el_warko

I really enjoyed that Meta, one suggestion if I may: drop literally to give drowning in his own tears. Refreshing short story though and well worth the time reading. Let us know how you do in the comp.

Wark slept lightly these days. Drinking had numbed his pain and dulled his senses. His senses were coming back slowly. At this moment he was dreaming. "Jak, Kale, when you are talking about him it's whom when it's he it who." Maggie instructed he boys. Even in his dreams their face were fading. like a warn picture that had seen too much light. "If I was to say "I stepped on him"" she said as she stepped on Wark who was building towers with the girls. ("Ungh" Wark grunted as her foot came down.) "and you were not looking, you would say "Whom did you step on?" Whereas if I was to say, "she stepped on a no good layabout and you were not listening "Hay!, Oi re'sem'bill thaht remark" Wark cried with mock indignation. "you would say who did you step on." It's a subject/object relationship. He is the subject, so you say who, whereas him is an object (in more ways than one) so you say whom. Understand?" "Tha onhlee thing Oi unda'stand is you steppin' onh meh!" Wark said fondly as he tackled his wife to the ground. "Now boys go'an wash up fer dinna, Oi've got'ta kiss yeh mam. Come 'ere yeh"" Wark soon realised that the woman he was kissing in his dreams was the dog. He was awake and house before sunrise by his reckoning. By The Lord Ruler he was thirsty. He reached around for a bottle and stopped when he rememebered he quit. He got out of bed, lit a lamp and went to the ewer by the stove. It was empty. "Oi neehd a drink, kill'ers'n tha mist or knot!" Wark grabbed the ewer and cracked open the door and saw Nevyn. (Bonus points on offer here, double if you can give me his name prior to this one) He slipped out into the night towards the well and promptly tripped over a rock. His jaw crashed into the sod, his teeth into his tongue. Pushing himself up he spat out some blood his hand grasped in the dark for the ewer. It found a scrap of paper. Wark pocketed the paper, found the jug, filled it up at the well and rushed back to his house. He may have needed a drink but only an idiot would stay out with killers on the loose. Wark was an idiot, but he wasn't stupid. "M-O-O-N, thaht spehls knot stew'pid" Inside he poured some water into a cup, rinsed, gargled and spat until the bleeding stopped. He unfolded the paper it was half a page. The top half if he was any judge. "This mus' be tha part'ee invoite thaht they fur'gaht ta give meh!. Oi new thay carred!" It more closely resembled chicken footprints than. At the top Wark could make out some words. "Lie Gap Lanroj Stumag? Thaht mahkes no sense?" "Oh, iht's up soide down! Gamuts Journal Page 17. Thahts a funee way to invoite summin' ta a part'ee" Wark poked his head out the door. "Gamut" He bellowed, "Oi wood vehry much loik'ta come'ta yeh swar'eh. Oi'll bring tha dip, an'tha chickens feet"

Wark finished in the fields and wiped his furrowed brow. He then went to the well and got some water to wash himself. Taking a ladle of water he poured it over his head and wiped the residue away. He drank some and looked around. "Oi know it noight toime buht whar is ev'ry'un? Oi 'aven't 'eard frum an'y'un fur almus 12 'ours. Oi beht thar was a par'ty an' Oi wasn'vited" There were shadows moving in the mist. He thought he saw Gamut lurching towards the smithy but wasn't sure. He HAD come to understand that mist(born)lings were not responsible for his woes. Didn't mean he like them any more than he had previously. "Roight un'naht'rahl thaht is" he muttered. Still, that there were people protecting villagers from the spiked did put his mind at ease some. Clan being spiked had surprised him least. Wark trusted Maw, Maw didn't like Clan, therefore Wark didn't like Clan. "Whar is ev'ry'un?" Baldrick wandered up and licked Wark's hand. "Aht least Oi've got yeh Balders" He went inside his hovel to make dinner.

wove, true wove

Clan, have you considered the Shaggy Defence TM. As in: The goodie tineye scanned me "It wasn't me" Saw I was a spiked tineye "It wasn't me" Witnessed me killing villagers "It wasn't me" Heard Ruin mentioning lynches "It wasn't me"

