Melodifestivalen 1581


Welcome to Melodifestivalen once again, Nyland's premier musical performance contest. From the greatest hit artists of the year to the hottest up-and-coming names, nowhere else can anyone see such a collection of top musicians and best-of-the best performing artists the country has on offer.

Now, after two years and two seasons of the show, we're back with this, the Grand Finale of 1581, where we invite back winners and runners-up of the last two years, as well as notable secret wild card acts, for a shot at claiming the greatest prize on the greatest stage in Nyland, and a chance to represent Nyland in the ever wonderful, international Voice of Siora music competitons! We have a hot selection this year, folks, as the quality's only just kept getting better and better. Now let us meet our contestants, and see who can wow the audience and the judges as Nyland's favorite performing act and claim glory as your Melodifestivalen Grand Champions!


The contestants:

-- to be added --

1581 SIFA Confederations Cup Angiris

The 1581 SIFA Confederations Cup is an event featuring champions from the previous SIFA cycle that began with the 1578 World Cup Florinthus & Oslanburg. Each federation has sent its best to Angiris for an event many call the World Cup warm up event. The participants are as follows:

Host
Angiris

World Cup Champion and Runner-Up
Kyrzbekistan
Nyland

Brigidna Champion
Kazemura

Ostara Champion
 Tieguo

Skathia Champion
Drahen
* Nyland was champion, but is participating as World Cup Runner-Up, so the Skathian Runner-Up will participate

Kvaenna Champion
Arrenland

Avidna Champion
Magentina


Group A

Mahdiraaju, Ishnalla
1581 Ochtyr  21

It had been seven years since Lanryu-il took the reigns of the Ishnall Empire from her mother. Seven long years of ruling over a country of nearly half a billion people, living in overcrowded, polluted cities along the river valleys of central Ishnalla. Seven long years of balancing tradition with change, the privileges of decadent bureaucrats with the needs of the people, the needs of Ishnalla with the growing pressure and demands of the western powers. Though only entering her thirties, Lanryu-il was already developing wrinkles and graying hairs. She almost wanted to resent her mother for handing the reigns to her so young—until she looked at the older woman, in her sixties and still serving as the empire's Prime Minister.

Lanryu-il sighed and reached for her tea. Her mother sat across the small wooden table, silent as she absorbed the scene outside the open shoji doors. It was early morning. The sun had ascended enough to hit the koi pond directly, avoiding the trees that otherwise protected it. Cicadas still sang behind the walls beyond the pond. From this distance, it served as pleasant background music for their morning tea. Perhaps because it reminded Shoon-ya of her childhood.

"Are you troubled, child?" Shoon-ya asked, her eyes still watching the pond. A koi jumped. The elevated floor gave Shoon-ya a view over the rocks that bordered the pond.

"No more than any other day," Lanryu-il answered. She followed her mother's gaze, in time to see another fish momentarily venture beyond its home. What was that like?

Shoon-ya nodded solemnly. "I understand." It was an Ishnall tradition for the Empress to abdicate when she reached sixty years of age, if her heir was of age. Shoon-ya too had experienced those difficulties. Her mother had participated in their morning tea as well, until she passed not too long ago. "You are in fact getting older, Daughter. Isn't it time you bore an heir?"

Her daughter frowned. "I suppose. But it is difficult to meet a good man while I'm so busy with work."

"Whether the man is good or not is irrelevant," the Empress Mother replied. "What matters is whether his daughters will be. We have concubines if we want good. You watch too many western movies, Daughter." Lanryu-il stared at her tea, avoiding her mother's gaze. "I have prepared a list of potential candidates. They're all successful men who will surely bare successful children."

"I'll review it this evening."

Her mother nodded, returning her eyes to the pond outside.

I have begun a story called ''Faking Democracy'' about recent political developments in Nentsia. President Vynnychuk, this year roughly 20 years in power, has never had more political control over the country ever before - to the point that he controls every democratic institution to do as he pleases. At the same time, after 20 years, the cracks in his reputation and in the system are occurring and people have begun to challenge the established order. The upcoming elections might play a decisive role in the future of the country.

I am open-ended as to where this will go. The government is in a good position to crush all dissent by force if necessary. That would basically mean, as the president is losing his legitimacy, the country will go down an endless spiral of increasing repression and violence. But things could go in other directions as well. Members of the inner circle might launch a power struggle to take over, or widespread discontent is mobilized for mass demonstrations and possibly even, revolution.

Because things are undecided, the international community could get involved - that means you - if you like to. If you want to, you can ask questions and stuff and discuss plans here. Im up for almost anything.

