Total Drama Nui Kaua: The Cursed Island Chapter 25: Ep 20(Finale): Welcome To Heaven's Hall, a total drama series fanfic

TDNKCI: Episode 20: "Welcome To Heaven's Hall"

The Jury's Recap

"It's been one wild wild ride here on Total Drama Nui Kaua: The Cursed Island!" Freya announced into the camera as it zoomed out to reveal the rest of the jury clapping on the benches behind her. They all appeared to be indoors as the sun was setting overhead thanks to a large glass ceiling. The rain was coming to a stop as if the weather itself were marking the end of the show. "Starting from 25 players, we've battled our way down to only three souls left! Right now they're enjoying their final feast before their ultimate challenge will slay two of them and leave only one standing as the million dollar winner! But it's not just me and the jury here to see it all unfold, oh no!" Freya motioned with her arm and the camera panned over to where the eliminated contestants who were not part of the jury were sitting in order of their most recent eliminations.

Natalie, (5-1 vote)

Misha, (3-2-1 vote)

Phooka, (3-3 vote, lost tiebreaker)

Nick, (2-1-1-1 vote)

Helen, (voted self off)

Kaleaf, (was not picked for a team)

Jamal, (2-1-1-1 vote)

Aubrey, (1-1-2-3 vote, eliminated via curse)

Molly, (1-1-2-3 vote, voted self off via curse)

Isaac, (4-2 vote, came back, 1-3-3-7, voted self off)

The camera then turned back to Freya and the jury, sitting, or in Freya's case standing, in the order of their own elimination.

Kyle, (1-2 vote, immunity tiki played)

Antonio, (sudden death elimination)

Kaden, (3-3-7 vote, immunity tiki played, lost tiebreaker)

Samuel, (1-6-5 vote, curse tiki played)

Lena, (4-3-1-1-1 vote)

Twilight, (4-3-2-1 vote)

Aleister, (5-3 vote)

Tori, (4-3-1 vote)

Sherwood, (5-2 vote)

Azami, (3-2-1 vote)

Jaime, (1-1 vote, curse tiki played)

Freya (sudden death elimination).

"That's right!" Freya affirmed. "Everyone is here to watch the end of this story unfold! Who will be crowned the winner of this intensely competitive season? We're about to find out...right here!"

She brought her hands up to signal everyone else to look into the camera and say it along with her.

"On Total Drama Nui Kaua!...The Cursed!...Island!"

A shooting star trailed over the glass ceiling as the camera panned up to cut out.

*Total Drama Theme Song Plays*

Location: Weliweli Island

Contestant(s): All Remaining

"Alright, are you guys nice and stuffed?" An intern asked Barnard, Daniel, and Lucien as they all sat around a table on Weliweli that had once held a large assortment of foods but now mostly consisted of empty plates and bowls.

"What a meal." Lucien nodded.

"I couldn't have another bite if I wanted to." Barnard gave a similar nod.

"I guess I'm done, yeah." Daniel shrugged.

"Great!" The intern replied. "Then it's time to answer some interview questions as finalists."

"That sounds like a pain." Daniel groaned.

"Oh, it'll be over before you know it, and when you're done, we've arranged three kayaks for you to take back to Nui Kaua. You're going to want to climb Mt. Immolate one last time and enter Heaven's Hall."

"The hell is Heaven's Hall?" Daniel rose a brow.

"Probably some mobile building they brought up Mt. Immolate while we've been here stuffing ourselves." Barnard hazarded a guess.

"Can't say I care for its name." Daniel grumbled.

"Eh, the eliminated players do sort of 'die' this season, so I guess the jury would have their place be named after some kind of afterlife." Lucien contemplated.

"So, about those interviews…" The intern tried to move things along.

"Oh, right!" Lucien chuckled. "Alright, come on guys, let's do some interviews!"

Final Three Interview Questions!

Question 1: You're in the finale! How does that make you feel?

Confessional: Barnard

"I'm beyond excited and overjoyed to have made it to the end of this incredibly competitive and cutthroat game. If any of the other seasons are like this one, I sure can't wait to see exactly what I've been missing. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about how all of this is going to go down, but I do believe in my ability to present my case to the jury and I think they'll see reason and realize that I'm their best option here."

End Confessional

Confessional: Daniel

"I'm in the finale huh? It's a phrase I've been waiting to hear for a very long time, but ever since our very first elimination ceremony, I've been terrified that it wouldn't be directed at me. Now though, I really am here, and no one, no one can say that I was carried here either. I just not a few minutes ago also willingly put my game on the line to take out the biggest threat to all three of us. In fact, I've probably put my game on the line more than any of these other players. All I hope is that when the jury inevitably lets their anger out, they'll also let it go and give me the money I deserve."

End Confessional

Confessional: Lucien

"I'm in the final 3, in the freaking finale! How?! Man I've just been stumbling my way through week after week, ever since that first curse screwed up my strategy before it could even get off the ground! I'm so beyond lucky I won that last immunity challenge, and yeah I realize it'll be hard to make my case to the jury when my two big plays were choosing the teams and then being placed on the wrong one, and getting rid of Samuel to keep some Mummies around for a bit longer, but that blew up my idiot facade and only delayed the inevitable for Lena. But what I do have going for me are those four votes I already had earlier. I just need two more assuming Barnard and Daniel both keep their one vote each. That shouldn't be too hard to get, right?"

End Confessional

Question 2: What are your thoughts on the other finalists?

Confessional: Barnard

"Hm, I guess I'll start with Daniel. He's certainly not my cup of tea. He plays too aggressively and hasn't focused on his social game whatsoever, and it's going to come back to bite him when we go up against that jury. He has a few good plays, but I have a few of my own, and I think I can beat him in a popularity contest. The one I'm more worried about is Lucien. He's already got 4 votes, which are probably closer to protest votes than anything else, since sure, he's a fun guy to be around for most of us, but he also hasn't done much to earn his way here. He's been on the wrong side of a lot of votes too. I feel like if I can highlight these things about both of them, then the jury will see reason and hand me the victory."

End Confessional

Confessional: Daniel

"I didn't think the finale would be such a sausage fest, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers. I'll start with Lucien, since I've had to spend almost the entire game with the blonde idiot. Yes, I know he isn't actually dumb, but he's still an idiot, because he had so many opportunities to think up some sort of crafty strategy, especially in the early game, but he just doubled down on pretending to be a dumb blonde. He's backed more wrong horses than the other two of us and he's going to have to answer for it. Meanwhile, Barnard is….a strange one to me. I don't particularly care for him one way or the other, but he is in the final 3 so I suppose I should mention the obvious fact that he doesn't seem to realize how condescending he sounds whenever he talks to anyone. Probably my best strategy for dealing with him during the jury grilling is simply to let him say whatever he wants to, unimpeded. He'll be sure to shove his foot into his mouth for Lucien and I, and at the very least I think Freya will give me a fighting chance against him, since I did play the more successfully strategic game."

End Confessional

Confessional: Lucien

"Oh man, okay, let's see...Barnard first. He's….uhhh, he's dug himself into a bit of a hole I think. Yeah, he hasn't had the best luck throughout the season, his alliance rarely listened to him on who he wanted to vote for, and that Final Five decision, I'm not entirely sure if it cost him Jaime's vote, but it sure as heck got her angry. He chose to risk his popularity rather than his safety, and when the final challenge is basically a popularity contest, that's one bold choice. He better be super confident in his ability to paint a good picture of himself. Now let's move on to my boy, Daniel. I've always kind of been intrigued with him, the same way Tori was intrigued with Lena. He's trying very hard to instill the idea that good guys finish last, and looking at this final 3, I feel like he's very close to proving that point. The problem lies in what Isaac told him when the muscle man was eliminated the first time, that justice will win in the end and that if even one ounce of justice is within another finalist, the votes will probably go their way. Well, I did vote Azami off to help Jaime in the Final 6, and I even sent Daniel up against Freya for the tiebreaker just a while ago. I think I have at least one ounce, don't you? I know I don't have the best track record compared to these other two finalists, but I think I do have the best ability to remain chill under pressure. I did successfully act like a cheerful idiot for half the season after all."

End Confessional

Question 3: What were some of your favorite parts about your time on The Cursed Island?

