Chris's Recap:
"The teams were tasked with a challenge of observing all the flora and fauna of the island on a long nature hike, but when they reached their destination, they found that the questions we tasked them with answering were obscure trivia facts that had nothing to do with the island! Hahahaa, the look on their faces was priceless!
Upon learning of this season's second main mechanic, Ghosts and Haunting, Saino chose to haunt the very man she'd cursed with her Moon Rule, Rocket, and he did not seem too happy about that arrangement, at least until Saino's knowledge won the challenge for the Orange Oracles, sending the Purple Prophets to their first elimination ceremony. Using her narcolepsy to her advantage, Morgana pretended to sleep through various meetings, most notably containing her team's resident loudmouth and self-styled captain, Faith. When Faith revealed she was part of an alliance to her opposition's face, she found herself receiving the most votes at elimination. A play of her Devil card's power brought her back into the game for the price of Cameron, a member of her own alliance, taking the fall instead. Vergil, holder of the Death card, has been sent over to the Orange Oracles. Janet, unbeknownst to her alliance, has made a deal with Gabby and Dan, the two other leaders of alliances on the Prophets, in an agreement not to target each other specifically! Way to set up a contingency plan! Now there are 20 contestants left in the running for the million dollar prize. Who will be brought kicking and screaming into the light of Tine Naofa as our next elimination? Find out right here! On Total! Drama! Hud Hynafol!"
~Theme Song: Free by Tommee Profitt (ft. Svrcina) Plays~
As the music starts to play, different shots of the biomes of Crios Cath appear, in each one, the sun appears to be setting.
Throw the hammer down,
Kat is shown, crossing her arms as she turns away from Helena, flicking the latter player in the face with her hair. Helena smiles and seems to play it off, but a small zoom reveals how much she's trembling.
Nailed to the wire
Gabby is busy tinkering with a machine in the Neart Highlands. Meanwhile, Cameron is nearby, doing his best to not run into any of Gabby's spare tools lying around beside the machine.
Known by the sin of our fathers,
Hailey impatiently taps her foot, staring at her card, before looking over to her team's campsite in the Glas Woods. Vergil and Cameron are then seen arguing with each other, just outside the campsite, and have not entered yet. Hailey clutches her card even tighter, as the camera zooms in on the card to transition to the next shot.
Let it all come out,
In the middle of the Upper Ceol Fields, Jared and Emily slowly walk towards each other. Jared seems downtrodden, while Emily looks stern. They meet each other's gaze and both manage to force a soft smile at each other as the camera cuts.
And burn like a fire,
Yannick gets his clothes caught in the Tine Naofa Bonfire and they catch fire, he quickly stops, drops, and rolls and manages to put the fire out, all while a bewildered James looks on, absolutely stunned, and reaches for a phone to stream a video, but realizes he gave it up and goes to help Yannck to his feet.
We'll shout a little bit louder,
The camera shifts to where Bella is petting a wolf as it howls up at the sky. Nearby, Faith is seen sort of howling alongside the wolf, and when she notices the camera, she winks into it before the camera cuts.
Cuz' the night still has a thousand eyes,
There is a shot of Saino listening in on one side of the confessional can, and the camera pans to reveal Morgana pretending to be asleep on the other side of it.
And when the truth is brought to light,
The camera cuts to Marisa scribbling down notes in her notepad impressively fast as Jaime appears to do a psychic reading of her, while also gesturing, trying to share as much information as he can.
You and I… we'll be…
First there is a shot of Joshua giving Seth a confident smirk, while Seth looks over at Joshua nervously.
Next there is a shot of Janet and Dan staring at each other, looking ready to start arguing...until both their lips curve into smirks.
Free… Free… Free… (x3 players)
During the first 'Free' there is a slow-motion shot of Alex climbing up a mountain. During the second 'Free' there is a slow-motion shot of Rocket, running as fast as he can through an obstacle course. During the final 'Free' there is a slow-motion shot of
Yeah, we'll be Free… Free… Free…
The shot zooms out of the cast standing in a line, Yannick, Jared, Joshua, Seth, Emily, Helena, Alex, Morgana, Jaime, Marisa, Bella, Kat, Dan, Vergil, Cameron, Faith, Hailey, James, Saino, Gabby, Janet, and Rocket, as they all look over the entirety of the island from atop the summit of the Cloch Mountain Range. The camera pans to reveal large stones in the highlands arranged to form the title of the season.
Total Drama Hud Hynafol: Upright
Location: Loser Lounge
Contestant(s): Cameron
"So the ghost twist is real after all." Cameron leaned against the post with the pictures of eligible contestants to haunt on it. He couldn't quite see whose face was where, but he knew his, Saino's, and Rocket's had all been crossed out. "Well, I'd like to be able to keep my alliance with the others strong, so I should probably haunt one of them…definitely not Faith if I want to last longer though. I guess I'll go with…yeah. That one."
Cameron stepped away from the post and towards a nearby intern. He whispered his desired haunt into their ear. The intern nodded and moved to cross Gabby's face off the board as Cameron trekked back through the desert.
Location: Glas Woods
Contestant(s): Alex, Faith, Gabby, Janet, Morgana
Ghost(s): Cameron
"Hey Gabby, how's it going?" Cameron asked as everyone had woken up for the morning. "I'm haunting you now, so…nothing much has changed. I can still cast votes and help in challenges and everything."
"Oh!" Gabby was pleasantly surprised by this news. "Well, that's great! Especially because someone thought it was a good idea to vote for Jared for some reason. We need all the help we can get. Helps that your biggest naysayer has dipped off to the other team."
"I can respect your disagreement with my vote, but there was a reason for it." Faith defended herself.
Confessional: Faith: The Purple Prophets
"Okay, so, yes, I voted for Jared, and yes, it technically got me eliminated and forced me to use up my Devil power, but consider this, alright? I wanted to use that power early on. Do you know how absolutely bullshit it is to have that kind of ability? If anyone found out later in the game…oh, I don't want to even fucking think about the stress that'd be causing me, my allies, my enemies, everyone. No way am I going to put up with that shit. Best to blow it up early. Besides, there was another reason I voted for Jared. Right now, even as I give this confessional, that fucking pessimist, perfectionist loser…is losing his goddamn mind. After all, someone has already cast a vote against him. That little reject's alliance or whatever is going to be in shambles by the end of the day, mark my words! Besides, Cameron has come back and is haunting Gabby. Obviously, elimination itself isn't a lose condition in this game. Saino proved that to us yesterday by existing. And Vergil is gone too? I didn't even realize that a card like his existed, but it is doing wonders for our alliance because we're the only one left that's completely unified!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Gabby (Cameron): The Purple Prophets
"By the way, we share confessionals from now on too." Cameron explained as Gabby was clearly confused by his presence in the confessional.
"Oh, I see…" Gabby nodded. "Well, uh, alright then, but just so you know, I can get a little intense in these. It is a confessional after all. I trust you won't go spilling any secrets, will you?"
"'Course not." Cameron shook his head with a grin. "Heck, I'm here to gather secrets and pass them along back to you if I can help it. I can only communicate with you and other ghosts so…basically that just means you for now."
