Burnin' Up Benelux

[Burnie Burns]

OK so I have a bit of spare time before the challenge so I wanted to give y’all a quickie confessional. I’ll try to get more down later tonight, but figured you’d wanna know where my head was at at least SOMEWHAT. 

Anyway, lately I’ve been getting the ol’ “CP Threat” reputation in games, and it’s been irritating dealing with that in every game. It means I have to play from the front the whole time, which is just taxing on a number of levels, not to mention ill-advised. So, I’m consciously choosing to back away from that and fade into a more under the radar role. 

There’s a few ways I’m going about this. One, I’m pointedly NOT using the group chat much, because that makes it way too easy to get like, leader vibes. It’s kinda of a crutch for social interactions, in my book - and you can’t finesse individuals with it the way you can with private conversations, which are tailored to meet their particular needs. 

Additionally, I’m not gonna bring up ANY strategy. I think I’m plenty active on the tribe, especially since we have the inactive Ricky, so I’m gonna try and be brought into stuff rather than make said ...err, stuff. Let people come to me, reduce any strategic acumen I might be seen as having. 

And, on the whole, I’m trying not to be TOO active. Like, I want to be offline a lot, because it lowers my perceived interest and, in turn, threat-yness. If I’m likable enough I won’t go anyway, and when the time comes to cut threats, I HOPEFULLY won’t be high on that list. That’s the idea anyway. 

This is all pretty reactionary in nature, since my past few games I’ve been targeted early merge due to being seen as that threat. I’m sure, as time wears on, I’ll get a better vibe of how far I can push that impression without it coming to bite me - but these are som guidelines I wanna follow in at least a general sense. ESPECIALLY in a game as big as this - it’s a marathon, not a sprint. 

I worry I’ve been a bit TOO social in my one on one chats, like responding too quick and writing too much, but I am trying to finesse that a bit - hopefully I can tone it back a bit in the next few rounds, retain that likability but reduce that... threat-ability? Sure. Also in the short-term I want to glomp on to some of the more active people on the tribe, like your Dorothy’s and Julia’s, so I stay in the nexus of power but am not the one controlling things. Second tier player, lessgo! How could it go wrong?



OK NOT ADDRESSING THAT VULGARITY, CHURCH! God, such a negative nancy, amirite?

[Burnie Burns]

Round One: I Should Probably Label These Things Huh

I SHALL TRY CHURCH I SHALL TRY!

Hey yes I still exist!!! (Shocking I’m sure.) I know I haven’t given y’all a TON to work with, but I don’t REALLY have my usual stuff to talk about. Like typically I like to talk about where my game is at this moment and how I want to progress, but since I’m REALLY angling for that under the radar social type gameplay, that...hasn’t come up. Like at all. 

Well, there’s ONE thing. Right before the challenge Dorothy came to me and was like “hey your my favorite person on this tribe ALLIANCE?” and I was like yessssss. All that work I’ve been putting in with her specifically is paying off. (Although I’m sure she said similar things to OTHER active-ish people, but hey I think our bond is solid and wow this parenthesis needs to be closed ASAP.) If we went to tribal it probably would have developed from there, but we didn’ and we have two days off because of how the double tribal is working. 

The way the double tribal is going is...eh, kinda meh in my opinion. I’d rather not give the outsiders time to get in on the dynamics, pounce while the iron’s hot and all that, but also 48 hour waits KILL the pace of games. There’s practically no incentive to go on AIM other than to shore up bonds if you REALLY need to, because pretty much everyone views it as a vacation of sorts. But hey, it came at a GREAT time - I was super busy last night launching pure, getting all the tribes set up and whatnot, so I was fine with the buffer. 

I will say I’m not LOVING my social game, in the sense that I feel like I’m not in control of my interactions. I was talking to Dorothy last night and I was like, doing my best to respond quickly and thoroughly, but she is a social BEAST. I’d send two lines, she’d send four, that type of thing. And because I was distracted I’d go like ten minutes without responding, remember I need to respond, and she’d respond ASAP. Like damn girl, awesome job. 

I was doing similar things with my other chats (granted Danielle only sent me like two messages before disappearing and Mackenzie was kiiiinda boring) and I don’t really LIKE being like, slow to respond. But it works well with the image I’m trying to create, especially if the messages I DO send are like, entertaining or witty or whatever. (Which they ARE in my opinion but I’m also a narcissist so, y’know, grain of salt.) Low activity but a SOLID guy and like, approachable when I’m around. 

And hey, I THINK I’m in the upper half of activity for my tribe still, so it SHOULD all work out. I’m just a control freak who hates giving up any semblance of power but I just gotta deal with it. 

Because that wasn’t a TON of stuff to chew over there, I’ll do a quick and dirty assessment of my tribe. LET’S SEE IF I CAN REMEMBER ALL OF THEM WITHOUT USING A CHEAT SHEET WOOT. (Spoiler alert: I can’t.) 

 

She seems kinda fake to me? I dunno, I don’t get good vibes from her. We talked about dancing with the stars (and I had to look stuff up cause hell if I watch that show...ok maybe I’m the fake one here) and my love for Fresh Prince (did NOT know Carlton won Dancing with the Stars by the way, cool stuff) but it was very...eh. She talked in the chat multiple times while ignoring my messages which was irritating. And I FEEL like she was gunning hard for exile despite not finding any of the passwords - she was always quick to post after they were find, and it felt like she was prioritizing her safety while not really contributing much. I dunno, she gives me bad vibes, but she’s active-ish so I dunno if she could get booted without spending social capital I haven’t put a TON of effort into obtaining. (Especially this early.) But I regretted not trusting my own reads in my last game and relying on my allies intuition over my own, so unless I get reason to believe she's not duplicitious on my own accord, I don't wanna trust her.

 

Seems active-ish, but could NOT for the life of her get a handle on the challenge. Also she drops conversations even worse than me (like HOURS instead of minutes) so kinda meh in that regard. I could see her leaving if she fucks up another challenge and Ricky/Steurt make that case. 

 

The person I like the most, just an all around swell gal. She seems to be into Roosterteeth which is something chill we can bond about. She’s just a very active and social player, and I think odds are she’ll be kingpin of this tribe. So, it’s all about appealing to her and nuzzling up nicely into her coat pocket - if I make that happen, being just all around awful otherwise shouldn’t be a MAJOR issue. Also the only person I have any semblance of a game relationship with. The PLAYER on this tribe, honestly. 

