Previously on… Survivor:
The Final 4 in the game set out to claim their ticket to the end. The plan was to vote out Raz, and then get Yurimaster into the Final 2. However, a tailspin was thrown into their plans when Raz won immunity. Yuri’s closest friend, Blackyoshi, made good on the promise to sacrifice himself for his friend, and was voted out 3-1, to the reluctance of everyone else.
In the Final 3, the plan remained the same, and they performed the Torch Walk, commemorating past players. In an endurance/trivia challenge, Yurimaster and Venexis were eliminated at the same time, causing Raz to win the Final Immunity Challenge. He decided to eliminate Yurimaster, feeling that his jury odds were better against Venexis.
Only two remain: Raz, the champion for Oerhaos, and Venexis, the flipper wild card. Only one can win Survivor and the $100 prize. It all comes down to the Final Tribal Council where the jury will vote one of them the winner.
BREAKDOWN INCOMING: IT DOES SPOIL THE WINNER
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Jury: brandobrawl, Magnen, nin10mode, Harmless, Emelia Kaylee, Blackyoshi, Yurimaster
Sole Survivor: Venexis (4-3)
Jury Votes for Raz: brandobrawl, nin10mode, Emelia Kaylee
Jury Votes for Venexis: Magnen, Harmless, Blackyoshi, Yurimaster
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It all comes down to this. Raz and Venexis face the jury. There are three loyal Squids (Magnen, Harmless, Yuri), three loyal Oerhaos (Brandobrawl, Nin10mode, Emelia Kaylee), and then Blackyoshi, who was loyal to both sides.
This is a great thread to get inside the head of Ponderosa where the vote isn’t really talked about much. It discusses the alliances each player had, and it invokes conversation between the jurors about how the game went down. There might be spoilers, so take caution.
The general mood of Ponderosa is that Venexis’ flipping is obviously mixed, but the obvious Oerhaos-Squid tension finally gets addressed, namely when Harmless comes into Ponderosa and is addressed on the way he played the game. Regardless, some people are able to see eye-to-eye on certain things in the game.
Time will tell whether or not it will be effective.
Final Tribal Council Opening Statements
Raz and Ven stand before the jury, and make their opening statements.
Raz’s Opening Statement
“Alright, so I guess I should say why I think I should win.
Honestly, I think I played clean the entire game. I never backstabbed anyone. I never lied to anyone in the alliance, and I always made sure that the alliance we had tried to not go against eachother. I mentioned that I said Magnen did nothing the entire game, and I know people are mad at me for that. I'm sure she did work hard in the tribe. But really, I didn't want to say anyone in my alliance because of the fact that we're all friends in our alliance, and honestly if I could change my answer to MK, I would. Also, I think I was one of the hardest workers throughout the entire game. I helped in every single tribe challenge, and did every challenge. The only exception to that was the challenges relating to actual survivor, but the advantage ended up being more helpful in the long run. Also, I promised MK a game and I wanted to give brando a game too because he was pretty great the entire game. Also another thing to Harmless, we worked just as hard as peter, if not harder. I feel bad for using him as vote bait and it was my idea the whole time because in the end it wasn't worth preventing the shuffle.
I know the post is a scramble but I really suck at making paragraphs.
Also ask any questions you have here”
Verdict:
It’s a very blunt, brief opening statement that befits Raz very well. He isn’t overly organized in his thoughts, and he says exactly what he thinks, but that’s probably the best route he could take. At this rate, anything else would sound fake.
Venexis’ Opening Statement:
“Pretty much what the title says.
Let's face it, the game isn't in our hands anymore, lawl. No doubt many of you already have a winner in mind, which is probably a good thing, since you seven will be making the final move of Survivor: Runouw.
So, you know, there's not a whole lot left to say. Pretty much covered everything in the Torch Walk, at least, I think so. Feel free to bother me with additional questions though, I won't lie. Anyone who's confronted me about anything since I started looking at this as more than a fun little experiment should be able to vouch for that.
But regardless, that's not why I'm here. I'm here to convince you to vote me. That's really not something that comes easily to me, especially not when literally every member of the jury is waiting for me to hurry up and post, but what the hell? There's nobody left to try to keep in the game, nobody else to betray, so I guess I'm in for me now.
