World Cup 100 | RP thread

[Kwrpania]

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WORLD CUP 100

BEST GAME EVER - Magnws-rym on fire as Electric Eels romp into octofinals

TYDEBWG, NORTH PROVINCE – A hat-trick from Kwrpania's captain and all-time leading goalscorer fired the host nation past Chromatika in the hexadecfinal in the National Stadium, 4-1.

In their matchday minus-one press conference, Dobgazoz-bof summed up their side's plan succinctly: "They play three at the back, and push their wingbacks forward. Our fullbacks will outrun theirs. Our wingers will outrun theirs. This can be a game of space - and as the tournament progresses, stamina - and if we can drag them into the deep end with us, they will be ours for the taking."

It didn't take long for their words to bear out. With fifteen minutes on the clock, and the Chromatiks pushing forward with their wingbacks advanced, a loose ball was hammered out of the Kwrpan defensive area by center back Bezypman-bof, and Pabofen-nam won the footrace, setting up their first dangerous counter. The Central winger would attempt to do it all themselves, and get most of the way there - turning right-sided center back Ami Coulibaly inside and out before drawing her into a loose challenge that could only end with a penalty and a yellow for the Chromatik defender. A buzzing crowd in Tydebwg roared, then fell slowly more silent as Magnws-rym stepped up to take the spot-kick, then exploded again into life as he thumped the ball into the top-left corner.

The visitors would grow into the game, however, and nearly leveled the scores when two Fillar siblings combined down the right before Crossroads (CMT) striker Elaine Howard-Dawes fired narrowly wide from the edge of the area. Baillaire Fillar in particular was a dynamo in attack for the Anomalies, soon drawing a free kick from 25 yards out and glancing it off the top of the crossbar. The final chance of the first half would too come for the visitors, as Baillaire slid a line-breaking reverse pass to Lavrentiy Xuen-Zhukov, but the Montreal Koreana striker's touch was loose and his shot smothered by an on-rushing Fakswr-rof.

The half-time interval would not interrupt this flow of chances, and ten minutes into the second half the opening finally came - and from all players, from Chromatika's defensive midfielder, Alija Mesic-Mizayaki. With Anomalies attackers probing the edge of the area, making driving runs before laying the ball off, Fillar drew in Vabwpetob-zok to create an opening for Mesic-Mizayaki, and her thumping shot deflected off the outstretched leg of hometown defender Fandwrsw-vyz, leaving a flailing Fakswr-rof helpless as the corner of travelling fans burst into life.

The relentless pressure had taken a toll on the Chromatik side, however, and Dobgazoz-bof initial words came back into play. With the scores level, the visitors' urgency subsided, and the hosts began to establish themselves, with the relentless running of Synydwb-pyt and Mamzwb-bab opening the game up down the wings. It would be from a set piece that the Electric Eels would regain their advantage, however. Mamzwb-bab's tireless work down the left drew a foul from a tiring Grayson Fillar on the Chromatik right, and a whipped ball from Magnws-rab traveled all the way across to Magnws-rym, who guided it home at the back post and wheeled away into a revived National Stadium crowd. The pressure would continue to tell - and just as Xuen-Zhukov's touch let him down, Vabwpetob-zok found a similarly decisive reverse ball, and Magnws-rym kept their nerve to slide the ball around keeper Hailee Sourtois to double the advantage for the Electric Eels. The Anomalies were well and truly out of gas as the half finished out, and with five minutes remaining in normal time Magnws-rab put the icing on the cake with a ball that cannoned off the post and into the back of Sourtois' net.

Up next for the hosts is the number one side in the pre-tournament KPB+ rankings, Flavovespia. Kwrpania's next opponents first qualified for the World Cup proper for World Cup 91, and in the chaos that reigned during World Cup 98, they came out on top, defeating Crpostran by a single goal in Tikariot City to lift the ultimate trophy. A quarter-final defeat to Ko-oren in Siovanija put a damper on the then-reigning champions, but with the World Cup returning to West Pavola, Flavovespia is certainly looking to add another star above their badge. As if facing the top side in the multiverse wasn't enough, the Electric Eels will face their first match outside of Kwrpania since the hexadecifinal of World Cup 99, having played the Copa Rushmori and all previous matches during this tournament at home. The KFF, in tandem to the Government, have already announced reduced-price ticketing, travel, and accomodation packages for dedicated matchgoing Electric Eels' fans, and with the trip to Roddens not a significant hurdle thanks to increased Bezbenpam-Zube transport links, tens of thousands of Kwrpan are expected to descend upon the city for what has become the biggest game in Kwrpan football history.

---

WEST

Martial law declared in four West municipalties as disturbances continue
This article is written under the advisement of the State Ministry for Public Information (TZF).

BEZBENPAM, WEST PROVINCE – The Sunset Coast Police (BKym) in conjunction with the National Army declared a "state of suspension of civil liberties" in Megbwg, Gwvbed, Gybemwd, and Sekogon today as protestors continued to clash with the police over the past several nights. While protests against the high-speed rail development were generally calm, the incidence of disturbances has increased sharply since the deaths of thirteen protestors after an exchange of gunfire between agitators and police in Gybemwd. The "state of suspension" primarily limits the reporting of news from the municipalties concerned, and further reinforces the sunset curfew already in place across much of the interior West.

Attacks on police have nevertheless continued across the region, but largely in rural areas and by individuals, with one Sekogon person also shot after firing on a BKym patrol in an area north of town. The "state of suspension" also allows for National Army forces to be deployed in the stated municipalties, though any deployment longer than three weeks must be continually approved and renewed by the Popular Council. The Government has ruled out an extension, however, firmly believing that the disturbances will have passed by the time when further action becomes necessary.

It is against the law of the Riverine State of Kwrpania to engage in armed conflict with local, regional, provincial, or national forces. Any person(s) engaging in armed resistance against the Riverine State will be prosecuted to the fullest extend of the law, up to and including the penalty of death.

---

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Kwrpania 4-1 Chromatika
National Stadium, Tydebwg, Kwrpania
Lineup: Fakswr-rof; Synydwb-pyt, Bezypman-bof, Fandwrsw-vyz, Mamzwb-bab; Fyrek-syn-nam, Magnws-rab, Vabwpetob-zok, Pabofen-nam; Magnws-rym, Rynropeka-gyv
Goals: Magnws-rym 18'(pen), 71', 81'; Magnws-rab 85'

Kwrpania vs. Flavovespia
Roddens Stadium, Roddens, Kytler Peninsulae
Projected Lineup: Fakswr-rof; Synydwb-pyt, Bezypman-bof, Fandwrsw-vyz, Mamzwb-bab; Fyrek-syn-nam, Magnws-rab, Vabwpetob-zok, Pabofen-nam; Magnws-rym, Rynropeka-gyv

[Banija]

Musoke Owole, 10 years prior, at the Moravica U14 state title game

Musoke Owole was probably the best youth player in Moravica, even at 11 years old. Banija's wealthiest and most populous region, it was a hub of producing athletes- although, of course, with how sports mad this country is, athletes truly came from all over. But Owole was playing 3 years above his age group- and even here, as a midfielder, he was dominating. Obviously, he was a bit smaller than everybody else. But his skill levels were off the charts.

He was likely going to go to Herzegovina City FC's academy next year at age 12, the youngest you can be to go to an academy in Banija- although Istria City FC and the Herzegovina Phoenix were also hot in pursuit. Owole had all sorts of talent, and he had dragged his team, the Little Green Raiders Football Club, all the way to the Select state title game. Before high school, there were all sorts of ways to organize sports in Banija- and in Moravica, you had a decently well-organized travel team system.

While he was playing three age levels above him, still as the best player, his team was on the brink of a championship. They were regular winners, of course- but this was the first time Owole had been there with them. And Owole had been given a chance to win it. In a 1-1 game, with 3 minutes left (at this age group, games were 70 minutes long), Owole had been fouled inside the box- and the referee had pointed directly to the spot. Penalty to the Little Green Raiders.

"Come on, son!" His Father had yelled from the stands- he could make it out. Only a couple hundred people were there, to be fair. Musoke had grabbed the ball, and walked up to the spot. He had no idea what the future held- the 11 year old knew that this was the biggest game of his life- so far, anyways. Of course he was going to be asked in this moment, of course this would be his ultimate moment to shine.

He breathed, kissed the ball, and put it on the ground. He took a deep breath, backed up, and looked at the referee to start his run-up. He started his run-up, struck the ball cleanly- and skied it over the crossbar. The other team was celebrating, he was looking on in horror. At 11 years old, he even shed a few tears.

His team ended up losing on that day- a last minute winner for the opponents. He vowed to his Dad that very day- he'd never take a penalty again.

---

Musoke Owole, after the end of extra time, with the score level at 2-2

Penalty kicks were upon Banija and Kelssek. It had been an insane game. One that was 0-0 after a rather sleepy 90 minutes, had exploded with four goals in the final 30 minutes, as the game went into extra time with excitement. Owole was absolutely exhausted. 120 minutes would make anybody completely spent and devoid of energy- and Owole was no exception to the rule. When the final whistle had blown- the referee having given 4 minutes of stoppage time, he had collapsed to the ground.

It had truly been an insane game. Resnais-Mahama had opened the scoring, for both teams, in the 99th minute, with an incredible diving header, for a top-class finish to give the Banijans the lead. The Banijans, at halftime in extra time, tried their very best to set their team up to win the game- two extra defenders. But then, madness and chaos had struck. It was Ariana Coulter who would score, in the 111th minute, to make it 1-1. Ok, fine, play for penalties.

But when Titan Pogbacar scored from distance, to give Kelssek the lead in the 114th minute? Madness. A complete change- the game had been turned upside down. The Banijans had been 20 minutes from the Round of 16- now, they were 6 minutes, plus stoppage time,from the next flight back to Banija. They had extra defenders on the pitch, and only one change left- so Zaharija Zdjelar-Siwangeh went into the game for his first minutes of the tournament. Find something, anything.

Banijans were largely just heaving balls into the box, hoping for something. But an opportunity for a free kick game- but the Kadongo Kamu pulled something off the training ground. Instead of striking it, Son-Saka passed it to the Banijan in the wall, who was Resnais-Mahama. He made a sideways pass to Daraja Kanka, who hit a diagonal through ball to Zaharija Zdjelar-Siwangeh, who, in behind the defense, smashed it home into the far bottom corner from close range, right as we crossed the 120 minute mark into stoppage time. That had made it 2-2, which was the score when the final whistle blew.

He should have been excited. And truly, he was- just 4 minutes prior, the Farf dual-national, Zaharija Zdjelar-Siwangeh, had come off the bench and scored the goal of his life, equalizing about 3 seconds into stoppage time to allow Banija to have a chance at penalties in the first place. So after about 5 seconds of laying on the ground, he pulled himself up off of it, and jogged over to the manager. They would huddle before penalties.

Banija had a system, and Trischuk had drilled them. Owole, quite literally, hadn't taken a penalty in a competitive match in 10 years. Never in a shootout- not for club, not for country. Certainly not in a game- but being so deep in the penalty pecking order for Banija, he wasn't thinking about it. He'd be unlikely to go up- he was 8th in the order. They'd done the walkthrough at practice. The entire walk. Although he never felt great about penalties, it was not a story he told anybody about- the last penalty he had taken, even as a child. It always stuck with him.

"Great job team!" Trischuk said, clapping. "Penalties- it's our chance to win this thing." He looked up. "Ok, our order- Kagenda, Resnais-Mahama, Son-Saka, Yob Yeyeh Aan, and Musoke Owole." They all clapped- but Owole was confused. He was 8th in the order, right?

Then it hit him- three players ahead of him in the order had been subbed off, and so he had slid up the list. "Fucking shit." He whispered to himself. He felt his stomach drop. There was no way he could take a penalty. It gave him the heeby-jeebies. He was going to walk up to Trischuk to tell him, and then-

"Hey Musoke, you're gonna do great!"
"Come on team!"
"BURY THOSE MOTHER$*$(@!"

Anything he wanted to say to manager didn't matter, as Son-Saka grabbed the list that was given to him by the gaffer, and walked up to the referee. Owole was going to take one, and not only any- the 5th. It could be potentially decisive, in either direction.

Banija won the toss- they would shoot second. The first two takers for each side would make no doubt about it, slamming the ball into the corners. Pogbacar for Kelssek and Kagenda for Banija in the first round, while Coulter and Resnais-Mahama buried theirs in the second round. It was the third round of penalties where things went haywire. It was an Deòir who would slam one home for his third penalty. 5 penalties so far, all picture-perfect. Son-Saka, the Banijan captain, would step up for the third penalty- and he had it saved.

"Fucking shit." Owole had sworn to himself. Things were going well- but suddenly, in a shootout where nobody could seem to miss, Banija had blinked first. Rolando Cutter would step up next for Kelssek- but Biran Jarju, the Banijan keeper, had kept his penalty out of the back of the net. Diving to his left, a strong save to keep Banija in it. Suddenly, a shootout where nobody could miss, turned into a shootout where nobody could score. Yob Yeyeh Aan, for Banija's fourth penalty, hit a panenka directly down the middle- a cheeky chip, with the highest stakes- but it worked.

3-3, after 4 penalties each. Owole felt as if he could throw up. He did NOT want to be the man to take the 5th penalty. Many wanted to be- but his childhood penalty miss kept playing in his head, over and over again. The Kelssek captain, Kaiden Pépin, was up next- and it was not the type of day to be wearing an armband. His was the first penalty of the shootout, for either team, to be off-frame. He sent Jarju in the wrong direction, but hit it wide of the post, missing everything- a penalty that will surely haunt him for the rest of his days.

A strange shootout. Both captains missing. A panenka hit. A comeback for Banija, of sorts. And it all came down to this- if Owole hit it, he won. He walked up- it was a long, lonely walk from the center of the pitch. He, truly, felt like he could throw up. His nerves were nearly eating him alive. Jarju, the Banijan keeper, jogged up to him. "Hey man, calm down- just find your spot, and hit it as hard as you fucking can. Don't worry about stutter-steps, or anything fancy- power, power, power."

Owole nodded. He grabbed the ball, and put it down on the spot. The referee gave his signal. He logged towards the upper corner on the left- having found his spot. He planted firmly, put his head down, and put his laces through the ball... And he heard the roar.

"MUSOKE!!!" Biran Jarju, the keeper, yelled at him, as he was first to him to celebrate. Owole had felt as if he had a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders- like his childhood self was saying thank you. He didn't have much time to think about that though, as his teammates mobbed him and jumped on top of him after he fell to his knees. What a tremendous shootout- a powerful, emotional one. The Banijans would live to play another day, here at World Cup 100.

[Saint Eleanor]

OOC: My thanks to Tikariot for letting me use Alcassar as a site for part of Episode VIII and TKT Express (totally not DHL) as a vehicle for nearly-unreadable postcards. He's approved of the relevant section of that Episode, in the capacity of "please read over my RP so that I'm not godmodding or misrepresenting your wonderful sights and sounds," and advised that the auranur is more or less on equal pegging with the dollar.

Group of Six meeting (CIII) --- SAINT ELEANOR 2-1 Indusse
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Lydia Vickers [C], Cathy Winchester [VC], Robby Ellis [ballot]
Location: An outlet of Margaret's restaurant; besides the seaside, Alcassar; TKT

Match summary:
Goals: Bright (21), Vickers (79); O'Shaughnessy (67)
Red cards: none
Yellow cards: Falconer (36); Hasle (53)

Key moments:
* This was not really either team's "game to win," as it was about as evenly-matched as most people in the camp expected - despite being more attack-minded than Stephen planned for
* Both teams played free-flowing, end-to-end football for more or less the entire ninety minutes, as expected, and both defences are to be commended for not making this an even wilder game
* Isabella Bright's opening goal did not come as a surprise landing as it did in the top corner from twenty yards out, in line with the counter-attacking gameplan...
* ...but she was expected to put away at least one of her many other chances, and even Goblin Grundjee himself did not have much of a hope in the opening half
* Tina Falconer's yellow card was the one conservative blemish on an otherwise open-ended first half, yet even the resulting free kick was just about headed wide of the mark
* Indusse got hungrier and more desperate in the second half, with Djetson Hasle earning a booking and the entire Indussean XI delivering their jobs well
* It was left to Raphael O'Shaughnessy to level up the match for the Flocking Blues, gliding from inside to beat multiple defenders and then Kirsti with aplomb
* This (and, to an extent, the KPB+ reforms) was the impetus for us to push forwards and win the match in ninety minutes, no matter the cost to our players
* Although late substitute Gisken Aldra tried in vain - barely clipping the top of the bar with fifteen minutes to go - it was none other than captain Lydia Vickers who headed in the winner from a corner in the dying moments
* Astonishingly, Indusse almost equalised in stoppage time when we had switched outselves off a bit, but Kirsti just about stopped Grundjee's effort from crossing the line

TAKEAWAY 1: THE KNOCKOUT STAGES ARE A DIFFERENT BEAST - NOBODY, WHETHER THE UNDERDOGS OR THE FAVOURITES, CAN AFFORD TO BE TIMID - WE CAN WIN ANY FAIR FIGHT

Tactical discussion
* StrayaRoos are no longer to be sniffed at: they are the 14th-ranked team and, if this match goes to penalties or worse, they will have gone 20 games without defeat
* Mentally, I'm getting the feeling that they are in much the same place we were last cycle, before Coombe and Launceston retired - many of their golden generation may never play again
* I agree with Stephen that the Roosias will likely "show no fear" and try to run up their lead as rapidly and aggressively as they can...
* ...and, anecdotally, by far the most common way their goals are scored are via an Ella Vidya assist to Alana Kerr, making strength in central midfield essential
* Throw-in strategy is also of unusual importance, as Cruz Kaiplo often scores goals in these situations; there is a need to tightly mark him at all times, but especially during setpieces
* Corner kicks are a particular vulnerability of StrayaRoos', so shots will need to come thick, fast, often, and on target to increase our chances of scoring from both open-play and corners
* A comprehensive approach is necessary: our Roosian opposition has been much stronger in the centre of the field, so our best possible lineup out wide would more than commend themselves
* Aldra would be the best choice in the attacking midfield position - they are slightly more of an all-rounder, slightly more irritable - but no changes in personnel or strategy are otherwise necessary

TAKEAWAY 2: TOMORROW IS A NORMAL DAY - WE HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE AND FAILED BEFORE - KEEP ATTACKING, KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE STRIKERS, KEEP THE FAITH

AGREED LINEUP (4-2-3-1): Sundgren - Falconer, Vickers, Wilson, Barnett - Morgan, Matsuda - Lawson, Aldra, Ohan - Bright

- Cathy

Goodbye to Love
Episode VI

6:42pm - Friday 27th January 2017

For once, there had been remarkably little drama at cheer - and I do mean remarkably little. Tamar did not even notice Rebecca for half of it, which must have helped. Doubly so that Tamar had few genuine allies in her war on Rebecca.

There were few genuine allies, though. Not quite zero. Meet Georgina, someone who we won't get to really see again. She's going to Premier CS, she likes the more upbeat pop as well as the more conventional dance music, she's got a blonde ponytail and for various reasons - including, but not limited to, "she was really helpful to me when I first started" - she actually liked Tamar. This made her a groupie. Not a genuine ally as in "true and faithful," but certainly a genuine ally as in "authentic and committed."

She had learned well from her mentor and had decided that, instead of blaming her for everything, subtler approaches were needed. Such as accidentally knocking her over.

"You could have given me a splinter!"

"Well, no, I couldn't have."

"Why did you do that, then?"

"It was an accident!"

Lizzy was put together and actually professional 97% of the time. The remaining 3%, she just wanted to help clear the benches. "That was not an accident. You are friends with Tamar, after all."

"Who are you friends with?"

"Erm... Rebecca. And other people."

"So why are you accusing me?"

"Listen to what I said and you'll understand."

Tamar herself understood. "Okay, Lizzy. Now stop being an annoying BITCH!"

"I'm the bitch, alright."

Rebecca took one look, and it was concerned. "Punch me!" Okay. Now she didn't look concerned.

The Lizard was pissed off. As often. "Can you STOP fuelling this proxy war?"

Amelia, who actually wasn't taking a side, disagreed. "It's not a proxy war. We need justice." To be fair, though, you do have to live for the drama.

Tamar said "Yes!" in response. A few people nodded.

Nobody punched Rebecca. Not looking for a fight, are we?

Hazel was looking for a bit more than that. "Okay, Tamar. What's it going to be? Are you going to win or are you going to have fun?"

Theresa, yet another cheerleader who never really got involved in the Tamar-versus-Rebecca catfight, randomly decided that she was on Team Tamar. She got up to Hazel and asked her "We're here to do both of those things. What are YOU here for? Talking back at my friend?" (Who wasn't her friend.)

