Chapter 1

[Madame D.]

Chapter 1


Like the grand opening of a grand hotel, the game has begun!

And much like the Grand Budapest Hotel itself, I feel a slightly drab version of what I once was. My tower of white hair has lost the spark and colour that it used to radiate, my skin not as smooth and supple, my body not as sprightly.
I may hobble through this game with a slight limp, less swift than the young whippersnappers who think they're all that.

But, I still have a trick or two hidden within my hair tower. After all, I had M. Gustave drooling over me (or was it my fortune? I couldn't quite tell) for twenty years!! Surely I've still got it. I will be the forbidden fruit for all, and if there is not enough of me to go around... well... so be it!

The reality is that I no longer have the patience for safe widespread appeasement. Sometimes I will lose my patience. Sometimes I will let the weird go just a little too far.

For example, I don't think Steve appreciated my roleplaying as a ghost as much as I had hoped:



(I thought that with his professed love of Wes Anderson movies he would have an appreciation for the weird and wacky... but apparently not)

--

Foxy Fox did not appear enticed by my roleplaying as a cougar, when I told Rat that they are the fairest of them all, Rat said I was wrong, and NO ONE seems to want to talk about death with me.

But no matter!

I will be a defender against ageism...



--

I will be merciful...



--

And...

most of all...

I shall be a linguist!!



--

Now if you're wanting actual content on what's going on with the tribe I really can't help you. I haven't even worked out if everyone in my tribe is active yet, plus it's not like I've actually had productive conversations with anyone. The best I've got is some sort of encrypted missive from Buckley:



The first one's easy because he's just saying that Foxy Fox talks a lot, which he does. I don't think Buckley is necessarily saying that's a bad thing though.
The opinion of Klaus, (who I haven't heard from) appears negative? But then It makes me worried because I am clearly also "barking mad".
I think he likes Francis, which would be good because I like Francis too! If I were to read into this message more, I would perhaps guess that Francis also knows how to communicate in dog language, but that might be going a bit far.
And yeah I don't know with Peter. Is Buckley just saying he's boring?

--

I wonder how long they'll put up with me for...

[Madame D.]

Anyway, I like Buckley, Francis and Foxy. Rat also has potential. The others I either don't think much of or are yet to talk to me.

[Snoopy]

SNOOPY IS OFFENDED. BARK IS NOT PROPER GRAMMAR.

DOES M.D DISLIKE ANYONE?

[Madame D.]

Snoopy, I'm DSL, please forgive me.

Also I probably do dislike people, but I haven't gotten around to actually acknowledging that yet.

[Jane Winslett-Richardson]

Congratulations on completing the first 24 hours of Survivor: A Wes Anderson Production! In recognition of this momentous milestone, I have come to provide stimulation in the form of SPECTATOR ENGAGEMENT. As a note, please do be informed that these questions are being posted to every confessional in identical form. These are not individualized at all - please do not read any intent to guide or influence you, as this would most certainly breach some form of journalistic integrity that I surely hold dear as... I think my character is a journalist? Okay, I'm doing the thing where I type out all my thoughts and I've lost the plot. HERE COME THE QUESTIONS--------

1. With nothing to do but network with your tribe, you will hopefully have learned something about those who you will live with, fight alongside, and ultimately cut loose. What is the most interesting, funniest, or just plain weird thing that you now know about one of your tribemates?

2. Your first challenge has brought with it an interesting conundrum in the form of competing goals to vie for. What do you most hope to achieve when the Flea Market closes? What do you believe your tribemates will reach for?

3. As a hypothetical, consider the following:
"Someone is targeting you to be the next vote-out should your tribe to go Tribal Council. Who is it? Why do they want you gone? Who will you rely on to stay in the game? How worried are you that such a situation might arise?"

Thank you dear, and do remember to have fun!

[Madame D.]

Congratulations on completing the first 24 hours of Survivor: A Wes Anderson Production! In recognition of this momentous milestone, I have come to provide stimulation in the form of SPECTATOR ENGAGEMENT. As a note, please do be informed that these questions are being posted to every confessional in identical form. These are not individualized at all - please do not read any intent to guide or influence you, as this would most certainly breach some form of journalistic integrity that I surely hold dear as... I think my character is a journalist? Okay, I'm doing the thing where I type out all my thoughts and I've lost the plot. HERE COME THE QUESTIONS--------

1. With nothing to do but network with your tribe, you will hopefully have learned something about those who you will live with, fight alongside, and ultimately cut loose. What is the most interesting, funniest, or just plain weird thing that you now know about one of your tribemates?

2. Your first challenge has brought with it an interesting conundrum in the form of competing goals to vie for. What do you most hope to achieve when the Flea Market closes? What do you believe your tribemates will reach for?

3. As a hypothetical, consider the following:
"Someone is targeting you to be the next vote-out should your tribe to go Tribal Council. Who is it? Why do they want you gone? Who will you rely on to stay in the game? How worried are you that such a situation might arise?"

Thank you dear, and do remember to have fun!

1. The first thing that comes to mind is my conversation with Foxy about them practicing Wicca, though I don't know how many other people Foxy has talked about that with! Possibly lots? It was actually a big reason why I was drawn to Foxy initially but I don't think I am active enough for Foxy's liking.

2. I truly don't care to gain anything tangible from this challenge, outside of tribal immunity (and even that is not so important. I know I'm in potential danger, but in some ways a tribal council right now would be too thrilling for me to pass up). I think those that have a higher social standing will feel more able to reach out for items and it's fairly likely that a group/alliance has even been created for such a purpose. I am okay with being quite obviously not part of such an alliance.

