DRAGONMOUNT

In May, Brandon Sanderson was a guest at the Phoenix Comicon and had a panel that focused exclusively on The Wheel of Time.  During the panel, Brandon shared the story of how he was chosen to finish the series, and then did a Q&A with the other panelist and the audience.  I'm very please to say that I was asked to join this panel, along with Nadine Armstrong and Patrick Young.  

Hello, and welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog.  Today's topic is the state of ta'veren-ness within Rand, Mat, and Perrin at the close of the story.  Please remember:   SPOILER WARNING.  This will include content from A Memory of Light.  Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.   At the end of the series, all our ta'veren have had a transformation of some sort.  Perrin realizes that there is no longer a tug pulling on him.     Perrin thinks he is no longer ta'veren.  And he assumes Rand is not either.  But Rand's powers seem to transcend those of a ta'veren anyway.  He is able to manipulate the Pattern by his will alone.  This seems quite logical to me since, during the battle with the Dark One, Rand learned how to weave Weaves of the Pattern.  I think an apt comparison is from The Matrix film where Neo finally learns how to see the numbers.  Rand is able to see the world as it naturally is, weaves woven by the Wheel.  Therefore, Rand no longer has a need to be ta'veren.    Perrin, as well, no longer has a need.  He accepted his responsibilities while he had to, and now that the trial has passed, he will be able to move on.  He will be a King, and help lead the world into the new Age.    So, Rand and Perrin have moved past needing their ta'veren abilities.  But what about Mat?  Brandon Sanderson answered this—kind of—at a recent signing.     Notice that Brandon doesn't state that Mat is no longer ta'veren.  He says in past lives, Mat was still a lucky person, so some of his lucky nature is innate.  But what if Mat will keep his luck after the Last Battle because he is still ta'veren?   We never get a scene where Mat thinks about the swirls, or his luck, or anything.  I'm sure the swirls will be gone, since his connection to Rand has been severed.  But I think Mat is still ta'veren.   My reasoning for this might seem a bit thin, but I'll explain my logic.   1. Mat without his luck would be weird.  We've become so use to Mat's luck, that it would just seem strange seeing him without it.  Albeit, Brandon said Mat would keep some of his luck, but I don't think that would satisfy us.  Ever since his gambling spree at the beginning of The Dragon Reborn, one of the only things in the series we could count on 100% has been Mat's luck!  If he lost that, he'd stop being Mat.   2. He resisted when the others gave in.  To me, this could be a sense of irony.  As stated earlier, Perrin hated being ta'veren, but he did what he had to.  He shouldered the heavy burden and fulfilled his part in the responsibility.  Mat did not.  He spent most of his time hiding from his responsibilities and trying to weasel out of what was expected of him.  So it would seem fitting, in a twisted way, that Mat would have to put up with being a ta'veren  longer than the others.  He's paying for his attitude towards his ta'veren abilities and towards Rand—Mat's flippant treatment of Rand even got him scolded by the heroes of the Horn: "Remember him,” Amaresu snapped. “I have seen you murmur that you fear his madness, but all the while you forget that every breath you breathe—every step you take—comes at his forbearance. Your life is a gift from the Dragon Reborn, Gambler. Twice over" (A Memory of Light, Chapter 39, "Those Who Fight").     3. The outrigger novels were going to be based on Mat's journey to Seanchan.  Since more of the story centered on Mat, I think the Wheel and the Pattern weren't done with him yet.   My conclusion, Mat is still ta'veren.  I don't see any reason why Rand and Perrin can finally step out of the Pattern's influence, but Mat remains.  The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, after all.  And I think the Wheel likes messing with Mat.   That's all for this edition.  For next week, we'll look at who or what Nakomi might be.  Thanks for reading!

A Game of Stones, an online Wheel of Time Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG), is launching a new version.  Version 10, with all the new updates, goes live June 8th.  

It's Friday and Fan Art Friday is back. This time the focus is on Logain.   Logain is introduced as a False Dragon. He is gentled and then smuggled out of the White Tower. He is the first person to be Healed from gentling. Min's viewing says he will achieve great glory.   In Black Tower, Logain leads the Asha'man who resist the Shadow and prevents the whole Black Tower from going over to the Shadow.   So here comes Logain...   wheel of time, Logain by Qetzalkoatl   WOT card teasers 2 Logain by ReddEra   Logain's Glory Moment by Cloodsama   Logain by DoodlesandDaydreams   Nynaeve heals Logain by Gala-maia

The Waygate Foundation, whose mission is to "support and engage science fiction and fantasy authors and fans in global philanthropic endeavors," has joined forces with Team Jordan to get a sneak peek to the anticipated Wheel of Time encyclopedia!     For the past month, several questions have been answered, and posted, on The Waygate Foundations' website and Facebook page. Here's the latest, but beware of spoilers!  