Confessional: Barnard

"I very much enjoyed reforming the Demons into an alliance, that was nice and I think it really shook the game up. I also had a lot of fun singing songs in the Final 8, especially seeing Jaime Rick Roll the jury at the time, that was something else entirely. Working together to win myself an immunity in the Final 7 was one of the most exhilarating things I've experienced, and captaining my own pirate ship during the Final 6 was definitely the highlight of my excitement. Those are all very high points for me in this game and I can't wait to remind the jury about them when we discuss my performance."

End Confessional

Confessional: Daniel

"I don't think I'd call any part of this show an enjoyable moment for me, but I suppose I enjoyed being away from home for as long as I've been able to be away, and I guess it was also a little nice to come back from Weliweli after a curse and see that Lena had been voted out of the game without me having to put in any effort for it, that was pretty neat. Ultimately though, there aren't really any moments that made me happy enough to consider them especially enjoyable. I'll tell you what though, if I win it's definitely going to be an enjoyable moment."

End Confessional

Confessional: Lucien

"Man, I actually had a lot of fun this game, like no joke. I loved adjusting to life on the Mummies, as well as watching the Demons just break down completely without me there to be an idiot for them. I loved convincing Lena and Tori to let me into that Children of Isaac alliance we had going for a while there, that was something else. I know it sort of blew my backup strategy up and left me with no plan of action, but it was fun playing The Curse Tiki and literally cancelling out every vote except mine, that was amazing. I had a blast singing for the jury in the Final 8, wrestling livestock in the Final 6, I loved being the first mate of my pirate ship in The Final 6. Samuel made that Final 5 challenge hard as heck, but I still think it was fun too all things considered. And bros, you SAW! You SAW me win that final immunity just now! I feel so on top of the world, it's not even funny."

End Confessional

Question 4: What were some of your least favorite parts about your time on The Cursed Island?

Confessional: Barnard

"Well, I'd say my first few weeks with the Demons, and especially our first elimination ceremony left some really sour tastes in my mouth. Our dissolution the next challenge after was also a giant low point for me, and I was just lucky that the Vampires took pity on me. I was caught pretty off-guard by the Tori elimination in the Final 8, and extremely off-guard by Azami's elimination in the Final 6. My entire alliance just flat out wouldn't go along with me, and yeah, I'm not a fan of the decision to vote Jaime off instead of going to rocks either, but she left the alliance on her own with that Azami blindside, and I'm not about to risk my safety for someone I can't trust completely. I'd rather risk my popularity and play it smart. I'm just as sure that I'm not going to enjoy the jury grilling for a similar reason as well, so thanks for reminding me about that."

End Confessional

Confessional: Daniel

"Now this one is a lot easier to answer. Let's start with being placed on a team with Isaac. Can't stand that guy, hated that he somehow won the raffle to come back, and hated even more that his selfish self-vote saved Lena and let her give me trouble for a couple more weeks. Glad he's ineligible to be a juror. Every single sudden death challenge I had to put up with was stressful enough for me to take a couple more decades off my lifespan. I'm surprised my grey hair is still on my head to be honest. I was sure this season would've caused me to go bald by now. Putting up with Jamal's raps was infuriating, and so was putting up with Lucien's fake idiocy. It was also a pain and a half to figure out who to give each of the tikis to, or to find that Curse Tiki when it was hidden again. I really really hated that fear challenge that Chris made us do, not that I didn't expect something sadistic like that to come from him. Of course, I should mention ever since I've given up my shoes, my feet have been in constant agony so that's something. And I'm sure, like, 100% certain, that when we get to that final ceremony and the jury vote, that the grilling will also become one of my least favorite moments about this show."

End Confessional

Confessional: Lucien

"Least favorite moments eh? There aren't that many stand out bad ones for me to be honest. I sure didn't like that very first curse, let me tell you, haha! Uhhh...Gotta say, I was a little bummed seeing Isaac go right away. I bet I would have hit it off well with him. Hrm...Tori and Freya figuring out my secret not-idiocy got me super spooked, enough to waste my votes on them, and then being confronted about it by Barnard, Azami, and Freya on Weliweli after I played the Curse Tiki was a pretty stressful moment for me. Of course the geese are the worst though. If I never see another one of those tooth-beaked bastards again, it'll still be too soon."

End Confessional

Question 5: What are your thoughts on the eliminated contestants?

Confessional: Barnard

"Natalie was super dangerous, glad she was eliminated early, good on the Vampires for keeping level heads. Misha and Phooka were both quiet and I have no opinions on them. Nick was anything but quiet, and he doesn't strike me as a bad dude, but he does seem a little on the dense side. Helen really really doesn't like me but I personally think she's just a little too self-righteous. She probably doesn't realize how condescending she sounds when she talks to the rest of the Demons in general, and hopefully she can rectify that soon. Kaleaf meanwhile is rather violent and immature all things considered. I don't agree with her on most things, but I'll give credit to Freya for not bringing him into The Banshees. Jamal I didn't see much of, but I think he liked to speak in rhymes? Aubrey and Molly were an interesting pair of twins, but to be honest, I don't think they would have made it much further even if Molly wasn't an idiot eliminating the two of them. Kyle I thought would make it much much further, but I guess he kept his personal codes closer to his heart than his game. I feel a kinship there. Antonio was a little creepy, but a good guy. Isaac, he was alright, if a little preachy. Kaden was too focused on Azami for too long and just as we all warned, it cost him in the end. Samuel got robbed if I'm being honest. I would have liked to have brought him to the end with me and Jaime, that would've been my ideal alliance. Lena wasn't as good a player as she probably thought she was. Twilight too for that matter. She led the Vampires, sure, but they did spend the pre-merge in the nicest campsite and were never wanting for food, water, or hygiene. Aleister's returner alliance was doomed to fail from the start, but I'm still glad I was able to nip it in the bud. I respect Tori for not taking that money, but clearly that was the wrong choice for her to make. Sherwood played a solid game, and it's unfortunate that we ended up on opposing sides. I didn't like Azami much but it was supposed to be her, me, and Jaime in the finale, which is why I think people should realize Jaime deserves more flack for that blindside, especially since it went against her own alliance. Finally Freya. She's clearly grown as a person, but I don't know, I don't think it would have been enough to win against us in the end given what I've heard of her early game."

End Confessional

Confessional: Daniel

"I don't give much thought to the eliminated contestants that aren't on my own teams, so I'll talk about those I was forced to interact with, except Isaac. I've already expressed how I feel about Isaac. Phooka was a doormat and a coward. The reason she couldn't beat me in that staring contest was because she didn't have the will to put up with the pain of keeping her eyes open for a long period of time. Jamal's rhymes annoyed the ever loving shit out of me, and I didn't see him lasting very long if we got to the merge, but I would have kept him around longer, since he at least wasn't ever actively hunting me down. Kyle had his chance, and he chose to be that first juror. That's all that matters. Antonio is probably the player I respect the most out of everyone. We both knew going into that deathmatch that there was no animosity there. I can see some jurors making a big deal about the way I won, but I'd argue that he had a height and strength advantage, and I was being dragged across hot coals so it's not like I didn't put up with just as much pain. Kaden also had his chance, but because he was too hung up on a girl, he blew it. I hope Lena's elimination was unceremonious and bland, because after making such a big deal out of how she opposed me, she better not have become some kind of martyr like her self-righteous mentor. Tori should have taken that money. And I guess I'll weigh in on Freya too since we shared a deathmatch as well. She did not go down the path I thought she would, and I was able to see her start down it on Weliweli. Time and time again I expected her to crumble under the pressure, but somehow she never did. Now I just hope she makes good on her comment that she'd campaign for the less popular finalists, because I'm fairly sure that's me."

