World Cup 101 - The Roleplays

by **United States Of Alpha** » Tue May 12, 2026 8:35 am

MatchDay9 Preview:
United States of Alpha (137) vs Indusse (34)

Details:
This is the opponent that our team has the most experience against, meaning we are more likely to perform well against them. The bad news is that they are ranked even higher than Drawkland, so again, we need to be on our guard.

Otherwise, we need to just do what we've always been doing: keeping it up in spirit and playing our best as always.

Or you could go the Twitch streamer route and win without the fun! Only $9.99 pingas a month!

MatchDay10 Preview:
United States of Alpha @ Kharakia

Details:
Congratulations everyone! We have completed the tour of Group 9! Now that we all have experience, it's time to make some adjustments to our strategy based on how everyone's teams work! For now though, we get a relative walk in the park today against the Kharakians, whom we defeated 6-1 on the first day.

However, again this is not a time to celebrate. This is the time that we need to ACTUALLY LOCK IN CHAT. Back in World Cup 100, our team actually went unbeaten for six or seven matchdays during the second round-robin cycle. So, starting today, we are going to shoot for the same thing and maybe try to make the World Cup Finals, WHICH WAS OUR ORIGINAL GOAL TO BEGIN WITH. With that, let's go Alphanians!!!

_{SIX SEVEN}

by **Libesia** » Tue May 12, 2026 8:38 am

Aphrilia 1 – 0 Libesia
35’ Suhaim Harrak (o.g.)
Yellow cards: Suhaim Harrak, Cornelius Adade

Libesia 0 – 1 Carpathia and Ruthenia
44’ Crocceti
Yellow card: Jaramogi Ogot

HUElavia 2 – 0 Libesia
46’ Ronaldo Arruda Barbosa
72’ España
Yellow card: Mikhail Tsekani

Libesia 1 – 2 Katzeburg
29’ Arkright
63’ Mikhail Tsekani
84’ Coburn
Yellow cards: Amaanullah El Rayes, Nizsm Almasi, Tairu Mboob

A truly dire set of results has Libesia plumbing the depths of Group 14. Four defeats in four matches have seen Libesia put the ball into their own net as often as they have their opponents’; HUElavia’s reserve right back has scored as many goals as has Libesia’s starting centre forward. While the defensive record has not been terrible, in no game have they controlled more than 50% of possession, completed more than 300 passes, or had more than 5 shots on goal across 90 minutes. Excuses like “writing a match report exclusively in the future tense should be considered a crime against humanity” are likely to hold little sway with a public crying out for improved performances. And with forthcoming games against the Thyr and then their first return fixture, visiting Warkus, whose own more inexplicably poor form began with the shock win on the opening day of qualifying, still Libesia’s only win from the group, Debasis Garg simply must find a way of bringing the team together and getting something more from them. But what that way is seems so impossible to guess that we’re not even going to bother, and are instead going to take the time-honoured approach of switching from talking about the actual sport to something completely unrelated and hoping all the gay little people inside our computer don’t notice.

by **Bhumi Matawis Empire** » Tue May 12, 2026 9:00 am

Shellomita spend her three days in Baguala before heading back to Gamalama. She met once again with both Sultan Hidayatullah and Sultan Hussain. Not much to talk about as they exchange information that Shellomita got from the separatist leader. In the end, Sultan Hidayatullah have the same opinion as Wattinewa. To survive, they need to change. Giving up the monarchy and embrace the republic. Despite getting the information and confirmation she need, Shellomita can't say whether her visit to Kieraha was a success or not. However, another schedule has waiting. She is heading to Wallanae to meet President Mastari.

Arrive at Mangkasara, Shellomita is welcome with the same celebration as in Kieraha. Quite a festivity for a government official visit. Although it is a usual thing in the Empire to welcome guest especially honorable guest with a big welcoming party. Shellomita has to accustom with this custom. The government delegation is escort to Garrasiq Palace, the official resident of the President of Wallanae. President Mastari awaits at the entrance as the car that bring Shellomita arrived. The door is open and Shellomita is coming out from the car. Mastari greet her with a warm gesture and Shellomita reply it the same way. Both of them enter the palace follow by the rest of the delegation. They stop at the press room where the local and national press are ready to capture both of them in one frame. The most significant gesture is when both of them shaking hand as a sign of friendship and cooperation between central and local government.

"We are honored with your visit to our beautiful country, Your Excellency," says Mastari as both of them seat in a more private room.
"Thank you, Mr. Mastari. And I believe you know the reason why I come here, Sir," reply Shellomita.
"I'm well aware, Ma'am," Mastari speaks.
The first day is ended with a grand dinner in the palace ballroom. The state dinner is completed with several art performances from local artists. Singing, dancing and short stage act. That dinner is really a great way to welcome guest. Shellomita looks really entertain the whole time.

The second day at Mangkasara, Mahapatih Anom Shellomita and President Mastari seat down in a room. It's not that private as Piambudi and Wallanae state secretary, Mahmud Fahri also present.
"I realize this is about my statement, Your Excellency," open Mastari.
"Indeed, Mr. President. I would like to know your reason to bring this issue now?" ask Shellomita.
"I think we need the change now, Your Excellency," he paused. "Too long for us to be under a unified Empire. Even when the federation kicks in, it's still feel like a unified one with little change. Only a fraction of those powers are given to us in the state. We envy Papo-Iriya and Malalaime who are given more power than us to govern themselves. Just because they are far away from the metropole. But we are also not part of the metropole. So why can't we given a similar treatment like them?" Mastari explain.
Shellomita nod. "What kind of change do you have in mind?" ask Shellomita. Piambudi rise his eyebrow. He think Shellomita try to challenge the president.
"A mandala," Mastari answer. Shellomita looks at him wanting for explanation. "It is not a complete separation as you the central officials afraid of. We propose a mandala system where we the outsider is given the freedom to govern our own state without much interference from the metropole. However, we sill have an alliance in military for example. And of course we will view Emperor of Bhumi Matawis as our Head of State too. We have the freedom to fly our flag. Present ourselves in international stage. But we are sill part of the Empire," he explain.
"But why Great East? Why not Wallanae?" Shellomita wants another explanation.
"Past nostalgia. And I believe we are stronger economically together," says Mastari while sipping his drink.
"Do you think the other state will agree to be united under a single flag? And you do realize the area of Great East will be vastly divided, right?" Shellomita challenge him again.
"I haven't negotiate with any of them. Although I believe they all feel the same sentiment as I do," he pause. "And I believe you are aware how vast the Empire is, Your Excellency?" he talk back to her.
Shellomita put a little smile on her face.

The discussion session running smoothly. Shellomita become more aware of the situation. And the fear of the parliament that these states had communicate one another has broken by Mastari's statement himself. She came to the conclusion that all decision made by either Kierahan Sultans or Galiyao government are only a reaction of Mastari's previous statement about the creation of new Great East. However, she believe Galiyao won't be part of the new Great State if ever the entity ever establish. Galiyao has its own history which separate from the rest of the Empire. And they are only absorb into the Empire because of past expansion propaganda. So when Galiyao's government ask for a separate government, it means they wants to stand on their own feet. Then the real question would be, Does the Empire ready or willing to change?

by **Crpostran** » Tue May 12, 2026 9:53 am

by **Aleirave** » Tue May 12, 2026 10:28 am

Where I Belong

“Okay, so can you fill me in on everything that happened while I wasn’t here?” Haulafo asked Falena as he walked back to the Old Grounds.

“Do you want me to start from the beginning or the very beginning?”
“I guess just everything?” he said a little hesitantly, “I feel like a lot has changed…”

“Well, yeah, as you can see we’re playing in Aleirave again! It turned out the people never hated us after all. Lost some faith in us, sure, but they didn’t stop wanting to support us, wanting to believe in us.”

“And the results… obviously I’ve seen the results, but how do you feel about them?”

“I honestly think they’ve been pretty good! You could’ve done a little better though, if I do say so myself.”

She was right, “pretty good” was the perfect descriptor for how this team was managing itself in Haulafo’s absence. After the tough home loss to Pomachetti and the win in New Montreal States, they found themselves at 5-1-2 and third in the group, only a point behind the team they just lost to and group-leading Vdara. As the halfway point rapidly approached, a golden opportunity knocked for them to fight for first place: a two-match homestand against winless Haltoria and that Vdara team they so wanted to pass.

“It’s probably time to start thinking about the next matches, right?”
“Well, Haulafo, you have the reins back, it’s your call. And hey, it’s gotta be good just being back, right?”

“Honestly,” he told her, “I’m still a little bit in disbelief. What in Ta’anehupa’s name happened in that courtroom? It was more like some kind of weird TV show than a real trial, and I don’t mean an actual legal drama, but like some sitcom where everything bounces off the weird old football manager and we just go back to the old status quo.”

“Is it really the status quo if things have changed since before the trial?”
“It’s the status quo if you ignore the season where the producers jumped the shark to make the 10th season ‘more ridiculous than ever before’.”
“Okay, maybe we’re reading way too much into this.”
“You’re right Falena, the only thing we should be reading way too much into is Haltoria’s game tape.”

“Are you able to explain what happened in that trial or am I just going to be left asking questions for the next few weeks?”

EIS Director Mark Monley was absolutely pissed, and understandably so. After their failure to apprehend Tony Beaujoleil, confidence in the EIS’ ability to deal with high-profile cases was at an all-time low. This courtroom screwup from Lana Garber only furthered the idea that the EIS could only tilt at windmills and chase unicorns.

“It was doomed anyway. You can’t convince that island that anything he does has any negative impact. It’s like a cult of personality!”
“Why was the trial even in Aleirave anyway?”
“Because that’s the rule? Aleiravan defendant, Aleiravan crimes…”
“Refilene Adari’ena was tried in Eshialand City, how is it different?”
“Because Tony Beaujoleil was also involved–”
“And he wasn’t there?”
“In the eyes of the law he was…”

Monley facepalmed at where this argument was going, and at the whole situation itself. “This only cements my belief that Aleirave is too small to handle its own courts. Everyone knows everyone else, and too many people are too popular to fail. Haulafo Paka’ula could shoot a man dead in full view of everyone and he’d be acquitted!”

“You have to be exaggerating…”
“Am I? Because everything I’ve seen from that place is giving me the impression of total lawlessness.”
“There’s nothing you can do about it Mark. You can’t just change how the Eshian government functions due to some perceived ‘lawlessness’ that literally nobody in Aleirave is complaining about.”
“But you do agree with me that it’s impossible to get any justice done there? You were the one in that courtroom after all.”
“Well… yes…”
“Then should we not try to make positive change in this country? That’s the EIS’ job after all.”
“You’re… going rogue???”

by **Choppyhausen** » Tue May 12, 2026 10:30 am

Triangle Vastonburg WC101 Report
Triangle Vastonburg, Choppyhausen's second most successful football club and winner of the inaugural season of the League of the Republic, has sent the most players to the Choppyhausen's national team out of any other clubs. To monitor their players performance and development throughout the World Cup qualification, Triangle has sent out a team of scouts to watch Choppyhausen's matches and analyze their players' successes, issues and shortcomings. The following is an excerpt of their notes from the last four games.

Milo Holdenbeck
(#3, CB, 23 years old, Starting 11)

his mistake led to Flavovespia's 1-0
redeemed himself later with an amazing on-the-line-defense in the same match
generally strong defensive presence, one of the main reasons for Choppyhausen's back-to-back clean sheets
his long passes could use some work: some were on point, but against Kharakia one misplaced pass hit a ball boy

Domink Keil
(#8, LW, 26 years old, Starting 11)

against Indusse: completely outshone by his teammate on the other wing, Marco Iduna, who scored both of the two Choppyhausenian goals
against Flavovespia: sadly no match for his opponent Roger Burden who made sure that Keil remained virtually invisible for most of the match
against United States of Alpha: completely outshone his teammate on the other wing, Marco Iduna, scoring one of the Choppyhausenian goals and assisting the other
against Kharakia: impressive passing accuracy of 97% despite several risky passes, he's not to blame for the 0-0

Tommy Lukeson
(#9, AM, 21 years old, Starting 11)

stole Corte's 3-0 against United States of Alpha by touching the ball just before it went over the line, resulting in the entire move being ruled out for offside
won a dangerous free-kick against Indusse, he was otherwise rarely seen in the first two games
his dribbling skills are immaculate, probably the best in the nation
unlucky against Kharakia: two of his shots hit the woodwork
for the record: I don't believe the first point to be negative, Choppyhausen had already basically won and every goal a Victoria player fails to score is a success in my books

Nikolai De Lang
(#22, AM/LW, 19 years old, substitute)

needs some communication work: in the 45 minutes he played against Kharakia, De Lang spoke more to the referee than to his teammates

Ivo Tyr
(#6, CM, 30 years old, substitute)

subbed in for Finch against Flavovespia in the 72nd
seemed to be the only Choppyhausenian on the field with attacking ideas
his through pass resulted in the only Choppyhausenian goal of the match (Corte 79')
subbed off with an injury in the 86th

Diego Menno

(#13, GK, 29 years old, substitute)

stayed off the pitch for all four games
did a great job as a stand-in ball boy against Kharakia after the regular ball boy was out

Choppyhausen 2–2 Indusse_____
The Trident (62.204), Vastonburg
        Iduna 40', 45' || Rahul 66', Paulson 85'

Choppyhausen 1–2 Flavovespia_
Stadium of Unity (70.000), Choppingen
       Corte 79' || Sheperd 27', 44'

United States of Alpha 0–2 Choppyhausen__________
United States of Alpha
                    || Corte 31', Keil 55'

Choppyhausen 0–0 Kharakia____
Stattwerk (41.400), Drehstatt
||

by **HUElavia** » Tue May 12, 2026 10:48 am

MD 7:
HUElavia 2–0 Libesia
(Arruda 21', Chalco 72')
Estadio Sino, Bagnano, HUElavia

MD 8:
Beal an Mhuirthead 3–4 HUElavia
(REDACTED 32', 83', REDACTED 90+5' | Vigouroux 6', Serra 18', Valdovinos 57', Montemayor 79')

Previously On...

