise members of Anaia - can get enough points to make it a veritable five-way shit-fight for just one and a half spots in World Cup 100.

by **Bhumi Matawis Empire** » Tue Nov 04, 2025 6:14 am

Matawis Kingdom
Matawis Sultanate
Bhumi Matawis Empire - The Establishment (1810-1928)
Bhumi Matawis Empire - The Ealy Years (1928-1950)
Bhumi Matawis Empire - The Second Empire (1950-1971)
Bhumi Matawis Empire - The Third Empire (1971-1999)
Bhumi Matawis Empire - 1999 General Election, The Game Changer Part 1
Bhumi Matawis Empire - 1999 General Election, The Game Changer Part 2
Bhumi Matawis Empire - The Fourth Empire, The New Era

Bhumi Matawis Empire - The Succession Crisis

King Puroboyo of Mangkualam

Year 2004, the people of Bhumi Matawis were mourning after King Puroboyo of Mangkualam, one of their Co-Emperor, passed away on 11 March due to old age. The royal family announced a year of mourning which affected the election that was scheduled to be held on 5 April. The election was then pushed for another year. Aside from that, the question arises who will replace King Puroboyo. After his ascend to the throne in 1945, King Puroboyo never selected a Queen Consort from his 6 wives. While the succession law stated only a prince from a Queen Consort can ascend to the throne. Actually, his eldest son from the eldest wife, Prince Suryo Partono has been given the title of Prince Mangkubuwana, which is title given to a crown prince. And since young age, Prince Suryo Partono have been prepared to be the next in line. But another Prince contested this title. He is Prince Suryo Sutejo.

Prince Suryo Partono or
King Haryodiputro of Mangkualam

Prince Suryo Sutejo was late King Puroboyo's son from his second wife. He was 6 years younger than Prince Suryo Partono. On 11 July 2004, an internal meeting was held between the children of late King Puroboyo together with the elders. At the meeting, it was agreed that Prince Suryo Partono is the one who will replace King Puroboyo and the coronation would take place later in September of the same year. However, some of the siblings led by Princess Ajeng Kurtiyasih, held another coronation ceremony on 31 August 2004. The one that was crowned was the Prince that contested the title, Prince Suryo Sutejo. In early September, Prince Suryo Sutejo and his followers barged into the palace, damaging some of the palace properties and injuring court servants and noblemen. With this action, Prince Suryo Sutejo was banished from the palace. He was then reside in Sasana Kauman, a royal house outside the palace compound. On 10 September 2004, a coronation ceremony was held to crown Prince Suryo Partono as the next King of Mangkualam and Co-Emperor of Bhumi Matawis. The ceremony was attended by 3 notable royal court elders which gave the legitimacy of Suryo Partono’s claim to the throne of Mangkualam. He was given the title King Haryodiputro which means glorified man.

Prince Suryo Sutejo

Despite the coronation, Prince Suryo Sutejo continued his claim to the throne. Together with his followers, they did not accept Prince Suryo Partono (now King Haryodiputro) coronation ceremony and deemed it illegal. However, the royal court dismissed Suryo Sutejo's claim to the throne. Suryo Sutejo then secretly approached several court members to turn to his side. Some were successful but others were not. This dispute was ongoing until 2012. After an intense mediation between both parties which was initiated by the government, Suryo Sutejo finally revoked his claim to the throne and accepted King Haryodiputro as the legitimate heir and King of Mangkualam. The agreement was signed in June 2012 at Kartasura. But some of his followers still have their resentment over this. In August 2013, Suryo Sutejo’s followers led by Princess Ajeng Kurtiyasih entered the palace and besieged the inner part of the palace. King Haryodiputro was unable to access that part of the palace from his residence. Mediation took place with the help of police and armed forces. It was not until July 2017 that Princess Ajeng Kurtiyasih and her followers released the inner palace and gave way to the King the access to the area. During the siege, King Haryodiputro selected Sasana Nalanda as his temporary office, a royal house located north west of the palace compound. There's been a big question over Princess Ajeng Kurtiyasih support to Prince Suryo Sutejo. Suryo Sutejo was in reality is her half-brother while the legitimate king is actually her older brother as they have the same mother. Many speculation arise but none was proven.

Princess Ajeng Kurtiyasih

Despite the ongoing dispute and its following events happening within the Palace of Mangkualam, the Empire was not really affected by it. King Haryodiputro still follows his schedules and carries out his duties. During the two claimants, Suryo Sutejo’s position was as a pretender and didn’t hold any power. He was even banned from entering the Raja Graha meeting. And Princess Ajeng Kurtiyasih was expelled from the strategic position within the palace traditional custom bureau following her action. She still active in political stage after the incident. While the economy was stabilized at the time which was helped with the increase of commodity prices that helped strengthen the economy and the Empire’s income from export surplus. The Empire continue to booked a steady 5% economy growth throughout the decade.

#   Name                       Pos    Age   Club
Starters
30  Putu Sumadiyasa            GK     32    Persetegung Tegal Agung
2   Faizal Rasyid Bassa        LB     23    PSPS Payung Sekaki
4   Rico Hermanto              CB     27    Perseyuda Yudakarta
3   Lino Coutinho              CB     25    AS Kopeng
14  Herman Susanto             RB     24    AS Kopeng
6   Sofyan Arifin Jalil        LM     27    FC Gamalama
27  Yahya Wiryawan             CM/DM  26    Persewa Watampone
9   Lucky Steviano             CM     28    Persenggu Junggalu
8   Yuliawan                   RM     24    Persekarta Kartasura
10  Sandi Wijaya               AT     25    Persekarta Kartasura
11  Christian Hadiwinata       AT     24    Persenggu Junggalu
Substitute (in Bench)
33  Sandi Mustaqim             GK     35    Persetang Tangaram
19  Komang Sudarma             ST/AM  27    Meru United
5   Arisandi Yudana            RB     24    Persetang Tangaram
13  Alexius Reinhard           CB     26    FC Wamena (PIA)
12  Galih Darmantyo            LB     24    Tongass United (MLI)
7   Eka Wiryawan               CM/DM  25    Meru United
Reserve
39  Paul Wisesa                GK     30    Perseyuda Yudakarta
40  Prabu Reynaldi Baruara     RB     23    Port Campbell FC (PBP)
15  Eka Pancaka                CB     25    Kayutangi FC
36  Felix Fernandi Kusnanto    CB     24    Kandai United
17  Ilham Rahmayanto           CM     24    Persekarta Kartasura
18  Wahyu Suryobroto           LM     26    Persekuta Kutagedhe
44  Hernando de Sousa          LM     27    AFC Temasik (PBP)
16  Heriadi Gustaf             RM/CM  25    Port Campbell FC (PBP)
20  Viktor Tampanea            AT     24    Manaro FC
21  Ruslan Ruslana             ST/AT  24    Tongass United (MLI)
29  Komang Trisnanda Putra     AM/CM  25    Manaro FC

