July, 2004 Tar Valon Times
News and Calendar by Mazarin Ashinar
Be sure to check out the calendar for JALGC games galore, Da'Show dates and times, and Tower birthdays and Free Days.
- July 19: Free Day, Genshai
- July 24: Free Day, Mabrim's Day
- July 22-25: Comic*Con
News Posts:
- Robert Jordan Q&A
- Summer Conventions and Conferences
- New Temporary Boards!
- Tar Valon Annual Report 2004
Product of the Month by Shamal al'Cain
Are you a writer or even just an observer? Better yet... are you a Brown? The TarValon.net Journal will act as your notepad when observing anything worth recording. It's nice and small so that you can whip it out whenever you need it. A very good investment indeed.
Comic by Amara Danicek
Sam and Fuzzy, a comic which has been running since May of 2002, chronicles the escapades of a taxi driver named Sam and his bear-like room-mate Fuzzy. The comic is fast-paced and remarkably consistent in its humor, without growing stale. The earliest comics can be a challenge to understand at times, but the artwork and layouts rapidly improve into a very polished and professional comic. This year, Sam and Fuzzy has been nominated for three awards by the Cartoonists Choice Awards. This comic is well worth the time reading its many episodes, and since it is all in black and white it's dial-up friendly.
Poem of the Month by Kyla Sterling
This month's poem comes from Kheldin, a recruit who likes to spend free time re-writing songs to fit the Wheel of Time, and is to the tune of David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel"
You got Aes Sedai, in a whirl,
With your jewelled dagger from Aridhol.
Hey Mat- Tuon's all right
Hey Mat- Lets gamble tonight.
You beat me and I lost it all,
You like dancing and you look divine,
You love drinking in sordid taverns,
You win more and you win it fast,
They say to you, your luck's not strong,
You ta'veren, you showed them wrong,
Matrim, Matrim, you met Rahvin,
Matrim, Matrim, he did you in,
Matrim Matrim, how could you know?
Tylin would catch you so.
You stay up all night, with Birgitte,
You fight a gholam, in the street,
Hey Mat- The Band's all right,
Hey Mat, Please walk in the light.
You rescue women and are rewarded by sniffs,
You get called trickster and hung by Aelfinn,
You love the Band when they're fighting hard,
Your bank balance, must be vast.
They Heal you- say you won't live long
You ta'veren, you showed them wrong,
Matrim, Matrim, Gambler by trade
Matrim, you make Nynaeve pull her braid
Matrim Matrim, you hear dice in your head,
Dovie'andi se tovya sagain
Member of the Month by Leilwyn al'Raen
Site Review by Tyla al'Mere
Officially opened on the 18th of May 2004, al'Tcheran is a role-playing community incorporating the Legion of the Dragon, the White Tower, the Black Tower, The Children of the Light and the Fourth Coalition - a coalition of the Borderlands.
The World of al'Tcheran is a portal world and takes place after the end of book ten in the Wheel of Time series, but despite a few major differences, there are also similarities. "The Forsaken are free, Saidin is free of the Dark Ones Taint, and the Nations are in uproar, the Dragon is reborn, Prophets are marching and the Seachan have returned. In the midst of this, [these] five factions will have to struggle for their own survival, and the survival of mankind. They will have to find unorthodox allies and crush opposition among themselves, and then there is always the Shadow lurking, waiting for an opportunity to lunge."
Growing quickly, al'Tcheran already has more than 30 members, most of whom are actively role-playing at this time. If you are looking for a diverse role-playing experience or just a chance to meet more people then al'Tcheran is the place for you.
The Message Board Fiasco by Leilwyn al'Raen
As we all know, the TarValon.net message boards are the hub of our community. We flock to them, they are our salvation from the world we know as "Real Life". So when our virtual home was cruelly taken away from us, we all wanted to know what happened, and who to send the Darkhounds after.
Our first move to proboards was a fast and temporarily satisfying one, but the thought on everyones minds was 'When will our beloved boards be back?'. It was not too long until proboards hit us with an expensive bill, and some other difficulties, that led to us returning to the old format of EZBoards. While EZBoards may not be everyones board of choice, it offered us an affordable rate and were easy to return to for those members who had joined on the original boards.
Dot5 Hosting, the hosting company that had previously looked after the old boards, have frustrated the admins to no end; refusing to give out much needed information, and running rings around them with backwards answers. But despite all of the hold-ups, set-backs, and gibberish speeches thrown at them, the admins have soldiered through this mess and come out shiny and clean on the outside with a solution to all of our problems.
A new plan has been hatched. The boards will be transferred to a newly purchased domain name - www.tarvalonforums.net! So within the next few days, our hard-working admins will continue to work at setting up our new home with the last saved back-up (hopefully), and giving us back a place that we are all familiar with and greatly miss. After three weeks of living like the Tuatha'an, we will soon be heading home.
Three cheers for the admins!
