DRAGONMOUNT

These photos are a few years old, but they are still perhaps the greatest collection of Wheel of Time puns I have ever come across.   Warning: if you are fasting for Ramadan you may not want to read this! Apologies.   All are by maledictor.                                             Apologies if that made you hungry! Hopefully you laughed, as well. The Light illumine you; have a nice week.

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Weekly Roundup! Before we get started, let me point you to This Forum Right Here. What’s that? The Cage Matches are back! Absolutely! This week’s match line-up includes: Flinn vs Rahvin Liandrin vs. Sorilea Elayne vs Graendal and Deepe vs Mishraile Get in there, vote for your favorites, or they may not continue to the next bracket. And while you; are at it, wear your Team Signature and predict the winners!   Next on the agenda: the Hugo Awards. There is still time to become a member and vote. Deadline is August 1. Now for the news on the Social Group Scene:   The White Tower and Warders have a new interesting discussion about How much food you can buy with only $5. This thread, and the article linked in the introductory post, is a great place to discuss the value of money, and to learn about other parts of the world. Are you involved in the SCA or other Medieval-minded groups? Join a discussion in the Kin about Medieval Mayhem! The Ogier, always up for a good book discussion, have two interesting threads from this month. The first is the “Name game” Literature edition. The second involves the “to read” shelf.  Even if you are not an Ogier, you can participate and have a good discussion! And from the Aiel’s World of Dreams: Do you Change Gender in your Sleep? A discussion of gender in our dreams. Finally, our weekly Facebook and Twitter update: Rand al’Thor took time out of his busy day to pose with author George R.R. Martin: When asked if he was scared of meeting the infamous character killer and author, Rand said: "Duty is heavy as a mountain, death is light as a feather."  Remember, you can get daily updates about Dragonmount, the Wheel of Time, and other related works by following these accounts, but you must also Like, Share, and Comment to continue getting excellent Dragonmount information in your Facebook Feed.

Some of you may be familiar with the Suvudu cage matches, which pit popular characters from sci-fi and fantasy against each other. Starting in two days, Dragonmount will be hosting our own version of the cage matches, featuring only Wheel of Time characters, right here on our forums.   Here's a list of this years competitors:   Aludra Deepe Elayne Elyas Flinn Graendal Ingtar Ituralde Laras Liandrin Mishraile Rahvin Rhuarc Sorilea Suroth Tylin   This year, we are continuing a few special features.  First, we have "Team" forum signatures for anyone to wear to support their favorite character.  We are also having a friendly Prediction Competition—submit your guesses for each Round and you'll win points if you're correct.    Round 1 begins on June 29th, but there's plenty going on right now.

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 you may know from my previous posts, I'm quite into the gaming scene; and when I say gaming I don't just mean electronic, but tabletop gaming, board gaming, and role playing.   I also love science fiction and a popular favorite of many is the Star Wars universe.   Today I want to talk to you about something which combines these things into something I have begun to really enjoy.  It's a tabletop game called X-Wing by probably my favorite game company, Fantasy Flight Games, who in my opinion and experience tend to make fantastic games.   Basically, you have small scale miniatures of ships and fighters from the Star Wars and you assign them to perform maneuvers and try to out maneuver your opponent to get off those vital shots to blow up his ships. Sound interesting? Or too geeky? Wrong answer! There is no such thing as too geeky!   Below is a video of how to play the game.     If you're not yet convinced, I should probably mention that there have been recent expansions to include Han Solo and The Millenium Falcon or Boba Fett and Slave One in your fleet!    I've recently gotten into it and found it a lot of fun. Have a go yourselves.     That's all for now! Have fun!   Until next time, friends!

This week, a song about the Aiel War, to the tune of Kansas' "Carry On My Wayward Son," written by cheesuscrust.     Now all we need is for someone to record it!   May you all find water and shade this week, friends.

