World Cup 101 - The Roleplays

by **The Ko-orenite Constellation** » Sun May 24, 2026 9:34 am

Giannis Kourakis' phone rang. The chief demographer and lecturer in Human and Technical Geography at the University of Limynion had gotten a call from Elektra Manikas herself, the president of Synephoren. "Giannis speaking?" had become his default line on the phone, followed by "Are you looking for Giannis from the University of Limynion or Giannis from the Statistical Bureau of Synephoren?" but as this was not a very large nation, people rarely managed to discern the two. Plenty of lecturers were also heads of a government committee with some related function, and plenty of government officials had lecturers and other professionals in their address book for all kinds of favours. His mate Kostas had become informal IT support for half the government, for instance, from the luxury of his little computer corner shop. Either way, it was common that everyday Synephorans were asked for little things.

"Hey Giannis, it's Elektra, calling from Irithoren."

Ah, that means the president was on official Constellation business. Synephoren had little use for trade with the distant desert cape otherwise - Limynion had all the energy it needed right there from sun and wind, and heaps of batteries courtesy of Ndugutisaoren. There honestly wasn't much else that Irithoren had, as far as Giannis could tell, having visited the place just once.

"There's talk of us having to supply a lot of statistics, partially financial, partially data on how the rest of the country is run. And I was thinking 'hey, isn't this what we've already been tracking?' but before I propose that to the Constellation, I wanted to ask you if that's what we're doing."

Giannis was proud of what he managed to set up using limited resources. He oversaw a team that a few years back, set up a dashboard that displays the energy supply, generation, and use, almost up to the minute, and from there he worked with a small team of geographers of universities in other territories to set up something similar. Energy was one thing, and he had hoped that his colleagues would be a little more forthcoming when it came to plugging popuation data into the dashboard. Synephoren wasn't that big - barely a hundred and fifty thousand people - but there were three complicating factors. One, Synephoren is made up of islands that weren't exactly close together. Two, the people on the different island chains didn't always see eye to eye (though bringing them together was a major accomplishment by Manikas). Three, the entire infrastructure to have the data up to date and correct and sent to Giannis' team had to be set up from scratch.

Manikas was in charge of the second factor - it was a political issue, not a technical one. Giannis was in charge of the third issue. Nobody was really in charge of the first issue but having the internet to bridge hundreds of kilometres was indispensible - political unity was not possible in a pre-modern world.

"Some of it we probably track. Do they have a list of what we need to send over?"

"It's not to that level yet. I mean, the list isn't there yet and they're still discussing how to put together statistics in a way that we can actually get usable data out of it. For that, they're looking for someone to lead the team, and that's where I have a vision of you in that position."

"Oh, uh, are you sure?"

Elektra saw what Irithoren was doing. They had the headquarters of the Constellation to themselves. The Constellation was set up by just three nations - Irithoren, a quiet faraway nation called Arhoren, and then Synephoren... but the latter two were left in the dust with all these bigger and better territories coming in. Synephoren needed a place at the table - both as original members, also as a nation that can add something to the mix - and before any of the big loud territories had a say, this was her nation's way in. Giannis was a fine colleague, he probably understood. But she didn't need any of his doubts right now. He just needed to say 'yes' and then she had political capital for years.

"I'm sure. You can do it, I've seen the work, it's extremely impressive, and the other nations have no candidates."

Alright, that might not have been 100% true, but this is more important.

"I can have you on the next flight to Dhidiyah-"

"Elektra, I'm willing to take on this responsibility, but I don't need any politicians breathing down my neck. I'm doing this work from the University of Limynion as a home base and other experts from the Constellation can visit me there, or I can visit them instead, but I'm going to need distance between... well, you people and my kind of people. Politicians and academics."

That was far better than Elektra had expected.

"Absolutely. Done."

by **Calgasia** » Sun May 24, 2026 3:21 pm

OBER CALGAS
A Traveller’s Guide to Calgasia

Take the road westwards from Goldstadt and you’ll find that the landscape starts to feel different, colder. The hills are more steep, the conifers become more ubiquitous and the mountains, though almost always present in the background of a calgasian landscape, are more and more near every kilometer. You have entered Ober Calgas.

THE LAND

The Land is located west of Innere Calgas, and north of Kleine Böhmen. The Hochkamm range dominates the region, with its limestone and granite peaks, running from the Rötler massif in the east to the west, with the Hohe Warte as its highest point. The Tarbannese mounts then run southwards after the source of the river Mel, like a peninsula entering a sea of grass.

As we mentioned, the river Mel, the other great river of Calgasia, is born here, in the snowfields of the Hochkamm. This majestic river with calm waters is of great importance, and through its journey it visits Kaiserbad, Wels, Melperk and Ocheron on its way to the Illyrian Bay. But in this Land, the Mel is still young and wild, running with energy and feeding of the numerous streams and tributaries that are born in these mountains. And energy is an important word in Ober Calgas, as there are a number of hydroelectric dams in the region that harness all this raw power and convert it into electricity, accounting for more than half of the national production.

Ober Calgas sends lots of things downstream: water through its rivers, power through its dams, but also timber and food. The abundance of conifers made it a strategic target in the early days of the settlement of Calgasia, as it sent logs and timber to build Goldstadt and other colonies and to power the fireplaces of the colonists, as well as meat and dairy products from its cattle mountain ranches to feed them.

The climate is, of course, colder than the rest of the country, more alpine, with cold and snowy winters, rainy and foggy springs and autumns, and mild summers, when the snow retreats to offer a spectacle of flowers, some native to the land, some brought from old Earth. The valleys are cultivated, especially cattle or grains to feed them, as well as apples and potatoes. Ober Calgas was mainly settled with pioneers from Tyrol, that adapted their lifestyle and techniques in the Alps to this new land. People here tend to be “colder” compared to the capital, but very warm once you have passed initial reserves.

KAISERBAD
However Ober Calgas can also have glamour, and its capital is the perfect example.
Kaiserbad was built around thermal springs, hence its name, literally Emperor’s Baths in German, and the baths soon attracted the royals, and the wealthy, shaping the city.
The water emerges from the ground at temperatures between 34 and 42 degrees, rich in minerals, and with therapeutic properties, especially rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions. Once after the sources were discovered, the settlers started to build baths, spas and thermal venues, and in a magnificent way.

There are some spas and thermes that are worth a visit in the city, but it's not the only place in the region that has baths: Radegg and Tannerdorf also offers excellent waters, and are well connected to Kaiserbad via road and train.

Around the baths, the city was created with great refinement, like the Hotel Royale, a staple in luxury accomodation in the country, or its rival, the Schwarzenberg Hotel. Gallerie Waldner is a famous museum for modern art. Additionally, several noble families built villas and private palaces in the city or around it, as well as some streets in the centre filled with boutiques and cafés. Some palaces can be visited.

THE REST OF THE REGION
St. Thomas, up in the north, is Ober Calgas’s timber capital. The sawmills have been joined by workshops that produce high-end furniture and interior materials, like the company Holzkonsortium, which exports across Calgasia and beyond. Although not a particulary beautiful town, the furniture museum makes a trip to St. Thomas worthy.
Hallein, twenty-five kilometres from Donuberg, is one of the main ski resorts in Calgasia, especially oriented to families. It has three slopes, a luge track, and a more relaxed atmosphere compared to other resorts.
Zillertal is Ober Calgas’s industrial core, but also very creative and is near the Sonnenwende ski resort, comsidered to have sole of the best slopes in the country.

THE PLACE FOR SKIING
Ober Calgas means skiing. Apart from the mentioned Sonnenwende and Hallein, there are several other resorts in the region. Gletscherwacht is the flagship built near the Hochkamm, and the classical destination for the aristocracy, the magnates, the artists and the influencers. The slopes are excellent, though sometimes people seem to be more interested in restaurants, boutiques and the legendary après-ski than in the skiing itself. For a ski resort that is preferred by real, professional skiers, Bergkristall in Ischgl, is the place to be, with technical and difficult slopes.
Alpengipfel, just over the regional border in Inner Calgas, is considered the “temple” of Calgasian skiing, with the legendary “Streif” slope, consideres one of the fastest and most difficult downhill slopes in the Multiverse. For those who are not olympic skiers, Alpengipfel also has extensive slopes.

These resorts are the core of the famous Kaiserpokal, the national ski cup, and it was on these slopes where athletes like Michaela Mair, Marco Häser or Johann Krenn compete, skiers that have placed the national alpine skiing on the international sports map, especially after the last Winter Olympics, where Calgasia was definitely the country to beat in alpine skiing.

SPORT
Of course Ober Calgas is the kingdom of winter sports, but there is way more beyond a pair of skis. The great dominator is the Kaiserbad Social Club, formed by some aristocrats in early XX century that has multiple sections in different sports, and that has won the football Bundesliga 6 times, although right now the team is going through a rebuild phase after its relegation to second division. It also has 6 water polo league titles, one of the few teams to win multiple titles in different sports.

In hockey, the situation looks even better, with regional powerhouses EC Radegg and EV Zillertal boasting 5 and 4 EisLiga titles respectively. The region is one of the main feeders of players for the national league.

Of course, Ober Calgas is usually home of the Ski Kaiserpokal, and a great deal of the winter sports athletes are born here.

by **Shin-Zetsubo** » Sun May 24, 2026 6:04 pm

Okayyy, so instead it's Golden Harp, then Soviet Kem and then Sarzonia for the chance to qualify. It was a weird rewrite of what was about to happen in the playoffs, but it was a rewrite nonetheless. Shayla Takada didn't write it herself, even her plain self couldn't even think of a rewrite where whole matchdays of World Cup qualifiers were redone. But she had other work to do, of course. Mainly that "Shin-Zetsubite Despairing Soccer Club Championship" idea that's been floating around in her head. After all she did have a good bit to go until the squad takes the field against their first foes on the road back to Farfadillis...

THE TEAMS

Towa City Rockets - Black home kit with green trim, green away kit. Named for the rocket ship seen in Despair Bear Square that nobody knows how to operate. "Bottle Rocket" launched from the supporter's section after each goal.

Admiral Daimon - Red and black striped home kit, white away kit. Meant to serve the more "athletic" folk of Shin-Zetsubo, especially the Despairathon greats. Players for this club must participate in the Despairathon, with the best individual being named captain.

Syo Strikers - Purple home kit, orange away kit with silver dagger illustration on the back. The more "in your face" club, complete with a mentality to always show up and cause chaos.

Kurokuma United - Gray home kit, black and gold away kit. The "mob" of the league, always swarming and acting dirty wherever they go (as long as it's on the pitch!)

FC Cosmeto Utsugi - Pink home kit, white and purple away kit. Always meant to be stylish and pretty, but still with an interior of no-nonsense playmaking.

Shingetsu Navigators - Sky blue home kit with white accents, yellow away kit. Passing style all the way up and down. Also have otherworldly perseverance mentality.

And then there were two spots left blank. Takada could worry about them later. The six teams she had already sketched out with only kit colors and a little bit more about themselves were already perfect in her eyes. Six unique clubs with their own playstyles. They'll be playing from the same venue of course - There wasn't any other field in the country, the Despairing Soccer Ground was the only place available - but again, least of her concerns. Her main concern? How Emoran would react when she slipped in the idea to her.

And slip in she did. Chrystill Emoran was lecturing her Despair Girls about Golden Harp when Takada's plain blue hair stuck out and her hand was raised.

"What is it, Ms. Plain?" Emoran said to Shayla. "Ah! I was just thinking about... Maybe something called a league," said Takada as she got up and handed over the notebook with the six team names and their information. "I was doing research yesterday about club football when making these teams. Did you know there's a competition where the champions from all league fight to see who's the-"

"Now's not the time for Champions League talk," said Emoran sternly. "I don't see any interest in this country having a domestic competition. A good chunk of the population are bored with us as is, even if we're in the playoffs for a World Cup spot."

"B-but think of the extra playing time our players could get! Instead of two matches in a window, they'll play every week! Get better! Maybe even develop a squad that could compete for World Cup qualification!"

"Takada, you have to understand that we barely have enough for three teams, not eight. End of story. I'll reconsider this lofty idea of yours if we somehow draw in fans." And just like that, Shayla's story had seemingly been ended by her own coach. Chrystill, of course, was right. Boredom plus a weak talent pool that was nonexistent outside of the national team meant that a league, even amateur wouldn't be stable. Even with the Baptism of Fire win the team had.

Well, onto Golden Harp then. Maybe they could make a run to get to the World Cup, but the Despair Girls had low odds. Still, it didn't hurt to try.

by **Andossa Se Mitrin Vega** » Sun May 24, 2026 7:19 pm

VIVIENNE SA'IL LIVE!

VivisDayOut
Cinderella Still Dancing Past Midnight
Stadii Uma Dragonii - Sea Dragons Locker Room
11,603,477 watching

The stream opens with the camera sideways.

Absolute screaming chaos fills the Sea Dragons locker room. Music blasts through the speakers. Water bottles fly through the air. Somebody is banging on a locker like a drum.

Vivienne finally manages to point the camera at herself.

Her hair is soaked with sweat, her number 9 jersey half untucked, captain’s tape tied around one wrist like a bracelet.

She looks completely overwhelmed.

“ELEVEN MILLION PEOPLE?!”

COMMENTS
fanfanatic444: THE COMEBACK CONTINUES
abreumusic: one match at a time
chimpsplayfootytoo: VIVI CRYING MEMES INCOMING

Vivienne spins the camera around wildly.

The locker room is pure celebration.

Azaru D’Tagge is standing on a bench screaming the national anthem completely off-key.

Zinkee Cabal and Smoke Eneveja are attempting to spray sports drink into each other’s mouths from across the room.

Ana Sarria sits calmly taping her wrist while chaos unfolds around her like she exists above mortal concerns.

