Year Eighteen: Personal Thoughts

[Mark]

(Day 83 Thoughts)

*Dances*

Tori is still here, and a tie will be forced, at the very least, at the next Tribal Council.

Matt D.'s vote for Lynne seems to say that he wants Tori to stick around... at this point, everyone needs to realize that Matt O. and Tyler need to be broken up. If they don't realize that, then this is a dumb Survivor game that will only be boring from here on out. The Matt O./Tyler/Jen/Stacy/Katie alliance has had power for the past two months, and now it's time for these people to come crashing down and realize that All-Stars just can't be that easy. You give us a little leeway... we're going to take it.

Ryan and Lexie are for sure voting against Xavante. Tori and I are for sure voting against Xavante. I'm just a little paranoid of Matt D., but that's only because it's been about two weeks since I've talked to him last. I like the guy, and I would LOVE the Final 3 to be him, Tori, and me. Of course, Tori and I would get to Final 2, but Matt D. is just that person deserving of third place, the person that comes so close but is just too likeable to get to Final 2. And I say this knowing that a lot is going to happen, and this Final 3 will be very unlikely from happening.

However, in order for our 5-way alliance to work, we need to make it past this Tribal Council. It's very likely that it will be a 5-5 tie. That is because Katie only wants to stay with Xavante, and that is her doom. She is totally out of the Zaza alliance just for her ratting out of Tori, and there's no way that we're going to let her make it past any further than she needs to be. For this vote, however... she plays a very important role. In my mind, at this point, she is the swing vote. She can either vote out her hated rival Jen (she's done it twice before, and continually states how she wouldn't mind voting for her again), or she can keep Xavante together and vote out one of us. Maybe if I convince the Xavante's to vote for me, Katie would have a hard time doing that. It would be a very risky strategy, however, and I don't know if it would quite work out. Be it as it may, I need to find a reason to get Katie to vote for Jen.

My ideal boot order:
10th: Jen
9th: Katie
8th: Tyler
7th: Matt O.
6th: Stacy
5th: Ryan
4th: Lexie
3rd: Matt D.

And as always, it doesn't matter if Tori or I win. We're both "twins", and to see her win would make me extremely happy and content. Plus, it would be a very unlikely finish for Tori and me to even BE in the Final 2. We'll see...

[Mark]

Matt O. just approached me and basically asked what Tori was gonna do at the next Tribal Council. He wondered if she was gonna vote for him... honestly, it sounded like he was trying to get information from me on how Tori and I were gonna vote. I tried to be vague and say "I don't know what's gonna happen" and try to keep the focus off of me. But I know that this kind of conversation may pop up repeatedly throughout the next few days. Tori and I can force a tie, and perhaps Xavante is getting scared... mwhahaha. Take that, bitches.

[Mark]

(Day 84 Thoughts)

(All w's = the letter to the right of N. All ;'s = cowwas.)

Wy schedule for the next week (all tiwes are in EST):

Wonday 03/20: School until 3:30 PW. Jazz Band 6:00-7:30 PW.

Tuesday 03/21: School until 2:30 PW. Eye appointwent 4:00 PW. Birthday stuff with the fawily at sowe randow tiwe. Awazing Race 10:00-11:00 PW.

Wednesday 03/22: School until 2:30 PW. Orchestra concert 7 PW until approxiwately 9 PW.

Thursday 03/23: School until 3:15 PW. Final packing for Disney.

Friday 03/24 through Wednesday 03/29: Disney World! I'll be back on Wednesday evening.

[Mark]

(Day 85 Thoughts)

Immunity! my first endurance challenge immunity. I seriously did not expect to win immunity like that but I wasn't going to give up and let Tyler win. This is a crucial vote because I have no idea how Xavante is going to vote. They wanted Tori out and she's still here... it's pretty much down to me or her, and with my immunity, their votes could be going to her.

Of course I don't want her out. As long as things work out... it will be a tie between Jen and Tori.

If that's true, the most interesting bit is going to be that Katie apologized to Tori for voting for her... and is going to do it again. That BITCH. We spend sooo much time making a friendship to her, trying to make her realize that we had been playing for us to be Final 3 this whole time... and she doesn't get it. Of course, there's more to it than that. She either has a Final 3 with Tyler and Matt O., or she just is Jen's twin. Or she's really Jamie. Or Kevin M. There's definitely been a lot of those...

