Yuku free message boards

Will wrote:

---

There weren't hosting problems, there were challenge issues and then players bitching about calls.

Quiddity wrote:

---

It was a well run game if you ask me, and nothing controversial I remember (unlike BBC ).

Madhack wrote:

---

PT will probs kill me but early on I thought Blackie WAS PT so... PT probably shouldn't talk

25. Gary - Captain Honky (Stranded: Aruba)

I can't find Gary's avatar. Because poody is so secretive. And Captain Honky didn't post at II.net enough for poody to bother giving him his appropriate avatar.

Oh well. It's no big deal, because ultimately, Gary wasn't really that memorable anyway. His entire attitude throughout Aruba was nonchalant and uncaring, as if he had better things to do and no real passion for putting effort into the game. Normally, that kind of persona would annoy me. And at the outset of the game, I definitely saw Gary as someone I wouldn't be able to trust, being as he had no vested interest in playing well or remaining loyal. When someone doesn't give a shit about the game, they also won't give a shit about telling the truth or being predictable. That's scary. But for some reason, Gary and I clicked. Of all of my allies, he was the one I worried the most about, but when the swap put all of us at the mercy of Caquetios, it was Gary and I who were given the shortest end of the stick, thrown into a 4-2 minority together. And it was in that awful position that we did the most bonding. Because while I was more than willing to throw him under the bus to buy myself some time, he saw his fate, accepted it, and was so ambivalent about it that he didn't bother trying to sell me out. Instead, he just got angry. No scrambling from ol' Gary. Nope, he just bashed the majority and stood by old Arawak. How noble of him. <3

Plus, he remained loyal to me throughout the game. He should have ditched me ASAP after the merge. But he didn't do that. He and I became partners in crime, the two people playing the Misty/Courtney/Melinda alliance against the old Arawak alliance. And he paid the price for his loyalty. Somehow he managed to get himself drug all the way to 5^th place, but from there, he could go no further, and he whimpered out to make way for a Final 4 of the most absurd players ever. No, he didn't leave much of a legacy in Stranded history. No, he wasn't particularly positive or entertaining. No, I can't remember a single wonderful Gary moment. But he was there for me when I needed an ally most, and at my lowest points, Gary was the guy I could turn to if I needed someone to talk to. After a while, it became entirely unnecessary to BS him. And while I can't recall if this is specifically true, I have a feeling we agreed on our opinions of the other players, too. At least, the ones we hated.

24. Sawyer - growsonwalls (Double Trouble)
Sawyer's always make for great ORG additions, don't you think? Okay, so Sawyer in Double Trouble was a pretty terrible character. I wasn't the most OTT person ever as Kate, but my partner Sawyer was easily even more low-key than I was. That's pretty bad. But he wasn't inactive, and he was there enough to help us advance through the game, which is exactly what we did. Neither of us were running the show, but combined we had enough bonds to keep each other safe even as the teams were constantly being shifted and mixed up. I knew right from the start that if I was to survive the first half of the game while focusing more on PI Redux that I would need a super loyal ally to protect me. Sawyer was exactly what I required. I aggressively pushed for us to align long-term, and that's what happened. As far as I can remember, Sawyer didn't have much game beyond "protect the Lost pair." Eventually his weak performance would get him booted at the end of the game when things came to revolve entirely around competitions (and I didn't win enough to save him). But Sawyer/Kate were the longest-lasting pair in the entire game, and I'm still proud of that. Had Kyle not disappeared, I still think I would have headed into the F3 with two totally loyal men and a surefire win.

I know, I'm probably the only person in the world who remembers Sawyer particularly fondly. And yes, it's pretty much all due to his loyalty and devotion to me. But these are my rankings, dammit, and that's a big part of my deliberation process. Plus, I think it's cool that I would go on to be such a great Sawyer, all in honor of gow's original incarnation.

23. Cirie - Esoteric (Stranded: Aruba & All-Stars)

My relationship with Cirie changed a hell of a lot over the course of two games. And the funny thing is, we had very limited interactions in both of them. In Aruba, we were together on the same tribe for, what, 2 days before she got the axe. And in ASS, we began on the same tribe but were separated after an early shuffle, and she never survived to meet up with me after the merge.

