#Mallory x badger

[welcometoheartland]

Heartland Best of ...Top 10 Kisses.

[kaneowldust]

Report 16: Quest for Avalon

And so after a month of ink drawings and another monthtime of writing stories, we’re finally back on our magical studies of Ice. And what world have we decided to explore this time around? The far off land of Avalon with knights, and kings, and goblins, and magic swords that won’t stay in one bloody place. Seriously, you needed a “Find my Sword” app for all the chasing you have to do. Off side, it would make sense that in the worlds revolving around magic that we would take to a world based off Autherian lore. This is also the home world of Ambrose and Gamma as well as the origin of Morganthe. 

           I will admit I have some mixed feelings about the design. On one hand, much like Zafaria-each segment has its own unique aesthetic telling the areas apart showing just how much KingsIsle has some since its early days of Krokotopia through Marleybone where at most the main difference was the color of the buildings and that was before the first major graphic update. Most of the area takes place in the outdoors from the bright and sunny fields of High Road and Abbey Road, to the lush coloring of the Wilds, to the darker drabber areas of the Wyrd and Dun Dara. The only real town segments are Caer Lyon and the Outer Yard to the castle. Your quests do not stay to one area in the course of the main story. One leg could be mingling about the High Road and then going to Caer Lyon before going to Abbey Road and then back to the Wyld. 

The teleporter arches do offer some help in reaching the main areas once activated, but there is still a bit of tracking to be done within each area. Also it is very easy to get caught by the enemies in this place-a thing that can be especially frustrating if it is the same class as you. Ice type enemies are super common much like Grizzlehiem which makes things that much harder. That being said, there is a spell you can use training points for after performing a side quest known as the AOE prism spell. While it costs 2 pips to use as opposed to the 0 pop cost of the standard prism, it pays off in the long run. 

           Speaking of enemies we get a mix of both old and new models from several knight designs from badgers, dogs, and foxes to various goblins from the fluff round skirkers to gangly sprigas. Sure you also have reused models like the ghosts and treeants but they mostly stay to the Wild/Wyrd areas. For the most part much of the overworld enemies don’t give you too much issue but the bosses can be quite aggravating. 

There are a lot of Storm and Balance enemies you deal with that can hit quite hard or have rules that make shields and traps ineffective. A lot of these bosses make soloing the game rather difficult though you shouldn’t have too much issue during the Days of the Spiral events where points are awarded to use the Team Kiosk for Zafaria and Avalon at the time of this post. To the final boss aka the Pendragon I will admit I was rather disappointed by the design. 

For something that was a terror that lead the goblins and deer people against Avalon I was expecting a bit more. Instead we got a green recoloring for the dragon design made for this level. Granted at least it was not a reuse from Dragonspyre but still a bit meh.

At least the narrative is fairly straight forward this time as opposed to Zafaria and Celestia. Your objective is to go to Avalon and retrieve the Sword of Kings to give you a fighting chance against Morganthe and the Deck of Shadows. Unfortunate the page that Merle entrusted the sword to has now grown old and retired from knightdom and had given it to someone else to guard. In turn they handed it to their minstrel to escape with during the raid only for them to lose it in the Wyrd and have it taken to a tomb. Get into the tomb and the Lady of the Lake spirits it away. Meanwhile you must assist the knights against the tides of monsters and restore the shrines of knighthood with the very long names that I honestly glossed over and could not tell you what they were in the first place. 

Which does make me question the length of time between the fall of King Arturious and present day. Because Mallory and Morgathe led the assault on the King and Mallory was killed while Morganthe fled still under the guise of ambitious student of Merle Ambrose. But sometime between then and now she brought about the fall of Celestia in an almost completely manner that the Marleybonians know nothing about them save for the ruins left before. And all that time Avalon has just been surviving against the Pendragon…honestly it is all a bit too confusing trying to put everything in order. At least with Malistaire it was relatively real time. On a side note the biggest gripe would be the Zeke quests and the tapestry quest. This time around they don’t say exactly where these items are. By that I mean, say you’ll find this crow somewhere in the Cave of the Lightening Lizard or this tapestry is in Bolga’s Tower. No instead you get the lovely vague indicator of High Road or Outer Yard. Honestly it is very aggravating for you to have to investigate every single instance in the off chance the crow or rug is there otherwise you’ll just have to do the instance all over again and at least half of those areas will not let you sneak around enemies. If it were not for the online guides, the trouble for extra two training points would have barely been worth it (not that it entirely matters since you only have 60 slots for attacks anyway). 

