Overthinkers

[OOC Context Note: Broadcast the day before Match Day 1.]

Melanie: From SPOT Studios in the heart of Cangham, we bring you the inaugural Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. I’m Melanie Soft, and I’m joined today by my colleague Weston Hall.
Weston: Greetings!
Melanie: Over the next two hours, we’re going to be breaking down the minutiae of the third Football World Cup in Ryxtylopia, and how your very own Overthinkers National Team is preparing. But first, let’s start with the basics. Weston, many of our viewers may be new to the World Cup, how would you explain the tournament in simple terms?
Weston: It really is quite simple, Melanie. Twenty-four teams of gladiators have entered the arena seeking the title and international glory. These teams are comprised of the mightiest champions of the countries they respectively represent. In the interest of narrative, these teams must prove themselves against each other in a series of matches before entering the yet-more-competitive knockout stage.
Weston: To prove themselves thus, teams have been assigned to four groups, each more or less evenly matched in skill to one another, but representing a wide range of skill within each group. Teams shall earn favor with the lords of the tourney by winning matches against their group, or a lesser amount of favor by tying. After each team has tested themselves against every other team in the group, the four teams most favored shall enter into the knockout stage.
[Melanie is smiling at the camera, but the pain behind her eyes is obvious.]
Weston: In the knockout stage, the stakes become higher. Each of these battles becomes a do-or-die situation for our gladiators. The victors live to fight another day, the losers will board a plane back home. We proceed from sixteen to eight, then to four, then finally to the last two teams remaining, who shall fight to claim the World Cup trophy.
Melanie: Great! Now, let’s introduce you to what teams are playing. We start with Group A, which includes Overthinkers.
[Graphic of Group A teams appears onscreen.]
Melanie: Notably, this group includes the hosts, Ryxtylopia, but also includes Larxia, one of the top 5 ranked teams in international play. Besides Larxia, the teams in this group are all either unranked or within 5 ranks of one another, meaning that at least on paper, anything can happen in this group.
Weston: Truly, this field was designed to give all a sporting chance, all the better for Overthinkers to improve upon their showing in the last World Cup.
Melanie: For the sake of brevity, I agree.
[Melanie runs through the remaining groups, with occasional interjections by Weston. Notably, Weston is thrilled by the uncertainty over whether Sasha of the Dalimbari team is a bear.]
Melanie: Now, before we go to break, we’ve asked our “special analyst” some questions in advance and gotten some prognostications. Let’s hear from our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, given the teams listed, who will win the World Cup?
Ping: Saint Mark.
Melanie: Interesting! Can you elaborate?
Ping: Because I said so.
Melanie: Great! We’ll be right back after the break to introduce you fully to your Overthinkers National Team.
[ad break]
[Coming out of the ad break, a hype video plays. Generic rock song plays as highlights and photos of OT players flash on screen, introducing each member of the starting lineup. It then ends with the Football World Cup graphic.]
Melanie: And we’re back with the Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. We’re taking a look now at our starting lineup.
[A graphic of the full team roster appears on screen.]
Melanie: Eight of last year’s starting eleven return this year, and two of last year’s reserves are starters this year. Altogether, there’s seven players making their World Cup debut, including Jeri M. Anders, who landed a starting role at forward.
Melanie: To truly get to know these players, let’s talk to someone who has been on the world stage with many of them before. We’re joined in the studio by Ian Reid, who is missing this World Cup due to injury. Ian, I know you’d rather be in Ryx with the team, but welcome to the studio.
Ian: Pleasure’s all mine, Melanie.
Melanie: So you’ve seen our roster for this year. Anything that immediately catches your eye here?
Ian: I said after our elimination last year that we had all the ingredients for success, but we weren’t prepared to execute. Seeing so many of the same people here, now with World Cup experience, I can only imagine we’re ready to grind.
Ian: I’ll call out Max Hamilton, here, my replacement. He was a reserve last year, got some play time in, but since then he’s really stepped up his game. He would have given me a run for the starting job even if I were healthy. I think he’s every bit as good as Elle and Ryan in the backfield.
Ian: Jeri, too. Even younger than Lukas and fully earned that starting job next to him. I spend some time at Highland this year and really liked what I saw from her and from that whole program. We’ve got some great younger players coming out of these smaller clubs that can only go up from here.
Weston: The youths also stir the hearts of the nation, displaying some spectacular showmanship on the field that deviates from the team’s normal, reserved strategy.
Ian: Yeah, and I’m torn on that, frankly. These younger players try to be flashy, they try to be heroes, and seeing Lukas go off last year only inflated their egos. This is Coach Luigi’s team, he wants you to defend the ball and score safely. Hopefully he can temper some of that recklessness.
Melanie: While the starters have a lot of experience, the reserves are majority newcomers to international play. What do you make of that?
Ian: They’re new to international play, but they’re not new to football. Petra and Stephen have three rings between them. Joy played for a long time at West and is accustomed to the rise and grind that this team plays. If they can shake off the nerves early, they’ll be just fine.
Melanie: Love it. Thanks for joining us today, Ian, and hope you can get back to the pitch soon.
Ian: Myself and my doctors have differing opinions on that. Cheers.
Melanie: Before we go to break, we have another question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, who will be the Overthinkers team MVP this World Cup?
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: Chris isn’t playing this year.
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: O-kay, stay tuned. After the break, we got a moment with the Overthinking team after they touched down in Ryxenia.
[ad break]
Weston: Welcome back, dear viewers, to the Football World Cup Preview, presented by the incomparable Ping AI. We’d lose our jobs if we actually used this product at SPOT, but that’s our problem, not yours.
Melanie: Ahem. Yes. Earlier this week, the Overthinkers National Team departed from Cangham International Airport and arrived in Ryxenia, the capital of Ryxtylopia. Once the team got through customs, we caught up with them in transit to their lodgings. Let’s hear now from field correspondent Emily Corral.
Emily [voiceover as B-roll plays]: The Overthinkers National Team has arrived in Ryxenia for the third Football World Cup. The city is warm and vibrant, and the streets are lined with football fans, thrilled to have an event of this significance on their home turf.
[Half of a protest sign comes into frame before the scene abruptly changes.]
Emily [now on-camera]: We’ve gotten exclusive access to the team bus as the team travels to one of Ryxenia’s finest hotels. I’m here standing next to Ray Chang, one of the veterans of this team. Ray, how was your trip?
Ray: It was just fine. We all thought the plane ride was shorter than expected, and when we got off, we were surrounded by some of the finest architecture we had ever seen. Like, completely blown away by how beautiful and grandiose everything was. But it turned out we had actually landed in Saint Mark. Our plane had an instrument issue that needed fixing. So by the time we got here to Ryxenia it was…
[Ambassador von Edelgard peeks out from the seat back behind Ray.]
Ray: ...also pretty great. You can tell there’s a lot of money in this place.
[von Edelgard recedes.]
Emily: I see. We now have Coach Wendell Luigi right here. Coach, how is the team feeling after the trip?
Coach: They’re ready to roll. It was a pretty smooth trip, despite the interruption. We’re all super locked in and ready to get practicing.
Emily: Now Coach, we haven’t had a chance to talk to you since Lucille Lyons resigned from the team at the last minute and then dropped off the map. Has there been any impact from that on the team?
Coach: I can’t speak from the players, they’re each dealing in their own way. All I have to say on the matter that’s fit for TV is, you picked a fine time to leave us, Lucille. But we were able to get George called up to fill her slot. The kid’s ecstatic—you can tell it’s a dream come true for him. I want to focus on the positivity of that.
Emily: Understood. You guys are playing Alchera in the first match. Are there any particular strategies you have for them?
Coach: Not particularly. They’re a solid team, we’re about evenly matched from what I saw last year. We will go out there and play our game, and make them play our game too. And we’ll adjust from there.
Emily: Larxia is far and away the strongest team in Group A. Do they give you any concern?
Coach: We only have to worry about them once before the knockouts. We’ll try our hardest, but we’re giving our all in every game.
Emily: Thanks for your time, Coach.
[Cut back to studio.]
Melanie: Thanks, Emily. Now, one more question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Ping, what World Cup team has the potential to be a dark horse this year?
Ping: Kalmach.
Melanie: Good call! Why is that?
Ping: Because I said so.
[ad break]

 

[OOC Context Note: Broadcast the day before Match Day 1.]