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 am writing for Dragonmount, most of my articles will of course focus on The Wheel of Time books. Sometimes, however, we likely have other common interests to discuss. This week, the overwhelming favorite topic for discussion simply has to be A Game of Thrones the television series based on the A Song of Ice and Fire books by George R. R. Martin. It's fair to say that most fans of The Wheel of Time are aware of, and more than likely love, this ongoing work of epic fantasy fiction. And the television series has been so well done thus far that it has merely added to the enjoyment of the series for fans and spread it's fame and popularity in general. This week, of course, was a momentous episode in the series, and one which fans of the books have been looking forward to for some time. I won't reveal anything which may spoil the episode for you in case you haven't seen it just yet--but you're in for a televisual treat. Reactions to the episode have made local news in the area of the world I live in! There is a video clip of people's reactions on YouTube which is quickly picking up views. I can't link to it as it contains some naughty words! But it's quite funny if you want to look it up for yourselves. Whilst we are on the subject of Game of Thrones in general, here is something interesting I found recently--a mock up of Magic the Gathering style cards featuring Game of Thrones characters. Have fun! (But beware of spoilers.) Set One Set Two Set Three Until next time, friends!

Hey, Rand, let me give you a hand with that.   Well, Matrim, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.   You're a real gem, Egwene.   Hey, Slayer, looks like you got a little too hammered this weekend.   Well, Graendal, sometimes karma just gets ugly.

Hello!  Welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog.  We'll be continuing our look at the Seanchan today.  So, let's dive right into it:   SPOILER WARNING.  This will include content from A Memory of Light.  Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.   While I agree with most comments for last week's blog, I think we need to put our trust in Brandon.  Perhaps Hawkwing's advice didn't lead to any solution with the damane.  But there are other people close to Tuon who could help with the transition.   The first thing I want to look at is the terms of the agreement between Tuon and Rand.  Rand goes in with the intent of freeing all the damane, but is unable to do so.     By the terms of this agreement, the Seanchan get to keep all the damane they currently have.  This is basically what Rand told the group at Merrilor, "As for the women [channelers]… what is done is done. Let us worry about the world itself first, then do what we can for those held captive." (A Memory of Light, Chapter 6, "A Knack").    However, Egwene and Tuon try to work out the finer bits of the agreement.  By the end, they have agreed that Tremalking does not belong to Seanchan—which would fulfill the prophecy spoken by Harine din Togara Two Winds: "The Jendai Prophecy says you will bring us to glory, and all the seas of the world will be ours" (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 34, "Ta'veren").  So, we can assume the Sea Folk will be safe after the Last Battle is done.   Besides that, though, not much else is "agreed" upon.  They discuss the terms of releasing damane and allowing the Seanchan to accept willing channelers, but they don't actually make a bargain.  It seems like both Tuon and Egwene accepted the terms of letting the Seanchan "recruit" marath'damane in exchange for letting go the damane who wish to be free:     But, there is no shaking of hands, no signed treaty, not even a, "It is agreed."  So, is this a binding agreement?  There were witnesses on both sides who can vouch for what was said, but without anything written down, how binding can it be?   There's also the fact that Egwene dies.  Was Tuon's contract with Egwene herself, or was it with the Amyrlin?  Will it still last after Egwene's death?  I could see Tuon arguing that it would be void.   If it is still enforced, I think nearly all of the captured Wise Ones will be freed.  Tuon's insistence that a properly trained damane will not want to leave can't apply to the Wise Ones who know how to embrace pain.  There isn't anything the sul'dam could do to them to make them break.   The Aes Sedai, though, are another matter.  We see in Towers of Midnight that Elaida is nearly broken (Chapter 47, "A Teaching Chamber").  How many of the others taken will be unable to hold off the Seanchan's breaking tactics?  Aes Sedai are surprisingly stubborn, so maybe some will still wish for freedom.    But if Egwene's and Tuon's agreement doesn't hold after the Last Battle, there are two others who can work on the Empress and make her see reason.  First is Mat.  He's growing more accustomed to Seanchan ways, but Mat will always be Mat.  And like it or not, he has a soft spot for Aes Sedai.  When he accidentally captures a marath'damane on the battle field, he thinks of releasing her.     How many of the damane belong to the Empire?  And if Mat is the Prince of the Ravens, couldn't those damane arguably belong to him?  And if they belonged to him, couldn't he let them free or something?   And if that's not a far enough stretch, there's always Min.  She gets elevated to Tuon's Truthspeaker (A Memory of Light, Chapter 27, "Friendly Fire").  Whatever a Truthspeaker says, Tuon has to acknowledge.      In this discussion, Min gets the upper hand, showing Tuon there are other ways of handling things.  In fact, Min's argument about "what someone may do" is not too far off from Tuon's thoughts on sul'dam being able to learn to channel.  And from there, the next step is seeing that Aes Sedai should be viewed the same way.  Aes Sedai can be manipulative and untrustworthy, but not all of them are.  Surely, they all don't deserve the punishment of the a'dam based on the logic Min just used and Tuon agrees with. And to make it super easy, Min could just say to let them all go.  As the bearer of omens, she would have to be obeyed, I think.   With all of these factors working against the Seanchan, the captured Aes Sedai--those who wish freedom--should be released.    That's all for this edition.  I'm pleased that things looked good for the collared Aes Sedai.  For next week, we'll look at what will happen if/when Rand, Mat, and Perrin lose their ta'veren abilities.  Thanks for reading!