I keep trying to talk to her and she keeps trying to avoid me. I guess that's pretty much proof that she's not going to vote with us. If she votes for Tori again... she's going down. She won't be getting wy vote in Final 2 (even though she won't make Final 2 regardless) and she'll be my main target at every Tribal Council. I just can't stand the thought that our friendship had been fake this whole time. And that she called Jamie a bitch when, in reality, Jamie was more truthful than her.

If Jen doesn't get voted out this round... then all hope of ANYTHING GOOD happening in this game is lost. It's pretty much Paradise all over again.

[Matt O.]

I'm sick of oll this "You didn't vote with me, or our friendship is fake" bull shit. It's not just you Mark, but I had to post this somewhere.

Just because someone voted against you doesn't mean they didn't like you....

[Matt D.]

that's very true matto.

It's also hard to believe though when you make a friendship based only (or mostly) on the game, and then they stab you in the back. It's very hard to not feel like your friendship was just a ploy and you got played. Its hard to call in some cases even long after the game is over. Some people are just capable of being fake. =X

I always hated that about making friends in survivor games and it makes me very cautious about friendships in games... However, I've made some of my best friends and a BOYFRIEND through that.. so *shrug*

p.s. Mark I got your IM but i wasn't online. sorry. I'll catch you whenever I can! =D

[Mark]

It's also hard to believe though when you make a friendship based only (or mostly) on the game, and then they stab you in the back. It's very hard to not feel like your friendship was just a ploy and you got played.

That's pretty much my whole feelings on the whole Katie issue. My confessional probably says something different, but what I feel right now was that she spent 3 months with us before backstabbing us, and I thought that we could've at least gotten a warning. Katie was going to send us to a Live Tribal Council with no indication that she had voted Tori. She only told us about the vote after Sam postponed it, and that pissed me off. I would think a friend would have the heart to give a friend a warning that they're going. Even Boston Rob gave Lex a warning that he was going to vote him out, and yet Katie never told us.

This round, she gave no indication to us that she was voting for Tori again. Only Matt D. confessed as to what the vote was going to be, and that's what incited my anger. To try to blindside her once is one thing, but to blindside her twice? I just don't see how a true genuine friend of 4 months, having gone through all the shit of Zaza and Xavante, would do that to a "friend."

I haven't talked to Katie since after the game, so my speech might sound more bitter than it should be, but that's why my confessionals sound very anti-Katie.

[torithomas]

I agree with some of what Mark said.

Having been my friend and supposed f2 ally the entire game, you think she would have tried to spare me the embarassment of the live tribal council.

At the same time, this year, year 18, I never expected her to go with us, so I don't agree with what Mark said there. I wasn't blindsided in year 18 (except by Matt D) because I expected it from everyone else.

[Matt O.]

That's pretty much my whole feelings on the whole Katie issue. My confessional probably says something different, but what I feel right now was that she spent 3 months with us before backstabbing us, and I thought that we could've at least gotten a warning. Katie was going to send us to a Live Tribal Council with no indication that she had voted Tori. She only told us about the vote after Sam postponed it, and that pissed me off. I would think a friend would have the heart to give a friend a warning that they're going. Even Boston Rob gave Lex a warning that he was going to vote him out, and yet Katie never told us.

This is where me and you differ on opinion in this aspect of the game then. No matter what the situation is, I find it very stupid to tell someone you are voting them out. Even if the majority is 100% voting for that person, it is Survivor. In Survivor, nothing is 100%, even when it appears so. In my experience, when you think something is 'for sure' it often backfires. That is why I refrain from telling people I voted for them, unless it's under a special circumstance. Yes, it's lying to some degree, but voting a friend out is the same as blindsiding them, in my opinion. In fact, I'd rather have a friend blindside me, because then I go out not knowing it was going to happen, rather than spend a day talking to that person trying to change their mind.

I also feel that by telling someone you're voting them, especially after merge is just asking for forgiveness, and maybe trying to sway a Jury vote. I find it be a bad tactic in any situation. Which is why I never told people I was voting for them, expect in a few situations.