Salut mes amis! C’est moi, Hercule Poirot!
Mon Dieu, what an
incroyable journey zis ‘as been. Eet ‘as been such a pleasure and privilege to play zis game representing ze
fabuleux Hercule Poirot. I came into Survivor: PD wanting to play a game worthy of ze greatest detective zat ze world ‘as ever known, and I ‘ope zat throughout ze course of zis FTC, I can demonstrate zat I did so and prove myself worthy of your votes.
At ze start of ze game, I made two promises to myself.
Un, zat I would accurately depict ze
caractère of Hercule Poirot, both ze
personnalité and ze ‘eart beneath ze surface of ze man, in order to do ze character justice and to make genuine social bonds with my fellow players. And
deux, zat as Hercule Poirot always says, I would use my leetle grey cells to constantly analyze and reanalyze every situation in order to determine what was best
pour moi and to fight to pursue eet. I feel zat I accomplished both of zese goals, and zey will be ze organizing principle of zis speech. I do warn you zat as you ‘ave come to expect from Hercule Poirot, zis speech will not be ze most
bref, but I will do my best to keep ze length somewhat
raisonnable.
Part Un: Ze Caractère of Hercule PoirotI ‘ave enjoyed bringing Poirot to life so much zis game. Far from being an obstacle to overcome, my
caractérisation was an active asset to my game zat allowed me to charm ze rest of my fellow players and make friends, sometimes in unexpected places. Ze way in which I allowed my unique posting style and my use of French to work for me instead of against me ees incredibly
impressionnant, especially given zis site’s general attitude towards posting gimmicks. Ze fact zat I am ‘ere at ze end at all, ‘aving ‘ad and maintained a posting gimmick for ze entire time zat alienated no players other zan Mlle Jenny zat I know of, ees a feat in and of eetself.
My posting gimmick, combined with my social prowess
en général, allowed me to consistently be positioned well throughout ze game. On 99, I immediately formed an alliance with M. Grouch and Mlle Hopps, two ‘ighly charismatic, social players, but I was universally liked by everyone apart from Mlle Jenny, and ‘er dislike of me was a ‘uge part of why she went ‘ome second. On SVU, I connected strongly with M. Briscoe, who became my confidant and closest ally for ze time ‘e was in ze game, and with M. Kennedy, whose social play and innate charisma immediately endeared ‘im to me. Along with Mlle Hopps, ze four of us formed a four-person alliance which would go on to dominate ze tribe and much of ze early merge, keeping me safe and in control despite SVU’s many challenge losses. Even ze people in ze minority on SVU I bonded with, 'owever, including Mlle Macer, M. Blart, and M. Chase, and I even secretly told M. Cheddar about ze M. Chase vote before eet 'appened, with both of us agreeing to keep eet quiet and to play up ze fact zat we were at odds moving forward to 'ide our relationship.
Strike was objectively an ‘orrible swap for me, and another player might ‘ave been in ‘ot water, but not Hercule Poirot. Again my social ability bailed me out and I was able to win over Mlle Garcia, M. Wilde, and M. Peralta (and eventually flip M. Morningstar) to ze point where I was not ever on ze table as an option on zat tribe despite ze fact zat as M. Peralta said to me, zey came in expecting me to be an enemy. Come merge, I connected with M. Cohle despite not ‘aving met ‘im prior to zat point, and ze two of us were able to form a secret agreement to look out for each other early on in ze merge zat carried us all ze way to ze final three. I also ‘ad decent starts to my discussions with M. McGruff and M. Pikachu, though due to our limited time together zese per’aps did not reach zeir full potential. Despite ‘ow well I connected with almost everyone I met socially, all of ze social relationships zat I made in ze game were genuine on my end, and I appreciate ze unique relationships and dynamics zat I ‘ad with each and every player. You all made zis game a pleasure to play.
