Hi, I'm drunk, I'm safe! I'm in a fun Skype call with people. Yay! I'm not out!

So game-wise, I think I have a good path towards F2. It's almost guaranteed actually, as long as people don't aim to get me out at this point.

Why am I drunk. Why, Patrick. And STEVE I THOUGHT I TRUSTED YOU. You are OUT of this alliance.

I'm gonna do my best to summarize all the stuff that happened between the hours before Stacey getting voted out and Lindsay getting blindsided.

On Thursday, I talked around a bit to see if we could get Lindsay out at 8. Stacey was the obvious boot, but I like keeping my options open (and having people on my good side). After a certain point, she says "I know I'm going, so I'm gonna stir things up. It's not gonna help me now, but it might help you next round" Awww, thanks Stacey! I was looking forward to the epic rant that she was gonna go on. Unfortunately, people kept interrupting her and she lost her rant focus a few times. But she made it pretty clear that we need to vote Lindsay out soon, or she will win the game. I'd like to think that my good relationship with Stacey helped that happen - and sure, it was good for my game!

After Stacey got voted out, it was at 7. That was the point where I really knew allegiances were being tested. Once Stacey really called everyone out, booting Lindsay was on peoples' minds, and Lindsay knew it.

I had been testing Anthony/Eric a few rounds back to see if they'd be willing to vote out Lindsay at 7. Eric agreed, an was the first one to really suggest it. I approached Anthony about it, and he also agreed, but was more hesitant.

It looks like Anthony and Lindsay were tight, and Ant leaked the info back to Lindsay. They started targeting me for this vote, trying to get Jacob and Kate's votes. (Interestingly, it looked like they never approached Spencer. Hopefully people still don't know that Spencer and I are tight).

Jacob and Kate both heard from Lindsay. I talked to Jacob, and we agreed that Kate was feeling insecure about her place in the tribe. I mention that she probably feels that only Lindsay will take her to F2. I propose "maybe she'd feel more secure if one of us approach her about this". Jacob agrees, and says that I should do it to secure Kate's loyalty.

He mentions that Kate was also insecure because she heard about an F4 of me, Spencer, Anthony, and Eric. While it's true that I mentioned it to Ant, I need to defend myself to Jacob here. So, I say that "OH YEAH THAT THING. Spencer came up to me one day about it since I thought he was desperate. I went to Ant just to double check if Spencer had asked. So we know that Spencer is pulling some shady shit". Jacob goes "oh yeah that makes sense!", and I believe that he believes me. Regardless, I wasn't serious about that F4, but it's always good to have more options to take me to the end!

He also says that we should do F3 with Eric. I give a noncommittal answer (YES, useful information!)

Finally, he does that Jacob thing where he starts off with "Thomas I wanna ask you something..." I'm terrified because at any point in this game, people can call me out on all my shit and multiple alliances. But instead, he asks "I want to know if you'd like to be my...PARTNER FOR FTC". I almost pass out in anxiety - whew, he didn't call me out. I had kind of assumed that we had an FTC agreement, but I think he wanted security that I wouldn't try to vote him out. He should know that he's a threat; he should also know that other people know this. Of course I'm very hesitant of going to FTC with Jacob, but in the very possible chance that he and I make it to F3 (combination of voting and immunity wins), it's good to know that he'd take me to the end. The only thing is, I'm very wary of his F3 with Eric. He could easily have made an agreement with Eric, and he could also take Eric to FTC instead of me. I think Eric would be easier to beat, and Jacob would still have my vote. So, I'm gonna have to do some sneaking around to possibly put some doubts out there.

Good thing is, I had already approached Kate the day before, saying that neither of us want Jacob in FTC, as he'll win. She completely agrees. So, when approaching her yesterday, she was somewhat receptive to my ideas. I flat out tell her that Jacob has made a F3 agreement with me and Eric, which I did not support; I tell her that I had been Vanderbilt F3 this whole time. I reinforce the idea that if we go in with each other, we'll have a much better shot of winning, than if one of us goes in with Jacob. She also hesitantly agrees. I have to go at this point, but I hope that the idea I planted sticks so that she doesn't want me out. The only concerning thing is that she outright tells me that she thinks she's going to be out at 5. I ask her why, and she says she just has a suspicion.

So after all that's said and done, Kate and Eric decided to vote with us, and Lindsay is out. BAM!

This whole time, I've still been working with Spencer. I try and make it seem like we're not close, but I think the others are catching on. Still, I'm genuinely trying to work with him in case I need an extra vote with me. We made an implicit F2 agreement, saying that neither of us wants to take Jacob (it's really the easiest and most true argument). And if he does get voted out, I'm hoping that he'll stay on my good side (since I legitimately have helped him out since before RJ got voted out. I'll write another post about my overall gameplan for the next few rounds and FTC. While I don't want to be arrogant, I think my chance of making it to the end are good. No matter how alliances change or who wins immunity, I'm covered on all sides - from Spencer, Jacob, hopefully Kate. And Anthony's desperately approaching me to see if I was serious about F4 with Spencer/Eric/him. All I need is to avoid being targeted (and if I am, do a bit of storycrafting).

