Tribal Council ~ Bill's Question

First off, I apologize for posting this before Jess had a chance to post her opening. My computer suffered a bit of an ailment, and I am not sure how often I will have internet access over the next few days. I want to quickly say out of character that despite the fact I was disappointed in the lack of interaction in this game, I had fun. I have played in a lot of games (even though it's been about 2 years since my last) and hosted a few as well, but this is the first time I have played in a game where you played as a character, and not as yourself and I find it quite interesting. I definitely didn't play as I usually do, but as I actually thought Bill may attempt to play. It helped that I am a huge True Blood fan and that the only reason I even read Twilight was that I was playing this game. That being said, on to my question.



First off, I am not going to congratulate either of you. I don’t think either of you did anything amazing in which you deserve much praise. That is not to say you both don’t deserve some level of acknowledgement for what you have achieved, so I acknowledge you. You both played the game well enough to get you to this level, and despite what some may say, based on my interactions with you both, you actively participated in the game to the point where I don’t think anyone can honestly say that rode any coattails. I think both people in this final would be a deserving winner, even though one of you was voted off. Also, unlike some people in this jury, based on comments I have over heard, I don’t believe there were any weak players in this game from the merge point on.



I am not going to make much more of a statement, although I retain the right to comment on your answers to my questions. My questions are pretty simple, I am going to make three statements, and I want you to tell me what you think about them, and what you think I may think about them. This will tell me both you concepts of the game of Survivor, and your insights into my personality. Here are the statements.



1. Survivor is just a game, and people shouldn’t take things personally.

2. The jury should vote for the person who they think played the better game overall, and not for the person they just like more, or against a person who did them wrong.

3. Vampires shouldn’t sparkle.



I also have one other question, but, this is optional. It won’t have an effect on how I vote, it’s just for my interest. So, feel free to tell me to go pound sand.



In what ways would you have played this game differently if you were playing as yourself and not as the character you were?



That’s it. Good luck to both of you.

1. Survivor is just a game, and people shouldn’t take things personally.

That is something I personally try to live by in these games, especially since they tend to be so incestuous and you'll be playing with friends. I personally try not to take things personally in these games, and that's the attitude I take when playing. However I know that is a near impossible task for some or even most people playing and sometimes it's been more talk then I'd like to admit and I would be really pissed about what happens in a game and act accordingly to this person outside the game. But I would apologize later once I really thought about it. So I guess with a cool head I think this is an accurate statement but when I get voted out...all bets are off.

You I think probably believe this, but also believe that it being 'just a game' doesn't excuse people's actions. I think Tom said it best in this last episode of Survivor when he told Rupert (when Rupert tried to explain why he was voting the way he was and apologizing for it) that this game doesn't change your personality, it shows you the way you really are. And I think that's true too, and probably the way you feel.


2. The jury should vote for the person who they think played the better game overall, and not for the person they just like more, or against a person who did them wrong.

Again, that is something I agree with...in theory. When I've been on a jury I've always tried to vote for the person I think played the best, whether they betrayed me or we were on opposite sides or whatever the circumstances. I wouldn't vote for someone I thought didn't deserve it. However when faced with a situation where I didn't want to vote 'for' either of the final 2, I would vote 'against' one of them instead, I don't really like doing it because it makes me feel bad, but sometimes you just do.

You I think would also agree with that statement, or at least the first part of that statement. Because again I think that liking someone or someone screwing you over would factor into your idea of who played the better game in the first place.


3. Vampires shouldn’t sparkle.

I agree. I'm sure you do too. Also, lol.


4. In what ways would you have played this game differently if you were playing as yourself and not as the character you were

Actually, I couldn't stand playing as Jessica. I was doing that at the beginning, and I was all for being bratty and annoying but still kinda sweet. But then I was just like "Maybe this why no one wants to talk to me." so I stopped pretty quickly and 'WWJD' didn't really factor into my thought process after that. Because mostly what Jessica would do, is be voted off very quickly.

Though I did use her helpless routine after the merge a bit. And actually did play far differently than I usually do because of that. If I didn't play as Jessica in the beginning I probably would have secured an alliance early on and would not have wavered from it, which is what I've always done in the past. But as Jessica that didn't really work out, so I played a very different game than I usually would.

