Night 18
The Paper Tribe returned to camp, and Lady Capulet was fuming.
Lady Capulet: I told you Romeo was a snake, Juliet! I told you, and now he's ruined us!
Then she pointed her finger accusingly at Desdemona.
Lady Capulet: And Desdemona! After everything Duncan's done for you… I never thought you of all people would turn on him. You should be ashamed! What a terrible thing to do!
Desdemona: What!? It wasn't me…
Lady Capulet: What do you mean it wasn't you? You sleazy liar!
Juliet: Calm down, Lady Capulet! It wasn't Desdemona.
Lady Capulet: Then…
Juliet: Yeah. It was me.
Juliet (IC): We get back to camp, and Lady Capulet, in typical Lady Capulet fashion, assumes that I couldn't possibly have done something of my own accord, so it must have been Desdemona who flipped. It was kind of funny, though, because that attitude is exactly why I turned on her. And oh boy, it was worth it to see her reaction.
Lady Capulet: But… why?
Juliet: Hate to break it to you, Cap, but I'm not some little girl to just be told what to do. I have my own thoughts, opinions, desires, and maybe if you'd have noticed that, Duncan would still be here! I've grown tired of you never letting me speak for myself. But now, I think it's safe to say I've done just that.
Lady Capulet: Oh, Juliet… I'm so sorry…
Juliet: Don't you dare try to win me back! What's done is done, it's too little too late, and you will be the next to go. I promise you that.
Lady Capulet (IC): I really messed up. Juliet's right, I haven't been treating her well at all. I just wish I could go back. My game is over now…
Macbeth (IC): I've finally done it! I finally got Duncan out of this game, and I'm finally and completely in control! Is there even any doubt about who the winner will be anymore? You're looking right at him!
Iago (IC): I did it. I broke up the alliance and got the little lovebirds on my side. And best of all, Macbeth's going to take the blame for it, because he thinks he's the sole decision maker here. The guy is totally delusional, but hey, if he wants to say he's the commander, I'm not going to correct him.
Lady Macbeth (IC): Things are going according to our plans. What the Macbeths said, went. And Macbeth still appears to be the leader of our pair, so if things do turn against us, he will be the bigger target. I'm going deep into this game, and nothing can stop me now!
Soon after, the tribe went to sleep.
Day 19
They were woken early the next morning by a terrible, bloodcurdling scream.
The sun had barely begun to rise, leaving the camp in an eerie grey glow. The pit-pattering of raindrops against the shelter roof could be heard. But they were almost drowned out by the screaming. The tribe left the shelter to see Lady Macbeth running and screaming and shouting in an absolute panic.
Lady Macbeth: OUT! OUT DAMN'D RAIN!
Her eyes were wide and crazy, her hands and arms twitching as she ran in random directions, as if she could somehow escape the rain.
Macbeth: Lady Macbeth! What are you doing? Just come back into the shelter.
Lady Macbeth continued screaming, not acknowledging Macbeth.
Iago: Come on, Lady Macbeth! The shelter is dry, the rain's not getting in.
Lady Macbeth: WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!? NO MORE RAIN! WHY? I CANT TAKE IT! YOU'RE OUT TO GET ME! YOU DON'T WANT ME HERE! I HAVE TO GO! I'M OUT! OUT! I'M OUT! LET ME LEAVE! OUT! OUT DAMN'D RAIN!
No matter how hard they tried, the rest of the Paper Tribe could not calm Lady Macbeth. Eventually Shakespeare had to come to the camp.
Lady Macbeth: SHAKESPEARE! YOU BROUGHT ME INTO THIS, AND YOU WILL TAKE ME OUT! I QUIT!
It was clear that Lady Macbeth had gone insane. Shakespeare wasted no time calling a boat in and loading her on. The tribe said their goodbyes. The boat surged forward and Lady Macbeth was taken out of the game.
Desdemona (IC): She never stopped screaming… we had to listen to her suffer until the boat had taken her so far away that we were out of earshot… but even now, I can't get the echoes of her screams out of my head. They will haunt me, and the rest of my tribe, forever.
Romeo (IC): I always thought that Lady Macbeth was the toughest one out here… recently I had seen the rain start to get to her but I had no idea how deeply it was affecting her… I'm in shock. I can't believe that of all people, it was Lady Macbeth who would quit because of the elements. It just goes to show you, anything can and will happen in this game.
Shakespeare: I'm sorry for your loss. But the game continues, and with Lady Macbeth's departure, the tribes are now even 6-6. You've lost your advantage, and you'll all have to pick up the pieces of your tribe to ensure you stay in the game.
Meanwhile, at Ink Tribe, nobody knew what had just happened to the other tribe.
Hamlet had awoken with an idea.
Hamlet (IC): I know how to save myself. I think I, like, dreamt this idea up or something because when I woke up this morning the idea was just waiting in my head.
Macduff had gotten up to work despite the return of the rain, and Hamlet left the others in the shelter to go talk to Macduff alone.
Hamlet: I figured it out.
Macduff: Figured what out?
Hamlet: I know how you can test Portia without betraying her, and get Mercutio voted out.
Macduff: Really? I'm all ears.
Hamlet: Now, this might sound crazy at first, but just hear me out. What if you were to offer her your idol in return for voting Mercutio out next?
