Hi jury members!
This has been a wild ride, from beginning to end. Pre-merge, I started out making sure I was good with everyone (especially people on my tribe), making convos and socializing more than I usually do - since I'm usually bad at it!! This time I made sure I was never a primary target, either by immunities or by alliances.
I managed to be added to alliances with Moses and Jayson, and also with Zach, Katherine and Ari (along with my blood Hufus, on both). I grew bonds and made sure people would feel comfortable with me and trust me. Most of my votes were never sure however - sometimes I would plot to try and vote out someone for being a huge threat, but in the end, I would make sure I remained in peace with people and not be viewed as a threat, especially like my previous season.
When it came to merge and jury, it was absolutely the most dramatic part of the game.
There was the tie between Alex and Kath - which was forced because of immunity tokens, and I did not want to do either but since Alex had talked to me less, I felt unsure and that he would be a threat to me further on... In a revote however, I decided not to make waves and risk rocks, so I had to vote out a close ally of mine - Kath - knowing I had no choice but to remain in good graces with people, and maybe extend an olive branch to people that might have been still on the fence with me and my loyalty.
Further on, I tried to make sure I would vote in majority while still getting the best outcome for my long-term gameplay - with gaining information about Wade lying and not being trust-worthy, I knew I had to vote him in majority. Then, it was the Alex VS Zach tribal council, which was one of the biggest rivalries in the season, BUT I knew this was probably my only chance to vote Alex, who was my biggest threat, and I knew he would not be working with me moving forward... Then the next TC, Zach had to be the casualty, which to me was not my ideal scenario, as I knew Moses was my last biggest threat, and the person possibly coming for me; plus, Zach was a very loyal ally, especially after talking with him after a previous tension and managing to mend the relationship. However I had to stick with the plan to vote Zach, to further on my game with the other alliance Hufus/Jayson/Moses, and show them I am loyal (and to deflect the rumour that me/kath/hufus/ari/zach had a f5 alliance, which was true, but purely an apparent guess).
In the Grace vote, this was another time where I thought "I really want to message Grace and make a move on Moses or Jayson", however my communication with Grace was not as strong as usual (game-wise) so I couldn't talk to her in the end, along with me agreeing that maybe I should stick with the alliance for this round too, and therefore, she sadly had to become 6th place. And so on, I managed to secure a vital immunity for me in F5, with Ari also sadly becoming a casualty, and in F4, I secured an immunity after my blood Hufus winning and giving his necklace generously to me, which was a heartbreaking moment because I did not wanna lose my blood... (but he managed to win the FMC, so I'm proud of him so much).
Despite the hurdles, tough votes and a mix of allies and alliances, I managed to make final 3, trying to get as little blood in my hands, socializing as much as possible, proving my loyalty to my allies, and making the right moves at the right time. I was persistent, but also lowkey when needed, and I did my best to make sure I did not make any unnecessary or suspicious moves.
Sorry if I angered anyone in any vote I participated in, I genuinely think this could've gone many different ways, and I could see myself working with anyone from this iconic cast!! Please ask me any questions you have.
Good luck Jayson and Hufus!