[Anguirel]

Okay. Let's have the list.

Valier-Since I do not think Valier's pinguescence likely, I am going to use this partly as an opportunity to rebut her charges against me. But I'll deal with her first.

Of course, if she was a penguin, Valier wouldn't have attacked phantom. Yet it does not follow that, as phantom was not attacked, Valier must be guilty. I disagree with Firefoot that her catching of Naria makes her suspicious-I think it was a brilliant and opportune guess from the viewpoint of a villager.

However, that does not change the fact that she's been wrong about everything else. She was manifestly (apart from her first, joking, post) wrong about Boromir; wrong about Eonwe and Macalaure; and quite wrong, I assure you, about me. Valier is "intuiting", which is heightened guesswork. Her actual charge levelled at me most frequently is that I'm too "pushy". As a matter of fact, this game I've been rather off the ball, detached and laid-back, as far as I can see. None of the candidates (luckily, in some cases...Kitanna) I've backed have been lynched. Noone believes my Diamond theory. I am generally regarded as a slightly spavined hermit and a penguin into the bargain. Clearly my pushiness is of a deeply esoteric, and incompetent, kind...


Now-spawn. phantom states her vote is a reassuring one and I largely agree. Her suspicion of me for a long time seems to me pretty reasonable, and I'm almost encouraged to see it flaring up again. I would be extremely surprised were she guilty and expect the penguin will munch her pretty sharpish.

Firefoot-playing a similar, but inverted, role to spawn, Firefoot has today been an outspoken defender of me and accuser of Valier. On the one hand this is a bold move for a penguin, but on the other Valier and I provide fine distraction from her-she was also under quite a lot of suspicion yesterday. Her defence of me shows a trust in my innocence that could be born of knowledge and a desire to get me onside. She's replaced Enca as my second suspect.

Enca-I had quite a lot of confidence in Lalaith's theories regarding Enca, but few agreed with me and they are now admittedly looking a good deal less possible. Enca has been known as an adept of sacrificing fellow-penguins before, but I doubt this is one of those times. I now agree that her numeracy does show a measure of dedication, though we should bear in mind the phantom's qualification. Thus, she has fallen behind Firefoot.

Diamond-see above. I really think Diamond fulfills all the criteria for a penguin's position and behaviour at this stage, and the indifference of those around me to my thoughts and their assumption of her innocence confirms my suspicions-I feel like Fea endlessly ranting about LMP in WWIII. Besides, Diamond's recent defensive switch against me fits penguin psychology once she's lost her second mate in an occurence last night she didn't witness, and can't have expected. Look at the other penguins' opinions of her. The simple answer, in my view.

Roa-Her reaction to the Naria-bandwagon-which was founded on a leap of faith and could have been as easily wrong as right-lessens my suspicions of her, and if I'm wrong about Diamond-inconceivable! Anguirel is never wrong!-I think Roa may have pinpointed, in Firefoot, the Emperor Penguin. Her approach has been comprehensive and analytical, if at times fatiguingly so. I agree with Firefoot that she is extremely unlikely to be guilty.

But...there is always a but, and a possibility. Penguin frustration at the loss of a comrade without a case, without "intellectual integrity"? What is certain is that her Firefoot vote was possibly practical in the long-term, but in the short-term quixotic, born of irritation; but this does not, to me, point to guilt in such an accomplished operator.

There. That should be the whole lot of ye.

Oh yes, and-

++DIAMOND

Should have blasted well stayed consistent and built up pressure yesterday. I doubt I'll be listened to this time, but it's worth a try.

Now I'm off. Oh, and if you do decide to lynch me, let me give one last lute performance...