Melanie: From SPOT Studios in the heart of Cangham, we bring you the inaugural Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. I’m Melanie Soft, and I’m joined today by my colleague Weston Hall.
Weston: Greetings!
Melanie: Over the next two hours, we’re going to be breaking down the minutiae of the third Football World Cup in Ryxtylopia, and how your very own Overthinkers National Team is preparing. But first, let’s start with the basics. Weston, many of our viewers may be new to the World Cup, how would you explain the tournament in simple terms?
Weston: It really is quite simple, Melanie. Twenty-four teams of gladiators have entered the arena seeking the title and international glory. These teams are comprised of the mightiest champions of the countries they respectively represent. In the interest of narrative, these teams must prove themselves against each other in a series of matches before entering the yet-more-competitive knockout stage.
Weston: To prove themselves thus, teams have been assigned to four groups, each more or less evenly matched in skill to one another, but representing a wide range of skill within each group. Teams shall earn favor with the lords of the tourney by winning matches against their group, or a lesser amount of favor by tying. After each team has tested themselves against every other team in the group, the four teams most favored shall enter into the knockout stage.
[Melanie is smiling at the camera, but the pain behind her eyes is obvious.]
Weston: In the knockout stage, the stakes become higher. Each of these battles becomes a do-or-die situation for our gladiators. The victors live to fight another day, the losers will board a plane back home. We proceed from sixteen to eight, then to four, then finally to the last two teams remaining, who shall fight to claim the World Cup trophy.
Melanie: Great! Now, let’s introduce you to what teams are playing. We start with Group A, which includes Overthinkers.
[Graphic of Group A teams appears onscreen.]
Melanie: Notably, this group includes the hosts, Ryxtylopia, but also includes Larxia, one of the top 5 ranked teams in international play. Besides Larxia, the teams in this group are all either unranked or within 5 ranks of one another, meaning that at least on paper, anything can happen in this group.
Weston: Truly, this field was designed to give all a sporting chance, all the better for Overthinkers to improve upon their showing in the last World Cup.
Melanie: For the sake of brevity, I agree.
[Melanie runs through the remaining groups, with occasional interjections by Weston. Notably, Weston is thrilled by the uncertainty over whether Sasha of the Dalimbari team is a bear.]
Melanie: Now, before we go to break, we’ve asked our “special analyst” some questions in advance and gotten some prognostications. Let’s hear from our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, given the teams listed, who will win the World Cup?
Ping: Saint Mark.
Melanie: Interesting! Can you elaborate?
Ping: Because I said so.
Melanie: Great! We’ll be right back after the break to introduce you fully to your Overthinkers National Team.
[ad break]
[Coming out of the ad break, a hype video plays. Generic rock song plays as highlights and photos of OT players flash on screen, introducing each member of the starting lineup. It then ends with the Football World Cup graphic.]
Melanie: And we’re back with the Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. We’re taking a look now at our starting lineup.
[A graphic of the full team roster appears on screen.]
Melanie: Eight of last year’s starting eleven return this year, and two of last year’s reserves are starters this year. Altogether, there’s seven players making their World Cup debut, including Jeri M. Anders, who landed a starting role at forward.
Melanie: To truly get to know these players, let’s talk to someone who has been on the world stage with many of them before. We’re joined in the studio by Ian Reid, who is missing this World Cup due to injury. Ian, I know you’d rather be in Ryx with the team, but welcome to the studio.
Ian: Pleasure’s all mine, Melanie.
Melanie: So you’ve seen our roster for this year. Anything that immediately catches your eye here?
Ian: I said after our elimination last year that we had all the ingredients for success, but we weren’t prepared to execute. Seeing so many of the same people here, now with World Cup experience, I can only imagine we’re ready to grind.
Ian: I’ll call out Max Hamilton, here, my replacement. He was a reserve last year, got some play time in, but since then he’s really stepped up his game. He would have given me a run for the starting job even if I were healthy. I think he’s every bit as good as Elle and Ryan in the backfield.
Ian: Jeri, too. Even younger than Lukas and fully earned that starting job next to him. I spend some time at Highland this year and really liked what I saw from her and from that whole program. We’ve got some great younger players coming out of these smaller clubs that can only go up from here.
Weston: The youths also stir the hearts of the nation, displaying some spectacular showmanship on the field that deviates from the team’s normal, reserved strategy.
Ian: Yeah, and I’m torn on that, frankly. These younger players try to be flashy, they try to be heroes, and seeing Lukas go off last year only inflated their egos. This is Coach Luigi’s team, he wants you to defend the ball and score safely. Hopefully he can temper some of that recklessness.
Melanie: While the starters have a lot of experience, the reserves are majority newcomers to international play. What do you make of that?
Ian: They’re new to international play, but they’re not new to football. Petra and Stephen have three rings between them. Joy played for a long time at West and is accustomed to the rise and grind that this team plays. If they can shake off the nerves early, they’ll be just fine.
Melanie: Love it. Thanks for joining us today, Ian, and hope you can get back to the pitch soon.
Ian: Myself and my doctors have differing opinions on that. Cheers.
Melanie: Before we go to break, we have another question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, who will be the Overthinkers team MVP this World Cup?
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: Chris isn’t playing this year.
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: O-kay, stay tuned. After the break, we got a moment with the Overthinking team after they touched down in Ryxenia.
[ad break]
Weston: Welcome back, dear viewers, to the Football World Cup Preview, presented by the incomparable Ping AI. We’d lose our jobs if we actually used this product at SPOT, but that’s our problem, not yours.
Melanie: Ahem. Yes. Earlier this week, the Overthinkers National Team departed from Cangham International Airport and arrived in Ryxenia, the capital of Ryxtylopia. Once the team got through customs, we caught up with them in transit to their lodgings. Let’s hear now from field correspondent Emily Corral.
Emily [voiceover as B-roll plays]: The Overthinkers National Team has arrived in Ryxenia for the third Football World Cup. The city is warm and vibrant, and the streets are lined with football fans, thrilled to have an event of this significance on their home turf.
[Half of a protest sign comes into frame before the scene abruptly changes.]
Emily [now on-camera]: We’ve gotten exclusive access to the team bus as the team travels to one of Ryxenia’s finest hotels. I’m here standing next to Ray Chang, one of the veterans of this team. Ray, how was your trip?
Ray: It was just fine. We all thought the plane ride was shorter than expected, and when we got off, we were surrounded by some of the finest architecture we had ever seen. Like, completely blown away by how beautiful and grandiose everything was. But it turned out we had actually landed in Saint Mark. Our plane had an instrument issue that needed fixing. So by the time we got here to Ryxenia it was…
[Ambassador von Edelgard peeks out from the seat back behind Ray.]
Ray: ...also pretty great. You can tell there’s a lot of money in this place.
[von Edelgard recedes.]
Emily: I see. We now have Coach Wendell Luigi right here. Coach, how is the team feeling after the trip?
Coach: They’re ready to roll. It was a pretty smooth trip, despite the interruption. We’re all super locked in and ready to get practicing.
Emily: Now Coach, we haven’t had a chance to talk to you since Lucille Lyons resigned from the team at the last minute and then dropped off the map. Has there been any impact from that on the team?
Coach: I can’t speak from the players, they’re each dealing in their own way. All I have to say on the matter that’s fit for TV is, you picked a fine time to leave us, Lucille. But we were able to get George called up to fill her slot. The kid’s ecstatic—you can tell it’s a dream come true for him. I want to focus on the positivity of that.
Emily: Understood. You guys are playing Alchera in the first match. Are there any particular strategies you have for them?
Coach: Not particularly. They’re a solid team, we’re about evenly matched from what I saw last year. We will go out there and play our game, and make them play our game too. And we’ll adjust from there.
Emily: Larxia is far and away the strongest team in Group A. Do they give you any concern?
Coach: We only have to worry about them once before the knockouts. We’ll try our hardest, but we’re giving our all in every game.
Emily: Thanks for your time, Coach.
[Cut back to studio.]
Melanie: Thanks, Emily. Now, one more question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Ping, what World Cup team has the potential to be a dark horse this year?
Ping: Kalmach.
Melanie: Good call! Why is that?
Ping: Because I said so.
[ad break]

 

Transcript:
Video shows Noya Priscan and a Quiyakaso Gohalitsve with a black eye in front of the stadium
Quiyakaso: "Helloooooooo Zoran! I-"
Noya: “Quiyakaso, why do you have a black eye?”
Quiyakaso: “Oh this? Yeah I got it after a Ryxtylopian punched me in the face during a flash mob.”
Noya: “...A flash mob? Really? What is this, 1403?!”
Quiyakaso: “Well, it was a weird flash mob. They were all holding signs and chanting something. So I made myself a sign that said 'I Like Pie' and started chanting that while walking with them.”
Noya: "...Quiyakaso, that was a protest...not a flash mob."
Quiyakaso: “Ooooooooooh, that makes a lot of sense!”
Noya: [groans] “You think!”
Quiyakaso: "Yeah...and then I walked into the slums. Nice people, some of them. One tried to mug me and I gave her my fake wallet! That's right! I carry a fake wallet on me now for occasions like this!
Noya: ...You did the two things we were told not to do! Get involved with the protests and enter the slums!
Quiyakaso: "Oh come on, Noya! Where's your sense of adventure?"
Noya: "I left it at the hotel room, now let's get back to the actual news report we are supposed to have."
Quiyakaso: "Ok, fiiiiiiiiiine. The Zoranian Thunderbirds won their match 2-1 after clutching victory from the jaws of a tie!"
Noya: ...That's not the expression, Quiyakaso. It wouldn't even work in this situation!
Quiyakaso: Eh, but they get the point. The Zoranian team is going up against Pedandria next at the Par-...Parkui? Parkui Victoria?
Noya: Parque Vittoria. Let's hope our team does well in their next match. I'm Noya Prisc-
Quiyakaso:  Hold on! We're not done yet! We have to go to the slums! Show the country what the true life of a Ryxtylopian is!
Noya: That is not our job! We are here to report on the sporting event! We are not travel journalists!
Quiyakaso: But adventure!
Noya: NO! I'm not going to let you go off an potentially get killed in the slums!
Quiyakaso: But how about we go get some real tacos instead of tacos that are sold here at more touristy restaurants?
Noya: ...
Quiyakaso: Eh? Eeeeeeeh? Not a bad idea, huh?
Noya: Ok, one time. We go the slums just. this. once.
Quiyakaso: Yes! I knew I would win you over one day!
That is when a pack of seagulls descend upon Quiyakaso and start attacking him
Quiyakaso: NOT AGAIN!!!
Noya: sighs Can someone get the bandages?
   .  

[OOC Context Note: Broadcast the day before Match Day 1.]