Analisse Ankarii has somehow become responsible for stopping three separate fights and one dance battle simultaneously.

Manager Anriq Sebastii is hugging trainers while looking seconds away from emotional collapse.

COMMENTS
hugsforthugs: ANRIQ DESERVES A STATUE
fallingupthestairs: ANA LOOKS SO DONE

Vivienne swings toward Me'aba Songo-Kakii, who is lounging shirtless at his locker still wearing compression shorts and an ice pack around one knee.

“CHAT.”

She points dramatically at him.

“I had a dream about this exact moment.”

Me'aba narrows his eyes immediately.

“Uhm, NO.”

“No listen—”

“You’re about to drag me into one of your escapades.”

“In my dream we qualified and then me and Me'aba went parasailing over Errion Bay.”

The locker room ERUPTS.

Several teammates instantly start screaming.

Me'aba stands upright immediately.

“I would NEVER do such a thing.”

Vivienne nearly falls over laughing.

“YOU SCREAMED LIKE SUCH A GIRL!”

The entire squad loses control.

Mekai Erasteles physically collapses onto the floor laughing.

Omar Binsixidu points across the room yelling: “I KNEW IT!”

Me'aba looks betrayed.

“Why did I do to any of y'all?”

COMMENTS
sunshineandlollipops: HE DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE SCREAMED
unskinnybop: sea dragons sitcom

Suddenly a reporter sprints through the locker room doorway.

“SORRY! SORRY! SOR...”

Directly behind him comes Molli Yishi absolutely FLYING across the room wielding a neon orange goalkeeper boot.

Not her own.

Pemba Mafia’s.

“GET BACK HERE!"

The reporter disappears out the hallway. Molli keeps chasing him while smacking him repeatedly with the boot.

WHACK. WHACK. WHACK.

The locker room completely disintegrates. Vivienne can barely breathe from laughing.

“OHHHHH MY GOD.”

Pemba Mafia appears in frame horrified.

“THAT IS MY MATCH BOOT!”

Smoke Eneveja leans in over Vivi's shoulder.

"Like he ever gets in the match anyway"

As he disappears around the corner in pursuit of his boot, he shouts

"I get more minutes than you do"

The look on Smoke's face sends Vivi back into a laughing fit.

Omar leans casually into the camera.

“He tried taking pictures of Molli in the showers.”

The mood changes instantly.

Entire locker room: “OHHHHHHHH.”

Then everyone immediately resumes cheering for Molli.

COMMENTS
girlygirl17: IS NOTHING SACRED
seadragoncrazy: pambas boot catching more action than he does

Molli eventually returns victorious holding the boot over her shoulder like a war trophy.

“I GOT HIS PRESS PASS.”

The room explodes again.

Analisse points sternly: “Do NOT commit crimes before the play-in.”

“No promises.”

Meanwhile Jozef Cabrissu — ancient veteran striker and emotional grandfather of the squad — sits smiling quietly while younger players dance around him.

Vivienne notices.

She moves beside him.

“You good?”

Jozef looks around the room for a moment.

“When I debuted for the Sea Dragons…”

He smiles softly.

"We dreamed of a chance to play in the World Cup. Now we are playing for exactly that chance. Surreal."

The room nearby continues celebrating.

He shakes his head slowly.

For a moment the stream quiets naturally.

The Sea Dragons weren’t supposed to survive this group.

Not after the early collapses. Not after Valanora. Not after Milchama. Not after Sarzonia away nearly broke them physically.

But somehow: 2-1 away at Equestria, 1-0 over Qasden, Fifth place, Play-in secured, And now the Russian Empire EHA awaits.

COMMENTS
beachbumbouncyhouse: goosebumps
letterstocleo: from dreamers to contenders

Then the silence immediately dies because Zinkee Cabal has climbed onto a table.

“VIVIENNE!”

“Oh no.”

“Speech!”

The room begins chanting instantly.

“SPEECH. SPEECH. SPEECH.”

Vivienne points accusingly.

“I hate all of you.”

Ana Sarria deadpans from across the room “Public speaking is part of leadership.”

“YOU TOO?”

The chanting grows louder.

Finally Vivienne climbs onto a bench, still holding the phone

The room slowly settles.

She looks around at the players, coaches, trainers, staff.

At the people who somehow dragged this impossible run into existence.

Her voice comes quieter now.

“When qualifying started…”
She laughs weakly.

“…I think most people just wanted us to not embarrass ourselves.”

Several teammates nod laughing.

“But now look at us.”

She points around the room.

“We’re still dancing.”

The locker room erupts again.

“AND WE ARE NOT TAKING THE DAMN SLIPPER OFF YET!”

Absolute screaming.

Azaru nearly falls off the bench. Ana actually smiles. Me'aba points upward dramatically.

“ONE MORE DANCE.”

COMMENTS
herewegopeeps: CINDERELLA NOT DONE YET
fushyumang: MIRACLE RUN CONTINUES

Music swells louder again. Players resume dancing. Someone dumps an ice bucket on Omar. Pemba finally gets his boot back. Molli threatens another reporter.

And Vivienne — seventeen years old, exhausted beyond belief, standing in the center of the happiest locker room perhaps in the multiverse — beams into the camera.

“Alright hatchlings.”

She grins.

“Next stop…”

The entire locker room screams together:
“RUSSIAN EMPIRE!”

STREAM ENDED — 5h 11m

by **The Republic of the United Marble Tribes** » Sun May 24, 2026 10:59 pm

Its been many exhausting days. The boys are trying to cool down at a beach, while still being interrogated by patriots overseas. Fans and ultras cornering them, thanking them for qualifying.

As on 26th of May, we will have our very first qualifying match against our fellow friends, Tomerion. We hope to win this. We believe this gonna be super easy for us!

Trainings are being held in the late afternoon. Do check us out at Z3 training ground to support the national team!

Yup, also, some of the soldiers are returning home for national duties. And another several million have poured into host nations. There is an estimate of 86 million Marblelanians overseas and the number could reach over 100 million by the second qualification match, considering that Marbleland pass through.

Although experience is on our side, Coach Mulholland tells his players to not underestimate the opponents as the odds may not be on their side. He also encouraged the players to continue to train hard, be positive and remain good bonds with each other.

by **IA3x** » Mon May 25, 2026 6:22 am

Being the manager for The Blue Guard was a stressful job, and it will continue to be as such. That was Mugel Krygorf's judgement of it all.

When the final whistle blew, he thought that was it for this cycle. Atheara wouldn't make the playoffs, and perhaps that maybe they would get a Cup of Harmony invite. Was it likely? He wasn't sure. The Cup of Harmony had it's own restrictions for which country gets invited, as not every nation who failed to qualify plays there. He thought that after that, maybe he should start sorting out the league infrastructure and figuring out Atheara's alignment once more. It was meant to be a busy time for him.

But then the announcement dropped. Some corruption within the World Cup Committee caused the tail-end matches of qualifying to have been biased towards certain teams. From referee selection to... Actually, Mugel doesn't want to know. He just, doesn't want to hear the extent of the effects those Paradystopi penguins had until they were caught.

And thus, there was a lot of outrage over the revelation. Some rumors were even abound that there were plans to sue the WCC for it. But in the end, there was a decision made in order to be fair for everyone. And of course, that decision was simple: Some match results would be completely rescinded, nulled void, and the matches would be replayed. This time, under much more stringent but fair conditions to ensure that such a breach of fairness would never occur ever again. For some, this was tragedy. For others? It was good news.

It fell under the good news category for Atheara, since they had missed out on playoffs by just a single point, finishing sixth place within Group 7. Two matches would be replayed, those being the rematches against Olastor and Mytanija. In the rescinded results, Atheara had lost against the former and drew the latter, costing a playoff berth.

This time however, at first sight at least, it seemed that the exact same thing would end up occurring in the end.

Atheara's main opposition in the groups was Srednjaci. In the rescinded results, they had drawn Mytanija and Bostopia, which allowed them to steer ahead by two points. On the replayed seventeenth matchday, The Blue Guard drew once more against Olastor. But Srednjaci had also drawn against Mytanija, meaning one single thing.

A win against Mytanija was a must, and Srednjaci must draw against Bostopia at best. Things would come down to the final matchday, and as Mugel recalls, the players were all nervous. They weren't expecting things to play out this way, especially considering the corruption within the WCC. But in the team locker before the Mytanija game, he had all told them a single thing. It was one sentence that, after he spoke it, all of the players were invigorated and ready to play their best regardless of what happens.

He nailed down exactly why they played for The Blue Guard. "Be proud to play this game at this very moment, because all of you are Athearan and we play for our own."

Last cycle was about remembrance. Of the people lost, of the families torn apart, of the friends that never made it. But this time was different. He told the team that this time, they were playing because they had everything to play for. And Mugel spoke those words not as the manager of The Blue Guard, no. He spoke those words as Mugel Krygorf, goalkeeper and captain for the Athearan National Team. He distinctly remembers his younger brother smiling at him for turning the mood of the team around.

So they went out to play ball, and play the did. It was, in Mugel's eyes at least, the best game that this iteration of The Blue Guard had played so far. Sure, they were 1-0 down early on from a goal on the 15th minute, but they were playing with a fire that he rarely ever saw with The First Republic's Blue Guard. It was a beautiful flare that shone brightly.

And that fire would culminate in a goal. 39th minute, Zarbir Iltchoporsk sends it through a free kick. The Blue Guard would claw it back no matter what, and that they did with the killing blow. 81st minute, the substituted in Rianne Van Royen takes a hail mary shot some yards outside the Mytanija box. The ball flew so fast that the goalkeeper just couldn't react in time. It was the goal that sealed the deal, all the more sweeter when Atheara found that Srednjaci drew their rematch against Bostopia, which meant one thing.

Atheara would be in the playoffs, with Aaamathyr being their first round opponent. Whatever comes of this, The Blue Guard has already come a long way.

by **Drawkland** » Mon May 25, 2026 7:16 am

“We’ve had this conversation before,” Meliauden began. Her words echoed through the cavern corridor.

“Do go on,” Iarocav prompted. The couple had previously been silent for a few minutes, save the sound of their own labor as they walked and pulled.

“It’s wildly fortunate that Sonnel’s ley line hotbed just so happened to land under our soil, right?” Meliauden mused, switching the arm carrying her cart from the left to the right. “It makes one wonder if it was intentionally placed.”

“There’s no doubt the gods chose these locations with intention.” Iarocav shrugged. “Too many relevant worlds have hotbeds of their own. Why bother anchoring the lines to planets where nothing happens? They’d never be opened.”

“Perhaps it’s a bit of sampling bias, though.” Meliauden said. “There could be thousands of hotbed worlds that are never found because nobody is ever there to open them up to the first throughline.”

“Who can say?” Iarocav replied dryly. “I think there’s a seminar in Kayo you can attend if you want to be bored to tears about it.”

“I’m less interested in the mechanics as I am the concept itself,” Meliauden clarified. “I find what we’re doing a little funny. I wonder if this is what they intended when this universe was first woven together.”

“Funny?” Iarocav repeated, checking a small notebook in his hand to correctly navigate a fork in the cave tunnel.

“Think about this,” Meliauden said, yanking her cart to the left to follow behind Iarocav. “These ley lines arguably weren’t even designed to be used by people. It’s more akin to punching a hole in a pressurized pipe and jumping in. It’s a miracle anybody comes out the other side. Now we’re going to drag a truckload of scrap through with us and pray that it doesn’t get sprayed through 3 other dimensions. I just wonder if this level of silly behavior was ever anticipated.”

“It surely was. One can debate their omnipotence, but they did expect sentient life to one day navigate the stars and dimensions with some level of regularity. There’s evidence that our predecessors on Sonnel alone were more advanced than us.”

“One micronation of androids on a Dubbo Krish beach hardly points to a widespread advanced society. I think Ghirapur was likely a planetary colony from elsewhere.”

“The droids say they were born as Sonnel natives.” Iarocav took one last turn, slowing down the pace of him and his cart.

“The droids were built here. That doesn’t mean their builders were. You’d think there’d be more evidence of them across the planet if they were a truly native species. Their current land simply doesn’t have the resources to build what they built.” Meliauden slowed to a stop behind Iarocav. “I digress, though.”

Iarocav looked at his notebook again as a sanity check, then up to his wife. “This should be our station. Ready?”

“I feel one thing may be missing before we embark,” Meliauden mused.

“Ah, of course.” Iarocav leaned over and planted a kiss on Meliauden’s cheek. “A bit of luck.”

“That’s better. Let’s go.”

The couple backed up a bit in the dark igneous corridor, readying their cart wheels so they were straightened to the tunnel’s terminus. The end wall glowed with a wavy filament that projected a faint magenta light on the Drawkionels. Playing with the portals always carried some risk, but the pair had done so much dimensional travel that the attempt itself wasn’t that worrying. Their cargo is what made this journey questionable.

Both Iarocav and Meliauden strapped themselves into harnesses attached directly to the carts. It was like a running parachute, but instead of being attached to a loose parachute, the straps were coupled to the end of the carts. Normally any gear worn on a person would travel with them through a portal, but this was truly testing the limits of what the unseeing, unfeeling field of void magic would consider to be “worn gear.” The Drawkians were breaking new ground here.

“On me.” Iarocav said curtly. He took a deep breath, then started running directly at the portal. The first few steps were held back, until he and the cart gathered enough momentum to move at speed. Iarocav reached close to his top speed about a yard ahead of the portal. He plunged through headfirst … and the cart similarly disappeared into the arcane curtain.

“That’s one worry taken care of,” Meliauden muttered to herself. She puffed a breath, and repeated the same motion. Take off, building momentum, slamming into the ‘wall’ at a dead run with a couple hundred pounds of cargo in tow.

