Hey it's Austin's Confessional

[Austin Carty]

I googled Coach's name for an image search, for my parchment, and "Benjamin Coach Wade Zodiac Killer" is an autocomplete.

I am so confused.

[Austin Carty]

So,LJ messaged me and asked me point blank what was going on. I KNOW that Marcus is leaking secrets of the alliance, so I had no issue telling him it was Coach - I also told him it could shift to Dolly, just in case there is a different idol in play on that side. He also asked me if I had any clue who had immunity, and it was a really tough call - I have no idea how much shit Marcus is leaking. If I tell him I don't know anything, he could know I'm lying, and then that channel of communication is severely damaged, because as far he knows I haven't really been dishonest with him. So, I took a gamble and said Ed had mentioned he got immunity.

I know their going to do stuff with this info, but I need to keep trust with Cerberus alive if I want longevity. Sure enough, Dolly told Silas who told Alina who told me the other side is voting Alex - me and him are the only two not in Marcus' 6 person thing, and I think doing stuff like this is keeping a bunch of votes off of me. Hopefully anyway - I think the stuff I've provided is being spread, since during my convo with LJ, Dolly started hitting me up. Subtle as a brick to the face, eh Dolly?

So, I've gotten any chance of Ed getting votes eliminated, which is a shame, cause Alex (or maybe me if people are lying) could go if an idol is properly played, especially since basically everyone knows Coach is our target. But there's not much I can do, since Marcus is doing seemingly everything in his power to make this difficult for me - he has this trust in Dolly that is frustrating, because we all know she'd slit his throat in a second if it came down to it. If Coach does manage to go this round, I'm thinking Marcus goes next - if I can get the votes for it anyway. I know Ed, Silas, and Alina are all really pissed off by what he's been doing, and I can't imagine Alex is happy, since Marcus going gaga over the other side has inadvertently led to him getting votes. (Lets ignore that me mentioning Ed has immunity may have done that, and hope they weren't voting him anyway cause of that weird 6 thing.)

I'm not sure if what I'm doing is the smartest, but trust is so fuckin' valuable in this game. I just can't afford to have people's trust in me diminished, even if it may lead to the perception that I'm not playing smartly, a blabbermouth or whatever. Being forced into a "secret" test of character sucks, people - it's a no win situation. I can only hope people see me as manipulable and I can play that to my advantage later on. Telling secrets is a dangerous game - if you screw it up, you'll get shanked, hard.

[Austin Carty]

FINAL 10

One of you received a DISADVANTAGE at this challenge. Your disadvantage is that you must post every minute starting from the beginning of the challenge.

OH BOY, I SURE AM GONNA DO SWELL IN THE CHALLENGE.

[Austin Carty]

Alina's telling me that LJ came to her proposing a four person alliance. Me, her, him, and PG. On the surface, I'd be fine with that, but here's the thing: LJ has been worrying me lately. He's much more astute than I've given him credit for, and when I told him about knowing about the Marcus alliance, he said "from Alina right?" I copped to it, because he obviously already has a grasp on it, but its worrying. He knows we're a pair, he talked baout how Alina never talked game with him, and suddenly he's proposing a four person alliance with both of us?

Part of me thinks he's just trying to keep me as a number, and is working with Alina to keep a tighter hold on me. I hope that's the case. But part of me also thinks that this all might just be a ploy to make us feel safe, then blindside us this round. Take out Alina, most likely. I'm not sure how likely it is - getting the numbers to fall the right way to do that would be tricky. I can't see Silas or Ed being down for that, they literally just tried to get Alex out - so it could only be Marcus, who we're trying to throw votes on anyway. Maybe their trying to get me and Alina to vote Marcus, Ed/Silas/Alex to vote one of them, and them + Marcus vote Alina or me?

That seems...complicated, and something I would think of when I'm going 30 hours with no sleep. But, its not impossible, so I'm definitely keeping my guard up - I'm optimistic, I hope Marcus does go this round, but a lot of shit could go down.