End Confessional

Confessional: Lucien

"Natalie was oof. Misha was kind of cute honestly. Phooka deserved to smile more. Nick was a handsome guy, but also a great template for when I need to think of something for 'dumb Luci' to say. Helen was also pretty cute, it's a shame I wasn't on that team to keep her calm and in the game. Kaleaf was a good looking guy as well, but yeah he had a temper. I wish I could have been around to help mellow his harsh. Jamal had some dope rhymes. I wish I could hear them again. Aubrey and Molly were both attractive but if I'm being honest, they both seemed a little out of touch with reality. I didn't see either one making it very far. I wish I could have heard one of the songs Kyle might have sung to Freya, because the dude's southern accent makes all those country lyrics sound that much better. I can only wonder how Antonio lost his deathmatch, but I guess I'll find out when I watch this season later with my cousin Bernie. Kaden sure knew how to pick the hotties but I don't know if I'd have picked Azami. Samuel, sorry about that again dude, but you did say it was water under the bridge now, so hopefully, we're cool. I think you're a neat guy to be honest. Lena, oof, I'm so sorry girl, I tried to keep you around, really! But you really should have stopped focusing on Daniel for a little bit. Twilight, I'm glad you got to play an uninterrupted game this time, since I know that was a big hangup for you going into this. Aleister, buddy, I can hardly believe how far you were able to make it, and I'm sorry your returner alliance didn't quite work out, but also a little glad about it since you know, I'm not a returner, haha. Tori, girl, you were definitely my favorite teammate, don't tell the others. Even though you kept causing me problems, I still wanted you around. Sherwood, I've got nothing, sorry my guy, not sure we really talked much at all if I'm being honest. Azami, I gotta apologize to you, I was supposed to be the Demons' punching bag, but you ended up filling that role instead thanks to that first curse. But I'm also proud you made it as far as you did, and you ought to be too! Jaime was pretty cute and smart as well, and I'd honestly rather her be up here instead of Barnard right now, but we all know about Rockgate. And Freya, damn. I say she's definitely earned her Valkyrie nickname that Twilight gave her. I just hope our favorite Norse goddess decides to shine favorably upon me despite the unpopular opponents I'm up against."

End Confessional

Question 6: Any advice for Total Drama hopefuls watching at home?

Confessional: Barnard

"It is more than possible to play with both your brain and your heart, but you need to be shrewd, and take risks and make controversial decisions, otherwise you aren't going to be able to reach the end. Just never be afraid of the adventure."

End Confessional

Confessional: Daniel

"You aren't some superhero. Don't act like you are. Nobody is a supervillain. Don't act like they are."

End Confessional

Confessional: Lucien

"You're going to screw up. Like a lot. Like a lot a lot. Every single plan you make is not going to survive first contact with the other players and nothing is ever going to be certain, but even through all of that, you can still make it. You can still win. You just need to get up when you fall, dust yourself, off, and keep running towards that goal."

End Confessional

Location: All Locations

Contestant(s): All Remaining

Barnard, Daniel, and Lucien, upon finishing their interviews, each got into their kayaks and bid farewell to Weliweli Island.

"Goodbye, Weliweli." Barnard said. "Thanks for being our starting location on this epic adventure!"

Next, they passed by Kokoke Island. A few of the livestock from the Final 7 challenge were still there.

"Hey guys!" Lucien called from his kayak. "You make that place your own, now, you hear?"

"Looks like the buoys and trail markers are taking us on one last tour of the island." Daniel noticed as he gave Octo a nod under the water while she played with the wreckage of the ships and waved with one of her arms to the finalists.

"Yeah, it seems like it." Barnard agreed as they passed by the Nui Kaua Docks and under the Nui Kaua Bridge.

"Oh man…" Lucien shook his head as the trio rowed along the Muliwai. "I think every single merge-making contestant has been here fishing at least once."

"I wonder how many of us will appear on camera fishing in the final cut of the show." Barnard nodded.

Soon, the trio had docked their kayaks at the riverbank and began to follow the trail markers down along Nui Kaua Beach.

"Wow, what a view…" Lucien pointed to the sunset on the horizon.

"It really is lovely." Barnard agreed.

"I guess." Daniel shrugged.

The three stood still to admire the sunset for a while before moving on.

"Ahh Nahele Forest." Daniel spoke up. "This was around where I found the case of tikis. Jamal was right next to me too, he was too busy rapping to himself he didn't see me grab the case."

"That sounds just like him all right." Lucien chuckled.

"This is also around where the Demons officially began their reformation process." Barnard nodded along.

The three continued until they reached Kahakai Beach.

"Those fucking coals…" They all groaned in unison before continuing back through the forest and into Nui Kaua Field.

"Oh, what a nice, open, grassy area." Lucien smiled.

"I remember when everyone and their mother was here searching for that Curse Tiki." Barnard chuckled.

"Oh yeah, and Jaime kept annoying me and wouldn't leave me alone." Daniel recalled the moment less fondly.

Soon, the three passed through Immolate Cavern.

"Now this place, this was the real campsite of the Demons." Barnard laughed. "If only the Zero Sum items were still here so we could see how much dust they've collected."

"Belaying up the cavern walls was pretty exciting, not gonna lie." Lucien chuckled.

"Well, riding on that thrill coaster was terrifying." Daniel shuddered. "Glad I won't have to do that ever again."

The Final 3 passed through the other side of the cavern and began to walk up Mt. Immolate.

"We've come so far, my dudes." Lucien nearly had a tear in his eye as they all stopped just short of the summit to look out over the entirety of Nui Kaua, and the surrounding islands in the lake.

"It has been one incredible journey." Barnard agreed. "I'm glad I got to experience the whole of it."

"...Me too…" Daniel sighed under his breath when he was sure both the other finalists had started to move on towards the summit.

As the boys approached the apex of the island, they noticed the building the intern had referred to. It was clearly just the Visceral Vampire cottage that had once again been repurposed and renovated, but sitting there atop the volcano, it truly did look like some sort of great hall of the afterlife.

Chris was waiting at the doors.

"Welcome Final 3!" He announced. "To your most difficult, and final challenge! Convincing a jury of your peers, that you eliminated, why they should vote for you to receive one million dollars! Here's how this is going to work? You're going to go in, take your seats around the Po'ino Hearthfire, and make your opening case to the jury. Then, one by one, every juror will be given time to ask up to all of you one question, which can change based on who they're asking. For instance, Kyle could ask Barnard one thing, Daniel another, and Lucien another, Or he could ask the same question of all of you, but he can't ask Barnard multiple questions. Some jurors might not ask you any questions at all, they might just drag your names and games through the mud. What's important is that you, the Final 3, are only allowed to speak up if a juror asks you a question that they want answered. A juror will pass it on to the next juror when they have said all they've wanted to say and heard all they've wanted to hear. After the last juror cedes their time, the jury will vote on a player to receive the million dollar grand prize as the winner of Total Drama Nui Kaua: The Cursed Island. Do the three of you understand? Because once I open these doors behind me and let you through, there is no turning back."

Barnard, Daniel, and Lucien all looked at each other and nodded.

"We understand." Barnard replied.

"In that case…" Chris creaked the door open as the sun finished setting behind the finalists. "Welcome...To Heaven's Hall!"

Location: Heaven's Hall

Contestant(s):

Finalists: Barnard, Daniel, Lucien

Jury: Kyle, Antonio, Kaden, Samuel, Lena, Twilight, Aleister, Tori, Sherwood, Azami, Jaime, Freya

Gallery: Natalie, Misha, Phooka, Nick, Helen, Kaleaf, Jamal, Aubrey, Molly, Isaac

"We will now commence with the Final 3's Final Judgement!" Chris announced as Barnard, Daniel, and Lucien all took their seats around the hearth fire in the center of the building, facing the jury bench. "Starting off, we have our opening statements from the Final 3! Barnard, why don't you go first?"

Barnard stood up.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," He announced. "I hope to prove to you through your questions, that I played a hard game, and I played a smart game, and even if some of you don't agree with my decisions, I posit that I've kept my integrity intact. That is all."

He sat back down as the jury began to whisper to each other.

"Lucien." Chris announced. "How about you next?"

Lucien stood up.

"Jury dudes and jury dudettes," Lucien began. "I want to thank each of you for playing all your tough as nails games that made the three of the rest of us getting here so difficult. Hopefully I can earn your votes, but even if I can't, I hope the rest of you have had as much fun as I have during your time here."

He too sat back down as the jury began to whisper to each other.

"Finally, Daniel.." Chris motioned.

Daniel cleared his throat.

"I…" He clenched his fists as he struggled to speak. "I know...that I'm not your favorite. I'm probably the last person most of you want to see up here...but I've played an incredibly hard game to get here, and I've sacrificed so much. I can understand...really...I can...if you decide not to award me the money based on my social gameplay...but please...please reconsider whether you want things to play out that way. I'm sure you were watching that fear challenge, or at least most of you were, so you should know the kind of life I have waiting for me at home...Please...that life is killing me. My hair is grey at sixteen years old! Please...it would mean…" tears began to roll down Daniel's cheeks. "It would mean...the world to me...if you could look past my manners and give me the win I've worked so hard for. I can't be sent back home...please…and...uh...thank you."