by **Paradystopia** » Tue Nov 04, 2025 6:23 am

"What doodle you mean 'we can't just do it again and expect a different result'? ... No, okay ... Mm-hmm ... okay, okay, but what if we doodle it again, but just Erroropolis? ... okay ... well, it doesn't really concern the snooker rest of Paradystopia, so why not? ... yes, see! ... No, I understand, but it's a different referenduminium, isn't it? ... Exactly ... Mm-hmm ... So that's snorted then? Referenduminium two, but this time we're only taking a poll of Erroropolis citizens ... No, I certainly do knotweed think we should include a ballot over renaming the city to Oeopolis. Absolutely not! ... Are we sorted then? ... Good ... Yes, certainly ... okay, and good day to you too you too."

With a self-importance flourish, Error hung up the phone. He did this by pressing the button deliberately with his middle finger which, once the call was ended, swung aloft flamboyantly to apparently send a grandiose gesture of disdain towards the person he had just been speaking to. This was to be expected, for this person had just informed him that his referendum debacle had failed, miserably. Not to be perturbed, Error had countered with the proposal of a second referendum. This time, it would be citywide as opposed to nationwide and he felt this improved him chances of a successful outcome greatly.

He was presently of a rather cheery disposition, his demeanour elevated by the fact that his subversive pseudo-Paradystopia team had, after eking out an undeserved nil-nil draw against Cardenao, returned to winning ways against the Oriental of Rio de La Plata with yet another clean sheet, and three goals next to 'Paradystopia' on the score sheet.

Paradystopia 3-0 Oriental of Rio de La Plata
Message 9'
Cannon X-4000 (p.) 82'
Sack of Turnips 87'

It had hardly been the cleanest of wins and there was a good chance that the Paradystopi Association of Football would be receiving a letter of complaint from their opponents, but that hardly mattered to Error. Notably because the PAF offices were currently shut to the World Cup supposedly not taking place and the various executives had decided unanimously that they might as well take a holiday.
Shortly after Error's goal (A corner not dealt with, and somehow fumbled into the Orientals goal) was when things began to turn sour for Paradystopia's opponents. It started with one of their strikers trying the foolhardy task of intimidating the Paradystopi keeper during a corner of their own. Thirty seconds later, this individual had to be stretchered off the field when Filthy, for an intents and purposes, had attempted to bite their face off in retaliation. Filthy received another red card, and a very large sack of turnips brought on ahead of the ensuing penalty. The penalty itself was then sent high over the bar, due in part to a lucky gust of Paradystopi weather getting under the ball.
The game progressed uneasily after this, Paradystopia a man down and resorting to their usual method of parking the bus with Error, refusing to participate in any defending, shouting instructions to penguins from the centre circle. Seldom these shouts had their desired effect, but thankfully the goal was well and truly blocked with a mountain of turnips. At half-time, Error made some changes. Three penguins departed the pitch to make way for Grumpy Gustav, and the ball cannon wielded by 'Ms. Filthy'; a baboon who looked suspiciously like Filthy but with a blonde wig and lipstick hastily smeared across their face. This brought about protestations from the Oriental players with regards to Paradystopia fielding a player who had previously been dismissed but these were hand-waved away under the guise of racism, and not being able to tell one baboon from another.
Late into the second half, Error won his team a penalty in being supposedly tripped by a player who was nowhere near him. He was given the benefit of the doubt due to the referee not having seen the incident, and the assistant referees struggling to see the pitch accurately due to a mist that had slowly been rolling in throughout the second half. The ball cannon was placed in position, and primed to take the spot kick. In fairness, the keeper should have saved it inasmuch as, they got their body behind the ball only to have their body propelled into the net and thus become the second player stretchered off. This time, with suspected broken ribs. Some hasty changes were made, vitriolic words exchanged between Error and his opponents and the match began again for the final few minutes.
Within the mist, no-one had actually noticed that the Paradystopi goose; Grumpy Gustav, had at some point retrieved a turnip from the home team's goal mouth, and had found a spot a little way beyond the away team's penalty area to attempt to nest it. It was of great surprise to Error when, in making a counterattack he happened to be charging down upon the location of the brooding goose. As an angry avian loomed at him from the fog, he instinctively struck the ball with all his might. Gustav evaded it, but his imitation egg did not. Catching the surface of the turnip, the ball looped into the grey evening sky, drifted in the briny breeze, and fell into the back of the net, via the top of the post. Incidentally, in trying the field the ball, the substitute keeper of the away team also collided with the post and brought about a further stoppage for an injured player. Despite Error's protestations, the goal was awarded to the Paradystopi keeper rather than him.

If the weather had been bad for the Oriental of Rio de La Plata's trip to Paradystopia, for Aphrilia's game it was downright ridiculous: the match was near enough played amidst a brutal storm.

As such, it's hard to say what actually happened out there on the pitch.

All we do know is that in the second half stoppage time there was a cry of 'goal' from the away team's side of the pitch, and on closer inspection, the ball was indeed tangled within the goal netting with Olii insisting he had scored a header. More accurately, the ball had apparently come flying at him amongst the gloom, struck him on the head, and gone into the goal. The Aphrilians appealed for offside but as 1.) Neither assistant referee could verify whether or not the Xat' was in an offside position, and 2.) No-one could be sure which team actually played the ball which struck the unsuspecting Xat', it was ruled a goal.

