Épisode Huit: Free At Last

[Hercule Poirot]

I forgot to make a new thread.

I am 'appy about ze swap, but also scared. My tribe seems 'ighly active compared to ze other tribe, which could be worrisome. Eet seems as if ze other tribe 'as ze more easy boots on eet, like M. Lance. No one on zis tribe ees an easy boot.

I also wish I was with M. Grouch. Eet makes things easier if M. Grouch and I 'ave ze same friends.

[Hercule Poirot]

M. Peralta apparently wants to target either myself or Mlle Hopps if we lose. Zat ees fantastique. I mean, I kind of saw eet coming, I just 'ope 'e fails.

I'm going to try to bond with whoever I can at zis point to make something 'appen. I actually feel somewhat good about Mlle Garcia.

But if I go out in ze swap, to a certain extent per'aps zat was inevitable. Eet ees 'ard attending zat many tribals in a row.

M. Lucifer also ees not to be trusted. I guess Mlle Hopps and I did not do a good enough job hiding our relationship, or M. Grouch spilled eet to 'im.

I wish M. Grouch was 'ere instead of M. Lucifer.

[Hercule Poirot]

C'est vrai. I easily could get booted 'ere.

I 'ave 'ad so much fun zis game, and if I do go premerge, zat ees not such a bad fate. I will get to watch ze game. But at ze same time, I 'ave 'ad to fight so 'ard just to get to zis point and I want to explore zat in ze merge.

[Hercule Poirot]

I also do not like zis idol. I don't like zat eet rewards people for 'aving ze majority already with an idol, whereas people in ze minority who need an idol have fewer people to share clues with.

Just my thoughts. If eet saves me, I will love eet.

[Hercule Poirot]

I think ze path for survival may be sacrificing Mlle Judy in order to stay alive 'ere. I went from ze big fish in ze leetle pond to ze leetle fish in ze 'uge pond.

I truly do not want to turn on 'er, with all of my 'eart I do not. But I will if zat ees what eet takes to stay alive.

Hercule Poirot ees ze greatest detective in ze world. Eet takes more zan zat to take 'im down.

To zose who wish to eliminate me, I say va te faire foutre!

[Hercule Poirot]

I 'ope you're right. I don't know if M. Lucifer likes me or not, but I thought we were good enough? But eet makes me doubt a lot of things zat 'e thinks me and Mlle Judy were close all ze way back on 99. I mean obviously we would be close now, we've been together ze whole game, you'd expect zat of anyone. Zat whole thing of wanting to target me and Mlle Judy for zat reason feels like zat Biblical parable where ze one shepherd 'as 100 sheep and ze other shepherd 'as one zat 'e loves, and ze shepherd with 100 just can't let ze other 'ave 'is one sheep. At ze same time, with zis being the 3-4 tribe zere ees less wiggle room. If we were ze only two, eet might be easier to win people over in some ways.

I'm just so glad to 'ave you 'ere, M. Briscoe. I don't know what I would do if I 'ad swapped on zis tribe with you and M. Kennedy switched, as much as I like M. Kennedy. But I'm going to need your stability to get through zis.

I think zat ees a natural impulse in Survivor in general. You already are against something, so you twist everything zey do to be something bad, even if everyone ees doing eet. Under a microscope, almost anyone's game ees going to look bad. If everyone compares notes on everything you say, zere are going to be all sorts of inconsistencies. I try to be humane even when I play Survivor and be honest with myself about things, but I'm sure zat even I get caught up in eet. Eet ees almost impossible not to.

I'm very good at just being social and talking about non-game things, I know we never do zat anymore but if you remember when we first met, zat ees ze part of ze game I'm best at hahaha. So I will keep doing zat, I just sent 'im a massive PM about various books and some music, but I'm bad with music so 'opefully 'e doesn't push zat too much.

Nick ees in Europe, 'e confirmed to me zat 'e ees British, and zat was part of ze reason 'e loved my choice to play Poirot so much. 'E ees ze person zat I felt ze most immediate connection to, similar to when I first met you, but maybe not quite as good hahaha. I think I just like ze people who actually know Poirot and I'm realizing zey are so few and far between.

M. Lucifer ees just kind of like zat though, so eet's 'ard to tell 'is true feelings. 'E ees an enigma to me. 'E was ze most active person on 99 for me, but I never really connected. I think I said in my confessional zat all of 'is messages are just kind of repeating what you said in slightly different words. M. Blart did ze same thing actually and I really 'ate eet, like don't just agree, add something. Make a connection to something you know. I don't know, eet's sad when Mlle Macer, a total new player (supposedly) was able to write better PMs zan 'im. But maybe zat ees 'ow 'e ees, or maybe zere were sides to M. Lucifer zat I was not seeing.