"Hm…" Gabby formed a wicked smile. "I wonder if turning Faith into a ghost might help us out more than keeping her around as a player…"
"That's…" Cameron laughed nervously. "You weren't kidding. That idea is already pretty intense…"
End Confessional
Meanwhile, on an opposite side of camp, Alex and Janet were regrouping while Morgana rested under a tree with the intent of spying on the pair.
"Vergil leaving is kind of a big blow to our alliance numbers." Alex scratched his head. "But I guess as long as we win the next challenge, we'll get him back…maybe. I'm at least a little concerned about someone impulsive like him over on The Oracles."
"He'll be fine." Janet assured Alex. "We can trust Vergil to come back with good information about The Oracles, but for that to happen, we have to win the challenges. And we won't do that by doubting our allies."
"That's heckin' right!" Alex nodded with a smile, successfully motivated.
Confessional: Janet: The Purple Prophets
"I can't exactly say why I can put so much trust in Vergil to Alex, because, well, it's not really trust. It's just me being very comfortable with my card's power."
End Confessional
Confessional: Alex: The Purple Prophets
"Janet is absolutely right! Our focus should be on winning the next challenge! Besides, if I ever get really worried about Vergil…I have my Lovers Power that I could play on him to keep him safe. Sure, I'd have to run over to the elimination ceremony, but I could do it!"
End Confessional
"We should at least talk about these other alliances that are forming, though." Janet played with the flower in her hair. "Starting with Hailey, Gabby, Cameron, and Faith."
"I noticed Cameron following Gabby earlier." Alex shared. "So it seems like this 'haunting' mechanic Chris mentioned at the challenge is a real thing after all."
"And if he is haunting Gabby…" Janet narrowed her eyes. "Then Faith and Hailey are our weaker points to strike at. Especially Faith."
"Wouldn't Hailey be the more rewarding target?" Alex wondered. "Faith already played her power."
"Hailey hasn't." Janet reminded Alex. "But trust me when I say that we do not want to mess around with a Hailey vote. If she found out she was a target, things could go very badly for us."
Confessional: Janet: The Purple Prophets
"This idiot is too naive and bright-eyed for his own good, but he is The Lovers player. He did see me first, so he's very lucky that his benefits to my game outweigh his unbearable golden retriever-esque personality. Regardless, I am not about to risk Hailey of all people finding out about a potential plot to target her. You've seen her. Girl looks like she could snap at any moment, and I know what her power does! I know everyone's powers and rules! Hailey, The Tower, can force a team reshuffle. I don't want that! I'm at the fucking top of this team, and I plan to fucking stay at the top!"
End Confessional
Confessional: Morgana: The Purple Prophets
"So…I got…none of that. I fell asleep for real when they were talking about Vergil."
End Confessional
Location: Cloch Mountain Range
Contestant(s): Dan, Emily, Faith, Hailey, Jared
Dan couldn't quite help but give Faith the side-eye whenever he saw her, but it truthfully didn't matter much. When someone received a lot of votes like she did, influence decreases, even if she saved herself with the power of a card. With Faith's influence diminished, Dan was all too happy to usurp the role of team leader. He'd been hard at work since even before the elimination ceremony, and now he'd roped Jared into helping him with all the physical labor.
"I have to admit." Hailey said to Faith as they struggled to keep up with the sheer volume of camp chores Dan and Jared were completing. "They're doing a good job around camp at least."
"Maybe so." Faith agreed. "But if you listen to Jared, you can tell it's all superficial and to avoid elimination. Better they be perceived as the cause of any potential challenge loss than us in any case."
Hailey strained her ears to try and pick up what Dan and Jared might be talking about.
"I'm telling you, we can't ignore it!" Jared exclaimed to Dan. "It was a vote cast against me. If we ignore it, doesn't it send the message that I'm disposable?"
"If we don't ignore it, it sends the message that they'd be right to target you." Dan disagreed. "It's one vote dude, don't let it get to your head."
"It's the first vote." Jared corrected. "The idea is out there now. They'll be sure to go for me sooner rather than later because of that vote!"
"Ohhhhmygod." Emily groaned as she approached to witness the completion of chores. "I can't believe you're still on that, Jared. It's over. Cameron is gone because we technically eliminated Faith. We're free to vote off whoever else next."
"Hailey or Gabby." Dan figured. "Vergil's off on the Oracles, probably not long for him once we win the next challenge."
"Why not Faith?" Jared rose a brow. "She's such an easy one to pick off!"
"She's practically powerless." Emily agreed. "That's why devoting our energy to getting rid of her is a waste. Hailey and Gabby are both more rewarding prospects to target."
"Hailey, ideally." Dan, remembering his pact with Gabby and Janet, suggested. "I get the feeling she's the real brains behind their alliance and-" His speech was interrupted by a loud one ripping from his ass.
"Gross." Emily frowned.
"It's a condition." Dan huffed. "I don't like it any more than you do. If you want it to go away, help me win the million dollars."
"How about I win the million dollars and just never see you again?"
"I thought we were in an alliance." Jared crossed his arms. "But not only are neither of you listening to me about Faith, you're going after each other so openly."
"First off." Emily turned to Jared. "We were listening to you about Faith. We gave you an answer of why we think targeting her isn't worth it right now. You simply weren't listening to us. Secondly, this alliance is one of necessity, not convenience. If it were possible to win a game like this without allies, I'd gladly compete that way. Finally, if you want people to keep quiet about disagreements, be aware that it opens up the risk of backstabbing each other, and that's something I hope we both want to avoid."
Confessional: Dan: The Purple Prophets
"This outcome is really good for us, so it's a shame that Jared is still on about his single vote. Especially since it's obvious that it was Faith. Like come on, Faith's like the least strategic player on this team, maybe even this season. Bro is worrying about a fly on the wall."
End Confessional
Confessional: Emily: The Purple Prophets
"If Jared is so worried about Faith, then instead of freaking out over an elimination ceremony, he should focus on helping us win whatever challenge is next. I don't like any of these people all that much, but I'd still rather not put up with elimination again. Besides, if we win, it's super likely that Vergil gets the boot for being the 'new guy' over on the Oracles, and that's one really annoying rule we no longer have to worry about."
End Confessional
Confessional: Jared: The Purple Prophets
"I think those two are getting too high on their horses. We might technically have succeeded, but this wasn't our preferred outcome. It was some other alliance's preferred outcome, and now that other alliance has me on the chopping block as a potential target as well. I get what they're saying about Hailey, but I don't think it was Hailey that wrote my name down."
End Confessional
Confessional: Hailey: The Purple Prophets
"As can probably be expected of an alliance formed largely out of resistance to more unified alliances, that group is a complete wreck. That's actually really frustrating because it means their actions are hard to gauge or predict as a group. I'm not fond of hearing my name being tossed around either, but knowing Jared really is freaking out as much as Faith says he is, well… a creative idea comes to mind, and I bet it's one Gabby's head already. Why not…'sacrifice' Faith to the ghost half of the cast? Cameron's clearly on our side, but if she joins up with, say, Alex, she gets to sit in on confessionals from a member of a rival alliance. Because she's already used up her power, it means we won't be losing any of our existing powers to gain that spy."
