Round 07

Chat with Pete
Pete (8:44:54 PM): we'll get through this but things are definitely about to get very interesting!
Brant (8:46:16 PM): Yeah! I just HOPE we keep these tribes
Brant (8:46:32 PM): I do not want to merge with all these people and all the uncertainties
Pete (8:46:48 PM): I completely agree
Brant (9:00:56 PM): Well, darn. Alex lives another day.
Pete (9:58:20 PM): so Travis is telling me that he was voted out by Cam and Kenya, they are working with Deet and Cory
Brant (9:58:33 PM): He just IMed me, too.
Brant (9:59:00 PM): Yeah, I wonder if they just didn't have a chance
Brant (9:59:10 PM): If it was going to be 4-3 and they gave up
Brant (9:59:16 PM): At least I hope that's the case
Brant (9:59:18 PM): :-\
Brant (9:59:59 PM): I find it hard to believe that Cam especially would just turn on the tribe like that
Pete (10:01:47 PM): yeah I agree
Brant (10:02:12 PM): I'm taking it with a grain of salt because I don't trust Travis a ton
Brant (10:02:28 PM): But ugh, it would suck to merge and then not have the 2 people we counted on
Brant (10:03:52 PM): At least we're DEFINITELY keeping these tribes since Snozzwanger has to sit someone out
Brant (10:04:01 PM): *2 people out
Pete (10:05:02 PM): yeah definitely
Pete (10:17:13 PM): if Deet, Cory, Kenya and Cam are working together, and Kyle, Alex and the others are against us, then we are screwed but I feel like Cory and Deet want Kyle and them out and probably took Travis out as a way to feel more comfortable with switching sides, I don't know
Brant (10:22:57 PM): Right, it's possible we're completely screwed now but I'm keeping faith.
Pete (10:23:16 PM): yeah me too
Brant (10:23: PM): I don't get what happened since it didn't even look like Cory and Deetster were aligned based on what I read on our tribe forums
Brant (10:24:26 PM): Unless they fear we're going to get the majority and its forcing the Hornswogglers to all get closer
Brant (10:24:52 PM): And Sadie's over there half-invisible
Pete (10:33:42 PM): I still feel our only choice is to throw this challenge to get Kyle out and then hope that Cam and Kenya stay true to us
Brant (10:34:10 PM): I agree 100%.
Brant (10:34:24 PM): Especially if Cam and Kenya are loyal to us and in danger, I don't want to see them voted out.
Pete (10:34:39 PM): yeah same
Brant (10:34:58 PM): If Kyle feels comfortable, I wouldn't be surprised to see him try to throw the challenge too
Brant (10:35:16 PM): Since it's obvious Alex will go next and Alex will probably beg him to do that or something.
Pete (10:35:41 PM): yeah I think so, this is going to get crazy
Brant (10:36:07 PM): I feel bad for Willy Wonka. It might be a race to get disqualified and hit the fans
Brant (10:36:57 PM): But there's nothing in the rules against throwing challenges. We're just taking advantage of something the game has to offer.
Pete (10:37:17 PM): yeah
Brant (10:37:52 PM): I'll definitely be on for the start to see what we need to do
Pete (10:38:36 PM): I'm not sure if I can make it on time but definitely will be there not long after it starts
Brant (10:39:43 PM): Hopefully Bryan will show up, too, so we can figure out the best way to lose
Brant (10:39:50 PM): It sounds really weird saying that, lol
Pete (10:40:23 PM): yeah I agree, I've never been a fan of throwing a challenge but I feel it is our only way to survive in this game
Brant (10:41:16 PM): Right. It'll be a super-easy vote if we lose, and there's no telling what would happen if we win so it makes sense.
Pete (10:41:33 PM): exactly

Thoughts
I don't believe for a second that Kenya is disloyal, regardless of what Travis perceived happened. I also feel fairly comfortable with Cam. So even with Travis gone, we need to throw this next challenge and send Alex home right away. Then me, Bryan, Cam, Kenya, and Pete can have a 5-4 majority at final 9 and rule the rest of the game comfortably. As I keep saying, only glass elevator twists stand in our way. But 1 of them is gone for sure, so there are a maximum of 4 left. Hopefully 2 of those 4 are also in the hands of the alliance. We need to figure out a way to get the remaining ones.