 

I like Julia well enough, pretty replacement level (or maybe a bit above) conversationally. But on this tribe, that ain’t awful. We’ve only really made small talk, talking about shows and stuff, but she seems NICE enough, if a bit dull at some bits. Still, she’s someone I feel I can kinda sorta get on the same wavelength as, and despite not REALLY chatting with her a ton, I’d like to work with her. (Granted outside of Dorothy I HAVE been kinda shite conversationally.) 

Seems active, very average in conversation, first time we chatted was last night. Eh, I’m not SUPER feelin’ it, but it could be worse. 

Haven’t talked to him, but he seemed active in the challenge so *shrug* Quite a likely boot in my opinion, was the last to show up and I have no gauge on how active he is socially. 

I’ve seen her talk in the chat a few times, but we haven’t talked yet. I don’t THINK its because she’s inactive (although she does seem sub-active) and more “two boats crossing silently in the night” kinda thing regarding our schedules. 

See Mackenzie minus the whole “seems active” bit. We had one conversation, nothing special (or that I can even remember really) but he showed up for the challenge so...yay I guess? 

Oh wow I actually got all of them. I’m PROUD of myself, despite this whole post being an OTT mess really. SO LONG DEAR READERS!

[Burnie Burns]

Round 2: Petition to Change Bruxelles to Nitwits 

Heya confessional folks, ol’ Burnie here to regale you with a tale - the tale of the Nitwit tribe. 

We enter the Nitwit tribe fresh off a win where they crushed the opposition in a skill based competition. Nitwit Tribe Member A, a handsome lad by the name of Burnie, was feeling pretty confident. Despite being...less than ideal socially, the tribe had come together when the time was needed, and he could live with that. How hard could it be to keep that streak alive? 

And all seemed well when the hosts asked for sit-outs. Everyone said they could be of use during the challenge, albeit unwilling to show up and discuss who exactly should be there for challenge - a paradoxical conundrum, and one that foreshadowed the troubles to come. 

Ultimately, the group could not come to a consensus, so they decided to let Jesus take the wheel and leave it to chance. Ricky was sat out, which wasn’t too much of a loss, but also Dorothy - which was certainly not ideal. Dorothy is bar none the most active member of the tribe, after all, so losing her leadership and talents was a loss. But Burnie did not fear, because literally EVERYONE had said they could help out! 

And huzzah! The challenge was creative and was set to last 48 hours! So long as the Nitwit tribe paced themselves and worked together, it’d be a cinch to get the win. And on top of that, Burnie studies writing in college (not that they know that, alias and all) so even MORE reason to be confident! Everyone said they could make it - they turn in their parts, I fine tune em, no problem. 

So Burnie goes to the tribe chat, asks what they want to do, aaaaaaaand this is where the tale became a CHOOSE YOUR OWN adventure! 

The tribe members took one of two paths: 

A. Suggesting idiotic and incomprehensible ideas, such as becoming Pokemon (flashbacks to Battlefield 2 oh god the horror) that did not fit the theme, and furthermore, are just plain WEIRD. 

B. Not being present at all! Huzzah! 

Oh, you wanted a third option? Actually writing the story? Being productive? Oh no no no, the Nitwit tribe earned it’s name for a reason, and damn if they wanted to prove it. 

Almost a day after it ended, and the tribe had produced no results. Burnie, far too optimistic for his own good, took one of the few half-decent ideas and wrote an intro. They didn’t have to use it, but this would be the burst of INSPIRATION that the tribe would need to get their motor running! 

He presented his creation to the tribe and...well... 

Oh Jiminy Cricket, there you are! What a delightful presence! But, why are you here now? 

Oh...oh, my... 

To Burnie’s eternal gratitude, one other tribe member decided to pitch in and contribute to the story. Getting on the right page, finally! If more and more people join, hope can’t be lost, can it? 

Of course, that would rely on the whole “more people joining in” bit, you see. As the hours ticked by, none of the tribe deemed it necessary to come in. Steuart had done quite a bit of work on his own, and Burnie had already done a pretty decent job on his own. And yet the Shelli’s and Carrie’s and Mackenzie’s and Danielle’s and Julia’s of the world did not chime in. And they would sign in, surely - Burnie even talked to said Julia - but alas, the productivity slowed to a halt. 

So, Burnie did what Burnie does best: bullshit and pray. He swiftly concluded the story and got it to a semi-presentable fashion - as this was going on, Katia revealed we would be losing Danielle regardless. Burnie’s heart went out to her and the issues she was facing, as did his tribemates - who at that moment, revealed themselves to be very much around. Of course, when Burnie offered the role of concluding the story to another participant, there were no takers - such a shame, really. 

The story was submitted, constrained as it was, and very nearly won the challenge! But Danielle’s medevac prevented his tribe from facing the chopping block...for the time being, at least. 

And so ends the tale of the Nitwit Tribe - uplifting, isn’t it? Oh, it’s a clusterfuck and frustrating on every conceivable level? Well, let’s have Burnie explain that IN GREAT DETAIL. 

WHAT. THE. FUCK. PEOPLE. Why are me and Steuart the only ones working on this? Your chatting about the Olympics and other trivial stuff in the chat, but every time the topic of the challenge comes up - mums the word. No one wants to put ANY effort in and it’s just plain irritating, because teamwork IS a criteria you know!  

Look, I can write a half-decent story (although certainly nothing stupendous - that requires a hell of a lot more time) but I can’t earn us those points. If we hadn’t lost Danielle, those teamwork points would have cost us a member - we were eight points behind the other tribes, and even getting THREE more points in that category from each judge would have made the difference. Just make some images and put them in if you can’t write, it’s no big deal! 

But, that would require a level of activity this tribe quite frankly does not have. I’m annoyed, and I like to think I have a decent amount of patience - five separate people would not add anything constructive to the conversation. There’s just like, apathy in the extreme - yeah I don’t particularly like this tribe, but I’d like to avoid Tribal Council if I can, you know? These people won’t sit down for thirty minutes to produce something, ANYTHING - hop on me and Steuart’s backs, it's an easy ride after all. 