I suppose you should vote me because I've kept things interesting. I was one of the rare few members to try working across the tribal divide, and have attempted to moderate the balance of power to ensure that the game could not be a total shutout until the final rounds. I've assisted both sides at various points in the game, and I think MoD had it right when he named me as the player who "seems to have the closest thing to control on this wild game."
Nor have I been particularly careful lately. I've been very open with everyone who's asked the last few rounds, yet nobody saw to use that to my detriment. I'm here as a finalist for a reason. As the jury, it's your job to determine if that reason is an worthy one. I'm ready.”
Verdict:
Venexis is finally owning his game, and it’s about time. I was worried he would continue to be self-conscious and sacrificial the entire duration of the game, which concerned me because I wasn’t sure if a player like that could take home the win. But now Venexis shows that as much as he was in it for others, he was in it for himself as well.
The Speeches
Now I’ll post every juror’s speech in order of their boot. For some, I will post their votes if they have obviously made up their minds. Consider it a teaser.
Brandobrawl’s Question:
Hello peepz. I hope you've missed me, I know I've missed myself.
Now this might seem a bit selfish, but if it does, good. It's all about me in the end. So the only questions I'll be asking are about me. I think we pretty much agree anyway that while I might not have been a very notable contestant, it was voting me out that pretty much changed the end-game.
To Ven:
I've read what you've said. And don't take this the wrong way, there's no hard feelings at all, as far as outside the game goes.
Inside the game however, you can pretty much guess how I felt when I found out you were also a traitor, when previously you had lied to our face about it when confronted, and in the end deciding to trust you got me voted out to my great surprise. You already know what I said about turning traitor, and how I didn't understand the move at all. In my eyes, at that moment at least, there were more important people that could've been voted out, and if it wasn't a matter of importance, then I'd like to think there were less important people as well.
You already pointed out yesterday how in the end votes are only effective when group mentality comes into play, but I still have to ask. So even if you can only answer your personal reason, this is my only question for you.
Why did you vote me out?
And to ShyGuy:
In the end, I guess I still don't regret sticking with you to the bitter end. I would've liked to win, and I told you that I really wanted to win, but I guess after all I really could've done a lot more to stay in the game. Perhaps.
And the reason I stuck to you is that, I only gave you my trust because I had yours. It was nice being one of the first considered for an alliance, and even if it all went to shit at the end, it felt like a miniature home inside this metaphorical island. So I don't really have to ask you anything about that to make my decision.
However, as a supplemental question to what I asked Ven, however, one moment does come to mind. After the confusing moment of my elimination, we went around looking for the traitor. BY confessed, but after closer inspection, the votes still didn't add up because MK claimed to have voted for Harmless as well. Which meant there wasn't only one, but two traitors in the alliance.
I didn't follow the game much after that, as I've admitted, so I have no idea how soon after that you found out Ven was the other person who turned. But still, my question for is this.
What went through your mind at that moment?
Thanks for sitting through those walls of text, and those are my final two questions for the final two Survivors. Congratulations for making it this far, you wonderful bastards.
Raz’s Answer:
By that time, I was almost certain it was Ven. I just didn't want to believe it. I wasn't sure what to do, so I just didn't say anything until I was completely certain.
Venexis’ Answer:
There were three Squids + BY voting for you, four Oerhaos members voting Harmless. I had already confirmed this, as I was hearing from both sides via the Oerhaos alliance itself and Harmless. At this point, I figured I could do one of three things. Vote Harmless, vote you, vote myself. Voting me would accomplish nothing- not only is it not allowed, it was a 4-4-1 split with me as the undecided party, so that was out.
Voting Harmless would mean voting out one of the only members who tried to bridge the tribal divide. Not only would this have jeopardized my own position within the game, it would have severed any future communication from the remaining Squids and doomed them to utter destruction. As the main focus of the game up until this point had been to pick off the Squids one by one, they were at a clear disadvantage. I wasn't particularly thrilled about our tribe's involvement in certain events that took place before the merge, and now that I was starting to get to know Harmless, I had a personal reason to not vote him.
The only other option was voting you. It would mean moving against the alliance, but it would also be the only chance anyone had to turn the tables. If another Squid was voted off, even with BY and myself, we would be outnumbered and crushed. It was really this opportunity that sealed the deal- I wasn't looking forward to potentially voting Harmless off any more than I wanted to vote you.