Melanie: From SPOT Studios in the heart of Cangham, we bring you the inaugural Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. I’m Melanie Soft, and I’m joined today by my colleague Weston Hall.
Weston: Greetings!
Melanie: Over the next two hours, we’re going to be breaking down the minutiae of the third Football World Cup in Ryxtylopia, and how your very own Overthinkers National Team is preparing. But first, let’s start with the basics. Weston, many of our viewers may be new to the World Cup, how would you explain the tournament in simple terms?
Weston: It really is quite simple, Melanie. Twenty-four teams of gladiators have entered the arena seeking the title and international glory. These teams are comprised of the mightiest champions of the countries they respectively represent. In the interest of narrative, these teams must prove themselves against each other in a series of matches before entering the yet-more-competitive knockout stage.
Weston: To prove themselves thus, teams have been assigned to four groups, each more or less evenly matched in skill to one another, but representing a wide range of skill within each group. Teams shall earn favor with the lords of the tourney by winning matches against their group, or a lesser amount of favor by tying. After each team has tested themselves against every other team in the group, the four teams most favored shall enter into the knockout stage.
[Melanie is smiling at the camera, but the pain behind her eyes is obvious.]
Weston: In the knockout stage, the stakes become higher. Each of these battles becomes a do-or-die situation for our gladiators. The victors live to fight another day, the losers will board a plane back home. We proceed from sixteen to eight, then to four, then finally to the last two teams remaining, who shall fight to claim the World Cup trophy.
Melanie: Great! Now, let’s introduce you to what teams are playing. We start with Group A, which includes Overthinkers.
[Graphic of Group A teams appears onscreen.]
Melanie: Notably, this group includes the hosts, Ryxtylopia, but also includes Larxia, one of the top 5 ranked teams in international play. Besides Larxia, the teams in this group are all either unranked or within 5 ranks of one another, meaning that at least on paper, anything can happen in this group.
Weston: Truly, this field was designed to give all a sporting chance, all the better for Overthinkers to improve upon their showing in the last World Cup.
Melanie: For the sake of brevity, I agree.
[Melanie runs through the remaining groups, with occasional interjections by Weston. Notably, Weston is thrilled by the uncertainty over whether Sasha of the Dalimbari team is a bear.]
Melanie: Now, before we go to break, we’ve asked our “special analyst” some questions in advance and gotten some prognostications. Let’s hear from our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, given the teams listed, who will win the World Cup?
Ping: Saint Mark.
Melanie: Interesting! Can you elaborate?
Ping: Because I said so.
Melanie: Great! We’ll be right back after the break to introduce you fully to your Overthinkers National Team.
[ad break]
[Coming out of the ad break, a hype video plays. Generic rock song plays as highlights and photos of OT players flash on screen, introducing each member of the starting lineup. It then ends with the Football World Cup graphic.]
Melanie: And we’re back with the Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. We’re taking a look now at our starting lineup.
[A graphic of the full team roster appears on screen.]
Melanie: Eight of last year’s starting eleven return this year, and two of last year’s reserves are starters this year. Altogether, there’s seven players making their World Cup debut, including Jeri M. Anders, who landed a starting role at forward.
Melanie: To truly get to know these players, let’s talk to someone who has been on the world stage with many of them before. We’re joined in the studio by Ian Reid, who is missing this World Cup due to injury. Ian, I know you’d rather be in Ryx with the team, but welcome to the studio.
Ian: Pleasure’s all mine, Melanie.
Melanie: So you’ve seen our roster for this year. Anything that immediately catches your eye here?
Ian: I said after our elimination last year that we had all the ingredients for success, but we weren’t prepared to execute. Seeing so many of the same people here, now with World Cup experience, I can only imagine we’re ready to grind.
Ian: I’ll call out Max Hamilton, here, my replacement. He was a reserve last year, got some play time in, but since then he’s really stepped up his game. He would have given me a run for the starting job even if I were healthy. I think he’s every bit as good as Elle and Ryan in the backfield.
Ian: Jeri, too. Even younger than Lukas and fully earned that starting job next to him. I spend some time at Highland this year and really liked what I saw from her and from that whole program. We’ve got some great younger players coming out of these smaller clubs that can only go up from here.
Weston: The youths also stir the hearts of the nation, displaying some spectacular showmanship on the field that deviates from the team’s normal, reserved strategy.
Ian: Yeah, and I’m torn on that, frankly. These younger players try to be flashy, they try to be heroes, and seeing Lukas go off last year only inflated their egos. This is Coach Luigi’s team, he wants you to defend the ball and score safely. Hopefully he can temper some of that recklessness.
Melanie: While the starters have a lot of experience, the reserves are majority newcomers to international play. What do you make of that?
Ian: They’re new to international play, but they’re not new to football. Petra and Stephen have three rings between them. Joy played for a long time at West and is accustomed to the rise and grind that this team plays. If they can shake off the nerves early, they’ll be just fine.
Melanie: Love it. Thanks for joining us today, Ian, and hope you can get back to the pitch soon.
Ian: Myself and my doctors have differing opinions on that. Cheers.
Melanie: Before we go to break, we have another question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, who will be the Overthinkers team MVP this World Cup?
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: Chris isn’t playing this year.
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: O-kay, stay tuned. After the break, we got a moment with the Overthinking team after they touched down in Ryxenia.
[ad break]
Weston: Welcome back, dear viewers, to the Football World Cup Preview, presented by the incomparable Ping AI. We’d lose our jobs if we actually used this product at SPOT, but that’s our problem, not yours.
Melanie: Ahem. Yes. Earlier this week, the Overthinkers National Team departed from Cangham International Airport and arrived in Ryxenia, the capital of Ryxtylopia. Once the team got through customs, we caught up with them in transit to their lodgings. Let’s hear now from field correspondent Emily Corral.
Emily [voiceover as B-roll plays]: The Overthinkers National Team has arrived in Ryxenia for the third Football World Cup. The city is warm and vibrant, and the streets are lined with football fans, thrilled to have an event of this significance on their home turf.
[Half of a protest sign comes into frame before the scene abruptly changes.]
Emily [now on-camera]: We’ve gotten exclusive access to the team bus as the team travels to one of Ryxenia’s finest hotels. I’m here standing next to Ray Chang, one of the veterans of this team. Ray, how was your trip?
Ray: It was just fine. We all thought the plane ride was shorter than expected, and when we got off, we were surrounded by some of the finest architecture we had ever seen. Like, completely blown away by how beautiful and grandiose everything was. But it turned out we had actually landed in Saint Mark. Our plane had an instrument issue that needed fixing. So by the time we got here to Ryxenia it was…
[Ambassador von Edelgard peeks out from the seat back behind Ray.]
Ray: ...also pretty great. You can tell there’s a lot of money in this place.
[von Edelgard recedes.]
Emily: I see. We now have Coach Wendell Luigi right here. Coach, how is the team feeling after the trip?
Coach: They’re ready to roll. It was a pretty smooth trip, despite the interruption. We’re all super locked in and ready to get practicing.
Emily: Now Coach, we haven’t had a chance to talk to you since Lucille Lyons resigned from the team at the last minute and then dropped off the map. Has there been any impact from that on the team?
Coach: I can’t speak from the players, they’re each dealing in their own way. All I have to say on the matter that’s fit for TV is, you picked a fine time to leave us, Lucille. But we were able to get George called up to fill her slot. The kid’s ecstatic—you can tell it’s a dream come true for him. I want to focus on the positivity of that.
Emily: Understood. You guys are playing Alchera in the first match. Are there any particular strategies you have for them?
Coach: Not particularly. They’re a solid team, we’re about evenly matched from what I saw last year. We will go out there and play our game, and make them play our game too. And we’ll adjust from there.
Emily: Larxia is far and away the strongest team in Group A. Do they give you any concern?
Coach: We only have to worry about them once before the knockouts. We’ll try our hardest, but we’re giving our all in every game.
Emily: Thanks for your time, Coach.
[Cut back to studio.]
Melanie: Thanks, Emily. Now, one more question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Ping, what World Cup team has the potential to be a dark horse this year?
Ping: Kalmach.
Melanie: Good call! Why is that?
Ping: Because I said so.
[ad break]

 

[OOC Context Note: Broadcast the day before Match Day 1.]

Melanie: From SPOT Studios in the heart of Cangham, we bring you the inaugural Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. I’m Melanie Soft, and I’m joined today by my colleague Weston Hall.
Weston: Greetings!
Melanie: Over the next two hours, we’re going to be breaking down the minutiae of the third Football World Cup in Ryxtylopia, and how your very own Overthinkers National Team is preparing. But first, let’s start with the basics. Weston, many of our viewers may be new to the World Cup, how would you explain the tournament in simple terms?
Weston: It really is quite simple, Melanie. Twenty-four teams of gladiators have entered the arena seeking the title and international glory. These teams are comprised of the mightiest champions of the countries they respectively represent. In the interest of narrative, these teams must prove themselves against each other in a series of matches before entering the yet-more-competitive knockout stage.
Weston: To prove themselves thus, teams have been assigned to four groups, each more or less evenly matched in skill to one another, but representing a wide range of skill within each group. Teams shall earn favor with the lords of the tourney by winning matches against their group, or a lesser amount of favor by tying. After each team has tested themselves against every other team in the group, the four teams most favored shall enter into the knockout stage.
[Melanie is smiling at the camera, but the pain behind her eyes is obvious.]
Weston: In the knockout stage, the stakes become higher. Each of these battles becomes a do-or-die situation for our gladiators. The victors live to fight another day, the losers will board a plane back home. We proceed from sixteen to eight, then to four, then finally to the last two teams remaining, who shall fight to claim the World Cup trophy.
Melanie: Great! Now, let’s introduce you to what teams are playing. We start with Group A, which includes Overthinkers.
[Graphic of Group A teams appears onscreen.]
Melanie: Notably, this group includes the hosts, Ryxtylopia, but also includes Larxia, one of the top 5 ranked teams in international play. Besides Larxia, the teams in this group are all either unranked or within 5 ranks of one another, meaning that at least on paper, anything can happen in this group.
Weston: Truly, this field was designed to give all a sporting chance, all the better for Overthinkers to improve upon their showing in the last World Cup.
Melanie: For the sake of brevity, I agree.
[Melanie runs through the remaining groups, with occasional interjections by Weston. Notably, Weston is thrilled by the uncertainty over whether Sasha of the Dalimbari team is a bear.]
Melanie: Now, before we go to break, we’ve asked our “special analyst” some questions in advance and gotten some prognostications. Let’s hear from our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, given the teams listed, who will win the World Cup?
Ping: Saint Mark.
Melanie: Interesting! Can you elaborate?
Ping: Because I said so.
Melanie: Great! We’ll be right back after the break to introduce you fully to your Overthinkers National Team.
[ad break]
[Coming out of the ad break, a hype video plays. Generic rock song plays as highlights and photos of OT players flash on screen, introducing each member of the starting lineup. It then ends with the Football World Cup graphic.]
Melanie: And we’re back with the Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. We’re taking a look now at our starting lineup.
[A graphic of the full team roster appears on screen.]
Melanie: Eight of last year’s starting eleven return this year, and two of last year’s reserves are starters this year. Altogether, there’s seven players making their World Cup debut, including Jeri M. Anders, who landed a starting role at forward.
Melanie: To truly get to know these players, let’s talk to someone who has been on the world stage with many of them before. We’re joined in the studio by Ian Reid, who is missing this World Cup due to injury. Ian, I know you’d rather be in Ryx with the team, but welcome to the studio.
Ian: Pleasure’s all mine, Melanie.
Melanie: So you’ve seen our roster for this year. Anything that immediately catches your eye here?
Ian: I said after our elimination last year that we had all the ingredients for success, but we weren’t prepared to execute. Seeing so many of the same people here, now with World Cup experience, I can only imagine we’re ready to grind.
Ian: I’ll call out Max Hamilton, here, my replacement. He was a reserve last year, got some play time in, but since then he’s really stepped up his game. He would have given me a run for the starting job even if I were healthy. I think he’s every bit as good as Elle and Ryan in the backfield.
Ian: Jeri, too. Even younger than Lukas and fully earned that starting job next to him. I spend some time at Highland this year and really liked what I saw from her and from that whole program. We’ve got some great younger players coming out of these smaller clubs that can only go up from here.
Weston: The youths also stir the hearts of the nation, displaying some spectacular showmanship on the field that deviates from the team’s normal, reserved strategy.
Ian: Yeah, and I’m torn on that, frankly. These younger players try to be flashy, they try to be heroes, and seeing Lukas go off last year only inflated their egos. This is Coach Luigi’s team, he wants you to defend the ball and score safely. Hopefully he can temper some of that recklessness.
Melanie: While the starters have a lot of experience, the reserves are majority newcomers to international play. What do you make of that?
Ian: They’re new to international play, but they’re not new to football. Petra and Stephen have three rings between them. Joy played for a long time at West and is accustomed to the rise and grind that this team plays. If they can shake off the nerves early, they’ll be just fine.
Melanie: Love it. Thanks for joining us today, Ian, and hope you can get back to the pitch soon.
Ian: Myself and my doctors have differing opinions on that. Cheers.
Melanie: Before we go to break, we have another question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, who will be the Overthinkers team MVP this World Cup?
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: Chris isn’t playing this year.
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: O-kay, stay tuned. After the break, we got a moment with the Overthinking team after they touched down in Ryxenia.
[ad break]
Weston: Welcome back, dear viewers, to the Football World Cup Preview, presented by the incomparable Ping AI. We’d lose our jobs if we actually used this product at SPOT, but that’s our problem, not yours.
Melanie: Ahem. Yes. Earlier this week, the Overthinkers National Team departed from Cangham International Airport and arrived in Ryxenia, the capital of Ryxtylopia. Once the team got through customs, we caught up with them in transit to their lodgings. Let’s hear now from field correspondent Emily Corral.
Emily [voiceover as B-roll plays]: The Overthinkers National Team has arrived in Ryxenia for the third Football World Cup. The city is warm and vibrant, and the streets are lined with football fans, thrilled to have an event of this significance on their home turf.
[Half of a protest sign comes into frame before the scene abruptly changes.]
Emily [now on-camera]: We’ve gotten exclusive access to the team bus as the team travels to one of Ryxenia’s finest hotels. I’m here standing next to Ray Chang, one of the veterans of this team. Ray, how was your trip?
Ray: It was just fine. We all thought the plane ride was shorter than expected, and when we got off, we were surrounded by some of the finest architecture we had ever seen. Like, completely blown away by how beautiful and grandiose everything was. But it turned out we had actually landed in Saint Mark. Our plane had an instrument issue that needed fixing. So by the time we got here to Ryxenia it was…
[Ambassador von Edelgard peeks out from the seat back behind Ray.]
Ray: ...also pretty great. You can tell there’s a lot of money in this place.
[von Edelgard recedes.]
Emily: I see. We now have Coach Wendell Luigi right here. Coach, how is the team feeling after the trip?
Coach: They’re ready to roll. It was a pretty smooth trip, despite the interruption. We’re all super locked in and ready to get practicing.
Emily: Now Coach, we haven’t had a chance to talk to you since Lucille Lyons resigned from the team at the last minute and then dropped off the map. Has there been any impact from that on the team?
Coach: I can’t speak from the players, they’re each dealing in their own way. All I have to say on the matter that’s fit for TV is, you picked a fine time to leave us, Lucille. But we were able to get George called up to fill her slot. The kid’s ecstatic—you can tell it’s a dream come true for him. I want to focus on the positivity of that.
Emily: Understood. You guys are playing Alchera in the first match. Are there any particular strategies you have for them?
Coach: Not particularly. They’re a solid team, we’re about evenly matched from what I saw last year. We will go out there and play our game, and make them play our game too. And we’ll adjust from there.
Emily: Larxia is far and away the strongest team in Group A. Do they give you any concern?
Coach: We only have to worry about them once before the knockouts. We’ll try our hardest, but we’re giving our all in every game.
Emily: Thanks for your time, Coach.
[Cut back to studio.]
Melanie: Thanks, Emily. Now, one more question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Ping, what World Cup team has the potential to be a dark horse this year?
Ping: Kalmach.
Melanie: Good call! Why is that?
Ping: Because I said so.
[ad break]

 

[OOC Context Note: Broadcast the day before Match Day 1.]