Blur

4.4 Night Run

Vinicius and Orije began to floor it after getting past the barrels, looking to win the H 4.8K at the finish line. The Z and Super were now going neck and neck, with both drivers starting to really push their cars as much as they can. Vinicius and Orije both were exchanging glances to their side, seeing who was going ahead. Both of them knew they couldn't hit each other on the side, trying to make the other car loose and possibly crash. After all, this wasn't the NSSCRA. For one moment, it looked as if the Z was leading. Then it was the Super. But the lead was always by a nose, not going more than that this time. Vinicius was gripping the steering wheel tightly, having full reign on the Z, pushing it as much as he felt he could. Suddenly, he felt a great tension come over him.

F A S T E R .

(Music)

Much like on the highway, where he saw that Fiera surpass him, he felt as if the car was speaking to him, ordering him to go faster. He felt the trance of the road and car start to take over his body. He started to disregard Orije being next to him in his Super, now focusing on the road ahead. 120. 125. 130. Vinicius was flooring the pedal down, wanting now to really put a gap on the Super. Orije would glance at Vinicius, seeing how he was focused, very much in a trance that shocked him. He started to feel nervous going at the same speed with the Z. He'd race with other drivers in the streets and highways around Sao Salvador, beat most drivers, lost to some. Yet nothing instilled fear into his heart than being side-to-side against this Z.

Some cars would begin to appear on the road back, now with both the Z and Super really running fast through the streets. Vinicius, in his trance, would slightly go to the left onto the oncoming lane, while Orije would go to his right. Both cars miss the traffic, before merging back onto the proper lane. Even with this change, the speed would not let up between the two. Yet the Z would start edging more and more forward. As if it somehow found a way to use more horsepower to go faster through the streets.

For Vinicius, it felt like everything was a blur. The lightposts had the lights trailing and everything felt like it was moving slowly. He felt terrified, but helpless towards slowing down. As if the car imposed on his will and push the limits of himself and itself. The car was starting to pull more and more, now going about quarter a car length ahead of the Super. No matter how much Orije tried to push the Super, it was as if the Z was refusing to be surpassed by the Super.

Before both drivers knew it, it was now back to the 2-lane stretch of the road, knowing they had to be prepared to reach the Finish Line with plenty of speed and momentum. Back at the line, people were lined up to the sides, knowing that the finish was going to be loud and likely crazy. Some began to line up further away before the finish line, staying out of safety in case someone lost control or crashed. A young woman brought out a checkered flag, prepared to wave it to declare the end of the race. Jesus signaled people to make room.

"Alright, alright. Make space and stay away from the road. They're probably gonna be coming in really hot. We don't need a disgrace to happen here!"

Then, the sound of cars began to fill the air.

Vinicius was pulling more and more away from Orije. The Z pushed more and more, with both teams going about 150, 155 miles per hour. The finish line back to the parking lot was staring to come into sight. At this point it was a drag race. Orije was pushing the Super as much as he could, but it felt like that Z would only go faster than his car. The Super, the car he invested thousands of Hueks to improve, make it in his image, his pride and joy.

The cars came into view and the final 1000 yards were ahead, with Vinicius stepping harder, now going 160, with Orije going 156. The cars sped past the line of people by the sides, with the young woman waving the checkered flag under the night sky. Vinicius had finished in the lead, half a car length ahead of Orije.

To Be Continued...

by **Valanora** » Tue May 12, 2026 11:01 am

The last window has been unexpectedly far more of a close shave than anyone in the coaching staff had really anticipated, a pair of three to two wins following a window where they had been held in Milchama was not exactly the sort of all dominating performance that a title contender was set to have. Audioslavia had won every game of their campaign already and not even given up a single goal, that was domination, that was a force that you were truly terrified of having to come up against in the Finals if you were not part of their qualifying group. The odds of the old enemy of the Marauders not qualifying at this point seemed extremely slim, the Bulls were thoroughly outclassing everyone in their group and there seemed to be very little that anyone in Group One was going to be able to do about that domination with how suffocating their defense appeared to be. The Marauders offense was potent, yet it was not as potent as to think that they could simply walk through any opposition like a hot knife through butter and face zero resistance, the game against Milchama and now the matches against Frayston and Baker Park showed the side was still getting the best efforts of those they crossed paths with.

It was a poor window for the defense that had up to that point looked formidable, at least by Vanorian standards when it comes to defense. Giving up a pair of goals away to Baker Park while not a great look at least can be understood, it is a fairly good team with a good attack playing in their own stadium, giving up a pair of goals to Frayston in the Hatire Memorial however is far from a good look. It may be that they were simply in the mood during this window, as they would go on to get their first win in the campaign in the next game when they played at home against Nueva Compostela, yet for the ambitions of this side to have a close shave against one of the weakest teams in the group is hardly acceptable. It gives teams like Sarzonia, Milchama, and Sajnur the belief that when they play the Marauders in the second half of the campaign that the team is there for the taking, giving them reason to give more in those matches than what they already have. Even Andossa Se Mitrin Vega will think now when they come to the national stadium that they have a real chance of coming away with a result, the fear from playing against the side is eroded with a result like that even if it was a victory.

There is an argument to be made that one of the reasons that the Marauders have not lifted the World Cup trophy since 62 is because these days the fear in playing against the side has all but waned away. During the height of the Marauders power in the competition, there was legitimate dread for teams who were drawn into the same group with the Marauders regardless of it was in qualifying or in the tournament proper, there was even dread if merely drawn in the same half or quarter of the bracket. However ten cycles post the last title lift, the power and fear of the team had already began to fade between fluke results and unorthodox formats to where the ultimate humiliation came in the side not qualifying for the tournament for the time since World Cup 33. That failure to qualify showed the rest of the footballing world that the Marauders were human, that they were not automatically guaranteed a qualifying spot if they were drawn into your group, that they could be brought low with enough effort, skill, and luck that they were just the same as any other team. The team's struggles in the Finals since that moment showcase the change in perspective and the lack of fear among its opposition from that point forward.

While intimidation of the opponents has never been at the forefront of the Marauders strategy, to deny the impact that it had during their sixty or so years of dominance over the World Cup and how the ensuing sixty or so years have been since that failure to qualify would be quite foolish. There is a reason why many of the most successful managers of the Marauders have been known to be ruthless, to have the side keep attacking even when the game is in hand, you want your opposition to be intimidated by the mere thought of having to face you on the pitch. It is part of the mental game that gives the best teams that edge that they are looking for, combined with a desire simply to not lose. Winning is fantastic, everyone wants to win, but few enough people hate losing enough to feel that even slim victories are not adequate. The machine of the Marauders from the late 30 editions through the mid 50 editions was a team that hated losing more than they enjoyed winning, that forced teams to be mentally already on the backfoot when they came up against them. If the squad to is to reach the heights they are looking for and to achieve what no other team has done, perhaps they need to take a lesson from those old squads and step on the throat of those they have already laid low.

by **Snestar** » Tue May 12, 2026 11:03 am

(AI generated image in the background)

WC101 Matchday 7: Snestar 2-1 Brusselstein
Goalscorers (Snestar):
54' Arminia Cremisi
87' Tero Sjölund
Goalscorers (Brusselstein):
61' Kevin Schlereth
Player of the Match: Kevin Schlereth

(AI generated image in the background)

WC101 Matchday 8: Captina Island 0-1 Snestar
Goalscorers (Snestar):
34' Tero Sjölund
Red Cards (Snestar):
45+3' Valentino Garnati
Player of the Match: Davide Scognamiglio

Snestar gains two more wins, and stays still at second place with eight points above Captina Island: WC qualification close to becoming a reality?

Matchdays 7 and 8 have led Snestar to secure second place with a large margin over third placed Captina Island, after the Viola successfully defeated them with a "corto muso" 0-1 victory and, with a little help from Konstantino, has managed to secure an eight point lead for direct qualification. Still, with ten matches to go, and 15th ranked Ko-oren being the only team left to play twice, Edoardo di Palma is still skeptical on qualification.

Snestar 2-1 Brusselstein: Match Summary

The sleek, modern Stadio Veralica saw a not-so-thrilling match take place in the city of Ardalya, despite the usually lively and determined atmosphere typical of the homonymous club of the city, normally accustomed to a more offensive style of play (at least according to Snestaryan standards). To Brusselstein's credit, the opponents did manage to hold onto themselves against Snestar's tactical, calculated attacks, managing to maintain the scoreline as 0-0 until the end of the first half. Still, there was still a reasonable amount of action in these 45 minutes: the 18-year-old winger Kevin Schlereth did manage to cause quite a lot of problems against Marta Camilla Barami, who did seem to complain about her physical form throughout the opening minutes of the match, but chose to remain in the pitch nonetheless, putting on a not-so-stellar performance. In the second half, it was Arminia Cremisi to open up the match, with a weak but greatly executed curved shot in the 54th minute, diverted by Wirtz, causing the ball to fool Michael Stöham and enter Brusselstein's goal. Still, the Viola's advantage was short-lived, as Kevin Schlereth managed to equalize in the 61st minute after dribbling through Barami and Balestri to slam the ball through the right side of the goal. Calvaresi was barely able to touch the ball, but in the end he could not make the miracle save the Snestaryans were hoping to see. Lastly, after a long series of tense but rather uninteresting passing sequences (with Kevin Schlereth almost completing Brusselstein's comeback, before being stopped by Daniele Maratea, who'd been subbed in for Barami to let the #13 rest, in preparation for the match against Captina Island.), until in the 87th minute, Tero Sjölund came in from the bench to save the day, with one of his usual awfully dull tap-ins that never cause much of a show, but still count towards victory, allowing the Viola to take home three more points.

Captina Island 0-1 Snestar: Match Summary

Away at the Captina Company Sports Ground in Geneva City, the Snestaryan players of the Viola were prepared for the worst. As Edoardo di Palma taught them to not expect much (perhaps a rather ingenuous move by the coach), Snestar was ready to be pressured to defend for the entire 90 minutes that awaited them. But when they came to the pitch, Captina Island's players were surprisingly out of form: Davide Zaccardo, Tonia Sue Ellington and Tobias Coleman all seemed to be frequently making mistakes, which prompted Edoardo di Palma to ease the hyper defensive structure a little and focus more on exploiting the opponents' weaknesses... Luckily for the viola, the strategy turned out to work fantastically: not only the Snestaryans were able to prevent most of Captina Island's attacking attempts (with Federico Calvaresi coming in clutch to save a few particularly powerful shots from Giorgina Donati), and actually found the goal in the 44th minute thanks to Tero Sjölund... However, the balance of the match was about to be completely thrown off the window. Minutes after Sjölund's goal, however, Captina Island managed to exploit a failed corner kick from Fabio de Filippi to enact a powerful counter-attack that forced Valentino Garnati to forcefully prevent Donati from getting dangerously close to the goal. However, since the woman was the last player standing for Captina Island, Garnati was ultimately sent off, leaving the Viola with ten players at halftime. As expected, the second half found the Snestaryans tightly shut within their own half, with Di Palma subbing Sjölund out in exchange for Fabio de Rossi, a defender who's played many times down a player with Dandelicha Continental to turn the butchered Viola into a purely defensive 5-4-0 formation. Captina Island, however, still found themselves unable to break through, mostly thanks to Davide Scognamiglio's abilities to predict the opponents' tactics and put in place a strategical chokehold to tire the opponents until the very end. Luckily for the Viola, no important chances happened during the last 45 minutes (a rather strange occurrence, considering Snestar was in numerical inferiority), yet the match ended with a cheesed victory for the Snestaryan players.

After the final whistle of Captina Island - Snestar, we decided to interview Edoardo di Palma. He seemed rather amused by the lack of fair-play shown by Valentino Garnati, and seemed to be in the mood for taunting not only all of Group 16's participants (Snestar included), but the WC101 hosts as well.