"No, we are not," insisted Alexandra, who did not give the slightest shit about any of this office politics.

Natalie and Steven weren't cheerleaders. They were in attendance, and felt compelled to come downstairs and vault the fences before any other normally-disinterested cheerleaders stepped up and/or got knocked down. "You all need to shut up," he said out of some fear. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING????" she wailed out of pure and utter anger and disbelief that anyone could do this to her lovely daughter.

Tamar wanted to throw a shadow punch at them. Just a shadow punch; there were no takers on Rebecca's earlier offer, after all. Instead, they were wisely deterred from actually joining the brawl by Hazel. And that would be the end of their involvement; they did not even try to take Rebecca home. They did welcome her back after another hour or so, but certainly not very warmly. Disliked at school, cheer and home alike is no way to live a good life. Perhaps Johanna was right when she suggested moving in with Hazel. Perhaps moving in with Johanna would be a good idea. Perhaps leaving the district, running to Mertagne and hoping to meet Poppy Jones would be a better one. Perhaps pivoting to football would have been a good idea, but she's de-facto a year too late for that (which hasn't stopped professional footballers before). Perhaps...

---

Goodbye to Love
Episode VII

11:52am - Monday 30th January 2017

Today was also a geography day. It wasn't Rebecca's favourite subject or the one she paid most attention to. "Okay, so what are we doing?"

Mr Black was liierally the subject teacher, though. You'd expect him to care about it. "Rebecca, do not ask other people their plans. Hazel, do not engage with her; you are at school to learn, not to make friends. Everyone, even if I've not called you out, you are to write down your homework. This is to research the impact of the construction of..."

Okay. Fine, then.

"And if you will all please stand up?"

"Come on, Hazel. Tell me what was going on at the early part of the lesson."

"I don't help other people with their notes. It's a matter of principle."

"Come on!"

"If you weren't listening, you shouldn't be asking people who were listening. It takes up their time and bandwidth. You are expected to listen and to write down notes. Therefore, do not ask me about notes that you didn't write down."

"Fine. I'll look it up."

"Anyway, are we looking forward to cheer again?"

"'We' are two people. The rest of this lot probably don't care about it. Maybe we could talk to Mappy and Harriet on the way out?"

"That's going to take a bit of wrangling because Harriet's got her Juven language class at lunchtime. Anyway, I was saying about my Gladom Newion friends."

"Can we please just talk to Mappy?"

"Do you have something urgent?"

"Yes. She knows about it."

"She's a non-cheerleader, but okay."

Around three minutes of relative silence later... "Look, Mappy. I know you're one of seven. I was talking to Katy earlier about..."

"I get it. Katy's a racist who you don't want to be a racist. She's not Atlas Community School's racist, thank goodness. Carry on."

"Ignore that. You care about family."

"I'm in Hazel's church."

"Hazel's right next to me. As you can see. She's helped me a lot throughout this process. She just wants me to speak on my behalf."

"Anyway?"

"Anyway, my parents hate each other."

"That's a well-known fact."

"Johanna also suggested that I might wish to stay with Hazel as one of her guests."

"Becca's right. I'm fine with it."

"So why don't you do it?"

"Because I was a bit scatterbrained over the weekend."

"Don't be scatterbrained this time. I'll help you with the move-out."

"No, thanks. I'll let you know if I need any help."

"What else do you want to say?"

"Well, about my parents..."

"Your parents have financial worries and are attacking yourself and each other about every issue under the sun. That's as good as I can describe it. Not a good situation for any family to be in. Have you asked them not to divorce?"

"Yes." "Yes!"

"And what did they say?"

"They didn't even engage."

"More of the same. You need some help, Rebecca. Please let me help."

"I'll let you know. Via Hazel if necessary."

3:21pm - Monday 30th January 2017

"Okay, see you."

"Bye!"

"Cheer's next Wednesday!"

3:39pm - Monday 30th January 2017

"I'm home."

"Dad...?"

"You're an adult now. You are going to pay me."

"I don't have money."

"YOU ARE GOING TO PAY ME RENT!"

"I don't have a job."

"ASK HAZEL TO PAY ME THE RENT! YOU HAVE FRIENDS NOW!"

"She doesn't have---"

"I AM A POOR MAN. i NEED MY MONEY!"

"Well... our mortgage... something, mortgage..."

"I AM NOT ASKING THE BANK FOR A REFUND!"

"So what am..."

"YOU ARE GOING TO PAY ME TO HELP YOU LIVE!"

"We're already..." Rebecca vanished a few feet to the other side of the door and didn't mind that her father didn't notice.

5:02pm - Monday 30th January 2017

"I need... help." Rebecca liked this environment. Familiar enough to care. Boring enough that the sofa felt a bit less comfortable than it did.

"Divorce help or something else help?"

"Money help."

"So this isn't about the divorce then," said Hazel, who knew fully well that no amount of money would now stop the divorce from happening.

"He's asking me for rent. I think this is because I can work now."

"You've been allowed to work for a few years now."

"Should I?"

"No. I don't want you clogging up the EHS mental health service."

"Do you know how much?"

"More than I have."

"Are you guessing?"

"I do literally have nothing."

"My life has been trauma after trauma after trauma!"

"Trauma! Trauma! Send help! Help me!"

"Can you stop..."

"I stopped! Stopped my life, my future!"

"You're here."

"I need to sleep!"

"Am I stressing you out?"

"NO!"

"Thanks. Use my bed. I'll go to the sofa if I have to."

Rebecca used Hazel's bed, and did not like it. She did steal one of her books, and got about ten pages in before getting annoyed. Then she went to sleep, read fifty more pages, decided she hated it, and wandered about for a bit more.

"We need to have an important conversation."

"This isn't you, Becca. You're bubblier than this."

"I'm fine. Don't ask me for money the next time I don't have money."

"I forgot when it was that you last bought something..."

"Dinner with you and Esther."

"That it was. You might want to know that people pay for what they buy when they're going out in this country. We don't split the bill or anything like that."

"Okay. I want you to know that my father's getting angrier and angrier with me..."

"There's nothing you could tell me that could make me know anything more about this situation. I am being honest, but there are maybe six different facts that are important here and I know all of them now that you've been going on about this whole rent thing."

"Is your memory longer than mine is?"

"That doesn't matter. We need to make you your normal, bubbly self again and that can't happen while you're at your current place. You left everything at home, right?"

Rebecca stared back at her.

"I'll get the kit. I'm your friend, which means that Dad doesn't hate my guts. Everything else will have to be contracted out."

"I probably don't absolutely genuinely need... 80% of the stuff in there?"

"I cannot stress enough just how much my brother is no longer living at this house. You'll be fine."

"I'll be fine..."

"Call up the school tomorrow. Tell them you're not coming due to the flu. Walking to the payphone two minutes away from my house in this weather is going to give you the same runny nose."

"That's a cold, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's what you're more likely to get in this kind of weather. Sorry about that."

"It's okay."

"I think you need a hot chocolate. I don't." About a minute of silence later, "have I told you about my aunt yet?"

"Yes," said Rebecca without a second thought, even though she had completely forgot about that particular anecdote.

"She had the house fire."

"The... what?"

"Again, that's you not being you. You said you remember this. Anyway, she had the house fire and spent months going from place to place to place - with her family - asking herself what was going on, and sometimes why. She also asked herself much, much sillier questions. What you're saying about trauma is reasonable but I'd like to say she was going through this for a few weeks."

"Wow. I think that's serious."

"It is. She's still alive. She's over in Sunset Gates if you want to visit." (She actually was. This wasn't an attempt to deter Rebecca from going from place to place to place, without her family, asking herself what was going on and why.)

"You said she had a family."

"Yes. Just her and the husband."

"When can we visit her?"

"She's in social work. So... I don't think she's normally busy at night-time."

"Not tonight. Please."

"Tomorrow night. 7pm normally sounds good to her, but I'll ask."

"Okay, and what do I talk about with her?"

"Don't scream at her about trauma. She understands. Talk to her patiently. Ask her what her life is like."

"Okay."

"Your hot chocolate is, I think... ready. Dinner's in a few hours. My dad makes a good beef roast. Use this time to think about how your life can get better."

"By doing anything other than go back home?"

"Yes. I'd like you to be more specific. Focus the mind. It'll help."

9:23am - Wednesday 1st February 2017

Another just-about bright-and-sunny Wednesday in the glorious Great West. "Come in."

"Hello, this is Barry from B & R Spence Removals." He had no idea who this random guy was. He could be a scammer, for all he knew.

"Okay. Are you coming in for the removals?"

"It's what we do."

"You need to bill Rebecca Bryant. She lives at 19 Blackstone Road." That's what she's paying instead of rent.

"I know the people who live at that address. They don't have any Rebeccas on their roll." That's because Hazel just took her in two days ago.

"Okay. James Miller. 54 Westwood Avenue." Homeowner. Head mechanic. Would pay for Steven's pint. Would never, ever, pay for his grocery shop.

"We'll ask you for his payment and other details in a few minutes and... where would you like this stuff moved to?"

"Okay, okay, okay, what stuff? Because I've got two loads." Natalie would have to make her own arrangements.

"I'm not running before I can walk, but I was asked to move the stuff in the pink bedroom upstairs. That's going to 19 Blackstone."

Dad didn't give his permission for this, but at this point, he didn't care less. "Okay."

"And I'm billing James for that, yeah?"

---

Goodbye to Love
Episode VIII

1:03pm (Tikariotian time) - Friday 11th May 2018

"Okay. Nice trinket there." Johanna was impressed.

"No, this isn't trinket." The lad wasn't. "This is a good luck charm. You want trinket, go to third location behind you."

"He means any of those places," complained Rebecca, while randomly gesturing in the distance and assuming that it would have been one of those.

"I wouldn't assume, Rebecca. These are serious people."

"I would!" And then they walked a couple of minutes while complaining about how un-Eleanorian these whole shenanigans were. Not the lad.

"Oh, hello." Johanna was not quite impressed yet. She was courteous. Rebecca wouldn't have thought to be that quite yet.

"Yes, hello, I assume you want to buy something from here? We have a lot of tourist items."

"Out of interest, do people from the local area ever visit?"

"Yes. My brother runs one of the gold and jewellery stalls."

"I cannot afford that!" (Rebecca speaking there. To be fair, though, Johanna couldn't either.)

"Yes, I would like... anything hand-crafted?"

"Here you go... what is your name, madam?" (He said, oblivious to the Eleanorian LGBTQ+ community.)

"Johanna. Lovely to meet you."

"This Tikariotian national owl."

"Utterly glamorous."

"That will be ten auranur, thank you."

"...auranurs?" asked Johanna out of confusion, while pulling out that exact sum from her wallet.

"Okay, you are tourists. You don't have auranur, I can take the dollar. ₳lmost the same exchange rate, though."

"Don't worry. I'm playing by the rules."

"Okay, Johanna. That is your hand-crafted item. Come again."

"Wow!" exploded Rebecca, not quite entirely unaware of what was going on.

"That is...?" Whoever was running that stall wasn't impressed by what he had to see for around a third of every working day.

"Look at that. We could pray there. I think it's some denomination I've not seen before, though."

"Silence. We're Protestant Christians."

"Are we?"

"That's a flag of convenience we use when we're not near anything that calls itself the Baptist Church."

"Okay, how far will that be?"

"Three-and-a-half hours by foot. I'm getting distracted."

"Is there anything you'd like to talk about? First ever holiday for us, isn't it?"

"A holiday is whenever we go west of the countryside or east of the Presidential Palace."

"Are you always this sarcastic, Johanna?"

"Not when I'm eating or sleeping."

"Just think... we could be playing here in three months. That gloriousmost stage of all." (Rebecca said earlier that Saint Eleanor would be about as likely to make the World Cup quarterfinals as her parents were to not divorce)

"That's not a word that exists."

"Yes. Our lot are in. Our lot are here to win. And they will most certainly not be buying trinkets."

"Bridget and Esther have retired, of course they're not going to be milling about on holiday."

"Oh - another one!"

"Hey! I just said I was supposed to be the distracted one!"

"One postcard, please." The lady on the other end of the country slid it to Rebecca and didn't even fine her for the privilege.

"Okay. We'll need to use this for something."

"I'm sure there are a couple of tables on our route. They may have been immediately divorced by their visiting owners." Johanna knew to giggle at any divorce joke that Rebecca made.

"Not that one. It wants you to pay rent."

"I don't trust that one, either. It's not even a table. It's a rocking horse. Wow - it costs that much?"

In the end, though, they got to a window-ledge maybe ninety seconds later and hoped nobody watched.

Dear Hazel - thanks for being nice and helpful last year
I didn't know where to go what to do, you really shouldn't have let me stay over for a while
I'm just glad you're not as hawkish about school as you are about church
Alcassar is lovely, too hot, too sticky, needed a pair of hotpants - come visit one day!
You'll be impressed at what you can find -Rebecca
Hiya there! Loving life, see you around ~Johanna

In fact, nobody watched.

"Are we somewhere that people live now?"

"Yes. We're outside someone's house."

"Again, Jo-Jo. Stop being sarcastic."

"It's the city centre. I think it is, anyway. You have lots of businesses. You have lots of people."

"Welcome to Saint Eleanor," she said knowing fully well that the weather was a bit better there. 15 degrees and a touch sunnier than normal over 25 degrees and annoying enough to require two layers of suncream any day of the week.

"Businesses. We need to find somewhere to post this. I've just been reminded."

"Let's have a look!" (Enough of a look that they wasted thirty minutes trying to find a post office while gaggling on about the quality of the national team - pretty good - and how their newfound independent lives were going - not so independent for anyone involved.

"So, as I've been told, it is not good for man to live alone. And I'm bunking with you."

"Are you dating anyone?"

"No. You've got a boyfriend, right?"

"Yes. Do you have a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend?"

"No. Does this mean you think I'm a bisexual?"

"Erm, no? I know maybe one lesbian and two bisexuals. I just don't like to assume."

"And how many enbies?"

"Just me. Don't date a woman, though."

"Why not? I mean, other than the mandatory fancy wedding overseas."

"You want a fancy wedding overseas. Perhaps even here. Admit it. But really, though, Hazel's a good shoulder to cry on. She also needs her own space. Same goes for me. One of the blokes will deal with your crap. If you somehow convince me to cheat on my partner, I'll probably just tell you to get over it sharpish."

"But come on. We just walked past it!"

"Don't run back."

"We are maybe fifteen seconds away from the depot, if this conversation doesn't distract us. Sorry, Jo-Jo."

Dingdingdingding

"Hello. Is there anything I can get you?"

"We're posting this to the written address." Hazel McAllister, 19 Blackstone Street, Atlas, Saint Eleanor.

"My first recommendation would be TKT Express. Do refer to the price chart on your right. Normally we could get it there in two days---"

"You go with Eleanorian Post, it takes a week!"

"Normally, madam" - it helped matters for the poor attendant that Rebecca was the only member of the party with long hair - "we could get it there in two days, if you pay extra, we can get it there the following day."

"I'll take it. Thank you." Johanna just pulled out her First Eleanorian bank card, because of course. Thank goodness it's not Premier, Rebecca thought to herself.

"You've got your card already?"

"Go find a job, Rebecca. I'll explain it later."


1:53pm (Eleanorian time) - Friday 11th May 2018

"The last time Rebecca and Johanna talked to me was two months ago!" complained Hazel, knowing fully well that they had been on their own adventures in the interim.

"Were you serving them?" David, Hazel's lovely boyfriend, did not want a coffee date. He would have much preferred the local steakhouse.

"Errrrrr... oh, goodness sweetness me. That is not a question I can answer."

"You started dating me three months ago yet you can't tell me what happened two months ago?"

"Don't ruin my birthday."

"Sorry. I did that a few minutes ago."

"Oh, it's fine, lovely."

"Are you alright there?"

"Yes, thank you, Susan."

"How old is she?"

"I started working here when we were still a colony."

"You know what, David? I respect anyone who's been in work for that long."

"Forty-three years?"

"Well done for passing School Certificate Maths."

"Okay. I think we're doing something fun for dinner."

"My timetable, my rules. That's in six hours, not now. I need to call Rebecca, though. See how she's doing."

"They're overseas."

"Johanna's overseas?"

"Becca and Jo are both on holiday. They know each other well enough for it to mean something."

"Wow. I would love to go on holiday with them. I'd lose at least two teeth!"

"From drinking too much soda or getting into a bar fight?"

"I don't go to bars!"

"Anyway, we're moving in together after the wedding."

"I've tentatively pencilled that in for March 2019. You're nice enough for the fast-track."

"Thanks. If I may ask about Rebecca staying with you until recently, though? You mentioned it earlier."

"It was that or she lived on the streets. She's still a bit transient, moving from church friend to church friend, but the job factor, the boyfriend factor, all go into the equation."

"Is Johanna a church friend?"

"Yes. I still don't like that church, though."

"Goooood afternoon. Do you need something else or are you okay?"

"No, we'll stay here."

"24 hours for a reason!"

"The reason is that there are people working the night shifts, lovely. You do know this."

-----

"Okay, what's this?" The workshop was a bit less grotty today than Steven remembered it being.

"I don't know. More fluid than... dynamics." Ted remembered that other people were in the office.

Faleterana let off an almighty laugh. "Fluid dynamics! It's not even rocket science!"

"Well, it will be if you carry on not doing anything about it."

"Steven. You did nothing about your personal life."

"Didn't affect my work life, Ted."

"You come to the job, doesn't mean you leave everything else at the door."

"What - even Bridget Coombe's super-stylish pair of swede over-the-knee boots?"

"That newspaper clipping in the office is weeks old. Besides, I think every Eleanorian lady has worn tall boots, skinny jeans and something like a sweater or a turtleneck jumper at least five times."

"You have a dirty mind, both of you. The only shoes you should be obsessing about are workplace safety footwear."

"Pia Woodward?"

"Okay. Vegan leather. I think they sell that there."

"Utter woke nonsense."

"When did capitalism become woke?" This time, it was Fally causing the laughter.

"Yeah, Fally. I am saying that Eleanorians are unimaginative in every aspect except the one that matters!"

"Divorce law?"

"No, Steven over here didn't make the wisest decision. I have no idea where he's living now."

"Somewhere not as good."

"Welcome to the lower class, mate."

-----

"It's not fair, Mum!" No, that wasn't a young Rebecca speaking.

"What are you complaining about today, my dear?"

"I am getting a lot of crap at work. I had to come home early today, they were that bad."

"Calm down, now. Is there anything in particular they were angry about?"

"Lots of vacancies today, it looks like. I think the helpdesk closed early today." Yes, Natalie was still working in customer service.

"That's not a reason to be angry unless you're waiting a long time for the call."

"Okay, but I need to strike a balance between making the extra money and having some extra sanity!"

"Don't withdraw from your financial commitments next time. I'm paying for everything here. You won't be so lucky in your next house."

"But how am I supposed to get a next house?"

"You can go from Private to General in the Army. No reason you can't leverage your skills into something that pays better."

"Such as what?"

"Check the jobs pages of the paper."

"Okay, and that's still not going to be enough for my new house!"

"This is why you shouldn't have left Steven."

-----

Esther was never actually really close to her fellow cheerleaders. The visits of Rebecca and Hazel from last year were often the closest she ever got to talking to her fellow cheerleaders. Now she was walking about the district, without her dog (who didn't exist), asking herself a few questions that had nothing to do with anyone named above. From time to time, she bumped into people, one of whom had her dog.

"And then I ask myself 'is it safe for women to be walking alone at night?'"

"It is. I was going to school during the war!"

"Uhhhh, yeah. I'm seventeen."

"And why aren't you in school? We were going to school for all of the war."

"The fire alarm's broken. It kept going off for fifteen minutes and then they told everyone to leave." (They actually did.)

"Lucky you. This must have been in the countryside. I'd love to move there one day."

"Have you got your driving license yet?"

"No. I would absolutely drive an SUV given the opportunity, though. It works for the most famous Esther in the country."

"Oh, I didn't see the point in owning one when I was living there. You make do with what you have and if it's all frozen then you just go down to the shops, buy some stuff and entertain yourself in front of the log fire or what have you. Do your parents have a car?"

"No. We entertain ourselves by watching the television nowadays."

"Anyway, going to school, as I said earlier - are you any smart now?"

"I have soft skills. And dancing skills, since I know you're not a cheerleading person. Not really academic skills, though. I'm a bit of a flop!"

"Well, your exams are in six months, I think, so best get cracking on those."

-----

Matilda's hairdresser was still an illegal immigrant. You may want to call her an undocumented immigrant. She literally was, and she asks everyone to call her Sophie, which they do without a second thought.

"Hello, Sophie. Is there anything I can do for you? Other than carry out a citizen's arrest and deportation?"

