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Post by porsche on Jul 29, 2017 16:43:36 GMT
So that round worked out pretty good! Kelsey went up on the block but the votes were easily there to keep her, and the focus was on which of Erika and Jackie would go. Howard really, really wanted Jackie out, which I was totally fine with, and obviously most people were as well. She got zero votes to save, which I found pretty hilarious after how shady she was being and how she tried to ride the middle.
Arlie was initially saying he was going to save Jackie, which could have made this vote really interesting. With Arlie's vote, and if Natalie saved Kelsey, it was possible to get three more votes to send home Erika 3-2-1. But both Arlie and Natalie switched to saving Erika (though with Natalie, I'm not sure if she was doing it all along), and with two votes, Erika was going to be staying.
Even if it was possible, I didn't think it would have been worth it. Yes, Erika was gunning for Kelsey, but I couldn't rely on Jackie either. Every single action she did since voting out Becky was against what I wanted. I never forgot how she lied all week about backdooring Shelli. And she knew that Ika was the MVP that put me up, never told me and then tried to spin it as her being "trustworthy" to Ika.
I ended up not talking to Jackie at all since thursday (oops!) and when she called people out for bad jury management, I was probably one of the people she was talking about. But, like, she never contacted me either. 24 hours when she was on the block and she never reached out. I should have contacted her anyway but I didn't realize quite how soon the deadline was.
Oh well, I have to focus on the players who are still here. This HOH is really, really important. It was very interesting how set Howard was on how it had to be Jackie who left and Erika who stayed. And I get it. Jackie was his target and she nominated him. But he seemed really, really determined to make sure Erika would stay, so much so that he almost didn't even put her on the block. Everybody knows that Erika is after Kelsey and I would probably go up, so does he want Erika in the game to go after me?
Zach/Natalie/Howard are pretty scary together. And Howard has Arlie (and Arlie is clearly not going to work with me or Corey or Kelsey). Erika is not going to be on my side either. She'll probably get picked up by Zach, who she's randomly started talking about being close with. They also played a game together and with Jackie out, that probably makes him #1 ally worthy in Erika's world!
I can also see the "other side" taking a shot now. People are avoiding talking about this round and I feel like lines are going to get drawn. I feel pretty good about this HOH though. In season 13, I did really good with these types of puzzles and lost because I struggled on the rest of the challenge, while it was the other way around for most of these people. I just need to beat Zach though and I can see him doing really well.
As for what Jackie said, well, she probably sees me as one of Kelsey's minions. And I guess I SORT OF am but also, Kelsey is loyal to me. She used the DPOV to save my life, and it's not even like she's the one running the house. Zach/Natalie/Howard are the bigger threats imo, and my side is slightly down in numbers. Kelsey being in the game benefits way more than her being out.
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Post by porsche on Jul 31, 2017 23:44:49 GMT
That worked out really well. Corey won the HOH and I felt great. It was a little embarrassing to go out in the first round after I did so well in round 2 but Corey winning it is just as good, and now I get to compete in the fast forward HOH. I trust Corey, at least for right now, and he came right to me and asked for my opinion on his HOH, which was a really good sign. I’m enjoying what should be a safe week. My focus now has to be on how I survive the fast forward, and how I can put myself into the best spot to win the game.
Corey told me that his target was Zach, which I was really happy to hear. I get that Zach’s been busy and hasn’t been around as much as before, but I can’t remember the last time we’ve really talked game with each other. And he’s also close with pretty much all the people I’m not allied with. Getting him out opens a lot of doors.
He didn’t want to put Zach up directly though and he said it was because of the veto advantage. I disagreed. If he has an advantage, let’s get it out now and not have to deal with it later, especially since Zach was picked for POV anyway. But Corey’s the HOH, and I get it if he doesn’t want to get all that blood on his hands. And if the veto isn’t used and Natalie or Erika goes home, or even if the veto is used and maybe Howard goes home, whatever. Either of those people going are totally fine with me.
Corey also told me some other information. He said Howard came to him and said that he was in an alliance with Kelsey and Natalie. I think he’s telling the truth, and I’m really upset at myself for not seeing it. I knew that Kelsey was close with both those people and I knew Howard and Natalie were tight but I didn’t put it together. When Kelsey used the DPOV on me, she was saying how Howard was upset he didn’t get a say in who went up and was going “wtf Kelsey.” And I thought it was a little weird how Howard thought he would be getting an equal say but with everything going on with Erika going back on her word and the DPOV, the Howard/Kelsey relationship barely registered.
It’s my fault for flopping at my attempt to log my conversations and get a sense of how everyone feels about everyone else. I feel like if I stayed on top of it, I wouldn’t have been surprised. I need to update it tonight.
Natalie was in the Zach/Natalie/Becky/Jun alliance and wasn’t in trouble when it got exposed. She was also in the Jun/Ika/Natalie/Howard alliance but Jun and Ika took the heat for that. And now she’s part of another alliance. At some point I have to say, you know what, she’s pretty shady!
Howard was already on my radar for having alliances with pretty much everyone. One with Cody and Arlie, another with Natalie, I assumed he was working with Zach, and now he’s allied with Kelsey too! The only people he’s not allied with (that I know of) are me, Corey and Erika. I still feel like Zach needs to go this week (and it’s unlikely Howard goes on the block at this point) but Howard needs to go very soon.
Kelsey is the one who surprises me the most. She was talking all about how we were this duo and how it was all about the two of us and how we were going to the final 2, and she doesn’t tell me about this. She was talking about how she doesn’t trust Howard and Natalie too, so why not just tell me? Does she trust them more than she’s letting on?