Wark was on the floor shaking. This was the longest he had ever been without a drink since he has five. He almost reached for eh black faryn to get him through but stopped himself. If hew was going clean, he was going clean. End of. Clan walked past his hovel and Baldrick started growling. That was as good a reason as any he thought. Also, if Clan died, maybe Wark could take over his tenements. He had a good working relationship with Maw, he would treat him fairly he hoped. Wark pulkled himself up and went oput into the fields. With all this killing, precious little work had been done, and none on the land. How would everyone eat? The ash was thick and the crops dying. "If ahny one wahnts moi, Oi'll be in tha fields. Clan Oi feel it fair to warm yer that Oi'm after yer land when yer gone, soumh hours frum now."

dancing and singing

Gamut, a lot of people are claiming you as a reference. Can you please indicate who you have been in contact with whether said people have been useful/honest. Roles need not be mentioned. Full disclosure, Gamut PM'd me, I told him my role, and have been neither help nor hindrance, he can vouch for that. See what I did there. I am voting for Vizzini. Tit for tat etc.etc.

Wark went looking for Mabi. "Mabi, if it is me and you today, and even you are spiked, I want to thank you for your kindness, it has been more than I deserve. I want to tell you all the rest of my story, as my time may be short." Four and a half years ago "You KNEW that the smelter was going to blow?" Maggie screamed "And whats more, you set it up? What were you thinking Wark?" Wark cringed away form the anger taking it in, feeding off it, letting it fuel his depression. How could he tell her that Maeve had put him up to it that everytime he was around Maeve his emotions weren't his own, that he didn't care at the time. He did now he hated mistings adn mistborn almost as much as he hated himself. "You don't think though do you, always wrapped up in your own plans and schemes, your next drink, never thinking of me and the kids. AND NOW YOU"VE KILLED MY BOYS!!!" Wark let Maggie hit nad hit and hit and hit, he wished that she had a knife, she could see it in his eyes. "You don't deserved death" she sneered. If I have to live with the consequnces of your actions, you do too." Six hours later Maeve creeped up behind Wark "Guess who" she purred. "Gerra way frum meh ya freak. Me boys'a dead cause'a yeh" Wark screamed. "But Wark, I thought you loved me?" "Oi neva loved ya, though ya made me think it, an' stop tryin'ta do it now. Oi'm through with ya and yer lies" "I used you yes Wark, but you wanted me to use you. I couldn't make you do anything you didn't want to do. That you are resisting my advances now is proof of that. I am sorry about your boys, but your actions and your loss have helped the rebellion. Take this" She handed Wark two small peices of black metal. "It should more than compensate for your loss" Maeve dropped a coin on the ground and took off. Once she was goen and Wark had stoped shaking, he picked the coin up and went home. I'll leave tonight he thought to himself. 12 hours later. Baldrick cought up to Wark where he had passed out and curled up next to his master. Three years ago. Wark didn't mind the daily beatings at the plantation, the physical pain distracted him from the emotional one. The bruises and broken bones hurt but healed, his soul did not. When the pain wasn't enoguh, he drank, which was more and more often. Cyrus came and liberated the plantation. Wark followed because he couldn't lie down and die, he was too mcuh of a coward for that. "Most of you have known me since then though this is likely the first time you have seen me sober. Do as you will, I am simple man, a drunk and a coward. I might never be able to forgive myself for my actions, but I forgive you, spiked and non-spiked alike for yours".

I would like it on the record that Dane has voted for and retracted Mabi twice on the third he voted Asp very late in the piece. I have also maintained from the start that we need to commit to a lynching when they occur, split votes only help the spiked as they know who each other are and can effect the outcome. I have voted for Forage, Asp, Xaneth and Mabi for teh following reasons: Forage because he spoke in the third person - hardly the worst reason for a day one vote. Asp was a bit of bandwagoning I'll admit. Xaneth because as I stated previously if he was spiked, voting for someone else gave him more of a chance to escape his fate. My gut said Mabi. Mabi this time as she has had her votes fiddled with twice. Joe has claimed that he is a soother and was acting under Gamut's instructions. Gamut has not confirmed this. What is potentially going in Mabis favour right now is that while Gamut has changed his vote, Joe has not. In fact, I think I've just talked myself out of Mabi and into either Dane or Joe.