Daniel, shaking, sat back down.

The jury once again whispered among themselves.

"That concludes our opening statements." Chris smiled. "Which means now we can move on to the bread and butter...the jury interrogations! First up at the hearth...Kyle!"

Kyle's Hearth

"Hey guys." Kyle smiled at the finalists. "Congrats on makin' it this far in such a hurricane of a season. I've already got a bit of an idea of who I feel like I'm gonna vote for but right now I do still have a few questions I'd like y'all to answer. I think I'll start with the easiest one first. Barnard!"

Barnard nodded at Kyle.

"Barnard, how many votes do you think you're gonna have by the end of this here Po'ino Hearthfire Ceremony?"

"Well, that's an interesting question, Kyle." Barnard cleared his throat. "I'd argue that by the end of the ceremony I should have enough votes to pull ahead of both Lucien and Daniel here since I've played a decently mixed-"

"I'mma stop you there buddy." Kyle put a hand up. "My question was 'how many votes do you think you're gonna have by the end of this ceremony?' I wasn't asking you to defend any actions you might have taken or refused to take. I want to know how confident you are in your ability to convince, at the very very least, 4 people to add onto that one vote you received earlier."

"I believe I can do that, yes. All you on the jury need to do is-"

"That's enough there, friend." Kyle smiled with a laugh as a few members of the jury snickered behind him. "Let's see, which of the two other finalists should I move onto next?"

Kyle pointed.

"Let's go with you, Luci." He smiled.

Lucien nodded.

"Alright Lucien, I want you to answer me a hypothetical. Let's say the first curse never happened and you were part of the Demons. Surely you intended for one team to be full of losers that would have been easy to bet in case the Demons were still dysfunctional. Which one of the other three was it?"

Lucien chuckled.

"Okay...Please don't get mad, but it was your team. I didn't think Freya was as fit as she was, I thought you would buckle under stress a lot easier. I felt like Sherwood wouldn't really make many friends or allies, and the same with Misha. Aubrey wants to be normal, but even if she's super nice, she's still incredibly rich and just a bit out of touch with reality, and Nick was nice and reckless. So uh...yeah I know I'm not doing myself any favors with the three Banshees on that bench but I can admit being wrong."

"I appreciate your honesty if nothin' else." Kyle chuckled. "Now then...I suppose it's time for me to move on to Daniel."

Daniel looked up at Kyle from his seat around the hearthfire.

"Daniel…" Kyle shook his head. "I ain't one to hold onto grudges, but I also ain't one to forget wrongdoings either. My heart goes out to you for your situation, but I ain't voting based on how your home life is, I'm voting based solely on your gameplay, and the indifferent heartlessness I felt coming off of ya' during my elimination was something else. I do believe that people can change for the better, and I believe you're no exception to that, but I also believe that for that to happen I can't reward you for the way you carried yourself, so my vote isn't going to go your way. But I do know a question a few jurors are dying to ask you, so I might as well save them the trouble and ask you myself so they can think up new ones." He pointed towards Freya on the other end of the juror bench.

"Daniel, do you think you deserve the money more than she does?"

"I'm not sure about what I deserve." Daniel admitted. "That's supposed to be up to you on the jury after all. But at the very least I'd say I need it more than she does, and that I played just as hard a game."

Some jurors began to murmur amongst themselves while Freya nodded at Daniel with a quick smile.

"Alright then…" Kyle shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure who my vote is going to just yet, but I've asked all my questions and said all I've needed to say. I cede my time."

"Next up!" Chris announced as Kyle went back to sit down. "Antonio!"

Antonio's Hearth

"Hello….finalists…" Antonio grinned creepily as the hearthfire lit up his face. "Let's jump right into the flames, shall we? My first question is for…Daniel."

Daniel looked up at Antonio.

"Daniel...you were a good adversary in the lifeline challenge. Thank you for not holding back...however...I want to know...If I had won...and you had lost...who do you think would have made it to the final 3?"

"Probably you, Twilight, and Samuel." Daniel responded without missing a beat. "You were going into the merge a pretty solid unit."

"Thank you." Antonio smiled.

He turned his head slowly.

"Barnard." His grin widened.

Barnard gulped with a nod.

"What is it about me you find so scary, Barnard?" Antonio took a step forward, clearly enjoying messing with Barnard, and a few jury members seemed to like it as well.

"Wait...that's your question for me?" Barnard asked.

Antonio nodded. "And I'm waiting for an answer…" He took another step closer.

"I-it's just that...you're very...tall...and...usually have red paint staining your clothes so…"

"So it looks like BLOOD?" Antonio rushed up to Barnard, who quickly cowered beneath his arms before both Antonio and a few of the more bitter members of the jury erupted in laughter.

"Ohh, thanks for that one." He chuckled. "Now for Lucien…"

He turned to Lucien.

Lucien smiled back.

"I have nothing for you, Lucien." Antonio grinned. "How frightened does that make you?"

"Just a little frightened." Lucien responded with a small chuckle.

"As you should be." Antonio warned with a low chuckle before turning to Chris.

"That's all, Chris, I cede my time."

"In that case... " Chris announced. "Kaden! You're up!"

Kaden's Hearth

"Alright!" Kaden cheered as the gallery clapped for him. "It's time for my turn at the hearth here! Let's kick things off into high high gear! So I'm gonna start these questions off right with our boy LUCIEN!" He pointed at Lucien.

Lucien nodded with a small smile as he adjusted himself in his seat.

"Lucien was supposed to be allied with the Children of Isaac back during my elimination. Freya over there had concocted a brilliant strategy to become a voting sponge and we'd have sent Daniel home with our four votes, but as well all know that's not how it played out. Now, what I don't get, Lucien...is why. Why did you force the tie?"

"This isn't actually that hard to answer. There are two real reasons for it." Lucien responded.

"Kaden, you were a pretty big threat, so I did sort of want to see you gone, but I also didn't want to completely out myself as being smart yet, so I voted for the one person I knew would be immune thanks to her tiki. At the same time though, I couldn't vote for Daniel because then I'd lose half of the shield I had created with him and Lena gunning for each other. That about sums it all up."

"Sweet, thanks for filling me in on all the deets there, appreciate it." Kaden nodded.

Kaden turned to Daniel.

"You next Daniel."

Daniel nodded.

"Daniel, you and I both know that in any other scenario than the one we had, I would have kicked your butt at arm-wrestling, so I'm not very hung up about any of that at all, what I am hung up about is something you actually sang rather than said. Back during the Top 8 challenge, you sang 'if I were some hero, I needn't try'. I want you to explain what exactly you mean by that, because out of everyone on this jury bench, and even those in the peanut gallery, I feel like all the players I would consider heroes tried very hard indeed."

"A heroic player…" Daniel sighed as though he was explaining this to a toddler. "Would not need to make a case for the money to a jury if the other finalists were these two." Daniel pointed to Barnard and Lucien.

"Hey wait-!" Barnard rose a hand.

"Nope." Chris shook his head. "Only Daniel can answer the question."

"I see…" Kaden nodded. "Thanks for explaining what you meant. That finally brings me to you...Barnard…"

"Can I-"

"Barnard, I have a different question for you." Kaden stopped Barnard from responding to Daniel's offhand comment. "Helen." He pointed over to Helen sitting in the gallery. "She left the game and gave every single one of us a scathing critique. I want your honest opinion. Which of the Demons did the best of rectifying their flaws and did any Demons prove her wrong?"

"I would say that, by virtue of me earning my way to the final 3, I did the best-" Barnard began, but as he noticed a few of the jurors and gallery players start to snicker he changed course. "But I also think that Jaime deserves a special mention."

Jaime crossed her arms in her seat and rolled her eyes.

"Oh man, good on you Barnard, thanks for answering." Kaden smiled as he seemed to wipe a tear from his eye. "Chris, I'm ready to cede my time."

"Samuel, you're up!" Chris announced.

Samuel's Hearth

"Alright…" Samuel sighed. "Let me get this out of the way first: I don't have personalized questions for you guys. Instead, I have a single question that I would like to ask all three of you, namely...what exactly do you plan to do with the money if you win it? I already have an idea of who I feel like voting for, but I don't know for sure yet, and your plans could change my vote entirely. Let's go alphabetically down the lane, with Barnard, then Daniel, then Lucien."