Anticipating on a possible FAQ: what is the political/ideological affiliation of the current regime?

Answer: Officially the President is the leader of the so-called Hramada Party. It can be roughly translated as ''Popular Union'' or simply ''Peoples Party''. Officially its rooted in a sort of a left-wing democratic nationalist ideology, with Socialist tendencies, but Populism is perhaps the best description. But ideology matters little. It is a party of power, provides the regime with loyal bureaucrats, and serves as the president's personal tool to control the legislature. The people who support the party do so mostly out of loyalty to the system or habit. The President himself is primarily driven by a desire for power and is willing to adopt any political colour if it serves his agenda.

Mstsislavsk - the Republic of Nentsia
1581

''We are the People! We are the People! We are the People!'' chanted a crowd in a square near the Mstsislavsk State University. Ihar Litvinchuk was one of the students in the square, like many others, carrying a little Nentsian flag. Ihar was, like so many of his friends and fellow students, sick and tired of the endemic corruption levels in his country. Everything in this country required some form of bribery to get it done. A visit to the doctor? Bribe the doctor first. Want to avoid getting pulled over by the police? Bribe the cop. Want to get a train ticket? Sold out! Unless you pay a bribe. Want to get into university? Pay a bribe. Want to graduate from university? Pay a bribe! Not to mention the absurd amount of money the politicians were stealing and storing in secret bank accounts in tax havens such as Magentina and Batavia.

The immediate reason for the students to hold their protest in front of the university was the raise of the college fee, a decision by the ~absolutely corrupt~ Rector Magnificus. His decision would force several students from poorer families to quit their studies. Other students wanted to demonstrate their solidarity at this social injustice, especially because everyone knew the money disappeared in the pockets of a criminal elite. But for Ihar and his friends, Oleg, Artyom, and Yanya, it was bigger than that. This was a protest against the systematic injustices and corruption in the country, and above all against the man who embodied that system: President Vynnychuk.

President Vynnychuk had been practically married to power. He first led the country since 1561. He won a second term in office in 1565. He then changed the constitution to enable himself a third term in office, which he entered in 1569. By 1573 he was forced to hand over the presidency, and he did so by selecting one of his loyal servants (Stanislaw Zhyrovitsky) to preside over the country while Vynnychuk and his clan controlled everything in the background. It was during this period that the first major anti-corruption demonstrations broke out, and Vynnychuk's criminal daughter was arrested in Khibland and extradited to Mordvania for her role in a fraud case involving Mordvanian politicians, Nentsian politicians and criminal gangs. Perhaps because he feared that control was slipping from his hands, Vynnychuk forced Zhyrovitsky to resign after just one term in office so that Vynnychuk could run for presidency in 1577. In the months before the election campaigns began, the authorities launched a well-planned assault on the political opposition, independent media, and democratic institutions in order to destroy any real possibilities of challenging Vynnychuk in the elections. The election campaigns were manipulated to such a degree that the actual rigging of the elections wasn't even necessary for Vynnychuk to win by a landslide.

The opposition, led by Mikita Martsinkyevich, held a demonstration against these undemocratic practices on the night of the election results. The government's response, feeling strengthened by the overwhelming support of the voters, was ruthless. Heavily armed police troops encircled the demonstrators in the square and charged at the people, driving the crowd apart, arresting anyone they could lay their hands on and violently beating people up. Not even Martsinkyevich - a member of the parliament - was spared. He was so badly molested that he ended up with a coma in the hospital. He recovered from his injuries, and fled into exile to Mordvania. As if that wasn't enough already, the pro-Vynnychuk deputies in the parliament (Rada) used the uproar as a pretext to initiate a ''Ban on Extremism'', in which ''Extremism'' was so vaguely defined that it can be used to suppress any form of dissent. Ihar fully understood that this demonstration could fall under the Ban on Extremism, and the police troops could arrive on the scene any moment to violently put an end to it.

The timing of the demonstration was quite sensitive. It was 1581. Vynnychuk's 4th term was almost finished, and he had announced his intention to go for a 5th as the elections were scheduled for 1581. Unlike the 1577 elections, these elections did not require a great deal of manipulation. All real political opposition had ceased to function. In 1577 the government had already weakened the opposition by literally faking the opposition. What they did was they either infiltrated opposition parties, or they bribed prominent members, and they let them cause a split in the party and set up an exact copy of that opposition party - with the only difference being they were loyal to the regime. As opposition parties fought in the streets with their fake counterparts, nobody understood anything anymore. Their support declined, and the opposition parties that survived were all satellite parties, controlled by the security services. So now the 1581 elections were nothing but a sham: Vynnychuk vs fake opponents. These were not elections, they were just a ratification of Vynnychuk's continued presidency. And after 20 years the Nentsians were far from the end of the Vynnychuk reign: Aliaksei was probably grooming his criminal daughter, Ksenia, as his successor.