Macduff: Offer her my idol… as in… if she votes out Mercutio, I give her the idol?
Hamlet: Right.
Macduff: No way. I can't just give up the idol!
Hamlet: But you know you need to test her! If it works, and Mercutio gets voted out, you'll know she's loyal to you so it won't matter if she has the idol instead of you. Besides, your game is all about integrity and playing for your alliance over yourself. So you would probably use that idol to save your alliance anyways, not keep it for your own gain, right? So does it really make a difference if someone else in your alliance has it?
Macduff: Those are some good points…
Hamlet: You don't need to make a decision now… it's fine to wait until we lose another immunity challenge before making the offer. But think about it, this is exactly the type of plan we wanted, right?
Macduff: I guess so… We'll see, Hamlet. Maybe we can make the merge without losing another immunity.
Hamlet: Maybe we will. But if not, it's good to have this back up plan.
Macduff: Mhm.
Back at Paper Tribe, Iago was worried about what the loss of Lady Macbeth had done to his alliance.
Iago (IC): In one sense, I'm happy Lady Macbeth quit. That puts me one step closer to the title. But, she was also a number for our alliance, and with the merge coming any time, we need all of the numbers we can get.
Iago and the remains of his alliance—Macbeth, Romeo, and Juliet—gathered.
Iago: Juliet, you're friends with Desdemona, right?
Juliet: Yeah, but I'll have no problem voting her out when the time comes.
Iago: Actually, I was thinking something different. With Lady Macbeth gone, we've got one less person on our side. We need to make sure we have the numbers for when the merge comes, and if you're close to Desdemona—
Macbeth: Good thinking Iago! Juliet, you've gotta go talk to Desdemona, let her in on our alliance! Now!
Juliet: Oh… yeah! I can do that.
Iago (IC): Juliet seemed happy to have Desdemona on our side, but I can't imagine she liked Macbeth commanding her like he did. If I've learned anything about Juliet, it's that she likes making her own choices, and I'm afraid she'll turn against Macbeth just like she turned against Lady Capulet.
Juliet set off to find Desdemona. As she passed the shelter, Lady Capulet gestured for her to come in. Juliet just walked past as if she hadn't seen her, but Lady Capulet called to her.
Lady Capulet: Juliet! Please come here. It's urgent!
Juliet: Ugh, fine.
Juliet entered the shelter.
Lady Capulet: I really am sorry for how I acted.
Juliet: I told you, I don't care how sorry you are. Don't tell me that was your urgent message?
Lady Capulet: It wasn't, I just wanted you to know.
Lady Capulet (IC): Things aren't looking good for me right now, but I can't give up. I need to try to get Juliet and Romeo back on my side.
Lady Capulet: Anyways, I don't think you realize what you've gotten yourself into. You saw what happened to Lady Macbeth… you're aligning yourself with crazy people! Are those really the kinds of people you can trust with your game? You can come back with Desdemona and I, and even bring Romeo too, and we can vote out Macbeth and Iago. Don't take this as a change of heart about Romeo though, I still think we should vote him out sooner rather than later.
Juliet laughed.
Juliet: You just don't get it! You were actually making an okay argument until that last sentence. Understand this, Lady Capulet: There is absolutely no situation in which I pick you over Romeo. So stop trying to turn us against each other. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got stuff to do.
Juliet left the shelter despite Lady Capulet asking her not to leave. She found Desdemona taking a walk along the shoreline and told her about the alliance.
Juliet: Lady Capulet will be out next, but I want you to stay in the game for as long as possible. If you join us, we can be a strong five and take this game all the way to the end. Otherwise, you might be one of the next to go.
Desdemona: I'm with you, Juliet. I was getting scared after Duncan got voted out that I would become a target, so if we can work together to keep each other in the game, that's perfect for me.
Juliet: Great!
Juliet (IC): I tried to make it seem like adding Desdemona to the alliance was my idea when I told her, so that she'd trust me more than the others in the alliance because she'll think I was the one looking out for her.
Desdemona (IC): I was beginning to think my time in this game was coming to an end, but now I've got myself into a new alliance and I'm ready for the last 20 days!
Juliet told the rest of her alliance that Desdemona was with them. The rest of the day passed uneventfully on both tribes.
Day 20
That morning, the rain had stopped again, much to the delight of both tribes.
Bassanio: Today's probably a reward challenge day! Anyone wanna come check tree mail with me?
The Ink Tribe was in a rather cheerful mood due to the lack of rain, so the entire tribe went together to the tree mail.
They had received a note, and they read it together:
By now you should have come to learn
This game does take dramatic turns
So what might be the next surprise?
At a new beach, the answer lies.
Your new home is marked on the map,
Take all you own, you'll not come back.
On the back of the note was a map of the surrounding islands, one of which was marked with a red X.
Hamlet: Oh my gosh…
Mercutio: No way! We can't be merging already.
Portia: What else could it be?
Nobody had an answer.
Bassanio (IC): We were expecting to go to a reward challenge today, hopefully win some food. But instead, it sounds like we're merging! Or at least going to live at a new beach, and we don't see why we'd move unless it was the merge. There are still 13 people left in the game though, which seems like a lot of people to merge… I just don't know! I guess we'll find out what's going on soon.