"I don't think you can do that, Matilda."

"Anyway, I like my full bangs. Please work on those again and chop a few inches off the back, please."

"I don't need to enroll you into the maintenance regime again."

"Okay. Fifteen dollars, here you go."

"You don't have any one-dollar notes?"

"I'm tipping."

"We don't do that in this country."

"I have explained this to you as often as you've explained your immigration status to me. If you'd like me to talk about something else, though..."

"Any gossip?"

"Yes, quite a lot of it. Rebecca and Johanna are off to Tikariot. Hazel's birthday is today. Mum and Dad hate their jobs."

"Your parents are not very patriotic!"

"I mean Rebecca's parents. I always refer to Peter and Eloise by their first names."

"So Rebecca's mum and dad are having petty fights. What's new, then? Saint Eleanor's made the World Cup?"

"That's also in Tikariot. I wonder what Tim Hart would think."

"Oh, I've never been a football fan, so don't ask me about any of that lot."

"Come oooon. It's one of the top three things about this country."

-----

You may be asking what Tamar was doing. Actually not an awful lot, as she was now in Year 14 and flooded by revision. She did still have time for cheerleading, and a couple of creative pursuits on the side. She also had time to write this letter and double-check it twice.

Hiya!

I don't know if Hazel's reading this or Rebecca's. If it's Hazel, I know you had a great birthday. Please pass this onto Rebecca - and keep her stuff safe (she'll need it for her second-ever house move).

Rebecca - I don't really want to say sorry! I shouldn't have blamed you for your parents breaking up, though. I'm still with Damian but I've seen too many splits in my time. It was always someon'es doing or another.

Your fault? No. I was going through a bit of crap at the time. I didn't trust Jesus enough. People were upset at me. I wanted to make the Nationals, and I actually did. Cheer is more competitive than the National Football Team is!

At the same time, I like talking back at people if I think they've hurt me. So yeah, you hurt me. I'm not apologising for hurting you back! Don't ever apologise for anything unless you're forced to. It's Your Life FC and you're the manager.
(Q: "You made a comment about my parents!" A: We have a couple of years of history. I was bound to snap one day or another.)

Away from cheer, I know you've been through some tough times other than the divorce. Are you doing okay in your adult life? Do you still go to church? Are you going to become middle-class in your twenties? Write me back, I promise to respond!

She spent most of the afternoon hand-drawing some beautiful motif around the letter. Then she left it to wait. She knew fully well that her intended recipient was out on walkabouts.

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

CUTOFF
Octofinals

[Aphrilia]

And thus we're here again once more. How were they able to make it here once more?

Aphrilia played Banija in the Round of 16, another team that The Anchors considered tough competition. By this point in the competition, no team could be underestimated. All of them were strong in their own right, they had to be, to make it to this stage in the World Cup. Banija was considered by many to be on the stronger end of the scale, but that didn't deter Aphrilia in the slightest. They've been here before, they know the feeling pressing on their shoulders. They know what burden they bear.

So they went into this match unlike the usual form. Aphrilia came into this match as a team looking to go further than before, one step at a time, one game at a time. They're not looking at past performances, they're not looking at what challenges they may face in the future. Right now? The Anchors are looking at The Kadongo Kamu as another hurdle to get past. And at the end of it, Aphrilia won over Banija by a scoreline of 2-0. Another Ines Forrestal classic of going wide before cutting inside was complimented with a one-two courtesy of Kevin Lacey before she made her signature curved shot to make it 1-0 on the 27th minute. The stadium erupted, the fans cheered, the viewers ecstatic. Banija was lower ranked compared to Aphrilia at the time of the match, but they had far more experience and history. Taking the lead early would be a massive morale booster.

And what a massive morale boost it was, because Aphrilia not only kept up with Banija throughout the match, they seemed to have outplayed The Kadongo Kamu at certain points. The Anchors would make the scoreline 2-0 in the second half of the match, with substitute Theresa Villa tapping it in past Biran Jarju after a scuffle for the ball in the Banijan box when a free kick by Hendrick Meyer-Bertrand had been deflected. There was a smoldering intensity that radiated off this team as the match progressed, giving Banija little chance to claw back the score in any hope of winning the game. Eventually, the match ended 2-0, with Aphrilia advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

As Bianchi watched on the sidelines, the referee blowing the whistle, he thinks about it.

Well, it isn't a good descriptor. But rather, he thinks about Theresa, who seemed happy that the match finally ended. He sees the rest of the team celebrating the victory as well, considering this was well deserved. Everyone has been working hard for this, and they'll continue to do so. But he worries about Theresa, ever since she revealed what she was to the remainder of the team. Those who weren't in the know about what she was at all. He's just glad that nothing bad came out of it, really. It's not something you just simply tell, and he had to gather everyone on the team for it whilst guising it as a "special" team announcement. He hates misleading others like that.

But it was perhaps one of the only ways the entire team would gather up. And he would rather the team resolve any issue they personally had together as a family, even if it has to hurt in the process. He thinks about it all, wondering. Was it the right decision? "It probably was." Bianchi hears assistant manger Joseph Alan speak. Turns out, he had ordered the rest of the team to go ahead while he and Bianchi talk for a bit. "Always saving me in moments like this. I owe you a lot for helping me steer this ship of a team." Bianchi responded. There were a few interviews that had started, and fans one by one were leaving the stadium. The Anchors would be playing one more match.

"That's essentially my job." Alan commented on what the head manager said. It was true that Alan was definitely better at an assistant role, considering his struggle when he had to be interim manager when Christopher Vermont was sacked. Bianchi had heard the man was now the manager for one of the Premiership teams. But considering the new volatility of the Aphrilian footballing system, you're not going to stay at one level forever. "So, quarterfinals once more. What are we going to have to do to go one step further?" Alan asked, as he himself stared at the green field. He had been a player himself back in the old era, wishing to play for Aphrilia on the international stage. But it never happened.

Bianchi thought about it for a few seconds. There's him and Alan along with Josh Brandway and Oliver Ingrid, who were the team physio and trainer respectively. Brandway was the main reason this team was managing their fatigue well, making sure that every player got enough rest. Ingrid made sure every player had appropriate training, especially ever since Bianchi took the reigns and made every player push themselves further and further during training. He had actually complained at first when Bianchi wanted to give the ohia players harsher training, but quickly understood when he spoke of the reason why. And of course, there was the team itself, the players.

"We're just going to push our limits, again, and again. As we always do." Bianchi spoke, also looking out on the now empty field.

---

Ashton Roberts was here from the very beginning.

If there was one player that would be considered underrated and under the radar when it comes to presence on this team, it would be them. They were there since the very beginning, all the way back during the qualifiers for World Cup 95. They were originally a substitute player, and a few cycles later would get the starting spot. Ashton was the type of player who would put in consistent 7 to 8 out of 10s every match, making sure they did their job. And to this day, that's what they continue to do. Just doing what needs to be done.

They're... Not particularly close to anyone on the team. Ashton has been noted for their tendency to stay alone, and only gathers when asked to. It's not that they don't enjoy socializing with their teammates or whatnot, they're just naturally a loner. Ashton is surprised that people somehow can't comprehend that some people just enjoy being alone and have no problem with it. If they had to judge, Ashton would say that they got along decently well with the entire team. No personal relationships whatever, they're not like Karnwell and Forrestal to the point of willingly marrying someone on the team or Lacey and Christonson where their previous hatred shaped their newfound friendship.

Well, there is one person actively trying to socialize with them, trying being a keyword.

"Come on Ashton, surely there is something I could do to win you over!" Spoke Ellie Saunders in that somewhat cutesy voice of hers. Saunders was the opposite type of person that Ashton was, she was extremely sociable and got along with just about anyone and everyone, no exceptions. Now here she was, trying to convince them to do something together. Apparently the right back has somehow been able to convince a lot of the people on the team to do something with her, just a little small event to commemorate their friendship. Something along the lines of that. Ashton didn't consider anyone as a friend, rather just as acquaintances. They just prefer being alone, that's all.

"No, you won't. Plus I doubt there's an activity you and I can both do considering our differences. Bother someone else, won't you? You've been getting close with that Hendrick kid." Ashton merely responded as they walked down the hall. Saunders face turned a bit red and she looked away for a little bit. "Not too close. We're just good friends," The girl said. For now, Ashton thought. She clearly was interested in the boy, but they weren't sure if he was interested with her back. But that wasn't Ashton's place to judge or think of. "But seriously, I'll get you to do something with me soon. Just you know it! See you later then." Saunders added, as she rushed ahead to find someone else to bother.

And for a second, just for a second, Ashton swore as if she looked like she had wings.

BANIJA 0 - 2 APHRILIA
(27') Ines Forrestal
Ensa Janneh -- (35')
- HALF TIME -
(47') Theresa Villa
Sherif Kinteh -- (68')
(89') -- Kyra Von Kachel
- MATCH END -

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

The huge banner before kickoff at one end of Carva Dock Arena had one simple message: "BUILT BACK BETTER."

This phoenix Kytlerian side - the only survivors, in the most literal sense, from the team that were so comprehensively outplayed in Alaer two cycles ago against Baker Park were those who missed the squad either through injury or foreign club commitments - had fulfilled one half of that banner's promise by winning a hexadecifinal in Alaer. But that one was against Qusmo, a team that the "lost" Kytlerians had made a habit of beating 1-0. This was the true era-defining moment - a chance to reach a first-ever quarterfinal, and against the very team that ruined the home dream last time.

Not that there's ever many "returning" players when you meet Baker Park, a team famous for their relentless squad rotation. The two sides met in a friendly in Baker Park to fill a qualification bye for the hosts - it finished 2-2 - and it was seen as a coincidental surprise by analysts in the Commonwealth that there were even as many as five starters in common between that side and this one. You know what to expect on a broad level from Baker Park - a narrow, stubborn back three with flying wing-backs and fluidity in front of them - but it was almost not worth scouting individual players on the team such was the level of rotation, so exploiting individual matchups was something the visitors could do more easily than their hosts. And they duly set about doing just that, nullifying Vicente by pinning him to the touchline for much of the early going whilst overloading Zachary Edwards-Hillier - the only other Kytlerian starter in common to both of these matches - in his single-pivot role in the 4-1-4-1. But two key blocks from Liz Okney and one smart save from Peter de Beukelaer meant this early pressure - unlike the lightning start they made back on that night in Alaer that saw them 2-0 up inside 15 minutes, the game effectively won before it had truly begun - did not convert to anything on the scoreboard.

And that, in turn, gave the hosts hope, even as they seemed to be outplayed. By the middle of the first half, they weren't being - both sides seemed to be snuffing out each other's attacks with equal ferocity, Oliver Vandome growing into the game emphatically with multiple crucial tackles that drew roars of home appreciation - and frankly there was no sign of a goal at either end until a speculative strike from Hjördis Sigurdsdóttir, who may have been impatient after barely having a touch for much of the early going, clipped the outside of the post on its way wide. Once that initial storm had passed, 0-0 at the break felt like it was not just the right score but the inevitable one, so there was an absolute sense of despair when Stefanie Martini's curling effort from distance seconds before the end of the two added minutes bounced off the bar and straight to Terrell London for a tap-in with literally the last kick of the half.

Here we go again.

But this was a different team, and Thomas Hooker was quick to remind his dispirited charges that the Bees had largely delivered their sting already, that they had if anything taken the lead against the run of play, and that this team was different. They'd already won in Alae, and now they could win against Baker Park too. Besides, they could bring a little individual chaos to the party too; Sigurdsdóttir was sacrificed for Dino Azar, who moved to the left side allowing Vicente to play inside. The entire geometry of the attack had shifted, Vicente even frequently running into the right channel to create overloads with Alex Ellington on that side, and within eight minutes of the restart that set up the equaliser; with the back three staying narrow, Vicente was freed up by an Ellington backheel to run into all kinds of space on the right and pick out the perfect cross for Charles Packard to head home just inside the left post. Bedlam in Bay City, and not of the kind that Kytlerian right-wing media love to pretend is far more common than it actually is; the wall of noise from not just the spectators in the ground but those watching from elsewhere filled the city on this sultry summer evening.

And therein lay the Kytlerian advantage. In these sticky conditions - 29C at kickoff with high humidity - Baker Park's high-octane style always had a chance to bite them, even though they'd played here twice already and set up their tournament base in the area. Hooker had set his team up in a relatively low block for much of the first half with the aim of conserving energy for the latter stages, and while the Bees could draw on their substitutes so could their opponents. When Ellington went down with cramp, they were replaced by Joke Feltkamp - the last-gasp heroine of Alaer - and within 90 seconds of coming on, she had won a corner which she herself took short and quickly to fellow substitute Tinna Ragnarsdóttir. Driving at a weary Bees backline, she cut the ball back towards Vicente lurking with intent inside the D - but while his inevitable shot flew narrowly over, there was a roar from the crowd before it had even been struck, because Ragnarsdóttir was caught by Heather Womack sticking out a leg for a ball that was just in the process of being moved on. It was no longer there, Ragnarsdóttir's standing leg was, the two collided, and the Edsmon referee had a clear view and knew what he saw; as soon as the ball cleared the bar, he pointed to the spot.

Vicente had scored the Kytlerians' second goal against Baker Park in World Cup 98 - a consolation penalty with the last kick of the match that merely gave the scoreline the veneer of competitiveness in a match that was not as close as 3-1, let alone 3-2, implied. Now, in the 81st minute of this octofinal, he had the chance to once again score the second goal against Baker Park in a World Cup knockout match - but this time it would mean everything.

Where to put it? With this much nervous energy from this much context, the Miposojeon maestro saw one option - smashed down the middle and trust the keeper wouldn't stay there.

The penalty was duly smashed down the middle.

The keeper duly didn't stay there.

There were still around fifteen minutes to play once stoppages were added, but the Bees were beaten. They never once looked like scoring after that blow; their sting had been drawn. They had done everything to blow the hosts away once more, they had once again had the better of the first half both in terms of flow (initially) and the scoreboard (eventually), but it wasn't enough.

Because this time, they met a Kytlerian side that built back better.

[Valanora]

Two World Cups ago, the Goldhorns entered into the Marauders group as an old force that was still simply mustering its courage and strength to return back to the state it had once been in before the period of its isolation. The Marauders had entered that group stage with a heart full of ambition and expectation, a new manager who seemed to gel with the Vanorian way of wanting to play the game and coming off the closest they have ever gotten to winning the ever elusive sixth World Cup title. Ellzidan in her first tournament in charge had taken charge had taken the team to the ARC Final, only to have cruelly suffered the same fate as Millet a month earlier and lose to Squornshelous in the Final in a penalty shootout. The Marauders seemed as primed as ever to raise their banner and stomp through the World Cup, to obliterate all in their way, and at long last dispel the notion that the chase for a sixth World Cup title was curse and lift the trophy for the first time in fifty-four years. However, what you think is going to happen and what actually transpires so often are two wildly different things and so it was in that group stage.

The Goldhorns shocked the Marauders with a three to two victory in the first matchday, a sign that they were far closer to being back to the top of the footballing world than what had originally been thought, with this only their second Finals since the isolation period ended. The loss nearly sent the Marauders into a tail spin and out of the World Cup at the group stage, despite having entered into the tournament as the top ranked team and the betting favorite to win the tournament. Following the loss was a four all draw with Chromatika, a result that had kept both teams ambitions to advance alive but the Marauders were very much on life support needing a victory in the third matchday to advance. Despite Auprussia having nearly bested the Goldhorns in the second matchday in a six goal thriller of a draw, they were overwhelmed by the the Marauders relentless attack in a four to one victory, a scenario that nearly played out exactly the same during this group stage with the Marauders having earned a victory in the third group stage game to secure advancement. While Siovanija and Teusland would win the group on five points, following a draw with Chromatika, yet they would lose in a nine goal nail biter against Kelssek in the Round of Thirty-Two.

As for the Marauders, despite a near disastrous group stage, they would ride the momentum of that massive victory over Auprussia into the knockout rounds, first with a narrow victory over the then upstarts of Hot-DAMN two to one, before a sense of vengeance against the Red Blacks of Squornshelous in the Round of Sixteen in a masterful five to one win over the competition's holders. That victory was such an emotional high that the team was not far from being their best in the Quarterfiinals when vulnerabilities in the defensive cohesion allowed Tanirinthia to score four times against the Marauders in that fixture and the team from the Empire could only muster three, eliminated at the Quarterfinal stage despite having just beaten the best team in the sport the round before. Their foes would lose to eventual champions Flavovespia in the next round before edging out a seven goal thriller in the third placed game against Edsmontik, showcasing the rise in parity that has seemingly happened over the last decade. That tournament to was held in Tikariot, Qusmo, and the Kytler Peninsulae, as is the tournament that is currently ongoing.

Unlike this tournament where the team has stayed in Tikariot, that Marauders team originally was in The Kytler Peninsulae for its group stage matches before moving to Tikariot for their knockouts following the first use of Qusma seeding for the knockout draw. Here they are again in the knockouts in Tikariot, here they were again playing a mustering Goldhorns side that looked primed to be a true contender in the competition. With a plethora of quality strikers as well as good to elite talent throughout their lineup, the squad that their northeasterly neighbor could field was able to compete with absolutely anyone in the competition and have a better than good chance to pull out a result. Their group stage had been without a blemish, finishing on seven points after they drew with Squornshelous and beat both Zwangzug and Paradystopia, then going on to defeat a resurgent Reçueçn in the first knockout round to seal their place in this date of destiny between the two Arrosian sides, having had the better of the last match between the two but having failed in every other match between them.

It started out resplendidly for the Goldhorns though, as their wonderboy do everything striker in Hackl embrace the spotlight of the moment and fifty-two seconds into the match had put the Goldhorns ahead with a curling shot that was just past the diving fingertips of Tobias Propst and brushed against the inside of the post as it went in. For the Marauders, it was a gutpunch and a half, a reminder of how the game a few years ago had gone when their neighbors had been able to score with such magnificent displays that it had left them reeling. Ellzidan however had coached this team better than that and she was not about to let the team see a repeat of history, yelling some instructions to Hawk right before the restart and the captain relaying them to the team. Whatever it was, it was not working in the attack as the Goldhorns staunch defense was holding the Marauders at bay, Haaland and Hawk not given time on the ball to create good scoring opportunities, the few shots the team mustered having been from outside the area. The Goldhorns were excellent in the first half, winning most aerial duels and fifty-fifty balls, yet Propst would save two more efforts from Hackl as well as one each from Kosch-Kovarik and Korlikov to keep the deficit at a single goal going into the break.

There was no dropped heads heading into the locker room and when they returned from the break the team seemed spirited, ready to strike if they were given the chance. Aya Haukås would be replaced by Lina Gården but the team remained otherwise unchanged to start the second half, knowing they needed to push for a goal. The Goldhorns were seemingly up for the challenge as the first quarter of the hour of the second half saw each wave of attack from the Marauders break upon the defense like a wave upon the rocks. Hawk though had the smallest opening in the sixty-fourth minute as the defense finally allowed him a half yard of space, which was all he needed to send in a killer through ball for Linus Sollien, the winger collecting the ball and moving it to his stronger foot before putting it past Sepp Kranz in goal. Game level, the match was once again back on and the team felt that surge of momentum build and build into a crescendo and Haaland would rise above Arnold Apel to head home a cross from Gården in the eighty-second that Kranz got a hand to but it had been hit with too much strength and went off his end and over into the back of the net.

Eight shots on target from twelve in total and having lost the possession battle against the Goldhorns and yet the Marauders had escaped with a victory to head once more into the Quarterfinals here in Tikariot. Four years have passed since the upset in Baraldhur to Tanirinthia, now here in Port Tacassam at the Dragoncrest stadium, the Marauders face a far more difficult foe as seventh ranked Saint Eleanor rises to be their opponent. While Tikariot has far from seen the best that the Marauders have to give, they have seen a scrappiness from the team along with a bunch of grit, determination, and resilience that you would not normally associate with the more cerebral and technically gifted team from the Empire. When push has come to shove, they have shown a fightback that has been missing, perhaps the hunger and desire for that sixth title weighing on them and pushing them to places they normally do not go to find a way to a result. The coasts of Tikariot perhaps have something to do with it to, a stark contrast to the beautiful blue skies and fields of green grass and woods back in the Empire, instead bustling cities and a sort of gray overcast with the customary afternoon showers that comes with living off the coast.