Welcome to this week's Edition of <em>Dragonmount</em>'s Weekly Roundup, where I tell you about all the fun and fantastic things happening around <em>Dragonmount </em>and in the <em>Wheel of Time</em> fandom. For this week's Roundup, I'm going to shift focus out of the Social Groups to look and see what's going on in the other areas of <em>Dragonmount</em>.   First off, the <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' class="bbc_url" href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/89864-welcome-to-the-wheel-of-time-cage-http:/www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/89864-welcome-to-the-wheel-of-time-cage-match-2014/match-2014/'>2014 Wheel of Time Cage Match</a>. This year's competitor list consists of 8 channelers and 8 non-channelers, and just like years previous, you will have the chance to vote for your favorite players. While you are at it, grab your <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' class="bbc_url" href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/89868-team-siggies-2014/'>Cage Match Team forum signature</a> and make your <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' class="bbc_url" href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/89867-prediction-competition-2014/'>Cage Match predictions</a>.   <em>Game of Thrones </em>Fans! The fourth season of the show is over, but the discussion is still ongoing in the Entertainment Board. There are two threads: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' class="bbc_url" href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/88354-game-of-thrones-season-4-spoilers/'>Spoiler thread</a> (which will discuss the books) and <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' class="bbc_url" href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/88355-game-of-thrones-season-4-spoiler-free-edition/'>Spoiler-Free</a> (which focuses on just the television series), and you can still talk and discuss the bloody season finale (and predict what is in store for season 5)!Elsewhere in the Entertainment boards, sports fans might find the discussion on the <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' class="bbc_url" href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/89570-world-cup-2014'>World Cup 2014</a> intriguing.   In the Roleplaying Boards, a new character biography has been approved for the Character <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' class="bbc_url" href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/89888-approved-band-bio-silene-belain-wolfie-ccd/#entry3272438'>Silene Belain</a>, who will be played by <em>Dragonmount</em> member Bela_theDo. The character's background seems interesting, and I know I'm looking forward to see what she does in her new life.In the General <em>Wheel of Time</em> Discussion board, there is a new thread discussing the <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' class="bbc_url" href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/89594-wot-encyclopedia/'>Wheel of Time Encyclopedia</a>. Feel free to discuss this upcoming project, its contents, and publication date here!   Next, from <em>Dragonmount</em>'s Facebook page:<img src="http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff34/ahmoondah/dmjune21_zps5da59dec.jpg" alt="dmjune21_zps5da59dec.jpg">   For those interested in the podcast mentioned above, it can be found <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' class="bbc_url" href='http://t.co/qHUpLf8aXP'>here</a>. Remember, you can get daily updates on <em>Dragonmount </em>and Wheel of time fan information by following <em>Dragonmount</em> on Facebook and Twitter. And please, like, comment, and share from <em>Dragonmount</em> to help keep their Facebook page visible in your feed!One final thing before I leave you for this week. You still have time to <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' class="bbc_url" href='http://www.dragonmount.com/index.php/News/amol/more-Hugo'>nominate and vote for the Hugo Awards</a>! Voting will end in July, and the awards will be announced August 17^th at LCon, the 72^nd World Con.   That's it for this week. Tune in next week, where I'll discuss more exciting adventures from <em>Dragonmount</em>'s Forums!

A small band of scared young men on the run from mysterious dark forces make a run for a ferry to get them to safety.  Fellowship of the Ring or The Eye of the World?   A young farm boy with special powers must learn to control those powers in order to fight dark forces in the world. Star Wars or Wheel of Time?   This week is all about crossovers. It's no secret that The Eye of the World resembles Lord of the Rings in more than a few ways, but it's the ways that the two are different that make The Wheel of Time so great.     As the release of A Memory of Light approached last year, I could only think of one way to express my angst and simultaneous undying devotion to these precious books.     Here's another hilarious crossover which manages to draw a link between--not two--but three different stories which use the "'tribal' woman and 'civilized' man fall in love" cliché.   by maledictor   This next one is a reference to one of my favorite shows of all time, Arrested Development. My whole life has been building to the moment when these two incredible things would collide, and it is perfect.   by masyafs   A somewhat unlikely crossover sprung up which references the movie Shrek, which is (unexplainably) a favorite movie of the Tumblr crowd. Don't get me wrong, I love that movie, but...well let's just say some people are a little weird about it. At any rate:     This quote just begs a reference to the movie, right? Just replace Shrek and Donkey with Lan and Mat, and the dialogue is almost perfect.   Lan: Warders are like onions. Mat: …they stink? Lan: Yes—no! Mat: Oh, they make you cry? Lan: No! Mat: Oh! You leave ‘em out in the sun they get all brown n start sproutin’ little white hairs! Finally, I will leave you with one of the most timely references. Did anyone else, at the end of the movie Frozen, (SPOILER ALERT) find Elsa's "epiphany" to be curiously similar to Rand's in The Gathering Storm? It begs the comparison between Rand and Elsa as characters, to be sure. by shutupshea That's it for this week, wetlanders. The Light illumine you!

