DRAGONMOUNT

Welcome to another installment of the Forum Roundup. Here I aim to bring you the most interesting forum posts from Dragonmount in bite size chunks.   Firstly from the Aiel Social Group has a post called ''Music for dancing the spears''  The author of the post, Hiarthbeorn, is looking for music that is, in his own words, ''monolithic yet fractured, familiar yet unknowable.''  I personally think that the Aiel people may be partial to a bit of Drowning Pool's ''Let the Bodies Hit the Floor'' whilst dancing the spears.    Second up comes the ''Who said this game'' on the Shayol Ghul Social Group, where the members have to use their encyclopaedic knowledge of Wheel of Time dialogue to guess which character spoke the completely random seeming sentence.  We know that you love to test your knowledge, so click on the link above to see if you can compete.   The Shayol Ghul forum has been busy lately.  They have posted a thread very close to their hearts: favorite villains of all time.  It is a perfect discussion for the place famed for spawning Myrdraal and Trollocs.   The White Tower Social Group has posted a very apt piece named, "How feminism hurts men."  Although very obviously tongue in cheek, it carries a very poignant message and is well worth a read. The comments below also have some very well written points of view.   And from Dragonmount's Twitter feed:     And remember to keep checking Facebook and Twitter to keep up to speed with Dragonmount and other Wheel of Time news.

Greeting all! It is Thursday again meaning it is time for another installment of the Rotating Features blog! The dice have been been tossed and the featured topic has been chosen.   As the Ages come and pass, we must reflect on the times gone by as well as towards the future. One Age, an Age of Legends, is currently being studied, weighed, and judged by the Dragonmount community. Thus it is only fitting we take time to look back at the members who have made our favorite Wheel of Time website, Dragonmount, so special. It is time for the 2014 Empy Awards!       The Empy Awards are your chance to recognize Dragonmount members for their contributions to the community. The awards are set up into four broad categories; Discussion Boards, Social Groups, Role Play, and finally the whole of Dragonmount. Within each category are specific awards which members may be nominated such as 2014’s Funniest Role Play Thread, 2014’s Best Signature Artist, 2014’s Best Wheel of Time Geek, and my personal favorite 2014’s Most Evil Member. These are just a few of the awards you can nominate fellow Dragonmount members for.   Here's the link to the full list of awards as well as the nomination rules. Please read the entire post for all the rules on nominating a member for an award. There are a few rules I would like to highlight as they can be missed if you are just glancing over the post. The first is the awards are for the 2014 calendar year. This is important as members who joined during calendar year 2015, or got positions during 2015 are not eligible for the 2014 Empy Awards. Second is you must have taken part in the specific area in order to nominate someone. For example, I cannot nominate someone for role play awards as I have not taken part in any role play threads. Lastly, let us remember one should not just simply nominate friends. Go back and reread some of the threads, then nominate the member you believe really best fits the category. Be objective and make an informed decision, this is the only way for the Empy Awards to maintain integrity and not simply become a popularity contest.   Nominations will continue through March 11, 2015. Voting will begin on March 18 and be open for one week. Awards are scheduled to be announced on March 25.   Unfortunately we were unable to book Neil Patrick Harris to host the awards, but we have a team of Dragonmount members diligently working towards making these awards a resounding success. Special thanks to Elgee, Barid Bel Medar, Taymist, and Nynaeve for all their hard work and dedication to make these awards possible and full of awesome.   Now go forth and nominate your fellow Dragonmount members for Empy Awards! Until next time, this is Azeryn signing off to finish packing for an expected journey.

Welcome to another installment of the Forum Roundup, where I bring you the brightest and best from around the Dragonmount community.   I'll begin this week with an interesting philosophical discussion taking place in the General Discussion Forum on the Dark One's reluctance to kill Rand al'Thor.  Was he reluctant or simply incapable?  Add your thoughts to the subject.   Do you like playing internet "Mafia?"  If so, the Black Tower Social Group has recently started their own, with a very interesting and slightly dark sounding beginning.  Find it here to follow along.    On the TV Show & Sports Discussion Forum, everyone is talking about Gotham, the Batman prequel television series on Fox.  If you like it, or don't, go join in the discussion.    And finally, in the White Tower Social Group, the Red Ajah is currently hosting International Women's Week.  It's on the Tar Valon board, so all Dragonmount members are free to participate; you don't need to belong to the White Tower.  And, the Blue Ajah's BlueCon--a celebration of all things geeky--is winding down, but the threads are still active.  There's plenty to check out!   Remember to keep up to date with Dragonmount by following our Twitter and Facebook pages.