The transmission was nearly instant. More experienced portalwalkers could discern when the lines brought them through dimensional veils, and Meliauden felt herself pass one of them before rushing out of another portal at close to the same velocity she had going in. Thankfully Iarocav had already moved himself and his cart out of the way.

“Two boxes ticked off,” Iarocav said with a slight lilt of enthusiasm. Their bodies and carts had survived the journey, and there didn’t seem to be any material losses.

They stood in a small circular chamber. At first glance one might consider it a dungeon, with dark and mossy stone bricks in some level of disrepair. The half-dozen doorways all glowed with a similar fluid as the cavern portal the Drawkians had just passed through.

“We’re going through the adjacent door, right?” Meliauden asked, pointing at the door they arrived from and the one next to it, which had a turquoise texture.

“Yes.” Iarocav answered, checking his notebook again. “Because it saves us a step.”

The process repeated a couple times more. The couple steeled themselves, launched through a portal with cargo in tow, checked themselves on the other end, then selected their next destination.

Eventually they arrived at their intended destination, bodies and cargo still intact. The portal spat them out on an otherwise empty grove under open sky. The portal itself was stretched over one side of a boulder. Similar boulders without portal openings sat in a semi-circle around a placid natural pool of crystal-clear water. It was like a jungle oasis, with alien trees shading the grove.

“This is it, right?” Meliauden asked for confirmation.

“Yes. Should be.” Iarocav held up his notebook against the night sky, trying to compare the stars to a chart scribbled on one of the pages. He nodded slowly. “That’s it.”

“Now for the fun part!” Meliauden said with no shortage of sarcasm. She shrugged the cart straps off her shoulder and grabbed the handle on the end. “Do we want to do this here, or ..?”

“Let’s find a nice spot nearby.” Iarocav directed, pointing to a flat spot of land visible a little downhill from their grove.

What proceeded resembled a married couple attempting to put together flat-packed furniture in their living room, rather than immortals imbued with arcane power constructing an advanced technological wonder on a planet three dimensions away from home. The work was arduous and featured more than a little bickering, but at least it was still nighttime on that planet with a nice cool breeze to keep things comfortable.

Hours later, the work was one step away from completion. Iarocav grabbed the final piece, a crystal ball that was to be loaded in a compartment on the side of the contraption.

“If this doesn’t work, I’m going to be pissed.”

“Let’s get it over with, then.”

Iarocav popped the orb into its resting place. He took a deep breath, consulted his notebook, then punched the air right in front of the orb. A blast of arcane energy erupted from his fist, surrounding the orb which greedily lapped up the magic tendrils and absorbed them.

The orb glowed. The construction came to life. The rectangular frame, tall and wide enough to fit a modern SUV, suddenly had a violet filament stretch across the opening.

The new portal was opened. A direct link back home.

“Phase 1 is done.” Iarocav said. He couldn’t tell if he was dreading or anticipating what came next.

by **Captina Island** » Mon May 25, 2026 9:14 am

The Captina Company National Team will need to advance through a playoff for the third time over the last four World Cup cycles if they are to make the field of 48 for a second time after they tumbled to fifth place in Group 16 following the results on the final international doubleheader window of qualifying.

A defeat to Snestar on matchday 17 blocked the path to an automatic berth, and the results on matchday 18 left the Rosso e Oro in a three-way tie for third, although they eventually fell to the last playoff spot based on the tiebreakers; they do go into the first of three rounds as the top seeded side and will take on the nation with the lowest point total of the 60 teams left, Calgasia.

The Black Eagles are in their third WCQ, and coming into the tournament were ranked 57, just 3 places below Captina; they snuck past newcomers Hintuwan on goal difference from a strong Group 11 where they earned just half the points over 18 matches that third placed Edsmontik rolled up.

The playoff format will be a two legged affair, with the first match held in Goldstadt before the return leg at TCC Sports Ground; the winner will advance to take on The Ko-orenite Constellation in the second phase.

Captina have found an offensive consistency over three of their final four qualifying fixtures, the Snestar match excepted, scoring 12 times after only notching 16 in the first fourteen matches; they will need to maintain that output if they are wanting to achieve the ultimate aim of a second Finals appearance.

by **Srednjaci** » Mon May 25, 2026 9:48 am

OUR TEAM IS IN THE KNOCKOUT QUALIFICATIONS !!

Dear viewers, another round of qualification for the World Cup has begun. It is also the only major sporting event in which our nation has not participated.
My name is Stjepan Ružić and I will guide you through this biggest football competition and one of the biggest sporting events ever held.
The hosts of this year's World Cup are Farfadilis and Paradystopia.

The first part of the qualification for the 101st World Cup has been completed. Srednjanci achieved seven wins, five draws and six losses. Despite having one more victory on our account, our goal difference is +-0, 35:35. In order to go further, we have to do additional arduous requalifications, knockout qualifications, many call it a barrage.
Our opponent in the first playoff match is the Delaclav team. A well-known sports nation, mostly known for basketball, but they also play football well. Delaclava achieved the same effect in her group as we did. Delaclava was in group 12 and they won 26 points like us. But they have a negative goal difference, 29-30, -1.
Our attack is excellent, but we are more worried about our defense. Our defense conceded a whopping 35 goals, which puts us in a position where we constantly have to play forward in order to turn the game over to the opposing side. If we can achieve that with Delaclava, we might have a chance to pass the first hurdle.

SREDNJACIAN SPORTS THIS SEASON

This season has started very well and successfully for us. Considering that we missed last season, this season we are back on the world sports scene.
It all started with tennis, so let's start with tennis.

TENNIS - This year's tennis season started as always with hard court tournaments. Our tennis has had a lot of success in previous seasons. Tena Špiričić Tavano reached number 1 in the rankings and Ivan Štimac and Lucija Bagarić won Grand Slam titles. However, motherhood separated Tena from the tennis courts, a wrist injury meant that Lucija Bagarić did not play the entire season and mononucleosis struck Ivan Štimac. Now they are back but they were far from their former form. Since all three were top 10 players, we pinned all our hopes on them. But that was illusory.
However, Leo Farkaš and Goran Ibrahimović returned to the scene. They once had great careers, winning tournaments, Olympic silver, IBA Sports medals... and then a steep decline that lasted several years. Leo and Goran reached the Cenian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season, and won the doubles title! This is their third title and also the 16th title for our tennis at the NSTT!
In the singles competition, young Dora Klemenčić reached the semifinals!
At the beginning of the clay season, Lucija Bagarić played in the final of the Hamilton International and Petra Mačinković reached the semifinals of the Electrum International.

20th WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES-Liventia
Liventia hosted the 20th Winter Olympic Games. Our Olympic Federation did not participate in the 19th Games, but in the 18th Games it was second in terms of total medals won and third in terms of gold medals won. Of course, our appetites are much greater than ever before. Biathlon, Alpine skiing and ski jumping have always been our trump cards for winning medals. This is our fifth appearance at the Winter Olympic Games, and at these Games our athletes are also competing in other sports such as speed skating, snowboarding and skeleton.
Our Olympians won a total of 35 medals, 11 of which were gold. This figure once again placed us in the top 3 at the end of the Games. We finished second in terms of gold medals behind the host Liventia and third in terms of total medals, behind Magnus Phoenicia who won 37 medals.

BASEBALL - At the World Baseball Classic 62, our team played very well considering that our team is one of the youngest. In the group, they won 13 matches and lost 17. The Srednjacian team finished fourth in the group. That was not enough to advance to the knockout phase, but finally, like in football, we will restore the ranking.

by **Natkr** » Mon May 25, 2026 5:30 pm

Forever.

"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways."

It's hard sometimes. Hard to live. Hard to make friends. Hard to do anything. Hard to win a trophy. Natkrian footballer David Lopez, captain of the national team, can relate to this. You might ask a question like, how does a millionaire playing in the top-flight of his country and captaining his national team struggle with something? Maybe you just don't realise it, but David Lopez has suffered a hard life throughout his playing career. To start off, his parents gave everything up just for him to go to a football school right in the Great Plains of Natkr, two hours away from his little town, Koal, south of Nordhammer. It was hard for him to move away from his family. But his parents reminded him of one thing: no matter what happened to him, whether he would succeed or fail, whether he could even go pro, he was always reminded to take pride in his work, each and every day.

And he did just that. He worked his butt off every single day, just to be the next big thing. All the Natkrian media hypes up some random wonderkid, and then they end up failing. We can use the example of the current case of spectacular young talent Julian Brandt. After winning the Under-15 World Cup with Natkr and becoming the player of the tournament, he signed a name and likeness deal with Virgo and soon got signed with Riceyum FC. He was first put on their second team, but was later sent to the first team for his debut match against Silverbacks FC, in which he was subbed on in the 43rd minute, but then received a red card after a brutal challenge on Dylan Yandomay. Since then he has not seen any gametime in recent months, and there are even rumours of a potential loan to a club in Cruxwell Vows or Maritaine.

by **HUElavia** » Mon May 25, 2026 6:36 pm

MD 15:
HUElavia 4–1 Nusandara
(Di Natale 8', 77', Valdovinos 41', Vidal 85' | REDACTED 90+2')
Nuevo Estadio Oriental, Manilla, HUElavia

MD 16:
Libesia 2–2 HUElavia
(Tsekani 11', Adade 87' | Milano 35' (P), Ninahuamán 69')

MD 17:
HUElavia 2–0 Beal an Mhuirthead
(Chalco 22', Pinto 78')
Estadio Rias, Xinzo, HUElavia

MD 18:
Aphrilia 2–0 HUElavia
(Forrestal 20', Morgan-Keynes 60')

OOC: I decided to come up with a crazy scenario to account for the replayed matches, and I figured this was a crazy enough IC reason to write about. I do not do this out of malicious intent, but I doubt the user mentioned here will read this RP. I'd like to give my thanks once again to the co-hosts for noticing the issue with LISA and for being honest and transparent about the issue, as well as going through the painstaking work to make sure everything is OK. As a regular in this community, I am grateful for their work.

A SCANDAL TO DISGRACE THE MULTIVERSE!

A major scandal organized by Jerusalem that affected several refereeing decisions in several groups has resulted in major chaos and match replays throughout several groups!

After the end of the Qualifiers, HUElavia had stumbled to 4th place in Group 14, being forced to play in a Round 2 playoff against Siovanija and Teusland, where the winner would play a Round 3 playoff against Baptism of Fire winner Pomachetti. All was being organized to prepare the venues for the playoff matches when there was a rumor being spread that the disgraced nation of Jerusalem had been bribing referees for several matches and teams throughout these final few matchdays. Several nations began to investigate and surely enough, many referees brought up for matches involving major teams in the multiverse were bribed to affect matches.

From what was gathered by investigators by many nations across the Multiverse, it was found that Jerusalem used various staff members from Naked News Jerusalem to bribe referees. While it was mainly women who would seduce the referees with themselves and money, female referees were also targeted with men and money as well. The amount of money used to bribe referees has been indeterminant, given the large amount of money moved around towards several referees in many nations throughout the multiverse, including HUElavian referees. Various law enforcement agencies arrested the referees, as well as went into Jerusalem to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of this historic scandal. There was even video material gathered from various referees and NNJ staff that had material so explicit, we cannot begin to describe such actions shown on those pictures and videos gathered without being hit with takedowns and intervention from authorities. The head of the HUElavian Bureau of Investigation was quoted saying "We will prosecute these disgraceful sickos for disgracing a sport that is beloved by innumerous amount of people throughout the multiverse. This scandal has affected and inconvenienced so many people from our players on the National Football Team, the coaching staff, fans, and workers in the stadium, transportation and security throughout these matches. We will seek a very high price to compensate all involved through an online and in-person process to make sure the correct people are compensated for the added expenses due to this crime. On top of that, we look to compensate the various HUElavian clubs who released their players throughout the qualifiers for the National Team." It is rumored that HUElavia will seek H2.5 Billion to compensate everyone involved.

The World Cup Committee ultimately had to reschedule and replay Matchdays 17 and 18 for Groups 1 through 8, while Groups 9 through 16 had to get Matchdays 15 through 18 replayed. The HUElavian Football Association announced that the two home games will be played once again in the same venues as originally played, but deciding to sell the tickets at a discounted rate than the usual normal price. For these games, the tickets sold out within 3 hours of going on sale both online and in-person.

In the replayed matches, HUElavia managed to close out their home matches with a 4-1 beatdown over Nusandara and a respectable 2-0 victory over Beal an Mhuirthead on Matchdays 15 and 17 respectively. On the road, HUElavia dropped points (a common theme in this campaign) with a 2-2 draw at Libesia and a 2-0 loss at Aphrilia for Matchdays 16 and 18 respectively. In the end, HUElavia survives with 3rd Place with a 9-2-7 record, having 29 Points, a large amount of losses for the first time in several cycles. Still, for finishing in 3rd place, their reward was going straight to the 3rd round of the Playoffs. In the draw organized by the co-hosts, HUElavia is left to play a round-robin series against No. 59 Cobrio, the 3rd place team in Group 15. Estadio Nacional (100,000) in Curumba will be the selected venue to host the HUElavian leg of the playoff. It is only the 3rd time in HUElavian history that Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos will participate in a playoff to make the World Cup. Coach Casillas was quoted saying "We got a major match coming up against Cobrio that has historic implications for both of us. We owe our fans throughout the Multiverse to play well and make it to the World Cup. We have no excuses for the dropped points and opportunities we've had throughout these qualifiers and we're determined to be among the best 48 teams in the Multiverse once again. We hope to count on our fans to make it a hostile environment in Curumba and we hope many can travel to Cobrio to cheer us on. We got a lot of studying and training to do to be prepared for this series."