Melanie: From SPOT Studios in the heart of Cangham, we bring you the inaugural Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. I’m Melanie Soft, and I’m joined today by my colleague Weston Hall.
Weston: Greetings!
Melanie: Over the next two hours, we’re going to be breaking down the minutiae of the third Football World Cup in Ryxtylopia, and how your very own Overthinkers National Team is preparing. But first, let’s start with the basics. Weston, many of our viewers may be new to the World Cup, how would you explain the tournament in simple terms?
Weston: It really is quite simple, Melanie. Twenty-four teams of gladiators have entered the arena seeking the title and international glory. These teams are comprised of the mightiest champions of the countries they respectively represent. In the interest of narrative, these teams must prove themselves against each other in a series of matches before entering the yet-more-competitive knockout stage.
Weston: To prove themselves thus, teams have been assigned to four groups, each more or less evenly matched in skill to one another, but representing a wide range of skill within each group. Teams shall earn favor with the lords of the tourney by winning matches against their group, or a lesser amount of favor by tying. After each team has tested themselves against every other team in the group, the four teams most favored shall enter into the knockout stage.
[Melanie is smiling at the camera, but the pain behind her eyes is obvious.]
Weston: In the knockout stage, the stakes become higher. Each of these battles becomes a do-or-die situation for our gladiators. The victors live to fight another day, the losers will board a plane back home. We proceed from sixteen to eight, then to four, then finally to the last two teams remaining, who shall fight to claim the World Cup trophy.
Melanie: Great! Now, let’s introduce you to what teams are playing. We start with Group A, which includes Overthinkers.
[Graphic of Group A teams appears onscreen.]
Melanie: Notably, this group includes the hosts, Ryxtylopia, but also includes Larxia, one of the top 5 ranked teams in international play. Besides Larxia, the teams in this group are all either unranked or within 5 ranks of one another, meaning that at least on paper, anything can happen in this group.
Weston: Truly, this field was designed to give all a sporting chance, all the better for Overthinkers to improve upon their showing in the last World Cup.
Melanie: For the sake of brevity, I agree.
[Melanie runs through the remaining groups, with occasional interjections by Weston. Notably, Weston is thrilled by the uncertainty over whether Sasha of the Dalimbari team is a bear.]
Melanie: Now, before we go to break, we’ve asked our “special analyst” some questions in advance and gotten some prognostications. Let’s hear from our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, given the teams listed, who will win the World Cup?
Ping: Saint Mark.
Melanie: Interesting! Can you elaborate?
Ping: Because I said so.
Melanie: Great! We’ll be right back after the break to introduce you fully to your Overthinkers National Team.
[ad break]
[Coming out of the ad break, a hype video plays. Generic rock song plays as highlights and photos of OT players flash on screen, introducing each member of the starting lineup. It then ends with the Football World Cup graphic.]
Melanie: And we’re back with the Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. We’re taking a look now at our starting lineup.
[A graphic of the full team roster appears on screen.]
Melanie: Eight of last year’s starting eleven return this year, and two of last year’s reserves are starters this year. Altogether, there’s seven players making their World Cup debut, including Jeri M. Anders, who landed a starting role at forward.
Melanie: To truly get to know these players, let’s talk to someone who has been on the world stage with many of them before. We’re joined in the studio by Ian Reid, who is missing this World Cup due to injury. Ian, I know you’d rather be in Ryx with the team, but welcome to the studio.
Ian: Pleasure’s all mine, Melanie.
Melanie: So you’ve seen our roster for this year. Anything that immediately catches your eye here?
Ian: I said after our elimination last year that we had all the ingredients for success, but we weren’t prepared to execute. Seeing so many of the same people here, now with World Cup experience, I can only imagine we’re ready to grind.
Ian: I’ll call out Max Hamilton, here, my replacement. He was a reserve last year, got some play time in, but since then he’s really stepped up his game. He would have given me a run for the starting job even if I were healthy. I think he’s every bit as good as Elle and Ryan in the backfield.
Ian: Jeri, too. Even younger than Lukas and fully earned that starting job next to him. I spend some time at Highland this year and really liked what I saw from her and from that whole program. We’ve got some great younger players coming out of these smaller clubs that can only go up from here.
Weston: The youths also stir the hearts of the nation, displaying some spectacular showmanship on the field that deviates from the team’s normal, reserved strategy.
Ian: Yeah, and I’m torn on that, frankly. These younger players try to be flashy, they try to be heroes, and seeing Lukas go off last year only inflated their egos. This is Coach Luigi’s team, he wants you to defend the ball and score safely. Hopefully he can temper some of that recklessness.
Melanie: While the starters have a lot of experience, the reserves are majority newcomers to international play. What do you make of that?
Ian: They’re new to international play, but they’re not new to football. Petra and Stephen have three rings between them. Joy played for a long time at West and is accustomed to the rise and grind that this team plays. If they can shake off the nerves early, they’ll be just fine.
Melanie: Love it. Thanks for joining us today, Ian, and hope you can get back to the pitch soon.
Ian: Myself and my doctors have differing opinions on that. Cheers.
Melanie: Before we go to break, we have another question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, who will be the Overthinkers team MVP this World Cup?
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: Chris isn’t playing this year.
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: O-kay, stay tuned. After the break, we got a moment with the Overthinking team after they touched down in Ryxenia.
[ad break]
Weston: Welcome back, dear viewers, to the Football World Cup Preview, presented by the incomparable Ping AI. We’d lose our jobs if we actually used this product at SPOT, but that’s our problem, not yours.
Melanie: Ahem. Yes. Earlier this week, the Overthinkers National Team departed from Cangham International Airport and arrived in Ryxenia, the capital of Ryxtylopia. Once the team got through customs, we caught up with them in transit to their lodgings. Let’s hear now from field correspondent Emily Corral.
Emily [voiceover as B-roll plays]: The Overthinkers National Team has arrived in Ryxenia for the third Football World Cup. The city is warm and vibrant, and the streets are lined with football fans, thrilled to have an event of this significance on their home turf.
[Half of a protest sign comes into frame before the scene abruptly changes.]
Emily [now on-camera]: We’ve gotten exclusive access to the team bus as the team travels to one of Ryxenia’s finest hotels. I’m here standing next to Ray Chang, one of the veterans of this team. Ray, how was your trip?
Ray: It was just fine. We all thought the plane ride was shorter than expected, and when we got off, we were surrounded by some of the finest architecture we had ever seen. Like, completely blown away by how beautiful and grandiose everything was. But it turned out we had actually landed in Saint Mark. Our plane had an instrument issue that needed fixing. So by the time we got here to Ryxenia it was…
[Ambassador von Edelgard peeks out from the seat back behind Ray.]
Ray: ...also pretty great. You can tell there’s a lot of money in this place.
[von Edelgard recedes.]
Emily: I see. We now have Coach Wendell Luigi right here. Coach, how is the team feeling after the trip?
Coach: They’re ready to roll. It was a pretty smooth trip, despite the interruption. We’re all super locked in and ready to get practicing.
Emily: Now Coach, we haven’t had a chance to talk to you since Lucille Lyons resigned from the team at the last minute and then dropped off the map. Has there been any impact from that on the team?
Coach: I can’t speak from the players, they’re each dealing in their own way. All I have to say on the matter that’s fit for TV is, you picked a fine time to leave us, Lucille. But we were able to get George called up to fill her slot. The kid’s ecstatic—you can tell it’s a dream come true for him. I want to focus on the positivity of that.
Emily: Understood. You guys are playing Alchera in the first match. Are there any particular strategies you have for them?
Coach: Not particularly. They’re a solid team, we’re about evenly matched from what I saw last year. We will go out there and play our game, and make them play our game too. And we’ll adjust from there.
Emily: Larxia is far and away the strongest team in Group A. Do they give you any concern?
Coach: We only have to worry about them once before the knockouts. We’ll try our hardest, but we’re giving our all in every game.
Emily: Thanks for your time, Coach.
[Cut back to studio.]
Melanie: Thanks, Emily. Now, one more question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Ping, what World Cup team has the potential to be a dark horse this year?
Ping: Kalmach.
Melanie: Good call! Why is that?
Ping: Because I said so.
[ad break]

 

[OOC Context Note: Broadcast the day before Match Day 1.]