Also, lemme just take a second and say last tribal was INSANE. The other side used a switcher AND a canceler, apparently, but Dolly flipped to us, which is why it was 5-5 - we were going into that tribal 7-4, not 5-5. Coach rather predictably went on the re-vote, 7-2 - not sure who else besides Dolly decided to vote Coach, doesn't particularly matter. Damn though - my lucky breaks just won't stop, eh? No clue why Dolly flipped, not sure if its really bought her all that much time (Ideally she goes after Marcus) but it's entertaining as hell. As someone's who's all about Style Points (tm) I approve. Also as someone she flipped to.

[Austin Carty]

I'm deeply confused at the moment. Right now it looks LJ is going, because Marcus told Alina that LJ told him that I told LJ that Alina told me (CONFUSING, I KNOW) about Marcus' alliance. This pissed Alina off, because I had already mentioned that LJ was wary of her, and she wants him out. So does Marcus apparently. Silas is kinda ambivalent on the idea, but is staunchly against Marcus going, since he thinks he'd be loyal enough without people like Dolly or LJ in the picture. Edgardo is...insanely hard to read, and our convo's have some major issues in them. I think he'd be down for whatever, I'm just not sure he knows where my head's at, which is the issue. Although he apparently wants a F3 with me - granted he said that to Alina, who apparently EVERYONE thinks I'm in a duo with.

Now, people want LJ, and Marcus seems like a no go. I'm gonna do what I can to save LJ and boot Dolly, who Marcus is also close with, but I have no clue if they'll bite, since Marcus is...well, close with her, and she saved Alex's ass. If they don't, then I have to do LJ. Ugh, this is all so confusing.

[Austin Carty]

FYI, the minority votes should be going on Dolly, so basically, it's a matter of swinging at least one more person, and keeping us prepped for next round. (AKA not letting Marcus/Alex flip to LJ/Yul/PG)

[Austin Carty]

Marcus Lehman

well LJ was spreading that I was getting votes from you, alina

ARE YOU DENSE, LJ? Why the heck are you playing so fricken' hard dude? You keep throwing my hat into the ring, and I'm not sure what your hoping to achieve from it. But now, any chance of you staying (which granted was already low but still) is gone. You threw me and Alina under the bus before, I was willing to forgive. Now? Welp, gotta chop of one of the heads of Cerberus, man. Unless your just trying to get another idol play, which, granted, is entirely possible.

Also thank Christ I had a great chat with Marcus earlier so he was willing to tell me all this stuff. We're both going into the publishing field, made for a really nice convo, enjoyed it a bunch - when he talks Marcus is great. It's kinda funny that this is the second time LJ's giving Marcus the right info, but we manage to convince him it's just crazy ol' LJ. He's like Cassandra the Seer or something - always tells the truth, but no one believes him. Fitting that the winner of Greece goes in that role, haha.

It sucks having to vote someone I like a bunch out, but he's just really playing bad from a minority position. I'm not sure if he realizes, but I'm not as blind as a bat - if you keep fucking me over, I'm gonna retaliate, numbers be damned.

[Austin Carty]

Dolly Neely

They copied me this:

Austin Carty

Basically, I was trying to get a read on certain people's votes

And everyone was like, Marcus is trustworthy, if we get rid of Dolly

Cuz she keeps flipping, no one trusts her

And they'd rather her than him after last round

LJ. YOU. SUCK.

[Austin Carty]

FINAL 9

So, the LJ vote went rather smoothly, after all was said and done. Dealing with Yul was a bit of a headache - he's upset no one talks to him, and feels like I've been leading him on since the merge started. This is exactly what I didn't want happening when I chose to have dealings with the other side - I don't want to seem like some transparent douche, a la Sash or Albert. And, if things go right this round I won't be misleading them or anything - because Marcus, AGAIN, is trying to form a counter-alliance. How Marcus keeps making me whiplash in opinion on him is almost LJ esque in nature.