The tribe gathered their things, loaded them on their canoe, and set off for the new island.
The Paper tribe had received the same tree mail and had come to the same conclusion: They were merging.
Iago (IC): With Lady Macbeth's departure, there are only 12 people left in the game, which is the perfect number for a merge. I'm hoping I can team back up with Hamlet, add him and his allies to my alliance so that we have a good majority and can sail through the next few Tribal Councils.
The tribes met at the new beach, where Shakespeare was waiting. The Ink Tribe arrived first, then the Paper Tribe.
Shakespeare: Ink, getting your first look at the new Paper tribe… Duncan voted out at the last Tribal Council. In addition, Lady Macbeth quit the game yesterday, leaving Paper with only six members left.
The entire Ink Tribe gasped.
Shakespeare: Mercutio, what's your reaction to that?
Mercutio: I can't believe that either of them is gone… Duncan was a great, strong guy. And from being on the same tribe as her for the first part of this game, I know how tough Lady Macbeth is. I can't imagine what could have caused her to quit.
Shakespeare: Well, you'll get your chance to ask, because the game is changing yet again. You can all drop your buffs… we are merging!
There were lots of cheers as people threw away and dropped their old black and white buffs. Shakespeare passed out new, red buffs.
Shakespeare: You'll have the day to figure out your new tribe name and paint a new flag. You'll be living on this new beach, where you'll have to build a fire and shelter again from scratch. And of course, a new beach means a new idol, hidden somewhere on this island. This game is officially now an individual game… Good luck everyone!
Shakespeare left and everyone else unloaded their belongings onto the new beach.
Mercutio and Cassio worked on starting the fire while Portia and Bassanio gathered firewood. Macbeth and Macduff led the others in getting the shelter built, and their conflicting leadership styles and ideas caused them to get into a small scuffle.
As people made trips from the camp to the woods and back again to gather firewood and shelter materials, everyone seemed to be on the lookout for landmarks at which an idol might be hidden. Occasionally some could be seen turning over rocks, or reaching into knots in a tree trunk. Hamlet even caught Mercutio climbing a tree once. Mercutio claimed he was only looking for a good branch to take back for shelter.
Hamlet (IC): I'm not an idiot. Mercutio was looking for an idol, but I can't even hold it against him because I searched a little too. We are all trying to search subtly, but I think just about everyone realizes what's going on.
Hamlet laughed.
Hamlet (IC): Pretty soon we'll probably have yet another tribe-wide mad search for the idol.
Building the shelter was taking quite a while, but once the fire was going, and sufficient firewood had been gathered, Desdemona, Juliet, and Portia set to work on painting the new tribe flag.
Portia: What do we want to call ourselves? We need a new tribe name.
Cassio: The Cassians!
Macbeth: If we are naming the tribe after one of us, it's going to be me. Tribe Macbeth.
Desdemona: Anyone have any real ideas?
Iago: It's really rather simple. There seems to me to be a clear choice for our new tribe.
Everyone looked to Iago.
Lady Capulet: Well, what is it?
Iago: We were Paper and Ink before… it seems only fitting that we should be now that which brings the ink and paper together… Quill.
Portia: The Quill Tribe… I like it.
Everyone else agreed, and the girls set to work on painting the new name onto the flag.
Once the shelter was built and the flag painted, it didn't take long for Macbeth to not so casually slip away into the woods.
When he hadn't returned 5 minutes later, Mercutio spoke up.
Mercutio: Does Macbeth take us for fools? Clearly he's gone searching for the idol.
Macduff: It certainly seems to be a habit of his.
Iago: I wouldn't call him a fool. He's given himself a head start on the rest of us.
His tribemates looked confused until Iago stood up and strode into the woods behind the camp.
Portia: Guys, let's go! We have to find it before them!
Portia, Mercutio, Bassanio, and Cassio followed Iago into the woods. Soon enough, Macduff, Hamlet, Romeo, Juliet, Desdemona, and even Lady Capulet were searching for the idol.
Another 5 minutes passed. Macbeth was overturning a rock, Hamlet was climbing a trunk. Iago dug at the roots of a funky tree. And Lady Capulet shouted.
Lady Capulet: AHHHHHH! EVERYONE! COME HERE!
Mercutio looked to Bassanio, who was searching just a few feet away from him.
Mercutio: What's wrong with her now? This is what happens when we let old ladies search the forest alone.
Bassanio: If she found it for us, you won't be complaining. But that scream didn't sound so good. We should go check up on her.
Mercutio (IC): I'm in the middle of an intense search for the idol that might change the course of the entire game, but everything has to be put on hold because frail old Lady Capulet sounds like she's dying. I was fuming. I could've killed her myself.
Lady Capulet was at the spot where the tribe would receive treemail. Romeo, Juliet, and Desdemona were the first to find her. When they saw what was waiting there, the girls began to scream too. They jumped up and down.
Soon enough, everyone had gathered at treemail and were gazing hungrily at the baskets of food that awaited them there.
Mercutio (IC): Turns out, Lady Capulet wasn't dying. We got a feast! Within a matter of seconds, my intense anger and hate towards Lady Capulet had changed to love. I just about could've kissed her.