There's still work to be done today, even though things look planned and solid. I'm going to try to lay low and see if Bryan or Pete approach me. Ultimately I need information about the glass elevator so I can try to coordinate it for our alliance and to make sure Ben's prize wasn't passed on. But I'm going to try to lay low and not emerge as a hugggeee threat right now, which I know that I am and will especially be at merge.

Assuming we lose, I have a feeling that Alex will vote for me, but I hope that he votes for either Bryan or Pete. Boo to getting past-votes. Plus if Alex does somehow have Ben's Glass Elevator prize, I don't want to be the victim. Getting 10th wouldn't be horrible, but I'd miss out on so much fun. And so much potential would be wasted.

PM from Bryan
Yeah, I believed if he was saying it that he was just lying to Alex. I'm glad you guys sorted it out! I'm totally down with throwing the next challenge and voting Alex out.

Thoughts
Bryan, Pete, and I all want to throw this challenge. Bryan and Pete don't appear to be online, so it will probably be up to me to do so. If there's a twist where it turns out it may actually be beneficial to win it or disadvantageous to lose it, I may have to make a tricky decision. Keeping Cam and Kenya would be good, but I'm not willing to be voted out of the game to do so. This is a really important round, as it sets up the whole remainder of the game.

I love this challenge! I'm still throwing it, but it's so interesting to see the lines as people explode at one another now that it's obvious we're throwing it.

It doesn't make any difference on my part that it's obvious we're throwing it. Maybe Cory and Deetster assume that they have Cam and Kenya after that last vote and think me, Bryan, and Pete are all making a poor move by throwing this. But they don't know the truth...

*watches and waits*

Alex posted a fake conversation with me and is now threatening to quit the game because of the whole "ORG Planet" alliance. For some of Alex's justification to involve conversations that don't exist (although I think the one with Bryan may have been real) is just ridiculous.

Plus I'd like to throw this challenge to assure safety for Cam and Kenya and vote out a Hornswoggler regardless of who it is. Whether it was Cory, Deetster, or Sadie as well as Alex or Kyle. So although ORG Planet relationships DO influence the game, they're not everything. But the fake conversations are what triggered me at least (and maybe Pete more, too) to want to throw this challenge at all costs (even obviously) to get rid of him.

