"Aspiring to a small business that does what it does very well is a noble pursuit." -- Narenda Rocherolle, Cashing In or Selling Out, SXSW 2006

Mutual Endeavors isn't precisely a business, but I found that quote very heart-warming and to the point of the idea of it all.  I've spent the better part of four years trying to shorten the definition of the idea.  Our mission statement doesn't exactly cover it the way I might like, but for now it will stand as it does, because I simply can't rethink it any more clearly.  There is more to it than simple communication and how valuable strong ties are to fully support cooperative free-form role-play, but what is it?

Role-playing is in and of itself a mutual endeavor, as I've always said.  It takes two to tango, as others have said before me.  The best quote I ever found in any book I've ever read that ties to role-playing in general comes from Douglas Adams; "How do you know you're having any fun if there's no one watching you have it?" said Zaphod Beeblebrox in The Restaraunt at the End of the Universe.  How very true, don't you think?  I've used it as a signature line for quite some time now.

The point, then, to Mutual Endeavors must be to stand as a reminder of those facts.  We can't enjoyably role-play all by ourselves.  I suppose it's possible, but most of civilized society would think us crazy and psychiatrists might diagnose us with schizophrenia.  Here we stand talking to our imaginary friends, whether we made them up ourselves or they were made up by other people.  Our games influence and enrich our imaginations.  If it weren't for the new ideas that new and old players alike come up with on a daily basis, these dreams we create together would not flourish.  They'd stagnate and die.  So we should treasure our time spent role-playing, through the good times and bad, through the arguments and agreements.  Always remember that we are all fighting for the same cause.

For the past couple of weeks now, if not months, I have been thoroughly investigating another organization that has been around much longer as a website community than our own.  Like ourselves, I wouldn't call Dragon's Mark a perfect and perfected community.  But it too has a lot of potential, and it keeps growing bigger every day.  Perhaps it might be too big for its britches, but credit should be given where it's due.  They, like ourselves, are fighting to keep a dream alive.  Not just one, but many dreams.  The dreams we create through role-play.

Much of what you will see in this week's newsletter pertains to Dragon's Mark and the community it has built and maintained for about as long as I've clung to the concept of Mutual Endeavors.  Our goal is not to build worlds, but to promote those that already exist.  The characters and settings we have all built together over time.  The purpose of this newsletter, much like ME itself, is to spread and share the information we find in hopes of leading dreamers to experience new and old stories, wherever they can be found, and to immerse themselves in them.

Go, play, and be merrry, I say.  Help us to help you keep these dreams alive by sharing and spreading all the knowledge you know.  Give it to us and we'll give it to others.  That's what we do, as well as role-play too.

Top Story!

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will." -- George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist & socialist  (1856 - 1950)

Direct post transcript from Dragon's Mark dated Friday, October 12 of this year: "Dragons Mark is proud to announce the opening of its first ever expansion pack!  Mount Yasuo is to the north of RhyDin city and has both a fantasy and oriental flavor to it where modern and futuristic items cease to work. Take alook at the map for more details on what you can find there!"

Of course, there is so much more to this story than such a small little snippet can detail.  An idea came to pass that was put into motion little more than a month ago, and quite a lot of work has gone into making Mount Yasuo the best it can currently be.  The Nefarious SM believes that it's a small project with a great deal of potential, but still has a lot of wrinkles to be ironed out before it'll ever be perfect.

Additionally, some members are perhaps a little uncertain about this new "expansion pack."  There was very little discussion about its construction on any of the DM forums from what this single researcher can determine.  Most of the detail work seems to have happened behind closed doors, and this sort of thing doesn't settle well with a few of the locals from what we've determined.  Still, we here at Mutual Endeavors believe it's worthy of a chance, just like any storyline and play setting out on the Internet these days.

Currently, just about anything and everything pertaining to Mount Yasuo can be found lumped in with the Red Dragon Inn community.  As of yet, no live-play flashchat has been added to the current lists for anything involving Mount Yasuo, and frankly we hope it doesn't get completely lumped in with the current ones.  For reasons that were voiced on the ME forums earlier today.