The tribe took the basket of foods back to their beach, and laid it out near their shelter and fire. Everyone, even Macbeth, took a break from the idol search to fill their empty bellies.
There were fruits, breads, cheeses, steaks that they grilled over the campfire, and plenty of desserts: Chocolate chip cookies, fruit tarts, and a chocolate cake. To drink, there was an assortment of juices and sodas and alcohol.
Desdemona (IC): This was the best meal I've ever had in my life. I don't even like fruit tarts but I ate 3. When you haven't eaten anything substantial in weeks, any new food tastes delicious.
Portia (IC): The food was great, but the whole meal was completely awkward. Half of us were clearly restless, wanting to get back to the idol hunt, but none of us wanted to be the first to leave. We were all fidgeting and looking at each other, hoping someone else would make the first move. Finally, as I should have expected, Macbeth broke the ice for all of us. And then all hell broke loose once again.
After Macbeth left the feast to continue his hunt, Iago, Hamlet, Portia, Bassanio, and Mercutio, and Macduff were quick to follow.
Romeo: C'mon Juliet! We've gotta get it!
Juliet stuffed one more bite of chocolate cake into her mouth, then stood up to follow Romeo.
Juliet (IC): It was hard to tear myself away from the food, but I know that getting to the end of the game with Romeo will be even harder, and the idol could really help us out.
Juliet: Desdemona? Are you going to help?
Desdemona shook her head.
Desdemona: Sorry… I need the food.
Romeo and Juliet nodded and left.
Desdemona (IC): I know the idol is important, but the chances that I would actually find it when everyone else is searching are so slim, and I've had a harder time dealing with the elements and starvation than everyone else. Nothing was going to tear me away from that feast until all the food was gone.
Lady Capulet and Cassio also stayed behind to eat the rest of the feast.
Lady Capulet: I want to help them look, but… I'm just too weak and slow in my old age. I wouldn't be much of a help.
Cassio: I hear you. You've got a better reason than me, at least. I just want food!
He smirked and shoved a cookie into his mouth, then washed it down with the rest of his beer.
Lady Capulet (IC): Part of the reason I did not keep looking for the idol really was that I did not think I would find it, but part of the reason was also that I want to give the impression that I'm a weak game player, both physically and strategically. If people think I'm weak, they'll carry me through the next few weeks, and then I'll make my moves at the endgame.
Somewhere in the woods, Mercutio, Portia, and Bassanio were all searching near each other.
Mercutio: Where's Cassio?
Bassanio: I think he stayed behind at the feast.
Mercutio: That idiot! Why is our alliance full of worthless people!?
Bassanio didn't reply, and turned over another rock.
Portia: I wouldn't call them worthless… they're in our alliance because they're easy to control.
Mercutio: Lucky for them. I almost want to kick them off the island anyways.
Mercutio (IC): Cassio has been one of my closest allies since the beginning, mostly because I consider him an easy vote to keep in my pocket. But his refusal to help find the idol today tells me that I can't rely on him as much as I'd thought. That makes me really angry, but at the same time I know that I'm good enough on my own to survive this game, without having to rely on him.
Meanwhile, Iago and Hamlet had come together in the search.
Iago: So… where is your head at?
Hamlet: I'm still with you. One hundred percent.
Iago looked at him.
Iago: You aren't lying to me, are you?
Hamlet: No! I was fighting for my life with that tribe. No way would I stick with them.
Iago: Good… I joined Macbeth and got Romeo, Juliet, and Desdemona on our side. With you, that makes it six against six.
Hamlet: So we really do need this idol…
Iago: Yeah. Let's keep focussed on the search. We can gather our whole alliance and talk later, after we've found this thing.
Iago (IC): Hamlet was my closest alliance at the beginning of the game, so I feel like I have a good read on him. I don't think he's lying to me, and if we have his vote that means it's an even playing field between the two alliances.
Romeo reached into the deepest part of a small pond, Portia reached into a deep tree knot, and Macduff reached under a rock on a short cliff.
When they pulled back their arms, Romeo and Macduff were empty handed. But Portia's hand came out of the tree clutching a small wooden feather with a note attached. She quickly stuffed it in her pocket and pretended to continue searching.
Later, when night was falling and everyone had given up the search, Portia went into the woods and pulled out the feather and read the note, which congratulated her for finding the hidden immunity idol.
Portia: Yes! I have the idol, I have the idol!
Portia sang the words, waving the idol at the camera next to her.
Portia: I mean, I thought I was in a pretty great position even without this thing. Now, I'm set for a while. With this, I could actually make it all the way to the end.
Meanwhile, Iago let Macbeth know that Hamlet was with them too and sent Macbeth to gather the alliance near treemail.
Iago (IC): I really want everyone to think that Macbeth is actually in control of this alliance. So, whenever there's anything our alliance does in front of the other alliance, I'm making Macbeth do it.
Once they had all gathered, they discussed their plan.
Juliet: We are all on board to vote out Lady Capulet, right?
The other 5 nodded.
Macbeth: It's the 6 of us versus the 6 of them, though. We'll need to flip someone to our side to ensure we get her out.
Hamlet: But who? Portia has all of the guys wrapped around her finger.
Iago: Even Macduff?
Hamlet: Macduff won't betray them... Trust me, I've already tried plenty. I got him on my side but he wasn't willing to actually vote against his alliance.