Chat with Bryan
Bryan (4:02:28 PM): Wow, Alex's old tribemates are really stupid. lolz
Brant (4:04:07 PM): Lol, yeah, they're hurting themselves.
Brant (4:04:26 PM): You mean with the challenge?
Bryan (4:04:37 PM): totally
Bryan (4:04:38 PM): haha
Brant (4:04:44 PM): yeah, lol
Brant (4:04:48 PM): I think they were split
Bryan (4:05:04 PM): Yeah I think so too
Brant (4:05:08 PM): Alex, Ben, Kyle, and Violet were together
Brant (4:05:29 PM): And now Ben's gone, Violet's gone, and they don't seem to care much for Alex.
Brant (4:05:49 PM): So maybe Cory, Deetster, and Sadie want to work with us
Bryan (4:05:51 PM): haha yeah and Kyle's sitting
Brant (4:06:06 PM): lol, yeah
Brant (4:06:21 PM): I can't believe Alex is making really realistic fake conversations
Bryan (4:06:27 PM): haha yeah but don't they see that when Alex/Kyle are gone, they're all that's left hahaha
Bryan (4:06:40 PM): yeah, but he doesn't seem to know where the period is
Brant (4:07:04 PM): yes ,,,, and he types commas like this lol
Bryan (4:07:20 PM): haha yeah kinda dumb
Brant (4:07:32 PM): Especially when he does it for both people in the conversation
Brant (4:07:40 PM): lol
Brant (4:07:45 PM): Yeah, I trust Cam and Kenya to re-join us 100%
Brant (4:08:16 PM): Pete keeps bringing up us sticking together, so I believe he'll be solid as well
Bryan (4:08:46 PM): I totally trust Pete as well :-)
Bryan (4:08:53 PM): We have a great 5
Brant (4:09:14 PM): Yeah, it's exciting. The only thing I think that could screw it up...
Brant (4:09:24 PM): would be someone not in the 5 finding something in the glass elevator
Bryan (4:09:31 PM): ooh yeah
Bryan (4:09:36 PM): I didn't get my thing
Brant (4:09:39 PM): Aww
Bryan (4:09:46 PM): Yeah mine was a guessing game
Brant (4:10:33 PM): Yeah, that sucks. You'd think with as many different things as there are in there that they'd be easier to get.
Brant (4:10:55 PM): Especially with only being able to go every 2 rounds or whatever iti s
Bryan (4:10:58 PM): There are only 5 though
Brant (4:11:17 PM): True, and 1/5 is used
Brant (4:11:29 PM): Do you know if the other person had any luck?
Brant (4:12:29 PM): Kyle went 1st round, then Ben, then you, then you and someone else last round
Bryan (4:12:56 PM): yeah and we don't know if Ben got his thing out of the mixing room
Brant (4:14:00 PM): Yeah, I don't know what happened or if it was passed on or not
Brant (4:14:31 PM): Hopefully it wasn't passed on. I feel safe right now because Alex is scrambling so much. He can't possibly have something
Bryan (4:15:11 PM): I agree. We're definitely in the top 9
Brant (4:15:51 PM): And that is awesome. I'm sure Alex will show us fake conversations this TC, lol, but I have no fears.
Bryan (4:16:06 PM): haha yes I'm sure of it
Bryan (4:16:12 PM): just look for the commas hahaha
Brant (4:16:16 PM): And then hopefully we can just win the challenges and control who goes to the Glass Elevator and the rest of the game goes smoothly
Brant (4:16:20 PM): hahaha ,,,, yeah
Brant (4:16:47 PM): When you IMed me, I double-checked that it was really you
Brant (4:17:20 PM): ...just because Alex is registering similar screen names to ours or SOMETHING like that
Brant (4:17:23 PM): Crazy paranoia.
Bryan (4:17:44 PM): Lol yeah he's insane
Bryan (4:18:08 PM): I think I would just try to cut some deal instead of turning us all against each other
Bryan (4:18:17 PM): He's better off just lying than showing us those
Brant (4:18:49 PM): Yeah, good point. He hasn't even tried to make a deal or align with us
Bryan (4:19:32 PM): Yeah he should say something like I've got people on the other side we can hook up with and you'll get farther than 5th
Brant (4:20:17 PM): Yeah, maybe it was still best for us to vote out Violet last round then. I'm sure she'd be doing this smarter.
Bryan (4:20:29 PM): Definitely
Bryan (4:20:36 PM): And hey'd probably be trying to save her
Bryan (4:20:39 PM): *they'd
Brant (4:20:54 PM): Right. She was a lot more social than Alex...
Brant (4:21:06 PM): ...even though she vanished the round we voted her out, strangely
Bryan (4:22:10 PM): yeah I thought I had seen that aim sn before
Bryan (4:22:21 PM): But oh well I just deleted it anyway
Bryan (4:22:22 PM): lol
Brant (4:22:32 PM): the chewchamp one?
Bryan (4:22:37 PM): yeah
Bryan (4:22:40 PM): oh nvm
Bryan (4:22:44 PM): I haven't
Brant (4:22:56 PM): lol, yeah, I figured she made it for this game
Bryan (4:23:01 PM): I just realized her character haha
Brant (4:23:09 PM): Unless she's got a Willy Wonka alias in other games, rofl
Bryan (4:23:12 PM): hahaha
Bryan (4:23:32 PM): yeah she was totally in civilization with that
Brant (4:23:42 PM): hahahaha
Brant (4:23:54 PM): I've used alias names in multiple games before
Brant (4:24:10 PM): Just to make it easier to keep track and no multiple screen names at once
Bryan (4:24:11 PM): I haven't unless the whole game is alias
Brant (4:25:05 PM): I think I played with you as Jesus Christ, and I used that in a few other games so I didn't have to use other names at the same time
Brant (4:25:10 PM): And people thought I was crazy, lol.
Bryan (4:25:15 PM): hahaha
Bryan (4:25:23 PM): I do remember Jesus
Brant (4:25:46 PM): lol, I don't get why Orlando picked that name but I thought it was funny
Bryan (4:25:49 PM): My 80's timothy mustache was the shit though
Brant (4:25:55 PM): hahahahaha