Paradystopia 1-0 Aphrilia
Olii 90'+3

by **Katzeburg** » Tue Nov 04, 2025 6:24 am

Felinetopia 1-4 Katzeburg
Carafinn 8' // Field 36', 47', Clarkson 70', Ball 83'

1 Ry Whinery, 2 Katharine Howland, 3 Erik Clarkson, 4 Monday Mynatt (Cale Fux 65'), 5 Laurence Herman, 6 Serena Plank, 7 Joachim Newell (Royce Earls 65'), 8 Elmer Spears, 9 Meriel Arkwright, 10 Lloyd Field, 11 Drake Wruck (Brigitte Ball 65')

Possession - 29% / 71%
Shots - 8 / 16
Shots on Target - 2 /9
Fouls - 15 / 6

Natkr 4-3 Katzeburg
Henderson 15', 22', 78', Hatfield 89' // Wruck 31', 37', 82'

1 Ry Whinery, 2 Katharine Howland, 3 Erik Clarkson, 4 Monday Mynatt, 5 Laurence Herman (Jerrold Dallas 65'), 6 Serena Plank, 7 Joachim Newell, 8 Elmer Spears, 9 Meriel Arkwright (Desiree Lynton 65'), 10 Lloyd Field (Elvin Greenberg 65'), 11 Drake Wruck

Possession - 48% / 52%
Shots - 11 / 10
Shots on Target - 7 / 5
Fouls - 9 / 13

(OOC Note - The in-game screenshot for LoE has been generated using AI. For best viewing quality, please follow this link.)

The following is an excerpt from a series of articles published by leading Katzeburgian gaming magazine Starter Life.

Folks, you are witnessing a rare moment for the team here at Starter Life. We love hearing the feedback from our readership, and it's fair to say that the feedback from our articles on Lands of Eternia have shocked us all. We had no idea just how treasured of a game this was for so many of you and we've been overwhelmed with the sheer amount of additional stories, context, and lore which has come through to our offices since we started interviewing members of the initial beta testing group. But we apparently went too far in our previous article, which was about the legendary Gunslinger - which claimed that he 'yearned for the mines' during the beta period, finding it an easy way to level up and gain combat skills which would become incredibly useful down the line. We had numerous players and readers write into us in the week following publication of that article claiming we were downplaying one of the most iconic groups in early-days Lands of Eternia by using that turn of phrase to refer to the Gunslinger and not this group, which is a fair claim.

So we tracked the leader of this group down and asked her for an interview. After all, she was also one of the initial beta group which made their first steps in Eternia before anyone else, and it was her dogged commitment to achieving her in-game goal which made her and her guild famous in-game. You want to read about someone who yearned for the mines? This is the tale of JockeyMiner.

Alice Brixley was, rather fittingly, someone who yearned for the mines more than most. A miner from one of the last few coal mines in Katzeburg's 'Coal Belt' (See: the slim patch of land to the south of Coalbrook in Katzeburg's North), Alice spent the bulk of her day-job working the mines looking to keep parts of Katzeburg powered. A young miner at the time who had no desire to spend her free-time socialising or drinking with the rest of her mining crew, she would instead retreat to her cabin each evening and play games, especially ones focused on that yearning for exploration. "I loved those games where you could just enter a world and explore," she told us one afternoon from her office overlooking the entrance to Watermouth Mine, Katzeburg's last remaining coal mine in operation. Now in her mid-50's, she no longer works at the front of the line in the mines chipping away in search of treasure; but instead oversees the operation of the mine itself, thanks in no small part to her experience running a fictional mine in Lands of Eternia.

"I spent so much time in grand RPGs while off-shift just wandering around and exploring what was in every single corner of these worlds. So when I saw an add for Lands of Eternia one night, it drew me in immediately."

Being selected for the beta group as an express means to test connections in parts of Katzeburg which had less than stable internet connection in BK3, Alice decided to tap into one of the major mechanics of Lands of Eternia's ethos - that you could set your own goals and achieve whatever you wanted. So after completing a couple of starter missions and working her way through the tutorial and picking up basic gear, she made her way to Mythril Mine - an in-game mine which had initial lore that it seemingly had no bottom, instead stretching down forever. Practically, due to the limitations of the fact that Lands of Eternia was, you know, a game - there was a bottom to this mine as set by the developers Mercer Software. But this wasn't disclosed to players and with Alice being the first person to step into the mine as part of the game's Beta - she set herself a simple goal.

"I remember going into the mine and being like 'I want to get to the bottom before anyone else.' And so I started digging."

The persistent nature of the game world allowed for mine shafts to be created in Mythril Mine to some extent, and Alice simply picked a spot and started slowly but surely mining down. Progress was slow at first, but as she levelled up and continue to mine and build skills by defeating monsters which would spawn in as part of the game's desire to make Mythril Mine a combat area, she eventually managed to develop a solid little area within the mine by the time the game launched to the wider public months later. "I don't think I ever left that mine once I started digging," she told us. "Any time I was in-game I was deep in the shaft, mining away. I remember a couple of nights where I was virtually mining all night and then stopping only to go mine away in real life as well. It was an obsession for me."

By the time the wider playing public reached Mythril Mine, Alice had already set up an in-game mining company with the express purpose of reaching the bottom of the mine; anything the guild would pick up during their mining efforts would be sold on to help fund new tools and pay miners. The company, named the Mythril Mining Corporation, was a rocketing success in early-days LoE - helping stimulate a significant amount of the economy as players quickly flocked to the guild on promises of good pay and a smart way of levelling up quickly as you descended down the mine. By the end of BK2, more than 18 months after the game went live to the public, the MMC had dug their way down more than 150 levels, something which was already seen as unprecedented by the developers themselves. Mercer Software hadn't planned for anyone to actually try and mine their way to the bottom, with each new game update factoring in additional challenges for the miners to face as they worked furiously behind the scenes to slow down the process.

Emails documenting this period of time have been shared with us by Mercer Software as part of this retroactive series on Lands of Eternia, and they show a group of designers worried that Alice and her crew would hit the game's initial limit within the mine by the end of BK1 at the current rate - with the developers eventually splintering a small group of coders to work on the continued expansion of the mines to ensure that the MMC never actually got close to their goal. "I had no idea that was their intention!" Alice said when we showed her these emails years later. "I always assumed the mine had a hard limit and we would hit it at some rate, we just had to keep digging."

