So, a lot of shit has been going down, and it's five hours til deadline. (4:45 as your typing this actually.) Thanks, inner clock. (No problem, outer prick.) And, right now? The vote's a goddamn mess.
So, like, I wanted to work with Ifbith. I was 100% OK with booting Tina over them, and I play the middle - it's kinda my thing - so they were FINE, unless their name was Ibrehem. Since, you know - how should I put it? (He's an inactive piece of shit?) Ahhhh yes, that. Thanks for the reminder. (Anytime, pal.)
Chris actually came up to me - seemingly outta NOWHERE - and was like, hey, we should do me-you-Shane-Misty-Tina-Dawg-Deb. And I was like, sure - Tina's a bit of an odd choice, but I'll survive. And he's really hyping up an Aubry boot for this round, even if he tries to present as Aubry vs. Ibrehem - and Bobdawg was doing the same thing. (Huh, a bit odd, no?) That was MY reaction - why not kick the inactive out right before jury starts? All their arguments we're kinda half-assed "kill two birds with one stones" kind of things, and Debbie wasn't around, as per usual.
Uhhh...OK Chris. (His new title is "Dickbag Extraordinaire.") How apt.
LIKE, WHO DOES THIS? There is an inactive RIGHT. FUCKING. THERE. It's insulting to us, and it's playing with production by being like "Oh, he'll be removed anyway, who cares." How about the viewers lounge? Or the people who are trying to have fun socializing? (Nah, but vote splits, strategy strategy, the numbers, BLOOD ON MY HANDS.) All VASTLY more important than this.
Fuck Chris. We weren't tight, but he and his monosyllabic answers can head right the fuck out of those doors. There's a lot of scrambling going on for the votes right now, and we're not entirely sure who we have, but we're fighting. I have an idol, Jenn got the merge idol, and we all have a metric shit ton of anger - let's fucking go.
Shane is pissing me off. I have no idea if he's with us, and he's barely fucking responding. (And when we call him on it?) I'M SICK. I'M NOT INTO THIS SHIT. Like, sorry dude? I have goddamn pneumonia, I'm still here, trying to figure this out. It's just FRUSTRATING.
Oh, and now he's going to bed with Nyquil. (Perfect.) This fucking game.
Man, the whole cast getting that INV rating for that Final 11 round - just FLEW by. (Deeply amused he showed up once he got moved to pre-jury.) Oh Ibrehem. ANYWAY, the status of the game has changed significantly as a result of this last vote, and everything’s just like - kinda a mess, at the moment.
So, I ultimately decided to idol Jenn last round because I was like, we only know for certain we have 4 Chris votes, Shane isn’t listening to a thing I’m saying about voting Chris, and we can more or less figure she’s getting the votes - not myself or Misty. What I DIDN’T expect was for Aubry to randomly throw a vote on Chris, which inadvertently would have saved Jenn. (...no fucking words.) GREAT. Now, my idol is wasted, on someone who HAD an idol and didn’t use it, and it’s not like she’s obligated to give me hers or anything - especially since she didn’t need it.
But it’s IRRITATING, none the less. I played it with one second left because I thought Jenn was valuable to my game, and that she’d be endeared to me for, y’know, saving her life. Now? Well, it was a show of loyalty, and got the idol everyone I knew I had out of the game - but now Jenn has a ton of power over me. My endgame was her and Jerry, but leaving her in the game long-term with BOTH an idol and a vote steal (turns out that’s what was in the chest - good job getting her that) is just idiotic. It gives her too much power, especially with the threat status I’ve established.
Of course, the same applies to Shane - and since he, y’know, didn’t fucking vote the way he was supposed to... (I mean, it’s not like you control his vote.) Yeah, but he fucking flipped out at me and didn’t listen to ANYTHING I told him - I can’t control him in any way, and more importantly I can’t predict him. For all I know he’s loyal to me, but that’s just the thing - I DON’T know any of this. He’s a fucking wildcard. (Apt rep choice, in retrospect.)