My social play did not go unnoticed by my fellow players, ‘owever. M. Grouch warned me zat other players were seeing me as a meatshield and zat ‘e worried about my chances longterm. M. Cohle told me zat I was ze strongest PMer in ze game, and zat everyone ‘ad identified me as such and would not be willing to take me to ze end. I saw ze danger of me being eventually cut looming in ze distance. Despite zis, ‘ere I sit, in ze F2, not ‘aving won my way ‘ere, but ‘aving been taken ‘ere. In order to accomplish zat, I ‘ad to put in work. In order to accomplish zat, I ‘ad to use my leetle grey cells.
Part Deux: Ze Leetle Grey CellsIf you take nothing else about my strategic game away from zis section of my speech, take away zat I was constantly thinking and constantly working. Every interaction, every strategy PM, everything zat I did in ze game was a chance to benefit myself. Zis section will focus more on a few key important decisions zan on ze smaller, daily decisions zat go into playing Survivor, but I ‘ope zat eet will give you a sense of my thought process throughout ze game so zat you can ask about ze individual decisions zat matter most to you during questioning. I did ‘ave a lot of agency during ze premerge, and I did make decisions zere zat were crucial for ze rest of my game, including some impressive mechanical play with ze tiger idol, but for ze purposes of length, I’m going to begin at ze second round of merge.
M. McGruff
An important early decision zat I made in ze merge was my decision to target M. McGruff at ze second tribal council. Zere was a lot of confusion about M. McGruff’s decision to vote for M. Peralta ze previous round, but I actually did not care about zat or what ze truth about zat was much at all. I wanted M. McGruff eliminated for my own reasons, mainly because M. Kennedy ‘ad told me zat M. McGruff and M. Peralta were ‘is two closest allies in ze game other zan me, and I saw M. McGruff as ze one person who could pry M. Kennedy away from ze M. Peralta-SVU majority zat I was trying to form. I also really wanted M. Peralta to be alive for as long as I could keep ‘im alive, both because we ‘ad an agreement to go to ze end together which I actually trusted ‘e would keep and because ‘e was such a ‘uge distracting presence zat kept people from looking at me (and voting for me). I’m definitely not ze sole person be’ind M. McGruff’s elimination, but I did fight ‘ard for eet from ze very beginning of ze round, and I was one of ze people who benefited from eet ze most.
M. Grouch
Ze M. Grouch vote at final nine was, à mon avis, ze defining move of ze game zat established ze trajectory zat ‘as led to me sitting in ze F2 aujourd’hui. Without eet, I think ze entire landscape of ze game ees different. While I do not claim sole responsibility for M. Grouch’s elimination, I do believe zat I was a ‘uge part of eet ‘appening when and ‘ow eet did, and eet ees my most interesting and controversial choice of ze game. I knew coming into ze final nine zat either Mlle Garcia, M. Cohle, M. Grouch, or M. Morningstar would ‘ave to be ze boot. I was in such a strong position with SVU+M. Peralta, ‘aving ‘ad so much time to solidify my relationships, and M. Peralta, M. Briscoe, and Mlle Hopps were all players who I trusted, but who I also knew would attract a lot of attention and probably be targeted before me. Keeping shields in front of me was a ‘uge component of my strategy zis game because when you are such a conspicuous player as Hercule Poirot, you need other conspicuous players around to take some of ze pressure off of you. Although I genuinely liked and trusted all of M. Grouch, Mlle Garcia, M. Morningstar, and M. Cohle, I also knew zat ze direction zey wanted ze game to go in and ze direction I wanted ze game to go in were extremely different, and I did not see a path to ze end for me with all of zem still in ze game at 8.
So I knew which side I was going to side with almost immediately, but ze specific choice of M. Grouch as ze target was incredibly difficile, because on 99 M. Grouch was my closest ally and ‘e was someone who I had built up mutual trust with and who I adored as a person and initially planned to go far with. Ultimately, ‘owever, I realized zat ze trust I ‘ad built up, in a situation where I ‘ad to betray eet and openly work against ‘im, actually became a detriment. Our relationship was built on honesty with each other, and me being dishonest in such a flagrant way I knew would cause irreparable damage to our relationship, whereas people I ‘ad connected less with at zis point such as M. Cohle actually became closer to me as a result of zis move. For zis raison, and for other raisons, I went with my leetle grey cells over my ‘eart and pushed for M. Grouch to be eliminated. I’m sure zat others wanted M. Grouch independently of me, but I was ze first one to bring eet up in ze groupchat zat voted together, and I think without my influence, zere ees an excellent chance zat M. Morningstar ees targeted ‘ere instead of M. Grouch, so especially in ze context of who I’m sitting next to maintenant, zis was one of my most important decisions of ze game.
