DRAGONMOUNT

The voting period for the 2014 Hugo Awards ends on Thursday, July 31st PDT. The Wheel of Time series, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson is nominated for "Best Novel" this year. To vote, you must be a member of this year's WorldCon, held August 14-18 in London, United Kingdom.  The awards ceremony will be held at at 8PM on Sunday, August 17. You must be a member to attend. Harriet McDougal, the editor of the series and Jordan's widow and Maria Simons, one of the continuity editors for the series will be in attendance, along with many other authors, editors, artists and industry professionals. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live online, details of that will be published later on the convention website. If you are in Atlanta, Georgia, JordanCon is hosting a "Hugo Watching Party". Harriet and Maria will both speaking at the convention on Saturday, Aug. 16th at 12PM on the influence of the series in a panel discussion titled "The Road Goes Ever On and On".  Our friend Leigh Butler recently wrote an essay on why she thinks the Wheel of Time deserves a Hugo. Brandon Sanderson also published his thoughts back in April, when the nomination was announced.  Regardless of if you agree with us on the Wheel of Time Hugo nomination, the Hugos are still one of the most prestigious awards in science fiction and fantasy literature. They are also one of the few decided by popular vote. If you have the means, please participate in the process, regardless of how you intend to vote. If you do vote, please participate fully in the process. Try to read as many of the nominated works as you can and vote in as many categories as you feel confident in. 

The next round of Cage Matches are up.  This weeks fights are the semi-finals, including:   Graendal vs Deepe   and   Elyas vs Rhuarc   We're down to the best of the best, so help us decide who is going to take home the title this year!  And it's not too late to show your support (even if your favorite character is already out of the running); wear a special forum signature.  You can also check out who is leading in the Prediction Competition.  Or, talk about the earlier battles: Week 1, Week 2, or Week 3.

Welcome, everyone, to the latest edition of the Weekly Roundup, where I cover the weekly events of Dragonmount!   First, The Hugo Awards! The deadline is fast approaching for those interested to become members and vote. You don’t even have to attend Loncon to vote! While we are on the subject, this year’s Worldcon is expected to have a strong Wheel of Time presence. On Saturday, August 16 there is a (planned) panel that will include Harriet McDougal, Maria Simons and Dragonmount user Werthead!  And to those thinking of going to Worldcon, here's a discussion thread!   Second on our agenda: Dragonmount’s annual Cage Matches. Week 3 had several exciting lineups. The winners from week 3 were Deepe, Graendal, Rhuarc and Elyas, and discussion about those battles continues here.   This week’s lineup has two epic battles:   Elyas vs Rhuarc and Deepe vs Graendal   Remember, if you don’t vote, your favorite might be defeated!   Next up, news from the Social Groups:   In the White Tower, the Amyrlin is discussing the new Full Shannara Television Series ordered by MTV. Have you read the books? Do you think they will be adapted fairly? Do you plan on watching? Discuss!   With the return of boy genius RandA lThor, Mayhem continues to ensue in Shayol Ghul. While you are checking out the mayhem, sign up for LilyE’s Mall Madness mafia game!   The Ogier have two ongoing discussions that seem to be very intriguing. First, what is on your “to read” shelve? What books are you dying to read? Second is a serious discussion on the Book of Translations. Join the Ogier and discuss these two fascinating topics!   Finally, our Weekly Facebook/Twitter update:     The article mentioned is here (and includes a Brandon Sanderson favorite series!)   Remember, you can get updates like these by following Dragonmount on Twitter and Facebook. (And to keep seeing the updates, Like, Share, and Comment on Facebook).   That’s it for this week. Tune in next week for the Cage Match Finals and more Dragonmount awesomeness!

Just like the title says, this week we're going back to the future to our fandom past. So many funny things have happened over the years, and I thought I'd bring back just a few.   For instance, remember all those years spent not knowing who killed Asmodean? (I know some of you reading might still not know, so don't worry, I won't give it away). Our curiosity spurred some amazing theories, and also some hilarious ones.       And of course,     Some of my other favorites are "Alternate Universe" type images which were featured on this Fan Art Friday a couple years ago.   First, an email inbox for Mat Cauthon by sleepinghour   and a magazine cover featuring Mat   In that same post, some folks in the comments mentioned that there is also an inbox for Rand, so I've tracked it down from here:       Lastly, a true classic, and I'm sorry but I have no idea who made this. I originally found it here, I believe. (Original source is here.)   That's all, folks! The Light illumine you; have a nice week!

Hello dear friends! Another week has moved by us, and now it’s time for a new edition of the Dragonmount Weekly Update! This week, we’re going to look at the Cage Matches, the Hugo Awards, and examine the goings-on of Dragonmount outside of the Social Groups. First bit of business is our Cage Match updates: Week Two went by with Rhuarc absolutely sweeping away the competition, while Elyas, Tylin, and Aludra each also won their respective matches. If you care to discuss these turns of events, see the Week Two discussion thread.   This week is the quarterfinals, with two “Channeler” matches and two “Non-Channeler” matches:   Elyas vs Aludra Tylin vs Rhuarc Deepe vs Sorilea Graendal vs Rhavin   Who will win and go to the next round? And don’t forget you can also wear a Forum Signature to show your support for your favorite competitors!   Next on the Agenda: The Hugo Awards! There is still time to become a member and vote, and you don’t even have to attend London Con to vote! While we are on the subject, this year’s World Con is expected to have a strong Wheel of Time Presence. On Saturday, August 16 there is a (planned) panel that will include Harriet McDougal, Maria Simons and Dragonmount user Werthead!   The TV Show & Sports forum continues discussing the World Cup and this bit of news about LeBron James.   In the Dragon Reborn Roleplaying threads, there is an interesting post regarding Acceptable Behavior brewing.... I wonder where this will lead?   In Other Media, a bit of interesting news: Humble Bundle is putting out the collection of the Wheel of Time Comics!   Finally, for our weekly Facebook and Twitter update:   (All I can say is I would not get that answer right either!)   Remember, you can get up-to-the-minute Dragonmount and Wheel of Time- related news by following Dragonmount on Facebook and Twitter!   That wraps it up this week.