And in part I’m irritated with myself. Part of me just wanted to let it go, keep myself under the radar, just get a do not submit and let it be. Steuart doing a decent amount of work alleviated those concerns to some extent, and on top of that...I dunno, I have some pride? The hosts put this game together for us to enjoy, I’m gonna do the fuckin’ challenges they provide. And so I - VERY VERY RELUCTANTLY - stepped into the spotlight for this bit. 

DAMN RIGHT THEY SHOULD CHURCH! Finally a guy speaking my language, eh? Eh?

Quite frankly, this makes me want to get the HELL away from this tribe in a swap - I don’t have any real alliances out of Dorothy, so there’s nothing connecting me to them, and they clearly just don’t care about the game. It’s one thing if you value different things - I could accept them not being SUPER social, since basically everyone came on for the first challenge in a pretty dope display - but not doing that just like...cements it in my mind. I’m loyal to Dorothy, and quite frankly that’s it. 

Luckily (which is kinda weird to say given the context of what this statement will be) I’m not really involved in any alliances. I’ve been social and likable, and I’ve certainly been included in possible plans should we go to Tribal Council - but any actual deals are just, not there. So when I flip on them when we swap (which barring a disastrous scenario is quite likely) they can’t be like “But Burnie you betrayed us!” No, I did not. 

If anything good came out of this whole challenge disaster, it's that it gave me an avenue to bond with Stuart. Yeah, conversation was nothing to write home about, but it definitely felt deeper and just like, more cordial, then our previous one. I’d like to work with him if I can, provided he’s around outside of challenges going forward. 

And maybe its reactionary on my part, to talk about getting rid of an option because of a challenge, but I think it’s actually indicative of a general state of affairs. There is no tribe unity, no central unit - Dorothy might be the closest thing to a leader that we have, but even she doesn’t get messages from some people. Going forward with these people is risky because there is no cohesiveness, so relying on them for their votes is like...not great. Maybe it's because we haven’t gone to Tribal Council yet, but the lack of any real power group is telling as to this tribe's overall longevity. And it doesn’t look great. 

Likely, when we swap, there will be attempts to stay “Bruxell strong” or whatever, and if the other tribes are just as inactive as this one, it's certainly an option. But if I can’t talk to you, I can’t get a read on you. If I can’t get a read on you, I can’t trust you. And if I can’t trust you, I can’t work with you. 

So this exile trip is really a boon. I’m hoping I can talk to Tim and Vivica a decent bit - I’m hoping them being the ones to post the final submission means they have form of authority on their tribe. Those two tribes worked together pretty well (which is worrying given our LACK of cohesiveness - trimming them down in the next few challenges would be helpful to heighten the benefits of #freeagentburnie) so I’d IMAGINE the one putting the bow on it is, at the very least ACTIVE. Which at this point is certainly all I can ask for. 

Going to exile is certainly the reason I posted it. Katia said the rationale for determining exile was figured out before the challenge, so I figured it had to be something concrete. Since she kept repeating and repeating and REPEATING that we had to make a final submission page, and anything like “hardest working” or “mvp” while, entirely applicable to me, are subjective as fuck, I deduced that whoever did that went to exile. And I am A-OK heading off to exile - an idol clue would be awesome, and maybe I can tone down my visibility a bit being away from AIM and all. 

And hey, minus not being able to talk to Dorothy, not like it’s gonna really cut down on my number of chats. If anything I might get TWO people to talk to, in Tim and Vivica. Now doesn’t that sound dandy? Besides, it's the second exile trip - early enough that its idol probably isn’t taken, and late enough that it’s not really gonna raise any eyebrows that you went there. Being the “first exile” can certainly carry a stigma - just look at Missy in Panama, you dig? 

If we do go to tribal in the immediate future, the name I’ve been hearing is Ricky. I was talking to Dorothy and Julia/Carrie had talked to her about a foursome we can do if that happens, which apparently includes me. Which is weird because as far as I’m concerned I barely talk with either, but the screenshots don’t lie. So it’s comforting - I’ve firmly put myself in the upper echelon of the tribe, without really being a strategic threat. Being as active as I was in the challenge isn’t IDEAL, but I don’t think anyone will go big game hunting quite yet for me, which is very nice. 

Also, I want to dedicate a segment of this confessional to how much I love Dorothy. She’s so CPP and I fuckin’ adore that girl. She told me this LONG (and I mean like 500 word long) story about her prom and I was just like “holy fuck this activity level MY GOD ITS AMAZING” and while she can be a little fake sometimes, it’s not from a BAD place as far as I can tell. I really do like her and value her as an ally. Also she’s the only I got so I should probably value that, lol. 

OK, that’s a mess with little actual content but I TRIED ok??? Basically I bent (read: broke) the rules I set for myself because my tribe is full of Nitwits, and I’m gonna have to do some social downplay-ing (which is HARD for me cause I just write so much even when I know I shouldn’t) and strategic positioning to hit that sweet spot. WISH ME LUCK DESPITE MY INEVITABLE FAILURE. 

(holy fuck this was 2000 words why did i do this to myself NO ONES EVEN AROUND HOW DID I DO IT??? also i made a point to include as many hyphens in this as i could for you audrey xoxo)

[Nikki Grahame]

Misty*

[Burnie Burns]

joaquin as my sole fan i just want u to know i APPRECIATE u <3

[Nikki Grahame]

Hey I am a fan of you!

[Burnie Burns]

Aug 9, 2016 15:32:02 GMT Nikki Grahame said:

Hey I am a fan of you!

I THRIVE ON LIKES NIKKI U KNOW THIS

[Burnie Burns]

• Round 3: Sleepfessional (Actually Kinda Works Tho)
  
  

I've been awake for 20 hours. But I don't want to get a penalty. SO I'm gonna hedge on a technicality (because God forbid I follow the spirit of the law) and ~preview~ a few quick things I want to update y'all on before I enter the world of Hypnos.

- I gave the immunity clue to Tim (While I was on exile) and Dorothy, ultimately.

- Mackenzie has gone entirely inactive. Fuck him.

- Carrie seems to want to work together? She's buttering me up a ton.

- Talked to Ricky for like the first time, actually a pretty cool guy.