This match against Saint Eleanor looks to be a defining moment for the team and Ellzidan and has the possibilities to showcase the worrisome lack of clinicalness and finishing the team has had here in Rushmore during the Finals. They are a team who while not playing like the Rejistania or Taeshan of old or even the Audioslavs and Ko-orens of the modern era, they are a team who believes in defense first and scrapping a goal to win the game however it might come. It has served them rather well, they have only conceded thrice here in the Finals through the five matches and have yet to even draw one of them, having a clean perfect three from three record in their group stage while winning both of their knockout games. Saint Eleanor is a force to be reckoned with, their seventh ranking in the sport was not earned by pure chance, they have honed their craft well and execute it nearly flawlessly. However there is but a single goal in mind for the Marauders, a focus and drive so intense we are seeing sides of the team that have been absent for some while, and that is the drive for a sixth title. The finishing needs to be better but the defense has played superbly well this entire tournament and it can be a pillar that the rest of the team can build on to find their momentum and moments to strike. A World Cup win is not a marathon, it is a gauntlet, and being only three steps from that desired finish line, there will be no effort or energy not expended to find a way to victory.

[Tikariot]

One of the bridges over one of the many canals in Avanaroch's old town has been transformed into a makeshift studio setting, with couches and chairs, torches, tea, cookies, some fans seated in bleachers to either side and many more lining the sides of the canal. In one of the chairs sits Tikariot and Crimsonhawke legend Johanna Spiteri, now a pundit for Tikariot Sports TV, with Wiołeta Motyka, Morris Nighthorse, Solfrid Frøya Fiskerstrand-Kyvåg, Magnus Baltazar von Rosencrantz, Adrian Grimaud, Andarra Belfrage and Anna-Sofia Nørregaard-Hjelmborg scattered around the other chairs and couches.

Johanna: Good evening, Tikariot. We're on the eve of the Snowy Owls' quarterfinal game against Tanirinthia and after getting inundated by comments, posts and messages that fans want to know more about what has widely been accepted as the "Tikariot Seven," we decided to come to Avanaroch and sit down with them. So, here we are, in maybe the most picturesque setting I've ever done an interview in. Welcome to the Seven!

Andarra: Thanks Johanna. It does look nice. [looks up] thankfully no clouds, didn't feel like getting wet tonight.

Johanna (laughs): Yeah, me neither. So, World Cup at home, in the quarter finals, how does it feel?

Adrian: Great! The Dark Tide's been with us wherever we go, but here it's like a huge party, wherever we go and look, it's all black, maroon and white.

Solfrid: It's been wonderful! You know those kind of dreams--

Wiołeta: Fever dreams?

Solfrid: Ugh, Wio, no, you never have those kinds of dreams where it feels like everything is perfect, fans, games, wins.

Wiołeta: Uh, no.

Johanna: So, Wio, what is it like for you then?

Wiołeta: Cool, just plain cool. I haven't paid for a single pastry ever since the World Cup started.

Johanna (laughs): Pastry? Still addicted to those things?

Wiołeta: You betcha! But you know that from when we played together in Crimsonhawke.

Johanna: Oh yes. I still remember when our nutritionist gave up on trying to stop you because you'd just smuggle them in somehow.

Wiołeta: Nobody stands between me and a croissant. Or scone. Or cinnamon roll.

She looks at the others in a crouched down form.

Wiołeta: My preciousssss.

Everybody laughs.

Johanna: Having played in two World Cups before, I know the feeling, but how does the pressure feel going into this match?

The group goes quiet for a moment.

Andarra: The pressure is... heavy. I mean, a quarter final of a World Cup will always be a high-pressure situation, especially since we're coming off a third-place finish and are fourth in the multiverse and the number one already is out, but at home, you know, it's the fans. Not that they're putting huge pressure on us, its more that... that...

Morris: It's that we don't want to disappoint them. They deserve us winning this. We had been without any silverware for so long and then we won the Copa Rushmori and it was like the entire nation just bloomed. Every child in Tikariot dreams of moments like this, so when you’re living it, you don’t want to fail them. But pressure also sharpens you. It forces you to be absolutely present.

Magnus: Pressure is the cost of ambition. We want to win. They expect us to win. But we don't see it as a burden. It's kinda our contract between us and our supporters. You believe in us; we repay it.

Anna-Sofia: And honestly? It’s easier with these six idiots beside me. They make it feel less like pressure and more like... purpose.

Wiołeta: I don’t feel pressure. I am pressure.

Adrian: Did you have beans again?

Wiołeta: Oh, shush you!

Adrian: For me, pressure feels more like a reminder. That what we are doing matters beyond ourselves, for an entire nation that's football crazy and passionate.

Solfrid: It feels a bit like standing on the edge of a cliff before a storm. You feel small but powerful at the same time.

Johanna: That's actually a lot deeper answers than I expected. Which brings me to the next question: How do you feel about being called the Tikariot Seven? And how did it end up being you seven anyway?

Adrian: The name was all the media. They love a catchy and hashtaggable title.

Anna-Sofia: Besides, it sounds dramatic. Like a movie about rebels stealing something.

Wiołeta: “The Magnificent Seven”, spicy edition.

Magnus: As for how it ended up being us, I have no idea convenience? Curiosity? Poor judgment?

Andarra: We were the only ones who didn’t have a sponsor thing, treatment, or family visit booked that evening. I have no idea. Well, maybe some. During the last few Copa Rushmori, Wio, Solfroy, Anna-Sofia and I were always together, together with a few others who didn't get a call up for the World Cup, and then, somehow, Adrian, Morris and Magnus gravitated towards us, too. And... we did stuff together, did press appointments, activities and all and I guess that's how it just ended up being us.

Morris: And the spirits guided us.

Solfrid: The spirits didn't do squat. We somehow followed that chaos goblin over there. Straight into Widomaker.

Morris: Growth requires challenge.

Wiołeta: Growth requires milk. I drank so much milk I achieved calcium enlightenment.

Adrian: Really, it was simple. Wrong place. Wrong time. Right suffering.

Johanna: One question that almost crashed our servers was Conquering the Sun?”

Anna-Sofia visibly cringes, Wiołeta beams, Andarra pinches the bridge of her nose.

Anna-Sofia: I should never, EVER have said yes to that.

Wiołeta: It was a joy.

Andarra: It was not a joy.

Adrian: It was an emotional journey through poor decisions, camaraderie, and digestive betrayal.

Magnus: I saw my ancestors. They were laughing at me.

Anna-Sofia: Just seeing something red in or around food gives me PPSD.

Johanna: PPSD?

Andarra: Post Pepper Stress Syndrome.

Johanna: Ah...

Morris: Pain is clarity. The sauces showed us our true selves.

Wiołeta: My true self is a dragon.

An aide brings a plate of pastries onto the set and puts it down on the table between everyone. Wiołeta lungs forward with an excited squeal.

Wiołeta: YEEESS!

Johanna: Now, a few more questions from members of the Dark Tide, shall we?

Wiołeta mumbles something incoherent around a mouth full of chocolate croissant as Johanna holds up a black velvet pouch.

Johanna: Alright. I will draw at random. No mercy.

She reaches in and pulls out a folded piece of paper.

Johanna: Favourite foods?

Wiołeta: Pastries [the "p" of pastry sends a few flaky croissant crumbs flying]. Any type of eggs. Extra pepper. And my grandmother’s war cabbage stew.

Adrian: Seared cod with lemon and herb butter. Simple. Refined. Comforting.

Andarra: My mother’s carrot soup. I know, I know, that sounds boring. But I don't care. It is perfect.

Solfrid: Herbed couscous, chicken, steamed vegetables, honey garlic sauce. Or just a nice, juicy burger.

Wiołeta: Oh, oh! Inferno burgers!! The ones where you order by spice level!

Magnus: Elk stew. Heavy. Dark. Just like Viljamark in winter. I can't think of anything more comforting than that when the world is quiet.

Anna-Sofia: Cold noodle salad with sesame and shrimp. Refreshing. Non-lethal.

Morris: I prefer raw foods. Fruits, nuts, seaweed when I can find it. Food that remembers the earth.

Johanna pulls out another piece of paper.

Johanna: Ooh, that's going to be an interesting one. Favourite musical styles and artists?

Many of the fans around the bridge perk up. This is Tikariot, after all, where metal grows wild like roadside flowers.

Wiołeta: Blackened doom. Folk metal. Epic doom metal - Lunar Moth!

She starts to sing "Crossing the Ruubicoooon!" and several of the fans join in.

Johanna: Didn't you do a The Crimson Court song for karaoke during the last Copa?

Wiołeta: Oh yeah, I did "The Executioner," didn't I? Oh, the look on people's faces was PRICELESS!

Fiskerstrand-Kyvåg: Melodic death metal. Old-school Tikariotian bands especially. Beneath the Cairn, Gravestorm, oh, and Smouldering Silence! That "Gravenmoor" concept album about that old lunatic asylum was positively creepy!

Magnus: I like old school heavy and power metal. Brimstone Ballet are great, Stormforged, the new Harrower is awesome, too! If you're stressed, it gets the aggression out. If you want to work out, it hypes you up. Those double bass of Harrower, if they had those on a galley back in the days to set the rowing rhythm, you could have had elephants waterski!

Adrian: Jazz. Modern jazz, specifically. I like space in music. And subtlety. I also like blues, not that "rhythm and blues" stuff that has nothing to do with blues, but the old stuff.

Anna-Sofia: Electronic chill. Dungeon synth. Synthwave. Stuff that calms my nerves and helps me reset.

Andarra: Orchestral soundtracks. The kind that makes you feel like you're climbing a mountain. Which also is great when you combine it with metal, like Covenant of Swords.

Morris: Traditional drumming, tribal stuff. Deep rhythms that echo the heartbeat of the earth. You'd be amazed by how much that can ground you. You should check Ash and Flame, outstanding stuff!

Johanna: How do you balance football and stress? As in, what do you do to balance it out?

Wiołeta: ...I knit.

You could hear a pin drop in the silence that follows.

Anna-Sofia: You WHAT?

Wiołeta: I knit. Hats. Scarves. Sometimes socks. Shut up.

Magnus: I would rather have expected you using those needles for brutalist acupuncture.

Wiołeta: Oooh, now that's an id--

Andarra: NO!

Adrian: I cook. It makes me calm. The structure, the precision; it helps me unwind and you get a yummy reward at the end. Win-win.

Andarra: I like long walks late at night. No talking. Just breathing, and letting my thoughts unfurl. Or put some music on my phone, earbuds in and take a long walk through a snowstorm. I used to do that when I was a teenager a lot. Just go out, walk out of town, through the forest. Just one thing: Try to remember which way you went. Got stuck in a drafty hunter's hut during a blizzard once.

Anna-Sofia: I chop wood. A lot of wood. Half our training camp uses firewood I chopped.

Magnus: I swim in cold water. The colder, the better. Clears the mind.

Johanna: No fear of shrinkage?

Magnus: I will not even deign that with an answer.

Solfrid: I journal. It helps me keep my thoughts organised, so my emotions don't go all over the place. You should maybe try that one day, Wio.

Wiołeta: Never! My emotions are fine, thank you very much!

Morris: Meditation. Wind rituals. Listening to the land. Or game. Either works.

Wiołeta: And knitting. Shut up.

Johanna pulls the next piece and grins.

Johanna: Who’s the biggest prankster on the team?

Everyone: MOTYKA.

Wiołeta: What?? What'd I do??

Andarra: You put ghost pepper oil on my water bottle mouthpiece.

Wiołeta: Can't prove that.

Johanna: Who would win a cooking competition?

Adrian: Obviously me.

Anna-Sofia: Yes. Agreed.

Wiołeta: I cook, too. You just wouldn't survive it.

Andarra: That is not a point in your favour.

Next piece of paper and Johanna snorts with a laugh.

Johanna: Which Pyazhnayan player would survive longest in Tikariotian wilderness?

Fiskerstrand-Kyvåg: Naira Akhatova. I played with her at Port Rho, nature itself would be afraid of her.

Wiołeta: Mukhametshin. He’s too chaotic to die, nature wouldn't dare touch him.

Morris: Terentyev has good instincts. I think he could do it

Adrian: Arkhangelsky would negotiate with the wildlife.

Johanna: If not football, what job would you have?

Wiołeta: Blacksmith. Hitting metal with hammers all day? Yes.

Adrian: Architect.

Anna-Sofia: Lumberjack. Or would I be a Lumberjill?

Andarra: Teacher.

Magnus: Mountain ranger.

Solfrid: Something analytical. Maybe data science.

Morris: Healer.

Johanna puts the pouch down.

[StrayaRoos]

Well. That was a day that blew up Roosian football in an incredible fashion.
First we narrowly lost the WC100 octofinal to Saint Eleanor, in a result that was admittedly very much expected, but after the game was when the big shock happened.

Calixto Conti, having taken over the team following World Cup 94, has resigned as Emus manager, effective immediately. The Juven manager has stated he will be taking a break from coaching generally, and now, the SFF is scrambling to find a replacement. In the press release announcing the news, they stated that assistant manager Ryan Juaeri would take over for at least the CAFA Cup, assuming the person responsible in the federation remembered to post the signup forms to the confederation, unlike the past several editions.

Paired with the retirement of Cruz Kaiplo and Yasmeen Karmea, as well as the impending retirements of Alana Kerr and Ella Vidya (both of whom have stated they’d play on through WC101 at least), the Emus golden generation may be over. But, we’ll find out for certain this time next cycle. So bring it on….

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

A win in regulation time after a couple matches of making things look difficult. The odd circumstance of facing a World Cup cohost, but not on that nation's home ground. The apparent good fortune of having the toughest potential opponent upset and removed from our half of the draw.

Are we seeing the pieces start to fall into place for the Black-and-Reds here at World Cup 100, or is this the setup for a letdown, the likes of which has already struck other top contenders?

Dudu Madeiros's side notched another close, 3-2 knockout victory to punch their ticket for the quarterfinals and a date with cohosts The Kytler Peninsulae. That match, however, will require the Confederates to leave the site of their prior two wins to head for the next match's venue in Tydebwg, Kwrpania. It's an unusual quirk of the asymmetrical, four-nation hosting and scheduling system devised for this cup. While the Kytler faithful will doubtless be rushing to their keyboards, Black-and-Reds supporters certainly won't be complaining about having a more neutral venue for the upcoming match. If that isn't enough of an advantage for you, consider the relative rankings of the two sides of the bracket. The other side of the quarterfinal slate features the daunting combination of the 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 10th ranked sides in the multiverse, while our side features the 15th, 29th, and 40th in addition to the 3rd-ranked Black-and-Reds.

Despite these positive signs pointed out by prognosticators, amateur and otherwise, there are also causes for concern in the Black-and-Reds' performance, or at least shortcomings that need to be addressed quickly if this team is going to go any deeper in this tournament. Yes, the Squornshelans held the lion's share of possession early on, and capitalized on it in true Madeiran fashion. Raynott's hard, driven cross proved impossible to handle for a Valentian defense perhaps not quite up to game speed after less than ten minutes of play, and was inadvertently deflected in by McMahon. Twelve minutes later, Raynott again brought the ball up the wing, but this time played a cutback to Ksudach for a curled far post shot that eluded Marshall despite the Kitten's keeper's impressive height and wingspan. In fact, for most of the match, the Black-and-Reds kept the ball along the ground, eschewing long goal kicks and long floating crosses and corners in an obvious adjustment to the staggering stature of the opposition, all of whom are well in excess of two meters tall even in their metaphysically adjusted footballing forms.

This was a great start to things, and for a short while looked like it could be the beginning of the kind of rout some had predicted from a match featuring the 3rd and 37th ranked nations. The Black-and-Reds didn't keep their foot on the gas though, but also didn't defend tightly enough to offset the lapse in aggression and pressure. For the second straight match, they let their opponent stick around, within hope of a comeback. Full credit to the Valentians for mental discipline, because they took advantage of their own opportunity, not waiting for the opportunity of a halftime regroup to halve the Squornshelan lead. Concentrating bodies in the middle of the field, they were able to create overloads against the Confederate defense, and opened up space for D'Elia to establish herself in the box, controlling a lofted ball forward from the chest and using her stature and a quick turn to find a shooting lane around Tirel.

The second half would see more of the same. The Black-and-Reds came out swinging, flying up the wings and driving the ball deep into the attacking third. You'd have expected Raynott to be the one to break through the way she was playing, but eventually it was Madathil, getting on the end of another driven cross from her opposite number that was only partially cleared by Chiyumi and smashing it back in on net before Marshall could get resituated. Once again, though, the team seemed to relax with their two-goal lead, despite what had just happened in nearly the same situation just a half an hour of game time earlier. More and more, they seemed content to hoof the ball out, letting the Valentians reset their attacking pressure all too easily and focusing more on containment than ball-winning, much to the visible frustration of Madeiros. Sure enough, fifteen minutes after going back down by two, the Valentians once again made it a one-goal game, this time on the rush, with Van de Hoogte drawing Kamgang to herself before playing a perfectly weighted diagonal ball forward to play Konstantinovich in against Bláha, where the veteran striker made no mistake with a cool finish to the bottom corner.

Yes, the Black-and-Reds did survive the remaining time, but the third-ranked team in the multiverse, one that has not only hopes but expectations of winning this tournament should really be doing a little better than escaping from their knockout matches. The Kytler Peninsulae, their next opponent, are a definite step up from Valentine Z in class, more on the order of what we faced against Juvencus, and with the added motivation of wanting to play a semifinal on home soil. Despite the neutral setting in Kwrpania, the SRS will be designated as away team, playing in white. But this is perhaps a good sign as well. The side's new home kit has seen little success as of yet. The Black-and-Reds have not yet earned a win in 90 minutes at this World Cup while designated the home side. Wearing white, they've defeated Zwangzug 6-2, and now Valentine Z 3-2. Add that to the fact that the SRS has had success historically against teams wearing green, yellow, and blue at the World Cup, as their record against Ko-oren shows, and you have some fairly irrelevant statistic that will have no bearing whatsoever on the match result, though they make for decent reading, don't they?

[Kwrpania]

---

WORLD CUP

KEEP THE MAGIC GOING - Odd goal from five sends Electric Eels to dream quarterfinal

RODDENS, KYTLER PENINSULAE – Roddens Stadium was a home away from home for the Kwrpan national team as they rallied to take down KPB+ #1 side Flavovespia, 3-2.

While less passionately than in Kwrpania's previous games, the national anthem rang around Roddens throughout the day and then before kickoff, with tens of thousands of ticketed fans (and thousands more without) packing the trains and flights and roads from across Kwrpania, through Zube, and to the host city of this octofinal matchup.

Despite the fervent backing, however, it would be the heavily favored "visitors" that dominated the match early, with lone striker Charles Shepherd making an early statement of intent with a header hammered off the crossbar. Another shot from Bagshaw would go narrowly wide on 30 minutes, and shortly before the break, the pressure finally told. A well-worked free kick routine led to the ball falling to defensive midfielder Charles Adams, and he emphatically dispatched the ball over Fakswr-rof into the roof of the net to give his side the lead.

Dobgazoz-bof called the performance "lethargic" to KBN1 at halftime, and their side made sure not to repeat that start, coming out of the interval with a full-field press that began to smother the Flavovespians. Of all people, though, the equalizer would come from young left back Mamzwb-bab. Going forward as the press pushed higher and higher up the field, a turnover down the right side saw the ball come back to Synydwb-pyt, and a darting interior run from the left back was met by a beautiful cross, and an emphatic header into the bottom corner levelled the tie.

While the pressure continued, Jonathan Bagshaw stung Fakswr-rof's palms to earn his side a corner, and the Flavovespians would again take the lead on 71 minutes as Bagshaw's whipped corner was nodded on by Shepherd, beating Fakswr-rof again but this time finding the top corner as he wheeled away towards the section who made the long trip from Anaia for the tournament. It would be a matter of moments, and an astounding piece of luck, before the scores were level again. A long-hit ball from the kickoff was coolly dealt with by the Flavovespian center backs - too coolly - and Magnws-rym, kicking into high gear, inadvertently charged down the clearance, leaving him through on goal and requiring a simple lob over Peter Marriott in the visitors' net to equalize.

It would be the captain that dragged their team over the line, too. Ten minutes later, with the game looking towards extra time, a hopeful cross bounced, and bounced again, and dropped to Magnws-rym, who thumped the ball into the bottom right corner with their weaker left foot to put the Electric Eels ahead. A tiring Bagshaw would come close to finding another leveller in stoppage time, fizzing a shot narrowly over the bar after beating Synydwb-pyt when cutting inside, but the Kwrpan would hold on for a famous upset.

Up next for the Electric Eels is a meeting with Aphrilia, who handled their octofinal with Banija with a comfortable 2-0 victory. The Anchors topped their group with wins over Kimi-Suomi and HOT-DAMN, then defeated returners Paradystopia in the hexadecifinal to set up their clash with Banija in Santa Mordana. In a reversal of expectations, despite both Kwrpania and neighboring host side Kytler Peninsulae qualifying for the quarterfinals, the Electric Eels are set to play in Clituleng Giisost Stadium in Alaer, while the Kytlerians travel to Tydebwg to host the Squornshelan Remnant States in the National Stadium - with the winners of each tie meeting in the Olympic Stadium in Zube to decide a finalist.