M. Peralta and M. Briscoe
In many ways, I think of ze premerge and early merge leading up to ze M. Grouch boot as me building up a fortress around myself, and zen from ze M. Grouch boot on, ze floodgates were opened and eet was time to see if my fortress could withstand ze storm. And was zere ever a storm. Mlle Hopps was one of my favorite people in zis game and someone who I immediately knew would be an amazing ally for me, but we are extremely different players. I prefer getting myself into a strong position and zen defending zat position, whereas Mlle Hopps thrives in chaos. I knew what I was getting myself into when I chose to ally with and form a F2 with ‘er, but even still, ze aggressiveness with which she was willing to force ze M. Peralta and M. Briscoe eliminations against my will genuinely surprised me. I ‘ad guessed zat she might try to get M. Peralta very soon after ze M. Grouch vote, but I thought zat I could talk ‘er out of eet. Zis proved to be impossible. Both of zese eliminations were in my opinion not good moves for my game, and I fought as ‘ard as I could against zem, literally for hours and hours.
I do think, 'owever, zat I showed my strength and confidence in myself as a player during zese rounds. I was always fighting for what I believed was best for me, and I knew zat I was a strong enough player zat even if I tried something and eet failed, I would be able to recover. Par exemple, I attempted to flip ze vote around on M. Kennedy in order to save M. Briscoe, and M. Kennedy found out about eet, and yet I was able to entirely salvage my relationship with M. Kennedy and blindside ‘im once again when I finally did remove ‘im at F4. And if I was not going to control what was actually ‘appening, I was going to control ze narrative, and I made sure zat everyone knew zat I ‘ad nothing to do with M. Peralta and M. Briscoe going so zat Mlle Hopps took all of ze blame, which allowed me to pivot and form a F4 alliance with M. Kennedy, M. Cohle, and M. Morningstar, seamlessly adapting to ze changing circumstances.
Mlle Hopps and Mlle Garcia
Mlle Hopps and Mlle Garcia were always going to be ze next two boots after M. Briscoe was gone provided zat zey did not win Immunity. Eet was clear to me zat I might not be able to save either of zem even if I wanted to, but I didn’t especially want to, given zat zey were both challenge threats and not ideal people for me to sit next to in ze end, though I did connect extremely well socially with both of them. I’m not sure if zey were removed in ze right order for me or not, but I do think zat Mlle Hopps going first was fine, especially since Mlle Hopps ‘ad revealed to me zat she ‘ad been throwing challenges and, while I don’t think Mlle Hopps would ‘ave gunned for me at 5 if she ‘ad won Immunity, I was relatively confident zat I could get M. Kennedy eliminated at 5 instead of me in ze unlucky event zat Mlle Garcia 'ad won Immunity zere. As eet 'appened, eet did not matter and zey both went ‘ome, as I expected zem to after M. Briscoe was gone. Neither of zese votes were fun votes to cast, and Mlle Hopps' vote was a betrayal a F2 deal, but I do think zey were necessary steps on my journey to ze end of ze game.