THIS IS BUT A PREVIEW OF THINGS TO COME. I'll be more ~detailed~ later.

Yeah, your right Church. That was pretty low effort, especially compared to the last one. ITS HARD TO TRY SOMETIMES OK???

[Burnie Burns]

Round 4: I’M PLAYING THE GAME THINGS ARE HAPPENING WHAAAAAAT

I KNOW RIGHT? HOW CRAY CRAY CRAAAAAAAAZY!

But yes, a lot has happened. The things I wanted to elaborate on before seem kinda irrelevant now, like the information there was pretty much it. You really realize how much your stressing things and making rants outta nothin’ when there’s stuff (ok still only a bit BUT I’LL TAKE IT) to talk about!

The only really pertinent thing is that Carrie seems to want to work with me, which is cool considering she got the power and all. I’m not sure if I mentioned I liked Tim to her - I think it was Dorothy - but if I could get on the same tribe as him after doing him a solid (ok not really BUT THE THOUGHT COUNTS) that’d be cool and useful, especially given my lack of bonds with my tribe. Regardless, not a ton I can do but speculate there - let’s get to more concrete things.

SO, first off - I got included in an alliance!

So beautiful.

I was talking to Dorothy and we were like “it's either can be a swap or a triple TC” and we figured it’d be good to get something rolling before either, so we’d stop tip-toeing around things and know we’d actually be loyal in a swap scenario instead of like, ~vaguely~ loyal. Becuase of the impending announcement we got down to a lot of brass tacks, and discussed what we wanted to do.

We discussed Julia, and I mentioned that she’d been dropping conversations with me a bit and I was worried she didn’t like me or something. Part of it was to reinforce the whole open communication thing I have with Dorothy, and part of it was to see how she’d react. She got very defensive of Julia, and just from nuggets I’ve managed to gather from what she says (and what she doesn’t say) those two are definitely close. 

I actually think there’s a very real chance she’s closer to Julia than she is to me - we didn’t get to talk for a few days because of schedule stuff - but that doesn’t particularly worry me. When we swap I’m fairly confident I’ll be more active than Julia in talking to the new members, if we even ended up on the same tribe - I don’t think it’ll come down to a “pick me or her” thing anytime soon.

This gives me time to build up the social capital to usurp any current bond they might have. It’s kinda like Big Brother - it doesn’t matter if you have the votes to stay Wednesday night, it matters when peeps have to cast their vote to evict. Knowing this information I can work with it, pretend I adore Julia as much as she does, etc. etc. until I quietly gain more power.

Regardless, I steered right in the direction Dorothy wanted me to, being like “omg thank god she doesn’t hate me I love her” because duh that’s what she wants to hear. And interestingly, again because of the bit of a time crunch we were under, this manifested itself in a threesome forming between us that had long been talked about - serendipitous timing, what can I say.

And hey, I’m very happy to have this. It reinforces my loyalty in the minds of the people that matter, more or less (Carrie and Steuart would be nice also but eh trying to stay somewhat under the radar) and it happened in an organic enough manner that I don’t seem super active or whatever. Like I wasn’t really the catalyst, per se, which is awesome - let the others take the figurative reigns, feel in charge, whatever.

It’s very possible they’ve already made other things that don’t include me, like it wouldn’t shock me if they have a deal with Carrie. Maybe Steuart, but eh he’s not around a ton outside of challenges. Doesn’t matter a ton going into a swap, I just need to think I’m loyal. Which I am, to Dorothy and an extent Julia now, but Dorothy and I are on the same page about our tribe not being united and needing to nix any number concerns right away.

Reeeeeeegardless, Triple Helix was formed, which is a pretty dope name. 

Totes Church, totes. It’s pretty good, I feel like I thrive in an alliance structure - with any information, really. I’m pretty good at handling things and making the right moves when I have the knowledge - right read leads to right play. When I don’t - well, there’s a reason assume is spelt that way.

The challenge was interesting. The challenge was played in Thailand (Thirty Flags I believe it was called?) and was discussed in this game theory text I saw once, how one tribe lost it on the first turn or something. It’s on reddit if you wanna dig up the link, interesting stuff. Regardless, I didn’t particularly want to win - I don’t wanna be seen as active by the other tribes. We could see who was going hard and who wasn’t, which is vital info going into a swap. Besides, power corrupts and all that shit. Plus I was having a bad night cause of some fighting (outside of the game) so I logged off early to chill, relax, and destress.

IDEALLY Julia or Dorothy would have been able to pull off the win, but Carrie isn’t horrible. We’ve been kinda like Batman and Catwoman, dancing around each other yet still with that air of a connection that we haven’t quite hit just yet. I also think it’s probably Zavi and/or Marta, but just a random hunch I don’t have a ton to base off of. I don’t super trust her, but she’s been putting in work with me which I appreciate. Better than Steuart, who I enjoy but is...never around TO enjoy. Ricky, Shelli, or ESPECIALLY Mackenzie winning is kinda laughable lol.

I haven’t really discussed the vote, but if it wasn’t unanimous for Mackenzie I’d be surprised. Dude’s as inactive as a broken generator.

OK this was kinda OTT but I had fun writing it. If you have any questions feel free to hit me up!

[Burnie Burns]

I'll have something more detailed up later BUT - like, 90% sure Ian is Nav at this point. Dude cannot hide an alias for the life of him.

[Burnie Burns]

Round Five - Swap of a Lifetime 

Sorry for the delay in getting this up, just a ton of stuff to talk about with the tribe, process, and marinate on. Making a plan is a lot like raising a child, really - if you don’t wanna fuck it up you talk to other people and have them do the lion’s share of the work, even if it takes a wee bit longer. 

ANYWAY, the swap happened, and this tribe could not have reasonably gone much better for me. Like, all the inactives from Bruxelles (and poor Steuart) got relegated to the other tribe, and the people we got in exchange for them are cool as hell. Major props to Carrie, there really isn’t a bad pick in the bunch. 

I looked at the list Katia posted in the tribe chat, and based on the order it seems fairly likely to have been the pick list. 

