Épisode Deux: Ze Simple Life

[Hercule Poirot]

Maintenant, all ees quiet in ze game. I did not send any PMs until ze late afternoon, and I was still ze second person to message M. Lucifer.

We shall see eef ze game speeds up soon (as I imagine eet will if we lose a challenge) or eef we continue at zis leisurely pace for another round.

[Hercule Poirot]

Going to give this question thing a try.

How big of a fan of survivor are you? How many seasons have you watched? And what player would you like to model you game after?

I am a relatively big fan of Survivor, and I 'ave played a good amount of zese games. I am less of a fan of ze show zan I used to be, but compared to any normal person I am a Survivor superfan.

I 'ave seen almost every season I believe. I 'ave watched every season since Nicaragua live as eet aired, and I of course went back and watched most of ze early seasons, though eet ees possible zere are some zat I missed and zere I almost certainly some in ze middle zat I started but never finished.

I am not modeling my game after any player, I am modeling my game after Hercule Poirot. My main goal in zis game ees to try to anticipate situations and prepare for zem rather zan waiting for ze situations to arise to react. I also want to use my gimmick strategically to make myself seem less threatening zan I actually am. I am not sure zat zere ees a similar player from Survivor, because most Survivor players are not funny leetle Belgian detectives. Honestly I spent some time trying to think of one and I can't, maybe I'm even less of a Survivor fan zan I thought.

[Hercule Poirot]

Mlle Judy 'as already told me zat she considered throwing zis challenge to vote out M. Lance.

I think zat she ees exactly ze person I guessed earlier, but even if she eesn't, she ees acting like zat person. I think zat she could be an incredibly useful ally (and she also ees ze person who I most enjoy messaging, even more zan M. Grouch), but I must be careful and I cannot give 'er any info I do not want spread around. I also cannot try to change 'er way of seeing ze world, I must conform to eet and make all of my arguments within zose perameters. As long as I do zat, I think zat zis relationship will 'opefully be a success, at least until she goes 'ome at some point 'opefully not by my 'and. But I am very aware zat I am playing with fire and zat Mlle Judy ees not a controllable element.

[Hercule Poirot]

I also think zat eef I can get 'er loyalty, she would be true to me until ze end of time, but even loyal allies can hurt your game at times. And I do not think zat I 'ave eet yet, I am not forgetting what she said about preferring M. Grouch.

M. Grouch and Mlle Judy are ze best at socializing. M. Lucifer ees ze most active. M. Cheddar ees ze best at messaging often but saying nothing. Mlle Jenny ees ze best at messaging other people but not me. M. Lance ees ze best at not messaging anyone.

I might actually prefer M. Lance. Someone who messages no one might be preferable to someone who clearly likes some people, but I am not one of zem. But I do not 'ave ze courage to push zat through so early unless M. Lance steps up significantly and makes 'imself worth saving.

[Hercule Poirot]

Mlle Judy officially proposed an alliance with me, 'er, and M. Grouch, which I am very 'appy about. Zey are definitely ze two people zat I most enjoy ze company of, even though M. Cheddar and M. Lucifer are more active, so if ze three of us are on ze same page, I think zat our odds of surviving zis tribe and moving forward together are very good.

[Hercule Poirot]

How did you think this challenge went for you? Do you think this performance will help your tribe win immunity?

I 'ave no idea. My confidence level ees low when it comes to ze flash games, but zis wasn't as 'orrible as I was expecting? I was kind of even enjoying eet at times. But 'as for 'ow my score with compare with other people, I truly do not know. I am sure zat some people did much better, but 'opefully I am not ze worst? I gave eet my best effort and tried for ze full hour anyway, so even if eet wasn't enough, I can 'old my 'ead up 'igh.

[Hercule Poirot]

I also do most enjoy ze questions, spectateurs. Not much ees 'appening right now in ze game, but I will answer any questions zat you ask.

[Heiji Hattori]

Sure thing. We've talked a lot about the game and the introductions, but let's get to know Hercule as a person. Why did you decide to play in this Survivor series? With which Survivor player do you most closely align your personal behavior (versus the persona you are playing here)?