I had entered this thing thinking it would be fun, a chance to get to meet new people. It's a pretty shitty defense but it's the only one I have. I justified it by thinking "this is what happens in real Survivor" and yeah, it is, but a large part was also that I didn't want to close any doors (for example, meeting members of the Squids, most of who I've had no real interaction with before) before necessary. I especially didn't want to eliminate those possibilities as part of an alliance that seemed more determined to crush them without remorse than see if they had potential.
Brandobrawl’s Vote:
“Reason: I already posted that I didn't regret sticking with ShyGuy to the bitter end.
This is the bitter end as well.”
Host’s Take:
Completely unsurprising that Brandobrawl voted for Raz. The two were close friends, Brando was Raz’s second in command, and Venexis was the traitor that broke Oerhaos apart. Nothing Venexis ever could have said would have swayed Brandobrawl.
Magnen’s Question:
So, only 3 questions for the both of you:
1. What do you think everyone's state of mind will be after this game? Will it be affected by your win/loss?
2. If you lose, how will you handle it?
3. What factor(s) do think might give you an edge in the vote?
Raz’s Answers:
1. What do you think everyone's state of mind will be after this game? Will it be affected by your win/loss?
I don't think anyone will care much, but the wosrt that will happen is some people being slightly bitter about who wins.
2. If you lose, how will you handle it?
I'll definitely be dissapointed, but I'll get over it. I think I've worked the hardest throughout the entire game and played honestly and I think I that is good enough reason to win.
3. What factor(s) do think might give you an edge in the vote?
My honesty throughout the entire game to my Alliance is the first that comes to mind.
Venexis’ Answers:
1. What do you think everyone's state of mind will be after this game? Will it be affected by your win/loss?
Raz has said countless times that while he might not hold grudges, it certainly changed how he viewed people. I think that's the same for most people, to some degree or another- this game really brings out the worst in people. I imagine most participants are feeling at least slightly guilty (I definitely am), but regardless what happens, it won't change how I see anyone here.
2. If you lose, how will you handle it?
Pretty much the same way I've reacted to losing up until this point, lawl. It's not so much who wins or loses (although winning is certainly nice), I just like knowing the outcome of things.
3. What factor(s) do think might give you an edge in the vote?
I think my involvement with bringing the Oerhaos alliance down might count with a few certain people, likewise, I think my contributions toward the Oerhaos tribe before the merge may also weigh in. I think it's going to be a very close call though, and a lot will come down to how we answer these questions.
Magnen’s Vote:
To be revealed later
Nin10mode’s Question:
Hey, you two. It's been a fun ride. Of the seven Oerhaos Tribesmen, I want to say we were the ones that knew each other the most. I'm glad it was you two that made it to the end, and that my prediction stayed firm despite my unexpected departure. You two were amazing assets when we were split, and you guys were interesting characters after the merge. You guys definitely contributed more than I did.
Interest goes two ways though. There's fame and infamy. Similar words, but completely different connotations. For the jury as a whole, I think it's safe to assume that both of you hold both of those words in some way.
For me, personally, though. The distinction is clear. No hard feelings.
I can tell both of your intentions changed from when this first began, as did the air of this experiment. Trust and friendship slowly diminished into doubt and treachery. I don't hate either of you, nor do I hate any of my fellow jury members, nor do I hate anyone that was eliminated prior to jury selection. It's like a game of GMod TTT: You play the role as the traitor, but you don't actually hate your opponents. Or any game, really. Even sports. As soon as you let the game get to your head, that changes, and yeah, this game is a little different. There are very few rules, and cheating is a very touchy, subjective word here. For me, participating in such a different game didn't change me. I'll still be moderating, I'll still be chatting, I'll still be procrastinating, and I'll still be open-minded.
Enough leader-speak though, let's talk about you.
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First of all, Ven, your torchwalk post was the most Canadian thing I've read so far this year. Why so sorry?
Now for the serious questions.
I wanted to see this Survivor become something different from the typical Survivor games I had envisioned. Did you want to make a game full of trust at any point in this game, or were you content with following the Survivor trend that I think exists?
Do you think emotion should hold no place in Survivor?
When we showed you Harmless's PM, you did seem surprised. Were you really? Was your cross-alliance solely with -BY and whoever he was partnered with?