Kwrpania 3-2 Flavovespia
Roddens Stadium, Roddens, Kytler Peninsulae
Lineup: Fakswr-rof; Synydwb-pyt, Bezypman-bof, Fandwrsw-vyz, Mamzwb-bab; Fyrek-syn-nam, Magnws-rab, Vabwpetob-zok, Pabofen-nam; Magnws-rym, Rynropeka-gyv
Goals: Mamzwb-bab 55'; Magnws-rym 72', 79'

Kwrpania vs. Aphrilia
Clituleng Giisost Stadium, Alaer, Kytler Peninsulae
Projected Lineup: Fakswr-rof; Synydwb-pyt, Bezypman-bof, Fandwrsw-vyz, Mamzwb-bab; Fyrek-syn-nam, Magnws-rab, Vabwpetob-zok, Pabofen-nam; Magnws-rym, Rynropeka-gyv

---

SPORT

State Ministry for Sport founds new baseball authority in push to develop more Kwrpan sport

TYDEBWG, NORTH PROVINCE – The State Ministry for Sport founded the Kwrpan Baseball Federation (KDK), with the stated aim of bringing professional baseball to Kwrpania. Baseball has been seen as a potential growth sport in Kwrpania for several years by international authorities, with the resemblance to kespor, a bat-and-ball sport played across Kwrpan schools, leading to a familiarity with the sport that may make it easier to pick up. Current reporting indicates that connections have been made with baseball authorities in the Kytler Peninsulae, as Kytlerian baseball is well-established and recently hosted the sport's international tournament, the World Baseball Classic. Tydebwg is expected to be the focal point of any Kwrpan professional team, though discussions regarding a stadium in the Sunset Coast are apparently underway.

---

WEST

Homeland, Kwrpan Union Councillors release tear gas, stage walkout in protest of martial law

KWRPANMAP, CAPITAL PROVINCE – A working session of the Popular Council was abandoned yesterday, as Councillors from the Homeland and Kwrpan Union political parties released tear gas within the Council chambers before storming out, causing no serious injuries but leading dozens of Councillors to seek medical attention. The protest was led by the Councillors representing the interior West communities where martial law remains in effect, but Councillors from across the country participated, with seven later arrested by Kwrpanmap Capital Police for "disrespect to and contempt for the body of the Popular Council" (an offense which merely carries a minor fine, but accompanied by a major scolding). Regular business is expected to resume shortly, though any business other than dealing with continued disruptions, both in the interior West and the Popular Council itself, may strike the public (especially in the West) as a form of "whistling in the forest" to ignore any serious issues.

---

Recommended Articles
WORLD CUP 100 – Tikariot survives upstart scare to set up quarterfinal matchup in Avanaorch
WORLD CUP 100 – Heavyweight clash in Port Tacassam as Saint Eleanor, Valanora meet in quarterfinal
WORLD CUP 100 – Penalty heartbreak for feel-good story Busogans

[Saint Eleanor]

OOC 1: Wow, I genuinely did not expect to make it out of the last sixteen! Please enjoy this teaser of my next roleplay series, as very loosely inspired by Refinery39's Money Diaries (killed in the UK, still alive in the US) while you wait. The cost of living is, I want to say, similar to what it would be in the UK - I'll do a more thorough summary next cycle, but for now, please know that houses, utilities, fuel and bottled water are much cheaper; fast food is a little bit cheaper; food and household goods are a bit more expensive, since we no longer have a sales tax, but then it costs a lot to transport anything from abroad into Saint Eleanor. However, I like to think that if Sophia from Whitehammer was making the same post-tax income in the UK (£23,400 pre-tax), she'd be renting a one-bedroom house, having packed lunch much more often, and never going on holiday abroad.

OOC 2: Credit to Vdara for budgeting Sophia's holiday to Chania: €210 totally-not-Airbnb, €42 for one gyro per day, €40 for various museum tickets, €28 to literally LARP as a Vdara fan, €60 for some expensive Cobrian restaurant (once, I must stress, not fourteen times). I've rounded that up to $700/€603.26 (as per Microsoft Calculator at 8:33pm UTC today), because plane tickets.

Group of Six meeting (CIV) --- SAINT ELEANOR 1-0 StrayaRoos
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Lydia Vickers [C], Cathy Winchester [VC], Steve Pilchard [ballot]
Location: A rest area on the motorway; between Alcassar and Port Tacassam; TKT

Going on the motorway wasn't my idea, we're just very interested in making sure that the best team still in the competition isn't spying on us. The Roosians were dispatched with rather limited aplomb, shall we put it? Ella Vidya was often kept at bay by our midfield, but that was not to say that Kaiplo and Kerr did not come up with their own chances under surprising circumstances; they deserved at least one goal between them. Gisken Aldra did emerge just after half-time with the one and only goal of the match, but Isabella was the real menace, always lurking around and being cruelly denied a couple of times. "A win's a win" is the consensus at the camp, though.

How about a wellness check? We are doing excellently, perhaps better than we have ever been doing before: it feels like the demons of 1998 and 2007 have been lifted, we remain the only side with a 100% record in the final tournament, and we are confident facing even Valanora. It does help that the Elves are very much our mirror image: they have a versatile goalkeeper, a defence that knows when and where to play the ball, a defensive midfielder who can be a bastard on a good day, a winger who likes to attack, a winger who doesn't, a playmaker who may as well be a striker (sorry, Gisken), and a fast, strong centre-forward with a cult reputation.

So how would we face off against ourselves? The obvious answer would be to field the traditional 4-2-3-1 (with Isabella in place of Olympia, of course). It would be easy to call for Cathy to be dropped, but her own pragmatism and the danger of Lina Gården as a potential late substitute means she's be of more good than harm. Matsuda has been doing as well as the team as, so he's staying on and should be trusted not to melt down. Graham and Naclé are still among the best at what they do, so keeping them on would be perhaps the best idea possible. I think that's about it, really - playing the best team we can play will get us the best result we can get!

THE SCHEDULE AND THE FUTURE
- Stephen will be doing semifinal notes
- Gentle Breeze will be taking notes in all other circumstances - final, 3PPO, and quarterfinal elimination
- I'm retiring, Olympia's retiring, Cathy's retiring, all very end of an era around here
- All in all, though, I'm just thankful I'm in the last eight of a World Cup for once!

Friday, July 20th 2018

Michael James: How does a CEO's personal assistant in Whitehammer live? Sophia McMillan, annual salary $27,000

I've interviewed hundreds of people over the years, but whether their jobs are menial or extraordinary, it's fair to say that it's not always been a combination of the two. Today, we're talking to Sophia, who works as the personal assistant for the CEO of one of the most important Eleanorian businesses you've probably never dealt with yourself.

MJ: Can you tell us more about yourself?

SM: Yeah, certainly! I'm 27 years old and I'm the PA to the CEO of Marshall Supplies, which is pretty much the biggest supply company to the Eleanorian trade. They've got around eight stores across the city, I want to say, and an outpost in Crownedhead, so he's quite busy having to deal with everyone and lay out a plan of action for the business. I'm mostly looking after his emails, answering his phone calls when he's unable to, managing his schedule, sometimes accompanying him to important events and otherwise running around the office trying to talk to people to get the most reliable internal information - which is more of a struggle than you might think it is.

MJ: Secretaries and PAs have been involved in several sex scandals over the years. How about you, if you don't mind me asking?

SM: Well, I don't, as I'm busy trying to focus on living a good life for myself and hanging out with the girls. So, yeah, no boyfriend. I do normally wear skirts and dresses and flirty things at work because I'm having to deal with a lot of people and I need to look presentable. I wore a T-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans yesterday, though!

MJ: What's your salary like?

SM: As of the last inflation uplift, I'm getting paid $27,000. It's not a great salary, I'd admit. I have literally the most average School Certificates ever, so you'd expect me to be a bit more average on that front, but I don't really have any strong suits so I just gravitate to being a people person.

MJ: How did you get this job in the first place?

SM: Marshall's a big enough company that their CEO actually needs a PA. If you're a small business, you're probably responding to the emails at 9:30pm on a Tuesday yourself. I'd say anything larger than ten employees, that's when you'll want some admin help. I left school, floated around a few hourly jobs while applying for a ton of actual jobs - this must have been around 2011 - and I got lucky because one of the local primary schools was looking for a receptionist. If you can clean, wash, reuse and serve cups, then you can deal with a bunch of ten-year-olds and their immature parents. I got a bit bored of that after a while, though, so I applied for this job and I'm actually surprised I've gotten it.

MJ: Is there anything in particular you've loving or hating about the job?

SM: It's a lot of work for a typical forty-hour week, as you'd expect from someone who has to deal with. With that said, however, I do have a pretty good handle on everything. I take everything in good humour, I get to talk to a few important people in the role - sometimes even in the Army - and I'm getting annoyed far less often than I was dealing with children or their parents. I always love trying to get myself a glass of water only to find that the CEO is there making himself a coffee - or vice versa!

MJ: Anyway, let's talk about the money side of things. You're on $27,000 a year, $2,250 a month. We don't have tax. What are you spending it on?

SM: My house! I moved out of my parents' place about a year ago and I've gotten a mortgage out on my current house. It's a bit small, a bit rustic, but it's to my liking. $850 a month is what you're getting for the money, which is actually a lot, but then people do have to be paid more here because there are a lot of more desirable places around. I think I can say that this isn't quite one of them! I'm currently on the hook for $90 electricity and $60 gas per month - that's an average, obviously I'm not using a lot of gas this month, but I'd say that's what I'm using on average. It's not a particularly good deal, but then it's not a rip-off, either. I'm also spending $40 on water from the pipelines, which is also around the average; I don't really get bottled water.

MJ: I'm sure you're keeping yourself entertained at home. What are you spending on that front?

SM: Eleanorian Telecommunications does have a terrible habit of giving people pretty good deals. Line rental is $20, broadband is $40 - we get good speeds these days, it's been on the island for quite a few years, I like shitposting on Cicada when I can but that doesn't come around too often. Television package is, I want to say, $55 between the standard package, the sports on Matong and the cinema screens; obviously I like movies, as they're an escape from the real world, but there's an astonishing amount of football alone on Matong and it is more than worth the money. All of that's per month, obviously.

MJ: Of course, you have a life beyond home. How much are you spending on all of that?

SM: On all of that? Too much to say here.

MJ: Or just at work?

SM: I have a car to look after, so between the car insurance and the fuel costs, that's $35. I pack my own lunch three days a week out of five, but I go to Premium Coffee the other two days and will normally get myself a latte and a chocolate muffin or something like that. That's something like $3.50, so if I had to put a monthly figure on my spending there, more like $35. I'm paying almost 4% of my salary into the workplace pension, or $85. If that counts, I'm also a subscriber to the two big national papers, the Reporter and the Evening News, which is around $55 per month put together - just in paper format, you can read their websites for free. They drop the papers off at my door before I wake up, I grab the papers, read over the Reporter while having breakfast, take them to work if it's a weekday, read them a bit more there... I do tend to think it's a helpful way of making sure that I know what I'm writing about on the job.

MJ: I didn't see it that way.

SM: When you're working in business, you need to stay informed. I don't write the reports for his business or anything, but I do want to make sure that if there's anything important, such as supply disruptions elsewhere, that he knows about it.

MJ: You said earlier that you tend to wear lots of different clothes in the job.

SM: Yes, but I tend to be more on the feminine side of things. In terms of actual clothes spending, I think I'm dropping $600 a year on a few new pieces for work and personal use; I'm not a trend-seeker, nobody really is, but people over here to tend to think it's a good idea to wear different types of clothing and will buy accordingly, if not obsessively. Then it gets a bit colder and you have to bundle yourself up and literally reduce yourself to a capsule wardrobe.

MJ: Surely there are times when you're going out with your friends, too - or by yourself. I'm not going to judge you here.

SM: Yes, but these days it's only really once a month. I drop about $10 a time on paying for my own drinks - that's what we do over here, splitting the tab or whatever isn't popular. When I'm off doing stuff on my own time, I'll get maybe three or four restaurant meals a month, which smooths out to $25. Then I'll drop a bit of money on Indy to win the next game or buy a ticket for the Lottery, which also smooths out to $15. All very typical, the Indy-supporting working person having to work under the supervision of her Athletic-supporting CEO. Does anyone making less than $50,000 actually support those guys?

MJ: Believe it or not, they are still the second-most-supported club in that demographic.

SM: Not by a lot, I assume.

MJ: That's your life in the country. Do you get up to much when you're not here?

SM: I do normally try and go on a couple of holidays per year, but for various reasons, the only one I've had was a few months ago to Chania, the capital of Vdara. I had a nice time in the place where I was staying for that and I think that Stavros did a good job making sure the place was nice and tidy. I have no idea why every man of a certain age in Vdara is called Stavros; it's almost like how every other woman in Saint Eleanor is called Lydia. I went out, saw a few museums, had too many gyros, went to some extortionately-priced Cobrian restaurant and liked it better than most of the gyros, and I did other sightseeing too, if that's not too broad a term to use. I saw the national team and pretended to be a fan... yes, I still support Saint Eleanor and that's what I've been doing for the World Cup! This break was almost too much fun; I'll definitely be looking for something more relaxed, maybe a bit more luxurious or a bit more than $700 (approximately €600) next time, as while I like keeping up, I do genuinely need some downtime for once.

MJ: When have you booked your next leave for?

SM: The middle of September. I'm just going to be relaxing at home and maybe looking around the district, though!

MJ: So, now that you've outlined all of that, it looks like you're saving just less than 20% of your salary. What do you really think about what you're making now?

SM: This would not be anywhere near enough to raise a family on, although I think it helps that men do typically work more to compensate for the extra expenses. If I had a baby, I'd probably ask to go part-time pro-rata after maternity leave. But for someone like me? I'd say it's enough to live the kind of life I'd want at the minimum - enough for food, going out with the girls, going on a holiday every once in a while, enough for just relaxing more generally.

MJ: You did say it wasn't a great salary, didn't you?

SM: Yeah, but probably because I'm spending so much on the essential stuff!

How Sophia spends her $2,250 monthly salary:
Mortgage: $850
Food shopping: $280
Electricity: $90
Workplace pension: $85
Internet and telephone: $60
Natural gas: $60
Newspaper subscriptions: $55
Television: $55
New clothes: $50
Water: $40
Lunch at Premium Coffee: $35
Car insurance: $30
Cinema tickets: $30
Other restaurant meals: $25
Betting and the lottery: $15
Nights out with friends: $10
Petrol: $5
+ Two-week holiday in Vdara: $700 (this year)

Total spent: $1,833/mo ($22,000/yr)
Savings: $417/mo ($5,000/yr)

With almost 400,000 people in work in Saint Eleanor - and almost 400,000 stories to tell - Michael James is here to give a voice to people from across Eleanorian society every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. Whether it's talking about the cost of everyday essentials, that big house purchase on the horizon, or just a weekend away from the island, Mr James' talent is his ability to connect with everyone from Saint Eleanor League stars to part-time university bartenders on the subject that nobody wants to talk about. It's no wonder that he's been awarded Financial Journalist of the Year for the last four years in a row.

[Tanirinthia]

---

OF FATES AND FORTUNES
Chapter Forty-Two - Origins (continued)

---

”After a couple of days' travel we finally reached our destination and the mood had sharply changed on the ship, the normal hubbub of the sailors had all but gone, swapped for chased whispers and the curt giving of orders. It seemed odd at first, given that for the first time in weeks the ship wasn’t being rocked around like a cart on a rocky road, the roaring winds had died down and even the sun was shining warmly down. But then it hit me, this was an island in the middle of the ocean, no land for thousands of miles, it should not be that gentle hear, the waves and the wind shouldn’t have anything to slow them down until they crash into the shores and cliffs of this island, not gently lapping on the shores and lighting blowing through the canopies. There was indeed something off here and the crew knew it in their bones.”

”The captain offered us one last chance to turn back, warning us that nothing is worth our lives. Bravely or foolishly we declined the offer, and were met with the captain's hope that when they returned we would be there to meet them. As they would not approach the island any closer and the seas supernaturally calm, we were lowered in a small boat with the three of us and our provisions, heavily loaded as it was, lay dangerously low in the waterline but we began rowing our way to the nearest shore. The three of us were not used to manual labour and were completely exhausted by the time we reached it and pulled the boat up onto the golden sand. After more time than I’m proud of getting our breath back, we took in our surroundings, by most people’s definition we had landed in a paradise.”

”Already the ship had begun to move off into the distance, becoming a speck on the horizon by the time the sun had started to go down. Given the time it had taken us to get to shore, we had decided to set up an initial camp on shore then tackle the hike to the other side of the island where the ruins sat in the morning. As the light faded and as each moment passed I realised we were getting further and further away from the nearest other people on Tanirinth to us, it somehow made the darkness seem thicker, lay more heavy on us. The sounds around us outside the tent sounded alien, and in this unfamiliar place sleep did not come easy.”

”Sleep or no sleep, when the light began to crest over the horizon we had to start getting ready, there was no time for dawdling, we had a good distance to travel to get to the ruins and we had to carry the heavy provisions with us. If we headed off too late we would need to set up another camp along the way in the forests of the island, which was an idea none of us were particularly enamoured with. We were all beginning to feel the strangeness in the air, we weren’t able to put a finger on exactly what, but something was off, perhaps it was just a touch too quiet, perhaps it was the way the leaves were moving, but something was off.”

”On the one hand this was exciting, if this wasn’t just all in our head after being on a ship full of superstitious sailors, if these feelings were real then it was a sign we were on the right part, that their journey wouldn’t be a wasted endeavour, that there was indeed a magical artefact on this island. But the more the feeling creeped into our bones, the more we realised how out of our depth we were, the void of understanding of just what we were getting ourselves into. We all separately thought the same thought, what if magic had been taken for a good reason?”

---

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen | Chapter Seventeen | Chapter Eighteen | Chapter Nineteen | Chapter Twenty | Chapter Twenty-One | Chapter Twenty-Two | Chapter Twenty-Three | Chapter Twenty-Four | Chapter Twenty-Five | Chapter Twenty-Six | Chapter Twenty-Seven | Chapter Twenty-Eight | Chapter Twenty-Nine | Chapter Thirty | Chapter Thirty-One | Chapter Thirty-Two | Chapter Thirty-Three | Chapter Thirty-Four | Chapter Thirty-Five | Chapter Thirty-Six | Chapter Thirty-Seven | Chapter Thirty-Eight | Chapter Thirty-Nine | Chapter Forty | Chapter Forty-One | Chapter Forty-Two (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven)

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Page One

Page Three

Page Two

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[Kwrpania]

CUTOFF
Quarterfinals

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

"In any case, you're right; it's absolutely fantastic for soft power."

Perhaps inevitably, the subject of the World Cup had arisen at a strategy meeting in the president's office. In attendance were the president's chief of staff, Olli Gogineni, and communications director Rognvald Faulkner along with Foreign Minister Marina Kormiltsev and as usual the president's personal secretary, Inger Lindahl. It was about as many could comfortably fit in the office. Larger meetings tended to use conference rooms, but Erland Kraft preferred the more intimate and comfortable setting when possible. The capacity of a world-renowned football team to facilitate diplomacy was certainly not lost on anyone here as they turned from strategizing an upcoming announcement from the Foreign Office to plans for keeping the government closely associated with the national team's success and popularity.

"All strategizing aside for a moment," the president continued, "it's amazing the way they keep finding different ways to pull the win out in these knockouts. A brace from McGill after she hadn't scored for three matches, and the winner at the last possible second? You honestly couldn't script this if you tried."

"I think I could do a halfway decent job if you gave me a shot," Faulkner quipped with a grin, earning a brief eye roll.

"We're genuinely privileged to be alive during this time, to be able to watch the team of the era play in our colors. It's something really special."

"That's good sir, we'll be sure to put that in your address."

"Kiss ass," Kraft turned a mock frown on his communications director. "Rognvald, I want your team to prioritize planning the national team's visit here, and get on the phone with Gereben's people. The visit needs to be within 24 hours of them arriving back home. Let them have a sleep first, obviously, but after that we're first in line."

Faulkner nodded, "I've already put out some preliminary feelers to the SCFA, as soon as the team's travel arrangements home are in place, I'll be the first to know."

"Do you think it's a little premature to be planning a celebratory visit when there's still matches to be played?" Gogineni, as usual, was on the lookout for the pitfall, the worst case scenario, the fly in the proverbial ointment. "Isn't that supposed to be a kind of bad luck?"

