DRAGONMOUNT

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!

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!   If, like me, you are a lover of sports, then I hope you are enjoying what is proving to be a very exciting and unpredictable FIFA World Cup this year! It has been great; we have seen the defending champions go out in the group stages--as well as England, but I expected no less--and we have also seen teams like Belgium and Colombia progress well. Personally I'm supporting Colombia now. It's been an exciting one too because with the quarter finals and semi finals and the final still to go, there have already been more goals than the entire 2010 World Cup!   Whether World Cup fever has you or not, there is certainly no escaping it. Perhaps that is what inspired Spanish designer Nerea Palacios, who is possibly not enjoying the World Cup as much as I am, but who must also be a Game of Thrones lover to design football (or soccer, depending where you are from) kits for the various houses of Westeros! It doesn't get any better than this! I can satiate my nerdy side and normal side all at once!   Without further ado, here they are!                     Personally, I like Baratheon and the Nights Watch. Could possibly go for Targaryen. I would absolutely love for these to be made so I could buy them and wear them when I play, which is usually twice a week!   Of course this all begs the question--who would win the Westeros Cup? And who would make the team of each house? Drop a comment below, or discuss with your friends over a nice beer!     That's all for now! Have fun!   Until next time, friends!

Welcome to another edition of Dragonmount's Fantasy Review.  This edition will talk about the novella The God Engines by Hugo award winner, John Scalzi.   Slight spoilers will follow.   The God Engines By John Scalzi   The Synopsis: This story is about a god who rules over the land and the Bishopry Militant.  This god, the one all people in the empire worship, is only supreme because of his many followers.  Other gods, the Defiled, are chained and tortured for their powers, their followers' faith not strong enough to give them the power to escape.    Ean Tephe is the captain of the ship The Righteous, with a special mission to convert new followers among the stars.  The faith of someone who knows no gods is greater than someone who has converted.  So Tephe's mission is of the highest importance to his god.  The added faith of so many would make the god much more powerful.    While travelling, Tephe gets caught in a struggle between the two powerful gods, his own and the Defiled acting as his ship's engine.  But, when they reach their destination, his own god's acts are not in line with what Tephe thinks is right.  He questions his god, and the Defiled is able to break free.  When the gods pit their powers against each other, Tephe and his crew are at their mercy.   The Pros: The writing in this story is amazing.  The mood is dark and foreboding.  The characters fleshed out and interesting.  The universe, and the gods, so alive and detailed.  Scalzi did an incredible job on this story.   One thing I really enjoyed is that it makes you think.  It's not pro-religion or anti-religion, as I saw it.  It's more a question of looking at religion, seeing both sides of it.  And because of this, though it deals with some deep subjects, like faith and trust, it's not preachy or heavy-handed.  It seemed almost philosophical to me.  A detailed look at a system of deities and their followers, but still remaining objective.   The ending is beautifully ironic and tragic.  It was jarring, and so well crafted, it may be one of the best endings I've ever encountered.  There are several shocking moments throughout the story, lots of surprises and plot twists, but nothing compares to the ending.   The Cons: The only con I could find with this book is the length.  It's very short.  I think this world and magic system could be developed far more than it was.  That isn't to say the story is lacking anything; it's nearly perfect the way it is.  However, the world is so interesting; I hope Scalzi will visit it again.  Using the power of chained gods for star travel is such a unique idea!   Conclusion: This is one of the best stories I've read in the past few years.  It's fiction, but with a deeper purpose; you can read it for entertainment, but there's so much more beneath the surface, so much to think and explore.  Scalzi surely is a master storyteller, just from the way he crafted this incredible tale and world.   On a side note, after finishing this book, I was able to meet Scalzi at the Phoenix Comicon in 2013.  I told him how much I enjoyed this story, and he kind of laughed.  He said that this book is so different in style and tone than all his others—I guess he's pretty well known for the humor in his writings; The God Engines didn't have very many humorous situations.  So, he said I would be in for a shock if I expected this kind of thing with his other books.  I haven't had a chance to read any others by him, but make sure you keep that in mind if you also want to delve into Scalzi's collection of works.   My rating: 5/5 stars     The God Engines is not available in the Dragonmount eBook store.  However, there are several others by Scalzi, including Redshirts, which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2013.

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!