Most of your side quests revolve around helping the knights and recruiting others to the fight even though they don’t partake in the final battle. Half of them are errand jobs that means a lot of fighting the same sets of enemies that can be a bit repetitive. Thankfully most of these are easy to dispatch. If you’re really unlucky, you might get the “kill x amount of enemies” badge. Hasn’t quite happened to me, but it was very lucky.

That aside it was still a nice place to explore around and it looks like we’re going to head to the land of dinosaurs. Wonder if I should look into training raptors? Take to the Sky my Friends!

[jesusvasser]

997 Miles in a 2018 Mercedes-AMG S65 Coupe

Resting her head against the soft, red Nappa door panel, she stared out across the empty, black field. Her smile lit up in the passenger-side mirror by purple light coming from the footwells of our 2018 Mercedes-AMG S65 coupe. She yelled “There!” and pointed to the pale yellow glow of a firefly. Another bug blinked, then another, then dozens more. She laughed and squirmed like she’d seen a magic trick. She would’ve stared into that field all night.

My girlfriend, Mallory, and I recently took a 977-mile road trip through Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. When an old friend invited me to a summer wedding in Wisconsin, I decided to use the opportunity to introduce Mallory to the Midwest; I grew up just outside of Chicago, then lived in Michigan for four years, and Mallory has long wanted to see the places I once called “home.” The S65 coupe fit the bill for transportation; a grand tourer that can cut through farmland quickly, comfortably, and in style. “I could get used to this,” Mallory said getting into the thickly padded, tightly contoured passenger seat. She liked it even more after I told her the as-tested price: $257,745.

We drove to the southwest Suburbs and visited my house and the schools I went to, then started an unhealthy, 36-hour food binge: hot dogs from Portillo’s, beefs from Al’s, Italian lemonade from Mario’s, pizza from Home Run Inn, followed by deep-dish pizza from Gino’s East. We couldn’t stomach a burger at the Billy Goat Tavern on Lower Wacker Drive, which is one of my all-favorite playgrounds. The S65 handled its 4,850 pounds confidently as we turned from street to street and the V-12 made all the right guttural noises. We parked near Millennium Park, where we saw some of the annual Blues Fest before visiting a Charles White retrospective at the Art Institute.

In the morning, we started a four-hour drive to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. As the rain thinned heading north, I appreciated the electrochromatic “Magic Sky Control” glass roof that tints dark blue on demand—a $2,500 option. Halfway through the trip, I decided to wow Mallory with another S65 trick: automatic lane change. I set cruise control, got her attention, took my hands off the wheel, and tapped the signal stalk. The car calmly changed lanes, and Mallory acted like we were about to careen off the highway. “I can’t believe that,” she said when we didn’t. At the wedding, a Friar Tuck-looking priest presided over the ceremonies, which were followed by speeches and overserved 30-year-olds twerking.

In the morning, on the shore of Lake Michigan, I about shit when the guard at the S.S. Badger told me to give him the keys to the S65 AMG so that he could drive the car onto the 66-year-old ferry that provides passenger and freight service between Manitowac, Wisconsin, and Ludington, Michigan. Instead of protesting, Mallory and I ate fried cheese curds and waited for our 63-mile trip across the lake. When I sat down for bingo in the mess hall, I immediately won and everyone hated me. Mallory and I fared well in the trivia that followed—Charles Barkley really set an Olympic record for most points scored in a single game? —but we almost broke up over Yahtzee. Upon landing in Ludington—where someone else drove the Merc off the boat—we met Phil, a banjo player from The Drowsy Lads who came to greet the grand ol’ steamship. Mallory and I had dinner in town and when she wondered where to put her leftovers, I mentioned our car’s optional $1,100 rear-seat refrigerator, which blew her mind. On a dark road to Glen Arbor, I blew her mind again when I turned on night vision, which comes standard.

The following day was one of the best I can recall. Mallory and I climbed the Sleeping Bear dunes before kayaking on the lazy Crystal River, rock hounding and catching toads. We’d hoped to see river otters in Leland’s Historic District, “Fishtown,” a carefully renovated shanty town; gray, weather-beaten smoke shacks from the early 1900s now serve hearty sandwiches and delicious McClure’s “spicy pickle” potato chips from Detroit. We explored back roads of Michigan searching for beavers, because Mallory has a strange infatuation with them, and I asked, “Do you think this is the first car with a V-12 that’s gone down this road?” Fortunately, the air suspension can raise with the push of a button, so ground clearance never became the issue it should’ve been. More tricks from the S65 AMG coupe.

