Post by Dorothy Hui on Aug 27, 2016 15:34:36 GMT
^Finally a Dorothy gif of actually writing in a journal. Bonus points for wearing Bruxelles yellow!
So, we didn't merge. I think most of us were expecting it, even though last season had a couple of jurors who hadn't made the merge but voted for a winner anyway. I guess this is just another swerve in my least bloody pre-merge run ever.
Well, least bloody for me. I can't say the same for Cody, Natalie and Jasmine over on what remains of NuAmsterdam. If we win this challenge again, at least one of them is going to be a goner. If it's another double boot and we win, there's only going to be one survivor. We will have effectively Ulonged the opposing tribe, and we would be going into a 9-1 merge scenario, where I'm hoping my alliance of six (myself, Burnie, Julia, Ian, Tim and Dustin) will stick together and run it all the way to the endgame, or at least to a point where it will be mutually beneficial for all of us to pick off the stragglers who have made it to this point.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to be one of the three people on my tribe participating in this challenge, given Kathy's disappearance. That means for me, this isn't just an immunity challenge. This is a chance to put an end to any capable resistance the opposing tribe has left. For me, this is Operation Deathblow. My mission? Neutralize all standing enemies.
We've come this far, right? To lose now would end this arc on a sour note for me, even though I'm sure there are some viewers who are actively rooting for NuAmsterdam's underdog success. Who wouldn't root for the underdog? The whole reason Charlie Brown is as beloved a character as he is in fiction is because he's always trying and he's always trying to stay optimistic even as the world seems to have it out for him. I haven't met any of Cody, Jasmine or Natalie, but if any of them make it to the end, I can't justify not voting for one of them to win. If that would happen, they would have survived the massacre of their original and swapped tribes, wormed their way into a majority despite a huge difference in numbers, and successfully navigated themselves into the finals.
For all of Tim's jokes about letting Jasmine win this game, I'm not here for 8th place. I'm not even here for 2nd. I came to win, and I am going to continue doing my best to do so. That means Operation Deathblow needs to succeed.
---
I want to say the alliance of six is together completely and we're ready to roll, but I haven't been able to talk to Burnie or Dustin in days, partly because Burnie has been on Exile the last 48 hours, partly because my schedule hasn't really linked up with Dustin's. Ian, Tim and Julia seem ready to roll with it, though, and I'm hoping that means Burnie and Dustin would be too.
I have full confidence in Ian's loyalty, and I think at this point, I would be most shocked if he decided to turn on me out of anyone else in the game. I like Ian a lot, and he's been the one I've talked with most overall since the swap, even including the members of Triple Helix. I'm glad to be his friend, even though I suspect he might still be halfway in love with me (although for all I know that could be a front). I know Julia also wants this to happen, especially now that she's gotten along better with Ian than she was before - according to Ian, she responds to the flirting a lot easier than I do.
Tim, though? He was insisting to both me and Ian yesterday that he feels on the bottom of this group because of his Exile trips, and he feels like he hasn't established the kinds of relationships he needs to stay in this. He's psyched out from the betrayal that happened on OG Amsterdam, where he would have been gone if Simon, Austin, Holly and Natalie had their shit together (may most of them rest in peace).
Tim later went on to say he would like our group to stay together regardless, and that he's fine with 6th since he feels like he should have been 20th, but it's given both me and Ian pause. How do you respond to someone who keeps insisting their position is bad when you're trying to keep them on your side? All we can do is keep reassuring him that he's not on the bottom, even though his insticts are actually right - I'd want him out 6th if our group actually made it to that point completely intact. I think Tim is playing the "woe is me" card to try and guilt us into saying he's in a better spot with us than I actually want him to be, especially since I strongly suspect he's got an idol - possibly even two idols.
I need to touch base with Carrie. Even though she's not officially in this group, if I want to pull the trigger on Tim and Dustin before it's too late, I'll need her vote for sure.