Welcome to another installment of the Forum Roundup where I bring you the brightest and best from around the Dragonmount community.   I have to apologies for beginning with yet another contentious topic: the abridgement of the Wheel of Time series.  Some readers claim that the middle section of books could be considered as "slow."  Whether you agree or not, the Dragonmount community could never be accused of sitting on the fence, and here is yet another chance to have your say.       It's only when reading quotes like this that you appreciate how much of a literary talent we have had the pleasure of reading in Robert Jordan. The Wheel of Time is full of these stirring and romantic paragraphs.  To read more, and add your own favorites, visit the General Wheel of Time Discussion Board.   I will leave you with this ode to Dragonmount's own Wheel of Time Cage Match: Mat versus Galad; a pairing that hasn't happened within the Cage Match yet.   It's a lovely piece of writing that sees Galad and Mat duel.  It's a detailed, blow by blow account which is well worth a read.     And always remember to keep checking the Dragonmount Twitter and Facebook page for the latest news and information.

Let us talk for a moment about Ilyena Sunhair.   Ilyena, by Jinzali   What do we know about her? Well, she was Lews Therin Telamon’s wife, properly named Ilyena Therin Moerelle; mother of his children. Before they were wed, she was known as Ilyena Moerelle Dalisar. (There is some speculation that perhaps this was an error and should have been Ilyena Dalisar Moerelle, since the third name was earned in the Age of Legends and Moerelle was the name that carried over when she took her nuptial name, but it is only speculation.) We don’t know what she did to earn her third name, but it must have been something of note, as it seems these names were not handed out lightly. Even some of the Forsaken, largely the top in their respective fields, had not necessarily done anything to earn a third name yet.   Ilyena, by lilacwood   We know that she had golden hair. With a nickname like “Sunhair” it would be preposterous to think that she was anything but a blonde, or a ginger. (The Amy Pond sort of ginger, not the Jean Grey sort at that.) Brunette would be right out. But I’ve never talked to anyone who has actually read the prologue of The Eye of the World who thought she was anything but a blonde.   We know that Demandred desired her (because of course obsessed stalker Demandred wanted everything that Lews Therin wanted) and we know that Lanfear hated her in stereotypical psycho ex-girlfriend fashion. Side note – kind of interesting that Demandred and Lanfear were never a thing. I think I may have found a new ship to sail.   WoT Lews Therin Telamon, by manweri   Finally, we know that she, and all of her children, were slain by Lew Therin while he was overtaken by the taint, earning him the name Kinslayer.   She must have had a very interesting life, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.   That’s it this time.   If you have a character or subject you’d like to see featured, drop me a line! I’m looking for folks who do Wheel of Time cosplay or have Wheel of Time related tattoos, or any other “out of the ordinary” art forms, so let me know if you’re interested in sharing.

Greeting all! It is Thursday again meaning it is time for another installment of the Rotating Features blog! The dice have been been tossed and the featured topic has been chosen.   From time to time I will cover a YouTube channel or web series I think you will be interested in. These can be something related to literature or the fantasy genre. Other times it may just simply be something I think fits well with the fantasy/sci-fi subculture or something I quite honestly think is cool. This week I will be covering a YouTube channel called "Honest Trailers."  Ever went to see a movie solely based on the movie trailers and been completely let down? Do you enjoy finding gaping plot holes, even if you loved the movie? Do you simply have a wicked sense of humor and enjoy laughing at almost anything? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you will probably enjoy watching "Honest Trailers." "Honest Trailers" is created by the online movie magazine Screen Junkies. "Honest Trailers'" goal is to bring you a funny, and sometimes brutally honest, review of a movie in the format of a movie trailer. Not only does "Honest Trailers" review new movies, but they will go back and do older movies as well. While movies are the main focus of their attention, television series are not safe from their wrath either, as both Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones have been subjected to an "Honest Trailers" review. "Honest Trailers" does a wonderful job at looking at the whole picture, not just acting and writing, but also the effects used, the filler scenes, and even the directors. Truly nothing is safe when it comes to the "Honest Trailers" take of a movie. The end result is a hilariously gratifying poke in the eye to many big budget movies. Even if they thought the movie was great, they will still find a way to make their honest review full of knee slapping humor. The narrators voice is great for doing movie trailers. On a final note, the honest trailers channel is extremely fan friendly. At the end of each trailer the narrator says random words and phrases fans have wanted to hear him say in the “Honest Trailers” voice. Additionally, from time to time the "Honest Trailers" team do whatever movie was most requested. This led to them doing an "Honest Trailers" version of the Dragon Ball movie, something it seemed they were not over excited to do but they did it because they love their fans. Here is the link to the "Honest Trailers" YouTube channel. Some of my personal favorite "Honest Trailers" are the ones on Guardians of the Galaxy, The Lego Movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and The Little Mermaid. I hope you all enjoy the "Honest Trailers" YouTube channel. As always, leave comments or suggestions for future Rotating blog topics below. Until next week this is Azeryn signing off to drink home brewed mead and watch the new episode of Big Giant Swords.