I became bolder as I spent more time with the car, yet it always felt unfazed. It is an approachable car that gently reminds you that 738 lb-ft is a lot of torque and offers a humbling driving experience that favors comfort over performance, with capable performance. What it lacks in fuel economy—getting 21 mpg on the highway—a giant fuel tank overshadows, helping you believe “I’m not the problem.” The 2018 Mercedes-AMG S65 coupe has presence and gets a lot of attention, but I considered it very little on our trip, which is probably why I enjoyed it so well. It afforded us an idyllic space to talk and joke as we drove through typical, beautiful America.

It’s hard not to love and hate anything this big and lavish that has 16.5-inch carbon-ceramic brakes and costs $8,950. I don’t care to criticize it because it’s dying, or needs to. It’s too much of old ideas, especially in a time when Mercedes is having so many innovative ones. Midwestern folk loved it, like they love fried foods, capri pants, and the Cubs. Mallory loved it, too, and I loved being in it with her. A wonderful trip that would’ve been ruined if one firefly exploded neon green on our windshield.

2018 Mercedes-AMG S 65 Coupe Specifications

ON SALE Now PRICE $241,195/$257,745 (base/as tested) ENGINE 6.0L twin-turbo DOHC 48-valve V-12/621 hp @ 4,800-5,400 rpm, 738 lb-ft @ 2,300-4,300 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, FWD crossover EPA MILEAGE 13/21 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 198.9 x 75.3 x 55.7 in WHEELBASE 115.9 in WEIGHT 4,839 lb 0-60 MPH 4.0 sec TOP SPEED 186 mph

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[jonathanbelloblog]

997 Miles in a 2018 Mercedes-AMG S65 Coupe

Resting her head against the soft, red Nappa door panel, she stared out across the empty, black field. Her smile lit up in the passenger-side mirror by purple light coming from the footwells of our 2018 Mercedes-AMG S65 coupe. She yelled “There!” and pointed to the pale yellow glow of a firefly. Another bug blinked, then another, then dozens more. She laughed and squirmed like she’d seen a magic trick. She would’ve stared into that field all night.

My girlfriend, Mallory, and I recently took a 977-mile road trip through Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. When an old friend invited me to a summer wedding in Wisconsin, I decided to use the opportunity to introduce Mallory to the Midwest; I grew up just outside of Chicago, then lived in Michigan for four years, and Mallory has long wanted to see the places I once called “home.” The S65 coupe fit the bill for transportation; a grand tourer that can cut through farmland quickly, comfortably, and in style. “I could get used to this,” Mallory said getting into the thickly padded, tightly contoured passenger seat. She liked it even more after I told her the as-tested price: $257,745.

We drove to the southwest Suburbs and visited my house and the schools I went to, then started an unhealthy, 36-hour food binge: hot dogs from Portillo’s, beefs from Al’s, Italian lemonade from Mario’s, pizza from Home Run Inn, followed by deep-dish pizza from Gino’s East. We couldn’t stomach a burger at the Billy Goat Tavern on Lower Wacker Drive, which is one of my all-favorite playgrounds. The S65 handled its 4,850 pounds confidently as we turned from street to street and the V-12 made all the right guttural noises. We parked near Millennium Park, where we saw some of the annual Blues Fest before visiting a Charles White retrospective at the Art Institute.

In the morning, we started a four-hour drive to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. As the rain thinned heading north, I appreciated the electrochromatic “Magic Sky Control” glass roof that tints dark blue on demand—a $2,500 option. Halfway through the trip, I decided to wow Mallory with another S65 trick: automatic lane change. I set cruise control, got her attention, took my hands off the wheel, and tapped the signal stalk. The car calmly changed lanes, and Mallory acted like we were about to careen off the highway. “I can’t believe that,” she said when we didn’t. At the wedding, a Friar Tuck-looking priest presided over the ceremonies, which were followed by speeches and overserved 30-year-olds twerking.

In the morning, on the shore of Lake Michigan, I about shit when the guard at the S.S. Badger told me to give him the keys to the S65 AMG so that he could drive the car onto the 66-year-old ferry that provides passenger and freight service between Manitowac, Wisconsin, and Ludington, Michigan. Instead of protesting, Mallory and I ate fried cheese curds and waited for our 63-mile trip across the lake. When I sat down for bingo in the mess hall, I immediately won and everyone hated me. Mallory and I fared well in the trivia that followed—Charles Barkley really set an Olympic record for most points scored in a single game? —but we almost broke up over Yahtzee. Upon landing in Ludington—where someone else drove the Merc off the boat—we met Phil, a banjo player from The Drowsy Lads who came to greet the grand ol’ steamship. Mallory and I had dinner in town and when she wondered where to put her leftovers, I mentioned our car’s optional $1,100 rear-seat refrigerator, which blew her mind. On a dark road to Glen Arbor, I blew her mind again when I turned on night vision, which comes standard.