Raz, you and I are probably the closest, yet we both have very different images on Runouw. If the final three ended up being a disliked tribesman, you, and I, would you have voted me out to even the playing field?
I saw you lost a lot of will after I got voted out? Was that just an in the moment feeling or did you need something to keep you going until the end?
We never did end up playing TF2 in this game. If we did, would you feel okay steamrolling a team of inexperienced players? Is it strategical or is it just plain unfair?
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I apologize for the long post, but you know me.
Raz’s Answers:
Raz, you and I are probably the closest, yet we both have very different images on Runouw. If the final three ended up being a disliked tribesman, you, and I, would you have voted me out to even the playing field?
Well really, I think I'd ask you if you'd mind first if you actually wanted to win. Because I want to win too, but if you wanted to win then I'd let you stay in the game instead of [disliked tribesman].
I saw you lost a lot of will after I got voted out? Was that just an in the moment feeling or did you need something to keep you going until the end?
A little bit of both, for two reasons. For one, it really meant that the alliance really doesn't exist anymore and I didn't enjoy that feeling at all. And secondly, the one person who has been in the alliance since the very beginning, the one person who (you went against us once but it didn't end up getting whoever it was out so I didn't care as much.) never went against me, was finally out and considering you were one of my closest friends I didn't really have much motivation to continue since none of my main alliance who stayed truthful the entire game was still there and it wasn't as fun anymore and I expected to be out of the game the next chance people get. I considered dropping out but what's the point of dropping out so late into the game? all that work for nothing? I don't really know what gave the motivation to keep playing, probably the fact that so many people were rooting for Yuri that I wasn't really gonna stand for it anymore. It's what ended up giving me the 3 (+1 thanks to ven) challenge long immunity streak.
I know I put a lot of emphasis on the people who betrayed me, and I forgive them for that obviously but on another hand it bothers me that they'd go against me. I've never really been betrayed at all so it's a first.
We never did end up playing TF2 in this game. If we did, would you feel okay steamrolling a team of inexperienced players? Is it strategical or is it just plain unfair?
I don't know really. I never thought about since I knew we wouldn't end up playing it. I think it'd be a little bit more fair if it was the representatives idea like I mentioned. Harmless, Nan, and CY all have at the very least some experience in TF2.
Venexis’ Answers:
“First of all, Ven, your torchwalk post was the most Canadian thing I've read so far this year. Why so sorry?”
The apology is strong with me. Maple syrup runs thick through my veins. Mostly it just felt like it was called for, though. I have no idea how the torch walks usually go, and having voted for more of the jury than anyone else (I think), it felt necessary.
“I wanted to see this Survivor become something different from the typical Survivor games I had envisioned. Did you want to make a game full of trust at any point in this game, or were you content with following the Survivor trend that I think exists?”
I was all for it at first. My mentality changed probably around the merge, that was about when Harmless and I started talking, and I guess that was also when it really clicked. Oerhaos was in fact causing all the tension in the Squid tribe, if unintentionally, and I really didn't like being a part of that. To answer your question, though, yes. I did originally want a trust based game, but after seeing how it affected everyone, I find it hard to seriously regret changing the game to a more traditional Survivor mode.
“Do you think emotion should hold no place in Survivor?”
I think emotion is very important in a game like this, actually. As is logic and reason. Being purely logical leads to all sorts of moral dilemmas, but pure emotion tends to hinder any kind of progress. Either one is an extreme point of view and not very desirable, so while I tend to be more oriented toward the scientific method and things like rationality, I cannot deny the importance emotion plays.
“When we showed you Harmless's PM, you did seem surprised. Were you really? Was your cross-alliance solely with -BY and whoever he was partnered with?”
I was, actually. Everything about the situation was weird, I thought for sure he was aware of my absence and general lack of knowledge concerning game events during that time, and was expecting a confrontational PM before something like that. Why MK, too? I had thought it was pretty obvious he was with Oerhaos. All in all, I was actually very surprised by it.
Nin10mode’s Vote:
To be revealed later
Harmless’ Question:
o yeah, I know what you're probably thinking, "Why the backstab?? Hurr hurr hurr?? gibe moni pls??", but honestly, I'm not interested in that.
I'm more interested if you thought I was lying when I wished to help you get to the final peoples with potentially me, Yuri, and BY. Did you think I was going to turncoat you before or after you did to me?