Ksenia Vynnychuk had been given a mild punishment by the Mordvanian courts, in a trial that was accompanied by diplomatic conflicts and all kinds of dirty, and even illegal games being played by Ksenia to escape the Mordvanian justice system. Her attempts failed, and she was lucky that things didn't get worse. After a year or so she was released and quickly returned to Nentsia. She spent some months in anonymity, but made her full comeback into Nentsian public life as she was suddenly appointed as a member of the Senate in 1580. Apparently unhappy about the lack of power with a job in such a meaningless rubber stamp institution, she was suddenly appointed as the new Director of the Office of the Prime Minister, serving directly under the prime minister and acting as his spokeswoman. She continued to hold her seat in the Senate by the way - in Nentsia these things are possible.

If many people (especially older generations) wished Vynnychuk back in 1577 because he stood for economic stability, economic decline in recent years did definately undermine his popularity in combination with his demolition of what had remained of the constitutional order. Rampant corruption, for which many people seldomly blamed Vynnychuk personally, was now increasingly attributed to the President. More and more Nentsians were opening their eyes. They were waking up. For decades everyone resented this vague public enemy: ''Korruptsiya''. People were now finally willing to admit that it was Vynnychuk himself who was the root of the problem. But it was especially the young people who were opening their eyes, like Ihar and his friends. As the chanting grew louder, Ihar looked around to see why some sections of the demonstration were getting so loud. Then he saw it. Armoured police trucks were arriving. And not just a few. It seemed the entire Mstsislavsk police division had been mobilized. But Ihar understood that it was part of the game. The authorities liked to test the waters with some intimidation and show of force. The situation required only one small spark to turn this square into a bloody battlefield.

I'll admit it. I simply cannot role play this school year. I've tried to think of events and other things, but they are taking too long to concieve. I may be back in the summer however. Who knows? Random things happen a lot.

I decided to make a thread for preliminary planning for AEON. For anyone who hasn't heard about this yet, this is the Association of Eastern Ostaran Nations, a proposal for closer ties in East Ostara to improve peace, stability, and economic growth. Also tech stuffs.

This thread would be used to organize the different ideas and timelines pinging about. This post and the next (which I will reserve) will be used for further planning and note taking as I really want to get this off the ground. With that being said, here's what is up so far:

Likely (Founding?) Membership:
Kazemura
Sainam
Singan
Kortoa
Mayari (Falsea mentioned interest in joining post-stabilization)
Hoinom (Hadash has mentioned interest in solely the Customs Union aspect but not much else)
Tiejungo (RC has expressed interest after we hammered out more contemporary history for East Ostara. See below)
Akitsu (Zab noted that they would be looking at possible association status for now as the next government will likely want to be more protectionist economically to allow for recovery after the Civil War. Please correct me if I'm wrong Zab and I apologize if I misunderstood)

Ongoing Threads:
The Sentence Too Far: The Whispers of the Association

Basic Background:
Note: This is just from the information I gathered from everyone, the Wiki and from the old/new forums. This can and most likely will be edited/updated as time goes on

From approximately 1541-1570, East Ostara's commerce and geopolitics was dominated by a standing quadrilateral entente known as the Tigers of the East (also KATS). These were Kazemura, Akitsu, Tiejungo, and Sainam. All four had fairly strong economic and diplomatic ties with one another and with others in the region with the intent of keeping a balance in East Ostara. (This also may have been to counteract Tieguo's influence but that's up to y'all). Relative peace and stability dominated the East as economies grew and technology advanced at an ever increasing pace. Nation-states beyond East Ostara, especially from Brigidna, that once had much influence in the region found their influence waning in the face of the rising powers. Although not thrilled at the loss of influence in the region, they begrudgingly accepted the new normal.

Around 1570, foreign embassies in Singan were raided by forces aligned with General Da Jong, who installed a dictatorship. This blow led to radical short and long term changes in East Ostara. With foreign powers returning their focus to the East and the installation of the communists in North Singan by Severyane, the East Ostaran nations began to feel diplomatic pressures on a level unseen since the Decolonization Movements of the 1520s/30s. After a bloody Singanese Civil War, General Da Jong's military dictatorship was deposed and a tenuous peace was reached.