End Confessional
Location: Lower Ceol Fields
Contestant(s): Kat, Jaime, Joshua, Vergil
Vergil had figured it would be better to sleep on his own the previous night and arrive with the Oracles awake so that they would be able to receive him properly. As he made his way towards where he assumed their campsite was, he noticed Kat, and flagged her down.
"What is it?" She wondered. "Shouldn't you be over on the Prophets? Or are you a ghost sent to haunt me?"
"Neither." Vergil got straight to the point. "If my team loses the challenge, and I'm not voted off, I switch to the other team. So for all intents and purposes, I'm an Oracle. With any luck I'll stay an Oracle until we merge."
Kat narrowed her eyes and gave Vergil a once over.
"You don't seem to be lying about this."
"I'm not."
"And you look fairly athletic."
"I am."
"Then welcome aboard." She spoke hesitantly, and with reservation. "Talk to whoever you want while we have time before the next challenge, but be careful and wary around Helena, Joshua, or Rocket."
Confessional: Kat: The Orange Oracles
"It's not that I particularly want to put Rocket in the same position as the girl who has to lie all the time and the boy who chooses to lie all the time, but with his rule being what it is, I'm skeptical. The fact that Saino doesn't seem to be haunting me or Marisa has me inclined to believe she's haunting Rocket as well, so I'd rather her not get any information."
End Confessional
Confessional: Rocket (Saino): The Orange Oracles
"I can't believe how much easier spying on the confessionals has become since they outed me for doing it." Saino smirked down to Rocket from her hidey-hole atop the confessional. "I can share some really good bits of info if you'd like…"
"I would not like." Rocket crossed his arms as he looked up towards Saino.
End Confessional
"Why those three?" Vergil asked.
"One will lie because they have to, one will lie to annoy you, and one I can confirm simply cannot be allied with. I'll let you figure out which is which on your own if you don't believe me."
Confessional: Vergil: The Orange Oracles
"Kat reminds me a bit of Janet, in like, the way they carry themselves. Even if no one would say anything or agree, they kind of naturally assume the duties of leadership. Assuming she's being truthful, I think it's a good thing I've run into her first. Her acceptance of me on this team will make it a bit harder for the others to try and get rid of me. Of course, they can't get rid of me if we win. Even if we do lose, I have my power, or even just the threat of it, to fall back on."
End Confessional
Meanwhile, further south in the Lower Ceol Fields, Joshua and Jaime were engaged in a debate.
"I just don't understand why you feel the need to lie so often about almost everything from the most miniscule to the most important factors. Heck, it could be said your constant lying is partly what cost us the first challenge."
"If I answer, how will you know if I'm answering honestly?" Joshua smirked.
"I'll know." Jaime narrowed his eyes. "Part of being a psychic is reading people well enough to know what's a lie and what's the truth."
"Psychics are the biggest liars." Joshua shrugged.
"I'm not a liar." Jaime disagreed. "And I'm not claiming any special powers. I'm just good at getting a grasp of most people's minds. Your's though…I grasp it, but not its reasoning."
"Well fine." Joshua relaxed. "If you're so curious, I'll tell you. It's because it's more fun this way."
"No, it isn't."
"You're free to think that." Joshua winked. "But you're not free to deny it. If everything was entirely the truth, absolutely, invariably, then nothing would be fun. There would be one correct way to do things. One outcome everyone strives towards. It would be a world of complete unity."
"I think that's wonderful, though." Jaime reasoned. "If the truth was so readily obvious to everyone, the majority of disagreements would dissipate. We'd still be left with power struggles and moral clashes of course, but with everyone aware of fundamental facts, we'd be able to globalize. Maybe we could set our sights towards something new and exciting, like giving space travel a serious shot as a species."
"Sure, sure." Joshua nodded. "But it would also be boring, and if the truths we discover make us lose our morale, what then? What if we learn it's impossible to travel through space, and we're stuck, plateaued here on Earth for ever and ever? Wouldn't that stifle innovation? In that case, the man who lies and says he can get into space offers hope and progress. Even if his stated dream is never realized, humanity can progress, and morale can keep high for longer than if the truth was known from the get-go."
"That's an interesting way of looking at it." Jaime admitted. "But something that grandiose and philosophical doesn't really bring to mind your constant pointless lies down here."
"But they aren't pointless, are they?" Joshua shook his head. "They introduce levity. Even if they annoy you, or Kat, or Marissa, or everyone, they distract you, and they give you something to laugh about later."
"They're annoying, and most people would assume they were told with malice." Jaime corrected. "I won't deny that you seem to be in a more interesting position in the game than I am right now, but just because something is interesting doesn't mean it's good or right."
"And just because something is good or right doesn't mean it's interesting." Joshua agreed. "If I played this game entirely honestly like you want me to, not only would I not be having nearly as much fun, I wouldn't be as important of a player either. It's only because of the lies that I've amassed what little power and entertainment I have right now."
"So you'd rather a super short game that's only a little interesting?" Jaime wondered. "Because at the rate you've been going, it wouldn't be a stretch to say you're in far more trouble than I am should we lose."
"And maybe I am." Joshua agreed. "But that means I'm playing the game more, doesn't it?"
"It means you're playing the game worse, I'd say." Jaime crossed his arms. "And besides if you keep lying all the time, it'll get stale for the rest of us. It's already gotten stale for most of us. If you want to harp about morale, maybe try reading the room. Doesn't take a psychic to see that the lies aren't popular."
"Not right now." Joshua agreed. "But are you familiar with the concept of 'True Good:' how it takes a really long time for actions to be considered truly good or truly bad?"
"Longer than there is time in this game, I know that much." Jaime stood his ground. "But if you want to keep up your lies, fine, you can go right back to being bored with everything when we vote you off next."
Confessional: Jaime: The Orange Oracles
"That man just doesn't seem to think on a level that any normal human would. I wonder if maybe he's super rich, and that's what has him so detached and antithetical to the fundamental ideas of teamwork and unity."
End Confessional
Confessional: Joshua: The Orange Oracles
"That conversation was a super interesting one. Wouldn't have had it without my lies. I mean, I might still have learned what I learned about Jaime if I asked him, but that's not as interesting as a debate about philosophy, right? He does have…a bit of a point that the interesting times are bound to end sooner if I get too carried away with the lies though. Of course…there's the ghost mechanic to consider too. That right there sounds super interesting."
End Confessional
Location: Upper Ceol Fields
Contestant(s): Bella, Helena, Marisa, Seth, Vergil, Yannick
"I'm just not worried that it will be me next." Helena confided in Seth through lies. "Kat seems to really like having me around."
"Well, the game isn't over until that final vote is read." Seth tried to comfort her. "And Kat is only one person. Even she doesn't have enough power to make us all vote for you. Besides, I'm sure she'd rather we got rid of Joshua first. He seems to annoy her the most."
"But after that, there's so many things stopping everyone from turning on me." Helena sighed.