After Kelsey played the DPOV on me, I thought, "Okay. Kelsey was my #1 before but this seals the deal and I’m playing this game for me and her." And now this happens and it raises a lot of questions in my mind. I still think she would choose me over Howard and Natalie but I’m not totally sure anymore. There’s a 3 person deal with Kelsey, me and Cody and a 3 person deal with Kelsey, me and Corey. And with there being a 3 person deal with her, Howard and Natalie, is there anything else I don’t know of? It’s really weird watching her go into the group chat with Corey, seeing her post a message of how much she loves us and then a minute later, she goes into the chat with Cody and posts the same thing but worded differently.
Am I putting Kelsey up if I win HOH? No. Do I still want to work with her? Yes. Do I still trust her? Yes. Is she still my number one? Well no, I’m my number one. I’ve got to play this game for me and do whatever I can for me to succeed. I need to sit down, look over conversations and figure out for sure how close everyone is to each other, and figure out who I need to take out and who I need to trust for me to win the game. And honestly, it really does benefit me for Kelsey to stay in. Even if she doesn’t tell me everything, she’s a fantastic meat shield. I can't take her to the final 2, unfortunately. She would easily beat me, and she would deserve it.
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Post by porsche on Aug 1, 2017 3:16:17 GMT
I was thinking things over and something suddenly made sense. Right after I got saved with the DPOV, I wrote this
At the time, I was really confused. Why would Howard make a big deal out of if Kelsey saved me or Natalie? Why was he so confused that it wasn't Natalie? Well, now I know that it's because the three of them were in an alliance! Which, again, Kelsey did save me and she showed that her loyalties were with me, but it's something to keep in mind. I didn't realize that that alliance went that far back.
As for the rest of the game, something feels off. Nobody is online and I'm barely talking to anyone anymore. Outside of Kelsey, Cody and Corey, my conversations with the rest of the people have been almost nonexistent. I talk about only nongame stuff with Zach (which, I guess I'm avoiding him too). Me and Natalie also talk about nongame stuff, and when I tried to ask her how she was feeling and lead into game, she signed off and hasn't contacted me since. I tried to talk a little bit to Erika. I wasn't targeting her anymore and I wanted to squash what happened in week 8 and move on. We started talking, I tried to lead into that and she disappeared. I haven't even gotten a chance to talk to Howie in two days.
I don't think Corey would put me up. I feel safe, at least for this week, but everything feels weird and I'm not sure what's going on.
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Post by austin on Aug 1, 2017 18:45:33 GMT
Stay strong, girl! You've made it very far into the game. Still rooting for ya!
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Post by porsche on Aug 2, 2017 18:31:32 GMT
Thank Austin! I love you <3
Kelsey told me that the Howard/Natalie/her alliance was not real, and Natalie confirmed that. Howard is saying he had an alliance with her that she started. I don't know what to think, and I'm leaning towards that they did have something but it's over now. I'm still loyal to Kelsey but I'm keeping my eyes open.
I now have an alliance with Arlie! He approached me for an alliance yesterday and I said yes. I still feel more loyal to Kelsey, Cody and Corey, but I wasn't going after Arlie, and I'm happy to get something out of that instead of some boring conversations. Sorry Arlie!
But I do see this as something that can benefit both of us. Arlie isn't on my radar but he's sketched me out for a while, especially with him saying on he voice chat that he was loyal to the people who he had said he wanted to work with. That wasn't me! But he did tell me about the him/Howard/Cody alliance. It was three weeks after Cody told me, but I do appreciate it!
Howard and Zach have both told me that there was an alliance with them, Kelsey and Natalie. Kelsey's really sketching me out. She probably did this to make sure me and her were safe during Howard's HOH reign, but she couldn't have at least told me? Howard basically hinted that there was a deal with me, Kelsey and Corey too, and that was why he didn't trust Kelsey. So that implies that Corey told him? Arlie also mentioned Corey tried to make a deal with him.
I'm just playing this individually. I can't blame Corey and Kelsey for playing the game, but I need to do it better. The only person who I really feel like has never made me question him has been Cody. Kelsey's still my #1 probably but I'm doubting her a lot more.
This vote was a tough decision. It was between Zach and Natalie, and I feel happy with either one going, but they're each trying to sell that I need them in the game. Zach's saying that he's after Cody and Corey, which is way better nominations if he wins than someone like, oh, me. I don't know if he would be telling the truth though. Natalie made the point that he's just going to do whats best for his own game and not go after "floaters" and I agree, I would probably have one week of safety at the most.
With Natalie, I don't trust her either. She's said she would be after Erika and either Corey or Arlie. I don't know, I can see her taking a shot too. But I also know that her relationships with those three aren't great, especially with Erika. My gut says not to trust her, but I can only evict one of them.
I guess I just feel like suddenly changing my mind and keeping Zach would be a big flip and it would hurt Cody, which I'm okay with, I'm playing this individually. But it would erode trust with Cody and Corey, and I need them for now. If it was something that was just going to hurt Corey, I would be more willing to consider it.
It probably is a little bit smarter to keep Zach in a vacuum, but it would feel pretty shady and it would probably be perceived that way. And I don't feel like it's really worth it when I can't trust Zach. We've talked for a while but it never felt like I've been a priority for him, and now he's suddenly turning on the charm when he needs my vote. He has the veto advantage too and with all the 2nd and 3rd places he's been getting.
Howard was apparently down to save Zach if there were three votes, but when I talked to him he seemed to cave quickly, which I found funny. I feel like he was just trying to be noncommittal and work with whoever was staying.
The most important thing is to just win this next hoh. Everyone except really erika is basically saying that I wouldn't be their target and I would love to believe it, but I also don't really trust anyone. I'd probably be fine with a Kelsey or Cody win but other than that, I can see myself going up on the block.
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