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Ubique's Weekly
A Mutual Endeavors Publication
Issue #94 ~ 22 September 2007
The Blurb
"I am doomed to an eternity of compulsive work. No set goal achieved satisfies. Success only breeds a new goal. The golden apple devoured has seeds. It is endless." -- Bette Davis, The Lonely Life, 1962
Behold! Another Saturday. What does this mean, SM? This means quite simply that I remain undecided on the scheduled release date of future publications. Until I reach a final decision, I will try my very best to continue compiling and sending our newsletter out on Saturdays. Though the votes on our website speak differently.
At Mutual Endeavors, the same old poll still stands bright as day on the front page. With a current standing of 55 voters, and a capability of members to vote more than once, at least once a day, every twenty-four hours, it seems even you are as indecisive as me. I'm very pleased that administrator Mel (elf_fu) started a discussion thread on Why I voted for Friday on our forums. But at the same time I'm disappointed that not very many other people spoke up on their opinions of what they voted for and why. Help me see reason, people! I need you!
This week's newsletter looks to be filled with information, and I can only hope I have enough room in a single e-mail form to tell all the news there is to tell! I received a larger number of character updates, headlines, and even a storyline spotlight write up. All of which I didn't at all expect! I didn't even have to ask for them this go around! So a great big round of tremendous thanks goes out to each and every one of you who sent me information to share!
That said, I think I'll spare some of my better ramblings for the headlines and blotters. Let's get this show on the road!
Top Story!
Keep an eye on October! Mutual Endeavors is scheduled to host its first annual New and Gently Used Character Party by the first of the month! The buzz on our forums about this idea is so very magically delicious. The idea sprang up in an earlier thread in which I asked people to tell me a little bit about themselves, their characters, and how they came across ME. Member Sevarenia moved the topic over to its very own thread and ideas came flying about left and right!
According to the newly installed calendar system, the dates for this week long event stretch from the 1st of October to the Sunday of the 7th, 2007, this year. There have been worries expressed as to how members are going to logically conclude that their characters get involved, but hopefully we've washed away all those concerns by volunteering to open up the doors to Limbo and have the party hosted by Rhy'Din's favorite friendly neighborhood psychopath Ehzoterik VonArcanum! The general idea of this event is as follows:
Many people may well know that Ehz is notorious for barging into local pubs and taverns by way of closet door. The secret is, supposedly, that broom closets act as door ways to another dimension. Not just broom closets, thought! Pantries and bedroom closets. Any small storage room with a working door will do! The secret to getting to Limbo is in having the key, of which Ehzoterik VonArcanum is rumored to be the only individual in the known and unknown multiverse and out-laying dimensions who possesses one. This theory has yet to be perfectly tested.
For story-lining purposes, what you as players need to know for your characters is that at the stroke of a minute after midnight, in the wee hours of Monday morning, October 1, 2007, closet doors all over the realms will burst open gateways to Limbo. A flash of light and maybe even the doors swinging open themselves should guide the way. When stepped into, the back wall of all closets, pantries, and storage rooms throughout the multiverse will be drenched in light. Portals that lead to this most mysterious of otherworldly places known as Limbo.
A complete and detailed description of to where these portals will lead can be seen on our ME forums in the Limbo child board under Ubiquitous Realms: The House That Limbo Built. The place to play has been set up as an AOL and AIM friendly buddychat also linked to on our forums and titled Beyond the Closet Door. Of course, we've also provided you the link to this room here. ME member and fellow supporter Navarra further detailed that participants should "have your IM service running when you hit the link." Another way of handling this: "You can also cut and paste aim:gochat?roomname=BeyondtheClosetDoor&exchange=4 into an IM to yourself."
Anyone and everyone is welcome to attend this week-long event. Since it will be running for seven days straight, however, participants should be advised that it is not likely the room itself will be moderated. We can only hope that this party goes off without a hitch and that no party-pooping morons get it into their head to cause us trouble. Hope to see you there!
Storyline Spotlight
Outbreak in Rhy'Din! -- It started with the Athena, a sailing ship that was brought into port as a salvage claim by Captain Aleksandroff. Thinking it to be a clean claim, he brought the ship into the docks; by then, it was too late.
