Wait, That’s How the Parchment Looks Like?/Confessionals

Day 21
"katzole"

- Waking up three weeks into the game and the MERGE is finally upon us! It is such an incredible milestone to reach. It does make me nervous that I have not had a chance to test my relationships and alliances up to this point. However, I am excited for the game to get rolling (even though I have been saying that for three weeks) AHAHAHAHA.

"katzole"

- Seeing Samb made the merge made me ecstatic!!! That's my boy and he gave me allllll the tea in the game. Not going to lie, Samb is a GAMER. He has found idols, taken some serious threats out of the game, etc. I really do trust Samb and I know I need him in the future. However, my alliance from the Azu 2.0 definitely sees Samb as a number and as a threat. Definitely something to keep in mind. I'm just glad to know we have the numbers going into this very key vote.

"katzole"

- Looking at the playing field, I am starting realize there are no secrets in the game. Like at all. Samb tells me everything that went down which I think is great. But then come to find out.. Ryan, Nemo, and Anubis also know everything. Granted, he was really trying to show loyalty which makes sense. But my path to the end is still unclear. I have solid relationships with Samb, Nemo, Ryan and a decent relationship with Anubis. Frog seems to be hopping over to the other side (hehe) and Pendant, Piper, and Evan barely speak to me. I try to reach out but it almost never works out. I know Samb could probably beat me in the end, so I have to keep that in mind. Ugh this is getting C O M P L I C A T E D!!

"katzole"

- Yeah, that was a lie when I said I was gonna sleep. I’m here again now.

Why is it EST dinner time. I quickly caught up with Matty, Nemo, and Ryan. I don’t want to sound arrogant and I don’t want to let idol fever get into my head, but I mean, the truth is gonna come out at some point, so I told the three of them about everything I knew from new Ruta. Just reliving and trying to explain everything made me realize how messed up we were as a tribe, but I trust those three, and Nemo and Ryan both claimed that they wanted to throw the challenge to save me (what great friends 🧡) so that’s a good sign. I do think that there really is no reason for me not to trust Nemo and Ryan, but I am wary that those two have gotten closer. I spilled everything to Matty because we are a secret final two. He left to eat dinner and he’s still on vacation, but we need to catch up ASAP. Ryan told me that Pendant is very eager… and from our first conversation, I agree. He apparently told New Azuolas… pretty much everything? And with Kam/Pendant/Piper as a dismantled trio, it makes me feel good about that last-minute switch. Piper and I are playing on Hoola’s Mafia but the swap happened when that season started and even over there, I haven’t spoken to her yet. But I am going to be wary of both Pendant and Piper, especially knowing that I took their trio member out of the picture. I also haven’t spoken to Anubis but it’s literally 6 am there and apparently the Philippines is about to tighten their lockdown restrictions again so that’s something to note.

Again… it’s been a long eight hours. I’m running off maybe three? Four? Hours of sleep? It is a momentous Friday and I was supposed to see my friends, but I’m gonna nap. Good night!

"katzole"

- Okay first... did I make a merge confessional already? I know I did a VL but i seriously cant remember. Anyways. First.

Now it's almost basically confirmed its a final 2 FTC. Although i'm gonna throw out a 'oh its a f3' just so they think im stupid. I hate pagonings but it honestly looks like the best option, or at the very least, I do believe in the oak squad f4 pact. Right now though I think Nemo is shaping up to be a threat, but I can leave him be till final 4. Honestly all 4 of us seem to have a shot at ftc, although out of us 4 i'm probably the easiest to beat because of my horrid speaking abilities. I think a Matty/Me ftc is most probable although I cant tell if I beat him, same with Ryan. Trust Rankings! 1. Anubis 2. Nemo - He's just pretty cool, and also seems to be the smartest in the oak squad, which I can use as leverage. 3. Matty - He's also pretty cool. He's also pure Azu strong (or seems to be) so I dont think he'll be making any moves rn 4. Pendant - The guy is just amazing, the person I like most from Rūta, but he's also the best social player here right now. He's shaping up to be the merge boot which I kinda dont want tbh (nevermind that I threw his name out) 5. Samb - I would trust him more if only he was not so.. sneaky? Out of everyone thats not me he's the most likely to make big (maybe stupid) moves. 6. Ryan - Allied, pretty cool, but we dont talk much. He's an AU survivor fan thouh. 7. Piper - She's pretty cool, but shes also inactive. Maybe we wont have to vote her and she'll just get struck out. Hopefully it doesnt happen though, still, have to be ready if it DOES. 8. Frog - I didnt know him well and he also turned on Samb. I would be fine working with him but also fine just voting him off. 9.... I literally forgot the last guy.. Evan? We havent talked much at all. I'd rather we vote him first cuz I dont have a connection with him.