So, he needs to go sooner than later - he could pull a me, idol someone else, and suddenly I’m out. So when we make our flip to Ifbith, Shane will be the target, idol or no. (We?) I’ve been slowly getting Misty on the same page regarding this, and Jerry will do what I say if I offer valid points. (Jenn?) HATES Shane - and with a vote steal, that’d be enough votes. And we could use Ifbith, since I’m sure they wanna make something happen.
Of course, this isn’t an immediate thing - this is a vote or two down the line. For the time being, it’s Operation salvage Bobdawg and Debbie. Which I think is going pretty well - Jenn and Candice don’t really TALK with that side, so Misty and I are the most palatable options since, well, we’re predictable. We’re smart, but we’ll act rationally, y’know? (Well, she’s smart.) -_-
I explained to Bobdawg before the vote that I didn’t trust Chris and he was acting super shady, and Dawg denied-denied-denied. But like, he was voting for Jenn anyway - I’m not an idiot. I gave him carte blanche to vote Jenn, told him I’d do likewise, to make sure the votes would go that way. (Didn’t you try to get him to get Chris to throw his vote?) Yeah, since ALLEGEDLY the vote was on Aubry - if Chris voted for Aubry, then hey, he wasn’t pulling anything. If he does, he really was trying to pull something on Misty and I - if he didn’t, then obviously my sources were lying. Of course, Chris voted Jenn (because Dawg was lying about not knowing about Chris’ plans, even if he may have not necessarily agreed with them)so pulling the ol’ switcheroo on Chris worked out, even if Dawg tried to delay it.
Dawg rightly felt on the bottom after that, but like - Dawg is my best and biggest shield right now. Keeping him (and Misty!) around til the mid-to-endgame is what I’ll need if I wanna survive to the end at this point - otherwise, I’ll just be gobbled up. (Like a Thanksgiving turkey.) It’s May 23rd - we literally could not be farther from that reference. (I stand by all my decisions.) I’m telling him I wanna keep him around - and that’s 100% true. It’s not altruistic, and he probably figures that, but I hope he believes it, cause it’s true.
As for Debbie, she came to me like “why wasn’t I included?” and I was like, explaining that I was convinced she was with Chris and company or whatever. She had a pretty convincing argument - no one except Chris or Candice talked to her about the vote, so she just went with Jenn. (Of course, that’s because she’s sporadic to respond at the best of times.) Well yeah, but not GREAT gameplay to call her on that. On the whole though she actually is campaigning fairly well from the minority spot. (...Debbie? Our Debbie?) She’s got some game in her, it seems - something to keep an eye on.
She also made a three person chat between her, me, and Misty - it comes off desperate, but HOPEFULLY it means we’re the ones that’ll be involved in an Ifbith flip when we want it to happen. (Again with this we stuff.) Look, I know I can’t take Misty to the end - more importantly I know neither of us would let that happen - but working with her for the time being is fine. Plus, it hides my partnership with Jerry, which is sorta pivotal at this point.
As a show of faith to Ifbith (and more importantly, because she despises us) we’re gonna go for Tina this round, provided she’s not immune. IDEALLY we then do Aubry next round, and do the flip at 8, so I can maximize my endgame options - but that’s idealistic, plans of mice and men, etcetera.
I went hard for this immunity - seriously look at what I was doing:
Per Misty’s suggestion. I still ended up only with sixteen blocks, but that SEEMS decent? Top 4 at least? (Lol watch you be second to last.) The game is very unstable, so I went to establish the hierarchy - preventing a flip from happening on myself or Misty, who are perceived ringleaders, is pivotal. It’s unlikely anyway, but still - useful. Plus if JUST Misty won immunity, my neck is for sure on the line.
And, y’know, generally immunity lets you more aggressively target anyway. (Man, you REALLY hate Tina.) Tried to bury the hatchet multiple times, she doesn’t wanna work with me. (Time for her to GTFO?) Yup, it's GTFO time.
I'm irritated and I'm not. (Straightforward as usual.) I REALLY REALLY wanted Tina gone this round, but evidently that's not happening. Candice stomped her foot in the ground and DEMANDED we go for Bobdawg, and we were all like "lolno" because, well, it doesn't make sense for the majority to go for Bobdawg. (It DOES make sense for her, though.) Yeah, but she seems new - I don't thinks he registers much more than THREAT THREAT THREAT and is like, ok get rid of it obviously. Like, no - I need Bobdawg around.