By 5:00 in the afternoon, the zombie infected former crewmembers had overpowered and infected dockhands. By 5:30, Harold Lowe noticed the fire that had sprung up Dockside and went to investigate. And by almost 6:00, it became clear to most people in the vicinity that something had gone terribly wrong.
The night was spent from there with terror in most parts of Rhy'Din. The infection spread quickly, and Maia Cyrene d'Thalia came face to face with a zombie in the Marketplace when she went to take out the trash for her landlords. Kacilla Lynne, heading home drunk and feeling awful, found herself amongst a hoard of zombies; she barely managed to escape, decoying herself as one of them until she could reach a place where she wouldn't be eaten. Keaton got on the air and broadcast at 10:50PM, disbelieving of the rumors; those, however, in the Red Dragon Inn were positive of the zombies when the Inn was attacked. Everyone managed to live through it, but there were close calls all over the city; a good many close calls that ended up being too close.
Maia and Harold met up and managed to get the owners of the bakery, the Daily Bread, off to safety. The night was still moving, though, often in a shambling, groaning and shuffling manner. The little elf Carley, making light of the situation at the exact wrong time, ended up under arrest while those in her apartment complex cowered in fear of the zombie outbreak. Keaton found out that the rumors were indeed true by 11:32PM, and offered a thousand silvers to anyone who was brave enough to bring him three Hawaiian pizzas -- now, he had a hoard outside of his broadcasting offices. Apparently, they didn't like Thriller as much as he thought they would.
After a very long and harrowing night, Maia and Harold made it back to the Eastern Point Lighthouse, where Sevarenia had brought an arsenal and then some in order to make the stay as safe and comfortable as possible. Helped by Harvey, one of Elly the Witch's pumpkinheads, she had set up quite a few goodies in order to make the place as safe as possible.
At 3:00 AM, Elly the Witch had managed to come up with a tentative vaccine to combat the outbreak and was working hard to devise a cure, and Harold changed the light and flash pattern of his lighthouse in order to warn anyone offshore that it was deadly to land in Rhy'Din right now. Jewell Ravenlock-Kidd took to the streets to fight the menace after a long and hard night behind the bar in the Red Dragon Inn, dealing with zombies there. Lucius DeAuster gets a report, while the warriors from the House of Gharnholme began guarding the North Shore Gate.
The battle continued on all night. In the West End, a man was seen fighting the zombies; he ended up giving a kind mercy killing to a woman who was infected. Meanwhile, the Obsidian Embassy sent out nine hundred troops, who in a debatable... not-well-thought-out move began fighting the zombies Dockside, sometimes setting them on fire, sometimes burning buildings themselves. Unfortunately, the fires sparked and took off, often catching structures that were not intended to be burned. Several flaming zombies ended up escaping and sparked off more fires in the city before the fires destroyed their brains.
As dawn drew near, Jake Duncan had taken to protecting his animals in the frame of the home he was building, and Kacilla (Kacey) had taken precarious shelter on a ledge outside of her apartment building. Exhausted, she watched the sunrise and didn't know how much longer she could hang on. Elessaria went to seek Jake at dawn to talk with him, and Harold and Maia prepared for a long day on patrol, hunting zombies and doing what they could to save people, travelling via rooftops.
Fifty of the men sent from the Obsidian Embassy died or were infected, and the fires caused by the army and the zombies their summoned fire elementals lit to blaze wreaked even more havoc on the besieged city.
The day of the 19th was spent primarily in combat or hiding; some parties went out to fight, while others had the good sense to hide indoors and barricaded. Harold and Maia patrolled the city, and did some damage to the zombie hoards via crossbow and Glock before retiring back to the lighthouse, the former of which was absolutely exhausted. Lydia Loran had a terrible close call around 2:38 AM, on her way to her boyfriend Grem's apartment. She barely managed to make it out in tact and uninfected, thanks to the help of a guard.
