Ticket here, just to let you know some news. This isn't Season 3 related, but instead Season 4 related. One's already on my mind, and I'm thinking about a new tweak not to the tribe division, but to the number of castaways.

Season 4, when I get to it, will likely feature 16 castaways, merge at F10, and the Jury phase at F9. A shorter cast could allow for more depth and less stress to get everyone screentime.

Season 5's status is undecided as of now, because I've been thinking about doing a returnee season for the first time. Whatever theme it is, I have no clue about: All-Stars? Second Chance? Fans versus Favorites? Rivals? Who knows, but it's likely to be one of those four. I think it's too early for me to do Heroes vs. Villains, as I want a nice pool of 10 each.

With that news out of the way, the swap for this season continues! Any new developments? Find out right now!

Tatu: Little Mac, Sonic, Monty, Gordon, Luigi, Blu, and Kristine

Foka: Matt, Li Mei, Toriel, Bandana Dee, Kano, Kabal, and Tremor

Tatu: Day 13

Contrary to the strategy of yesterday, everyone's more relaxed, and watching a…sport?

The tribe gathers around on the shore, a bunch of sticks supposed to hold people in. to watch a battle that will go down in sports history: A hedgehog, versus a green plumber: in pole wrestling.

The objectives simple: wrestle the pole out of your opponents hand. Sonic and Luigi have athletic background, so this could go either way. It wouldn't be pretty either, because pole wrestling can be brutal sometimes..to the body AND ego.

The two stare at the wooden pole ahead, about to dash into a wooden circle.

"Humble him!" Gordon shouts, supporting Luigi.

"Show him who's boss!" Mac shouts, on Sonic's side.

…

"GO!"

The two take off for the center, Sonic grabbing the pole first and Luigi diving at it! The momentum makes Sonic step back, and the plumber starts ripping the pole away. Unfortunately for him, the hedgehog has strength and shoulder blocks Luigi.

He's still hanging on though, still desperate to get that pole out! Sonic starts LIFTING Luigi off the ground, and slams him onto the sand! Sonic starts dragging Luigi through the sand, swinging his arms, ANYTHING to get that pole out.

Gordon's just wincing on the sidelines.

Gordon: He was getting decimated out there. For a second I stopped cheering and took in the pasting. All that damage over who gets the bigger serving of rice…adults are just big kids.

The chef leans towards Mac. "Seems competitive too." That makes the boxer chuckle. "VERY competitive."

Little Mac: I don't know what Luigi was thinking. You mess with the blue bull, you get the horns. Can't say the same for diamonds.

He flashes that winning smile. Out of all the hedgehog's weaknesses, Mac was one of them.

There was no weakness this time though because one strong pull later, and Luigi releases his grip! Sonic wins the pole wrestle!

"You got him, Sonic." Mac states, maybe enjoying the fight Luigi had.

Sonic raises the pole high in the air. "Your winner and STILL the national pole wrestling champion: Sonic The Hedgehog!" He gets some applause from the tribe, whether it's real, or just faked to spare his feelings. It doesn't matter to him though, he won, with a nice recovery after that baseball L to Mac.

The hedgehog drops the pole and walks over to the plumber, who's on his knees. He coughs a few times, some of that sand entering his body. He looks up to see a white hand, and green eyes locked in on him.

"Not bad for a first-timer." he says, and the plumber takes his hand. "Oh are you an expert?" Luigi asks with a hint of sarcasm. "I have a lot of time on my hands. Nothing quite like a new experience." The hedgehog doesn't have a job besides every two years, when he has to save the world, so it adds up.

Luigi dusts himself off. "You can be vicious."

"Sorry I just got competitive."

Luigi: I felt like Italian God pushing him back. Next thing I know the chill hog I know goes feral, I hit the ground and it's over. He was trying to break-a my back..

He pops it, a "SNAP!" heard.

Luigi: AGH…if this is him when he's competitive, I don't want to know what he's like when he's cuckoo.

Later that day, the hedgehog gathers the Chef and plumber to let them in on a little somethin somethin.

"I'm not gonna hurt you again. You just need to get in the loop." Sonic confesses, and that gets their interest. "What's going on?" Gordon asks, and the hedgehog doesn't hesitate to spill some crucial game information.

"You guys know the blue Yoshi right?" They confirm so. "She's going for Kristine, all thanks to these guys called the Black Dragon. They have four heads and we can take care of one." What a metaphor. "But Mac's scared that she's only after her because Kristine took away her power."

"I'm more concerned about a big alliance than a Yoshi with loose lips." Gordon admits. "Erratic behavior, but as long as it's not us." His ally definitely agrees. "Yeah, not us. Not us.."

With the two Fatu on board to cut a Toka, the hedgehog makes a proposal. "How about we join forces to vote one of them out? I'd rather work with you than against you." The two Fatu don't take a long time to think about it. Why decline an easy deal?