And I'm REALLY irritated that we're caving in to the terrorists when as a "compromise" she wants to go for Aubry because she's inactive. (WHERE THE FUCK WAS THIS WAN IBREHEM WAS AROUND?) But like, Shane wants it too, and Jenn's not fucking around EVER - and Dawg and Debbie are obviously gonna prefer that an inactive go over an ally, so at best we'd be forcing a tie. It's really fucking irritating, and it just sketches me out regarding Candice - I honestly might have to make a move on her next round, to keep the momentum on our side.
Bobdawg and Debbie are gonna be kingmakers. *sigh* I guess it's just a matter of keeping them on our side.
Ahhhhh, it's always good to know majority rules confirms all your paranoia about making yourself a huge target. (We're just gonna ignore the excessive gratification your ego got?) Really I'm used to it. (Delusion has a way of doing that.) Also, I love that it literally ALWAYS provides this hilarious paradox:
(To be fair, this confessional is a testament to the fact that you're a man of contradictions.) Huh. Maybe THIS time it makes more sense.
Anyway, I'll discuss it more in depth later, but right now I think I'm gonna push for a Candice boot - MAYBE Tina, we'll see how things play. (I.e. you don't get your way.) Pfft, when has the happened? (LITERALLY LAST RO-) Aaaaaaand we'll end the confessional here.
This fucking vote. (This fucking vote.) WHY IS IT SO HARD?
At first, I tossed Candice’s name a bit out there - but Misty adamantly refused, so I backed down. If she doesn’t support it, it’d open a whole can of worms to get it to happen. I’m not THAT opposed to voting for Tina, even if there’s quite a few pros to voting Candice. (Even more than I THOUGHT, as I later found out...)
So, I come on today - a bit later than usual because I was up late last night - and I have a million messages. Misty’s telling me to talk to Candice, Candice is telling me get on, a million offline things. So, I get on, and... (Candice is batshit crazy?) JUST A TAD. She wants to vote out Jerry because...reasons?
And I’m like, uhhh no, that’s stupid. (And, y’know, Jerry is your Final 2 partner.) Shhhh don’t mention that. And, I’d like to point out that last round that while I was PRIVATELY very angry about Aubry going, I ULTIMATELY went with it because, I’m in this funny little thing. Oh, what’s the word... (An alliance built off of mutual trust and compromise?) Ahhhh that’s it. (A simple concept, really.) You’d think, yet Candice doesn’t understand it.
She decides, hey, you know what I’m gonna do - I’m gonna throw a shit fit, tell them to vote for me, and campaign even HARDER for Jerry to go despite my allies being incredibly reluctant to do that, and single-handedly forcing the issue last round. (Reasonable.) Oh totally.
Like she tried to fucking ultimatum me. (I’m pretty sure it’s not a verb.) WITH CANDICE IT IS. She’s like “Vote Jerry or vote me? Cuz if you don’t vote him, you’re obviously more loyal to him than me/misty/jenn which by the way is a four person alliance I ALSO proposed today.” LIKE, CHICK, CHILL. No, I’m not gonna torch my entire game for you, no thank you - that’s not what “alliance” means.
Take Bobdawg. Bobdawg came up to me later, suggesting Jerry, and I was like “I don’t think it’s best for my game, but if you have the votes I get it.” And he was like, likewise with Tina, she’s better for him and would prefer I voted her, and tried to convince me otherwise. But he RESPECTS my opinion, which is apparently is a fucking godsend at this point. (HALLELUJAH!)
Meanwhile Jerry is freaked the fuck out, because Candice is trying to pile votes on him, and I’m calming him down. And he’s sending me all the BATSHIT things Candice is saying. (Honestly, guano is probably more reasonable than her - a bit unfair to compare it to Candice.) True, very insensitive of me.