The outbreak was finally being brought under control in the morning of the 20th; zombie hunters had saved Kacey from where she had been stranded, and she took up the sword to fight. Jewell Ravenlock-Kidd, her husband Stephen Kidd and fugitive Johnathan Tapolebroke Renne Arc'err out of Port South Holding House during the commotion caused by the outbreak. Maia came up with a plan to mop up some of the mess and save the Dockside area, hoping to rally those left behind to take care of the Obsidian Embassy troops who had made something of a mess there, as well as any remaining zombies; Harold, of ourse, went with her. The guards of Gharnholme repelled three rushes on the North Shore Gate, losing good men each time. Icer and Tempren (who had been rescued the night before with Emmie Campbell in the marketplace by Harold and Maia) went out to start putting out the raging fires in the city, Icer using her ice dragon powers, and Tempren calling on his own magic to do his part.
Carley was still in jail as of last word.
As of the evening of the 20th, the Dockside, where the infection had spread from was back under control and zombie free, though firefighting and cleanup efforts continued into the night hours. Harold, who had lost a boat due for restoration in the fires set by Kalis-nar's troops from the Obsidian Embassy send a very strongly worded message to the monarch telling him exactly what he thought of that conduct. A brief back and forth ensued, with Kalis-nar apologizing profusely for the damage that his troops caused to the area and offering restitution. Harold replied that he should offer his labor in rebuilding and speak to those who lost homes or businesses to the slash-and-burn tactics about said restitutions; Kalis-nar agreed.
Amidst the Dockside cleanup efforts, the man who had mercy killed a woman earlier was doing his best to get the fires under control, working alongside the citizens of the area.
As of dawn of the 21st, Kalis-nar had reported to the Dockside for cleanup efforts. Harold and Maia worked towards destroying the bodies of the zombies, though they had kept any identification or personal artifacts left in a crate. According to reports, there are no more roaming zombies in the streets throughout the city, though there may still be some trapped in warehouses, or down in the sewers, or roaming in the countryside.
Cleanup efforts city-wide have begun, along with rebuilding. More on this breaking story as it becomes available!
This Just In
Relative information on the above story can be found on the Mutual Endeavors website and forums. Yet another reason why you should check it out, register and interact with your fellow players! Spread the word! Maybe these few headlines items will help further encourage you.
Headlines
Limbo Luau : Mysterious fliers have started popping up all around Rhy'din. Plastered on telephone poles and lamp posts, on building walls, anywhere and everywhere! They've begun to become as big of an infestation as the zombies that just recently breezed through! These fliers say only one thing: "October 1, 2007: don't stand too close to the closet door!" Now what, do you think, could that possibly mean?
Fireboard Semi-Stable : The report standing on the front page of Mutual Endeavors says it all, for the most part. The discussion started when chief administrator Mike dropped by with an IM drive-by telling SM of a new available upgrade. Since the news report on the front page of the site, this upgrade has been made. However, the administrators are still fighting and working hard to make the layout look as pretty and tidy as we hope it to be.
Greater Realms Now Open : As documented in a post left by ME member and supporter HGLowe, there is a new board for Rhy'din role-players that has been opened up to the public as of Friday the 21st of September, 2007. An attempted endeavor undertaken by devoted Rhy'din connoisseurs in order to counter-balance the tremendously huge assortment of folders and forums put together by the people at Dragon's Mark. There's just so much more that could be done, and these dedicated few decided to step outside the box and make it so. Drop on by for a visit and show your support by registering and participating: http://greaterrealms.shadowknightonline.com/forums/
IWA Hiring Progress : The administrative staff has received a small number of e-mails within the past month from interested parties willing to offer their services as Ink Wire Associates. This topic has not been addressed since the original news post stating that we were looking to hire on new members. Please be advised that we are still reviewing the applications that have returned to us, and we hope to make a final decision by the end of the month. Your patience in this matter is greatly appreciated.
New Events Calendar : The suggested was made on our forums to implement an events calendar for advertising of role-playing events purposes. Chief administrator and web developer Mike went ahead and helped us add this nifty little addition to our website earlier this past week or so. We are attempting to organize this system and present it in a much more eye-pretty manner. Please be patient and make due with what you can. The growth and administration of our website is a continuous mutual endeavor in and of itself!
Where Oh Where Did the Red Dragon Go? : From an in character perspective, this question is difficult to address and answer properly. There has been much debate over the past few years concerning this very notion. But from a logical player point of view, it's something that really needs to be discussed again. Truth be told, it's no longer on AOL anymore. Personal ME founder opinion stands that if it is no longer on AOL, where the greater world of Rhy'din existed for a vast majority of people for so very long, then it stands to reason that the RDI is no longer in the same fixed location in Rhy'din that it once was. Members of Dragon's Mark may argue this fact, and I may very well bring it up again some time in the future.