"Not at all. They're visiting whatever the result," Faulkner waved away his boss's protest, "The point isn't really to celebrate their result after all. We just need the national team and the administration side by side in front of the media while the buzz around their run is still fresh."

"Easy on the cynicism Rognvald," Gogineni replied, "Some of us are actually football fans here and following the team closely. Speaking of which, Mr President, we have preliminary itineraries for both Alcassar and Tydebwg for your attendance of the team's final match, if you'd care to review them."

"Isn't it odd that we've played the Kytlerians in Kwrpania and now we'll face the Kwrpan back in Zube? If I was a supporter of the opposition I'd be pretty pissed off at their hosting committee about now. Anyway, I'm sure we can find a little time to look over your schedules this afternoon, right Inger?"

"You have ten minutes between lunch with the Brantid Financial League and your meeting with the Brighton-Vang Foundation about events in Abahamba."

"I guess that'll have to do. It's not Vang herself I'm meeting with, is it?"

"No, one Galina Dybowski, Deputy Communications Officer."

"Good, guaranteed to be less contentious without that woman here, especially if I run a bit late."

"Careful there, Mr President," Gogineni's face was dour once again, "call Lyyti Vang 'that woman' too often and you'll find yourself too close to a hot mic eventually. If football fame is soft power then she's a force to be reckoned with."

"You make it sound like I should prepare to be running against her in a few years."

"You joke now, Mr President, but it's not so far from the realm of possibility. On that note, we strongly advise a conciliatory tone in this afternoon's meeting. Don't commit to anything, of course, but don't send Dybowski back with nothing. We don't need Vang on the warpath in the press just as we're trying to have a nice moment with the footballers. Don't forget that she still commands a lot of respect among them as well. The last thing we want is high profile snubs."

"I'll behave myself, Olli, I promise."

---

McGill 56 & 90, Beverwijk 68

[Tanirinthia]

---

OF FATES AND FORTUNES
Chapter Forty-Two - Origins (continued)

---

”We tried to push such thoughts to the back of our minds, and began to pack up camp and load ourselves like pack horses. Thus began our slow trek across the island, but try as we might to have pushed those thoughts to one side, each rustling or strange sound would invariably cause them to flood straight back to the forefront of our minds, even though in almost all cases they were followed by a bounding jackalope. As the day passed though the physical exertion helped as the pain as muscles ached and we gasped for breath, though the canopy protected us from most of it the sun beat down mercilessly drenching us all in sweat. Our early start however had paid off, as we heard the sound of the shore in the distance, we were not going to have to camp out in the forest overnight, after an hour or so more we finally laid our eyes on the ruins. Seeing them in front of me, after all this time the months of planning of travel, of hoping they were real, the hardships and adversities, I have no shame in admitting that I broke down in tears and joined the others in primal screams of pure joy.”

”As much as we all wanted to immediately begin exploring, our bodies were firmly protesting against the idea, legs not wanting to take anymore steps, backs aching against carrying even our own body weight. Fortunately for us the breeze drifting in from the sure cooled our overheated selves and gave us enough of a rest to allow us to set up camp for the night. Who knows what was out there that night, for once our heads hit the ground we were harder than the dead to awaken. We awoke late the next day, the sun already nearing its zenith, our muscles still protesting at our movements but not enough to override our excitement to see the ruins, and find the supposed gateway.”

”There was definitely something off about the ruins, in the proper light of day and without tired eyes we could see a distinct lack of nature claiming back its territory. Even for structures abandoned only decades, you would see vines and other plants climbing up them, pulling at the stones, these ruins if what we had read was accurate were thousands of years old, and although clearly damaged they were not in a state of decay and you could trace a threshold where nature would not infringe upon. There was something else that they couldn’t quite put their finger on, perhaps best described as a sort of static electricity in the air mixed with a heaviness or thickness to the very air itself. Again on the one hand all confirmations that we were probably on the right track, but on a primal level had our nerves screaming that something was wrong and that we should run as fast as we could in the opposite direction.”

”Following the descriptions written down by the archeologist led us to either think that the fellow enjoyed a skinful of liquor or perhaps there was something turning us around, in either case it took us several hours to find what we had come all this way for. Standing there in front of us was the gateway. If we had any doubts that this was it, they were dispelled by the fact each step closer towards it increased that ineffable feeling exponentially, each step brought our hairs more on end, the air lay heavier, sounds became muffled and our vision seemed to blur ever so slightly. Our prize was here, and whether it was truly magic or some ancient lost science, it was there and it was real and I could touch it.”

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Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen | Chapter Seventeen | Chapter Eighteen | Chapter Nineteen | Chapter Twenty | Chapter Twenty-One | Chapter Twenty-Two | Chapter Twenty-Three | Chapter Twenty-Four | Chapter Twenty-Five | Chapter Twenty-Six | Chapter Twenty-Seven | Chapter Twenty-Eight | Chapter Twenty-Nine | Chapter Thirty | Chapter Thirty-One | Chapter Thirty-Two | Chapter Thirty-Three | Chapter Thirty-Four | Chapter Thirty-Five | Chapter Thirty-Six | Chapter Thirty-Seven | Chapter Thirty-Eight | Chapter Thirty-Nine | Chapter Forty | Chapter Forty-One | Chapter Forty-Two (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight)

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Quarterfinals

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[Saint Eleanor]

OOC: There are several people on my team who are NOT Eleanorian single nationals.

• Myt was not consulted about what Lydia Vickers had to say. However, she's the only dual-national on my team who I created, her Prahecqois dual citizenship is a quirk of fate more than anything, and I've previously talked a good amount about her personal life (if not to the extent of Coombe or Launceston) by myself.
• Tik was forthcoming with more information about Kirsti Sundgren's personal interests, the Tikariotian fishing landscape, and - for the pegasus' sake - what lies in and around Tikariot City.
• Squid was advised of what topics I planned to have Kichiro Matsuda talk about, and approved of them.
• Squorn was advised of what topics I planned to have Gisken Aldra talk about, and also approved of them.
• EQS was forthcoming with more information about the personal interests of Gentle Breeze, who actually isn't an Eleanorian citizen at all.
• Nephara gave me permission to have Reniira Clevinger talk about her love of newspaper puzzles.

Group of Six meeting (CV) --- SAINT ELEANOR 2-1 Valanora
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Lydia Vickers [C], Cathy Winchester [VC], Diana Gray [ballot]
Location: The citadel's gift shop; Tikariot City, TKT

I'm Stephen Mitcham, and I am taking notes as planned. Valanora was a mighty challenge, but one that we met in full force. Laborious Hawk was not exactly kept quiet, as he was as typically menacing as everyone thought he would be, nearly scoring in the first few minutes and keeping our defence on edge throughout. He did a marginally better job at this than Imre Haaland, who was entrapped a couple of times and veered his best of the early efforts wide of the mark; or Linus Sollien, unlucky to have been denied a penalty (if you ask almost anyone outside Saint Eleanor). To be sure, our players were able and willing to attack in their own right - Kavezalea Felaraneta's free-kick almost landed in the top corner and Nacle Ohan was, as always, willing to amp up the volume to the point of barely scraping the post from an impossible position. Nevertheless, the first half was a game of our defensive wits against their attacking skill, and given the lack of goals involved, it was a game we could safely say to have won.

We made a strong early impression in the second half, with Felaraneta tapping it back to Morgan for her to land a thirty-yard piledriver past anyone's grasp, and the Vanorians chased almost after themselves for the equaliser. It is often almost a stereotype of football that the weaker team will barely just hold out, hoping for dear life, against the stronger team; this all-too-often bore out here. No less a figure as Rasmus Andersen almost got it, had his effort not been denied by Arielle Richardson. Laborious Hawk came close a few times, but did not quite land a shot on target, an impressive achievement. The likely hero, if you have something like Steve's foresight, was Lina Garden, who emerged with less than half an hour to go and found herself a goal from just outside the penalty area in response.

The KPB+ reforms mean something to everyone. In this context, it meant trying to win in ninety minutes and - if some media pundits are to be believed - grabbing onto the #1 spot in the world rankings with one-and-a-half hands. Isabella Bright, for obvious reasons seldom mentioned, was in a position to win the ball in her own right a couple of times and landed a good shot every time. Aurora Nilsen, drafted in stead of Haaland, beat the entire Eleanorian defence with her first attack, stung Arielle's gloves enough for her effort to barely be deflected out, and hit the bar with her second. Lily Emmerson, less tired than Lawson, kept landing cross after cross after cross, unfortunately never to any avail. Sollien rendered Rachel Curran's attempt at marking that she had to be substituted off, but not before he caused enough damage to force the rest of our defenders into enough moves to win a certain board game.

It was Isabella who proved the hero with ten minutes remaining, scrambling into almost the exact kind of corner situation as Andersen's agony but somehow finding the reflexive volley after Kichiro Matsuda's initial effort got palmed away, and we survived the remainder of the match with surprisingly little fuss. This was, ultimately, one of the best outcomes we could have achieved, with possibly the best team we could have fielded. Long may it continue.


Tanirinthia, while not quite as unpredictable as Indusse, have been enthralling, competent, and sometimes unpredictable. Therefore, there are divergences of opinion about how best we should deal with them. I have a long memory and remember Bridget's suggestion that they would be playing much like HUElavia did - a defence about as progressive as ours was (no longer, now that Esther has retired), a midfield that would require full force to break down, and a dangerous if not dynamic front three. However, international press clippings suggest that they are a more attack-minded and more relentless, perhaps even controlling, side. As we four years ago, and Kimi-Suomi a few weeks ago, were both bundled out on penalties, Bridget's guess may well have been no less accurate than Kimi's.

With that in mind, my first recourse is to recall the lineup we fielded in the quarterfinals (1-11 with Isabella as the striker) - it worked for Valanora and I have no doubt would also prove its worth against Tanirinthia. To start off with, without any further prompting, there was some divergence within the group, but not a lot. Diana thinks that Bacchus, Payne, and Holt, surely being in their prime, are enough of a danger that she thinks that a more conservative outlay would be worth our while. Cathy, as befits her, thinks that - even if caution is warranted in some aspects - this exact fact means Tanirinthia needs to be met with more of an attacking approach on our end. Reniira and Lydia simply did not have much of an opinion to run on, which is rather rare of them; I assumed that they didn't have any particularly big ideas of their own to contribute to this discussion, which I can more than understand given the context.

Gentle Breeze trusts the media coverage more than I do - she is wary, if not concerned, that Tanirinthia could completely dominate the game if allowed too much possession, but would need to trust her midfielders to look after things - in attack and, especially, in defence. Today's G6 meeting is three current defenders, a former defender, a former goalkeeper, and me, but Cathy - who has a decently good read on what Kichiro and Kavezalea are thinking - reports that they are both feeling more confident than concerned. My impromptu survey of Maria Morgan suggests that she's jittery, but not by enough that her more aggressive senior Lydia Nicholls should be started instead; she'll be given a cup of tea before bed tonight. Gisken Aldra is unlikely to be drafted in, as their positional and emotional support is likely not needed, even if Reniira wants it.

If there are any slippages in midfield, which I feel like there almost certainly will be, GB was clear that she would like her defenders to bring their best selves to the match (a point on which Reniira and Lydia vocally agreed). There is, more or less, agreement that the defensive line did well, although not quite perfectly, against Valanora. Arielle was her usual brilliant self; we have occasionally dropped her for Kirsti, but there is no reason to do so at this stage of the tournament. Cathy assessed herself as being "a bit better than average, at my age," but she and Curran are more attacking full-backs and should help to push up against the wider threats. Katy will be leading the line in defence (which was Cathy's job against the Marauders); Lydia will be the "defender of last resort," something she's comfortable as, but will help out with the offside trap, pressing, and similar stratagems as required. "We are strong in all areas of the pitch" is a truism, but this is especially the case at these late stages, enough so that we can play with a bit more confidence than we usually do.

The conversation had turned almost to a five-on-one affair before Diana agreed that stemming the flow of midfield play would go a good way to neutralising the threat of the front three. Accordingly, we have that much-vaunted outcome, a consensus reached after hearty debate. The back four are ready and willing to deal with any challenges as they stand, both in attack and out wide, and will happily push forwards if needs must. Central midfield will behave as normal, but need to keep more of an eye on their Tanirinthian counterparts. Lawson and Ohan are already flexible as they are, and we will need their full acumen to achieve offensively. Isabella is the obvious choice up front, will remain there, and will act as her normal, wily, old-school self. As a reminder, there will be no personnel changes: Richardson; Winchester, Vickers, Wilson, Curran; Matsuda, Morgan; Lawson, Felaraneta, Ohan; Bright.

Going forward, GB has activated Operation Plimsoll. This means that she'll be calling a big G29 meeting next time - some of the players have asked her about this in private - to see how everyone's feeling, whether we make the final or not; to discuss what we're expecting from our last match in Rushmore; and to decide our strategy for our final match in Rushmore based more on what the players think we are doing and where we can improve, rather than just what we think would be "the best possible lineup."

What are you doing to relax ahead of Saint Eleanor's first-ever World Cup semifinal?

Arielle Richardson: I think it's well-known in the camp, even if not necessarily outside of it, that I have upwards of a thousand non-fiction books in my personal library - and no novels, since I've never been interested in those. As of late, I have been reading much more than my half-hour a day of James Winwood's Lord Help Us Most, a well-written - if pretty sarcastic - summary of the splits in the Eleanorian evangelical church up to 1990. You may well call it self-flagellating, but there is a surprising amount of Eleanorian history out there that does not get enough attention.

Cathy Winchester: I have a mobile phone, which my dad talked me into; mobiles aren't terribly common in Saint Eleanor unless you're a working professional or Christina Fulton. I do pay extra for the overseas roaming and will abuse this benefit to talk to Bridget Coombe every day - and I mean every single morning - to talk about our lives. We were on the phone for more than an hour after I woke up today and I found it to be surprisingly edifying, not least since she was providing me with the international poltiical updates instead of vice versa.

Rachel Curran: I wore a sundress and sandals, grabbed a burger, wandered around town because I had fast food and need to burn off the calories before they burn me out, and had a conversation with a bunch of strangers. You'll be surprised at how many Eleanorians can be made happy by this kind of routine; Bridget Coombe is one of them, may her retirement be short and blessed.

Lydia Vickers: Replacing alcohol with orange juice. I don't drink in the three or four days before anything major; in practice, this has meant I've not had a pint of anything since literally the day before Olympia's ACL died. Olympia actually strung me up to a nice little restaurant for lunch today and she had a pint of stout, as she normally does. I twigged for the OJ and liked it, even though we obviously aren't on the sunny west coast any more.

Katy Wilson: I've been reading through the bus timetables for Alcassar, because I picked them up while I was there during our last-sixteen tie. It's obviously unlikely that I'll get much use of them in a personal capacity, unless we go on a disorganised free-for-all city tour where we just get to do whatever after the final like I've been reasonably informed happened by Denise, but I've enjoyed making the connections between different stops, how you can go about town in a day most easily, and so on. Surely making the connections between Tanirinthia's strikers won't be that much more difficult; we're all familiar with them from 2014.

Maria Morgan: To be honest, I'm just trying to clear my mind of all the fluff and fuzz that contaminates it sometimes. That's not to say I have no interests: they tend to be more solitary ones, such as films, television, literature, and going to restaurants by myself. However, in this environment, I'd like to be in the kind of headspace where I'm not worrying about trivial things. I like thinking about the bigger things in life - keeping the defence solid, following my role, and supporting the team - and negativity and selfishness won't help with that.

Graham Lawson: The national team is an exceptional, almost privileged, place. I've sometimes asked myself why there are fifteen ladies on the team to ten men and an enby. From my experience, there tend to be fewer women in league football and more of a need for them to stand out in that kind of environment to merit selection; there are more men, who also need to stand out in order to make them a more appealing choice than all the other men out there. I'm proud to live in a country, and represent a country, where nobody will judge a man for mostly having lady friends or a white person for mostly having black friends. I'm also confident in the strength of our national values.

Kichirō Matsuda: Everyone normally thinks that I just exist to play football, play more football, and be the best footballer of any type around. They normally aren't wrong! What I have been doing is talking to my teammates - sometimes knocking on their hotel doors, which they're normally fine with - asking them how their day has been, if they have any special interests they'd like to talk about, and what they think about the news. I've learned more in a day and a half of relaxing, enjoying my time, and having engaging conversations with my fellow players than some people do over their weekend.

Olympia Woodward (injured): I've said multiple times, in multiple places, that I don't see myself ever actually playing football again. This is the second time in three World Cups that my ACL has forced me to play-pretend as a footballer's WAG rather than an actual footballer. It's been a few weeks, though, so I can walk around - with some complaints and no competition - have a look around the places I'm visiting, pay prices to visit the different attractions that even someone of my background think are a bit silly, and fantasise a little bit about what my life could be like.

Kavezalea Felaraneta: I am confident that we have everything we need to be a successful team. You look at how much I'm scoring myself, but I still love setting people up for their winners, their other goals, and my philosophy is more like "if everyone else is happy, then I'm happy." If one of the strikers or one of the key players are stressed out, then I'm worried, I don't think I'm going to do my job properly. And guess what? Everyone else is happy! I know that both of the Lydias on the team are, which is a huge achievement when you think about it.

Naclé Öhân: I normally get a nice, round eight hours of sleep every night. I've been getting nine or ten since, I want to say, we won our last thirty-two match against Indusse. If I am going to be honest, I do not have a particularly interesting or remarkable personal life; the extra sleep has helped me to focus a bit more on my game and myself, and not a moment sooner.

Michelle Addison: I've been drawing a cartoon sketch of the players in the team on a sporadic basis - definitely before every match - during our time here. I like to think of it as a bit like a political sketch: it's a bit rushed, a bit cliche at the worst of times, but I always try to make it a true-to-life representation of what's going on with the team, good or - much less frequently - bad. As you'd expect, there was a lot to giggle about after the Valanora game. I do try to show the class and they've largely enjoyed it so far.

Kirsti Sundgren: I like fishing, but I don't get to do it all that often in Saint Eleanor - nor would you, unless you have a friend from the Dockside who's willing to let you jump aboard his tiny little boat just to have the most random conversations together. Thanks, Keith. I've been trying to keep my mind at ease ahead of the very, very big game by renting a boat for a while, doing my own spot of fishing, cooking it, deboning it, and then spending a good afternoon or evening eating it up. In my case, I reeled up a couple of bass fish and had those for lunch, as we're going back to base camp for dinner before tomorrow's kickoff.

Lily Emmerson: I tend to veer more towards classical music, or the more modern, relaxed, easy-listening stuff, when I'm at home. I've seen people sometimes talk about how a good way to become more productive is to listen to music that's the opposite of what you normally listen to. Tikariot's penchant for metal and rock music has served me well in these regards; it would have served me even better had they won their quarterfinal instead.

Lydia Nicholls: I went to the cinema and bought a ticket to see a bloody, violent movie of exactly the kind you'd imagine me to like. I'm more of a television kind of person, but I saw that there were still tickets, didn't hesitate to buy one, and came out more satisfied than even I expected. I feel confident in saying that I won't behave anything like what I saw if I get called up for either of these next two games!

Diana Gray: Going out, having an excuse to wear a nice floppy sunhat, and drinking lots of water because I like always dressing in black and you know how that works in the sunshine always hits a little bit differently. Drinking water does make you as calm, composed, and healthy as people say it does. Healthy means satisfied, relaxed, and ready to serve the country.

Isabella Bright: I'm already relaxed! If you wanted an answer, though, I'm surprisingly comfortable with the set-up. Many of the people involved understand that I have different opinions to them on a good number of issues and recognise my contribution to the debate. People like talking down about Ian Marks' relationship with Lydia Vickers, but it's more or less just playful club rivalry - saying this as an Athletic fan, of course. At least since Gentle Breeze arrived before my time, there's been a great atmosphere around the team and not one that's conducive to being destroyed; we are, in Diana's words, a team of slightly above-average players who deliver massively above-average performances because we all like each other.

Matt Morrison: I just stick the music on when I'm in my room. I'm being responsible with it, too, because the only people who know about it I've told them. Gizza was really nice in getting the radio for me - I have one back in Saint Eleanor but I didn't think or bother to drag it over where - and I've been pleasantly surprised with just how many radio stations Tikariot has. An astonishing chunk of it is heavy metal, but there's some actually good stuff out there. No disrespect to any metalheads on the team.

Gisken Aldra: First of all, joining this team wasn't a bad trade at all, given that we've made exactly the same stage of the competition as the Squornshelan Remnant States. I've been shopping for all manner of vanities while in Rushmore: Michelle liked the chocolates, Matt liked the thirty-auranur radio he's been taking everywhere except the football, I liked the three-piece suit I bought myself. I also keep thinking about Suzy, my slightly less-than-glamorous wife; she's aware of what I'm doing and I'm sure she'll be very proud of me. We might even go on an even fancier holiday during the Cup of Harmony. I've been told I'm easily distracted... I won't be the judge of that case, but having a lot of interests helps at times such as this.