Welcome to another installment of the Forum Roundup, where I scour the internet and the Dragonmount forums to bring you the most interesting pieces from around the Wheel of Time world.    This week there has been one piece of news that has sent tongues wagging like no other: the ''Winter Dragon'' pilot.  This thirty minute piece of film has been truly divisive.  Some fans seem happy that the Wheel of Time has been receiving some air time, and others incandescent with rage over the smallest details -- Ilyena Sunhair being a brunette one of many bug bears.        There has been discussion at length about this subjects, pros and cons, all of which can be found in the Wheel of Time in Other Media forum.  Your opinions are appreciated.  This is your opportunity to put your pennies worth into a discussion that obviously means something to you--otherwise why would you be on this website?   What about this fan artwork?     Is this slightly darker picture from DeviantArt user Manweri truer to the books?  And what do you think about Billy Zane's involvement in the pilot?  Did you know that he starred and produced?  No matter what your personal opinion this could signal exciting times ahead for all Wheel of Time fans.  The chance to share Robert Jordan's masterpiece with a larger audience is always to be encouraged, is it not?   Remember to look at Dragonmount's Twitter and Facebook pages to keep up to date with the latest of what is a very exciting time to be involved with The Wheel of Time.

Greeting all! It is Thursday again meaning it is time for another installment of the Rotating Feature blog! The dice have been been tossed and the featured topic has been chosen. It is February and in the southern U.S. warmer weather is just weeks away. As spring get closer around so does Renaissance Festival season. Potters, cobblers, smiths, leather-workers, and tailors are finishing up the last of their winter work in preparation of months of traveling from state to state to sell their wares. Warmer weather will bring not only a chance to immerse yourself in a different time, but also to prepare for any conventions you plan on attending by picking up some hard to find, or hard to make, items.   Finding a Renaissance Festival near you is easy to do with a quick internet search. Here is a link showing festivals in each state. Some are sooner than others; the Bay Area Renaissance Festival actually starts this weekend here in Tampa, Florida. Others in more northern regions will start in summer months when the weather is more cooperative. Admittedly finding results outside the United States is a little harder; however, I am sure if you search for festivals by country you can probably find something. I was able to find a decent link for festivals in Canada, unfortunately I did not have such luck with the rest of the world. Wikipedia does have some Renaissance Festivals listed around the world though. Hopefully by now you can find a festival near you, but do you know what to expect? Renaissance Festivals, aka Renaissance Fairs or Renn Fairs, can take place in a field with a bunch of tents or can be a permanently built up site. Most at least have a few wooden structures. The vast majority of the tents or buildings will be vendors. Vendors can be local residents who do blacksmithing, pottery, tailoring, etc, or can be people who make their living by traveling from place to place selling their wares at festivals. Vendors will have items priced from a few dollars up to a few thousand. This is because many of the items are hand crafted, and hand crafting takes time which drives the cost up; however, hand made goods are typically higher quality. If you just want to go to casually shop for bobbles, eat, and take in the shows, $50 can get you through the day and you can walk away with a souvenir. If you want to buy some clothing, have a few drinks, play a few games, then around $100 should be sufficient. If you are going to buy any type of armor or boots, my suggestion is to get a two day pass so you can shop the first day and enjoy the festival. Then after you know what you want you can take in the shows and purchase your high dollar item the next day. I say this because I do not encourage anyone to walk around anywhere with more than $200 in cash on their person, and if you pan on buying boots or armor, leather or plate, expect to pay $200 or more. Some vendors may be able to accept credit or debit cards, but all will accept cash. I would get cash prior to getting to the festival for two reasons; first you may need to pay for parking, and second because if the festival has an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) the fees to pull out cash will be very high. The highest withdraw fee I have seen at a festival was $15.00; I avoid using ones on the festival site at all costs. Renaissance Festivals