But despite that, Cirie ranks high on this list. And both seasons are a part of the reason for why. Now, I don't know much of what she did on Caquetios. Judging by the fanfic, she was a major player, someone who probably overplayed her hand if anything. Maybe a bit villainous, but really just a strong competitor in every strategic sense. I respect that. But the only Cirie I personally witnessed was when I became a minority target on her tribe, and then proceeded to use Courtney to turn the game around on her and get her booted. There have been a lot of crazy TCs in Stranded history, but the one where Cirie was blindsided still ranks as one of the best. And it's not just for the surprise element, but because the 3-3 vote had Cirie and I publically dueling for the support of Misty, the person who would determine the boot. Of all the battles I've been engaged in, this was definitely one of the best. Cirie was articulate and knew how to present a compelling case, and with our asses on the line, we were both using everything we had to try and persuade Misty to save us. We both flung mud like nobody's business, and honestly, it was a ton of fun for me. Cirie went out fighting and was a total champ about the whole thing. We both knew we were just playing a game and trying to secure our own survival, so there were no hard feelings in our war of words. Ultimately, I beat her out (although it probably had little to do with what I actually said at TC), and Cirie went down as a great player who I really wish I had been able to work alongside to begin with.

But that wasn't the end of the Judd-Cirie story line. Because when ASS rolled around, Cirie ended up being the random shocking pre-merge inclusion for Aruba, and with tribes divided by season, we were presented the perfect opportunity to align. We never had the chance in Aruba, but we weren't going to pass it up in ASS. Now I will admit I didn't fully trust her. I was pretty certain she was on my side. But unlike Shane, I always doubted her just a little bit. It was always possible that she might for some reason swing to the girls. But Cirie remained loyal and I really grew to like her. We had a similar mind set in the game and I really wish we had been able to stick together for the long haul. As it turned out, we were split up in the shuffle and at the one TC that the opposing tribe attended, Cirie, the one player I most wanted to see survive the vote, was given the axe. And she was cut because of her relationship with me and my alliance, really. How tragic.

Anyway, I really want to play with Esoteric again. I think he/she is well-spoken and intelligent. And I don't think his/her poor showings in two poody seasons are really representative of any skill level. I think this guy/girl's got a ton of potential and some great talent. I can't wait to see them play again. And hopefully this time, they'll kick ass.

22. Patrick - cclguy2001 (Big Brother: Real World vs Road Rules)

Patrick was another somewhat UTR ally of mine who remained 100% devoted to me throughout the game (resulting in an end game boot). Why does Patrick beat out Sawyer and Gary? Well, for one, I think I needed him much more than I needed either of those guys. But two, Patrick was the easiest to manipulate and use. That sounds harsh, but it's the truth. I put very little effort into forming a relationship with him early on, but when the time came for me to pick up a new number, it was easy as pie to bring him into my sphere of influence. If I wanted him to hate someone, all I had to do was tell him they were targeting him. If I wanted him to vote my way, all I had to do was make up some story to justify it. He never questioned me, he never spread my lies, he never did anything but accept what I said at face value and go with whatever plan I concocted. It was beautiful. Especially since the guy wasn't an idiot (nor did he believe me as easily as I'm claiming - I'm exaggerating a bit :P ). He just really trusted me. I loved it. Unfortunately, he was too much of an UTR follower to allow into the F3 (where he'd be prime goat material), so I had to cut him off at Final 4 and that was the end of Patrick's story.

I did go back and skim over some bits of the game for this write-up, though, and since I don't have anything I really remember about Patrick as a personality, I will comment on his overuse of the word "honestly." Seriously, his confessional only has a few non-competition-oriented posts, but they all employ that word about six million times a piece. I get the impression he's being honest.

21. Pete - Osten Carty (Double Trouble)

Okay, straight up, if you weren't involved in Double Trouble, you'll never understand my love for Pete or why I consider him my favorite character of the game. I'm issuing that warning right now. Basically, the guy was a wacky early boot who was only targeted to begin with because he was inactive. But he showed up for his elimination challenge and his resulting boot, and it was at that point that Pete decided he would fall in love with Kate. I don't know why. I never talked to the guy. But he became the biggest Kate worshipper of all time, and he continued this joke for the rest of the game. His final words were Kate-centric. His LL posts were all about Kate. His signature was devoted to Kate. I don't mean Lost Kate. Nope, Double Trouble Kate, the Kate who hadn't done much of anything by the time he was eliminated (because it was so early on in the game). Sure, I'll admit it fed my ego a bit. I was probably an arbitrary choice for the devotion, but I still appreciated it. But more importantly, it was just really funny. The DT forum no longer exists and I certainly don't remember any quotes or anything, but Pete managed to always make me laugh, and in that game, laughter (or cheer or good will or any positive emotions) was hard to come by. He was really one of the only bright spots in an otherwise dark and depressing game, and I love when players can take things so lightly and have such a good time with a disappointing finish. That kind of attitude just makes these games so much more fun.

And yes, Pete, it's taken me this long to confirm, but I'd love to marry you. <3