February 1, 2012

Merlin S4 Ep7 – The Secret Sharer

Alator of the Catha

Agravaine has brought Morgana back to her hut, letting her rest while he takes care of her. She finally stirs and tells him of her confrontation with Emrys. Agravaine is certain that Gaius has been informing Emrys of their traitorous plans, and with Morgana’s help, he sets a plan in motion to set Gaius up publicly as Camelot’s turncoat.

While Agravaine works on Arthur, Morgana heads off to recruit a powerful ally. This magician is known as Alator, and as a member of a group called the Catha, he knows how to extract information from the unwilling. His training as a warrior priest is what Morgana desires because she is certain Gaius will not easily give up what he knows of Emrys. Offering him the healing bracelet given to her from Gaius as payment, she hires Alator to kidnap Gaius. (more…)

January 25, 2012

Merlin S4 Ep6 – A Servant of Two Masters

Arthur, Merlin and the Knights are ambushed by mercenaries when they attempt to take a shortcut through the Valley of the Kings. Merlin takes a blow to the chest and Arthur helps move him to a safer location where they both can hide. Under the cover of the night, Merlin and Arthur try to make the situation a bit more lighthearted, talking of heroism and cowardice. When they wake in the morning, Arthur hoists Merlin over his shoulders, hoping they can outrun the men chasing them. Unfortunately, they are pinned in a narrow passageway, forcing Arthur to put Merlin down and fight. Merlin does what he can to ensure Arthur’s safety by causing a rockslide, but he is now alone and injured. (more…)

January 11, 2012

Merlin S4 Ep5 – His Father’s Son

King Caerleon

King Caerleon

His Father’s Son opens with Merlin dressed as a knight of Camelot being chased by a small army of bandits. He deliberately luring them into a trap set up by King Arthur, where he waits with a small army of his own. After defeating the bandits, Agravaine hauls their leader to Arthur, revealing the man’s true identity. The man they captured is Caerleon, the ruler of a neighbouring kingdom who has been caught trespassing several times. Agravaine plays on Arthur’s insecurities as a new king, suggesting that their prisoner either agree to a treaty of what Agravaine thinks is fair or to kill him in the morning. Arthur does not sleep, the weight of this decision heavy on him. (more…)

October 25, 2011

Geek & Gaming Cross Stitchery – Bit.Trip, I Maed a Gam3 & IT Crowd

Filed under: Journalist — Tags: , , , , , — Yukino @ 3:12 PM

A few weeks ago, I decided to take up cross stitching, thanks mostly to a Twitter friend posting links to super cool patterns she found on Etsy. I purchased four patterns from that store and dragged my husband to the craft store to buy all sorts of embroidery floss, fabric and other tools of the trade.

The first (and most basic) of the patterns I bought from VelvetElvii’s store is a quote from one of my favourite episodes of The IT Crowd, “The Final Countdown”. In this episode, Moss has been accepted as a contestant on Countdown, a popular UK spelling show. As an eight time winner, he is invited to the elusive 8+ club, where his new nemesis, Negative One, challenges him to a game of Street Countdown (played exactly like regular Countdown but on the street). He accepts the challenge with the following quote:

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October 24, 2011

Merlin S4 Ep4 – Aithusa

A thief sneaks into a cave where a group of druids are hiding out to steal a fragment of a triskelion said to open the way to a great treasure. Once he has it in hand, he turns around to find the druids awake and flees with his winnings. His next stop is Camelot, to visit an old friend and find the final piece of the key.

In the middle of the night, there is a knocking on Gaius’ door. Merlin wakes to see what is going on through a crack in his bedroom door. The thief, a man called Borden, has come to show Gaius the triskelion and ask for his assistance is collecting the final piece, which has been locked up in the castle vault. Once complete, the triskelion will lead the bearer to the Tomb of Ashkanar, which legend says contains a dragon egg. Gaius tells Borden he will not help him, that he believes that Arthur will be a better king than Uther was. He sends Borden out, and Merlin talks to Gaius of Borden and his claims. Gaius explains that Borden has always been a shady character, always out for himself. (more…)

October 21, 2011

Merlin S4 Ep3 – The Wicked Day

A huge day of feasting and celebration is planned for Arthur’s birthday, including performances from a traveling carnival, Teatro del Sol. Uther is much more aware of himself today, interrupting Arthur as he tries to talk of courtly matters, insisting he is well enough to attend the party.

During the meal, the ring leader challenges Arthur to take a spin on his wheel and take part in his knife tossing demonstration. Arthur accepts and finds himself with an apple shoved in his mouth as he spins round and round. Merlin stands at the ready to save the prince should any of the knives go astray, but all is fine as the third knife lands squarely in the apple. A very relieved Arthur gets off of the wheel and munches away on the apple…. which has been laced with a sedative. (more…)

October 20, 2011

Merlin S4 Ep2 – The Darkest Hour Pt 2

In Part Two of The Darkest Hour, we pick up with the Knights deciding how to proceed now that Merlin is on the verge of death. So that Arthur does not abandon the quest, Lancelot offers to take Merlin back to Gaius. Merlin begs Arthur to let him come along, but the prince refuses and sends the two back toward the castle. Lancelot leads them through the Valley of the Fallen Kings, stopping at a river to collect water and check on his friend. Here, the Vilia (water spirits) call out to him, offering shelter from the Dorocha and to heal Merlin. (more…)

October 14, 2011

Extra Life 2011 – Sponsor Me!!

October 14th Update:

Many thanks to all of my friends and family members who helped me reach my goal this week. I couldn’t have done this without you. You will be putting smiles on faces and for that, you are heroes.

Now onto my gaming schedule for the big event! I will be starting at 0:00am Oct 15th and playing for 24hrs straight (with potty/food breaks and a shower thrown in). Here’s my gaming breakdown.

0:00am – 4:00am: A mix of Fallout New Vegas DLC (Honest Hearts & Dead Money)

4:00am – 9:00am: Silent Hill Homecoming

9:00am – 2:00pm: Persona 4

2:00pm – ??? : Gears 3 campaign on Insane with @tehflakes and @ThrallMind

Depending on when we end campaign mode, I may switch to You Don’t Know Jack or play something on my PSP (I like to give my 360 cool down time as she’s getting older). You can follow me on Twitter for updates. (more…)

October 11, 2011

Merlin S4 Ep1 – The Darkest Hour Pt 1

A year has passed since Morgana drove Uther insane and had their plans to rule Camelot ruined by Merlin and the newly formed Knights of the Round Table. While some of the Knights head out on regular patrol, they come across the sorceress heading for the Isle of the Blessed, her dying sister in tow. She moves on towards the Isle with Morgause, arriving on the eve of Saiun when the veil between worlds is at it’s weakest. When midnight strikes, Morgana sacrifices her sister on the altar and tears open the veil, allowing the Dorocha freedom to attack the living. (more…)

August 30, 2011

…And So Turn the Gears of Our Lives

Filed under: Journalist — Tags: , , , , , — Yukino @ 11:35 AM

This September another video game trilogy comes to a conclusion. The Gears of War saga has a dear place in my heart as one of the games that helped me get through the long-distance leg of my relationship with my husband. These were games we played together for the cooperative experience, something to do as a couple. And for that reason alone, they served a purpose.

But video games of this magnitude cannot rely on game play alone. There needs to be a strong and compelling story to bring a player back time and time again. Sure you can slap multiplayer into any game nowadays, but for someone like myself – someone who appreciates solid storytelling – that is not what is going to keep your game in my console for long. This, unfortunately, is where the first two installments in Gears of War fell short for me. More so Gears 2 than the original. (more…)

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