HUElavia's 10th appearance at the World Cup is separated by a difficult and aggressive Cobrio, known for their high pressing and high defensive lines, similar to the first golden generation of HUElavian Football 80 years ago. 180 minutes and maybe more are what remain in this historic and turbulent qualifiers. Here's to another appearance at the World Cup.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

by **Masraya** » Tue May 26, 2026 4:28 am

Chapter 7 - Jerai

We knew who we had to face in the playoffs the same night as the final match of the group stage. Football pundits and analysts around the country had made their calculations as soon as the final whistle was blown and the final group standings were confirmed. The news about who our opponent in the playoffs would be spread across Masraya immediately.

All sports channels started showing highlights of Airannia before the night was even over. Their 5-1 victory away at Siovanija and Teusland and 5-4 victory over Crpostran were shown over and over again and local pundits suddenly know everything about every single one of their players.

I can understand the excitement. We were only two matches away from the World Cup. For the first time ever, people genuinely believed that we could qualify for the World Cup. Before that, I thought Klang versus Temasek for the Masraya Cup was already the biggest match in the world. But this was actually bigger because it was for a spot in the World Cup, the biggest match in Masrayan history.

To be honest, we, the players, believed it too. We were more relaxed when we sealed a playoff spot after the match against Gyaromia. Maybe because we had already exceeded expectations. Nobody expected us to even reach the playoffs at the start. But as the playoff match gets nearer, training also went up a gear. For us, it was a once in a lifetime moment. Every single one of us went all in in training. Even the reserves were training like their lives depended on it.

“You think we can beat them?” asked Faiz during one of the training sessions.

I honestly don’t know what to answer him at that time. Nobody really knew. Airannia was good. But just like us, they had never qualified for the World Cup too. So we thought we had some chance.

But at the same time, we also knew that Airannia had the advantage over us. The 101st was only their second ever participation in the World Cup, having made their debut in the 100th World Cup qualifiers. But even on their debut, they were already impressive as they won 12 of their 16 group matches and only lost twice. It was enough to get them second in the group and a playoff spot only for them to lose to Zenic in the final hurdle.

That experience mattered. Unlike us, Airannia already knew what playoffs felt like. And Coach Tan Chong Wei reminded us about that constantly.

“They were so close last time around,” he told us during one tactical meeting. “And they will be more hungry for this one.”

We studied Airannia’s game a lot with Coach Tan Chong Wei. Our routine at that time was watching and analyzing their match during the afternoon and then training in the evening.

“This is the heart of the team,” said Coach Tan Chong Wei one afternoon pointing at Quent Pirakel, Airannia’s number 7, their most experienced player in their squad having played every single match in the 100th World Cup qualifiers.

“He is their central midfielder,” Coach Tan Chong Wei continued. “Everything went through him. Don’t let him dictate the tempo.”

Faiz immediately raised his hand.

“You want us to kick him?” he asked.

We all laughed at that including Coach Tan Chong Wei. We all knew Faiz is such a joker.

“Yes but only when the camera is not looking,” said Coach Tan Chong Wei joking back at Faiz.

All of us laughed even louder hearing that. Coach Tan Chong Wei rarely joked around, that’s what makes it even funnier.

The atmosphere in the dressing room was at an all time high at that moment. We were all focused on the match but at the same time, we also felt calm.

But then training started attracting crowds and a boy caught my eye. He stood outside the stadium with a handmade banner that simply said “Please bring us to the World Cup.”

I stared at that banner longer than I probably should have and Faiz noticed it too.

“You know what the problem is with all this?” asked Faiz.

“What?” I asked back.

“If we lose, everybody suddenly hates us again.”

I didn’t respond to him because deep down, I knew he was right.

But somehow, I can feel that the atmosphere was different at that moment. We were more united as a nation. Club rivalries suddenly mattered less. Klang fans stood beside Ledang fans. Krai ultras stood beside Gaya fans. For once, everybody was wearing the same colours together.

And that was new for Masraya.

__________

The drive towards Jerai was filled with endless paddy fields stretched across both sides of the road with Mount Jerai standing in the distance, the kind of scenery that every Masrayan kid learns to draw in primary school.

“There is nothing here,” said Aidil as he stared outside the window.

“There’s a lot actually,” I told him. “They call this place the rice bowl of Masraya.”

He frowned at that.

“All I see is grass.”

Astillah laughed. “That’s because you grew up in Klang,” she said to Aidil.

“You know ships used to use that mountain?” I suddenly told Aidil while pointing towards Mount Jerai.

“For what?”

“To find Jerai.”

Long before modern maps or ports existed, traders crossing the seas of Mandalanusa used Mount Jerai as a landmark. Jerai had already connected itself to the outside world centuries before modern Masraya even existed.

Aidil looked towards the mountain quietly after that.

“So Jerai was important?”

“Very.”

We eventually arrived and checked-in at a hotel near the old parts of the city near maghrib. But somehow, football seems to followed us everywhere we go in Masraya.

Up until then, Aidil mostly only knew me as his father. He didn't knew what I meant to the people. But during the road trip, everywhere we went, people already knew me before I even spoke.

At a petrol station, he saw two boys suddenly shouted my name before copying my celebration. At another roadside stall, he saw one makcik refused to let us pay for drinks.

“You already made the country proud,” she told me while pushing the money back into my hand.

And I think it was in Jerai when Aidil finally realized that when the receptionist at the hotel admitted that his father cried after the playoff while handing over the room keys.

Aidil looked at me after hearing that.

“They really know who you are,” said Aidil.

__________

Astilah and I got married not long after we knew each other. Eveything in life seems to moved fast at that time. We were both only twenty years old and I was only in my third season with Klang but already starting regularly by then.

The wedding itself was simple. I invited only family and a few teammates from Klang. Rahim was there of course. Fahmi too. Shukri spent most of the wedding acting like he was the groom instead of me.

“You sure you want to do this?” he whispered while grinning beside me before the ceremony started.

“It's too late to ask now, isn't it?” I asked him back.

Astilah looked calm through the entire ceremony. Maybe because she was already used to be in the spotlight. I didn't. I was the nervous one the entire ceremony. But still, everything went smoothly. I completed the akad nikah in one breath.

At twenty years old, life still felt very easy back then. Everything still felt like it was beginning. But then at the end of my third season with Klang, Amir was born.

We had a home match that evening. I actually scored that night too. I don’t even remember against who anymore. The only thing I remember clearly was rushing out of the stadium immediately after the final whistle. I reached the hospital close to midnight and still remember walking into the room wearing a Klang tracksuit while Astilah looked completely exhausted holding Amir beside her. For the first few seconds, I honestly didn’t know what to do.

I looked down at Amir for a long time that night while he slept in my arms. And for the first time in my life, I realized football was no longer the biggest thing in my world anymore.

by **Dantopia** » Tue May 26, 2026 6:01 am

VOL. 46,168

LION CITY, DANTOPIA

TUESDAY 26TH MAY, 2026

₵100

Bradini Bags Last Minute Equaliser to Save Lions

1-1 Away Against Auprussia Keeps Dantopians At Top Of Group 4 On Goal Difference Alone

By SAUL ARNSTEIN

Parc De Nasional
Auprussia1-1Dantopia
Half Time: 0-0
Siebault 49'Brunson 90+5'

See also... MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | MD7 | MD8 | MD9 | MD10 | MD11 | MD12

AUPALICE, AUPRUSSIA — The Dantopian national team were able to scrape a dramatic late draw against Auprussia, when Bradini Brunson claimed a last-minute equaliser and snatched a point for the Lions. The Lion City FC forward scored his ninth goal in the qualifying run deep into stoppage time at the Parc De Nasional. It appeared the Lions were about to taste defeat for the second time in qualifying after Rodulf Siebault put the hosts up early in the second half. However, Rick Bishop's side have scored in every away fixture bar one — the 0-0 against Gwarkos in match-day five — and therefore the late pressure the Lions put on 'the Raptors' led to a breathless final few moments. Brunson's equaliser produced a wild reaction from the players and the away support. The unlikely quest for an automatic qualification place is still on the cards.

Heading into this match, Auprussia have been enjoying a very good spell, beating Tanirinthia away in the last fixture, and defeating Eshialand before that. The Raptors now find themselves on a three-game winning streak and are six games unbeaten all in all — their last defeat occurring against the Allamunnic States in match-day six. They have made up for their horror start which saw them lose the first three matches of qualifying, before drawing against Dantopia in the reverse fixture at Gēcko Arena. For the Lions, the recent slip up against Sudilia means that the likes of Tanirinthia and Eshialand are now gaining on the two automatic qualification spots the pair of nations were favourites for to begin with, though before this match Dantopia were still top by a point somehow.

The visiting Lions were generally able to dictate the tempo of the match early on, but with Rohel Vimnirre on the pitch, the danger was never far away. The winger incisively cut in from the left to release a fierce strike from distance, one that Alex Bullvale was only just able to push clear, after twelve minutes. Johnny Kealoha had been involved in eleven of Dantopia's thirty goals so far in the qualifying stages, creating many more chances on top of these, and the Kyethas Riverman ace almost found his nineteenth assist for the national team when left-back Kaleb Kahananui flashed one wide of the mark after a lung-busting overlap. Kahananui almost made it two goals in two with the effort that was just shy of the far post.

Another attempt from a corner was created with Kealoha fizzing a low effort into the crowd of players in the penalty area. Kai Watanabe would be the one to direct the ball goal-wards in the chaos, but excellent positioning from the far post marker, Ros Vermanditre, meant that the Ostissiennes full-back could clear the ball off the line with his right knee. There wasn't much more of value added to a first half lacking clear-cut chances, and not a single minute of added time was added towards the end. The encounter would instead liven up in the upcoming second period.

The hosts would make a lightning start once play had resumed, putting pressure onto the Dantopian back-line, clearly enthused by the half-time team talk from manager Eleo Vicard. It wouldn't take them long to capitalise on this initiative, when Rodulf Siebault tapped home a square ball from Samuel Lithobert. The Raptors winger had methodically carved through the Lions left-hand side with a series of intricate passes between himself and Alaide Mitregasque, before cutting it back to Siebault who was charging into penalty area. It was a simple finish for the Auprussian maestro, as Alex Bullvale had shifted over to protect his near post, leaving an open goal for the attacking midfielder to tap the ball into.

This was certainly a blow for the Lions, and the away crowd couldn't help but feel the weight of a narrative that has been building, that the Lions may yet let an automatic qualification spot slip from their grasp. Dantopia have led the group for the most part up until this point, but the uptick in form from Tanirinthia and Eshialand means Bishop and his men are looking over the shoulders. However, not to be deterred, his side were still safe in the knowledge that they have scored in all but one of the away fixtures thus far and have come from behind to rescue points against Tanirinthia previously. There was still plenty of match left to play.

Bishop's Blues nearly hit back immediately when Ezra Cunningham headed the ball into the net, but the team captain couldn't quite keep himself onside following an exquisite cross from Kealoha in the half space on the left-hand side. The video assistant referees stepped in, much to the pleasure of the home crowd, and the displeasure of the travelling Dantopian support. Keegan Foster and Zaïre Thomas made way for Dalton O'Higgins and Zeke Edwards soon after, with the majority of the match now being played in the hosts' half — the Lions eager to capitalise on the swing in momentum. The changes meant that Dantopia were now operating in a 4-4-2, with O'Higgins and Kahananui overlapping from full-back, Hollins and Kealoha providing the width in midfield, and Edwards and Brunson partnering up top.

Bradini Brunson

Bradley Bing would also be brought on, for Kai Watanabe, in an effort to flip things around, and with three minutes into the seven added on at the end of the ninety, the 19-year-old almost seized on his opportunity, when an off-balance Kealoha steadied himself, before whipping in a delightful cross. With Edwards, Brunson, Bing and Adeyemi all in the area, Kealoha had a plethora of options to choose from, but the ball found the head of Bing. Unfortunately for the Portland Pirates teenager, his header was six inches wide of the mark, with the goalkeeper defeated, but spared any blushes by the missed chance. Adebayo Adeyemi had just come onto the pitch recently for Nico Hollins, and the veteran winger would make his mark on the match in injury time.

Group 4 World Cup 101 Qualifying Round
POSNATIONPWDLGFGAGDPTS
1  Dantopia          13   7   5   1   31   16   +15   26
2  Tanirinthia       13   8   2   3   29   20   +9   26
3  Eshialand         13   8   0   5   26   18   +8   24
4  Auprussia         13   6   3   4   21   14   +7   21
5  Sudilia           13   6   1   6   21   25   -4   19
6  Lisander          13   6   0   7   24   24    0    18
7  Saperetia         13   4   4   5   16   17   -1   16
8  Xanneria          13   4   2   7   18   30   -12   14
9  Gwarkos           13   2   4   7   8   19   -11   10
10  Allamunnic States 13   2   3   8   14   25   -11   9

Two huge blocks from Robinson-Tate at the other end kept the match alive for the visitors, before Brunson would strike home in the fifth of the added seven. Substitute Adeyemi's delivery from the right found the forward at the near post, and he beat his marker to the ball with a clever poke, just getting his toe to the ball before Edrick Mensbard. The little dink dumfounded the goalkeeper, and the ball hit the back of the net, much to the delight of the travelling Dantopians. There was still time for Adeyemi to have a run forward in search of what could have been an even more dramatic winner, but shortly after the advance was cut off, the referee would blow for the full time whistle at the Parc De Nasional — 1-1 the final result, and the two sides sharing a point each.