“I don't know what to say, really... This might have been the most dirty victory in the history of this National Team. I mean, it's certainly dishonorable, but I call it a success nonetheless: we're eight points above Captina Island now, and while this indicator is not that important, considering Snestar has yet to play against Ko-oren, I'd say we're in a good position right now. I believe this is due to what the Snestaryans are made of: fraternity, equality, and unity. No, that was Fr- Wait, what country had this specific motto? Definitely not us. Ours is "Diplomacy and Democracy"... Someone absolutely needs to tell me where this thing came from... I don't know why, but I sense that it's something otherwordly, almost fictional... [...]
Anyway, what I meant to say is that us Snestaryans play like a team, and this somewhat reflects the nation's history. For the longest time, we were separated into tens of independent nations, some of which were chained under the shackles of larger empires, and we were stomped and mocked for our nature... But we managed to unite. We found a common ground, and we slowly built what Snestar is today. This is the Viola. This is Snestar. It's not a nation like Farfadillis, which from what I remember when watching the Viola compete in the 87th Baptism of Fire an incredibly divided nation, if you can even call it one.”

Matchday 9 vs Ko-oren
5-4-1 Formation
GK 1 Federico Calvaresi (C)
LB 5 Riccardo Cavaliere
CB 4 Vittorio Gallerani
CB 23 Fabio de Rossi
CB 32 Sebastiano Balestri
RB 13 Marta Camilla Barami
LM 10 Martin de Roux
CDM 6 Davide Scognamiglio
CDM 26 Angelica Malavoglia
RM 20 Fabio de Filippi
ST 7 Tero Sjölund
(Matchday 9 will be played in the Stadio Olimpico in Dandelicha, the largest stadium in the country, with 84000 seats, home to Dandelicha Continental and Dandelicha United)

Matchday 10 vs Al-Momenta
4-3-3 Formation
GK 1 Federico Calvaresi (C)
LB 22 Rinaldo Larizza
CB 23 Fabio de Rossi
CB 2 Giulio Maritan
RB 13 Marta Camilla Barami
CM 8 Nicola Acanfora
CM 14 Nicola Ragusa
CAM 16 Arminia Cremisi
LW 17 Federico Marchesi
ST 21 Veronica Lodigiani
RW 27 Elisa Baldriga
(Matchday 10 will be played at the Stadio Elena Maria Arentas in Merilva, a 25000 seater home to AS E.M. Arentas.)

(Message from the Radio Televisione Snestaryana: we have noticed a frequent amount of mistakes in the match reports. We have discovered that the person currently in charge of the broadcasting and the articles has reported eyesight problems: we apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused, including the misspelling of United Adaikes. We have no excuse for that. We are morons.)

by **Biyambi** » Tue May 12, 2026 11:36 am

Williams Right Winger Kanyana (Sports Journalist):
“Mansanduni Union would have been a far greater team. It developed most of stars in the ZFL, using its satellite clubs around Ziwana. It was the first club for have a youth set up. Truly it would have done more if not for 1986 tragedy.”

Voice Over:
“Before 1986, Mansanduni Union’s true rival was Mighty Rangers and Western United. Ngwazi Strikers were the noisy neighbours. The rivalry was one sided, to Mansanduni Union, Ngwazi Strikers was irrelevant but after 1986 the noise finally got to the Peoples’ Team. A new derby was born in Ziwana, Ttimwidaniwara, The Great Enemy, between the Peoples’ Team and the Royals.”

Williams Right Winger Kanyana (Sports Journalist):
“Ziwani’s Big 8 clubs are very unique and exciting in that they have great rivalries amongst each other, that have defined eras. We have; The Pera Derby between Mansanduni Union & Mighty Rangers, we have the Siliva Classic between Mansanduni Union & Western United, The Ttmwidaniwara Derby between Mansanduni Union & Ngwazi Strikers, we have the Amaklassico between Western United & Ngwazi Strikers, and we have the Red & Yellow derby between Red Falcons and Black Leopards. Outside these derbies the teams remain competitive against each other.”

Peter Hudson (Mighty Rangers, 1970-1993):
“Most people do not understand Mighty Rangers’ rivalry with Mansanduni Union and its deep history. They only know the colonial era history. The rivalry was red hot and exciting in the early ZFL era and it was a three-way rivalry between Western United, Union, and us the Rangers. All three teams were competing for silverware, who was going to be King amongst us three.

From the 60s, 70s, Mighty Rangers was at par with Mansanduni Union. Mighty Rangers had two league titles and 10 domestic cups; and Mansanduni Union had two league titles and 9 domestic cups.

However, Dean Dundunza had brought up a golden generation in the 80s, within the space of 7 seasons they won 4 league titles, 4 national cups, 1 Top 8, and 3 league cups. And by the way those national cups were 4 in roll, those league cups 3 in a roll.
It is sad that golden generation was cut short I believe they would have surpassed what Western United achieved.”

Voice Over:
“What had Western United achieved?

Well Western United are the most decorated club in Ziwani Football League history.
But, but

Their success did not come from a single golden generation like Mansanduni Union, instead it built multiple dynasties.”

Jan Mohede (Western United, 1973-1998):
“The first dynasty was between the seasons 1976-77 and 1978-79.
Mind you Red Falcons had won three Barcmans League titles the previous three seasons. However, their dominance was just in the league but AmaWashindi did it better and in style.

Apart from winning three straight league championships, AmaWashindi also won three straight Challenge 555 trophies and to top it all off, the club became the first in the archipelago to achieve the domestic double in the 1977-78 season when we won the Barcmans League, the GAT Sportsman Trophy… by the way that trophy had previously been known as the Stanhope Challenge Cup, and the third trophy won was the Challenge 555 trophy. 7 trophies in 3 season and making history with the domestic treble, that’s unbelievable.

The success of those three seasons are thanks to two incredible players.

The first is Michael Parvatham. I must say I haven’t seen up to this generation a player like Michael. I played with Michael Parvatham and wow! If I wasn’t a believer I would have said that Michael Parvatham used juju. Parvatham was something else. You could not compare Michael with any other striker to this day. Michael played football even at the age of above 40, better than the strikers today even at that age. That guy, I still can’t wrap my mind how well he played his football. And I really enjoyed playing football alongside Parvatham. Because Michael would tell you, I will score no matter what it takes, and he would really score. This guy scored 39 goals in an 18-game season in the 77-78 season, that’s beyond incredible. That feat has not been done by any other player ever since.

Voice Over:
“The second dynasty happened during the AmaKlassico years when Western United competed for glory in the Ziwani Football League. Alas, it ended a draw with both sides finishing with 4 league titles each.

Jan Mohede (Western United, 1973-1998):
“The second dynasty happened between the 86-87 season and the 93-94 season.

The most notable player of this dynasty was Banet Amat (chuckling). have not seen a left footer like Banet again in Ziwana. People can talk of James Makina, but he doesn’t come close to the greatness Banet Amat. People who watched Banet Amat cannot compare him with any other player in Ziwana. I have not seen again any player gifted with the left foot in Ziwana or Mandalanusa like Banet."

by **The Sernetian Empire** » Tue May 12, 2026 12:04 pm

SERNESPORTS TV

contents:
1) 1-1 Draw with Kharakia
2) Another 1-1 draw with Eriadni
3) Pre-match analysis

1-1 Draw with Kharakia
Czesław Jalińowski

We expected this game to be an easy three points. And it almost was.
The stadium in Kharakia City was quickly packed with supporters; there were so many Sernetians that it almost felt like Sernetesen due to the sheer volume. Of course, there were Kharakian fans too.
Soon it was time for the match to start, and the Sernetian fans were making themselves heard, flags waving, chants echoing off the opposite stands, flares lighting the sky in blue and orange. The Sernetians were outnumbered, but certainly not silenced.

For much of the first half, the game felt like a tennis match. Sernet kept pushing and applying pressure on the Kharakian defences, but even when they were breached, the ball never quite got past the goal line. A chance came early on at the 6th minute, with Sporius Bolsting making a pass which would get past Araly Farkas to get to Oluwawa Wasori, who ran unopposed at the goal but failed to score against goalkeeper Jorji Karleigh; the shot was deflected by his foot and was cleared away by Fremíer Síer. The Steamers almost conceded an early goal to the Kharakian Wolves, but the shot by Frederik Ylvony was saved with a touch of class by debutant goalkeeper Zorek Klagimend, playing in place of Pasarowski and showing his talents and potential to the crowd. The sernetian fans breathed a collective sigh of relief.

After that close shave, Klagimend booted the ball upfield to Bob Yarisem, who worked together with Korolianus Stork to infiltrate their defences and blast the ball at Karleigh, but rebounded off of the crossbar at the 10th minute. The Steamers were awarded a corner, taken by Zbigniew Komstrowski, and received by Hubert Stasko who headered the ball straight into the keeper's face. After that amusing encounter, the defence was tested once again, with Stasko, Stirius Mantrostem and Salod Zerning shutting down an attempt by Aleksander Tigarr before it came anywhere near Klagimend. Yet another attempt by Sernet reinforced the feeling of a tennis match; Sernet attacks, then Kharakia attacks back, and so on. A smooth through ball by Zerning to Rami Alforez created a chance, and Stefan Jatrowski exploited a gap in the defence to take a lucky shot at the goal, which bounced back off the post. Up in the stands, the Sernetians were relentlessly chanting "WE'RE GOING TO SCORE A GOAL, WE'RE GOING TO SCORE A GOOOAAAL!" alongside each and every supporter encouraging the Steamers in their own ways. The final attempt of the first half came from Bolsting, who tried scoring a spontaneous panenka from another corner, taken by Jatrowski at the 42nd minute. The half-time whistle blew, and the scoreline was still even. There was the usual music at half-time as well as a few substitutions made by Stoberus Pond.

Sernet entered the second half with a renewed energy, and in the early minutes of the half completely dominated possession. The fans were anticipating a goal at any minute now, and that goal was about to come. A wonderful corner by Zbigniew Komstrowski sent the ball into the box, but was deflected by Kollin Smith-Westers. The Kharakians attempted a counterattack but this was quickly thwarted by Stirius Mantrostem and Dariuś Morpowski, with Morpowski delivering the ball to Wasori Oluwawa, slipping a sleek pass to Bolsting who gave the ball to Salod Zerning, the defender happening to be in the opponents' box. Zerning swiftly crept up closer to the goal and fired an absolute rocket into the back of the net at the 50th minute, making the net ripple and the Sernetian stands celebrate with passion.
The Kharakian fans felt dejected, the score was now in Sernet's favour. At the 62nd minute, a counterattack by Sporius Bolsting almost led to a 2-0 lead, but the attempt was not a successful one. The game became rather uneventful afterwards, with most attacks being halted by either side's defences. However, an unanticipated setback was soon to shock Sernet; at the 75th minute, a free kick awarded to Kharakia led to Aleksander Tigarr scoring a goal against Klagimend, who dived to save the goal as it skimmed just above his head, evening out the score.

The Steamers pressed harder than ever before, with multiple attempts by Sernet failing to restore Sernet's lead. The match ended with a beautiful long shot by late substitute Kilegram Dassaro, which very nearly changed the scoreline to 2-1. The match was an unexpected draw, which certainly was disappointing, but it wasn't a total setback... At least we leave Kharakia with one more point.

Final Score:
Kharakia 1-1 Sernet

Goals:
Sernet: Zerning 50'
Kharakia: Tigarr 75'

Another 1-1 draw with Eriadni
Salman Ferisen

Stensemertef was the setting of Sernet's second successive draw, this time against Eriadni. Flocks of Eriadnian fans, alongside the usual flow of Sernetian ones, filled up Gomswood Arena to the brim, everyone buzzing with excitement for the game ahead. The Steamers were determined to not drop any more points, and the supporters were confident that this would be the case.

At the 1st minute of the game, Sporius Bolsting almost scored the earliest goal of the tournament so far, hammering a shot at the Eridanian goal, but goalkeeper Long Xiaolian managed to save it, keeping the score even. Both sides pressed, with Poltus Esingfort coming millimetres away from scoring at the 8th minute. The Sernetian defences were first truly tested immediately after, with Bartosz Głolin, Janusz Tworpowski and Dominik Zoliba fiercely guarding the goal, obviously alongside keeper Tomasz Pasarowski. A through ball to Zeng Da from Weng Pengfei posed a threat to the Steamers, but it was shut down by Tworpowski. Later on, a sprint down the wing by Stefan Jatrowski created another chance for Sernet. Jatrowski delivered a razor-sharp cross to Poltus Esingfort, who fired the ball past Xiaolian with masterful precision at the 28th minute. Gomswood Arena exploded into celebration; thousands of fans leaping to their feet, scarves spinning overhead as a roar rolled through the stands like thunder. After a brief celebration from the Steamers, the game pressed on, but not long after the triumph, Eriadni striker Bai Yanyu scored an equalised against Pasarowski at the 39th minute, clearly elating the Eriadnian supporters. A shot at the 43rd minute by Bolsting almost reinstated the lead, but it was deflected by defender Ye Ting, preserving the score into the second half.

The Sernetian fans were waiting for a second goal, some more patiently than others, but sadly it never came. There were numerous shots on goal during the second half, most notably by Stork and one by Tworpowski. Sadly, the second half did not feature a comeback from Sernet, ending the match at an underwhelming 1-1. Perhaps this draw stung a bit more than the last one, maybe because it was a repeat of the previous scoreline, or maybe because it was a draw at home. Nevertheless, both Sernet and Eriadni left Gomswood Arena with one more point on the table.