Round 3 of the Wheel of Time Cage Match has started!  This weeks fights include:   Graendal vs Rhavin Deepe vs Sorilea Tylin vs Rhuarc Elyas vs Aludra   Go and vote for who you think would win between these challengers.  Next week, we'll move onto the semi-finals.  And if you still have comments about the fights from the first two weeks, you can continue the discussion here:   Week 1 Week 2   Also, see how everyone's doing with the Prediction Competition so far!

Hello, friends! The Wheel has turned all the way around to Thursday again, which means two things: the weekend is not too far away, and it's time for our Rotating Features blog!   As I sit here writing this, I am watching the World Cup semi-final but I thought I would take a few moments to introduce you to an area of our wonderful website here at Dragonmount which you may not yet have explored and which may prove to be of use and a lot of fun.   Have you noticed the lovely pictures that everyone has at the end of their posts on our forums? These are known as signatures, and are one of the main ways that we can stamp a little bit of individuality on our posts as well as advertise part of our personality, a position we hold on Dragonmount, or a group we are part of.   There are a couple of ways to get one of these signatures (or more than one), and one of them is the feature of Dragonmount I want to highlight--our signature requests board.   Here, you can request talented and skilled individuals to make a signature to your specifications, or you can choose some that they have already made, and ask permission to wear them. Before you do so, make sure you read the pinned threads on how you should proceed. Hopefully someone will respond quickly and make you a lovely shiny signature to wear with pride! The same pinned threads explain exactly how you can add them to your posts.   There's also the signature playground, where you can look at ones already made and ask if you may use them. There are a lot of nice ones there and if the creator is feeling kind, they may even tweak and modify them for you.   Otherwise, many people like to make them themselves with artwork they find online. This is fun and satisfying and it's fairly easy to learn how to make simple ones; and who knows, you may find you have a talent for it and become one of our dedicated signature makers as well. One of the best programs to use (in my opinion at least) is Adobe Photoshop. If that is out of your budget, however, never fear! For years I have used a free version called GIMP (Generic Image Manipulation Program) to make mine. If you have any familiarity with Photoshop then you will find that GIMP works almost exactly the same. Make sure you look at the same pinned threads in the signature board as they also have the rules and guidelines for signatures if you're going to dabble in making them yourself!   I hope you find the solution to all your signature wearing needs, express yourselves, and make our boards that bit more colorful!     That's all for now! Have fun!   Until next time, friends!

We've seen Wheel of Time characters behave on Instagram, Snapchat, and even in email, but not yet Facebook (until today). I've been meaning to make something, but mehroones-dagon beat me to it (and did it better).    The original version had some R-rated language, so (with the permission of the creator) I've done some editing to make the language more PG-13. Hopefully the spirit of the original still comes through.                         May you find water and shade this week, friends!

Hello Dragonmount! Another week has passed, and it is time for a new edition of Dragonmount’s Weekly Roundup!   First on the agenda: The Wheel of Time Cage Matches. This week’s line-ups include:   Ituralde vs Rhuarc Aludra vs Laras Tylin vs Suroth Ingtar vs Elyas   Or, you can discuss the week one matches, predict winners, and wear team signatures.   Next on the agenda: the Hugo Awards. There is still time to become a member and vote. Deadline is August 1.   Now for the Social Group updates:   The White Tower and Warders have an ongoing discussion on the Foxhead medallion.   The Wolfkin has an interesting discussion on bucket lists for the month of July.   In the Band of the Red Hand, there is a discussion of Games and Luck. What games do you think Mat Cauthon would be good at, and which games would he fail at? Join in the band’s discussion.   Also, it’s time to celebrate one of our very special Dragonmount members. RandA lThor recently scored a perfect score on his SATs. Two parties have opened to celebrate his accomplishments: One in Shayol Ghul and the other in the Black Tower.   Finally, for our Dragonmount social media update:     Remember, you can get daily updates on Dragonmount and Wheel of Time-related news by following our social media at Facebook and Twitter.

The first week's matches have concluded.  Thanks to all who participated and voted for their favorite character.  Here's the fighters, with the winners in bold:   Deepe vs Mishraile Flinn vs Rahvin Liandrin vs Sorilea Elayne vs Graendal   Now the battles between the non-channelers are up.  We have:   Aludra vs Laras Suroth vs Tylin Rhuarc vs Ituralde Ingtar vs Elyas   Who will win between these mighty people?  Please go and vote for who you think would win!   And if you still want to talk about the first week's winners and losers, you can do so here!