But I’m doing my damnedest to protect him, and I THINK the votes should still be there for Tina, even if Deb and Dawg vote Jerry - unless Misty flips, which would be friggen INSANE of her. Jenn already voted Tina, I confirmed it with the flu ridden Shane who isn’t even really around, and Jerry and I are obviously voting her - just gotta bank on Misty being smart. She’s protecting Candice, which isn’t the smartest thing, but in general - not a bad bet to make. (I’ll take those odds - call my bookie.)
WHY DO I KEEP WINNING IMMUNITY? Like Jerry even gave me an out when he had the option to eliminate Misty or I, but I was like “ehhhhhh I’d rather she didn’t have immunity” and desired it in that one moment. (You are literally giving yourself the largest target imaginable.) Yes, yes I am. *sigh* Oh well, with this competition winning out isn’t exactly impossible. (Most strategic indeed, eh?) Oh shuddup.
Anyway, for this vote I wanted to blindside Candice - I knew Misty wouldn’t be aboard that, but I figured more people would want her out over Shane’s idol. Well... (EVIDENTLY NOT.) Jenn and Deb both want Shane out, so my hands are kinda tied. And I honestly wouldn’t even mind that much, I just tip off Shane, he idols, Candice goes, simple as that. Issue is, the split is 4-2-2 on Shane and Jerry - so if Shane idols, Jerry will go on a re-vote. So I’m kinda forced to pass over on Candice this round, or else my FTC partner goes out.
On the plus side though, Bobdawg wants to keep Jerry around too. (Huh, there is a God. Go figure.) So as long as he survives this round, the possibility of that foursome is very much there. Which is awesome, and works into my plans.
IDEALLY, Shane idols and Candice goes this round. (But that isn’t likely?) No, no it is not. (Man, your plans have gone SWIMMINGLY this game, eh?) Aww, thanks for noticing! (I forgot I need to drop any hint of subtlety around you.) I do like things straightforward. (How vanilla.) Hey, I’m no Julia! (Ohhh, those Caramoan references - I’m sure those will fly SUPER well with a superfan audience.) For the record, I enjoy mint ice cream.
Middle scenario (and most likely) is that Shane doesn’t idol, and Shane goes. Like, it’s FINE, it just isn’t IDEAL. Worst case scenario is Shane idols, it goes 2-2 between Jerry and Candice, Jerry goes, and I lose a LOT of power in this game. THAT scenario is the one I can’t let happen, at any cost. Which is why I’m HEAVILY debating throwing a vote Candice’s way.
Assuming a medium situation, my ideal bootlist looks something like:
Leaving me in the finale with Jerry and Jenn. (Slaaaaaaam-DUNK!) Damn right. Assuming we can get Candice out this vote, I’d probably flip Shane and Candice, but otherwise not change it.
OK, last minute vote talk still happening, got to go - we’ll see how this goes. Thankfully Shane’s still on, so I can tell him to idol if need be.
Got Jerry to tip Shane off, Shane knows I had his back and provided the information, and no one is any the wiser. Misty lost her biggest advantage, and basically everyone left in the game wants to work with me. (I'm actually somewhat impressed.) See, even THIS asshole is validating me. THAT'S good gameplay!
Now, if I can do something about that giant target on my back, that'd be pretty swell. (Keep winning immunity?) I MEAN - I guess it'd work? But I don't think I'm going anywhere regardless. Anyone care to throw a crown onto my picture? Because I'm running this hame. (God you're cocky.) Yeah, but I can ADMIT I'm cocky. (Being a self-aware narcissist seems rather contradictory.) LET ME HAVE MY MOMENT WILL YA'? (Fiiiiiiiine.)
*Ahem* This game is mine to lose. ;) (God, is that the best you can think of? Did you use an EMOJI?) I AM SO DONE WITH YOU. ENDING IT HERE.
So, I’m feeling good. (Like I knew that you would?) Like sugar and spice. (So you’re a Powerpuff girl?) If only.
To emphasize this, let me point to the alliance chats I am currently involved in, none of which were made by me:
The Crawling Chaos: Me, Jerry, Shane, and Misty
Fort Kick-Ass: Me, Jerry, Shane
Two Creeps and a Freak: Me, Jerry, Jenn
Sex or Something: Me, Misty, Debbie
Uhhh...