Melanie: From SPOT Studios in the heart of Cangham, we bring you the inaugural Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. I’m Melanie Soft, and I’m joined today by my colleague Weston Hall.
Weston: Greetings!
Melanie: Over the next two hours, we’re going to be breaking down the minutiae of the third Football World Cup in Ryxtylopia, and how your very own Overthinkers National Team is preparing. But first, let’s start with the basics. Weston, many of our viewers may be new to the World Cup, how would you explain the tournament in simple terms?
Weston: It really is quite simple, Melanie. Twenty-four teams of gladiators have entered the arena seeking the title and international glory. These teams are comprised of the mightiest champions of the countries they respectively represent. In the interest of narrative, these teams must prove themselves against each other in a series of matches before entering the yet-more-competitive knockout stage.
Weston: To prove themselves thus, teams have been assigned to four groups, each more or less evenly matched in skill to one another, but representing a wide range of skill within each group. Teams shall earn favor with the lords of the tourney by winning matches against their group, or a lesser amount of favor by tying. After each team has tested themselves against every other team in the group, the four teams most favored shall enter into the knockout stage.
[Melanie is smiling at the camera, but the pain behind her eyes is obvious.]
Weston: In the knockout stage, the stakes become higher. Each of these battles becomes a do-or-die situation for our gladiators. The victors live to fight another day, the losers will board a plane back home. We proceed from sixteen to eight, then to four, then finally to the last two teams remaining, who shall fight to claim the World Cup trophy.
Melanie: Great! Now, let’s introduce you to what teams are playing. We start with Group A, which includes Overthinkers.
[Graphic of Group A teams appears onscreen.]
Melanie: Notably, this group includes the hosts, Ryxtylopia, but also includes Larxia, one of the top 5 ranked teams in international play. Besides Larxia, the teams in this group are all either unranked or within 5 ranks of one another, meaning that at least on paper, anything can happen in this group.
Weston: Truly, this field was designed to give all a sporting chance, all the better for Overthinkers to improve upon their showing in the last World Cup.
Melanie: For the sake of brevity, I agree.
[Melanie runs through the remaining groups, with occasional interjections by Weston. Notably, Weston is thrilled by the uncertainty over whether Sasha of the Dalimbari team is a bear.]
Melanie: Now, before we go to break, we’ve asked our “special analyst” some questions in advance and gotten some prognostications. Let’s hear from our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, given the teams listed, who will win the World Cup?
Ping: Saint Mark.
Melanie: Interesting! Can you elaborate?
Ping: Because I said so.
Melanie: Great! We’ll be right back after the break to introduce you fully to your Overthinkers National Team.
[ad break]
[Coming out of the ad break, a hype video plays. Generic rock song plays as highlights and photos of OT players flash on screen, introducing each member of the starting lineup. It then ends with the Football World Cup graphic.]
Melanie: And we’re back with the Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. We’re taking a look now at our starting lineup.
[A graphic of the full team roster appears on screen.]
Melanie: Eight of last year’s starting eleven return this year, and two of last year’s reserves are starters this year. Altogether, there’s seven players making their World Cup debut, including Jeri M. Anders, who landed a starting role at forward.
Melanie: To truly get to know these players, let’s talk to someone who has been on the world stage with many of them before. We’re joined in the studio by Ian Reid, who is missing this World Cup due to injury. Ian, I know you’d rather be in Ryx with the team, but welcome to the studio.
Ian: Pleasure’s all mine, Melanie.
Melanie: So you’ve seen our roster for this year. Anything that immediately catches your eye here?
Ian: I said after our elimination last year that we had all the ingredients for success, but we weren’t prepared to execute. Seeing so many of the same people here, now with World Cup experience, I can only imagine we’re ready to grind.
Ian: I’ll call out Max Hamilton, here, my replacement. He was a reserve last year, got some play time in, but since then he’s really stepped up his game. He would have given me a run for the starting job even if I were healthy. I think he’s every bit as good as Elle and Ryan in the backfield.
Ian: Jeri, too. Even younger than Lukas and fully earned that starting job next to him. I spend some time at Highland this year and really liked what I saw from her and from that whole program. We’ve got some great younger players coming out of these smaller clubs that can only go up from here.
Weston: The youths also stir the hearts of the nation, displaying some spectacular showmanship on the field that deviates from the team’s normal, reserved strategy.
Ian: Yeah, and I’m torn on that, frankly. These younger players try to be flashy, they try to be heroes, and seeing Lukas go off last year only inflated their egos. This is Coach Luigi’s team, he wants you to defend the ball and score safely. Hopefully he can temper some of that recklessness.
Melanie: While the starters have a lot of experience, the reserves are majority newcomers to international play. What do you make of that?
Ian: They’re new to international play, but they’re not new to football. Petra and Stephen have three rings between them. Joy played for a long time at West and is accustomed to the rise and grind that this team plays. If they can shake off the nerves early, they’ll be just fine.
Melanie: Love it. Thanks for joining us today, Ian, and hope you can get back to the pitch soon.
Ian: Myself and my doctors have differing opinions on that. Cheers.
Melanie: Before we go to break, we have another question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, who will be the Overthinkers team MVP this World Cup?
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: Chris isn’t playing this year.
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: O-kay, stay tuned. After the break, we got a moment with the Overthinking team after they touched down in Ryxenia.
[ad break]
Weston: Welcome back, dear viewers, to the Football World Cup Preview, presented by the incomparable Ping AI. We’d lose our jobs if we actually used this product at SPOT, but that’s our problem, not yours.
Melanie: Ahem. Yes. Earlier this week, the Overthinkers National Team departed from Cangham International Airport and arrived in Ryxenia, the capital of Ryxtylopia. Once the team got through customs, we caught up with them in transit to their lodgings. Let’s hear now from field correspondent Emily Corral.
Emily [voiceover as B-roll plays]: The Overthinkers National Team has arrived in Ryxenia for the third Football World Cup. The city is warm and vibrant, and the streets are lined with football fans, thrilled to have an event of this significance on their home turf.
[Half of a protest sign comes into frame before the scene abruptly changes.]
Emily [now on-camera]: We’ve gotten exclusive access to the team bus as the team travels to one of Ryxenia’s finest hotels. I’m here standing next to Ray Chang, one of the veterans of this team. Ray, how was your trip?
Ray: It was just fine. We all thought the plane ride was shorter than expected, and when we got off, we were surrounded by some of the finest architecture we had ever seen. Like, completely blown away by how beautiful and grandiose everything was. But it turned out we had actually landed in Saint Mark. Our plane had an instrument issue that needed fixing. So by the time we got here to Ryxenia it was…
[Ambassador von Edelgard peeks out from the seat back behind Ray.]
Ray: ...also pretty great. You can tell there’s a lot of money in this place.
[von Edelgard recedes.]
Emily: I see. We now have Coach Wendell Luigi right here. Coach, how is the team feeling after the trip?
Coach: They’re ready to roll. It was a pretty smooth trip, despite the interruption. We’re all super locked in and ready to get practicing.
Emily: Now Coach, we haven’t had a chance to talk to you since Lucille Lyons resigned from the team at the last minute and then dropped off the map. Has there been any impact from that on the team?
Coach: I can’t speak from the players, they’re each dealing in their own way. All I have to say on the matter that’s fit for TV is, you picked a fine time to leave us, Lucille. But we were able to get George called up to fill her slot. The kid’s ecstatic—you can tell it’s a dream come true for him. I want to focus on the positivity of that.
Emily: Understood. You guys are playing Alchera in the first match. Are there any particular strategies you have for them?
Coach: Not particularly. They’re a solid team, we’re about evenly matched from what I saw last year. We will go out there and play our game, and make them play our game too. And we’ll adjust from there.
Emily: Larxia is far and away the strongest team in Group A. Do they give you any concern?
Coach: We only have to worry about them once before the knockouts. We’ll try our hardest, but we’re giving our all in every game.
Emily: Thanks for your time, Coach.
[Cut back to studio.]
Melanie: Thanks, Emily. Now, one more question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Ping, what World Cup team has the potential to be a dark horse this year?
Ping: Kalmach.
Melanie: Good call! Why is that?
Ping: Because I said so.
[ad break]

 

[OOC Context Note: Broadcast the day before Match Day 1.]

Melanie: From SPOT Studios in the heart of Cangham, we bring you the inaugural Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. I’m Melanie Soft, and I’m joined today by my colleague Weston Hall.
Weston: Greetings!
Melanie: Over the next two hours, we’re going to be breaking down the minutiae of the third Football World Cup in Ryxtylopia, and how your very own Overthinkers National Team is preparing. But first, let’s start with the basics. Weston, many of our viewers may be new to the World Cup, how would you explain the tournament in simple terms?
Weston: It really is quite simple, Melanie. Twenty-four teams of gladiators have entered the arena seeking the title and international glory. These teams are comprised of the mightiest champions of the countries they respectively represent. In the interest of narrative, these teams must prove themselves against each other in a series of matches before entering the yet-more-competitive knockout stage.
Weston: To prove themselves thus, teams have been assigned to four groups, each more or less evenly matched in skill to one another, but representing a wide range of skill within each group. Teams shall earn favor with the lords of the tourney by winning matches against their group, or a lesser amount of favor by tying. After each team has tested themselves against every other team in the group, the four teams most favored shall enter into the knockout stage.
[Melanie is smiling at the camera, but the pain behind her eyes is obvious.]
Weston: In the knockout stage, the stakes become higher. Each of these battles becomes a do-or-die situation for our gladiators. The victors live to fight another day, the losers will board a plane back home. We proceed from sixteen to eight, then to four, then finally to the last two teams remaining, who shall fight to claim the World Cup trophy.
Melanie: Great! Now, let’s introduce you to what teams are playing. We start with Group A, which includes Overthinkers.
[Graphic of Group A teams appears onscreen.]
Melanie: Notably, this group includes the hosts, Ryxtylopia, but also includes Larxia, one of the top 5 ranked teams in international play. Besides Larxia, the teams in this group are all either unranked or within 5 ranks of one another, meaning that at least on paper, anything can happen in this group.
Weston: Truly, this field was designed to give all a sporting chance, all the better for Overthinkers to improve upon their showing in the last World Cup.
Melanie: For the sake of brevity, I agree.
[Melanie runs through the remaining groups, with occasional interjections by Weston. Notably, Weston is thrilled by the uncertainty over whether Sasha of the Dalimbari team is a bear.]
Melanie: Now, before we go to break, we’ve asked our “special analyst” some questions in advance and gotten some prognostications. Let’s hear from our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, given the teams listed, who will win the World Cup?
Ping: Saint Mark.
Melanie: Interesting! Can you elaborate?
Ping: Because I said so.
Melanie: Great! We’ll be right back after the break to introduce you fully to your Overthinkers National Team.
[ad break]
[Coming out of the ad break, a hype video plays. Generic rock song plays as highlights and photos of OT players flash on screen, introducing each member of the starting lineup. It then ends with the Football World Cup graphic.]
Melanie: And we’re back with the Football World Cup Preview, presented by Ping AI. We’re taking a look now at our starting lineup.
[A graphic of the full team roster appears on screen.]
Melanie: Eight of last year’s starting eleven return this year, and two of last year’s reserves are starters this year. Altogether, there’s seven players making their World Cup debut, including Jeri M. Anders, who landed a starting role at forward.
Melanie: To truly get to know these players, let’s talk to someone who has been on the world stage with many of them before. We’re joined in the studio by Ian Reid, who is missing this World Cup due to injury. Ian, I know you’d rather be in Ryx with the team, but welcome to the studio.
Ian: Pleasure’s all mine, Melanie.
Melanie: So you’ve seen our roster for this year. Anything that immediately catches your eye here?
Ian: I said after our elimination last year that we had all the ingredients for success, but we weren’t prepared to execute. Seeing so many of the same people here, now with World Cup experience, I can only imagine we’re ready to grind.
Ian: I’ll call out Max Hamilton, here, my replacement. He was a reserve last year, got some play time in, but since then he’s really stepped up his game. He would have given me a run for the starting job even if I were healthy. I think he’s every bit as good as Elle and Ryan in the backfield.
Ian: Jeri, too. Even younger than Lukas and fully earned that starting job next to him. I spend some time at Highland this year and really liked what I saw from her and from that whole program. We’ve got some great younger players coming out of these smaller clubs that can only go up from here.
Weston: The youths also stir the hearts of the nation, displaying some spectacular showmanship on the field that deviates from the team’s normal, reserved strategy.
Ian: Yeah, and I’m torn on that, frankly. These younger players try to be flashy, they try to be heroes, and seeing Lukas go off last year only inflated their egos. This is Coach Luigi’s team, he wants you to defend the ball and score safely. Hopefully he can temper some of that recklessness.
Melanie: While the starters have a lot of experience, the reserves are majority newcomers to international play. What do you make of that?
Ian: They’re new to international play, but they’re not new to football. Petra and Stephen have three rings between them. Joy played for a long time at West and is accustomed to the rise and grind that this team plays. If they can shake off the nerves early, they’ll be just fine.
Melanie: Love it. Thanks for joining us today, Ian, and hope you can get back to the pitch soon.
Ian: Myself and my doctors have differing opinions on that. Cheers.
Melanie: Before we go to break, we have another question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Hey Ping, who will be the Overthinkers team MVP this World Cup?
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: Chris isn’t playing this year.
Ping: Chris Peterson.
Melanie: O-kay, stay tuned. After the break, we got a moment with the Overthinking team after they touched down in Ryxenia.
[ad break]
Weston: Welcome back, dear viewers, to the Football World Cup Preview, presented by the incomparable Ping AI. We’d lose our jobs if we actually used this product at SPOT, but that’s our problem, not yours.
Melanie: Ahem. Yes. Earlier this week, the Overthinkers National Team departed from Cangham International Airport and arrived in Ryxenia, the capital of Ryxtylopia. Once the team got through customs, we caught up with them in transit to their lodgings. Let’s hear now from field correspondent Emily Corral.
Emily [voiceover as B-roll plays]: The Overthinkers National Team has arrived in Ryxenia for the third Football World Cup. The city is warm and vibrant, and the streets are lined with football fans, thrilled to have an event of this significance on their home turf.
[Half of a protest sign comes into frame before the scene abruptly changes.]
Emily [now on-camera]: We’ve gotten exclusive access to the team bus as the team travels to one of Ryxenia’s finest hotels. I’m here standing next to Ray Chang, one of the veterans of this team. Ray, how was your trip?
Ray: It was just fine. We all thought the plane ride was shorter than expected, and when we got off, we were surrounded by some of the finest architecture we had ever seen. Like, completely blown away by how beautiful and grandiose everything was. But it turned out we had actually landed in Saint Mark. Our plane had an instrument issue that needed fixing. So by the time we got here to Ryxenia it was…
[Ambassador von Edelgard peeks out from the seat back behind Ray.]
Ray: ...also pretty great. You can tell there’s a lot of money in this place.
[von Edelgard recedes.]
Emily: I see. We now have Coach Wendell Luigi right here. Coach, how is the team feeling after the trip?
Coach: They’re ready to roll. It was a pretty smooth trip, despite the interruption. We’re all super locked in and ready to get practicing.
Emily: Now Coach, we haven’t had a chance to talk to you since Lucille Lyons resigned from the team at the last minute and then dropped off the map. Has there been any impact from that on the team?
Coach: I can’t speak from the players, they’re each dealing in their own way. All I have to say on the matter that’s fit for TV is, you picked a fine time to leave us, Lucille. But we were able to get George called up to fill her slot. The kid’s ecstatic—you can tell it’s a dream come true for him. I want to focus on the positivity of that.
Emily: Understood. You guys are playing Alchera in the first match. Are there any particular strategies you have for them?
Coach: Not particularly. They’re a solid team, we’re about evenly matched from what I saw last year. We will go out there and play our game, and make them play our game too. And we’ll adjust from there.
Emily: Larxia is far and away the strongest team in Group A. Do they give you any concern?
Coach: We only have to worry about them once before the knockouts. We’ll try our hardest, but we’re giving our all in every game.
Emily: Thanks for your time, Coach.
[Cut back to studio.]
Melanie: Thanks, Emily. Now, one more question for our sponsor, Ping AI. Ping, what World Cup team has the potential to be a dark horse this year?
Ping: Kalmach.
Melanie: Good call! Why is that?
Ping: Because I said so.
[ad break]