NuBruxelles – [Carrie – C], [Dustin], [Dorothy], [Kathy], [Julia], [Tim], [Burnie], [Jaclyn], [Ian] 

NuAmsterdam – [Simon – C], [Steuart], [Cody], [Shelli], [Austin], [Jasmine], [Natalie], [Ricky], [Glyn]  

Keeping that there for posterity, but it definitely tells me a lot I need to know about Carrie. I was her last choice from Brussels, so she definitely feels closer to Dorothy and Julia, who she made sure to get first. And hey, I expected it - but that doesn’t mean it’s the funnest thing in the world to have confirmed, y’know? 

Regardless, odds are I’m gonna have to work with Carrie on this tribe. There’s four Bruxelles members here on a nine person tribe, so it’s kinda a given we either need to completely disperse or band together and grab one of the other tribes voting blocs. If I had my druthers I wouldn’t necessarily like to work with Carrie, she takes forever to respond, but I’m kinda in a spot where there’s not a ton of other options. 

Precisely Church! What a handsome and brilliant fella, that there Church. 

At the moment, it seems like we’re gonna side with Old Amsterdam. Tim spilled about the dynamics on his tribe, and apparently Tiffany was blindsided and he just barely dodged the bloc last round in a 3-2-1 vote. Cody and Dustin saved him, so I’d imagine Tim would like to work with Dustin here. And hey, I like both of them, so that’s fine by me. 

Tim can have short responses unless we’re discussing strategy (which makes me wonder if I know precisely who he is) but we do have a relationship that we built up on exile and that I made sure to continue here, and I told him there’s 0.0000 percent chance I’m voting for him. I feel fairly comfortable that will hold for the time being, as long as I keep talking to him. 

Dustin is very fun to chat with, and clearly knows what he’s doing. From a few chat excerpts Dorothy sent me he seems to want to work with OG Bruxelles, and I think I’ve done a good job of making myself endearing to him. (And the group as a whole really, minus Kathy who I haven’t talked to.) I wish I could be more under the radar about it, but my social style is just way too long-winded and active for that, so I’ve been relying more on just not being online a ton to present that non-threatening image. 

If we had lost that challenge, the plan was to boot Jaclyn and Kathy. Jaclyn, at least from my own impressions and the talks I had with Dorothy (which if you haven’t gathered is the person is the person I’m primarily comparing notes with) comes across as fairly robotic. She also has told both of us in excruciating detail her ORG history - apparently she played over one hundred PM games? I mean...cool I guess, but why are you telling me this??? 

As for Kathy, Dorothy said she seemed fine, but she just hasn’t been around a ton. Like, she’s messaged others, but I haven’t seen her in the groupchat. And I’m not the MOST active person in the groupchat (intentionally so mind you) but even I contribute here and there with a Dunsparce wood carving or somethin’. Kathy...exists??? 

If I had to rank the order of trust on this new tribe it’d be something like: 

Dorothy - Obviously my #1, and will be for the foreseeable future and until I have to reluctantly cut her at F4 to ultimately win the game. (Yeah I planned our story arc in advance I can be PRODUCTIVE ok???) 

Julia - I don’t particularly trust Julia herself, because she’s awful about dropping conversations, but I trust Dorothy to trust her for the time being. Plus I doubt she’d go against Triple Helix before merge, which is all I really need at this point. 

Tim - I’ve put a ton of work in with Tim, and even if he isn’t necessarily the most interesting guy, I do really like and trust him going forward on this tribe. He and Dustin have the opportunity to play the middle, and I THINK we got them on our side. 

Dustin - Very chill guy, and if we keep talking there’s a good chance he moves up in these rankings. I know he trusts Dorothy at the least, and if we keep building that mutual trust can only build. 

Ian - So I’m 100% convinced this is Nav at this point. Did a few subtle tests, talked about my alias location (Austin, Texas - same as Burnie) and how I hated the east coast, and he took the bait. Besides that stuff, I do have a decent read on Ian - at least I feel like I do - and he’s exactly the type of shield my sort of gameplay needs. I’d love to work with him, at any rate. 

Carrie - Ostensibly I’m SUPPOSED to be working with Carrie, and if my alliance wants to keep doing that I will. But if there’s an opportunity to get her out after Kathy or Jaclyn go, I’d pounce on it in an instant. I don’t trust her long-term, we just don’t talk enough, and while I appreciate the token gestures she offers me, I know it won’t be anything deep or sustainable. Rather nip that in the bud before she goes full Kass or something, y’know? 

Jaclyn - I’ve talked to her, and she says a lot which is nice, but not a ton for me to work with. The others don’t seem to really like her, and it’s no skin off my back if she goes. 

Kathy - Haven’t talked to her, the least active member, peace out. 

ANYWAY that’s about all I have to say. I’m honestly thrilled about this tribe (dire words to look back to when Lux and Am team up I know) and it really couldn’t have worked out much better. Til next time, peace.

[Burnie Burns]

Round 6: All We Do Is Win Win Win 

It’s getting kind of ridiculous. I’ve had to go to a grand total of one tribal council where I booted an inactive. Like, is it just activity? Are me, Dorothy, Julia, and Carrie just THAT good? Because as much as Amsterdam wants to take out OG Brussells, they can’t do shit if they can’t beat us. 

I feel like we’re gonna merge at 14, if my hazy memories of last season are anything to go by. And if that’s the case it is a bit irritating that they don’t have any time to eat each other - Glyn and Shelli are easy enough boots for them. And if it’s 13, they’d still have Jasmine to boot - the only way they’re number begin to crumble (provided they’re together) is if its 12 or later. AND we continue our winning streak, but I’m fairly certain there’s nothing to worry about there - we CRUSHED them the other night lol. 

Although, on the other hand, them having six people in the merge (even if two are allegedly unloyal) could be good. They’re not a united tribe, and Brussels and Luxembourg have every reason to team up on them - which is great for me because, well, I have no relationship with that side. It positions me in a decent middle spot as the merge progresses, cause I’d figure things would flip on Julia/Dorothy before me - I’ve been working hard on a relationship with Ian, and I think we could be swingers in this manner. 

Because, as much as I adore Dorothy, I think I have a fair understanding of the direction her game will head. Become a target early merge, and play it by ear to survive there. So I just need to distance myself publicly a bit from her in the event that said target is capitalized on. I’m up there I think, as far as activity goes, but I do think I’ve done a fair job playing it down. I’m gonna talk to Ian some more tonight if I can, discuss stuff for the merge. 

