Stranded with Allies

First of all, Congratulations for making the merge on this All-stars season! It's a big accomplishment, you've outlasted 11 players, nearly half of the players in this game.

Here's where the real fun begins. Where legends are made and the real season is defined. I want to wish you the best of luck and I know I don't have to tell you this because you already know... Leave it all in the game, don't waste any opportunities because you may not get another chance to redo them.

So I have a lot of questions but I'll start with a few:

1. Now that the Merge is here and it has gone to an Individual game, how will your strategy change?

2. Are you worried about any alliances or groups in particular? Do you think that the previous tribal breakdowns will factor into this merge at all?

3. Are you concerned with any threats in the game, and if you are a threat... are you concerned with being targetted for being a threat?

4. Now that the merge is upon us, players begin to look towards the finals and WINNING the game. How do you plan on proving to your other players that you deserve to win amongst all of these all-stars?

5. Who would you ideally like to team up with and who do you want to see gone ASAP? Are you planning on stepping outside of your comfort zone and making new allies/friends in this merge?

Jeff Probst wrote:First of all, Congratulations for making the merge on this All-stars season! It's a big accomplishment, you've outlasted 11 players, nearly half of the players in this game.

Here's where the real fun begins. Where legends are made and the real season is defined. I want to wish you the best of luck and I know I don't have to tell you this because you already know... Leave it all in the game, don't waste any opportunities because you may not get another chance to redo them.

So I have a lot of questions but I'll start with a few:

1. Now that the Merge is here and it has gone to an Individual game, how will your strategy change?

2. Are you worried about any alliances or groups in particular? Do you think that the previous tribal breakdowns will factor into this merge at all?

3. Are you concerned with any threats in the game, and if you are a threat... are you concerned with being targetted for being a threat?

4. Now that the merge is upon us, players begin to look towards the finals and WINNING the game. How do you plan on proving to your other players that you deserve to win amongst all of these all-stars?

5. Who would you ideally like to team up with and who do you want to see gone ASAP? Are you planning on stepping outside of your comfort zone and making new allies/friends in this merge?

1.) I hope to actually employ a strategy at this point. I mean, perhaps my team being amazing at challenges spared me from making an embarrassing decision, but that Rich vote is something I'm very into and I want to make a point about it. I want to use something like that to insist that I have agency in not only my game but in the decisions of others and can work with my own desires.

I'm definitely squarely in the middle, and this is a really new feeling for me. This is going to exactly benefit what I was saying before. I get to chose ALL these bitches destiny and I love it. It's all from what I like to call "Mama Val's Stellar General Social Game," and it's that social game where nobody LOVES you but ain't nobody gonna be afraid to approach you. You make just nice enough with everybody that you're nearly impervious to damage. It didn't seem like I knew it last season, but i did

I'm thinking that I'm gonna go for Rich if Dan offers him to me, I think... and that's definitely more aggressive than I've ever played. I only wonder if the amount of time everybody spent healing after the whole fiasco will affect their being understanding of my choice to get at him. The easy way would be to stick with my Saipan and get those nasty blue floaters... because I want to be THE floater.

I know, I know, you can't float for ever, but you can't blame a girl for trying. I think I absolutely need the love of Ozzy to become truly fearsome in this game... and I'm working on it. Strong connections aren't my specialty.

2.) I CAN'T be worried about any one alliance because the position I always seem to find myself puts me outside of all the tightest parts of the major alliances. I have to be afraid of all of them and love them all in a weird limbo until I can find a place to safely land. Wherever it is it needs to be with Ozzy and probably whomever I decide to align with on this upcoming vote.

3.) Nobody has emerged as FTC threats, yet, but in the sense of votes and power, two groups come to mind. The two couples left and the Nauru floaters. They present the biggest problem to, I think, everyone else game, even against each other. One side is seeing the Nauru issue and the other is one couple targeting another (from what I've gathered so far). It seems Heidi is set on getting out the Nauru, which is good in my mind, but i think Dan has his eyes set on Heidi and Tammy. Those are the threats as I see them and I definitely don't include myself in that because I'm not an obvious isolated tribe of floaters like Nauru.

4.) This is definitely the most baffling part for me and where all of my insecurities kinda bubble up. As you can see I've been working to be way more positive to suppress them, but I do remember bumblefucking a bit around Indonesia and not securing a win until very deep into the game. Regardless of what I say about what I want to do about Richard, I don't think I can make any sort of statement, nor should I, in this first vote. Ideally voting Richard is something I want to BE a statement but not LOOK like one. If that can happen now, I will take it. Swing votes can't make statements right away.

