Post by Ginny Weasley on Apr 13, 2009 17:55:22 GMT -5
Ginny's Closing Statement
Hello, everyone. I just want to thank you for taking the time to hear me out, and for considering to vote for me. Unlike one of my more shameless competitors, I won't try and degrade the other two sitting beside me for petty vanity or to save face at losing to one of them; because frankly, we all got here through different ways; and I respect them both more than enough to keep from bashing them and trying to demoralize them with things I don't even know about, Draco.
But, seeing as one of my competitors feels the need to question my character in his closing statement, I'll use my time to explain, so it's clear to him and everyone else, why I deserve to be here and a shot at winning. As Draco said, I was in danger a couple times. However, I never claimed to be invincible or always safe; far from it. Draco was backed by an alliance upward of 6 different people, and didn't receive votes because he generally allowed his 'lesser allies' to be kicked out rather than stick up for them; and he had the support of the people he wanted to betray. Susan received no votes because she was immune from most expulsions. I received 3 votes in my time here, in all 3 cases, from someone who was trying to fight an overwhelming majority and tried to eliminate me instead. I didn't wrong anyone or warrant being kicked out; just got a vote from Fred trying to save Lavender, and one each Jeff and Anthony convinced Draco was trying to save THEM by voting for me. No one saw me as a threat to be eliminated because I played down my strengths and let myself be seen as weaker than I really was, and even if Draco had decided to 'save Tonks' with his vote, I still would be here because I'm fairly certain Tonks had more past votes than me and would have lost a tie.
Yes, I've faced danger. That's a part of any game. But I knew what to do to come out of it okay, and never let myself get over-taken by majority's, or by 'coulda, shoulda, woulda' plans. I don't think I embody a winner for just flying under the radar; I played smartly and strategically so that even without all-encompassing alliances I could keep going. Ultimately though, there are multiple ways to play a game, and smarter ways to go about it than always charging right down the middle and trying to grab every immunity in the path, when several others are doing the exact same thing. No offense to Susan, but she didn't even have to work for half the jury votes she's guaranteed to get; she came into this game friends with Myrtle, has a sworn vote from George, and the lack of questions makes it seem Seamus already has his mind made up. I've had to struggle to stay in the game, and seeing as I never got more than 1 vote in any individual expulsion session, I definitely didn't just get through them by 'luck', as people would have you believe. I got through them with strategy, a low-key charisma, and an honest, innocent demeanor that always left the immediate target on someone else.
I knew Susan lied to me many times, and if Draco believes showing me her conversations was the first time I ever doubted her, then I've done a good job of acting simple. By no means do I owe my survival in this game to Draco; he didn't turn on his alliance until Tonks and I had already done it, while he just wavered on committing to it for 3 or 4 rounds. I DID try during this game, and always committed myself to it, as anyone who actually knows me can tell you. I stopped in cases I couldn't win, for instance, being behind 2 times as many barriers as second place in a challenge, or only having 4 hours to make up a thousand posts Susan already had(With the 15 second post restrictions in place, the maximum I could have made in the time was 960). I was smart enough not to waste my time in those cases; knowing if I did I would just lose and make the target on my back bigger, but I never just lay down and died to wait for them to trample over me. I overcame great odds to get here, and did so skillfully, not just floating in the breeze to get here; and if I was as hopelessly endangered as Draco would like you to think, the question is, why am I still here, here and now, if I was just floating along, constantly on the brink of loss? Because I pushed through troubles in my way, and had a plan and an agenda of my own to satisfy, for more aspirations that just falling below the cracks at fourth or lord knows even lower. Because I knew, exactly as it happened, that eventually power-playing alliances turn inward and destroy themselves, even better with a little help; and being seen as weak was the best way to ensure I was there to see it happen.
I was by no means as protected as Susan or Draco. Hell, even now Draco is hardly playing for himself; as much as I respect Susan, his platform is to eliminate me as Susan's competition, so she can win and he can validate himself as not having lost to a 'non-threat'. However, I came into this game with no pre-planned alliances, no grand teams- and even against that solid alliance of 4, with Jeff and Anthony and who knows who else eventually added on for their numbers, I made it this far and I'm proud. I'm proud that even though he vehemently begs you to reject me for being 'undeserving of a win', Draco himself voted out Tonks to keep me here. Proud to have made good friendships with some people, and shown that even with overwhelming odds, it is possible to reach the end. And I would be prouder still to be considered for your votes; for the chance to win or even come close to it. So, that said, I thank you all for a good, memorable game, and for the parts you all played in it; from the bottom of my heart.