Brant (4:26:03 PM): I don't remember it thaaaat much
Bryan (4:26:07 PM): haha
Brant (4:26:54 PM): I wish there would be a "finalize" option to end TC early
Brant (4:27:00 PM): If everyone opted to use it and voted
Brant (4:27:17 PM): Just to spare us any more drama an annoyance
Brant (4:27:21 PM): *and
Bryan (4:27:39 PM): Yeah cause when he sent me the thing last time, I had already voted for Violet
Brant (4:27:59 PM): I think he was really fully confident he had you.
Brant (4:28:03 PM): Voting for Pete
Brant (4:28:07 PM): lol
Bryan (4:28:29 PM): haha yeah I guess I was convincing
Brant (4:28:44 PM): Yeah, plus I think he's easy to convince :-)
Brant (4:29:35 PM): I bet he told Violet that you guys were safe
Brant (4:29:44 PM): And just to vote Pete
Brant (4:29:57 PM): So it was probably a big WTF when they saw Violet gone
Bryan (4:30:11 PM): Probably. He asked me if she was mad I was just like idk
Brant (4:31:25 PM): lol
Brant (4:31:31 PM): I'm glad we don't have to try in this challenge
Brant (4:31:39 PM): It would be very tedious
Bryan (4:31:48 PM): yeah we could've done very well though
Bryan (4:31:55 PM): I was up til like 6 am
Brant (4:32:24 PM): Yeah, you were on a while. Alex is online a lot, I've been online a lot
Brant (4:32:32 PM): And I think Pete's been on but working on his OPS2 episodes
Bryan (4:32:46 PM): yeah, we could've dominated haha
Brant (4:33:15 PM): lol, yeah. Maybe next challenge
Brant (4:33:19 PM): ...er, nm
Brant (4:33:26 PM): Hopefully we merge
Bryan (4:33:33 PM): We should merge at 9
Bryan (4:33:39 PM): if we don't, that is ridiculous
Brant (4:33:44 PM): Yeah, I agree
Brant (4:33:57 PM): having a jury with someone who hasn't even been on tribes with everyone would be odd
Brant (4:34:11 PM): so it makes sense we will
Brant (4:34:40 PM): I'm always really excited to make jury.
Brant (4:35:07 PM): *at least jury I should say
Brant (4:35:34 PM): I feel like I don't get a chance to make it a lot, probably because I've been limiting games lately.
Brant (4:36:08 PM): ...or I was limiting games for a couple years, and now I'm trying to come back
Bryan (4:37:01 PM): Yeah, I took a break for like 2 years after my last game
Bryan (4:37:16 PM): Jury is fun
Bryan (4:37:22 PM): but my question always sucks haha
Brant (4:37:34 PM): haha
Brant (4:37:53 PM): Yeah, it's always fun to have the chance to ask a question...until you realize that you don't have any idea what to ask.
Brant (4:38:14 PM): Is this your first game since you took a break?
Bryan (4:38:28 PM): No I just finished a big brother game
Bryan (4:38:35 PM): I think that was my first one
Bryan (4:38:58 PM): I could've won, but I took the wrong person with me of course
Bryan (4:39:00 PM): lol
Brant (4:39:13 PM): Aww, you got 2nd?
Bryan (4:39:15 PM): so I lost by 1 vote :-(
Brant (4:39:21 PM): :-(
Bryan (4:39:36 PM): It's still my bext placing in a big bro
Bryan (4:39:43 PM): Big bro is HARD
Brant (4:39:56 PM): Yeah, it is. I've only done one of them and played with mostly inactives.
Brant (4:40:12 PM): So I haven't gotten the full experience of them yet
Bryan (4:40:43 PM): oh boy. I like survivor so much better, but I played that big brother really well
Brant (4:41:35 PM): Yeah, 2nd's really good for a Big Brother. I've done almost all Survivor games.
Brant (4:41:59 PM): Plus a few mole games and creative games
Bryan (4:42:05 PM): Oooh Mole is fun
Brant (4:42:58 PM): Yep. Especially when the hosts are able to give the mole motivation to sabotage and give players motivation to find the Mole
Brant (4:43:09 PM): And try to win money. They can be really good.
Brant (4:43:42 PM): I loved the show, even the last season
Bryan (4:43:55 PM): Yeah I kinda stopped watching that one haha
Bryan (4:44:00 PM): I missed Anderson
Brant (4:44:13 PM): Me, too. The new host wasn't nearrrllly as good
Brant (4:44:21 PM): I didn't care for the celebrity ones too much
Bryan (4:44:26 PM): Me neither
Brant (4:44:47 PM): I can't even remember who hosted them
Brant (4:44:57 PM): Just the random sports announcer for the last one
Bryan (4:45:01 PM): Some Rashad dude
Bryan (4:45:09 PM): I can't remember the last one
Brant (4:46:18 PM): lol, I think I'm actually confusing some of the seasons in my head
Brant (4:46:20 PM): It's been a while
Brant (4:46:55 PM): I think a lot of people took breaks after Alt went down
Brant (4:47:08 PM): Which is what I did and seems around the time you did
Bryan (4:47:36 PM): Yeah, I had been playing these for like 6 years and thought I needed a break
Bryan (4:47:38 PM): lol
Bryan (4:47:53 PM): Were you on OS?
Brant (4:47:55 PM): Yeah, basically same here.
Brant (4:47:57 PM): I was not OS. :-\
Bryan (4:48:05 PM): Oh I miss that one
Brant (4:48:06 PM): I played in random, non-hub communities before Alt.
Bryan (4:48:17 PM): I can't remember when it went down, maybe 2006 :-(
Brant (4:48:59 PM): I hear people talking about it all the time
Brant (4:49:10 PM): So must've been pretty interesting
Bryan (4:49:49 PM): Yup, there were so many active people, I loved it. Orgplanet is just a small group of actives really
Brant (4:50:24 PM): Right, it isn't a huge community. And a lot of people (like me) vanish for a while and don't post a lot. I get so busy with school.
Brant (4:50:41 PM): Maybe someday, it'll be larger.
Bryan (4:50:48 PM): I hope so
Brant (4:50:49 PM): If all the OS and Alt people come back
Brant (4:51:26 PM): brb