Although Singan remained united under a democratic government, it became evident that foreign powers were seeking to reintroduce their influence to the region. Debate raged in various intellectual circles in the five nations over the direction that each must take to shake off such influence. In Kazemura, the idea of stronger ties and a possible union akin to the ones found in Brigidna were gaining momentum as a feasible and promising concept. [Something about what the traction for proposing such a thing in the other four countries goes here.]

In 1578 however, the narrative changed again with the overthow of the Akitan government by fascists. For three years, the former allies/partners of Akitsu in East Ostara looked on with horror as this new fascist government militarized and prepared itself for possible conflict and conquest; all the while, Akitan military officials that favored restoration grew agitated with the transformation of the nation. By 1581, tensions had reached a fever pitch within the nation and the region. [Reason not available yet until the civil war starts] would be the final straw for those in the Akitan military still loyal to the old government. Civil War would break out, splitting the country into three different factions: The Communists in the North, desperately holding on as best they can with the hope that they can establish a dictatorship of the proletariat, the Fascists in the center that desired to hold onto control and ensure Akitan dominance in the region, and the Restorationists in the South that desired to restore the old government to power.

The Akitan coup and following Civil War led to a revitalization of an East Ostaran Union concept to ensure sustained prosperity and permanent peace for the region. Although the Tokasa Charter that was signed in 1581 prior to the outbreak of the Akitan Civil War called for continued assurance to work for everlasting peace in the region, this was largely seen as the predecessor for the East Ostaran Diplomatic Forum held annually. For many politicians, especially in Akitsu, this seemed to be enough to satiate the desires for closer cooperation. However, this belief was not shared universally; for many average citizens and entrepreneurs, especially in Kazemura, who desired something stronger and truly tangible this was not seen as strong enough action to ensure sustained prosperity and permanent peace...


What Happens Next:
Beyond this, the road becomes unclear. It is likely that as we have discussed the AEON's foundations will begin to be built. How this will happen is not entirely certain; it could be one large conference that creates a framework towards AEON or it could be a number of different joint programs appear over time and eventually it becomes necessary to bring them all together into one larger framework.

Where things stand now, Kazemura and Sainam are likely to be the most Ostaraphilic (pro-AEON). Akitsu is likely to be the most Ostaraskeptic (anti-AEON). I can not speak for Singan or Tiejungo.

The current mood of the citizenship in each nation will also play a huge role in Kazemura's upcoming election, which in turn directly influences the conversation moving forward. A more Ostaraphilic people will lead to a more straightforward Kazemuran administration. Specifically, they will advocate for establishing the starting framework for the organization all at once on a clear road map. A more Ostaraskeptic people will lead to a more subtle Kazemuran administration; such an administration would work to establish various joint programs with the other nations until it reaches a point that AEON exists in all but name.

In either case all aspects should not be established all at once as that's absolutely impractical. As much as I OOCly would love to do this all at once, that's not really realistic.

Quote:

The Mestran Imperium

By the grace of his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Edward II of the House of Menra, the leaders and nobility of the world are cordially invited to an Imperial Ball to be held in honor of the coronation of Valerii Quintilus II.  It shall be that Valerii Quintilus, Avktokrator of Drahen, shall be granted the title and privileges of Arch-Duke of Drahsia.  The Imperium and the Imperial family mark this occasion as continued friendship and commitment between the nation of Drahen and the Imperium.  By grace the Imperial family hopes you might attend this Imperial Ball.

1581 FBFA Brigidna Cup Valland

The 1581 Brigidnan Cup features the top 16 squads in Brigidna, including the host, Valland, as well as the fifteen other nations who reached the event through qualification. This is a notable tournament as it is the last Brigidna Cup to feature only 16 competitors, as the next tournament in 1585 will feature 24.

THE TEAMS

Host
Valland

From the Qualifying rounds
Carpathia & Moldova
Castleon
Cyrus
Florinthus
Galeae
Kave
Kazemura
Lanlania
Lomarre
Mordvania
Nerysia
Oslanburg
Severyane
Videjszeme
Vienland


THE VENUES

Stade de Valland, Lauren. Capacity: 81,033[/url]
Stade Pierre Balzat, Lauren. Capacity: 42,112
Stade Municipal, Roune. Capacity: 34,666
Leroy Merlin Stadium, Nantes. Capacity: 26,899
Stade National, Arseille. Capacity: 26,899
Stade Olympique, Arseille. Capacity: 66,881
Stade de La Vieille , Leroux. Capacity: 41,690
Stade de La Petit Mort , Roussanaisse. Capacity: 37,889[url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Stade_de_la_Beaujoire.jpg]


GROUP STAGE

Group A