Venexis’ Answer:
It wasn't anything like that at all, honestly. As I said to BY, I had already made a list of people I wanted to do very well, and neither of us was on that list. I tried to tell you that in a PM, that I couldn't really collaborate with anyone at that point, and that we might've already been playing against each other without realizing it at that point. I didn't think you'd turncoat at all, it was really just a matter of limited selection of players to choose from at that point. It's a pretty bad point in the game when you have to vote one person because you have reasons for not voting anyone else.
Harmless’ Vote:
Ven. I don't buy Raz's "I didn't do anything to shatter former Shadowsquid's alliance" even though he practically voted all of us out first.
Host’s Take:
Like I said before, as ridiculous as Shadowsquid’s reasoning of “they voted us out instead of turning on each other, and that’s terrible” may be, in Survivor sometimes 2+2 just might equal fish and Raz didn’t have the humility to play along with that. As upset as Harmless could ever be about Venexis betraying them, he wasn’t Raz, and sometimes that’s all it takes.
Emelia Kaylee’s Questions:
To both of you:
1) Can you describe what you think the Jury members think of you?
2) What do you plan to do with your prize?
To Ven:
3) Why did you think that the leadership from Nin was a bad thing? Did you have a gameplan in case you could destroy the leadership earlier on?
4) What triggered you to alliance with other members against the majority?
To Tsu:
3) Since your original alliance did not include a few Oerhaos members, were you planning on eliminating them, or somehow making up with them nearing the tribal merge?
4) How did you react to Ven's doubtful loyalty and Harmless's attempt to split up the alliance?
Raz’s Answers:
1) Can you describe what you think the Jury members think of you?
They all probably think I'm an asshole due to my reputation on Runouw. The Oerhaos part of the tribe should know that I at least stayed loyal and never went against them.
2) What do you plan to do with your prize?
My first priority is to buy Assassin's Creed 4. With the rest of the money I'll buy you the game I promised. The rest of it (50$) goes to the ASPCA.
3) Since your original alliance did not include a few Oerhaos members, were you planning on eliminating them, or somehow making up with them nearing the tribal merge?
I wasn't sure whether to invite BY or you because I wasn't sure if you'd want to be in the alliance. I wasn't ready to take the risk of having people who could very easily be working with the other side. I just let BY in because he was helpful in one of our tribe challenges, but I let you in once I knew you weren't working with the other side.
4) How did you react to Ven's doubtful loyalty and Harmless's attempt to split up the alliance?
Well I was prretty surprised by Ven going against us, and I didn't really understand why. There was no positive benefit to it. I tried disconnecting him from the alliance but I wasn't really sure what to do because I didn't expect it, and eventually I just let him back in, which didn't last long.
Harmless' attempts to split up the alliance were really annoying and it's the main reason why I said they were playing dirty. We never did anything to split their alliance up.
Venexis’ Answers:
1) Can you describe what you think the Jury members think of you?
Brando- Pretty sure he doesn't approve of my actions, but I think he knows why I did. There may be some disagreements between us, but that's completely justified.
Magnen- Hard to read, on one hand, she might hate me for voting both Xero and Nan; but on the other, she might be appreciative that the Squids weren't entirely destroyed according to Oerhaos' original plan.
Nin10mode- Fairly sure he doesn't approve either, but I think he's more likely to forgive and forget. I think he'll be more or less neutral.
Harmless- I think he's undecided right now. I didn't have a great reason to vote him by any means, but we definitely planned together a lot after the merge. I don't know how he'll react.
Emelia Kaylee- Definitely doesn't approve, but I think maybe less so than a few challenges ago.
-BY- Requested to be voted out. I think we're cool with each other.
Yurimaster- Same as BY for the most part, as was evident in his final Tribal Council post.
2) What do you plan to do with your prize?
I've put off answering this in your topic in the hopes that it would be a non-issue, but it hasn't so far. I'm torn, because I feel like any winnings from this game would be tainted now. I don't particularly need money, so I went with a charity initially, but now? I'm starting to consider dividing it up. All I know for sure is that I don't really want anything to do with it.
3) Why did you think that the leadership from Nin was a bad thing? Did you have a gameplan in case you could destroy the leadership earlier on?