Final Score:
Sernet 1-1 Eriadni

Goals:
Sernet: Esingfort 28'
Eriadni: Yanyu 39'

Pre-match analysis: MD9 vs Afanc Strait @[Unconfirmed], MD10 vs Drawkland @[unconfirmed]
Damian Weslom

P.s. We're keeping the lineup the same. Stoberus Pond and Don Swordsman will make sure all players do something for Sernet this world cup.

Table:

Group 9                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Flavovespia               8    6   2   0    18    7  +11    20
 2 Indusse                   8    4   3   1    22   14   +8    15
 3 Sernet                    8    3   3   2    13   11   +2    12
 4 Choppyhausen              8    3   3   2     9    7   +2    12
 5 United States of Alpha    8    3   1   4    15   11   +4    10
 6 Eriadni                   8    2   4   2    16   16    0    10
 7 Kharakia                  8    2   4   2    17   22   −5    10
 8 Anewkansas                8    2   1   5    11   15   −4     7
 9 Drawkland                 8    0   5   3     8   14   −6     5
10 Afanc Strait              8    1   2   5     6   18  −12     5

After two consecutive 1-1 draws, fortunately we have risen to 3rd place on the Group 9 table, but our Goal Difference has stagnated. I think we underestimated our opponents, especially Kharakia... sort of subconsciously after the hardships of the loss to Flavovespia, one of only two defeats so far and the only one where we lost by more than one goal. I say "so far," but imagine we go unbeaten for the rest of the qualifiers? Putting the games behind us, next up we face the bottom two teams in the group, Drawkland and Afanc Strait. As things stand, we are at 12 points. Both Drawkland, who are 9th, and Afanc Strait, who are 10th, are on 5 points; Afanc Strait has suffered 5 defeats with a single win, meanwhile Drawkland haven't had a single win yet but have drawed 5 of their games and lost 3, one of those losses being against us in Seven Bridges. Hopefully we can squeeze 3 points out of Afanc Strait and another 3 out of Drawkland straight after that. To be honest, despite the unexpected results of the last two games, I genuinely think we will actually get 6 points out of our next two back-to-back away games, and if I really had to put my money on one, it'd be against Afanc Strait. The fans, the players and the staff are all getting ready for these upcoming two fixtures, and we're all hoping for the six points. That's all I have to say for now, goodbye from the Sernefoot team.

OOC notes:
-No Smoltrendestof RP as I am strained right now
-I will try to include some of the features I had in my NSWC100 RPs going forwards
-No guide for away fans as we have no home games in the next window

That's it.

The Team at Sernesports TV wishes Sernet luck.
From Left to right: Czesław, Damian, Salman, Peter, Bobby. Tadeusz and Grzegorz are not in this photo.

#thepowerofsernet

by **Pasarga** » Tue May 12, 2026 12:31 pm

Igor was staring with blood shot eyes at the schedule and he was not looking forward to the next international weekend as if disaster struck, the Wanderers could easily go from leading the group to being on the outside looking in at the automatic qualification spots. This past window had gone well enough, a pair of wins was always going to be worth a little bit of a celebration, even if the game away to the Logic team had needed an eighty-eighth minute winner to seal the deal. It had been extremely nervy and Igor had all but resigned himself to having seen the squad drop points for three times in the first half of the campaign against the worst teams in the group. Fortunately for him Bogdan Laszlo had found the back of the net just moments before the fourth official had indicated three minutes of added time that was going to be played. It was a bit of an escape but given the way that the team and how the entire group was playing out, three points was welcomed by any virtue or way of obtaining it, though these nervy games were certainly not going to be good for his blood pressure.

He was at least content that the home game against Tomerion had proven to be less dramatic and more like the sort of game that he had been expecting his team to play against all of the so called slush pot teams, a comfortable three to one victory where the Wanderers never looked like dropping points. Járngrímur had got the team out to a good start with a quick thinking tip in three minutes in off a rebound from a shot by Laszlo that the keeper had spilled into the six, the CAP striker then doubled the lead in the twenty-fourth with a graceful run through the defense after Mór Buday had supplied a great through ball. In the forty-ninth Buday would get a goal of his own with some neat one-two passing between the winger and Laszlo to get him behind the defense and able to chip the keeper. Even if the team gave up a goal in the eighty-first to lose the clean sheet, Igor had been quite pleased with how the team had played but he also wondered why the team failed to play up to that standard of play every game. It was a lot like the game against Zwangzug, they had been lethal and near on perfect in the execution of the game plan, hopefully they would not repeat the low effort in the next game.

That next game of course Igor knew was the most challenging game in the entire schedule on paper for the Wanderers, away to the group's first seed in Saint Eleanor, who were sitting in second only a single point behind his side. The draw against the Giraffes was the sole difference between the two high pot teams in the group and that away trip was going to be followed by another difficult away trip just a few days later when the team visited Natkr, who were seven points adrift from his side. The entire top five of the group was seperated by only those seven points and a bad window could mean that the Wanderers would go from leading the group and looking somewhat comfortable to qualify automatically out of the group to being stuck in the quagmire of those who were fighting in the playoff spots. It was not a place of envy for anyone and especially with accusation being flown around by foreign media that suggested that the Wanderers were over performing and would be dragged back into the group fight at the end of the window. While the schedule had been somewhat kind to the team in the first half, to suggest the team had been over performing seemed especially harsh to Igor's mind.

Igor looked at the scouting report for Saint Eleanor and tried to study where the team would be able to find success, to add a third game to their first half record of dropping points. Like the Wanderers they had somehow connived to lose to Skorpiie, though they had done so at Skorpiie rather than at home, as well as lose at Tomerion by the same scoreline that the Wanderers had bested them by in Torgos. They rebounded with a five to nil thumping of Zwangzug in the former champions home stadium, which showed they had quite the bounce back power as well as the talent that went with their top seed billing. Having now rattled off five straight wins, all by quite impressive margins, they were certainly a team in form compared to the roller coaster of form that the Wanderers were in, it would take an effort like they showed against Zwangzug in Torgos to get a result against the top side at their own place, with Saint Eleanor having won all their games at home thus far in the campaign. It was certainly an impressive record and a trend that Igor was going to have to think long and hard about on how to break.

What Igor knew was that they played in a bit of a negative setup, it was a version of a five man midfield that looked to invite pressure but then hit hard on the counter with attacking wingers and a false nine to support the lone striker up to. It was one of the most popular formations and tactics in modern football, though its use in the Dual Islands was very marginal at best as a lot of SuperLiga teams still played in a traditional four-four-two or a diamond midfield. It was interesting that a more defensive set up had scored more goals than his more neutral one which probably was because of the way that their midfield could be used to overwhelm and outmatch others midfield. Maintaining possession was going to be difficult in the middle of the park or on the attack, the side was maybe going to need to mirror a bit of their opposition if they were to find success, to let them attack at the back line but then hit hard on the counter. Igor wanted three points to ensure that the would still be in a favorable position at the halfway point but a draw would not be a bad result either, especially if the team could use the momentum then to go into Natkr and take away all three points to reestablish the gap between the top of the table and those chasing below.

by **Of the Golden Harp** » Tue May 12, 2026 12:32 pm

Main Article
The Holy Harps were at the top of the group, tied with only Banija. Things were looking bright, the opportunity for instant Qualification was on the horizon. They were set to face the nations of Zenic and Woodsmere, one the second highest ranked team in the group, and the other, a team sitting at the bottom of the table. The Golden Harp faced a tough 2-0 defeat against Zenic after a brace from Maruscak. This was about as expected but what was to come was definitely not. The Holy Harps were set to face Woodsmere, in what could potentially be considered a rivalry. At that match it looked like the Holy Harps were about to get an early lead when Ninniau Steed went to shoot the ball, but the ball was blocked by Amat of Woodsmere, with his hand. Now, the handball wasn't blatant, but Amat's hand was in what most reasonable people would consider to be an unnatural position, meaning that it should have been called a penalty, but it wasn't. This controversy continued when Woodsmere was awarded a penalty after a challenge from Byrn Hefferman. Markuz stepped up to take the penalty, and shot it to the bottom right where Kelleher had dove. The ball bounced off of his elbow and back to Markuz who hit the ball over the crossbar. It was the 22nd minute when the Holy Harps had their first real opportunity. Garbhan was dribbling on the right wing against Suhem. Garbhan slowed, tapped the ball to his left, and crossed the ball over to Paul Johnson who headed the ball across the goal to the far post. It hit off of the outside of the post out of bounds. In the 25th minute Groibyz had a breakaway when out of nowhere Sloan Mondy came sliding into him, but missed the ball. He took out the legs of Groibyz injuring him in the process and earning himself a red card. This card shifted the balance of power. Now with only ten men The Golden Harp could not defend and attack at the same time. Woodsmere had shot after shot in the first half, but none of them went in thanks to the dives and reactions of Gavin Kelleher with the Emerald Barricade behind him. The second half started the same way, except for one shot. A shot from Uska found its way past Kelleher because of a deflection from Lennon. This was the winning goal. Being a man down there was little the Holy Harps could do. With their ultra-defensive tactics scoring a shorthanded goal was near impossible.

The Highlights of Gavin Kelleher
CIFL, MD4, Vs Garbhan(Rebel Cork)
Garbhan was running up the field towards the goal of Cork Munster, Kelleher's team. He faked left, but went right to get past Conor Finnegan of Cork Munster. He was on a breakaway when Gavin Kelleher rushed out of his goal. Garbhan was 25 yards away from the goal, and Keller was 13 yards away from him. Seeing an open goal Garbhan tried to chip the ball over the head of Kelleher, but with a heroic effort he jumped up to deflect the ball back towards Garbhan. Garbhan reached the ball 20 yards away from the goal and dribbled again towards the goal. He met Kelleher at the edge of the 18 yard box where he tried to shoot of Kelleher's leg, but he lifted his leg just in time to knock the ball back past Garbhan to McKenna.

CIFL, MD12, Vs Neil(Sligo Harp)
Dumnornix Neil and Dax Shaw were lined up in front of the defensive wall of the free kick. McKenna fouled Neil on his way to the box, giving Sligo Harp a direct free kick. Kelleher expected Shaw to try to curl it over the wall to the side he wasn't on, so he shifted his position a couple feet to the right to where he could react to that. Shaw stepped backwards before running at the ball. He lifted his leg in the motion of a power shot when he passed the ball to Neil instead of shooting. The ball was two feet in front of him, so he went for the one timer and sent a power shot to the side Kelleher wasn't expecting to be shot on. The ball was travelling at 70 miles per hour, and was taken from inside the penalty area. Without thinking Kelleher did a small jump to gain power and launched himself to his left. With his fingertips he pushed the ball away from what would be a certain goal, but it bounced on the post back across the middle of the goal where, fortunately for Kelleher, where Robbie Johnston cleared it.

WC101, MD4, Vs Son-Saka(Banija)
Son-Saka of the Banijan national team was dribbling down the right flank of the Holy Harps late in a crucial top of the table World Cup qualifying match. Jones Collins was defending Son-Saka's advance. He was expecting Son-Saka to try to continue down the flank like he had all game, but to his surprise he went inside to where he had an open shot to the side of the goal that Kelleher wasn't on. He hit the ball with his left foot and curled it to the top of the goal. A sprinting Kelleher dove with all of his might towards the flying ball, and just as it was about to cross the line, the ball met the iron fingers of Evan Kelleher. The ball fell to the head of Resnais-Mahama who headed it in from an offsides position, but to the great dismay of the Golden Harpians it was allowed as a goal and the referee refused to review it. Now, you might be wondering why we included this one which ended in a goal in our compilation. It was because this is a save to all Golden Harpians. The goal should not have stood. Regardless of its official status, it was a save, and should have left the game to end at 2-2.

by **Tanirinthia** » Tue May 12, 2026 12:46 pm

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

”I sat there staring at the reverberating portal, its surface shimmering and dancing like the ocean on a summer’s day, for I don’t know how long. Looking down at my bloody palm and up again at its negative outline on the stone where it had absorbed my bloody offering. I didn’t know it at the time by blood magic is one of the most primal and oldest forms of magic, powerful but extremely dangerous it’s lucky that I had no idea of it at the time, were I to have attempted the same action deliberately I would most likely have sundered my soul in twain. Luck was watching over me that night and had guided my hand, still not sure if that was a good thing or not, perhaps the worlds would be better off had been ripped apart and my journey ending at that portal with it never opening.”

The old man paused, his eyes showing the embers of regret. Those of a lifetime of choices and too much time to reflect on them the weight slowly crushing him in this dark and dreary place. These embers ignited a flame inside the young man, one of compassion, perhaps telling this story to him, not being the only one carrying the knowledge would help him. He looked up at the old man and asked;

What happened next?

The old man was stirred from whatever place his mind at gone to and continued

”Shaken from my trace by the arrival of my friends, who’d heard my screaming from the camp and had come running. They looked at me bloody and wild and at the open portal, and began whooping in pure ecstasy, all the months of work, everything we’d sacrificed, it had all meant something. Shaking ourselves out of celebration, we considered our next steps. Did we run back, break down camp and grab some supplies at head back? No, I’d no idea how I’d opened the portal, much less how much more time it would stay open, it could be seconds or days. In that moment we were of one mind, we held hands, took a deep breath, closed our eyes and jumped together”

”An unfamiliar sensation passed over us all, not really something I can easily describe, a feeling of splintering, perhaps as if your body was slightly out of sync with itself, or the space around it. Time also seemed affected by this as the sensation felt both over in an instant and having lasted for a great length of time. The combined effect sending us tumbling when we reached the other side, where we were not only greeted on this new world by a raging sun, but by several clearly very surprised and now very angry humans who quickly surrounded us as we were coming to and began shouting to us in a language none of us had ever heard, and began aiming what I presumed were weapons at us.”