Keith Barnett: This is, I think, the first World Cup at which I've taken frequent, consistent, and real responsibility as a player. I'm satisfied because I feel like I've done my job well, the people at the top think I've done better than I could have hoped for, and the fans aren't calling for my blood like they have done with certain, if rather more malfeasant, characters in times past. "Keep calm and carry on" is the general attitude with me and, I want to say, with everyone else.

Tina Falconer: !'ve been writing a novel! I don't actually expect it to get published, or - if it is - anything above number fifteen in the national bestsellers' chart. I don't think I'll get into any trouble for saying that it's a bit of a dramatic work about a woman who has to choose between her personal safety and a job, and not in the sense that she's working anything more strenuous than a desk job. But I have had eclectic interests in all manner of things for my entire life, so I don't think anyone's surprised that I'm doing a bit of novel-writing - not even Arielle, who'd much prefer me to release a second album of teeny-bop pop.

Ian Marks: Reading through the Tikariot Sports Gazette. It's not the kind of paper you can easily buy in Saint Eleanor, even if your name's Layla Grover, but I've gotten my copy every day since the tournament began. I've been amazed by a good deal of their analysis, amused by a small number of their predictions, and was laughing uncontrollably at their reaction to the quarter-finals. I don't think I'll be feeling any of those emotions when I buy the paper two days from now.

Robby Ellis: I don't have a wife - not while I don't have a World Cup medal, anyway - but I have a couple of friends called Victoria and Darren and we've been doing some things together in the meanwhile. I went rollerskating with them last night and it was a good way to take my mind completely and utterly off the football for an hour or two. Kneepads, armpads and helmets were required, of course; it would be a bit silly if they had to go full Rachel Kirk on us because I wasn't listening.

Denise Livingston: I have a motorcycle license. I don't use it outside Saint Eleanor; I've volunteered for rapid-response duty when I'm not playing football and it's historically borne out that armed motorcyclists do a pretty good job of solving crime as well as starting it. I take comfort in the fact that there are times when I'm putting myself at a lot of operational risk. I could end up breaking my neck like Esther did about ten years ago, although in completely different circumstances. With that in mind, any semifinal-related nerves I have are pretty much zero, compared to the nerves of losing my sanity or my life off the field.

Steve Pilchard: Walking about and getting away from people has done me a surprising amount of good, although maybe not in Tikariot City where every other building is a tourist attraction. I wouldn't say I'm going much further than the municipal parks - that is my habit in Parkside, after all - but I am getting a lot of good views and picking up a bit of serious life experience as well. It gives me something to think about.

Rick Goldsmith: I sometimes think about Rachel McNamara, she being one of my old understudies up front. She lives in a nice million-dollar detached house from before the War; I've been there and it's gorgeous. She's also had her car spontaneously combust within months of buying it, been forced into becoming the manager of Newbanks United because the club infrastructure collapsed, and left her surely much superior contract at Bencoolen City because she wanted the Tumbran league reform proposals that they supported to die in the fieriest pit possible. We do still keep in touch and I have a copy of the last letter she sent me, in which she pretty much said "relax - you're not actually starting!" Well, I might be if Izzy Bright gets fatally stung by some massive jellyfish off the coast of Alcassar, but realistically, I'm just glad I'm here for it all and, if I get called up, I feel like I could still make a good enough impression to matter. That was Rachel's attitude.

Gentle Breeze: I like flying about to interesting places when I get the opportunity. You can't get away with that in the dressing room. Once every while, I'll fly up to the clouds and confuse at least a couple of tabloid and citizen journalists; I can't possibly comment on how often I've done that, although Alcassar in summertime isn't conducive to that sort of experience, and my experience in Saint Eleanor and elsewhere has suggested that the clouds are much more annoying there than they are back home. I do tend to float around and try and find a pastry shop, or somewhere vegetarian - Olympia, our resident vegan, has been a good spot for these kinds of places and she'll be missed - although I will compromise and just get something from a general-purpose restaurant's vegan menu where the Group of Six is concerned. I'm also interested in having a look around nature; I was wandering besides the Oxligt River recently, appreciated the opportunity to get in touch with deer and meese, and went on a little guided boat tour - although I hope the caves we sailed into are the last ones I'm going to find myself in for a year or two.

Reniira Clevinger: I would not call myself an intellectual. There are a few people on this team who'd give that label to themselves, but I wouldn't give it to myself. Don't expect me to be doing much in the bookshop, unless I'm looking for another notepad or a newspaper. The Reporter's puzzles are pretty good, almost as good as their sports coverage, so I got myself their latest big book of puzzles - Izzy's told me they've printed multiple versions of these - back on the island before the World Cup began. And I've been busy... well, not working through it so much as going from double-page spread to spread, eyeballing what I can find, jotting down a "9" on the odd sudoku puzzle or "BENENDEN" on the crossword or what have you when I can. I'm still not finished with it!

Lieutenant Stephen Mitcham: A lot of people think I'm doing this for the President. In a sense, they are right; a lot of the outward projection we do is done for the glory of the President. There's a bit more of a sense in the wider world these days that we're also acting in the interests of the people of Saint Eleanor. You have almost 700,000 of them milling about - more if you include the expats and old War refugees - and, especially in peacetime, they are looking to us primarily to deliver results. I've been at ease these days knowing that we are delivering, quite literally, the best possible results and that all is well with them. It still will be, even if we do not win the trophy.

[Kwrpania]

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WORLD CUP 100

TWO GAMES AND A DREAM - Penalty drama sends Electric Eels to unprecedented semifinal

ALAER, KYTLER PENINSULAE – A cagey, tight game could only be separated from the penalty spot as Kwrpania outlasted Aphrilia, 4-2 on penalty kicks.

Both sides entered this game on edge, and it was entirely understandable. Having failed to qualify for World Cup 98, the Anchors made a run to their first ever quarterfinal in World Cup 99, being defeated by their Squornshelan hosts by a single goal. Meanwhile, the Electric Eels were in truly incomprehensible territory - having been comprehensively beaten by Valanora in the hexadecifinal last cycle, the hosts had defeated three of the best sides in the multiverse in quick succession, romping past Pasarga and Chromatika at home before clawing a famous victory from the top side in the world in Roddens. The game would begin that way as well, with the tempo at a minimum and the first shot on target coming after almost 30 minutes as Vabwpetob-zok's long-range effort was comfortably handled by Phillp Karnwell in the Aphrilian goal. The Anchors would turn up the pace late in the first half, but failed to make Fakswr-rof work, as attempts from strikers Theresa Villa and Ines Forrestal each flashed wide of the keeper's goal.

For the second straight game, Dobgazoz-bof would describe their side's performance as "lethargic", and for the second straight game, the Electric Eels would respond after the break - but they, too, did not have their shooting boots on. Magnws-rab came closest, skimming the crossbar on a free kick from distance, but Karnwell's work was largely limited to simple stops and watching the ball fly wide of his goal. Meanwhile, Forrestal was a lightning rod for the other side, cutting inside and curling a shot with her right that hit the post and bounced into danger before being cleared by Fandwrsw-vyz. With the Anchors pushing forward for a late winner, a goalmouth scramble following a series of corners fell to veteran center back Amelia Haze, but the defender lost her nerve and fired her shot far over the bar.

To extra time it would be, and as legs began to tire, more space began to open up. With just three minutes on the clock in extra time, a flowing move ended with Magnws-rym firing a shot from the edge of the area. Haze would come across to make the block, but the ball fell to Fyrek-syn-nam on the right wing, and their first-time left-footed effort beat Karnwell to the far corner to send the Kwrpan-majority crowd into raptures. The first period of extra time concluded without further incident, but as the second period wore on, the Electric Eels became contained deeper and deeper within their own half - to the point where, with five minutes left, all eleven players were within 40 yards of their own goal. As pressure turned to desperation, crosses began being bombed into the area - and in the final minute of extra time, Karnwell, having pushed up to the halfway line, launched a heaving ball into the penalty area. Fakswr-rof remained indecisive, and Bezypman-bof's header was poor - and the ball fell to Forrestal, whose well-hit left-footed shot beat a flat-footed Fakswr-rof and left her piled on by her ecstatic teammates.

There would be no more time for celebrations, though - with the referee's whistle indicating the end of extra time with the sides level, a penalty shootout would decide things - and with Fakswr-rof having done little to nothing all night, the Aphrilian fans felt a surge of confidence in their side's ability to advance. The Anchors had experience with shootouts, having just been crowned champions of the 24th Independent Associations Championship on penalties over Drawkland, while this was the first shootout for the Electric Eels - and indeed for most of the squad, as penalty shootouts were relatively rare amongst Kwrpan clubs.

Magnws-rym and Forrestal would start things off well, with both sending the opposing goalkeeper the wrong way for a cool finish, while Magnws-rab's cheeky chip was matched by attacking midfielder Edward Elliot's blast into the top left corner. As Vabwpetob-zok went the same way, putting an unsaveable shot into the bottom corner, the pressure began to ramp up - and the striker Villa, one of the youngest members of the Anchors' side, sent her shot high into the Alaer night to the roar of the Kwrpan fans behind the goal. Mamzwb-bab would step up next, and the youngster did not disappoint, sweetly striking a ball into the top right that even left the occasional Aphrilian fan clapping in appreciation.

Fourth for the Anchors would be midfielder Jessica Rhine-Faust. Denied in the IAC final as her shot flew wide of the Drawkian net, she nevertheless celebrated with her side as they lifted the trophy. She couldn't do the same tonight. A miss would send Kwrpania to the semifinal.

She didn't put it wide. Leonardo Bianchi couldn't look - the highs of the final had been so high, but he truly wanted to make that trophy double. He didn't have to see the shot to know what happened - the eruption of the crowd told him the story. Fakswr-rof, diving to their left, comfortably pushed it away, and the party was on for the hosts in Alaer.

Kwrpania 1-1 Aphrilia (Kwrpania win 4-2 on penalties)
Clituleng Giisost Stadium, Alaer, Kytler Peninsulae
Lineup: Fakswr-rof; Synydwb-pyt, Bezypman-bof, Fandwrsw-vyz, Mamzwb-bab; Fyrek-syn-nam, Magnws-rab, Vabwpetob-zok, Pabofen-nam; Magnws-rym, Rynropeka-gyv
Goals:

Squornshelan Remnant States vs. Kwrpania
Zube Olympic Stadium, Zube, Kytler Peninsulae
Projected Lineup: Fakswr-rof; Synydwb-pyt, Bezypman-bof, Fandwrsw-vyz, Mamzwb-bab; Fyrek-syn-nam, Magnws-rab, Vabwpetob-zok, Pabofen-nam; Magnws-rym, Rynropeka-gyv

---

POLITICS

OPINION - The Northwest lies stagnant: it's high time we resettled all Kwrpania

We all learned the stories in school. The Calamity - how the people had no respect for the Mother and her land, and were smote for their impudence, for thinking themselves better than our gods.

We are mere decades from the millenium of modern Kwrpania. One thousand years since the clans, fragmented and squabbling for generation upon generation into the far distant past, set aside their differences and determined to learn from the disaster that befell their fellow Kwrpan.

We have built a society that respects our gods and our land. Not only that, but we strive for more. We opened up to the world, and the world has embraced us. Our links to our neighbors to the West have never been closer, as Zube has become a mere afternoon's travel, not the week or two weeks of our ancestors. We make leaps in science, and technology, and infrastructure, as Bezbenpam becomes a destination of all Pavola and ships of all sizes from all regions arrive in Tydebwg. Even in football, we have gone from a distant backwater, playing such nations as "Sernet" and "Pakhomiya", to facing the best nations of the world in our stadiums, and defeating them no less.

The Northwest lies under a foreign hand. Yuezhou, seeking to capitalize on the vast bounty of mineral resources delivered by the Calamity, settled the land with their people, naming it "Haiguaidian" - but as the Yue nation stagnates, their distant colony drops ever further down the list of priorities of their government and their people.

The Northwest is the land that the Father gave to us four millenia ago, just as all Kwrpania is. The fates of our kin do not change that fact. If there is a bounty that must be reaped, let us return to our land, and sow.

---

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[Tikariot]

CUTOFF
Semifinals

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

OOC: sending-off and overall theme cleared with Kwrp

What had been a superb second half of football that saw the Black-and-Reds build a secure lead through high pressure and superior possession was marred, last night by controversy at the last moment. There was some contentiousness late, a couple bookings for the host nation as their players made some poor choices in the frustration of the moment. Nothing too unusual for a match already well into stoppage time with the scoreline sitting at 5-2. Four minutes and thirty odd seconds into an announced five minutes of stoppage time, Vabwpetob-zok gave a strong shove to Ksudach as the Squornshelan winger shielded the ball to hold up play near the corner of the Kwrpan penalty area. It was just outside the box, no penalty shout here, but the Kwrpan defender had already picked up a yellow earlier in the second half for persistent minor fouling. Unlike those earlier efforts, there was no pretense here about trying to play the ball, just frustration boiling over and a physical play gone entirely to far as a result.

Naturally a crowd gathered, the Squornshelans complaining loudly about professional fouls and dangerous play, insisting on a straight red. The Kwrpans defending the play as a legitimate attempt to win the ball. The referee looked almost resigned as she reached for her pocket, showing Vabwpetob-zok yellow and red in succession. They took their time on the way off the pitch, there being no pretense at hurrying up at the hope of a comeback at this juncture, and further words were exchanged along the way, though in this case it seems more prudent not to print the exchange, even indirectly. Eventually though, Vabwpetob-zok had left the field and Tatsinan stood over the ball. The only thing left to do, with the referee visibly checking her watch, was to hoof the thing into row Z and get going on the celebration of making a second straight World Cup Final. That was all anyone expected.

Instead, Starovoitov approached, and after a quick exchange of words, took up a shooting position further back while Tatsinan remained over the ball. The Kwrpan hastily began to form a wall, though the Squornshelan team seemed somewhat bemused, only halfheartedly taking position around the penalty area. Almost with a shrug of her shoulders, Tatsinan touch the ball off to the side. Half the wall charged out in response to the changed angle, the other half remained in place, making the customary leap. Starovoitov, assessing the situation, smashed the ball straight ahead, no pretense at dipping or curling shots. It flew through one of the gaps opened in the wall by the uncoordinated response, and left Fakswr-rof with no chance whatsoever. 6-2, and the final whistle. There were very nearly more bookings added on, with the Kwrpan rushing from their end as well as from the bench in attempts to confront Starovoitov, who had wheeled off toward the Squornshelan supporters in the crowd. Fortunately, cooler heads on both sides would prevail, and a brawl was prevented by the restraint of the hottest heads on each side.

Postmatch, even the most reserved of descriptions from the Kwrpan side was Dobgazoz-bof's rather diplomatic phrasing of "an entirely unnecessary play." Other interviews included words like "disgraceful," "bush league," and "it's really a pity that a team with such talent play with such a lack of class." Starovoitov was no less provocative in explaining his actions. "That's how I've always been taught to answer shithousery: on the scoreboard. If you don't want to get embarrassed, don't put yourself in a position to get embarrassed." One online commenter quipped that this side seems to have learned something from their loss to Audioslavia a cycle ago, as there's an edge to the team that wasn't there previously. Call it a killer instinct if you like, or classlessness if you'd rather, but it's the kind of determined, win-at-all-costs attitude that many of the greatest teams in history share. We'll soon see whether it'll be enough of an edge to let the Black-and-Reds take that one last step to the top of the podium.

---

McGill 18 & 61, Magnws-rab 24, Starovoitov 26 & 90+5, Rynropeka-gyv 30, Ksudach 70, Arenz 83

[Tanirinthia]

---

OF FATES AND FORTUNES
Chapter Forty-Two - Origins (continued)

---

”Our joy and excitement became replaced with frustration and vexation over the following weeks. All our attempts to activate the gateway had failed, we hadn’t even seen an extra flicker or spark to at least let us know we were heading in the right direction. This shouldn’t have been surprising given our research on this was all completely speculative, however I think the three of us had hoped in the back of our minds, or perhaps just in our dreams, that we would find it and it would somehow open straight away for us. Maybe we had all hoped for this from all of the stories we had been researching, you never have the heroes stop for weeks to figure out how to work the magic items, it just works perfectly the first time.”

”On the good side of things, our bodies had seemed to acclimatise to the baseline magic in the area, we were no longer discombobulated and could stay around the ruins the entire day, thought we still camped outside of the ruins out of caution, lots of stories of the dangers of magic and the dreamworld. We fell into a monotonous routine over the days and weeks, we would pick a particular method then the three of us would attempt it on the gateway throughout the day, trying different times of the day, individually and together, and different approaches of the same base method until we exhausted any variations we could think us and then move on to the next method.”

”To break up the routine, and in desperation we had taken to exploring the ruins in the vain hope that there might be a manual hidden away, that somehow not only survived the thousands of years still readable, but would be written in a language we could understand and in way that we would be able to decipher the technical details of. Perhaps we would have a eureka moment looking at some of the decorative carvings. We knew this was in vain but with our lack of progress, and with the number of approaches left to try dwindling we needed a bit of self delusion to keep our spirits up.”

”But eventually the day came. The day we finally had come to the end of all of our researched approaches, all of which had failed completely. Even the most outlandish and fantastical of approaches we had tried with no success. The mood in camp was at rock bottom, all our journey and hardships had been for nothing. I was hit hardest of the three of us, as I felt responsible for leading the other two along this path, dragging them down with me in my obsession. They tried to lift my spirits, suggesting that there was plenty more to explore in the ruins, perhaps even secret doors with hidden artefacts that could guide us. I appreciated that they were trying to help but it didn’t help.”

”Over the next couple of days, they set off spending the day searching the ruins for secret entrances, but I couldn’t face going in, I would barely get out of my bedroll. Stuck in a malaise that I couldn’t shake, unhelpful thoughts circling around in my mind. One night I found myself wide awake, angry at myself, angry at the stories that led me here, angry at magic, angry at this stone gateway that defied all our attempts to get it to work. Before I knew it my legs took me to the ruins and I ended up right in front of the ancient stone gateway. Staring up at it a primal scream rose up out of me, and I began beating the stone with my bare fists tears streaming down my face. The stone, although ancient, was still as solid as the day it was placed here, and in addition to tears streaming down, blood began to drip down my hands, the physical pain at least giving temporary kind of relief to my psychic pain. After some time my punches ceased and I slumped up against the gateway, drained of all energy, not even enough left for my sobbing. I placed my bloody hand up on the gateway to push myself back up to head back to the others, leaving a bloody handprint. That’s when it happened; the area where my handprint was began to light up with a strange symbol, absorbing in the bloody imprint, then around the circular gateway radiating out from the initial endpoint, other symbols began lighting up, and with a tremendous light and sound the gateway shuddered and in the centre a portal lay open and inviting.”

---

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen | Chapter Seventeen | Chapter Eighteen | Chapter Nineteen | Chapter Twenty | Chapter Twenty-One | Chapter Twenty-Two | Chapter Twenty-Three | Chapter Twenty-Four | Chapter Twenty-Five | Chapter Twenty-Six | Chapter Twenty-Seven | Chapter Twenty-Eight | Chapter Twenty-Nine | Chapter Thirty | Chapter Thirty-One | Chapter Thirty-Two | Chapter Thirty-Three | Chapter Thirty-Four | Chapter Thirty-Five | Chapter Thirty-Six | Chapter Thirty-Seven | Chapter Thirty-Eight | Chapter Thirty-Nine | Chapter Forty | Chapter Forty-One | Chapter Forty-Two (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine)

---

Semifinals

---

[Kwrpania]

---

WORLD CUP 100

Electric Eels dispatched comfortably in ill-tempered exit, prepare for National Stadium celebration

ZUBE, KYTLER PENINSULAE - The Squornshelan Remnant States are a model of consistency in multiversal football, and they proved that yet again by advancing to their third World Cup final in the last four cycles by defeating Kwrpania, 6-2, in Zube.

The first-half was marked by a flurry of goals, with the Squornshelans scoring twice before being answered in short order by the Electric Eels, and Magnws-rym even came close to putting their side in front, hitting the post on the stroke of halftime. After the break, however, and with a more mixed crowd than in previous matches, the toll of a long and unexpected tournament run began to tell, and Dobgazoz-bof could only look on helplessly as his side were carved apart by the ruthless Squornshelan attack. Vabwpetob-zok also made dubious history as the first Kwrpan player to be sent off in a World Cup match - relentless, continuing pressure from the opposition, and a lack of any response, clearly frustrated the Electric Eels, and the midfielder receiving their marching orders after receiving a second yellow for a nasty shove.