2 For 20 Only at Applebee's: Me, Jerry, Bobdawg, Debbie
(Debbie named one?) How could ya’ tell? (Let’s call it subconscious’ intuition.)
My point is, regardless of the chats themself, my vote’s a hot commodity at the moment. I was thinking about this when I was talking with Jerry the other night - y’know, going over strategy and whatnot. (Huh, you’re really going for that Stephen-JT comparison.) In more ways than one, if all goes to plan. (How devious.) Hey, I’m the villain of the season. (And that makes you JT how?) Did you see how he played in Heroes vs. Villains? (Oh yes, the season where he was on the tribe called “Heroes.”) Goddamit.
ANYWAY, I was going over future plans with Jerry, and y’know, I was going over contingencies. He wants to boot Misty, and the paranoid part of me is like “NONONONONO, SHIELDS” because, well, I kinda need them. I was like, if we boot Misty, the votes could turn on me - and Jerry simply asked me who the votes would be.
And, that kinda stopped me in my tracks. Who WOULD the votes be? I’m always playing to appeal to every contingency, what if X, Y, and Z gather to target me as the rational vote at whatever vote. But, I’ve been ignoring the human element. (Is there where you start talking about the relationships you made and how that’s bettered your game?) Cute. But, quite simply, I realized that I’m the only person who has these options - these other people either hate each other, don’t talk to each other, or see me as more useful to their long-term game.
Like, I was thinking it’d make sense for people, if they compared notes, to gang up on me at this vote. Like, that’s the logical thing to do, right? (If you think so, I’d question it’s validity.) But how would that happen? Jenn and Debbie don’t talk literally at all, and Shane doesn’t trust Bobdawg or Debbie. How is this happening?
And I think to some extent, it’s projecting. (Oh God, we don’t need more of you running around.) Like, I just sort of assume any vote can happen, any group of people can come together - but that isn’t the game we’re playing. These people, for whatever reason, don’t wanna work together - and me being willing to turn whichever way is UNIQUE, not a given.
I guess I’m just slowly letting my guard down, getting comfortable. (Dumbass.) I can’t assume everyone is a high caliber gamebot-esque player, like myself. (High caliber, eh?) Like yes, there is a chance I can go - there’s always a chance of that - but I can’t fear moving forward, or I’m gonna be looking at yet another second place finish. And I will NOT let that happen.
This all sounds like some freshman taking a philosophy class, haha, but I figured I’d document it as a way of shifting my play style going forward. Despite being active and present so far, I’ve actually been rather behind the scenes and go-with-the-flow when it comes to eliminations. (Because, y’know, that’s smart.) I didn’t do anything without triple-checking if it’d piss off my allies. And I don’t regret that, but the time for appeasement is over - I need to play aggressively if I want to cement my options going forward and my spot in the finale.
And, that’s why after a lot of thought, I’m willing to cut Misty. And I love Nav - (Wait, WHAT?) - oh yeah I should probably mention I figured out Misty’s alias like, a vote or two before the merge. I ALSO have a sneaking suspicion Debbie is Gus, but that’s way less set in stone in my head than this. Anyway though, I love Misty, but at this point there actually is a realistic chance of me winning out, given the competition. (I wouldn’t be shocked if she was the only other one to submit for this competition.) More importantly, there’s a good chance I’ll need the final immunity - taking out my biggest competition for said immunity is critical for my end-game.
And, she’s also the person who, despite being the one I’m closest to, besides possibly Jerry, that has the least negatives to cutting. Debbie and Shane don’t WANT to cut her, but they’re also not directly aligned with her - and it’s not like I’m going to make Misty bitter if I vote against her, since she thinks she’s going anyway. This way I’m still the needed vote next round, since Misty is the other person with a ton of social connections, and I can choose to swing basically anyway I want.
There are two major problems with this. The other night, I was talking to Jenn (huh she still exists go figure) and we discussed the current status of the game. As I articulated it to her, it was two pairs, Bobdawg and Debbie, and Shane and Jerry, and three free floating people in her, me, and Misty. (Doesn’t sound all that accurate, to be honest.) Eh, why let her in on my side deals, especially when it’s not pertinent? (Fair enough.)