The setting for Mount Yasuo is very detailed and can be found linked to on the main RDI site under the settings tab.  This link directs first to a history of the area with further informational source links on the right-hand side bar that tells a whole lot more.  From what we've been able to determine, aside from the brief introductory news snippet above, Mount Yasuo appears to be much similar to old feudal Japan and/or China.  Much of the culture and history seems to be strongly inspired by those historical settings of real world Earth.

As mentioned, a great deal of work has gone into this project.  Overall it looks very detailed and well thought out.  Wouldn't it be nice if the Rhy'Din City setting were just as elaborately fleshed out?  I think so.  The Nefarious SM speculates that this may be an attempt to do something right where previously so much wrong has been done.  A learning experience grown from mistakes.  This is not to say that everything else is a failure, but perhaps the RDI itself is in need of a little grooming and editing to make it as nicely structured as this new "expansion pack."

Primarily, however, we believe that Mount Yasuo definitely has some potential, and we encourage anyone and everyone to check it out.  Perhaps even participate.  At the very least, it's well worth reading over.  In my opinion it certainly creates inspiration.

This Just In

"It is no good to try to stop knowledge from going forward. Ignorance is never better than knowledge." -- Enrico Fermi, US (Italian-born) physicist  (1901 - 1954)

Now, in case you forgot, any headline listed in bold brownish red is news that characters should be able to find in any local newspaper.  Headlines marked in bold blue count for news that you as players should be made aware of, strictly out of character.  The links provided in any IC news are there to help you find relative information concerning our sources.  Do enjoy!

Headlines

A Government? In RhyDin? :  Who knew, right?  Well, it's a fact.  Not very many members of the city population were fully aware of this happening!  But it's true.  So very true.  So alarmingly true that even we didn't hear about it until very recently.  Word on the street is that an election was held at the beginning of the year.  Some citizens speculate that this entire election is a hoax and a farce, but sure enough the city even built an office for the governor, one Kitty O. Helston, not long after she was appointed her position.  Was this really a fair election?  Should the governor be acknowledged for the position she has stepped into?  In a world where organized anarchy worked so well for so very long, only time will tell.

Expeditions Scheduled :  The recent discovery of Mount Yasuo has many citizens in an uproar, amazed and confused that they never noticed an entire civilization nestled in the mountains a week's travel north of the city before.  Cartographers, explorers, treasure hunters, and many more peoples of many different professions are starting to rally together to plan exploratory expeditions into these new realms to find out all they can.  Merchants, of course, are very excited about the new trade resources that have come of this discovery, and only hope that good diplomatic relations continue.

Oracle Public Survey :  Rumor has it that staff reporters Norm and Jeff are currently questioning the state of the newly instated RhyDin City government and the city itself as a whole.  A survey has been passed around and delivered to many home addresses these past few weeks.  The deadline for responses on this survey is dated for the 20th of October.  If you have not received a copy and would like to fill one out, please stop by the Oracle offices and do so.

New UW Contact Form :  Realizing that this is issue number 96, the IWA have decided it's about high time to get busy working on a better way for players far and wide to submit their news.  This week we will begin construction on the new anonymous friendly Ubique's Weekly submission form that will be accessible through the Mutual Endeavors website.  Please stay tuned and keep your eyes on the site for this development in the future.

Realm of RhyDin :  Newly added to our links at Mutual Endeavors is the fully revived user database code-named the RhyDin Wiki.  This too is a project that has been up for quite a lot of debate recently, especially on our very own ME forums.  But just like Mount Yasuo, we believe this is a resource that has a lot of potential for growth and improvement over time.  Already, many ME members have been attacking this database and adding anything and everything they can and have possibly dreamed of to it!  Perhaps you'll find a use for it too.

The Oracle :  It would be very presumptious for us to think that we're the only RP newsletter in all of existence on the whole of the Internet.  We here at Mutual Endeavors and Ubique's Weekly would like to direct your attentions to the IC only newspaper that has been supported and hosted by Dragon's Mark for quite some time now.  Perhaps not as old as UW, since as far as we can determine it only dates back to June 2006, but still very much worth reading.  If only it were easier to find!  But have faith, because the Nefarious SM knows where to find it!  In fact, here's a link:  The Oracle.  There you can view the most recent edition of the IC newspaper, as well as find links to older issues for your reading pleasure as well.

