Episode 11: Dead Man Walking

[elise]

Hey guys! Guess who is most likely to get fucked by the recommunication twist?

[elise]

Hey guys! Guess whose close ties with Nav might actually save them despite tom's best efforts to screw them over from beyond the grave?

[elise]

So in 24 hours a lot happened. A LOT.

So the challenge was to complete 5 puzzles. I predictably did not win (though I did manage to survive the 2048 round!!! Wooo!!!). However, the goal this round wasnt really for me to win the challenge. The goal was that Tom wouldn't win, as I knew hed been messaging people in the game to try to get me out BEFORE he was recommunicated. Like, before the challenge (which is an obvious win for him) was even announced.

Predictably, he came back, wanted me dead, and has done everything in his power to make sure I died.

So Albee/Stephen/Patrick and myself went on call to discuss the votes. Basically it amounted to us acting really depressed and throwing around ideas that would never work (ie "what if we got tom to flip on Justin"). Eventually Tom wanted to go on call with Patrick so everything went quiet. We reconvened in a few minutes with confirmation that I was going home.

Sigh.

According to Patrick, Tom was originally going to post his intentions to vote me out publicly in his tribal chat video. However, he eventually changed his mind and decided to message me about it for some reason.

Normally I dont post chat conversations, but this one I feel needs to be posted. Apparently Tom was " nice enough" to give me one last chance for me to save myself (aka throw Stephen under the bus). But he was "leaning" towards voting me because he was so betrayed by me. He was planning on waiting until final 5 to screw me over! How dare I screw him over at final 9.

Yeah I'll just post the convo.





*Went on call for like an hour*



Basically Tom just being really vindictive and self righteous and trying to toy with me for no reason. Theres no way hes ever voting Stephen as he claims. Im not surprised he'd be mad at me, but I thought tom was better than this. He honestly just lost my respect.

If only there were some way I could stay....
(continuing after work lol)

[elise]

Working on the second part of my confessional. Hopefully I can finish it before work.

Meanwhile, heres my entire strategy in a disney song

[elise]

Since the round is over and I'm still here, you may be wondering "Hey Elise, why ARE you still here?".

Well dear reader, allow me to enlighten you.


^STORY TIME!!! <3 <3 <3

It all started during the live vote last round. Most of it was craziness and paranoia, but there was one thing I managed to do right. That was to agree to compare notes with Nav after it was over.

Obviously I voted against Nav's #1 ally Tom without telling him, but it gave me a chance to spill everything that had been going on. In return, he explained what had happened on the other side with Bryce's decision to play the idol AND vote Jack. Basically it boiled down to Bryce has a second idol with 2 rounds to play it. That wasnt good.

Nav is a smart guy so he and I talked through a variety of different scenarios. Patrick/Stephen both need to go because of their friends on the jury. But Bryce was a social, challenge and jury threat with an idol. So I managed to convince Nav that Bryce needed to go asap, because if he made final 5 there was no way he wouldnt win. We both knew Tom was coming back (the challenge being puzzles basically rigged it for him) and he definitely wouldn't vote against Bryce. I figured I'd be screwed by this but he assured me Tom wouldn't come back just to vote me out. He promised to tell me if I heard his name come up though (least he could do considering I made sure every attempt to vote him out by Palermo ended in failure.)

Flash forward to when Patrick went on call with Tom. I basically knew I was fucked.

^"You don't stand a ghost of a chance against me" -Ghost Tom, probably

However, I get a call from Nav. We only had about 3 minutes to talk but he told me Tom was campaigning for me to go, Bryce was 100% confirmed to have an idol, and best of all he was going to vote out Bryce to keep me. 


^Navlise 4 ever <3

Nav goes and talks to Albee, and 15 minutes later I'm added to that call. Albee has "managed to convince" Nav that Bryce is a big threat and we need to get him out over me. Thanks Albee <3. Nav says he's 100% on board. The plan is for Nav to monitor Bryce/Tom/Justin to make sure nobody plays an idol. I'll solidify the Palz alliance and make sure they're on board for a Bryce vote. Albee will do a little bit of both. All bases covered, lets do this.

And so, Albee, Patrick, Stephen and I all go on call. Albee and I are like, besides ourselves with glee. Patrick agrees pretty quickly to take the risk to go against Bryce. I mean, he does have immunity but still, thank you Patrick <3. Stephen takes a lot longer to convince because he's worried about the idol, and would rather vote someone "safe" like Justin. I'm sure him being friends with Bryce also had something to do with it. But I tell him if Bryce plays an idol, I'm the one to take the fall for it. I'd rather go out swinging than just allow myself to get taken out. Sure there's a chance that Albee and/or Nav are lying, but it's the only chance I got. If the palz make the final 6, we're golden. Well, unless I flip again. We'll play that by ear. 


^Yeah I know -_-

Albee and I then go on call to laugh maniacally and talk about how diabolical we are (two of Albee's favorite activities). We talk about how funny it is that the the jury and the viewers are gonna hate us. Yes us two villains <3 Hilariously this completely contradicts the  conversation I just had with Palermo, where we talk about how we're the heroes and everyone is going to love us. Most people identify with one or the other, but I really don't think I'm either. Sure it's fun to speculate, but it's not up to me to decide what people think of my game. I just make sure I'm still here.

At this point, I get the call from Tom. Already a very tense situation, but there are many more layers to this. I need to convince Tom I know Im going home. What would I do if I were actually going home? Be extremely pissed off. However, I can't get too mad cuz Id look like a hypocrite. What else can I do? Apparently the answer is cry like a 2 year old. Oops. owever, I tried not to be too emotional or else Tom loses any respect he has for me. I also need to try to attempt to sway Tom's vote. BUT not very well, because if the votes go on Stephen we could potentially lose Nav's vote AND spook Stephen into not being willing to vote Bryce (as he's think its too risky). 

I don't really know what were the results of that conversation. But at the very least Bryce didn't play his idol. So win. 

I'm still really pissed at Tom though. If I didn't know I was safe I would have actually tried to strangle him through the computer screen. 

Yeah I'm probably the most bitter person to be on the right side of the votes ever. Oops.



Anyways, the whole day was basically spent ensuring everything went to plan. Nav, bless him, checked in with everyone about every two hours. It annoyed the crap out of everyone, but I was grateful cuz everything went to plan. The only things that I thought could go wrong was if a) Bryce was spooked into playing an idol, or b) if  Albee/Stephen/Patrick were convinced there was no idol and they could afford to lose me and just get Bryce next week. Albee and Nav did a good job making sure a) didnt happen. Bryce probably wouldn't have trusted Albee enough to tell him but he probably would have told Nav if there were an idol being played. As for b), I just told them that "a viewer" had accidentally let it slip to me that Bryce had two idols. I don't want to overuse it (so everyone doesnt think I'm blatantly cheating lol) but it is a useful line when you want to confirm something. That and my mysterious "chronicles friends" or "friends from another org" who supposedly  keep confirming whatever random bullshit rumors I come up.

So moment of truth comes and..... Bryce doesn't play the idol!!! And is immediately sent packing in a 5-3 vote.



And that is the story all about how I went from being dead man walking to not only being able to survive, but taking out the biggest threat with an idol in his pocket. Go me.

We're so close to the end of this game. I can already picture myself winning. There's still a lot to do though. At the end of the day, I just need to make sure I'm still here. 5 other people.  3 (or 4) more tribals. One final tribal council. 9 (or 10) jurors. 1 winner.