Welcome back to another edition of "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog.  We are continuing our reread of The Eye of the World, with chapters 29 and 30 this time.    Synopsis: Chapter 29, "Eyes Without Pity"   Perrin, Egwene, and Elyas are traveling across the land at a quick, unrelenting pace.  Elyas takes every precaution when making camp, and leaving camp.  As they go, the wolves scout ahead, but Elyas still checks at the tops of each hill.  At one hill, Perrin says he is going to the top with Elyas.  At the top, the land around them is empty and Perrin voices his complaints about how slow they are going.  Then, a large flock of ravens fly out from the trees.  Perrin asks Elyas if that was the reason he was going so slow, and Elyas says he's not sure.   They travel faster now, trying to keep right at the tail end of the flock.  The wolves send word that another flock is coming from behind them.  They will be safe after sundown, but they might not last that long.   The ravens kill for fun.  Perrin and Elyas see the group tear a fox to shreds.  Other animals are left behind, mangled for no reason.  As they are running, Perrin realizes they won't make it till sundown.  The flocks are getting too close.  He wonders if he could spare Egwene the pain of the raven's beaks by killing her with his axe instead.    Suddenly, they enter a stedding, a place of safety.  Elyas leads them to a watering hole and they set up camp.  Egwene notices a rock that looks like and eye, and Elyas tells them that this was the place Artur Hawkwing was going to build his capital.  He goes into the details of Hawkwing's rise and fall, and the turmoil after.   Chapter 30, "Children of Shadow"   After they eat, Perrin goes down to the pool to be alone.  Elyas follows and confronts Perrin about his thoughts on Egwene.  At first, Elyas comes off forceful, asking if Perrin hates Egwene, and once Perrin confesses his thoughts of killing Egwene before the ravens could, Elyas softens, and tells him Egwene would have rather died by the axe.   Perrin tells Elyas he hates his axe, and he almost throws it into the water before Elyas stops him.  Elyas tells him to keep it until he likes it.  Until then, he will use the axe wiser than any other man.    The wolves suddenly send a warning that men are coming.  Elyas and Perrin rush to the camp and douse the fire.  Perrin, Egwene, and Bela run off to find a hiding spot.  As they hide, a group of Whitecloaks show up and spot Bela.  They tell the Emond's Fielders to surrender, so Perrin and Egwene do.  As they approach the Whitecloaks, Hopper jumps on the closes one and Perrin, by instinct, grabs his axe and fights the Whitecloaks too.  They kill Hopper, and Perrin is hit on the head by a lance.   He wakes up in a tent.  Egwene is there too.  It's the tent of the Lord Captain Geofram Bornhald, and his underling, Jaret Byar, is with him.  Byar accuses Perrin and Egwene of being Darkfriends.  They tell a version of the truth of how they wound up there, but Bornhald doesn't believe them.  He says Egwene has a chance to repent and come back to the Light, but Perrin killed two of the Children, so he will be killed once they reach Amador.   My take: As I said last time, this is a heavy Perrin section.  And my love for Perrin grew so much from this part.  When we first start this story, we know Mat is a rascal, and we see most of the story from Rand's point-of-view, so we know a lot about him too.  But we don't get a good grasp of Perrin until these two chapters.  There is so much character development; it is amazing.   But first, I want to talk about Elyas.  He has them moving quickly, knowing something is coming.  Perrin thinks it's the ravens, but Elyas says he wasn't sure.  Then, at the end, with the Whitecloaks, Elyas says, "I was sure it was the ravens."    So, how did Elyas know they were running from something?  It's curious to think that he experiences wolf dreams like Perrin does.  Once Perrin asks him about it, Elyas tells him to stay away from that place because it is dangerous (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 24, "To Make a Stand"), but Elyas must visit it from time to time.  He's used to wearing the wolf's body we see in A Memory of Light.  I think that Elyas must have seen a vision, one of the windows opening in the sky.  That would warn him of danger, but not necessarily be clear what the danger is.   Also, it's interesting that the raven flock didn't know that Perrin was nearby.  I would assume that the Dream Perrin had in the Tinker camp let Ba'alzamon know where he was—Ba'alzamon had a hard time finding Perrin since the wolves started protecting him.  If the ravens were eyes for the Dark One, how did they not know that Perrin was a target?  Perhaps Ishamael was too weak at this point to control the ravens himself, and they would just be reporting to a random Myrddraal instead of one of the Forsaken?  That's possible.    Another thing discussesd is how far Elyas and Perrin can sense the wolves.  At this point, Perrin can only feel them a mile away.  Elyas' range is a bit farther, but not too much.  Perrin sees how he struggles to remain in contact with the pack when they are running from the ravens.  Yet, it seems like Perrin's range with wolves grows much larger than that.  When he actually accepts their sendings, they come from miles and miles away.  Of course, it could always be Perrin's ta'veren nature that makes him stronger in this way.   Now on to Perrin.  This scene will still make me cry when I read it.  It's so packed full of emotion.  It's funny to think about—I have a hard time remembering my first reading of the story—but Perrin could have been Robert Jordan's attempt at a red herring, as far as who the Dragon is.  At first, we think it could be Mat, due to his spouting of the Old Tongue.  But here, we get some references to Lews Therin:     So similar to Lews Therin's, "His children's faces accused him, blank eyes asking why, and his tears were no answer."   And Perrin's internal conflicts are what really make this story so enjoyable and re-readable.  His emotion is so real, that I am effected, even after the ninth time through.   Perrin is such a good, and honorable guy.  Mat is… well, Mat.  Rand becomes corrupted.  But Perrin stays true throughout the whole story.  I love his character so much, just by this book alone, that I didn't falter at all when he lost Faile.  Many readers hate him then, but you have to remember where that love came from.  This is where it formed, his desire to protect in any way possible.  And he loves Faile so much, naturally he would do anything and everything to help her.  He would have done anything and everything to help Egwene, even killing her with his own hands.  It sounds odd, but that is a love so true it makes my heart hurt.   On another emotional note, this is my first re-read after A Memory of Light.  So it's very sad when you get to the scene when Perrin and Egwene are hiding:     That's one promise he was not able to fulfill.  I wish, just once, they could have had a moment—besides the battle in tel'aran'rhiod fighting Masaana—to talk and see each other again.   That's all for this edition.  I could go on and on about my love for Perrin.  But I won't.  Join us next week for more of the Mat and Rand adventures.  Thanks for reading!