Long story short, most of that up there is BS and I still have a lot to think about. The long-term is obviously my weakest attribute, but I have faith that I can rectify this.

5.) I don't think you're surprised that I want to team up with Ozzy. I think that our position allows us to share a very tiny yet powerful alliance. You know I will go any which way to ensure my safety, I'll near hook up with the devil himself (and I have with Dan)! I WANT RICH THEN ROCKY THEN SUGAR THEN DREW GONE IDEALLY IN THAT ORDER, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT LIFE DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT.

I worked really hard on that average write-up and I'd be happy to answer any follow up questions. I'll respond as promptly as my body will allow!

Hi Val.

Now that we've reached the merge, how do you feel about your position in the game?

Also, could you please break the tribe down for me from your perspective. How would you rank your tribemates in terms of trust? maybe add on a rating of 1-10 as well if you don't mind.

Hi Val, an additional question. Why Richard?

Jeff Varner wrote:Hi Val.

Now that we've reached the merge, how do you feel about your position in the game?

Also, could you please break the tribe down for me from your perspective. How would you rank your tribemates in terms of trust? maybe add on a rating of 1-10 as well if you don't mind.

Yesterday I felt like a good strong swing vote. Now, I feel I may have overplayed my hand in some ways. Dan isn't responding to me and Heidi didn't straight up tell me she wanted to vote for Dan. I guess there are enough people that she feels comfortable with this subterfuge. I was possibly a little too comfortable yesterday and left early, now I think I really hurt my endgame. It's good to be overlooked for a bit, but not be completely invisible.

7.5
Ozzy
I trust him as MUCH as I can in this game, which obviously can't be fully.
7
Dan
Has never EVER done anything to me, and has had chances to, to make me not trust him.
6
Sierra/Hayden/Nate, he hasn't had the chance to lie to me, but we're in such a position that we don't absolutely have to lie to each other, but we can be opportunistic at the other's detriment.

5.5
Penner
Needs me like the rest of Saipan, was the one to actually inform me of Heidi's true desires. Still, just using me now and I've known him to be overly keen in the trickery department

5
Tammy and Heidi
I THINK they need me and I trust them to use me, but that's not the best kind of trust in the world, is it.

4
Nauru
I think most of them know I'm not with them and we don't really talk. I feel like this trust is partially my fault, and could have been fixed, but I really just don't want them around.

Kelly Wigles wrote:Hi Val, an additional question. Why Richard?

2
Rich
He has lied to me the most throughout this game and no matter how much I may be blinded by what I saw the day that Dale dropped the bomb, I can NEVER get myself to trust him. And I hope this answers Kelly's question. In survivor, the opposite of love is NOT indifference, because hate (more mistrust in this case) gives you the motivation to go in for a kill. I want to be the mistrustful one to get the kill first.

Val, this being the merge cycle, is there an argument to be made for Richard being openly untrustworthy that he would be a good person to be sitting next to in the finale?

How do you see these next few days panning out?

Kelly Wigles wrote:Val, this being the merge cycle, is there an argument to be made for Richard being openly untrustworthy that he would be a good person to be sitting next to in the finale?

How do you see these next few days panning out?

In NO way does that help me. Richard can convince people that he can S amazing for making it under such dire circumstances and in still just some dumb pawn. That is not what I am. That is not what I'm going to be. I feel like Richard surviving through all the bs is a GREAT FTC story.

How do you see this early phase of the merge going?

It's really slow. OR I just haven't been talking to enough people. I feel really really comfortable right now. Like, who is gonna vote me off, now when Dan and Heidi are just blinded each by their dumbass desire to be that last couple standing and all the benefits that come with it. SURE, it seems enticing, but it's such a self-fulfilling prophecy that they got to vote for each other, it not only leaves the game stale, but it's a freakin craps shoot anyway. Me or some other fool could just decide to vote either way and poof their games are over. But NO, the only option can be each other and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

So tomorrow's vote is Heidi v.s. Dan?

Kelly Wigles wrote:So tomorrow's vote is Heidi v.s. Dan?

Yeah. It is, but not from my lack of trying to make it something else. I feel like I'm not explaining why I don't think it's a good idea... on the surface this looks super as a whole group of people are not going to be an option, me included.

But... I guess it really comes down to I hate having Rich on my side. It fucking blows that I have to pretend like Penner is gonna guard Rich with his life and I'm just going to be left high and dry. Rich just makes me want to kick a puppy and these people are saying it's cute for Saipan to stay together. That alliance is meaningless to me, save maybe Heidi, oddly enough.