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, Part Ten)

Matchday Seven

Matchday Eight

by **Squornshelan Remnant States** » Tue May 12, 2026 1:22 pm

It was a brilliantly sunny afternoon in Yassaca, and supporters were gradually filing out of Black Raven Field in Yassaca after being treated to a rather desultory performance by the Black and Reds in the opening match of qualifying. It had certainly been better than last time out when the multiverse's top team had fallen to an unranked opponent, but not the dominating performance one would have expected given the difference in class between the two sides. Madeiros's side pulled together a 3-2 win, taking the lead three times on goals from Thakkar, Tolvanen, and Odugyan, finally hanging onto the third lead after frittering away the first two. Still, a win is a win, and the mood at the arena and the streets and bars surrounding was certainly one of celebration. It also meant that no shortage of fans were already filming there experience to capture what happened next.

Those stragglers still making their way out from the upper deck of the arena were the first to notice. With no warning or prelude, the structure beneath their feet began to sway, steel structural beams creaking and popping as they flexed against the joints holding them together. As the motion intensified, the clattering of loose objects shifting and falling was added to the growing din, along with shouts of alarm and a low, background rumble. At street level, the ground shuddered, but absent the amplifying effect of being atop a tall structure, most people had no difficulty keeping their feet. Still, as the shaking continued, showing no signs of abating after several seconds had gone by, the urge to flee began to set in. First a few people began moving away from the arena, a few more following their example. More simply stood where they were, bracing against the ground motion, huddling close in their groups.

With a loud noise like a enormous hand snapping its fingers, first one massive pane of decorative glass along the facade of the Arena spiderwebbed, then another. The carefully engineered safety glass held its shape, broken but not shattered, no threat to the people below, but the sight and sound was enough to break the crowd's hesitation. People ran now, as if the arena were somehow the center of the earthquake that had the whole southern half of Sivolvia in its grip. The shaking itself subsided after just over four minutes, but when, weeks later, the authorities concluded their thorough analysis of every aspect of the event, they would conclude that it was not the quake itself, but the panicked rush away from Black Raven Field that led to the largest number of quake-related injuries in Yassaca. Sadly, it would not be so in areas close to the coast.

Some 60-odd kilometers off the southeastern coast of the Sivolvian peninsula, roughly 40 kilometers beneath the floor of the East Sea, the strain on the subducting fault that had given birth to the peninsula and its volcanic spine in eons past had become too much for the friction of billions of tons of rock and sediment to resist any more. A roughly 200 kilometer section of the fault boundary abruptly came "unstuck." The overlying continental shelf lurched upward and southeastward, springing up from its compressed position while the oceanic crust beneath plunged further downward. The movement, occurring at the edge of the Sivolvian Trench, displaced a massive volume of water. With nowhere else to go, the massive swell began to rapidly propagate in all directions, racing toward the coast. With the wave moving in excess of 500 kilometers per hour in the open ocean, slowing only as it approached the shallows, the closest coastal residents would have less than 20 minutes to prepare for its arrival.

by **Airannia** » Tue May 12, 2026 1:31 pm

...the sets are clear now, but why is the magic like fruit on a tree?

The Code of Poeleo

The game the gentlemen were playing has ended without a winner, and while they move to set up the next game, one goes to the bathroom, one grabs a cig and lights up. Your guide, whose name still eludes you, signals you to take place at the bar, and before you know it, the both of you have a large local beer before you, and you hear the tell-tale sound of clacking tiles as he's reached into his bag to grab another (smaller) bag - a Poeleo bag. Clinging onto the coaster like it's the only thing keeping you tethered to the floor, he begins to explain the purpose of the Judy tiles to you. "It has.. every tile, it has a colour, yes?" It's true. Each tile has a colour that corresponds to one of the tribes. "It is the tribe's colour, see?" The man, who was referred to as Dennis by the barman, arranged a few tiles to show: yes indeed, the red Suoly and Uméhy tiles are the same red colour as the Pira tiles. He builds a set of a red 6, 7, 8 and an Uméhy tile. "Now, it is the Judy - it is fruit on the tree branch." With his left hand, he picks up his glass of beer with his fingers around the top of the glass, and lets it droop as if to emulate a fruit tree's branch. "Judy, it is juicy. Challu, it's hallo. Hallo set! Easy to remember!" Despite the explanation, you understand. "Fruit tree, is a set too. Also, the Syncu - fruit can be syncu too." In as well English as Dennis can manage, he explains the purpose of the Judy - they can be used to substitute the outer edges of a straight, or to form the final piece in a four-of-a-kind - this is called a Challu set, or in English, a Fruit Set. The Judy have sets of their own too, whose definitions you guessed - a set of four, and a straight of four Judy in a row, in accordance with the ring shape on your coaster. A third possible set of Judy was shown by Dennis, but you couldn't make rhyme or reason of it. Somehow, the Airannian man sensed your confusion and quickly took the tiles away. "Don't need to remember that one... not important." Before long, you've come to learn that just having sets isn't enough to win; you need four times four sets. And not just any sets either. As your guide kicks off his explanation, you realize all to quickly that you'll need a bunch more coasters if you're ever to keep up...

Smoltrendestof 1 - 0 Airannia
38': Stefan Linterof 1-0

Airannia 5 - 4 Crpostran
10': Quirino Naoise 0-1
50': Gary Goppré 1-1
53': Xavier Moreau 1-2
55': Joux Khettesburá 2-2
66': Joux Khettesburá 3-2
70': Joux Khettesburá 4-2
72': Thomas Martin (O.G.) 5-2
81': Sevastian Fionnbarra 5-3
90+2': Quirino Naoise 5-4

As above, so below

The two matches played last week are once again similar to Poeleo in some way, shape or form. For example, any player can tell you that a majority of Poeleo consists of picking a tile up from the middle of the table, sighing, and putting it right back down again. This is exactly how it felt as a football fan to watch the match against Smoltrendestof; whether or at home or in the Civic Arena, the anticipation was great, and the anticlimax even greater. No progress was made, if anything progress was lost. It's a good thing the rest of the teams in this group are struggling just as much — it's almost as if every team's picked up a dud, sighed and put it back down. For 8 games in a row, of course. This table doesn't have any revealed sets yet, and nobody is sitting on the edge of their seats, even while the amount of tiles in the middle dwindles and dwindles. And while in Poeleo, this usually results in a boring match, in football, it means we are headed for an explosive finish.

Fruit from a Branch

Speaking of explosions, the game against Crpostran in the Centerby Stadion was an explosion to be sure. Initially, the Drills seemed to be a fair bit behind their competition skill-wise, with the Sapphire Strikers maintaining possession an awful lot in the first half, converting quickly, and then resolving to never open up again. Another dud, perhaps. That all changed in the second half, though, when Gary Goppré woke up with the ball right in front of him, called a steal, and immediately ran over to Lourens Rino and put a gift in that net shaped basket. Now, the game was broken wide open, and the Crpostranians, who were sitting at a wibbly wobbly #2 spot in the table, felt they needed to push forward to emerge victorious. Miraculously, they immediately struck back, but before their celebrations had properly settled, Allbhy nabbed the ball and passed it onto the left flank, from where Khettesburá quickly re-equalized. All of a sudden, the Crpostran players were with their backs against the wall, and Khettesburá was like a madman unleashed, completing a hat-trick in the span of a mere fifteen minutes; the second goal through a corner kick, and the third after a brief scramble in front of the goal line, with defender Manuko managing to prevent the ball from reaching the net, but not preventing the ref's wristwatch from vibrating - 4-2.
One might wonder what this resembles in Poeleo; after all a true set in Poeleo isn't made of 3 points, but of 4. And, poetic as it may be, the Drills weren't finished; but they couldn't score the Syncu (four-of-a-kind) proper; it had to be through a Challu; with the fourth Khettesburá goal replaced by a wildcard; in this case an unfortunate own goal by defender Martin. Being up 5-2 would be an incredible result for the Drills, and they became hungry for more; which was their greatest mistake, all in all - as the Crpostranians had done before, celebration got the better of them - the visitors from Karma begun getting to the offense again, and a clumsy tackle lead to a red card for Kolav Héls, who'd subbed in. Luckily for the Airannian team, the game was almost finished at this point; and despite the creative attacks that were attempted, ja Dony held up well enough to only allow 2 balls to pass behind him, locking the score at a 5-4 victory for the home team - and rocketing Airannia to a shakey third position in Group 8, which is already becoming internationally reocgnized as one of World Cup Qualifying's most shocking groups. With 7 out of 10 nations all within 3 points distance of each other as we approach the qualifying session's halfway mark, it would appear it truly is not important how you start, but how you finish.

by **Megistos** » Tue May 12, 2026 1:34 pm

High-Scoring Dolphins Keep The Country Awake
Aris Thorne, Lead Sports Correspondent

Eight matches into the WC101 qualifying campaign, the Dolphins have scored 18 goals and conceded 23. Every time Manager Kosta Varon’s squad steps onto the pitch, it (mostly) ends up into an end-to-end shootout that has been exciting some fans and disgruntling others (who complain about the 'woke' playstyle of the national team). The latest 2 matches were no exception, delivering a thrilling 3-2 home victory over Estorvipa and Estorpiva, followed by a crushing 4-3 away defeat to the latest BoF winners Pomachetti. Currently, Megistos sits ninth in Group 2. However, for those fans who enjoy the attacking nature of the team, only the group leaders, Vdara and Pomachetti, have scored more goals than the Dolphins.

The sheer entertainment value of this campaign has sent shockwaves through the Megistian population. Pubs, which were already crowded, across the capital are reporting record-breaking alcohol sales (for the better or the worse of the nation's health). On matchdays, the usually silent trains (for Megistos relies on more 'modern' methods of transportation) ferrying citizens are alive with the sounds of fans watching the games; they have taken over the metro and made it an unofficial watch party.

"I spend twelve hours a day optimizing supply chain algos for my boss," says Silas, a logistics manager (who appears very tired, with eye bags and a frown), standing outside a crowded tavern in the Market District. "I come here and watch us win 3-2 on a Tuesday and lose 4-something on a Friday. We don't have a defense, but we attack like our lives depend on it. I absolutely love it."

The emotional whiplash of winning, then losing, then winning, and so on... of the team's playstyle is testing the nerves of the fans, but it has taking a heavier physical toll on the pitch, which has been costing the team points. The team's high-pressing system continues to demand heavy squad rotation. When the first-choice eleven started against Estorvipa and Estorpiva, they secured three points. Days later against Pomachetti, the rotated squad once again found themselves outrun and generally just outskilled.

Through it all, the giant South Pacific Octopus in the Megistian net remains the busiest player (and most criticized) in the tournament for the team. Octavius has faced a staggering barrage of shots. While 23 goals conceded in 8 games looks horrendous on a stat sheet (and it is), analysts (or, as critics put it, 'pseudo' statisticians who use phony numbers like 'xGoT' and 'PSxG') have pointed out that without the octopus' unnatural reflexes and eight-foot reach, that number could easily be doubled.

"Octavius is facing an average of fourteen shots on target per match," defended a broadcast pundit who was suspiciously red and a bit 'slimy' following the Pomachetti defeat on the network 'Megistian Octonews'. "He's performing miracles just to keep us in these games. The backline is leaving him completely exposed."

Despite sitting in ninth place with 7 points, the mood in the capital is far from defeatist. The team is only three points away from a potential playoff spot. In a group where anyone seems capable of beating anyone, our fans know that the tournament is far from over.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

The Commonwealth of Baker Park National Team dropped points at home once again in World Cup 101 qualifying, another 3-2 defeat at the hands of Valanora at the BBP National Stadium which marked the third loss of the campaign in eight outings so far.

With four of the next five fixtures away from home, the Bees are flirting with the possibility of finding themselves out of contention for one of the two automatic qualifying spots for the Finals unless they can get more consistent play at the back; the 3-0 win at Qasden was the first clean sheet of the tournament but poor positional play doomed the side that fell to the Marauders in Belle Haven, and answers will need to be found if the Gold and Black are to have any chance of reeling in Sarzonia, with an away date against the Stars looming on Matchday 12.

Nueva Compostela and Milchama will be the hosts during the upcoming twinbill of matches, and BP are in dire need of stringing together victories rather than the current uneven form of one good performance followed by a draw or loss.

Park are not the only second seed currently underwater in their group table as seven other number 2's are behind the pace--Busoga Islands, HUElavia, Recucen, and Pyazhnaya are all in third, while Zenic & Juvencus both sit in sixth place and Kamijiro is well back in eighth. There's still enough time to make up ground for all of those sides, but as the halfway mark arrives, it would behoove all eight nations to find ways to turn the page on poor form and not lose any more points to lower ranked opponents.

by **Andossa Se Mitrin Vega** » Tue May 12, 2026 1:46 pm

What is there to say about back to back home losses to far superior sides in Sarzonia and Equestria except that we were lucky that each was only a 0-1 result?