The only OTHER thing of any real relevance is that Dorothy and I (i.e. Dorothy) managed to crack the code to the idol after I got the last clue from Tim. Thing is, it was found - and there was a post saying that when we got in. From fourteen hours prior, so before I got the clue, and after Tim came back from Exile. 

Went to Tim, didn’t mention Dorothy’s name, and he was like “yeah no I don’t have it, they update those ‘not here’ posts” which...would be weird? I’m keeping an eye on the board, but no updates yet, which seems a bit fishy. Not gonna bring it up with him again regardless, because I do want to work with him and if he doesn’t wanna trust me with all his cards, that’s FINE - I haven’t done likewise with him, after all. There is a chance Carrie has it too, although the password (Cyrillic) seems... a bit too hard for her? Is that mean? Yeah it’s mean. Still feels true though. 

That’s about it for this round, fairly sedate all in all. If we merge soon that’d be dope as fuck, get to playin’ - these 72 hour waits between challenges are KILLING me with boredom. I'm gonna start overplaying soon because of it, I get antsy y'know? Anyway, peace out PW's.

[Burnie Burns]

Round 7 + 8: Koror Starts To Play 

Let’s just go over a quick record: 

Round 1: Immunity 

Round 2: Quit 

Round 3: Immunity 

Round 4: Tribal Council!!!! Owait an inactive cool. 

Round 5: Immunity 

Round 6: Immunity 

Round 7: Immunity 

Round 8: Immunity 

Round 9: Merge 

I don’t have any experience with a real Tribal Council in this game, barring Mackenzie. The only alliance I actually have crystallized the round Mackenzie left, but nothing has happened since then. A TON of talks have happened since then, but nothing solid forms because people are wary to get shit rollin’ in times of peace. It’s a select few who decide to stockpile arms in times of true peace - even fewer who would do so knowing that in doing so, others WOULD know they’re doing it. 

But, now that we’re merging, and we know the battles are gonna start? Well, that’s a different issue entirely. Who’s gonna blame someone for bringing a gun to a warzone? The talks have begun to get more feverish and legitimate, but I’ll get to that in a second. Let me quickly mourn Jasmine. 

I didn’t do a confessional for last round - lot’s of things came up in real life, and ultimately a lot of stuff just...didn’t happen. What it ultimately was was the round of Jasmine. 

We’ve hit a point where the tribechat was actively rooting against the majority alliance on Amsterdam. Not just rooting against the tribe as a whole, but specifically the individuals who were doing the Pagonging over there - which is a very different beast. It serves as a show of unity for our tribe, in that our alliance lines have hit the point where people aren’t even bothering to hide the intentions of the tribe. Which is certainly interesting, and makes me wonder if a united Natalie boot will occur for sure now that she’s confirmed as their Stephanie. 

Regardless, all of us were rooting for Jasmine as their underdog (#Jamsterdam) but when we won the endurance, she had no shot. She wasn’t active enough to be in the majority, so she certainly wasn’t gonna be active enough to earn Exile for that round. Which is a shame, because I actually really liked her and thought she was sweet. On the plus side, I think I might have a leg up for her jury vote, being one of a handful of people who talked with her, but let’s not get TOO far ahead of ourselves ya dig? 

Anyway, back to the game itself, things are STIRRING. I guess everyone’s like, life energies are BACK knowing they're about to start P-L-A-Y-I-N-G and not just sitting around for a few days at a time makin’ chit chat and workin’ the social game. And engines are REVVED! 

So I get to talking to Julia, and to be brutally honest we haven’t talked a TON on the new Brussels tribe. It died down, and while we were certainly CORDIAL, and like still aligned and shit, our personal connection dialed back a bit. But I think Julia is trying to step it up a bit now that we’ve hit the midgame, and I feel like I actually have a decent read on where she is. Because honestly she’s in almost an identical spot to me, but weaker relationships offset by her being more under the radar. 

I actually think she’s in a decent spot to win this whole thing if she’s not dealt with quickly - no one’s going for her at the merge, unless her spot is blown up, and she’s strong ENOUGH that she can pull off a few moves (namely cutting Dorothy, Ian, Dustin, and myself) to get herself into a winning spot. Ideally she has me at #4 or #5 in her plans cause I do think I have a decent read on how she will act, and I do think I beat her in the end so if I can keep some of those big names around, by sheer virtue of overall likability I think she’ll need to keep me around? 

Regardless, she’s talking again and I’m trying to polish off any rust are prolonged mutual silence has produced, and I’m hoping to spin it in a way that’s like “yeah we both took it chill but we’re obviously golden as is our alliance” and NOT in a “yeah i forgot about u plz take me back bby” kind of way. Which I THINK is the impression she has, but it’s also the impression she’d be smart to give off even if it weren’t true so WHO KNOWS. 

I think she tested me a bit - she was like “The password was Cyrillic, Dorothy told me” to test the extent of my relationship with Dorothy and also my/Dorothy’s truthfulness. Ultimately I decided to say “oh yeah Dorothy mentioned that a few days ago” because I took a gamble on Dorothy being close to Julia and telling her she told me. Which, based on her further responses, SEEMED to be the case - but I’m worried not sharing the clues with Julia might have sketched her out about me, especially if Dorothy (smartly) trims me in a few rounds.  

But originally I was like “huh” and I didn’t like elaborate TOO MUCH on what Dorothy told me and how she figured it out, and part of me is worried Dorothy went to her and told her I gave her the clues, which could put distance between me and Julia for not giving them to her and just in general maintaining lines with Dorothy and not her. Like I’m just worried Julia doesn’t think I’m with her when I actually am (pretty much anyway) and her deciding to cut me sooner than I can prepare for for being sketch. 

So later on I told Julia about my exile clue, using forgetting to tell Dorothy as an excuse to bring it up, and I hope that can build a bit more trust there. I’m just gonna chat her ear off as much as I can, reiterate constantly that I’m with her, and not put a ton of my weight behind decisions our group makes at these first few merge votes. I want to get under the radar at merge anyway, and since Julia SEEMS to be taking the opposite approach and kicking it into high-gear, the optimal path is to use that to protect my ass, advance in the game, and build the social capital for MY eventual move. It’s a bit of a balancing act though, because I need to make someone I didn’t talk a TON with trust me and not use her weight to get me out as a potential jury threat to her game, but hey I CAN TRY OK??? 