Everyone was silent for a while.
Romeo: So what do we do?
Desdemona: What about Mercutio? Any chance we could tear him away from Portia and the other guys?
Hamlet: Maybe. It would be tough though. He's real tight with Portia, Bassanio, and Cassio.
There was another silence.
Macbeth: We will have to try to flip Mercutio. That's the only option. Unless one of us found the idol…?
Iago: Wait! Hamlet, you said you got Macduff on your side?
Hamlet: Yeah, but like I said, he won't actually flip.
Iago: But are you two close enough that you could convince him that you will stick with his alliance?
Hamlet: Maybe… I could try. But what good would that do?
Iago ignored him and turned to Desdemona.
Iago: Desdemona, you haven't told Lady Capulet or the others that you've flipped to our side, have you?
Desdemona: Of course not.
Iago: So they still think you are in their alliance?
Desdemona: As far as I know… Where are you going with this?
Iago: If Portia thinks she has both you and Hamlet, then she'll think her alliance has an 8-4 advantage.
Hamlet: Right…
Iago: And then, if one of you were to suggest a vote splitting plan…
Desdemona: Oh!
Hamlet: That's brilliant!
Juliet and Romeo agreed.
Macbeth: Wait, how does that help?
Iago: If we can get the six of them to split their votes between two of us in case one of us has the idol, then our six votes will be enough to blindside Lady Capulet.
Macbeth: That's great! Hamlet, Desdemona, get to work straight away. Make sure the other alliance thinks they have your votes.
With the plan set, the alliance split up and returned to camp.
Later that night, Hamlet approached Macduff in private.
Hamlet (IC): I need to convince the other alliance that I'm with them, and the best way I can do that is through Macduff.
Hamlet: So… what's the plan?
Macduff: … I'm not sure yet. We have the numbers, so you'd be best to stick by me and my alliance. Maybe they'll hold off on voting you out for a few more rounds.
Hamlet: That's exactly what I was thinking. After all the heat I've taken for being aligned with Iago, I can't very well go back to him anyways. And it would be stupid to put myself on the wrong side of the numbers. You're all I have left; I'm with you 100%... hopefully to the end.
Macduff: That's great! Our alliance honestly hasn't talked about who we will vote out yet. But when we do, I'll bring you in.
Hamlet: Thanks!
Macduff (IC): I've gained Hamlet's complete trust, and now he's putting his game in my hands. Hamlet can be a smart player, and having control of him is great for my game.
Hamlet (IC): I think I've convinced Macduff that I'm with him. Plus, he told me that they already had the numbers, which means he already thought that Desdemona was part of their alliance. Our plan is working perfectly.
Desdemona, meanwhile, had sought out Lady Capulet to chat with.
Desdemona (IC): I need to confirm that Portia's alliance still trusts me. I feel like it would be suspicious if I went directly to Portia, since I don't really know her. Lady Capulet is my "in" with that alliance, so that's who I'm going to.
Desdemona: Hey, Lady Capulet! Have you heard who we're voting for?
Lady Capulet: Not yet. We'll probably discuss it tomorrow.
Desdemona: Okay. Portia and the others know that we are with them though, right?
Lady Capulet: They should. I talked to Macduff about it earlier and he said he'd tell the others.
Desdemona: Good.
Desdemona (IC): Lady Capulet seemed to agree that I was in her alliance. I also had an alliance with Mercutio, Cassio, and Romeo, back when Duncan was still here, so I thought I'd talk with Mercutio, too.
Desdemona: Hey, Mercutio!
Mercutio: Oh, hi Desdemona.
Desdemona: Do you have a moment to talk?
Mercutio: Sure.
Desdemona: So, I don't know if you heard, but Romeo flipped to Iago's side with Juliet to vote out Duncan at the last tribal council.
Mercutio: Yeah, Lady Capulet told us. Don't worry, though. It sucks that we lost Romeo and Duncan, but we've got Portia, Bassanio, and Macduff, and Lady Capulet now. We should still be safe.
Desdemona: I was hoping you had aligned with them. That's good to hear.
Mercutio: Yep.
Desdemona: What about our personal deal? You, me, and Cassio?
Mercutio: I like that group of three still. Let's go find Cassio.
They did.
Mercutio: How would you feel about the three of us sticking together until the end?
Cassio: Sounds good to me.
Desdemona: Good. That's settled, then.
Desdemona (IC): I didn't have to make the final 3 deal with Mercutio and Cassio, but it's better for my game. Juliet may be one of my closest friends here, but I have good relationships on the other side too. I may just decide to stick with Lady Capulet, Mercutio, and the others. All I know for sure is that whatever happens, I'll be the one deciding it.
One final alliance of sorts was created that night.
Iago (IC): Portia is probably my biggest competition in this game. We both have great mental and social games. We both know how to manipulate. We may be on opposite sides of the game, but working with each other can really help us both out.
Iago took Portia aside to have a private conversation.
Iago: I have a deal for you.
Portia laughed quietly.
Portia: Hate to tell you, Iago, but your days are numbered. No matter what you have to say.
Iago: Just hear me out. We both know who the two strongest mental players here are.
Portia: You are one of them. That's why we'll need to vote you out sooner rather than later.