Nothing really

So instead you get a Livestream from Sea Dragon phenom Vivienne Sa'il. enjoy.

VegaiStream

VivisDayOut
Errion Vega Galleria
4,187,442 watching

camera shakes violently for three seconds

“WAIT— hold on— no no no the filter made my eyes enormous.”

laughing

“Okay there we go. Hi hatchlings.”

COMMENTS
DRAGONNATION: HATCHLINGS
VegaUltra[/color: QUEENNNNN
MidfieldMagic: Vivienne please rest for once

Vivienne turns the camera outward while walking through the massive glass atrium of the Galleria. Hanging banners of the Sea Dragons national side sway above crowds moving between luxury stores and packed food courts.

“You people said I never go outside unless it’s football related, so today I am proving I can be a functional civilian.”

A group of teenagers immediately recognize her.

“VIVIENNE!”

She spins dramatically.

“I have been perceived.”

The teenagers laugh while one holds up a Sea Dragons scarf.

“You were awesome against Sarzonia!”

“They wish they could handle this!" She spins again.

The crowd nearby cheers.

She signs a scarf, takes several selfies, then continues toward the upper levels of the mall where massive aquarium walls overlook the central promenade.

“Okay but genuinely, Errion Vega Galleria is undefeated. Look at this.”

The camera pans toward the famous suspended sea-dragon sculpture twisting through the ceiling while holographic waves ripple across the glass roof.

“Whoever designed this place was either a genius or deeply unserious.”

COMMENTS
tacticaltoaster: both
SeaDragonFan88: go to Stormbrew Cafe
errionlocal: THE SNEAKER DROP IS TODAY

Vivienne freezes.

“The WHAT?!”

abrupt camera whip-pan

“CHAT WE ARE MOVING.”

The stream becomes a blur of escalators and laughter as she sprints through crowds toward a sportswear store.

“Listen. I have discipline on the pitch. Off the pitch? There is only impulse.”

She reaches the storefront where dozens of fans already line up for limited edition sky blue-and-yellow Sea Dragons shoes.

“Oh this is tragic.”

COMMENTS
coachiswatching: recovery day btw
dragonkeeper17: YOU NEED THOSE
VegaPulse: ask for athlete discount

Vivienne grins directly into the camera.

“I am the athlete discount.”

Inside the store, employees erupt into applause when they notice her.

One worker yells: “THE Vegai PRINCESS HAS ARRIVED!"

Vivienne bows dramatically.

“Yes, 'tis me.”

Cut to ten minutes later.

She exits carrying three bags.

“Okay before anyone says anything — one pair is for my brother, one pair is for training, and one pair is because I lack emotional restraint.”

10 minutes later...

She finally reveals the sneakers to the stream — sleek gold boots with iridescent sky blue dragon-scale accents.

“Oh these are FILTHY.”

The camera zooms dangerously close to her face.

“If I score in these next month, I’m never taking them off.”

As she heads toward the food court, more fans gather behind her. Someone begins chanting:

“SEA! DRAGONS! SEA! DRAGONS!”

Soon half the upper level joins in.

Vivienne laughs so hard she nearly drops her phone.

“You all are insane. It is a TUESDAY.”

She eventually settles at a railing overlooking the mall’s indoor harbor fountain, eating spicy shrimp noodles while the sunlight glows through the massive ocean-facing windows behind her.

The stream slows into a softer moment.

“Honestly… days like this help a lot.”

She twirls noodles absentmindedly.

“Football gets loud sometimes. Expectations get loud. So it’s nice just being home, y’know?”

COMMENTS
aprilsobored: proudofyouvivcaptainsomeday: we love you hatchmother

Vivienne squints at the comments.

“HATCHMOTHER is NOT becoming a thing!”

The chat immediately fills with:

HATCHMOTHER HATCHMOTHER HATCHMOTHER

She sighs dramatically.

“I've created monsters.”

STREAM ENDED — 3h 14m

by **Saint Eleanor** » Tue May 12, 2026 1:47 pm

OOC: My apologies, but Kevin O'Leary and Âlárî Dírò will be interviewed prior to MD11/12 (Thursday) instead. Kichiro's pre-Pasarga notes were once again cleared by Squid, who called them "Very good!"

Group of Six meeting (CXIV) --- SAINT ELEANOR 4-1 Natanians and Nosts
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Lydia Vickers [C], Kichirō Matsuda [VC], Ian Marks [ballot]
Location: the National Liberation Club; Whitehammer district, Saint Eleanor city, EXT

We are ROLLING and READY TO RUMBLE!! The new formation was a great idea, as it allowed us to FOCUS EVEN MORE ON THE WINGS, consistently exposing them and leaving their midfield HIGH AND DRY. With two goals in the first twenty minutes, we had THE TEMPO UP FROM THE START, consistently OUTPACING, OUTRUNNING AND OUTPASSING THEM too. They thought they were back in it when they scored a THIRTY-YARD FREE KICK, but we proved them wrong with TIME AND EFFORT and ground them down LONG BEFORE the final whistle. While VIRTUALLY EVERYONE delivered a GREAT performance, as usual, the cherry on top was Isabella's SOLID ATTACKING PROPOSITION - she is massively underrated, even now, but she got THE HAT-TRICK, THE GLORY, AND IONESCU'S SORRY BACKSIDE

With the Natanians and Nosts pasted yet again... CAN WE MAKE A KAUMANN SANDWICH?

GB: "Not right now, we're having dinner"
Ian: "I prefer cucumber anyway"
Lydia: "Hazelnut spread is better I'd say"
Stephen: "This team reminds me of what we were when we were starting out"
Ian: "So chaotic and on the verge of total meltdown then"
Stephen: "Generic 4-1-3-2, positionally solid, maybe underrated, all that jazz"
Me: "And tilting more on the younger side of things too"
Kichiro: "This team bears zero relation to the last Kaumann team"
GB: "That's their standard operating practice"
Ian: "I think we would be best adopting our normal tactics"
GB: "I would disagree but they worked the last couple of times"
Lydia: "I definitely disagree, we should at least consider shaking up the midfield a bit"
Stephen: "No harm in fielding the normal lot up against the nobodies"
Kichiro: "I take it we're dropping Abdullah then"
Stephen: "Not a chance"
Me: "What about Matt again, he did well last time"
GB: "I can consider him as a substitute"
Ian: "Who substitutes centre-backs for each other in normal circumstances"
Me: "This isn't league football, we can just do things"

THE KEY TO REMAINING UNKAUED BY THE OPPOSITION
ACT AND PLAY AS NORMAL - THEY'RE NOTHING SPECIAL
KEEP ABDULLAH ON, HE MIGHT NEED THE GAME TIME SOON
YOU KNOW ALL THE CONTINGENCY PLANS ALREADY
ONE EYE ON THIS GAME, HALF AN EYE ON PASARGA

4-2-3-1
___________ ABDULLAH ___________
__ EDWARD - KATY - LYDIA - KEITH __
_______ MARIA - WUNDERBAR ______
___ ELIZABETH - GISKEN - NACLE ___
____________ ISABELLA ___________

Reniira Clevinger is just glad to be back doing this

Group of Six meeting (CXV) --- Kaumann 1-3 SAINT ELEANOR
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Lydia Vickers [C], Kichirō Matsuda [VC], Lily Emmerson [ballot]
Location: Willis fried chicken restaurant; Richardgate district, Saint Eleanor city, EXT

What happened: Seeing off Kaumann by the same margin that Pasarga defeated Tomerion (yes, them again) is a good sign ahead of our face-off. Kevin O'Leary, who remains trusted to a surprising extent and could well be our other striker if this was any year in the 20th century, should have got the first goal after a couple of near-misses, and then actually did, managing to round Nobunaga Matsuyama and Ariyanta Beninghosen before banging one past Raditya Nusantara. Winfred Aspach was the leader of the Kaumanner attack, surprisingly enough, and hit the post at the end of the first half; while Lydia V and Katy dulled their strike partnership, Keith Barnett was a bit worse than usual today and allowed a number of spear attacks. Our midfield was just about outmatching theirs before the break, but came into its own afterwards; I must praise Naclé Öhân in particular, often outshone by Liz but this time able to hold his own, surprise on the upside, and land a pair of assists for Maria and Kevin again. Though Ruben Anandianta would emerge from the bench to punch from the other flank and score in the dying minutes, the job was done, and done well enough.
* Defensively: Abdullah mounted a couple of saves which I would absolutely be calling "pivotal" at anything other than 3-0 up, and had a good, solid and (given our historic quality of centre-backs) unusual command of the backline. All the defenders were on their best form, despite Ruben sneaking in a fast one towards the end.
* Offensively: Of course, plaudits must go to Naclé and Kevin for their contributions to the attack: they had four of the five goal involvements between them and I'm not sure what we would have done without their flexibility.

Thoughts on the next match: PASARGA may not be the grudge match in disguise that they were for Gentle Breeze's last Cup of Harmony (she was too old to play alongside Mór Buday, as that's now the proper comparison), but the stakes are about as great as you would expect a top-two clash midway through qualifying to be. Igor Topić, despite being renowned for his pragmatism and now his decision to uproot a majority of the team from the dumpster fire that was last year's group stage, has adopted a midfield-focused playstyle that you would nevertheless recognise, however vaguely, if you were time-travelling from GB's playing days. Their new team has gelled about as well as ours, at least judging from the results - a good start, albeit punctuated by a loss to Skorpiie and a small handful of other scares. They have demonstrated considerable improvement in the last few games; mind you, that is to be expected when our improvement was several cycles ago and we've been holding steady since.
While it is tempting to adopt more of a systems approach, I think that the players here would be best treated on a case-by-case basis. Óskar Aronsson is a consistent, Superleague-tested goalkeeper and will have to be beaten on merit. Thorsten Hertzog and Ratimir Stojanović are just as positionally mindful as I'm used to from the Saint Eleanor League's centrebacks, and even more aerially solid; it perhaps helps that none of our strikers are taller than six foot, and even then, Rick is unlikely to see much game time. Katie Sherman and Cyril Aragón (not Joska Szöllôsy, the Pasargan FA is lying to you), much like anyone who even vaguely resembles them, are closer to conventional full-backs in the same spirit as Tina Falconer and should be dealt with as normal; Keled Sebeôk is no longer on the bench, which is good news for our wide players' sanity.
Pasarga's wide midfielders are an inversion of the Eleanorian formula that helped get us to our first two World Cups and only Cup of Harmony title: Mór Buday is the Martin-like figure on the left, more rounded, less predictable and simply wilder; Daniela Zagorec is the Newcastle-like figure on the right, more methodical but able to create veritable magic. Our fullbacks are possibly that bit weaker than Pasarga's, but if Edward can cut inside to counter Buday, Keith can keep his eye on the ball, and Lydia V and Katy can deliver as usual, that will go some way (if not a few miles) to ensuring victory.
In central midfield, I would most beware Jóhanna Steindórsdóttir, who - with her positional flexibility and tactical awareness - reminds me of Bridget at the peak of her power. (Although Bridget's strengths are more in creative thinking/strategising, while Jóhanna is, much like Liz Wootton, good at "setting the tempo" in practice.) I think she would make a *very* good manager, but as this is unfortunately not World Cup 113, our best response to her at this time would be to flood the zone. I have my own reputation by now, but Maria is a pragmatist and Gisken is an enthusiastic prowler, so our usual set of midfielders should do well against her.
Focusing on pushing Jóhanna back will ideally lead to Tarján Ságy being left adrift behind the two strikers; Pasarga are famously good at playing the long ball, so there will be a need for our more defensive players to move flexibly, distract Ságy and force a turnover in possession. Járngrímur Náttúlfsson, my kindred spirit in circumstance if absolutely not in cult status, should be marked zonally - and, while it would be tempting to force Bogdan Laszlo to push back, I get the sense that he would only bolster the midfield rather than clog it up, so isolating the front three will be necessary.

Canvas:
* GENTLE BREEZE agrees, but would (of course) be open to deploying substitutes if necessary
* STEPHEN particularly welcomed my focus on trying to stop Pasarga's midfield from doing anything much
* RENIIRA literally said she would have come up with something like my plan, given time and space
* LYDIA nodded, rather less cautiously than expected given her recent cheerleading for change (badumtsh?)
* LILY expressed her hopes that this would not only be a good but actively useful change of scenery for our tactics

Bottom line: We will be fielding our usual starting lineup, but Gisken will be used as more of an "attack dog" to weed out Jóhanna and send the ball out wide for Isabella to feed - and everyone behind them will have to be quick on their feet to ensure that Pasarga's midfield and strike partnership do not make hay together.