 

Overthinkers National Football Team
Overview
The Overthinkers National Football Team returns to the international stage, intent to run it back a second time under veteran coach Wendell Luigi. 7 new faces grace the roster, but the team remains star-studded—bringing back dynamic defender duo Elle Colossus and Ryan Peck, not to mention Lukas Reeves, the kid from Cargan who captured Overthinkers' hearts.
Team Information
Style Mod: -2.4
Head Coach: Wendell A. Luigi (Brunnes FC) 
Home Stadium: Gladius World Stadium, Cangham (capacity 59,993)
 
Roster
#
Player
Position
Club
Hometown
Starters
2  
Barker, Emmy
Goalkeeper
Brunnes FC
Exvia
5  
Chang, Ray
Defender
Cangham West
Aurum
6  
Hamilton, Max
Defender
Aurum Union
Hestmere
9  
Colossus, Elle
Defender
Brunnes FC
Brunnes
11  
Peck, Ryan
Defender
Brunnes FC
Cangham
17  
Wilkins, Peter
Midfielder
Hestmere
Brunnes
21  
Cobb, Amie
Midfielder
Cangham West
Occida
29  
Poole, Cain
Midfielder
Cangham North
Cangham
30  
Rollins, Karli
Midfielder
FC Worth
Bellman
42  
Anders, Jeri*
Forward
Highland FC
Finnes
49  
Reeves, Lukas
Forward/Mid
Cargan Valley
Cargan
Reserves
1  
Allen, Alan*
Goalkeeper
Hestmere
Aurum
4  
Donovan, Jen
Goalkeeper
FC Worth
Occida
8  
Tiers, Stephen*
Defender
Brunnes FC
Exvia
11  
Bryan, Hamilton*
Defender
Aurum Union
Aurum
15  
Miranda, Anika
Defender Francoist        
Aurum Legion
Anders
22  
Nephropida, Petra*         
Midfielder
Cangham North                 
Cangham
26  
Cannon, George*
Midfielder
FC Worth
Worth
41  
Gerano, Kyle
Forward
Cangham West
Aurum
46  
Bering, Joy*
Forward
Highland FC
Coard
    *denotes players making their first FWC appearance
 
Kit

The special kits for FWC3 have been produced in cooperation with Quentin Code, the official sportswear sponsor of OT Football.
 
RP Permissions
Injure my players: Yes
Assign my players yellow cards: Yes
Assign my players red cards: Yes
Godmodding: Consult first
 

Overthinkers National Football Team
Overview
The Overthinkers National Football Team returns to the international stage, intent to run it back a second time under veteran coach Wendell Luigi. 7 new faces grace the roster, but the team remains star-studded—bringing back dynamic defender duo Elle Colossus and Ryan Peck, not to mention Lukas Reeves, the kid from Cargan who captured Overthinkers' hearts.
Team Information
Style Mod: -2.4
Head Coach: Wendell A. Luigi (Brunnes FC) 
Home Stadium: Gladius World Stadium, Cangham (capacity 59,993)
 
Roster
#
Player
Position
Club
Hometown
Starters
2  
Barker, Emmy
Goalkeeper
Brunnes FC
Exvia
5  
Chang, Ray
Defender
Cangham West
Aurum
6  
Hamilton, Max
Defender
Aurum Union
Hestmere
9  
Colossus, Elle
Defender
Brunnes FC
Brunnes
11  
Peck, Ryan
Defender
Brunnes FC
Cangham
17  
Wilkins, Peter
Midfielder
Hestmere
Brunnes
21  
Cobb, Amie
Midfielder
Cangham West
Occida
29  
Poole, Cain
Midfielder
Cangham North
Cangham
30  
Rollins, Karli
Midfielder
FC Worth
Bellman
42  
Anders, Jeri*
Forward
Highland FC
Finnes
49  
Reeves, Lukas
Forward/Mid
Cargan Valley
Cargan
Reserves
1  
Allen, Alan*
Goalkeeper
Hestmere
Aurum
4  
Donovan, Jen
Goalkeeper
FC Worth
Occida
8  
Tiers, Stephen*
Defender
Brunnes FC
Exvia
11  
Bryan, Hamilton*
Defender
Aurum Union
Aurum
15  
Miranda, Anika
Defender Francoist        
Aurum Legion
Anders
22  
Nephropida, Petra*         
Midfielder
Cangham North                 
Cangham
26  
Cannon, George*
Midfielder
FC Worth
Worth
41  
Gerano, Kyle
Forward
Cangham West
Aurum
46  
Bering, Joy*
Forward
Highland FC
Coard
    *denotes players making their first FWC appearance
 
Kit

The special kits for FWC3 have been produced in cooperation with Quentin Code, the official sportswear sponsor of OT Football.
 
RP Permissions
Injure my players: Yes
Assign my players yellow cards: Yes
Assign my players red cards: Yes
Godmodding: Consult first
 

Overthinkers National Football Team
Overview
The Overthinkers National Football Team returns to the international stage, intent to run it back a second time under veteran coach Wendell Luigi. 7 new faces grace the roster, but the team remains star-studded—bringing back dynamic defender duo Elle Colossus and Ryan Peck, not to mention Lukas Reeves, the kid from Cargan who captured Overthinkers' hearts.
Team Information
Style Mod: -2.4
Head Coach: Wendell A. Luigi (Brunnes FC) 
Home Stadium: Gladius World Stadium, Cangham (capacity 59,993)
 
Roster
#
Player
Position
Club
Hometown
Starters
2  
Barker, Emmy
Goalkeeper
Brunnes FC
Exvia
5  
Chang, Ray
Defender
Cangham West
Aurum
6  
Hamilton, Max
Defender
Aurum Union
Hestmere
9  
Colossus, Elle
Defender
Brunnes FC
Brunnes
11  
Peck, Ryan
Defender
Brunnes FC
Cangham
17  
Wilkins, Peter
Midfielder
Hestmere
Brunnes
21  
Cobb, Amie
Midfielder
Cangham West
Occida
29  
Poole, Cain
Midfielder
Cangham North
Cangham
30  
Rollins, Karli
Midfielder
FC Worth
Bellman
42  
Anders, Jeri*
Forward
Highland FC
Finnes
49  
Reeves, Lukas
Forward/Mid
Cargan Valley
Cargan
Reserves
1  
Allen, Alan*
Goalkeeper
Hestmere
Aurum
4  
Donovan, Jen
Goalkeeper
FC Worth
Occida
8  
Tiers, Stephen*
Defender
Brunnes FC
Exvia
11  
Bryan, Hamilton*
Defender
Aurum Union
Aurum
15  
Miranda, Anika
Defender Francoist        
Aurum Legion
Anders
22  
Nephropida, Petra*         
Midfielder
Cangham North                 
Cangham
26  
Cannon, George*
Midfielder
FC Worth
Worth
41  
Gerano, Kyle
Forward
Cangham West
Aurum
46  
Bering, Joy*
Forward
Highland FC
Coard
    *denotes players making their first FWC appearance
 
Kit

The special kits for FWC3 have been produced in cooperation with Quentin Code, the official sportswear sponsor of OT Football.
 