But I did see translation below. "I voted for Xaneth as I reckon that splitting the vote does more harm than good and only benefits the spiked. At the time there was only three voters, Mabi, Maw and myself. Dane had dropped out. I would have voted for Mabi as every time that she's been nominated ther has been action taken on her tally. But at two votes to one there would be no gain except to Xaneth if he was spiked." Also, I would to point out that my back story, along with most others was concoted prior to roles being handed out. Everyone was way to keen to start. That would imply Pengs assigning of roles was not random. Edited for spelling

Wark woke up he didn't have a headache but the DT's were kicking his lilly white bottom. Baldrick looked at him with adoring eyes, it was the first time in years that he'd seen his master lucid. Wark left his house, the Lucher called him, but this time, for once in his life, he would be strong. A man whose base was that of a master criminal (at least in his own mind) was preaching that Wark was spiked. Wark nudged him off his soapbox and took him place addressing the villagers present. "Oi have votehd 'n ev'ree poll tak'n as I believe thaht failyure t' vote is a criome against the game". "Oi vo'tehd fur Xaneth as Oi reck'on thaht splittin' thah vote dus more 'arm thahn good 'antha onlee benefuht is tah tha spoiked. At thah toime, tharh wus only threh vo'tahs, Mabi, Maw a' meself. Dane'd drop'd out. Oi wood 'ave voht'ad Mabi as ev'ree toime thaht shees bin nohm'ah'nat'd thahrs bin action tak'n on herh tal'ee. But at too vohts ta one thar'd be no gain 'cept ta Xaneth iffin 'e wehr spoiked. Oi'm castin meh voht fur Mabi Tha las' thing Oi'd lahk ta say is thaht those 'oo voht is commit. Oi'd expacht Mabi ta voht fur meh. If'n she ain't spoiked thahn it's 'er behst cahnce at loife, if she is spoiked thahn her fellows'll eye'tha poile on meh too ur moi num'bahs'll go up'n tha tall'ee. Oi rec'kah tha' if yeh sloight'lee sars'pish'us uf herh, thahn we need ta vote in numburhs, any less'n foive an is hehs spoiked, she'll walk free. I und'r'stand thaht iff'n she ain't spoiked moi hahd'll be next. Oi've spant farh too mucha moi loife at tha bottom of a bottle. Toime ta b' strong, evehn if it means moi own dath."

Neil Gaiman: Sandman (if you like graphic novels), The rest of his works if you do not. He is the authoir behind Coraline, Stardust and Neverwhere which you may (or not) have seen. Piers Anthony: Adept series and Incarnations of Immortality Katherine Kerr: 1st two quartets are really good. Goes downhill after that. China Meiville: Love him but he is hard ot read. Uses lots of big and obscure (to me) words - I consider my vobulary pretty good too JV Jones Sword of Shadows

The reincarnation of Blackadders Baldrick (First season) or maybe Blackadders Baldrick is the reincarnation of the dog. Regardless, the dog's the smart one.

Wark wept, another person was dead and he had a hand in it. He drank and remembered. Five years ago: The house was light and Wark could hear the girl's squealing in excitement, they had just got a new dog, which they had named Baldrick. "Maggie, gurls, boys, Oi'm home, 'ose got a kiss feh dada?" The twins came screaming into teh room, "Dada, dada, dada, dada, dada, dada. It's my dada, no it's my dada" "Oi'm both yeh dada's little ones. Now where are yeh brothers?" Maggie came into the lounge from the kitchen, drying her hands on a tea towel. "They went into work, they were feeling better." Warks face lost all colour. "Wark, whats wrong?" Maggie asked. "Oi 'ave teh go, now." The girls started crying, "But Dada just got home" Wark sprinted out of the house and down the lane. He heard a terrible bang smoked billowed into the sky. He kept running. He heard cries of anguish and pain. He kept running. He saw the devastation. He kept running. "Help Da, help" He saw his boys trapped. He kept running. The secondary furnace blew. He saw black. Wark looked into the bottom of his cup. Weakness, that was ll he was good for. Aways drunk, never thinking straight. It stops he vowed to himsef. Now. He left the Lucher and went home and lay down. Baldrickcurled up beside him. He didn't know whether he would survice the night, he didn;t deserve to, but if he did, he would be a changed man.

another option would be to get it in a browny purple to make it look like a birthmark

stormlight? Meanwhile behind

we without Pizza

"As sars'pish'us as Oi find Mabi, an' Oi doo, aspashlee thaht put yer cloths on loine un th' tinoi's wards, this toime Oi'll vate for Xaneth." I am trying for the life of to work out why Mabi's votes are being played with, in both instances there was no point soothing as the differential was so large that there was no need the massage her vote away. The hypothesis I have come to is that either someone is trying to cast aspersions on Mabi by removing votes or she is a spiked soother and trying to double bluff. Thoughts?

from Lemmingesque behaviour

I'd argue that his new "therapist" will not help in regardst o curing his insanity.