- Quatro

by **Pomachetti** » Tue May 12, 2026 1:54 pm

Aleirave 0 - 1 Pomachetti

Pomachetti 4 - 3 Megistos

Link to Roster

Pomachetti

Trigram: PCT

Captain:
Sóuminé Dabhí

Home Stadia:
Ebheonn Mophtom (Mophto)
Purt de Cuscro (Cuscro)
Núrt Fóníeger Giell (Coecria)

Players to look out for:
Níoll Éirpir
Seorgís Sarcisian
Íerd Papiola
Síemas Tesplannish

Set-Piece Takers:
Freekicks - Eldú Florensí
Penalties - Seorgís Sarcisian
Left Corners - Fíolom Mambhíní (left-footed)
Right Corners - Eldú Florensí (right-footed)

Goal scoring events for Pomachetti

Aleirave vs Pomachetti Old Grounds
Man of the Match: Eondríes Maselo

64th minute – Marjeta takes up position in the centre of the pitch to support Papiola from being over pressured. Papiola passes to Marjeta. Marjeta spots an opportunity to long pass up the field, and does. Loindenbirgh successfully gets to the ball before the defence does and passes to Éirpir on his inside shoulder. The three attackers of Éirpir, Loindenbirgh and Florensí are unable to find an opening past the rock-solid Aleirave defence. Since passing up field, Marjeta runs with immense pace. Loindenbirgh passes with the back of his heel to Marjeta running hard past the defensive line. Marjeta strikes. It goes in.

Pomachetti vs Megistos Purt de Cuscro
Man of the Match: Eldú Florensí

8th minute – A quick counterattack off of an early offensive play by the Megistian is broken up by Maselo who wallops the ball along the ground to Loindenbirgh as he was lying on the halfway line. He spots a gap in the defence with the perfect angle for Florensí to run onto the ball on a powerful through ball. Loindenbirgh calls for Florensí: “Eldú! Tríot!” And he threads the ball through the Megistian line. Florensí runs with all he has in the tank and collects the ball. In the end, it is a simple finish for the first goal of the match.

37th minute - Salbhoé runs with the ball on the right wing. He beats Aris and with the space, crosses. The ball lands with Éirpir, but the touch is messy. The ball scrambles away with him and Florensí is left to recover it. He noticed that Salbhoé was running inside. With Lin pressuring him, he passes to Salbhoé, who slots the ball in for a goal.

47th minute – After some steady passes in the back field, Papiola receives the ball and is keen to start an attack. He picks out a pass to Loindenbirgh. Swarmed by the defenders hungry for the ball, he passes to his inside to Éirpir. Not seeing much of a continuation with the attack, Éirpir decides to curl the ball around into the goal from a tough angle with Bastien blocking. He shoots. The curl is good. It goes around Bastien giving Octavius little time to react. It reaches the top right corner.

56th minute – A free kick is given on the edge of the box. Florensí, Salbhoé and Loindenbirgh all step up to take it. As the wall was finished building with Megistos’ tallest players, the referee blew his whistle. Salbhoé runs up, and jumps over the ball. Florensí runs up, and shoots. It’s a powerful and curving ball that finds the back of the net.

Story: Pub Boys
Chapter 2: Rivals
Chapter 3: Minecraft Realm

Martegh Gaindulia slammed his diary shut and kicked back his desk chair. The chair made a full one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn backwards before coming to rest starring out of Martegh’s beautiful apartment. He gazed out of his floor-to-ceiling window into the golden hour dawn setting on Coecria. The contemporary haussmannian architecture that was the city of Chetti’s largest city and Pomachetti’s judicial capital was of a golden colour. The Núrt Fóníeger Giell stadium lay in the distance. The bay was home to the many fishing vessels hauling the catch of the day from the East Kavju Ocean. The cool, damp navy skies above such a cultural city of work and relaxation made the evenings worth every second of life for Martegh. That and his friends at work. He and his friends in fact were about to go on call and play their two-week-old Minecraft realm. The realm had been reset by Sounenn after Martegh and his partner-in-crime Fonten blew up her base after a financial dispute with a stack of diamonds. Martegh returned him and his chair back to his desk and booted up his custom PC.

The group of eight lads called over Discord.
“Do-dop..... Do-dop.... Do-dop. Do-dop. Do-dop.... Hey! Do-dop.............................”
“Where the feck is Séch?”
“Do-dop.”
All eight of them were here, ready for a calm session of Minecraft to finish-off the week. A few minutes into the session:
“FONTEN YOU FECKING PRICK!”
“Hahaha.”
With another great realm crashout happening, Martegh, Siusemh and Séch decide it would be best to leave Minecraft for another day, using Siusemh’s kids as an excuse to not have to put up with Sounenn’s swearing and screaming.
"So... What do you think of the match?" Asked Siusemh.
"Honestly, I'm pretty excited. It's not going to harm us in the long run and we get to witness the beginnings of an incredible rivalry!"
"Yeah, but we lost," was Séch's response
"Don't think in the present, Séch. Sporting rivalries are always great watches."
"We lost."
"We haven't lost the group Séch," Siusemh said, "But I'll tell you what, I'm so excited for the Haltoria game! All eight off us having the craic watching Pomachettian soccer in front of our very eyes."
"Going to bring your fursuit, Martegh?"
"Hahaha, maybe!"
"Seriously Martegh you should bring it. My kids love fluffy animals."
"What about drunk fluffy animals?"
They burst out laughing.
"Get Sounenn to bring his coffee machine, he'll need it in an atmosphere that intense."
"Hell no, hes going to get a fecking heart attack if he does that."
"Haha."
"No, I'm serious. I'm impressed that woman hasn't had a stroke by now."
"Ok, it's not that bad Séch."
"Ok, what other programmer stereotypes can we think of?"
"Fierghes is a weeb!"
"Ceo is like your overenthusiastic ginger."
"Oddly specific but you are correct he is in fact a very overenthusiatic ginger"
Siusemh's wife could be heard in the background asking him to help put the children to bed.
"Sorry lads, family comes first."
"But we are family!"
"Want me to put you to beddy bye byes Séch?"
"Uhh..."
"Well, goodnight Siusemh, see you tomorrow!"
"Ba-dop."
"I'm going to head back on the realm Martegh, want to join?"
"Nah, I'm grand. I honestly can't put up with Sounenn when shes that angry."
"Fair enough, goodnight!"
"'Night!"
"Ba-dop."

Martegh shut down his cyan-glowing PC. He took in his apartment. A dark oak floor transformed into a stone floor upon reaching the kitchen, which was compact and very modern with the latest tech. A living room gave host to a contemporary fake fireplace and couch by the wall near the balcony door. The balcony had 2 black deck chairs and a glass table, dirtied with leaves coming from the trees that towered over his apartment. He strolled over to his room, and opened the door. A heavily decorated room with a bunch of cool stuff: a record player, a laptop, a few collectible action figures, a shelf of well-made model cars and their pictures decorated all over his right wall. On his left wall, a large window let in the sight of the Coecrian dawn, which he took in one last time before jumping onto his bed. Beside his bed was a beige deer fursuit with cyan outlines. He picked up the head, and muttered to himself: "After all, why not."

News at Eight
Pomachetti to second

"You're watching the eight o'clock ne- Hey!"
A half-naked obese man with a black goatee and sunglasses ran across the set and yelled into the microhpone: "SCAÍLLIERTON! I LOVE SCAÍLLIERTON!"
Before he could deliver anymore of his speech about how he loved Fíolomín Scaíllierton to the audience listening in, four body guards tackled him off-screen.
"Well, before I was so rudely interupted, You're watching the eight o'clock news. I'm Íebhe Cielleogh and you're watching TVT Nuecht. The latest: Pomachetti's run of good form shows no sign of slowing down. After two more wins with Aleirave and Megistos, Pomachetti reach second in group 2 of the World Cup qualifiers. Here to talk more about it outside Cuscro stadium is Surche Faeréon. Surche, how is Cuscro City tonight?"
"Well the city is once again buzzing! The atmosphere after a win is just pure magnificence. Pomachetti have just after pulling a four to three win against Megistos to secure second place for the time being. I don't want to say anything to early, but second will be good enough to qualify directly!"
"It does, so exciting! I can see many fans exiting the stadium waving to the camera, I think I know where they're going."
Surche turns to the crowd and asks rhetorically: "Where are all of yous going?"
"The pub! Ar Egheodh Libh Na Lieodí I Virdi!" responded several voices.
"Oh, thats nice, I have to return to work I'd love to be there."
"No, you must come with us!"
Surche and the cameraman were abducted by a bunch of cheerful soccer fans
"Well, I'm sure Surche and I think that's Déothó as the cameraman, will have a great time. To finish for them: This is Íe-," Íebhe puts on Surche's Cuscroan accent, "Surche Faeréon reporting from Cuscro City"
"Suddenly, a voice is heard off-screen: "SCAÍLLIERTON!"

Top scorers:

Níoll Éirpir – 6 (6 starts)

Seorgís Sarcisian – 5 (6 starts)

Édhemh Loindenbirgh – 2 (4 starts)

Eldú Florensí - 2 (4 starts)

Déothó L'Airderlé - 1 (2 starts)

Ártan Diríbaya - 1 (2 starts)

Llebhich Marjeta - 1 (2 starts)

Úle Salbhoé - 1 (4 starts)

Íerd Papiola – 1 (6 starts)

Fíolom Mambhíní – 1 (6 starts)

Elester Sottíní – 1 (6 starts)

Injured players:

Nouchles Reautí - Laterally sprained ankle (Grade 2) - UPDATE: Loem Dempiosí and the medical staff have estimated Nouchles to recover in a approximately 2 to 4 weeks

Team to face Estorvipa and Estorpiva and StrayaRoos

GK - Síemas Tesplannish
LB - Sóuminé Dabhí (C)
CB - Céot Túobón-Mecoumeori
CB - Elester Sottíní
RB - Túmes Maoriedheogh
LM - Fíolom Mambhíní
CM - Íerd Papiola
RM - Elesterín Rúmano
CAM - Seorgís Sarcisian
CAM - Eldú Florensí
ST - Trough Perúod

OOC: If anyone wants to decide my goal scorers and match happenings then feel free. It would be more convenient for me anyways

by **The Martian Independent Republic** » Tue May 12, 2026 2:00 pm

II?

"Liv?"
"Oh, you're asleep already, darling. Time for me to catch up on my reading, then."

Milankovic Base
Rapidly growing Milankovic Base is home to some of the biggest water production sites on Mars. It is also the closest to the Anaia portal.
Domes
Milankovic Dome - The largest dome, home to most of the base's population.
Arcadia Dome - Most of the water and food production is done here.
Steinheim Dome - Main shuttleport, smallest of the three domes making up Milankovic Base.
Understand
Milankovic Base used to be one of the least English-speaking bases on Mars, with Russian the primary lingua franca. Since the discovery of the portal, this has changed quite a bit, but it still has only been a decade, and you might still be greeted in Russian as the default language. Even when speaking English, there is a notable Milankovic accent, known for its insistence on palatalizing anything and everything. The people, even by Martian standards, are cold and unwelcoming, until you get invited into their apartment at which point they are very warm and welcoming, often insisting on serving you food.
Traditional Martian winter is the summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and that's usually the peak of what could be called 'tourist season' in Milankovic Base.
Get in
By shuttle As with everywhere on Mars, this is the only way. Services come thrice daily from Anaia Epsilon, Aeolis, and Mangala, and twice daily from Borealis, Sagan, Pengfei, and Huygens - 08:00 and 20:00 for all services, and 14:00 for the thrice-daily ones. Time ranges from ~90m from Sagan Base to ~8h from Aeolis Base. As always, they are 10 Martian pounds (roughly 20 NSD) one-way.
Get around
By foot Milankovic Dome is rather small, with a radius of 0.875km, so everywhere in the dome is accessible within a 20-30min walk. Much like many northern domes, Milankovic has a skyway system, for those less accustomed to the cold. This does not service everywhere within the dome (for an obvious example, the local park/football field) but it can get you from pretty much any residential or commercial building to pretty much any other residential or commercial building.
By bike Bikes can be rented, bought, or repaired at the local Northern Mars Bicycles shop at 17 Barabashov Ave, lot 101. From there, it's not more than a 5-minute bike ride to anywhere else in the base, and bikes can be locked up in most places - crime is pretty much unknown. Bikes must be walked in the skyway.

And the book slammed shut.

The next day.
"Zzzzzzz..."
"Mom! Wake up! We're going to be late!"
"Huh? Whuh? Whoops, sorry Liv."

by **Pyazhnaya** » Tue May 12, 2026 2:01 pm

I sit between two of the crenellations of one of the many towers of the Tikariot City citadel. Am I supposed to sit here? Doubtful, there were a few signs about danger and restricted area and the likes, but hey, I can always claim I couldn't read them. Nah, not really, but better ask for forgiveness than permission, right?

It's hard to believe that the World Cup qualifiers are already almost halfway through, feels like it was a week ago since the first game. Something feels different this time compared to the last one. Maybe because Zubova is suspiciously quiet? She was a very royal pain in the ass, to say the least, but damn, was that hag ever a motivation to push forward. Spite can be a great motivator indeed.

I look out across the old, historic harbour of Tikariot City. Back then, they didn't have to worry about image or officials. Well, come to think of it, they did, just differently. Much more localized. The "world" was however far your ship could get you or how far you could walk, a more cruel, yet also more simple time. I'd probably be stuck on a fishing boat somewhere between the islands of Pyazhnaya, blissfully unaware of whatever was happening elsewhere. Would my world have been poorer for that? Not necessarily, you can't miss what you have no idea even exists.