That frustration was only added to when Black-and-Reds winger Inder Stavroitov caught them off-guard with a smashed free kick into the bottom corner. As he ran arms outstretched towards the adoring Squornshelan contingent in Zube, pushing and shoving continued past the final whistle, with KBN1 cameras also catching defender Bezypman-bof swinging at (and missing) midfielder Maram Tatsinam. Dobgazoz-bof remained cool in their post-match interview, choosing instead to focus on the magical run they had just gone through and how the bronze final in Tydebwg could be a stake-free celebration with their fans, but Magnws-rab was distinctly less political, calling it a "swbenes neskad stunt". [Note: Per national media guidelines, this phrase cannot be translated into Common.]

Up next for the Electric Eels is the bronze final, and with it a guarantee of by far the best World Cup campaign in Kwrpan history, and one of the best campaigns by a second-cycle side in the history of the World Cup. Estimates put the Electric Eels at the #12 side in the KPB+ rankings following this tournament, though a victory over Saint Eleanor in the National Stadium could put them into the top 10, alongside reigning champions Audioslavia and defeated quarterfinalists Aphrilia. Capital Region Police have called on residents to "support the team peacefully", a request that is entirely likely to go unheeded in the coming days.

---

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Squornshelan Remnant States 6-2 Kwrpania
Zube Olympic Stadium, Zube, Kytler Peninsulae
Lineup: Fakswr-rof; Synydwb-pyt, Bezypman-bof, Fandwrsw-vyz, Mamzwb-bab; Fyrek-syn-nam, Magnws-rab, Vabwpetob-zok, Pabofen-nam; Magnws-rym, Rynropeka-gyv
Goals: Magnws-rab 24', Rynropeka-gyv 30'

Kwrpania vs. Saint Eleanor
National Stadium, Tydebwg, Kwrpania
Projected Lineup: Fakswr-rof; Petobsw-nam, Magnws-pes, Fandwrsw-vyz, Mamzwb-bab; Pykpytyr-myf, Magnws-rab, Nenzabyv-nor, Pabofen-nam; Magnws-rym, Denrefwp-bok

[Saint Eleanor]

OOC: There are a metric ton of people I would like to thank ahead of this first-ever third-place playoff in any WCC competition, in any capacity, for anyone on this team. EQS, for giving me a fair bit of insight into Gentle Breeze's thought processes during these unprecedented times. Squorn, for finally getting back to me about Gisken Aldra, even if it was just to confirm that I could write a little bit about them. Norway-Sweden-Finland, for letting me score an unprecedented ten goals against them. Tanirinthia, for remembering that the last person to post Teletext-style updates about their national team during a major WCC competition went on to win the damn thing. And, of course, the hosting team, for being nice, generous, capable, and willing to let my team have adventures in their nations.

The date of the events given in my roleplay is tentative (as well as in the Eleanorian calendar), as I still need to design bi-yearly schedules for... what, the last decade? There are a LOT of incomplete RPs that I'll need to work on if not over Christmas, then in August 2029 when I manage to free up some time to get to them. This RP is, however, very much a finished work. Enjoy it and I will see you all next year - OOCly and ICly! (We're having too many World Cups per IFCF, so WC101 is going to be held in 2019 and WC102 in 2020 in our universe.) Therefore, this RP may be edited again many moons into the future purely to change this date - just like it was edited shortly after cutoff to add a word to Stephen Mitcham's email and remove an erroneous reference to Rynropeka-gyv.

---

Oneshot: Race to the Top

3:46pm (Kwrpanian time) - Friday 27th July 2018 (Eleanorian time)

As far as Pwkzerem Hotels went, they were good. Not the best in the world, although most Eleanorians would be fine with Nezbydnam's lower-scale offerings. Certainly good enough for a good night's sleep (when Kwrpania aren't playing), a good meal (at any time), and just the right touch of plushiness.

Another thing those places are great for is holding meetings in reasonably confidential environments, for when you really don't want other people to hear you - even if you could hear them passing by. Why you would want to hide near the cleaners' cupboard, I don't know, although it helps that Lydia Vickers' mum was one. Certainly nobody else would want to listen to Reniira Clevinger ramble on for ages about this new idea she had in the middle of a place such as this, in a time such as this, other than her expected audience.

You have your regular cast of characters, then.

*** "Well, if only it isn't the person whose approval I need the most."

*** "I know, right?"

*** "I've been waiting here for ten minutes waiting for the meeting to start."

*** "It's an important one. Go ahead, please."

*** "Let's have a roll-call. Reniira is here."

*** "Gentle Breeze. As ever."

*** "Lydia Vickers, who never gets invited to this sort of thing."

*** "Stephen Mitcham. Looking forward to running this past the censors."

*** "Right, then. I have an idea."

*** "So I've been told."

*** "You have a look at the world rankings, as predicted in almost any major newspaper. Saint Eleanor are going to finish number two in the world - maybe number three in the actual World Cup if we can get past the least neutral stadium in finals history - once this is all said and done."

*** "I don't need to remind you about World Cup 83."

*** "The seventh-ranked team in the world winning the big one. Should have happened here."

*** "And if you have a look at who the second-ranked team in the world was ahead of 87..."

*** "That's what I was going to get into. Saint Eleanor are going to finish number two in the world, unless the Squornshelans really fuck it up."

*** "I think Gisken should start. Apropos of nothing, of course."

*** "I'll discuss team selection at the tactical meeting, which is imminent - not here."

*** "Imminent? I'll need to hurry up. We're in a race to the top. We need to act like it. Throw down the gauntlet - number one in the world, number one at the World Cup, when it happens next year."

*** "Is that a target or an expectation? I think that a lot of people are going to be very excited if it's an expectation, one way or another."

*** "It's something I'd like to see. We are getting better and better."

*** "You know what? We actually are. The players are working together well; know their opposition; will take just about any outcome in good grace, even if the same can't be said about some of the fans."

*** "Steve Pilchard would disagree with you on that point. He thinks that the team's as bad as it's been in a generation. In his words, it's a slightly above-average team doing heavily above-average things."

*** "I don't have a problem with that. Hoofball is a team sport."

*** "So is cheerleading."

*** "In their own ways. In my specialist subject, at least, everyone on the team has to like each other and work well with each other. That has very much been what's happened so far."

*** "That was also my experience with cheerleading."

*** "I'm reminded that the two times Cassadaigua actually won the World Cup, they had a foreign manager."

*** "You're not angling for my job, are you?"

*** "At this stage, at the upcoming World Cup... I would feel particularly confident about my job if we made the quarterfinals, or we got knocked out earlier by a really good team. I hope we don't suffer the same fate that Aleirave did."

*** "The losing 7-1 bit or the not getting a point bit?"

*** "Either of those."

*** "I could fix her."

*** "You're still a player. I think you know a couple of people who could do a better job with that team than Haulafo Paka'ula, mind you."

*** "As I was saying about my own expectations, though."

*** "I don't think SEFA would voluntarily get rid of you unless you had an honest-to-Margaret Cup of Harmony blazeout. We care about that competition."

*** "We do care. I would be disappointed, in various capacities, if we didn't make the World Cup at all."

*** "AS I was saying about WINNING THE NEXT WORLD CUP!"

*** "Don't shout. We're still indoors."

*** "What was that plan? My memory isn't what it was when I was the only assistant manager."

*** "Get in, win the World Cup, win the World Rankings, and keep manifesting it until we do."

*** "Manifestation...?"

*** "Yes. We need to talk about it. Talk, and then do. We have been talking down for too long. Now is the time to look forward. Now is the time to make sure that we are world-beaters - and think like it."

*** "You know what? I agree with this. We have everything we need to win. All we need to do is to start - easier done than said, apparently."

*** "The real world-beaters are the Squornshelans. I would be wary of them before I would be confident about ourselves. This sounds like a good idea, at least in principle, but I think it's also underestimated that you do not need to be overconfident in order to have a champions' mindset; Bridget Coombe, as she always did, nailed this perfectly."

*** "You said 'talk, and then do.' There isn't any guarantee that we actually will do it. We've all bore witness to how Chromatika have performed in the early stages of some of their qualifying campaigns - within living memory, although not within everyone's memory. People of my vintage will remember the reigning world champions* losing, at home, to an unranked side, and then actually retaining their title."

*** "You'll say 'I hope that doesn't happen to me!'"

*** "Or perhaps 'While we know little about Norpistan's team or intentions, we believe that they will use a variety of strategies and tactics to destabilise our team and get themselves on a level footing...'"

*** "Sometimes, they actually do. We are playing at the World Cup. It should be actively assumed that, to some extent, every team we're playing will be hungry at best, desperate at worst, to humiliate Saint Eleanor. Stephen can correct me if I am wrong, but the Eleanorian people have been through enough over the past decades to know that they became good at football, rather than just always being good."

*** "Yes, when we're not being overly nostalgic."

*** "Therefore, Reniira has the right idea."

*** "Thank you."

*** "But I do think that we should hold back on being overly confident when communicating about it. We can prepare for every game; we can even hope that we win every game. We simply cannot go out and say that we expect to win every game. Would you like some more recent examples, Lydia?"

*** "Yes."

*** "Flavovespia 1, REPUBLICANLAND 1. Baman and Juket Liberationists 2, the same Squornshelan Remnant States everyone else fears 1. Both of these results happened during your captaincy. Saint Eleanor could be the next team this happens to. We can live in hope; we cannot live by hope alone. So I think that the Race to the Top could do with a bit less publicity, even if I agree with the general principles."

*** "Donald might have something to say about this. I'll need to talk to him."

*** "See you!"

*: Gentle Breeze is wrong here, as she seldom is. The Terns were not the reigning world champions, having lost the previous two finals in a row. They were the world #1 in terms of pure, undiluted KPB.

3:59pm - Friday 27th July 2018

There are computers in most good hotels in Kwrpania, for various reasons, none of which are "Saint Eleanor doesn't know how mobile phones work and therefore needs alternative modes of communication."

Change the settings a bit... okay, let's see how to type out "Good afternoon, Donald, but I have a slightly teething problem here." Wow. This did not look like what he was expected. He needed help.

He got it. He got the hang of it, after a while. And he wrote something down.

Good afternoon, Donald, but I have a slightly teething problem here.

Reniira would like us to be more aspirational for next cycle, given our achievements this time. She's proposing that we aim for #1 in KPB and World Champions next cycle, and openly talking about it. I agree. Lydia agrees, although with some tenacity. Gentle Breeze agrees in principle, but would rather not talk about it so much. Other people don't know about the plan.

Please let me know how you think we should proceed.

Stephen

And then he waited and waited for, more or less, eight minutes, while the freaking President of SEFA took time to compose his response from a keyboard he actually knew how to work without asking any of the locals.

So it proved.

Thank you for your email. I understand the concerns that have been raised, as well as the temperament of the players, who I've met and appreciate (as you would expect).

I would suggest a two-fold plan. Firstly, go ahead with Reniira's proposal as more of an internal aspiration - not necessarily something to be communicated externally, just something we should keep in mind when playing each game. Avoiding "egg on our faces" has always been a prime objective of ours, even in much darker times than this.

Secondly, I will make sure that a new medium-term strategy is in place by October. We haven't had one since Gentle Breeze was appointed, as continuous improvement is the goal. As a first thought, making Saint Eleanor one of the world's foremost, and most consistent, nations in football by 2030 would be a good start.

We'll discuss this more when you return to the island. For now, please communicate my wishes to the group.

With regards,
Donald Lucas
President, SEFA

4:21pm - Friday 27th July 2018

*** "I have returned."

*** "Not a moment too soon."

*** "We have a compromise!"

*** "Is this good?"

*** "I've been talking to the President."

*** "Your dad?"

*** "No political interference in the FA. I mean Donald Lucas. He says that Reniira's vision of the team is good as an aspiration."

*** "Yeah, this is good."

*** "However, he does want you not to talk about it."

*** "I like talking. I hope I can cope. I'm going to say yes. Not with great enthusiasm, as that's what I think we'll need to show when we're out there... but I'll take this deal with my eyes shut."

*** "This strikes the right balance. Let's do this."

*** "You've been silent, GB. Any thoughts on this?"

Gentle Breeze appeared to nod, and then left.

*** "I suppose we have that much-vaunted outcome, then..."

*** "She's getting ready for the big team meeting. In the big conference room."

*** "Excuse me!"

Group of Six Twenty-Nine meeting (CVI) --- Tanirinthia 1-0 SAINT ELEANOR
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Lydia Vickers [C], Cathy Winchester [VC], all other players [by invitation]
Location: One of the Pwkzerem Hotels; besides the waterfront, Tydebwg, KWR

MAJOR MATCH EVENTS: Holt 70. This was, by far and away, less tragic than our other defeat to this side: we have no suspensions - I have been particularly impressed with how cleanly we have played, even in the face of doom - and, other than Olympia's well-known issues, no injuries. At the same time, Holt's strike was more or less the only major event in the match - "and I doubt it was even that. What a damp squib of a goal!" (~ Denise).


LESSONS LEARNED: The overriding consensus is that "we did great, but not great enough" (~ Keith). For most of the match, our more pressing-oriented strategy for the game paid off; the feted front three were starved of opportunities for most of the first half. As usual, this was not a dominant Eleanorian performance, "although it's rare that we have the majority of possession - and good for us" (~ Nacle). We did have a couple of opportunities - "I had the best of the half and it still wasn't very good" (~ Maria) - but they were insufficiently effective to give us the lead at half time.
Graham and Nacle took some time to understand that Tanirinthia were poorly-defended out wide - in the eyes of some, "too much time" (~ Ian), but I would say that our focus for the first half was on grinding down the Jackalopes and opening up exactly the kind of opportunities that they exercised. Percival Manning, the oldest of the Tanirinithians on the field, was particularly stretched on the left, with a good amount of focus being put on Isabella, Kavezalea and Nacle; this opened up enough space for Graham to carve out two good opportunities, one flying over the face of goal, the other just over the bar: "perhaps the two best opportunities we had all game" (~ Tina).
At the same time, they were exposing our weaknesses. We were placing a lot of pressure on their midfield, and their strikers were often under pressure, but Bacchus and Payne were - for us - the most obvious threats. "We made the same mistakes they did, now that you put it like that!" (~ Lydia V). It was with twenty minutes to go that Lark Holt emerged to head the winner past Arielle from a loose yet well-targetted cross, an effort that we were unable to recover from as they tightened up more in defence, Holt was left exposed a couple of more times, and our relative advantage was lost. "In the end, it was our failure to handle Holt that cost us" (~ Katy). I would not go so far as to call it failure - our team used a lot of bandwidth to guard against the entire Tanirinthian threat and we weren't as present in attack as we'd normally be - but there is some acceptance that, as time wore on, Holt's status as the weakest link proved to be Tanirinthia's secret weapon. "Every player, every game, has to be our goal as a defence" (~ Matt).


RECOMMENDATIONS: This meeting was invoked for a good reason: to gauge how the players think we should be delivering against Kwrpania. The Electric Eels will be on perhaps their finest form of all time, so readiness is essential. "Looks can deceive; there is every chance that Kwrpania has been saving their energy for the final" (~ Olympia). Their team is lethal up front - "Magnws-rym is one of the best to ever do it already" (~ Rick); "I would definitely say keep an eye on Magnws-rym, lest he become Esteban de Jesus' second coming" (~ Kirsti); the irony of their star striker being managed by an Eleanorian is not lost on anyone, not least Steve, who remembers his exile after CoH82. They must be marked closely!
Vabwpetob-zok's imposed absence from the match was characterised as "good!" (~ Lydia N), as their absence is one less attacking threat to worry about. "I would plan for a more generic midfield" (~ Michelle) - or, instead, "they'll be more at us, but also more at Magnws-rym" (~ Kavezalea). They're both good ideas. Few will forget Fyrek-syn-nam's stunner in the quarterfinals, so Tina would do best against them; Kirsti is overdue a start, as she will be getting more of them next cycle and beyond. Otherwise, the defensive players will remain as they normally are.
There is a widespread, although by no means unanimous, hypothesis that "their defenders can be easily beaten" (~ Gisken) - a quick once-over of the Overlap's World Cup reporting I did this morning would suggest that there is an awful lot of opposition players getting their shots on and off target, and precious little mention of them never reaching the target in the first place. isabella "has her fundamentals right" (~ Kichiro), so continues to get the start. Gisken, whose haywire attitude is off the pitch rather than on it, was considered by several of our party - including Reniira and Stephen - as the most sensible option for getting past their lines. More idealistically, and more in line with the rationale for starting Kirsti, "Lily is the future, not the past" (~ Diana) and will be starting in place of Graham. "What about Mamzwb-bab?" (~ Graham, irony of ironies). We need speed to challenge speed and Michelle herself doubt she's up to it; if they break our lines, we have Rachel in place to stop them.
The lineup will accordingly be more experimental than normal, but still in the usual 4-2-3-1 and all for a good cause: SUNDGREN; FALCONER, Vickers, Wilson, Curran; Matsuda, Morgan; EMMERSON, ALDRA, Ohan; Bright. This is a rare kind of match, one in which "the very idea of a midfield will have to take centre-stage, won't it?" (~ Robby). Our attacking strategy will be to act as normal and get our shots as rapidly and as consistently as possible. Our defensive strategy will be to mark Magnws-rym in the centre, watch out for Denrefwp-bok and wide players as necessary, and keep a closer eye on their midfield than normal.
On a broader timescale, Reniira, Stephen, Lydia and I talked before this meeting about our future strategy. Our aspiration is to reach #1 in the world rankings and become world champions next year, but by no means is this a binding goal - "not even I can control what the Squornshelans do" (~ Gisken) - and, despite Reniira's arguments to the contrary, the rest of us didn't think it would be worthwhile to bang the drum about this, but instead it would be best to keep it in the back of our minds. I would, at the very least, love another quarterfinal next year. When discussed, there was "literally unanimous agreement that this is the best course of action" (~ Kavezalea); "I'll try not to be too optimistic!" (~ Michelle).


MOVING FORWARD: All team members are under orders to go to sleep between 2am and 4am - the 3PPO will kick off at 8pm tomorrow and the risk of massive sleep disruption by rowdy Kwrpanian supporters, especially in central Tydebwg, is highly undesirable. SEFA will be organising a major press conference tomorrow around noon (after I wake up), before the third-place playoff, at which I'll summarise our discussion about the game ahead; Stephen, Reniira and Lydia will join me if they can make it. As a reminder, Reniira's "Race to the Top" idea, while thought-provoking and certainly something to aspire for in 2019, isn't something I feel like we should make a huge noise about, so players should act as they normally would when discussing their hopes and aspirations for WC101. If asked, I will make clear that SEFA will publish a detailed strategy through to 2030 this October. I will be handling notes for MD1 of WCQ101, as usual.

~GB

[Tikariot]

CUTOFF
The Finals

[Sel Appa]

Tragedy Befalls a Nation

Post WC100 Qualifiers

---

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NEMNENAIT—There are no words to describe the feeling in our nation. Reeling from the losses of the 100th World Cup Qualifiers, angry fans had been rioting for days. Players were not seen in public, Gérard Duceppe refused press conferences and rumors abounded that he would resign. It was perhaps the sombrest time in Sel Appan football history, but it would only get darker. Duceppe finally did agree to hold a press conference to answer questions about the future. However, the briefing would be cut short, by an assassins bullet. As Duceppe began to answer the second question, a man stood up and yelled "You ruined this team!" and then aimed a gun at the Federation president, and pulled the trigger. Security did not have time to react to something so unexpected, but they tackled the assailant after two shots. However, it was too late. Duceppe was on the floor bleeding as pandemonium filled the room.

Attendees fled the room, but security kept them penned in the building, which was soon locked down. Word got out fast, with condemnations across the nation. Protests and riots came to a halt as people realized what happened. A nation became quiet and began to mourn. There was a lot to be upset about and criticize, but this, this was too much, too far.

Ambulances wailed as they pulled up in front of the FFSA headquarters, along with numerous police cars. All entering the building, and soon finding security had the situation controlled, and the shooter captured. He was quickly arrested and removed to a police van, while the controversial football leader was covered and brought to a waiting ambulance. Police began to interview witnesses, a daunting task, taking statements from everyone they could. Staff provided water and had food ordered for everyone. The recovery was only beginning.

Already, there are calls for restrictions on gun ownership, but the chancellor quickly quashed this and maintained it would never happen, gun ownership is a Sel Appan civil right. The rarity of such horrible events emphasizes the correctness of this policy. "The perpetrator will be brought to justice, and those barbarians rioting in the streets will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Their chaos allowed this horror to reign." It was a rare moment of political unity when no other party disagreed.

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