[Hercule Poirot]

My decision to play in zis game was actually a split-second decision on ze last day zat applications were being accepted. I originally 'ad applied as a spectateur comme vous, so zere ees another world where you and I are spectateurs watching ze game together. Ze reasons zat I decided to apply were many:

1.) I was rejected from another game zat I 'ad applied for, and I received word on ze same day as ze last day applications were being accepted for zis, so eet felt like ze universe wanted me to play. Zis was ze primary inciting incident.
2.) I 'ave been on a massive read/reread of all Agatha Christie novels, so I knew exactly ze character zat I wanted to play and zat I would 'ave a lot of content to roleplay with and a fun gimmick zat I wanted to try.
3.) 'Ere ees a quote from ze first chapter of Ze ABC Murders:

     "'I know,' I sad, 'that you actually retired years ago--"
     'C'est vrai. To grow the vegetable marrows! And immediately a murder occurs--and I send the vegetable marrows to promenade themselves to the devil. And since then--I know very well what you will say--I am like the prima donna who makes positively the farewell performance! That farewell performance, it repeats itself an indefinite number of times!'
     I laughed.
     'In truth, it has been very like that. Each time I say: this is the end. But no, something else arises! And I will admit it, my friend, the retirement I care for it not at all. If the little grey cells are not exercised, they grow the rust.'"

I do not think zat I need to say say more zan zat. Ze way zat Poirot feels about solving murders ees exactly ze way zat I feel about Survivor. Eet ees a compulsion. I am ze prima donna, and zis ees my farewell performance.

I always identified with someone like Hannah Shapiro as a 'uman being. I also relate to ze way zat Kellyn seized control of ze game and was loathe to relinquish eet even as 'er power slipped away. I will try not to do zose things in zis game. Poirot ees more observant zan I am, and I applies order and method more consistently, but I will try to allow 'is energy to affect ze way I look at ze game.

[Burton Guster]

Which novels of hers have you read? Is there a specific Christie story you prefer? I'm rather like them myself and love to give and receive recommendations?

[Joss Carter]

Murder Is Easy (UK) / Easy To Kill (US) is one of my favorites that doesn't feature any of the recurring characters.

[Hercule Poirot]

'Ere ees a complete ranked list of all of ze novels of 'ers zat I ave read/reread within the past year:

And Then There Were None
Lord Edgware Dies (Thirteen at Dinner)
Murder on the Orient Express
Cards on the Table
Death on the Nile
Murder at the Vicarage
Mysterious Affair at Styles
Peril at End House
A Caribbean Mystery
Murder of Roger Ackroyd
The Secret Adversary
The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side
Murder on the Links
Murder in the Mews
Murder in Mesopotamia
Mystery of the Blue Train
Death in the Clouds

And I am currently in ze middle of reading Ze ABC Murders, which was why I chose a quote from eet. I read many others at various points, such as when I was a teenager, but my memories of zem are too confused for me to include in zis list.

I strongly recommend Lord Edgware Dies if you 'ave not read eet. Eet ees a complex one, but one of my favorites.

Cards on ze Table is also fantastique and highly underrated. Eet ees a murder zat occurs during a game of bridge and zere are only four suspects, so extremely pared down and really just a character study of ze four individuals.

Marple, I 'ave enjoyed every Marple I 'ave read. I find 'er novels more consistent than Poirot.

I need to read more standalones because And Then There Were None is ze greatest novel Agatha Christie ever wrote, but my library does not 'ave as many of them for some reason.

[Joss Carter]

Murder of Roger Ackroyd in the bottom half of the list is downright criminal.

[Burton Guster]

Fortunately I've read a lot more of the standalones than Poroit novels, at least by percentage. I thoroughly recommend Crooked House but ESPECIALLY Endless Night, that one was incredible. I read most of my Christie novels in high school but those two were a lot more recent and stick with me. Also the first chapter of Towards Zero is incredible and definitely plays with the genre a bit more than others.

[Burton Guster]

Definitely will pick up Lord Edgeware Dies when I get the chance and agree that And Then There Were None is simply the best, it was also my first so I should reread it though

 Major And Then There Were None Spoilers

I was definitely angry about the killer being "killed" halfway through and talked about how Agatha "cheated" with that ending.

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