Thoughts on Chat
It's good for me and Bryan to keep chatting and get to know one another better since we're so closely aligned. This conversation hopefully helped. Now we're all ready to send Alex home and hope that he doesn't pull a crazy glass elevator prize out of nowhere. He's going to give someone a past-vote, which sucks, but what can you do? I hope it isn't me, but if it is, I'll just deal with it.

I'm not gonna lie, the fact that Alex appears to have "made peace" with his exit scares me more than anything. It's the rational thing to do, but since when is he rational? The last time I witnessed someone as determined as him making peace with his exit, I was voted out with a twist item.

Final 9 if I survive this tribal council! Maybe.

If I survive this round and we're jury and merged, I'll post a really detailed explanation on my thoughts on the merged tribe, jury, and the rest of the game. It'll basically summarize to the fact that this cast has super-loyal, honest people who will be bitter if I betray them. Which is why I've decided that an honest game will work best for me now. Because if I betray people, I'll just hurt them and they won't ever trust me again in an ORG Planet game plus I'll have no chance of winning. Which would suck.

I love your confessional.

I know you know this already, but I feel like it needs to be said every once in awhile.

Yay. I give credit for this post-every-15-minute format to Jeremy since I saw he was using it in some GTS Belize game that he won. It's so much easier to maintain than long, detailed posts every round. I just post conversations when they occur along with a minute of thoughts.

If nothing ridiculous happens this round, I'm going to rant next round about how some people in this game are being sloppy and overconfident. The glass elevator is key to the game, and people don't seem entirely interested in tracking what's in all the rooms and the in's-and-out's of prizes. What happens when people are voted out? Can they be passed on, etc? Someone in our alliance is going to be blindsided if the tracking isn't done more carefully because I'm sure Deetster's all over it for the original Hornswoggler Tribe.