But in our interaction, maybe zis wasn't smart, but I gave my whole story and then said what 'appened on your tribe? And 'e, instead of giving me anything, just said can you ask me some specific questions? We were pretty inactive towards ze end. So I was literally like, did any game talk 'appen? Because I know you weren't all sitting zere twiddling your thumbs for 4 rounds. Not quite in zose words, but like, come on. I mean I told you a lot about our tribe, you could at least give me something.

Zat ees such a 'orrible strategy for MS, like so bad. Ze correct play ees to do what we are doing and work with someone around ze same level as you, so zat you actually are able to be loyal to each other and make eet to ze end potentially. But honestly, 'e could easily play 'imself out of ze game. Or if 'e tries to do something we don't like, we could easily 'ave enough ammunition to send 'im out, maybe not first on zis tribe but at some point.

I do worry where we fit in zat plan though, because we both do not come across zat way. I know M. Chase described you as a "social threat" to, and I'm sure people will say zat about me at some point if zey 'aven't already. We're not like masterful, but we're capable enough and in a visible way, so I worry 'ow much we would be in M. Jake's longterm plans.

'Owever, with zat said, 'e seems to be opening up to you a lot, maybe because 'e doesn't 'ave anyone else now zat M. McGruff 'as swapped away. So if 'e cares about your opinion, zen zat ees good, and as long as we can keep me safe, we could ride eet out as long as ees feasible and zen try to strike when ze moment ees right. We both 'ave zat thing M. Kennedy said about being closest to M. McGruff and M. Peralta, so getting 'im out shouldn't be too 'ard when ze time ees right. And zen we can think about what to do about any goaty players around zat late, because I don't think we should go down ze line with non-threatening people. Players like you and I can't, unless we plan to win our way to ze end which our abysmal performance as SVU shows we should not be banking on hahahahaha

Zis ees getting way a'ead of ourselves though. Eet's just so nice to 'ave someone to talk to openly. Let's just focus on sucking up to Jake and making 'im think we buy into everything 'e ees trying to sell us. We can see if we make progress with any of ze 12s, because zey could be options for allies down ze line if zey aren't enamored with M. Jake. M. Cheddar ees an option, especially since I secretly filled 'im in. We need to shape zis game into one zat works for us and forge some kind of viable path to ze end. We probably won't both make eet honestly, I think zey will eventually take one of us out, but we need to try. And zen if one of us falls, ze other better fucking make eet to ze end and win. Like if zey take me out, you better win M. Briscoe. I don't want to lose to just anybody. <3

Zese are ze kinds of PMs M. Briscoe and I sending to each other. I love 'im so much. 'E ees such a good ally and good friend, and I'm so grateful zat I played zis game and got to meet 'im.

Do I think 'e will still backstab me if 'e 'as to? Absolument, I do not trust MS players to take someone to ze end out of loyalty. But I'm going to lay eet on 'im thick and make eet very 'ard for 'im to do if 'e does. He will not get zere without emotional strife hahahaha

I think, like I say in zat PM, zat zey will take care of me for 'im though. At some point, zese people are going to come for me. I'm too conspicuous coming from such a small tribe.

[Hercule Poirot]

Jake ees...

Spoiler

OGML. 'E really reminds me of Ezekiel 'ere, and ze way 'e uses such flowery language ees something zat OGML can slip into depending on ze circumstance. Also just position in ze game ees similar.

[close]

M. Briscoe may be...

Spoiler

Zor??? 'E mentioned being newish to ze game, but I can't think of a newish player who ees as good as zis. 'E 'as ze strategic mind of zor for sure. I don't know for sure, 'owever.

[close]

As always, my ID guesses are just guesses and are not informing my play too much, other zan sometimes I'm making my guesses based on position/type of player. I feel zat making zese guesses gets me more into character, though I am no doubt less accurate zan ze great Hercule Poirot 'imself would be.

Ze only person I am positive I know ees M. Kennedy. Everyone else ees not 100%.

[Hercule Poirot]

Penelope ees...

Julia? Or slight chance of Piggygal. Idk, someone very OTT and excitable.

I really like 'er.