Barnard stood up.

"First, I want to point out that I might not be heroic but I certainly think I'm a lighter shade of grey on the-"

"That wasn't the question I wanted answered." Samuel hurried Barnard along. "This isn't a debate, Barnard, this is a trial. We aren't moderators, we're jurors. Answer the question I gave you."

"Well, after I graduate from uni, I'd probably invest in starting a business. I do love travelling so maybe some sort of company that travels to beautiful places and then makes puzzles out of the pictures we take, so that everyone can have fun 'going' there while also giving their brain a bit of a workout."

"Thank you." Samuel motioned for Barnard to sit down. "Daniel, you?"

"I'd leave my family and go somewhere else. I admit, I enjoyed the weather on the few sunny days here, so maybe move to Hawaii or something. The rest I'd put into a rainy day fund because if there's anything this show should have convinced all of us of it's that rainy days suck."

The unexpected joke from Daniel got a few of the jurors and most of the gallery to give some small laughs.

Samuel nodded and motioned for Daniel to sit.

He turned to Lucien.

"And Luci...your plans?"

"I gotta say both those goals are pretty ambitious and nice compared to mine!" Lucien laughed. "I'm just going to save up for college and pour the rest into helping my aunt and Bernie, you saw her, she was my relative during the Final 6 curse. I want to help them move to California with me and my family, since they've wanted to for years now."

"You would live in California." Samuel muttered with a smile under his breath. "Thanks Lucien, for the answer. Now that I have all that information, I'll be a lot more confident when I cast my vote. Chris, I cede my time."

"Thank you Samuel!" Chris announced as Samuel went back down. "Lena, you're up!"

Lena's Hearth

"Alright, listen the fuck up." Lena stood in front of the three finalists. "I already know where my fucking vote is going so I'm just gonna go ahead and force all three of you little shits to get fucked by negative press. Let's start with Daniel since he's the easiest fucker to shit on! You've been such a goodman shitstain for the entire season and now, now you're expecting empathy from the people you've wronged? Yeah fucking right like any of us are going to buy your last minute bullshit, even if it is true. It's too little to late you fucking bag of dicks. If you're having trouble at home just fucking leave. Child neglect is illegal and yeah, it might uproot the fuck out of your life, but if you're to be believed it sucks already doens't it?"

Lena took a moment to take a few breaths before she turned to Lucien.

"Next up is the dumb blonde douchebag over here! You think acting like a complete and utter idiot was funny? It fucking wasn't. Every single one of us hated putting up with every minute of it. Your votes in the pre-vote weren't coming from people supporting you because they liked you, almost every single one of them was a goddamn protest vote. You better hope to the fucking island gods that your shit-ass luck miraculously becomes Tori-level powerful or else you're gonna be in for a rude fucking awakenining. You can't expect to continuously play the fool and then not be treated like one!"

She took a few more breaths before she turned to Barnard.

"Finally there's this fucking asshole. I never even really had to fucking put up with you, but after hearing you using only this goddamn final episode as a reference, I'm giving major major props to every single Demon for not quitting right away because my fucking god do you not know when to shut your fucking mouth. I'm the one vote you received at that last immunity challenge, and it's honestly getting harder and harder for me to fucking justify it as I continue to hear how highly you think of your own gameplay!"

Lena took a few final breaths before giving all three finalists a few choice closing words.

"None of the three of you deserve nearly half the support any of you fuckers are receiving and if I ever see you guys again it'll be too fucking soon. Chris, I cede my goddamn time."

"Wow." Chris chuckled as Lena left a silent Final 3 to go sit back down at the jury bench. "I would not want to have to follow that. Twilight!" He beamed. "You're up!"

Twilight's Hearth

"Very funny, McLean…" Twilight rolled her eyes as she walked up to the hearthfire.

"Alright you three, here's the deal, all my freaking questions were asked already but I'm not about to just cede my time like a loser, so we're gonna play a game together. I'm going to give each of you a play that you made that the jury actually likes, and you're going to tell me precisely how you came to make the decision that you did. So...first let's start with Barnard. Your play that we all think was great, it might sound weird coming from me but the play was voting me off. I'd like to think that if Freya had gone home instead back then, I would be where she is right now. So...what made you decide, specifically, to vote me off first in your quest to get rid of returning players? I was, after all, part of your team for a while before the merge hit."

"Well…" Barnard stood up. "It was because you were a big physical and judicial threat at the time. Freya was still not the most popular, and Sherwood hadn't been performing as consistently well in challenge as you had, so I went to Aleister and the Demon alliance and-"

"I'm gonna stop you there." Twilight rose a finger. "I can understand if it's hard to remember but my elimination was voted for publicly thanks to the curse of the episode, and sorry to play dirty, but I caught you in a bit of a lie. You see...thanks to your own confessional, I know that the one with that play was actually Azami, and you just happened to have been trying to turn Aleister and me against each other so you jumped on her idea."

"But-" Barnard rose up.

"Next up...Daniel." Twilight went down the line. "The play the jury agrees was a good one for you to make was actually the same one we would have given Freya had she been up there instead of you. Specifically, volunteering for that final sudden death challenge. Even those of us that hate your fucking guts like Lena have to give you some mad cred for putting your game on the line to take out a threat like that. But still, why did you volunteer, why did you not make a case for Lucien to send Barnard out there instead?"

"Because Barnard is fresh off of Rockgate." Daniel responded. "I didn't want to give him the opportunity to make the jury forget about it."

"Are we really calling it Rockg- nevermind." Twilight shook the thought from her head. "Thanks for the answer. Finally...Lucien."

Lucien gave a small wave to Twilight.

"Lucien, the play we all liked seeing from you was the song you sang in the Top 8. You laid everything about you out bare in the open for us. What led you to do that specifically rather than try to, say, wow us with performance chops and win the challenge?"

"Mainly because I had a feeling I'd have trouble up here if I got this far." Lucien laughed. "I wanted to make sure I got some stuff I wanted to say across first in case I didn't get the chance to here."

"That's some commendable foresight." Twilight nodded. "Alright then, Chris, I'm satisfied. I cede my time."

"Aleister!" Chris announced as Twilight went to sit back down and Aleister came up.

Aleister's Hearth

"Hehehe, now it's my turn at the hearth." Aleister snickered at the Final 3.

"But I'm not here for Lucien or Daniel, I'm here for Barnard and only Barnard. Congratulations on making it as far as you did, Barnard. However….I want to know...who...who exactly are you claiming credit for eliminating that makes you such a big contender to win?"

"Well…" Barnard sighed. "I'm not really claiming any specific elimination makes me a contender, and thanks to Twilight just now, I can really only say I'm responsible for eliminating you and Sherwood and that's not-"

"Wow." Aleister turned back to the Jury bench.

"You hear that, Jaime?"

"No!" Barnard stood up from his seat "I mean, yeah I was sort of forced to vote for her though because of that curse tiki play otherwise we would've just gone to rocks and best case scenario, the same outcome happened, so you know, it's not like-"

"Not like we're talking about the worst case scenario?" Aleister snickered. "Because from where I'm standing you're in it. If you had gone to rocks, no matter what had happened, you would have won the jury's respect, and I bet Helen wouldn't be doing her best to ignore your existence right now." Aleister pointed back toward where Helen was in fact trying her hardest to just not look at Barnard at all.

"But let's not focus on that right now." Aleister shook his head. "Let's give you the benefit of the doubt and focus on me and Sherwood. Hey Jury!" Aleister called. "Raise your hand if you'd have voted for me in the finale."

No movement.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. And on the subject of Sherwood, didn't you try to eliminate him at the Final 8? Azami and Freya totally left you in the dark there and blindsided Tori at the perfect time to. Then, they only voted with you the next round because Jaime actively tried to make them feel welcome in your alliance. So sorry to say it this late into the hearing Barnard, but you'll have to find another way to convince us to vote for you. Chris, I cede my time."

"And with that we can move on to Tori!" Chris announced.

Tori's Hearth

"Hey you three!" Tori smiled. "Barnard, I'm not voting for you, and if you want to know why it's because you played a predictable game. A boring one. HOWEVER." She turned to Daniel and Lucien.