are more than a traveling medieval strip mall; there is much more than just vendors! Many festivals have a cast, which includes tryouts and a month or more of rehearsing. These actors provide walking entertainment to guests by playing roles such as the King, Queen, lords, ladies, guards, the clergy, peasants, and yes even the village idiot! Some of the cast may play games with the customers and put on some shows such as a human chess match. The festival’s actors may be viewed as roaming entertainment while patrons shop or wait for the next show. Shows at a festival can be great and really try to appeal to a wide audience. The most prominent of the shows is the joust! Yes, people actually get into real armor, ride real horses, and have a joust! I have also seen multiple comedy shows, sword fighting displays, and of course musical performances. You can really see a lot of things at these festivals, and many of the performers have been doing this for years and are quite talented. Walking from show to show and perusing the shops you will work up an appetite. Most festivals will also have food concessions too. Some do it better than others, and some of the food can be quite anachronistic, but sometimes you just want to walk around eating a turkey leg! On the other hand if you are looking for a better dinning experience, I have some tips to help you find better food! First look for a sit down eatery. This may seem way too easy, but at a festival you may actually walk past the nicest restaurant there and not even realize it. So really look! Next tip, ask the vendors where the good places to eat are, but do not ask the actors. The actors may get free food at the normal run-of-the-mill eateries and never deviate from said menu, but not the vendors. As I mentioned earlier, many of them do this for a living, and they know where the good food and drink are! In conclusion, go for the atmosphere, the shows, or to shop. Renaissance festivals are a blast and I highly encourage everyone to go at least once. You don’t even have to go dressed up in period clothing, or talk in a fake accent. Here is a link to a song parody done by a Renaissance Festival cast; it pretty much some up this rotating feature blog installment.     As always please let me know if you have anything you want covered in the Rotating Features blog! Until next week, this is Azeryn signing off to go slay the swarm of mosquitoes in my backyard with life sized Lews Therin Bug Zapper!

Today's humor comes from a thread started by failemyfalcon that grew into something beautiful. It all started with:     And from that, folks started adding their own puns on Lews Therin's name. This month will be devoted to name puns for characters throughout the series. Today is just for Lews Therin...next time there will be much more!     Lews Therin drinks at a party Booze Therin     Lews Therin in a French courtroom J’accuse Therin     Lews Therin gets mildly injured Bruise Therin     Lews Therin grows antlers Moose Therin     Lews Therin gettin jiggy wit it Loose Therin     Lews Therin sheds a tear while passionately playing the saxophone Blues Therin     Lews Therin gets a job as a journalist News Therin     Lews Therin tricks the forsaken and imprisons them. Ruse Therin     Lews Therin makes an ice house Igloos Therin     Lews Therin realizes his name can be turned into a myriad of puns and it drives him insane. Therin lies the problem.         (And then there's all of these that user eytancragg came up with)   That's all for this week! Tune in next time for more character name puns! The Light illumine you all.

May you find water and shade this day.  Welcome to another installment of the Forum Roundup, in which I bring you the most interesting things from around Dragonmount.   I'll begin with something to stimulate your fertile imaginations: "If I could channel right now I would..."  This has endless possibilities. From assembling IKEA furniture, to completing house hold chores, to creating world peace, this can be found in the White Tower.  I would love to hear your ideas!  Post them in the comments and we will see what your inner most desires are!   Dragonmount's twitter has been busy this week.  First off is a worthy cause; the Waygate Foundation is featuring an anthology of altered version of published stories.  The anthology, Altered Perceptions, features thirty-one different authors, including Brandon Sanderson.  It contains original stories deleted scenes, and original works from the contributors about how mental illness has affected them and their loved ones.  The benefits of this fundraiser will go to Bring Change 2 Mind, a non-profit organization raising awareness for mental illness.    Think you could fight alongside Lan, Galad, and Rand?  Got to Ta'veren Tees to pick up a Blademaster Tee.   From Dragonmount's Facebook page: