Day Five

[nax]

AFTER THE VOTE

OK, the first strike of the Seven Deadly Sins (7DS) was a success. And there will be a couple very frustrated folks, after the results of this Tribal. Jeffy, of course, but also Lexi, who's probably very scared right now, and Brookie, who's probably relieved... or won't be sure she wasn't voted out until sometime next week, when she finally asks what happened tonight. (sigh)

Now, about our name. I heard a rumor we were being called by Production the Magnificent Seven. First off, that's a pretty awesome name, but kinda, "y'know, it was obvious and shit". Which is why we as a group put our heads together and come up with a name that is ACTUALLY awesome:




That should be amusing for awhile.

7 would normally be an unmanageably large alliance, in most games, but with the (practical) lack of tribes, and things switching up each episode, I think we hit on the right number. And again, that credit has to go to Fei. She had these numbers all worked out before she even started talking to me. Smart girl, and one that I don't want lasting too far past F14 if I can help it. But for now, I'm happy to use her intellect to find the cracks I miss and to win her way into the Brahmin circle as often as possible.

Since I started:

Greg: pretty bright and definitely Fei's partner. He's probably more manageable than Fei is, but I'm a little suspicious that he and I don't talk unless I initiate the conversation. Hopefully it just means that he doesn't fear me. He should. My long term plans don't include him, right now.

Brenda: Her partner is Aaron, I think, but I'm fine with that. I'm getting closer to Aaron, and when it's time to dissolve the 7, Brenda and Aaron might be the tool to make that happen.

Ricky: He does what he does - makes himself the good guy. That's fine, I'm happy to let him play his game. We're loyal to each other, and that's what matters right now. I'm not going to waste a lot of time being the hero to people who might not be here when the jury starts to be selected (assuming there will even BE a jury). We trust each other, and that's good enough for me.

Nicole: SO easy to discount her. She's not very talkative, and people just forget she's there. Good for her. This is her strategy for the early game (even if it does come naturally), and I'm glad she's keeping safe. Still trusting her completely, but I'd like to have a better idea of who she's connecting with.

OK, and that's 7SD for you. It's short. I'll get more in-depth as time passes, I'm sure.

[nax]

[9/16/2013 1:15:16 PM] David Oberholzer: Yeah. It becomes a matter of which is slilghtly better to vote now rather than later.
[9/16/2013 1:15:30 PM] Jeff: exaclty, thats what i was thinking to
[9/16/2013 1:16:52 PM] David Oberholzer: The only reason I'm slightly leaning toward Brookie is I think I understand Jermainey's game. Brookie to do anything, pull any stunt. I'm seriously avoiding saying anything to her that she might be able to use against me by copy/pasting.
[9/16/2013 1:17:03 PM] David Oberholzer: I don't like walking on eggshells around people.
[9/16/2013 1:17:14 PM] David Oberholzer: I guess that's kind of a personal thing, but there it is.
[9/16/2013 1:17:46 PM] Jeff: what do you think jermaines game would be like?
[9/16/2013 1:17:51 PM] Jeff: because I have no idea
[9/16/2013 1:17:52 PM] Jeff: at all
[9/16/2013 1:19:15 PM] David Oberholzer: He's a social player, likes to keep a lot of friends, and will probably already have a F2 or F3 alliance with someone. He'll try to lay low until he thinks he has the upper hand, then use hsi friends and allies to shift the numbers in his favor. He's a long-term player that relies heavily on relationships.
[9/16/2013 1:19:49 PM] Jeff: Ummmmm, you just described my worst fear of a player in this game.
[9/16/2013 1:21:25 PM] David Oberholzer: Oh, I know. He's a strong player, for sure. But his game is long term.
[9/16/2013 1:21:38 PM] David Oberholzer: Brookie could wreak havoc RIGHT NOW.
[9/16/2013 1:21:48 PM] Jeff: And hes thinking long term, much harder to derail than someone who had tunnel vision and is just thinking short term
[9/16/2013 1:21:58 PM] Jeff: does anyone even like brookie though?
[9/16/2013 1:22:00 PM] Jeff: thats what im asking myself
[9/16/2013 1:22:20 PM] David Oberholzer: I'm sure someone does. And I know everyone's TELLING her they do.
[9/16/2013 1:23:04 PM] David Oberholzer: I mean, do you tell the crazy homeless guy who has you cornered, making his points with a gesture of the knife in his hand, that he's a smelly crazy old fuck?
[9/16/2013 1:23:30 PM] Jeff: haha, nah, but im thinking though, if people hate her, and she doesnt even know, thats an easy blindside later, and we know she wont win a redemtpion to come back
[9/16/2013 1:25:31 PM] David Oberholzer: Well, she did score higher than almost half the cast... and anyone she might have to battle would be in the lower bracket.
[9/16/2013 1:25:54 PM] David Oberholzer: But that does make you think about Jermainey's chances of getting back in, too.
[9/16/2013 1:26:54 PM] Jeff: true true, im wondering if she had help in the challenge or not tbh, because she doesnt seem like the brightest cookie
[9/16/2013 1:27:18 PM] David Oberholzer: She's a lot smarter than she lets on.
[9/16/2013 1:27:35 PM] Jeff: ya I kind of see that to
[9/16/2013 1:27:36 PM] David Oberholzer: Don't get me wrong, she's no evil genius, but she's definitely playing up the dumb
[9/16/2013 1:27:46 PM] Jeff: im trying go guage how much smarter
[9/16/2013 1:27:56 PM] Jeff: like is she really smarter or is she someones little pawn tool
[9/16/2013 1:27:58 PM] Jeff: thats what im asking myself

It's kind of funny, actually. Jeff made a pretty good argument to vote out Jermainey... and in doing it, he convinced me that it was him I needed to vote out.

He was talking to me about whether to vote Jermainey or Brookie. But my dilemna was between voting Brookie or Jeff. He basically argued that Brookie wasn't really a threat, and certainly not in the long term, but that because Jermainey is a strong player, who understand the game and is able to get people to like him, that he was by far the bigger threat.

Well, Jeff, I listened, buddy. And you won me over. The stronger player with the better social game is where I cast my vote. Irony is a bitch.

But now I'm thinking about his brief message right after the announcement that he'd been voted out. He called it a blindside. See, the only way it could be a blindside is if he thought he had the votes to vote out Jermainey, and really believed it. Which means one of my alliance lied to him. I know it wasn't me - I never said who I was voting for. Ricky would have hemmed and hawed his way around that question, never quite answering. That leaves Brenda. If so, that means either A) she's willing and able to lie convincingly, or B) wasn't smart enough to avoid having to. Both are danger sings, in my book.

Now, that said, there's another possible explanation: that Lexi or Brookie thought they got a positive answer from someone and overstated it to him. Lexi's pretty smart, so I wouldn't immediately suspect she'd misread a vague answer as a promise to vote a particular way, but Brookie... She may have just convinced herself that she had it locked up, and told Jeff that someone gave her a definite answer.

And which of those scenarios is the true one is an important question. If someone lied to Jeff, then I have either an idiot or a compulsive (game) liar in my midst. If the latter, then Brookie's every bit the delusional loose cannon she portrays herself to be.

Final Note: I'm a little amazed at how desperately this cast avoids Skype calls. Like they're afraid to let people hear their voice. Are this all total shut-ins, or just terrified of being themselves? I may only have been in one open-identity game before, so it's not a very empirical sampling, but it just seems weird to me. I mean, I *like* having my personality out there. I know that Ricky does, too. What's wrong with the rest of this cast?