I am calling for applications for one person to join my staff of bloggers. Applications for this position will be open until Monday, June 17th.   Description of the Job Position:   The position currently open is for the Weekly Roundup blogger.  This person will be responsible for doing a brief recap of some of the important events/threads happening on the forums.  Please look here for past examples of this column.   Job Duties for Both Front Page Blogger Position:   1. Bloggers are expected to produce content in their respective areas for the front page once per week. They must be able to meet deadlines in a timely manner.   2. Bloggers occasionally will be called upon to assist the Front Page Admin with brainstorming new ideas for features.   3. Bloggers are expected to dedicate time each week to the Front Page Bloggers Staff Board and the DM Staff Board. As members of DM Staff, they act as representatives of the members of DM and their input is vital in the decision making process. Bloggers should be actively engaged in discussions on staff boards.   4. Bloggers must be able to give at least a 6 month commitment of approximately 5 hours per week. LOAs will come up, of course.   Anyone who thinks they can fulfill the requirements may apply. Strong candidates are people who possess the following qualities: efficiency, writing ability, organizational skills, creativity, maturity, and the ability to work well with others.   The Application Process:   If you are interested, please send an email to frontpage@dragonmount.com.   In each application, please include:   * Your DM Handle. * Some details about who you are in real life, including anything you think will have prepared you for leadership (including past online leadership experience). * A sample of your writing consisting of at least three short paragraphs. This can be in the form of a brief essay, a blog, a school paper, a newspaper article, a forum post, a short story, or a role play. You do not have to write something new for this application; in fact, many of you already have forum posts that are long enough to count. I mainly want to get an idea of your writing style. * Anything else that you think would set you apart from other applicants.  Why are you the best candidate?   If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will try to answer them.   ~Mashiara

It's Friday again and Fan Art Friday is back with the last part of the Architecture and Scenery. This time there is more focus on scenery than architecture. This part brings to you scenery from Waygates to Mashadar to the Spine of the World.   The Waygates were made by the male Aes Sedai after the Breaking as a thanksgiving gift for the Ogier who had sheltered them. Gradually the Taint on saidin affected the Ways.  Machin Shin came into existence and devoured most who entered the Ways.   Mashadar was the product of distrust in Aridhol. It changed Aridhol, a great city, to Shadar Logoth or Shadow's Waiting. Mashadar devours most who enter the city. Even Trollocs fear to enter Shadar Logoth because of Mashadar.   The Spine of the World is the great mountain range which separates the main part of the world from the Aiel Waste. It is also called the Dragonwall by the Aiel.   The door of the way by lioucihan     Waygate at Manetheren by robchristainson     Fog suit 6: Mashadar by FalineDrake     Spine of the World by stickersticker