A community would form around Mythril Mine thanks to Alice and her company's dedication - many players wrote into us saying they loved the fact there was a passion amongst players in the MMC and that there were many people who yearned for the mines and the express joy which comes from digging straight down. The company would remain highly profitable for another few years, even allowing the guild to expand and build a small guild town on the edge of Mythril Mine to act as a player base and allow for expand trade with growing communities in-game. The village, named Minerton, would become a familiar haunt to many who made their way up Eternia Island's east coast, marking the last major settlement before heading into the high-level combat zones to the north of the mine.

But popularity would eventually start to wane for many of the players over time, as the core goal of the company - to reach the bottom of the mines - seemed like it would be a never-ending quest. From a peak of over 500 players around the Katzeburgian Revolution, the guild would slowly dwindle over the first years of Katzeburg as a nation, with players opting to seek other challenges in game or move on to other games entirely. However, despite slowly dropping interest in the mission, one person would not give up on their goal until they hit it - Alice. "I couldn't quit until I knew what was at the bottom," she said. "I was spending a couple of hours every night in the mine, working my way down. While people came and went, I was there working. I had to know what was down there."

While the publishing of a major expansion which focused more on mining as a concept (The Mines of Mount Stalmar in AK1, which introduced the massive forgotten underground city of Stalmar, but not anywhere near Mythril Mine in-game) sparked a wave of renewed interest, the MMC wouldn't see the wave of new popularity continue on forever, and by AK4 the guild was by-and-large on life support. Progress had slowed a lot since the peak of work, with Alice more often than not being the sole miner working in the shaft most evenings. It seemed like there would never be a moment when the guild would reach the bottom of Mythril Mine. Or so it seemed. While the Eternia Times reported on the decline of Mythril Mine and the company in AK4, the developers had in-fact reached out to Alice personally around the same time with an offer. The technical debt brought on by the constant additions to the Mine were nearing breaking point, and with the overall stability of the game in mind - they went to act.

"It was an odd phone call to receive in the middle of the night, but I remember it quite well," she chuckled. "It was the lead developer of Mercer Software and he wanted to offer me a deal - they were keen to keep the in-game lore that Mythril Mine was bottomless, but they also wanted to acknowledge my time spent in the game and commitment to the overall mission I had set for myself, so they told me if I could get to level 2,500, they'd make that the bottom - but it would only be viewable for me."

After a few days of thinking about the deal, Alice would eventually accept this and three weeks later, she would hit the milestone mark of 2,500 levels. "This level was different from anything which had been seen before, I remember that much," she said. "It was a room of nothing but darkness, with a single light in the middle of it and a small sign." The sign was paraphrased to us by Alice, but it detailed an in-game acknowledgement of her reaching the bottom of the mine was on the sign, along with a sincere thanks from the development team for the time spent in-game over the years.

Having finally achieved her goal of reaching the bottom of the mine, Alice was granted a special pickaxe in-game as well, but her desire to explore the rest of Lands of Eternia had all but gone. "I had achieved what I set out to do," she said upon reflection. "I wanted to reach the bottom of the bottomless mine, and once I did that? My time with the game was at a rather natural end." Alice would quite shortly after reaching the bottom of Mythril Mine, with her special in-game Pickaxe becoming enshrined in lore as a cursed object; the only remnant of a miner who had disappeared deep underground in the depths of Mythril Mine.

"In the game lore, it was explained away to anyone who would get down to that level that my character had vanished upon reaching this level, with the screams from below scaring any player from mining further," she said. "In reality, I think they just had no more scope to keep adding down into the mine!"

Mythril Mine and Minerton itself would eventually fade from view as the game aged and players slowly went elsewhere, the site now basically a ghost town of a by-gone era where those yearning for the mines could come and find a passionate community in search of an endless goal which had only be achieved by one player. For Alice, the time spent playing Lands of Eternia is something she wouldn't trade for anything else. "It was my life for a good part of my youth, and while some people will say I wasted it on a futile game and mission - I disagree entirely. There hasn't been an achievement I've been more proud than reaching the bottom of Mythril in my entire life. And that includes getting promoted to the position I'm in now. This game allowed me to have an outlet and give me something to strive for, and I'll always be thankful for that. Plus it gave me incredible experience on the ins and outs of running an actual mine, which has only been beneficial in my real life career as well.

"Lands of Eternia is a special game, and I don't think there will ever be another game like it."

Henderson masterclass again sees Katzeburg stumble against Natkr

By Otis Huffman, KBC

A second hat-trick from Natkr's Henry Henderson against Katzeburg in one campaign helped the side put a major stumbling block in the path of the Blue Cats' quest for a World Cup playoff spot.

The Blue Cats had a big ask to navigate two away games in one qualifying window and the side performed admirably in the first edition of the 'Cat Derby' against Felinetopia, recovering from a goal down to storm to a 4-1 win thanks to a brace from Lloyd Field and goals from Erik Clarkson and Brigitte Ball. The performance was a strong showing by Katzeburg, who had struggled for away form so far this cycle, and the early goal from the hosting Felinetopians did little to calm nerves - but another strong possession-based performance did enough to turn the result in favour of the Blue Cats and hand them a vital three points as the qualifying cycle passed the half-way mark.

But the wheels would fall off in the second game of the window against Natkr, who Katzeburg fell to 3-1 at home on the opening day - with the Green on Blue again taking an early lead through Henry Henderson, who put in their second unplayable performance against Katzeburg in as many games. Henderson netted twice within the opening 25 minutes to silence the travelling Katzeburgian support, but the side would storm back to go into the break level after a brace from national icon Drake Wruck. Natkr would remain on top though in an even game, boiuyed on by the strong home support, with Henderson picking up his third goal of the match in the 78th minute after capitalising on a sleeping Erik Clarkson to sneak behind the backline and round keeper Ry Whinery. Wruck would strike back four minutes later to make the match a tale of two strikers, but the headlines would go the way of the Green on Blue - Jonty Hatfield scrambling a loose ball over the goal line in the 89th minute to restore Natkr's lead and secure the hosts all three points in another game which could have huge ramifications for Katzeburg's quest to make the playoffs.

"It's frustrating to have again dropped points in a game where I thought on the whole we were good enough to walk away with the win," Becka Haberkorn told media at the Skyhold Dome. "Natkr are a quality side and they've shown it time and time again against us - for us to play them twice and not even pick up a point is deeply disappointing. There's still a lot of football left to play though and we know we've got the quality to hit another level than what we've been showing. The playoff pack is really tight at the moment and there's no room to drop the ball - our next couple of games are ones where we need to be playing to our full potential if we want to remain in that chasing pack."

