this is tentative and will change
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Jurors,
When I first started playing this game 49 days ago- making it this far seemed unthinkable. I was simply excited to experience all the amazing challenges the mods had planned for us, meet wonderful new people and see just how far I could go in this game. Little did I know, I would make it all the way here. It was a tough fight- I met challenges every single step of the way. I was constantly losing valuable friends and wondering if the next tribal was the one that would finally end my journey- despite these struggles, I never gave up hope and continued the good fight. I could not be happier to have been able to make my case before you over the past few days- it was a blessing. To see all the hard work and time and emotion I poured into not only this game, but the many before it, pay off and get me to the end was a dream come true. It fulfilled a dream I've had since being voted out second many years ago when I first joined this site. Today, you have to make the all important decision of who wins this game. I would be blessed and honored if you would choose me- it would be my crowning achievement and mean so much to me.
This final tribal council presented you with a distinct choice between two very different players in myself and Hercule. We both got here from very different paths- when Hercule's name came up at the F11 vote, it was immediately shot down. He enjoyed safety almost the entire game. Mine was not. I received my first vote at the Strike Team tribal council and from then on my name was commonplace in the discussion of who to send home at every single early merge tribal council. I dealt with setbacks repeatedly as I lost multiple allies early on. Yet I persevered and made it here against the odds and the wishes of Hercule Poirot- who wanted a much different Final 3 and 2.
When you compare our games to determine who to vote for- you'll notice that they're drastically different. That's because the way we played, the way we viewed our relationships and the strategies we used were contrary to each other. Hercule's biggest accomplishments in this game were the "defining move of ze game" where he eliminated Grouch and the "crown jewel" of his game where he voted out Leon. Those are the moves he's going to use to try to prove to you that he had more agency in this game than I did. The fact that he can claim those blindsides as part of his resume and I can't isn't an accident and it's intentional on my part. I didn't want to backstab people- when I voted each of you out I tried to do it amicably and I'm fairly sure each of you pretty much knew when I was voting for you.
It also reveals how differently me and Hercule see this game. He directly attributed the fact that he was able to emotionally manipulate Leon to the hours of work he had put into building that relationship prior to that TC and made his move at F4 by telling Leon he had no chance of winning without him. For Hercule- even the relationships he built in this game were a commodity he was willing to exploit. By repeatedly highlighting how "great" of a move he made and relishing in the details of how he got Leon eliminated, he is celebrating the emotional abuse he was able inflict on people. On one hand, he's spent this final tribal council touting these "great" moves and the backstabbing he was able to do and on the other- he's been apologizing to Leon and Grouch and the people he hurt saying he felt awful and to only remember the good moments with him. It's hypocritical and contradictory. A leopard never changes its spots and Hercule Poirot never stops the two-faced trickery. Like some of you have experienced, Hercule apologized to me after the Final 9 vote when he lied to me and said he felt terrible about it- but it didn't stop him from trying to deceive me just a few rounds later at Final 4. His words were empty to me like they probably are to many of you right now.
It's quite fitting that my biggest accomplishments in this game are drastically different than Poirot's and the way you view them is quite different. I survived the difficult early merge rounds by keeping my head low and dodging the vote. I managed to turn the tide against Hercule's SVU+Jake alliance when they had the majority at F8. I won immunity in the latter stages of the game when I needed it most. Some of the votes that had the biggest impact on getting me here aren't attributed solely to me and that's probably made many of you hesitant to vote for me- but personally, that's something good about the way I played. One of my strengths was the alliances I was able to build. I was able to work with a lot of amazing people and it was only through my relationships with Rust, Penelope and Judy that I was able to overcome that majority and make it here. I was able to build enough relationships to get to the end without trickery- simply relying on the bonds I'd made and my prowess at navigating the structural parts of this game. I didn't have to emotionally abuse someone to get here-in fact, that option was never even on the table for me, because I had planned well enough in advance to position myself to make it here without that.
Pikachu, Grouch and Leon-
I had your back until the moment you were voted out. I tried to my best to be a good ally and more importantly a good friend to you. I was really glad to get to know each of you this game and enjoy the time we spent together. Pikachu- you showed me grace when I took out someone close to you and worked with me in spite of that and it meant a lot. In the short time together we had during the merge I did my best to repay it. Grouch- You were an amazing friend and I truly loved every message we shared together. I wanted to go far in this game with you and I was so sad to see you voted out there. Leon- I'm sorry I couldn't do more. I tried my best to be honest and have your back there and I truly wish it could've worked out differently. I remember I told you that I thought you played great and I genuinely meant that. To make it to the final 4 is no small feat, especially in your first game.
Scruff-
I'm sorry that things ended on such a sour note between us after that F10 tribal council. I realize I didn't handle that the best- as someone who has been in a somewhat similar situation to where you were at- I thought I could help by reaching out to you and I feel bad that it didn't work out. I enjoyed the time we spent together and wish it could've ended slightly better.
Jake and Judy-
I'm genuinely sorry- you were the two people in this game that I blatantly lied to at a tribal council and promised something I had no intentions of delivering on. I feel like it literally ruined our relationship Jake, you reached out to make amends and I appreciated that, but it didn't really work out. While I can hardly blame you for it, I feel bad we couldn't ever make it past that. I lied to you too, Judy. You had my back at a critical point of the game and I didn't return the favor and instead took advantage of it. That haunts me. While I'd be forever grateful, I know it's probably hard to vote for me here and I understand that.
Lennie-
I know we never connected that well and I feel bad about that. I do hope you know that I had a lot of respect for the way you played even if we were on opposite sides basically the whole merge. I still did my best to be honest with you and communicate with you despite our differences and I hope you can respect that.
Penelope and Rust-
I loved you both a lot. You were there for me the long haul and I tried to be there for you too. A part of me is still really sad one of you wasn't able to argue your case at this FTC because you both played really well and deserved that opportunity. I know things ended with my betrayal- I know it wasn't perfect, but I did my best to handle that by trying to be transparent with you. I really value the time we were able to spend together, the moves we were able to make and the resilience we all displayed to make it deep into this game. You are amazing.
I poured countless hours into this game. It was a tumultuous journey of many emotional highs and lows. I am so appreciative for the chance to plead my case before all of you to win this game. I've cried when I've been voted out of these games before and I'd probably cry if I finally won one, it would mean the world to me. Getting to spend the last seven weeks with all of you is an experience I will never forget. It's been a really fun ride and I couldn't be more blessed to have been apart of this game. While far from perfect, I played well and more importantly- I strived to treat every single one of you with dignity and respect. I hope you feel the same way and feel that my performance is worthy of your vote.
-Lucifer Morningstar
Topic: Closing Speech??? (Read 216 times)