----

I'm way to fucking hung-over to rationally think rn, so I should leave it at this, but I gotta say I was trying to be clever with Nate last night and I was saying the stupidest nonsensical shit about flipping the game when I had zero numbers. I think I work really hard at tanking my credibility but my goatential is growing at a rapid rate, so I don't think I have to worry about a vote for a long time, unfortunately for probst.

Do you see yourself sticking to one side long-term or do you see yourself making moves that are beneficial to you?

Eh, those can be one and the same. I GUESS that's why I feel like sucking on Dan's proverbial teat is my ideal option. Like, there, after he takes down Heidi (or Tams, depending on immunity), I can slap Richard with a healthy dose of suck-my-ass for all the drama he involved me in. The issue with voting that I'll probably have to deal with some backlash from old-saipan. I don't know how I can curry favor for them and I'm dooming myself if ever i make it to an FTC. If only I could take out Richard without having to take down Heidi or Tammy.

What's been your interaction with the rest of Dan's team?

I've also heard that you think production thinks of you as boring? Is that even important if you're trying to win the game?

Kelly Wigles wrote:What's been your interaction with the rest of Dan's team?

Not much. Sierra is verbose... I don't mean that in a bad way though the negative connotation is important because that's just how she is and has nothing to do with her investment in me. I like her, but I cannot do anything with her. She's firmly outside of my play as we've been separate so long and her side has been nothing but accommodating to her.

Rocky, Sugar and Drew are not even worth my breath right now.

Nate's not on Dan's side... he's kinda a swinger like me and Ozzy.

Kelly Wigles wrote:I've also heard that you think production thinks of you as boring? Is that even important if you're trying to win the game?

I wanted my all-star season to be way more than just winning. i wanted to invoke my inner voice and make a mark on the game. I've already won. It'd be lovely to win again, true, but I kinda get what everyone means that that's not all there is to Stranded. I feel like I could get more out of the experience if I really felt myself in the game outside of strategizing. Adding a personal touch shouldn't hurt me too bad, either. In fact, I think my being boring to production could even mean something negative to the actual game. If I'm this blank, uninvolved player if and when I get to the end, who's gonna throw a vote my way. It's not Indo and I don't think things can work like they did there.

In Indonesia you played a very great mama-val role to your tribe, what's your role this season?

Kelly Wigles wrote:In Indonesia you played a very great mama-val role to your tribe, what's your role this season?

Well, Ozzy still calls me Mama Val, so I got that. I feel like this time, and this is not being down on myself, that I'm the useful non-threat. I've actually positioned myself somewhere I didn't want to be and this all happened over the last night.

What I didn't back to production on, was that Ozzy in fact wanted to go back to Saipan, as opposed to going with Dan as we were planning before the merge. But... I gotta a little blunt with Dan and stated that I thought the pair feud was stupid and if we could just vote Richard off, it would be lovely. He said He would vote Richard. I never expected to have a say and now I'm kinda realizing it's not the best thing. When you have a say and then piss people off, It's much worse.

I'm not stupid, I know the pairs are great distractions, but they can be distractions next round, too. I DON'T think I'm at all in danger and I think prolonging the threat of two couples without immunity until I could potentially be in trouble is really super swell.

I'm still Mama Val, I'm just a swinger now.

Val wrote:

Kelly Wigles wrote:In Indonesia you played a very great mama-val role to your tribe, what's your role this season?

Well, Ozzy still calls me Mama Val, so I got that. I feel like this time, and this is not being down on myself, that I'm the useful non-threat. I've actually positioned myself somewhere I didn't want to be and this all happened over the last night.

What I didn't back to production on, was that Ozzy in fact wanted to go back to Saipan, as opposed to going with Dan as we were planning before the merge. But... I gotta a little blunt with Dan and stated that I thought the pair feud was stupid and if we could just vote Richard off, it would be lovely. He said He would vote Richard. I never expected to have a say and now I'm kinda realizing it's not the best thing. When you have a say and then piss people off, It's much worse.

I'm not stupid, I know the pairs are great distractions, but they can be distractions next round, too. I DON'T think I'm at all in danger and I think prolonging the threat of two couples without immunity until I could potentially be in trouble is really super swell.

I'm still Mama Val, I'm just a swinger now.

They key is having a say and not pissing anyone off. I think you're more scared of having an opinion than you should be. It sounds like Dan is more than happy to bend to your will if it gets him the numbers. I don't see how that would make someone upset with you.

If you are truly the swing votes, you have some power and not exercising that power would be foolish IMO. Don't be scared of your inner player, Val, embrace it!

Ugh... I'm trying to play here.

What a mess I created by trusting Ozzy.