User blog comment:Tanglefrost/Survivor: Con Dao- Character Applications/@comment-24526522-20200102235802

Name (Age): Enrique Salvador (24)

Current Residence: Denver, CO

Occupation: Nightclub DJ

Claim to Fame: Starting to make it as a DJ. Growing up, I was always passionate about making music, but both of my parents didn't approve. They both grew up poor and made a living for themselves as entrepreneurs, and to put it simply, they wanted me to go where the money is - and DJing clubs isn't that, in their minds. But, with hard work, I've started getting gigs a lot more regularly, and I'm even been contacted by a few small labels. (shrugs) My folks aren't too happy about it, but they're starting to come around now that I'm making money.

Hobbies: You wouldn't guess it by looking at me, but I really like to play tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons. (laughs) I kinda got roped into a game by a friend at once and thought it was a little weird, but I had an open mind... and I ended up loving it. The group I play with has a great sense of humor that makes each game a total riot!

Pet Peeves: I think it's really annoying when people think of office jobs as "real jobs" and others like DJing, modeling, and so on aren't. Just because something is more common doesn't make it better. (shrugs) I also hate it when people call me gay if I'm dating a guy or straight if I'm dating a girl. I'm bi no matter who I'm dating.

If You Could Have Three Things on the Island, What Would They Be and Why: First, all of my DnD stuff would be great to pass the time, since there isn't gonna be a lot to do some of the time. I also want to bring my cat Sunny with me, since she's my best friend. I guess the last thing I'd bring is a phone or something that I can use to talk to my girlfriend for advice.

SURVIVOR Contestant You Are Most Like: I'm a lot like Vecepia from Marquesas. She played a great under-the-radar style of game, which is how I think I'll approach it, too. I'm naturally a quieter person so I'm keen to sit back and observe instead of making myself into a big target early on.

Reason for Being on SURVIVOR: My family has watched SURVIVOR together for as long as I can remember. My parents have been fans since the first season, and I might be too young to remember the earlier seasons, but my parents swear I watched every episode with them, even as a toddler. (smiles) It's safe to say I'm a big fan of the show.

Why You Will "Survive" Survivor: My parents love SURVIVOR, so much so that they started going camping because of it. (laughs) Not really sure if you can compare the two, but it's good enough for them! Point is, they would take me with them once I got older, so I know how to do things like build a fire, fish, and hunt. I could probably last a good amount of time on my own. (shrugs)

Why You Will Be the Sole Survivor: Having seen so much of the show, I know a lot about the strategy and how it's evolved throughout the years. I'm also not afraid to forge my own path and do my own thing, so if an alliance isn't working out for me, I'm not going to stick to it for the sake of it. I think being able to fade to the background, observe, and go from there instead of being stubborn and inflexible will get me the win at the end of the day.

'''Rate you castway's strategic, physical and social game out of 10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. Provide a reason why you chose the numbers.'''
 * Strategic: 7 - As a big fan of the game, Enrique knows a lot about how to strategize and form alliances without seeming like a gamebot or like he's overplaying. He is also good at avoiding making himself into a target through under-the-radar gameplay. However, he loses points because he is a bit more emotional in his decision making than he likes to admit, and may play too under-the-radar to the point of being seen as a floater.
 * Physical: 7 - Enrique is above average in the physical department. He works out regularly and eats well, so he won't struggle much when it comes to challenges. He doesn't have a lot of brute strength, which loses him points, but he is great at endurance-related challenges (i.e. long-distance running and swimming).
 * Social: 4 - Enrique is not so great at the social part of the game. His problem is that he is too preoccupied with pleasing people, which some people can pick up on by interacting with him. This may hurt him in the game because he won't stand up for himself or others if somebody is treating other people wrong (in a personal way, not a strategic way). However, he does have some social strengths, one being that he's very mindful of how other people feel and often knows how to cheer people up and endear them to him, even if to some this comes off as transparent.

What could cause your castaway to win: If Enrique is able to judge when to make moves and move between alliances at the right time as he claims he's able to in his bio, he'll be able to blindside big players without catching too much heat for it, which would prove to be a compelling case for victory at a Final Tribal Council.

What could cause your castaway to lose: If Enrique's quieter, under-the-radar nature causes him to be left out of key alliances, he may be in big trouble unless he can pick up on these alliances and find cracks in them. Additionally, he might be seen as a coattail-rider, a goat, or a floater for not having more visible, louder gameplay.

What kind of castaways would your castaway align with: Enrique wants to work with players who are bigger targets than himself, as it fits his goal of playing under-the-radar. He'd also get along with people who also like cats, DnD, or most importantly, electronic music/nightclubs. Enrique's best at befriending people who have a common interest with him, and it's more likely he'll come off as more genuine when there's common ground shared. He's also more likely to align with men or women he thinks are attractive.

What kind of castaways would your castaway avoid/be enemies with: Enrique can't stand judgmental people, point blank. He is too empathetic to be able to get along with people that judge other's life choices, mannerisms, speech patterns, occupations, etc. This stems from his backstory which is posted as an answer to a later question. He'll also avoid people he believes don't like him, and he usually has a pretty good sense of when somebody likes him or not.

Please provide a small paragraph of backstory: Enrique's family life is a lot rockier than he lets on in his bio. He grew up in an upper-class family, both of his parents being children of immigrants from Central America who were able to earn a modest fortune from starting a successful business together. Despite being financially secure, Enrique's childhood was less than peachy due to his parents' controlling behavior. To make things worse, they reacted very poorly to him coming out as bisexual and ostracized him further due to his DJ career. While Enrique is a huge fan of SURVIVOR, he wants to go on the show not only as a fan, but in hopes of reconciling with his parents through a shared interest. The controlling and often judgmental behavior his parents had towards him is why he can't stand judgmental people in any capacity.

Do you consent to having your manga altered (such as natural hair shades, eye colours, custom clothing/face details) if your castaway is cast? Yes

NOTE: This castaway was originally submitted for a contest for one of Wafflefreak's seasons, but I decided to completely change his backstory/personality/etc. and resubmit him because I really like the manga.