The mixed window means Katzeburg sit one point off the playoff spot in third, behind their conquerors Natkr. Pasarga continue to runaway with the group, sitting five points clear of second with the advantage of a game in hand, while the Blue Cats sit level on points with Kaumann (but ahead on goal difference thanks in no small part to the side's 7-2 win over Kaumann a few weeks earlier) and a single point ahead of Felinetopia. But the Blue Cats will have two chances to do the double over two nations in their next two games - hosting Europeasia in what will be the first ever Katzeburg national team game played at Inverhaven City's Anchor Field, before travelling to Konkert in search for a crucial three points.

Katzeburg beat both of these sides in the first half of the group - sneaking past Europeasia 4-3 away and picking up a clean sheet in a 3-0 win over Konkert at Maplewood Park - but with the side's playoff hopes walking a tightrope, they'll need to hope they can repeat those performances a second time around.

by **Valentine Z** » Tue Nov 04, 2025 7:41 am

Part 2 – Things have been absolutely looking up for us all!

Valentijn “De Sierlijke en Vrij Valkyrie General ov Valentine Z” Samantha Maxwell Delta Weston Stijn Angelus Tracey Mitchell Tristian Marnix Basilisk Lewis Hyatt X. Constantine Sein Lin Zaw Naing: Hello and greetings to you all, my wonderful friends and families of Valentine Z, and of the many visitors that came by to our large country that we are admittedly quite proud of! Normally I would say “Welcome to our humble country”, but again, indeed, we are a little quite proud of how far we have come! Anyway, the slight formality aside, once again yes – welcome, and I hope that you have been enjoying your time in Valentine Z so far. As Clarissa will have already told and addressed in the roster, a lot of the newcomers will find that Valentine Z is quite a… large and formidable place to navigate around in. This is both literally and figuratively, because of the size differences alongside the fact that we have both the Earth and Mars in our hands so far, with additional territory in Esportiva as well. As we hit the half-point of the World Cup 100 Qualifiers, I believe that I would like to mention and make a speech as to the state of Valentine Z, the World Cup, the results that we are getting, and perhaps a little bit more about the stadium that is unveiled for this special event. Those, on top of myself not having made a lot of appearances lately. Mainly due to lack of NSSCRA!

First and foremost I would like to address is the Valentian Kittens’ performance in WC 100. As you all may have known and seen by now, the 9 matches have netted us with 8 wins and 1 loss, which is pretty damn great as far as I am concerned! I know Eveline and myself would have been a little bit more driven if this is IBC but for football, and with a LOT of well-known and unknown teams, I am more than just happy to see this kind of result. 38 goals as well, which Clarissa did a great call to make us all go very offensive instead of trying to block the goals. The bodies of our players should be able to, but as it turns out, we did a lot better when it comes to scoring goals, and as a result, we went with that. We did not exactly have the best GA (Goals Against) record, but as I have mentioned, this is more than compensated for by the amount of goals that we have scored. Oh, and on the topic of goal-scoring, Clarissa would like me to have this be mentioned – that on that match against Choppyhausen, it was not Holly that scored the goal, and instead it was Konstantinovich. We would like to extend our apologies to the presses and journalists in Choppyhausen for this, as this might have been taken as us trying to override their report; that was absolutely not our intent, and instead was just a slight SQL mismatch. Valentians are not above computer errors!

For the next half, all we are going to do is to keep this pressure up. We don’t really have favourites but we however have certain preferences on some of the teams. In particular, we would really like to win against New Arbuckle once again. We have defeated them once but that came a little too close for comfort. And this time, we will try to and to make sure that we really got them. Well, at least in theory, we should be able to. We have seen them being able to best TJUN-ia, a match that, in our opinion… I believe that the Jaguars should have been able to defeat them with relatively ease. I suppose the weirdest of things happen in the world of sports, so in a way, we should no longer be strangers to them and instead to strive for the overall qualifications. At this point, the post-qualification is more or less guaranteed for us- at least from what I have been told. A little unfortunate for Alanis Star, but we should absolutely not rule them out this early, and I am not doing that now, to be clear; instead, I wish them all the best as well, and Clementine has been moving the many realms so that the Node 93 Diodes can press on ahead.

Moving on, is the new venue that you will have definitely noticed by now. Well, for both Valentine Z and for Alanis Star. I will talk about the former, of course! Kyarpan Stadium as it is called, located in Mandalay, Burma, territory that is part of Valentine Z. Nothing wrong with the previous stadium, it’s just more that we believe that we needed something grander, something a lot more worthwhile to look at – and perhaps even doubling both as a stadium and a backdrop for many photographers and holiday shots! The previous stadium, called Fate Stadium and located Naypyithaw, Burma, again the territory of Valentine Z, is still standing and is used as a home stadium for the Kittens, as well as for many smaller domestic games. It is not going to be demolished, of course! After all, it has had history since 2035, which for reference, we are currently in the year 2103. It has been many decades, isn’t it?

Kyarpan Stadium – the name is in Burmese for a lotus [flower], and as you can see where I am standing- oops, sorry, please do go around my legs. Careful though! It is like a big flower, with solar panels on the top that harvested the sunlight that we received. In Mandalay, this is absolutely a given because it can get pretty warm! And sunny! As it has been mentioned before in the information about our team, the stadium is capable of seating at least 300 thousand people. Yes, I mentioned “at least” because if the seats are converted from Valentians to non-Valentians, I believe you can get it for 2-3 seats. You will still have a good amount of space, of course! The seats each also have a screen attached to them, which in turn are all wirelessly linked to the many drones and cameras that are constantly taking the footage of the game. The football games that are played in our stadium and countries are not subjected to any copyright laws, and you are in fact more than allowed to take home the live broadcast. This is typically done by the way of a QR code on the screens at the end of each match, and then you will be taken to a link that is pretty much secure and you can download into your device. Do make sure to have the relevant amount of storage space, from 720p needing perhaps like 4 GB, to 8K footage needing a good 250 GB for the entire match!