3. I believe there are people who would see me as a potentially easy vote, and I think that Steve has the least reason to actually like me. Rat, Max and Klaus are also likely to feel indifferent to me (which is just as bad). The others I do see more potential with, but at the beginning of the game, who doesn't want an easy vote?

[Madame D.]

So here is the plan.

It wasn't necessarily my strategy going in (at least not consciously), but I could see there being some value in how I've started off here (assuming I don't get voted out). By just doing whatever I've wanted here and essentially spewing nonsense at people, I think there's a good chance of me identifying the people who are going to be my people, and the people who just... won't be.

Of course, there's the fear that there just won't be enough people who are my people and that would be a real backfire HMMMM. But I joined this game to have fun with it and that is the priority.

So yes, if people want to throw my name around then they are very free too. At this point, I want division. I want chaos! Ideally I want people to feel totally unable to connect with me whilst being told by others that I'm the coolest thing since the refrigerator (a dowager can dream).

Now, what I need to do is consolidate any potential relationships I do have. Buckley has warned me that some members of the tribe have difficulty connecting with me, which while not necessarily news to me, is something that Buckley didn't need to say. I feel closer to Buckley for it, which I believe would have been his intention. I can gather that Buckley is in a socially secure position, but also sees me as potentially valuable to his game. I am sure that Buckley wouldn't sacrifice his game to save me, but would be interested in an alternate option.

It is difficult for me to know exactly who my other potential allies are, but Margot, Peter and Royal all have potential, in my mind. And Foxy would follow the crowd.

If anyone who does want me out ends up alienated as a result, then my game is all the better for it. I get the feeling that Steve is the least likely to be one of "my people", from our limited interactions thus far at least. And so if he ends up a target, that would suit me perfectly.
And while I initially thought things with Rat were cute, on reflection I suspect that they were utterly unimpressed by my antics and stopped responding.

Of course this could all be moot if we win immunity, but the conflict is bound to occur sooner or later.

[Madame D.]

If nobody has any objections I want the rings as well. Rings are $21, so I’m gonna submit $22 for it. Everything else I’m submitting minimum

I wouldn't mind spending the $21 on the really special Team Zissou rings!

I don't have faith in my tribe's ability to coordinate an actual challenge, at this rate

[Madame D.]

So Rat is telling me that I'm less active and "so there's not much else to like really", but it's also Rat that at one point took 16 hours to reply to my PM.

So excuse you.

[Madame D.]

Ugh I think it's going to be Royal, which sucks because I never like the idea of a flop replacement, but also he was potentially one of my people! I do NOT want people like Steve, Rat, Foxy and Klaus all staying in the game for too much longer, but I honestly may not have much of a choice.

I'm worried about Buckley too ultimately. I hope he woofs more soon. I don't want to have to be solely reliant on Margot and Peter.

[Snoopy]

MD ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT THIS TRIBAL? WHO WOULD YOU WANT TO SEE BOOTED IF YOU COULD CHOOSE?

[Madame D.]

MD ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT THIS TRIBAL? WHO WOULD YOU WANT TO SEE BOOTED IF YOU COULD CHOOSE?

I think the most accurate answer to this is that I am not worried. Do I think I could be voted out? Yes. But I also feel satisfied with how I have played the game so far, and so being eliminated would be... okay? If that makes sense. It would mean this game just wasn't meant to be, for me.

My first choice of boot would have been Steve, especially because other people seem to like him a lot more than I do? But it is for that reason that I probably can't vote him out right now. My second choice in Rat would probably have to do. (And indeed there seems to be a bit of a swing in Rat's direction as a result of Margot's influence)

But all that said, there are still many people I haven't heard from. They could want something else! Or they could want me out and are ignoring me for that reason!

[Madame D.]

Yea, I messaged Royal pretty close to the start once they replaced in, and just started talking from there. I told him I was defending him from getting voted out simply because he just replaced in, which is factually correct. My earliest thought of TC before anything started unraveling was of him. I don't think he was surprised he was being considered either--I told him already.

Has Foxy just conveniently forgotten that he was the main pusher of Royal’s name?

Lol

[Madame D.]

So here is where we are at.

Whilst Foxy is the obvious tribe figurehead, I think there is good reason to believe that Margot is probably the one most in control, and she is likely to be the person in the best overall position. Everyone likes her, yet she also evades attracting too much attention. She's in that sweet spot. And that's why I've endeavoured to be close with her.

At least with me, she advertises a strong relationship with Peter. Whether this is because Peter is her closest ally or she thinks I am especially close with Peter (which is not particularly true, though I can see why she would think that), I do not know, but my best guess is that there is some connection there.
Margot tells me that her ideal vote would have been Klaus, yet for some reason this is not possible, and it certainly points to a group of people (likely including some combination of Steve, Foxy, maybe Rat/Buckley?) who are connected with Klaus and wouldn't want him to go.

It's this potential network of people including Klaus and Steve that is of most concern to me ultimately and I'm eager to uncover exactly how much of a threat to me this is.

Positively, I have heard back from Buckley, who has confirmed a liking for me and has confessed to being somewhat bored of the people in this game, a feeling I can truly relate to. I am hoping to use this to suggest to Buckley that we make our own fun and crush the game together etc. etc. I would love for this to happen! Buckley strikes me as somebody that I could work very well with in this game if that were something he wanted to.
What I need to know is how close Buckley is with Steve and Klaus. I know he's close to Foxy, which is not ideal, but if I get close enough with Buckley, then his allies are also valuable to me, in a way.

People like Max, and even Peter to some extent, seem sort of... there... and it's difficult to know where they fit. Compared to 24 hours ago, I feel like I am integrating myself a little better within the tribe, but there are still some people that are semi-ignoring me to the point that would normally make me concerned for my safety. It's weird.