OH MAN I WON IMMUNITY!!!!! Hell yeahhhhh.

It came down to me and Spencer in a tiebreaker, doing Mastermind/Codebreaker puzzles. We literally submitted answers within 5 seconds of each other, that were 1 number different. I was actually thinking about letting him win it - I don't think I'm at risk this week, and it's good to have an ally sticking around. But giving up immunity is stupid, and I'd regret it if I got voted out this round.

I'm going to try and save Spencer, but if Jacob/Kate are insistent on him, I'll have to let him go. He's one of my paths to F2, but not the only one, and I'm not going to risk my game just to save him.

Having minor second doubts right now - Spencer's one of my tightest allies, and it looks like people are gonna rally for him to go. The fact that he's been an immunity beast doesn't help his case either. But potentially, Anthony would be willing to vote with us (since he's on the outs, and Spencer had suggested an alliance of him/me/Ant/Eric.

I'm just gonna have to talk it out with everyone to see what's on their minds. Ideally right now, I'd get rid of Eric. There's no way that Jacob convinced Eric to vote for Lindsay last round unless he had made an F2 agreement. I know that Jacob won his last game by "keeping his options open", and if he has F2 deals with both me and Eric, he's good no matter what. I believe that Kate thinks that Eric should be in the F4 with me and Jacob - and now I wonder why she'd prefer Eric in there, as opposed to Anthony.

I might have to convince Kate that Eric is the way to go. He really is the biggest threat to my endgame (besides Jacob).

Why is it that winning immunity actually made things more *difficult* for my game? It's easier when people are feeling safe, and now that Spencer's definitely in danger, he's pulling all the stops on me - as he should be doing. Good for him - he's fighting for his life.

But, FUCK. This is messing up my endgame plans so much more than anything else has. I'm doubting everything, and if I don't handle this right, I'll lose a bunch of jury votes (if I make it that far).

To sum it up: Spencer is proposing that we vote out Jacob. He says that he believes Jacob would take Eric to FTC, as it would make a win basically guaranteed for him. My plan to get Eric out now just backfired on myself - Spencer used the Eric information against me, and now he's making it an argument to get Jacob out this round. He says that if we force a tie against Jacob and succeed, we'd be good until F3 for sure. He's banking his argument on the idea that Jacob would betray me at F3 or F4, and that it's a better idea for me to vote him out now, before he turns on me.

This is partially my own damn fault, really. I let Spencer know of my insecurity of Jacob going far, and he turned it against me. Well played, Spencer. He really is one of the smarter strategists of this season, and while I know he's trying to save his own ass, it's brilliant that he's framing it so that it's not just the best for him to stay, but it's also the best for my game.

This vote WILL determine the rest of the game for me. I kind of feel like pulling a Ciera - I personally don't mind going against my alliance, and it's true that none of us will beat Jacob. But at the same time, my game plan has been to not put a target on my back. I don't care about making "big plays" and "pulling the moves" - my "moves" are in conversations, information, and alliances.

Wow, fuck. So there's 3 main options for ousting this round, and it looks like it's in my hands: Spencer, Anthony, Jacob.

Spencer - he's the challenge threat. He could easily keep winning, and everyone seems him as a threat to their game.

Anthony - I didn't think he would be an option, since he's easy to boot. But Jacob just came up to me and said that we can vote his way if I'd like, since he voted against us last round.

Jacob - the biggest risk, the biggest reward. With him gone, my chances of winning at FTC are much higher. But at the same time, I have one less person who has said they'd take me to F2.

I've heard Kate's name from Jacob (who said that Spencer said that Anthony said he wanted Kate out). And Eric is my personal choice, but it looks like I can wait until F5 for him.

Another thing about having immunity - I'm trying so hard to not let it get to my head. I'm not guaranteed F2 at all with anyone. I can't believe anyone 100%. And even though I'm safe this round, I may not be next week. Oof, this is hard.

Okay I'm gonna sleep on this. It's too crazy, but I'm glad this game got heated up. When I was high the other day, I had a minor realization: this game didn't really get started until F10, when RJ got voted out. Sure, I had a bit of a scare the first round when it was me or Eric. But we had smooth sailing since then, and there wasn't much strategizing going on, if any.

But we play this for the thrill - for the strategy, for the moves, for the game. I'd rather have to fight my way to the top with people who are playing hard, than have a game handed to me. And I'm thankful that this cast has been so great - strategy-wise, social-wise, and just awesome overall to play with.

I took a break from AIM this whole morning/early afternoon. Didn't want people talking me up before the move was made.

These next few hours are going to be such a precarious dance. My plan right now is to get Spencer, Anthony, and Kate to go against Jacob. I'm not telling Eric, since I'm convinced he's in with Jacob/Kate and not me (because of the Lindsay vote).