You will also have noted about the food portions, and that you have likely shared your purchase with your friends or family members, or even to the other strangers and fellow fans. That’s all completely normal, of course, as long as you all practice your typical safe hygiene. I will note that you are more than welcome to buy the Valentian portion, but for those who didn’t exactly have anyone to share or just want to not waste food, you can ask for a smaller portion, we are more than accommodating for that! The drinks do not come in disposable cups, and instead you will have either used your own tumblers or bought one from the gift shop – not with exorbitant prices, of course. We unfortunately stooped using disposable cups and papers since… 2050, I believe. If I remembered correctly. I mean they are still a thing for some parties and events, but a good 98% of us have stopped using them completely, all in favour of the new infrastructure and delivery method of food and drink items. Oh and yes, as Clarissa mentioned before, please do feel free to visit the other parts of Valentine Z! We would absolutely be delighted to have you there!

And with that, I would like to sign off by wishing everyone the best of luck with World Cup 100! On behalf of all of the Valentians, I would like to say that we are more than honoured to be the part of this fantastic history that we are writing together right now – the 100th season of the international and interdimensional sports event that has seen hundreds of teams, thousands of players, and with countless stories to tell in-between. I have seen all of them the other day: Joy, Tragedy, Frustration, Anger, Anticipation, Disappointment… and many more that I didn't mention. Fate gives… and Fate takes. Whichever way things go, I do hope that you will not give it up completely on this event, just like we have persisted and tried our best despite our rough edges and awkward starts. I believe that even in the most absurd of times, a silver lining can shine through, and that this 100th World Cup can be a significant event for you as the manager, as well as for the players and the countless fans that have supported them all. I am Valkyrie Valentijn Samantha Constantine, and once again, thank you for visiting Valentine Z, and all the best to you!

by **Hanalia** » Tue Nov 04, 2025 10:39 am

Hanalia scored a twin pair of 1-0 results in the two recent games. Sadly they were the fraternal kind with Monroe and Co only winning one of them. It was the first trip to Chemicala that saw Lin's strike find its target and put the visitors in control for the game. Chemicala became ever more frantic in going about their business as the clock ticked down in front of the home crowd. The erratic decision making could've proved a challenge for Hanalia turning every passage of play into an unpredictable nightmare but it appeared that none of the opposition players were any more adept at reading their own teammates minds. Chamicala found themselves retreating into their own half to reset before another attack was launched under even more self inflicted pressure only to go awry in some other fashion.

The Twin 2 match played out in the Grand Duke's Stadium of Rumaitzi. This twin was much more composed than its sibling both teams playing with focus throughout the full 90 minutes. Watching the crowd's heads turn from one side to the other, one would be forgiven for thinking this was a slow motion tennis match. But no, each team took their turn with the ball, ping it up the pitch and put a shot in, only for it to fall to the keepers' hands. The other side would then dutifully pong it back the other direction for the other keeper to gather and resume the yo-yoing in the opposite direction again. On a single occasion the pattern was broken with the 7th Lord of Iranbabio finding the top right corner, out of Hass's reach, to take the score.

The beer leaguers make an appearance in the Lei for the following match and they come in dominant form. The form guide shows an unbeaten run in the competition and they're coming in hot off a trio of very impressive results. They snuck a 2-1 away win against Zwangzug and then went on to dismantle Brusselstein and Saltstead 10-0 and 5-2 at the Brewery Stadium. Odds were fairly short on them making it out of this group but the odds are now shortening too on them heading directly to West Pavola for the final series. Not many challenges come in packages as difficult as this. They will, at the very least, be welcomed into one of the fine drinking establishments of Lei during their visit.

Schedule
MD1 v Astograth      D 0-0   MD7  BYE                      MD13 v Zwangzug
MD2 @ HOT-DAMN       L 1-3   MD8  v Olastor        W 2-0   MD14 @ Brusselstein
MD3 v Vaishnavaria   W 3-0   MD9  @ Chemicala      W 1-0   MD15 v Saltstead
MD4 @ Zwangzug       L 0-3   MD10 @ Astograth      L 0-1   MD16 BYE
MD5 v Brusselstein   W 4-1   MD11 v HOT-DAMN               MD17 @ Olastor
MD6 @ Saltstead      W 4-2   MD12 @ Vaishnavaria           MD18 v Chemicala

by **Woodsmere** » Tue Nov 04, 2025 10:48 am

Woodsmere vs Avote: 3-1 victory
Nalsi Jugrat , 03/11/2025

Woodsmere
3
Ojalas 15', Tedjr 30', Ranme 68'
Avote
1
51'

The Match

The Hares played their best-performed match of the qualification stage, with their 3-1 victory in Woodsmere's first game against Avote. It was a pleasing match to see, and really did excite the Woodsmerean fans at home and abroad. Unsurprisingly, the people of Avote would have just seen it as another one of their defeats. The victory proved, once again, that Woodsmere was no team to ignore.

The match started off with an interception by Alatalato, who swiftly passed it to Ranme. Ranme advanced towards the goal and shot, unfortunately it only hit the crossbar. Then the Hares advanced again, with Ojalas speedily waving through the midfielders, then the defenders, and scored at 15'. This was promptly followed by cheers from the Woodsmerean flags, who were proudly waving their flags and banners. 30 minutes in, 3 midfielders from Avote broke through our midfield with their rapid passing amongst themselves. Fortunately, Kalninsu rushed forward and intercepted, and then passed to Tedjr who dashed up the pitch, thanks to Avote being distracted away from their side. He effortlessly scored yet another goal. The Woodsmereans cheered with a lot less enthusiasm - they expected the Hares to win regardless.

Half-time came and the team was forced to "enjoy" the third-world amenities and construction of the stadium. There was severe mould on the changing room ceilings, and cracks in the thin cardboard-like walls. The only toilets there were rather unpleasant, and 0 food was available within the stadium. The apparently new stadium clearly reflected the state of Avote.

The state of Avote's stadium entrance

After half-time, the Hares got bored of the opposition, afterwards some players said it felt like "playing mannequins with wheels". However, Avote exploited this underestimation, so 2 of the strikers charged forwards, as if at the speed of a rocket, through the disengaged Hares and scored. It was embarrassing for the Woodsmereans, but still there were no cheers from the Avote fans who knew they would lose anyway. But in response, the Hares bounced back and after many minutes of passing, Woodsmere had pushed very forward so then Ranme slid the ball, in between an Avotian defender's legs and into the edge of the goal. This was followed by a few cheers, since the enthusiasm for Woodsmere died out - they were going to win anyway.

