LILLY:
James, I feel like you played a fairly clean, aggressive game. Winning immunities and a couple of idol plays, that's the Mike Holloway way. Respect for that. However, I wanna know about your social game. What were some social plays that you made to prolong your lifespan throughout the season?
I'll give you a pre-merge and a few merge ones, to get a feel either side and a decent selection.
PRE-MERGE: I feel my social plays were my high bonding efforts I made with ALL. I started a conversation with you all, tried to get to know you, I knew I was putting myself in great jeopardy openly voting with Jacob, but I felt I had a comfortable bond with all 4 people who voted Jacob at our second first-swap tribal, so I never truly felt in worry of leaving, and could openly vote minority without worrying about a repercussion the following round, all whilst repeatedly reminding people "As long as we are good, I have your back" throughout so they would feel comfortable with me.
MERGE #1: I'll use AJ as my centre of this one as it is quite fitting. So at final 7, we had touchy subjects and the CAST said, and I didn't vote AJ or myself for what we got, that AJ was most playing for second, and I was going to win. One day tribes was only two rounds prior, so close enough relation. My social bonds ensured I was never the target. TJ had suspicions about me, but I had developed a good relationship with Billy, I had developed a good relationship with Nathan, heck also a good relationship with TJ to the point that if people were to vote between the 'second place' and 'winner' of the AJ/James duo, I had it so they were always going to be targeting AJ before me, despite the game openly saying I was the bigger threat.
MERGE #2: I'll use my relationship with Natalie for this one. So Kolby left at F12, and Natalie was the ASSUMED target. However, after discussing with Natalie, I knew Natalie leaving was not beneficial for my game as opposed to someone like Livingston leaving. So by proposing Natalie offers like "I can ensure you will be good this round, I'll get you a name then we might need to do that." This name turning out to be Livingston, it successfully worked. YES others were not wanting Natalie out, but I was the one who voiced the opinion. I used my social game here to rather discreetly get the vote onto Livingston. People were coming to me saying "I've heard Livingston", and I think I played the role of silent assassin relatively well, getting out MY targets and making MY moves without too many people knowing where the shot was fired from, therefore not painting myself as too big of a threat. This also allowed me to gain a stronger relationship and closer ally in Natalie, who I had almost in my 'back pocket' for a couple of rounds.
MERGE #3: The entire round of Final 6. So this was following AJ leaving 5-2 and me voting in the minority, the entire round happened relatively quickly. I think I made a strong social play in picking Billy and Natalie to play Blackjack, which DID earn them both an idol, as then Billy instantly told me about his idol, which allowed me to make out as though we were putting votes on him. At this point when I weighed up my game, I knew my intentions were to give Billy 5th. I knew he was on the edge about playing his idol already, and therefore tried boosting any paranoia by saying I was confident he had at least 2 quite possibly 3 votes, just to ensure that idol left the game that round. Subsequently when it WAS needed, I had my relationship with Natalie at an all-time respect high, so was able to have her inform me who she was voting (as I could figure it would be Blake or Jayson), therefore my social bonds ultimately allowed me to correctly play an idol, whilst also ensuring Jayson could feel even closer to me.
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Ok, I will try my best with this second part.
MOST LILLY LIKE:
1. *drum roll* Lilly! Audible gasp.
2. I'm honestly going to say Blake. Blake is someone I view myself as quite close with, and I know Blake would always fight for himself and what he thinks is right, and from what I have seen of you, Lilly, I certainly believe you are similar to that.
3. Livingston. I always do pair you guys together, I think you have many similarities but also differences, though they are differences which like balance the other person's almost. Both voted me out ;), often together!
4. I will say Jayson, partially a personal thing because both of you we haven't had the best game-relationships previously, whereas this game I did enjoy talking to both of you more and getting the chance to play with each other as opposed to it being a more-so instantaneous "we're against one another."
5. Probably TJ. As with Livingston, I do see you guys as people I'd possibly pair together, but maybe just less-so as it just naturally happens less-so. Both people I could easily chat with in the game, both are entertaining people to be around who I could have a laugh about something with.
6. I will say Natalie. Both are strong personalities which is the key similarity, but bar that I do feel you have quite different ways you just are like and go about things etc. I guess a viewpoint is I spent a lot longer in the game with Natalie than I did Lilly so I had less time to get to know Lilly, but yeah both are strong personalities which is a major similarity!
7. Kolby, I was debating either putting Kolby at the top or bottom, because you are both outgoing characters, but overall with totally different perspectives and stuff, so yeah more opposite than similar, but due to similarity in big personalities, midway seems right!
8. I'll go with Logan, you've got a couple similarities but for the most part opposite kinda people, I feel with Logan I know him better so understand his game and stuff more generally, whereas with you it is almost more unpredictable, but that just is a knowing factor.
9. Probably AJ, from when I talk to AJ and when i talk to you, I certainly do feel the difference in convo, probably because I'm closer to AJ, like it's not anything negative on the brief convos we did have Lilly, but from our couple convos it was game-related whereas I'd have broader convos with AJ, so yeah partially based on a knowing-level.
10. I'll say Max, like from when I talk to either of you I definitely receive different vibes, like neither negative but quite opposite people for sure I think.
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I apologise if any of that struggled to make sense or anything, it is 3:45am right now, pretty long day. If anything was too confusing, I would gladly retype my answer in the morning!