But, seeing as one of my competitors feels the need to question my character in his closing statement, I'll use my time to explain, so it's clear to him and everyone else, why I deserve to be here and a shot at winning. As Draco said, I was in danger a couple times. However, I never claimed to be invincible or always safe; far from it. Draco was backed by an alliance upward of 6 different people, and didn't receive votes because he generally allowed his 'lesser allies' to be kicked out rather than stick up for them; and he had the support of the people he wanted to betray. Susan received no votes because she was immune from most expulsions. I received 3 votes in my time here, in all 3 cases, from someone who was trying to fight an overwhelming majority and tried to eliminate me instead. I didn't wrong anyone or warrant being kicked out; just got a vote from Fred trying to save Lavender, and one each Jeff and Anthony convinced Draco was trying to save THEM by voting for me. No one saw me as a threat to be eliminated because I played down my strengths and let myself be seen as weaker than I really was, and even if Draco had decided to 'save Tonks' with his vote, I still would be here because I'm fairly certain Tonks had more past votes than me and would have lost a tie.
Yes, I've faced danger. That's a part of any game. But I knew what to do to come out of it okay, and never let myself get over-taken by majority's, or by 'coulda, shoulda, woulda' plans. I don't think I embody a winner for just flying under the radar; I played smartly and strategically so that even without all-encompassing alliances I could keep going. Ultimately though, there are multiple ways to play a game, and smarter ways to go about it than always charging right down the middle and trying to grab every immunity in the path, when several others are doing the exact same thing. No offense to Susan, but she didn't even have to work for half the jury votes she's guaranteed to get; she came into this game friends with Myrtle, has a sworn vote from George, and the lack of questions makes it seem Seamus already has his mind made up. I've had to struggle to stay in the game, and seeing as I never got more than 1 vote in any individual expulsion session, I definitely didn't just get through them by 'luck', as people would have you believe. I got through them with strategy, a low-key charisma, and an honest, innocent demeanor that always left the immediate target on someone else.
I knew Susan lied to me many times, and if Draco believes showing me her conversations was the first time I ever doubted her, then I've done a good job of acting simple. By no means do I owe my survival in this game to Draco; he didn't turn on his alliance until Tonks and I had already done it, while he just wavered on committing to it for 3 or 4 rounds. I DID try during this game, and always committed myself to it, as anyone who actually knows me can tell you. I stopped in cases I couldn't win, for instance, being behind 2 times as many barriers as second place in a challenge, or only having 4 hours to make up a thousand posts Susan already had(With the 15 second post restrictions in place, the maximum I could have made in the time was 960). I was smart enough not to waste my time in those cases; knowing if I did I would just lose and make the target on my back bigger, but I never just lay down and died to wait for them to trample over me. I overcame great odds to get here, and did so skillfully, not just floating in the breeze to get here; and if I was as hopelessly endangered as Draco would like you to think, the question is, why am I still here, here and now, if I was just floating along, constantly on the brink of loss? Because I pushed through troubles in my way, and had a plan and an agenda of my own to satisfy, for more aspirations that just falling below the cracks at fourth or lord knows even lower. Because I knew, exactly as it happened, that eventually power-playing alliances turn inward and destroy themselves, even better with a little help; and being seen as weak was the best way to ensure I was there to see it happen.
I was by no means as protected as Susan or Draco. Hell, even now Draco is hardly playing for himself; as much as I respect Susan, his platform is to eliminate me as Susan's competition, so she can win and he can validate himself as not having lost to a 'non-threat'. However, I came into this game with no pre-planned alliances, no grand teams- and even against that solid alliance of 4, with Jeff and Anthony and who knows who else eventually added on for their numbers, I made it this far and I'm proud. I'm proud that even though he vehemently begs you to reject me for being 'undeserving of a win', Draco himself voted out Tonks to keep me here. Proud to have made good friendships with some people, and shown that even with overwhelming odds, it is possible to reach the end. And I would be prouder still to be considered for your votes; for the chance to win or even come close to it. So, that said, I thank you all for a good, memorable game, and for the parts you all played in it; from the bottom of my heart.
~Ginny