"What? Why would you think we'd do that?" Seth tilted his head in confusion. "First of all, most of us like you perfectly fine. It would probably be Yannick or maybe Jaime next at least. And that's only assuming we don't have the sitting duck that is Vergil around to eliminate."
Confessional: Seth: The Orange Oracles
"I mean, it makes sense. If he comes over when they lose and leaves when we lose, it would be in our best interest to get rid of him if we lose, that way the Prophets don't ever get him back. On a more personal note though, I do wish Helena would start to get some self-confidence. I always assumed models were constantly self-conscious about their appearances, but this is… something different than that at least. A lot of insecurity from that girl."
End Confessional
Confessional: Helena: The Orange Oracles
"I know, I know, I'm probably overthinking this, and Joshua of all people came to my defense with Kat earlier, so she knows that I can only communicate through lies now. Hopefully that makes her ease up on me a bit, but I can't really help it. I'm worried. I feel like the damage is done, you know?"
End Confessional
Meanwhile, as Vergil was going around introducing himself to his new teammates, he came across Bella, who was surrounded by small foxes all seemingly at ease near her.
"Hey there…" Vergil sat near her and caused some foxes to either move closer to Bella or to leave the area.
"Oh uh, hi?" Bella wondered quietly what Vergil was doing there. "Are you a ghost here to haunt me?"
"No, nothing like that." Vergil shook his head. "I'm on this team now, just wanted you to be aware of it. Don't worry, I don't intend to sabotage any challenges."
"Um!" Bella summoned up her confidence and spoke loud enough that the foxes all turned to look at her. "Then…do you mind telling me who was eliminated from the Prophets?"
"The blind kid, Cameron." Vergil answered, proudly. "I haven't seen him around here so I assume he's chosen to haunt one of the Prophets."
"Okay." Bella nodded, mostly to herself. "Thank you. It was nice to meet you."
"You too." Vergil said as he hoisted himself back up and walked off.
Confessional: Bella: The Purple Prophets
"Okay…so Cameron was eliminated. Did he have a card worth taking with my wheel of fortune? I'm not sure Vergil knows that, but I also don't want him to know that I have to rely on random votes. I felt like I shouldn't ask him either way. Instead, I'll probably bring this up with James."
End Confessional
"Yannick!" Marisa called out to Yannick as she found him lying face down in a field of grain.
"Mmm!" Yannick called back and raised a thumb in the air to signify he was okay.
"This is starting to border on the supernatural, dude." She helped him up. "It's what, the thirtieth time you've tripped over nothing in the past… How many days since the game started?"
"You're off by about 50." Yannick groaned. "But please don't worry about it, it's just something I've always been cursed to live with."
"Dang, I really hope that clears up for you then." Marisa frowned. "In any case, I mainly came out here to strike up conversation since you seem the friendly sort."
"Friendly I am, yes." Yannick nodded. "But uh, what should we talk about?"
"Cards?" Marisa suggested hopefully. "It's okay if you don't want to, but I'm trying to figure out all of them and who has what, all of that stuff."
"Well…" Yannick thought about it. "Alright then, but I'd prefer if you started."
"Oh good!" Marisa smiled. "I have the Hermit, so I have to be nothing but entirely honest to the best of my ability at all times. My power is that I can give myself immunity while exiling myself to the desert for about the length of one round of elimination."
"Oh, that sounds like the perfect card for someone like you then." Yannick grinned. "You seem like the sort who would be honest as much as possible anyways."
"Yeah!" Marisa agreed. "I mean, I could probably do without the 'entirely' honest part because it's journalistic integrity to keep sources confidential, and I can't quite do that thanks to the rule, but it's a small price to pay, I think, for my own personal immunity idol."
"Heck, I wish my card was half as good as yours." Yannick grimaced. "I have The Fool. My votes don't count unless I'm immune, and my power is only the ability to switch teams if I want to."
"That's…not a great card, from my understanding." Marisa frowned. "But sadly, given your track record with luck, I think it might fit you even more than my card fits me."
"Tell me about it." Yannick rolled his eyes. "But hey…since we know a bit more about each other and all…and since you're learning about the cards…think we could make a bit of a deal?"
"What kind of deal?" Marisa wondered.
"It's just that…if I find myself in need of help on another team while due to a team swap or something, you can help me out?"
"I'm not sure how my card could do that." Marisa admitted.
"What I mean is…you can exile yourself right into the desert? I can come to the border from the camp, and we can share information. You'll get information about any cards you don't know, and I'll get information about any cards I don't know, and it can help me figure out how to survive while my vote doesn't count."
"Well…I guess right now I don't mind saying I'm open to that idea." Marisa smiled. "At the very least, let's both do our best here on the Oracles so that if something like that ever does happen, we don't have to share too much knowledge to be suspicious."
"Sounds good to me." Yannick smiled.
Marisa held out a hand for Yannick to shake.
Yannick missed the handshake a few times before finally connecting.
Confessional: Marisa: The Orange Oracles
"Okay, so I've been doing a lot of research and I think I can definitively say the following:
"The Fool is Yannick
"The Empress is Seth
"The Hierophant is Helena
"Strength is Jaime
"I'm the Hermit
"Wheel of Fortune is definitely on this team
"Justice is Kat
"Death is Vergil
"The Star is James
"And The Moon's Rule is applying to Rocket right now. I'm also fairly sure that Dan on the Prophets is the Hanged Man just by looking at the bound limb. I'm super interested in whoever might have Judgement though. That's a really high numbered card, and it's probably someone on the Prophets who has it, but I want to see what kind of power the card right below The World has."
End Confessional
Confessional: Yannick: The Orange Oracles
"Marisa is one of the good ones. I'm a little concerned giving information to her will mean it gets leaked to a malicious source down the line, but Marisa, I think, is smart enough to avoid that sort of situation, at least as long as nothing shakes the game up. Ideally it's like, me, Jaime, Helena, and her to the endgame."
End Confessional
Location: Lower Ceol Fields (Orange Oracles Campsite)
Contestant(s): Bella, James, Kat, Rocket, Vergil
Ghost(s): Saino
Rocket noticed Vergil around camp as he and Saino returned from their confessional. Saino slunk away to remain hidden so that the truth of her haunting Rocket wouldn't be exposed, especially to a Prophet.
"Vergil, what are you doing here?" Rocket asked with a friendly wave.
"On the team now. That's all that matters." Vergil answered bluntly.
"Yeah? Nice to have another member that looks like they can pull their own athletically. Our cast is kind of short on them."
"Hm, true." Vergil nodded.
It was pretty clear to Rocket by now that Vergil was deliberately keeping a distance from him.
"Have you talked to everyone else?" He asked.
"Yep, you were the last. Well, I guess I haven't seen Saino, but I don't really want to see a ghost who can't talk to me anyways. I'm sure whomever she's haunting can pass on the information easily enough. I think for now, I'll be tending to the campfire until the challenge is called. You go do whatever you want."
Confessional: Vergil: The Orange Oracles
"I wonder if even that was too much information to share with him, the man who apparently isn't allowed to be anyone's ally."