The mere point is enough to maintain Dantopia's lead atop the Group 4 table, but only on goal difference, with Tanirinthia equalling the Lions' twenty-six points in thirteen matches. Eshialand are not far behind on twenty-four, and the Auprussians remain in fourth with twenty-one. A home game against ninth-placed Gwarkos awaits Rick Bishop and his men next, before what could prove to be pivotal affairs against Eshialand and Tanirinthia in match-days fifteen and sixteen respectively. If there is any hope for automatic qualification, it will more than likely be seized from those games. Failure to win either could spell disastrous for the Dantopians in that respect, though a play-off place could still be secured.

xg.unit
1d

Auprussia (1.15) 1-1 (0.69) Dantopia #AUPvsDAN #WorldCup101 #Qualifying #Group4

OOC DISCLAIMER: The likenesses of players and managers have been created with the help of generative AI. Every other image in this RP was completely hand-made.

by **Biyambi** » Tue May 26, 2026 11:40 am

Oramisirian Ashulupalicracy

In 114 CE, the citizens of Oramisiri overthrew the Ulehera Ekekai in a civic coup, ending priestly rule. In its place, a new political order was established: the Vatato Ashulupali (Council of Elders).

The Vatato Ashulupali consisted of thirty-two Ashulupali (Elders), each representing one of the thirty-two wards of Oramisiri. These elders were the oldest men in their respective communities, chosen not through wealth or heredity but by age, seniority, and communal recognition.

From among their number, the Council selected a presiding figure known as the Vatato Puria (Council Chief). Selection was based on age, with the oldest elder customarily chosen to lead. Recognising the physical limitations of advanced age, the Vatato Puria nominated a younger man from his own ward to serve as Mwehereri (Steward). The Mwehereri acted as an aide, administrator, and executor of the Council Chief’s duties. Over time, as the responsibilities of governance expanded, the Vatato Puria was permitted to nominate up to four Mwehereri, each tasked with specific areas of administration. These appointments required confirmation by the Vatato Ashulupali, ensuring collective oversight.

Six years later under the command of Oholela (Commander) Nohakherha, Oramisiri crushed a coalition of Banyika forces in battle, permanently freeing itself from tribute. With its independence secure, Oramisiri stepped into a new role, as the guardian of the Baepari. Oramisiri stood as shield against Wachacha (tribes that had followed Napolo/savages) incursions and the rising tide of Lundazi expansion in the north.

In 161 CE, Oramisiri conquered the Banyika kingdom of Inyenyezi. That same year Oramisiri and Cuma signed a treaty that dealt with territorial claims between the two.

In 185 CE Ndulu and Thiphwi, Lundazi princes who had left their homeland due to disagreements with Kalonga (king) over the practice of evil magic, decided to found their own kingdom along the northern coast of Lake Orami. The Oramisirians were not keen on this intrusion. In response they launched an attack and within three years had expelled the Alundazi. Between 185 and 264 CE under the leadership of Vatato Puria’s from Inupa yo Munllo (House of Munllo), Oramsiri spread its influence into the west, bring the Batuokuvia (dwarves), Batanga, Balupe, and Bayoko under their control. Oramisiri had become an imperial power.

Between 264 and 410 CE, Oramisiri fought 11 wars against the Lundazi Kingdom for the gold rich region of the Bazimba. The wars ended in a stalemate.

In 410 CE, months after Nairuwa I Ziwana become the youngest Vatato Puria, Oramisiri’s neighbours; the Kingdom of Lundazi, and the Baepari kingdoms of Vahakallalla and Volapua launched an invasion. Matching on the holy city from the West, North and East. Nairuwa united the various factions in the Vatato and led the defence of Oramisiri on three fronts. The Baepari Wars had begun. Nairuwa I, successfully defended Oramisiri and went on to conqueror the kingdoms of Volapua and Vahakallalla. Not content with merely securing Oramisiri’s borders, Nairuwa I, ignored the Vatato’s counsel and invaded the Bazimba and Lundazi. By 412 CE the Bazimba and the Lundazi had fallen under Oramisirian rule. However, back home in Oramisiri, the Vatato (Council) was becoming divided. The anothumethu (merchants) led by Otaphulla I Munllo questioned Nairuwa I’s commitment to the Ashulupalicracy. Otaphulla I accused him of conspiring to fill the Vatato with loyalists. To appease the anothumethu, Nairuwa I, personally led a military expedition across Lake Orami into Vamirutelan (Marakuan) lands. Nairuwa I quickly subdued the Vamirutelan villages. He divided the newly acquired lands into three provinces, Imollella, Ivattikungu, and Izote. A fortified port was then established in the province of Izote. The Ashulupalicracy was now not only in possession of copper rich lands in the Ivattikungu province but also had access to lucrative Palmerian trade through the Mashiwara Sea. This also meant that the Oramisirian Ashulupalicracy would bypass Cuman tariffs. The province of Izote was truly an asset. However, Otaphulla I Munllo proved too powerful in the Vatato and Nairuwa I Ziwana was voted out and executed for treason. Otaphulla I Munllo was then elected as the Vatato Puria, returning this sit of power back to the Inupa yo Munllo (House of Munllo).
The Cuman Council of Elders were not happy with losing a source of income from Oramisiri. So, in 425 CE Elder Kawinga of Cuma crossed the Cuman strait and invaded the Island of Tamaria. The Cumans then used this island to extract taxes to ships travelling to the Oramisirian port of Zote. Due to this few Palmerian merchants were coming to Zote as it was cheaper to dock into Cuman ports and sell their goods. This greatly angered the Oramisirians.

By 434 CE, Palmerian trade had entirely ceased on the Port of Zote. In 436 CE Vatato Puria Otaphulla I’s son-in-law, Oripa led an invasion of the Island of Tamaria and within 2 years of intense fighting, seized the island. Palmerian trade would return to Oramisiri once more. Oripa would become Pwiyamutamaria (Lord of Tamaria). However, Oripa would die 5 years later in Tamaria when Cuman forces led by Elder Mataka I lay siege to the City of Tamaria. 6 years later, Oripa’s son, Oripakana would seek vengeance for his father’s death. After building his forces, he would attack Tamaria and blockade Cuma. However, a decisive victory would allude him after a strange disease would plague his forces in 452 CE, forcing him to retreat to Zote. For the next 7 years Oramsiri would be on the defensive. In 459 CE in a last-ditch effort to win the war, Oripakan would launch one final attack. Oramisirian fleets would meet the Cuman Navy in the Mashiwara Sea. But the Oramisirians would be outnumbered. Cuman forces would storm aboard Oramisirian vessels as others were smashed by rams. Oripakana would be killed in battle. All Oramisirian vessels would be destroyed. With no navy and not in a financial capacity to continue the war, Oramisiri would sue for peace. The Cumans would force Oramisirians to agree to a humiliating treaty. Their navy was kneecapped as they were not allowed to have ships only canoes, the provinces of Zote and Mollella were subsumed under Cuman rule, and forced to pay heavy reparations in the form of brass, gold dust, ivory, leopard skins, peacock feathers, slaves, and agricultural produce. The First Cuman War had come to an end.

Taking advantage of Oramisiri’s weakened state the Banyika provinces of Ibaimbelele, Ibamuunda, Ibawapati, and Ibainyenyezi, as well as the Baepari provinces of Volapua and Vahakallalla rebelled against Oramisirian rule. Oholela Otepa Ziwana quickly raised an army. As Otepa dealt with rebels in Volapua and Vahakallalla, Cuma took advantage and seized the Banyikan provinces. Unable to challenge Cuma, Oramisiri had no choice but to surrender the provinces, seething with resentment.

Oramisiri would then turn its sights on the Salamasinan Peninsula. Oholela Otepa Ziwana would lead the charge. Launching a campaign in 464 CE, to establish a new imperial domain. He begun by securing the timber and cowry shell rich north east, before following up with military efforts in the south east to secure the silver mines. Otepa then established the province of Vasera, and built several fortified cities to secure the province such as; Vatthamalla, Vaotepa, and Mansawesha (present day Teuila). Under Oramisirian control the timber and silver rich provinces were a vital source of wealth that allowed Oramisiri to rebuilt its military and economic power.

Following Otepa’s death in 472 CE, command of the army first passed to his brother Thapella and later to his son Umaji. Umaji not only extended Oramisirian control in eastern Salamsina but also started searching for a justification to renew hostilities with Cuma. When Umaji’s father had first begun his campaign in eastern Salamsina, he had been explicitly warned by Cuma that if Oramisiri crossed into western Salamasina, Oramisiri would face Cuma’s wrath once more.

In 482 CE, Thapella would cross the Sakarata River into western Salamasina with 4 mikotorutu (warbodies), about 10,000 amirawo (soldiers). At the same time, Umaji would cross the Ichengo River into the Cuman province of Mollella with 8 mikotorutu, about 20,000 amirawo. Cuma was forced to declare war on Oramisiri, beginning the Second Cuman War.
Umaji quickly retook the provinces of Mollella and Zote before marching into Metropolitan Cuma. In Metropolitan Cuma, Umaji had great victories in the provinces of Imwatipwiri and Imalambo. However, Umaji was unable to claim ultimate victory as every time he moved Cuma reclaimed territory. Oramisirian forces were also forced thin when Cuma opened a second front by landing troops in western Salamasina. Umaji was forced to send two mikotorutu (5000 troops) to support Thapella. Fearing a defeat, Umaji left his mikotorutu in Cuma under Ikoto Puria (War Chief) Eparattho, to convince the Vatato to give him reinforcements. After days of making speeches in front of the Ashulupali of Oramisiri, Umaji was finally granted his request. A host of 8 mikotorutu (20,000 troops) under Winchi Munllo, joined him in Cuma. Winchi and Umaji matched on the City of Cuma putting pressure on the city. Cuman forces were forced to abandon Salamsina and return to defend their city. Thapella took advantage of this and quickly crossed the Tamarian Strait and conquered the Island of Tamaria, before launching a naval assault on Cuma. Cuma found itself surrounded on sea and on land, this forced Cuma to sue for peace. In 499 CE a treaty was signed between the two powers and the treaty concluded that; Oramisiri would regain the provinces of Zote and Mollella, and the Banyika provinces. The Island of Tamaria would be subsumed under Oramisirian control, the Cuman province of Amwatipwiri would became independent, and Cuma would pay reparations.

The wars against Cuma and the Salamasinans had allowed Umaji Ziwana to accumulate wealth, popularity with the masses for avenging Oramisiri’s humiliation in the First Cuman War, and support of a core of battle-hardened veterans. Umaji had also doubled the Mikotorutu under him to 25, about 62,500 men. The Inupa yo Munllo fearing the growing influence of the Inupa yo Ziwana under Umaji begun rallying an anti-Umaji alliance in the Vatato Ashulupali (Council of Elders). In 500 CE under the influence of the Munllo faction in the Vatato Ashulupali, a message was sent to Umaji in Zote, requesting he resigned his control of the Provinces of Zote, Mollella, Vasera (east Salamasina), Vashomaka (west Salamasina), and Tamaria, disbanded his army, and returned to Oramisiri. Fearing that when he returned to Oramisiri he would-be put-on trial for instigating wars in Salamasina and Cuma with no authorization by the Vatato, Umaji matched to the City of Mollella with 2 Mikotorutu (5000 troops). From Mollella, Umaji sent a message to the Vatato pleading for them to extend his governorship of Zote, Mollella, Vasera (east Salamasina), Vashomaka (west Salamasina), and Tamaria, citing that Cuma still posed a threat and he had to prepare to face them one more time. Rumour reached the Vatato that Umaji had in fact 8 Mikotorutu (20,000 troops) not just 2. To the Vatato it appeared that Umaji was attempting to intimidate them. In response they sent a message ordering him to step down immediately, and also authorized Winchi to amass mikotorutu to defend Oramisiri. Umaji once again attempted to negotiate, offering to resign as pwiya (Lord) of the provinces of Zote and Mollella, and surrender the majority of his mikotorutu but requested to keep lordship over the provinces of Tamaria, Vasera, and Vashomaka as well as 4 mikotorutu as they were essential to a future war against Cuma.

Several Ashulupali were willing to accept Umaji’s terms, however, Winchi Munllo convinced 24 Ashulupali to refuse the deal. On January 3rd, 501 CE the Vatato would vote again to immediately strip Umaji of all his powers and armies. The Ashulupali; Impumi, Kalai, Moniwa, Othamalla, Otaphulliwa, Wiipa, and Tteya in the Vatato voted against the legislation. However, with 24 for and 8 against, the legislation passed. Umaji was then declared an enemy of Oramisiri. That night the 8 Ashulupali and other allies of Umaji fled to Mollella to join him. The stage was now set for Umaji’s Great Oramisirian Civil War.

On the 6th of January, 501 CE, Umaji left Mollella with his 2 Mikotorutu (The anamrere (scorpions) and the Mavepe (cockroaches) and his allies from Oramisiri. Umaji led his host across Lake Orami and landed on the coast of the City of Ntiavorula, and quickly seized the city. Right after he sent 5 mikotomwono (War Arms) under the command of Eparattho to Vushunga, and 1 Ikotomwono each to Uparanisiri, Volapua, and Vantoloni. All of these cities were also taken without any resistance. Spooked by reports of Umaji’s success, Oholela of the Ashulupalican forces, Winchi Munllo withdraw from Oramisiri to Lundazi were mikotorutu loyal to him were stationed.

by **Paradystopia** » Tue May 26, 2026 2:03 pm

1 DNUOR FFOYALP ROF FFO-TUC
(G-E STEKCARB)

by **The Martian Independent Republic** » Tue May 26, 2026 6:29 pm

"So."
"So?"
"So I was watching the press conference the King of Eshialand was giving."
"Ah yes, the one where he received a call midway through it. You'd think he would have left his phone on silent."
"Maybe that's not common in Eshialand. In any case, he said he would like to 'discuss options for improving transportation for both you and Aleirave.'" Foreign Minister Hendricks put the last part in air quotes.
"And?"
"Well, Prime Minister, do you think you would not be part of such a discussion? I understand you focus on domestic affairs, but basic knowledge of foreign policy would be appreciated." Every so often Prime Minister Amin forgot that he had appointed Hendricks as a concession to the more M4F-adjacent, globalist wing of the United Martian Party. Hendricks never failed to remind him.
"Alright, alright, alright. I will give the King of Eshialand a call."
"Not right now. For one, it's three in the morning in Eshialand, and you also need to have some sort of plan for what you're going to say." The age difference between the two wasn't great either - Hendricks had been the Minister (and alternatively the opposition spokesperson) for Inter-Base Relations in the years before the portal opened, and of all the people in Amin's cabinet, he was both the oldest and the most experienced as a frontbencher.

