Episode #4

[Ben "Benry" Henry]

So, awesome! That tribal council finally allowed a lot of built up tension to be released, especially within me because I haven't really been playing too much of this game, and I've been leaning back and hoping everyone else was in anticipation of the storm. In the off chance they weren't, I had a good feeling I'd be able to arrange things so I'd be okay.

AAAAND, the off chance was correct. People started playing the game.

It started out with Jane and Brenda both quickly telling me that they are hearing Fabio because he is the weakest, and least active, and that they think that's going down. I basically was like, okay sounds good! I was glad it wasn't me, or someone I had talked to.

From there, I decided to go beyond the flirting I'd been doing with Kelly S. and actually start having some real conversations. I first met Brenda and Jane through IMs, who both seemed pretty nice and cool, and I started thinking...hmm, this could really form into an alliance! Then I was talking to Kelly S. and Alina, and Kelly S. and I basically agreed to stick together, so I finally had something real. Then Alina said the same. Great! Then Kelly S. said she liked Naonka, Alina, Jane, and I.

I said I don't talk to Naonka...so Kelly S. said maybe we should do a fourway.

I told Alina, and she said eliminate Jane from the equation, so I told Kelly S. this. So then that left Kelly S., Alina, and I.

Now, the reason for this was Alina was approached by Kelly Bruno to join an alliance of Kelly B./Naonka/Jane/Brenda. So essentially, with Jud gone, and Alina being pulled in those girls were trying to set up and alliance where Kelly S., Yve, Dan, and I would be on the outs. What Alina realized though is she would be the fifth onto that package, so she decided to see if she could get some more leverage by making something sprout outside of the group.

So essentially...we gotta put some work in. The good thing is Kelly S. is already aware and on board based on how that got brought up, and while she is a player, she probably feels that both Alina and I are closer to her than we are to each other, and I think Alina feels the same. To be honest, I think they both could easily be closer to me than with each other, and whichever way the truth is...it doesn't really matter! As long as there is the inclination to feel we both have a path to be the last two standing, the threesome should stay strong.

Now, another positive is Alina senses (as do I), that the next target will probably be Dan. That makes it THAT much easier for us to get Dan to realize his ass is on the line and to do what we want. I also am taking the initiative to discuss things with Yve through PM, randomly. She hasn't answered me yet, but I'm basically putting aside dignity and telling her that she seems great, and I want to talk more with her, and I think we both could become good buddies! All that BS...the real point and reason for it is that she and I will need each other, but I don't want to ram that truth down her throat right away. I want us all to slowly get her into the mindset that we are good people, and perhaps we need to work together here.

Regardless, the foursome that is in place is going to be trying to pull Alina in, and decide the next four boots on this tribe, with me leaving as early as the second or third. So...that needs to flip up. I don't want Kelly S. out of this game, and I know Alina knows as well as I do that those four are trying to manipulate the events to have them be the top of this tribe, and I know Alina doesn't want to be the bottom of anything. So I'm just gonna let her feel the power and stroke her ego of how powerful and great her moves are of coming over to us and starting a counter alliance...it does make sense for her, although in honesty, she could wait for merge and make this move with the old tribe and whoever is left outside of the alliance, BUT, I don't want her to realize that. I want her to make this big move early, and really shake this game up to put me in a better and safe position here and now.

So yeah...in conclusion, it's basically just a waiting game. I know Alina is going to be making the moves she has to, though I'm not so certain about Kelly S...regardless, I know I'm going to be poking Dan and Yve so make them think Benry is where it's at! Besides that I'll keep good relations with player like Brenda and Jan, but at the end of the day I know a big play has to be made. I think Alina is very wrapped in the prospect of getting one of the heads out of that foursome, but honestly, I'd be happier to see Naonka go...I think it's fairer, she's weaker, she talks to me less, and it would make the transition so much easier to acquiring the votes of Yve and Dan, especially when attempting to make them see the seriousness of the situation which they will fully be able to appreciate when power player like Kelly B. are randomly trying to convince them to vote each other, or worse, Kelly S. or I out.

So yeah, basically Alina/Kelly S./I need to open their noses and hope they can smell the bull crap they are likely going to be fed about their importance to people who could care less about them.

Hopefully, there will be a good amount of time for these things to click into place, which some more challenge domination, (likely if luck isn't a factor in future challenge) will be the case.

[Ben "Benry" Henry]

Well, this is depressing.

At this phase the alliance of Naonka/Brenda/Jane/Kelly B. seems to be in the works to dismantle since Alina and I have been doing a good job courting Yve and same with herself of courting Yve/Dan.