But yeah, apparently he formed a five person groupchat (Marcus, Edgardo, Dolly, Alex, Silas) was formed. But, thank you God for Alina/Ed's weird ass partnership, because he apparently believes in that F3 of ours, a groupchat has been made, and the plan is to flip the game. Have those other 4 split their votes 2-2, and blindside Marcus and his probably idol 5-2-2. I've talked to PG, she seems down, and I'm gonna try to help in convincing Yul - thank God I have PG to help in that. More later, as shit develops.

[Austin Carty]

OK, here's what's been going down.

Me, Ed, and Alina went into the six person chat, and got them to split the vote 4 Yul, 3 PG. I took a bit of a lead there, so I could make sure two of us (me/Alina) were in the 4, and the other (Ed) was in the 3, so the votes are equally split 2-2 if something goes down. Silas seemed to want PG to go over Yul, probably smartly so since she's the bigger threat by far, but peer pressure got the vote on Yul for whatever reason. Doesn't particularly matter, but, y'know, something to note.

I got a chance to talk to Yul, and filled him in on what was going down. He bit, and seems down - I talked to Alina and Ed, and Yul seemed similarly excited when he was talking to them. Especially with PG on board as well, I think we have those two votes locked up for this round at least. Which is great, because 9 is the final round where we can definitively beat those four without having to use Ed's idol or something. (Still not supposed to know about that btw oops.)

A three person groupchat between Me, Ed, and Alina was formed during this time, F3 deal and all that jazz, and to also help coordinate getting Yul and PG aboard. I was the one who talked both of them into it, ultimately - I'm not sure if that's just circumstance, or says something greater about my relationships with them compared to Alina or Ed's. If we were the Final 5, as we keep preaching in the chat, I might be able to finagle my way into a swing vote position. However, as nice as that could possibly be, this being the F5 is a definite no-no. Maybe I'm paranoid but I want to go to the end with...well...people I can beat. I'd like to think I could beat Yul, underdog story aside, and Ed's certainly possible - but Alina or PG? Lolnope.

To take a second about majority rules - first of all hype as fuck that I managed to win that, especially since it makes me feel  (most likely wrongly so but LET ME HAVE THIS) that I have a decent pulse on the game as a whole. What confused me a bit, however, was Alina getting both "has the win in the bag" AND "hero" - I agree with the former, she's in an excellent spot to ultimately win, but she has deemed herself a "cuntress" and is always the one advocating for cutthroat moves in our partnership. Maybe it's because the people deciding this haven't felt the sting of her blindside like Charlie or Kass or whoever, but I think I've definitely been underestimating her social game. I've been using her as a liaison for Edgardo and Alex, but I think I've been ignoring that she's been building those bonds up, and is swaying them to her side, her ultimate loyalty aside.

Me getting "mistakenly thinks they have the win in the bag," and "thinks their smart when their not," and "most strategic," was pretty much expected. In retrospect I probably should've put myself for most alliances, but um...I know I don't, lol. Alina's involved in way more than me for a start. Not to say I'm not up there, but I guess trying to keep bridges open with he other side has definitively caught other people's attention. I'm trying to throw off any stigma that may come with these titles, because being seen as a transparent gamer is not fun in the slightest. I kinda hope there is some appreciation for what I've been doing in these titles, but who knows?

Majority rules doesn't ultimately matter in the grand scheme of things, but it does give a glimpse of certain things. Most primarily, its shown me Alina isn't as nearly under the radar as she says, or even knows, and that as much as I adore her, I have to start seriously thinking about if I want to go to finals with her or not. Granted half the time she says she doesn't even want to go to finals, just wants to be final juror or whatever, but I can never tell if she's joking or actually wants to go to finals - leaning towards the latter, but even for me, she can definitely be an enigma.