The next morning, quite a bit earlier than Amin would prefer
"And you're sure this call needs to be made at half past six?"
"Everyone in Borealis is up by six. If you were from literally any other base than Mangala, this would be completely normal." Hendricks was acting just like he would at any other time of day.
"Well, I'm not, and Aeolis certainly isn't up by six either. Besides, what do you know about Borealis? I don't think you've ever mentioned going there." Amin wasn't.
"In thirty-one years in the Martian Assembly you get to know the other MAs. Joan Edison - you know her, Socialist spokesperson for Science & Technology, her husband Maxwell went crazy eight years ago, tried to kill her with a hammer - told me quite a bit about Borealis before she retired."
"I have no interest in your stories about Borealis. Here's the script I have." Amin slid the script over to Hendricks - to call it a script was exaggerating quite a bit, being more of a nebulous collection of ideas.
"Not great, but it'll do. Stop stalling and make the call."

"Hello?"
"Yes, this is Najib Amin. I'm the prime minister of the Martian Independent Republic."
"Yes, I am calling about that. I agree, such a matter is important. Considering the fact that communicating by telephone isn't exactly the most efficient - for one, it's not even seven in the morning here, and there also seems to be a few seconds of buffer between what we're saying - we should probably meet in person."
"Well, I'd defer the decision of where to meet to you, to be honest."
"If you insist. I suppose the best option for this meeting is Aeo-"
"LAHAIRA!" Hendricks whisper-hissed at Amin. "We don't have enough leverage to say Aeolis!"
"Sorry, I meant Lahaira. Evenly located between our two nations, and it's where the ferryport that matters is."
"Well, myself, of course, as well as my Foreign Minister, Connor Hendricks, and the Minister of Transport. What about Eshialand and Aleirave?"
"Ah, so you had. What was the Minister of Anaian Affairs's name again?"
"Ah, Lani Tanafike, thanks. So you, her, and Governor Olayeva?"
"Sounds good. Perhaps, considering the fact that she has the most immediate jurisdiction over the area, Governor Olayeva could serve as a host of sorts?" Hendricks thought for a while on this one, before slowly nodding in approval. Amin was just glad he didn't have to walk a second thing back.
"That works. Now, the last and arguably most important thing - when? We have to keep track of time it takes to travel there - the ferries being slow is one of the reasons why we're meeting, after all."
"Yes, next Tuesday works, four days from now. Odd how day of the week aligns even when we're hundreds of years apart in our calendars."
"Safe travels to you as well."
"So?"
"Call Wenjun, she's going on a trip."
"I'll make sure to contact Secretary Liu and notify her."

A few days later.
"So? Are you glad I ensured that we would get a berth on the sleeper ferry and get into Aleirave earlier?" Hendricks was impeccably dressed as always.
"'Sleeper' is misleading, Connor. It implies I slept." Amin was not, clearly not dealing with the ferry well.
"You've got time to sleep in Lahaira tonight." Liu was somehow peppier than Hendricks, clearly enjoying this. Amin didn't understand how.
"You think we're getting to Lahaira anytime soon?"
"Literally look to your left. What do you think that town in the distance could be, if not Lahaira?"
"I don't know. StrayaRoos? Kimi-Suomi?"
"So you have studied geography. At least there's that." In came Hendricks with the dry remark. Amin made a note to himself - never willingly travel somewhere with only Hendricks and Liu again.
"Oh, it's a lot closer than I thought it was."
"The magic of fog. I've prepared the technical side of 'this is how long the ferry takes, this is how many people take it, this is where it is repaired', et cetera, so you two deal with the diplomatic side of things." Amin knew he was a smart person, but Liu and Hendricks sometimes made it feel as if it wasn't that way, both of them having the habit of explaining things to him like he was five.
"And speaking of the diplomatic side of things, I think I can make out Governor Olayeva from here."
"Oh, great."
"I thought you were dreading this?"
"I'm just happy to be making landfall."
The boat lurched to a halt, and the greetings began.

by **Aamathyr** » Tue May 26, 2026 7:42 pm

Parts 1-9

Part 10 - Say You Will

"Oojyt! Mwibi shorleev luduswa niraan Tjukkarl, pezh?" Sluuvle's words ran through Thuraand's mind, the Nanwacjite analyzing them hundreds of different ways within just a few seconds, trying to remember what that book had said about the local dialect.

Oojyt was just some sort of greeting, he couldn't quite remember what it meant but it probably wasn't too different from "hello". Maybe a more enthusiastic version. That much was clear.

Mwibi he didn't recognize. Nothing in the list of words that varied significantly started with Mw. He couldn't shorten any long Es - there were none in the word - but there were plenty of other rules to apply. Could the W be converted into a U? Muibi still didn't mean anything to him, so that seemed to be a dead end. Ps shifted to Bs between vowels here, so maybe the original Thyrzanjo word was Mwipi? That wasn't a word either. Oh! He had to apply both rules at once, getting Muipi. Now he was getting somewhere.

Shorleev, shorleev, shorleev. Shorlev sounded familiar, but it didn't mean anything, neither did sorleev, not even combining the two rules to get sorlev gave him anything in coherent formal Thyrzanjo. What was close to sorlev? Sorleva meant berry bush, but Thuraand doubted Sluuvle was referring to that. Anything close to sorleev? Sorleev, sorlev, soorlev, soorleev, soorlev, soolrev, there it was. Soolre - treaty, and -v made it instrumental. He knew he'd seen it before. Somehow, the islanders had swapped the l and the r, but at least he understood it now.

Luduswa. Ludusuaa meant to wipe clean, but unless Sluuvle was being poetic, that probably wasn't what he intended to say. Verb endings, that's what Thuraand had been forgetting. Lutusa was to convince, and -wa would make it 'can convince'. Niraan came along with it, 'we will' the same as in ordinary, Nanwacj-standard Thyrzanjo, and Tjukkarl just meant Tjukkarl. Pezh was a yes/no question marker, one of the 379 words he'd studied.

All together now. How did it fit? The grammatical puzzle pieces locked themselves together in Thuraand's mind, and finally, it came to him:
"Hey! You found the treaty with which we'll convince the Tjukkarl, right?"

Now if only that had taken him less than fifteen seconds. Sluuvle was staring at him.

"Pezh." Thuraand was pretty sure that was the affirmative response.

Sluuvle nodded happily and continued on, his dialect now much more understandable to the Nanwacjite after he had worked out the first sentence.

"Amazing. I was talking to one of the Tjukkarl captains - his name was something incomprehensible with lots of ks and øs, I'm not even going to try to pronounce it - and he seemed like he would accept it. There is one issue, though."
"What is it?"
"We need to be absolutely certain our treaty is the most modern, most up-to-date version. The Tjukkarl are - how do you say it, they care a lot about the law and how it's enforced-"
"Legalistic?"
"Yes, that's it. The Tjukkarl are very legalistic. If we don't have the correct treaty, they'll surely spin some sort of zwicjan to catch us."
Zwicjan was one of those words that had been in the book about the dialect. Trap, Thuraand remembered it meant.
"That's what I heard from Avshruun as well, that they will get us with some insidious zwicjan if we're not careful enough."
"Yes. So are you certain that the 1703 treaty is what is correct?"
"As amended in 1872 and 1916, yes."
"We fishermen have a copy of the 1916 revision, but Avshruun didn't mention something in 1872."
"It might have been overwritten by the Satsekera Convention - the revision in 1916 - but it's definitely worth having."
"Better safe than sorry, I agree."
"I'll get it to you tomorrow morning."
And so Sluuvle sent Thuraand on his way with a clap on the back, the man from Nanwacj stopping by the harbormaster's office briefly to pick up the records necessary before heading back to the inn up the darkened, muddy path, getting there just in time to get the last leftovers from dinner.

The next morning was rainy, as always, but this time the sky was slightly pinkish instead of its usual drab grey - the sun was low enough that the clouds barely covered it. Covering the treaty with his umbrella and letting himself get soaked, Thuraand jogged down the path to the pier, deftly avoiding a tree branch that threatened to trip him.

"You have it?" Sluuvle, in clothing that was designed to be waterproof, not aesthetically pleasing, was terse considering the early hour.
"Yes. Here it is." Thuraand just wanted to get back to bed.
"Thank you." Sluuvle was clearly hurried, the tide turning as he stood there. "Goodbye."
"I'll see you this evening."

To Thuraand, the day was, to be honest, a bit of a blur. Doing functionary tasks for Avshruun, nothing exciting or even anything particularly important, time passed quickly, the slow island life speeding up now that there was something to expect. When the boats came back, Thuraand was the first to the pier.

"So? How'd it go?"
"Great! They accepted our proof and we've drawn a new line!" Sluuvle was loudly celebrating.
"Amazing. This is the best possible outcome."

Jubilant, Thuraand left Sluuvle to talk with his fellow fishermen about the day's catch and, turning around, nearly bumped into Sjashoom.

"Oh. It's the person I was looking for. Someone was asking around town about you. It was on behalf of another out-of-towner. Someone from Nanwacj, I think."
"What was their name?"
"Cjivos was the person asking around."
"No, not the name of the person asking around, the name of the person from Nanwacj looking for me."
"Oh. That was Pliitigj, I'm pretty sure."
"Fuck."

by **Farfadillis** » Tue May 26, 2026 7:52 pm

CUT-OFF FOR PLAY-OFF ROUND 1
(BRACKETS F-N)

by **The Republic of the United Marble Tribes** » Tue May 26, 2026 8:08 pm

Marbleland wins first round of qualification verses Tomerion cats

Yes, another matchday, another win!

A grab another spectacular 1-0 against Tomerion last night. It was a blasting atmosphere as well. Right after full-time millions of fans danced in the streets as if we won the whole fucking cup!

Anyways, for those innocent citizens and tourists out there, do feel free to be annoyed by the Marblelanian fans outhere, we sure are damn annoying.

Now, we move on to our next interview with man of the match, John Leicester:

[Interviewer]: Congratulations for scoring the only goal of the match, and also winning MoTM.

[Leicester]: Thanks, Thanks alot.

[Interviewer]: Well, what do you think about your team.

[Leicester]: Well, of course, my teammates are really kind. And we are like brothers, you know, despite of our various racial and religious backgrounds. The olds and the news together. I get a lot of advice from my older teammates, and also bonding with the younger ones.

[Interviewer]: Do you think the fans give enough support.

[Leicester]: Speaking about the fans, right, I know they are enthusiastic, but sometimes, they go over the line. Well, we were trying to rest on the beach when suddenly thousands of them started charging at us. Man, that was so... you know, inappropriate. We were so exhausted. You know. I know, I know, you love your team, you guys are literally all ultras, you know, you are so passionate, but sometimes, we need to draw borders, you know, we can't just, you know, umm, umm, we need to draw a line, we need space. We are people too, we need to rest.

[Interviewer]: How do you think about your coaches?

[Leicester]: Yeah, they are cool. Cool, yeah. They encourage us when we are down, and also take care of us like we are their sons.

[Interviewer]: What do you think about the next match.

[Leicester]: Uhh, it is gonna be easy.

[Interviewer]: How do you know?

[Leicester]: I dunno, just, just tryin' to stay positive.

[Interviewer]: Alright, I think that's about it.

[Leicester]: Yeah, thanks for having me!

[Interviewer]: Rest well son, we're proud of you!
-END OF INTERVIEW-

by **The Ko-orenite Constellation** » Wed May 27, 2026 2:11 am

Elektra Manikas had her political victory - the Constellation's centralisation and modernisation runs through Synephoren. She and the governor of Irithoren, Zeina Fizairdah, had been talking on and off in between official meetings, strolling through the gardens of Dhidiyah. They had discovered that their nations had more in common than expected... they ran the entire era before the treaties as opposites, but the entire process, the louder voices from some of the other members, and their visions on what the Constellation could be shone through strongly. Manikas had never liked how Ndugutisaoren turned every discussion into a financial one - either their chip exports, their grip on resources, or whether other member states had the same GDP growth as them. She also didn't like how Bandar Cang Prathoren tried to pull everything towards them - even though she wasn't blind to the irony that she and Fizairdah were doing the exact same thing. So far, that was a blind spot in the Constellation's creation that had to be patched. So far, it was still every member state for itself, trying to divvy up the pie of committees, boards, functions, instead of creating something that's larger than the sum of its parts. She didn't like how the union was still in a phase of 'let's scramble to set up something well-intentioned but then make us the centre of it'. She also disliked Mercatoren's stance on the economy for much the same reason as she disliked Ndugutisaoren - although she respected how forward the latter were about it all.

Running through the member states in her head, she realised there were quite a few - the loud ones - that didn't sit right with her. In fact, the more she thought about who her allies were... she realised it wasn't many of them.

"Hey Zeina, what's the course of the Constellation? We got our independence, we have our treaties, I feel like we've gotten what we wanted way sooner than we thought we would. Now what?"

"What we do now is up to the Council, that's what they were set up for."

"Formally, sure, but the Council is nothing without the member states. The Council sets our agenda, but the member states hold the power."

"How so?"

"We sign the documents that the Council abides by."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"So the future of the Constellation isn't up to a Council that we signed into action a few years ago. The entire point was that we were going to secure a few liberties for ourselves. Bolster meritocracy in a decaying monarchial and popularity contest democracy world. Improve standards of living for the people living in our nations by relying on resources from each other's nations, so we can provide what someone else needs and they help us in return."