In Other News...

"'Who are you and how did you get in here?' 'I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.'" -- Leslie Nielson,  as Lieutenant Frank Drebin, Police Squad, US (Canadian-born) comic movie actor

Individual character updates are by far the easiest updates for me to compile every week.  I only wish that Ubique's Weekly would flourish and grow as much as role-playing in general does.  It would be nice to see more submissions from the people in other places.  I'm certain every character is fascinating in his or her own way, and if you want your characters to meet new people and grow then a good way to encourage that is to tell us a little bit about their lives week to week so that we can tell the world at large about them through our newsletter here.

My apologies for not compiling the newsletter last week.  Reasons for that can be found on the front page of our website.  Because of my postponement, some of the news I'll be sharing spans from the past two weeks and not just one.  Little has been edited to account for this, however.  And as always, I'm providing not only what I've received but also what I've seen first hand in rooms throughout cyberspace far and wide.  We truly are here, there, and everywhere.

Ehzoterik VonArcanum Tempestas (Ehzoterik):  Her party wasn't quite the success that she hoped it to be.  Then again, Ehz wasn't really there most of the time to play a good hostess anyway.  There were a couple of times that she dashed in and out to check up on things, but from what she saw a whole fat load of nothing really happened.  Hm.  Perhaps she'll have to try harder next time.  Wait.  Next time?  Oh dear.

Harold Lowe (HGLowe):  Word has it as of the seventh of this month that: In the beginning of the week, he devoted his time to restoring a ketch, newly christened Te Maru. Then, in an act that brings to mind either teenagers or very heady adults, he and Maia set sail with some light cargo, just the two of them, running away to the sea together.  They've spent a number of days in conversation, being rather domesticated and normal with each other, and are looking to hit land fall on the evening of October 8th at their island destination.

Havoc (Chaos Reclaimed):  Last anyone saw of the spawn he was at the Rambling Rose Tavern to inform Salvador (Karmic Venganza) that he was leaving for a little trip for a while.  Before anyone had any chance to protest or question his motives, Havoc threw up his hands and stormed out the door.  Rumor has it because of some small miscommunication, or lack thereof, between himself and the person he went to inform in the first place.

Irina Braeden (Irina Braeden):  There's not much of note going on in the pregnant Artist's life.  She's been staying home a lot, both to get ahead on her mechanicals (almost seven issues ahead!) and to catch up on that pesky, elusive thing known as sleep.  Weird dreams and leg spasms don't help matters much, after all.  Though Irina did get a surprise recently when her Boss said he would add childcare and bump up health benefits at Knight Comics.  Not to mention that, at the beginning of the month, the Artist followed her cat Mr. E. into her bedroom closet and ended up visiting Ehzoterik and Colleen (PrlUnicorn) in Limbo for a while.  Yeah, she's still on an olive kick, though lamb, crab legs, cheesecake and sour cream are also big faves, thanks to the baby in her belly, code named Jordan for the time being.  Definitely don't mix those foods together, that's gross! Hold the eggs, though, they're still a big no-no.

Jacob Arche (Jacob Arche):  This most recent report came to us on the sixth of this month.  Jacob just doesn't have the time these days to come out and play in between work, sleep, and finally moving into his apartment. He is happy to note that the extensions on the Rhy'Din Animal hospital are almost done. Now he just has to get things together for the R.S.P.C.A.

Joscelyne Hirsch (Aversion Toward):  The spiritualist tried to drop by the RRT again a week or so ago, only to get into a little tiff with Mike Harada's husband Allen Baird.  Allen simply doesn't seem to understand anything about spirituality whatsoever, and proceeded to insult the hippie girl's religion left and right.  She left with a message for Mike that she was willing to take a look at his apartment and the suspicion of it being haunting, only on the condition that Allen wasn't there.  Closed minds like his only interfere with her work.

