- Sat Mar 07, 2020 1:57:39 pm
#21798
Susie! You were such a ray of sunshine in this game, and one of my big regrets was that I broke my word to you right before the swap, when I told you I was going to vote for Jac. I absolutely was blindsided right along with you the night you were voted off, and it was the first and last time that my lines of information completely failed me, as I had not even heard your name mentioned prior to that vote.
How would I describe my social game and what have I learned the most about myself while playing Stranded?
My social game involved three main components-- talking about everyday life with people, talking honestly about the game with people, and being vulnerable with people about my insecurities. If I could do all three of those things with someone, I was able to feel secure in our relationship. In relationships that lacked one of those three elements, I felt less secure and would look for those qualities elsewhere. For instance, with you I had wonderful conversations about our lives, and I was also able to be somewhat vulnerable, but I was never able to build that strong trust bond with you that would have allowed for honest conversations about the game. I think that, had we been on the same swapped tribe, things would have been very different however. There were a few times when this did not hold true for me, such as with the Aurora vote, when I had good relationships with both Aurora and Reem and ultimately had to choose based solely on strategy.
I am very confident in myself in certain aspects of my life, but before playing Stranded I was missing a level of confidence in my ability to think logically and strategically. I am someone who has been trampled on and taken advantage of in real life, and proving to myself that I am not only capable of standing my own ground, but also of taking ownership of my actions and facing up to the consequences of those actions without cowering in fear has been invaluable to me.
Why shouldn’t Gillian or Charlie win; how was my game better than theirs?
I partially answered this on Ron’s post, in regards to Gillian, and I will copy that answer here.
I don’t believe Gillian deserves to win, because people have been talking about taking her to the final 3 since before the swap even happened. She only started trying to assert herself in the game after Reem was voted out. Before then she would come onto the group chat, ask “Who should I vote for?” and then do as she was told. Finding an idol does not negate someone’s status as a goat, in my opinion. Furthermore, Gillian takes things in this game extremely personally, and isn’t willing to own up to her own lies and manipulations in the game. She has spent the last two days harassing and swearing at me over messenger, and I do not respect that from a potential game-winner.
As for Charlie, I believe he played the quintessential Scooby Doo game. I admit that the fact that he never received any votes cast against him is impressive, and the three wins he secured were a big mark in his favor. However, what is really more impressive? Being such a non-threat because of your lack of big moves that you never receive any votes, or being voted for because you are a threat, and surviving those tribals? Charlie spoke of a game full of master-level manipulation, and I don’t know about you, but I did not see that at all. He had a strong social game and didn’t rock the boat. He had to survive 3 fewer tribals than Gillian and I did, and was rarely even online at 2raku. I think he would be a solid winner, but not an exciting or impressive one.
I would be an exciting winner. I survived being on the wrong side of the vote and being labeled “Least Loyal” right before the swap. I survived being in the minority alliance come merge. I found an advantage minutes before a tribal and used that advantage to help vote out one of my closest allies and biggest threats in the game, changing its trajectory. I was creative in the tactics I used to help maneuver the votes, as with the creation of Matty’s private chats, and remained unexposed in my efforts. I made it to the final three after a tied vote against me, and didn’t even have to win more than one challenge along the way to do so. Whether I win or lose this season, I am proud of the game that I played, and am going to the end with my head held high, knowing that I worked hard every single day in order to get here.