Lastly, F9 touchy subjects? 👀 Although we just merged, so it might be F7 or F6.

Day 22
"katzole"

- Heading into this immunity challenge, I really do not care who wins. I would at least one person from Azu to win because I would want our options open in terms of which Ruta member wants to go. I also want to solidify myself with the Azus for the first few votes. Then, I want to see if I can wiggle my way into a potential final four of Ryan, Anubis, and Samb. I think that is my ideal final four for me. I hope that is what gets me the win. But all will tell in due time. Taking it one day at a time at this point.

"katzole"

- Hey y’all! Welcome back to another confessional 😌. I think y’all are due for a big update because I’ve been busy the last few days with my vacation and shitty wifi lol. So, let’s start with the end of the swap. The plan was to get rid of Samb that round. I was 100% for sure not voting out Frog or Kam at that point, so I convinced Frog that Samb was two faced and all of this shit and we all voted together. But of course Samb had to have the idol, which was really unfortunate because Kam became the casualty. It sucksssssss soooooo bad, because I feel like I don’t really have a strong number one ally again, which was the situation I was worried I would be in. I would say maybe Frog, but idk what allies he has from the other side. I already know Pendant and Piper are a duo, so I just became the third wheel. It just makes me feel dejected 😩. But, I know how to rebound, and if there’s anything I’ve learned from these 6 tribals in a row, it’s that I know how to manipulate these weirdos into doing what I want more or less. Oh, a side note, I bullshitted Samb into believing Frog and Kam masterminded his vote off, so hopefully he continues to trust me lol. Anyways, let’s talk about merge! So, if I’m being honest, I don’t really want to work with anyone who was on both Azoulas tribes. I can sense all of the fakeness from so far away. Here’s a gist on how all of my convos with these people went:

Evan: “hi (insert name here)! nice to meet you! and congrats on merge :)” Other person: “Hi Evan, nice to meet you too! And thanks bestie! You are soooooo cool 😍😘” *after a little talking* Evan: “so how was your old tribe? quiet i bet especially cuz y’all avoided all of these tribals haha Other person: “Yeah lol, you are SUCH A BOSS for surviving all this time 🤩😍😩🤪😌😘🥺”

Like PLS, I don’t need to be buttered up by y’all, I already know I’m doing a good job 💀. N e wayz, my plan going into tribal when the time comes is basically pitch myself the way I did during swap; say that I try to survive as each vote comes along and try not to say that I’m always thinking ahead lol. Hopefully, the target can shift away from someone slightly less connected and *pretty bad at challenges* like me and it can move onto a bigger challenge/social threat, ex: Nemo and Ryan. But, I’ll just have to play it safe for now, because making a big move right now doesn’t seem to be the RIGHT move. That’s it for me! See y’all next time 😘

"katzole"

- I’ll admit that I kinda checked out of the game for a bit after we merged. Was out and about so I didn’t get to hop online, but I realized we had what I assumed was a combined challenge at 4 am…

I’m surprised I won? I thought I was kinda slow since I wasted two attempts before I realized I could just skip through questions I wasn’t sure of and then go back to them after rereading Tree Mail. Part of me thinks that the time margins were pretty close, but I doubt I’ll figure out who finished in second. There are two urns now instead of three! The urn with nothing inside is gone, but I ended up finding the idol clue! It’s pretty straightforward and because I promised my alliance I’d share the reward, I decided to tell them… part of the clue. I feel like that little omission could come back to bite me, but I’m afraid Nemo could end up with two idols. That sounds awfully paranoid, but I’d like to play it safe for now.