Once upon a time I tried to stay up-to-date with the current handling and situation concerning the Rhy'din community and the Red Dragon Inn at large. But once I stopped writing this newsletter, stopped paying attention to the Multiverse Minutes, stopped seeing the room appear in the member created rooms list in Arts&Entertainment, I confess I stopped caring. Until we managed to finally create our very own Mutual Endeavors website and a flood of new players flocked to us by storm!
I was wrong. The Red Dragon Inn cannot be found directly on the DM site, but through a link they have provided on their main page. They've got a fancy little set-up over there that's going to take me months to figure out. Yet something else I must confess. But if you're a fan of flashchats and fancy little baubles, which I'm not really, then maybe you should check it out. Reacquaint yourselves with the old RDI crew that left the safety and serenity of the rooms that once existed on America Online. They still exist, just now in their own little corner of the internet that is not so very easy to find as it once was.
In Other News...
As stated above, I'd like to once again make my thanks to those of you who took the time to compile and send me your character and storyline news. It helps us out tremendously if you write these things up yourselves, but as always I have an eye on the role-playing world out there. So anything I see gets added here too, for we are ubiquitous.
Allen Baird (A Flaming Flamer): Rumor has it the blonde almost blew up the bar! A trifle little accident that happened at the Rambling Rose Tavern this past week, involving an over-heated fire extinguisher that blew itself up. Allen, being a pyromancer (is that right?), accepted all the blame for this even after someone else tried to take it for him. No seriously lasting harm done.
Alquinius Rocfletching (Woodland Shield): There are zombies. In his woods. Though the ranger is never often seen within the city limits, rumor has it that the recent zombie infestation and invastion has lured him out of mostly hiding. Zombies are undead creatures, after all, and the undead are amongst his top sworn natural enemies. Suffice it to say, he had a fun few days dispatching and destroying as many of them as he could.
Ambrose (his sullen craft): Is it true? Is he really dying? This seems to be the popular opinion and/or rumor floating about between those who know him. Either this is a miracle or a great and depressing thing for the whole of Rhy'din. This is a matter of opinion.
Colleen MacLeod (PrlUnicorn): Collie was spotted this past week in the Blank Sign Tavern. Is that really the establishment's official name? Well, it's true that the tavern has no sign. Roaming the streets of Rhy'din, she stumbled upon this little pub and popped in for a visit with a few of the local residents. There she met up with Irina Braeden, as well as met Dris's steadily becoming just as famous nephew Quinn Norcross.
Dris (BardGaIIant): Speaking of Dris, he's been seen in town a lot more frequently than has been usual for quite some time. Word on the street is that he's finally coming to his senses and working on arranging a long overdue funeral. As one witness was stated to report: "About time!" He also played a little part of the wisened counselor for Irina Braeden in regard to some foot-in-mouth problems she's been having with Seamus. Much to his dismay, however, it doesn't seem as if she was really listening to what he had to say. Alas.
Ehzoterik VonArcanum Tempestas (Ehzoterik): In preparation for the party she's going to be throwing in the next week or so, Ehz has been responsible for running around town plastering up fliers. These fliers pretty much only say: "October 1, 2007: don't stand too close to the closet door!" What could this mean?
Faye: She Who Tends the Dead (Faye Random): She knows something that she isn't telling anyone at all. Least of all Sinjin Fai, who has become very angry with the fae and his very own Elder father these past few weeks. What is it that she's not telling, and will she tell?
Harold Lowe (HGLowe): After a relatively quiet week prior, Sunday night found Harold throwing an engagement party for Sarah Smith and Cinder Shirastan, two old and good friends. It didn't go over perfectly, but it did have some high points -- namely, him, Cinder and Maia singing bawdy sea shanties while dancing around the fire, with a pair of past-middle-aged married shrinks. After a truly good night, the week found a zombie outbreak that started dockside and soon became an issue through the whole city. Harold met up with Maia again, and the pair of them spent some time killing undead monsters and sometimes rescuing people, shacking up in the Eastern Point Lighthouse whenever rest was needed. They're still working on cleanup as of September 20th.