RP Permissions
Injure my players: Yes
Assign my players yellow cards: Yes
Assign my players red cards: Yes
Godmodding: Consult first
 

Overthinkers National Football Team
Overview
The Overthinkers National Football Team returns to the international stage, intent to run it back a second time under veteran coach Wendell Luigi. 7 new faces grace the roster, but the team remains star-studded—bringing back dynamic defender duo Elle Colossus and Ryan Peck, not to mention Lukas Reeves, the kid from Cargan who captured Overthinkers' hearts.
Team Information
Style Mod: -2.4
Head Coach: Wendell A. Luigi (Brunnes FC) 
Home Stadium: Gladius World Stadium, Cangham (capacity 59,993)
 
Roster
#
Player
Position
Club
Hometown
Starters
2  
Barker, Emmy
Goalkeeper
Brunnes FC
Exvia
5  
Chang, Ray
Defender
Cangham West
Aurum
6  
Hamilton, Max
Defender
Aurum Union
Hestmere
9  
Colossus, Elle
Defender
Brunnes FC
Brunnes
11  
Peck, Ryan
Defender
Brunnes FC
Cangham
17  
Wilkins, Peter
Midfielder
Hestmere
Brunnes
21  
Cobb, Amie
Midfielder
Cangham West
Occida
29  
Poole, Cain
Midfielder
Cangham North
Cangham
30  
Rollins, Karli
Midfielder
FC Worth
Bellman
42  
Anders, Jeri*
Forward
Highland FC
Finnes
49  
Reeves, Lukas
Forward/Mid
Cargan Valley
Cargan
Reserves
1  
Allen, Alan*
Goalkeeper
Hestmere
Aurum
4  
Donovan, Jen
Goalkeeper
FC Worth
Occida
8  
Tiers, Stephen*
Defender
Brunnes FC
Exvia
11  
Bryan, Hamilton*
Defender
Aurum Union
Aurum
15  
Miranda, Anika
Defender Francoist        
Aurum Legion
Anders
22  
Nephropida, Petra*         
Midfielder
Cangham North                 
Cangham
26  
Cannon, George*
Midfielder
FC Worth
Worth
41  
Gerano, Kyle
Forward
Cangham West
Aurum
46  
Bering, Joy*
Forward
Highland FC
Coard
    *denotes players making their first FWC appearance
 
Kit

The special kits for FWC3 have been produced in cooperation with Quentin Code, the official sportswear sponsor of OT Football.
 
RP Permissions
Injure my players: Yes
Assign my players yellow cards: Yes
Assign my players red cards: Yes
Godmodding: Consult first
 

Overthinkers National Football Team
Overview
The Overthinkers National Football Team returns to the international stage, intent to run it back a second time under veteran coach Wendell Luigi. 7 new faces grace the roster, but the team remains star-studded—bringing back dynamic defender duo Elle Colossus and Ryan Peck, not to mention Lukas Reeves, the kid from Cargan who captured Overthinkers' hearts.
Team Information
Style Mod: -2.4
Head Coach: Wendell A. Luigi (Brunnes FC) 
Home Stadium: Gladius World Stadium, Cangham (capacity 59,993)
 
Roster
#
Player
Position
Club
Hometown
Starters
2  
Barker, Emmy
Goalkeeper
Brunnes FC
Exvia
5  
Chang, Ray
Defender
Cangham West
Aurum
6  
Hamilton, Max
Defender
Aurum Union
Hestmere
9  
Colossus, Elle
Defender
Brunnes FC
Brunnes
11  
Peck, Ryan
Defender
Brunnes FC
Cangham
17  
Wilkins, Peter
Midfielder
Hestmere
Brunnes
21  
Cobb, Amie
Midfielder
Cangham West
Occida
29  
Poole, Cain
Midfielder
Cangham North
Cangham
30  
Rollins, Karli
Midfielder
FC Worth
Bellman
42  
Anders, Jeri*
Forward
Highland FC
Finnes
49  
Reeves, Lukas
Forward/Mid
Cargan Valley
Cargan
Reserves
1  
Allen, Alan*
Goalkeeper
Hestmere
Aurum
4  
Donovan, Jen
Goalkeeper
FC Worth
Occida
8  
Tiers, Stephen*
Defender
Brunnes FC
Exvia
11  
Bryan, Hamilton*
Defender
Aurum Union
Aurum
15  
Miranda, Anika
Defender Francoist        
Aurum Legion
Anders
22  
Nephropida, Petra*         
Midfielder
Cangham North                 
Cangham
26  
Cannon, George*
Midfielder
FC Worth
Worth
41  
Gerano, Kyle
Forward
Cangham West
Aurum
46  
Bering, Joy*
Forward
Highland FC
Coard
    *denotes players making their first FWC appearance
 
Kit

The special kits for FWC3 have been produced in cooperation with Quentin Code, the official sportswear sponsor of OT Football.
 
RP Permissions
Injure my players: Yes
Assign my players yellow cards: Yes
Assign my players red cards: Yes
Godmodding: Consult first
 

Overthinkers National Football Team
Overview
The Overthinkers National Football Team returns to the international stage, intent to run it back a second time under veteran coach Wendell Luigi. 7 new faces grace the roster, but the team remains star-studded—bringing back dynamic defender duo Elle Colossus and Ryan Peck, not to mention Lukas Reeves, the kid from Cargan who captured Overthinkers' hearts.
Team Information
Style Mod: -2.4
Head Coach: Wendell A. Luigi (Brunnes FC) 
Home Stadium: Gladius World Stadium, Cangham (capacity 59,993)
 
Roster
#
Player
Position
Club
Hometown
Starters
2  
Barker, Emmy
Goalkeeper
Brunnes FC
Exvia
5  
Chang, Ray
Defender
Cangham West
Aurum
6  
Hamilton, Max
Defender
Aurum Union
Hestmere
9  
Colossus, Elle
Defender
Brunnes FC
Brunnes
11  
Peck, Ryan
Defender
Brunnes FC
Cangham
17  
Wilkins, Peter
Midfielder
Hestmere
Brunnes
21  
Cobb, Amie
Midfielder
Cangham West
Occida
29  
Poole, Cain
Midfielder
Cangham North
Cangham
30  
Rollins, Karli
Midfielder
FC Worth
Bellman
42  
Anders, Jeri*
Forward
Highland FC
Finnes
49  
Reeves, Lukas
Forward/Mid
Cargan Valley
Cargan
Reserves
1  
Allen, Alan*
Goalkeeper
Hestmere
Aurum
4  
Donovan, Jen
Goalkeeper
FC Worth
Occida
8  
Tiers, Stephen*
Defender
Brunnes FC
Exvia
11  
Bryan, Hamilton*
Defender
Aurum Union
Aurum
15  
Miranda, Anika
Defender Francoist        
Aurum Legion
Anders
22  
Nephropida, Petra*         
Midfielder
Cangham North                 
Cangham
26  
Cannon, George*
Midfielder
FC Worth
Worth
41  
Gerano, Kyle
Forward
Cangham West
Aurum
46  
Bering, Joy*
Forward
Highland FC
Coard
    *denotes players making their first FWC appearance
 
Kit

The special kits for FWC3 have been produced in cooperation with Quentin Code, the official sportswear sponsor of OT Football.
 
RP Permissions
Injure my players: Yes
Assign my players yellow cards: Yes
Assign my players red cards: Yes
Godmodding: Consult first
 

Overthinkers National Football Team
Overview
The Overthinkers National Football Team returns to the international stage, intent to run it back a second time under veteran coach Wendell Luigi. 7 new faces grace the roster, but the team remains star-studded—bringing back dynamic defender duo Elle Colossus and Ryan Peck, not to mention Lukas Reeves, the kid from Cargan who captured Overthinkers' hearts.
Team Information
Style Mod: -2.4
Head Coach: Wendell A. Luigi (Brunnes FC) 
Home Stadium: Gladius World Stadium, Cangham (capacity 59,993)
 
Roster
#
Player
Position
Club
Hometown
Starters
2  
Barker, Emmy
Goalkeeper
Brunnes FC
Exvia
5  
Chang, Ray
Defender
Cangham West
Aurum
6  
Hamilton, Max
Defender
Aurum Union
Hestmere
9  
Colossus, Elle
Defender
Brunnes FC
Brunnes
11  
Peck, Ryan
Defender
Brunnes FC
Cangham
17  
Wilkins, Peter
Midfielder
Hestmere
Brunnes
21  
Cobb, Amie
Midfielder
Cangham West
Occida
29  
Poole, Cain
Midfielder
Cangham North
Cangham
30  
Rollins, Karli
Midfielder
FC Worth
Bellman
42  
Anders, Jeri*
Forward
Highland FC
Finnes
49  
Reeves, Lukas
Forward/Mid
Cargan Valley
Cargan
Reserves
1  
Allen, Alan*
Goalkeeper
Hestmere
Aurum
4  
Donovan, Jen
Goalkeeper
FC Worth
Occida
8  
Tiers, Stephen*
Defender
Brunnes FC
Exvia
11  
Bryan, Hamilton*
Defender
Aurum Union
Aurum
15  
Miranda, Anika
Defender Francoist        
Aurum Legion
Anders
22  
Nephropida, Petra*         
Midfielder
Cangham North                 
Cangham
26  
Cannon, George*
Midfielder
FC Worth
Worth
41  
Gerano, Kyle
Forward
Cangham West
Aurum
46  
Bering, Joy*
Forward
Highland FC
Coard
    *denotes players making their first FWC appearance
 
Kit

The special kits for FWC3 have been produced in cooperation with Quentin Code, the official sportswear sponsor of OT Football.
 
RP Permissions
Injure my players: Yes
Assign my players yellow cards: Yes
Assign my players red cards: Yes
Godmodding: Consult first
 

Overthinkers National Football Team
Overview
The Overthinkers National Football Team returns to the international stage, intent to run it back a second time under veteran coach Wendell Luigi. 7 new faces grace the roster, but the team remains star-studded—bringing back dynamic defender duo Elle Colossus and Ryan Peck, not to mention Lukas Reeves, the kid from Cargan who captured Overthinkers' hearts.
Team Information
Style Mod: -2.4
Head Coach: Wendell A. Luigi (Brunnes FC) 
Home Stadium: Gladius World Stadium, Cangham (capacity 59,993)
 
Roster
#
Player
Position
Club
Hometown
Starters
2  
Barker, Emmy
Goalkeeper
Brunnes FC
Exvia
5  
Chang, Ray
Defender
Cangham West
Aurum
6  
Hamilton, Max
Defender
Aurum Union
Hestmere
9  
Colossus, Elle
Defender
Brunnes FC
Brunnes
11  
Peck, Ryan
Defender
Brunnes FC
Cangham
17  
Wilkins, Peter
Midfielder
Hestmere
Brunnes
21  
Cobb, Amie
Midfielder
Cangham West
Occida
29  
Poole, Cain
Midfielder
Cangham North
Cangham
30  
Rollins, Karli
Midfielder
FC Worth
Bellman
42  
Anders, Jeri*
Forward
Highland FC
Finnes
49  
Reeves, Lukas
Forward/Mid
Cargan Valley
Cargan
Reserves
1  
Allen, Alan*
Goalkeeper
Hestmere
Aurum
4  
Donovan, Jen
Goalkeeper
FC Worth
Occida
8  
Tiers, Stephen*
Defender
Brunnes FC
Exvia
11  
Bryan, Hamilton*
Defender
Aurum Union
Aurum
15  
Miranda, Anika
Defender Francoist        
Aurum Legion
Anders
22  
Nephropida, Petra*         
Midfielder
Cangham North                 
Cangham
26  
Cannon, George*
Midfielder
FC Worth
Worth
41  
Gerano, Kyle
Forward
Cangham West
Aurum
46  
Bering, Joy*
Forward
Highland FC
Coard
    *denotes players making their first FWC appearance
 
Kit

The special kits for FWC3 have been produced in cooperation with Quentin Code, the official sportswear sponsor of OT Football.
 