Iago: But the other mental threat is you. Let me ask you this. Once you vote me out, who does everyone focus on as the next big threat?
Portia: … Me, possibly.
Iago: Not possibly, surely.
Portia: Probably. What are you suggesting? We aren't making an alliance, I'll tell you that right now.
Iago: I wouldn't expect you to make an alliance with me. But I think we would both benefit from offering each other our protection.
Portia: What do you mean?
Iago: I mean, whenever one of us is in control of the vote, we do our best to make sure the other isn't voted out. Right now, you have the numbers. But you know that this game can change quickly and drastically. If you target other people in my alliance besides myself, then I will do the same for you, when it's my alliance that has the numbers.
Portia: You have some good points… but why should I trust you? I know you're a liar.
Iago: Because what is true for you is also true for me. If you were to be voted out, everyone would be viewing me as the biggest threat. Keeping you in the game makes the game easier for me, just like keeping me in the game will make it easier for you. If there's one thing you can trust about me, it's that I'll do what's best for my game.
Portia: … True. Fine then, it's a deal.
She extended her hand, and they shook on it.
Portia (IC): I've just made a deal with the devil, but Iago was right. The longer I keep him in this game, the longer the target stays off my back. So we'll see how it plays out. I still have every intention of voting his slimy self out of here when the time is right.
Day 21
Desdemona was woken at dawn the next morning when Mercutio shook her out of sleep. He whispered to her.
Mercutio: Hey, Desdemona! Wake up. The alliance wants to meet now, before the others wake up.
Desdemona rubbed her eyes and sat up. Once her eyes had adjusted to the morning light, she looked around. Cassio was just waking up as well, and Portia, Macduff, Lady Capulet, and Bassanio were waiting by the fire for them. Desdemona got up from under her blanket and left the shelter with Mercutio and Cassio to join the others at the fire. As she arrived, Macduff was talking to Portia.
Macduff: We should wake up Hamlet too. He's sticking with us.
Portia: What? After we were going to vote him out? Don't be ridiculous, he's not with us.
Macduff: He is! Where else does he have to go? He knows we have the numbers and he knows that aligning with Iago makes him appear less trustworthy. His best move is to stay with us, and we can trust him. I know it.
Portia: … If you say so. I'll go wake him.
Portia (IC): I still don't trust Hamlet, but I want Macduff to believe that I value his opinion, so I have to at least give Hamlet a chance here.
When Hamlet had joined them, Mercutio spoke up.
Mercutio: So, I think our target is pretty clear. Iago is the mastermind of their alliance.
Portia: True. But I think Macbeth is our biggest threat.
The others seemed surprised.
Portia: Iago is smart, but he's on the wrong side of the numbers. He will be easy to take out anytime. Macbeth, on the other hand, is strong. He could go on an immunity challenge run.
Cassio: Good point.
Mercutio: I guess so. Are we all on board to vote out Macbeth then?
Macduff: What if he wins immunity?
Portia: Then we vote out Iago.
Cassio: Sounds good to me.
The others agreed.
Portia (IC): I'm doing what I can to keep Iago around longer, but the fact remains that he has a huge target on his back. If he wants to stay, he needs to make sure Macbeth doesn't win immunity.
Desdemona: Wait… there is one worry. The idols. Chances are that the other alliance has at least one of them.
Portia: That's true…
Desdemona: There are eight of us and only four of them… we could split our votes between Iago and Macbeth.
Portia: Good idea. It will be a tie. If Macbeth plays an idol, then on the revote we all vote out Iago. But if Macbeth doesn't play an idol, we vote him out.
Desdemona: How about Portia, Bassanio, Mercutio and Cassio vote Macbeth, and Macduff, Lady Capulet, Hamlet, and I vote Iago?
Macduff: Assuming neither of them win immunity.
Mercutio: Right. If one of them wins immunity, we'll split our votes between the other one and Romeo.
Portia: We'll have to wait until after immunity to finalize the plan… Hamlet, why don't you go check treemail, see if there's any news on the challenge?
Hamlet looked stern for a second, then nodded and headed off towards treemail.
Hamlet (IC): I could tell that Portia didn't trust me, and she was sending me off so she could talk about something she didn't want me to hear. But I didn't mind because I knew Desdemona would report whatever was said back to me and the rest of my real alliance.
Portia: I'm worried about Hamlet with this vote-splitting plan. If he betrays us, one of us will be voted out.
Macduff: Trust me, he will vote how we want.
Portia didn't look satisfied.
Desdemona: It's a risk we'll have to take. If we don't split the votes and Macbeth plays the idol, then one of us will be voted out anyways.
Portia: I guess so. Let's just see how immunity goes.
Hamlet soon returned, with treemail about the day's immunity challenge.
They woke up the rest of the tribe and told them that the immunity challenge would be starting soon.
Juliet: Already? It's barely even morning.
Lady Capulet: Guess it'll be a long one.
Juliet didn't acknowledge her. She just got out of bed and stretched. Lady Capulet frowned.
The tribe ate some rice for breakfast and left to go to the immunity challenge.
Shakespeare greeted them.
Shakespeare: Welcome! First things first. Tribal immunity is no more. This is what you covet now.