Heading into this Immunity Challenge, I know that I’ve got to win. Because I’ve got the Black Vote, I feel like I’d be an easy target to gun for. Hopefully I can win this one so it can give me time to find some wiggle room. Graphic design is my passion, but at the same time, I have some funny ideas for the ugliest flag. Today’s going to be a momentous day, so either way, I’ll put my best foot forward 🤠🧡

Day 23
"katzole"

- So I had a conversation with Nemo and I was just trying to make sure we looked at all of the scenarios looked at before we head into this vote. And he just really shut me down which I didn't really appreciate. I love Nemo as a person and I do trust him. However, I also don't like to be shut down like that. I understand that the chance one of the OG Ruta tribe members having an idol is low. But still, you can never be too safe in Survivor. Major red flag to be dealt with at a later date for sure.

"katzole"

- My two biggest allies in the game won immunity and I am lit about that. One because we have the option of all three Ruta members to vote out. But that definitely puts a bigger target on their back. And I want to hide behind them for as long as possible. As for tribal, I am looking to get Evan out. I just haven't had a chance to get to know him at all and his connection to Frog also scares me. This is my first vote and I am super nervous but excited to see what goes down here.

"katzole"

- I think I am getting a little ahead of myself. I know I have to make some moves in order to make up fro not going to tribal at all pre-merge. However, I have to make sure my timing is right. I have some pretty big shields in front of me. It is just a matter of when to take them out because I know I can't beat them. They are all really good players and I don't want to have to go up against them in the final two. It now just becomes a matter of when. And right now, I have to stay strong with Azu and get Evan outta here.

"katzole"

- zzzzzzzz.... zz... Huh? What? *rubs eyes* Statehood Day in Lithuania is celebrated on July 6th? And why would I need to know that?

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/862188229171609621/871761636602544239/20210730_103127.jpg Number two! Once again, really surprised that I ended up winning the Reward Challenge (and the margin was not as close as I thought it was because I thought I won by a few seconds and not an entire minute) and even more surprised that the clue was pretty straightforward. I punched in my guess at almost 1 in the morning and I chose to sleep on it since I knew I was the only one that knew the exact idol clue. I woke up in the middle of the night and I decided that it'd be worth a shot if I tried the puzzle. Much to my surprise, I finished in half the time it took me to solve the second Ruta puzzle... and with that, another 4 am idol hunt is successful. I'm not going to tell anybody that I've found the idol - even my alliance. It would be really easy for Ryan to point out that Nemo and I hold the last idols in the game and flush them (and quite possibly, us) out of the game. I'm going to keep playing the Hidden Immunity Idol puzzle, just so it looks like a lot of people already played it and/or found the idol. I'll tell them if and when it comes up, or if somebody else finds more clues. But I'll do my best to keep this a secret. Going into this Immunity Challenge, I feel like a lot of people are going to try and make an ugly flag. I already had an ugly flag finished (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/762803049264578561/871765094638440488/unknown.png), but I think that it would be smarter to go all out and make a damn good looking flag. After all, I know that the target is on my back for this round since Evan and Frog probably know I've got the Black Vote, so another round of security would definitely help.

On that note, I know my social game definitely needs improvement, especially since I didn't talk to anyone over the last 24 hours. I haven't even spoken to Piper since the game started. Nevertheless, I'm honestly surprised with how I'm doing. I said on my application form that I was probably Jacob Derwin levels of socially inept, but I didn't expect to be doing pretty okay in the challenges... and more importantly, being able to find an Extra Vote AND a Hidden Immunity Idol? I'll admit that I did feel a bit of imposter syndrome after getting rid of Kam because I didn't feel like I was worthy to make it to the merge on my first ORG, especially since I was really only vulnerable for two out of the four elimination points pre-jury and I lucked out by finding the idol, but I want to prove to myself that I'm more than just someone who got extremely lucky at 4 am or someone that occasionally does well in challenges. To win this game, you need to be able to excel in the social, strategic, and physical aspects - not just one or two. So with that in mind, I know that I'll have to get over my nerves of being here at the merge and start playing.

"katzole"

- I really had fun in the Immunity Challenge. I tried to include as much culture as I could while retaining the general aesthetic of our buffs. The hardest part for me was finding out where I should place the names. I think I did alright in that aspect, and fun fact - that’s my actual handwriting! I made it into a font! Feels great to make it to eight; it always does. But getting ratio’d on Treemail (5 clapping hands vs. 1 clapping hand)… that’s a very telling sign. Obviously I was on the chopping block tonight, but y’know, I’m just glad I have three more days to get myself off there since I didn’t do a good job at doing that this round. And this will sound salty and a bit conceited, but if that’s how I’m being perceived, then they’re wrong because I’m really just here to go 🤠 and 🧡. And to win of course, hahaha.