Getting off this long-ass Julia tangent, I talked a bit with Ian. Not a TON there, because we do talk game pretty often as it is, but I did reiterate to him that he’s my top ally because I want that FIRMLY in his head. I don’t think he’s taking a step back this merge either, so if he’s gonna be one of these power players calling the shots I want the shots aimed as far away from me as I can make happen. Plus I like the guy and am loyal to him - I don’t plan on cutting him til’ deep in the game, if at all. 

The only other MAJOR thing was Tim seeming to lie down and die to me. He was like “just let me get past Jaclyn, Kathy, and Natalie and I’m totally cool dying there” which is totally an idol bluff. He wants to know when he can play it because he doesn’t feel like he’s in a super comfy spot, and I guess he kinda underestimates me to play into it. Also probably perceives me as someone who would do that for him, which is...nice I guess? I won’t, in fact I want his idol out ASAP because if I am in a power spot, they’re one of the BIG things that can disturb it. Disarming it will certainly be tricky, and I haven’t mapped out how to do it, but you can bet I have some ideas. 

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! 

Anyway, that’s about all of note I have to say and I got all my gamebot ramblings out for the time being. Next round I’ll do an assessment of the merge players, there’s people like Dustin or Dorothy I didn’t get to talk about here and certain angles I want to elaborate on for people who did come up. Plus I should PROBABLY meet Natalie before discussing her, even if she is an easy boot. OK PEACE OUT!

[Burnie Burns]

Round 10: Merge of the Same 

(It’s a PUN! Get it? I’m hilarious I know.) 

So, we merge, and I’m immune. That’s pretty dope., and continues an honestly hilarious streak.

Like, I’m not exactly THRILLED I ended up winning immunity right to get things started, especially given that I want to be under the radar and winning a comp that flexes my social game is the fuckin’ OPPOSITE of that (seriously Julia got so much long-term capital from not competing I’m so jealous) but like - at a certain point I just went with it. Ian was actually gonna evict me at fifth, and gamewise that’d be fine - but I also wanted to keep playing because I was honestly having a fun time with my Dr. Burnie thing and just general joke stuff. Like, I wanted to kick back and relax for a bit, y’know? 

Controlling the exile nomination is good, because if Dorothy gets the idol I don’t see her using it in a way that hurts me. But I don’t want to get too visible because my uncertainty of the dynamics is getting troubling - but I do feel like I’m getting a better pulse on things. (More on that in a bit.) My worry in sending Dorothy was that it’d signal we’re a tight group, but she really wanted it so I went with it. Carrie asked for it too, so I debated giving it to her, and Ian wanted me to give it to Tim, but after a lot of thought (and at the behest of Dorothy) I made the call. 

But, I’ve been thinking. Tim and Dustin is most likely an alliance, given their position - they at least have an understanding. Tim and Ian is something I’ve known about for quite some time, Ian makes no attempts to hide it. But I was chatting with Dustin and Ian yesterday, and independently they both mentioned they were playing Pokemon together - which, no big deal, but I didn’t know they were THAT close. Maybe I should have given it more thought, but I’m really starting to think those three might be a unit. 

 

OK Church, you don’t need to rub it in! 

Ultimately I think I wouldn’t be their target anyway, because Dorothy is a bigger threat than me and Julia has less connections, so I’m gonna do some snooping. See if I can confirm the group and try to integrate into it. If it IS a thing, and they think they have my vote (which I would hope for given how much work I’ve put in ESPECIALLY with Ian!) then I could position myself in a middle spot going forward. It’s a thought, anyway - I’ll talk to Ian about that possibility more after this vote. 

I’m gonna do a quick and dirty merge cast assessment. General thoughts on people, where they stand with me, the game as a whole, and what their chances of winning are. Gonna be in a new post though cause I MIGHT pass out and need some sleep. I WILL say, as a bit of a preview, that I really enjoy Kathy (Keri???) and I'm sad to see her go, but the majority seems firmly set on her so I kiiiiinda gotta not make waves here.

[Burnie Burns]

Round 11: Let the Games Begin!

So, there’s actually quite a bit I need to get into this round. (Plus the promised merge assessment.) Things have been happening throughout, however, and I SHOULD have done this last night but I waited and now I need to cram it all into here. CURSE YOU FORESIGHT!!! (Well, lack thereof, but whatever.)

So going into this round I wanted to put myself in a fulcrum spot between original Brussels and the guys who were in the majority alliance. So I’m talking to Ian and it’s like “yeah we need to lock something down, maybe with Tim since he might have the idol” or something to that effect. (It was a few days ago, I don’t remember ENTIRELY how it went down - I’m sure Ian has a better run down of it.)

So he talks to Tim and is like “wanna make this a thing” and Tim is like sure, that’s fine. So Ian sends me to talk to him (really not sure how I feel about this, might have been better to have Tim talk to ME to feel more included but it’s antisocial Tim so whatever I get it) and I talk to him about it and he just seems like, rather lukewarm about it. I dunno, I wasn’t getting great vibes, and I copied the convo to Ian and he agreed - I was gonna just like, doubleback but Ian wanted to press forward so we made the chat.

And now I’m like, semi-comfortable with it, but the night of Tim didn’t seem to want to talk in it and I’m just like in RED ALERT mode. I do not want this blowing up my game if Tim decides to tell people, you know?

So I mull it over for a bit before deciding on a course of action. The next day when Dorothy gets back from Exile (idol sadly not in her hands) I tell her about the chat. Now, I KNOW this might sound like “oh he’s her puppydog” or at the very least “what a moron” but hear me out.

Dorothy has more social capital in this game, and thus more power, than Ian at the moment. Right now I’m solidly behind her in terms of visibility, just the way I like it. With Ian it’s closer, but I think I’m lower on the threat scale there too. It behooves me to keep myself in Dorothy’s good graces, and keeping her in the loop about EVERYTHING (while twisting the truth and perceptions a bit) keeps her on my side. I honestly don’t see her cutting me before like, Final 5 at the EARLIEST, and honestly she can afford to take me to the end because she’d win.

