Stranded in Kuril Islands

Another day another dollar! Only 13 more people stand between you and that sweet prize money. Hopefully you're ready to race the end of this marathon like your life depends on it.

1-Another man out the door. How does Ace's departure impact your game?
2-Break down the trust you have with each member of this tribe. Where do you think your strongest loyalties lie?
3-What alliances are you a part of? do you think these will hold long term? or are they just a mechanism to make the next phase of the game?
4-Merge must be on the horizon at this point. Have you and your allies discussed your plans?

I don't know what kind of deal with the devil Aurora made to still be in the game, but I continue to be very impressed by her. I couldn't care less about Ace leaving, I'm just glad it wasn't a girl.

I still trust Reem the most on our tribe, with Lauren taking the second spot. I don't really trust Gillian that much because she is pretty hot headed and from what I've seen doesn't have a strategic bone in her body. That said, I still trust her more than some of the boys. Marcus is obviously the worst, for a million and one reasons, and will hopefully be voted out tonight. Ron is also not trustworthy, but I think he will work with me because he has no other options right now going into the merge. Matty is friendly but also not trustworthy, because he is just too well-connected and has been going around making deals with everyone that I have to hear about from other people. Charlie is sort of a wild-card; I like him and want to trust him, but I also tend not to trust guys who are that ditzy and quick to trust.

I am part of an alliance with every member of the tribe except Marcus. Lol. Let's see, there's:

Me, Lauren
Me, Lauren, Matty
Me, Lauren, Charlie, Ron
Me, Ron
Me, Reem
Me, Reem, Charlie
Me, Reem, Lauren, Gillian

Am I missing any? I would say my "true" alliances right now are the Girls' Alliance, FAY, me and Lauren, and possibly Charlie, Reem and myself depending on how he votes tonight if we go to tribal.

We've discussed the merge, but there's just so much that could happen between now and then. I'm trying not to plan too far ahead, because that's when I lose track of what's important in the moment (staying alive through the next tribal). I really hope we can get a large male target out first though, preferably Chris, Eric, or Matty. The girls will still be in the minority, but at least we'll have a better shot then. If we have to cut a few girls a little later on I'm okay with that, though I do think that Gillian would be a good person to take to the end.

Overall, I'm feeling pretty nervous about tonight because my name has come up a few times. I hope that everyone can stick to the plan though, and get Marcus out.