The half whistle blowed, and the fans left with two different moods. Overjoyed by the large win, but appalled by the actual quality of the stadium. Mäx Plevi, head coach, left with a huge smile on his face. It was another motivating game for the Hares, and there were certainly many lessons to be learnt.

Decisive 2-1 win against Himurajima
Nalsi Jugrat, 04/11/2025

Woodsmere
2
Ojalas 53', Roheline 67'
Himurajima
1
12'

The Match

The 2-1 triumph against Himurajima was certainly surprising to watch considering the previous experiences in our first match with them. It was our best game against them, but also our last in the qualifying stage. They played at Randvu Stadium, Wassenstad, and were driven by the thousands of Meares devoting their time to spectate and support.

Randvu Stadium during the opening ceremony

Himurajima started off with a high-press 4-3-3 to facilitate rapid transitions, while Woodsmere opted for a compact 4-4-2 to prioritise midfield interceptions. A striker from Himurajima managed possession of the ball, and was aided in his advance by the midfielders following behind him. Himurajima, having spatial advantage, managed to lure away the Woodsmerean defenders to the sides. However unlike the first match against Himurajima, where disorganisation proved costly, Woodsmere’s defensive transitions were far more disciplined this time. But the separation of the defenders created an open goal situation for them, so the seemingly superior opposition exploited this and scored 12 minutes in. The goal exposed the Hares’ difficulty in maintaining defensive shape while their midfield lines press too far forward. The game continued with dominant Himurajiman possession of the ball and passes between themselves, until half time.

Available at Randvu are multiple restaurants and bars, as well as free WiFi. After the game, many Himurajiman fans complimented these modern amenities, despite their painful loss. After half time, the Hares had understood Himurajima's tactics and exploited the very space Himurajima needed, to intercept so the Hares could move freely. The Hares applied their understanding very well: Keulep stayed wide to drag apart Himurajima's defence, which opened up gaps for Ojalas. Keulep finished off with a pass to Ojalas, followed by a goal. The stadium lit up. The Woodsmereans stood up and screamed - creating a sound which felt louder than Kratakoa's eruption. 14 minutes after, Roheline rose up unexpectedly, with the aid of Lindstre and Tedjr, and his cunning wit enabled him to catch Himurajima by surprise. He skilfully tapped the ball into the goal, and Himurajima's goalkeeper shamefully missed the gently moving ball. The Woodsmereans screamed again with their flags and banners. The Hares then turned defence into attack within seconds through direct vertical passes. The Hares stayed compact, closing passing lanes and frustrating Himurajima’s midfield. This allowed them to drag on the score until the end.

The last whistle blew, Reged lifted up his arms in joy and Plevi was delighted again. The Hares had learnt that adaptation was the key to success, no matter how bad you apparently were. Plevi remarked, "Our Hares managed to exploit their compact 4-4-2 in order to make way for a defensive play, yet allowed for interceptions and counter-attacks. We will certainly use our principles in the following matches."

@tartutrainspotter5803
It was all thanks to the power of Roheline - UP THE HARES! #roheline #upthehares

@_lolalolalola_
Cool stuff, but I believe Reged should be playing better as Team Captain. #upthehares #woodsmere

Next 2 Matches

Next, we face Saint Eleanor at Randvu, and Saint Lazarus at our recently completed Rivergreen Stadium. We have failed to them before, but a lot has happened since we last faced them. We have risen 2 spaces, and the Hares have got more experience in gameplay. Apart from that, don't be surprised if they both absolutely demolish Woodsmere. Good luck, to everyone, though.

INFORMATION FOR SAINT ELEANOR FANS
Ensure that you purchase train tickets at the airport station
To reach Randvu from Wassenstad International Airport, follow signs towards a metro station in the airport, then board any train from platform 2 (towards Majatt) and exit at Randvu station. Luggage racks should be available on the train. After exiting Randvu Station, follow signs for the stadium and you should be walking down a walkway to get there. 5-star and 4-star accommodation is available along this walkway. There are also affordable inns near Randvu station.

INFORMATION FOR SAINT LAZARUS FANS
Ensure that you purchase train tickets at the airport station
To reach Rivergreen from Wassenstad International Airport, follow signs towards a metro station in the airport, then board any train from platform 4 (towards Vehne) and exit at Vehne station. After exiting Vehne station, follow signs for the bus station and board a purple bus from bus stop C. The last stop is the stadium, and there are many lodges near this bus stop.

Our starting 11 for the next matches:

by **Xanneria** » Tue Nov 04, 2025 11:12 am

by **HOT-DAMN** » Tue Nov 04, 2025 11:43 am

*NOTE: Brusselstein player names taken from their Baptism of Fire roster.

Brewery Stadium, New Hap City, HOT-DAMN
Match 9 of World Cup 100 Qualifying: HOT-DAMN v. Brusselstein
“What a HOT-DAMN blowout!”

The general impression that came from the HOT-DAMN v. Zwangzug match was that the beer leaguers got out of there lucky. They were fortunate to put two goals up on a very good Zebras team, and it could have really gone any other way possible. The other impression that came from that match was that HOT-DAMN needed a dominant match to show that they were truly at the top of the heap of the group. Zwangzug had put a lot of doubt into that idea. After all, they too were plenty capable of qualifying for the World Cup and making a deep run. It would mean that the beer leaguers need to make an example out of whoever they were facing next, just so they could assert that dominance.

Poor Brusselstein. One of the nations from Europe, coming in ranked 336th in the world, it seemed like they weren’t going to have a snowball’s chance in Hell of beating the beer leaguers on this day. Little did they know that the beer leaguers were feeling particularly punchy on this day. It wasn’t anything against the poor team from Brusselstein – they just so happened to be next in line.

The mood was a little bit different on this day in New Hap City than it had been in previous match days. The fans in HOT-DAMN – already incredibly rowdy and boisterous, more so than in Hapilopper – were that much louder and wilder. Maybe it was the victory over Zwangzug that had them excited. Maybe it was the fact they felt something special was going to happen on this day. Even Ernie could feel it. Sitting in his Brewery Stadium office on the day of the match, sipping on a cup of coffee, he was watching some game film. He could see things – all kinds of things – that his boys could use.