He swept a blanket off a post and revealed an extravagant necklace. In its center was a black inkwell, and the rest was made up of multicolored beads, feathers, and wooden designs. The players cheered and Shakespeare explained the rules.
Shakespeare: This challenge is very simple. There are 12 perches out there in the water; one for each of you. Whoever stands on their perch longest wins immunity.
The players swam out to the poles protruding a few feet from the surface of the water, and climbed up to their perches.
Shakespeare: This challenge begins now. We could be here for a while.
Out of nowhere, Iago fell off his perch.
Iago: Shoot!
Iago (IC): I didn't throw the challenge, I just had really bad footing at the start of the challenge and I fell when I tried to readjust to a more comfortable stance.
One hour later, the other eleven still stood. Shakespeare brought out a plate of cheese, crackers, and fruit.
Shakespeare: If anyone wants to eat these snacks, feel free to jump off now and come get them.
Hamlet, Romeo, and Portia all jumped off.
After 3 hours, Shakespeare brought out a huge cheeseburger with a beer.
Shakespeare: This is a burger for one. Only the first person to jump off gets to eat it.
Macduff jumped.
At the 5 hour mark, the remaining 7 still stood. Shakespeare brought out some chocolate bars and a jar of peanut butter.
Juliet, Mercutio, Lady Capulet, and Cassio all jumped off for the treat.
Desdemona (IC): I would have really liked the chocolate and peanut butter, but I ate a lot at the feast yesterday and I felt like I had a good chance of beating Macbeth and winning the challenge, so I stayed. I still haven't decided which alliance I will vote with, so I didn't want either of the targets to win.
Only Desdemona, Macbeth, and Bassanio remained on their perches.
Minutes passed, then hours. The peanut butter jar and chocolate bars were finished, the burger and cheese, crackers, and fruit long gone. The sun journeyed across the sky and had begun to set. Finally, Macbeth jumped off his perch.
Macbeth (IC): I do so much work for the tribe, so I was so exhausted that I just couldn't go any longer.
With Macbeth gone, Desdemona gave the immunity win to Bassanio.
Desdemona (IC): I thought I'd give Bassanio the win to convince Portia even more that I was 100% dedicated to her alliance.
Shakespeare: Bassanio wins immunity!
Bassanio dived off his perch. Shakespeare put the immunity necklace around his neck.
Bassanio (IC): I'm thrilled to be wearing this necklace. I feel like my strategic game is shadowed by Portia's, but I'm happy I get to prove my worth in the challenges.
When the tribe returned to camp, Macduff caught Macbeth's gaze and gave him a friendly smile.
Macbeth: Oh, I bet you're real happy now!
Macbeth spat on the ground in front of Macduff.
Macduff: What? Calm down. All I did was smile!
Macbeth: Yeah, because you think you can vote me out now because I didn't win immunity. Well let me tell you, this is MY island! And I am not leaving! I hope you're ready to say farewell to one of your worthless friends tonight. Macduff? Pah! Macdumb, more like it.
Macduff: Okay then.
Macbeth: Oh, you think you're so high and mighty? Too good to argue with a loser like me? I'm no loser, Macdumb! You are!
Macduff just walked away.
Macduff (IC): Macbeth clearly has problems. I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of reacting to his insults. But that doesn't mean I won't get my revenge by voting him out tonight.
The entire tribe had noticed Macbeth's explosion. Soon after, Portia gathered her alliance, except for Hamlet.
Portia: I'm worried about Macbeth's cockiness. They must have some sort of trick up their sleeve.
Desdemona: Yeah, the idol probably. But that's okay, we already planned for that.
Portia: Maybe it's just the idol… but maybe it's something more. I'm even more sure now that Hamlet isn't really on our side. If they have Hamlet and they are expecting us to split our votes, then they would know they will survive tonight. That could be why they're so confident.
Macduff: Hamlet will not betray us!
Portia: Sorry, Macduff, but there's too much evidence. I don't want to take the risk.
Mercutio: So what do you suggest we do?
Portia: The 7 of us need to vote as a block. We need to vote for someone who we know won't use the idol. If they think that we think that Hamlet is on our side, then Hamlet will feel safe. He won't use an idol. I say we just vote him out… sorry Macduff.
Macduff: No. That would be a big mistake.
Lady Capulet: I trust Macduff. I think Hamlet is with us.
Bassanio: Why don't we vote on it? Who's in favour of voting out Hamlet?
Bassanio, Portia, Mercutio, and Cassio raised their hands.
Bassanio: Four against three… Hamlet it is.
Macduff: …Fine.
Desdemona (IC): With everyone voting for Hamlet, Iago's plan is ruined. Portia's side has the advantage, so my decision is made. I have to go back on my word with Iago, Romeo, and Juliet. I'm staying with Portia's side.
Macduff (IC): Hamlet has become one of my most trusted allies out here. I can't just sit by and let them vote him out. I need to act.
Macduff gathered Lady Capulet, Desdemona, and Hamlet.
Macduff: Hamlet, Portia and the boys don't trust you… they're voting for you now.
Hamlet: What!?
Macduff: I have a plan though. Lady Capulet, Desdemona, you want Hamlet to stay, right?
They both nodded.