"I see your vision but I'm not sure if the Constellation is ready for that yet - this experiment is still young. Believe, and be patient."

"I'm seeing some leaders corrupting this dream."

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe it's coming off too strong. But if we have values and visions, let's write those down so we agree on a shared future. Let's not leave it to daily worries and media opportunities. This is too important to be left to whatever's popular that week. We're going to lose members at that rate - there's a cabinet reshuffle in Tarören next week. If they decide not to prioritise the Constellation... currently, we have no way to making sure that nations will stay on a shared course. There are a few candidates in Tarören that - well, aren't anti-Constellation per se - but some politicians that are looking at local issues and interfering in Talmagoren more than they are at cooperating with the international community."

"I share your worries, but we can't make the Constellation move any faster than it's going right now. Force anything through and then you'll find the Tarörens and the Mercatorens revolting against the shared course."

Back in Synephoren, Giannis Kourakis had started putting together his team of social geographers, statisticians, and the like from renowned universities in the Constellation. He had spent quite some time poring over the list of member states and their academic institutions. His first thought was to get just the best of the best, but then he corrected himself: a healthy mix was far more important for getting accurate values than just getting highly acclaimed researchers. They had to be correct without missing biases, and if he only got the best theoreticians something was going to get lost in the translation from the paper world to the real world. He also wanted a mix of big and small nations - the small ones would almost certainly need help in putting these stats together, while, say, a Chanmingoren would have probably done 80% of the work already. And then there was the question of loyalty: if he only got friendly nations to help, he'd risk losing the other half of the Constellation.

He approached a few universities outright:
- the University of Jigadhi from isolated Arhoren
- the University of Tergan from Tarören, close to the territories of Taloren, Talmagoren, and Terähören
- the University of Hinterpommern from Ostfalen & Hinterpommoren
- (the supercomputer of) the University of Mbansenyi, Ndugutisaoren
- the Department of Statistics of Chanmingoren
- the University of Lirnykivka, Zirnytsoren
- the University of Sainte-Marguerite-l'Arbitraire from the new territory of Églantinoren

by **Choppyhausen** » Wed May 27, 2026 3:47 am

≡

CHOPPINGEN WINS CAPITAL VOTE

Choppingen — The referendum on the capital has been fully counted, and Choppingen has won by an overwhelming majority. This is a bitter setback for the Party for a Free Republic, coming so close to the elections.

The question of the Democratic Republic’s capital has been a recurring issue for the National Assembly ever since the democratic revolution of 2037. Many revolutionaries called for the separation of government bodies from the monarchical centres of Choppingen and Vastonburg and the creation of a ‘new democratic center’. Last year, the governing parties agreed on a nationwide referendum, the first of its kind in the history of Choppyhausen. Citizens were to decide where the country’s seat of government should be located from then on, and they had two options to choose from: the existing capital, Choppingen, which had been the seat of the King/Queen of the Kingdom of Choppyhausen since 1844, or Choppyhausen City.

Choppyhausen City, affectionately known as C-City by its residents, was founded in 1974 under King Wencesclaus I as a special administrative zone. As such, Choppyhausen City enjoyed a high degree of internal autonomy and an economic system independent of the rest of the country. Businesses and merchants based there were free from the royal planned economy that prevailed in the rest of the country. Foreign trade, which was otherwise heavily restricted, was also possible in Choppyhausen City with significantly fewer restrictions. Built as a planned city in the west of Tarnau, the special administrative zone attracted mainly young, aspiring entrepreneurs, who moved to the newly built city in their thousands during the 1980s. Even after the democratic transition, C-City retained its special status. Today, Choppyhausen City, with a population of around 350,000, is one of the ten largest conurbations in Choppyhausen. In recent years, the Party for a Free Republic (PFR) has increasingly campaigned for Choppyhausen City to become the capital. For many PFR members, the special administrative zone, with its free market economy, represents the ideal that the rest of the country should follow. Party leader and Speaker of the Council Kierran Guiterrez lives in Choppyhausen City; during the revolution, he organised demonstrations and protests in other cities from here.

But his C-City-Capital dreams appear to have come to nothing. Last Monday, polling stations opened across Choppyhausen, and for a week residents had the opportunity to express their views on the capital city issue. And the result was unequivocal: with 73% of the vote, the existing capital Choppingen prevailed over Choppyhausen City. Dr Thomas Hargenweck, a sociologist at the University of Kork, told the BSC:

On closer inspection, the clear decision in favour of Choppingen is actually not all that surprising. If you look at surveys from the last four years, a clear trend emerges: the majority of Choppyhausen’s population supports the democratisation of politics in almost all areas — last year’s local elections also saw a high turnout — but remains sceptical about privatisation and economic change away from the planned system that has been used in the country for more than 100 years. And even if Guiterrez may have wanted to portray things differently in the last weeks: Choppyhausen City stands for the capitalist system like no other city. Choppingen, on the other hand, is far more traditional, at least on the surface; here, the departure from the Kingdom is evident more through the formation of new political institutions.

And soon, it seems like, through the permanent seat of the National Assembly.

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Das Referendum zur Hauptstadtfrage ist vollständig ausgezählt und Choppingen hat mit einer überwältigen Mehrheit gewonnen. Ein herber Rückschlag für die Party for a Free Republic und das so kurz vor dem Wahlen.

Die Frage nach der Hauptstadt der Demokratischen Republik hat das National Assembly schon seit dem demokratischen Umsturz 2037 immer wieder beschäftigt. Viele Revolutionäre forderten eine Loslösung der Regierungsorgane von den monarchischen Hauptstandorten Choppingen und Vastonburg und die Bildung eines "neuen demokratischen Zentrums". Im letzten Jahr hatten sich die Regierungsparteien dann auf ein landesweites Referendum geeinigt, das erste seiner Art in der Geschichte Choppyhausens. Die Bürgerinnen und Bürger sollten entscheiden, wo sich fortan der Regierungssitz des Landes befinden sollte und sie hatten zwei Möglichkeiten zur Auswahl: die bisherige Hauptstadt Choppingen, die schon seit 1844 der Sitz des Königs/der Königin des Königreichs Choppyhausen war, oder Choppyhausen City.

Choppyhausen City, von seinen Einwohnern auch liebevoll C-City genannt, wurde 1974 unter König Wencesclaus I als Sonderverwaltungszone gegründet. So besitzt Choppyhausen City eine hohe innere Autonomie und ein vom restlichen Land unabhängiges Wirtschaftssystem. Dort ansässige Unternehmen und Kaufleute waren losgelöst von der im restlichen Land herrschenden königlichen Planwirtschaft. Auch der ansonsten stark eingeschränkte ausländische Handel war in Choppyhausen City mit deutlich weniger Beschränkung möglich. Als Planstadt im Westen Tarnaus erbaut, zog die Sonderverwaltungszone vor allem junge, anstrebende Unternehmer an, die in den 80er Jahren in Tausenden in die neu errichtete Stadt zogen. Auch nach dem demokratischen Umschwung hat C-City seinen Sonderstatus erhalten. Heute gehört Choppyhausen City mit etwa 350,000 Einwohnern zu den zehn größten Ballungsräumen Choppyhausens. Die Party for a Free Republic (PFR) setzte sich in den letzten Jahren vermehrt für Choppyhausen City als Hauptstadt ein. Für viele PFR-Mitglieder ist die Sonderverwaltungszone mit ihrer freien Marktwirtschaft das Ideal, dem der Rest des Landes folgen sollte. Parteivorsitzender und Innenminister Kierran Guiterrez wohnt in Choppyhausen City, während des Umschwungs organisierter er von hier aus Demonstrationen in anderen Städten.

Doch seine Träume der C-City-Capital scheinen gescheitert. Letzten Montag öffneten die Wahlkabinen in ganz Choppyhausen, eine Woche lang hatten die Bürger*innen die Möglichkeit ihre Meinung zur Hauptstadtfrage kundzutun. Und das Ergebnis war unmissverständlich: Mit 73% Unterstützung siegte die bisherige Hauptstadt über Choppyhausen City. Dr. Thomas Hargenweck, Soziologe an der Universität von Kork, erklärte dem BSC gegenüber:

Die eindeutige Entscheidung gegenüber Choppingen ist bei genauem Hinschauen eigentlich gar nicht so überraschend. Wenn man sich Unfragen aus den letzten vier Jahren anschaut, ist da ein klarer Trend zu erkennen: der Großteil von Choppyhausens Bevölkerung befürwortet die Demokratisierung der Politik in fast allen Bereichen, auch die Lokalwahlen im letzten Jahr haben eine hohe Wahlbeteiligung aufgezeigt, steht aber der Privatisierung und dem wirtschaftlichen Wandel skeptisch gegenüber. Und auch wenn Guiterrez das in den vergangen Wochen vielleicht anders darstellen wollte: Choppyhausen City steht wie keine andere Stadt für das kapitalistische System. Choppingen dagegen ist zumindest oberflächlich weitaus traditioneller, hier zeigt sich der Weggang vom Königreich eher durch die Bildung neuer politischer Institutionen. Und wohl bald auch durch den permanenten Sitz des National Assembly.

by **Dantopia** » Wed May 27, 2026 4:42 am

VOL. 46,169

LION CITY, DANTOPIA

WEDNESDAY 27TH MAY, 2026

₵100

Late Show Spares Lions' Blushes Once More

Dantopia Defeat Gwarkos 3-2 With Disaster Averted Thanks To Zeke Edwards Goal

By SAUL ARNSTEIN

DT Centre
Dantopia3-2Gwarkos
Half Time: 1-0
Bing 18'B. Kalon 84' (Pen)
Thomas 55'Bond 90'
Edwards 90+3'

See also... MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | MD7 | MD8 | MD9 | MD10 | MD11 | MD12 | MD13

PORTLAND, DANTOPIA — The Dantopian national team maintained their hold on top spot in Qualifying Group 4 with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Gwarkos at the DT Centre in Portland. The Lions did so thanks to goals from Bradley Bing, Zaïre Thomas and substitute Zeke Edwards. The Lions took the lead after eighteen minutes, thanks to a strong header from Bing, following a free kick by Omari Opetaia. They then doubled their advantage ten minutes into the second period through Thomas, who grabbed his second goal for the national team. 'The Magi' looked to have rescued a point with two goals in six minutes towards the end. Bran Kalon converted from the penalty spot, before Iago Bond unleashed a stunning long ranger, equalising for the visitors. However, the Lions would respond through Zeke Edwards, three minutes into added time, much to the delight of a rowdy home crowd inside the DT Centre.

On a warm, calm evening in Portland, the Dantopians were the first to threaten, with Alexander Apeti stinging the hands of goalkeeper Kreiddylad Kalon with a powerful, low-driven shot from the edge of the box. The Lions would continue their strong start when a long ball from Tyson Taylor found the forward run of Negan Nakoa. However, there to mop up in his defensive duties was Mabon Kalon, who slid into with an excellent tackle that poked the ball away, with his goalkeeper able to grab the loose ball. Shortly after this, Dantopia's own goalkeeper, Rigobert Moses, was called into action. The Dartford City shot stopper was able to deny Gofannon's headed effort on goal following a corner for the visitors.

Bradley Bing

On the fifteen-minute mark, it appeared as though Zaïre Thomas had won the hosts a penalty kick, when he was brought down by Nisien Kalon inside the box. Unfortunately for the Lions, the video assistant referees determined the tugging of the shirt took place outside of the box, and therefore a free kick was awarded instead. This did not matter one iota to Bradley Bing, however, who was able to comfortably steer the ball home following Opetaia's lofted dead ball after eighteen minutes, three after the original foul took place, since the video assistants had to intervene.

The visitors, not put off this early deficit, continued to pose a threat on the counter-attack, with Math Kerrig forcing a save from Moses down to the keeper's left. Meanwhile, Nakoa — who made his national team debut in the reverse fixture against the Magi — was causing problems for the defenders at the other end. The San Vanipola FC striker got free from his marker on a few occasions, though a meaningful shot on target evaded the 20-year-old. The Gwarkosians grew in confidence towards the end of a relatively even first half. Five minutes before the interval, Elffin Siarkol had an effort from distance blocked, before a less powerful follow-up did reach Moses in goal, but the keeper wasn't worried by the second attempt, and made a routine save.

Dantopia, conversely, struggled to create chances at the end of the first half, with wayward passes leading to breakdowns of play. Despite the lack of flow in attack, the defence was looking solid, limiting the visitors to shots from distance for the most part. Following the first forty-five minutes, it would be the hosts maintaining their 1-0 lead going into the break. Rick Bishop's half-time team talk would likely have been about linking the play up better to pose more of a threat in the second period. This clearly proved fruitful, as the Lions came out of the gates quickly in the second half.

Zaïre Thomas

A first-time strike for Nakoa finally did trouble the goalkeeper, when Raphael Lacroix had driven the ball down the right-hand side, before laying it off to the striker on the edge of the box. Kreiddylad Kalon positioned herself well to deny the effort, which was headed towards the bottom left-hand corner. At the other end, Llywela Blaidd would be the next to test Rigobert Moses, with the, presumably, 30-something-year-old forward bringing a save out of the Dartford City keeper. The Lions were able to capitalise on their early-second half momentum when Zaïre Thomas was played through by Bradley Bing down the left-hand side. The Dartford Oilers winger then cut in and smashed an effort into the roof of the net, past a helpless Kreiddylad Kalon. The strike was shockingly powerful, and it seemingly sent vibrations through the home crowd, who cheered it on vociferously.