End Confessional
Confessional: Rocket (Saino): The Orange Oracles
"He's got you pegged as unreliable to talk to." Saino snickered down at Rocket. "But, I mean…he's super open and forthcoming when he heads in here."
"I really, really don't want to rely on you spying on the confessionals of other players just to play my game." Rocket sighed.
"Buuuut." Saino egged him on.
"I'll admit it's getting harder and harder to resist if even idle conversation is going to be a challenge."
"Well…There is one way you miiiight be able to get some leverage without relying on me spying, but you'd still be relying on me since I'm offering it."
Rocket gritted his teeth and weighed his options.
"Fine. What's the way?"
"Assert, that's exactly correct." Saino nodded to something or someone Rocket couldn't see.
"Assert?"
"Well, I figure if you frame your speech as assertions, you can avoid making deals or alliances but can still telegraph moves. I should reiterate though that I never tried this because it might result in an instant elimination. When played that way, the moon card becomes…maybe not powerful, but a lot stronger than it otherwise would be."
"I mean…" Rocket bit his lip. "I'm practically a walking zombie right now as is. It couldn't hurt to try if I feel like we're on the chopping block. For now though, I think leaving well enough alone should be fine. Bide our time and let other people make mistakes or risks. When we have a better sense of scope, we can try it for ourselves if we really want to."
"Fufufufu…" Saino laughed. "We'll make a threat out of you, yet."
End Confessional
Shift Camera Focus
"I'm not sure." James thought about what Bella had suggested to him in the privacy of a grass tent. "To put all our eggs in the basket of Cameron's card…if he didn't play its power, then how good is it really?"
"Well, the Devil was played thanks to the announcement Chris played the night he went home. Maybe he was the one that played it?"
"I'd think if he was the one who played it, he'd still be here." James reasoned. "That's what happened with me after all."
"Hm…true." Bella nodded.
"Oh, there you two are." Kat poked her head into the tent. "Get your things ready, we're expecting a challenge announcement soon, and we ought to get there before the Prophets do. That extra bit of familiarity could give us some kind of advantage, you never know."
"Oh, Kat, perfect timing actually." James said as he and Bella left the tent. "I wanted to apologize about using my Star power on you without confirming with you first. It's not that I didn't trust you or anything, in fact, it was because I knew you'd help out when I revealed I was telling the truth to you."
"I never took much offense to the act to begin with, you did what you had to do." Kat shrugged. "And I'm not out to get you or anything so don't worry about that. I will say though, I find it…concerning that you have such a harsh rule on your shoulders, especially now without any useful information to me in exchange for it. Hopefully, you find a way to make yourself useful beyond that first round. Otherwise even if it's not me who targets you, I think your days may be numbered. Just some friendly advice, not a threat or even a warning."
Confessional: James: The Orange Oracles
"Well, she has a point. I've used my power, Saino's a ghost, and Kat already knows everything she said in her own interview. My power is going to have to come from my alliance with Seth and Bella, and that means we need to really really figure out when to play Bella's card, so we can get a useful power out of it."
End Confessional
Location: Cailleach Bog
Contestant(s): All Remaining
Ghost(s): Cameron, Saino
"Ladies, gentlemen, and ghosts!" Chris welcomed everyone. "Welcome to today's challenge! The Sun! And here to help proctor it is a special guest star!"
"I really don't want to do this." A young man groaned. He scratched his shaggy satin blonde hair and took some black-rimmed rectangular glasses out of a case, putting them on carefully in front of his royal blue eyes.
"It's Hubert Swanson!" Chris chimed, ignoring the man's complaint.
A loud cheer erupted from Marisa.
"Looks like you've got a fan." Chris grinned. "I'll let you take over from here, right?"
"Why, exactly?" Emily asked.
"Hype reasons, and that's all you need to know." Hubert answered as he waved Chris off. "Now then…the rules of The Sun challenge."
All the contestants and ghosts turned towards Hubert.
"I will guide both teams through a game of I Spy, where I will describe a member of the opposing team. You, as a team, have 3 chances to guess the player that I am describing before I give you a hint and one final guess. Guess the correct person and earn 3 points for being correct right away, 2 points for needing two guesses, 1 point for needing 3, and a measly half a point for only getting it after the hint. If your team still gets it wrong even after that, you will lose 2 points. Whichever team has the higher point total at the end of the game will be crowned the winners, and the losers will be sent to Tine Naofa tonight for an elimination ceremony. Now then, are there any questions?"
A bunch of hands shot up.
"You first." He pointed to Janet.
"Do we have to know their names, or can we just single them out?"
"You can just single them out, but you have to be specific about it. If I can't tell who it is, I can't determine whether the answer is correct or not."
A few hands went down.
"You." He pointed to Vergil.
"Do we guess as a team, or can we just shout out the answer whenever we feel like it?"
"The latter, but all answers are on behalf of the team, so talking out of turn doesn't disqualify a wrong answer."
A few more hands went down.
"You." He pointed to Yannick.
"Is there a limit on how many times an individual can answer in a row?"
"No limit." Hubert replied.
Only one hand remained.
"You." He pointed to Gabby.
"Yeah, what happens in a tie?"
"I have a tiebreaker question prepared in that scenario." Hubert answered. "It seems as though there aren't any more questions. I'll give both teams some time to prepare, and we'll get started."
Challenge: The Sun
Rules: Hubert will alternate 'I Spy' rounds with each team, giving them a cryptic hint describing one of the opposing team's members. Teams will have up to four chances to correctly guess the subject of the hint, earning more points the earlier they succeed and losing points should they fail. At the end of the challenge, the team with the higher total will win immunity and the losers will be sent to the Tine Naofa Bonfire Elimination Ceremony.
Round 1
"We'll start with you as the guessers." He looked to the Purple Prophets. "I spy… a frowning clown."
"Yannick." Morgana yawned as she clutched Dan's shirt.
"Don't just-" Jared nervously turned toward Morgana.
"Correct." Hubert replied.
"Oh, uh, nevermind, good job."
Hubert turned towards the Oracles. "Oracles…I spy…a solitary ruler."
Marisa took out her notepad and prepared to write.
Confessional: Marisa: The Orange Oracles
"Oh, this is perfect! Some, maybe even all, of these descriptions will have to do with the cards! This is the Emperor, whoever it is!"
End Confessional
"Is it Jared?" Marisa asked with a smile.
"Incorrect." Hubert replied.
"It's Emily." Saino spoke to Hubert. "She's already a few paces away from the rest of her team."
"Emily is correct." Hubert nodded.
"Emily…has…the Emperor…" Marisa jotted down.
Round 2 (Prophets at 3, Oracles at 2)
Hubert looked to the Prophets. "I spy… a cursed night."
"That one." Morgana yawned as she pointed to James.
"Incorrect."
"The girl next to him." Dan pointed at Bella.
"Incorrect.
"Seth." Jared hazarded a guess.
"Incorrect." Hubert sighed. "I spy… a moon with a moon."
The Prophets looked at each other and then at the Oracles.
"Joshua?" Gabby pointed as she asked.