Hello again! I’m back after a long absence to once again start posting the Weekly Roundup. I’ve been busy moving from Houston to Phoenix, and now that I’m here, well… I’m ready to rock and roll!  And now on to what’s going on around Dragonmount this week:   First, in the Movies & Games board of the Entertainment Forum is a discussion on Dragon Age: Inquisition. If you are a fan of the series and are looking forward to this exciting new game, check this thread out. Or pop on over to the nearby thread and discuss this year’s E3!   In Shayol Ghul, this month is all about board games: Join in on a board game discussion, play board game hangman, or guess the board game.   In the White Tower and Warders, the Gray Ajah is hosting an amazing Picnic Midsummer festival! There are games, discussions, recipes, many things all about the summer picnic!   The Gray Ajah may be picnicking, but the Wolfkin are having a barbeque! Do you like to cook outdoors over an open flame? Know the difference between barbeque and grilling? Check out what the Wolfkin have to say on the subject!   Dragomount's yearly Wheel of Time Cage Match is about to start!  The battles will begin on June 29th, but in the mean time, read up on the competitors, play the Prediction Competition game, or get a special forum signature to show off your favorite character!   And now for an update from Dragonmount’s Facebook Page:     Remember, to continue getting excellent daily information about the Wheel of Time, Dragonmount, and other related topics from this awesome page, you must like, share, and comment on the posts by Dragonmount on Facebook, or it will not show up in your feed. You can also get information from Dragonmount’s Twitter profile.   One final thing before I leave you this week about the Hugo Awards:  You still have time to nominate and vote!   That wraps it up for this week! I hope you’ve had an excellent one and will see you next week for a new Weekly Roundup!

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!It's fair to say that many of us with an interest in fantasy fiction will have some level of awareness of role-playing games--be they table top ones, probably most famous in the Dungeons and Dragons format--or even here on Dragonmount--we have our own Portal Stone Worlds, forums where people are encouraged to play "in character" set within an alternate Wheel of Time universe. Today, however, we are going to look at a slightly different take on the role playing game, and better still, a slightly different take on the Wheel of Time universe.To be short and sweet, our editor of the Front Page Blogs, Mashiara, has interviewed Ascendency, who runs a little project called the First Age. I can't explain better than Ascendency myself what it is, so here is the interview in full.   So there you have it! I hoped that sparked your interest and you take a look at what they have to offer! It certainly does sound like an unusual and interesting experience. Here is a link to their main website: The First Age.  That's all for now! Have fun!Until next time, friends!