Icarus Marcotte (SubtIe Iies): The half-dragon is still in the company of one gallant bard known by the name of Dris. The two of them dropped by the Rambling Rose Tavern earlier this week. Mostly to put on a little show of song and dance, but also to report about the fact that they'll be in town a little longer. Icarus is in full support of helping Dris plan a funeral.
Jacob Arche (Jacob Arche): Jacob’s still pretty much up to his eyeballs in animals. Though it seems unending and thankless work, the doc’s enjoying himself. A recent visit to one of the many bars he likes to hit on his days off brought him contact with an impressively huge, dark eyed lawyer. Said lawyer wrote the doctor an impressive check, and Jacob’s been putting it to good use. Those who are taking their animals to the Rhy’Din Animal Hospital may note the sudden flurry of activity in the skeletal wood work of a new addition. Well needed, it’ll soon turn into brand new examination rooms as well as branching out the currently tiny front office.
Jolen (Truth Denyed): Well now. He opened his pub, the Blank Sign Tavern, for the first time in a long time since his argument with Quinn a few weeks back. Rumor has it, however, that the two of them progressed into further arguments in the back room of the establishment, only to be interrupted by an unusual influx of new patrons.
Maia Cyrene d'Thalia (Spirited Corsair): Recently back in Rhy'Din after her trip as Captain of the Brigantine Al Na'ir, Maia's homecoming is marked first with a stop in the Rambling Rose the prior week, then in showing up and being dragged into the aforementioned engagement party at the Lighthouse. Like Harold, though, her week was not to continue on a purely high note: The zombie outbreak had found her while she was finishing up dinner with her landlords. After dispatching more than one zombie with frightful efficiency, she met up with Harold and the both of them managed to get Bertie and Ralmo Hausenfelter to the Lighthouse, where they would be safe. The rest of their time that evening was spent getting food for the stay, killing zombies and trying to stay alive. Maia came up with their plan for the next day; she and Harold went on patrol of the city, mostly keeping to the rooftops. They met quite a bit of action, and ended their night only after rescuing two people, and failing to rescue one last one. Early morning of the 20th found Maia trying to deal with things; dawn found her proposing a plan to Harold to bring about some progress in the zombie cleanup, starting with taking back the Dockside.
Mike Harada (MichelangeIo H): Talk about your awkward situations. Mike walked into the Rambling Rose Tavern recently this past week, only to be shocked and amazed by the sight of someone he should've never expected to see look so down in the dumps. He tried his hand at pep talk and advice, only to scoot on out of there as fast as an escape route made itself available.
Quinn Norcross (Quinn Norcross): So ... maybe talking to Jolen about their miscommunications hadn't been such a great idea, but can't blame a guy for trying. The big question he's faced with these days is what, exactly, is his relationship with Gale turning into? They've been dating for a couple weeks now. Are things starting to get serious?
Salvador Delahada (Karmic Venganza): Trouble on the home front! But guess what. He doesn't really want to talk about it. There were some witnesses to an explosive argument he and Sin had at the Rambling Rose Tavern earlier this week. A small mishap that got patched up a lot sooner than expected. Nobody seems to be saying much more than that, however.
Sevarenia Firawen (Sevarenia): Yet another person who ended up at the engagement party, and caught in the subsequent outbreak, Sev proved to be entirely useful and capable in a zombie outbreak situation. Not only did her training as an FBI agent come in handy, but her access to fabulously cool equipment, and the proximity to her beach house made certain that those holed up in the Lighthouse ended up well equipped and comfortable. She even managed a portable shower! On top of being incredibly good support staff for the zombie-killing pair of Maia and Harold, she rigged a perimeter around the Light with remote controlled explosives, motion sensors, cameras, the works! Sev proves that she is the go-to girl for zombie disaster situations.
Sinjin Fai (Sinjin Fai): He's having a rough time of things lately. Everybody seems to have had contact with his Father, except for him! You know. Strangely enough, the roles seem to have become reversed. His well known companion Salvador experienced something very similar with his mother a few years back. History sure likes painfully repeating itself, doesn't it?