RP Permissions
Injure my players: Yes
Assign my players yellow cards: Yes
Assign my players red cards: Yes
Godmodding: Consult first
 

Overthinkers National Football Team
Overview
The Overthinkers National Football Team returns to the international stage, intent to run it back a second time under veteran coach Wendell Luigi. 7 new faces grace the roster, but the team remains star-studded—bringing back dynamic defender duo Elle Colossus and Ryan Peck, not to mention Lukas Reeves, the kid from Cargan who captured Overthinkers' hearts.
Team Information
Style Mod: -2.4
Head Coach: Wendell A. Luigi (Brunnes FC) 
Home Stadium: Gladius World Stadium, Cangham (capacity 59,993)
 
Roster
#
Player
Position
Club
Hometown
Starters
2  
Barker, Emmy
Goalkeeper
Brunnes FC
Exvia
5  
Chang, Ray
Defender
Cangham West
Aurum
6  
Hamilton, Max
Defender
Aurum Union
Hestmere
9  
Colossus, Elle
Defender
Brunnes FC
Brunnes
11  
Peck, Ryan
Defender
Brunnes FC
Cangham
17  
Wilkins, Peter
Midfielder
Hestmere
Brunnes
21  
Cobb, Amie
Midfielder
Cangham West
Occida
29  
Poole, Cain
Midfielder
Cangham North
Cangham
30  
Rollins, Karli
Midfielder
FC Worth
Bellman
42  
Anders, Jeri*
Forward
Highland FC
Finnes
49  
Reeves, Lukas
Forward/Mid
Cargan Valley
Cargan
Reserves
1  
Allen, Alan*
Goalkeeper
Hestmere
Aurum
4  
Donovan, Jen
Goalkeeper
FC Worth
Occida
8  
Tiers, Stephen*
Defender
Brunnes FC
Exvia
11  
Bryan, Hamilton*
Defender
Aurum Union
Aurum
15  
Miranda, Anika
Defender Francoist        
Aurum Legion
Anders
22  
Nephropida, Petra*         
Midfielder
Cangham North                 
Cangham
26  
Cannon, George*
Midfielder
FC Worth
Worth
41  
Gerano, Kyle
Forward
Cangham West
Aurum
46  
Bering, Joy*
Forward
Highland FC
Coard
    *denotes players making their first FWC appearance
 
Kit

The special kits for FWC3 have been produced in cooperation with Quentin Code, the official sportswear sponsor of OT Football.
 
RP Permissions
Injure my players: Yes
Assign my players yellow cards: Yes
Assign my players red cards: Yes
Godmodding: Consult first
 

Overthinkers National Football Team
Overview
The Overthinkers National Football Team returns to the international stage, intent to run it back a second time under veteran coach Wendell Luigi. 7 new faces grace the roster, but the team remains star-studded—bringing back dynamic defender duo Elle Colossus and Ryan Peck, not to mention Lukas Reeves, the kid from Cargan who captured Overthinkers' hearts.
Team Information
Style Mod: -2.4
Head Coach: Wendell A. Luigi (Brunnes FC) 
Home Stadium: Gladius World Stadium, Cangham (capacity 59,993)
 
Roster
#
Player
Position
Club
Hometown
Starters
2  
Barker, Emmy
Goalkeeper
Brunnes FC
Exvia
5  
Chang, Ray
Defender
Cangham West
Aurum
6  
Hamilton, Max
Defender
Aurum Union
Hestmere
9  
Colossus, Elle
Defender
Brunnes FC
Brunnes
11  
Peck, Ryan
Defender
Brunnes FC
Cangham
17  
Wilkins, Peter
Midfielder
Hestmere
Brunnes
21  
Cobb, Amie
Midfielder
Cangham West
Occida
29  
Poole, Cain
Midfielder
Cangham North
Cangham
30  
Rollins, Karli
Midfielder
FC Worth
Bellman
42  
Anders, Jeri*
Forward
Highland FC
Finnes
49  
Reeves, Lukas
Forward/Mid
Cargan Valley
Cargan
Reserves
1  
Allen, Alan*
Goalkeeper
Hestmere
Aurum
4  
Donovan, Jen
Goalkeeper
FC Worth
Occida
8  
Tiers, Stephen*
Defender
Brunnes FC
Exvia
11  
Bryan, Hamilton*
Defender
Aurum Union
Aurum
15  
Miranda, Anika
Defender Francoist        
Aurum Legion
Anders
22  
Nephropida, Petra*         
Midfielder
Cangham North                 
Cangham
26  
Cannon, George*
Midfielder
FC Worth
Worth
41  
Gerano, Kyle
Forward
Cangham West
Aurum
46  
Bering, Joy*
Forward
Highland FC
Coard
    *denotes players making their first FWC appearance
 
Kit

The special kits for FWC3 have been produced in cooperation with Quentin Code, the official sportswear sponsor of OT Football.
 
RP Permissions
Injure my players: Yes
Assign my players yellow cards: Yes
Assign my players red cards: Yes
Godmodding: Consult first
 

Overthinkers National Football Team
Overview
The Overthinkers National Football Team returns to the international stage, intent to run it back a second time under veteran coach Wendell Luigi. 7 new faces grace the roster, but the team remains star-studded—bringing back dynamic defender duo Elle Colossus and Ryan Peck, not to mention Lukas Reeves, the kid from Cargan who captured Overthinkers' hearts.
Team Information
Style Mod: -2.4
Head Coach: Wendell A. Luigi (Brunnes FC) 
Home Stadium: Gladius World Stadium, Cangham (capacity 59,993)
 
Roster
#
Player
Position
Club
Hometown
Starters
2  
Barker, Emmy
Goalkeeper
Brunnes FC
Exvia
5  
Chang, Ray
Defender
Cangham West
Aurum
6  
Hamilton, Max
Defender
Aurum Union
Hestmere
9  
Colossus, Elle
Defender
Brunnes FC
Brunnes
11  
Peck, Ryan
Defender
Brunnes FC
Cangham
17  
Wilkins, Peter
Midfielder
Hestmere
Brunnes
21  
Cobb, Amie
Midfielder
Cangham West
Occida
29  
Poole, Cain
Midfielder
Cangham North
Cangham
30  
Rollins, Karli
Midfielder
FC Worth
Bellman
42  
Anders, Jeri*
Forward
Highland FC
Finnes
49  
Reeves, Lukas
Forward/Mid
Cargan Valley
Cargan
Reserves
1  
Allen, Alan*
Goalkeeper
Hestmere
Aurum
4  
Donovan, Jen
Goalkeeper
FC Worth
Occida
8  
Tiers, Stephen*
Defender
Brunnes FC
Exvia
11  
Bryan, Hamilton*
Defender
Aurum Union
Aurum
15  
Miranda, Anika
Defender Francoist        
Aurum Legion
Anders
22  
Nephropida, Petra*         
Midfielder
Cangham North                 
Cangham
26  
Cannon, George*
Midfielder
FC Worth
Worth
41  
Gerano, Kyle
Forward
Cangham West
Aurum
46  
Bering, Joy*
Forward
Highland FC
Coard
    *denotes players making their first FWC appearance
 
Kit

The special kits for FWC3 have been produced in cooperation with Quentin Code, the official sportswear sponsor of OT Football.
 
RP Permissions
Injure my players: Yes
Assign my players yellow cards: Yes
Assign my players red cards: Yes
Godmodding: Consult first
 

Becoming a citizen is a simple way to contribute to your region. Plus, membership in the Hall of Nations allows you to vote for certain regional officials, and to get involved with one or more of our Ministries to keep TWP Snarky & Free.

To become a citizen of The West Pacific, complete BOTH steps listed below. Your application will be processed by the Office of the Delegate and you will be notified of the result or any updates in this thread. If you do not complete both steps, your application will be put on hold until both are complete.

STEP 1: Fill out the following Google form.
https://forms.gle/m7ntWDmPFZrTxkfe8
If you have any issues with the form (that are not a result of not reading the instructions), DM Overthinkers on Discord (@WeirdoXVII#8247).

STEP 2: Copy the following oath to a new reply in this thread. Replace (nation name) with your nation name.
I, (nation name), swear that I have, to the best of my knowledge, been completely truthful in applying for citizenship in The West Pacific and that I have no other NationStates identity that has not been made known in this application. I swear my allegiance to The West Pacific and its citizens, and I swear not to engage in hostilities against The West Pacific or to violate The Manners of Governance, or any laws made pursuant to it.

That wasn't so hard, was it? Welcome to full membership in The Best Pacific!

Overthinkers will participate and intends to submit a hosting bid.

I voted "spend a night" because I desperately need the night out.

Greetings and salutations,
I am a visitor in these proud halls, and so I beg for the indulgence of welcome.
May the sunset glow of warm community long stay in these waters.
Yours in friendship,
~Epithemia

Following reports of “savages”, Giovanniland scrambles to colonize Nur
by Jerry Poole, Head Writer
NURVILLA, GIOVANNILAND—As state news sources in Nur report on various encounters with “savages” from outside their borders, the cry for help has finally reached the ears of professionals.
A fleet of ships landed on the continent to claim the territory in the name of Giovanniland, and the colony of Nurvilla was quickly established. The Giovannilandians wasted little time in wiping out the Nuran savages.
“Giovanniland has a long and proud history of bringing civility to uncivilized lands,” said Kristovo Kolombio, who led the initial expedition, in an interview. “We have heard the prayers of the Nuran people and shall surely bring these savages to the light of Violet.”
“By force, if necessary,” another official helpfully added.
Leaked intelligence reports indicate that at least three people groups have been "converted" so far, with no sign of slowing down.
Prime Minister Hessen of Kalmach issued a statement in support of the invasion. This statement was immediately retracted and replaced with a declaration of war as Giovannilandian forces crossed the Kalmach border. A representative of the Infinite Emperor of Aukera said something about “heathens fighting heathens”, but we didn’t really understand anything else.
Anti-colonial activists could not be reached for comment after our previous feature story.
Sources vary as to which people groups in Nur are the savages and which ones are not, but Kolombio assured the Review that this was not an issue. “They will all be Giovannilandians in the end.”

Following reports of “savages”, Giovanniland scrambles to colonize Nur
by Jerry Poole, Head Writer
NURVILLA, GIOVANNILAND—As state news sources in Nur report on various encounters with “savages” from outside their borders, the cry for help has finally reached the ears of professionals.
A fleet of ships landed on the continent to claim the territory in the name of Giovanniland, and the colony of Nurvilla was quickly established. The Giovannilandians wasted little time in wiping out the Nuran savages.
“Giovanniland has a long and proud history of bringing civility to uncivilized lands,” said Kristovo Kolombio, who led the initial expedition, in an interview. “We have heard the prayers of the Nuran people and shall surely bring these savages to the light of Violet.”
“By force, if necessary,” another official helpfully added.
Leaked intelligence reports indicate that at least three people groups have been "converted" so far, with no sign of slowing down.
Prime Minister Hessen of Kalmach issued a statement in support of the invasion. This statement was immediately retracted and replaced with a declaration of war as Giovannilandian forces crossed the Kalmach border. A representative of the Infinite Emperor of Aukera said something about “heathens fighting heathens”, but we didn’t really understand anything else.
Anti-colonial activists could not be reached for comment after our previous feature story.
Sources vary as to which people groups in Nur are the savages and which ones are not, but Kolombio assured the Review that this was not an issue. “They will all be Giovannilandians in the end.”