"I'm really really torn about which one of the two of you to cast my vote for. Luci, you've been so interesting to watch from the very beginning, and Daniel, you've been playing probably the riskiest game which I gotta give you huge props for. So the two of you are going to do something. I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 25. I want the two of you to guess what it is. The closer person gets my vote. If you're equidistant then I guess I'll have to vote for Barnard. Alright, I have a number...go."

"I guess, uh, 4." Lucien shrugged. "It won me the right to choose the teams after all."

"22." Daniel guessed. "Favorite number."

"Well, that's all I have, Chris. I cede my time." Tori chimed before heading back to the jury bench.

"In that case...Sherwood, you're up!" Chris announced.

Sherwood's Hearth

"Guess it's my turn now." Sherwood yawned as he walked up to the hearthfire. "Alright let's see...Barnard, I'll give you a bit of a break from the metaphorical beating you seem to be getting, and ask you a question to help you get a little popularity points back. Lucien and Daniel are both sharing the Final 3 with you, so...what would you say was each of their best plays?"

"Lucien's best play, hands down, was getting rid of Samuel." Barnard nodded. "It effectively beheaded the Vampire alliance and forced Aleister to start his returning player agenda, which divided everyone enough for the demons to reform. Daniel's best play, meanwhile, was giving up his shoes, voting rights for two rounds, and letting an extra vote be cast against him in exchange for one week's worth of immunity. That was huge for him, and with him gone, everyone focused on his main rival at the time and she was taken out of play by our Demon alliance all without him needing to do anything."

A few members among the jury began to whisper to each other before Freya shushed them.

"Okay…" Sherwood pinched his nose when Freya silently let him know he could continue. "Now let me think of a question for the other two. Ah! Lucien, let's say it's a final 2 instead and you're the last juror, who do you vote for, Daniel or Barnard?"

"Uhhh…" Lucien thought to himself. "I really don't know, I'd have to listen to all the jury questions for sure but um...if I had to choose...uh...Daniel. Just because of the same team affiliation."

"I see." Sherwood nodded. "Daniel, same question for you."

"Barnard, for the exact opposite reason. I haven't been too fond of my team in general. I want a team of serious players who want to win, not a bunch of laid back people or self-righteous meatheads. That's probably why I'll like the Vampires the best if I ever decide to watch this season."

"Fair enough." Sherwood shrugged. "Chris, I cede my time."

"Then it's time for Azami to come on down!" Chris announced.

Azami's Hearth

"ALRIGHT!" Azami shouted cheerily. "QUESTION 1: LUCIEN!"

Lucien saluted from his seat.

"WHAT DO YOU CALL A PIG THAT DOES KARATE!"

"Holy shit a pig that does karate?" Lucien laughed. "I uh...oh!"

"A PORK CHOP!" They both shouted ecstatically at the same time.

"HAHAHAAHAHHH!" Azami laughed loudly before calming down. "Yeah I know that wasted a question but it was WORTH IT in my opinion. You're free to go, Luci, I want to focus on the other two. The first one is Daniel."

Daniel looked up at Azami.

"Daniel, I have to know...why did you give me the Demon Tiki? I would have thought that I of all people would be the last one you'd want to hand something like that off to, I was ready to just burn it entirely."

"That's actually why I handed it off to you." Daniel nodded. "I specifically tried to hand the tikis off to the players I felt would be most likely to either destroy, lose, or waste them. I had a feeling your views on skill-based competition would compel you to attempt to destroy the tiki, and from what I understand you nearly did."

"Well, yeah I guess if that was your goal, then I would be the right person to choose." Azami nodded. "Alright, you're free to go too! Good luck to both you and Lucien! Now then…"

Azami turned towards Barnard.

"Barnard...I'm going to ask a few questions, but they're rhetorical, I'm not looking for an answer, they're part of a statement I need to make, so here goes…"

She took a deep breath.

"How many times while you were on Weliweli did you reflect on your game? Was it because you were always there with other people that you never took the time to look at yourself? Might it be because you like talking amongst others so much that you've never heard the words that come out of your mouth? When I went to Weliweli I had to take a look at my game, and what had led me to the place where I was then. And I'm not the only one either, but it did help me collect my thoughts and start to better myself perhaps not as a player, but as a person. I dunno, maybe you think you're a perfectly good person already who doesn't need to self-reflect when he's busy in a game as cutthroat as this one, but do you honestly think that I joined you out of Demon pride? Because of course I didn't. I'll admit I wasn't likeable on the Demons, I'm not completely oblivious to the way I come across sometimes, but I had to put up with constant holier than thou bullying from all the rest of you, and you're no exception. And to see you come up before the jury...and claim that on the grey tapestry of morality that you're a lighter shade, without owning the mistakes or unpopular decisions you made as your own...well, that's a darker shade than I think you realize. Your one point during the Jury pre-vote was a protest vote from Lena! And I know you think that you just need to make us understand where you're coming from but we do. We already understand where you're coming from, and we simply think that's the wrong direction, and you can try to argue with it all you want, but it won't do you any good to resist. We aren't only the jury after all, we're also the judges, so as we head into the last two jurors and the final vote...Just please own the game you played, warts and all, and accept any criticism that comes your way."

Azami sighed as the gallery and most of the jury clapped. "Chris, I cede my time."

"Jaime." Chris smiled as Jaime stood up.

Jaime's Hearth

"We're almost at the end of this gauntlet, boys." Jaime smiled at the Final 3. "And listen, am I upset about Rockgate? Sure, yeah, of course, but that can all be water under the bridge. Before I get to that however, let me start with Daniel."

Daniel looked up at Jaime.

"Daniel, back in the Final 7, you mentioned to me that you wanted to send Barnard home before you sent me home. I want to know...was that still true in the Final 5? Would your vote have been for Barnard over me if you had been able to cast it?"

"In the Final 5…" Daniel thought back. "Yes. I did, after all, just help you blindside Azami, so I would've wanted to keep that partnership going."

"Sweet, nice to know, thanks." Jaime laughed. "Now...Lucien…One thing that the Jury isn't allowed to see unless they're public is a player's confessionals, and I say that because I'm not stupid, I know you probably told the world your choice in a confessional already, but for the sake of the people who are considering handing you a whooole lot of money...tell me. If Freya and Daniel hadn't volunteered. Would you still have brought Barnard to the finale anyways?"

"I would have to be honest." Lucien admitted. "Freya had me worried with her whole 'campaign for the less popular' claim, and quite frankly she still does."

Freya smiled at Lucien as she gave a soft laugh from her jury bench seat.

Lucient turned back to Jaime. "So I knew that I had to send Daniel to that sudden death to at least let her know that, hey, I'm trying to get him gone too. At the same time though, my goodness I did not want to go up against her in a final 3 vote, and certainly not a final 2. So yeah, she definitely had to be the second choice. So it was less a desire to bring Barnard with me and more a desire to get rid of at least one of the two people I found most threatening to my own game."

"I hear you loud and clear, Luci." Jaime nodded. "And though you might still kind of rub me the wrong way, I can definitely afford you plenty of respect. And speaking of respect…"

Jaime turned.

"Barnard."

Barnard gave a small wave to Jaime.

"Yes, hi." Jaime rolled her eyes. "Alright Barnard, here's the deal. Rockgate is whatever, but I've been on this jury listening to you talk about all the stuff we did as though they are your exclusive accomplishments. I want you to stand up and admit to us all, right now, that there is not a snowball's chance in hell you would have succeeded with any of your plans if I wasn't there doing the actual legwork."

Barnard bit his lip as he stood up.

"Jaime was an invaluable member of the Demon alliance. She did a large amount of legwork and her contributions were greatly appreciated, and certainly had an effect on the overall success of our plans."

"Oh my god" She shook her head in disappointment. "Alright, I'm not gonna force you to give me credit for handing your success to you on a silver platter, I'll just cast my vote for someone else."

"Fine." Barnard sighed. "Jaime did most of the work in determining who was most vulnerable and therefore a good vote as well as keeping the overall alliance together, even if she was the first one to betray it."

"That's actually not true." Jaime shook her head. "I remember quite specifically asking you to become more social with Azami and Freya to keep us unified but you did nothing. Yeah, it wasn't a vote, but it was still a betrayal, and now you'll pay the price for it. Chris, I cede my time."

"And so we move on to our final juror, Freya." Chris announced.