"Incorrect." Hubert shook his head. "That's a two point loss."
He turned to the Oracles. "I spy… a former winner's cousin."
"That has nothing to do with cards." Marisa crossed her arms with a frown.
"I never said they all would." Hubert shrugged.
"We have the cousin of a former winner on our team?" Janet quirked a brow.
"Seems like whoever they are doesn't think it's that big a deal." Alex shrugged with a smile.
"Well, shit, who is it?" Yannick wondered among the Oracles. "Vergil, you know?"
"Not even gonna pretend I know." Vergil shook his head.
"Is it…" Bella rose a hand. "Is it Morgana?"
"That's incorrect."
Seth rose his hand. "Is it Jared?"
"That's incorrect."
James put a hand to his chin as he looked over the contestants. "Y'know…now that I think about it. One of them does look a little like a previous winner."
He rose his hand.
"Well, don't keep us in suspense, James." Hubert encouraged the livestreamer to guess.
"Is it…Hailey?"
"It is indeed Hailey." Hubert nodded.
"Wait, who are you related to?" Gabby asked. "That's awesome!"
"It doesn't matter." Hailey shook her head. "Like Hubert said, I'm only her cousin."
"Cousins can be close." Janet narrowed her eyes.
"Fine, if it gets everyone to shut up about it." Hailey rolled her eyes. "My cousin in question is Katrina Sears."
"You know, now that you bring it up, I do sort of see the resemblance." Faith looked over Hailey. "And before any of you ask." Hailey felt the need to get on top of things. "No, I'm not going to introduce any of you. Not only have we moved on from a childhood together to doing our own things, she's busy with a fledgling business."
Confessional: Jared: The Purple Prophets
"Okay, Hailey is related to a previous winner. That probably makes it a bad idea to try and target her, right? Like if we fail, wouldn't she get super upset about it? No, it's better to keep focus on Faith, for sure."
End Confessional
Confessional: Emily: The Purple Prophets
"Well, I don't really care who is cousins with who or anything, but this seems like the perfect excuse to throw Hailey under the bus. She's cousins with a winner, and therefore is probably fine without any of this money."
End Confessional
Round 3 (Prophets at 1, Oracles at 3)
"I spy…" Hubert looked to the Prophets. "A court captain."
"Rocket." Morgana guessed.
"If only." Rocket sighed.
"Ooh, ooh, wait, I know this one!" Cameron's hand shot up. "It's gotta be her… that girl I was on the dune buggy with, uh…Kat!"
"That is correct." Hubert nodded as he turned his attention back to the Oracles. "I spy…an inflated ego."
"Gas problems guy, Dan." Rocket guessed immediately.
"That's correct." Hubert nodded.
Confessional: Dan: The Purple Prophets
"Hmph, my ego isn't inflated at all. I'm just naturally the best player here."
End Confessional
Round 4 (Prophets at 3, Oracles at 6)
Hubert nodded to the Prophets as the next round began. "I spy… an honest superfan."
"Uh, this one has got to be Rocket." Emily guessed.
"No, that's incorrect."
"It's James." Morgana yawned.
"That's incorrect."
"Guys…" Alex sighed. "Remember the beginning of this challenge? It's Marisa."
"That's correct." Hubert nodded. He moved back over to the Oracles. "Alright, Oracles…I spy… a hesitant mage."
"Janet?" Rocket guessed.
Vergil laughed.
"Guess that's a no."
"That's a no." Hubert confirmed.
"I'll take this one." Vergil pat Rocket on the shoulder. "It's, without question, Jared."
"Jared has…the Magician…" Marisa scribbled down.
"H-hey! You can't just assume that!" Jared spoke out to Marisa.
"Jared definitely has the Magician." Marisa updated her notes.
"Regardless of what card he has, or says he has," Hubert cleared his throat. "Vergil was correct."
Round 5 (Prophets at 4, Oracles at 8)
Hubert shifted back to the Prophets. "I spy… A wolf that won't howl."
"Jaime?" Alex guessed.
"That's incorrect."
"Probably Seth, right?" Gabby figured.
"That's incorrect."
Confessional: Gabby: The Purple Prophets
"Okay, so…I think our team sucks at this."
End Confessional
"Bella!" Faith chimed in.
"That is correct." Hubert nodded as he looked at the Oracles again. "I spy… a drowsy driver."
"Morgana!" Almost all of them called out.
Morgana yawned. "That was too easy for them."
"I find each one of these just as easy as the others." Hubert stated. "That you are all struggling with so many of them is enough to justify my decision to myself. Speaking of which, we will be entering the final round now, while there is still room to get questions wrong and lose points. While the Prophets are at 6 and the Oracles are up at 11, it is, strictly speaking, possible for the teams to be tied and to force a tiebreaker question at the end of the round, so it's still anyone's match."
Round 6 (Prophets at 6, Oracles at 11)
"Prophets…" Hubert looked to the Prophets. "You have to get this right on your very first try to remain in contention, otherwise the Oracles will win right here. I spy… an internet star."
"Oh." Janet sighed. "That's James."
"Correct." Hubert nodded. "The Prophets are now at 9, but now it's time for the Oracles. Oracles, if you get this question right in any of your four guesses, you'll win."
"I believe in us." Marisa cheered.
"In that case…" Hubert cleared his throat. "I spy… a smiling demon."
Vergil grinned wickedly. "Excuse me, new team, may I take this one? I know the answer."
"Whelp." Emily made sure she had all her stuff. A few of the Prophets were already following suit.
"Faith is the smiling demon." Vergil answered. "Super helpful that she happened to reveal to everyone her card at the last elimination ceremony."
"Faith has The Devil…" Marisa jotted down in her notebook.
"Vergil is correct." Hubert confirmed. "And as such he has secured victory for the Orange Oracles. Congratulations."
As cheers erupted from the Oracles, a few of them embracing Vergil happily, Chris arrived back on scene to shoo Hubert away from the challenge.
"And that means-" The host took over. "That I'll be seeing you, Purple Prophets, back at the Tine Naofa Bonfire pit tonight for your second elimination ceremony in a row!"
Confessional: Vergil: The Orange Oracles
"Oh that was fun! I think I'm liking it better here on the Oracles, to be honest. It's not that there is less intrigue or drama, but more that, well, everyone here with a few exceptions strikes me as a 'herd' mentality kind of person. There are a lot less dominant personalities is what I mean, which makes it way easier for me to integrate into them, and shape the social current how I see fit. Can't do that on the Prophets. I think I'm okay with setting myself up here then. Screw any allegiances I might have had over there for now. I'll start getting some Oracles under my thumb. Shouldn't be too hard now that I've got a jumpstart from winning the challenge for them."
End Confessional
Confessional: Janet: The Purple Prophets
"This is bad. I was hoping for a victory so we could get Vergil back, but now that team is going to have a pretty big numbers advantage over us, player-wise, especially if tonight's eliminated player goes over to haunt them. I should consider the impending elimination ceremony with this in mind. Might have to put on that sickening nice girl mask for a bit too."