"We're braindead if we don't accept. We're in." Gordon responds.

"Oh yeah, all for the team." Luigi says, faking some enthusiasm.

"Thank Mobius…"

Gordon: Sonic can be a cocky prick, but letting us in makes me tolerate him. Targeting a Toka may be the most strategic thing that's come out of his mouth.

Gordon going in hard on the hog. He did have a cocky side to him though so the chef's right about that. At least he's crapping on him in secret.

Cut to Kristine the Koopa, sitting next to the blue Yoshi. It may be the only private time they have on a big tribe of seven.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. They just..had better points." She says, trying to ease the Yoshi. The Yoshi slowly turns to her, and Kristine starts to scoot away…

"It's cool! You know it's a new tribe, and I shouldn't be bitter about it." She responds, offering a hand. "We're good?"

Kristine slowly extends her hand, and they shake on it. "We're good."

"Are you nervous?"

"No."

Well it's hard for her to stay calm when a Yoshi's cold gaze suddenly turns into optimism. Blu did try to remain cool about it on the surface, but it's common knowledge she doesn't really take the concept of betrayal lightly. Some others didn't, like Monty, but he's never been betrayed on the island of Fiji, so there was no need to freak out.

Blu: I'm not resting until the Toka four are OUT. And Kristine? You're up first!

Kristine: ..I think Blu's going to kill me. I hope she doesn't, but I think she's going to.

Foka: Day 13

The strategy seeps on to Foka as well. Everyone has some sort of plan going into the next challenge.

Especially Kano, who's speaking with the goat of the tribe.

"All the Roku aren't the cutthroat type. They'll be loyal as a five. Where would that leave us?" Kano asks.

"At a disadvantage."

"We gotta do something about that."

The goat ponders it. "They're tremendous strength will be an issue if we want to solve one." she notes. "It's our best option if we want to last."

"Atta girl…you're not bullsh*tting me right?" Toriel is giving him a dirty look. "That's not how I play."

"Ahh…the integrity type. Since we think alike, get your pet and we'll meet again later." Dude… "he's not a pet, he is a player like everyone else." Kano puts his hands up. "My bad. But you know the drill lass." With that, he departs from her, going to do god knows what.

But Toriel has daggers in her eyes, and if looks could kill, Kano would have seventy I'm the back.

She has the same grim look in confession.

Toriel: I have the patience of a saint to deal with his disrespect. I am not a "girl," I am a woman. Dee is not a "pet" and never will be. The Roku could make it all the way, he has a point, but I'm not listening to someone as openly hateful as he is. He needs to be dealt with.

She takes the notes of the Kano talk, to Matt.

"After me already? Damn, those Toka gotta go. Dee hasn't flipped right?" he asks, and she confirms his loyalty. "He is on my side. It's better he's with us than Kano…" that gets his curiosity. "What sis he do?"

"He called him a 'pet', disregarded any potential Dee has…"

"I need to know how this much of an $$ got power." Her too, Matt.

"I know not, but he needs an ego check."

It's not looking good for the Black Dragon. They think they've got the duos, but Matt and Toriel are not obedient followers, who will take the first deal in front of them..unless it's very convenient.

Matt: Tori came to PLAY. If Kano wasn't being a d*ck, I'd target her. But he's already slipped up, and he's not gonna skate by me. It was easy on Toka, because someone was dumb enough to believe you, but not us.

He has an encounter with Kano later, who's going to get another deal going, to pull a duo over to the Black Dragon.

"At the mergers they always go for people like us. The strong ones. We're both stepping into deep $#|t if we don't look out for each other." Kano says, pushing the agenda further.

"I didn't come here to get picked off." Matt responds, to the delight of Kano. "Me neither, so we gotta make this happen."

"Uh-huh."

"Fatu's the smallest tribe anyway. They'll be invisible, and the invisible players always take out the strong ones." Kano explains. "You've got my word."

"You've got mine."

Kano: Even if he plots behind my back, I can still walk steps ahead of him. Find an idol, flip a couple, anything. I didn't come here to play like a p*ssy, I came here to profit.

Matt: He's a negotiator, but the most aggressive one I've seen. He acts like this is the offer of a lifetime, the greatest deal in the history of the show. But I've seen people like him before, and that kool-aid packet can stay full because I'm not drinking any of it.

Ok so the Black Dragon are stepping in crap, as Matt and Toriel are thinking about an alliance. But, seeds are still somewhat sown. Can the Black Dragon get out of this one? We'll find out.

Tatu has some drama too, where Blu's just making a b-line for Kristine, and Sonic let's Gordon and Luigi in on the Blu vs. Kristine rivalry. Kristine has a hunch Blu's after her, so can her campaign against Blu work? Will she even campaign at all?

Find out some answers to these questions, in 5C!