Maia Cyrene d'Thalia (Spirited Corsair): Also from news as of the seventh of this month: Just like Harry, she spent her early week working on the ketch and her later week running away to the sea.  However, this woman not only did all of that... in the midst of it, she received a grueling block of instruction from Bertie Hausenfelter on how to make soup, which absolutely took our demon-slaying, tough woman and reduced her to exhaustion.  She was even making a girly comment once!  However, being back at sea suits her, and she and Harry have an entirely relaxing and easy going itinerary planned for this mini working vacation of theirs.

Penrith Towley (Aversion Toward):  Where, oh where, have the Seeker and his bondmate been recently?  Well.  Since more of his kind have moved into Rhydin, new circuits have been added to the itinerary for the whole of the Seekers Veritas.  Pen himself, and R'cha, are very much likely out traveling one of those circuits now.  Or many!  The new regional Seeker General sure is keeping them busy!

Renley Killian (A Common Cur):  It's been a long, long time since anyone's seen the blind psion roaming around.  Recently he was spotted in a new playground, at least for him.  Stumbling upon the Red Dragon Inn came as a small surprise, especially when some random stranger took it upon herself to make friends with him.  The girl, named Hodge as he learned, made for good company and intriguing conversation.  He has plans to go back and visit again some time soon.

Salvador Delahada (Karmic Venganza):  Since Havoc's hissy fit, Salvador has made himself rather scarce as of late.  Nobody really knows what he's been up to, except perhaps for Sin and recently his brother Mesteno.  The hunter made a visit to the Medieval Tavern this past week to have a chat with his brother about acquiring meat that can't rightly be found in any standard local market.  He also had quite an entertaining time watching a pair of lesbians flirt with each other on the Tavern's porch.  Frankly, he thought it a refreshing change from the usual bump and grind of the normal MT crowd.

Suliss'urn (Natha Oreb): News from the sixth tells us that the drow has been up to her usual no-good. An interesting conversation with Sinjin lingering at the back of her mind, torturing Cianan, bothering giant cows, and meeting an interesting little demonling at the Red Dragon Inn is all being processed...With the single most lingering thought settling on someone else. There is a restlessness in her that may bode ill, but strangely, not for the Underdark.

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

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." -- William Arthur Ward

So here I am expressing it.  My tremendous thanks goes out once again to those of you who send me updates week to week, even when I fail to compile a newsletter when scheduled.  As always, your continued support and dedication are greatly appreciated.  Were it not for what you give, I wouldn't want to continue doing this at all.

Of course, I am only one individual.  I can only find so much information on my own.  Perhaps in thoroughly reading this week's newsletter you have come to realize that not everything I use comes directly from what I get sent.  I'm not only looking for individual character news, my friends, but so much more.  Much of what is listed this week comes from information I found on Dragon's Mark itself, and since the information found is listed as public I made use of it any way I could.

Naturally, I can't cover everything.  There is so much more news to be found elsewhere on the world wide web.  Most of which is directly on the front page of the Red Dragon Inn site.  Those news feed playables are a brilliant idea, and I really wish I had thought of it first.  But the fact of the matter remains that information is out there.  Everywhere.  All you have to do is look for it and know where to look, and all I can do is hope to point you all in the right directions.

With all this talk of Mount Yasuo, I'm looking for an article for next week to put into the Storyline Spotlight section.  So please, pass the word along.  Or feel free to write me something up yourselves.  I started the groundwork with one of the three IC headlines listed above.  The best I can do on my own right now to support the cause of this new dream.  I might even cross-post it to the playables over there on DM myself and hope to get some people involved, but I make no promises.  I have so much else to do!  So many plots and plans to put forward, and so little time.

All that said, it's time I put an end to this week's newsletter.  I've been working on it since I rolled off the couch at 4:00 AM this morning.  That's nearly four hours of work!  That's what I get for postponing and putting another issue off.  That's what I get for wanting to share more information than I can rightly handle on my own.  But as always, and until next time, I'll continue to be...

Keeping you informed,
-- The Nefarious SM
Editor In Chief
Ubique's Weekly
Mutual Endeavors