I'm not really sure what you mean, to be honest. Nin is a more than capable leader, I don't think he'd have reached mod status on Runouw otherwise. But that also makes him an opponent to be wary of in a game like this, and I do like having plans for every possible outcome. So yes, I had a tentative gameplan as far back as the second challenge.
4) What triggered you to alliance with other members against the majority?
I had noticed very early on that neither tribe seemed to pick on anyone but the known threats, they seemed to be neutral to anyone but the enemy. I figured that the only safe place on a battlefield such as this would be in the middle, being friendly and having connections to both sides. At first, that was the only motivation, and then frustration at how the game was going prompted further action.
Emelia Kaylee’s Vote:
Raz
Honestly, after seeing Ven's argument, the field seems evened out a little, but Tsu really has been loyal and true to the original purpose, from the outset.
Host’s Take:
Much like Shadowsquid, only subtler, Emelia Kaylee and Brandobrawl (the two most loyal Oerhaos members on the jury) are voting based off of who treated their alliance better. Obviously, his vote went to Raz, just like Brandobrawl.
Blackyoshi’s Question:
There's like one single question I'd like to ask. You told about trying to keep Tsu's/MK's trust, when you voted for me as well. If MK wouldn't have done that mistake of voting yuri, I would have been out at that point. So I'm asking you to answer honestly. Did you want to get rid of me? If yes, why?
Venexis’ Answer:
No, I didn't. To be honest, after about TC8 I had decided on people I'd like to see make it into the finals. MK and Yuri were obviously two of them, but you were as well. Out of everyone left, selection was very limited. There was five of us that that point, correct? Raz, Yuri, MK, you, and myself. Raz was immune, a self vote was out (I tried), MK and Yuri were people I wanted to see make it as far as possible... that really only left you.
I knew you wanted to keep Yuri in too, though, and considering that, I assumed you'd be more okay if I voted you as opposed to voting him and having that vote endanger him in the event of a tie later on. I probably should have told you that earlier on, sorry about that. But no, I definitely didn't want you out.
Blackyoshi’s Vote:
To be revealed later
Yurimaster’s Question:
Raz:
1) You won immunity in all the last challenges, and said one time that if you didn't win immunity in these last rounds, you said that the chances of you getting voted out was of 100%. Did you have any plan if you didn't win immunity?
2) The Oerhaos alliance was seen by many as evil, and some considered you being the most evil in it. In your opinion, what made these people think about it?
3) Which member from the whole game, besides Ven, you would like to see as a finalist along with you?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ven:
1) You never recieved a single vote against in the whole game. In your opinion, why did this happen?
2) You mentioned one time that you wanted me and MK in the final of the game. Why?
3) Same question as Raz, which member from the whole game, besides Raz, you would like to see as a finalist along with you?
Raz’s Answers:
1) You won immunity in all the last challenges, and said one time that if you didn't win immunity in these last rounds, you said that the chances of you getting voted out was of 100%. Did you have any plan if you didn't win immunity?
Nah, at that point in the game I didn't think Ven should have been trusted by anyone at all, and he knew that, so he'd vote for me and so would you and BY. The challenges just happened to be the easiest challenges in the game to me.
2) The Oerhaos alliance was seen by many as evil, and some considered you being the most evil in it. In your opinion, what made these people think about it?
Well, I threw around a couple of insults, and none of them were serious, or nearly as serious as that one thread. Maybe it was some of our reputations, like brando or mine. But I think the main reason why is because we were steamrolling you guys since the very beginning and our celebrating got to you? I don't know.
3) Which member from the whole game, besides Ven, you would like to see as a finalist along with you?
MK - We started a deal pretty late in the game that we'd try to be the final two. It would have probably worked if we didn't have any miscommunications 
Brando - Probably the best person on Runouw to me, would love for him to win. He also made a post about how he thought about going against me but he didn't. I don't remember if he even posted that publically but I really appreciated it.
Nin - He was pretty cool the entire game.
Venexis’ Answers:
1) You never recieved a single vote against in the whole game. In your opinion, why did this happen?
Well, technically I did. Someone voted me in TC12, although I think I know who it was, and also recognize that they didn't have much of a choice in the matter. I'd guess probably because it would be very hard to get a majority vote after me. That was another unintended benefit to keeping the power roughly balanced, both sides need to cooperate in order to get rid of the guy in the middle easily. As for the later rounds, in which the middle didn't really exist, I have no idea. There was plenty of chances to kick me out, but nobody did. I'm wondering why myself.