With her vote switcher, and presuming the other two “pairs” voted together, we could dictate where the vote went - but Jerry being adamantly against Misty means Jenn is gonna have to choose between betraying Misty or betraying Jerry. I suggested voting Shane as a compromise, but she said that would piss off Jerry anyway - so basically she’s choosing a side this round. And the way she phrased it to me, she said she thinks she can’t win - so, so long as I can get her to choose Jerry, I SHOULD have a solid three, barring a last minute betrayal from Jerry. (Getting her to go against Misty might be a TAD difficult though.) Just a bit.
The other problem is THIS particular immunity. There’s a VERY good chance Misty will win it, which opens up a whole other headache. Who do I vote then? I just got deals running with Shane, Dawg, and Debbie - I’m fine betraying them, but doing it INSTANTLY is just a tad shady, no? I scavenged the last board looking for popular quotes since the hint was “a quote related to the battlefield series.” Hell I even locked into my PW account to check FTC for anything notable - by the way Igor might want to change permissions, cause guests can’t view that. (Unless that’s deliberate for a challenge or something, in which case you should probably take away my permissions on Austin.) Yes, or that.
I didn’t even look for the word immunity instantly, despite seeing the 8 letter spot. (DUMB. DUMB. DUMB.) I didn’t think it’d just be a generic phrase, but it was, and I finished in just under thirty minutes - Misty will beat that unless she faces similar significant difficulties. Hell, the others could probably beat that time. (...who are we kidding?) Touche. But MISTY will beat it, and that’s the big issue here - I don’t care so much about not being immune, because I feel safe, as much as I care about her NOT being immune, at this point.
Honestly, I don’t even know if the votes will be there for a Misty boot. But getting rid of her is the last step to securing my Final 3 with Jerry and Jenn, the votes going forward, and a likely spot in the FTC. In the scope of things, an agreeable sacrifice. (That’s dark, dude.) Villain of the season, no?
Vote is shifting to Shane. I feel kinda shitty, and it's a hurt to my jury management, but I'm really strung out for options. When you read this post game dude, just know that I didn't think now was your time, bud. *Sigh* On the plus side, I don't think I'm going! WEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Incidentally, Candice giving ALL ten of her coins to Misty is how she3 was able to get the necklace. YOU DIDN'T KNOW I BETRAYED YOU, WHAT AM I - CHOPPED LIVER? (Dude.) Look it's just the PRINCIPLE of the matter. (Dude.) Still finding innovative new ways to screw up my game from the grave, that Candice. (...) I'm a bit of a sociopath? (Right on the nose there, bud.) I'm surprisingly OK with this.
Seriously tho did I just win the game? Like honestly at this point it all comes down to Jenn. If she really is with me and Jerry, it's game, set, and match - more or less anyway. I'm gonna go hard for this endurance win - (I mean you only have to beat Misty) - so I can continue my dominating performance in the challenges. Really, the game as a whole. (God, why did you choose NICK for the game you have the super visible game in. THE EGO WILL NEVER DIE.) I LIKE that slogan. Should add it to the business card sometime. (Oh Lord.)
Anyway, plan is win immunity, boot Misty, comp run to the end, cackle in my riches. (Seems solid.) Totes.
you both dug deep, your towers were only separated by 1 block
Spoiler
+
with a score of 22-21
wins Immunity!
And a 1 in 5 shot at the glory.
Congrats!
The rest of you shall have a date with me tonight at Tribal Council.
I KEEP GETTING FOILED IN MY ATTEMPTS TO BACKSTAB SOMEONE. (Maybe it's a sign you should make it an honest fight at FTC?) NO! I REFUSE!
Heaven if this is a joke it ISN'T A FUNNY ONE! (Interesting how you put yourself subconsciously on the villainous side.) I mean villain of the season, yo. UGH. I don't even know what I'm gonna do - when I saw endurance I assumed it'd be an easy lay-up. I guess Debbie? Maybe Bobdawg? I don't even know.
& 