Here's how I'm going to convince Kate: reinforce the idea that Jacob will win against any of us. Perhaps even mention the fact that Jacob made an F2 deal with me - but I'd rather go with her. It's dangerous to let him go far - he's won a past game before.

And if this all doesn't work, I can fall back on a vote against Anthony. Or...even Spencer, really. If Jacob's smart about this vote, he'll rally for Spencer. He knows that Spencer and I are tight, and regardless of whether I want Spencer or Anthony to go, he can spin a story to Eric and Kate that I'm being shady, and they need to get rid of Spencer, then me next.

Now that I think about it, this is a big possibility.

***REAL-TIME STRATEGY UPDATES***

It looks like I'm voting Spencer. Fuck, I know I'm a wishy-washy bastard who might not even deserve to win at this point (if I even make it). But I can't get people to vote Jacob if they're already dead-set on Spencer. The best thing I can do is to get them to vote for Jacob/Eric at F5.

Talking to Kate, I'm getting the feeling that Jacob's convinced people that I'm a threat. Pffft, me? I've done nothing but fuck up and talk circles around people all game. I really would vote for Jacob over anyone else - including myself. He's played me; he's played all the alliances; he's played the best. Which is why he needs to go at F5.

***UPDATE***

I just gave this whole spiel to Kate about how we NEED Jacob out at 5. I've decided on Spencer this round, but I gave a pitch to Kate about how he'd win against any of us. I told her that I'm legitimately looking out for both of our interests (and I was). Unfortunately, she's at work and told me she'd just not respond if she's busy. Thankfully, she said that she "will consider it".

To show her that I'm sincere, I told her that there'd be no hard feelings if she voted me out next round, in loyalty to Jmoney. But if he makes it to the end and wins, I'm gonna tell her "told ya so".

I think it's a tossup. My gut tells me that she'll vote against Jacob - she voted against Lindsay because it was in her interest, and she should do the same. But I'm putting my game on line like I never have, and can only hope that Kate makes the smart play.

I feel bad for Spencer now. I'm his closest ally, and because of the way that I've been making alliances and passing along info, I'm his only hope to stay. There's no real argument against keeping him over anyone else - especially the other boot option, which is Anthony. And it doesn't make sense to make a move at 6, as opposed to 5 (when it's easier to get the numbers). I hate lying to people - RJ and Stacey knew they were going, but Spencer is fighting harder than anyone else, and that's probably because I gave him hope. I'm not being too emotional about it, but I hope this doesn't cost me a jury vote (if I make it to the end).

If I'm out next week - I mean, I obviously don't want that - but in the case that it happens, respect to Jacob and Kate for playing their games. I'm impressed by everyone - it's a tough game, and no one's been really slacking. But really, if people DON'T vote Jacob off next week - I TOLD YA SO (when he wins).

All right, last vote of this round - I promise!

After doing the rounds, it's clear that it's Spencer, and people aren't going to budge. I just voted Spencer a minute ago, and may the best person win from here!

Since I put my life on the line with Kate, trying to convince her to vote Jacob, I figured I might as well pull Anthony. He messaged me to confirm the vote about 2 hours ago. It was an obvious one for Spencer at that point, so I decided to probe his brain for how he was gonna vote at 5.

My game is in danger, so might as well pull out all the stops! I casually tell him that "you know people have been saying you're an easy vote". He sounds surprised, and asks me who's been saying that. I mention "oh hm Kate or Jacob" (because they really have said that). I then go on to say that Jacob said that he would take Anthony to 4, and then it's an easy vote; or take Ant to 5, and it's still an easy vote. I say that "I know we both want to make it to the end, and we can work together". He tells me that we can take control of the game - my vote, his, and just 1 more.

Then, I make parallels between how Jacob and I are bros, but we gotta get rid of the threat. I mention how Kate voted off Lindsay because it was the smartest move, so she should go along with us here. To reinforce this, I mention that Jacob has won before (and link him to the iSurv1vor Wikipedia). Finally, I give him the good ol' "Hope I'm not being shady, but I'm trying to look out for both of us here". And that's not bullshit - it really is the truth.

He follows up with "Yeah I think that both Jacob and Kate are hard to beat at FTC". This is even better than expected - if needed, I can run to Kate with this info, and use that against Anthony. I tell him that I think Lindsay could rally people to vote for Kate - that way, he's less likely to buddy up with Kate/Eric to vote me out next week.

After that, we just chat normally. We talk about ORGs, Survivor, making friends - just chill stuff. He really is a good guy, and I enjoy talking to him. This is one of the more natural conversations that I've had with someone, and it's just refreshing not to talk game all the time.

Hopefully after this vote, I'll win another Immunity Challenge, Anthony, Kate and I will take out Jacob. At F4, hopefully I can convince Kate and Anthony that Eric needs to go (Kate and I as an F2, and same with Anthony). But considering how nothing has really "gone to plan", who knows! Play it round by round.