Macduff: Okay. I never told you two this, but I have the idol from the old Ink camp. Here's my plan: I'll give my idol to Hamlet. Portia and the boys will vote for Hamlet. Iago's side will vote for someone in our alliance, and we four will vote for Macbeth. The 4 votes for Hamlet won't count, so it will be a 4-4 tie between Macbeth and one of us. For the tiebreaker, we can explain to Portia and the others what happened, and they will vote out Macbeth with us.
Lady Capulet: Wow.
Desdemona: That's crazy. But it'll work! Let's do it.
Hamlet: Thank you so much, Macduff!
Hamlet looked at Desdemona and winked.
Desdemona smiled back.
Hamlet (IC): I can't even believe the degree to which I've tricked Macduff! I never would have thought he'd offer his idol to save me. I must be a better actor than I thought! And I won't even need to play it! After tonight, our alliance will have taken the numbers, and I will have a new idol. This has gone better than perfectly.
Desdemona (IC): I thought my decision was made for me when Portia decided to vote for Hamlet, but now Macduff has put the power back in my hands. I can either go along with Iago's plan to vote out Lady Capulet, or I can warn Macduff about Hamlet's deception, prevent him from giving Hamlet the idol, and vote Hamlet out with the other alliance. At this point, I don't know what I'm going to do. But I have to choose quickly, because it's almost time to leave for tribal council.
Half an hour later, the tribe members grabbed their torches and began their first trek to Tribal council as the Quill Tribe.
Shakespeare welcomed them when they arrived. They each took a seat, and Shakespeare asked a series of questions about the merge and first challenge.
Shakespeare: Portia, how did the merge shake up the game?
Portia: I think its affected Macbeth and his little group the most. He had the numbers on the old Ink tribe, but now that we've merged the old Paper tribe has stuck together, and we've picked up Lady Capulet and Desdemona, who were on the bottom of the old Ink tribe. So suddenly Macbeth and Iago and their alliance are on the wrong side of the numbers.
Shakespeare: Iago, Portia has just flat out admitted that she is in a group of eight, and they are targeting the remaining four, which includes you. That has to be worrying.
Iago: It's very worrying. And at this point there is nothing I can do about it. People I thought I had on my side now appear to be against me. I fully expect one of our group of four to go home tonight, but I've done what I can to make sure it's not me.
Macbeth: But things aren't always as they appear, Shakespeare. Maybe the other alliance isn't as smart as they think they are.
Shakespeare: Mercutio, Macbeth is implying that there may be something going on that your side doesn't know about. Does that make you nervous going into tonight?
Mercutio: You can never feel completely safe in this game, but I still feel pretty confident. Macbeth has been not so subtly hinting that he has something up his sleeve all day, giving my alliance the opportunity to plan for anything he might pull out of his hat. So maybe it's Macbeth who isn't as smart as he thinks he is.
Macbeth grunted.
Macbeth: We'll see.
Shakespeare: We will see indeed. Bassanio, you have immunity, would you like to give it to someone else?
Bassanio: I'll be keeping it, thanks.
Shakespeare: Then it's time to vote. No one can vote for Bassanio, but everyone else is fair game. Macbeth, you're up first.
Voting Confessionals
Macbeth: Lady Capulet, your side thinks you have this whole game figured out. But you are fools to think you can get rid of me so easily!
Portia: Hamlet, you've been a sneaky player this whole game, and I just can't trust you. But you can thank Macbeth's blatant confidence for your ouster tonight.
Juliet: What's this? I'm voting for someone you don't approve of? Shocking! I hope you've learned your lesson, Lady Capulet.
Shakespeare: I'll go tally the votes.
Shakespeare left, and returned with the voting urn.
Shakespeare: If anyone has a hidden immunity idol and you'd like to play it, now would be the time to do so.
Hamlet shifted in his seat, but did not rise. No one played an idol.
Shakespeare: Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will be asked to leave the tribal council area immediately. I'll read the votes.
First vote: Lady Capulet
Lady Capulet
Lady Capulet
Lady Capulet
Hamlet
Hamlet
Hamlet
Hamlet
We're tied, 4 votes each for Lady Capulet and Hamlet. Next vote:
Macbeth
Macbeth
Macbeth
That's 4 votes Lady Capulet, 4 votes Hamlet, 3 votes Macbeth, 1 vote left.
… Eighth person voted out of Shakespeare Survivor, and the first member of the jury…
Lady Capulet.
Shakespeare: You'll need to bring me your torch.
Lady Capulet rose and presented her torch to Shakespeare. Iago, Hamlet, Romeo, Macbeth, and especially Juliet were grinning from ear to ear.
Shakespeare: Your tribe has spoken.
He snuffed her torch.
Shakespeare: It's time for you to go.
Lady Capulet, frowning, turned back to the tribe.
Lady Capulet: I would have stayed true to you, Juliet. More than anyone else. I'm so sorry.
She walked out of Tribal Council.
Shakespeare: Some of you look very pleased, the rest very confused. Tonight should be an interesting night for you. Head back to camp.
The votes
Lady Capulet- Iago, Macbeth, Romeo, Juliet, Hamlet
Hamlet- Portia, Bassanio, Mercutio, Cassio
Macbeth- Macduff, Lady Capulet, Desdemona
Next time on Shakespeare Survivor: The battle between Macbeth and Macduff heats up, causing one alliance to fall apart as another takes control!