So, to her, I phrase it like “yeah Ian felt on the outside of the Brussells girls and wanted to get something moving” so that she’s suspicious of Ian’s motives, doesn’t compare notes, and keeps her focused AWAY from me. (Ian MIGHT have also told her something which could be worrying, but I’m confident I got to her early enough, or at the very least she trusts me more.) Dorothy is like a tank in this game, and I’d prefer not to be shot.

BRINGING BACK SOME BAD MEMORIES THERE CHURCH.

It actually got reinforced when Tim cut me and Dorothy in the challenge. He WANTED to cut me and Ian, to hide the alliance (and I actually do think that was his intention here, I’ve been getting better vibes from Tim lately) and Dorothy sends me a message like “Huh, funny how he cut the two of us specifically. 

“ LIKE IS THIS ACTUALLY WORKING??? I feel like I’m playing sloppy but (unless I’m being rused) I think not?

As for the vote, I figured it’d be a pretty easy Natalie vote, but Ian and Dustin (conflicting reports on HOW exactly it started, but I think Ian came up with it and Dustin helped actualize it if what I’m hearing is right) were like “Nah, Natalie’s a big target, let’s go Jaclyn.” And like, I 100% agree - but it’s idiotic to be the one to suggest it, as far as I’m concerned. Sure it behooves all of us, but this can very easily be played into a schemey or controlling perception if a smart player is there to plant the seeds.

Why, hello there. “Oh Dorothy, Ian is playing hard - he’s trying to gather forces. We need to counter it!” Ahh, I can see it now - my masterpiece right there in front of me. Honestly, sometimes it’s too easy.

Ideally going forward I can maximize my swing potential, take out threats without being seen as a focal point, and when the time comes direct attention to Dorothy (who’s now been to Exile three times thank you God) and put myself into pole position for the win. It’s a TRICKY balancing act, but I think I can pull it off.

Anyway, time for the promised cast assessment. Gonna be kinda brief, but it’s just a quick overview of my relationship, where they stand, and what I think their threat level is.

I think I'm in a decent spot? (Especially on the memory wall #winnersedit baby!) Like I have some big threats I can direct attention to when the time comes, in Natalie, Dorothy, and Ian - my biggest worry is honestly an idol play by someone who realizes the position I’m putting myself in. (Tim or Dustin, most likely.) I’m trying to crawl back under that radar as much as I can, but the time for my power play is coming - just gotta hope I’ll be there to make it.

In a pretty good spot, all in all. She has the potential to win the game if she’s in the right Final 3, but I doubt it can happen because we’re about to vote off one of the people she could theoretically beat. I think she might be in a similar spot as me, given that she’s associated with Brussells but ultimately doesn’t have any TRUE loyalties to them - I think she could be angling for a power move as well. Ideally Ian targets her soon, we let her know what’s going down, and it locks her down into a more predictable voting pattern. Nothing bonds someone like being saved, after all, and I get the sense that Carrie may be a very, very selfish player.

Queen of the game at the moment, and I’m cool being her darling little prince until it’s time for some matricide. I worry we may be seen as close, but I think I’ve done a decent job of associating myself with the guys, even if sending her to exile might have been a bit of the tip of my hand. (Granted, Dustin also did it, which might have some interesting implications.) Nobody dislikes her, and I actually don’t see her being targeted for a few rounds because of that inherent likability - it’s really gonna be a late game push if and when she goes out, which SHOULD be good for me if we’re as tight as I think we are.

In a very, very good spot to win, if the numbers come out the right way. Which is why I need him out quickly, because I do think he’s the biggest middle of the road threat (type thing) and that is terrifying. Also it’s MY SPOT, dammit. Complicating things is the possibility that he has the Amsterdam idol, so I’m really not sure how I’d go about taking my shot - but the beginnings of a plan is starting to take form, but will (like most things) require some expert balancing work on my part.

I love Ian, he’s a good pal of mine, but he’s doing what he always does and placing too big of a target on himself. It means I can’t go to the end with him, and it means he’s gonna come up as a target soon. When his side gets targeted (and it will) I’m hoping to direct the target to Dustin or Tim, because I do value our relationship. (Also I think I’d be one of his only possible avenues, but that’s just my inner gamebot speaking.) It would be criminal to underestimate his game sense and perception, however, so I do need to keep up the work I’ve been doing while I plant seeds in others minds against his coalition, because I don’t doubt he could sniff it out and turn the tables if given enough clues.

Going home this round, which is kinda a shame because I did think I had a semi-strong relationship with her, but it works out well for my game. While she was a number I could theoretically reach out to, she is an ultimate wildcard and her being out does make it a BIT easier to get a read on the landscape. Plus it trims a goat, which I do need to do at some points for a middle of the road game.

Also a stealth threat to win, but I feel like the goes down each round she isn’t as social as she needs to be. I also really don’t see her turning on Dorothy, she’s totally in her pocket from my perspective. I feel like I’m her #2 after Dorothy, but I could be wrong on that, and if she’s more perceptive than my read on her indicates then she could take a shot at me. She IS in my Ideal F3 because she hasn’t been super social, but she isn’t considered an outright goat as far as I can tell. I just hope that if I blindside Dorothy, she’d still wanna go there with me.

Much like Stephanie, she’s not gonna get to the end barring an immunity run. Her stories too good, and even if I don’t REALLY think her social game is good enough to make her a deserving winner, that story is very hard to pass up. She’ll stick around for a bit, but at some point the group will turn on her - I really don’t know who would be willing to take her deep into the game. Dustin, maybe? Apparently he likes her.

Another big wildcard who could fuck things up under the right scenarios, I do think I’ve been managing to get closer to him strategically. I thought the groupchat might have been a bust, but he seems more receptive lately and I DO think I’m in his plans for the long-term. Not necessarily Final 3, but not on his radar. His likely idol makes things tricky, however, and is one of my biggest fears - no one wants to be idol’d out, after all. Trying my best to keep on his good side, but his lack of sociability makes it hard at times, and probably prevents him from ultimately winning.

OK, I hope that was good! Maybe a bit of information overload, but hopefully there was some nuggets of interesting stuff. Peace!