End Confessional
Location: Glas Woods (Purple Prophets Campsite)
Contestant(s): Alex, Dan, Emily, Faith, Gabby, Hailey, Janet, Jared, Morgana
Ghost(s): Cameron
The camp was abuzz with players and alliances making last minute preparations and holding last minute discussions about the upcoming elimination ceremony.
Dan, Emily, Jared, and Morgana were all grouped up together, and their conversation was turning into a repeat of the morning.
"It has to be Hailey." Dan stayed adamant. "Not only does she have the blood of a winner in her veins, she's one of the bigger members of her alliance. It's possible Cameron's haunting her."
"Cameron is haunting Gabby." Morgana yawned. "But I think we shouldn't get rid of someone with a ghost while we still know so little about ghosts in general. I agree it should be Hailey."
"I'm fine for Hailey. I really don't care." Emily shrugged.
"I really don't see why we can't just get rid of Faith." Jared wasn't budging from his position either.
"Jared, we've explained why." Emily huffed. "Don't be difficult about this. We need to get this right."
Confessional: Emily: The Purple Prophets
"Because if we get this wrong, then my vote is locked in for who knows how long? And worse, our target will know we're gunning for them!"
End Confessional
"I just need to think about it." Jared said as he excused himself from the conversation.
"Hey." Alex smiled at him near one of the pine shelters.
"What is it?" Jared wondered.
"I'm not entirely sure." Alex chuckled. "But Janet told me that I should talk to you. She wouldn't say why, but I think she wants you to vote for Faith with us."
"Even if I did," Jared sighed. "Three votes won't be enough to send her home."
"That's true…" Alex nodded. "But uh…I'm wondering if maybe you have some kind of power that can change that?"
"I do, but…" Jared shuddered. "It's not worth it. I'd just be the next one to go home if we lost again."
"Would it help you if I told you that I could play my power on you?" Alex gambled. "I have The Lovers after all. It's an immunity medal that I can play on anyone other than myself essentially."
"And what's the rule that goes along with it?"
"I can't betray the first person I happened to see after obtaining the card, and that's Janet. So now you know that this is something we're both on the same page for."
"What, you just want me to replace Vergil, is that it?"
"Oh, Jared, of course not." Janet smiled sweetly as she approached the boys. "I just can't stand to see you so on edge around Faith like this. It'd be easier on you, I think, if you joined up with us instead."
"I…I need to think about it." Jared once again walked off.
Shift Camera Focus
Gabby, Cameron, Hailey, and Faith were all around the fire, discussing their own plans.
"Are you sure that would work?" Hailey questioned Faith. "You haven't exactly had the best ideas."
"It'd work!" Faith nodded. "If we all vote that way, unless he uses his power, Jared becomes a ghost. And if he does use his power, he's probably going to target me, don't you think?"
"Are you saying you'd be okay with that?" Gabby rose a brow.
"Well, it wouldn't be my first choice obviously, but it wouldn't be a bad thing." Faith shook her head. "In fact, it could be to our advantage. I could haunt someone in one of the other alliances, feed us information, that sort of thing."
"Huh." Hailey almost laughed. "To be honest, I'd been thinking of something similar earlier."
"Me too." Gabby nodded. "And you're sure that if the four of us stick together about this, it'll go one of those two ways."
"I think I can vouch for her." Cameron nodded to Gabby. "Plus, if it's the latter outcome, and Jared somehow stays safe, he'll still be freaking out. Maybe even more so if Faith chooses to haunt someone in one of the other alliances. It keeps the target off of the rest of us, or at least makes it harder for the group to target you or Hailey."
"I'm just nervous about throwing our numbers to the ghost mechanic like this." Gabby admitted. "If at all possible, I'd like to start whittling down the power of the other alliances."
"And we will!" Faith exclaimed. "If we don't succeed with our plan A tonight, we'll at least have a much easier job with our plan B for the coming days."
"At the risk of sounding a little too much like my cousin, as long as it's not me going home, I really don't care at this point." Hailey sighed. "We all seem to be on the same page. Let's be sure to follow through."
Location: Tine Naofa Bonfire (Elimination Ceremony)
Contestant(s): Alex, Dan, Emily, Faith, Gabby, Hailey, Jared, Janet, Morgana
Ghost(s): Cameron
"Prophets, Prophets, Prophets." Chris shook his head. "I'm disappointed in today's challenge performance from you."
"You weren't even there!" Gabby argued.
"I was still watching it!" Chris almost whined. "And it seems clear to me that the Oracles are just paying more attention to the whole game than you are. Why do you think that is, Emily?"
"Probably because the Oracles haven't fractured into warring factions just yet." Emily guessed nonchalantly.
"And the Prophets have?"
"At least three factions." Emily nodded. "But that's only as far as I can tell. There could be more, and allegiances could be shifting."
"Jared, how nervous are you about tonight?" Chris asked with a grin.
"One hundred percent nervous. Every single time." Jared admitted. "But even more so tonight, after all, I'm one of the people that received votes last time."
"You received one vote." Dan rolled his eyes. "Get over it."
"You haven't received any, so you have no place to criticize." Jared stood his ground.
"And I won't, because I'm good around camp and in challenges, even with a limb bound."
"Lucky you." Hailey rolled her eyes.
"Oh right, anything to add Miss Winner Cousin?" Chris grinned.
"I assume you specifically instructed Hubert to ask that question when it came to me?" Hailey stared down Chris. "I'm not sure what you really hoped to accomplish. I don't think it means all that much to anyone here."
"To be honest." Emily spoke up. "I think I agree with Hailey. Like it's a neat excuse to send a vote her way if you feel you have to, but I mean…eventually we'll be targeting her anyway, so it's not like that information really changes much."
Dan huffed.
"Morgana, you awake?" Chris asked a dozing Morgana.
"No." Morgana replied with a yawn and a stretch. "I'll get there though."
"In that case…" Chris grinned. "It's time to vote. I trust everyone with special voting rules remembers them."
One by one, every Prophet got up to vote.
One by one, every Prophet came back down.
Then Cameron got up to vote.
Then Cameron came back down.
"Chris." Jared said as Chris returned from tallying the votes. "I take it now is the time to play vote/vote-process altering powers if we wish to do so?"
"Why yes it is, Jared!" Chris exclaimed happily. "Do you have such a power you wish to invoke."
"I do." Jared stood up.
Faith, Gabby, Hailey, and Cameron all stared at each other.
Emily, Dan, Alex, and Janet all stared at Jared.
Morgana figured she could go back to sleep.
"I invoke the power of The Magician." Jared announced as he held up his card.
Chris stepped away from the host stand.
Chef landed a chopper, and the two of them flew away from the Tine Naofa Bonfire Fire Pit.
"What?" Gabby yelled out toward the chopper. "DON'T YOU HAVE AN ELIMINATION CEREMONY TO CONDUCT?"
Morgana actually woke up for this.
Dan shrugged. "I guess I'll go read the votes."
Jared shook his head. "But you don't even know what the power does."
"I assume him leaving the ceremony has something to do with the power."