Freya's Hearth

Her heels clicked against the floor of the room as Freya walked up to the Final 3 and the hearthfire in silence. She looked over each of them before sighing.

"I'm disappointed in you…" She shook her head.

The jury and gallery began to applaud and cheer.

Freya held up a hand to silence them.

"I don't know why you're cheering."

She spun around on her heel and pointed her index nail at the jury. "I said I'm disappointed in you!"

The room fell into a hush as Chris grinned and rested his head on the jar the jury would eventually cast their votes into.

"You must all think you're so cool, giving these players you didn't like some sort of karmic retribution and slinging their names through the mud, refusing to even consider them for votes based solely on their worst traits, and if that's the case then I am glad, so glad, that I'm not up there with those three because if my fate was in the hands of this jury? This assortment of players who are either leaving things up to luck...trying to teach certain players life lessons, or are actively voting out of protest...then I wouldn't want a single one of any of your votes! You all laughed when people made jokes at Barnard's expense, and you know, maybe he does deserve it, I can't say. I wasn't there. I only got here a few hours ago, but how does that make you any better than him? You all loved Lena insulting Daniel, but so many of us have been having those thoughts, and we never say them out loud because that's just basic human decency! Yeah, I know how it might look to some of you in the gallery for me to talk about it, but if you decide to watch this show you'll see that I've freaking earned the right to chew these people out. I was so surprised earlier when I was winning the pre-vote and I could hardly believe it, because ever since the merge hit, the biggest villain or antagonist hasn't been any of the people you see in those three seats, it's been you, a jury who with every episode has been power tripping on its own high horse! Like I said, I've only been here a few hours but already I've heard countless whispers of certain players getting defeated by justice, well I'm here to tell you that your perception of justice is flawed from the beginning. You guys have been coming into this whole ceremony with a view that petty revenge is the same as justice. No! Some of you, like that man," Freya pointed at Isaac, who laughed as he looked into the camera, "might think that justice is some over the top superhero quality, but it isn't that either!"

Up above the glass ceiling, stars began to fall in a meteor shower, and Chris grinned into the camera with a wink. That was the weather phenomenon he'd wanted the finale to capture and Freya's speech was helping them get a great view.

"Justice is the same thing I've been seeking this entire season. The same thing all the returning contestants were seeking this entire season. Justice is giving everyone...everyone a fair and equal opportunity under the law. And to see almost every single one of you actively ignoring each player as an option without giving them a long and hard thought, it makes me so so furious! Right now, I don't really like any of the finalists either, but I'm not going to bitch and moan and make them miserable because of it. I suffered for practically an entire season to learn the simple truth that that kind of thinking is wrong! So I say this: If you want justice, real justice, to win in the end, then you're going to rally behind me and give everyone a long, hard, unbiased look and decide then, based on the rules of the game, exactly who you believe is deserving of the million dollars! Regardless about how you feel about them, all three of those players fought, fought tooth and nail, to get to where they are right now! I know! I was there right beside them, fighting tooth and nail! And I was defeated, as were all of you! Don't hand away a million dollars based on petty, emotional reasons, hand it off based on merit!"

Chris motioned to an intern, who walked up to Freya and gave her a microphone to drop.

The gallery and the Final 3 erupted into applause as the jury sat stunned.

Freya turned around to the Final 3 once more, after taking a few breaths to calm down.

"Sorry about that, you three. I do have something I want to say to you guys as well though." She gave each of them the 'I'm watching you' motion. "The Valkyrie is watching, and judging, and if the island gods are just, then it will be my vote that determines the winner, and I'm not going to vote based on revenge, or on back alley deals, or on emotional empathy, I'm going to vote based on who I feel has the most merit as a winner of this game. But other than that I have no questions for any of you, just two words to repeat: Well done."

She nodded with a smile to all three finalists before turning to Chris.

"Chris…" She sighed. "I cede my time."

"Freya has ceded her time…" Chris announced. "Which means it is time for the jury to vote. We will go in order of elimination."

The Voting Process

Confessional: Kyle: Juror 1

"Whew...Freya...that speech just made me wish you were up there in the final 3 even more. But since I can't vote for her obviously...I'm going to vote for Lucien. I do honestly believe that the man has played the best game. He's never once been in a position of power and he still managed to claw his wall to the Final 3."

End Confessional

Confessional: Antonio: Juror 2

"Daniel. I've been low key rooting for you this whole time, ever since our deathmatch."

End Confessional

Confessional: Kaden: Juror 3

"Hm...This vote decision is a lot harder than I thought going into it, but after basically forcing Freya to waste her tiki I do owe it to her to take the words to heart. I guess I'll write your name down. Let's hope you win, dude."

End Confessional

Confessional: Samuel: Juror 4

"You know what? Yeah! I'll give you the vote. Congrats man, I hope it helps!"

End Confessional

Confessional: Lena: Juror 5

"I don't care what the fuck Freya says, I'm still voting for Barnard as a protest vote."

End Confessional

Confessional: Twilight: Juror 6

"As much as I wish I could write down Valkyrie's name, especially after that mass murder, I do have to hand it to you, you played a pretty good game."

End Confessional

Confessional: Aleister: Juror 7

"I think I'm going to go with Daniel on this one actually. Yeah, really. I can understand wanting to be yourself and not being able to, but more than that, I'd consider his strategy the most effective and fun to watch."

End Confessional

Confessional: Tori: Juror 8

"Fiiine, I'll go along with Freya and vote based on merit, but MY merit is who I had the most fun watching~. So congratulations, I liked spying on you the most!"

End Confessional

Confessional: Sherwood: Juror 9

"I'm voting for Barnard. He did not do well in this final jury performance, but I am more than aware that sometimes game strategies have to change over time and I think he probably would have emerged a much more rootable player if he had been able to enact his initial strategy. I also think people should give him credit for at least attempting to rally the Demons, a dysfunctional team meant to fail without Lucien around, in a season dominated by Mummies and Banshees."

End Confessional

Confessional: Azami: Juror 10

"I VOTE FOR YOU! I HOPE YOU WIN!"

End Confessional

Confessional: Jaime: Juror 11

"My vote has to go to Lucien to be honest. He managed to play competitively just like the other two, and he managed to do it without coming off as a complete POS."

End Confessional

Confessional: Freya: Juror 12

"Hopefully some congratulations are in order, but even if they aren't, I say you earned this."

End Confessional

"I'll go tally the votes." Chris announced as he took the jar away and went to go look over the votes.

Soon, he came back.

The shooting stars were in full swing.

"I've tallied the votes." Chris stated as he put both the jar of votes and a bag that clearly contained the last crystal ball on top of a podium.

"Unlike the other ceremonies...in this Final Po'ino Hearthfire Ceremony, you want to see your name pop up on these pieces of paper. I will read the votes off, showing them to you one at a time."

"Sounds good." Barnard nodded.

"I understand." Daniel nodded.

"Sweet." Lucien nodded.

"When a winner has been determined, I will award him with The Final Crystal Ball, and you will all be given a chance at a final confessional, in order of your placement. Now...are the three of you ready to bring this journey to an end under the stars?"

"Yes." All three boys nodded.

"Then without further ado…" Chris smiled. "I'll read the votes."

He took one vote out of the jar.

"The first vote…

…

… Is for Lucien."

The gallery and jury clapped, as did Barnard and Daniel while Lucien smiled and nodded.

"The next vote…

…

… Is for Barnard. That's one vote Barnard, one vote Lucien."

The gallery and jury clapped, as did Daniel and Lucien while Barnard smiled and nodded.

"The next vote…

…

… Is for Daniel. That's one vote Barnard, one vote Daniel, one vote Lucien, nine votes left."

The gallery and jury clapped, as did Barnard and Lucien while Daniel nodded along, his face contorting into what one might be able to call a smile.

"This next vote…

…

… Is for Daniel. That's one vote Barnard, two votes Daniel, one vote Lucien."

Again, applause.

"Another vote for…

…

… Lucien. That's one vote Barnard, two votes Daniel, two votes Lucien."

The small claps echoed throughout Heaven's Hall.

"And another vote for…

…

… Lucien. That's one vote Barnard, two votes Daniel, three votes Lucien, six votes left."

The gallery began to whisper among itself.

What if there was a tie between two players? What if there was a three-way tie?

After Chef had intimidated the gallery into silence, Chris continued.