I have been thinking about who I want to sit with in the finals. Assuming Marcus goes this round, I think I can beat Yul, Silas, Alex, and maaaaaaaybe Ed. It's doubtful I'd beat Dolly, social goddess that she is, PG, the likable underdog, or Alina, the more obviously powerful member of our duo. I'm kinda thinking about making a situation where I can get there with Silas and Yul - but then part of me worries it's just shutting out jury votes from people like Marcus, LJ, etc. who I might be able to get in a scenario where none of their friends are there. Then there's the other side, where there's arguably better players than me (Alex/Ed) are in the end with me as well, but ones that I don't think are as socially good as me. It's tricky - now is the time I need to start thinking about this kind of stuff, agt least I hope its not too early. Getting wrapped up in my head and plans and shit has been my demise before. My odds are getting their are middling at the moment, but getting there doesn't matter if I can't win - learned that lesson the hard way.

I'm not entirely sure which way this jury in general is leaning - and figuring that out, and working in that manner, is what makes a good Survivor player. Here's hoping I haven an ounce of game, haha.

[Host Tasha]

So much insight.

[Austin Carty]

Jun 15, 2015 18:03:07 GMT Host Tasha said:

So much insight.

I got Tasha to read a confessional. <3

[Austin Carty]

FINAL 8

Please not eighth again not again not again not again not again

[Austin Carty]

This round has been...interesting, to say the least.

Going into this Tribal, I was bound and determined to vote Dolly out. Unfortunately for me, OF COURSE she won this immunity. So, the alliance of five was like, OK, we gotta do either Alex or Silas. On the surface I was like, ehhh Alex is probably for the best - I like Silas, I don't want him to go out, and I figure either of them would be a good goat in the end. Alex comes up to me, starts transparently campaigning to me, yada yada yada I'm pretty unswayed. I'm i the process of working over Alina/Ed, since PG wasn't on and Yul was with me, when Alex proposed something.

Me, him, Edgardo, and Alina - vote out Silas this round, and then we can eliminate the other three in whatever fashion. This would give me, Alina, and Ed the capacity to play both sides, and ultimately decide who we wanted to go to the end with, so I'm like, OK, I agree with Alina and Ed, let's do Silas. Tis' a shame, cause I could use him moving forward, but whatever, I had been spitballing turning on the alliance and Alina wasn't for it. No sense in shaking the apple-cart if no one else wants to, y'know? Unfortunately, PG and Yul would not budge on voting Alex - which seemed strange, since it's such an odd vote to stay so vehemently against. I was slightly inclined against Alex in the beginning, then was fervently against Silas because of a deal. In retrospect, their stance makes a lot more sense - but I went to bed figuring the three of us could convince them tomorrow.

I get on AIM today, and Ed and Alina have chatted. Now they want Yul out.

...

My brain is not happy with this turn of events.

So, I get to talking with both of them, and the gist of what their saying is that Dolly, Yul, and PG go on Skype all the time. AND Dolly's TC answer indicates she knew she wasn't go. Something fishy's going on - and with their vehemence against voting Silas, it made us think that, after this vote, they wanted to bring in Silas, who will be looking for whatever bone he can get, and Dolly, to make a new power four, and knock out our trio. Honestly? It makes a lot of sense.

So, me, Alex, Alina, and Ed are all gonna vote for Yul, since PG/Silas and Alex/Dolly don't have the best of relationships. But, if we just did that, it'd be 4-4. So, I got sneaky.

I went into the groupchat, took a bunch of transcripts of conversations from Yul/PG, and edited them to seem like their pushing for Silas to go instead of Alex. Alina's gonna talk to him later and show him those, and I'm gonna pile on as well and having him flip, promising him the same deal we have with Alex. Ideally, both Alex/Silas think their in the 4th spot, and suddenly we're at the F5. I'm not entirely sure about Silas, but Alex has always been known as someone to keep his word. On TOP of that, he's a great goat. (Unless me, Alina, and Ed are COMPLETELY despised by the jury, which is entirely possible)

This is risky, to be completely honest. It banks on Silas believing us, and Alex not flipping to a Silas/Dolly/PG trio next round. No one wants  rock draw, especially the guy who got 8th before - but, if Silas doesn't bite and that's what it takes to get to the end, I'll take the risk. BEGRUDGINGLY, INCREDIBLY BEGRUDGINGLY.