"No, it's-"
"The Power of The Magician has been invoked!" Chris shouted into a megaphone as the two of them soared over the island. "I repeat: THE POWER OF THE MAGICIAN HAS BEEN INVOKED!" Chef landed the helicopter, and Chris walked back over to the voting booth. He put the megaphone away and smiled his signature smile at the campers, like nothing had ever happened.
"What's that do?" Hailey asked.
"I can vote a few extra times." Jared decided it was best not to say exactly how many. "But I receive that many extra votes at the next elimination ceremony."
"Jared, you may head back up and vote the requisite number of times." Chris was happy to play along.
Based on how much time he took, it became clear exactly how many votes Jared was casting.
"Wow, he really wants to make sure this target is gone." Gabby smirked. "Talk about insecure."
Soon Jared came back down.
After tallying the votes again, Chris returned.
"Anyone else with powers they wish to play right now?"
No one else.
"Then I'll read the votes. Our first vote is for… Jared. That's one vote Jared, one vote Morgana."
"Oh right, that." Dan rolled his eyes at the Morgana vote. "Maybe just read the real votes first and then add the extra ones at the end?"
"If you insist." Chris shuffled a lot of paper slips around in the jar. "Our next vote is for Faith. That, in 'real' votes, is one vote for Faith and one vote for Jared."
…
…
"Hailey."
…
…
"Hailey. That's two votes Hailey, one vote Faith, one vote Jared."
…
…
…
"Faith. That's two votes Faith, two votes Hailey, one vote Jared."
…
…
…
…
"Faith. That's three votes Faith, two votes Hailey, one vote Jared."
…
…
…
"Jared."
…
…
…
…
"Jared. That's three votes Faith, three votes Jared, two votes Hailey, two 'real' votes left."
…
…
…
"Hailey. That's three votes for Faith, Hailey, and Jared."
…
…
…
…
…
"Jared." Chris announced. "That's four votes Jared, three votes Faith, three votes Hailey, and the end of what Dan called the 'real' votes. Now for the 'power and rule' votes. I'll remind everyone about the vote for Morgana, and now for the extra votes Jared could cast."
…
…
…
…
"Faith. That's four votes Faith, four votes Jared, nineteen votes left. Care to guess who they're all for? Should I read them all, or only the next one? They all say the same name."
"Is this some kind of double bluff?" Gabby half-wondered. "Just read the name already! If they're getting nineteen votes they're obviously becoming a ghost."
"Third person voted off…well technically second and fourth person voted off of Total Drama Hud Hynafol…" Chris turned the next paper over unceremoniously. "Faith."
Faith burst into laughter.
"I don't see what's so funny." Jared crossed his arms.
"No, no, no." Faith shook her head as she controlled herself. "You're right, you're right, it's not funny. It's pathetic. It's so, so pathetic! And just so we're clear, I'm talking about you, loser."
"Loser?" Jared quirked a brow. "Faith, where is this sudden rudeness coming from?"
"From not needing to be polite anymore, you moron, you utter dipshit. You did exactly what we thought you'd do! Oh, island gods, you are the easiest motherfucker to predict."
"Jared, you absolute buffoon!" Emily growled. "If you had that kind of power, why didn't you just use it on Hailey?"
"Well, I'll be using mine on him, since he was nice enough to vote for our target." Alex said as he and Janet quickly high-fived. "Obviously I probably wouldn't if he voted for someone we weren't targeting."
"If I'd just voted with you, worst-case scenario, Hailey eliminated me in a tiebreaker." Jared pointed to where Chris was holding the voting jar. "I got the majority of the 'real' votes didn't I?"
"You think you wouldn't be able to beat her in a tiebreaker?" Emily motioned to Hailey. "Look at her! She's ready to blow a lid if she loses the slightest focus, and you're obviously the more athletic of the two of you! You would have been fucking fine! Now, we're fucking stuck because of you!"
"Well, good." Hailey laughed. "It means I don't need to crumble your alliance to dust yet, and I do have the ability to do that."
"Oh boy, enjoy being public enemy number one, you fucking idiot!" Faith patted Jared condescendingly on the back and strode over towards Chris. "I'm off for a fun night at the Loser Lounge, but you best believe that I'll be back. Voting me off hasn't gotten rid of me, dumbass, just of your power!"
"Ah…fuck." Jared slouched.
"And we're down to 19 players remaining!" Chris turned towards the camera. "Who will Faith choose to haunt? How or can Jared recover? What lies in store for our Prophets and Oracles as the pace of the game begins to pick up and ghosts become more numerous? Find out next time! On Total!
Drama!
Hud Hynafol!"
*Faith's Final Confessional
"I'm not surprised that this is the outcome that idiot went for. He's, well, an idiot. Super easily swayed by anyone who even pretends to be an ally as long as they give him an idea of safety. That kind of insecurity is going to hurt him down the line, mark my words. For now though, I think it's safe to say that Operation: Spy Specter can begin. Of course, I have, hm, my own unique plans that I can't share just yet, but rest assured that your girl Faith has far from given up the million dollars."
End Confessional*
The Votes for those who are curious…
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Magician voted for… The Devil
The Emperor voted for… The Tower
The Lovers voted for… The Devil
The Chariot voted for… The Tower
The Hanged Man voted for… The Tower
The Devil voted for… The Magician
The Tower voted for… The Magician
The Sun voted for… The Magician
Judgement voted for… The Devil
The Chariot's Rule voted for… The Chariot
Cameron voted for… The Magician
AN: And there we go, Episode 2 of Hud Hynafol Upright complete! Faith has truly been voted out this time, and she is about to begin her tenure as a ghost. It seems that her alliance already has a plan in place for this, and Faith herself apparently has some personal ideas of her own she's eager to put into practice! What could they possibly be? That's for you to decide!
If I had to choose a personal favorite moment of this episode, I'd say it was probably the debate between Joshua and Jaime, two players who embody almost polar opposite ideals when it comes to truth and lies.
But that's just my opinion, what do you guys think?
Who is Faith going to haunt?
Will Alex really keep his promise to Jared?
How will Vergil's extended stay on the Oracles change their team dynamic?
Find out next time on Total Drama Hud Hynafol: Upright!
EN: I guess Faith will have to World rule the info back to her old alliance. It's interesting Ghosting someone that you plan to work against, and Faith seems to be doing this completely strategically. I'm interested in seeing how well this fares for her. I don't know who exactly she'll ghost.
My favorite moment is the challenge. I enjoyed reading Hubert's hints for everyone and kinda watching the Prophets scramble. I knew all of the hints for Reversed, but I don't know what happens in this season (as I did not help with the creation), so reading those was lots of fun.
I don't know if Alex will keep his promise to Jared. Jared has made a pretty ballsy move without telling his alliance, and it's something that might cost him his player position. It's just a weird position to be in.
Vergil has picked favorites, and that's something quite unideal for someone with Death… At least, not the mindset I would have for Death. Anywho, interesting though. I think he'll really shake things up on the Oracles. The Prophets will miss him. But I guess we'll find out next time…
Anyways, the long edit job is done. Hoped you all enjoyed that read. I sure did.
AN2: Discord link in profile, feel free to join!
AN3: And as always, thanks for reading!