Suliss'urn (Natha Oreb): The drow has been rather busy lately. Seen recently in the Rambling Rose Tavern whispering nose to snout with the hulking, lumbering form of Horam, no doubt trading secrets. What, exactly, do a drow and a minotaur have to say to one another? One never knows when it comes to everyone’s favorite unhinged little darkling. It was also noted that the appearance of a spider-limbed female put the drow at ill ease during the evening, Toho almost made a fatal mistake, and later, the eerie lady all in White made anappearance, further pushing the drow at unease. She soon disappeared after.
Rumors have it that the new gouge on her left shoulder, the punctures in her neck, and the missing patch of skin on a certain-jokester vampire may be completely related.
Classifieds
Dragon's Mark : The new home for for Free Form Role-Playing (FFRP) on the web, or so their mission statement about themselves proclaims. Here you can find all things Red Dragon Inn and most things Rhy'din related. The people at DM strive to present themselves as the number one resource site for the greater whole of the FFRP community, but they aren't the only ones. Still, this is a valuable website to know about. Make use of it as you see fit.
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Greater Realms : A new board for Rhy'Din players, based more outside of the city setting. Called GreaterRealms, it's open to anyone who plays in Rhy'Din, regardless of whether they play on AOL or on the RDI site, or even RoH, with an emphasis on stories that take place across the whole realm. Meant as a companion board for both Mutual Endeavors and RDI, it lacks a lot of the neat features you'd find elsewhere, but hopefully will soon make up for that with content.
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Mutual Endeavors LJ Community : Before the message board forum was ever considered, another attempt at keeping Mutual Endeavors alive and active was put into motion with the creation of the LiveJournal Community. If you have a LiveJournal of your own, you are thoroughly encouraged to join our community at any time. Stay up-to-date and in the loop with our random ramblings and discussions. Some are held there and others are held on our forum. Everyone is welcome. Don't be shy!
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Navarra Farms : is temporarily opening opportunities for stud services with four of their finest stallions. If you have a mare coming in season and are interested, please contact Colleen MacLeod (
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
).
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Rambling Rose Tavern : The Rambling Rose Tavern is a bar and grill establishment in town, owned and operated by Seamus Wylie and Katie Rose Wylie. Stop in and enjoy a drink or a home-style meal, but before you do check out the rules and room description by following this link: http://www.ramblingrosetavern.net. There are plenty of fun times to be had at the Rambling Rose Tavern! Don't hesitate to join in on them whenever possible.
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Storyboard Archive : The freeform role-playing group more commonly known as Mutual Endeavors had once added its storylines and characters to a message board forum for player convenience. It was decided that it would be beneficial to allow players a less time-restricted venue in which to present their characters' stories and participate interactively. Since that time, things have changed and this old forum is now a read-only resource, but still worth checking if you're up for some good reading.
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Subscribe Now! : Ubique's Weekly is a publication provided by the not-for-profit organization known as Mutual Endeavors. As a free source of literary entertainment, you as the reader have the liberty to send out copies of our publication to whomever you think might enjoy the information shared. To save yourselves the hassle of constantly forwarding what you might find amusing, feel free at any time to inform your friends and coconspirators to contact the Editor to request their very own future copies of Ubique's Weekly at no cost to them whatsoever. It's as simple as clicking this link here above, or by visiting our official website.
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Ubique's Archive : For several years now, the Ink Wire Associates and I have been trying to archive every old issue of Ubique's Weekly onto the internet. It has been a slow-going process, and finally every past issue has been coded and archived to the new site. Including this one! Do enjoy.
Final Thoughts
"I still need more healthy rest in order to work at my best. My healthis the main capital I have and I want to administer it intelligently." -- Ernest Hemmingway
Well, that pretty much spells it for me. If I write anymore my hands and brain will likely explode in unison and make a great big mess all over my computer. We don't want that, do we? This week's newsletter is much larger than some of the ones we've written in the past, but thankfully it didn't exceed the single e-mail space limit. I'm getting better at this not rambling so much thing!
Speaking of which, I should stop. So until next time, as always and ever, I'll continue to be...
Keeping you informed,
-- The Nefarious SM
Editor In Chief
Ubique's Weekly
Mutual Endeavors |