M. Morningstar proposed ze Blues and Greens teaming up together, which I kind of like, but I don't know zat I want to vote Mlle Penelope and M. Nick out based on first impressions. My worst impression ees M. Jake, because I am meeting 'im too late, and I worry zat I will never be central to ze plans of a player like zat if I'm not early to meet 'im. But I don't know.

I think zere will be a push on me/Mlle Judy if we lose, but I'm 'oping we can work around eet and not run into any idols.

Or we could just not lose and let ze other tribe go.

[Hercule Poirot]

Jake's actor also 'as an extremable 'ateable face, and eet ees making me like 'im less because of eet. I know zat ees irrational, but like Mlle Judy looks so sweet and friendly! And so does Mlle Garcia. And zen zere ees Jake.

[Hercule Poirot]

I liked zis challenge, but I did not like ze five minute timer. I found eet 'ighly stressful. I'm bad at thinking quickly when zere ees a clock ticking like zat.

I'm better at eet if eet ees in person where you can for ze most part take as much time as you need.

[Hercule Poirot]

My leetle grey cells need time. You cannot rush zem.

Or maybe I am just making excuses because I'm bad at every challenge.

[Joss Carter]

My leetle grey cells need time. You cannot rush zem.

Or maybe I am just making excuses because I'm bad at every challenge.

The first time I ever ran Codenames as an LSG challenge was in DBZA and instead of a time limit I said "Just be reasonable and don't take TOO long."  It, uh, did not go well and we instituted a time limit pretty fast.

[Hercule Poirot]

I understand why one might prove necessary, but I was just saying zat eet did not play to my strengths.

I do not like being fast with short deadlines like zat.

[Hercule Poirot]

Thank goodness.

I honestly could 'ave gotten ze clue. I don't think zat M. Briscoe contributed much of anything other than following Mlle Garcia.

But finally a break from tribal! May zis be a sign of things to come!

I knew ze laundry, I was so scared zat zey were going to say eet instead of dog.

[Hercule Poirot]

Mlle Hopps wants to pull in Mlle Garcia to our group.

I actually quite like Mlle Garcia and zat ees not a bad option, but I also do like M. Lucifer and I worry zat we are throwing away ze chance to work with 'im, when 'e 'as expressed interest in eet, too easily. Why not redirect ze vote to someone not M. Lucifer or Mlle Garcia, like M. Wilde?

Mlle Hopps 'as many of ze problems I 'ave always known she's 'ad. I've become caught up in my alliance with 'er and 'ave started telling 'er more information, but she 'as no sense of ze value of information. She wants to toss eet away like eet ees nothing, when information in zis game ees so precious. Mlle Hopps telling M. Wilde zat she 'eard M. Lucifer was spreading zat she and I are a tight duo ees not keeping information tight, and eet does nothing to bring in M. Wilde, who we 'aven't even brought in as far as I know. All eet does ees expose information told to her by M. Briscoe in confidence, and potentially put 'er at risk of burning M. Lucifer.

I sent zis message in our alliance chat:

Wait what do you want to say about me? Zat I was closer to M. Grouch on 99 zan you? I mean I don't love zat being spread around because I 'aven't even spoken to M. Grouch since ze original tribes, eet seems silly to be giving away zat we potentially 'ave a good connection with 'im for no reason. And 'e might 'ave new friends now anyway, eet ees 'ard to know. I think zere are ways to distance from each other without throwing zat out zere, but also, eet ees almost impossible to distance from each other no matter 'ow 'ard we try.

I would also be careful spreading around too much zat you even 'eard zat M. Lucifer said zat, since eet shows zere ees a direct line from M. Lucifer to M. Peralta to M. Briscoe to you. I don't know what M. Lucifer would think if 'e knew you knew zat, but 1.) do we even know eet was M. Lucifer and not M. Grouch? and 2.) Eet could potentially get back to M. Lucifer zat you don't trust 'im and give 'im a reason to want you out.

Just to remind you, M. Lucifer ees saying to me at least zat 'e wants to work with you, so we don't want to slam zat door. We might never lose. We might need 'is vote at some point. We don't know what kinds of relationships zese people 'ave or what information zey are sharing. Maybe M. Nick and M. Lucifer are secret number ones and share everything. We need to assume zat zey are, and just proceed with caution.

I think we do 'ave paths to survive zis tribe intact, but information ees so precious and could absolutely sink us if we give eet away to freely. For me, my argument for working with all of us ees zat we 'ave no connections to ze other tribe, which ees true, I only know 3 of zem and M. Lance. I'm not trying to lecture or anything, but we just 'ave to be careful and not give away more zan we need to for not enough benefit.