"One vote for…

…

… Barnard. That's two votes Barnard, two votes Daniel, three votes Lucien, five votes left."

The gallery and jury applauded.

"One vote for…

…

… Barnard! That's three votes Barnard, two votes Daniel, three votes Lucien, four votes left."

The gallery and jury applauded.

"One vote for…

…

… Daniel. That's three votes Barnard, three votes Daniel, three votes Lucien, three votes left."

Applause arose once more.

The gallery once again began to worry among themselves and Chef once again intimidated them into being quiet.

"This next vote is for…

…

… Daniel. That's three votes Barnard, four votes Daniel, three votes Lucien, two votes left."

Applause again.

"And one vote for…

…

… Lucien. That's three votes Barnard, four votes Daniel, four votes Lucien, one vote left."

Applause filled the room before it hushed into a complete silence as Chris took out the final slip of paper.

He stayed silent for a while.

The gallery was about to start murmuring again but one glare from Chef let them know better.

"The winner…" Chris announced, allaying people's fears. "Of Total Drama Nui Kaua: The Cursed Island…

…

… Is…

…

… Lucien." Chris announced as he showed everyone Lucien's name.

*Barnard's Final Confessional:

"Well, 3rd is not the placement I would have liked to get, but I'm grateful to Freya for giving me a fighting chance. I guess I probably shouldn't be proud of the way I played based on the way the jury acted before then though, so hopefully I can be invited back to redeem myself. I gotta congratulate my other finalists on games well played of course, and I wish everyone on this season the best. Perhaps we might meet again in some sort of all stars type thing even! And then I can play the friendly alliance game I wasn't able to play this season."

End Confessional*

*Daniel's Final Confessional:

"So close...so close but still so far. A single vote going my way was all I needed, and I couldn't get it. Now all I can do is hope that there is some runner up cash to help me out of my horrible situation, or at least that enough people have started to take notice of it that I can finally leave.

It's hard to believe that it was the blonde idiot that ended up doing me in in the end, and I really think I deserved the win, but hey, Total Drama executives, if there's any way I could, say, work as an intern for you guys so I don't have to go home, that would be nice, and it will make it easier to reach me if you ever want me back on the show. But man, victory almost within my reach, and everything has gone horribly wrong. Figures."

End Confessional*

"Lucien…" Chris announced among cheers and applause from both the jury and the gallery.

"It is with great pride that I present you with…"

He took the Final Crystal Ball out of it's bag and showed it to Lucien.

"The Final Crystal Ball, and…"

He held up a briefcase nearly overflowing with bills. "One million dollars!"

Lucien took the case and the crystal ball, and looked over his trophy.

Its base was carved with an inscription: Lucien Lemaire: Total Drama Nui Kaua: The Cursed Island 1st Place

"Bros this is...this is just…" Lucien couldn't help as happy tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Oh man, I love all you guys so much!"

"And that's a wrap on Total Drama Nui Kaua: The Cursed Island!" Chris announced. "And along with it a wrap on our Nui Kaua Trilogy, but fret not loyal viewers, for we've made enough revenue to actually purchase an island up north, called Crios Cath, and what better way to celebrate then by starting that trilogy the exact same way we started this one! Tune in next spring to see 24 new campers following in the footsteps of 24 old ones on Total Drama Nialasach, but until then, we hope you've enjoyed…

Total Drama Nui Kaua…

The Cursed…

Island!"

*Lucien's Final Confessional:

"This is all so surreal guys, I can't...I like, I actually can't right now, you know? I'm a millionaire? A millionaire?! Like whaaaat? Oh man this whole game was just so much fun full stop. Yeah, I was just stumbling from failed play to failed play, but I kept at it! I kept at it and I did it! I won, and only just barely too! Oh...I...Oh man Bernie is going to be SO jealous now haaha! Thanks so much for watching all you peeps at home! I hope we gave you the same good times that this game gave me! Ah mean, I'm really gonna miss this rainy limbo. Hit me up if you ever need a wildcard player in there, alright? I'd love to try and win a second time in a row!"

End Confessional*

The Jury's Final Vote for those who are curious:

Kyle voted for...Lucien

Antonio voted for...Daniel

Kaden voted for...Lucien

Samuel voted for...Barnard

Lena voted for...Barnard

Twilight voted for...Lucien

Aleister voted for...Daniel

Tori voted for...Daniel

Sherwood voted for...Barnard

Azami voted for...Daniel

Jaime voted for...Lucien

Freya voted for...Lucien

AN:

Before I do ANYTHING else, I want to thank you guys for reading. It means a lot to me to finally finish a whole trilogy of Total Drama stories, so thank you for going on this journey with me and these characters. NOW, I do have some questions that I want to ask all of you.

1: Who is this season's greatest male hero? Greatest male villain? Greatest female hero? Greatest female villain?

2: Out of all the players in the game, who would you award a "Player of the Season" prize to, and why?

3: Who was your favorite male character overall? Who was your favorite female character overall?

4: Who is/was your favorite pair to see interact (be it a couple, a pair of rivals, some good friends, or just two characters that you thought had fun interactions)?

5: What contestant out of all of them deserves a "Play of the Game" award and what strategic play did they make to deserve that award?

6: Finally, which characters do you feel deserve another chance in the spotlight (I'll keep the limit to five characters total for this question)?

AN2: I want to talk about the final 3 so badly, but at the same time I just wrote a whole LONG chapter talking EXCLUSIVELY about the final 3, so I'm just going to share some small facts about each of them before going into the same status and best moment things I usually do.

Barnard was originally going to be an early boot for the Demons, but because of outline changes, he managed to claw his way up to the final 3. His game getting slowly more negative as time went on served as a good foil to Freya's growth edit, with him even saying in the Final 6 episode one of her villainous lines from the beginning of the game, (when you have 4/6, you really only need 3/5).

I know that out in the world, Barnard is certainly morally a good person, but I would argue, in terms of the game, Barnard earns the status of: Villain.

Not perhaps as clear cut as, say, Daniel or Molly, but I think he had just enough unpopular decisions and conducted himself in an arrogant enough way to have earned that label.

He might not like having it, of course, but maybe he'll have a chance to play the game he wanted to play from the beginning.

Barnard's best moment, at least to me, was his song in the Top 8 challenge, when he was singing about how happy he was that he'd rallied the remaining Demons. That was the Barnard that he wanted to play as, not the more cost-benefit analysis robot he was sort of forced to be.

Now Daniel.

This may surprise you.
Daniel was originally losing to Phooka in a tiebreaker challenge in the very first episode. Then the outline changed after Victor was replaced with Isaac.

All of a sudden Daniel was doing well.

Then the outline changed again.

Oh, now he's in the merge.

Then it changed one last time.

Oh now he's 2nd place.

And boy am I glad this is what happened. I had such a fun time writing Daniel as an antagonist.

Obviously, Daniel receives the status of: Villain

And he should be proud of the villain game he played. He played the most balls to the wall courageous villain game I've ever seen. I think he might have been in every single sudden death or tiebreaker challenge. No doubt he's inspired a lot of people watching from a home they don't like to go out and apply for Total Drama because oh man did he play an amazing game.

I'd argue that Daniel's best moment was what happened during his fear challenge. It gave us all insight into his backstory and his actions, and helped him grow from a villain to root against to a villain to kind of root for instead.

Finally, Lucien.

Lucien Lemaire was the winner in the very first outline of the game, and whenever I redid it, he just...kept making it to the end, over, and over, and over again. And as perhaps the biggest embodiment of "Stuggles and Failure" the theme of the season, since only his final 4 plan ever worked out in his favor, all the rest actively working against him, he was a sure choice for ultimate winner, at least for me.

Lucien, I'd argue receives the status of: Neutral.

Since he really didn't do much. I can see small arguments made for either of the other status, but I don't think either would be strong enough to really change the label.

Lucien's best moment, in my eyes, is ALSO his Top 8 song. He very clearly lays out that he's basically flying by the seat of his pants, but he's still playing to win, and I just find that admittance funny, and I'm sure he finds it funny too.

Of course, this was all just my opinion.

What do you guys think?

And once again, thank you for reading!

AN3:

Finally, I have a discord link on my profile page, so come join. I'm sure it'll be buzzing with chat about this very fic soon since you know, it's the finale. We also have memes and fanart.