With about a dozen pages of notes, Ernie walked down to the HOT-DAMN clubhouse, where it seemed the boys were looser and more relaxed than usual. This didn’t please Ernie that much, because he feared his boys were going to get complacent and allow Brusselstein to take a sneaky victory. But Rod Cutt turned that situation around in a hurry.

“Not like there’s anything else we can do,” Rod said. “We’ve been watching game film all morning. We’ve found some things. We know what we have to do.”

“Alright, fine,” Ernie replied.

“Let me see your notes, we might be on the same page,” Rod said.

Ernie gave Rod his notes. Rod looked at them for about 15 minutes, nodding continuously as he read them.

“Yeah, we’re on the same page,” Rod said. “Let’s kick some ass today.”

Those watching on TV could see just how relaxed and ready the HOT-DAMN squad was. They could see they were ready to go out, kick some ass, score goals, and have fun. The plan was simple: The team takes control in the first 15 minutes. The plan was to score a goal in the first five minutes. The five-minute drill had been very, very successful for the beer leaguers so far in the first few matches of the qualifying campaign.

Little did everyone know it was going to be doubly successful here. The beer leaguers had the kickoff, and immediately, Cale Mallett got the ball. Figuring this was the best chance at any to get off to a good start, Cale kicked the ball as hard as he could towards the Brusselstein goal. Brusselstein keeper Harry Hazels had no idea it was coming. Only 25 seconds had elapsed, and Cale had put the beer leaguers up 1-0.

The extremely rowdy fans in HOT-DAMN went into a wild frenzy. Those watching on TV could see Cale pointing at the crowd and shouting “there’s more from where that came from!” The five-minute drill had been a success, less than a minute into the match. But Cale wasn’t done and neither were the beer leaguers.

Joshua Kimmel, one of the Brusselstein forwards, had a bit of a lead with the ball in the third minute. That’s when he met Rod Cutt. Rod ran towards Kimmel with all due speed and laid him out with a bone-crushing tackle in the open field. In most other places, it would have led to a straight red card and a multi-match suspension. This was a full-throated shoulder block that didn’t just separate Kimmel from the ball, but it separated him from his senses for a few seconds. A few of Kimmel’s teammates rushed over to confront Rod, but Rod pretty much dared them to try something. It reminded some fans of the time Nathan Ellis had to be restrained from going after an entire team by himself many years ago during a particularly wild HFA match.

As play resumed, Cale quickly took the ball, rushed it downfield and fired it into the back of the net again. In the sixth minute of play, HOT-DAMN had a 2-0 lead. Usually, that would be good enough for the end of a match. A 2-0 win was perfectly respectable. But there were 84 minutes left and the beer leaguers were wanting more. Much more. So were the fans.

Goal after goal went past poor Harry Hazels and into the back of the net. In total, Cale Mallett scored six goals in the first half – in the 11th, 13th, 24th, and the 42nd. A story went viral on social media after the match about how a fan, watching the match at his brother’s house, went out to get something from his car after Cale’s third goal. “Watch this, they’ll score by the time I get back,” he told his brother.

The screaming from inside his brother’s house indicated that yes, indeed, another goal had been scored.

As the teams went back into the locker rooms for halftime, Ernie struggled to figure out what to say. Usually, he knew what to say – how his team could improve. But with a 6-0 lead at the half, there was nothing – at all – that he could think of to make the team improve on their play. But he did know of one thing to say.

“Boys, years ago, I was in a Baptism of Fire semifinal against a team known as Terre Septentrionale,” Ernie started. “We whooped their asses – and I mean, we whooped their asses. I think it was an 8-2 final. I don’t remember for sure. But as the time went on, we realized that what was going on was not normal. So we quit celebrating each goal. They were down and we didn’t want to rub their faces in it. I suggest we do the same tonight. If we score another goal, just… keep it on the down-low.”

While the players agreed to that, and kept it on the down-low, by not really celebrating any further goals, the fans didn’t keep it on the down-low. Brewery Stadium was running riot during the half and in the second half. Most of the fans, as you would expect, were shitfaced drunk.

“Before we go out, boys… I’m gonna make some changes. Mallett, I think you’ve done enough. Get yourself a cold beer or two and chill out. I’m subbing you out. Hicks and Cutt, same with you two, I don’t need a war crime committed against some team we’re blowing out. So… let’s see, Daquan, you take Mallett’s place, and Duggan and Jackson, come on up.”

So as the teams went back from under the tunnel, those three substitutions were very obvious to all. Instead of being out on the field, Cale Mallett was drinking a beer and sitting in a cold tub, watching the match on television. Hicks and Cutt were getting changed and making their way to the owner’s box, where luminaries like Jimmy Eaton, Drake Stevenson, and William Mathis were having a hell of a time.

And there wasn’t another single goal. There were four more.

Daquan Simmons, who had seen very little playing time up until that point, put one in the back of the net two minutes into the second half, to put the beer leaguers up 7-0. This was around the same time that Hicks and Cutt walked into the owner’s box. And this was around the same time that Drake Stevenson, about as fired up as he had ever been, ripped his shirt off, let out a mighty roar, and jumped out of the box to chug some beers with fans.

This was all in plain view of the cameras. This was shown on the big video screens in the stadium. And it was enough to shock the normally-unflappable Ernie Stevenson, watching his older, fatter, drunker brother acting like he was in the middle of a frat party.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Ernie yelled as he saw his shirtless brother acting like a fool.

Then William Mathis, the director of HOT-DAMN, got into the action as well, ripping his shirt off and chugging beers with those fans.

“Aw, hell,” Ernie moaned.

Then Hicks and Cutt joined them as well. The two took a couple of cans of beer out of a fridge, ripped their shirts off as well, poked a hole in their cans and shotgunned their beers.

“Not you too!” Ernie shouted.

Three more goals were scored in a match that descended into a wild, wild party. Justin Cherry got two goals – in the 52nd and 59th, and Tim Radomia fired one into the back of the net in the 88th. It was that last goal that sent everyone over the edge, for it made it 10-0. It was the first double-digit goal total by a Hapiloppian soccer team in 60 years, and the first one in international play. It also might have been the drunkest the HOT-DAMN territory had ever been.

Those that were there would tell their kids and grandkids about the wild party that happened on the night of 10-0, and following. It was the first time that the HapAnaia territory ran completely out of beer.

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