I've been thinking about who I need in the end to win. And I'm kinda been thinking - how pissed is this jury gonna be? Cause if their super pissed, Alina and Ed are actually a good bet. I'm not entirely sure if I can trust Ed, but I trust Alina and hope she's put her trust in the right guy. However, I've actually been growing more confident I can beat him, because he mentioned he was Chris in States Delaware. (For the uninitiated, the guy who ragequit at F7) Now, I liked Chris well enough - but I was one of the few. With Ed's reputation in the game, and the social vibes I now know he's known to give off - taking him to the end isn't a horrible idea.

Alina on the other end...I'm not sure. It's possible, I suppose, but ultimately I think she beats me. I don't think Alina would be deeply upset if I cut her at final juror - she knows I was planning to cut her as Jaclyn in Tuvalu around a similar spot, if I hadn't been blindsided when I was. So right now, I'm thinking of slotting Alex or Silas into her spot in the me/Alina/Edgardo F3. The question of course, being what the jury's voting criteria will be. No one talks to Alex, but no one's offended by him - I'd imagine their offended by Ed, and I'm honestly unsure at the moment how they feel about me.

LJ talks in the Warriors Chat main chat, and he's not like, stinkeying me or anything. Coach has no reason to vote for Alex or Ed, since they were both in that six with me - and I like to think, as little as he was around, I still talked to him more than those two. Marcus didn't really talk much with anyone - we had good talks, but he was including Alex, not me, in his dealing, so his vote would probs go to Alex. The rest is impossible to determine, at the moment - the circumstance with which they were voted out influence a lot of stuff.

So, right now I'm playing for either a me/Ed/Alina or a me/Ed/Alex Final 3. And, I'd like to point out that my entire merge gameplan has pretty much been thrown out, haha. Game is fun like that, eh? Told ya' it probs wouldn't ultimately pan out that way, given how insane we all are. We're like, Survivor meets the Osbournes or something. It's a bunch of fun - even if I get blindsided this round or whenever, I've had a blast of a time, especially these past few rounds. Chaos and general insanity is just so FUN,. people, especially when your running the aslyum.

[Austin Carty]

Dolly came to Alina, campaigning for the vote. She kept telling him Alex, didn't trust her. Then Dolly came to ME, saying she didn't want to vote Alex - and I'm thinking, alright, this may be the 5th vote I need. She's campaigning to flip the game, after all.Of course, there's an issue - the issue, being, of course, that I have little relationship with Dolly, and this could bite me in the ass. But ultimately, I figured I'd try it anyway, and ideally try and buy some good will.

She seemed down, if confused, and she's just trying to get out from the bottom. Which sucks, because we all know she'll win if she's at the end...well, that's the perception at least, and may as well keep reinforcing it, ne? But yeah, she's really not in my longterm plans, I kinda wanna boot her next round. However, I included her in the vote, in case shit goes AWOL for whatever reason.

I also talked to Silas, and he said he was down to boot Yul. He also said he'd work on convincing Dolly, since those two are apparently tight. A bit worrying, but ideally it keeps both of them on our side, for a 6-2 blindside. I'm not sure if it'll work, and I do feel uncertain on telling her. But it's like, the alternative is her voting Alex, it going 4-4 if I didn't get a hold of Silas, and possibly going to rocks. I hope this does buy me some goodwill, I hope she didn't rat me out, and I hope I'm not going home. Alex mentioned to Alina that Dolly told him he was going unless he voted Ed, but I'm not sure WHEN she told him that - she told me she was trying to get the three of them to do something earlier.

Ugh, this round's more messy than I'd like. Probably why blindsides with lesser numbers, bare minimum and all that, are so much easier.