2) You mentioned one time that you wanted me and MK in the final of the game. Why?
In my mind, you two deserve it. Hopefully you don't take offense, but you two tend to slip under the radar a lot, don't really get recognition for being awesome on the site. In many ways, you guys could've been seen as the underdogs in the game, and so it would've been incredible if you guys had won. It had other significant aspects too, like the fact that it would have been one member of each alliance in the finals- that would've been cool to witness. I stand by what I said though, it would've made an awesome game, and you guys totally deserved the chance to win.
3) Same question as Raz, which member from the whole game, besides Raz, you would like to see as a finalist along with you?
There's a lot, honestly, but I'd be most curious to see Magnen as a finalist, mostly because she came literally out of nowhere. It's very hard to answer this with just one specific person, but I think my curiosity would win out.
Yurimaster’s Vote:
Yurimaster was the one Squid to be able to see both sides of the argument, but still had a lot more respect and gratitude for Venexis, who saved him and showed genuine care for his well-being in the game, than for Raz, whom was largely distant from him.
This makes the current vote total 2 for Raz, 2 for Venexis.
Raz’s Closing Speech:
I'm pretty sure the questions are over now, so I guess it's time for my actual final verdict.
Honestly don't know what to say, everything that I wanted to say has already been said in my answers or in the previous post.
So uh, good game, and choose wisely?
EDIT: also my item was Memorial, I could see anyone's post-game questions. I chose harmless'
Verdict:
I think the questioning definitely caught him off-guard and this shows it, but it’s still a distinctly Raz answer, so no one would ever question him of bullshitting a jury.
Venexis’ Closing Speech:
Okay, lets see.
Yo. I'm Ven. Over the course of the last few weeks a lot of shit has gone down here. There's been a loooooooot of bad memories, but they weren't the only things worth taking away from this. We also saw two tribes rise, and two tribes fall. Mistakes were made, but like anything else in life, they're often necessary in order to avoid the same situation in the future. I'm kinda running out of inspirational stuff to say so I'm just gonna wrap this up by saying it's been a hell of a ride. I don't think there was any such thing as a bad player, only bad circumstances- with that being said, it seems like some of the damage caused over the course of the game has been repaired today.
It really has been an unforgettable experience. I learned a lot about myself, and a lot about the other participants too- with that in mind, bring on the results. The biggest test for us, all of us, will take place after a winner is announced. Suddenly, it doesn't seem quite as daunting anymore.
This has been Survivor: Runouw... But now... I think it's time to go back to plain old regular Runouw.
Verdict:
This was the perfect scene to end the season on, and really summarizes it well. I kind of wish I had written it, if you want to know the truth.
However, I’m not a jury member. We already got 7 of those. Time to reveal the last three votes, and with them, who the winner is.
Magnen’s Vote:
Yeah, again, I’m not on board with the “Fairness” notion, but Venexis gets another jury vote for being relatable to the Squids, and essentially the closest thing they got to salvation.
Nin10mode’s Vote:
Credit to Nin10mode for actually signing his ballot instead of typing it.
Much like Yurimaster, he understood both sides and made a habit of showing that trait all game. However, at the end of the day, tribal boundaries matter the most, and that’s what got Raz the Oerhaos Captain’s vote.
So here we are. 3-3, a complete tie. Blackyoshi’s vote is going to decide the game. Fitting that such a task would befall on the player who had ties to both sides.
Let’s see who took home the win of Survivor: Runouw…
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Blackyoshi’s Vote:
I guess. It's been predictable, yet I had to get an answer to my final question, to be 100% ok with it. Rooting for Ven. I do hope he's winning this thing. ^^
And just like that, whether he wanted to before or not, Venexis has won Survivor: Runouw.
Post-Mortem for Raz:
Raz was a tour de force this season, and despite not winning I do have mad respect for him. I am taking into account that he has broken the rules that one major time, and I definitely acknowledge he’s not a perfect player. In fact, his reason for losing was pretty obvious: not necessarily sticking with his tribe, that could be seen as admirable, but somewhat unintentionally creating a shut-out of the entire Squid tribe for that portion of the game. He didn’t acknowledge that there was a lot of emotion in the game and that emotions run high in the jury, and that he’d have to pander to that in order to get the votes.