1. Survivor is just a game, and people shouldn’t take things personally.

Survivor is just a game, and things shouldn't be taken personally. I definitely agree, especially when playing in an online setting. We're competing for nothing more than a title. There's no money involved; we're not sacrificing much of our lives, and we never have to face the moral question of who "deserves" the money. That being said, things you do in the game can definitely bite you in the ass later. How you treat people shouldn't effect long-term relationships if you have them, but the game is still social. You can tick people off, and it can affect the game. But again, it's all part of the game.

I think you'd agree with me. From my limited interaction with you (admittedly, it was very limited), you seemed like a logical game-minded player, and generally those are the ones who are more likely to respect varying strategies and see from perspectives outside of their own.

2. The jury should vote for the person who they think played the better game overall, and not for the person they just like more, or against a person who did them wrong.

I generally prescribe to this method. Once you're on the jury, you don't have to deal with the pressures of keeping promises to further yourself, and you don't have to worry about alliances. You're able to look at the game from a wider and more objective perspective. That being said, there's still no one way to vote. Some people say that whoever played the hardest played the best; some say that whoever played the cleanest played the best; some have criteria all their own. I say set personal vendettas aside, and look at the way we played.

Again, I think you'd agree with this. Like before, I said I got the impression that you were a cool-headed admirer of the game. Everyone's human (well, maybe not in this game...), so we all have biases, but judging by the comments you made here and the questions you've asked, I'd say you look at who played a better game.

3. Vampires shouldn’t sparkle.

Oh geez, vampires definitely shouldn't sparkle. Do you have any idea how many dermatologists I've been to trying to fix this? It's embarrassing...you step in the sun, and BOOM, everyone's pointing and laughing, whispering about your brother and his helpless girlfriend...Believe me, I wish I didn't sparkle. It's like a disease that won't stop spreading...You definitely agree.

4. If I played the game differently, I would have...

Not missed that challenge! Granted, there wasn't a whole lot I coulda done about it, but that was where my game went sour. I missed that challenge and was voted off. Luck saved my ass, and from then on, like I said in my statement, I felt I had to lay low. I hated laying low. I like talking to people, interacting, playing hard. That's how I normally like to go at it. I like to compete. If I could play it one more time, even though I managed to get here, I would've turned it up a couple notches and made myself more of a player.

I can't say too much to my "strategy" as Alice. I'm not an aficionado on either series, so I just picked one person I remembered from the first Twilight book that wasn't a main character :\

Well, thanks for answering my questions. Just some quick notes.

1. Survivor is just a game, and people shouldn’t take things personally.

I totally disagree with this, and almost always vote against anyone on a jury who makes this their main contention. Survivor is a socail experiment. Survivor is building relationships, and I feel people writing someone's name down on a piece of paper in order to remove them from your tribe. Many people compare Survivor to chess or poker, but that comparison falls flat because of the jury. In order to win a chess or poker tournament, all you really have to do is outplay the opponents. In Survivor, enough of those opponents have to want you to win. The Jury is the ultimate difference maker, and that's why games with very little communication bothers me.

2. The jury should vote for the person who they think played the better game overall, and not for the person they just like more, or against a person who did them wrong.

This is another thing that really bother me, when people call the jury bitter. It is part of a cintestants job to win over the jury, to find something that makes them want to vote for you. If you didn't take that into consideration when playing the game, then you were not the best player. Personally, I perfer to vote for the person who lies to my face, then to the person who never lied to me, but never really spoke to me either. At least the liar attempted to build a relationship. But that is how I vote, and I believe each juror should vote the way they want to and not be pressured into voting "for the best player" by the pretentious jackasses that usually sit in the final 2.

Lastly, I am really looking forward to Bella's question, mostly because she has proven time and again to have such a high opinion of her play, and who is worthy and not. Just her belief that she should be the final juror to get to post her questions shows how important she thinks she is. Go on Bella, dazzle us oh queen of the game who ended up in 6th place.

Wow Bill. Quite hard on me lol.

I just want to be last, because Alice and Jason answer to the previous question WILL influence MY question

Love ya Bella.

But you are right I do think highly of myself but I can acknowledge the fact that I made the stupidest mistake ever.....