M. Kennedy
And now we come to ze crown jewel of my game, ze final four. Ze fact zat I was able to pull zis off, with some ‘elp from M. Cohle naturellement, ees legitimately incroyable, and I think deserves so much credit. I knew from ze beginning of ze round zat either M. Kennedy or M. Morningstar would ‘ave to go ‘ome as soon as I saw zat eet was a F2. I ‘ad been developing a tight relationship with M. Cohle for rounds, and I knew zat both of us were not people who M. Morningstar intended to take to ze end, so in order to get one of us into zat F2 chair in ze event zat M. Morningstar won ze F3 Immunity, which as eet ‘appens ees exactly what ‘appened, we both agreed zat we would vote together and zat we would not tell either of ze other players what we were doing. M. Kennedy told me zat ‘e was going to vote for M. Morningstar as long as ‘e lost Immunity, which I believed, but zen when M. Morningstar won ze challenge, my decision was made for me, and I cast my vote for M. Kennedy five minutes after I saw ze challenge results. Most of ze time, I think zis round ends in a firemaking challenge between myself and M. Kennedy, but I ‘ad no guarantee zat I could win zat. I was not going to leave anything up to chance. Both M. Morningstar and M. Kennedy told me zat zey were strongly leaning towards voting for me early in ze round, and from zere I was ready to put in work. I began by pleading with M. Kennedy. Eet became clear zat M. Kennedy was content with zere being a firemaking challenge, but ‘e did not want to vote for and potentially alienate M. Cohle. I zen approached M. Morningstar, and actually succeeded in convincing ‘im zat taking out M. Cohle was ze smarter move for ‘is game, but M. Morningstar was not willing to make ze move without M. Kennedy. So I zen ‘ad to return to M. Kennedy, and, in exchange for my Jury vote, I convinced M. Kennedy to lie to M. Morningstar and say zat ‘e was voting for M. Cohle while actually voting for me. I was definitely chanceux zat M. Kennedy was even open to doing zat, and I wouldn't 'ave been able to convince every player in zat situation, but ze fact remains zat ze vote started out 2-2 and through my 'ard work, eet became 2-1-1. Zis was ze only way zat zis vote did not end in a firemaking challenge, and I managed to pull eet off. I saw my incredibly narrow path and seized eet. I said zat my goal was 2-1-1 to M. Cohle at ze very beginning of ze round, and zen I actually accomplished zat.
I duped M. Kennedy. I tricked ‘im into voting ‘imself out of ze game. I felt incredibly guilty about eet, especially because M. Kennedy ees someone I genuinely loved meeting and playing with and I was laying ze emotional manipulation on ‘im thick while voting for ‘im ze entire time, but I felt zat eet was nécessaire in order to keep myself alive and not leave my fate up to a firemaking challenge. No matter what you think about ze rest of my game, I think zat my play zis round speaks for eetself. I outplayed M. Kennedy and M. Morningstar, and make no mistake, if not for my play zis round, I would not be sitting in ze F2 aujourd’hui.
I stand before you ‘aving truly given zis game everything zat I ‘ad in me. I’m very proud of ze game zat I played and of ze fact zat I am sitting ‘ere in ze end, but I also am aware zat my success came at your expense. I ‘ad to make some betrayals to get to zis point, and I take responsibility for zem. Sending wall PMs to M. Grouch acting like nothing was wrong while secretly voting ‘im out was
horrible. Emotionally manipulating M. Kennedy into casting a vote zat I knew would send ‘im ‘ome 'urt
mon coeur. Zere were moments in zis game where I felt like a bad person because of ze lengths I was willing to go to for ze sake of my game. I broke a F2 with Mlle Hopps. I tried to get Mlle Garcia eliminated for multiple rounds in a row despite 'er being one of ze people I socially connected with best in ze whole game. I absolutely understand if you cannot bring yourselves to give me your votes, but I do ‘ope zat I can earn zem, or even if I cannot, zat you can find eet within you to forgive me and understand why I acted ze way zat I did. Everything zat I did, I did because I thought eet was ze smartest move for my game. I was aggressive. I was cutthroat. I did what I ‘ad to do in order to advance myself. But for any emotional pain zat my play caused anyone, I am truly, truly sorry.
Despite all of zat, I am proud of my game. I was proactive player. I shaped ze trajectory zat zis game took. I maneuvered my way to a F3 where I believe (M. Cohle can correct me if I’m wrong) both players I was sitting with were taking me to ze end if zey won zat final challenge. I went longer zan anyone else in ze game without receiving votes. I made multiple big moves zat ‘elped to advance my interests. And I did all of zis while being universally seen as one of ze biggest social threats in ze game and never sacrificing ze
caractérisation of Hercule Poirot. I think zat I would make an extremely worthy winner, if you allow me to become one. I look forward to your questions. Thank you all for a
fantastique game.
Merci pour tout.
Topic: Final Speech Drafting (Read 376 times)