This vote is going to be interesting. When almost half the tribe has never been to Tribal Council, it’s going to be a very telling sign as to where the loyalties lie. I guess I’ll start from who I feel closest to and then work my way down to the people I don’t really trust. At the top is Nemo. Again, I lucked out that we ended up on the same tribe and that we locked in our Day 1 Final Two. Great ally all-around. My only concern is that his social game is also very strong. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s got final two deals (do note the lack of capitalization on that), so that could be something to watch out for. Next is Matty. Love Matty. He’s not in my core alliance, but I’d like to bring him along as far as I can. We’ve been nothing but loyal to each other, and it also helps that he’s lee upfront and willing to plan. I’m still very hesitant at throwing names out and I’m being very choosy with my words, so having someone that has been transparent and open definitely helps. My worry with Matty is that there will come a time wherein I think he’ll either flip on me or I’ll have to flip on him. Ryan is at number three. If I’m being honest, within the Isaiah’s Draft alliance, I feel like Nemo is the glue since he’s a lot more talkative than I am, but I’ve always liked Ryan. I will need to put more effort and energy in our one-on-ones, but again, I genuinely like the guy and I don’t have any bad things to say aside from the fact that I think he’d be very likely to flip on me. Anubis is somewhere in the middle. Never really spoke to him when we were on original Azuolas, but I am still playing up the Filo connection and trying to be as open and as real as I can with him. I know there’s a lot that’s going on that we’re both withholding from each other, but I’d like to hopefully change that. Frog is at number five. I wrote this and placed Pendant on top of him, but I realized that unlike Pendant, I’ve actually had decent conversations with Frog. We’re on opposite ends of the world so we don’t have common hours, but going through the nightmare that was new Ruta together did bring us closer. That’s another relationship I know I’ve got to put more effort into, and I think if we do split the duo of Evan and Frog, I definitely could swing him closer to my side, hopefully. But I’m still very wary of him. Pendant is at number six, but honestly, that’s only because we’ve talked once and everyone says he’s a very social player. He apparently made deals with a lot of people of New Azuolas, so that’s something to watch out for. Don’t really know him and since he’s mentioned that the last few days were rough, the last thing I’d want to do is vote him out on his birthday. Evan is second-to-the-last. We’ve made efforts in talking about road trips and other stuff like that, but I still feel like there’s something off about our relationship. We both know that we are on opposite sides (though I don’t even know who else is on those sides). I think he’s going home tonight but I will do my best to avoid getting a second Black Vote. That’d suck.

Piper is last because we’ve never spoken. Sorry, Piper.

Day 24
"katzole"

- So Evan is trying to aim for me and Anubis. In one chat, he wants me to vote for Anubis while in another, Nemo is telling me that he is wanting me out. That wasn't exactly the most graceful thing on Evan's part. Because now he has two people not on his side at all. Dumb. Also, he thinks I am inactive. Bruh, I was on vacation and I made that clear that I would be in and out. So I said that frustration to Nemo and then he through back some very big shade because was more active and trying to make it seem like he was playing a better game. Yeah, he can't be around much longer. He has made one too many comments to me that just make him seem like that he is wayyy better at the game than me. *sips tea*

"katzole"

- Winning out till merge, and to final 9 itself, is just so weird. It feels like I've bypassed half of the game and I'm just starting to play it on Day 20-whatever.