The following day was one of the best I can recall. Mallory and I climbed the Sleeping Bear dunes before kayaking on the lazy Crystal River, rock hounding and catching toads. We’d hoped to see river otters in Leland’s Historic District, “Fishtown,” a carefully renovated shanty town; gray, weather-beaten smoke shacks from the early 1900s now serve hearty sandwiches and delicious McClure’s “spicy pickle” potato chips from Detroit. We explored back roads of Michigan searching for beavers, because Mallory has a strange infatuation with them, and I asked, “Do you think this is the first car with a V-12 that’s gone down this road?” Fortunately, the air suspension can raise with the push of a button, so ground clearance never became the issue it should’ve been. More tricks from the S65 AMG coupe.

I became bolder as I spent more time with the car, yet it always felt unfazed. It is an approachable car that gently reminds you that 738 lb-ft is a lot of torque and offers a humbling driving experience that favors comfort over performance, with capable performance. What it lacks in fuel economy—getting 21 mpg on the highway—a giant fuel tank overshadows, helping you believe “I’m not the problem.” The 2018 Mercedes-AMG S65 coupe has presence and gets a lot of attention, but I considered it very little on our trip, which is probably why I enjoyed it so well. It afforded us an idyllic space to talk and joke as we drove through typical, beautiful America.

It’s hard not to love and hate anything this big and lavish that has 16.5-inch carbon-ceramic brakes and costs $8,950. I don’t care to criticize it because it’s dying, or needs to. It’s too much of old ideas, especially in a time when Mercedes is having so many innovative ones. Midwestern folk loved it, like they love fried foods, capri pants, and the Cubs. Mallory loved it, too, and I loved being in it with her. A wonderful trip that would’ve been ruined if one firefly exploded neon green on our windshield.

2018 Mercedes-AMG S 65 Coupe Specifications

ON SALE Now PRICE $241,195/$257,745 (base/as tested) ENGINE 6.0L twin-turbo DOHC 48-valve V-12/621 hp @ 4,800-5,400 rpm, 738 lb-ft @ 2,300-4,300 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, FWD crossover EPA MILEAGE 13/21 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 198.9 x 75.3 x 55.7 in WHEELBASE 115.9 in WEIGHT 4,839 lb 0-60 MPH 4.0 sec TOP SPEED 186 mph

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[heartlandians]

Heartland - 4x04 - Graduation

[heartlandians]

Heartland - 4x08 - One Day

[heartlandians]

Heartland - 4x04 - Graduation

[heartlandians]

Mallory: We need to immobilize your arm. Badger: You sound like you know what you're doing. Mallory: Lou made me take a first aid course when I first started working at Heartland. -- This might throw a wrench in your riding lessons with Jamie. Badger: What? Mallory: You know... You and her... Badger: Are you kidding? The only reason I'm taking lessons is so I can go riding with you. Mallory: Oh...

Heartland - 4x05 - Where the Truth Lies

[jesusvasser]

997 Miles in a 2018 Mercedes-AMG S65 Coupe

Resting her head against the soft, red Nappa door panel, she stared out across the empty, black field. Her smile lit up in the passenger-side mirror by purple light coming from the footwells of our 2018 Mercedes-AMG S65 coupe. She yelled “There!” and pointed to the pale yellow glow of a firefly. Another bug blinked, then another, then dozens more. She laughed and squirmed like she’d seen a magic trick. She would’ve stared into that field all night.

My girlfriend, Mallory, and I recently took a 977-mile road trip through Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. When an old friend invited me to a summer wedding in Wisconsin, I decided to use the opportunity to introduce Mallory to the Midwest; I grew up just outside of Chicago, then lived in Michigan for four years, and Mallory has long wanted to see the places I once called “home.” The S65 coupe fit the bill for transportation; a grand tourer that can cut through farmland quickly, comfortably, and in style. “I could get used to this,” Mallory said getting into the thickly padded, tightly contoured passenger seat. She liked it even more after I told her the as-tested price: $257,745.