Gwarkos thought they had found a way back into the game eight minutes later, when a Bran Kalon free kick was hit straight into the wall, but the Dantopians failed to clear their lines, so the ball fell to Math Kerrig. His deflected shot ended up in the path of Mabon Kalon at the back post. However, following a confusingly lengthy VAR review, it was deemed that both Kerrig was offside — from the initial free-kick, and Mabon Kalon was also offside — following the deflection. To the home crowd, both situations seemed relatively straightforward calls, so the length of time it took the video assistants to come to this conclusion felt excessive.

Rick Bishop wasn't satisfied with how the Gwarkosians were knocking on the door, however, so he opted to bring on some interesting changes. Jeremiah Jackson Jr. and Zeke Edwards would replace both goal-scorers — Bing and Thomas, with the former having picked up a yellow card earlier in the second half. The formation would now resemble a 4-4-2, with Edwards and Nakoa both up top. Edwards thrives at club level in this formation, and he would almost make an instant impact, hitting the post with his first sight on goal, following a brilliant cross from Apeti.

Despite the front-footed approach from the hosts, the visitors would continue to create good chances of their own, and Rigobert Moses was forced into action once again to deny Bran Kalon at the near post. Gwarkos would finally get a goal back in the 84th minute. Emerson Cromwell brought the same Kalon down in the box and was handed a yellow card for his troubles. It was a relatively straight-forward penalty for the referee to give, and the forward comfortably slotted home his opportunity, to halve the deficit and give the Magi a fighting chance towards the end.

Zeke Edwards

The visitors would then equalise with ninety minutes on the clock, devastating the home crowd in Portland. A fantastic, long-range effort from Iago Bond sailed past the outstretched fingertips of Rigobert Moses and into the top far-right corner from an impressive twenty-seven yards out. Incredibly, however, mere moments later, another late goal would be scored, at the other end of the pitch. Zeke Edwards restored the Lions' lead three minutes into stoppage time after taking a touch first, following a cross from Jackson Jr. The Waiakea Warriors forward turned on his first touch and curled one into the far side of the net with a second. The home crowd behind the goal roared with excitement as the Dantopians could surely not lose this lead now.

Group 4 World Cup 101 Qualifying Round
POSNATIONPWDLGFGAGDPTS
1  Dantopia          14   8   5   1   34   18   +16   29
2  Tanirinthia       14   9   2   3   31   21   +10   29
3  Eshialand         14   8   0   6   27   20   +7   24
4  Auprussia         14   6   4   4   23   16   +7   22
5  Saperetia         14   5   4   5   19   17   +2   19
6  Lisander          14   6   1   7   25   25    0    19
7  Sudilia           14   6   1   7   21   28   -7   19
8  Xanneria          14   4   3   7   20   32   -12   15
9  Allamunnic States 14   2   4   8   15   26   -11   10
10  Gwarkos           14   2   4   8   10   22   -12   10

A few more minutes of injury time were played, with Rick Bishop tactically making a defensive change, bringing on a third centre-back and winding down some precious time with the change. The referee would eventually blow the whistle, and the Lions would emerge victorious, despite a fright from the visitors late on. The win keeps Dantopia top of the table in Group 4, though with Tanirinthia's 2-1 win over Eshialand, 'the Jackalopes' are still equal on points. This result does create a slight gap to third place, though, so if Rick Bishop's men can produce a favourable result against 'the Owls' in match-day fifteen, they could create some daylight and perhaps cement a top two finish — and therefore, automatic qualification to the World Cup. It will be a big ask, however, as the Eshians will be eager to make up for their 5-1 defeat to Dantopia in the reverse fixture. Furthermore, the Lions will then have to face Tanirinthia in match-day sixteen. This will be an absolute make-or-break fixture period for Dantopia, if they are to capitalise on their good form and fortune thus far.

It is unfortunately still not out of the realms of possibility that the national team fail to secure a top two finish, though finishing in at least a play-off spot seems more than likely for Rick Bishop's side. The prevailing worry at home is that the Lions lose to the next two fixtures and put into doubt their qualification chances. The 'bottling' of this golden opportunity seems regrettably fitting for the national team, who are still relatively inexperienced on the international stage, despite good quality in the squad. The entire nation hopes it doesn't come to that, but the fear is there, deep inside. Only victory against Eshialand would put those doubts to bed once and for all.

xg.unit
1d

Dantopia (1.92) 3-2 (2.21) Gwarkos #DANvsGWA #WorldCup101 #Qualifying #Group4

OOC DISCLAIMER: The likenesses of players and managers have been created with the help of generative AI. Every other image in this RP was completely hand-made.

by **Kelssek** » Wed May 27, 2026 7:33 am

Law-abiding locals STUNNED by billionaire’s sand sucker!
SCHEMING CORPO CHEATS STOLE OUR BEACH

Mega-corporations linked to the elusive “artificially intelligent” billionaire Elohim Marsman is responsible for the sudden disappearance of an entire beach, claim witnesses in Newydcastell, a small city south of Kirkenes.

Witnesses saw two excavators arrive at the beach shortly after nightfall and begin scooping up masses of sand onto large trucks. While the exact amount of sand stolen from the beach is yet to be officially reported, one source said the number of sand grains taken away by the thieves could be in the billions.

Newydcastell residents were quick to express their fury at developments. “Why didn’t the Navy shoot missiles at them? This just shows, how broken our country has become,” said Raechel Ille, who ran unsuccessfully for city council.

Educated person Garry Misarebling said one reason they might have stolen an entire beach was to get silicon for microchips, the little electronic things that go inside your phone and computer to make it work.

“They’re using so much more of it now, so much more. It’s shocking how much silicon these things consume. And if you have data centres, you need so many of them. An entire beach? Why not.”

Another resident noted that the beach’s disappearance would surely anger another mega-corp and bring the wrath of Avelenn Hotels Group upon the heads of whoever was found to be responsible. They asked not to be named as they have yet to use their voucher for a free drink with meal purchase at the hotel restaurant on weekdays.

“They’re building one of those fancy resorts with swimming pools and yurts next door. Them Avelenn Hotels are going to be mad and sue the pants off the AIs. Good for them I say. These robots won’t know what’s coming.”

A spokesperson for the Avelenn Excelsior Beach Resort would not comment on the allegations, but did insist that World Cup bookings were in line with their expectations, which was kind of a strange thing to bring up in this context.

by **Andossa Se Mitrin Vega** » Wed May 27, 2026 10:35 am

VIVIENNE SA'IL LIVE!

VivisDayOut
Backyard BBQ
Sa'il Family Residence
14,882,112 watching

The stream opens with total sensory overload.

Music. Ocean waves. People yelling. Smoke from grills. Children running. Somebody singing horribly off-key.

Vivienne flips the camera toward herself while walking barefoot through the packed beachside backyard wearing an oversized Sea Dragons jersey over shorts, sunglasses perched on her head.

She looks genuinely stunned.

“FOURTEEN MILLION PEOPLE!”

COMMENTS
girlygirl17: everyone wants some of this action
seadragoncrazy: SMOKE ENEVEJA - NATIONAL HERO
blueoctober: KELSSEK UP NEXT

Behind her, the entire Sea Dragons squad has basically invaded the Sa’il family property.

Long tables stretch beneath hanging lights. Huge grills smoke beside the beach. Portable speakers blast music across the sand.

The atmosphere feels less like a celebrity event and more like a gigantic neighborhood cookout where half the guests accidentally became national icons.

Vivienne swings the camera toward the grills.

“Ladies and gentlemen…”

Dramatic pause.

“…my father.”

Ja’rhet Sa’il stands shirtless at an industrial-sized grill wearing an apron that says: KISS THE COOK OR EAT BURNT RIBS

The chat EXPLODES instantly.

COMMENTS
funkycoldmadina: LOVE THAT APRON
daddysgirl5432: dad built like a center back

Ja’rhet points barbecue tongs toward the camera.

“No interviews until after the ribs.”

“Dad, you’re live.”

“I said what I said.”

Nearby, Vanna Sa’il calmly oversees the entire event like a woman managing a military operation.

Every time someone needs something: plates, drinks, chairs, medical tape, someone’s missing sandal -
Vanna has it handled.

Analisse Ankarii watches in visible admiration.

“Your mother could run the country.”

Vanna shrugs. “Too stressful.”

Meanwhile, absolute chaos unfolds everywhere else.

Ana Sarria and Omar Binsixidu are engaged in a brutally competitive beach volleyball game against Kari Suisse and Me'aba Songo-Kakii.

Ana spikes the ball hard enough to nearly decapitate a folding chair.

Kari screams: "Damn, GIRL!”

Ana deadpans: “You're the one that started keeping score.”

COMMENTS
abrcadabra66: ANA IS A TERMINATOR
caddyshack80: somebody save me’aba

The camera pans farther down the beach.

Smoke Eneveja — now permanently immortalized in Sea Dragons history after scoring both aggregate-winning goals against the Russian Empire EHA — cannot move three feet without someone cheering his name.

Children are literally following him around chanting: “SMOKE. SMOKE. SMOKE.”

Smoke looks overwhelmed.

“I scored TWO goals.”

Vivienne appears beside him instantly.

“Against the Russian Empire.”

The nearby crowd erupts again.

Jozef Cabrissu sits nearby in a beach chair sipping a drink like a proud retired warrior watching younger soldiers carry the banner forward.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Vivienne asks.

Jozef smiles softly.

“We made people dream again.”

For a moment the stream gets chill.

The Russian Empire had been favored at home, but the Sea Dragons were favored on home pitch.

• 1-0 away
• 1-0 home

• Smoke Eneveja, 76’ and 81'

• 2-0 aggregate

And now only Kelssek becomes the next hurdle between Andossa Se Mitrin Vega and the World Cup. And they will be heavily favored in both matches.

Then the peace immediately dies because Molli Yishi is screaming.

The camera whips around.
Molli is sprinting down the shoreline while being chased by Anjelyka and half the reserve squad armed with water balloons.

“THIS IS TARGETED HARASSMENT!”

Ubrahiim Chanuk launches one directly into her back.
Molli collapses dramatically into the sand.

“SO.... COLD!”

Pemba Mafia appears holding an entire bucket.

“Oh no you don't!”

COMMENTS
jumbojuicehead: MOLLI NEVER SAFE
jumpjiveandwail: reserve squad MENACE

Meanwhile Jaison Sa’il has somehow started gambling snacks on arcade football games against Omar.

“You owe me chips.”

“That crossbar challenge was rigged.”

“There were witnesses.”

Omar points toward Vivienne.

“She distracted me.”

Vivienne gasps.

“I influence all games domestically now.”

The stream becomes even more chaotic once the sun begins setting.

Lights glow warm across the beach. Music gets louder. People dance barefoot in the sand.

At one point, Azaru D’Tagge and Zinkee Cabal attempt karaoke together.

It is catastrophic.

Ana quietly wins another volleyball match in the background like an emotionless machine.

And through all of it, Vivienne keeps drifting through the crowd smiling at teammates, hugging family members, laughing until she can barely breathe.

At one point she settles onto the sand beside the shoreline with the camera facing the bonfire behind her.

The team is visible in the background: dancing, arguing, eating, alive.

Her voice softens.

“You know what’s crazy?

She glances back toward the party.

“A few months ago people were talking about rebuilding.”

Waves crash softly nearby.

“Now there are kids outside wearing our jerseys pretending to be Smoke.”

The camera catches Smoke immediately yelling: “I HEARD THAT!”

Everyone laughs.

Vivienne smiles.

“We still haven’t qualified.”

She points toward the bonfire where teammates are chanting KELSSEK repeatedly.

“But we’re close enough to touch it now.”

Suddenly Ja’rhet’s voice booms across the beach.

“WHO TOOK THE LAST RIB?”

Silence.

Then slowly: Me'aba Songo-Kakii backs away holding a suspiciously full plate.

Entire stream: “OHHHHHHHHHH.”

Me'aba points defensively.

“I AM AN ATHLETE. I NEED SUBSTANCE!”

Ja’rhet grabs the barbecue tongs.

“COME HERE.”

The stream completely collapses into laughter as Me'aba flees down the beach pursued by Vivienne’s father.

Vivienne is crying and laughing so hard she can barely hold the phone steady.

“Alright hatchlings—”

wheezing laughter

“—I have to go save my teammate.”

The camera turns toward the sunset over Errion Bay one last time.

And somewhere behind her:

“PUT THE RIBS DOWN.”

STREAM ENDED — 6h 02m

by **Taeshan** » Wed May 27, 2026 5:47 pm

"I'd like to think if I got super rich I'd follow the Purple Knights around on their qualifying campaign and just sit with the traveling group at every away game, visit all the theme parks across Rushmore and watch every Laketown Rangers away game I could."

"Lot of flights and boat rides for that to happen. Problem of living in an island country, can only drive so far before you hit the water."

"Could you imagine just seeing all the away sites. Sometimes you'd be scared shitless like if you were in the worst parts of Farfadillis, and sometimes you'd be having the time of your life on some trysts in Banija."

"I'd like to think if I traveled I'd go see the World Cup every time, but I'd also fly to any team's country we played in a World Cup and experience the games with the people there, and spend a day or two in the culture of their country."

"We could travel together."

"We could but we're both poor."

"Never stopped us before."

"But it will stop us eventually."

"Eh what is a little credit card debt between friends. Why if the bank comes after us I'll just blame you."

"Wouldn't be the first time we had done something stupid together."

"Certainly wouldn't be the last."

"Maybe we can ask an AI to book us some tickets to Natkr to watch the Wolrd Cup 101 dream end?"

"Nah I'd rather we booked a trip to somewhere nice this time of year"

"I hear the rain in Maritaine falls mainly on the plain. So maybe not there?

"Maybe not."

"The Holy Empire?"

"Too religious."

"Valanora?"

"Too many elves."

"I'm sure if we just look at a map we can find something exciting?"

"Or we could just take a nap?"

"Better use of our time than going out of our bubble for sure."

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