Yet, here we are, centre of attention in the press, on TV and all over the interwebs, league, national team, press conferences, training, so, yeah...

I hear footsteps approach but I don't turn around. I know that there are two options. Either it's someone from the team or I'm about to get arrested.

"Thought I'd find you up here. Scoot over."

I do as the lady has asked and Zuldi slides in next to me. Zuldi, for the uninitiated, is Zulfiga-Dilyana Tukhvatullina, quite the mouthful, who used to play here for Tik City FC, but now is in Oriannor. Still coming here, though, I see.

"Hey Zuldi, I had no idea you're back in Tik City."

She whips her braid over her shoulder. "Yeah, still packing up some stuff."

I turn toward her. "So, how does you 'packing up some stuff' bring you up to this tower of the fortress, in a restricted access area, to boot?"

Zuldi chuckles. "I was looking for you. I called Danila, the other one, and--"

"Of course he had to tattle on me, hadn't he? God, that man is a worse gossip than... than... I am not sure I know anybody who gossips. But he definitely is among the worst of them. Why have you been looking for me? My good looks, my unbeatable charm?"

Her chuckle turns into a full laugh. "Oh, the humility. No, I've been trying to find you because we've come up with a plan."

I raise an eyebrow. "A plan? One that could not have been sent to me as a text? A phone call? Hell, even carrier pigeon?"

She leans in with a conspiratorial whisper. "No paper trail."

"Oh, so now you have my undivided interest, m'lady."

"We're going to poke Zubova."

I blink. Twice. Then, a smile shows up on my face, widening quickly. "Oh, tell me more!"

----

One day later, I am sitting in a cabin not far from Oriannor, the mighty Khazagh Range looking as imposing as ever. Danila, Naira, Lina, Maksimilian, Sonya, Zuldi.

"So, I've come to the conclusion," Danila starts, "that I miss Zubova. Well, 'miss' might be a little too strong of a word--"

"Miss the motivation? The spite?" I offer.

He points at me. "My fellow Danila understands me!"

Naira sighs, "Yeah, you are sharing the communal Danila braincell, that's why."

He huffs indignantly. "You're just jealous. Anyway, Last cycle, her constant nagging and interfering gave us purpose, spite, a motivation to prove her wrong. I think that's what's missing right now. Everything just feels meh."

Lina nods. "Yeah, it's sad that a stadium that makes zero sense was the highlight of the campaign so far."

"Therefore," he pulls a towel off a whiteboard, "Project Annoy-the-Shit-Out-of-the-Annoying-Hag is about to commence."

"Tumbles right off your tongue," Naira interjects sarcastically.

"Work in progress, my dear, work in progress."

He dramatically uncaps a marker and turns to the whiteboard like a professor about to unveil a revolutionary theorem.

Written across the top in huge red letters:

OPERATION: PROD THE VIPER

Underneath are several bullet points, arrows, question marks, and what appears to be a crude drawing of Zubova breathing fire at a referee.

Naira narrows her eyes. "You drew horns on her."

"They're symbolic."

"They're anatomically impressive."

"They're artistic, Naira."

Lina is already laughing quietly into her sleeve.

Maksimilian leans back on the couch, arms crossed. "I still don't understand why we're doing this."

Every head in the room slowly turns toward him.

Sonya gasps theatrically. "Because it's funny."

"No, no," Danila says, pacing now, "it is necessary. Zubova is like... environmental pressure. Like high-altitude training. Without her, our competitive ecosystem has become stagnant."

"You sound like you're narrating a wildlife documentary," Naira mutters.

I point at the whiteboard. "Let's hear the proposals before the Danila ecosystem collapses."

Danila grins.

"Oh, we've got proposals."

He flips the board.

There are far more pages than there should be.

"Proposal one: tactical live-stream irritation."

Zuldi immediately nods approvingly. "Classic."

Danila points to a rough sketch of what looks like a dressing room.

"We begin casually. Training streams. Behind-the-scenes content. But every stream includes at least one thing that would make Zubova's eye twitch."

"Examples?" Lina asks.

Danila clears his throat dramatically.

"'Team yoga with karaoke.'"

Naira snorts.

"'Pre-match tactical discussions while fishing.'"

"Honestly, that one sounds relaxing," Sonya says.

"'Goalkeeper glove puppet theater.'"

I nearly choke laughing. "No."

"Counterpoint: yes."

Zuldi raises a finger. "We could do fake wellness segments. 'Pyazhnayan Football Federation approved mindfulness exercises.'"

"Oh that's evil," I say admiringly.

She grins. "Exactly."

Danila flips another page.

"Proposal two: dress code violations."

Now even Maksimilian looks interested.

"What kind of violations?"

"Nothing punishable," Danila says quickly. "Just... annoying."

Naira reads from the board.

"'Matching neon scarves.'"

"'Coordinated novelty sunglasses.'"

"'Entire team arriving in historical fisherman sweaters.'"

Lina giggles. "We should do that one."

"Right?" Danila says. "Traditional culture. Very patriotic. She can't even complain without sounding anti-Pyazhnayan."

Naira's expression slowly shifts into dangerous amusement.

"Oh. Oh that's clever."

I point accusingly at her. "See? You're enjoying this."

"I enjoy precision operations."

Danila nods solemnly. "Weaponized wholesomeness."

Sonya nearly falls off the couch laughing.

Danila flips again.

"Proposal three: tactical press conference sabotage."

Now we're talking. He circles something written in huge letters.

BUZZWORDS

"We flood interviews with phrases she hates."

"'Creative freedom,'" Zuldi says immediately.

"'Organic team chemistry,'" I add.

"'Player-led atmosphere,'" Lina contributes quietly.

Naira smirks. "'Non-hierarchical leadership structure.'"

The room erupts.

"Oh she would HATE that," Sonya wheezes.

Danila is writing furiously now.

"'Emotional authenticity.'"

"'Holistic football philosophy.'"

"'Vibes-based preparation.'"

Maksimilian finally cracks and starts laughing into his hands.

"You people are unbelievable."

Danila points the marker at him dramatically. "Yet effective."

Naira taps the whiteboard. "This is all amateur-hour nonsense. If we're doing this properly, we need subtle escalation."

The room quiets.

She stands and walks to the board.

"Oh no," Zuldi whispers. "She's locked in."

Naira takes the marker.

"Phase one: harmless irritation."

She writes neatly beneath the chaos.

"Phase two: psychological warfare."

I lean forward immediately. "Go on."

Naira's smile is terrifyingly calm.

"We make Zubova think the federation itself is changing."

The room goes silent.

"...Explain," Danila says cautiously.

Naira begins listing ideas.

"Players openly discussing flexibility and modern culture."

"Federation media suddenly becoming casual and popular."

"Fan engagement exploding every time the team acts unserious."

"Young players becoming fan favourites specifically because they don't behave traditionally."

Lina slowly realizes where this is going.

"Oh no..."

Naira nods.

"We turn ourselves into undeniable proof that her worldview is losing."

Danila wipes away a fake tear. "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard."

Sonya points at Lina. "You especially."

Lina startles. "Me?"

"You're adorable and polite. Zubova likes that. Which means when you participate in the nonsense, it emotionally devastates her."

Lina looks horrified.

"...I'm being weaponized."

"For the greater good," I assure her.

Danila suddenly snaps his fingers.

"The anthem."

Everyone looks at him.

"The anthem?" Maksimilian repeats warily.

"We release a training video where everyone's serious and focused and patriotic and inspirational..." He pauses dramatically. "...except the audio accidentally includes me and the other Danila arguing in the background about whether gulls or ducks would make better left-backs."

I slam a hand against the table laughing.

"No no wait," I add immediately, "make it tactical analysis."

Danila points at me. "YES."

"'A gull presses aggressively but lacks positional discipline.'"

"'A duck thrives in wet conditions.'"

Lina is now laughing so hard she's hiding her face.

Even Naira has given up pretending to be dignified.

Zuldi wipes tears from her eyes. "We're going to get formal letters again, aren't we?"

Danila places a hand over his heart.

"God willing."

by **Oberour Ar Moro** » Tue May 12, 2026 2:08 pm

The young woman sitting in Bernard’s passenger seat was fiddling with the radio.

She leaned forward as far as the seatbelt would let her, and pushed the search button. It landed on a station and she would listen to the music intently. Then she would suddenly push the search button again, landing on another station, to listen to different music.

“What’s your name?” Bernard finally asked.

The young woman turned her head and looked at him. “Evie,” she said staring at him. Feeling flushed Bernard looked away and back to the road.

“I’m an angel,” she added, almost as an afterthought.

The car was silent for a second as the radio searched for another frequency. It landed on something that made the bass in the car thump. Bernard leaned in to turn down the volume. His hand shook some.

“What do you mean, ‘an angel’?” Bernard attempted to clarify.

“A… messenger? A member of a choir?” Evie replied, sounding unsure of herself.

The bass throbbed more before Evie pushed the search button. The radio landed on two men arguing. Something about shortages.

“What do you remember?” Bernard asked. He kept his eyes on the road. His posture had become so rigid it almost hurt.

“Being a kid,” Evie offered. “Moving around, not having a home, needing somewhere to be.”

She pushed the search button again. A new song, something instantly plaintive.

Evie leaned back in her seat. “Being alone. A lot of these songs are about being alone.”

The road ahead looked like it would curve to the left, into the rising sun. Bernard flicked on the turn signal to turn left, to keep going north. It seemed like the correct thing to do. Although… based on what?

”Where are you trying to go?” Bernard and Evie initially had little to say as they got in the car and started off.

Evie shrank into the seat. “I’m trying to go back to heaven,” she said, sounding a little unsure of herself. The song ended and a disc jockey started muttering to himself.

“What about…” Bernard swallowed hard. His throat had become so dry. “What about heaven, do you remember that?”

Evie looked away, her mouth scrunching up some. “Not really… no. But that’s where I need to go.”

The disc jockey gave way to a new song. Something more bouncy and upbeat.

“Thanks for the ride,” Evie offered meekly, before leaning in to change the station again.

by **The Ko-orenite Constellation** » Tue May 12, 2026 2:08 pm

Any new territories had to sign the Treaty of Dhidiyah to be accepted into the Constellation. Some unions might make a big thing out of the entire process: screenings, meetings with the prospective government's members to ask about their financial and ecological targets, studies into their meritocratic... merit, and so on - and after signing, put on a show and a half, pomp and circumstance, to welcome this new nation.

Not the Constellation.

Signing the treaty carries some weight, of course, but ultimately doesn't change all that much for the signing party. Not as long as the Constellation itself - and the Council that acts on its behalf - has only a few vague ideas, and the member nations are very far apart in needs and wants. While Ndugutisaoren was ready to turn the Constellation into a technological bloc to put a rocket on the moon, they were reminded by territories like Églantinoren that they first had to clean house before they were in any position to contribute to such an extravagant project. And so signing the charter doesn't carry a lot of rituals with it.

Hang on, Églantinoren? Who are they?

They were one of three new signatories of the Treaty, together with Vanua Kahikoren and Gwangsudoren, brought along for the ride by Chanmingoren and Mercatoren.

That was one reason why the Council acts only on behalf of the Constellation, not on behalf of individual member nations - and also why the council will never, never accept a vote among members with a quorum of sorts. Just bring a bunch of territories into the union and have them vote alongside you, and you can stack the vote any way you want - and all that you get is a one-sided decision and a bunch of new members that don't align well with the idea of the Constellation to begin with.

So that would make it a good idea to make that Treaty a lot more important. Well, according to some.

We're still in the early days of this group project that's not very different from school assignments. Some do a lot of the work so others can slack off, some carry a lot of weight while others are fine with any decision made by others. And some have brilliant ideas that are completely ignored by the rest of the group.

"Moving along to the 19th point of today's meeting, brought to the Council by Meia-Armadoren: 'the Treaty should play a more important role in the Constellation', and I'm citing a few more points here, like 'it must be able to weed out weak prospective members', and 'it should ask much more of member nations in aligning more with the ideals of the Constellation', and 'it must include provisions on punishments for members that shirk their duties', among others."

"Meia-Armadoren's right, we've been sitting still ever since the signing of Dhidiyah. We should absolutely move this union along with a higher pace."

"Sitting still? You don't realise how much our, ehm, weaker members have done since Dhidiyah."

"Who are you calling weak?"

"I'm saying this on behalf of the, uh, poorer half of the Constellation, don't get me wrong! Zirnytsoren's wealth has nearly doubled, Uruashoren's infrastructure, education, and health have pulled up towards the Constellation's average, I could go on. I don't think the richest and strongest nations should force the smaller ones to do their bidding while they can sit back and say that they've already done everything a new treaty would ask of them."

"Then maybe that's not what we should codify next. We shouldn't look at pure numbers and ask that every member's budget sits between such and such percent of their GDP, and so on. We should ask commitment towards the ideals of the Constellation and ask every member, individually, how they will contribute, and gauge whether that's both a realistic and an idealistic target."

"All in favour?"

"Aye"

"Aye"

"Aye"

"Now, who's in charge of telling the nations and territories they're going to have to do a lot in the next few years?"

World Cup 101 - The Roleplays

Ulendo Season 3: Episode 1: Part 5

Two Must Win Games After a Disappointing Window

WC101 Part 2

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