We drove to the southwest Suburbs and visited my house and the schools I went to, then started an unhealthy, 36-hour food binge: hot dogs from Portillo’s, beefs from Al’s, Italian lemonade from Mario’s, pizza from Home Run Inn, followed by deep-dish pizza from Gino’s East. We couldn’t stomach a burger at the Billy Goat Tavern on Lower Wacker Drive, which is one of my all-favorite playgrounds. The S65 handled its 4,850 pounds confidently as we turned from street to street and the V-12 made all the right guttural noises. We parked near Millennium Park, where we saw some of the annual Blues Fest before visiting a Charles White retrospective at the Art Institute.

In the morning, we started a four-hour drive to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. As the rain thinned heading north, I appreciated the electrochromatic “Magic Sky Control” glass roof that tints dark blue on demand—a $2,500 option. Halfway through the trip, I decided to wow Mallory with another S65 trick: automatic lane change. I set cruise control, got her attention, took my hands off the wheel, and tapped the signal stalk. The car calmly changed lanes, and Mallory acted like we were about to careen off the highway. “I can’t believe that,” she said when we didn’t. At the wedding, a Friar Tuck-looking priest presided over the ceremonies, which were followed by speeches and overserved 30-year-olds twerking.

In the morning, on the shore of Lake Michigan, I about shit when the guard at the S.S. Badger told me to give him the keys to the S65 AMG so that he could drive the car onto the 66-year-old ferry that provides passenger and freight service between Manitowac, Wisconsin, and Ludington, Michigan. Instead of protesting, Mallory and I ate fried cheese curds and waited for our 63-mile trip across the lake. When I sat down for bingo in the mess hall, I immediately won and everyone hated me. Mallory and I fared well in the trivia that followed—Charles Barkley really set an Olympic record for most points scored in a single game? —but we almost broke up over Yahtzee. Upon landing in Ludington—where someone else drove the Merc off the boat—we met Phil, a banjo player from The Drowsy Lads who came to greet the grand ol’ steamship. Mallory and I had dinner in town and when she wondered where to put her leftovers, I mentioned our car’s optional $1,100 rear-seat refrigerator, which blew her mind. On a dark road to Glen Arbor, I blew her mind again when I turned on night vision, which comes standard.

The following day was one of the best I can recall. Mallory and I climbed the Sleeping Bear dunes before kayaking on the lazy Crystal River, rock hounding and catching toads. We’d hoped to see river otters in Leland’s Historic District, “Fishtown,” a carefully renovated shanty town; gray, weather-beaten smoke shacks from the early 1900s now serve hearty sandwiches and delicious McClure’s “spicy pickle” potato chips from Detroit. We explored back roads of Michigan searching for beavers, because Mallory has a strange infatuation with them, and I asked, “Do you think this is the first car with a V-12 that’s gone down this road?” Fortunately, the air suspension can raise with the push of a button, so ground clearance never became the issue it should’ve been. More tricks from the S65 AMG coupe.

I became bolder as I spent more time with the car, yet it always felt unfazed. It is an approachable car that gently reminds you that 738 lb-ft is a lot of torque and offers a humbling driving experience that favors comfort over performance, with capable performance. What it lacks in fuel economy—getting 21 mpg on the highway—a giant fuel tank overshadows, helping you believe “I’m not the problem.” The 2018 Mercedes-AMG S65 coupe has presence and gets a lot of attention, but I considered it very little on our trip, which is probably why I enjoyed it so well. It afforded us an idyllic space to talk and joke as we drove through typical, beautiful America.

It’s hard not to love and hate anything this big and lavish that has 16.5-inch carbon-ceramic brakes and costs $8,950. I don’t care to criticize it because it’s dying, or needs to. It’s too much of old ideas, especially in a time when Mercedes is having so many innovative ones. Midwestern folk loved it, like they love fried foods, capri pants, and the Cubs. Mallory loved it, too, and I loved being in it with her. A wonderful trip that would’ve been ruined if one firefly exploded neon green on our windshield.

2018 Mercedes-AMG S 65 Coupe Specifications

ON SALE Now PRICE $241,195/$257,745 (base/as tested) ENGINE 6.0L twin-turbo DOHC 48-valve V-12/621 hp @ 4,800-5,400 rpm, 738 lb-ft @ 2,300-4,300 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, FWD crossover EPA MILEAGE 13/21 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 198.9 x 75.3 x 55.7 in WHEELBASE 115.9 in WEIGHT 4,839 lb 0-60 MPH 4.0 sec TOP SPEED 186 mph

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