That, and the Emelia Kaylee vote going drastically wrong. Who knows how an EmKay-Raz vote would have gone.
However, Raz was by far, 100%, the most active, involved, and excited-to-play contestant in the game. He’d bug me to hurry up with results and challenges; I usually had to bug people to participate and vote. He’d have his TC answers up immediately after the questions were posted. He participated in every challenge except for the one with the advantage for sit-outs, and he even started watching Survivor in between rounds so that he could learn more about the show. I was worried I’d get no one who really cared about this ORG too much, but Raz set the standard for contestants. Aside from the cheating incident, he’s been a joy to host.
And no, Raz, I don’t regret comparing you to Gretchen
Post-Mortem for Venexis:
The trickiest thing that could have happened for me writing these recaps was trying to sell Venexis as a winner. I’ve never seen a winner of an ORG or actual strategic show that was even remotely like him. He loved science but played with emotion, channelling some of BY’s selflessness yet still playing a fierce game for himself instead of outright giving up. By playing to those emotions, and giving the Squids a chance, he won the jury vote even if he felt conflicted about it. I remember his immediate reaction to winning in the live chat was that he felt bad for Raz, but regardless I think over time he’s settled into the position of being a strong winner.
I’m very grateful, however, that my winner gave some amazing confessionals this game. I’m definitely nominating him for that in the ORG awards; the man is skilled at sharing his thoughts. I feel that as tricky as it was to show who he was and why he won, he came across as a person clear as a bell. He was also a joy to host and treated me with respect, which I appreciate.
Is Venexis a fitting winner to this season? I feel like every winner of every season you could imagine is. There just has to be the right combination of players, emotions, strategy, mindsets, and adaptability to create the story that, were you to re-simulate it millions of times, would likely end in the same way, much like fate. And in a situation fueled by a divide between cold, cutthroat strategy, and youthful, passionate emotion, that someone who mastered both of these traits and understood them both would win this season of newbies.
Post-Mortem for Runouw Survivor:
Going into this game I didn’t expect an event this big. I didn’t expect to commit so much time to it. The entirety of the recaps is probably the size of a novel, and the complexity this ORG had despite having only 15 people in it and a round shy of normal Survivor is really just a privilege to have hosted. I wanted to see what a season of a Survivor ORG full of people would be like, and it didn’t disappoint: not only was there naivete to the game, but there was a rapid evolution that went with it.
However.
I realize that I might not have gone in fully equipped for what happened. It was painful to watch friends get angry at each other, fellow citizens of the same site turn against each other, over a game they didn’t have any comprehension of. I figured that the strong community vibe of Runouw.com would prevent things from spiraling out of control, but I think that it all lay in the tribe select in the second round: because people who did the same things got together, a divide was not so much formed as much as it was exposed between two totally different types of people.
After the game, it all came out. I knew there had to be a purge, so I opened up all of the forums. Nan’s ugly behavior in Ponderosa was exposed, the conflicts in the jury house saw the light of day, and people finally had the post-game fights they were expected to. At the end of the day, though… it was almost for the better. People learned from each other, they apologized, they set their thoughts of the game in stone, they made amends with me, and things are kind of back to normal now. Conflict to that extent has never really rosen up since, and peace has returned to the forum. Some would say the experience made people stronger.
Will there be another Runouw Survivor? Who’s to say. I tried throwing out an invite to a second season, thinking that lowering the prize and the stakes, as well as the lessons from the first time, might make for a more peaceful game. However, there was barely any response to it, except from players who had played in this season. I think Runouw is just over Survivor. And if that’s the case, so be it. The members excited to return I might recruit for other ORGs I do: I do want to do more ORGs of the closed-ID variety. I love hosting about as much as I hate playing, so this may not be the last you see of oversized recaps.
Finally, something that I should have been doing more often: inviting you to the forum. Here’s Runouw.com. For those looking to talk to some really intelligent, creative, intellectual youth, led by young twins with an incredible penchant for flash game making, this is a community you won’t regret getting involved with. They have spoiled me on my experiences with today’s youth, and if you decide to get involved, you might find yourself a little changed as well.
Until then, it’s time to get back to regular old Runouw.com.
Take care, everyone.
