[Lara Álvarez]

Hola de nuevo, superviviente! Felicidades on officially making it more than halfway through the game! Ay ay ay, hoy dia was much more interesting on the surface than the last two votes – An advantage used, and a more divided vote.


So what happens now?


1. First off, give our viewers the low down – what was with this vote? Do you know how it came together, who did what, and why? What was your decision based on?

2. What’s your next step forward? Have your loyalties shifted? Have your targets? Anybody in your burn book?

3. Nova and Tessa are now on the jury, and there are a lot more seats to fill. How are you going to keep yourself from joining them?

[Baden]

1 - Well, folks, tonight was a rocky one. The vote didn't go to rocks like I had hoped, and I may have worsened my chances of crawling back out of this hole. I went ahead and laid it all out for everyone to hear exactly what I'm thinking, and we'll see how that turns out for me here. I tagged along with the Sarah vote for fear of a likely Pagonging, and that didn't pan out at all. David flipped, Tegan has a random hinky vote that I'm still not sure is worth trusting that she was really left out of or not, Daisy is understandably pissed at both of them, and I'm wondering if Michelle will ever realize that she's on the bottom of Arum.

2 - Right now, I hope that dropping the Baden Barrage doesn't bite me in the ass. Kylie came to me with a shallow offer and no way to back up her claims with evidence I could trust it, but turning it down and seeing that David went for it puts me in a sticky situation. Kylie is absolutely the one to beat out of everyone right now, and if I can't get people to see that, we're all done for. I think the main issue with loyalty at this stage in the game is that I *want* to be loyal with everyone, but by the very nature of the game, that can't happen. If I do some soul searching, I realize how little loyalty I truly have developed on a game level in the sense of making long term plans and having hitlists, and that's something I like to have ready to go ahead of time. If I'm grasping at straws to find loyalty with *everyone*, does that mean I'm not truly loyal to *anyone*? I'm not sure how to answer that.

3 - As long as I didn't shoot myself in the foot with the Baden Barrage, I've got the chance at some much tighter allies where lines are drawn according to connections and not just old tribe colors. Even if I don't come out of this with a strong group that can take down the power players, everyone keeps saying my name isn't being seriously considered because everyone likes me too much to vote me off. I've been using that to my advantage in the past, and hopefully it's a ways down the road before people realize that I'm a stronger strategic presence than I may seem. We'll just have to see how tomorrow pans out with all of this. I'm anticipating a lottttttt of DM's by the time I get to a lull in the work day.

[Baden]

Well thank Arceus, just about everyone really liked my little spiel there. Mat tried to bring up some counter points, and I respect it from his position, but most people that brought it up to me said he's in the wrong about it, and I agree overall. He's looking at this solely from his point of view, where he's at the top and I'm screaming up from the bottom in hopes someone reaches down and drags me up with them. But from my point of view? I risked my own game to throw out Jericho, Nova, and Sarah's names, and two of those three paid dividends for me, regardless of Tribal alignment.

My current plan is focus in on the players that are least likely to go out of their way to help me, namely Mat and Kylie. I think I'm just about there to see a 6-5 vote against one of them, ideally Kylie so David doesn't get a box, but I need Michelle and Tegan to commit to a flip that they've shown interest in. It's a risky back up plan, but in an attempt to make amends with Sarah, I included her in the plan to blindside one of them. Depending on how it goes, I also aim to cripple their strength by going after the people most loyal to them: Jarrad, David, and possibly Sarah as well if she sides with them. If any of them choose me over Kylie, then obviously that'll change because I believe in rewarding people that throw me a bone.

Assuming those three don't help me achieve my goals, and get dropped for it, that could leave me in the end with a final six of myself, Daisy, Ben, Sharn, Tegan, and Michelle. I know Daisy and I are ride or die to the end because of the risks she's taken and the secrets she's let me in on, so it then becomes a choice of which other pair we side with to get ourselves to the end. Personally I think I'll have an easier time beating Ben or Sharn, but we'll see how the cookie crumbles until then.

Honestly, dropping the Baden Barrage gave me so much insight into my own priorities as a player, and helped me realize truths that I knew all along, but wasn't as aware of until I hit upload. I'm realizing just how cutthroat of a player I really can be given the circumstances I've found myself in, but is it fair to say that I'm doing it because I really do care for everyone here? With how I'm trying to charm people like Tegan and Sarah, for example, into betraying their old, solid alliances to forge new bonds with me as an indivdual with fluidity and agency, am I becoming the villain of the season? Or is my last ditch effort to change the game at its core enough to get me the respect that I could only dream of previously, and cement me as a hero of Stranded history? Is it all gonna just go up in smoke when my torch gets snuffed? Who knows? Regardless of what happens from here on out, I can promise you I'll swing for the fences every second that I can!

[Baden]

THAT WAS FOR YOU, TESSA!!

But seriously, I'm borderline in shock that I managed to pull that one off. The vote literally could not have been any closer. Even Mat, David, and Sarah, are messaging me, congratulating me for organizing such a good move. I hope they don't have it out for me now, because I've gotta maintain the control that I've claimed by organizing the shuffle I aimed for with the Baden Barrage!

Only after the fact do I realize that I just outplayed the PLAYER OF THE SEASON! I rallied the troops against the FAN FAVORITE! Don't be mad, specs, I promise it wasn't personal. Now to breathe for a night, regroup, and figure out the best player to go after next. Like I said, I'm loyal to people that are loyal to me, and if that means siding with Mat and Sarah to oust Michelle or Jarrad, I'm willing to turn the tables and keep myself in power, not with one stationary group, but with an ever changing dynamic of people that I trust won't try to overthrow me. I've been playing ORGs pretty much since SJDS was airing, and never in my entire career have I felt this degree of control over the game. I can't let it get to my head, though, there are still 9 more people standing between me and the crown!