The problem is, now Alina is all pissed of because of the double vote/idol clue, and how it was handled when Shannon accidentally got the information he wasn't supposed to receive, and now the entire game knows. Honestly, I think she's overreacting, and screwing things up. I'm not gonna tell her that, because obviously she doesn't take things...well, but yeah, a mistake was made, and she should just move on. I honestly can't see a situation where everyone in the game wouldn't at least be made aware of the double votes existance by one of the five people who received them, so I don't really see what the big deal is.

It does feel good to know though that she immediately told me everything, and is now running around all mad that everyone else knows...it means she actually did trust me to know the truth. But, what is upsetting to me is her threats to quit over things that absolutely cannot be reversed or changed...like...she should just quit now if what happened is not something she can get over, or stay and not complain. Making it seem like you might quit over something that absolutely will not change is pointless, and just keeping people on edge and confused. Right now, the game that I set up for myself requires her continuing existence, so I am just hoping that she makes the right choice and sticks in it, because it is extremely annoying to not know what I do or don't have to do, and what to expect because someone is being reactive about a situation that may have sucked, but cannot be altered as of now.

In either case, I'm going to continue to talk to people and try to position myself well...but I don't want to put myself out there too much, because I'm really interested in the projected outcome that Alina staying in this game will payout long term for me...so I just need to see if she's going to calm the hell down, or if I'm going to have to devise new plots which will involved actually speaking to Kelly B. and such and such.

[Ben "Benry" Henry]

New bonds everywhere! It's really pretty interesting...if not scary. Not to mention, the powers that are in play could easily bite anyone in the ass. It's almost too much to handle, but we'll figure it out hopefully.

Right now, I need to hope that my people, Dan, Yve, Kelly S., and myself can get organized and get one of the others off. A really interesting situation where Jill and Holly are basically throwing themselves at me saying they will vote out Jimmy T is also happening on the side...it almost seems like they are trying to prevent us from using our powers, yet if that is the case I cannot see why they would risk so much about their credibility to do this move when it really would just mean us having the election to use our powers on a later round.

Then there are fears relating to the idol! Just really so many kinks here that can make things go bad.

Hopefully things work out. I need to wait for everyone to get online once and for all and just tell me who they want to vote...perhaps Chase would be a good one...and then we just gotta GO for it. And that's that.

[Ben "Benry" Henry]

So, this round taught me that Yve is either paranoid, manipulative, and for sure, controlling. I guess we'll see if she helped or hurt us soon.

In either case, I gotta give her a lot of credit. She played hard as hell in that challenge, and totally earned it. Holly and Jill both basically approached people on my side of things, most importantly me, and basically talked about how they want to vote out Jimmy T. They said that he betrayed them earlier at the Jimmy J. vote, and that they want to get even for it, in essence. I essentially let it be known that I am totally down, and I would try to get my people to do the same.

Issue: Yve. Dan and Kelly S. seemed keen on the idea, and Dan even specifically said that he wouldn't vote Holly....sure, that let's me know, what I already knew, that Holly is making plans all over the place and making a lot of people feel close to her, but still, I wanted to see if I could maybe not dupe these women on the first TC.

Yve however said we should throw them a curve ball and vote out Chase. I really don't know if I could have gone through voting Jill out or Holly of course, but since they went after the other choice I was okay with, Chase, I pretty much said...okay make sure Kelly S. and Dan are in on this Yve, and fine.

Neither of those two let me know that they are good actually making that vote, which was irritating, but Yve let me know that she talked to Kelly S. about it, PMed Dan, that the vote is Chase, and that she even is considering changing Holly's vote to Chase as well.

Fine. I hope so Yve. I hope you really do have this power, and that you shaking things up didn't prove to split our resources. Let's see. In either case, I would say she made this round significantly harder to organize, and perhaps, didn't even help us do anything meaningful whatsoever. Chances are, she maybe ostracized people who could have become exclusive, and maybe left us in a position where someone like Dan is going to choose to be 100% with Holly and Jill, and won't feel comfortable "flipping back" since we left him in a position where he couldn't be honest and vote with everyone which I'm sure was his hope.

I really basically will only not be disappointed with Yve making things complicated if an idol is played on Jimmy T., and this was a much more intricate plan. Otherwise...I'm a little disappointed this vote had to be this frustrating. Especially because I'm of the belief more than the paranoia Yve just wanted to make things complex, and see how quickly peoples necks turn to her when she snaps her fingers and changes things up. Well, regardless Yve, I can't imagine you've curried and ounce of favor anywhere, so keep on doing things like this and instead of power gaining, you'll quickly be losing it.