So Nemo and I are in a ton of alliances right now. We have the “Requested By Nemo” alliance as the main majority alliance atm, which is just OG Azuolas minus Frog. We don't trust Frog after the Ruta 2.0 tribals. Meanwhile, we also have a chat with the 4 Azuolas members that never went to tribal council (which is just the “Requested By Nemo” members minus Samb). Nemo and I also have an alliance with Pendant and Piper. AND we now have a F3 alliance with Samb. If this doesn't unravel, we're set up pretty well. Samb told me a LOT about the post-swap Ruta tribals. Including two idol plays. Sounds like he had a rough experience surviving that situation. The Frog and Evan duo may need breaking up here. I was never that close to Frog in the first place, and Evan is the only person in the merge tribe I haven't met yet. In fact, Evan could be an easy boot due to his lack of pre-merge connections. There's literally 4 people here hasn't played with yet. And I doubt Samb cares about Frog or Evan after last tribal. Although, Pendant might be the right move if he is trying to run the show. But he seems to be playing more low-key. Also Nemo doesn't want to vote Pendant out on his birthday. Also, we've all agreed that Piper is not a threat due to inactivity. Anubis seems like he wants to run the show, or maybe he thinks he already is. He tends to chime in revealing info to the group, under the pretense that he just learned it and wants to share it with us all, but it's always info that myself and Nemo already found out like 24 hours ago... LOL. It's like Anubis thinks he's more in-tune with what's happening than he actually is. Anyways, with Nemo/myself/Samb as the core, we're relying on Anubis and Matty to stick with us, at least for the time being. And I think they will. I also want to mention that this trio is a tight core as well, AND we have an idol and an extra vote at our disposal. And hopefully soon the merge idol as well... I'm pretty proud of my flag design haha. I figured if I just grabbed a bunch of meme-worthy stuff from the public channels, throw in a MattyBRaps pic, plus Gavin's Magnatar obviously, some Catnip-associated imagery, and if I were to layer too many images ontop of each other, it would look pretty ridiculous. So no one outside of the 5-person alliance has told me directly who they're voting for. Hahahaha WTF. But Nemo says that Evan is gunning for Anubis (I think they should be trying to flip Anubis instead). And Samb thinks he's seen as the swing vote (why would he flip to Frog and Evan though?). So I'm not too worried about a flip here... Also, apparently Pendant is voting Frog according to Nemo, so as not to piss off the Azuolas 2.0 faction. I guess Pendant is laying low and waiting to make a move later on? Piper has been MIA for this whole vote discussion...

Trust ranking: Nemo > Samb > Matty > Anubis > Pendant > Piper > Evan > Frog

"katzole"

- Really quick throwaway confessional that I'm shy to ask in my confessional thread, but who are Shane and Gavin... Is this the same Gavin as in the one that's the greatest and the Shane that appeared in the Totem Pole/The Penthouse? They have taste.

"katzole"

- I am in the middle of two factions: there’s the Ruta group of Evan, Frog, Pendant, and Piper and then the Azuolas group of Anubis, Matty, Nemo, and Ryan. I did NOT expect me to be in this position at all. This is such an odd spot because I know it would be stupid to take out Anubis since if I go with the four Rutans I end up playing to fifth between the duos of Evan/Frog and Pendant/Piper. If I go with Azuolas, I know I’m guaranteed to make it to three since I have my deal with Nemo and Ryan. But I end up pissing off all four Rutans, and I most likely don’t end up winning.

I feel like the curse of Ruta isn’t just about challenge losses, but also general bad luck. While I am comfortable with my five and my three within the five, I know that I have little to no respect with the Rutans. Part of me thinks I should own it since I don’t want to be a hypocrite, but you know, I think I should start thinking one day at a time.

"katzole"

- ok i just had a life talk with nemo and it isn’t even 7 am yet but wow! we stan a friendship??? like, i really don’t care if it’s just a game right now, but we have known each other for a year and a half now and only now we are talking real life stuff and ugh i am so glad y’all put us on the same tribe, a 10/10 decision methinks.

Okay, but seriously, I am relieved that the Black Vote has officially been negated, but now I find myself in between two Final Twos. I love Nemo to death, but I know Matty is gunning for him. Tea. I’ll figure that out later, but I just wanted to jot that down because we are making progress in the game!

"katzole"

- Kinda wished I threw a hinky vote, especially seeing how messed up the Ruta votes went, but this is what happens when you go offline for the day. Really unfortunate that Evan went (especially seeing my vote being the last one read), but when he tried to tell me Matty was in on the plan, yeah, I didn't really buy that one. I hope he enjoys his road trip, though! That was a fun conversation topic. But the five is locked in, so unless something untoward happens, it should be smooth sailing, especially since I don't need to worry about the Black Vote anymore.

On that note, while Samb the Cowardly Cowboy has a nice ring to it, I'm going to have to put my best foot forward from here on out.